17 - Doing My Part
Blue's horn glowed, signing her name with a floating quill, then bringing over her ring to stamp the floating page firmly. Not a scroll, she took note. A modern day common preference? In either event, she would sign it properly. "Here you are."
Stellar snatched the paper away and turned it around. "You have a family stamp?" Her eyes darted to see that the signature was in the right place. "A bit extra, but extra won't hurt in this case." She folded the paper in half and in half again to tuck away. "Do you understand the terms of what you signed?"
Blue met her eyes, but said nothing.
"You're waiting for me to say." Stellar smirked faintly. "It means, first, what you see, you will not speak of outside of you, me, and the ponies working to build it, and even then, only the parts they already know about." Stellar chuckled softly, tapping her right forehoof. "It's a need to know basis."
"Not a problem." She inclined her head. "But that is not all."
"I should think not." She pointed at Blue. "You. If you have the means you imply you do, there is nothing stopping you from trying to rush ahead and do it ahead of me, which is exactly what is prevented. You are not allowed to use my ideas! They're mine, thank you. There, do we have an understanding?"
"I did sign it." Blue inclined her head where the paper vanished.
"Which means nothing if you didn't understand what you signed. Now you understand, I do hope. Hmm?"
Blue considered that a moment before nodding. "I appreciate you being forthright in your dealings. Some would be happy enough knowing the paper was signed." She inclined her head at Stellar. "Are you prepared to show me your plans?"
"So long as you remember they are my plans, for the future of the town." She gestured grandly over the small town. "I have big ideas that will, ultimately, breathe new life into this sleepy berg."
Belle smiled gently. "Speaking of that. I feel you are a mare that would understand. Can we speak of the heritage bakery?"
Stellar blinked in clear confusion. "Not a place I frequent often. The bread is--"
"--awful," concluded Blue, the two nodded in agreement. "I think something is clearly wrong."
"While interesting, you should bring that up with my backwards facing friend." Stellar drew out sheets of paper to plaster the walls with, moving to the first one. "Step one, nutrition! And you thought I wasn't paying attention. The modern pony needs modern things to eat. A modern pony is in a hurry, so they need to eat quickly." She slapped a hoof against the diagram. "Which is why liquid refreshment is the wave of the future!"
Blue peered at the drawing of a pony dressed oddly with a straw poked into their snout. "Is it popular?" She couldn't imagine liquid food being... "They don't consume things... like that where I'm from."
Stellar squinted at Blue in reply. "Your city, while wonderful, is not the picture of modernity. Celestia prevents it. She holds things back from moving forward, at least around her." She shook her head vigorously. "Now, try visiting places like Baltimare or Manehattan and you'll see! Shakes and smoothies are the in thing and we'll capture on the idea." She tapped busily at the picture. "Do you see?"
Blue nodded slowly. "What is step two?" she asked, sidestepping giving her agreement.
"Step two is about appearance." Stellar turned to the next sheet of paper. But it had no pony. It looked more like a view of a street? "We look old-fashioned. We have to do away with that. Modern storefronts to capture modern eyes. Even the street signs need updating, to say nothing of standardization of the street names." She nodded in agreement with herself. "Firelight has been quite a pain on this front, insisting some of the names are 'historical', still, we can get a lot done around him to bring this place forward."
Blue made an appreciative noise as Stellar gladly went on and on about how she'd turn Sire's Hollow into the next metropolitan star of Equestria. Some of the ideas seemed fine, the others, maybe less so?
"She's bold." She sat down in another room, Starlight there. "I can't speak of the ideas specifically, but I can say that some of them seem quite fine, while others are... concerning." Blue inclined her head. "Your father is much the same way. He would protect everything that appears to be from the past, ignoring how well it works."
Starlight laughed thinly at that. "Wow, tell me about it. Been there, got the shirt." She shook her head softly. "But she's willing to work with you now?"
"To a point." Blue smiled gently. "She's willing to assume I may be a useful asset, but she doesn't want my input. She's missing a vital point in her quest."
"Oh?" Starlight leaned in a bit, a smile on her face. "Do share. I want to hear this."
Blue cocked a brow at Starlight's eagerness. "She wants to make this the next great city, all well and good, but this is not a city. It lacks the ponies, and nothing she plans to do will change that. Not a single thing she has in mind will cause ponies in other cities to migrate here or draw them from other towns, barring temporary tourism, which she is not moving to capitalize on."
Starlight sat back and up. "Um, wait. That sounded way... That was not what I expected at all."
Blue's cheeks tinted red. "Did you think I was just a royal pony with no mind for business at all?"
"Well, yes," confessed Starlight with a little laugh. "I'm alright being proven wrong. So, what's the plan?"
"A work in progress." She tapped her chin softly. "This is... a delicate matter. Stellar is not only a challenge, but a threat, a true one. She could harm me and my family greatly, given motivation."
"Woah, hold onto your horses there."
"I'm not angry at her," assured Blue with a little smile.
Starlight inclined her head. "You just said she was a threat."
"She is," agreed Blue easily. "A snake on the side of the road is a threat, but that does not mean I am angry at it for being what it is. I will figure my way forward, or perhaps I deserve what I have coming. This. This." She pointed at the ground before her. "This is a true test of my worthiness to call myself a royal pony. If I fail, I deserve it."
Starlight suddenly bopped Blue on the nose. "Sorry, but I've seen too many ponies go down this road. You will not forget you have friends, hm? Feel free to ask us for help, and it doesn't make you any less of a success."
Blue stuttered in shock, rubbing her nose a moment before her smile returned. "You are a trying friend." Still, down came an arm, wrapping around Starlight's neck and drawing her closer. "But friend you remain. Thank you."
They got to planning how to move forward.
"This sucks." Fire Paradox had been forced to flee the room as it became more and more crowded with soldiers and guards, thumping everything out of the way. There was no safe space there, even invisible. She was sent to wander the hallways with a scowl. There was a very good chance they'd, eventually, find the room with her mark on it.
It was just a question of what they did with it. It seemed unlikely any of them were trained in infernal arts. They wouldn't summon her back to it, probably. They would destroy it, which was, arguably, worse...
The symbol would resist mightily with the strength of her pact. But enough brute force... No, they would eventually break it, sunder it and smash the stones it was built into, probably.
Then she'd be set adrift. She'd be stuck in the mortal world. On the bright side, she would no longer be bound to that tranny. Fire snorted softly, then sighed. Even if he'd made a lousy stallion, she wasn't an awful mistress, and she was a safe person to talk to and work on. "My plans..." She was sure she was getting Blue closer and closer to the right place to jump off an edge and do something delightfully interesting to see... Ruined!
It was all ruined. She couldn't even go home in a terribly annoying catch 22. With the symbol, she had the power, but was forbidden from leaving the world. Without the symbol, she would be free! But stripped of much of her power. She would not be able to flee home.
"Ugh..." She would become less able to weave magic than her student! That wasn't fair. That wasn't even slightly fair...
A shudder ran through her. "It begins." They found the symbol. They were attacking it, felt like they were striking her directly. "At least I get to share this."
Celestia looked upon the strange mark, her face one of impassive consideration. "Destroy it," she ordered simply. "If you find any others, let me know." The ponies saluted and got to work chipping and smashing it. They'd already tried just removing a brick, but that hadn't worked, as if they were all magnetically attached to one another. "Good job." She didn't leave, instead parking herself within sight to make sure the job was done.
"This bears further investigation." Just what was Blueblood up to? Nothing good, it seemed. It fell on her to put things to right.
Blue wobbled mid-step. "You alright?" Starlight was walking alongside her. "We didn't even get there yet."
"Just a..." She set her teeth against the strange vertigo that swept her. "Maybe I should... sit." What it meant, she had no idea ultimately. "The day's taken more from me than I had first thought."
Starlight guided Blue to park herself off the beaten track. "Want a drink?"
"That sounds..." Nausea swept up to join the vertigo. "Actually, no..." Belle sagged to the right, leaning against a hoof. "How unseemly. This is hardly the proper decorum I should be displaying."
"You're not my baroness." Blue peered at Starlight. "Not as an insult. Just mean you can be yourself around me and I won't tell anypony else." Her horn glowed and they both faded from view, hidden under a shroud of magic. "There we are, your shame, hidden!"
"You are too good." Blue could only smile a little, strange throbbing pain building alongside everything else. "I... don't know what's come over me, but at least I have a solid friend at my side."
"That's the spirit." Starlight sat beside her and gently leaned against, seemingly willing to just sit there and wait, which is exactly what Blue wanted, so that worked out delightfully.
"It's... the strangest thing. I feel like something important is... being attacked, is in danger... but I don't know what, or where, or what to do about it. I'm losing... something." It was all she could gather, instinctually, without proper knowledge of how things worked. "I don't understand."
"It's alright." Sure, Starlight had no idea what was going on either, gently stroking Belle's back.
And it happened. Somewhere far away, the symbol broke, faded. It felt like something had just torn inside of her, ripped free. Belle sagged against Starlight, breathing heavily with the effort she knew not the reason why for. She had lost a valued tied to an assistant, but her frayed spirit was again free. In that moment, she only knew the pain of it.
"Are you alright?" A maid was staring at her.
Fire frowned softly, her head aching. Was it the headache or just her lack of magic? She couldn't tap into that power anymore. Diminished, perhaps she couldn't be invisible anymore, certainly not as long as she'd like. "Can you show me the way out?" She rose to her hooves, her naked tail giving a flick. "I think I got myself turned around. You know how it goes."
"Not a problem." The maid quite obediently showed Fire to the nearest exit. "You have a nice day, ma'am."
"Thanks." Fire staggered out into the light, squinting against it as she moved to put distance between herself and the angry princess that would likely not treat her well if they ran into one another. "Damn it..."
She just had to figure out one of two things. How to find her student and use them as a shield, or how to live on her own in that strange city filled with ponies that probably feared her very appearance. "Hmm..."
The door slapped open. Luna looked towards it in time to see her sister storming in with a frown. "Good evening," Luna called, though rising as a brush worked with magic through her mane. "Rare is it you come to see me awaken, and I imagine it is not idly. What concerns you?"
"Your nephew." She scowled as she came closer, only to be met with a sudden barrier of magic.
"Apologize," demanded Luna flatly.
"For?" Celestia raised a brow. "They were involved in demon summoning!"
Luna inclined her head. "You are overspeaking, sister." She felt she had a fairly good grasp on Blue Belle. "Dirtying their hooves with such things seems far out of character."
Celestia's horn glowed as a replica of the symbol appeared over her. "I saw this, in their room. Tell me why else it would be there?"
Luna slowly clucked her tongue, considering it. "I am no expert, which is who we should consult. Is not Star Swirl available? He would delight in having his talents called upon, I should think."
Celestia sat up, blinking. "That is... a good idea, sister mine."
"I do have those once in a while." Luna smirked victoriously, but it fell away. "How did you find that?"
"I identified the scent that lingered in that room as a sign of it, and had it torn apart." Celestia brought down a hoof heavily. "I was right to do so, this proves. Sister, they are manipulating you."
"They are not!" she hotly denied. "I have seen them at their lowest, broken and lost. She is a better pony, put back together at my own hooves." She brought her fore hooves together softly. "I admit, part of me thinks she has favored being a mare in some way to imitate me. It's flattering!"
Celestia cocked a brow. "That is not healthy."
"A whimsy on my part," deflected Luna. "She speaks of her grandmother as more direct inspiration. Now, about that apology?"
"You never said about that," chastised Celestia. "We're discussing important things."
"And so am I. Stop referring to Blue Belle as a stallion." She clopped softly, a ring of metal on the stone. "She is a baroness, and your niece. She has learned well how to comport herself as a mare, which she is." She rolled her eyes. "Even physically, not that you should deny such a small request even were it not the case. They are far from the first pony to hold such a desire."
Celestia hiked a brow. "You are in a position to have seen that," she allowed. "Very well, if you insist on it, sister. Blueblood is a mare."
"Blue Belle." Luna crossed her arms. "You would not address a pony by their old names if they did not wish it. They are far from the first to change theirs for countless reasons. Even if she is guilty of all you imagine, calling them what they wished to be called is not a grand request."
Celestia let out a slow breath. "She has tested my patience for countless years, hanging from my train and enjoying what riches they can gain in my proximity, while making everypony around them miserable. I feel no desire to do as they want."
Luna approached, the shield gone as they met, nose almost to nose. "Sister, she has changed greatly. If you would but see it. We live in a time where a many great villain has been turned to good ends." Her face parted into a little smile. "Can you not believe that, this once, it was I that turned a pony away from darkness, to better things?"
"Explain this." Celestia pointed up at the symbol. "Their room stank of it, and we found this." Her eyes narrowed a little. "It has already been destroyed, before you ask to see it."
"A shame."
Celestia raised a brow. "Why do you sound so flippant about it?"
"The physical symbol would have been of some use." Luna inclined her head. "Why do you look so surprised? One cannot combat foul magic without knowing the basics of how it works."
Celestia waved a hoof at the situation. "It is too late to lament that. It is done. If you are such an expert, what would the next step be?"
"Is it not obvious?" Luna smiled softly. "We need find what was summoned and try to draw the truth from them."
"And when were you trained in how to combat such magic?!" Celestia peered at her sister suspiciously.
"You do not know all of my talents," remarked luna with a triumphant smirk on her face. "Regardless, that looked like a binding symbol to me, something was bound to it. Find it, and our answers are there." Her eyes narrowed at Celestia. "In the meantime, put her room back in order! She will be so upset if she comes back to a mess!"
A book was suddenly thrust at Luna. "This is the book she used."
Luna's magic overtook it, turning it around. "Oh, I recognize this one." She began to flip through it idly. "She must have used my pass to--"
"--Why did he have your pass?!" Celestia stamped in place, looking all the more angry. "You let him into the forbidden section and look what came of it!"
"Her," she reminded in a deadpan. "She was looking for magic and this is clearly one of..." her voice trailed off.
"Now you see!" Celestia turned for the exit. "I will fix your mess, sister."
Luna closed the door behind Celestia. "I should have seen how fast you were going." She raised a hoof to her chin, tapping it gently. "Still, to summon a tutor of all things? Silly niece, you could have just leaned on Twilight, or myself. Even Celestia is a capable teacher, though..." She could imagine their bad blood would have gotten in the way. Bad blood, Blueblood. Both in the past! Or so she'd like to think.
Still, the symbol had been broken... "Let's see if we can't find a demon." Luna moved to the window and pushed it open. "I'll be back later," she shouted, knowing her guards were there and listening. "I will announce my return." The trouble with watching an alicorn princess, sometimes they just left out the window.
Which is what she did, wings spreading wide as she took out over the city under cover of the darkening sky. Just the right time to find a demon, perhaps. "I have just the idea of what place you may have gone to."
The dizzy awful feeling had past. "Thank you... They say you can learn the true measure of a friendship by what they do when you are at your lowest."
Starlight let the magic fade, causing them to be visible again. "How'd I do?"
"Remarkably well." Blue extended a hoof to Starlight's side. "You are a true friend. Even if you are a commoner, I would learn more about you and of you."
Starlight snickered at that. "A pleasure to do so well by my 'common blood'," she said with obvious humor. "Seriously, feeling better?"
"Much." Blue rose to her hooves and shook out faintly, dress rustling in the motion. "Now, as we were. I have a baker to speak to."
They proceeded to that place that created stoney baked good. "Good luck..."
Blue advanced past Starlight inside. "Good day."
"Ma'am." He turned towards her with a little smile. "Couldn't keep away from the loaves?"
"I couldn't," she admitted not entirely sincerely. "I wanted to know what and where you got your... unique ingredients from. I seem to recall 'the most ancient of grains' being mentioned?"
"Oh, yeah." The baker nodded softly, pointing up. "From the old grain silo. I hear it's been there since this place was built, keep the rodents out of the grains." He snorted softly. "Important, that."
"I should imagine." She didn't want to think about rodents running about in what she ate. Better to have a nice strong silo with no mice. "Thank you. I'll... Wait, aren't there farmers?"
"'Course there are," he readily agreed. "Why?"
"What's wrong with their grains?"
The baker raised a brow. "It ain't the same. Grains changed over time. Bigger yields, but tastes different. I stick to the old one for that real old fashioned taste!"
"I see..." Blue Belle strode back onto the road, feeling closer to an answer. "Starlight, thank you for waiting. That is our next target." She pointed to the silo in the distance. "Let's see what's happened there. "
"Ooo, not the first mystery I've been a part of, but this one has less monsters or insane ponies involved than usual." Which seemed to please her, as she trotted along with a smile next to Belle. "Let's solve it!"
"Too right," agreed Belle, returning that smile. "I didn't think you'd be as interested as I in fixing things around here. This isn't your domain."
"No, but it is my home town. Why shouldn't I care about it?" She smirked a little. "Besides, I'd like to know what it's supposed to taste like, besides rocks."
"I do wonder..." They hurried out of town and up the road to the large silo. "It is impressive looking." There were no ponies standing guard, just a door. "Is it locked?" Her magic pulled at the handle, jiggling it. "Blast it."
"Not a problem we can't get past." Starlight's brows were wagging. "We are unicorns, wizards, in fact. Like a simple lock could stop us." She scoffed at the idea, her look of victory growing wider. "Shall I?"
"This I would like to see." Belle sank to her haunches. "Don't harm it, if you could. We're here to see, not vandalize things."
Starlight inclined her horn at the door. "I'm channeling my inner Trixie here, but behold!" She waved at the door as a spell was cast. A loud click reached their ears. "Ta da, unlocked. Ha, and Twilight said that spell would be useless. Oh, remind me to re lock it before we go."
"Of course." Belle inclined her head. "Why did you learn a spell for locking and unlocking things?" Despite that question, she pulled the handle open with her magic, allowing them to see into the dark interior. A few somethings were on the floor and she hurried up for a peek. "It's... Stone." More of the stoney grain. She collected it, but went on past it. "We need to see more."
"I just like magic." Starlight followed after her friend, closing the door behind them. "Besides, ponies lose their keys or forget them. Being able to spring a lock is useful, the way I see it. Not like I'm stealing anything."
"See that you don't pick up that habit." Blue took a sharp left as they hit an intersection, sniffing the air gently. "I smell something this way."
They followed that nose to a room full of grain, overflowing. It was a great chamber of it, stacked so high it reached towards the ceiling. The only reason it didn't spill out into the hallway was the clever way the lip was shaped so only a little spilled out for gathering or inspecting. "Stone." Was what she first saw and reported, but that smell... She began digging with her hooves. "Help me, kindly." She was a noble pony! Digging through grains was so not her job!
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
976 users online
339,836 hits today, 2,280,440 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.®
Hm? Was the story description changed? I thought it said something different before.
10644400
Looks the same to me? What did it say?
Hah, so the reason the bread is so hard is because the grain that is used is so old it petrified? A wonder it didn't rot before that.
Pronouns.
10644412
It must be Dwarf Bread.
Welp, Celestia is gonna get dethroned for this...
10644458
Terribly inconsiderate of me, poor mare.
To corrupt an individual, said individual must hold malicious and/or harmful thoughts and feelings against another individual or a group of individuals. They must also have a weak will that can be bent to purpose. Blue Belle? Neither appears to be the case... for now.
Poor little Fire, you know not what shall come.
Good little cliffhanger here. DUN DUN DUN!
Not to mention she insulted your honor, intelligence and integrity to your face multiple times apeace this chapter alone. She is a ball of negativity reminiscent of feminists.
10644482
It's ok. I've dealt with many trans people, and getting the pronouns right is so difficult to do all of the time.
Your conscious mind might be willing and aware, but your subconscious is much harder to convince.
It's a lot easier if you meet them post transition, but you are aware of the character as a male so that makes it harder
10644747
just wanted to add all things considered you're doing a good job with this story
10644749
Thank you. I am a mostly cis? Acting asexual guy? It's all new to me, but, here I am, writing what feels right.
10644597
you had me right up till that last line
10644831
Yeah honestly in keeping things simple, honest, and plain you're accurately conveying the trans struggle.
I've usually found a good bit more body hatred, but you don't need strong dysphoria to be trans so that's fine
I'm also cis to add, but I've had a lot of trans friends and partners
10644518
It's easy enough to find resentment to fester in—nobles that don't accept her, mare that rejected her, princess that doesn't trust her, subjects that refuse to listen to her. These are all things she can feel resentment about, and things the demon could try to twist into hatred over time, even if she doesn't feel hate currently. Evil starts small, and likes to present itself as just out to get you the justice you deserve (for real or imagined slights).
At the moment, you mean. Next thing you know, Starlight is running through the streets in a panic, screaming, "Stony bread is ponies! Stony bread is ponies!!!"
10644907
Her dysphoria is much more societal in nature. They didn't hate being a stallion, but that didn't make them one, and they actively enjoy being a mare, alongside a merrily long list of societal expectations.
Damnit Celestia get your head out of your plot before you pierce your colon. What a rude mare.
10644920
Eeyup. And just like a plant, it grows, evolves, and spreads... or possibly pokemon, whichever analogy you prefer.
again with the HE. Luna knows better and says so a couple paragraphs later.
again with the HE and immediately after, Celestia says 'him' only for Luna to correct her
another great chapter by the way i love this story
10645829
Glad you're with us, and united against the typo menace.
That's why you should never destroy active magical runes if you don't know their purpose, Celestia...
Guards: "Won't stop me from getting blamed if something would happen to her..."
I wonder what place she is thinking of.
Well, better stop typing questions and continue reading.
When he said "ancient", did he mean the type of grains is ancient or the grains themselves?
Starlight: "I once blasted the Element of Magic herself; a lock shouldn't be much tougher."
10646178
Belle insists on not damaging her barony!
10646248
Be careful with your property. Just like Fluttershy:
10645192
I usually am a Celestia simp, and would do anything to defend her.
Luckily this isn't canon Celestia, this is a dogmatic, paranoid and transphobic Celestia, and so I agree completely.
10651114
WordReference is a good and more detailed site you could use. It goes over all the different spellings.
10651144
Does it do entire sentances?
10651234
I wish it did. It does a few expressions but not full sentences. You would have to piece the sentences together based on what you already translated.
10658261
Yes, it is much better than just assuming an accent
The hell, they're baking stone bread?!
I appreciate that Celestia, while clearly the antagonist for this story, is not being entirely unreasonable. I suspect she'd be more understanding in canon, but none of her actions here feel arbitrary or contrived.