Chapter 19
Spike walked straight into Raven’s barely-used office and leaned against the door.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Did you really, really tell Twilight that she needs to stop being an adventurer?” he asked.
“No, I said we don’t need an adventurer,” she said. “Which we don’t. We need a Princess.”
Spike blinked. “Wow. For a second, I believed that you were just bad at your job, but apparently, you’re also denser than some diamonds I’ve eaten.”
Raven glanced up at him. “What are you babbling about?” she asked.
“We don’t need an adventurer. We need a Princess,” Spike mocked in a high-pitched tone. “She is an adventurer. They were like her two jobs before this, Librarian, and Adventurer!”
Raven rolled her eyes as though she were about to explain this to a child. “I’m not saying that Twilight is bad at ruling because she’s an adventurer. I’m saying—”
“You’re saying that she can’t adventure,” Spike finished. “How dare she fix her problems with her own two hooves. How dare she do something herself! She should just sit on her flank forever because that’s obviously the best option.”
Raven sighed. “I’m not saying that, either.”
“Then what are you saying?” Spike asked. “She is looking into a problem herself, using all of her experience to come to the right decision, and here you are saying that she’s dumb for doing so.”
Raven sighed again. “She’s distracting herself. She doesn’t need to be doing this. She could have you looking into this because, let’s be fair, you’re not doing anything important.”
“Hilarious,” Spike growled, “but she’s doing this herself because she obviously not going to trust you to do it.”
Raven bristled. “She does trust me! I’ve been helping to run the country for years. I know the ins and outs of this whole country better than almost anypony here! Celestia trusted me; why on earth would Princess Twilight not trust me? You only think she doesn’t trust me because—”
“Because you lost all the records of Night working with Celestia?” Spike asked. “Because Celestia made all the decisions, and you just nodded along? Because you’re a glorified paper pusher.”
Raven narrowed her eyes. “Get out of my office,” she growled.
“Sure,” Spike said. “I’ll leave you to your 'work.’”
Raven glared after him as the dragon left before she stared down at the sewage management plan that needed her signature before checking the clock on her wall. It was still too early in the morning to get a drink, so she growled to herself. “I’m taking a break,” she said to no one in particular.
---$---
Another few days went by before Night contacted Twilight again. The other two big players were quieting down, but Night had heard of another possible target for Moon’s Pack that he wanted to scout out and secure in case things went poorly for them.
Twilight wondered if he thought she forgot about everything.
She sent a message back, letting him know that she would be in Vanhoover within the day and that she’d be ready to listen to whatever new plan he concocted. She idly wondered if she should try and bring up whatever was bothering him about whatever he was hiding when Twilight finally got there, or if she would continue to play the long game and surprise him with a therapist.
She eventually decided against confronting him, if only so she could double down on making friends with him first. Of course, she didn’t finalize that idea until she knocked on the door of the safehouse.
This safehouse was an actual, proper house. An old, small, and abandoned one as far as everypony else in the neighborhood was concerned, but a house nonetheless. The almost too-small, single-story building would have made for a great first house for a newlywed couple, even if it was also the kind of place that looked like it would gladly welcome a mold problem in the basement.
Night opened the door and invited the Princess inside. “Come on in,” he said. “Blackboard’s in the living room.” There was a slight, uncomfortable edge to his voice, and Twilight didn’t need to be an expert to know that he was apprehensive about another possible conversation about his past.
Twilight smiled and said nothing before following Night’s directions. The moment she entered the room, she slipped her saddlebags onto the floor and glanced up at the blackboard. The Carthusian Institute just opened a new exhibit in honor of Meadowbrook, where three of her eight artifacts would be displayed. The three they secured for the presentation were her healer’s mask, Meadowbrook’s Herb Pouch, and the Caduceus of Hayseed. The mask, while a useful focus for animal magic, wasn’t incredibly powerful. The pouch which could reproduce any herb slipped into it for a near-unlimited supply, had a few uses, once given enough time to recharge, and the staff could identify poisons and helped the wielder make a cure.
As Twilight glanced up at the three artifacts, she briefly wondered if she should begin expanding her studies into earth-pony magic enchantment before asking herself which would make the best thing to steal.
While valuable as a collector’s item, the mask had an enchantment that had since been replicated, though weaker. What’s more, the magic itself would only be useful to someone who frequently worked with feral animals or insects, which admittedly, did not sound like many criminals. It was, however, the most valuable one, archeologically speaking. While Fluttershy had found it in what had to be Meadowbrook’s hut, which only survived because it was a tree, it had only been revealed as an artifact when Meadowbrook herself said as much. Only then was the mask considered important enough to be studied, once everypony was sure it wasn’t just decorative.
If Twilight remembered correctly, the conversation went something like: “Wait, that’s the mask.”
“The magic one I made? Yes. How do you think it survived for over two thousand years?”
While an incredibly powerful artifact of its time, the Caduceus had mostly become obsolete with the years of advancements in medical science. Sure, it might be useful to identify a handful of new poisons, but beyond that, it wasn’t incredibly valuable unless it went to a collector.
Which left the pouch, which, unless someone wanted to stockpile a near-infinite supply of basil, or run an alchemy shop, then there wasn’t much reason to get that either.
Night finally joined her. “I’m almost positive that this is the next place that Moon would strike.”
“What makes you say that?” Twilight asked. “These artifacts aren’t especially valuable to ponies that aren’t healers.”
“I agree, but remember, Moon steals for prestige, and stealing a newly-found magical artifact from the Carthusian is as prestigious as you could get.”
“Fair point,” she said. “In that case, I’d put my money on the mask. It’s the latest re-discovery, so that has to be one with the most press on it.”
Night nodded. “I concur, Princess. Now, let’s get to work planning this out.”
---$---
The Carthusian Institute, one of the largest museums in Equestria, went quiet. A handful of security guards began to patrol the hallways and exhibits as the unicorn, who acted as the head of security, double-checked the alarm crystals that kept the displays safe.
All of this was taken into account as Twilight and Night slipped inside. Both were hiding their Images, either shrinking it with Transform or moving it with Control, respectively. Twilight clung to the sides of the room, her two-inch tall “body” nearly perfectly hidden by the shadows of the dimmed lights.
Night had a slightly harder time. His Image had to go through several silent rolls and acrobatic leaps across the ceiling, which was quickly going to wear him out. Unfortunately, Night had worked with the museum before, so they knew of this particular trick, which is why Night had to almost literally jump through all the hoops.
Twilight watched as Night had his body slink from vent to vent in the open ceiling above the exhibit floor, which no doubt meant that his own body, though un-seeable, was frequently being left in the open so that his Image could take proper cover above.
Maybe she should teach this specific Transform Image spell. Sure, it would give him access to one of the most powerful Techniques in unicorn magic, but it would also give him a much better tool.
Finally, both of them made it to the Meadowbrook exhibit, and they sidled up next to each other, using only their sense of touch. “Alright, do you see it?” Night asked, panting slightly.
Twilight nodded before remembering that he’d have to look down at her smaller form to see that before whispering back. “Yeah, it’s just to the left of us. I also have the fake.”
The ‘fake’ was almost as legitimate as the one under the glass, considering that Meadowbrook also made it. And while she wondered why the Princess of Equestria wanted a mask that looked exactly like her old one, minus an earth pony enchantment, she still made one and accepted that Twilight just wanted a mask.
“Okay, let’s go.”
They both slipped inside, and Twilight began to cast a Create Matter spell.
Directly next to the display with the mask, another podium, made entirely of gas, appeared. A quick transform spell made a perfect copy of the one next to it, and Twilight slid the fake mask from her bag into the new case.
The moment she stopped touching the mask, it disappeared from her miniature form’s hooves and appeared in the case fully formed.
She nodded before turning to Night. “You ready?”
Night nodded. “Just give me a second to catch my breath.”
“You know I can make the illusion too,” Twilight offered. “I can take care of it.”
“No,” Night said. “I don’t want you getting any ideas that you can do this all by yourself. I don’t know if I could live with myself if a soft-hoofed Princess replaced me.”
“Excuse you,” she said.
Night focused as hard as he could before he split his spell over himself, and the pedestal with the real mask seemed to join Night on the ceiling. “Okay,” Night said, panting. “Now I just need to sit down somewhere and keep holding this until the others show up.”
Twilight nodded. “I’ll go give the perimeter a quick sweep,” Twilight said. “If someone gets in here, let me know.”
“Got it,” he replied before Twilight dropped to the floor and began to cast a modified scrying spell.
Her perception left her before the outside of the museum building snapped into focus. Looking around, she didn’t see anything that appeared like one of Moon’s ponies, but that didn’t mean much yet. The building offered no signs of life on the outside, though the Pegasopolean architecture left many dark corners and pillars to hide behind. She began to direct her spell to slip through them, searching for any movement or living thing she could search for.
Once she finished glancing around at the building proper, she turned her attention to the grounds. Perhaps the thief hadn’t gotten close yet.
She turned her attention to the hedge gardens, picking through them for any sign of life. She searched all the way to the driveway and found nothing except a carriage that was quickly approaching the museum. Twilight continued to search back at the building proper, checking the windows and the roof for any sign of the thief, when she noticed that the carriage was getting closer.
Much closer, and very fast.
It rolled over the hedges, flattening them as it bounced over the curbs, before pulling out in front of the building’s entrance. Twilight couldn’t believe what she saw as she stared down at it, and then saw eight ponies pour out of the carriage before they rushed the door.
Twilight cut the spell.
“I think we’re—” and that was as far as she got before the alarm started to blare.
“What’s going on?” Night asked.
“We have eight ponies storming the door,” Twilight said. “They’re—”
Two ponies, armed with knives, both bloodied, rushed into the Meadowbrook exhibit. “Get the pouch, and let’s get out of here!”
“The pouch?” Twilight mentally questioned for a second before she snapped out of her thoughts with the sound of the thug smashing glass and grabbing the bag.
She cast a spell, something to try and slow the stallion down. They hadn’t planned to protect the pouch because it didn’t make sense, but she wasn’t going to just let them get away with it.
A small Control Body spell tripped up his legs, and the pony went tumbling to the ground.
The other thug sighed and grabbed the bag. “If you ain’t at the carriage, we’re leaving you behind.”
“You can’t do that!” the other pony said, chasing after him.
Twilight went to move, another spell ready on her horn, but Night rested a hoof on her back before it found its way to her shoulder. “We can’t take on eight ponies at once,” he whispered.
“We actually, probably could,” she whispered back.
Night weighed the thought in his head. “Okay, sure, you could probably take them all yourself. The point is, the plan’s fallen through, and we don’t want to show our hoof yet. This is not normal behavior, so the best we can do get the pouch back, but they’re going to know it got taken.”
“So, what do we do?”
Night shook his head, trying to think. “C-can you track it?” he asked.
Twilight nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then we’re going to start tracking it. Figure out where it’s going, and why Blackjack’s gang and Boot’s smugglers were both hitting the museum together.”
Twilight turned to face him at that, though it didn’t matter since they were still both virtually invisible. “That was the gang and the smugglers?” she asked.
Night nodded. “I’ve spent years following after both of them. I can almost recognize most of the older ponies. I’m positive.”
Twilight nodded. “Alright,” she turned back to the fake exhibit. “I need to grab the mask though, Meadowbrook worked so hard on it.”
“Fair enough.”
Twilight grabbed the mask, and then Destroyed the fake pedestal, leaving nothing behind to mark their passage through the exhibit.
---$---
“Father!” a voice called out. “Father, where are you?”
Moon Light was young, and that’s typically the thing that surprised ponies the most when they first met him. After all, ponies didn’t expect a pony that ran a pack of some of the most talented pickpockets and infiltrators to be only seventeen.
“Father, where are you?” he called as he walked through the large manor.
Moon Light’s brilliant, blue coat reflected the candlelight as he glanced around the house, searching under his mane of blue curls. He searched around before he went to his father’s office. “Father, are you in here?” he called.
However, as he opened the door, he instead found a strange, brown-coated mare sitting behind his father’s desk. “And you must be Moon Light.”
Moon froze.
“I have to say,” the mare said, “I never thought I’d meet what amounts to a crime boss who was still living with his father, but I guess that’s the economy for you.”
“Wh-who are you?” he asked.
“Well, I suppose I can make this easy for you,” the mare continued. “My name is Gleaming Coin, and I’m the new leader of Equestria’s underworld. I have Blackjack’s thugs, Boot Legger’s smugglers, and now I’m going to have your ponies working for me, for the more subtle touch.”
“I...I…” Moon began. “Where’s Father?”
“Your dad is currently being held in an undisclosed location,” she said in a casual voice, the same tone that one typically used when discussing the weather. “He even just signed a new living will that leaves all of his money to me, as it so happens.”
Moon went pale.
“So, you have a choice here. Work with me, willingly, or I just...forget to feed Dear Daddy until I don’t need you anymore.”
Moon stared at her. “I...I...you can’t do this!”
“I already have,” Gleaming said. “It’s not a question of can or can’t.”
“I...why? Why are you doing this?” Moon asked.
“Because I have ponies to protect what I’m collecting, to move and sell what I’m collecting, but now I need ponies to actually collect what I need, and while I’ve gotten started, they do lack the subtle touch that makes all of this run smoothly.”
Moon started shaking. “I...don’t do this.”
“Don’t do this?” Gleaming asked, her casual tone replaced with a hard, cruel growl. “Don’t do this? I’m sorry, I thought you were a criminal. I thought you’d be prepared for a little kidnapping.”
“I...I never did anything like this,” Moon cried.
Gleaming rolled her eyes. “Oh, never,” she said. “You only traumatized ponies and stole the mementos of their precious memories. Not to mention the photos that ponies couldn’t replace or the heirlooms from their ancestors. You need to face facts here, Moon, you’re a criminal, and that means you’re hurting somepony.”
“But I…”
“So let me give you a free lesson in being a boss, Moon. If you’re going to be a good criminal, you need to decide which ponies you’re going to hurt. As a rather poignant example, I have decided to hurt your dad, and that’s given me all the access I need to your ponies. Isn’t that incredible? Only one pony hurt.”
Moon just stared at her, mouth agape.
“Shut your mouth, and answer me, Moon. Are you going to work with we me, or do I have to take everything from you? Because I will, and I will lose no sleep over it.”
Moon closed his mouth. “I...I’ll help,” he said.
“Wonderful,” Gleaming said with a smirk. “Now, why don’t you get me some tea, and we’ll discuss what you’re going to be doing.”
Moon nodded and began to leave.
“Oh, and Moon?” Gleaming called.
“Yes?”
“I’m sure we’re going to have a wonderful working relationship.”
Moon gave her a weak smile and nodded.
As he left, Gleaming smiled. She finally had all her pieces in place. She could finally begin getting to work.
Stats
Page generated in 0.021 seconds
Total duration
998 users online
1,647,686 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.®
Another great chapter, I’m looking forward to seeing where Gleaming is going with all this.
That’s a lot of “like”. Spike’s gone full Valley Girl.
Three
Work with me
- run what?
- your "work"
- missing "him"
- "who". "which" is for inanimate objects.
- "them" should also be "it" as Twilight is only Transforming her own image, not both.
- capital Night
- delete one "both"
- Gleaming, not Moon!
I'm almost expecting this to be queen chrysalis in disguise, and slowly taking over equestria from the underworld.
10494383
She's currently a statue, so probably not her.
Au contraire! What if you stuck some kind of illegal drug in it?
Y'see? Should've at least considered all three artifacts as potential targets, not just the one, you silly fillies.
A little late to be growing a conscience, Moon.
Gleaming's getting increasingly dangerous. Clearly, she's the one who's going to put both Night and Twilight's ideologies on this subject to the real test. It'll be interesting to see which will withstand the pressure and which do not...and which come out of it more than a little altered...
10494568
Not even a conscience. I'm guessing he's a sociopath to at least some degree (probably inherited it, we know how it goes), so he can't instinctively comprehend other people experiencing pain. Gleaming Coin's logical breakdown of math behind the pain she inflicts vs the pain he inflicts may be the single most important lesson he'll ever receive. He may even act like a normal person after this experience.
That was some delicious nutritious bickering from Raven and Spike~
Also, I can't help but to imagine Gleaming Coin going "All according to plan." in the end there. hahaha