Chapter 48: Behind the Line
Firefly rode the rest of the way into town on the royal carriage, doing her best to keep from squirming. The longer she was there, the greater her sense of profound danger grew. These visiting ponies had come all the way from the royal court. What did that all mean?
It felt like everything was happening at once in Willowbrook. First the failed portal-spell, then the castle in the sky, now this. Maybe it was all connected, somehow? I wonder if there was anypony waiting in the castle.
The carriage received the expected reaction as they walked into the city—townsponies pulled in close to each other, lowered their voices, and pretended not to see it. If they went to the wrong side of town, they might get themselves some actual violence. Whoever attacked Rainbow Dash would probably wish they hadn't, given how strong she was in the air.
"Listen, sweetheart," Twilight said, after a few more minutes. "We're about to begin a dangerous search through the city. It wouldn't be responsible to bring a pony your age along. But we might need to find you to ask you more questions. Where could we find you again?"
"Probably up there, Twi," Rainbow Dash pointed through one of the windows, up out of sight. Firefly couldn't see what she was looking at, but she didn't have to. The city's few cloud-houses would be up there, tethered to the cliffside. Otherwise, they would get drawn into the gyre, and eventually crash upon Refuse Cenotaph like all the others. "There's only two houses. Not a lot of pegasus ponies here."
"I'm, uh..." She pointed a different direction. "Live on the ground. My dad and I work salvaging old cloud-buildings, so I think he doesn't trust 'em much. We're in that apartment there. Top floor."
Twilight repeated her instructions to the driver, and soon they were moving that direction again. "Do you know any other ponies who might be—" Twilight hesitated, glancing to Rainbow Dash. "You sure we should be involving a filly in this?"
The pony sized her up again, then nodded. "Honestly, we could probably bring her into the mine. What we did today was way crazier than looking at ugly old rocks."
It seemed like an extremely bad idea, one that would get the entire Lightless Star furious with her. Unless being near these ponies could somehow help keep critical information from falling into the wrong hooves.
"I don't like being underground much," she admitted. "But if there's anything you need, I'll try to help. I'd rather do stuff in the sky, though—I know everypony on the Junior Weather Brigade! Do you want us to change the schedule for you? Or... help find more interesting sky-ruins? I can do that stuff awesome."
"I can't imagine why Rainbow took in this particular stray," Rarity muttered. "No resemblance whatsoever."
Was that an insult, or a compliment? It felt like something she might've understood before. But all this time living with ponies had changed what mattered to Firefly. She was only interested in what Rainbow Dash thought.
"Well, do you know if there are any ponies in town we can trust?" Twilight asked. "Anywhere safe for us to stay, while we're investigating?"
"Well, uh—probably not in Old Town, unless you want to stay with me. My father and I have a whole floor of the apartment. Mostly he collects furniture, but we could make room! Otherwise, you should go to Brookside. Ponies are moving in from Los Pegasus all the time. They have this really expensive hotel. Probably just right for city ponies. I don't think anyone in town works there, so you should be safe."
"See, what did I tell you?" Rainbow Dash reached over, mussing Firefly's mane affectionately. "Where could we get better information than that? She practically knows the whole town."
If I'm useful, maybe she'll teach me more of her tricks. "I do!" she exclaimed. "I mean, I've flown over it so many times. If you gave me a map, I could probably tell you where to avoid. There's a long list. All kinds of dangerous things live around here."
The carriage came to a stop, right in front of Firefly's building. Local ponies scattered at the sight. A group of other children playing on the steps fled over the fence. Ponies approaching the building from the other side turned away, finding they had sudden other business. Anywhere the carriage went, the street emptied.
Twilight looked out the window, scratching her chin with one hoof. "I do have a few survey maps. Do you think we could... come inside? I would like to get your parents' permission before we involve you in any official Canterlot business."
"And if there's anything to eat in there, that would be awesome too," Rainbow said. "With the way some of these ponies look, I'm afraid they'd try to poison me."
Rarity turned to glare in her direction, hissing under her breath. "Rainbow, that's a filly you're talking to! You're going to terrify her!"
Firefly just nodded. Thinking about townspeople just attacking these visitors like that did seem a bit extreme. Maybe playing cruel jokes on them, trying to make them feel unwelcome. Anything to get them out of town as quickly as possible.
"It's all the way at the top. I uh—I'll have to cook for you if you're hungry. My dad's so bad he'd poison all of us without even meaning to."
She made her way to the door, glancing back to see that the pegasus at least was following. She did, shouldering a light satchel with her as she went. It had her cutie-mark sewn into the side—her suitcase?
"We're actually doing this? That building doesn't seem structurally sound, Twilight dear. Maybe we should investigate this ‘hotel’ she mentioned. The filly has already given more than enough."
Twilight Sparkle levitated the door open, onto Firefly's street. The gloom of deep cloud and the drizzle of rain did little to make it seem less intimidating. She eyed the ponies looming in nearby alleys, the broken buildings, then stuck her head back inside and shut the door again.
"I have another idea. Rainbow, you found her. Why don't you fly up with her, and see if her family minds if we borrow her for the night. She can give us that map, and explain anything else we ought to know before investigating."
Rainbow tossed her pack to the side, then nodded. "Wish Applejack was here—she'd be brave enough to go up with me." She turned. "That balcony up there, is that yours?"
Firefly nodded. Before she could even open her mouth to suggest a race—Rainbow was already up. She blurred right through the door, then up into the sky like a living rocket. Firefly limped up behind her, settling onto the balcony. "This one goes right into my bedroom," she explained, going for the door. It was unlocked of course, every pegasus who might visit her here she would just want to come right inside.
The room beyond was dark, but she flipped the switch as she walked inside. She felt suddenly self-conscious about all the mess—flight books and posters scattered everywhere, and one of her journals open on the desk.
The pegasus glanced down at it, then her eyes settled on the posters. "I thought I saw you trying that one up there. The old Current spiral. But what it should say is that you've got to tuck in your tailfeathers right here, as you turn over. Otherwise, the drag makes you turn way too wide..."
A single pair of nervous hoofsteps sounded from beyond the door, then her father's voice. "Firefly? Is that you? I don't know that friend."
Firefly opened the door, grinning sheepishly at him. "That's because, uh—Dad, this is Rainbow Dash. She's here with..."
"An official investigation into Willowbrook," Rainbow said, extending one polite hoof. "You're her dad?"
Dusty froze. In all her years living with him, Firefly had never seen Dusty afraid. Even while they raced through collapsing clouds, dodging debris that could kill them if they misjudged. Even when they faced down rain and thunder. Even when he left to attend rituals with the Lightless Star.
But she saw it now. His ears flipped back, his wings opened, body tensed. For a second, she wasn't sure if he was going to fly right out the window, or attack.
"Dad?" She nudged his shoulder. "We met while I was flying after school. She taught me amazing things. I've never seen a pony fly like her in my whole life!"
At her prompting, he relaxed. He took the offered hoof, though he held it for only a second. Barely enough to be polite. "Did my daughter do something wrong, Miss Dash?" he asked. "Is she... under arrest for a crime?"
Rainbow blanched. "What? No!" She took one step back. "We've had some trouble finding anypony willing to talk to us. Your daughter offered to help us find somewhere safe to stay, and give us directions around Willowbrook. We were hoping you would let her stay the night, to fill in the gaps for us about the city."
Now Dusty's face was back to the way she remembered it—a proper mask, as neutral as his voice. "Do you mind if I have a private word with my daughter for a moment?"
He didn't actually wait for her to reply, just yanked Firefly by the foreleg, and dragged her right out the door. He went all the way down the hall, then into one of his chair rooms.
He shut that door too, so they stood together in a single dark space, without windows. There was nothing at all inside it in fact, except for chairs. They were stacked up on every surface, so that she had to fly if she wanted to get to the light switch. But Dusty seemed not to care about the dark.
"Do you have any idea who that is, Firefly? The pony you brought?"
"Rainbow Dash," she repeated. "I mean, she's really good in the air. Best flier I've ever seen."
"That is one of the Elements of Harmony," Dusty whispered. The terror was back in his voice. "Firefly, they work directly with the Princesses. If they knew what you were, they would kill you without remorse." He shook his head, backing away from her. "I feared they might find you by chance. But you've led them right here on the first day of their investigation."
She flushed, ears pressing flat to her head. "They seemed so nice," she whispered. "I met the others. Two unicorns. Rarity and... Twilight Sparkle. Those were their names. They asked about Cyan Mines."
He let go of her leg, releasing her. "We need a way to distract them. I might know something, but I'm not sure—she's seen it before. She might know the signs."
Firefly didn't have a clue what that meant. But she wouldn't ask. Instead, she took one step to the door. "Maybe I should just—go with them anyway?" she said. "They're afraid of Willowbrook, think everypony is out to get them. But if I'm leading them around—they won't look at me, would they? They'll be too focused on everypony else."
Dusty stopped pacing, falling silent.
"Is everything okay in there?" Rainbow asked, from just down the hall. "I didn't mean to get your daughter in trouble. I can just go, Firefly."
And if she did, Firefly would never get to learn from her again. Whatever the danger the Lightless Star claimed she was in, Firefly couldn't let that happen.
"Wait!" She shoved the door open, hurrying into the hall. "I want to go with you! Just let me grab something—what do ponies usually bring to hotels again? Toothbrush, uh..."
"I dunno." Rainbow stopped in the hall, looking skeptical. "We couldn't bring you without your parents' permission, kid."
Dusty emerged from the door another second later, expression totally changed. It was some of the best acting she'd ever seen from another pony, a sudden look of intensity and fear. He hurried down the hall towards them. "The ponies of Willowbrook will be frightened and angry with you," he began. "If you bring my daughter, it's important that you make it seem as though she's helping you against her will. Claim that you've taken her for questioning, that she's your prisoner."
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Whatever is rotten in the city, I hope she can help you find it. But we're not strong enough to fight on our own, not like you."
Rainbow Dash nodded confidently. She answered in a similar whisper. "Have no fear, brave citizen. We'll make sure no one knows her true loyalty."
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Ah the old "The closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm." reasoning. But she backed her Dad into a corner and made it work.
Dusty is probably more afraid that the Elements of Harmony learn that he's a changeling than anything else.
A familiar saying: "keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." I hope River is doing okay. I especially hope she doesn't become the loose end against Firefly
11234357
He might've revealed himself as one to distract their attention away from Firefly. That would take the heat off her and leave all the weird goings on being attributed to a changeling conspiracy.
11234357
Wait what?
We call this "Scootaloo Syndrome."
Dash may well have found the best thing to say to Dusty purely by accident. Also, the immediate about-face only makes me more convinced that that stallion's a changeling.
This could still go very well or horribly wrong depending on how the Bearers and townsfolk both handle it. Plus, Firefly's likely to blunder into something with all those stars in her eyes. We'll see what happens from here. There's several months to go before this end of the plot is caught up with Lilac.
Firefly is taking the "too cute to kill" strategy I see. A bold move.
The situation is getting more awkward by the second. Though it seems like "cooperating" with the investigation is the best thing to do right now. If nothing else, just to gauge the opinions of the Equestrians towards the sisters.
If that thing is still alive, it might out the sisters. Or Derek at least.
Whether he's Dusty the cult member or Dusty the changeling, he has many reasons to be afraid.
I doubt they will personally kill her. Though they might unwittingly turn her over to ponies that might. Just got to see how evil Celestia is.
It's one way to influence the direction of the investigation. He just has to let the cult know of the plan. Even if Firefly receives less attention than Lilac, I'm guessing she's still a backup goddess. It would be unacceptable for them to let her be so close to Equestria.
So far the only loyalty she has is towards Lilac. She'll have to see if her odds are better remaining in the cult or defecting to Equestria.
Yeesssss I sense the english journal discovery moment coming soon!
The more I read, the more I think the breezie colony is the true, behind-the-scenes antagonist.
What we've seen of the Mane 6 (or three of them anyways) seems very much like their canon counterparts. I cannot imagine them hurting an innocent being, let alone killing a child, even one that's older than her body suggests. And if Twilight Sparkle is the same friendship-worshipping Good Person she is in canon, there's no way she was taught everything she knows — including being pushed to learn about Friendship™ and accept it into her life — by the ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrant that the local cult seems to believe Princess Celestia is. Someone, somewhere, is misleading the cultists, and the whole town. The most obvious candidates are either the probably-a-lich Speaker that seems to lead the cult, or whatever forces they supposedly commune with that they believe to be banished alicorn-gods. However, we've recently seen Lilac's breezie teacher(?) also claim that Princess Celestia would have them killed if she learned about them... and I find it difficult to believe that a Fae community would fall for such lies. So either Princess Celestia really is a ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrant who would send her protege to kill children, or the breezies are the ones perpetrating the slander against the crown, whispering in the right ears to slowly create a schism over years and decades, maybe even manipulate the cult from behind the scenes to get these two powerful 'accidents' that supposedly threaten the crown, one of which the Fae already have their adorably tiny hooves on.
But why should they have any problem with Equestria or it's rulers? ... They're Fae. Celestia might've accidentally sneezed on one a thousand years ago and forgot to apologize, who knows? Their ideas of what a reasonable response to the smallest of imagined slights should be are famously disproportional and petty by mortal standards. I don't trust them.
11234700
This makes sense to me. I've said before that I simply don't buy the whole "Celestia will kill you!" spiel, especially since the actual Elements have shown up and been consonant with their canon versions. Firefly and Lilac are being misled for someone's ulterior goals, the only real question is who's? The breezies are a plausible option...
11234700
Genius. The breezies have certainly shown themselves to be no fools, it makes a lot of sense. Very well done!
That does leave the question of why the alicorn castle is here. Kinda fortuitous that it arrives at the same time as the element bearers, given its element-like features. Perhaps part of the breezies' machinations, if they knew Lilac was going to accidentally call some of the element bearers directly to Willowbrook... Could be reading too much into it though..
11234700
I personally think it's more like two noncommunicating allies.
If The Breezies in the story are more like traditional Fea they take a personal affront at the ponies ability, and willingness to control nature. In the Fae's world only the fae should have that right.
And I also think the leader of the cult is a lich who's been in power for a long time in Willowbrook.
11234666
Pretty sure English will blow past Rainbow Dash. This is probably a good thing.
11234700
I might have missed something but Ch. 44 seems to have Saffron's (Lilac's Teacher) strongest opinion on Equestria:
He could certainly be lying (or misinformed). He has much to benefit in having a goddess apprentice after all. But if he's telling the truth, it more neutral than the cult's views. You need not have a tyrant at all. Only mistaken beliefs on the nature of the sisters. Celestia might just be lashing out in terror against interdimensional beings. Other than the sisters, most have been hostile so far. Equestria might be canon Equestria but they could be too afraid to befriend things that truly dwell in the dark.
No! I just binged the new chapter, since I had put this story on hold since chapter 14, but I didn't expect it to be over so soon
Oh well, I should probably have gone to sleep, considering it's 1am in my time zone anyways...
11234505
A bunch of us are pretty certain that he's a changeling. Lots of small hints but nothing concrete.
11234700
I think it's more of a gambit pileup between the Cult, Equestria and the Breezies.
The later only came into scene because Lilac got them involved. This said, the Fae knows how to play games and Saffron was canny enough to not miss such opportunity.
11235082
Certainly. They did seem to take Risk and Firefly as soon as they could. Seemed almost desperate to talk to Lilac as quickly as possible. If everyone is playing to claim the interdimensional alicorns, the Breezies are the ones leading the race. Though we might be seeing Equestria taking the other one soon. Or at the very least Rainbow Dash. The game of intrigue and politics is no match against the power of the fan club.
11235159
It seems likely that this is one giant grab for two more beings of twilight's potential in different forms. The fey get Lilac, they get a master druid that can speak for the trees. The cult get either, they try to use one or both as reason to try and assassinate the monarchy because of their faith saying lilac or firefly are the true leaders. IDK about twilight, but it seems that they might try to get both of them home, discord might be able to aid in that. He should be somewhat interested cuz of the whole demon summoning event at least.
11240917
Depending on how much time passed, we can't be too sure home is even an option anymore. It might be too much of a mess to pick up where they left off. Even if they can get back to the exact date they've left, they'll have years of memories and experiences behind them that may have changed their personalities and outlooks on life. It's early, though eventually Derek and Charlie will only be distant memories of Lilac and Firefly.
11240957
Pretty sure Lilac can never go back, she's now an immortal soul in a pony body and her human body was destroyed when she called it through the portal by accident.
Gosh, Firefly is by far my favorite character! She's just been all around a blast every single chapter she's in. Love her characterization!
This is getting ridiculous. Neither of these characters has a single sense of self preservation. While I love Firefly, she couldn't seem more brain damaged if she tried. Her behavior in the last few chapters can basically boil down to. "Gee, this blenders blades are sharp and spinning really fast, Let me stick my face in it, nothing could possibly go wrong."
Not only is she risking her own life and her friends life for absolutely no reason at all, she is risking her fathers life as well as everyone else in the town. Again, for no good reason what so ever.
It's like she couldn't care less for a single person around her. Everyone is very clear to her that a lot of lives are on the line. They are also very clear that the results of being caught is DEATH.
Again, she couldn't care less if she tried.
Monk
She's truly gone native....