Chapter Two: Operation Infiltration
There are many ways one could react to sudden misfortune, especially if it could theoretically derail their lives. One method was to avoid the issue altogether, throwing oneself mentally into other tasks and hoping that matters would resolve themselves. Others chose to fight fate, dedicating their lives to discovering how and why this was done to them and effecting a cure. And then there were the ones who screamed like little foals and ran about in circles, before eventually submitting to the calamity, curling up in a small furry ball, and waiting for death's sweet embrace.
Princess Luna chose a fourth possibility.
The now-filly's eyes never once left the mirror floating before her, nor did she utter so much as a peep. Her hair, once flowing freely on invisible winds and glistening with a hundred miniature stars, now hung limply against her scalp and hind quarters. The raw power that once shined through her eyes had been dimmed to the point of non-existence, taking away much of her menacing aura and leaving her looking as helpless as she probably was. Her wings were still fastened securely to her side, but they were obviously too small and weak to support her weight, at least for any sort of flight outside of a light hover. The only comfort was the continued presence of her Cutie Mark, the only remaining trace of her royal lineage. Outside of the wings and horn, of course, but that was hardly of major importance at this moment.
“As I said, we found you like this on the balcony,” Celestia continued. “Fortunately, it was still early morning, so we managed to get you inside before anypony could find you like this. That was when I woke Twilight.”
The Unicorn nervously brushed herself along the nape of her neck, blushing in a sheepishly sheepish way. “I...I'm afraid I kind of slept through everything. N-Not by choice, I mean.”
The mare bowed her head and body down, exposing her crest to all to see. Buried underneath her mane was a small welt, not unlike that of a mosquito bite. As if in response, Celestia levitated up a tiny silver tip, its end covered in a bouquet of bright feathers. “Somepony must have come through the balcony and shot me with one of these. It was lying right next to my bed when I woke up.”
“Spike and Blueblood are downstairs, looking for any possible clues as to who was responsible for this,” Celestia said. She closed her eyes sadly. “But right now, we seem to be stuck. Without the Arcanus E Draconus, we might never be able to find a cure.”
If Luna had heard anything going on around her, she made no effort to show it. At least, until Celestia had finished speaking. That last sentence entered her brain and slammed into the big red button at the far end, clearly labeled “Your Sister is Hiding Something.” By this point, it had been mashed so many times that the threat of a full-on hemorrhage grew with every passing day. The filly's eyes slowly rolled towards her sister, her head never turning from the mirror. “What do you mean? We have a cure already, do we not?”
Celestia didn't answer at first, with only a few spurts of barely-suppressed laughter to serve as an indication why. “Y-Yes, we have a cure to the curse. But...”
“There shall be no buts allowed, sister!” The filly hopped down off the bed, doing her best not to notice just how much bigger of an accomplishment that was in her present state, and looked way, way up to match her sister's eyes. “I still have a Filly Scout Jamboree to officiate, and I cannot do so looking like this! Draw up a circle if you must and...um...”
That was when she finally noticed the laughter. Celestia, the loving and caring older sister that she was, was almost reduced to rolling on the floor from the sheer amount of mirth the little princess' commanding tone brought forth. Twilight, at least, was taking the situation more seriously, rolling her eyes and groaning at the whole affair. “This is not funny!” the filly whined, slamming her hoof down just to show how serious she was. “Somepony has turned me into a source of mockery, and I shall not stand for it! Restore me this instant, and we shall see that this thief is strung from the highest rafter by her tail!”
“I-I know.” Celestia gasped and wheezed, fighting valiantly to reorient her emotions to the correct wavelength for such an occasion. “W-We were waiting for you to wake up before we started! C-C-Come on, let-let's get you back to normal!”
----------
It didn't take long to prepare the library for the ritual. The usual circle was drawn into the floorboards, imprisoning the little filly within a transparent steel cage. Only Celestia remained in the building, as Twilight, Spike and Blueblood calmly waited outside where it was safest. After all, the last time anypony had been unprotected when the curse was removed, it ended in personal growth and humiliation in unequal measure. Of course, this meant Celestia was also unprotected, since Twilight had never seen fit to include princess-sized hazard suits among her emergency supplies, but it still made the most sense. If Celestia did end up a filly again, Luna could still make her speech and restore her upon returning to Canterlot. Then it would just be a matter of launching a discreet investigation to find the pony responsible and bring them to justice.
But not before spending a little time with Lofty. “Are you ready, sister?”
Luna nodded, a determined scowl plastered across her face. “Yes. Prepare the spell.”
Celestia nodded, her horn already glowing with the magical energies needed to power such an enchantment. As the pattern of words and thoughts echoed through her mind, a small trail of energy began to snake its way around Luna's tiny form, eventually enveloping her completely. The filly closed her eyes and took a deep breath; her sister had told her of the intense agony aging thousands of years in a few seconds would cause, but she would be brave. She had to be. For her little ponies. For her sister. For the vengeance she would unleash upon whoever had humiliated her.
The spell reached its climax, the magical energies dancing and weaving in and out like needlework. Celestia silently muttered the last step of the counterspell, the magic struck home...
And nothing.
The energy simply dissipated back into the aether of the universe, sending Luna tumbling onto her cute little belly. She had not even grown so much as an inch. There was no sudden release of energy, nor was Celestia reduced in stature. It was as if nothing had happened.
Which was appropriate, since nothing had happened.
Luna stared up at her sister, her jaw hanging loose as the spell imprisoning her broke down. “Wh-What? What went wrong with the counterspell?”
Celestia's own expression was almost a perfect mirror of her sister's. Her mouth fumbled about a few moments before she could give a proper response. “I-I am not sure. I performed everything perfectly.” She levitated over the scroll containing the steps to the counterspell, nodding to herself as she read. “B-But there's...”
That was when she realized something. Her eyes widened with horror as the true implications of the situation finally slammed into her like a boulder towards a defenseless archaeologist. “Luna...Kuchen's spell has a certain aura to it, does it not?”
Luna was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yes...Yes, it does. It is non-distinct, but one could sense it if they were familiar with how the spell functioned.”
“B-Because when we found you...I didn't sense anything.”
Luna's eyes widened. “Wh-What?”
“I thought it was a trick of the senses, but...” Celestia cleared her throat. “Luna...the only reason I can find for why the counterspell didn't work was because the Youth Restoration Spell was never used to begin with.”
That was when the tiny shred of hope that was keeping Luna sane withered and died, its dying cry being the gasp and silent shriek of terror that crept across the filly's face. “Wh-What?! Th-Then... What?! N-Now what?! What?!”
Celestia sighed and lowered herself onto her haunches, her forehead creased with frustration. Any moment now, the little ponies camping outside of Ponyville would awaken, demanding to know where their new favorite princess was. Lofty and her friends and...
Wait...her friend...
“Um...Celestia?”
The elder mare finally snapped back into the real world, only to find her now-littler sister staring back up at her. It was obvious from the filly's face that she had already guessed what was going through her own head. “D-Do you have a plan?”
“That I do...I think. But first, we're going to need something...”
----------
The winds rustled the leaves, creating a small adagio as dawn settled on the campsite. And with it came three of the earliest risers in Ponyville, the legendary Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three fillies were out of their tents before the nearest rooster could crow three times, stretching their legs and backs in preparation for all the crusading they were about to embark on. Meanwhile, in the other tent, the Junior Filly Scouts remained slumbering away, with only the slightest rustling to denote their continued presence within.
“Okay, what are we gonna do with these guys?” Scootaloo mumbled. “These fillies are just going to get in our way!”
Apple Bloom tapped her chin and hummed a small tune to herself. “Hmmm... There's gotta be some things we can all do with 'em 'n still get our Cutie Marks.” She turned to the previously silent member of the troupe. “Sweetie, y'all have the schedule?”
Sweetie was silent for another moment more, then let out a tiny, affirmative squeal before reaching her head to her side, plucking open a secret pocket in her merit badge sash (right between Seaponyship and Zoology) and removing a large list. She spat the paper out on the ground as the other two leaned over. “First we got breakfast, then the Princess' speech. After that, we've signed up for archery, pottery, rope tying...”
Scootaloo cocked her head. “Are you sure giving a bunch of little fillies bows and arrows is a good idea?” The other two shrugged, which was all it took to satisfy the pegasus' concerns. With all that was good in the world now restored, the three could turn their attention to the next item on the agenda: waking up their little charges before they took up anymore of their crusading time. After all, breakfast waits for nopony.
Sweetie Belle leaned over, grabbed the metal zipper in her mouth, and slowly arced her body upwards, eventually standing on her rear legs as she reached the top of the tent. The loosened flap slacked open, revealing exactly what the three older fillies had expected all along. The little ones were still within their sleeping bags, curled up like little cinnamon buns against the sudden burst of cool morning air. Two of them – the white-coated, green-maned one called Gusty and the pink-slash-lavender-coated, blue-maned Buttons – mumbled something as they rustled about, while the third – the lone pegasus filly named Lofty – settled on rolling around like a fish flopping against dry land.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, Sweetie Belle suppressed a small laugh, and Scootaloo growled something best left unheard by sensitive ears. “Come on, sleepyheads,” said Bloom. “It's already sunrise. Y'all have to get ready for breakfast.”
“Mmhm, gah...grau...” was the collective response, accompanied by the shuffling of limbs as the foals struggled to orient their legs and push themselves back up. Lofty was the first one up, her tired eyes barely masking her continued resentment for the Doubter of Fluttershy as she walked past the three. Ribbon and Buttons were next, their fur sticking up in clumps and ears flattened against the chirping of maladjusted birds. And finally, there was Gusty, who seemed to have only half a hoof in the land of the living as she shambled out.
Once all four were ready and accounted for, Scootaloo slammed her hoof down. The sudden shock was like a hammer pounding stone against their ears, and all of the littlest ponies spun about at attention almost instantaneously. The Pegasus beamed with pride at their obedience, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle began to reconsider appointing her their “Disciplinary Officer,” whatever that meant.
“Good mornin', Junior Filly Scouts!” Apple Bloom shouted. Her voice zeroed in on the eardrums of the four, zipped through the ear canal, and fired into the exhaust ports leading to their brains, causing a sonic eruption that expressed itself in grumbling and looks of agony on all their cute little faces. “Aren't y'all excited for your first real day at the Jamboree?!”
The four little fillies tried to give a cheer of support, but the wet blanket that was exhaustion snuffed out their energy until all they could do was give a tiny, “Woo.” Scootaloo shook her head at this shameful display. “Is that the best you ponies got?! We're supposed to be Filly Scouts! Camping is one of the things we're all about, right next to friendship and merit badges!”
“B-But it's early,” Ribbon whined, her moan barely escaping the rumbling from her barrel. “And I'm hungry.”
“They're making breakfast for us at the meeting spot,” said Sweetie Belle, her demeanor noticeably nicer than the other two. “But after that, we're on our own for meals.”
That was Scootaloo's inaudible cue to step forward and take command once more. Her chest puffed out like a majestic eagle, she scanned her eyes over the hapless fillies.“Not that we'll have time to eat, what with all the awesome Cutie-” Scootaloo froze, rearranged her thoughts, then continued. “...Merit badge-earning activities we'll be doing. We've got it all covered, from archery to zoology to...”
She paused as her eyes locked onto Gusty. Despite her best efforts to hide it, her eyes were stained red. The sniffing didn't help matters much, either. Apple Bloom took a step towards her, cocking her head as she did so. “Um...is something wrong?”
“N-No, it's...allergies.” Gusty sniffed. “I-I always get sick when I'm out of Canterlot...”
That was when a distant bell rang, signaling that it was time to break the nighttime fast. The Cutie Mark Crusaders spun on their hooves and began to trot down towards the nerve center of the whole Jamboree, eager to get this Jamboree started.
----------
To say that Rarity was excited at the news would be a tremendous understatement. The mare's heart was pounding with the intensity of a thunderstorm, while her every step was made awkward and haphazard in nature by her unfocused brain. Spike walked along at her side, his eyes half closed and mouth open just enough to allow a peak at his tongue. The young dragon's heart was so full of joy at being at his loved one's side that he barely even noticed that he was carrying a little red wagon behind him, filled with a sewing machine, fabric, scissors, and thread. There were also a few pins, but due to a lack of room in the wagon itself, they had to settle with embedding them in Spike's super-resistant scales.
Not that he cared. He had even suggested it. Anything for my...sweet...
“So, what exactly did the princess want me for?” Rarity said. Her voice wavered back and forth between her usual haughty accent and a childish squeal.
The question was enough to knock Spike back into reality, if only for a moment. “Oh...um...She didn't say. Something about that Filly Scout thing, I think.”
Rarity's grin briefly flashed back to a frown, but her natural exuberance and squeeing brain signals overcame any of the usual anxiety. “I-I see. Does it have to do with the new designs I've suggested? I know...'nature' isn't my thing, but if Sweetie Belle is going to insist on campouts and roasting marshmallows with sticks, the least we can do is make sure she looks fabulous while doing so.”
“Um...not really,” Spike muttered. “It's...kind of an emergency for a relative of hers.”
The grin flashed once again, this time accompanied by a cocked eye that refused to leave. “A relative? This doesn't happen to be a nephew of hers, does it?”
“No, of course not!” Spike gagged. “As if I'd let that jerk anywhere near you, my lady. It's for her...niece.”
Her eye returned to normal, just as they reached the library door. “Oh, I see! Well, don't you worry, Spikey-Wikey! I just wish I had brought my sketchbook for afterwards. I'm sure Princess Cadance will just love my new Fall line.”
Spike knocked on the door. “Fall? But it's Summer.”
“A true fashion designer always thinks a season ahead. You have to plan your designs, stitch up your prototypes, get the word to all the proper magazines and boutiques...” The door opened. “Being a clothier is more than just making dresses. You have to make sure that the right ponies silently promote your glamorous-”
“Um...Rarity?”
Rarity snapped out of “Art of the Dress” mode at the sound of Twilight's voice. The Unicorn mare's eyes were crossed, something that she had only seen on the rarest of occasions – and often just before things started to explode. Rarity wisely stepped into the library, followed by Spike and his little red wagon. The impromptu cart bounced as it made its way up the front step, but fortunately nothing was rustled too much; Rarity was a smart enough pony to know how to distribute the load to minimize shock damage.
Of course, the first pony the fashionista noticed was Princess Celestia herself, standing large-as-life next to the stairs. She let out a small squeal before leaping forward and splaying herself at the monarch's hooves. “Oh, thank you so much for this opportunity, Your Highness! You have no idea how much this means to me!”
“No, the pleasure is all mine,” Celestia said, her angelic voice standing contrast to the panicked look on her face. She moved her hooves back slightly, making sure to keep them out of reach of Rarity's mouth. “I thank you for coming on such short notice. I have a...rather strange request. A little...relative of mine forgot her Filly Scout uniform and...”
Rarity's eyes narrowed, her body still pressed against the floor. “It's Princess Luna, isn't it?”
Everypony's jaws dropped in shock, especially Twilight's. “W-Wait, did Spike tell you?”
“No, but it's very obvious. It seems like every time I get to design for a princess these days, it has something to do with somepony turning into a foal.” She sighed and stood back up. “Oh well, that's just how life goes. Que sera, sera and all that.” Her horn lit up, followed by all of her supplies very orderly floating out of the wagon and forming a line behind her, remaining just high enough to avoid bumping into the steps or ceiling. “Now if you will excuse me, I must create!”
She gave a final flourish of her mane before charging up the steps, her equipment carefully violating the laws of physics behind her. The others waited until the high-shrilled screams to cease hugging came to an end before beginning the next part of their day. “Spike, what happened to Blueblood? Didn't he go to Rarity's with you?”
“Yeah, but he cut out towards Sugar Cube Corner before we got there. Said seeing her like this made him 'uncomfortable.'” The dragon scoffed and folded his arms. “I knew that guy was messed up. Nopony with a lick of sense would feel uncomfortable around Rarity.”
“Yes, I'm...sure,” Twilight suppressed a giggle. “Well, how about you go and see if anypony needs help at the Jamboree? I'll be over there in a few minutes.”
Spike gave a salute, spun on his feet, and charged out of the library, pausing only briefly to open and close the front door. Both Twilight and Celestia allowed themselves a brief moment to chuckle over the baby dragon's obedience before returning to the matter at hand. “By the way, why is Princess Luna joining the Filly Scouts? If she just wanted to hide, wouldn't it be easier to keep her here?”
“I imagine it would be,” Celestia said, her face turning quite grim as she continued. “However, there is another avenue we must pursue. You see...”
----------
“Wait...you mean there's another Kuchen?!”
Twilight's jaw was within centimeters of dislodging itself from her mouth entirely, an expression Celestia herself would have shared had she not already known all of this before even coming to Ponyville. Such was the Royal Canterlot Way, of course; it was her solemn duty to hide any and all information that might have actually been useful until it was far too late and then classify it as a “test.” That was the only way anypony would learn.
“To be honest, I am not entirely certain Kuchen is involved.” The princess turned her head to the upstairs bedroom/platform, where Rarity was busily measuring Luna's tiny form. “The filly, Ribbon, said something that would be...unexpected for anypony of her age, and implied she knew about what had happened five hundred years ago.”
“That's...a rather flimsy reason to suspect somepony, especially a filly.” Twilight lowered herself onto her hind quarters, her eyes never once leaving her mentor. “So was that the whole reason for any of this? You knew she was coming here and wanted to spy on her?”
Celestia's eyes narrowed, accompanied by her lips curling in displeasure. “No, of course not. We've already searched her background, and cannot find anything that would connect her to the Pie Clan, or even to Kuchen in a significant way. Had this not happened, we would have been content to leave the foal alone. But the situation has changed, Twilight.”
Twilight sighed and turned her head away, grumbling under her breath. “Princess...I'm sorry, but this is an awful lot to take in. First, you come here unannounced and ask me to dig through a madpony's spellbook. Next thing I know, somepony breaks into my home, steals that book, curses one of the nation's rulers, and you think it has something to do with a kindergarten-aged filly.” She rose back to her hooves. “I'm sorry, but...I really need to get to the campground. Zecora and I are teaching a Botany workshop and...”
“I understand,” Celestia said, her voice hardly more than a whisper. “I-I shall be there soon myself.”
By the time she had said that, however, Twilight had already winked out of existence, leaving only a slightly whimpering Alicorn standing on the library's ground floor.
----------
Rarity's hoof glided across the uniform, taking in every seam and stitch in the uniform. A part of her wished to scream out in rage at this mass-produced monstrosity, but she was ever the consummate professional when it came to her art. And besides, it wasn't like she had never worked with her current client before.
Then again, the last time she had created an outfit for Princess Luna, she had learned that the princess was merely using her to take vengeance on the former target of her affections. And she also happened to be much older. The current little filly barely bore any resemblance to the seemingly all-powerful being she had been but a few months prior, and the addition of a little red beret only served to make her even cuter. “So...I take it your turn's come up,” Rarity said, her forehooves focused on guiding the fabric through the machine.
Luna sat on a nearby stool, facing a large mirror. She made no effort to turn her head, especially since she could see Rarity just fine in the reflection. “It would seem so.”
“Well, it was you who started the mess.” Rarity's magic gently pulled the fabric from beneath the sewing machine and held it in place, just in time for the scissors to float on up. “Perhaps karma has finally caught up with you.”
Luna grimaced, her eyes narrowing into a predatory glare. “Do you enjoy making light of your ruler's suffering?”
“Oh, not at all,” Rarity half-lied. The fabric floated back under the needle and work resumed. “It's just that...well, I suppose I haven't quite gotten over last time. Not that it's necessarily your fault. I'm not always the most forgiving pony, I fear. Took me a good while to get over Blueblood's little embarrassment.” She stopped and turned to the princess, her ears perked straight upwards. “By the way, how is he? Still working the charity circuit?”
“He is...well, I suppose.” Luna shrugged. “The Blueblood Foal's Wing just opened at Trottingham General. He helped pay for the repairs to Fillydelphia's highway system. We are even receiving petitions from as far as Saddle Arabia about dropping the remaining charges against him.” She sighed as she levitated the main portion of the uniform to the waiting princess, who quickly assumed the dressing position. “That discussion is still ongoing. Treason is a serious offense, and we have already offered him considerable clemency.”
“But doesn't this just prove that anypony can change?” The hat slowly floated onto Luna's head, sucking down through her mane before rounding itself around the contours of her skull. “If even a rotten stallion like Prince Blueblood could see the light, then perhaps...”
Rarity's speech came to a screeching halt when Luna jumped back onto her hooves and spun about, locking her eyes with the clothier's. “Whether that is true or not, it is beside the point. The only pressing business we have is getting ready to infiltrate the Filly Scouts. So when you are done with my uniform, please...”
“It's done,” Rarity said, her lips briefly curling into a sneer of contempt. Her horn began to glow with a fabulously luminescent energy, along with a hoof mirror sitting next to her sewing machine. The reflective surface floated along the invisible current of energy, spun around Rarity's body, and finally stopped itself directly in front of Luna's face.
That accursed little filly was still staring back at the Princess of the Night, but had thrown on some clothes in the meantime. A large green vest was strapped across the front half of her body, while a red beret was snugly clinging to the top of her head. It looked exactly like the Filly Scout uniforms she had seen in the training manuals and pictures, albeit enlarged a tad to fit her frame. There were even holes for her wings, as puny as they might be at the moment. If it weren't for her current predicament, she might have even considered it cute.
“Well...what do you think?”
Luna scoffed. “It looks...quite accurate. Aggravating, but accurate nonetheless.” She jumped down from the stool, taking care to land in such a way as not to besmirch the royal dignity of her position. “I...suppose my sister is handling the matter of payment.”
“Oh, there's no need,” Rarity said, her magic already at work packing up her materials. “I don't know exactly what's going on, but it's probably important. Just...promise you won't eat boysenberries in that thing, will you? That stain will never come out.”
Luna smiled and nodded. “Yes, I agree. Now if you will excuse me, I must attend to my sister's mad scheming downstairs.” And with that, she was gone, leaving only a bemused dressmaker in her wake.
----------
By the time Twilight had reached the campgrounds, her nerves had finally cooled enough for her to stop looking like somepony had died, even if her head was still facing downward. Fortunately, she had had the foresight to leave her reference material with Cheerilee the day before, so there was no need to worry about going back and possibly running into Celestia again. At least she could pretend like nothing was wrong and go about her business a little while longer...
“Twilight Sparkle, what has occurred to make you look so disturbed?”
Twilight finally looked up from the ground at the sound of Zecora's voice. The zebra was standing with a small gathering of other adult leaders, all of them looking more than a little worried at Twilight's current state. The Unicorn blushed and flattened her ears. “H-Hello. Sorry I'm late. It's been a...crazy morning so far, heh heh.”
“Do not worry, my dear Twilight.” Zecora's voice twilled off just a tad, her rhymes barely beating back that contemptible urge to burst into giggles at her friend's tardiness. “There is time to make things go right. We were discussing our plans for the rest of the day, so that the fillies can make the most of their stay.”
“Er...yes,” said one of the other ponies. She was a peach-colored mare with a brown mane and what appeared to be a lump of dough for a Cutie Mark. Even stranger, however, was that she was very obviously not from around these parts; even Twilight could detect the subtle behavior of a Canterlot-born pony. “My name is Sourdough. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...Twilight, was it?”
“Y-Yes, Twilight Sparkle.”
“And this is Glowing Brightly.” Cheerilee's voice boomed with pride, which was matched only by the embarrassment on Brightly's face as a foreleg wrapped itself around her neck and pulled her in close. “She's one of the adult leaders for one of the Canterlot troops, and a mean pony with a banjo!”
“Y-You flatter me,” Brightly mumbled. Her cheeks were almost as red as tomatoes, although whether this was because of embarrassment or Cheerilee's hug blocking her supply of oxygen will forever remain in the domain of philosophers. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sparkle.”
Twilight smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet you, too. So...is everything ready for this morning.”
“We're still finishing breakfast,” one of the other ponies said, desperate to have their presence within this little meeting matter. “After that, the groups will be breaking off to their activities.”
“We're just waiting for one of the adults from Trottingham to report,” added Sourdough. “She's one of the volunteers helping supervise the 'Magical Presentation' class.”
Twilight's smile grew. “Wow, I...didn't know they taught things like that in the Filly Scouts. I'm sure whoever we have is going to be a wonderful...”
For just a moment, the gears in Twilight's mind shifted enough for her to realize what she had just said. Before she could retract her doomed words, however, she laid witness to the approaching mare. She was a mass of blue fur and hair, with a sparkling wand adorning the parts of her flank that weren't covered by a starry cape. On her head was a hat so pointy that it could only be the property of a unicorn of immense, unimaginable power.
There was only one pony who had the audacity to adorn herself in such a way: the Great and Powerful Trixie.
The mare stopped just on the outskirts of the group, never daring to approach too close. “Good morning, fellow leaders. Trixie has finally deigned to grace your lives with her presence.”
Such a bold declaration was met with a mixture of confusion, eye-rolling, and a smattering of contempt. Twilight somehow managed to embody all three reactions at once, the conflicting emotions threatening to snap her brain in twain. Zecora, meanwhile, just settled on a rather bemused smile at the sight of Ponyville's former overlord. As for the showmare herself, she didn't seem to be bursting at the seams to see Princess Celestia's apprentice standing before her, although whether this was from jealousy or guilt had yet to be discerned.
Still, she managed a small shrug. “Twilight Sparkle. You're looking...alive today.”
“It's been a while, Trixie,” Twilight said, her voice dripping with the false sincerity of a used cart salespony. “Last time I saw you was when the Saddle Arabians visited. What are you doing here?”
Trixie scoffed and let out a chuckle. “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not need to justify her presence. But if you must know, her niece happens to be a part of Trottingham's troop, and her mother asked me to come assist.” She smirked. “Besides, who would be better to teach these foals the true nature of magic? Isn't that right, Miss Potion Maker?”
Twilight's face twisted into the kind of scowl that typically preceded a broken leg. Before the beatdown had a chance to begin, however, Zecora stepped between the two, her eyes locked on the showmare. “Does making potions not impress you? Then I have a very special brew-”
In an instant, the menace in Trixie's eyes melted into a melding of terror and indifference. “Um...the Great and Powerful Trixie...apologies. She shall go...assist...things...”
Before any party could get in another word, Trixie spun about and galloped towards the distant meeting site. The other adults, who had all been watching in silence, let out a sigh of relief. “I...take it you know each other?” asked Sourdough.
Twilight nodded, a smile returning to her lips at long last. “It's a long story. Now, let's get to work, shall we?”
----------
Over the course of the night, a small podium had been constructed on the outskirts of Whitetail Woods. It was not an uncommon sight, nor was this very platform a new creation; this same collapsible piece of mechanical wonderment had been used throughout Equestria whenever there was a royal speech to be had. Wherever Celestia and Luna went, it went with them. From the Griffon Accords of 1983 to the Seapony Peace Conference, it had endured the hottest of fires, sharpest of blades, and heaviest of Celestia after she had discovered dessert buffets. There was even a large curtain separating the two halves of the stage, along with spotlights timed to turn on for maximum dramatic effect.
But enough about the stage, for it was nothing more than a prop for what was to come.
The fillies slowly made their way down from their campsites to the meeting spot. Many a little foal still had bags rolled under their eyes, or were limping along in a half-dazed state, but nonetheless they came. Even the Cutie Mark Crusaders were able to make peace with their charges for such an occasion. After all, it wasn't everyday that a pony got to hear one of their wise and eternal princesses speak. (Unless you worked for her in Canterlot, of course, but that was neither here or there.)
And standing at the outskirts were the adults, keeping an eye on their little ones to make sure trouble didn't break out. Some, including Twilight, Zecora, and Trixie were away, still preparing their little corners of the campgrounds to ensure the most educational experience possible. The ones that remained had nothing better to do than gossip amongst themselves and wonder what the speech was going to be.
Now there was only one pony missing...
----------
“I-I have been rethinking this plan...”
Luna's steps gradually slowed to a snail's pace, and would have stopped entirely were it not for the provocation of her older sister. Her little bouts of righteous fury and desperation caught the attention of passing ponies, who silently communicated with each other how adorable they found this new filly and her hot mother. Sky Bloom just took it all in stride, occasionally giving Luna a slight peck on the flank to keep her moving. “Don't worry, it's all going to work out. Once we find the book, we can fix everything and pretend this never happened.”
“A sound strategy,” Luna muttered.
The movement continued unabated, the two gradually leaving Ponyville and entering neighboring Whitetail Woods. Before them lay a massive congregation of fillies, all of them dressed in either vests or sashes and little berets. A few brave adults wandered around the crowd, desperately attempting to keep order in the midst of absolute chaos. And at the far end was the Royal Canterlot Podium, unpacked and ready to be graced by a princess.
Luna's stomach knotted at the sight. “Wh-What about our speech? Surely they will notice if I am...”
“I have that covered.” Sky Bloom let out a wry smile. “Now come on, we're going to meet with one of the adults. We'll get you near Lofty's friends, and finally put this matter with Ribbon to rest. What could be easier?”
Luna groaned. Balancing the moon on the tip of a horn. Swimming to the Griffon Kingdoms while wearing full armor. Getting our pizza in under thirty minutes. I could go on, but you would never listen. So I shall do what I always do, sister.
She nodded and smiled. “Yes...of course.”
Sky Bloom's eyes scanned the field until she recognized her target. Ponyville's school teacher was standing with a congregation of adults, all of them excitedly talking about how much fun they were going to have living vicariously through their offspring. The two slowly made their way around the ever-growing mass of tiny bodies, stepping over tails and discarded scrambled eggs alike, until they were finally next to their target. “Excuse me, Miss...Cheerilee, was it?”
Cheerilee's ears perked up at her name, followed by her smile fading. “Um...yes, Miss...um...”
“Sky Bloom,” added another one of the group, who Sky recognized as Blueblood's teacher, Miss Brightly. “Her son is in my class.”
“And I also work at Canterlot Castle.” She pointed at Luna, who was doing her best to stay small and hidden. Nopony should ever see their princess like this; it was right up there with having a piece of parsley stuck to your teeth as the ultimate social suicide. “You see, one of Princess Celestia's nieces is part of a troop that isn't taking part in the Jamboree this year, and she really wanted to go, so...”
“I...I see.” A few beads of sweat began to trickle down Cheerilee's neck. “Well, normally we can't accept individual scouts, but since this is a royal request, I suppose we could make an exception.” She kneeled down to Luna's eye level. “So, what's your name?”
Luna's eyes dilated as she struggled to find an appropriate cover. “Um...E-E-Ecl...Eclipse.”
“That's...a funny name,” said Miss Brightly.
Sky Bloom, meanwhile, was mentally facehoofing herself. And I thought Sunlight was too obvious.
“We'll see what we can find,” Cheerilee said as she pulled herself back up. “In the meanwhile, she can stay here with us. Princess Luna is supposed to give a speech...”
“That's the other thing.” Sky Bloom blushed and scratched her crest with one hoof. “There was a royal emergency, and Princess Luna had to go overseas to handle things. Princess Celestia will be taking her place as the keynote speaker.”
The adults gasped before descending into gossip-fueled mumbling. Cheerilee opened her mouth to say something, but Sky Bloom quickly gave a final hug to her little sister before fleeing to parts unknown. “Well, that was...strange.” The mare looked down at the filly. “You can stand close to me, okay? I don't bite. We had that problem fixed.”
Luna wanted to roll her eyes at Cheerilee's attempt to murder laughter, but the need to keep her cover won out and she stepped closer, taking shelter in the jungle of limbs.
----------
It was an hour past opening time at Sugar Cube Corner, and the store was a center of activity. Cup Cake and Carrot Cake had cemented themselves in the kitchen, furiously pouring sugar and flour into mixers and tossing cupcakes into ovens. Above, Pound and Pumpkin cake napped, unaware of the madness unfolding beneath. And at the front counter stood Pinkamena Diane Pie, eternal protector of everypony's right to be happy and mirthful. Customers trotted up to purchase their daily sweets, and left with a few less bits in their pouch and a much larger appreciation of life itself.
That was the sight that greeted Blueblood. It hadn't taken long to find the bakery; one usually did not miss an oversized gingerbread house. By the time he had arrived, the crowd had begun to shrink, leaving only a few awaiting their morning hay smoothies and oatmeal doughnuts. None of them seemed to pay the prim and proper young colt any mind as they walked past, some floating their treats next to their faces and others hobbling about on three legs. Once there was nopony else standing on the customer side of the counter, Blueblood approached. “Hello, Miss...”
“Good morning!”
The bursting, gleeful greeting slammed into Blueblood like a hammer thundering against an anvil. His little white furs stood on end as the pink beast leaned across the countertop, smiling that alligator smile of hers. And just as quickly, she pulled herself back to her side. “I'm sorry. I didn't startle you, did I?”
“P-Perhaps a little,” Blueblood muttered, his brain trying desperately to still his beating heart before it blew up and killed this colt. “I...I don't know if we were introduced. My name is...”
“Oh, I know who you are.” Pinkie scoffed and waved her hoof dismissively, her eyes rolling as she did so. “You're Leon, the son of that meanie Prince Blueblood who apparently isn't a meanie anymore. Rarity told me all about you after she went to Canterlot. And weren't you at that dinner last night, too?”
“Er...yes.” Blueblood just smiled and nodded; he was still not fully used to being at this vantage point, and having a big pony filled with infinite energy bouncing around was obviously something to be avoided at this juncture. “That's what I was wanting to talk about. Do you remember that big, disgusting book made out of ponies and all that?”
At the mere mention of that tome, Pinkie's happiness melted like butter on toast. Her eyes dropped, her jaw tightened, and her hooves trembled with the fury of a thousand party cannons. “Yes. That book. Is she ready to say she's sorry yet? Just tell her not to try burning it. Only thing that pony ever managed to make fireproof.”
“That's the problem.” Blueblood shook his head. “Somepony broke into the library last night and stole it. You see...”
"WHAAAAT?!”
The candy-coated walls of Sugar Cube Corner shook with the power of Pinkie's cry. Pots and pans crashed against the kitchen floor. A gingerbread cornice tumbled onto the streets, sending ponies scurrying to escape the impending implosion. Upstairs, the baby Cakes began to wail, simultaneously displeased by both the sudden jotting from their naps and the agony in their big sister's voice. By the time it ended, even Blueblood was hunched against the floor, covering his ears in a desperate – and futile – attempt to get the ringing to stop.
The first thing to follow such a massive explosion of anger is typically a period of awkward silence, as was the case here. Pinkie's voice continued to echo throughout a hundred-yard radius, gradually dimming into the background noise as it weakened. Blueblood climbed back to his hooves, his luxurious coat and radiant mane more closely resembling a porcupine that had been kicked across provincial lines by an angry herd of pin-pricked martial artists. Pinkie herself shrank down just a bit, her face scrunched up in shame at her outburst. The silence was only broken when Cup Cake, a plump little pony with a mane styled like her namesake, came rushing through the swinging doors leading back to the kitchen area. “Pinkie! What happened?!”
“Um...family...emergency.” Pinkie chuckled nervously before turning to face her friend/employer/landlord. “I'm super sorry, Mrs. Cake. I'll clean up.”
The fury and concern in Cup Cake's eyes briefly dueled for supremacy, but in the end, the latter beheaded the former and absorbed its power in a pyrotechnical display one could only see if they stuck her eye under a microscope. Her features softened as a result of this battle. “Sure. And when we're done, feel free to take the rest of the day off. I don't want to get in the way of family.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie yelped, mere nanoseconds before she charged past the older mare. She stayed out of sight for five seconds before returning with a broom, mop, bucket, dustpan, and a bag of gingerbread frosting-flavored cement. “I'll have this place looking spic-and-span in a jiffy! You can even time me! I'm going for thirty minutes this time!”
“Th-That's all right...” Mrs. Cake said before slinking off to the kitchen to attend to that room's mess.
That left only Blueblood and Pinkie at the storefront. The little prince nervously shuffled his hooves, his head still hurting a bit. “So...do you need help?”
“Nah, I got this,” Pinkie muttered, her voice barely audible over the sound of dried cement being poured into a cannon; Blueblood considered questioning where it had come from, but common courtesy and self-preservation killed that impulse. “So, do you have any idea where the book went?”
“That's what I was hoping to find out.” Blueblood ran a hoof across his fuzzed-up fur – a futile effort without a brush to back it up. “Is there anypony else who knows what this...thing is?”
Pinkie threw the now-empty bag aside and pulled a garden hose out of nowhere. “Not really. Nopony remembers that stuff anymore, besides Princess Celestia I mean. It's one of the Pie Clan's secretest secrets, along with the secret ingredients to our Secret Secreting Squash.” She shuddered. “Some things ponies are not just meant to know.”
The colt shrugged. “I see. Well, I won't take up any more of your time, Miss Pie, so if you'll excuse me...”
Blueblood was two-thirds of the way through his third step towards the door when Pinkie spun around with a frantic, “Wait!” The shock of the command was enough to get the colt to freeze, despite his wish to escape before he got dragged into masonry. “If you're going to go looking for the...book, then I wanna come, too!”
“That's...very generous, Miss Pie, but I'm sure between the Princesses, her student and I...”
Pinkie set the hose aside, the water magically ceasing to flow as she did so, and darted behind the counter. Her body descended behind the obstruction, much like a pony riding down an elevator, and emerged with a pair of small, circular boxes. “This is a Pie family matter, and it's only right that a Pie helps solve this mystery! And if we're going to solve a mystery, we're going to need the right stuff!”
Blueblood cocked his head. “And...that would be?”
Pinkie opened one of the boxes and reached in her hooves. She paused for a moment to feel around its contents, and when she was satisfied, removed a deerstalker cap, the kind worn by Sherclop Holmes illustrations on book covers. Blueblood barely stifled a laugh at the sight, which was fortunate since the bowler Pinkie had removed from the other box and tossed onto his scalp might have caused mental whiplash. “Meet me at the library, my lowly assistant, and we'll bring this insidious monster to justice!”
Blueblood wanted to say no...but a part of him knew that if he turned Pinkie down, he would never be able to escape her. She just had the look of a pony that fluttered in and out of madness like a manic-depressive squirrel, and enough of those had been thrown at him during his previous life for him to internalize the agony they caused.
Besides, it was his best bet to staying a colt.
----------
After almost thirty minutes of waiting (roughly six hours as foals count years), the thundering blare of trumpets echoed across the meeting site, deafening ponies briefly with the power of their blows. The foals clopped their hooves against the ground in great anticipation as the curtain began to part. The adults, meanwhile, just watched for any sign of trouble, as well as prepared for the waves of disappointment that would follow what was about to occur. And Luna?
She had settled into a routine of staying as small as possible, silently cursing her sister's name, and wishing she still had enough magic to identify whoever did this and slam the moon into them. That last part was only figurative, though; she had only crashed the moon into Equestria once, and it was enough to teach her that rebuilding a significant portion of the planet's crust and correcting the tides of every ocean on Earth outweighed the catharsis of taking out that mosquito.
The curtain finished parting. The spotlights ignited. Everypony's excitement reached a boiling point...
And out stepped Princess Celestia.
To say the cheers stopped dead would be an understatement. The field went so quiet that one could hear an ant scurrying across the picnic grounds with its latest conquest. If this tension was even noticed by Princess Celestia, however, she made no effort to show it. As always, she climbed to the stand, unfurled her wings, and levitated up the notes her sister had prepared.
“Greetings, my little ponies, and welcome to the Filly Scout Jamboree. Now I know that you were expecting Princess Luna, but unfortunately, she was unable to attend due to a royal emergency. Still, I was able to make a brief break to give the speech she had prepared.”
Luna grimaced. Th-That thief! That clinches it! She must be behind this! She...She...
That was when she noticed the thing Celestia was willfully blinding herself to; the ever-growing tension from the crowd.
“The Filly Scouts have a long and rich history. Ever since their founding, they have been dedicated to the core values of friendship and harmony that Equestria was founded upon. Some of the greatest ponies, alive and passed, were Scouts at one point, and all serve as excellent role models for all you young ladies. It is my wish that I...”
“WHERE'S PRINCESS LUNA?!”
Celestia's eyes turned to a single red filly, tucked away in the back-left side of the mass. She could feel her composure sag a little, but centuries of experience were able to overcome such small leaks. “As I said, there was a royal emergency she had to attend to-”
“AN EMERGENCY THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE YOU?!” shouted another.
“Um...yes.” A few drops of sweat began to slide down her forehead. “She wanted to attend to this matter personally. She's been...quite independent since...”
“SINCE YOU SENT HER TO THE MOON?!”
Both of Celestia's ears dropped like wet sacks of potatoes. “Wh-What? Little fillies, it wasn't like...”
“YOU SENT HER AWAY BECAUSE EVERYPONY LIKES HER MORE!”
“SHE'S A NICER PONY THAN YOU ARE!”
“HOW COULD YOU STEAL FROM YOUR OWN SISTER!”
“I...I...I...I...” Every nerve in Celestia's brain began to crackle and sizzle. Her lungs struggled to take in air, and what came in was as sharp as ragged glass. Her entire body trembled as tears forced their way out. “I...I wish you all a happy Jamboree and...goodbye.”
Before anypony could say another word, make a step, or do anything to rectify the situation, a large burst of light emerged from Celestia's frame, enveloping her completely. When it vanished, she was gone, as if she had never been there in the first place. The fillies continued to talk wildly amongst themselves, with the quieter defenses of the Sun Princess being drowned out by the much louder supporters of the downtrodden Princess Luna, and things might have reached riot levels had foals not been the one age group in ponykind vulnerable to whistles and the stern lectures of authority figures. Within a manner of minutes, things had finally calmed down enough for the ponies to begin their scheduled activities.
Luna, meanwhile, stayed next to Cheerilee, her eyes as wide as platters. “Are you all right, Eclipse?” asked the adult. “I know that was...horrible, but these foals are usually not like that. They were just really looking forward to seeing Princess Luna.”
“Y-Yeah,” Luna muttered, still facing the now-empty stage. Sister...it wasn't your fault.
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Secrets of Andalantis and Waning Moon?
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what the fuck is this?....
It's finally here!
'Soon' it turns out was soon enough.
2966723 a chapter.
So anyway.
I'm getting the sense that "Eclipse" will be not unlike Babs Seed in terms of personality. Not a bully, per se, more just...standoffish.
IT'S ALIVE!
So... filly princesses, Zecora, Trixie, characters facing the most uncomfortable of personal situations brought on by miscommunication; IAH is back!
Fantastic chapter man! Take your time on the next one, I can wait, because this was well worth it.
Great! glad to see a new chapter of this!
I shall have to read this later because it is really late, but thanks huge for the update.
That ending, and I was listening to sad music dude. Why must you be so good?
Disappointing? Far from it...
Although I think you might've went a 'little' overboard at the end there with the fillies and their ruckus. That alone would seriously impact the event they were doing much like yelling out nasty things at a presidential speech would get someone...
Then again maybe it's all part of your plan...
Harsh on poor Celly there...but I still enjoyed it. Super excited to see how this all turns out!
Let's see... Nyx's Family, A Guard and a Princess, Families, Blooming the Wrong Fruit AND Waning Moon all updating on the same day? Yay...
It's always hard to see Celestia being called out on misunderstandings and things she didn't do, and the scouts were going a little too far.
Beyond that... SQUEE! IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!
I'ts alive!!! It's aliveeeeee!!!
I'm not sure, but I think you are referring to Trixie here.
Hehe, looks like Celestia is getting a taste of her own medicine
Update YAY.
I don't know if I should feel sorry for celestia or not.
Poor Tia and Lulu. D:
Whoah... I thought I was high or something when I saw the fic had updated. Then I noticed that I don't do drugs. So it had to be true.
Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh... etc.
Interesting turn of events here, though the setting still feels a bit forced after already having read two of the earlier stories with basically the same premises. I hope you don't fall into the "Karate Kid" syndrome where you make a good story, then a great story that says everything you want to, and then tell just that one more story that really doesn't bring anything new to the story. Don't get me wrong, this might get very interesting, but at this point it's only you setting up and not yet the down-and-dirty of the story, so to speak.
My first thought was that it had to be Celestia trolling Luna back. Good thing you cleared that out the way from the beginning. The way Tia acted, especially with Luna's tantrum, I kinda thought it was too obvious. The way the foals treated Tia was awesome. It was just like what kids would do: honest, sincere, and loud.
My only real gripe is... Trixie? Seriously? And with a different personality from the show canon for both Twilight and Trixie? Last time they saw, they made up with Twily forgiving her and Trixie actually seeming likable. Hope you're not building Trixie up to being the secondary villain in the story after all the character development the poor mare has gone through.
2967889 Why wouldn't you? Its not her fault and she was accused of being very horrible by a large number of ponies. That they're children, at an event she had enjoyed being at and had to swallow the severe disappoint of not being asked to do it in lieu of her sister for Luna's sake, just makes it hurt her even more. I'm not sure why you wouldn't feel bad for her. Apparently a thousand years of stable rule and peace aren't good enough for Equestria. It was essentially everything she must have been feeling about how the public seemed to be think about her now, screamed by children in her face when she was trying to tell them to have a happy time. Ungrateful, rotten little *grumble grumble*
But seriously, great chapter, glad to see its alive and I really, really can't wait for more. I want to see how this unfolds for Celestia most, that's the plot I'm most interested in.
It's been so long I had to go and reread chapter one first.
I'm trying to work out two things with this chapter;
Unlike Celestia's encounter with a spell from the most grotesquely constructed book that I can think of from any story, couldn't Luna have made it known what had happened to her? Had they needed a spy among the ranks there is already a certain niece of the Princesses that could have attended in lieu of Luna herself.
Consider that Eclipse has a more biased reason to investigate, this may actually prove detrimental much the same as Police whom are personally involved in a case. It's the level of involvement that hastens or delays a resolution and leads to erroneous judgement.
But also, has Luna truly made that much of an impact on Equestria in such a short time, at least as far as young ones are involved, that even the legends of Nightmare Night and Nightmare Moon have taken a back seat to a wistful idea like Tyrant Celestia?
I do like the chapter but the reactions of the little ponies seem really, kinda out of place, all things considered.
them fillies be lucky (most of) their parents aren't there, or there'd be a lot of raw backsides.
I've had this story on my read latter list since it came out but for some reason I didn't get around to reading it until yesterday and today it updates
.
Squee!
Nothing is like the feeling of waking up and finding something beautiful waiting for you.
~Momentai
Really really liked this chapter. Not a whole lot to say compliment wise as really the whole thing was solidly plotted and written thus far and near every character used had their moments.
The few little downsides: Would've liked to see Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy involved in the activities though so that their little fans would be competing to see whose better more. Also think it would've been neat to see Luna say screw the deception. This is intentional and I wanted to experience what you all experienced hence Filly. And her popularity soars all the more. However the Celestia rejection bit was likely far better then that and will lead to much more interesting places.
All in all thanks so much for sharing and it's great to see you writing again. Please keep them coming! Don't want to wait as long for the next chapter of this.
2966921 darnit , not the person or re i was hopping for.....
omg it updated
2968741
Um...a chapter to a story that was supposed to be up months ago but wasn't because of writer's block and a descent into self-destructive nihilism?
I guess?
2968830 meh that's kinda close i guess :/ .....
self destructive decent?.....
2968756 been waiting 5 months for this.
2968913
Don't remind me.
2968323 As to the reactions, maybe a bit over the top on that one.
As for the spy though, it's a filly event, no colts.
2968916 whats self destructive nehilism?
Aah I remember being in the scouts. All of the fun dangerous things they let kids do; spelunking, archery, rifle shooting, knife throwing, hatchet throwing, kaibur tosses. One of the best experiences of my young life.
I await further developments.
Poor Tia, don't worry detective Pinkie is on the case! Guess I better find the real cops.
Poor Celestia...
It occurs to me that Trixie doesn't have to conflict with how Magic Duel ended. She still had her ego intact, though a bit bruised after the whole AA affair, so it's not like she wouldn't still be more than a little bit of an egotist once she recovered. But it does seem odd for her to still be that hostile with Twilight. Also, she backtracked in the comics? Is that a new thing?
Alright! More Sherlock Pinkie!
Interesting developments, for sure. But I have to ask, how has no one mentioned that Luna crashed the moon into the planet when she was younger to kill a mosquito! Best part of the chapter for me.
I am going to have my revenge by not washing for a week and standing near you?
Is the secret of the Secret Secreting Squash somehow related to the Sassy Sass Squash?
Words.....words do not describe how happy I am. *Pulls out a Fluttershy plushie and squeezes it.*
Flutterplushie:
*Softly* Yay!
Poor Tia. You try so hard, and yet...
Say, why is it that when Celestia vanished, Luna was welcomed with open arms, but when Luna goes missing, Celestia gets blamed for it? Especially when the former was Luna's fault but the latter didn't involve Celestia at all?
Huzzah!
Nice to see this back again!
They really can't catch a break, can they, not one among them...
This is awesome. Please don't stop writing.
i like this. Another please!