Diprosopus

by WritingSpirit

The Masque Of Canterlot

"And you never saw a thing? Not a pony around?"

Scootaloo slowly shook her head, gazing down at the mug of water in her trembling hooves as Shining Armor jotted down the last of his notes, his horn glowing a pale rose with a quill dancing flamboyantly in the air, scribbling away at the hovering notepad. From the side were Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, both watching helplessly at their mortified friend taking another sip of lukewarm water, swallowing it hesitantly.

The rest of them were there as well, all shocked and horrified after hearing of the body that the teenage pegasus had unintentionally stumbled upon in the alleyway. Neither had seen the sight of blood like she did, and already none of them wanted to know about it when they found out it was beheaded, of all the wounds that had been described.

"Celestia..." Twilight gasped silently, being the only one of her friends to have the heart to read about the condition of the body when Scootaloo found it. Her brother grimly nodded, his face still wearing a slight green after viewing the body himself just a few minutes ago.

The violet mare had never seen something this brutal and twisted in Canterlot before. She had a fair share of mangled bodies last year, especially the unforgettable one jammed in the ventilation systems of the hotel in the northern city of Fenderville, but for it to happen in the capital city of Equestria, under the watchful gaze of the princesses and the Canterlot Royal Guard, not to mention to one of them immediately right after their arrival here... it was unthinkable!

"How long was he there?" she reluctantly asked her brother.

"Just this morning, judging from... all the..." he replaced the word with a cough, continuing reluctantly:

"The guards were immediately alerted by her scream, and my second-in-command said they found her just like that around noon, almost on the verge of tears. I... I still can't believe it happened..."

No one did, she mused in her thoughts. Not even the Princesses, who ordered an immediate search for the culprit responsible and scheduling a public speech tomorrow. The whole of Canterlot had already heard of the nightmarish discovery, and the last thing Princess Celestia needed on her hooves in all these madness was the town to be thrown into mass hysteria.

"But it could've been m'ah fault..." Apple Bloom's apologetic voice sliced into her thoughts, prompting Twilight to turn and see her in her elder sister's hooves, trying her best to hold back her tears.

"Ah... ah shouldn't have left her alone and... and now..."

"It was never your fault, Apple Bloom," the orange mare replied tenderly, hugging her tight.

"Nopony knew that somethin' like that would happen. Nopony knew that she will be the one to find 'im. There's only one pony's fault, and that pony is the pony who did... who did... this..."

"Yeah, Apple Bloom," her traumatized friend began weakly, giving her a sad smile.

"I don't blame you for anything. You wouldn't have known that-"

Scootaloo suddenly clamped a hoof over her mouth, jerking the attention of everypony else in the palace bedroom as she stood up from the chair suddenly, her wings flapping hastily about with her face turning a mild shade of green.

"You okay, squirt?" Rainbow Dash asked with concern. Normally she would shrug it off and proclaim to her idol she was fine, but the gurgling, nauseating feeling rising up her throat proved otherwise, forcing the teenage pegasus to gallop immediately to the bathroom and slam the door shut behind her.

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy muttered, gazing worriedly at the bathroom door.

"Is she alright...?"

"It's the third time already..." Sweetie Belle whimpered softly in Rarity's hooves, hearing her friend retching on the edge of the bathroom sink once again, followed by the sound of gushing water through the pipelines before stumbling out of the door, her face a bland white as she gasped for air.

Twilight quickly handed back to her the glass of water, to which Scootaloo quickly guzzled down, ridding any traces of repugnant taste lingering at the corners of her mouth. She soon forced herself a second cup, almost slamming it onto the table when she had finished it. Her bloodshot eyes clenched shut with her hooves forcibly rubbing her temple, trying her best to rid the disturbing images of the mangled scene restarting their relentless assault into the dikes of her mind.

"Get some rest, sugarcube," Applejack said softly, patting her on the shoulder.

"Ya been through a lot, and ya don't want to let it get to your head."

"Y-Yeah......" she stammered, her throat thirsting for another cup of water.

Upon noticing her hoof reaching out for the nearby teapot in discomfort, Sweetie Belle poured a drink for her friend with her magic, the pegasus accepting it eagerly with a weak smile as the teenage unicorn settled right beside her, trying her best to calm her down. Apple Bloom soon joined in, cuing a small lullaby from none other than their group's singer, the older bunch of ponies (and dragon) quietly trotting out the door and leaving the trio of mares alone in Scootaloo's struggling woe of misfortune.

Twilight stopped once she was outside the room, piquing the rest of her friends' curiosity as she stood by the door instead of following them into the gardens. She wanted to join them, but her heart had told her what seemed to be the right choice.

"Ain'tcha comin', Twi?" Applejack popped the question.

"I think I'll stay behind for a second," she replied with a reassuring smile.

With a meager wave, her friends soon departed, leaving her to patiently wait in the hallway. She knew what each of them were about to do: Fluttershy and Big Mac would cradle Amber Rose to sleep before taking a nap themselves, Rainbow Dash would have another rest to think over the situation and to take care of her foal while Soarin' will pick up a few things for her from the market, Rarity and Spike would basically just spend time together some way or another, Applejack, of course, had a meetup with Kane to catch up on the many things they've been through, and Shining would either be heading back to the barracks for another serious discussion about the murder or spend time with the recently-returned Cadance and their six-year-old son, Radiance, whom Twilight had never officially met yet.

Ah, love, she sighed to herself. Sometimes, she wondered how would things work out between a stallion and a mare, even in cases like Rarity and Applejack. Both placed their affections in dragons, and yet both share different tastes. Then again, Spike and Kane are two different dragons, after all.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she began to focus on the more important things she had been planning, and was reminded of such when the door suddenly opened, marching out from the room a somber Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They didn't seem to notice the violet mare as they trotted away, no doubt their spirits dampened from their friend's ordeal; the same one that Twilight intend to talk to Scootaloo about.

She slowly crept to the door, hearing a few soft sniffles at the other end, confirming her theory. She knew Scootaloo was acting too calm and content when Shining was asking her questions. Nopony would be this lenient of themselves after facing an incident this morbid, and if Twilight knew one other thing that teenagers possess instead of their rebelliousness, it was their fragile emotions.

She gave three knocks, each one quick in succession and halting any sounds of despair.

"W-Who's there...?" Scootaloo's trembling voice cried out. The spiteful tone that she possessed earlier on the train had left, leaving behind in its place only a void being hammered by her unfortunate predicament.

Twilight soon came into her view, the teenage pegasus's eyes widening immediately at the sight. Quickly, she wiped her tears away, puffing her chest up and ruffling her wings with her hooves clenching tighter onto the damp bedsheets.

"What do you want?" she growled, her teeth forcibly grinding against each other.

"Scootaloo, I'm here to help-"

"Didn't you hear what Applejack said?" she cut in before the violet mare could continue.

"She said all I need is a little rest. Just a little rest, and one of you actually have to come inside to ruin it for me!"

"What do you mean 'one of us'?" Twilight shot back. She had never heard something this ridiculous in her entire life! They were all trying to help her, and what did she give them in return? Just another dose of her blatant ignorance? There wasn't a single thing that she had done to her, and to face this kind of attitude when she came in to comfort her is a little too much.

"Scootaloo, we're here to make sure you're alright," she protested.

"I'm here to make sure you're alright. We're your friends too."

"Just forget it!"

What was suppose to be regret rose into anger as Scootaloo's face blemished into the darkest scowl that Twilight had ever seen her muster. The violet mare stepped backwards once the teenager lifted herself from the bed and advanced upon her, the glare she was giving searing holes in her skull with the pegasus's hoof jabbing at her chest.

"The only reason I'm here is because Applejack forced me to come along, and the only reason she would do that is because of your stupid, STUPID DECISION!! I WOULDN'T HAVE SEEN... SEEN THAT IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!!"

A small tear started to form at the edges of each of her eyes as Twilight felt the dagger of her words sinking into her heart, her only plausible response being her chin steadily falling in a silent gasp.

"J-just get out!" Scootaloo shouted, pushing the stunned mare out of the room and slamming the door into her face, the sheer power of it making her breath stop. Twilight just stared at the door, her hooves diffident from any movement while the echoes of the teenager's accusations rang in her head. As the first droplet fell onto the marble floor and the muffled sounds of the teenager sobbing inside the room began, all she could do was trot down the hallway, though not before whispering under her shivering breath:

"I-I'm sorry..."

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"... and over the top... slowly... delicately..."

Pinkie's eyes narrowed at the thin, nearly-invisible thread in her hooves, her tongue sticking out sideways with her head tilted to get a view of the fine string she was entwining, carefully weaving it over the small hash that she had made earlier in the afternoon. The needle she was clasping on pricked through the fine layer of gossamer string, thought not before winding back again, forming yet another row to complete her creation.

She was sewing up a dewdrop kerchief, as the pilgrim beside her had called it, where it was woven with the fine, diaphanous gossamer of the Turtleweb Spider, known for their hardy webs. The string, by itself, was extremely fragile, but when woven into cloth such as the one she was patching now, it was durable and firm yet soft and comfortable, perfect for fabric such as this.

Strangely, she found out the pilgrims used it to collect dewdrops (thus the name) in the morning, curiously to fill up a giant vat of water always situated in the center of every stop they make. Considering the hundreds of pilgrims around, she figured it would be filled eventually. When she asked about it, Parish said it was because it was the essence of their Holy Mother Terra, whom Pinkie found out was an alicorn representing nature like how Celestia represents the sun. Supposedly, the alicorn herself would appear at the shrine, which only fueled her excitement as each day passes and they get one step closer to their eventual destination.

"Done!" she cried, the small hole that was once there finally sewn up. It took her almost three hours just to repair the spiderweb cloth, and she couldn't imagine how long it would take on even making one, not to mention the stockpile of blankets the pilgrims have stored to keep warm.

The mare watching her nodded at her completion, happily obtaining it from her; as a reward, Pinkie was given ten golden bits. Her eyes glimmered at the sight, sliding them into her satchel with a satisfied grin.

It was one of the many tenets that the caravan were bound to: that they can try to earn some money for themselves, if possible. Every bit they earn is every bit they keep, and when Phoenix said 'earn', he meant it. Borrowing or even giving is disallowed strictly unless it was mutually agreed or it was a joint job, and by joint job it meant jobs where more than one pony completed it. For example, if all of them discovered some sort of treasure, it must be split equally to everypony who helped discover it. Applying the same principle, if somepony helped her with the cloth earlier, she would have to split the money in half and give one half to the other pony.

With a hum of delight, she quickly bounced her way across the camp under the shade of the towering rock formation over her head. The pilgrims have set up their tents around the colossal pyramid of stacked rocks, known as the Giant's Cairn, for the night, and with the sun setting in the horizon, she knew it wouldn't be long before she had to return to the caravan again.

A loud, purring chirp stopped Pinkie in her tracks, the mare turning to face the minuscule face of Fleetywit smiling back at her, his yellow beady eyes glimmering in the setting sun and his wings flapping cheerfully.

"Hey, Fleety-Witty!" she squealed, patting the sprite dragon lightly on its head.

"Whatcha doing?"

Fleetywit just purred, his head beckoning her towards the horizon, where she could make out the silhouette of Phoenix Mellow in the distance, the tip of his tail burning like a distant candle; a dwarf compared to the immense flare of the setting sun he was facing.

As Pinkie trotted up the sloping hillside, passing through many of the cone-shaped tents standing, she soon caught sight of what seemed to be a small, antiquate pipe stuck in his mouth similar to those of Sherlock Hooves in Velvet's book collection, with small, gray wisps of smoke twisting into the air, lit up by the tip of his combustible tail. To see him smoke, even in an isolated place, was a little unnerving for her. She knew what smoking could do to his health, and had never liked his habit of doing so.

"This again?" she raised her question, catching the attention of Phoenix immediately. He chuckled sheepishly once he saw her skeptical grin, quickly tipping the ashes onto the ground and tucking the pipe away into a knapsack with the small candle flame on his tail extinguishing immediately.

"Just for a while, alright?" the stallion demurred, his pet dragon flying and landing on top of his pale blue mane; in response, Phoenix toss up to him an acorn as a reward, to which the reptile accepted eagerly, licking his lips and chewing at its hard shell with his sharp fangs.

"After all, Fleetywit did took quite a while to search for you."

"I was busy patching up some cloth for the pilgrims!"

Pinkie puffed her chest proudly at that, to which Phoenix just let out a small laugh. Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes, feeling the warm, diminishing sunshine enveloping her face and filling her heart with vigorous satisfaction at her achievement.

"What about you?" the pink mare asked in a spell of curiosity.

"What did you do today?"

"Reading the map," was his answer.

"We have about week and a half left on our journey to the shrine, then we'll go down the path to Valewood and plan from there."

Valewood, she sighed. The first town they will be stopping by in a month. Finally, there would be warm beds in inns instead of the ones in the caravan, bathrooms instead of ponds, lakes or rainy days to shower in, shops to stock up on instead of borrowing nature's creations and, of course, good, delicious candy!

Despite her memory loss, she had never, ever, forgotten about the taste of candy. Her sweet tooth just aches for another lick after her secret stash from the last town they had stopped by ran out in only four days. She blamed invisible ponies for that, though it doesn't take a genius to know that the only culprit was none other than her voracious appetite and craving for sugar.

Her mouth was already watering at the thought of it, though Phoenix's turquoise hoof waving in front of her face soon snapped her out of them. Pinkie turned to him immediately, blinking her eyes in surprise.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" he asked, the frozen baffled expression that the pink mare still maintained giving him the obvious answer, his hoof meeting his forehead displaying his slight disappointment.

"Anyways, I said Velvet has a friend in Valewood that might help you with... you know, learning about yourself. Velvet said that he can get us acquainted with him, if you like."

"S-sure...!" she stuttered halfheartedly. "That would be great!"

That would be terrifying, her mind told her. She really wished that Phoenix wouldn't be so determined into helping her dig up her past. The Shards that she had seen flashing through her head, excluding the ones that showed her mere figments of trees and butterflies, were frightening. Who would want to remember memories filled with flames, screams and monsters crawling through the cracks of broken walls?

She couldn't understand. Why bother remembering a dark and morbid past when her was cheerful and filled with joy right now? Why would he want her to know a tragedy she had been through rather than a comedy she was living? Must be a Phoenix Mellow thing, she sometimes said to herself, but she really wasn't sure.

"In the meantime, why not train with your sword?"

Phoenix suddenly tossed to her a cutlass, to which she caught in just in time, nearly tumbling back from in surprise. The stallion grinned as he stood on his hind hooves, the remaining pair gripping on his broadsword. Flexing his shoulders, his smile faded immediately, signalling the beginning of their mutual duel.

"Grip harder on your weapon," he reminded.

"Bandits wouldn't let you retrieve it when it flies out of your hoof."

Pinkie nodded understandingly with a cunning smile, firmly clenching onto the curved sword, her hooves sliding back as Phoenix lunged towards her, giving her sword the first strike.

Both mare and stallion were determined, locking blades fiercely like dancers in a ballroom, their hooves swaying to the music of ringing and clashing metal, mixed with their grunts and cries with every move they lash out at each other. The duet underneath the blazing sunset soon caught the eye of a mare and, of course, her gryphon from afar, and both of them just stared in amazement with their display of power.

"They seem perfect for each other," Selena mused cheerfully.

"Don't you think so, Ollie?"

"Well, Phoenix ain't the keenest fellow in talking about it."

That reply only made the bright yellow pegasus raise an eyebrow, her red and white striped tail swatting at his talons in protest. Ollivander just rolled his eyes, his wings parting and pushing the mare closer into his tuft, much to her surprise. His beak bearing a coy grin, the gryphon craned his neck closer to her ear, whispering something that made her giggle in delight:

"That doesn't mean we can't talk him out of it."

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"The bandits were forced to surrender, of course. Came out one by one from that outhouse of a cottage they were in with the hostage."

Applejack's beryl eyes glimmered with amazement at one of Kane's many accounts in his position as Chancellor, never ceasing with each passing story starting from the day he had left the orange mare for the Badlands last year. She was on one of the many balconies around the palace, while the dragon resided in the garden, his head poking over the stone banisters and his golden eyes staring down at his marefriend seated comfortably on an iron chair. With them were the other dragon/mare couple, Rarity and Spike, who were listening with rapt attention at his account of what seemed to be a horrendous standoff between the constables and the outlaws.

"They say a dragon treasures three things: wealth, love and honor, so I decided to use the latter. If I hadn't threatened them about stripping their titles they've earned in their lifetime, who would've known what happened to the hostage they were holding."

"Wow..." the farmpony could only say, smiling dreamily at the crimson dragon.

"And? What happened after that?"

"I went home," was Kane's answer, turning into a laugh once Applejack pouted, unimpressed.

"What do you expect me to do? I can't just go on around picking a fight with every dragon in the Vohakiin Sector now, can't I? Plus, one deserves a well-earned rest after something exciting and exhausting such as that."

"Then you came here, right?" Spike cut in suddenly, earning a stare from both mares.

"What?" he protested with a shrug, reaching out to pour himself another cup of tea and leaning back against the ornate iron chair, its flowery designs painted a pale white.

"It is a valid question, right?"

"To be completely honest, he speaks the truth."

Kane smiled sheepishly once he was face to face with Applejack's skeptical and insistent glare, which softened only when his claws brushed her blonde mane to the side and nearly tipping her trademark hat off, the mare shaking her head at his fruitless attempts to woo her.

"Spike and I did not plan anything behind your back, alright?" he said fervently once understanding the reason behind her irritated frown.

"It was a mere coincidence."

"Then try ta convince me, ya old snoot," she demanded, crossing her hooves.

"Or do Ah have to whip ya scales again to get the message clear in ya pea brain?"

"Applejack~!"

Rarity's mouth hung agape, unable to believe what her friend had just scolded her mate. She herself wouldn't think of such slanderous taunts to yell at Spike (despite sometimes having to resist the urge to) and for a mare to have such a powerful and protective dragon for a coltfriend, she wouldn't understand how Kane got to fall in love with somepony as brash as her.

"You should at least appreciate him being here after so long. Simmer down with your foul language. A true mare doesn't scold such ludicrous words to her mate now, does she not?"

Applejack scrunched her face up at being told off by the white unicorn, gritting her teeth and letting out a low growl, before suddenly sighing in defeat.

"Guess Ah was a little rude back there," she admitted, placing her hat on the glass table that they were all sitting around, her gaze turning to the dragon's wise visage underneath the golden skies of dusk.

"Speakin' of which, why are ya here anyway?"

"Diplomatic missive," was the answer, to which the rest exchanged puzzled looks.

"The Lord Of The Badlands had sent me here to discuss of the alliance between dragon and ponykind, and of the troubling events that I heard Equestria had been facing lately," he explained. "They weren't keen on sending any dragons here to prepare for any possible attack on Canterlot, despite knowing of the ingenious mastermind behind the plot."

Silence filled the air for a moment, the atmosphere soaked in hatred at the mention of the word 'mastermind'. Any mention was abhorred by them, particularly Rarity. She faced him once, and his sickening arrogance and cold demeanor was enough to spur her anger.

"So I've heard he's returned," Kane continued.

"Got that right," Applejack said coldly, her voice almost like a mumble.

"Never thought he would survive such an explosion."

The crimson dragon indignantly blew a puff of smoke out of his nostrils, closing his eyes as if in deep thought. The rest were a little surprised at his behavior, however; the Kane they knew a year ago would be in an emotional rampage at the thought. Maybe his job back at his draconic hometown wasn't such a bad thing after all?

Applejack herself was surprised at his change. There was a wistful temperance about him instead of the selfish pride he had possessed the first time they met. His deep voice flourished with wisdom and dignity, almost reminding her of the only other dragon of his colossal size that they had officially met.

"Jovern wasn't pleased himself once he heard of the news," Kane continued, almost coincidentally going by their thoughts.

"I heard he was around the palace," Rarity quipped, to which the dragon nodded.

"He came along with you?"

"Wanted to see the Princesses again, he said."

Kane grumbled almost suddenly, shaking his head in disapproval at, from Applejack, Rarity and Spike's point of view, what seemed to be another disagreement between him and Jovern. Sure, the two weren't the cooperative of siblings, but there usually wasn't any dispute between the two, except over a few things like, perhaps, now.

"Next thing I know, he's signed himself in another bloody adventure," the dragon leered.

"Never has the time to just settle down for a month or so. Lay low in all this chaos around."

"An adventure?" Spike asked, saying aloud the same question that Rarity and Applejack were eager to understand in their heads as well.

"What kind of adventure?"

"I'm not entirely sure, actually," the dragon replied.

"Something about helping along on an expedition back to Pendant Lakes with the two ponies. What was their names...? Stellar and Caduceus, is it?"

Stellar Lionheart and Caduceus Brineheart. The names echoed in Rarity's head, the white mare stifling a smile as the mention of the two ponies flung her back into the past year, where the crater that was known as Pendant Lakes was still the beautiful town, standing with an elegant nobility in its antiquity and luxury under the stern yet imperial gaze of the now defunct Palgiot family. They helped her in her problems, especially with her pseudo-physical/mental affliction that she had gotten over just four months ago. Despite that, her nightmares still persisted, and she couldn't help but shudder at the possibility of it being a scar that she had to carry for the rest of her life.

An expedition back to Pendant Lakes... now that's something interesting. Her curiosity wavered through the many questions she needed answering about it, but all of it could be summarized into one.

"Why head back there?" she asked.

"Why go back to that desolate place? Is there still something there for them?"

"Again, I'm not sure, but Stellar did mention that the enemy had salvaged the Patriarch's blade from there."

The grim response was met by expressions of surprise from each of them. Kane sighed with acknowledgement, gently resting his head onto the stone banister with his brows furrowed.

"Supposedly, Janus had his interests still set upon Pendant Lakes, as if he was still searching for something of major importance to him or his plots. Stellar wanted to figure out what it was, and obtain it before they could."

"That seems reasonable enough," Applejack remarked.

"Like some ponies like Granny Smith say, the early bird catches the worm. It seems like a good choice ta head out and get whatever it is before them nasty rascals could lay a single hoof on it."

The rest of them nodded in unison, with Rarity asking Kane:

"Have they left already?"

"Unfortunately not. Stellar decided to delay it after yesterday's murder to help out with the evidence the Royal Guard had confiscated. I've heard it was one of your friends that discovered the body?"

Again came the nods, though they were noticeably slower and despondent.

"Ah said to myself that she had it comin' ever since she's been all rude to us," Applejack admitted ruefully, much to the surprise of the others, especially Rarity and Spike.

"Never thought that it would be somethin' this horrific..."

"No one had expected it, darling," Rarity assured. She had seen the likes of Janus, the most morbid of them being her birthday present from him in the form of a crucified pony nailed to the top of her bed; a madpony's imitation of Sweetie Belle, along with a deranged birthday card that possessed a stalker portfolio of her younger sister, much to her horror. She still didn't dare tell her about it yet: it was too disturbing and frightening for somepony like her to bear.

"If there's one thing that Janus can be," and no doubt, was the one thing that the fashion designer had learned about him, "it was that he is utterly unpredictable."

"Well then, Ah have to go check up if Apple Bloom's calmed down a little."

With that, the mares and dragon rose from their seats, signaling the end of their story-turned discussion. Kane let out a loud, languid yawn, stretching his paws as he exchanged smiles with Applejack.

"Need a small ride there?" he suggested, to which the orange mare nodded eagerly. It wasn't long before she clambered up his red, ridged back, one hoof holding onto her hat and the other giving a wave back to Spike and Rarity, who waved back in return, before Kane soon headed down the plains where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were playing in, chatting happily among each other.

Rarity smiled warmly at the idyllic sight. Two lovers spending time in the most romantic yet simple way of a small conversation, with privacy of course. She sighed: any mare would be lucky to have a stalli-er... dragon, like Kane.

"You were eyeballing him, weren't you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Turning to Spike in surprise, she saw him smiling intently back at her, a little baffled at his statement as they walked back into the corridors of the palace, heading down to their bedroom. He let out a small laugh at her response, placing an arm around her body and hugging her tight, the mare letting out a yelp of displeasure at his sudden move.

"You seem to admire him," he rephrased, winking mischievously much to her discontent at his words.

"Come on~! Admit it! You were ogling him the whole time."

"Well, he does possess some qualities that you don't."

Rarity giggled at her comeback once she noticed Spike's shoulders visibly slumping and the immediate release from his squeezing embrace, her heart skipping a triumphant beat.

"But sometimes," she added, "a lady doesn't need those specific qualities to find a perfect mate for her. Sometimes, all she needs is a caring, generous little colt or, per say, dragon to take care of her. I'm pretty certain I've made a wonderful choice as a lady to pick you now, did I not?"

She suddenly stole a kiss from Spike's cheek, the dragon's tail fizzing up as straight as a poker with a tinge of red flushing through his entire face immediately as they arrived unto their room. Rarity turned the knob first, striding in with a seductive grin as her hoof beckoned the stunned dragon to follow; an action he happily complied.

"You know..." he began, bending down towards the white mare on the bed as they leaned in for another, more sensual kiss:

"You really know how to tame this dragon."

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Night time. Perfect.

Luna's moon was a crescent like a luminescent cradle hanging in the darkness; a shroud he was accustomed to ever since he was doing his job. It wasn't actually a job, no. More of a profession or hobby, as he sees it, not to mention that it was frowned upon by those he presumed to 'pay' him for his job. Of course, every errand he runs, if successful (which they always was, most of the time), he would walk off a hundred times richer. The salary was what many ponies living in this already-noble society would die to obtain, but he knew none of them would risk their manicured hooves to go through the various trials he faced.

Wearing his black mask, he gazed down at the quiet city below him, perching on the tip of the golden, coned roof with a flamingo's balance with his short daggers ever ready. His navy blue cape fluttered in the wind, his lips curling up a smile once he saw his target lying helplessly right before his eys.

Perfect, he licked his lips. Just perfect.

One grandiose leap, before his hooves skidded down the slate roof with the sound of silence. He skated through the hurdle of slate roofs, hopping over the narrow alleyways from one platform to another as he hastily drifted underneath the starless night. All that matters is the prize and, oh, what a wonderfully rewarding prize it would be to his collection.

Another leap, and he was soon face to face with the sight of a platoon Lunar Stallions on the wide road beneath him, parting him with the ledge that heralded the treasure behind its windows. Surely they must've been informed by the newspaper of his recent... wrongdoings, as they put it, but he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't bother to look at the most obvious place to find an artiste of his demeanor.

Up.

Swiftly and silently as ever came his third leap, unnoticed by the latter as he drifted through the air, his wings gliding him down towards the wooden ledge of one of the windows of the fine Canterlot Museum, now gazing with a smile at the mere obstacle that dared challenge him in his conquest. Sliding his blade from underneath his cape, he poked through the small niche, the sound of a clicking latch signalling another triumphant victory as the window parted, revealing the fine reward that he had set his eyes upon ever since he scoured through the area as an innocent guest in the day.

Situated in the center of a marble pedestal was a gem, unlike any other gem that even the richest of ponies might ever see. It was a giant, glittering garnet, carved into a tall, crystalline column possessing the height of a stallion like him. His pupils glimmered from behind his black mask, though he knew not to advance carelessly like a common thief. No, he is an artist! And an artist has to be delicate with every move he makes!

Hovering down slowly, his wings slicing through the musty air of the museum, he marveled at the fascinating sight of the masterpiece that he was about to obtain. The apex of all the artifacts in this historical trench, the prime of all cut crystals, the pièce de résistance from all the other dull exhibits that they dared to have the mockery to display... he could go on forever with this.

Shuffling silently, the only light revealing him was that from the crescent moon, his eyes glinted with delight at the colossal gem; a temptation that he would oh so give in to! But alas, he's an artist, not a common thief.

"Pfft..." he scoffed. Modern technology.

Sure enough, with a small nozzle underneath his cape spraying out a puff of pale gray smoke, the blurry yet visible lines of glowing red soon revealed itself as he expected them to be. He wanted to laugh at it: another challenge for him to face? Something unworthy and unoriginal of security in itself? Canterlot is disgraceful for its cheap conundrums as much as the greed of its inhabitants that filled the putrid air; the greed that will drag them down to Tartarus itself.

He swung his cape suddenly, shielding over every stubborn ray of red as he darted past a considerably large opening through the ward, grasping the gem before jumping back out again, wearing a triumphant smile. His eyes soon gazed down with a glimmer at the gem, to which he could barely hold in its hooves from its outrageous size.

The message! Of course! Rolling the gem up into his cape, he left behind, in place of his reward, a small token of appreciation in the form of a scarlet rose that he knew would only frustrate the constables searching for him. With that, he flew back out of the window and into the night, knowing the clear message that such a enticing flower would send to the unlucky ponies that run the museum.

"Ze Masque of Canterlot strikes again," he muttered to himself, leaping back across the roofs to his abode with his worthy prize, before finishing the sentence in the tone of a crafty whisper:

"And he will strike once more."

"Very soon."

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[Fury of the Tempest]

Obligatory comment to replace the one lost