When illusionist Emerald Mist comes to Ponyville, he intends on just passing through. However, when another him called Jade Mist surfaces in his mind, he ends up staying. Rediscovering his colthood crush might have played a part in that decision too.
Emerald Mist, an illusionist unicorn born and raised in Manehattan, has been on a journey for several months. Searching for a certain pony, he ends up passing through the quaint town of Ponyville. What he didn't expect, however, was how much this town would change things for him. Namely, the rediscovery of an old friend he hadn't seen in years, Applejack. Seeing her again relindles old feelings in him, and he finds himself unwilling to leave.
The biggest change to his life, however, comes soon after. One awakening triggers others, and later that very same day Jade Mist emerges within him. Now having to share a mind with Jade, who claims to be a part of Emerald and vice versa, life is about to get a lot more complicated for him.
It won't be long before Emerald and Jade will have to come to face with things they've been running from. Things that could potentially ruin whatever happiness they can achieve. Their past, both remembered and forgotten, is catching up with them.
"Now approaching our next stop. All departing at Ponyville Station please ready your belongings."
Light gray ears perked at the announcement over the speaker, the passenger stallion on the express train slowly shaking off the weariness of a long ride. Ponyville, huh? A little podunk town compared to the mean streets of Manehattan. Brushing some of his dark jade mane out of his face, he glanced out the window at the scenery rushing by. Off to his left, all he could see was the infamous Everfree Forest, its dark woods encompassing his view. Looking back and across to the other side of the train car, he could see the great mountain city of Canterlot fading back into the distance.
The same voice repeated over the speakers, "Again. We are now approaching the next stop in Ponyville. Everypony departing please ready your belongings."
Well, it was his stop. It would definitely be a change from his previous stint in Baltimare, that was for sure. That city had been nearly as big as his hometown, so it hadn't been that drastic of a change in atmosphere. The port city still had a certain bustling atmosphere that resembled the cramped streets of Manehattan, albiet a less harsh and abrasive one. He really did not know what to expect from such a small little village near the heart of Equestria, but he could reasonably think that it would be nothing like back home.
Setting his thoughts aside, the stallion got out of his seat with a stretch. A sharp groan of protest followed soon after as blood rushed back through his tingling limbs. Yup, sitting and stewing in your own thoughts for an entire train ride was definitely not something your body was going to agree with six hours later. He pressed through the unpleasant feeling anyway, and glanced upward at a pair of hefty saddlebags from the overhead rack. With a simple thought, the bags were wrapped in the gentle chartreuse glow of his magic and brought down to his sides. Strapping them tightly to his back, he lugged his way over to the front of the car. Glancing out of the window again, he saw the dense forests of the Everfree give way to open plains, and past that he could see his destination, Ponyville. All of the small buildings close together in the distance were really quite quaint compared to the skyscrapers and warehouses he was used to seeing.
A sharp screeching rang out as the train came to a stop, pulling into the station at the edge of town with one last little halting jerk. Swinging the door open with one hoof, he was greeted by sudden blast of cold air. Immediately after that though, he was hit by a wave of intense heat. What in the name of Tartarus was going on?
Stepping out of the train car, the stallion shuddered as another rush of cold air blew over his body, chilling him to his core in an instant. His horn instinctively glowed as he tried to guard against the elements. With some effort, a faint green sphere of swirling winds formed around him that fortunately managed to lessen the following wave of heat. What the heck was the Ponyville Weather Team doing? Not only would this kind of volatile weather be damaging to the health of everypony in town, but it could seriously damage the local crops. One of the reasons for the weather problems was made apparent when he looked upward. The sky was a checkerboard of clouds and sky, an unusual and apparently disastrous condition given the waves of hot and cold.
"Umm, e-excuse me, s-s-sir," a small voice rang out shakily.
Looking down and to his right, he saw three little fillies standing on the train platform next to him. One was a bright tan-yellow earth pony with a bright red mane and tail, adorned with a large pink bow on her head. Another one, a pegasus with stunted wings, bore an orange coat and a dark magenta mane. The last one, the one that had spoken to him, was an alabaster white unicorn filly with a curly two-tone mane of dark purple and soft pink. All three of the fillies were huddled together and shaking as a new wave of frigid air passed by outside of his small barrier, and they looked up to him with a soft, pleading look.
"Ya'll look like your magic is keeping ya safe. Reckon ya could let us in?" the bow-topped, red-maned filly asked in a country-pony drawl. That accent... seemed very familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
He didn't even get a chance to say yes or no before he was hit with the dirtiest trick in the little pony handbook. Eyes open wide in a look of desparate pleading, the ultimate begging look that bored into any decent pony's soul until they finally relented. Their eyes dragged him down into submission, woe be to any that tried to deny the power these fillies wielded. He really had wanted to go to the town hall to try to arrange a living space for his stay here, but it looked like he'd be playing foalsitter for a little bit.
"Gah! Totally unfair giving that look!" he groaned with just a hint of extra drama in his tone. He smiled to assure them that he was not really bothered and walked over to them, putting a bit more focus into his spell so that it expanded around the little fillies. The look of relief on their faces was worth the inconvenience, he guessed. Back home nopony trusted a stranger enough to ask even a small favor, always suspecting some ulterior motive. It was actually a very pleasant first experience in this small town, so he really didn't have any reason to complain now, did he?
"Wow, this is awesome!" the little pegasus filly exclaimed, sighing happily. "You must have pretty awesome magic to be able to keep out that crazy weather, Mister... Uh, Mister Unicorn!"
"Haha, no need for the 'mister' part, little ones. My name is Emerald Mist, but you can just call me Emerl for short," he chuckled. "And my magic isn't all that strong. It's just a simple wind spell that keeps the the air inside normalized and keeps the air outside from affecting the inside. It is very low power since it involves nothing but winds; it couldn't block so much as a pebble thrown at it."
"I think I get it, Mister - I mean, Emerl! I don't know much magic yet, but I think I have the basic idea of what you mean," the unicorn filly chimed in.
"Well however it works, it sure is useful! I thought we were gonna die of composure!" the orange pegasus flitted her tiny wings and flung her hooves into the air.
"Ah think ya mean exposure, Scootaloo," the redhead corrected.
"Whatever," the one named Scootaloo puffed dismissively.
Chuckling at their rather cute antics, Emerl noticed that all three of them were wearing a familiar crimson cape with distinct emblem on them. He had seen them before back home; they were actually quite popular among a certain group of fillies and colts. That definitely caught his interest, and he had to ask, "What are a couple of Cutie Mark Crusaders doing at the train station?"
The fillies' expressions lit up. He found himself regretting the question as the three of them shouted at the top of their lungs, "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Train Conductors!"
Clasping his hooves over his ears, Emerl winced at the piercing shout that rang in his ears. He really should have expected that, shouldn't he? The Manehattan Crusaders were just as... excitable... as these little fillies were.
"I see," he said, shaking the ringing out of his ears. "I take it that didn't go so well?"
Their expressions soured in unison, and Scootaloo grumbled, "We thought we could get our Cutie Marks, and get out of this crazy weather for a bit too, but the conductor said we were too young to ride the train without a grownup. On top of that, he said being conductors was completely out of the question."
"That's tough luck," Emerl nodded sympathetically. "I definitely understand the yearning for a Cutie Mark. It felt like it took me forever to get mine." Noticing the little earth pony staring at him quizically, he asked, "Something wrong?"
Shaking her head, the filly answered, "Not at all! Just a might curious as to what that weird Cutie Mark you've got is."
She pointed a hoof at the mark in question, a cluster of whispy green lines striping horizontally over his flank, melting into his pale gray hide. He couldn't blame her for her confusion, it was a rather ambiguous symbolism that few would understand at first glance. Smiling to each of the three fillies, his horn glowed brighter and he watched as misty green magic gathered behind them, coalescing into a replica image of himself. He spoke, but the spell he cast made it seem as though his voice came from the duplicate behind them.
"My Cutie Mark is just as my name describes, an emerald mist." He laughed heartilly as all three of them jumped a good two feet straight up in fright, whirling about to look at the other him. "Mist has illusive and obscuring properties. To put it simply, my greatest talent is in illusion magic."
As his explanation trailed off, the illusion evaporated into a dense fog that quickly vanished, leaving just him and the three fillies on the station platform.
The girls looked back to him with a touch of wonder in their eyes. He couldn't blame them really, since he doubted many unicorns with that particular skill set lived here or passed through. Most illusionists were showponies, or special effects experts, and as such usually lived in the big cities where theaters and other performances garnered bigger crowds. He really didn't have such desires though.
Turning to look back at the town, Emerl noticed that very few ponies were out right now, most likely staying inside and out of the elements. Looking back to the fillies, he motioned towards town with his head.
"Want me to take each of you home? It is a good opportunity for me to learn my way around town. Don't want to get lost during my stay here."
"Sure! Thank you, Mister Emerl!" the girls rang together. He grinned and rolled his eyes a bit at them calling him 'Mister', but let it go fairly quickly. They were only being polite, after all.
A few more introductions later, Emerl learned that the unicorn filly's name was Sweetie Belle, and that the earth pony was named Applebloom. With that, they were on their way.
As the four of them made their way into town, the filly with that naggingly familiar drawl in her voice asked, "So how in tarnation did ya know we were Cutie Mark Crusaders, Mister Emerl? You definitely aren't from around here."
Keeping his eyes where he was walking, he answered simply, "A few months ago, before I left my home in Manehattan, a group of younglings around your age started to spring up, with the same name and capes. They're probably running around trying to find their marks as we speak."
"Oh wow! Sounds like my cuz really did a great job settin' up that Manehattan branch! Before you know it, there'll be Crusader branches in every town and city in Equestria!" Applebloom giggled.
"Celestia have mercy on us all," the stallion muttered behind a wry grin.
"What was that?" Scootaloo cast a questioning glare up at him.
"Nothing," he lied casually.
Suddenly a powerful gust of wind blew by, and a streak of cerulean blue and rainbow colors darted back and forth across the sky. What was obviously a very talented pegasus was clearing the offending weather patterns, leaving the sky a brilliant, beautiful blue, without a speck of gray to be seen. Air temperatures turned back to normal not long after.
The onlooking unicorn stopped and watched, lowering the wind spell, and saying aloud, "Wow, that's one fast and talented pegasus. Back home I've only seen weather control like this from a team of five."
Scootaloo bolted in front of him to watch the skies intently, exclaiming, "That's the one and only Rainbow Dash! She's the best flier in all of Equestria! She's so great that she's the only one in charge of all of Ponyville's weather on her shifts!"
Well her talent was evident, as he watched the blur of a pony trace a line into the distance, weather control complete. He couldn't help but question, "Well then how did the weather get in such a mess anyway?"
"Crazy stuff is happenin' today," Applebloom mused. "Earlier I saw Sweetie Belle's sis, Rarity, trying to do the weather. Never thought I'd see anything quite as strange as that."
"You want weird?" Scootaloo almost seemed to brag, " I saw Rainbow Dash trying to take care of all of Fluttershy's animals!"
Emerl just stopped and waited for the downward spiral of discussion-turned-competition to resolve itself, unable to keep a small smile from spreading on his face. He didn't really understand what was so strange, but it sounded pretty amusing.
"Ha!" Sweetie Belle puffed indignantly, "That's nothing! When I stopped by my sister's shop this morning, I saw Applejack trying to make dresses!"
Wait... what?
Applebloom and Scootaloo gave their friend the most incredulous look at her declaration before all three fell over onto their sides hooting and hollering with laughter. Emerl's ears twitched, and his eyes snapped wide open. A fluttering he'd not felt in a long time ran through his stomach, and he turned to the fillies in an instant.
"Did you just say.... Applejack?"
Sharp as a whip, Applebloom asked, "Do ya know mah sister, Mister Emerl?"
The stallion nodded wordlessly, retreating into his own head a bit as he began walking down the path. He was suddenly slapped in the face with a hefty feeling of nostalgia as old memories rushed back to him. How had he forgotten so easily? Ponyville, he’s heard her talk about it so many times before, and he felt like an idiot for not making the connection with Applebloom and her accent. Applebloom. Applejack. Of course they were sisters. How did he not see it? Then again, he did have a lot on his mind these last few months. Given everything that had happened… he could hardly blame himself too much for being a bit slow on recollection.
“How do you know Applejack?” Scootaloo asked eagerly as the fillies quickly caught up with him and lined up beside him. Their gazes were riveted on him, their interest now ten times greater than before.
Their stares made Emerl a bit uncomfortable, but they really meant no harm. While he didn’t feel like spilling personal history so readily, he could at least say a bit out of kindness.
“I met her way back when I was a little colt. Just around your ages,” he began, averting his eyes from their boring gazes of curiosity as he kept the explanation brief. “I made friends with her when she was staying in Manehattan. She was only there for a couple of weeks.”
“Ah remember that story!” Applebloom beamed. “That was when mah sis got her Cutie Mark! Soon as she got home, she finally got it!”
“Oh really? I’m very happy to hear that,” Emerl smiled, happy to turn the subject away.
“How come mah sis never mentioned you before?”
Drat, that avenue was foiled. Maybe he could still steer the conversation away. “I don’t know, really. To be honest, I forgot about her for a long while when things in my life piled up. Maybe it was the same for her,” he proposed. It was a good enough reason; enough to settle the question. Now it was time for the diversion. “So where should I take you girls?”
Much to his relief, they took the bait, Sweetie Belle suggesting, “How about back to Sweet Apple Acres? Our clubhouse is tucked away in the orchard.”
Smiling down at the little fillies, he gestured with a hoof, “Well then, lead the way.” He wondered to himself whom was watching over whom at this point. He wasn’t needed to protect them from the weather anymore, and now he was basically following them to get an idea of the town layout. Oh how the tables had turned.
And so they went off, the little fillies talking his ear off as they passed through town. They showed him many of the places on the way, such as town hall. That location was quickly memorized. There were several other interesting places, such as a spa, and a large house the fillies called Sugarcube Corner. The odd building looked as though it were made of gingerbread, cupcakes, and other sweet treats. Unsurprisingly, he was told it was the ultimate stop in Ponyville for anypony seeking a sweet confection. A mental note was filed away to see just how good they were compared to the bakeries back home.
The town really was small compared to the big city, remarkably small. It didn’t take long at all before they had passed through the whole town and reached the trail leading to the farmland on the other side. He knew they’d reached their destination when he saw the apple-adorned archway with the overhanging sign portraying a large apple. The acres upon acres of apple trees stretching beyond sight were probably a pretty good indicator too.
Emerl followed as the fillies charged through the gate, looking about at the charming setting. A dirt path wound its way to a bright red barn-house hybrid with a curious image of a pink mare’s face and a bright sun painted across its side. To his left, a small field of corn stalks grew, and some grape vines beyond them. Following after the fillies, he decided to make sure that the little ones were all set before he headed back into town.
Well, that was half of the reason, really.
The other half was that he wanted to see more of his old friend’s home. He could vaguely recall tales he’d been told about the farm, and the apple-bucking that took place. Just being in the place that he’d heard about from her so much filled him with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. A sense of serenity flowed through his being, a calmness he had been sorely missing. It felt… nice.
Looking ahead, he saw Applebloom veer off from her friends and gallop up to a large red stallion of imposing stature. That could only be… what was the name? It was so long ago, he could hardly remember, but he was fairly certain the big guy’s name was Big Macintosh. The other two Crusaders took a branching path and bolted into the orchard, probably heading for that clubhouse they mentioned.
After speaking with Applebloom, the large stallion looked up and made eye contact with their visitor. A tense feeling passed through the unicorn... He couldn’t read the large red stallion’s expression at all. What did he think about a stranger walking his little sister home? He was about to find out, as he saw the stallion start walking up to him. Resisting the urge to cringe at the thought of being scolded for whatever reason, he stood patiently and waited for the big guy to come to him. Turns out he was worried for nothing though, when the stallion held out a hoof and smiled.
“Thank ya kindly for lookin’ after mah little sister and her friends,” he thanked Emerl as the colts’ hooves met and exchanged a vigorous shake. It felt like the huge stallion was going to shake his poor arm clear off. “Mah name is Big Macintosh, and welcome to Sweet Apple Acres.”
Oh nice, he had actually remembered the name right. Rubbing his ‘wounded’ shoulder, Emerl graciously accepted the thanks, “It was no problem. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
“Applebloom tells me yer from Manehattan, and that you’re an old friend of Applejack’s. If’n that’s true, then why don’t you stick around for a spell?” Big Mac offered. “There may be some weird stuff goin’ on, what with Pinkie Pie having Applejack’s Cutie Mark, but ah won’t let that get in the way of showing ya some hospitality. ‘Sides, it’s bound to be sorted out anytime now by Twilight Sparkle and her friends.”
Twilight Sparkle?
“Ahh!” Emerl gasped as a twinge of pain shot through his brain. That name… it sounded familiar, but not in the same way as Applejack. He knew he’d never heard that name before, but the thought brought a twinge of pain through his brain. He had no idea who Twilight Sparkle was, but why did the name stir up this familiarity and lancing agony?
“Ya okay there?” Big Mac asked worriedly.
“I-I’m fine,” Emerl assured him. It was halfway a lie. The pain was still throbbing in the back of his head, but it was slowly ebbing away. “I really appreciate the offer, but I think I am gonna head back into town and try to see about setting up living arrangements for myself. I think I just need to take a break. I’ll happily take up your offer another time though, promise.”
“Well alright then, don’t wanna push yah too hard if your head’s buggin’ ya. Won’t do no good to make it any worse,” Big Macintosh nodded in understanding. “Thank ya kindly again for watching over Applebloom, and ah hope to see ya again soon so I can return the favor.” His words were immediately followed by a loud crash on the other side of the barn, out of sight. Big Macintosh turned about and said to Applebloom, “Come on, let’s go try and help Pinkie Pie until Twilight shows up.”
Emerl smiled weakly at the kind gesture, nodding quietly and turning to walk back the way he’d come. As he neared the gate, he was surprised to see five mares and what appeared to be a baby dragon carrying a chest as big as it was. At the lead of their group was somepony he could never mistake seeing. Though she was grown from the little filly in his memory, and she wore a wide-brimmed Stetson hat he’d never seen on her before, her pale golden mane, orange coat, and cute white freckles were unmistakable. It was Applejack leading the pack and heading right towards him, though she didn’t seem to notice him yet.
The jade-maned unicorn panicked, nervousness and anxiety immediately taking hold at the idea of so abruptly meeting her again. From the sounds of things she was dealing with something important, and the last thing he wanted to do was get in the way. His horn immediately flashed with bright green light, and his body was enveloped in foggy magic. he shrouded himself and made himself invisible to the eyes of anypony as he bolted out of the way and stood aside to watch. As the group passed by him, hiding in his illusions, he heard a white unicorn mare with a deep purple mane start to sing out.
Pinkie Pie is in trouble. We need to get there by her side. We can try to do what we can now. For together we can be her guide.
Wow, it had been a long time since he’d heard open singing like that, and so melodious too. It was tiring to keep comparing back to home, but such outbursts of song were genuinely rare in the big city, and usually were composed for organized theatre or making records. He thought for a moment about leaving, but found his curiosity about Applejack and her friends was gradually overcoming his desire to go back into town. Still cloaked in magic, he watched from beyond the farm's fence as the mares went to help a brilliantly pink mare, who was having a rough time with farm work. All the while, the song continued to ring out across the area.
A true, true friend helps a friend in need. A friend will be there to help them see. A true, true friend helps a friend in need To see the light that shines from a true, true friend.
The stallion felt a stirring inside him at the lyrics. A true friend, huh? It made him think back on his reason for coming to Ponyville, and what he should do when he finally found the one he was looking for. What should he do?
No. He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. He could think about that later.
As he watched, the mares gathered together once more and headed back towards town, the pink pony with a flat mane riding on Applejack's back. Trailing behind the group, he listened on as the song continued. A small smile spread across his face as he realized it was Applejack singing now.
The townspeople need you, they’ve been sad for a while. They march around, faces frown and never seem to smile. And if you feel like helping, we’d appreciate a lot! If you’d get up there and spread some cheer from here to Canterlot!
As she sang, Applejack swung the pink mare from her back out into the town square where everypony looked to her expectantly. A necklace placed on her glowed brightly and her mane poofed out into a curly mass, followed by her yelling out, “Come on everypony, I want to see you smile!”
The cheer of happiness from everypony around was deafening as they cried out, “Pinkie!”
As everypony started marching down the street in a jubilant continuation of the song, Emerl found himself infected by the spirit of the moment and let his illusions fall. He trotted into the crowd and blended in as he sang along, letting the simple happiness he felt in that moment fill him up.
A true, true friend helps a friend in need. A friend will be there to help them see. A true, true friend helps a friend in need To see the light (To see the light!) That shines (That shines!) From a true, true friend!
This town… maybe he wouldn’t just be passing through here. He’d never really thought that a place as simple and happy as this existed. The ponies all seemed wonderful, trusting, and kind, something he felt he sorely needed. With the song finished, and the crowd slowly starting to disperse, he saw Applejack and her friends running off somewhere once more. He felt a little disappointed. He had hoped he might be able to find a good time to formally meet her again after so long, but there was no harm in waiting for a better time for it. Heck, she’d probably be expecting him if she heard about him from Applebloom or Big Macintosh. They had a lot of catching up to do, but he was patient. He could wait.
He had come to Ponyville only expecting to stay a short time, but on his first day here, he had already found two reasons to love this town and never want to leave. Smiling to himself and putting any negative thoughts aside for the time being, he made his way towards the town hall. Hopefully the mayor would be able to help him find some arrangements for housing, or even help him find a job here in Ponyville.
“From all of us together, together we are friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there’s magic without end!”
Pain. Blinding pain. Caught mid-step, the sudden explosion in his head made Emerl fall forward into the middle of the road. What was this sensation?! His mind felt like it was being overloaded. It felt as though a drill were piercing into his skull and scrambling his brain. He could barely even think at all.
Then there was the noise. From deep in the depths of his pain-addled mind, a long, piercing noise rang out. It slowly filled every corner of his head until all he could think about was the pain and the noise. The mental storm caused him to scream out in agony. It felt like his head was about to split in two, his horn flashing violently on his head as enchanted winds kicked up around his collapsed, writhing body. Clutching his hooves to his head, only one new feeling began to dominate his mind: This was wrong. He wanted it out. He wanted it gone.
“Get out of my head!” he screamed at incessant noise, feeling his consciousness slipping away bit by bit until finally the droning gave way to silent darkness.
In the blackness, the figure of a pony stood before him. Its features were masked in the shadows all around.
The shadows obscuring the entity dispersed, and Emerl found himself looking at... himself. The same parted, dark jade mane. The same light gray coat. This pony, however, had eyes that glowed with the same brilliant emerald light as Emerl's own magic aura, and its flank was barren of any Cutie Mark.
"Heh, don't remember me?" it asked in his voice, closing its luminous eyes for a moment as suddenly thousands of familiar images swirled around him. It mused aloud, "How long has it been? Ten years? Yeah, almost exactly ten years since I first came to be. You shoved me away into the darkness of your mind, where I had been sleeping. Looks like something woke me up though."
Suddenly, from all around, something else was called forth, the verse Emerl had heard before the pain hit him.
"From all of us together, together we are friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there's magic without end!"
Opening its eyes, the doppleganger directed a curious look upward into the abyss, wondering aloud, "Hm, well that is interesting. I wonder what the meaning behind that could be?"
The words lost on him, Emerl was nevertheless frustrated by the aloof attitude of the intruder. Stamping his hoof on the indiscernable blackness he stood upon, he shouted, "What are you talking about? And where did that voice and those images come from?"
It looked straight at him, the luminous glow swirling in its eyes like a hurricane as it smiled softly at him. "I am just catching up on some of our memories. I have been asleep ever since you rejected me, after all," it explained calmly. Eyes turning away again, several images surrounded it once more, flickering and changing from one scene to another.
Memories?! "No!" Emerl shouted, his anger lashing out as his usually calm demeanor broke completely. His emotions surged of their own accord inside him and the images around the duplicate were swept away, receding into the darkness. "Those are my memories! I won't let you take them! Now tell me; just what the hell are you?"
The other Emerl rolled its eyes in mild exasperation before calmly explaining itself once more, "I already told you, I am you. To be specific, I am the part of you that you rejected with every fiber of our being," it replied. Its gaze bored back into him with surprising intensity, but there was no malice in its gaze. "And I'm not taking your memories away from you, idiot. I couldn't do so even if I wanted to. Still, they are just as much my memories as they are yours, and I have every right to see them."
What the hell? What was this thing talking about? With his memories pushed aside, Emerl felt his anger ebb, but his confusion grow. "How in Tartarus can their be another me?" he asked, still suspicious.
Sighing, the supposed other-Emerl shook his head, "What, did you dump your basic grasp of psychology into me too? I am your second personality. A division of every memory you wished to expel. You created me when you almost got our Cutie Mark ten years ago."
Almost?
"To put it more elloquently; 'I am thou, and thou art I. Parts of a whole. Sides on a card'," it continued explaining. "I was always going to come back sooner or later."
"No... No, you're not me. There's only one me," Emerl shook his head. He didn't know what to think or feel right now, except for one thing. He didn't want it. It didn't feel right. It just felt wrong. He didn't know why, but every part of his mind denied the spectre's words. The feeling welled up in him, and rekindled his anger once more. He refused to accept what this intruder in his soul said, and screamed out, "Get the hell out of my head!"
A sharp ripple shot from Emerl, traveling across the mental plain and slammed into his twin. The wave pushed it back, hooves dragging against the unseen floor, but a glowing translucent sphere formed around its body. Whatever that strange wave was supposed to do, it seemed to be ineffective.
He expected the being to turn on him in anger at the assault, but it only gave him a wistful look and sighed, "Guess I should be thankful that you can't suppress me anymore. Dunno why, but it seems I'm protected now. I don't blame you for trying though, it is your nature."
The darkness around them shook softly, different from the previous wave. The 'second personality' stepped towards him, each clack of its hooves sending another ripple through the area. "Looks like we are about to wake up," it spoke matter-of-factly. "Look, I don't expect you to trust or like me right away, since every instinct in you must be screaming against me. Still, we are going to live as one now, for the rest of our lives, so I hope you can work past that someday."
Emerl didn't respond, a wary glare his only answer as he watched it walk up to and past him. It stopped behind him and glanced back, a playful smile on its face it added, "Besides, I have some ideas for how we can reunite with our little crush."
"C-c-crush?!" Emerl stammered.
A knowing smile spread across its face as they began to fade with the empty world around them, "As if you don't know who I mean. I look forward to finally living life alongside you, soulmate."
A moment later, everything was gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"The doctor said he was just fine, Applebloom. Only odd thing was that his headache made his magic go out of wack. Redheart said it happens rarely when a unicorn gets the worst sort of migrane."
"Alright, Big Mac. I was just a might worried when you brought him in."
"Hehe, so this is that whipper-snapper? My, he's a handsome one, but why is he like that at his age?"
"Dunno. It was there before."
"Nnngh." The sharp grunt got the attention of the speakers as Emerl gradually dragged himself out of the haze of sleep, his head throbbing faintly. He wondered if all that stuff with the other him had just been a strange and stressful dream.
Whew! I had forgotten what a pain actual pain was. Our head is killing me.
... Of course it hadn't been.
"Looks like he's waking up. I'll go down and whip this colt up some warm cider and a tart. Poor dear is probably starving," the warm voice of an elderly woman said, followed by the sound of slow hoofsteps moving away.
The mention of food brought a rumble to Emerl's stomach as he cracked open his eyes. His gaze met only the dull brown of a wooden roof, and tilting his head towards the voices he'd heard, he saw Big Macintosh and Applebloom standing beside him. Looking down, he saw he was lying in a bed with covers pulled up to his neck, wrapping him in toasty warmth.
Well this is nice. I wonder how we ended up at Sweet Apple Acres? the same voice in his head echoed out, causing a tiny frown to pass over his muzzle.
I was hoping you were just a figment of my imagination, Emerl snapped at the unwanted one.
It replied with a soft mental chuckle, Haha, well depending on how you look at it, I kind of am, aren't I?
"Y'all okay, Mister Emerl?" Applebloom asked, lightly poking his side and turning his attention to her. "A doctor came by our house this morning to tell us ya'd passed out in the middle of the street last night."
Before he could answer, Emerl's train of thought was derailed by a snarky comment, We would probably be better if it didn't feel like a hundred tiny parasprites were buzzing around in our brain.
Emerl put a hoof to his temple and shook his head, trying to make it look like he was getting his mind clear as he inwardly grumbled, Would you please keep to yourself for a bit so I can think straight?
I don't know if it works that way. You might just have to get used to it.
Great, Emerl quipped sarcastically before giving Applebloom a smile. "I'm okay, thank you. I think I was just worn out. I hadn't slept for nearly two days," he calmly elaborated, crafting a small falsehood so he didn't have to explain that it was all because a second mind now shared brain space with him. No, that would certainly get him put in a mental ward or something. "How did I end up here though?"
"The doc said that when ya passed out it was near dusk, so he just kept ya in a bed at the hospital," Applebloom chimed cheerily. "When ya didn't wake up in the morning he asked around and found out that ya brought me and mah friends here, so when he came by and explained what happened, we offered ta keep ya here!"
Big Macintosh cleared his throat and added, "Figured that this would be a good way to pay y'all back. We Apples never leave a debt unpaid; even more for what ya did for Applejack."
Emerl's cheeks flushed at the mention of that little bit of history, scratching the back of his head with a hoof. "I-it was nothing, r-really." So she had talked about him before? He was happy to hear that, but he felt a bit more self-conscious now too.
How cute. One mention of her name and you're already flustered, the other him chuckled.
Sh-shut up, he thought in aside to it.
"Nothing or not, we would still like to show our thanks by lettin ya stay here 'til ya get yerself settled," Big Mac beamed, giving a strong pat to Emerl's back, causing his whole body, bed included, to shake from the blow.
"Thanks Big Macintosh," Emerl smiled genuinely. He felt a bit uncertain and awkward at the idea of accepting their hospitality, but grateful nonetheless.
"T'weren't nothin young stallion," the aged voice from before rang out from outside the room. Hoofsteps soon followed, and an elderly green mare with a tied-up white mane and a pie Cutie Mark emerged from the doorway off to the side of the bed. On the mare's back she balanced a tray set with a mug of frothy liquid and a large tart - apple, if he had to guess...
Probably a safe assumption. Oh, it smells so good!
For Luna's sake, some quiet in the peanut gallery would be appreciated.
What? I'm as hungry as you are! It feels like we could pick a whole tree clean of apples!
Ignoring the mental exagerations, Emerl nodded respectfully to the old mare, recalling - he hoped - the name he had heard years back.
You've got it right, it's Granny Smith, it assured him in the back of his head.
I thought I told you to stay away from my memories, you spectre! he lashed back.
This time it was the other's turn to be irritated, replying with a growl, I have my own memories from before I was put to sleep, you know. That's how I remember Applejack and all of her stories.
"Here, take some of this deary," Granny Smith smiled as she slid the tray off of her back and over his lap. "I guarantee our family recipes will have you feeling right as rain in no time."
Emerl smiled back sheepishly. He was feeling shy at the nearly overwhelming display of hospitality from ponies he barely knew. At the same time, he was struggling to keep his outer and inner discussions separate. Still, he had not been raised to be unappreciative, so despite both of the struggles, he replied, "I'm sure it will, Granny Smith. Applejack used to talk all the time about how delicious Apple Family food is."
Taking a small whiff of the steaming tart before him, he had to consciously stop himself from drooling. Picking it up in his magic, he brought it to his lips just as his other side spoke up.
By the way, how many times do I have to say it? I'm not some outside spectre... I'm... I... Mmm, by Celetia's sun-spangled behind, this is freaking delicious!
Emerl would have scolded it for speaking of Celestia in such a shameful way, but it was undeniably right. He'd definitely had his fair share of tarts in his lifetime, but this was incredible. Perfectly flaky, perfectly fruity flavor, and perfect balance of sweet and tarty accent. At the very least, it was the best apple tart he had ever tasted, and at the most it could very well be the best tart period. He didn't even care about the silly, wide-eyed, spellbound look he had on his face as he slowly chewed the bite he'd taken.
Gulping down the last bit, he smiled wide to his gracious hosts, saying excitedly, "No wonder she ranted and raved about the food back home! If all of it is as good as this, then I would have ran straight home too!"
Come on, take another bite. Take another bite! Oh how lucky I am that the first food I taste in ten years is Apple Family food! Hurry up! it cheered and begged, going on incessantly until Emerl shut it up with another bite of food.
He couldn't help but smile at the wave of appreciative emotion that came from it in his head. Sure, he was annoyed by the pestering presence, but at the very least... It was interesting. He still didn't see how it could be a part of him though.
"Much appreciated, Emerl," Granny Smith chuckled, "But don't expect it all to be free. Aside from this meal, we'll expect ya to help out at least a little bit while y'all are staying here with us. Take as much time as you need though, it'll probably take a while to deal with your condition."
Condition? it wondered.
"Condition?" Emerl parroted, concern replacing his enjoyment of the delicious food. "I thought the only problem was that I got a really bad headache from exhaustion."
Applebloom propped herself up on the side of the bed and said, "Don't worry too much, it ain't nothin bad about yer health. Y'all aren't sick, from what the doctor could see."
You know, it really won't do if you keep refering to me as a thing. I'm not an 'it'. I'm a he. Though it would be really confusing if you called me by our name... it suddenly started musing to itself, seemingly half listening while thinking.
Emerl had a feeling his new acquaintance knew something, but just put its ramblings aside as he focused on the Apples. "Well then what is wrong with me?"
How about... No, that would never work. That name just screams Mary Sue...
Big Mac broke it to him bluntly, "Yer Cutie Mark is gone, Emerl."
His Cutie Mark... gone?!
Emerl's horn flared with light as he lifted the tray and covers into the air, bolting onto his hooves. He turned around atop the matress, craning his neck back to look at the side of his flank. He expected.to.find the familiar murky green streaks that he always saw, but instead found only barren gray haunches. "But... But how?! How did I lose my mark?!" he panicked, mind racing to come up with some kind of answer.
I told you before, didn't I? an answer came from the other mind. You almost got our Cutie Mark all those years ago, but when you surpressed me, you wound up with only a piece of it. That mark was only a part of our whole identity, which we will have to rediscover together.
Well... That sort of made sense... If that was true, then it really meant that the other inside of him was another piece of him. Still, he couldn't go telling the Apples about this, going back to the point that he would be seen as crazy. He probably was anyway, but he didn't need others thinking so too. Not having his Cutie Mark though; it felt like he had lost a piece of his identity. It was pretty unnerving, but what was one more thing when he already had the clown in his head to deal with?
Hey! I am not a clown! Sarcastic and joking, yes, but not a clown... Those are creepy.
Well that we can agree on.
He was pulled out of his thoughts as Applebloom hopped up onto the bed and put a hoof on his.shoulder, "It'll be okay Emerl, you can join the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We can help ya get your mark back, however long it takes!"
Emerl had to force himself not to shudder as a wave of mutual dread passed between him and his mental tenant. He put on a brave smile though, and gave the politest answer he could, "Thanks for the offer. I'll figure out later if that's what I want to do."
Her enthusiasm undeterred, the filly bounced down from the bed and started skipping out the door, "We're gonna have to make a pretty big cape ta fit ya! We'll need ta work on it right away!"
Kid doesn't know when to quit. Cestia have mercy on our soul, a laugh echoed in the back of his head.
Hey, no copying me, Emerl shot back in good humor that surprised even himself.
By the way, I think I figured out a name you can call me by.
The train car was silent aside from the slight rumble as it jostled across the tracks. Its occupants sat in various states of frustration, all of them deep in thought.
Rainbow stretched out in the overhanging bag rack, hooves crossed back to rest her head. Her face was hidden at this angle, but one could practically feel the waves of anger flowing off of her. It almost seemed like she was going to burst into flames from the sheer tension she radiated.
Fluttershy sat in the back of the car, staring absently out the window as the scenery rushed by. The look on her face was clearly crestfallen and despondent. Her eyes were glazed, not even saying attention to the scenery whipping by beyond the glass.
Pinkie was unsurprisingly the most active, pacing up and down the center walkway. Her eyes held a similar foggy stare, as they looked unfocused at the floor just in front of each hoof. Despite her downtrotted look, her hooves clacked in an aimless little melody of steps that seemed to keep tempo with the rattling of the train.
Rarity sat in one of a few booths with a table, brow furrowed in a mixture of irritation and concentration. A pencil, in the hold of her magic, scribbled away at a piece of paper. Her focus was being poured in its entirety into her work.
Really, Rarity was lucky to have that much.
That was one of many thoughts that filled Applejack's head as her gaze swept across each of her friends. What she wouldn't give to be back home, bucking apples at this very moment. Or hauling the plow through the fields to ready the soil. Or occupy her mind with mindless and unnecessary tweaks and repairs to one of the barns. She'd take anything at this point, because thinking about it over and over like this was only bothering her more.
All of them were handling it differently, but they were all fretting over the same problem.
Twilight wasn't coming back to Ponyville. She was staying in Canterlot now as a princess of Equestria.
"It's not fair!" Pinkie huffed, ending her rhythmic pacing and stamping a hoof down. "Twilight should be staying in Ponyville with us. It's just not fair. I miss her already."
The normally bouncy mare was practically devoid of energy compared to how she usually was. If the happiest and most lively of them was like this, then Applejack could only imagine how it was brewing beneath the surface in the rest of her friends. They had all expected big changes when Twilight became a princess, but not this.
Rarity set her pencil down and cleared her throat, "We all feel the same, Pinkie, but Twilight is starting a magnificent new chapter in her life. She has to take on new responsibilities now. As her friends, we must be supportive." Despite the conviction in her tone, the look on her face was far from resolute.
"That doesn't mean we have to like it either," Rainbow Dash scoffed from her perch. "Twilight's our friend. She belongs with us, in Ponyville."
"Yeah," Pinkie nodded in agreement, "We're the Elements of Harmony. We should be sticking together."
These were sound arguments. Ones that had already been swarming in the back of Applejack's mind like a bunch of hungry parasprites. It didn't feel right going home knowing that Golden Oaks Library wouldn't be the home of their dear friend. It felt wrong, but these were the bushels they'd bucked, and there was no undoing it.
A rustling in the back of the car caught everypony's attention as Fluttershy stepped into the walkway and moved up to join them. Her voice was soft, but clear as she spoke, "I know we'll all be fine. We've always had a strong bond, ever since we were little fillies and didn't know each other. We've been through too much together for a little distance to tear us apart."
Applejack noticed a faint tint of red in her eyes and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to burst into tears. She fought back the urge though. If she started crying, then Fluttershy would start again too. Before long they'd all be a bawling mess in the car.
Fluttershy was right though. They had been through way worse than miles of distance, hadn't they? Nightmare Moon; dragons; changelings; Sombra; even Discord; compared to that, what was a hundred or so miles?
"Fluttershy's absolutely right," AJ finally spoke up. She put on the most assured face she could manage. "It's not like we're never gonna see her again." She was even starting to convince herself. She could feel a little bit of hope and confidence rising up and cutting through the initial gloom. "She lives in Canterlot, for Celestia's sake. That's no more than a two hour train ride from Ponyville. And Dash, I reckon ya could probably fly there in an hour without even breaking a sweat."
She seemed to be getting through to the others a bit too. Their drooping ears started to perk up again, and their faces started to brighten.
Rainbow Dash leaped down from the bag rack and flexed her wings. The smug grin on her face was shallow, but an improvement as she boasted, "An hour? Hah! You forget who you're talking to? I'll bet I could make it there in half an hour without even making a Sonic Rainboom."
"Right," Rarity agreed. "My business is sure to bring me into Canterlot from time to time. I'm sure each of us will take any opportunity we can to pay her a visit. There's no telling how often all of us will be able to see her together, but we should take every chance we get individually."
All of them nodded in consensus. It was far from the ideal situation, and none of them were happy about it. Still, they wouldn't let it stop them. They'd make the best of it.
Applejack turned to look out of a nearby window, watching the rolling countryside roll by.
Yeah, everything would be fine. They would make it fine.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Longest train ride of my life," Rainbow Dash yawned. With a limber stretch and a light step, she flitted out of the train car and hovered over the platform.
While it was a gross exaggeration compared to how long a trip to Dodge Junction took, Applejack couldn't help but agree. Only two hours had passed, but it felt so much longer with everything weighing on their minds. Even so, it was a relief to be back home.
Stepping out onto the platform, she took a deep breath and smelled the crisp, clean country air. She could almost smell one of Granny Smith's fresh pies resting on the sill all the way from here. Though there was a rather loud ruckus coming from somewhere deeper in town. She didn't get a chance to pay it any attention, as she was unceremoniously bumped from behind.
The offending bumper was Rarity's unsurprisingly large suitcase, which she yanked after her. The cumbersome object offered great resistance, but passed through the tiny doorway with a loud pop.
"Why the hay did ya insist on bringin' that monstrosity along? Ya'll could crush a pony flat with that!" she pointed at the behemoth.
"I didn't think we'd be spending ten whole days in Canterlot, but a lady must be ready for any situation," Rarity nodded with pride.
Applejack leveled a pointed look at Rarity, glancing between her and her luggage. Luggage was putting it lightly though, since that thing was more like an entire wardrobe on little wheels. "Prepared? I'd reckoned ya'll were just about ready to settle in back there and set up shop," AJ quipped.
Rarity huffed indignantly, "Surely you jest. Canterlot is a wonderful place to visit, I'll admit, but I have grown out of my desire to live there. Besides, this little bit would have only lasted me about two weeks tops."
Applejack rolled her eyes. Knowing Rarity, that statement could very well hold true. That mare sure did love spontaneous outfit changes.
Next to step out was Fluttershy, who was looking a lot better now, and even had a calm smile on her face. Her arrival was immediately met by a tiny blur of white. The familiar form of Angel scrambled up her fetlock, wound up her torso, and tucked down through the back of her mane before popping up to stand atop her head. The happy little critter beamed from ear to ear.
"Oh!" Fluttershy smiled at the greeting, "Angel, I'm glad you came. I hope you haven't been a bother."
The bunny craned over into Fluttershy's view and shook his head.
"Good, I'm very proud of you," she smiled, looking up at him. "But remember that if the sitter I hired says different, then you won't be getting that carrot cake I promised you."
Angel riveted in place at the mention of one of his favorite treats. He suddenly turned serious and gave a sharp salute, eliciting a soft chuckle from his caretaker. No way was he going to lose a chance at one of his favorite treat.
Fluttershy stepped out of the way to make room for Pinkie Pie, who gently bounced out of the car. Once off, she looked around curiously, ears perked. Even more weird was when she suddenly started sniffing along the ground like a bloodhound.
Applejack watched her friend as she began darting along the entire train platform. She was baffled, but not really surprised at this point. Pinkie was one confusing mare, but spending enough time with her taught any pony to expect the unexpected from her. Still, as the scouring persisted, Applejack couldn't help but ask, "Just what are ya doin', Pinkie? Yer actin' like Winona when she catches a whiff of a squirrel."
Pinkie beamed as she pointed out into town and happily declared, "There's a new pony in town!" She stifled a giggle. "I can't wait to see what kind of pony showed up. We all know what a new pony means."
Rainbow Dash pumped a hoof in the air and gave a little cheer, "Aw yes! A Ponyville Welcome Bash is just what we need to relax."
"Too bad y'all were beaten to the punch," a familiar voice called to them. -All five mares' heads spun around to see Granny Smith hobbling up the stairs to the station. She was beaming like a young filly all the while. By her side was Big Macintosh, a small hint of a smile tugging at his muzzle.
"Whewee! It sure ain't no Pinkie Pie party, but that stranger sure knows how to make an impression," the old mare nodded sagely. "Too bad though, it seems like y'all might have missed it entirely. He was just finishing the last show and closing up when we passed by a few minutes ago."
The mares looked curiously amongst themselves, then back to Granny. Applejack was pretty certain she knew what most of them were thinking. The last showpony to come to Ponyville had been a real real piece of work.
Pinkie was of course the only one unperturbed, instead smiling gleefully and stomping her hooves.
All of them were pulled out of their thoughts as Angel leapt down from Fluttershy's head. The bunny bolted for the edge of the platform and bolted straight into town.
"Angel, what are you doing? Come back!" Fluttershy shouted after him. She flapped into the air and flew after him, taking a moment to look over her shoulder and wordlessly ask for her friends' help.
"What in the world just got inta that there rabbit?" Applejack wondered aloud. "Thanks for coming, Granny, Big Mac, but it looks like I'll be gettin' back to the farm whenever we can catch that varmint," she added in aside to her family before tilting her stetson over on her head and giving chase.
"Whatever it is, we better get after him," Rainbow Dash groaned irritably. "We all know that if he doesn't want to be caught, then there's no way Fluttershy can do it on her own." With a single hard flap, Rainbow joined in pursuit.
Pinkie Pie was right behind, bouncing whimsically along.
Rarity trailed at the back, only to stop beside the two Apples and flash a charming smile to her friend's elder sibling, "Oh, Maccy, would you be a dear?" Her horn flared and her enormous suitcase was deposited in front of the burly stallion. "I need my things taken back to the boutique for me. I'd be most grateful if you'd take them there for me. I wouldn't be much use lugging this all over town. Thank you so much for the help, bye." Without even waiting for an answer she followed her friends at a dignified trot.
They had all been so distracted by Angel's sudden and unusual behavior, that none of them noticed the sly grins spreading on Granny and Big Mac's faces.
The two shared a look as Big Mac hefted the bag onto his back with big grunt. "We set the hook, just like he asked," Macintosh groaned under the weight, starting down the road with Granny to the boutique.
The old mare chuckled, "He sure didn't ask much. Still, that show is gonna knock their horseshoes off."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The mares stormed down the slightly crowded Ponyville streets. They tried to keep close pursuit of the speedy little bunny, but with the town so surprisingly lively, it was all they could do to keep the little guy in their sights.
Angel had no problems ducking and weaving through the crowds with the sort of agility only a bunny had. The crowds only seemed to get denser too. It got to the point that Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity had to keep at a brisk trot for fear of crashing into somepony.
Rainbow Dash flew ahead of them to track the speedy bunny while Fluttershy stayed behind with the rest. Her worry only grew as they followed him deeper and deeper into town.
"I really don't get it," Fluttershy began fretting as she hovered along. "Why is Angel running around like this? Usually I can tell when he's mad about something, but this time I don't know what's wrong."
"I ain't got a clue," Applejack shook her head.
"Do you think he's mad at me? I was gone for ten whole days and just left him with a sitter for all that time. Maybe he feels neglected and is mad at me for that," Fluttershy continued conjuring up various reasons to explain her pet's behavior.
"Nonsense. You've done absolutely nothing wrong Fluttershy. Perhaps he's not mad at all and is just being playful for attention," Rarity offered her own impression. "As much as it irritates me at times, my sweet Opal will sometimes claw up cuts of fabric to get me to play with her."
"It was amazing! Did you see how ferocious the manticore looked? I swear I felt it's breath on my face."
"Oh the tightrope was incredible too."
"But the grand finale was absolutely mane-raising."
"I wish I could watch it again. Too bad it'll be taken down soon."
The conversations all around got their attention as they kept following the path Angel and Rainbow Dash had gone down. Everypony seemed very excited and impressed.
"Sounds like everypony in town's gotten to see that there show Granny told us about," AJ noted.
"That's totally not fair," Pinkie whined, bouncing along. "This pony's done something super nifty-galifty and he's closing it before we can even see it."
A familiar fluttering and swish of air greeted their ears, turning their heads up. Rainbow Dash flew down to a low hover in front of them. "You guys won't believe where that bratty bunny bounced off to," she smirked with a roll of her eyes.
It only took a few minutes for them to reach the spot. They came into the main plaza of Ponyville, just in front of the town hall. What greeted them was the sight of a tall tent, easily fourty feet high, that took up over half of the open area. It dominated the small scale of the buildings around it, and looked like it could hold a quarter of the ponies in town underneath it.
The fabric of the tent itself was a bit... ratty. There were patches of frayed cloth all over, and a rather crude banner with the words 'Three Ring's Marvelous Circus' hung over the tied-off entrance. The colors, an alteration of crimson and gold vertical stripes, had obviously seen better days. It still had some luster, but much of the once vibrant hue hac faded with what looked like years of age
"This is what everypony is so impressed by?" Rainbow looked it over, unimpressed, "This place looks like it's about ready to fall apart."
"Sure does," Pinkie agreed with a smile, "but somepony said there was a manticore in there!"
"Whoah, really?" Rainbow gaped in disbelief.
"Appearances can be deceiving. What you see on the surface isn't a guarantee of what lies within. Ponies are the same," Rarity said. She noticed the strange looks her friends were giving her and cleared her throat "Ahem! I was just reading that."
She pointed to a small stand-up sign near the tent that had those exact words scrawled on it.
"Oh," the others nodded in unison.
Suddenly, Angel leaped out from behind the sign, grinning cheekily at his pursuers and tapping his foot as though losing patience. The group charged after him, expecting him bolt off again, but they stopped short when instead he leaped atop a lumpy brown mound next to the entryway. He then proceeded to stomp furiously on the mound, causing it to shift and growl at the assault.
Fluttershy zipped over in an instant and scooped up the rogue rabbit. "What's gotten into you, Angel? You're being a very bad bunny," she scolded. She squeaked in surprise as the mound Angel had been stomping on stirred and groaned more violently.
"Give me a break. Show's over. Can't you see I'm trying to take a nap?" the heap grumbled groggily, turning over to reveal an older earth pony stallion swaddled in a dark brown cloak. His mane was a disheveled mess of faded green, with signs of graying at the tips. His fur was a pine brown as light and lustrous as his cloak, but both were spotted with bits of dirt and dust that only accented the lines of age under his eyes. Perhaps the only parts of him that didn't look old were his eyes themselves. They were an almost luminous green that sparked irritably as he looked over the mares that he believed had so rudely woken him up.
Those eyes glanced over each of them before he let out a haughty puff from his nostrils. "You girls got some nerve waking a guy up like that." he complained.
"Oh we're terribly sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "My bunny got away from me, and he's the one who woke you. We didn't mean to disturb your rest."
The old pony cast a hard glare at Fluttershy, making her back up abruptly. Sweeping over them again he shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Right, whatever. Still, if you've come to see the show again, them I'm sorry to disappoint you. I've already made it clear. Only one showing per pony, and I know we already performed for everypony in town."
"I think you need to get your eyes adjusted along with your attitude, you grumpy old jerk," Rainbow snorted.
"I beg your pardon, Skittles?" he snapped back.
The hotheaded pegasus opened her mouth for another comeback, but was pulled abruptly to the ground by her tail with a soft blue glow of magic. Rarity stepped forward, horn alight, and shook her head disapprovingly. "Rainbow please, there's no need to be so rude," she chided with a dignified air.
"No reason my plot, he was scaring Fluttershy glaring at her like that," Rainbow pointed an accusing hoof at him. "I'm not just gonna let him treat her like that. I don't care if he doesn't like being woken up."
The stallion rolled his eyes and grunted, "Mares." Rainbow's temper flared, and she stepped forward with a hoof raised menacingly. "You asking for a hoof sandwich you- mrphrmp?!" she garbled past her own hoof, which Applejack had promptly stuffed into her open mouth.
"We're sorry there, old timer," Applejack tipped her hat humbly. "We've had a rough couple of days, so some of us are a bit on edge."
Rarity, with all the grace her friends came to expect from her, calmly explained, "I think what Rainbow Dash was trying to say before, is that none of us have had the pleasure of seeing your show."
This got the old stallion's attention. As he shifted under his cloak and slowly lifted himself up off of his haunches, he cast a far more scrutinizing eye over them this time.
"Now that you mention it, you're right." He nodded sagely, and threw a more particular glance at Rainbow, who was still trying to yank her hoof out of her mouth. He smirked, "I think I would remember a mare with a mouth on her like that one. The pink one too. No peeking!"
He barked that last part out loudly, freezing Pinkie in her tracks mid-snoop. She had been slowly scooting sideways and was just about to touch the curtained entryway when he shouted.
"Course I am. Been doing this for ages. I've caught more fillies and colts trying to do what you tried than I can remember," he swelled with pride. A bright grin spread across his face and with a flourish he swung the cloak off of his back. With a surprisingly limber spin, the old pony brought the cloak around behind him and as it vanished from sight, he somehow produced a bright red cape in its place and tied it around his neck.
Pinkie clapped her hooves excitedly at the little display, and the rest looked intrigued.
"Anyway, on to business," he declared in a strange shift of formality. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Three Rings, and welcome to my Magnificent Circus!"
Finally free of her own 'hoof sandwich', Rainbow was quick to try to rebound. "I think you mean 'Marvelous'. Are you getting so senile that you don't remember the name of your own circus?" she heckled, recalling what they had read on the banner.
At this point, there was no use trying to rein Dash in. Her friends just shook there heads, ready to let this take its course.
The smirk on Three Ring's face only got wider. "Are you so sure about that, young lady?" he tapped his chin, grinning mockingly. "I'm sure it says 'Magnificent'."
Rainbow jabbed a hoof up to point at the banner overhead, triumphantly pointing to the words, "Hah! Just look, it says 'Three Rings'... Magnificent... Circus'." Her gusto quickly deflated as her own words rang false, the banner showing that Three Rings had been right all along.
Confusion only deepened. Even the other mares could swear that it had said 'Marvelous' just moments ago. Had it changed? Or did they all somehow read the same incorrect word?
"You were saying?" Three Rings asked, ever so smug.
"Yo- How did you..." Rainbow grew more flustered. "The word..."
Three Rings burst into a fit of laughter, much to their surprise. The older stallion's mirth was apparent as he flicked a tear from the corner of his eye. "This is a sign of good fortune for me," he wheezed between chortles. "Dunno why all you all got so confused by a simple banner, but this sort of confusion has always meant good things. If you all are this confounded and befuddled before the show even starts, that means our performers are really gonna knock your socks off."
While Rainbow Dash contemplated knocking the stallion's block off for laughing at her, Three Rings made a showy turn to the entryway with a fluttering of his cape. An excited air surged all about him as he pulled the curtains aside to reveal a small seating area with only about eight folding chairs set out inside a half-circle railing. The seating space was barely lit by the sunlight from the outside, and beyond the railing was nothing but darkness. The inner depths of the tent were hidden, just making the prospect of the show to come that more interesting.
Applejack took a step forward. This whole thing seemed weird. Something was off, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. At the same time, there wasn't any feeling of danger. This confusing feeling was making her more and more curious. She wanted to see this show, and it seems she wasn't alone in that desire. The rest of the girls joined her and walked in. Even Rainbow relented and followed suit, but not before pointing a hoof at her eyes and then at Three Rings in a clear 'I'm watching you' motion.
The stallion's only response was a deep bow and a smile of benign innocence. Once they were all seated, however, he called in after them, "If you all would take a seat and wait just a moment, I will get our performers ready as quickly as possible."
Once they were seated, they heard a soft swish of fabric on fabric. The curtain closed behind them, cutting off the sunlight and leaving them in almost complete darkness. Curiosity only grew greater, as they all wondered silently to themselves what they would soon witness.
Meanwhile, outside of the tent, Three Rings grinned quite proudly as he whispered under his breath, "Hook, line, and sinker."
The rapid pattering of a little foot reached his ears, and he looked down to see Angel thumping his foot on the ground. The little bunny looked up at him expectantly and held up a little paw.
Ah yes, that was right. "I haven't forgotten our little deal," he nodded. A deal was a deal, and he produced the promised bounty, a large slice of carrot cake, resting tantalizingly on an ivory plate. He could swear that the bunny's eyes got as big as the plate in his hoof, and chuckled as the critter nabbed the plate and bolted like the wind.
"Everything is going according to plan," Three Rings smiled.
Sure, but why does this plan of yours have to be so convoluted? Did we really have to put this big act together and have all these little hooks to get them here, Jade?"
"Oh come on, Emerl, you know you're having fun too," the faux carny shot right back. He kept his voice low as he headed around the outside of the tent. "We're an illusionist for crying out loud! Even if our passion isn't in the performing arts, it's in our very nature to do things with lots of flair."
A sigh came in answer as Emerl relented, Alright, you've got me there. Even I've been dramatic just for the fun of it. Plus, it is good practice on large-scale illusions.
Of course he couldn't deny it. Who knew Emerl better than him? "Atta' boy," he cheered in a hushed tone, "and besides, the girls have been having a fun time with this too."
Yeah, this has been fun.
"Hey, do you want to take over for this next part? You should be able to handle it. You already know the routine," Three Rings said, stopping outside of a smaller tent annexed from the large one. Besides, I know you don't want me to be doing all the work to impress her.
There was a long pause before the response, I'll do it.
Eyes fluttering closed, deep inside a mental plane, a subtle shift occurred and for just a moment Three Rings' body flickered and leaked wisps of green magic.
Darn it, the spell wavered, Jade grunted, now back in the spectator position. We really need to work on switching control while casting.
"I'm not exactly in a rush to do that again," Emerl now replied with the voice they'd created for Three Rings. "Remember, I only let you have some time in control because I agreed to this crazy plan of yours." He stepped forward and threw open the entryway of the tent. He quickly ran through every detail of the show in his head.
Deny it all you want, soulmate, but I can tell you're starting to warm up to me.
Just let me concentrate, Emerl ordered.
Yes, Your Majesty! Jade cheerily declared.
Looking around the small space, Emerl/Three Rings saw his other partners laying in the corner, adorably draped over each other as they snoozed and snored. It was tempting to just let them sleep, but they were an important part of the show. So with a shake he roused them from their dreams and smiled broadly with his disguised face, "They're finally here. Are you girls ready for the last show?"
Ears perked and with a crash and a tumble, three little fillies pushed themselves upright and untangled themselves from each other. Standing in a row and saluting in unison.
"You betcha, Mister Eme- Hehe, I mean, Three Rings!" Sweetie Bell piped cheerfully.
"They won't know what hit'em," Scootaloo smirked, eyes twinkling with excitement.
Apple Bloom giggled profusely, "Ah can't wait tah see the look on mah sister's face. It's gonna be priceless!"
Their enthusiasm brought a smile to the illusion-clad stallion's face as he gestured with a flourish towards the dark opening that connected the two tents. "Then let the show begin, girls!"
