Years after Princess Twilight and friends came to Our Town, the town is in shambles. Equality still reigns, and everything has gone bad since Starlight was removed. Double Diamond must take a gamble, training Azure Moon to be Starlight's Replacement.
Taking place 10 years after Starlight's unfortunate demise, the ponies of Our Town are still believing in Equality as the way to true friendship. Unfortunately, without a pony to remove cutie marks, the town is falling apart. Double Diamond has taken up the role of Mayor, but he can't keep the town together. He needs somepony that can remove Cutie Marks, and soon. Loyal to his old leader, he decides to follow through with Starlight's plan: Azure Moon as her replacement. Only a young filly 10 years ago, he must train her to become Starlight's successor. Unfortunately for him, Azure has some questions about methodology and practice.
The light shown through a dirty window, illuminating the room of a young mare. Being a teenager, not even the sun could wake the unicorn from her deep slumbers on a Saturday. There was only one power that such a creature still needed to fear: Mother.
“Azure, are you awake yet?” said pony asked as she opened the door. Seeing the messy room, she sighed in irritation.
“Five more minutes,” said the pony in the makeshift bed. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable bed, but nopony knew the difference in Our Town.
“For the love of Equality,” the mother muttered under her breath. She approached her daughter and shook her slightly. “Come on, it’s time to wake up.”
“Okay, okay, I’m up,” came the reply, but the figure refused to get up. Instead, Azure got deeper into her blankets.
Before any further actions could be done to wake up her daughter, Violet Glow heard somepony knocking on the door.
“Moonie, you have two minutes to be downstairs before I have your father get a cloud,” her mother said lovingly before exiting the room. Walking down the worn stairs, she adjusted her light green mane to make sure she was presentable. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Mayor Diamond standing there.
“Good morning, Violet,” he greeted with a smile.
“Hello,” she responded, a smile growing on her face as well. “Will you come in?” She opened the door further to let him in.
“Yes, thank you,” he answered while walking in, a bag in hand. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought some muffins.”
“That sounds lovely.” Violet took the white bag from his hooves and set them onto a nearby table.
“Is Azure Moon here?” Double Diamond asked before Violet could speak. “I need to talk to her.”
“Of course, let me go get her.” Violet went upstairs and opened the door, only to find that the bed was vacant. Looking around the room, her annoyance grew. It appeared that Azure had gone off somewhere. Turning around, she saw Azure trying to sneak into the only room in the house with a window that could open. Walking briskly over to her daughter, Violet grabbed her daughter by the ear and continued the pace down the stairs.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow!” her daughter whined with each step. After a few seconds they were standing before Double Diamond.
“Sorry about that,” Violet said, giving a pointed look to her daughter. “Azure has the strangest ideas sometimes.”
“That’s quite alright,” Double Diamond assured. Before anypony could speak, Azure’s stomach began to growl. Blushing slightly, she grinned upon smelling the muffins. In a matter of minutes, all the muffins were gone and everypony was gathered around the table.
“Thank you for that,” Azure said to Double Diamond, a true smile on her face. “It’s not often we get muffins with a bit of extra…. umpf.”
“Umpf?” Double Diamond inquired, an amused smirk hidden behind his hooves.
“Yeah, you know, umpf. A little bit of extra something,” she tried to explain, and failed to do so.
“Oh, of course.” Double Diamond’s smirk turned into a gleeful grin “Anyways, I’m afraid that I am not only here for the pleasure of your company… nor to learn a new word. Violet, I must ask your permission to take Azure Moon with me for a few days.” Violet’s eyes widened slightly.
“Where are you going?” Violet was already doing the calculations in her head. There were many places they could go within a few days, but nowhere overtly important.
“I’m afraid I cannot say,” Double Diamond answered dejectedly. “I can tell you, though, that it is for a project Azure will be working on in the coming months. We discussed in before ”
“Hello?” Azure interrupted the two adults. “Don’t I get a say in any of this?” Her mother could only give her a flat look.
“Are you saying you don’t want to go with the mayor and work on a secret project that only the two of you will know about?” she asked plainly. Both Violet and Double Diamond could see the gears working in Azure’s head as her indigo eyes changed from contemplation to excitement.
“Buck, yeah I want to go!” Azure shouted as she rose to her hooves. Immediately, she felt a smack on her head.
“Azure Moon, we do not use words like that in this household,” her mother reprimanded, her eyes akin to furnace fires.
“Sorry, mom,” came the weak reply as Azure sat down once more.
“Anyways,” Violet said, putting the conversation back on track, “when will you be leaving?”
“We will be leaving at noon,” Double Diamond answered, his head moving to look outside. “I think you have about an hour or two left.” Double Diamond had to think for a second, but decided to press on. “Azure, we discussed this project before Summer began, including the date. Did you forget to tell your mother?”
Azure’s smile froze in place, her eyes widening slightly. “Y-yes, I forgot to tell her.”
Her mother gave her a look that said they would talk once she returned, but otherwise did not comment on this mistake.
After minor pleasantries, Double Diamond left to go and finish up some business. That left Azure Moon to deal with her mother.
Several minutes and an excess of force later, Azure and Violet were upstairs. Violet was mothering her daughter and tending to the mess of fur she called a mane.
“Mom, I don’t need to have my mane done up!” Azure complained, though that didn’t even cause her mother a hesitant moment from styling her daughter’s mane.
“Nonsense, you have to look your best,” Violet commanded as she continued. “This could be something important, and I want you to look your best.”
“It’s not like he’s going to ask me to marry him,” Azure scoffed. “Honestly, we’ll be walking through the wasteland for a while, all this work is for nothing.”
“You don’t know that, he might ask you to marry him,” Violet said, a devious twinkle in her eyes.
“What?!” Azure looked back at her mother, her eyes saying what incredulity her mother was speaking.
“He hasn’t had a special somepony in a very long time, and isn’t claimed…” She would have continued on, describing all the facts about why he was a great stallion, had Azure not interrupted.
“Mom, he’s, like, 20 years older than me.” Azure’s face had reddened slightly, her embarrassment going past normal levels.
“Yes, it may be a stretch, but I want you looking your best regardless,” her mother conceded, finally done teasing her poor daughter.
After half an hour, Azure was able to escape her mother and actually do something useful with her time. Packing in some water, blankets, a book, and some other supplies, she went downstairs to find her mother with money on the table, counting.
“Whatcha doin’?” Azure asked as she approached.
“Just counting some money to buy you some food for the trip,” her mother answered without moving away from the bits in front of her.
“Mom, really, there’s no need,” Azure tried to assure, but Violet would not be dissuaded.
“Of course there’s need. I don’t want you getting hungry while you’re away from home.” Picking up a majority of the bits, she put them in a bag. “Here, go out and buy what food you’ll need. Remember, no fresh fruits or perishables.”
“I know, mom.” Azure left the house, bit bag in hand. Opening it and spending several minutes counting it, she numbered the bits to 52. Not a large sum, but most of the bits her family had saved up the past year. Silently thanking her mom, she walked towards the food area.
Most of the buildings in Our Town were worse for ware. Many of the stones, once new and powerful, were chipped and weathered. Several homes stood vacant as some ponies moved away. Pushing these painful memories away, Azure returned to her task. Spending 12 bits getting oats and grains, she safely stashed the remaining bits in her bag as a reserve. Looking at the sun, she was able to judge it was just after 11:00.
While considering what to do with her free time, she overheard some ponies speaking, though Double Diamond’s voice rang out among all of them.
“Please, can’t you stay for a little while longer?” he asked a couple. The mare looked pregnant and was hanging on to her husband.
“I’m sorry, but what’s the point?” the stallion asked bluntly. “Our child will be unequal and will never be equal. They won’t know true friendship.” His voice lacked conviction and happiness, replaced by despair and sadness.
“I know, I know, but please, we are working on a solution for this,” Double Diamond assured, but to no avail.
“That’s what you’ve been saying for the past ten years, Double. It’s over, there’s no Starlight here to help us.” He paused, considering his next words very carefully. “We’re leaving at the end of the month.” A murmur spread through the crowd. Ponies leaving was rare, though not as rare as it had been when Starlight was the mayor.
“I will arrange for the goodbye ceremony,” Double Diamond said distantly. He, above all others, felt the pang of failure most acutely. It was his job to keep the town together, and he was losing the battle.
“Thank you.” With that, the couple walked away, still clinging onto each other.
Double Diamond stared after them for several seconds before his shoulders sagged and his eyes closed. Behind him, Forest Embers came.
“Don’t feel bad, Double, you’re doing the best you can,” she said, bringing Double Diamond into an embrace. After several seconds, Double Diamond opened his eyes again, a new fire in his eyes. Nopony knew where his reserve of strength and determination came from. Even in the toughest conditions, Double Diamond wouldn’t be broken.
“Thank you, Forest.” He twisted his way out of her embrace, and looked at Azure Moon. “Ah, Azure, you almost ready to leave?”
“Ready when you are,” she said with a smile, hoping to cheer him up.
“Let me grab something from my house,” he commanded. Walking into his house, he reemerged with a bag that looked to be carrying multiple large, cylinder items. Another bag, on his other side, seemed to be filled with supplies, much like Azure’s own.
“Let’s get going.”
The two ponies walked for many hours to the north east. The sun beat down upon them and the reddish rocks beneath them. Before long, both ponies were feeling the heat and some breaks had to be taken. In the end, though, they kept walking. At around sunset, Azure became curious as to why they were still walking.
“We need to walk as far as we can, before the light fades,” was Double Diamond’s answer, and nothing more. Even when pressed further, he said nothing.
Only once the sun was totally gone and the moon was bathing the land in its pale light did Double Diamond call for a stop. Making a small camp was quick enough, and Double Diamond easily pulled his own weight. After several minutes, a fire was burning and they were beginning to grab their dinners.
After both had eaten, Double Diamond stood up and retrieved his bags again.
“Tell me, what do you know about Starlight Glimmer?” Double Diamond asked with a reverent tone when he mentioned Starlight. Azure paused at the question. There were many things to be said about Starlight, and not all of them were good. Telling Double Diamond anything bad about Starlight, though, was one of the easiest ways to make him angry.
“I know she was a unicorn mare that created Our Town. She had the ability to take away cutie marks with her magic, and she carried the curse with her every day so others could become equal,” Azure said by rote, accentuating the positives. There were multiple tests in school about Starlight, so anypony who wanted a good grade had to be well read on the subject.
“That is true, but do you know what she did for you in particular?” Double Diamond pointed a shaking hoof at Azure,
“She made a jar that was able to take my cutie mark away before she was put into a prison.” Azure smiled at the memory of the kindness that was given to her. It had turned the worst time in her life into the best; she could experience true friendship.
“Well, you do remember,” Double Diamond mumbled before pulling out the jar from his saddlebag. Azure looked at it closely and saw that it was her mark in the jar: a half circle moon with stars along the edge. Eyes widening, she watched as Double Diamond set the jar in front of him.
“Azure… I’m sorry for what I have to do.” Double Diamond looked down at the jar and took a deep breath.
“What do you mean---” she tried to say but was cut off by the sound of breaking glass. Double Diamond had broken the jar, with all of its complex runes and magic stored within it. With one hard slam with a rock, the jar was broken. The cutie mark remained suspended for a brief second before launching itself towards Azure Moon.
Azure tried to dodge it, to escape her fate, but was too slow. Suddenly, she felt herself change. Levitating slightly, she felt her trickle of magic expand into a stream of it. Her limbs felt stronger, her mind felt more acute, her eyes could see better. She had gained a new sense of the world around her, something she could not describe. She had power.
Suddenly, she found herself in the air. Her cutie mark had lifted her once it was attached, but suddenly, it began to fade, being replaced with the unrelenting force of magic. She was lifted into the air once more, magical electricity crackling off into the ground. The area was bathed in her magic, and she could barely see from the powerful feeling of magic within her.
“Azure!” somepony shouted, though it was faint. A wind had picked up around her and it was hard to hear anything. “You have to channel away the magic until you can control it!”
Trying to form coherent thoughts was difficult, but Azure decided to trust the voice. Channeling all of her magic skyward, she released it as a beam of purple light, which bathed the area around her with purple light. It was visible for many miles by anypony who happened to be looking, though the few that did see it didn’t know what it was.
After channeling her beam for about five seconds, she felt the stream abate for the time being. She collapsed to the ground, all of her feeling fading. Pushing herself up, she saw Double Diamond over her, making sure she was alright. A few seconds later, anger filled the young mare.
“What did you do to me?!” she yelled, rising to her feet. She still lacked some strength, but could feel her body already recovering.
“It had to be done,” Double Diamond tried to explain, making hoof motions to calm her down. Before he could continue, though, he was cut off.
“Had to be done? Had to be done? What type of joke is this? You ruined my life!” Azure swung a hoof at him, but Double Diamond caught it easily.
“Will you sit down and let me finish?” he asked, his voice becoming commanding. Pushing her offending hoof away, Azure was forced to spin a little before stopping. Hearing the tone in Double Diamond’s voice, Azure complied, with some hesitation and anger still in her. “Good. Now, you were chosen by Starlight to become the next Equalizer.”
“Equalizer?” Azure tested the word. “What in the hay is that?”
“It means that you are going to learn her spell to remove cutie marks.” Double Diamond removed a letter from his pack and handed it over to the unicorn. “This letter explains the process. We will be spending the next few days testing it, making sure you are able to do it.” Double Diamond brought out another jar from his bag. It contained a cutie mark of three blue snowflakes. “This one is mine.” His hooves shaking, he lifted the jar up and thrusted it towards the earth under him. His cutie mark broke into thousands of shards, smaller and finer than Azure’s had. His cutie mark landed upon his flank, and he grimaced as he felt the effects.
“Why did you do that?” Azure asked in shock. “Now you aren’t equal either.”
“I’m putting all my hopes on you,” he replied. “If you can’t figure out how to remove my cutie mark Our Town will crumble. I need you to learn it. I’m afraid you can’t use it on yourself, you have to use it on another pony.”
The two sat in silence for a while before Double Diamond grabbed a blanket and lay down, going to sleep. Azure stayed up a few hours after that, contemplating. She eventually went to bed, still feeling strange. The letter from Starlight Glimmer was complicated, and she didn’t have the training to fully understand it, but if she wanted to return to her normal life, she had to. She had to learn how to remove cutie marks.
“The bed’s feeling much harder than normal,” was Azure Moon’s initial thought upon waking. Her eyes still closed and her location still a mystery in the haze of partial sleep. Touching the floor with her hooves, her memories began to come back from last night. As soon as she remembered her Cutie Mark, her eyes shot open.
She looked around and saw that it was just after dawn, the light only just making its way across the area. Squinting her eyes, she got out from under her blanket, determined to see if it was all just a bad dream. Looking at her flank, her fears were affirmed, the cutie mark was still there; she was unequal.
Taking a deep breath to calm her already frayed nerves, she walked over to her bags to get out some water and breakfast. While she was mechanically eating, she noticed Double Diamond across the camp, still asleep.
Now, in the light of the sun, she noticed his coat looked a bit more vibrant, his hair disheveled. Getting a closer look, she saw that just getting his cutie mark made him look different. No longer looking as equal as everypony else, she noted that he did have a certain rugged charm to him. Not that she was looking at that sort of thing, of course.
While in her contemplations, she nearly didn’t notice that Double Diamond began to shift in his makeshift bed. Scrambling over to a place to sit down, Azure attempted an air of nonchalance.
Double Diamond got up, stretching and popping his body before he turned to see Azure trying not to look at him while also looking at him. Smiling good naturedly, he turned to her.
“Good morning,” he said. “How did you sleep?”
“I slept well enough,” she replied, though an escaping yawn betrayed her lie. She gave him a weak grin, and he returned it with a jovial nod.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of sleep later.” The two stood looking at each other for several seconds before one breached the gap that neither wanted to address.
“We’re unequal,” Azure said simply. “You showed me the explanation for the spell Starlight used but…” Azure looked at the papers again, a frown on her face.
“But, what?” Double Diamond questioned, getting closer to his only companion.
“I don’t understand most of it,” she admitted, tears forming in her eyes. “It’s a ton of magical theory and a bunch of stuff that we don’t learn in school. It could take me weeks to learn this spell.”
“Shhh,” Double Diamond said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I know it’s hard, I understand this is going to be difficult, but you have to learn how to do it. I will be here to help you, to make sure you learn it.”
“You want me to test a spell I’ve never seen before on you?” Azure asked. She patted his hoof away, getting up. “That is dangerous, it could hurt you.
“That’s true,” Double Diamond conceded, “but we can use rocks as the tests for the first few tests, to make sure you don’t hurt anypony.” Double Diamond grabbed a couple of medium sized rocks and placed them close to Azure. Momentarily confused, Azure’s eyes opened a bit wider when she realized what he wanted.
“You want me to start testing the spell out, now?!”
“The sooner, the better,” came his reply, his full attention now on the young unicorn.
“Can’t we, you know, do this later?” Azure pleaded to no avail. After a brief staring contest, pleading eyes vs. authoritarian eyes, Azure gave in.
Looking at the paper, Azure began to channel her magic in the way described. It was a complex intermixing of both physical levitation and aetherial capturing. It was a very complex spell, with multiple factors that led to different levels of powers in certain areas of the spell.
Pointing her horn at the rock in front of her, Azure made her first attempt at the spell. It fizzled out before anything could even happen. Though her enhanced magical reserves aided her greatly, she was still wasting too much energy. She knew it would require, roughly, a tenth of her strength to do the spell on one, immobile target. The first attempt took about a twentieth of it.
Azure focused her magic into the proper spell weaving. Though she wasn’t used to such intricate spell casting, she made an attempt. The aetherial side would be more difficult than the physical. Focusing most of her attention on that, she began to weave the spell, making all the necessary changes of power. Her skill at weaving were subpar and unskilled, but it was the best she could do. Azure cast the spell towards the rock, focusing her magic into it, letting all her preparation come to fruition, only to see the spell fizzle apart upon leaving her horn.
“What happened?” Double Diamond inquired upon seeing the failure. Though he didn’t know how it felt to use magic, he had seen the spell cast hundreds of times and had read the instructions. He believed he could help through explanation, if not example.
“I… don’t know,” came Azure’s shaking response. “It didn’t have enough… uh… what’s the term…” She looked at the papers in front of her again. “Physical manifestation, I think.”
“Alright, try the spell again,” Double Diamond commanded, hoping to see something happen.
A moment later, a rock exploded where it stood, fracturing into many tiny pieces. A few pieces flew through Diamond Double who was suddenly rethinking his plan of having her test it on him after a few tries. Gulping to clear his throat, he allowed a small smile towards the pony who was clearly shocked at her own power.
“It’s okay, now that you’ve got the two extremes down, why not find the right balance?” Double Diamond instructed. He didn’t move from his spot, and kept a safe distance away from the rocks.
For the next hour, Azure continually edited her casting, refining it and it more energy efficient. Fortunately for her, the energy reserves she feared would deplete were being refilled between attempts. Not enough to offset the magic used, but enough to allow her to continue. After the hour, she was too tired to cast another spell.
Collapsing to the dirt, Azure said, “I can’t do this anymore. Even I have limits and right now, I need a nap.”
Looking at her, Double Diamond noticed a faint glow to her horn, and a sluggish movement in her limbs. “We can take a break, to talk over some things.”
Sitting awkwardly for a few moments, the two thought about what to talk about. For Double Diamond, he had prepared for this moment for years, knowing he’d have to answer any question she had. For Azure Moon, she had a million questions and didn’t have any idea on how to ask them.
“Why me?” she finally asked, as that was the most pressing concern in her mind.
“Excuse me?” he countered, confused.
“Why did you choose me, to be Starlight’s successor?” she repeated, getting closer to the only pony with answers. “What did I do to deserve this?”
“You did nothing to deserve this,” he said without any tact. “Rather it was your cutie mark that was most important.” Double Diamond was attempting to keep his voice calm, knowing that this was a touchy subject.
“What do you mean my Cutie Mark is what is important?” she replied, a hint of hostility entering her voice. “If not for you, I would still be equal.”
“With Starlight gone, we need a pony with a magical based ability to take over for her. You were chosen because of that.”
The two ponies stared at eachother again, in silence. Azure didn’t like being relegated to a simple convenience, but it was to be expected, she supposed. She wasn’t more special than anypony else, it was simply that they needed her.
“What happens once we return to the town?” Azure’s next question was. “Do I become the new mayor, taking over Starlight’s old job?”
“No, I don’t think that’d be the wisest choice,” Double Diamond answered, smiling at the possibility of a teenager being in charge of an entire village. “You’ll be assigned a new job in the town, one with special benefits.”
“What benefits?” Azure’s curiosity was peaked, now.
“Firstly, you’ll be on call to remove any cutie marks. Should anypony get a cutie mark or come into town wanting it off. You’ll also need to give speeches and, later, you will be given more responsibilities in the expansion of true friendship.” Double Diamond didn’t mention all her duties. He knew there was more she would have to do, but there was no point in dumping all of it on her for now.
“I’m not hearing anything about perks,” Azure pointed out, feeling slightly cheated at not getting any of the perks that she was hoping for.
“You’ll also have access to request funds from the town budget, should you need something or believe something will be a worthwhile addition to Our Town. You’ll have near total authority, besides myself, and will be able to propose new policies.”
Double Diamond watched as Azure’s mind drifted, thinking of everything she could do with a practical blank check. Double Diamond began to wonder shortly after hers, and a realization came that he would have to correct his statements.
“All of this,” he said, interrupting Azure’s thoughts, “within reason. I will need to approve any monetary withdraws and some of your authority.”
“I guess I can live with that,” she commented, her smile not diminishing in the slightest.
“Let’s continue practicing,” Double Diamond commanded, forestalling any more questions.
Another couple of attempts were required before the rocks stopped getting destroyed. The magic needed to have very little error, and even the tiniest different in either the aetherial or the physical would cause the spell to fail. Azure’s magic continued to hold steady, and she was able to continue the spell casting for several hours. At about noon, though, she was once again depleted.
“We can take a break now,” Double Diamond told her, walking back to the small camp. Azure followed, her ragged breath coming out quickly. She was sure that her horn would be hurting the following day.
Once back at camp, before either pony could sit down, a stomach growled very loudly. Blushing slightly, Azure gave a weak smile to the mayor.
“Using this much magic really drains the body as much as the mind.” Azure tried to explain.
“Don’t worry about it,” Double Diamond said, waving the problem away. “You need to keep up your strength, so eat up.”
The two ate in silence, the sun once again beating down over the land. Already, Azure could feel that the afternoon would be hot enough to force everypony inside and to stop working.
“So, are we going to stop to wait out the heat?” she asked hopefully, already knowing the answer.
“No, we need to get the spell working.” Double Diamond glanced up at the sun, and felt the sweat already forming on him. Sighing in discomfort, he amended, “Though I don’t believe a few extra breaks would be unwarranted.”
Azure returned to her spot by the rocks, and continued to adjust the spell. It required a deep level of concentration, something that she sometimes was unable to get. Slowly but surely, she was able to adjust the spell to a balance that simply felt right. Now using far less magic than she initially did, she was able to cast the spell a couple of times before feeling any sense of exhaustion.
At one point, she suggested trying it on Double Diamond, but that idea was shot down with a brief reminder of the rocks from earlier that day. The spell had to be perfect before he would allow her to test it on him. Unfortunately, the spell was not to be perfected in one day, and dusk soon consumed the landscape.
Calling off the exercises, Double Diamond helped prepare the camp for the night, adjusting his bags to be closer to the fire. Within an hour, both were enjoying the heat of a fire and each other’s companionship.
After a light dinner, with minimal water consumption, Double Diamond brought out a lamp from his pack.
“What’s that for?” Azure asked, pointing at it. In the village, there were only a handful of lamps, most of which belonged to the ponies that worked in the mines.
“It’s for you,” Double Diamond answered, handing it over. “A gift.”
“Really?” she exclaimed. “Why?”
“So you can read these at night.” Double Diamond brought out five books, each one different from the last. The first looked like a standard school notebook, the second a professionally made one, the third nothing more than pages that were kept together by some binding, while the last two were clearly from Our Town’s main store. Each one had one simple word on the front: Starlight Glimmer.
“What are these?” Azure asked, grabbing the books and putting them where she could see them better.
“They are the diaries of Starlight Glimmer,” he said in complete seriousness. “I’d suggest reading them. There are some insights in these that you can learn from. Plus they have some really good stories.”
Azure could see a strange look in Double Diamond’s eyes. It appeared that he was in pain, just by giving them away, as if he was giving up a part of himself.
“I can’t take theses,” she said, trying to return the gifts to Double Diamond, who simply forced them back.
“You have to. It is your duty to read and learn from them.”
After a very brief conflict, Azure gave up and accepted the gifts. The books were all in good condition, minus the third one, and each of them seemed to have good lessons in them. They would only help, probably.
While Double Diamond was getting into his bag, Azure turned on the lamp and began to read from the fourth book in the series..
Starlight Glimmer’s Diary Day 1
Finally, a new journal to begin writing in, one that isn’t just a bundle of papers I cobbled together. Ah, I can practically smell that new book smell. Sorry, Diary, I got sidetracked.
Today we built the first hut of many for our town, which I still need to name. Fire Hammer has been a great help, as has Double Diamond. They both seems to be good, hard workers, willing to help me out in making a new town. I’ll need to breach the subject of Cutie Marks another time.
Though I would like to equalize them now, I need their natural strength and abilities to get it started. It pains me to say this, but some Cutie Marks are necessary, my own included. Sometimes, we need natural abilities to get things rolling, but true friendship should be the goal. I’ve been lying to these two stallions for a while, now, and I hope they may never learn the truth. It eats at me, the guilt, but I know it’s necessary. Cutie Marks must be removed, they must be banished in order to make true friendship a reality.
I’m getting a bit too depressing, sorry. As soon as the first few buildings are done, I’ll tell them my plans for Equality. It’ll take some work, but the results will end with an Equestria that has embraced Equality.
Now, I’m sorry, Diary, but I’m a bit too tired to continue. I’ll get to writing down today’s events some other time.
After a quick breakfast, Azure Moon returned to testing out the cutie mark removal spell. Before lunch came around, Double Diamond called for Azure to stop.
“Hey Azure, I need you to stop for a minute.” Double Diamond said.
“Why stop?” she asked, looking at the sun. She still had some time before they would be having lunch.
“I want you to test the spell on me, now,” Double Diamond answered, grabbing a jar from his saddlebags.
“What?!” Azure exclaimed in surprise. “Aren’t you afraid of getting hurt?”
“Doesn’t matter,” he replied simply. “We need you to perfect the spell, and I have faith in your abilities.” Double Diamond trotted a small distance away and put the jar between them. “Now, take my cutie mark.”
Azure eyed him for a few seconds before beginning to prepare the spell. She replicated her measurements from the last time she had performed the spell, then took another look at Double Diamond. Reducing the magic being supplied for the physical side of the spell slightly, she began to charge up her magic. She saw the magic forming around her horn in a small ring, going along the spirals.
Looking at the mayor of Our Town again, she cast the spell. The magic was pulled out of her, much more than she had anticipated. It gripped him and levitated him slightly, all the while he was grinning. Suddenly, Azure could sense something in her magic, something that wasn’t Double Diamond. Her vision began to fade as her whole mental focus was upon these new sensations.
It felt like a phantom inhabiting the body of Double Diamond, something that wasn’t him and yet connected. It resonated throughout his entire body, but especially in his hooves, eyes, and flank. Giving an experimental tug, Azure found that another force was acting on this spectre, which she assumed was the Cutie Mark, pushing it into her magic’s grasp. This force was unmistakably Double Diamond’s will.
Taking a deep breath, Azure pulled at the phantom, trying to remove it from Double Diamond. Even with both Azure and Double Diamond working on it, it refused to separate until, suddenly, the link between Double Diamond and it snapped. Azure’s vision returned into focus at the sound of a loud yell. Looking over to where Double Diamond was, she noticed he had been moved a couple of meters towards her, where the jar once was.
Her concentration now broken, the spell began to fall apart. Azure looked at what she had done, and saw that his Cutie Mark was floating in her magical grasp. Checking the status of her levitation and containment spell, she noticed that, without her constant focus, it had become unstable. Scrambling to reclaim the spell, Azure discovered it was too late. In a matter of seconds, what little containment was around it eroded enough to let the cutie mark fly back onto Double Diamond, the connection reforged.
“Double Diamond!” Azure shouted, galloping over to him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Double Diamond answered, his face still on the ground. “Just a few cuts.” Double Diamond rolled over to reveal a broken jar beneath him and cuts along his underside.
Azure grabbed Double Diamond’s forehoof and led him over to the camp. Double Diamond instructed her to bring him some bandages and water from his pack.
“I’ll need you to help me,” Double Diamond conceded after trying to bandage himself.
“What do I have to do?” Azure asked, moving over to him.
Azure followed his instruction and treated his injuries, washing and bandaging them. After they were done, Azure’s curiosity got the better of her.
“Where did you learn to give first aid?” She asked, as Double Diamond thought for a moment, a far away look clouding his eyes.
“My dad taught me when I was young… through experience.” Double Diamond flinched at the memory, finally remembering how he knew.
“What happened?” Azure pressed, wanting an answer.
“I’ll tell you the story later,” Double Diamond promised. “But, first, what went wrong?” He began to clean himself of the dirt in his coat and mane, trying to return order to it.
“I… got distracted,” Azure admitted. “When I saw you had fallen, possibly on broken glass, I got worried.”
“It’d take a lot more than a bit of glass to hurt me,” Double Diamond boasted, hoping to calm her. “Though, why did I levitate? Starlight’s spell didn’t levitate me before.”
Grabbing the letters from the saddlebags, Azure read over them again, and again. It was on the third read through that she saw a note saying that rather than using the magic completely for the removal, the caster had to keep some focus on keeping the pony on the ground.
After a brief laugh, and a tiny bit of teasing, Double Diamond called a break for lunch. The two ate, comparing notes and discussing how to improve Azure’s casting.
After lunch, Azure returned to testing on the rocks, not trusting herself to test on anypony for the time being. After retesting her spell, Azure came up with a new idea. She didn’t trust herself to use the spell on another pony, but if she used the spell on herself, nopony else would get hurt, right?
After making up an excuse to get away from Double Diamond, Azure hid behind a rocky outcrop and began to gather the energies for a spell. Turning her head towards her own flank, she cast her spell.
She once again felt the spectre, but this time it was different. Rather than her hooves radiating the strength, it was her horn, creating an almost loop between her power flowing out and returning to her body. Focusing on her adversary, Azure grabbed the spectre with an intent to remove it. However, this time, it was different.
Rather than the spirit being pushed from both sides, it felt as if it was being pulled back against the cutie mark removal spell. A wave of pain hit Azure, making her lose concentration for a second. As soon as she stopped pulling, the pain turned to a dull ache. Pain, it would seem, would have to be endured to become equal again.
Azure once again pulled at the magic, pain coursing through her once again. Suddenly, she stopped feeling the ground in front of her and quickly put a portion of her mind at work keeping herself grounded. Gritting her teeth, she returned the main of her mind to ripping out this ghost that plagued her.
Pulling with all her might, while still keeping herself grounded, took more effort and will than Azure had imagined. Having to fight another force and a will trying to keep the Cutie Mark’s power in her was taxing. The pain that came with it was excruciating, making her feel drained. After several minutes of constant pain and fighting, Azure felt a snap, and the pain suddenly stopped.
Opening her eyes again, not noticing she had closed them, she found the world was dulled. She could no longer see as well, the colors themselves were less vibrant. Searching inward again, her fears were confirmed: the reserves of magic she had were gone. What was once a reservoir of untapped energy was a small pool. Her Cutie Mark was the link to her power, she finally realized. Looking up, she saw her cutie mark, still held within her levitation spell.
Grinning, Azure trotted with a happy rhythm back to camp. Double Diamond looked up from the fire he was making and noticed Azure’s cutie mark floating ahead of her. Dropping everything, Double Diamond shot up like a spring.
“Look what I got!” Azure shouted as she drew near. “I did it!”
“You did it… that’s great!” Double Diamond shouted back. He waited for her to draw nearer before continuing. “Now, let it go back.”
“But…” Azure started.
“You have to get your Cutie Mark back,” Double Diamond commanded, authority entering his voice. Even when injured, he seemed to stand taller, straighter, and more threatening. “You have to have the magic to remove Cutie Marks, it is your duty.”
“But what if---”
“No ‘buts’!” Double Diamond’s voice raised, anger on the edge of it. “We are following Starlight’s plan. She said that you can’t remove a Cutie Mark too often, otherwise it makes it far harder and more dangerous. You are keeping your Cutie Mark, for the good of Our Town.” He waited for a response, which Azure was too frightened to give. He turned away and began to take care of his bags and bandages.
Azure let the levitation spell fall apart, her cutie mark returning to her. The feeling of its return felt similar and yet also stronger. After her eyes adjusted to the white flash that came with the mark, she once again saw the world in every shade. Somberly, she stood there, her thoughts brooding.
After several minutes of awkwardly standing around, Double Diamond returned to her.
“I’m… sorry,” he said, lamely. “I overreacted, and I apologize.” After no response, he looked her in the eyes. “Azure, I’m sorry, please forgive me?” Finally, Azure sighed.
“There’s nothing to forgive, we have true friendship. Something this small won’t break it.” Double Diamond grinned, though weather from the response or what it represented, Azure couldn’t tell.
“Now, can you remove my Cutie Mark?”
“No! I can’t,” Azure claimed, backing away the pain she endured scared her, so much so that she didn’t want to put Double Diamond through it too. “I hurt you last time, I can’t do it again!”
“Azure, listen to me,” Double Diamond commanded calmly. “You have to learn to do it on other ponies. Our Town is counting on you, all of our friends.” When he saw he wasn’t making any progress, Double Diamond changed tactics. “Why don’t you think about it tonight. Tomorrow, we can choose.”
The rest of the day was spent in relative peace, with the two simply talking. After a couple of hours, Azure remembered a promise Double Diamond had made: a story. After several requests, Double Diamond relented and told the story…
You have to understand, my family lived on the frontier, when there still was a northern frontier. We were one of the only families within a couple of miles, so we were practically alone out on our farm. On one Saturday, my mother and baby sister were off at market, and my dad had gone foraging. Well, at some point, I thought it was a great idea to go playing in the mountains. The mountains were the only place with snow, something I used to love. I was always trying to ski when I was young, with my own hoofmade skis my father had helped me make. Anyway, I was there when I heard… something. It was a sound between a scream of pain and a growl. I turned and saw this strange creature. Fangs as long as a pony, and thrice as big. It was pure white, and I was certain I was going to be killed. Since I wasn’t foolish enough to fight it, I tried to escape it. Using my skis, I went downhill as fast as I could, trying in any way to escape it. It was then that… that I got my Cutie Mark. Two blue snowflakes adorned my flank, and I looked at it, admiring them. That meant my eyes weren’t in front of me. My head hit a tree and I came to a stop. I was dazed, but I looked up and saw the beast was getting closer. It was so close I could see the black in its eyes clearly, and again my death raced through my mind. It was mad, and wanted to toy with me a little. It swung a single clawed paw at me, sent me flying a few feet. It cut me, bad. The snow around me had turned a dark red. As it got closer, I heard a familiar voice yell out, “Hey! You!” The monster turned to the voice, as did I and it was my father, crossbow in hoof. Firing a bolt, he hit the creature straight in its side. It screamed and snarled, but it didn’t flee. Instead, it attacked my father, charging at him. The rest of the fight… I don’t remember. I fell unconscious. I woke up at my house, bandages around my cuts. My father was sitting across from me, and he told me what happened, how he saw me on the mountain and decided to see how I was doing before heading back home. Thank the stars he did, otherwise I’d be dead right now. After that, my father taught me how to stitch a cut, bandage a minor injury, and a few herbs to reduce pain. I didn’t realize it then, but now I do. I was hurt and nearly died because of my cutie mark. It distracted me, nearly causing me to die.
After the story, the two were silent for some time. Double Diamond was reminiscing and Azure was thinking about his story. Before long, the mayor turned in for the night and Azure brought out the lamp and Starlight’s Journal again. After reading through some more pages, Azure had an idea: notes. Though these were Starlight’s journals, it would be good to make a note on any particularly insightful passages.The part she marked up: I can’t trust anypony to understand my entire plan, only I can understand what I must do. If that means tricking my own friends to make preparations for a future plan, so be it.
“It’s time to wake up,” a voice called out to Azure Moon. She was still asleep, trying to capture another few minutes. Looking up, Azure saw it was still relatively early. She could sleep another couple of minutes, surely. A couple more minutes wouldn’t hurt her, in fact, it would make her more awake. Just a few more minutes in the nice warm blankets would be all she needed. Unfortunately, the pony above her had different ideas.
Sighing, Double Diamond grabbed Azure’s blanket and pulled. Immediately, light streamed onto the pony trying to hide. After several seconds of adjusting, the unicorn’s eyes opened and she peered up at her current mentor.
“Good morning,” Double Diamond said with a smile. “I have something to give to you.”
Double Diamond led Azure over to his packs and pulled out one small tin besides two tall ones and three brushes. Azure eyed the objects curiously as Double Diamond finally revealed the contents: Makeup and a piece of paper missing two parallel rectangles. They were three different colors, one to match each of their coats and a dark grey one.
“Makeup?” Azure asked flatly. After all of these grand gifts, his grand finale is makeup? The thought seemed ridiculous to her..
“It’s to disguise your Cutie Mark,” Double Diamond explained, grabbing one of the brushes and the small can of white makeup. “This one is for me, though I’ll only use it until tonight.”
“Why do we need this stuff?” Azure levitated the cylinder with her color in it. “We’re not, exactly, trying to hide out here.”
“We’re heading back to Our Town today in about 30 minutes.” Double Diamond applied the makeup to his flank, hiding his cutie mark. Grabbing the remaining brush and black makeup, he applied the paper to his flank and brushed lightly. Revealing a fake equal sign. Looking at his artwork, he passed the stencil and black makeup over to Azure.
“I’m gonna be honest,” Azure said, her voice trying to retain some confidence, “I haven’t really used makeup before.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Double Diamond assured, placing the make up in her hooves. “You don’t have to be accurate. It’s a very rough tool.”
It was at this point Azure noticed that the bandages around Double Diamond were missing.
“What happened to your cuts?” Azure asked, pointing a hoof at him.
“They healed, one of the perks of being an Earth Pony,” he replied.
Azure turned her head to look at the Cutie Mark resting on her flank. Taking a breath to settle herself, she began to apply her makeup. After a few touches, the blemish had been removed, hidden from sight. Grabbing the black and stencil, she attempted to replicate a perfect equal sign, but failed. A bit of black was above the rest, showing where the makeup had gone above the stencil.
Double Diamond eyed her results, noticing the slight flaw in the disguise. Licking a hoof, he removed the offending piece of black.
“Perfect!” he announced happily. “Now hurry on and pack up, we have some walking to do.”
Twenty minutes later and the two began their trek back to Our Town. It was just as long, yet felt easier to both ponies. They were faster, stronger, and had more endurance, though neither would admit to the fact. It was around three hours past noon when they finally got back into the village.
Their return was met with many ponies waving, but no huge uproar. Nopony knew they were unequal, Azure thought in astonishment. They couldn’t tell on sight. When would they find out?
“Do you mind if I…” Azure began before Double Diamond turned away.
“Go on ahead,” he said, his head turning back to her. “Just be ready by 6:00. You’ll be unveiling the project there.”
Smiling, Azure turned away and began to walk to her home. However, before she could get more than 20 meters, she was stopped.
“And where have you been, Ms. No Show?” came a familiar feminine voice. Azure turned with a wide smile to the voice. Flying slightly behind and above her was a tan pegasus with dark brown hair.
“I robbed Double Diamond of all his bits,” Azure answered. “What have you been doing all weekend?”
“Funny, I was in the mayor’s house on Sunday and didn’t see you.” The pegasus landed next to her now, looking her directly in the eyes.
“Why were you in the mayor’s house?” Azure’s smile grew, a few teeth showing. She knew what a knack for trouble her friend usually got into.
“Why do you think?” Tempest Glide demanded, a touch of hostility entering her voice. “I was counting on you to be my lookout, and you didn’t show!” Azure’s smile fell as realization dawned on her.
“Oh my Celestia, Tempy, I’m so sorry!”
“Because of you… because of you…” her voice trailed off for a second, the fire she had quenching. Her eyes lowered, no longer looking at Azure.
“What happened?” Azure asked, getting closer to her friend. Tempest looked up at Azure again, their eyes meeting.
“I could only…” Suddenly, Tempest’s voice lowered considerably, “snag 2 cupcakes for something special tonight.” Her hoof came up holding one of the cupcakes, pressing it into Azure’s stunned hoof.
“You really got something then?”
“You know it!” Tempest’s grin extended from ear to ear. “They weren’t expecting me, and apparently they have a lot of baking to do for something tonight.”
“Do you know what’s going on?” Azure asked, taking a bit into her cupcake.
“No, nopony does. Double Diamond ordered a big feast for tonight, and called everypony from the outlying area in. Though… there are rumors.”
“Rumors?” Azure asked, her mouth full of cupcakes.
“Yeah, some ponies think he’s going to give up the mayorship, others that he is giving up on Our Town.” Noticing Azure’s mood souring, Tempest quickly changed the subject. “Others are saying that Starlight is coming back today, though, so it could be something good.”
“I’m sure it’ll be good news,” Azure said without conviction. The announcement, would it change how other ponies viewed her? Would Tempest still be there? Shaking her head to clear thoughts, she stuffed the remains of the cupcake into her mouth.
“Wow, you were really hungry, weren’t you?” Tempest said with a smirk. “Hope you enjoyed it, you owe me.”
“What about that time I helped you out with repainting your room?” Azure pointed out, trying to keep free of any debts.
“What about it?” Tempest asked, her smile still showing. “You did that for that time I helped you with a gift for your mom’s birthday.”
Grumbling incoherently, Azure waved to her friend and continued on her way home. Entering, she found her mother sitting at the table, looking at a variety of papers.
“Hey, mom, I’m back,” Azure announced as she walked in, her saddlebags falling away with ease. Her mother looked up from the paper she was writing on in red pen. Setting aside the tools of her trade, Violet Glow got up and walked calmly over to her daughter. Looking her in the eyes for a few moments, a smile broke out as the two hugged.
“How was the trip?” Violet asked, still hugging her daughter tightly.
“It was fine,” Azure answered, hugging her mother just as tight. After a moment of thought, however, she realized something. “I can’t tell you about it, though.”
“That’s fine, Moonie.” Finally breaking the hug, Violet looked at her daughter again.
“Mom, please don’t call me that!” Azure begged, looking slightly mortified. Violet continued to examine her daughter, until a sudden realization came upon her.
“Let me get a better look at you,” she commanded. Looking over Azure fully, Violet couldn’t tell what was wrong. After a few more seconds and a couple proddings, she gave up.
“What was that about?” Azure asked, her eyes showing what she thought of the situation.
“I don’t know, you just seem… different. More vibrant, did you eat something…” Violet trailed off, staring at Azure’s face. “Icing? Where did you get icing?”
“Well, you see, I was just---”
“You spent the bits I gave you on sweets before leaving, didn’t you?” Violet demanded in a tone that spoke of calm anger. She hadn’t moved a muscle since she saw the icing.
“No!” Azure cried out. “I didn’t, I mean, I only spent the bits on food I needed.”
“Then where’d you get icing?”
“Tempest Glide gave me a cupcake on my way here,” Azure said, trying not to reveal too much. Unfortunately for her, word spread fast.
“You mean she stole two cupcakes from the bakery?” Violet looked ready to run out of the house, probably straight to find Tempest. Suddenly, a thought came to mind and her gaze returned to her daughter. “Did you know about any of this?”
“I had no idea,” Azure lied. She didn’t want her mother’s rage focused on her.
“That better be the truth, or I will make your punishment far worse than hers was.” Her mother sighed, a smile returning to her face. “But enough about that. You must be hungry.”
After a small snack, the two mares went outside to see tables awash with food and everypony milling around. It lacked music, and most ponies were simply talking. At the far end of the town was Double Diamond, talking to another pony. Azure broke off from her mother, intent on walking over to Double Diamond. On her way, though, she noticed Tempest, enjoying a cupcake.
“Where did you get that?” Azure asked as she approached.
“It was one I was saving,” Tempest answered through a mouthful. “Most ponies thought that I had already eaten it.”
“Smart.” The two talked for many minutes before a bell rang out. Everypony quieted down and looked at Double Diamond, who stood proud in front of all his friends.
“As you are all aware,” he started, “these past few years have been hard for all of us. We have lost friends, some to the lie of Cutie Marks, others to more natural causes. It has not been easy, and most of us know that we can’t continue the way we have, we have nopony to remove a Cutie Mark. We are without a guide, without Starlight Glimmer. I have tried my best, but I can only do so much. That is why, I’d like Azure Moon to come up here.”
Everypony turned to her. She wilted under their attention, clearly uncomfortable. Why couldn’t her legs move? Why was her breathing getting faster? Why was her heart rate skyrocketing? Why do they keep staring? Why can’t she move or do anything? Fortunately for her, Tempest gave her a push towards Double Diamond, and muscle memory handled the rest.
Standing before Double Diamond, Azure peeked at the crowd of ponies behind her, watching her. She could feel their stares, each one judging her as questions raged in their mind. Before she could get caught up in her worries, Double Diamond continued.
“Azure Moon, Starlight Glimmer has commanded that you take up her role as the Remover of Cutie Marks, as a pony that will aid this community. Now, I have something to show everyone.”
Double Diamond dabbed a cloth he had on the table behind him into water and wiped away the makeup hiding his Cutie Mark. A collective gasp came from the crowd, each one remembering an incident over 10 years ago. He passed the cloth to Azure as he continued speaking. Oh we are so bucked, Azure thought as she grabbed the cloth.
“I have reattached this Cutie Mark in order for Azure Moon to demonstrate the removal, to prove she can do it.” He turned to Azure, who had revealed her own mark. “Now, please, remove this affliction from me.”
Concentrating her magic and remembering the amount of each aspect of the spell, Azure cast the spell. Again, she felt the phantom lingering on Double Diamond. Feeling more at ease with the spell than before, she began to pull at it until she remembered Double Diamond. Dividing some attention to keeping him on the ground, she once again pulled and found her own strength made it easier. The Cutie Mark came off easily.
Smiling, Azure guided the floating Cutie Mark into a jar that was off to the side. Closing the lid, Double Diamond held up the jar for everypony to see. A stunned silence came from the crowd. The first pony to react was Tempest, who stomped her hooves in applause. Some other ponies joined her, but many did not.
Smiling to the crowd, Double Diamond put his hoof around her shoulders.
“As you can see, Azure Moon has the ability to remove Cutie Marks. It is what we need, what everypony needs. From this point on, she will help lead more ponies to the truth, and help them experience true friendship. She will bear the curse of a Cutie Mark, for all of us.”
Throughout his small speech, many ponies opinions began to sway. By the end of it, the majority was convinced of Azure’s role, though there were still a few that did not.
“Now,” Double Diamond whispered into Azure Moon’s ear, “I am going to explain the situation to them. Why don’t you head back home and try to catch some sleep. I’m sure you’ll be busy tomorrow.” Nodding, she obeyed and took the long way home.
On the way, Azure heard a flap of wings and a soft thud behind her. Turning, she once again saw a tan pegasus behind her, a frown on her face.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Tempest asked quietly.
“I was told not to,” Azure explained, moving closer to her friend. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, but I couldn’t.”
“We’re friends, Azure, and you lied to me!” Tears began to form in her eyes as anger raged through her. “Why? Why would you keep this a secret from me?”
“Please, I had to. Double Diamond didn’t want me telling anyone, and I didn’t have time.” These are all just her excuses. Why had she hid this from her closest friend? She had to make it up to Tempest. Looking at her friend with renewed determination, Azure pulled her into a hug.. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me.” Tempest sniffed away some tears.
“I’ll forgive you, as long as you don’t hide anything from me.”
“I promise,” Azure said, making an oath in her heart to keep the promise.
The two mares continued hugging for several minutes before Tempest finally pulled away. Without a word, the two walked to Azure’s house. Tempest waved goodbye as she flew across town to her own home to get some sleep. Inside the house, waiting in the kitchen, was Violet Glow.
Once again, she was sitting at the table, a red pen and papers in front of her.
“Hi, mom,” Azure greeted with a false smile on her face.
“Going to bed?” Violet asked while reading through one of the papers. Making a mark, she looked up at Azure.
“Yeah,” Azure answered. The two stared awkwardly for a few moments before Azure broke the tension. “Are you going to ask about it?”
“No,” her mother replied. “I trust Double Diamond’s intentions and idea. I think it’s a good one, and I can’t think of a better mare to do it.” At the end, she smiled at her daughter, who was blushing slightly. “Now, get off to bed Moonie. You need your sleep for tomorrow.”
Azure began to make her way upstairs before stopping. “What do you mean about tomorrow?”
“Oh? Double Diamond didn’t tell you? Well, I can’t ruin the surprise. Just know you’ll be up early,” her mother finished with a devious smile. “Good night.”
“Good night,” Azure moaned as she continued to her room. Falling into bed, she was asleep in a matter of seconds.
On the other side of the small town, Double Diamond was staring out of his upper floor window. A drink in hand, he looked over all that Starlight had built, and what he had been able to keep together. Staring out, his thoughts began to wander. He remembered Starlight, her laugh, how she looked, and everything she had done. From the beginning, he had been by her side, all the way to the end.
Turning away from the window, he walked back to his bedroom. Removing a floorboard revealed a small letter, Starlight’s final words, the original. Lifting it in tender hooves, he read over it one more time, tears forming like every time he had read it before. Steeled in his resolve, he got up and replaced the letter, bringing out instead a small drawing of Starlight that he had made.
“What you wanted, it’s almost here,” he said, tears still coming down. “I… I wish you could…” He couldn’t continue, sobbing finally breaking any coherent sentences. After a few seconds, he regained his voice.
“Why?!” he shouted, slamming his hoof against the floor. “Why did you have to die? You were just doing what you believed, what you knew was the truth, and they killed you for it!” Releasing more anger into the floorboards and his tears, Double Diamond drained away all his emotions. After several minutes, he stood, more calm.
“I won’t let what you did be in vain, Starlight. I swear it. I will make your dream a reality… For you, Starlight, I would do anything.”
The sun had only recently risen when Azure Moon woke up. Smiling, the mare stretched in her bed, willing herself to wake up. After a couple of tries, she was able to actually force herself to get out of bed and get ready for the day.
Her mother was already gone, already preparing the classroom, or whatever building she would be using that day for the classroom. Not really that many fillies or colts to teach, only a couple were there to learn before they would be forced to live with extended family to keep Equality in the village.
Sighing to herself, trying to get away from darker thoughts, Azure finished up with her morning routine and headed outside. Not many ponies were out at this time, most were still asleep. Before she could knock, Azure heard a soft thud behind her and a folding of wings. She turned to see Tempest Glide.
“Hey, Tempest,” Azure greeted. “How are---”
“What are you doing?” She demanded. Her eyes were wide open in shock, her mouth hanging open slightly.
“What do you mean? I’m going to see Double Diamond.” Azure thought for a few seconds. Her mane was in the proper style, so that couldn’t be it. It was doubtful she had anything sticking onto her, nor falling off her. She still had her coat, and there weren’t any holes in it.
While she was thinking, Tempest grabbed her forehoof and began to pull her towards her house. Azure tried to resist, but Tempest pulled with such urgency that she eventually stopped. After they were inside, Tempest locked the door.
“Is anypony else home?” Tempest moved to look in the kitchen, trying to find any supposed ponies that were hiding.
“No, it’s just you and me now.” Azure gave her friend a pointed look. “Why are you freaking out?”
“Look at your flank!” Azure did. On her flank was her Cutie Mark, sticking out like a scar. Azure’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘Oh.’” Tempest moved over and shook her friend. “You can’t leave with… that showing.”
“I have makeup to cover it,” Azure informed her, moving to grab the makeup and stencil.
“Why didn’t you use it, then?”
“I guess I forgot about it.” Azure applied the makeup with a touch more finesse than before.
“How does it feel?” Tempest asked, while Azure grabbed the equal mark stencil.
“How does what feel?” Azure’s Equal Sign was now perfectly visible, without any real error.
“Having your Cutie Mark,” she clarified. “Surely you feel at least a little different, right?”
Azure had to think about the answer she wanted to give. She could give her friend the truth, but would the truth harm her? Was it better to give a comforting lie? What would Double Diamond do? Choices make a pony who they were.
“Yes, it is different,” Azure admitted. “I can’t really describe it. The world seems… different. There is a sharper sense to everything, even the things that shouldn’t be as sharp.” Tempest seemed satisfied. “Anyway, now I’m late. You mind coming with me?”
“Of course.” The two walked back to Double Diamond’s house before Tempest grew curious. “Why are you going to the mayor’s house, again?”
“Today I start my first job,” Azure announced proudly. She stood straighter and walked with more bravado.
“First job, huh?” Tempest smiled at her friend’s pseudo courage. “Welcome to the work force, where you will spend the rest of your life.”
“Not if I can help it,” Azure mumbled under her breath. “Hopefully I’ll save up enough bits for it.”
“You will want to go through with it?” Tempest looked her friend dead in the eye. “You have an important job here now, and a big role to play, and you still want to go through with it?”
“I think it’d be for the best, and help me with my job,” Azure answered honestly. Well, half honestly. “Though I admit there are other advantages.”
“If we’re going to do it, then I need to get back to work. See ya.” Tempest flew off to the other side of the village where she could monitor the clouds in the sky. Azure smiled as she walked up to the door to Double Diamond’s house.
Azure was about to knock when she heard two voices from within. She shouldn’t listen in on Double Diamond’s conversations, right? But she was supposed to be there, according to her mom. Perhaps if she just listened a little she could determine whether or not barging in would be bad. Pressing her ear to the door, Azure strained her ears to listen.
“... you’re saying, and I agree, but why not tell us sooner?” Came one voice.
“Honestly, Double Diamond, we’ve known you for years, and you let us worry and struggle for nothing?” This voice was more feminine, with a touch more anger.
“I tried to do all I could to slow you from leaving,” Double Diamond said. “I tried doing all I could without giving away the secret.”
“Still, do you know how hard it was to say goodbye? Now we have to go back and tell everypony we’re staying.”
“We’re all friends here,” Double Diamond assured them.
“Well, keeping that secret wasn’t very friendly,” the first pony retorted. A few silent seconds passed. The silence was ended by the sound of a smack.
“That was uncalled for,” the feminine voice said. “I’m sorry, for him, he didn’t get much sleep the past few nights.”
“That’s alright, you’re forgiven. Anyways, was there anything you two needed?” Double Diamond asked to the other two. Taking that as her queue, Azure retracted her ear and knocked on the door. “One moment.”
Double Diamond opened the door, looking right at Azure with a questioning eyebrow.
“I hate to cut this short,” Double Diamond said, turning back to the couple in the room, “but it appears my time is required.” Bidding farewells, the two other ponies left the room. “Good morning, Azure.”
“Good morning.” Azure moved to the table and sat down. “I was told you wanted to talk to me…?”
“Yes, I did.” Double Diamond sat down across from her. “I wanted to talk to you about your new job.”
“Okay, what am I doing?”
“You are going to be my secretary.”
“That doesn’t sound a lot like the promise you made to me just two days ago,” Azure whined with a pointed hoof. “You said I would get to do fun things, like plan events.”
“I know, but you need experience.” Double Diamond paused, seeing if she would interrupt. SHe did not, so he carried on. “Acting as my secretary will give you the same authority, and you’ll be able to gain some experience with speaking and ordering, as well as controlling other ponies.”
Azure sat silently for a few seconds, mulling the idea over. It wasn’t a bad proposition, but there were some unclear points.
“What about getting paid?” She finally asked after several seconds.
“What do you mean?”
“How many bits per hour am I getting? I kinda need to start saving up bits soon, right?” Double DIamond sighed and placed a hoof on his nose, squeezing slightly.
“You’ll be getting paid 32 bits an hour.” Azure’s face lit up for a moment before falling right back down.
“32 bits? That’s it?” Her mom made 58 bits an hour, but she only got 32? How was that fair? Double Diamond probably made closer to 70, but she only got 32? Was it because of her age?
“Yes, I believe that is enough to cover any expenses or costs you have. If you need anymore, I may be able to secure funds for you, but I’ll need the reasoning.” Azure simply sighed, knowing there was no way around it.
“Shall I get started then?”
“Of course, follow me.” Double Diamond led her to the study, which had a small wooden desk and a stack of papers to one side. “Your first job will be taking care of these papers.”
“Alright, any specific order to organize or… anything?” Double Diamond simply smiled and looked her in the eyes.
“No, it’s all up to you to create your own system. I’ll be back at lunch. I hope you’ll be done by then.”
Azure got to work on the papers, trying multiple ways of sorting them. Her first idea was by subject matter, but that got too varied too quickly. There were hundreds of papers, each one needing to be read over multiple times. Forms made the whole process easier, but very few forms were used, especially since the old printing press had broken down a few years back.
Eventually, she scrapped that idea and moved on to dates, which proved much easier. Setting everything chronologically made the process simpler, since all she had to do was look at the dates. After a couple of hours, the papers were all organized and laid out in a comprehensive format, with each one in its proper place.
Good job Azure, you did it, she thought as she patted herself on the neck. Looking outside, she judged it was still about an hour until lunch, enough time for a quick nap. Azure lay down by the door and closed her eyes. In the next instant, she was being shaken by Double Diamond.
“What are you doing?” Double Diamond stopped shaking her.
“What do you mean?” Azure asked as she got up.
“You were asleep, in the study, after I had given you a job to do,” he replied very evenly. “Why were you asleep?”
“Oh, I finished the job already, and thought I would wait for you,” Azure told him. “I must have dozed off.”
“Well, it’s time for lunch. You have enough time to get lunch and be back. If you’re late, you’ll stay late.” Azure rushed out the door to get lunch. Double Diamond stayed behind and began to examine what she had accomplished.
Chronogical was the obvious choice for organizing these, but Azure had made a mistake. She only did one layer, and it was too obvious a pattern. Double Diamond was able to find the several papers he needed very quickly, but these papers were not what ponies would want to find. Letters to loved ones, secrets shared, confiscated notes from a class, and more. Shaking his head, Double Diamond looked through the rest of the work that Azure had done, critically analyzing it.
Azure, on the other hoof, rushed home to make a quick sandwich before heading off to find some of her friends. The first one she found was Golden Scale.
“Hey, Gold!” Azure greeted enthusiastically. “How are you?”
“Oh, hi, Azure,” Golden responded, taking a small step back. “I’m good, what about you?”
“Pretty well.” Azure looked at Golden in a confusion as the mare took a few more steps away. “Are you okay?”
“Of course, I just have somewhere I need to go.”
“Oh, don’t let me hold you back. Go on, I’ll talk to you later.” Golden Scale ran off very quickly, not waiting even a moment for reply. Shrugging off the strange experience, Azure went to talk to her other friends, River Channel and Tempest Glide. The two were hanging out near Tempest’s house, which was at the very edge of town.
“Are you still doing it?” River asked as she bit into her sandwich.
“Nothing has changed, we’re all still going to do it,” Azure assured her.
“We just need another… thousand bits, and we’ll have enough, according to Golden Scale,” Tempest reported.
“If we all give up something for a couple of weeks, we should have enough, right?” Azure looked back at Tempest, who was working the numbers in her head.
“Yeah, I think so,” she said without confidence. “I’ll have Golden recalculate it tonight, just to make sure.”
“Alright, just a bit more, and we’ll be able to do it.”
“This is going to be great!” exclaimed River. “Anyway, I gotta get back to work, before my boss misses me.”
After some small talk, Tempest spotted a small cloud trying to escape and flew to intercept it. Taking this as a sign, Azure returned to Double Diamond’s house. He was sitting at his desk, holding a small pile of papers from the study.
“So, what now?” Azure ask as she sat across from him.
“Now, I tell you what you did wrong,” he replied simply. “Let me show you these papers.” Each paper had personal information about each member of the town, including Tempest. It revealed their job, which house they owned, and any particular secret or failure that they were a part of.
“What did I do wrong?” Azure finally asked. “They were organized chronologically.”
“Yes, but do you know what these papers are? They aren’t meant to be filed.”
“What do you mean?”
“These papers are meant for your eyes only, to be memorized and destroyed or hidden. These contain information that no one else must ever find out, that was your task. You were supposed to find whichever papers you needed to find from these reports, not simply organize them.”
“Why didn’t you tell me to do that in the first place?”
“If I gave you all the answers, you wouldn’t learn. You need to learn through trial and error. You are going to replace Starlight, and me. You need to learn how to handle information that is given to you by other ponies. That stack of paper is what I get every month, sometimes with less information. If you’re going to replace me, you’ll need to learn how to find information from those sheets.”
“What possible information can I get from those papers other than general facts about the town?”
“Let me show you, then.” Double Diamond dug out the filed incident report for Tempest Glide’s cupcake robbery. “Looking at this, you have a name, what they did, and when or where they did it. You can find out a lot of what a pony does in their free time by reading this.”
“But it doesn’t prove anything about Tempest, it doesn’t show anything about her other than she did this once,” Azure argued.
“No, it shows more. Look here, it says that five cupcakes were taken. We know she didn’t eat five cupcakes in a matter of seconds, so one of two options. The first was that she would keep some for herself, while the second said she’d give some to a friend. After reading this report, I assumed the second and watched you when Tempest caught up. I’m sure that icing tasted delicious.” Azure sat in shock for a second, which Double Diamond took as a motion to continue.
“Furthermore, I have seen multiple reports for Tempest’s behavior during festivities where sweets are involved, and this provides me with a pattern. Now I know that, the next time we have sweets being made, she will likely try to take one or two.”
“I… that’s… that’s…” Azure was at a loss for words.
“Information is required if you wish to stay ahead of any opponents. A new stack of papers are upstairs now. You’re job is to go through them. You should know what to do now.” Azure nodded and moved to do what he said. Upstairs was, indeed, another stack of papers. Azure once again put them in chronological order, but then went through again and pulled out the papers that she thought were important.
Reports and bureaucracy were left behind. Instead, she grabbed the secret letters, incident reports, and one farm report which detailed poor material use in the southern fields, implying that structural stability would not last if water were to come in large amounts. Azure went through and combed for anymore information. This process took hours, but by the end of it, she had a small stack of papers that held some relevance and key information. Instead of waiting for Double Diamond, she went down to find him.
When she found him, he was making a small fire in his fireplace. For tinder were several papers that looked familiar. It dawned on her that he was burning the papers he had shown her earlier.
“What are you doing?” she asked in mild shock.
“Another important fact about information: the less ponies have access to it, the more valuable it becomes.” Double Diamond lit the fire and the two watched as the reports and files went up in smoke. “Sometimes, you need to get rid of harmful information, either as a favor or for your own benefit. Hopefully Tempest won’t hear of this gift.”
The two went upstairs and Double Diamond once again critically examined her work. After several minutes, he grabbed the farming report.
“Why did you pull this one out?”
“Well, I thought that if we ever needed to flood the area for any reason, we would know which places to pour the water in hopes to prevent soil erosion or destruction to such a degree. It also implies that no deep root plans can be grown there, and funds should be sent there to assess and repair the damage.”
“Now you’re thinking. As your first proposed policy, I will accept it. Somepony will be sent out tomorrow to check on the fields.” Double Diamond finished his examination of the papers Azure pulled out in silence. At the end, he gave her his final comments.
“You did better this time, though you missed some key sources such as this report from a concerned mother about her child not getting enough sleep. It may seem unimportant, but the question should be asked: What is the child doing that causes them to lose sleep? Now, it’s time. Did you memorize these reports?”
“No, I didn’t memorize them,” Azure admitted sheepishly, “not yet. I was waiting for you to check over them.”
“Memorize them and come downstairs. We will dispose of them.” Several minutes later, smoke plumed from the chimney, the smell of ink in the air. Nopony questioned it, nor Azure leaving the house silently afterwards.
After a pleasant dinner, Azure turned to her bed, wanting to forget her first day of work. True, she had learned, but the skills she learned weren’t what she was expecting. Why did she have to learn about manipulating information? Why did Double Diamond find this important? What did this have to do with replacing Starlight? Eventually, exhaustion wore her down and Azure fell asleep, questions still whirling in her mind.
Double Diamond lay in his bed, the sun ready to rise. Rather than a peaceful slumber, he was shifting in his bed, his dreams turning to nightmares. All of his plans, failing, all of his goals, unattainable. He couldn’t escape his fears in the world of dreams, only nightmares ruled there. It wasn’t until he was woken up by a shard of light that he was able to escape that world.
Panting, he got out of the bed. Rushing out of the room, he briefly scanned to make sure nopony was there. After his momentary fears were assuaged, he moved to the study. Opening one of the books he kept in there, he pulled out a letter. Opening it, his eyes latched onto a single sentence. “I will be at your charity event on…”
Sighing, Double Diamond replaced the letter and began to get ready for his day. More lessons needed to be given, and he was working on a time limit. Azure should be able to learn all his tricks. She was a capable pony, and nothing would go horribly wrong. Hopefully.
Azure’s eyes opened to find darkness. Her blanket was cover her eyes. After she removed it, she understood why: the sun. The sun was already shining bright enough to sting her eyes as she looked around the room.
Oh ponyfeathers, she thought. I’m late.
Azure rushed through her usual morning routine, though she did spend some extra time and focus on replacing the makeup on her Cutie Mark. Some ponies waved to her as she ran by, but she hadn’t the time to return the gesture.
Without knocking or announcing herself, Azure burst through the front door, slightly out of breath. Double Diamond was at the table, looking over some papers until he heard her enter. Looking up, his eyes screamed disapproval.
“Why are you late?” he asked before looking over her. Upon noticing her breathing, he stood from the chair. “And why are you out of breath?”
“Sorry, I woke up late,” she tried to say, though still out of breath. “I ran over here as fast as I could.” Double Diamond got out of his chair and walked over to her.
“Next time, don’t run,” the mayor told her. “If you’re already late, don’t embarrass yourself by running.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Azure took a few deep breaths, trying to recover. After a minute, her breathing had normalized and her pulse had returned to normal levels. Double Diamond was already back at the table, reading over the paper again.
“There are some more papers upstairs, in the study. I’d suggest going through them carefully.”
“Yes, sir.” Azure went to the study and began to go through the process of reading and extracting information. About an hour into the task, somepony knocked on the door. Azure went downstairs only to find that Double Diamond was not there. Where’d he go? She answered the door in his stead and found River Channel standing there.
“Hey, River, what do you need?” Azure asked with a smile.
“I came to drop off a few notes for Double Diamond,” River answered with a smile back. “Do you mind giving him these?” She held out a small stack of papers. Most of them were just numbers, though there were a few notes mixed in.
Azure added these papers to her sorting, and ignored them for a while. However, eventually, she had to look at them. Most of the papers were full of numbers and letters. Taxes, maybe? However, in a small pile of notes on ponies, one note caught her attention: a note about herself.
Azure Moon has yet to store her bits with anypony else.
Grabbing the note from Treasurer Fire Hammer, she looked for other notes from the pile, and found three other notes of similar contents. One for each of her closest friends, each one showing that they had been hoarding bits away from the rest of the community.
Azure glanced around the room, looking for some way to dispose of the note, but found no place for it. Sighing, she tried to hide the notes off to the side, near the useless papers pile. She continued on for a few hours before lunch time had arrived. Smiling, she went downstairs only to find Double Diamond heading up.
“Oh, good. You’re done,” Double Diamond commented with a smile. “Eat lunch fast, I have a job for you afterwards.”
“Will do,” Azure replied with a mock salute. She grabbed a small lunch from home, before heading out to find her friends. She found Tempest easily enough, and the two were able to find River Channel and Golden Scale within a few minutes. The four mares entered Tempest’s house, and sat down at the table. After pleasantries, Azure shared her news.
“I think some ponies might be getting suspicious by our hoard of bits,” she told them. “Double Diamond was given notes detailing how many bits we should have been storing, and how we weren’t storing any of them.”
“Wait, Fire Hammer made a note just to tell him that?” Tempest Glide asked with incredulity. “Why is that so important?”
“They could be looking out for us,” Golden Scale pointed out. “They may want to make sure we aren’t spending bits on useless frivolities or having our bits stolen from us.”
“Then why make a note of it?” River challenged. “What could the mayor do that Fire couldn’t?”
“He could ask us questions, or have somepony watch us.” Golden pulled out a piece of paper, looking over the numbers. “We already have most of the bits, and I don’t think they know the exact amount.”
“They do have a note for it, an easy calculation could give them everything they wanted to know.” Tempest took a deep breath before continuing. “Why would they even want to watch us anyways? We aren’t doing anything bad.”
“There’s no point in debating why it happened,” Azure broke in, ending the discussion. “We have to decide on what to do with this new information. We can’t just try to pass it off, somepony will ask questions about it. We need a story.”
“What about simply telling them the truth?” Golden asked. “It’s not like they would stop us if we did try, or would do anything to stop it from happening.”
“They might,” Tempest pointed out. “They could try to prevent us from leaving, or try talking us out of it. We can’t let them do that.”
“I told you we should have deposited our bits from the beginning,” Golden said. “If we had simply done that, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
“But then we wouldn’t be able to get our bits without jumping through hoops and explaining the situation,” Tempest argued. “We discussed this before, we need to be able to get our bits without having anypony know when we take them.”
“We could have come up with an excuse, surely!”
“While I see your point, do you want us to lie to them, to our friends?” River sighed.
“We can’t simply lie to them, nor can we tell them the truth.”
“I have an idea,” Azure broke in again. All eyes turned to her. “What if we tell them a lie, about how we are saving up to pay for the materials needed to buy our houses at the same time, near Tempest’s?”
“That could work,” Golden thought aloud. “But what about Tempest? She doesn’t need to buy a house, again.”
“I could be saving up to help my friends pay for it,” Tempest answered with a smile. “I like this plan.”
“Okay, are we all in agreement?” Azure asked, receiving three nods. “Good. Remember, no one must know beforehand.”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it, pure secrecy.” Tempest rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Azure, you need to calm down a bit. None of us are going to go tell the mayor our plans.” With business taken care of, the four mares switched to lighter topics, though Golden was more quiet than usual. After a few minutes, the four were done with their meals and Azure rushed back to Double Diamond’s house.
“Good, you’re back.” Double Diamond grabbed a saddlebag and gave it to Azure. “I need you to return this back to the Cutie Mark vault.”
Azure opened the bag and peered in, seeing Double Diamond’s Cutie Mark inside a jar. Looking back up at him, she smiled and gave a nod. Before she could leave, though, Double Diamond gave her one final instruction.
“Go there and come back as soon as possible. There are two other matters I wish to discuss with you.” With that, Azure left and began to head over to the Cutie Mark vault. On the way out of the village, though, she bumped into Golden Scale.
“Hey, Gold,” Azure said as she trotted by.
“H-hello, Azure,” Golden responded as she trotted in step with her friend. “Where are you heading?”
“The Cutie Mark Vault.” Azure smiled at Golden’s wide eyes. “What, surprised?”
“Yeah, a little. Why are you going there?”
“Gotta put back Double Diamond’s Cutie Mark. Just another part of the job, I guess.” The two trotted in silence for a few minutes before Golden broke it.
“Azure, what do you think would happen if I told somepony about it?” Azure looked at her friend, who was trying to shield her eyes by turning away.
“Gold, you know we all agreed not to. If you told anyone, we have to know so we can be extra careful.”
“I didn’t tell anyone... at least not yet. But, what if we did? It would solve so many problems and we wouldn’t have to lie.”
“The point is to get rid of any outside influence and control, to really see things. We can’t tell anypony, not until it’s the minute before, and only in a letter then.”
Golden remained silent for a few moments longer before nodding her head.
“Alright, Azure, I trust you.” Without any further comments, Golden turned aside and began to head back into town. Within a few more minutes, Azure made it to the vault.
The immensity of the vault always surprised her. Rows upon rows of Cutie Marks were stored, with no special treatment given to them. Trapped, like a prison or complex trap, keeping the cause of strife away from ponies. Azure went to one of the empty chambers and tapped it open. Opening her saddlebag, she pulled out the jar with Double Diamond’s mark in it.
Grabbing the jar in her magic, she cast a containment spell on the Cutie Mark, preventing it from going flying as soon as the jar was opened. With that in place, she opened the lid and immediately felt a force against her containment. The Cutie Mark was constantly trying to reattach to its owner, like a magnet it was drawn to its owner. Putting in a bit more power into the containment spell, Azure placed it into the box and closed it. Smiling, she eyed her work and released the spell. The Cutie Mark was still trapped, and wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Azure returned to the village with a smile on her face. She trotted, a spring in her step, into Double Diamond’s house. For once, Double Diamond was not at the table. Frowning, Azure went upstairs and found him in the study. He was writing at the desk, the papers Azure had organized still thrown about. Double Diamond turned around and smiled upon seeing her.
“There you are.” He got out of the chair and motioned for her to take a seat. She looked at what he was writing and found many letters written, each one going to a different place around Equestria.
“What are these for?” Azure asked, looking at the first one. It was addressed to somepony in Las Pegasus.
“Think of it as a reconnection,” Double Diamond told her. “These letters are to the friends that left once Starlight… was taken away. It’s inviting them back, and, if they want, have their fillies and colts equalized.”
“That makes sense…” Azure’s mind went to the future, and saw a large influx of new ponies into town. It would be a boom in population and would solve a few problems, maybe. Food might be an issue, though. Shaking her thoughts, she looked at the paper and saw her name at the bottom, below Double Diamond’s signature.
“You’ll need to sign below your name,” he instructed. Azure began to sign each of the letters, though that took more time than she would have wished. By the end of it, her hoof was slightly cramped. Double Diamond took the letters from the desk and motioned for her to follow.
The two walked into Double Diamond’s personal room. In the corner was another, smaller desk. Opening one of the drawers, Double Diamond removed wax and a small pendant. The Pendant was in the shape of an equal sign.
“Watch closely,” the mayor commanded. He lit a candle and put the wax above it. The heat began to melt the wax, which he allowed to drop onto the folded letters. He did this for every letter except one. Upon getting done, he took the pendant and pushed it into each of the blobs of wax, making a seal. After he was done, he moved to the side and held out his hoof.
“Now you try,” he said invitingly. Azure grabbed the wax with levitation and brought it above the candle. Waiting until it was heated, she put it over the letter, letting a small glob fall onto the paper. Taking the pendant from Double Diamond, she pushed it into the wax, sealing it with an equal sign.
“Good job,” Double Diamond commented with a smile. “Why don’t you go upstairs and grab the papers to be disposed of?”
Azure headed upstairs and grabbed the papers that were to be burned. However, she paused when she saw the four notes about her and her friends’ bits. She grabbed them, looking at them. Should she throw them into the fire? Wouldn’t Double Diamond suspect something? He hadn’t a chance to read it, but he would surely hear about it, right? Shaking her mane, she placed the notes in the pile of papers from Fire Hammer, the ones to be stored. She returned downstairs and the two burned the papers that nopony else would see.
Azure went home, leaving Double Diamond to finish up whatever other small tasks needed to. She ate a small dinner with her mom and went to her room. Grabbing Starlight’s Journals, she began to read, but didn’t get far. Taking out a journal of her own, she began to put down her own thoughts and plans.
Across town, Double Diamond was filing papers away. When he was storing some of the Treasurer’s report, a single note slipped out. He read over it, a frown forming on his lips. Sighing, he went outside to get some fresh air. Verifying that nopony else was there, he began to make his way across the village by moonlight.
His face hidden in shadow, he went to one house and began to knock hard. The parents were, fortunately, awake and invited him in.
“No, no, that’s okay,” Double Diamond assured them. “Do you mind if I borrow your daughter for the night? I need to talk to her about her future.”
“Of course,” the parents responded. Their daughter came out of her room sluggishly, and followed Double Diamond back to his house. He lit a small fire while she sat at his table, trying to stay awake. She was very, very tired. Double Diamond took his time with the fire, grabbing some water, and getting everything prepared. All the while, the young mare squirmed in her seat.
After he was finished with everything, he took a seat across from the mare, a smile on his face; a smile that didn’t touch his eyes.
“Good evening,” he greeted.
“Hi,” came the weak response. Double Diamond pulled out the note and put it on the table.
“So, I heard you haven’t been storing any money with the treasurer,” he stated. “Mind telling me why that is?”
“I’m saving up for one big purchase, as a surprise.” The mare squirmed in her seat a bit more, clearly not comfortable with being asked direct questions by the mayor.
“Really?” he asked without humor or belief. “I don’t think you’re being completely honest with me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“See, if you wanted to do that, you would have had enough money a couple of months ago, at least if you’ve managed your money well enough.” The mare remained silent. “So, I’m afraid you and I will be here until you decide to tell me the truth.”
The interrogation lasted all night. Dusk turned to night. The only light in the town was from the mayor’s manor, the moon, and the stars. The two ponies talked for many hours, until the mare was allowed to sleep when dawn was approaching. The sun rose, with Double Diamond ready to greet it. He greeted the new day with a smile.
