> Oxidized
>  by Online account
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Sunstone: An Ore Digger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Around a walking rope were ten little foals.

Five colts to the right and five fillies to the left, symmetrically separated by the plush of an elongated snake, each of its soft handles being tightly held between underdeveloped yet powerful sets of molars. In front of the orderly camel train was, as one would expect, the primary school teacher: A rather young unicorn with azure fur, a lush turquoise mane, and a large toothy smile. With the oldest foal under her care being slightly over six years of age, she knew she had to keep a cautious eye on them, though her precautionary measures didn’t make a dent in her overall enthusiastic attitude.

As she marched ahead, cheerfully chaperoning her class through the busy streets of Canterlot, one particular colt was bouncing with all of the excitement in Equestria. He was grinning from ear to ear; how he managed to keep his jaw firmly gripped onto Mr. Sneckington was a riddle for the ages.

The overexcited ankle-biter could’ve easily been singled out for his cheery demeanor alone, sure, but that wasn’t the only unusual aspect about him, oh no no no. It didn’t take a meticulous detective to figure that one out: A quick look at the group alone would’ve made anypony pick up on that not-so-subtle detail.

That little ray of sunshine? That little bouncing ball of pure dopamine? Was the only earth pony in a class populated by unicorns and pegasi. Indeed, under his spikey lavender hairdo was a strong yet flat forehead with a horn nowhere to be found. On both of his deep-toned silver sides were no featherily protuberances. He was as earthy as an earth pony could get, even benefiting from an especially bulky frame despite his young age.

His name was Sunstone. And today?

Sunstone was happy. So, so happy!


“Hehehe, alright there Sunstone! You can let go of Mr. Sneckington; we’re here!” sing-sung the mare in charge.

He didn’t need to be asked twice. Spitting out the cushiony bar, little Sunstone started skipping in circles, simply unable to keep his overflowing adrenaline in check.

A few steps in front of both his classmates and himself was a decently-sized house – just like any other house in this district. Canterlot had a huge knack for golden buttresses and sharply angled roofs of purple shingles, and Sunstone’s home was no different in that regard. It screamed upper class, without erring into the exclusive territory of nobility. In sum, he was living well – far better than the grand majority of Equestria, in fact – but not so much that he used pallets of gold bars as hoofstools.

Before he could wave his comrades goodbye and bolt toward his dwelling, his caring teacher decided to interject.

“Now remember, Sunstone! Today was an important day, isn’t that right?” she candidly smiled.

“Oh yes, Mrs. Clarity! Yes it was! Yes it was!” jumped the only earth pony around as though he was on an invisible trampoline.

“Aaaaand why is that?”

She knew full well what she tried to extract out of him, and Sunstone was more than ready to play her game. She was merely teasing her student with no ill intents, and boy did it strike true.

For Sunstone detonated like a firework.

“Because today, I got my CUTIE MARK!” he bellowed.

That sudden shout made the other young ponies block their poor disrespected ears. Other passersby craned their neck at the commotion, snobbishly disturbed. One particularly neurotic bourgeois even ducked and covered. Mrs. Clarity, meanwhile, couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

“That’s right! And at such a young age, too! You’re a wonderful overachiever, Sunstone!” she encouraged him, making him raise his chin all proud. “You make sure to tell Mr. Light and Mrs. Velvet all about it, okay? Will you do that for me?”

He fervently shook his head in response. “I will!”

Finally dismissed, Sunstone began to gallop, right until he crossed the doorway of his humble house. He nearly tripped on his way there, he nearly collided with the fragile furniture, he nearly carved a new hole in the wall with his face, but by Celestia, he sure made it to his parents in record time. The two of them were calmly waiting in the living room; a huge contrast with Sunstone’s infinite peppiness.

“Mom! Dad!” uttered a joyous (and loud) Sunstone.

Twilight Velvet, a beautiful pale gray mare of purple and white mane and mother of one, jolted at the sudden ruckus. Night Light, bluer than a berry and devoted husband, hardly managed to stay on his haunches on the low-profile lounge. Suffice to say, the two unicorn parents got slightly discombobulated by their son’s grand entrance.

“Sunny!” yelped the mother. “You scared me! I-I didn’t hear you come in!”

“Oh... Sorry mom! But mom! Dad! I’ve got it! I-I-I’ve just... I’ve just got it! M-my... my...”

“Whoa there son, take a breather! You’ll swallow your tongue whole!” intervened Night Light.

“M-my... m-m-my...!”

“Yeessss?” said both parents in unison, bending over the little colt about to explode.

And explode he did. Launching in the air just like a rocket, eyes shut in pure elation, all four limbs unbent as far as he could. Both grownups jerked away from the sudden reaction, eyes sized like diner plates.

“MY CUTIE MARK! I’VE GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” Sunstone barked louder than a dragon.

It took but a moment for both Mr. Light and Mrs. Velvet to truly digest those words. They went through a plethora of emotions in a fraction of a second. First, bewilderment. Did they hear that right? Then, doubt. Was it a prank? They even detoured through confusion. W-w-what’s a cutie mark, again? Finally, they settled on acceptance, then pride, and THEN full-blown happiness.

Their son! His cutie mark! The most important moment in a pony’s life!

They sure weren’t expecting anything of the sorts anytime soon. Oh, not because little Sunstone wasn’t accomplished or anything, no. It’s just, it was extremely rare for a colt of his age to earn his special talent that early in his life. Not that this was a bad thing! Really impressive, in fact! It meant that he knew exactly what he was made for, and did not hesitate for a second to show the world.

Because of this beyond unusual phenomenon, Night Light and Twilight Velvet were momentarily at a loss for words; they couldn’t and did NOT brace for such unexpected news!

But when the reality of the whole affair finally sunk in, with tears in the corner of their eyes, they did not hesitate for a second to lock their only child in a tight embrace, almost squeezing the air out of his lungs.

“Sunny! T-this... this is wonderful news!” sniffled Twilight Velvet.

“I am so proud of you, son!” congratulated Night Light whilst swallowing a lump down his throat. “May we see what it looks like? Oh, I am so curious!”

They both backed away from the little pony. Sunstone took this opportunity to gasp for air. It was one vice-grip of a hug.

“Yeah! Check it out!” he excitedly said.

Turning his flank to the side, his mother and father took a good look at the newest addition on their son’s hindquarters.

“Oh!” exclaimed Twilight Velvet. “It’s a six-pointed purple star! How lovely! I too have stars on me, as you know, and... But, oh? What’s this, Sunny?”

“What’s what?” a genuinely confused Sunstone asked.

“Next to the star there’s... some kind of tool? What is it?” said his father in lieu of his mother.

“Oh, that! That’s a rock pick! Or a ‘geologist’s hammer’ if you wanna be all scientific like Mrs. Clarity, bleh! But isn’t it awesome!?”

Night Light and Twilight Velvet, for a brief moment, exchanged a troubled look with large smiles pinched up by proverbial clothespins and bulged eyes widened by invisible speculums. As if they were trying their best to keep their reaction entirely natural. Though they really wish their son hadn’t, Sunstone took full notice of that bizarre, off-putting response. His grin lowered just a tad, worry slowly nesting in his guts.

“Well... I-isn’t it?” he tentatively asked again, his voice having lost a couple of decibels.

Mr. Light was the first to shake his head. “B-but of course! S-sorry, son, we were just ah, we didn’t uh...”

“... We just didn’t know what it was, that’s all,” continued Mrs. Velvet, saving her husband’s bacon. “We’re simply not too versed with, um, earth pony intricacies and all of that. You know how we are,” she added, further playing the diplomat. “But we like it, Sunny. We really really do! As long as it makes you happy, then so are we!”

Sunstone juggled his look between both of his parents. From mom to dad, then dad to mom. Two times. Three times. After a small moment of silence,

“O-okay!” he said, after shaking his head a bit. “T-thanks mom! Thanks dad! I am really happy...!”

His mother offered another gentle smile, and so too did his dad. After another round of hugs, Mr. Light awkwardly coughed in his fetlock. This prompted his significant other to return back to reality, having suddenly been reminded of something very important.

“Oh! Sunny, before you run to your room to play, we too have an announcement to make,” she softly said.

Sunstone remained silent, biting his lips in anticipation. What could this announcement be about? How much more excitement could be wedged into a day like today? Ooooh his tummy was full of butterflies!

“Well, son, it’s been a couple of years since your mother and I have been thinking about it and, well...”

...

“... you’re going to have a little brother.”

Ponies all over Canterlot could’ve recalled hearing a violent volley of coughs that evening.

Sunstone, so surprised by this unexpected news, accidentally swallowed wrongly. Maybe his dad was right: One of these days, his tongue will find its way to the bottom of his throat.

“A-are you okay, Sunny?” asked his mother.

“... A BROTHER? I’ll have a BROTHER!? When!? Where is he!?” Sunstone replied, after reaching for a hoof full of air.

Night Light chuckled and simply nodded toward the barrel of his loving wife. Sunstone didn’t immediately comprehend what it meant, being too young to be well acquainted with the rules of biology. That didn’t stop the two adults to precise that his younger brother would only come to be in a couple of months from there.

Of course, for a youngster like Sunstone, the notion of time had a much more different scale. He couldn’t hide his excitement, wanting nothing more than to hold in his own hooves the newest addition to his family, like, yesterday! If he was in a sugar rush mood earlier thanks to his newly earned cutie mark, now, he was in full tornado mode, bouncing all around the walls of the house.

“I’ll have a brother! A YOUNGER brother! And I’ll protect him with all my life! And he’ll... he’ll look up to me, and we’ll love each other, and I’ll teach him everything I know, and I’ll be his big hero, and, and...”

A small tear flowed out of his purple iris.

“... This is the best day of my life!” he managed to murmur between sobs.







I was totally out of breath. But I was nearly done! Me, Gray Calx, giving up when the job was this close to being completed? Not on my watch, buddy! That, you could take to the bank.

And so, I went at it again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Come on now, just a bit more...

CLANG!

... Ah, there we go! Finally! To think that this particular chunk held as tightly as it did, the contrarian! But I sure showed it, ha! With a mining tool between my teeth, no surface could resist Gray Calx’s special touch for mineral destruction, no Sire!

Suffice to say, after two weeks at it, I think I’ve extracted as much out of this particular copper vein as I possibly could. In fact, I wouldn’t be too far off saying that I completely bled it dry, heh. Today was pretty fruitful and, wiping the grime out of my brow, I think it’d behoof me to consider punching out. My cart was filled to the brim with rusty maroon ores anyway; not much else I could’ve fit in there.

And so, I spat out my trusty pickaxe, content to have accomplished another prolific day in the mine. It was a modest way of earning my bits and, I mean, who could possibly desire more in life than this? Not everypony could afford the luxury of being a bigshot hero, y’know. In fact, I quite despised those who thought they could just cruise through life by being all adventurous and courageous and what not. Blergh. Way to live with your head in the clouds. That there was definitely not my definition of productivity, something us “lil’ guys” understood. Not to mention, Equestria was built on the back of hard laborers such as myself; did we forget about that? So yeah, you could call me quite content in my quest for doing actual honest and meaningful work!

I’ve been down there for, what, nine hours now? A relatively short day, by my standards. Still, nine hours without seeing so much as a single sunbeam. Nine hours without uttering a single word. That’s right: This here pony worked alone. I’ve always loved tending to myself, playing it solo. Not that I was too antisocial, no no. In fact, I quite enjoyed bonding with my friends. It’s just, when I was at work, I was in the zone, y’see. Chit chatting with coworkers while chipping away at the stony walls wasn’t my definition of good times. Concentrating on the work at hoof, now that, that tickled me kindly.

Which is exactly why I’ve been at it for five years now. Give or take a few months.

And I was beyond satisfied with this routine of a lifestyle. Nopony could take it away from me. I wanted to live like this forever. That was my muse; my calling. I neither needed nor desired anything else: I was already at the top. I peaked. And you know what?

I was happy. So, so happy.


Putting the pickaxe back in its rightful slot in my specialized saddlebags, I began pulling the chain-link rope in front of the cart with my strong jaw, bringing it up the slope on its rails. Sure, it was backbreakingly heavy, I wasn’t too much of a narcissist to deny it. But I was sturdy and tough, and, above all, pretty darned stubborn.

With a waterfall of sweat drenching my poor muzzle, my resilience paid off. Finally exiting the pitch-black cavern, I took a moment to turn off the crystal light on my protective helmet. I wasn’t one to waste enchantments for no other reason than being forgetful and/or inconsiderate. These things were pretty greasy bits-wise! We haven't all been blessed at birth with a horn and fancy light spells, thank you very much.

I ended up emerging out of the cliffside of the tall and slanted mountain ridge. That mountain, among the many others in the surrounding area: So rich with minerals, so rich with untapped potential! I found it astonishing after all these years of digging in it how ripe to be ransacked it still was. Well, it was up for grabs, and I was there. It was a living.

The cart came to a rest, bumping into the wooden lattice by the end of the rails. I took a look at the many little Swiss cheese holes I’ve dug over the years, all of them scattered across the multiple plateaus overhanging from these stunning blue mountains. I was such a tunnel rat. With them being no larger than a few meters in diameter, it sure took a non claustrophobic pony to carry out this kind of job and luckily, this big ol' Gray Calx fellow, well, he didn’t have a fear of tight spaces.

Getting my breathing under control (yeah, the cart was really heavy, admittedly), in my nostrils came the afternoon scent of pine and fresh air.

Outer Grove.

It’s crazy how much wilderness surrounded this little town. Evergreens were a-plenty and the wildlife was bursting with activity. This little corner of Equestria was so natural, so unmodified by us overzealous ponies. There was something beautiful about seeing those impressive tall Douglas-firs grow unrestrained, reaching heights never seen before in the rest of the country. As though the lush forest had an iron grip on the environment and we weren’t all too welcomed to tamper with it. But where the temperate rainforest held an irrevocable claim on the land, Outer Grove still managed to nestle in a tight little spot by the base of this mountain. A beautiful coexistence. You truly couldn’t find another place like this within the confines of our borders.

As I took it all in, my dreamlike mind always caressing me with poetic thoughts, especially on beautiful days like these, the silhouette of another pony emerged from the excavated path up ahead.

Not an unexpected presence. This right there was none other than Mr. Gold, the town’s respected prospector, and the earth pony whom I was currently employed under. In a few words like many: He was my boss.

And what a benevolent boss he was. They made #1 Boss mugs after him.

Green coated like the endless forest surrounding us, ginger haired like the bark of the trees, with his horseshoe mustache and his baggy orange eyes, his mug sure was recognizable around the place. Not to mention his iconic barcolt cotton vest with his little shovel and pick brooch pegged on it and, of course, his comically oversized white ten-gallon hat. Where I’m getting at is, he sure was a character. One easily identifiable, even as a dot by the horizon, heh.

“And how is my favorite Gray Calx doing today?” he said in a voice that, to the uneducated, could almost pass as grouchy, but that was, in truth, serene and posed.

“Heh. Being your favorite doesn’t mean much when there’s only one of me around,” I playfully responded.

“Ah, alas...! That reality hurts me every day; we sure could use the two or three of you, eh!”

We both snickered at this pointless chatter. But darned me if I didn’t love pointless chatter – outside of my work time, of course.

Mr. Prospector (I preferred calling him by his title; Gold didn’t do much for me (he wasn’t even gold, tsk)) whistled at the sight of my overflowing cart. I think a pebble of copper even fell from it and rolled by his hooves, almost as if to prove that it was that full.

“Another prosperous day in the pit?” he rhetorically asked.

“You know you can always count on me!” I proudly smiled. But not without a modest footnote. “But ah, day ain’t ‘xactly over yet. I still have to wheel this bad boy down the path, properly store it in the warehouse, weigh it, document it in our archives, bla bla bla,” I rotated a hoof around. “You know the drill.”

He nodded at that. Then, something seemed to have put his brain cogs into full gear.

“Calx, I was maybe thinking... Well, I'll be blunt: I might drop by the Two Arches later tonight.”

That twisted a knot in my heart in an instant. “Y-you!? Really now!”

“Yup, really now!”

“But we haven’t seen you at the pub in eons! Truth be told, we all sorta thought you went cold turkey on alcohol. What gives? What’s the occasion?”

He awkwardly backed away a bit, his look fleeing mine. I think his cheeks even turned pink; an unusual sight when it came to my prideful boss.

“Oh, n-no occasion, really! I just, I figured I’d see my crew in the midst of their happy hours for a change- I mean, should I expect to see you there tonight too?”

“At the Two Arches? Uh, duh! Sh'yeah!” I nervously giggled. “Wouldn’t want to miss for the world an opportunity to see my own superior all boozed up and tipsy, hahaha!”

“Excellent!” he replied perhaps a little too fast. “Well then, I’ll see you there later, eh?”

I silently gestured positively. Satisfied, Mr. Prospector started to make his descent. Right before his form disappeared from my view, he craned his neck backward, a smug expression painting his face.

“Oh, and Calx? Do take a nice shower before you join us. You’re giving a wet timberwolf a run for its bits!” he teased, before vanishing proper.

Pfah! Me, reeking? I’m sure he was exaggerating.

...

Sniff sniff...

…

Sweet mother of Celestia!







Pepped up and refreshed. Cleaned and washed. Dressed and ready to take on the world.

That was me, ever since I left my habitation. I even tried to brush my scruffy mane for a change. The two darker stripes of mauve in it have never been this parallel to each other in, erf, years, maybe? Bah! It’s not like other ponies didn’t enjoy my normal scraggly appearance. But since Mr. Prospector made extra sure to let me know of his presence at the bar, well, I wasn’t going to deceive him with my usual detached and uncaring outlooks. I could look semi professional when I tried. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. Prestigiousness was in the eye of the beholder.

I was on my way to the Two Arches. Princess Luna was pretty close to raising the moon, judging by that inflated fireball hovering right by the tip of the horizon. Thankfully, my house and the pub were merely 15 minutes apart and that’s if you trotted slowly on purpose. In fact, that was kind of true for most of the landmarks around the place; Outer Grove wasn’t exactly known for being a bustling megapolis. At least, it meant that I never got lost around town.

And my house WAS pretty recognizable: Wooden and cylindrical in shape, it certainly was gaudy. Some ponies even said that it bore some resemblance with princess Twilight Sparkle’s old departed library in Ponyville. Unsurprisingly, I ah, really hated that comparison and kindly made them aware of it.

There’s no denying that it was in pretty rough shape, especially when compared to the rest of the neighborhood, but that was by no fault of my own. It was practically fit to be demolished when I first acquired it. And ever since then? I’ve reconstructed it slowly, but surely. A nice side project I distracted myself with when I wasn’t busy in the mine. I took pride in that. Give it a couple of years and my little plot of land will host one heck of a castle! The one I finally deserved!

Oh, I oughta say. On my way to my house, I bumped into Seesaw Log and Leafy Humus, our favorite inseparable duo of dutiful lumberponies. I think they were on their way to the bar as well. Must’ve heard about tonight’s extra presence too, wink wink. Oddly enough, they made damned sure to tell me to “wear something nice,” which, on a whim, I agreed to. Didn’t really think about it back then.

And this is why I was now enveloped in this quaint little jacket I seldom wore. I think it was none other than Skybrush who gifted it to me a couple o’ years ago. It was for my birthday, if I recall correctly? She was always happy to see me wear it. Hey, maybe she was going to be at the Two Arches tonight as well? My unusual appearance would surely make her swoon, har har!


Lost in thoughts, it took me a few seconds to register the loud distant howls that echoed in the valley. Two of them. Three of them now! ... And then, nothing. Silence once more. Deadly silent. W-what the heck was that? Did I just suffer from an auditory hallucination? Five years since I’ve settled here, and I’ve never heard anything of the sorts! What kind of unholy abomination even trailblazed these woods this late in the day, let alone produce such blood curdling screams?

He... hahaha! Y-yeah right! Monsters roaming about! Here, of all places; could you even imagine such tomfoolery? Boy was that complete balderdash. To even think about such things bedeviled me.

Nothing ever happens in Outer Grove.

...

And yet.

I’ll be honest with you. I was starting to feel a teensy bit estranged by the whole situation. Walking alone will do that to anypony who thinks too much. And to anypony who may or may not have heard a demon escaping from Tartarus itself, sure, why not.

But seriously though. Why was Mr. Prospector finally coming back to drink with us seemingly out of nowhere – and this, after months of being a no show? Why did Log and Humus tell me to look presentable when they were in fact the ponies who cared the least about fashion in all of Equus? Why did I just hear (or haven’t heard) the faraway sounds of something large, angry, and dangerous?

Come to think of it, the village was unusually quiet for what should’ve been a busy Friday evening. The Outer Grove I knew was way more festive than this borderline ghost town. Why was it so deserted? Brrrr. I’ll definitely feel more at ease seated in front of a nice pint filled to the rim. H-ha... hahaha...

Nothing ever happens in Outer Grove.

Thankfully, after nonchalantly turning a corner, the establishment in question drew itself before me.

There was no mistaking the Two Arches. It and its... well, its two arches. Right in front of the façade, covering a little front terrace. The building was one of the larger ones in town, but that’s because it also had an inn bundled in. I slept there for a good chunk of my first year when I first immigrated. The place was cutesy and well furbished. One of the three columns making the iconic arches, the middle one to be precise, was extravagantly decorated. Unlike its left brother and its right sister who had a flat surface, this one has been masterfully carved to have three nondescript earth ponies on their back legs, holding each other. Around the trim where the ceiling was, the topmost pony held a sphere.

It was me.

I was the one who crafted that little piece of art. I sculpted that. I had proficiency in the domain, oh yes I did.

Didn’t think I could subtly boast, eh? S'not because I pickaxed rocks that I couldn't have a softer side as well. Indeed, to me, sculpting was just like mining, except, using your creative bone instead of raw muscles.

...

The Two Arches was usually such a lively place.

But now, not unlike the rest of Outer Grove, it stood in complete silence. A worrying contrast with the bombastic tunes one could usually hear from the outside.

I was probably being silly. Paranoid, even.

Nothing ever happens in Outer Grove.

So, mustering a bit of courage, I chased these intrusive thoughts out of my mind and politely made my way in. Engulfing myself into the darkness emanating from within...

“Hello? A-anypony in here?” was my first, yet not totally unreasonable question.

A few stifled whispers were the only responses I was allowed to have.

“Anypony at all?” I tempted fate again.

Lights on!

Confetti!

Balloons!

Party horns!

A huge banderole unrolling with “HAPPY 5 YEARS GRAY CALX” written in bold gold letters!

Half a hundred ponies huddled in every corner of the pub, jumping out of hiding spots all at once!

“SURPRIIIIIISEEEEEEE!!!” shouted the mob in unison.

... I was stone cold frozen. Even my pupils refused to make any movement. I was more immobile than a pony after an encounter with a cockatrice. Finally, after an awkward cough or two, Mr. Prospector himself emerged from the crowd and approached me.

“Well, waddaya think, eh Calx? We might not have Mrs. Pinkie Pie’s magic touch for legendary parties, but ‘think we cobbled up something pretty decent, eh?”

...

He waved a hoof in front of the statue that was myself. “... Calx?”

“I... I need to go empty my bowels, pronto!” I whimpered.







The whole town was here. And I mean, the whole town was here. Even Mayor De La Tour partook in the preparations. At his age, too! Dedication galore.

The bar was simply unrecognizable. Usually basking in warm colors, brown and orange being the predominant palette, it was now a pastel hellscape. Every single table had a multicolor tablecloth on it. Each beam in the ceiling was defiled with colorful arrays of balloons taped on them. Party streamers zigzagged all across the place without reason. I had never seen this many paper plates gathered in one building in my life before!

And... and it was all for me. Me! Gray Calx the miner! The whole town pulled this little number together just for this random nopony! I knew we were a small tightly knit community, but wow!

That was unbelievable. That was inconceivable. All of this, in the name of celebrating the exact day of my fifth year in Outer Grove. I never thought I was important enough to warrant such attention. How do you even properly respond to this many sets of eyes locked onto you? I wasn’t a hero, and thank Celestia for that. I simply extracted shiny rocks, days after days. Was I that impactful? Hardly believable.

But... not totally unwanted either. Feeling appreciated was... I dunno. Good? Maybe?

Well, I tell you what. I dove my nose into the nearest tankard I could find so fast like you have no idea. I've never been in the limelight before; I was totally out of practice. What's the proper decorum when a pony as unexceptional as me is put on a pedestal? Didn't have a clue.

And now? I was seated at the bar counter, sandwiched between Mr. Prospector and a yellow earth pony that went by the name of Doctor Stethorsecope. Always in his lab coat, this one. And in the middle of a... rather peculiar story, to say the least.

“... And that’s how I earned my cutie mark, hehehahaha!”

“Whoa,” I said, strangely nonplussed and impressed at the same time. “Never thought accidentally stabbing yourself with a needle could earn a pony their cutie mark.”

“What about you, eh, Calx?” prompted my slightly inebriated boss. “Ever told him how you got yours? It’s a pretty good story!”

“Ah, psshhhh,” I said, feeling a burn in my cheeks.

But the good doctor insisted and wasn’t about to let me weasel out of this one. Always high on adrenaline, that medicine pony! Anyway, caught in a corner, I complied. I recited my tale. But not before chugging the rest of this delicious fermented malt.

Sluuuurrrppp…

Ahhh, that hits the spot. Alright, here we go.

It involved me going on a school trip a little less than thirty years ago. The classroom and I, we all travelled by train from Canterlot to the Badlands under the supervision of Mrs. Clarity and a special guest whose name I totally forgot. But he was an expert in geology, I remembered this much. Now, you might think that the Badlands were a preeeetty rough spot to bring a class full of five and six years old, and you’d be absolutely correct, but our expedition was to remain close to the heavily defended train station. Plus, we had the protection of a hoof full of royal guards, so we were pretty safe, all things considered.

There, we were to learn about crystal formations and all that jazz. Something that particularly catered to my interests, being the sole little earth pony underdog in a class full of fancy pegasi and unicorns. I was so excited and reckless that I had asked one of my pegasus friends to carry me further into the territory when the teachers had their backs turned. We even managed to elude the guards! We were small and sneaky, hehehe.

In retrospect, that was a terrible plan. So much wrong could’ve happened.

But when I climbed that perilous mesa with my buddy? I felt something building inside of me. A sense of purpose. A tingle in my tummy. In a complete fit of determination, I began digging, and digging, and digging. In a spot I just knew all of my answers lied buried. Once deep enough, after a low rumbling, the unexpected happened: A huge jet stream pushed me out of my crevasse. I tumbled and rolled down the hill. But when my dizziness subsided? When I looked up? A magnificent waterfall of rainbow was gushing out of the cavity. I had found an extremely rare source of liquid rainbow, ready to be pumped and exploited. The whole class did not miss the spectacle from afar. I think the geologist unicorn even fainted at the sight.

When I finally looked back down? A star and a pick adorned both of my flanks.

Doctor Stethorsecope whistled. “Whoa wee, you sure don’t play little league, Gray Calx!”

“It’s true, he’s always had a knack for getting in trouble,” softly chuckled the voice of a mare behind me I immediately recognized.

I didn’t even need to turn around to know my best friend had made it to the party.

“Skybrush!” I exclaimed, abandoning my spot and my empty drink, making my two bantering partners shrug.

“Hello, goofball,” she smiled like an angel.

Didn’t have to be asked twice to hug the crap out of her. A hug she happily returned without hesitation.

Skybrush. Now, she was a mare. A wonderful one, might I add. She’s been my beacon of sanity ever since I first stepped out of that train. We’ve built a solid friendship over the past five years, the two of us. You could always catch us chatting, cracking jokes together, helping one another, planning all sorts of crazy activities. The list went on. They say that friendship is magic, and thanks to her, I was inclined to believe it.

She, not unlike the majority of the hamlet, myself included, was an earth pony. A peach colored one, with a beautiful and healthy pale brown mane covering one of her eyes. She had the cutest freckles, the greenest of eyes, and a smile that could cure any disease.

I'll admit, I'm beating a bit around the bush here. Because in truth, she was ah, well, let’s just say, she was a bit rotund. A smidge above her target BMI? Trust me, I was putting it lightly here. The euphemism to end them all. But once a gentlecolt, always a gentlecolt, and...

... Oh dear. Please, do not tell her what I just said about her weight. That was a sensitive topic for her; a can of worms I had no interest in opening. F-forget I said anything!

Different topic, Calx, different topic! Uuhhh. Yes! Her primary occupation was to tend to the general store with her husband. Well, that was a couple of years back. At some point, her better half simply vanished and Skybrush never really elaborated as to why. She simply insisted that they “weren’t seeing eye to eye anymore” and that they became incompatible. I always felt like there was more than this to this story, but I never pried. Who the hay was I to do so.

So, alone she handled the general store. A very important duty in Outer Grove nonetheless. Outside of her business hours, she was an incredibly talented painter. Her cutie mark proved it: It was a paintbrush surrounded by a blue swirly ribbon. She always enjoyed the breathtaking scenery of Outer Grove. There’ve been times where I just sat by her, watching her masterfully recreate the landscape in front of us onto her canvas. Seeing her at work was mesmerizing. Ah, to be so talented...

Skybrush sometimes lamented how she’d like to travel across Equestria one of these days to paint all sorts of different locations, but she never could commit to the idea. At least, not until her daughter, of which she’s the sole guardian, was mature enough to take care of her own. Being just a little over seven years-old, she was still attending Outer Grove's only primary school and Skybrush often told me that she couldn't in good conscience pry her away from the friends she's made there. Always being on the road and playing roulette with different schools would be the best way for her to feel alienated and lost.

And speaking of the little filly! There she was, emerging from behind Skybrush’s bushy tail. You could hardly miss her; she was the centerpiece of any room she found herself in.

The orange earth pony, that adorable little rubber ball of pure energy, pounced directly onto my back when she recognized me. She tried in vain to light-heartedly trample me. She had always loved doing that. Her brash way of playing hit right at home with me. I too used to roughhouse a bit too harshly at her age, heh!

Heh...

“Hiiii uncle Calxie!” she thrillingly said, her front hooves messing up my mane.

Yes, I wasn't really her uncle. No, that did not stop her from calling me as such. No, no one corrected her. Yes, I loved that title.

“Hehehe, and a big hello to you too, Honey Dream! How are you doin’, sweetheart?”

“Gooood!” she cheered. “But what about you? It’s your pa-a-a-arty!”

“A-yup! It sure is! And I’m super duper peachy about it!” I said, closing an eye for it to not be poached by her twitchy hooves.

“Yay!”

That was her cue for disembarking me. Not that I minded her extra weight. I hauled mining carts on a daily basis, after all. Honey Dream skipped back to her mother’s side, her curious face gazing at everything and nothing all around the lavishly decorated bar.

She really reminded me of my younger years. When I was still lively and hyperactive. When I still believed to be Equestria's solution to an inexistent problem. Naïve and blissfully ignorant: There was something nostalgic about this. Like that day I first bore my cutie mark; boy was I ecstatic about it. But alas, the rest of everything I had to endure came along like an unstoppable cannonball, and history wrote itself.

Sigh. Anyway...

Skybrush etched a serene smile. “She really loves you, you know.”

“Heh, how could she not? I am pretty charming, don’tcha think?”

She quietly giggled at the thought. “I see you’re wearing the vest. Don’t you just look stunning in it!” she winked, knowing a thing or two about flustering me.

“Ah, naaah! You’re just saying that,” I said, waving a dismissive hoof.

“Mmmmh. Maybe I am. Because you’d look even better if it was properly buttoned. Hang on, lemme just...”

My best friend approached me, a determined look on her cheery face.

Oof, she was awfully close. She never really got that close to me in this manner. How, uh, peculiar. I could smell her delicious perfume, taking a good whiff in my nostrils. She might’ve been overweight, but that didn’t mean she didn’t take good care of her appearance. These things were mutually exclusive.

Skybrush was looking down at the task at hoof, concentrating on putting the little buttons of my vest in their rightful place, but me, I couldn’t help but peer into the two limes that were her eyes.

Yikes, was it just me, or it was unbearably hot in here? I mean, the Two Arches was pretty overcrowded. Filled to the brim with ponies. Must’ve been that. Body heat and all the science behind it. Yeah.

Wait, don’t stare, you impolite oaf!

To the left my pupils wandered. Only to find the image of Mr. Prospector lifting his mug with a knowing look, right before drowning his face in it. Oh come on, now!

Thankfully for my strangely fast-beating heart, she was just about done with her close quarters job.

“And there ya go! Now you’re not a fashion trainwreck anymore, hehehe!” she backed away.

“I uh... ah...”

An escape plan, quick!

Crud crud crud, leeet’s see now... Wait! Didja hear that? What was that high pitched, annoying noise? This one, I definitely did not imagine. That seemed worthy of being investigated, oh yes it was!

I frantically looked around to find the source of my distraction. And eureka! There it was: Seesaw Log and Leafy Humus, pulling wooden barrels filled up with some sort of viscous brown liquid. With a rope in their mouth, they were most surely bringing this vile substance out of the pub, and this, under the cautious supervision of the barmare, Mrs. Sweet Pint. Intriguing. Captivating, even. I sure could busy myself with this little enigma.

Time to drift away!

Swallowing drily, I returned my attention back to the big mare in front of me. “What uh, what do you suppose these two are up to now?”

She lazily turned to look. “Oh? When it comes to Log and Leafy, who knows. What I do know, though, is that their carelessness will doom us all one day, mark my words!” she laughed.

“... I better go check on ‘em, just to make sure, yep yep!” I said, having found my excuse.

“Alright, goofball. But promise me to take it easy too. Like a certain filly once said, ‘It’s your pa-a-a-arty!’”

“Mo-ooom!” moaned Honey Dream.

I nodded to let the mother know her words didn’t fall on deaf ears. Then, moving past the two of them, I approached the busy lumberponies. They seemed to be struggling a bit with their cargo.

“You fellows need any help? Sorta know a thing or two about pulling stuff.”

Also, not wanting to brag or anything, but I was pretty much the beefiest pony around. It had its perks.

“Oh heyo Gray Calx!” said Log. “Nup, w-we’re good! Don’tcha worry about us.”

“Uh... hehehe, yeah! Don’tcha worry about us,” repeated his sidekick, as he always does.

I raised an eyebrow, taking a peek at the thick, putrid material inside of the containers.

“... What do we have here?” I asked, curious.

“Oh, that? That’s like, two months of discarded cooking oil.”

“Yup, discarded oil!”

“And Mrs. Sweet Pint over there? Enrolled us to bring it at the train station.”

“Yup, at the train station!”

Ah. I suppose it made sense. Outer Grove was so secluded from the rest of Equestria that many services often took weeks, if not months, to reach us. It was difficult to keep in touch with the rest of the world. For instance, a hostile takeover could happen in Canterlot and we’d be none the wiser until at least five or six days after the coup!

It was no different with our supplies, naturally. Out of Outer Grove went minerals and timber, and in came food, medicine, furniture, etc. All sorts of things that made a town function like a town, in sum. That’s why Mr. Prospector was so insistent on properly storing the precious stones I got for him inside of the company’s warehouse. Because sometimes? We could wait for as long as half a year before a merchandise train would come to empty our shelves.

I suppose the same was true for these drums of used oil. Very nefarious for the environment, these had to be carefully and properly disposed to not clog the Two Arches’ plumbing system and, more importantly, to not contaminate the very soil underneath. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Outer Grove didn’t exactly have a specialized facility offering such treatments. Thus, out of the town these barrels went. And just like with the rest of our exports, it could take a really long time before anypony in charge would come to take them away.

“Aaaanyway. How are you enjoying the party so far?” resumed Seesaw Log.

“Yeah, how are you enjoying the party, uh... so far?” pointlessly added Leafy Humus.

“Well, let’s see now. Mr. Prospector over there? Totally getting smashed. That alone makes it ten outta ten!” I jested.

That made the two lollygaggers laugh in unison. They too were subordinates of his, handling, as one would expect, the deforestation part of our industry.

“But enough about me now, heh.” Had to play it cool there, tonight was enough of an ego trip. “How you two doin’? Word on the wind says that you’ve cleared a good chunk of site 2B, is that right?”

“Yep/Yuppers!” they said in synch.

“Should’ve seen it, Calx! Me and Leafy Humus? We plowed through the woodlands-”

“-like kapow!”

“We’ve never fallen so many trees in one day, but today? Ohoho, we chopped and cleared many acres of land-”

“-like kapow!”

“Now, we definitely have more than enough building space to erect Outer Grove’s first college!”

“-like... kapow? Hang on, that one don’t work...”

I just had to smile at their goofiness. Silly stallions, these two.

I didn’t sustain that smile for very long; it left to make place for a subtle scowl. Something tickled my brain, telling me to press a particular issue. Mmmmh. Yeah, even though I didn’t want to nourish my paranoia, maybe it was wise to ask. One could only ignore non-trivial aspects of their evening for so long.

“Heh, good work, you two!” I said to butter things out. Then: “But ah... tell me something. Have you, uh, heard uh...” I looked left and right, to make sure nopony else was in mocking range, “... strange screams out in the woods lately?”

...

I bit the inside of my cheek at the nonresponse. “Uh, you know! The kind of screams that’d come out of a big mean forest creature and what not... Right? Anything unusual at all out there deep in the woods? N-nothing to report?”

This whole time, they just blankly stared at me, until they both exchanged a confused look. Uh oh, time to bury that faux pas! I bit more than I could chew here with my little foray into “what the hay” territory. I didn’t want them to spread bad rumors about me, nope nope nope! In a small town like Outer Grove, my reputation could be tarnished relatively quickly.

“Haaaa! Gotcha both, hehehahaha!” I laughed like a maniac, a bead of sweat running down from my forehead. “Pranked!”

They both oooh’d like they finally understood the punchline of a joke they didn’t fully comprehend. Good, good. Roll with it, you two.

“Ha! Nothing to worry about,” assured Seesaw Log. “Even if there was a monster roaming about, the Element bearers, under princess Twilight Sparkle's leadership, would surely take care of it.”

“She’d come all in like ‘whoaaaa,’ and we’d be like ‘nooo waay,’ and the monster would growl, ‘grooooaah,’ and princess Twilight would beam it like ‘peeeeww pew pew peeeeww!’”

That was Leafy Humus turning into a sound effects machine. Right before two stallions joined our private talk, seemingly having eavesdropped on our not-so-subtle discussion.

“That’s right, eh? If there was anything bad out there, we can always count on the princess of friendship to pull us out of trouble... hic!” said a drunk Mr. Prospector to my left.

“Heheheahaha! Ooooh wouldn’t that be quite the sight! Heeeeeee heeheehee, princess Twilight in little Outer Grove, hahaha!” guffawed a fidgety Doctor Stethorsecope to my right.

“Oooooh! Could you imagine if there was a dragon nearby?” chimed in a bouncy Honey Dream.

Right before her mom approached the six of us. “Nothing the princess and her friends couldn't handle, sweetie,” a smile between her puffy cheeks.

“Yeah! Princess Twilight is soooo awesome!” beamed the filly.

“True that!” acquiesced pretty much everypony in our chit chat circle.

“She's the best!”
“She's a champ!”
“Equestria's best protector!”
“Anyone seen my glasses?”
“A true princess!”
“One hay of a go-getter!”

And then they all turned toward me. Expectant grins up their muzzles. As if I was supposed to add anything to their blatant fanboyism.

Hum, when did the conversation turn for the worst, again? To think it was so pleasant mere seconds ago.

“I... I uh...” I mumbled, unable to muster any coherent words. “S-sure. She... she truly is apt at performing her duties, uh...”

“Something the matter, son?” my boss bashfully asked.

“Y-you don’t like the princess, uncle Calxie?” said the pleading face of Honey Dream with big puppy eyes.

I was weirding out the crowd with my bizarre reaction, that much was apparent. They closed in, more than ready to fish for answers.

Okay, that was a bit too much, here. Time out. Was this, or was this not a party in my honor? Whose name was on the banderole: Mine, or the alicorn who already had so much? Can we not turn this minuscule moment, this inconsequential little party within Equestria’s long timeline, into another fawning session, please? That possible at all, or was it so inconceivable not to yap her name at any given time? Why did she have to hog the spotlight all for herself even in moments that had NOTHING to do with her almighty accomplishments? My party was merely a footnote in the grand scheme of everything the oh-so-important Element of Magic had done; just let me have it, for Celestia’s sake! Stop poking your snout in my business – try that for a change!

Frustrating, really.

Dare I say I was seething. Slightly. Maybe more than I thought.

Made me want just to... Ugh!

“Look, can we just talk about something else!?” I snapped.

Couldn’t manage to tread on eggshells with that one, damn it. The group recoiled at my sudden outburst, what with me being totally out of character. I was usually so detached and carefree, but here? My lingering ire was not only uncalled for, but it was also beyond unusual, especially coming out of the mouth of a stallion such as myself. One that was usually so posed, so stoic. I ran on a strict jokes and pleasantries diet. Guess today, I strayed away a bit, though I really wish I hadn’t.

In any case, the awkwardness was palpable.

Thanks, princess Twilight Sparkle, destroyer of friendships! Still finding a way to drop a deuce in my cereals even when kilometers apart. Once again, another point in your favor, you joy-sucking scum basket!

...

…

I needed to take it down a notch.

Beer. More beer. Infinitely more beer. That was a solution. A solution? THE solution. Mr. Prospector had the right idea. To the bar counter! Somepony deserved to have his meddling thoughts numbed a bit.

Smiling sheepishly in a futile attempt to return the party to what it once was, I excused myself, and made my way to Sweet Pint for my next order.

What was I so worked up about anyway? Twilight Sparkle, tche. She wasn't about to make an appearance in these streets anytime soon, that was a given. This place was MY turf; she could have the rest of her Equestria. In five years, nothing ever prompted a visit from Her Royal Highness in this quiet little town of ours. That wasn’t about to change. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. I could gain solace in knowing this.

Besides,


Nothing ever happens in Outer Grove.
> Twilight: Solver of Friendship Problems
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunstone was lost in his books. Three volumes opened on his small inclined wooden lectern, ready to be devoured by the young scholar. Sat on his haunches on a silky pillow, quill in his mouth, he furrowed his brow in an attempt to put his meninges back into third gear. He even rubbed his temples to give himself all the extra brain juice he needed. There sure were a lot of big words in this “Minerals and Other Geological Formations” almanac! He had to concentrate reeeaaal hard on the meaning behind this ocean of terms, definitions, and abbreviations to properly give them a little corner in his gray matter. In truth, he was still a bit too young to delve into such intensive lectures, but Sunstone was a big preacher for getting an early start.

For him, there were no better ways to spend his Saturday mornings. He was who he was; there was no use in going against the grain. Curious to a fault: That was his true nature. His overworked brain sadly had to pay the toll. Other 12-year-old ponies preferred playing outside, and while he didn’t dislike the idea, Sunstone found all the friendship he could possibly yearn for inside the pages of his many tomes. Besides, most ponies at his school were unicorns, and even though the divide between his classmates and himself wasn’t impossible to work with, he still didn’t relate to them all that much. Rocks: He wanted to carve them; they wanted to transmogrify them. Compatibility was a tough sell there. Ah well! Their loss!

Sunstone scribbled a couple of notes. His penmanship was starting to look professional for his age. Early to get a cutie mark and early to be a model student. That which he did not understand, he would simply write down in a list and look up in the dictionary later, the one haphazardly thrown onto the mess that was his bedsheets. Ponies of his age would normally shout “moooom, what does X mean?” yet Sunstone preferred to crack the case himself. A trait that ran in the family, so claimed his dad. Besides, both of his folks were currently out of the house, doing shopping or something boring like that. He had no business twiddling his hooves, waiting impatiently to pester them, ha!


His lil’ silvery ears flicked at the sound of something playful and exciting emanating from the lower floor. His eyes even twitched to the side a bit, daring to be distracted for just a moment. He perished the thought and dedicated his attention back to his academic lecture once again.

As if to provoke him some more, the thrilling noises doubled. The ruckus wasn’t too loud, no no. But my oh my, did it sound enticing! Like something fun was happening directly under Sunstone’s bedroom. Laughs interlaced with playful shouts.

Still a foal at heart, this time, he was hooked. Young ponies loved to play; it was only natural. And Sunstone was 100% bona fide playmate material. There was no use fighting instinctive urges any longer: Sunstone simply HAD to investigate what the commotion was all about. The ultimate temptation had its way.

A big smile on his face, the keystone of his default expression, Sunstone clasped his book shut in one brash motion, raising the dust off his desk. His eyes were aimed at the large window pane in front of him, but were in fact peering into a beautiful world of make-believe. He quivered with envy, unable to keep his untapped energy all for himself any longer.

Bouncing off the cushion, sliding onto the bed like an action hero, swinging open his bedroom door in a blink: He was off! His parents told him countless times before not to run in the house; what a preposterous idea to entertain with a pony of Sunstone’s caliber. Case and point: He practically galloped down the stairs two steps at a time, narrowly avoiding a nasty tumble to the first floor.

Somewhat out of breath, it’s when he turned the corner that he saw them.

In the middle of the living room, she was bouncing on the couch, and he had the higher ground on the wooden antique cabinet. Little sister Twilight Sparkle trying to catapult pillows at little brother Shining Armor, the latter defending his territory of spiderwebs and lint clusters. It was an epic skirmish between two unicorns. Two siblings. Two young foals that shared a roof. Two frontlines that would give no quarter.

The living room was completely turned over. It was scarred by the leftovers of a battle of legendary proportions. The carpet had bundled up into a baggy mess, picture frames found themselves on the floor, various chairs and furniture were tilted over, an armchair was somehow tipped on its back, the floor was laden with rubber toys... It was chaotic. It was beautiful.

Sunstone observed his siblings for a moment. He hadn’t been spotted yet. He was just there, seizing what the scenario was all about. Shining Armor, stopping the volley of pillows with telekinetic magic whilst Twilight, still being a bit too young to have some horn control of her own, was flinging them with a swift motion of the jaw.

“Hahaha! Give up, sis! We both know you won’t be able to take my castle!” proudly declared a hammy Shining Armor.

“Nu-huh! Imma getcha, Shining! Imma getcha!” cockily replied the youngest one in the family.

“Oh you try that, you... you lil’ pony!”

Both fighters were attacking/defending relatively well. Both were laughing despite the physical assault. Both of them were having a lot of fun. Both of them... both of...

It became too much to bear. Sunstone wanted in on the wargames. Oh, how he wanted that so so much! He pictured this traditional conflict quickly devolving into a three-sided free-for-all. A cacophonic odyssey that shan’t ever be forgotten. A trio of siblings: One victor. Ties were unacceptable.

It was time to begin the onslaught! Until one brother or sister was left standing!

“CHAAAAARRRGGEEEEE!” roared Sunstone like an unleashed berserker.

He bolted from his vantage point at marathon speeds. While dashing like a mighty war horse, he swiftly grabbed a pillow on the floor with his teeth. Armed and ready, in one acrobatic pounce, Sunstone made his way atop the coffee table in the middle of the war zone. Both of his siblings stopped what they were doing in an instant, their attention now fully dedicated to the impromptu warrior.

“Eep!” squealed little Twilight, being directly in his line of sight.

“B-big bro!?” exclaimed Shining, still perched on the cabinet. “What... whatcha doin’ here?”

“Taking down the prince!” he smirked menacingly.

It was clear that both of them did not expect his intrusion in their two-player game. This little moment of confusion would give Sunstone ample time to take the upper hoof.

So that’s what he did. Seizing the opportunity that was presented to him on such a beautiful silver platter, with one quick movement of the head, Sunstone launched his pillow faster than an arrow. Who was the target of his sudden vicious attack? Why, the closest unicorn was the smartest choice.

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes expanded with horror. Had she not ducked at the last moment, she would’ve merged with the pillow that was supremely close to pull a Sonic Rainboom and found herself pegged on the back wall. Luckily, the only thing the flying object managed to do was to knock over a potted plant with a loud crash. She looked back at the destruction with her ears splayed onto her neck, then turned to Sunstone with a heart beating way too fast for a foal of her age. She knew that if she didn’t counterattack right there and then, she’d be toast.

She grabbed the nearest pillows in her vicinity and began flinging them at the aggressive newcomer. Shining Armor did the same, having found a stronger common enemy. The male unicorn was soon out of fluffy ammunition however, and so he had to resort to slinging other miscellaneous objects. Books, ornaments, random toys, random baubles: Anything would do. With the help of his magic, everything was tossed with double the power.

Meanwhile, Sunstone was masterfully dodging most projectiles. Sure, he got bonked on the noggin a couple of times, but he had a robust hide. He could take the hits. It was all about toughing it out. It’d be a cold day in Tartarus before he gave up!

Still, the strategy was lacking. Two unicorns against one earth pony was hardly fair, their age notwithstanding. They had a good range game, but Sunstone was big and well-built. He needed to get into melee territory. That’s where he would thrive. That would be his key to secure his victory.

Catching a pillow thrown by his little brother with both hooves, he was ready to execute his devilish plan. His pupils locked with those of Twilight Sparkle. She drooped in fear, feeling something sinister forthcoming. She knew her time was up. She could sense it. There was nothing her big brother Shining could do to protect her against the Sunstone menace anymore.

Sunstone backed away a bit, preparing to go all in. Energy sufficiently accumulated, he jumped in the air like a hungry manticore and...

SMACK!

... Abrasively whacked his little sister with the pillow. That left her dazed, her eyeballs rotating in all sorts of directions. Sunstone could’ve sworn he even saw stars orbiting around her head. A perfect opening to finish her off! With a brash tackle of his hips, Sunstone effortlessly knocked Twilight Sparkle off the sofa, making her faceplant on the parquetry.

“Hahaha! My foray in Twilight-Land has been a success! I now reign over her people, bwahaha!” victoriously chanted Sunstone. “Now’s the time to take over the castle!” he then added, gloomily gazing at the other pony still standing.

Shining seemed to be getting a little bit nervous. “W-wait! Sunstone, wait! I think you really-”

“I don’t negotiate with tyrants, hmmmph!”

“No! It’s Twily, s-she’s... you hur-”

“Talk to the pillows!”

And so began round two of the game. Shining Armor might’ve had the higher ground, but that didn’t discourage Sunstone one bit. His regime WAS going to be toppled; he couldn’t envisage anything but. Shining Armor tried to halt his brother’s progress, but it was futile: Sunstone was older and tougher. He was unstoppable.

Sunstone elbowed the base of the cabinet with all the strength he could muster, making his younger brother fumble unsteadily. Shining knew he couldn’t hold onto his advantageous position any longer, so, in a fit of panic, he jumped onto a nearby wall-mounted oak shelf. This feline tactic bought him a few more seconds, but Sunstone soon found more random stuff to relentlessly fling at him. Yelping in surprise, Shining booked it, crossing the shelf ungraciously. Everything that was proudly displayed up there soon found its way to the floor, crashing in a maelstrom of noise.

“You’re done for, ‘prince’ Shining Armor! I’ll take over your empire, muhahahaha!” cackled Sunstone.

“S-Sunstone, this is too much, stop!”

“Never!”

Unfortunately for the poor unicorn in distress, the shelf soon ran out of length. His brother was in the middle of gathering more pillows into a small pile. He obviously wasn’t going to give up anytime soon. There was no talking him out of it. Shining understood that he had to resort to desperate tactics to put this bloody massacre to an end. The only plan that he managed to concoct on a whim was a terrible one, but that was still a far cry from not having a plan at all.

Taking a huge breath in, the courageous young unicorn gathered all of his determination…

... And jumped off the shelf! A parabola in midair, directly on a collision course with the earth pony below. As gravity accelerated him closer and closer to his target, he uttered an ear-piercing war cry.

“FOR EQUESTRIAAAAAAA!”

“Buh?” Sunstone mumbled, surprised by his brother’s unexpected bravado.

Shining brusquely impacted Sunstone. The two of them rolled together, the momentum carrying them all the way to the side of the sofa. They both got their heads knocked as the tumble came to a sudden halt. Their whole world was spinning, though Sunstone was the first to break out of it.

Now having his brother close by, he could pull a Twilight on him as well. He groggily grabbed the heaviest pillow around in his mouth, dragging it on the floor by his side like a serial killer. He slowly approached his still dazed bro, taking his sweet time, and gazed at him with the look only a villain could give. How he was enjoying his position of superiority! Shining finally snapped out of it and looked at the earth pony towering him, a shadow darkening his face from the low angle shot.

“Y’know, brother... I’ve always hated royalty,” quietly said Sunstone, etching a deranged smile.

Shining could only stare at him with quaking eyeballs.

“... Bummer,” is all he managed to say in the view of his impending doom.

The pillow was raised. Two eyes closed themselves. Resignation was palpable. And then, what was meant to happen, happened.

SMACK!

The sound of a second pummeling. Shining fell on his side, his cheek impacting the floor. His teeth even clacked together with an unpleasant sound.

And just like that, the war was over.


“WOOO! Two unicorns down! Bow down to me, peasants! Hahaha! Earth ponies wiiiinnnn! See? We don’t need spells and all that overpowered stuff to pull our weight! We da best, we da best!” danced Sunstone.

Among the deafening quietness, he heard some sniffles.

“... w-we da best?”

The sniffles turned into sobs, then the sobs into full blown crying.

Twilight Sparkle’s face was all wet with her tears. She was hiccupping, choking on her own breath. She was rubbing her head with her hoof, trying to make the pain subside. A nasty bump had swelled just above her right eye.

When Sunstone took notice of that, his heart sank into his chest, culpability fully taking over his senses. His adrenaline drained in an instant. No longer did he feel triumphant. He ran by his little sister’s side, fueled by big brother instincts alone, unable to bear seeing her hurt like this. Guilty. Stupid, stupid, and guilty! Triple guilty! Sunstone simply couldn’t digest that he might’ve really hurt his sis. He couldn’t have done it, no! S-something else... something else must’ve been at play, here! Right!? Something must’ve conspired against him. Hurting his siblings, him!? Baloney! Preposterous! Impossible!

“S-sis! Are... are you okay?” he desperately asked, fully knowing the answer. “A-are you hurt?”

He tried to put his hoof over her tiny shoulders to bring her comfort, but she rebelled and pulled away.

“Yes! Y-yes, you hurt me, you... you b-big bully!” she cried between two sobs.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean... I’m so sorry! I...”

He tried to approach her again in a poor attempt to bring her comfort, but she widened the distance once more, crawling on her bum. Sunstone was in a pickle and he had absolutely no idea how to make amends here. The slight was still very fresh, but he wanted it to be mended right there and then. For a young teen, there was no time factor at play when it came to burying the war axe. It was now or never.

“L-look! Y-you can hit me, okay? You can hit me! I’ll let you punch me in the face, and then, and then... and then we’ll be equal, right? P-please stop crying...” was Sunstone’s last gambit.

Unfortunately,

“SUNSTONE!”

He recoiled and blanched like he’s never blanched before. There were only two unicorns in the world who could shout his name like this with this much displeasure. He dared not to turn around to confirm his greatest fear. Frozen in absolute panic, hunched over his distraught sister, even at his age, he knew a “It’s not what it looks like” wouldn’t cut it.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light, both equally ticked off, made their way into the field of view that was Sunstone’s pinpricked pupils. B-back so soon? His mouth was hung agape and his throat clamped itself shut. Because this morning? You would’ve been hard pressed to find two parents that were more disappointed in all of Canterlot. It was difficult to make Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Light frown, but somehow, Sunstone managed.

Twilight Velvet huddled over her wounded daughter and gently put her on her withers, craning her neck back and nuzzling her to calm her down. The small unicorn buried her face in her mother’s white fur like it was one oversized teddy bear. Meanwhile, Shining Armor managed to get back to his four hooves, and limped next to his dad. He looked as unamused as him.

And just like that, it was the whole family on one front versus a mortified Sunstone standing all alone.

But this new war was impossible to win.

“Care to explain, young colt?” coldly demanded the patriarch.

Night Light then lifted his head, pointing at the total carnage that was the living room. Sunstone finally took notice of the absolute disaster it had become. Somehow, it didn’t look THAT bad mere minutes ago. But... Now it was messier than a landfill. W-weren’t those rare Prance plates broken from the start? ... Uh oh.

“It... It wasn’t me...! They, they, they were playing! I w-was reading, I didn’t... I didn’t start this!”

Every word he uttered felt like a buck in the guts. His dad remained absolutely unimpressed, and so too did his stoic mom. Sunstone couldn’t feel any more intimidated if he tried.

“Sunstone,” resumed Night Light, rubbing his hoof on his forehead, “that is no excuse. You know that this is no excuse! You’re the big brother, you’re supposed to be more mature than this!”

Twilight Velvet nodded. “Mmmh hmmm! At your age, you should watch over your brother and sister and show them the example. You know, instead of joining in their destructive games. You need to be a good role model for them! They need to learn from you!”

Sunstone’s tail was between his hind legs. He was almost prone to the floor in supplication, trembling at his scolding. He could barely manage to find what to say, his esophagus drier than a chimney.

“But I... but I...” he yammered, a lump forming in his throat.

His dad cut him off. “And frankly, Sunstone, you’re twice your brother’s age! And Twilight’s only four years old! You play way too rough with them. Not to mention, you’re an earth pony, so you’ve got some natural strength you really oughta be careful with.”

“That’s right, Sunny,” added his mom, giving a small smooch on Twilight’s forehead. “If you really want to play, why don’t you go outside and do it with some of your friends your age?”

Sunstone remained silent for a moment, but his pounding heart was audible to anyone in the room. He started to hyperventilate a bit, clenching his teeth.

He felt so rejected at that moment. And maybe even a little angry. A lot more than a little, actually! Couldn’t they see? Couldn’t they understand!? It was so... so unfair! His intentions were noble and he... it’s not his fault if he was that much older than Twilight and Shining! When he was their age, he didn’t have any siblings he could share playing sessions with. But them? They had each other. Not only did they have the right to play together, but they also had a lot of fun doing so – so why couldn’t he? What made him so different, so unusual? Why was he the bad guy right now? He wasn’t a bad pony, wasn’t he?

Wasn’t he?

Tears started to swell up in the corner of his eyes. His face felt hot. His emotions were all over the place.

“M-my friends?” he repeated, tears escaping his defiant eyes. “My friends!?”

Before both of his parents could reply to him, he stomped a disobedient hoof.

“I don’t HAVE any friends! I don’t! I don’t have friends!” he cried, tears dropping on the floor. He pointed a trembling hoof at Shining Armor, and then at Twilight Sparkle. “They’re all I’ve got! They’re my... they’re my only friends! And now, y-y-y-you’re telling me t-that I can’t...”

He couldn’t bear his rage any longer. Sunstone ran past his family and aimed for the stairs.

“I hate you all!”

“Sunstone!” shouted Night Light. “You do NOT talk like this in this house! Now come back here and apologize to your brother and sister!”

A door slamming shut, and Sunstone secluded himself. Only his moans and sobs were audible.

His parents sighed, unsure what to do with all this. Sunstone was well on his way to become a teenager, the toughest years in a pony’s development. Night Light and Twilight Velvet expected to encounter some resistance along the line, sure, but that all came too suddenly. Way, way too suddenly. Where did this attitude come from? He never bit back quite like this before.

They needed to adjust and be thorough with their oldest son, lest he started being out of control. Parenting was not an easy game to play, but they’ll forever remain fair and impartial to their offspring. Sunstone wasn’t exempted from making mistakes, but he had to own up to them, learn from them, and fix them.

“I’ll go talk to him,” said a discouraged Night Light.

As soon as he started trotting toward the staircase, a small tug on his back leg halted him. He turned around, confused, and saw a pleading Shining Armor.

“W-wait dad,” hesitantly said the young unicorn. “I um... can I go talk to him instead? Please?”

Shining’s dad tilted his head. “Mmmh? Uh, I suppose? But I mean- aren’t you mad at him for hurting you?”

“Well, yeah, but... he’s still my big brother. And I just wanna make sure he’s okay...”

Night Light smiled and ruffled Shining’s blue mane. Forever wanting to play the protector, this young colt.

“Alright son. But you make sure to tell him to come back down to clean up the mess he’s made.”

“Okay dad, I will!”







Princess Twilight Sparkle paced around the cutie map for the nth time, her eyes locked onto the pictogram of her own mark. It was hovering all alone right by the circumference of the table. A sigh escaped Spike’s mouth. He was tapping his little claws onto the armrest of his undersized throne, following her movements in a semi catatonic state. His other arm ended on a knuckle to his cheek. Has it been half an hour already? Truly, there have been more exciting moments in the castle of friendship. With only the two of them populating the room, he couldn’t even make idle chatter with anyone else. It was that boring.

Five more minutes. Five more minutes and he was going to interrupt the princess’ musings. That was his cut-off time.

Much to his relief, Twilight stopped for a bit, squinting intensively at the holographic six-pointed star. She rubbed her hoof under her chin, concentrating on putting her million thoughts into their rightful place. Was this it? Was she finally going to break her mutism? Was she going to challenge the sound of silence? Was she-

Nope. She started circling the table again. Spike couldn’t take this time of inaction anymore. Enough was enough. He lifted a claw, about to protest-

“This is all so intriguing!” suddenly exclaimed Twilight. “Usually, we’re sent as a duo to tag team a friendship problem, but here, there’s only just me involved, all alone? Oooh I wonder what’s so different this time!”

...

“... That’s it?” complained Spike, throwing his arms.

“Huh? W-what do you mean?”

“That’s all you’ve come up with after all this time? Gee Twilight, I could’ve told you that from the start and saved you the effort.”

She rolled her eyes and tsk’d. “No, of course there’s more to it than just that, don’t be ridiculous.”

Intending on continuing to relay her discoveries, she approached her floating cutie mark one more time and gently tapped under it.

“Do you know what this place is?”

Spike gave it another quick look. “Far.”

“Ha ha ha, Spike. I meant, this particular location’s name?”

“Beats me,” he shrugged, still a bit disinterested.

“Well, according to the map, there’s a minuscule settlement riiiiight over there.”

Indeed. If you closed an eye and focused under Twilight’s hoof, you would see a couple of houses and buildings bundled together right by the base of a decently-sized rocky hill. A detail so cryptic, so hidden, that it put the entire Where’s Waldhorse? franchise to shame. The immense forest surrounding the secretive landmark didn’t help either. Who would ever think about veering their attention to the middle of nowhere like this? Twilight and her friends never did, and for good reasons.

“So?” indifferent Spike asked.

“So? So?”

She approached her assistant with a bit too much enthusiasm for his tastes. On guard for upcoming Twilight shenanigans, the little drake firmly clenched his clawed hands onto the throne.

“Spike, I thought I knew all there was to know about the geography of Equus – let alone that of Equestria! But not once have I heard of a small village established so far into the Undiscovered West! And I tried with all my might to remember what this place could’ve been, but nothing rang a bell! In all of my years studying history books, never have I come across anything that could give me the slightest of hints about whatever that place might be.”

Invading Spike’s personal space, she rested her forehead on his, squeezing his cheeks with her hooves with perhaps just a tad too much passion.

“Do you know what this means!?”

“Muh-oh,” he struggled to say through the bulged lips of his clamped mouth.

“This means, there’s still some knowledge to be harvested! I need to know all there is to be known about that place! I cannot believe I’ve been in the dark about a whole countryside town this entire time!”

She finally allowed him to regain his freedom and bounced like an excited foal.

“Oooh what a wonderful day to tackle a friendship problem!” she squealed, clapping her hooves. “Spike, to the library!”

Quicker than Spike could elbow out the saliva drooling from his fangs, the princess teleported out of sight. Spike could take a hint as to where. He half-heartedly left his crystal chair, unable to hold a sigh.

“Haven’t had one of those ‘wonderful’ days in a while, I s’pose,” he cynically mumbled to himself.











Twilight was already surrounded by a mound of books when Spike finally made it to the library. It’s not like he didn’t take his sweet time, but.

The princess was hunched over a circular workstation, skimming through her lecture at Mach 5 speed. She barely registered any of the words from all those paragraphs before a new page covered them. Her eyes were ping-ponging from left to right, intending to cram as much information under her horn as she possibly could. As though data gathering was some kind of competition – an egghead competition, as Rainbow Dash would so eloquently put.

True to herself, she failed to suppress her bad habit of floating random helpful – but sometimes sharp – tools all around her with magic she didn’t even realize she was using. Be they rulers, magnifying glasses, custom-woven bookmarks, quills, ink pots, or simply other books she was more than eager to read, the result was always the same: A big fat hazardous cloud that could crash down at a bad news’ notice.

A bit fatigued and strained by all this crazy activity, Spike rubbed an eye. Not even a step into the library and a ladder on wheels surrounded by a purple aura slid right next to the midget dragon.

“Spike, find me everything you can about Outer Grove!” ordered the busy bookworm, not even turning to acknowledge his presence.

“Outer what, now?”

“Outer Grove, Spike!”

“Run that by me one more time?”

She audibly moaned, her eyes looking to the crystalline ceiling. This time, she turned to glare at her somewhat confused assistant.

“Outer. Grove,” she said with palpable impatience. “That’s a town. I mean, THE town. I mean... ugh! The town on the map, Spike! Five minutes ago? Remember?”

Spike was already four bars up into the ladder when he snickered. “Uh, sh’yeah. I was just pulling your leg. I’m not a dum dum, Twilight,” he quipped. “Why am I not surprised you found the name of that ‘mysterious’ place already?”

In the corner of the room proudly stood an old yet charming sepia globe of Equus; an obscure antique wedged on four spindled wooden supports. Twilight Sparkle floated it toward her, adding it to her nebula of swirling objects – the one that would give any safety inspector worth their name the motherload of all heart attacks.

“Interesting you should mention that! Because that town, Outer Grove, is rather young in the grand scope of Equestria’s many urban centers. It’s only half a century old, as I’ve just read. My outdated globe right there didn’t even have it properly mapped, so I had to-”

“Imma stop you right there, Twi,” cut Spike, already two books under his armpit. “How can your globe be outdated when I’m preeetty sure this castle has only been in Ponyville for a coupla years at best? Less than 50 years, I can guarantee you this much.”

“The globe didn’t come with the castle; it’s a vintage set piece I bought from a broker when- you know what? That’s besides the point!”

She yanked a book Spike had scrounged with the aid of, yet again, her powerful magic. That threw off his balance just enough to give him tummy jitters, and he had to rapidly flail his free arm like a rotor blade to avoid an unpleasant rendezvous with the floor. He growled a bit at that, not too keen on having his safety put at risk only to entertain the princess’ dopiness. She really had a tendency of becoming somewhat careless and cloistered during her nerdgasms.

“The point I’m trying to make is, I had to do some research in our most recent census records to find a lead as to what- ah! There we go. Thanks, Spike!” she interrupted herself, her newest book now opened to page one.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it,” Spike replied begrudgingly, clutching the ladder with his dear life.

Much to his relief, she started petering out her magical cloud. The torrent was reduced to acceptable levels. She quickly skimmed through the tome Spike had found – not without jumping over the table of contents, of course. The title was simply: “The Last Stop West,” which was completed by a cursive “An Explorer’s First Outlook at the Principality of Outer Grove” underneath. A promising little piece of tuition for those who knew what to look for. And recently published too, which wasn’t a surprise, given the town’s rather brief age. At least, this ensured that the information within would be more or less up to date.

Spike continued adding anything he deemed relevant to his collection. He couldn’t help but give quick looks at his mentor; how she always looked so delighted when sponging up new knowledge into that curious brain of hers! There was something commendable about that. Something about mastering your craft, perhaps? Or was it about nourishing a hobby? Either way, she looked happy.

He browsed for an additional fifteen minutes before he rolled with the “good enough” doctrine. Spike regained the floor and went by Twilight’s side. Neither of them had spoken since. Spike piled up the books he had found on the table and let out a polite cough in his fist. Y’know, just to prove he didn’t phase out of reality since she embarked on her intensive reading session.

She didn’t respond to that, and so, he upped his game.

“Sooo... found anything interesting so far?”

It took her a couple of seconds to answer. “Mmmmh? Oh! Yes yes, this is all so fascinating! Did you know that Outer Grove is actually the most westward established city in all of known Equus? It stands all on its own without any other municipalities for kilometers around! This in itself is already incredible- and listen to this!”

She magically flipped a couple pages back and cleared her throat, ready to dictate the words before her.

“‘One must’ve prepared to pilgrimage their way through the Undiscovered West to reach the principality of Outer Grove. A perilous trip that would usually last a minimum of three days if leaving from the nearest known populated outpost. Venturing in and out of Outer Grove certainly has proved to be a test of will and endurance. Unprepared caravans would most surely tempt a terrible fate – as it so happened many times in the past. Ponies accidentally veering off course, highwayponies stealing precious merchandise and goods, wild beasts attacking those without a proper armed escort; all this, a slim part of a long list of recorded incidents. Outer Grove is indeed built on the efforts, selflessness, and sacrifices of those who were willing to make these risky trips simply to keep the principality well-rationed.

“‘Fortunately, travels to Outer Grove have become significantly less dangerous ever since a brand-new railroad was commissioned by the Crown to link it with the rest of civilized Equestria. The construction was completed a little over three years ago, this, in an effort to ensure the safety of those who dared to brave the Undiscovered West. One must now charter – if travelling from Canterlot, for instance – two different trains at the two respective crossroads where the rail splits. One right by the exit of Ponyville, and the other, built on the fresh tracks that used to solely bring passengers to the vibrant city of Las Pegasus.’”

Twilight quickly flipped the book to look at the little numbers scribbled on the back.

“Mmmh. According to the date this encyclopedia was released, this would mean that the ‘new’ train tracks are now a bit under six years old. I had no idea about any of this!”

Spike sat on a stool, brought his feet onto the table, and linked his arms behind his head. A typical detached pose he would usually adopt whenever he expected the spur-of-the-moment lessons to go above the hour mark.

“Y’know Twilight, I’m wondering why they even bothered making a town all the way over there if it was so complicated for ponies to reach it...” noncommittally posited Spike. “Seems like a lot of effort for a whole lot of nothing, but hey, what do I know.”

“Ha-HA!” Twilight said, an accusatory hoof a few centimeters off Spike’s snout. “I’m glad you asked, my faithful and oddly astute assistant! Because the book also has a response for that!” she added, her excitement never leaving for a second.

More pages flipped. This time, to the section about the town’s history.

“Hang on, lemme just find... ah, there! It says, and I quote: ‘52 years ago marked the first battalion’s foray into the territory. They operated under the name of what was referred to as the ‘West Campaign.’ The campaign’s primary objective, funded and endorsed by the Crown, was to cartography more thoroughly the rough guesstimates elite unicorn mapmakers had sketched about the Undiscovered West. Disappointingly, the first battalion merely scouted the place and came back to the princess with minimal oral reports.

“‘Over the next few years however, further and further these corps went, until the fourth battalion, aided by the expertise of military engineers, finally had the means to establish a semi permanent installation. At first, simply composed of tented barracks, the daring mares and stallions stationed there managed to erect a sturdy and tall watchtower. A strategic building that would give the troops an advantageous outlook over their surroundings. They fought tooth and nail to claim that territory as their own, but managed to prevail in the end – partially due to their investment in their defensive watchtower.’”

Spike was intrigued by this latest piece of trivia. “Fighting? What the hay were they even fighting all the way in the middle of nowhere?”

Twilight Sparkle giggled. “Another pertinent question!”

Flip, flip, flip. To the Fauna and Flora subchapter of the hefty part dedicated to Outer Grove’s geography.

“‘The Undiscovered West obeys esoteric rules when it comes to the nature flourishing in it – not unlike those of the Everfree Forest. For starters, the weather system is complex, works on its own accord, and doesn’t accept any inputs from weather pegasi. Moreover, random cells of many different critters roam well-defined sections of these large forested lands.

“‘Reports from the earlier years of the West Campaign made it clear that the site (where the principality of Outer Grove would eventually end up residing) was unusually rich in Ursa Minors. It was found that these Ursa Minors used to hibernate around the base of the mountain where the watchtower was built. Over the years, thanks to the valiant efforts of the pony infantries, these Ursa Minors were discouraged to approach the territory claimed by the West Campaign and wound up migrating elsewhere – though it was always suspected that they’ve remained close-by.’”

Spike scratched his head. “They fought flippin’ Ursa Minors!?”

“That they did, Spike. That they did.” She tapped her hoof under her chin, pensive. “Hmmm, I do hope the ponies living there today aren’t stripping down the land or overextending their town too much, otherwise, they might provoke an ugly conflict…”

A few seconds went by as Twilight thought more and more about the nasty consequences that could befall upon the poor ponies living there. Surely, they knew they had to tread carefully with the dangerous ecosystem surrounding their living space, right?

Spike smacked his head. “But... why!? That still doesn’t answer my question from earlier: Why go through all the trouble of making a village over there if it’s been nothing but trouble from the start? A-and... and especially if there are still risks even to this day?”

He didn’t know why he was so invested in this. Somehow, he wanted to make sense out of this crazy town. He was desperate for the big cathartic twist.

Twilight returned her muzzle down into the book. “I’m getting there, Spike! Hear this one out: ‘During a particular nefarious battle against a ferocious Ursa Minor, a magical spell misfired and ended up striking the side of the nearest mountain. A section of the hill got chipped away after the resulting landslide. Explorers later went on the site of the impact to properly evaluate the destruction. What they found, they couldn’t have expected: Amongst the debris, a non-negligible source of precious materials had surfaced. This prompted the Crown to send a convoy of miners and other specialists to collect the ores and potentially extract some more.

“‘Over time, as more and more settlers flocked to the encampment covered by the watchtower, a small hamlet, shared by military personnel and civilians alike, was slowly put in place. Workers and soldiers needed to feed; grocery stores were built. Workers and soldiers needed a place to rest; hostels were built. It’s around that time that princess Celestia had officially called off the West Campaign. The last battalion departed and left behind what is now the principality of Outer Grove as we know it today.’”

This concluding line got Twilight all giddy again. She couldn’t help but squeak out an excited laugh. Spike didn’t really share her joy however. He was more flabbergasted than anything.

“So wait wait wait,” he said, a hand massaging his forehead. “If I’m getting this right... the whole reason these ponies were so eager to go there was to... mine a bunch of rocks?”

“Seems like it!”

“And get a coupla bits doing so?”

“Mmmh hmm!”

“And that’s why there’s now a community living there?”

“Yup, yup! Though, the book does precise that the gold rush period has diminished significantly since then. Turns out, ponies aren’t too eager to live all on their own for years in a place so deserted.”

Spike couldn’t find anything to reply to that. For him, to isolate himself so far away... the prospect was insane. He’d go mad from loneliness over there. All of the delicious gems in the bordering mountains weren’t worth any of this.

Twilight took her assistant’s silence as her cue to keep reading. “Ah! But that’s not all! There’s more: ‘To not leave the town completely defenseless, even to this day, a duo of pegasi sentries from the royal guards is dispatched to the principality of Outer Grove to protect the secluded citizens. These pegasi are stationed there and typically rotated every six months by the Crown.

“‘The watchtower remains as the earliest installment in the village and still stands today. However, ten years or so after the end of the West Campaign, it was converted into a clocktower by the local population. The bell was to be rang by an employed lookout to alarm the sentries of potential upcoming dangers. To this day, it has only been recorded to have rung five times – the last of which being approximately twenty years ago. As the years rolled by, the clocktower became more and more obsolete, and today, it is more or less seen as a novel monument, a testament to Outer Grove’s rich history.’”

Spike was phasing out a bit, his eyes listless from Twilight’s endless parroting. Perhaps that is why it took him a bit longer than expected to realize that she had stopped her narration. When he finally looked up to see what the deal was, he immediately noticed that something was off with the princess.

Her book was lowered, for starters. But her head, her expression... She was looking to the side, her gaze fleeing the words displayed in front of her. She was biting her lower lips, her hooves nervously rubbing on each other. Her eyes, they used to be so full of enthusiasm just a moment ago. Now? They were trying their hardest to mask a deep sadness. It’s as if she suddenly received a letter full of bad news from Celestia herself.

“Uh... Twi? You’re doing okay there?” Spike queried.

She didn’t answer. She was too busy focusing on what was eating at her. Spike decided to intervene. He got up from his seat and tugged at her a bit.

“Twi?” he tried again.

“H-huh? Oh uh... hum...” she mumbled, snapping out of it somewhat.

“What’s going on? You look rather, uh... down?”

Indeed. Her mane had lost a few levels in vibrance, and even her coat was paler. Spike could practically feel the anvil wedged in her guts.

“Oh. It’s ah, it’s nothing. It’s nothing, Spike.”

Spike cocked his head, thoroughly unconvinced. Twilight knew she couldn’t lie her way out of this. She sighed.

“It’s just, I was reading a bit further, and stumbled upon Outer Grove’s motto. ‘A Miner’s Paradise,’ it said. Then, it... it added: ‘Anypony with a pickaxe, a good attitude, and a knack for fortune can call this place home. A welcoming town with plenty of opportunities to build a new life.’”

She deflated after saying that. Her neck sagged and her ears flattened themselves on her skull. She looked so morose, so defeated.

“Uh, oookay?” Spike said, a bit confused.

“I don’t know Spike, it just... It just reminded me of somepony, that’s it...”

“Somepony? Do I know them?”

She silently gestured positively. Then, as if struck by lightning, Spike’s eyes expanded.

Oh.

“Wait. Waaaait. You don’t mean...?”

“Yes. Him,” she whispered with great pain, on the verge of turning into an emotional sinkhole.

Spike was suddenly attacked by the same heartache that had claimed the princess. He truly loathed seeing her miserable like this. Her anxiety was his to share too. So he did the best thing anyone in his position could’ve done: He embraced her as hard as he could, rubbing his cheek onto her warm lavender fur.

“Oh, Twilight...” he said in a sorrowful tone.

“I-it’s alright Spike. H-heh. I’m just being a big silly pony. I’ve come to terms with his... with what happened a long time ago. I... I shouldn’t think about stuff like this. N-not now. Not when there’s a friendship problem in dire need of my help!”

She tried to chase these bad memories out of her troubled mind. Focusing on the mission was the best way to reclaim the ambition she once had. She returned Spike’s hug, and tried to smile a little.

“I better go make some preparations for the voyage.”

Fortunately for the princess, that distraction would prove fruitful.











A new day rose on the castle of friendship. Twilight Sparkle was already up and about, filling up her luggage and saddlebags with all her necessary equipment. Cosmetic products, blankets, a myriad of books, neatly packed lunches with days and times written on them, half a dozen quills... you name it; she had it. She was overpacking to the point of giving Rarity some serious competition.

That’s what Spike and Starlight Glimmer initially thought when they joined her in the lobby of the castle. They both exchanged a perplexed look, unsure what to make of the scene before them.

Spike awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and coughed. “Um, aren’t you overdoing it a little bit, Twi?”

“Mmmh?” she turned around. “Oh, good morning Spike, good morning Starlight! No no, I’m packing just the bare minimum for a one week stay.”

Starlight tilted her head. “A... week? You really think it’s going to take this long? The um, friendship problem, I mean?”

Twilight Sparkle let out a small chuckle. “Oh! No no, I don’t think so. I mean, I hope it won’t!” She shook her head. “Regardless, I’d like to prolong my stay in Outer Grove to learn more about this place. I mean... What kind of princess just ignores a whole city like this for that long? I owe the ponies living there at least the courtesy of a proper visit. See if they have any problems, any issues that need to be dealt with...” She lowered her head, her ears drooping. “I just feel a little bad that they’ve tended on their own for so long without any of their rulers even checking on them… they all must think we’re snubbing them.”

Starlight gave a hopeful smile to Twilight. She approached her friend and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

“I don’t believe they’re thinking this at all. And I’m sure they will appreciate it, Twilight. You’re a good princess,” she encouraged her. “But...”

She bit her lips, unsure if she should keep going. Finding the courage to do so, she went on.

“... a whole week? A-are you sure it’s wise to go over there all by yourself? It’s kind of far. Shouldn’t uh, maybe... I guess it’s not my place to say, but maybe one of us should come and keep you company? Maybe? I wouldn’t mind.”

“Yeah Twilight!” agreed Spike. “It could be dangerous for all we know. I mean... Ursa Minors, Twi! At least enroll a couple of royal guards to come with you, please?”

The princess remained impenetrable. She shook her head with authority.

“No and no. The map has picked me and only me to go all the way over there. There must be a perfectly good reason for that. I’m not going to rock the boat on a system that’s proven to work before. It’s a tried-and-true formula. Besides...”

She interlaced Starlight and Spike in a group hug.

“... I’m only going over there to solve a friendship problem. Not to engage in epic battles and fight big monsters or what not, hehehe!”

They all laughed together. Yeah, now that she put it like that, their concerns really did seem a bit far fetched. What could go wrong? A simple small vacation in a remote town, what’s so bad about that? Not everything had to spiral down into misadventures.

Once they simmered down, Twilight nodded at Spike.

“Want to help me carry all of my suitcases to the train station, Spike?”

He saluted like a little soldier. “On it, Twilight!”

Lifting with his legs (and not his back), Spike started carrying her baggage one by one toward the huge double doors by the entry of the castle. Twilight Sparkle used that time to take a private moment with Starlight.

“Listen, Starlight. Since I might be gone for a while, could I ask you to handle all of the castle logistics during my absence? I’d really appreciate it. I need a strong and organized pony to do so, and I know I can count on you.”

“I uh... I’ll...” She wanted to say ‘I’ll try,’ but a quick look at Twilight’s expectant eyes made her reconsider. “Yeah, I’ll do that. Don’t you worry about a thing,” she winked.











Twilight was seated on a cushiony red velvety banquette with a small cherry wood table in front of her. On the table, a tome Spike had fetched opened midway through. On her right, her luggage placed in an orderly fashion. On her left, a window giving view to a wall of trees zooming past at high speeds. A horn echoed. The train was well on its way toward the distant town. The ride wasn’t bumpy at all; in fact, it was surprisingly smooth. Everything was hunky dory.

Since today was a Saturday, she expected the trains to be full of commuters. Ponies sure loved to travel when the week-end rolled around! And lo and behold, her hypothesis was proved right almost immediately.

On the first train, she was crammed between a metric ton of ponies. It was bustling with activity. Families, tourists, workers, envoys, couriers, group of friends... they all wanted to travel to the four corners of Equestria. When other nearby passengers recognized the benched alicorn, gasps and bows were inevitably exchanged. Other ponies were baffled that she allowed herself to be wedged between all of them, sharing seats with mere commoners, but she had to certify that she did not mind at all. Certain overly polite ponies even went as far as to yell at strangers to give her some room. She had to practically beg to these passionate ponies that all was well. In fact, she loved being all close and personal with her fellow ponies, sharing stories and anecdotes. A good way to keep in touch with Equestria’s denizens!

On the second train, the number of ponies boarding was halved. This time, most of the passengers were clothed with colorful attires. Glamorous business suits were a-plenty, and so too were faux-leather jackets, extravagant dresses, and synthetic pompadours. All of these ridiculous ponies, it was obvious that they were on their way to lose a couple of bits in slot machines in Las Pegasus. The celebratory ambiance certainly had enjoyable qualities, to be fair. Twilight Sparkle even had to deny the many martinis offered to her by the party-go-round ponies of her wagon. She had to keep her head clear for the mission at hoof. Besides, she wasn’t really keen on alcohol to begin with.

On the third train, she stood alone. In fact, that train wasn’t even scheduled to depart today. The princess had to send a communiqué the day before to the mare in charge of the station to let her know of her intent to board a train toward Outer Grove. Strings had to be pulled to make the staff deviate from their timetable, of which she was a bit ashamed. Of course, they did not mind making this work – she was a princess after all. They were always so happy to oblige. Twilight didn’t like to be on the receiving end of special treatments like these, though in her defense, there was an urgent friendship problem lingering about. This had to be tackled as soon as possible before it could potentially devolve into an unsolvable mess.

This last ride was by far the longest of them all. Whilst the two others took an hour at best before reaching the next junction, this one was well on its way to cross the six-hour threshold. It was now around five in the afternoon, which was on time with her carefully put together schedule. She even correctly accounted for the down time at the stations. The skyline was turning into a beautiful orange glaze, and soon enough, Luna would allow her magnificent canvas full of stars to take over.

As the natural light dwindled, Twilight had to strain more and more her eyes to keep reading the lecture she entertained herself with. She took this prolonged ride as a good opportunity to know even more about Outer Grove. The more she knew, the better prepared she would be.

This lone wagon of this train only harbored four other ponies: The conductor, a mechanical engineer, an all-purpose butler, and a chef. For once, she wasn’t stuck in conversations, meaning she had all the time in the world to spend some with her books.

She had learned that Outer Grove was predominantly populated by earth ponies. Pegasi were more-or-less constrained by the two royal guards, and unicorns were straight up an oddity. That didn’t surprise her much. From what she had gathered, this town was mostly made to accommodate blue collared laborers, jobs usually preferred and best carried out by earth ponies. Not to mention, the natural state of the town was attractive to those who controlled it the best. What good was a unicorn’s magic in a place that offered neither scholarship nor grants for those who mastered it? What good was a pegasus’ role in a place where weather acted on its own volition?

Another interesting aspect of Outer Grove’s demographics was its male-to-female ratio. In all of documented Equestria, this might’ve been one of the only places with a larger population of stallions. And not just by a little either; two thirds of the village was male. This was beyond unusual. Twilight might’ve finally found the exception that made the rule.

“Your tea, princess,” suddenly said the butler.

Twilight looked up, her neck cracking with painful kinks. The unicorn mare before her gently deposited a small cup onto a saucer. In the cup was the delicious-smelling green tea she had ordered.

“Oh, thank you very much! I haven’t had a nice warm tea in two days. I really needed that,” she candidly said.

The servant bowed with a smile. She trotted back to the front of the carriage, where a tiny makeshift kitchenette had been installed. In front of the few passenger seats, travelers could easily see what the chef was preparing. It’s crazy how much they managed to fit in that small area. Twilight spotted a fridge, an oven, a chromium preparation counter, and countless pots and pans hanging from hooks on the ceiling.

Everything in its right place, she smiled, about to see if her tea was scalding or drinkable.

She never had the chance to find out.

Her lips by the porcelain cup, she couldn’t hold onto it with her magic when the train suddenly came to an abrupt halt. The braking process was so loud, so abrasive, that all the objects in the room, her luggage included, were projected to the front wall of the wagon. The same was true for the princess herself. With no seatbelt in charge of upholding her security, she rolled on the slanted floor until her back impacted the door to the conductor’s cabin. Her rear legs were over her head, and dizziness became her middle name.

When the train was finally out of motion, she gathered her thoughts and weakly got up. The collision gave her some wincing pain, but at least, it was no piano on her head (that one hurt badly). She gave a helping hoof to the chef and the butler who too were in a pitiful state.

“Are you two alright? Nothing broken?” she drunkenly asked.

When they nodded, a small wave of relief washed over her.

Her second reflex was to knock on the door that led to the front of the train. When no answers came, worry started to nestle in her guts once again. Intending to find out what the hay this was all about, she unlocked the sliding door to the exterior and pulled it open despite the poor oil job that offered some resistance.

Alongside the two other staff members, she disembarked the vehicle to assess the damage.

Who would appear but the engineer and the conductor, two stallions that looked utterly incredulous. They were peering at the railroad, something nasty having caught their attention.

“What happened?” asked the princess. “Why did we come to a sudden stop? Why are you two outside?” she rapid fired.

“Oh! P-princess!” said the conductor, bowing despite his best efforts not to. “Sorry ‘bout that. I hadta pull the ‘mergency brake. Tried not to be rough, but had no choice! ‘Cuz lookit this mess! I ain't never seen anythin’ like this in ten years o’ drivin’!” he complained.

She walked past the group and gasped when she saw what had occurred. The metallic tracks in front of the train... were completely disconnected from the other ones further ahead. The chef covered her eyes with her hooves. The butler nearly fainted.

“The tracks are... broken?” she rhetorically asked.

Now was the engineer’s turn to speak. “Yup. Severed. A clean cut. Something sharp must’ve done it. Can’t go any further without derailing.”

There was more than could meet the eyes, that was a given. Twilight channeled energy in her horn, and lit up the crime scene with a potent spell. The extra brightness highlighted a new ominous variable: Deep and elongated claw marks near the destruction. The purple alicorn’s eyes grew in horror. It took her a very short time to recognize what could’ve caused something like this.

Immediately proving her right, a prolonged and terrifying bestial scream drowned the otherwise calm ambience of crickets and toads. It sounded close. WAY too close. Twilight has had the displeasure of having heard that same scream directly in her face a couple of years ago. She could identify those monstrous noises in a heartbeat. This could get ugly. Very, very ugly.

The four other ponies grouped together. They held themselves tightly with quaking front legs, looking left and right to spot the source of what they’ve just heard.

Twilight has had enough. It was time to act, and not a moment too soon!

“Conductor. Listen to me and listen well!” she commanded. “You and the others, go back into the locomotive and start revving it to go backward. You cannot stay here!”

“B-b-b-but... w-w-what ‘bout you, princess?” replied the conductor, deeply afraid.

“I need to find out what’s going on here. Outer Grove is only a few minutes away, is it not?”

“Y... yes, b-but...”

“Then it’s a wise assumption to say that they may be in danger! There might be a crisis, and I need to fly there myself to see if it truly is so! I’m not going to let them be the target of a vicious attack if I can help it!” She pointed at the train once more. “So all four of you, go back to the Las Pegasus junction where you can be safe. Do not be alarmed and wait for my return. If I do not make it back in two days, send an urgent letter to princess Celestia, do you hear me?”

They remained silent, blinking their eyes.

“Hello? Anypony!?” said Twilight, trying to break them out of their stupor.

“O-o-okay!” finally said the conductor while the rest of his crew quickly jumped back into the train. “But please, princess, for the love of all that is right, please! Be careful...”

She nodded. “I will. Do not worry about me. It’ll be fine!”

Another ear-piercing growl prompted her to take off to the skies. It’ll be fine, she mentally repeated to herself. I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Twilight! Not only that, but she also hoped her concerns – nay, her FEARS were worth abandoning her personal possessions for.

Despite the urgency of the situation, the airflow still felt warm and nice. The sun was dancing by the firmament and in a few minutes, night would replace the evening.

When she saw the first few lights of the town appearing by the horizon, a bell reverberated.
> Sunstone: Not a Hero?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A record was spinning on the turntable of Sunstone’s personal gramophone. Out of the horn of the apparatus came the microtonal, atmospheric, and rich sound of that new style of electronic music all the youngsters worshiped almost religiously. Sunstone had bought that EP in a music boutique by combining his allowance and a modest part-timer paycheck. Ever since then, he has played it almost every day. All of those intricate bleeps and bloops did their job at helping him concentrate during his intensive study sessions. Since these tended to last a couple of hours, background music was a welcomed addition to help him out. Maybe a little bit to his family’s dismay.

He was in his bedroom, posted by his desk with a singular candle lit and the curtains drawn. As the number of books required to obtain his diploma increased over the years, so too did his workspace to accommodate them all. No longer did he need to sit at the undersized toddler lectern he cherished oh so much during his younger years. On the verge of being a young adult, he needed something a little more serious to reflect his 17 years in Canterlot.

Sunstone closed his “Advanced Magical Applications of Stoichiometry” manual. He exhaled to give himself the moral boost he desperately needed. But with his music, his self control, and his strive to succeed, odds were stacked in his favor.

He was ready.

“Alright Sunstone, you can do this.”

He inhaled. And then, on top of his head...

“‘Various specific stones, ores, and minerals, when sufficiently heated, after a while, will become oxidized. A powdery substance known as calx will be the result of that chemical reaction.’”

He flipped a couple of pages to make sure he didn’t get that wrong. And huzzah! His memory was on par with his textbooks. Things were starting to make sense now!

Confident with his streak, Sunstone kept on going.

“Let’s see now, mmmhhh...” He looked away from the book, eyes closed. “‘Calxes have many interesting magical applications, especially within the dogma of potion brewing. They act as important adjuvants that fulfill certain roles when mixed in. Their properties are codified by their natural (or artificial, in rarer cases) color.’”

Sunstone tried to remember the most important colors. For sure this was going to be asked in the upcoming end-of-semester exam. These tended to be pretty brutal, and Sunstone didn’t want to take any chances.

“Okay, so... Red calx is used as an enhancer: It multiplies the effects of the potion. Blue calx, however, is an inhibitor. Pretty much has the opposite attributes of red calx. Then we have purple calx, which is an accelerator. With it, the reactions of a potion occur much quicker. Orange calx makes a potion’s effects last longer. Gray calx is... is uh, ah...”

He tapped his chin, pupils lost to the corner of his eyes.

“Darn, I actually don’t remember that one. Must be pretty useless.”

He quickly searched in his comprehensive manual once again.

“Ah, there we go: ‘Gray calx serves no specific purpose whatsoever. It’s an inactive filler that merely helps increasing the volume of a given potion.’” He chuckled a bit. “See? I knew it was nothing special.”

Three knocks on the other side of his closed door attempted to interrupt his time of learning. Sunstone decided to ignore them, hoping his visitor would quickly get the message. In fact, contemptuous, he raised the volume slider of his gramophone. That sure would show them, ha!

“Okay. So where was I? Ah! Identifying from which ore, metal, or mineral a type of calx stems from simply by the study of its physical properties. You can measure its density, its texture, and its color to figure it out. There are even advanced experiments, such as the hydrochloric acid test, more commonly known as the ‘bubble test,’ which you can perform to-”

Three more door knocks.

Clearly, the intruder was either stubborn or dense. Maybe a little bit column A, little bit column B. Whatever their major malfunction was, they sure couldn’t take a hint. Sunstone rolled his eyes and let out a prolonged sigh. He closed his book in annoyance. He obviously couldn’t be left alone, noooo. Somepony had to bother him.

“Yeah, alright, damn! You can come in,” he grouched.

The door timidly opened and in came a horn atop a pink head.

“Sunstone?” said the mare. “You’re in there, right?”

“No, I’m somewhere else,” he immediately replied, a bit irked.

When he spun on his chair to see who had dared to inconvenience him, he was left a bit surprised. That was definitely not somepony he expected.

“P-princess Mi Amore Cadenza?”

“Hehe, it’s okay Sunstone. You know you can just call me Cadance, right?”

Wasn’t the first time she said that.

“If it’s all the same with you, princess, I’d like to stay formal.”

Wasn’t the first time he replied that either.

And as always, even though she tried her best to hide it, Sunstone still caught the micro expression of uneasiness that washed over her face. Regardless, she managed to keep her large smile and the majority of her composure. Oh, she was good.

“May I come in?” she politely asked.

Ha! Why even bother asking? She was royalty. Didn’t matter that she was a couple of years younger than he was. She pretty much had the birthright to tread wherever the heck she wanted. What, was Sunstone even allowed to say: “Nah, get lost?” What a preposterous idea. If she wanted to come visit his humble room, then of course he’d oblige. That’s just how it worked in Equestria. He was dirt, she was grand: Same as it ever was.

“By all means, princess, make yourself at home!” Sunstone bowed with a borderline sycophantic voice.

She offered another smile despite the negative undertones her host was giving.

Cadance was a smidge smaller than Sunstone. Her long stripes of colorful and curly hair had been tied up in a ponytail behind her head. How adorable, mentally mocked Sunstone. She approached him shyly and peered at the loud object on his worktable.

“What’s this?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“Ah, you see princess, foals these days, they call it a ‘gramophone.’”

She chuckled at the obvious wisecrack. “No no, I mean, the music? I’ve never heard anything quite like this before.”

“Ah. Well, if you must know, it’s from a young emerging musician called DJ Pon-3. No idea if that’s her real name or just a pseudonym. Anyhow, that’s her first musical piece, and that there’s some pretty good acid techno. Any more questions about this music?”

“Um, yes. Just one. Could you please turn it down?”

Okay, Sunstone actually laughed at that. He was still pretty disgruntled, mind you, but he wasn’t one to resist a good quip at his expense. Anyway, since it was royally decreed, Sunstone figured he had no choice but to comply. He reluctantly removed the needle from the disc and the music was immediately cut with an unpleasant scratch.

Cadance used the newfound silence to pace around the room. It was, um... well, calling it “messy” would be a gross understatement. She could forget the bed that was completely turned over, but it was hard to ignore the sea of papers littering the floor, the random sculpting tools scattered about, the dirty plates that somehow hadn’t found their way to the kitchen sink yet... Yeah, it was a late teenager’s crib alright.

She didn’t want to make it look like she was judging his living quarters too harshly, so she tried to scrounge for something nice to say. She approached a cork board on the wall that piqued her curiosity. It was filled with sketches and works-in-progress. But in the center of it was a chef-d’oeuvre. A drawing much larger than its surrounding companions.

On it were three earth ponies on their back hooves holding a sphere.

“Sunstone, did you draw this?” she asked, impressed by the quality of the sketch.

“Mmmmh?” Sunstone lifted his head from his study book, which he had quietly returned to. “Oh. Yeah. I scribbled that silly thing a couple of weeks ago.”

“That’s a very nice draft! You really have a talent for such things. But...”

Sunstone frowned. “... But?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be more harmonious if there also was a pegasus and a unicorn holding the globe instead of three earth ponies?”

...

“No.”

With that cold and blunt answer, Sunstone returned to his favorite activity of ignoring the princess.

She blinked a bit, unsure how to further smooth things out. Sunstone could sometimes be a bit difficult to puzzle out. Talking with him often resulted in conversation judo. He was always so reclusive, so distant. What common grounds could anyone have with the pony who never left his room? With the pony who barely smiled? With the pony whose favorite catchphrase was a condescending sigh? With the pony who was, for all intent and purposes, allergic to anything remotely fun?

He hardly partook in family diners, let alone gatherings. He was never present during celebrations, activities, or events of any kind. Twilight Sparkle being enrolled in the School for Gifted Unicorns? Sunstone was absent. Shining Armor applying for the tryouts of the academy’s youth program? Sunstone was absent. Night Light making it to the semifinals of his bingo league? Sunstone was absent- well that one was understandable, to be honest.

Still. It’s as if he practiced solitary confinement on a daily basis. Every time the princess came to visit, he was always ready to disappear without saying a word. She didn’t even know Twilight had a second brother until the fourth or fifth time she came to foal-sit!

But Cadance wasn’t going to give up without trying. As the princess of love, it was her duty to be there for a pony in need. And behind Sunstone’s elaborate masquerade of sarcasms and surly zingers, she perceived a hidden cry for help.

“Sunstone, I was wondering... well, may I ask you a question?” she treaded carefully, going to his left and taking a peek at his studies.

“You’re a princess. You don’t need my permission for anything,” he replied, tongue-in-cheek.

Another wince she tried to stiffen. “Well... You know how your parents hired me to watch over Twilight, right?”

“Mmmh.”

“Don’t you think it’s a job you could be doing yourself? Watching over your little sister and all? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love foal-sitting her, and I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but-”

“I’m busy.”

Cadance lowered her head, a bit defeated at the bleak, no-nonsense response. “Yes, of course...”

That’s the answer Sunstone always gave when it came to family affairs. “I’m busy.” Two little words that would always shut off any kind of discussion, any attempt at reaching out.

Meanwhile, Sunstone continued writing homework notes. After a few quiet seconds, he tried a quick look to his side. Was she still here? Ugh. Here we go again.

“Look,” he said, giving in. “I’m sorry, and I truly do not mean to be rude, but that’s just how it is. Okay? I straight up do not have the time or patience to look over my sister. I’m already juggling a job at Joe’s donut shop, a bucketload of homework – as you can clearly see, and a tough session at a college that’s an hour out of town; because apparently, Canterlot is too sophisticated to have proper tuition for the likes of me. The last thing I need is to get involved in my siblings’ shenanigans. I tried that a couple of years back, and that didn’t end well.”

“What do you mean by your ‘siblings’ shenanigans?’” she asked, genuinely curious.

Sunstone chuckled sourly. “Oh, you know. This and that. They call it ‘Sibling Supreme.’ Twilight never told you about it? It’s a bunch of silly competitions they do against each other to see who can pee the furthest.”

“Sunstone...” mildly scolded Cadance, unhappy to hear such foul language.

Getting reprimanded by a pony younger than he was. How rich. Sunstone just had to relish the deliciousness of the situation.

“It’s true though!” he doubled down. “Who can have the best grades at school. Who can be the best stand-up comedian. Who can toot their own damn horn the hardest!”

Sunstone started to raise his voice by the end of his enumeration. He took a big breath to reduce his temper.

“That’s what they do, princess. And mom and dad think it’s the cutest thing ever.”

Cadance tilted her head. “And you don’t want to participate?”

“Ha! Even if I wanted to lower myself to their stupidity, it’s not like they’d want me there. I’m way too old compared to them, after all. I’d have an ‘unfair advantage.’ Can’t let lil’ Twilight and Shining think they don’t stand a chance now, can I?” He waved a hoof. “Besides, I’ve seen what happens when I get involved. I once made Twilight cry before. That was a good dose of reality. I’d rather stay out of trouble and not deal with the fallback of that horsecrap anymore.”

Yikes. It was worse than she thought. The offhoofed comments about his siblings was a bit alarming. It wasn’t natural for a pony of his age to hold grudges like these. She had to help him realize that the way he evaluated his family bonds were probably a bit biased for the worse, otherwise, he might cultivate and foster these negative feelings to the point of no return. It was a good thing that Cadance was particularly articulate for her age. She knew how to apprehend and talk to a given audience. Time to use those skills to win Twilight's brother over!

“I... don’t think that’s completely accurate, Sunstone. I’m sure they’d love to have you with them. I mean, take Twilight for instance. I talk with her a lot during foal-sitting and... you know she really looks up to you, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“I’m serious! You remember that time at the Summer Sun Celebration when she saw for the first time princess Celestia raise the sun?”

“No. I wasn’t there.”

He wasn’t. He was working double at Joe’s at the time. During an event as big as Summer Sun Celebration, Canterlot always expected a huge influx of tourists. Naturally, greedy businesses and shop owners took that as a good opportunity to jack up their prices. Employees were tough to come by during the holidays, so those who were willing to put in extra hours would benefit from a higher pay to compensate. For Sunstone, enjoying a healthier salary, even if it was just temporarily, was a boon. Train rides to school were expensive: He needed the bits. So, every festival, while his folks enjoyed themselves, Sunstone busied himself making donuts and cleaning shop. It’s not like he drooled over the idea of meeting the princess of the sun anyway.

“Well, point is,” continued Cadance, “ever since then, she became super invested in magic readings. Yes, part of that is due to how impressive she found the princess to be. But you know what really got her going?”

She paused a bit. Sunstone raised his shoulders.

“Growing up with you, Sunstone. That’s the best motivation she’s ever gotten. She saw how passionate and how invested you were with books. She told me more times than I can remember that she wanted to be just like you. She finds you inspiring, Sunstone. All she wants is to follow in your hoofsteps.”

Sunstone considered that for a moment. Him? She found him inspiring? He was her role model?

... Nice try, princess. That was just an elaborate ruse to keep his guard down. Cadance and Twilight were in cahoots, obviously. They wouldn’t spend so much time together if they weren’t. It would take more than a bunch of thinly-veiled lies to convince him. For the time being, he was going to hold onto his convictions.

“No she doesn’t. She just wants to one-up me and prove that I can be easily beaten. Books and academic achievements were my shtick, and now she's trying to take that away from me!”

Satisfied with his dismissive comeback, he reached forward and opened the curtains. The new sudden flood of light that invaded the otherwise dark room made the princess squint and protect her vision with a hoof.

The window gave view to the house’s well-tended backyard. In the middle of it, they both could see Shining Armor, young, healthy, and determined, rushing toward a wooden pony mannequin with pillows strapped to it. His head impacted the decoy, and with his strong build, he managed to push it back almost effortlessly.

“And look at my brother. He’s just like her! Just because I’m physically stronger than him, he’s been training non-stop to rectify that. I’m an earth pony, princess! Strength is the only advantage I have over unicorns. Ever since he got his cutie mark and his growth spurt, I swear he’s done nothing but try to surpass me.”

...

“Princess?”

Cadance was frozen, staring intensely at the young unicorn. Her cheeks reddened and her breathing deepened. Shining looked so professional, so coordinated during his training. His blue mane, his white fur, his strong hooves...

“Seeing something you like?” Sunstone teased.

“H-huh?” she shook her head, forgetting for a moment that Sunstone was still right next to her.

“Instead of window licking, why don’t you just go down there and marry him, mmh?” he teased some more.

Cadance’s face became redder than a tomato.

“W-what!?” she blurted out. “N-no! I mean... no! I would never...!”

Sunstone quietly snickered at his flustered guest. “For a princess of love, you sure have mixed feelings about it.”

“I... It’s not... Oooh, what’s this?” nervously asked the princess out of the blue.

In a desperate attempt to change the subject, she picked up a random small sculpture on the windowsill portraying an earth pony pumping one hoof out.

“Heh, nice segue, princess,” smirked Sunstone. “And to answer your question: That there in your hoof is the first thing I’ve ever chiseled. It ain’t too shabby, but I still need more practice. I’ve only taken to sculpting a couple of months ago after all. Every asset and extra curriculum credits I can get will help me elevate myself above the mass. That’s why I draw too, by the way. I have no other choice, otherwise, I’ll just risk staying a nopony forever.”

She was quite content with the long-winded answer, because it involved not talking about Shining Armor anymore. That wonderful, good-looking, gorgeous...

Sunstone saw that she was getting lost in thoughts again and coughed impatiently. Daylight was burning, and he was getting a bit peeved that he still couldn’t study proper. Seemed as good a moment as any to let her know that this was seriously dragging on.

“Pardon to be so blunt, but was there a reason why you came to my humble hideout in the first place?” 

She blinked a bit. Ah, right! Her impromptu visit. She craned her neck back and looked at her cutie mark.

“Oh. Um. Well, I'm here to foal-sit your sister, but on my way up to her bedroom, well... I had to stop myself. Because I suddenly detected a good pang of heartache nearby.”

Oh.

Sunstone knew where this was going. He was not in the mood to play her game. He had school work to go back to. A backseat psychiatrist was the last thing he needed. He had no spare time to pour into this nonsense.

“Well, princess, better go ahead and calm my sister down, then.”

“No, Sunstone, the heartache, it ah, it came from your room. So I thought maybe I could come in and help?”

He squinted. He didn’t enjoy his feelings being meddled with like this. Especially from a pony who couldn’t read between the lines and outright refused to take a hike.

“I... appreciate it, but your love detector is in need of some fine-tuning. Because I’m fine, I’m totally fine.”

“Really? Are you sure? Because if you have anything on your heart, just know that I’m a great listener.”

She kept inadvertently pushing his buttons. He was getting increasingly annoyed at her resilience and started feeling tense on the inside. That little ball of frustration in his chest was slowly inflating.

“I am fine, princess,” he insisted between grinding teeth. “Really! The only thing that’s stressing me out is missing some precious minutes that could be better spent studying. I’ve got a lot of school work to do and very little free time. Plus, I’ve got to go to punch-in in less than an hour. So if you could please...?”

He pointed with his face toward the door, really inviting her to get out of here already. Cadance looked back, then sighed. This time, she couldn’t ignore Sunstone’s not-so-subtle “please leave” cues. She wasn’t going to win that battle today, unfortunately. If only she could find the right words to breach that stubborn wall of his. Her cutie mark was pretty much pulsating with the insecurities emanating from that poor earth pony. But she couldn’t do all the work herself. He had to do his part too.

One final attempt.

She was going to try to say one last thing, in a desperate gamble to get him to open up.

“Alright, I'll leave you alone then... But if I may? I think you work and strain yourself too much... Sunstone, this isn’t healthy. It’s not good to constantly hide yourself away from your family like this. You know they love you, and I’m sure they would be happier if you took some time for yourself as well.”

Sadly, the risk didn't pay off. Because, much to her chagrin, her speech didn't fly high with Sunstone. At all. He tried to hold it in, but in the end, that was the line that broke the camel’s back. Was she seriously patronizing him right now? Her, of all ponies?

The silver pony banged a hoof on his desk. That drew a quiet “eep” out of her.

“I ‘work too much?’ S-says who? A princess who’s already on top of the world? Spare me the horsepucky! Must be reeeal tough to be exceptional at such a young age, doesn’t it? J-just like my brother and my sister! Already well on their way to become champs and leaving me in the dirt! Need I remind you in which city we live, princess? Freaking Canterlot! I’m already at a MAJOR disadvantage what with not being a unicorn, but Shining and Twilight? Oh, they sure can thrive in this little paradise! You know what this means? It means, I have to work twice- no, THRICE as hard as they do so I can make a name for myself. Otherwise, how else are they ever supposed to see me as their big successful bro and not this loser pony who’s tainting their family name, huh? Huh!?”

“W-wait! Sunstone, I... I didn't mean-”

“Oh no no no please, oh please, I beg you princess: Keep telling me how I should dictate my life! You obviously know better than I do! ‘Take some time for myself?’ Are you seriously that naïve? You’re still practically a kid; I don’t have any lessons to take from a know-nothing know-it-all!”

Sunstone breathed in and out, his eyes widening. He put his hooves over his mouth, shushing himself. Even he knew that spitting at her like this was uncalled for. If he was spiteful before, now he was completely out of line.

Cadance received all those words like someone threw stones at her. Despite Sunstone’s insults, she kept her tact and stayed level-headed. She waited for a good minute before she could formulate a reply.

“I... I’m sorry you see me this way. But... you make a lot of assumptions, and I don’t think that’s fair. It’s not always a breeze for me either, you know. We all have our struggles, alicorn or not.”

Sunstone lowered his head, still in shock that he dared badmouth a princess this harshly. He didn’t want to show any cracks in his resolve. But here? He failed miserably. Why couldn’t he have stayed impenetrable like he always did? Why did he suddenly feel the urge to have an emotional outburst like this? It hadn’t happened in years, and now...

“I’m... I’m sorry princess, I shouldn’t have...”

“That’s okay Sunstone, I forgive you. It happens to the best of us,”  she said, offering a sincere smile despite everything. “I just hope you understand that Shining and Twilight love you because of who you are, not because of who you are trying to be.”

She rubbed a hoof on the carpeted floor, knowing her time with him was up.

“I suppose that I should um, I should probably leave you to it, then?”

Sunstone didn’t lift his head to look at her, but he still nodded in shame.

The princess of love excused herself and quietly left the room, the door gently closing behind her. She waited for a few seconds in the corridor. Her heart-shaped cutie mark was practically burning with his unhappiness.

Sunstone’s music started blaring throughout the house once more. She shook her head, eyes closed, and let out a sigh of disappointment while trotting away.







I was on my way up the mountain, ready to put in another day of work. Today was a Saturday. And I was working. Yes, I worked on the week-ends. That wasn’t imposed on me, yet I did it anyway.

Look, I loved to work, okay? I think I made that abundantly clear already. It was a fulfilling duty, and I was a capable pony, etc etc. Working six days a week didn’t make me a martyr or whatever. If anything, it helped fatten my coffers. Which was good. Money was good. Money money money~. And hey, my house needed the repair work, remember? That kind of stuff sort of operated on having a big ol’ pile of bits. So yeah, I wasn’t going to refuse Mr. Prospector’s generous offer to let me work overtime.

Besides, I had a perfectly good excuse to clock in more hours. When I took inventory yesterday, after I brought in our new batch of copper that is, I noticed that our reserves of grounded rubies were worryingly low. I was more than willing to rectify that. Our lackluster supplies gnawed at me all night; even maybe a little during the party as well.

The party...

You know, on the one hoof, it was an amazing event. I really enjoyed having my 15 minutes of glory. I mean, who wouldn’t? The townsfolk, they all busted their flanks to make it happen. They must’ve prepared and pepped up the bar all day while I was on my shift. What kind of ingrate milquetoast pony would I be if I was a grump about it? No, really, it was a good time all around. Spending precious moments with friends and acquaintances? I’ll take any excuse to do that!

On the other hoof, however. It ah, it didn’t end as well as I expected it to. And it was entirely my fault. A small part of me wanted to blame the alcohol, but that wouldn’t be exactly honest now, would it? No, it’s my attitude that done did it. Such a pleasant evening, tainted by my suboptimal – not to mention unprovoked – social move.

I still cannot believe I lashed out at them the way I did. That must’ve come out of the blue from their perspective. What a jerk I’ve been. And then, to continue making a total foal out of myself, I isolated my sorry ass with a beer, only exchanging a few words with Sweet Pint. As if to make things worse, Skybrush even came back to see me to make sure everything was alright. Naturally, I assured her it was so, but somehow, I think she knew that I was just trying to diffuse my little oopsie. I nursed a few more drinks for the rest of the night, and the party was called off a couple of hours later.

Look, you have to believe me! It was an overall fun night. Let’s forget about the last part. It didn’t count. That was just me being stupid. Let’s call it a mulligan, heh.

... A mulligan that still made me feel out of it even today. Ungh. Work should appease my mind, aye? That seemed like a good way to turn the page and to never speak of this incident ever again.

With a newfound boost of confidence, I ascended some more. I even felt my ears popping due to the increased altitude. That’s okay, I was used to this phenomenon by now.

I took a different path than yesterday. Ruby deposits were located elsewhere after all. I was walking next to the minecart rails on the narrow path when I peered over the rocky cornice. I stopped in my tracks a bit, appalled by the scenery below.

“Oh wow!”

What I saw! Or rather, what I didn’t see. A huge chunk of forest, that’s what! Completely missing right by the bottom of the escarpment from this mountainside. A gigantic square of land filled up with chopped up trees, piled up timber, and other various debris; all of them, resting on a bed of chipped wood and nubby stumps.

That was site 2B, was it not?

Well, congrats Seesaw Log and Leafy Humus! You successfully cleansed an entire chunk of the surrounding preserve. Sheesh. They really weren’t kidding about their exploit yesterday. In fact, they might have undersold it, ha.

I get that Mayor De La Tour wanted Outer Grove to have enough space for that fancy college of his, but boy, how big did he want it to be? We were barely a hundred in here. That seemed like overkill. The clearing could’ve easily fit five hoofball fields, and that was a modest estimate!

Look, obviously, I wasn’t an expert; far for me to entertain the idea of telling Log and Leafy how to do their job. If they judged that basically nullifying a corner of the Undiscovered West was the way to go, then hey, more power to them. Besides, they were probably just carrying out the blueprints carefully laid out by Mr. Prospector. Surely, they knew better than to deviate from them. All was well.

I sardonically chuckled to myself and marched on. Today was ruby day, and I had a good feeling about it. My sixth sense all but ensured that I would strike a fortune!









Well, my sixth sense certainly had a strange sense of humor. Or maybe it was defective?

Whatever the case was, today was going poorly. Poorly with a capital P. Poorly to the max. In fact, I don’t think I recall the last time I was that subpar, that inefficient at my job. My cart was barely a quarter full when my stomach told me it was soon time for dinner. My instincts were all off, and rubies made a mockery out of my expertise.

I guess somehow, I still felt under the weather.

What’s wrong with me? Did yesterday evening jumble me up that much? Like, come on now! Yes yes, we get it, princess Twilight Sparkle. You tripped me up, okay? You win!!! That being said, could you kindly leave my mind now, if it’s not so much trouble? I had work to be done, you see. Gray Calx was pragmatic and down-to-earth; not emotional and mopey. So, begone now! Shoo! Out of my brain! You’ve done enough damage already.

...

Sigh.

Might as well call it a day. I’ll have some serious explanations to give to Mr. Prospector. Not to mention, I think he was still recovering from his night of debauchery, so bad news was the last thing he’d want out of me. How I hated to disappoint.

I was bringing the cart up the steep slope of my tunnel as I always do. It wasn’t as heavy as it usually was; another grim reminder of my terrible performance today.

I was halfway through the return path when a sudden earthquake shook the whole cave system. Everything vibrated with fervor. So much so that I had no other choice but to trip to the floor. The tremors might’ve only lasted two or three seconds at best, but that was enough for me to let go of the minecart.

I flipped to my back, just in time to see the cart speeding down the rails, gravity giving it all the acceleration it desired. It soon disappeared into the deep darkness below, the crystal light of my helmet failing to illuminate this far down. And then, a few seconds later...

CRAAAAASHHH!!!

Followed by the distant sounds of gems spilling everywhere.

“Are you KIDDING me?” my infuriated voice echoed.

Wonderful! High score! Let’s pop out the champagne everypony!

Today was a day, wasn’t it!? One of the most days ever. The hay did I do to Marephy’s Law to end up on its crappy side so badly? I dared not to think of the damage my cart received. For all I knew, it was a mashed-up wreck of metal. It would take me hours, literal hours, to get it out of here, bring a new one in its stead, and fill it back up. I’d be here all night. Cool Saturday, right? Hey, maybe the tremors could dislodge a boulder from the ceiling and smother me while we’re at it?

Speaking of the tremors, what in Faust’s name caused them in the first place? My geological knowledge knew that this sector was NOT prone to random earthquakes. You see, we were in the middle of a tectonic plate, which meant that-

!!!

S-something roared! Aggressively so. Same as yesterday night! I heard it loud and clear! Came straight from the outside, a-and... and there it went again! More bestial snarls! Oooh that sounded unhappy.

Okay, you know what? We’ll handle the clean-up job later. I have had just enough of these mind games. I’m going to check what the deal was once and for all. I wasn’t crazy! I wasn’t hearing voices- or screams, rather! I’ll prove to the world that my delusions were grounded. I. Wasn’t. Losing. My mind!

I got back up on my hooves and took no time to gallop toward the exit.

When I appeared out of my rounded chasm, I had to put on the brakes. Violently. I slid forward, raising a cloud of dust behind me. I even had to flail my front hooves in a backpedaling motion to help me come to a full stop. When I finally did, I flattened my body to the floor, making myself as minuscule and innocuous as I could. I held my mouth shut with my two front hooves to avoid uttering a reflex scream.

What. THE HECK! This can’t... w-w-were t-t-these...? I c-c-couldn’t be dreaming this stuff, r-right?

Could somepony, ANYPONY, please, explain to me why there were TWO FREAKING URSA MINORS DOWN THERE!?

Right by the base of the mountain! Wandering in the middle of site 2B! I knew Ursa Minors weren’t the friendliest creatures of the bunch, but these ones looked unquestionably ANGRY. Aggressive to incomprehensible levels, especially for us unassuming little ponies. But it was indisputable: They were rage incarnate. The purest manifestation of fury.

One of them was larger than the other. Maybe the smaller one (“smaller” being used loosely here) was a cub, or something? I dunno, I wasn’t an expert on the topic of destructive creatures!

What I did know, though, is that they looked oh so peeved. The mother (or father?) smacked away a pile of logs, whilst the younger one busied him or herself with pounding the barren muddy floor – and now I know where the “earthquakes” came from. They paced around the site, destroying everything that they could. Geez, if I wasn’t so dumb, I’d tentatively guess that something about that place had attracted their wrath.

The fact that they didn’t spot my frail frame all the way up there was nothing short of miraculous. My cover hadn’t been blown – at least not yet. I was just there, spying on them, my body trembling in ways I’ve never felt before. There was fear, and then there was me right now. It took a lot of mental fortitude to not faint at the sight.

Both of these giant bears were radiating with a blue cosmic backdrop. The crepuscule made them stand out like sore hooves. Everything around was getting darker, but these two Ursas, they were getting more and more vibrant.

Finally deciding that they loitered about for long enough, they took the wise decision to leave the stripped area and headed West. Right until they turned around the mountain I was standing on, where I could see them no longer.

...

Wheew!

I think I held my breath for a solid minute there. I started panting audibly, giving some much-needed oxygen to my lungs. A cold sweat ran down my temple, and my heart was drumming with painful palpitations. What a thrill! What an experience! But hey, the danger has passed, right? H-hurray?

Then it hit me.

These two gigantic monsters? Were on a direct course toward Outer Grove.

Oh, buck.

That wasn’t ideal now, was it? Oh crud, oh crud, oh CRUD!

Welp. Time to put an X on Outer Grove. They were done for. Totally out of lifespan. They were going to get absolutely leveled. Let’s pour one out for the poor souls down there. One Ursa was already trouble, but two of them? There was no way out of this one. It was going to be a bloody massacre.

I was just lucky to have been out of town during its time of destruction, phew! All I needed was to wait this one out and sulk in my pit like a big crybaby. Better safe than sorry! Inaction saved the day – my day! Hehehahaha, good job, Gray Calx!

...

Wait, what the hay was I even saying right now?

I had friends living there! Good ponies! Ponies who pooled their efforts to commemorate my name not even a full day ago. None of them deserved such a fate!

And Skybrush... Honey Dream... I couldn’t possibly...

I stood up in a heartbeat. I had to do something about this! Warn them proper, or something. I wasn’t going to let them perish, unaware of what even hit them! I was the only one aware of the problem, and it was up to me to use that knowledge to save the day.

... But I wasn’t a hero. I DIDN’T want to be a hero. Oh sweet Celestia, why was I put in such situations? Why meeee! Couldn’t anypony else have taken my role here? I just wanted to mine for a living; how dare I, right!?

Okay. Okay Calx. You can feel sorry for yourself later. Now was the time to act like an adult.

A plan.

A plan, a plan, a plan. A plaaaaaan-

Right!

Here’s what I was going to do. I was going to beat these two uglies to the town. That would leave me some time to shout “THE END IS NIGH” in the streets like an absolute madpony. Problem was, I couldn’t possibly outpace them. Except! I just witnessed ten minutes ago a pretty efficient method to go downhill at Wonderbolt speeds. Yeah... that could work! You sly devil, Calx!

I hasted myself and jumped into an empty minecart that stood all on its own outside. Feeling confident, I yanked the braking mechanism with all of my earth pony strength. Rocking my body back and forth, surely, the cart started to go forward on its rails. The gentle slope, becoming more and more diagonal, made the cart and I gain a lot of speed, until eventually, it was moving faster than I could’ve galloped all on my own.

The wind was blowing in my purple mane. I had to squint with watery eyes. Holy moly, that thing was speedier than a rollercoaster! Seriously, why was I going so effin’ fast!? I was merely trying to tell my fellow villagers of the upcoming danger, not to break the sound barrier!

I attempted to put the brake back on, but that was futile. The lever just became red with the friction and emitted a firework of sparks. It even smelled like burnt metal. There was no stopping the Gray Calx ride. Hey, at least I had a helmet to protect me, right? Good lord, I totally was going to get myself killed before the Ursas could do it for me. Hilarious.

Fortunately, the cart held during the many twists and turns, and neither derailed nor toppled over. Yay.

Unfortunately, my comet of a ride soon ran out of tracks. Nuts.

Barreling down at alarming speeds, I saw the end of the line. A simple little contraption on which carts could come to a rest. Although in my case, it probably won’t achieve anything.

To the left, resting on the cliff of the mountain, was an old-fashioned bungalow: Mr. Prospector’s office. As for the stallion himself, he was seated not too far where the collision would occur. Napping on a rocking chair, head hung low under his big hat, he was most surely sleeping off his hangover.

“WAAAAAAAATCH OUUUUUUT!” I tried in vain to warn.

But it was too late. A few centimeters now, and-

KA-BANG!

Goodbye, cruel ground!

Upward I went. Like I was shot out of a canon. My helmet got projected away from the sheer force of the impact – so much for that! Everything was upside down. Guess I was in the middle of a majestic front flip? I was a few meters up in the air, on my way to a back breaking injury.

Even though it all happened so quickly, I swore I saw the green form of Mr. Prospector passing under me. In the microsecond he appeared in my view, I even managed to see him snorkel awake with a gasp.

Couldn’t float forever, unfortunately. I eventually started descending. Faster and faster now.

SMAAAASH!!

Back first directly into a pile of crates. I totally wrecked them – and myself.

“Unghh...” I moaned in pain.

Followed up by a bunch of coughs. Ouch... my everything. What was in those crates, effin’ bricks or something!? Oh wait, no. Spare parts for the rails, as it turns out. If only I worked in a mattress factory, guh...

I heard a pony gallop toward my corpse of a body. “Sweet jumpin’ Celestia, what do you think you’re doin’, son?” yelled Mr. Prospector. “Have you completely lost your marbles, eh!?”

I somehow succeeded at bringing my sore self up. I cannot recall the last time I maimed myself this badly. Thankfully, adrenaline was on my side for the time being. Tomorrow would suck, though.

“I... I’m sorry Mr. Prospector, I didn’t mean... But it’s, t-there’s-”

“What’s gotten into you? You’ve never been this... this reckless! Here I thought I could just snore my killer headache away, and this is what I wake up to!? A crazy acrobat of a pony who’s...” He stopped himself, peering at my forehead. “... who’s bleeding! Calx, your head, you’re… you’re hurt!”

Huh? I mean, I did feel something warm and wet up there, but I passed it off as some oil or something that splashed on me during the collision. Surely, it couldn’t be...?

I probed the damaged area under my mane, and looked at my hoof. It was stamped by redness.

See, normally, this is where I would appropriately flip my lid. But we had more important things to deal with! I had to get back on track (no puns intended). Time was of the essence!

“There’s no time for that!” I harshly grabbed him by his vest and brought him snout-to-snout with me. “Mr. Prospector! The town’s in grave danger! U-Ursa Minors! Two of them! Coming to wreck everything in their path!”

Despite my psycho babble and my intense breathing, there was a moment of silence. Soon to be broken by Mr. Prospector, nervously chortling.

“Surely you jest, eh? That’s why you injured yourself, isn’t it? To make this unsavory joke more genuine?”

I just stared intensively at him. His mustachioed grin faded out. His eyes, which were oh so full of comedy just then, were now terror-stricken. I don’t think he fooled himself with the improbability of his assessment.

“... You’re not kidding, are you?”

“Have I EVER joked about stuff like this!?”

Okay, now he was in full blown panic mode too. Guess my neurotic mood finally got to him. To think that he was always so mellow and collected. Now though? It’s like he was a completely different pony.

“Oh this is bad. And I mean, this is BAD!” he rambled, losing his nerves. Which was new to me. Never seen him freak out before. “I knew this was bound to happen one day...” He shook his head, trying to get a grip. “We need to warn the whole town!”

“I’m already there, boss! My shouting voice is all prepped up – let’s go!”

I was about to bolt away to fulfil my destiny as the harbinger of bad news, but he halted me before I could do so.

“Hol’ up!” He lifted a commanding hoof, despite his alarmed state. “Think I’ve got a better idea, eh? Follow me, Calx!”

Considering we were competing against a bomb with a very short fuse, I wasn’t about to second guess my superior. I followed him without arguing.









I might’ve been a pretty muscular pony, but that didn’t mean I came without my share of shortcomings. As it so happens, my cardio was ah, a bit lackluster, to say the least.

Okay. Alright. It was terrible. You’ve got me. I was panting and wheezing. I could’ve easily been mistaken for a pony in the middle of an asthmatic attack. My tongue was out of my maw, trying to lower my inner temperature. Sweat dampened the entirety of my fur. So much so that my mane was sticking on my neck, yuck. I must’ve looked miserable to the common observer.

Guess that’s what happens when you cross half of a town in a fraction of a second. With a busted forehead too, ha.

So. Tired and wounded. A throbbing migraine and lungs close to a total meltdown. Legs burning with pins and needles. Spots peppering my darkened vision. That was my current status when Mr. Prospector and I finally reached our destination.

The clocktower. That’s where I’ve been dragged, apparently.

“W-why... why...” I huffed and puffed. “Why d-did... why t-t-the clocktower?” I struggled to ask.

“Because, Calx, my boy, it is our duty to ring the bell to alert the royal guards!”

Ring the what to alert who now?

Mr. Prospector exhaled in annoyance at my blatant incredulity. “Young ponies these days, they always skip their history classes, eh! I can either take twenty minutes to give you a quick lesson, OR, we could save the town. What says you?”

“O-option... option B, please,” I mumbled, my regular breathing pattern slowly returning to me.

“Wise choice, son. All we hafta do is- Darn nabbit! It’s locked!”

It sure was. He was forcing the little metallic half circle handle on the wooden door, but it remained defiantly static. Nothing was moving, nothing was budging.

When he started banging on it and shouting for anypony on the other side to come greet us unwelcome guests, I approached the door-shaped barrier as well. Pegged to it, I noticed a little note with some text hastily inked on it.

“On lunch break. Be back in a week.”

That’s what it said. That’s what the note said. Are you literally yanking my tail right now? What sort of buffoon just bails on their job like this?

“That lazy sonufagun!” raged my boss. “We need to go find that good-for-nothing, irresponsible screwup of a custodian! But he lives across town, that oaf! And I’m not even sure he-”

“There’s no time for that!” I cut his rant. “Any moment now, the Ursas are going to pop in unannounced. We need to go in there, now.”

He scratched his hat at that. “... What are ya sayin’, eh?”

“I’m saying, let’s bust this door open and barge in!”

He gave me a look of incomprehension. But then, he nodded, fully aware of what needed to be done. We were always so law-abiding, so by the book. Deviating from our goody two horseshoes attitude was a tough pill to swallow. Still, drastic circumstances called for drastic solutions. It was for the greater good.

We both got into position, our backs facing away from the obstacle.

Me: “On three! One!”

Him: “Two!”

Together now: “THREE!”

In a coordinated effort, we bucked the door at the same time. Two strong earth ponies, applying all of their might toward an unmovable object. It wasn’t unreasonable to imagine that it stood no chance. Yet, against all expectations, that sucker held on. Sure, it bent inward a bit. Sure, a few nails popped out of the planks. Sure, wood shrapnel flew in all directions. But the door was still functionally locked.

However, my boss and I, we didn’t take no for an answer. That’s why we went at it again. Same song and dance.

Two more synchronized kicks. This time, the door waved the white flag and swung open in a satisfying thud. The decades old locking mechanism effectively shattered in a million pieces. We took that as an invitation to make our way inside.

The building was tall, but slender. A few meters both in length and in width. The walls inside were a drab beige, though the years haven’t been kind to the paint job. It started peeling, giving way to the mortar and bricks it tried to conceal. A spiral staircase a couple of stories tall went all the way to the top, where a large (and rusted) brass bell waited patiently to be rung. I wasn’t scared of heights, but you’d have to pay me a lot of bits to escalate all the way up there. Not only were the stairs barely larger than my barrel, but a couple of planks had fallen off over the years, replaced by a colony of spiderwebs. Not to mention, the guardrail had all but collapsed at various spots. I don’t think this clocktower passed any kind of building regulations.

On the bottom floor, dust had gathered into little triangular deposits on the four corners of the only room. Interlaced with the defunct planks, moldy newspapers, and other various trash of your choice, were random equipment, tools, and pieces of machinery. Like those big printing rollers in the back, what the hay were they even doing there? And those bags of cement powder too. There was no rhyme or reason for any of those knick-knacks. If I knew any better, I’d say that this place was mostly used as a storage room for whatever and everything else too.

There was a small wooden stool smack down in the middle. Probably where the alleged key master would sit and uh... do something? Get paid to keep the spiders out of trouble, mayhaps? Who knows.

Most importantly, though, were the two large ropes dangling right in front of the aforementioned stool. Really thick, these ropes. Almost larger than my hooves, I’d say. In any case, this is where Mr. Prospector bull rushed as soon as he entered this vertical room.

“Take yer rope, Calx! We’re going to ring that bad boy!”

“Aye captain!” I agreed like the devoted worker I’ve always been.

I pulled on my designated rope. He pulled on his. We gave it our best effort. And you know what happened after that?

Sweet nothing, that’s what.

“Hum...” I hesitated, suddenly unsure of his masterplan.

“It’s... the bell’s all out of whack! Hasn’t been properly maintained in 20 years, Calx! Must’ve rusted to Tartarus and back. We hafta pull harder, eh?”

“Gotcha. Let’s go all in, boss!”

I wasn’t done giving him the benefit of the doubt. Call it sunk cost fallacy, but we put all of our eggs into the clocktower basket. So we were going to ring that stubborn bastard if it was the last thing we did!

I pulled so hard that I actually came close to pop a blood vessel. My head had already suffered enough in one day, thank you very much. But hey, our extra elbow grease paid off, because at some point, I started feeling a tug in the rope. The tension loosened, and as we pulled in an async pattern, more and more did it start going up and down. Ladies and gentlecolts, we had movement in the ropes! The first few chimes of the bell started to be audible. We were going somewhere with this, hahaha!

That was wicked and all, but um, the up-and-down motion started to be a little too intense. I had to be on the tip of my back hooves just to keep my grip. Now the bell was fully crying its message to the locals. Yeah uh, that was loud. Like, really, REALLY loud. Felt like my head was on the verge of exploding.

“That’s it Calx! Let’s keep it going!” shouted Mr. Prospector, his voice almost entirely drowned by the thunderous bell. “Hear that? That’s the sound of a proper warning! Just a little more, and-”

“H-hey! Y-your hoof, it’s...!”

What I wanted to say here was: “It’s stuck in the rope.” Because it absolutely was. His left rear hoof, to be precise. Two or three loops had accidentally bundled around it, holding him hostage in a firm noose. But I never got the chance to tell him.

Mr. Prospector, that old pony who had seen it all, that stallion I had the utmost respect for, practically disappeared when he got swooped by the rope and lifted in the air. The last thing I saw before he hung upside down in midair was two big eyes that realized just a little too late what was about to happen.

He was bouncing up and down, flailing like a mosquito caught in a flytrap. The bell’s ringing started to lessen (but was still positively loud), leaving him stuck a couple of meters up from the floor, as though he was a pony-sized mistletoe leaf – how fitting that he was green.

I think that he was shouting for help. He must’ve been, right? I saw his mouth move, but I couldn’t hear the many swears I’m more than certain he was patenting on the spot.

For sure I had to get him out of here! My instincts at play, I grabbed in my mouth a sharp chisel I still carried in my work saddlebags and... gulp... started to go up these monoliths of safety hazards I liked to call stairs. Guess I jinxed myself by wishing not to climb them five minutes ago. One step at the time, I was treading cautiously. If they cracked under my hooves, I thankfully couldn’t hear it.

Close to my dangling supervisor, I could see that blood started to rush to his head, given his woozy expression. I ah... I extended myself over the void with shaky back legs. Tool prudently placed in my mouth, I began to gently saw off the rope. That stupid rope! Why did it have to be so rich with fibbers!

It eventually gave in at some point. And so too did the brittle platform I was standing on.

Yup. A chunk of stairs totally collapsed under my weight.

The result? Two idiotic ponies falling onto the concreted floor. In a neat little pile of limbs, dizziness, and coughs. My ribcage tanked the hit and I think his did too. That’s what I got from the both of us wheezing straight after the impact.

When the thick cloud of dust finally dissipated, a helping hoof I gladly accepted got me back into the game.

“Oof... urk...” I groaned.

“T-thanks Calx... for... cough COUGH... not l-leaving me all on my lonesome u-up there...”

“W-what a day, h-huh?” I tried to quip.

“Heh... I’m quittin’ drinkin’ for good now!” he quipped right back.

...

...

“THE URSAS!” we both screamed.









Total panic.

That was the best way I could describe the apocalyptic scene before the two of us. The moment we stepped outside, our jaws came close to dislocating themselves. Long gone was the once peaceful Outer Grove we all came to love. It left in its stead streets full of ponies running for their lives. Mares and stallions, foals and grownups, all of them, shouting in terror. Mothers clutching babies, street vendors desperately trying to protect their stalls, shutters from home owners closing themselves with loud bangs... It was disastrous.

I saw ponies tripping to the floor. I saw ponies adopting the fetal position and rocking themselves in a fit of pure dread. I even saw ponies holding each other like it was the end.

I heard cries, screams, pleads for help, prayers... But above all? Even surpassing the sound of the bell we worked so hard to activate?

The angry roars of those two Ursas I spotted earlier.

They were here. They were here, and they didn’t want to play nice.

I could see them by the end of this larger main boulevard. Since the clocktower marked the center of Outer Grove, this effectively meant that they had breached the outer perimeters of the town. They wanted sweet revenge, and they were going to hit where it hurts.

And hitting they did. The adult Ursa, that unreasonably big freak of nature, swatted with vigor what I believed to be the storeroom for our edible rations. Where the bakers and grocery store owners went to refurbish their shelves and- look, did it really matter? They were destroying stuff! I couldn’t care less WHAT they were destroying! I only cared that they WERE destroyed stuff, period!

Catching me by surprise, to my right, a pegasus mare in full golden armor came rushing. She hastily put her helmet on, as though she just woke up from a peaceful nap. She had her teeth clenched and her nostrils were flaring with determination. When she saw the same Ursa Mr. Prospector and I were gazing at, she recoiled with disbelief – and maybe even with a dash of scepticism.

“N-no way! It wasn’t a prank! T-the bell... it wasn’t...”

She mumbled a couple of four-letter words I’m not at liberty to disclose. She then stretched those trained wings of hers and flew straight in the direction of public enemy number one. Soon after, her co-worker did the same – minus the curses this time. Both of them, armed with pointy halberds, were gleaming in the early night, like twinkling stars in the infiniteness of the violet sky.

As we stared at the two soldiers circling the bigger Ursa, we heard someone whistle.

“Hey! Mr. G! Gray dude! You numbskulls gonna stay frozen in the open like this forever!? Over here!” the whistler urged us.

That voice, I pegged it as Sweet Pint’s, which was impressive given the uproar all around us. She was poking her head out of an alleyway crammed between two tall dwellings. She was also hysterically waving her hoof, more than intent on getting our attention.

Between taking cover and getting pulped by an Ursa Minor, the choice was simple: We made our way to her hiding spot.

“What the HAY were you two dingleberries lollygagging about!? Are you that eager to kick the bucket or what!?” she berated us.

Sweet Pint might’ve been smaller than your average pony, but she sure had a character to make up for it! Bossy and rough around the edges, trust me, you didn’t want to end up on her bad side. “Naponyleon complex,” Doctor Stethorsecope once said (before getting bucked in the guts).

But make no mistake, that coarse persona of hers was just an elaborate charade, because in truth, I knew she bore the “sweet” part of her name for a good reason. Took me a while to figure her out. She just cared too much, that was her issue.

All’s that to say, we knew better than to reply to her accusations. When she shouted at you, it was in your best interests to keep your mouth zipped and nod like a good pony.

Seeing as we learned our lesson, she sassily harrumphed and instructed us to follow her. So we did just that. Trotting behind that pink earth pony of braided white mane.

A little further down the thin back alley, we ended up in a small alcove with benches and trash cans. A sanctuary where we could be safe for the time being. This is where the rest of Sweet Pint’s group was waiting. A lab coat and two construction helmets: Doctor Stethorsecope, Leafy Humus, and Seesaw Log. With Mr. Prospector and myself, the whole gang was here! It was a relief to know that all six of us were safe and sound despite the ongoing disaster. What I wouldn’t give to end the night with a death toll of zero...

“Calx!” hailed Log.

“Mr. Gold!” followed up Humus.

“You two made it, heheheeee! Oh how glorious it is to see you’re okay!” continued the jumpy doctor for them. “We heard the bell loud and clear, so the four of us quickly met up in this lil’ spot. And then... and then, ah...”

He trailed off, gazing at me. He cocked his head sideways and his left eyeball twitched. Uh oh. I’ve seen that crazed look before. I didn’t even have time to brace for cover when, in one unexpected leap, he invaded my personal space and forcefully tilted my head backward. He attacked my vision with a small crystallight held in his teeth, making me see spots.

“H-hey!” I complained.

“Fresh horizontal laceration on the encephalon about oh, one decimeter in length. No basal layer or scabs formed yet. Blood coagulated on the cranium with a mix of sweat. The wound has neither been properly cleaned nor disinfected with iodine, making it prone to bacterial infection, and-”

“Stop it! Back off!” I pushed him away a bit.

“But ah- what? Come on now, you can’t just go ahead and amuse yourself with blunt traumas and expect me to not bandage them, heheheheee!” pouted the doctor with another one of his typical uncanny laughs.

“Calx, you’re hurt!?” worried Seesaw Log.

“You’re hurt, Calx!?” echoed his broken record of a colleague.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” I insisted with a tinge of hurry. “We can get that checked later, alright? But for now, we have bigger issues, guys! Two Ursa Minors are currently wreaking havoc and-”

“Whoa what!?” shouted Seesaw Log. “Ursas? Like uh, those giant blue bears thingamajig? That’s what’s happening? Why!?”

Yes, why indeed?

“I dunno Log... they seemed pretty pissed off at site 2B when I first spotted them,” I replied.

“Ya don’t say, eh?” lowly said Mr. Prospector, giving a stern and apprehensive look to his two employees.

“Okay but look- does any of this matter for now? W-we gotta... we need to do something about it!” I urged the whole gang.

Maybe I wasn’t assertive enough, because everyone remained silent. Mr. Prospector awkwardly rubbed his hoof on the dirt. Both lumberponies exchanged a worried look, biting their lower lip. Doctor Stethorscope anxiously toyed with his glasses. Okay then! They might not have said a word, but the resultant message was loud and clear.

“Preeeetty sure we can’t butt heads with Ursas, Gray dude,” sarcastically said the barmare. “Must be pretty lonely in Delusion Land if you think we stand a chance.”

“What?” I puffed out. “N-no! I’m not saying we should fight them! Do you think I’m nuts?”

“Coulda fooled me,” she shrugged.

“No! What I’m suggesting is, we need to save as many lives as we can! Ponies out there, Mr. Prospector and I, we saw them: They’re completely lost and terrorized! We need to bring them someplace safe; someplace where they won’t be at risk of having their home crumble down on them or... or get clawed to death!”

I at least got her to consider my pleas. Good. Sweet Pint thought about it for a second or two. All eyes were on her; except those of Mr. Prospector. Somehow, he was still glaring at Leafy and Log. Suspicious.

Eventually, after a short moment of deliberation,

“Yeah... yeah, we could do that,” said Sweet Pint, having found compassion and courage. “And I know just the place. The Two Arches, it has a cellar underneath. A very large one at that too. It’s built directly in the bedrock of the mountain. Ain’t no way these big pea brained bears can reach their grubby paws in there.”

Good enough for me. If my party proved anything yesterday evening, it’s that her workplace sure could harbor a lot of ponies.

And just like that, we were slowly devising an efficient plan to get us out of that catastrophe. See what happens when six heads work together? When six friends pool their might to work as a team? On our own, we had our quirks and were overall pretty inefficient. But as a group, we had the will, the means, and the wits to work this bad situation out. Friendship truly could trump anything.

After a very short debate (we were still under attack, after all), it was decided that Sweet Pint and Doctor Stethorscope were to usher as many ponies as possible to the designated safe room. The doctor would stay stationed down in the cellar, ready to treat as many patients as he could. Because – and let’s be real, here – it was more than possible that some of our dear villagers sustained some injuries already. Having his healing skills down there was the best use of his talents.

Phase two of the plan involved the rest of us – aka Mr. Prospector, our duet of lumberponies, and yours truly – to lure an Ursa out of town. Why’s that, you might ask? Well, as Sweet Pint delicately put, we had no means to combat these overgrown monsters. But it wasn’t about winning the battle. It was about moving the battle someplace else. Someplace that wasn’t prone to be reduced to rubble. With the four of us, surely, we could pull it off. If, for instance, one of us suddenly became incapacitated from a cramp or whatever, well, there were still three other able ponies to help the victim out.

We picked the smaller Ursa as our target. That seemed self-evident. Not only would their smaller size increase our chances at survival should we fail, but it was also entirely possible that endangering the parent’s “baby” would attract them out of town as well. Double whammy, so the saying goes.

“Plus,” I added, “I think the bigger Ursa is already busy dealing with the two royal guards. Look!”

Like clockwork, right above our little unsuspecting eyes, in the middle of the night sky, a pegasus was passing overhead. She even fired a powerful burst of concentrated magic from her horn in a display of pure force.

“See? We’re in good hooves. They’ve got this covered,” I concluded.

...

Aheh.

H-hang on for a minute.

I feel like I’ve missed something here. Something wasn’t adding up. Since, uh... since when did pegasi learn to fire spells like unicorns? They couldn’t do that, couldn’t they? Unless I’ve lived under a rock for most of my life? Because... Because there were only a couple of ponies who could pull that off. And one of them was-

“PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” exclaimed Seesaw Log, pointing up.

My stomach churned all that it held and purged it directly to my bowels. I came this close to puking my own heart.

“W-w-what... what d-did you just say...?” I pathetically whimpered.

“It’s the princess! Hohoho heeee! She’s here to save us all! It’s a miracle, everypony!” answered the yellow quack.

And then, they all collectively cheered. Jumping and hugging, as if the struggle was already over. W-what the buck is going on!?

I dared another peek at the sky. No matter how much I tried to deny it, the winged figure gliding above us was unquestionably alicorn-shaped. And despite the darkness of the night, I still detected specs of purple. Good lord, it was purple! SHE was purple!

...

No.

Hahaha, no.

No no no NO!!! Are you kidding me!? This wasn’t happening. Tell me this wasn’t happening? This couldn’t POSSIBLY be happening, couldn’t it? Two Ursas tearing our town apart, somehow, I could wrap my head around that. But THIS? HER? We had to have been collectively sniffing glue and hallucinating or something. That was the only plausible explanation. Because the alternative was impossible. Straight up impossible.

“What the HAY is SHE doing HERE!?” I bellowed.

Mr. Prospector slapped a stern hoof behind my back. “Being a hero, that’s what, eh Calx? We’ll pull through thanks to her!”

And there they went again. Another round of ovations for... for...

I started dry heaving. My face became cold, yet I was boiling on the inside. It was as if I caught a cold in an instant. I felt so powerless, so lightheaded. And dizzy too! So, so dizzy. Everything around me wobbled uncontrollably, amplifying my queasiness. W-why were the walls closing in on me?

Couldn’t keep my breathing in check anymore. I felt like I was struggling for air, yet at the same time, I was drowning my lungs with exaggerated gasps. Is this what a mental breakdown felt like? Because if so, I didn’t like it one bit!

I…

I had to get the HECK out of here! I couldn’t stay here! I wasn’t here; I was NEVER here! The only thing worse than the complete obliteration of Outer Grove was me being spotted by that stupid, nosy, meddling, tactless-

“Are... are you alright, Calx?” Log tilted his head at me.

My friends. They all stared at me with concern. Again. Again! Déjà freaking vu! Memories from my gaffe at the bar yesterday flooding right back in! History was repeating itself!

“GAH!” I screamed.

Right before bolting in the opposite direction. Away from my pals, without so much as owing them an explanation. I didn’t know where my legs were instinctively taking me, but anywhere else but here would do the trick.

“Hey!” a now distant Sweet Pint complained. “Where are you going, you nutcase? What about our plan!?”

Forget the plan! The plan was dead to me! I had to bail. I had to make it to the outskirts. I had to run in a straight line and never look back. I had to un-exist, to be low profile, to be a safe distance away from that purple mongrel!

She was ruining everything, as she always did! Sucking all the glory for herself: How typical! Being idolized by my friends, hypnotizing them with her charm and her alicorn superpowers! Stealing them away from me... More, more, MORE! She always wanted more! Nothing left for me! She had to come all the way here to vacuum the crumbs of joy I had left for myself!

I cannot believe this. And to think that I hadn’t seen her in so long.

How I wished it had stayed that way!









Left, right, left, right...

Didn’t matter where I was going. So long as it wasn’t straight into an Ursa, or worse, into the princess of friendship herself, then I was golden. But boy, was I in a total state of panic. A perfect fit with the surrounding rabble galloping all over the place.

Nothing could calm me down. It’s as if I had Equestria’s next big bad villain right on my heels. I panted, my friends. I panted hard and ungracefully. My cardio still hadn’t improved in the last half hour. The only silver lining was that my crew didn’t give me chase.

I had no idea what was going to happen to Outer Grove. A victory for the Ursas, or for the defenders? Didn’t matter. Wasn’t my battle anymore. MY battle was to bring my messed-up and shaken self out of the equation and lay low. With a little bit of luck, maybe the princess was going to fail and get smashed to bits. That was the best outcome that could possibly come out of this whole mess.

I turned a corner. Since I wasn’t really looking where I was going, it was only natural that I ended up bumping into something. Thankfully, it was soft and cushiony.

“Unf!” I grunted.

When I shook my head to clear up my mind, it occurred to me that I was laying on top of another mare. A rather portly mare.

“S-Skybrush?”

She didn’t answer when I helped her back on her hooves. When I saw her face, my heart broke in two.

Huge streams of tears leaking out of her pale green eyes. She was crying like I’ve never seen anypony else cry before. Seeing her this broken was wrong. So very wrong!

“G-goofball?” she sobbed.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Skybrush, are you hurt!?” I insisted perhaps a little too hard.

You have to understand. She couldn’t be hurt. Ever. Okay? That clear? She was the last pony in the entirety of Equus who deserved anything bad to happen to her. I swear I was going to declare a personal vendetta against the universe itself if ANYTHING harmed my friend. She was such an incredible pony – much better than the rest of us combined – and she was to be protected no matter the cost.

“I’m... I’m fine, b-but... y-you?” she fearfully looked at the red line right above my eyes.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a superficial wound.” I shook my head. “Why are you crying? Did something happen to you? Where’s Honey Dream?”

She lowered her head and let out a few plaintive moans. But no clear answer came.

“Skybrush...” I tried again, even more serious. “Where’s Honey Dream?”

“I don’t knoooowww!” she bawled.

She melted into my hooves, resting her head on my back just a little bit above my saddlebags. I could feel my fur getting wet with her tears. She hiccupped, wailed, and completely broke down. That poor mother...

For a moment, the world stopped. I swallowed those words with great pain. That completely brought me out of my psychotic Twilight episode. I'm not sure if this was a good thing.

“You... you don’t know?” I repeated, still in shock. “She’s not with you?”

“Noooo! She... She... Oh Caaalxx!” she cried again.

“Concentrate, Skybrush! Do you know where she might’ve gone?”

She sniffled a bit. “S-s-she was g-going... going to meet w-with some of her friends b-by the fountain... I... And then, the Ursas...”

The fountain... not good. Not good at all. It wasn’t too far off the clocktower, where the Ursas were currently wandering. She was right in the middle of the battlefield and, consequently, was in grave danger.

As I embraced my friend to give her hope and courage, I couldn’t help but look ahead with glassy eyes. As if something took a bite out of my very soul.

A few dozen meters away, I could see the bordering forest where I could lose myself and never be found by that dumb alicorn. My way out of Outer Grove, right there. An escape route ripe to be used, teasing me in an almost in a seducing way. All I needed to do was to let go of my friend and bolt forward. I mean, it was right there.

However, that would mean leaving Skybrush’s daughter to an unknown – and potential fatal – fate. Could this be a burden I’d be willing to carry for the rest of my pitiful life?

Heh. You know what’s hilarious?

The fact that I even pretended that this was a dilemma. A choice involves a set of answers. Here, there was only one correct answer, and it was a no-brainer. Anything else was absurd.

I had to find Honey Dream. I just had to. No matter what.

“Skybrush...” I lifted her sadden face with my hoof. “I promise I will bring your daughter back to you safely. You hear me? She’s going to be alright.”

“Oh, Calx...”

“But you can’t stay here either. With two rampaging Ursas, it’s too dangerous! Me and the gang, we decided to shepherd the residents in the cellar of the Two Arches. You need to go there so you can be safe. Do you understand?”

She silently nodded.

“Good, good. But please, listen to me, this is important: Be EXTREMELY careful. I would never, EVER forgive you if you put yourself in danger.”

Again, she simply gestured positively.

Alright. That put my mind at ease. Off to find the little filly and bring her back in one piece to her mom!

I was ready to turn and run straight back into the fray, but Skybrush put a gentle hoof to my back.

“Goofball?”

I gave her a look of assurance. She wiped a tear.

“... T-thank you.”
> Twilight: A Town Savior
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

An aspect often overlooked in the mining industry is proper tool maintenance. This is true not only for the bigger pieces of machinery, such as large-scale excavators and thaumaturgical blasters, but also for a worker’s personal equipment. Continuous usage of such equipment will inevitably erode their efficiency, or, in other terms, force a team to work much harder to obtain the same payload. This is even more relevant than in other fields, since mining activities are highly straining on the tools, and their usage typically extends over a long period of time. Two factors that make equipment decay a predominant issue.

Tool maintenance isn’t just a means to prevent sizable losses of productivity, but it also is the best way to avoid work-related accidents. An improper pickaxe, for instance, can yield disastrous results. A single chip in a cutter mattock can divert the angle of penetration when chopping roots, which could potentially end up injuring its user. This is why a regular whetstone sharpening session is recommended every month, not only to ensure the proper functioning of the tool, but to help the worker stay out of harm’s way (more on that in subchapter 4.3).

Maintained tools also have a longer lifespan, cutting down replacement costs. A study made by renowned economist and professor Capital Bond showed that a non-negligible part of the budget from the biggest companies under the Equestrian Geological Association (henceforth referred to as the EGA) is directly allocated towards resupplying spare parts for their branches, as demonstrated by the projection of graph 3.2 below. Various financial quarterly reports even proved that an egregious sum-

“I’m telling you, Sunny, I totally saw a ginormous dragon head pop out over the buildings!”

It was too good to be true. The peace and quiet. Sunstone almost made the mistake of thinking it could last, but alas. He grunted in annoyance.

“You’re doing it again, Shiny.”

“Huh?”

“You’re doing it again. I’m trying to study and you’re distracting me.”

Both siblings were in the living room of their upper middle-class home. The older brother was slouched on the opulent sofa, back to the cushions and hooves holding above his head a large brown manual about tool upkeep. Shining, meanwhile, was sitting on his haunches on the carpet, lining up many little wax toys depicting pony infantries. He was putting them in various formations and debated internally which ones he thought had the best chance at pushing back against an unknown threat.

Finding Sunstone out of his bedroom was not a common occurrence. But today, he had been coerced into making a rare apparition. Both of his parents were out, accompanying little Twilight Sparkle to her school for an evaluation of some kind – Sunstone didn’t really know what it entailed; he hardly paid attention. Since no adult was present in the house, 17-year-old Sunstone was tasked to keep an eye on 12-year-old Shining. That got a couple of grumbles out of the ambitious scholar, but so long as it didn’t impede on his studies, he would tolerate it.

It was nearly noon and the hot early summer sun was incubating the whole dwelling in a cozy greenhouse warmth. Though they might’ve been in the same room, the two brothers didn’t exactly share the same mood. Quite the contrary, in fact. While Sunstone was detached, concentrated, and perhaps even a little bit blasé, Shining Armor, on the other hoof, was primed, restless, and ready to go kick some flanks.

“Pfff! Who cares about studying rusty-old books when Canterlot might be under attack?” Shining countered. “Look, for the tenth time, I swear I’m not lying! There WAS a dragon, okay? A big, purple dragon! I saw him from the window and he... he was in the direction of Twily’s school!”

“No he wasn’t, because you’re making stuff up. With that crazy imagination of yours.”

Sunstone placed his book on his tummy and gave a disinterested stare at his brother.

“I mean, seriously now? First, a big wave of rainbow washing over the sky, and now, la crème de la crème, a dragon who abracadabra’d out of nowhere, roaming in Canterlot? I spend five minutes on the porcelain throne and that’s the stuff you come up with? Puh-lease. I know you’re trying to bait me, Shiny. I’m not a gullible moron.”

“H-hey! The rainbow, the dragon… it’s all true! You HAVE to believe me! Why would I be lying? We... we have to do something about this, okay? We need to go save the ponies out there! I mean... Twily might be in danger! How can you just sit there and think about doing nothing?”

“Because even if you were telling the truth, which you are clearly not, there are already more than a few qualified ponies out there who can take care of the situation. We don’t have to get involved; we’d just interfere with their protocols. And- wait! Shhhh! Do you hear that?”

Sunstone’s ears perked up, and rotated like small antenna dishes. His brother held his breath, becoming attentive as well. He rapidly turned his head in all directions, concentrating on tracking the source of what Sunstone had just heard.

“N-no? I don’t hear anything?” said an alarmed Shining.

Sunstone slumped back into the lounge. “Neither do I. And that, my friend, is the sound of the cavalry not being alerted. Guess there really isn’t a problem, uh?”

Shining Armor untensed, a bit slighted at being mocked like this. His brother’s uncaring behavior and doubtful attitude was really starting to test the limits of his patience. He felt so restrained, so strangled. He wanted nothing more than to be taken seriously.

“Ughhh!” he complained. “That’s because the royal guards are too busy doing nothing in the castle. If I was in charge, things would run much smoother!”

Sunstone couldn’t help but let out a condescending chuckle at his wishful thinking. Sure Shining. Sure. Keep dreaming, young colt, he thought.

“And look- we don’t need the guards! I don’t need the guards! I’m practically a soldier myself. Look, my cutie mark proves it,” he boasted, turning to his side, showing his shielded purple star to his brother. “I can take care of the big meanie on my own!”

“Exemplary display of humility right there, dearest Shining,” sarcastically chortled Sunstone. “I don’t want to pop your bubble, but I think you maaaaay be a little bit of a narcissist.”

“And you, a... a total bore!” retorted Shining while stomping a hoof. “Every time there’s a cool adventure waiting for us, you always stay put and twiddle your hooves!”

Oh, fighting back, are we? Feisty!

Sunstone lifted his head, a grin now covering his face. It’s almost as if he was waiting for Shining to poke the hornet’s nest. Getting an excuse to put oil on the fire. Enjoying a good brotherly argument, in sum.

“Yes, Shiny, I stay put. As opposed to what? Running frantically in the streets of Canterlot like a headless chicken? I might not have your marefriend Cadance’s special foal-sitting talents, but I know a thing or two about staying out of trouble. And when you get in trouble, mister, who do you think gets punished? The reckless unicorn, or the responsible earth pony?”

He didn’t leave Shining a gap to answer his rhetorical question.

“That’s right, pal, it’s me! I get punished, Shining. Me. And tell you what, I grow bored of being ‘the bad guy.’ So please sit down, be a good pony, and kindly stay out of trouble while your big brother studies.”

Shining harrumphed, not quite happy with having his dynamism caged in like this. He knew what he saw. If Twilight’s safety was ever compromised because of his brother’s infinite lethargy, well... Being mad would undercut it.

These bickering sessions weren't anything new. As the years went by, the two brothers’ disagreements seemed to have multiplied tenfold. They didn’t see the world the same way, and that often resulted in them confronting one another. At least, under the scrutinizing eyes of their parents, these quarrels were done in a respectful environment. Mostly.

Sunstone didn’t like Shining’s grand ideas and his rose-tinted glasses. He would take any opportunity to wane down his enthusiasm with a good dose of pessimism, which he claimed was “how the real world functioned.” That forever remained a no-sell with Shining, whose grievances with Sunstone stemmed from his aggravating mood and being constantly put down by him. He tried many times to get his unenthusiastic brother involved in activities of all sorts, to get him to poke his snout outside for a change, but Sunstone was an immovable object. A black hole sucking any good vibes Shining had the misfortune to display in his presence.

All in all? Sunstone was comfortable on the beaten path, while Shining Armor wanted nothing more than to break the mold. They were just incompatible.

Even though they lived under one roof, it became obvious that the list of things they had in common diminished every day. They drifted apart so much that they eventually reduced their kinship from “siblings” to “acquaintances.” And with these past few months, it was on the verge of being demoted to “strangers.”

So once again, Shining had to stay away from all the action, as ordered by the oldest sibling.

Well. Be that as it may, this wouldn’t do for him. He was old enough. He could take care of himself. He wasn’t a foal anymore. And to Tartarus with Sunstone clipping his proverbial wings! He was going to go out there and make that dragon rue the day it dared to show its face in Equestria’s capital!

He got up on his hooves, and darted toward the entry door, not without blowing a raspberry to his brother.

Sunstone flung his book on the floor. “Hey! Come back, you little rascal!”

“Make me!”

“Make you!? You gotta be... ugh! How many times have I told you to stop trying to be a hero? We’re not heroes and never will be, so stop pretending to be someone else already!”

Shining shook his head. “Speak for yourself. I’ll show you that I have it in me!”

“Oh sure you big wannabe! You and your awesome superpower of getting me scolded by mom and dad!”

“Hrmmph!”

Further ignoring Sunstone’s countless warnings, Shining pushed on the handle and swung the door open. At the apex of his cockiness, he turned to face the outside world, knowing with absolute certainty that he could succeed at anything if he really put his heart into it.

He would’ve beelined straight for Twilight’s school, if it weren’t for the fact that she was standing right in front of him on the other side of the doorway, a hoof hanging in midair. Almost as if she was just about to turn the handle herself. She looked a bit staggered, not unlike Twilight Velvet and Night Light on either side of her. The four unicorns were face-to-face, a little confused by the sudden encounter.

“O-oh, u-uh... H-hi mom! Hi dad! Hi Twily!” sheepishly said Shining, a few shades redder.

Sunstone heard that. “Wow, you did it! Good job saving them all, bro. And so quickly, too!” he ridiculed him from afar.

The parents questioned what Sunstone had meant by that, but the embarrassed unicorn colt quickly brushed it off. In any case, the group made their way into the foyer, preferring to discuss inside rather than catching sunburns on the porch.

And boy, did they have some things to discuss.

For starters, Twilight Sparkle was bouncing everywhere, practically climbing to the ceiling. She was thrilled beyond what was once thought possible. Foals were excitable little things, of course, but her? Created an entire new meaning to the definition of “happiness.” It’s as if she downed three jars of sugar in a row.

In fact, she was in such high spirits that Sunstone – yes, Sunstone, of all ponies – actually got up from his seat and joined the rest of his family in the entry hall. With all of them in the house now, it’s not like he could sink more hours into his books anymore. Before sneaking into his room and becoming a shadow as per tradition, he had to admit, he was kind of curious to find out why his little sister was squeaking as though she stumbled upon the world’s biggest diamond. Investigating seemed worth his time; a rare development indeed.

When he saw his parents and his sister completely over the moon, Sunstone just had to raise an eyebrow. What uh, what was going on, exactly? Why did an indoor parade suddenly invade his residence?

“Shiny, Sunny, I’m glad to see you both here!” said their peppy mother. “A lot has happened and- well, Twilight, why don’t you tell them yourself?”

“I GOT MY CUTIE MARK! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” she bellowed, hopping like a slinky on steroids.

She joined her brothers and exposed her new cutie mark with great satisfaction. Sunstone and Shining both carefully examined it. Yup. It was real, alright. Right there on her flank. An honest-to-Faust cutie mark. You couldn’t fake stuff like this.

“Oh wow!” exclaimed an impressed Shining. “Congrats, sis! I KNEW it was your turn soon enough! Welcome to the club, hahaha!”

He embraced her in a tight hug, twirling around whilst compromising the structural integrity of her ribcage. He also gave her a noogie, just because he could.

“S-Shiny... s-stop!” said Twilight with a grin, a bit embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Sunstone awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uh... yeah. What he said. That’s uh, that’s a pretty... interesting design you’ve got there.”

He looked backward to evaluate his own mark. Then back to hers. Then his again. Hers, his, hers.

Huh.

Well, Shining sharing part of his cutie mark wasn’t a crazy coincidence after all. Because all three of them had that purple star in common. How peculiar. What did that even mean? A novel attempt at sapping away the remnants of his uniqueness, perhaps? They clearly have shown no qualms about stealing some of his thunder, so why wouldn’t their cutie mark give him the same treatment? An unintentional (but convenient) ploy orchestrated by mischievous deities, maybe?

Or perhaps it was even worse. That blasted star could very well be stamped on him to be a constant reminder that he was forever linked with Shining and Twilight. Doomed to recognize his subpar advancements every time he stared at his doppelganger in the mirror. That no matter what, these two hooligans still existed, and they still remained better than he was. What a cruel twist.

Sunstone shook his head, just in time to realize that Twilight wanted to give him a hug as well.

Yeah, how about no. He backed off a bit. He had been crystal clear on his “no hugging” policy throughout their shared years. Still, to not make a scene (his parents were right there), he offered a couple of gentle pats on top of her mane with a generic “there there.” It did its job at quenching her thirst for appreciation.

Night Light nudged his daughter a bit. “Hehe, don’t you want to tell your brothers how you got your cutie mark, eh sport?”

She nodded and nodded and then nodded some more. “Yes! I got it after I passed my test! I did a bunch of craaaaazy magic, it was insane! And I- and then... Then I got my cutie mark!” she squealed in pure jubilation.

“She had a magical spur of monumental proportions in the middle of her assignment!” clarified Twilight Velvet. “We don’t know how this happened, but it was um... It was an experience,” she added, her and her husband looking nervously at each other.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” dismissed Night Light, rubbing a hoof behind his head.

Sunstone was a bit intrigued by the cryptic explanations. What could’ve happened in that classroom?

In any case, that left him a bit dejected. Of course she would finish her school year on a high note, sure, why not. She was Twilight freaking Sparkle. She never encountered any resistance in her pedagogical journey, why start at the very end? It was in the bag for her, it has always been in the bag!

And that got him to think. If she could skim through her final exam with such ease, then what about him?

That one last written test for his Field Work class was still dangling by his snout. Twilight’s personal success just made him hope to pass it even more. Not only for his sake, but to show her that he too could prosper when it actually counted. Maybe then she’d see him as something more than a genetic malformation who’s struggling to be worth something.

Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. These two were top of their class, and aced pretty much any challenge they encountered. That didn’t leave them much else to be envious of. And that included him, the subpar brother. They tolerated his insipid presence, sure. But he wanted a little more than that. A lot more than that.

He wanted respect. He wanted to leave them awestruck. He wanted to be coveted, to be desired, to be doted over, to be the pony any brother and sister would’ve wished to have. He wanted to lift his chin all proud, and have them tell him: “Sunstone, pray tell, what’s your big secret?” He didn’t just want to exist: He wanted to thrive. To be an asset, and, above all, an important heirloom in the family. Between being a protagonist for something epic and being left in the dust by his siblings, Sunstone chose the former.

That all rested on the shoulders of the upcoming test. If he could finally jump over that last hurdle, just as Twilight did, well, maybe he’d be ahead for once? To be special and unique in a positive way: Wouldn’t that be nice for a change? Climbing the ladders in a world that seemed to constantly have a dent against him, now that, that was some daydreaming he could get behind.


A weird juvenile growling noise broke him out of his illusions of grandeur.

“Buh? What was that?” he queried.

“You heard it too, right?” Shining wondered as well.

To answer their inquiries, out of complete nowhere, a small creature jumped off Twilight Velvet’s back. Taking a good look at the unexpected newcomer, they quickly found that the purple critter was none other than a baby dragon. Close to having just crawled out of his egg, if his small size was any indication. He just sat there, on the floor. He looked up at them with a big innocent grin, blinking small green eyes of silted pupils.

Sunstone couldn’t help but chuckle and elbow his younger brother. “Hey. That the big menace taking over Canterlot, by any chance?”

Shining looked completely lost. “I... I mean... I don’t... I don’t understand, he was...”

Yup, stunned into silence. The poor colt.

“Oh um. Yeah. The baby dragon,” said Night Light, not too sure himself what to make of this. “That was a reward generously donated to your sister for hatching him during her exam.”

“He’s going to be living with us from there onward,” continued the mother. “We just need to find him a proper name!”

Well, that was out of the left field, but so long as the little guy didn’t eat his homework, Sunstone didn’t particularly care.

Anyhow, he got his answers about the Twilight case, and that was enough excitement for one day. A baby dragon was where he drew the line when it came to absurd social interactions. Something he’d sink more hours into down the line. Maybe. Probably not.

He was about to turn around and finally reclaim his bedroom, his fortress of solitude, however...

“That’s not the only gift princess Celestia gave to your sister,” resumed Night Light.

Uh, wait a minute. Princess Celestia was part of her peanut gallery?

… No, seriously, what happened in that classroom!?

“Sunstone, Shining Armor,” began their mother with a serious yet positive tone, “you’ll never believe this! Starting next week, Twilight, your little sister, is going to be studying directly under princess Celestia! She decided to take her under her wing. Oh, isn’t that just wonderful~?” she sang-sung.

Bam. Straight onto the table. No sugar coating it.

Night Light nodded. “That’s right! Twilight impressed her so much with that incredible display of magic she performed during the exam that she decided on the spot to take her as her personal protégé!”

...

...

“... E-excuse me?”

“For real!? My own sister, working with the princess!? No kidding! That’s super duper mega ultra awesome! Aw, c’m’here, you!”

Two brothers. Two completely different reactions. One of them ran to give yet another boisterous hug to princess Celestia’s new pupil, while the other remained stone cold frozen. It wasn’t hard to guess who was who.

Twilight was on the floor, Shining embracing her as hard as he could. The small dragon even joined in the pile – because hey, why not – and they all laughed together. Twilight Velvet, meanwhile, fought really hard to hold tears of joy. She even levitated a handkerchief to her misty eyes. Her husband was rubbing a reassuring hoof on her back with a smile of pride only a father could give.

But Sunstone? Sunstone was drawing a blank. A million thoughts thundered in his mind, and he had a hard time compiling any of them. Disbelief, defeat, disarray: So many emotions fighting for a spot in the hodgepodge that brewed under his skull. One thing did stick out, though.

It was over.

He lost. He played a good game, he gave it his best shot, but in the end, it had been so pointless. Not only were the cards stacked against him from the start, but now, Twilight skyrocketed so far ahead, so impossibly far, that trying to catch up became a fool’s errand. And this changed everything.

Controlled by a brain running strictly on autopilot, Sunstone walked forward with soulless eyes. His legs were moving on their own in an unnatural and robotic way. And this time, it wasn’t in the direction of his room.

Fresh air. He needed fresh air.

When he brushed past Twilight on his way to the front door, he took a good gander at her. He felt so disconnected, so depersonalized. None of this felt real. His identity and self-worth had no idea how to handle this new crowning achievement in his sister's life. Yet still, with a complete lack of emotion, he drew all that he had to drone out a few comments.

“Well sister, it looks like you’re well on your way to become someone very important.”

He took a few more steps, but Twilight got up from the floor, now noticeably worried. She approached him with pleading eyes, desperately seeking his approval.

“W-wait! Aren’t you... aren’t you proud of me, Sunny?”

He looked at her with all the neutrality in the world. “Proud? Sis, I’m ecstatic. Overjoyed, even.”

With this meaningless response, he kept going. When the trim of the door passed over his head, Twilight Velvet got a bit concerned by his unnatural and lackadaisical reaction. It was a bit out of the ordinary, even for her son's standards.

“Sunny? Is everything okay? Where are you going?”

“Work.”

“Really now?” said his suspicious dad. “But you told us this morning that you had the day off today. That’s why we entrusted you with Shining’s supervision, remember?”

“Well, I forgot. Guess I really do have the brain of an earth pony.”

If they protested at his passive aggressiveness, Sunstone either didn’t hear it, or ignored it. He turned right and walked downhill, which wasn’t at all in the direction of Joe’s shop, until he disappeared behind a corner.

Twilight Sparkle knew something was amiss and lowered her neck. Her emotional state did a complete one-eighty. Heavy. It felt heavy. Wasn’t the first time it felt heavy around a certain pony. But the circumstances of today made it that much more obvious.

And that got her to think. Something that’s been boggling her mind for a while now. She just had to know for sure.

“M-mom? Dad?”

“Yes dear?”

She felt gutted on the inside. “Does… does Sunstone hate me?”

That was the last thing any parent wanted to hear. Their hearts skipped a beat, and they couldn’t help but gasp out loud at the ludicrous accusation.

“Of course not! Honey, don’t you ever think such things!” Immediately replied an appalled Twilight Velvet. “Sunstone is just… he just has a difficult way of expressing his love, is all.”

She nuzzled her. The rest of the family followed suit. The dragon, once again, saw what all the grownups were doing and partook in the collective hug. Twilight nervously laughed, partially reassured. S-silly her! For sure Sunstone loved her, right? How could he not? He was her brother. Brothers and sisters love each other; that’s just how it works.

That's just how it works...


A good distance away from the household, Sunstone kept advancing on Canterlot’s polished pavement, unsure where he was going at all. He felt like a ghost in a city full of busy ponies. An interloper without a goal. Everyone around him had a purpose, but him? A mere watcher who had been led astray throughout nearly two decades of fighting in quicksand. All he had was his insecurities; that was the only thing that kept him grounded in a reality that felt so fake, so impure.

Twilight Sparkle, princess Celestia’s personal student. Now with a thousand times the prestige. As if she wasn’t enough of a prodigy already. As if he didn't feel minuscule enough already.

Taunted by his own sister...

How could he ever compete now? Even if he passed his test with the highest grade, that still would be meaningless compared to having an apprenticeship with the most powerful pony in existence. What’s an A+ on knowing where to dig dirt when you can just start every sentence with: “Yesterday, princess Celestia and I did this and that.” When uncles, aunts and family friends would come and visit, they’d be all over Twilight, impressed and eager to know what she and her mentor had been up to. Maybe a sympathetic relative would carry the burden of turning to him every now and then and begrudgingly ask: “Oh, and uh, what about you... Sunstone was it?”

It didn’t matter. None of this mattered. Twilight pretty much cemented his descent into obscurity. Because no matter what he would try from there onward, it would always come bundled with a word. One particular, simple, yet very real word.

Underwhelming.







It was worse than she feared.

Two of them. Two Ursa Minors! Double trouble.

Twilight Sparkle has had some experience wrestling with an out-of-control Ursa in Ponyville a few years back, but to have a second one in its vicinity was seriously going to complicate things. Among other things, she wouldn’t be able to stay put and make one of them fall asleep as she had done before, lest she gets interrupted by the second giant troublemaker. The many potent spells she employed to pull that off had some serious casting lag, and she’d be vulnerable for far too long. Horseccam’s razor was a bust: The simplest solution was definitely off the board. This time, just as with her first encounter, she’d have to improvise, and quickly.

Thankfully, the ringing of the bell directed her exactly where she needed to be. No time was wasted on finding where the monsters were attacking, all thanks to the valiant efforts of the sentinel who alerted the populace. She made a mental note to give them her regards after this cataclysm was over.

Being a couple of meters up in the fresh air of the night, one thing she didn’t miss during her approach were the two gold spots orbiting the larger Ursa like pestering fleas. On closer inspection, she realized that these were in fact two heavily armored ponies, which she immediately identified as the royal guards she read about. Once again, books prevailed and saved her precious seconds!

But, oh! They looked in trouble. This wasn’t entirely unexpected. Two Ursas was no small feat.

A pegasus tried to slice the overgrown bear with her weapon, but no dice. Wouldn’t have worked anyway; Twilight knew this. These creatures had a near impenetrable hide, reducing their spears to little more than toothpicks.

Regardless, the monster took offense and roared in retaliation. They stood on their hind legs and tried to viciously swat away the little buzzer, but thankfully, she saved her own skin and dodged in a swift motion. The cart-sized paw missed, but not by much. A claw was only a few centimeters off from scratching the hair out her snout.

Her fearless partner saw that after the bear’s offensive comeback, they left themselves open. Feeling opportunistic, she flew directly towards what she perceived as a weak point: Their head.

Unfortunately, Ursas aren’t as simpleminded as they look. From the corner of their yellow eyes, they saw the brave pony speeding toward them – and most importantly, the pointy tip of her halberd.

Which is why they tried to intercept her by opening a drooling maw full of razor-sharp fangs. Twilight Sparkle saw where this was going and knew that if she didn’t intervene right there and then, a pony would meet its end.

Not a moment too soon, she concentrated and allocated a good part of her energy reserves into the tip of her horn. Teeth exposed, eyes closed, brow furrowed, a bead of sweat rolling down her neck: She gave it her all. Her fur raised up, overcharged as if she was saturated with static electricity. When she judged her spell was sufficiently built-up, she released a majestic swirl of magical plasma: A funnel of magenta and indigo that would leave anypony wishing for their mommy should they be hit by it.

And yet, when it struck the chin of the Ursa, it barely bruised them and only left the tiniest, mildest scratch. Fortunately, the sheer recoil of the beam still succeeded at making them fall backward, their galactic body impacting the cliff of the nearest mountain in a shower of debris. That triggered a small rocky avalanche, but nothing that would seriously threaten the principality.

Since the beast became momentarily immobilized and that the other one was busy dealing with something Twilight couldn’t really make up from this far away, she called out for the two flying mares to regroup with her. If there was ever a time to come up with a plan, now was a pretty good contender.

“P-princess Twilight Sparkle!?” said the first royal guard that arrived, completely bewildered by her presence.

As expected, she offered a bow, and so too did her less punctual co-worker when she finally joined them. This gesture was a little awkward to execute, considering they were hovering in the air.

“W-we don't have time for formalities!” halted the princess, who didn’t even like bowing rites to begin with. “Quick, what are your names?”

“Private Sterling Plume,” said the soldier who couldn’t help but offer a traditional salute. “And this is Hasty Flail, a recruit in training. She ah, she doesn’t speak much- but never mind all that! Princess, what in Celestia’s beard are you doing here!?”

“Important friendship business. But I'm afraid I’ll have to table that, since it appears we have more pressing issues...”

Right on cue, the Ursa she valiantly knocked out was attempting to get back on all fours, albeit hazily. That didn’t go unnoticed by the two guards, who dreaded to think how their opponent would fare in the second round of the battle.

“Princess, what’s going on exactly?” queried Sterling Plume. “Why are there TWO Ursas trying to reduce Outer Grove into a pile of rubble? We’ve been stationed here for four months now, and we’ve never had to deal with anything more than like, a squirrel with rabies! We’ve been tasked to protect the town, but nothing in our training prepared us for something of this magnitude!”

“Y-yeah! I mean... A mama Ursa a-and her baby...?” finally spoke the quiet pegasus.

“Not that I'm unhappy to see you here,” Plume kept on going, “but did you know anything about this? Were you sent to provide aid? Your timing is ah, it’s kind of tough to beat!”

Twilight became somewhat defensive. “H-hey! I’m here strictly on friendship grounds, like I said! I had no idea I was going to arrive in the middle of a catastrophe like this! It’s just a crazy coincidence! A very, very crazy coincidence!”

She switched her look to the timid soldier.

“And sorry to correct you... private Hasty Flail, was it? But that Ursa right there is neither an adult nor a female. That’s actually a common misconception a lot of folks make. Adults of this species are called Ursa Major, and have an entirely unique morphology. Not only are they colored differently, but trust me, they are also a whole lot bigger! No, what we have right here are, in fact, what I highly suspect to be two siblings: A big brother and a little sister. You can easily tell their gender all thanks to the disposition of the stars near their tail. You see, males have a brighter-”

“P-princess! Please! I don’t think we can afford a lesson in biology at a time like this!”

“Oh! Um. Yes... yes, you are quite correct. S-sorry about that!”

Much to their dismay, the time allocated for their “strategic” meeting ran its course. Because not too far away, with a menacing battle cry, the astral bear had fully shaken off the counterattack and was back up on his feet, ready to crack some skulls.

“Gang? Hate to be that mare, but I don’t think it- he enjoyed being shoved like a ragdoll. Looks like he wants to exchange a few physical notes with us!” private Plume warned.

She wasn’t incorrect in her assessment: Their nemesis was gazing straight at them with knives in his antagonistic eyes. Without wasting any time, he tried to close the distance between him and them, now completely ignoring the town as though it didn’t even exist anymore. Naturally, the three mares started flying away; being idle was an obvious death sentence.

As they withdrew in an arbitrarily chosen direction – which so happened to lead them above a parcel of the boundless forest wrapped around Outer Grove – Twilight came to a sudden realization.

“W-wait. This is good. This is good!” she declared with great exuberance.

“How can you possibly be saying that!?” a hectic Plume demanded.

“Because- look! Don’t you see? He’s aiming at us, and not at the buildings anymore. So long as he’s not dishing out his anger on the innocent citizens of Outer Grove, then I say we’re in the clear!”

“You won't see me disagree, but what about our safety!? Princess, he’s right on our tails!”

“Then let’s exploit his tunnel vision and use it to our advantage. I may have… an idea. Follow me you two, we have one very large Ursidae to bait out of town!”









They flew a good distance away from the village in a Vic formation, with Twilight Sparkle spearheading the movement. The male Ursa Minor hadn’t given up his pursuit; if anything, he looked even more determined to teach those annoying fluttering critters a lesson. A very painful lesson. He was stampeding in the dense woodlands below, breaking trees like frail twigs as he parted a pathway through trunks and leaves.

“Where are we going exactly, princess? I obviously know less about their behavior than you do, but doesn’t exactly look to me like he wants to throw the towel anytime soon,” spoke out the more experienced pegasus, forcing her voice against the dashing wind.

“Just as planned! We don’t want him to give up. Not yet! Just… just trust me!”

She lowered her altitude, getting closer to the floor of treetops. The two guards followed suit, knowing better than to express doubt against a pony who’s defeated one of their aggressor’s kind all on her own before.

Twilight tossed a couple of magical flares up in the sky, horn powers at play, highlighting their position. She wanted to make sure they were still acting as pony-shaped bullseyes for the gargantuan bear. They could hear more wood creaking, more heavy stomping, all of this, accompanied by the branches of the pines rustling with increasing intensity. This was all the proof they needed to confirm that they were indeed sitting ducks, ready to be served as a three-course meal to one voracious predator.

“P-princess?” said Hasty Flail, as unsure of herself as ever.

“Lower now,” Twilight ordered.

Even though she had no experience acting as a commander in a military context (that was more Shining’s cup of tea), she knew a thing or two about being the leading force behind a squadron of ponies. With her friends, the other Element bearers, she’s been at the forefront of multiple judicious operations before, which is why she didn’t have as much trouble finding her voice now as she did a couple of years back.

And this is with that kind of confident tone that she convinced the two royal guards to follow through with the leap of faith, even though from their perspective, the whole ordeal smelled like a suicide mission.

All three of them sunk into the deciduous verdure, now hovering only a few meters above the hazardous and humid terrain.

“I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” said Plume.

“T-t-this wasn’t p-part of the contract!” added Flail.

“Any moment now...” finished Twilight.

The last few trees that acted as a feeble palisade between bear and ponies didn’t hold for much longer. Just like a giant scythe, a blue claw annihilated the evergreens before anypony had the chance to yell: “Timbeeeer!” A colossal head with two enraged eyes soon replaced the deceased pines, vision locked on three measly prey that really overstayed their welcome on this plane of existence.

“NOW!” barked Twilight. “Everypony, back up quickly, now!”

And they did. The trio flew a few meters back, scraping through a couple of bushes ungraciously.

Right until they cleared the last line of trees, only to float past a sharp ninety degrees cliffside. Which, in turn, opened up to a ravine. A rather deep ravine. Despite the darkness, they could see the reflective surface of a canal in the middle of the depression surrounded by a riverbank of boulders and gravel. Private Plume and private Flail were understandably surprised by the unexpected change of scenery.

But not as much as the Ursa when both of his front legs suddenly looked for solid ground. Suffice to say, one could make the assumption that the monster was not as well-read about the geography of the surrounding areas as bookworm Twilight was.

His center of mass couldn’t make up for his hundred of pounds that were tilting forward over the void, and that led to the nasty consequence of dragging the rest of his body along for the ride. It didn’t take long for the Ursa to start rolling down the rocky edge and pass right under Twilight and the guards, roaring louder than thunder. And for a fraction of a second? All three caught a glimpse of his expression. It screamed: “I’ll get you next time, you miserable little ponies!” This whole sequence wouldn't have been out of place in one of Spike's corny comic books.

Big brother Ursa eventually ended his crash course, ramming the floor quite a few levels lower than Twilight’s group. Just enough time for the three of them to make sure that they were all still in one piece.

“Come volunteer to Outer Grove, they said. Easy vacations for you, they said!” grumbled Sterling Plume, wiping a good layer of sweat out of her brow.

“T-that was close!” Hasty Flail breathed out. “How did you-”

“Know about this canyon? Simple: I read all about it in my Outer Grove Geography atlas on the train on my way here! It’s called the Burgundy Marquis Canyon by the way, named after the prince who gave his blessings to the principality 50 years ago. Oh, oh! Did you know that this gorge goes all the way down to half of a kilometer under the ground at its deepest? Isn’t that fascinating?” Twilight grinned like a foal on Heart Warming’s Day.

However, both soldiers just kept batting their wings in place, their mouths completely horizontal. Twilight's little tidbits of trivia weren't resonating all too well with them.

“Riiiiight. Um, not to worry though,” Twilight squinted, looking down to evaluate the damage. “Ursas are bulky and some of the toughest creatures in Equestria. He’ll be alright. Maybe have a few sore spots for the following weeks, but nothing that can’t be healed over time, h-heh! Push comes to shove, he’ll just hibernate early,” she awkwardly half-smiled.

While the combat method of sending your enemy plummeting down a pit seemed a tad barbaric, Twilight took the necessary precautions to not punish an organism part of this ecosystem too harshly. That bear was acting on pure instincts alone; he could hardly be faulted for following his primal urges. It just wasn't worth making his little sister an only child, forever wondering what could’ve happened to her missing sibling...

And that train of thought raised another problematic.

The other Ursa! She was probably still causing trouble! They weren’t out of hot water yet. Winning half the battle wasn't cause for celebration. Until the danger was eradicated in its entirety, rejoicing was going to take the backseat.

“Come on everypony,” said Twilight full of motivation, “pest control is not over yet! We have another bear to take care of!”

“Right behind you, princess!” patriotically chanted Sterling Plume.

“Lead the way!” added Hasty Flail.

Spears raised and helmets put back on: Off they went. Returning to the flying formation they adopted earlier, this time, heading in the opposite direction. Not getting lost was child's play; all they had to do was to follow the path of destruction the Ursa left behind when he plowed through the land.

Without the threat of a chase, Twilight Sparkle took her time to better analyze her surroundings. She could’ve sworn she spotted some kind of unnatural structure in her peripheral vision earlier. She rapidly chalked it off as something irrelevant, perhaps even as an adrenaline-fueled mirage. However, this time around, she could confirm that her earlier appraisal held true. It was right there, at her one o'clock, not too far from the closest mountain. She could see it, and she could see it well.

“Excuse me, but why are there acres of barren land over that way?” asked the princess to her armed escort.

A huge bald rectangle in the middle of one luxurious forest. An anomaly that could never have been shaped up by Mother Nature herself. No, it was pony-made for sure. Only they could chop down trees in such an orderly fashion – and so many of them, too!

“Beats me,” Sterling said. “We don’t mangle with civilian affairs. Looks like some kind of clearing to me?”

“Yes... a very large one, too,” she squinted.

Way too large, in fact. She’ll have to take a good look at it again with the light of the day; another task to add to her hefty schedule. But Twilight already had a couple of theories cooking under her mane. In that analytical brain of hers, the puzzle pieces were slowly starting to fall into place.

Because, until proven otherwise, she was of the firm belief that this wasteland was none other than the origin point that initiated this whole bear vs. ponies feud.









When they finally made it back in town, the streets were deserted and completely devoid of ponies; a sharp contrast with the mayhem that greeted her upon her arrival. Twilight hoped with all of her might that it was due to the ill-fated bystanders down there having found shelter to wait this crisis out.

However, not everyone was so lucky.

One hapless soul was unfortunate enough to still find himself present in the middle of the cobblestoned streets. Twilight could hardly see any of their features, no thanks to the distance and time of day. From that far away, all she could see was a blotch of gray. Looked like a “he,” maybe? She was going to roll with that for now.

Well, one thing was for sure: The alleged stallion was fleeing, stuck in plain sight of sister Ursa. He was galloping at the top of his lungs, his neck craned backward, gazing at one heck of a behemoth giving him chase. All on his lonesome, he was acting as an unwitting decoy for the raging beast. Problem was, she had four times his leg span and was slowly catching up.

Very close to being in grabbing rage, the cunning guy sharply turned left and sank into a passageway between two tall houses. A decent tactical evasive maneuver. Twilight couldn't see if the escape route ended in a cul-de-sac or not. Sadly, the Ursa had more intel than she did. The monster peered at the gap where the pony disappeared. She howled a couple of times and rose up to her back legs, claws out, ready to pulverize anyone who found themselves trapped in that alleyway of doom.

Well, not if Twilight had anything to say about it! She was done playing the observer.

She dove closer to the ground and encapsulated in her telekinetic aura a wheelbarrow that had been left tilted over in the middle of the street. Keeping a sturdy grip on the heavy object wasn't an easy task, but her drive to save a life gave her all the strength she needed. Like a giant sling, she rotated the improvised weapon behind her and flung it directly toward the Ursa Minor. It struck true, crashing into her cheek in an explosion of wood chips. The diversion proved successful: The monster teetered a fair distance backward and ended up falling on her rump, seemingly confused as to what just happened.

The three town saviors took that as their cue to make their approach.

“Keep her distracted! I have to help that poor pony; he might be injured!”

Or at the very least, very shaken. Without arguing, Sterling Plume and Hasty Flail obeyed and headed toward the downed Ursa.

For the first time since she left the train, Twilight’s hooves embraced the ground. She landed gently, but not without haste either. She retracted her wings and, not used to flying for this long, recalibrated her balance. From the main road, she made a quick visual survey of the alleyway where the runner had taken refuge. Oddly, she couldn’t find anypony there. All she could see was an unhygienic mix of moldy boxes, damaged barrels, overflowing trash cans, and weeds growing through the cracks in the hardened mud. Yet, the grotty corridor didn’t lead anywhere: It ended on a tall picket fence. An obstacle that, at its height, wouldn’t have allowed any pony to climb, let alone jump over.

So where did the mysterious victim go? She was quite sure that he was an earth pony, which meant he couldn’t have escaped airborne or teleported out of sight.

“Hello? Anypony in there?” she cautiously asked.

...

...

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. There’s me,” came a masculine reply behind a tall stack of crates.

A reply that sounded unsure, a bit stressed out, but above all, obviously faked. The yet-to-be-seen stallion was forcing his vocal cords in the strangest way, almost as if he was putting on an accent on purpose. Twilight wasn’t sure why he was going through this rather peculiar pretense, especially at a time like this, but she attributed it to shock. The poor sod just narrowly escaped a meeting with the grim reaper, so who’s to judge his unusual reaction, really? It was more than possible that he was in a panicked state, and the brain, being an intricate little machine, was prone to easily go haywire after such a trauma.

Whether it was garnered from books or personal experience, Twilight knew all this. It was her duty to reassure a pony in distress. She would never consider ditching him and leaving him at the gallows. Had he not suffered enough?

“This is princess Twilight Sparkle speaking. And who might you be?”

No answer came.

“Are you okay? Can you walk up to me?” she tried to mellow him out. “We need to get you out of here, this is a dangerous place to be!”

“I’m ah... I’d rather not,” he hesitantly said, still with that faked voice.

“I understand that this is scary out here, mister, but I cannot stress this enough: You really can't stay here! Please, come with me, I promise I will do my best to keep you safe!”

“Well, I can’t! Um. Because! Uuuuhhh… my leg’s broken? Yeah that’s right, broken! The pain is too much, ouch.”

Oh no! A broken appendage on top of everything? Being chased in a brutal game of cat and mouse, and now this? This incapacitated stallion sure couldn’t catch a break. This just made Twilight’s worries increase exponentially. She felt so bad for him. No one deserved to be in that kind of situation. She needed to be there for this stranger more than ever.

The obvious hitch was, if his leg was truly broken, how was she going to get him out of here? She didn't think she had enough endurance to carry a fully grown stallion to the nearest medical center. She was a princess after all, not a stretcher. Maybe she could cobble up some kind of cast on the spot to at least keep the limb from moving? Have him lean on her after? That all seemed so risky.

She took a couple of steps toward his box fort. “Don't put any weight on it! I'm coming right over to hel-”

“N-NO! DON’T COME HERE! STAY BACK!”

Twilight stopped on a dime, intimidated by the sudden outburst. She was more confused than ever by the reluctance of this anonymous pony. What was going on, here? Did he seriously not want to be rescued? Why scoff at her altruistic assistance given his awful predicament?

“Look err... I misevaluated my injury,” he continued, quieter this time. “It’s just a sprained hoof, silly me! Nothing to it, really. I don’t need help.”

“W-what? But you just said-”

“Please, please just go away! Leave me alone! I’m fine!”

He started to lose his makeshift accent there. No matter. Twilight already made up her mind. She kept advancing toward the hidden pony, further ignoring his foolish demands of being left behind. In a second or two, she’ll be able to fully assess his physical state herself with an unbiased perspective.

“I will never abandon one of my fellow ponies! I’m going to keep you safe if it's the last thing I-”

“PRINCESS, WATCH OUT!”

Twilight heeded private Plume's warning almost instinctively and conjured a protective sphere around her whole body by reflex. And not a moment too soon. A fraction of a second later, and she would've been bludgeoned by a giant fist full of claws.

The defensive veil wasn’t without faults, however. Her translucent lavender bubble kept anything inside safe, sure, but it could still be subjected to external forces. And as it so happens, being pounded by a creature ten times her size was all that was needed to send her ball-shaped shield rolling in one sadistic game of pony-sized billiard, with the princess herself acting as the cue ball.

Twilight gyrated inside, pinned on the “wall” of her spell. It was more thrilling than any carnival ride found in Equestria. And yet, despite bouncing uncontrollably in the streets of Outer Grove, despite her sudden urge to lose her lunch, despite all of that, the princess held onto her spell. The moment she’d let go, she’d turn into a tumbling mess of gore. That alone was all the motivation Twilight needed to keep her horn active.

This, until she ended up striking a wall head-on, putting a stop to this whole fiasco. Once she was out of motion, her spell vanished, leaving behind one very dizzy princess. In her drunken stupor, she tried to refocus her vision, but that was easier said than done. All she could see were blurry blobs doing a poor job passing off as buildings. Not to mention, her head was seriously starting to hurt. That was a lot of spells in one night, some really powerful ones too, and the drain of her natural stockpile of magic was taking its toll on her.

“Hunnhhnnngg... w-w-where am I?” she said with a wobbly voice.

She didn’t expect an answer, and was proven right when no one came to give her any. The deafening silence led to one obvious conclusion: Plume and Flail were nowhere near her. They must’ve gotten separated after she got launched Faust knows where. She had absolutely no idea where she landed. It was one thing to go tourist in a town you’ve never set hooves in; it was another to ricochet mercilessly in it. Twilight was effectively lost, disoriented, and-

GrrOOOAARWWRGGG!

-still in danger.

Didn’t take a genius to deduce that the Ursa wasn’t done with her. Apparently, hurling a wheelbarrow in somecreature's face made her top of the list. That Ursa was out for blood: Specifically, HER blood! She wouldn’t be subdued until she could floss bits out of her teeth with Twilight’s bones. Could be why the royal guards’ distraction only lasted as long as it did. Unlike the princess, they just weren’t interesting enough to be dismantled bit by bit. Or perhaps the Ursa was simply saving them for later?

But for now, she was slowly approaching Twilight, savoring the moment as if the princess was nothing more than a disposable toy to chew on. Nothing like the fresh smell of an easy victory.

In her weakened state, Twilight knew she had nowhere else to run. It was the end of the line. She’d have to pour all that she could into this final encounter, otherwise, her story was going to be cut short. She needed one last push to gain the upper hoof against this restless invader. Gambling with her life was scary, but there truly were no other options. It was now or never, forever.

The princess harvested the remnants of her energy and funneled it all onto the tip of her horn. It radiated brightly with purple magic. A beacon of a thousand lumens in the middle of the night. She felt like passing out, like crumbling to dust. Her legs quaked and hardly supported her own weight anymore. Every single muscle burned and twitched with fatigue. Miraculously, she managed to power through the magical exhaustion that strangled her from within.

SWOOSH!

The Ursa, in the blink of an eye, was submerged by a force field that expanded out of Twilight. Once the brute had realized what just happened, she became as mobile as a statue, her pupils turning into pinpricks. Her irises, once yellow and hostile, were now screened with a psychedelic backdrop. Multicolor swoops and swirls dancing across her eyeballs like oil flowing in a lake. Her mouth curved downward, as a worried expression slowly replaced any evil intent she had prior to being hit by Twilight’s spell. Her ears even became flat on her head; a very rare sighting when it came to Ursa Minors.

Twilight Sparkle collapsed on the floor, totally out of juice. She winced from the efforts of staying conscious. She sluggishly lifted her head with force she didn’t even have anymore. It’s as if she wore an anvil as a necklace.

“Leave... l-leave this town now...” she said between heavy pants.

The Ursa kept staring at her, a bit dumbfounded. Or perhaps she was frozen in terror? It was tough to say. She didn’t give many visual cues as to what was going on in that cluttered head of hers.

In any case, that was all so irrelevant for Twilight.

“Go. AWAY!” she suddenly bellowed, a hoof meekly pushing her off the floor. “Leave these ponies alone! Return to the woods, vile creature, and never, EVER come back here!!”

The Ursa whimpered. She actually whimpered. An Ursa Minor. Whimpering. Just like a puppy about to be bathed. You had to be there to see it. Not only that, but she also retreated, tail between her legs. She ran back toward the forest, and got lost into the darkness of the Undiscovered West, until her cries were out of hearing range.

The silence of the aftermath reigned supreme.

No longer were buildings being ripped from their foundations. No longer were the nightmare inducing howls of two angry beasts tormenting the villagers of a defenseless town. No longer were the united screams of a horrified crowd merging into an ear-splitting tide of pure dread.

All that was left was the subtle high-pitched droning noise of the wind. With a few lights shyly turning back on from homes that hadn’t lost their roof. A few doors opening, with the inhabitants slowly coming to terms with the reality of the situation, as unbelievable as it was:

The danger had passed.


“Princess!”

“Are you alright? Nothing broken?”

That was Hasty Flail and Sterling Plume landing right in front of the downed princess. They both offered her some much-needed support which she accepted without a fuss.

“I’m... I’m okay. I’m okay,” she said, not too sure herself, leaning on private Plume.

“What the hay happened at the end!? We arrived just in time to see the monster make herself scarce! How did you pull that off?”

“O-oh! Heh. Just an illusion spell to change my shape from the Ursa’s point of view.” She let out a hollow chuckle. “Let’s just say, I have an inkling that somecreature now has a deep dragon phobia.”

Plume cocked an eyebrow. “Geez, you almost make it sound easy.”

Oh, but it wasn’t. In fact, Twilight had never casted an illusion as potent as this one before. They weren’t even her speciality to begin with. Crazy what the body and mind could accomplish when your life was on the chopping block.

“Guys, look!”

Hasty Flail pointed at a group of ponies a short distance away pouring out of the building Twilight impacted with her shield spell. Tens upon tens of ponies, exiting through the main double doors. It’s a good thing that this large establishment hadn’t suffered any significant collateral damage. It remained proudly standing, more or less intact.

Even the three sturdy columns in front of it hadn’t toppled over. They kept doing their job of holding two splendid arches as if the attack had been nothing more than a trivial footnote in their life.

But whoa, there sure were a lot of ponies crowding around the three of them! Some bowed, some gasped, some were outright astonished that any of this was really happening. First, two Ursa Minors, and now the princess of friendship herself? Here of all places? For like what, the first time ever?

And she saved them!? Now that was a Saturday to remember!

“See, what did I tell y’all, eh? I knew the princess would prevail!” a gruffy yet appreciative mustachioed stallion declared to the rest of them.

“She totally did!” / “She absolutely did!” followed a duo of ponies to the left.

“Oh hehehehe! Never doubted her monster fighting proficiency for a second, hehehe!” now added some kind of yellow doctor to the right.

“Here’s one for the princess!”
"We owe you our lives, princess!"
"You're the best!"
"Anyone seen my glasses?"
"Let's make some noise, everypony!"
"Woo!"

And just like that, what started as praise quickly turned into a gang of ponies cheering so loudly that Twilight nearly developed a bad case of tinnitus. Hooves stomping in an applauding rumble, not a single mouth depicting a frown, ponies reconciling and hugging each other in relief, hats and other accessories being tossed in the air, hip hip hoorays all across town... Twilight felt so valued, it was almost dizzying.

Or perhaps that was just another side effect of her drought in spare magic.

When the noise dwindled down, a pony got closer to her.

“Well! If they told me that my peaceful little town was going to receive the visit of two Ursa Minors AND one princess in a single day, I would’ve checked the expiration date on my medication, muhehehe- cough COUGH!”

Sounded like Outer Grove’s head cheese. Looking at him, she saw yet another earth pony; nothing too out of the ordinary. The senior was pale brown and had a white diamond decorating his muzzle. Gray tail, salt and pepper sideburns. Again, nothing too shabby.

But his clothes.

Oh lord, his clothes. What a ridiculous attire that stallion was wearing! Clearly, his wardrobe hadn’t evolved with age. She could almost forgive the antiquated maroon doublet, but was the black cape really necessary? That particular combo in itself would make Rarity faint on sight. What really took the cake, though, was his ebony and gold platted top hat. Yes, a top hat. Made Twilight appreciate Mayor Mare’s choices that much more. At least, she stopped at the dickey. But this stallion from another epoque felt like it was necessary to tie the whole ensemble with this anachronistic tube of felt. Who knows, maybe he was going to pull a rabbit out of it?

“My name is Mayor De La Tour,” he said with a respectful bow, “grandnephew of Marquis De Burgundy and elected representative of this little corner of Equestria. Princess, on behalf of every Outer Grovian, I would love to offer my most sincere thanks for your selfless role in chasing these dastardly pooches back to their den. Without your input, well... I dare not think of the grim consequences.”

Twilight eventually snapped out of her, err, “appreciation” for his daffy costume and returned a bow. However, a little voice in her head told her that now was the not the time to engage in a diplomatic exchange. Something didn’t feel right still. There were a couple of loose ends in dire need of being tied.

“Mr. Mayor De La Tour, it’s an honor to meet you, but... I’m afraid it’s not quite over yet!” she warned.

The goofy guy tilted his head, confused. “Whatever do you mean, princess?”

“W-we need to evaluate the damages! H-help anypony lost and hurt! There was a stallion! A stallion in a back alley not too far from here. H-h-he was in dire need of assistance, I must-”

Not even a step in and her trembling knees buckled. She would’ve flopped onto the stony floor like a rag if it weren’t for the guards dutifully giving her the support she needed. That physical malaise didn’t go over the mayor's head.

“Nonsense!” he protested. “You have done plenty to rescue our quaint little town already. For that, we are eternally in your debt. So please, I must insist, do not strain that overworked body of yours any longer than you already have. In the meantime, we will pool together our collective efforts and handle the fallout of this tragic calamity ourselves.”

She had to admit, her magical migraine was drumming harder than ever behind her skull. Attack beams, flares, protective spheres, legendary illusions... Saying that she was out of steam was the euphemism of the century. Because in truth, the probabilities of her falling unconscious within the next few minutes were staggeringly high. After everything she went through, that would make for one anticlimactic ending.

“Do not worry, princess. We will find that missing stallion of yours. You can count on us! But for now, you must rest.” He clapped his hooves in a commanding manner. “Miss Sweet Pint! Would you give me the satisfaction of coming forth, if you please?” 

Heads turned and singled out a white and pink pony of petite stature. She gulped and took a couple shy steps forward, breaking off the crowd. Just under the white freckles of her rosy cheeks, she attempted to keep a smile trained by years of customer service.

“Ah, there you are, my dear. Would you be so kind as to accompany the princess to the grandest suit of your delightful inn?” Mayor De La Tour asked.

“Uh... yeah. Not a problem. R-right on it, dude- I mean, uh, Mr. Mayor Sir,” she tripped onto her own words.

There was no denying that she was a bit shaken not only by the recent course of events, but also by being the center of attention at the moment. And for once, against the very nature of her tough persona, she resisted all urges to mumble something sarcastic. Somehow, being unpleasant in front of a princess, one that just saved everyone’s flank – hers included – seemed a bit out of place. Instead, she silently showed her royal guest the way, moving away from the other ponies at a reduced pace. After making sure Twilight Sparkle was in a stable condition to move on her own, Plume and Flail nodded and receded into the crowd.

On the porch of the bar/inn hybrid, Sweet Pint turned to look at the esteemed princess. “This is- this is the Two Arches. I work there as a barmare. I mean, I guess I’m not a barmare, but more like, the barmare, since there’s just me behind the counter, if you catch my drift. Um, welcome, I guess?”

She facehoofed.

“Erf, not the best sales pitch I’ve given, gonna be honest. Can’t say I was ‘xactly prepared for any of this, h-heh.”

Twilight candidly smiled. She understood all too well what it was like to try and please a higher authority and making sure everything was up to code, spick-and-span, without faults, etc. She’s been there before. Many more times than she’d like to admit.

When she walked past the middle column, she couldn’t help but admire the carved art that reshaped it into three ponies and a sphere. Now just where exactly did she see that design before? Somehow, it wasn’t all too unfamiliar to her. Maybe she’ll rethink the question after being properly revitalized?

Intrigues aside, that was one stunning piece, really! Credit to the artist. She’d appreciate it even more if she wasn’t so close to sleepwalking. Right now? Snoozing was the order du jour.

The barmare made it inside first, and she couldn’t help but cringe at the state of her workplace.

“I ah, um. Sorry about the mess. We held a party here yesterday and I meant to clean before opening for the night, but y’know. Giant bears. Sort of shifted my priorities a bit. And then I had to house dozens of desperate ponies like stowaways, so that didn’t help! Look, I’m telling you, normally, I’m tidying up this place so good, it’s almost like-”

By this point, Twilight could hardly pay attention to the scenery anymore. Her head was sagging low, and her eyelids only allowed a slit of vision for two bloodshot eyes. Still, looking left and right, she could sort of see what Sweet Pint was rambling on about. A bunch of empty mugs caked with froth, crisp bowls filled with crumbs, chairs toppled over, unfinished games of cards, deflated balloons, an uncountable number of dirty paper plates...

... and of course, right above her, a huge banderole that spelled: “HAPPY 5 YEARS GRAY CALX.”

Which, once again, sort of rang a bell? Maybe? Could’ve sworn she heard a name similar to this one before. Eh whatever. Probably just some balderdash derived from sleep deprivation.

No, really, if there was one thing to get anxious about, it was something else entirely.

She had triumphed over the duo of Ursas, yes? The town had been salvaged and its citizens celebrated their well-earned victory, yes? One could almost say: “Problem solved,” correct?

Then why didn’t her cutie mark acknowledge this satisfying denouement?

It hadn’t given her any completion signalization. No hints at all. It didn’t pulsate, it didn’t illuminate. No celebratory chime and no glittery particle effects of any kind. Both of her stars remained completely motionless, placidly waiting on her flanks the same way they have for the past 24 hours.

This could only mean one thing.


The friendship problem still existed.
> Sunstone: Waiting for a Train
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the years rolled by, new chapters about this winding journey in self-discovery get written. Growing up, moving out, meeting new ponies, forging an identity, tripping and getting back up, enjoying new hobbies, seizing the day... This long and ubiquitous game of life has a way of bringing anypony to all sorts of places, the majority of which, their past incarnation couldn’t have possibly conceived. Routines and status quo gradually making room for something so unfathomably exhilarating, something so wonderfully grandiose, while the world gets swept by innumerable waves of change.

But for as much as things have a way of moving forward, a lot tends to remain the same, too.

For Sunstone, it was essentially back to square one. All means of progress had been erased; it’s as if the last 10 years didn’t happen at all.

The poor stallion was nearing his thirties and had to return back to living with his old folks. Not by his choice, mind you. An unfortunate series of circumstances had befallen upon him, booting him back where it all started.

Being the oldest sibling, and being the last one to leave the nest. There was something thoroughly humiliating about this. If he found his life unimpressive before, now, it was borderline pathetic. And to what end, really? Had he not busted his flank his whole life to secure himself a cozy lifestyle in the future? Studying relentlessly and applying himself at school to snatch a snazzy job like every other salaried worker?

Look at him now: Sitting on his haunches at the kitchen table, a yellow newspaper opened in front of him. Desperately scrounging the ads section to find a new and better form of employment where his expertise could shine.

His neck was curved downward and his face was completely buried in his lecture. As if he was trying to intimidate the paragraphs with his vitriolic stare alone to rearrange the letters into something more acceptable.

Unfortunately, nothing yielded. Yet another day of finding nothing but posts that either required courses his studies didn’t cover and/or field experience he didn’t have. And a minimum wage was out of the question; who could avoid having the bank foreclose on them with something that could barely cover a week’s worth of groceries? Canterlot’s cost of life could be a cruel mistress if you didn’t shove that silver spoon far down your throat.

Sunstone took another sip out of his lukewarm coffee. A true meal fit for the failure that he was. All hail the almighty loser, he mentally chanted.

His mother was doing the dishes by the sink. Hovering the plates with her horn telekinesis and washing out the goobers in midair with a brush. Well, she was sort of half paying attention to her chore. She couldn’t help but give genuine sad looks at the pitiful state her son was in. Seeing him so morose, so defeated, well, it was tugging at her heart. Twilight Velvet was still a mother, after all.

“Found anything interesting this time around, Sunny?” was her first effort to jumpstart a conversation.

“‘Fraid not,” he said after swallowing a big gulp of his bitter drink. “Looks like you and dad are going to be stuck with me a bit longer than expected, heh.”

“D-don’t say it like that! You know you’ll always be welcomed here. You know that, right?” she said, scrubbing a pan with a little too much intensity.

Sunstone dropped his paper and rubbed his temples. “Yes, mom, you’ve said it enough times for me to take the hint. The point has been sufficiently driven home, trust me.”

He peered at the leftovers of his veggie omelet he didn’t have the guts to finish. With his appetite missing, he half-heartedly pushed the plate away.

“It’s not that my current job is all that bad, but... It’s just not enough. I need something that pays more. I’ve crunched the numbers, and at the rate I’m saving up, it’ll take me another full year before I can accumulate a decent-enough cash down to afford my own house. Probably two years, realistically. And by then, who knows how much inflation will have screwed the economy.”

Sunstone segued his speech with a humoristic glance toward his mother.

“Bet the princess and her inner circle of nobles are having a reeeaaal good giggle at us crumb-eaters when they purposefully plunge us into recession after recession. ‘Austerity,’ they then proclaim. Psshhh, yeah, good one, princess Celestia. Wonder if that’s the kind of ingenious wisdom she’s passing onto her faithful student.”

“S-speaking of jobs, you ah, hehehe, y-you still work as a field researcher in the abandoned Canterlot crystal mines, right?” Twilight Velvet asked, desperate to change the subject.

“Yup. Earning peanuts by freezing my flank in that cold and desolate cave system is my vocation, apparently. I don’t know why they even bother sending me to convey on-site geological surveys. Everything that was worth something has already been picked clean by greedy unicorns a really long time ago. I don’t see anything important ever happening again down there. Sometimes, I swear, it feels like I’m being held hostage in this stripped mine. Like I’m some kind of... I dunno, some kind of prisoner, I guess.”

“Surely, you must be exaggerating just a little bit?” she tentatively asked.

“Eh, I probably am. You know how melodramatic I can get,” snarked Sunstone in return. “Still, I highly suspect that my superior only tasks me with this... pseudo busywork, because she has no idea what else to do with a flathead like me.”

“With a flat- Sunstone!! Don’t call yourself that!”

“Hey, why not? Everypony needs a nickname.”

Twilight Velvet didn’t feel the need to entertain her son with a response.

As this “pleasant” morning talk dwindled down, Sunstone began to reminisce about the events that forced him to go on the hunt for a better living wage. He had reasons to not be entirely satisfied with his current job. It was a bit disheartening for him to uphold this kind of unambitious low-end position after being so close to obtaining something a lot more prestigious.

Indeed. About five years ago, Sunstone finished his time at university with an internship that sent him straight to Manehattan. His gradebook was beyond satisfactory, and his top percentile performance caught the interest of the Equestrian Geological Association. Naturally, Sunstone gladly accepted this once in a lifetime opportunity.

This was it, this was finally it! A gateway for his name to have a place in history books. A means to be remembered. A reason to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was something more than an irrelevant detail.

It took very little time for him to pack and kiss the family house goodbye. His parents were all emotional, as were his siblings and Spike who, back then, were still all living together. The five of them felt melancholic and saddened by his departure, but for Sunstone, it was a whole different category of emotions that turmoiled inside of his stomach.

It felt exciting. It felt liberating. It felt good.

Finally, finally, a way out of this place. Finally, he would stop being told about how Twilight’s magic was becoming more and more potent each passing day. Finally, he would stop unwittingly hearing about how Shining kept being promoted along the royal guards’ ranks at record speeds. No more playing second- nay, third fiddle.

For him, this was a new start. A way to do his own thing, far away from those who overshadowed him so much. The perfect solution to focus on his own projects without them feeling so dang inferior. No longer would he be constrained by having to share a bedroom wall with those who had done nothing but bring him jealousy and unpleasant thoughts.

This couldn’t have been made more obvious when Sunstone moved in with two other alumni in an apartment not too far from the EGA headquarters. The rent was rather hefty, but splitting it three ways helped a lot. That first night he spent in a bed away from home, Sunstone had been blessed with the most pleasant dreams.

Over the next few months, Sunstone quickly climbed the corporate ladders, and what started as a modest internship quickly shaped up to be a permanent job offer. He had been relocated to the research and development branch of the renowned firm, with a keen aptitude in figuring out and creating new means to facilitate the extraction of heavier ores.

This went on for a couple of years. With Sunstone’s projects and ideas managing to find grants funded by the Crown, this couldn’t have been going any better. There was a point where he even started considering becoming a teacher in the matters of geology, what with him having lived the best moment of his less than stellar childhood at school. He could totally picture himself in front of a class full of students eager to learn, sharing his passion for everything rock related. And the best part of that was, the EGA was actually endorsing this decision. With a few appointment classes offered by his firm, Sunstone would be ready to spread the good words about the benefits of the mining industry.

At this point, it was undeniable: Sunstone was living the dream.

But you know what they say about the good times.


Good times never last.


It happened one evening, when his two faithful rent buddies announced to him that they wouldn’t renew their next lease. The two of them had fallen in love over time, something Sunstone was well aware of, but the stinker was, the lady wound up becoming pregnant. The couple decided that living in an expensive apartment in the big city was no place to raise a foal, and they agreed to move to a quieter place.

Sunstone understood why they took that decision, but at the same time, that left him in a rough spot. Now alone, the next trimester became financially unsustainable. He defaulted on multiple payments, to the point that his landlord started bullying him with threats of eviction. Sunstone’s school debt was still omnipresent, and with food and taxes, his paychecks came a little short.

With every other apartment being more or less in the same price range, he tried to find new people to cohabit with until his savings became more stable. He really did. But they were always either problematic, unreliable, drifting away after a few weeks, or all of the above. It was a frustrating game of musical chairs, rotating ponies after ponies.

In the end, Sunstone’s expenses piled up to insurmountable amounts and, with his head hung low, he returned to Canterlot. There were no other options. His parents were accommodating, of course, especially since Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor had since then moved out to live in dorms.

Unfortunately, Manehatten and Canterlot stood approximately four hours apart, and that’s if you took the express train. Being so far away from his workplace became a huge problem, because commuting for eight hours, five days a week, was absolutely mental.

Oh, Sunstone tried to make it work. But after two weeks, only two weeks, he gave up. His productivity at the EGA had tanked significantly, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the higher-ups. Rather than waiting for a pink slip, Sunstone took the honorable decision of stepping down himself.

Just like that, what started as a promising career deflated to nothingness. All that was left were the memories of a better time. Of something that could’ve been.


Sunstone downed the rest of his roasted beverage. Taking a trip down memory lane had brought him nothing but misery, something he sure could do without. There was enough to be disappointed about in the present, after all.

He brought his cup and plate to the sink counter before they could attract flies. Next to his mother who has tried really hard to keep a bright smile this whole time, Sunstone just had to cock an eyebrow.

“Mom? ... You’ve been wiping the same pan for five minutes.”

“I have? Oh! Uhhh, heheheee...!” she sheepishly smiled.

Sunstone rolled his eyes. “Alright mom. What’s on your mind?”

“Me? Oh, nothing, nothing!”

Yeah, haha, no. She was really bad at hiding her true intentions behind those pale blue eyes of hers. She couldn’t tell a lie to save her life.

“Mom.”

She turned off the water tap and dropped her kitchen equipment. She sighed, knowing that the upcoming discussion was going to be an unpleasant one.

“Look, Sunny... I-I know very well how you feel about it, but please, why don’t you let your dad and I give you just a little bit of financial aid for a change? Y-you could consider it a loan if you’d prefer! I mean, obviously, you wouldn’t even need to pay us back, we’d be super happy if-”

“No. No deal,” Sunstone predictably replied.

“But... why? You’ve always refused our help. I don’t get it, Sunny. You don’t need to do everything on your own. We’re here to support you, you know.”

“Yeah? Riddle me this then: Did Twilight cry for your help when she became the princess’ personal protégé? Did Shining ask for mommy and daddy’s bits before he was made captain of the royal guards? No! Neither of them licked your boots to achieve their goals; they did it all on their own! So you would think that, by comparison, my sorry 28-year-old ass should at the very least be capable of affording its own plot of land without resorting to begging for your cash!!”

Her heart was racing. “H-honey, it’s not a competition...”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong.”

It’s always been a competition, he said in his head.

Twilight Velvet wouldn’t win here, that much was a given. Who has ever won these kinds of arguments against Sunstone? He was far too deep in his beliefs. His ego would never allow her to have the final word on that particular subject. Instead, she tried a different avenue.

“Well... If that’s how you really feel, and if you truly do not want any of our money, then have you instead considered looking for a house in the suburbs? Like, say, in Ponyville instead of Canterlot? It’s not too far away from here; I’m sure the commute time to your current workplace wouldn’t be all too harsh to handle. House prices are pretty affordable over there I reckon.”

“Yeah, and you know why that is?” he rhetorically asked, chuckling. “Because there’s always a bunch of crazy shenanigans happening over there. No wonder they ask for so little upfront: It’s the insurance companies that must fill their pockets! This town is a scam, I tell you.”

He started to strut away, possibly to crash on the couch and wait for the hours to pass. Yet, something nibbled at him in the back of his mind.

“Besides,” he quietly resumed, facing away from his mom, “I know what you’re trying to pull here.”

“W-what? I’m not... um...”

“Yeah yeah mom. I can read you like a book. You just want me to go there so I can crash with a certain purple unicorn.”

“Sunny... I’m sure she’d be more than happy to-”

“I’m not moving in with Twily, mom,” Sunstone sternly replied. “For Celestia’s sake, she only left for Ponyville, what, two days ago!? I would definitely come off as a liable opportunist. Also, didn’t she take that sycophantic drake with her anyway?”

“Hey now, don’t you talk about Spike that way, young stallion!”

“Doesn’t matter. Point is, they probably don’t have enough room for a third wheel wherever it is that they live now. My presence would just spoil their fun. And, you know, it’s probably for the best, since there’s no way I could ever be convinced to go squat her house. End of discussion.”

End of discussion indeed, because, right on cue, dry knocks reverberated in the house. Somepony was at the door, patiently waiting to be answered. Twilight Velvet obliged, happy to have found an outing. This private moment with her eldest son had made her so skittish, it was almost a relief to have been given a chance to distract herself with something else.

Sunstone followed her out of the kitchen until he bifurcated to the living room, where he tossed himself on the lounge. No sense in having two ponies greet the stranger. Attentively, he heard a couple of “Hello Mrs. Velvet,” “Beautiful day ain’t it,” “Sign here please,” which was a pretty standard exchange when it came to mail calls. A moment later, Sunstone’s mother re-emerged back from the lobby, an envelope held between her teeth by the string.

But that envelope was no ordinary envelope.

“Is that a royal seal?” Sunstone asked, partially intrigued.

“Seems to be? Oh I wonder what this is all about!”

She unrolled the parchment, levitated it in front of her, and began reading the cursive words, her eyes squinting in concentration. Only a few lines in, and she gasped out loud, her face completely covered by a mask of pure shock. Sunstone had rarely seen her displaying over-the-top reactions like this before.

“What? What is it?” he asked, now definitely more intrigued.

It took her a few seconds to realize Sunstone was addressing her.

“O-oh? This? It’s nothing. Just more boring Canterlot paperwork, hehehe,” she nervously giggled

Sunstone simply crossed his front legs on his torso and cocked his head. For the second time this morning, she had been caught in her lies.

“We’re playing this game again, aren’t we? Look, mom, I'm no dupe. It’s a royal seal. I know what it implies. It’s something about Twily and her personal ties with the princess, isn’t it?”

She silently nodded, bracing for the upcoming storm that would undoubtedly erupt from her already disgruntled son. She knew how badly Twilight’s personal victories could set him off. And this one was a big one.

A very, very big one.

“Care to give more details?” Sunstone insisted.

“Weeell,” she started, biting the inside of her cheek, “r-remember how the sun was late to be risen this year during the Summer Sun Celebration? The one held in Ponyville two days ago? Something... something happened. And it involves your sister...”







Uff...

Uff...

Running.

Feels like I’ve been running for my entire life.

Ever since I barreled down that accursed mountain, it’s been nothing but run, run, run! And whereas one would expect me to do so with the clear goal of escaping danger, haha! ... They’d be sorely mistaken! Because that, my friends, would imply doing the smart thing. But me, the unusual specimen, well, I haven’t really been in touch with my rational side. S’why you could currently find me closing the gap with two bears on growth hormones – you know, the ones who could flick me to the fifth dimension molecule by molecule.

A mere nopony confronting a situation one step removed from the Armageddon: Me no likey them odds. Hey, anypony waging their bits on me? Come on, don’t be shy; you could win big, here!

Fatalism aside, what was I even supposed to do here? Like seriously, what can a simple dimwitted buffoon such as myself even accomplish in this particular scenario?

Hey, maybe I could talk them out of doing whatever it is that they’re doing? Use my silver tongue and convince them that they’re committing a big no-no? Toss in tea and biscuits to seal the deal?

... Nah, let’s be real.

It was going to get physical. Oh you better believe it! I couldn’t see myself cheating my way into an easy win here. My pragmatic flank was going to get kicked hard enough for me to regurgitate my own tail.

Look. Call me overly sensitive, but I wasn’t exactly keen on treating my pain receptors like second-class garbage. Weird, right? Let’s not forget that less than an hour ago, I came awfully close to a concussion after riding one demented cart ride, this, right before plowing down the most unsafe flight of stairs in the universe. Think I’ve sufficiently paid my ouchie toll for the day. Could feel it in my bones still; how’s that for some proof? I’ve done nothing but take my personal safety for granted, so now, the last thing I wanted was to be gutted like a piñata by two unstoppable creatures.

But my legs, these four audacious gray tubes under my torso, they couldn’t stop bringing me into danger territory. Clearly, they didn’t get the memo when I preached for self-preservation. Here they were, digging into the soil, confidently pushing me toward the place I feared most: The fountain. That archaic circular landmark plopped smack down in the center of Outer Grove’s main plaza. Thanks legs, very cool. Ugh. Weren’t they aware that patching a hemorrhage with courage alone was just fairy tales?

Meanwhile, my cardio was about to call it quits. Unlike my legs doped up on bravado, my diaphragm simply couldn’t keep up with my pace anymore. I had no other choice but to slow down and catch my breath. Oof... Boy was I out of steam. My muscles were working overtime, and they were more than ready to unionize against the poor choices that I’ve made. Luckily, my trusty eyes were still operational, and they took this short pause to analyze what was going on exactly. From left to right, then right to left, it was time to draw a portrait of the situation at large.

And it wasn’t exactly a black-or-white type of deal.

For one, I had indeed reached the aforementioned fountain. Very dull, that structure. An uninspiring ring a couple of meters in diameter made of poorly-carved stones. To add insult to injury, the pathetic basin had been filled with a murky pool of stagnant water where lily pads and lichen made their home. I mean, there wasn’t even a statue or anything to give the whole shebang a bit more oomph. You know, if Mayor De La Tour hired my services, I would’ve happily reshaped that ugly thing into something more respectable. It was rather telling that the Ursas didn’t even bother with it, probably thinking that it was already a broken pile of junk, ha.

... I trailed off big time here. Sorry.

But see, when facing off a wild animal that could swallow me whole if it so desired, my brain tends to fidget just a bit. Call it fishing for time if you will. One does not perish when one stalls.

In any case, that mountain-sized bear had been left all on their own. Their bigger comrade in destruction had nicked off somewhere else, separating the two of them in the process. As if that would alleviate my position at all. One Ursas, two Ursas... What difference did that make? Knowing it only took a single one of them to bring carnage of apocalyptic proportions, to me, that all seemed so arbitrary.

But...

But there was a problem. And not an insignificant one either.

See, my eyes weren’t lying: Everypony else had sought refuge. Whether this was by their own doing or through the efforts of my group of friends, I had no way of telling. Maybe they went ahead with the plan we cobbled up on a whim before I succumbed to my ill-timed panic attack? I sure hope they did. That’d be swell.

Still. Whatever caused the streets to become eerily deserted effectively left me as the sole taskforce to deal with that Ursa Minor. Even the royal guards and... Her... were nowhere to be seen. But that wasn’t what worried me the most, no. Because, in truth, I wasn’t the only pony who had been left behind. The reason why I hadn’t been targeted yet by that big mother Hubbard was written in the sky.

Simply put? I wasn’t the main bait. THAT was the reason. Somepony else had taken my role here. And not exactly by choice either.

And that pony...

That small, orange, ridiculously adorable yet totally terrified pony, well... she was none other than the objective of my rescue mission.

It was Honey Dream.

It was her. It was her, and she was stuck in a less than subpar position.

She was backing off slowly, two globular cyan eyes peering with unfathomable intensity at the Ursa looming over her. I could almost see my own reflection in them despite the darkness. Her quivering mouth was hung halfway opened. Even from this distance, I saw the entirety of her body shaking in ways no foal of her age should. But those eyes... sweet Celestia, those eyes. Her expression! I had front row access to witness the complete disintegration of her precious childhood innocence. Today marked the day she saw how ugly the world could truly be. And she’ll never be okay ever again.

Her trembling tail, that beautiful bundle of crimson and copper, ended up bumping into the side of a store that had met its demise. A fate she was soon going to share at the rate things were going. Caught in a trap, retreating became impossible; she was just about ready to be devoured.

All of my self-centered worries flushed away in an instant. No longer did I fear for my own life. No longer was I constrained by my insecurities. No longer was I paralyzed by indecision. Something took control of my senses. Some kind of... I dunno, parental urge to protect? Weird. Whatever the case was, my mind was set.

I had to act, now.

My legs, my tenacious legs, they went in full overdrive. I ran towards the Ursa towering over my all-time favourite filly at speeds I thought myself incapable of reaching. The monster had their claws retracted and was approximately three seconds away from doing something my imagination was outright refusing to picture.

Still on the run, I unholstered the pickaxe that somehow still kept me company after this whole time. My jaw was clutching the handle hard enough to chip a tooth or two. I rapidly escalated a broken chunk of wall that had fallen into a makeshift slope. At the tip of the conveniently placed debris, I pounced with great athleticism and soared through the air...

... the exact same way I did during those play-pretend games I used to share with... well, you know who I’m talking about. Except now, I was armed with a mining tool, not a fluffy pillow.

What a dissonant image my mind automatically rewound to. Was I experiencing that “reliving memories before you die” myth ponies propagated? I was still in midair, reconsidering my position in this world. Everything slowed down to give me just enough pause to ponder the circumstances that had brought me here. What an absolutely bizarre life I was living. Completely, completely out of this world – that’s just... wow, y’know?

What kind of clueless imbecile ever said that nothing ever happens in Outer Grove, again?


CHLUCK!

As I inserted the pointy tip of my pickaxe into the flesh of the Ursa’s back paw, time resumed back to normal. I didn’t expect anything out of my cocky power move, but who knows, maybe I had hit a literal Ponechilles’ heel? Well, whatever little damage I did, it was enough to trigger a deafening howl that sent my poor sensitive ears flat on my head. Been a lotta loud noises in one day.

I didn’t even take a breather to recover my tool or to check if the coast was clear: I rushed ahead and dove like a hoofball player on top of my “niece” to shield her from any potential retaliative comeback. After the little number I pulled, I expected revenge.

I wrapped myself as good as I could around Honey Dream as we slid together a fair distance away through pebbles and dirt. We could still hear the Ursa echoing plaintive moans, possibly dancing on one foot and going “owie owie my pinkie!”

At this point, we managed to gather our bearings (well, as much as we could). I then did what I did best and tossed Honey Dream onto my withers, that soft little spot she loved to claim as her own so much. I think she was still a bit perturbed by this whole sequence of events and didn’t even realize that she had been displaced to relative safety – at least, for the time being.

Since I apparently have not fled enough in one day, I resumed my “getting the heck outta here” routine. I chose a direction at complete random and darted forward. I was running on fumes, but now that I had someone on my back to protect, perishing was no longer an acceptable failure case.

I felt my own body tremble from Honey Dream’s hysteria. She was completely traumatized. Who could’ve blamed her? Who in their right mind could have possibly blamed her!? Like sheesh, at her age, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep with my eyes closed anymore.

“Un... uncle Calx?” I heard her slowly whisper.

“Don’t worry sweetie, you’re safe now, I gotcha! I’m going to get you out of here!” I said with a throat that felt like molten lava.

She nuzzled me even harder than she already was. “T-thank you... Thank you! Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” she repeated, sniffling all the while.

Hearing her angelic little voice encouraged me to press on. Slowly but surely, I was tricking myself into believing that I was actually going to make it!

“Going to get you out of here...” I said again, more determined than ever.

My brain was mush. My heart was busy pumping blood where it was needed most in this exhausted body of mine. I could hardly focus. Couldn’t clear my head. Didn’t have any idea what to do now. Finding shelter seemed like a good follow up, but... where could we even- I mean, there had to be a place where-

Wait. Of course, you triple idiot! The Two Arches! Duh! They’d welcome us with open hooves over there for sure.

Buuuuut I was currently running the wrong way, because of course I was. Fate was playing tricks again; who could’ve predicted that? And look, I wasn’t about to stop, pull a U-turn, and wave hello to the Ursa whose ankle I just disrespected. I wasn’t a master strategist by any means, but that to me didn’t seem like a winning move.

No, instead, I sank into a small depression between a clothing boutique and a patisserie; both of which had lost their upper floors. Bummer. A problem for later, though. For the time being, I skulked further between the two bricked walls.

Outer Grove was unusually rich with small secretive passageways, I’ll say this much. Didn’t know all of this town’s many twists and turns by heart, but I did know that in-between each building were small transversal pathways that all connected together in a thin backroad parallel to the main boulevards. This secluded snaking path wasn’t really employed so much as it was used to stash crates of merchandise and to hang fresh laundry.

Wedged between the back of the buildings and the tall cliffside of the mountain, this would make for a perfect escape route. We’ll use it to travel back to the Two Arches – maybe even elude the Ursa I’ve angered while we’re at it.

One problem though.

Fence.

Chain-linked and tall. With barbed wire on top for good measure. It did a wonderful job blocking all access to the corridor of freedom I’ve just spent five minutes praising. Wasn’t that rich! And while my pickaxe and my chisel came to the rescue in a timely fashion earlier, sadly, I didn’t come equipped with anything that could let me pry open this obstacle. Metal sheet cutters weren’t standard issue in my toolkit.

However, not all was lost.

Whoever erected that barrier fit to stop half a dozen manticores failed to secure the lower part. It floated about a quarter of a meter off the floor – at least, a damaged part of it was. It curved upward with just enough height to let a couple of stray cats through. And whatever small critters had found this failsafe improved upon it: They dug a shallow trench in the hardened soil to give even more room to crawl underneath.

A filly would have no trouble sneaking to the other side.

A grown stallion, however, wouldn’t.


... Well then. Looks like it was time to pull that idiotic move I’ve seen in way too many sappy movies already. Never thought I’d see the day where I’d be the one performing the heroic sacrifice trope. Hey, did I mention I didn’t want to be a hero before? However, for lack of a better option, our hooves were tied. Sigh...

I heard a faint gasp coming from the filly on my back. She too must’ve begun to understand the unfortunate ramifications behind our inability to progress any further.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed.

“Huh? What for?” I queried, genuinely confused.

“Because... because I- It’s my fault! It’s all my fault!”

I twisted my neck to look at her, still puzzled.

“I, I was with Roller Wings and Comely, and, and, and I told my two friends that I was going to distract that big monster so they could run away... S-so that’s what I did. That’s why I was there, alone, when you found me! T-that’s why you’re trapped with me, uncle Calxie, it’s all my fault, and now, and now, w-w-we-”

“Waitwaitwait... You faced that Ursa Minor all on your own!?”

“I’m so sorry!” she simply insisted. “Please don’t tell my mom! Please!! I told Roller Wings and Comely to hide in our secret cave where we play, I... I know they’re safe! Y-you have to believe me!”

She... really went out of her way to save her friends’ life at her own expense? This, despite knowing fully well her chances of survival weren’t exactly stacked in her favor? How incredibly brave and selfless! And she was apologizing about it? Excuse me!? Seriously, few are the ponies of my age who would have gone out of their way to take such risks, but her, having only existed on this rock for seven meagre years, she didn’t hesitate one second to take a stance. Heck, I’m surprised she didn’t get her cutie mark for putting her life in peril like this.

I... hmmm. How peculiar. Why was it that I felt a weird kind of pride building inside of me? Kid wasn’t even my own. I had no right to- I mean, it wasn’t my place to-

...

B-but nevermind that! Tick tock, tick tock, clock was still spilling out seconds!

I invited Honey Dream to re-engage with the floor, gave her a heartfelt hug, and then, I looked at her dead in the eyes, my hooves on her shoulders.

“Don’t you ever feel sorry for doing the right thing, sweetie. What you did was incredible, and you will never be punished for that, you hear me?”

I gave her a moment or two to fully soak that in. There was so much more I wanted to say about her amazing accomplishment, but, once again, we had very little time to spare. It’s a damn shame I had to put a sock in my praise. Instead, I unlinked from her and carried on with the plan.

“It pains me to say so, but... we’re running out of time.” I pointed ahead. “You see that fence? There’s a gap right by the corner. You need to crawl through, take the service paths, and run along aaaaall the way to reunite with your mother at the Two Arches. It’s the big building where we held my party yesterday evening. Do you remember where it is?”

She nodded like a dutiful little soldier.

“Good, good! Go there and go find your mom. Then, tell her where your friends are, so that we may go fetch them after we chase the bears away. That okay with you, sweetie?”

“Y-yes! Yes, you can count on me, uncle Calx!”

“I know I can. You’re the most trustworthy pony I know. Now go! There is no time to waste.”

She immediately followed my orders. It was wonderful to know she understood the direness of our situation. She was so mature for her age. An inspiration to foals everywhere, I say.

Once she reached the other side, she started strutting forward, until she froze mid walk. Her ears lifted up and turned toward me. Then the rest of her head did the same. She looked rather perplexed.

“You’re... not coming with me, uncle Calx?” she asked with big blinking eyes.

I signaled negatively. “We both know I can’t fit through. I’ll find another way, don’t worry about me.”

“B-but...no! You have to come!” she pleaded.

“Honey Dream...”

“W-what if something happens to you? Huh? What if? It’ll all be because of me!”

Her chin quivered and a long hot tear escaped her eye. Dammit. Them feels were cooking up inside of me. I wasn’t built for this. Seeing her feel guilty about my accidental involvement squeezed my heart in all the wrong ways. Of course it wasn’t her fault. Only the dumbest of all dumbasses would believe that! But in her current state, I don’t think anyone could convince her otherwise.

“I will see you later, Honey Dream,” I simply said, not too sure how to apprehend the situation anymore. “I promise.”

She sniffled a big chunk of snot. “Y-you do?”

I silently nodded, eyes closed. “You have my word.”

She approached the fence and gently put her hoof on it. I did the same. The two of us, making contact on our respective side. So close, yet so far away. Two centimeters of rusted metal: That’s all it took to split us up. Not going to lie, it was a bit frustrating. I could still look at her in the eyes, which just made it so much worse.

“I...” she said, her head looking down. “I love you, uncle Calx.”

She really loves you, you know, repeated Skybrush in my mind.

… Ouch.

For the first time in the last 20 years, I felt like crying.

I fought really hard not to. I really, really did. I had to bite my lower lip so hard, I almost drew blood. I could feel my throat getting itchy and my cheeks warming up. The warning signs were all there.

It took a lot of effort to not lose control, but thankfully, in the end, I managed to keep my emotions in check. Now was not the time to open the floodgates. Was there ever a time for that? What was the point of giving in to waterworks? Seemed counterproductive at best and a waste of time at worst if you asked me. Besides, I was still on the wrong side of the fence; saving my own skin remained top priority. So, no crying. Not now, not ever.

A final goodbye wave in Honey Dream’s direction paired with a “right back atcha, buddy” (decisively, I was really bad at this), and off I went. With a pinch of luck, I’ll find a good hideout to duck and cover. If I could avoid sending myself straight to heaven’s gates, today could still end on a semi-decent-ish note.

When I popped out of the narrow path, the weight of everything started to grow heavy on me. My dwindling optimism had a hard time finding the right words to cheer me up. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was turned around, drained, and-

GrrOOOAARWWRGGG!

-still in danger!

Didn’t take a genius to deduce that the Ursa wasn’t done with me. Apparently, imbedding a pickaxe in somecreature’s foot made me top of the list. You know how the saying goes: Out of the frying pan and into the fire. I hereby coin this as my new motto. Actually, no, that wasn’t quite accurate. I had already been seared and charred, so it was more like, “out of the fire and into the magma pit.” There. Glad we got that sorted out.

Anyway. Heh. You know what I did next? Hmmm? Take a good guess.

I ran.

Yeah. I ran! Big shocker! Ten points for those who guessed correctly. Sweet Celestia, it felt like tonight would never end. As soon as I was done plugging a leak, something else broke. In this clever metaphor, it was me; I was going to be the next “something else” to break. Being chased by an Ursa Minor who would settle for nothing less than biting my head off could only end one way. To think that I actually believed I could outrun that mastodon. It was almost hilarious, in a pathetic kind of way. Eh, it wasn’t for lack of trying though.

After not even a minute of fleeing elapsed, I started to feel the bear’s hot humid breath moistening my fur. My time was up. All it took was for them to reach forward and flatten me like a pancake. It was only a matter of-

WAIT WAIT WAIT ALLEYWAY TO THE LEFT SPOTTED!

I veered so sharply, I redefined what a ninety degree angle was. Swiftly throwing myself into yet another alleyway. For what, the third time tonight? Hat trick, I guess. Made me wonder if this time, Outer Grove’s urban planning was going to be kind enough to throw a bone at me. Was being allowed to slip away too much to ask?

Apparently, it was. Because, as per tradition, I counted my chickens before they hatched.

“Oh, come on!”

No drumroll needed: I was greeted by yet another dead end. Hello there my fenced friend. Been a hot minute, hasn’t it? This time, it was made of wood and had been painted white. Cool variant, but still positively impossible to breach. Out with the old, in with the same.

Turning around didn’t yield any better results. The one and only exit was now covered by a wall of glowing blue fur with little stars scattered throughout. I wasn’t allowed to try my luck again with another alleyway. Three times was not the charm, I’m afraid.

I was uh... Yeah, I was trapped. There weren’t even any side doors from the buildings casing me in on which I could bang and beg for my life. Nor were there any fire escapes, ladders, or anything I could climb to Deus ex Machina my way out of this one. It was just me, the Ursa, and one disgusting detritus-filled corridor. A one versus one with no spoilers and no punches to hide.

Completely out of options, I took the cowardly path and hid behind a heap of trash. A couple of melon crates that had been stacked into the ugliest cardboard snowman I’ve ever had the displeasure to lay my eyes upon. A mighty tower of babel where flies and fungi reigned like kings. And the stench. Urk. Boy was it ever impossible to put into words.

Yeah, you know what was worse than basking in a bacteria-riddled petri dish full of junk? The piercing animalesque noises that stuck with me like the flu. And this weird feeling of doom that crept into my spine. Accompanied by cold shivers that by no means meant anything good.

I mean, was this it? This was it, wasn’t it?

I’ve lived my whole freaking life, only for my plug to be pulled like this? In my mid thirties of all moments? There was no way I could’ve predicted this gruesome and crude ending. When I woke up this morning, how was I supposed to know it was going to be the last day I...

...

Ha.

Hahahaha! No, surely there was a way out of this one, right? There has always been a way out. Every time I faced adversity – and there’s been a lot of adversity – I’ve always managed to find my legs and keep on going. So, given my unforgiving but consistent track record, this time had to be no different. It simply had to, because... because I refused to believe these were Gray Calx’s final moments. I still felt largely unsatisfied with this life I’ve lived. I couldn’t go; I was not ready to move on. I had... so many untapped projects I could’ve started. So much wasted potential that still hadn’t had a chance to flourish. Unaccomplished life goals practically begging to be put into motion.

I didn’t want to go.

Oh for the love of me, I did NOT want to go!

I mean... At least I had been allowed just enough time to do something good. I got to save Honey Dream right before I tossed myself into the gaping maw of death. At least... At least I did something right in my life. If only once. Maybe that counted for something? I sure hope it did, because I had nothing else to show for it! I had made so many bad decisions – really, REALLY bad decisions – but perhaps reuniting a mother and her only child was my magnum opus? Maybe there was solace to be had in knowing that, even if I wasn’t going to be a part of their future, these two could carry on and live together happily. Could this have been the sole reason I had been allowed to exist in Equestria at all? Thirty years of aimlessly bumbling around, culminating in this one particular moment?

Heh. How fitting that I would perish alongside the trash in this crummy place. Right where I ultimately belonged. Almost poetic, wouldn’t you say?

As I ungraciously faced my death like a total chicken, covering my head under my hooves with my eyes wide open – the exact same way Honey Dream’s had been – it took me a moment to realize that the Ursa who wanted me gone so badly hadn’t made their move yet. In fact, I could hear them growling from much further away now. Which means, uuuh... I wasn’t... quite done yet?

Ha!

I wasn’t quite done yet! Oh lord have mercy on my soul, I still had a chance! Hahaha, take that, you stupid narrative! You can take my ticket out of here and shove it up where Celestia’s sun don’t shine! What else you got, huh? Come on, don’t be shy: I’m eagerly waiting for your next move, here! Anything you can throw at me, I can take no biggie!

“Hello? Anypony in there?”


Oh.


That... that voice.

WOW that voice. I hadn’t heard it in so long. It came from somewhere close by. WAY too close for comfort, in fact. And make no mistake: It was addressing me directly. But holy moly, did it ever feel so weird. You think you remember somepony’s voice so well until you hear it again, don’t you? My mind had distorted and vilified her timbre so much in five years, it was shocking to realize that it sounded more... I dunno, more caring? Definitely more soft-spoken than the twisted image my mind created and came to believe.

And now it was my turn to retort? With uh, words and such? Give her the satisfaction of a “hi, wassup, how do you do?”

…

As unbelievable as it sounded, preconceiving my own death hadn’t been the worst thing to come out of tonight’s episode. I hadn’t reached the bottom of the barrel yet. And with the bar constantly getting lowered, I don’t know if ever will.









Zzz... urk!

Groan...

Waking up.

Feels like I’ve been sleeping for my entire life.

I oughta tell you guys, I had the weirdest fever dream. It involved a metric ton of injuries, a duo of bears, some kind of tower bell, a whole lotta panic, and I think Mr. Prospector may or may not have had a role throughout this whole malarkey. But that wasn’t the worst part, oh nononono... Wanna know what – or rather, who the final boss of that nightmare was? Get this: It was plagued with the presence of my sis- I mean, cough, um, the princess of Friendship. Guess her name being dropped at my party two days ago really scrambled my paradoxical sleep for the worst, huh?

Yeah, by now, I think it would behoove me to stop pretending none of that happened. Oh it was real alright. Yesterday had been an absolute trainwreck of a day. A total travesty. Worst day of my life for sure. Weeeell, maybe not. It was up for debate.

But yeah. From the moment I came empty hoofed with rubies, all the way to my fateful encounter with the pony I despised most. I came dangerously close to exposing myself there, by the way. Five years of taking the most vigilant precautions, only for my efforts to almost be voided in an instant. I have no idea what I would’ve done if she and I came face-to-face. Probably fight and say a bunch of ugly things, I dunno. Maybe one of us would’ve strangled the other. At least we managed to avoid that disaster. So it’s not like yesterday was all that bad, when you really think about it. Ha. Haha...

...

Where was I right now anyway?

I was prone on the floor, for one. It felt hard and displeasing; my poor ribs were sore all over. For some reason, I hadn’t snuggled into the comfort of my bed. Or ANY bed, for that matter. A quick scan of my surroundings, and I could see I was in some sort of hovel. With poor decoration, barely any furniture, cracked walls that hadn’t been caulked yet, a faulty drippy faucet, a tapestry that was quite passé, a picture frame of me, and- aw hell, it was my house, wasn’t it?

Yup, home sweet freakin’ home. Same ol’ dump that could hardly justify my motherload of a mortgage.

I was by the entry door. In fact, my back was resting on it. Ooookay?

Luckily, I was slowly starting to half remember why I had chosen this particular spot to wait for the sandmare. See, after a bunch of circumstances totally outside of my control separated me from that witch of a princess, I had an important decision to make right there and then. With a minimal amount of musing, I concluded that I have had my fill. Enough was enough already. I was done.

I cheated death an unacceptable number of times. I was anxious, hungry, dehydrated, and drowning in emotional vomit. I still hadn’t had a proper dinner, and I still hadn’t tended to my fresh wounds. Plus, Twilight’s nearby presence got me to think a lot. Unpleasant thoughts, I assure you. Rotted my brain to its very core.

So, taking that all in, I simply walked home. Limped home, in fact. Without meeting anypony else. Without checking if Honey Dream had made it to the Two Arches proper. Without verifying if my friends or anypony else were on the lookout for me. I just couldn’t take it anymore, okay? I had reached my limit.

When I finally secluded myself indoors, I… I don’t know why, but I felt the overbearing urge to block the door with my back, as if I feared that something would try to barge in. I felt safer garrisoned over there, playing the neurotic gatekeeper. A psychotherapist would’ve probably claimed that I was subconsciously trying to barricade my problems out of my home and, by extension, out of my life. Not a totally inaccurate diagnosis, but who the hay was I to evaluate my own condition, really.

Fear of the outside world or not, it’s with my tail to the door that my consciousness went kaput. And I might’ve had an idea that could explain why my body went lights out as quickly as it did.

Yeah, remember how I said yesterday that “tomorrow would suck?” Well, we were now tomorrow, and it did indeed suck. It sucked! My joints ached, my bones felt hollow, and my skin was reduced to a fragile membrane. I mean, Saturday had been a test of endurance for sure. Physically taxing in ways even a well-built pony like me couldn’t have anticipated. Or properly deal with, for that matter.

Which is why I think today was going to be spent at home, recovering. Maybe finally quieting my hunger and enjoy a copious brekkie with the remnants of my groceries. Have a lil’ morning brew while I’m at it, hmmm. Don’t wanna pat myself on the back too hard, but I kind of deserved it. Oh! And a hot bath! That also seemed like a good-

Knock knock knock!

-or I could just go buck myself.

Now, what kind of impolite provocateur had the guts to be disrespecting my privacy this early in the morning? After all, it was only 11 AM- whoops. I overslept. Not used to oversleeping.

Still! Who could be standing at my doormat? I wasn’t expecting guests, especially on the very next day after a third of the town got torn to shreds. There were better things to be done over selling toothbrushes and vacuum cleaners. How utterly bothersome.

I hesitantly cracked the door open, letting the faintest amount of light in. Only my spying eyes could be seen from the dimmed interior.

“Howdy, neighbour!” boomed a voice on the porch.

Well, at least it wasn’t a door-to-door salespony. And that’s where the good news stopped. Trust me, those two energumens were equally as joyous and twice as annoying.

“Oh... Hello Mr. and Mrs. Blueberry,” I said with a tinge of disappointment.

Blueberry Leather and Blueberry Strudel. He and she. Colored after their name and happily married for far longer than my time in Outer Grove. They acted as block captains for this section of the neighborhood, which put them in charge of ten residences or so. “Being in charge” more-or-less meaning that they kept the ponies under their jurisdiction up-to-date with new developments, alongside making sure that their lawn was trimmed to respectable lengths. You know, pointless garbo like this. But they sure took their role seriously. With such pride too. To each their own, I guess.

Blueberry Strudel had a knack for haute cuisine and could bake a mean loaf. The kind of mare to leave a steaming hot rhubarb pie by the windowsill. Geez, I hoped her bakery hadn’t been Ursa’d to oblivion...

Blueberry Leather, meanwhile, was an interesting case. Unlike the rest of us, he was – get this – a pegasus. A dying breed in Outer Grove. His wings gave him the perfect biological advantage to be employed as a courier, delivering letters all across town. Since the mail rarely came in and out of Outer Grove (again, trains being a rare occurrence), he had to coordinate himself with the bigger cities to uphold tight schedules. Or something. I’m sure he did some “hard” bureaucratic work every now and then.

Anyway. These two were very bubbly ponies. Smiles permanently glued to their face. A typical “Double Income No Kids” couple who loved to insensitively flaunt about their many high-end personal possessions.

I didn’t like them much.

“Oh it’s so wonderful to see that you’ve made it out in one piece, deary!” said Blueberry Strudel with fake relief. Only to gasp a moment later. “But what happened to your head? Is that... is that blood!? My oh my, don’t you just look so awful!”

“My juicy lil’ berry is right! Neighbour, you look terrible! I mean, more than usual. Just... really, really terrible! Hahaha!”

Blunter than a mallet, these lovebirds.

“Yeah, thanks,” I said, rolling my eyes. “How about this then? You tell me what you want, and in exchange, I promise not to slam my door shut in the next few seconds.”

They both laughed together in an exaggerated fashion.

“Oh! Always the funny one, neighbour!” said Blueberry Leather, wiping a tear, right before elbowing me with wiggling eyebrows. “Totally makes up for your rather eeeehhh grotesque appearance, am I right?”

Sometimes, I wish I too wielded the power to banish ponies to the moon.

“But my hubby digresses. You do digress, don’t you, my schweet tender berry?”

“I indeed digress!”

Uuuuggggh...

“Anyway,” resumed the postpony, “me and the missus, as block captains, we’re going from house to house to warn everypony that there will be a public heralding in approximately 30 minutes at the plaza. You too are of course invited to partake, neighbour!”

“Oh?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Lemme guess, it’s going to be about yesterday’s attack, am I right?”

They joined their voices in a big gasp.

“Yes, exactly!” said the wife. “Mayor De La Tour wants everypony to be aware of how we’re going to handle the repairs, among other things.”

“Neighbour, how did you know!?”

No, they weren’t being sarcastic. They genuinely believed I had psychic powers to correctly guess the answer.

“I’m just that good, I guess,” I mockingly replied.

“That you are, deary! That you are!” chuckled Mrs. Strudel, before clearing her throat. “We’d like for you to join the rest of us in half an hour, and- oh! Erm, I know you’re a little bit of a… shall we say, unsophisticated fellow, but please, if you come with, do try to be on your best behaviour, deary! And clean that ugly scab off your forehead.”

“That’s right! We need to demonstrate to the princess of Friendship that we too are capable of having a refined culture here in Outer Grove, hahaha!”

Wow wow WHAT!

Okay, pause for a sec or two! The hay did that walking annoyance just say!?

“W-what do you mean…?” I said, looking left and right in paranoia. “She’s still… She’s still here?”

“A-yup!” proudly nodded the pegasus. “She’s going to co host the assembly alongside the mayor. Oooh, aren’t we so lucky?”

“SHE’S STILL HERE!?”

“Oh tsk tsk, deary. This is exactly the kind of abrasive reaction we want to avoid today,” cringed Blueberry Strudel.

“H-how long? How long is she planning on staying?” I demanded with the worst possible expectations.

Mr. Leather tapped his chin. “Mmmmh, weeeell, if the rumors are to be believed, then she should be here for a week.”

A whole week!? Like uh, seven days kind of deal?

Uh-uh! No way! Not happening! I wasn’t going to bunker up in my house and live on canned greens like a hermit for that long.

It was too risky, all too risky. The longer she prolonged her trip in Outer Grove, the more likely she was to accidentally bump into me. Or figure me out. It only took one of my friends to spill the beans for her to debunk my ruse. As much as it pained me to admit, if there was one thing to be said about the princess, it’s that she was way too clever for her own good. Her powers of deduction were something to be feared.

Oh Faust! What if someone tells her in great detail what I look like? What my CUTIE MARK looks like? I’d be caught in an instant. Even hiding in my house wouldn’t do me any good when she can just blast the door off its hinges.

I needed to skip town. Immediately.

That was the only way. Spend a few days in a distant hostel, waiting for things to simmer down a little. Because if she ever finds out I exist around this corner of Equestria, then you bet she’ll relentlessly hunt me down. When something’s on her mind, she does NOT let go.

The neighbours, totally oblivious to my inner panic, stretched their necks a little too close to my face with big toothy smiles.

“Sooo, can we count on your presence?” they insisted together.

“NO! I mean, no- I mean… Sigh. Look, can you two keep a secret? I’m ah… working on a surprise for the princess! A big cool surprise, yup! So I won’t be able to join today’s seminar, darn. You understand, right?”

Blueberry Strudel put a hoof on her chest. “Oh my, absolutely! How generous of you, deary!”

“Our mouths are sealed, neighbour!” added her husband.

I scratched my mane. “In fact… Can you please tell anypony that you haven’t seen me at all today, should they ask? That’d do me a major solid. You know. All in the spirit of the surprise, or whatever.”

Together, they both imitated a Zipper pinching their lips shut. That’s as good as it was going to get. I simply had no choice but to count on their goodwill.

… I was so doomed.









Operation “Escape Outer Grove” began around noon. I wasn’t a sneaky pony, but I didn’t need to be. At first, I tried to keep to the smaller, quieter roads to avoid drawing suspicion. I even employed the same back-alley Honey Dream had when she managed to escape a most terrible fate. You know, the one that I just couldn’t reach no matter how hard I tried yesterday? Bit ironic, in a way.

… I hoped Honey Dream was okay. And Skybrush too, for that matter.

Skybrush… Good gravy, I had never seen her that broken before. Brrrrr. It has done nothing but haunt me ever since. Her beautiful visage was usually so radiant and warm. She and her daughter deserved nothing less than a happy ending. How I wish I could’ve personally checked on them, just to put my mind at ease. Just to verify that they were indeed alive and well. It’s a damn shame I was in such a rush...

…

No, surely, they were fine. You’re thinking too much again, Calx. Skybrush and Honey Dream were two strong ponies – way stronger than I was. They didn’t need my needless foal-sitting.

Gotta focus. Outta here, chop chop!

Chastising these intrusive thoughts out of my mind, I doubled down on my progress. As I was saying before, being all ninja-like was a bit redundant. Why? Because there was little to no one in the streets. Everypony must’ve congregated at the plaza for that meeting the Berries yammered about. That seemed a bit too convenient to me, but hey, I’ll take it.

Thus, travelling through Outer Grove has been a breeze. That even left me a bit more time to evaluate the destruction the town had been subjected to. It wasn’t pretty, but it could’ve been much worse. A majority of the establishments only suffered minor structural damage. Some were a bit worse-off, but nothing a bunch of able-bodied ponies couldn’t fix. Broken window panes could be easily replaced and streets could be swept clean in one afternoon. Heck, we had enough timber stockpiled around to rebuild a whole new town if we wanted to.

Moreover, the onslaught had been mostly contained within the surroundings of the clocktower, which turned out to be commercially zoned. This meant that the residential areas had been more or less left intact and, miraculously, not too many ponies had lost their homes. My neighborhood, for instance, was almost in pristine condition. Well, except for my house. Buuut this one was a feature, not a bug.

After a few more minutes of prancing alone, I finally made it to the train station. As expected, nopony was waiting on the elongated platform to hitch a ride. Though not nearly as expected, there wasn’t a train waiting to depart. Ugh. Guess things could only go right to a certain extent.

Gotta admit, that was a bit strange. Usually, there was a passenger train present on Sunday mornings to bring back home the few tourists who travelled here for the week-end. Maybe those in charge caught ear of what happened to Outer Grove and decided to put their trains on hold as a contingency measure? Mmmh. A bit dubious. I mean, how could they have reacted this quickly? At the risk of repeating myself, the news did not travel in and out of Outer Grove in the span of a day.

And, you know, it’s too bad, because contrary to other towns, this station didn’t come with a ticket booth. The demand for commuting via train simply wasn’t high enough to justify having one. Instead, the conductors themselves would handle the fees and manually collect the fares from pony to pony. A little bit of an archaic way to go about it, but sometimes, the traditional methods are the best.

Where I’m getting at is, there weren’t a whole lot of ponies around here I could query to ask them how soon I could choo choo my way out of here. Except for those two male railroad workers on the tracks a little further up. The scruffy mustachioed ones under their striped hats. Hard at work, and potentially affable enough to appease a few of my enquiries. Maybe they knew something? They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t. Or something. Work with me here, people.

Well, my mind was set. Manual laborers were often chatty fellows, yes? I had nothing to fear, haha.

As I approached them, my nostrils flared up. Eww, what was that foul smell? The waft came from the left and- oh!

Would you look at that. Two barrels cooking under the midday sun. Completely filled with, you guessed it, expired oil. They’re the ones that our pair of zany lumberponies brought out of the Two Arches halfway through my party. I almost forgot about their existence until, well, until two seconds ago. Heh, I wonder if those wooden drums knew what the rest of the town had to go through. I mean, look at these two rapscallions. Still standing, still filled up, still pretending nothing bad even happened. They’ve just been idly waiting, sharing a precious romantic date on the train platform, while WE were fighting for our lives a couple of steps away. They had no idea! No clue at all!

... Okay, can anypony explain to me why in the world I was personifying barrels full of bubbling waste? Didn’t I tell myself to focus less than 10 minutes ago? Oh sweet Celestia, my mind. My poor, poor mind.

Erf. Alright then. Show time.

“Howdy,” I said to the workers, “quite the day we’ve had yesterday, han?”

Welp, it’s official: I was cringe.

“Hmmm,” simply grunted the bulkier stallion.

And they weren’t as chatty as I thought them to be. Great. Let’s crank the awkwardness up a notch, why not.

I coughed in my fetlock. “Look, ummm, you two look busy, so I’ll be quick: Do you happen to know if a train is scheduled to depart today?”

“No can do Sir,” replied the politer half of the duo. “The tracks have sustained critical damage around the station and a little further up as well. Until we get that fixed, no trains can reach us.”

“Oh... How long do you think the repairs will take?”

The big grouchy guy rolled his eyes. “Tche. With da piss poor material we’s got, Imma says ‘bout twos day. Probably threes.”

Ahhhh nope. Not good enough. We had to do better than that. Anything short of today was a wrong answer.

“Well- what if I helped you guys?” I said, desperate for a way out. “I’ve assembled minecart tracks for the past five years, and I’m quite skilled when it comes to manual labor.”

Grumpy pants exhaled in annoyance. “Ye well, unless youse can pulls an entire railroad outta dat purple mane o’ yours, lad, youse ain’t gon’ do us much good.”

Well youse gotta have more faith in me than that, my cranky friend.

“Yeah? That all? I’ve got this covered! Just give me aaaahh twenty minutes or so.”

I galloped away with a clear plan in my mind. For once, I felt confident about the trick I was about to pull. The skinnier, gentler worker, however, didn’t share the sentiment all that much.

“Wait- You know we can’t pay you for this, right?” I heard him shout my way.

“I don’t care. I’ll happily do some volunteer work!”

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I still felt like a sack of dung today. Yet somehow, the prospect of getting my hooves onto something I was good at was too good to skip. Being hard at work, to me, was a balm. No quicker remedy to heal up than getting into some kind of routine headspace. Mentally and physically. That sounded a bit paradoxical, sure, but trust me, I was right on this one.

“... Gee, that pony sure wants to get the hay out of here,” I overheard Mr. Polite say to Mr. Grouchy.

Oh, you didn’t know the half of it, brother.









As the sun slowly made its way across the sky, the valley became coated with all sorts of warm orange shades. Despite everything that’s been happening to me – to all of us, I had to admit, it certainly was a pretty sight. I completely understood why Skybrush loved to paint these gorgeous shows of light so much. Her landscapes painted at dusk were always my favorites.

Once again, the passage of time left me rather famished. Felt like the daisy sandwich I hastily chomped on this morning had been digested eons ago. Knowing what I know now, I would’ve definitely packed a lunch.

Five hours. Took us five hours. Plus a thirty minute break; we were only ponies after all.

Still. That was a far shot from the initial two to three days estimate. I guess you could say that three earth ponies working hard and efficiently as a team was the right way to go about it. We hadn’t been born with a natural talent for fixing stuff up for nothing, after all. Eventually, at long last, we deemed the job more or less done, and my new nameless buddies took that as their cue to leave. Sure, we could have refined our work a little better if we really wanted to, but it’s not like we did the bare minimum either. I filed our efforts as passable, which, given my urgent desire for falling off the radar, was good enough for me.

By the way, you’ll have to excuse me if I wasn’t giving any juicier details about what went down during these five hours, because these jolly ol’ fellows I worked with? Well, small talk wasn’t their forte. That was quite alright with me. Like I said before, I vastly preferred to work alone. So in a way, we were all on the same page there.

The first thing I did to accelerate the repair work was to bring a crate of spare parts from my workplace. Remember? The one that gave me, as Mrs. Blueberry would so kindly put herself, “an ugly scab” when I accidentally used it as a landing pad? Turns out, metal beams for minecarts were compatible with the ones used for larger locomotives. Hurray for standardized parts! Even the rivets and everything would fit without complications. That got a rare smile out of me.

Before you ask, no, I still hadn’t been caught during my back-and-forth to the quarry. It wasn’t even that far, and it was located in a part of Outer Grove that didn’t attract that much traffic, so I wasn’t really worried. Plus, nopony was there today. Not only were we a Sunday – and y’know, who worked on a Sunday – but also, I’m pretty sure punching in was the last thing on everypony’s mind after surviving yesterday’s events. Well, except for the two repairponies, but they were the exception that made the rule.

And uh, yes. Technically, I did steal from Mr. Prospector.

Yeah I didn’t really feel good about being a thief. But it was a strictly necessary crime. I’ll just have to come clean, tell him that I was the culprit, and get the material deducted from my next few paychecks. Whatever. Getting screwed monetarily was worth it, it was so worth it, if it meant that I could dodge a one-on-one with a certain winged unicorn.

No idea when I could even contact Mr. Prospector next. I was going to miss a few work days, after all. Something extremely out of character for me. I owed him an explanation for my unexpected unreliability. I’ll have to write him a letter and tell him that I had to take a temporary leave for a few days to deal with... I dunno, a last-minute funeral for a deceased uncle or something. Meh, not the most convincing excuse, but I’m sure I’ll think of a proper lie on my way out.

Wow. Look at me. Stealing and lying to my boss. My boss!

What was happening to me? That wasn’t me! I didn’t do those things! I was losing it. Or myself. Or both.

All in the name of escaping our veneered royal envoy. Yeah, thanks! Thank you oh so very much!

She has done nothing but cause my grief! She turned me into this absolute mess of a pony who acted without thinking. Thanks to her, I had been reduced to a sorry excuse of my former self; that stallion who was once grounded and capable of using common sense. I was Gray Calx in name only at this point.

Thankfully, I could soon put all of my worries behind me. I was on the cusp of leaving. And the princess would be none the wiser, ha!


Mmmh? Who could be tapping on my shoulder right now?

I mean, I was just sitting on my haunches, politely waiting for a train just in case it decided to show up. I wasn’t above pulling an all-nighter if need be. What’s one night camping under the stars in the grand scheme of things, really? One thing was clear though: Returning home was off the board.

I mean... I wasn’t doing anything wrong, was I? Perhaps I looked a little bit weird being all on my own on the boarding deck? But did that seriously warrant being poked by somepony? It’s not like I was trespassing or anything! So who could possibly require my attent-

“Oh, hello Sunstone!”

Hello Sunst- Who the buck just called me by that name!? Whose skull do I have to crush!?

...

...

Oh.

Oh okay then.

Sigh...

I suppose there wasn’t any way to avoid the princess anymore when she was, y’know, standing right in front of my freaking face! With that big stupid hideous grin on her face.

So that’s it then? That’s… that’s the way we reunited after all those years lost to time and regrets? Just like that!? Well pull the freaking curtains, everypony; show’s over!

I always had a feeling that my past would catch up with me down the line, but I mean, today of all days? What was so special about today? I wasn’t prepared for this! I didn’t need to prepare because that situation never ever needed to happen!!

Maybe I tried too hard. Fleeing from the princess? What was I thinking!? Stupid me! I should’ve seen that it had been futile from the start. My whole life had felt that way, so why did I expect a different outcome today? In retrospect, it was rather obvious that she was magnetized to my exact longitude and latitude. I should’ve just given up, faced the music, and let fate have its way. Would’ve saved me a lot of time and effort.

Twilight Sparkle. The almighty princess of Friendship. Look at her. Still as dumb-looking as I remembered her. Dumb purple coat. Dumb navy mane. Dumb horn. Dumb wings- oh that’s right, she had those now. Fancy pants, you.

“Say, have you seen a pony named ‘Gray Calx’ by any chance?” she asked, tilting her head. “I’ve been looking for him all over town for the whole day, but came empty hoofed. It’s almost as if he went into hiding, hehe~.”

“Uh... yeah... I think he went that way,” I said with absolutely no emotions, shut up, I wasn’t being emotional.

“Oh, thank you so much, Sunstone! You’re a lifesaver!’” she smiled.

She strutted away, bobbing her head and humming to herself.


Three...

Two...

One...


The princess turned to ice, a hoof in midair. All I could see was her barrel inflating and deflating, faster and faster now, as hyperventilation started to nestle in her lungs. Her ears drooped and her whole body trembled in epileptic shivers. She stayed like this for a moment, until slowly, her neck turned back toward me with the puffiest and wettest of eyes.

Goodness gracious, I’ve seen some ponies ugly cry in my life, but this, this was monumental. A picture for the scrapbook for sure. With the snot dripping down her snout and everything. Choking on her own breath behind a symphony of hiccups and sobs.


“S-Sunstone...? You’re... You’re alive...”


Yes, but for how long?

And there you have it. The unforgiving hoof of reality finally slapping her in the face. Not with a bang, but with a whisper. Quite literally. Took her long enough.

I could already picture how the rest of the night would unfold. It was going to get... interesting, to say the least.


Looks like I’ve done it. The bottom of the barrel. I’ve finally reached it. How surprising to see it existed after all.
> Twilight: Looking for a Pony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I do believe everything is in order, Mr. Gray Calx.”

At long last, trust in the process paid off. It was done and over with. Officialised. Inked in records. Ready to be housed in a cozy little corner of the Canterlot archives. As soon as the royal scribe was done notarizing the form, the name change was now in effect and fully legal in the eyes of the Crown.

Gray Calx couldn’t help but exhale in catharsis.

It had been a rough couple of days, but seeing that stamp of approval just had to make him smile ever so slightly. He was still boiling on the inside, mind you, but being the proud owner of a new name was the first of the many small victories he would allow himself to enjoy. Leaving the pony once known as Sunstone behind was the event horizon from which there was no turning back. The past was to stay the past, and there was no point in ever looking back to it. Sunstone might’ve brooded a lot, but Gray Calx only had his eyes on the future.

He had been ruminating on what was going to be his next move. After isolating himself for two days or so, tickets were bought, appointments were taken, a notice of resignation was issued, and a lot of packing was done. After waking up early this morning, with saddlebags carrying everything that needed to be carried, it was a trip straight to the castle.

Angry.

Gray Calx was angry. He had been nothing but angry ever since his mother unrolled that forsaken scroll. He thought himself capable of taking punches, especially after the whole Manehattan debacle, but in reality, he wasn’t as resilient as he built himself to be.

His sister, his inspiring, remarkable, capable, hard-working, rousing sister, decisively not having had her fill with her impressive reputation, apparently took the liberty to go above and beyond. Bad enough that she had made an absurd number of friends not even a single day after emigrating to Ponyville, but as it turns out, she and her new ragtag gang felt the need to thwart a villain with unfathomable ease as a team bonding exercise. Saving Equestria so that everypony could live happily ever after, so said the scroll.

Had it stopped there, Gray Calx would’ve simply drowned his sorrows with a few gallons of liquor. Probably buck a couple of trees in his backyard to vent his frustration. But no. Twilight Sparkle, his little baby sister, had ALSO been crowned with one of the most honorific titles of all time.

She became what was known as an “Element bearer,” acting as the official wielder of an all-powerful artifact; some kind of golden tiara with which she could channel an ungodly amount of magic. Said magic could purify some of the most disharmonious corruption in Equestria. It was mind-blowingly overpowered, really.

According to the letter, Twilight was the bearer of the Element of Magic, which was once believed to be lost and unrecoverable and yaddi yadda. Which made her, what, a superhero, or something?

His sister was a superhero.

And now, the whole of Equestria would know her name, chanting it in unison whenever she and her heterogenous crew of philanthropists would save the day. She was going to be a superstar enjoying an inconceivable amount of fame.

Gray Calx couldn’t believe it. Of all ponies in the world to fit that role, why did it have to be her!? She was a scholar! A bookworm! A social outcast! These types of ponies stayed indoor and preferred to enjoy the quietness of a good library! She was already an academic prodigy; how in the world did a pony of her notoriety manage to pull that one off? Being brains AND brawns? Making friends? Becoming an Element bearer? Kicking the flank of the evil alter-ego of princess Celestia’s sister? An alicorn at that too!?

How was she doing it? How did she keep doing it?

She had it all, and he still had nothing. The scales couldn’t have been more tipped in her favor.

Just reminding himself of his sister’s rise to celebrity reaffirmed Gray Calx’s position. He had made the right call. He wouldn’t tolerate living in a cramped bedroom anymore, moping and cursing at the world. He no longer wanted to hear her name, only to become explosive to anyone around him. It was too much to bear. There was no making sense of a life as the brother, one that had bungled his whole career, of a pony who not only represented the very essence of harmony in Equestria, but who also had princess Celestia’s very name as a contact on her resume.

Gray Calx was fed up with this nonsense. He needed to disappear. Leave as far away as his remaining bits would allow him to travel. Put as much distance between him and his sister as he possibly could, leaving her sphere of influence for good. All in the hopes of never hearing the mere mention of her name EVER again. Hey, he wanted to find a new place to live, right? Might as well use this pivotal point in his life to claim a new spot as his own. A spot where the news of Twilight’s countless exploits would have trouble reaching.

And Gray Calx knew just the place to defect to.

A small mountainside village far and deep into the Undiscovered West. He had learned about it when he was still working at the Equestrian Geological Association in Manehattan. Near the end of his time over there, there was a lot of office gossip about a brand-new railroad being connected to this hamlet. There were prospects of contacting an independent mining company over there to form a partnership with the EGA before their private competitors could put their greedy hooves on them. Sadly, discussions fell through when the project was deemed a bit too unprofitable, mainly due to the distance.

They called that place Outer Grove.

It was far, relatively unknown, dirt cheap, and full of unextracted minerals. And best of all: Gray Calx was dead sure that his sister didn’t know about that place at all. This was perfect!

The only thing that would explain his departure to the few ponies who still somehow foolishly cared about his whereabouts was a note he hastily wrote right before leaving, the one he left on the work desk of his bedroom. Whether they understood, let alone cared about his decision, at this point, Gray Calx couldn’t care less. What was done was done.


“Mr. Calx, are you okay?” asked the scribe behind his silver desk.

...

He coughed at the nonresponse. “Ahem. Mr. Calx?”

“... Who, me? Oh!” He slapped a hoof on his forehead. “S-sorry about that! I was thinking about, uh, stuff, and I’m still not used to... well, you know…”

The chestnut unicorn scribe chuckled. “Oh, I do! We don’t have many name changes here in Equestria, but the few of them I’ve notarized, they pretty much all went the same way.”

“Heh. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it,” Gray Calx said, rubbing his neck. “Well, I appreciate what you’ve done for me today. It was worth every bit, lemme tell you. So you have yourself a wonderful day.”

The two of them respectfully nodded at each other, and with that, Gray Calx readjusted his saddlebags and made his way to the big golden double doors of this hall.

Weird place to do some bureaucratic stuff, he thought. It was his first time ever going inside of the castle, and Gray Calx would’ve sincerely preferred for it to have stayed that way. He didn’t like being closed in by these wealthy walls. Somehow, he didn’t feel at ease being in such a grand place, like he didn’t belong or something.

Not to mention, he had been a teensy bit lost at first. Thankfully, he had been redirected to the right place, but now, the goal was to find his way back without bothering another guard. Again, strange that he had to go this far into the castle only to sign a couple of papers.

And in such a luxurious room too. Having worked with number crunchers in Manehattan, he expected a small and modest office, a typewriter, and a file cabinet. Nothing more, nothing less. But as with the rest of Canterlot, of course, everything had to be encrusted with jewels and plated with gold. Ooh la la.

Still, he could’ve almost sworn that this had the allure of a throne room. Bizarre, right? Getting a name change in a large, prestigious, and empty throne room. That’s a fever dream if he’s ever had one. The red carpeted platform elevated in the back, the large stained-glass windows, the almost mirror-like reflective floor, the columns, the murals... It was all so regal.

Bah. Ridiculous. What did he know about castles, really? The procedure was probably a standard one. He had done what he set out to do. Now was not the time to rock the boat and dwell on-

“Oh, excuse me my little pony, but do you happen to be Sunstone, by any chance?”

He wasn’t even three steps away from the desk when a soft female voice begged his pardon from behind. And it didn’t sound at all like the scribe he just chatted with.

“Yeah no, this is Gray Calx. Sunstone left; I’m afraid you’ve just missed him,” he replied dismissively, a bit annoyed at having been recognized by someone.

Wait.

Recognized by someone?

Gray Calx turned around to shed some light on this little mystery, and...

“My apologies, I wasn’t aware. I will now refer to you by your proper name, Gray Calx,” said... said…

Said princess Celestia.

Her. In the flesh.

As radiant and as beautiful as she had always been portrayed. For the first time in 28 years, Gray Calx not only found himself standing in the same room as Equestria’s ruler, but also, engaging in a conversation with her. He had never even seen her before, save for pictures in books and newspapers.

They weren’t lying when they said that the princess’ mane was mesmerizing, stunningly undulating in the ambient air in a show of pastel and glitter, like a never-ending aurora. Her horn was another impressive set piece, something that left Gray Calx completely awestruck. And her height! He was used to be the tall one, but here, he felt positively dwarfed.

He couldn’t help himself but remain silent. For some reason, his brow was furrowed, as if he was trying to puzzle out what was happening. His lack of reaction made the princess softly chuckle, like she caught him red hoofed or something. She used this quiet time to dismiss the scribe with a silent movement of the head, and the latter complied, immediately disappearing through a service archway in the back.

Gray Calx swallowed dryly. Now was not the time to make a vow of silence.

“Uh... yeah, don’t sweat it. You can call me Sunstone if you’d prefer. I’m not used to the change anyway.”

Then, he widened his eyes. What the HAY was he doing!? Addressing royalty as if they were equal? What kind of impolite etiquette was that?

“B-but where are my manners!” he backpedaled, offering a distinguished bow, his forehead a few centimeters off the ground. “I send you my most sincere and warmest salutations, princess of the sun.”

“Why thank you, my little pony. This is very much appreciated. I would also like to return greetings of my own, Sunstone,” she said, choosing his former name after all. “However, you need not be so servile. I have on good authority that a student of mine has blood ties with you, and seeing as this is nothing more than a casual meeting, we can take a more relaxed approach if it puts you more at ease,” she smiled.

Gray Calx considered the offer for a moment. Only three sentences in, and he could tell that she was practically oozing with wisdom, being well-spoken, caring, and benevolent. However,

“Um... if it’s the same with you, princess, I’d like to stay formal.”

The one and only stock phrase, making its triumphant return.

Princess Celestia nodded, understanding. “If this is how you wish to proceed, then it shall be so.”

She took a couple of shy steps forward, approaching him ever so slightly. Gray Calx, meanwhile, backed away slowly, ogling the door behind him. His only realistic way out of this place. It was good practice to spot the emergency exits, just in case things got too heated.

“You’ll have to excuse me for jumping directly into it, but do you have a few minutes or so to spare, Sunstone? There are a couple of subjects I’d like to personally address with you, and I would love to understand your perspective on them. Is now a good time?”

While she tried her best to stay as polite and as approachable as she could, Gray Calx couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. He didn’t understand why he felt so tense. Was it because she was an indestructible alicorn? Because she was at the top of the royalty chain and he was low level scum? Because she had the home field advantage in this castle? Because she was the one who personally picked his sister and put her on a path to success? Because she was not at all how he pictured her in his cynical mind?

Or was it because, for some reason, it felt like she had set up this encounter?

“A-actually, uh, I was just about to leave. Heh. Gotta go catch a train, so I really oughta skedaddle if I don’t wanna miss it. You know how it is. Sooooooo... yeah. Ta ta~!” Gray Calx mumbled incoherently.

He didn’t wait for a response and started walking toward the doors. Suddenly, a gold aura encompassed the handles on both sides, and the doors closed themselves shut. Not abrasively or anything, just with a muffled thud. But surprising enough to make him freeze in place, turn his head around, and blink incredulously at the princess.

“... Please?” she insisted, with a guilty smile. “Just five minutes?”

“Well, when you put it that way, your highness, how can I say no?” he said.

No, seriously, how can I say no!? sarcastically added his brain.

The princess, relieved to have won him over (albeit a bit forcefully), sat on her haunches to reduce the height discrepancy between the two of them. Talking at eye level was a good social norm, after all.

“Thank you, and I do apologize for putting your tight schedule in jeopardy; I’ll try to be as brief as I can. But knowing you had an appointment booked for today, I simply could not miss the opportunity to finally meet you for the first time. I have been looking for this moment for quite a while now, you know.”

Gray Calx cocked an eyebrow. “Wait a minute. You knew I was going to make a detour to the castle today? How?”

“Believe it or not, but a lot of paperwork tends to end up on my desk,” she said, again, without an ounce of malice.

Obliviously, she took this with a comedic approach, and yet, Gray Calx’s sense of doubt kept growing. Time to put it all on the line. Nothing like a good ‘j’accuse!’

“Did you... did you lure me to you?” he asked point blank.

The princess playfully laughed at the idea, shaking her head all the while. “I did no such thing, Sunstone. After all, it was you who took an appointment with one of my public servants. I did, however, pull a few strings to ensure that you and I could at least be allowed to have a private moment where we could calmly converse without outside interference. Oh! Speaking of which, tea?”

The princess conjured a teapot out of thin air, ready to be served. There were even two little porcelain cups on saucers floating by its side.

“Um, I appreciate the offer, but no thanks, princess.”

One of the cups vanished in a magical poof, while the other was already in the process of being filled up with a jasmine tea that, Gray Calx had to admit, permeated a delicious flowery aroma. When princess Celestia floated the cup to her lips, savouring the flavors with her eyes closed, Gray Calx decided to double down on his suspicions.

“So, n-not that I want to sound accusatory or anything, but would I be venturing a wrong guess if I claimed that you relocated my rendezvous to be held further inside of the castle? Possibly closer to where you usually operate?”

“Very perceptive, my little pony. You are as observant as your sister led me to believe. That is indeed what I have done – with no ill intents, I assure you.”

Gray Calx found that completely otherworldly. What was so interesting about him that warranted such special treatment? Wasn’t princess Celestia an incredibly busy pony? Why would she ever bother herself with a nopony like him? He needed clarifications.

“But... why? Why go through all that trouble only to talk with me? S-shouldn’t there be a day court being held here at this time of the day, or something?”

“Normally, you’d be correct. There would be a lineup of ponies where you stand. However, these are some unpreceded times, and the day court is adjourned for the next few days while we are in... a readjustment phase.”

“Readjustment phase? What do you mean by that? If uh, I’m not speaking out of line.”

“Familial affairs, mostly. The majority of which caters to princess Luna, my dearest sister, given her recent return to Equestria.”

Oh.

Yeah, that oughta do it.

“She has been reinstated as a ruler, and this new diarchy is subverting a lot of the structures we have in place in our current governance. However, and more importantly, this downtime isn’t just about parliamentary reorganization... I am also to be here for Luna on a personal level. I want nothing more than to help her adapt to her new environment, and I cannot in good faith handle the day court with her well-being clouding my judgement. I want what’s best for both my sister and for my little ponies.”

Amidst everything happening lately, Gray Calx sort of forgot about the princess’ recent reunion with her long-lost sister. The two of them had a lot of catching up to do after a thousand years of being apart. That was one heck of a reason to put her court on hiatus.

“For what it’s worth, princess, I’m sorry about all of this. I cannot imagine what this felt like.”

“Actually, this is sort of why I wanted to talk with you, Sunstone. As far as I understand, you may very well be on your way to share the pain that I’ve been through, and this isn’t something that I would wish on anypony.”

Ah. There it was. The meat of it all. Gray Calx was beginning to understand where this was going, and he didn’t relish the idea of hearing an essay explaining what he was doing was “wrong” and “immoral.” For once, he’d like to be in the pilot seat and take control of his life however he wanted to. And he was so close to achieving that too! To think that the princess herself would be the last obstacle he encountered...

“... Whatever do you mean, princess?” he asked, squinting ever so slightly.

The princess took another sip, preparing to fully lay on the table the core of her enquiries.

“To answer your question, I’d like to formulate one of my own. Ever since I took your sister under my wing, not once have I seen you present for any of her graduation ceremonies, award showcases where she performed greatly, or even as a guest for the invitations I have forwarded to you and your family. May I ask why that is?”

“I’ve been busy,” he replied without hesitation.

“Yes, your sister has said as much to justify your absences,” she said, not entirely convinced.

“Tough to get by in Canterlot,” Gray Calx shrugged with a tinge of sarcasm.

He didn’t have the courage to bring up the topic of classism directly to the princess. That would open up a whole new debate and boy did he not have the time for that. That train to Outer Grove wouldn’t wait for him if he showed up late. And he had to depart today, especially since his goodbye letter might’ve been discovered by now. Delaying the unavoidable was not to be tolerated.

“Sunstone... Do you know how I’ve come to learn of you?” resumed princess Celestia.

Gray Calx had an inkling, but he preferred to remain silent.

“Simply put, Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, has had a lot to say about her older brother. The one I’ve never had the pleasure to meet. As far as I could tell, she truly holds you in high regard. We’ve discussed your case many times, and she’s been nothing but highly defensive of your interests, claiming that not only were you an incredibly talented pony, but also a major source of inspiration for her.”

“Funny, your niece Cadance said something similar to me a decade or so ago.”

“But,” she continued, “whenever she praised you, I’ve always perceived undertones of melancholy in her voice. She could never admit it, but I’ve lived long enough to tell that something was off with my dearest student. From what I’ve gathered over the years of teaching her, your sister has been saddened that no matter how hard she tried to bond with the pony she idolized, she constantly felt rejected by him. Which, in turn, led her to believe that she needed to try harder to earn his respect. And yet, despite everything she did to get his attention, it was never sufficient; she would never be good enough to make him proud of her.”

Gray Calx swallowed these words like someone threw a brick at him.

“I do not mean to pry, but this brings me to my main point: Sunstone, is there a feud going on between the two of you?” concluded princess Celestia. “Perhaps some kind of sibling rivalry that ignited years ago and spiraled out of control?”

...

“It’s... It’s complicated, princess,” said Gray Calx, looking down at his front hooves.

What has gotten him so fed up to begin with? He had many, many reasons to feel resentful, yet somehow, he had trouble articulating any of them. It’s as if, when it came time to finally explain his existential dread, he couldn’t do it properly, effectively blanching on the spot. Has he gotten so far deep into the rabbit hole that he forgot what had made him upset in the first place?

No, of course not! That was preposterous! He was a logical and fact-based pony; he didn’t act irrationally on the basis of strong emotions alone. He would not have simmered in a snowball of repressed feelings and bided his time for 28 long years in the failing case.

Another sip of tea defied the newfound quietness. Gray Calx had to say something to the princess. But what? He could’ve retold his whole life story from the very beginning. Or explained how sucky it was to feel lesser than nothing. Or argued that constantly being juxtaposed to two extraordinary ponies he had to coexist with for the larger part of his life had totally killed his drive.

Instead, all he managed to do was formulate one very simple question.

“... Why her?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Why her? Why Twilight?” he said, his fragile emotive state starting to crack at the seams. “Of all ponies, why did you pick my sister specifically to be your protégé? It could’ve been anypony! What was so… fascinating about her that made her fit for that role? What did you see in her? I don’t... I don’t get it...”

He finally looked back up, but the princess didn’t feel like interrupting. If Gray Calx had something to say, now was the time, and she was fully intent on letting him steer that ship.

“It’s just, it put her on such an incredible path. Everything good in her life cascaded from that one decision, and it has made me feel miserable ever since. I mean, if it weren’t for that, she would never have become an Element bearer.”

“And never have saved my sister,” clarified a stoic Celestia.

Gray Calx bit his lip. This conversation was becoming dangerous. “Maybe somepony else would have risen to the occasion. Maybe somepony who too deserved a chance at success in life for a change.”

“Somepony like you, perhaps?”

Gray Calx simply stared at her, now taking his turn to remain voiceless.

“Sunstone, is it possible that you may be a little bit envious of your sister?” asked the princess.

Well, was he?

Was he envious of Twilight Sparkle?

“How could I not!?” he finally admitted. “I mean, I don’t want to yank the carpet from under her; her victories are not without merit, but how is that supposed to make me feel? I had to work every single day of my life to obtain something semi-decent, and I’m still living a below-average life, with a crappy job, broken dreams, and a ton of debt to tie it all in. Meanwhile, she’s Equestria’s next big thing, surrounded by friends, and has you to personally watch her back. She’s happy and I’m not, so of COURSE I’m jealous!!”

Gray Calx was riled up, which was a stark contrast with the princess who had remained calm the entire time. Perhaps he should’ve accepted some of that soothing tea after all.

“You know,” resumed the princess, as poised as ever, “my own sister felt the same way about me a long time ago. Seeing that you are echoing her bottled-up sentiments is... difficult to digest. I don’t believe I need to give you a reminder as to what happened next.”

He tche’d. “Okay, well, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not about to go full villain mode and seek revenge or anything; that’s just plain stupid and a waste of everyone’s time. Absolutely asinine! ... N-no disrespect meant to princess Luna, of course! No, really, I just want to go someplace far away, someplace where I’ll be free to do my own thing. Someplace where Twilight and the rest of my family won’t constantly remind me how bloody useless I am!”

The two of them just stared at each other, with the built-up tension slowly deflating. Gray Calx, for a moment, forgot who he was talking to. His cautious and prudent stance from before had all but vanished. It was concerning to realize how little it took to get him going.

“Thank you, Sunstone,” the princess said, her candid expression never leaving her face. “Thank you for giving me your side of the story. I believe I have a better understanding of the situation, thanks to your input.”

“You’re... thanking me? What for? For losing my cool and raising my tone at you? You of all ponies!? How many protocols did I just infringe, by your estimate? Enough to send me to jail?”

She laughed at the amusing, if a little straightforward pleasantry. “You won’t need to worry about these sorts of things, trust me. And of course I’m thanking you! As crazy as it may sound, insightful conversations like these have become a rarity in my life. Nothing like a heated debate with clashing viewpoints to keep your mind healthy and active. And while I haven’t known you for very long, you have given me sufficient material to see you as a particularly sharp, astute, and intelligent pony.”

Wowzah, flattery much? smirked a silent Gray Calx.

“That being said, I too would like to say my piece. Will you give me the privilege?”

And now she’s asking for my permission? What kind of game is she playing? pondered his brain.

“With great pleasure, princess,” his mouth instead replied.

She nodded, dematerializing her cup after emptying it.

“I truly mean no offense, but it is my opinion that you may be a little bit misguided. Your overachieving and independent nature is commendable, my little pony. Working hard and having a strong desire for success are virtues everypony should strive for. But ultimately, this is not what makes a pony, a pony. True happiness comes from within, not with prestige.

“Your family, while certainly very proud of your goal-oriented attitude, doesn’t display unconditional love because of what’s written on your diploma or because of your desire to prove yourself to them; rather they enjoy your company through a strong sense of kinship they naturally share with you. I cannot stress how important and how powerful these ties are. These are the ponies who have your best interests at heart, upholding them without ever asking anything in return. It’s a testament to having each other’s back when the world turns sour.

“Sunstone, you are not useless. Nor are you a burden on your family. You are a unique, wonderful asset who renders everypony around you incredibly proud. Twilight loves you; she couldn’t love you more if she tried. The same applies for captain Shining Armor, Spike, and both of your parents. They always have, and always will. No matter how you choose to dictate your life.”

Gray Calx’s heart jumped when an unexpected noise from behind reverberated in the echoey throne room. A quick turn of the head, and he noticed that the exit doors were opened once more, with the golden glow surrounding them waning away.

“You have an important choice to make, Sunstone. I won’t interfere with whatever may come next. Likewise, I promise that I will keep this encounter between the two of us a secret. If only because it is not my place to force life lessons on you; only you can figure them out at your own pace. And so, whether you decide to jump in that train or to stay in Canterlot rests on your shoulders alone. I can only implore you to choose wisely, my little pony.”

Gray Calx understood where the princess’ concerns came from. After all, she just reunited with her sister, and he was about to lose his. This parallel didn’t go over anypony’s head. However, there were a lot more variables at play here. It went beyond simply being isolated far away from those he grew up with, be it in the Undiscovered West, or on the moon.

From her perspective, she saw an irate little pony who was putting himself on a Nightmare Moon-esque journey to villainy. From his perspective, he saw an opportunity to have a better chance at life and to find true happiness.

But who was right?


“I... I have only one life to live, princess. And it won’t last a thousand years,” he finally said, ashamed, backing away through the doorway. “I have... I have to make it count.”

Sunstone really would have wanted more time to think about it. Unfortunately for him, Gray Calx already bought a one-way ticket out of there.







What is the root cause of that friendship problem?

Such was the question that lived rent free in Twilight Sparkle’s head ever since she woke up to seize the day. Luckily, it hadn’t been enough of a hindrance to keep her awake all night; quite the contrary, in fact. As she quickly found out when she stretched herself out of bed early this morning, she had slept like an angel. She didn’t realize it the evening before, but that suite where she dozed off was not too shabby! The bed was plush, the walls were properly soundproofed, and the water pressure in the adjacent bathroom exceeded her expectations. Quite the revitalizing morning indeed!

Sweet Pint, her appointed hostess, wanting to make up for the unsatisfactory state of her inn/bar yesterday evening, was already in the process of sweeping the floor when the princess emerged from the second floor. But the cherry on the sundae was the bountiful breakfast the barmare had already prepared for her. A real cornucopia of fruits and pastries. She did substitute her breakfast stout with a glass of freshly pressed orange juice, though. It was, all in all, a very charitable gesture, and the princess offered Sweet Pint her compliments. Though the brassy earth pony would’ve denied it, Twilight could’ve sworn she saw a blush.

It’s between two bites of her cantaloupe that the princess began to think about how she’d approach this unresolved friendship problem. Somehow, she had the growing suspicion that this one, not unlike her cantaloupe, was going to be a juicy one. Indubitably, investigating was going to be in order.

And investigating she did. She took off to the sky around 9 AM, right after passing by that decorated column that still made something itch in the back of her mind. Those three ponies and that one sphere were practically taunting her by this point.

The first place she snooped around was the big clearing she spotted yesterday evening. More than ever did she believe that this was the inception of yesterday’s disaster. She even found the proof she needed. Everything checked out with the books she read about Outer Grove’s dangerous fauna, and how easily disturbed it could be. The fine balance between ponies and Ursas had been disrespected. Could this have been related to the friendship problem somehow? It was her best (and only) lead thus far.

A trip to the mayor’s office to relay her findings, and she found out that a gathering in the plaza an hour or two later had been organized. Mayor De La Tour even insisted for the princess to join him on stage, saying that it would be “a good PR stunt after the Ursa incident.” She agreed on the spot; these ponies deserved to know that the Crown hadn’t forgotten about them. Not only would she be in a good position to hear the townsfolk’s suggestions and/or concerns, but also, having them crowded in one place would make it easier for her to spot those who had an ongoing conflict between them. A friendship conflict, dare she say.

Which brought us to now. Here on this wide linear podium, surrounded by hundreds of ponies, stood the princess, accompanied by her two bodyguards, Sterling Plume and Hasty Flail. The mayor, still dressed as unfashionably as ever, was a little ahead, a megaphone in his hoof. He had done an excellent job upping the morale of his town. He may have been on the older side of things, and his periodic coughs were a little distracting, but the princess could totally see that this stallion displayed an immense amount of care to his citizens.

“... And furthermore, my dear Outer Grovians, it is with infinite relief that I bring you the best news of all: No casualties arose from yesterday’s events!” the mayor proudly declared.

Hooves stomping and acclaims filled up the valley from every direction. Twilight couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear; this was news to her as well. What an immense weight off her shoulders knowing that the worst had been avoided!

“Indeed,” so continued the motivating speech, “our patrolling teams combed the town clean through the entire night, and in conjunction with our devout block captains who took a thorough headcount this morning, our census of ponies is 100% accounted for, meaning, we all made it through this disaster alive and well. A true miracle, if I do say so myself!”

Face away from his voice-enhancing apparatus, the good mayor fell into another coughing tantrum. Twilight hoped that he wasn’t overworking himself. Like the captain of a vessel, his passion and strive to reassure those who looked up to him for guidance was exemplary, but he wasn’t exactly a young stallion anymore. Yet, despite her concerns, after clearing his throat, the mayor went back in full force.

“As for the town itself, the repairs have already begun and are concentrated on the areas that currently need it most.”

He took a couple of frail steps forward, a hoof panning in front of his face. He raised his chin, a glint of hope sparkling in his gray irises.

“Look around you, my little ponies. Our wonderful historical plaza has been trashed beyond recognition. The clocktower, once proudly overlooking this crossroad where flea markets and street performers proliferated, now casts a gloomy shadow over debris and demolished infrastructures.

“Luckily, we have dedicated teams on the case, and they told me with great assurance that Outer Grove would be back on its hooves within two weeks at most. You, my dearest citizens, are of course invited to pitch in with some volunteer work of your own to accelerate that deadline. For those interested, a list depicting various tasks has been pegged on what’s left of the public bulletin board.”

This went on for a while. Explanations following more explanations. Solutions for every single inquiry coming from the attentive audience. Everything on the basis of bringing some peace of mind to the local population. Mayor De La Tour wanted nothing more than to explore every nook and cranny of today’s meticulous planning. No stones were left unturned, no questions were left unanswered. A complete and refined Q and A, Twilight had to admit.

Then came the time for the special thanks part of the convocation. A yellow doctor she half recognized who went by the name of Dr. Stethorsecope was the first on the list of many. Apparently, so confirmed the mayor, he had been hard at work tending to the wounds of the many victims who required his medical assistance. The crowd turned to him and applause arose again in his honor, which, for some reason, made him giggle like a maniac. Bizarre tic, the princess thought, but oh well.

Sweet Pint was also highly praised for her role in hiding a myriad of ponies in the basement of her establishment, though she had to be excused for not being here at the moment. Twilight knew for a fact that the busy mare couldn’t delay her cleaning any longer, so she sort of understood why she took a rain check.

The two royal guards were mentioned next. They inched forward, bowing to another wave of cheers. Twilight was immensely grateful for their presence as well. Without them, she most likely would’ve failed at repelling the Ursas. It truly was a team effort.

“But perhaps most of all,” segued the mayor, “our flawless survival rate was not and could not have been achieved without external help. For those who didn’t have the pleasure of witnessing it themselves yesterday evening, a guardian has been sent to us and has played a critical role in forcing the enemy away. It arrived in the form of our majestic and fearless ruler; ladies and gentlecolts, I want you all to give your warmest welcome to our strongest line of defense, the heroic beast tamer, the one and only: Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

If the princess thought that the enticed crowd was loud before, now, they were giving their 110. Many decibels worshiping her name, the exact same way they had yesterday evening.

To think that for a moment, she had the nagging feeling that they would scoff at her presence, hurt by the fact that they have been left in the shadows for so long. But now, it was clear that her worries were for naught. These ponies weren’t angry; they were thrilled to have her here. Once again, her all-too-familiar Twilightisms made her play a bunch of scenarios in that overthinking head of hers for no good reason.

She approached the edge of the podium. The mayor hoofed over the megaphone to the princess, but she politely declined. Instead, she preferred to use a spell she taught herself shortly after Luna made her first visit to Ponyville after her return. Voice enhancing cantrips were quite handy indeed. Casting it in a jiffy, it made a little amoeba of purple throb around her neck. Her vocal cords were ready to be heard.

“Thank you everypony, thank you very much,” she said with a booming tone. “This warm reception is very much appreciated! It’s just... It’s so much to take!” she sheepishly admitted. “But I really am happy to be here. I just wish it was under happier circumstances, h-heh!”

A tide of chuckles emerged from the crowd. Twilight smiled and carried on.

“Hopefully though, today marks the first of the many visits I’ll be making here. I solemnly take the engagement of making it happen! No longer will you wonder where your princesses are, and Equestria will not turn a deaf ear to your demands anymore: The silent treatment stops today!”

And there they went again, whistling and raising hooves in the air, completely enthralled by her rousing speech. The Mayor even nodded, quite satisfied to see that the princess had their back in these trying times. Hope was in the air; she could practically smell it.

“Just like your brilliant Mayor,” the princess went on, “I too would like to forward a few appreciative notes. That’s right: It would be brutally dishonest to say that I worked alone when those Ursa Minors were sent packing. Sterling Plume and Hasty Flail have had my back the entire time, and I owe them immensely for their loyalty. Oh! And also, before I forget: Shoutout to the bellmaster who rang the clocktower. Whoever that pony was, they saved me a lot of time, and if it weren’t for them, things could’ve been much worse.”

“That would be me!”

Ponies turned their heads around. Behind them, a stallion well in his 50’s approached the scene. He was wearing a big white hat, a brown vintage vest, and sported a well-groomed orange mustache. A typical stallion of the land, immediately figured the princess.

Splicing through the crowd with a determined demeanor, he arrived at the base of the stage with his head angled up.

“Mr. Gold, your highness, that’s my name,” he said, bowing. “Town prospector and forepony in charge of the mining and logging industry. I’m the one who rang that bell and put the town on high alert.”

Twilight jolted with surprise. “Oh! Well, um, in that case let me-”

“But,” he raised a hoof, “I didn’t do it alone!”

She decided to stay silent, eager to know where this was going. Mr. Gold’s attention, meanwhile, switched to the old pony under that ridiculous top hat.

“Mayor De La Tour, I’m sorry, but ye forgot to mention someone on that congratulating list o’ yours, eh?”

“Oh? I do apologize if that truly is the case,” the mayor said in his metallic cone. “Who would I be missing, my boy?”

“Why, Gray Calx, of course! Remember? The stallion we all drank in the name of two lil’ nights ago? He did a mighty lot, and I think he deserves proper credit for his role. After all, he’s the one who spotted the two Ursas before anypony did. He even went and hurt himself helpin’ me warn the town about it.”

“Oh, oh, heheheheeee! And he also wanted to save the ponies who were totally lost during the attack,” added the town doctor. “Calx pitched the idea of helping them find shelter while the rest of us were ready to hide and do nothing about it!”

“He saved the life of my daughter,” now followed a... well-fed mare with a small pony pouting on her back. “If it weren’t for him, I... I don’t know what would’ve happened to my sweet lil’ baby,” she nuzzled her, the emotions starting to strangle her again.

The princess rubbed her jaw, pensive. There was that name again! ‘Gray Calx.’ The one etched on that banderole back at the Two Arches. The one that she just couldn’t place back no matter how hard she tried.

Who exactly was that mysterious fellow?

Well, if this round of devotion was any indication, he sure seemed revered around these parts. A local hero, perhaps? It was great to see that, even so far away from the capital, some ponies rose to the call, ready to serve and protect. Not for the glory, but because it was the right thing to do.

Ponies like this Gray Calx guy sure made her job easier. It was amazing to know she had unknown allies she could trust. Well, maybe not ‘unknown’ for much longer: She was interested in meeting the chap and letting him know that the Crown was proud to have protectors of his caliber keeping Equestria out of trouble.

As she thought about this, the mayor, meanwhile, fumbled a bit, learning of Calx’s exploits at the same time the princess did.

“W-why um, of course! I totally was going to mention him next and absolutely did not forget to jot down his name on my list.” He awkwardly cleared his throat, “Gray Calx, where are you, my friend? You too deserve a round of applause, I reckon!”

Ponies started to stomp their hooves for the nth time, but the movement faded away rapidly. They hesitantly looked around in all directions, unsure where they should even aim their praise. It soon became clear that nopony who identified as Gray Calx wanted to take the spotlight.

“You’re all wasting your time. He’s not here...” grumbled the orange filly on the big mare from earlier.

Her mom, alongside the rest of the town, twisted their neck and looked at her. “W-what? Honey Dream, sweetie, what are you-”

“He’s not here! He’s not here, okay!?” she barked, visibly angered, right after jumping off her mother’s back. “I looked for him but couldn’t find him!”

The mother, a bit embarrassed, tried to calm her down. “H-Honey, please, not now... N-not in the middle of-”

“No! Mom, he promised! He promised he’d see me again! But I haven’t seen him since we split up yesterday, after I... After I...” She shook her head, trying to flick the bad memories away. “He promised he would see me later, he said he would, but he didn’t!” She lowered her head, heartbroken. “He didn’t...”

Before tears came to her eyes, the large mare embraced her gently, rubbing a hoof on her back.

“It’s okay my sweet lil’ Honey, shhhh...” she murmured in a reassuring tone, trying to defuse her worries. “I’m sure he’s ok. Nothing bad happened to uncle Calx. He’s a tough pony.”

Mayor De La Tour, feeling nothing but empathy for this sorrowful filly, took back control of the situation. “Well, worry not, little Honey Dream. And you too, Mrs. Skybrush. If it makes you feel any better, his block captains have registered his presence at his dwelling this morning, and so, even though he doesn’t appear to be with us today, I can at least certify that he is indeed very much still breathing.”

Honey Dream lifted her quivering chin, her lower lip pursed with two sad eyeballs peering in his direction.

“W-well... Then it’s even worse! That means he lied! Why would uncle Calxie lie to me!? He would never break a promise he made to me, I know he wouldn’t...!”

It’s at this moment that Twilight Sparkle had a stroke of genius. A pony not living up to a promise they made to a friend? One of them being MIA and the other feeling cheated?

Huzzah! Now THAT, that had ‘friendship problem’ written all over! The princess finally had something to work with. She knew this public meeting would pay off, she just knew it, haha!

Sompeony subtly elbowed her.

“Pssst, princess?” quietly said Sterling Plume. “You really shouldn’t be smiling at something like this. Bad image.”

The princess didn’t even realize how hard she was grinning. Her goofy expression disappeared in a moment’s notice, with eyes terror stricken and a hoof in front of her mouth. It was just a misunderstanding! S-she wasn’t enjoying the sufferings of that filly, no! It was just- She didn’t mean to- Gah! What a stupid gaffe!

“O-Oh! Hum...! Heh, I...” she yammered, her voice still magically boosted.

She slapped her head, trying to scramble her thoughts back in place. Now was not the time to mess up her first public performance in Outer Grove. She was hungry for friendship problems and a hook was delicately dangling in front of her. She was not going to let go of it!

“Don’t worry my little pony,” she eventually said to the bummed down filly, a hoof pumping her chest. “I’ll personally go see him after this seance and try to shed some light on the situation.”

“NO!”
“You can’t!”

Today was a day of interruptions, wasn’t it? Ponies in the crowd were starting to feel rather fatigued from rubbernecking left and right, constantly on the lookout for the next attendee who gave themselves the right of speech. Twilight, on the other hoof, was a bit taken aback by how disorganized this whole thing was starting to feel. She still had important talking points she needed to bring up, and at this rate, she was going to be on this stage until tomorrow morning.

In any case, this time around, it was two blue ponies with carefully combed blond manes who decided to interject – one of which, curiously enough, had wings. An oddity in the crowd, making him and the mare next to him stand out that much more.

“Um... excuse me? I can’t?” repeated Twilight.

“That’s right, your highness, y-you can’t!” fidgeted the winged one.

The other one took a step forward with a pretence of confidence. “Because! He’s not at, um... home? Right! He’s not at home! S-so it’s a futile endeavour.” She nudged her husband. “Isn’t it so, deary?”

“Yup, exactly! Haven’t seen our neighbor at all no matter how hard we looked, s-so you shouldn’t bother yourself trying.”

“That’s right!”

“That’s right!”

They both tried to keep an honest smile, but their sweaty foreheads were telling a whole different story. The mayor, of course, could see right through them and their inconsistencies.

“Aheh. Mr. and Mrs. Blueberry. At the risk of going against your words, you both have gone on record this morning saying that you personally verified the presence of the 25 ponies in your neighbourhood – Gray Calx included. So which story holds true? Have you perhaps entered falsified information?”

They both looked at each other nervously. Their little charade had been debunked on the spot. Totally busted in front of a hundred witnesses.

“Okay, yes, yes, he was home alright!”

“But he totally wasn’t working on a surprise for you, your highness!”

“My juicy lil’ berry is, as always, correct! He was literally busy doing anything other than preparing a surprise for his beloved princess. So don’t go ahead and think that he was doing that!”

“And uh, y-you should probably not go there; you could be distracting him from his non-surprise-making activity! Whatever that activity is, deary!”

...

…

“Well, that went rather well, wouldn’t you agree, my juicy lil’ berry?”

“Oh my, yes! We played our cards magnificently.”

“Soooo... Seeing as we did everything right, let’s make like hay and bail, yes?”

“I concur, my schweet tender berry!”

Cut to them making their escape, leaving a cloud of dust matching their silhouette where they just stood. Everypony was rightfully confused, looking at each other and shrugging. Even the mayor didn’t really know what to do with… whatever that was. If the Berries tried to be cunning, not only did they put on an abysmal performance, but also, nopony truly understood what they even tried to keep under the drapes.

“Oooookay?” is all the princess could find to say after this circus show. “I suggest that we table this and move on to the next topic, yes?”

Everypony in front of the stage nodded. Good. Playing the ignorance card was the best and possibly only solution in the face of the inexplicable.

“So,” tried the princess once again, “there is something... rather concerning that I have discovered, and it wouldn’t be right to keep it for myself any longer. Because I think... I think I might’ve found the source of Saturday’s attack!”

Everypony gasped. Oooh sweet revelation! Twilight held no punches; she exposed everything about the clearing she explored this morning. How it had been sacked. Every piece of equipment over there had been squished to a thin paste, and the stored lumber had been shredded to uselessness. She saw giant paw prints and claw marks only a creature the size of an Ursa could’ve produced, surprise surprise. This particular area was in such shambles compared to the bordering forest that pegging it as the Ursas’ motivation to go on a vendetta made complete sense.

“B-but wait a minute! That place, isn’t that... isn’t that logging site 2B?” the mayor stressfully wondered. “I-it was supposed to be the construction site where my team wanted to erect a new college, b-but... Mr. Gold, didn’t you swear that the logging activities wouldn’t cause any issues?”

The pony in question, who hadn’t left the base of the stage, recoiled with offense. Was he being accused of something? What was this, a public trial with the princess as his personal prosecutor?

“I did, and I didna go back on my word!” Mr. Gold countered. “This ain’t my first rodeo with Ursa Minors – you of all ponies should know this, Mr. Mayor! I’ve been in this town far too long for my own good, being the oldest foal from one of the first family of pioneers who colonized this place. You and I have seen giant bear attacks before, we’ve been through ‘em together! So believe me when I say I’m well aware that they ain’t to be tampered with!

“Look, the forestall zoning around Outer Grove holds no secrets from me. Never has. I know where those wild beasts’ hunting grounds are by the tip of my hooves. It IS my special talent after all, eh? So I ain’t lyin’ when I said I triple checked the boundaries for the cutting area I’ve carefully  marked.”

He then singled out two other earth ponies, these ones, wearing construction helmets. They jumped a bit, unsuspecting that it was going to be their turn to hog all of the attention.

“Because you have only fallen trees within the limits I gave you, isn’t that right, Seesaw Log and Leafy Humus?”

One of them waved a nonchalant hoof. “Pffff, duh?? Who do you think we are? We’re professionals, after all!”

“Yeah, we’re super-duper pro at this!” followed the other forest worker.

“We cleared the job in like, what, half a day? Easy peasy!”

“That’s why, after we finished everything, we decided to cut even more with the rest of our Friday!!”

...

“You did WHAT.”

The prospector’s eyes were just about to fall out of their sockets. Ponies around him receded a bit, forming a distant circle. The green pony was vibrating like he was on the verge of erupting, and no way did they want to be caught in the crossfire.

“Humus’ right!” reprised the lankier one of the two. “We had so much spare time and a ton of leftover energy that we decided to keep cutting to save time for Monday. Smart, huh?”

“Yeah! So now, we have even more logs, and more free space for the college! Aren’t you proud? You always tell us to take the initiative, so we did, mmh hmm!”

“No need to thank us!”

That was it. The straw that broke the camel’s back. Mr. Gold, infuriated, threw his ten-gallon hat on the floor, revealing a completely bald pony. He stomped on his poor innocent hat, coming real close to burying it in the plaza. Still marginally better than using Leafy or Log’s faces, Twilight mused.

“Gosh darnit! Ye GIBLET HEADS! What have I told you about overextending? What have I told you about deviating from my plans? What have I told you about going over my head!?”

Today, the town prospector was neither gold or green: He was completely red. Enough to render the juiciest tomato jealous. Twilight could’ve sworn she saw steam coming out of his ears.

The lumber ponies recoiled, gulping in fear. Seems like it wasn’t going as well as they thought it would.

“B-b-but we thought... Y-y-you said... It’s all Log’s fault! He’s the smart one! I never know what I’m doing!” blurted out Leafy Humus.

“W-what? No way! You’re the one who said they felt like bucking a million trees! I-I was just following your lead!” his ditzy companion countered.

Mr. Gold stomped hard enough to cause an earthquake. “I don’t give an ounce of a dung who did what, I don’t want to hear it, eh!? Yer both equally responsible for this! I told y’all a million gazillion times about NEVER bypassing security measures! What will it take, eh? A town in ruins, perhaps!?”

He kept approaching them menacingly, berating them all the while. The only proper response they found was to back away from their superior who was awfully close to chewing them up.

“Now y’all listen to me and listen well: You two ‘geniuses’ are going to get your butts over to the bulletin board, and you’re going to tend to every. Single. Task! Everything written there, that’s on you, and you alone! I don’t want to see either of you so much as taking a break before that list is fully crossed out! We’ll be at it all night if we must, ya hear me!?”

“Y-yes boss...!” they both stuttered.

They turned to wherever the board was, and yelped in surprise when Mr.Gold used his forehead to push them both, their back hooves sliding forward on their own. They exchanged a worried look, tossing the blame between them like two immature foals.

“... Your fault.”
“Not as much as yours.”
“Yes, well! It’s your fault times infinity!”
“Oh! You! It’s... It’s your fault times infinity... plus one!”
“Your fault times infinity plus two, nener nener!”
“Your fault infinity plus... um, plus... plus... uuuuhh...”
“Plus three?”
“Yeah! Plus THREE!”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at their childlike behavior. They reminded her so much of Snips and Snails. Well-meaning, but a bit lethal with their carelessness. Just like the two young unicorns, these lumberponies pulled something eerily similar, what with bringing an enraged Ursa Minor into an urban area. Well, two Ursas in their case, and it’s not like they did it deliberately. But still! These four probably shared the same brain cell.

In the end, this wound up being the last in a long series of disruptions, much to Twilight’s relief. The seminar concluded a few hours later, and the rest of the diminishing crowd dispersed in a blur thereafter.







Twilight vowed to find Gray Calx, and the last thing she wanted was to toss another broken promise in Honey Dream’s face. Unsurprisingly, her first stop was the most logical one: His private residence. This, despite the Blueberries’ poorly executed con. What was with those two charlatans anyway? A bad omen, or a fluke? She sincerely hoped there wasn’t something nefarious at play here.

She rapidly found the house in question, following Skybrush’s descriptions of it. What a nice mare, by the way. Helpful, approachable, and very much on top of her social game. The two of them briefly chatted after the conference, and she learned a little bit about her. General store clerk, and talented painter on the side. Single mother of one, and appreciated by pretty much everyone in town. She and “uncle Calxie” had been best buds for a long time, sharing their love of nature during their after-work hours, among other things.

Skybrush tried not to show it, but Twilight knew she too had worries of her own about her missing companion. Just like her daughter, she also expected him to be present at the public gathering, and became understandably concerned when she realized that he was a no-show. More fuel for the friendship problem, so it seemed!

So, the house.

Almost a 1:1 match with the info she had received. It was made of wood, was cylindrical, had a few rounded windows scattered throughout, had a quaint little balcony high up on the second floor, had many twirling branches extruding in all directions, and... and...

“It looks exactly like the Golden Oak library!” gasped the princess.

It was a bit smaller of course, but give it a plump hat of leaves, and this would’ve made for a perfect ‘spot the difference’ exercise.

Oh, the memories! She and Spike spent their first years in Ponyville in that cozy library, where she adapted to her new life and learned a lot about herself in the process. It was a peaceful sanctuary she loved to call ‘home.’ A sanctum of tranquility she could retreat to when things got too crazy. And in Ponyville, you better believe that it happened more often than not!

Twilight couldn’t help but feel slightly nostalgic about what she had lost. Yes, at the end of the day, it was only material, and material could be replaced. Nopony died; that’s what was important. Regardless, she held her time in her former household dearly, and it was a darned shame that it ended up as a scorched pile of charcoal. How peculiar that it took a trip all the way to the edge of Equestria to reopen old wounds like this.

Ah, but now was not the time to agonize over her own little quibbles! After all, Gray Calx wouldn’t wait to shake hooves forever.

She knocked on the door and waited a minute.

Then she waited another.

She knocked again. Two more minutes of waiting.

Another set of knocks, more desperate this time.

More minutes passing by.

“Hello? Anypony in there?” she asked to the silent house.

...

“Mr. Calx? Gray Calx? Is this your house?” she tried to ask again, this time, her face to the floor, peering at the gap under the door.

...

Well whoop-de-doo, of course it couldn’t have been a hole-in-one. Too easy, right? If Gray Calx truly lived there, he was either absent, or socially adverse. That last hypothesis seemed rather improbable, considering the many things his friends had to say about him. Saving a foal and acting heroic didn’t really go hoof-in-hoof with being shy. Um, save for Fluttershy; she could be excused.

Twilight Sparkle grumbled to herself. She should have seen this possibility coming. And now, she’ll have to aimlessly chase him around town, that is, if he was even still in this town. She had no idea what he even looked like too! So now, it was even more of a crapshoot. Why didn’t she just ask Honey Dream and Skybrush to describe him real quick in case this particular situation arose? It wasn’t like her to not account for pitfalls such as this one. She should’ve made a list! Lists are good, lists are love, lists are life savers!

No matter. Just a small hiccup in this game of hide and seek. She’ll find him one way or another.

And she knew exactly where to look next.







“What can I tell you about Gray Calx, that’s uh, that’s what you’re asking me?” Sweet Pint parroted behind the laminated counter.

“Mmmh hmm!” excitingly nodded the princess, forelegs crossed on said laminated counter.

It was incredible to see the Two Arches back on its hooves this quickly. What was a battlefield of a party’s aftermath coupled with the dirtiness of a temporary bunker space was now a respectable establishment, ready to get a bunch of clients all tipsy and happy. It was spotless and barely recognizable. Not a spec of mud desecrating the floor. Impeccable job indeed!

The first few patrons started to give life to the tavern, ever since it reopened a few minutes ago. Most of them were workers who had done their best to shape the town back into its former image. A hard day of sawing and hammering, that’ll leave you rusty and thirsty for sure. Nothing like a cold pale ale to rejuvenate a brain that demanded to be numbed just a little bit.

The princess, of course, came for a different reason altogether. She didn’t return to the pub to get her rocks off. When Sweet Pint tossed a draft her way ‘on the house,’ Twilight had to refuse once again. She contented herself with a simple glass of water. She still had tasks to attend to, and drinking on the job was far from being professional.

No, rather, she decided to go back here primarily because she recalled Calx’s name being displayed in big bold letters on the ceiling. Given that, interviewing Sweet Pint seemed like a proper follow up.

“Erf, what’s there to say about Gray dude, really?” Sweet Pint shrugged, polishing a glass with a towel. “He’s kind of a troublemaker, ain’t he? Stubborn little thing who never listens, hrmmphh! Oh! And he should get a better manecut too. I keep telling him that, but it’s like he lives with his head in the sand!”

“Soooo... I’m guessing you don’t really like him?” asked the princess, a bit disappointed.

“What!?” yelped the barmare, genuinely taken aback. “Says who? Is that what you think I...? Naw, naw, I tolerate the guy alright. Him and I wouldn’t have lived together for a while if I hated his guts.”

Living together? These two had history then? Personal history?

Oh! Was she hinting at romance? She totally was, wasn’t she? G-g-g-gossip time! Twilight didn’t come here to explore the intricate world of past dates and ex coltfriends, but really now, when was the last time she had that kind of girl talk? Rarity had been quiet on that front recently, and although Twilight would rather be tortured than to admit it, she sort of missed all the romantic rumors the fashionista loved to share with her. Hey, if anything, this would help her figure out Calx’s character, right? So there was uh, a scientific reason to probe for those spicy experiences, oh yes there was, yep yep! Don’t let anyone else convince you otherwise!

“Ooooh, I see! So what happened then? Did you kick him out? Or did he leave on his own? Was it because he did something bad? Are you two still seeing each other, or did you go your separate ways? Was it awkward when you tossed him that party?” she ran her mouth exactly like Pinkie Pie.

Sweet Pint stopped rubbing her glass and looked up from it, a blank stare covering her pink expressionless face. “I... I don’t follow?”

“Well, from what I’m getting, you two used to be lovers, right?”

The barmare remained completely immobile, her mouth as horizontal as it could be. Uh oh. Now the princess was starting to become hesitant.

“Am... Am I not reading the room right?” she asked, her voice but a whisper.

Everypony currently present in the Two Arches could’ve heard a bit drop. It was nauseatingly silent.

It stayed that way for a bit, until Sweet Pint exploded in a tirade of laughs. Her head was buried in a foreleg, and the other one was banging on the counter, effectively knocking over the glass she worked so hard to clean. She was completely in stitches, even snorting as she was trying and failing to catch her breath. That sure attracted some unwanted attention from the surrounding drinkers, and Twilight, darting her look left and right, sank her head into her neck, her cheeks reddened from embarrassment. Thankfully, the moment passed (sort of), and the barmare rose from her laughing position, eyes wet from amusement.

“Ahhh, I’m... I’m sorry about that, princess, I was just imagining-” And then she chuckled again, unable to control herself. “Sorry, sorry! It’s just, me and Gray dude, a thing? A duo? Partners in love? Smoochin’ lil’ lovebirds?”

She kissed the air a couple of times to illustrate her mockery, before promptly laughing again.

“Ummm...” simply droned Twilight, wanting this bit to stop already.

“I’m so sorry!” apologized Sweet Pint once again, before exhaling to calm herself down. “But uh, yeah, no. What I meant was, he rented a room here for about a year, so technically, we shared the same roof during that period. Sorry if I wasn’t clear, I didn’t mean to create some confusion.”

The princess facehoofed. Ugh! How many times had she scolded Spike to not jump to conclusions just the way she had? So humiliating! Shame she declined that mug of liquid courage after all.

“So, no tying the knot between the two of us,” pressed on the pink pony. “First of all, I don’t swing that way, so tough luck there. Secondly, he already had his eyes on another mare. Still does. The whole town pretty much knows it. Sometimes, I wonder if Gray dude is the only knobhead who’s blind to it. Holy smokes is that stallion oblivious at times.”

“Oh, so he does have a crush then?” brightened up the princess; maybe she’ll have that girl talk after all!

“Sh’yeah he does. Big time. He has the hots for a pony that goes by the name of Skybrush. These two scallywags are pretty much inseparable.”

“Skybrush? What a coincidence, I’ve just met her! You know, she said to me earlier that they were only friends – REALLY good friends – but I immediately suspected that there was more to it. With the way she talked about him, she made it rather obvious,” she teased, giggling in her fetlock. “Very nice gal, by the way. Been nothing but a pleasure to converse with her.”

“Neat, glad to see you know who I’m talking about. Saves me the time. And yeah, you’re right, princess. She’s a delicious piece of mare alright, mmmh~. You gotta trust me though, no matter what she said, these two are more than friends. Everypony can see it.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed, a bit desperate.

“Gray dude hasn’t made his move in, what, four years now? Mr. G and I have tried time after time to nudge him her way, but the loon can’t take a hint at all! Can you believe how dense that ignoramus is? Completely romantically illiterate. I tell you, if Skybrush wasn’t playing for the other team, I would’ve swooped in a long time ago and claimed her as my own, ha!”

The princess rubbed her neck. “Are you uh... Are you absolutely certain you like Gray Calx? You sort of keep calling him names.”

Sweet Pint seemed offended. “Huh?? Well, I- ah- Of course I’m insulting him! What better way to display your affection than taking a few jabs at each other? Showing your appreciation for another pony by telling them they stink, now THAT, that’s the pinnacle of friendship.”

In theory, Twilight would’ve loved to agree there, but in practice, she couldn’t bring herself to. She had a hard time pairing friendship and verbal abuse in the same boat. Sounded unhealthy in the long term. She should know: Was this not, after all, her main affiliation? The number one subject she taught to other ponies? The very thing that justified her crown?

Unable to find something to say, she just replied with a somewhat dishonest smile, which made Sweet Pint sag in return.

“Look, yes, okay, I like him,” she reluctantly admitted. “Gray dude may be an oaf, but he’s my oaf. And he ain’t half bad of a pony either. Responsible and always putting the needs of others above his own. He works hard, he’s a good role model for his friends, and he’s way smarter than he lets on. He’s like, uh, the intelligent link that keeps us afloat, if ya know what I mean,” she went on, before coughing dismissively. “B-but don’t tell him I said any of that! I have a reputation to uphold. Can’t have the whole town start thinking I’m all mushy and sensitive, bleh!”

Ah, now that was more like it! The princess’ theories about her target were slowly becoming more and more grounded. He truly was a good pony, and for sure she’ll be able to make him reconcile with Honey Dream. Being aware of his virtues was a big help; she’ll use that knowledge as a bargaining chip to sway him her way. This should be a ball in the park!

“I think I’d like to talk to him. Any idea where I could find him? He wasn’t home last I checked. And just like you, he wasn’t at the seminar either.”

“Doesn’t surprise me one bit. Like I said, he’s a workhorse. Perhaps a little too much for his own good. Bet ya twenty bits he’s at the quarry as we speak, digging, or doing whatever it is that he’s doing over there. If you wanna pay him a visit, then head for the train station and turn right at the last fork. Can’t really miss the place; it’s sort of next to that one big mountain towering our village.”

Ah-ha! A new lead; how exciting! She was following a trail, and at this point, it had to go somewhere. Calx’s breadcrumbs were no match for the sleuth that was princess Twilight Sparkle!

The two chatted for another ten minutes, but once Twilight’s glass became dry, she used that as an excuse to take her leave. That was good timing all things considered, since by the end of it, the Two Arches was becoming really animated, and Sweet Pint had to work double to keep everypony fully quenched.







Another miss.

There was nopony in the mining district. Dead ends after dead ends. Twilight Sparkle was about to cry uncle; Gray Calx was apparently way too skilled at being a nonexistent entity. And with the sun being threateningly close to the treetops, it was time for her to surrender. Scrounging trash cans and peeping under street benches at night whilst shouting “Gray Calx? You there?” sounded a bit mad, even by her standards. By no means did she want to deceive Honey Dream with her delays, but she had to stay realistic if she was going to solve this problem the right way.

Instead, she made a quick detour to the city hall again, seeking the mayor. She had to inform him that she was going to take a train for a quick back-and-forth to the Las Pegasus station. Her personal belongings had been stored over there after she bailed on them. A second day without a toothbrush didn’t seem very renowned for a princess like her. Moreover, yesterday, she instructed the train conductor that she’d be in touch with him at most two days after telling him to rev his train back to the Las Pegasus Station. Without a word from her yet, he was probably starting to get antsy.

But perhaps worst of all, her precious books were under nopony’s surveillance: Totally unacceptable!

Mayor De La Tour explained that, while a Sunday express was normally in town at this hour, it had been brought to his attention that the tracks had been badly damaged. Twilight confirmed this, having witnessed a sectioned portion of the rails herself. Two repairponies had been dispatched early this morning to take care of business, since being connected to Equestria was kind of a priority. Coincidentally, they told the mayor no less than fifteen minutes ago that the job had already been completed. Took them a few hours only, all thanks to some altruistic external help they received.

Regardless, it was possible that no trains had arrived yet due to that rather hefty speed bump from the day before. She was encouraged to go check the station herself nonetheless.

Before Twilight departed, she met with the two royal guards who were clustered around a desk, in the middle of writing a report. This report was to be sent straight to Canterlot, to record and describe what had occurred in Outer Grove. In it, they requested some ponytarian help. More materials, medicine, and rations to be taken directly from their disaster funds. Faust knows the ponies here needed it.

The report would also give a few insights to ensure that Ursa-related incidents would never happen ever again. To that end, they beckoned the princess for some assistance, wondering if she could write a paragraph or two about her discoveries with logging site 2B. Essentially, putting into text what she orated earlier. Twilight complied, though she really wished she had Spike with her to do the quill work.

Once their four page summary of the situation was written and double checked, Twilight Sparkle tentatively asked her two armored friends about Gray Calx. She expected nothing, and that’s exactly what she got: They had no idea who he was. Looks like a last minute clutch wouldn't save her.

And so, with nothing left keeping her there, she flew straight to the train station.

Where a lone gray and purple stallion was waiting, facing away, and dozing off on his haunches.

For some inexplicable reason, he looked mighty familiar. And even though she didn’t know where she got the feeling, she could’ve sworn he had the stature of someone incredibly resourceful.

Hey, maybe he knew a thing or two about Gray Calx?
> Sunstone: Burning Bridges (Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle was making her way up the steep streets of Canterlot. On the outside, she appeared calm and collected. But behind her plastic smile, a great deal of worries surged.

Spike, meanwhile, was a bit more annoyed than he was concerned. He was on her back, his arms folded onto his tummy. He took another tentative gaze at the sky: Still as gray as it was when they woke up in Ponyville this morning. He was mentally cursing the thick curtain of clouds that did a mighty fine job blocking any sunrays that desperately wanted to pierce through the wispy layers. Bit of a depressing scenery, really. And a smidge cold as well. His clattering jaw just had to remind him of those subnormal temperatures.

The small dragon had no idea what exactly the teams of weather pegasi had in mind, but one thing was for sure: He wasn’t jiving with their questionable decisions all that much. Since when did polar vortexes become acceptable at a time where his scales should’ve been drenched in sunscreen? Every other cold-blooded creature in Equestria would’ve agreed with him there. Summertime was their time to shine; a perfect opportunity to laze on a reclining chair with a nice lemonade on the side. But nope, the warmth had decided to go AWOL.

Even though it was semi tolerable in Ponyville, now that the two of them were strolling in the bustling city of Canterlot, the higher elevation made it all the worse. Spike, for a moment, could’ve sworn he saw his own misty breath, thanks to the condensation of the cold ambient air. Oh what a summer to remember!

“Brrr! S’kind of chilly up here, don’t you think?” he complained. “And to think the summer solstice was a few days ago only, bleh.”

“I have to agree with you there, Spike. We’ve certainly had hotter days.”

She looked up, almost expecting a droplet from the heavens to damp the tip of her snout. Other unicorns in the street were more proactive: They preemptively casted magical umbrellas over their head, protecting hundred bits worth of manecuts.

“We should hurry; looks like it’s going to drizzle any moment,” rationalized Twilight.

She hastened herself, now in close range to her destination: Her parents’ house.

“I wonder what was so urgent to warrant us coming on such short notice?”

A question she could no longer keep to herself. She thought about it long and hard during their train ride, but now that she could see the first few houses of her childhood neighborhood popping into their view, it became virtually impossible to not let the cat out of the bag.

“Yeah, never seen a letter like this from Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle,” confirmed the freezing drake. “Sounded like they really needed you to move your butt, presto!”

“Language, Spike,” she scolded. “But you’re right. Not even leaving me a day to prepare? That’s not like them.”

Her pupils lost themselves to the corner of her eyes. She still had, oh, three minutes to think some more about it? Their old house was fast approaching.

“Maaaaybe they want to congratulate me about the whole Nightmare Moon affair? Throw me some kind of celebration?”

Spike sighed and chuckled, strangely at the same time. “Whoa there Twi, good to see that you’re not letting all of the glory go to your head!” To which Twilight lowered her neck, her cheeks reddening in guilt. “And eeeeeh, I’m not so sure either way. Wouldn’t they have given a few hints in the letter? Congratulating you instead of telling you to come urgently?”

He wasn’t wrong. The word ‘urgently’ had even been written in all-caps, before being highlighted, underlined, and circled three times on the parchment. That erred more on the territory of bad news than anything.

“Yeah... I didn’t like the tone of what we read, I’ll be honest. It sounded super pressing, not to mention cryptic, like something bad happened and... and...”

Oh.

Wait a minute. An idea. Could it have anything to do with...?

“You don’t suppose it’s about Sunstone, do you? Oh heavens, I hope he didn’t get in trouble again,” nervously chuckled Twilight. “We haven’t, um, seen him much since he returned from Manehattan. I should’ve probably checked on him more often now that I think about it. It’s a pity I’ve been so busy with my studies,” she sighed. “Who knows what he’s been up to lately?”

“... Probably off ruining somepony’s day,” lowly grumbled Spike.

Twilight frowned. “Spike...”

“Look, I’m sorry Twi, but that pony is just... so mean and rude!” he admitted. Been a long time coming since he wanted to address that. “He’s always super negative, he’s always found the dullest excuses to dodge me, and frankly? I don’t think he appreciates either of us all that much,” he pouted. “I hate when he’s around, he makes me feel so nervous.”

“I understand where you’re coming from, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be there for him. Yes, he’s a bit difficult to work with, but I firmly believe that with enough effort, he’ll... eventually warm up to us better,” she said, as if trying to convince herself. “Isn’t that what my friendship reports to princess Celestia are trying to teach us? That everypony can be redeemed with the right amount of care and dedication? That a supportive group of friends can bring the best out of us? If there’s anything to learn from these reports, it’s that Sunny, I’m sure of it, will wind up having a change of heart.”

“Pfff, I’m not even sure he has a heart.”

Twilight abruptly stopped, turning her neck back to gaze at her somewhat sardonic number one assistant.

“That’s quite enough, Spike! Sunstone is my brother and I love him. And I’m sure he loves us back. It’s just... Well, like my mom used to say, he just has a hard time showing it. But that doesn’t make it any less true!”

Spike preferred to keep his doubts to himself and answered with a few discontent grunts.

Twilight started walking once more. “I mean, think about it. He must feel so alone being all cooped up with mom and dad at his age... If only there was something I could-”

She brightened up, even going so far as doing a victory bounce that perturbed Spike just a little.

“That’s it! I know! I should invite him to come live with us at the Golden Oak!”

“Wuh-what!? Are you... are you sure about that?”

She nodded with confidence. “Mmmh hmm! Spike, it’s a great idea! Getting him out of Canterlot oughta make him feel better. And don’t we have a spare bed in the library for sleepovers anyway? That really shouldn’t cause any issues.”

She looked ahead, picturing an hypothetical future where the two siblings could finally connect, sharing kooky but fun adventures. Spike, meanwhile, really wasn’t looking forward to spending more time with the stallion that always treated him like he didn’t exist, let alone share a roof with him once again.

“And then I’ll present him to the rest of the girls,” Twilight continued to extrapolate. “I’m sure he’ll fit right in! Befriending new ponies did me a lot of good, and I’m sure it’ll do him a lot of good as well. Ooooh, I can just imagine Pinkie throwing him a big welcoming party, that for sure would cheer him up! She’s really good at turning frowns upside down.”

“I’m not really sure he’ll even want to-”

“Ah, here we are!”

Here they were. In front of the house. They haven’t even left Canterlot for a week, and already Twilight was basking in the warm embrace of past memories. Her childhood life had been cradled with all of the love a foal could possibly desire. From the silly Sibling Supreme competitions she held against Shiny, to the tight bonds she formed with her bestest foal-sitter Cadance, all the way to Sunstone’s, uh... Sunstone’s err... to his lonesome studies she could only gawk at? Mmmh.

“Now remember Spike,” she advised, “I want you and Sunny to get along, m’kay? Even if he’s a little sullen about his current situation, I’d like it if you didn’t give him any unnecessary attitude.”

He sighed. “Yes Twilight...”

With that being taken care of, they opened the door. Despite the serious nature of the letter that prompted her to partake in a last-minute family gathering, she was nonetheless happy to meet them again. After all, she already had a few Ponyville anecdotes to tell, and her mom’s cooking was always a welcomed addition in her world.

“Hello everypony, we’re here!”

Her joyous stance couldn’t have been more out of place with the dark ambience she immediately perceived from the four horned ponies stationed in the living room.

For starters, her mother had her front hooves wrapped tightly around her father, her back throbbing with every sob that came out of her throat. She wasn’t a loud crier, but somehow, that made it even tougher to witness. It’s like she was keeping something terrible bottled-in. Night Light was trying his best to make it better for her, rubbing a hoof on his wife’s back with his eyes closed, but she was totally inconsolable. There was nothing he could’ve done to cheer her up, and so, they just remained solidly linked with neither of them daring to speak a word.

Shining Armor, meanwhile, was looking ahead with a blank stare, as if he was shell shocked. His soulless pupils had lost any semblance of life, and his overall expressionless visage told a million different horror stories. Seeing him so detached, so apathetic, so unable to react, it just wasn’t right. It wasn’t right at all. And it’s not like he was being callous or anything. Nor was it because his robust training as a captain taught him to stay cool and level-headed during the most critical times. No, rather, Twilight somehow deduced that it’s because her brother simply had no idea how to grasp... whatever it was that had rendered her family on the precipice of depression. Shining Armor’s emotional state had been cornered in an uncharted part of his brain, and he was stuck trying to find a proper response.

On his right, a grieving yet compassionate Cadance was nuzzling the neck of the distraught captain. Twilight could tell a few tears had been shed earlier, if the thin droopy lines of her mascara were any clue. She was probably the calmest pony in the room, though that didn’t mean much.

Anxiety crept into Twilight’s barrel. She wasn’t oblivious to the overall mood of her family members, and even though she had no idea what it entitled at all, it certainly was infectious. Nopony even said “hi” to her, much less give her a warm welcome hug. It was so unusual, so unprecedented... She gave a puzzled look to Spike who had jumped onto solid ground, and he shrugged in return, being as clueless as she was.

“W-what’s going on?” she timidly asked, knowing fully well something foreboding was at play. “What has gotten everypony so down?”

Her mother’s head popped over her husband’s shoulder blade. She didn’t even realize her daughter had made it. She tried to say something, but her quaking mouth was at a loss for words.

“Where’s Sunny?” suddenly prompted Twilight.

It’s true. He wasn’t there claiming his share of the burden. Well, he was never really all too present to begin with, and strong emotions could easily repulse him, but this seemed like a rather serious thing to miss. Twilight came all the way from Ponyville just for this; surely, he could’ve made the tiniest of efforts and left his bedroom.

But Twilight’s seemingly naive question was the catalyst that finished off the Sparkles. It’s as if she ripped the world’s most painful band-aid. Shining lowered his neck, Cadance visibly cringed, her dad sagged a bit, and her mother, her poor poor sweet mother, well, after blinking out of stupor three or four times, she melted into Night Light’s back, unable to do anything else but to cry some more.

Silently, Cadance left the captain’s ranks, and levitated in a pale blue glow a folded piece of paper towards Twilight. The latter picked it up with magic of her own, and began reading. She immediately recognized the calligraphy as Sunstone’s. Constantly spying on his homework rendered his writing unmistakable to her. On her side, Spike had his arms linked, more confused than ever, but wisely deciding not to interrupt. Explanations would soon follow, right?

But the more Twilight read, the more her expression was starting to mirror that of the rest of her family. For each line of text, it became increasingly dreadful.

On paragraph one, she was invaded by a strong sense of bewilderment.
On paragraph two, the first few tears started to escape her eyes.
On paragraph three, she had trouble breathing, her stomach doing flips.

She never made it to paragraph four. Her magical grip on Sunstone’s note broke, the paper slid on the parquetry, and Twilight slumped on the floor, ducking under her hooves. She had neither the guts nor the composure to relay to Spike what her eyeballs had just been exposed to. All she could do was repeat to herself that she had been too late. That certain doors had been closed permanently, and that there was absolutely nothing she could do to go back and make it right. This was finality in its most uncontested form.

Cadance immediately hugged the devastated unicorn in an attempt to give her the confidence she herself didn’t even have. Shining soon joined in, as did the rest of the Sparkles. They held themselves solidly, wishing they could find the strength to carry on with one of the worst predicaments that could strike a family.

And as they remained grouped for what seemed like an eternity, the first thunders brought forth a heavy tide of rain, a deluge of grief and loss that would flood Canterlot for the next two days.







The princess and I just kept staring at each other in complete and utter silence. The crickets of the early evening rendered this whole scene even more uncomfortable.

I had no idea how to apprehend this. My brain ceased all activity. For the first time in my life, I was speechless, thoughtless, and motionless. The only thing that I was hoping for was that, if I kept blinking hard enough, maybe, just maybe, she’d vanish from my view. I’d rather go to bed with the immense relief that I was going completely insane over having to face her for real.

But ah no. It doesn’t quite work that way, doesn’t it? She was still there, immobile, unable to even come up with words due to how much she was sobbing.

Gee, bit of an overreaction, don’t you think?

She finally managed to exhaust the last of her tears. Her body had nothing left to give. Leak’s been plugged. She rubbed the lingering wetness out of her face, so she could take a good gander at me again.

“It... It really is you... isn’t it?” she hiccupped a bunch more.

“It really is me. You’ve caught me alright,” I said indifferently, resigned to my fate.

And that’s all she could take. She approached me. Slowly at first, but then, she picked up the pace. My first thought was that she wanted to impale me with that horn of hers (which, by the by, appeared lengthier than I last remembered), but when she opened her front hooves, I realized that she had something far more sinister in mind.

She wanted to hug me.

What in Tartarus did she think she was doing? I didn’t agree to that – I never have! Hugs were not for me to give or receive! My “no touchy” policy was still in effect; what, did she think my absence voided it? Not at all! Because the last place I wanted to be now, right now, was squeezed in between her hooves.

“Hey hey hey!” I warned, taking a few cautious steps back. “What have I told you about hugs?”

“Oh... R-right...” she said, lowering her head in shame.

Crazy how quick she switched from being in disbelief over my existence to being submissive towards my uncivil demands. Once a Twilight, always a Twilight.

She kept getting closer nonetheless. But this time, it was more akin to a newborn foal discovering colors for the first time. Her looks scanned every little detail of my body, as if I was displayed in a museum. Nothing escaped her. Not even the beautiful new addition to my forehead, which made her expose her teeth out of phantom pain.

And now she was face-to-face with me. If I craned my neck down juuuust a little, our snoots would’ve booped. But I wasn’t moving, no. I was way too good at cosplaying a mannequin. I was paralyzed by the fact that, yes, all of this was still really happening. Princess Luna didn’t appear yet to blast this nightmare away, so it was as real as it could be. I think this is why I was so... static. Because I was in it all the way to my neck. How does one even move when only their head is poking out of the manure?

The princess probed my shoulder with a hoof, just in case I wasn’t some kind of bizarre magical mirage. But no, this stallion was no hallucination, alright. I was as tangible as she was. Bummer. If either of us had been a fake, I would’ve been all the happier.

Now her investigating hoof went to my face, pushing my skin against my skull.

“Charming,” I said, a cheek squeezing one of my eyes shut.

“S-Sunny, how... How are you still alive? H-how can you BE alive? I c-can’t... h-how...”

I gingerly removed her hoof out of my personal sphere. “Why do you keep saying that? Of course I’m alive! What, did you think so little of me that you figured I wasn’t going to survive the moment I went on my own?”

“W-what? No! I mean... h-huh? Going on your own?” She shook her head, then blinked two centimeters away from my face. “How are you alive!?”

This was getting old.

“This is getting old.”

She started pacing in a circle, her eyes ping ponging everywhere, on the lookout for some kind of explanation.

“I cannot believe this. I just cannot believe this!! This can’t be possible, I- Sunstone, the note! That last note you wrote, it... it...”

“Yeah, what about it? I thought I made it abundantly clear what my intentions were. But now, it’s becoming obvious to me that I didn’t, seeing as you’ve tailed me all the way here.”

She backed away, now seemingly afraid of me? What was going on here? Why was she so neurotic? I mean, she’s always been a little bit like that, but now? She wasn’t making a modicum of sense. Yes, okay, boo-hoo, we’ve been apart for half a decade, but with the way she was acting, it’s as if I accidentally got myself killed or something. Can we tone it down a little?

“Do you even remember what you wrote in that note!?” she exclaimed, her denial now replaced by anger. Was somepony going through the five stages of grief, by any chance?

“Frankly? Not really,” I replied, disinterested. “I was blowing a fuse pretty hard when I wrote that thing. Totally at my wit’s end. Why? What’s the big deal?”

“T-the big deal? The big deal!?”

She approached me again, a purple hoof poking me on the chest.

“Sunstone, how can you say that!? We thought you... We all thought that you decided to... I... I-I can’t even bring myself to say it!” She did a couple of breathing exercises, trying to control her rising hysteria. “We thought you did something terrible to yourself!”

Okay, was she on something? Because if so, could I please have some of it too? Seriously, I had no idea what she was even hinting at...

Hinting at...

Oh.

Hang on one sixtieth of a minute. Was she implying that mom, dad, and the rest of the gang convinced themselves that I tossed myself into a ditch a couple of stories high or something? Quitting the game ahead while I was still young?

Wait, why was I even asking this? Of course that’s what they believed. Don’t attribute to malice what you can peg on idiocy. And these idiots, well, leave it to them to find new ways to assume the worst out of an already crappy situation. Wasn’t Twilight the poster child of excellence when it came to dissecting dissertations? How could she fail so badly at interpreting what I wrote? ... Whatever it was?

Look, yes, I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t remember half of my goodbye letter’s content, but I was sure, dead sure she did a poor job analysing it out of spite; you know, just to inject a pinch of fear mongering into the family household. And now everypony thought of me as a goner- a real goner. Awesome. Simply bodacious. As if I hadn’t been sufficiently stigmatized in one lifetime.

“Well, princess, sorry to break it to you, but you misinterpreted my message. You all did. You can’t pin this one on me.”

“M-misinterpreted...?”

Why did she keep repeating everything I wa-

“We mourned you, Sunstone! We MOURNED you!!”

...

I slowly placed my mane back in place, after it had been blown backward by the sheer volume of her voice. Which, by the way, made me look left and right. It was getting a little bit too spicy, and now I had legitimate concerns about being spotted by curious passersby. This would blow my shell game in one easy trick, and my Outer Grove persona would crumble in the blink of an eye. I had to bury this, and quickly. The louder the princess got, the more cracks in the thin ice appeared under my hooves.

We were still alone at the train station, but so long as we were in public, it would only take one curious eavesdropper to ruin this new life I’ve built for myself. And that, that wouldn’t do. Call me cold-hearted, but I cared a million times more about protecting my status quo than I did about the princess’ nervous breakdown.

I held a hoof up in defense. “O-okay, okay! Mea culpa and all that. But can you please keep it down? I don’t want to attract unwanted attention.”

And you know what? Something else badgered me. Couldn’t help myself but address it.

“And please, your majesty, would you be so kind as to stop calling me ‘Sunstone?’ I go by Gray Calx now. I’d appreciate it if my old name wasn’t shouted willy nelly in front of everypony like that.”

Anger passed, now making room for some deductive efforts. Look at her, flexing the iconic Sparkle brain. It truly was her strongest muscle. She tapped her chin a few times, and finally, neuronal connections synapsed a great realization:

“Wait. You? You’re Gray Calx, you?”

“The one and only. You were looking for me, weren’t you?”

Despite everything, she still found it in herself to perk up. Hey, was that a smile?

“... Of course! It makes so much sense! A mining town, a five year anniversary, three ponies holding a sphere,” she returned to pacing, enumerating this and that, “and calxes! You were studying calxes during your curriculum! I remember that now! ... Although I can’t quite recall what the gray one did. But that’s not important! Everything matches your profile down to its last details, Sunstone!”

I cringed again, seeing as she completely bypassed my request of being referred to by my actual, legal name. I get that this was news to her, but come on now, try a little. To make matters worse, she still wasn’t piping down, endangering my position some more. I had to do something about it, pronto.

“Look, look, you’re passionate and I get that, but I’m serious! We really can’t be seen together here!”

“H-huh? What do you mean? Why does that matter?”

“Because! The ponies out there could start suspecting that we’re related, and I don’t want them to!”

“Wait, wait, are you saying that they don’t know about us? Y-you haven’t told them you’re my brother... even after all this time?” she said, almost pleading. “B-but what about our cutie marks? They’re nearly identical, how could they not know?”

I instinctively took a look at my cutie mark as she mentioned it. Yup, that blasted thing still lived on my sides after 27 long years.

“It took me a really long time to convince the ponies of Outer Grove that my cutie mark looked like yours out of pure coincidence,” I begrudgingly explained. “I have no desire to go through that again. It was enough of a pain in the ass the first time around!”

She winced. Perhaps due to my usage of a big mean word, but more realistically, because of my own admittance about the many lies and hoops I had to jump through to secure the life I had today. It wasn’t sitting all too well with her. Wasn’t she BFF with the Element of Honesty, or whatever? I could practically feel her holier than thou superiority penetrating the marrow of my bones. Sorry that not everypony could live to your standards of perfection, princess!

She shook her head like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But... why? Why does that even bother you? D-did I do something to you?”

“With all due respect, princess, I... I don’t owe you a justification!” I protested.

Oh great. Now it was my turn to be inconsiderately loud.

“Listen, for the third time, I’d really prefer if we could take this conversation elsewhere – say, at my place. At least, there, we’ll be in a private environment, and I’ll be in a better position to answer every little thing I know you’re dying to ask me.”

I demonstratively unfolded one of her purple wings like a paper fan.

“So get some good mileage out of those new appendages of yours and follow me up high in the sky. I’ll bring you up to my crib, and then we’ll talk. And try to not make it apparent that we’re heading to the same place, m’kay?”

She freed her wing from my grip and lowered her head, conflicted. She wasn’t a big fan of my idea, that much was evident. I had just re-emerged in her life, and the first thing I was doing was being overtly capricious and hard to please. “No hugs, princess,” “call me Gray Calx, princess,” “lower your voice, princess,” “I don’t want us to be seen together, princess,” “come to my house, princess...” Certainly not the heartwarming reunion she was hoping for.

And yet, she wound up nodding.

“If that’s what it’ll take to make you explain to me what has happened to you, then... okay,” she conceded. “But I’ll teleport us there, that’s more efficient and less time-consuming. I’ve been to your house before, so I know where to anchor our destination vector. J-just hang on...”

Ah. Good to know I was at least half justified when I made the wise decision of leaving my fort earlier today. Made me feel a little bit smarter. A little bit.

But uh, hol’ up for a sec, I didn’t agree to telep- Ach, too late. Her horn was already glowing white and bright. She scrunched up her face like she ate something sour, and with a high-pitched poof, for a fraction of a second, our molecules left the realm of Equus.









We popped back into existence on the dirt patch that was supposed to act as a beautiful turf around Casa de la Calx. Look, outside landscaping wasn’t my number one priority; fixing the house was. Renovations start inside, okay, and then they expand over your backyard and such. If you have any motivation left, that is. ‘Sides, I didn’t even have any lawn ornaments to beautify my would-be grass, so, much to the Blueberries’ disapproval, I was quite content with my field of mud.

Got all that? Good. Now that y’all are done judging my nonexistent gardening skills, let me take this moment to confirm that no, I will not go into details about how it felt like to be teleported. Because it was my first time being teleported, after all. Let’s just say that it left some residual queasiness, which may not have had anything to do with the spell, but rather, being a side effect of the disgust I was feeling over inviting the princess to poke around in my personal living space.

Because that’s what I had to do, really. How else was I supposed to keep this clusterbuck under control?

I opened the door, and let Her Majesty in first, as any polite non-royals such as myself were expected to. I even bowed! Let it be known that I knew the rites, and that I couldn’t be fined over my non-respect of our social hierarchy. We owe it to ourselves to lick the boots of the elite, my peasant brethren.

She entered shyly, wanting to say something about my over-the-top actions, but thankfully getting over it. I echoed her silence, saying even less than the nothingness coming out of her mouth, and made my way toward the kitchen whilst she stayed next to the entry door. Suit yourself, princess! I did have a pretty bitchin’ coat hanger over there, after all. Varnished oak wood and all that sweet stuff.

So, I couldn’t help but notice that all of this was still happening. Was today still today? It was, wasn’t it? Ugh. Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to power through the next steps ill-equipped as I was. The princess was in my house. She was in my house! Let that sink in for a moment or two!

... Oh? You wanna know what I was doing to this huge keg wedged between my ice box and the moldy back wall? Simple, really. I was turning the tap, for one. On the little metallic nozzle that protruded near its base. For two, I was holding a mug under it, making sure not a drop of beer that poured out of the spigot would splash on the floor. That right there was liquid gold, and not meant to be squandered.

Yes, I needed alcohol in my system. Oh so very much. Judge me all you want. But when you’re born as weak as I am, you need some, shall we say, artificial flavouring to help you through the moments of misery. And this one was going to be merciless like you have no idea. It was either that, or bash my head against the wall until I was dizzy enough to be considered sufficiently hammered. Pick your poison.

Now that my ceramic stein was all frothy and ready for consumption, I suppose it was time to finally say something – it’s not like she was about to take the reins there.

“Well, welcome to my humble abode, princess. It ain’t much, but it sure is good enough to warrant a huge stack of city taxes, har har,” I guffawed dishonestly. “May I offer Her Highness something to drink? I’ve got a delicious tripel freshly imported straight from Griffonstone, ripe to be served!”

I waved a second mug her way, as the tempting deviant that I was. Oh, and looks like she was in the kitchen now, nice. I sincerely thought for a moment that she was going to set camp in the entryway. But nope, she was right there, shaking her head while waving a hoof.

“Uh... N-no. No, that’s... No thank you, Sunstone.”

I shrugged. “Hey, your loss; more for me!”

Well cheers! Down the hatch it went. Get in my gullet, booze! Make me forget the present!

“That’s um,” she coughed, her windpipe still phlegmy from her incessant crying from earlier, “that’s a big beer barrel you have, h-heh...”

Were my ears deceiving me, or did we have a foray into small talk territory already? Saucy, princess, saucy! I tapped my mug on the counter, now halfway emptied. With a big pant of satisfaction, I allowed my lungs to be oxygenated once more.

“Oh yeah. Big ol’ barrel indeed. I didn’t buy it though; didn’t have the bits for it. It simply came bundled with the house. Tell you what, when I found that out, ‘twas like I stumbled upon El Ponyrado!” I laughed. “I get that bad boy filled up every now and then, on the rare occasions where I actually make ends meet.”

“That’s... very nice. I like your stylized drink cup too. Artisan work?”

Another talking point brought to you by the princess! Oh she was good. That was two for two now.

Yeah, I saw where this was going. She was definitely trying to ease her way into pulling whatever she had planned to do with me. Sort of taming me by pretending to be interested with all the shiny new stuff I had in my life. Either so I would let my guard down, or so I would become more open-minded about being bombarded by all the why’s and how’s she no doubt had on the tip of her tongue. I was willing to play the game for the time being – at least, until my mug was dry.

“Why thank you, your highness. It was a gift given to me by a good friend who works at a bar.”

“... You don’t mean Sweet Pint, do you?”

Good thing I was in the middle of taking another swig, because I would’ve growled right there. What I was fearing was slowly manifesting itself. The princess using her charisma and her title to subconsciously coax my friends into befriending her. Took me a while to work my way into a circle of good ponies, but her? Boop. One evening, and everyone wanted a piece of her. She did it in Ponyville, so why not here as well?

“Oh. You’ve met her already, golly. What did you gals chat about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Um, you, mostly.”

“Moi? Aw, stop that, I’m blushing.” I wasn’t blushing. “What’d she say about me?”

“Actually, I... It’s- I can’t really say, I promised not to tell, because-”

“-Because that would put a dent in her reputation, yep, got it. You’ve met her alright.”

A third sip. Mmmh, nice and rich flavors, yummy. Good choice of hops too; props to the brewmaster, really. Gotta give it to ‘em, those griffons really knew how to craft a mean beer!

“Y’know,” Twilight said, clopping her hooves together in a nervous tic, “it was overall positive. I mean, what she divulged. It was good. Um, same as with the prospector and the town doctor, they also had some pretty nice things to say about you. Not to mention your friend Skybrush and her daughter Honey dream, they too seemed really proud to have you in their life.”

“Oh, you’ve seen the whole gang already, haven’t you?” I muttered between clenched teeth, fighting the urge not to jump at her throat. “Pray tell, whaddya think of my pals?”

“Well, they definitely strike me as good ponies. It’s nice to see that-”

“Just makes me wonder though, and sorry for interrupting: On a scale of ten, how much were they smitten by your splendor? Rough estimate?”

“H-huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “Ach, nevermind. Forget it.”

Sip sip sip. Doooown it goes~ ♪♫. Numb it all with some delicious 10% ABV juice, and- oh? I closed an eye, and peered into my mug, as if it was a pirate spyglass. All gone already? Booo! I’ll take that as my call to speed things up. I was growing bored of her groveling anyway. Telling me how good I had it, yeah, no, I wasn’t buyin’ any of that hogwash.

I shuffled out of my seat, and went for my second serving.

“So,” I plainly said, my cup getting fuller and fuller, “I think we’ve danced around the elephant in the room for long enough, wouldn’t you agree? Let’s stop pretending that everything’s sunshine and rainbows. At the risk of sounding pushy, what is it that you want, o princess Twilight Sparkle?”

She recoiled at my sudden mood shift. She thought she was so in control, didn’t she? Heh, think again, my flabbergasted liege.

“Well, first of all, I’d like you to stop calling me princess, or highness, or what have you.” Ah, her soft shell was starting to crack. “You do know I’m your sister first and foremost, right? You don’t have to follow the procedures to a tee; a simple ‘sis’ is totally acceptable. Preferable, even. This isn’t some kind of... political summit or anything: Just a brother and a sister talking things out.”

A large gulp of beer later, “If it’s all the same with you, princess, I’d like to stay formal.”

“Sunstone...” she sighed.

“There! Right there!” I exclaimed, a hoof in her direction. “Why should I abide by your demands, when you have made zero effort at calling me Gray Calx? Seems fair to me that you get your just deserts.”

She was about to protest, but right before any counterarguments could escape her mouth, she closed it, and then exhaled deeply, most surely to help her get a grip.

“You want to jump straight into it? Fine by me.” Yup, she was done buttering things up now. “Tell me then, why did you leave us? Why did you write that loaded letter full of slander? Why did you exile yourself without even consulting us first? Was there anything to be gained from this?”

I looked at her with wary eyes, mug to my lips. I pulled it away, and stiffened a gastric reflux. “Boy, you really don’t have a clue, do you?”

“I have a few theories, but nothing that could ever justify making us think that you... harmed yourself in a permanent fashion.”

I laughed. Brashly and facetiously.

“Harmed myself. Wow, you’re still stuck on that one, aren’t you? But it doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter at all. I know that when you’re transfixed over something, there’s no changing your mind. So by all means, keep believing what you want to believe. Whatever helps you sleep at night, champ.”

“Stop dodging my questions, Sunstone! You wanted to trim the fat? Then trim the fat! Tell me, plain and simple: Why did you do any of this?”

I tsk’d. “Don’t rip your mane out, princess. I mean, between you and me, are you even sure you’re ready to hear the truth? The harsh, stinky, and unforgiving truth?”

She sank into a chair, crossed her front legs, and gave me a serious expression. “Pretty sure I am, yes.”

“Hey, your funeral. The answer you’re looking for is quite simple, really: It’s you.”

“Me?”

“Yuppers. You. And don’t act so surprised. You keep yapping about that letter I wrote, so you should know by now that I kind of have a beef with you. Oh don’t get me wrong, there’s more to it than that. But you, my friend? Heh, you stand alone at the top.”

She bit her lips, trying not to lose control. “Y-you’re meant to tell me you silently left Canterlot... because of me? Am I hearing this right? I don’t-” A hoof rubbing her mane. “That’s just- That’s utterly ridiculous. I’m fully aware that I’m not a perfect pony by any means, but what could I possibly have done for you to go that far down the deep end? I mean, this is huge, Sunstone! We’re talking about holding a grudge for years, and never backing away! Even my friend Applejack isn’t that stubborn, and that’s saying something!”

“Yes, well, your friend Applejack, I’d be willing to bet she never grew up in the shadows of overachievers. And therein lies the problem, princess Twilight Sparkle.”

C’mon bro, another shot for some good mojo.

Sluuuuurp... Aaaahhh.

Alrighty then, let’s bring out the big guns.

“Do you have any idea, any idea at all, how soul crushing it feels to be an outcast, not only within a society that clearly wasn’t built for you, but also, within your very household? Desperately trying to crawl out of the pit of mediocrity, only to catch glimpses of two amazing ponies who never stopped making their sibling feel like an underdog? Outperforming him at every task, with it being so natural, so easy to gloss over, to the point that they didn’t even realize they were doing it? Can you even conceive what it’s like, going to bed every day, starting from a WAY too young age, and telling yourself: ‘Well dang, guess I really am going to die unremembered. But these two – oh, these two!’

“It kind of erodes your will to keep trying after a while, princess. It eats at you, it guts you from within. It’s a massive backstab to your confidence. And that there is no way to live. I’ve tried to ignore it; I’ve tried to make it work for twenty odd years. But there comes a point where I just gave up. Frankly, I’m surprised I even lasted as long as I did.”

“Right, gotcha. And so, because you weren’t living up to your own expectations, you took it as your cue to sneak out and disappear forever, correct?” arrogantly concluded Twilight with a provocative look.

I frowned. “Don’t trivialize my hardships, princess. I won’t take that – not from you. Because, to be perfectly honest? Mom, dad, as prolific as they are with their fancy unicorn magic, I could’ve let it slide. Heck, even Shining! Even him, I could’ve lived with my tail between my legs. I could’ve made it work. But you!? You’re the one who pushed me over the edge. A hundred percent.”

“That’s so unfair, I’ve never tried to hurt you, Sunstone!” she immediately protested, bouncing out of her seat. “I would never think about doing anything that would harm my older brother!”

“Princess,” I coldly said, “you’re an alicorn. An alicorn! Do you realize how freakin’ monumental this is? There are only four of you in-”

“Five.”

Five? Were they multiplying or what? Whatever.

“-Five of you in existence. Can’t get any more exclusive than that! On top of that, you’ve been princess Celestia’s number one, AND you’re the bearer of the Element of Magic itself. Do you know how second-rate I perceived myself next to that? You’re a princess! And I dig dirt! That’s all I do; that’s all I’ll ever do! You’re everything, and I’m still NOTHING!”

You’re losing your cool, buddy. Quick! Further intoxicate yourself! The only realistic way to avoid detaching from reality!

Complying with my own advice, I emptied my mug for the second time tonight. Hey, gotta find some form of determination somewhere.

After that, I resumed my rant with a sigh. “I’m almost midway through my thirties, and I’m still nothing. I’ve got nothing to show for it. No accomplishments whatsoever,” I panned a hoof around, “e-except for this crummy rathole I can hardly call a house.”

Twilight Sparkle looked around, fully soaking in the averageness of my living quarters.

“Well... I quite like it,” she admitted after a short moment of deliberation. “Your house, I mean. It’s very rustic, very down-to-Equus. It reminds me a lot of my first house in Ponyville, the Golden Oak Library.” She craned her neck down, saddened. “You know, before it went up in flames...”

Ugh, back with the strategic delegations of flatteries? Maybe she felt bad about seeing me getting my knickers in a twist. Or maybe it was her special way of avoiding taking the blame for having scuttled the lingering morsels of my happiness.

“Yeah, not the first time I’ve heard that comparison and- wait wait, slow down a minute. What do you mean, ‘before it went up in flames?’”

“Oh,” she pouted, drawing circles on the counter with her hoof, “to make a long story short, a few years ago, the Golden Oak was totalled after being targeted by a powerful incandescent spell from the evil centaur, Lord Tirek.”

Lord Whom’st’ve now? Not a single clue who she was talking about. And I was going to keep it that way, on account that I couldn’t muster any will to care. For all I knew, she was making stuff up. Firing a bunch of positivity my way by downplaying her situation.

“Well, regardless. If you like my shaggy hut and miss yours so much, how about we trade places, mmmh? I’ll happily take your castle if it’s too much of a burden for you.”

“... You know I can’t do that. I have duties to fulfill over there, and it’s not-”

“Duties,” I snorted. “Ooooh, the life of a princess! Must be so difficult. Sign this paper, stamp this envelope, smile for the cameras. So much hard work having a crown on your head.”

She grimaced. “Actually, it is! I have many diplomatic obligations, Sunstone. Take right now, for instance. I had to travel far away for a friendship problem and-”

...

Annnnnd? Hey oh, wake up, princess! Did your brain shut down on you or something? Tsk. Happens to the best of us. I mean, look at her: She was just blankly staring at me with two big eyes and the occasional blink. I wouldn’t say it felt uncomfortable, but it was getting there.

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed, finally rebooting. “It’s YOU! It’s totally you! You’re the friendship problem that summoned me here!”

“Are you... Are you calling me a ‘problem’ now? Harsh, princess, harsh. Could’ve sworn you didn’t use to be so blunt.”

She whooshed her hooves to deflect. “N-no! Not at all! That’s not- That’s not what I meant! It’s the cutie map. It sent me to, um. Well, probably to patch things up between the two of us?”

“The ‘cutie map?’ What the hay are you talking about, now?” I groaned.

“Oh! It’s a wonderful magical device that can locate with pinpoint precision various places all over Equus that require friendship-related assistance from me or the rest of the Element bearers. Sometimes other ponies, or creatures too, I suppose, but it’s not the norm. In fact, I can only recount-”

“Okay, okay, I get the idea!” I cut her off, before she delved into full encyclopedia mode. “So what you’re essentially telling me is, you crafted some kind of witchcraft bauble to stalk me? Am I off the mark? Because if not, then for an alleged princess of Friendship, that’s a scandalous attack on our privacy.”

“It’s nothing like that!” she objected. “I didn’t create- And it’s not up for me to decide; it’s the table. It knows who to send and when to send them. And it recalls them once their cutie mark glows: That’s when the problem is deemed successfully resolved.”

“So, what, the table does all of this? On its own? A four-legged piece of furniture spewing prophecies left and right? ... You do realize what you’re saying doesn’t make a lick of sense, right?”

Ohhhh my poor meninges. Reduced to atoms by fallacies and make-believes. Massaging my temples did nothing to alleviate my rising migraine, but I knew what would: To the keg! What’s two drinks without a third one, I ask you.

Same routine as always. Lever pulled up, a brown waterfall into the cup, my tongue licking my lips, and-

“M-maybe you should slow down a little, Sunstone,” warned a cautious Twilight.

“Thanks, but no thanks.” A quarter of my beverage swiftly went down my tummy in an act of defiance. “I’m finally beginning to understand what’s going on, and that’s cause for celebration. Yeah, all of your little encouragements and tidbits of praise? At first, I was wondering why you were doing it. I thought it was your not-so-subtle way of earning my trust. Now? It couldn’t be more obvious: You’re just idolizing me so that you can get your stupid checkmark for your table thingamajig! You want me to abdicate so that you can win again!”

“Abdicate? Winning?” she burst out. “Now who’s the one not making sense? What even is there to abdicate about? I mean, what are you even fighting for, right now?”

Mug back onto the counter with a loud CLANG. “I’m fighting for my right to be left alone, but that clearly went over your head! You just HAD to travel all across the globe to nullify the only good thing I finally had going for myself! Infecting my pals and the rest of Outer Grove with your radiating grandeur and your infinite magnificence.”

“Will you stop vilifying me already!?” she spat, fed up with my bad attitude. “I’m just there, trying my best to stay polite and understanding, but you keep portraying me as some kind of boogeyponey. Maybe instead of using me as a hate sink, you should start looking on the inside a little more?”

I looked at the two princesses with frustration. Wait- The two princesses?

Blink blink.

Right, right, the one princess. Hahaha, boy oh boy, I was drinking myself silly, wasn’t I? Well, at least it helped me loosen up enough to continue antagonizing my unwanted guest.

“I have e-e-every right to think of you as a scapegoat when I feel this worthless, Twilight Sparkle! And how growing up next to you has done nothing but elevate my worthlessness. And I think, uuuuh, I think this is my biggest gripe I have with you, mmm’yep. You’re a smart pony, so I assume you know about the laws of average, right? Hehe, w-well, princess, you’ve exceeded them all!”

I wobbly pointed at her with my stein. Nothing could stop me now. I was going down that slippery slope at terminal velocity; might as well go all in and double down on my alcohol induced folly.

“Y-you’re an anomaly, yup, that’s what you are! A statistical fluke. It’s outright impossible to be this good at everything! I mean- I mean, when will it stop? Hmmm? When is enough, enough? D-d-do you need to be the queen of the universe or something? Do you need to become a literal God before you’ve had your fill of wealth and power?”

“Sunstone! Stop it!”

“Naw. Naw lemme- lemme continue. Cuz y-y-you know w-what my problem was?” I hiccupped, getting dizzier by the second. “I took the regular path. That’s my problem. I d-didn’t shortcut my way into being a c-child prodigy. O-or a superhero. In any other family, yes, in any other f-family, I would’ve done just fine. I would’ve been an inspiration. B-b-but you and that butthead Shining Armor, y-y-you just had to be so damn good at everything.

“J-just once! Just once I would’ve LOVED to see you fail. That’s what I kept wishing for. Because, me, I- I was the big brother, y’see, I was the big bro and you were supposed to look for MY guidance! You were supposed to look up to me!”

“I’ve done NOTHING but look up to you!!”

Whoa. She- Did she just yell at me? And approach me in a threatening way?

Uhhh… Well, that sure shut me up. She looked mega pissed now. Deep and heavy breaths, a look that could kill, and a stance ready for combat. That was... that was new. Gotta admit, I was a bit afraid of her now. L-look at my hooves! They shook so much, I could hardly keep a steady grip on my drink anymore.

It was now dawning on me that she was an alicorn. I mean, I already knew this, obviously, but I don’t think I fully understood what it meant until she was fed up with insolent ass. Powerful as she was, she could absolutely vaporize me simply by yawning. Thankfully, it was safe to assume that she didn’t have any intention of pulverizing me. Still, it wasn’t whether or not she wanted to destroy me that was so terrifying. It was the fact that she could. To think that I used to be the strongest one in the family when we were younger. In today’s times, however, she overpowered me by orders of magnitude.

Should’ve smacked her harder with my pillow when I still had the chance.

“It’s been rough for me too, you know!” the princess pressed on. “I too faced my lows. You’re arguing in bad faith if you think I’ve never hit a wall in my life. There was a time when I plagued the entire town of Ponyville with a Want-It Need-It spell, just because I couldn’t bear to miss a deadline and disappoint princess Celestia. You think a perfect pony could’ve pulled that one, huh?”

She took a couple of abrasive steps toward me. I was hunched over my cup, trying to not cave in to her intimidation. It was tough, but so far, I managed.

“But you know what has been the toughest, Sunstone? What kept dragging me down every day? It was being raised in the same household with a pony who I’m pretty sure has had nothing but disdain for me since day one. It was attempting to catch some sleep while solving an impossible puzzle in my head. Figuring out where I went wrong, maybe even accept that I just wasn’t good enough for my brother. That’s why I’ve kept trying time after time to get you to notice me! I just wanted you to be proud, to be happy to have me as a sister.”

Now she was right next to me. I kept drinking. Keep your tough act, Calx.

“You know, I’ve always wondered. Mom has repeatedly told me that you had a difficult time showing your love, but I don’t believe she was right. I believe you never had any spare love to share with me. So let me finally put the question to rest: Sunstone, do you love me?”

What the...?

“C-come on now, kind of a loaded question, don’tcha think?”

“Don’t dance around it!” she insisted, her face practically pressing against mine. “Do you, or do you not love me?”

“You h-heh... you can’t go ahead and ask me to-”

“Sunny! Have you EVER loved me!?”

“NO! No, okay!? I don’t love you and never have!!”

...

Yup, that just sort of came out on its own.

Oh, but I wasn’t done. She wanted to poke the bear? Throw down the gauntlet? Pester me until I broke? Well, reap what you sow, Twilight, for I was going to completely obliterate you verbally. If you wanted some, then allow me to give you some!

“In fact, let me take this even further. Not only do I not love you, but, but I- I’m pretty d-dang sure I hate you. I hhhhaaate you, p-princess Twilight S-Sparkle! I used to be the sweetest little colt in my younger years, but you- oh you modified me t-t-t-to be something soooo ugly, s-so deformed! You’ve changed my very nature! And I haven’t... haven’t been myself for so long. Y-y-you turned me into an envious little ball of jealousy. A m-miserable self-hating pony who’s had a cloud over his head for uh, twenty? Yes, twenty plus years. Twilight, you’ve filled my heart with hatred... soooo much hatred.

“So, no, I don’t love you! I really, really don’t!! And I never, EVER will! I detest you, Twilight. More than any- any other pony in Equestria! I wish you nothing but trouble, nothing but the worst!! I hope- I HOPE you trip, and fall, and bleed!!”

I was panting and close to drooling by the end of that. Halfway through orating the vilest speech I’ve ever given, I wasn’t even processing what I was saying anymore. The words stopped making sense. All I knew was, I had to wound her. It was my ultimate goal. Didn’t matter if what I was saying was logically sound or not. At this point, holding a proper debate free of pesky ad hominem was beyond irrelevant. It was all about being vindictive, and making her feel vulnerable. It was extremely petty; it was extremely satisfying.

And sweet Celestia, did berating her take its toll on me. More beer! Oil my gears – they pulled some decent work here.

The princess, though, she was a few shades paler. Her mouth curved downward, dangling in astonishment. It’s like she aged an entire decade in the matter of seconds. Whether or not she expected me to react negatively, I’ll say, neither of us could’ve foreseen how hard I went about it.

For a good minute or two, she tried to make sense of what had just happened. I expected her to rebuke with violence, or at least, to push back a little. But when she slumped, when she accepted the monstrosities I flung her way, I knew it was over. I had won. For the first time, I had emerged victorious over Twilight Sparkle. Turns out, all I needed to do was to become the missing link between a vitriolic curmudgeon and a drunk asshole. Duly noted for the future.

Twilight shook her head, awestruck. “Y-you don’t love me? FINE! But I always will. I will ALWAYS love you. With all of my heart! Hundreds of years in the future, that fact will not have changed. You’re my brother! You, Shining, and Spike will always be the most important people in my life. When you disappeared I... I lost a part of myself. I was crushed beyond redemption, do you get that!? I went on for years, smiling my way across Equestria, keeping that burden all for myself. Hidden from my friends, hidden from anypony! I want you to know that, no matter how much you hate me, this is how I felt, and this is how I’ll keep feeling!!”

She blinked warm tears and darted to the front door, which she swung open with telekinetic magic.

“H-hey!” I stuttered. “You’re w-wasting... wasting y-your time with t-those feelings. T-total waste of time, I’m telling you!”

She wasn’t listening to me. I couldn’t let her have the last word. With neither balance nor grace, I sloppily gave her chase, and staggered my way to the porch. After accidentally bonking my face onto the trim of the door, I noticed that she was already up in the air, batting her wings in place. She was on the verge of departing, but right before she did, she turned her head to take a good look at me. One last time.

“No matter what happens,” she sniffled, her voice quivering, “you’ll always be my older brother, and... and you’ll always be my hero... Gray Calx.”

A synchronized flap, and she arced across the sky, leaving my propriety at impressive speeds.

“Hey! HEY! L-l-listen to me!” I shouted at her disappearing silhouette. “If you ever think about ratting me out to mom and dad and, heaven forbid, Shining, I’ll make... I’ll make sure you’ll have a proper reason to mourn me next time around! Y-you hear me!?”

No she wasn’t: She was out of hearing range. My epic zinger had been lost to the clouds.

Bah! Screw it, right? I said my piece, and I had no regrets. Why dwell on stuff I couldn’t control when I still had plenty more to drink? Now that, that was my kind of jam. I was getting all warm and fuzzy; night was still young! Let’s not spoil it with more Twilight-related poppycock. Had enough of that for one evening. And hey, she was gone, was she not? Kinda what I wanted from the start. So, yay me. I deserved a reward for driving her away.

I re-emerged in the kitchen. Barrel, tap, mug, and ka-ching: There was my reward! A fourth tripel, all for me! I sat down and lifted Sweet Pint’s cup. A toast, my friends! A toast in the name of having not only survived, but also, having outlasted Twilight with my mind more-or-less intact.

“H-here’s one for you princess! Protector of Equestria! A-an inspiration for us lil’ people! Let us drink f-for eeeeverything you stand for, bwahahaha!” I drunkenly declared to absolutely no-one.

I chugged it all in front of my invisible audience. Boy was there a lot to be proud of tonight! Outsmarting the smartest pony in Equestria, that sure will look badass on my trophy shelf! I was good, and I was feeling good. And you know what else?

I was happy. So, so HAPPY!


CRUUUNNCHH!!

I jumped in fear at the loud noise that reverberated behind me. Then I realized what I had done: After I knocked one back, I flung the cup that had been gifted to me over my shoulder. Physics didn’t take the contact between mug and floor too kindly, and what we had now were bits and pieces of glassware scattered throughout the junction between the kitchen and the living room.

Yeah, don’t ask, I too had no idea why I even did this. I think it was a poor attempt at venting some leftover ire, as well as being overly slapstick after my disingenuous tribute to Twilight Sparkle. Well, whatever half-assed justification I could find, it still was a stupid move. I was being stupid. And tired. And groggy. And perhaps a little sick, too. The walls wouldn’t stop swaying and wiggling, urk. Didn’t know my house could boogie-woogie with such dexterity.

I think... I think I had to lay down for ten minutes. Or maybe ten hours, I dunno.

Welp, nighty night then. Catch y’all on the flip side.
> Sunstone: Burning Bridges (Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last three days had been a total quagmire.

Nothing. I did absolutely nothing.

Nothing but skip perfectly good work days without even expressing a proper warning to Mr. Prospector. I was in such a lethargic mood that I began to forget how long it’s been since I tossed myself into my slothful solitary confinement. I think I remembered going to the bathroom a few times, and maybe I had slept on my right side instead of my left one once, but the rest was a blur. Every detail blended together into an insipid porridge of emptiness, and my life had effectively been put on hold.

I mean, where did Monday even go? I didn’t even remember a Monday passing by, and we were already halfway through the week!

Seriously, I was miserable. Everything was miserable.

Food was tasteless and uninspiring. Not that I’ve been particularly hungry these past few days. Just forcing myself to nibble on a few carrots was a monumental task. Anything that entered my stomach, I wanted to instinctively upchuck right away. And when I was not busy being disgusted at the thought of feeding myself, it was an exercise in controlling my fits of nausea. I felt sicker than a foal with cutie pox.

I was homesick, as in, being sick at home, and being sick of my home. But the simple thought of going outside was equally as repugnant. This duality was exhausting, just... so exhausting. Made me not know what to do with my own skin. Caught between two layers, I went with the principle of the least effort and simply spent a three-day sabbatical on my couch.

I was tired all the time, I wasn’t cleaning myself, I wasn’t eating properly, I wasn’t partaking in hobbies of any kind, I wasn’t leaving my living room, I wasn’t cleaning my house – heck, the kitchen floor was still laden with the shards of the mug I shattered a few days ago. I didn’t even have the strength to pick that mess up.

Everything felt like scaling a mountain.

All that was left in my drought of energy were my thoughts. And they ran a hundred kilometers per hour. I just kept repeating the scenes of my clash with the princess. Looping them over, and over, and over.

And over. And over.

I kept rewinding that tape, replaying it from the start. Evaluating in great details every little thing that I could remember. During that unpleasant evening, I had been so wasted, so angry, that my mind blanked the nastier parts to protect me. And I wasn’t going to stop thinking about it until every gap was filled up with a lost memory. I wanted- needed to make sure my forced amnesia was out of my skull. I was obsessed to unreasonable levels. My entire focus was dedicated to this torturous mental exercise.

I must’ve looked terrible. I must’ve smelled terrible. I must’ve been completely and utterly pathetic. I was a burden on society, my family, and myself. The complete failure I always suspected of being. Unproductive, moping, and drowning in self pity.

Unable to even stand up and do anything about anything. Incapable of emptying the echo chamber that sabotaged my mind. It was all about that fight I had with the princess, and nothing else. And it would keep being all about that, until... Well I don’t know when, frankly.

I guess, until a papery noise close to the entryway of my house lifted one of my ears.

Huh. I was surprised that my body was still capable of reacting to external stimuli. I hadn’t completely broken down yet, hurray...

To my defense, that noise was unusual, alright. I heard many knocks over my days of seclusion. Sometimes accompanied with muffled inquisitive voices from the outside, sometimes not. Suffice to say, I never answered – not even once. I wasn’t even comfortable hanging out with myself; that was one pony too many. What made them think I wanted to see anypony else?

At some point, I even started to fear that somepony would barge in, concerned that they’d discover my face filled with flies or something. I made sure that all three locking mechanisms were well in place during my sojourn away from society, but my door was as solidly built as the rest of my house – which is to say, not very well.

I was straight up afraid of an intrusion now. It was really, really bad. At first, I thought that I was just being silly. But the more ponies banged on my door, the more my heart wanted to pay my colon a visit. I never knew my adrenal glands could pump so much long-term stress into my body, and oh boy, was it a terrible feeling. I had never felt this way before, but now, I wouldn’t be all too hyperbolic if I said it was erring on the side of PTSD.

I cannot stress how terrifying this was for me. I kept picturing Twilight coming back in to finish me off. Or a squadron of patrolponies arresting me for slandering a figure of authority, following a warrant issued by their infallible ruler. Or, worse of all, the rest of my family inviting themselves over after the princess tattled, looking down at me with contempt and judging me for misleading them about what I had done with myself.

These what-if scenarios consumed every fiber of my being. Twilight had the power to pull any of these, and nopony would bat an eye at my demise.

I... I wanted to be alone, and I wanted nopony else to intrude in my time of introversion. Nopony at all!

Which is why this new sound attracted my attention. It was… different. Different enough to finally peel me off the couch, my silhouette still carved on the cushions. My hooves felt shaky, in part due to my newfound agoraphobia and my malnourishment, but also, because I hadn’t used them all that much lately. They were feeling in full capacity the effects of muscle atrophy, and the rest of my torso felt like it weighed a hundred tons. Another day or two on that couch, and I would’ve mutated into an immobile prop.

I was ready to give up halfway through my long trip to the door, when a rectangular object flat on the floor caught my attention.

Oh Faust, what was that?? A notice of eviction? A convocation to the Canterlot tribunals? A letter full of threats from the princess of friendship? A bomb!?!

... Well, okay, maybe not a bomb. Although, the princess could’ve easily enchanted that piece of paper with explosive runes. She was a crafty one; finding a creative way to end me surely would’ve been nothing but a game for her.

Risking my life over it, I decided to pick it up. It looked... It looked like a regular-old letter. Someone must’ve slipped it through the gap under my door. Since I already made the mareculean effort of bringing my carcass to a different room, I decided to go ahead and read it. It went like this:

“Dear Gray Calx,

“My name is Mrs. Felt Tip, and my position is that of the mayor’s secretary. I write this letter on his behalf for the purpose of a commission. Indeed, your talents haven’t escaped Mr. De La Tour’s ears, and he would very much be interested in hiring your sculpting services for a city embellishment job. Your eye-catching chef-d’œuvre carved into the Two Arches’ middle column truly is a staple of Outer Grove, hence why we thought you’d be the perfect candidate to carry out the job.

“You are not unaware that the city has been ravaged to a pitiful state. Our teams of analysts were sent to consult the population and found that, among many projects, a new monument would give our loyal voters all the pride and hope they could strive for in a post-Ursan Outer Grove. A piece of art to commemorate the vicious battle we all had to endure. Something to make sure this bit of history shan’t ever be forgotten.

“To that end, should you be interested in this proposition, we would like to receive a couple of drafts for a statue to be erected on the fountain, right in the middle of Outer Grove. And what better way to show our appreciation than to model it after the image of our very own savior? An effigy of our beloved princess, Twilight Sparkle, would be the perfect addition to officialise what will now be known as ‘Twilight Day,’ a new public holiday marking our calendars after her brilliant performance. We would be immensely grateful if you could sculpt a highly-detailed, grand, and majestic replica of the heroic princess for everypony to admire and-”

ENOUGH!!

I have had enough of this! No more, dammit!!

I ripped the letter into tiny pieces with my mouth, and crumpled the shreds the best I could. I flung the resultant mess onto the closest piece of furniture I could find, before barging outside for the first time this week.

The entry door flung open in a loud crack, and I left it wide open as I zip zoomed out of my house’s perimeters. I cared so very little about being robbed right now. Not that my house had anything worth being robbed, but.

I ran through the streets, my eyes adjusting poorly to this sudden influx of sunlight, fleeing from the imaginary demons on my heels. Quite possibly faster than when that one Ursa gave me chase. I barely noticed the ponies around me who most surely raised their eyebrows at my fit of craze. I ignored them all, as I kept going forward as fast as I could, as far away as I could.

Twilight Day? Twilight Day!?

A freaking statue for her? A totem dedicated to her gluttony for fame, one that would look down at me smugly every day I trekked to work after I had to carve the bloody thing myself!?

Are you literally kidding me right now? This was how it was going to be? Was the universe having a giggle at my misfortunes?

Cursing under my breath, I turned corners, I dodged carts of repair materials, I swerved around those who questioned my sanity, and took my marathon out of Outer Grove.









I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. This time, it was not about the past, but the future.

Where was I going with this?

Something I had no answer to give. I had hoped the quiet scenery of lake Bristlecone would’ve shown me a sign, but nothing made sense still.

I parked my frail body next to the thick unearthed roots of a weeping willow that curved over the pond, comfortably sitting onto a grassy edge that sloped gently into the water. Between a patch of reeds, a fallen hollow trunk, and a few wild berry bushes, this was the quintessential spot to indulge your need for escapism.

A natural paradise Skybrush and I used to retreat to when the weight of life got the best of us. Nopony ever bothered us here. It was tranquil, not too far from the city, but above all, it was ours. We picnicked here many times before when we didn’t know what else to do after our work shifts. And then she would paint the lake, the birch trees, and the occasional mallard, with an expertise I envied oh so much.

Skybrush. I really, really loved her...

Paintings! I loved her paintings. They were stunning, beautiful, and the best kind of eye candy. No wonder she had that itch to travel elsewhere and show her talents to the world, h-heh.

I was immensely glad she was there for me. Just the way she had been the first time she showed me this place. It was on a day where I was feeling particularly surly, and it did a wonderful job upping my morale.

But today was a whole different story.

I’ve been there for five to six hours now, and still I felt at the end of my roll.

I took a couple of steps forward and used the last few sunbeams of the day to gaze upon my reflection. I could barely recognize this angry little pony who stared right back at me, which aggravated my mood even further. In response, the other Gray Calx frowned harder, and I frowned even more to beat him at his game. It stubbornly one-upped me once again, now showing his teeth in seething hatred- and this is where my bad temper took over my motor skills.

I violently slapped the water to dissipate my mirrored self. I couldn’t bear seeing what I was seeing.

What have I become? I’ve been nothing but chill, mellow, and relaxed the whole time since I’ve last changed town. But now, the anger I’ve buried in the past surged back like a tireless zombie and was dragging me down with it. I have changed, and not for the better.

I think... I think I had to face the facts.

My halcyon days in Outer Grove were over. We crossed the point of no return, and the fact that I even believed for a moment I could work this out was pure fantasy.

Trust me, I wasn’t just saying that without strong evidence to back me up. First and foremost, the princess now knew where to find me and could blackmail me however she wanted. Like a swindling puppeteer, she could pull any of my strings and I’d have no choice but to dance. Once again, I found myself with the short end of the stick. Any day, she could come back, and honestly, why wouldn’t she? She was venerated like a hero in Outer Grove.

Which brings me to my second point. The ponies here have had a taste of royalty, and were now full-on addicts. If Mrs. Felt Tip’s letter was to be believed, Twilight’s first visit here sparked something no Outer Grovian expected to ever see in their life. Tales about her heroism would be recited every day at the Two Arches. More statues of Her Majesty would decorate our public spaces. Banners and flags would be held high on masts and buttresses, with her face woven on every single piece of fabric you could find.

And what about my friends? They would swoon harder than they ever had about being this close to an alicorn. That’s all they will be talking about from there onward. Seriously, I’ve seen them react to her name before, and the princess herself has all but confirmed that they practically lined-up to have their butts autographed.

The whole reason I came here in the first place was to settle in a rural area where the local population didn’t know much about the pony named Twilight Sparkle, and vice-versa. Alas, this all changed today. Outer Grove had been poisoned, and there was no antidote. The venom would keep on spreading. There was jack squat I could do to help it return to the peacefulness we once had.

And so, a choice.

Stay, or leave?

I’ve abandoned many lives before; who’s to say I couldn’t do it again? I was getting pretty good at it. A real connoisseur among defectors. Manehattan, Canterlot, Outer Grove... What difference did it make? All failed experiments in my book.

And you know what? This time, I was going to do it right. Seems like a simple note wasn’t enough to trick a friendship table or whatever the heck into failing to localize me with eagle-eyed precision. No, if anything, I could learn from my mistake and pull a big finale that wouldn’t leave anypony doubting about what could’ve happened to me.

Looks like I’ve made my decision again, princess Celestia. I hope you’re not all too disappointed with my judgement skills. And... and tell your sister that I’m sorry. Tell her that I tried, but in the end, I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t do it. I’ve lost that bet fair and square.

...

I knew what I had to do.









It was a little past two in the morning when I made it back to my house. I was still riding my emotional high, and at no point did I consider backing out of my insidious plan. The little devil on my shoulder was in full control of my actions, and I saw no reason not to reply with an ardent “Sir, yes Sir!”

I noticed that my front door had been left ajar, slightly dangling in the breezy wind. Oh well. Who cares? Give me ten minutes or so, and I can guarantee you that none of this would matter anymore.

I made it inside, quietly now, so as to not alert the neighbours. They were far enough away and probably busy counting sheep, but being overly cautious never hurt anypony.

Clutched in-between my teeth, a rope attached to something important. Two important somethings, actually. Before coming here, I made a detour to the train station to fetch some exotic material to execute the next part of my little scheme.

Two barrels full of oil.

Yeah. I dragged them all across town. Took me a good while, although I was at least able to use the ambient darkness to conceal myself. Their heaviness proved quite challenging, but it was no match for the weight I had on my heart. Even though my current health was far from perfect, the struggle hadn’t made a dent in my determination. Because, at the end of the day, I couldn’t pull what I wanted to pull without the help of a certain chemical reaction.

For those of you who were still confused about where this was going, well, lemme tell you this: Tonight, something was definitely going to happen in Outer Grove. And the fireworks were going to be spectacular. Oil sure was a flammable material, wasn’t it?

Maybe I was acting a bit impulsively. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Had I not been so beaten down by the inevitability of the whole affair, I would’ve weighed my options better. Tonight, however, was a special night. I was furious, impatient, and totally, unquestionably, irrevocably done.

Propped up on my hind legs, I tipped the first barrel in the kitchen. Part of me wanted to buck it with whatever force I had left in me as a final act of defiance, but once again: Neighbours. Noise equals bad. Let’s not screw this up at the last moment.

The liquid tsunami’d out of the container, the expanding puddle of putrid biomaterial dragging the remnants of my mug with it. It was so gross. Like, picture something gross in your mind? Good; It was grosser than that. For sure I was glad that it was dark enough for me not to gag on sight. The horrid stench was bad enough to deal with.

The faster this nauseating job was in the past, the better. That’s what I kept repeating to myself when I poured the second barrel near the entryway. You know, next to the cool coat hanger and all that. Varnished oak wood and bla bla bla.

Speaking of the coat hanger...

Something caught my attention. Something on a hook. Something I had worn nearly a week ago. Something a very special somepony bought for me on a particular birthday.

It was the jacket. The one Skybrush gifted me. The one that accompanied me to what might as well have been my farewell party.

I peered at it; it peered right back with puppy eyes. I err, found myself becoming conflicted. Taking a moment of lucidity to second-guess my actions. I... I didn’t want to bring any artifacts from a bygone life, but... I mean, wouldn’t this just make me relive old memories featuring a great friend I couldn’t have anymore? I’d hurt myself every day just thinking about it.

...

Blast! Fine! You win, nostalgia goggles! I took the stupid jacket and tossed it onto my back. You can come with me, you treacherous article of clothing. But I’m warning you! The moment I start bawling over you and what you represent, woosh, you’re out!

With that being taken care of, this left me with one last thing to do.

A match that’s mean, tossed into a sea of gasoline.

Retrieved from a box in the entry drawer, I stroke one, holding the ignited stick in my mouth. Being on the brink of throwing everything away, I took a good, final look at this rickety cottage that had sheltered me for the past four years.

“Yeah... Never really liked this crappy shack.”

I spat out the match, and combustion took the wheel.

FWOOOOSSHHH!

I backed away quickly enough to doge the fireball that quite literally immolated the vestibule in a single fiery bite. I felt an immediate tide of warmth engulfing my entire body. My eyeballs would’ve evaporated on the spot had I not covered them under their lids. The inferno took no time to spread all across the first floor. Wood was kind of burnable, right? Oh no, would you look at that, how utterly convenient. Plus, with how cheap the overall structure was, I gave it 20 minutes tops before it would collapse into a wreckage of ashes and burned timber.

... Oh, stop that! Don’t give me those condescending looks! I told you already that my house sat on top of a muddy molehill. Nothing would spread to the surrounding houses. Even if I was being irrational, I hadn’t completely lost my marbles (yet). My goal wasn’t to set ablaze the entirety of Outer Grove; one disaster per week was enough for the good Samaritans here.

...

The orange glaze of the brazier highlighted the contours of my dark silhouette, and my purple irises shone brightly in the face of the dancing flames. They chanted in a sublime choir of crackles and hisses.

I should’ve ran. But positioned a few meters away from the funeral pyre I had caused, I couldn’t help but admire the results. It felt surprisingly... good? The destruction felt good. I mean, I did this. I did it all by myself! I called upon the elements and created fire!

You know when someone repeatedly pushes your buttons until you reach your breaking point and you end up shoving their head into a wall? That’s how it felt, times a hundred. A kind of “heck yeah, take that!” vibe I had never felt before. And hey, shush, I wasn’t going cuckoo! Can’t a pony simply enjoy the fruits of their exaggeration?

I found myself smiling. By Tartarus, I was smiling! Gosh, why did it feel so good to be bad? If that Lord Tirek outlaw felt half the satisfaction I did engaging in arson, then hey, I understood why he gave in to his vices. How fitting that my house, the one that has been compared so often to the Golden Oak, would end up suffering the same fate. Both razed by a gorgeous showcase of thermodynamics. It was too perfect, hahaha! Hey, you know, maybe Tirek and I could share a drink and exchange notes about our personal experiences on the matter, see who felt the highest amount of elation. Seemed like a pretty cool dude in my book.

In any case, that’s all she wrote. The deed had been done. Outer Grove, I must bid you adieu. Your five years of service shan’t be forgotten.


I started to trot away, the heat of the bonfire warming up my tail. I figured that fireponies would be too late to salvage what I had started, but I didn’t want to linger to find out.

Now, where to? I could always establish myself even further westward, maybe hope to be out of range from that accursed cutie map. Build myself a hut far away from society and live risk-free with my fellow Ursas in the wild, finally someplace untouchable by the slithering tendrils of Twilight’s ever-growing empire. Or I could sneak into a train wagon and see where it would take me. Either way, that would make for a fun tale, I’m sure-

Buh!?

Somepony screeched. Drat, has my criminal act been detected this quickly? Wait no- no, it couldn’t have: The screams came from behind, which was a bit unrealistic, since all there was thataway was a big ol’ torch of burning memories. Perhaps I simply misheard the creaking noise of air escaping from a scorching wooden beam?

“S-somepony please help! H-help! HELP ME!”

... Uuuuuh. Wooden beams couldn’t beg for their lives, couldn’t they?

Having sworn to leave everything Outer Grove related behind, in a very selfish way, this felt like a problem that was no longer my own. Somepony else could elucidate this. Yet, the scraps of my good nature pulled at my consciousness with just enough insistence to make me turn around and inquire.

The first red flag was the circular bedroom window on the second floor and how it found itself wide open, even though I clearly remembered it being shut when I came in. A column of ebony smoke was pouring out of the orifice, not too dissimilar to a volcanic flow of pyroclastic gas.

The second red flag was the little pony coughing her lungs out, her soot-covered face perched out of said window. Squinting as hard as I could to make sure I wasn’t going schizoid, the bright backdrop of flames and embers obfuscating my vision with a blistering haze of heat, more and more did I come to terms with the fact that yes, there truly was a stranger in my house, and yes, she really had screamed. And this pony, I... I knew this pony, and…


Oh no… Not again…


“Honey Dream!?”

What the HAY was she doing here!? I mean- huh!?

I shouted a couple more things from below. Deep down, I knew she had no chance of hearing my feeble voice over the carnage. She was too busy coughing black tar anyway. And also, cooking like a slab of grilled tofu! From the barbecue I had started! Me! How and why was she even there- I mean, this made no sense whatsoever! How was I EVER supposed to expect that-

Okay, no. You know what? Act now, ask questions later. There was no way in Tartarus I was going to let her be cremated by the stake I had erected. It wasn’t happening. You hear that, you skeptics!? Not happening!!

Leaving the jacket behind, I galloped back toward the entry door, nearly tripping on my way there. I wanted to go inside, but this was the origin point of the fire. Which, in laypony’s terms, meant that this avenue was currently out of order. Crossing those deadly orange curtains, and I would’ve emerged as a filet mignon on the other side.

O-okay, okay, don’t panic hahaha. I said don’t panic, dammit! You were a creative pony, yes? So get creative!

T-the window! Yup, yup, that was another entry point! The burglar’s numero uno quick fix. A little bit to the right, I tried to pry open the living room window. I would’ve filed this as a decent attempt, if it didn’t simply result in a pair of sizzling hooves. Yaouch, dangit! Since when did fire get so hot!?

Well, mister, you won’t let yourself be opened? Fine. Eat a stone, then! A big one, retrieved from the barren lands surrounding my decaying house. I picked one up, and impaled it into the fragile glass. It shattered – that it did. More smoke immediately channeled out of the new gap. Nice try, but it would take me more to discourage me from jumping in, which is the next thing I did.

Already my respiratory system felt prickly. It was like I swallowed a gallon of boiling water in the wrong hole. The coughs immediately followed, accompanied by tears welling on my cheeks, my poor eyeballs being attacked by the heat. Yeah, it was hot. Not a “oh no, I caught a sunburn at the beach” kind of hot. It was a category of hotness I had never felt before, and words to describe it failed me. I’ll just say, it was a good thing us ponies had hooves, because I could not imagine how bare skin would’ve felt on the heated floor.

Before my pelt would start bubbling in ugly blisters or peel off in little charred rolls, I rapidly escalated the spiral staircase that miraculously still held onto a thread. Finding the damn thing was a blind pony’s game, with the visibility being almost completely null, but it was my house, after all. I knew where to go.

Not a moment too soon too. Once I made it to the top floor, the stairs crumbled down in a terrible din, forbidding me to come back from where I came. That was... quite scary. Really freaking scary, in fact!

I did a quick checkup to verify if neither my mane nor my tail had been lit like a candle, but I was still in one piece. I must’ve lost five kilograms in sweat alone already, ugh. Every time I breathed in, I was choking on the mixture of toxins and radiating heat that entered my trachea. I needed to get out of this oven with Honey Dream before we both passed out from the fumes!

Problem was, my bedroom door was sturdily barricaded by a ceiling piece that had collapsed in front of it. Because things could never go right, after all. I heard Honey Dream’s muffled voice shouting for assistance on the other side, but it seemed like it had grown weaker.

As good a kick in the flank as it was going to get. No time to waste on strategizing: I had to use my head first.

So I used my head first.

When I bashed it into the door after dashing toward it. It was the only part of me that hadn’t shriveled into uselessness after my three-day fast, so there. Concussion or not, haters will be jealous to know that it wasn’t that dumb of a move after all, because when my daze subsided, I was belly-first on the floor like a starfish, inside of my bedroom. Ha! Guess my bullies were right when they said I had a thick skull!

But now was not the time to feel like a millionaire. I still had a pony to find!

“Cough cough! H-Honey Dream? COUGH! ... W-where? W-where...”

“O-over here, cough cough COUGH!”

I staggered in the overall direction of her raspy voice. The smoke was thicker than a DJ-Pon3 rave party, it was impossible to navigate. Thank Celestia I ended up accidentally bumping into her. Up on my withers she went; business as usual.

Now, onto getting the hay out of here.

Err, easier said than done, right? The way back was unusable. So all that I was left with was the balcony. As the glass shattering expert that I was, this time, my bedside table was the one to finish off the patio door. Sorry bedside table. You held my pajamas well.

Once on the balcony, the two of us immediately felt the relief of the fresh air of the night. Well, relatively speaking. We were still in a burning house, after all. But not for long. I fully intended for us to make it out alive.

And for that, there weren’t many options. It essentially boiled down to jumping.

And um... I wasn’t scared of heights, but ah... gulp. Last time I spent some leisure time on my balcony, it didn’t seem so high. Oh Faust, why couldn’t I have been a pegasus? They made it look so simple.

Well, we were burning daylight (and a good portion of the balcony). It was either jump and maybe not die, or don’t jump and definitely die. I chose to jump.

Hasta la vista, and gravity be my witness!

“AUUUGHH!!”

That there was me screaming out of agony after a rough encounter with Mother Equus. Normally, when you land on a slanted piece of ground after dropping from a height a little bit more extreme than what you’re used to, you roll to properly redistribute the impact. But when you have a foal on your back, it’s a bit more difficult, innit? So in order to not elbow drop my guest of honor, I landed flat on my four legs.

And the front right one did not like that. At all. It made this horrible cracking sound when it brusquely slammed on compacted dirt. I’m no Doctor Stethorsecope, but if I was to make an early diagnosis, I’d say that something important snapped in there. That’s what my nerves relayed to my brain, at least.

All that to say, I buckled to the ground, my adrenaline finally tagging out and switching places with my low tolerance for pain, as Honey Dream cartwheeled a little further in the mud. We both came to a rest, panting and coughing. I even spat a huge gooey chunk of something dark and nasty. Looked like a melted piece of coal. Disgusting, and concerning.

We waited like this for, what, five minutes? Ten minutes? It felt like a long time. More and more of the house was consumed behind us, but I cared very little about it. We had to recuperate. We deserved to recuperate.

Once our heatstroke was reduced a bit, I crawled toward Honey Dream. She was desperately trying to get back on all fours, but I could see her struggling. Didn’t matter anyway, since I had her lay on me, as I hugged her, happy- nay, euphoric to see her safe and sound. I even ignored the shot of pain I felt travelling through my maimed leg and carried on with the hug. After what we went through, we both needed that, regardless of what my broken limb had to say about it.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” I whispered into her ear.

She silently moved her head up and down. She must’ve been as murky with ashes as I was, and she sported a few bruises of her own, but no underlying permanent damage seemed to be present on her. Good... good. Again, this was all that mattered. Her safety was top priority, and the rest was superficial. I could deal with the rest.

After maintaining her mutism for a few more seconds, she looked up, and said with an hesitant voice, “It... It wasn’t me, I...”

“What do you mean?”

“T-this!” I turned to see the burning house she was pointing at. “The fire! I... I didn’t do this, I swear! I swear it wasn’t me! P-please don’t be mad, uncle Calxie, I didn’t burn your house. I-I would never, I-”

“Shhh shhh,” I hushed her, a hoof gently pressing over her lips. “I... I know it wasn’t you. You have nothing to prove to me. I believe you.”

Gee, I wonder why. Could it be because I sort of knew who the felon was already? What a walking disaster of a pony I turned out to be.

In spite of my growing sense of culpability, I found myself becoming pensive. It probably wasn’t the time to go all Columbhorse on her, but my curiosity had to be sated.

“But, I uh, I have to know, sweetie. What... What exactly were you doing in my house? Why were you there?”

She refused to look at me, and a few mumbles ensued, but no clear response came out of her mouth.

“Honey Dream?” I insisted.

“Y-you promised...”

I what now?

“Calxie, you promised! Y-y-you said! You said we’d see each other later after you saved me from the bear, b-but... but you didn’t! I haven’t seen you since! W-why? Why? I was so afraid you were gone... gone because of me...”

Oh.

Oh, right...

I did promise, didn’t I? And I never took the time to make it even. In my own little world of woes and tribulations, I had completely forgotten about how I had given Honey Dream my word. I took her trust for granted, and swiped my hooves on it. Well played, Gray Calx. Are you sure your special talent wasn’t to let down fillies who looked up to you? Or maybe it was to sear them to a perfect medium rare?

“I tried to find you,” she continued to lament. “I tried to come visit you, but... Your house was always locked! And you never answered, so I didn’t know what to do and- and I didn’t know- b-but today, after school, after school I was walking home, I was supposed to go at Comely’s for a sleepover, but I saw your door opened, so I snuck in to meet you, but, but- and you still weren’t there!”

Processing all of this made my heart feel like a pincushion. I was the adult, she was the kid, and yet it was I who was being scolded. Appropriately so. Made me bite the inside of my cheek, unable to find an alibi to acquit my poor behavior.

And little Honey Dream, she went on, pulling away from me. With the flames accentuating her shades of orange, her eyes listless and troubled, as if she was telling a bittersweet story by a campfire.

“I waited and waited and waited, uncle Calxie. I waited for soooooo long! All day! And then, it was night, so I got sleepy and tired of waiting, so I fell asleep onto your bed, and then... And then I woke up, and there was a fire, and why didn’t you try to see me again!?”

I couldn’t take it anymore: I reengaged in another hug. What else to do? I had no answer to give. She got me good. I couldn’t forge a lie to save my flank, here – not that I wanted to. Facing the consequences of my carelessness seemed like an appropriate punishment.

“I’m, I’m so sorry, I...”

Yeah, couldn’t finish that train of thought.

Because for the second time in 20 years, I felt like crying.

Damn.

Damn, damn, damn.

I think I needed to reevaluate where I stood in life. This was the biggest slap in the face I desperately needed. The reality of my situation, the one I had brought upon myself, was steadily becoming clearer and clearer. I nearly caused a child to lose her life, for crying out loud! Thanks to me and my crazy antics, a mother would’ve outlived her only offspring- and just imagining that felt wrong on so many levels.

Had I not paid attention in school? Had I not learned by now that fire was, um, y’know, a teensy bit dangerous? That playing with matchsticks was the distant cousin of running with scissors? You’d think that my diploma would’ve said something about my application of common sense, right? Unbelievable. Just... unbelievable.

Why, just why did I do this? Why was it that I kept making bad decisions after bad decisions?

And I wasn’t talking about the fire alone. I was talking about everything. Why did I leave it all behind? To what end had I withdrawn from my family?

To wind up becoming a deranged pyromaniac, apparently! With a scar on the head, black grime all over the body, and a twisted bone in the leg. Was it worth it, you big dolt!? Did you find what you were looking for? Did you up your quality of life by a substantial amount with your “brilliant” initiative, hmm?

What was I, a wannabe megalomaniac? Or perhaps some kind of sociopathic masochist? And... And sympathizing with a known terrorist too? Who the hay does that!? I practically announced that I was willing to join Tirek’s exclusive club of bad boys; what did that say about me?

I had been so focused on not wanting to play the hero that I swung the pendulum too far the other way. Getting a peek – a sniff, if you will – of villainy. Brrrr. Only a few meters away from the fire, and still that realization made me feel so cold. The thought of abandoning myself to the sweet seduction of the evil side, yikes, it was goosebump inducing, truly.

This was not the beginning of something here, okay? Okay? I was putting a stop to this madness right this instant. Starting now, I was going to enact a few reforms to ameliorate the way I apprehended my problems. No way would I do anything of the sorts ever again. It was too dangerous, too self-destructive. I almost dragged down a poor innocent foal into my delirium! So, no more! No more locking away pent-up regrets and exploding in a cataclysmic fashion! Today, I was a new pony, and I was going to fix everything.

And my first good deed was to bring Honey Dream back to her mother.

“Come on kiddo, let’s take you home,” I told her, trying to be as reassuring as I could. “It’s not safe to be this close to a fire.”

“But, what about your house?”

“... Don’t worry about it. It’s not a particularly windy night. It’ll just burn itself out.”

“Oh. Oh okay then...”

I could see that she felt bad on my behalf. She had so much empathy, so much care, even though she had all the reasons in the world to be mad at me. It was unbelievable how undeserving I was to be acquainted with somepony like her.

I appreciated her worries about my homelessness, I really did. But ultimately, material was precisely that: Material. Ponies were a million times more precious. I think you’ll find Skybrush agreeing with me soon enough.

With nothing keeping us here anymore, I collected both Honey Dream and my jacket, swung them onto my back, and just like that, we were off.









Welp, it’s official: Trotting on three legs was no bueno. Any pressure I was putting on the sprained leg triggered this stinging wave of pain I didn’t have the bravery to deal with. It’s as if a thousand little tacks punctured me up to my neck. Consequently, it took a bit longer than expected to reach Skybrush’s place, what with the limping and everything.

Kind of ironic in a way. Here I was, lying to Twilight about a broken leg behind a stack of crates a couple o’ days ago, and tonight, delicious schadenfreude decided to have the last laugh. I think there was something to be said about crying wolf.

Honey Dream noticed my impaired walking cycle, and she asked a few times if I was feeling okay. I sort of waved her concerns away, for you see, I was too busy apologizing profusely about the way I had played with her feelings when I vanished without a trace. She had no qualms burying the war axe after the first of the many “sorries” I blurted, making it crystal clear it was already considered water under the bridge. But honestly? She shouldn’t have let me off the hook this easily. After everything I did, I didn’t deserve to be forgiven right away. Now was the perfect opportunity to hold a grudge! She should have let me have some!

Anyway.

We reached the general store, much to the mercy of my trembling leg. That’s right, Skybrush and her daughter actually lived a floor above her workplace, which was located on a busy corner of two interesting boulevards in the lower part of town, at the tip of the piedmont.

I turned around The Clover Mart – that was the name of the place, by the way – and rang an old-fashioned bell on a system of pulleys next to the back door. This shortcut led to a steep indoor stairway that directly opened up to the living space on the second floor. A much better alternative than using the main entrance and teetering through the store alleys.

And now, the waiting game. Hopefully, a brief one, because I was starting to feel my own heartbeat painfully pulsating around my fractured area. Being ache-adverse, and perhaps a little bit hypochondriac, I was picturing scenarios of amputation and-

Oh look! My pleas have been answered: The door gently opened.

And there she was.

Skybrush. With sleepy baggy green eyes, rubbing one to remove the nighttime goobers. She let out a hearty yawn, blinked a few times, and then progressively became more alert when she realized who had been rude enough to disrupt her well-earned sleep.

“G-Goofball?”

“Um. Hello, Skybrush.”

More blinks from her. I think shock was slowly settling in.

“What are you doing at- Where have you been all this time? I haven’t seen you for- I thought that... W-what happened to you, why are you black all over?”

Yup, shock was fully locked and loaded. The lantern dangling on the canopy did a decent job putting emphasis on my rather unhygienic features. I don’t think she could’ve looked past them.

“I’m fine, I’m good. It’s just, it’s been a long couple of days, Brushie,” I downplayed, hardly knowing where to begin. “There’s a lot I need to explain, especially about tonight. Something uh, something happened to me and Honey Dream, and I-”

“Honey Dream? My sweet little Honey Dream?” she exclaimed, emotions strangling her. “W-w-what’s going on exactly, goofball? Isn’t she currently at Comely’s?”

“Hi mom!” said Honey Dream just to prove her wrong.

She pounced from my back directly into the warm embrace of her mother, nuzzling her pudgy barrel. Can I just say that I found it mind blowing how natural it was for her to move from emotionally straining situations, back to her jovial self? As if drama was nothing but an annoyance to be swept under the rug. Her optimism superseded everything; it was mighty impressive, really. Part of me was envious of her ability to discard traumas and turn the page so quickly.

“Oh my lil’ Honey, what are you doing up at this hour? W-what has happened to you? And Calx? Why are you two so filthy? Is that dirt all over your coat?”

“Nope, it’s ashes!” she giggled. “There was a big fire, and I was stuck in it. It went BROOSHHH, it was super duper hot, mom! But then, uncle Calxie came and saved me like a superhero!”

“What? A fire!?”

And then she looked up at me silently, with eyes that screamed: ‘Tell me she’s joking?’

“Uh... yeah,” I admitted with prudence. “I plucked her out of the flames. She’s not hurt, I promise- Actually, Honey Dream, do you mind going upstairs and taking a bath to clean your fur? It’s not good to wear all those sticky microparticles, especially if you wanna keep your lungs pink and healthy.”

“Mmmh, yup! Can do, uncle Calx!!”

She dashed past her mother and climbed the carpeted stairs two steps at a time, with Skybrush spouting something about not making a mess. Heh, cute. Getting clean wasn’t without merits, but truth was, I kind of wanted to have an honest, one-on-one conversation with Skybrush. Without kiddy ears overhearing grownup stuff. I think she sort of understood that as well – at least, that’s what I perceived from the knowing look she gave me.

“A fire... That’s just-” A low voice, then a sigh. “Listen, goofball, obviously, I want to know all about it. I have to know what happened. Ponies just- they just don’t bring a daughter at the crack of dawn like this.”

But?

“But, I need to make something quite clear first. Something I’ve meant to say for a while now.”

Uh oh.

“Thank you.”

Thank you?

“Are you sure you aren’t running a second job as a guardian angel?” she winked. “Seriously: You run headfirst at Ursas, you become a one-pony fire brigade... You do everything to keep my sweet baby out of harm’s way. No matter the gravity of the situation.

“So before you help me make sense of this: Thank you, goofball. Two little words that have been tingling in my tummy lately. You, heh, you haven’t exactly given me the chance to say them to you. But know that I really appreciate it. I appreciate all that you’ve done for us – and all that you keep doing for us.”

I-I’m not sure I was-

“You’re a good pony, Calx.”

...

Okay, that’s it! I couldn’t spend another day deceiving her anymore. She deserved to know the truth. The whole truth, from A to Z. I had no merit receiving a medal for starting fires, no. I needed a good dose of karmic retribution. Dodging my queued up comeuppance no longer felt right, especially after the heartfelt speech she just gave me.

How could I look at those beautiful eyes again, knowing that she didn’t know? How could I sleep at night, pretending I wasn’t a two-faced jackass toward a pony who has given me the benefit of the doubt time after time? How could I call a friend a friend, when our bonds were built on the back of trickery?

If I truly believed that I could better myself and atone for the fires I’ve started, figuratively and literally, then I was going to pony up and tell her everything I had kept from her. Breaking my one-sided false front, right there, with no more manufactured excuses to hide behind.

So that’s what I did. For the next twenty minutes, I ran my mouth nonstop. I told her all that needed to be told. From my ties to royalty, to my life as a fugitive, all the way to my name change, passing through my dissociative behavior vis-à-vis my younger siblings. I even mentioned the fight I’ve had with Twilight at the start of the week, which led to my societal retreat.

And the fire, of course. How could I not come forth and admit that I had willingly incinerated my own dwelling? I didn’t try to play it safe: I told her the story as it was, from an objective, unbiased perspective. With journalistic integrity that would’ve made the papers proud. It felt so weird spitting ugly truths like that, yet at the same time, it felt so liberating.

But...

Skybrush wasn’t all too impressed. I mean, I get it, I totally did... But I’d be (even more of) a liar if I said that seeing her fall to her haunches, dizzy from processing this enormous barrage of new information, didn’t hurt me more than my dismantled leg ever could. I saw her oscillate dazedly, and I saw her bring a hoof to her head. It’s as if she was feverish, catching some kind of illness from my verbal insanity.

Yet, at no point did she try to interrupt me. She was listening and keeping herself from fainting, probably. She had no time for petty interjections. All she could do was to hope there was a very, very inappropriate punchline at the end of it all.

There were no punchlines.

At some point, I stopped talking. I had to. I wasn’t even halfway through my list of reasons explaining why I was such a hot steaming pile of garbage, but giving a friend a heart attack didn’t exactly fit within a redemption arc, now did it?

“So, there you have it. That’s... that’s everything I can tell you for now...” I droned out, exhausted.

...

“Come on, Brushie, say something, please... D-don’t leave me hanging, here.”

Her eyes were glued on me, but I could’ve sworn she wasn’t looking at me. She wasn’t seeing a friend: She was seeing a total stranger. A pony she no longer recognized.

“I mean... What’s there to say? What are you even expecting me to say, Gray Calx?” Crap, I could hear the sadness in her voice. “This? All of this? This is too much. It’s- It’s too much. There’s just- I mean, where do I even start?” she chuckled, but not because she thought any of this was funny.

Because it really wasn’t. Funny, I mean. None of this was funny. In fact, it was pretty damn bleak.

Bleak. Yup, that there was the word of the day. Toss in the extra seconds of silence I had to endure, and what we had here was a perfectly stirred cocktail of mental torture. It was straining. It was excruciating. It was the worst feeling in the world.

“... The princess, she’s your sister, huh,” Skybrush wound up acknowledging.

“Um. Uh... y-yes. That’s... Yes.”

“That’s- that’s hardly believable. But, with your cutie mark and everything, it makes some form of sense, I guess,” she admitted with a disappointing sigh. “The mayor announced that Twilight had to urgently depart ahead of schedule a few days ago, and now I’m beginning to understand why... “

She shook her head and looked at me, bemused.

“Is this why you’ve always been so secretive about your past life before moving to Outer Grove? Why you’ve always brushed away any attempts to figure out your origins? Because you wanted to keep your strained relationship with her under the drapes?”

I nodded like a colt who had just been asked if they got to the cookie jar before supper. I no longer felt like an adult. I was this stupid little edgy punk who needed to learn his place, who needed to be told not to be such a fool.

…

“I don’t believe you.”

“H-huh? You don’t- No, I swear Twilight Sparkle and I grew up together! I mean, I get that you’ve got zero reason to trust me on that, but-”

“No. No, I don’t care about that. I couldn’t care less!”

Err, w-what? Skybrush, angry? H-hold on...

“I just, I don’t believe that you were going to leave. Just like that, poof! Without even saying goodbye! I don’t believe you could ever be cruel enough to do that to me! To me, of all ponies! I don’t believe you, you big... you big liar!!”

“I’m- It’s not like that, I-”

“No! I don’t want to hear it! Not a word, Gray Calx! Or is it Sunstone!? Gah, who are you anymore? Where’s the goofball I befriended? Because my goofball would have never pulled what you just did! You seriously think this was an okay thing to do, leaving everyone who cares behind without even considering talking to them first? Without telling them what you were up to? Y-you can’t do that, you just... you just can’t!

“What if you had it your way, huh? What if your little gambit succeeded? What if I woke up, day after day, convinced that you went down with your house? That my best friend was no longer with us? That he croaked in the most gruesome way I can possibly imagine? W-what if I became all alone, again!?”

She stomped. I recoiled. She inched closer. I retreated slightly.

“How could you! How could you do this!! Y-you were going to leave me, and I, and I...”

She gave me a serious look, blinking a few times, as if stopping herself from saying the next thing she had on her mind. She sighed, dejected.

“... You’re really important to me, Calx. More than you can possibly imagine. When my ex husband gave up on me, when he walked out of my life, i-it left me in a very dark place. I felt worthless. I felt like no one could genuinely love me. I felt like I had done everything wrong. I was convinced that the father of my only child had every right to blame me for my countless pitfalls, that he was fully justified when he nitpicked at every little flaw that made me the detestable mare that I was.

“A-and on top of that, I had to raise a foal all on my own. A foal I very much loved since the day she was born, don’t get me wrong. But juggling an income that suddenly became halved, alongside many sleepless nights of twisting and turning, thinking about how good the world would be if I was just straight up gone... It was difficult, Calx. I mean, look at me! Take a good look at how I turned out!”

She demonstratively sank a hoof into the blubber of her torso. I wanted to protest there, squealing something about how physical appearances were only important for shallow ponies, but I wasn’t exactly in the most comfortable position to take the moral high ground right now. ‘Sides, I don’t think she had any interest hearing me flounder compliments like I was trying to buy peace.

“I used to have a frame fit for fashion catalogues, but being alone, being so easily left behind, it was impossible to deal with. Do you have any idea how awful it feels to eat your emotions away? To become fatter and fatter every day, knowing that slices of cake were the only balm you found to keep the pain to a minimum?”

Answering that rhetorical question was a death sentence. I did nothing of the sort. She sat on the floor again, tears she held as hard as she could finally flowing down her cheeks.

“B-but you. You, Gray Calx, you gave me meaning; you gave me purpose. Your friendship meant the world to me. It kept the fight in me, it gave me courage. Without you, I don’t even know where- I don’t even want to know where I’d be. But I need you. You have no idea how much I need you!! I don’t want to be dumped like a wet rag again. N-not again. I don’t think I could take it. Not from you I wouldn’t...”

Fatality.

Spitting out pieces of my broken soul. Feelings whirlpooling down the drain. Will to stay awake and fully conscious plummeting. Guts smeared on the wall. I had broken Skybrush, and have broken myself in the process. I did the one thing, the one thing that was universally forbidden, the one losing condition in this game of life:

I had let her down.


“I... Y-you’re right. About everything. You’re absolutely right. But... W-what should I do?” I yammered, my esophagus completely dry.

“What should you do? I’ll tell you what you will do: You’ll stop living this lie and set the record straight with your family. I understand that you had reasons to feel slighted back in Canterlot; I can sympathize with that. But has it occurred to you that you perhaps went about it the worst possible way? You took the most extreme option without even attempting to let your relatives know how you felt! And now, now they’re worried sick about you. Same way your friends and I would’ve been had you not backed down tonight! So you’re going to go and talk to them. If you were genuine in your strive to become a better pony, if you sincerely meant any of it, then you’re going to leave Outer Grove, and come clean to your siblings and parents. O-otherwise...”

She wiped a tear and exhaled audibly.

“Otherwise, I don’t think I ever want to see you again.”

Well, that was just about the most brutal sentence I’ve ever heard in my entire life. It sure stung like a bitch. Like someone stamped my heart with a branding iron.

“D-Don’t- Don’t say that,” I begged with a nervous chortle. “Please, don’t say that.”

“Why not? You seemed pretty content with cutting me from your life.”

“I wasn’t- You have no idea how hard it was to- L-look!”

I removed the jacket folded onto my back and waved it in my teeth.

“T-the jacket. I kept the jacket. It’s the only thing I’ve kept! I kept it because I was not ready to say goodbye to you. I kept it because you’re the most important pony to me and I- I wanted to keep a reminder of that. I swear!”

Skybrush looked at it with caution, then at me. Her distrust pierced me like an arrow. She was trying to figure me out. Decipher if I wasn’t just pulling more fabrications out of my ass. See if there was any good left in me.

“... Fix it, Gray Calx,” she reiterated, a bit appeased, yet still authoritative enough to make me squirm. “Fix the mess you’ve made.”

She turned and was ready to close the door on me, but I reached forward with a pleading hoof.

“W-wait! I’ll catch the first train I can, but... I can’t do it alone. Skybrush, I’m scared. I don’t know what anyone will think of me, and I need a friend to help me through this. H-how about you tag along and travel with me? I know you’ve always wanted to get out of Outer Grove to explore the world; now could be your chance!”

She paused for a bit, her head tilted down.

“I-I’m sorry, but... no. I can’t. Not after tonight. I need... I need some time alone, Calx. I need a few days to think some things through. There are some serious questions I need to ask myself. So... you’ll have to do this on your own.”

Oh.

Oh I see.

Nah, I get it. See, I spent most of my life rejecting ponies. It was only natural that I was the rejectee this time. My hypocrisy was almost palpable. So, pow! Eat it, me! Take these bad feelings in. Take them all in! Take her cold shoulder and suck on it! After all, I made my bed, so it was high time I laid in it. Having a friend give up on me, that’s exactly what I longed for. I deserved to feel bad. I deserved to be on my knees and still be knocked down. I deserved to beg for mercy and be spat on at my lowest.

Skybrush didn’t look too triumphant about having frozen me on the spot. But she had to do what she had to do. I understood her decision, and gestured positively, unable to find my voice. I turned around, and began trotting away from the Clover Mart with my head hung low, as the three-legged protoplasmic cretin that I was.

Despite it all, I was still going to succeed. Failure was for failures, but I was a winner hellbent on winning. For Honey Dream’s sake, I was going to live up to the expectations she set out for me. For Skybrush’s sake, I was going to re-establish long-gone family connections. For my sake, I was going to stop fleeing what I should’ve faced years ago.

I was going to earn my title of ‘good pony’ the right way, just you watch.

“Goofball?”

I flipped my head. Skybrush was in the doorway, halfway through closing the door.

“Be extremely careful. I would never, ever forgive you if you put yourself in danger.”

... Heh. How the tables have turned, right?

I offered her a shy smile. She closed the door, the streets became devoid of activity again, and I skulked further into the darkness, a clear goal in mind. From what I gathered, Twilight had left Outer Grove, and most surely returned to Ponyville. Logically, this is where I should be heading. 

But... But I don’t think I had it in me to face her this soon after what happened between us. I needed more time. I needed some kind of buffer to better prepare me mentally. If I wanted to make a semi-decent impression, I had to be in a healthier headspace. I couldn’t flick my switch and shift from one mood to another this quickly. Not after everything I’ve been through. Again, time was a crucial factor.

Luckily, I had more than one sibling. Despite all of the bad I had brought to myself in my life, I at least had the luxury of benefiting from a practice round. I could ease my way into being a better peer. Or so I hoped.

Prince Shining Armor, time to roll out the red carpet: Your brother was going to make his big comeback.