Once Twilight and Spike had left Spike’s room and spoken to Silent Sky, the pegasus agreed to escort them to the trade fair. With Spike riding on Twilight’s back for ease of transport, they set off down the busy corridor.
Left at the first turn, straight at the second and third intersections, right at the armor set with the giant four-leaf clover, Twilight thought to herself as they walked through the halls. It might take some time, but hopefully she would be able to learn how to navigate the hallways on her own relatively quickly. She always hated wasting other ponies’ time at Canterlot Castle when she had first started her lessons with Princess Celestia just because she didn’t know where she was.
Remember that time you got so lost you accidentally ended up outside the dungeons your first week as Celestia’s student? All because you refused to admit you were completely lost?
Please don’t remind me, brain, Twilight groaned. She could still remember how freaked out she had been as she just became more and more lost. It wasn’t an experience she wanted to repeat. At least if she did get truly lost here in the castle, there would likely be somepony she could ask for directions or assistance, especially of all the rooms had those communication gems like her room had.
And worst-case scenario, Sparrow could use the ring she still wore to find her. A small blessing for something she would still rather not think about.
I wonder if there is a spell that could let you talk to Sparrow over the ring if you needed help. Though imagine if he panicked because he thought you were in trouble, but you were just lost looking for the kitchen?
Twilight did have to admit that would be a silly scenario, though it would also probably be a bit too mean to freak him out like that. Whatever she may think of him, she knew he was genuinely concerned for her safety, after that pony with the awful curse had attacked her, so making him think she was in danger just seemed a bit too…cruel.
Even with everything else he had done.
A few more turns and they arrived at another magical elevator, one much smaller than the one Twilight and Right Word had used the night before.
“What’s that?” Spike asked, looking down at the circular platform as Twilight stepped onto it. Just like last night, the ring immediately turned from orange to blue once Twilight stepped onto it. “Whoa! Is that supposed to happen?”
“It’s a magic elevator,” Twilight said. “Right Word had us use one last night, and he made it sound like they could be found all over the castle. That one turned blue too, though I’m not sure why. Maybe it turns blue when it’s about to move or when it has reached some kind of weight limit? Silent Sky, do you know?”
“I understand it to a small extent, Princess,” Silent Sky said, pushing a button on the wall. A forcefield appeared behind them and the ring began moving down at a diagonal. “Specifically, I know two ponies who cause a similar reaction on the elevators. My theory is that something about a pony's individual magic causes the change in color, though I don't know why it only happens for some ponies and not others.”
“Still, it’s pretty cool,” Spike said with a grin. “I wonder if it would turn green if I stood on it by myself. Or maybe purple!”
“It would be interesting to see if reacts to dragon magic the same way it reacts to pony magic,” Silent Sky said as the elevator shifted to going completely forward, and then went straight down a moment later.
Twilight was about to ask if any dragons lived on the island but was cut off when the stone in front of them was suddenly replaced with windows, allowing the three of them to look out across the city as they continued their decent.
Whoa.
Both Twilight and her brain had the same thought at the same time, and Spike let out an impressed whistle. The sprawling city lay before them, clearly packed with far more ponies than the day before. Even at this height, Twilight could see the numerous new stalls that had been set up overnight. Some were large and looked to be run by multiple ponies of all races, while others were small but still clearly visible thanks to fancy displays or large signs that Twilight was certain she would have been able to read even from here had they not been written in Labyrin.
But it wasn’t just the stands that were new. Colorful decorations had been hung up around the town as well, streamers and balloons and wide colorful banners and even wacky-waving-inflatable-leg-tube-ponies. As they continued to descend, Twilight could see the roads between the castle and the inner wall were decorated too. Peering closer, she saw that the stands inside the inner wall were different too. Carnival games, fried food stands, even a few play areas for foals were set up and well in use. If the roads surrounding the inner wall were full of ponies selling their wares, then inside the inner wall was a carnival for families to enjoy as the trade fair carried on.
Twilight could nearly feel the festive spirit in the air. The joy, excitement, and hope that filled everypony’s hearts as they came together, as they met up with others from across the island to just enjoy the day. It was incredible that even a weekly event like this could pull in such a crowd that Canterlot would only see on holidays like Hearth’s Warming.
And even before she got outside, Twilight just knew that this was a special day for everypony involved.
I’m so glad Spike wanted to go to the trade fair.
Me too, Twilight thought just as the elevator’s front view was once again blocked by stone as it began to descend backwards towards the castle’s interior.
“That looked awesome!” Spike cheered, pulling Twilight out of her thoughts. “Is it always that busy, Silent Sky?”
“Yes, it is,” the guard said with a small smile. “Ponies come from all over the island to participate in Trade Day. It’s an old tradition back from when the island first became united under a single rule, both a way to share what we have created, and a way celebrate our unity as a single people. It used to be a yearly tradition, but it became more frequent once the portal gates were installed.”
“What’s a portal gate?” Twilight asked, her curiosity rising.
“Have you seen those large arches along the outer wall?” Silent Sky asked. Twilight and Spike nodded. “Those are not merely for decoration, Princess. They are gates that connect to another location on the island. All you must do is step through the gate, and you will come out underneath its partner elsewhere on Delebrum. The large gates you can see along the wall are connected to the major cities across the island, though there are also a number of smaller gates in those cities linking to towns and other small settlements across the island.”
“That’s incredible!” Twilight gasped, barely able to keep herself from bouncing excitedly in place. “The amount of energy they must take must be extreme, but the convenience, the ability to move goods and ponies from one place to another could completely revolutionize other countries! It could make the Equestrian Train System nearly obsolete!”
“Here we go,” Spike said, his tone of voice clearly indicating that he was both smiling and rolling his eyes at the same time. “I see a few research papers on those portals alone happening in the near future. Just don’t forget to eat this time, ok Twilight?”
Twilight turned to give him a mock glare, but all she got was a quick boop from Spike’s uninjured claw.
He’s right, you know. But then again, a nice research paper might be a good way to relieve some stress, so long as you don’t overdo it again. And don’t you give me that look! We BOTH know you have a tendency to overdo it when it comes to researching new magic. Remember the transfiguration spell?
Yes, I remember, Twilight internally groaned. At least there’s no chance of me switching my friend’s cutie marks again just by looking at some portals.
…I really hope you didn’t just jinx yourself.
Not helping, brain!
“Why do you need such big portals anyway?” Spike asked, pulling Twilight back to the real world.
“For…evacuation,” Silent Sky said, his tone suddenly somber.
Twilight blinked in surprise, and her lingering excitement quickly chilled in her chest.
“What? What do you mean ‘evacuation?’” she said before she could stop herself.
“The portals’ original purpose was for evacuation,” Silent Sky said, releasing a sad sigh. “If the island came under attack, everypony could flee through them into the capital city, which is the most defended city on the island. And in the event of a sudden or island-wide emergency, a team of specialized ponies can activate an emergency spell built into the gates themselves, which will automatically teleport everypony within range of the portals back to Oasis. Said spell is also able to identify hostile creatures and avoid teleporting them, as well as teleport injured ponies to a staging area at the nearby hospital. Worst-case scenario, the portals teleport everypony, and then the ones outside the city explode as a way to try and damage an enemy force.”
“Has that function ever been used?”
“Once,” Silent said, his eyes moving downwards. Twilight recognized the signs of grief and worry written across his features. It was the same feeling she had whenever her friends were accompanying her into danger. But why would a safety feature of the portals elicit such emotions?
Silent Sky took a deep breath, before letting it out slowly, just like Twilight tended to do when stressed. He then nodded to himself, before he spoke again. “The only time this spell was use was on the darkest day of our island’s history,” he said, his voice full of sadness. “Our entire island was overcome with an enemy force. All of the nine other cities were almost completely destroyed, and it is only thanks to the portals that the number of ponies lost was so low. The cities were rebuilt, but it does not make their destruction any less harrowing of a tale.”
The attack on the island! It MUST be!
I can’t imagine what else it could be.
“Well, THAT’S not ominous or anything,” Spike said after a few seconds, sounding a bit worried.
“My apologies,” Silent Sky said with a small bow as the elevator began to pass by another window. He looked at the bustling crowds, and Twilight saw his melancholy state quickly begin to ease as a few happy shouts of laughter sounded through the glass. It made her smile, too. Something about the bright colors and excited noises made the grim history suddenly feel abstract and far away, and she was glad to see Silent more relaxed.
“I did not mean to unnerve you,” Silent continued as the window turned into stone again. “The incident in question happened a very long time ago. Since then, the portals have only been used for domestic transport and helping our different cities remain connected to one another. They are quite useful should you ever want to spend your days off exploring the island.”
“They certainly sound useful,” Twilight agreed, thinking carefully. She hadn’t meant to bring up such painful memories for Silent Sky, and she was more than happy to talk about something, anything, more pleasant, but there was there was one more question on her mind. Something she felt she had to know, just in case. Surely if she was gentle and picked the right words, it wouldn’t trigger any more bad feelings for Silent Sky?
“If, for…whatever reason, this emergency teleport was to be used again, would there be enough room in the city for everypony on the island?” she asked. Logic told her no, but there was something else, something in her heart that told her Sparrow had a plan.
“There would,” Silent Sky said as the elevator began to slow down, and thankfully, he didn’t look upset at all at her continuing the conversation. “Not only are there a large number of underground bunkers around Oasis in case of just such an occurrence, but the castle and the areas of the inner wall also have plenty of room to help house ponies while the crisis is being resolved. Thankfully, such an event will hopefully never happen thanks to the shield that protects the island.”
The elevator came to a stop and he gave a warm smile.
“Now, how about we go enjoy Trade Day?”
A short while later…
Twilight was smiling. Not just on the outside, but inside as well. For the first time since her arrival, things actually felt at least somewhat normal. Her questions, her worries, her homesickness, all of it just seemed to disappear under the intensely festive atmosphere that surrounded them.
Once they had stepped out of the open doors of the castle, they had immediately been swept up into the festival. Ponies had waved and yelled out greeting as they moved. Foals had come running up to see her – ‘a real Equestrian princess!’ they cried, and they were so cute that Twilight decided not to ask what ‘a fake Equestrian princess’ was – asking an endless stream of questions before being pulled away by their parents with gentle apologies. Vendors offered her a free sample of their wares or a free try at one of the many games set up, something she and Spike were more than willing to give a try.
It was a strange balance, being welcomed both as a princess and as a regular member of the community.
And the welcomes. Even if it was only brief, so many ponies had come up just to say hi and to welcome her and Spike to the island. While Twilight could still feel the pang of homesickness in her chest, there was so much here that reminded her of the good things as well. The fair was so full of smiles and laughter that it felt almost like a party, a party that Pinkie would have been proud of. Rainbow and Applejack would have gotten a kick out of the various foods on display while Rarity would have swooned over the numerous crafting and jewelry stands. Even Fluttershy would have loved to explore the petting zoo set up on the castle grounds and to see the different tropical animals scattered around.
The memory did sting, a bit, but there was just something so magical about feeling the way she did so many times back in Ponyville. To experience that joy, that sense of home that she thought she might never have felt again. To feel that sense of belonging to a community, of being connected to those around you in a way that you would have never thought possible.
It was the same feeling that Twilight had felt all those years ago when she discovered just how much her friends meant to her.
A feeling that she was accepted, that she was somewhere full of ponies who wanted to get to know her – the REAL her. It reminded her of that spark she had felt inside her very being, the one that had allowed her to harness the power of the Elements of Harmony. Even if she was far from those who had helped her originally discover that spark, the memories this festival brought out reminded her that she wasn’t alone.
And that gave her hope for the future.
Even the lingering traces of weakness she had felt the day before were barely noticeable as she moved through the fair. They had arrived outside the inner wall, and Twilight could feel her eyes trying to take in more information that physically possible as they danced between the numerous signs and stalls. So many different items on display, so many different ponies speaking in both Equestrian and Labyrin, she could practically feel the electricity in the air, energizing her into exploring as much as possible.
Spike was the same way, constantly shifting on her back as he tried to get a good look at everything around them. He would frequently tap the top of her head to point something out, bouncing happily and talking fast, clearly just as excited as Twilight was. And how could they not be? From crops to furniture to books to decorations and décor and gems and minerals…there were so many different items on offer Twilight didn’t even know where to begin.
“Can we look at those gems?” Spike asked, pulling Twilight away from a beautiful set of water paintings to see what he was pointing at. Sure enough, a blue pegasus was offering a number of different gems of different sizes at his stand. Some were small enough to fit on Twilight’s crown, while others were bigger than Twilight’s head! But what caught Twilight’s interest the most was the pony’s leg.
The lower two-thirds of his right leg were a much darker blue than the rest of his body. At first she thought that perhaps it was some sort of prosthetic, yet as she, Spike, and Silent Sky moved closer, she could tell that this was not the case. The way it moved, the uneven distribution along the pony’s leg, even the fact that Twilight could swear she could see veins running underneath its surface made it clear that this was no simple, or even highly advanced, prothesis.
In fact, it seemed like the pony’s leg was…pure sapphire.
Could this…be another strange condition? Like Right Word’s seizures?
I don’t know. Hopefully it won’t be rude if we ask about it.
“Whoa! Cool leg!” Spike blurted out, making Twilight actively try not to facehoof.
As subtle as ever, her brain happily chirped.
Not now, brain.
“It is, isn’t it?” the pegasus said, smiling and making a point to show it off as he finished helping his customer. “You wouldn’t think having your leg slowly turn into crystal would be a good thing, but it does have its benefits.”
“It—what?” Twilight asked, her words of apology dying on her lips as her brain skipped a beat. “I mean, WHAT!?”
The pegasus just laughed and nodded to what looked to be his assistant behind the stand. The young unicorn nodded back and smoothly took over helping another nearby customer.
“Nothing to worry about, Princess Twilight, I assure you! Just a little side effect gem-mancers like myself need to put up with. I take it you haven’t been told about the city of Smaragdus yet?”
Twilight shook her head, still struggling to get her mind back on track of the pony’s leg was slowly turning into CRYSTAL.
“What’s a gem-mancer? And a Smaragdus?” Spike asked, shifting so he could get a good look at the pegasus and his stock of gems. “Oh, and I’m Spike. What’s your name?”
“Clear Cut’s the name, and being a gem-mancer is my game,” the pegasus replied with a small bow. “Smaragdus is the name of the city I hail from: better know as The City of Gems. As for what gem-mancy is, well, why don’t I just show you?”
As he spoke, Clear Cut picked up a small purple gem from his selection and balanced it on his crystalline hoof. His face scrunched up in a bout of concentration, his crystal leg beginning to glow and his wings extending.
Twilight’s eyes went wide. She could now clearly see the veins within the sapphire leg as magic appeared to flow down them and into the gem itself. The gem shuddered, and then sprang to life, new growths expanding outward at random angles until it was twice, then three times its previous size. Then, using his wings, Clear Cut began to shape the new gem growths as if they were clay. His movements were smooth and relaxed, yet quick and precise, the crystal slowly molding from a mass of random offshoots into something more defined.
He's…He’s making my cutie mark! Twilight realized, watching as the familiar starburst began to take shape. She watched intently, careful to not interrupt him as he worked out the delicate details. The last thing she wanted to do was disrupt something so beautiful, and besides, maybe she could learn a bit about the process simply by watching.
After about five minutes, Clear Cut’s leg let loose one final burst of light, the light flowing down his leg and into the design he had created. The gem seemed to shine, before the growth quickly halted, leaving the creation in its final form for everyone to admire.
It was, in Twilight’s mind, perfect.
A beautiful replica of her layered starbursts, complete with the small surrounding stars attached by little wisps of crystal so small that Twilight almost couldn’t see them. The lines and angles were so clean and crisp that if she didn’t know any better, she wouldn’t have thought pony hooves could have made them. And even when the light had died down, it still glowed slightly, sparkling with a natural beauty. Not quite like how Clear Cut’s leg shimmered with veins of magic, but it…managed to catch the light, even under the partial shade of the stand. It even had a light purple stand made of crystal that allowed the entire the masterpiece to neatly sit straight up.
It was so perfectly created that Twilight, Spike, and a number of other ponies who had stopped to watch him stomped their hooves in applause at his skill.
“A gift for you, my dear,” Clear Cut said, smiling as he hoofed the gem over to Twilight.
“I—,” Twilight began.
“No buts,” Clear Cut interrupted, winking. “Consider it a welcome gift, or an apology gift on behalf of the ponies of Smaragdus. Whichever you prefer.” Twilight opened her mouth, realized she didn’t know what to say, closed it, and gently accepted the gift.
It really is beautiful. And it almost reminds me of the sculptures the crystal ponies back in the Crystal Empire make.
I wonder if their magic is related to this, gem-mancy, Twilight thought, gently passing the sculpture to Silent Sky, who just as gently deposited the sculpture in the saddlebags he was carrying.
“That’s amazing!” Spike said once the applause had died down. “And you can just grow more gems whenever you want?”
“I wish,” Clear Cut said with a long laugh. It was only then that Twilight realized that the ends of his feathers were also covered in crystal. “While some gem-mancers can do that, my talent requires a base gem to begin the growth process. Once I have a base, I can begin to grow it easily enough, but it’s a slow process. Helps me in my work, certainly, but don’t expect me to be making gem barriers or weapons in a flash.”
“Wait, weapons?” Twilight asked, looking at him in confusion. The pegasus nodded.
“Yep. While many of us gem-mancers use our talents for crafts, it is entirely possible to use our abilities for combat.” As he spoke, he picked up another small gem. “Unlike myself, some ponies could turn this tiny gem into one about the size of my head in only a few seconds flat! Now imagine that, but even faster and able to explode out of the ground from almost anywhere! Perfect for forming defensive barriers or grabbing something sharp to throw at the enemy. It’s hard to learn to use gem-mancy in that way, given how it’s a type of magic that traditionally favors a slow and methodical approach, but it is entirely possible with enough practice. In fact, my friend’s son Simmer is a gem-mancer who works as a guard.”
So it’s a type of magic that’s works better when cast slowly, but with skill and training can be used in combat.
“What else can gem-mancers do?” Twilight asked curiously.
“And how does it relate to your leg?” Spike asked, earning a frown from Twilight.
“We can do quite a lot, in fact!” Clear Cut said, thankfully sounding completely unbothered by Spike’s blunt question. “The city of Smaragdus uses gems to make a large majority of its buildings, so us gem-mancers are in constant supply to help expand them, fix them up, change their color, add or remove windows, all that jazz! We help install new features like plumbing and heating since you can’t exactly lay new pipes in solid gem without a gem-mancer to soften it up. Then we’ve got the crafters, like me, and the miners that can help us find rarer gem types that we can’t grow on the surface, and technicians that help make gems needed for purifiers.”
Purifiers? Like, water purifiers? I don’t really think gems can be used like that unless they use the gems as a base for an enchantment.
Maybe that’s what he meant? Or maybe the gems can be used to store magic to use as fuel for the purifier? There a lot of ways a gem could be used in a purifier, and maybe those technicians can enchant the gems to serve multiple functions.
That’s true. I wonder if there are any gem-mancer technicians at the festival today?
“As for my leg,” Clear Cut continued. “As I mentioned before, it’s a side effect of gem-mancy. Regardless of race, creatures that are gem-mancers will, over time, have parts of our bodies be replaced with what we call ‘living crystal.’ This living crystal acts quite a bit like normal flesh, save of course for the different colors and the improved durability, but it also has additional benefits.
“For starters, it lets us use gem-mancy much more easily over time, though for some reason this doesn’t really increase the speed of the crystalizing process. If a crystalized limb, say a leg, does get broken off somehow - don’t think about it too hard - it can then be replaced with gemstones which will slowly change back into the way the limb was before. If the crystalizing changes our internal organs, say our liver or lungs, then this not only repairs any damage they may have sustained, but it also improves their function. A childhood friend of mine had a liver defect, but once the crystalizing changed his liver, he could drink anypony we knew under the table easily!”
“It sounds like there are a lot of positives, despite how unusual it is,” Spike said, closing watching Clear Cut’s leg as the pegasus readjusted his display. Seeing the young dragon’s interest, Clear Cut help out his leg to Spike, letting the drake poke it a few times.
“Don’t I know it! It’s just a shame we haven’t figured out a way to help ponies who aren’t gem-mancers,” Clear Cut said with a sigh and a sad smile. “Sure, Smaragdus makes the best prosthetics on the island, but any internal injuries can’t be healed by gem-mancy unless the recipient is a gem-mancer too. There are some minor things we can do, such as make medical spells trapped inside gems ponies can eat, but not nearly as much as you might thing. And unless you’re born in Smaragdus, chances are you won’t become a gem-mancer.”
“Are you saying only ponies born in Smaragdus can become gem-mancers?” Twilight asked. “Can’t ponies study to become one?”
“Alas, no, you cannot,” Clear Cut said. “The magic of the island’s shield has…unusual effects sometimes. In Smaragdus, the magic has seeped into the crystals in such a way that only ponies born in or close to its borders can become gem-mancers, and only about thirty percent of ponies born in Smaragdus show an aptitude for the practice. No known pony who has been born outside the limits of the city has ever been able to learn how to use gem-mancy.”
So the magic of the island does affect ponies in significant ways! Even if we can’t confirm if it’s related to Speedy Diamond and Right Word’s conditions, he seems very confident that it is directly related to a pony’s ability to use gem-mancy. And he mentioned the island’s shield too!
The one that Sparrow created but was said to be incomplete for whatever reason. Maybe that ‘incompleteness’ still lets some outside magic in, leading to these weird effects! Or maybe it alters magic coming in and makes it more unstable compared to the magic in Equestria? Hmmm, actually, could it actually be what is causing these unusual effects in the first place? We should keep an ear out for any other instances of magic being related to a specific part of the island or a specific trait or unique brand of magic.
Agreed. Though I wonder if there is a type of magic that lets somepony breath underwater. THAT would be so cool! Imagine being able to explore a coral reef without need of scuba equipment?
That does sound pretty fun!
“Now, don’t let me keep you,” Clear Cut said, pulling Twilight back to the real world. “There’s plenty of ponies to meet and plenty of our island’s culture to enjoy. Though if you’re ever in Smaragdus, feel free to come say hi!”
“We’ll be sure to visit,” Twilight said with a smile. “Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.”
“Anytime!” Clear Cut said, grabbing a large gem from his stand. “Here, a healthy snack for the young dragon!” He tossed it deftly so it landed perfectly in Spike’s uninjured claw.
“Thanks!” Spike exclaimed, taking a big bite out of the gem. Twilight giggled and thanked Clear Cut once more for his generosity. He just smiled back, waving as the three of them began to move on.
“That was fun,” Spike said between bites. “I kinda want to go see Smaragdus now.”
“Me too. Soon,” Twilight agreed. “Silent, do you have any suggestions for vendors who might be here today?”
“…Hidden Treasure, perhaps?” Silent Sky said after a moment’s thought. “His store is here in Oasis, but he trades in items from around the island, and would be a good pony to ask about other vendors who might be visiting today.”
“Hidden Treasure? As in Right Word’s grandfather? And Sparrow’s previous advisor?” Twilight asked, thinking about her conversation with Right Word last night. She didn’t remember him mentioning that Hidden Treasure owned a store here in Oasis. Had she missed it in her exhaustion? Silent Sky nodded, not seeming to pick up on her confusion. “In that case, he sounds like a pony worth meeting. Can you lead us there?”
“Where did you learn that?” Spike asked, as they worked their way through the crowd. The moment Twilight opened her mouth to answer, though, she saw a booth full of numerous baked peach goods and quickly stopped to buy one for herself, Spike, and Silent Sky despite the pegasus’s hesitation.
“Right Word mentioned it last night when he escorted me back to my room,” Twilight said, making a note of the stand for later as she quickly inhaled her small peach scone. “He talked about himself and his family’s history as Sparrow’s advisors.” She told Spike most of what Right Word had told her the previous night about himself and his family as Silent Sky resumed leading them through the city.
“Wow, his family’s really been around for that long?” Spike said once Twilight finished (and once he had stopped laughing at the image of Sparrow being dragged down the street by his ear). “That’s crazy! And Hidden Treasure used to be Sparrow’s advisor? I bet he could tell us all about him!” He scratched his chin in thought. “I wonder if any other families on the island keep track of things that far back.”
“I don’t know if anypony else does. Honestly, even Celestia and Luna might not have records back that far, given the chaos Discord caused,” Twilight said. “But I agree that Hidden Treasure might be able to tell us more about Sparrow. Though,” she added, her eyes drifting to a stand selling more flowers than she could count, “that doesn’t mean we need to rush through Trade Day to get to him.”
Spike grinned and immediately pointed to a pony selling beautiful paintings.
It took about half an hour to get where they were going, but neither Spike nor Twilight minded taking their time given all they saw along the way. One stand had a collection of coral from the large reef on the other side of the island, something that interested Twilight so much that she bought a piece for her room. One of the tree homes had a bunch of stalls set up around it, all of them containing plants and seeds from around the island. One stand was selling what appeared to be the Arbor Moonshine that Right Word had mentioned the night before, though the smell was certainly a bit off-putting in Twilight’s opinion. Another tree home was covered in banners advertising what looked to be some form of…art? Twilight couldn’t read the banners themselves, but what was being sold looked so misshapen and bizarre that it was the only thing she could think of.
The festive atmosphere showed no signs of dying down as they got further from the castle. Ponies were engaged in animated conversations with friends or stall owners everywhere Twilight looked. Foals continued to run and play all around them, a few stopping to look at a booth or to buy some food from the various ponies selling dishes from across the island (all of which looked amazing). Other pones simply sat on the roofs of nearby houses or took time to rest on the branches of the nearby tree homes, taking a breather from the hectic fun atmosphere of the street. It was amazing to see, and not even the remaining hints of exhaustion from the day before could dampen her mood.
Eventually, they reached a large three-story building with a sign titled ‘The Treasure Chest’ proudly displayed across the top of the front door. Unlike the other buildings nearby, this one had several cloud platforms and steps around the outside of the shop, allowing customers to wander up and around the building as well as travel inside.
Furthermore, while most of other stalls on the trip here had been selling things, the stalls at this store looked to be evenly split between ponies selling wares and ponies willing to buy new wares for the store. Even as they approached, Twilight could see an earth pony stallion with a pear-colored mane wave down a pegasus employee, who took a crate from the pony in front of the stall and carry it up to another stall on the third floor and immediately start unpacking the set of pottery inside. The earth pony in question shook the customer’s hoof before handing him a bag of what Twilight assumed was money.
“That is Hidden Treasure,” Silent Sky said, pointing to the earth pony. “He tends to use this day as a way to both sell off his excess stock and to try see who is willing to sell to him. If you ever need to find anything specific, he is likely to have it, or will know how to get it. He is also a highly skilled negotiator. He also frequently takes trips across the island to look for new wares and claims to have been almost everywhere on the entire island.”
Sounds like he has a lot of connections and knows the other settlements pretty well. Forget the encyclopedia, he could probably give you a firsthoof account of almost anywhere on the island if Right Word is correct. It will definitely be worth it to get to know him better even if he didn’t used to work with Sparrow. Heck, maybe he could even give you a tour of the island.
Agreed. I wonder if he’s anything like Right Word, Twilight thought as she began to walk towards Hidden Treasure’s table. I hope so.
When he saw her approach, the earth pony yelled towards one of his employees. “Hey, Indy! Take over for me! Got a royal coming for a visit.”
“Should I hide the moonshine?” a stallion wearing a cowpony hat with a whip cutie mark yelled back.
“Nah, it’s our newest royal, not the one who’s always knocking stuff off the shelves! I’m sure she’ll be fine!” Hidden replied, stepping out from behind his stall. “Princess Twilight and Sir Spike the Brave and Glorious, a pleasure to finally meet you two!” He gave them a warm grin and a tiny bow of the head. “I’m Hidden Treasure, former advisor to Sparrow and currently the best deal hunter in Delebrum. Seeing as I’ve never met you before, I’m assuming either Right Word or Silent Sky over there sent you my way for one way or another? Or am I completely wrong and you just happened to see my fabulous shop and got curious?” he added, winking.
“I recommended you when the princess asked if I had any vendors I would suggest,” Silent Sky said, earning a nod from Hidden Treasure.
“Ah, that explains it. Well, it depends on what you’re looking for, my dear princess.”
“Just Twilight is fine,” Twilight said with a small smile. “And I don’t really know if there is anything I am looking for in particular right now, save maybe for some books about the island that are in Equestrian.”
“Not many of those, I’m afraid, but I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for you,” Hidden Treasure said. “I did have a book on the island’s magic in Equestrian, but unfortunately, I just sold it a few weeks ago. But you never know! Another copy may turn up at my door tomorrow! That’s the beauty of a place like mine.” He turned to Spike. “How about you, little dragon? What can the master of bartering do for you?”
“Do you have any comics in Equestrian?” Spike asked curiously. “Or maybe a game or Ogres and Oubliettes? I didn’t get a chance to grab either of them when we came over,” that last bit being punctuated with a small burst of annoyed smoke. Hidden Treasure just smiled.
“Now, that I can do. Come along inside and I’ll get you sorted out in no time,” he said with a wide wave before turning around and heading towards his store’s entrance. Twilight and Silent Sky followed while Spike bounced excitedly on Twilight’s back.
He’s so cute when he’s being a giant nerd.
Shining was the same way whenever a new expansion came out. Remember when he was nearly late for his date with Cadance because he was so absorbed in the new campaign he was writing?
Oh, remember how much he was blushing when Cadance dressed up as her ranger character for Nightmare Night?
Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at the image of a dumbfounded Shining staring at Cadance in her costume as she had sauntered her way up to him and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. He and Spike were such a nerds, and Twilight wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hidden Treasure opened the door for them, and Twilight blinked in surprise. Every shelf was packed with an assortment of objects ranging from antiques to food to coat and mane care to books and games. It was like the trade fare outside had been compressed down and forced to fit into the store, and it was just as jampacked as that description would imply. It was better organized than some of the antique stores back in Ponyville, something that brought out a momentary pang of homesickness in Twilight’s heart, but it still held an air of ‘organized chaos’ about the place that made her reshelving instinct twitch.
“Is it always this cluttered?” Spike asked blatantly.
“Spike—” Twilight began to scold, only for Hidden Treasure to chuckle and wave her off.
“Yes, it is,” he confirmed. “If I see something worth buying or selling, I scoop it up and bring it here. The main floor is where I put most of my finds while the upper floors serve as the more ‘traditional’ store with defined sections. Down here I just put things where I think they’ll best fit and go from there. It gets a little crowded at times, and almost always looks like a random mess, but hey, that just means there’s always something new every time you come to visit!”
Laughing, Hidden Treasure grabbed a box of antiques and moved it to another shelf almost at random. Nodding in satisfaction, he led them back towards what looked to be the main checkout counter.
“Now then, Twilight,” Hidden continued as he began digging around behind the counter, vanishing from view. “How do you like the island so far? Sources tell me yesterday was the first day you were awake, so what are your first impressions? Good, I hope?”
“Mostly,” Twilight agreed. “The ponies here are really friendly and welcoming, even if they’ve never met us before. And the island itself seems…amazing, really. Even if I’ve only seen Oasis, what I’ve seen and heard about the other cities makes me want to go and explore them once I’ve adjusted a bit more. I really want to go see that one port city on the other side of the island, especially.”
“Aqua? Aye, that’s a good place to visit,” Hidden agreed, popping up momentarily to place a box for Ogres and Oubliettes on the counter, much to Spike’s delight. “In fact, it’s my favorite place to go when I’m out hunting for deals. It has beautiful scenery all year round, wonderful food from both the land and the sea, and is quite a bit calmer than Columpna, which can be a bit party-happy at times. Still, there’s plenty of fun attractions there, and I definitely recommend a visit. It’s the perfect place for a vacation, let me tell you. Especially their cooked seaweed.” He ducked down again. “But don’t think I didn’t hear that ‘mostly.’ So what hasn’t been so good?”
I’m sure he knows at least one thing that isn’t so good.
Not now, brain.
“The language is…difficult,” Twilight said after a moment’s hesitation. “I know I haven’t had much time to look into it, but from what I saw yesterday at the library…”
“It is pretty tricky to pick up, or so I’ve heard,” Hidden Treasure agreed, popping back into view again with a few comics, including a Power-Ponies comic. “Especially given how you can say the words in any order so long as the word form is correct.” He brushed off his hooves and began punching the numbers into his cash register. “I’m just thankful I grew up speaking it. However, I can tell when a pony is dancing around an issue. Trust me, our King is a master at that. And while I normally wouldn’t pry, I think this is a case where it’s better to talk and get things off your chest. So, what about our King, Mister Sparrow?”
“What about him?” Spike growled. Twilight felt the heat on her neck as he huffed another angry bout of smoke. “He gave her a fake choice and forced Twilight to come here, end of story.”
“There’s always more than one side to a story,” Hidden said, his tone carefully neutral as he looked at Spike with an expression Twilight couldn’t figure out how to read. “And sometimes we need to do bad things for the right reasons. If there was one thing I learned during my time with Sparrow, aside from the fact that boy should never be allowed to drink moonshine within fifty hooves of anything breakable, it was that sometime there are no good options; only less worse ones. And when that happens, you need to act in the way you think is best, because not acting at all will be so much worse.”
“That doesn’t make it better, even if it is true,” Spike countered, glaring down at Twilight’s back.
“I didn’t say it did,” Hidden agreed. “I’m just saying to try and keep an open mind. I was at Sparrow’s side for years, so I can tell you that he wouldn’t make the choice to do what he did without serious consideration. He’s a kind stallion, and I know he never meant to hurt anyone. But I can also tell you that you’re more than allowed to be upset with him.”
“Do you think I should forgive him?” Twilight asked, looking into Hidden Treasures eyes. She could almost see the glint of certainty in them.
“That’s up to you to decide. As his friend and longtime confidant, I hope you can one day find it in your heart to forgive him, but I know that such a thing will take time. Don’t think you need to do so right this second, or even this week or this month. It’s been ONE day since you woke up, so if you do want to try and forgive, do so at your own pace. All I can ask is that you try to give him a chance to tell his side of the story and earn your forgiveness. He may not always do it as quickly as one would like, but if I know Sparrow, and I think I do, he will explain himself very thoroughly when he is ready. That said, don’t feel shy about giving him a good smack in the head if he needs it,” Hidden said with a wide grin, prompting Twilight to blink in shock and Spike let loose an affirmative growl.
Why would he even say that!?
Oh, come on – he’s CLEARLY done that to Sparrow before! Repeatedly too, I’m guessing, going off of his tone. Maybe he knows it works! Or maybe he thinks it’ll make you feel better! Either way, I like him!
Later, around lunchtime…
Twilight had to admit, these carrot dogs from the City of Ager were AMAZING.
After saying farewell to Hidden Treasure, she, Spike, and Silent Sky had continued to explore the city and the wonders of Trade Day, browsing the various eclectic stalls whenever something caught their eyes. Twilight found herself drawn to different wares that made her think of her family: a set of Ogres and Oubliettes dice for Shining, a book of constellations for her dad, a guide to extreme sporting for beginners for her mom (thankfully in Equestrian), and a poster of a roller-skating rink for Cadance. She’d bought them all, carefully nestling them in Silent Sky’s saddlebag next to her crystal gift from Clear Cut.
Maybe I won’t be able to go home and see them for a long time, she thought, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bring some home here.
The homesickness had struck again, harder this time, and for a moment, Twilight was sure she was going to cry, but then, a foal from a nearby shop had came running up and presented her a purple scallop shell with a huge gap-toothed smile and the sharp pang in her chest quickly eased. The little one’s energy and happiness was just so infectious that Twilight soon found herself smiling back, showing the child the crystal cutie mark sculpture and watching his eyes grow wide in awe.
Everypony is so nice here. And so excited! This really is a magical day.
Slowly, the homesickness eased and Twilight soon found herself feeling more cheerful as they passed more and more excited, happy ponies. She had been just about to ask Silent Sky if he had any other recommendations when her stomach abruptly let her know that she had lost track of time and she was ready for lunch.
So she had let Spike pick a vendor to purchase food from, bought enough for everypony despite Silent Sky’s insistence that she not buy him anything, and then managed to find a bench where they could eat. It was nice to sit down and just relax for a little while, and despite feeling better than the previous day, Twilight was pretty sure her legs were thanking her for the break. The crowds moved around them, and Twilight found herself simply watching.
A foal was trying to buy some candy from one of the vendors, but their attempts at adorable haggling didn’t appear to be working very well. One vendor was juggling a few tomatoes to try and attract customers, while a pegasus guard slowly flew along, looking for signs of trouble. Two ponies further away were in a heated debate about the value of their comic books and why they couldn’t just trade them to the other pony for what they were offering. So much of it reminded Twilight of the Rainbow Falls Trade Festival, but after waiting for a few seconds for the sadness to hit her again, the feeling never manifested.
Was she adapting to her new home already, or was it just that the positive festive atmosphere was helping to dull the pain, even if only for the day? She didn’t know, but the idea that she was adapting so quickly was both a scary thought and a happy one. Scary because it felt as though she was leaving her old life behind too quickly, but happy because if she was going to spend the rest of her life here, it was a little reassuring to know that she wouldn’t be miserable that entire time.
However, this little debate over how she should feel was interrupted when she noticed some of the ponies nearby moving to make way. Looking at the source of the commotion, Twilight felt a slight uptick in her anxiety as she saw Sparrow’s black horn poke its way above the crowd, followed by his bright red and orange mane. She knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up, but she still found herself wishing for it to be later.
Look at the plus side: just because he’s here doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy Trade Day. And if he annoys you, maybe you can buy something really heavy for him to carry around.
That’s just mean, brain. And impractical since he can likely just teleport it back to my room at anytime.
Fair enough.
Twilight finished her carrot dog as she continued to watch Sparrow get closer. He currently at his normal, very large size, yet he was actually very good at navigating his way through the crowd despite that, easily dodging and weaving around the various ponies who didn’t see him in time to move. He also appeared to be wearing a large set of saddlebags that looked fairly full. Perhaps he was looking for things to trade as well.
Actually, her brain piped up. Is it just me, or is his mane…shorter, than it was yesterday?
Twilight blinked, then looked closer. It was hard to tell, but it did look like his mane was at least a little bit shorter than it had been previously. As he continued to get close and Twilight caught a glimpse of his tail when he turned to greet a pony, Twilight thought for certain that his tail was shorter than the night before.
Maybe he went for a mane and tail cut? I don’t know what he normally looks like, so maybe both were a bit longer than he was comfortable with? It would explain that other business he needed to attend to this morning.
Maybe, but I also doubt that a mane cut would take this long to finish given how it only looks like he had a quick trim.
Twilight conceded that point but decided to drop the issue. It was just his mane, after all.
BUUUUURP!
“Ohhhh, that was good,” Spike exclaimed, reclining back as the smell of dragonfire from his burp quickly faded. “I love Trade Day!”
“I’m glad to hear that, Spike,” Sparrow said as he finally reached their bench, causing Spike to sit up in surprise. Silent Sky was already up and saluting his king, reaching his wing out to steady Spike without a word.
“Where did you come from?” Spike asked in shock, his surprise quickly changing into an annoyed glare.
“Over there,” Sparrow said, almost playfully, pointing in the direction he had just come from. “I wanted to meet up with you and Twilight, but thought I’d take some time to explore the fair first before coming over. Even after so many years, I still find myself surprised at the different wares my ponies are selling. Even today, I saw a pony selling pumpkins that were somehow perfect squares. Quite unique! Have you been enjoying the fair as well, Twilight?” he asked gently, turning to Twilight with a somewhat hopefully expression.
“I have,” Twilight said with a small nod, unable to hide her smile. Not even his appearance could dampen the positive mood this day had brought her. She could still feel the energy of the festival flowing through her chest, washing away many of the negative feelings she had been feeling the day before. “It’s been a great way to learn more about the island and what its ponies create. And the positive energy over everypony around us is…infectious.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Sparrow agreed with a wide grin. “It’s part of the reason I love to come out to enjoy this day whenever my duties allow me.” He let out a small sigh, his expression falling slightly. “Alas, I won’t have as much time today as I thought I would to go exploring. As such, would you mind if we took the time to go and visit the friend I mentioned in my letter right now? She is right nearby, so it shouldn’t take too long. I understand if there was something else you wanted to do or some other stands you wanted to visit instead, however.”
Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
You’re my brain, so I would certainly hope so, Twilight thought before focusing back on Sparrow.
“I would love to meet this friend of yours,” she said. “We just finished lunch and we didn’t have any specific plans at the moment. Your letter also said you thought we would get along well, so I would like to see what she is like. And given how you mentioned that she is a peach farmer, I would very much like to see her farm, if possible. Especially if her peaches are as good as the ones I had yesterday,” Twilight said honestly, her mouth watering slightly at the thought of more of such a wonderful fruit.
“Seeing as I bought those peaches from her, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” Sparrow said with a smile. “Spike, would you like to accompany us, or would you like to continue exploring with Silent Sky? With Twilight’s permission, of course,” he added quickly.
Twilight was a little bit torn about Spike leaving. On the one hoof, she didn’t want to stop Spike from having fun on his own, especially given all that there was to see today. But on the other hoof, she also wanted Spike to stay with her for a little bit longer so they could enjoy the day together, even if she might end up leaving the fair for a time.
“I’ll stick with Twilight,” Spike said, giving Sparrow an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture with his good claw. Sparrow just blinked, looking a little surprised at Spike’s open hostility. Twilight, meanwhile, was caught between feeling proud of Spike for trying to protect her and feeling a little bit frustrated at his anger. She knew Spike had every reason to be angry, even if he did look silly trying to intimidate somepony more than ten times his size, but seeing him angry just reminded her how angry she was at Sparrow too. And despite how justified that anger was, she didn’t want it to taint today’s fun.
Thankfully, that feeling of frustration didn’t last long as Sparrow quickly shook off his shock and smiled, showing no ill will towards the young drake. Any lingering negative feeling were quickly replaced by a warm feeling in her heart as Silent Sky carefully helped Spike climb onto her back and the small dragon hugged her neck protectively. Sparrow nodded happily at the sight, and after Twilight gave Spike a quick nuzzle, they all set off once again.
Twilight was just glad her legs seem to have had enough rest and were ready to go again, as she was genuinely curious about Sparrow’s friend.
I wonder what Sparrow’s friend will be like? He seems to be on good terms with a lot of ponies so far, but they are all pretty different.
Well, given how Sparrow said she’s a farmer, we can assume she’s likely be pretty strong, either magically or physically, or both, maybe, and likely hardworking. Other than that, I have no idea.
Yeah, me neither. Maybe she’s like Applejack? A strong earth pony who helps harvest and move around heavy loads of peaches? Or maybe she’s a pegasus with a talent for weather manipulation to help grow the peaches. Or maybe even a unicorn who knows spells to keep the trees healthy or how to keep pest off the crops.
That would certainly be pretty cool.
“Ah, there she is,” Sparrow said, pulling Twilight from her thoughts. Looking ahead, she saw a stand that was surprisingly average compared to the extravagant ones around it. It was just a simple wooden stand made of the same orange-pink wood as the furniture in her new room. It wasn’t brightly painted or extravagantly exclaiming its wares. And yet, it had far more ponies waiting in line than any of the nearby stands did.
Those must be some good peaches. Though given how good the ones we had yesterday were, I’m not too surprised.
Ignoring her brain, Twilight followed Sparrow to the back of the line, arriving just as the pony in front finished and moved away with a small bag of peaches. Twilight caught a glimpse of the earth pony manning the stand. She looked to be a bit older than Twilight, with a coat and mane both the color of, of course, peaches. She had a very long mane, almost as long as Fluttershy’s, and Twilight couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t tied it back, given how it might get in the way of physical work.
“So, what is your friend’s name? And what is she like?” Twilight asked, watching as another customer was served. Sparrow’s friend was quick.
“Her name is Whisper,” Sparrow said. “Though don’t let her name fool you. If she’s your friend or you get her on a topic of interest, she can talk your ear off. She’s run her family farm for years now after receiving it from her grandmother. She’s a master gardener, not just of peach trees, but of all plants, and even helps out in the castle gardens from time to time. She also loves to play and talk with her animals, and despite her size she is quite—”
Before Sparrow could finish, the pony at the front of the line dropped the coin he was using to pay, and it quickly rolled under the stand. Rather than reach down to grab it, Whisper instead just lifted the entire stand!
With ONE hoof!
“Strong,” Sparrow finished with a chuckle. Twilight did her best to close her gaping mouth before somepony noticed.
Dang. I don’t even think Applejack could do that. Color me impressed.
She could probably beat both Applejack and Rainbow at hoof wrestling. At the same time.
“Ok, that was pretty cool,” Spike agreed, watching as Whisper grabbed the coin with her free hoof and put the stand back down. Twilight was able to get a look at her cutie mark before the stand was back in place. It was a bunny holding a peach, almost reminding her of Angel Bunny holding an apple out to Fluttershy as a gesture of peace. It was a sweet image that made Twilight smile, even if Angel was a little brat most of the time.
I wonder if Whisper would get along with Fluttershy. I don’t know if the two of them will ever have a chance to meet, but I should definitely introduce them if such an opportunity ever arises, Twilight thought as the customer thanked the peach-colored mare as if what had just happened was nothing out of the ordinary and moved on. Now that they were closer, Twilight could see that Whisper’s eyes looked to be a bright green, almost like the leaves back on Applejack’s farm. Her, too. I bet Applejack would love getting to know another farmer.
Once again, Twilight was surprised that the thought of her friends didn’t drag up any unpleasant memories. This festival was really influencing her, though she didn’t mind it in the slightest. Instead, she just smiled slightly at the positive memories as the line continued to move. In no time at all, she and Sparrow were next.
She stepped forward alongside Sparrow, and she could see Whisper’s expression go from a warm smile to a neutral line the moment she caught sight of the King.
“Your Majesty,” she said, her tone unreadable.
“Whisper,” Sparrow said with a happy nod, seemingly not offput by her attitude towards him. “I’ll have a dozen peaches on top of the regular order, and I would like to introduce you to Twilight and Spike. Both of them have tried your peaches already and so I thought I would introduce you. If possible, I was hoping you might show them your farm once you head back to resupply should they be interested.”
Whisper looked at Twilight, then at Spike, her expression growing cheery once again. “Princess Twilight and Spike the Brave and Glorious! It’s a pleasure to meet you! I would love to show you my farm. And your timing couldn’t be better! I only have four peaches left after THIS one’s order,” she said, her voice becoming cold again as she lifted a crate with Sparrow’s name onto the counter alongside a bag of peaches.
Sparrow nodded, thought Twilight was sure she could see him wince a little at her tone. “Thank you. Did you receive my revised order for next week?”
“Yes,” Whisper confirmed, her eyes narrowing. “But no more nonsense, or you’ll be on my ‘do not talk to for a few weeks’ list.”
That is a very specific list to have.
Brain, shush!
“No more nonsense,” Sparrow agreed, teleporting the box away and opening the bag to offer Twilight, Silent Sky, Spike, and himself a peach. Even though she just had lunch, Twilight couldn’t help but bite into the peach the moment its scent reached her nose. Given the munching behind her, Spike appeared to have a similar mindset. “Though I do hope you will forgive me one day,” Sparrow continued.
“I’m sure I will. You’re not that dumb. But you need to earn her forgiveness first,” Whisper said, nodding in Twilight’s direction.
She’s mad at Sparrow for what he did to bring me here!
Is that really so surprising? You’re still pretty mad at him, too. You’re just so happy given how your day’s been going so far that you’ve forgotten about it for the time being, which is a GOOD thing. Besides, you can still be made at him and happy about how your day is going. They aren’t mutually exclusive.
I know that, brain, but she’s the first pony I’ve seen that’s actively angry at him! Sure, Pie Crust spiced his food and Speedy Diamond was potentially a little excessive with her fitting last night, but this is the first pony we’ve seen that’s calling him out on his invasion directly! Actually, I wonder why she’s doing that? Why is she actively calling him out when everypony else is just passive-aggressive at worst?
No idea. Maybe she’s angrier, or maybe she’s more blunt than other ponies. We can ask later, assuming that we do go to her farm with her.
“THAT’S NOT RUNNING, GRIND STONE!”
A furious shout suddenly rang out, yanking Twilight out of her mind and prompting her and everypony near her to whip their heads around. Running down the street in what appeared to be a roped-off jogging lane was a group of ten guards. Eight of them were grouped up and were making easy progress down the street while two of them lagged behind, one apparently very exhausted and the other extremely frustrated. The lead mare was also wearing a pole with a red flag on her back, indicating that there was a group of runners coming.
The angry unicorn guard and the end of the group let loose a small lightning bolt that zapped the flank of the guard in front of her, prompting a startled yelp from the orange pony. The ponies enjoying Trade Day merely watched the guards continue their run within the cordoned off lane. Or in the orange pony’s case, a staggering jog. “IF I WANTED YOU TO LAZE AROUND, I WOULD TELL YOU TO DO WHAT YOU DO EVERY HARMONY-DAMN DAY!”
“This is cruel and unusual punishment!” the orange pony exclaimed, running to catch back up with the other guards in front of them.
“No, it’s the BARE MINIMUM, YOU LAZY—BZZZZZZAAP!”
“YIPE! STOP DOING THAT!”
“THEN STOP FALLING BEHIND! I’M GOING TO MAKE A SOLDIER OUT OF YOU IF IT KILLS BOTH OF US!”
“Why can’t it just kill neither of us!? And can’t we just take a small break!?”
“IT’S ONLY BEEN AN HOUR! YOU’VE GOT AT LEAST TWO LEFT BEFORE I EVEN CONSITER GIVING YOUR LAZY FLANK A BREAK! NOW MOVE YOUR FLANK BEFORE I START KICKING IT RATHER THAN ZAPPING IT!”
Twilight swore the orange soldier was suddenly moving twice the speed as he surpassed the rest of his squad, his tormentor not far behind.
“Tempest, no punting,” the pony wearing the flag called out scoldingly. “I only approved zapping because he was refusing to keep up, and I WILL remove that privilege if you don’t use it sparingly.”
“You actually approved it!? Whose side are you on!?” the orange pony yelled as the group finally started to disappear from view.
“Whichever side actually gets you to start pulling your weight as a chosen weapon bearer! And don’t be so dramatic! She just recovered her magic yesterday, and I had her test a bolt on me before I let her use it on you. It does NOT hurt THAT much!”
“I believe that duty calls,” Sparrow said with a faint sigh. “Whisper, it was great to see you again. Twilight, Spike, feel free to continue enjoying Trade Day, and if you do decide to accompany Whisper, I hope you enjoy seeing her farm. It is quite a beautiful sight.”
And with that, Sparrow took to the air, quickly moving to follow the guards.
“Still mad,” Whisper said, glaring at Sparrow as he flew away, before she let out a loud sigh and resumed her cheery demeanor once again. “So, Twilight, Spike, I am about to head back to my farm to get more peaches. Would you care to join me?”
“Um, sure,” Twilight said, looking back to see Spike nodding as well. “But if I can ask…”
“You want to know why I was so cold with Mister King back there?” Whisper asked, placing a ‘Sold Out, will be back in an hour or two’ sign on her stall, prompting a few ‘awwww’s’ from the ponies still in line. As the line dispersed, Whisper picked up her stall’s coin box and placed it in her saddle bag. Twilight nodded, and Whisper blew a bit of her mane with a huff. “It’s simple. While I trust him and I’m sure he had his reasons for doing it, I do NOT approve of what he did back in Equestria. Or how he made you come here the way that he did. It just…EEERRRGGGG! It makes me so angry that he would do something that so underhoofed and cruel! Especially because I know him, and every time…EVERY…DANG…TIME, he’s done something this out of character in the past, it has been for a really, REALLY good reason.”
“Has he ever invaded a foreign country before?” Spike asked, tilting his head a bit. “Because I’m pretty sure we would have heard about something like that. Or are you just saying he’s done something this insane and mean before?” He let out a little huff of smoke. “Because if so, how is he still allowed to be king?”
“I’m saying he’s done some things in that past that have appeared to be pretty stupid at first but always turn out to be far more thought-out than you would think,” Whisper clarified. “This was a lot more thought-out than his previous stunts, but it was still laced in his brand of ‘what the hay is our king doing’ energy.”
“Is that ‘what-is-he-doing’ feeling a common occurrence?” Twilight asked.
“Most definitely, sweetie. In fact, you should see some of Sparrow’s ideas for charity fundraisers,” a new voice called, prompting Twilight to turn and behold…Speedy Diamond? Blinking to check, Twilight confirmed that the pink and purple mare approaching them was in fact Speedy Diamond. Yet, she was walking a calm, almost slow, pace, a far cry from the zippy energy she had shown yesterday. “One time he let ponies throw pies at him for a silver Del a pie. By the end of the day, he had raised more than a million Del and was buried under a pile of whipped cream almost as big as he was.”
“Remember when he wore that blue and orange suit with green polka dots when he lost a bet with Right Word?” Whisper chimed in.
“THAT was a crime against fashion!” Speedy hissed, taking on a thousand-yard stare for a few seconds before shaking herself to recover. “Speaking of fashion, I fixed your brother’s glasses and work clothes. Mind if I tag along with you?”
“I don’t mind at all,” Whisper said with a grin. “Thank you for fixing those so quickly, too. Do you mind if Diamond comes along, Twilight? Given your and Spike’s reactions, I take it you’ve already met her?”
“I don’t mind,” Twilight said, unsure how to broach the question bubbling in her mind.
“Me neither,” Spike agreed. “And is that really you, Speedy?”
“Just call me Diamond,” Diamond said with a giggle. “I prefer Diamond on my ‘calm’ days and Speedy on my ‘hyper’ days. And yes, I’m still me, last time I checked in the mirror. Unless I’m somehow a changeling, though the chances of that aren’t very high, I would hope.”
She grinned at Spike, who chuckled and held out his uninjured claw, which Diamond gently bumped. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the interaction. She was glad to see Spike was already making new friends.
“All right, we’re good to go,” Whisper called out, returning everypony’s attention to her as she hitched herself to her peach cart and tossed them all a peach. “Here, free samples for the road, and yes, I will get you another one to take home to your wife when we get back to the farm, Silent,” she said, causing the pegasus to blink. “Now, come on.”
And with that, she was off, with Twilight and the others following alongside her.
“Do we need to take one of those big portal things?” Spike asked as they moved, his eyes drifting up to one of the large arches on the outer wall before drifting back to the different vendors still selling things around them.
“Nope,” Whisper said as she paused to let an older stallion move to the other side of the street. “My farm is right outside the city. Prime land passed down through my family for generations. If you’re entering the city from the east, chances are you’ll see my farm on the way in. Perfect for business too, though a majority of my business comes from the city and the Castle itself. Local ponies sure do love my peaches.”
“Can you blame them?” Diamond asked, grinning as she took a bite of her fruit.
“No, I suppose not,” Whisper said with a happy grin. She had a spring in her step, one that wasn’t at all hindered by the large load she was pulling behind her.
“Whisper, if I can ask, why were you willing to call out Sparrow for invading Equestria?” Twilight asked. “I don’t mind that you did, but so far no one seems to have treated him with so much…” She tried to think of the right word.
“Hostility? Anger? Being so done with his nonsense right now?” Diamond chimed in, causing Spike to snort in laughter.
“Let’s go with the last one,” Whisper said. “And it’s like I said before. Despite being his friend, I don’t approve of what he did, and just the thought of such nice people like you being caught in this nonsense just pisses me off.” She took a deep breath. “In fact, I’m so upset with him that I feel like I’m at the point where if I let my anger out, I would be literally spitting fire at him – and no, I can’t actually do that, as far as I know, so don’t ask.
“But at the same time, despite what he’s done…I still trust him and his judgement, at least to an extent. He’s spent years working in the interest of everypony on the island and doing all he can to win the trust of his people, so I really don’t think he do something so drastic and out of character unless he had a good reason.
I’m just pissed off because he hasn’t told anypony what that reason IS! Anytime he’s done something this big in the past, he’s shared his reasoning with everypony by now! And he’s not infallible, so I can’t even know if the reason for all this IS justified or if he just THINKS it’s justified and that is driving me up the wall! In fact, given how rotten his actions were back in Equestria and the fact that he still hasn’t made up for them yet, it almost feels like I can’t trust him right now! And THAT somehow just pisses me off even MORE! I know most ponies will be willing to wait for him to explain things himself, but I just want to shake him silly right now until he stops making me upset with him!”
Twilight could almost see the steam coming out of Whisper’s ears during her rant. A part of her wanted to try and comfort her, but she didn’t know what to say to make the situation any better. Thankfully, Diamond seemed to know what to do and wasted no time draping a leg over Whisper’s back, gently rubbing up and down the earth pony’s spine until her breathing began to slow.
“I know how you feel,” Diamond said gently. “But just give him some time. If he hasn’t told us why he’s done all this by now, then maybe he’s just waiting to tell Twilight first. And I trust that we’ll find out what’s going on in due time.” Whisper snorted, but eventually nodded in agreement.
“But how can you trust him so much in the first place?” Spike asked, taking the words right out of Twilight’s mouth. “Even if he is a king? What makes him so trustworthy, and why does not being able to trust him upset you?”
“He didn’t tell you yet?” Diamond asked, her eyes sparkling with a hint of surprise. “It’s because that’s his aspect!”
“Wait, what?” Twilight asked, turning to look at Speedy Diamond in confusion.
Why does this sound so…familiar?
“Of course Sparrow didn’t explain this,” Whisper groaned before taking a deep breath. “Celestia is the Alicorn of the Sun and Luna is the Alicorn of the Moon. The sun and moon are what we on the island would call their respective aspects. It’s what makes up a core of their ability and magical potential. Cadance is the Alicorn of Love, which while not a physical object, is still considered to be her aspect. Sparrow, for all his flaws and lack of explaining why he’s being a jerk recently, is the Alicorn of Trust. His unique magical abilities revolve around the trust ponies put in one another, and as a result he works his hardest to make sure that said trust isn’t misplaced.”
“That’s why ponies aren’t likely to be seen actively being hostile to him, even if his actions were extreme,” Diamond said with a nod. “Because they trust him. He’s spent centuries working to show everypony that he is worthy of their trust and doing what he thought was best for the island. Even if a lot of ponies disagree with his invasion of Equestria, he has spent so many years trying to do best by them that they are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and to wait for him to explain himself. Both because trust is what he represents, and because he’s worked hard to earn it from each of us over the years.”
“Though don’t take our passiveness as a sign of acceptance,” Whisper said. “Trust or not, I know quite a few ponies that are deeply upset with him, and only time will tell if he is able to prove that what he did was right or if he made a mistake. And if it is the latter, you can bet I’ll be giving him a piece of my mind. Loudly, and forcibly, and hopefully when there’s a bunch of other ponies around!”
“Agreed,” Diamond said, “Though I’ll probably stick to scolding him in private. Unlike Whisper over there, who can be a bit of a hot-head at times.”
“I AM NOT!” Whisper cried in shock, sounding almost offended even as she tried to hide a grin. “I just get a little bit…angry sometimes. Especially when ponies are messing with my farm or my animal friends.”
Twilight, however, was too distracted to respond.
Trust.
Sparrow is the embodiment of Trust.
That’s why ponies all trust him. Why no pony seems to be hostile even if they have a problem with his actions. Heck, maybe that’s why I thought that I could trust him when we first met, even if he immediately had an insane proposal! But what does magic involving trust even look like? Can he make ponies trust him regardless of his actions?
Wait, no. If that was the case, then I wouldn’t have any problems with what he did, would I? Because he could just make me trust that everything he did was for the best. And Spike wouldn’t be angry with Sparrow either, or at least not nearly as much as he is right now.
Unless…he’s just going to use his powers more subtly over time? To slowly build my trust in him in a way that seems natural but will eventually have me agree with everything he says? But assuming that Sparrow DOES have some sort of plan like that and that he DOES something like that to everypony else on the island, then why would Whisper and Diamond be able to show their dissent? Given how much the guard and Right Word trust Sparrow, their anger wouldn’t be needed for any kind of show to convince others that his powers don’t cause blind trust, especially since he could just eliminate that dissent with his trust abilities if he was that manipulative.
And Whisper and Diamond said he actively tries to make sure that everypony’s trust isn’t misplaced. That he works to gain everypony’s trust without the help of his magic. And they both seem to be honest; Whisper especially seems to be bluntly honest, a bit like Applejack when she’s having a bad day. And if they say he worked to earn their trust and that he’s normally a good pony, I think I can at least conclude that this isn’t all some long con. I still need to find out what he is REALLY like but…I don’t think he will just make me trust him.
Actually…Maybe his magic does have a subtle effect, and so he works to try and make sure it doesn’t make ponies trust him without cause? I know Cadance said ponies tend to be less confrontational when she’s around, and even a bit more romantic towards their respective partners, but that might just be because she’s the Princess of Love. But I don’t know how well I can compare Cadance to Sparrow here. Sparrow is stronger than both Celestia and Luna and, given his age, he may be more knowledgeable about magic as well. In fact, he could easily be hiding the extent of his power so as not to freak me out!
I think we can safely assume he IS hiding the full extent of his power seeing as Celestia and Luna do the same thing all the time. However, I also agree that he isn’t using it on you, at least presently. If he was, we probably wouldn’t be this upset with him and would likely notice some discrepancies when he’s not around. Or at least, I would hope we would…
That’s a fair point, but we also don’t know what he can do when he’s actively using his abilities compared to when he’s not. Like, say we get into a disagreement with him. What if his power could be used to prevent me from arguing with him? It would definitely be more obvious and wouldn’t be the subtle effects I was worried about, but it’s still a pretty unnerving prospect.
But would he do something like that at all? Because if he was going to do something like that whenever things got tough, then why would he put so much effort into earning ponies trust though his actions rather than just relying on his power? Maybe…Hmmm…Ok, maybe we should come back to this when we have more information. Panicking about what he can and can’t do is counterproductive if we can’t even be sure how his power works.
Plus, doesn’t this all seem…less surprising that it should be?
That…I mean, I guess? We didn’t have any theories on what he might be the Alicorn of, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to suddenly learn what his magic was based on.
That’s not what I mean. It’s more like…how do I even explain this feeling? It’s like…taking a test and all the questions seem familiar, or seeing somepony who you are sure you’ve met before. We didn’t know Sparrow was the Alicorn of Trust until now, but now that we know, it just seems…normal? It feels like…
Back in Canterlot, Twilight finished, remembering the day Sparrow had proposed to her. That strange sense of familiarity at seeing him. The way she could read his emotions so clearly right from the start, something that had taken years of time with her friends. She didn’t think much of it at the time, but looking back on it…
Why did she have these feelings about him? Some part of her wanted to say that her role as the Princess of Friendship had helped her improve her ability to read his emotions, but she never had the same feeling when she met Diamond, Whisper, or anypony else on the island. It was only Sparrow that brought those feeling to light.
Now that she thought about it, Twilight realized that she was still feeling those same pangs of familiarity now that she did back then. Almost as if…some part of her had known he was the embodiment of Trust, before she actually did.
A few hours later…
Down below the castle, in one of the old storage areas that was currently used for guard training, three members of the red team and three members of the blue team were currently practicing their stealth skills once again. Only this time, something odd was happening.
“Hey, Sarge, doesn’t this seem a little bit…too easy?” Simmer asked in a concerned whisper. “I mean, we haven’t seen any patrols in the last five minutes.”
“So?” Grind Stone said. “What’s so bad about it being easy? The less time we need to spend dodging patrols, the less time we need to spend crouching behind a corner. Seriously, how to you guys manage to stay crouching for so long?”
“Maybe because we actually practice our squats, lazybones.”
“Both of you shut up,” Sarge grunted, his eyes narrowing. “Simmer, you’re absolutely right. It’s quiet. TOO quiet. Something’s up.” He clicked his magic artifact in preparation. “Let’s move. Whatever’s happening, something tells me we don’t want to stay here.”
“But it’s just another stealth exercise,” Grind Stone said, following after the Sarge and Simmer as they made their way around the final shipping container and into the metal hallway that should lead them to the end of the training exercise course.
Though even Grind Stone had to admit it was weird that nopony was guarding this exit. This was where they had failed the last few times after all.
“Yeah, a stealth exercise where Tempest said we would need to finish within fifteen minutes or things would get MUCH harder,” Simmer said. “And it’s already been twenty minutes since we started!”
“Not all of us are afraid of time limits, you know,” Grind Stone said with an eye roll. “I just want to know how the heck Caboose finished in under three minutes! Seriously, he’s just making us look bad at this point.”
“Anypony who makes you look bad is fine by my book!” Sarge happily exclaimed. “Now come on, the exit is right there. We just need to open that door—”
BANG!!!
Without warning, the metal door in front of them was bucked clean off its hinges, forcing the three solders to dodge the heavy metal projectile as it was sent cartwheeling down the hallway.
“Door’s open, Sarge,” Grind Stone groaned sarcastically as he slowly got back to his hooves.
“What in tarnation!?” Sarge exclaimed, leaping back to his hooves and pointing his weapon at the open door. The pony standing in the ruined frame sent a shiver down Grind Stone’s spine.
It was the maniac that had punted him across the training fired the day before: Tempest Shadow. She was wearing a full set of purely black armor, including a helmet that was strangely bearing the symbol of the Storm King on it. And she was looking at them with a grin that could only be described as predatory.
“Why did you do that!?” Simmer cried in shock. Tempest just chuckled.
“Because, my dear little ponies,” she said, her voice sounding just like that of an evil super villain. “Since you failed to reach the end in under fifteen minutes, this stealth exercise has now been upgraded to a combat exercise. Against me!”
“So, I suppose the only question left to ask is,” Tempest said, cracking her neck as Grind Stone felt all the blood drain from his face and pure adrenaline began to flood his every cell. “Who’s first?”