"Ideas?" I glanced around our small circle. Bit, of course, stared back blankly. Onyx had a thoughtful expresion. Fluttershy shook her head slowly. We were sitting in my room, trying to think of a suitable barb for our sting.
"We have a party, we have a target; all we need is a SURPRISE!" Pinkie bounced extra high, scattering confetti.
"Pretty much."
We'd spent a while talking with Sapphire. We'd summarized what we knew, and she'd written her publicist about another event. I'd offered to write the newspaper, but she pointed out that might tip our hand to the opposition. What exactly we could do was still undecided. Pinkie had summarized it nicely. We had a location and bait, we just needed a trap. That was causing us some problems. How do you entice someone into revealing themselves? We needed more than a reason for them to show up; we needed something to break them out of their groove, scare or seduce them into revealing themselves. I was hoping Fluttershy would be able to spot them, but we couldn't pin all our hope on her.
"We could have door-hugs!"
"Yeah, we might catch them that way." I frowned. "But they might just not enter."
"It would still make the party better."
"Well…" Onyx started, slowly. "Isn't there already a method in place for a situation like this?"
"Hmm?"
"The changeling wards. They're designed to lock down an area for inspection, right?"
"Oh…oh! Hmm." I rubbed my jaw. He was right; this situation was precisely what the wards were for. They were designed to trigger on detection of a changeling, but since the builders had been working on incomplete information, they only activated for Chrysalids. That meant Onyx and Bit didn't have to worry walking around the city, but it also meant our prey was safe from us.
Unless we could find a way to manually trigger them.
"Good thought." If anyone had authority for that, it would be me. I pulled out my golden seal and inspected it carefully. "Yeah. Maybe we can work with that."
Drills. It was a drill.
"A 'changeling drill', to be precise." I nodded to Sapphire.
"Alright." She nodded back. "Good. I think this will work." We were standing…backstage? In the wings? Behind a curtain, behind the buffet. Pinkie was finishing her set-up for the party, or 'soiree' as Sapphire's publicist kept insisting. There was a fuzz of confetti and balloons scattered around small tables and the buffet bar, but it might be classy? As we watched, she added the finishing touches and joined us. "This ought to help clear my name, and if there's an imposter here, it may catch them."
"That's the plan." We walked together to the back, where Bit, Onyx, and Fluttershy waited. I checked Bit and Onyx's cutie marks; they had, as planned, changed them. An imposter, going by sight, shouldn't have known the next mark on our list, so they ought to be clear. We all had coins if we needed to double-check, but as long as we kept an eye on each other and kept our secrets close, we should be fine. "Okay! We're set up." I gave them all a long look.
"Remember, pair up, stay together, stick to the plan as best you can. Let's do this." They all nodded back in turn. Sapphire gave an especially determined nod, and we headed for the door. Although I didn't think there would be fighting, I'd take personal responsibility for her. Onyx and Pinkie were working to make sure the party flowed smoothly, while Bit and Fluttershy observed carefully in an attempt to spot imposters. They'd signal us if they spotted something so Onyx and Bit could get clear, and I'd start the drill.
As Sapphire opened the door, I plastered a smile on my face and tried to look friendly. It wasn't impossible, although I felt silly. I was wearing my suit again; it had cleaned up well, although the shirt had been a loss. As I'd guessed, Rarity had made me an even frillier cravat. I was just thankful she'd taught Bit to tie it.
I leaned on my cane, and nodded as pleasantly as I could to reporters, business mares, pop-culture icons, paparazzi and the occasional high-society pony as they filtered in. Beside me, Sapphire was all smiles and charm; she really knew how to lay it on. I admired her poise and self-control.
It wasn't long before all the guests had arrived. After that I found myself dearly wishing for Rarity as we commenced to… ugh, mingle.
It wasn't actual torture, for which I was glad. But for the most part, it was very, very dull. As Pinkie worked the buffet, I could nearly hear her teeth grind as she restrained herself from enlivening it with a prank or two. Sapphire kept her façade up at all times, and I kept an eye on her. I had to stop myself from searching the curtain for Fluttershy, especially when somepony brought dishes through. I hoped she'd spot something; a clue or tic, enough of a hint for us to act on.
Still, I tried to concentrate as Sapphire forced herself to be polite and friendly to dozens of ponies. Even if we didn't catch anypony, this was a good first step towards repairing her reputation.
I was a little disoriented when the wards triggered unexpectedly.
"What?" I mumbled, surprised, as bars of green light sprang into the air around us with a quiet humm. "This isn't…" My instincts kicked in, as something in my gut told me the plan had gone wrong. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. "What's up?" I tapped my earpiece, careless of who saw.
"Dunno." Pinkie sounded uncharacteristically serious. "Wasn't me this time." She and Onyx were coordinating, since I was 'in the field'.
"Dang." I stepped forward; the lines of light bent around me, merging and splitting as the spell reacted to my auth coin. Nearby ponies had gone quiet, or were whispering in surprise. The changeling wards had been demonstrated, but this was probably the first drill most of them had been in. We'd need to change that, after we got the Tezecan's position more settled. I stepped up to Sapphire and lowered my voice. "The response team should be here soon. Take a few minutes to be a leader; it can only help you. Your coin should let you leave if need be, but if they realize-"
"Hush, child." She gave me a stern look and I settled down. "Leave the show to me. Take care of the important part."
"Right." She knew what she was doing. I gave her a nod and made for the curtain. The wards should keep everypony in place until we had time for them, but unless we got lucky, we'd missed our mark. Nopony in there would have set the wards off acting as they did, and nopony had panicked. If an agent had been in the room, I'd have expected them to make a break for it. Those wards were tough, but they weren't meant to be a death-trap, so anypony determined to leave would. It just meant revealing themselves as a changeling. If our target didn't break character, they'd either underestimated the response team, or we couldn't spot them anyways.
"Got anything for me, Fluttershy?" I ducked behind the curtain, moving from the main room to the catering area. The ward-bars ended here. We'd set up the trap for the main room only. I checked Bit's markings; we were good.
"No, I-"
"Changeling!" We turned in surprise, as a yell came from the kitchen behind us. We shared a glance and took off running.
"Where'd they go?" I gasped, skidding through the door.
"That way!" An aproned pony waved towards the connecting hallway. "With a camera! They must have come from the ballroom!"
Dang. So they'd ducked out right before the wards fired. They either had really good luck, or…or they'd triggered the wards on purpose?
"Pinkie, Onyx, we've got a runner." I let the other team know. "Can you-"
"Here too!" Onyx spat back. "Somepony just teleported! I'm starting a sweep!"
"Ponyfeathers!" The wards weren't built for that, and I'd discounted the idea since it took so much magic or emotion to fuel. Desperation drives, I guess. We'd be better prepared next time.
Fluttershy took to the air behind me as I spun around a corner and dashed down the next hall. With only Bit's light hooves and my boots, I could hear the clatter of hooves from ahead. They were…on the stairs?
"This way!" I took a sharp left. Our prey was headed to the roof, and I knew a shortcut. Fluttershy gave a questioning glance as I led us outside, scanning quickly in the evening light for - there! The fire-escape hung down from the third story. I scrambled up as fast as I could. Fluttershy picked up Bit and followed.
We reached the top just as the fugitive did, the red sunset casting long shadows. A door slammed open across the roof. A bug with green eyes stepped out, wearing a cheap suit and carrying a camera. It dashed for the fire escape, but skidded to a stop as we came over the edge.
"Halt!" I held out my seal and stepped forward. Fluttershy alighted behind me. It was silly, but I'd go by the book for as long as I could. "I'm the Changeling Ambassador. You're under arrest-"
BZZZAP! The bug, fear writ large on its face, snapped off a magic bolt.
I instinctively dodged the crackling spell, dropping the seal and reaching for the knife I'd tucked into the small of my back. I came up out of my roll and realized that by dodging, I'd exposed Bit! The small bug staggered, gave me a pleading glance, and collapsed as its disguise flickered out.
Three gasps rang out in unison. My fist clenched so hard my knuckles cracked. The changeling stared at Bit, obviously shocked to find a bug working with us. Fluttershy…
Fluttershy was enraged. This was my second time seeing her angry, and I still found myself shivering at the emotion in her eyes. Her Stare hit the hapless bug like a steel pin transfixing a specimen.
"You don't hurt my friends!" Fluttershy yelled, taking a menacing step forward. The bug retreated, frantically scrabbling away. "They're good ponies! And Bitterbloom is innocent!" I sheathed my knife and dashed to my aide. I should have been more careful, even on a 'tame' mission! We needed to lay ground rules for teamwork and staying out of trouble! I sighed in relief as my fingers found a strong, slow pulse in the joints on its neck; Fluttershy had told me how to check for vitals. It was only asleep.
Behind me came twin shrieks of surprise and horror. I whirled. Fluttershy stood near the edge, shock on her face. The bug was gone, but in seconds a whirring sound rose and it re-surfaced, bobbing slightly on unsteady wings. She'd marched him backwards over the edge! He gave one last venomous look and retreated at full speed. I started to follow, but stopped as Fluttershy collapsed, shaking and crying.
"Onyx, ours took to the air. Maybe the sweepers will catch him, but I can't follow right now."
"Ours escaped, too. Pinkie did…something, and almost caught it, but not even she can keep up with speed-warping, apparently. It was yelling something…Pinkie, did you hear it?"
"Yup!" The pink pony's voice came through clearly. "It was really angry, and shouting about a Queen Phor… Phere... Phoresy! Maybe she's the leader?"
"Maybe." I frowned, but curtailed my curiosity. "Anyways, I need to support my team. We'll leave wrap-up to the response ponies; make sure you've got your coin ready, Onyx."
"Sure thing. Over and out." I slipped the comm out of my ear and picked up Bit. It was still surprisingly light for its size. Again, I promised myself to make sure it was eating enough, and carried it over to Fluttershy. I carefully laid it down and sat next to her.
"Shy, Bit's just asleep. You going to be OK?"
"I…" She gave a shuddering gasp. "I thought I'd killed him! He was backing up, and I didn't even think of the edge, and then he was gone, and when ponies fall off of things-"
"Shh, it's OK." I carefully hugged her, cautious of her feathers. "You didn't hurt anypony." I tried to think of something to say. My mind floated back to an afternoon with her in the caves.
"Fluttershy…" I paused, sorting my words. "I…I think I know how you feel."
"Huh?" She gasped between sobs, giving me a confused look but calming slightly.
"I…" I reluctantly tried to organize what I was thinking. "I know what it's like to hold back. To have a side of yourself that's both enticing and frightening. That's part of it, right? You're afraid of others, because you're a little afraid of yourself?"
"Mmmm." She gave a shuddering gasp. "I…I don't know how you do it, Wes. You're so strong."
"Heh, sometimes." I gave a wry laugh. "But I'm also not as kind as you are. I've hurt my friends before. You know that. It cuts me less, because my heart isn't as tender as yours. Still, though, I think they can take it." I remembered sparring with Rainbow. "Sometimes they even welcome a little pain, to help me." I gave her a serious look. "Fluttershy, I don't know what happened in the past, but I don't want you to ever be afraid of hurting me. If you need me to be there for you, just ask. I try to do the same, you know that. Friendship isn't a one-way street."
"You…you don't know…"
"No, I don't." I carefully smoothed out her mane. "I don't know what I’m asking. But that's OK, because I know you. I don't need to understand everything you've gone through, or everything you're doing, because I trust you. That's part of friendship, too. I trust your kindness."
"I've nearly hurt ponies with my…my Stare." She was calming down. She awkwardly pulled back from my hug, and wiped her tears carefully with a wingtip. She gave a quaking breath and looked me directly in the eyes. "I promised myself I'd never use it on anypony again. Just now, I-"
"Oh, Fluttershy." I pulled her into another hug, to an 'eeeep!' "Don't do that do yourself!"
"W-what?"
"Look." I released her again and scooted closer, leaning against her wing. "Something like… like vowing, that's dangerous. Like cutting off a hand to keep from stealing. It might help, but it damages in return. Sure, I don't think you should use it. But if you vow like that, it'll come back when you least expect, because you haven't really dealt with it. I should know."
"But…but I almost killed somepony!"
I rubbed my eyes. Was talking this out now a good idea? I glanced at Bit; it was still sleeping soundly. We had time, but…I glanced at Fluttershy. Would this be good for her? If I didn't ask, would she talk to anyone? Would waiting help, or hurt?
"But you didn't. And you're not talking about just now." I'd make the most of it. This was obviously hurting her, and maybe I could assuage that, if only a little.
"N…no."
I put an arm around her neck. She wrapped a wing around my shoulder, and her voice grew quieter.
"Did you ever hear how I got my cutie mark?"
"You fell off a cloud?"
"Hmmhmm." She shivered slightly. "I've never been a very strong flyer. Rainbow says I could be wonderful if I practiced, but…" She sighed. "Rainbow is a good friend."
"Hmm."
"Still, that wasn't the first time I'd been teased. And it wasn't the last, either. Rainbow tried to help, but I was too weak. Until, one day, I wasn't." She hesitated, gazing into space. "The Stare; it's pegasus magic."
"Really?" That was interesting; I'd never really heard about it anywhere else.
"Yeah. Rainbow told me a little about it." She giggled. "I think she actually went to a library and looked it up." I smirked at that, picturing a young Rainbow trying to dig through reference books. She'd have done it, too; no matter how much she hated it, her friend needed her help. "Apparently, pegasi used to fight lots."
"Yeah, they still have a strong martial tradition." Pegasi had been extremely warlike. Air superiority was always a big deal.
"Well, the Stare is…I'm not really sure. But it's been in pegasi history several times. And it's powerful."
"Sure."
"No, really powerful. I…um. Do you remember what it felt like, when I…"
"Pointed it at me?" I tried to recall. "I got this rushing noise in my ears, and you seemed to fill the room."
"It works on dragons. Full-grown, ancient wyrms."
"Oh." That was heavy-duty magic. "Maybe because it's an eye-contact thing?"
"I…um. I never did much research myself. That's…that's from personal experience."
"Wow." She shivered at the memory, and I squeezed her a little tighter. Hug the ponies. It helps, right?
For a bit, I thought she'd closed up. But she started speaking again, a bit more hesitantly.
"One day, I just got really, really angry. I still don't remember exactly what I yelled. All I know is that if Rainbow hadn't stopped me, I'd have hurt somepony. They would have dropped, like I did. And they might not have survived." Her wing tightened convulsively around my shoulder. "I left Cloudsdale soon after that. I wasn't even sure where I was going. I-I just needed to be away from there."
"And you moved to Ponyville?"
"Yeah. Everypony there was really nice. And maybe I am hiding in my little cottage. But my animal friends need my help, and they're cute and friendly."
I sighed. Fluttershy, like me, seemed to divide large parts of the world into 'safe' and 'not safe'. Her animal friends, and maybe Bit, were 'safe' because she knew what they needed. Her talent told her so. Her relationship with them was something she could understand. Ponies were unpredictable, and she didn't have the confidence to risk getting hurt. She let some ponies through because they'd shown a kind spirit, but she had little confidence in relating to others.
For me, the divide was a little different. I had things that I knew I could accomplish. If life stayed in those boundaries, I had no problems attacking my troubles head on, sure I could move forward. Like when Celestia sent me to the Crystal Empire. But when something unpredictable happened, like Bit, I was uneasy. As much as the responsibility stressed me, I knew it was because I'd been given something precious. If I didn't value Bit, I wouldn't have cared. The price of failure was high, and I couldn't afford to fail an innocent child. But I was getting better at this whole 'friendship' thing, right? I'd touched Sunset’s heart. I glanced at Fluttershy. Maybe I could be more than a shoulder to cry on here, too.
"Listen, Fluttershy. I don't know if you've ever talked with Applejack about her childhood?"
"N-no."
"Well, she had some troubles, some serious ones even. But because of them, she learned to be honest. I won't say what happened is good, but you've become good through it, even despite it! You're the Element of Kindness, empirically the kindest pony in Equestria. You've got the necklace and everything! You didn't try to hurt that changeling; it was an accident. I know power is scary. Hay, the power I've been given is terrifying at times." I glanced at Bit. "Especially by this one. But turning your back usually isn't the answer. All I can do is my best, and I'm never sure if it's good enough, even though they deserve more. But you can't live in fear of yourself. Have a little heart; we're all here for you."
"I-if you will, too." She gave me a serious glance. "You need to do your best for Bit, but you're strong! Y-you can do it!"
"Heh, sure." She squeezed me with her wing. "I'll try, if you will. Friends, confidently!" I raised a fist to the sunset.
"Yay!"
"Thanks for your work." I yawned and nodded to the head of the response team, who hesitantly bowed. "None of that!" I waved a hand in annoyance. "I'm allergic to formality. Go home, get some rest. We're done here." I flipped through the pages I'd been given; nothing unexpected. Our targets had escaped, Sapphire wasn't a changeling, yadda yadda. Looked good to file, which was enough for me. Finally, we could get to bed.
"So, I'm in the clear?" The pop singer pranced up to me, and gave my document a curious glance.
"Ever since I hugged you." I shrugged. "This was for the benefit of your guests." I rubbed my jaw thoughtfully. "It's disappointing. We may have cleared your name, but the rest has been mostly a wash." I underlined the one name we'd managed to discover: Phoresy. "Still, we've learned lots about what to change. How about you? Is your image doing better?"
"Oh, positively!" She gave me a wide grin, and passed back the auth coin. "Thank you so much for your help, Mister Kilmer. I have no idea what I'd have done without you."
"You're welcome." I grinned broadly. "It was a genuine pleasure, Sapphire. I'm glad I could help. We will be setting up drills, soon, to guard against these situations." Once we got the Tezecans sorted out. I glanced at the rest of my team. "But we're done for the night." I yawned. "And we're headed back tomorrow. You've got my address, if you need to reach me."
"Of course." She gave me a farewell hug, and I only twitched a little.
The rest of the group fell in around me as we headed for bed. We were done, although it had been a long night. I'd file the report and we'd start adjusting operating procedures.
"It wasn't quite a wash."
I glanced at Onyx, who was thinking seriously and walking alongside.
"One name is nothing to have a party for."
"But that won't stop us! Right?" Pinkie gave me a hopeful look.
"Heh, of course not." I grinned back; her smile was infectious.
"That's not what I meant." Onyx swiped the report from me, and paged through to the statements we'd each recorded describing our encounters. He underlined a few words and passed it back. "This is in all three of your statements, those of you on the roof. Even Fluttershy mentioned it."
"Green eyes?" I quirked an eyebrow. "Sure, but that's hardly surprising. Changeling eyes stand out when you don't use a disguise. The rest of you is pretty drab."
"Not my point." He motioned to Bitterbloom. "What color are her eyes?"
"Gray."
"Because she's a hatchling. And mine?"
"Blue."
"Because I'm Tezecan. And Wraith's?"
"Red."
"Because she ate red. Pinkie, what color were the eyes of the changeling you chased?"
"An icky purply gray!"
Onyx nodded, and turned back to me.
"You know the color of Chrysalis' eyes?"
"…green."
"Get it?"
"Oh, man." I rubbed my forehead. "Do you mean that…"
"Exactly. The wards were triggered on purpose, by the one agent besides you who had the power for it. A Chrysalid. The third hive isn't as defunct as we'd imagined."
"Urgh." I rubbed my head; this report needed to be amended. "On the positive side, that is significant information."
"And the negatives?"
"Hmm, nope." I clenched a fist. "On the even more positive side, I've wanted to punch Chrysalis for a while. We've got no choice in the matter now." I grinned fiercely. "Let her try. We'll make her pay." I gave Fluttershy a grin, and she smiled sweetly back. "We've got this."
"Weeeees?"
"Down here, Twilight!"
"Oh, what's-" Twilight slowly opened the lab door.
"Twilight?" I watched, slightly worried, as she took in my contraption with a long, sweeping glance. I'd been working on it all afternoon. She didn't even register Bit, who was carefully categorizing my notes. "Are you OK?" Her eye twitched.
"Is that all my silver wire?"
"Ummm….maybe?" I laughed weakly, and slid the empty spool behind a beaker. "I'll put it back, I promise!"
"Ugh, nevermind." She rubbed her forehead. "What are you doing?"
"Well…." I picked up one of the neat stacks Bit was making. "You remember how Rarity lent me her brooch, and I kinda-sorta broke it?"
"Blasted it, you mean." She gave my contraption another glance, looking more curious. It was a giant spiderweb, with chunks of singing stone scattered through like dewdrops. Chalked sigils and construction marks ran wildly around it, delineating flows of power and carefully-plotted balances. "I'll admit, it was an elegant solution, given what you worked with."
"Yeah, I explode things real good." I grinned. "I've been looking for a way to repay her, and I'm curious about the possibilities of singing stone. So I'm experimenting."
"Is this a mute spell?" She scratched the outermost ring, the only active circuit. It glowed gently.
"Yeah. One of the few I can cast unaided. I'm really only an echonarch, when you get right down to it."
"Nonsense. You're spellcraft is nothing to sneeze at."
"Well, sure. Echonarchy and ritual magic." I shrugged. "Still, I'm not sure if this'll work."
"Again, what's up?"
"Oh, right. Well, I had a few chunks of singing stone left over from what I sold Vinyl, and I came up with this idea. See, singing stone forms when natural magic condenses into the matrix of a crystal. This causes the surrounding air-"
"I know how singing stone works."
"Sorry." I frowned, rubbing my jaw. "Long story short, I thought maybe I could transfer the enchantment." I pointed to the gem in the center of the construction. "The idea is to suck the magic out of the donor pieces, and concentrate them on the beryl - an emerald. I'd have gone with corundum, but that's nearly a nine on the moh scale. The softer stone ought to be easier to enchant, even if it has less potential. I just hope it's not too occluded."
"Hmmm." She paced around the construct, inspecting. "Novel, but I'd expect no less from you. It's supposed to funnel the power along these artificial leylines?" I nodded. "Mind if I double-check?" I felt a tap on my temple.
"Please." I inspected the sigils again, letting her look through my eyes. She scanned through my notes, checking my logic, and compared it to her own.
"It might work." She shrugged. "You're working from uncertain assumptions. It hangs on the sympathy coefficient of silver, when it comes to echonarchy."
"Why would that be different from arcanology?" I scrabbled through my notes, coming up with a page of figures. Bit patiently started reorganizing the pages as soon as I dropped them.
"Hello, it's a different school!" She gave a frustrated snort. "Conversions are usually unimaginable."
"Twilight…." I gave her a long glance. "Are you frustrated about something?"
"No! Nothing!"
"Oh, I'm super convinced." I resolved to press her later. "Well, nothing to do but try. I was going to ask for your help on this part, anyways." I mentally requested a thread of power. She obliged easily.
I drew my wand, and waved it gently in the air over the construct. One by one, I activated the circuits. First the guide-lines, to control power flow. Then the buffers, for safe operation. Next the feedback loops, which kept everything in carefully-calculated tolerances. Once those were active I lit the central lens, my carefully selected emerald glowing green in the flickering light. After that, I began activating extraction cells around each piece of donor stone, ten times the weight of my target in singing limestone.
By the time I finished I was breathing heavily, and my concentration was straining. Twilight smiled and took some of the strain. I gave a grateful gasp as she shouldered most of the burden, her highly-trained abilities barely noticing it.
"Alright." I pointed my wand at the lynchpin, the last piece of ritual magic that would set this whole thing moving. It was outlined with a big red switch. "Ready?"
"Go for it!" She gave the machine a determined smile. I grinned at that; if anything could cheer Twilight up, it was a bit of spell-work. I gave her a thumbs-up and started the process.
It was strangely silent, due to the mute spell. Inside the rings, power slowly swirled. At first, tiny neon pulses ran along the silver wire. They slowly grew, activation energy freeing power from the stones in an intricate interplay of glints. As the potentials surged, the pulses grew and sped, merging into a shimmering aura around the wires.
By then, the effect on the stones was becoming obvious. The limestone was crumbling, each fracture releasing power. Fine drifts of powder grew beneath them. The hazy aura of magic slowly swirled inwards, concentrating on the gem I'd selected. The emerald was mostly obscured by now, but before it was completely blocked, I could see it vibrating.
The whole process took a good ten minutes. I glanced at Bitterbloom, who had carefully straightened my notes again and was intensely monitoring the sections I'd assigned. Although the responsibility of taking care of the bug might be weighty, I had to admit it really was helpful. Spike had taught it a lot, and its aptitude and willingness were never lacking.
Finally, the last of the magic swirled into the center. A few wisps of power still hung over the construct, and I noticed the silver was sagging from the heat in a few places. I winced; looks like I'd have to get Twilight some more wire. That wouldn't re-spool.
"So, think it worked?" I asked, as the last wisp of magic dissipated.
"No idea." Twilight gave the emerald a curious stare. "Something happened." She reached out a hoof and wiped away one of the sigils for my mute spell.
We all flinched as a horrible shriek filled the room. It sounded like a chorus of fingernail-blackboards. Twilight jumped to repair the mute.
"Wow." I gazed at the little gem with newfound respect. "That was not what I intended." To say the shrieking was unpleasant was putting it lightly, though it hadn't caused physical pain.
"Is this a loss, then?" Bit gave me a questioning glance. We'd been discussing ideas of 'value' and 'responsibility' lately.
"Maybe, maybe not." I shrugged. "Although this isn't what I intended, there may be uses for it. While it's not as beautiful as I hoped, it's extremely magical. There may even be a way to complete the spell."
"I don't know about that." Twilight gave the setup a skeptical glance. "I think your assumptions on the efficiency of silver were fine for room temperature, but the extra heat threw them off. The magic transferred without harmonizing naturally." She rubbed her jaw. "in order to 'fix' the gem, you'd need to re-layer each enchantment through a separate normalizing buffer. It would be easier to just start over."
"You're probably right." Her off-the-cuff analysis was backed by a magic talent and years of study, after all. I gave the emerald a glum stare. "Well, at the very least, the knowledge will be valuable. It was really just an experiment." I shrugged. "I'll be back with a muting case for the stone later; I'll clean up then." I fixed her with a glance. "Now, what's bothering you, and why were you looking for me?"
"Ugh." She frowned, as reality flooded back. "Right. You guys wanted to register for the Battle of the Bands, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I need to double-check some things. it's a big deal this year. The whole festival is giving me a headache, but the Battle especially. We've got eight bands, from all over! We hardly have anyplace big enough to stage it, and I'm not even sure how big the audience is going to be!"
"Woah, calm down." I gave her a friendly pat. "First things first. Who are you working with?"
She gave me a blank stare, and I facepalmed.
"Look, Twilight, please tell me you're not trying to organize the entire Summer Wrap-up and Hoedown by yourself?"
"Umm…"
"No, don't say anything. Zeroth things zeroth, let's find you some assistance."
"Twilight, Twilight." Sunset shook her head, staring at the pile of documents. "I'm impressed, but horrified. Teacher always said, 'Good leaders…?'"
"Delegate." The other unicorn sighed. "But Sunny, I'm responsible! I need to be sure it's all done right!"
"Well Sparky, while 'if you want something done right, do it yourself' is usually true, it's simply impractical here." She shrugged.
"Sparky?"
"I'll let him," Sunset pointed at me, "call me Sunny. But unless you suddenly become my sister, calling me by a pet name will get you one in return." She grinned. "Anyways, I hear you explode when you get angry. Sparky sounds about right."
"Once. Explode once, and you never live it down! Fine. Sunset. So, will you help?"
"Sure." Sunset nodded. "It'll give me a chance to get acquainted with the town, and I like being in charge."
"No, you need to share." I gave her a frown. "Play nice, Sunset. We're your friends, and we'd like to stay that way."
"Of course, of course. When I say I like being in charge, I meant we still need more ponies." She sat down and started scribbling on Twilight's notes. "We're going to need lots more help, so that's our first order of business. Minions."
"Oh, hey." I picked up a loose leaf of paper. "Is this the band roster?"
"Yeah." Twilight nodded. "There's still a week to register, but that's most of you."
"Oh, we're on here already." I pointed to Vinyl's band-name, 'Electric Blue Grass'. "And that's all of us. Vinyl, Lyra, Artemis, and me."
"Good!" Twilight pulled out a checklist, and ticked off 'double-check band entries - Wes'. "Now, do you know what you're entering in the prize pot?"
"Prize pot?" I gave her curious glance.
"Really." She sighed. "Hasn't Vinyl told you anything? Every band competing puts something valuable into the prize pot. The winners get the whole thing, and a double slice of the performance money."
"Oh, cool. And the losers?"
"A single slice. Half the revenue goes to the town, the rest is divided into n-plus-one equal-"
"Ok, I think I get it." I frowned. "Is it usually a lot?"
"It can be." She shrugged. "Comparatively. Some of these bands make significantly more, like Vivre Musicale here." She motioned to the list. "Octavia Melody is a big name, even in Canterlot. But it's nothing to sneeze at, especially when you factor in the rest of the prizes, and this year it's going to be larger."
"Huh." I read the list again. "Bit, copy this for me, would you?" I handed my assistant the list. It passed back two pages in a few moments. "Hey, mares." They turned from their work to look at me. "I've got practice soon. If you like, I could ask Bit to help you?" Twilight hesitated a moment, but nodded.
"Once again, from the top!" Vinyl flipped her earphones down and waved to us. Lyra started us off with her drums, and after a few bars I came in on my synth. Luna, as Artemis, drew in a deep breath and launched us into the song.
"Good!" Vinyl grinned, as we ended with a crescendo. "We're really starting to come together." She pushed herself back from the soundboard. "Really great job, guys. Artemis, you're excellent as usual. Lyra, I'm picking you up nice and clean, but be careful not to speed through the last chorus. Wes, you're doing better, but keep practicing."
I nodded. We were trying to drill ourselves into a semblance of competence for the Battle of the Bands. I'd been practicing intensely. I could play most of the songs, and I was even getting to the point where I could start following Lyra and Artemis' leads through the melody and rhythm. I was easily the weakest member, but that was expected; we hadn't been together long. I was still surprised by my progress. My bandmates thought I'd be presentable by the time of the Hoedown. Having teachers with magical talents must have helped.
It also helped they'd assigned me simple music, with few technical challenges and no improvisation. I could get the notes down through my own study and practice, but true competence took all of us working together. I could see marked improvement in my skills, and I was starting to think I could hold up my part of the performance.
"Oh, hey." I pulled the roster from my pocket. "Here's the bands, as of now."
"Ooo!" Lyra swiped it, scanning quickly. "Ponytones, Vivre Musicale, us, The Whom, oh!"
"What?" Vinyl gave her a sharp stare.
"The B-sides are playing!"
"Oooooh. Awesome."
"Wait, what?" Artemis and I exchanged confused glances. "Who's that?"
"My brother!" Vinyl gave a wide grin, and turned back to her tables. "Long Play, although he goes by thirty-three and a half LP on stage. If he's coming, this is going to be fun~! Winning will really be a challenge!"
"Hold up; are you serious? Do you think we can win this?" I gave her a searching look. I'd thought we were just in this for the kicks.
"Well, nothing's certain." Lyra shrugged. "Still, there's more to this thing than just the music." Vinyl nodded at that.
"We need tactics, too." The DJ flopped down on her cushion. "This works like so." She held up a hoof. "We all set up, and take turns playing. You get a few songs to start, but after that you play and wait for applause and votes. Whoever gets the least drops out. It goes on until there's only one band left. Here's the thing." She waved to the sheaves of music we'd been practicing.
"You need to be able to react, at least a little. It's hard to tell what the crowd will like until you get on stage. We've been working on several songs, more than we'll probably need, so we can adjust what we're playing in response to our opponents." She motioned to the roster. "We've got some really skilled opponents. Octavia's Vivre Musicale is not to be sneezed at, and the Ponytones have a strong home-field advantage. The Whom are popular, and Heavy Metal Airship is nearly legendary, although their hardcore fanbase is small. In comparison, we're practically no-names. In order to counter that, we're going for bombast." She waved at her wall of speakers.
"We'll sound different, but not enough to lose ponies. We want to find what works best, and do it better than the other bands. Thing is, my brother thinks the same way, and he's an expert. We'll be going up against a top-class show-stallion." She shrugged. "It will make things interesting. One thing that'll help is that he insists on writing all his own songs. It usually works for him, but since we're doing some covers and remixes, we've got an edge there. Popular songs are popular."
"And that's OK?" Artemis asked, hesitantly.
"Hay yeah!" Vinyl gave her a glance. "I thought I went over this. There's no rules about what you can or can't do. It's all decided by the audience. The only thing they really frown on is lip-synching." She shrugged. "And even that, if you've got a good enough show, will get a few claps. I've just never seen anypony win with it."
"So what are we putting in the prize pot?" I asked.
"Hmm." Vinyl frowned. "No idea."
"How about a set of your new wireless hookups?" Lyra waved at the stubby rods beaming music from the mixer to the speakers.
"Maaaaybe." Vinyl gave them a dubious glance. "I still think they need more testing."
"They're fine." Lyra snorted. "You're just saying that because you want to keep them all!"
"What? No!"
I smirked, and turned back to my music. They'd agree eventually, and I would practice in the meantime. If we were serious about this, I would do my very best.
"Wes!" I looked up. Rainbow swooped through the forest canopy, wafting to a halt before me. "What are you doing out? Don't you know there's a storm scheduled today?"
"Yes, actually." I pointed to the waxed wool poncho strapped to my small pack. "I'm counting on it. It's the reason I'm hunting today. Still, I think I'll be past the edges."
"You're hunting?" Rainbow's eyes widened in curiosity. "What for?"
"Want to come and see?" I smiled, emphasizing my canines. Bit was spending time with Sakura, but company wouldn't go amiss.
"Hmm." She rubbed a hoof through her mane, considering and curious. "Yeah, why not? The sky is arranged! Things should be fine."
"What brings you to Whitetail Woods?" I asked, and started along the path. It was warm, breezy and overcast, a good day for walking and talking.
"I was checking on tomorrow's winds." Rainbow floated beside me. "With the Hoedown this weekend, things need to be set up in advance to ensure good weather. These woods are tricky. We need a convection cell, but the temperature can change with the leaves."
"Oh?" I was a little surprised by the sudden scholarly tone, but she was a professional, and leader of the weather team. "Actually, I had a weather question. How do you deal with thaumically charged air from the Everfree?"
"It's interesting you'd ask that-"
We walked for a while, discussing the science and magic of weather manipulation, until we reached the vantage point I'd decided on. I spread my poncho on the grass and unpacked the lunch I'd brought, splitting with Rainbow.
"Uh, Wes?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you really hunting?"
"Yup. Why?"
"It's just, this seems awfully...tame. All we've done is walk. I thought maybe we'd be sneaking around, or fighting monsters or something."
"Hah, no. Today, we're waiting for our prey to come to us."
"So, this is it? Well, Ok." She flopped down on the other side of the poncho, and bit into the sandwich I'd laid out. "Woah, this is good! What's in it?"
"Peanut butter and zap-apple jam."
"Mhmfhph."
I quirked an eyebrow at her mumble, and she smirked.
"Exactly." I deadpanned. She snorted, nearly inhaling her sandwich. "Oh look, there goes the rain." I pointed to where the storm was breaking over Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres, clearly visible from our lookout. I'd brought the poncho just in case, but my worries were unnecessary. We were well out of the way. I popped the top off my cider bottle, and offered Rainbow a swig. She accepted gratefully, washing the sticky sandwich down.
"So, if you're not hunting, what are you up to?"
"Oh, I'm hunting all right. But my prey's not as easily found as a monster or a plant." I flopped onto the cool grass, watching the cloud cover fray as it deluged the town. The rain should end in an hour or so. I took a bite of sandwich, and tried for words to explain how I felt. A little homesick, mostly. "I'm...well, I'm hunting for a piece of home."
"Home...you mean Earth?"
"Yeah. Kinda. Well, um, not really. I mean, not...an actual artifact, or anything. Not a lead on how to get home, or stories of other humans to investigate, or any of that."
"Then what are you looking for?"
"A reminder. A promise. I'm not really sure. This just seemed like a fun and interesting idea, so...yeah. I was feeling melancholy the other day, and I decided to do it."
"So, what are we doing now?"
"Waiting."
"That's all?"
"Yeah. If I'm right, you'll see what I mean. If not, that's it." She flopped down on the grass.
"Ok then, I'm taking a nap. Wake me up when something happens."
"Sure." I swigged my cider and settled myself. Elusive prey took patience.
"Wake up." I nudged Rainbow. Her eyelids slowly rose and she yawned hugely. "Look." I pointed over the valley, where the spent rainstorm was dissipating. The scattering clouds caught the afternoon sun, low in the sky behind us. In the haze, resplendently chromatic, hung a rainbow. It was different from the ones the weather department put up; it shimmered and danced, catching a depth of color and iridescence that made the artificial ones seem rather flat. Her pupils shrank slightly at the sight.
"That's..." She breathed.
"A wild rainbow." I finished the thought. "I figured I might see one from the right part of the mountain. You need to be right here to see it. Neat, huh?"
"Yeah." Her voice was small. "Is that what you were looking for?"
"Mmhmm." I stared longingly at the bands of illusory color. "On Earth, all rainbows are wild, elusive and fleeting. They've been symbols of hope for a long time, so I thought I'd try finding one here. It's not much, but...seeing one like this, it means something to me. It's a little different from the weather department ones."
"Yeah. It's so deep. Like you could fly through it forever."
"Some human legends say they're bridges to heaven."
We sat in silence until the ethereal spectacle faded. I rose, folded my poncho, and led the way down the mountain.
"Hey, Wes...thanks for inviting me."
"No problem, Dash. It's nothing between friends, right?"
"So, did you hunt rainbows back on Earth?"
"Once, as a child...see, there's a story that treasure's hidden where they touch the ground-"
We slowly made our way back into town, talking and laughing.