Wrath and Watch
“It’s nice.”
His hostess’ gimlet eye momentarily froze him in place, keeping him pinned where he was for just enough time to remind him of who she was, before she turned. “Nice.”
“Ostentatious? Showy? Hideously gauche?”
“I’m certain that somewhere here is a timekeeping mechanism so I know how much of my time you are wasting and thus how many pounds of flesh to take from your hide.” She informed him coldly. “And speaking of hideously gauche…”
He was tempted, foolishly, momentarily, before letting it pass. “I’m still alive so I can only assume that you were amused enough to entertain me.”
“Doth my ears deceive me?” She smirked. “A protégé of Folly…”
“Lord Quezel…”
“Folly,” she interrupted sharply, a hint of mockery in her tone. “An idiot going from failure to failure, defeated before he even thought about fighting, played by Trilychi like one of those absurd druumakai noisemakers. Followed by more like him, just as stupid, and some who were stupid and then grew wise. Have you grown wise, heir of Folly?”
“I would scarcely conceive of the game otherwise.”
“That remains to be seen.” She turned from him and swayed over to the large, square rough-hewn table, resting a hand on it and pivoting, swinging around to the far side and leaning over the table so stormy golden eyes could lock onto his. “You are bold, at least, and not cowardly.”
“I can scarce gather prizes if I’m too frightened of failure to remain on the field.” He stepped forward to stand opposite her. “And I have gathered many prizes.”
“Yes.” Her lips compressed very slightly. “The hope of a beloved, the music of a bard, the love of a friend, the joy of a parent, the destiny of an entire world, the light in the darkness. Fit prizes, to be sure, but fit for whom? That is what separates those of Power from others.”
He permitted himself a smirk. “You are displeased.”
“I am.” The grand, throne-like chair hadn’t been there before but now, she pulled it out and sat in it, looming over him despite looking up at him from her seat. “You’ve paid the price to come in the door but will you even be entertaining sport with such prizes?”
“You must have thought I would if you permitted me a chair at this table,” he responded reasonably, taking his seat in a much less ostentatious but equally comfortable chair.
“Your origin, and the fact that you are alive, intrigues me. I desire to see what prize you’re after and why you think you can snatch it from me.” She placed a hand palm-up on the table, a small black object that looked like a reptile scale smoldering inside. “My opening wager: corruption vanquished.”
He imitated her gesture, a white flame dancing on his open palm. “Hope stolen.”
Both eyebrows went up. “That’s a rich wager for a minor prize.”
“But meet for a rich prize,” he responded.
Her gaze grew wary. “And what is the prize?”
“Magic poisoned,” he proclaimed. “My first prize will be an optimus of a measured world.”
His hostess looked steadily at him, searching for a hint of uncertainty or jest, before her face became stone. “Name?”
“Sol Selune.”
Dead eyes regarded him. “No.”
“No?”
“No,” she repeated. “You bargain for the second of my patron worlds. I permitted Folly to bargain for the first and he slaughtered pointlessly, doing harm without any prospect of being victorious.”
“What if this wasn’t to be a game of overt war?”
She regarded him. “Explain.”
“War is… untidy and not necessary,” he replied. “We both know that there are particular individuals upon whom all the world turns. I propose to war on a much more subtle level for the optimus I wish as my prize.”
“I am intrigued. Continue.”
“I will corrupt the optimus with temptation and pain. It can be done and was done quite recently and thoroughly by one of my lesser, although to a much older and more seasoned target.”
She stared at him before her mouth curled into a smirk. “What do you propose for the laws of our contest?”
“Any tool we have is game. Neither can kill or cause to be killed but death is allowed, so long as it’s not the will of the players.” He stated. “A neutral mediator will decide victory and award the prize.”
“Allies are tools?”
“Of course.”
“Very well, but with a condition: the mediator will be Lord Trilychi of the Eighth. Neither of us can predict him and he acts according to his own motivations. He favors neither of us and so, neither of us have an advantage under his judgment.”
He swallowed, feeling a quiver of fear at the idea of the seemingly omniscient Lord supervising. “But he’s…”
Her eyes narrowed. “You should have counted all the costs before you were bold, boy. Either accept that you will suffer at his claws for your stupidity and impudence even if you are victorious, or take your wager and leave my place.”
“That’s not my…”
“I do not especially care.” Dead eyes suddenly lit up with anger. “Take a care, scion of the Void, and heed well: in bargaining for my most precious possession, for an optimus that is exquisite and beautiful to me, you have insulted me. I keep such tools hidden in my hands that you can scarce comprehend them and because you offer a calculated insult, I have a mind to use them all without restraint. I have in my hands allies of staggering power, one of whom is below your own rank but causes even the recklessly courageous to cower in their ranks for fear. I will entertain you and play your game but you had best hope you win or I shall harm you such that all creation speaks of it. And if you harm more than you ought, if you break the laws of this contest, if you attempt to take the Dusk or the Dark from me by wrong means, you are forfeit. Do we understand one another?”
He swallowed again, abruptly reminded once again that in this contest, his opposition was not a mere lieutenant or guardian but one of the Lights herself. After several moments of shaking a little under the weight of the reminder, he carefully stilled his trembling and looked across the table at his opponent with what he hoped was a blank, if not calm, expression. “We do.”
“Good.” And just like that, the table was occupied by a chess board, one larger than a typical chessboard would be and without any of the pieces. She inclined her head towards him. “I will concede first gambit to you.”
“Ought we to await our mediator?”
She laughed, a genuine and not-mocking laugh. “And deprive him of the tantalizing challenge of seeing the game in the middle and having to discern the beginning from it? One does not wisely commission a mediator such as he without offering payment and exercises of intellect are rich payment indeed in his mind.”
“That is well-said and I thank you for the concession.” He raised his hand and a vaguely human-esque figure with a scroll in one hand and an upraised pistol in the other materialized to be grasped between thumb and forefinger and moved forward one space. “Your move.”
She gave a short laugh of delight. “Ah, you are much more cunning than you appear! Very well then; you invoke wrath and watchfulness and I shall invoke...”
“…the shape of the gem, darling.”
Twilight Sparkle blinked and looked up from her scroll, already nearly full of tidy hornwriting. “The shape of the gem?”
A tiny tension around her lips was the only sign that Rarity was irritated at the question, a sign that stood out like a red flag for a close friend but would be all but invisible to anypony else. “Yes, dear, the details are important and one of those details is the shape of the gem.”
Twilight hurriedly wrote this down. “The current shape or the shape you need it to be at the end?”
Rarity smiled a little, amused. “I’m not a gemcutter, darling. I can do some rough shaping but for intricate work, I know somepony in Manehattan.” The fashionista canted her head slightly. “Why are you worried about gemcutting anyway, Twilight?”
Twilight shuffled her hooves a little. “Well, I was going to present a paper at the College about the relative flow factor in codirectional gem enchantment for transportational weight alleviation related to…” She cleared her throat at Rarity’s steady look. “…um, and I wanted to be able to craft the gems for the demonstration portion, uh… myself.”
Rarity eyed her skeptically. “You’ve never shown interest in making your own in the past, Twi. Why now?”
“Well… it’s a very important paper and… um…”
Rarity seemed to read her mind and her affectionately-exasperated look spread across her face. “Twilight Sparkle, you’re eventually going to have to get over your fear of being less than perfect in front of Princess Celestia. Especially now.”
“I… can’t help it,” Twilight fretted. “I mean, she’s always been like a mother and now she… literally is my mother. I don’t want to… disappoint.”
Rarity gave her another fondly-exasperated-friend look. “Darling, short of bullying foals and kicking bunnies, I don’t think you can disappoint her.”
“I know,” Twilight admitted. “Still it’s so… different. Ponies call me ‘Lady’ without even thinking about it now. I’ve even gotten called ‘Princess’ once or twice and I’m just… I haven’t even finished the honors certificate!” She gestured roughly towards her wings. “I have these now and my mom’s Princess Celestia and suddenly, I’m special to everypony instead of just special to a few friends and…”
“Twilight!” Rarity’s Manehattan accented-voice brought her out of her fretting like a whip cracked over her head and she stared at the fashionista. Rarity took a breath, used a hoof to tuck an imaginary strand of loose mane behind an ear, then looked sternly at Twilight. “Darling, you’ve had months to get used to it and I know you’re humble to a fault—we had to twist your leg to make you stand up to an obnoxious braggart, for goodness sake…”
“Speaking of Trixie…”
Rarity faltered for a moment but Twilight’s hopes of diverting her friend were dashed when Rarity gave her a look and cleared her throat. “…but the fact is, you are a ‘lady’ under the rules of nobility. It’s your proper title now and you’re certainly not ashamed of being the Princess’ daughter.”
“No!” Twilight proclaimed with much more vehemence than she’d meant to. “I’m…” She felt herself smile. “It’s been like all the research paying off with the perfect answer, a fact that makes perfect sense and explains everything.”
Rarity smiled happily. “Then concentrate on being happy about that and don’t worry about the little things.”
Twilight couldn’t help but grin a little at the famously fussy dressmaker. “Coming from you…”
“I wouldn’t be a proper lady otherwise,” the white unicorn sniffed proudly before her expression turned positively predatory. “Speaking of being a proper lady, Twilight, I do hope you at least wear something elegant to court.”
Twilight shrugged as she nervously put distance between herself and the nearest tape measure. “Mom and Aunt Luna don’t so I see no reason to.”
As per her normal modus operandi, Rarity affected a perfectly scandalized look. “That is because they are Princesses, darling!” She informed Twilight in the eminently authoritative tone she slipped into whenever the matter of fashion or manners or anything else loosely related to high society came up. “They can wear crowns, smiles, and not a stitch more…”
“Rarity, they do wear crowns, smiles, and not a stitch more.”
Her friend dismissed this with a wave of her hoof, barreling onwards. “…and no one would dare speak against it. But you’re the royal daughter and niece! You must represent yourself as a lady!”
Twilight sighed. “Rarity, I don’t need a new dress to present a research paper!”
“It doesn’t need to be anything fancy darling,” Rarity wheedled. “Something simple. Elegant. Compliments those beautiful wings just so.”
“Rarity, with you ‘simple’ and ‘elegant’ means you don’t use silk and diamonds,” she deadpanned. Then she saw the beginnings of Rarity’s next stage of persuasion—a sad pitiful expression that would put Fluttershy to shame—and held up a hoof in surrender. “Alright, Rarity, alright. But simple. I’m not going to the Grand Galloping Gala.”
Rarity bounced a little on her hooves—which, Twilight sternly told herself, looked nothing like when Pinkie did it—and threw her arms around her. “You shan’t be disappointed darling!”
Twilight chuckled as she hugged her friend in return. “Rarity, that’s like saying that I can expect the sun to rise in the morning.”
Rarity beamed at the compliment. “You’re too kind darling.” She let Twilight go. “After we’re done, you should go and relax and stop worrying. Maybe see if Rainbow is…”
Twilight cringed. “I think if I spend one more day ‘learning the basics’, my wings will fall off.”
Rarity gave her a sympathetic look. “Maybe go and visit Dawn?”
Twilight smiled a little at this. It’d been tense between her and her earth pony twin sister for the first two months but recently, Dawn had finally accepted that Twilight wasn’t going to drag her off to be a ‘lady’ or otherwise interfere with her life and had become friendlier—in the uncomfortable, socially-awkward, egghead way that was all too familiar to Twilight, combined with a shamelessness that was entirely Dawn’s own. Applejack had even grown slightly more comfortable with her (although she still unconsciously put distance between herself and the dark violet mare whenever there was anything nearby that could be used as restraints) and seemed to appreciate having an extra set of hooves around Sweet Apple Acres. “I might just do that. See how she’s liking that book on the history of apple variant development I lent her.”
Rarity grinned. “No shame, no manners, darker coat, but she’s very much your sister.”
Twilight colored lightly but grinned back. “I’m just glad I’m rubbing off on her. So do you need any measurements?”
Rarity’s horn glowed and her tape measure began unraveling as she levitated it over. “Darling, I thought you’d never ask.”
><><
By the time Rarity had finished her measurements, the light squall the pegasi had scheduled for early afternoon had just begun, producing a gentle misty drizzle that was fairly comfortable to walk in. Ever since she’d gotten wings, rain, wind, even fierce sunshine seemed somewhat muted and it wasn’t until she’d mentioned it to Fluttershy that she found out why. Due to living on clouds and shepherding weather as a matter of course, pegasi were less bothered by the mercurial weather and it appeared that she’d inherited the ability to be comfortable in weather from her wings. She wished she could just glide to Applejack’s farm to avoid the muddy roads but what she’d said to Rarity was true: Rainbow Dash was an intense flight instructor, albeit one with a tendency to forget that Twilight’s ability to fly was on par with a newborn pegasus, and Twilight’s wings were quite sore from two days ago when she’d finally struggled through what Rainbow termed ‘the basics’—which, because it was Rainbow was anything but basic.
In the privacy of her own thoughts, Twilight had to admit that it was sort of fun to be able to fly and cloud-walk; it just would have been nice if the wings hadn’t come with a title. For while Twilight had no doubt at all that she was a very special pony to her mother and her aunt and her friends, she was quite certain that she wasn’t anything special beyond that. Being called ‘Lady Sparkle’ was still deeply uncomfortable, made vastly worse when ponies bowed to her, as if she was royalty. Which, she supposed, was technically true but… as she walked, she shook her head and sighed. “Why couldn’t life just be simple again?” She inquired of the road resentfully.
“Ist life ever simple?” Twilight jumped slightly and immediately turned to see who was speaking. Standing practically right beside her was a unicorn mare, white-coated with a straw-colored mane that hung passed her face in dirty, rainsoaked strings. Her face looked… cavernous, almost skeletal and as Twilight glanced back, she realized that the stranger’s entire body looked starvation-ravaged and barely capable of supporting the triple-lay of bulging saddlebags she was carrying. Strapped forward of the front left-hoof saddlebag was a long wooden rod with round protrusion on one of its sides.
“I apologize, did I startle ye?” The mare inquired politely, the strong steady voice in marked contrast with her extremely emaciated appearance.
“Um, yes,” Twilight admitted, unable to keep herself from staring. “Are you alright?”
The mare looked curiously at her. “Of course I am,” she replied in an uncertain tone. “Do I seem unwell?”
Twilight blinked. “You seem… um…”
“Yes?”
“You…” Twilight was at a loss; how did one politely tell a pony that they looked like they hadn’t seen a bite of food in weeks? “…seem a little… uh…”
The mare stared at her for a moment before turning back to follow Twilight’s gaze. “Oh! Ye refers to my looking starved, does ye?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, then fear it not, I am well,” she assured her. “I have developed the habit of eating just enough to be minimally nourished when I leave the borders of my home. I have had… misfortune consuming the vittles of places that are not home.”
“That can’t be healthy.”
“I have done it for many years, and I remain alive and healthy enough to go where whim moves me.” The mare smiled. “But ye are kind to be concerned for my wellness when I am stranger to you. What may I call ye, young alicorn?”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight replied. “May I ask your name?”
The mare gave her another curious look. “I would honestly have thought ye a Dusk. I am Lily Shell.”
Twilight blinked. “Why?”
“Why am I Lily Shell?” Lily smirked. “Well, I have a cutie mark that ist a lily and a seashell. Or are ye asking why I would think ye a Dusk?”
“The second.”
“Yer mane,” she replied, gesturing at it. “The pink of last light folding into the deep violet of the coming night.”
She blinked again, coloring lightly. “That’s kind of you to say.”
“I attempt to give small kindnesses to those that walk the roads when I meet them.” Lily inclined her head lightly. “I apologize that I startled ye but my journey calls me and I go now.”
“If you’re hungry, there’s a vast apple farm nearby and the family that owns it loves to feed others out of sheer friendliness,” Twilight offered, glancing at Lily’s unhealthy-looking thinness.
Lily considered this. “I do not see that I will come to misfortune by eating some apples in good company,” she said after a moment. “Ye have bought my interest, Twilight Sparkle, and if ye consents, I shall accompany ye there.”
“Perfect,” Twilight responded, smiling as she started trotting in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres again.
“So what parentage are ye, Twilight Sparkle?” Lily asked after a few minutes of walking. “There are not so many lines of alicorns and I shall be interested to know which line ye springs from.”
“Heh… I thought everyone knew by now…”
“Well, I did not want to presume yer parentage but if I was called upon to guess, I would say that I see the shadow of Luna in yer visage and in yer mannerisms,” Lily said. “And I would celebrate such, if it was so, for I often treasure the darkness.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but Princess Luna is my aunt,” Twilight admitted.
Lily looked thoughtfully at her, silent for several moments. “Ye are so common for the daughter of the sun goddess,” she finally said as they reached the turnoff to Sweet Apple Acres, her voice sounding slightly regretful. “Ye wear yer blood well.”
Twilight noticed. “You sound like that bothers you.”
“If that ist the case, I apologize, it was not intended,” Lily replied. “It ist a pleasure to meet a daughter of Celestia and a niece of Luna. I only wish I had heard tell of it on my journey, that I might greet ye as would be proper. But the time for that ist passed; even in passing acquaintance, we are already too familiar for me to fawn over you as ist royalty’s due.”
“It’s OK,” Twilight assured her. “I’m still not very comfortable being bowed to or called by fancy titles or the other things that come with my mother being Celestia.”
This visibly brought Lily up short. “Would ye not have been accustomed to it since you were a foal?”
“I... didn’t know until recently. Neither did…” She blinked and looked hard at Lily. “Wait, how is all of this news to you anyway? The entire ‘Princess Celestia’s long-lost daughter’ story has been everywhere, as much as I wish it wasn’t. You’re the only pony I’ve met who this seems new to.”
“I have little or no reason to enter cities, towns, villages, or even interact with most ponies beyond a small kindness,” Lily replied with a shrug. “I only knew of Princess Luna’s return from exile because the mare-shaped shadow disappeared from the moon.”
“And yet, you converse naturally and easily with a complete stranger,” Twilight pointed out. “You’re quite comfortable with company for a mare that stays deliberately distant from others.”
“If I couldn’t stand the company of others, I couldn’t ply my trade.”
“And what’s your trade?”
“I engineer things,” Lily lit her horn, which glowed with a luminous black instead of the lighter color that Twilight would have expected, and levitated a small metal-capped cylinder from the middle saddlebag. “This ist a firing cap, part of…”
“…the detonation system for blast mining,” Twilight finished, taking the cylinder from the other mare and rotating it curiously. “I’ve never seen one outside of books before.”
Lily nodded. “Astute. Believe it or no, blast mining ist an extraordinarily delicate science despite the fact that it involves blasting giant quantities of material out of a mountain. It ist also a highly communal science, for no job ist the same and ye can only know the subtle differences from numerous sources.”
“It sounds like interesting work,” Twilight commented, returning the firing cap as they got within sight of the farmhouse. “Now, before we go any further, I feel that I should warn you about…”
“…an earth pony that looks identical to ye, save for the darker coat and lack of accruements?” Lily inquired wryly, gesturing towards the orchard.
Twilight nearly facehoofed. “Yes.”
“I sense a story,” Lily commented, smiling and giving a polite wave in Dawn’s direction.
“It’s a long one,” Twilight warned.
“I quite literally have nothing but time,” Lily returned pleasantly. “And at least two saddlebags of firing caps, but that ist neither here nor there.”
“And the other four?”
“The tools of my trade, Miss Sparkle, and the things vital to keeping me alive and well.” Lily turned her emaciated face towards the approaching Dawn. “Good afternoon, pony that looks bizarrely similar to Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight turned to see Dawn stopped and looking at the mare with an expression caught halfway between surprised, angry, and confused. “And good afternoon, pony that looks like her last meal was last year,” she replied after a moment.
Lily stared at her in abject fascination. “Yes, I do indeed sense a story behind this. I am Lily Shell.”
“Dawn.” Dawn looked at her with the same abject fascination. “You got some sorta wasting illness or something? Because you don’t sound sickly and starved but ya sure look sickly and starved.”
“A tenuous, and somewhat negative, relationship with food outside of my home,” Lily explained. “I am given to understand, however, that the apples here are appealing and have accepted Twilight Sparkle’s invitation to indulge in their succulence.”
Dawn looked at Twilight with a grin. “Oh, you have no idea, Lily Shell. The Apples are quite appealing, one variety more than the others, and we welcome your help indulging in their succulence.”
Now Twilight really did facehoof. “Dawn…”
“Stuff it, Twilight,” Dawn admonished, although she said it lightly, with a smile. “Can I invite the two of you in? Granny said she’d have hot fritters for us when we finished.”
“Apple fritters sound like a welcome indulgence, especially in rain,” Lily admitted. “I thank ye, Dawn, and accept.”
><><
“So where ya’ll comin’ from and goin’ to?” Applejack asked Lily as the emaciated mare nibbled one of the typically delicious Apple family treats, visibly taking pleasure in the experience.
“I am traveling from beyond Equestria’s borders to beyond Equestria’s borders,” Lily replied. “From the barrens in the east to the mesas of the north-northwest.”
In keeping with the simple and open warmth that seemed as much of an Apple family tradition as growing their trademark apples, Lily had been unhesitatingly invited in and all but force-fed a small plate of sweet, freshly-sliced apples before Granny pulled the fritters out and began to distribute them with the brisk ease of a pony who’d gone through the ritual countless times and expected to do so countless times more. Apple Bloom was off doing her best to find trouble (in the guise of finding their special talent that would finally give them their cutie marks) with her Cutie Mark Crusaders friends and Big Macintosh was spending the day with Trixie.
Even though she’d sought her out to try and bury the hatchet, and although she’d watched the showy mare’s efforts during the fight against The Guardian and his minions, Twilight was still taken-aback at the good and earnest mare that’d been hiding under the boastful nastiness Trixie had displayed when she’d first come to Ponyville. Trixie had proven to be quite likable and there was no doubt at all that she was very devoted to Big Mac—and to her craft. For despite not having immense raw power, Trixie did an amazing amount with what she did have and Twilight was beginning to think that it’d be only fair to approach Trixie sometime and sincerely ask for a few pointers on magical efficiency. In the meantime, she’d had a couple of opportunities to watch Trixie on stage and it was always worth the couple of bits to see the natural performer plying her trade.
“So… to th’ griffin lands?” Applejack asked, drawing Twilight back to the here-and-now.
“Yes, I seem to recall that it ist where the griffins live,” Lily confirmed.
“Give our regards to ‘em then. Woulda been in it deep if not for a real exceptional griffin.” Applejack took a swig of cider. “So where ya’ll come from? Must be an exotic place if th’ food ‘round these parts don’t agree with ya.”
Lily smiled wistfully. “Paradise. After ye’ve been born in paradise and eaten its food, it ist difficult to become accustomed to anything else.”
“Ah’m fixin’ t’ help ya with that,” Applejack grinned. “Ah guarantee, after ya’ll have spent a couple days eatin’ good ol’-fashioned Apple family cookin’, ya’ll will get some skin on them bones of yours.”
Lily looked taken aback. “I am only here at this hour at the invitation of Twilight Sparkle and Dawn,” she replied. “I do not mean to linger.”
Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Ah dun know what other hosts ya’ve got since ya’ve been travelin’ but Ah’m not lettin’ somepony that looks as sick an’ starved as ya out th’ door without at least some good rest an’ three squares.”
Lily smiled and shook her head. “Ye are more generous and kind to me than any have been in many years, but duty draws me north and west.”
“Ya’ll can’t delay for even a few days?”
Lily thought. “Is it important to ye to extend this kindness to me?”
“Ya betcha,” Applejack told her earnestly.
Her starved face stretched into the broadest and warmest smile Twilight had yet seen of her. “Then I shall accept.”
“Great. How ‘bout ya help Dawn clear the table?”
“Anything you ask,” Lily replied instantly. “It ist proper, after all, that the guest show her gratitude by being pleasant and helpful.”
Applejack smiled to her as she gathered up the plates while Dawn took care of the pan but the moment she disappeared into the kitchen, the orange cowpony turned to Twilight with a very serious expression. “Who th’ hay is she?”
“She said she’s an engineer of sorts,” Twilight replied uncertainly, unsettled by the abruptness of the question. “Manages the details for doing blast-mining and apparently, she travels a lot and I think she finds food away from her home to be unpalatable.”
“Ah dunno about any o’ that, Twi,” Applejack frowned. “It’s a mite odd. When she says somethin’, it feels like she’s lyin’ and tellin’ th’ absolute truth at the same time. It’s real unsettlin’.”
“So why’d you invite her to stay if you think she’s not honest?”
The apple farmer grinned a little. “Bein’ evasive an’ half-truthful ain’t th’ same as bein’ out t’ hurt folks. The only clearly honest things ‘bout her are her smile an’ her gratitude. She’s real happy ‘bout bein’ invited t’ stay an’ she’s really grateful t’ boot. ‘Sides, she looks like the sort that’d benefit from a bit o’ kindness an’ bein’ around other ponies an’ Ah might not be Generosity herself but Ah could no more turn away a pony that needed somethin’ than Ah could embrace Rarity’s frou-frou nonsense.”
Twilight allowed herself to giggle a little at that. “So you think she’s safe?”
“Hay no!” Applejack retorted immediately. “Pony that takes a long trip an’ deliberately starves herself the entire time ain’t right in th’ head. Honestly, Ah think her odd lyin’ while tellin’ the truth comes outta not bein’ right: she might not be able to tell th’ difference between true an’ not true.”
Twilight shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense, though. She speaks smoothly, rationally, makes observations based on what she perceives, like saying that the name ‘Dusk’ fits me better or guessing that Princess Luna is my mother instead of Princess Celestia, and having very rational reasons for thinking both things. It’s hard to square that with being not right in the head, as you put it.” She frowned. “Come to think of it, I’m not sure how she’d know what Aunt Luna’s visage and personality are like. She claims to avoid pony contact as a personal preference but seems familiar with the Princess that’s sort of shy about being in public.”
“She could be relyin’ on stories, Twi.”
“That’s probably it,” Twilight nodded. “I suppose it’s a little unreasonable to expect that she’d be totally honest and forthcoming about everything to a complete stranger she meets on the road, especially somepony related to the Princesses.”
“Well, Ah aim to find out somewhat concernin’ mah new houseguest while I can keep ‘er here.” Applejack’s grin turned a little wry. “Maybe she’ll distract Dawn a mite. Ah can’t complain about the change t’ sorta sweet from really creepy but Ah think yer sister still dun quite understand that her feelin’s are unrequited.”
“In my experience, we eggheads can be a bit stubborn and slow to pick up on anything not delivered with a two-hoof buck to the head.” Twilight sympathized, patting her friend’s hoof. “How’s she doing learning the farm work?”
Applejack snorted. “Ya kiddin’? Learns like she was born t’ it. Th’ copied apple practically falls on top o’ the apple it was copied from in her case. Only complaint I got so far is that she’s so smart, she ain’t content to leave well enough alone. Sorta like another mare I know, come t’ think of it.”
Twi smiled a little ruefully. “I take it you want to strangle me for lending her that book?”
This earned her a deadpan look. “Twi, it’s been like givin’ Pinkie a double-strength shot o’ sugar and settin’ ‘er lose on the Grand Galloping Gala. What were ya thinkin’?”
“That bad, huh?”
“Girl’s got yer smarts without yer habit o’ pickin’ yer words careful.” Applejack chuckled. “Not that Ah mind blunt honesty, mind, but sometimes Ah think she has some sorta button in her head that makes her mouth talk without checkin’ in with ‘er brain first.”
Twilight sighed. “You know for a while, I thought Mother had made her this way because she really and truly remembered me as a mouthy, nyphomaniacal, childish foal with a desperate crush on you. Turns out that being joined with the nightmare distorts your thinking although I do not remember ever writing a friendship report to her implying sexual interest in you. It’d have made more sense for her to misunderstand me about Fluttershy or Rarity because… well... it’s sort of natural to write admiringly of Rarity, especially when she’s demonstrating her creative talents, and to write affectionately about Fluttershy because she’s… well…”
“She’s Kindness, speakin’ softly an’ bein’ extremely shy,” Applejack filled in, smiling. “Yeah, Ah kin see that. Whelp, like ya said, it was all a misunderstandin’ occasioned by that nightmare in her head. And it’s lots better, like Ah said. She’s become more… innocently sweet than scary an’ creepy. More like Ah’d imagine you bein’ if ya ever found an object of yer affections.”
Twilight felt herself blush lightly. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, yer a really nice sort, agonized on how t’ avoid hurtin’ any o’ us on more’n one occasion, and ya consider books th’ ultimate source of how-to,” Applejack told her with a smile. “So definitely sorta innocent an’ Ah reckon the fact that ya never been particularly easy interactin’ on a casual level with ponies other than the five o’ us Elements would lead t’ ya bein’ sorta shy an’ sweet about th’ entire thing. Voila, innocently sweet.”
“You sound like you’ve put a lot of thought into that.” She mentioned delicately.
“Well, with yer sis makin’ puppy eyes at me for weeks, it’s sorta crossed mah mind, thinkin’ how you’d go ‘bout it differently.” AJ colored lightly. “Ah mean, if ya was inclined t’ do it. Not that Ah think ya would or nothin’…”
Twilight had to laugh. “Applejack, you’re my friend, same as Pinkie, Shy, Dash, and Rarity. I love being around you girls for reasons that have nothing to do with romance. Besides, getting used to being royalty is hard enough without worrying about anything else.”
Her friend eyed her. “Still gettin’ used t’ it this many months later?”
Twilight gave her a level look. “AJ, I got killed, by my adoptive father no less. I come back to life in the middle of a fight with my mentor as a nightmare. She gets cured and I find out that the Princess who’s been like a mother to me all my life is quite literally my mother and just found it out. Which means that the Princess who’s slightly bookish and socially awkward like me, a pony I’d been working very hard to become friends with, is my aunt. And all of this means that I get called ‘lady’ and ‘princess’ by everypony; have to play nice with the nobles; am obligated to wear a dress whenever I go to Canterlot even if it’s just to pop in and spend time with my mom; have to actually pay attention when Rarity goes on a long-winded explanation of proper manners; sit there during court and act like some sort of stone ornament instead of being helpful; and receive the attentions of bucks with nice titles and personalities that make you want to buck them in the face.” She paused. “I think taking more than a couple months to get used to this isn’t all that unexpected.”
Applejack gave her a rueful look. “Well, when ya put it like that… Shoot, sugarcube, Ah guess it’s impressive as hay that yer adjustin’ as fast as ya are. Ah dun know what Ah’d do if Ah woke up from bein’ dead t’ find that mah mom an’ aunt were royalty.”
“The royalty part isn’t nearly as good as the family part,” Twilight smiled broadly. “It’s like I said to Rarity, finding out that Celestia is my mom is like discovering the answer to a vexing question that makes perfect sense and explains everything. She treated me like a daughter despite not knowing that I was and… I’d like to think that it means that my mother loves me so much that it couldn’t be restrained even by the strongest memory spells.”
“Love is powerful, Twilight Sparkle.” Without either of them hearing her approach over the slightly creaky floor, Lily had appeared in the arch leading to the kitchen and her eyes were fixed on Twilight in a chillingly steady gaze. “But I am certain that ye know that well. Just what ye say, that Celestia so loved her filly that no matter the power of the spell that made her forget, she took that filly into her care and loved her without knowing her, causes me to wish that I could know the Princess well. But when my hospitality here ist expended, I shall still have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep and none of those miles approach Canterlot.”
Applejack stared at her. “Uh… how long ya been standin’ there?”
“In time to hear Twilight Sparkle conclude that you wished to strangle her for lending Dawn a book,” Lily replied. “I fail to see how she ist a problem; her personality ist pleasant, it seems, like that of Twilight Sparkle but without the mature reserve.”
Applejack’s eyes narrowed at her in a way that made it clear that Lily had been standing there longer than she had admitted. The expression was momentary but Lily still visibly noticed and she frowned thoughtfully. Then an expression of consternation flitted across her face and she looked between Twilight and Applejack. “Oh dear…”
Twilight looked at Applejack who looked right back with a similarly confused expression. “Um… something the matter?”
“I just came to a realization that ought to have been obvious, in retrospect,” Lily sighed. “I apologize, Applejack; I was standing in the doorway since Twilight Sparkle asked whether you believed I am safe.”
Both of them looked curiously at her. “You don’t seem bothered that we’re a bit…”
“Skeptical? Ye apparently have cause, and it does not bother me.” She looked at Applejack. “I am strange and unstable to ye, carrying two saddlebags full of low-grade explosives, looking like I am sick and wasting away but acting like I am in perfect health, freely mixing truth and untruth without apparent recognition of the difference between them. I understand yer concern.”
“An’…?
“And what?”
“An’ are ya jus’ gonna recognize it an’ that’s it?”
Lily smiled a little sadly. “What else can I do? If I haven’t been entirely honest with ye, I must have a reason beyond simply taking joy in lying. I cannot help my appearance nor what tools I carry with me. If ye feared that I meant ye harm, ye would certainly eject me—possibly violently—from yer home. So what ought I to do but let the untruths stand and continue to be polite and pleasant?”
Twilight frowned. “Why let them stand at all?”
“Because many truths would harm me but do ye neither good nor evil,” Lily told her. “I give ye my word, Twilight Sparkle, that I know of no secret I hold that will do ye or yers the slightest harm.”
Twilight glanced at Applejack who gave her a subtle nod before turning back to Lily with a smile. “OK, fair enough then. I wish you felt comfortable enough to…”
“…trust ponies that I just barely met with my life story and its more intimate details?” Lily finished with a twinkle in her eye.
Twilight coughed and gave the mare a sheepish look. “Good point.”
Lily patted her on the shoulder with a hoof. “It has nothing to do with ye, if that helps. Ye seem a good pony, what little I have seen of ye, and if I knew ye long and well we might speak of warm and familiar things. But as we stand, I am grateful to ye for yer comfort with a stranger and bringing me here that I might receive the kind hospitality of the Apples. I shall not forget it.”
><><
Night was falling when the violet alicorn emerged from the rustic building in the apple orchards and she stirred from her meditative pose on the branch with the best view. Tension of which she had not previously been aware melted away as she observed that the young princess was just as well as when she’d entered with Lily. <So Twilight Sparkle is not her task after all.> She said in a low murmur, virtually inaudible beyond the length of her reach. <Such a relief… the game is not yet to the point of harm and yet, the next blow of the hammer is poised above. But if a rook is not the prize, then what is? The arch? The queen? One of the knights? And what is Lily on this board? And what is her purpose along this road, if not to see Sparkle for herself? So much mystery and danger in this moment, four directions to fly but only one of them important and I know not which direction it is.>
Below her, Twilight Sparkle trotted to the end of the lane and swept right, holding her feathered wings with the slight tension of muscle soreness, and continued on towards what she was sure must be her home. <Follow and keep a watch? Or keep the watch upon Lily, seeing if I might discern her purpose? Oh, but for a few wolves…> She smiled to herself. <Amazing how even here, ponies can be frightened of some dogs. I suppose that it’s no surprise that prey would fear the predator, even the gentle one, but it causes such troubles if I wish to do well by them.>
Twilight was already nearly out of sight and she frowned at this, glancing towards the farmhouse. <I ought to keep watch on her but… no, if she has done nothing yet, she will not tonight. Stand watch over the new princess, for that is all that will matter in the end. I almost hope that there will be need to act.> She unfolded and flowed silently down the trunk, a shadow amongst the shadows, and began to drift slowly after her ward. <Yes, I hope I will need to act. The game is, indeed, afoot.>
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This looks fantastically interesting. Will be looking forward to reading the instant I get the chance.
I always want that the good stories should never end, so I am very glad that "The Empty Room" gets is a sequel, but you have to fill in very large foot stomp. I hope it will turn out good.
I've never heard of your work before but lets see how this jazz flies!
Sequel to TER? (and great opening chapter)
WD blogged it?
Alicorn Twilight group?
Inb4 Featured (woo i got to say it first
)
the Game
one such game has recently ended
What are you...Did I just see what you did there? Post-Endgame, you say?
What are you implying here?
Edit, Post Read: ...I'll be watching you...
Nice. TER practically dragged me into this fandom. Let's see where this goes.
I would suggest working on comma placement a bit more. Some of your sentences, especially in dialogue, are run-ons.
1248897 I think the implication is that TER was the result of a game. This does make me wonder if Celestia knows about these "games."
Very interesting so far, and at least seems to have a scope that can rival the source material.
TER is by a wide margin my favorite Fanfic ever and while my first reaction to a fan sequel was.... lets just say not optomistic. From a purely writing capability stand point It seems many of my fears are ill founded.
I will say that the dialogue can be a bit hard to understand at times, the entire first section was almost completely incomprehensible to me the first time I read it. A touch of lead in and possibly some spacing to distinguish new speakers could have helped with that.
Still all and all it looks very promising and I will certainly be here and look forward to the rest of the ride!
1249224
Which one? The current (CGotG) one, the (TER) one, or games in general?
Well it seems to be that Lily speaks with a slightly archaic speech
, Twilight has a stalker, and explosives are already on the field...
this'll be good, especially if it's a TER continuation. Good luck filling the shoes,
Good luck, Mr. Phelps.
10 paragraphs in, I became aware that this is probably the best grimdark adventure fic I have yet read. You have created a masterpiece, and I look forward to seeing it through.
I can't help but imagine Twilight already had to put up with a lot of those things before. She was hardly unimportant before, and more than one stallion has probably wanted to use her for political power before.
I started reading this going: Why the hell is Twilight an alicorn? Why does she have a sister? Then you mentioned, the Guardian and it all clicked. TER continuation. Nice strong start and good to see WandererD give you some props.
Odd background, makes the end of TER seem normal
but an interesting read nonetheless seeing as this is TER's first spinoff sequel and I just love the character of Twilight Spark/Dawn
1249211 Yeah, commas have always been my nemesis. I do what I can with them but there are always too many or not enough.
1249260 I'll try to edit it to clear it up a bit. Thanks for the heads-up.
1249641 Um... Mr. Phelps?
1249770 *blushes* I am but a pale imitator of greater authors, but thanks.
1250207 To be fair, the description of the story explicitly says that nothing here makes sense unless you read TER first.
A sequel to TER and by a talented author, oh hell yeah
1250566
It all makes sense now.
1250611
Nope, my fault entirely. The unexpanded description sounded interesting so I dove right in. Just was sort of going WTF, this better all get explained for those first paragraphs.
1250611 - To be fair, not much on the 'players' level makes much sense yet as is... still, tracking. Looks interesting to be sure.
Well, you've certainly got my attention. Please, do go on.
1250964 That will take a while and honestly, I foresee very few opportunities to expound on the "inside baseball" aspects within the story itself. I'd really like to because I've spent years playing with this canon in my head, but there're limitations to what an author can expound when there's no reason for the information to be included.
1251153 - Understandable. I'd find a way of breaking their bits away from the 'pieces' a bit more... not that I like them being referred to as pieces, but I can understand it seeing how the story may go. Just a lot of oddities about Lily Shell (odd name) and the unknown voice watching Twilight. Really... it's hard to judge it from one chapter though, so I hesitate to draw conclusions.
1251432 Yeah, both of the 'pieces' on the board at the moment are a bit unusual but this is bound to happen since in the general universe, every creature from every mythology is quite real and are equally liable to be brought in as 'pieces' on the board.
I'd read that.
1250964 Brainwave! Perhaps I can add an A/N section at the bottom of each chapter providing a quick explanation for elements that won't be explained during the course of the story? It'd help with the "inside baseball" complication and I've seen the method work well in a couple other stories.
Very good story so far but... Nobilis much?
Feels like.
very nice opening chapter
and as a wild stab in the dark i must assume that Tia is one of these "Archangels" or if not then a "tool" of the female at the start?
The empty room has a sequel and I just found out today...WHY?
So many unknowns in the opening. Very ominous.
Well, over the last few years, that has been rather less than certain.
Ah, but you are.
Lily feels fae. She probably isn't, but her whole being, from timing of arrival to only eating when invited or at home. An the accent helps, o' course.
Okay, maybe she really is fae.
Yep, sounds faerie.
I'm gonna stop quotin' everything that makes 'er sound fae, else I'll be here all day.
Ah, the Author's Note helps shed some light on the introduction. 1252448 This was a good plan, I approve.
As someone who hates cliff hangers with a burning passion, where would you say is a good stopping spot to read up to? Usually I just wait for a story to finish, but once a story gets long enough that can be impractical.
You are either lacking a line break, or you have an extra one. Probably the former.
11674169
Regrettably, this is eventually going to stop. This story, because of its extremely long writing time span, has tended to bend quite considerably from what it was at first. As time went on, I gradually began to feel like certain elements were giant dumps of lore that didn't really relate to the story.
Pretty much any chapter. The problem I think that will eventually be encountered is that while I have a very good memory of all of the weird bits and bobs I hammer into the story, no other sane person will so there will be references to things 20 chapters ago or something. This is why I've gradually tried to trim the weirdness out of it as I've written the story, so people don't have to remember a name mentioned in chapter 15 to understand why they're important in chapter 40.
The above two points are why I eventually mention to commentators that when the story is completed, I'll circle back to incorporate criticisms and reform the earlier chapters to fit cleanly with the later ones.
11677725
Well, the good news is now that I have a solid starting point, the lack of hints at the bottom isn't a problem. I probably wouldn't have objected if they continued, but their cessation didn't throw me off like their absence entirely would have.