Chapter 2: You All Meet in a Tavern

"In those days, there were no rules. The smart ponies did whatever they could to get ahead. One naturally learned to use absolutely anything that was at your disposal, if it meant gaining an advantage."

-High Princess Celestia, Personal Journals (Vol. 2)

Celeste and Claire didn't have to go out for work every night. Depending on the size of their take, sometimes the two sisters could survive for more than a week without having to hit the streets again. But ponies could not survive on apples alone, so it was necessary from time to time that they emerge into the wild to engage in some trade.

The old economic systems of Equestria had completely collapsed since Discord had taken over the country. Currency no longer held any value, although a few families still kept secret hoards of rusty silver tri-coins, hoping that someday they would be valuable again. Nowadays, barter was the only financial system that could be found in Eridian.

And so tonight, Celeste and Claire had packed a small saddlebag worth of apples before setting out into the eternal grey twilight. Their destination was a small outcropping of pavement where the local ponies gathered to interact, do some business, and generally shoot the time away. Although it was only about a mile away, the journey would take some time, due to the winding terraces upon which the city was constructed.

Eridian, most remarked upon seeing it for the first time, was built in a rather perilous position. On the northward face of a long chain of mountains, which continued far to the south beyond the Equestrian borders, the city's foundations were screwed into the side of a nearly vertical cliff-face. Celeste had always felt that the engineer who had conceived of this bizarre arrangement must have been ridiculously arrogant, or else just crazy enough to see the project through to completion. Either way, the city's present day residents were forced to live with the decision.

The city itself was actually surprisingly horizontal, built on the flat outcropping of stone that had been prepared for it, but compromises had been made as new developments were added on over the years, and nowadays it wasn't entirely strange to look out one's penthouse window into your neighbour's basement. As might be expected, the streets and pathways constructed to service the area were a maze of switchback curves and foolhardy cross-paths. And so, Celeste and Claire spent the better part of an hour navigating the path on tonight's journey.

As she carefully picked her way across broken cobblestones, Celeste realized suddenly that her sister was quiet, far more so than usual. The events in the square the other night must have put her off more so than Celeste had originally thought. But Claire had never been the type to hold a grudge, so her older sister was sure this phase could only be a passing one. If anything, it was a little relaxing not to have to deal with her inane chatter all the time.

But the soothing silence, like all good things, had to come to an end eventually. With a wistful glance across the expansive horizon, which stretched for many miles out in front of them as the mountainside fell away, Claire turned to her sister with a softly spoken question. "Sister, Equestria is massive, isn't it? Millions of ponies live out there, and all are suffering under the same scourge as we are. Haven't you ever wondered if there might be some way to help them?"

"Claire, we can barely help ourselves. What good can we do for the larger population?"

"Certainly nothing if we don't try, Celeste." Claire was looking at her with an expression of desire and determination, the sort of expression a pony might adopt before embarking on a battle. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately."

Celeste remained silent to let her sister sort out her own intentions. It wasn't very often that Claire took time to think about things, rather than charging in headfirst and tackling problems as they came up. Beneath them, the city groaned on in its never-ending half-slumber. A scent of rotting garbage wafted up from a side street, so Celeste picked up the downward pace. After several moments, her younger sister found the words she was looking for.

"We are special, Celeste," she began flatly. "It's in our very bones: alicorns are destined for greatness. I mean, look at the historical record for proof of that. You and I each have our own special talents. I just feel like a life spent scratching existence off other ponies' ignorance would be a life entirely wasted."

Celeste took a moment to compose her response. Sure, the historical record was on Claire's side in this argument. At times, she too had felt that certain mysterious feeling of untapped potential. But the risks, and the toils associated with aiding a country like Equestria were simply too large for either of them in their present states. That being said…

"I do agree with you on that first point," Celeste started out with, pausing for a moment to navigate a particularly dilapidated section of roadway. Above them, the sky rumbled as a bolt of blue lightning crackled through the cloud covering the city. Finding her hooves on solid cobblestones again, she continued. "Perhaps ponies deserve better, and some pony needs to take the responsibility to make that change happen. But look around us, Claire. This problem is massive, just like you said. Without resources, without skill, we wouldn't even know where to start."

Claire took all of this with a silent and sullen demeanour. For a moment, her elder sister thought that a reply would be quickly forthcoming, but Claire seemed to want to think things over very thoroughly before continuing the discussion. And so the pair continued on in silence for the better part of an hour, passing through crumbling neighbourhoods and the occasional plaza, most of which had some extent of commerce occurring, but not what the sisters were interested in. It wasn't until they stood on the hill overlooking their ultimate destination, admiring the twinkling candlelight of the atmosphere below that Claire spoke again.

"Promise me something, sister," she said quietly, but not without seriousness.

"What?"

"That if an opportunity does arise for us to do our part for our fellow ponies, you will join me in undertaking the task. It just feels right to me that that is what we should be doing. I can't quite explain it, but—"

She was interrupted by her sister then, who reached forward for a single loving embrace. "Of course I will," Celeste replied firmly. "I will always be there to support you if such a decision comes to us." Finishing up, Celeste allowed the warmth to leave her tone in an instant. "Now, you know what we're here for right?"

"Of course, my sister," Claire replied.

"Good. See you in half an hour then, at our usual place."

---

Roughly thirty-five minutes later, Celeste's saddlebags had been relieved of most of their fruity contents, instead now being weighed down with candle wax, refined baked goods, and several fresh canteens of water. The water was a bit of a luxury purchase, as it wasn't particularly difficult to boil collected rainwater, but the two of them had a surplus, so Celeste had decided to go for something special. She carried the load over to their usual table in the square, one of several that were set out. Most were populated with various groups shooting the breeze over tall glasses of cider. The beverages were provided by the middle-aged practitioner of a nearby eatery, which actually did a reasonable trade, at least as far as Eridian went.

Claire was seated at the table already, staring out over the horizon with a thoughtful look on her face. The results of her bargaining were positioned underneath the table, and Celeste withdrew them to run a quick inventory.

Gazing over at Claire for a moment, Celeste could see that her expression was very distant. Clearly, she was still mulling over her plans for the country. Celeste went back to the numbers. Perhaps she had agreed to her sister's proposition earlier, but Celeste knew that her own heart just wasn't into the whole idea. Effecting real change in Equestria would require vast power, and support from the citizenry. Neither she nor Claire had ever even set their hooves outside the city for their whole lives! How could either of them hope to make a difference? Still, she respected her sister's determination, and strong sense of right and wrong. It wasn't that Celeste didn't realize Claire was right, she just had more important things to think about right now. If a true opportunity ever did present itself (and Celeste highly doubted that one would) she wasn't entirely sure what she would do. It was a bridge that would have to be crossed when encountered.

She stopped with the inventory for a moment, scratching her chin thoughtfully. Her sister's numbers weren't adding up. For an instant, she wondered if another "charitable donation" had exited their funds tonight, but the real answer hit her soon afterwards. Spying the mug of cider (mostly untouched) that sat in front of her sister's chair, she felt that familiar hoof-to-face feeling coming on again. "You actually paid for that drink, didn't you?" she asked in an incredulous tone.

With a look of innocent surprise, Claire turned to face her. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

Celeste laughed; a soft chuckle that caused her flowing mane to ripple in accelerated time. "I hate to tell you this sister, and I don't mean to be insulting, but only a simpleton pays for her own drinks. You should learn to use the blessings that we, as mares, have received. Allow me to demonstrate." Turning away then, Celeste scanned the plaza. Several tables down were a group of lively young stallions, likely splurging a month's worth of savings on a night of decadence. The night was still young, so they were likely to still have some good credit with the barkeep.

Zeroing in on a handsome brown colt who appeared to be several years younger than she was, she made sure that he noticed her eye contact. Seeing the interest in his expression and body language, she flirtatiously tossed back her mane, making sure to frame it well with the twinkling light of her eyes. Now that his interest was piqued, she offered him a seductive wink. Although it wasn't really necessary at this point, she also decided to go a little over the top for her sister's benefit, and so blew him a kiss as well, making sure to maintain direct eye contact of course.

Celeste turned back to Claire with a satisfied smirk on her face. A minute later, the establishment's practitioner arrived with a tall flagon of cider. "Compliments of the gentle-colts down the way," he explained tersely, before moving on again. Celeste sipped at the beverage, admiring the mixture of emotions that played across her sister's face.

At length, Claire found her voice. "I am not entirely sure how I feel about that," was her only reply.

Still savouring the cool flavour of the cider, Celeste opened her eyes to regard Claire coolly. "It's called being resourceful, sister. Everything at your disposal is an advantage if you know how to use it properly. That's another reason that I always beat you in chess, I think."

"But I feel like it's not really necessary, is it Celeste? Why not ask them nicely first, instead of using them to get what you want?"

Celeste shook her head. "Do you honestly think that any of these ponies would care about us when they themselves are barely getting by? Use your head, Claire! Every pony takes care of themselves first."

Claire was silent then for some time, leaving her sister to go back to enjoying her beverage. She was finishing it off when Claire finally spoke again. "Even in dark times like these, a kind heart is easier to find than you would think, Celeste. Take that stallion by the bar for instance. He doesn't look particularly friendly, but I'll bet you this glass of cider that underneath he has a heart of gold."

Celeste took a moment to examine the patron in question. He sat hunched over the bar; caressing a glass of apple whiskey between his two front hooves. Oddly enough, his profile didn't really fit with the standard Eridian rabble. A clean and well-trimmed deep brown mane swept back over slender shoulders, down to a pair of neatly folded wings adorning his back. His light green eyes contrasted well with his dark, slightly off-yellow coat. Right now, those eyes stared intently into the depths of his whiskey, though every now and then he would turn aside and glance in their general direction. Perched gently on his nose was the strangest thing about him: a clean and well-maintained set of glasses, fitting him perfectly. Celeste didn't even know where in Equestria a pony would go to get glasses made. Overall, he just didn't fit in, and that meant he was trouble.

But Claire was already on her way over. After retrieving their purchased items from beneath the table, Celeste followed warily, ready to pull her sister out if things got out of hand. The mysterious pony paid them no heed as they approached, instead continuing to examine his drink. He didn't react until Claire, having walked right to his side, reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Good evening, sir," she chirped in a very pleasant voice.

The stallion turned and looked Claire over with a very appraising stare. Behind her, Celeste tensed, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble. But after a moment, the Pegasus simply took another drink. Setting down his glass again, he passed a remark over his shoulder at Claire. "Little young to be out alone, aren't you?" His voice was crystalline, clear as a flute, and lacking the pompous pretension of a pony trying to puff up his ego.

Claire responded quickly. "Actually, I'm eighteen, but thank you. And I'm not alone, right behind me is–"

"Ah, your mother!" blurted out the colt, seeming to notice Celeste for the first time.

"Um, no," Celeste stammered. "I'm just her elder sister, and I'm sorry for her having interrupted you. She can be a little impulsive sometimes." She placed a hoof on Claire's shoulder, hoping to get away quickly.

"Nonsense!" declared the Pegasus immediately. "In fact, I daresay I could use some company. Why don't you both have a seat? Here, I'll even buy you some drinks." His smile was innocent enough, but Celeste was still nervous.

Claire though, wasn't prone to any of the same inhibitions. She sank easily down onto the stool nearest to her new friend, shooting her sister a glance that very clearly said I told you so. Rolling her eyes, Celeste followed.

Soon enough, an easy conversation had been struck up. The stranger, who introduced himself as Altas (Celeste felt that that was a very strange name, but he wouldn't elaborate) got along very well with Claire, who seemed eager to share her stories with him. As Claire told him about how they had been orphaned soon after her birth, he expressed shock that the two of them had been able to survive alone in such a country as Equestria. When the conversation turned to his own life story, he claimed to be a roaming soul, originally hailing from the desolate countryside. Supposedly, he made his living on odd jobs here and there, but his real passion was mathematics. Close inspection of the counter in front of him revealed several diagrams he had scratched into the wood grain.

While Claire was fascinated by his tales, Celeste wasn't buying any of it. His appearance was far too trim for a migrant worker; someone that did whatever he could to make ends meet. No, this Pegasus had more surety in his survival than that. But he was so unassuming in his demeanour, so calm and confident. If he was trying to pull a con on them, then he was very good at it.

Eventually, during a break in the conversation, Altas noticed Celeste studying his face thoughtfully. Seeing him turn to her intently, she sat up quickly. But Altas did not look offended. Instead, he merely took another sip from his glass, which had been re-filled several minutes ago. "It's the glasses, isn't it?" he said calmly.

"Sure," Celeste answered in a level tone. "I didn't think there was any place in Equestria where you could purchase a product of that quality."

Taking a sly glance over his shoulder, Altas leaned in toward them conspiratorially. "I hope you don't find this too melodramatic, Celeste, but let's just say I know some ponies."

"In what capacity?" Celeste asked. Normally, she would be minding her own business, but this Altas was a puzzle, and she wanted to unravel him, find out what he was after.

After a moment, Altas took another glance around the square, as if making sure that they would not be overheard. Satisfied, he spoke to them in a low voice. "If you must know, my friends and I are involved in an attempt to unseat Discord and restore order to this kingdom." Having dropped his bombshell, he sat back on his stool.

Celeste immediately noticed her sister perk up at this, and looked down at the bar in dismay. It seemed that her little promise from before was going to be tested sooner than she had anticipated, if this conversation was going in the direction she thought it was.

"So, you're like, a revolutionary?" Claire asked eagerly.

"Yes," Altas said quickly. "In fact, I think it's time for me to be perfectly straight with you. I do travel this countryside, but not to find work. Instead, I do it to find ponies that might want to join in on our little crusade. You two struck me as potential candidates. What do you say?"

Celeste, having some knowledge of psychology, couldn't help but notice that Altas was looking very pointedly at Claire when he asked his question. Clearly, he had noticed her innocence and interest. She realized that there was probably no stopping this thing now. Having just told her sister that if an opportunity presented itself she would take it, Claire would never forget it if she said no now. Secretly however, she was more intrigued now than ever by this stranger. It seemed that it had somehow never occurred to her that there might be organized resistance to Discord's reign out there somewhere. He had ruled Equestria for many years, and she supposed that she had almost consoled herself to the idea of that situation remaining unchanged.

As if sensing her uncertainty, Altas turned to Celeste. He had made the sale where Claire was concerned, anyway. "Not so sure about it?"

"It's a large undertaking to leave everything we have built for ourselves on such little information," Celeste answered cautiously.

Altas nodded. "That is unfortunate, yes. How about this? I can take you to a friend of mine, very near to here. She can answer more of your questions, and then you can make your decision."

Celeste did not answer, but thought she might have nodded. Quickly, Altas drained the last of his drink. Getting up from the bar, he motioned for the two sisters to follow. "Close now," he said in a low voice. "The paths that we must walk are dim."

As the trio exited the square, Celeste, who was in back, couldn't help but notice the looks that her sister was giving to their new compatriot. While she kept telling herself that she hadn't committed to anything yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that whatever happened from here on out was most certainly not under her control.