Chapter 16

“Good Intentions”

    Honey had been woken up in the past by a great number of things; headaches, sickness, the slap of a stallion, and far worse. But this time she woke up to a sound she couldn’t remember hearing for a long time.

    Laughter.

    The curvy unicorn mare spent a moment to stretch languidly on the bed, smiling to herself as she heard Indigo giggling happily, and the low voice of someone talking to her. She couldn’t help but sigh happily to herself at the sound, so rare these days… before panic suddenly gripped her. Some pony was in her apartment! She ripped back the sheet and threw herself at the bedroom door, wrenching it open with her magic before she even reached it.

    She immediately felt sheepish and foolish when she witnessed the events in her own living room. In fact, she couldn’t help but start giggling herself as she bore witness to the scene before her. Her daughter, armed with ribbons and bows and a large number of simple plastic accessories, had begun a childish make-over on the short mare from the night before. Clockwork Key, for her part, looked patently embarrassed and silly. Her head was lowered, but she just didn’t seem able to tell the little filly “no” as Indigo wove another grossly oversized bow into her short mane.

    “Well, I’ll admit this isn’t at all what I expected,” Honey joked.

    “Momma!” Indigo cried, and rushed over to hug her mother.

    Clockwork flushed deeply and pleaded with a small voice, “Help?”

    “Not until we trim your mane!” Indigo insisted, making Clockwork groan and Honey burst out laughing.

    “Yeah yeah, laugh it up…” the short mare grumbled.

    “I’m sorry but… I didn’t expect you to still be here,” she answered with a smile, “besides, Indigo is right. Your mane could use a trim.”

    “Not you too…” Clockwork groaned.

    “Oh hush you,” Honey teased, “I’m sure we could give you a nice make-over while you’re still here.”

    “Yay! Momma does the best make-overs!” Indigo cried happily, as Clockwork hid under her hooves.

    Clockwork moaned, “I’m doomed… doomed I say!”

    “Indigo, get her into the bedroom while I get washed up, and then find my make-up kit,” Honey ordered, and the foal jumped up to start head-butting the other mare’s flank. Honey ignored the indignant muttering from the short mare, mixed intermittently with complaints about Indigo’s stubby little horn poking her side, as her daughter steered the uncertain femme into the bedroom. She herself wandered into the tiny closet-like bathroom and quickly washed herself off, enjoying the few moments of hot water she could get. After running a towel over herself, she checked the progress of her daughter, who managed to nudge the nervous looking Clockwork onto the bed. With a chuckle, she fished out what looked to be a tackle-box from under the bed and settled it by her side. With a practiced hoof, she flicked open the catch and began to unfold it, revealing the layers of make-up of all types within it. From the lowest drawer, she pulled out a heavy brush and tossed to her daughter. “Start on her tail,” she instructed, and used a hoof to tug out some of the gaudy ribbons and bows her daughter had decorated Clockwork’s mane with.

    The following hour seemed to last forever for the small mare, who found herself unable to extract herself from the pair now that she was “caught”. Honey simply brushed off any objection, while Indigo leveled puppy dog eyes of weapons grade cuteness at her every time she even hinted that she might not want to go through this. Finally, Clockwork resigned that, no matter what she said, this was going to happen.

    And happen it did. Honey was no slouch when it came to making a femme beautiful, and in an odd way, considered it repayment for saving her life the previous night. With brush in hoof, she and her daughter worked out every kink and knot from Clockwork’s mane and tail, laying it as flat as the mare could manage before taking a pair of scissors and shaping the indigo mane and tail into something more than an unkempt mess. Clockwork’s tail was already rather short, so it only took some shaping made it look stylish. But her mane was a mess, seemingly hacked short by a butcher instead of a barber.

    “How do you know how to do this?” Clockwork asked curiously, even as Honey went to work on shaping her bangs.

    “Simple,” Honey answered, “I attended a vocational school here in Canterlot. Cosmetology is always a big choice for fillies who don’t know what they want to do with their lives, so I ended up taking it. That was before I found out that as a ‘career path’ it was oversaturated. Sure, you can find a job trimming manes, but it paid minimum wage and there was next to no chance for advancement. Not that I ever got that far…” The golden mare closed her eyes for a moment and looked away, forcing away the momentary spike of pain that memory brought with it.

    “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories,” the short mare said apologetically, lowering her head, which Honey forced back up so she could keep trimming. The golden unicorn didn’t immediately answer, instead focusing on trimming Clockwork’s bangs.

    “It’s alright,” she finally answered when she put the scissors down, “you didn’t know. It’s just… I’d just rather not talk about it.” And with that, she reached for the make-up.

     Clockwork had never been one to wear make-up, having always forgone it in favor of the occasional grease smear on her coat. As such, she never really put much thought how much actual work has to go into applying it; having always thought of it was just a bit of lipstick and maybe a touch of mascara. Honey, however, quickly disabused her of that notion, and for the next fifteen minutes worked over her face. Liner was dawn about her eyes, followed by a careful mix of color gently applied to her eyelids. A pair of tweezers made short work of a few loose hairs from her eyebrows, and then an eyebrow pencil to darken and thin them out somewhat. Add a light dusting of color to her cheeks, a careful application of gloss to her lips by what felt like a miniature paintbrush, and even more pencils to line along her lips. All the while, Honey kept the same careful approach, applying it with an attention to detail Clockwork would only normally apply herself when dealing with her gear or equipment.

    The golden mare finally pulled back and looked over her work with a critical eye. Clockwork felt awkward as the mare leaned close, studying small aspects of her face and touching up here or there with a small brush or pencil until she was satisfied with her work and leaned back. “What do you think, kiddo?” she asked her daughter.

    The filly hopped up onto the bed beside her mother and pressed her lips tightly over her tongue as she studied Clockwork closely, making her feel even more nervous somehow. “Somethin’s missing… I know! Jewelry!”

    “Good call,” Honey chuckled, and pulled out another box, starting to dig through it. “This is all costume jewelry, so don’t worry if it gets lost or anything,” she told the shorter mare as she checked her ears and, noting the lack of any sort of piercing, adorned her ears with a clip on ring at the base of each, and a second ring partway up her left ear.

    “Now some clothin’!” Indigo cried out and was halfway into the closet before her mother was even on her hooves. Clockwork frowned as they seemed to completely ignore her while they sifted through a number of rather lewd outfits. She wasn’t sure she would feel comfortable wearing anything this mare had to offer, especially given her line of work, but could see no good way of begging off. It was obvious little Indigo was delighting in helping her mother give this make-over too. With a sigh, Clockwork forced herself to relax. It’s not like ay pony she knew would bear witness to this, right?

    Clockwork glanced over, smiling slightly as the pair argued materials, when a slight reflection of light caught her eye. Turning her head, looking past the small utilitarian bed the mother and daughter shared, was a small desk with a lamp and a mirror. From her current angle she the mirror only showed her the wall, but if she moved…

    “Sit down,” Indigo ordered, her eyes flaring with mischief. “You’ll get a chance to look when we’re finished, and not a moment before.” She stared at Clockwork with her amber eyes until the mare nodded dumbly and sat her flank back down, only to realize Honey had turned the mirror further away from her. Clockwork sighed and mumbled something about fairness as she waited.

    “Have you ever worn heels?” Honey asked as she finally came back, bearing the first of a number of items she obviously planned for Clockwork to wear.

    “Um… no?”

    “Well, you’ll have that chance now,” Honey teased and passed to Clockwork a quartet of stockings. They were black nylon with long seams up the backs and a reinforced cover over the bottom of each hoof. To Clockwork they were obviously designed to be worn with a boot or shoe to protect them, even as Honey helped her tug them on. She was only mildly surprised when Honey fitted a corset-like saddle over her waist and tightened it, causing her to wheeze momentarily from the constriction of the butter colored satin with black lace trim. She almost missed that it had short elastic straps with clips on the ends until Honey began to attach them to the stockings. A pair of straps pulled over her hips and flank, while the others cut just behind her forelegs at the forward edge of the saddle to hold the front stockings up.

    “This should fit,” the golden mare stated as Indigo trotted up with it draped over her back, a green satin dress that seemed to almost shimmer in the afternoon light. Clockwork could only remain still as the mother/daughter team pulled it over her. The corset was obviously needed, since the dress fit quite snugly about her waist, but it was surprisingly loose elsewhere as the gown was settled into place. The khaki mare fidgeted nervously as they pinned a spot or two before helping her into the matching shoes, a modest height that still made Clockwork feel as if she were going to fall forward onto her face.

    “Momma?” Indigo asked, rubbing her chin with her hoof, studying Clockwork critically.

    “Here, put this in her tail,” she answered, and floated to her daughter a deep emerald green ribbon, which the little filly grabbed happily and began to tie into Clockwork’s indigo tail. “I think that’s about it. Once Indigo is done, we’ll let you get a good look at yourself.”

    “W-where did you get this dress?” Clockwork asked softly, eyes wide as she looked it over.

    “It belonged to one of my Bridlemaids,” she answered with a sad smile, “back when I married and had Indigo. It’s just been sitting in my closet after Petunia returned it, and I kept it for some reason. She was about your size, as you noticed, maybe a little lankier.”

    “I…  Thank you,” Clockwork answered with a smile.

    “I figured you wouldn’t go in for my usual work clothing,” Honey teased, if only to watch the other mare blush.

    The filly interrupted them as just the right moment for Clockwork, “Finished!”

    “Good work,” Honey smiled and nuzzled her daughter lightly before trotting over to the mirror she turned away.

    Clockwork expected the change to be dramatic, perhaps even a little bit astonishing. What she hadn’t expected was to literally not recognize herself. The mare in the mirror had beautiful green eyes, almost glowing emeralds that peered out from a cloud of smoky purple eye shadow and dark mascara. Heavy lashes and deep lines from the eyeliner made her eyes appear slightly angled, almost almandine, and suggestively half lidded. A dark shimmering red, almost maroon, painted her lips, rendering them tantalizing shadows that hinted at further mysteries, and her indigo mane nearly hung down over her left eye, threatening to hide it in shadows. If anything, it seemed like every touch of makeup on her face was designed purely to bring out her eyes and lend an air of mystique. And then there was the dress… a beautiful green satin with gold and silver thread chasing along its seams and decorative edge. Sure, the petticoats sewn inside it were scratchy and annoying, but the flared skirt gave a lovely sway to the entire ensemble as Clockwork took a few tentative steps. The heels seemed to match the gown perfectly, and the stockings only further emphasized the dress by de-emphasizing how different in tone her coat was from the material of the gown.

    Indigo watched expectantly, but her mother could only give a slowly widening smile. “She isn’ sayin’ anything, Momma… is something wrong?” Indigo asked tentatively, “I KNEW we should have gone with the red sequins…”

    “No, everything is perfect,” Honey said softly as she watched Clockwork step daintily forward to touch her own reflection in awe, “she’s just a little overwhelmed.”

    The little filly nodded sagely for a moment, only to have her face scrunch up with thought. “Well she needs to stop being so whelmed!”

    “It’s… I’m… Wow…” Clockwork finally managed to stammer, lowering her hoof from the reflection she didn’t recognize. It almost reminded her of what the Princesses had excitedly suggested to the team for the Grand Galloping Gala, and that she’d gone out of her way to avoid.

    “See, kiddo? She’s starting to come out of it,” Honey joked and tickled the foal’s side.

    “You like it?” Indigo cried, bouncing on the bed excitedly.

    “I… Y-yes, I do. I never thought… I never even….” Clockwork stammered, unable to rip her eyes away from the reflection staring back at her.

    The golden mare lightly looped an arm over Clockwork’s shoulder and leaned close. “Now if you really want to try on those other outfits, I’m sure we could find the time…” she offered suggestively, and couldn’t help but giggle as the khaki mare’s ears folded back tightly, her blush so bright you could practically use it as a nightlight. Only a knock at the front door spared Clockwork further teasing, and with a sigh she separated herself from the other mare, “Indigo, go see who it is. And remember, use the peephole first!”

    “Yes ma’am!” Indigo called and trotted off, and shortly followed by the sound of a kitchen chair being drug along the floor. Honey made a face and shook her head slightly.

    “She’ll figure out magic soon enough,” she told Clockwork, though seemingly more to herself. She started to put up the massive box filled with make-up, getting it closed as Clockwork returned to staring at her reflection, when they both heard a yelp from the other room, and a masculine voice call out.

    “Oh Honey, I’m here for my money…”

    “Hawk,” the pony all but spat as she brushed past Clockwork and headed for the main room. Clockwork shadowed her more slowly, unsteady in the heeled shoes. From the doorway she could see Honey stalking towards a pegasus easily a head taller than any she could remember seeing in a long time. She doubted he was a special, but there was something about the way he stood that made her sure he was used to getting his own way. Despite his size, the white stallion cut a rather handsome figure, the problem was, he obviously knew it. His blonde mane and deep blue eyes reminded Clockwork of some pony she heard in a story somewhere, but she couldn’t place where. He watched Honey approach with an almost casual disinterest.

    “Well well, there she is. I told you boys she would be at home,” he stated to the pair of muscular ponies with him. They looked about as dim as a two watt bulb to Clockwork, but she highly doubted they were hired for their brains. One was a muddy brown, while the other was a slate gray, both with broad chins and powerful builds only partially concealed by the loose floor length coats they were wearing. One of them was holding onto a squirming and indignant Indigo.

    “Tell your thugs to get their hooves off my daughter,” Honey all but growled. The lead pony seemed unimpressed but made a motion with a hoof, and the gray stallion let the filly loose, who immediately charged over to her mother.

    “Well, isn’t that touching,” the white stallion snarked.

    “What do you want, Hawk?” Honey demanded, pushing her daughter behind her. Clockwork took that moment to hiss at Indigo and motion her over, but the filly just shook her head stubbornly. “Let me guess, you need help getting all that white dye out of your fur? Seriously, your coat has been every color of the rainbow so far…”

    “Except for pink,” one of the thugs noted, oblivious to the harsh glare that earned him from his employer.

    “No, no my dear,” the stallion said, recovering smoothly. “I’m here for your take. You were supposed to bring it by last night --”

    “I got robbed,” Honey interrupted flatly, “but you knew that already. You also already know I will work extra tonight to earn the money back.”

    “I’ll admit, I’m curious how you are still standing after a robbery,” the stallion said simply. “After all, this is a rough part of town, and most mugging victims wind up in the morgue...”

    Clockwork spoke without thinking, or even considering the image she must have put forward with how she was dressed, “I chased him off.”

    “Ah, I wondered who was hiding back there,” he noted with a bemused smile, “and I see that Honey was kind enough to get you all tarted up for me as well. She always was good at finding new talent. But this is a private conversation, and your ears aren’t welcome. Honey, let’s continue this in your bedroom…”

    “Do you think I’m about to let you --” Clockwork started, taking a step forward. She realized too late her mistake and stumbled on one of the heels.

    “Boys?” The order barely left his lips when the two thugs closed in on her, one on each side, and gripped her about the middle with their forelegs. She was lifted bodily up and to the side, pinned between them. Hawk strode over to her, using a hoof to cup her chin and force her to look at him. “Honey did a nice job on you, and it’d be a shame to waste her talents, or yours. Boys, break her in. She’ll make a nice addition to the dancers down at the ‘Plowed Field’, once she’s been tamed.”

    Honey looked back apologetically as Hawk steered her towards the bedroom. Clockwork tried to push forward, but the combined muscle of the two stallions prevented her from going anywhere. Indigo, of course, ran after her mother. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving the khaki mare pinned between two very large and dim thugs…

    “This is gonna be fun,” one of the stallions said in a dull voice, nuzzling behind her ear.

    Correction, she was pinned between two very large and dim thugs who had a very specific idea of what “breaking her in” meant. Clockwork’s mind screamed in panic for a moment before she stomped on it with all four heeled horseshoes. Despite the twisting revulsion in her gut, an idea percolated up from the dark depths of her mind…

    “You’re right, this is going to be fun,” she purred, giving them her best smile.

    “I do hope I am not intruding.”

    Professor Relic yelped and all but fell off the couch he was reclining on, his book sent fluttering to the floor as he bowed low to the Princess. Quagga handled her entrance more reasonably, and simply finished coming down the stairs before bowing as well. Celestia nodded her acknowledgement to them both and wandered over to examine the jacket of the book the Professor dropped.

    “The Life and Times of a Celestial Body,” Celestia read from the cover with a teasing smile as Relic lifted it with his magic. “Reading my unofficial biography, I see. I do hope you understand why I removed that particular bit of nonsense from circulation.”

    “Admittedly, at first I thought it was because it was so negative a portrayal of yourself, Princess,” Relic said after a moment, “but I decided to read more. While most of it seems focused on pure character assault upon you, Princess, his supposed science doesn’t add up to me.”

    The Princess smiled and gave a short nod before finding a nearby cushion to settle down on. “That, indeed, is why I removed it from print. I am a big enough pony to withstand assaults on my character, and being the long-time co-ruler of Equestria means I am a large target for dissidents of all stripes, no pun intended Quagga. But the falsehoods he claimed and perpetrated in the name of science were downright inexcusable, especially when all one has to do is ask me.”

    “So far, he has claimed in the book to have asked you,” Relic pointed out, “but then discounted your assertions as propaganda and flat out lies. I will confess that the idea of the sun and moon rising on their own is a difficult thing for me to imagine.”

    Celestia offered a weary smile and sighed, “If only that were true some days, then I could sleep in. Technically they could rise on their own but, like a wound clock, would lose momentum over time. While I freely admit that it is not overly difficult to raise the sun and the moon in this day and age, it does require a level of punctuality that my sister and I feel inherently. This is also why a cabal of unicorns could, and has in the past, done my current job; we only need to nudge it along at this point. If we did not maintain the cycle, it would begin to slow… I believe the math worked out that, in roughly seventeen hundred years, the system would inherently lose enough momentum that my little ponies would be dealing with a day twice as long as we currently allow. Eventually, the spring would wind out, and the sun and moon would simply stop, burning one side of the planet and freezing the other. To start it from that stopped position would take a great feat of mystic power, one that would drain my sister and me almost completely.”

    “Which goes against the writer’s claims that the system was working fine until you broke it, or are taking credit for a natural cycle, into doubt,” Relic said softly. “No offense, Princess, but that still seems primarily a suppression of an idea that stands against you.”

    “None taken, Professor,” Celestia offered with a warm smile, “I do not expect you to agree with all my decisions. I removed it under the fear that if more and more ponies believed that, they would let other systems fall to the wayside. Like the sun and moon, this world simply cannot work properly without some form of continual maintenance. The pegasi have a more direct contact with that aspect of our planet than most ponies, managing the weather as they do, but every pony affects it in some way. Be it caring for animals that cannot fend for themselves, attending to the growth patterns of various types of plants, or even just cleaning up winter, every pony has a responsibility to this land that cannot be shirked without consequence. Should a large contingent of ponies have fallen sway to the writer’s ideal, we could end up with an incredibly dangerous situation, and places as wild as the Everfree Forest could start popping up all over Equestria as they let the world ‘take care of itself’.”

    “It would lead to a certain malaise and laziness that has been seen only in ancient days long past,” Quagga inserted as he found himself a cushion to settle on. “My friend’s dubious taste in reading material aside, what can we do for you, Princess?”

    Celestia chuckled softly behind a hoof and looked over to where the Elements of Justice were resting comfortably on their cushions. “I would have thought it obvious, gentlestallions. You gave me one very hopeful report and began interviewing some of my guard, and yet, just over a week later, I find you’ve abandoned that avenue of approach. Given that I was not apprised of any changes or updates to your knowledge base, am I to assume you have either on the verge of solving this riddle or run afoul of a hurdle you cannot overcome?”

    The pair of stallions looked to each other for a moment, then sighed as Relic placed a bookmark within the book and set it aside. “We’ve run into a hurdle, Princess, one we do not think can be overcome.”

    “Yes, that indeed sounds like you,” Celestia noted softly, “you do not express yourself well when you have hit a dead end in your research.”

    Relic scowled as his zebra friend began to laugh. “She knows you well, my friend,” he chortled.

    “Perhaps you’re right, Princess,” Relic admitted with a gusty sigh, “but I fail to see how even you could overcome this situation.”

    “Until you explain it, I will not know,” she offered impishly.

    “Very well,” Relic said, and climbed off the couch to wander over to the Elements in question. “The thesis for our interviews centered on the ideal that the elements would react to the inherent capacity within a pony for the qualities they represent, and that the crystals would resonate in some recordable manner when the proper emotion or quality was present. The problem we encountered was that the elements would not react at all to the interviews we began conducting. Nothing, not even the slightest flicker, despite pulling from your own guard, and even the same individual whom caused the reaction Quagga noticed in the first place.”

    “The Professor began to question our testing method at this point,” the zebra slipped in from where he was sitting. “The question became: how can you test the true nature of a pony, the capacity of a pony to access the core and uniting value of the Elements, or the element’s value specifically?”

    “Which we concluded that, after a prolonged discussion, you can’t,” Relic continued, turning away from the element he was gazing into and back to the Princess. “There is no way to know what lies below the surface, to know how truly honest a pony might be about themselves. And it’s more than just intentionally lying to us, but it includes dozens of possibilities. Ponies who literally don’t know…”

    “…ponies who lie to themselves…” Quagga added.

    “…ponies who exaggerate their nature…”

    “…ponies who are psychopathically dishonest…”

    “…ponies who have been told all their lives the wrong thing…”

    “…ponies who simply overestimate their abilities…”

    “…ponies who --”

    “I see the problem,” Celestia interrupted, “there are too many uncontrollable factors.”

    “And that’s just the beginning,” Relic noted, wandering back to the couch and leaning against it, “There’s also the fact that every recorded ‘activation’ of the Elements of Harmony required a great deal of danger before they selected a bearer. Literally, they wouldn’t go active until the last possible second, almost as if they were giving us ponies every opportunity to resolve the situation without their assistance. Heck, in the two instances we have empirical evidence regarding, the Element’s physical shells were completely destroyed before they went active.”

    “The instances you are referring to… I presume you mean Twilight Sparkle and her friends,” Celestia interjected, “and the current element bearers?”

    “That’s correct, Princess,” Relic said, then blinked at the odd, almost knowing, smile on the elder Princess’ lips. “Is everything alright, ma’am?”

    “Representing one of the elements, becoming a bearer, is akin to a rebirth,” she noted as she climbed to her hooves. “There is a longstanding theory that that the element must be destroyed in preparation for a new bearer. The Element often takes the shape and the mark of the one who held it last, thus to prepare itself to be held by a new owner requires it eliminate the last connections to the old bearer. If left dormant for a long duration, they revert back to their natural shape, the crystal orbs as you see here, in preparation for an egg-like burst of magic to assume a new form. This is why representations of the Elements prior to Twilight Sparkle and her friends taking possession of them are so erratic. When my sister and I had to use them to imprison Discord, they adopted the six colored gems in a golden holder that was so frequently drawn in old books,” Celestia paused to look over the bookshelves, searching for a moment before murmuring, “Ah, here it is.” With a deft swipe of her magic, she withdrew a book from very high on the shelves and placed it on a table nearby. While Relic and Quagga approached it curiously, Celestia sat back down.

    “Elemental Nature,” the Professor read aloud, “no author credited.”

    “This book is exceptionally old,” Quagga inserted, studying the spine, “this was bound before even the first rudimentary presses were created. Long before, I would wager.”

    The dusty colored unicorn used his magic to slowly open the book, his eyes widening as he looked at the writing, “This is… ancient! This writing, Quagga, look at this writing! I haven’t seen ancient Braytish like this since… since…”

    “Since the tomb of the Ponytifex, the last of the great ‘demon’ hunters, and who took to his grave all the accumulated data he had accrued about the ‘shape-shifting demons’ he fought his entire life,” Quagga noted with a nostalgic smile.

    “That was a fascinating discovery, wasn’t it?” Relic asked with a smile. “Those were some of the first recorded instances of the Changelings, and how ponies thought they were shape-shifting demons and devils straight from the depths of Tartarus at first.”

    “Given their native appearance, that is not too much of an intellectual leap. Still, he had a surprising amount of information and research,” Quagga noted, “but came to the wrong conclusions in the end. He completely missed the hive-like nature of their social structure.”

    “My etchings from that dig still rest proudly in the Canterlot Museum, right along with other evidence about the Changelings and the mystery surrounding their origins.” Relic shook off the clinging memories and re-examining the book the Princess provided them. “The problem with this text is that the language here is too old for this binding. Books of this nature didn’t come into existence until several centuries later, and the sharp angles of the writing indicate this is the first iteration of the Braytish language… perhaps this is copied?”

    “Those are the originals,” Celestia slipped in from where she sat, watching the pair with a bemused grin.

    “Look at the unique size of the volume, Professor;” Quagga pointed out, “it’s possible these were scrolls that were collected into a single volume at a later date.”

    “That might explain the cover page. Here, listen to this: ‘Within these covers lie a private collection of all information I have collected about the mystic items known as the Elements,” Professor Relic read, his eyes scanning the page almost hungrily, “If one discovers this volume unattended, please leave it where the shining sun may gaze upon it, and I shall reclaim it.’ It’s easy to forget how poetic some of the ancient Braytish were.”

    “I do not think that was meant to be poetic, Professor,” the zebra noted, and looked over at the solar regent, who watched back. Relic took a moment to glance up at his partner, then over to where Celestia was sitting calmly with a knowing smile. His mouth went dry for a moment, and he swallowed as he looked at the odd book once more.

    “These are… your notes?” he asked carefully.

    Celestia nodded. “Yes, Professor, those are my notes, volume one of four, to be precise. All four volumes may be found here, in this library.”

    “You… self censored?” Relic asked, confused. “Why?”

    “What you hold in your hoof is a repository of all my knowledge on the Elements of Harmony,” Celestia answered simply, tapping her hoof on the floor. “Even after four volumes, I only just scratched the surface of what the Elements represent. Further, included in these volumes are my research and techniques on how I created my own elements, the Elements of Justice. In short, you are holding more than three millennia of research into the nature of the Elements, why they did what they did, how they do what they do, and how they choose their bearers. Anything and everything I could discover about them, I placed in those books. Every theory and belief I could find, including my personal belief that they are the very essence of power that created Equestria and this planet. And then, I buried it away from all pony eyes for a simple reason: the Elements must be able to work with minimal foreknowledge of them.”

    “I… don’t understand,” Relic said simply.

    “The more you know about the Elements, the less capable you are of wielding one. There is one thing to the elements that is nearly impossible to pin down, but is also required,” Celestia said softly, “innocence.”

    “You’re saying that any bearer, or potential bearer, must be completely in the dark about the true nature of the Elements?” Quagga asked in lieu of the Professor, who was looking at the Princess in a near state of shock.

    “Yes,” Celestia answered. “It’s a conundrum, I know. You need to know of the Elements to find them, but part of their test for potential bearers is if they can discover the true nature of the element, if they can embody that element within their heart.”

    “We’re safe then,” Relic grumbled as he set Celestia’s book back down on the table, “we barely know a damned thing about these Elements.”

    Celestia chuckled lightly, “I do believe that these volumes will assist in you in your research. That said, I do ask that you not to give up on your interviews, Professor.”

    “But we’ve proven they are a waste of time for every pony involved…” the elder unicorn started, but Celestia held up a hoof.

    “You have proven that your current method is a waste of time,” the solar regent stated simply, “but I believe that you may not be asking the right ponies.”

    Quagga spoke up before his friend could protest, “You have some pony specific in mind, Princess?”

    Celestia smiled enigmatically. “Yes, Quagga, I do indeed.”

    “Now Honey, it didn’t have to be this way…”

    Hawk stood once more before the mare, who stood protectively before her daughter, the snarl on her face an almost a permanent fixture since the door closed and the noise from the living room began. Hawk ignored it, but Honey could only imagine the… things they must be doing to Clockwork. An old saying ran unbidden through her mind: “no good deed goes unpunished”.

    “I said I would get your blasted money!” Honey said again, trying hard to hide the tremble in her voice.

    “You misunderstand,” he noted with a cold smile, “this isn’t about the money. I know you will get it. This is about discipline. You were to deliver the money last night, just like every other pony who works for me. Once a week, you know that, and yet you didn’t show up. You made me look foalish, and when you make me look foalish, other ponies get the idea they can make me look foalish too. This means I have to make an example of you, stop the foalishness before it can even get started.” With an almost casual gesture, he shoved the bed out of the way and sent it crashing into the nearby desk and mirror, the latter of which shattered noisily.

    “Seven years bad luck!” Indigo cried at the stallion, who seemed unfazed by the sound.

    “Maybe for you,” Hawk answered, smiling darkly, “but I don’t believe in silly superstitions.”

    “Indigo…” Honey started, trying to shush her daughter.

    “Ah, the precociousness of youth,” the stallion added, pausing in his advance to crook an ear towards the main room of the apartment. An odd silence came from there and he shook his head, smiling at the horror washing over Honey’s expression. “I guess she didn’t live up to our standards. Too bad, you dolled her up nicely. Now then, Honey, it’s your turn.”

    “S-screw you, Hawk! You know why I wasn’t there!” Honey insisted, pushing her filly behind her. Unfortunately she wasn’t standing long, as a back-hoof from the stallion sent her crumbling to the floor.

    “And that’s your second mistake, Honey,” he sneered, “you tried to stand up for yourself. I thought you’d learned that lesson already. I suppose I’ll have to break one of your legs to remind you. A pity, I was just going to give you a few bruises, but now I’ll have to --“

    “You leave my Momma alone!” the little filly shrieked and rushed the larger stallion. She barely came up to his stomach, but she latched on to one of his forelegs as if trying to wrestle him down. Hawk simply looked down at her bemusedly.

    “Well well, we have a volunteer,” he sneered, and with his other forehoof, pried the little filly off his leg, “maybe if I take it out of her hide, you’ll listen to reason.”

    “You bastard, let go of my daughter!” Honey shouted, and charged him, only to get knocked painfully away by another back-hoof. Hawk sneered and pinned the filly’s head to the floor under his hoof.

    “Say goodbye to mommy!”

    “Goodbye,” a new voice chimed in from the doorway, mechanical and dark. Hawk only caught the barest of glimpses of this figure before it slammed into him, crashing him through the window across the room, momentarily stunning The Hawk.

    The large pegasus quickly recovered from the surprise attack and flared his wings, saving himself from a three story fall. The mid-afternoon sun glared down at him as he craned his neck to find whoever dared to attack him. He only just heard the roar before something/some pony grabbed him about the waist, pinning his wings down and yanking him upwards, towards the sky.

    Honey and her daughter rushed to the window, staring up in wonder as the unexpected savior yanked Hawk upwards, momentarily lost in the sun, before sending him crashing down into the roof right across the street! Hawk shook off the impact with a growl, rising to his hooves.

    “Alright, flank-hole, you’re asking for it now!” Hawk shouted, and out came his trusty switchblade knife. He’d had the thing ever since he was a colt in school, when he used it to threaten other colts for their lunch money. It never failed him…

    Something slammed into the rooftop behind him and he turned, lashing out with the blade in the same motion. The knife made a horrible sound, halfway between a screech and a clang, before the pin gave and the blade broke off from the handle. Hawk stared dumbly at the handle in his hoof when the strange figure rushed him, crashing into him a second time. He was driven back, his hooves unable to find a purchase to stop this creature, forcing him onto his rear legs before he slammed painfully into the lip of the roof, his back crackling dangerously even as the bricks he struck did much the same.

    “What are you?!” he demanded, and struck out with a hoof, causing another clang as he impacted the heavy armour. For a moment he thought it was a guard, but gold wasn’t the primary color of this armour, it was green.

    “It doesn’t matter,” the armoured pony growled, the speaker making her voice sound downright demonic, “but I’m going to break you in now. Let’s see how you like it.”

    Comprehension dawned in his eyes as the armour forced his back further into the bricks with a foreleg, pinning him off balance as the other forehoof lifted, a glowing blue port shining brightly. She pointed that open nozzle at him, only inches away from his face, and it whined with increasing power. “Don’t kill me!” he pleaded, “I’ll give you whatever you want! Money, mares, drugs… anything!”

    She didn’t answer, the port simply glowing brighter, and the stallion let out an anguished cry. He threw his hooves over his head, desperately trying to bat the forelegs away, anything! But the armour was steadfast, immobile despite his efforts. But that was the problem, after almost a full minute, it wasn’t moving at all…

    “R-reconsidering?” he tried tentatively.

    “No, she isn’t,” a new voice chimed in from behind him. He had to crane his head, and witnessed something he never thought he would see.

    “P-princess Luna?!” he cried hoarsely.

    The Princess set down lightly on the rooftop, and a white mare clambered off the Princess’ back, her eyes glowing bright lavender as she stared at the armoured mare before her. Luna simply ignored the stallion to ask Galaxi, “You have her restrained?”

    “Yes ma’am, though it’s a struggle. She wants this buck dead in a bad way, and it would only take a flick of her hoof to do it,” she answered. The stallion broke out in a cold sweat when he realized how close his death was in that moment, literally staring him in the face.

    “Skillet has the guard on its way,” Luna said simply, “but I will confess that I am disappointed in you, Clockwork Key. We just had a talk about how you must not overreact, I find you about to kill a stallion. Tell me, what was his crime?”

    “Um… ma’am? P-princess?” a tentative voice called, drawing the Princess’ attention. Honey waved from the nearby window. “I can explain --”

    “OHMYGODDESS!!” a filly cried shrilly, drowning out her mother, “It’s Princess LOONA!!”

    Luna gave a bemused smile and nodded to the small filly. “Yes, little one, that is indeed who I am.”

    “Momma, Momma, It’s Princess Loona!!” the filly squealed before bouncing away into the apartment. Honey watched her bounce around the room like a super-ball thrown by an excitable colt on a sugar high before turning back to look at the Princess again.

    “Sorry about my daughter,” Honey said with a thin smile, “but I can explain why Clockwork was about to kill that stallion.”

    “And what reason would she have for such an act?”

    “Because he was going to kill my daughter,” she answered evenly. Luna and Galaxi looked briefly to each other, before Luna looked back to the golden mare.

    “We will be there momentarily. I would hear the entire story.”

    “Well, that victory was short lived.”

    The quintet of gryphons and one prismatic maned pegasus stared down into the ravine before them. The deepest and darkest part of the Everfree Forest, a place even they wouldn’t stay after dark, was where the tracks led them. Cloudchaser was scouring the area around the ravine, on both sides, for a good mile each direction, but so far had come up empty clawed. Blackfeather and Windchaser took turns running up the length and simply calling for Verdigris, in case she simply fell in and was somehow still alive, but the evidence was worrisome.

    With the strange claw/hoofed creature in the lead, the family of gryphons had walked off and into the ravine. Even in the midday sun, the depth of the ravine was darkened by shadows, and rumors of creatures that made manticores look like kittens and hydras look like garter snakes kept them from going too deeply. Not that it stopped one gryphoness from checking...

    “Nothing,” Filigree rasped as she clawed her way back and over the edge, fluttering her metallic wings slightly to shake them out. “I stirred up a hive of something I don’t want wish to run afoul of again. I don’t even know what they were, but there was no sign of my family. Of course, if they went straight down, there wouldn’t…” the powerful gryphon faded off, pain lancing her expression.

    “Weren’t their wings clipped?” Cloudchaser asked with a frown, her beak just inches off the edge of the gorge where they seemed to vanish.

    “Yes,” Spectrum answered for her friend. “The gryphon king clipped their wings as part of their enslavement.”

    “Then this makes no sense,” Cloudy sighed softly and rubbed her crest with a claw. “There’s no sign of a struggle, and nor is there any sign they even attempted to take off and fly. If they were just led into the ravine…”

    “Would any sort of brainwashing or hypnotism have overridden that instinct?” Chase asked, keeping a worried eye on the steel winged gryphoness.

    “Maybe, I’m no expert on that,” Cloudchaser admitted, “so I can’t say.”

    “Then let’s get an expert,” Spectrum stated, and tapped her earpiece, “Skillet?”

    “Ya?” the voice answered in her ear.

    Spectrum smiled thinly. “Good, you’re there. Can you get Trixie on the line? I need some of her expertise on mind control magicks.”

    “Give me few minutes, ya?” the stallion requested, and the line went dead.

    “We should be able to get our teammate on the line soon enough,” Spectrum noted as she picked up a burr out of her coat. “Still, it’s hard to imagine that they had to be forced. They weren’t in chains…”

    “Yeah, I would have seen that dragging along the ground,” Cloudchaser chipped in.

    “…they weren’t at spear or weapon-point…”

    “The… whatever was leading them. You would have to be behind them if he was forcing them along, assuming it is a male,” Chase noted, glancing to his side as Blackfeather came swooping up for a landing. As she stalled her flight to drop to the ground, Chase smiled inwardly and watched the dappled light play over her shimmering blue-black feathers, remembering the crush he had as a youth. The raven-feathered gryphoness had only become more beautiful in the intervening years… Windchaser was a lucky, lucky gryphon. Unfortunately, when she met his eye, she only shook her head slightly, and the mood was ruined. No luck…

    “…they made no attempt to fly, even though their wings were clipped…”

    “The impressions from their claws would have been sharper if they had tried to push off or take win g,” Cloudchaser chimed in.

    “…so where does that leave us?” Spectrum finally finished. “What is it that old detective character used to say?”

    “I think it is ‘once we eliminate all the possibilities, whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth’,” Windchaser answered, swooping in for his own landing. “Sheerluck Hooves, as I recall.”

    “You used to read those instead of paying attention in class,” Blackfeather noted with a giggle, nuzzling her fiancée.

    “Yeah, I did,” he admitted with a blush.

    “Any luck?” Filigree asked, oblivious to their affections with one another.

    “No,” Windchaser answered with a sigh, his future mate scooting closer. “No luck on your end either?”

    “If they went to the bottom, they would have been eaten by what I found there,” she answered in a tightly controlled voice. Chase moved closer to her, placing a claw on her shoulder. He could feel her muscles jumping under the surface of her feathers and fur, a testament to her strict self-control.

    “You called for the Great and Powerful Trixie?” a voice purred over Spectrum’s earpiece.

    Spectrum chuckled, “Not so sure about ‘great’, but we could definitely use ‘powerful’ and hopefully knowledgeable right now.” She then motioned to the others, “I got Trixie on the line, we should be able to try and sort some of this out.”

    “Alright, fill Trixie in on the situation.”

    “Short version, we found the tracks of Filigree’s family, but they appear to have literally been led off a cliff,” Spectrum quickly covered, “All tracks point to them just walking off, no attempts to fly. They were led this way by an unknown entity…”

    “So the entity was in front of them?” inquired the unicorn on the other end of the line.

    “Yes.”

    “Do you know if it was walking backwards or forwards?” Trixie asked, and Spectrum frowned. She quickly posed the question to the resident tracker, who paused and lowered down to check the tracks again before picking up a nearby stick.

    “Here’s what I’m seeing,” the gryphoness said, using the stick to draw it out as all of them came closer, and Spectrum keyed the microphone to pick up the explanation. “We have our unknown here, leading the five gryphons. He/she/it reaches the edge of the ravine and steps aside, and it appears that he turns to face them at this point. There’s a small delay about here,” she notes, pointing the stick at the ground a few feet away before returning to her diagram, “and then they head forward and right over the side.”

    “If Trixie must guess, she would say it is most likely some form of hypnotism,” she said, which Spectrum relayed nearly word for word, “whoever this entity is turned about to reinforce the hypnosis, which would explain the pause. Trixie might also note that this entity simply could have convinced them to follow him, her, or it with no foul play. Without knowing more of the situation, we cannot say.”

    “They wouldn’t plummet to their deaths over the side of a cliff willingly,” Filigree cut in, almost angrily.

    “Trixie did not say they did,” Spectrum relayed. “Trixie recommends checking the edge of the cliff for an odd, fluttery pattern in the dirt. It would be very subtle, but a sign of magic none the less.”

    “These tracks are over a week old,” Cloudchaser sighed and flicked her wings, hovering close to the edge of the cliff as she examined it as closely as she could. “If it was here, it’s most likely been destroyed, especially if it’s as delicate as your ‘expert’ says.”

    “It’s worth a shot,” Trixie sighed, and Spectrum relayed, “using a spell to try and track residual magic would be just as difficult. Did the gryphons go single file, or all at once?”

    “Why would that matter?” Blackfeather asked, but Chase snapped his claws.

    “Because if they were going to jump to their death, they’d all have to go at once,” he said with a dawning smile, “if they were single file, even if they were tricked, the others behind would have realized something was wrong.”

    “Would that overcome a spell?” Spectrum asked, looking at Cloudchaser’s efforts to find the effect noted.

    “Absolutely. Hypnotism is inherently weak, even at the most powerful levels,” Trixie said over the headset, and Spectrum relayed for the rest, “if the caster orders an individual to go against their nature or interest, the hypnotism starts to unravel. Survival instinct will override hypnotism every time. You could forcibly mind control one individual, but it’s a time consuming spell and prone to weaken quickly without continual control. True mind control is very difficult to maintain for any length of time, and is extremely difficult to cast on multiple targets at once.”

    “Is it do-able?” Filigree asked softly.

    “With enough power, anything is doable,” Trixie answered, and Spectrum continued to relay. “It would be a colossal waste of energy, though.”

    “I couldn’t find the fluttering effect you mentioned,” Cloudchaser answered as she returned to the group, “but I can confirm they did go single file in the end.”

    “Given that data, Trixie thinks there’s a more practical explanation,” Trixie answered, and Spectrum yawned as she continued to relay. “My suspicion is that there may have been a portal of some kind there, and they went single file through it.”

    “But why do that here?” Chase asked frowning as he looked over at the gorge. “There were plenty of places we passed, including some pretty isolated groves, which would have been better for casting something like a portal. Why walk this far?”

    “Trixie cannot answer that for certain,” Spectrum said for the team’s resident mage, “however she will note that there are a number of possibilities. The one that makes the most sense to Trixie is the distinct possibility of range. Teleportation spells take a lot out of a unicorn, and a portal spell even more-so. The less distance travelled, the easier it is to cast. Furthermore, there is the possibility this entity was testing them, to see if your family was suited for their needs. It’s quite possible this being needed something specific from them, most likely a skill or personality trait. Regardless, that would make their death highly unlikely, and more likely they may be imprisoned somewhere nearby.”

    Chase frowned as he looked at the ravine they stood by. “That still leaves a lot of territory to cover, much of it considered the most dangerous region in Equestria. Do we have any idea of the range?”

    “Honestly, no,” Trixie answered, and Spectrum relayed for her. “However it is most likely that a good five mile radius would be a good place to start. Very few mages would be powerful enough to sustain further for very long.”

    “Got it,” Chase noted with a frown.

    “Thank you, Trixie,” Spectrum told the unicorn and disconnected with her before turning to the others. “I think you’re looking at it the wrong way. If he is keeping them we want safe spots within the ravine. They wouldn’t be in open danger, but it’s quite possible that they are in a place where the inherent danger keeps them captive. They can’t just fly out…”

    “That doesn’t exactly paint a rosy picture there,” Cloudchaser noted with a sigh. “My tracking skills will be useless for this leg; I can’t track magic...”

    “You got us this far,” Chase offered with a reassuring smile. “Windy, Blackfeather, you’re on point for this one. Rather than looking straight down into the ravine, try scoping the walls for caves and the like, no matter how high up they are. If you can spot what’s in them, let us know, if not, we’ll investigate them later.” The pair of gryphons nodded and took off in a burst of motion, launching themselves along one wall of the ravine as they headed north east first, back towards the town. With them gone, Chase looked back to the remaining figures with a sigh. “We’ll find them, Filigree. This just complicates things a bit, but we’ll find them.”

    The gryphoness didn’t bother lifting her head to respond, “I hope so.”

    Luna couldn’t help but smile.

    It wasn’t often the Princess of the Moon got to truly see a slice of life from the less pristine side of her little ponies (My Little Ponies? Luna inwardly made a face, she must have picked that up from her sister), and this was perhaps as un-pristine as it came.

    The apartment was small, tiny even. The four of them, five if you counted Indigo, barely fit in the main room. Honey had to shove the flimsy table she used back against a wall to make enough room, and the constant flow of the Royal Guard in and out of the apartment only made things seem even more cramped. Thankfully Skillet had been clever enough to request an entire wing to come out to her location. With only two guards needed to apprehend “The Hawk”, the rest quickly set up a perimeter and were able to keep back the small mob of curious faces. Unless they lived in the building, the guard kept them out. Still, she opted to sit near the broken window so that those pegasi and clever ponies on the building across the street could snap away with their cameras. It allowed her to use her body to shield those with her, and she kept her mane flowing in an unseen celestial wind to hide the identities of those she was with. It would work until the Guard had the chance to chase them away.

    Luna lightly lifted the dirty mug to her lips with her magic, smiling as she tasted the burnt and thin coffee within. The golden mare, who identified herself as “Honey”, was making every effort to be a gracious host. Despite not having the tools needed to truly host a Princess, she wasn’t letting that fluster her. Instead she simply apologized that it wasn’t up to the high quality of the Palace, and offered her something to drink anyway. That was far sweeter than any amount of sugar cubes in her coffee.

    Of course, that ignored the child unicorn as she bounced in an excitable circle about her. In an odd way, it reminded Luna of the late Lady Pie; her excitement was so intense it was nearly palpable. From the moment Luna stepped hoof into the apartment, the young filly had been as close as she could, watching her with wide adoring eyes. Even her giddy cries of “Loona” only warmed her heart, though the worried looks from her mother greatly concerned her.

    Galaxi and Clockwork were off to the side, near the “slab” that served as Clockwork’s remote armour deployment sled. Galaxi was trying hard to convince Clockwork to shed her armour, who in turn was being oddly stubborn and refusing to do so for unspecified reasons. Honey’s almost mischievous expression when looking that way made Luna wonder what exactly had happened between them.

    “Princess,” a guard’s voice interrupted her musings, “you might want a look at this.”

    Luna paused to glance at the unicorn guard, a light slate grey with his mane hidden by the helm he wore. The gold armour complimented his form nicely, and his piercing blue eyes met hers evenly. She glanced to the scroll he held in his magic and took it with her own. Taking another sip of the gritty coffee as she unrolled it, her eyes widening only slightly in surprise before a smile spread across her lips.

    “Thank you Sergeant. Well now, it seems --“

    “It’s Loonaaaaa!!” Indigo cried again, as she had excitedly and repeatedly since the Princess stepped over the threshold.

    “Indigo, you have to calm down,” Honey tried, but the little filly was far too worked up to listen to reason.

    “Little one…” Luna tried, addressing the filly directly. If her smile could have gotten wider without splitting her head open, it would have. “…sit with me.” Indigo’s eyes got wide and she rushed to the Princess’ side. Luna saw it coming even before the filly realized she was going to do it, and Indigo all but threw herself into a hug against the Princess. Luna answered with a good natured laugh and nuzzled the little unicorn's brow lightly. “Now you sit here with me while we talk, alright? That means you have to stop squealing though…”

    Indigo nodded hard and pantomimed buttoning her lips shut, and a sigh came from Honey. “Thank you, Princess,” the golden mare said softly, relieved.

    “You’re welcome,” the Princess answered and took another sip of her coffee and settled back down, folding a wing over the thrilled little unicorn, “but I confess I am not sure why you are thanking me. I assume it is far more than just the fact she was quite… vocal.”

    Honey smiled sadly. “She’s frail, Princess,” she said, “Indigo was hurt while still in the womb and… her heart could give out if she gets too excited. From the moment she saw you, she… well, you saw. I’ve never seen her that worked up before. No wait, I have, once, and that’s when we saw you and your sister at a ceremony. She’s been fascinated by both of you ever since, especially you, ma’am.”

     “I’m flattered to have inspired so much… love in our subjects,” Luna said uncertainly, then quickly changed the subject, “That said, I have some interesting news about ‘The Hawk’ here. Clockwork, you might wish to hear this as well.”

    “Ma’am?” Clockwork’s mechanized voice asked through the helm, happy for the distraction from Galaxi trying to pry her out of the armour. Galaxi frowned, but turned her attention to the Princess as well.

    “According to this scroll that the Sergeant brought me, ‘The Hawk’ was simply an alias in a long string of aliases,” she noted. “The most famous of which was Bubble Trouble --“

    “Wait,” Clockwork said softly, “I know that name…”

    “Wasn’t he wanted in connection to the Hearts and Hooves Day Massacre?” Galaxi asked, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “I remember hearing that he was some sort of organized crime kingpin up in Fillydelphia, but went underground when the Guard finally busted the head of the Family.”

    “One and the same,” Luna answered softly. “At one time he oversaw one of the largest prostitution rings in all of Equestria. If I had to guess, he was looking to begin again fresh, while covering his old identity. He was going so far as to dye his coat to hide it, which was discovered upon processing him. A simple spell and his naturally pink coat was exposed for all to see.”

    Honey face-hoofed and groaned, “So that’s why he was always dying his coat!”

    “I would say so,” Luna answered, finishing the coffee and setting the mug aside. With light stroke of her hoof over Indigo’s head, she looked to Clockwork. “Congratulations are in order; he was a wanted pony, with a price on his head of three hundred thousand bits. Since we have confirmed proof that you captured him, the bits are yours, Clockwork.”

    The armoured mare shook her head, “No.”

    “Are you sure?” Luna asked.

    “I’m sure… I don’t need the bits,” she answered simply, “but I know some pony that does.”

    “Oh?”

    Clockwork pointed an armoured hoof towards the golden mare, “Yes, she deserves it more.”

    “Hold on a moment!” Honey cried in surprise. “I didn’t catch the bastard!”

    “What’s the exact wording of the wanted poster, Princess?” Clockwork asked, and Luna couldn’t help but smile. Even with her “problem”, Lady Key was as sharp as ever.

    “It says there is a reward of three-hundred thousand bits for any pony who captures, or has information that leads to the capture, of Thorny Rose, aka Bubble Trouble,” Luna answered simply.

    “There we go,” Clockwork said simply. “I’m a government agent, so I couldn’t claim the reward anyway. But it was due to the actions of Honey that lead me to him, and thus lead to his capture.”

    “I don’t want your charity!” Honey insisted, stomping her hoof.

    “This isn’t charity,” Clockwork answered simply. “This is a reward. You just helped to capture a wanted felon, and you deserve to be acknowledged for it.”

    “I must agree,” Luna said with a proud smile. “Due to the actions of Honey, and her daughter Indigo, this felon has been captured after being a fugitive for nearly a decade. Clockwork Key is correct in that she is an agent of the crown, answering directly to me, so I appreciate the reminder that she is ineligible for the reward. Sergeant, please make a note of this, and my approval of the expense from the treasury.”

    The guard grinned lopsidedly at what he witnessed, and snapped a salute, “Right away, Princess.” He then turned on a hoof and marched out of the room.

    “You aren’t going to let me turn this down, are you?” Honey demanded.

    “No,” Luna and Clockwork both answered at once, much to Indigo’s amusement.

    Honey heaved a sigh and shook her head. “Thank you,” she answered softly.

    “You are welcome, Honey,” Luna answered, then turned to look at Clockwork. “You, however, need to get out of that armour.”

    “B-but… Princess I--” the armoured mare stammered.

    “No discussion,” she added firmly, “you are ruining our host’s floor.”

    “T-then I’ll stand still,” Clockwork answered stubbornly.

    “Galaxi, if you would please?” Luna asked, and the psychic mare grinned. Clockwork managed to make a small “gleep” sound as the lavender aura from Galaxi’s telekinesis surrounded and gripped her physically and lifted her into the air. Clockwork tried to flail and struggle, but the psychic’s grip didn’t allow her to move an inch as she was placed on her deployment sled. Galaxi’s telekinesis forced her legs onto the proper spots, much to the amusement of those watching, until the sled recognized the armour and the plates began to unfold, robotic arms reaching for the armoured panels.

    The sight that greeted them as the armour was peeled away surprised all but Honey, who burst out laughing, and Indigo, who looked downright indignant. Luna’s eyebrows rose as she looked over the short mare, eyes drinking in the satin corset and black lace trim, as well as the garters and stockings on all four legs. Add to it the painted face, which looked surprisingly good on the small mare, and the light trim to her mane, and she looked far more like a Lady than the Princess could ever remember her being in the past. Still, she couldn’t help herself. “Ah, I see, you’re looking to expand your horizons, Lady Key. I’m sure you’ll do fine in your new profession,” she teased. The khaki mare didn’t answer, instead blushing even darker crimson than she already was.

    “I’m sure she’d go over great,” Honey joined in, “fresh meat always sells the best.”

    “Where is your dress?!” Indigo finally blurted, unable to contain her anger anymore. “You looked beeyoootifull with it!”

    “I’ll admit, I’m kinda wondering what happened myself,” Honey chipped in, “I found where you left the heels and put them aside…”

    “Heels too?” Luna interjected. “My my, I never knew you had it in you, Lady Key.”

    “…but I’ll admit that I thought you were in real trouble when Hawk told his thugs to… to break you in…” Honey concluded more hesitantly.

    Clockwork looked down and scuffed a hoof on the floor. “I tricked them,” she answered after a moment, “I made them think I was… willing, but that I needed to take off the dress. I stepped out of the heels, tugged the dress off, and promptly dropped it on their heads. The skirt was large enough to catch one of them, and shoved him into the other one. I had to get creative after that, and used the deployment sled to ram them out of the window. I think there’s a dumpster down there, but my feelings wouldn’t be hurt if they hit the pavement and broke a leg… or three. After that, I got the armour on and... and I was just in time.”

    Honey stepped forward and lightly hugged the blushing mare, “Thank you. I was worried sick they’d killed you or something when we didn’t hear anything after a few minutes.”

    “I got lucky, I think,” Clockwork sighed, “the bastard with you didn’t hear the window shatter.”

    Honey nodded, but it was Indigo who piped up, “I told him that breaking our mirror was seven years bad luck!”

    “Yes, little one, very bad luck for him,” Luna answered, watching Galaxi out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t help but notice that her apprentice had said nothing since the armour came off, and now she realized why. Galaxi’s jaw was hanging loose, almost down to her chest, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at Clockwork, as if seeing her for the first time. The Princess couldn’t help but smile, recalling their conversation just days ago. “Honey, do you have anything else Clockwork can wear? She seems a bit… uneasy about her current nudity.”

    “But we’re ponies,” Honey countered teasingly, “we don’t normally wear clothes.”

    Luna noted, “I would have her head back to the Palace the normal way, instead of flying in her armour, and unless you want to remove what she is currently wearing…”

    “NO! She can’t!!” Indigo cried. Luna couldn’t help but smile, the filly was right on cue.

    “Sounds like we’ve got to find something for you to wear over that corset,” Honey noted with a smile, and lead the thoroughly embarrassed Clockwork into the bedroom. Only when Clockwork was out of sight did Galaxi manage to shake her head, snapping back to her senses.

    “Did you help get her all dressed up, Indigo?” Luna asked the filly, who beamed up at her.

    “Yup! Though Momma did a better job than I did,” she answered with a broad smile.

    “Really? I’m surprised; I thought maybe you showed her how to do it.”

    Indigo giggled, “No. Momma went to cosmat… cosymat… cozzmito… make-up and haircutting school when she was a filly.”

    “Cosmetology?” Luna asked the filly.

    “That’s it, yes!” Indigo said happily, and looked to the doorway to the bedroom when the pair returned. “Oh! That was the sequins I suggested!”

    “That’s right, kiddo,” Honey answered as she stepped aside. Clockwork was blushing again, but was clad in a slinky gown of deep red that clung to her hips and flank. The sequins in question caused the dress to shimmer as the mare moved unsteadily on the matching heels. The corset was obviously necessary, given the snug fit of the dress, and the short sleeves offset the stockings on her forelegs perfectly. The skirt pooled around her rear hooves, giving a sleek look to the entire ensemble.

    “She reminds me of a torch singer I once knew,” Luna mused with a nostalgic smile.

    “I wore this a few times when I tried my hoof at singing,” Honey agreed with a nod. “I had to pin up some of the skirt, it’s a little long on Clockwork there, but it fits her better than it fits me anymore. I’m not as slender as I used to be.”

    Luna chuckled softly and glanced to Galaxi again, who was staring at the short mare anew. With a glint of mischief, she interrupted Galaxi by reaching over to close her jaw. “Galaxi,” Luna said when her apprentice shook off the stupor, “Do me a favor and walk Clockwork back to the Palace? I wish to discuss something further with Honey and Indigo here.”

    Clockwork meeped softly, “Y-you mean… out there…?” she squeaked nervously.

    “Yes, Clockwork, out there, dressed like that,” Luna said with a smile. “You are a Lady of Canterlot, after all, and I see no reason you cannot dress the part once in a while.”

    “I don’t see you doing this to Filigree,” the mare countered weakly.

    “She also didn’t try to avoid going to the Grand Galloping Gala, either,” Luna stated simply. “I fully expect you to attend the next one, by the way, even if I have to hire Indigo to convince you to do it.”

    “You’re doomed,” Honey giggled as Indigo leveled her biggest puppy-dog eyes at Clockwork. The short mare sighed dramatically and moved to the deployment sled, and slipped off one shoe so she could tap at a panel. When finished, she stepped back, oblivious to Galaxi staring at the sway of her hips, as the sled lifted off and maneuvered itself out the open window.

    “Alright, I’m ready now… Galaxi? I’m going to need to lean on you a bit, I’m really not used to these heels and it’s a long trot,” Clockwork said, trying hard to hide her own embarrassment. Galaxi nodded numbly and, after a nudge from Luna, managed to climb to her hooves and sidle up next to her friend. The psychic mare almost blushed as deeply as Clockwork when the shorter mare leaned against her with a sigh, and the pair slowly left together.

    “That was a pretty slick move, Princess,” Honey said after several minutes of silence.

    “I just hope it works,” Luna answered with a sigh, “They really have so much affection for each other, and I think they’re truly meant for each other, but haven’t realized it yet. Well, one of them hasn’t, anyway. I think dressing up Clockwork might have pierced the veil for Galaxi.”

    Honey laughed and took the Princess’ empty mug. She seemed about to say something when a horrible screeching came from the hallway outside her door. Luna looked momentarily worried, but Honey just sighed as she trotted to the door and opened it. The screeching seemed even louder, but it resolved into words now.

    “…your damned friends and hold some wild party! Don’t you know what time it is?! It’s time for my dinner!” the old stallion shrieked at her. He was a mottled brown, covered in wrinkles and with eyes that vanished under the weight of his bushy eyebrows. “And don’t try to feed me some stupid line about the Princess being here, like your tin-foil wearing friends out there! I’ve seen the Princesses, even touched one of them once, so don’t try telling me that floozy you have dressed up over there is supposed to be some sort of Princess!”

    “Floozy?” Luna asked indignantly.

    “Mister Froster…” Honey tried, only to get the old stallion’s cane poking her in the nose.

    “Don’t you start with me, young lady!” he shouted. “You’re the worst of them all, you’re lucky I don’t throw you out on your flank! And you… hrm… that’s actually a pretty good imitation of the Princess…”

    “Imitation?” Luna asked, at once bemused and insulted.

    “…but you’d never stack up next to the real Princess Luna. Now hold it down up here, or I’ll call the guard!”

    “You called sir?” one of the palace guard stuck his head around the doorframe.

    “Don’t try to fool an old stallion!” Froster shrieked. “You should be embarrassed to wear such a cheap knock-off of that fine uniform!” And with that the old stallion stormed out… slowly… on his cane.

    “Would it be wrong to laugh?”Luna asked the filly clinging to her leg, who shrugged in response.

    “Sorry about that, Princess,” Honey offered apologetically, magically closing the door with a sigh. “Ever since he lost most of his sight, he’s gotten more and more cranky.

    “I heard that!” the stallion shouted from somewhere down the hall.

    “When one sense goes, the others usually grow stronger to compensate,” Luna noted with a half-smile as she climbed to her hooves. She bent down to nuzzle between Indigo’s ears once more, and gently pried her from her leg. “I am afraid I do have duties to attend to, however…”

    “Oh! Okay, Princess,” the golden mare said as she hopped to her hooves and sketched out a sloppy bow, “it was truly a pleasure to meet you. I can guarantee little Indigo will never forget this.”

    “I got ta meet Loona!!” Indigo confirmed giddily.

    “…however, I have one final thing to discuss before I leave. Think of it as a request, but if I have to, I will send a member of the guard to enforce it,” Luna said, her expression darkening. Honey gulped audibly and fell back a step, pinned by the Princess’ gaze. “Tomorrow morning, at exactly nine o’clock, you will arrive at the Palace. You will seek out a pony named Feather Down. She is the head of the palace staff, and she has an open position I feel you would be a perfect fit for.”

    “P-princess?” Honey asked softly, confused.

    “I’m sure a maid uniform would be a change from what you’re used to wearing, and the work will be hard,” Luna continued, “but I imagine the benefits will outweigh the negatives in your case.”

    “Y-you’re giving me a job?” Honey asked, shaking off her stupor.

    “No, I’m arranging for an interview,” Luna said simply, and gave the mare an almost mischievous look, “how you do in that interview, and how you prepare for it, is completely up to you.”

    Honey blinked, and couldn’t help herself, and rushed forward to hug the Princess herself, her eyes filled with sudden tears. “T-thank you.”

    Luna gently returned the hug with one of her forelegs, “It is the least I can do, unfortunately. As much as I may wish to, I cannot save every pony, so I must help those who have a good heart and have proven themselves worthy of the chance. I wish I could do more sometimes, but I am not omnipotent.”

    “Yay! Group hug!!” Indigo cried, and to no one’s surprise, rushed to hug both her mother and the Princess as best her short little legs could.

    “Hold it down up there!” Mister Froster yelled from downstairs, and was promptly ignored.