“Agh,” Artifex groaned as he got out of his seat. More discomforted than pained, he hobbled out like an old man, slightly hunching over. In a similar manner, he gripped his cane and leaned heavily on it. There was no doubt in his mind that simply sitting down made whatever had caused his limp to worsen to… well, worsen further.

He supposed there was a good thing to come out of that discomfort. He didn’t like to sit down and simply wait. Better to stand and do something while you bide for time.

Unfortunately, for him, there was nothing else to do. Everything had been set up; the food, the decorations, the music. The only thing incomplete was the guest list, but he knew he couldn’t do much to fix that.

“I didn’t cause that, did I?” a voice from behind him asked.

Turning around, he saw Adagio giving him an abnormally worried look. He shook his head. “What, my leg? No, that’s not your doing. It’s… well…” He trailed off, looking away. “It’s something else.”

He sensed her frown long before he heard her get up and approach him. Her hand fell onto his shoulder. “You are obviously in pain, Artifex. Do you need help walking?”

He grinned darkly, knowing she wouldn’t see it. “What, is the feeder on pain going to attempt to buy a meal at my lowly restaurant?”

She offered a chuckle. “Well, at least your sense of humor—for lack of a better word—is still there.” Her tone became serious once more. “However, that still does not mean you should hurt yourself.”

A fresh splotch of blood rose in front of him upon the utterance of the last two words. He shook his head, both in answer and to remove the red. “I’m fine, Adagio. My leg just has a nasty habit of stiffening every once in a while.”

“Alright. Did you need to go somewhere or something?”

He turned, now facing her. “I just need to stand up and stretch. That’s all.” He shifted a little, grunting. “Damn. How long had we been sitting?”

She nodded. “Well, either way. It won’t do you good to keep putting your weight on your leg. Even with your cane aiding you.”

He didn’t answer at first. He looked around. Sonata, still with Francis, was on the other side of the bakery. Aria was with her, irritable as ever. Soul, Clyde, and Swift were with their respective girlfriends, still talking and generally enjoying themselves. Applejack and Rainbow were locked in an arm wrestling match that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Fluttershy was, supposedly, upstairs, tending to the Cake twins, though she had come down every so often to eat, talk, and get some advice and help from Pinkie.

Everything seemed as ordinary as it could get, but Artifex knew that that wasn’t the case. His eyes rested back on the booth he had been sitting, and he pictured himself and Adagio there. In his mind was a small, yet paradoxically and overwhelmingly large, empty space that beckoned for someone else’s company.

A loud snapping abruptly drew him out. Blinking, he found himself looking at a smirking Adagio. Her hand was in her face; then, both rested upon her hips. “I know I’m a very attractive young lady,” she said, “but even I know that it’s impolite to stare.”

He sputtered, but managed to compose himself with a grunt. “I-I was just zoning off there. Not staring; intentionally, at least.”

“Right.” Her sly smile revealed sharp teeth. “Though, I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

Not meeting her comment with anything short of a ruminating frown, he stared past her, through the doors. His hand twirled and gripped at his cane’s top. Adagio’s own smile began to fade. “You do know I was just teasing, right?”

“Huh? Y-yeah, I do.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, eyes temporarily closed. “Again, sorry. Guess I’m just not feeling too focused right now.”

“Distracted by something other than looks…”

“Not even by looks, I would argue. Just by…” His free hand came up, danced up and down twice, then fell. “This situation,” he finished.

“Still worried? Come now, Artifex. You can’t worry forever. He either comes, or doesn’t; and either way, it won’t be your fault.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Who said I was thinking it was mine?”

“You weren’t. But you were going to.” She tapped her temple. “You’re the kind of person to do that, I think.”

“You’re making an awful lot of assumptions.”

“It’s still one worth considering. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t blame yourself, if you at all begin to.”

“Your warning has been heeded and will be followed as best as it can,” he said dryly. “Not that it is helping.”

“Was it supposed to?”

He rubbed his chin, still looking outside. The hand fell to his jacket, where he picked at the top button like it was suffocating him.

“I’m gonna step out for a little bit,” he said, not realizing how loud he had said it until he noticed that all eyes were rested upon him. He cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

“Are you leaving already?” Pinkie asked.”

“No. I just need some fresh air.”

“Oh, okay. Have fun, Arty!”

He nodded. “Thank you. Please excuse me, Adagio.”

As he stepped around her, he grunted as a fresh wave of discomfort made its way up his leg. Before he could even think to walk differently, he felt someone raise his left arm and place it across their shoulders. He blinked, then frowned. “What are you doing?”

“You’re still limping,” Adagio replied, and he could just feel the smirk on her face glowing off like a beacon of smugness.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t walk.”

“No. It means you can’t walk straight. Quit complaining and let me help.”

“This seems awfully unlike you.”

“Looks like you and your friends are beginning to have an effect on me. Now, come on. We’re about the same height, so help me out by moving, okay?”

He grumbled a little more, mostly out of embarrassment and surprise, but relented eventually. Upon Adagio’s shoulders, he walked out.

The cool air of fall rushed into him with zeal, and he paused to take it in. He breathed deeply and long, relishing the taste of falling leaves and a blue sky. Winter may have been his favorite season, but nothing beat the air of autumn.

When he opened his eyes, the city met him with its tar-black roads and greying buildings and complexes. Adagio was still beside him, but it seemed that she, too, had taken pause, to experience the rush of wind.

“It’s vague… but it reminds me of a sea breeze,” she said, mostly to herself.

Her comment wasn’t a strange one, if he had to be honest. For a moment, he was back as a kid, not confused, not worried nor wary, just enjoying the world for as it stood. For the briefest a moments, a childlike smile rested on him.

Then a jolt of pain from a lapse in balance pulled him from the euphoric memory, detaching the grin as quickly as it came.

“Do you need to sit down?” asked Adagio, noticing the pain.

He shook his head quickly. “I have to keep standing, or else it gets worse. Much worse.”

They moved to the side of the bakery, careful not to accidentally place too much pressure on Artifex’s lame leg. Eventually they reached the end. After some prompting, Adagio slipped out from under Artifex; the two of them then rested against the wall.

Artifex breathed in and out. The action was a calming one; and the restlessness from before began to fade. A glance at Adagio revealed something surprising; her eyes were closed, she was breathing at a slow pace, and she looked completely at peace.

Had all that “helping” tired her out? No, that wasn’t it; she generally did look like she was enjoying herself. Her eyes opened, and the relaxed look vanished into an ordinary one, focused on the world in front of them, and not the one that was right next to her.

Artifex looked away. He remembered Adagio’s comment. He breathed in; and, to his surprise, thought he could smell the faint scent of sea salt. Perhaps there was some sort of truth to the claim.

He closed his eyes once more, and let himself fall into the pit of relaxation, trying to push aside all worries.

“You never told me how you hurt your leg.”

“And I was just about to fall asleep, too. Thanks a lot.”

Adagio laughed. “Can you blame me for being curious? I did feed on pain and misery. Of course I’d be interested in a former diet of mine.”

His heart seized up, but he reasoned that it wouldn’t hurt to share. “It’s a long story, Adagio. You see—”

“Artifex!”

Jumping at the cry, Artifex whirled, and saw Rainbow run out of the bakery. “What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, hobbling over as fast as he could.

“Look!” She pointed down the road, a terrific grin on her face. “Don’t you recognize that car?

“What car?”

“The one that’s coming our way!”

Artifex squinted hard, peering down the end. A distant automobile was heading their way. He couldn’t make out the exact features, but it did look familiar.

He just had no clue why—

“That’s—” Artifex uttered in an astonished tone. The car began to take shape; it was small, compact. As it crested over the hill and grew closer, he could see two people inside. One was a woman, driving the vehicle; and the other, was none other than—

“No Clue! Ha!” Rainbow cheered. “I knew he’d show up!”

She began laughing and pumping the air, and Artifex couldn’t help but join her. The pain in his leg left, gone up in apparent and joyful smoke.

He’s got a strange sense of timing, thought the icy-blue-haired Frost, but he’s here nonetheless. That’s all that matters!

So busy, however, were he and Rainbow celebrating their friend’s supposed arrival, that they didn’t notice the frown upon Adagio’s face. It was only when Artifex paused for breath did he finally see her troubled expression.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

She nodded. “I know I haven’t met this friend of yours, but… does it look like he even is considering coming here?”

“What do you mean? Of course he is! Just look at the—” Artifex looked back at the car. “—at the fact that it’s not slowing. It’s not slowing at all. Rainbow, why isn’t it slowing?”

“Beats me. Maybe we need to get their attention?” She frantically waved both her arms. “Hey! Over here!”

Artifex joined in not long after. The two shouted and hollered until their throats were hoarse and their voices became rough. Yet no matter how much effort they put in, the car slowed not a bit.

Only when the car rushed past them in a blur of green, and the noxious fumes made their way down their throats, and the car had become a dot going down the road, did they cease their movements, and feel the sting of regret pierce their confused selves.

“No way… did he really just miss us?” Rainbow whispered.

“That’s impossible,” Adagio said. “Nobody could have ignored the two of you.”

“But… but somehow, he did! Or maybe his mother did? Or maybe she was so busy concentrating on the road that she didn’t think to stop? No, wait—that doesn’t make sense. She would have seen Sugarcube Corner. She would have stopped if she saw it! You can’t miss it! There’s a literal giant cupcake out front! How could she have missed it? How could they have missed any of it?”

Artifex arrived at the grim answer far too soon, and his confusion boiled over into exhausted befuddlement.

Rainbow raised her arms behind her head, transfixed on the now-disappeared vehicle. She whispered incessantly to herself questions without answers. Adagio kept silent, just as confused as they were.

Pain jolted through Artifex’s leg like heated iron flowing through his blood. Red pooled in his vision. He collapsed to the ground, falling on his bottom. The cane became grasped in a tight grip, and Artifex refused to let go. He closed his eyes, and found he could not regulate his breathing.

“Guys?” Pinkie poked her head out. “What’s wrong? Did you see No Clue?”

Rainbow tried to answer, but was cut off by the bitter tone of Artifex Frost. “He’s not coming,” he said, not looking up or back. “He never was.”

News broke for everyone soon after. Save for Aria, they were surprised. “Perhaps it was a mistake?” asked Rarity, her question followed by wondering murmurs from the others.

Artifex met the question with a slow, disappointed shake of his head. “There was no mistake. There just couldn’t be one.”

Beside himself and Rainbow, Pinkie was the most dejected one of them all. Her hair had deflated into straight lines, and she had on a visible scowl. “I swear I sent him the invitation,” she said, eyes drilling holes through the ground. “Maybe he didn’t get it?”

“I suppose that’s possible.” Artifex furrowed his brow. “But I can’t help but think that’s unlikely. Call it a gut feeling.”

“Either way, I’m sure the dear had his reasons. Perhaps he was too busy to join us?” Rarity said.

Rainbow huffed. “Would it have killed to let us know beforehand?”

Artifex’s breath escaped through his thin lips. “Would it, indeed…”

Beyond the mutters and murmurs coming from everyone else, Artifex detected that only Adagio had refrained from saying anything. He supposed that wasn’t out of the ordinary; she and Aria were the only ones who hadn’t had any sort of interaction with No Clue before.

To his surprise, though, the latter did speak up. “You said he was never coming? How do you know that?”

He could only offer a wary shrug. “Like I said, it’s a gut feeling. Just looking inside the car, and seeing him not even spare us a glance… it told me that.”

Aria kept up her scowl. “That sounds to me like you’re making an awful lot of assumptions. I mean, how much do you really know this guy?” Before Artifex could respond, she continued, “If you don’t know a lot about him, then why should he be in trouble for meeting expectations that he had no idea about?”

“But I’m sure he did!” Pinkie protested.

Aria threw up her hands. “But that’s just another assumption to add! Look, if you really knew No Clue, then you would have either known that he was definitely coming or not. Since it seems that he isn’t, that doesn’t mean that you suddenly know everything about him, about his reasons or motives.”

“Aria is right,” said Adagio. “We can’t fault this No Clue since we have nothing of his character to fault.”

“What about his actions, then? There’s a fault in those, I would imagine,” said Artifex heatedly. He glared at her.

“But do we know why he acted as he did?” Adagio raised an eyebrow. She crossed her arms and met Artifex’s glare evenly. “No, we don’t. We should look to explain that before we start dishing out punishments.”

“That makes sense,” said Sunset. “Maybe on Monday we’ll be able to talk to him and find some sort of explanation. I’m sure there is one.”

Rainbow mellowed considerably at the possibility. “Fine. But I swear, if he missed the party for something stupid—“

“Ah’m sure No Clue had a perfectly sensible reason fer doing this,” Applejack interrupted. Everyone else nodded their agreements.

Everyone, except for Artifex. A stormy look crossed his face. Old frustrations and new ones surfaced, but he refrained from speaking. He instead stared at the floor, his hand clenching around his cane.

He closed his eyes, saw the red, and counted to ten twice. Then, he opened his eyes, and took a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll hear him out on Monday.”

“You mean, we will,” said Sonata. Francis, in her arms, meowed his agreement.

“… Right. We will.”

As silence engulfed the bakery, Pinkie looked around, still dejected. “So much for a fun party,” she sadly said. “And it’s almost noon, too. We should be cleaning up.”

“Very well,” Rarity said. “We’ll help you clean up the mess.”

Most moved away, unplugging lights and gathering up trash. It wouldn’t take long before the place returned to how it normally looked.

Artifex, however, hadn’t moved yet. He still stared at the floor, his tumultuous expression growing more and more troubled.

A hand on his shoulder interrupted his woe. Turning, he found himself face to face with Soul. The older boy gave the younger one a worried look.

“You gonna be okay?” he asked.

Artifex took a little while to answer. “… I’ll be fine, Soul.”

Soul nodded, then walked away to help clean. After a few more moments, Artifex joined him.

He never once lost his frown.