In which Twilight expresses concern, Teagan avoids trolls, and faith is rewarded.

“What am I going to do, Princess?” Twilight asked, hanging her head. “Pinkie’s gone insane! She’s calling herself Cerise and eating meat, or the next thing to it! I don’t know what to do!”

“First, my faithful student, calm down.” The alicorn told the pacing unicorn. “Panicking won’t bring Pinkamena back to us.”

“You’re right. You’re right.” Twilight stopped pacing, closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”

“No.” Celestia shook her head. “Never, not in a thousand years. Evelyn Lewis warned me that something like this might happen. Frankly, I’m somewhat relieved it isn’t worse.”

“How could it be worse?” Twilight asked in disbelief. “Pinkie’s gone! Whatever that creature inside her head is, it’s not Pinkie!”

“It’s not a cannibal either.” Celestia said quietly.

Twilight froze. “Ca-ca-cannibal? What are you talking about?”

“The bronies believe Pinkamena could become a murderous cannibal if her sanity were lost.” Celestia said, uncharacteristically direct. “That she could turn on her friends.”

“Pinkie would never—” Twilight started to say indignantly, and then paused. Celestia nodded.

“Exactly, my faithful student. Pinkamena would never. But you said yourself that isn’t Pinkamena. If tofu steaks and her little foray against Tišina satisfy her bloodlust then we should count our blessings. After all, Pinkamena has always displayed—unusual—talents.” The princess said, choosing her words carefully. “Abilities other ponies, even unicorns, lack. I believe you tried investigating her prophetic abilities at one point?”

“Oh, yes.” Twilight said. “I gave up trying to figure them out. Nothing Pinkie can do makes any sense either magically or scientifically.”

The princess nodded. “Very true, my faithful student. Sometimes it’s better to embrace the mystery rather than solve it. In Pinkamena’s case she was content to use her abilities in pursuit of her parties and little else. It appears Cerise is rather more pragmatic.”

“I can’t believe she found Tišina’s lair, then actually fought her—and won. How is that even possible? Isn’t her lair hundreds and hundreds of miles away? How could a kitchen knife hurt Tišina? How could Pinkie have beaten her?”

“If I knew the answers to your questions, Twilight, I would be very happy indeed. Pinkamena’s abilities defy even my understanding.”

“Do you think Pinkie’s really trying to find Garnet?” Twilight asked.

The princess nodded.

“It’s very likely. There are spells that let somepony walk in another’s dreams. I would not put it past Pinkamena to have that ability.”

“So what do we do in the meantime?”

“Have faith in Pinkamena.” The princess said quietly. “There’s nothing else we can do.”

Teagan caught up with Matt several hours after Cerise had introduced herself.

“Hi.” She said as Matt came out of the Shining Armor’s office.

“Hey, Squirt. What’s up?” He asked with a grin. He’d been in an incredibly good mood since Cerise had dropped her little bombshell. He’d offered to lead the raid they were hoping would spook Tišina away from her lair. Celestia had been only too happy to accept.

“Trying to dodge the troll delegation—especially the Snøskred.” Teagan said. “Ever since we met he’s been hanging around, constantly trying to sweet talk me. If I didn’t know he was just after Crush it would be super-creepy.”

Matt laughed. “How many teenage girls can honestly say they’re important enough to merit the attention of an ambassador?” He asked reasonably. “You should be honored.”

“Yeah, well tall, green, and looming isn’t my idea of fun.” She retorted. “Evelyn’s been monopolized by Subtle Dancer for hours and with Cerise around Twilight’s been a complete basket case. She finally went off to have a talk with Princess Celestia.” Teagan shuddered.

“Not that I blame her. Cerise is just plan scary. Fluttershy left to try her luck with the animals in the Royal gardens again. Rarity is off “networking”, Rainbow Dash is trying to cage a meeting with the Wonder Bolts, leaving Applejack to fret herself into a funk over Cerise.”

“Meaning you’re bored.” Matt guessed shrewdly.

“Bored and trying not to smash Bevis Mot Lyn with Crush.” She agreed. “Don’t suppose you’ve got some time for a sparring match? I need to work off some serious aggravation.”

“Hmm.” He considered. “You know, it might not be a bad idea to keep your training up, especially since we’re leaving for the raid in three days. Tell you what. Why don’t you meet me at the Sun Shield training ground in an hour? I’ve got to meet with Duke Shimmerling to ‘keep him in the loop’.” Matt did air quotes. “It’s amazing how much Equestrian politics mirror the human version. See you in an hour!”

He strode off, leaving Teagan wondering how to keep out of the trolls’ way while not suffering from terminal boredom. She wondered if Sun Hammer would be willing to hang out. Of course he wasn’t much of a social butterfly so they probably wouldn’t leave the armory…meaning she’d be much less likely to run into the Snøskred.

Cheered by that happy thought she turned to head back to the main part of the castle when a cultured voice stopped her.

“Ah, Lady Teagan. A fortuitous meeting.”

“Alene.” She said, turning to face the mild mannered troll and nodding. Unlike the Snøskred, Alene Dalen was actually Teagan’s height, although he outweighed her by at least 150 pounds. Also unlike the Snøskred he hadn’t ambushed her at every turn.

“What brings you out into the bright sunshine, Alene? I thought trolls preferred to avoid it?”

“A slight exaggeration, my dear Lady Teagan. We aren’t bothered by sunlight, it’s simply our society is underground; therefore most of us never have an occasion to venture onto the surface. As to why I ventured forth, well the day is cool and the surroundings pleasant. I thought a walk would be enjoyable. After all, Alene does mean ‘walker’, you know.”

“I remember you mentioning that.” Teagan said. “What does Snøskred mean?”

“I believe the word in your language would be ‘avalanche’.” He said as they walked slowly away from the main part of the castle and toward the gardens.

Teagan laughed. “It fits him.”

“Oh yes. Trolls prefer to negotiate from a position of strength, you see. Thus our ambassadors bear the title of an unstoppable force.”

“It’s interesting troll wizards use the title Walker.” Teagan commented. “Is that a reference to walkers of the hidden knowledge, or mystical paths, or something?”

“Very perceptive, Lady Teagan.” The troll said with a smile. “My full title is Walker of the Hidden Path. Those who wield troll magic must be prudent, lest it crush them—literally. Thus it attracts trolls of a more contemplative temperament.”

“I hadn’t realized troll magic was so dangerous. Pony magic certainly doesn’t seem to be.”

“Trolls must deal with the bones of the world.” The Alene answered calmly. “Our magic is the magic of the deep earth, where lava surges and stone bears unimaginable weight. Making a mistake in such places is swiftly fatal.”

“I can imagine.” Teagan said, shuddering. “What about the glacier where we’re going? Do the same magical rules apply there?”

“Oh yes.” The Alene answered with a chuckle. “Deep ice, such as that found in the heart of a glacier, is very much like deep earth. However, it has its own mysteries as well.”

They walked a bit further in silence.

“Alene Dalen, I’d like to ask you a question, if it’s ok.” Teagan said seriously.

“I will answer if I am able.” The Alene responded gravely.

“It’s about the fight between Sun Hammer and the Troll King. I’ve heard Sun Hammer’s side of things, but I’d like to hear the troll side. If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” The Alene answered with raised eyebrows. “I’m surprised you want to know. I was under the impression Sun Hammer was a friend of yours.”

“He is. But that fight—well, maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but the ponies shun him for what he did. And I don’t understand why that is. He’s a hero, he saved the world! Yet they can’t get over the fact he killed someone.”

“Do humans kill so easily, Lady Teagan?” The Alene asked curiously. “The taking of a life is no small thing, even to trolls.”

“Then why was the Troll King going to kill Princess Celestia?” She asked reasonably. “That makes no sense. I mean, Sun Hammer said something about trespassing but surely that’s not a capital offense?”

“Trespassing?” The Alene asked. “Well, yes. I suppose they were, in a sense. But the matter is far more complicated, Lady Teagan. It has to do with troll law, and political ambition and ancient grievances. It had almost nothing to do with trespass, or the ponies themselves, really.”

“So trolls aren’t quite as straightforward as Sun Hammer believes? Why does that not surprise me?” Teagan asked drily.

The Alene chuckled. “My dear Lady Teagan, nothing is as straightforward as Sun Hammer believes. To be fair, many trolls are simple folk who keep their word and demand that others keep theirs as well. But the clever and the ambitious, these trolls see more shades of gray than a typical troll. And that, I fear is where the old king’s downfall is truly rooted. The fight between him and Sun Hammer was inevitable. In a way it almost didn’t matter if the old king won or lost—or at least so trolls thought before Princess Celestia proved her claims.”

“You’re saying the old king was goaded into attacking the ponies? He really didn’t want to? Some member of the council, maybe?”

“How astute.” The Alene said in an approving tone. “Yes, Lady Teagan. You would not recognize the names, so I will omit them to protect the innocent and guilty alike. The story is, I’m sure, a familiar one to humans. Old grudges between powerful family heads, political alliances for short-sighted goals, and then Princess Celestia’s presence in troll territory provided someone a golden opportunity to settle old debts.”

“You may have discovered that trolls are a stubborn race. We hold firm opinions, arrived at by careful consideration, and once made trolls are loathe to give them up after having invested so much time and effort in their creation.”

“This forms the backbone of our laws and customs. To a troll, law is a sacred thing, and obeying it is life itself. Those who break the law are foresworn. A most terrible fate, almost always fatal.”

“I would imagine you don’t have many career criminals then.” Teagan said, taken aback.

“No.” The Alene smiled. “A troll’s first crime is generally their last. However my point was that troll stubbornness means our laws do not change. The thinking goes that if something was evil yesterday it will still be evil today. As such our laws do not require a great deal of interpretation.”

“Humans aren’t like that.” Teagan said, shaking her head. “Our laws always require insane amounts of interpretation. And they’re always changing.”

“Given what you’ve said about your people that does not surprise me.” The Alene noted.

“However, suffice it to say the old king was outmaneuvered on a point of troll law. He had no choice but to drive off the ponies by any means necessary. The ponies proved stronger than anticipated, which meant he had to try and kill the Princess. Instead Sun Hammer killed him, a turn of events no one, troll or pony, anticipated. You’ll be happy to know it threw troll politics into utter chaos. They have still not completely recovered.”

“No, Alene, that doesn’t make me happy.” Teagan shook her head. “The whole mess was a wicked waste of lives. The old king died, Sun Hammer’s life was completely destroyed, the relations between Equestria and the trolls reduced to the edge of war…” She shook her head.

“Can I at least hope the troll that started the whole mess was dealt with?”

“That depends on what you mean by dealt with.” The Alene said, looking at Teagan oddly. “That particular troll no longer wields the sort of influence he did before, certainly. He lost a great deal of credibility with one-time allies, who abandoned him. But he broke none of our laws, so he remains on the council.”

“I guess that’s better than nothing.” Teagan said with a grimace.

“Forgive me, Lady Teagan, but why do you care? The situation strengthened the ponies’ position in the world. Aren’t you aligned with the ponies?”

“Of course. But I hate to see anyone suffer. It’s not right, and it’s not fair. Why did the old king and Sun Hammer have to pay with their lives to clean up the mess this troll council member made?”

“I see humans understand fairness, then.” The Alene said, nodding. “Why indeed? The answer is simple enough, though it is not satisfying. The troll in question made very sure he was standing at the top of the rockslide while the king and Sun Hammer were at the bottom. Nature then took its course, as it always will.”

“The Snøskred still wants Crush back.” Teagan said as they entered the gardens. “But Crush won’t serve anyone but me. How does that affect your politics, Alene?”

“For now, who holds Mountain Heart is of no importance, Lady Teagan.” The troll said. “One does not cook dinner while the cavern collapses about one’s ears.”

“What about after Tišina’s been dealt with?” Teagan asked shrewdly. “I’m going back home and Crush will go with me.”

“We trolls pay our debts, Lady Teagan. Should we succeed in averting the prophecy it will be in no small part due to you. While I do not speak for the King, may his rule be long and prosperous, he will acknowledge his debt, as he must.”

“Does that mean he’ll forget about taking Crush back?” She asked.

“I cannot speak for the King, Lady Teagan.” The Alene said again. “It may be that he will choose to pay his debt in another fashion and still demand the return of Mountain Heart.”

“Crush has already said it will not serve anyone but me.” Teagan said thoughtfully. “What happens if I lay down Crush and tell the King if he can lift Crush, he can have it? And then Crush refuses to move?”

The Alene’s mask cracked for just a moment, showing astonishment. Teagan watched his poker face reassert itself.

“Hmm.” He said. “That would not be a good thing, Lady Teagan. If Mountain Heart refused the King it would be a repudiation of his right to rule. It would lead to all manner of troubles.”

“Civil war?” Teagan asked.

“I do not know what a civil war is, Lady Teagan. Do humans maintain their civility while fighting? That must be a strange sight indeed.”

“A civil war is when a country divides into two or more sides and starts fighting each other.” Teagan said. “It happens with humans all the time. Even my own country had one. And no, it’s never civil. Civil wars are the worst kind because it doesn’t just pit two sides against each other. It can leave friends on opposite sides, and even split families.”

“It seems nuclear weapons are not the only horror humans have had to face.” The Alene actually shuddered. “Trolls would never descend into such madness! Clan against clan, yes. But not within a single clan! And even such inter-clan fighting has not been seen since before ponies arrived.”

“So it’s in the King’s best interest let Crush leave the world.” Teagan said, watching the Alene.

He studied her. “Lady Teagan, would you truly see trolls destroyed? If you did that it could be the end of my species. We would lose everything.”

“I would prefer to go home and take Crush with me.” Teagan said, staring the wizard in the eyes. “I would prefer to have the ponies and the trolls become friends and allies. I would prefer no one get hurt. I seldom get what I prefer, Alene. But this time I think I’m going to have to insist.”

“I see. You’ve given me much to consider, Lady Teagan. If you’ll excuse me?” The Alene asked politely.

“Of course. And Alene?” He paused, turning to watch her. “I’m glad you told me the troll side of things. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He bowed and walked away. Teagan sighed heavily, and went to find Fluttershy.

Flint and Blueberry sat with their daughter. It had been a full day since the operation, and Garnet hadn’t stirred. At first Blueberry had talked to her, being cheerful and relating all the news that Garnet had missed while Flint answered his wife whenever she asked him to chime in.

But the blue earth pony had eventually succumbed to silence, and now the two of them stood vigil, simply waiting for the end. Neither would admit it to the other, but both knew their daughter wasn’t going to wake up.

This was why when Garnet suddenly yawned, stretched, and opened her eyes her parents didn’t move. They were too shocked to react.

“Mama? Papa? I had a bad dream.” Garnet said, blinking at them. “A monster came and snuck around, hurting everypony, even me. But I managed to run away and hide, deep in a cave. It was really dark, and cold, Mama, and I was so scared. But the Pink One came and found me. I know nobody likes to talk about her much, but I was lost in the cave. I couldn’t find my way out but she knew the way, Mama. She was so kind, Papa! She smiled and laughed and told me stories as we came back until I wasn’t scared any more. And then I woke up.”

She stared at her wide-eyed, silent parents and gulped.

“Are you mad at me? Cause I dreamed about the Pink One?”

“No, Garnet.” Flint said, a single tear running down his face. “We’re not mad at you.”

“Oh my foal!” Blueberry hugged her daughter and broke down into sobs.

“Mama? Why are you crying?” Garnet asked, bewildered. “It was just a bad dream, Mama. I’m awake now, I’m sorry if I did something bad.”

“No, my foal. You didn’t do anything bad.” Blueberry said, nuzzling her daughter. “Everything’s fine now. Flint, go get the doctor!”

The stallion turned and galloped from the room.

“Doctor? Why? Are you sick?” Garnet asked, pulling away and staring at her mother. Startled, she looked around.

“Hey! This isn’t our house. Where are we?” She asked in confusion.

“We’re in Canterlot, dear. In the hospital. You were very sick but the Princess healed you.” Blueberry explained.

“So it wasn’t a dream?” Garnet started to tremble.

“No dear. It really happened. But the Princess came and made everything all right again.”

“And the Pink One?” Garnet asked timidly.

“Came and found you, dumpling.” Blueberry nodded. “She was with us while you were being healed, and she saw that you had run away, so she went and found you. Thank Celestia!” She hugged her daughter again.

Flint and the doctor came rushing in. It was the earth pony Ruby who had assisted in Garnet’s operation.

On seeing the blood red pony Garnet became very quiet, and watched her carefully as she checked over the young foal.

“How are you feeling today, Garnet?” Ruby finally asked, smiling down at the young foal.

“I gotta go, ma’am.” Garnet said in a small voice. Ruby laughed. “Right through there, Garnet. Come back and talk when you’re done, ok?”

“Ok.” The foal scrambled out of bed and bolted for the indicated door.

“She’s fine.” Ruby told the anxious parents.

“Oh, thank Celestia!” Blueberry said, leaning against Flint in relief. The rock farmer’s face was stoic.

“Anything we need to do, Doctor? Does she need any kinda medicine or bed rest or exercises or somethin’?” He asked.

“No, she’s fine, Mr. Stonespeaker. Princess Celestia healed Garnet completely. The only problem was her coma and now that she’s come out of that she’s as right as rain.”

“I watched you while Garnet was on the table, Doctor.” Flint said quietly. “I saw you call that unicorn over and save our daughter’s life. There ain’t no way I can ever repay my debt to you. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, Mr. Stonespeaker.” Ruby said with a smile. “But the entire medical team did their part, not just me. And without Princess Celestia—well the Princess did the manticore’s share.”

“So what happens now?”

“Well, I’m sure the Princess would like to say goodbye to you. After that I imagine you’ll return to Rockton. But first I’d like to take the three of you down to the cafeteria and treat you to a good solid meal. I know the two of you have been with Garnet all day without eating, and she’s probably famished.”

“I am a little hungry.” Garnet said shyly, having slipped unheard from the bathroom as the adults talked.

“Well then, let’s get you something to eat, young lady!” Ruby said with a smile of genuine happiness.

The Ghrian suite was quiet even though all its occupants were there. The Bearers, except the Bearer of Laughter, were in the main room along with the humans, but no one was speaking. Everything that could be said had been said. Cerise simply wasn’t someone they could deal with, nor apparently did she have the patience to deal with them. She had retired to her room to get some sleep, or so she claimed.

That’s why when her door opened and she bounced out it took a moment for everyone to register that her mane and tail were no longer flat and straight.

“Hi guys! Guess what? I found Garnet!” The goofy grin was instantly recognizable.

“Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

“Yes?” The pink pony asked, beaming.

“Is it really you, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked cautiously.

“Yep, yep! Sorry it took me so long, but she was really, really lost. Just got back. Any cupcakes? I’m starved.”

She wasn’t ready for the wave of ponies that bowled her over, hugging and babbling about how glad they were to see her.

“Thank goodness.” Evelyn murmured to Teagan as they and Matt watched a multicolored huddle of ponies tumble about the room amidst the laughter. “Cerise may have done us an impossible favor but I’m soooooo glad Pinkie’s back. Cerise was a psycho.”

“Me too. But you know they’re the same person, right?” Matt commented. “Multiple personality disorder.”

“Maybe.” Evelyn said softly, watching the six ponies chatter happily to each other. “But in this magical land who can say for certain? Want to bet Garnet’s still in a coma?”

“In a cartoon? No bet.” Matt said, shaking his head. “The rules say she’s gotta be pretty much back to normal.”

“Yeah, except cartoon rules don’t apply here, Matt.” Teagan said. “Well, not to anybody but Pinkie.”

“Who said Garnet’s back.” Matt pointed out. “Ergo, she’s back. That reminds me.”

He got up and went out into the hallway. He wasn’t gone for more than a minute.

“Just told the guard to let the Princess know Pinkie’s back and Cerise is gone.” He said to their inquiring looks. “Always pays to keep the top brass informed, ladies.”

Pinkie got up from her friends and came over to Matt.

“Hey Matt.” She said cheerfully. “Did you miss me?”

“Absolutely.” He nodded. “Your house sitter was a bit too much like Bone for my comfort.”

“Oh, Cerise.” Pinkie said dismissively. “Hope she didn’t cause any trouble. I didn’t have time to find another sitter. She promised she’d be good. She didn’t do anything—bad—did she?” Pinkie added, looking worried.

“Well, aside from scaring a guard pony half to death and paying Tišina a little visit, no, nothing terrible.” Matt said calmly. “She actually did us a big favor.”

“Oh, goodie! She told me about Tišina. And Fire Cloud.” Pinkie giggled. Everyone looked at her, suddenly alert.

“What? Fire Cloud needed to loosen up! But I really should go make him a Sorry-You-Got-Scared cake. Make it big enough so he can share it with all the guard ponies.” She grinned.

Matt laughed, long and hard, earning confused looks from both ponies and humans. Wiping his eyes and still chuckling Matt nodded to Pinkie.

“That’s a very good idea, Pinkie. Why don’t you do that? But let’s wait till after the raid.”

“Raid?” She asked in confusion. “What raid? We’re raiding the kitchen? Oh, goodie! Dibs on the chocolate-strawberry swirl cupcakes!”

“We’re raiding Tišina’s lair.” Matt said patiently.

“What? Why would we do that, Silly? She doesn’t have any cupcakes.” Pinkie said, perplexed.

“But she does have portals. Did Cerise tell you about those?”

“Ooooohhh. Yeah, the big old Meanie’s going to burn up Equestria like a batch of baked bads!” Pinkie said. “We can’t let her do that. Mr. and Mrs. Cake wouldn’t be able to make their cakes anymore! But wait a minute. She’s way down in the middle of her glacier, Matt. How are you going to get to her?”

“We had Doctor Whooves whip up a batch of really big tannerite bombs, like Berry Fudge Gumball uses.” Matt said. “Each one weighs about a hundred pounds.”

Pinkies eyes grew wide as saucers. “Oooooh. That would make a really big boom!” She crooned excitedly, a huge grin on her face.

Matt nodded. “Yeah. The trolls can tell us where the ice cave is, and we dig a hole down to it and then let the magic users go down and pop the portals she’s made. By that time she’ll have panicked and run away so it should be safe enough.”

“Now let’s go get some cupcakes.” He said. Pinkie Pie grinned.