> Oxidized
>  by Online account
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Sunstone: An Ore Digger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Around a walking rope were ten little foals.

Five colts to the right and five fillies to the left, symmetrically separated by the plush of an elongated snake, each of its soft handles being tightly held between underdeveloped yet powerful sets of molars. In front of the orderly camel train was, as one would expect, the primary school teacher: A rather young unicorn with azure fur, a lush turquoise mane, and a large toothy smile. With the oldest foal under her care being slightly over six years of age, she knew she had to keep a cautious eye on them, though her precautionary measures didn’t make a dent in her overall enthusiastic attitude.

As she marched ahead, cheerfully chaperoning her class through the busy streets of Canterlot, one particular colt was bouncing with all of the excitement in Equestria. He was grinning from ear to ear; how he managed to keep his jaw firmly gripped onto Mr. Sneckington was a riddle for the ages.

The overexcited ankle-biter could’ve easily been singled out for his cheery demeanor alone, sure, but that wasn’t the only unusual aspect about him, oh no no no. It didn’t take a meticulous detective to figure that one out: A quick look at the group alone would’ve made anybody pick up on that not-so-subtle detail.

That little ray of sunshine? That little bouncing ball of pure dopamine? Was the only earth pony in a class populated by unicorns and pegasi. Indeed, under his spikey lavender hairdo was a strong yet flat forehead with a horn nowhere to be found. On both of his deep-toned silver sides were no featherily protuberances. He was as earthy as an earth pony could get, even benefiting from an especially bulky frame despite his young age.

His name was Sunstone. And today?

Sunstone was happy. So, so happy!


“Hehehe, alright there Sunstone! You can let go of Mr. Sneckington; we’re here!” sing-sung the mare in charge.

He didn’t need to be asked twice. Spitting out the cushiony bar, little Sunstone started skipping in circles, simply unable to keep his overflowing adrenaline in check.

A few steps in front of both his classmates and himself was a decently-sized house – just like any other house in this district. Canterlot had a huge knack for golden buttresses and sharply angled roofs of purple shingles, and Sunstone’s home was no different in that regard. It screamed upper class, without erring into the exclusive territory of nobility. In sum, he was living well – far better than the grand majority of Equestria, in fact – but not so much that he used pallets of gold bars as hoofstools.

Before he could wave his comrades goodbye and bolt toward his dwelling, his caring teacher decided to interject.

“Now remember, Sunstone! Today was an important day, isn’t that right?” she candidly smiled.

“Oh yes, Mrs. Clarity! Yes it was! Yes it was!” jumped the only earth pony around as though he was on an invisible trampoline.

“Aaaaand why is that?”

She knew full well what she tried to extract out of him, and Sunstone was more than ready to play her game. She was merely teasing her student with no ill intents, and boy did it strike true.

For Sunstone detonated like a firework.

“Because today, I got my CUTIE MARK!” he bellowed.

That sudden shout made the other young ponies block their poor disrespected ears. Other passersby craned their neck at the commotion, snobbishly disturbed. One particularly neurotic bourgeois even ducked and covered. Mrs. Clarity, meanwhile, couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

“That’s right! And at such a young age, too! You’re a wonderful overachiever, Sunstone!” she encouraged him, making him raise his chin all proud. “You make sure to tell Mr. Light and Mrs. Velvet all about it, okay? Will you do that for me?”

He fervently shook his head in response. “I will!”

Finally dismissed, Sunstone began to gallop, right until he crossed the doorway of his humble house. He nearly tripped on his way there, he nearly collided with the fragile furniture, he nearly carved a new hole in the wall with his face, but by Celestia, he sure made it to his parents in record time. The two of them were calmly waiting in the living room; a huge contrast with Sunstone’s infinite peppiness.

“Mom! Dad!” uttered a joyous (and loud) Sunstone.

Twilight Velvet, a beautiful pale gray mare of purple and white mane and mother of one, jolted at the sudden ruckus. Night Light, bluer than a berry and devoted husband, hardly managed to stay on his haunches on the low-profile lounge. Suffice to say, the two unicorn parents got slightly discombobulated by their son’s grand entrance.

“Sunny!” yelped the mother. “You scared me! I-I didn’t hear you come in!”

“Oh... sorry mom! But mom! Dad! I’ve got it! I-I-I’ve just... I’ve just got it! M-my... My...”

“Whoa there son, take a breather! You’ll swallow your tongue whole!” intervened Night Light.

“M-my... m-m-my...!”

“Yeessss?” said both parents in unison, bending over the little colt about to explode.

And explode he did. Launching in the air just like a rocket, eyes shut in pure elation, all four limbs unbent as far as he could. Both grownups jerked away from the sudden reaction, eyes sized like diner plates.

“MY CUTIE MARK! I’VE GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” Sunstone barked louder than a dragon.

It took but a moment for both Mr. Light and Mrs. Velvet to truly digest those words. They went through a plethora of emotions in a fraction of a second. First, bewilderment. Did they hear that right? Then, doubt. Was it a prank? They even detoured through confusion. W-w-what’s a cutie mark, again? Finally, they settled on acceptance, then pride, and THEN full-blown happiness.

Their son! His cutie mark! The most important moment in a pony’s life!

They sure weren’t expecting anything of the sorts anytime soon. Oh, not because little Sunstone wasn’t accomplished or anything, no. It’s just, it was extremely rare for a colt of his age to earn his special talent that early in his life. Not that this was a bad thing! Really impressive, in fact! It meant that he knew exactly what he was made for, and did not hesitate for a second to show the world.

Because of this beyond unusual phenomenon, Night Light and Twilight Velvet were momentarily at a loss for words; they couldn’t and did NOT brace for such unexpected news!

But when the reality of the whole affair finally sunk in, with tears in the corner of their eyes, they did not hesitate for a second to lock their only child in a tight embrace, almost squeezing the air out of his lungs.

“Sunny! T-this... this is wonderful news!” sniffled Twilight Velvet.

“I am so proud of you, son!” congratulated Night Light whilst swallowing a lump down his throat. “May we see what it looks like? Oh, I am so curious!”

They both backed away from the little pony. Sunstone took this opportunity to gasp for air. It was one vice-grip of a hug.

“Yeah! Check it out!” he excitedly said.

Turning his flank to the side, his mother and father took a good look at the newest addition on their son’s hindquarters.

“Oh!” exclaimed Twilight Velvet. “It’s a six-pointed purple star! How lovely! I too have stars on me, as you know, and... but, oh? What’s this, Sunny?”

“What’s what?” a genuinely confused Sunstone asked.

“Next to the star there’s... some kind of tool? What is it?” said his father in lieu of his mother.

“Oh, that! That’s a rock pick! Or a ‘geologist’s hammer’ if you wanna be all scientific like Mrs. Charity, bleh! But isn’t it awesome!?”

Night Light and Twilight Velvet, for a brief moment, exchanged a troubled look with large smiles pinched up by proverbial clothespins and bulged eyes widened by invisible speculums. As if they were trying their best to keep their reaction entirely natural. Though they really wish their son hadn’t, Sunstone took full notice of that bizarre, off-putting response. His grin lowered just a tad, worry slowly nesting in his guts.

“Well... i-isn’t it?” he tentatively asked again, his voice having lost a couple of decibels.

Mr. Light was the first to shake his head. “B-but of course! S-sorry, son, we were just ah, we didn’t uh...”

“... we just didn’t know what it was, that’s all,” continued Mrs. Velvet, saving her husband’s bacon. “We’re simply not too versed with, um, earth pony intricacies and all of that. You know how we are,” she added, further playing the diplomat. “But we like it, Sunny. We really really do! As long as it makes you happy, then so are we!”

Sunstone juggled his look between both of his parents. From mom to dad, then dad to mom. Two times. Three times. After a small moment of silence,

“O-okay!” he said, after shaking his head a bit. “T-thanks mom! Thanks dad! I am really happy...!”

His mother offered another gentle smile, and so too did his dad. After another round of hugs, Mr. Light awkwardly coughed in his fetlock. This prompted his significant other to return back to reality, having suddenly been reminded of something very important.

“Oh! Sunny, before you run to your room to play, we too have an announcement to make,” she softly said.

Sunstone remained silent, biting his lips in anticipation. What could this announcement be about? How much more excitement could be wedged into a day like today? Ooooh his tummy was full of butterflies!

“Well, son, it’s been a couple of years since your mother and I have been thinking about it and, well...”

...

“... you’re going to have a little brother.”

Ponies all over Canterlot could’ve recalled hearing a violent volley of coughs that evening.

Sunstone, so surprised by this unexpected news, accidentally swallowed wrongly. Maybe his dad was right: One of these days, his tongue will find its way to the bottom of his throat.

“A-are you okay, Sunny?” asked his mother.

“... a BROTHER? I’ll have a BROTHER!? When!? Where is he!?” Sunstone replied, after reaching for a hoof full of air.

Night Light chuckled and simply nodded toward the barrel of his loving wife. Sunstone didn’t immediately comprehend what it meant, being too young to be well acquainted with the rules of biology. That didn’t stop the two adults to precise that his younger brother would only come to be in a couple of months from there.

Of course, for a youngster like Sunstone, the notion of time had a much more different scale. He couldn’t hide his excitement, wanting nothing more than to hold in his own hooves the newest addition to his family, like, yesterday! If he was in a sugar rush mood earlier thanks to his newly earned cutie mark, now, he was in full tornado mode, bouncing all around the walls of the house.

“I’ll have a brother! A YOUNGER brother! And I’ll protect him with all my life! And he’ll... he’ll look up to me, and we’ll love each other, and I’ll teach him everything I know, and I’ll be his big hero, and, and...”

A small tear flowed out of his purple iris.

“... this is the best day of my life!” he managed to murmur between sobs.







I was totally out of breath. But I was nearly done though! Me, Gray Calx, giving up when the job was this close to being completed? Not on my watch! That, you could take to the bank.

And so, I went at it again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Come on now, just a bit more...

CLANG!

... Ah, there we go! Finally! To think that this particular chunk held as tightly as it did, the contrarian! But I sure showed it, ha! With a mining tool between my teeth, no surface could resist Gray Calx’s special touch for mineral destruction, no Sire!

Suffice to say, after two weeks at it, I think I’ve extracted as much out of this particular copper vein as I possibly could. In fact, I wouldn’t be too far off saying that I completely bled it dry, heh. Today was pretty fruitful and, wiping the grime out of my brow, I think it’d behoof me to consider punching out. My cart was filled to the brim with rusty maroon ores anyway; not much else I could’ve fit in there.

And so, I spat out my trusty pickaxe, content to have accomplished another prolific day in the mine. It was a modest way of earning my bits and, I mean, who could possibly desire more in life than this? Not everypony could afford the luxury of being a bigshot hero, y’know. In fact, I quite despised those who thought they could just cruise through life by being all adventurous and courageous and what not. Blergh. Way to live with your head in the clouds. That there was definitely not my definition of productivity, something us “lil’ guys” understood. Not to mention, Equestria was built on the back of hard laborers such as myself; did we forget about that? So yeah, you could call me quite content in my quest for doing actual honest and meaningful work!

I’ve been down there for, what, nine hours now? A relatively short day, by my standards. Still, nine hours without seeing so much as a single sunbeam. Nine hours without uttering a single word. That’s right: This here pony worked alone. I’ve always loved tending to myself, playing it solo. Not that I was too antisocial, no no. In fact, I quite enjoyed bonding with my friends. It’s just, when I was at work, I was in the zone, y’see. Chit chatting with coworkers while I chip away at the stony walls wasn’t my definition of good times. Concentrating on the work at hoof, now that, that tickled me kindly.

Which is exactly why I’ve been at it for five years now. Give or take a few months.

And I was beyond satisfied with this routine of a lifestyle. Nopony could take it away from me. I wanted to live like this forever. That was my muse; my calling. I neither needed nor desired anything else: I was already at the top. I peaked. And you know what?

I was happy. So, so happy.


Putting the pickaxe back in its rightful slot in my specialized saddlebags, I began pulling the chain-link rope in front of the cart with my strong jaw, bringing it up the slope on its rails. Sure, it was backbreakingly heavy, I wasn’t too much of a narcissist to deny it. But I was sturdy and tough, and, above all, pretty darned stubborn.

With a waterfall of sweat drenching my poor muzzle, my resilience paid off. Finally exiting the pitch-black cavern, I took a moment to turn off the crystal light on my protective helmet. I wasn’t one to waste enchantments for no other reason than being forgetful and/or inconsiderate. These things were pretty greasy bits-wise! We haven't all been blessed at birth with a horn and fancy light spells, thank you very much.

I ended up emerging out of the cliffside of the tall and slanted mountain ridge. That mountain, among the many others in the surrounding area: So rich with minerals, so rich with untapped potential! I found it astonishing after all these years of digging in it how ripe to be ransacked it still was. Well, it was up for grabs, and I was there. It was a living.

The cart came to a rest, bumping into the wooden lattice by the end of the rails. I took a look at the many little Swiss cheese holes I’ve dug over the years, all of them scattered across the multiple plateaus overhanging from these stunning blue mountains. I was such a tunnel rat. With them being no larger than a few meters in diameter, it sure took a non claustrophobic pony to carry out this kind of job and luckily, this big ol' Gray Calx fellow, well, he didn’t have a fear of tight spaces.

Getting my breathing under control (yeah, the cart was really heavy, admittedly), in my nostrils came the afternoon scent of pine and fresh air.

Outer Grove.

It’s crazy how much wilderness surrounded this little town. Evergreens were a-plenty and the wildlife was bursting with activity. This little corner of Equestria was so natural, so unmodified by us overzealous ponies. There was something beautiful about seeing those impressive tall Douglas-firs grow unrestrained, reaching heights never seen before in the rest of the country. As though the lush forest had an iron grip on the environment and we weren’t all too welcomed to tamper with it. But where the temperate rainforest held an irrevocable claim on the land, Outer Grove still managed to nestle in a tight little spot by the base of this mountain. A beautiful coexistence. You truly couldn’t find another place like this within the confines of our borders.

As I took it all in, my dreamlike mind always caressing me with poetic thoughts, especially on beautiful days like these, the silhouette of another pony emerged from the excavated path up ahead.

Not an unexpected presence. This right there was none other than Mr. Gold, the town’s respected prospector, and the earth pony whom I was currently employed under. In a few words like many: He was my boss.

And what a benevolent boss he was. They made #1 Boss mugs after him.

Green coated like the endless forest surrounding us, ginger haired like the bark of the trees, with his horseshoe mustache and his baggy orange eyes, his mug sure was recognizable around the place. Not to mention his iconic barcolt cotton vest with his little shovel and pick brooch pegged on it and, of course, his comically oversized white ten-gallon hat. Where I’m getting at is, he sure was a character. One easily identifiable, even as a dot by the horizon, heh.

“And how is my favorite Gray Calx doing today?” he said in a voice that, to the uneducated, could almost pass as grouchy, but that was, in truth, serene and posed.

“Heh. Being your favorite doesn’t mean much when there’s only one of me around,” I playfully responded.

“Ah, alas...! That reality hurts me every day; we sure could use the two or three of you, eh!”

We both snickered at this pointless chatter. But darned me if I didn’t love pointless chatter – outside of my work time, of course.

Mr. Prospector (I preferred calling him by his title; Gold didn’t do much for me (he wasn’t even gold, tsk)) whistled at the sight of my overflowing cart. I think a pebble of copper even fell from it and rolled by his hooves, almost as if to prove that it was that full.

“Another prosperous day in the pit?” he rhetorically asked.

“You know you can always count on me!” I proudly smiled. But not without a modest footnote. “But ah, day ain’t ‘xactly over yet. I still have to wheel this bad boy down the path, properly store it in the warehouse, weigh it, document it in our archives, bla bla bla,” I rotated a hoof around. “You know the drill.”

He nodded at that. Then, something seemed to have put his brain cogs into full gear.

“Calx, I was maybe thinking... Well, I'll be blunt: I might drop by the Two Arches later tonight.”

That twisted a knot in my heart in an instant. “Y-you!? Really now!”

“Yup, really now!”

“But we haven’t seen you at the pub in eons! Truth be told, we all sorta thought you went cold turkey on alcohol. What gives? What’s the occasion?”

He awkwardly backed away a bit, his look fleeing mine. I think his cheeks even turned pink; an unusual sight when it came to my prideful boss.

“Oh, n-no occasion, really! I just, I figured I’d see my crew in the midst of their happy hours for a change- I mean, should I expect to see you there tonight too?”

“At the Two Arches? Uh, duh! Sh'yeah!” I nervously giggled. “Wouldn’t want to miss for the world an opportunity to see my own superior all boozed up and tipsy, hahaha!”

“Excellent!” he replied perhaps a little too fast. “Well then, I’ll see you there later, eh?”

I silently gestured positively. Satisfied, Mr. Prospector started to make his descent. Right before his form disappeared from my view, he craned his neck backward, a smug expression painting his face.

“Oh, and Calx? Do take a nice shower before you join us. You’re giving a wet Timberwolf a run for its bits!” he teased, before vanishing proper.

Pfah! Me, reeking? I’m sure he was exaggerating.

...

Sniff sniff...

…

Sweet mother of Celestia!







Pepped up and refreshed. Cleaned and washed. Dressed and ready to take on the world.

That was me, ever since I left my habitation. I even tried to brush my scruffy mane for a change. The two darker stripes of mauve in it have never been this parallel to each other in, erf, years, maybe? Bah! It’s not like other ponies didn’t enjoy my normal scraggly appearance. But since Mr. Prospector made extra sure to let me know of his presence at the bar, well, I wasn’t going to deceive him with my usual detached and uncaring appearance. I could look semi professional when I tried. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. Prestigiousness was in the eye of the beholder.

I was on my way to the Two Arches. Princess Luna was pretty close to raising the moon, judging by that inflated fireball hovering right by the tip of the horizon. Thankfully, my house and the pub were merely 15 minutes apart and that’s if you trotted slowly on purpose. In fact, that was kind of true for most of the landmarks around the place; Outer Grove wasn’t exactly known for being a bustling megapolis. At least, it meant that I never got lost around town.

And my house WAS pretty recognizable: Wooden and cylindrical in shape, it certainly was gaudy. Some ponies even said that it bore some resemblance with princess Twilight Sparkle’s old departed library in Ponyville. Unsurprisingly, I ah, really hated that comparison and kindly made them aware of it.

There’s no denying that it was in pretty rough shape, especially when compared to the rest of the neighborhood, but that was by no fault of my own. It was practically fit to be demolished when I first acquired it. And ever since then? I’ve reconstructed it slowly, but surely. A nice side project I distracted myself with when I wasn’t busy in the mine. I took pride in that. Give it a couple of years and my little plot of land will host one heck of a castle! The one I finally deserved!

Oh, I oughta say. On my way to my house, I bumped into Seesaw Log and Leafy Humus, our favorite inseparable duo of dutiful lumberponies. I think they were on their way to the bar as well. Must’ve heard about tonight’s extra presence too, wink wink. Oddly enough, they made damned sure to tell me to “wear something nice,” which, on a whim, I agreed to. Didn’t really think about it back then. And this is why I was now enveloped in this quaint little jacket I seldom wore. I think it was none other than Skybrush who gifted it to me a couple o’ years ago. It was for my birthday, if I recall correctly? She was always happy to see me wear it. Hey, maybe she was going to be at the Two Arches tonight as well? My unusual appearance would surely make her swoon, har har!


Lost in thoughts, it took me a few seconds to register the loud distant howls that echoed in the valley. Two of them. Three of them now! ... and then, nothing. Silence once more. Deadly silent. W-what the heck was that? Did I just suffer from an auditory hallucination? Five years since I’ve settled here, and I’ve never heard anything of the sorts! What kind of unholy abomination even trailblazed these woods this late in the day, let alone produce such blood curdling screams?

He... hahaha! Y-yeah right! Monsters roaming about! Here, of all places; could you even imagine such tomfoolery? Boy was that complete balderdash. To even think about such things bedeviled me.

Nothing ever happens in Outer Grove.

...

And yet.

I’ll be honest with you. I was starting to feel a teensy bit estranged by the whole situation. Walking alone will do that to anypony who thinks too much. And to anypony who may or may not have heard a demon escaping from Tartarus itself, sure, why not.

But seriously though. Why was Mr. Prospector finally coming back to drink with us seemingly out of nowhere – and this, after months of being a no show? Why did Log and Humus tell me to look presentable when they were in fact the ponies who cared the least about fashion in all of Equus? Why did I just hear (or haven’t heard) the faraway sounds of something large, angry, and dangerous?

Come to think of it, the village was unusually quiet for what should’ve been a busy Friday evening. The Outer Grove I knew was way more festive than this borderline ghost town. Why was it so deserted? Brrrr. I’ll definitely feel more at ease seated in front of a nice pint filled to the rim. H-ha... hahaha...

Nothing ever happens in Outer Grove.

Thankfully, after nonchalantly turning a corner, the establishment in question drew itself before me.

There was no mistaking the Two Arches. It and its... well, its two arches. Right in front of the façade, covering a little front terrace. The building was one of the larger ones in town, but that’s because it also had an inn bundled in. I slept there for a good chunk of my first year when I first immigrated. The place was cutesy and well furbished. One of the three columns making the iconic arches, the middle one to be precise, was extravagantly decorated. Unlike its left brother and its right sister who had a flat surface, this one has been masterfully carved to have three nondescript earth ponies on their back legs, holding each other. Around the trim where the ceiling was, the topmost pony held a sphere.

It was me.

I was the one who crafted that little piece of art. I sculpted that. I had proficiency in the domain, oh yes I did.

Didn’t think I could subtly boast, eh? S'not because I pickaxed rocks that I couldn't have a softer side as well. Indeed, to me, sculpting was just like mining, except, using your creative bone instead of raw muscles.

...

The Two Arches was usually such a lively place.

But now, not unlike the rest of Outer Grove, it stood in complete silence. A worrying contrast with the bombastic tunes one could usually hear from the outside.

I was probably being silly. Paranoid, even.

Nothing ever happens in Outer Grove.

So, mustering a bit of courage, I chased these intrusive thoughts out of my mind and politely made my way in. Engulfing myself into the darkness emanating from within...

“Hello? A-anypony in here?” was my first, yet not totally unreasonable question.

A few stifled whispers were the only responses I was allowed to have.

“Anypony at all?” I tempted fate again.

Lights on!

Confetti!

Balloons!

Party horns!

A huge banderole unrolling with “HAPPY 5 YEARS GRAY CALX” written in bold gold letters!

Half a hundred ponies huddled in every corner of the pub, jumping out of hiding spots all at once!

“SURPRIIIIIISEEEEEEE!!!” shouted the mob in unison.

... I was stone cold frozen. Even my pupils refused to make any movement. I was more immobile than a pony after an encounter with a cockatrice. Finally, after an awkward cough or two, Mr. Prospector himself emerged from the crowd and approached me.

“Well, waddaya think, eh Calx? We might not have Mrs. Pinkie Pie’s magic touch for legendary parties, but ‘think we cobbled up something pretty decent, eh?”

...

He waved a hoof in front of the statue that was myself. “... Calx?”

“I... I need to go empty my bowels, pronto!” I whimpered.







The whole town was here. And I mean, the whole town was here. Even Mayor De La Tour partook in the preparations. At his age, too! Dedication galore.

The bar was simply unrecognizable. Usually basking in warm colors, brown and orange being the predominant palette, it was now a pastel hellscape. Every single table had a multicolor tablecloth on it. Each beam in the ceiling was defiled with colorful arrays of balloons taped on them. Party streamers zigzagged all across the place without reason. I had never seen this many paper plates gathered in one building in my life before!

And... and it was all for me. Me! Gray Calx the miner! The whole town pulled this little number together just for this random nopony! I knew we were a small tightly knit community, but wow!

That was unbelievable. That was inconceivable. All of this, in the name of celebrating the exact day of my fifth year in Outer Grove. I never thought I was important enough to warrant such attention. How do you even properly respond to this many sets of eyes locked onto you? I wasn’t a hero, and thank Celestia for that. I simply extracted shiny rocks, days after days. Was I that impactful? Hardly believable.

But... not totally unwanted either. Feeling appreciated was... I dunno. Good? Maybe?

Well, I tell you what. I dove my nose into the nearest tankard I could find so fast like you have no idea. I've never been in the limelight before; I was totally out of practice. What's the proper decorum when a pony as unexceptional as me is put on a pedestal? Didn't have a clue.

And now? I was seated at the bar counter, sandwiched between Mr. Prospector and a yellow earth pony that went by the name of Doctor Stethorsecope. Always in his lab coat, this one. And in the middle of a... rather peculiar story, to say the least.

“... and that’s how I earned my cutie mark, hehehahaha!”

“Whoa,” I said, strangely nonplussed and impressed at the same time. “Never thought accidentally stabbing yourself with a needle could earn a pony their cutie mark.”

“What about you, eh, Calx?” prompted my slightly inebriated boss. “Ever told him how you got yours? It’s a pretty good story!”

“Ah, psshhhh,” I said, feeling a burn in my cheeks.

But the good doctor insisted and wasn’t about to let me weasel out of this one. Always high on adrenaline, that medicine pony! Anyway, caught in a corner, I complied. I recited my tale. But not before chugging the rest of this delicious fermented malt.

Sluuuurrrppp…

Ahhh, that hits the spot. Alright, here we go.

It involved me going on a school trip about thirty years back. The classroom and I, we all travelled by train from Canterlot to the Badlands under the supervision of Mrs. Clarity and a special guest whose name I totally forgot. But he was an expert in geology, I remembered this much. Now, you might think that the Badlands were a preeeetty rough spot to bring a class full of five and six years old, and you’d be absolutely correct, but our expedition was to remain close to the heavily defended train station. Plus, we had the protection of a hoof full of royal guards, so we were pretty safe, all things considered.

There, we were to learn about crystal formations and all that jazz. Something that particularly catered to my interests, being the sole little earth pony underdog in a class full of fancy pegasi and unicorns. I was so excited and reckless that I had asked one of my pegasus friends to carry me further into the territory when the teachers had their backs turned. We even managed to elude the guards! We were small and sneaky, hehehe.

In retrospect, that was a terrible plan. So much wrong could’ve happened.

But when I climbed that perilous mesa with my buddy? I felt something building inside of me. A sense of purpose. A tingle in my tummy. In a complete fit of determination, I began digging, and digging, and digging. In a spot I just knew all of my answers lied buried. Once deep enough, after a low rumbling, the unexpected happened: A huge jet stream pushed me out of my crevasse. I tumbled and rolled down the hill. But when my dizziness subsided? When I looked up? A magnificent waterfall of rainbow was gushing out of the cavity. I had found an extremely rare source of liquid rainbow, ready to be pumped and exploited. The whole class did not miss the spectacle from afar. I think the geologist unicorn even fainted at the sight.

When I finally looked back down? A star and a pick adorned both of my flanks.

Doctor Stethorsecope whistled. “Whoa wee, you sure don’t play little league, Gray Calx!”

“It’s true, he’s always had a knack for getting in trouble,” softly chuckled the voice of a mare behind me I immediately recognized.

I didn’t even need to turn around to know my best friend had made it to the party.

“Skybrush!” I exclaimed, abandoning my spot and my drink, making my two bantering partners shrug.

“Hello, goofball,” she smiled like an angel.

Didn’t have to be asked twice to hug the crap out of her. A hug she happily returned without hesitation.

Skybrush. Now, she was a mare. A wonderful one, might I add. She’s been my beacon of sanity ever since I first stepped out of that train. We’ve built a solid friendship over the past five years, the two of us. You could always catch us chatting, cracking jokes together, helping one another, planning all sorts of crazy activities. The list went on. They say that friendship is magic, and thanks to her, I was inclined to believe it.

She, not unlike the majority of the hamlet, myself included, was an earth pony. A peach colored one, with a beautiful and healthy pale brown mane covering one of her eyes. She had the cutest freckles, the greenest of eyes, and a smile that could cure any disease.

I'll admit, I'm beating a bit around the bush here. Because in truth, she was ah, well, let’s just say, she was a bit rotund. A smidge above her target BMI? Trust me, I was putting it lightly here. The euphemism to end them all. But once a gentlecolt, always a gentlecolt, and...

... Oh dear. Please, do not tell her what I just said about her weight. That was a sensitive topic for her; a can of worms I had no interest in opening. F-forget I said anything!

Different topic, Calx, different topic! Uuhhh. Yes! Her primary occupation was to tend to the general store with her husband. Well, that was a couple of years back. At some point, her better half simply vanished and Skybrush never really elaborated as to why. She simply insisted that they “weren’t seeing eye to eye anymore” and that they became incompatible. I always felt like there was more than this to this story, but I never pried. Who the hay was I to do so.

So, alone she handled the general store. A very important duty in Outer Grove nonetheless. Outside of her business hours, she was an incredibly talented painter. Her cutie mark proved it: It was a paintbrush surrounded by a blue swirly ribbon. She always enjoyed the breathtaking scenery of Outer Grove. There’ve been times where I just sat by her, watching her masterfully recreate the landscape in front of us onto her canvas. Seeing her at work was mesmerizing. Ah, to be so talented...

Skybrush sometimes lamented how she’d like to travel across Equestria one of these days to paint all sorts of different locations, but she never could commit to the idea. At least, not until her daughter, of which she’s the sole guardian, was mature enough to take care of her own. Being just a little over seven years-old, she was still attending Outer Grove's only primary school and Skybrush often told me that she couldn't in good conscience pry her away from the friends she's made there. Always being on the road and playing roulette with different schools would be the best way for her to feel alienated and lost.

And speaking of the little filly! There she was, emerging from behind Skybrush’s bushy tail. You could hardly miss her; she was the centerpiece of any room she found herself in.

The orange earth pony, that adorable little rubber ball of pure energy, pounced directly onto my back when she recognized me. She tried in vain to light-heartedly trample me. She had always loved doing that. Her brash way of playing hit right at home with me. I too used to roughhouse a bit too harshly at her age, heh!

Heh...

“Hiiii uncle Calxie!” she thrillingly said, her front hooves messing up my mane.

Yes, I wasn't really her uncle. No, that did not stop her from calling me as such. No, no one corrected her. Yes, I loved that title.

“Hehehe, and a big hello to you too, Honey Dream! How are you doin’, sweetheart?”

“Gooood!” she cheered. “But what about you? It’s your pa-a-a-arty!”

“A-yup! It sure is! And I’m super duper peachy about it!” I said, closing an eye for it to not be poached by her twitchy hooves.

“Yay!”

That was her cue for disembarking me. Not that I minded her extra weight. I hauled mining carts on a daily basis, after all. Honey Dream skipped back to her mother’s side, her curious face gazing at everything and nothing all around the lavishly decorated bar.

She really reminded me of my younger years. When I was still lively and hyperactive. When I still believed to be Equestria's solution to an inexistent problem. Naïve and blissfully ignorant: There was something nostalgic about this. Like that day I first bore my cutie mark; boy was I ecstatic about it. But alas, the rest of everything I had to endure came along like an unstoppable cannonball, and history wrote itself.

Sigh. Anyway...

Skybrush etched a serene smile. “She really loves you, you know.”

“Heh, how could she not? I am pretty charming, don’tcha think?”

She quietly giggled at the thought. “I see you’re wearing the vest. Don’t you just look stunning in it!” she winked, knowing a thing or two about flustering me.

“Ah, naaah! You’re just saying that,” I said, waving a dismissive hoof.

“Mmmmh. Maybe I am. Because you’d look even better if it was properly buttoned. Hang on, lemme just...”

My best friend approached me, a determined look on her cheery face.

Oof, she was awfully close. She never really got that close to me in this manner. How, uh, peculiar. I could smell her delicious perfume, taking a good whiff in my nostrils. She might’ve been overweight, but that didn’t mean she didn’t take good care of her appearances. These things were mutually exclusive.

Skybrush was looking down at the task at hoof, concentrating on putting the little buttons of my vest in their rightful place, but me, I couldn’t help but peer into the two limes that were her eyes.

Yikes, was it just me, or it was unbearably hot in here? I mean, the Two Arches was pretty overcrowded. Filled to the brim with ponies. Must’ve been that. Body heat and all the science behind it. Yeah.

Wait, don’t stare, you impolite oaf!

To the left my pupils wandered. Only to find the image of Mr. Prospector lifting his mug with a knowing look, right before drowning his face in it. Oh come on, now!

Thankfully for my strangely fast-beating heart, she was just about done with her close quarters job.

“And there ya go! Now you’re not a fashion trainwreck anymore, hehehe!” she backed away.

“I uh... ah...”

An escape plan, quick!

Crud crud crud, leeet’s see now... Wait! Didja hear that? What was that high pitched, annoying noise? This one, I definitely did not imagine. That seemed worthy of being investigated, oh yes it was!

I frantically looked around to find the source of my distraction. And eureka! There it was: Seesaw Log and Leafy Humus, pulling wooden barrels filled up with some sort of viscous brown liquid. With a rope in their mouth, they were most surely bringing this vile substance out of the pub, and this, under the cautious supervision of the barmare, Mrs. Sweet Pint. Intriguing. Captivating, even. I sure could busy myself with this little enigma.

Time to drift away!

Swallowing drily, I returned my attention back to the big mare in front of me. “What uh, what do you suppose these two are up to now?”

She lazily turned to look. “Oh? When it comes to Log and Leafy, who knows. What I do know, though, is that their carelessness will doom us all one day, mark my words!” she laughed.

“... I better go check on ‘em, just to make sure, yep yep!” I said, having found my excuse.

“Alright, goofball. But promise me to take it easy too. Like a certain filly once said, ‘It’s your pa-a-a-arty!’”

“Mo-ooom!” moaned Honey Dream.

I nodded to let the mother know her words didn’t fall on deaf ears. Then, moving past the two of them, I approached the busy lumberponies. They seemed to be struggling a bit with their cargo.

“You fellows need any help? Sorta know a thing or two about pulling stuff.”

Also, not wanting to brag or anything, but I was pretty much the beefiest pony around. It had its perks.

“Oh heyo Gray Calx!” said Log. “Nup, w-we’re good! Don’tcha worry about us.”

“Uh... hehehe, yeah! Don’tcha worry about us,” repeated his sidekick, as he always does.

I raised an eyebrow, taking a peek at the thick, putrid material inside of the containers.

“... what do we have here?” I asked, curious.

“Oh, that? That’s like, two months of discarded cooking oil.”

“Yup, discarded oil!”

“And Mrs. Sweet Pint over there? Enrolled us to bring it at the train station.”

“Yup, at the train station!”

Ah. I suppose it made sense. Outer Grove was so secluded from the rest of Equestria that many services often took weeks, if not months, to reach us. It was difficult to keep in touch with the rest of the world. For instance, a hostile takeover could happen in Canterlot and we’d be none the wiser until at least five or six days after the coup!

It was no different with our supplies, naturally. Out of Outer Grove went minerals and timber, and in came food, medicine, furniture, etc. All sorts of things that made a town function like a town, in sum. That’s why Mr. Prospector was so insistent on properly storing the precious stones I got for him inside of the company’s warehouse. Because sometimes? We could wait for as long as half a year before a merchandise train would come to empty our shelves.

I suppose the same was true for these drums of used oil. Very nefarious for the environment, these had to be carefully and properly disposed to not clog the Two Arches’ plumbing system and, more importantly, to not contaminate the very soil underneath. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Outer Grove didn’t exactly have a specialized facility offering such treatments. Thus, out of the town these barrels went. And just like with the rest of our exports, it could take a really long time before anypony in charge would come to take them away.

“Aaaanyway. How are you enjoying the party so far?” resumed Seesaw Log.

“Yeah, how are you enjoying the party, uh... so far?” pointlessly added Leafy Humus.

“Well, let’s see now. Mr. Prospector over there? Totally getting smashed. That alone makes it ten outta ten!” I jested.

That made the two lollygaggers laugh in unison. They too were subordinates of his, handling, as one would expect, the deforestation part of our industry.

“But enough about me now, heh.” Had to play it cool there, tonight was enough of an ego trip. “How you two doin’? Word on the wind says that you’ve cleared a good chunk of site 2B, is that right?”

“Yep/Yuppers!” they said in synch.

“Should’ve seen it, Calx! Me and Leafy Humus? We plowed through the woodlands-”

“-like kapow!”

“We’ve never fallen so many trees in one day, but today? Ohoho, we chopped and cleared many acres of land-”

“-like kapow!”

“Soon, we’ll have enough building space to erect Outer Grove’s first college!”

“-like... kapow? Hang on, that one don’t work...”

I just had to smile at their goofiness. Silly stallions, these two.

I didn’t sustain that smile for very long; it left to make place for a subtle scowl. Something tickled my brain, telling me to press a particular issue. Mmmmh. Yeah, even though I didn’t want to nourish my paranoia, maybe it was wise to ask. One could only ignore non-trivial aspects of their evening for so long.

“Heh, good work, you two!” I said to butter things out. Then: “But ah... tell me something. Have you, uh, heard uh...” I looked left and right, to make sure nopony else was in mocking range, “... strange screams out in the woods lately?”

...

I bit the inside of my cheek at the nonresponse. “Uh, you know! The kind of screams that’d come out of a big mean forest creature and what not... right? Anything unusual at all out there deep in the woods? N-nothing to report?”

This whole time, they just blankly stared at me, until they both exchanged a confused look. Uh oh, time to bury that faux pas! I bit more than I could chew here with my little foray into “what the hay” territory. I didn’t want them to spread bad rumors about me, nope nope nope! In a small town like Outer Grove, my reputation could be tarnished relatively quickly.

“Haaaa! Gotcha both, hehehahaha!” I laughed like a maniac, a bead of sweat running down from my forehead. “Pranked!”

They both oooh’d like they finally understood the punchline of a joke they didn’t fully comprehend. Good, good. Roll with it, you two.

“Ha! Nothing to worry about,” assured Seesaw Log. “Even if there was a monster roaming about, the Element bearers, under princess Twilight Sparkle's leadership, would surely take care of it.”

“She’d come all in like ‘whoaaaa,’ and we’d be like ‘nooo waay,’ and the monster would growl, ‘grooooaah,’ and princess Twilight would beam it like ‘peeeeww pew pew peeeeww!’”

That was Leafy Humus turning into a sound effects machine. Right before two stallions joined our private talk, seemingly having eavesdropped on our not-so-subtle discussion.

“That’s right, eh? If there was anything bad out there, we can always count on the princess of friendship to pull us out of trouble... hic!” said a drunk Mr. Prospector to my left.

“Heheheahaha! Ooooh wouldn’t that be quite the sight! Heeeeeee heeheehee, princess Twilight in little Outer Grove, hahaha!” guffawed a fidgety Doctor Stethorsecope to my right.

“Oooooh! Could you imagine if there was a dragon nearby?” chimed in a bouncy Honey Dream.

Right before her mom approached the six of us. “Nothing the princess and her friends couldn't handle, sweetie,” a smile between her puffy cheeks.

“Yeah! Princess Twilight is soooo awesome!” beamed the filly.

“True that!” acquiesced pretty much everypony in our chit chat circle.

“She's the best!”
“She's a champ!”
“Equestria's best protector!”
“Anyone seen my glasses?”
“A true princess!”
“One hay of a go-getter!”

And then they all turned toward me. Expectant grins up their muzzles. As if I was supposed to add anything to their blatant fanboyism.

Hum, when did the conversation turn for the worst, again? To think it was so pleasant mere seconds ago.

“I... I uh...” I mumbled, unable to muster any coherent words. “S-sure. She... she truly is apt at performing her duties, uh...”

“Something the matter, son?” my boss bashfully asked.

“Y-you don’t like the princess, uncle Calxie?” said the pleading face of Honey Dream with big puppy eyes.

I was weirding out the crowd with my bizarre reaction, that much was apparent. They closed in, more than ready to fish for answers.

Okay, that was a bit too much, here. Time out. Was this, or was this not a party in my honor? Whose name was on the banderol: Mine, or the alicorn who already had so much? Can we not turn this minuscule moment, this inconsequential little party within Equestria’s long timeline, into another fawning session, please? That possible at all, or was it so inconceivable not to yap her name at any given time? Why did she have to hog the spotlight all for herself even in moments that had NOTHING to do with her almighty accomplishments? My party was merely a footnote in the grand scheme of everything the oh-so-important Element of Magic had done; just let me have it, for Celestia’s sake! Stop poking your snout in my business – try that for a change!

Frustrating really.

Dare I say I was seething. Slightly. Maybe more than I thought.

Made me want just to... ugh!

“Look, can we just talk about something else!?” I snapped.

Couldn’t manage to tread on eggshells with that one, damn it. The group recoiled at my sudden outburst, what with me being totally out of character. I was usually so detached and carefree, but here? My lingering ire was not only uncalled for, but it was also beyond unusual, especially coming out of the mouth of a stallion such as myself. One that was usually so posed, so stoic. I ran on a strict jokes and pleasantries diet. Guess today, I strayed away a bit, though I really wish I hadn’t.

In any case, the awkwardness was palpable.

Thanks, princess Twilight Sparkle, destroyer of friendships! Still finding a way to drop a deuce in my cereals even when kilometers apart. Once again, another point in your favor, you joy-sucking scum basket!

...

…

I needed to take it down a notch.

Beer. More beer. Infinitely more beer. That was a solution. A solution? THE solution. Mr. Prospector had the right idea. To the bar counter! Somepony deserved to have his meddling thoughts numbed a bit.

Smiling sheepishly in a futile attempt to return the party to what it once was, I excused myself, and made my way to Sweet Pint for my next order.

What was I so worked up about anyway? Twilight Sparkle, tche. She wasn't about to make an appearance in these streets anytime soon; that was a given. This place was MY turf; she could have the rest of her Equestria. In five years, nothing ever prompted a visit from Her Royal Highness in this quiet little town of ours. That wasn’t about to change. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. I could gain solace in knowing this.

Besides,


Nothing ever happens in Outer Grove.
> Twilight: Solver of Friendship Problems
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunstone was lost in his books. Three volumes opened on his small inclined wooden lectern, ready to be devoured by the young scholar. Sat on his haunches on a silky pillow, quill in his mouth, he furrowed his brow in an attempt to put his meninges back into third gear. He even rubbed his temples to give himself all the extra brain juice he needed. There sure were a lot of big words in this “Minerals and Other Geological Formations” almanac! He had to concentrate reeeaaal hard on the meaning behind this ocean of terms, definitions, and abbreviations to properly give them a little corner in his gray matter. In truth, he was still a bit too young to delve into such intensive lectures, but Sunstone was a big preacher for getting an early start.

For him, there were no better ways to spend his Saturday mornings. He was who he was; there was no use in going against the grain. Curious to a fault: That was his true nature. His overworked brain sadly had to pay the toll. Other 12-year-old ponies preferred playing outside, and while he didn’t dislike the idea, Sunstone found all the friendship he could possibly yearn for inside the pages of his many tomes. Besides, most ponies at his school were unicorns, and even though the divide between his classmates and himself wasn’t impossible to work with, he still didn’t relate to them all that much. Rocks: He wanted to carve them; they wanted to transmogrify them. Compatibility was a tough sell there. Ah well! Their loss!

Sunstone scribbled a couple of notes. His penmanship was starting to look professional for his age. Early to get a cutie mark and early to be a model student. That which he did not understand, he would simply write down in a list and look up in the dictionary later, the one haphazardly thrown onto the mess that was his bedsheets. Ponies of his age would normally shout “moooom, what does X mean?” yet Sunstone preferred to crack the case himself. A trait that ran in the family, so claimed his dad. Besides, both of his folks were currently out of the house, doing shopping or something boring like that. He had no business twiddling his hooves, waiting impatiently to pester them, ha!


His lil’ silvery ears flicked at the sound of something playful and exciting emanating from the lower floor. His eyes even twitched to the side a bit, daring to be distracted for just a moment. He perished the thought and dedicated his attention back to his academic lecture once again.

As if to provoke him some more, the thrilling noises doubled. The ruckus wasn’t too loud, no no. But my oh my, did it sound enticing! Like something fun was happening directly under Sunstone’s bedroom. Laughs interlaced with playful shouts.

Still a foal at heart, this time, he was hooked. Young ponies loved to play; it was only natural. And Sunstone was 100% bona fide playmate material. There was no use fighting instinctive urges any longer: Sunstone simply HAD to investigate what the commotion was all about. The ultimate temptation had its way.

A big smile on his face, the keystone of his default expression, Sunstone clasped his book shut in one brash motion, raising the dust off his desk. His eyes were aimed at the large window pane in front of him, but were in fact peering into a beautiful world of make-believe. He quivered with envy, unable to keep his untapped energy all for himself any longer.

Bouncing off the cushion, sliding onto the bed like an action hero, swinging open his bedroom door in a blink: He was off! His parents told him countless times before not to run in the house; what a preposterous idea to entertain with a pony of Sunstone’s caliber. Case and point: He practically galloped down the stairs two steps at a time, narrowly avoiding a nasty tumble to the first floor.

Somewhat out of breath, it’s when he turned the corner that he saw them.

In the middle of the living room, she was bouncing on the couch, and he had the higher ground on the wooden antique cabinet. Little sister Twilight Sparkle trying to catapult pillows at little brother Shining Armor, the latter defending his territory of spiderwebs and lint clusters. It was an epic skirmish between two unicorns. Two siblings. Two young foals that shared a roof. Two frontlines that would give no quarter.

The living room was completely turned over. It was scarred by the leftovers of a battle of legendary proportions. The carpet had bundled up into a baggy mess, picture frames found themselves on the floor, various chairs and furniture were tilted over, an armchair was somehow tipped on its back, the floor was laden with rubber toys ... It was chaotic. It was beautiful.

Sunstone observed his siblings for a moment. He hadn’t been spotted yet. He was just there, seizing what the scenario was all about. Shining Armor, stopping the volley of pillows with telekinetic magic whilst Twilight, still being a bit too young to have some horn control of her own, was flinging them with a swift motion of the jaw.

“Hahaha! Give up, sis! We both know you won’t be able to take my castle!” proudly declared a hammy Shining Armor.

“Nu-huh! Imma getcha, Shining! Imma getcha!” cockily replied the youngest one in the family.

“Oh you try that, you... you lil’ pony!”

Both fighters were attacking/defending relatively well. Both were laughing despite the physical assault. Both of them were having a lot of fun. Both of them... both of...

It became too much to bear. Sunstone wanted in on the wargames. Oh, how he wanted that so so much! He pictured this traditional conflict quickly devolving into a three-sided free-for-all. A cacophonic odyssey that shan’t ever be forgotten. A trio of siblings: One victor. Ties were unacceptable.

It was time to begin the onslaught! Until one brother or sister was left standing!

“CHAAAAARRRGGEEEEE!” roared Sunstone like an unleashed berserker.

He bolted from his vantage point at marathon speeds. While dashing like a mighty war horse, he swiftly grabbed a pillow on the floor with his teeth. Armed and ready, in one acrobatic pounce, Sunstone made his way atop the coffee table in the middle of the war zone. Both of his siblings stopped what they were doing in an instant, their attention now fully dedicated to the impromptu warrior.

“Eep!” squealed little Twilight, being directly in his line of sight.

“B-big bro!?” exclaimed Shining, still perched on the cabinet. “What... whatcha doin’ here?”

“Taking down the prince!” he smirked menacingly.

It was clear that both of them did not expect his intrusion in their two-player game. This little moment of confusion would give Sunstone ample time to take the upper hoof.

So that’s what he did. Seizing the opportunity that was presented to him on such a beautiful silver platter, with one quick movement of the head, Sunstone launched his pillow faster than an arrow. Who was the target of his sudden vicious attack? Why, the closest unicorn was the smartest choice.

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes expanded with horror. Had she not ducked at the last moment, she would’ve merged with the pillow that was supremely close to pull a Sonic Rainboom and found herself pegged on the back wall. Luckily, the only thing the flying object managed to do was to knock over a potted plant with a loud crash. She looked back at the destruction with her ears splayed onto her neck, then turned to Sunstone with a heart beating way too fast for a foal of her age. She knew that if she didn’t counterattack right there and then, she’d be toast.

She grabbed the nearest pillows in her vicinity and began flinging them at the aggressive newcomer. Shining Armor did the same, having found a stronger common enemy. The male unicorn was soon out of fluffy ammunition however, and so he had to resort to slinging other miscellaneous objects. Books, ornaments, random toys, random baubles: Anything would do. With the help of his magic, everything was tossed with double the power.

Meanwhile, Sunstone was masterfully dodging most projectiles. Sure, he got bonked on the noggin a couple of times, but he had a robust hide. He could take the hits. It was all about toughing it out. It’d be a cold day in Tartarus before he gave up!

Still, the strategy was lacking. Two unicorns against one earth pony was hardly fair, their age notwithstanding. They had a good range game, but Sunstone was big and well-built. He needed to get into melee territory. That’s where he would thrive. That would be his key to secure his victory.

Catching a pillow thrown by his little brother with both hooves, he was ready to execute his devilish plan. His pupils locked with those of Twilight Sparkle. She drooped in fear, feeling something sinister forthcoming. She knew her time was up. She could sense it. There was nothing her big brother Shining could do to protect her against the Sunstone menace anymore.

Sunstone backed away a bit, preparing to go all in. Energy sufficiently accumulated, he jumped in the air like a hungry manticore and...

SMACK!

... Abrasively whacked his little sister with the pillow. That left her dazed, her eyeballs rotating in all sorts of directions. Sunstone could’ve sworn he even saw stars orbiting around her head. A perfect opening to finish her off! With a brash tackle of his hips, Sunstone effortlessly knocked Twilight Sparkle off the sofa, making her faceplant on the parquetry.

“Hahaha! My foray in Twilight-Land has been a success! I now reign over her people, bwahaha!” victoriously chanted Sunstone. “Now’s the time to take over the castle!” he then added, gloomily gazing at the other pony still standing.

Shining seemed to be getting a little bit nervous. “W-wait! Sunstone, wait! I think you really-”

“I don’t negotiate with tyrants, hmmmph!”

“No! It’s Twily, s-she’s... you hur-”

“Talk to the pillows!”

And so began round two of the game. Shining Armor might’ve had the higher ground, but that didn’t discourage Sunstone one bit. His regime WAS going to be toppled; he couldn’t envisage anything but. Shining Armor tried to halt his brother’s progress, but it was futile: Sunstone was older and tougher. He was unstoppable.

Sunstone elbowed the base of the cabinet with all the strength he could muster, making his younger brother fumble unsteadily. Shining knew he couldn’t hold onto his advantageous position any longer, so, in a fit of panic, he jumped onto a nearby wall-mounted oak shelf. This feline tactic bought him a few more seconds, but Sunstone soon found more random stuff to relentlessly fling at him. Yelping in surprise, Shining booked it, crossing the shelf ungraciously. Everything that was proudly displayed up there soon found its way to the floor, crashing in a maelstrom of noise.

“You’re done for, ‘prince’ Shining Armor! I’ll take over your empire, muhahahaha!” cackled Sunstone.

“S-Sunstone, this is too much, stop!”

“Never!”

Unfortunately for the poor unicorn in distress, the shelf soon ran out of length. His brother was in the middle of gathering more pillows into a small pile. He obviously wasn’t going to give up anytime soon. There was no talking him out of it. Shining understood that he had to resort to desperate tactics to put this bloody massacre to an end. The only plan that he managed to concoct on a whim was a terrible one, but that was still a far cry from not having a plan at all.

Taking a huge breath in, the courageous young unicorn gathered all of his determination…

... and jumped off the shelf! A parabola in midair, directly on a collision course with the earth pony below. As gravity accelerated him closer and closer to his target, he uttered an ear-piercing war cry.

“FOR EQUESTRIAAAAAAA!”

“Buh?” Sunstone mumbled, surprised by his brother’s unexpected bravado.

Shining brusquely impacted Sunstone. The two of them rolled together, the momentum carrying them all the way to the side of the sofa. They both got their heads knocked as the tumble came to a sudden halt. Their whole world was spinning, though Sunstone was the first to break out of it.

Now having his brother close by, he could pull a Twilight on him as well. He groggily grabbed the heaviest pillow around in his mouth, dragging it on the floor by his side like a serial killer. He slowly approached his still dazed bro, taking his sweet time, and gazed at him with the look only a villain could give. How he was enjoying his position of superiority! Shining finally snapped out of it and looked at the earth pony towering him, a shadow darkening his face from the low angle shot.

“Y’know, brother... I’ve always hated royalty,” quietly said Sunstone, etching a deranged smile.

Shining could only stare at him with quaking eyeballs.

“... Bummer,” is all he managed to say in the view of his impending doom.

The pillow was raised. Two eyes closed themselves. Resignation was palpable. And then, what was meant to happen, happened.

SMACK!

The sound of a second pummeling. Shining fell on his side, his cheek impacting the floor. His teeth even clacked together with an unpleasant sound.

And just like that, the war was over.


“WOOO! Two unicorns down! Bow down to me, peasants! Hahaha! Earth ponies wiiiinnnn! See? We don’t need spells and all that overpowered stuff to pull our weight! We da best, we da best!” danced Sunstone.

Among the deafening quietness, he heard some sniffles.

“... w-we da best?”

The sniffles turned into sobs, then the sobs into full blown crying.

Twilight Sparkle’s face was all wet with her tears. She was hiccupping, choking on her own breath. She was rubbing her head with her hoof, trying to make the pain subside. A nasty bump had swelled just above her right eye.

When Sunstone took notice of that, his heart sank into his chest, culpability fully taking over his senses. His adrenaline drained in an instant. No longer did he feel triumphant. He ran by his little sister’s side, fueled by big brother instincts alone, unable to bear seeing her hurt like this. Guilty. Stupid, stupid, and guilty! Triple guilty! Sunstone simply couldn’t digest that he might’ve really hurt his sis. He couldn’t have done it, no! S-something else... something else must’ve been at play, here! Right!? Something must’ve conspired against him. Hurting his siblings, him!? Baloney! Preposterous! Impossible!

“S-sis! Are... are you okay?” he desperately asked, fully knowing the answer. “A-are you hurt?”

He tried to put his hoof over her tiny shoulders to bring her comfort, but she rebelled and pulled away.

“Yes! Y-yes, you hurt me, you... you b-big bully!” she cried between two sobs.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean... I’m so sorry! I...”

He tried to approach her again in a poor attempt to bring her comfort, but she widened the distance once more, crawling on her bum. Sunstone was in a pickle and he had absolutely no idea how to make amends here. The slight was still very fresh, but he wanted it to be mended right there and then. For a young teen, there was no time factor at play when it came to burying the war axe. It was now or never.

“L-look! Y-you can hit me, okay? You can hit me! I’ll let you punch me in the face, and then, and then... and then we’ll be equal, right? P-please stop crying...” was Sunstone’s last gambit.

Unfortunately,

“SUNSTONE!”

He recoiled and blanched like he’s never blanched before. There were only two unicorns in the world who could shout his full name like this with this much displeasure. He dared not to turn around to confirm his greatest fear. Frozen in absolute panic, hunched over his distraught sister, even at his age, he knew a “It’s not what it looks like” wouldn’t cut it.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light, both equally ticked off, made their way into the field of view that was Sunstone’s pinpricked pupils. B-back so soon? His mouth was hung agape and his throat clamped itself shut. Because this morning? You would’ve been hard pressed to find two parents that were more disappointed in all of Canterlot. It was difficult to make Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Light frown, but somehow, Sunstone managed.

Twilight Velvet huddled over her wounded daughter and gently put her on her withers, craning her neck back and nuzzling her to calm her down. The small unicorn buried her face in her mother’s white fur like it was one oversized teddy bear. Meanwhile, Shining Armor managed to get back to his four hooves, and limped next to his dad. He looked as unamused as him.

And just like that, it was the whole family on one front versus a mortified Sunstone standing all alone.

But this new war was impossible to win.

“Care to explain, young colt?” coldly demanded the patriarch.

Night Light then lifted his head, pointing at the total carnage that was the living room. Sunstone finally took notice of the absolute disaster it had become. Somehow, it didn’t look THAT bad mere minutes ago. But... Now it was messier than a landfill. W-weren’t those rare Prance plates broken from the start? ... Uh oh.

“It... It wasn’t me...! They, they, they were playing! I w-was reading, I didn’t... I didn’t start this!”

Every word he uttered felt like a buck in the guts. His dad remained absolutely unimpressed, and so too did his stoic mom. Sunstone couldn’t feel any more intimidated if he tried.

“Sunstone,” resumed Night Light, rubbing his hoof on his forehead, “that is no excuse. You know that this is no excuse! You’re the big brother, you’re supposed to be more mature than this!”

Twilight Velvet nodded. “Mmmh hmmm! At your age, you should watch over your brother and sister and show them the example. You know, instead of joining in their destructive games. You need to be a good role model for them! They need to learn from you!”

Sunstone’s tail was between his hind legs. He was almost prone to the floor in supplication, trembling at his scolding. He could barely manage to find what to say, his esophagus drier than a chimney.

“But I... but I...” he yammered, a lump forming in his throat.

His dad cut him off. “And frankly, Sunstone, you’re twice your brother’s age! And Twilight’s only four years old! You play way too rough with them. Not to mention, you’re an earth pony, so you’ve got some natural strength you really oughta be careful with.”

“That’s right, Sunny,” added his mom, giving a small smooch on Twilight’s forehead. “If you really want to play, why don’t you go outside and do it with some of your friends your age?”

Sunstone remained silent for a moment, but his pounding heart was audible to anyone in the room. He started to hyperventilate a bit, clenching his teeth.

He felt so rejected at that moment. And maybe even a little angry. A lot more than a little, actually! Couldn’t they see? Couldn’t they understand!? It was so... so unfair! His intentions were noble and he... it’s not his fault if he was that much older than Twilight and Shining! When he was their age, he didn’t have any siblings he could share playing sessions with. But them? They had each other. Not only did they have the right to play together, but they also had a lot of fun doing so – so why couldn’t he? What made him so different, so unusual? Why was he the bad guy right now? He wasn’t a bad pony, wasn’t he?

Wasn’t he?

Tears started to swell up in the corner of his eyes. His face felt hot. His emotions were all over the place.

“M-my friends?” he repeated, tears escaping his defiant eyes. “My friends!?”

Before both of his parents could reply to him, he stomped a disobedient hoof.

“I don’t HAVE any friends! I don’t! I don’t have friends!” he cried, tears dropping on the floor. He pointed a trembling hoof at Shining Armor, and then at Twilight Sparkle. “They’re all I’ve got! They’re my... they’re my only friends! And now, y-y-y-you’re telling me t-that I can’t...”

He couldn’t bear his rage any longer. Sunstone ran past his family and aimed for the stairs.

“I hate you all!”

“Sunstone!” shouted Night Light. “You do NOT talk like this in this house! Now come back here and apologize to your brother and sister!”

A door slamming shut, and Sunstone secluded himself. Only his moans and sobs were audible.

His parents sighed, unsure what to do with all this. Sunstone was well on his way to become a teenager, the toughest years in a pony’s development. Night Light and Twilight Velvet expected to encounter some resistance along the line, sure, but that all came too suddenly. Way, way too suddenly. Where did this attitude come from? He never bit back quite like this before.

They needed to adjust and be thorough with their oldest son, lest he started being out of control. Parenting was not an easy game to play, but they’ll forever remain fair and impartial to their offspring. Sunstone wasn’t exempted from making mistakes, but he had to own up to them, learn from them, and fix them.

“I’ll go talk to him,” said a discouraged Night Light.

As soon as he started trotting toward the staircase, a small tug on his back leg halted him. He turned around, confused, and saw a pleading Shining Armor.

“W-wait dad,” hesitantly said the young unicorn. “I um... can I go talk to him instead? Please?”

Shining’s dad tilted his head. “Mmmh? Uh, I suppose? But I mean- aren’t you mad at him for hurting you?”

“Well, yeah, but... he’s still my big brother. And I just wanna make sure he’s okay...”

Night Light smiled and ruffled Shining’s blue mane. Forever wanting to play the protector, this young colt.

“Alright son. But you make sure to tell him to come back down to clean up the mess he’s made.”

“Okay dad, I will!”







Princess Twilight Sparkle paced around the cutie map for the nth time, her eyes locked onto the pictogram of her own mark. It was hovering all alone right by the circumference of the table. A sigh escaped Spike’s mouth. He was tapping his little claws onto the armrest of his undersized throne, following her movements in a semi catatonic state. His other arm ended on a knuckle to his cheek. Has it been half an hour already? Truly, there have been more exciting moments in the castle of friendship. With only the two of them populating the room, he couldn’t even make idle chatter with anyone else. It was that boring.

Five more minutes. Five more minutes and he was going to interrupt the princess’ musings. That was his cut-off time.

Much to his relief, Twilight stopped for a bit, squinting intensively at the holographic six-pointed star. She rubbed her hoof under her chin, concentrating on putting her million thoughts into their rightful place. Was this it? Was she finally going to break her mutism? Was she going to challenge the sound of silence? Was she-

Nope. She started circling the table again. Spike couldn’t take this time of inaction anymore. Enough was enough. He lifted a claw, about to protest-

“This is all so intriguing!” suddenly exclaimed Twilight. “Usually, we’re sent as a duo to tag team a friendship problem, but here, there’s only just me involved, all alone? Oooh I wonder what’s so different this time!”

...

“... That’s it?” complained Spike, throwing his arms.

“Huh? W-what do you mean?”

“That’s all you’ve come up with after all this time? Gee Twilight, I could’ve told you that from the start and saved you the effort.”

She rolled her eyes and tsk’d. “No, of course there’s more to it than just that, don’t be ridiculous.”

Intending on continuing to relay her discoveries, she approached her floating cutie mark one more time and gently tapped under it.

“Do you know what this place is?”

Spike gave it another quick look. “Far.”

“Ha ha ha, Spike. I meant, this particular location’s name?”

“Beats me,” he shrugged, still a bit disinterested.

“Well, according to the map, there’s a minuscule settlement riiiiight over there.”

Indeed. If you closed an eye and focused under Twilight’s hoof, you would see a couple of houses and buildings bundled together right by the base of a decently-sized rocky hill. A detail so cryptic, so hidden, that it put the entire Where’s Waldhorse? franchise to shame. The immense forest surrounding the secretive landmark didn’t help either. Who would ever think about veering their attention to the middle of nowhere like this? Twilight and her friends never did, and for good reasons.

“So?” indifferent Spike asked.

“So? So?”

She approached her assistant with a bit too much enthusiasm for his tastes. On guard for upcoming Twilight shenanigans, the little drake firmly clenched his clawed hands onto the throne.

“Spike, I thought I knew all there was to know about the geography of Equus – let alone that of Equestria! But not once have I heard of a small village established so far into the Undiscovered West! And I tried with all my might to remember what this place could’ve been, but nothing rang a bell! In all of my years studying history books, never have I come across anything that could give me the slightest of hints about whatever that place might be.”

Invading Spike’s personal space, she rested her forehead on his, squeezing his cheeks with her hooves with perhaps just a tad too much passion.

“Do you know what this means!?”

“Muh-oh,” he struggled to say through the bulged lips of his clamped mouth.

“This means, there’s still some knowledge to be harvested! I need to know all there is to be known about that place! I cannot believe I’ve been in the dark about a whole countryside town this entire time!”

She finally allowed him to regain his freedom and bounced like an excited foal.

“Oooh what a wonderful day to tackle a friendship problem!” She squealed and clapped her hooves. “Spike, to the library!”

Quicker than Spike could elbow out the saliva drooling from his fangs, the princess teleported out of sight. Spike could take a hint as to where. He half-heartedly left his crystal chair, unable to hold a sigh.

“Haven’t had one of those ‘wonderful’ days in a while, I s’pose,” he cynically mumbled to himself.











Twilight was already surrounded by a mound of books when Spike finally made it to the library. It’s not like he didn’t take his sweet time, but.

The princess was hunched over a circular workstation, skimming through her lecture at Mach 5 speed. She barely registered any of the words from all those paragraphs before a new page covered them. Her eyes were ping-ponging from left to right, intending to cram as much information under her horn as she possibly could. As though data gathering was some kind of competition – an egghead competition, as Rainbow Dash would so eloquently put.

True to herself, she failed to suppress her bad habit of floating random helpful – but sometimes sharp – tools all around her with magic she didn’t even realize she was using. Be they rulers, magnifying glasses, custom-woven bookmarks, quills, ink pots, or simply other books she was more than eager to read, the result was always the same: A big fat hazardous cloud that could crash down at a bad news’ notice.

A bit fatigued and strained by all this crazy activity, Spike rubbed an eye. Not even a step into the library and a ladder on wheels surrounded by a purple aura slid right next to the midget dragon.

“Spike, find me everything you can about Outer Grove!” ordered the busy bookworm, not even turning to acknowledge his presence.

“Outer what, now?”

“Outer Grove, Spike!”

“Run that by me one more time?”

She audibly moaned, her eyes looking to the crystalline ceiling. This time, she turned to glare at her somewhat confused assistant.

“Outer. Grove,” she said with palpable impatience. “That’s a town. I mean, THE town. I mean... ugh! The town on the map, Spike! Five minutes ago? Remember?”

Spike was already four bars up into the ladder when he snickered. “Uh, sh’yeah. I was just pulling your leg. I’m not a dum dum, Twilight,” he quipped. “Why am I not surprised you found the name of that ‘mysterious’ place already?”

In the corner of the room proudly stood an old yet charming sepia globe of Equus; an obscure antique wedged on four spindled wooden supports. Twilight Sparkle floated it toward her, adding it to her nebula of swirling objects – the one that would give any safety inspector worth their name the motherload of all heart attacks.

“Interesting you should mention that! Because that town, Outer Grove, is rather young in the grand scope of Equestria’s many urban centers. It’s only half a century old, as I’ve just read. My outdated globe right there didn’t even have it properly mapped, so I had to-”

“Imma stop you right there, Twi,” cut Spike, already two books under his armpit. “How can your globe be outdated when I’m preeetty sure this castle has only been in Ponyville for a coupla years at best? Less than 50 years, I can guarantee you this much.”

“The globe didn’t come with the castle; it’s a vintage set piece I bought from a broker when- you know what? That’s besides the point!”

She yanked a book Spike had scrounged with the aid of, yet again, her powerful magic. That threw off his balance just enough to give him tummy jitters, and he had to rapidly flail his free arm like a rotor blade to avoid an unpleasant rendezvous with the floor. He growled a bit at that, not too keen on having his safety put at risk only to entertain the princess’ dopiness. She really had a tendency of becoming somewhat careless and cloistered during her nerdgasms.

“The point I’m trying to make is, I had to do some research in our most recent census records to find a lead as to what- ah! There we go. Thanks, Spike!” she interrupted herself, her newest book now opened to page one.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it,” Spike replied begrudgingly, clutching the ladder with his dear life.

Much to his relief, she started petering out her magical cloud. The torrent was reduced to acceptable levels. She quickly skimmed through the tome Spike had found – not without jumping over the table of contents, of course. The title was simply: “The Last Stop West,” which was completed by a cursive “An Explorer’s First Outlook at the Principality of Outer Grove” underneath. A promising little piece of tuition for those who knew what to look for. And recently published too, which wasn’t a surprise, given the town’s rather brief age. At least, this ensured that the information within would be more or less up to date.

Spike continued adding anything he deemed relevant to his collection. He couldn’t help but give quick looks at his mentor; how she always looked so delighted when sponging up new knowledge into that curious brain of hers! There was something commendable about that. Something about mastering your craft, perhaps? Or was it about nourishing a hobby? Either way, she looked happy.

He browsed for an additional fifteen minutes before he rolled with the “good enough” doctrine. Spike regained the floor and went by Twilight’s side. Neither of them had spoken since. Spike piled up the books he had found on the table and let out a polite cough in his fist. Y’know, just to prove he didn’t phase out of reality since she embarked on her intensive reading session.

She didn’t respond to that, and so, he upped his game.

“Sooo... found anything interesting so far?”

It took her a couple of seconds to answer. “Mmmmh? Oh! Yes yes, this is all so fascinating! Did you know that Outer Grove is actually the most westward established city in all of known Equus? It stands all on its own without any other municipalities for kilometers around! This in itself is already incredible- and listen to this!”

She magically flipped a couple pages back and cleared her throat, ready to dictate the words before her.

“‘One must’ve prepared to pilgrimage their way through the Undiscovered West to reach the principality of Outer Grove. A perilous trip that would usually last a minimum of three days if leaving from the nearest known populated outpost. Venturing in and out of Outer Grove certainly has proved to be a test of will and endurance. Unprepared caravans would most surely tempt a terrible fate – as it so happened many times in the past. Ponies accidentally veering off course, highwayponies stealing precious merchandise and goods, wild beasts attacking those without a proper armed escort; all this, a slim part of a long list of recorded incidents. Outer Grove is indeed built on the efforts, selflessness, and sacrifices of those who were willing to make these risky trips simply to keep the principality well-rationed.

“‘Fortunately, travels to Outer Grove have become significantly less dangerous ever since a brand-new railroad was commissioned by the Crown to link it with the rest of civilized Equestria. The construction was completed a little over three years ago, this, in an effort to ensure the safety of those who dared to brave the Undiscovered West. One must now charter – if travelling from Canterlot, for instance – two different trains at the two respective crossroads where the rail splits. One right by the exit of Ponyville, and the other, built on the fresh tracks that used to solely bring passengers to the vibrant city of Las Pegasus.’”

Twilight quickly flipped the book to look at the little numbers scribbled on the back.

“Mmmh. According to the date this encyclopedia was released, this would mean that the ‘new’ train tracks are now a bit under six years old. I had no idea about any of this!”

Spike sat on a stool, brought his feet onto the table, and linked his arms behind his head. A typical detached pose he would usually adopt whenever he expected the spur-of-the-moment lessons to go above the hour mark.

“Y’know Twilight, I’m wondering why they even bothered making a town all the way over there if it was so complicated for ponies to reach it...” noncommittally posited Spike. “Seems like a lot of effort for a whole lot of nothing, but hey, what do I know.”

“Ha-HA!” Twilight said, an accusatory hoof a few centimeters off Spike’s snout. “I’m glad you asked, my faithful and oddly astute assistant! Because the book also has a response for that!” she added, her excitement never leaving for a second.

More pages flipped. This time, to the section about the town’s history.

“Hang on, lemme just find... ah, there! It says, and I quote: ‘52 years ago marked the first battalion’s foray into the territory. They operated under the name of what was referred to as the ‘West Campaign.’ The campaign’s primary objective, funded and endorsed by the Crown, was to cartography more thoroughly the rough guesstimates elite unicorn mapmakers had sketched about the Undiscovered West. Disappointingly, the first battalion merely scouted the place and came back to the princess with minimal oral reports.

“‘Over the next few years however, further and further these corps went, until the fourth battalion, aided by the expertise of military engineers, finally had the means to establish a semi permanent installation. At first, simply composed of tented barracks, the daring mares and stallions stationed there managed to erect a sturdy and tall watchtower. A strategic building that would give the troops an advantageous outlook over their surroundings. They fought tooth and nail to claim that territory as their own, but managed to prevail in the end – partially due to their investment in their defensive watchtower.’”

Spike was intrigued by this latest piece of trivia. “Fighting? What the hay were they even fighting all the way in the middle of nowhere?”

Twilight Sparkle giggled. “Another pertinent question!”

Flip, flip, flip. To the Fauna and Flora subchapter of the hefty part dedicated to Outer Grove’s geography.

“‘The Undiscovered West obeys esoteric rules when it comes to the nature flourishing in it – not unlike those of the Everfree Forest. For starters, the weather system is complex, works on its own accord, and doesn’t accept any inputs from weather pegasi. Moreover, random cells of many different critters roam well-defined sections of these large forested lands.

“‘Reports from the earlier years of the West Campaign made it clear that the site (where the principality of Outer Grove would eventually end up residing) was unusually rich in Ursa Minors. It was found that these Ursa Minors used to hibernate around the base of the mountain where the watchtower was built. Over the years, thanks to the valiant efforts of the pony infantries, these Ursa Minors were discouraged to approach the territory claimed by the West Campaign and wound up migrating elsewhere – though it was always suspected that they’ve remained close-by.’”

Spike scratched his head. “They fought flippin’ Ursa Minors!?”

“That they did, Spike. That they did.” She tapped her hoof under her chin, pensive. “Hmmm, I do hope the ponies living there today aren’t stripping down the land or overextending their town too much, otherwise, they might provoke an ugly conflict…”

A few seconds went by as Twilight thought more and more about the nasty consequences that could befall upon the poor ponies living there. Surely, they knew they had to tread carefully with the dangerous ecosystem surrounding their living space, right?

Spike smacked his head. “But... why!? That still doesn’t answer my question from earlier: Why go through all the trouble of making a village over there if it’s been nothing but trouble from the start? A-and... and especially if there are still risks even to this day?”

He didn’t know why he was so invested in this. Somehow, he wanted to make sense out of this crazy town. He was desperate for the big cathartic twist.

Twilight returned her muzzle down into the book. “I’m getting there, Spike! Hear this one out: ‘During a particular nefarious battle against a ferocious Ursa Minor, a magical spell misfired and ended up striking the side of the nearest mountain. A section of the hill got chipped away after the resulting landslide. Explorers later went on the site of the impact to properly evaluate the destruction. What they found, they couldn’t have expected: Amongst the debris, a non-negligible source of precious materials had surfaced. This prompted the Crown to send a convoy of miners and other specialists to collect the ores and potentially extract some more.

“‘Over time, as more and more settlers flocked to the encampment covered by the watchtower, a small hamlet, shared by military personnel and civilians alike, was slowly put in place. Workers and soldiers needed to feed; grocery stores were built. Workers and soldiers needed a place to rest; hostels were built. It’s around that time that princess Celestia had officially called off the West Campaign. The last battalion departed and left behind what is now the principality of Outer Grove as we know it today.’”

This concluding line got Twilight all giddy again. She couldn’t help but squeak out an excited laugh. Spike didn’t really share her joy however. He was more flabbergasted than anything.

“So wait wait wait,” he said, a hand massaging his forehead. “If I’m getting this right... the whole reason these ponies were so eager to go there was to... mine a bunch of rocks?”

“Seems like it!”

“And get a coupla bits doing so?”

“Mmmh hmm!”

“And that’s why there’s now a community living there?”

“Yup, yup! Though, the book does precise that the gold rush period has diminished significantly since then. Turns out, ponies aren’t too eager to live all on their own for years in a place so deserted.”

Spike couldn’t find anything to reply to that. For him, to isolate himself so far away... the prospect was insane. He’d go mad from loneliness over there. All of the delicious gems in the bordering mountains weren’t worth any of this.

Twilight took her assistant’s silence as her cue to keep reading. “Ah! But that’s not all! There’s more: ‘To not leave the town completely defenseless, even to this day, a duo of pegasi sentries from the royal guards is dispatched to the principality of Outer Grove to protect the secluded citizens. These pegasi are stationed there and typically rotated every six months by the Crown.

“‘The watchtower remains as the earliest installment in the village and still stands today. However, ten years or so after the end of the West Campaign, it was converted into a clocktower by the local population. The bell was to be rang by an employed lookout to alarm the sentries of potential upcoming dangers. To this day, it has only been recorded to have rung five times – the last of which being approximately twenty years ago. As the years rolled by, the clocktower became more and more obsolete, and today, it is more or less seen as a novel monument, a testament to Outer Grove’s rich history.’”

Spike was phasing out a bit, his eyes listless from Twilight’s endless parroting. Perhaps that is why it took him a bit longer than expected to realize that she had stopped her narration. When he finally looked up to see what the deal was, he immediately noticed that something was off with the princess.

Her book was lowered, for starters. But her head, her expression... She was looking to the side, her gaze fleeing the words displayed in front of her. She was biting her lower lips, her hooves nervously rubbing on each other. Her eyes, they used to be so full of enthusiasm just a moment ago. Now? They were trying their hardest to mask a deep sadness. It’s as if she suddenly received a letter full of bad news from Celestia herself.

“Uh... Twi? You’re doing okay there?” Spike queried.

She didn’t answer. She was too busy focusing on what was eating at her. Spike decided to intervene. He got up from his seat and tugged at her a bit.

“Twi?” he tried again.

“H-huh? Oh uh... hum...” she mumbled, snapping out of it somewhat.

“What’s going on? You look rather, uh... down?”

Indeed. Even her coat was paler. Her mane most positively lost a few levels in vibrance. Spike could practically feel the anvil wedged in her guts.

“Oh. It’s ah, it’s nothing. It’s nothing, Spike.”

Spike cocked his head, thoroughly unconvinced. Twilight knew she couldn’t lie her way out of this. She sighed.

“It’s just, I was reading a bit further, and stumbled upon Outer Grove’s moto. ‘A Miner’s Paradise,’ it said. Then, it... it added: ‘Anypony with a pickaxe, a good attitude, and a knack for fortune can call this place home. A welcoming town with plenty of opportunities to build a new life.’”

She deflated after saying that. Her neck sagged and her ears flattened themselves on her skull. She looked so morose, so defeated.

“Uh, oookay?” Spike said, a bit confused.

“I don’t know Spike, it just... It just reminded me of somepony, that’s it...”

“Somepony? Do I know them?”

She silently gestured positively. Then, as if struck by lightning, Spike’s eyes expanded.

Oh.

“Wait. Waaaait. You don’t mean...?”

“Yes. Him,” she whispered with great pain, on the verge of turning into an emotional sinkhole.

Spike was suddenly attacked by the same heartache that had claimed the princess. He truly loathed seeing her miserable like this. Her anxiety was his to share too. So he did the best thing anyone in his position could’ve done: He embraced her as hard as he could, rubbing his cheek onto her warm lavender fur.

“Oh, Twilight...” he said in a sorrowful tone.

“I-it’s alright Spike. H-heh. I’m just being a big silly pony. I’ve come to terms with his... with what happened a long time ago. I... I shouldn’t think about stuff like this. N-not now. Not when there’s a friendship problem in dire need of my help!”

She tried to chase these bad memories out of her troubled mind. Focusing on the mission was the best way to reclaim the ambition she once had. She returned Spike’s hug, and tried to smile a little.

“I better go make some preparations for the voyage.”

Fortunately for the princess, that distraction would prove fruitful.











A new day rose on the castle of friendship. Twilight Sparkle was already up and about, filling up her luggage and saddlebags with all her necessary equipment. Cosmetic products, blankets, a myriad of books, neatly packed lunches with days and times written on them, half a dozen quills... you name it; she had it. She was overpacking to the point of giving Rarity some serious competition.

That’s what Spike and Starlight Glimmer initially thought when they joined her in the lobby of the castle. They both exchanged a perplexed look, unsure what to make of the scene before them.

Spike awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and coughed. “Um, aren’t you overdoing it a little bit, Twi?”

“Mmmh?” she turned around. “Oh, good morning Spike, good morning Starlight! No no, I’m packing just the bare minimum for a one week stay.”

Starlight tilted her head. “A... week? You really think it’s going to take this long? The um, friendship problem, I mean?”

Twilight Sparkle let out a small chuckle. “Oh! No no, I don’t think so. I mean, I hope it won’t!” She shook her head. “Regardless, I’d like to prolong my stay in Outer Grove to learn more about this place. I mean... What kind of princess just ignores a whole city like this for that long? I owe the ponies living there at least the courtesy of a proper visit. See if they have any problems, any issues that need to be dealt with...” She lowered her head, her ears drooping. “I just feel a little bad that they’ve tended on their own for so long without any of their rulers even checking on them… they all must think we’re snubbing them.”

Starlight gave a hopeful smile to Twilight. She approached her friend and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

“I don’t believe they’re thinking this at all. And I’m sure they will appreciate it, Twilight. You’re a good princess,” she encouraged her. “But...”

She bit her lips, unsure if she should keep going. Finding the courage to do so, she went on.

“... a whole week? A-are you sure it’s wise to go over there all by yourself? It’s kind of far. Shouldn’t uh, maybe... I guess it’s not my place to say, but maybe one of us should come and keep you company? Maybe? I wouldn’t mind.”

“Yeah Twilight!” agreed Spike. “It could be dangerous for all we know. I mean... Ursa Minors, Twi! At least enroll a couple of royal guards to come with you, please?”

The princess remained impenetrable. She shook her head with authority.

“No and no. The map has picked me and only me to go all the way over there. There must be a perfectly good reason for that. I’m not going to rock the boat on a system that’s proven to work before. It’s a tried-and-true formula. Besides...”

She interlaced Starlight and Spike in a group hug.

“... I’m only going over there to solve a friendship problem. Not to engage in epic battles and fight big monsters or what not, hehehe!”

They all laughed together. Yeah, now that she put it like that, their concerns really did seem a bit far fetched. What could go wrong? A simple small vacation in a remote town, what’s so bad about that? Not everything had to spiral down into misadventures.

Once they simmered down, Twilight nodded at Spike.

“Want to help me carry all of my suitcases to the train station, Spike?”

He saluted like a little soldier. “On it, Twilight!”

Lifting with his legs (and not his back), Spike started carrying her baggage one by one toward the huge double doors by the entry of the castle. Twilight Sparkle used that time to take a private moment with Starlight.

“Listen, Starlight. Since I might be gone for a while, could I ask you to handle all of the castle logistics during my absence? I’d really appreciate it. I need a strong and organized pony to do so, and I know I can count on you.”

“I uh... I’ll...” She wanted to say ‘I’ll try,’ but a quick look at Twilight’s expectant eyes made her reconsider. “Yeah, I’ll do that. Don’t you worry about a thing,” she winked.











Twilight was seated on a cushiony red velvety banquette with a small cherry wood table in front of her. On the table, a tome Spike had fetched opened midway through. On her right, her luggage placed in an orderly fashion. On her left, a window giving view to a wall of trees zooming past at high speeds. A horn echoed. The train was well on its way toward the distant town. The ride wasn’t bumpy at all; in fact, it was surprisingly smooth. Everything was hunky dory.

Since today was a Saturday, she expected the trains to be full of commuters. Ponies sure loved to travel when the week-end rolled around! And lo and behold, her hypothesis was proved right almost immediately.

On the first train, she was crammed between a metric ton of ponies. It was bustling with activity. Families, tourists, workers, envoys, couriers, group of friends... they all wanted to travel to the four corners of Equestria. When other nearby passengers recognized the benched alicorn, gasps and bows were inevitably exchanged. Other ponies were baffled that she allowed herself to be wedged between all of them, sharing seats with mere commoners, but she had to certify that she did not mind at all. Certain overly polite ponies even went as far as to yell at strangers to give her some room. She had to practically beg to these passionate ponies that all was well. In fact, she loved being all close and personal with her fellow ponies, sharing stories and anecdotes. A good way to keep in touch with Equestria’s denizens!

On the second train, the number of ponies boarding was halved. This time, most of the passengers were clothed with colorful attires. Glamorous business suits were a-plenty, and so too were faux-leather jackets, extravagant dresses, and synthetic pompadours. All of these ridiculous ponies, it was obvious that they were on their way to lose a couple of bits in slot machines in Las Pegasus. The celebratory ambiance certainly had enjoyable qualities, to be fair. Twilight Sparkle even had to deny the many martinis offered to her by the party-go-round ponies of her wagon. She had to keep her head clear for the mission at hoof. Besides, she wasn’t really keen on alcohol to begin with.

On the third train, she stood alone. In fact, that train wasn’t even scheduled to depart today. The princess had to send a communiqué the day before to the mare in charge of the station to let her know of her intent to board a train toward Outer Grove. Strings had to be pulled to make the staff deviate from their timetable, of which she was a bit ashamed. Of course, they did not mind making this work – she was a princess after all. They were always so happy to oblige. Twilight didn’t like to be on the receiving end of special treatments like these, though in her defense, there was an urgent friendship problem lingering about. This had to be tackled as soon as possible before it could potentially devolve into an unsolvable mess.

This last ride was by far the longest of them all. Whilst the two others took an hour at best before reaching the next junction, this one was well on its way to cross the six-hour threshold. It was now around five in the afternoon, which was on time with her carefully put together schedule. She even correctly accounted for the down time at the stations. The skyline was turning into a beautiful orange glaze, and soon enough, Luna would allow her magnificent canvas full of stars to take over.

As the natural light dwindled, Twilight had to strain more and more her eyes to keep reading the lecture she entertained herself with. She took this prolonged ride as a good opportunity to know even more about Outer Grove. The more she knew, the better prepared she would be.

This lone wagon of this train only harbored four other ponies: The conductor, a mechanical engineer, an all-purpose butler, and a chef. For once, she wasn’t stuck in conversations, meaning she had all the time in the world to spend some with her books.

She had learned that Outer Grove was predominantly populated by earth ponies. Pegasi were more-or-less constrained by the two royal guards, and unicorns were straight up an oddity. That didn’t surprise her much. From what she had gathered, this town was mostly made to accommodate blue collared laborers, jobs usually preferred and best carried out by earth ponies. Not to mention, the natural state of the town was attractive to those who controlled it the best. What good was a unicorn’s magic in a place that offered neither scholarship nor grants for those who mastered it? What good was a pegasus’ role in a place where weather acted on its own volition?

Another interesting aspect of Outer Grove’s demographics was its male-to-female ratio. In all of documented Equestria, this might’ve been one of the only places with a larger population of stallions. And not just by a little either; two thirds of the village was male. This was beyond unusual. Twilight might’ve finally found the exception that made the rule.

“Your tea, princess,” suddenly said the butler.

Twilight looked up, her neck cracking with painful kinks. The unicorn mare before her gently deposited a small cup onto a saucer. In the cup was the delicious-smelling green tea she had ordered.

“Oh, thank you very much! I haven’t had a nice warm tea in two days. I really needed that,” she candidly said.

The servant bowed with a smile. She trotted back to the front of the carriage, where a tiny makeshift kitchenette had been installed. In front of the few passenger seats, travelers could easily see what the chef was preparing. It’s crazy how much they managed to fit in that small area. Twilight spotted a fridge, an oven, a chromium preparation counter, and countless pots and pans hanging from hooks on the ceiling.

Everything in its right place, she smiled, about to see if her tea was scalding or drinkable.

She never had the chance to find out.

Her lips by the porcelain cup, she couldn’t hold onto it with her magic when the train suddenly came to an abrupt halt. The braking process was so loud, so abrasive, that all the objects in the room, her luggage included, were projected to the front wall of the wagon. The same was true for the princess herself. With no seatbelt in charge of upholding her security, she rolled on the slanted floor until her back impacted the door to the conductor’s cabin. Her rear legs were over her head, and dizziness became her middle name.

When the train was finally out of motion, she gathered her thoughts and weakly got up. The collision gave her some wincing pain, but at least, it was no piano on her head (that one hurt badly). She gave a helping hoof to the chef and the butler who too were in a pitiful state.

“Are you two alright? Nothing broken?” she drunkenly asked.

When they nodded, a small wave of relief washed over her.

Her second reflex was to knock on the door that led to the front of the train. When no answers came, worry started to nestle in her guts once again. Intending to find out what the hay this was all about, she unlocked the sliding door to the exterior and pulled it open despite the poor oil job that offered some resistance.

Alongside the two other staff members, she disembarked the vehicle to assess the damage.

Who would appear but the engineer and the conductor, two stallions that looked utterly incredulous. They were peering at the railroad, something nasty having caught their attention.

“What happened?” asked the princess. “Why did we come to a sudden stop? Why are you two outside?” she rapid fired.

“Oh! P-princess!” said the conductor, bowing despite his best efforts not to. “Sorry ‘bout that. I hadta pull the ‘mergency brake. Tried not to be rough, but had no choice! ‘Cuz lookit this mess! I ain't never seen anythin’ like this in ten years o’ drivin’!” he complained.

She walked past the group and gasped when she saw what had occurred. The metallic tracks in front of the train... were completely disconnected from the other ones further ahead. The chef covered her eyes with her hooves. The butler nearly fainted.

“The tracks are... broken?” she rhetorically asked.

Now was the engineer’s turn to speak. “Yup. Severed. A clean cut. Something sharp must’ve done it. Can’t go any further without derailing.”

There was more than could meet the eyes, that was a given. Twilight channeled energy in her horn, and lit up the crime scene with a potent spell. The extra brightness highlighted a new ominous variable: Deep and elongated claw marks near the destruction. The purple alicorn’s eyes grew in horror. It took her a very short time to recognize what could’ve caused something like this.

Immediately proving her right, a prolonged and terrifying bestial scream drowned the otherwise calm ambience of crickets and toads. It sounded close. WAY too close. Twilight has had the displeasure of having heard that same scream directly in her face a couple of years ago. She could identify those monstrous noises in a heartbeat. This could get ugly. Very, very ugly.

The four other ponies grouped together. They held themselves tightly with quaking front legs, looking left and right to spot the source of what they’ve just heard.

Twilight has had enough. It was time to act, and not a moment too soon!

“Conductor. Listen to me and listen well!” she commanded. “You and the others, go back into the locomotive and start revving it to go backward. You cannot stay here!”

“B-b-b-but... w-w-what ‘bout you, princess?” replied the conductor, deeply afraid.

“I need to find out what’s going on here. Outer Grove is only a few minutes away, is it not?”

“Y... yes, b-but...”

“Then it’s a wise assumption to say that they may be in danger! There might be a crisis, and I need to fly there myself to see if it truly is so! I’m not going to let them be the target of a vicious attack if I can help it!” She pointed at the train once more. “So all four of you, go back to the Las Pegasus junction where you can be safe. Do not be alarmed and wait for my return. If I do not make it back in two days, send an urgent letter to princess Celestia, do you hear me?”

They remained silent, blinking their eyes.

“Hello? Anypony!?” said Twilight, trying to break them out of their stupor.

“O-o-okay!” finally said the conductor while the rest of his crew quickly jumped back into the train. “But please, princess, for the love of all that is right, please! Be careful...”

She nodded. “I will. Do not worry about me. It’ll be fine!”

Another ear-piercing growl prompted her to take off to the skies. It’ll be fine, she mentally repeated to herself. I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Twilight! Not only that, but she also hoped her concerns – nay, her FEARS were worth abandoning her personal possessions for.

Despite the urgency of the situation, the airflow still felt warm and nice. The sun was dancing by the firmament and in a few minutes, night would replace the evening.

When she saw the first few lights of the town appearing by the horizon, a bell reverberated.