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As we approached the library, I saw a telescope mounted on its balcony. Though the ponies settled down to look up possible locations for the elements of harmony, I didn't even crack a cover, setting my - and its - sights on the moon within a minute.

Sure enough, it wasn't the same. The 'Mare in the Moon' did not take any imagination to make out - there was a clear unicorn profile right there. It was still fuzzy, though - bigger, and brighter, but not clearer than looking with my own eyes.

I tried to focus, but found that the image was shifting about as I changed focus - the telescope was astonishingly poorly aligned. To get an image at all, it had to be badly focused.

A few minutes later, it was mostly disassembled. I repolished the spotty lenses, and bent the frame back into shape.

That did make some considerable noise, which got Twilight to call up asking what I was doing. Fortunately, when Pinkie Pie chimed in, it wasn't to gratuitously add 'fuck' to the question, but to declare that she'd found it.

That gave me a few more minutes to make repairs.

When Twilight Sparkle came up, I had reinstalled the objective and was aligning the second lens. I made sure I had my best 'I know what I'm doing' air on, and it worked well enough that she didn't kick me right off. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I'm an astronomer."

"Really? I thought you said you were a student of life."

"Yes. I've been an amateur astronomer since I was nine. Built my own telescope last summer."

"So, you don't seem to care that we found out where the elements are."

"That's excellent, yes. Are we going for them tonight?"

"Why would we? We have a few days left, and I'm not allowed to go help back in Canterlot anyway." Her irritation at this restriction flared.

"Ah, of course." They only know about Nightmare Moon, not Discord, who could already be up to no good. "Well, in a few minutes..." I put the eyepiece in place, and checked it. Not too bad! "... make that moments, you can check out how Nightmare Moon is doing."

Closer up, the 'Mare in the Moon' looked like a bunch of craters. The moon itself didn't look much like our moon - so smooth outside the marked areas.

We passed around the view, and Twilight Sparkle showed us some more sky features that definitely didn't belong in Earth's night sky - or, as far as I would have said up until I saw them, any sky at all - some stars had five points, some had more. They came in all colors, not just thermal colors.

"Are you okay?" - Fluttershy.

"I... I'm not sure. I think I'll lie down."

Until then, I really hadn't really bought it, even though I'd acted on the supposition that it was in some way true. Celestia couldn't make the sun rise and set. The Mare in the Moon couldn't be, literally, a mare. But when I saw a pink seven pointed star come into focus alongside a green five pointed star, there was no way around it - I was way further into magical territory than I had thought. Cosmology didn't need to function here.

"Is it your stomach?"

I sat on the bed. "No. I've got... claustrophobia, almost. Your sky has so much less in it, and it's so much closer."

"Aww. It's still awfully far away." She sat next to me and I lay down.

This put my face right on a level with the bare butts of the four ponies at the telescope. For all that I'd hardly seen any clothing, I'd never seen this until now. Pinkie Pie in particular - her tail curled off to the left, and she was squatting... I had what I normally would have considered a very good view. At the moment, even if they'd been of an age, and of my species, I wasn't in the mood. I turned away.

"Go." I told Fluttershy. "Enjoy your cute little sky." I meant it. She went.

~~~~

In the morning, I felt much better. The full sky was still out there. It just wasn't right here. That was always true anyway.

And on the other front, I'd been a bit haunted by pony tail in my dreams, just by its being seen when I didn't want to see it. Clearing my head... these ponies were 100% sapient, so there was no moral issue with relationships... so either I'd eventually want it or not, there was no moral need to be revolted about it.

Then I realized I was sharing a bed with Spike. It was big enough bed that I hadn't noticed. I got up and found that the gang had mostly dispersed - Twilight Sparkle was the only other around, reading more. Pinkie Pie and Rarity had work; the other two had gone ahead to check out the ruins.

I explored and tried to find incipient chaos. Nothing extraordinary popped up. Notably, no one seemed at all aware of the emergency in Canterlot. It was as if it wasn't happening. They could be withholding the information to keep Twilight from getting distracted, and perhaps to limit Discord's information. I wish I knew, but I guess I'll have to do without.

After my first sweep, I saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy returning from their expedition. Rainbow Dash put down a sack in front of the library, and they landed next to it. In her impatience, Twilight Sparkle teleported down from the balcony to meet them.

Rainbow Dash told her, "Is this one? There are four more like it back at the ruins."

Twilight Sparkle looked in the bag - it held a pair stone orb imprinted with a gem symbol. "That's... something, but it doesn't look like the real thing. Are you sure this is it?"

"There was a big stand, and it had 5 spots with things like this."

Fluttershy put in, "We thought we'd bring what we could. In case it was some of what you were looking for."

Twilight Sparkle sighed. "Yeah, it is, and that was the right thing to do. It is perplexing. You said the stand had 5 arms?"

Rainbow Dash equivocated. "Well. 5 spots around the outside with these things, and one more in the back with a ball_built in_, and one big ball built into the middle."

"Hmm. That does sound like it. Well, now that you know where it is, how about you lead me there, and I can take a look. Maybe it was just a statue, and the real elements are hidden inside."

Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared and put in, "That's why my chin was tingling! I can go and help look! I'm good at searching!"

"Of course, I meant us. I would love to bring all of my friends along." She emphasized it a bit too strongly. She wasn't exactly being insincere, let alone sarcastic like it would have sounded coming on fresh ears. I interpreted it as her being very aware that she was experiencing a conflict of interest in respect to making friends.

Fluttershy said, "I think we should bring Apple Jack. She's strong, and there could be some things to move. And Rarity finds really beautiful gems all the time. I'm sure she'll find the real elements."

Twilight Sparkle said, "Good idea. Do we have everything we need?"

Pinkie Pie said, "Cupcakes!"

Rainbow Dash warily asked, "Your special cupcakes?"

"Nope, ordinary cupcakes, by Mrs. Cake."

"Good."

I was pretty sure I didn't want to know what that was about.

As they set out to get Rarity and Apple Jack, Twilight Sparkle noticed I wasn't going. "Coming, Omar?"

"No, I've got some things to do here. Remember, I wasn't really here to bug you."

"Oh right. Secret mission. Good luck with that."

"Thanks. I'll need it. Good luck you all of you too."

So then it was me vs Discord. He surely knew I was about, and I didn't have much to work with. I went to the Cakes' bakery. It was as good a place to start as any. Mr. Cake was at the counter. "Can I help you?"

"Maybe. Do you know where the idea for that game last night came from?"

"I didn't really follow that, but I heard a bunch of kids clamoring for it. Schoolkids."

"Hmm. Thanks. Also, what's an earth pony?"

"One with no wings, no horn, like me."

"Ah. Okay." So Twilight Sparkle is exempt from selection for Discord's direct influence, as is Rarity.

"Want something to eat?"

"Just ate. No money anyway." My last three meals had been supplied by the ponies now out on their expedition as we'd been camping out in the library. I was going to need a new source of food - I was down to two homemade helouwa in the breast pocket of my windbreaker. And I needed a pretext for talking to people. Going shopping would work, but I didn't have money. Hmm.

Grandma's recipe was still fresh in my mind - and then I realized it was also fresh in my breast pocket. I turned back to Mr. Cake and pulled out a cookie. "Say... why don't you try this?"

Five minutes later, I had a cash advance towards delivery of a starter order of three dozen helouwa, and he had an exclusive distribution agreement. As I went shopping for the ingredients, I kept an eye out for trouble.

So, the kids were the source of that game. Any one of them could have heard it from anyone. But it's worth checking out. And... the math I saw last night. I'll definitely head over to the schoolhouse - later, when class isn't in session.

After a cool drink and face-wash at the fountain, I looked up and found myself alone in the street. Everything was closed, and no one was about. Discord's making his move. My body wanted to get ready for a fight - that wouldn't help at all. I focused on calming down and finding out what was going on. One pony hadn't left. Well, not exactly a pony - a zebra, standing in the middle of the square, scratching the ground with a forehoof, her anklets jangling. She's a little creepy, but she's doing so little, if everyone's afraid of her, it's either pony-affecting magic, or a conditioned response. If the latter, then she probably has nothing to do with Discord.

I got up, and she spotted me. I waved, calling out, "Hi there." She walked toward me, and I met her halfway. "Hello. I'm Omar."

The zebra introduced herself, "Zecora is my name. I'm glad you came."

"Can you think of any particular reason everyone would be afraid of you?"

"It is just that I am strange. They may fear change."

"Well, I'm far stranger, right?"

She tapped the ground pensively.

I suggested, "Maybe it's some sort of uncanny valley thing."

"Or these ponies are silly, no wiser than any filly."

"So, what brings you in to town?"

"There were some things I wished to procure. I suspected this response, but wanted to be sure."

I considered the options. She seemed an unlikely choice for Discord, because she wasn't at all pivotal to the community. If I brought matters to a head, he would have plenty to work with.

"What do you need?"

"Fine iron filings - one pound. And a pot of glue. Look around."

"If you leave now, I can get that with no trouble. We can meet out of town. I'll try to talk some sense into them. It could take some time." Especially since I'm not going to start until the Discord situation is resolved. I feel really rotten prioritizing like this, but racial tensions have this way of bringing out the worst in people. We can leave it latent for just nine more days, right? I hate to kick it down the road, but this is a lousy week for it.

"At the bridge we can meet. I can pay - bring a receipt."

"I will."