The Death of a Prince - ACT V

By Lady Stormstride Cloud.

Heavyhoof watched as Thunderbuck's party was arriving back home. He could tell they looked exhausted just from the way they dismounted the coach. As the Captain came to meet them, he noticed Buck was without his mask. That surprised the stallion greatly, though being here in the courtyard he was in familiar settings and likely more comfortable.

"Sire, welcome home. Was your trip productive?" Heavyhoof asked, and noted the usual hesitance in Thunderbuck's reply.

"Not... so much as I would have liked. They have several unusual instruments, however none that were broken or discarded. They seemed to find restoring them as easy as making new ones to replace them. I was hard pressed to find one that was damaged. Perhaps when I return there next year I will purchase a few to learn how to play them," Buck said.

Heavyhood nodded and looked to the guards, whom seemed just as exhausted. Perhaps they had spent their days partying, as young stallions were apt to do in their unoccupied time and free from their commanding officers. However they saluted their Captain properly enough. Heavyhoof dismissed them to the barracks for a shower and meal before bed. Calling for a servant to take the luggage, the Captain watched as Thunderbuck made for the castle.

"Is there something you need sire?" He called out to Buck. Buck paused, turning slowly and a bit of a smile crossed the stallion's lips but he uttered no words as he continued on into the castle. Heavyhoof knew that kind of coy smile. He had seen it on Stormstride more than once. Thunderbuck was going to indulge in a full massage with the girls in the Lady Cloud's private bath chamber. Stifling his own snicker of amusement he returned to his post.

Inside, Thunderbuck sought out Feather Touch, who was giving lessons to the mares in the bath chamber for the guests. He was teaching them massage techniques to help release tensions, and loosen tight attitudes with scents at the same time. As Thunderbuck knocked, the three looked up. Feather was happy to see the stallion, and even more pleased when he requested a massage. Feather asked if he would let the mares practice on him, and he agreed fairly readily; which surprised Feather Touch a good deal. Buck was normally a very private and shy stallion to say the least, and yet to see him sliding from his vest and shirt as if ready for a massage was most unusual. Something had changed the stallion, however Feather Touch left it alone for now; deciding to ask him about it later.

Feather Touch began by instructing the mares where to find the tense spots first and then letting them begin to work. As Buck began to relax and closed his eyes, Feather moved to the side and sat in a chair to observe. It was not long before Buck fell asleep; which began to bother Feather Touch greatly. He had known buck for some time now. Long enough to know this was most unlike the stallion, and he began to have a suspicion. Feather stood and moved to the girls, gently motioning them back and moving to Buck's tail. He gave a light tap, and got very little response.

That settled it, this wasn't Thunderbuck. Feather quickly sent the girls to go fetch the guards, whom arrived in short order. Heavyhoof lead the group as they leveled weapons at Thunderbuck. As the sleepy stallion opened an eye, he realized he was surrounded with weapons but merely stood and held his hooves up.

"Is there a problem?" he asked softly, the voice was the same, but that was not the reaction Thunderbuck should have. They all knew it, and that only angered them further. Heavyhoof gave a jab to the stallion's leg, which made him recoil and cover a now cut spot with a hoof. Protesting with a few swears involved, which got Feather to raise his hoof.

"Who are you, what are you, and what have you done with my brother in law? I know him well enough to know he never gets a massage from any pony but me, he only takes them in his cottage, and he certainly never let me massage near his tail where he couldn't see. That and he never fell asleep during one before," Feather Touch was irritated and worried. If something had happened to Buck in Equestria, it could happen to Stormstride. She still had not come home yet.

"I am Buck. It is me Feather. Check with my escort. They will assure you I am Thunderbuck Cloud," the stallion said, standing full and looking at the cut Heavyhoof gave him. He seemed more annoyed than angry or fearful. Feather nodded and sent for those guards, waiting as they were brought. Once they arrived, they were each asked in turn the events that transpired, and the same story came from both. Though when the dates of their day in Ponyville arrived, they both grew quiet.

At Buck telling them to speak, they both began at the same time only to catch themselves and Heavyhoof had to bark at them for silence before ordering first one, then the other to talk. The same story left their mouths.

~~~

Twilight was looking over her books, rubbing the sides of her head with a headache. There had to be more than Thunderbuck was telling them, there literally had to be more to it than he just wanted to help his sister. No pony, not even the purest and kindest of hearts like Fluttershy could or would travel alone to the end of the known map with little more than lightly armed escort and minimal supplies to beg help from a princess they didn't know anything about in a land that likely was not friendly with their own personal beliefs.

So what was it that Thunderbuck was not telling her? She had no answer to give, even after pouring over the entire library's list of work about Maretonian culture, getting as much from Rarity about how nobility of other realms acted; which was not much concerning Kastrot given that it was unicorn controlled and that Buck's family was minor nobility with their own secrets to hide. Spike had passed out hours ago, and even most of the girls were snoozing at the table in the library. The only one still fully awake at this hour was that guard in Thunderbuck's room. She had tried to teleport past him, and that ended poorly when she found herself upside down in the tree outside the Inn. Their protective barrier was intense, and would take more focus and specific knowledge of the barrier to bypass; things she did not possess at that time.

Add to this dilemma there was a creature stalking the apple farm now, causing minimal damage to the crop but it was intelligent. It avoided traps, even stealing the bait from them as if like magic. Twilight grunted in frustration and moved to the window. Looking at the inn down the way. That was when she saw the guard open the window and let something out. Something big as a pony and it shot right off into the sky. Twilight ran to the door, rushing outside just in time to spot the direction the thing flew; it was headed for the orchard. Without thinking, she flew off after it, though her own skill in the air was pathetic compared to this thing. It was a bat the way it weaved through trees and clouds in the dark of night.

Twilight followed it as best she could until she saw it dive into the orchard. Lowering to the ground herself, she began to walk slowly, casting soft glow spell to light her way as she trotted. She could hear it up ahead, devouring fruit like some wild beast. As she drew close, it suddenly went silent which bothered her more. She pondered if it had detected her and began to shake softly. It was ten she came around a tree as a half-eaten apple hit the ground. She gulped, knowing she was about to regret her next action, and slowly looked up. There hanging in the tree over her head was a bat pony with a wild mane and tail, and the same breastplate that Buck wore.

He started down at her with green slitted pupils as he gave a curious hiss. Twilight's ears sank into her mane as her eyes widened in horror. The pony in her town was some kind of monster, and he was stealing AJ's family fruit. Anger was overridden by fear as she turned and bolted, amid the hisses and screech of the pursuing bat pony. Twilight teleported away, hiding herself in a hollow tree until she was certain she could no longer hear it. Taking a deep breath, she teleported back to the library and yelled for all of them to wake up.

Her panicked and mumbled explanation only confused them further as Dash asked for coffee and what time it was. Twilight grabbed Dash by the face and stared deep into her eyes. Almost shouting at her that Thunderbuck was a bat pony and was stealing AJ's fruit. That got AJ wide awake, and irate.

"What?!? What in tarnation was that? You mean to tell me he's some kind of bat pony and comes out at night to eat up my family's fruit like some kind of ghost story monster?" Applejack asked as she tipped her hat back and scratched her head. Twilight was frazzled but at least some pony was listening now.

"Yes!!! That's why we couldn't catch it. It's not some little animal that can be trapped; it's a pony that can think, fly and cast spells! Though it seemed kind of confused when I stumbled on it in the orchard. Like it didn't recognize me or know what I was," Twilight said, as she rubbed her face. Fluttershy was a mix of terrified and worried. Twilight was not exactly given to exaggeration, as she dealt in purely logic and fact, however given that Twilight had spent several days now without proper rest, eating sporadically, and now seeing bat ponies in the orchard she felt her friend might just be beginning to crack.

"Um. Girls... There isn't anything we can do about it right now. So Um.... Why don't we... uh get some sleep and try to think in the morning with clear heads?" she said with as much a smile as she could muster, hoping to coax every pony to let it go for now and get proper rest and care. Much to her surprise, Rainbow Dash stood up and agreed with her.

Twilight could barely believe it, they were going to let this go over something as unimportant as sleep. But it was the heavy, firm hoof of Applejack that tapped her shoulder and got her attention. The farm mare smiled and nodded, motioning toward the Castle of Friendship with a 'go on' look on her face. Twilight softened her expression, levitating spike onto her back gently and moving to walk home. As she passed the inn, she could see both guards awake through the dimly lit window, though with the curtain drawn all she could see was shadows. IT was just the two of them, so Buck must be out feeding still.

This might explain his hesitance to offer any explanation about anything. It would put a spotlight on him as well; meaning his secret night life was exposed to the public for ridicule. He didn't actually seem to pose a threat, and given that he was eating a good bit of fruit a hefty fine could be levied to cover the cost to AJ and her family. However it also seemed he was making efforts to promote trade in town. Is guards had spent a good deal of coin here, and several ponies in town seemed to be warming up to the sight of the armored pair and their charge.

They had made no really aggressive moves, aside from warning ponies to stand back from Buck when he didn't want to be near any pony. They stayed silent and mostly kept out of any affairs. Buck stuck to research in the library when he was not eating or sleeping. The guards only went out one at a time unless they went with Buck somewhere.

Turning to continue on her way, she sighed and knew that revealing him publically was not an option. She would have to get more answers from him in private, but the question was how. As she arrived and entered her castle, she smiled and teleported to the bedroom. Levitating Spike off her back and to his bed gently, she covered him up and moved to her own bed. Laying down, she reached for the nightstand, and her hoof touched something odd. It rolled off the nightstand and under her bed. Sighing she got down and reached under the bed with magic, grabbing and pulling it out. IT was an apple, a red, shiny apple of large size and rather exceptional scent.

This was certainly from AJ's farm, but how had it gotten in her room? The breeze that blew through the open balcony door caressed her tail and mane, blowing gently over her flank and back to her ears which suddenly stood on end. She turned sharply, looking at the door that was open, blowing the curtains softly in the breeze. He had been in her room! No... not him, it. That was a thing, not a pony. It may hide in him during the day, using him like a shell or a mask...

Twilight stopped, and looked at the apple in her hoof. Was he trying to tell her something he could not openly admit too? She sat to ponder and began by biting into the apple, chewing slowly as she took the time to think. Thunderbuck was a pony unlike most, he was timid, smaller than average and had to have protection with him in the day time. However it seemed at night his guards left him alone to the wilds of nature. Was there more to that bat form than just the ability to fly and a craving of fruit?

Could it be that that form gave up intelligent speech, in exchange for physical prowess and flight? That sounded like a curse to Twilight. A curse she would need to understand before going any further. But if it was a curse, she figured he couldn't talk about it with any pony, and his guards were certainly not going to be giving her any information. It was almost like they resented her presence when she was around them. She had heard from Celestia, and knew that these two were former REA.

What could have turned them against Equestria and the princesses so much so that there was no love of their ways left in these ponies? Even more strange was that Thunderbuck spoke with a perfect Equestrian accent as if he were born and raised in Cloudsdale. But he was a unicorn, not a Pegasus, meaning he would have lived on the ground here or possibly in a large flying house held up by similar means to her hot air balloon. Even then, just going into town would have been problematic.

None of this situation made sense, as the princesses stood for good and just rulings, freedom from oppression, and equality for all ponies. So why had this one family been able to turn so many against them? And from the indicated missive from Luna recently, Stormstride had managed to prevent even Luna from entering her dreams by active mental defenses. Luna got a nasty headache from the attempt, and had been left rather drained after, though with no serious harm done. There were secrets here that needed uncovering. Luna dared not come to Ponyville to attempt the same on Thunderbuck, unless it certainly draw attention from Stormstride whom was still in Canterlot with her eight fully armored and armed guards.

So far, no laws had been broken just bruised egos and a few lightly flung insults that were laughed off by all except the targets. Cadence had been disrespected and shown no love by these three, Celestia and Luna dishonored as being bias toward ponies they associated with regularly by Stormstride and they had to watch as those around them agreed with it as a logical thing, though only in the pretense that it was their judgement of a wine tasting competition, and Twilight was being ignored by a pony seeking knowledge and answers she could probably give if he would be more open and honest with her about the situation.

Finishing the apple she set the core on her nightstand and made a small note to ask AJ about the cost of the missing fruit. That way she could send a bill with Thunderbuck back to where he came from for payment, or at least have Celestia extract payment from the obviously wealthy Stormstride while she was still in Canterlot.

Blowing out her candle, Twilight lay down to sleep and let dreams take her to a place more peaceful and with fewer headaches. It was almost noon when she awoke to the sounds of AJ knocking on the front door. Spike hurried down to let the farm mare in, as Twilight tried to wake up fully. Applejack walked in and sat to wait in the main hall, looking rather confused as she tried to adjust her hat. When Twilight came to her, she felt the unease in the farm mare.

"Now Twilight, I dun rightly know how to put this but it seems to me some pony has been snooping round my orchard this morning. Went out to feed the chickens and get the cows milked, and darn near broke my back tripping over a sack o' bits so big that I had to call Big Mac to lift it up and move it so I can get to work. No note on it, and I dun wanna take a heap o' money with no reason. I need help knowing what to do with it all," she explained.

Twilight sat, rubbing her face softly before she tried to fully understand when her friend said. Then it dawned on her and she began to think. Motioning AJ to follow her as she walked, she made her way to the main table and sat in her chair.

"Applejack, how much was in the bag?" she asked firmly. The princess had a thought in her head forming slowly, and wanted to be certain before blurting out anything foolishly.

"I didn't rightly count it. But Granny smith said she did and said it came to exactly four hundred and thirty-three bits. She said that exactly covers the cost of all the missing fruit, plus applicable taxes for if we had actually sold it." Applejack said, still scratching her head.

That confirmed what Twilight had been thinking, and she gave a nod softly. Tapping her hooves under her chin, the princess spoke very slowly and asked Applejack to go gather up the girls for an important matter. This was going to take some serious getting planning and likely, something very unsettling that they needed to discuss in depth before action was taken.

While she waited, she had breakfast with Spike and took into consideration the following facts: Thunderbuck was under a curse of some kind, Stormstride was undermining Celestia and Luna openly but in a way that made the accusations seem like a harmless and logical means of thinking, Both had come to Equestria roughly at the same time, Thunderbuck had ensured that Cadence was now emotionally compromised and unable to fully help without leaving her place in the Empire and drawing attention, and Twilight herself was being bogged down in proceedings in her own town.

These, to her, presented several similarities to history lessons from recent times. Invasion or attack of some kind was imminent and she knew that it was going to be a disaster for the ponies of Equestria if things were not prepared. However, if they made efforts to prepare and nothing happened, it would make the princesses look like nosy worry bodies that were mongering for war when there was none to be had. This was thin ice indeed, and Twilight needed to know more before she could report anything further of her efforts.

When the girls assembled in the meeting room, the map did not light up and show anything as they sat in their seats. This troubled Twilight further, as she did not understand why nothing was happening. Friendship was a powerful force and always needed tending to keep it safe. So either something was blocking the Castle of Friendship's ability to see it, or it was something else entirely. Taking a deep breath, the princess spoke.

"Girls, we have a decision to make regarding our guest. As I said last night, he can change form into a bat pony. Similar to what happened to Fluttershy when I foolishly attempted to use magic to alter the fruit bats in AJ's orchard. However, there was something different about it. Unlike how Fluttershy was during her change, Thunderbuck seems to possess some intelligence. Last night I found my balcony door open and a fresh apple on my night stand. Nothing was disturbed as far as I could see, just the apple. As well, some pony paid Applejack for the apples that were taken down to the last bit.

"This makes me believe that Thunderbuck is at least semi aware of his actions in his altered state. And that he may be here for a different purpose than he has stated. His sister is in Canterlot, and if the information I gave you last time we spoke on this matter is any indication, then she has begun her plans. I believe Thunderbuck may be here to help her, but not in the way he claims. I feel as if he is helping her plans, rather than trying to heal her darkness."

The girls looked at each other a moment before any of them uttered a word. This was a serious issue indeed, and that was something that caught Applejack's interest.

"Twilight, I dun know much about politics and government. But I do know when a pony is lying to me. I don't get the feeling he is lying. I think he's telling the truth," the farm mare said softly. Twilight nodded and continued.

"That may be true. However it is no coincidence he is here now, while his sister is causing trouble in Canterlot itself. Nothing serious, just words and statements for the moment. But I personally feel that he is not being totally honest with us. There has to be more, because this whole situation makes no sense and nothing is being done to stop it. So we have an issue at hoof. We need more information to prove if he is innocent in her bid for whatever she is doing, or if he is helping her intentionally. As well, it would be a great relief to find that she is just being prideful and foolish," she said softly.

"My darling, what are you suggesting?" Rarity asked. Fluttershy had a sickening feeling in her stomach she already knew. Applejack had the same sensation rising up as Dash leaned in, putting both front hooves on the table.

"I am suggesting something harmless to him, something that will cause him no ill effects. A basic level hypnotism spell, one that will coax him into telling us anything he held back the first time I spoke to him. It would be gentle and passive, and wear off after only an hour. He would never know it happened, and would continue on his way as such." Twilight finished her point and then sat back to hear them out. She expected all of them to burst out with opinions all at once. She was wrong, because what met her words was stunned silence.

For almost ten minutes they all stared at her like she had lost her mind, while she sat silently and closed her eyes wait for them to speak. Her thoughts on the matter were settled, but she felt it would be prudent for a princess, especially a young one, to listen to her advisors. It was Pinkie that spoke up first.

"I... uh I don't know about this Twilight. It sounds kind of... wrong. I mean, he hasn't done anything bad, and even if he did I don't think we could do that to him. Suppose he is planning something evil, and this told us what he was planning to do. Is there really anything we can do?" the pink mare asked.

"I have to agree darlings. This seems utterly wrong in every sense of the word. Even IF he is part of some nefarious plot against Equestria, he has been nothing but a gentlecolt, albeit a strangely quiet and odd one. And as you have said, he was the one that did steal from Applejack's orchards, did those apples not get paid for? And you of all ponies Twilight, I am appaulled that you would suggest something like this. It's monstrous is what it is." Rarity's voice had steadily risen and taken a condescending tone as she spoke.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed to agree, though only nodded to the words said and kept silent. Twilight turned to Fluttershy and asked if she had anything she would like to say. Fluttershy just shook her head, fluttered up on her wings and slowly left. Twilight stood from her seat and sighed.

"Thank you for your opinions on this matter. I will take them into deep consideration before I make a final consideration on this matter," Twilight said with poise, but not with pride. As the girls left, they noticed that Twilight did not follow them out as she normally would have. She seemed distant and cold suddenly, as if resentful of them.

"Do ya think we were a bit harsh back there?" Applejack asked softly.

"Nonsense darling. She needed to hear it as honestly and plainly as possible. I see no reason why it would hurt to be such," Rarity responded.

"Yea but she did look kind of hurt afterward," Pinkie said. The girls were wandering back to their homes when Pinkie turned around. She started back toward the Castle of Friendship with slow, measured steps; very unlike her usual bouncy walk.

"Uh, Pinkie. Sugar Cube Corner is that way," Dash said as she pointed back toward the town square.

"I'm not leaving just yet. I have something I want to say to Twilight first," Pinkie replied, using a tone they knew she only used when it was a serious matter to the pink mare. The rest continued on their way home, leaving Pinkie Pie to her business.

Pinkie entered the castle, finding the quiet disturbing. As she walked back to the table, she found it silent and cold, as if it were ignoring her presence. Taking to the stairs, she climbed slowly before coming to Twilight's room, and drew up a hoof to knock. But she stopped, upon hearing a familiar twinkling sound, a sound specific to only one pony; the sound of Twilight's magic being cast and she could not let her do this! Pinkie burst into the room screaming at Twilight to stop. Twilight jerked and in her surprise her spell was cast too soon, unfocused and unprepared with only a target in mind. Pinkie watched in horror with Twilight as that spell shot up, arched a path around Dash and a few other pegasi, and shot down right into the open window in Thunderbuck's room at the Inn.

Thunderbuck had been dozing, trying to settle down after a longer stretch without sleep than he had planned. His transformed state has taken time to place a single apple in Twilight's room, a gift of good faith as it were that she would keep his secret. The bat pony was not a monster, for it thought and felt emotion, though on a lesser degree than most ponies. It could reason and knew of its own existence. But it could not reason with words, only the hissing chirps of a guttural animal.

It was as he dozed that a bolt of magic punched a hole through the very barrier his guards had put up over the partly open window that his eyes snapped open. However his reaction came too late to spare him the blow of the spell striking him right in the face, knocking him from his bed and to the floor with a resounding thud. Instantly both his guards were at his side, checking to see if he were harmed in any way.

As he slowly stood, they noticed the fire in his eyes, the grit of his teeth as a pony that was angry and ready to fight. This was most unusual and they stepped back, asking what was wrong, while levitating their spears to their sides, lest he take his sudden and uncharacteristic rage out on them. To their dismay and to the fright of many ponies outside that had heard the commotion he burst out the window, horn ablaze in crackling blue and swirling greens.

"WHO CAST THAT SPELL!" he shouted as he projected his voice using magic into a thundering boom that was heard as far as the Everfree Forest and high as any Pegasus pony was flying. IT even cracked several nearby windows. Twilight teleported into view and sternly gazed at him. But as she opened her mouth to speak, his horn arched and flung a spell right at her.

She was so stunned that she did not even realize what was happening until Rainbow Dash ad swooped in and plucked her from the aim. The spell struck the earth where she had stood, turning the soil a soft pastel orange in a very messy splotch like pattern. Buck took no heed to his spell missing and turned on hoof to head back into the room. Fetching out his coin purse he spoke to his guards in a stern, commanding tone.

"One of you go secure a private car from the train station and book us passage to Manehattan. We are leaving now. Pack all of your things, I will tend to the matter of paying the innkeeper for the damages. Once we are gone from here I will be making a letter to be sent to Canterlot in full complaint about this matter. Be alert and prepare for the Equestrian guards to attempt to stop us. If they do, you are to disarm them only. Do not hurt them if you can help it. If it must be done, render them unconscious by spell," he barked out. Both of his guards saluted and snapped to attention at his orders. Military training drove their movements as one rushed to secure transportation while the other hastily packed.

Thunderbuck rolled all the parchment up that contained their compiled notes, and slid it into his travel bag. Tucking the ink bottles in a pouch to keep them from spilling in the bag, and then the quills. Finally his clothing was rolled and tucked in rather hastily, leaving him prepared as he levitated both the guard's travel packs onto his own back. The swirl of his cloak over his should made for a rather intimidating display, as his horn ignited in the mixed glow of energies and deposited his mask upon his face.

He walked forth, preceded by his other escort guard to the clerk's table and paused only long enough to explain what his version of events was before depositing a large sum of coins upon the counter to cover the damages to the window, and pay for the cost of their stay. Without another word, the pair struck toward the station. As they went, ponies fled from their path, even Applejack backing away from what looked to be an extremely pissed off pony with a spell ready to fire.

Twilight flew down to block his path and he turned that horn on her, causing her to veer away and allow him and his escort to continue. The pair made it to the station, which was strangely devoid of all security and ponies. There was a single pony on the platform, his other guard. Thunderbuck moved to the train, which was a luggage train with a private coach attached at the rear. It seemed they were to be the only passengers, which suited the noble stallion just fine.

As they boarded, Twilight landed on the platform and her own barrier went up. Thunderbuck let his guards take position as he set their baggage inside. Once that was done he jumped back onto the platform and strode up to her. From behind that mask, his gaze was like steel and fired hot with anger. She knew now what her misfired spell had done. Rather than hypnotize him gently, her spell had altered his personality; she had accidentally made him his opposite.

"I will be sending a letter on this matter to Canterlot, though for all the good it will do. You are after all Celestia's darling pet pony. However, should you ever set hoof or hair on Maretonian soil for any reason, even under the white flag of surrender; I will have your tail and mane torn from you before your hooves fully touch the ground. Thrice I have been accused of spying when I sought help. Now I see something truly astounding. You do not want things to be done with polite words, but under the iron shoe of a candy coated hell. Your own ponies are too stupid to realize just how far in danger they are. So when another disaster comes, I dare say to you, never send for help across the seas little princess. Because it will be I that returns that call, and I will be most unkind." His tone was bordering on a threat. Twilight's ears sank back s she lowered onto her flank in a submissive and passive gesture. She was actually scared now.

It was most fortunate for her, that Thunderbuck possessed very little offensive magic ability. As he boarded the train, his horn flared ever brighter until the coach and a full three other cars vanished from sight. Twilight watched as it happened, barely able to see the distortion. Her barrier was still up, masking and altering the noise of the whistle as it blew and signaled the train was leaving. She could not really hear the shouts of her friends as they yelled at her to let the barrier down. The princess only watched as the train pulled away from Ponyville.

Only when it was miles away did her barrier come down, yet she still stared after it. Applejack shook her gently.

"Sugar cube, come on back now. Ya need to blink and take a deep breath darlin'. Just relax, he's gone," AJ said softly, slowly turning Twilight's face way from the direction she was looking.

Rarity went to have a damp towel fetched, and sent Pinkie to go get a pillow from the boutique. Fluttershy stood to the side, uncertain of what she could or should do in this matter. Dash shoved AJ aside and shook Twilight harder.

"Hey! Twilight! Wake up! Hey!" she screamed. Twilight slowly turned her eyes to them and blinked a few times before bursting into tears. She had been so frightened of that angry stallion she had no idea what to do. She had no idea the effect it had caused on him, and still had barely any knowledge of how it could turn out like that. Spike came running up, waving a scroll, but he stopped when he saw her sobbing into her hooves. Anger filled the little dragon as he thought that Thunderbuck had hurt her; however Fluttershy soothed that burning rage with a gentle hoof and a hug.

Getting Twilight back to the castle was easy enough, as she did not resist, and most of the town moved to allow them passage. Once inside and in her bed the princess was soothed by her friends, though they had many questions. Twilight was trying to answer them when the adrenaline in her system wore off, and she fell over on the bed in a heap. Fluttershy shrieked in terror, though it was short lived as Dash covered her mouth while Applejack and Rarity assessed the situation. Finding that Twilight had just passed out from sudden exhaustion, the decided to leave her be. Coming out into the hall, they found Spike sitting, holding the scroll from Celestia. He opened it and began to read to them as if he would read to Twilight.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle and company. This is addressed to you by royal missive of Princess Luna. The mare known as Stormstride seems to be having herself a wonderful time in the middle class district, spending coin like she were pouring water from a bucket. She has the entire middle class and lower class district not working as they are enjoying what appears to be a Maretonian Holiday. Celestia and I have taken no action to stop this, as it is well within every pony's right to indulge in festivities. The position we have taken is currently unpopular with the nobility, however they have no other choice but to accept it. Twilight, it is imperative that you do not interfere with anything that Thunderbuck does, as his sister believes he is still within the Crystal Empire sampling music and instruments to take home for his personal collection. If word were to reach her that he is not, it could cause her to leave before we can discern what darkness has indeed permeated her being. She indulges with the common pony most easily, and seems to have drawn Blueblood and Psmith into her revelry of joy.

"Her guard ponies are, however, a clear and present threat. Twice now they have butted heads with local REA commanders, though usually because the REA attempted to restrain Stormstride's rather ample behavior. Seeing this, we have no choice but to let her continue to throw her party until she runs out of coin to spend. As well we noted that she has business dealings in Equestria now, and has begun paying importation taxes on goods that are to be shipped in soon. A copy of this report will be sent to the Crystal Empire as well. Alert us to any action Thunderbuck takes that is out of the ordinary immediately. Regards, Princess Luna." Taking a deep breath, Spike looked to the girls for some sign of what to do.

"Spike, Imma thinking you need to send a letter and let the princesses know what just happened. At least what we know happened. Include everything, talk to each of us in turn so it's not too much on you at once ok little fella?" She spoke in her soft country accent. Spike nodded and went to fetch quill and ink to make a return letter. The girls followed, coming to Twilight's desk. He had them each take a turn telling everything from their point of view, and finished up with the actions of getting Twilight to bed.

Thunderbuck watched from the bowl of water on the table before him, one of his guards having provided a scrying spell so that they could observe. He smirked and muttered under his breath about the baby dragon being a clever fellow before he stood and moved to lounge on a sofa and pour himself a drink in a levitated glass.

"Shall we intercept the message sire?" one of them asked, which made Buck pause mid drink. He sat up and slowly tapped a hoof on the floor of the car. Looking out the back window, the stallion took in a deep breath, and let out a slow even sigh.

"No. Let them report to Celestia. Let them sweat on their own. We have our task ahead of us. I saved all our notes. We should take some time to compile and separate them better so that we can continue our research when we return home. As well, when we arrive in the city, I want to take a day to find several bookstores and procure more research materials for the journey home. We will take a ship that is headed right for Kastrot. The sooner we arrive, the better."

~~~

Heavyhoof tapped his chin as he went over the information in his head again. THunderbuck was practicing his timid face in the mirror of the bathroom, pondering how to pass it off to his sister when she returned. Feather Touch was finding this pill hard to swallow, and even stranger was the fact that Thunderbuck expected them to take it on his word and the word of just two guard ponies alone. It seemed most incredible a tale. That he would find courage from a misguided spell.

"I don't believe it," Feather finally blurted out, "I simply cannot believe that you found this kind of courage from such a spell. If it can be done with magic, it can be undone. So undo it."

Thunderbuck turned to Feather and looked at him with arched eyebrows; he did not understand why Feather Touch would want him to return to the coward he had been before. Nor did he have a reason or desire to do so for that matter. He was very happy to be more in control of his emotions and his life now. All he needed was a way to pass it off on his sister slowly so that she would not think it too rapid a change.

"I have no intent to undermine this change. I feel it is a better life for me to not be frightened of my own shadow. Furthermore, you are starting to sound like Stormstride, deciding what is best for other ponies based on your own perception of who they should be. Who is to day it was not fate that led me to this change?" Thunderbuck said in a calm tone, as though they were discussing a matter of what type of place setting would look best at a dinner table.

Feather Touch came forward and pointed at Buck's flank, where his cutie mark was starting to look lackluster and faded. Buck looked, and then he began to notice it for himself. His mark was looking like it was scrubbed away, and in his heart he knew then that his change was indeed wrong. Moving to the mirror to look more clearly, he stared harder before speaking further.

"You...have a point. But I need this change. For now, until we can save Stormstride from herself or whatever darkness has taken her. And maybe this will be temporary," he said at last. Feather nodded and looked to Heavyhoof.

"Alright, suppose we believe you and that Stormy is being taken over by darkness. If it's her choice, why should we stop it?" He was irritated thinking that any pony would talk about Stormstride like this, as though she were out of her gourd.

"If she were doing this on her own, I wouldn't say we should. In fact I would promote it. But I knew Stormy back then. So did you. Think about it. Stormy is not the type to go for revenge like this. Looking down in the kitchens should give you a great look. You weren't there to see it. I was there, and so was Feather Touch. She used magic to demean him. More than words, but her magic had a dark glow about it, almost black," Buck said, turning on the guard stallion.

Heavyhoof stepped back, looking at them sideways. He had a doubt in his mind now, and buck latched onto that doubt and kept pressing. More, asking what kinds of things Heavyhoof could notice that were out of character. The training to take on REA troops, the frightening armor, and her work in private on gathering powerful artifacts of the family was easily glossed over; but her work with some of them was downright strange.

Heavyhood had to admit, her attitude toward being shown things she had in her collection was strange. Relocating long dead ponies for burial in proper tombs was nothing out of the ordinary for any pony really, the cost was just inhibited except to nobility. However, she had begun working on their artifacts, examining their remains and strangest of all, keeping bits of certain ponies before she buried them. This was something that Heavyhoof glossed over before as some ancestral worship, but now he began to wonder if she was dabbling in something darker.

"Alright. Alright, you made your bucking point. Just, what are we supposed to do about it? I swore my allegiance to her. That is nothing to sneeze at, it's my entire life and honor and I don't take lightly to being told it was a mistake," he said as he sat down again.

"It was never a mistake to swear fealty to a friend, and a pony you love as a sibling. You swore loyalty to our Stormstride, not to this thing she is being turned into. And we must bring her back from that brink before she falls in. You just observe, and understand that we are trying to save her. Make note of any suspicious activity, but don't interfere with her actions unless she tries to harm some pony physically. Just pay attention to what she does. Don't show undue interest but start to question her about the symbols and what they mean. The family crest is a good place to start. Ask about it because you are curious."

Heavyhoof nodded as he put his hoof to his face. Waving them off, as Buck trotted back toward the guest bathroom. Feather watched him shut the door, and then he heard the mares inside giggle, which made Feather Touch moan in frustration. Keeping this version of Thunderbuck in check was going to be a huge challenge. Turning on his hoof, the Pegasus moved off to the stairs to go up to his daughter's room and spend time with her. There had still been no word from Stormstride in over a week, so Feather hoped she was safe. He didn't know she was having a huge party in Canterlot and generally bringing the economy to a halt.