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And now we see through a Glass Darkly (See OOC)


Blueblood

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*OOC Here*

Do you notice things? Do you really look at the things upon your eye rests? Do you actually sit down and think about anything odd that comes to your attention, instead of just dismissing it as 'just one of those things'?

Then, perhaps, you would have noticed this: on one street, that the surging currents of pedestrians had for the moment left calm, a poster was being reflected in one of the cafe windows. It was one of the many advertisements pasted upon the brick walls of the city; this one proclaiming that "Tonight at the Tower of Eyes! You won't be able to believe your own, before the Masterful Illusions of Mr. Glass!" The text was accompanied by a picture of the said unicorn, dressed to the full in a magician's outfit and tinted glasses.

Not much out of the ordinary... except, that instead of the text being backwards in the reflection, it read normally from left-to-right, as if the poster was designed to be seen in a mirror. But, when one looked to the wall opposite, there was only a blank space where the reflection showed the poster to be. There was nothing pasted on the cafe window; the advertisement only existed in the reflection.

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For the first time in a while Night Watcher felt fine without her Lunar Guard armor on. Before it felt like something was missing, but now she was more than that, and she no longer required that to identify herself. At any rate she was off duty... sort of. A mare like her never felt completely off duty, always aware of her surroundings and vigilant in case a pony needed help.

As she patrolled the street her eyes settled on a picture of a poster in a cafe window. Looking at it closer, the Pegasus realized something odd.

"This is a reflection," Night said as she peered through the cafe trying to see where the source of the image was.

"No poster anywhere inside. Is this some kind of magical illusion? And who is this Mr. Glass anyway?"

The jet black mare had a strange inkling that something wasn't right about this magician or his acts. She learned to trust these instincts as the most often than not proved to be correct. At any rate what could seeing this Mr. Glass cause any harm? If he was just a unicorn entertaining ponies, then no harm or foul. And if he was up to something... well she was well equipped to handle something like that.

"Alright Mr. Glass, let's see what your act is."

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Flux was bouncing her way down the street, humming as she went. This had turned out to be a pretty typical day for her so far, fun, but not too exciting. As she turned a corner, she continued on, not heeding the warnings from her imaginary friends until she almost ran into a mare looking at something in a window. Flux managed to bounce completely over the mare, coming to a stop on the other side. The 'unicorn' then trotted back over slowly, tilting her head slightly as she read what the image had to say. Mr. Glass? Sounded interesting.

She then looked back and forth between the window and the wall on the opposite side of the street. How was this thing reflecting without an original source? It didn't make much sense, but, then again, that was part of the fun. Flux shrugged, looking back to the other mare with a wide smile.

"Hiya! I'm Flux!" She said, introducing herself before rolling onto her back to see if looking at the image upside-down would yield any new results.

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'Spring Breeze' awoke with a start, nearly falling out of the tree she'd been sitting in. She'd been taking to napping in trees lately when the weather was good, enjoying the combination of proximity to the centre of Ponyville while at the same time keeping a certain distance from the excitement that often sprung up. There hadn't been anything so far, but one could never be too careful.

Actually, she was finding that a bit of a sticking point at the moment. 'Having nothing happen' was becoming a bit of a theme for her the last few days. Maybe Red had been right in suggesting she needed something to do professionally. Something to look into, she supposed.

However, spotting a mare she'd met a little while ago approach a stranger, made her think maybe it could wait. The two seemed to be looking very intently at the window of a nearby shop.

'Spring Breeze' fluttered down to a spot a short distance away from the pair, before walking over and waving. “Hey Flux!” Making sure to appear social, she turned to the other mare. “Hello! I don't believe we've met, my name's Spring Breeze.” She'd turned back to Flux and asked, “So what brings you to Ponyville?” before finally noticing the poster they'd been looking at.

Or more accurately, the reflection of a poster. However when 'Spring Breeze' looked to try and spot details, the wall on the opposite side of the street was vacant where a poster should have been. Well that was odd. She turned back, and giving the poster her full attention this time. “Seems...wasteful,” she thought aloud, referring to whatever spell was on the poster. “Either they're trying to attract a very specific audience or they're showing off. Either way it seems like they've got something to prove...”

She trailed off, frowning as she read the location. “ 'Tower of Eyes',” she read, thinking for a moment before she said as an open question, “Maybe a watchtower?” Though she doubted that would turn out to be the answer, it seemed as good a starting point as any.

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It wasn't typical of Night to become distracted, but there was something bout this poster that appeared, well, strange. Not just the fact of its nature but also the cryptic nature of its location. It was no wonder that she became startled when she heard a voice behind her. On instinct she immediately turned to face the source of the voice, facing a purple unicorn who also looked at the strange poster.

"Hello to you Flux," Night said to the mare, giggling a little as the funny unicorn rolled on her back as if to see if she could see something else in the strange poster looking upside down at it. She was about to introduce herself as Staff Sergeant Night Watcher of the Lunar Guard, but she stopped. She wasn't on duty and for once she wanted to be defined by her own merit rather than her position as announcing her position could be a little off putting. Before she could answer another pony joined the pair, this time a red coated Pegasus. Apparently she knew Flux so the mare felt it was time to introduce herself.

"And hello to you too Spring Breeze. I'm Night Watcher. I see that both of you are just as interested in this as I am. I lived in Canterlot my entire life and never hear of a Mr. Glass. Even here in Manehattan he is a mystery. Yes, I do believe that he is trying to prove his magic with this illusion."

The mare pondered where the Tower of Eyes was. A good soldier knew where she was at all times. For her patrols in Canterlot, she practically knew the city like the back of her hoof. True business came and went but the buildings remained fairly constant.

"Hmmm... Tower of Eyes. A watch tower could be a possibility although I doubt some magic show would take place there as these are usually controlled by the military. But eyes... wait, what if it is a tower that has many windows? They look like eyes if you think about it and allows a pony to see different places. Maybe this tower has rounded windows like eyes. What do you two think?"

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(Just thought I should point this out, but I believe this is located in Manehatten. That's what it says in the tags, at least.)

Flux raised her head to look at the mare as she responded, then looked over at Spring and waved with a smile. Then the dark mare introduced herself as Night Watcher. Flux then layed her head back down and scrunched up her face as she continued looking at the poster while listening to what the others were saying.

So far, the ideas were a watchtower and some building with lots of rounded windows. Flux made a slight humming noise as she laid there, looking up at the poster. After a bit, she rolled to her hooves and turned towards the others.

"Maybe someplace with lots of cameras? I've heard them described as eyes before." Flux said, looking back at the poster with a frown. She didn't really expect to be right, but it was better to voice the option than it would be to keep quiet about it. Especially since she was pretty sure these two were smarter than her. At the very least, they knew more than her, most likely.

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"Or maybe....there is another answer." said the warm baritone behind the trio. For one of them it was very familiar.

After turning around the trio could see a tall unicorn stallion with a orange coat, emerald long flowing mane and jade keen eyes. The rest of him was obscured for he was wrapped in the all encompassing mantle. Still apparently he wore something underneath as as when he closed in, his steps made a metallic sound.

"Hello Night. Did you had a good time since our last meeting? And greetings to you as well, ladies." unicorn said as he took the place next to the black mare. Still he was so focused on the poster that he didn't even introduced himself.

"This Glass character...he's an elusive fellow. I tried to pin him down for a while since I heard...rumors. Sinister rumors. And the last thing we need is some unhinged illusionist playing games with the population when we need to focus on the other threat." swordpony explained as he read the poster.

Stallion pondered for a moment, weighting the options the mares given.

"There are seven watchtowers in this city. I was born here so I know. Even if his illusion is powerful, it would be a very idea indeed to undertake anything in any of them, just like Night said."

"And I doubt that it has something to do with cameras...or any technology for that matter. Look how he dresses. He's apparently more of the traditionalist type, one that wouldn't approach anything modern without ten hoof pole." Swift closed his eyes to focus better, wondering around.

"Maybe occult, the arcana? Eye symbolizes omniscience, enlightenment, vision and...presence? Unless this is 'Evil Eye'. Then it would be universal known symbol of the curses, misfortune." he spilled some trivia while rubbing his chin.

"And the tower. Or could it be The Tower? Card of the Major Arcana, one that symbolizes chaos, hard times, catastrophe, revelation....." he said more while opening his eyes.

"But wait....this poster..." stallion turned around to gaze at the empty wall. "Only exist in reflection...so maybe it's turned Tower? One that symbolizes being in a harsh situation, but exiting in good manner."

Swift Squall sit down and rubbed his temple under the horn. Really, this guy mad him think very hard.

"He left a clue so that means that he wants to be found isn't it?" he asked the mares.

"And he's also a showpony. Where would I held the show if I would be a one? Somewhere distinctive, that's for sure. Not the watchtowers, or a clock-towers. there

are many of them in this city. No, I would choose that place that is one of a kind. One that draws the eyes....wait." noblepony paused, the expression of enlightenment appearing on his face.

"The lighthouse..." he whispered. "Think about it...who is constantly in harsh situation...but makes it in the end? The sailors. And the eyes....the eyes would be the lenses and the mirrors that are used to reflect light. Also....it's only one lighthouse in Manehattan, and it's one of Equestria most famous. It makes so much sense." at this point stallion was so deep in his train of thought that he spoke more to himself then the mares.

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There was only so much, of course, that could be deduced from one clue in an odd context. Any theories derived from one poster would have to be checked, and over a whole city, it was by no means easy to do so.

Fortunately, as it turned out, there was more than one poster reflection in the city, though none of them were posted near the harbor. Any inquiry about the lighthouse being reserved for a magic show would have gotten only odd looks or rough laughter from the dockponies. Apparently, Mr. Glass was not favoring quite so showy a performance.

As it happened, most of the posters were concentrated in upper Manehattan, a place of small, specialized shops and pleasant residential streets, with some of the grander houses turned into schools. Here, there were two intersecting lines of investigation, a building that had windows like eyes, and one with many cameras. Both led to a certain place on Park Lane. It was a handsome townhouse, a full two stories above its neighbors, with semicircular windows resembling lidded eyes looking out into the street. Currently, it was occupied by a small school, specializing in the recent innovations in motion film, very much indeed 'The Tower of Eyes.'

Why, yes, there would be a magic performance tonight! The main studio had been reserved in an ordinary way, as the term had not yet resumed fully. Yes, it was technically open to the public, but there wasn't much space. Still, there were tickets enough for sale (students got in free), 15 bits, would you like one?

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It turned out Flux and Night Watcher were correct in their interpretation, much to 'Spring Breeze's surprise, as the destination turned out to be a film school. 'Spring Breeze' wouldn't have figured the magician for something so directly connected, but this never was her area of expertise. Maybe she shouldn't be surprised, though she was still a little disappointed that she couldn't be self sufficient. Ahh well. If this Mr. Glass was as dangerous was as the newcomer seemed to think, they might need some extra muscle if it came to a confrontation, maybe 'Spring Breeze' could content herself with that role.

It had taken a little running around talking to ponies to find the location, but here she was, standing in entryway to the building where the magic show was being held. She took a quick glance at her coin pouch as she approached, checking to see if she could afford this, but soon put it away. Something else was bothering her first, that she wanted to look into whether or not she would ultimately head in.

“Okay,” she muttered, thinking aloud, “a possibly dangerous pony with a flare for the dramatic. If we assume he didn't take this venue out desperation, why here? Why would he want to be recorded? Or is there somepony he wants to record?” Of course, it could all be a reference, either to recording in general or something else the school was known for- 'Spring Breeze' shook her head to clear it. She was over-thinking things again, trying to form conclusions without enough information.

She moved toward the ticket vendors again, intending to ask them for anything they knew about the content of the show. Failing that she'd have to try and make her way backstage.

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Flux playfully stuck her tongue out at the stallion as she was proven right. Night was right as well, but that was beside the point. It has taken awhile to get to that point, and a lot of talking to ponies. Not that she minded, Flux liked meeting new ponies. She was humming happily and rocking side to side slightly as Spring talked to herself.

Spring began heading off towards the ticket vendors, and Flux bounced along after her, still humming. Fifteen bits... Flux dug through her money with her magic, counting out fifteen of the coins and floating them out in front of her. She stopped bouncing when she reached the vendors, waiting for Spring to finish before she spoke to them.

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As the debate continued, Night heard a familiar voice which made her turn from the task of solving this mystery and meeting a very familiar unicorn.

"Hello again Swift Squall. Oh yes, I had a great time I can still remember the fun we had in Canterlot. I see you noticed this poster too."

The stallion offered a explanation due to what the black Pegasus thought was a boundless amount of knowledge. Night knew of course of cameras and the art of divination, but were these really related to this show?

"Ah yes, The Tower Card. I remember seeing that when I went to have my fortune read. Thankfully I remember that card was inverted meaning that rather than chaos and misfortune I would have fortune in my life. Actually I think that was right before I got accepted to my job. So this maybe a lighthouse if you consider the light to be one eye that sees everywhere. Still, I'm not sure how big of a show this Mr. Glass would do at a lighthouse since they would only fit a small number of ponies in the base. It can't hurt to try though."

***

After a trip to the harbor with no luck and curious looks from seafaring ponies when asked if they knew about a magic show, the group then learned about a film school. The place indeed had a look of eyes on the outside but otherwise looked like one of the large town homes around the area. She could see Flux playfully sticking her tongue out at Swift for getting the answer right. Night could only remember what she learned at a very young age: a pony's first guess is typically the right guess.

"Manehattan Film School," Night said reading the sign out front, "I guess I expected something more lavish than this. Still I agree Spring Breeze, it does make me wonder why he wants to be recorded unless he wants to keep a record of the act. Or maybe the cameras are part of the illusion like that poster that wasn't there. Well, guess we won't know unless we head in."

With that the mare paid the entrance fee and waited for the others to get their tickets, wondering still what kind of illusion this magician would show.

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"Would it be that simple? I rather believe that this building contains a next clue which in turn will lead us to next destination. Pony like him wouldn't reveal himself right away. No, I think he wants to play a game of Cat and Mouse with us." Squall expressed his suspicion.

"This is not a topic I am familiar with but I heard that filmmakers and illusionist use similar techniques to play with the minds of the audience." unicorn said.

"I don't know about you, but I think that the best place to start the search will be classes and workshops. Regardless, even if not we should split to cover all rooms."

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The show wasn't going to be for a half-hour yet, and barely half the ticket-holders had yet arrived. The small theater in which the show was to be was set up simply, the seating area wasn't much larger than a sizeable lecture hall, and indeed was used as such on occasion. Talking pictures had by no means reached any level of perfection, and this place wasn't set up for one in the slightest. There was even a baby grand piano off to the side of the screen, for an accompanist to provide musical scoring for the silent film. The dean of the school, an older, respectably dressed stallion, was waiting by the curtain, watching the ponies come in with a benevolently expectant expression.

There were not many rooms immediately open to non-students. The halls and classrooms were, of course, off-limits. But quite a lot could still be deduced from the theater. There was little to no "backstage," just the mechanisms that operated the curtains and held the screen in place. It was set up to play a movie, not record one, and the projection space could be seen above, though it was difficult to see through the frosted windows.

Posters for the show could be seen, similar to the ones in the reflections across the city, although these were of the more ordinary kind. Well, relatively ordinary. As a matter of fact, they were projections as well, though just through a looping film from a hidden camera. Other than being in black and sepia instead of vivid color, and flickering as the film looped, they were visually identical to the adverts which led you here. They were the largest source of light; the rest of the lobby and theater were dimmed, so as to allow them to show all the better. This lengthened the shadows of the place considerably, and there was much nervous whispering and giggling among the students, as the audible clicking of the cameras seemed to only enhance the slightly eerie atmosphere.

But that wasn't unusual, right? After all, Nightmare Night was coming up, and they had been promised something special for the occasion.

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Swift Squall had thought that they should conduct a search of the various academic rooms within the school and suggested that the best approach would be to split up to do so. Though she didn't fully agree with the search area, 'Spring Breeze' felt that splitting up and searching was the best plan for the moment. After voicing her agreement, she had stated her intention to check the stage for her part.

Checking her coin pouch, she'd grimaced as she found that she couldn't safely afford the ticket without jeopardizing her emergency funds, and that necessitated that she sneak in before she could begin her part of the investigation in earnest. Fortunately the film school wasn't the most secure of places, and although the action didn't sit well with her it was minor enough that she could comfortably justify it as pursuing a potentially dangerous pony. And of course her own curiosity didn't come into play at all. Not one bit.

Her search however, while technically turning up plenty of interest, didn't turn up anything relating to this 'Mr. Glass' specifically. Or at least, it didn't paint him as any more than a film creator. The 'stage' seemed to do little more than provide framing and storage for various film devices, most of which 'Spring Breeze' didn't recognize. While it didn't eliminate the possibility of hostile magic, it made it seem a lot less likely. She was beginning to think Swift was right in that Mr. Glass wouldn't reveal himself here but that this would be just another clue to the puzzle, pointing to somewhere else. She'd been wondering why a capable illusionist would bother with a reproduction when tricks were always more impressive when seen in person, and that might be the answer. Mr. Glass could have prepared the film weeks or months in advance, to be somewhere else entirely while his plan was underway.

'Spring Breeze' didn't think there would be much more to find here, and so chose an out-of-the-way seat in the theatre to see the last clue to find at the school: the contents of the film itself.

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Flux floated her ticket along in place of the bits she had previously. Traveling without need for regular food really saved her money, what little she got from the odd jobs she found in the towns anyways. Those were mostly done in hopes of some food for her, the kind she actually needed. The 'unicorn' walked right in, helping to distract the staff as Spring snuck her way in. Fellow changelings should help each other out. At least, she hoped that's what they were. Even after their time together in the Everfree Forest, she wasn't quite sure if Spring really was one or not.

Anyways, Swift had said they should split up the search, though there wasn't too much available to them to look at. Still, she did her best. Nothing really came up from her search though, maybe because she didn't actually look that hard. Mr. Glass wasn't here, she assumed. It looked like it would just be a recording of sorts. How exciting could a silent magic show be? Even so, she chose a seat nearby to Spring as she awaited the start of the show.

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"I don't know about you, but I think that the best place to start the search will be classes and workshops. Regardless, even if not we should split to cover all rooms."

"You would think that if he really wanted to put on a show this Mr. Glass would make it easy to find," Night Watcher said as she entered the school. Perhaps the illusionist wanted a certain clientele. There was nothing unusual about the school itself, despite Swift requesting to split up.

"I suppose we can check out some of the school while there is time. I'll meet you at the lecture hall."

The mare looked down the corridors and paused to look at the various classrooms while taking the long way to the hall. If anypony stopped her she could fake getting lost or that she was interested in film and wanted to see some classrooms. All the rooms she saw were dark, many of them showing only a little of what was inside. A few seats here, some cameras there, some open areas for acting. Nothing suspicious at all. Perhaps though she was being paranoid.

The mare then made her way to the lecture hall where she found an interesting sight. Projectors cast images of a looping film and posters on the walls which revealed hardly any backstage. It made sense as this wasn't an acting school or one of the fabulous stages found in Canterlot. Everything was barebones except for the camera displays. Still it did look eerie with the shadows.

"I hope the others find me in this place being so dark," Night Watcher replied as she found a seat that had three empty ones nearby.

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"You would think that if he really wanted to put on a show this Mr. Glass would make it easy to find,"

"Who knows? The darkest place can be very well under the candlestick." Squall replied. Before proceeding further he noticed however what the dean and other personnel missed - Breeze slipping through the crowd without the ticket. For the sake of providence, Swift decided to buy one for her as well. Before the unicorn could hand it to the 'mare' however she already disappeared. Stallion frowned for a moment before turning towards the Night.

"Very well. I check the archives and storerooms. There is a chance that Glass is using some socialistic equipment and if that is the case, he has to hide it somewhere." noblepony said before going his way, his mantle flapping behind him like wings of a giant bat.

There were parts pf the school that were off limit's, but staying hidden was an easy task for a pony with Honor Guard training, additionally aided with gear hidden under the cloak. Stallions search however proved futile. Seeing that there was nothing to gain from wandering through the school itself, Swift hurried to the rendezvous point.

"No luck either hmm?" he made comment when he met his friend at the door. Entering the room just behind the black mare, Squall scanned the room in search for the leads.

"I hope the others find me in this place being so dark," Night Watcher replied as she found a seat that had three empty ones nearby.

"Let's hope so. If you going to the watch as well, pass it to the Spring. And tell her she has simply to ask next time." unicorn said before giving Lunar Guard the ticket.

Stallion glanced towards projected posters before focusing at the Night Watches again.

"He clearly meant for us to find this. But...." Swift made his way trough the seats. He however wasn't intending to take a place of his own.

"...maybe he left something he wasn't intending to." he finished. The three mares can watch the movies to look for the more obvious clues. Stallion for the other hoof looked for the hidden camera.

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Swift's generous donation of the ticket came in handy, as the Dean soon made the rounds, asking for tickets good-naturedly, like a friendly usher. "I do hope you'll enjoy the performance; the, ah, illusionist star was very grateful for the use of our facility and equipment, and wished to make a small test of what uses it could be put to. Students can always use a bit of inspiration, I think, as to what their studies can lead to."

Well, that explained something of why Mr. Glass chose this small venue. Any further poking about would only have revealed the main camera booth pointed at the stage. The poster projections showed no visible camera; tracing the angles would have led to a small aperture, in which could be seen not a lens, but a mirror. Perhaps the camera was further sequestered away? You can't see any without actually tearing apart the walls and ceiling.

The show began as soon as the seats were mostly filled. The lights in the theater dimmed, the curtains pulled back to reveal the full screen, and the projector in the back flickered to life. Light filled the screen, rather more in sepia and black, rather than black and white. The shot was framed so as to give the illusion of an actual stage in front of the audience, exactly proportional to the theater. The screen flickered in the middle, blurred, and the image resolved into that of a pony in the middle of the stage, apparently coming out of thin air. It was Mr. Glass, and he, or his figure, tipped his hat and bowed. Looking up, his lips began to move, but no sound emerged.

There was a sudden cut to a black screen, with white letters upon it:

"Greetings, all who seek the deeper mysteries of light and shadow! All by which the eye is compelled to believe that which is not, and sees not what is... but perhaps there are among you those who are certain they truly know what they look upon?"

He looks expectantly at the audience, for all the world as if he expected someone from the audience to answer the film.

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Flux had helped out, trying to keep attention on herself as 'Spring Breeze' snuck past the ticket counter. 'Spring Breeze' wondered a bit at the action. She appreciated the gesture, but now if she got caught it would be on both of their heads, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

She resolved to think about it later, she had more pressing issues at the moment.

Waiting for the show to start in her and Flux's out-of-the-way seat, 'Spring Breeze' spotted Night Watcher sit down near a cluster of empty chairs and begin to wait expectantly. Swift Squall passed her something, but instead of stopping to sit he began to systematically search the rows of seats.

After a few minutes of passive observation, 'Spring Breeze' finally felt that joining her fellow investigator would probably be more useful than keeping out of sight, as much as she might enjoy the latter. Seeing that she still have a few minutes before the show started, she motioned for Flux that she was shifting positions, and then moved to sit in one of the empty seats. She sheepishly accepted the ticket when offered, muttering her thanks though not entirely comfortable accepting charity.

In the end she was glad she did, as not a moment later the school's dean wandered about the audience checking tickets. 'Spring Breeze' could think of a couple ways out of this situation, but they were unreliable at best and messy at worst.

The show itself started up soon after, initially being just an image of an empty stage, but after what looked to 'Spring Breeze' like the film flickering a stallion appeared on stage. This must be Mr. Glass they'd been searching for, though evidently not in the flesh.

The on-screen stallion speaking to the audience (or at least as much as one could speak in a film) caught her a little by surprise. She didn't know much about film, but even her limited knowledge could tell here the weren't supposed to be interactive.

So, Mr. Glass was going to imitate a face-to-face conversation. That could only mean one of three things. And of those, an automaton seemed out of character for an illusionist. That left either him predicting the audience, or using some kind of communication magic. While both of these seemed in character, the dean had mentioned that something about tonight's equipment was experimental and the former would have been a trick done solely by the illusionist.

'Spring Breeze' turned to her companions, not yet ready to try addressing the screen directly. She kept her voice a little low, trying to avoid being too much of a distraction, though Mr. Glass seemed to be inviting discussion during his show. “I'm thinking some kind of long range communication...thing.” It was only halfway through the sentence that she realized she couldn't tell if it was a spell or a device. “I couldn't guess at anything else about it, but that seems like the only reasonable possibility.”

She turned her attention to the screen again, listening for comments from her companions while watching the screen intently for any changes on it.

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It didn't take long for Night and Swift to make their way into the theater as well, though they sat apart from Spring and Flux. The two ponies probably hadn't seen them, and Flux could see why. There were plenty of ponies in here, and it was a little dark as well. Looking over at Spring, she caught the end of the mare's gesture, then watched for a couple seconds before following her to the seats next to Night.

After that, the dean came around checking tickets. Showtime wasn't long after that, and when it came, Flux was excited to see what would happen. It started out with an image of a full stage, soon enhanced by the flickering form of a stallion. Flux watched the film, tilting her head slightly as she read what the stallion had said. She assumed this was Mr. Glass, though what he had said was a little confusing to her.

Spring began whispering a theory about the film to the group, one that Flux supposed was correct. Technology wasn't exactly a strong point of hers. Or magic, for that matter. She didn't know that many spells she could safely use in public without revealing herself. Flux was still staring intently at the screen as it stated back at the audience, seemingly waiting for a response.

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Night looked surprised when Swift offered his ticket to Spring Breeze. Did he not want to see the show? Did Spring Breeze have a ticket? Speaking of the pony, Night couldn't see where Spring Breeze or Flux were in the theater, expecting them to sit by her. Oh well, it was dark in the theater. But to her delight the others did find a seat next to her.

The video shifted to an introduction by Mr Glass who welcomed those watching his show. Strangely there were no cameras pointed at the audience, only the stage. Maybe Mr. Glass wanted to record his act. Still this didn't explain where the illusionist was. The mare wondered of something would happen like the pony appearing behind the currently captivated crowd.

"I hope the other are ok. Guess we'll have to see what happens next."

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Swift tried to find the camera itself, but so far his search was unsuccessful. The shadows and light's were misleading his sight. Another piece of Glass illusions perhaps?

When the schools dean wandered nearby his position, Squall simply flashed him the other he bought. Rarely the noblestallion was unprepared.

As unicorn continued his search, even for just one hidden camera, he got increasingly frustrated. Sighting, Swift took a quick glance. Now full screen was visible, with the elusive Glass himself (and Squall was very determined to keep the 'Mr.' part out). But...something about this seemed familiar. Not the same but familiar. Swordpony thoughts wandered years back, to the time when he clashed with dark shaman Unununabe. The outcast, evil zebra communicated with him very military. Summoning the gusts of wind to turn the sand into the writing, or twisting bark on the threes for the same purpose. Glass obviously didn't took his magic from the same source but the same rules seemed to apply. Swift Squall became convinced that yes - Glass could observe them right now.

“I'm thinking some kind of long range communication...thing.” It was only halfway through the sentence that she realized she couldn't tell if it was a spell or a device. “I couldn't guess at anything else about it, but that seems like the only reasonable possibility.”

She turned her attention to the screen again, listening for comments from her companions while watching the screen intently for any changes on it.

"You are correct. He isn't here but right now he can both hear and see us. Obviously he's not ready for whatever he's planning if he resort too such method." he affirmed Spring suspicions. Wrapping himself with his mantle a little tighter, Squall addressed the screen directly this time.

"So far, I can only see pony with complexity addiction. Cut to the point Glass. Does it amuse you that ponies around the Strand start whispering with fright rumors about you? What are you trying to prove?" stallion called out the absentee stage magician.

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There were murmurs among the students, similar to the whisperings now exchanged between the Night Guard and the changelings, but it was Swift who first spoke aloud, in anything like a response:

"So far, I can only see pony with complexity addiction. Cut to the point Glass. Does it amuse you that ponies around the Strand start whispering with fright rumors about you? What are you trying to prove?"

The magician looked almost hurt at the response, and once again the screen cut to text:

You are not fond of mystery? Then why did you pay to see an illusionists show?

That got some laughter out of the students, none of whom knew much about what the vigilante unicorn had been talking about. Mr. Glass grinned (a somewhat unsettling sight), and bowed slightly, flourishing his hat. True to the traditions of his trade, he showed it as empty, and then, twirling it end over end twice, produced a bat out of it...

... which then flew out into the crowd, right out of the projection screen! How had that happened? There was nothing behind the screen but a cinder-block wall! There was a burst of applause at this first major trick, as well as some more laughter as it honed in on the heckler, hovering around Swift's head with a curiously derpy expression on it's face.

The unicorn still on screen was still grinning in that slightly off putting way of his, and was "speaking" again:

Of course, you haven't forgotten what day it is, have you? Or Night, rather?

And the apparition on screen threw back his head and laughed... but no sound of him could be heard.

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'Spring Breeze' leaned a little to the side as the bat fluttered around. So Mr. Glass had summoned a flying rodent. A cute trick, but she wasn't exactly impressed. She'd seen much more memorable things elsewhere. She was equally certain that this wasn't all he had in store. This was just a warm up, either to test the spells and mechanisms or to gauge the audience, and 'Spring Breeze' was sure that the 'best' was yet to come.

She just wished she could see the whole of it sooner.

'Spring Breeze' leaned over toward Swift Squall, though she never took her eyes off the screen, and spoke quietly hoping the audience and especially Mr. Glass wouldn't hear. “I don't think the direct approach will work so well. It's his show until we can find a hole in it. I think we should play along for now."

Sitting back up straight, she continued to stare intently at the screen though her focus had shifted to the 'stage'. Though she didn't know that much about how this kind of magic worked, she was hoping that either it was projecting part of the room Mr. Glass was in as well and maybe she could spot some identifying marks or objects, or she was hoping to spot something that might reveal the mechanics of what he was doing, even if she'd have to bring that to somepony else to find out.

Not knowing how the show was going to work, 'Spring Breeze' had been hesitant to ask questions herself, but now that Swift Squall had lead the way she felt a little more confident in doing so. “Any reason you didn't want to be here in the flesh?” she called out, “I mean, this is all well and good but the magic seems pretty obvious.” Even if the projection refused to answer directly, 'Spring Breeze' felt confident she'd get something she could use out of it.

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Flux giggled slightly at Glass's response to Swift's words, then watched as a bat seemingly came out of the screen and flew out over the audience, taking up orbit around Swift's head. That brought another fit of giggles from Flux before she turned back to the stage and tried to figure out what was going on. She watched the screen intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that would help. She was distracted in her efforts by Spring's words.

Hiding what was really happening behind the guise of magic, that's how these shows worked. At least, that's how she thought they worked. Sleight-of-hoof, misdirection, all that good stuff.

"Where are you, really?" Flux asked the projection, not really expecting an answer to that but asking it anyways.

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