NiktoBarada

"Did you really think you'd get away with that stunt ?" the Abomination smirked at the immobilized Tongue Twister from inside her mind. "Nope. This is pretty much what I expected to happen." "Say what ?" TT had to focus for a bit - even thinking was like trying to walk through thick tar. "It was a very crude ritual. Predates the unicorn's codification of magic. I'd have been greatly surprised if she DIDN'T notice me pulling on her with her OWN magics." "Yeah, whatever." the Abomination replied dismissively, "The misery you are feeling now is but a tiny fraction of what her wrath can inflict ! If you want it to stop, all you have to do is give in. Submit to her superior might and will. Sacrifice who you are to become what she tells you to be. Accept that you are a nothing compared to the eternal glory that is Hou Shuren." TT smirked (with some effort). "And why would I do that ? I have endured far worse than this, and did not yield. Thanks to that Dreamslayer, I know what it feels like to be torn apart and eaten ! It was the second worse thing I've experienced, and outlasted. This - ranks third." "Third ? What was first ?" "Not telling. You'd just try to dig it up and throw it at me again." "True. But no matter. You cannot last against Hou's might forever. Sooner or later, your defenses will crack. She has broken far greater than you !" TT sighed before starting to repeat a Neighpalese mantra : "All is illusion. Illusion is nothing. All is nothing. From Nothing, all arose. To Nothing, all shall return." Abomination thought nothing of it at first - but then noticed it was getting darker and colder in TT's mind as other voices joined in one by one. "What are you doing ?" "Oblivion Loop." Tongue Twister replies, "When trapped in a harmful illusion, shutting everything down and starting fresh really clears the old noggin. Since I can't trust what my senses are telling me at the moment, I'm just going to shut out what they're telling me. At least until something from the outside 'wakes' me up. Or I get too bored to continue. Whichever comes first ...." *** After an unknown period of time, Tongue Twister woke up. She was still in the marketplace, near the set up stage. There was screaming. And Saddle Arabians running about for some reason. She noticed the shadowy 'panthers' stalking about. "What fresh madness is this ?" she groused to herself when she noticed an Equestrian unicorn mare surrounded by those shadowy felines. Normally, the best thing to do would be a swoop : gain altitude, swoop in, grab the victim, then fly off and up to a nearby safe rooftop. But with her wings of alchemic mercury, she couldn't fly any more. So that effective idea was out. So she did the next best thing : get a good running start, then use her wings to push upward suddenly, catapulting herself twenty feet into the air. Then landing with all four hooves on the skull of one of the panthers, using her weight, speed and gravity to slam its head into the ground. "WHAT THEY HAY ?! This isn't fur ! There's no bones !" she noted before yelling "MOVE !!" to the unicorn mare while motioning over her shoulder (with one shadow down for a moment, there's a gap.)

Later that day, in the room she'd rented ... Ancient ponies that had written languages wrote down everything that they thought was important. The more important it was, the more permanent the media inscribed. Prayers to the gods to ensure an easy trip to the afterlife. Incantations to keep evil spirits away. Glyphs to gather and shape the magic that flowed all about them. All available and waiting for anyone that could read them (assuming, of course, 'brave adventurers' and 'intrepid treasure hunters' didn't destroy the buildings first !) The spell Tongue Twister was setting up was primitive. Crude. And about as subtle as a slap upside the head. It could easily show the direction of the magic's matching source, but not the distance. It was not very efficient, and far more energy escaped into the aether than into the spell - in fact, the only reason she even had anywhere near enough power to cast it was because she'd been loaded up with dark magic ! She'd drawn a large circle on the floor with a four-pointed star within in a single line while chanting in a language unheard for 1200 +/- 50 years, then emptied a bag of ball bearings in its center. Sitting nearby, she closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, then extended one wing into the center of the circle. From comparing one society's beliefs about magic with all others, TT had concluded two things were needed : a way to gather the magic that flowed through Equestria, and a way to shape it so it actually does what you intend. Many societies had magic, and many different ways of using it. The unicorn way was to gather the magic, use their ego and will to shape the power, then use it to beat the universe into submission !! What Tongue Twister was doing was the exact opposite : allowing the magic to flow, without trying to guide it, or wanting it to go one way or another, or even hoping it worked. No expectations. She literally removed herself from the equations and let the dark magic within her reach out to its original source. The ball bearings began to twitch, then rolled in tight orbits until they formed a straight line. "She's that way, sir." she stated to Sombra once she used her compass to get the bearing of the line. A quick trip outside and a check of the compass told her which way to look. Off in the distance were the ziggurats of the Palace of Thought.

Tongue Twister was actually impressed at Sombra's illusory disguise, since it was not a commonly used spell. He even managed to alter his voice ! She'd seen unicorn spell matrices before in her dad's shop, so she knew that it was a moderately difficult spell. Theoretically, any unicorn with sufficient power and skill could cast a disguise illusion, but like arcane bolts and teleportation, most didn't learn unless it was needed for their Talent, or had time and power to investigate the finer points of spellcrafting. It was like walking backwards from Canterlot to Manehattan - one could do it if they really wanted to and tried, but ...... why ? She noticed the stage being set up, then Sombra's questioning look. She cleaned the dust off her glasses to get a clearer view. "Hmmm. It looks like an entertainer is setting up for a show." she answered his unstated question before looking around, "Not a very big venue though. And kind of out in the middle of nowhere."

"One can never be sure what spells any given unicorn knows." TT thought to herself, "Theoretically, any unicorn with enough power and skill could alter their appearance with an illusion. Just so few have any need or desire to learn such a feat." TT looked around to get her bearings. "We're about an hour away from a town, sir. And about a day or so away from the Palaces of Thought. You're the only one that should need a disguise, since no one will notice me if they don't recognize you. And I have spent months here doing research over the years, so some locals recognizing me would not be all that strange or concerning. Hopefully the Librarian's Truism will keep Hou and company stalled for a bit - the bigger the library, the longer it takes to search for one desired reference. Even an army would need days, maybe weeks, to do a proper search of the Palaces." Tongue Twister sighed, recalling that her mom could not only calculate the expected search time, but give the odds of Hou succeeding by then.

Tongue Twister's hidden wings twitched under her cape as she and Sombra trudged along - as they usually did when she was deep in thought. "What could she be after ?" she groused, "Saddle Arabia and the Pharoah's Vale are home to ancient knowledge and powerful artifacts. The likes the which Equestria hasn't seen for millennia. Could that stone be part of a matched set of horrible items ? One to steal memories, one to shove false ones in, and the Mind's Eye gem to get a clear view of what needs to be done ? The instructions on how to make such things would be worse than the items themselves ! And that is something that might be tucked away in a forgotten tome in a secret room in the Palaces of Thought !" she finished with a shudder. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. She didn't have enough information to figure out Hou's final goal, so there was no sense burning her brain out trying to guess. "Focus on what you can do. Focus on what you do know." she quietly chanted to herself, "What I do know is we might need a bit of money soon ! I was planning on being on vacation for a few weeks. But this mission to figure out what Hou Shuren is up to and, if possible, stop it takes precedence. No point trying to pick up Hou's trail - she knows we're here, and she didn't get to be thousands of years old by being stupid. Probably pulled the fake ID shuffle, at least six identities deep given her near unlimited resources, making her and her friend nearly untraceable by normal means. But like daddy says : when normal means are shut down, go to ABnormal means ! And magic is the most abnormal means of all ! I should be able to make use of the Law of Contagion, given I have some of Hou's 'freely given' magic running through me. Just need to find a long stick, some alchemic chalk and candles, and some open space. Or a small bag of iron filings or ball bearings ... Since Hou and accomplice are hiding, the odds of running into them by accident is virtually nil. And when dealing with powerful magic wielders, one does NOT want to encounter them without a very good plan ! So that sort of twisted to our advantage. Which leaves the money situation ... Well, the good news is that since Sombra is here, that means this is an official STAR mission. I can just file for reimbursement to cover whatever costs we accrue. The bad news is that requires paperwork back at base. And a short wait. I doubt any of the banks around here have a transfer agreement with accounts back in Equestria. I HAVE funds back home - but I doubt I can access any of them here in Saddle Arabia !" She had just strolled past a freshly posted sign while deep in thought - but backed up to take a closer look at it. "What fresh pile of lies is this ?!" she exclaimed to Sombra, "A bounty ? On you and anypony aiding you ?" "Well, that would solve the money issue if I could pull a Las Pegasus double dip !" she mused to herself, "Turn Sombra over, then break him out once I get the bounty. But that would get us deeper in whatever trouble we're in now. And we'd most likely be forced to leave Saddle Arabia - leaving Hou and company free to do whatever they like unimpeded ! Enlisting the law to hinder your foes. Clever ! Just like what the crime families in Las Pegasus used to do to their 'competitors' - why attack them yourself when a simple tip to the law can have them taken out of the picture with no effort from you ?" Tongue Twister started thinking up a cover story - she, at least, had a reason to be in Saddle Arabia. Explaining Sombra might take some effort. She figured the best cover story would be the truth - or a very carefully edited 90% of it ....

Sombra became aware of a second presence of magic, and he knew it to be whoever Hou Shuren's companion was. He would definitely make a note of it, even as he dug his heels into the stand and pushed back against the combined resistance before.. the magic disappeared entirely, and that eerie feeling of being watched vanished. The king blinked, entirely caught by surprise. What had that been about? TT had noticed Sombra's magic flaring, and him looking annoyed. "They've stopped for now. Let's move on, shall we?" "As you wish, sir." she answered after checking her Squealer's Stone - it was back to its resting state. "Pity one can never find a cockatrice or a banshee when you need them. But, then again, how often does one actually need them ?" she groused to herself. "That was probably just a bully's poke. A demonstration of power to show they could mess with us if they desired, and we could do nothing in return. But since we already know they're here, that was kinda pointless." Sombra gave himself a shake and started off, grumbling under his breath before he thought to return to the conversation he and Tongue Twister were having previously. "As far as I'm aware, I'm not a projection from some dimension. I was still very much present throughout my loss of body, and even during my banishment at that." TT shuddered, trying to imagine what that must have felt like. "Well, it was just a possibility." TT stated, "One of many, and with little information to sort out higher from lower chance of being right, it will have to remain just a musing. Speaking of musings, do you have a plan about what we should do once we catch up to Hou and her ally, sir ? It - didn't go very well the last time." She sighed. "But, then again, no one knew what she could do the last time. Now we do. There was an old Feng Huang saying : Your greatest strength is your greatest weakness. Every time she shows off her power she gives us a hint. Hou is a plotter. She has wheels within wheels within wheels, all spinning in perfect accord. All it would take to bring it all crashing down is a little well-placed chaos. Some disinformation to get a few of the wheels going the wrong way. We didn't have a way to do that - until now ! If she's even a tenth as smart as she thinks she is, she'll have a few of her agents looking for us in the next town. To 'deal with' any ponies that are asking about her. Not sure whether they'll go for the 'Las Pegasus mob' solution, or just the 'harass, misdirect and stall us' routine. But they will be in contact with their boss. From Sun Tzu's The Art of War 'No soldier is closer to a leader in the whole army than his spies.' Fooling a few of those could be just as good as tricking Hou herself."

"Thanks for the help Berry." TT replied, "Not sure how we would have gotten away without creating an even bigger scene. 'Bitters and tonic' eh ? We shall remember that. We suppose that is a combination so horrible no one would order it on purpose. We did have a good time. All things considered ..." It was a short walk back to the hotel. It was supposed to be a quick trip to Ponyville. Just go to the post office to set up a post office box so anyone that responded to dad's "Devil's Business Card" spell had somewhere to mail their responses to. Then go back home to Las Pegasus to clear up a few loose ends. But she'd decided to join a local contest - The Running of the Leaves - on a lark. And actually won ! By the time all that was over, the last train to Las Pegasus had left, so she now to wait until early tomorrow morning for the next one. With a heavy sigh, she got ready for bed and tried to get to sleep. After listening to some music, she finally nodded off. Within her dreams, she was flying in a nondescript bright blue sky (as a pegasus, this was a most excellent dream !) Below and around her were countless floating islands, each with a building in a different architectural style, each island connected to a few others by webbing. It was how her mind retained and recalled the vast amount of information needed to speak nearly all known languages - an enhanced form of the Mind Palace technique. But instead of having just rooms full of things she wanted to remember in one building, she had cities in the clouds connected along lines only she, Whisp and Dream Weaver could make any sense of. Coming to rest upon a cloud, Tongue Twister looked upon her works, and was happy.

With that, the alarm bells screaming in TT's head doubled in number and volume. "We've found that limits define who we are." TT replied as she slipped away, "Without them, you become blurry and nebulous. Like a cloud that can be dispersed from the slightest breeze. No discipline, no direction. A state we are trying to avoid. We are greatly flattered by your attentions, but we cannot deal with any more potential drama right now. We had an unfortunate encounter with a most unpleasant sorceress - WHO CONTAMINATED US WITH ENOUGH DARK MAGIC TO GIVE NIGHTMARE MOON A RUN FOR HER BITS ! We - are not comfortable with the directions things are going. Thus, our presence here can only bring everypony else down." Tongue Twister was trying to be gracious, but was preparing her mental defenses and counters, since she recognized the slick and honeyed words of emotional manipulation when she heard them. "Why does everyone want to override my decisions ?!" she groused within, "I say 'I do not want to do X', and then, for some reason, everyone feels an overpowering need to goad or coerce me into doing X ! Like my having feelings and opinions of my own is a challenge to them that MUST be overcome ! Like my feelings and opinions mean NOTHING AT ALL. And I ^%&#%^%@$&%^& HATE that !!!"

"We would surmise you know more about it than anypony else, sir." TT replied, "But the ability to keep coming back after being destroyed is a common element in mythology. Creatures not native to this dimension could supposedly 'project' themselves into ours, forming a body out of local material. Since the projection is merely a shell, it could be destroyed, and all that would happen is the invader would be sent back home to stew for a bit. Or gather enough energy to try again, and again, and again, and again. The only way to permanently defeat them is to destroy them in their home dimension. So unless somepony can get into the Umbrum and 'deal with' you there, you may be technically invincible. That won't help against being imprisoned in stone or on the moon, but short of that, you may have a lifespan closer to stars than ponies. But who's to say, really ?" she finished with a shrug, "Not enough data to be sure." TT smiled. "This road has been a major trade route for millennia, sir. Crossing should be no problem." Sombra flicked his tail, as if swatting at a fly that wasn't there- or perhaps it was, in a sense. The feeling was only stronger now, and it wasn't put into words until Tongue Twister spoke it aloud after he caught her staring at a peculiar crystal. His dark brows furrowed. "So THAT'S Umbral magic !" TT noted to herself, "Last seen in major use about a thousand years ago. Feels different than most darker magics we've been around." "Who else would it be ?" she asked, "We're merely surprised it took her this long to get around to doing it."

"We've never understood the appeal of immortality, sir." TT stated with a shrug as she looked at a clear oval crystal before putting it back in her robes, "Some ponies can't find things to do on a lazy afternoon; but extending that to years, or centuries ? We can see an extension of a few years, or maybe a decade or two. But only if there is an important task that only we could accomplish. Part of the definition of being mortal born is you are born, you live for awhile, then you die. Like everything else that exists - even civilizations, mountain ranges and stars have finite lifespans ! Anything that lives can be killed, if only for a little while. It is merely a question of how. But as the ancient cultists supposedly said : 'That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons, even death may die.' " After checking her map, they headed due south. "And off to the right, in that gap in the Antlion Mountain range, is Pharaoh's Vale. Testing location and burial location of generations of Saddle Arabians. And quite a few very troublesome entities and items." she announced, "We'll need to get on the other side of the river, sir. Either here or over a bridge later. Otherwise, the Shatt al Malik starts heading northwest, then south. It will pass Saddlelon, but the journey would be twice as long." She looked at the crystal again. It was now swirled sky blue and white. "We were wondering when this would happen." she stated, "We are being watched. Don't know by who, or where. But somepony is using surveillance magic."

TT had to smirk at that. "Well, she did suggest she's planning on outliving the universe." Then got solemn and morose. "Back in White Tail Woods. We were pulling our scattered selves back together after she flooded us with dark magic." She then changed her voice to a fairly good imitation of Hou Shuren. "Nothing is Forever? Well, then it pleases me that I will be the first... When sentient life will forget what Equestria or Long Guo were, I will be there. When Equinekind will leave it's cradle, and spill to the sea of stars, I will still be there. When this universe collapses unto itself and gives birth to a new one. I. Will. Be.There." There are some things that are so horrid, or so bizarre, that cannot be forgotten. Even if one wants to. Upon further reflection, she was merely kicking us when we were down. She noticed we were trying to recover, and by Mad Villainy 101, one should always stop such things. If she needs souls to stay young, she'll eventually run out. Unless there is an easy way to get to other worlds and other universes. Then she'd be a plague of locusts that strips worlds and dimensions of souls. That does sound scary. But The Caretaker, He Who Waits Between Worlds, the Nothing and the All-Consuming Void don't like competition or upstarts. They would deal with her. If they actually exist, of course." she continued, "Ancient societies had some rather imaginative concepts of the universe, and their place in it." "Very good, sir." TT replied as she took out her map to double check a few things. "This is a major trade route, so the path should be easy. Heads due south beside the Shatt-Al Malik, then the Shatt Al-Iblis. Very few chances to get lost. As the highest ranking member of this rather small team, any ideas or orders, sir ?" she inquired.

"Your concern is appreciated, but not necessary." TT replied as she put her glass down, "A gracious host looks after her guests. And a good guest knows when to go home. This has been more fun than we expected, so we bid thee all a good night." She leaned in close to whisper in Berry's ear : "If you're trying to alleve loneliness, we'd say you are doing very well indeed ! Quite the selection you have here."

TT thought for a moment. "Merely seeing the memories of who the stone once belonged to sounds oddly limited. Like a small function of either a memory vault or mind siphon trap. Or an incompletely enchanted artifact - it was supposed to do more, but the enchanter didn't get around to finishing the job. We'd guess there is much more to the stone. As to why Hou is here, probably Evil Schemes 101 : the bigwigs don't usually get involved unless it is really, really important. She stayed hidden in the shadows for centuries, then challenged you to combat, just to stop you from potentially interfering with a robbery. Now she's in a distant country herself, when she could've just sent some minions or henchponies." She sighed. "But we don't have enough info to even guess properly. Best to hold off until we know more." She looked around a bit, trying to locate a familiar merchant's stall, "Saddlelon is the closest town from here. If she were going to Pharaoh's Vale, she'd have to go through Saddlelon. If she wanted to go to Manephis the long way, the only road goes through Saddlelon. There - really aren't that many options. Unless you want to head out into the tractless Great Desert. Not a good idea. But we do know that if you're looking for ancient knowledge, Saddlelon is the place to go. They have libraries nearly the size of cities." Then she noticed they were standing in front of a merchant's stall - the one she was looking for. The Saddle Arabian native stallion noticed Tongue Twister and smiled. "Ah, Miss Twister ! You are here moons earlier than usual." "Yeah. Business this time Sekani." "Ah. So you'll be wanting the usual gear anyway ?" "Yep. Times two." TT replied, gesturing to Sombra. The merchant nodded before turning to the back of the stall and shouting some commands to two younger natives. Within moments, she and Sombra had everything they'd need for a trip to Saddlelon.

At the mention of what the Remembrance Stone could possibly do, Tongue Twister's pupils went vertical as her sclera turned black, and she growled lower than any living creature should be able to. She took a few deep breaths to calm down and regain control of her temper. "Sorry about that sir." she stated gruffly while not looking up, "There are five things we hate most in this world : things that shove memories into your head, things that rip them out of your head, things that can read them, things that can twist or alter them, and things that can control minds." After a few more cleansing breaths, she reverted to normal and continued "We asked around. Hou's headed for Saddlelon. And from what you stated, most likely looking for the directions on how to use that stone properly. Or tracking down the last user to gain their secrets; after all, if they could make something like that, who knows what else they could make. We don't see anything else valuable enough for her to show up in person. Oh, more bad news : she has an ally. A unicorn stallion. Don't know how powerful he is, or what he's up to, but he is at a minimum on rather good terms with Hou."

"They're merchants, sir. Of course they'll take Equestrian bits." TT began, "But normally at a VERY steep exchange rate. Don't worry about it, sir. We have plenty of local currency, and we know some locals willing to haggle." she continued, still referring to herself in plural. "Oh, did anypony ever figure out what was taken from the vaults ?" TT inquired quietly while looking around sneakily.

"Yes. Yes, we did." TT replied with a chuckle, "Anypony that's bargained with him for even a few minutes could figure that out easily. He's a curio merchant. Sells 'strange and unusual trinkets as gifts for the strange and unusual creatures in your life'. Pretty much have to be a 'scoundrel' to earn a living at that ! Some ponies have far more bits than sense; this is an imbalance that is easily corrected. He may be a scoundrel, but somepony has to be !"

TT listened to Trixie's explanation. "That you're going through such effort to keep three fillies happy is impressive." she stated, "And it does sound like an interesting idea. Might suggest it to mom later. But where are you getting those 'prizes' ? Our dad is a curio merchant in Canterlot. Every time some pony finds an odd item in their attic, they try to sell it to him. Between that and our job translating and finding artifacts for the museum, we have seen - and withstood - effects that make those 'treasures from the Lunar Republic' look like cereal box prizes ! That's why we are out here, trying to track down abandoned lairs that might still contain dangerous items. Before anypony else gets hold of them. So when we ran across a filly in the middle of the woods, following a map to 'ancient treasure', we were - concerned. But it seems you have everything under control here." She looked at Trixie at bit, trying to recall something. "Wait - you're Trixie Lulamoon. You, Starlight, Discord and Thorax foiled Queen Chrysalis' second invasion. Got awarded the Pink Heart. Not something that happens every day. But that didn't give you wings." TT continued while gesturing towards Trixie's wings, "Are those a variant of the winged glamour those unicorns from Celestia's school use to play the pegasus part in buckball ? We're honestly quite surprised Scootaloo hasn't been bugging you constantly to cast it on her !"

"Well, actually, at the conventions, we usually do." TT replied to Berry, "Some of those conventioneers can be rather particular." "It's a cover of a parody, thought up by somepony with a lot of imagination. It's one of my personal favorites !" she replied to Midnight. "We and dad go to a LOT of O & O conventions - mainly because dad's talent is separating fools from their money. And fantasy conventions are jam-packed with them ! He can buy a hundred 'unique collectible, one of a kind' figurines for five bits. Then sell them for three bits apiece at the conventions ! And they think they're getting a deal !"

Morning after Hou and Dox left Tongue Twister grumbled as she shifted about on the shabby bed as the sun's morning light hit her right in the eyes. Exactly as she wanted it to, for Nature's alarm clock is near impossible to ignore. After a quick wash and brushing, she put on a white robe (thawb) and tagelmust (turban with veil that wraps around face) and headed out, reasonably sure that Hou Shuren and ally had already left town. "The LAST thing I need is to run into them while I'm asking about them in town !" she muttered to herself as she turned toward the marketplace, "That could get .... unpleasant." When she'd been doing her graduate research, she spent months at a stretch here. So she was quickly able to find a stall that sold adventuring sundries - Madu's. She asked about a unicorn mare with a white coat, black mane, cobra cutie mark, with an elegant and imposing demeanor. He hadn't sold her anything, but a mare passing by had. She was quite thrilled that Hou and friend had purchased so many thawbs and tagelmusts ! "No real need for so many." TT mused to herself after she bought a scarab necklace (for luck) from the mare in appreciation, "Either Hou suspects she's being followed, or changing outfits is just an evasive protocol she's developed after centuries of being discreet and evasive. Hmm - that could be a problem. Worst case scenario : she left some agents behind, with orders to quietly dispose of anypony asking about her. And if STAR sent someone down here to rendevous with me ? They'd know who I am, but I may not know them, since there were other agents. So there may be ponies I don't know asking about me. That may or may not be hostile. I suppose I'll have to deal with that when the time comes." She spent most of the day making discreet inquiries of the merchants, seeing if any of them overheard where Hou was headed - no luck. Then she noticed a familiar, rather disgruntled grey unicorn. "Good to see a familiar face, Sombra." she stated with a slight bow, "We see our note was received. We really need to get you some local clothing though. The sun is quite punishing around here - especially to those of us with darker coats."

Tongue Twister was surprised that she actually WAS having fun - she was afraid she'd have to forego such things until she could get her whole 'Dark Energy shoved into her head !' situation resolved. But so far, she'd been able to maneuver around Abomination. Once Tiger finished, she looked over the options on the karaoke machine, trying to figure out what to inflict upon the others ...😄 "Let's see here ... 'Monster' ? Nah - can't get my voice low enough. 'When You're Evil' ? Nope. 'Tavern Crawl' ? Nope - don't want to insult Berry. 'Sound of Silence' ? Too dismal. 'Awake Ye Scary Great Old Ones' ? Need three ponies to sing that one properly. 'Holding Out for a Hero' ? Maybe ..." Her ears flicked when she noticed a song, and got an idea. "This is one of our personal favorites." Tongue Twister announced after a few moments' thought, "It's a big hit at the O & O conventions." And with that, she started singing 'Hey There Cthulhu' : "Hey there Cthulhu, down there in your sunken city You’re a billion light years distant and the stars look very pretty From R’lyeh So close and yet so far away Iä, Ië Cthulhu Fhtagn, or is that k-THOO-loo fuh-TINE? I can never quite remember, ’cause I’m not in my right mind Since I met you No one corrupts the way you do You know it’s true ..."

If Tongue Twister's eyes rolled any harder, they'd fall out of her head ! She'd always found this sort of self-aggradizing martyrdom teeth-grindingly annoying ! Which convinced her that Trixie was pulling her leg. And even if she wasn't, the routine had been going on longer than was comfortable. "If you couldn't succeed with the help of four friends, what makes you think you'll do better alone ?" she asked, "The only creature that ever took the weight of the heavens upon their shoulders alone was Atlas. And THAT was as a punishment ! But that is beside the point. What we wanted to know is where you're getting those maps from. We mean : A Deck of Calamity ? As a prize ? WHY ?! There are safer ways of dealing with troublesome artifacts before they become dangerous. That's kind of why we are here."

Tongue Twister had to admit that Trixie's story was a great, heart wrenching tale of loss and glory; whether it was true or not was a whole other question. So she decided to simply roll with it. "Solving problems before they become too great is wisely proactive." she stated, "And a classic cover story ! One of the tried and true standbys - alongside 'tabloid reporter', 'jongleur', 'traveling salespony', 'itinerant scholar' and 'tinker'. But is it wise to do all that alone ? After all, a trouble shared is a trouble halved."

One problem with long term, long distance surveillance was boredom; without something to focus on and anchor the mind in place, it tends to wander. For some, much more than others ... TT took out a map of the area and examined it. "Let's see - both Pharaoh's Vale and Saddlelon are a few day's journey from here. Hou and friend will need supplies. Which means they have to buy them from somepony." She smirked. "If you're willing to ask around a bit, there are hundreds of eyes available to notice what somepony is doing; why limit myself to just my own ?"

Tongue Twister raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "You brought your OWN record for a karaoke night ? Now THAT is some serious dedication to having fun Jade !" She almost used her wing to give a 'thumbs up' - but restrained the impulse and went for short clapping instead.

TT had to give the mare credit : she REALLY knows The Banter ! "FINALLY somepony else has the good sense to deal with problems when they're small, instead of letting them go until only Harmony's Chosen can deal with them ! But I really need to ask : when did Equestria get a SIXTH alicorn ?"