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The Bearded Geezer
The unicorn filly slipped into the grassy field between day and night — and, more importantly, between day and night guard. She raced towards the center, hooves barely skimming the grass, using the sparse bushes to shield her from outside, until she was touching the mausoleum door.
Trembling with excitement, she took a small camera from her saddlebag.
“All right, stupid door. Show it again!”
She was met with stony silence. No matter how much she begged, pleaded, threatened, she only got scratched hooves to show for it. She could already hear the mocking voices of her classmates as she returned without proof.
Tears of rage forming in her eyes, she lay her head on the front step and closed her eyes. Why had she made that stupid bet anyway? And why wouldn’t the old geezer appear?
A gentle glow brightened her eyelids, making the filly open her eyes and look up. There, the old geezer! Or at least a magical contru– cons– magical image. Now, just one photo…
“Great potential is what I sense in you. Heed my last words, as this door you go through.”
Stunned, the filly almost dropped her camera; by the time she had it ready again the construct had vanished. “Oh, great, this time it had to spook me. With a charade, and he talks like a zebra! And what would…”
Wait, she thought, I know this geezer. It’s that bearded guy. What was it again he said...
She recalled the phrase promptly. She got it wrong at magical kindergarten, and was mocked for it; she would never forget that. And it is a bunch of nonsense, she thought, as she whispered, “If you want to be great like me, start by being humble. What a load of…”
The door was outlined in a golden glow, opening with a low rumble. The filly scanned around, panicked, shoving the camera into her saddlebag. No guards yet; she let her breath out. But how long would they take to notice the open door? Perhaps she should leave.
But that geezer was really great; some even thought that he was as powerful as the princess. And “great like me” did have a nice ring…
Tentatively, the filly took a step inside the door, and then another. Inside, a corridor angled down, the walls laced with glowing crystals. At least it isn’t dark, the filly thought.
Soon the filly was trotting, forgetting about the guards. What would they do, anyway? And the geezer had invited her, hadn’t he?
Sighting a lit doorway ahead the filly broke into a gallop. She could already taste the greatness, the power…
“My camera!”
Freed from the saddlebag by her galloping, the camera scampered across the doorway. The filly dived after it…
And shuddered as she felt an invisible magic field pass over her. The camera forgotten, she looked at the doorway, lighting her horn; she wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something covering the top of the doorway, and she was sure passing through it would have been very bad.
“Oh, my.” The filly’s concerned face turned into a smile. “I guess his greatness was really meant for me!”
Packing the camera into her saddlebag, the filly looked around. The floor was littered with horn rings, amulets, staves, all powerful looking… but the filly knew better. She could tell a stage prop when she looked at it; her father made sure of that. Everything here was just trash, and she was sure the guards…
Her eyes were drawn up, to to a point where light beams crossed. There was a package there, and the filly knew what she would take.
As she lit her horn, she felt magic pushing back; the package had been enchanted to not be moved by telekinesis. Grumply, the filly looked around; she knew that anything solid would slip out of her telekinesis when it touched the package...
Wait, anything solid? With a smile, the filly concentrated on one of the light beams, remembering one spell her father taught her, the one to use light to blow things away. So entertained she was, she didn’t notice her own flank glowing.
Celestia had expected to find the door blasted again, and an unconscious robber sprawled in front of the fake tomb. Instead, she saw a blue filly, happily running away wearing the starry hat and cape she knew very well. She smiled; perhaps she should offer the filly a place in her school for unicorns.
Trembling with excitement, she took a small camera from her saddlebag.
“All right, stupid door. Show it again!”
She was met with stony silence. No matter how much she begged, pleaded, threatened, she only got scratched hooves to show for it. She could already hear the mocking voices of her classmates as she returned without proof.
Tears of rage forming in her eyes, she lay her head on the front step and closed her eyes. Why had she made that stupid bet anyway? And why wouldn’t the old geezer appear?
A gentle glow brightened her eyelids, making the filly open her eyes and look up. There, the old geezer! Or at least a magical contru– cons– magical image. Now, just one photo…
“Great potential is what I sense in you. Heed my last words, as this door you go through.”
Stunned, the filly almost dropped her camera; by the time she had it ready again the construct had vanished. “Oh, great, this time it had to spook me. With a charade, and he talks like a zebra! And what would…”
Wait, she thought, I know this geezer. It’s that bearded guy. What was it again he said...
She recalled the phrase promptly. She got it wrong at magical kindergarten, and was mocked for it; she would never forget that. And it is a bunch of nonsense, she thought, as she whispered, “If you want to be great like me, start by being humble. What a load of…”
The door was outlined in a golden glow, opening with a low rumble. The filly scanned around, panicked, shoving the camera into her saddlebag. No guards yet; she let her breath out. But how long would they take to notice the open door? Perhaps she should leave.
But that geezer was really great; some even thought that he was as powerful as the princess. And “great like me” did have a nice ring…
Tentatively, the filly took a step inside the door, and then another. Inside, a corridor angled down, the walls laced with glowing crystals. At least it isn’t dark, the filly thought.
Soon the filly was trotting, forgetting about the guards. What would they do, anyway? And the geezer had invited her, hadn’t he?
Sighting a lit doorway ahead the filly broke into a gallop. She could already taste the greatness, the power…
“My camera!”
Freed from the saddlebag by her galloping, the camera scampered across the doorway. The filly dived after it…
And shuddered as she felt an invisible magic field pass over her. The camera forgotten, she looked at the doorway, lighting her horn; she wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something covering the top of the doorway, and she was sure passing through it would have been very bad.
“Oh, my.” The filly’s concerned face turned into a smile. “I guess his greatness was really meant for me!”
Packing the camera into her saddlebag, the filly looked around. The floor was littered with horn rings, amulets, staves, all powerful looking… but the filly knew better. She could tell a stage prop when she looked at it; her father made sure of that. Everything here was just trash, and she was sure the guards…
Her eyes were drawn up, to to a point where light beams crossed. There was a package there, and the filly knew what she would take.
As she lit her horn, she felt magic pushing back; the package had been enchanted to not be moved by telekinesis. Grumply, the filly looked around; she knew that anything solid would slip out of her telekinesis when it touched the package...
Wait, anything solid? With a smile, the filly concentrated on one of the light beams, remembering one spell her father taught her, the one to use light to blow things away. So entertained she was, she didn’t notice her own flank glowing.
Celestia had expected to find the door blasted again, and an unconscious robber sprawled in front of the fake tomb. Instead, she saw a blue filly, happily running away wearing the starry hat and cape she knew very well. She smiled; perhaps she should offer the filly a place in her school for unicorns.