Under the watchful eyes of Ye Ziji and Fluttershy, Mayor Mare took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
The heavy heaving of her chest gradually steadied.
She regained the composure and sense of responsibility befitting a town leader.
Her gaze swept across her surroundings.
Fluttershy, this kind pony, was looking at her with eyes full of trust and encouragement.
And the mysterious Unicorn, who had told her what to do with a calm and composed attitude.
Then, she looked through the doorway and out at the chaotic plaza.
Ponyville had lost its order.
The panicked townspeople were running around like headless flies.
They were afraid, they were desperate, and they needed someone to guide them!
Mayor Mare closed her eyes.
She quickly did some mental preparation.
“Calm down, calm down,” she told herself.
“This is no different. Just pretend… pretend the Pegasi suddenly sent an emergency notice saying a super blizzard is coming.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“My job isn’t to fight the blizzard, but to make sure my citizens get through this disaster safely and smoothly.”
The analogy worked.
She stopped thinking about the terrifying Nightmare Moon, and stopped worrying about what to do now that the Princess was missing.
In her mind, she transformed this crisis into a “sudden severe weather event”—something she could handle, and had handled countless times before.
“Trust Her Highness,” she continued to encourage herself.
“Princess Celestia is Equestria’s sun. She will surely resolve this so-called Nightmare Moon, just as she has resolved countless crises in the past.”
“We just need to… just like before, wait peacefully. Wait for the sun to rise again.”
When she opened her eyes again, all panic and helplessness had faded away.
In their place was a determination and composure befitting the mayor of Ponyville!
She smoothed her messy gray mane and straightened her posture.
Then, she turned to the stranger Unicorn who had remained calm and composed throughout, giving her direction—Ye Ziji.
She gave him a solemn nod.
This nod carried gratitude, trust, and above all, a signal: “I am ready.”
Ye Ziji understood her gaze.
He said nothing.
He simply raised his front hoof calmly and gave a gentle wave toward the visible swirl of wind surrounding Mayor Mare.
*Whoosh—*
The wind seemed to receive an order and instantly surged with life.
In a flash, it transformed into thousands of tiny megaphones, flying out from the Celebration Hall toward every corner of Ponyville.
It swept through the streets, over the rooftops, slipped through the cracks of every window and door, and reached the ears of every panicked pony.
At that moment, all of Ponyville fell silent.
A familiar, powerful voice, carried by the wind, echoed clearly in every corner, ringing in the ears of every pony.
“Ponies of Ponyville, please listen to me! This is your mayor!”
“I know everyone is terrified right now. Darkness has enveloped us, and the sun has failed to rise.”
“But panicking and running around won’t solve anything! It will only put us in greater danger!”
“Now, I need everyone to stop running around aimlessly. All ponies, gather in the town square!”
“Come to me! We will stand united and face this together, just as we have done with every crisis before!”
These words were like a clap of thunder, waking up the ponies who had been blinded by fear.
They stopped in their tracks, looking around in confusion.
Then, as one, they turned their gazes toward the town square.
There, though the Mayor’s figure was small, her voice was incredibly clear.
Their pillar of support had arrived.
At first, only a few nearby ponies walked over tentatively.
Then a dozen, then dozens…
Fear still lingered on their faces, but their eyes were no longer filled with pure despair—there was now a glimmer of hope, looking for guidance.
Ye Ziji stood in the shadows of the Celebration Hall, quietly watching it all.
He quietly withdrew the “amplification” effect of the wind element, letting it dissolve back into a gentle breeze and disperse.
His task was temporarily complete.
The stage now belonged to the Mayor.
Looking at the dense crowd of citizens below, the Mayor’s mayoral instincts were fully awakened.
She cleared her throat and began to issue orders methodically.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for the front row of ponies to hear and pass it down, row by row.
“Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” she called out.
“Are the supplies at Sugarcube Corner sufficient? I need you and the other food-service ponies to organize immediately and prepare food and hot water for everyone! We must keep up everyone’s strength!”
“Here!” Mr. Cake, wearing his chef’s hat, answered instantly from the crowd, and Mrs. Cake beside him nodded vigorously.
Now that they had a clear task, the panic on their faces was instantly replaced by a professional sense of duty.
“Carpentry crew!” the Mayor continued.
“I need you to grab your tools immediately. Check and reinforce the doors and windows of every house in town, and build defensive fences along the roads leading into Ponyville! We must ensure everyone’s safety!”
Several strong Earth Ponies stepped forward from the crowd, shouting their agreement before turning to run toward their tool sheds.
“Daisy, Lily, and Rose!” The Mayor looked at the three flower-loving ponies.
“I need you to comfort the frightened foals and elderly ponies! We cannot allow fear to spread among our ponies!”
…
One clear, concrete, and actionable instruction after another fell from the Mayor’s lips.
She was like an experienced general, placing every soldier in the most suitable position.
The townspeople, who had been a chaotic, disorganized mess, quickly went into action after receiving their tasks.
The panic did not disappear completely, but it was suppressed by something far more powerful: purpose and responsibility.
As the ponies busied themselves, focusing on what they did best, the immense dread born of helplessness quickly receded.
The entire Ponyville, like a giant machine being restarted, began to turn slowly but steadily, despite a few creaks and groans.
Fluttershy stood aside, watching all of this in sheer awe.
She had never imagined that the Mayor possessed such incredible strength, able to calm everyone down with just a few words.
She turned to look at Ye Ziji, her eyes brimming with admiration and gratitude.
She knew that without this mysterious Unicorn, none of this would have happened.
At the same time, seeing order return to Ponyville bit by bit under the Mayor’s command, Fluttershy felt her own heart swell with courage.
She saw several nurse ponies busy setting up a temporary medical station to care for any potential injured, and she wanted to join them and do her part.
However, as soon as she lifted her hoof, Ye Ziji gently caught her tail in his teeth.
She turned back in confusion, only to see Ye Ziji nudging her with his hoof, a serious look in his eyes.
“Fluttershy,” Ye Ziji’s voice was a bit weak.
“I need your help right now—help that is far more important than tending to the injured.”
He paused, explaining, “Though my magic is still depleted, it is slowly recovering. I need more gems to act as catalysts so I can summon more elements to help us and protect the ponies. I need you.”
Fluttershy froze at the words “I need you,” her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
She looked at the busy nurses in the distance, then back at the pale, earnest Ye Ziji in front of her.
Her kind nature drove her to help the ponies who needed care, but Ye Ziji’s words made her realize that helping him might actually be the better choice to protect everyone.
“Gems…” Fluttershy tilted her head, thinking hard.
“The place with the most gems in Ponyville would be Rarity’s home. She’s a fashion designer and always uses beautiful gems to decorate her dresses.”
As she spoke, she pointed toward an elegant and unique building not far away that resembled a carousel—the Carousel Boutique.
“Only…” Fluttershy added hesitantly, “Rarity doesn’t seem to be here. Is it really okay to take her things without her permission?”
Seeing her torn expression, Ye Ziji shrugged indifferently.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. We are merely ‘requisitioning’ them, and I will compensate her twofold afterward. I’m sure Miss Rarity would agree when it comes to protecting all of Ponyville.”
His tone was completely certain, as if he had already foreseen the outcome.
Hearing the words “requisitioning” and “protecting Ponyville,” Fluttershy’s guilt eased considerably.
She thought about Rarity’s usual generous nature and decided that Ye Ziji made a lot of sense.
Rarity was so generous; how could she begrudge a few gems to save her friends?
“Alright, once Rarity comes back, I’ll be sure to explain everything to her clearly,” Fluttershy resolved in her heart.
She gave a firm nod, her gaze turning resolute. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“I’ll take you there!”
With Fluttershy leading the way, the two ponies navigated the busy but orderly plaza and arrived in front of the Carousel Boutique.
The shop door was locked tight—clearly, the owner had left in a hurry.
This was no obstacle for Ye Ziji.
Even with his magic nearly depleted, he could still perform a few minor tricks.
He lightly tapped the lock cylinder with the tip of his horn, and with a soft click, the door swung open.
Pushing the door open, they were greeted by an elegant scent—a blend of fabrics, perfume, and a faint metallic aroma.
Though the shop was a bit untidy due to the owner’s hasty departure, it still maintained an exquisite, gorgeous style overall.
All sorts of outfits hung on racks, mannequin ponies wore extravagant gowns, and most eye-catching of all were the items scattered across worktables, shelves, and even the floor…
Glittering gems of every color.
Ye Ziji walked into the boutique, looked around, and quickly divided the tasks.
He pointed to a colorful pile of gems on the left side of the worktable and said to Fluttershy, “Fluttershy, you grab those over there. I’ll take these.”
He then added, “Prioritize solid colors. Red represents fire, blue represents water, yellow represents earth… In short, take as many as you can. Leave the multi-colored ones.”
Just as Ye Ziji was about to do his part and walk toward a crate of uncut raw stones on the right, a white blur darted out from behind a pile of fabrics with a *swoosh*, blocking his path.
It was an elegant Persian cat, pure white all over except for the pale purple tips of her tail and ears.
She had a pair of haughty blue eyes just like her owner, Rarity, and was currently glaring at Ye Ziji with hostility.
“Hiss—hah!”
The cat arched her back, her fur puffing up until she looked like a mini Spinosaurus, and hissed threateningly at Ye Ziji.
She raised a front paw, bared her sharp claws, and swiped at the air a couple of times.
Her warning was crystal clear.
“Opal!”
Fluttershy gasped, instantly recognizing Rarity’s beloved pet, Opal.
She quickly trotted over and knelt down in front of Opal.
Soothing her in the gentle tone she used to communicate with animals, she said, “Don’t be scared, Opal, it’s alright. This… this gentleman doesn’t mean any harm. We’re just here to borrow some gems to protect Ponyville.”
Fluttershy patiently explained the situation outside, telling her that night had fallen, everyone was in danger, and Ye Ziji needed these gems to cast magic to help and protect them.
As Opal listened to Fluttershy’s explanation, the hostility on her face gradually softened.
She tilted her head, looking hesitantly at Fluttershy, meowing a few times, and shot a wary glance at the pitch-black Unicorn of unknown origin.
In the end, she seemed to choose to believe Fluttershy’s words.
She stopped her threatening cries but remained on guard, refusing to take a single step back from blocking Ye Ziji.
She hissed softly at Ye Ziji once more, as if emphasizing a point.
Ye Ziji looked at Fluttershy in confusion, asking with his eyes what was going on.
Fluttershy translated sheepishly, “Um… Opal says she believes me. But she won’t let you touch Rarity’s gems.”
“Why?”
Ye Ziji raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Because she says…” Fluttershy’s voice grew even quieter, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“She says your color is too dark, and she’s worried your coat might rub against the expensive silks and fabrics nearby and get them dirty…”
Ye Ziji’s mouth twitched.
He looked down at his pitch-black coat, then at the spotless, neatly hung rolls of gorgeous fabric nearby, and finally at the cat who was clearly turning her nose up at him.
For a moment, he was utterly speechless.
“Hakimi, huh?” he silently grumbled in his mind about the haughty cat.
“Fine. You and your owner really are nothing alike.”
He rolled his eyes dramatically at the cat, who still maintained her haughty posture.
Then, he simply plopped his rump down onto the clean floor, extended a hoof in a “be my guest” gesture, and said to Fluttershy:
“Alright, Fluttershy. Looks like I’ll have to trouble you, then. Just gather the gems from both sides like I said earlier.”
This was the first time in his life he had ever been looked down upon by a cat.
He decided that what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over, so he would just sit and wait for Fluttershy to finish the job.
*Just you wait, Hakimi!*