//------------------------------//
// Limits 
// Story: Disappear 
// by ShimmeringStallion 
//------------------------------//


Limits





Spitfire was still trying to go after Gather, prompting Twilight to attempt to drag the energetic Wonderbolt captain through the air with her magic all the way to the boutique. Rarity couldn’t help much as her attention was diverted to Vanish, who had since left the destroyed entrance of her store and simply looked at the lightning cloud path being made by his client’s flight to Canterlot. The stallion remained staring at it as he walked towards the ponies, but then shouted to one of the mares. “Let her go!”

Twilight turned her attention to Vanish, but didn’t stop holding Spitfire in place, prompting the dark blue pony to explain himself. “If she tries to fight him, she will fail. With her wings taken, the Wonderbolts will no longer pose a threat; not to me, and not to my client.” Vanish wasn’t messing around with his statement. The way he worded it caused Spitfire to turn her attention to him, surprised at how clear-cut it seemed, but he wasn't done with his words. “Should she feel the need to warn Canterlot, she can do so from Ponyville.” Vanish looked at Spitfire with an expression of expectance being delivered to the Pegasus pony. “You know you can.”

Twilight let Spitfire go, and for a while, Spitfire simply hovered in the air, confused about what the smoke gray-maned pony had meant. Upon realizing the meaning of his message, she promptly shot into the air. As her own lightning cloud streamed in the sky, anypony could see that she wasn’t moving in a direct path, yet seemed to be making precise movements. Twilight saw her fly in an erratic manner, and became puzzled about what Spitfire had in mind with such actions.

However, moving in order to get a better view, she saw that it wasn’t the path Spitfire was making, but what the path looked like; the jagged pattern made the space within the lightning clouds resemble a lightning bolt. Spitfire wasn’t just flying, but instead forming a massive symbol that those in Canterlot could see. Within a minute from Spitfire landing again, Twilight had her confirmation that Princess Celestia had received the message, as a familiar barrier that her brother had formed around Canterlot on his wedding day had materialized once more. For now, Canterlot appeared to be safe from a direct attack.

The mercenary's voice rose up from the direction of the boutique. “… Fifteen minutes.” Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Twilight had all stared at the beautiful display that Spitfire had performed, forgetting about Vanish’s presence and, more importantly to him, his request. Rarity trotted into the boutique, carefully nudging debris out of her way while making her way in; her hooves made her safe from stepping on the glass, but if somepony tripped, they would find themselves in significant pain. Sweetie Belle and Vanish followed close behind her, but Twilight turned around so that she could accompany the exhausted Spitfire into Carousel Boutique, making sure that she wouldn't collapse on the glass. By the time she got inside, Rarity had already begun searching for something to cut the hat with. Noticing that all her materials for making precise cuts were located in her inspiration room, she ran up the Boutique stairwell with Vanish carefully watching her, and Sweetie Belle carefully watching the observant, untrusting stallion.

Spitfire felt the need to explain the symbol to Twilight, while they were alone, and while she was catching her breath. “… P-Princess… Celestia’s letter said… that if there was a problem… t-to form th… the symbol of... of th....” Twilight raised her hoof in understanding. “It’s alright, Spitfire. You did a great job, and I’m sure that the other Wonderbolts are also proud of you for doing that, as would everypony else in Canterlot be just as grateful!” She gave Spitfire a pat on the back, nearly toppling her over.

Twilight leaned down, terrified that she might have hurt the Pegasus pony. “Oh my gosh! Spitfire!?” Spitfire had collapsed on the curtain that had been torn down by Rainbow Dash just one day ago, catching her breath slightly as she laid upon the comfortable fabric. “I’m just a little tired… I was supposed to form that symbol with S-Soarin’, to reduce the strain on my body… I think I’ll just lie down here for a moment.” Spitfire was unusually exhausted, but it wasn’t a surprise to Twilight: She felt Spitfire trying to break free of her magic for a while, when Gather had taken the time to taunt her. Such an act that would have placed Rainbow Dash into a state of exhaustion, let alone having to do something else immediately after that; something involving the making of precise dashes in the air as quickly as possible. Twilight saw Spitfire curl up on the curtain, choosing to leave her there so that she could rest.

As she waited for Rarity, Twilight decided that she could be of use: She used her magic to pick up all the glass shards, noticing a few things in the process, such as how there seemed to be a couple of small backpacks discarded off to the side of the broken entrance, as well as a broom, indicating that an attempt at cleaning up was already made. Lastly, she saw that the glass also had a clear, linear path going through it already, like something pushed it aside, or went straight through it. As she moved the debris into the room, piling it near a rack of clothes as neatly as she was capable of piling them, she heard several ponies talking in the stairwell of Carousel Boutique.

“Now really, I don’t see how your efforts to remind me of the time would make me do this any faster.” “Well, it couldn’t cause you to possibly go any slower than the pace you have allowed yourself to be moving since we left the library…” “Don’t make fun of my sister, you jerk!” Twilight could pick out the voices easily, but even if they some sort of Pony-Cerberus hybrid that sounded similar with all three heads, their words gave away who they were all the same. Rarity came back downstairs, having made an incision in the outer and inner fabric of the hat, with Vanish still following her, looking especially mad, though not as mad as Sweetie Belle appeared to be.

Rarity brought the fedora to the same desk she used last time to repair it, trying to take out the gemstones one by one, which wasn’t easy given how dark it was inside the fedora, and how its movements had shifted the locations of the gems. Twilight had something on her mind, though. “Vanish? Can I ask you somethi-” “I’m sorry, my dear, it will have to wait until after thi-” “Please!” Vanish looked over at Twilight, whose eyes seemed to be pleading for acknowledgement. He looked at Rarity, who motioned for him to step back so she could work, through the act of waving her hoof dismissively in his general direction. He did as she motioned, leaving Rarity with the fedora and Sweetie Belle with her sister as he stepped towards Twilight Sparkle.

“… Yes, how can I help you?” The dark, dark blue stallion was still distracted as he looked back at the fedora Rarity was working on, not wanting to allow the seamstress even the slightest moment unattended. Twilight kicked his foreleg with her own front hoof, prompting a temporary look of shock, followed by an audible acknowledgement of the pain she inflicted on him, though the purple unicorn demanded his attention. “Vanish! Look at me when I talk to you!” Vanish saw the look of pleading hadn’t left Twilight’s eyes, but it had been accompanied with shades of annoyance at his attitude. Rubbing his leg with his other hoof, he sat down and stared directly at Twilight. “I apologize for my ignorance, my dear. Please, how may I offer my assistance?”

She wasted no time in asking her question. “Why did you call me ‘entitled’ back at my library? Even when we were walking through the plaza, you used that word. I mean, you’re a unicorn as well, so aren’t you being a bit hypocritical?” Vanish stopped rubbing his leg since the question presented to him actually distracted him from the pain he was feeling prior to that moment. He closed his eyes to contemplate his response, resulting in yet another kick from Twilight, to the exact same spot. “Look at me when you answer!”

Vanish was a bit surprised at the rather hostile temper that Twilight was exhibiting, once again rubbing his leg, which was now growing a welt under the dark blue coat that covered it. Twilight shook her head. “I-I’m sorry, but please, Vanish, don’t try to answer questions with other questions. Just answer from the heart.” Vanish chuckled, but didn’t break eye contact with Twilight. “You’re naïve, you know that?” He sighed. “It’s not that simple… But I’ll play your game. After all, I said it before: I don’t expect you to understand.”