"I said stop it! You know I'm ticklish, darn it!'
The mare's voice carried well in the crisp morning air, though there was naught but one other pony to hear it. The shout originated from a powdery-white pony, who sported a cream-colored mane, and a far less than amused expression on her face, all but glowering at the other pony.
Slowly retracting a wing, the red-hued pegasus turned his gaze her way, a shocked, slack jawed expression on his face. Ruffling the feathers of the offending wing, he then casually tucked it alongside his body. Casting his bronze-hued mane aside, he played at innocence with flamboyant flair. "You accuse me of tickling you?" he asked in a mockingly shocked voice, bringing a hoof to his chest to add to the effect. "You wound me, Sweets!"
"I just might!" she retorted in an angry but playful tone. Bucking up, she used her hind legs to give the pegasus a powerful shove. While larger than the mare, the red colt was sent stumbling all the same, taking a few moments to recover before he trotted back alongside her.
"Oh-ho-ho! So that's how it's gonna be, is it? And here I thought you...loved me..." He made quite the display of sniffling and pouting, giving her the most watery eyes, looking almost like a foal pleading for candy. She looked unimpressed, raising an eyebrow to accentuate this fact. He played at it a few moments longer before he swung his hips in turn, giving her an equally stumbling shove with his flank.
"Oh that's IT!" she exclaimed, a touch of playfulness in her voice as she recovered from the stumble. For his part, the colt had already bolted ahead, peering back over his shoulder to stick his tongue out at her. With fire in her eyes, the mare tore off after him, kicking up dust as she not only matched, but beat his pace.
Her pursuit was short lived, as she caught up to him moments later. This would have been a bit surprising, were it not for the fact that he had stopped at top of the last hill just outside of Tailwind Dale. Eyeing him suspiciously as she slowed to a trot, she came up alongside him. She tried to catch his eye, but his gaze was forward set, and he refused to look her way. Thinking he was ignoring her, she stomped a hoof to express her irritation . "Thundershot! What in the name of Celestia has gotten into you? I..."
Trailing off as she followed his gaze, her eyes fell upon the same thing that had the pegasus so enraptured. There, in the small valley where Tailwind Dale was built was a scene not of one's imagination, but an absence of it. There should have been ponies around, pulling carts, setting up stalls, and generally preparing for the upcoming Tailspin Daredevil competition. The town itself had a sizeable population, but with newcomers for the competition, it should have been thriving. However, their searching gazes found absolutely nothing.
Tailwind Dale was gone.
Hide nor hair of anypony was left. Not a speck of dust, a grain of sand, nothing. The only sign the town had ever even existed was a deep, dome-like crater beneath what was once the expanse of Tailwind Dale. More than that, however, was a foreboding sense that came with the sight.. There was a tangible hum of magic on the air, and though neither pony was a unicorn, they could feel, almost hear it, so strong was it's aura. It was a most unsettling feeling.
"Go...you have to go," Sweets finally said, managing to tear her gaze from the scene to lend her friend a worried look.
"Go? Where?" he replied, confusion evident. Between the two, he wasn't the quicker on the uptake, though he did manage to return her gaze if nothing else.
"Canterlot!" she continued, nudging his shoulder with the top of her head, forcing him to take a step. "Princess Celestia needs to know about this. EVERYpony needs to know about this!" When he continued to stand there dumbstruck, she shoved him again, and this time hard enough to send him stumbling down the hill. In true pegasus fashion, instinct kicked in, and rather than tumble down the hill, he spread his wings and launched himself into the air.
His mind clearing as he took flight, Thundershot finally found the sense to do as she'd told him. Pausing long enough to spare a backward glance, he shared the worried look she now bore. "Go! Warn everypony! I'll follow you as quick as I can, but don't wait up for me!" With those words, he simply nodded in reply before he made much like his namesake, launching forward with powerful strokes of his wings.
Within moments, the red pegasus was gone from view, leaving Sweets alone on the hill. She spared one last look at the crater that remained, which sent shivers up her spine. There was truly something unsettling about all of this. "I hope Celestia has an answer..." she mused aloud before breaking into a full gallop, trailing behind her winged friend as quickly as she could.
Canterlot had to be warned!
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"Spike, I can't find it!" The familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle echoed through the library, carrying with it a touch of desperation as she all but tore the place apart. This was hardly a new occurrence really, as this process tended to repeat itself any time she couldn't find a particular book. For all of her particular, super organized, and overly analytical nature, she did a remarkable job of losing track of her books. As such, she could be found darting this way and that within the main chamber, examining one shelf, then the next, even hurling books from their shelves as if the one in question might be hiding behind any given one. "Spike!"
"Yeah yeah, hang on!" the small dragon finally responded as he reached the top of the stairs, ambling his way down as he finished tying a towel about his waist. Water droplets were making their way down smooth scales, dripping where opportunity presented before they actually reached what was turning out to be a superficial towel. Surveying the library, he let out an irate sigh as he reached the half-way point, stopping mid-step on the stairs. "Looks like a disaster in here!" he announced, chiding the alicorn as she continued on her search, almost oblivious to his arrival. "What in Equestria is so important that you had to get me outta my bubble bath?"
Twilight finally stopped near the stairs, legs splayed out and an almost startled expression on her face. For a moment, she looked lost in thought, as if she may have forgotten what she called him for in the first place. The dragon rolled his eyes just as her face lit up with recollection. "Quick! I'm looking for Incantation Variation. One of my spells doesn't seem quite right, and I need to check why, but I can't find that book!" Her tone rapidly built as she spoke, lending to her semi-panicked behavior with which Spike was already well accustomed.
"Uh..." he began, tapping a claw thoughtfully on his chin. "Did you try in the I section yet? You know, for Incantation?" His tone sounded a touch sarcastic when he spoke, though she seemed to pay it no mind. With a look of dumbstruck realization, she bolted from her spot, rushing to the indicated section. A few seconds later, she let out a triumphant cry, her horn glowing in it's familiar, purple hue as she tugged a rather thick tome free of the shelf. "Found it! Thanks, Spike," she said as she levitated the book just ahead of her, trotting over to her desk to start her new search.
"Yeah, don't mention it..." Spike muttered under his breath before he cinched up his towel, securing the knot that held it in place a bit more tightly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've a few more hours to go." This reference, of course, was made to his infamous seven-hour bubble baths, which were the bane of any pony in need of hot water in Ponyville.
Making it but a few steps upward, the dragon suddenly doubled over, claws to his belly as if he was about to be quite sick. Moments later, and with a mighty puff of the cheeks, he 'belched' a bolt of green fire, which dispersed into the form of a rolled up scroll, bearing Celestia's seal. Before it had a chance to fall, it became cocooned in the faint purple glow of Twilight's magic. Pulling it down with remarkable haste, she proceeded to unroll it, a curious look on her face.
"A letter from Celestia? At this hour?" she mused aloud, Spike having adopted the position of laying on his belly on the steps, elbow place on the step as he rested his cheek in claw, tapping on said cheek.
"Why don't you just read it and find out?" He retorted, accustomed to Twilight's tendency to ponder things endlessly without actually doing anything to resolve it. Shooting the dragon a mildly annoyed glance, she proceeded to read it out loud.
My dearest student,
I must request your presence in Canterlot as soon as you are able. Recent events have come to light that may prove to be signs of a greater danger, one that may threaten to consume all of Equestria if we do not deal with it immediately. I have summoned the aid of any ally I can, and I would ask that you bring your friends as well. You will surely need their help in the tasks that lay ahead. This situation is more dire than I can convey; do not tarry!
Princess Celestia
Looking up at Spike, Twilight surrendered her magical grip on the letter, allowing it to drift lazily to the floor. Her concerned expression said it all. "What could have happened that she wants to see all of us now? Or that she needs the help of anypony she knows?"
Spike shrugged, his next words bearing one of the dragon's usual flashes of insight. "Dunno Twilight. You'll just have to get there and find out."
Nodding curtly in reply, she finally took a moment to glance around the library, which appeared as if an Ursa Minor had decided to take on a job in interior design. Blinking a few times, she glanced back up at the dragon, as if to ask 'did I do this?'. Spike glowered at her, which was all the response she needed, chuckling nervously. "Well, uh..."
Sighing wearily, Spike began to make his way down the stairs once more. "It's alright, Twilight. Not the first time you've wrecked the place. Get going, get your friends. You've a lot more to worry about than this, it seems." Though he was easygoing in his approach to problems, even the little dragon was a little concerned by the letter. It wasn't like Celestia to show such concern for...well, anything. She tended to be the antithesis to Twilight's behavior.
With a small smile, and a firmer nod, Twilight turned to the front door, sparing her faithful assistant a backward glance. "Thanks Spike. I owe you one!" With that said, she quickly made her way out, leaving her draconic friend to assess the damage, as it were.
"I swear, as many times as I have to do this, I should be on payroll," he muttered to himself before he started rounding up books, still adorned with his towel. Looks like that bath was going to have to wait.
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The antechamber to the throne room was rather quiet that night, long shadows cast by the torches that provided was little light was to be found. The chamber itself was deathly silent, even with the guards present, seeing as they stood so motionless. With just one to either side of the main doors, each stood with a spear held upright, eyes grimly scanning the room for anything out of place. One had to wonder the kind of dedication it took to simply stand and watch for such long hours as the palace guards clearly did.
Silence was broken when a purple alicorn entered the room, shuffling her wings as she did. Breathing heavily, it was easy to assume she had either been flying at great speed, or perhaps running a bit too long. The guards looked disinterested for a few moments, before one of them brightened up with apparent realization. "Princess Twilight Sparkle!" he announced, causing his compatriot to brighten up in turn. "Haven't seen you since the coronation. I trust you're well this night?"
Twilight didn't immediately respond, instead mulling over the question. It had been a busy night, to be sure, a flurry of activity. When she'd left the library, she'd rounded up all five of her friends and regaled them on the limited details of the letter. As was usual for them, they spared no hesitation in agreeing to come with her, each getting ready despite the late hour as they prepared to head for Canterlot. Given the seemingly dire nature of the summons, and Twilight's tendency to worry at great length, Rainbow Dash insisted that the pair of them should go ahead by flight and find out what was going on. They could then fill in the rest of them when they caught up. All six had agreed, and so she and Rainbow had flown as fast as they could manage to reach Canterlot. Twilight had a newfound respect for her blue friend, too, given how much effort it had taken to get here so fast.
Shaking her head to free herself of the brief reverie, she offered a small smile to the guard. "As well as can be expected. I believe Celestia is expecting me?" Sparing a quick glance between them, both guards nodded, and with accompanying glow of their horns, each opened one of the doors that lead into the throne room, standing aside to allow her to pass. Nodding to each in turn, she trotted into the throne room itself, casting her gaze forward and up as she caught sight of Princess Celestia. With her were three other figures; the unmistakable form of Discord, and standing at the base of the dais, an unfamiliar red pegasus and white earth pony, who seemed to be as winded as she was.
As she drew closer, she could hear Discord and Celestia speaking amongst themselves, both with their backs to her. This struck her as a bit odd in all. While Discord had been reformed, primarily under Fluttershy's care, she hadn't expected to see him again so soon. Worry clung to her just then, so strongly that it even showed on her face. If Celestia had called for his help, this had to be something very, very bad!
Taking a breath as she reached the group, she failed to get a word out as a familiar flash went off alongside her. Discord was standing there, eagle claw draped carelessly across her back, and a goofy grin plastered across his face. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle! So good of you to join us!" he began with his usual flair "Will you be staying for tea? I do believe you will find it to be magnificent this evening!" This he says while teleporting back to the dais, appearing in fine dining attire, a humorously tiny stovepipe hat sitting between his horn and antler. In his lion paw was clutched a tiny plate, his other hand gingerly lifting a teacup to his lips as he took a sip.
"Discord!" Celestia's voice rang out rather clearly in the otherwise silent room, seeming to startle the draconequus as he dropped both cup and plate. All of his garb and accoutrements disappeared in a flash, leaving a rather sheepish looking Discord shrugging.
"Sorry, sorry. Old habits and all," he said in his usual tone, sparing an innocent look at Celestia.
For her part, she raised an eyebrow before giving him a small smile, then turning her attention to Twilight. "I can already see your concern at Discord's presence, but I can assure you, he has no part in the events that have brought you here."
Raising an eyebrow in turn, Twilight looked from Discord to Celestia, and back again. "I never assumed he was," she said in an even tone, as if it were odd for the white alicorn to have suggested the idea.
"You...you didn't?" Discord replied, a touch of disbelief in his voice. Twilight shook her head.
"Benefit of the doubt. Friends do that for you," she said with a smile.
Discord looked watery eyed for a moment before he suddenly turned around. "Ah, excuse me just a moment. I ah...have something in my eye." In true chaotic fashion, he proceeded to pop an eye out, appearing as if to examine it before rubbing it against his chest. Celestia spared him another critical glance before she took up the conversation again.
"We have received news of a dire situation. As I was not witness to it myself, I will leave it to these two ponies to tell you what they have told me." She nodded to the pair that stood but a few steps from Twilight, who had apparently been regarding her with some degree of awe. Now that her attention was on them instead, she offered a warm smile despite the circumstances, which was followed by a nod.
"Would you be so kind?" she asked, gesturing toward them as an invitation to start.
For a moment, the pegasus looked dumbstruck, but a sharp elbow to the flank from the white mare seemed to get him going with a grunt. "Oh, yeah...er...ok, it was like this," he began, seeming to fumble with the words for a moment. "We were on our way to Tailwind Dale for the Tailspin Daredevil competition. Was a pretty good morning, but when we reached the town it was...well, it was just...gone."
Twilight looked a bit perplexed at those words, as if they didn't make any sense. "Gone? What do you mean by that?"
The mare took a step forward just then, speaking perhaps a bit more confidently than her friend had. "Just that, Princess. Gone. It just wasn't there. If it weren't for the crater, you'd never know it had ever BEEN there." Twilight looked a great deal more concerned at that, but the mare continued. "And there was this...this foreboding sense. We could feel magic, or whatever had caused this. It was unnerving, and...and I just can't explain it any better than that."
"It made me feel empty...." the pegasus muttered in a sullen tone, bowing his head. Twilight's concern only mounted at that little addition. Magic was a known thing across all of Equestria, but most ponies didn't actually 'feel' it unless it was an effect directed at them, like being picked up or such. What they were describing was unheard of! To wield such power as to make an entire town and it's population just disappear was mind-boggling.
As her thoughts got away from her, Celestia nodded down at the lot of them. "You understand, then, my concern, Twilight. We have seen a great many things, but even Discord and I have never seen anything quite like this." Discord nodded in agreement, for once free of his usual antics, if only for the moment. That actually troubled the purple alicorn that much more.
For her part, Celestia continued to carry herself with grace and composure. Smiling at Thundershot and Sweets, she motioned to the pair. "I thank the both of you for bringing us this news with such haste. Consider yourselves guests of the castle; I will see that you are given rooms to rest in, and that your are tended to. If there is anything you desire, you have but to ask."
The pair looked awestruck for several moments, clearly never having been guests of such high esteem before. They both bowed at about the same time, Sweets being the one to speak up this time. "Thank you, Princess! We appreciate your generosity." With those words, and an affirming nod, she stood back up. Thundershot followed suit, albeit a bit clumsily, when she began to make her way out of the throne room, leaving the trio to discuss the matter further.
Beckoning Twilight up to the dais, the smaller alicorn complied, making her way up the steps in even measure. Discord looked on, but remained silent for the time being, perhaps encouraged to behave himself by a sharp glare from Celestia.
"I understand your concern in all of this, Twilight Sparkle. We all find ourselves worried...yes, even Discord has expressed such to me. Magic this powerful has never been seen before, and with no ideas to draw from, we are going to be stumbling in the dark, as it were."
Oddly, it was Discord that spoke up next, drawing both of their attention his way. "I know I tend to be the less serious one here, but...we do need to proceed with caution." When Twilight gave him an incredulous look, he continued. "This isn't just magic, it's power," he cautioned, his tone a fair deal deeper than usual. "I have already tried to find it's source, and while not inconsiderable, my own magic was unable to find it. This is beyond anything I have dealt with. Even chaos serves a purpose in it's own way. This has no clear purpose."
Celestia and Twilight spared a concerned look between them, taken aback by the serious tone he had adopted just then, and for the purple alicorn, it only elevated her sense of concern. "So we're facing against a magic neither of you recognizes, which can apparently make an entire city disappear without a trace, and is so powerful that even non-unicorns can sense it. Do we...do we even know where to start?"
Celestia glanced to Discord, who shrugged in reply, before she fixed a stern gaze on Twilight. "I fear we do not, not with certainty. We will spread out from here, of course. I will be traveling to Cloudsdale. Luna has so far reached Manehattan, and will be working her way toward the Crystal Empire from there. As for you, Twilight..."
Gesturing toward the doors, Celestia began to lead the way back, Twilight moving to stay alongside her. For his part, Discord seemed to admire some of the images present in the stained glass that adorned the throne room. Hardly as numerous as the halls, but still beautiful images to behold. The smirk on his face told of memories they helped him recall as he glanced from one to the next. As it kept him from being...well, Discord, neither said anything about it.
"Luna made arrangements before she left. Captain Starsight has agreed to use her airship to ferry you and your friends where you are needed. This should speed your travels considerably, seeing as not all of your friends can fly." Twilight lit up for a moment at that. While she was able to fly on her own, she had yet to travel aboard an airship, since such a thing was a rare luxury, even in Canterlot. Dire situation aside, this would be fun! Of course, she did well not to show that line of thought, instead clearing her throat.
"I trust you would like us to head out immediately?" she asked, eliciting a nod of agreement from Celestia. She continued to follow her out of the throne room, gaze cast downward as she mulled over the events of the evening. It appeared, in short, that a town had vanished, more might follow, and they were trying to find out who or what was behind it. This could be like searching for a needle in a haystack....
"Twilight," Celestia began, snapping the purple alicorn from her thoughts. Head shot back up as she blinked at the Princess, a blank expression on her face for a brief moment. "For you, I suggest Trottingham. They have a library containing perhaps some of the most extensive collections of our history. If there may be a clue in books, I would expect it to be found there." Nodding solemnly in reply, they stopped just outside of the doors, the guards still keeping their posts as they had when she arrived.
"So, we meet up with this captain Starsight and make our way to Trottingham. What do we do from there?" Celestia just smiled in reply, that knowing smile of hers.
"That will depend on what each of us finds. Discord has been creating magical tethers between us, so that he can hear us if we call on him. He will be acting as our line of communication, since he can cover such vast distances instantly. Call on him and he will show. Tell him anything you need to tell us; he will do the same if we need to reach you."
Having said that, Twilight nodded in reply before she began to make her way down the steps of the antechamber. She paused half-way down when Celestia called to her, the white alicorn offering another reassuring smile. "I know things seem confusing and uncertain now, but I have faith in you and your friends, Twilight. Trust in each other as I trust in you, and we will see this through." Twilight smiled in kind at those words, and with a quick nod, made her way out of the antechamber, heading for the courtyard, where Rainbow Dash was waiting for her. From there, they could round up anything else they needed, meet the rest of their group, and then meet up with captain Starsight.
As unsure of things as she was, it at least helped to have a task before you, or so Twilight thought to herself. They were going to have their hooves full now. It was all she could do but hope they could solve this mystery before it got worse.