Endless shadow stretched as far as the mind could perceive, one's sense of sight being utterly useless in the darkness. With it came that same empty feeling as before, the gnawing doubt that anything could be right again. That nothing you knew or loved had ever existed. A sense of despair began to grip at the alicorn's mind as she struggled just to remember, to believe that life, HER life had been anything but this shadow of doubt. She tried...and she failed.
Twilight Sparkle felt herself slipping away, as though she were sinking into the ground, to become a part of this...this darkness. Awareness of what was happening clung to her mind, but she was powerless to fight back. She even opened her mouth as if to scream, but no sound escaped. It was as though the world itself had forgotten her, and the realm beyond had laid claim to one more for the shadows.
Broken. Forgotten. A shadow of the self.
Closing her eyes, a single tear rolled down her cheek as the despair, the emptiness finally had claimed her. She had failed...Celestia, friends, family. All of this effort, and she had drawn no closer to the truth than she started. Maybe it was for the best...
'A price we all must pay...'
The voice echoed through her mind like a raspy whisper, it's message ringing through to her very core. Even as she surrendered, those words carried with them a truth that was as inescapable as it was potent. Just what that truth was eluded her mind, but it seemed so important just then. Like knowing you CAN save a life, but you can't remember how.
Just then, a spark shone in the distance, drawing her eyes the way a sunflower is drawn to the sun. As if a mirror to this light, she felt a spark within herself, the drive to fight back against this darkness. To strive, to love...to survive. As rapidly as the spark of light grew, so did the spark within her, and with a hiss the darkness began to draw back, releasing it's hold upon her. Soon, she felt hope and joy, love and kindness like she had only known in the presence of her friends, and she all but beamed with it. If any could have witnessed it, they would say the light shone strongest from her.
'What price comes without reward?'
This voice was different. Softer. Kinder. To hear it was to know that whoever it was that spoke did so with nothing but love in their heart. It was utterly infectious, more than mere words. Even as she heard them, she could FEEL it, spreading like a warmth from head to hoof. She felt more love than she could ever have dreamed just then, and it made her feel as though nothing was beyond hope.
In darkness born of hate's desire
Hearts shine forth, ignite the fire
Love shines bright as darkness knows
Banishing shadow as our love grows
Slowly an image, or rather, a pony came into view but a few feet away. A stallion, more accurately, with a rust-colored coat and a flowing, shock-white mane. He looked lean, perhaps even bookish, with a kind face like a loving father, and a light that shone from within with such intensity it was almost blinding. Twilight struggled to keep her eyes on him, but the light that shone was so strong it threatened to blind her. Just as all vision was swallowed by pure light, she saw him smile...and it carried with it the greatest sense of peace she'd ever known.
Slowly eyes fluttered open, realization following that she had only been dreaming. Groaning softly, she could immediately feel that this was a most restless sleep, her position being far too awkward to be otherwise. Slowly she rolled upright, flexing a wing she'd stretched perhaps too far when she'd rolled atop it, working out various kinks and aches as she drew her mind back to reality. Much to her surprise, that dream lingered, like a memory burned into her mind. Curious...
As her eyes adjusted, she became aware of the darkness. It had to be the middle of the night, as there was very little light to guide her at that moment. With a soft sigh, she set her horn glowing, which was followed by a small but bright light issuing forth from it, allowing her to see with greater detail. Slowly recollection came back as her eyes fell upon the heavy tome that lay on the nightstand beside the bed. Reaching out, she gently placed a hoof upon it's cover and worked to recall the previous day's events.
They had reached Trottingham without much incident, but that was the end of their luck, such as it was. They had found this tome, or more correctly, Applejack did, but almost immediately afterwards, Trottingham had been claimed by the same disaster as Tailwind Dale. To make it worse, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had failed to escape the city before it vanished, leaving their group short on two of it's members. All of them suffered for it; the girls were heartbroken, even if there was the belief they could be found and saved. It was, perhaps, the reason they had all gone to bed early, to hopefully recover enough to carry on despite their losses. Even Twilight had done so, but she had spent some time reading from the tome, and it was...insightful.
The author, whoever they were, had a grasp of magic that exceeded Twilight's by an almost infinite degree. To read it had shown her so many things that she felt like a child before Celestia, it was so drastic. The answers were painfully obvious when one actually saw them. They had believed love is magic at it's purest, and the more she read, the more she had come to believe it to. After all, friendship itself was a form of love. It tied together with the idea that friendship was magic, but this was even more.
As she had read on, it was alluded that love is everywhere, which was easy enough to imagine. It went on to explain that for those that knew it, that had love in their hearts from many a friend, family or even a lover, magic was limitless, powerful...and dangerous. It also pointed out that just as there is love, and with it magic, so, too would hate be it's rival, and just as powerful. This is where she had stopped, to mull over these ideas just before sleep had claimed her, and with it, that dream came.
Breaking from her reverie, Twilight finally got out of bed. Despite the late hour, she knew she wasn't going back to sleep any time soon, and given the speed the Polaris boasted, they likely would approach Cloudsdale before morning. With that in mind, she slowly opened the wooden door that marked one of only two private cabins aboard the ship, the other belonging to none other than Captain Starsight.
Stepping out into the narrow hallway, she noted that softly glowing lamps lit the way, spaced just enough to keep the brightness to a minimum, but not so far apart as to leave large gaps of darkness. Sighing softly to herself, she made her way toward the lower decks, the galley being set just below the private quarters. It seemed like a good idea to get something to eat, now that she was awake. It would give her time to think, too.
The clop of hooves rang out like thunder against the silence that permeated the ship. It really wasn't THAT loud, but it sure sounded like it when there was nothing else to hear. Just as she reached the steps, her nose picked up a familiar scent, one she would have guessed came from Sugarcube Corner, that is, if she didn't know she was aboard an airship. Curiously she made her way down to the galley, and with a sweep of her eyes, spotted Hotplate in the small kitchen, humming softly to himself as he tended to the oven.
"I thought I'd be the only one awake," she mused aloud as she reached the deck floor, casually strolling to the low table-like window that served as a view between the kitchen and dining table. Hotplate didn't seem to startle easy, nor lose focus, chuckling softly as he hunched down to pull a cake from the oven. Gingerly setting the confection on the counter, he smiled at the alicorn.
"Aye, I get that sometimes. I tend to wake up 'afore anypony else to start on breakfast, y'know," he finally commented, offering the purple mare a smile. Even as he spoke, he'd collected up the materials he needed, starting to add frosting and a bit of decoration to the cake. continuing to hum as he went about it. If Twilight didn't know any better, she'd have assumed he knew nothing about recent events. He just seemed so...happy.
"How is it you stay so...so cheery?" she finally asked, giving voice to thoughts as she watched the cake go from a plain old confection to a veritable piece of art under his careful hoof strokes. The brown earth pony just chuckled to himself.
"Just gotta find happiness in the little things. It makes it a little easier to get past the hard stuff." Setting aside the frosting, he looked over his work for a moment before giving a curt nod, picking up the cake as he made his way around to the table. setting it down before he continued. "That, and y'gotta believe things can get better. I can't imagine what it's like for you, princess, seein' as you're one of the heroes we look up to 'round Equestria, For us, though...for us, we can always believe you'll help us see it through. Y'always do."
At his words, Twilight couldn't help but smile. He genuinely believed things would get better. Not could, would. It was also a bit humbling to hear that she and her friends were the ones so many ponies looked up to. She'd never fancied herself a hero before, just a student. That made his words strike quite the chord, right to her heart. It was one of those warm feelings you never forget. "Thanks..." she murmured softly, casting a somewhat sheepish look downward before she looked back up at him.
Grinning broadly, Hotplate set himself to slicing the cake, or at least, getting two slices free, setting each on small plates, a stack of which he'd set on the table before he started on the cake. Twilight watched in silence, privately marveling at how the earth ponies handled things she would easily take for granted. It almost seemed as though they were worlds apart, seeing as unicorns, and by extension, alicorns tended to use magic to achieve so many mundane tasks. No wonder the earth ponies had a greater appreciation for the value of hard work.
"Here," he said as he set one of the plates in front of her, earning a somewhat surprised look from the new princess.
"Cake? Really?" she began, as if to object to the idea of a sweet first thing in the day...er, night? Was it really morning yet?
Chuckling softly, Hotplate shook his head, picking up the second plate as he moved to the opposite side of the rounded table. "Chocolate has a way of making y'feel better, princess. All good cooks know that. Give it a try."
At first, Twilight gave the stallion an incredulous look; as if a flavor could make someone feel better! Still, she'd seen and learned enough not to scoff at seemingly far-fetched ideas, so she at least humored him. After all, it's not like eating cake was going to be a bad idea anyway. With that in mind, she took a few bites, and found herself pleasantly surprised. This was a cake easily the rival of anything the Cakes could make back in Ponyville, and over the next few moments, she got a sense of what the stallion was talking about. Sadness just kind of...leaked away.
Blinking a few times, she appeared as if confused, staring off into the distance. Hotplate just chuckled, tucking into his own slice with perhaps a bit more zeal than Twilight had. Silence hung on the air for a few moments longer before she shook her head as if to clear a clouded mind. "Alright...I have to admit, you were right Hotplate. I do feel a bit better," she says while offering a smile. He just beamed in reply, as if to say he'd known all along, not wishing to speak with his mouth full, after all.
Once he'd swallowed, he just kept right on grinning at the alicorn, which looked rather good for him, or so she thought. "Hey, any cook worth their salt knows these kinda things," he retorted. "I know you've a lot on your mind, after all that's happened. Figured you n' your friends could use a bit of a pick me up. Can't imagine you're trip's gonna be any easier when we hit Cloudsdale in a coupla' hours."
Having finished her own slice, she made her way around the table, heading toward the steps that would take her to the upper decks again. She had decided to wait out the remainder of the trip looking over that book again. She'd need it fresh in her mind if she was going to talk about it to Celestia, after all. Glancing back, she smiled at Hotplate. "You're absolutely right. We really could. Thank you for that."
With that said, she trotted on up the stairs, leaving the cook to whatever struck his fancy. Finishing his own slice, he chuckled to himself, collecting up the dirty plates. "Easy to forget the little things..."
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Twilight sat to one side of a small rotunda, a nervous feeling creeping through her body just then. She let her eyes slowly traverse the locale, but there really wasn't much for searching to reveal. The room itself was simply, crafted from the clouds much like everything else in Cloudsdale. To that end, she considered the oddity that she no longer needed magic to be able to visit this place. Absently stretching out her wings, she reflected on the changes they brought. It was more than JUST flying, after all.
Her mind began to wander on the events that lead up to this point, that is, waiting for Celestia. That short time spent with Hotplate had served to clear her mind, and it wasn't much longer before they had actually reached Couldsdale. Of course, she'd needed to wake up her friends, at the very least so she could make sure all of them were able to cloud walk.
Rainbow Dash had decided to visit family, for lack of much else to do while Twilight spoke with Celestia. Applejack had gone with her, and Rarity was...well, Rarity. She had mentioned wanting to look into what was local fashion for the pegasi. Perhaps a bit odd, for them to relax, but she had figured it was necessary. Having witnessed, and even felt, what happened at Trottingham, and with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy now missing, they could use anything that took their minds off of it, if only for a short time.
They even had more luck this time. Being a cloud city, Cloudsdale had accommodations for the Polaris, and that would make it easier to load up the supplies they needed. At the least, Starsight had seemed happy to find a full fledged dock designed just for airships.
A flow of color caught her eye just then, snapping her back from her recollection. Celestia had made her way into the rotunda, and though she spared her a smile, her face quickly adopted a more somber look. Were things really so grim?
"I'm afraid Trottingham isn't the only one. Three more have disappeared since we began, and it's possible it may be picking up in speed," Celestia began, looking almost...weary. This concerned Twilight more than anything, as she wasn't one to wear down...like, ever.
"That...that doesn't surprise me, actually," Twilight finally admitted after a moment of reflection. However, she didn't dwell on that fact, instead picking up the book she'd brought with her, but with her hooves this time, displaying the title to Celestia. "Have you ever heard of this before?"
The white alicorn narrowed her gaze at the book's cover, seeming to be lost in thought for several painstaking moments before she slowly nodded. "I've...heard of it, I can say. It has been a very, very long time, though. It's author, Abacus, told me of it when he had begun to write it."
Twilight made an immediate mental note of that name, as the book had yet to name it's own writer. Were she not aware of Celestia's seemingly immortal state, she might have questioned how she could have known the author at all. Clearing her throat, she continued on her last thought.
"Well princess, the things I've read in here so far have been both inspiring...and a little scary. Abacus, as you've called him, seemed to have a remarkable grasp on magic, especially since he doesn't seem to have been a unicorn. His ideas are...well, incredible! If what's in this book is true, it might even explain the events we've been seeing, but I shudder to think what it may imply."
At those latter words, Celestia raised an eyebrow. "What does it imply, Twilight?" she asked in a level tone. The smaller alicorn frowned.
"He believed love is the source of all magic, but he also believed in it's opposite. If love is truly as powerful as he claims, I can't imagine that whoever is doing this has done so out of love. That would mean that the counter...that..." She found the idea difficult to speak of, seeing as it was such a harsh concept to any in Equestria. Taking a deep breath, she pressed on. "That hate...if wielded by the right, or maybe, the wrong pony, could be what's fueling this magic. I have no other explanation yet."
Silence followed as the flowing-maned princess seemed to consider her words. For her part, Twilight felt a tad nervous. This was Celestia, after all, and she always seemed to know a great deal more than she let on. That even SHE hadn't known what was going on at the onset of these disasters had been an unsettling idea. To think that it might be herself lending ideas to the Princess of Canterlot was...unsettling, in a way.
Eventually, Celestia nodded slowly, opening eyes that had been shut whilst she mulled the thought over. "It seems as good an idea as any, and at least has some evidence to support it. Perhaps Abacus knew more than even I believed..." She trailed off, a small and rare frown gracing her features.
Twilight sighed in frustration, setting the heavy tome down as she lowered her gaze. "Pity, really. It would have been great to actually talk to him. I get the ideas he speaks of in this book, but it feels...incomplete. Like he didn't finish it. It's given us clues to what may be going on, but I have no idea where to start to solve it."
Looking a bit bemused, Celestia blinked at her. "Why couldn't you?" When Twilight looked up to give her an incredulous look, she just smiled. "Twilight, Abacus is a crystal pony. I wouldn't be surprised if he was back in the Crystal Empire, now that it has returned from Sombra's curse."
Slack-jawed with surprise, it was a few moments before Twilight shook her head, clearing a muddled mind. "He...he's still alive? Really?!" Her tone picked up sharply, a mark of the surprise she felt. The white princess simply gave her an affirming nod, which set the smaller mare standing almost immediately. "Oh my gosh! That means I may be able to find out...we might be able to figure this out!' She felt that familiar twinge of hope once more, that not all was lost despite the dire circumstances they seemed to face at every turn.
Celestia made to smile, but the action was cut short as she adopted a more concerned expression. She suddenly looked distant, as if staring at something far off in the distance. The look was so intense that Twilight actually looked behind herself, as if to check just what she was so intent upon. Finding nothing, or at least, nothing she could see, she spared the princess a confused look. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, it crept it's way into her own consciousness.
Empty...
She was immediately up on her hooves, a rather alarmed expression on her face. "We have to go!" Breaking from her wistful manner, Celestia turned her attention back to Twilight, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"Pardon?" she asked, her tone a bit incredulous. After all, Twilight was known for overreacting to many a scenario, and this was looking like it. However, the smaller mare lent her an almost pleading look, setting even her nerves on edge.
"That feeling, that sense you just had? It's the same every time a city disappears," she explained hurriedly, almost instinctively starting to flex her wings. "Don't you see? Cloudsdale is next. Right now!"
Even Celstia appeared shocked, but Twilight didn't have time to pay it any mind. She almost leapt out of the rotunda, wings flaring out as she shot into the air. Behind her she could hear feathered wings flare, then beat to even measure, reassuring her that Celestia had followed suit. In the back of her mind, she hoped her friends had felt it, too, or they could suffer the same as before...
No. There's no time to dwell on that! Twilight thought to herself as she focused on the measured beat of her own wings. She had no idea how much time they had, and it was all she could do but race back to the ship as fast as she could, and hope for the best from her friends.
Hope...there was always hope.
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"Hey, careful with that!" Starsight shouted at a rather clumsy pair of pegasi who nearly dropped the crate they were carrying. "Those spares are delicate, an' they won't be doing me any good if y'break 'em before they even get aboard. Sharply now!" The pair grumbled amongst themselves at her abrasive manner, but continued about the task with a good deal more caution then before.
Nodding in satisfaction, Starsight made her way across the gangplank that connected the ship to the landing, briefly reminding herself to thank Twilight for her use of that cloud walk spell. Normally, she wouldn't be able to so directly oversee a load like this, but now that she could leave the ship, it was easier to keep the clumsy loaders in line. At the least, it would mean fewer broken parts or bruised fruits and vegetables.
"Oi! Givin' the folks a hard time are ye capn'?" Called down a yellow pegasus as she alighted on the deck of the ship, fluttering her wings briefly before she retracted them to her sides. She gave the black mare a wry grin. "An' 'ere I thought you'd learnt t'play nice with others."
"Nice is such a subjective term," she replied with a grin on her face, before turning to face the landing, the pegasus moving to stand alongside her. "Don't suppose you've seen anything of concern, Lightheart?" Shaking her head, the other mare flexed her wings once more, as if preparing to take flight again.
"Not yet, capn'. Not much up 'ere can give us pause for thought, aye?" She winked at Starsight before she simply stepped off of the deck, diving down a good twenty feet before her wings flared out, catching the rushing air with a suddenness that sent her shooting back up into the air.
"Showoff..." Starsight murmured before she chuckled to herself, eyeing the loaders as they brought the last crate of supplies aboard the ship. With a self assured nod, she started to mull over the idea of actually getting everything stored properly, an weary sigh escaping her. "Never ends. Get one thing done an' it makes a hundred more for ya..."
Turning to tend to that very task, she stopped dead in her tracks, a twinge of something brushing across her mind. She didn't know it yet, but Twilight had just experienced the same thing elsewhere in Cloudsdale. Something terrible was about to happen...
Whipping sharply around, Starsight immediately started barking out orders, her voice carrying rather far. "Everypony, clear the landing! Looks like Cloudsdale's next in the dissapearin' act!" she announced, bounding forward to land just shy of the gangplank. "Hotplate, Daredevil, get yer flanks on over to the moorings! Get this beast loose! We gotta get clear of the landing NOW!"
At her sharp orders, the two ponies she'd named leapt to action, rushing to the mooring ropes as they worked to release the ship. Given her shouting, Lightheart had wheeled around in the air, coming down on the landing as she moved to assist the other two without question. At the least, her own crew would act with dedication, something of a source of pride for the captain, even in such dire circumstance. However, with that dread feeling building, she definitely felt they weren't moving fast enough.
"Daredevil, get on the helm. We gotta be ready to move as soon as we're free." At her order, the orange stallion dropped his task and immediately rushed across the gangplank, sketching a quick salute at the captain as he passed. "Get us free you two! Faster!" she continued, shouting at Lightheart and Hotplate as they struggled with the myriad of knots the Cloudsdale pegasi had used to secure the ship.
"We're tryin' captain! This isn't so easy as it looks!" Hotplate called back at her, eliciting a huff from Starsight.
"It sure as hay is. Cut the darn ropes!" This she shouted whilst pulling a knife from it's mounting along the ship's hull, the blade oft used to whittle imperfections on the rails. Crossing the gangplank in a single bound, she made a sharp, hacking swing at the rope Hotplate had been working on, the blade biting into the thick, wound material that made the rope. Two more sturdy swings, and it surrendered it's hold with a loud snap, at which Starsight tossed the blade to the pegasus. "Cut that one, too!" she called out, pushing Hotplate ahead of her onto the ship as Lightheart hacked at the remaining mooring rope.
As soon as the second snap rang out, the ship reeled back, the gangplank dropping from the sky as they were separated from the landing. "Daredevil! Move it!" she called back to the helmspony, who gave the wheel a veritable spin at the order.
"Got it, capn'!" he called back to her, holding the wheel steady as the ship turned a rather sharp 180 despite it's mass. Propellers came to life with a heavy thrum, Starsight feeling a bit more at ease as she felt the familiar vibration beneath her hooves. That dread sense was almost unbearable by now, but it looked like they'd make it. But...
"The others..." she whispered to herself, turning her gaze back to the city. Her wandering eyes almost immediately caught sight of the rainbow blur that streaked across the sky, rather distinct from the other pegasi that were fleeing the city. Rainbow Dash, but not alone it seemed. Pulling up a spyglass to confirm it, she could see that Rainbow was indeed the pegasus in question, and she was carrying Applejack with her. It looked like they would make it, but they weren't the only ones!
Continuing to search through her spyglass, her eye eventually crossed the unmistakable path of Princess Celestia. Of course, white wouldn't stand out much on it's own, but that flowing mane was one sight NO pony would ever miss. With her was Twilight Sparkle, though the latter was apparently falling behind. Clearly Celestia was the more experienced flier here. Dropping the spyglass, she glanced back at Lightheart as she landed on the deck once more, anxiously keeping her wings outstretched as she watched the two princesses approach. "I don't see Rarity..." Starsight mused aloud, eliciting sharp frowns from the rest of the crew. What could they hope to do from here?
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"Celestia, I...I can't...keep up!" Twilight cried through clenched teeth, struggling to keep pace with her mentor. Privately she cursed her lack of experience in flying, her wings aching with the strain she was putting on them. It had been quite the feat when she flew to Canterlot but two days ago; she was clearly pushing too hard now.
More than this, however, was the sense of emptiness that was almost tangible by this point. Any who hadn't been fleeing before was starting to consider it by now, as much out of fear as anything else. Just as in Trottingham, the very air began to warp and twist, the fabric of reality fighting back against whatever terrible power was trying to wrest the city free of it's hold. Celestia could see it just before she glanced back at Twilight, and she was forced to make a decision.
"There's no time, Twilight!" she called back, a touch of worry in her voice. Before the purple mare could respond, Celestia stopped in mid air, hovering as her horn took light, glowing with a brilliant intensity. Twilight's eyes went wide with surprise as she felt an incredible pull around her entire body, just before she was literally hurled like a hoof ball, sailing past the white alicorn at breakneck speed.
"You'll have to carry on without me, Twilight. Good luck."
No sooner had Celestia uttered those words before the very sky was torn, that same horrific noise she'd heard in Trottingham. That parting image of the princess smiling warmly at her was burned into her mind just as it happened. Before she could so much as blink, Cloudsdale, like every city before it, was gone. Just as before, air was forced to rush in to fill the void left in it's wake, yanking the mare hard in the opposite direction, sending her spinning head over hoof. As she spun through the air, she could just barely make out the Polaris, the crew clearly struggling to keep it steady against the hurricane-force winds.
Flaring out her aching wings, Twilight finally broke free of her spin, just as the air began to calm. Hovering for a few moments to catch her breath, she felt a numbness overtaking her as awareness crept back into her mind. Another city gone, and Celestia...
"Twi! Oh, thank Celestia you're alright!" Rainbow Dash's incorrigible manner shone as she shot through the air, throwing her forelegs around her friend in a tight hug, though she let up quick enough not to drop them both out of the air. "I was worried you weren't gonna make it there for a moment." As soon as she said that, she began to look around. "Where's Celestia?"
With a distant look in her eyes, Twilight spoke in a subdued tone, sounding almost crestfallen. "She...she saved me..." It wasn't long before Rainbow got what she meant, a frown crossing her features for the briefest of moments. Once it had passed, she nudged her purple friend with her hoof, steering her toward the Polaris.
"No point dwelling on that now, Twilight," she finally said, just as the alicorn began to follow her indications to head back to the Polaris. "We need to get our hooves back on the deck, sort this out once we've figured out what we're doing."
Without a word, Twilight just nodded in reply, following Rainbow's lead as they glided back to the Polaris, which was slowing to a stop. Not a surprise, really; the captain had no bearings yet on where they were going to be heading, and most likely was more concerned with their well being first.
It wasn't long before the two landed on the deck amid the flutter of wings. Twilight still looked and felt drained after the disaster, Rainbow looking a bit on edge, but otherwise in better shape than her bookish friend. Starsight trotted up to them relief written all over her face, which was much the same for Applejack, who was accompanying the captain.
"Oh my stars, it's good t'know y'all made it!" came the familiar drawl of the farm pony. Rainbow managed a quick nod, Twilight smiling weakly in turn.
"Celestia didn't make it. She made sure I did..." She trailed off as she allowed herself a moment to scan the deck, noticing a distinct lack of white beyond Celestia's missing form. Swallowing hard against a lump in her throat, she spoke in a bit shakier tone when she continued. "Rarity? Did she...?"
All three ponies looked between each other before Starsight slowly shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Princess. She didn't get back to the landing in time."
Twilight looked on the verge of tears, and her two friends fared little better as this realization dawned on them. All ponies gathered hung their heads in silence as they dealt with such a raw feeling. First Pinkie and Fluttershy, and now Rarity? This was horrible.
Suddenly, the alicorn's head shot up, a look of sharp resolve set upon her features. "Captain. Set a course for the Crystal Empire. Hopefully we can get there before it's claimed as well. There's somepony we need to find if we're going to solve this once and for all."
"Make it so, Daredevil!" she called back to the helmspony before she nodded back to the Princess. "We should be able to make it in a few hours. I sure hope you can find what you're looking for before we lose them, too."
Nodding solemnly, Twilight began to make her way toward the living space of the ship. "We have to. There's no other choice now. If we're going to save our friends, or anypony else, we can't fail in this." Sparing a glance at each other, Applejack and Rainbow fell in behind their friend, following her cautiously into the living area.
"Y'alright, sugarcube?" asked the orange mare, netting a soft sigh in reply.
"I'll...be fine, Applejack. It's just hard to lose anypony close to you, even if it's not forever. I'm sure you both feel the same." She glanced back to see both of them nod their replies. "Celestia told me the book's author was Abacus...and that we might be able to find him in the Crystal Empire. I hope she was right. He may be the only pony that can explain what's going on."
I sure hope she was right...for all of our sakes...