Twilight's Time-off

by Aethraspex

Day 2

An auspicious occurrence can sometimes be observed across the Neighchelles. Nopony can predict when it happens, just as few know why. They call it the Congregation Ichthyic, an ancient name from an old poem, or the Sea Itch, the more common local contraction. It is marked firstly by a surge in the amount and variety of sea creatures around the archipelago. Next, the waters around the Black atoll, off the shores of Embassy island, gradually heat up. When steam begins to rise from those same dark waters, the Sea Itch is officially declared. It is also marked, or so they say, by terrible luck out on the sea.
Two weeks ago, fishing griffons reported unusually large catches. A week and a half ago, ponies noticed unusual species on their dives. A week ago, Embassy islanders began to feel the rising warmth in the waves. Half a week ago, it was final- the black atoll was steaming and a columnar cloud was conspicuous from half of Outpost island. One day ago, Twilight Sparkle arrived to document this phenomenon that attracts researchers, tourists and collectors from Equestria and beyond.
Or it would, if anypony knew when it would happen, or even that it happened at all. Imagine Twilight’s joy when Spike struck upon this unique opportunity. Imagine her crestfallen expression when settling in to her temporary home to find all her books gone and all her friends ‘busy’. Spike was the exception of course, but even his presence was scarce this morning.
Now, the eternal student, Twilight Sparkle, found herself alone in Guardian bay as the first light of day dispelled the night’s lingering chill. She had every stone, crag and cliff to herself. Thinking there was nothing and no-one to stop her from doing whatever she wanted, she immediately collected note pad and quill. Her science couldn’t wait so, as the saying goes, she dove right in.

It was mid-morning and the unicorn let her eyes roll along the sides of the bay. Her body floated back towards the jetty on the water’s warm undulations. She saw a soaring cliff-face above her, with a thread of stairs laced from the platform below to her cabin pressing up against the cerulean sky. The balcony hung off the precipice as if it might launch out over the ocean to one of the verdantly crowned spires littering the bay from Needle Point to the Quiet Bluff. These moss-headed stone giants were the guardians for which the bay was named. Their reflections rippled as petals and leaves drifted down through the calm, protected air from the forest above.
Twilight heard the gentle scratch of dragon claws on old wood. Chilliness ran through her as she rolled in the water and simultaneously aired her wet back and wet her sun-soaked belly. Facing the cliff, she saw her assistant scuttling down the winding staircase like a crab sprinting for the sea. He skidded to a halt at the end of the jetty, already apologising for his lateness.
“And what have you been doing all morning?” Twilight asked as she planted her hooves on the cracked jetty’s surface. “I’ve been waiting here since sunrise,”
“Uh... long shower?” Spike suggested. Twilight planted her face in her dripping hoof. The dragon was relaxed at the best of times but even then this was surprising.
“Honestly Spike! Well, as long as you’re here...” Twilight tossed the dragon the notebook she’d been keeping records in. “Start taking notes,”
Pulling herself from the water, she began recalling the species she’d seen during the morning’s dives. Spike recorded Twilight’s words with little more sound than quiet hmms and the scratching of the quill. Slowly but steadily, the notebook filled with words. Such diligence was rare from the little dragon; too rare, Twilight suspected.
“...Actually, scratch that. It was really more emarginate I think... Spike?” Twilight faced her assistant, who was still scribbling intently. “Spike, are you even listening?”
“Uh-huh....” Spike kept writing.
“SPIKE!” The dragon almost dropped the notebook this time. Twilight snatched it sharply and scrutinised its pages. “These terms are all misspelt! And I never said this! Is there something you’re not telling me? You’re not usually this quiet,”
“What? No, everything’s fine, nothing’s wrong at all. Promise,” Spike said, throwing his claws up in defense. Twilight narrowed her eyes.
“Hmm... Well pay attention then. I’ve marked one hundred and two different species in this bay so far, and we’ve got a long way to go in recording them yet.”

“Oh Dear... This won’t do at all...” Rarity whispered as she leaned closer to the precipice overlooking Twilight in the bay. The unicorn seemed like a purple speck from this height and her notebook was only discernible through binoculars. Rarity quickly crept back from the edge; heights didn’t often work out well for her. As she reversed, she nearly bumped into Rainbow Dash, who was leaning restfully against the trunk of a tree.
“Rainbow! This is no time to be napping!” She hissed, poking the pegasus with her horn.
“Ow! What was that for?” Rainbow replied as she jumped back from the invasion. Rubbing her side, she glared at Rarity. After too much flying for too little sleep, Rainbow’s aching wings disliked more discomfort.
“Get ready to steal those books, darling. Twilight’s down there...” Rarity shuddered to think of it “...studying, and as her friends it is our duty-bound obligation to rescue her. Spike could send the signal any second now,”
“Uh-huh,” Rainbow rolled her eyes, but nonetheless began her stretches. In one smooth and lengthy motion, Rainbow Dash extended her feathers as far as they could go. Up and down her wings she felt the pleasant ache of stretching muscles and the gracious sigh as she let them loose. Under the warmth of the tropical sun it did feel glorious, but her wings itched for the wind as always. Dash crept closer to the edge of the cliff and whispered “Why are we doing this again?”
“Because, my dear, Spike has come under Twilight’s suspicion, and if we don’t divert attention away from him, our whole opera- Ah! There’s the signal! Go go go!”
Rainbow caught a fleeting glimpse of the emerald spark near one of the stone spires in the middle of the bay. A second later, the whipping wind against her wings only barely kept her controlled nosedive for the jetty from becoming a spiralling freefall into the bay. In truth, she aimed a little closer than the jetty, spreading her wings before she hit the water to streak across the surface with a trail of white water in tow. This slowed her just enough to successfully grab the notebooks before disappearing again in a rainbow flash. From atop the cliff, she watched Spike and Twilight re-emerge from the water, none-the-wiser for the theft that had just transpired before flying back around to meet Rarity.

Rainbow fluttered down onto a scene full of strange tension. Rarity was locked onto the scene below and there was not a sound above the breeze. With all the satisfaction of dousing the smouldering ashes of a dying fire, Rainbow let the notebooks fall. The soft patter of paper on dirt wrested Rarity from her vigil on Spike and Twilight. Sapphire blue eyes slowly drank in the things set out behind her.
“Finally, darling. I’ve been waiting here forever,” She said. Rainbow flared her wings but the unicorn continued before she could express her offence. “But I see you’ve brought the books at least...” A crack split across Rarity’s porcelain face, widening and widening until it threatened to split her face in two. When it reached its limit, it split apart and an unrestrainable giggle came flooding forth. “This is perfect!” She squealed between bouts of mirth “Ooh, it’s just as planned! Now, fly me back to town hall. But not too fast, darling, I don’t want to ruin my hair.” Rainbow rolled her eyes and lifted the unicorn off the ground.

By the time Rainbow found herself half-buried in a cloud, she was surprised her eyes hadn’t rolled right out of their sockets. Rarity’s instructions were very specific. When Twilight appeared on the beach, Rainbow was to make the weather as absolutely perfect for her as possible. For such an experienced weather pony, Rarity assumed such a task would not be hard. She was right; the task was far too easy. When a distinctively purple coat appeared on the far end of the bay, she almost considered flying in the other direction. She reasoned this might still be somewhat fun, however.
Rainbow slowed her cloud to a drift above Twilight’s head, too high up for her to notice. Just as planned, Twilight was heading for town. With Spike on her back, they travelled wordlessly but diligently, as if talking was just another of many distractions. Rainbow moved in closer, and very carefully peered down to make eye contact with Spike. She gave him a nod. He... paused for some reason, holding her gaze almost pleadingly, and nodded back. Whatever. Dash disappeared quickly and waited for Spike’s signal.
“Uh, Twilight?” she heard Spike venture.
“What?” Twilight replied tersely. She obviously wasn’t too pleased about having to replace all her work.
“L-lovely weather we’re having?”
“I guess so,” she said. Rainbow looked up and saw the sky couldn’t possibly be bluer. “It’s hotter than I expected,” Rainbow leapt into action, which is to say she shifted the cloud about a metre, between Twilight and the sun. Pressing her ear against the cloud, she waited for Twilight’s reaction... and kept waiting. If Twilight had responded at all, she had done so too quietly to hear.
Rainbow flipped onto her back and gazed at the sky, still shockingly blue and speckled with tiny tufts of cloud like her own. She flipped onto her hooves and looked across the beach, vacant save for a few lifeguards and some of last night’s pegasi enjoying the space. The town was active, but too far away to discern anything cool. She turned back to Twilight, drifting closer for a better view. And closer... and closer... soon, Twilight was close enough to lick. Twilight stopped walking.
“Umm.. excuse me?” She said. Rainbow didn’t reply, instead she just let the cloud continue drifting away. Baffled, Twilight resumed walking, then, in a couple of silent flaps, Rainbow realigned the cloud over her friend. Again, Twilight stopped. Again, Rainbow did nothing, but it was growing harder to suppress a giggle. Once more, she repeated the process.
“Hello? Is somepony there? I’m a little tired of this, thanks,” she called, glaring at the cloud through narrowed eyes.
“Hey, why don’t we go swimming?” Spike asked suddenly. He didn’t let Twilight hear the worry behind his voice.
“We, just were swimming, Spike. All I want is to replace my books and go,”
“Come on, not even for a little while?”
“No! it’s too windy anyway,” The cloud began moving. Twilight watched it position itself between herself and the wind, providing a modicum of protection. “Hey!” she called “What do you think you’re doing?”
“...” The cloud just floated, white and innocent as a snowflake.
“Ugh, come on, Spike, let’s keep going. At least walking will shake this salt out of my coat,” Very soon, Twilight found herself subject to a downpour issued from the obnoxious mystery cloud. With the salt, the rain washed away the last of her patience. Growling like a hound, she disappeared in a purple spark. Using a reaction time honed over years of high-speed flying, Rainbow flipped the cloud. Hanging off the bottom, she was grinning madly at Spike. Spike looked back with a mix of horror and confusion, worried that Rainbow had lost it completely.
The sky flashed purple and Rainbow dug her way inside. Twilight landed ungracefully, almost certainly staring at the cloud like it was some unholy abomination.
“Argh!” she cried, and galloped away with Spike. Rainbow waited until she was just far enough away so she couldn’t hear her peals of laughter. Though doubting that what she’d done fit Rarity’s idea of perfection, she was perfectly happy with the results.
One wingbeat drove the cloud apart and propelled her into the radiantly blue sky. She soared into the free air like a bird from a cage. The forests where she last saw Fluttershy lay on the other side of the bay, and Rainbow’s curiosity called her there. The best part was that Rarity would probably never notice a short flight over the woods. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?

It was the beat that met her first. A kind of thump-thump that was felt rather than heard. Trilling flutes, warbling guitars and foreign instruments new to Twilight’s ears flowed from the town like warmth and light. As she galloped up to the street, she saw musicians, dancers, singers and all manner of performers competing with hawkers and artisans for the attentions of countless passers-by. Twilight slowed going from sand to pavement and looked about. Vibrant energy resonated in the air like bright sunlight compared to the quiet shaded serenity of Twilight’s perch in Guardian Bay.
It seemed like one of those times when everypony would randomly break out in song... and made Twilight seriously consider braving whatever rogue weather effects instead.
“Okay Spike, tell me if you see any book sellers. If we’re lucky we can get out of here before lunch,” She sighed, and dove into the crowd.
Twilight now walked Titan avenue, which should have run the length of the bay and deposited her on the west side of town, where shops were numerous and diverse. As she walked, she saw something strange blocking her path appear. Scales rendered in a white that seemed to twist and swirl tore away from the ground. Curving out of a knot of indistinguishable origin, it terminated in a terrifyingly pointed maw. Claws that made the very air bleed terror slashed at the ground on either side. At least, this is what the pegasus team buzzing about with delicate brushes were trying to achieve. Yet despite this gruesome spectacle, Twilight’s attention lay on the other side of the cloud sculpture.
“Did you see that...?” She asked.
“Huh? Oh, wow, look at that,” Spike replied vaguely. Twilight didn’t have time to contemplate Spike’s strange behaviour while desperately trying to crane her neck around the obstructive artwork. It was a vain attempt, however; the sculpture consumed the width of the avenue, and circumnavigation was blocked on either side by lines of buildings. Twilight even reluctantly dismissed teleportation due to the crowds. She envied the pegasi and griffons gliding over it like it was nothing, and wondered at the equally nonchalant earth ponies, zebras and occasional fellow unicorns casually diverting up a side street.
“Excuse me, sir, but did you see the other side of this sculpture?” She had to ask a bearded griffon standing nearby. She was stumped.
“What's to be seein’, miss? Tha back of tha serpent is like tha front: scaly and wet,” he said in a thick, bubbling accent. Twilight was about to correct him, but “I can tell you’re not from ‘round the islands,” he continued. “Maybe there be some tings you ought to be knowin’ ‘bout tha sculpt that might catch your interest...”
Like a confused animal caught in a bright light, Twilight listened to the griffon wax lyrical on the virtues of the vapour melon, a magical fruit that creates clouds for the distribution of its seeds. Gesturing to the green and white husks below the sculpture, he explained how certain tricks and potions could be used to deploy their clouds in certain shapes, and how this was applied in street art and Neighchellois culture. While this was all very interesting, it took some time before Twilight realised that she was talking to the griffon who sold the things. She didn’t have words sharp enough for an edgeways insertion, unfortunately.
“You’re a ‘Questri, aren’t you?” the griffon asked at last, but even then cut in first “I’ve been seein’ your kind aplenty these days. Maybe it be tha Sea itch, or tha ghost ship appearin’ or anytin’ else under tha sky, but you sure make yourselves visible,”
“Wait really?”
“Sure as tha mountain slopes, miss. Why just now I was seein’ some parade headed by a ‘Questri paradin’ up Coral lane,” The griffon gestured to the street heading uphill on the other side of the sculpture.
“You did? Spike! SPIKE! we’ve got to go!” She called to the dragon who had slipped off her back during the talk. “Thank you so much, but I’ve got to go now,”
“It’s been a delight, miss,” Said the griffon, holding his claw in the air. Twilight slapped it with her hoof and by the time Spike had found her, she was already galloping up Pacific street, which ran parallel to Coral lane.
She had to hurry to catch the parade, after all. If she didn’t, how would she know if that was the same cloud, the same stripes, the same jagged edges she knew? Nothing had been right since her arrival on this island, no, since she ever decided to come at all. Every instance of ‘bad luck’ paced across her brain back and forth, back and forth. As she moved up Pacific street, hoping to intercept Coral lane, she could sense herself getting closer to the one clue she could possibly grasp, and maybe find out why, how this had anything to do with Rainbow Dash.
“Hurry up, Spike!” she called.

Lovely, Rarity thought to herself as she craned her head to envision the entirety of the sea serpent. How absolutely perfect that one lousy cloud could block off the entire road, she thought. The serpent was a blemish on her design, a flaw in her perfectly cut plan. She had seen this creature before, on a fountain and inside town hall, as well as decorating various sections of her hotel. She hadn’t realised that its likeness appeared spontaneously wherever it caused enough disruption. Some self-mocking part of her brain reminded her how this would account for its ubiquity, at least.
But if this was a simple flaw in her plan, there was something else, an unchecked crack threatening to shatter it into so many worthless pieces. The crack was simple: somepony, for some reason, put this here, and reportedly, they were parading around with pictures of Rainbow Dash.
Rarity shifted her sun hat to block out the glaring whiteness. By accident, her hair was sent tumbling over her eyes. She didn’t bother fixing it, even with her hair as chaotic as the local style required. On the other hoof, she did risk a glance in the direction of the beach, imagining to see Twilight playing in the deserted waves through a gap in the shops. Whether she chose to enjoy sand or civilisation, however, Rarity had taken certain precautions against recognition. Once again, she checked that her dress covered her cutie mark.
In the other direction was Coral lane. Rarity had to set a fair pace if she was to catch up to her mystery opponent. She set one hoof after the other, and the path seemed to stretch up and away like it was trying to flee to the sky. It seemed to vibrate and flow with a river of bodies, with bright blotches of green, orange, purple, and a very familiar blue floating through it it. Breezes blowing off the ocean seemed to breathe dynamism into the scene and hinted encouragement into her steps. It seemed, all in all, like a pleasant day.
Rarity was passing through the shadow of one the eye-catching bodies, discovering a moving platform bearing a symphony of colours -and a real symphony besides. Not long after, the shadow had disappeared, the only colours were reds and oranges, and the music had been replaced with cries of panic. It became a chaos hard to describe in detail. There was a pressing heat that dyed the world red. There was noise, a beast in itself made of pounding hooves, screams, crackling wood and somepony calling a name she didn’t catch. Finally, there was ash or rain, something dark in the sky with something falling from it. Already Rarity found herself backing off from a distant blackened scene, unaware of her once-azure dress catching at her hooves.
A fountain seemed jump out behind her, and Rarity narrowly avoided an impromptu bath. She twisted, landing her nose in a soft wall of white. Foam drowned out the fountain and poured out of a side alley. Rarity stepped back and stepped around it, examining the offensive castle as if it might attack at any moment. Coming half-circle, she observed something else. A purple pony was rapidly approaching her from the side. The world spun then rushed away to her sides as she bolted away.
She took a left, maybe two. She didn’t know where she was anymore. She was just following her feet, which now seemed compelled to climb. Constant adventuring with her friends had prepared her enough physically, but nopony told her she had to like it, especially now that her disguise was torn and dirty. She ruminated for a while. Today had been her idea, all part of the plan. The festivities had all been arranged between herself and Bridle Bay’s mayor, a lazy stallion determined to let somepony else manage his town. Between the weather, the virtually private beach and the culture in town, it should have been a pretty good day. Instead, it had been torn to shreds by a mystery pony advertising Rainbow Dash for inscrutable reasons.

When Rarity had walked along the top of town (past her hotel, changing to a new, red dress) and began trotting down towards town hall again, she passed a contingent of locals slowly squeezing their way out of some secretive nook. It was barely one pony wide, but somehow they found space for their flags and banners: sky blue with the full spectrum of colours arrayed along them. They were selling soap, it seemed. Rarity didn’t want any.
Rarity took a right. There was a brief pause of darkness and quiet in the side street. She met the light once again on the street straight up from Town Hall. The ache in her hooves made her glad the walk was downhill. A distant popping echoed between the limestone buildings, which Rarity recognised as fireworks. However, she was caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of Spike. She hadn’t seen where the little dragon had come from, but he was suddenly rushing up to her. It was a relieving sight, at least.

“What was that noise?” Twilight asked, “Spike? Spike?” but the narrow space between the buildings was empty except for herself. She faced back towards the narrow strip of sun that marked the entrance to the alley. When she emerged into the small plaza, she looked down the hill. A burnt ruin marked the origin of the noise she’d heard, but her dragon assistant was nowhere to be seen. She called his name again, but her words just dissipated under the hum of the crowd. She looked around the plaza. It was full of shocked ponies milling about and recovering, but it was dominated by the fountain of foam, slowly oozing from its confines and spilling down the hill.
Twilight recalled wading through the alley with foam enveloping her totally. The space was grey, surprisingly fragrant, and disconcerting. It was like the thickest fog imaginable, likewise, she wasn’t sure if she imagined some of the things she saw in there. She had dived in with Spike in her the pursuit of her target, that much she knew. Inside she caught flashes of every colour, blurred and darkened, rushing past. Among these phantoms was something pink and bouncing. When she emerged Spike, who had been padding along behind her... she had assumed was still behind her. Twilight had looked up and down the hill and set off to explore a side-street. Both Spike and whoever she was chasing must both have disappeared into that wet, grey space.
Everything seemed too convenient... but she needed more information. She saw a pony with a wide hat and a dirtied blue dress gawking at the tower of foam. Something stood out about her, so Twilight decided to begin her search there. However, she had barely started approaching when the stranger began to run. Twilight watched her messy purple tail wave about behind her before heaving a disappointed sigh.
Undiscouraged, she turned to another local. She asked about the parade, but was treated to a tale about a ghost ship. She asked about the dragon, but was rather regaled on oceanic politics. She even asked about the pony who ran from her, but instead was informed on how little the Neighchellois disliked staying on topic. Amongst other cultural insights, that is.
Despite needing to know so much, by the time she heard the distant echo of fireworks, she was no closer to knowing any of it. She looked to the sky, following the echoes to the west part of town. It was empty but for a pegasus cloud which was apparently uninterested in dousing burning floats. She wondered if it was the one she had grappled with at the beach.
The blue sky calmed her, let her contemplate her next move. Her eyes fixed on the cloud and on the pegasus clearly sitting there, alone in the be blue. Something seemed familiar about her. Maybe it was her stance, or the movements of her wings, but she was too far away to discern the details. She briefly considered what a great view such a pegasus would have... Then it hit her. A second later the plaza flashed purple, and Twilight was gone.

“A-aren’t you little close to the edge...?”
“That’s tha plan, miss ‘shy,”
“But what if she...” Fluttershy almost didn’t dare even peek over the edge. The cloud seemed to slide like quicksand under her hooves and curled all the way up to her shoudlers. The clear skies above didn’t say much, but that was ignoring the flock of similar clouds dotting the air on the long fall to Bridle Bay. High Stakes, however, must have been well aware of the drop from her position.
High Stakes, who owned the lodge they stayed in, stood on her front two hooves with her back two waving at the sky. The gold coin she wore matched her cutie mark and swung in an erratic circle from her neck, and often its twine would brush against her tinted flight goggles or the beads tied to her grey and yellow mane. Her wings would sometimes flick at the air in slight corrective motions. Something between a grin and gritted teeth was fixed on her mouth. Fluttershy sat as far as she could from High Stakes, imagining the second she would tip over the edge.
“But what if Rainbow Dash sees you?”
“Yeah, that’s tha plan, that’s how I’ll lead her away,”High Stakes said, as she pirouetted on one hoof to face Fluttershy. Suddenly, the cloud gave way and High Stakes disappeared. There was silence on the cloud as Fluttershy padded her way to the spot where High Stakes had vanished. Risking a glance over the edge, she confirmed that it was a long way to the ground indeed, but saw nothing of her missing companion. When she turned back to the centre of the cloud, the sight of High Stakes lying in the mist and casually blowing cloud circles almost sent her over the edge herself. Fortunately, she only yelped.
“Oh my... miss Stakes, you startled me,”
“Beggin’ your sincerest pardons, miss ‘shy,” She said, and blew another cloud circle. She flapped her wings and leapt back to the edge of the cloud, blowing a wave of loose cloud in Fluttershy’s face. “Hey who’s that?”
“That’s...” Fluttershy grabbed a pair of binoculars lying on the cloud with them and put them to her eyes. “That’s Twilight! Quick, miss Stakes, hide!” Fluttershy retreated from the edge and ducked into the mist. High Stakes squinted at the indistinguishable purple dot slowly pacing down the beach. She grabbed a pair of binoculars for herself to examine closer. Soon, she began to chuckle.
“You’re sure havin’ interestin’ friends, miss shy,” she said.
“Huh?” asked Fluttershy, removing her hooves from her head.
“Come look what your friends are doin’,”
“...That’s weird...”
High Stakes and Fluttershy lay side by side for a while, watching Rainbow Dash and her weather antics with Twilight. It seemed like an odd kind of prank to play, but Fluttershy still wouldn’t put it past Rainbow. What was really strange however, was the way that Rainbow just flew off. Twilight was galloping away, Spike trapped in a soft purple shimmer behind her, leaving Rainbow’s cloud behind. Rainbow seemed to watch her for a while, just sitting there. When Twilight was almost on the edge of town, Rainbow just rose into the air, paused for a second, and flew off in the direction of High Stake’s cabins.
“Huh,” Stakes said. “Guess I won’t be lurin’ anypony to tha lodge today after all,”
“Yay?”
“Hmph,” High Stakes flopped once again into the mist and began playing with her coin. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was watching Twilight as she arrived on Titan Avenue. Further up that street, it wasn’t hard to discern the waving blue flags of Pinkie Pie’s procession. It was Pinkie’s job to lure other ponies to the event at High Stake’s lodge, but she also needed to avoid their other friends. Warning her about their friends’ whereabouts was Fluttershy’s job. Fluttershy flicked her view back onto town hall, and was relieved to see Rarity was still on the balcony, apparently in conversation with an official. After quickly searching for the purple flag somewhere within the cloud, Fluttershy signalled Twilight’s presence to Pinkie.
“All your friends are ‘Questri’s, yeah?” Asked Stakes, who had resumed practice of the ancient art of blowing cloud rings.
“Um, pardon?”
“Like, from tha mainland. Equestrians,”
“Well yes, I guess...” At this point, the outline of a sea-serpent had blossomed mid-way through Titan avenue, eliciting a quick ‘heh’ from High Stakes.
“What’s it like?”
“It’s... nice,” This was the part where Fluttershy began waving the white flag to signify Rarity’s departure from town hall.
“Nice? Yeah, that’s what my friend was sayin’ too,”
“Your friend went to Equestria?”
“Actually, she’s there right now, was hopin’ to run into yourself, actually,”
“M-me? No, that can’t be right...”
“Yeah, her shop on the west side of town’ll show you. Her adoration of you’s plastered on every wall.”
“And... When will she... Be back?”
“Oh, by the end of the week, at least. I’ll be expressin’ my jealousy to her for a while after that. I’ve been wantin’ to explore ‘questria since I was a filly,”
“Oh... my...” They didn’t talk much after that, just watched the ponies of Bridle Bay conduct their festivities. By the time Pinkie was adding the bubble mix to the fountain on Coral lane, High Stakes had decided it was time to return to her cabins, and glided quickly away. Next, the float caught fire, sending black smoke into the air and causing many fliers to douse it with their clouds. This cleared her line of sight somewhat, but left her feeling alone and vulnerable.
She watched Pinkie as she travelled up Pacific street, then squeeze through a series of narrow alleys to avoid Rarity. Rarity was meandering around the upper areas of town like a coconut drifting on the tides. She checked back on Twilight, still wandering through the Coral lane plaza, engaging the locals for some reason. Fluttershy wondered where Spike was, and swept her view through the plaza looking for him. She kept searching, and searching and... She had lost track of Rarity.
She snapped back to the upper parts of town, running her eyes up and down its crooked streets. Nothing. She looked back to where Pinkie would be. She was still struggling through a crevice between two buildings, hopefully. Around her, nothing, Rarity was somewhere else. She looked to the hotels on the upper edge of town and found more of nothing. The thin air on this cloud rasped its way up and down her throat. Pinkie was emerging from the alleyway when she finally found Rarity.
Rarity had changed dresses to red, Fluttershy had been looking for blue. Now Rarity had appeared right on Pinkie’s street. She desperately waved the white flag, pointing it northwards, crying for Celestia to make Pinkie see it. She did. She ran down another alley, emerged into the next street over, still galloping like an out of control wagon. South! South! Fluttershy signalled. She watched Pinkie bounce down the hill, following the road down with her eyes. Something purple caught them, something small, purple and green. She continued waving the white flag, this time in surrender, and quietly backed off from the edge and huddled in its centre.
Finally the sound of fireworks snapped her out of it. She could see them rising over the cabins in the west before flowering into sparkling balls. Releasing the breath she had been holding for what seemed like hours, she crept back to the edge. She wasn’t really looking for anything this time, she just wanted to confirm that it was safe. After all, her job was done now, she could return to the ground couldn’t she? She began to descend in a delicate balance between her desire to reach the ground and her fear of doing it too dangerously. She had almost landed on one of the rooftops when the world, briefly, flashed purple.

With her wings resting on the wind, Rainbow Dash hovered over the forest below her. Floating amongst the green crowns of the trees were thatched roofs, brown and rough. The feather she had found in the adjacent woods lingered in the back of her thoughts. This must be where Fluttershy’s hiding, Rainbow concluded as she swooped in.
Below the canopy it was shady and quiet. The muffled sound of waves diffused like distant music through the trees. Scaffolding propped up cabins that leaned on the shoulders of arboreal giants. Lichen-robed rope-bridges tied them together. Rainbow landed on a well-kept dirt path, made stone-solid by countless troddings. Most of all though, Rainbow gazed in awe at the colourful decorations all around her.
Applejack walked by, and in the split second it took for the hammer she held to hit the ground, time stood still.
“Applejack?”
Applejack bolted. Rainbow, as it were, dashed in pursuit.
Though errant branches would whip at her wings, Rainbow was aerobatically inescapable. What little ground Applejack had between the tables and stands of balloons, she was quickly losing. She galloped up a wide set of stairs that clattered shakily as they bore her to an upraised cabin. Rainbow shot straight for her like a bullet, but hit only stairs. Applejack had slid under an uneven step at the last second and was leaving Rainbow in the dust.
“Hey! Get back here!” Rainbow demanded.
Rainbow drove her wings onward, but again Applejack lost her. Rainbow had gotten caught in the web of stilts supporting another cabin. As she un-knotted herself, rattling from above sounded Applejack’s successful ascension into the cabins. Rainbow got out, looped over the structure and surged over the bridge that swung with the earth pony’s bounding. There was a thump, and for a split second, everything was a blur. She got her! Rainbow saw the wooden furniture still rocking from the impact and felt one of Applejack’s hooves between her own... Before it was gone again, and the knock of hooves against wood was rapidly receding. She lost her! But not for long... Rainbow instantly resumed chase.
The rooms and bridges were turned into an obstacle course; one in which Applejack applied her sure-hoofedness to always slightly outpace Rainbow.
“Applejack! Why are you doing this?” She cried during another unsuccessful lunge.
“Sorry, Rainbow,” was all she got, echoing behind Applejack just as her tail disappeared behind a corner.
Finally, Rainbow cornered her in a bedroom, but Applejack leapt out a window. A pegasus in goggle had caught her fall, but surprise had blanked Dash’s mind just long enough lose track of her. She spotted AJ’s stetson in a crowd of staring ponies and swept in to chase her out. She would have caught her then, if not for that goggle-wearing pegasus flying recklessly with fireworks.
Applejack was off again, running up and around deeper into the forest when Rainbow finally lost her. The thick, low branches here forced her to the ground. Rainbow listened carefully for hoofbeats hidden under the lively insect chorus. -CRACK!- Rainbow turned to see something crashing through the bushes back into the more open space beyond. Rainbow galloped on, seeing her opponent shrinking in front of her as she struggled through the thickets. She passed Applejack’s hat caught in a branch and she was free. Nothing would stop her now that she knew all the earth pony’s tricks.
It became mad sprint to the finish. Applejack made straight for the coast with Rainbow Dash on her tail. Up ahead, just as the trees gave way to the beach, hung a red curtain. Rainbow was getting closer and closer and almost had Applejack just as passed the veiled. It was if the very air was buzzing in anticipation of this moment. Rainbow zoomed straight through, unthinking, the other side completely unknown...
Suddenly there were crowds, flashes of photography, fireworks, music and above all, cheering.
“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” they shouted, hundreds of them packed onto the beach in front of a little stage made of planks and sand. Rainbow pulled up into the sky against a shower of confetti and praise. She floated down slowly, tentatively, among the waving flags showing herself on her cloud-board. Setting down in front of everypony, she thought to herself, what?
“Fillies and Gentlecolts, I present to you, tha hero of Equestria, Rainbow Dash!” announced the pegasus who was bearing the fireworks earlier. She had swapped to a fashionable pair of sunglasses now, incidentally. The cheering erupted with renewed vigour. The pegasus trotted onto the stage and up to Rainbow. “Tell us, miss Dash, will you be savin’ lives and fightin’ crime ‘round our fair Bridle Bay?”
Rainbow gazed out at the crowd just as they gazed back at her. The same eager look was copied over and over their faces; pony, griffon and zebra alike. The only thing she seemed able to think was, again, what?
“Uhh....” Rainbow looked back to the announcer, whose expression was hidden behind her tinted glasses. “You can bet your bits I will! Awww yeah!” The crowd burst into cheers and their collective stamping almost broke the stage.
Rainbow grinned and posed before her admirers, staring her fans straight in their adoring eyes. She did this doubly so when she came across Applejack, who was blushing guiltily and sweating under the heat of the sun. Dash contemplated how Applejack would need her hat for this sun, recalled where it had caught on a branch and realised she needed to get to it first. Rainbow held that stare defiantly, wishing she could tell AJ, you’ve won this round, but I’m still getting my answers...

How did he end up here? It was dark, smelled like seaweed and he was pressed against something warm and fuzzy... and pink -now he remembered. Spike had been walking away from town hall when he had seen Pinkie Pie and she had tackled him into a barrel. Ouch. he checked- yes, the letter was still there. Having started something of a fire in acquiring this letter, he was loathe to lose to something as trivial as weak wrists.
“Spike!”
“Pinkie Pie? What’s goi-?”
“Shh!” Spike mouth became the sudden recipient of Pinkie’s hoof. “How much do you know?” Pinkie launched into a whirlwind of questions until the barrel buzzed with interrogations. “Do you know about Applejack? And our plans for Rainbow Dash? Does Rainbow know? And Rarity? What have you seen today? Is Twilight still purple?....” and so the questions continued like a freak rainstorm. Spike had to slap Pinkie’s hoof out of the way before he could get a word in.
“Pinkie! I don’t know who else’s seen you, but we found Fluttershy’s feather in the forest yesterday, that’s all!” Spike said. Pinkie gasped so hard the egdes of the barrel whistled with air.
“Oh no! That means Rarity might get suspicious and tell Rainbow Dash not to go to the party and then Dashie won’t sign the letters and SPIKE YOU’VE GOT TO HELP ME!”
“...What?”
“Please don’t tell Rarity anything! I’ll do anything!”
“Anything? Anything at all?” Pinkie nodded, an action felt more than seen. The possibilities rushed through Spike’s mind. Dreams of chores done and piles of food, however, were soon blown like dust off the one thing weighing down his mind. He could still feel the sharp edge of the princess’s letter poking into his side. The next moment passed in silence. Spike grabbed the letter.
“I received this letter from the princess about an hour ago and...”
“Yes?”
“It says ‘I’m sorry for involving you in this, Spike, but it is incredibly important you do whatever it takes to prevent a situation. It is a far more fragile matter than I imagined. Remember to tell nopony.’ ” For what it was worth, Spike held the paper up to Pinkie. “And the thing is... I need to fake my own death.”
“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!”
Pinkie almost tipped over the barrel with her out burst. After that, she was speechless.
“Please,” Spike said “This is really important and... I don’t think I can do it myself...”
“Bu- what about Twilight? and Rarity? and everypony else? And, and HOW?”
“Twilight doesn’t need to know! and it’ll only be for a few days,”
“But Spike- oh no! Are those the fireworks! I’ve got to go- meet me at midnight in the forest and make sure you don’t die until then!”
“Pinkie, wait!” but she was already gone, out of the barrel and bounding down the street. The fireworks crackled away somewhere far off as Spike crawled out of the barrel. Free at last, he took a deep breath and kept walking along the street, unsure of what to do next. Luckily for him, Rarity soon made that decision for him.
“Spike!” she called, rushing up to him. She was disguised in a red dress and a broad-brimmed hat that covered her face from a distance “Spike, there you are! What are- are you alright Spike?”
“Uh, totally fine, why?” He lied
“Why? Why Spike you look absolutely horrid! It’s as if you’ve seen a ghost or something. Really, has something happened?” Rarity leaned in with concern, as if she was inspecting a gem for flaws.
“Really it’s nothing! Geez!” Spike spat, stepping back from Rarity’s attention and turning his cheek in rejection.
“Spike! I- no matter, where’s Twilight, I thought you were supposed to be with her? And you haven’t seen Pinkie Pie around anywhere have you? I’ve been hearing whispers...”
“I don’t know, and no. I’ve been wandering around trying to find you,”
“Ah- very well then. In that case, you absolutely must keep a low profile- you never know who might be wondering around these streets...”

Behind a cool, shiny glass lens and a tube of brass, Twilight Sparkle monologued. It was like watching a coiled in its own tension, hissing and ready to strike at whatever ventured too close. Fluttershy, thankfully, managed to escape the bulk of her tirade, though it did sting during her own brief lecture. Now Twilight focused her rant through the telescope onto Rarity and Spike, who were outside, talking on the street.
Fluttershy and Twilight were, it is worthy to note, in Crystal Clear’s emporium of optical instruments and glassware. The shop was as comprehensive as a dictionary in its catalogue of scopes and glasses, but far more useful in defining the word ‘fragile’. Crystal Clear himself had an unfortunate habit of both overstocking and overcrowding his shop, and a short temper for those who didn’t appreciate those facts. One such poor soul was arguing with the shop owner over a toppled vat of binoculars somewhere further inside the maze. Overall, Fluttershy felt the tempers in this shop were hot.
“Flutteshy, why’d you come here without telling me?”
Twilight asked, having finished her ‘I can’t believe Spike would lie to me’s and ‘What was Rarity thinking’s asked “Is this some kind of joke? What are you guys up to?
“Um, I don’t really know,”
“What do you mean you don’t know, how can you not know?”
“Well, I came here with Pinkie. I don’t know why, but Rarity came separately,”
“Pinkie!? Pinkie Pie’s here too? Good heavens, what’s Pinkie doing here?”
“I... don’t know either, she says it’s a secret”
“Fluttershy!” Twilight groaned. “Why’d you come at all?” Fluttershy just remained silent and looked at the ground.
“Let me guess, you don’t know? Sweet Celestia, Fluttershy, what do you know?”
“Well I know Applejack came with us, and Rainbow came with Rarity- Oh! And also Pinkie’s doing something with Rainbow right now. It’s some kind of party, I think...”
“Oh Luna, I think I’m gonna have to write this down,”
“Would you like me to get a pen?”
“No, you stay here, I’m going to need your help if I’m going to figure this mess out. Try to remember everything you’ve seen Rarity or Pinkie do up until now,” Said Twilight. There was more crashing in the back of the shop. Apparently the fight back there had escalated somewhat. Twilight didn’t seem to notice. She was peering back through the telescope and muttering under her breath. Fluttershy, conversely, seemed quite concerned.
“Uh, Twilight” She tried to get Twilight attention with a nudge of the hoof.
“Have you thought of something?” Asked Twilight expectantly, dropping the spyglass she was watching with.
“No, it’s just that...” Suddenly there was an almighty crash.
“OUT! EVERYPONY OUT!” screamed Crystal Clear, barging through his own delicately arranged goods dragging a struggling earth pony with him by his tail. He unceremoniously tossed the unlucky patron out onto the street before turning on Twilight and Fluttershy. He shot them both a look so serious that when he exclaimed “YOU TOO, LADIES!” they found themselves on the streets almost from pure shock.
“What... was that?” Asked Twilight as the shop door slammed definitively behind them.
Fluttershy instantly dived for cover. It barely saved her from being spotted by Rarity or Spike. The pony pair had realised they were out on the street in the open, exposed to observation. That, combined with their unusual entrance into this setting made them especially prone to attention. The fact that Spike and Rarity were standing not ten metres away from them only made the situation exponentially more risky. Likewise, Rarity turned face and ran- at a leisurely, lady-like pace, of course. Spike, after gathering his wits, ran up to Twilight.
“Meet me at the tower in the forest at midnight” Whispered Twilight as she began to trot towards Spike. Fluttershy let out a quite eep from behind the store sign and tried to ignore the looks she was getting from passers-by. While she snuck away, she could hear Twilight shout “Spike! Where’ve been! You’ll never guess who I ran into today!” and “...That's right, Zecora’s cousin! Who knew I’d find her here? I’ll tell you, she’s...” and then they faded off into the distance.

Three knocks exactly, spaced two seconds apart each. Rarity recognised the signal that Spike was at the door, but she didn’t expect the heavy thump that followed it. As she unlocked and unlatched the door, Spike slumped straight through, barely avoiding an impromptu date with the floor.
“Oh my, Spike, whatever’s that matter?” She inquired
“Twilight’s been-” Spike yawned long and deeply “She’s been working me into the ground since this morning... I’m exhausted,”
“Well then you simply must take a seat dear, rest your little feet.” Rarity lifted the little dragon onto the sofa near the window. He curled up comfortably and seemed ready to fall right asleep “But first, tell me- What’s Twilight been up to?”
“Wha-? Uh, studying, I guess... you know Twilight,” murmured Spike.
“...Studying?”
“Uh-huh...” Spike yawned again. “Are you sure this is a good idea Rarity? Twilight seems pretty keen on the science,”
“Oh, don’t be silly, that’s just the tiredness talking! You know as well as I that Twilight deserves a break and that we’re the ones who’ve got to give it to her. We simply need to change our approach... perhaps something a little more direct. Spike do you think-?” but it was no use. Spike was sound asleep. And I thought I’d had a rough day... Rarity thought to herself.
Rarity had indeed had a rough day. For all her perfectly ruled charts and schedules, nothing ever seemed to go according to plan. She hardly had enough of Twilight’s organisational prowess to keep an entire celebrating town from disaster, yet it had fallen on her anyway. Rarity had to admire in some way the mayor’s talent for dodging responsibility, even if it placed all the pressure, the criticisms and acclaim, on the back of one mare.
In the end she was proud, she supposed. She had created a work of art out of the town, a dangerously chaotic work of art that failed to impress the one pony it was meant to. For now, Rarity was glad it was finished. She had more important things to worry about, such as how to entertain Twilight tomorrow, or the whereabouts of Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash, luckily enough, presented herself in typical Rainbow Dash fashion when the pegasus slammed into the hotel window like a misguided bird. Rarity had left the next window over open to avoid this exact eventuality and wasn’t impressed. Wearing her most sarcastic glare, Rarity guided her friend a metre to the left so she could fly in properly.
“Rainbow Dash.” She stated without letting up the gaze for a second. Rainbow had almost made it all the way to the sofa when she noticed.
“What?” She asked as she flopped down next to Spike.
“Oh, nothing. I was just marveling that I can see you now, I thought you might have been invisible for a while, Rainbow,”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, how else can I explain the fact that I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of you since this morning? You couldn’t have possibly abandoned me when I specifically told you how I needed your help today, could you?” Rarity began to advance before Rainbow could escape. “Why, all this stress shall ruin my coat!”
“Hey! That’s not my fault! Do you know how many autographs I’ve had to sign? I’ve been flying around all day!”
“Wha- AUTOGRAPHS? What in the world have you been doing Rainbow! We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile!” Rarity squealed. She was mortified that Rainbow could be so careless. Rainbow, fittingly, couldn’t care less.
She replied, with a wave of the hoof, “Lighten up! It was way more fun than messing with Twilight,” then closed her eyes and collapsed. Rarity was speechless, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do a lot of stamping her hooves and huffing before turning around and leaving for the opposite end of the room. Soon, however, she returned, and threw a bundle of fabric in Rainbow’s face.
Rainbow sat up, the bundle falling onto her hooves. “What’s this?”
“It’s a disguise darling, you’ll need it tomorrow. I don’t need to remind you how important this is, do I?”
“Ugh, fine. But I still don’t see what the big deal is,”
“The Big Deal is-”
“Could you two keep it down! I’m trying to sleep here!” groaned Spike.
“Look what you did, Rainbow, you woke up Spike,”
“I woke up Spike, you’re the one-”
“Oh, FOR PETE’S SAKE!” cried Spike, hopping off the sofa “Why don’t you two stop arguing and start doing something? Look, it’s dark outside already, don’t you have that ghost ship thing again tonight?”
Rainbow and Rarity looked at each other. “I suppose you’re right,” said Rarity.
“Yeah, I guess” Rainbow mumbled. “But hey, shouldn’t you be getting back to Twi?”
“Nah, Twilight won’t be-” Spike stopped mid-sentence, his face widened with realisation “Actually, on second thought, I gotta go- bye!” and suddenly Spike was gone.
“What was that all about?” Asked Rainbow.
“I have no idea, darling, but let’s get to work, shall we?”

The forest shivered in the gentle sea breeze. This place was nothing like the dark silence of the Everfree- rather it literally buzzed with singing insects and a sweet melody seemed to warm the humid air. It was wild and vibrant, yet concealed secret dreams and desires. One could get lost here, but never feel alone. For Fluttershy and Owlowicious, it was a good place to think.
The usual miasma of concerns played out in her brain. Thoughts of responsibilities and her friends’ opinions whispered among themselves in the back. Somewhat more prominently, she worried about flying, compensating for a missing feather and navigating through the dark. In her mind’ spotlight, however, was what High Stakes had mentioned about her friend in Equestria. Surely it was coincidence, surely she wouldn’t meet her anyway, surely... But Fluttershy’s gut fluttered with nerves anyway. She still hadn’t brought the subject up with any of her friends.
The living air washed over Fluttershy’s feathers while a lonely fall stretched away beneath her hooves. It was like the view from a cloudsdale balcony; long, empty and unkind to the wingless. Even to pegasi like Fluttershy this weightlessness and familiarity was therapeutic. It felt like there was nothing to do but fly- no responsibilities to uphold, no promises to keep, no demands to be fulfilled. There was but one proviso: It felt like running away.
“Twilight wants me to help her, I’ve already agreed to help Pinkie and I still haven’t talked to Applejack about that pony yet... Oh, Owlowicious, what am I to do?” Fluttershy asked as they drifted through the trunks at random.
“Who?” the owl replied. Under Fluttershy's care and in the warm tropical weather, Owlowicious had recovered from his cough greatly.
“I know I can’t return home, not yet, but if I stay here I might end up disappointing everypony and then they’ll all get mad at me and... Owlowicious? Where are you going?” Owlowicious had banked to the left and was rapidly disappearing between the branches. Fluttershy tried to follow but Owlowicious was far better suited to navigating at night and soon the pony had lost him. She pushed her way past the canopy and sat herself down among the leaves to try and get a better view. There was no sign of him, however.
Fluttershy wondered how long it would be before Pinkie or Applejack came looking for her. Back a High Stakes’ cabins, the two earth ponies were writing letters and signing them with copies of Rainbow’s Autographs. Out here, under the twinkling stars and enormous free flowing clouds, Fluttershy could wait forever. Pinkie, on the other hand, wasn’t known for her patience. Twilight would also be expecting her under the old watch tower. Fluttershy turned her head inland to the hill where its ruined walls lay twisted in strangler figs.
Branches rustled and snapped as Fluttershy returned to the forest below. She was about to set off in search of Owlowicious again when she heard somepony call her name. She turned to see who it was, imagining to find Applejack picking her way through the undergrowth. Instead she saw something flying through the trees, blurred with speed. Next thing she knew, Rainbow was chasing her like a lion after an injured antelope. Escape was futile, and Rainbow soon had her pinned to a tree.
“Uh, hi Rainbow?”
“What’s your game Fluttershy?” she demanded “Why are you all here? I’m not letting you escape like Applejack did until you answer all my questions. So, what’s this prank Pinkie Pie’s got on for me about?” Fluttershy tried to turn away and avoid the questions, but she had no chance of escaping Rainbow. She whimpered, and to her old friend, it was clear what was going to happen next. Groaning, Rainbow gently removed her hooves and the two of them floated down to the ground. “Better?” Rainbow asked.
Fluttershy just sort of nodded.
“Seriously though, I get that Pinkie’s into pranks and all that, but why’d you three follow me all the way out here? We’ve got serious business going on,”
“It was Pinkie’s idea mostly, I- I don’t really know what she’s thinking...” Fluttershy mumbled as she scratched at the leaf litter.
“Yeah, that’s kinda what Applejack said too. Speaking of which, AJ found it pretty fishy that you wanted to join in too... You don’t have some kind of plan going too, do you?”
“Umm, no...”
“You do! I knew it! Spill it, Fluttershy!”
Shoot, Fluttershy thought. She was really cornered now. There was a sense of absence as she tried to grasp the words to explain.
“Well it’s complicated...” Fluttershy began, but Rainbow didn’t let up. “But, uh, I can’t really go back to Ponyville unless Applejack...”
“Huh? Are the Apples mad at you or something?”
“No, it’s just... really complicated, OK?” Fluttershy tried to turn away, to use her ample pink locks to hide from her worries. Rainbow wasn’t about to give up, but she got the message.
“OK... but if you really wanna go home, why don’t you just mess up Pinkie’s scheme? Actually, I’ve got a better idea- why don’t we prank Pinkie back? With us working together, I’ll bet we can get her good!”
“I don’t know, Rainbow, what if Pinkie finds out?”
“Oh, come on, Fluttershy! When are you gonna start standing up for yourself? Besides, pranking ponies is fun and useful,”
“Well, maybe...”
“Yes! Alright, here’s the plan...”

Spike’s sneeze lit the forest in a viridescent blaze. Cold snakes of brine slithering down his scales kept the sleep from his deprived eyes. If only it was as useful to his health. This, and the pollen laden jungle atmosphere, set Spike’s body up to betray him and expose him to anypony in the forest that night. Rainbow Dash, he knew at least, would be likely to be flying overhead tonight and he didn’t feel like explaining why he would be in the forest. Spike sneezed again.
Scrambling through the bushy undergrowth was hard at times, but Spike dragon skin protected him from the scrapes that would shred a regular pony’s coat. Soon enough, he reached the leafy path which carried hikers from the bay to other parts of the island. The dragon wondered how he was going to find Pinkie but, sure enough, Pinkie bounced up to him as if she were dancing to some unknown beat. Spike was unsure if she remembered why they were meeting or if she was just being Pinkie.
“Hi Spike!” She yelled far too loudly. Spike cringed and held his claw to his mouth in a plea for quiet. “Oh, sorry,”
“Have you thought about what I said?” Spike asked.
“Yep! And I’ve decided to help!” Pinkie announced as the pony and the dragon began walking the forest path.
“Really? That’s great! I mean, this really helps a lot, Pinkie,”
“You got a letter from the Princess, silly. That’s super-serious business... there’s just one itsy-bitsy thing... If Twilight finds out, you know she’ll be heartbroken. We can’t let that happen.”
Spike stared up at Pinkie’s beaming face. Even now, she maintained an irreducible vitality that shone in the darkness. Yet somewhere in the unflichingness of that smile, or maybe the exact crease at the edge of her eyes, or possibly in something mysterious just below her the surface of her eyes, there lay a grave seriousness. Or maybe it was hope. Or both.
Spike wished he could let all his secrets bubble out and explode right there, to confide in her all the ridiculous tasks he’s been instructed to perform. He knew he couldn’t, he had promised not to, and he forced the words back down his throat. Luckily for him, something about Pinkie’s boundless optimism was infectious. Instead of breaking into incomprehensible elaboration he smiled Pinkie’s huge, subtly determined smile.
“...About that,” He wanted to say thanks, but didn’t have the words, “I think I might have a plan...”
“Okie Dokie Lokie!”
For a while, Pinkie and Spike whispered, so that the darkness wouldn’t carry their words. They discussed the details of how, when and where. A death-at-sea would be best, Spike insisted. Pinkie wanted most of a day to prepare. They discussed their plans and their friends’ plans. They discussed Twilight. By the time they were interrupted by Applejack, they were almost at the bay end of the trail. Spike disappeared into the bushes whilst Pinkie and Applejack made their way back to their lodgings.
“Have ya’ found Fluttershy yet Pinkie?” Applejack asked, which was answered with a thoroughly positve ‘nope!’ “Ah just hope that filly ain’t gone runnin’ into no trouble in these here freaky woods. Ah’ll go look for her, you still got plenty more o’ yer letters to sign...”

Under a sinking sun, Twilight had ‘fallen asleep’. ‘Early start tomorrow,’ justified it, even though it was barely five. Spike soon snuck away, as expected, and Twilight ‘woke up’. Not that she had been sleeping in the first place.
First, she lit a lamp; she’d need the illumination. Second, she stood before the mirror, musing on how formless the glass seemed. Third, she drew the runes, carefully, exactly, not a line out of place. Fourth, she considered again whether this would really be a good idea.
Twilight Sparkle stared her reflection dead in its purple eyes, glimmering with reflected flame. It was a challenge of sorts, a dare to break the rules with her. Then, with a final glance towards the door in case Spike decided to make an unexpected appearance, she used her horn to power up the spell. Final checks were complete. Twilight took a deep breath, told herself she could do it, took a step back and leapt.
About a second later, Twilight was rubbing her head as cracks of energy dissipated across the force-field spell like vibrations along a spider’s web. Staring back at her, with an identical look of pain and disbelief was her reflection. The only difference was, her reflection hadn’t hit the force-fieldand was sitting about a metre too far forward, outside the magic circle. Twilight could barely restrain her joy, but avoided another head injury by not leaping skyward in celebration. Besides, she was only half done.
The unicorn erased one line of runes and the shield disappeared. The second line was written backwards, so that in the reflection it read correctly, just as the first line had been invalid through the mirror. Twilight backed up and positioned her reflected self inside the reflected circle. In an instant and a purple flash Twilight was face-to-face with a perfect doppelgänger. Both were panting and sweating, but equally doubled was the look of accomplishment on both their faces. Most importantly, both were on the same side of the mirror.
A few choice spells and a come-to-life later and she was perfect; a fully autonomous, indistinguishable replica of herself, ready to do her bidding and fool her friends. “Alright Twilight, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“I sure do love Books!” Well, it was almost perfect, but it would do. She attached one of a pair of tiny earrings to mirror Twilight’s ear and another to her own. With these she’d be able to keep tabs on her doppelgänger’s whereabouts and listen in on her conversations. Twilight put Twilight to bed and teleported away.

Almost everything was in place. At the base of the ancient watch tower, Twilight waited. It was a brooding kind of place to wait. This tower, now crumbling and choked by figs, was rumored to be the oldest building of the entire archipelago. Some even said it stood tall when Equestrian explorers first discovered the islands so many years ago. Now, as then, the jungle that swamped most of the island was trying to squeeze through every crevice, like rainwater. Now, however, the greenery had gotten inside, and the black tower sported a green head and a twisted brown coat of strangler roots and lichen.
Owlowicious, to her delight had found her near instantly, having seen the flashes of her teleport spell, no doubt. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, took her time in turning up.
“Fluttershy! What took you so long?” Twilight asked.
“Oh it was nothing, I was just looking for... Owlowicious...”
“He’s right here,” Twilight stated, gesturing to the bird on her back.
“Oh,”
“Look, it doesn’t matter. I need you to explain to Owlowicious that I need him to keep an eye on Spike. I tried, but he doesn’t seem to get who I’m talking about,”
“Oh, that’s easy...”
“Also, from now on, I’m going to need you to try and dig deeper into everypony’s plans. I can’t investigate it as easily without drawing suspicion, so I’ll just try to hide and observe. Chances are, if you find something and need to tell me, I’m going to be nearby, got it?” Fluttershy nodded to Twilight as she momentarily detached her attention from the owl. “Excellent. Thanks Fluttershy, but I think we should wrap this up quick. I wish we had more time to talk about this, but I think I heard Applejack calling your name...”
And so, the two discussed what little they could. They talked about notebooks and strategies. They talked about their friends. The game, whatever it was, had changed. Twilight had started playing, and regardless of if she won or lost, she knew she would uncover her friends schemes before the game was done.