//------------------------------//
// 5: Cast Off 
// Story: A Pegasus Salute 
// by Winged Cat 
//------------------------------//

Sleep slowly evaporated from Twilight's mind, like night's fog under the morning sun, as she took gentle nose breaths through Rainbow's mane.  More than their actions, the pegasus's words echoed in her head.

Rainbow Dash believed in her.  And wanted her to believe in herself.  Even Celestia had never quite phrased it like that.

Although, what was there to believe in?  That her magic power was growing at a rate that concerned her?  That had been demonstrated quite thoroughly yesterday: even after the mountain was no more and her body was on the verge of collapse, she could feel vast amounts of power still waiting to be tapped.  A battle against some theoretical equally powerful magic user would probably end with Twilight's heart seizing up if she did not get her body in condition to handle it, and even then she would not want to drag out the fight too long.  Fortunately she knew a master of many things athletic, quite willing to indulge in extended sessions of..."endurance training", Rainbow had called it.  Twilight smiled as she let herself breathe in lungfuls of Rainbow's scent, holding and savoring it before slowly sighing it out.

And her being a Princess?  Logically, that was undeniably true.  But what was she to do?  She was no ruler.  Celestia, Luna, and Cadance had that handled.  She wished she could help more, but she was just Twilight Sparkle, nerd about all things magic.  Sure, she had been learning about friendship lately, but...

Twilight's eyes snapped open as her waking fog popped away and her body suddenly felt cold, as a particularly unpleasant answer suggested itself.  Celestia's lessons for her had been on a variety of topics: history, spells, stars - okay, Twilight admitted, she had kind of added that field of study herself.  But ever since Twilight had been banish-MOVED to Ponyville, it was NOT a banishment she could return any time she just wanted to stay around her friends even if Celestia barely batted an eye about her faithful student suddenly no longer being there and Twilight had felt terribly homesick until her friends took care of that but no it was not a banishment even if Celestia had told her to stay and had arranged for her and Spike's things to be delivered to Ponyville but she had done nothing wrong so Celestia would never banish...

It was a debate Twilight had had with herself every few months.  Recognizing it for the unsolvable loop it was, she shoved it aside and continued her previous line of thought.  Ever since HER ARRIVAL IN Ponyville - there, no emotional baggage, she could agree with herself that that was perfectly accurate even if she disagreed about the possible context - Celestia's assignments had been about friendship.  Making friends just in time to defeat Nightmare Moon and turn her back into Luna; perhaps the "oversight" with those tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala were to make sure she would stand up for her friends even against Celestia; she would have failed to save the Crystal Empire if her time in Ponyville had not taught her the difference between following orders literally and doing what was right; even fixing Starswirl's incomplete spell relied on her friendship with friends who had briefly lost themselves.  Just a few days ago, she had judged and thereby rescued a pony that Celestia had put through similarly focused, if briefer, training.

Which was as far as her thoughts got before the door's handle rattling interrupted.  Twilight had not thought to ask if Rainbow's landlord was alright with overnight visitors, and a back corner of her mind warned that paparazzi would swoon to get pictures of the newest Princess in bed with anyone, pony or otherwise.  Just as the door started creaking, she teleported to the other side of the room, twisted mid-air to land on her feet, and looked intently at the newspaper clippings she wound up facing.

"Rainbow Dash!  Rainbow Dash!  Look, look!"  Fortunately for Twilight, opening the door was neither landlord nor reporter, but a young orange purple-haired pegasus filly stretching her tiny wings.

"Huum?"  Rainbow blinked awake, looking at the door.  "Oh, Scootaloo!"

Scootaloo turned her head.  "Are you still in bed this late?"

Twilight giggled.  "Sorry.  I kinda kept her up late with some endurance training."  She wondered at how easily the lie came to her, though she supposed it kind of was not a lie.

Scootaloo almost jumped at the unexpected voice.  "Oh!  Hi, Twilight.  I didn't see you there.  What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see how she was doing, and you know how I am with reading."  Twilight gestured to the clippings in front of her.  "Did you know she stopped the Oxfeather Riot?"

"DO I?!?"  Scootaloo grinned, but only for a moment.  "Uh...what's the Oxfeather Riot?"

"Something that Rainbow Dash saved a whooole lot of griffons from," Twilight answered to give Rainbow a few more precious seconds to wake up, having been in her place far too many times.  She figured this must be what Spike felt like when he delayed some early-morning visitor to give Twilight time to wake up.

Scootaloo blinked.  "Oh.  Well...they're not ponies, but that's cool too, I guess?"

Twilight smiled and nodded.  "Very cool."  She reminded herself that some ponies only learned to value ponies, and slights towards others who had not earned it were only because they did not know better.  "So what are you doing here?  School's off today; I thought you'd be hanging out with your friends."

"That's later.  I just came from the doctor's office.  Look, look!"  Scootaloo slowly flapped her wings.

Twilight blinked.  "Uh-huh?"

"I just got my casts off!" Scootaloo explained, posing to show off her wings.  "C'mon, Twilight, you saw me just yesterd-oh!"  She facehoofed and continued.  "Right, right, I'm sorry I almost ran into you yesterday morning.  The doctor got delayed, so the nurse said I should get to school and come back tomorrow morning, so I was in a hurry and you were really spacing out about something, though that dodge you pulled was almost as cool as Rainbow Dash's moves."

Twilight examined her memory, taking a few moments to remember the near-collision and realize it had been close.  "Oh, is THAT what those things on your wings were?  You were going so fast I didn't get a good look.  I just thought you were trying to go as fast as Rainbow again."

"Psh."  Scootaloo dismissed the thought with a single hoofwave.  "Nopony's as fast as Rainbow Dash, Twilight!"

Not sure how much more time Rainbow needed, Twilight continued, "So how'd you hurt your wings?"

As it turned out, Rainbow needed no more time.  She was suddenly upright, alert, and standing next to bed so fast Twilight almost thought Rainbow had just teleported.  "Aheh.  Err, Twilight, Scootaloo obviously wants some time with me.  Can we catch up again tonight?"

Twilight shrugged.  "Sure, I guess?"  Something about Rainbow's behavior seemed odd to her.

Rainbow looked at her, looked at Scootaloo, then at Twilight again.  "Err..."

Figuring Rainbow might be worried she would be jealous of a filly - and a loyal friend, to boot - Twilight shook her head.  "It's fine, really!  I, err, need some time to think about what you said last night, anyway."  She opened the window and began stepping out.  "I'll see you tonight."

As she fluttered away, she heard Scootaloo ask in what Twilight was certain the filly thought were hushed tones, "Is she going to blow up a mountain again, Rainbow Dash?"





Musing on the exchange of social lies soon put Twilight's mind back on its interrupted track: whether Celestia viewed her as "necessary".  The mere thought of the word, and its connotations, brought chills to her despite the warm, sunny air.  Friendship, being Celestia's faithful student, all the adoration that spilled from her heart at the thought of her mentor - that all of that might be mere tools that Celestia employed, that most of her life and what she lived for might be mere means to an end, was something Twilight fervently wished she could dismiss.  But she had read in history, again and again, that Celestia had few limits when it came to ensuring the survival and prosperity of Equestria.  A deeper worry sprang: had Celestia made her read that so Twilight would some day understand, and maybe forgive Celestia for using her so thoroughly?

Slightly more unsettling was her heart's answer: yes, she would forgive Celestia if it came to that.  She should be angry, or upset.  No pony should be so eager to be another's tool.  And yet picturing herself as a wrench, wielded by Celestia dressed up as a mechanic while fixing Equestria like some chariot, put her heart at ease even as her mind struggled to convince her heart it should be wrong.

She needed a dose of honesty - and bravery, to ask something she quailed at the thought of asking herself.  To merely acknowledge the subject was apparently uncomfortable for Celestia.  For Twilight herself to push it...her mind spun off nightmare scenario after nightmare scenario about how that might damage her relationship with her prized mentor, or worse, how those words from Twilight's mouth (via Spike's writing on a letter, but Celestia would know whose words they were) might hurt Celestia.  No, for this she needed help.

And so for the second morning in a row, she found herself heading for Sweet Apple Acres.  Unaccompanied this time, and urging herself on lest her courage to even ask this favor dwindle, she flew straight for the farm.  She considered teleporting, but her need was not quite that urgent, and as she flew something warned her against flashy displays.  Twilight slowed her flight just a little to collect her senses - was this some sort of new danger warning?  No, she did not feel particularly under threat.  A lot of ponies, both on the ground and pegasi in the skies around her, were giving her odd looks.  Turning her head to catch one passing pegasus's eye, she saw...fear?  No, that was impossible, why would ponies fear her?  Moments after Twilight achieved eye contact, the pegasus looked away and sped on, probably on some important errand.

Soon enough, Ponyville's houses ended and apple trees were underneath.  It did not take long to see one tree shake and its apples fall off, so Twilight turned that way.  Sure enough, Applejack was at the tree's base.  Twilight landed outside bucking distance, keeping in mind Applejack's caution against "pulling a Rainbow", undoubtedly a reference to some prank gone wrong that Twilight did not care to hear the details of.  She noticed that several of the trees had buckets arranged around their bases, signalling harvest time.

"Heya, Twi," Applejack called, inspecting the buckets around the tree she had just harvested.  The tree's apples had all fallen in, save for one that Applejack picked off the ground and dropped in.  "Sorry if I work while we talk, but it's applebucking time."

"No problem."  Twilight thought through a few drafts of what to say, then realized she was wasting Applejack's time by not saying anything.  "Umm...I was wondering if I could ask a favor, and then I need to see your sister."

Applejack stopped and gave her a look.  "Somethin' 'bout how ya said the first makes me REALLY hope the second ain' related."

Twilight shook her head.  "They're not.  Could..."  She gulped, not believing she was about to make this request.  It was horrible, awful, beyond comprehension.  And yet it was a possibility.  "Could you ask Celestia if I'm...'necessary'?"

There.  She had said it.  Time seemed to stretch to infinity.  Surely Applejack was slowly realizing just how cruel-

Applejack smiled.  "No need."  She walked onto the next tree, prompting Twilight to follow her.  "Did that three days ago."

Twilight stumbled.

"Th' moment I saw Celestia's letter callin' Sanguine 'necessary'," Applejack continued, "ah figured ya might be too, jus' far more willin' an' eager.  But she tol' me something t' tell you when ya asked.  An' she said, 'when', not 'if': she knew you'd be askin' 'fore too long."  Now in position on the second tree, Applejack kicked it with both rear hooves, sending its fruit perfectly into its buckets.

Not for the first time, Twilight found herself wondering about that historical account of one of Equestria's brief expansionary periods.  It had stated that Celestia had started toppling small neighboring countries, setting them up to willingly merge into Equestria, because she had gotten bored, and only ceased once assimilating the gains proved to be enough of a distraction.  Then she realized she was thinking that to distract herself from Applejack seeming to think it was okay.

Applejack looked Twilight in the eyes.  "She said, if ya hadn't come here and done whatcha done, she an' ah wouldn' be havin' that conversation, or possibly any conversation.  She didn' create th' dangers; she didn' even see all of 'em comin'.  But she did know that, yes, you'd be 'necessary', an' she's pretty sure ya still are.  An' fer what it's worth, Twi..."  Applejack's stare intensified.  "...so do ah.  You're needed.  That ain't a bad thing."

Twilight blinked.  Her mind's worries as doubts came to a screeching halt, suddenly finding themselves without foundation, but the only external sign of this abrupt jumble was a blink.

Letting eye contact go so she could double-check the second tree, Applejack continued, "'Sides, ah figure you'd be doin' whatcha do anyway, so don't fret it.  She also said t' treat it like a case o' 'Novipaw's self-consistency principle', whatever that is."

Twilight tilted her head, glad for something else to think about.  "Did you saw Novipaw, as in the diamond dog physicist?"

Applejack nodded.  "Ayup."  Then stopped mid-nod.  "Wait, they have physicists?"

"Well, yes?"  Twilight shrugged.  "They may be, err, 'traditional' in many ways, but some of their packs have adopted Equestrian science and regularly make ground-breaking - pardon the phrase - achievements in geological sciences and engineering.  They're no slouch in related fields, but of course it all goes back to mining.  Anyway..."  Twilight closed her eyes for a moment.  "Novipaw's self-consistency principle, in short, means that you can't change the past even with time travel.  Anything you do already was part of history; in theory you could even be your own parent.  I encountered it first hoof once, when I tried to go back in time and warn myself, only for that warning to set up the events I was warning myself about."

"Oh!  So it'd be like if Celestia came back an' tol' herself how things shake out, so she's bound t' that path an' couldn't warn ya 'cause future her said that wasn't how it went?" Applejack surmised as she headed for another tree.  "But if things go bad, she don' go back, an' that's her sign t' herself that maybe she needs t' try somethin' different?  It's what ah'd do."

"Err...that's still sending information back through time to change things, Applejack.  I don't think it works that way, and I don't think she'd go back in time if it would just bind her.  Not that it matters: if I am necessary to her plans then I'm just that more determined to help see them through, even if she has a reason not to tell me what they are."  Twilight smiled.

Applejack smiled back, getting into position.  "Yeah, she said you'd say that too."

Twilight blushed.  "I guess I can be a bit predictable.  Umm.  Speaking of time travel, thanks for already having had performed the favor that I was going to have asked by now."

Applejack gave her a flat look while bucking.

"...okay, maybe that was a bit long-winded.  So!  Where's Apple Bloom?"

Applejack pointed.  "She went over that way to check somethin' out.  She'll be back in a few minutes."

Twilight looked that way.  "Alright.  Hmm...mind if I buck a tree or two while I'm waiting?  No magic this time: I just want to see if I can do it."

"Testin' your body's limits?"  Applejack gave her a look.  "What's gotten into you?  A bit of Rainbow Dash?"

Twilight blushed and looked away.

Applejack winked.  "Anyway, sure, knock yerself out."

"Thank you."  Relieved that the teasing had been brief, but certain there would be more later, Twilight walked up to one tree in the direction Applejack had indicated.  Twilight was surprised this one had not been bucked yet: she was no apple farmer, but the apples seemed a bit overripe, and buckets were in place.  Turning away from it but looking over her shoulder to aim, she planted her front hooves and kicked backward with all her might.

"WAIT, TWILI-ooof!"  A yellow filly with red mane, who had been hidden among the tree's leaves, dropped into one of the buckets flank-first.

"Apple Bloom?"  Twilight turned around to see if the filly was injured.  To her relief, Applejack's younger sister seemed fine: no bleeding or signs of anything broken.

"Oww."  Apple Bloom stood up, rubbing where she landed.  "Ah was tryin' t' see why those apples wouldn't fall.  Didn' see ya come up 'til ya bucked."

Applejack ran up next to them, thinking along the same lines as Twilight.  Once her concern was sated, she put one leg next to Apple Bloom and made a show of using it to measure her sister's length.  "Hrm...sorry, Twilight, this one's too small."

Quickly guessing Applejack's game, Twilight joined in.  "Aww, but I want a little sister that adorable!"

Applejack shook her head, smiling.  "Rules are rules.  Ah'm gonna 'ave t' keep her.  Buck and release.  'Sides..."  She ruffled her sister's mane.  "...ah don't plan t' give her away 'til she gets married."

Apple Bloom looked up in mild irritation at the ruffling.  "C'mon sis.  Ah can swim jus' fine, an' you know it!"

Twilight blinked.  "What does swimming have to do with getting married?"

Apple Bloom hopped out of the bucket.  "'Mare reed'.  Y'know, somethin' ya breathe through when yer jus' underwater.  Ah didn' know they came in mare an' stallion types; what's the difference?"

Applejack blinked.  "Uhh...ask whatcha came t' ask, Twilight, 'cause ah think explainin' marriage might take a while."

Twilight snapped out of trying to envision gender differences between reeds.  "Oh, right.  Apple Bloom, I was hoping you could tell me how Scootaloo's wings got injured."

"Ya didn' know?"  Apple Bloom looked at Twilight, mildly surprised.  "She tried t' scooter-pole-vault up ta Rainbow's house.  She didn't quite make it, an' landed on her back."

Twilight winced.  That picture came all too easily, given Twilight's knowledge of Scootaloo's penchant for high speed and low foresight.

"Rainbow was all devastated!  I heard her say she was gonna move some place safer for Scootaloo."  Apple Bloom shook her head.  "Ah tried t' ask why she didn' just make a cloud-ladder, but ah don' think she heard me.  Umm...Miss Twilight, actually I'm more worried about Rainbow than Scootaloo, an' Applejack says you've seen her a bunch lately.  Is Rainbow gonna be okay?"

Twilight pictured the situation.  "This was about a week ago, right?  I heard Rainbow moved, but I never found out why.  She didn't want to talk about it; I thought her house had been demolished."  She looked at Apple Bloom.  "I'm sure she'll be fine.  Now that Scootaloo's okay maybe she'll even move back: no need to rent an apartment and have a house."

Apple Bloom smiled.  "Ah hope so.  Ah ain't Scootaloo, but Rainbow's place is so...well, her.  Even if it don't have a pool."

Twilight blinked.

"Sooo ya an' her can go swimmin'?" Apple Bloom explained.  "Big sis' says maybe you an' she'll get mare reeds, an' I heard Rainbow tell my sis you've got her doin' endurance trainin'.  So y'all plan to go swimmin' with her as part of that, right?"

Twilight looked at Applejack and smiled.  "Really?"

Applejack waved her forehooves defensively.  "Ah was jus' speculatin'!  Jus' some harmless speculatin', Twi, ah swear!"

Twilight grinned, holding back a snicker, and looked at Apple Bloom again.  "We're not getting married any time soon.  Also that's one word, 'married', which has nothing to do with swimming or reeds."

"Oh."  Apple Bloom blinked.  "Then what's 'married' mean?"

"Thaaat's something I should let Applejack explain."  Twilight extended her wings.  "I'm going to make sure Rainbow's home is still in one piece."

As Twilight flew up and away, she recalled Applejack once saying that having a friend to talk with and something fun to talk about made the bucking go faster.  She wondered if this day might seem to go by in a blink for Apple Bloom, but drag on for Applejack, and just how many puns could be made from that about the theory of relativity.

Rainbow's house was not too far away.  While it was a cloud house and thus technically mobile, Rainbow had kept it in a fixed location near the outskirts of town.  So Twilight was still thinking of the list of puns when she landed on its front porch and abruptly found a sword pressed under her chin, its point just short of piercing her neck.  An unfamiliar voice hissed, "You no Rainbow Tash.  You leave now."