When Friends are Said and Dun

by xenos29

Chapter 21

Even grim necessity couldn't tarnish the rustic beauty promised by a trip to the Appaloosan Mountains. When the train stopped at a lonely platform near the foothills, an autumn colored forest reached through the windows to welcome the ponies with late afternoon's light. The strange sense of calm enchanted them to step outside the car, where the world bloomed into a sea of smoky reds, greens, and yellows that hung from chocolate branches. Far off, a monolithic crag stood protectively above the pastel canopy, its golem-like facade gateway to the ponies' true destination.

Taking a map from Alpenglow's bag, Twilight stopped to double-check their route through the mountains, and certainly not to linger in the forest, where everypony- herself included- was letting the change of scenery breathe new life into them.

Alpenglow had reverted back to silence for the train ride- Twilight could hardly blame him-, but it seemed everypony else had sensed this too, and were slowly walking him back to the present. They moved to sit with him and Twilight when they boarded the train at Ponyville, taking care to keep the mood light with their usual jokes and chatting during the trip. This had apparently worked, for when Twilight furtively glanced over the top of the map, Spike had successfully waved Alpenglow over to join everypony as they talked and admired the landscape.

"So what can ya tell us about this observatory, Alpenglow?" asked Applejack.

The stallion took off his helmet. "Not as much as I’d like to. All I know is it used to be one of Starswirl’s studies and libraries. The way he told us, it sounded like he had several where he liked to work, study, and do less than sane magic experiments."

"Sounds like paradise, huh Twilight?" joked Spike.

Twilight lowered the map and smiled. "Maybe, and I’d love a chance to look around, but after we find what we’re looking for. What do you think, Alpenglow?" she asked, pointing to one of the winding paths on the map. "Will this one work?"

He glanced over and nodded. "That'll be fine. It’s a bit narrow where the cliffs butt up against each other, but it is the most direct path to the observatory. We’ll just have to walk single file."

From her unknowable pockets, Pinkie promptly produced a bowler hat and an atrocious Cockney accent. "Alright, quick as you like! Queue up, lads and lassies!"

Doing her best to keep her wings tight by her side, Twilight put one hoof through the jagged opening. The crag seemed more akin to an apple press as she squeezed between the rough walls, but one by one it allowed the ponies to pass through.

Luck continued to smile on them, as the hike through the mountains proved to be just as peaceful as the one through the forest, if ever so slightly less comfortable. Guided by the natural shape of the rock, the path wound back and forth, forked, and sometimes even looped back on itself. Nevertheless, the ponies finally emerged from the granite-spun labyrinth onto a small outcropping, halfway up a huge, foggy canyon. Turning her head towards the sky, Twilight watched in awe as the layers of mist dramatically peeled away and revealed the observatory.

It was quite a site. The stumpy building sat wedged high between the two adjacent cliff faces, supported precariously by a spider web of ropes and wooden struts. Behind it sat a pair of waterfalls on either side, creating a veil between the interior of the canyon and the prairie that lay just outside. Through the curtains of water, Twilight could make out a small river which ran to the prairie from a pool below. Looking down, she could also see what looked like the remains of an old elevator system. Some of the ropes and pulleys were still in place and lead straight up into the heart of the observatory. Twilight realized that the elevator must have once been the main entrance, since the waterfalls would stop anypony from flying in, and the path they took was much too small to have been used regularly.

"Wow," Spike whispered, wide-eyed.

"Now that's somthin' else," said Applejack.

Fluttershy covered her eyes with her hooves. "Heights. Why did it have to be heights?"

"Are we really going up there?" asked Rarity.

"Unless there's another one around the corner," quipped Rainbow.

A near-vertical staircase ran a hollow vein through the cliff's side. With Rainbow hovering close by, the ponies made the slow climb, just in time for the wind to make its bellowing entrance inside the canyon. To Fluttershy’s credit, she kept only one eye closed, and screamed but once when she slipped on the worn-smooth steps.

The staircase ended- eventually- at the foot of a large wooden door. It filled the canyon with a rusty groan as Twilight pushed on the dried-out planks. Spike propped the door open as everypony entered, giving Rarity a chance to relight the torches that lined the ceiling.

"You look even more beautiful by torchlight," said Spike wistfully.

"Why thank you, Spike," Rarity pleasantly answered.

"Over here," Alpenglow called from the front of the room. As everypony walked to join him, Twilight could see that the room widened as they went, like a clamshell. The wide end's wall was simply a large, curved window that faced outside. Twilight imagined that had the glass not been coated in dust, she could have easily looked out and seen the prairie from earlier, with the two waterfalls flanking the view.

Before the window, everypony gathered around a sweeping wooden desk, which was covered in quills, ink pots, and marked paper. Rarity finished the last torch, and the observatory revealed in full its trove of filled bookshelves, maps, and all manner of scientific instruments.

"Wait, this desk belonged to Starswirl the Bearded!" Twilight said with a growing shrill. She started at a trot, but soon began galloping from one corner of the room to another, her speed a hummingbird's envy. "I’m standing in his observatory, touching his desk and holding his books!" she shrieked like a filly.

"Uh, Twilight? Are you here?" Spike asked, bringing her hooves to the ground.

It took Twilight several seconds to stop prancing around and return to the desk, blushing. "Um, right. Sorry."

Applejack grinned. "No problem, Twilight. We all know this is like a dream come true for you, but back to what we’re doin’."

"Just FYI, Alpenglow," Rainbow explained, "Twilight gets pretty excited when we’re around ancient ruins and stuff."

"I’m starting to understand that," he said politely.

Applejack laughed, "Yep, if she gets like that, best to just nod yer head and smile."

"Same thing with Pinkie Pie," Rainbow cracked. Rubbing her chin, she added, "Then again, she’s been pretty not-so-crazy these past few days."

"How can you say that?!" Pinkie shouted indignantly. "I do my best, darn it!"

"So how’re we supposed to know where this spell is?" asked Spike.

Rarity surveyed the room. "This place isn’t terribly big. Surely we will happen across it if we all search."

Everypony picked a corner of the observatory and searched from ceiling to floor, but found nothing. Twilight sat and pored over Starwswirl’s desk, looking for some clue about the spell needed to recreate the effects of the Elements of Heroism. Sadly, this also meant quickly brushing aside everything that obviously had nothing to do with their mission, including some fascinating notes on 'hairless biped anatomy,' 'pony transmogrification,' and 'the spatial-temporal properties of mirrors.'

After minutes of fruitless searching, Twilight smacked her head against the desk. All the information anypony could want about anything, and she couldn’t find the one little piece she was looking for. She twisted in her seat to look at the room in its entirety. Apart from being devoid of any information about Blight, the Elements of Heroism, or the knights, Twilight realized another upsetting detail: the whole place was a mess. Books were carelessly strewn across the floor, shelves hung haphazardly from the walls, and even the dust seemed disturbed.

Twilight looked at the path she and her friends had wiped through the dust when they entered. Interlaced with their hoof prints were thin, long streaks that snaked across the floor, ending at the chair where she sat. Turning back around, she carefully levitated everything off the desk. As the papers and books slowly rose, a shred of red petal floated gently to the surface. It was still fresh.

A cold tingle, then a seizing flash of total, genuine terror. "Everypony, to me!" Twilight cried, her horn already charging.

Like the first drops of rain, thin shapes silently fell from the ceiling, erasing sections of room as they smothered the torches. More launched from the walls and covered the window, removing the only light that wasn't Twilight's. From every corner of the room, she could hear her friends shouting as they bumped into the furniture or each other. It took several agonizingly long moments, but everypony regrouped around her and began standing back to back.

"Uh, we might have a problem," said Rainbow.

"We gotta get out of here," whispered Applejack.

It took effort for Twilight to stop her head from darting between every shadow and speak. "Alright...we'll move quickly and carefully towards the door, together."

Spike pointed to the desk. "What about the spell?"

"It'll have to wait. We can't get trapped in here. Just shout if you see anything move."

In a multicolored tortoise, the ponies hastily shuffled towards the sliver of light left behind by the door. Just as the circular handle came within reach, a vine from the ceiling and landed in front of them. It lay there for a moment like an old log, then snapped to life so it could slam the door completely shut.

"I wasn't expecting you," crept a voice from behind.

With more dread than fear now, everypony slowly turned in unison to face Blight, standing barely out of hoof's reach. His face rested once more on the stem of a large red flower, looking ever more ghoulish in the glow of Twilight’s horn. He looked completely at home here, in the dark, among the dust and decrepit wood.

"I'm glad to see the memory loss wasn't permanent. Had it been, I never would have thought to come here." He turned away from the ponies. "It looks like you found your way here all the way from the empire. Maybe I gave Celestia too little credit before. There's definitely more to you than meets the eye."

"Save us the sweet talk," shot Applejack.

"Believe me, girls, I mean it..." Without warning, more vines wrapped around everypony’s legs. He turned back around. "...which is why you're not leaving here."

Blight’s head paced back and forth in the dark. "Everything's been coming back to me, slowly. I know why you're here, and it's crazy." From beneath the folds of his body, Blight produced a single scroll, holding it by an outstretched vine. With a desperate lunge, Spike threw himself forward and reached out with a flame, but Blight swiftly pulled it out of reach. How he discovered Spike's ability to communicate with the Princess, Twilight couldn't begin to guess.

"Even if you could remember what it says, Alpenglow, you're the last pony I'd have use it. It doesn't matter anyway; the elements are gone, and as powerful as this spell is, it's useless without them. But you know this, so why did you bring these girls here?"

Given Alpenglow's hatred for Blight, his ability to stay quiet around him was amazing. He stood there, not saying a word, until his silence made Blight huff in disapproval.

"Hmph, fine. You never did feel the need to explain your actions to anypony." He turned to everypony else. "Makes me wonder why you all didn't get rid of him the second you found out."

"What're you talkin' about, you overgrown weed?" Rainbow said offhandedly.

Blight raised an eyebrow. "His memory’s had to return by now, or hasn’t he told you?"

"Told us what?" demanded Applejack.

"About what happened when Celestia sent him and his friends to find me. Did he tell you how he destroyed a dozen towns just to get a chance at me? Or did he not trust you enough to say?"

Twilight quickly caught the lie. "That's not what happened. You took over the griffins' homes, and when the knights came to stop you, you destroyed them so you could escape."

"A one-sided account. I gave them plenty of warning of what would happen if they kept chasing me. Alpenglow alone made the choice to, and everypony else paid the price. If you keep letting him lead you on like this, what do you think will happen to Ponyville? Trust me, I know he doesn't care about you or your town. It's not in his nature."

"And you just happen to know him so well?" snapped Rarity.

"More than you can imagine. Ever since I met him, I could see it. The wish to make a better world- more importantly, the will to make the sacrifices necessary for it. But he's misguided, and as Celestia led him and his friends to ruin, so will he to all of you."

Applejack looked at Alpenglow carefully. "No. He does care. We know he does."

"Don't be so sure," Blight retorted. "He’s always been so caught up in his duty and high-minded sense of right and wrong that he couldn’t see past his own helmet. Celestia’s no different. That's what I've been trying to show all of you this whole time."

Twilight leaned forward at Blight, unafraid. "We know who Alpenglow is and what he’s done. He might be from the same time as you, but he’s nothing like you, and there’s nothing you can do to make us think otherwise."

"In that case, Princess Twilight, how about an experiment? Surely you of all ponies will appreciate what we can learn from it."

Twilight’s answer was a quick blast from her horn. Blight had no time to shield himself and was stunned momentarily as she began to cut through the vines holding everypony. She had almost freed herself before a cocoon wrapped around her, muffling the concerned shouts of her friends.

Twilight immediately began to cutting her way out, but with the seed of nowhere in sight, it was impossible to keep them from growing back. If she let up for even a second, she knew she would be completely trapped.

Suffocating seconds passed, and as Twilight felt the last of her strength wane, the cocoon fell apart. To her disappointment, Blight looked only angry as he rubbed his singed face. He must have done the same to Rarity, who was panting heavily next to her.

Herding the ponies along with him, Blight turned and approached the window. He parted the vines covering it, causing dirty light weakly trickle through, and with a negligent wave of his 'arms', the window shattered. The papers on the desk danced and leapt like a flock of birds in the new wind before spewing outside. They would have a long way to fall.

Arranging them side by side, Blight inspected the line of ponies. Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity glared at him, and he passed over them. He sneered in disgust when Fluttershy recoiled from him, but his expression turned to satisfied interest as he turned his attention to Pinkie and Spike. He thoughtfully stroked the leaves of his beard.

The vines holding Rainbow buckled as she fought and kicked. "Hey, you get away from ‘em!" she shouted. Blight ignored her, picking up Spike and Pinkie. He brushed everpony else to the side, his eyes locked squarely on Alpenglow. With a vicious swipe, he tore off the knight's helmet. It spun wildly until it became a dot on the canyon wall, another reminder of how high up they all were.

"We have to stop meeting this way, old boy," Blight muttered to Alpenglow. He must have meant it to be a private remark, but the two stood no more than a meter away from everypony. "Believe it or not, I still have hope for these young mares, as domestic as they are...and you. But first, we need to show them the price of making a difference, that ponies like you and me are just two sides of the same coin. One might be up, the other down, but they both come from the same mold. Power, progress...peace. That's you, Alpenglow. And that's me."

"Don't listen to him, Alpenglow!" shouted Twilight. "You’re not like him!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow yelled. "He's just trying to mess with your head!"

Blight moved further out the window, bringing Alpenglow, Pinkie, and Spike to hang from the window with him. Horribly, the vines holding them slowly began to slacken. As Pinkie and Spike clambered frantically for a better grip, Blight held out the scroll.

"It's all so familiar, isn't it? There's always a mission; always a choice...and a price. Time for you to choose, Alpenglow. With my attention split between all of you, you stand a good chance of taking the spell. If you're fast, you could fight for the scroll and save one, but certainly not both."

Something had tied Twilight's voice shut, and everypony watched in horror as Alpenglow's eyes went from Pinkie, to Spike, to the scroll.

"Alpenglow!" yelled Spike, digging his claws into the vine holding him, "You gotta save Pinkie! She’s one of the Elements of Harmony! You guys gotta get the scroll and get out of here!"

"Spike, no!" cried Rarity.

Twilight yelled, "Alpenglow, you have to save them! We can search your memories for the spell again!"

"Please, Alpenglow," pleaded Fluttershy. "We trusted you..."

Applejack shook her head in anger, tears welling at the edge of her eyes. "If any of us ever meant a thing to you, then you'll stop him from doin' this!"

"You heard it, Alpenglow," Blight snapped. "They don't want to get their hooves dirty; they think they'll get through without even trying, without sacrificing anything, as long as you give them what they need. Here, show them just how wrong they are." Blight tightened his grip on Pinkie and Spike, and with a mighty swing, he hurled each of them in a different direction.

Time slowed. Everypony began shouting and pleading at Alpenglow. He broke from the vines holding him. A second passed. He looked at Blight and the scroll. Another second passed. The knight unsheathed his sword, gripping it firmly in his teeth. Rarity and Fluttershy looked away as Applejack and Rainbow lowered their heads. Twilight joined them.

"Alpenglow, I…" she answered, "...I would still want to remember them."

Before she could look up, Twilight heard the air crack. The blue-grey blur of Alpenglow shot down towards Pinkie as a silver shimmer spun through the air, slicing the vines that kept Blight attached to the building. He slipped, and his grip on the ponies relaxed as he scrambled to reattach himself to the observatory.

With newfound strength, Twilight and Rarity began to cut the vines holding them. They finished freeing Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy when Blight regained his grip and faced the ponies, his face contorted in a gruesome snarl. An instant later, a mass of blue, pink, and purple slammed into Blight from behind, knocking him into the room. Everypony instinctively backed away as he tumbled inside, bringing pieces of the walls and support struts with him. The building groaned in protest, its walls and floor splitting at the seams as Twilight scooped up Spike and everypony ran for the door. Alpenglow wasn't with them; he and Blight were fighting dangerously close to the edge, oblivious to the building crumbling around them.

"Alpenglow, what are you doing?! We have to go!" shouted Twilight.

"Get out of here, now!"

"Not without you!"

A wall of ruined rocks and wood crashed to the floor, sealing Alpenglow on the rapidly disappearing side of the room. Everypony tore at the broken barrier in a frenzy, until Pinkie finally squeezed her way through. From where she stood, Twilight could see her pull at Alpenglow, he and Blight wrestling closer to the edge with every struggled movement.

Tired of the damage, the floor shattered like glass. For the second time, Twilight saw Pinkie fall, along with Alpenglow and Blight. Mustering every ounce of strength she had left, she teleported to Pinkie, and the two quickly hooked their hooves together.

Looking down, Twilight could see Alpenglow, completely entangled by Blight’s and his vines, one of which still held the scroll. The two enemies continued to fight, undisturbed by the wall of water and rock plowing towards them from below. The wind whipping Twilight's face made them look miles away, but when she reached out, her hoof just brushed his. He felt her, and turning away from Blight, his eyes locked firmly with hers. The ground was so close, she could see ripples in the water. Shadows of the falling debris slowly formed on the surface, smudging it like ink on paper.

A slow nod of Alpenglow’s head told Twilight what she had to do. She looked away, and before she could contemplate her decision, she and Pinkie were standing on the stone staircase. Everypony gathered around and greeted them with wordless hugs. The relief wouldn’t last for long however, as a few reluctant steps brought them to peer over the stone guardrail.

At the bottom of the canyon, where the waterfalls pooled, now laid a hill of rubble. Plumes of brown-red dust trickled from it, staining the spotless sky.