Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Cassie
“...and though the Yeerks had nearly conquered us, these brave heroes came forward in our time of need.”
Princess Celestia continued her speech while we waited, hidden behind a large red curtain. Beyond it was a balcony that opened to a mass of ponies gathered outside the only undamaged tower left on the palace. Just the sounds of their hooves clopping against the floor had gotten so loud I marveled at how Celestia’s voice still managed to raise above it.
“I still can’t believe we’re doing this,” Rachel said. “I can think of at least three better things to be doing with my time.”
“Do you think these ponies can read English?” Marco asked, ignoring Rachel. “I’m just saying, if they ask for autographs, will I have to learn how to spell my name in their written language, or will they just deal?”
“Ah’m sure they’ll manage,” Applejack said, lifting her hat. “Speakin’ of, how much longer ya think the Princess will be, Twi?”
“Shush, I’m trying to listen,” Twilight said quickly, a big smile plastered on her face.
“These six came, even when their own homeland is besieged heavily by Yeerks,” the Princess continued.
<That is incorrect,> Ax cut in. <I am not from the same planet as Prince Jake.>
“But Tobias is?” Rainbow asked. “He looks like one of Fluttershy’s pets, is all.”
“There are similarities to the indigenous hawks and falcons living near Ponyville,” Twilight said, her attention still mostly on Celestia’s speech. “Though anypony can tell that a hawk who speaks through telepathy and can shapeshift probably isn’t from Equestria.”
“Ah’ve seen ya turn an apple into an orange and rocks into a hat,” Applejack muttered, low enough that Twilight probably didn’t hear. “Why would a changin’ bird surprise me?”
If anyone was going to try and respond to Applejack, they were instantly cut off by Celestia’s next statement.
“And so, it is with the greatest honor that I can introduce to you Prince Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Marco, Tobias, and Ax.”
“Prince Jake!” Twilight hissed. “That’s your cue. Go. Go!” She nudged Jake with her magic and pulled back the curtain. He half-stumbled onto the balcony, landing between Celestia on his left and Luna on his right.
The crowd of ponies, of which I could only barely see them from where I was standing, erupted in what sounded like applause. Glancing over the edge, I saw them stomping the ground with their hooves. There were so many of them, and with the wide range of their fur colour, they all seemed to blend together into a single sea of prismatics.
I felt something push against my back and stepped forward involuntarily, coming up along the other side of Luna. Applejack then stepped from behind me and stood on my left. I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious with all those eyes looking at us; I suppose spending all your time trying to avoid being seen makes you fear the limelight.
<It’s odd,> Tobias mused. I glanced around, but couldn’t find him. <Looking at them you’d never think they just escaped slavery or entrapment. It may as well have been a magic show.>
The lights chose that moment to go dim, save for a few spotlights on a deep red curtain hanging against the wall. Celestia nodded to a guard standing beside it and he drew it away, unveiling a stained glass window.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Marco grumbled beside me.
The majority of the upper window was blue glass, which I guess was supposed to depict the sky. The lower, however, showed the six of us standing atop a green hill, staring outwards. Marco, Jake, Rachel and I were human, standing as if ready to act upon a moment's notice. Ax was beside Rachel, all four of his eyes looking forward; his tail blade arched above the crook of his back. Finally, Tobias had his wings spread overhead. In the light of the sun, the glass made it look like his wings were reflecting the sun beams.
“How’d they make it so fast?” I whispered to Marco. “They only saw us as human, like, this morning.”
“I just wanna know how they made it in the first place,” Marco whispered back. “Doesn’t it take giant factories to make glass?”
<The depiction of my stalk eyes is highly inaccurate as well,> Ax said. <Though I am impressed with their rendition of my tail-blade.>
“And you, Cassie,” Luna said, startling me out of my thoughts. It occurred to me then that the princesses had been saying something to the others. Probably along the lines of our heroics or how thankful they were. She probably wasn’t going to say much to me; aside from confirming that the Yeerk in Applebloom was genuinely on our side, that is. “For what use is a leader without subjects whom have the utmost faith in him? Your service is always greatly needed, I have no doubt.”
I nodded quickly, uncertain exactly how to respond. “Er, yes,” I said lamely.
Luna nodded and then stepped back beside Celestia. Celestia spoke next, her voice filling the courtyard with almost no effort. “We thank you, brave heroes, and wish that you soon find victory on your home soil.” Celestia and Luna both bowed — or at least, that’s what I think they were doing. It was odd to see horses furl their wings and kneel over, but I guess that’s what bowing looked like for them.
One after the other every pony down below began to bow as well; even the various pegasuses who were flying above had their own mid-air bow. The prismatic ocean below us seemed to ripple as their heads all lowered in unison. I stood there, both in awe at the magical sight, and in awkwardness as I felt so exposed.
I stood there for a while until I felt Jake tap me on the shoulder. “Alright, we should be thinking about leaving now,” he whispered.
Marco chuckled. “Yeah, let’s just tell the some twenty thousand ponies that their saviors need to leave before they can get an exclusive interview. That’s not going to cause any kind of pandemonium.”
“We do have our own planet to protect, you realize,” Rachel said.
“Aww, but you can’t leave,” Pinkie Pie cut in, her head sticking up between ours. “Not before we have a party!”
<How does she do that?> Tobias wondered.
Princess Luna turned towards us and smiled. “The guards have finished repairing the castle auditorium. It wasn’t heavily damaged in the attack, and should be large enough for you to use, Pinkie Pie.”
“Great! I’ll go get it set up!” Pinkie shouted, then ran off, her legs a pink blur.
Once she was long gone Jake looked at the midnight-blue princess. “Your majesty, I know you mean well, but we really can’t afford this. We need to get back home.”
“A-are you sure you can’t stay one more day?” a timid voice said. I looked towards Fluttershy, half her face hidden behind her mane, though she was looking at her hooves. “I-I mean, if you don’t mind...”
Applejack stepped up beside her. “What Fluttershy is tryin’ t’ say is that, well, we’ve kinda grown fond of the six of ya. We know that ya need t’ get back home and kick these Yeerks out, but it wouldn’t be right for us t’ let ya go without some form of friendly sendoff.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow said, taking her place beside Applejack. “You guys aren’t getting rid of us that easily. Especially when Rachel and I still have a race to settle.”
“You’ve done so much for us already,” Rarity added. “Please, you must allow us to repay you in some fashion beyond just words.”
Rarity looked so despondent that I couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing her. “Of course we’ll show up, right Jake?”
Jake looked at me and sighed. “Sure, why not stay for one last goodbye.” He nodded at Rarity, who seemed to beam from the news. “It’s not exactly like we can go anywhere until the ship’s ready anyways.”
“Great! Follow me, your Highness,” Twilight said, walking in front of Jake. “Pinkie should have everything set up by now.”
Marco
I stared agape at the room Twilight led us to. It had a high ceiling, and dozens of windows along the walls that showed the palace gardens outside. And the size; you could have fit about half of our school in here and still had room for a buffet table and a DJ. Which, shockingly enough, was exactly what awaited us. The tables were piled high with all manner of drinks and food, and Pinkie was talking with a unicorn with giant glasses behind the turntable.
She quickly noticed us and bounced over. “So, whaddya think? Pretty fun looking, right?”
“That’s one word for it,” I said. Even though the six of us had been on this world for at least a week already, these ponies still managed to pull off something new.
“C’mon already,” she said excitedly. “Let’s party!”
With a nod to the bespectacled unicorn, music began playing and Pinkie grabbed Ax, dragging him over into the middle of the room and awkwardly trying to get him to dance.
“Well, there’s something I never thought I’d see,” Rachel muttered.
I was about to reply when I was gently nudged forward and a large number of ponies began to file in; I recognized a few of them from our airship ride, though most were unfamiliar.
“Well, I dare say it looks like most of Ponyville has shown up,” Rarity said. Her sister, Sweetie Belle, was clutching her leg intensely, unwilling to let go. “Probably interested in getting a closer look at our saviors,” she added with a knowing smile to Jake.
I sighed and made my way over to the snacks table, intent on getting something to eat before all the other ponies took everything good. Also, it had been nearly three days since I’d had an actual meal, assuming you counted the s’mores from our camp-out in Twilight’s tree as a meal.
The snacks were as varied as they were inexplicably colourful. I could only guess at what half of them were supposed to be, though I did spy recognizable objects like brownies and cupcakes among green cubes, flower sandwiches, and orange crackers which I discovered were made from oats. They even had some french fries hidden behind some vegetable sticks.
Hello, we have a winner.
I grabbed myself a plate and spork and reached over to snag myself the best looking ones. Just as I did, an aquamarine blur came from nowhere and slapped my wrist. I winced and pulled back, rubbing my hand, and looked up at whomever attacked me.
“Oh, sorry!” Lyra retracted her hoof sheepishly. “I didn’t see you there... heh.” She smiled broadly, and I swear she was blushing a little.
“We seem to keep bumping into one another,” I said, reaching for the fries again. “You’re not following me around, are you?”
“N-no,” she said hastily. “I told you back in Dodge, my observations on Prince Jake were purely scientific.” She gave a nervous smile and grabbed a few things from the table with her magic.
“Yeah, I know the feeling of seeing a living legend,” I said, biting into my fries. I immediately gagged and coughed; the things tasted like old grass.
“What? The hay fries underdone?” Lyra asked.
Should’ve seen that coming, I thought as I reached for a glass of water. Lyra just smiled and levitated her own fries to her mouth, eating them joyfully.
“Na, they taste fine to me,” she said after a moment. “So, what did you mean by living legends?”
“You know, seeing humans when they’re supposed to be fictional,” I said. “It’s kinda like how we’re all feeling by just being here.”
“Really? How so?” Lyra’s eyes seemed to sparkle with curiosity and wonder.
I darted my eyes over the food and snagged a few carrots; not exactly snack food, but at least I knew I could keep them down. “Unicorns, dragons, pegasus. You’re all myths and monsters back home. Things from fantasy and fairytale.”
“Seriously?” I nodded, which caused her to grin and start hopping in place. “That’s so cool! Does it mean something? Like, have our species somehow come in contact in the past? Is there a way to replicate it?!”
I couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch her go into total fangirl mode. I smiled and nodded at her every so often, but was mentally kicking myself for getting trapped in this conversation.
“So, how accurate are we to your world’s descriptions?” Lyra stopped bouncing and leaned towards me.
“Well, I’m not the best when it comes to mythology,” I said. “Let’s see... you have the horn, and can use magic. Both of those are the same back home. Pretty sure that our unicorns are horses, not ponies, and definitely not so diversely coloured. Most images I’ve seen show them as white.”
“Interesting, is that why you chose to turn into Rarity?”
“Ah, no. I just needed a disguise, that’s all. Rarity was available.” There was no sense telling her I got forced into choosing Rarity.
“About that, is that something all humans can do? None of my books said they could change form.”
“No, that’s something unique to us. Though I’m sure plenty of humans would like this ability.” Something she said intrigued me. “Wait, you have books on us?”
Lyra gave a nervous laugh. “N-not a lot. Just, you know, speculative fiction. Hoof-made figurines. Amateur studies on how and why you couldn’t exist.”
“Huh... I feel both insulted and intrigued.” I gave a laugh, and noticed something in the corner of my eye. It was Applejack’s sister coming to get some food. She didn’t stay long, though, and quickly wandered off.
Hope she’ll recover from all this, I thought, before realizing something and turning back to Lyra. “What, exactly, makes others think I can’t be real?”
Applejack
“So, lemme get this straight: those dragon-things eat tree bark?”
Cassie nodded. “I know, it’s pretty surprising at first, but when you stop and think about it biologically, then it starts to makes sense.”
I thought for a bit, then nodded. “Yeah, don’t seem all that odd compared to parasprites and dragons, now that I think of it. Plus, it makes sense why they’d have those big ol’ blades.” I gave a small chuckle. “Glad they’re gone. Ah’ve got more than enough problems to deal with on mah farm. Celestia knows how much damage they could do to mah orchard.”
I spotted Applebloom wandering away from the buffet Pinkie had set up, a plate of cookies and sweets balanced on her head. She wasn’t looking where she was going, and nearly bumped into a couple of ponies. I saw her lips mutter a ‘sorry’, but she didn’t look to meet their eyes when she said it. And in the Apple Family, that’s a clear sign of something being amiss.
I turned back to Cassie, which also involved looking up at her. “Ah’m very sorry, but Ah think Ah need to go check on mah sister. Somethin’ ain’t sittin’ right with her.”
Cassie nodded, and I wandered over to Applebloom. She’d placed herself beneath one of the pillars, her tray of sweets beside her on the right. So far she hadn’t eaten anything, instead just choosing to push it around the plate with a hoof.
“Applebloom,” I called gently. She didn’t look at me, instead shifting her head in the opposite direction and pushing the plate of treats away. “Applebloom.”
She jumped as if somepony had shocked her, looking around for a moment before focusing on me. “Oh, hey Applejack. Ah don’t wanna talk right now.”
“And why might that be?” I glanced around, and noticing she was alone, continued, “Are ya waitin’ for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?”
“No...”
“Then what’s eatin’ at ya, Applebloom?”
She turned away again. “Ah said Ah don’t wanna talk right now.”
I moved beside her, putting a hoof over her shoulders. “Look, sugarcube, broodin’ and sinkin’ into depression ain’t gonna make your problems go away.”
Applebloom gave a sigh. “Ah know. Ah jus’ feel like Ah failed mah friend.”
I forced myself to swallow. “Yer talkin’ about yer Yeerk, aren’t ya?” She nodded sadly and I grimaced, wondering what I could possibly say to that. “Well... she knew what she was gettin’ herself into. What with them Yeerks needing t’ eat every three days.” Applebloom shot me a venomous look, but I continued. “What Ah mean is, it’s not yer fault. T’aint nothin’ ya coulda done.”
“Yes there was,” Appleblom protested. “Ah could’ve done somethin’! But Ah didn’t! You ‘nd Twilight ‘nd Prince Jake, you all beat these Yeerks and sent ‘em packin’. What did Ah do t’ help? What did Ah do fer Dessie?” She punctuated her words by stomping the floor.
“Applebloom,” I cried, and gripped her shoulders before she could hurt herself. “Sometimes there ain’t nothin’ you can do. Ya can get so hung up on ‘what-ifs’ and ‘should-haves’ that ya stop carin’ about anythin’ else.”
Applebloom stared right into my eyes. “Yeah, it’s easy for yah to preach about movin’ on and acceptin’ things as they are.”
“Easy for me?”
Tears were teetering on the rims of her eyelids. “When have you ever had t’ go through what Ah’m feelin’?”
I felt a rush of anger well up inside me, but I pushed it away; getting angry now would just make her ignore me. “Ah know what yer goin’ through all too well,” I said slowly and swallowed hard, trying not to let my throat clench. “Ah went through the same thing when...” the words caught in my throat. “When mom and dad died.”
All the anger vanished from Applebloom’s face, draining away to melancholy. It was if those five words made all her self-doubt and resentment simply vanish. I couldn’t think of anything else to say, and just held her close.
Tobias
I ate with a vengeance; it’s surprising how hungry one can get after a few days without food. It’s also surprising how much stronger a pony’s taste buds were to something like a human. I was feeling flavours and textures at least ten times more powerful than if I were myself. Shame I was being restricted to salads and other herbivore foods. I would’ve killed to taste meat like this.
Fluttershy was just smiling, pushing another plate of carrots and celery slices towards me. “My, what a healthy appetite you have.”
I coughed and slowed down, suddenly self-conscious. I suppose, in some way, I was acting like a scavenger, gorging myself just because it was there. I gave a nervous glance around, but no one seemed to be staring; well, at least not now that they’d had time to get used to the idea of having two identical ponies standing off to the side.
“Sorry about that,” I said, trying to get what dignity I could through Fluttershy’s timid voice.
“It’s alright,” she said. “I just didn’t know you’d like pony food this much, since hawks are carnivores.”
“Morphing into lots of animals gives you a strong palate,” I chuckled, with her joining after a second. “And that besides, I used to be human, and they’re omnivores.”
“Used to be?”
I froze up, belatedly realizing what I’d let slip out. Fluttershy just waited patiently, her mouth turned up in a cute smile. It faltered slightly when she saw my unmoving state. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine,” I said. “Morphing comes with a two-hour limit. I went over that while hiding as a hawk. I couldn’t morph back for fear of being caught, and I’ve been a hawk ever since. It’s sort of my ‘normal’ form now.” I gave a reassuring smile, opting to leave out the whole business with the Ellimist. No need to bore her with the technicals.
“Um, well, why can’t you just stay human for more than two hours?” Fluttershy wondered. “I mean, you can still change, so it’s not like it’s that big of a deal.”
You and Rachel both, I sighed. “If I did that I’d be out of the fight. Useless while my friends risk their lives against the Yeerks. Never able to morph again. I can’t do that.”
Fluttershy didn’t say anything. Her lips quivered slightly, and she looked at the floor, letting her pink mane cover her face. “O-oh, I’m sorry,” she said softly, so quiet I almost thought I was imagining it for a moment.
“I already said it was fine,” I insisted. “Besides, I kinda wanted to ask you a few questions.”
“Really?” she asked, holding her head a little bit higher.
“Yeah, like, why do you live so close to the forest?”
Fluttershy smiled. “Well, it’s easier for me to be around my animal friends that way. The open air and smell of home really goes a long way in helping them recover. And not having to worry about other ponies disturbing some of the animals while they’re resting is nice, too.”
I thought for a little bit. It made a strange sort of sense, especially in comparison to Cassie’s barn being used as an animal clinic. I was about to ask some more, but a pink blur shot between us—so quick I found myself jumping back, wings flaring instinctively. I intended to squawk in alarm, but it came out as more of a barely-audible “Eep!”
“Hey Fluttershy, hey Tobias. Nice use of your wings. Is it a new dance?” Pinkie asked between fits of giggles.
Fluttershy tapped her shoulder. “Oh, Pinkie, I think you startled him.”
“I did?” Pinkie asked, scrunching her face ponderously. “Oh, I guess I did. Sorry Tobias, I just wanted to see if you and Fluttershy wanted to come see the Triple R’s.”
“The Triple R’s?” I repeated lamely. “What are those?”
“No ‘those,’ silly. It’s a Race between Rachel and Rainbow Dash.” Pinkie said, placing a heavy emphasis on each of the Rs. “It’s gonna start soon! Ooh, I still need to find Prince Jake and tell him.”
Without another word Pinkie bounced away, giggling, leaving me and Fluttershy to stare at one another.
“Well,” I said. “This ought to be a good show. What do you say?”
“O-oh dear,” Fluttershy mumbled. “Rainbow can get awfully competitive...”
“So can Rachel,” I said, grinning. “This should be an interesting event.”
Outside, many ponies had gathered in the castle gardens. In the center of them were two identical rainbow-maned pegasi performing some before-flying stretches. From my vantage point I couldn’t quite see their marks, which made identifying Rachel all the harder. Quick as I could I headed outside, but the crowd was unyielding. I could get close enough to hear Rachel and Rainbow Dash talking, but not identify them.
Pinkie chose that moment to hop — yes, hop — over and through the crowd effortlessly, coming to a stop in front of the two blue pegasi. She reached into her mane and pulled out a checkered flag, holding it in one hoof.
“Rainbow and Rachel, are you rrrrrready?” she called, rolling her R’s far more than necessary. Both turned towards Pinkie and grinned. Pinkie continued, “The race will be once around the track, each Rainbow passing through the cloud rings above.” At this she pointed upwards and I spotted a number of floating white rings dotting the sky, though I was unable to discern the path through them.
The one closest to me spoke first. “Ha, as if I could ever lose to a second-rate copy.”
“A copy who’s identical to you in every way,” Rachel retorted.
Rainbow tossed her mane back and laughed. “Yeah right. I saw you at the train. You’re good with my wings, but when it comes to my skills, you don’t even come close.”
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy whispered from beside me. “I hope they don’t hurt themselves.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” I reassured her, smiling.
The two pegasi hunkered to the ground, spreading their wings and flexing their primary feathers. I saw their lips move as they exchanged more banter, but whatever it was they said was drowned out by the excited crowd.
Then Pinkie Pie waved the flag.
They were gone in a flash, Pinkie’s mane blown back from the force of the wind. I scanned the sky, trying to locate their blue bodies against the sky. Luckily a rainbow trail followed after them, inexplicably forming in their wake.
One of the pegasi pulled ahead when they reached the first rings. She sailed through them, the clouds distorting slightly from the sudden rush of air. By the time the second Rainbow cleared them the leader had broken off and was flying southward towards the next set. It was probably the actual Rainbow Dash, but with these pony eyes I couldn’t tell for sure.
By that point, unfortunately, they’d both vanished beyond the hedge wall that surrounded the gardens. The crowd was already bustling towards the nearest entrance to follow. Not wanting to get swept away in the commotion, I spread my wings and flew above them. Maybe it was the heat coming from all the ponies beneath me, or there’s something about pegasi that makes them so unrealistically light, but I barely needed to flap to get any altitude. It was almost as if I was near-weightless and my wings were just for show.
The crowd stopped in the middle of a statue garden. From this distance I could see the two Rainbows zigzagging through the sky; ducking around stray clouds and veering this way and that. It was maddening!
The two pegasi came into the final stretch at what seemed to be neck and neck, their hooves pointed out in front to form an aerodynamic point. Seconds away from the finish I noticed something. A thin outline was beginning to form around the both of them, and I even swear I could see a rainbow ‘echo’ lagging behind.
If either of the racers noticed, they didn’t show any signs. Beside me Fluttershy gave a small gasp. “Oh my, they aren’t really going to—”
Both Rainbow and Rachel’s hooves slipped through the barriers. A loud boom echoed from them, followed after by waves of rainbow lights. Two streaks of rainbow zoomed past the finish line milliseconds later, though it wasn’t for another few seconds before I heard their overjoyed cries. Immediately after that I, along with the crowd, was bowled over as the rush of wind blew past.
With a groan I slowly rose to my hooves, keeping my eyes tightly shut as I tried to force the ringing in my ears to stop.
“Tobias, did you see that?” someone said. It was hard to make out specific voices at the moment. “They both broke the sound barrier! I didn’t think it was possible to do that without technological aid, but they did! And the colours; have you ever seen something so inexplicably fascinating?!”
Ax was hopping around me excitedly, jabbering on about colours and impossible feats. At least, I think it was Ax; I hadn’t heard Pinkie use so many multisyllabic words, at any rate.
The rest of the onlookers had regained themselves by this point. Many were cheering and looking to the sky. Following their gaze, I spotted the twin pegasi making their descent, coming to rest near the finish line.
“Tobias!” one of them exclaimed. “Tobias, did you see that—whatever it was?!”
“We both performed a Sonic Rainboom!” the other one cut in. “That was so much cooler than a race!”
“A sonic what?” I parroted, bewildered.
“A Sonic Rainboom!” Pinkie Pie repeated, walking up to us. Beside her was Fluttershy with an uncharacteristically large smile. “Only this was like, a Double Sonic Rainboom!”
“Can someone fill me in?” I asked.
“It’s kinda hard to explain,” Rainbow Dash said—I checked her mark to confirm. “The best way to look at it is when you go so fast you create both a sonic boom and a rainbow at the same time.”
I looked up at the sky and sure enough, a rainbow was hanging in the air; it seemed to be as solid as a cloud. Which on Equestria, I guess, is actually quite solid. A few of the others were also admiring it, though already the crowd was beginning to thin out.
“Well, looks like the party’s finally winding down,” I said to no one in particular.
“What? No, silly!” Pinkie Pie broke into my thoughts, making me rear up in alarm. “They’re probably just all heading back inside after all this excitement. I think the cake is gonna come out now!”
“Oh, that sounds delicious!” Ax added, bouncing in place. “I should go ahead and make sure I get a slice.” Without waiting for a response he turned tail and hopped inside.
Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy followed after him alongside one another, leaving me alone with Rachel.
“So, have a good race?” I asked, a little awkwardly.
“Heh, yeah,” Rachel said. “You wouldn’t believe the rush you get. I mean, it’s so different from being a hawk or an eagle. The speed, especially for something this big. It’s like I’m my own fighter jet!”
“Sounds invigorating,” I said. “You put on quite the show, too. It was, um, colourful.”
“Should’ve seen it from the air. It made everything below us sparkle.” Rachel grinned, which was becoming oddly natural to see on a horse, and looked out over the mountainside. “Incredible, isn’t it, that we actually saved this planet?”
“Yeah, and we didn’t need to teach any aliens to love this time.”
By the time we arrived back inside the castle, a giant cake had been wheeled out. Now, when I say giant, I mean giant. It was easily ten feet tall, with blue frosting rimming the sides in a wave-like fashion. All sorts of candy decorated each layer, arranged in rainbows or flowers. The top, however, drew my attention. It was the twelve of us — Twilight and her friends, and the six of us in our normal forms — all standing in a circle looking victorious.
“Geez, she only started this party like, an hour ago,” I said to Rachel. “How’d she make those things so fast?”
“We should do as Twilight suggests and not question Pinkie,” Rachel deadpanned. “She already broke Ax. I don’t want the same to happen to you.”
Pinkie Pie was already busy carving out a generous slice for one of us, humming to herself jovially. I was about to step towards her when my ears picked up the sound of hoofbeats approaching. Rachel and I both turned towards the source. It was Princess Luna, with the same neutral face she had on when we’d first met her.
“Tobias, Rachel,” the princess spoke. “My sister and Prince Jake request your presence immediately. Your friends have already been informed, as well.”
Rachel looked at the princess, and then to me. She smiled, bemused, “Well, either we’re in for another round of ceremonies, or the party’s over.”
Jake
“I understand your objections, Prince Jake, but I fear the risks are far too great to permit you.” Princess Celestia spoke with a heavy voice. “I wish there were another way, truly.”
I felt a wave of anger well up within me, but sighed, allowing it to fade. “I understand, Princess. I may not like it, but I understand.”
She nodded, and for a moment I sympathized with her. She was just doing what she thought was the best way to protect her home. I couldn’t say I wouldn’t be the same in a similar situation.
Our conversation seemed to be over just in time for Princess Luna to arrive, with the rest of my friends. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear that Princess Celestia had planned it that way.
“I’m guessing the party’s over?” Marco asked.
“No,” I said. “But the Princess has something she’d like to ask of us.”
Princess Celestia stepped forward, bowing her head slightly. “I am most grateful to you for saving Equestria. We are truly indebted to you, but now I must ask you to aid me in keeping Equestria safe. You may have succeeded in removing any mention of us from the Yeerk records, but there is still a chance that seeing a creature from Equestria may be enough to reveal us to them once again.”
Cassie nodded. “We understand. No using the morphs we acquired here once back on Earth.”
Celestia shook her head slowly. “It is not so simple. While I do not doubt you’d keep us secret, there is still a chance that your ‘morphs’ may be discovered through ulterior ways.”
“This is the best we can accomplish,” Ax said. “Acquiring a morph infuses the DNA of the morph into your own. The only ways to remove morphs are too complicated and specific for us to duplicate.”
“Or if we’re allergic...” Rachel muttered.
“We’ve discovered another way to safeguard ourselves,” Luna said. “The only forms you’ve acquired here are Ponies, Changelings, Phoenixes, and Dragons, correct?” At a nod from me, she continued, “It it theoretically possible to then isolate those specific sections of your DNA, and isolate them from further use. Similar to a magic dampener used on unicorn prisoners.”
“Fascinating. How is this accomplished?” Ax asked.
“So, wait, does that mean we couldn’t use our morphs anymore?” Rachel asked at the same time, frowning.
“No,” I replied. “Only the ones we acquired here.”
“Aw, c’mon!” Rachel protested. “Just think of how useful my dragon morph could be.”
“And how impossible it’d be to keep hidden,” Cassie said. “And the Princess is right. If the Yeerks saw you as a dragon, then Visser Three would surely go and try to acquire one for himself. He’s dangerous enough as is.”
Rachel turned to me. “OK, fine. No dragon morph. We can still do massive damage with the rest. We can’t just throw these morphs away. You’ve seen how fast I can fly, and Jake, you and Marco can use magic. We could beat the Yeerks three times as quick, with ten times as many lives saved.”
I paused, looking for some counter-argument I could say. Nothing came to mind; Rachel was right in everything she said. And we’d all seen firsthand the power these ponies had at their disposal. Surely they could use those Elements again if the Yeerks returned.
“Remember the Leerans?” All eyes turned to Marco. He was looking at Rachel with a piercing glare. “Remember how close the Yeerks came to figuring out our identities with just one of them? Imagine what would have happened if they’d won on Leera. We’d have all been infested or killed months ago.”
“Yeah, but they didn’t, because we sent them packing,” Rachel countered.
“Not exactly,” Ax said. “More precisely, the Andalite military detonated the planet’s single continent to prevent the Yeerks from gaining a foothold. The space battle had already been lost.” He paused a moment. “If the Yeerks relearned the existence of Equestria, and the powerful species who reside here, the resulting conflict would be just as destructive.”
“They’ve been beaten here once already,” Cassie added. “If they do manage to try again, I doubt they’ll try subterfuge and trickery, and just go for all-out war.”
Princess Celestia stepped forward, her lilac eyes looking down at Rachel. “Believe me, I understand your argument more than you could possibly imagine. But would you condemn my subjects to such a fate?” She cast her gaze on the others as well. “Would you bring such destruction on us knowingly?”
Everyone fell silent. It was Rachel who spoke up first. “No, we couldn’t do that,” she said softly. The others nodded with her.
Celestia’s mouth formed a solemn smile. “Thank you.”
The others began to demorph, rather reluctantly I thought, and I quickly trotted over to stand with them and demorphed as well. Once we were all in regular form, both Princesses took one step forward. Their eyes closed, and they touched horn tips.
“A word of warning: this may feel invasive, to an extent,” Luna said.
That was all the warning we had before a yellow-and-blue swirl of magic engulfed us. It was blinding; almost as if I was looking at the sun. But there was no burning pain from gazing at it. If anything, it made me feel calm—content even. It felt as if I was suspended in mid-air. All the while I could feel the magic phasing in and out of my body.
Then, as quickly as it had come, my senses all came flooding back. My head throbbed and I nearly lost my balance, unprepared for the sudden return. I managed to catch myself in time. Marco wasn’t so lucky, toppling to the ground and groaning.
“Is...is that it?” Cassie asked hesitantly. “I don’t feel any different.”
“Try morphing into Applejack,” Rachel said.
Cassie scrunched up her face in concentration as we looked on expectantly. After a few minutes of nothing happening she opened her eyes and looked at us. “No, nothing.”
<Fascinating. It is as if we have experienced the effects of a Sario Rip,> Ax said. <I was unaware such a phenomenon could be induced so easily.>
“We are pleased that you are unharmed,” Luna broke in. “Usually unicorns who have been dampened experience a minor panic attack once the reality settles in.”
“Oh, good, now she tells us,” Marco muttered, climbing to his feet and dusting off his legs.
“The nausea should pass after a time,” Luna continued. “We would suggest you avoid any physically-straining tasks until then.”
“No problem there,” Rachel said. “It’ll be awhile before we get back to Earth anyways.”
“Speaking of Earth, it’s time we returned there, ourselves,” I said, turning back to the princesses.
Celestia nodded. “I had hoped you would have stayed until after the festivities.”
“As much as we’d love to, your majesty, we’ve overstayed our welcome long enough already,” I explained. “We’ve been away from Earth for over a week now. I’d hate to think what trouble Visser Three’s gotten up to in our absence.”
“I take it you wish your absence to go unannounced?” Celestia asked. I looked to the others, and they all nodded. “Very well then, we’ll inform everypony of your decision after you’ve had sufficient time to return to your craft.”
“Thank you, Princess,” I said with as much elegance as I could muster.
“If you’ll follow me, I will lead you to your craft,” Princess Luna said, turning around and walking out of the room. We fell into step behind her, oddly silent. The halls were unsurprisingly devoid of any ponies besides the occasional guard. I couldn’t help but feel guilty, simply leaving Twilight and the others like this without saying goodbye.
We emerged from the castle and I had to take a moment to let my eyes adjust. The Bug Fighter had been moved to a platform not unlike the one we’d discovered beneath the ruins of the forest castle, though it seemed to be more up-to-date with what we’d seen so far. It was actually a little funny to see the high-tech Bug Fighter sitting on a wooden dock clearly not designed for a spaceship. Below the platform, you could see a flowing river cutting its way through a thick forest.
“We hope your trip shall be without hindrance,” Luna said. “Though, if at all possible, do steer clear of any wayward pegasi on your way.”
<That should hardly be an issue,> Ax said. <I do not believe your species is capable of sustained flight in the upper atmosphere.>
“We can hardly ever thank you enough for all that you’ve done for us,” Luna continued, ignoring Ax. “Equestria is truly in your debt.”
I smiled and bowed in what I hoped was regal-looking. “It was our pleasure, Your Highness.”
A flicker of movement appeared in the corner of my eye. Quickly, I turned my head towards the bug fighter and saw a lavender hoof step out onto the boarding ramp. Twilight Sparkle blinked her eyes in the light and fully stepped onto the platform, followed quickly by all of her friends. One by one they lined up and gave little bows, though I couldn’t tell if it was directed at me or at Luna.
“Twilight Sparkle, what are you all doing down here?” Luna asked.
“Forgive us, Princess,” Twilight began, “but we couldn’t let Prince Jake and the others leave without saying goodbye.”
“How did you know we were leaving?” Marco asked. “We couldn’t have left Celestia more than ten minutes ago.”
Twilight flattened her ears against her head, somewhat embarrassed. “Well, back when I was studying here, foreign dignitaries visiting Princess Celestia would use tactics similar to this when they wished to make a discreet exit.”
“And we all know how much you wanna get back to your own world,” Applejack said. “Plus, ya’ll seem to enjoy being secretive and such.”
“We just thought it’d be easier on everyone like this,” Cassie said.
Pinkie frowned, and I swear her eyes got a little bigger as she said “Don’t you like us?”
“Of course we do,” Cassie said. “But we’ve got families and friends back on Earth. we can’t just abandon them to the Yeerks.”
“We’re all aware of that,” Rarity said. “But after all that we’ve been through, the least you could do is give us a proper farewell.”
“I thought that was what the party was about,” Rachel said.
“That was a formality, darling, I’m talking about something more... more personal,” Rarity explained.
“The kind that good friends share with each other when they leave,” Fluttershy spoke.
“We also have a gift for you.” Pinkie said, pulling a rectangular package out of her mane and placing it into my hands. “I hope you like it.”
I stared at it in confusion for a moment before tearing away the paper. Underneath was a wooden picture frame with a picture of Twilight and her friends. They were smiling and sitting together in front of a green hill, waving towards the camera. Scrawled under each of them was their name, in what was presumably their signature.
“Thank you, girls,” I said, tucking the photo under my arm.
Pinkie Pie smiled an ambivalent smile. “Now there’s no way for you to forget about us.”
“I don’t think there was ever any chance of that,” Marco said with a sidelong glance to Ax. Pinkie perked up at hearing this, with a smile that seemed too big for her face.
Princess Luna stepped towards us and locked eyes with me. “It is customary that We would wish for fair winds to fill your sails, but seeing as how your vessel is self-propelling, We wish you safe travels instead.”
She inclined her head and spread her wings while the others bowed low, stepping aside to make a path for us. Trying not to feel self-conscious, I walked between them and into the waiting door of the Bug Fighter. Ax was on my heels and he headed straight for the controls with a rather intense look on his face, even for him. The others filled in a moment later.
“Ax, take us home,” I said.
<At once Prince Jake,> Ax said. His hands flew across the control panel. A moment later the ship’s engines lifted us off the platform.
I looked through the ship’s window. Twilight and her friends were still on the platform waving at us, though they soon became too small to see as we ascended into space. The ship made a near-silent jump to Z-space, and just like that the planet vanished from view, replaced by the endless white void.
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IT LIVES!
Pity you never had them reveal that Jake wasn't /actually/ a prince in the terms that the ponies were undoubtedly thinking of. I was looking forward to that.
Wonder what they're gonna do with that picture.
This was good, a couple of errors that I noticed though.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was my expression when their Equestrian morphs got taken away. I was like, "this is total BS!" But I suppose this makes the story more canon. And like Jake and Rachel, I may not like the idea, but I admit that the Princesses had a point. I'm just bummed because I thought that with their new morphs, the guys could kick so. Much. ASS! I mean, a fully grown dragon, a phoenix, and FOUR changeling queen morphs!! And if you have read the Animorphs series like I have, than the ending to the series could have changed. (I won't say nothin' on that end, I ain't no spoiler.) Still,
. Oh well, looking forward to the 52nd and final chapter.
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Continuity errors, or spelling?
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Status Quo is God.
-Tricondon
4313427
There should be a that in between loud and I.
I would either remove the word to or switch clutching to clinging.
You changed tenses in this sentence from past hadn't to pushing. I would suggest you choose one or the other to keep it more consistent.
There should be the word on between teetering and the.
You should say, flexing the primary feathers here.
You're missing the word way at the end of this sentence.
These were all the errors I could find, I would also like to note that while I liked the simplicity of this chapter I believe that the many different points of view in this chapter made it a little choppy, and I also feel as if it is harder to tell the differences between the way the characters are written in this chapter.
I was actually expecting the Elemist to show up and remove their morphs and or memories and send them home.
Of course that was under the assumption that Ponies were a race created by him like the guys who made the Chey.
I was really hoping the Equestrian morphs would've helped prevent the unfortunate end of the Animorphs series. You know, like how a Dragon morph might've saved Rachel from her death in a firey explosion, and Jake and Tobias' subsuqent depression and self imposed isolation? Or how a Chrysalis or Pinkie morph just might've saved Ax from being Borg'd and brainwashed/erased?
And now less thought out. OH COME ON TIA! THEY JUST SAVED YOUR ENTIRE PLANET! GIVE'EM A BREAK! THERE' LIVES ARE HARD ENOUGH WITHOUT KNOWING HOW MUCH GOOD THOSE MORPHS COULD'VE DONE
this always happens when they go to a new planet
And off they go home to save their home, and towards their inevitable ending.
It doesn't quiet feel like this is "The End" Though. Looking forward to the last few parts.
Hm... This is still marked "Incomplete..."
Dang it, I wanted to see Dragon and Phoenix Morphs in action on Earth. At the very least, get them in the tabloids.
4314745 I think this is supposed to be an inbetween for the canon of the Animorphs, meaning that this could legitimately have happened and have a reason for not using the morphs they got here.
I too would have wished they kept these forms.
To protect what was once yours
then your world shall not stay in pieces.
Recall the joy,
the Harmony within your being
that the friendship once gave you;
This shall be your greatest weapon.
Awaiting further releases.
AWW, i was expecting Celestia and Luna to give them Alicorn morphs to help, but i suppose that the Princesses do have a point and it would have made the rest of the series to easy since they can just unleash the power of the sun or the moon on the yeerks and blast the poolship to pieces.
Now i predict that they are going to og back to Earth and watch ponies cartoon on Television.
I was hoping they'd at least be able to keep the morphs locked up, instead of deleted. That would make more sense, to delete the reference instead of the whole shebang. Still, they can keep a record of the location of the planet and come back later, right?
Keep going! ;)
4315604 it sounded to me more like they were semi-permanently locked, not deleted...
I am also disappoint that they can't keep their awesome new morphs and change the course of their history, though admit that in doing this it makes so this story can now fit in the actual timeline of the Animorphs series.
Someone should get K.A. on the phone and have her actually make this a thing; a spin-off series with Animorphs crossed over with MLP, or something equally as epic like Harry Potter.
- “That was a formality, darling, I’m talking about something more... more personal,” Rarity explained. - When Rarity said that, i was expecting hugs or kisses to follow. There were signs. o.o
I fear the inevitable ending approaching, but look forward to seeing this through just the same. Most excellent!
At long last, coming to the end... I've been following this story since I joined the fandom.
Only just noticed the new cover art, nice!
Could be left as is, but the implied 'are' may not be totally clear?
don't capitalize it
usually hindrance
capitalize Highness, possibly Your as well
4316984 A Harry Potter-Animorphs Crossover would be epic, I'll have to admit. Also, is this over? I've been reading this since I first joined the fandom.
I'll be sad to see this end. 
This needs a sequel!
Ugh... I really, REALLY hate when a great story ends up resetting things like that. Plus, the excuse used to strip the new morphs holds no water. They just sent a shipload of yeerks and controllers back to yeerk space with full knowledge of Equestria, its denizens, and their abilities. What would seeing those abilities in action do?
Truth be told, I'm pretty disappointed in the Equestrians right now. They know just how overmatched the Animorphs are and are letting them return to their impossible war unaided.
I was actually hoping for a follow on story with the Equestrians helping on earth.
This was a great chapter! TWO Sonic Rainbooms?! Sweet!
A great story through and through, despite the (apparent) return to status quo.
Perhaps we could get an N-canon alternate ending, wherein the equestrians help to free Earth and overall fight the Yeerks? (Perhaps they give the Six the power to morph?)
4318544 4320058 4316984
That's what sequels are for.
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*Sigh*
No matter how careful you are, some mistakes always manage to slip past your censors, it seems...
-Tricondon
4318544
Concurring with this. The enemy already knows all about the Equestrians and what they can do. This story is a hugely divergent canon by now, and it also doesn't fit that Celestia & Luna would sit there and do nothing. If Earth -loses-, Equestria is doomed in the long run anyhow.
Then again I am still expecting that ~something~ made it through uncaught.
4318289 I know, right?!
I don't think it's over just yet, but i also don't see us having more then 1 or 2 more chapters.
Unless there's a sudden plot twist
and the Yeerks come back for another round! 
4320351 I'm sorry, did someone hint sequels?!
Don't tease us now.
I'd be ever so sad to get my hopes up for nothing.
One more chapter, I'm guessing. 52 chapters for 52 canon main-story books.
NO!!! IT CAN'T BE THE END!!!
Great story! I hope you guys write a sequel!
4313565
4318544
4320351
With an ending like the Animorphs had, Status Quo is Not God. Status Quo is Satan. Oh..! You, you're hinting at a reason to hope?! Seriously. This better mean something...
4320351 Why is this marked INCOMPLETE? The only thing you could do to this is create an Epilogue and a teaser for the next one.
4318544
Or to put it more bluntly: Celestia just guilt-tripped them into giving up their best chance at saving their own world from a very real, immediate danger, for the purpose of protecting them from a hypothetical future one.
After they risked their neck to save a people they have absolutely no obligation to, she now turns around and sacrifices their world for the sake of her own. This is utter bullshit.
Fuck her.
4320351
Does it involve Equestria being sterilized from orbit?
4313175
and heads on towards its death.
-
Epilogue: They get home and land only to discover that Lyra and a pair of inter-planetary-to-be love-prospecting Changelings had stowed aboard and they have to drive ALL THE WAY BACK to drop them off again.
I had no idea what I was expecting when I googled "Animorph My Little Pony." I... wow. I mean... this was... a ride. Like... wow. I probably shouldn't have tried to read it all in one sitting, 150k words is a lot.
I just wanted to gush that this is an amazing story and you guys did an excellent job juggling 12 main characters. I mean the entire time you're having to deal with Yeerks, Hork Bajir, Changelings, Ponies, Humans pretending to be Andalites, an Andalite, mythological creatures and a whole lot of betrayal and sci-fi technology. I am floored you all pulled this off so well. Especially because it looks like you guys were writing it one chapter at a time and unable to fix things in the past to fit with future events. The "incomplete" tag almost made me not want to start this, but I am glad I did, because it's pretty much done and wrapped up in a neat little package.
It just makes me so happy to see such a well done fic for my two favorite fandoms.
That being said I do have a few comments. (SPOILER WARNING!)
I was scared he'd be a villain for the rest of the book. When they freed him I nearly shouted for joy. Oh my gosh. That was scary for a second there.
Spike being a controller at the beginning freaked me out.
The problem was, where was he the rest of the book!? Why didn't Spike mention that he had been sending evil letters to Celestia? Why was he left behind in Ponyville and then Dodge Junction?
I know you all were juggling an insane amount of characters, so missing Spike seems like an okay judgement call to make. But you might want to take him off as a character tag and tag Luna or Queen Chrysalis instead.
The Animorph's descriptions for Unicorn and Changeling magic were awesome. Jake getting a cutie mark was a really cool idea. But it's kind of weird no one else got one. I loved the new morphs that everyone got. Queen Chrysalis, Phoenixes, Dragons. And the way you described how Tobias used his Phoenix morph was incredibly interesting.
You kept the original K.A. Applegate standard of having the characters not "acquire everything that moves," which is how I would use morphing power, especially on a planet like that.
For a second there at the end I thought that the Princesses were about to remove the Animorphs memories of a Equestria, and then they turned around and did something just as bad.
My reaction to them losing their Equestrian morphs was my same reaction to the Animorphs losing their dinosaur morphs in Megamorphs #2: LAME
You are being true to the source material, and you should be commended for that. But it does not mean I like it one bit
That doesn't mean I didn't love every minute of it though. Good job guys! Add the words "THE END," change the "incomplete" to "complete" and stick a fork in it, 'cuz it's done.
OH MY BUCKING GOD THIS STORY WAS SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!
it gives me the same chills that the real story gives me and lets me play my controller or not guessing game, haven't been wrong yet
but really very very very very very god job.
5 stars
Featured on Equestria Daily good
best story I've read in a very long time
4313534
All my childhood heroes.... 
4453582
52 books in the canon Animorphs series, 51 chapters and incomplete status: I'm not so sure I'll like the last chapter, considering how the book series just pulled a "the heroes have no more purpose, so they will inexplicably die in different situations, even though they survived even more insane stuff". *sigh* It made me scream...
You'd better not pull an "Applegate"!
4318289 there is one all ready on Fanfiction actully there's seviral
Reading the title i half expected..
comicsonline.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/show_still_-_mighty_morphin_power_rangers-21.jpg
Well, it was a thought.
What the heck is with people trying to write stories to fit the canon timelines? If your going to write a FICTIONAL story based on a fictional plot, then why the heck are you conforming how your story goes based on future canon events... try to live a little, I did not like that you had their new morphs locked away when there was no need to do so other then conforming to canon since it's already been shown in the books that they have full control of their morphs by this point so I HIGHLY doubt locking the new ones away was needed.
I liked the story, but I feel like you ran out of ideas at the end and decided "Why not end it like it started"
also in the animorphs books the kids would of taken any advantage they could get their hands on to save their world so for them to agree to having some VERY useful morphs unusable based on a 'what if this unlikely chance happens' doesn't seem very in character and maybe a little forced.
Just stating the way I see this so don't take it to personally, it's probably just me nitpicking
Sequel, please...
For the sequel how about the Ellimist recruits the Mane 6 to help fight the Yeerks when Cryak decides to step up his game a bit.
An Animorphs crossover? That brings me way back.
Aww... Yeah I figured they'd have to lose the morphs in the end somehow if this was going to conform to Animorphs canon. Still...now I want to see a sequel based on an alternate ending where they keep the morphs...and Rachel lives because she morphs dragon and eats everyone on the blade ship instead of dying horribly.
5079131
Have you read the Neomorphs? One of the ghost writers wasn't happy with the ending, so he/they took it up where the canon leaves off.
5143552
Actually, yes. I binged on the Animorphs TVtropes page after reading this fic and discovered it via the fanfic refs section. I'm currently on the second book.
Totally thought this was power rangers (Still gonna read thou)