• Published 4th May 2016
  • 1,573 Views, 33 Comments

Knights of Harmony, Episode I: Rise of the Elements - bahatumay



Young Harmonist Padawan Twilight Sparkle is sent to the small moon of Elfaus 2, on a mission to find Harmony-sensitive individuals. Little does she know, the moon has much more in store for her.

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Chapter 2

So far, it had been a peaceful walk. That is, aside from Twilight’s constant stream of complaining; though Spike knew it was more for coping reasons than her actually complaining.

“That’s the one thing I don’t really like about these exploratory missions,” Twilight grumbled. “I mean, seeing if there are Harmony-sensitive individuals out here? Great. Really. I've heard the rumors. I've seen the numbers. Harmonists are getting rarer these days, and if the Nightmares are really coming back, we'll need all the help we can get if we're going to keep anarchy at bay. But why would she send me to this moon, of all places?”

Spike shrugged.

“And the whole Nightmares coming back thing, too. I’d love to find another prophecy about it. I mean, I’ll probably check out the library here eventually; but it’s probably so small that it’s not going to do me any good. If there even is one here.”

Spike made a noncommittal hiss.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Where would you go first, Mr. Smartyscales?”

Spike ran his tongue along his lips.

“You and your bottomless stomach,” Twilight grumbled, but she couldn’t help but smile. She paused, and held her hands up, feeling the Harmony in the moon. “Fine. We’ll start with something to eat, and we’ll go on from there.”

Spike grinned. With excited hissing, he drew a large box in the air with his claws.

“I am not setting up a little Harmonist booth at the farmer’s market,” Twilight said flatly.

Spike chortled and performed a few strange hip-grinding gestures that may have passed for dancing.

“You have cracked your crystal. Maybe I want to have some respect for myself when I sleep tonight,” Twilight retorted.

Spike shrugged and hissed again.

Twilight smiled in spite of herself. “You always know what to say, Spike,” she said wryly. There were a few moments of silence, and then she exhaled slowly. “Honestly, though, I’m not entirely sure what to expect. This is my first time on an exploratory mission, ever. Cadence never took me on one. I've heard things, though. Some Harmonists make it sound like Harmony-sensitives just fall out of the sky.”

“Hi!”

Twilight jumped, her hands instinctively coming up in a defensive gesture. “Or… or pop up out of the ground,” she amended.

The human girl pulled herself out of the hatch in the ground. She wore thick pants that probably could have been used for mining, but the suspenders hung loosely off her waistband and dangled by her knees. Her shirt was stretched, worn, and a bit too small for her; and a logo for something Twilight didn't recognize was barely visible across the front. “I’m Pinkie Pie!” she introduced herself.

Twilight blinked. “Twilight Sparkle,” she returned, holding out her hand.

Pinkie looked down and gasped. “Ooh!”

Twilight followed her eyes. She was looking at her lightsaber. She straightened up and rested her hands on her hips, and, with no small bit of pride, said, “Yes, I am a Harmonist, and I was wondering-”

But Pinkie had already jumped back down the hatch, and it slammed shut behind her with a strange air of finality.

Twilight blinked. She looked over at Spike, and then back at the hatch. “That… happened,” she finally said.

Spike pointed after her, looked back at Twilight and made a questioning hiss.

“Yes, I did see them,” Twilight murmured. “Two lightsabers on her belt. And they were such a strange design.” She inhaled, held it for a moment, then exhaled, puffing out her cheeks. “I’m starting to think there’s more to this moon than I first thought.”

Spike hissed something under his breath.

“Yes, that something might be food.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Come on, you walking stomach.”

They continued walking down the road. It took them past a large farm, with large trees that looked like they were almost ready to give up the fruit they bore. Spike perked up.

Twilight noticed them, too. She reached into her pocket and jangled the credits there. “There’s gotta be someone here we can talk to,” she said, looking around.

Suddenly, Spike stopped short.

Twilight kept walking for a few paces before she noticed. She looked back. “What is it?”

Spike made a hesitant hissing sound.

Twilight’s interest was immediately piqued. “You heard a lightsaber?” Even if the draconian couldn’t technically hear, his ability to detect vibrations was second to none.

Spike nodded.

Twilight walked in the direction Spike indicated. If there were another Harmonist here—or, Harmony forbid, an Anarchist—maybe it was best they meet as soon as possible. “Maybe it’s an outcast,” she whispered, slowing her walking down. “Maybe it’s someone who studied with and then left the Harmonists.” She grew excited as a small shed came into view. “And maybe this someone wants to come back to the Harmonists!”

She stepped around the corner and her voice trailed off. “Or… maybe it’s a little girl welding a droid’s leg back together,” she said, slightly disappointed.

The little girl looked back at Twilight and lifted the goggles off her face. “I’m not that little,” she scowled, standing up and deactivating her plasma cutter. She wore thick gloves that seemed to be a size too big for her, and a pair of thick overalls also protected her from the sparks of the welding. Her pale-yellow shirt bore sweat marks; she'd evidently been out here for a while.

“Sorry,” Twilight said, though this girl was only a little bit taller than Spike. “I am Twilight Sparkle.”

“Apple Bloom,” the girl returned. She jerked her thumb towards the astromech droid on the table in front of her. “And this dumb bucket of bolts is Y1-O1.”

Y1-O1 beeped indignantly.

“Well, I'm not the one who decided she'd take a shortcut through the orchards and hit a rut and broke my leg off, now, was I?”

Y1-O1 beeped sarcastically.

“Don't give me that,” Apple Bloom scolded, shaking her plasma cutter at her. “Applejack told you that the rains had messed up the fields. You were supposed to stay on the paths.”

Y1-O1 beeped again.

Apple Bloom threw her hands up. “Again with the memory thing! I told you, we’ll upgrade you when we get the credits! I swear, I’mma start calling you Wy-know-nothin’ instead.”

Twilight, who did not understand binary, leaned down to Spike as Y1-O1 made her retort. “Is this what it's like when we talk?” she asked quietly. “People only understanding one side?”

Spike nodded.

“Huh,” Twilight mused. “I bet that's annoying for other people.”

Spike gave a short, sharp hissing, his species’ equivalent of barking a laugh.

Apple Bloom snorted, apparently having won her argument with the droid. She glanced over at Twilight again, and her eyes widened. “Hey, you’ve got a lightsaber!”

“I do,” Twilight said proudly.

“My sister’s got one of those.”

Twilight perked up. “Does she?” She pointedly ignored Spike blowing a raspberry in her general direction.

Apple Bloom nodded and continued. “I tried building one for myself, but I could never get it to work right. My last one blew up right in my face. I think it’s the crystal. Never seen one like the one she’s got in there, and none of the ones Rarity has work.”

“Yeah, lightsaber crystals are pretty rare,” Twilight said. “Only a select few can be used, and they have to be Harmony-attuned.”

Apple Bloom looked at her, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. “Where did you get the crystal in yours?”

“Ilum,” Twilight answered, “but-”

“Ilum? Where’s that? Never heard of it before.”

Y1-O1 beeped, apparently agreeing with her.

“It’s not on any of the star charts,” Twilight shrugged. “You’ve got to be Harmony-sensitive to get there.”

Apple Bloom’s jaw dropped. “Whoa. A secret world.”

“Something like that,” Twilight conceded.

Apple Bloom stared for a few moments, apparently caught up in this concept of secret worlds; but then quickly recovered. Her attention shifted. “Hey, can I see yours?”

Twilight shrugged and held out her lightsaber.

Apple Bloom took it and hefted it. “It's bigger than Applejack’s,” she rendered her judgement as she rotated it experimentally. “A little heavier, too.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “It's all personal preference,” she defended herself as she took it back. “Where did she get hers, anyway?”

Apple Bloom looked up. “You can ask her yourself,” she said, gesturing with her head.

Twilight turned around to see a human woman, probably about her age, approaching. She wore a large hat (which was probably to keep the sun off her back, but also did a good job of keeping her face in shadow), a loose long-sleeved tunic that had probably been red in color before the sun had baked it into a pale orange, and long pants tucked into thick work boots that were caked with dried mud.

And on her belt, she wore a lightsaber.

“Well, hey there,” she started, friendly but guarded. “What brings you out to Sweet Apple Acres?”

Twilight straightened up. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm a Harmonist from Canterlot.”

She jumped as Applejack, now the picture of friendliness, seized her hand. “Well, it's nice to meet you!” she said, pumping her hand excitedly. “You're far from home.”

“A bit,” Twilight conceded, suddenly struggling to get her hand free.

“And you’re a Harmonist, eh?”

“I am. You know much about us?”

Applejack shrugged. “Nah. Never had much time for such hokey religions and such.”

Twilight blinked, feeling both confused and mildly offended. “But you carry a lightsaber!”

Applejack chuckled. “Yeah. Found it among my pappy's effects.” She hefted it fondly. “Seems to fit me just right.”

Twilight brightened. “That's usually a good sign you're Harmony-sensitive,” she said. “As a Harmonist, I could teach you about Harmony and other… uh, hokey religious stuff, like how to use your lightsaber. You want to learn?”

“Not really,” Applejack answered honestly.

Twilight blinked. She hadn't expected that answer. “Huh?”

“I’m pretty busy working as it is,” Applejack shrugged. “Always lots of stuff to do around here. ‘Sides, nothing really bad happens around here.” A little smile crossed her face, and she unhooked her lightsaber from her belt. “And I already know how to use this for everything I need,” she said, igniting it and reaching up for a fruit hanging overhead. Though her motions were smooth and gentle, they were precise; the blue blade completely missed both branch and fruit and severed the stem cleanly in half. Freed from its perch, it fell, and she caught it and tossed it towards Spike.

Spike, never one to turn down free food, caught it and quickly took a big bite. He perked right up before he melted into it, and it didn’t take a translator to understand the next excited hisses he made.

“You liked that, didja?” Applejack laughed. “Then you’re going to love what we’ve got for lunch!” She hesitated. “You are staying for lunch, right? I mean, you’re already here and all; it’d be a shame to leave so soon.”

Spike perked up even higher. He looked to Twilight and gave her a hopeful nod.

Twilight frowned and gave Spike a little disapproving look. “We really shouldn’t impose…”

“You're not staying for lunch?”

Twilight made the mistake of looking. Apple Bloom’s little face crinkled up in disappointment. She just looked so hurt at the thought of her not staying that Twilight couldn't bear to say no.

“Fine,” she sighed, conceding defeat. “We'll stay.”

“Woohoo!” Apple Bloom cheered, running off. Y1-O1 beeped excitedly and chased after her, rolling right off the table and landing hard with a thump. Seemingly no worse for the wear, the droid followed Apple Bloom through the fields. Twilight, resigned to her (delicious) fate, sighed and followed.

Spike looked up from the fruit long enough to communicate.

“She's using the galaxy’s most powerful tool as a harvesting utensil!” Twilight protested in an angry hiss.

Spike shrugged and gave her a disinterested hissing.

“You wouldn’t see anything wrong with that,” Twilight grumbled. “I’ve seen you borrow my lightsaber to cut big gems.”

Spike grinned impishly.

“No, I will not help you build one for cutting gems,” Twilight said, cutting him off.

Spike gave her a flat hissing sound.

Twilight rolled her eyes, not believing him for a moment. “Oh, of course not. What were you going to say?”

Spike looked down and pointed at her boot, and made a questioning hiss.

Twilight scowled. “No, I did not realize that I had stepped in fertilizer,” she grumbled as she wiped her boot off on a patch of grass. “This had better be really good food.”

* * *

Two beings walked down the road. The taller one, the female, seemed to be having a little bit of trouble balancing.

“Spike, what are the tenets of the Harmonists?” she asked suddenly.

Spike blinked, taken aback. This was a strange time for a pop quiz. Still, having lived in the Temple of Canterlot for as long as he could remember, he knew the answer; and so he provided it.

Twilight kept silent during ‘courtesy’, ‘integrity’, and ‘perseverance’, but when he got to ‘self control’, she interrupted. “Right. Self control. And, apparently, I have none; because I'm pretty sure I ate enough pie back there to last me for the rest of my life,” she moaned.

Spike shrugged and hissed.

“‘Or until next Taungsd-’?!” Twilight coughed. “No. Trust me. I am done with pie. And if they ever give me any more, I'll give it to you. Happy early Life Day, Spike!”

Spike grinned and rubbed his claws together excitedly, prompting another little groan from Twilight.

They continued walking for a few minutes longer, and then Twilight slowed to a stop. “Spike, are we headed the wrong way?”

Spike looked around and shrugged.

Twilight glanced around. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t hear water before. And we should have made it to the town proper by now.”

Spike slowed to a stop. He hissed uncertainly.

Twilight sighed. “Great. We're lost. Oh well. We'll get back to town eventually. The moon’s not that big.”

Spike, clearly imagining the two of them circumnavigating the entire moon, did not seem comforted by this.

They continued along the path, but then Spike slowed down once more. He hissed.

“Someone is hiding?” Twilight repeated, her hand drifting to her lightsaber. This was an out-of-the-way path. Though it was not likely to be bandits or pirates this far from people, if it were, they would have an easy time hiding bodies. Almost as a preemptive warning, Twilight unhooked and then lit her lightsaber.

She heard a frightened squeak and a rustling of leaves.

Twilight squinted. That was most definitely not the sound of an enemy. It almost sounded… child-like. Having no desire to attack any youngling, but still not fully convinced she was completely safe, she deactivated her lightsaber, but did not reattach it to her belt. She motioned at Spike that he should go left, while she would go right, in an attempt to flank their voyeur. Spike nodded and crept forward.

Twilight Sparkle slid forward, listening carefully for anything out of the ordinary. Her boots brushed against the flowing grass, and the wind seemed to pick up a bit.

Wait.

That last sound had almost sounded like Spike’s hissing. What if something had happened to him? She stepped forward with a bit more urgency now, looping back around to where he’d been headed.

She rounded a tree and ducked under a low-hanging branch, and then she saw him. A pale green nautolan held him in her lap, her skin so pale it almost appeared yellow. His head was back on her shoulder, and her fingers ran along his scales. Twilight’s eyes narrowed and she readied her lightsaber and opened her mouth… and then the words died in her throat. She blinked as she finally understood what she was seeing.

She was scratching his back.

Twilight nearly dropped her lightsaber in surprise.

The stumbling motion caught the nautolan’s attention, and she looked up, her naturally large eyes even wider than usual with fright.

Twilight cracked a wry smile as she deactivated her lightsaber and clipped it back onto her belt. “Well, Spike, are you going to introduce us?”

Spike, who had been enjoying the affection, looked up with mild annoyance that they had been interrupted. He jerked his head over and hissed.

Twilight understood his answer—that he couldn’t exactly pronounce her name, but a close equivalent was Timid—but before she could relay that, the nautolan giggled. “That’s close enough, I guess,” she said. “My name is Fluttershy.”

Twilight blinked. “You can understand him?”

“Well, not exactly exactly what he says,” she admitted, “but I can get it pretty close.”

“Huh. Impressive,” Twilight said. “Took me almost a year before I could completely understand him.”

She shrugged modestly. “I can communicate with almost everyone,” she said. “I like learning about all species. It makes me feel good to learn.” She turned back to Spike. “I bet you're good at baking, because you wouldn't even need oven mitts because of your thick scales.”

Spike looked at Twilight and hissed excitedly. Fluttershy giggled.

“No, we cannot keep her,” Twilight said flatly. For some reason, Twilight felt mildly jealous that someone else could understand him. But that wasn't right. She closed her eyes and exhaled, clearing her mind. Jealousy had no place in Harmony. Harmony wasn't jealous. Harmony was…

Flowing?

She looked up, and something suddenly made sense. “Fluttershy, has anyone told you you might be Harmony-sensitive?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “What's that?”

Twilight lifted her head. “Harmony is an energy that flows through all of us and through every living thing. It holds the galaxy together. It’s what gives a Harmonist her power. It's also what helps you understand animals and other people.”

Spike made a strange purring sound.

“Oh,” Fluttershy nodded. “And you’re a Harmonist?”

“Yes, I am,” Twilight said with a hint of pride. “We defend justice, and fight for it when necessary-”

“Fighting?” Fluttershy tensed visibly. “Oh, no. That sounds scary. I don't think I'd be good at that at all.”

Twilight winced as she realized that she had, once again, introduced her livelihood poorly. She quickly tried to backtrack. “It's not all like-”

“I think I’m going to go now,” Fluttershy said, setting Spike down. She got up and stepped backwards into the river.

“Fluttershy, wait!”

But it was too late; Fluttershy dove under the water and was gone, swept away by the current.

Spike quickly shot to his feet, but Twilight held her hand out. “Nautolans can breathe underwater, she’ll be fine,” she said. She exhaled slowly. “But I probably could have handled that better, huh?”

Spike’s sarcastic snort needed no translation.

* * *

Once they had finally determined the correct direction, the two eventually made it into the settlement proper. It seemed like a normal town at first. There were houses, shops, many places to eat and drink, and to Twilight's delight, over on one side…

“Ha! A library,” Twilight cheered, heading over. She headed over, ready to head in; but suddenly Spike grabbed the back of her robes and yanked her to a stop. As soon as he did, someone whizzed past her, riding on an old speeder.

“Hey!” Twilight protested.

“Sorry!” The girl riding the speeder didn’t sound very sorry, though. She jumped off and landed before it had even come to a complete stop, and she darted inside the cantina carrying something.

Twilight scolded. “Thanks, Spike,” she grumbled, brushing off her sleeve. “Some people…”

Spike hissed.

Twilight was taken aback. “She what?” she asked, surprised. She quickly crossed the street (making sure to look both ways first this time) and followed her inside.

It was easy to see her. Her brightly-colored hair stood out even in the dusky light of the cantina. They seemed to be cheering her name as she held up something. Twilight slowed to a stop. Spike had said she was carrying a lightsaber as well—how many people on this moon had one?—but she didn't quite see it.

She did see her jumping up and down excitedly, though; and being crowded by a few others. She leaned over to the nearest patron. “What's going on with her?” she asked.

“She won a bet,” she answered. “Got all the way from here to the other side of the moon and back again in ten minutes.”

“Hence the starfruit she's holding up,” Twilight surmised.

“Rainbow’s the fastest pilot we've got here,” she added. “Says she's the fastest anywhere. Delivers anything, anywhere, for the right price.”

Twilight snorted. A smuggler, then. She stepped forward. “Guess I'll have to ask her about that,” she said. She walked up to where Rainbow was drinking. “Rainbow?”

Rainbow looked at her, and tensed. She brusquely wiped off her lips. “I know her. Does she owe you money?” she demanded.

Twilight suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She shook her head. “Nope. Just new here, wanted to meet you.”

Her demeanor immediately relaxed, and her posture shifted into an almost cocky swagger. “Oh, alright then. That's me. So, you've already heard of the great Rainbow Dash, eh?”

“‘The great Rainbow Dash’ nearly ran me over outside,” Twilight said flatly, jerking a thumb towards the door.

“Oh. Right.” She coughed. “Sorry about that. Had to win the bet, you know?”

“Right,” Twilight deadpanned.

“Yeah. I'm the fastest pilot. I can get all the way from here to Cloudsdale Station in ten parsecs flat.”

Twilight decided to let this little impossibility slide. “I'm a little more interested in the lightsaber you carry. Where'd you get it?”

Rainbow unhooked it and spun it around her hand. “I dunno. Raided some bounty hunter’s ship, and he just happened to have it.” She ignited it, and a short green blade burst into being. She waved it around a few times. “It's pretty cool. And it cuts through anything. Hey, Berry!”

The bartender seemed to know what she wanted; she leaned down, picked up an empty bottle, and quite literally threw it at her. Twilight barely had time to react before Rainbow swung the shoto. Her swing was wild and unrefined, reminiscent of a youngling just learning the basics of wielding a lightsaber. But she sheared the bottle cleanly in half before it reached her face.

Rainbow Dash turned and grinned, and then her eyes widened. She pointed with it. “Hey, you’ve got one, too!”

Please watch where you’re pointing that,” Twilight said, taking a step back.

“Sorry,” Rainbow repeated as she deactivated it once more; and once again, Twilight doubted her sincerity.

Still, there was something else she’d noticed. “You’re really fast.”

“Yeah. I’m the fastest,” Rainbow boasted.

“I’d say you have the reflexes of a Harmonist.”

“Of a what now?”

“You know… a Harmonist? Guardians of peace and justice?”

“What, like the girls that ran around the galaxy swinging lightsabers and meditating all day? Boring!” Rainbow proclaimed.

“It is not boring!” Twilight scowled, crossing her arms.

“Come on,” Rainbow scoffed. “There’s all these rules and stuff. I can’t live like that! I’ve gotta be free. Fly where I want! Do what I want!”

Twilight frowned. “But-”

But Rainbow’s attention had already turned elsewhere. She picked up a mug. “Who wants to see me chug this?” she called.

As the crowd started cheering for her again, Twilight looked down. “Spike?” she said through gritted teeth.

Spike hissed in acknowledgment.

“I’m going back to the ship.”

* * *

Twilight glowered as she trudged back through town. For some reason, she was exceptionally annoyed. A Harmonist was not supposed to let anything bother her, but it was getting harder and harder for her to keep that statement true.

She exhaled slowly. “Spike?”

Spike hissed.

She dug in her pockets and pulled out a few credits. “Go entertain yourself for a bit. I need to meditate for a while.”

Never one to turn down free credits, Spike snatched them out of her hand and scampered off.

Twilight exhaled and glanced around. There had to be someplace relatively quiet, someplace she wouldn’t really be bothered.

Her eyes fell on a shady spot under a large tarp. It looked out of the way enough, so after a quick look around, she sat against the back wall and closed her eyes. Yes. This would work. She would be strong. She would stay positive. Not even the rain would bother her.

Wait. Rain? Weren’t they in the dry season?

“Um, pardon me.”

Twilight opened one eye. “Yes?”

The pale twi’lek standing there folded her fingers together. Twilight noticed that she was wearing more clothing than twi’leks usually wore. “I really don’t mean to disturb you; it’s just that… you’re sitting under my banner.”

“Oh. I'm sorry.” Twilight stood. “I can move.”

“Yes, but it’s not that. I was dying it, you see, and…”

Twilight froze. Her eyes slowly trailed down. Sure enough, her robes were now splattered with pink, looking like she had been hit with giant bird droppings. “Perfect,” she spat. Always check your surroundings! How could she have forgotten that? She really was out of it today. Master Cadence would have been disappointed.

“I do feel bad, though,” the twi’lek continued.

“No, no. It was my fault,” Twilight sighed.

“At least let me wash your robes,” she pleaded. “Consider it a gift.”

Twilight closed her eyes and exhaled through her teeth. Twi’leks liked giving gifts to newcomers. Refusing would be seen as very rude, or at the very least, culturally insensitive; actions that she most definitely did not want reflecting on the Harmonists. “Fine,” she conceded.

She clapped her hands together. “Excellent! Follow me… um…”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

“Rara’Tei; but, please, call me Rarity.”

“Rarity,” Twilight repeated. It seemed as though she were going for a pun in her name. Or maybe she just wanted other people to always keep her names combined, as per twi’lek custom. Either way, she wasn’t about to judge her.

“Let’s get you out of those clothes. I’m sure I have something around here you can wear in the meantime.”

* * *

Twilight was seriously considering rethinking her ‘no judging’ policy.

Rarity could tell her guest was displeased, and her lekku twitched as she folded her hands. “Well, I’m sorry, darling; but I didn’t have anything else in your size.”

“Pretty sure this isn’t in my size,” Twilight muttered under her breath as she hitched up the loose top. Twi’leks weren’t known for being particularly endowed, but even so, the outfit Rarity had lent her was much looser on her than she would have liked.

“I do apologize. It won’t be long now,” she said comfortingly.

Twilight nodded, trying to show a little gratitude. Really, this wasn’t so bad. Walking through town with pink splattered on her dark purple robes would have been fairly embarrassing, too; and Spike would have had a great time cracking jokes at her expense.

Oh, yes. Spike. She'd nearly forgotten. Yes, the only thing worse than her current situation would be if Spike were to see her dressed like this.

And sure enough, no sooner had she thought this than he just so happened to walk by. He passed by, then stopped short, as if unable to believe what he’d just seen. Before Twilight could react, he’d darted back and clambered up to look through the window. He burst out laughing, nearly dropping the whatever-fried-thing-on-a-stick he’d happened to pick up.

How are you still hungry? Twilight wondered.

Unable to control his laughter, he fell backwards and hit the ground. He entered Rarity’s shop and hissed, giving her a thumbs up.

Twilight scowled. ‘A good look for her’, indeed. How embarrassing. The sooner she was back in her robes, the better.

The leftover credits fell from his claw as his attention shifted. Twilight glanced behind her and saw Rarity stepping into the room. She paused at the sight of the draconian. “Hello,” she said uncertainly.

Spike gave her a goofy smile.

Twilight placed her forehead in her hand. “This is Spike, my younger brother. He’s… still young.” She surreptitiously lifted two fingers and tugged on the tip of his tail with Harmony. Jolted back into the present, he quickly recovered. He straightened up and bowed.

“Oh, and he’s a gentleman!” Rarity curtsied politely in return.

Spike hissed.

Rarity placed a hand over her heart. “Oh, how kind of you!”

Twilight blinked. “You didn’t understand that, did you?”

Rarity tittered. “No; but do you really need to know the words to know the intent?” she asked.

Twilight decided that it would be kindest on both parties not to tell her that Spike had been more or less babbling incoherently at her.

There was a quiet ‘tink’ of something mechanical, and Rarity perked up. “Oh! Your clothes are done.” She quickly retrieved them, and then frowned. “Now, where is it…?” She closed her eyes and held up her hands, as if feeling for something. Her eyes snapped open. “Oh, yes.” She reached behind something and found what she’d been looking for: a drying rod.

Twilight squinted. She’d felt that. It had been slight, but it had been there. “Say, Rarity?” she asked.

“Yes?” Rarity asked as she started drying Twilight’s robes.

“Has anyone ever mentioned that you might be Harmony-sensitive?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Harmony-sensitive?”

“Yes. Harmony is the force that goes through everything in the galaxy; through every living thing. Harmonists can feel it, and use it, and with the right training, become a force for good!” Twilight was fairly certain that that had been her best introduction yet.

“Oh, no!” Rarity tittered. “I’d never have the time for that! I have so many orders and especially with the whole thousand years celebration coming up; I just couldn’t! I’m sure you can understand?”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “Fair enough,” she said.

Rarity held out her robes. “And done! Oh, I don’t know if you’re aware, but the celebration is open to everyone if you’d like to join?”

Twilight nearly snatched them out of her hand. “I’ll consider it,” she said snippily. She stomped past a still starstruck Spike. It was time to leave.

* * *

Twilight grumbled under her breath as she walked back to the ship. She was relieved as it faded into view. Finally, something that made sense again!

But something was wrong. Something didn’t feel quite right. She slowed to a stop. “Si?” she called.

She got no answer.

She glanced down at Spike, but he was still floating along, completely unaware of anything in his surroundings. She scowled. Mildly concerned—perhaps it was nothing; maybe he and the other clones had simply gone out for a little training—she climbed up the ramp and opened the door.

As soon as she did, something dropped down on her. Instinctively, she seized her lightsaber and swung it upwards, and the blade easily sliced through. Her attacker fell to the ground in two pieces, leaking out… candy?

What the brix? She squinted, and her eyes adjusted to the darkness. By the glow of her blue lightsaber blade, she saw many people in the ship. Many of which looked vaguely familiar-

“Whoo! Free candy!” A very familiar girl darted forward to scoop up the candy; and that opened the floodgates. More little children rushed the broken piñata, claiming a piece or three of candy for themselves.

All Twilight could do was stare. How had they gotten into the ship?

As the feeding frenzy continued, Pinkie Pie froze and glanced up. “Oh, right. Surprise!” she shouted.

And then Si turned the lights on.

“Surprise!” everyone else cheered.

Twilight became vaguely aware of Spike, giving her a slow clap and a quiet hiss. Even those who couldn't understand his sibilant language could tell he was sarcastically congratulating her on keeping the galaxy safe from the feared and dangerous paper-mâché tauntauns.

“What is this?” Twilight asked dumbly.

“It’s your ‘welcome to the moon’ party!” Pinkie explained excitedly. “See, you’re new; so I just had to throw you a welcoming party!”

“I… see…” Twilight said slowly, not following her logic.

“And of course I had to throw it here! This is where you’re living, after all. Sixy over there gave me the go-ahead!” She gigglesnorted. “And it looks like your little buddy’s enjoying it, too!”

Twilight looked down to see Spike, heavily invested in reclaiming some of the candy. Twilight scowled at the back of his head, and then turned her attention towards Si. “Si? You approved of this?”

Si shrugged. His normal, stoic expression was marred by the fact that he was wearing a decorative party streamer over his shoulders.

“This is a Harmonist vessel!” Twilight protested.

“What can I say? She’s very persuasive.” In demonstration, he jerked his head over, where some of the other clones were serving—and eating—a cake of some kind.

Twilight exhaled. Actually, this was alright. She’d wanted to talk to Pinkie Pie again, anyway. She turned back to the girl. “So, Pinkie Pie?”

“That’s me!” Pinkie said, her mouth full of candy.

“I was wanting to ask you-”

“If you can have some cake?” Pinkie suggested, pressing a plate into her hand.

“No; I-”

“Oh, you want some juice!” She pressed a cup into her other hand.

“No, I-!” Twilight set the food down on a nearby table a bit harder than necessary. “I wanted to ask about your lightsabers.”

“Ooh, yeah! My pinksabers!” She held them out, but still keeping them attached to her belt.

“Pinksabers?” Twilight repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah! See? They’re pink!” Sure enough, when she took one off and ignited it, a pink blade burst into being.

Twilight was slightly taken aback, and not just because she'd just ignited a lightsaber in the middle of a crowded ship. Pink was not a common lightsaber color. “How did you get that?”

“Built it myself!” Pinkie answered proudly.

“Do you have Harmonist training?” Twilight asked.

“Nah. My family harvests asteroids. We needed a way to cut chunks out. My granny Pie used to use regular plasma cutters but then one day a spacer crashed and my sister Maud found one of these in the wreckage and she took it apart and she figured out how it all worked because she's super smart like that and she taught us and you've got to meditate for a long time and that's kinda boring but in the end it's really worth it-”

Twilight blinked, attempting to take this all in. But Pinkie wasn't done.

“-because a lightsaber is really, really good at cutting through things and I don’t think there’s anything a lightsaber can’t cut through except maybe another lightsaber so I don’t know how you’d actually defend against that unless you built like a lightsaber wall or something but I don’t know how you’d do that because the power required would be directly proportional to-”

“Yeah, it's a conundrum, I'm sure,” Twilight cut her off. “Have you ever thought about actually training as a Harmonist?”

Pinkie gasped exaggeratedly. “I couldn't do that! That'd take all my time! I've got all kinds of parties to plan!”

Something inside Twilight may have cracked. “Great. Really. You know what? I'll be in my quarters,” she said through gritted teeth.

Pinkie frowned. “You aren’t staying for the party?”

“I’m not really going anywhere, Pinkie,” Twilight called back as she walked to her room. “I’m just not staying here!” And the door slammed shut behind her.