//------------------------------// // Equestria Adventures: Backup Plans // Story: The Sparkle in his Eye // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Twilight slowly and carefully walked with the others into the Everfree Forest, the scan data already plugged into her Nav-Unit along with Aphelion's scan of the entire forest. With that, she had a complete map of the Everfree's more permanent features, and a partial layout of those features that were less sedentary. The plunder vines proved a partial difficulty for the six mares and one baby dragon, especially as they proved somewhat resistant to fire. A quick rethink had led to Twilight dispensing FTF Omegatech Frost Cannons to everyone for use in defense. Much as Twilight had anticipated, magic vines with resistance to flame lacked the corresponding resistance to frost. "Just be careful not to cross too many streams," Twilight warned. "These were part of Qwark's 'Friendship Through Firepower' initiative, and the effect amplifies geometrically as more of the same weapon locks onto the same target." "Wait...that goofball tried to weaponize friendship?" Rainbow asked in surprise. "...I'll ignore that 'goofball' comment due to accuracy," Twilight spoke up carefully, "but he is my BBBFF, and has well earned the title of one of the Universe's Greatest Heroes, whatever he believes. I can count three times off the top of my head for which I owe him my life...once at nearly the expense of his own. Please keep that in mind when you talk about him." "...sorry," Rainbow apologized softly. "Guess he's always been a pillar to your life-" "When I first met him he was an egotistical fool working for criminals with the collective IQ of Snips and Snails earwax who were destroying multiple planets, all so he could finance his 'heroic return', and led to one of the first of the traumatic experiences of my life," Twilight interrupted just as calmly. "So it's not just Celestia you're messing with!" Rainbow accused angrily. "You're trying to give all of us nervous breakdowns trying to make sense of things?!" "It's a perk," Twilight allowed with a teasing smirk. "So how exactly is he your bro, anyway?" Applejack asked carefully. "Fraid I wasn't really following most of the story. Kinda went over my head..." "He was an orphan," Twilight explained easily. "Never knew his parents. At the absolute lowest point in my life, I was on the verge of total mental collapse...only to be pulled back out of it when I learned how much Clank cared for me, in addition to how much Daddy did. That's how Clank became Mommy." "Aww..." Rarity cooed, having loved every moment of the thrilling tale. "So sweet..." Fluttershy agreed. "As we were moving on from that, I overheard Daddy saying that if it's what it took to get me talking and moving again, he'd put Mommy in a dress and switch his voice chip to Wagnerian Opera." "Is that the space version of the one with all the Valkyries?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously. "Cause if so, that's hilarious!" "Sounds about right," Twilight confirmed. "He also said if it made me happy, he'd even adopt Qwark. At the time, he didn't exactly have the highest opinion of him." "And then Qwark told you all that the reason he followed you around all the time was because you were the closest things he'd ever had to family, and you said you'd always wanted a big brother!" Pinkie supplied perkily. "And being accepted into a loving family laid the foundation for him to grow into the hero he once believed himself to be!" "More or less," Twilight confirmed, glad at least one of her friends wasn't too disturbed by all the changes. Then again, Pinkie could be considered to be disturbed in her own way as is. Applejack said nothing, but she glanced back towards Ponyville - where Qwark had already taken charge of finding safe places for the foals and elderly from the viney assault before the mares had even left the library, as well as repelling the attacking vines with blaster shots, energy whips, and his own punches when necessary - with a speculative look on her face. Tough fella... she thought silently to herself. "Applejack, watch out!" Fluttershy called out, snapping the farm mare out of her reverie. "What the-Whoa nelly!" Applejack screamed as she rolled back out of the way of the lunging cragodile. Before anyone else could react, an electrified net shot out, wrapping around the cragodile and carrying it into a nearby tree, pinning it there. "Fluttershy, let the cragodile know it won't take injury from the net if it holds still," Twilight stated calmly as she checked over her Omega Mag-Net Cannon for any heat damage from the quick firing. As Fluttershy went to do that, Rainbow flew over and elbowed Applejack in the side. "And you thought we should leave her behind!" she offered teasingly. "Aww, shuddup!" Applejack snapped, taking a swipe at Rainbow with her hat. "Thanks fer the save, Twi." "No problem," Twilight responded readily. "Stay close. We're going deeper." It wasn't long before the group reached the depths of the Everfree Forest where the signals led. After a brief pause to marvel at the ruins of the Palace of the Pony Sisters, the original capitol of Equestria - and to mark the spot on the Nav Unit's map for later visit - the group proceeded down into the chasm around it by means of a staircase. Within the gorge was a cavern that led to a massive crystal tree that the Elements of Harmony - which the group had brought with them - resonated with. The plunder vines bound the tree tightly, suppressing its light, and two large forms were bound in vines until they could not be seen beneath the vines to either side of the tree. "So...any idea what we're supposed to do now?" Rainbow asked curiously. Twilight tapped her nav unit. "Could someone patch me through to Discord?" she spoke calmly. "I've got him right here!" Nefarious responded immediately. "Calling me out again so soon?" Discord purred softly. "I'm flattered. Seeking the benefit of my eons of experience?" "Absolutely," Twilight confirmed. "You've got that knowledge, it only makes sense for me to avail myself of it as frequently as reasonable. There's a crystal tree out here the Elements are responding to, and the plunder vines are attacking it-" "Oh, so that's why they took so long to spring up!" Discord declared with the air of someone making a significant discovery. "The Tree of Harmony's been keeping them in check all this time! It must have run out of juice from having the Elements gone from it for so long." "Thanks Discord, that's all I needed to know," Twilight replied as she cut the comm link. "So...we give the Elements back to the Tree?" Pinkie asked curiously. "That seems to be the most efficient solution," Twilight confirmed. "But...what if you girls need the Elements against some new threat?" Spike asked worriedly. "I'm assuming I made a list of all possible Element related threats at some point that you have on you?" Twilight inquired curiously. "Uh, right here?" Spike offered, pulling a rather thick scroll out. "Read off those we've actually used them for first, followed by those connected," Twilight instructed. Nodding, Spike unrolled the scroll. "Let's see...Nightmare Spirit infuses someone?" "If it's Luna, combine Shrink Ray and Nether Rift tech to send Clank into her magical aura to battle the Nightmare directly," Twilight dictated as Spike wrote it down on a separate list. "If it's anyone else, have Luna take us into their mindscape via the dreamscape to battle the Nightmare Spirit directly. Next?" "Discord runs amok?" Spike continued. "Have Qwark punch him, make sure to tell Qwark Discord is punchable," Twilight responded. "Enough punches, and he'll go back to enjoying the chaos of me bringing modern galactic technology to Equestria and Equestrian magic to the universe. Next?" "Princess Celestia develops her own Nightmare." "Same as Nightmare Spirit situation. Failing that, tell Qwark she needs a hug and that I treated his uniform with a special coating that's immune to magic sun fire." "Ya seem ta be relyin' on Qwark for things that main strength shouldn't work for..." Applejack pointed out worriedly. "He generates a reality warping field based on faith, the strength of which is relative to the strength of his faith," Twilight explained. "If he has reason to believe he can do something and not a shred of doubt that he's capable of it, he'll pull it off no matter how many physicists it drives to drink." "Oh, like the orks in that game my little brother loves so much," Fluttershy murmured softly. "...yay..." "Think we can introduce them?" Rainbow asked hopefully. "Maybe Qwark could knock some sense into - or out of - Zephyr?" "Unknown new villain?" Spike continued down the list. "Superior firepower," Twilight responded immediately. "Failing that, send Nefarious back in time to the day before the threat revealed itself to download the events into his own brain before Orvus turns time back six minutes so Nefarious has the information without actually being sent back in time, so we have another week to try and fix things before doing it again. Repeat until a successful solution is created." Spike blinked, running down the list. "Umm...so 'blow it up' or 'abuse the laws of time and causality so we have infinite time to develop a workable solution'?" he clarified. "In essence, yes," Twilight confirmed. "Yeah...I don't think there's anything else on this list that doesn't cover." "Alright, giving the Elements back," Twilight declared. "Then study the tree until I'm able to create mobile receptacles that allow us to draw Harmony energy through our friendship so we don't need to remove the Elements from the Tree in order to borrow their power in the future. Girls, keep the vines off me." The girls traded glances, only to shrug. Twilight seemed to know what she was doing. Before long, the Elements were back in the tree and the vines were gone. Celestia and Luna were freed from the vines holding them, only to stare in disbelief at Twilight. "Do...do you really think you can do such a thing?" Celestia managed to say at last. Before anyone else could speak up, the tree extended a root which developed a bud, only to open to reveal a crystal box that looked different from every angle save for having six keyholes. "...perhaps the Tree is giving her a way to do it as is?" Luna offered nervously. "A crystallized quintessence hypercube storage unit?" Twilight squealed eagerly. "Oh, I can hardly wait until we figure out how to open it!" "Twilight, does the royal treasury have enough to pay you to take over the government?" Celestia asked pleadingly. "And deal with the headaches of a feudal nobility?" Twilight tsk'ed disdainfully. "Not even for a week." "It was worth a try, sister," Luna sighed in resignation.