//------------------------------// // Chapter 3-Anxiousness Awaits // Story: Twilight's Love Story: Part One // by Derpyforever //------------------------------// “Spike,” Twilight and her mystery stallion quickly pulled away from each other and reluctantly turned their attention to the purple dragon scampering his way through the crowd, “What’s wrong?!” “Letter… Trouble… Kidnapped,” Spike was so flabbergasted and weary when he ran up to Twilight that any attempt for words went in vain. “Spike, deep breaths, then tell me what’s wrong.” “No… time… just look,” Spike placed a claw on Twilight’s head and pushed her gaze towards the horizon. The once dark lines were getting a slow hue of orange and red as the sun seemingly began an early ascent. “The sun? But it’s the middle of the night,” Twilight did not have long to ponder what could have been the matter. She was quickly overwhelmed by thousands of panicked cries. “Why is the sun rising so early?!” “Princess Twilight! What is going on?!” “Is Canterlot under attack?!” “You’re Princess Twilight?” Only the last question was the one to strike her mind. She looked back towards the masked stallion and saw only wide and worried eyes. “Yes. I am… I’m sorry, I have to go.” She did not allow the slack jawed stallion time to respond, only watch her leave and jump onto the stage, taking the mic in hoof, “Citizens of Equestria. I beg of you to remain calm. I do not know why the sun is rising, nor do I have any clue what may or may not have happened with the Princesses. However, I will do my best to solve this problem as swiftly as I can. All I ask is for everybody to return to their homes and kingdoms quickly and orderly. Thank you.” A low murmur rumbled back, but the crowd did as they were told. Twilight released a sigh of relief from the worried feeling in her gut, knowing that an epidemic of stampeding ponies could have been the outcome. “Good job, Princess,” Applejack pat Twilight on the back as her friends came to meet her, “It seems to me ya handled that situation perfectly.” “Thanks, AJ. It felt pretty nerve racking making an announcement like that.” “So, what are you gonna do now?” “I need to head to Canterlot, see what the issue may be. You girls stay here and try to keep Ponyville normal while I’m gone.” Rarity was deeply concerned for Twilight, not liking the idea of Twilight by herself with such a huge amount of pressure, “You sure you do not want any help from us, darling?” “I’ll be fine,” Twilight placed a reassuring hoof on Rarity, “Spike will tag along.” “I will,” Spike looked up from the ground he collapsed on to catch his breath. “Yep. We’re going on the first train to Canterlot.” “If I may, your highness, allow us to come with you. If something is happening to Canterlot, it might help to have some guards watching your back.” Twilight felt her mind cringe away. She turned to meet the stallion she tried to kiss and his associates standing tall and at the ready. They were prepared to escort her, standing side by side and without their costumes. “... Flash Sentry,” Twilight was staring at the orange pegasus with unbelieving eyes. “Yes, your highness,” Flash replied with a straight face, gesturing to his squad, “These are my squad mates. Sloth Sentry and Whinny Sentry.” Sloth Sentry was a taller stallion than Flash. He was orange like his brother, but a slicked back brown mane flowed down his neck. Flash’s older sister, Whinny, had a brown mane too, one that partially covered one of her navy blue eyes and down her red velvet cheek. “At your command,” the two saluted simultaneously. “Uh… I,” Twilight’s speech was stuttering and her emotions were overrunning with immeasurable amounts of feeling. Embarrassment for trying to kiss Flash without knowing it was him, hurt that he seemed unaffected by what had just happened, and anxious that she might have to be stuck with him in an awkward state while heading to Canterlot. “Come on, Twilight, having a few extra hooves might be helpful,” Rarity said, trying to convince Twilight to not let her inner voice lead her astray. Having a few guards would be the smarter decision, but of all the guards, Flash Sentry just had to be the only one at her aid. Twilight was reduce to an annoyed groan, “Fine. Guardsponies, I request your aid to escort me to Canterlot Castle.” “Yes, mam,” all three saluted, standing into an escorting formation, “Whenever you are ready, your highness.” “Hurry along, Twilight,” Rarity and the others hugged Twilight before her departure, “You mustn’t waste any time with Equestria in danger.” “Alright, then. I’ll see you girls later,” Twilight levitated the exhausted Spike onto her back, “Let’s go Spike, you can take a nap going up there.” “Ugh, fine,” Spike grumbled hanging onto the scruff of Twilight’s neck. Silence. Twilight has had many experiences before accompanied by awkward displeasure, most of them resulted from growing into a social pony when she once was a secluded fortress. Cracking away from her shell and flying free into hooves of her friends was a very difficult task. Time and time again she had faced many obstacles that put her into unbearably anxious states. Those moments are rainbows and sunshine compared to now. Silence practically screeched its way into Twilight’s mind with the receptive clatter of the train going across the miles of tracks. Her protection was avoiding any eye contact with each other, Flash more than anypony. Twilight wanted to say words, but, believing she would not be able to speak above the ear piercing noises, she withdrew her tongue. Twilight decided to distract herself and place her mind from the closed booth they sat in to the task at hoof. Looking up into the sky she saw the Sun and Moon side by side, light and dark splitting the sky. The sight of blurring trees as the train zoomed by sickened her stomach. Chaos and Order overwhelmed her body with their constant war and any hope for harmony seemed dim. The pressure of the worried waters cracked the dam of her mind, ready to burst and drown her in anxiousness. “Princess Twilight.” A sharp gasp entered her lungs and her eyes darted to the lifeguard that pulled her from the waters. “Yes, Flash?” “We made it to Canterlot,” Flash said, taking note of the train’s decreasing speed, “You, uh… seemed distracted. So I thought I would bring it to your attention.” She wanted look away again, but something about his calming demeanor cause her to relax and clear her thoughts, “Oh. Thank you.” Flash did not acknowledge her gratitude, “I’ll be on the platform to see if any immediate dangers are present.” His attitude almost refilled the worry inside her as she watched him leave, but Whinny controlled its flow and spoke up, “Don’t mind him, Princess Twilight. He isn’t acting himself. He’s normally nicer than this.” “Yea, our little bro was always the good one,” Sloth added to Whinny’s claims, “Trust me, your highness, he really is a swell guy.” “I understand,” Twilight said, pushing away her depressing thoughts, “We all have our bad days. I’m just Twilight, by the way. I really prefer ponies to call me by my name and not by formality.” “Well, we are guards,” Sloth opened the door of the booth and laughed, “Formality and procedure is driven into our heads from day one.” “But Twilight is a cool name,” Whinny smirked towards Twilight, “I could get use to calling you just Twilight.” “Thank you,” Twilight laughed a little with them. She turned towards Spike, jabbing lightly into his side. “W-What? Is it morning already? I thought it was nighttime,” Spike yawned and rubbed his weary eyes. “No, it’s both,” Twilight put him back onto her back, “Let’s go, we have to find out why.” “Oh boy,” Spike sarcastically groaned, his already heavy eyelids dropping down into an annoyed glare. The group found Flash scanning the streets of Canterlot from the station. He gave them a small glance, “It seems everything is ok. The citizens seem to be worried about the sky, though. We better hurry to the castle. I’ll lead the way.” He walked away from them, heading towards the looming castle on the other side of the city. The others looked at each other and shrugged. They eventually followed him, walking behind just far enough to give him some space. When they arrived at the castle gates, two uniformed guardsponies greeted them at the entrance. “Princess Twilight, we are pleased to know you made it here on short notice,” one said, letting them inside the castle, “Time is of the essence, so allow me to explain quickly. Sometime last night, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia went missing. We believe they have been kidnapped, however, we lack any clues to tell us who might have taken them. Your highness, you are the closest able body princess and our guards need orders. What do you suggest we do.” Twilight felt an unsure gulp slide down her throat. She thought for a moment and took a long deep breath, “Tell the guards to remain on patrol while searching Canterlot for the Princesses as discreetly as possible. We must not invoke panic among the ponies of Equestria.” “Yes, your highness,” the guards bowed before they departed to carry out their orders. “Good work, Twilight,” Whinny grinned, “You sounded just like Princess Celestia when we were under her command.” “Thanks,” Twilight softly chuckled, turning towards Whinny, “Though, I think Celestia would have known what to look for. Hm… In fact. She might have known what is causing this. I must head to Celestia’s chambers, she might have been uncovered something but didn’t have time to act upon it.” “Come on, we’ll show you where it is,” Sloth said. Sparring no time, they bolted up the staircases and through the maze of hallways. Sloth only slowed down when they reached a long branch of doors leading into separate rooms. At the end was a much larger door, a sun and moon engraved in the dark oak. Celestia’s room was fairly large, though it was mostly empty. The walls were barren and the floor was cold without rugs. All that was there was a round mattress that laid in front of a dark fireplace. “Wow, this is Celestia’s chambers,” a look of apprehension impressed on Twilight as she gazed across her mentor’s room, “I would have figured she’d have… well, more of a personal touch, as my friend Rarity would say.” “This is the only room she sleeps in and has us guard,” Whinny replied. Twilight walked towards the mattress and looked over the scene. Twilight glanced down at an open journal with a spilled ink bottle and a dropped quill at its side. Twilight flipped through the pages, trying to find a useful entry. The other four were standing by the door, waiting for Twilight to finish her investigating. Flash had his hooves crossed, looking down at the tile floor. Whinny took notice, and keeping her sounds quiet, walked over to him. “Hey, Flash. What’s up?” “Nothing, Whinny.” “Flash, you’ve been acting like a jerk today,” Whinny sat down next to him, gesturing for him to do the same, “That’s not you. Something’s up and I plan to help you.” “I don’t want to talk about it, Whinny” Flash refused to turn to her, “It’s personal.” “I’m your older sister,” Whinny brought him closer into a side hug, one which he responded with an annoyed glare, “Your personal biz is my personal biz.” Flash’s glare did not hold for long. Whinny’s caring embrace persuaded him to smile, only a little. “I appreciate it, I really do, but now is not the time for me to talk about it,” Flash did give Whinny a hug back, “Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but I got somethings in my head I have to sort out on my own.” “Alright, you got your own deal,” Whinny chuckled, ruffling his mane a little, “Whenever you want to talk, you got me, lil bro.” Flash laughed softly, straightening his mane back into place, “Thanks.” “Hey everypony, I think I discovered something,” Twilight raised the book to her face, “Princess Celestia wrote this a couple of weeks ago: ‘I believe I felt a weakening in the Elements of Harmony. After bringing Twilight to her ascension, a shift in magical energy resonated from Ponyville.’” “The Elements of Harmony are weakening,” Sloth gaped as the others walked in with him, “But they are our greatest means of defense!” “That’s not all. She wrote this entry a few days ago: ‘I’ve come to realize the magical shift has been occurring for quite some time, but only now is it noticeable. I’ve been meditating to clear my mind, trying to relive my days and see if I can figure out what might be the cause’,” Twilight flipped the page, “This was the day after: ‘I believe I know what might be the source of all this mayhem. I am not completely sure, but if I am correct, I believe Ponyville will be the first to fall victim to the chaos soon to follow.’” “So, what was it,” Spike asked, climbing back onto Twilight’s back. “I don’t know,” Twilight sighed, flipping the pages to blank parchment to prove her point, “That was all she wrote.” “What?! There’s got to be more!” “Nothing. She must have been kidnapped before she figured it out,” Twilight gently set the book down, looking nervously back at Spike, “But she thinks Ponyville is in danger. If we don’t hurry, something horrible could happen.” “That’s not going to happen,” Flash walked up to Twilight, not with a cold shoulder, but with a warm smile, shocking her from her anxiety, “We just got to keep our minds off of our worries and we’ll got back to Ponyville in a snap.” “You’re right,” Twilight smiled a bit, feeling more secure from Flash’s words, “Thank you, I needed somepony to keep me focus.” “You’re welcome. Sorry I was rude to you earlier, Twilight. It was wrong of me not to acknowledge your sincerity.” “Oh, I understand,” Twilight nodded gently, “Sometimes we just need our space, though I am accepting of your apology.” “Thank you,” Flash held out his hoof for her, “Shall I escort you back?” Twilight blushed and was flattered by his kind gesture, “Well, I see no harm in a little protection.” Taking his hoof, Twilight let Flash lead her out of the dark room, not noticing the small dragon jumping off her back in disgust. “Nope. I am not dealing with that,” Spike grumbled. Sloth and Whinny laughed, Whinny walking up to Spike, “Need a lift, little buddy?” “Well, if you don’t mind me taking a snooze,” Spike chuckled, climbing up onto Whinny’s back. “No problem, Spike. I’ll try to keep my movements slow,” Whinny mused and beckoned for Sloth to follow, “Alright, let’s go before those two lovebirds forget about us.” “Right behind ya, little sis,” Sloth nodded, closing the door and trotting behind the group. (To Be Continued…)