The yellow pegasus’ eyes flutter open. She lifts her head from where she lies, blinks a few times, then lazily scans her surroundings.
“Wh-what happened...? Did Angel have one of his tantrums again...?”
An orange, freckled face framed by a Stetson-topped golden mane comes into view. The gears in the pegasus’ head spin for a bit to little effect, so her brain decides on its tried and true default course of action: panic.
“A-Applejack?!”
“Whoa, there! Just hold tight, girl, everything’s gonna be all right.”
Ignoring the farmpony’s reassurances and acting on instinct, she immediately rolls over on her hooves and attempts to flee, but an unshorn red hoof placed upon her long pink tail prevents her from getting far. She looks over to the large stallion and his sister, her trembling reaching uncontrollable levels.
“Oh... oh m-my... this is just like that dream I had once...” she squeaks.
Applejack looks at her friend with confusion. “Uh... pardon?”
“N-Nevermind. So, um... I guess I’ve been captured, so... pleasedon’thurtme.”
“Lands sakes, ‘Shy, we ain’t gonna hurt ya!” the farmpony chuckles. “We’d never do anythin’ like that, would we, big brother?”
Mac shakes his head. “Eenope.”
“Ah swear, where’d ya get such a crazy imagination? Ah just told ya everything was gonna be all right!”
Again, the pegasus examines her surroundings. It appears she’s in what was formerly the wedding’s reception area, which has now been transformed into an impromptu airship dock. She can see a very weary looking human and alicorn conversing nearby as they eat some food, along with various guards milling about. A familiar unicorn approaches and stands at Applejack’s side, with three cowering fillies hiding behind her.
“That’s right, darling. I seem to recall something about how she’s the Element of Honesty, so I believe she’s trustworthy. Most of the time, at least.”
Applejack rolls her eyes at the comment. “Anyway, ah think these three—” she uses her tail to push the three fillies forward from their hiding spot behind Rarity, “—have somethin’ ta say ta ya. Ain’t that right?”
Apple Bloom’s ears fold back in shame. “Miss Fluttershy... we’re sorry for clockin’ ya on the back of your head with a piece’a wood.”
“Yeah,” Sweetie squeaks, “we didn’t mean to! Well... actually, we did, but—”
Scootaloo’s hoof quickly moves to cover the little unicorn’s mouth. “Heh. What she means to say is... our bad. It won’t happen again.”
Fluttershy blinks. “Oh. Um, thank you, girls. Apology accepted.” She smiles to reassure them, then turns back to the two mares. “Rarity, what happened? Where are Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie?”
Applejack sighs and answers for her. “Twi flew off inta the city before we could stop her. She’s a mite upset after all that’s happened, which is understandable. As for Rainbow and Pinkie... they’re in the castle somewhere, far as we can tell.”
Rarity nods over to Anon and Celestia, and the pegasus follows her gaze. “Fluttershy... it seems we’ve made a terrible mistake...”
Fluttershy can’t help but gasp with surprise when she witnesses the exhausted alicorn place a light kiss on the human’s cheek as she moves to set down her empty plate of food.
“Oh! Oh dear...”
Rarity solemnly nods. “We’ve been leading poor Twilight astray all this time, and she’ll need our help now more than ever to recover from this. Applejack, if you would?”
The farmpony holds out a helping hoof. “C’mon, ‘Shy. Not all of the food was ruined in the landin’. Let’s head over ta get somethin’ ta refresh ya, and ah’ll explain everything...”
~~~~~~~~~
You watch the three mares and three fillies head toward one of the still intact but abandoned buffet tables as you toss the last of the cauliflower from your plate into your mouth and grab Cel’s empty plate from where she set it aside.
“Man, this food is good. It’s a shame you guys crushed most of it; I was looking forward to trying that macaroni salad.”
Celestia giggles. “Oh? Looking forward to it, were you? Would this be after you had been forcibly wed, or were you intending to sneak some before the ceremony?”
“I was gonna grab some as part of my 100% flawlessly executed daring escape, which you so rudely interrupted,” you say in a playful tone, ruffling her mane.
“My apologies for disrupting your so carefully calculated plans for brunch...” She leans forward to give you a quick peck on the nose. “I’ll need to think of a way to make it up to you.”
You smile. “I have a few suggestions for later. But I guess you can start by telling me what happened to you guys after I was captured. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to see you here.”
The alicorn closes her eyes and hums. “There isn’t much to tell. I stumbled back to the ship and told the others what happened. We left as soon as Applejack stopped fussing over my injuries.”
“That’s all? Sounds like you had it easy,” you say, a hand finding its way to scratch behind her ears.
“Well, we had to sneak past the ships Twilight left behind to patrol the island, and later the Equestrian border, but aside from that it was a relaxing trip.”
“Just another average few days, huh?” you chuckle.
“It would appear so.”
“Still, that shouldn’t have taken too long. Did you guys stop at a tourist trap on the way back or something?”
“Yes, we made some necessary detours, but we ultimately arrived when it counted, did we not, oh ye of little faith?” Her nose playfully finds its way under your chin for a nuzzle.
“Alright, alright! I guess I can’t argue with that.”
You stand and stretch, feeling the soreness in all your joints from the magic fatigue radiating throughout your body.
“Do you want any more food?” you ask.
She shakes her head. “No, but thank you for offering...”
The alicorn attempts to stand herself, but a hand on her shoulder keeps her in place.
“No, Cel. We’ve been over this. If you need something, I’ll go get it.”
“Anon, for the last time, I assure you I don’t feel as bad as I look,” she huffs. “I’m perfectly capable of moving around!”
“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” You lean down to whisper in her ear, “But you should start getting used to me taking care of you, ‘cause it’s gonna happen whether you like it or not.”
The alicorn sighs, then gives you a playful grin. “...Very well, I’ll let you play nurse to me for a while longer. But be warned that any kindness given will be returned to you tenfold, my human.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
You make your way over to where the other ponies are gathered. Mac is carefully preparing a plate for the fillies while Rarity and Applejack load one up for Fluttershy. Well, it’s more like Applejack is making a plate for Fluttershy while Rarity talks her ear off about what’s happened so far.
“And then... in front of the campfire, with the stars all around, they finally confessed that they loved each other all along, but were both too afraid to admit it! And they sealed it with a kiss! Can you imagine it, darling? It’s... it’s the stuff of fairy tales!” She pulls her forehooves to her chest and squees like a little filly with a crush.
Applejack snorts with annoyance. “Ah thought ah was the one who was gonna tell this story. For cryin’ out loud, Rares, keep ta the short ‘n sweet’a it or ‘Shy’ll never get ta relax!”
“Hmph! It figures you wouldn’t appreciate a good romance story! Besides, I’m sure Fluttershy wants to hear every single detail, don’t you?”
“W-Well, not re—”
“See, she’s entranced! If you dislike our conversation so much, you’re free to go sit over there.”
You can see a frown starting to form on AJ’s face as Rarity babbles on. And as for poor Fluttershy... her eyes are screaming ‘save me’ as she refuses to touch her food during the conversation for fear of being impolite. Despite all the shit she’s put you through over the past few months, you begin to feel that familiar pang of pity in your chest and soon find yourself walking over with your newly filled plate to go bail her out.
“...was captured, she made her way back to the ship all by herself, and told everypony there that—”
“Hey, Fluttershy. Feeling better?” you ask, cutting Rarity off.
The pegasus perks up. “Oh! Hello, Anon. Yes, I’m feeling much better, thank you.” She glances around, then attempts to hide behind her mane. “Um, Anon? I... I owe you an apology. If I had known about what was going on, I would’ve never... um...”
“...Threatened to attack us with murderhounds and deceived me in a nefarious plot to separate me from my true love?”
“S-Sorry...” she whimpers.
You shrug. “Everything turned out okay, so I guess I can let it slide. You should go ahead and eat something. It’ll help calm you down.”
She smiles, nods, and begins digging into her plate. You turn and give AJ a wink (which she returns with a smile) while catching a brief glimpse of Rarity’s indignant stare for being interrupted.
With your rescue mission a success and your plate full, you start your trek back to Cel, your mind already considering what the two of you will do from here. But just as you near her, your concentration is broken when you notice something so odd in the distance that it nearly causes you to drop everything.
“What in the hell...?!”
~~~~~~~~~
There are somewhere between five and seven kitchens within Canterlot Castle. With all the secret passages and sealed-off corridors scattered around, it’s said that no one knows the true count aside from the Princesses. In one such kitchen, we find two ponies hard at work, much to the chagrin of the castle staff. The resident sous chef taps his hoof in aggravation, his anger boiling as he stares daggers at the intruders.
“For the last time, I don’t care who you say you are, you aren’t allowed in here!”
“And for the last time, this is official Elements of Harmony business, so shut it and keep out of the way! I’m trying to get in the zone!” one of the ponies shouts back.
Ignoring the disgruntled chef, the cyan pegasus turns to her earth pony companion, a nervous look on her face.
“I told you I’m no good at this, Pinkie! It feels weird!”
The pink pony giggles. “Oh Dashie, we were all beginners once! You’re doing great!”
Sweat drips down Rainbow’s brow as she focuses on her task. “But... what if I screw up?”
“Don’t worry! Pinkie’s here to help! And even if you do, I’m sure she’d understand. Just remember, this is all for Twilight!”
“Right! For Twilight...” she sticks her tongue out in concentration, her determination renewed. “Almost... got it... THERE!”
Pinkie peers over to inspect the pegasus pony’s work. “Wow, that looks great, especially for your first time solo!”
“You know it! How could you expect anything less than total awesomeness from The Dash?” she proudly puffs up her chest and nonchalantly brushes it with a hoof.
Pinkie giggles again. “...Says the pony who had to have me hold her hoof for the first five...”
“Hey! This stuff’s hard for a newbie, but I got it down eventually, right?”
“Yep, yep!” the pink pony chirps. “C’mon, let’s get these packaged up safe and sound and get back to the others. I bet they miss us already!”
The chef pony sighs with relief. “Does this mean you’re FINALLY gonna leave?!”
“Yeah, yeah, you can have your dumb kitchen back or whatever,” Rainbow replies with a roll of her eyes.
“...It’s not dumb...” he scuffs his hoof on the floor with an exaggerated pout that no one pays attention to.
“We’re all set! Ready to head back, Dashie?”
“Sure thing, Pinks. Let’s—”
A blinding flash of azure light suddenly streams through the kitchen’s windows, followed by a deafening crash of thunder that reverberates through the castle, knocking small loose items on the counters over and rattling the kitchen’s various hanging pots, pans, and utensils. All the ponies present cringe for a moment before slowly recovering from the surprising event. Rainbow gallops over to the nearest window while Pinkie sits back on her haunches, clutching her to-go box close to her chest to protect it from any impending danger.
“W-What was that?!” she cries.
Dash frowns, her eyes scanning the skies with worry. “Thunder and lightning. But it wasn’t normal. Trust me; if anypony knows weather, it’s me. I’ve never felt anything like it!”
The party pony shivers. “What do you think it means...?”
“I dunno, but it can’t be good. We need to get back to the others, quick! C’mon, Pinkie!”
Together, they bolt out of the kitchen, leaving only a set of swinging double doors and a still slightly scared and very confused staff of chefs in their wake.
~~~~~~~~~
“Ah, Princess Luna! Welcome to the castle library! Is there anything I can help you find today?”
The Princess of the Night, deeply immersed in her own swirling thoughts, doesn’t even turn to face the attendant as she mutters her reply, “No, we are merely here to satisfy our curiosity regarding a certain matter. Do not trouble thyself.” Without waiting for a response, she continues on her way, further into the library’s depths. Her brisk trot quickly changes to a gallop once all the attendants are out of sight.
”There was an odd occurrence during the Trials when we visited the Dark Star chamber. The Star was reacting to something, and we barely made it out in time...”
The words of her infuriatingly selfish and immature big sister keep echoing in Luna’s head as she runs past the endless series of bookshelves. Of the many things she’s learned throughout her long life, one of the most prominent is that when it comes to dark magic, there are few coincidences. Given what she’s just learned, that sinking feeling of dread which has gripped her over the last several days is only growing stronger.
In no time at all, her hooves have carried her to the entrance of the Forbidden Archives, which immediately opens in response to her magical aura. She gallops down the entrance corridor, the candles lighting themselves along the way, until she reaches the great circular room which makes up the primary archive chamber. Her horn glows, and with a flourish of magic a series of wards are dispelled and circular runes activated on the floor. A stone column begins to rise, housing within it a spiral staircase, which the Princess uses to move to the lower, hidden archive chamber where Equestria’s greatest secrets are kept, and where her greatest fear is now realized.
It’s not there.
The Princess of Dreams bites her lip in fear, her mind racing, trying to identify all the possibilities that could’ve led to this outcome. There are few realistic ones, and most of them arrive at the same conclusion:
“Twilight Sparkle... what hast thou done?”
Without hesitation, she turns and flees back toward the library as fast as her legs will carry her. Magic is already swirling around her horn; a teleportation spell readied for the moment she sets hoof outside the Archives’ protective anti-magic barrier.
In a flash, the world around her distorts and she finds herself standing within her own quarters in one of the castle’s tallest towers. She rushes to the nearby balcony, and the sight there nearly takes her breath away.
An unnatural storm is brewing above one of Canterlot’s far quarters. Streaks of azure lightning rain down upon the area, but strangely no rain falls. And she can feel it... now, more than ever, the encroaching sense of dark magic pulls at the edges of her perception, but now it takes on a more familiar tone in her mind...
“Guards!”
Two armored bat ponies rush into the room from the nearby door. “Your Highness!”
“Assemble all the Guard Captains currently on duty and tell them to prepare their squadrons for an imminent attack on the city, as well as a potential evacuation of the eastern quarter. In addition, the Concordia is to be armed and made ready for immediate departure. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Your Highness! As you command!”
The two guards take wing and exit the room to carry out their orders while Luna turns back to the balcony, her magic already adjusting the nearby telescope to provide her with a better view of what’s going on below.
She dearly wishes she’s merely overreacting. That would be the best possible outcome.
But she knows she’s not, and that fact only drives the dread deeper.
~~~~~~~~~
You rush toward the edge of the plaza, placing your plate of food on the ground near Cel as you pass her without even slowing down. Her curious magenta eyes move to track you, and when she sees the panic in your stride she forces herself to stand and follow as fast as her injured leg will allow.
“Anon? What’s the matter?”
“That.”
You point her toward the far edge of Canterlot where a multitude of black clouds are gathering low in the sky. It’s unreal... nearly a quarter of the city is obscured by this mysterious dark haze now, but a quick glance elsewhere reveals not another cloud in sight in any other direction.
“This is...” Celestia tenses with fear beside you and takes a hesitant step away from the edge.
There’s a flash of light, followed by thunder so loud it forces you to cover your ears. When your eyes open again, you can see the telltale orange glow that can only mean a building in the distance has caught fire.
“What in tarnation was that?!”
The rest of the nearby ponies rush to your side after being alerted by the bright flash. AJ, Mac and Rarity peer over the plaza’s edge with you, while Fluttershy and the fillies nervously stand behind them.
The red stallion shifts his wheat sprig to the side in thought. “Some kinda storm, ah reckon?”
Rarity nods, transfixed at the scene below. “Yes, that’s what it appears to be, but... why now? I’m certain Twilight had the weather scheduled to be completely clear all day due to the wedding...”
“It doesn’t appear to be a natural storm. Though I can’t truly sense it from here, those clouds look to be infused with magic.”
All eyes turn to Celestia, whose own gaze is so intensely focused on the lingering clouds that you almost wonder if she can see through them. The wind rustles the strawberry curls of her mane and tail as she turns her attention back to you, the concern evident in her expression.
“Anon... I’m worried for Twilight. She was flying toward the east when we last saw her...”
“T-Twilight is down there...?” Fluttershy squeaks, nervously poking her head between you and Applejack to catch a glimpse of the scene.
“Yes, and she’s out there all alone!” Rarity gasps. “And... and there appears to be a fire burning in the city! We can’t simply leave her!”
“Anon!” Applejack’s emerald eyes are steeled with determination, and you suppress a chuckle and hold your hands up before she can voice her request.
“I’m worried about her too. C’mon, let’s get going.”
You turn and begin your march toward the waiting airship in the distance, and the ponies all follow. Slowing your pace slightly, you move beside Mac as he trots along with the fillies close behind.
“Think she’ll hold up in a storm?” you ask him.
He ponders for a moment. “...A normal storm ain’t a problem, but ah ain’t sure what kinda effect a magical storm’ll have on the engines, if that’s what we’re really headin’ into.”
“So... play it safe and keep out of the clouds?”
“Eeyup.”
The six of you make your way up the gantry, through the portside storage area and into the living quarters. You run your fingers across the paneling as you pass by the bedroom entrances and through the shared kitchen and dining area, a sense of familiar calm running through your mind at the touch. Damn, you missed this ship more than you realized...
The smaller ponies pass you on the way up to the flight deck as you slow down, entranced by the moment, but your big pony stays behind to whisper in your ear, “Welcome home, Anon.”
You snake a hand around to scratch behind her ears in that special place she likes so much, and she leans into you in response.
“Thank you, Cel. After all you’ve done for me, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to say it enough.”
“I’m certain you’ll try. But there’ll be time for thanks later. We shouldn’t dawdle.” You feel her nose nudge your shoulder, and you continue on your way up the stairwell to the open deck.
By the time you get there, the ponies are already preparing themselves for flight. Well, sort of. The Cutie Mark Crusaders have all been fitted with spare sets of flight goggles that are obviously too big for them, but they seem to be making do with Fluttershy’s help as she tries to adjust the straps. Rarity, on the other hand, is fighting an annoyed Applejack, who’s trying her best to get the fussy unicorn to wear a pair of goggles as well.
“Rarity, they ain’t about makin’ a darn fashion statement... they’re goggles for pony’s sake! Just put ‘em on!”
“Absolutely not! They’re hideous! Really, who in their right mind designed these...?”
The earth pony blows a few strands of mane from her face in frustration. “Fine. But don’t come cryin’ ta me if a bug or somethin’ flies inta your eye when we get goin’.
The unicorn nearly turns green. “That... that actually happens?!” The goggles appear on her face, perfectly adjusted, almost instantly.
Mac chuckles as he hoofs over your own pair of goggles, which you gladly take. “That’s the fastest ah’ve ever seen a pair’a them go on.”
“You can say that again. Are we all set for launch?”
He nods with pride. “Eeyup. She’s all yours, Captain.”
You place your hands upon the controls and a jolt of electricity runs through your body. Much like riding a bike, or even kissing a pair of soft pony lips, the feeling is instantly familiar no matter how long you’ve been without it. You engage the main engine, shifting it into neutral, and spin up the vertical stabilizer turbines to prepare for liftoff. Celestia rests on her haunches by your side, her body lightly leaning against your own near the console, and she smiles when she notices the slight signs of happiness you exude from standing at the controls once more.
“Heyyyyyy!! Wait for us, Non-non~!”
You suppress your urge to hit the throttle and turn to see something pretty amusing. A cyan pegasus is flying toward the ship carrying a pink earth pony (or at least trying to) in her forehooves, who is herself carrying some sort of giftwrapped package. The pegasus hovers above the deck and plops the party pony down, then promptly collapses nearby.
“Geez, Pinkie! What’ve you been eating?!”
She shrugs. “Eh, the usual. But thanks for the lift!” With that, she pops up, then bounds over to you, placing one forehoof on your chest for balance while she cradles the wrapped gift in the other. “Non-non! Something weird is going on! I think we need to go find Twilight, and quick!”
You pat her on the head. “Don’t worry, that’s what we were about to do. Go put your present somewhere safe and get some goggles on; the engines are already primed.”
“Aye aye, Cap’n!” She smiles at you and salutes, then bounds down to the living quarters. Rainbow moves to follow her, but stops when your eyes meet as she moves toward the stairwell. Her ears immediately fold back and she shies away, a guilty expression on her face.
“Um... Anon?”
You hold up a hand to stop her. “You don’t need to say anything. I understand. Hell, I feel like I should be apologizing to you. I’m... sorry you had to go through all that. Are you doing alright?”
She nods. “Yeah... my shrink says the mental scars or whatever’ll heal as long as I don’t read any more Twinonymous stories. I... kinda try not to think about it, you know?”
“Good to hear,” you say, giving her a nod in return. “But, uh... just out of curiosity, are there really that many stories about us out there?”
The pegasus grimaces. “Buttloads. If you wanna stay away from ‘em, don’t go to the human romance section of any libraries or bookstores.”
“There’s an entire section on human romance?!” you stammer. “Really? But...”
Celestia giggles and Rainbow sighs. “Some ponies have a lot of time on their hooves, dude. Like... a lot of time.”
You could’ve gone your entire life without knowing that. Thankfully Pinkie returns with some goggles for both herself and Rainbow, and the two wander off further down the deck together before you can ask any more questions you don’t really want to know the answers to.
With a shake of your head to clear your thoughts and all the ponies accounted for and ready, you return your hand to the throttle and smoothly ease it open. That ever-familiar sense of euphoria returns when you feel the ship become weightless as it leaves the ground. In about a minute you have enough altitude to be clear of any nearby structures, so you begin your turn. Although it’s relatively fast compared to your average airship, the impact of your lost stabilizer is still noticeable in the ship’s movement.
You focus on the clouds in the distance as the ship’s bow lines up with the biggest cluster...
“AJ, Mac, are we clear?”
“Port’s clear, sugarcube.”
“Starboard’s open.”
You give 15% power to the main engines and the ship glides forward, nearly silently, away from the castle and into the city.
“I’m going to need you all to act as my eyes,” you say. “I can already tell this is gonna get tricky. Pinkie, Mac, AJ... can you get the others positioned for me?”
Your experienced crewmates help guide the rest of the ponies to evenly spaced positions near the rail, while helping to explain what their roles will be.
In most circumstances, one of the upsides to flying an airship is that, with the basic exception of takeoffs and landings, you never really have to worry about crashing into anything. There’s just you, the ship, and the freedom of the open sky...
Not this time, though. In order to avoid flying through the potentially dangerous black clouds, you’ll need to approach from underneath them, which involves flying dangerously close to the many tall buildings which line the Canterlot city streets. Needless to say, the airship is much too massive for you to be able to tell how much clearance you have on each side from where you’re standing at the flight console, which is where your newly expanded crew comes in.
“So, ya just want us ta yell if we’re about to crash inta somethin’?” Apple Bloom asks her brother as he trots back to his post.
“Eeyup.”
Dash huffs, flapping her wings in annoyance. “I could spot for you guys way better from the air!”
Mac shrugs and points a hoof toward a point in the distance where the after-image of the latest flash of lightning to stain the sky can still be seen.
“The ship’s frame is built ta take a lightning strike or two. You’re free ta go out there if you want ta see how many you can take.”
The pegasus gulps at the sight. “Heh. Nah, I’m cool, you guys totally need me here anyway...”
You drop the ship’s altitude as the edge of the building storm comes into view, and the ponies fall silent at the sight. There’s no denying it now— this is definitely not a normal storm. The clouds are moving in a curiously ordered pattern, creating a vortex above you that strangely generates little wind below. Flashes of cloud-to-cloud lightning are constant, and on several occasions you’re nearly certain the ship will be hit, but somehow your good fortune holds out.
Eventually, the glow of the fire comes into view and some of the ponies leave their posts to get a better look, including Celestia who leaves your side to move to the ship’s bow.
“Well... at least the fireponies seem to have things under control,” Rarity sighs with relief as she peers over the rail.
“Yes, thank goodness,” Fluttershy agrees, “but does anypony see Twilight?”
Applejack shakes her head. “Nope, she ain’t on this side. But considerin’ the color of her coat, it’ll be right tough ta spot her down there.”
Rainbow thrashes her tail. “AJ’s right. With all the clouds around and the sun not up yet it’s really tough to see anything.” She turns back to you. “Hey! Can’t you make this thing go any lower?!”
The ship shudders as it shears a flagpole from the top of a nearby building, and you curse under your breath. You can’t imagine what the final repair bill for this thing is gonna be when you get it back to the shipyard…
“Yeah, sure, if you wanna crash. I know you guys are anxious to find Twilight, but I need you to watch the surroundings or else we’ll all be searching for her on foot.”
Celestia trots back over and takes a seat by your side once more. She keeps herself composed, but the slight irregularities in her breathing reveal that, like so many times before, she’s trying desperately to mask her true emotions.
“I believe I know where she is,” she calmly says. “Anon, please take us to the storm’s center.”
You place a hand upon her withers to offer a comforting touch as you adjust your course toward the center of the cloud vortex. After several more minutes of tense flying and near-misses from both buildings and lightning bolts, you come upon a sight that sends a chill down your spine.
“That’s...”
You had almost forgotten. Or maybe it’d be more truthful to say that you desperately wanted to forget.
There, rising above the surrounding buildings at the city’s edge, and at the very center of the storm, is Twilight’s little construction project.
You saw it on the train ride up to Canterlot with Pinkie a few months ago, when Twilight’s projection confronted you in your hotel room. She called it the ‘Pleasure Sphere’, and said she was building it so the two of you could spend your honeymoon there together. She also claimed that there was some sort of enchantment on it that’d allow you to have sex for a month straight without stopping. To say that the idea absolutely terrified you at the time is the understatement of the century. You lost a lot of sleep to the nightmares that resulted from that conversation...
Now those nightmares are quickly returning to the forefront of your mind. The last time you saw the building it was still under construction, but now it seems to be complete and even more imposing. The most striking feature is the great windowless dome, built from what appear to be precisely cut interlocking dark gray stones. It almost reminds you of some of the larger closed-roof sports stadiums back on Earth, but that’s where the similarities end. Large, oddly angled support structures are joined to the dome on each side, one of which is an extremely long corridor that gives the entire building an almost bird-like profile when viewed from the air. Strange teal lights can be seen shining from the windows of these support pieces, which causes a warning siren to go off in your head. There’s something oddly familiar about the whole thing that you can’t really place your finger on...
“Twilight!”
Rainbow cries out and points a hoof as the ship nears the structure. The rest of the ponies all run to where she’s standing to get a look, and you quickly set the ship to hover in place and move from the controls so you can join them.
And sure enough, Twilight is there. She stands atop the dome, directly in its center, her eyes unfocused as if she were in a trance. The slight breeze moves her mane and tail as a faint column of pre-dawn light shines down upon her from the nearby eye of the storm, giving her profile an almost angelic quality.
“Twi! It’s us, Twi! What’re ya doin’ out in the storm? C’mon up here ta us where it’s safe!”
“Please, darling, we just want to help you!”
She doesn’t move. In fact, she doesn’t even turn her head toward the ship.
“P-Please, Twilight. It’s dangerous out there...”
“Yeah, c’mon Twilight, all your friends are waiting!”
“I know you can do it! After all, you got training from the #1 flyer in Equestria!”
Still she shows no signs of moving, or that she can even hear their cries.
“Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia yells as loudly as her injured body will allow her. No response.
With a shake of your head and a deep breath, you call out to her as well.
“Twilight!”
She turns to face the ship as soon as your voice pierces the silence. Though there’s some distance between you, it’s easy to tell she’s been crying from the streaks of matted and dried coat directly below her eyes and down her cheeks. Yet, the moment she sees you, her drooping wings find their way back to her sides and she smiles with real, genuine happiness.
“Anon... you came for me. It was true... it really was true all along, just like the Shard said...”
The ‘Shard’...? What the heck is she talking about? You notice Fluttershy give Rarity a confused glance, which the fashionista returns in kind.
Twilight trots forward a bit, swishing her tail with excitement.
“You know, at first... at first I didn’t really believe, because the future isn’t set in stone. There are too many variables... too many unknowns to account for. But the knowledge held within... so much of what was revealed to me... it made me realize that with enough understanding of the factors involved, certain futures can be selected for, and consequently, fleeting possibilities made nearly certain. Even destiny itself could be influenced and changed! All I had to do was build it...”
“What the hay is she saying?” Rainbow asks, scratching her head.
Applejack shrugs. “She sure ain’t makin’ any sense ta me. You gettin’ any’a this, Mac?”
“Nope. But ta be honest, none’a the stuff your friends do usually makes much sense ta me, anyway.”
“Hey!”
“How rude!”
A certain pegasus and unicorn take umbrage to that comment, causing the stallion to shy away.
You turn to Celestia with the intention of asking what she thinks, but the look on her face causes the question to die in your throat.
“Twilight...”
All eyes move to the white alicorn. Her expression is a mixture of fear, sadness and remorse... and you can even see the hint of tears beginning to pool in the corner of her eyes. She steps away from the rail and lowers her head, her voice little more than a whisper.
“...I’ve truly failed you in every respect, haven’t I?”
“Anon,” Twilight’s voice calls out again, drawing your attention back to her. “I know you’re reluctant. I know you love her, and I know she loves you. But look!” She rears up and spreads her forelegs out. “My love is greater. My love HAS to be greater! How could it not be?! I’ve mastered lost magic... I’ve learned how to shape the future for us... I know it’s not enough to repay all you’ve done for me, but this is only the beginning! There’ll be so much more to discover in time!”
Lightning flashes, and the purple alicorn’s perfectly styled mane and tail quickly start to come undone as what’s left of her sanity slips away. The other ponies on board the ship cringe at the sight as she begins prancing atop the dome, a sinister smile on her face.
“Anon~! I know you love that airship Celestia built for you! But I built you a better one! Yes, yes, yes! A greater one! WITH A GREATER LOVE!”
Countless previously unseen arcane runes illuminate all across the surface of the dome as an earthquake rattles the very foundations of the city, causing the ponies in the streets below to panic.
“W-What’s happening?!” Fluttershy cries, diving for cover and hiding her head in her hooves.
Pinkie hops over and pats the petrified pegasus’ back reassuringly. “I dunno! But it looks like weird freaky magic to me!”
“Yes,” Rarity adds, stepping away from the rail herself. “I’m certainly no expert, but I’ve never seen anything quite like it...”
“Me neither,” Applejack agrees, also stepping away. “But there’s gotta be somethin’ we can do!”
Rainbow Dash flies over to Celestia, who’s moved away from everyone else on deck, and starts roughly shaking her shoulder. “C’mon! You have to know something about this! What do we do to help Twilight?!”
The alicorn’s magenta eyes glance up to capture your own, and the two of you share a brief, silent conversation.
“We should flee.”
The pegasus gapes. “Wait, you mean we’re running away?! But...!”
The teal-tinged light from the glowing runes covering the dome’s surface is almost blinding, and the sound of the quake almost deafening. Those two things alone are cause for concern, but they barely register in your mind now.
No, what truly captures your attention, and what feeds into the terror that’s now starting to grip your heart, is the fact that the entire structure is beginning to rise into the air...
“She’s right, we need to get out of here, NOW!” you yell.
Rushing back to the controls, you weigh your options. There’s no way you can reverse your course through the city, or even try to navigate your way out through a different path at any reasonable speed. At this altitude there are just too many obstacles to contend with...
“I want everyone inside. I’m gonna take us straight up through the clouds.”
“This ain’t a good idea,” Mac grumbles. “Ah can’t rightly say what’ll happen ta the engines...”
“Yeah, I know. But do we really have any other choice?”
He sighs, peering over the railing once again at the massive and rapidly ascending structure below. “Ah suppose not...”
“But what about you?” Applejack cries. “Aren’t ya comin’ inta the bridge with us?”
You smile in return. “Go on, I’ll be right behind you as soon as I get the controls set up. Oh, and Pinkie!” The pink pony stops in her tracks to give you her attention. “Get the cannons ready, just in case.”
“Roger!” She salutes and bounds down below deck.
Applejack moves to usher the fillies into the safety of the ship’s enclosed bridge, and the other ponies follow her lead while you begin the process of spinning up the engines to start the fastest ascent you can possibly manage. Only Celestia elects to stay behind as you work at the console, her good wing curling around you in a light embrace. Her touch allows some of the tension in your body to slip away, and you even manage a little chuckle at the situation.
“...Please tell me that thing isn’t what I think it is.”
“There’s no longer any doubt in my mind. It’s based around Progenitor technology and magic. I’d recognize those runes anywhere, and when she mentioned a ‘shard’ she more or less confirmed it. We don’t stand a chance as we are now, and I fear for the city’s safety...”
You press the throttle a little harder, just to make sure it’s maxed out. Without thinking, your hand wanders to touch the pocket of your jacket, the great magic held within warming your fingertips.
“Cel... what if I...?”
“NO!”
Her sudden, adamant refusal takes you by surprise, and you turn to face her to find an odd look of fear in her expression.
“We... we don’t have to resort to that just yet. If we can make it through the storm and get in contact with Luna, she should be able to handle the situation. We both encountered something like this in the past, and we were able to overcome it.”
Without warning, she moves forward and kisses you. After a few moments you pull away, even more shocked than before.
“Anon... that gift is infinitely precious. Don’t forget what was involved in claiming it. Don’t be so hasty to throw it away. There are still options... and there is still hope. Please, you must promise me...”
You sigh, then smile back at her. “Okay. I trust you, Cel. If you say there’s a way, who am I to argue?”
The two of you step away from the console and enter the bridge, just as the Dawn Star plunges into the black clouds of the storm.