//------------------------------//
// Old Friends, Old Enemies 
// Story: EASA - Friendships Forged in Fire 
// by Star Scraper 
//------------------------------//

Twilight's heart was racing as she walked through a masterfully decorated white hallway of the Canterlot palace. The others were struggling to keep up without running, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had given up on walking altogether and flew alongside them instead.
Rarity was eying all the fine décor as she walked.

Applejack trotted up alongside Twilight.
“Twilight, why won't you just calm down already?” she asked.
Pinkie Pie was bouncing alongside them, oblivious of Twilight's anxiety.

“Ugh. Why is nobody listening to me!? I've just been writing all these letters back and forth about us getting together again and psychology and big things in history and then suddenly we're all called to Canterlot, told that we'll be moving – I don't know what's going to happen but it's not going to be good!”
“Well it can't be too bad.” Applejack said.
Rainbow Dash leaned in.
“Yeah! This is just like that time you got all worked up over sending in your letter to princess Celestia late.”

“No! This is serious! She wants to see us in person! Do you know what this means!?”
“No, what does it mean?” asked Pinkie.
“I don't know, but it can't be good!” Twilight was almost yelling as she stopped in front of the huge doors that led to the grand hall of Canterlot tower. She stood at the door for a few moments, frozen.
“Well it can't be too bad -” Pinkie said; “if she had us bring our stuff, and had a courier take it from the train station to-” “Canterlot suites!” Rarity finished.

“Can't be too bad!? We packed our stuff! We're moving! But we don't know where! That's bad! That's very, very bad!”
“Calm down, sugercube, it'll be alright as long as Celestia's in charge.”
“That's right. Celestia won't do anything too bad, like send the army after us or anything.” Dash finished.

Pinkie Pie jumped in front of the ponies and opened the two large doors.
Celestia, a tan colt with a black mane and a pegasi general all stopped talking and turned to them.

Twilight's heart skipped a beat when she saw the general. They all froze, wondering if Twilight could have been right. Fluttershy's wings snapped against her body as she hovered, crashing her into the ground.

“I – huda – bububi...” Twilight tried to get something out of her trembling lips.
Celestia turned to the general; “You have your orders, general.”
“Yes, your highness.” the general bowed and trotted towards them.

The general approached, nodded towards them, and walked by, feeling somewhat uncomfortable at all the wide-eyed stares, and continued down the hall away from them.

Celestia turned to them with earnestness in her voice: “Thank you all for coming. Please, come inside.”
They'd just been standing just outside the doors. As they walked in, the enormous doors closed behind them. Twilight had finally stopped shaking. 
“Celestia, is this about us being apart for so long, and the griffons, or the elements, are the elements okay!?”

“All that matters is that your friendship for each other is strong again. As for why you're here, it's about the griffons, the elements, harmony, and Discord.”
Their blood ran cold at the last word.

“Look!” Pinkie Pie said. She was pointing at the stained glass window, that had shown them defeating Discord with the elements – now Discord's figure was in a dancing pose, grinning at the figures of the ponies, which were posed violently fighting griffons. Fluttershy shrieked.

“Tell me Discord isn't! -” Rainbow Dash's trembling voice exclaimed.
Celestia responded; “No, not like before.” She looked at the window. “Last time, he had been rebuilding strength from more than a thousand years, much of his strength he had built from the discord in-between the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies before the foundation of Equestria. All it took to free him again was me and Luna's disconnection from the elements, and a small disharmony in his presence. But when you defeated him, he was striped of his magic and power once more. Something – someone has set him free again. But this time he's weak.”

“Oh, but not forever.” All of them froze at his voice.
“Oh, yes, I'm back, and maybe not quiet as... magnificent as before. But this time, I don't need to be!” he finished with glee.
“Discord!” shouted Celestia
“What? Didn't expect me at our old meeting spot? How about another game, Celestia's little ponies? Oh, but this is so much fun! I don't even have to -” “Discord!” Celestia shouted. “Give up now! You've already lost! Twice!”

“So, so rude Celestia!”
“I already told you – nopony insults the princess!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“You remember! And how did that go for you, Rainbow Dash? Not very well. Kind of like when you tried to join the Wonderbolts, right? Hahaha!”
The pegasus was left gawking speechlessly.

“She'll make it in the Wonderbolts one day!” Fluttershy exclaimed in a soft voice.
“Oh, my! You've changed quiet a bit, Fluttershy! Quiet a monster you are now! Have you finally decided you've been kind for too long?”
The horrors of Iron Will came back to her gentle pegasus' mind as she dropped low and whimpered.

“What do you want this time, Discord?!” Twilight yelled as Pinkie and Rarity moved to comfort Fluttershy.
“Oh, there we go! Go get'em Twilight! I only want some fun, of course, but first, may I speak, most noble Celestia, so we can all know the rules of the game?”

“Speak, Discord!”
With a flash of light, the metal-rimmed stained glass figure of himself appeared in front of Celestia. He spoke quickly: “Now, no turning me into stone right now, you specifically said;” Celestia's voice echoed from the past “'speak, Discord!', which means -” His figure grew and expanded, in a moment the towering, terrible draconequus of the real Discord stood in front of them “- by your little rules – honor, you call it –” he wiggled a finger at them  “-you can't touch me while I speak!” He began to shuffle-dance in front of them.

Rainbow Dash growled.
He shot next to Pinkie and leaned close to her “Oh, little ponies, it's been far too long since we've played together! And I brought a friend, too! Oh, I'm so proud! Everyone say hello!-”
Discord waved his hand, behind it appeared a very young purple earth pony with a curly mane, wearing a propeller cap.
“-to Screwball!”

They looked in awe, her eyes had an insane look of confusion, yet she talked and moved like any other excited young pony.
“Oh, daddy, are these your little ponies?”
She zipped like a slower Pinkie Pie from one to the next.
Celestia was indignant; “Enough, Discord! What are you here to say!?”

“Oh, I have so much to say! But if I remember – you called me weak! But I have a different game to play now!”
“Is it baseball!?” Screwball asked ecstatically.
Discord's expression dropped flat. “No.”
“Aww.”
“It's far more chaotic than that!”
Screwball shrieked with joy.
“What have you done to my little pony, Discord!?” Celestia asked in fury.
Screwball backed up to Discord, scared of Equestria's monarch.

Celestia's expression shrank to horror and sorrow, tears welled in her eyes to see one of her own beloved subjects cower in true mortal fear of her. Screwball's eyes showed nothing but pure terror at the alicorn, total removal from her benign monarch's love.

“Oh, why do you get to call every pony yours but I don't get any, Celestia? It's just not fair. She didn't just choose me over you, princess celery-” He grabbed the twisted pony and hugged her like a small doll while she grinned in delight. “She set me free! My little pony!”

He vanished, dropping Screwball onto the ground. She recovered and grinned.
Twilight started: “But, how!? It would take a powerful magic to...” she trailed off, lost in thought.
“And that's the fun of it all!” Discord took their attention again, lying comfortably on a hammock of cloud by the ornate columns, looking down on the ponies.

“I can't twist reality quiet like I used to – in fact, I believe I might even have less umph than Twilight. Defeating an Ursa Minor! Bravo! – but I don't have to be so strong anymore! You ponies and griffons are doing all the work for me! Oh, and the chaos, the chaos and discord!”
Screwball started hopping up and down with glee.
“And that's the rules of our new game. I don't have to play, but you do! And once the war's over, there will have been plenty of chaos for me to grow – oh so strong off of!” He flexed his muscles, Screwball grinned and nodded.

“How base.” Rarity said.
“Then, maybe we can play some games just like old times! Well, if you survive the war. But there'd be no fun in that if – you know – I protected you or anything. But after it's over, and whether you're alive or not, I can return Equestria to it's original state of Discord!”
“State of Discord!” Screwball started laughing hysterically.

“He's so funny! How can you not love him?! What's wrong with all you ponies, that you hate Discord so much!?” Screwball yelled, straight at Celestia, who gasped with shock.
Discord flew down, “Yes, what's the fun in all your harmony, why do you do it?”
The regal alicorn responded in a warm, powerful tone; “Harmony is powerful, fundamental love, a kind of unity with the universe and an affection you-”

Screwball started making silly, mocking faces. Discord laughed. “Oh, Celestia, you're such a bore!” With a flash and an echoing laugh, he was gone.
“Daddy!?” Screwball called.
“DADDY!” She screeched, and started crying.
She suddenly stopped crying, and grinned.
“Daddy wants me to teach you ponies about discord!” she said ecstatically.
“Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that out loud... Will you be my friends? And we can all be Discord's friends!”

They all looked, wide-eyed and horrified. Twilight stepped forward, and placed her horn on Screwball's head. There was a flash of light. She grinned, the memory spell worked!
Screwball looked her in the eyes with a blank, dizzy look. 
There was a pause. Twilight was grinning.
Screwball laughed hysterically.
“What was that supposed to do?!”

“Ca- can I come out now?” They all turned to see the unicorn colt, trembling, coming out from behind a column.
“Oh, Doctor Hoofcolt! I'm so sorry.” Celestia said to him. 
He looked at Pinkie Pie.
“Is that – is that that Screwball thing?”
“No! I'm Pinkie Pie!”
Screwball laughed again, a horrible laugh that stole everypony's attention.
Celestia turned back to the ponies. “I'm sorry about the interruption. We have important business to attend to, my ponies. Screwball – these are grave and important matters – allow us to speak.”

“But it'll be so boring!”
“Screwball, you must allow us to speak in peace.” she said in a more assertive tone.
Screwball looked up at the towering, intimidating figure.
“Okay...”

Celestia continued;
“Discord grows ever stronger off of the strife and disharmony in the world. Twilight, those letters you wrote with me and Luna are about finding the solution and how to bring Equestria back together, uniting us once more. Luna's research confirmed everything I thought, to unite Equestria, we will all be joined together in a single mission to do what's impossible, and it will be unrelated to the threat of war. My hopes are, when they see what life has to offer aside from war, war will lose their interest, and maybe even the griffons can be united in this endeavor. My ponies, before the decade is out, we will send ponies to Mars, and return them safely to our world of Terra.”

“Silly princess!” Screwball said. “Why will they care? What fun is hearing about some ponies going off somewhere? - in space!” she giggled.
“The princess told you to be quiet!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
Screwball cowered.

“I appreciate your loyalty, Rainbow Dash, but the bearers of the elements of harmony must not be afraid to ask questions. And Screwball did ask a good question. And the answer is exactly why I've chosen you six to go.”
“What?!” They all jointly asked.

“You are heroes. You are the chosen avatars for the spirits of the elements of harmony. This is a powerful, deep magic that gives you an ability to connect with the entire world. When the entire world watches, and they see your unity, they will feel it themselves, and the friendship in your hearts will spread to theirs. I may be your ruler, but I alone cannot stop a war. The ponies and griffons must not want war anymore, and that is what this will do. You will represent all of us, the best of us, and as we watch, we will all feel your harmony, and feel the best part of us grow stronger within us.

“When they, all the world, sees the beauty and triumph of friendship and cooperation, they will all feel less like fighting each other, when they see how wonderful, how powerful friendship and cooperation really are. And the magic of the elements of harmony will make it so much more powerful, even. I feel sure, that this can prevent a war with the griffons, unify Equestria, and help to bring us all together in friendship, by making the entire world feel more unified. But only if you succeed, and if you stay faithful for the entire -” Celestia nodded towards the colt.

“Two years.” Hoofcolt finished. He continued:
“If we manage to pull it off...” Celestia looked at him. He froze for a moment and looked back. Then continued: “when we pull off this impossible deed, it will be a two year mission. That is the only way we can do it, because of the dynamics of spaceflight.”

“This is kinda like, 'From Equestria to Mars', isn't it?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Precisely” Hoofcolt nodded, and smiled, “By Robert A. Haynlein. But not really. Lots of the technical details will be different. I don't know how we'll do it – it's impossible, but we'll do it.”
“Why not the moon?” Twilight asked. Everypony looked.
“Something about being a prison for a thousand years.” RD said in a flat tone.
“Oh, yeah, I guess that matters...”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia turned to her protege, “for now, you are in charge of organizing the best scientists and engineers in Equestria, and you need to learn as much as you can, to join them in making the impossible, possible. But you will need to appoint someone to lead the engineers in your stead when you leave for Mars, and to do your work while you train and prepare. For that, I have summoned Dr. Hoofcolt. He will help you in every way that he can, and I believe you will agree he is the best pony to appoint for the task.”
“Yes, Princess Celestia.” She and the doctor replied.
“And many thanks for your kind words, I am greatly honored.” The colt added.
“I only say it because it's true.” the princess replied and nodded.

Celestia continued to all of them with earnestness; “This will decide whether Equestria falls into war, chaos, and discord -” Screwball sniffed, cheering up from crying, it sounded like “- or whether harmony and friendship are restored across the land. This world needs heroes to lead them, and you six will take that role. But to do this, you must become the very best in Equestria. For you -” she looked straight at Twilight and the doctor “-and you-” she looked back to the rest “- there will be times you think it is impossible to do, and you can't go any further. You will be pushed to your limits, and pushed even further. But I know you can do it. I want you all to promise you will never give up – the world is depending on you. I am depending on you, to save it.”

“We promise.” they all said in unison.
“I know you can do it. I've already ordered many of the most brilliant engineers and scientists, currently led by Luna, to go to the coastal city of Brighton. Me, some others and Dr. Hoofcolt have decided that Brighton will be the base for this program. Hoofcolt, familiarize Twilight with the basics of what we're doing, then you two can go to the library and help with the transfer.” Twilight's eyes lit up. 
“As for the rest of you -” she turned to the weeping Screwball 

“- you have a poor, twisted pony to teach the magic of friendship to. Tomorrow morning, though, an hour after dawn, everypony meet at the skyport. You will be going to Brighton, and meet Luna there.”

“Where will you be, Celestia?” Rainbow Dash asked softly.
“I will attend to Discord, and keep our own pegasi generals from starting war. They are certain it will happen, and that if we don't attack first, we will lose. I'm afraid they're right. If the war breaks out, and we don't attack first, we will lose. But even if we win the war, we have lost to Discord. That is the “game” he is playing with us. This means we are not attacking first. You know what that means.”
They all solemnly nodded.

“Good luck, ponies, Equestria is in your hooves.” She dipped her head, they bowed, and went their separate ways, five ponies pulling Screwball along with them, two discussing space travel, but all of them preparing to travel to Brighton.

 ~{Fluttershy}~

Me, the other ponies, and Screwball all walked along slowly through Canterlot's streets. Screwball walked with her shoulders slumped, bowed, she looked so sad. I felt pretty sad, too. I missed Angel and the other animals. 

I think Pinkie Pie was too confused about Screwball to talk to her. Everypony was. Then it suddenly occurred to Applejack, that Celestia had called Screwball a pony. Before, everypony was thinking of her as some weird monster of Discord, but now, she saw that Screwball was just a pony like the rest of us. “So... Eh... Screwball, I'm Applejack, and this here is -”
“Yeah, I know who you all are. Ugh. Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. You're no fun at all. You hate fun.” Screwball interrupted.

“We love fun!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “In fact, tonight we should throw a big party to welcome Screwball!” She started bouncing up and down. “I brought the party cannon!”
“She has a cannon?” Screwball cheered up.
“Yes... Yes She has a cannon.” Rarity said.
“I never leave home without it!” Pinkie exclaimed, “And we're in Canterlot, so we can get all kinds of party goodies!”

“Who's going to pay for all that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well – maybe we can't buy anything – so what? I still have a party cannon! We don't have to buy party goodies, I brought them with me! Party hats, balloons, poppers, a cake, we can play pin the tail on the pony, and twister and...”

She started rambling and I couldn't really understand her, because Rainbow Dash flew over to me.
“What's wrong Fluttershy?” she quietly asked me.
I guess I must've been really slumped over...
“Oh, nothing, it's just...”
“What?”
“I kind of miss Angel. I really hope all the woodland animals are alright without me.”
“I'm sure they're okay. Spike isn't that bad at watching them...”

I really didn't feel any better.
But Rainbow Dash seemed to think for a moment, then she quietly said “I'll tell Twilight to write Spike a letter, as soon as she comes back to our suite.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you Rainbow Dash!” I was really excited to hear about how all my animal friends were doing.
“And, Fluttershy... Uh... Thanks for standing up for me back there... To Discord, about the... You know... Bolts...”
I blushed.
“You're welcome.”
I just felt so good.
“You know you'll get in one day.”
“Yeah...”
She didn't sound too sure.
But at least I had done my best, and I did stand up for her, and I was still there for her.

- -{Twilight}- -

“So, what 'transfer' was Celestia talking about – 'help Hoofcolt with the transfer'?” I asked the doctor while we were walking out.

“We're moving a lot of relevant books to the library in Brighton – it's much easier to do engineering research on-site... So you're Twilight Sparkle, then? Celestia's star student?”
“Yes... That's me.” I laughed and blushed a little at the honor. It surprised me.
“What an honor it is to meet you! I'm doctor Robert Hoofcolt, as you've heard a number of times. Ph.D in engineering... From what I've read you're good in... Astronomy?”
I grinned, and felt a surge in confidence at his praise, and also remembered my telescope at the library in Ponyville, and all I had read and learned about the stars and space.

“Isn't this exciting! Engineering and astronomy together! We're actually going to another world!” I exclaimed. The doctor laughed, I was kinda embarrassed at the outburst.
He was about to say something, then stopped.
I waited for him to speak for awhile. As we strolled through the foyer and out the front doors of the Canterlot palace, he still hadn't said anything.

“I don't see how we're going to do it.” He finally confessed in a despaired voice. “I've run the calculations, analyzed the engineering – it's just not possible. Not with our technology. It's way over our heads – pardon the pun – it's just decades ahead of our technology. We need liquid hydrogen-fueled rockets, and we barely even have working kerosene-oxygen rockets! We're experimenting, and we've found some tricks, but we're still a long ways from even making it into orbit around our own world, Terra, never mind breaking free of it's gravity, going to Mars' orbit, entering orbit around it, landing, going back into orbit, then coming back to Terra. I just don't know how we're going to do it.”

It hurt to see him dejected like that. I couldn't help but feel that way, too, as he said it.
“Well, what's the problem? Can't our rockets do that?”
“It's all in the technical details you'll learn later – but that type of technology is far outside our reach. I don't even know where we could possibly begin to develop it. It's staggering. There's no easy answers, and we'll have to keep six ponies alive for two years in a sealed airtight can zipping through space – and we don't even know how dangerous space radiation or weightlessness is. It's just so far beyond us!... But, Celestia said we're doing it, and the world is depending on us, we can't say it's impossible – but I can't help but ask – how? How will we even know where to start?”

There was a pause in the speech. Our hooves clapped on the cool cobblestone road in the evening air. I looked up and saw straight down a street that went away from the cliffside. In-between the buildings I saw the setting sun, sinking towards the distant mountains on the far side of the valley far below. 

Up until the moment Celestia asked Luna to accept her friendship, I never thought it would've been possible for Nightmare Moon to become good, and even become my friend! Going to Mars seemed beyond impossible now, but if Celestia said we could, I knew we could find a way.

But how?
“One step at a time.” I said. “That's how we'll do it... One step at a time.”

- / [ Gilda ] / -

It was so long ago. Rainbow Dash had the Wonderbolts, and I – I never really dreamed of any position or outfit – I just wanted to be great. There were no “Wonderbolts” in Avia.

After we reunited in Ponyville, and I messed up, I decided I wanted to be strong and control my anger, be strong and in charge of myself, so I joined the Avian military. It wasn't long before I heard of the rising star of Tura, and she quickly became my “Wonderbolts”, my idol, hero, role model, hope and dream.

It was her greatness that inspired me to stay, to fight my own way to greatness, that inspired me to keep pushing myself until I became an elite fighter instead of giving up, and eventually, my dreams came true, and I worked for her in the Elite Fighters Division. 

Words cannot express the pride I felt at receiving the bronze-encrusted armor. Even if it was the lower ranks of the elite fighters, I was in their league. And, oddly enough, I don't get it, but Tura chose me...


“Gilda...” Tura said, slowly shaking her head. “What am I going to do with this griffon?... Ever since I first heard of you, I knew what I know now. You're, agile, strong, fast, a great fighter. But you have the heart of a coward. Do you cringe when you eat fish?”

It was exactly the sort of comment I'd expect from her. The strong, tough nature of the best aerial killer alive was Tura's. The walls of her office – her office, she had an office! Not a barracks, or even a room in a barracks – were covered with awards, recognitions, and unaccepted promotion offers to the higher-ranked desk jobs in Avia's military. Tura would rather die than have her battle claws replaced with a pen.

I tried to gather a response to her question.

“I -”
“ - hope not, but I wouldn't be surprised if you did. Oh, I know what the report says, that the pony was far off, but that still didn't give you any reason to spare them. This is exactly why you had to pass that test. You have the claws, the wings, the fighting skills of a true griffon, but you have the weak heart of a pony! That little raptor of a friend you once had corrupted you!”
“Who do you think-”

“Rainbow Dash! That's who! The little cyan 'cutie mark'” she said with disgust “-flanked pegasus. Part of that weak program, where Gire wanted to make friends with those inferior creatures, and sent off perfectly good griffons to be indoctrinated in their society. You even surprised me, Gilda, I thought you had more guts than to spare a pony, but I think you're so deeply corrupted that you think of them as griffons! They are not! They are inferior! You should no more hesitate to kill a pony than to hunt and kill a fish!”

She could rant a little, but this took me by surprise.
I couldn't just sit back and take it. I had to respond.
“I am a fighter for Avia! I am no murderer-”

“Did I say you could defend yourself!? Did I?”
“No...”
“Then don't! This isn't a trial, Gilda, you are guilty. The mission called for you to kill a pony, a little pony, and you couldn't do it! What good are your fighting skills if you cower from the kill!? The officers almost laughed when I said, that because you hated killing a griffon, you'd shrink from killing a pony when it mattered. They thought I was exaggerating, to compare the two. And I wish I was! I knew from the beginning, when the report on you said you spared lives, that you were weak. But I also saw the potential. I care about how you preform, Gilda, and if I didn't, you know you'd be dead right now.”

Would that be so bad?
But maybe I do owe her for saving my life.
I definitely can't deny that she does care for me...
“How I preform”? Maybe that's the closest she'll ever get to saying it.
But it had to take guts to testify to a tribunal that I never said things that I actually did say...
Especially since it was her word against his...

She continued more calmly.
“Gilda. I want you to retake the test.”
“No.”
“It's going to be that way, then, is it?”
“It will be.”
“You'll never be promoted, and you'll always be frowned upon until you pass it.” Her voice was rising.
“I passed it! The griffon is dead!”
“But you did more than kill the griffon, and at the same time you did less. Nobody liked what they saw, and the reason is you didn't like what you saw. And I have a torn recommendation scroll to prove it.”
There was a silence.

“It was worth it.” I said.
“But was it worth a pony?” She spat the p-word.
“A pony is nothing less than a griffon!”

Tura furiously grabbed me over the desk, and pulled me close to her, and said in a quiet but intense tone;
“Listen closely, Gilda! Never say that within earshot of anybody but me! Never! Do you understand!? This isn't some kind of game, Gilda! They will kill you if they hear you say that! I saved your tail once because you couldn't keep your trap shut - and I don't know if I can do it again! If I try to save you from them again we'll probably both end up at the gallows!”

She was panting. I don't know if I've ever seen cool-headed Tura explode, or even get scared like that before. She had looked death in the face many times, and had always done so without losing her cool. It was both terrifying, and at the same time... It was like I was looking into her soul, like no other creature ever would, or ever could. What could I say? She just admitted she'd risk her life for me, after months of verbally and mentally abusing me, my role model finally implied she'd die for me.

“Say, 'Yes, Tura'!” She demanded.
“Yes, Tura.”
She pushed me back to where I was before she grabbed me, and regained her composure.

“Good! Now I have a new assignment for you, far from the Equestrian border, try to stay out of trouble this time, you little whelp...”
And she said it without the least bit of affection.
I almost breathed a sigh of relief.
Back to her usual self.

“I've got my claws on some classified info, and me telling you means you're committed to the assignment. The Platinum Bolt Engineers have built some grand, amazing new war machine...”