Reuniting The Elements
March 17th, 2013
I remained in my idle state of staring off into space for quite some time. So long that I don't really know how long I was sitting there. But once I lied down on my right side while crossing my arms, my mental thoughts began to come back to me. I still couldn't believe that the elements of harmony were pretty much dead. I didn't want to believe it, but the state of the situation me and my friends were in made it seem nothing but true. The more I dwelled on my corrupted friends and Ponyville becoming the chaos capital of the world, it only made me slightly dispise Discord, even though I extremely disliked him at the time. When I thought of Discord, that led to thoughts. Thoughts that involved Discord perishing. As I was thinking, I remembered something that I had stored underneath the driver seat in the Land Rover.
"You know, I still have the Igneous-1007 in the Defender. If I could find the Land Rover, I could try to climb inside and retrieve the Igneous. Once I have it, I can use it against Discord!" I thought to myself.
Sounds like a pretty good plan, right? I mean, the Igneous basically has alicorn magic inside of it, so it has to work. But unfortunately, I remembered that it was the elements that could only defeat Discord, not a simple firearm. This flaw then sent me back into a depressive state once again, causing me to lie back down.
About ten minutes have passed and I remained silent, but the silence was broken from Spike, who sounded like he was groaning in pain upstairs. Discord immediately came to my mind because I thought Discord was tormenting Spike upstairs. I quickly sprung into action and dashed to the stairs.
"Spike! Hold on, i'm coming!" I called.
After I leaped up the steps, I entered Twilight's bedroom, only to find a small amount a scrolls next to a slightly bloated Spike, who was wriggling on the ground in discomfort.
"Caleb..." Spike moaned as he reached out to me.
"C'mon, buddy. Is Discord doing this?" I asked, sitting next to him.
"No-oh! Only Princess Celestia can do this." Spike said as he clutched his belly.
"Why would she do this? Oh God, I hope the princess isn't corrupted as well." I said.
"She's sending all of these scrolls back through me. It's how Twilight sends letters to Princess Celestia." Spike groaned.
"Do you feel sick?" I asked.
"Mrmph! Very!" Spike said as he gulped and covered his mouth. "Another one's coming up!" Spike alerted.
I slightly backed away from Spike as he puffed out his cheeks, almost looking like he was about to vomit. Spike let out a belch, blowing a long green flame and smoke out of his mouth. Within the smoke, another scroll dropped into the pile of scrolls. I then reached for the scroll that dropped into the pile, removed the red ribbon, and rolled it open. With that, I read what was written on the paper.
Dearest Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that it's hard to accept when somepony you like wants to spend time with somepony who's not so nice. Though it's impossible to control who your friends hang out with, it is possible to control your own behavior. Just continue to be a good friend. In the end, the difference between a false friend and one who's true will surely come to light.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
"Wow. That was a pretty decent lesson," I said to myself. "So, is like Twilight sending lessons that she learned to the princess?" I asked Spike.
"Mm-hm." Spike hummed as he nodded.
Spike then belched once again and another scroll landed in the pile.
"Ohhhh." Spike moaned, still holding onto his belly with a miserable expression on his face.
"You need anything?" I asked.
"No. My stomach feels as inflated as it is." Spike replied.
I then set the first letter aside and opened up another scroll.
Dear Princess Celestia,
My friends and I all learned an important lesson this week: Never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary. But you have to look past that and learn who they are inside. Real friends don't care what your "cover" is; it's the contents of a pony that count. And a good friend, like a good book, is something that will last forever.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
"Hmm. That was a good one." I remarked, setting the letter aside.
Spike quietly moaned to my remark. After that, he belched out another scroll, catching it as it fell. I then opened the scroll.
Dear Princess Celestia,
When you first sent me to Ponyville, I didn't know anything about friendship. I met somepony tonight who was having the same problem - your sister, Princess Luna! She taught me that one of the best things you can do with friendship is to give it to others, and help them find it themselves! And I'm happy to report that all of Ponyville has learned that even though somepony seems a little intimidating, even scary, when you offer them your friendship, you'll discover a whole new pony underneath. And even if my Star Swirl the Bearded costume didn't go over, this still turned out to be the best Nightmare Night ever!
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
"This must've happened five days before I arrived in Equestria," I said, considering I arrived in Equestria on the 5th of November and Nightmare Night falls on the 31st.
After I setted that letter aside in my pile of read letters, I began to read another, and another, and another. I gotta admit, these lessons are pretty thought provoking and interesting at the same time. It's so interesting to see what Twilight and her friends learned before I arrived in Equestria, and now that i'm reading these, i've now learned a few new valuable life lessons that I didn't really think or know about. And also, while I read these, I felt my small state of depression somehow fade away after each read until eventually I didn't really feel sad anymore. But I did still felt bad for Spike, who was still burping up scrolls. I had to of read about twenty two of these letters and they were still piling up.
"Poor Spike." I thought to myself.
I then sat next to Spike and tried to comfort him until all of the scroll-vomiting was over with, but it wasn't. As I sat next to him, sunlight quickly faded into darkness and the moon rose into the sky. About a minute later, a grey and depressed Twilight walked up the stairs and into the room where me and Spike were in.
"Twilight! There's all these let-." I said before Twilight stopped me.
"Pack your things, Spike and Caleb. We're leaving," Twilight interjected "Don't ask where we're going because.. I don't know yet. Just not here." Twilight said as she packed a few books in a green briefcase and threw her element into a trash can.
"B-but, Twilight," I began, taking her element out of the trash can, "Princess Celestia has been sending all the lessons you learned back through Spike. He's been burping them up for half an hour." I said, showing her the open letters and a few more scrolls on the ground.
Spike then burped another scroll, adding it to the small pile.
"Somepony make it sto-o-op!" Spike pleaded.
"But why would she send them back?" Twilight asked, levitating three scrolls in front of her.
"I don't know." I replied.
Twilight opened up one the scrolls and began to read. After she finished reading that, she moved on to the next. But the third letter, one involving her friends, was the one that made her change. I noticed a small tinge of lavender purple begin to form at the bottom of her hind legs. The more she read and understood what the lesson was teaching her, the more of her lavender coat began to become vibrant like before until eventually, she was back to her original colors. After she finished reading the third lesson, I could see her face light up with happiness.
"Guys. Guys, it's all so clear!" Twilight said as she levitated Spike around in circle in joy.
"What's so clear?" I asked, eagerly.
"Discord's trying to distract us from what's important. He knows how powerful our friendships are, and he's trying to keep us from seeing it," Twilight explained, pressing Spike up against her. "Do remember what I said the first day we arrived in Ponyville?" Twilight asked Spike. " I told you the future of Equestria doesn't depend on making friends, but the opposite is true!" Twilight answered for Spike, directing her attention towards me. "The friendships i've made since i've been here are what saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon, and now I need to save them from Discord!" Twilight said.
"You're right! So what we need to do now is to find our friends and show them the true meaning of friendship. And if i'm thinking correctly, that should bring their true element back into them." I said.
"Exactly!" Twilight agreed. "I've got to fight for my friendships. For them. For me. For Equestria!" Twilight said, triumphantly.
Spike then moaned while lying on his small bed.
"Oh, uhh... why don't you just stay here and rest. I'll take care of the whole fighting for friendship thing myself." Twilight said before she zipped downstairs.
I looked at the stairs and looked at Spike over and over again. I then grabbed a small blanket and covered Spike with it.
"You stay here, Spike. I'm gonna go help her out." I said, heading downstairs as well.
"Don't worry, i'm not going anywhere." Spike muttered as I left the room.
I hastefully made my way down the steps and Twilight was just about to exit the library.
"Twilight, wait!" I called.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
"I'm coming with you." I replied.
"Are you sure you want to?" Twilight asked.
Of course. Just like you, I want to get my best friends back as well." I said.
"And get rid of Discord too?" Twilight added with a smile.
"That too, but I don't possess an element. I might watch the show." I said.
"Then let's go and save our friends and Equestria!" Twilight declared.
"I'm right behind ya. Lead the way." I said.
With that, Twilight and I exited the library and began our quest for the return of harmony.
As me and Twilight walked through Ponyville, things were worse than I thought they were. There wasn’t anything real bad or sinister going on, but a whole lot of goofy phenomenons that were caused by Discord. For instance, a few apple pies flew right next to me and some of the filling got on my hair, kind of a chore to get out. Also, three buffalos, wearing fucking ballerina outfits, danced past me and Twilight while we ventured through the chaos filled Ponyville. Once me a Twilight got onto the path that leads to Sweet Apple Acres, that section appeared to be untouched by Discord’s magic at first, but I was proven wrong when the trees formed two hollow holes as eyes and tried to grab me and her. I managed to tear one of the thick branches off of the living tree and used that as a weapon to protect me and Twilight. Eventually, we made it to Sweet Apple Acres and Discord really hit that place hard with chaotic magic.
“Looks like Discord really left his mark here.” I said.
“No doubt about that.” Twilight replied.
“So, are you sure you want me to hold down Applejack when we find her? I don’t exactly know my strength real well, and I don’t want to hurt her or anything.” I said.
“Yes, but just don’t apply too much pressure and she should be fine. I’ll try to get her on the ground first, then you hold her down.” Twilight instructed.
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s go.” I said, entering the chaos infested orchard.
The first thing I noticed when we entered Sweet Apple Acres was this weird sound that seemed to be all around us. The sound also sounded like it was reversed and warbled.
“You hear that?” I asked Twilight.
“I think it signify’s that Discord’s been here. Didn’t you hear it in Ponyville?” Twilight replied.
“Y’know, I do remember hearing it now that I think about it,” I said. “Maybe it’s louder here because Sweet Apple Acres isn’t as big as Ponyville.” I guessed.
“Speaking of big.” Twilight pointed at an apple tree.
I looked in the direction and saw a whole bunch of apple trees that bended down by the enormous size of the apples. These apples had to be the same size of the large boulder that Rarity was fixating over earlier.
“Whoa. That’s one big mother.” I said.
“Ahh!” Twilight exclaimed behind me.
When I turned around, three flying pigs hovered above and circled Twilight, letting out snorts that sounded reversed, just like the odd sound that filled the air.
“Get out of here!” I shooed at the pigs, causing them to fly away into the sky.
“You alright?” I asked Twilight.
“I’m fine. Let’s get a move on before we run into anymore surprises.” Twilight said.
“Right.” I said.
Both of us then headed for the white fence entrance and we both caught sight of Big Mac digging a hole in the corn fields, or what I should say, the popcorn fields. His colors aswell were turned to a faded grey, so he must’ve been corrupted by Discord. Big Mac looked at both of us, his tongue lolling out like a dog, and we immediately turned our heads forward.
“Please don’t come over here.” I repeated in my head.
Luckily, I heard Big Mac continue to dig into the soil again.
After me and Twilight went under the small arch entrance, we saw Applejack leaning up against the barnhouse while Granny Smith tap danced at an unreal rapid pace to the right.
“There’s Applejack.” I alerted Twilight.
“Remember, i’ll deal with her first, then you come in.” Twilight reminded.
“I gotcha.” I said.
Twilight stepped forward in front of me, confronting Applejack.
“Applejack! I’ve come to fight for our friendship!” Twilight said, getting Applejack’s attention.
After Twilight announced that, Big Mac suddenly popped out of the ground like a prairie dog and gave Twilight a long lick on the face before heading back down. Have to admit that he made me jump a little bit.
“Oh, now you want to fight? Where were you when I was battling Discord?” Applejack asked, throwing some air punches with her forelegs.
While Applejack had her back turned, Twilight sprang into action and tackled Applejack from behind, nearly pinning her to the ground.
“Caleb, help!” Twilight exclaimed as Applejack slowly lifted herself up.
I then ran over to the two mares and pushed Applejack down, causing her to collapse onto her back.
“I got her.” I said.
“Get your hands off of me, stranger!” Applejack demanded.
“Snap out of it! This isn’t you! You’re not a liar!” Twilight said, lighting up her horn that gave off a purple glow.
Her aura expanded over Applejack’s face until Applejack’s expression changed from anger to a form of awe; her mouth slightly agape and wide eyes.
“You can ease off her now.” Twilight said.
I removed my hand from Applejack and she continued to stay frozen for about ten or so seconds before Applejack squinted her eyes, her orange coat and blonde mane returning to her normal colors. Applejack then got up dizzily, shaking her head as well.
“Wha-- what happened?” Applejack asked, confusedly before she looked at me and Twilight. “Twilight! Caleb! I saw a vision of us feudin and fightin. I couldn’t face the truth, so I started tellin lies,” Applejack said. “Can you forgive me?” Applejack asked, slightly hiding behind her hat.
I was about to accept her apology, but Twilight answered for both of us.
“We’ve already have. C’mon!” Twilight said, quickly.
Me and Applejack gave each other a nod before running after Twilight.
“Who’re we getting next?” Applejack asked.
“Well, since we’re close to Fluttershy’s, we might as well head over there.” Twilight replied.
“Good. The sooner we get her out that rude mode, the better.” I said.
“Ugh, I couldn’t stand her the most.” Twilight said.
The three of us then came to a cross path that cuts horizontally through the Everfree Forest.
“This path should lead us straight to Fluttershy’s.” Applejack said.
“You mean we’re gonna have to sprint that whole mile?” I asked.
“Of course. Most ponies can cover a mile in two minutes, so it’ll be quick.” Twilight said.
I did some quick mental math and calculated that speed to cover a mile to thirty miles per hour.
“Twilight, the fastest i’ve ever gone was eighteen. How am I supposed to keep up?” I asked.
“That potion you took has had an affect on your strength, right?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah. It has.” I replied.
“So, give yourself a sprint alongside with us to see if the potion had any affect on your speed, or has riding around in that Land Rover of yours made you soft?” Applejack challenged.
“Alright, i’ll give it a try.” I said, unsure of myself.
Twilight and Applejack then sprinted down the path. I quickly reacted and sprinted after them and it seemed as if I wasn’t going to catch up with them, but I wasn’t ready to give up yet. I began to take slightly longer strides while repeating them with explosive running movements. And then, I actually began to catch up with them until eventually, I actually passed them. Leaving them in the dust!
“H-h-holy shit!” I exclaimed as I sprinted, which felt like a million miles per hour even though it had be roughly twenty-nine or thirty.
“What’d I tell you, Caleb? Told ya, you could do it.” Applejack said.
I looked ahead of the path and we had a long way to go, but the funny thing is that I didn’t even feel tired at all. My tongue slightly stuck out to the left side of my mouth as I sprinted.
“Y’know... if i’m sprinting faster than a pony, then that makes me faster than Usain Bolt!” I thought to myself.
Before I knew it, I was at the end of cross path while Twilight and Applejack were catching up with me. Most would be expecting me to panting and wheezing like crazy after that mile long sprint, but it felt like a went for a jog instead of sprinting. Phew, what a rush.
Finally, AJ and Twilight caught up with me.
“Man, what took you two so long?” I asked both mares.
“Had to let you win.” Twilight replied.
“Yeah, okay, Twilight.” I scoffed.
We then walked down the path to the right in order to get to Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Looks like we’re here.” Applejack said, taking out some rope from underneath her hat.
“You got rope?” I asked.
“Came prepared just for the occasion.” Applejack said with wink at the end of her response.
“Nice.” I said. “So, how are we going to get Fluttershy?” I asked.
“Applejack can probably get a good lasso around her legs. Right, Applejack?” Twilight replied.
“Shouldn’t be much of a problem.” Applejack said.
“Then let’s go. If Fluttershy gets loose, can you help Applejack out while I reminisce Fluttershy’s memories?” Twilight asked.
“I got your back.” I said to Applejack.
The three if us then crossed the small bridge that leads to Fluttershy’s front door. I would occasionally check our surroundings just incase if anymore of Discord’s surreal creations confronted us. When we got to the door, Twilight pushed on the door and Fluttershy was sitting in a chair, looking rather cross.
“What are you losers doing here?” Fluttershy asked with a scowl on her face.
“We’re here to bring back your true element; kindness.” Twilight replied to her.
“To tartarus with my element! I don’t need that stupid thing!” Fluttershy shot back, flying up to the ceiling.
“Step aside.” Applejack said, lassoing the rope with her mouth.
With no hesitation, Applejack tossed the rope towards Fluttershy’s legs and managed to get the lasso around every single one of them. Applejack yanked the rope back, tightly constricting the rope and bringing all four of Fluttershy’s legs together. There was no chance of escape. Fluttershy landed on her back and tried to fly away, but her position wouldn’t allow her to.
“I got her.” Applejack notified.
Fluttershy angrily grunted as she tried to free herself from the rope while Twilight walked over to Fluttershy, and leaned her head down, her horn touching Fluttershy’s forehead as it began to light up. Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly as her past memories came back to her, in order to restore her element. A few seconds had past and Fluttershy’s yellow coat and pink mane quickly reappeared on her, signifying the element of kindness was back.
Fluttershy shook her head as she recollected herself. She then let out a gasp.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “ Twilight, Applejack, Caleb! I just had the worst dream.” Fluttershy said in her normal, soft-spoken tone, but with distress in it.
“Sorry to say, but that was no dream.” Applejack revealed.
Fluttershy looked at all three of us with an expression that had guilt building up.
“I’m so sorry!” she apologized. “I don’t know why I said those things! It just.. came over me and I couldn’t help but being mean.” Fluttershy explained to us.
“It’s not your fault, Fluttershy. It’s Discord who made you that way.” Twilight said.
“Discord? Then that means he cheated at the game.” Fluttershy said.
“Game?” I asked.
Twilight turned towards me.
“Originally, we thought that the elements were hidden in a hedge maze in the Canterlot Gardens, but Discord ridded of our special abilities as a rule to his so called game. Discord, using deceivement and trickery, managed to somehow reverse our friend’s elements to the opposite.” Twilight explained.
“Oh, well, that explains a lot.” I said.
“Can you forgive me?” Fluttershy asked with sincerity in her tone.
“Of course we can,” Twilight replied. “But now we must go and find the rest of our friends and bring back our friendships.” Twilight said.
Fluttershy then raised herself back on her hooves. With Fluttershy back on our side, we continued onwards to the next element.
“Alright, who’s next?” I asked as we ran through Ponyville.
“Rarity’s boutique is not far from here, so we should head over there next.” Twilight replied.
“Odds are she’s still clinging onto that so called gem of hers.” Applejack said.
“That sounds about right.” Fluttershy agreed.
“Yeah, well she’ll have to kiss her Tom goodbye because we’re comin’ for her.” I said.
About a few minutes later, we arrived at Carousel Boutique and the building itself didn’t look like it was affected by Discord’s magic. We then approached the front door.
“How are we going to deal with her?” Applejack asked.
“We’ll have to-” Twilight began before I kicked the door, causing it to fling wide open with a loud crash.
As expected, Rarity was caressing the boulder, but she shot a nasty look at me when I kicked the door in.
“Knock-knock.” I said.
“Ah, what are you doing, rufian? Get out! This is my Tom, and you’re getting nothing!” Rarity said, hugging Tom.
Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy walked in from behind me, causing Rarity to become more defensive over the stone.
“I’m warning you! Go! Shoo!” Rarity exclaimed.
Twilight and Applejack approached her. Applejack then brought her rope out, and before Rarity could react, Applejack got her nabbed in a successful hogtie.
“No! My gem!” she shrieked.
“You’re not greedy, Rarity.” Twilight said as she lit up her horn.
“What do you think you’re doing? Get away from my gem! Get awa-” Rarity demanded before there was a great big flash, instantly giving Rarity her memories and true element back.
Rarity moaned and rubbed her head with her hoof. After regaining her composure, she looked at the boulder and raised an eyebrow. Rarity walked behind the boulder and proceeded to push it out the door with effort. After she got it outside, she gave one last shove, causing the boulder to roll away down a small slope.
“We will never speak of this again.” Rarity said.
Applejack quietly laughed to her statement.
“You’re going to give her grief about this, aren’t you?” I whispered to Applejack.
“Heh. Maybe.” Applejack chuckled.
“Okay, we got the element of generosity back!” Twilight said, cheerfully.
“That leaves Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie left.” Fluttershy reminded.
“Pinkie is most likely at Sugarcube Corner, but where would Rainbow Dash be?” I asked.
“I would imagine she would be at her house.” Rarity answered.
“Makes sense if her element has been swapped around,” Twilight said. “We should head over to Pinkie first, then to Rainbow’s last.” Twilight suggested.
All of us nodded in agreement and headed off to Sugarcube Corner. Now it was time to bring back the element of laughter.
While me and the gang ran through Ponyville, we ran into a major chaos magic hotspot. It was plainly obvious when the grass felt like more like walking on a waterbed rather than hard, solid ground. Another thing I noticed was the geometry of the buildings. They seemed... two dimensional. Curious, I walked over towards a building and gently touched it. This simple touch caused the building, which was a cardboard cutout standee, to collapse onto the ground, flat as a pancake. This triggered a domino effect from the vibrations because the rest of the surrounding cardboard buildings came down as well with a loud crash.
“Do’h... shhhhit.” I said.
“No time to play around. We gotta get the elements back before Discord catches on to our plan.” Twilight reminded me, bringing me back to the task at hand.
“Sorry about that.” I said, slightly embarrassed for getting sidetracked so easily.
However, when we arrived at Sugarcube Corner, things seemed normal again. Sort of. When we walked into the bakery to find Pinkie Pie, Carrot Cake and Cupcake looked normal as can be, but we're walking on the ceiling and walls.
“Hello there.” Cupcake greeted in a welcoming manner.
“Hi...” Twilight trailed off.
“Anything we can get you, guys?” Carrot Cake asked.
“Um, we’re looking for Pinkie Pie. Do you happen to know if she’s here?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, why she’s upstairs.” Cupcake answered.
“But be warned, she’s a bit crabby at the moment.” Carrot Cake informed.
“Anything else?” Cupcake asked.
“No thanks. That’ll be all.” Twilight replied.
“Alrighty then.” Cupcake said, walking back into the kitchen while on the ceiling.
As the four mares walked upstairs, I stayed down and stared at Carrot Cake, who was still on the ceiling. He slightly smiled at me.
“You do realize you’re standing on the ceiling, right?” I asked.
“I sure do. Quite a new, interesting appearance you’re sporting.” Carrot Cake said, reminding me I was still a sasquatch.
“Ah, yes. I figured you would notice,” I said. “I gotta catch up with the girls. See you around.” I finished.
Twilight and the others were waiting for me halfway up the stairs.
“Catching up on things?” Twilight asked.
“Hardly. Carrot’s just standing on the ceiling like if it’s an everyday thing.” I said.
“He’s probably been corrupted by Discord’s magic, but in a different way.” Twilight hypothesized.
“Perhaps.” I said.
Anyways, after checking most of the rooms for Pinkie, there was one more that was unchecked.
“This has to be it.” I said, clutching the doorknob.
“Wanna do the honors?” Twilight asked.
“Don’t see why not.” I said, turning the doorknob and opening the door.
Right when I walked into the room, Pinkie let out a primal scream, which was oddly comical for her high-pitched vocal tone. Pinkie latched herself onto my back, wrapping her forelegs and hindlegs around my thorax.
“I didn’t want you come in here!” Pinkie shouted.
“Whoa, whoa! Heh-hey!” I exclaimed as Pinkie began to whack her hooves against me, which almost felt like nothing.
I reached back with one hand and plucked her off my back easily, holding her in front of Twilight.
“We got a feisty mare who needs a little laughter in her life, Twilight.” I said.
“Say no more.” Twilight said, activating her horn.
"Laughter is one of the most annoying sounds in the world!" Pinkie said, angrily.
With another great white flash that filled the hallway, Pinkie’s vibrant colors began to manifest onto her. As I set Pinkie on the floor, she blinked rapidly for a few seconds before a grin began to form on her face. Stifled laughs then became laughs of hysteria, as if she had just heard the most hilarious joke in the world. She was laughing so hard that she couldn’t even get up.
"Looks like her element is back.” Applejack said.
“What’s so funny?” I asked Pinkie.
“It-it-it-it’s just that I turned grey!” Pinkie said through her laughs.
All of us looked at each other in confusion.
“That was the big punchline?” Rarity asked.
“Isn’t it hilarious?” Pinkie laughed.
All of us then began to pull off the most pseudo laugh, just to play along with Pinkie’s hysteria. A minute had past and Pinkie was still laughing her flank off.
“Ah, let’s see if there’s a cart we can use outside to carry her. Sure seems that she isn’t gonna stop anytime soon.” Applejack suggested.
“Good idea.” I said, scooping Pinkie Pie up with my arms.
We headed back downstairs to find a cart outside. I could feel Pinkie tremble as she laughed in my arms.
“I guess grey isn’t exactly your color, huh?” I asked Pinkie
“I know, right? What would you guys call me then? Grey Pie?” Pinkie joked.
“I have no idea, Pinkie.” I said, stifling a laugh as well.
I don’t know why, but Pinkie’s laughter was starting to make me laugh as well. I don’t whether it was from the continuity, or the way it adorably sounded. I guess they don't call her the element of laughter for nothing.
“Found one!” Applejack announced, pulling a small cart that could fit one pony.
“This’ll do nicely.” I said, setting Pinkie in the cart.
"Element of laughter: Check." Twilight said.
"Now all we have left is Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said.
"Any of you guys know where her home is?" I asked.
"I know the way." Fluttershy spoke up.
"Then let's get back the element of loyalty!" Twilight declared.
With that, we headed off to Rainbow's place.
Pinkie Pie continued to laugh from the fact that she was previously grey, but the intensity was simmering down. Eventually, she finally laughed off the thought and was able to walk correctly. Once Pinkie was walking again, Applejack abandoned the cart by the side of dirt path.
After a while, everypony noticed a cloud in the distance that was in the form of a house. It was obviously Rainbow's house because there was a huge rainbow that protruded from roof. The whole cloud-building itself looked like a mix between a mansion and condominium.
"Fluttershy. Would you mind flying up to the windows to check if Rainbow's inside?" Twilight asked.
"On it." Fluttershy replied.
Fluttershy then flew up towards the building and peered her head through every window. Me and the others waited for an answer down below.
"She's not here." Fluttershy said, shrugging.
Everypony looked at each other in worriment.
"Without Rainbow Dash, we can't use the elements." Twilight restated.
"She could be anywhere by now! We're never gonna find her." Applejack said.
"Yeah we will, because she's right there." Pinkie pointed out.
When I looked up, I saw Rainbow Dash resting on a small cloud, her rainbow mane and cyan coat completely grey.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called out.
"Hey guys." Rainbow replied, chillfully.
"We've been looking everywhere for you!" Twilight said.
"That's nice." Rainbow replied.
"Discord's still on the loose. We need your help to defeat him with your element. Loyalty." Twilight explained to her.
"Loyalty-shmoyalty," Rainbow jeered, looking at us. "Have you seen Ponyville? It's a disaster! I'm staying up here in Cloudsdale where everything is awesome." Rainbow said, lying back on her cloud.
"How in Equestria can she think that tiny patch of cloud is Cloudsdale?" Rarity asked.
"The same way he got you to believe that cheap rock was a bonafide diamond." Applejack replied, giving smirk at the end.
"I thought we agreed to never speak of it again." Rarity said with annoyance.
"Knew Applejack would bring that back up." I thought to myself. "Now what?" I asked Twilight.
"Time for plan B!" Twilight said.
"What's plan B?" I asked.
"Okay, so here's what we're going to do," Twilight began, huddling us together. "All of us are going to head back to Ponyville and find the hot air balloon station. Applejack, your position will be at the top on the balloon with your rope. Fluttershy will be following us and will be a keypoint in this plan because she'll have to hold Rainbow down. And me, Rarity, Pinkie, and Caleb will be riding the balloon. Once Applejack lowers me down to Rainbow, who will be held down by Fluttershy, i'll then cast the memory spell on Rainbow Dash." Twilight explained to us.
"Sounds simple enough." Applejack said.
"I'm not a fan of heights, but i'll do anything to get Rainbow back." I said.
"It won't take so long if everything goes accordingly to plan." Twilight said.
After that, everypony turned around and ran back to Ponyville to find the hot air balloon station. We also made sure to find routes that were chaos free, which was a little tricky due to the fact we were in the chaos capital of the world. Eventually, we came across a small wooden platform with a giant purple hot air balloon next to it. Twilight levitated Applejack to the top of the balloon and Pinkie, Rarity, and Twilight piled into the passenger basket. I on the other hand carefully stepped my way into the basket. I was forced to stand up because of how huge I was, compared to the mares below me.
"You sure this thing can support all of this weight?" I asked.
"This can hold eight-hundred pounds, so we'll be fine." Twilight assured.
"Okay, good." I said.
Twilight then untied the three ropes that kept the balloon stationary and settled them in the basket. Slowly, the balloon began to lift off the ground, picking up speed in the process. Before I knew it, we were high in the sky. This made me look down and a small amount of vertigo began to set in for me.
"You alright, Caleb? You're looking a little queasy there." Pinkie noticed.
"No, i'm just a little dizzy, that's all." I replied to Pinkie, holding onto the ropes attached to the balloon.
The balloon then moved towards Rainbow's position. Not really sure how it moved due to there being none of those burner things that send that hot air into the balloon, or unless Twilight was moving it with her magic or something.
"How're you doing up there?" I shouted to Applejack.
"I'm doin alright." she replied.
"Hey, make sure to keep a look out for Rainbow Dash incase she moved or tries something on us." I said.
"I'll keep my eyes peeled." Applejack said.
A few minutes had past before we arrived at Rainbow's location, but her and the cloud were nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd she go?" Fluttershy asked.
"I don't know, but she has to be near. Do you see anything, Applejack?" Twilight asked.
There was a silence for a moment while Applejack searched the sky.
"The cloud must've risen a bit. She's right above us." Applejack replied.
The balloon moved backwards a bit before rising upwards to Rainbow Dash. Once we got to Rainbow's level, she was peacefully taking a nap on her favorite cloud, quietly snoring as well. The balloon gained a bit more altitude before stopping above Rainbow. Fluttershy flew upwards to await Twilight's instructions.
"Remember, Fluttershy. You grab Rainbow Dash and hold her down. Applejack will lower me down with this rope so I can cast the memory spell on her." Twilight reminded.
"Got it!" Fluttershy said, giving a quick salute before quickly flying downwards towards Rainbow Dash.
Fluttershy halted next to her and brought her forelegs up, like she was about to manhandle Rainbow, but instead, she gave Rainbow a slight tap on the back.
"Oh-no." Twilight said.
Rainbow awoke and looked at Fluttershy.
"Um, I was just wondering if I could hold you down against your will for a little bit?" Fluttershy asked politely.
"Uggggh." Twilight groaned, smacking her hoof against her forehead.
I also couldn't help but place both my hands over my face, trying to unbelieve that Fluttershy most likely messed up the plan. But anyways, Rainbow quickly rose up and got right into Fluttershy's face.
"Nice try! Ponyville's your problem, not mine." Rainbow said before wrapping her legs around the patch of cloud and zooming away on it.
Twilight quickly took one of the three strands of rope and lowered it down to Fluttershy.
"C'mon, Fluttershy! We gotta catch her!" Twilight said.
Fluttershy bit down onto the rope and began to fly after Rainbow, sending me back a little from the sudden inertia. Although Fluttershy was doing her best to catch up, it's pretty hard to keep up with the fastest flier in Equestria while pulling all of this extra weight from behind. Thankfully, due to Rainbow being cocky, she changed her course and began to tauntingly fly around us, just to mess with us.
"Quick! Somepony tie this rope to the basket!" Twilight instructed, using her foreleg to pick up the rope. "Applejack!" Twilight called, throwing the rope up to Applejack.
I looked up and could see the rope firmly wrap around Rainbow's body.
"Hey, Applejack got her!" I exclaimed.
I looked down out the rope and it felt like something dropped inside my chest when I saw the rope still laying on the ground and not secured to anything. To make things more dangerous, Pinkie and Rarity were standing right in the middle of the rope.
"H-hey! The rope!" I shouted.
But it was too late. The rope then firmly wrapped around Rarity's and Pinkie's hind legs, almost pulling them out of the basket. But me, I quickly reacted and grabbed onto the rope before they could fall out. The amount of force being exerted from Rainbow nearly sent me out the basket as well, but I maintained myself by holding onto the basket with one hand.
"Pinkie! You were supposed to secure the rope!" Rarity yelled.
"Oops." Pinkie said, sheepishly.
I gripped the rope tightly and tugged as hard as I could, pulling Rainbow off the cloud.
"Quick! Tie it on!" Twilight exclaimed.
Wasting no time, my hands jittered with the rope as I tried to tie it on, unprepared for the amount of force that Rainbow was about to exert next. Unready, I was flung out of the balloon, tightly holding onto the rope. Wind rushed past me and my only means to survive was to hold onto the rope and not let go.
"Caleb!" Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie shouted.
"Fuck! Fuck! Oh shit, help me out here!" I screamed in fear as Rainbow somehow managed to maintain her flight with three hundred and twenty six pounds of human dangling below her.
"Hold on, Caleb! You're slowing her down!" Applejack replied.
I began to panic as I looked below, me being at least a thousand feet in the air. I also noticed that Fluttershy was not even close to catching up with Rainbow.
"Hey Fluttershy, you mind flying a bit faster for christ sakes?!" I shouted at her with a mix of anger and fear.
"I can't!" Fluttershy said as she began to slightly cry.
"If you can't catch her, Discord wins!" Twilight reminded Fluttershy.
Fluttershy's expression changed from sadness to a new one that i've never seen on her before; the expression of anger.
"That.. big.. dumb... meanie! Fluttershy yelled at the top of her lungs at the end.
I had my eyes closed most of the time, but I managed to look back and Fluttershy was definitely catching up now, bringing me some relief. I continued to close my eyes and gritted my teeth, which felt like forever before Rainbow suddenly stopped, causing the rope to swing forward and back. I looked up and saw that another rope was tied onto Rainbow and that the balloon was beginning its descent to solid ground.
"We're almost there, Caleb." Twilight said from above.
"Good." I replied, my voice slightly trembling.
It felt like forever, but we made back onto solid ground once again. When my feet made contact, I collapsed and lied down on the grass to catch my breath and recollect myself. Twilight then walked next to me and looked down.
"Are you okay, Caleb?" Twilight asked with compassion.
"Don't worry about me. You go and bring back Rainbow. After that, you guys can defeat Discord." I replied.
Twilight smiled at me before heading over towards Rainbow Dash, who was struggling to break free from her restraints by bucking her hind legs in the air.
"Let me go! I don't need you guys! Leave me alone!" Rainbow grunted.
I raised my head to see what was going on now, only to see Rainbow's multicolored mane and tail return, as well as her cyan blue coat.
"Wha-- what happened?" Rainbow asked in a daze before realizing the situation. "How's Ponyville? Where are the elements? Did we stop Discord?" Rainbow asked, tackling Applejack to the ground.
The others ran over to Rainbow and gave her a group hug while welcoming her back at the same time. I looked up and smiled to the little scene in front of me until I noticed the same three buffalo in ballerina outfits tiptoeing right past me.
"Maybe it's a little early for a group hug." Twilight said as she noticed the three tiptoeing bisons.
"That I can agree with." I replied to her statement before lying flat on my back again.