It didn’t take long for them to get actual directions to the Baltimare Library. In fact, Twilight found it difficult to find somepony who didn’t want to help. The citizens of Baltimare led these wonderful strangers through their city, spreading the word of their deeds to their family and friends as they passed.
The Royal Guard struggled to perform their duty as the very city they swore to protect turned against them. Masses of civilians swamped them as they patrolled for the traitors, giving them leads after false leads. The market district turned up clean; they were nowhere to be found. The captain was left panicking in his office, desperately trying to coordinate his guards’ efforts. How was he supposed to explain to the Princess that he let the traitors to Her throne escape?
Twilight stared in wonder at the old stone building before her. Twin marble manticores stood guard at the base of the stone steps leading to the entrance. She waved farewell to the ponies that led her here and eagerly trotted up the stair, Solaire tailing behind with an amused smile hidden beneath his helmet.
Twilight impatiently trotted in place, beaming at Solaire, and internally holding back a squeal of delight. She couldn’t believe it. She made it. She really, truly made it. Behind these doors held the key to their salvation; or rather, the knowledge of where to find or use it. The morning sun never felt closer, and she was ready to feel its warm rays wash over the cold land again.
She took in a calming breath and knocked.
The doors were silent.
Solaire gave the ornate doors a once over and curiously looked to his summoner. She was still hopping excitedly on her hooves. She looked up to him with bright eyes and back to the doors expectantly. Twilight couldn’t contain herself. She reached up and knocked again.
The wooden doors creaked open, revealing a rather confused stallion. “Um, this is a public library, you know,” the librarian pointed out. “It’s open for everypony, you don't have to—” His words trailed as he stared at the Giant slack jawed. By the Stars, they found him.
The door slammed in the Warriors’ faces, opening slightly once more for a hoof to hang a small sign on its handle before slamming again. Solaire knelt down, examining the small print.
Closed
“Closed for the night!” the stallion shouted through the doors. “No more visitors! Sorry for any inconveniences!”
“Well,” Solaire said cautiously. “That was… unexpected.”
Twilight stared blankly at the door where the familiar stallion had been. “Tales?” she asked absently. She knocked on the door and called slightly louder. “Uncle Tales?”
The stallion’s ears perked up on the other side of the door to the familiar name. He slowly dropped down from all fours, having braced his back against the door after he slammed it. The door opened just enough for his eye to peer out, and he focused not on the Giant this time but the mare accompanying him.
“Twilight?” Tales whispered. He opened the door wider, confirming his hopes. “Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight sprung forward, sporting a wide grin, and tackled the stallion into a hug. “Uncle Tales!”
Solaire chuckled as the stallion slowly came back to his senses, brushing his disheveled forelocks to the side and wrapping a hoof around Twilight. A warm, fuzzy feeling bubbled inside as the two reconnected. It must have felt marvelous to find a familiar face on such a long, lonely journey, he wondered.
His summoner eventually let go and looked to him with bright eyes. “This is Tall Tales,” she explained giddily. “He’s a good friend of my dad’s; they helped gather all of the old books for the Baltimare Library.” She cut herself off with a gasp and stared at her pseudo-uncle in wonder. “And now you’re in charge of the secret archives!” she squealed, her hooves trotting excitedly in place.
“Shh-tch-tch!” Tales covered Twilight’s mouth with a hoof, and his eyes darted suspiciously across the empty street. “It’s not going to stay a secret for long if you shout it like that,” he pointed out, withdrawing back into the library. He checked inside and motioned them to follow. “Come on, we can talk in my office.
“Sorry about the whole ‘slamming the door in your face’,” he apologized as they followed close in tow. “Thought you were somepony else. You have to understand, my ‘job’ requires me to be a little… paranoid with unfamiliar faces.” He gave a content chuckle. “You can only imagine how relieving it was to see yours, Twilight,” he turned to face her, only to find that she had paused halfway to gawk at the atrium.
Her eyes widened, trying to take it all in, and glee sparkled inside. There were so many books, all arranged beautifully in stories upon stories of towering shelves. She wondered what would it be like to live here. She could read for months on end and only have read the tiniest fraction of knowledge stored here. Her heart fluttered. Maybe once this was over, she could ask Tales for an internship; better yet, maybe even a full job.
Solaire boomed with laughter and shook his head, returning to his companion’s side. “Come now, Twilight; you can marvel at the tomes another time,” he reminded her. “For now, we still have a quest to complete.”
Twilight finally convinced herself to tear her eyes away, and Solaire felt his heart melt as the wonder still danced inside. “We’re taking some for the trip,” she said; not as a request, but a fact. Solaire could only chuckle, his eyes smiling in agreement.
They found Tales in his office at the front corner of the library. He sat patiently at his desk for his guests, placing a pair of half-moon spectacles over his eyes.
“So,” he smiled as they entered. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit?”
“We’re looking for a book,” Twilight said simply, grinning from ear to ear as she took her seat. Solaire opted to sit cross-legged next to her.
Tales let out a small snicker. “Well, you certainly came a long way to check one out,” he joked. “Although, I guess your local library wouldn’t do. Do you have the title?
“Equestrian Artifacts and Actualities,” Twilight announced proudly. “And anything else you might have on the Elements of Harmony.”
Tales’ ears perked up as a peculiar sense of déjà vu took over. Why did that sound so familiar? “The name rings a bell,” he admitted, frowning in thought. He rose from his desk and inspected the bookshelf lining the back wall, running his hoof over the spines of books searchingly. “I’ll have to check the catalog. Would you mind closing the blinds? This will only take a moment.”
Finding his prize, he pulled against a larger book. It tilted back, halfway to falling before the mechanism caught it. Twilight stared with wide eyes as the bookshelf shuddered and moved, retreating further into the wall before sliding to hide behind the shelf next to it. Tall Tales disappeared into the narrow tunnel, a small candle his only source of illumination.
Twilight and Solaire sat patiently for his return; the former unable to contain her giddiness. After a few minutes, a warm light glowed in the tunnel, and Tall Tales emerged, balancing a heavy tome on his head.
“I knew that name sounded familiar!” he announced as he slid the book off his mane and onto his desk. He flipped through the pages, his hoof scanning each line until it found its target. “There, Equestrian Artifacts and Actualities!” A small frown cut off his excitement. “Unfortunately, we don’t currently have it. It’s been checked out by one Evening Twinkle.”
Twilight cut him off with a gasp. “Evening Twinkle? The Evening Twinkle?” She looked to Solaire in awe. “She was the Princess’ personal student,” she explained excitedly. “But when Nightmare Moon took the throne, she disappeared. Nopony knew what happened to her!” Twilight turned her attention back to Tales with wonder in her eyes. “She was here?! What was she like? Did she say anything about the Princess? Does she have a plan? When did she get here?”
Tales reeled back from the barrage of questions, his eyes darting to Solaire as if for support. “Um, yes, she was here,” he explained, answering the only question he had managed to catch. “Long time ago, though. In fact, her checkout is overdue by nearly three years now.” He winced, looking up to the hopeful mare. “That’s… rarely a good sign,” he said delicately, hoping not to crush her.
“Oh.” Solaire felt his spirits fall with Twilight’s as her ears drooped. They had come so far; surely this could not be the end, not when they just began. “M-Maybe we can find her,” Twilight stuttered, her confidence quickly being sapped away; for if the Princess’ own student had failed before her, what hope did Twilight have that they would succeed? “Do you know where she was going?”
Tales bit his lip and hesitantly shook his head. “I’m not supposed to give any information about my customers,” he said quietly. “I technically shouldn’t have even told you her name. But…” He sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. “Considering the… gravity of this situation, and the fact your father has helped our cause so much, I might break the rules this once. She checked a lot of books out of the archives for ‘special research’. She also seemed very curious about these ‘Elements of Harmony’. Perhaps you two will be able to help each other. After all, you two have apparently made a name for yourselves, ‘Warriors of Sunlight’,” he added with a smile.
He closed the catalog with finality, and his smile disappeared as he lowered his voice. “She was last heading for Manehattan,” he whispered. “She insisted on keeping the books with her. I told her to keep me updated if her plans changed, but I haven’t heard from her since she first arrived three years ago. It’s a stretch, but that might be your best bet if you plan on finding her.”
Twilight sighed in relief. “Thanks, Uncle Tales. You don’t know what this means for us.”
“Any time, Twily,” he smiled.
Twilight’s heart froze at the sound of her old nickname. As Tales reached a hoof out over the table, she numbly leaned forward, pressing a smile as they shared a quick, parting hug. Nopony had called her that in a long time; the last one to do that was her—
“Is there anything else I can do for you while you’re here?” Tales asked hopefully as they broke off. “You both must be exhausted from your trip. I can set some beds in the Archives if you want to stay.”
“I believe that is Twilight’s decision,” Solaire pointed out warmly. He had noticed her stiffen. It was odd; simple words would seem to take her to another world at times. He found it was not in his place to ask. If she ever wished to talk, he would always be open to her. Although, at times, he found that she needed a gentle nudge to bring her back. “After all, she is the lead in this campaign of ours.”
“I always knew she had it in her,” Tales said proudly.
Twilight blinked, remembering where she was and giving a more genuine smile. “Thanks for the offer, but we really need to keep moving,” she explained heavyheartedly. Her eyes flickered to Solaire empathetically, knowing he surely wanted to rest after this long journey as well. “We figured out it isn’t safe for us to stay in one place for too long. You’ve done more than enough already though.”
“But are you sure there’s nothing more I could do?” he pressed. He looked around his office and gave a sad, half-hearted laugh. “I’m just so… confined in these walls all the time. I used to travel the world, and now I’m tied down to protecting this archive. Everything I know of what’s going on outside is what I read in the papers. I can’t leave and risk everypony’s work, but I still want to help the cause, to feel like I’m actually making a difference for once. Please, there has to be something.”
Twilight inwardly winced. For him of all ponies, being trapped in one place must have felt like torture. She wished she could help. An idea finally struck her, a problem that needed fixing for a long time now. And what better place to look than the Solar Age archives?
“Actually, I think there might be something after all,” she thought aloud, tapping her chin with a hoof. She looked to Tales, a curious spark dancing in her eyes. “I don’t suppose you have any books on combat magic?”
“Why, hello there! My name is OJ. You two were absolutely marvelous in the market; I was lucky enough to catch the end of it! It was truly inspiring. I was just hoping I could… I could… Oh, what could I do?” the salesmare hissed to herself.
She paced back and forth at the base of the library’s steps. The Warriors were still in there, of that she was sure. She nearly followed in after them, but as she reached those large doors, something horrible dawned on her: she didn’t know what to say.
She wanted to help them; though she didn’t know how. While the citizens of Baltimare revolted against the Guard, the salesmare found she couldn’t join them. True, she had struck down Night Owl, but she blamed it on three years of pent up frustration towards him. Challenging the entirety of the Royal Guard, however… Oh, no, her auntie and uncle would not approve of that sort of behavior. It was unladylike to fight. She had their image to uphold, whether one side won or the other, and she knew they would never want her to cause any trouble. At least, not any more trouble than she had already caused.
She could invite them to her home for a meal! No, that wouldn’t do. Apart from her cooking, her trailer was not exactly a five-star hotel. She could make them something for the road. Oh, but how would they carry it? Their saddlebags looked full enough as they were. She grunted in frustration. Why did this have to be so difficult?
“Thanks again, Uncle Tales!”
The salesmare’s ears perked up, and her attention was drawn to the library doors where the Warriors were making their exit. The unicorn waved at the librarian, and the Giant stood patiently a few steps down, bringing them closer to eye level. The salesmare needed to think fast if she wanted to show her appreciation.
As they finished their farewells, the unicorn caught up to the Giant, and they began their descent to the salesmare. “Alright, Manehattan is going to be pretty far out of the way,” she overheard the unicorn explain. “It should be another week’s walk north, if everything goes well, and that’s if we don’t make any stops. Oh, excuse me!”
Twilight chuckled apologetically as she nearly ran into the only other mare standing absolutely still on the sidewalk. Solaire gave a hearty laugh and turned to the poor mare. “Oh, forgive us; our minds were somewhere else,” he said sincerely. The salesmare was taken aback at his gentle voice. Given his display, she expected him to sound much more… brutish. “I do hope we didn’t cause you any trouble. Come now, Twilight; our journey awaits us!”
“Did… did you say you were going to Manehattan?”
The two Warriors stopped in their tracks, turning back to the mare. “Maybe…” Twilight started carefully. “Why do you ask?”
The salesmare shook her head. These may very well have been the Warriors she had heard rumors of, but it was just the two of them, not the army the rumors had mentioned. They wouldn’t stand a chance. “You can’t,” she said quickly. “It’s too dangerous there, even for you.”
“Do not fret, little pony,” Solaire chuckled warmly. “We are more than capable of handling ourselves. Why, we’ve traveled for the last two weeks on our own; another north won’t be too burdensome.”
Twilight eyed the salesmare more curiously. There was a tremor in this stranger’s voice, albeit small. “What do you mean?” Twilight pressed.
“I… I’m not allowed to say,” she admitted, shrinking back slightly. The salesmare felt her muzzle scrunch. If she told the truth, the Guard would have her tried for treason, perhaps even send her back to Manehattan. But she couldn’t lie to them, not after all they had done for everypony.
The salesmare gulped down her fear, building her courage. “But… to hay with it!” She took in a breath as if it would be her last. “Manehattan is on lockdown!” The two Warriors reeled back from her sudden outburst, but the salesmare had opened the floodgates, and the truth was only just starting to spill out.
“Nopony is supposed to know about it,” she said quickly, searching the skies, waiting for a guard to swoop in to silence her. “It’s an absolute nightmare. I was lucky enough to slip through before the Royal Guard took over. The rumors, the griffons, the riots; it was like a warzone!”
“S-Slow down!” Twilight stammered, her mind still reeling. “What do you mean? How long has this been going on?”
“Three years,” the salesmare confessed shakily. “They won’t let anypony in or out. I only know that my dear Auntie and Uncle Orange are safe from the letters they send.” She fell back on her hindquarters, holding her head in forehooves. “The-The griffons!” she recalled, flicking her eyes up to the unicorn. “Manhattan has the closest port to the old Griffon Kingdom. They’ve been immigrating there from across the sea, making a commotion about the Princess and her eternal night. With the tensions growing between the two kingdoms, she must have seen them as a threat. After that riot…” her voice trailed off.
She looked past them, a distant look in her eyes as realization dawned on her. “I… I haven’t said that to anypony in over three years,” she said to herself. A ghost of a smile formed with a halfhearted laugh. “I forgot how nice it was to speak the truth so openly.” Her smile melted away as she focused back on the Warriors. “Please, you must understand,” she pleaded. “Manehattan is too dangerous, even for Warriors like you. You’ll be stopped by the Guard before you even come within the city limits.”
Twilight stood dumbstruck by the news, trying to process the stranger’s mad ramblings. Could it really be true? “I’m sorry, but that still doesn’t change anything,” she eventually said. She looked up to Solaire for support and back to the stranger. “Manehattan is next on our journey; we can’t go anywhere else.”
“We appreciate your concern, though,” Solaire said softly, hoping to ease the troubled mare. “We’ll be sure to be careful.”
The salesmare shook her head. The Warriors seemed dead set on carrying on with their quest despite her warnings, and there was nothing she could do to sway their judgement. They would need an army to breach the Manehattan Guard, lest they be overwhelmed before they even come within the city. She was by no means an army, but perhaps…
“Perhaps I can help you after all,” she thought aloud.
The Warriors glanced to each other, and then back to her. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked curiously.
“I… I think I can get you inside of Manehattan,” the salesmare explained. “I managed to slip through before the lockdown began, and the Guard has been keeping an eye on me ever since.” Excitement sparked in her eyes as her plan took form. “You can hide in my trailer as I take you there. I can send a letter in advance to my aunt and uncle. The Guard never hid the fact that they look through my mail before I receive it; I’m sure they check whatever letters I send back, so it won’t be too much of a surprise.”
“Wait,” Twilight interrupted her. “Are… are you sure you want to do this? We don’t exactly live a glamorous life. You’ll be branded a traitor if you help us.”
The salesmare hesitated, but gave a small nod. “I’m sure. You two have put so much on the line to help us; it’s only fair for somepony to return the favor. And if I cannot sway you to stay away from Manehattan…” She paused to build her courage and held her head high. “Then it is only proper that I take you there. After all, nopony else can.”
Twilight glanced up to Solaire, a troubled look in her eyes. “What do you think?” she asked him.
Solaire hummed in thought and knelt before the stranger, sizing her up. Her dress did not exactly spell ‘warrior’ to him, although Lords forbid he think poorly of her request because of it. After all, Twilight herself admitted to not having any combat experience until Meadow Grove, and now she was able to hold her own, for the most part. “If she believes she is capable, then I do not see any trouble with it. After all, in this land of cold, never-ending darkness, who are we to turn down another soul willing to engage in cooperation?”
“I must admit, I’ve never been in fight,” the salesmare explained, but her hopeful smile never wavered. “But I would be more than honored to help. I can take you where you need to go and provide a place for rest and food.”
“And rest does sound delightful,” Solaire pointed out to Twilight. “How long has it been since we’ve sat down to eat without fear of these Guards finding us?”
Twilight nodded with a faint grin. The temptation was strong, and if this stranger was willing… “Alright, you’ve convinced me,” she smiled to them. She held out a hoof to the salesmare. “Welcome to the Warriors of Sunlight, Miss…” She blinked and retracted her hoof slightly with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Yes, um, most ponies here know me by OJ, but…” She hesitated, but with a proud smile, she took Twilight’s hoof and gave it a firm shake. “Please, call me Applejack.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Applejack. Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight nodded.
“And Solaire of Astora,” Solaire greeted warmly, giving the mare a small bow.
Applejack returned with a curtsy and giggled lightly. “Charmed.”
“I feel this is the beginning of a wonderful journey,” Solaire smiled, rising back to his feet.
“But now, we really do need to be moving,” Twilight reminded him. She gave an apologetic smile to Applejack. “Sorry, you’ll learn soon enough that it’s best if we keep moving. Last chance to back out?”
“Nonsense, darling,” Applejack waved. “I won’t hear another word of it. I’ll take you to Manehattan and wherever else you need. You can count on me.” The answer pleased her new companions, and without wasting another moment she trotted past them. “Come along now, dears. The walk to my trailer isn’t too dreadful, but we should get you out of the open as soon as we can.”
Twilight and Solaire looked to each other and smiled and quickly caught up with their new companion. “While we’re on our way, maybe we can hash out this plan of yours,” Twilight offered as she trotted up to Applejack. The once-salesmare smiled in return as they began to discuss the finer details of sneaking into Manehattan. Solaire stayed a close pace behind, a warmth bubbling in his heart at the sight of the two mares cooperating. It warmed his soul to see their party expanding, and he hoped this new addition wouldn’t be the last.
Tall Tales waved farewell as Twilight disappeared past the street with the Warrior and the stranger, hoping he had done enough. He was relieved to see her well. After all that had happened to her, the sacrifice her father made to ensure the Archive would stay safe, nopony would ever know how much they owed her family; perhaps not even her.
He gave her as many tomes as her saddlebags could carry; basics of combat magic, spells and counterspells, even a few light stories for the road, by her request. He hoped she wouldn’t have to use them, as useless as hoping was. It was going to be a long, arduous road for her, and he was just thankful that she had found a friend for company along it.
“Uncle Tales, eh?”
Tales froze as the voice sneered behind him. He dared to look behind him, and his heart nearly leapt from his chest. A thestral in Lunar armor landed on the steps of the library, his armored hooves clinking against the stone. His cold, blue eyes pierced through Tales, and he felt his heart filling with dread.
Night Owl looked past the librarian and down the street where the salesmare and the traitors had disappeared. How that mare had cannons for hind legs, he’d never know. A part of him kicked himself for letting her walk away, but he promised himself he would share her his piece of mind another moon. For now, he had more alluring prey to deal with.
“Didn’t know the traitors had relatives here,” he continued with devilish sneer. “What interesting ties you have, librarian.”
“I-I…” Tall Tales stammered. “I can explain!”
“Shtch!” the guard cut him off, raising a hoof. Tales didn’t dare utter another word. This one seemed tense.
“I’ve had a very… long moon tonight,” Night Owl explained through a sarcastic smile. “I’m not in the mood for any stories, librarian. All I know is that I just saw the traitors walk out your doors with very full saddlebags, much larger than I remembered them earlier.”
“Books!” Tales yelped. He strained to keep his nervous shudder under control and tried to sport his best poker face. Unfortunately, he was always terrible at poker. “They-They just dropped in, asking for some books for the road.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “I guess even dastardly traitors can enjoy a good read every once in a while.”
“I thought I said I didn’t want to hear any—!” Night Owl cut himself off as something came loose in his mouth. His tongue danced around the foreign yet familiar object before spitting it out. The fang clattered against the stone steps, and the two stallions eyed it curiously. The Lunar Guard was first to look up, sporting a forced, broken smile. Oh, how he was going to make that salesmare pay.
“The way I see it, either one of two things happened,” Night Owl explained. “Either the terrorists held you against your will and stole the books, or you willingly helped traitors to the Throne.” He strode closer to the librarian, who took a few uneasy steps back. “And given your… heartfelt goodbyes and your apparent relationship with one of them, I can’t help but be a little swayed,” he hissed. He paused as he was right on top of the stallion and casually glanced at the library next to them.
“It really makes you wonder why they came to this library as opposed to all the other closer ones from the marketplace,” he thought aloud, his sly smile never wavering. “And just for a few… What was it you said again? ‘A few good reads for the road’?”
Tall Tales tried to speak, but his mouth was immediately plugged before he could so much as let out a squeak. The Lunar Guard looked back to him with his cold, slitted eyes. “No, no,” he smiled. “No stories. I’m not in the mood. But I know somepony who might.” Tales’ heart froze as the Guard grabbed him by the hoof and gave him a wolf’s grin.
“You’re coming with me. I’m sure the Princess would love to hear your story, librarian.”
