//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: The Stink Bug 
// by Some1Else 
//------------------------------//

            In a blink, they were back on the ground. The chorus of insects and animals calling out to potential mates was as deafening as the noise produced in a busy tavern in Canterlot on the eve of Hearts and Hoofs day. They were in a small clearing. Dead grass was scattered haphazardly throughout the area. It began reviving in Shelly’s presence.

            “That grass must have been from Ponyville,” Applejack said. “This is the spot.”

            Twilight looked up. The airship was floating safely above them. A brown cicada landed on her muzzle, turned to the right, and launched off her nose with a noticeable push. She rubbed her muzzle and watched Aramak as he walked over to a specific spot. He bent over and picked up a rock that had been painted red.

            “She’s right,” Aramak said. “This is the last marker that was left behind.” He tossed the battered rock to the ground. “Whatever happened to my son and those who were with him had to have occurred around here somewhere.”

            “I think that’s your cue, Hocus,” Applejack said.

            Hocus’ horn lit up as he began gathering power. “I’m glad to be of service.”

            A white flash of light hit the area like a camera taking a picture. They waited for something to happen. Even the insects and animals had gone quiet at the interruption of their party. This was usually the part where an orphaned Changeling would jump out in one of Dash’s stories. Twilight looked around for what she knew they would be able to see. Patience was needed. The patrons of the outdoor tavern resumed their party since nothing interesting was happening.

            Biggs pulled his disc out. “Something is coming!”

            A mere second later, a large spectral beetle with a spiked shell entered the area and ran right through Wedge, who uttered a shriek. Everyone else got out of the way just in time to give room to a thin Salamander who was following the beetle. Shelly squeaked in recognition and almost ran towards the beetle, but Fluttershy held her back.

            Aramak pointed at the lanky Salamander. “That’s him! That’s Izu!”

            The beetle stopped and turned to face Izu, ready to fight. He appeared to shriek, which failed to intimidate Izu.

            “That’s the male kiburigo,” Aramak said. “Izu must have wanted to catch it and bring it back.”

            Izu reacted to an unseen figure and accepted a large net.

            “How many buddies does he have with him?” Applejack asked.

            “Twenty,” Aramak replied.

            “Shall I reveal them as well?” Hocus asked.

            “No, save your energy,” Twilight replied. “What you have already revealed is more than enough.”

            Things were not looking good for Mr. Shelly. The sharp tips on his shell were his most obvious defense against predators, but they weren’t going to help much if his target dodged and he found himself covered by a net. Something came between the two, causing them both to take a step back. Izu covered his nose with one hand and was knocked back by the force of a blow to his face. Without having to be asked, Hocus revealed another layer of the past to reveal the new combatant.

            Shelly had scuttled in to protect Mr. Shelly.

            Izu dry heaved a few times. He had been struck by Shelly’s goo attack and was taking it about as well as anybody really could while the two bugs stood together against the world, fighting extradition. Izu held up a hand, stopping those with him from dealing with the insects. He got on his feet while Shelly and Mr. Shelly continued shrieking. Izu wiped the mud off from his mouth and made three quick gestures at Shelly. She was sent on a one-way trip to Ponyville.

            Twilight knew what was coming next. Izu convulsed as if having been shocked. The demand for the spell had been too great. He managed to retain his dignity for three impressive seconds before succumbing to the inevitable and falling to the ground. Without thinking, Aramak dropped his staff and swooped in to catch his son before he collapsed. They hit the ground together. Mud splashed into the air. Twilight closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. She didn’t want to watch him back away from the apparition of his son in defeat.

            Mr. Shelly charged at Izu while he was down with renewed determination now that his friend had been taken from him. Someone managed to catch him from behind with a net that went taut just before Mr. Shelly slammed his shell into Izu, who had not yet recovered from the spell he had cast. Izu had both hands over his heart and his mouth was open in a silent scream. A knot formed in Twilight’s chest. She could almost feel Izu’s heart fighting to regain its normal rhythm. Those who were pulling Mr. Shelly away from Izu failed to contain his rage and lost their grips. He went on a beeline straight for Izu’s head.

            Izu had to react. He made the same three gestures he had made when dealing with Shelly. Twilight noticed that the third gesture was performed in a slightly different manner. It was where he had made his mistake. The pair vanished.

            “That was a little dramatic,” Wedge said, breaking the silence.

            Aramak rushed over to the spot his son had once occupied and put a hand on the ground as if doing so would provide him with a clue. “Where did he go?”

            The distress he had gained from watching his son in danger caused him to start shaking.

            Twilight had to be delicate. “Just hold on a little longer. Hocus, determine if the spell he cast was finished. If it was, attempt to determine where he went. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

            “That’s right,” Applejack interjected. “You’ve got a bunch of friends up there on the ship who would love to help.”

            The rule was simple. Twilight wasn’t going to be able to cast anything unless it was an emergency if Applejack was around because she had shown too much weakness, which had brought out Applejack’s leadership qualities. There wasn’t much time to dwell on it. Hocus did as he was asked. Izu appeared on the ground again, less solid than he had been before. Hocus had pinned him a moment after he had completed the spell, which was less than a second prior to his disappearance. A broken magic circle appeared around him. It was a bit difficult to see in the mud. Hocus projected the image in front of them so they could examine it.

            “How come that doesn’t look like math?” Fluttershy asked.

            “There’s two ways to write and read magic,” Twilight replied. “What you’re seeing right now is the traditional way of doing it.”

            “I prefer this style,” Hocus said. “It’s fancier.”

            “And those squiggles mean what, exactly?” Applejack asked.

            Twilight was happy to reply. “Half a ring of power. That’s bad. Very bad. The spell misfired. He was hurt, out of energy, and desperate. He wanted to get away and he didn’t care where he went. Can you see the symbols? Starting from the top and going to the right, here’s what they mean. The location of the caster is confirmed. The spell selected is teleportation. There’s no rune after that. The rune that should be there symbolizes a confirmed location. If what happened isn’t already apparent, that leaves no doubt. Moving right along, --- ”

            “Thank you, Professor Sparkle,” Applejack said. “I am sorry I asked. Listening to all that makes me feel like I could almost grow a horn. He’s stuck in a limbo, isn’t he?”

            “Yes, and it is possible to get him out,” Twilight said.

            Aramak laughed a little. “Possible? You’re not sure? What kind of an answer is that?”

            Twilight needed to keep him calm. “Aramak, we will do whatever we can to save your son.”

            “There is then a possibility you cannot, right?” Aramak asked.

            “Yes,” Applejack replied before Twilight could think of a less blunt way to put it.

            Aramak threw his hands into the air and turned his back to them. “Unbelievable! I should have known better than to trust you so blindly.”

            His guard was coming back up. If things got any worse, he would walk back home.

            “Hey bud, she didn’t get your kid into this mess,” Wedge replied.

            Applejack looked at Wedge, put a hoof up to her lips, and dragged it across them. Zip it.

            “Don’t panic,” Fluttershy said.

            “Don’t panic?” Aramak asked. He lunged at Fluttershy and put his face a mere inch away from hers as if to share a secret, but his voice was too loud to conceal what he had to say. “What am I supposed to do if he isn’t coming back? My son is all I have left!”

            Twilight winced. She wished he hadn’t said that. It had been better before when it was just a hunch.

            Aramak started pacing. “Am I supposed to let my halfwit nephew run the village? Or maybe I should just find a new wife and hope the demons we have to deal with don’t find her quite so --- ”

            “Aramak, that’s enough!” Applejack shouted. She marched up to him and hit his chest with her hoof. “Don’t.” Applejack struck him again. “Panic.” She took a step back. “It’s not helpin’, alright?”

            “Twilight is kind of a professional,” Fluttershy said, trying to lighten the mood. It would have helped if her voice wasn’t wavering. “She might not admit it herself, but she is. Her newborn niece almost destroyed an entire city, but she figured out how to stop it from happening. She could have failed, but she didn’t. That’s just one example. I’m not saying she’s perfect, but you couldn’t ask for a better pony to be helping you right now.”

            “Yer lucky,” Applejack said. “That’s a very good start.”

            Aramak sighed and stepped away from them. “I’m sorry. I overreacted. I tend to do that. I’m sure you’ve noticed. Don’t let it keep any of you from working. Please.”

            “It’s fine, Aramak,” Twilight said. “I understand how you feel. I don’t want to give you a promise I don’t think I can keep. We should leave it at that.”

            “That’s very considerate of you,” Aramak said.

            Twilight nodded and turned to Hocus. “I think we’re done here. You may take us back to the bridge whenever you are ready.”

            She closed her eyes to blink just as Hocus cast the spell and opened her eyes to see the crystal powering the airship floating above her. Her ears popped. Hocus hadn’t adjusted for that, likely conserving energy for his upcoming duty. Onyx had gathered the mages like she had asked and they snapped to attention now that she had returned, ready to receive orders. Twilight spotted the unicorn studying at the intermediate level, who was on the afternoon shift. Her brooch was an eclipse and her cape was light gray.

            Twilight didn’t keep her audience waiting. “Okay, everyone. There’s only one thing left to do before we can all go home. We’ve got to perform a Void Rescue. It’s a common spell you can find in any manual. I have never had to use it and I don’t think any of you have either, so your knowledge of the spell might be a little rusty. Hocus, could you project it for them?”

            He did as he was asked. Twilight studied the floating formula and confirmed it was correct. If a single variable was out of place, they were all in trouble.

            “It has been three days since the accident has occurred. As any of you should be able to guess, the atoms we are looking for have scattered far beyond the limits of what the spell would normally be able to reach. We will need to draw power from the crystal to increase the effectiveness of the spell. I’m going to have Red Iris monitor the crystal while the rest of us work. We’re going to do this in the cargo hold since we will have a lot of room to work with down there. Is there another microphone we can use so I don’t have to keep going back and forth from the bridge to the cargo hold?”

            Iris nodded and produced what had been requested out of nothing. Twilight took it from her with her own aura, nearly dropping it during the exchange as a sudden burst of pain interrupted her concentration.

            “Our target is Izu, Aramak’s son. He is the only Salamander who can use magic. Prior to getting himself stuck in the void, he was trapping unwanted creatures inside of it. We might wind up pulling them out while trying to save him. If we do, we will send them off the airship before they can do any damage.”

            “At least it won’t be boring,” Biggs said.

            “Before we begin, I want to get the book this spell is in from Celestia’s room so I can have it with me,” Twilight said. “The rest of you should go on ahead to the cargo hold and wait for me there.”

            Four of the mages in front of Twilight teleported to the cargo hold. The members of the evening crew didn’t use magic and shambled towards the bottom of the ship with the elegance of intoxicated rubes.

            Twilight turned to her companions. “Fluttershy, Mr. Shelly is not going to be very happy when we pull him through. Be ready for that. Go on ahead.”

            “Come on, Shelly,” Fluttershy said. “We’re going to save your boyfriend.”

            Shelly chirped and followed Fluttershy as she left the bridge.

            Twilight levitated her microphone in front of Applejack. “Hang on to this for me, please.”

            Applejack took off her hat and offered it to Twilight, who dropped the microphone into it. She put her hat back on.

            “Is there any way we can get Cadance, Luna, or Celestia down here within the next day?” Applejack asked.

            “No. This must be done now. The longer we wait, the less likely we are to succeed.”

            “Are you going to help?”

            Twilight sighed in reaction to Applejack’s concern. “If they can’t manage to pull him out, I’ll have to step in and see what I can do.”

            Applejack muttered something that sounded like a potent oath. Twilight ignored it.

            “Biggs, I’ll need another Elixir of Concentration. If they aren’t willing to give it to you, turn it into a direct order from me. Meet me in Celestia’s room. Knock first.”

            He hesitated for a moment, but then proceeded to carry out the task he had been given.

            “Iris, lower the ship until it almost touches the tree line since that will make the spell easier to cast,” Twilight said. “Onyx, have the pegasus soldiers focus on defending the deck so anything we cast out to the swamp doesn’t make its way back inside. That should be it. I’ll meet the rest of you in the cargo hold in a few minutes.”

            Aramak let Applejack and Wedge take the lead before he went with them. Twilight travelled back to her room, being sure to take off her boots before she tracked swamp goo all over the floor. It seemed alien to be in a place of refuge at a time of conflict. Someone had been in the room while she was gone to tidy it up. The maid had even touched her desk.

            With a click of her tongue, Twilight went over to the spot where her organized chaos had once been. The books she had brought with her were arranged into an alphabetical stack. She had piled them up in their order of importance. Twilight retrieved the definitive edition of the Encyclopedia of Magical Mishaps, which had previously been at the top of her precarious tower of books. She sat down in her chair and turned to the page dedicated to the spell she was about to supervise. The equation, notes, and illustrations of what to expect greeted her. A successful attempt was depicted as two parents rescuing a foal in diapers sucking on a pacifier. Everything was in order.

            Twilight needed a saddlebag. She retrieved one from Celestia’s closet. The haggard apparition she noticed out of the corner of her eye in the full-length mirror near the closet caught her attention. Rarity would have passed out if Twilight walked into her shop in her current condition. A few white petals from earlier hadn’t fallen out of her coat. Her eyes were bloodshot. The bruise around her horn was starting to creep out from under her bangs. Her mane needed to be washed. A quick spell would fix most of it, but then she would wind up looking better than everybody else. Her gritty appearance had to count for something. Those around her would be more willing to work harder if they saw how dirty she had become.

            A knock at her door distracted her. Twilight stuffed the book she had come for into her saddlebag and answered it. The potion she wanted was in front of Biggs on the floor.

            “They weren’t happy,” Biggs said. “It turned into an order.”

            “Wait out here a moment.” Twilight scooped the potion up in a hoof and closed the door with her shoulder.

            With as much dignity as the act would allow, Twilight guzzled Zecora’s potion. Her body anticipated the boost it was about to receive and alleviated her fatigue of its own accord. She failed to stifle a burp that brought back the taste she was actively trying to forget as she placed the empty potion bottle on her desk. The deed was done. She could continue using magic without experiencing pain for a little while longer.

            Biggs accompanied her on her brief journey to the cargo room. He looked worried, but said nothing. Twilight gave him a reassuring smile. His lips scrunched up as if he were about to cry. It wasn’t the reaction she had been expecting.

            “You’ll feel better if you stop worrying so much,” Twilight said.

            Her friends would have thrown such an audacious statement right back at her.

            Biggs didn’t have that luxury. “It pains me to see you straining yourself.”

            Twilight came to an abrupt stop. “Biggs, it’s part of the job. If Celestia were here, she would be working just as hard as me. Maybe even harder.”

            Biggs smirked. “That’s true, ma’am. I’m sorry I couldn’t figure that on my own.”

            She envied how easy it was for him to switch his negativity off. “You’re fine. There’s no need to apologize.”

            When she reached her destination, she discovered that Hocus had started without her. The crates and boxes containing supplies had been cleared away to give them a larger area to work in. One of them had demolished Shelly’s playground.

            Eight unicorn mages stood together in a circle. All their horns were glowing. In front of them was a large transparent container. Atoms would be forced to reassemble inside of it once they reached that step in the process. Someone had decided to make the container grey in color since the combination of all their auras would not have resulted in an attractive outcome.

            Applejack took her hat off and stood in front of Twilight, revealing the microphone she had been carrying inside of it. Twilight took the device with her aura and placed it inside her saddlebag.

            “Is there anything I can do to help with this spell?” Applejack asked. “I’m an Element of Harmony. That must count for somethin’. Can you use what natural magic I have to lessen the burden on yourself?”

            “Yeah, but it would be dangerous. I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

            A sour expression appeared on Applejack’s face. “If you were concerned about me gettin’ hurt, you shouldn’t have asked me to come along with you on this trip.”

            Twilight nodded. “You’ve got me there. Alright. I’ll link your earth magic up with mine and convert it into something I can use, but it won’t be comfortable.”

            Applejack sighed. “I grew up on a farm, Twi.”

            Fluttershy stepped forward to join in with Shelly following her. “I would also like to help. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

            Twilight chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you two know what will happen if this goes south? You might lose some of the abilities you were born with. That means not being able to farm as effectively or walk on clouds. If that were to happen, it could be fixed, but it would take a little while.”

            Fluttershy laughed a little. “You could have kept that to yourself, you know.”

            “That doesn’t change my mind,” Applejack said. “I trust you, Twilight, and I know you will make this work.”

            Such confidence. With as much success as Twilight had enjoyed over the years, she was due for a huge failure.    “Okay. So long as you remain in the circle, I will draw power from you, but only if I must. When you can’t take it anymore, step outside of the circle. Don’t wait for me to tell you when you should leave. Once you have left the circle, do not step back in.”

            Aramak stepped forward and put a hand on his chest. “I want in on this.”

            “I would much rather you help Biggs and Wedge fight off whatever we rescue if we can’t send it off the ship fast enough,” Twilight said.

            “Fine. Do I need to stay out of your circle?” Aramak asked.

            “Only when we’re putting something together. You’re free to move around inside of the container when we’re gathering atoms. You might feel like you’re being tickled, but that’s completely normal. I’d also like you to be ready to greet your warriors when they arrive. They haven’t been conscious since the spell was miscast, so they will be disoriented.”

            “How many animals do you think Izu trapped?” Fluttershy asked.

            “If I had to guess, I’d say less than twenty, but more than one,” Twilight replied.

            “What happens if you pull somethin’ through that is taller than this room?” Applejack asked. “Say he put one of them zay-soys in there, for example.”

            Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “One half would need to be pulled in, placed in another limbo, and then put back together in a specific spot once the other half was ready.”

            Doubtful murmurs went through the circle of unicorns.

            “Is that even possible?” Hocus asked.

            A spell to do what she had proposed popped into her head. “Yes. If we must save a zasoi, let me do it.”

            “Will it be in any pain?” Fluttershy asked.

            “Yes, but only for less than a minute. It will survive,” Twilight replied.

            “Oh,” Fluttershy said. “I hope that doesn’t happen.”

            “Why bother saving one of those things?” Aramak asked. “Let it remain condemned.”

            “I understand how you feel, but what has happened to it is not a fate that anyone deserves,” Twilight said. “There are better ways to deal with hostile creatures that can’t be tamed. Are there any other questions before we begin?”

            Wedge raised a hoof and Twilight pointed at him. “Can you guys tell what you’re catching?”

            “We can tell what atoms go where, but we won’t know what we have unless we modify the spell to show us that, which would increase the energy needed to maintain it.”

            Biggs took out his sleep disc. “Be ready for anything, then.”

            “That’s always a good philosophy,” Aramak said.

            “Applejack, take my right,” Twilight said. “Fluttershy, you’re on my left.”

            Fluttershy turned to Shelly and gave her a reassuring pat near her mouth. “Okay, Shelly. It’s time. No matter how scary things get, don’t run away. Let us handle it. We’ll do what we can to save your friend.”

            Shelly squeaked and moved to the entrance of the cargo hold where she wouldn’t be in the way.

            “Let’s make this circle a little wider to give our guards a shot at what we’re rescuing,” Twilight said.

            Everyone got into position. Aramak stood right behind Twilight, holding his staff ready. Biggs and Wedge were a little apart, but had a clear shot at the center of the circle. Both had their discs ready to throw.

            Twilight took the microphone out of her saddlebag and let it float in front of her. “Iris, can you hear me?”

            “Yes. Onyx says we are ready whenever you are,” Iris said.

            If there was ever a perfect moment to begin, Twilight knew she was experiencing it. She felt a hand come to rest on her flank and almost jumped five feet into the air. Twilight looked behind her and found Aramak.

            “Before you do this, I want you to know regardless of the outcome, I won’t cast aside our friendship. All of you have put more effort into this than I thought you would have. So long as you never claim any part of our swamp as yours, you will always be welcome in it as our guests.”

            Indeed, they could roast marshmallows over a camp fire together and sing about how tedious work could get while drinking mugs spilling over with cider. That would be more than fine. But the fact she had failed to save his son would never be erased. It would be there, ready to drag its cold tongue slowly up her spine when she crawled into bed and just started getting comfortable. Would Aramak keep his word, or would he eventually come to resent her and change his mind once his people were no longer starving? She didn’t want to find out. Her reaction to his statement was a smile. Always a smile. It set everyone at ease.

            “Thank you, Aramak. I am looking forward to working together with you. And your son.”

            That bit at the end should have been left out, but her resolve needed to remain firm.

            “I will now join the spell as a spectator and give orders,” Twilight said. “If help is needed, I will intervene.”

            Her horn began glowing. She now had a sense of how much energy was at their disposal. The night crew would be the first to go when the spell got rough, but that’s what the crystal was there for. She spoofed her own energy level, tricking the unicorns into thinking she had a little more power than she did. They didn’t need to worry about her.

            “Let’s link up with the crystal,” Twilight said.

            They sent out a collective connection to the crystal. A lavender tail sprouted from the container, snaked to Twilight’s left, and slithered out of the room. It didn’t take long for the tail to reach the bridge and plug into the crystal. Goosebumps erupted underneath Twilight’s coat.

            “Alright,” Twilight said. “We won’t call in any energy from the crystal or my friends until it is necessary. Let’s start by pulling in everything from a fifty-mile radius by ourselves.”

            That was the current record, but Twilight didn’t say anything. Hocus took the lead. She watched as he moved the spell forward with the other unicorns. The container was encouraged to draw in atoms, which would be made visible in the form of marbles to let the caster know they weren’t wasting their time. None appeared immediately. She wasn’t deterred. Saving Izu would require little effort. He’d pop out like toast with a pacifier, a diaper, and a rattle. Just like what was in the book.

            Lying to herself had rarely felt so good.