//------------------------------// // 006 - Home Calling // Story: Songs of the Spheres // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// Spike walked to the Mirror Portal room, a cup of piping hot tea in his hand. It was far too hot to drink at the moment, so he was wandering around while it cooled. He had expected to find Twilight and the gang preparing for another adventure, but they weren’t here. Maybe they’d taken an off day or something, though they had gone almost every day in the last week. He’d heard tales of new friends, awesomeness, explosions, and strange games. At first he’d felt left out, but now he realized that getting involved would probably drain a lot of his time, and he was not the mad machine of productivity Twilight was. He, like any normal living being, needed more than four hours of sleep a day. He glanced at the Mirror Portal. It was on, connected to some far off world, like it always was. Usually the default was Earth, but Twilight was forgetful and often forgot to switch it back until Sunset yelled at her through the communication journals. Speaking of which, one of them was on a nearby table right now. He would have opened it, but that would have been rude. The private correspondence between Twilight and Sunset was none of his business. He found himself staring at the globe of magic above the Mirror Portal, the device that contained the glowing pattern of a faraway world. This particular cloud seemed to be a half and half mixture of vibrant rainbow and dusty desert colors. The colorful contradiction drew him in and soon he had no idea how long he’d been standing there. He checked his tea – still too hot. He really needed to get a control on his fire breath when heating things up. He may have been fireproof but heat was still uncomfortable. Something extremely fast shot right past his ear, setting him on edge. This something hit the wall behind him with a pang! He didn’t even have time to turn around before another one shot through the gap in his legs, denting the floor beneath him. A third one flew right through his teacup, shattering the piece of porcelain and pouring steaming water on his hand. He screamed and ducked for cover, the sudden heat serving as a good reminder that he should get out of the way. More of the tiny objects – bullets, Spike’s mind finally concluded, drawing on what he knew of humans from Twilight – shot from the portal, bouncing off the crystal walls. No others came close to hitting Spike, but he knew his chances of escaping unscathed lowered the longer those bullets kept flying. “TWIIIIILIIIIIGHT!” he yelled. Twilight leaped out of the portal, performing an athletic roll while holding a magical shield up, deflecting several bullets. Her friends poured out of the portal right behind her, ducking out of the way of the bullet stream. Amazingly, there wasn’t a single bullet wound on any of them, though they were ragged and covered in dust. “Close the portal!” Applejack yelled. “On it!” Twilight said, using her telekinesis on a nearby lever. She was unable to change it fast enough – a giant man stepped out of the portal, so large that Spike wasn’t sure he was human despite his peach skin, red shirt, and giant gatling gun. He pointed a finger at Rarity. “SPY!” He yelled in a deep, thundering voice. “What is that, the catchphrase of your people!?” Rarity retorted, exasperated. The heavy man readied his gun to tear Rarity to shreds, but Twilight wasn’t having any of that. She grabbed him in her magic and threw him back through the portal. Then she changed the destination to somewhere else, letting out a sigh of relief. “Yeah!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “That showed him!” “…Do we know why he was attacking us?” Fluttershy asked. “Why they were all attacking us?” Pinkie shrugged. “I think we interrupted them in the middle of something. Probably shouldn’t hold it against them.”  “They kept calling me a spy and shooting at me!” Rarity wailed. “Then there was that man who hit me with a baseball bat!” She rubbed the back of her head. “I’m going to be lumpy for at least a day!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Nobody can see that bump, Rarity.” “Maybe I care about how much it hurts rather than how it looks for once!” Rainbow Dash raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Okay, so it’s both. Whatever. I still have a right to complain!” “It must be horrible there…” Fluttershy said. “Always fighting…” “Fluttershy, we were only there for, what, ten minutes?” Twilight said. “We don’t know if they’re always fighting.” “Pretty sure they are,” Pinkie said. “It’s a big game to them!” Twilight twitched. “…Fair enough. Regardless, it seems we ended our adventure early… I’ve got about a dozen other worlds we could check out, and we’ve got plenty of time-“ Applejack raised a hoof. “Twi? Ah’m gonna have to pass. Ah’ve got work to do. Haven’t been doing as much on the farm as Ah need to lately.” Twilight nodded. “That’s fine Applejack, we’ll see you tomorrow then-“ Applejack shook her head slowly. “Twi, it’s a bit more than just takin’ a day off. Ah need to stop doin’ this.” Twilight stopped flipping through her book of discovered worlds and looked Applejack in the eyes. “…What are you saying?” “Ah’m sayin’ these little adventures of ours are gettin’ in the way of my life and my responsibilities. Far more than they should. So Ah’m checkin’ out, goin’ to my farm and doin’ what’s needed. Ah’m sorry, but this just isn’t meant for me Twi.” Twilight sagged. “I’ll respect your decision Applejack, but… Are you sure?” “Very sure. In fact, Ah’m surprised the rest of you haven’t thought about this. How much of our lives are we putting into this exploration? Twilight, you’re a princess. Have you been taking care of what you need to?” “I – of course I have!” Twilight said, flustered. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “…Okay, I’ve been loading a lot of it off on Spike…” Spike blinked. She had? …He supposed he did have more work than usual, but he didn’t really mind. Should he mind? He didn’t know; he’d have to think on that one. Applejack nodded. “See? You’ve had to give up some stuff too. And it’s fine if you want to give that up, but my life is at the Apple Farm, not here. Ah suggest you – all of you – think about what you want to do here. Ah don’t think any of you have really thought about all the time you’re sinking into this.” She adjusted her hat and smiled. “See you girls around. Ah’ll be at my farm, where Ah belong. Hope you girls enjoy whatever it is you decide to do.” She walked out of the room, leaving five ponies speechless. Twilight gulped. “Well…” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Ah, whatever, let’s just go to a new place already.” “Rainbow, I think she’s right,” Rarity said. “We should think about this. I have boutiques, after all…” Twilight nodded. “Applejack does have a point. …Let’s take a break today. Meet back here tomorrow if you still want to go somewhere, okay everypony?” Everypony nodded. “Good. I want you to know that, whatever you decide, I’ll respect it. And… Well, that I need to think as well. I’ll let you girls use the Mirror even if I don’t though, so no worries.” She put a hoof to her chin, walking to a nearby wall. The other four ponies stood still, in awkward silence. Twilight turned and looked at them. “Uh… you girls can go now. Okay?” “Oh. Right,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “See you tomorrow?” “Hopefully,” Pinkie said, walking out instead of bouncing like normal. Rarity took a breath. “Time to go sort out our lives then, I suppose.” Soon, Spike was left standing alone in the room, feeling a little existential. He sat down, holding his legs close. He wished he still had that tea. It would have been drinkable by now. ~~~ A few miles out from Ponyville there was a giant cloud construction known as the Wonderbolt Academy, where pegasus stunt fliers were trained and one of the more common places the actual Wonderbolts practiced their stunt shows. Rainbow Dash had quickly found herself in one of these practice sessions after the earlier conversation at the castle. Flying always helped clear her head, and extreme flying was just better in every imaginable way. She flew across the length of the clouded academy at speeds close to that of sound itself, leaving a complex trail of rainbows over the runways embedded in the cloudy ‘ground’. Other pegasi – both students and fellow Wonderbolts – cheered her on as she picked up speed. She wasn’t going for a rainboom this time. They’d all seen that trick before. Even though it was her signature move and by far the showiest, she was always looking for something a little more interesting to perform for the audience. She checked behind her to make sure the rainbow trail of pegasus magic was perfectly vibrant, which it was. She smirked to herself and angled herself directly upward, twisting her left wing slightly to turn her body in a corkscrew motion. The rainbow trail behind her became a twisting ribbon, spiraling behind her at an ever-increasing frequency. Soon, a tall and narrow tornado formed around the rainbow ribbon, coursing with the energies of the wind and air itself. When she felt as though she should stop climbing any higher in altitude, she pivoted her body around and kicked the rising tornado with her hoof, forcing a discharge of static energy throughout the cyclone. A bolt of lightning drove itself through the swirling rainbow, destroying it in a single instant with a thundering roar. Rainbow Dash went temporarily deaf from the thunder but she could see the cheers and applause coming from the ponies on the ground. She gently glided down to the runway and landed gracefully, smirking. As her hearing returned, she could hear the shouts and commendations from the other pegasi. She grinned. She loved her job. The grin vanished in an instant as she remembered what Applejack had said earlier. Would traveling through the worlds keep her from doing this? If she was forced to choose… Spitfire, the fiery leader of the Wonderbolts, walked up to her. “…You okay, Crash?” Rainbow Dash started nodding – then shook her head. “Can I… Talk to you for a minute?” Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “Sure. Here or the office?” Rainbow Dash looked around at all the ponies. “Office.” Spitfire’s expression became concerned. “Well all right then.” The two of them flew to one of the larger cloud-mounted buildings, entering the top floor. Spitfire sat at her desk, shoving all the paperwork off to the side of the desk, probably ruining a few students’ test scores in the process. “What’s on your mind Crash?” Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “Well… Hard to explain. How about – well, think about it like this. What if you had been doing something for the last week or so that was so awesome and full of adventure that you’d forgotten about doing most anything else.” “Was this why you missed last practice?” Rainbow Dash blushed. “Eheh… Maybe, but let me finish. So you do this thing, right? And it’s awesome and great and could change the world. But then one of your friends says you need to think about what you’re giving up, what you’re not doing, that sort of thing. And you realize that by doing this thing you’re neglecting your childhood dream that you spent so long trying to accomplish, squandering it.” “Ah,” Spitfire said. “You’ve found something more interesting than flying stunt shows.” “N-no!” Spitfire facehooved. “Crash, let me tell you something. All we really do is fly in complex patterns so ponies can have a sense of awe. In theory, we’re a special ops military unit for Equestria, but there’s never any battles so we’re rarely called in as that. If you’ve found something that can really change the world, I’d take it.” Rainbow Dash blinked. “…Spitfire? Are you saying that…” Spitfire interrupted with a sigh. “…I didn’t join the Wonderbolts all those years ago to become a stunt flier, Rainbow Dash. I joined to defend Equestria and make a difference. But this is what we became. It’s a fine life, don’t get me wrong, but I often feel like there’s something… missing. And I’m rather stuck here. You though… you’re not.” “Are you… Telling me to stop being a Wonderbolt?” Spitfire laughed. “Oh hay no! …Guess I was laying it on a little thick there. I’m just saying you should pursue what’s valuable. You’d know this if you thought about your Wonderbolt history more, but many Wonderbolts have taken time off to pursue other interests, and more than a few come back later. Why, I remember Fleetfoot vanishing for two years!” She laughed. “I still have no idea what she did.” Rainbow Dash frowned. “I still don’t know if I want to.” “Hey, your decision. You are one of our best fliers and your tricks make the shows worth seeing for a lot of ponies. But if I were able to elope, I would.” She glanced at a piece of paper. Rainbow Dash frowned. “I really don’t know. This is what I’ve wanted my whole life, Spitfire, you know that. I’m happy here. But I’m also happy there.” She grabbed her head. “Ugh, why do decisions have to be so hard?” Spitfire laughed. “No offense Rainbow, but that’s just life itself. You’re going to have to choose one way or another. Or find some third option. Just don’t refuse to decide.” A wistful look appeared in her eyes. “That never ends well.” Rainbow Dash looked out the window at the many pegasi, young and old, doing stunts in the brilliant sunlight. She bit her lip, still not knowing what to do. “Spitfire, this was my life. I’m happy here. I love my job. I don’t know if I’ll love adventuring as much as I love this.” “It’s your life. All I’m telling you is what I’d do. But then again, I’m not known for being satisfied with life. If you are satisfied, I wouldn’t throw that away. Very few ponies can actually consider themselves happy with life.” “I know… Ugh. Why does thinking about things have to be so hard?” Spitfire laughed. “I’m tempted to say that your question is also your answer.” “…What?” “You aren’t a thinker. You’re a pony who acts based on instinct and feeling most of the time. That’s pretty knuckleheaded of you, but it makes you who you are. If your mind fails you, follow your gut.” “My gut is a twisted knot that doesn’t even know which way’s up!” “Now, is that from the decision or the trick you just pulled out there?” “I don’t know!” Rainbow Dash rammed her head into the desk. Spitfire patted Rainbow Dash’s head with her wing. “There, there, it’ll be fine.” “…That doesn’t help.” Spitfire shrugged. “Well then pony-up and make a decision. I’ll support you whatever you do.” ~~~ Suddenly Pinkie Pie was standing over two adorable foals by the name of Pound and Pumpkin Cake. They weren't quite babies anymore, but they were still really young. “Hello!” Pinkie called. The twins smiled at her and raised their hooves excitedly. Pinkie grabbed them and swept them into a big hug. “Aren’t you two just the most adorable things?” They nodded in unison. Pinkie giggled. “Well, I need to talk to you two about something. Usually I’d go talk to Gummy, but he’s surprisingly unhelpful today. I mean, just look at him!” She pulled a small toothless alligator out of her mane and set him on the floor. He blinked, remaining motionless. “See? He’s just being existential again! Come on Gummy, snap out of it! We do not fall to the forces beyond our control!” Gummy licked his eyeball. Pinkie facehooved. “These moods of yours. What am I going to do with you? Tsk tsk tsk.” Gummy did nothing at all. Pinkie returned to the twins. “See? I’m not crazy.” This prompted the twins to laugh. Pinkie glared at them. “Oh, so you find that funny, do you? Do I look crazy to you?” She giggled. “Of course I do, what am I thinking. Hey! You’ve sidetracked me, you rascals! I’ve got something important to talk to you two about!” They stared at her, giving her their absolute attention. “So, it looks like I’ve been given the opportunity to go on a grand adventure that will be bigger than anything any of us can imagine! But to do that, I’d have to see you two a lot less, and probably stop working at the bakery. I mean, I suppose I could just leave your parents with a stockpile of random pastries, because those aren’t hard to make.” To prove her point she pulled two cupcakes out of her mane and gave them to the twins. They ate the pastries in one gulp. “Buuuuuuuuut there’s something about working in that bakery. And, well, I guess to be completely honest, I could probably work at the bakery just fine, I’d just need to manage my time. But what the real problem is… is I won’t be able to celebrate the birthdays of every pony in Ponyville! It can’t be done!” She leaned on a chair that hadn’t been there a moment before, putting her front leg to her forehead. “Oh the horror! A pony in Ponyville not getting a birthday cake from me!” The twins looked at her, sadly. “And it’ll only get worse. You can’t tell anyone, because they don’t know this, but I know that soon this whole series of tiny adventures will get blown way out of control. I’m so nervousited about it! I could be part of the biggest amazing thing ever! But… It’ll also be hard if I’m involved. I could be so helpful to everypony, but I would have to be put through so much…” They looked at her questioningly. “I don’t know exactly what, sorry. There’ll be both good and bad. There’ll be good and bad regardless. It’s what life is, really.” She giggled. “But I have a choice. I can stay here and be the party pony of Ponyville… Or go out and become… Something else.” She fell silent, looking down at the ground. “…It should be easy,” she said. “All I have to do is realize that there’s something bigger than me. And I can be a part of it. Why am I so selfish!? Why do I want a simple life in a simple town!?” she groaned, slumping to the ground. “Everything outside is so exciting, so powerful, so amazing. There’s almost definitely a world filled with nothing but giant donuts and it’s almost guaranteed that I will find it one day! That is, if I go. If I don’t… I just stay here with you, with the ponies I know.” She stood up, looking in a window and seeing her reflection. “…Who am I kidding? The problem’s not the bakery, the problem’s not the other ponies in Ponyville, it’s me. And just me. I’m scared.” The twins walked up to her and hugged her. Pinkie giggled. “Yeah… Hugs are always welcome.” She wiped a tear away, looking out the window, out into the existence only she was aware of. She caught glimpses… She had a choice. She could stay or go. The end result would probably be the same regardless of her choice. But… But she could make a difference. If she was willing to put herself out there. To welcome the danger and the coming sorrow. “…The sadness will come anyway,” she said to herself. The twins looked up at her. “It’s okay, not you. You two are safe.” She giggled. “Look at me, I’m starting to cry for no good reason. Silly Pinkie, you’re not juggling lives in your hooves.” Gummy stared at her. “Stop giving me that look,” Pinkie muttered, shaking her head and wiping her eyes. “I am thinking, Gummy. Thinking hard.” Gummy blinked. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. You were always right. Sorry for being mean to you earlier, you didn’t deserve that. Sometimes I need a healthy dose of existentialism!” Gummy licked her hoof. “Awwww, thank you Gummy!” She pulled him and the twins into another hug. “Thank you all! I think I know what to do now!” She set them down, stuffed Gummy back into her mane, and bounced into the main room of Sugarcube Corner, taking her position at the counter next to the blue form of Mrs. Cake. “Hey Mrs. Cake!” Mrs. Cake’s ears perked up. ”Pinkie, you’re using that tone of voice...” “What tone of voice?” “The tone of voice of ‘I did something and now I have to tell you about it, please don’t be mad’. What did you break?” “What?” Pinkie said, aghast. “Nothing! I broke nothing! I just spent some time seriously thinking about my life! You know, healthy things for healthy ponies to do healthily! Everypony needs to do some deep thinking from time to time.” Mrs. Cake blinked. “…And what were you thinking about?” “Well, life, but you want something more specific. I was thinking about adventures, alligators, two awesome little foals in the other room, baking, parties… And if I’m going to go exploring with my friends long-term or stay here in Ponyville.” “And what did you decide?” Pinkie grinned. “You’re about to find out! Just you and nopony else!” She winked and giggled. ~~~ Animals. Fluttershy loved animals. Fluttershy loved animals more than ponies a lot of the time. She understood animals when she didn’t understand ponies. Their desires were simpler, their lives quieter, and they were just so much more fluffy. Well, most of the time. Fish and reptiles weren’t fluffy. And neither were bugs. And… Okay so a lot of things weren’t fluffy but she liked the fluffy ones because they were so huggable. And a big snake was huggable as well; you just had to know how to hug it right. Fluttershy was one of those ponies who knew. Presently, she was hugging all the animals that lived at her house – the snakes, the bears, the rabbits, the squirrels, the bees, the hummingbirds, the turtles, the strange squishy things that didn’t have official names but she called frishen, Rexy, and the other innumerable types of animals. She was in bliss as she did this, all her worries vanishing by simple contact with hundreds of animals. Her house was a haven. Not as good as Sweet Feather Sanctuary, but that place was the animals’ home, not hers. There was just something about her treehouse that made her feel glad to be there. Though she was starting to feel a little crushed by the sheer mass of animals around her… “Okay! Enough hugs for now!” she said. They all backed off without so much as a growl of fuss. “Thank you,” she said, sitting down on her couch and taking a deep breath – and finally allowing herself to think. Applejack was always the one to point out what should be obvious. Really, she wondered how Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow managed to go to other worlds that often given their jobs. But Fluttershy knew she didn’t really have a job – she just cared for animals and the Sanctuary, things that she definitely didn’t get paid for. She lived off the welfare of others these days, though years ago she had lived off the welfare of animals and the forests. She had to admit, even though the food her friends provided was tasty, she did miss forest berry salad sometimes. But really, what was she leaving behind when she went through that Mirror? She had little to no responsibilities. She was mainly worried about the adventures themselves. As much progress as she had made over the years, she still wasn’t all that keen on constant danger and adrenaline. Did she want to keep going? That was the question. The time she spent with her friends was precious to her, and she had to admit the places they went that didn’t have danger were beautiful and fun. She even had some animals from those other worlds here right now. Rexy was the most obvious of these, having refused to leave after he was healed, standing now as a sort of sentinel for Fluttershy’s house. He did have to eat a lot, which scared some of the other animals, but they were slowly realizing that Rexy knew who was off limits. Harry the bear had even ridden Rexy for a while in one of the most adorable scenes Fluttershy had seen with two apex predators. Usually they were a lot less adorable than that. But that was the way life was. A plate hit her in the face. Fluttershy shook her head and glared at the white rabbit that had thrown the dish – Angel Bunny, simultaneously her most beloved and most infuriating animal. “Angel! That is not how you greet ponies!” Angel grabbed another plate and pointed down at it with his finger. Then he pointed into his mouth. Fluttershy gasped. “…Did I forget to feed you!?” Angel nodded vigorously and glared at her. “Oh my gosh I’m so so so sorry Angel I… I completely forgot, I think I was caught up in the moment of coming home and hugging everyone…” He threw the other plate at her and folded his arms. This time the plate shattered on impact. “Ow! Angel bunny! I am getting you food!” Angel folded his arms and glared. He held up a calendar of the current month and pointed at the current week. Red x’s were around three days. “I fed you on Thursday…” Fluttershy said, nervously. Angel took a book off a shelf and showed her a complicated salad with a cherry on top. He pointed at the cherry and growled. “I thought we discussed eating food even when it doesn’t have cherries, Angel.” Angel made a slicing motion over his neck and threw his arms into the air. He pointed at Fluttershy and made a noise that was supposed to be threatening but just sounded cute. Fluttershy sagged. “You… You’re right. I… I have been forgetting to feed you and I’ve been neglecting you and…” she burst into tears. “I’M SORRY!” She grabbed Angel and pulled him into a hug. “I’LL NEVER LET YOU STARVE AGAIN!” Angel rolled his eyes and accepted the hug. “I’ll… I’ll have to call off the adventures…” Fluttershy said. “I’ll need to stay here and keep you fed…” Angel nodded, sure in his victory. “Fluttershy…” a deep, amused voice said, coming from all directions. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, a smile coming to her previously sad face. “Discord…” The moment she said the name, a creature that could only be described as an abomination against nature appeared in a flash of white light. His body was snakelike in shape, composed of both scaled and furred sections. His legs were different, one ending in a hoof and the other in reptilian claws. His hands that of a paw and taloned hand, while his head was a mix between a pony and a goat with both a deer and a unicorn horn on his head. He was Discord, spirit of chaos. And he just so happened to hang around Fluttershy’s house a lot because the two were good friends. “Fluttershy!” He called, pointing at Angel. “You know he’s toying with you, right?” “Uh… no?” Discord snapped his fingers, making large glasses appear on his face and a whiteboard appear on the wall. He quickly scribbled a diagram of Angel eating the salad without the cherry on top and getting berries from the forest. “The rabbit gets food on his own. He just wants to be doted over like a prince.” Angel shook his fist at Discord in cute rage. Discord chuckled, flicking the rabbit’s ears with his talons. “I’m sorry, did your diabolical plan completely fail?” Fluttershy looked at Angel, narrowing her eyes. “You really did didn’t you? You were fine without me!” Angel nodded slowly, ashamed. He grabbed his heart and drooped his head. “Oh… Angel…” Discord raised a hairy eyebrow. “Hmm? What is it now?” “…He just wanted me to spend more time with him.” “You already spend a ton of time with him,” Discord said. “More than you spend with me I might add.” Fluttershy nodded. “That… is true.” Angel grabbed her by the neck and pleaded with his big rabbit eyes. Fluttershy hugged him close. “...You really do want me to stay, don’t you?” She looked at her other animals. “…You do too…” Discord snapped his fingers, appearing in Fluttershy’s hoof as a rabbit similar to Angel. “But Fluttershy, the animals don’t have to tell you what to do! They like you, but your friends like you as well! And sometimes you just need to get out and have some fun! Whatever kind of fun it is your friends are planning. I’m sure it’s absolutely delightful.” Fluttershy nodded slowly, pursing her lips. She looked from Discord to Angel, unsure. “I don’t know…” Angel pleaded. Discord huffed. “That rabbit knows nothing but how to manipulate you. You’ll see him every night.” Angel punched Discord in the face. He reverted to his normal chaotic form. “Why you little…” “Discord, no swapping of Angel’s body parts.” Discord sighed. “Fiiiiine.” Fluttershy looked at Discord’s eyes, her gaze steady. “…You really think I should stay on these adventures? I… I feel like I should stay here.” “And let the rest of existence not see your beautiful face and your kindness?” He snapped his fingers, opening a chaotic portal of his own making to a land filled with darkness and lightning. “You had the power to redeem me, and there’s a lot more out there that could stand some redeeming if I do say so myself.” Angel squirmed. Fluttershy, years ago, would have looked at the thundering landscape and screamed, preparing to hide under a couch until it went away. Now she just stared at it, eyes reflecting the lightning. She nodded slowly. “There is a lot I could do… Animals I could save and put in the sanctuary… Ponies who need kindness… I’ve already seen horrible things done in worlds without kindness…” An image of Lieshy came into her mind. The other version of her was trying hard to adjust from a world built on half-truths, but she was still struggling. So many people and ponies struggled. Was she meant to help them? She felt compelled to… She took a deep breath. “I’m going to go think about this for a while. Angel, Discord, play nice while I take my walk, okay?” The two begrudgingly nodded while shooting daggers at each other with their eyes. “And Discord, close that portal, okay? It’s scaring the birds.” ~~~ In a world parallel, Sunset Shimmer was staring at a computer screen blankly. Congratulations! Your application to Wolfe University has been completed! You will be contacted within two months about acceptance! Sunset continued to stare intently at the large blue words on the screen. She didn’t move. She barely breathed. The magnitude of what she’d just done weighed on her. “…What are you doing?” Twilight asked. “I just applied to college,” Sunset said, voice hollow, as if the soul had been drained out of her. “That’s awesome! Where’d you apply!?” “Local, Wolfe. Best college in the state,” she deadpanned. “What are you planning on studying?” “…Not sure,” she admitted. “Part of me wants to go into physics… But there’s also psychology, anthropology, sociology…” “Go into physics,” Twilight said. “Tell me what it’s like.” “…Sure,” Sunset said, still distant. Twilight finally picked up on her tone. “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?” “I’m still not sure if this is what I want to do. Drop everything and march off into an education system in a world I’m not even from. I could go home to Equestria and become a high mage without much effort, serving in Twilight’s court. Or Celestia’s…” She wasn’t sure she was ready for that though. Even if Celestia wasn't technically angry at her anymore, she wasn't sure the princess of the Sun could trust her yet. “But, well, here I am, applying to a university so I can learn about science and maybe change the world? I don’t know. I’ve only really cared about this place for, what, a little over a year? Am I really devoting myself to it?” Twilight sat down next to her. “Well, that’s your decision. You could also go to college, get your degree, and run to Equestria and not have to pay back any loans!” Sunset smirked. “You know I’d just grab some gold from Twilight to pay for it. It’s not too hard to make money when you have magic at your disposal.” Twilight shrugged. “I suppose… You do have a big decision to make soon.” “To think I would never have even thought about it had Pinkie not pointed it out to me.” “She has a way of saying just the right things and just the right time. Or the complete opposite.” Sunset chuckled. “That she does…” She looked away from the computer screen. “Well, I don’t have to commit for sure yet. I can always run back to Equestria if I want. I do know that I don’t want to get a job flipping burgers.” “Here’s what I think. I think you should go to college, see if you like it. If you do, stay, and decide after you graduate if you want to use that knowledge in Equestria or stay here. If you don’t, leave and go back to the land of colorful equines. I’m sure we can visit you from time to time, and you us.” “That’s… a nice and logical way of looking at it. Thanks, Twilight. But… Unless we can get that dimension dialer working visiting will be somewhat annoying to accomplish…” Twilight’s face became a canvas for the biggest grin her face had ever held. Sunset’s pupils shrunk. “You didn’t…” “I DID!” She pulled a disc out from her shirt. There, affixed around her neck like a piece of jewelry, was a flat device made of numerous adjustable dial rings with a circular screen in the center. She used her fingers to quickly dial a location by twisting the many rings. When she hit a known coordinate, the screen flashed a green check. She then used her magic on it, activating the spell within and opening a gateway large enough for a person to walk through to a mysterious land where the grass was orange and the trees looked like pom-poms. “…Where is that?” Sunset asked. “No idea!” Twilight said. “Twinkie sent over some new coordinates a day or so ago, and that was one of them.” Sunset frowned. “Still relying on ‘Twinkie’s’ spells, huh?” “Yeah. Not like anything other than magic can open a portal, though. Even the sphere used magic despite the amazing power source it had…” Sunset blinked. Then she looked back at the computer screen. Then a mischievous smirk appeared on her face. “…What?” “Challenge accepted,” Sunset said. “I’m going to find a non-magical way to traverse the universes.” Twilight blinked. “I… I’d have no idea where to even start!” “That’s the fun part, Twilight.” Sunset rubbed her hands together. “Twilight, I’m going to study physics. I’m going to figure this out…” Twilight smiled. “I’m glad you got that sorted out.” “I’m going to need a really, really big binder,” Sunset said. “And some more books. Mostly on quantum mechanics. And all those papers you’ve written about the nature and effects on magic you’ve never published.” Twilight blushed. “A-all of them?” “Yes. Even the ones you think are useless. There could be something useful. We’re going to figure this out, Twilight. Then we can explore without leaning on ‘Twinkie’s’ understanding.” Twilight smiled. “This is going to change the world!” “You bet it is! All we need to start is to know how exactly these spells open up portals…” she frowned. “But how to do that…” ~~~ Rarity walked into her boutique. It looked exactly the same as when she had left it. The dresses were still in the window, the mannequins were all arranged neatly, and all her fabrics were put away in the correct shelves. The floor was clean, the design beautiful, and the sewing station just the perfect level unkempt to appear busy, but not frantic. And yet she couldn’t look at it normally. How long had she spent in the boutique lately? An hour or two a day? Less? The boutique may never have actually been busy, and usually if a client needed anything they could just find her later or have somepony tell her… But there was still the principle of neglect. This place wasn’t being cared for, despite how it looked. It was uninhabited. Closed. And yet, even when she had been here, she hadn’t really had much work. She sewed and designed, sure, but most of her actual jobs involved beautifying the town for events, not clothing. Ever since she’d established her other shops in Manehattan and Canterlot she’d been popular – but the work was largely out of her hooves. It had been bumpy there for a while – stressful, frantic, insanely busy – but after it settled… Well, everything ran itself. She was in charge, but she didn’t really do anything anymore. She couldn’t design everything, and what she did design was produced by Coco and Sassy in the other locations with their own hired hooves while she lived here with hardly a customer. They all went to the more prestigious locations in the big cities… She had never really thought how much she had let control of her enterprise slip. It could probably function pretty well without her at this point. She still produced plenty of designs in her free time, even if she didn’t sew all of them. It was an odd thought, one that was slightly demeaning, but true. Had she realized it at any other time it probably would have sent her into an emotional funk that could only be cured by tubs of ice cream. Oh, ice cream, that sounded simply divine at the moment. With her magic she levitated some ice cream from a hidden freezer and started eating. She wasn’t stressed enough to make a mess of the ice cream, but she was stressed enough to forego eating at a proper pace. A fourth of the gallon was gone in a matter of minutes. She ran her hoof over her sewing machine. “Old friend… what do you think I should do?” The sewing machine offered no response, as expected. Rarity rolled her eyes at her antics – what was she thinking, talking to something that couldn’t talk back? Preposterous. She sat down in her chair and took in the air of the boutique again, expression shifting from a smile to a frown every few seconds. She had so many memories here, so much in pursuit of her dream. So much success. She was easily rich at this point and could afford to buy a mansion in a far-off exotic country. But she stayed here because it was her home. In the end, the classy society was overrated, she supposed. Even though it was delightful, when she was here with her friends and neighbors, here at home, she was happier. And there was something about those adventures. So much… daring. So much culture. So much surprising beauty. The romantic quality of jaunting off to new lands on a daily basis was just so tantalizing. There had been that difficulty with the Mask of Truth, admittedly, but she thought she was a better pony for having experienced it. She felt more full of life out there in the unknown. She was surprised by how much she loved it. And she got to enjoy it with her best friends in the world. Well… Some of them at least, now. “…Am I really considering closing the boutique?” she asked herself. “WHAT!?” Rarity looked up from her stupor to see a pony on the other side of the counter – her little sister, the white unicorn Sweetie Belle. She had her purple curls held to the sides of her head, her hooves pressing stressfully into her skull. “What are you talking about!? CLOSING!?” “Oh, Sweetie, dear…” Rarity chuckled. “Surely you’ve noticed I’ve been out a lot lately. I’m just thinking of closing this location here since I’m not here often enough to warrant it. I could move everything to my house, take simple orders from people when they asked, but otherwise go explore with Twilight and the girls.” “But but… The boutique is an important part of Ponyville! It can’t just be… closed!” Rarity frowned. “I… I suppose not. But nopony comes here all that often. It’s… Well, it’s about as busy as it was before Twilight came to town, which is to say hardly anypony comes in here anymore.” Sweetie frowned. “I… I mean, yes, but come on! Rarity, this is your dream! You… This is your life!” Rarity smiled. “I wouldn’t be giving up on fashion dear, Stars no. The other locations will still make my designs and I’ll run them, but it’ll be mostly hooves-off.” “But… But ponies like this boutique!” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Well, I suppose I could hire someone to run it for me, like Coco and Sassy do elsewhere, but I don’t know anyone in town who has the requisite tastes besides you and the Doctor.” Sweetie smirked. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders can find you somepony.” Rarity blinked. “Really? Your friends could do that?” “Yeah, we’ve managed to get a lot of connection in helping ponies get their cutie marks. That said…” Sweetie frowned. “You sure you have to leave it? Can’t you just stay? I’m pretty sure the town would feel different without your presence. So many look up to you.” “Dear, they can find other role models…” “I look up to you…” Sweetie said, sagging. Rarity had to fight back a momentary urge to cry. Sweetie Belle was just so precious and adorable. Rarity couldn’t believe she used to find her very existence annoying. She smiled. “Oh, Sweetie… Sometimes things change. You changed, after all. Maybe I need to find some way to grow up as well. When a goal is reached, a new goal must be made…” She paused. ”…Or maybe you’re supposed to be satisfied with where you are...?” “I don’t know,” Sweetie said. “All I know is I’ll be sad if you aren’t here, doing what you’ve always done.” “Hmm…” Rarity said, hoof to her chin. “I’m at a crossroads in life… Ah, how poetic.” “…You feel the need to burst into song?” “Oh goodness me, no, I was just reminded of a poem I read a while ago by the poetic legend, Rippling Frost. A crossroads…” She imagined the two roads splitting, one side leading to adventure and beauty, the other leading to a life of fashion and business. Both sides were very tantalizing. ~~~ Twilight stared at the Mirror Portal the following morning, face blank. Spike stood next to her, drinking his tea. “Spike, should I stop?” Spike blinked. “What?” “Should I stop exploring? Should I return to my duties as a princess and fulfill them in every way I can? Should I ignore the call to learn everything I can? Should I sit down and stay put or go out and risk it?” Spike shrugged. “I really don’t know. I don’t mind staying here and doing the princess work, if that’s what you’re worried about.” “I know you don’t mind, it’s…” She took a breath. “It’s more about what the right decision is. I want to go out there and explore, and I’m coming up with so many reasons why I should. But the more I go, the more I’ll have to neglect public appearances, celebrations, friendship consultations… And my school! I mean, we may not be the teachers anymore since the graduating class has taken over, but I still need to make sure it runs!” “Well, by going out there you help other people in faraway places that don’t know of the magic of friendship,” Spike said. “That’s true…” Twilight said. “But… But… But it still feels wrong, somehow.” She began to rock her head side to side, thinking. Spike took a step back – he knew what was coming. Twilight took in a deep breath and began to sing. “I’m a princess, leader of my kind But now I’m asked to leave them behind For the gateway before me has shown That the worlds outside are so alone” She took a calm breath, spreading her wings. “Out there in the beyond there is fire Ponies stuck in life’s deep mire Great wonders to discover for all True friends who lie just beyond this wall Waiting to be found…” She flew into the air, spinning in a slow corkscrew fashion. “I hear the cosmos calling my name! Demanding that I come forth to them! I hear the cosmos calling my name! Singing with a melodious hymn!” She teleported to the room with the map, and her cutie mark suddenly appeared on it over her castle. “I am called I am sung I am brought I am seen I am taught I am lured I am the one My destiny is to leave this place My calling to find what lies beyond But my soul that lies beyond this face Belongs to my friends and to our bond” She teleported back to the Mirror Portal, placing a hoof on the rim, breathing hard. “Oh what does this mean, oh Harmony My destiny seems split in two; three Called to beyond I cannot resist But what would happen if I desist?” She took a step back – and heard hoofsteps behind her. Some ponies were returning. She didn’t know who. “I hear the cosmos calling my name! Demanding I lead friendship to them! I hear the cosmos calling my name! Singing with the power of all! I hear the cosmos calling my name! Singing the song… Singing the song of us… Trapped in this sphere of our own making…” She landed, took a breath, and turned to see who had come back. Pinkie and Rarity stood there, smiling at Twilight warmly. Twilight smiled. “So… No Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash?” “Not that I see,” Rarity said. “Sorry dear. I guess it just wasn’t for them.” “That’s fine,” Twilight said. “We all have our hopes and dreams… Not all of us can align with one goal. Nor should we.” She turned to the Mirror Portal. “But I have to go. If I don’t… I don’t know. I’m called. I know I’m called. There’s something out there I need to do. I don’t know if you have to be with me to do it, but I would like it if you joined me.” “We’ll be with you until the end,” Rarity said. “Even those of us who aren’t here!” Pinkie said. “You’re our friend Twilight.” Twilight nodded. “So… Why did you two decide to come back?” Pinkie giggled. “I felt like I needed to, in the end. Ponyville can go without a few parties. Plus, this way I get to make so many more friends! It’s great!” Twilight smiled. “Yeah. I felt called as well. Rarity?” “I… Well I realized my business is able to operate without me. Not a particularly pleasant realization, but I just made it official. Sweetie and the CMC are out looking for somepony to run the boutique while I’m gone. I’m still the manager, but no longer do I need to stand at the counter all day. There’s… Not all that much traffic in Ponyville anymore, admittedly.” Twilight smiled. “I’m glad you came. Well… Where do you girls want to go?” “I don’t know…” Rarity said. “I do believe somewhere new. What do we know about the places we haven’t been yet?” Twilight shrugged. “Not much, besides what’s safe and what’s not. We could probably look into a few of them with a spell though…” Pinkie grinned. “Yeah! Let’s do that!” Twilight turned to the Mirror Portal and pulled a lever. ~~~ Rainbow Dash stood in front of the doors of Twilight’s castle, staring. Her expression was blank. Fluttershy walked up to her, concerned. “…Why aren’t you going in?” “…I don’t know if I want to,” Rainbow Dash admitted. Fluttershy gasped. “You? Not sure if you want adventure and awesomeness? What happened?” “I’d have to stop being a Wonderbolt. I’m not sure I want that, even if it is temporary. I’m pretty sure I don’t want that. But… Behind this door, there’s the Mirror, and there’s so many new things...” Fluttershy nodded. “I know…” “Wait, why are you here? I figured for sure you’d stay away! You’re, like, the pony among us who likes adventure the least! Plus, your animals!” Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s not that simple… My animals can all take care of themselves, especially with the Sanctuary there. And even if I may not like the danger… We do help ponies. We saved the demons and redeemed their Luna. We helped people in Termina. Then there was that colony of mushroom people we saved from a fire. We do great good out there.” “That’s true,” Rainbow Dash said. Then she laughed. “What’s so funny?” “Look at us, the ponies you’d think wouldn’t hesitate to go on an adventure or avoid it, the ones having the most difficulty.” “Yeah…” Fluttershy said, staring at the doors alongside Rainbow Dash. “…Are either of us going to go in?” “I don’t know.” “Same.” “You should go in,” Fluttershy said. “You’re the awesome pony who could save everyone with your amazing tricks and acrobatic stunts. You’re built for danger.” “…You should stay. You have the animals to take care of and you aren’t the best at handling it when it gets tough.” They were silent. Fluttershy shook her head. “I can handle it.” “Yeah. And I’m already doing what I want with my life.” The two stared at each other for a moment. Then they burst out into laughter. “And here we are!” Rainbow Dash said. “Failing miserably to convince the other to do what we think they should do!” Fluttershy nodded. “The more we argue, the less they want to do what we say!” She shook her head. “...That was a confusing sentence.” “Oh yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, furrowing her brow. “I’m Loyalty though… Leaving you would be against that.” “But you’d be Loyal to your team, to the Wonderbolts,” Fluttershy said. “They do need you, regardless how much as they may say otherwise. It’s the same with my Kindness – do I be Kind to my animals, or to the many people and ponies who need it elsewhere?” “Can’t do everything,” Rainbow Dash said. “Definitely not,” Fluttershy chuckled. There was silence. Suddenly, Fluttershy stood up. “I’m going in.” “…Really?” “Yes, really.” “What made you decide?” “I realized that, if I devoted myself to my animals, that would be a step back for me. I’d be shying away from those who need kindness rather than those who just want it.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “I… See.” “You coming?” Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy – her eyes, her outstretched hoof, her soft smile. She put out her hoof, shakily. She retracted it and shook her head. “I… I can’t.” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. “It’s okay Rainbow. It’s not an easy decision. You are where you want to be in life – that’s not something many ponies can say about themselves. You should be happy about it.” “I feel like I’m betraying you.” “You’re not,” Fluttershy assured her. “Nopony has to share their interests with all their friends. If neither of us went in there, it would still be okay. We all need to make decisions in the moment.” Rainbow Dash nodded. Fluttershy grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. “See you later, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow Dash wiped some tears out of her eyes. “You too, Fluttershy.” They completed their goodbyes. Fluttershy waved as Rainbow Dash flew back to the Wonderbolt Academy. Fluttershy took a breath, turned, and walked into the castle. She entered the room where Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity were, standing in front of the Mirror Portal. “Rarity?” Fluttershy said. “You came!” “I did indeed. And I see you did too. Should we expect anypony else?” Fluttershy shook her head. “No. Rainbow Dash isn’t coming.” Twilight nodded sadly. “Well, that is her choice. She’s happy where she is. Perhaps in a few months we’ll all realize she was the smart one.” “I doubt it,” Pinkie said. “The can of worms is open! There’s no closing it now!” “So…” Twilight said, looking at her three friends. “This is our team?” Fluttershy glanced around. The excitable Pinkie Pie, the fabulous Rarity, the regal Twilight… Four friends, going on a trip, a mission, as friends to seek out interesting people and to bring aspects of Harmony wherever they could. “Yeah,” Fluttershy said. “This is everyone.” “Oh no it isn’t!” The four ponies looked to the doorway to see Starlight Glimmer standing there, a smirk on her face. “It’s about time you girls let me in on one of these mysterious adventures, considering I had to deal with the aftermath of one already.” Twilight laughed. “Sure, Starlight. Come on in. You don’t have anything else to do today, do you?” “Not at all! I get bored a lot in this castle.” Fluttershy smiled. “Well, this will be perfect for you.” Starlight winked. “You betcha! So, Twilight, where are we going today?” Twilight shrugged. “My spell only told me it was tropical and humid. I’m hoping for a beach instead of another jungle.” “I’d like to meet a squid,” Fluttershy said suddenly. Everypony chuckled jovially. “Me too!” Pinkie shouted. Twilight set the Mirror Portal to the new location. “Let’s go then!” At that point, her cutie mark glowed, telling her that she had just solved the friendship problem she’d been called to in the middle of her song. She grinned – the tree of Harmony was giving them its blessing. If that wasn’t a tangible feeling of being on the right path for her destiny, she didn’t know what was. The five mares bounded through the portal, ready to have a good time. Spike finished his tea. He wondered if Rainbow Dash was going to be up for some Ogres and Oubliettes while the others were gone sometime later.