//------------------------------// // The Adventure Begins // Story: The Meaning of Harmony // by KatonRyu //------------------------------// Sunset was sitting around in Twilight’s castle. Twilight and her friends were busy preparing for the long journey that lay ahead of them, but Sunset hadn’t brought anything with her through the portal, so there wasn’t much for her to do. Instead, she wrote in the magical book to her friends, explaining what she would be doing and that she wouldn’t be back for a while. Spike entered the throne room just as Sunset finished her message and closed the book. “Do you need help with anything?” she asked. She stretched and got up from Twilight’s throne. She was anxious to get on the road, but also strangely excited. “No, we’re almost done. I convinced Twilight not to bring too many books with her. She seems to think we’ll be traveling in a mobile library,” Spike replied, shaking his head. Sunset smiled. “Well, we’ll be doing something nopony has ever tried in thousands of years. Even the Princesses weren’t around back then. It’s only natural for Twilight to want to be prepared,” she said. “Just…take a look what she wanted to bring,” Spike said, gesturing to the library with his head. Sunset walked over to the library and felt her jaw drop in surprise. Mountains of books decorated the ground. They were neatly stacked, so neatly in fact that they seemed to form new walls for the library. She walked over to the closest stack and levitated the top book down to inspect it. “Ye Olde Equestrian Historye…Twilight, you do realize this book was written by a fraud, right? I mean, really, ‘Historye’?” Sunset said disbelievingly. “I know, I know,” Twilight replied from somewhere behind the book wall. “But it contains references to historical sites that actually are authentic and we might need them so I figured we should bring them.” Sunset walked around the wall of books to join Twilight near one of the bookcases, where she was perusing a dusty tome of great age. Its pages were yellowed and Sunset noted the extremely delicate, almost reverent way Twilight turned the pages. “I thought Spike said you wouldn’t take these with you,” Sunset said. Twilight looked up from the old book. “I won’t. I’m committing what I can to memory with a bit of magic. It’s far from perfect, but it’s better than nothing. I’ll still take some of the more relevant works, though.” Sunset cocked her head. She’d once thought of using memory spells to speed up her studies, but she had decided against it because they were a pain to learn. Such spells often gave their users exceptionally painful headaches and after one such experience she’d refrained from trying again. Twilight seemed to be rather comfortable, however. “How often do you use that spell?” Sunset asked. Now Twilight did grimace. “Not that often, honestly,” she said. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to suffer for this.” Sunset gave her a sympathetic look and said, “You’re not thinking of bringing this book, are you? I don’t think it would survive the trip.” “No, I won’t. There isn’t even that much useful info in it, to be honest. It mostly deals with geography, but the social aspect is completely overlooked so it doesn’t really contain relevant information,” Twilight said with a sigh. Sunset frowned. “Are you sure about that? This geographical journal is very old. It might reveal some locations that were easily accessible in that era that are hard to reach now. If those locations were to coincide with for instance a river, it’s not unthinkable that settlements would have been built there. Assuming the Forges themselves are relatively evenly spaced around Equestria, these maps could be invaluable to determining their locations,” she said. Twilight paused to consider that. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted. Then she smiled. “I’m glad you’re here to help, Sunset. I have a feeling we couldn’t do this without you,” she said. Sunset smiled back. Even now, she was still not very sure how to respond to praise, so she simply said, “Thanks.” Twilight turned back to the old book. “Well…I guess I’d better try to commit these maps to memory too, then,” she said ruefully. Sunset stepped forward. “Let me do it. I know the spell as well. Might as well make myself as useful as I can, right?” Twilight gave her an intensely grateful look and took a step back to allow Sunset access to the book. “Do be careful with the pages, though. They’re very delicate,” Twilight warned as Sunset prepared to cast the memory enhancement spell. “I know. I’ve read ancient books before,” she said with a hint of her old arrogance in her voice. Then she took a deep breath, turned to the first map in the book and focused her magic on the book, taking a mental picture of it and storing it in her brain. It was strange to feel her magic at work again after all these years of inactivity. Her natural magic felt so much better to use than the stolen magic from the crown had done. Almost immediately after casting the spell she felt her head explode in a sharp pain and she gasped in surprise. She’d known the headache would come, but she’d forgotten just how severe it would be. She turned the page of the book and cast the spell again to record the second map. The headache spiked again and Sunset began to tremble. Then, however, she felt a soothing, cool power coursing through her. The headache began to recede. Surprised, Sunset turned around to look at Twilight. “You didn’t think I’d face those headaches without some pain relief, did you?” she asked with a wink. “I can’t take all the pain away, but I can make it a lot more bearable for you,” she went on. “Thanks…again,” Sunset replied. She felt a warm feeling in her chest. It felt as if her magic was welcoming and embracing Twilight’s. It made her feel a little giddy, too, for some reason. She cast the spell on the third map. Again she felt the pain rise, but Twilight’s magic reacted quickly and this time it was merely an annoyance. Sunset memorized two more maps, and then Twilight said, “I think you should stop for now. This spell has its limits and if you keep going you’ll feel it for days. Believe me, I found that out the hard way.” Sunset chuckled and replied, “All right, I’ll stop. I think I got the most important ones, anyway. What next?” Twilight stretched her wings and said, “We’re meeting up with the others at the station. I think we’d best be going if we don’t want to be late.” Twilight walked over to another bookcase, where she’d put a saddle bag filled with books. She put it on and she and Sunset walked out of the library back into the throne room, where Spike was lounging in his throne with a comic book. “Are you ready, Spike?” Twilight asked him. Spike immediately jumped to attention and saluted with the comic book still in his claws. “Yes ma’am!” he replied. “Then let’s get going. It’s time to save Equestria!” “Why is that pony always late?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed angrily. The group was at the station, complete except for Rarity. “You know how she is; she wouldn’t go out to save the world if her mane wasn’t properly done,” Applejack replied. “I just think it’s important to be classy when saving the world. Celestia forbid we end up in high society and I wouldn’t look my absolute best,” Rarity said. She was approaching with only a saddlebag…but then Sweetie Belle appeared from around the side of the station, dragging a huge cart with a tower of suitcases and bags on it. She was sweating profusely, but didn’t complain. Sunset eyed Sweetie with concern. “Rarity, we’re going to a mine, what the hay do you need all of this for? And are you really going to take Sweetie Belle along just to carry your stuff?” Applejack asked incredulously. “No, no, of course not. Spike will carry my things while we’re away, won’t you Spike?” Rarity asked, giving Spike her best seductive look. Before Spike could answer, however, Twilight stepped forward. “Rarity, we’re going on a dangerous mission. I appreciate you wanting to look your best, but we won’t be staying in big hotels or palaces this time. There is simply no room for all these things,” she said. Rarity sighed and gave her tower of suitcases a pained look. “I suppose you’re right, Twilight. I got a little…carried away while packing.” She levitated the top suitcase down from the tower, opened it and neatly moved its contents into her saddle bags. “There. Now I at least have some essentials. Sweetie, be a dear and take this back home, will you?” “OH FOR PETE’S SAKE!” Sweetie yelled angrily. Rarity gave her a sheepish grin and said, “I am sorry, Sweetie, darling.” Sweetie grumbled something, but she did begin hauling the huge cart back to the Boutique. “Will she be okay?” Sunset asked uncertainly. Such a heavy cart for such a small pony couldn’t be healthy. “She’ll be okay. It’s nothing she hasn’t done before. She’s such a sweet little sister,” Rarity said fondly. At that moment, the train rolled into the station. It would take them to Stirrup’s End, a small town built near the foot of the mountains. From there, however, it would be a full two days walk to the mines. The mountain range itself was known as the Saddle Range, so named because the two highest peaks and the valley between them resembled a saddle. The mine was located about halfway up Mount Cantle, the lower of the two peaks and most northern of the two. The Saddle Range was known for its strong winds, but mercifully the temperatures were nice this time of year. As the group made their way to a suitable place, Sunset noticed that the train was already fairly empty. There weren’t many stops on the way to Stirrup’s End and none of them were popular destinations, but even so Sunset had expected to see more ponies on the train. The emptiness made her shudder a bit, even though she didn’t really know why. She tried to put her worries aside for the time being, as she sat down and prepared for the long trip. The journey to Stirrup’s End was rather uneventful. The group made some idle conversation, but nothing of importance was discussed, and so Sunset had plenty of time to observe the pony versions of the friends she knew so well in the other world. It was strange. They were all so similar to their counterparts, yet they were different persons, or rather, ponies, and they didn’t have the same bond with Sunset as her human friends had. Perhaps that was the reason Sunset was mostly looking at Twilight, the one pony here she actually knew. Twilight noticed Sunset watching and asked, “Are you okay?” Sunset nodded. “I’m fine, just…getting used to this world again,” she said. She felt the eyes of the others on her and sighed. “It’s so strange.” She looked at each of the ponies in turn. “I know all of you in the other world. I know your personality, the things you like…but I don’t know you. And you…you all don’t know me, except as the one who stole Twilight’s crown, the one who betrayed Princess Celestia.” She looked at Twilight. “Out of all of you, you alone know what it’s like to be with your friends, and have them not really know you.” She shook her head in frustration. “Honestly, I’m a bit at a loss. I have a feeling I should introduce myself, but at the same time it’s just so weird having to introduce myself to people…ponies…I already know.” Her voice had a slightly bitter edge to it when she went on, “But I’m not the only one who didn’t make an introduction. None of you did, either, and that just made me feel more uncomfortable in making the first move.” She fell silent. She expected at least Rainbow Dash to make a rude comment about her, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Rarity was the first one to speak. “I’m sorry you feel like that, darling. In all honesty, your sudden appearance and the rush afterwards didn’t leave us much time to get acquainted and I must admit I hadn’t thought about it until you brought it up just now.” “She’s right. I’m mighty sorry we made you feel unwelcome, Sunset,” Applejack added. “You’re not mad at us, are you?” Fluttershy asked softly. “I’ll be sure to throw you a party as soon as we arrive in Stirrup’s End. I’ll even let you have all of the cake!” Pinkie promised cheerfully. So far, Rainbow Dash was the only one who had remained silent. “I didn’t trust you when you first came through the mirror,” she said. “You’re entirely right; I did see you as the one who stole Twilight’s crown and betrayed the Princess. I don’t like ponies who betray their friends, not one bit.” “Now, come on Rainbow…” Applejack began, but Rainbow Dash held out her hoof to silence her. “However, Twilight has told us you changed. That you helped everyone in the other world when they needed you most. While you’ll never be as awesome as me, I think that makes you a pretty awesome pony.” She was smiling now, and Sunset smiled back, hugely relieved. “So…friends?” Sunset asked uncertainly. Her answer was a spontaneous group hug. It was getting dark when the train reached Stirrup’s End. Although the settlement was at the foot of the mountain proper, it was already at a higher elevation than Ponyville and the station offered a nice view of the lower land, which became flatter as it stretched westward. To the East, the Saddle Range loomed. The peaks were covered in snow, which gleamed brightly in the last light of the setting sun. On the western horizon, Sunset caught a glimpse of the sunset shimmer she was named after and felt the warm glow of her magic inside her in response. The group walked towards the exit of the station, where they were greeted by an earth pony with a light brown coat, dark mane and a pickaxe cutie mark, who seemed to have a high function in the town. He wore a rather large hat that earned him an approving nod from Applejack. “Welcome to Stirrup’s End, Your Highness,” he said when Twilight approached him. “My name is Rock Breaker. I’m the mayor of Stirrup’s End, and descendant of the village’s founder, Stone Splitter. Princess Celestia notified us of your arrival.” “She told you why we’re here?” Twilight asked. “She informed us you would be traveling up to the Cheyenne mines to inspect the ancient ruins found within,” Rock Breaker answered. “Since the mines are two full days walking away, however, I suggest you spend the night in the Hobble Strap Inn and set out early tomorrow morning. I will point you in the right direction, of course.” “Do you know anything of the ruins the miners found?” Twilight asked. Rock Breaker shook his head. “All I know is that they give off some magical vibe that makes the miners nervous. I’m sure Burning Heart could tell you more, however. He’s the innkeeper of the Hobble Strap Inn and since it doubles as the pub most miners who return from their shift spend their evenings there. Burning Heart will definitely have heard stories of the ruins from them, but I must admit that the miners are fond of making up tall tales, especially after a few pints of cider.” “Did you say ‘cider’?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes suddenly alight. Rock Breaker grinned at her. “Of course, miss. You didn’t think the miners would go without drink, now, do you? Stirrup’s End imports the best cider from all over Equestria. The miners keep the town going, so we take pride in providing them with anything they might want. The Hobble Strap Inn stocks nearly fifty kinds of cider.” As Rock Breaker told this, Rainbow Dash had almost begun to drool. “I’m liking this town already,” she said with a huge grin. “Just take it easy on the hard stuff. You know what happened at the barn party last month,” Applejack told her. Rainbow Dash turned slightly green. “Don’t remind me,” she groaned. “Oh come on, Dashie, it wasn’t that bad,” Pinkie said cheerfully. “You didn’t have to clean up the mess,” Applejack said with a disgusted look. “Well, she got some pretty nice distance when she…” “Let’s not mention this ever again, okay?!” Rainbow Dash interrupted Pinkie Pie, her face nearly as red as the streak in her mane now. Sunset had listened to the conversation with a bemused look and resolved to ask somepony what had happened at that barn party when their mission was over. Rock Breaker looked just as puzzled as Sunset, but he quickly recovered his more professional attitude when Rainbow Dash cut off the conversation, although he sounded a bit disappointed when he spoke up. Apparently he had been curious to hear more details as well. “If you’d like to follow me, I’ll show you the way to the Inn.” Twilight nodded and the group set off, heading into the town itself. The town featured two main roads along which the stores were built, while the actual residences were constructed along narrower side streets branching from the main roads. The inn was located on the north-eastern side of the crossroads, effectively on the main square of the town. It was by far the largest building in the town, three stories high and nearly as wide as it was high. Had it not been for the roof, it would have been a large cube. Inside, many round tables, each with four seats, were spread evenly around left side of the building. A large fireplace decorated the far wall. On the right hand side of the entryway, there was a bar. A door behind the bar presumably led to the kitchen. Several tables had ponies gathered around them, but most were empty. “It’s still early in the evening. Trust me, within two hours all these tables will be full,” Rock Breaker told them, and Sunset could hear the pride in his voice. He led the group over to the counter. Behind the counter stood an earth pony with an orange coat, and a darker orange mane. His cutie mark was a bonfire, with the flames forming a heart. “Burning Heart, please welcome Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends,” Rock Breaker said, slightly louder than strictly necessary. Other ponies looked up from their conversations and Sunset suspected that this was what Rock Breaker had hoped to achieve. “Good evening, Your Highness,” Burning Heart said, inclining his head to Twilight. “Welcome to the Hobble Strap Inn. Rock Breaker has already informed me of your arrival; the entire upper floor has been reserved for you and your friends.” “Thank you very much, we…” Twilight didn’t get a chance to say more because Rainbow Dash interrupted her. “I heard you have fifty different kinds of cider,” she said eagerly. Burning Heart chuckled as Twilight gave Rainbow Dash an annoyed stare. “To be exact, we have forty-eight. But surely you don’t mean to start on the cider without eating first? We serve only the finest grasses and hays. We even import sea oats if that takes your fancy. Since you’re here on official business dinner’s on the house, as is the mineral water, although I’m afraid I’ll need to charge you for the stronger ciders. They have higher taxes and I can’t afford to make a loss on them. Now, what can I get for you all?” The group placed their orders, after which Burning Heart pointed at a pair of tables in the back and told them to put them together while he worked on the food. Rock Breaker accompanied the group to their tables. “As I said earlier, the Cheyenne mines are two days walking away from town. If you could meet me at the eastern edge of town tomorrow at dawn, I will point you in the right direction. For now, I shall take my leave. Please, enjoy your stay here and get plenty of rest. Good night to you all,” he said. Twilight thanked him and Rock Breaker left. Not long afterward, Burning Heart and another pony arrived with the food. To Spike’s delight, the inn actually offered to make a gemstone mix for him and his eyes widened when he saw the huge bowl. “This is still a gemstone mining town,” Burning Heart said with a laugh when he put down the bowl. “We have plenty more, so don’t hesitate to ask.” “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be just fine,” Spike said gleefully, examining a sapphire. He wasn’t the only one impressed by the gems. Rarity was ogling Spike’s dinner with wide eyes. “Your jaw’s almost hitting the floor, Rarity,” Applejack chuckled. Rarity quickly regained her composure and said, “Well, these gems are just of such fine quality. I can’t help but admire them. It’s such a shame that they’re going to be eaten…” Spike sighed and handed Rarity a handful of gems from his bowl, making sure to give her a nice variety. “You can have these, Rarity. I’m still eating the rest, though.” Rarity beamed at him. “Oh, that’s so generous of you, Spikey-Wikey.” She kissed his cheek and Spike’s eyes lit up. Twilight shook her head at him, but she was smiling. Spike could be so obvious in his attempts to get attention from Rarity. “Well girls, here we are. Let’s relax tonight and get to bed early, because from tomorrow onwards we’re heading into the biggest adventure we’ve ever been on,” Twilight said. Sunset felt the anticipation welling up inside her. Sure, she was a bit nervous about the sheer size of their mission, but sitting here in a warm inn with her friends around her she was happier than she’d ever been since returning to Equestria. When the group had finished dinner, the other mining ponies were starting to come in. Soon enough, the sound of conversation and loud laughter began to fill the air. Of course, wherever there is laughter, there is Pinkie Pie, and she began prancing around the room to make friends with the miners. “Well, we might as well enjoy ourselves too, right?” Rainbow Dash asked. She turned to Applejack. “Want to go and taste some of their ciders?” Applejack grinned at her. “Right behind you,” she said, and the two headed for the bar. “I think I’ll retire upstairs, darlings,” Rarity said. “I need my beauty sleep if I’m going to be saving the world.” “I’ll go with you. I don’t like it when it’s so noisy and crowded,” Fluttershy said. “All right. Good night, girls,” Twilight said, and turned to Spike. “You should go with them, Spike. You need your sleep,” she said. Spike sighed, but he got up and followed Rarity and Fluttershy to Burning Heart to ask for room keys. Now Twilight and Sunset were the only ponies left at the table. Twilight turned to Sunset. “So, how are you feeling so far?” she asked. “Right now? I’m feeling almost giddy, actually,” Sunset replied with a smile. “Being here with you and the others, it just feels so good.” Her smile got slightly melancholic as she went on, “If I had known how great friendship felt, I would have never turned away from it.” “Don’t worry, Sunset. I used to think I didn’t need friends either,” Twilight said. She looked at Pinkie Pie having an animated chat with some miners, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack chugging cider like there was no tomorrow at the bar, earning them amazed yet approving stares from the miners. “But then I met the others, and now I can’t imagine not having friends. I even became the Princess of Friendship.” She smiled at Sunset. “It’s never too late to make friends, and I’m glad you realize that now.” Sunset smiled back at her. “Thank you. For being my friend,” she said softly. It was much later than it should have been when Twilight and Sunset headed upstairs, but Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Applejack clearly weren’t in the mood for sleep yet as they were still having too much fun. All the way upstairs, the noise from the impromptu party was only a slight buzz, much to Twilight’s relief. Burning Heart had told her that the entire floor belonged to them for the night, so they were free to pick any room. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike had claimed the three rows on the left end of the long hallway furthest away from the staircase, so Sunset and Twilight decided to take the farthest rooms on the opposite side, Twilight taking the back one and Sunset the one next to it. When Sunset stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, she realized that this was the first time since she’d come to Equestria that she was alone again. She walked over to the double bed in the center of the room and shrugged off her saddlebags. Now, in the silence of her room, the giddiness she’d felt earlier was being replaced with worry. This would be her first night here. What if the nightmares came back? What if they were much worse than before? With a sigh, she lay down on the bed. Now was not the time worry about such things. She blew out her candle, cleared her mind like she had done many times in preparation for complex magic, and allowed herself to drift off. The forest again. Sunset’s magic stirred restlessly within her like an ocean in a storm. She shifted her body uncomfortably, as if her posture could help her keep her magic under control. Again, she walked through brittle trees, towards that eerie light. She reached the clearing, saw the crystallized forms of the others and made a dash for them. She opened her mouth to scream and her magic exploded. A loud breaking sound and a shower of dust and splinters abruptly woke Sunset up from her nightmare. In a state of utter confusion, she looked around her room, or rather what was left of it. The beams supporting the roof had been partially blasted away, as had the walls. A broken beam lay not a meter away from Sunset’s head. Before Sunset could begin to think about what had happened, there was a frantic knocking on her door, which was miraculously intact. “Sunset! Are you okay?!” It was Applejack who shouted, but Sunset had a feeling the others were right there with her. Sunset got up off the bed, and after a last glance at the broken beam on her bed, called out, “I’m fine! I’ll open the door.” She hurried over and undid the lock, opening the door to find her new friends looking at her with wide, worried eyes. “Sunset, what in tarnation happened here?” Applejack asked as she walked into the destroyed room. “Wow, it looks like you fought a monster in here,” Rainbow Dash remarked, tracing her hoof along one of the ragged holes in the wall. Sunset began to reply, when an explosion occurred in the room next to hers. A blinding magenta light shone through the hole in the dividing wall and Sunset could clearly hear a wall being obliterated by incredible magic. With a horrible snapping sound, the roof began to cave in. Sunset reacted on instinct and summoned a shield to keep everything in its place. The weight of the roof pushed on the gleaming cyan bubble and Sunset struggled to keep it pushing outward. Shield spells weren’t the most difficult of spells theoretically, but they required exponentially more power to uphold as they got bigger, and Sunset was out of practice from living in the human world for so long. “I can’t hold this for long,” Sunset told the others. “Rarity, I need your help. Try to push the shield outward,” she went on. Rarity nodded and added her magic to Sunset’s. When Sunset felt Rarity’s magic mix with hers she didn’t feel the same easy connection as she had when Twilight had used the pain-killing spell in the library in Ponyville, but she had no time to dwell on it. “Try pushing out equally in all directions,” Sunset said, “I know your instinct is to push harder where there is more pressure, but that will weaken the shield.” Rarity took a deep breath and tried to do what Sunset had told her. “Sunset, what in the hay is going on?” Applejack asked her. Sunset shook her head. “I don’t know. I woke up because of some kind of explosion. And then it happened again…” Sunset’s voice trailed off as she realized it, “…in Twilight’s room. Applejack, kick down the wall, now.” Applejack shot Sunset an incredulous look. “I beg your pardon?” “Twilight is in that room. She might be in trouble and I can’t multitask my magic right now,” Sunset explained. As she did, she felt the shield beginning to crack and she summoned more of her magic to try and keep it intact. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” Applejack muttered. She stood in front of the wall facing a support, turned her back and kicked like she would kick a particularly stubborn apple tree. The support beam snapped like a twig, having already been damaged by the magical explosion, and the wall crumbled. Immediately Sunset felt the pressure on her shield increase, and Rarity too groaned as she felt the weight of the roof. Sunset looked into the other room. It was damaged far worse than her own room had been. Both outer walls were gone and the roof was nowhere to be seen. Twilight stood in the middle of the room next to the destroyed remains of her bed, looking dazed. “Twilight!” Sunset yelled. “Can you hear me?!” Twilight blinked a couple of times upon hearing her name and seemed to awaken from a trance. “Wha…what happened?” she asked, looking around. “We can talk later, for now I need your help to keep this shield up or else we’ll be buried beneath the rubble,” Sunset said. Twilight looked up and saw the shield. She immediately focused her magic and added it to Sunset’s and Rarity’s. When Sunset felt Twilight’s magic she was immensely relieved. It felt so warm, so kind. The power seemed to reinvigorate her, and apparently it had the same effect on Rarity. “You can let go,” Twilight said. “My brother’s an expert on shield spells and I’ve learned quite a bit from him.” With a sigh, Sunset cut off her magic. For a moment she feared that Twilight might have gotten in over her head, but it immediately became clear she needn’t have worried. Twilight really did keep the shield in place with ease. Sunset felt jealousy stirring within her, but as soon as it did another part of her mind thought back on the warm and kind feeling of Twilight’s magic, and she realized that Twilight wasn’t showing off. “Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked shakily. He was staring at the destruction with wide eyes. Twilight nodded and walked from her room into the remains of Sunset’s. “I’m fine, Spike. Don’t worry about me.” Twilight looked at all of her friends, ending on Sunset. “Do you know what happened?” she asked. Sunset thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. “I’m guessing this has to do with our nightmares?” she asked, cocking her head. “Exactly. Our magic burst out while we were asleep. It happened to me at home as well, but I guess magical crystal walls are a bit sturdier than pine wood…” Twilight said, surveying the damage. “Whoa, hold on. You’re saying that a nightmare caused you to do this?” Rainbow Dash asked with disbelief plain in her voice. When Twilight merely looked away in response, Rainbow said, “I don’t believe this. You nearly blew up the building over a dream.” “Easy Rainbow. You know it’s not their fault,” Applejack said, stepping in. Rainbow Dash sighed. “I know, I know…” “The important thing is that Twilight and Sunset are both alright, I think,” Fluttershy said softly. “Exactly. We’re glad y’all are okay,” Applejack said. “So, should we call housekeeping? I mean, this place is a mess,” Sunset said with a small smile. Just as she finished speaking, part of a beam fell off and joined the debris on the floor, and just like that everypony doubled over laughing. Explaining to Burning Heart why the top floor of his inn looked like a war zone wasn’t easy. Upon hearing the commotion he’d gone to investigate, only to find himself blocked by Sunset’s shield spell. After Twilight had slowly lowered the remains of the roof to floor level and undone the spell, he’d raced upstairs. He was quite nearly foaming at the mouth because of the damage, and Twilight spent fifteen minutes apologizing profusely and assuring him that she’d pay for all the damages and that the inn would be restored to its former glory ASAP. To finally convince him, she’d sent a message to Princess Celestia on the spot, although Burning Heart had only calmed down after Twilight had received a reply from the Princess and shown it to him. After an awkward breakfast during which the other patrons had constantly glared at the group, they had set off for the eastern edge of town. To further complicate matters, both Rainbow Dash and Applejack were slightly hungover from the party, so neither was in a particularly sunny mood. “I wonder if they’ll let us stay there again on the way back,” Fluttershy said with a glance over her shoulder. “Of course they will. We had a wonderful party, didn’t we?” Pinkie Pie said, happily skipping along. “I mean, we blew the roof off, and if that isn’t a sign of a good party I don’t know what is,” she went on. “I’m glad one of us enjoys near death experiences,” Rainbow Dash said sourly. “Says the pony who insists on doing stunts at supersonic speeds,” Applejack countered. “Shut up, AJ, not in the mood for this,” Rainbow replied curtly. “Oh, and you think I am?” “Girls! Please, no arguing,” Twilight said sternly. Rainbow Dash and Applejack shot each other a dirty look and turned their heads away. Twilight sighed. “Don’t worry, darling, they’ll make up later,” Rarity said softly to Twilight. “I know, I know. It’s just…this is my fault. I should have known my magic would go out of control,” Twilight said, sounding angry at herself. “Don’t blame yourself, Twilight,” Sunset said. “I should have realized this might happen as well. It’s not your fault.” “Indeed, darling, we all make mistakes,” Rarity added. She shot a look at Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who still looked angry but also tired and a bit green. “Like drinking forty-eight types of cider in one night,” she said. The group reached the edge of town, where Rock Breaker was awaiting them. “Good morning, Your Highness,” he greeted Twilight. “I trust you had a good night?” Twilight smiled sheepishly and said, “Yes, certainly.” Rainbow Dash was about to make a snide remark, but a glance from Twilight kept her quiet. Rock Breaker didn’t seem to notice the exchange, or if he did he didn’t show it. “Good to hear. Now, to get to the Cheyenne mines all you need to do is follow this trail.” He gestured with his hoof to the dirt trail leading into the mountains. “At the halfway point, roughly one day’s walk from here, you will find the Fender outpost. It’s stocked with food, and although it lacks the comfort of the inn it will serve as a fine place to spend the night. If you then leave there around the same time as now, you will reach the mines well before dark,” he went on. Twilight nodded and said, “Thank you for the help. We’ll return once we’ve completed our task in the mines.” “I wish you good luck and a safe journey, then. Be aware that as you travel deeper into the mountains, rock slides may occur. They’re rare and usually we trigger them to keep the path safe, but it can’t hurt to be careful,” Rock Breaker said. Twilight thanked him for the warning, and the group set off into the mountains.