//------------------------------// // II - The Call of Unawareness // Story: Lampshade Tales // by Khenlos //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle sat in silence as the train marched on, her mind elsewhere with all that happened the last couple of days. The rest of her friends and fellow element bearers weren’t faring any better than her. The events in Our Town put some thoughts that were uncomfortable for the young heroines that managed to overcome their foe almost by pure luck, but it was a void victory since Starlight Glimmer managed to escape, vowing that she would eventually enact revenge upon Twilight. Again, another enemy of Equestria ran unimpeded and almost unopposed, free to scheme without problems and, sooner or later, cause a major problem for them and Equestria. This was the best they could do? The heroines of Equestria, the mighty Elements of Harmony… What good they were for if the enemy didn’t sat quiet and still before they were bathed in the harmonic energies of the elements? “Girls… I think we need to talk” Twilight finally said, causing everypony to look at her. Rainbow Dash just huffed. “What is to talk, Twilight? We got beaten good and that’s all that there’s to it. We can only lick our wounds for now” Rainbow said before frowning and smacking her hooves “but next time we are going to show her!” “There isn’t going to be a next time, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, making all of them look at her with a look of surprise on their faces “At least not like today… not like always...” “What do you mean, Twilight?” Rarity asked as Fluttershy and Pinkie looked at the alicorn asking silently the same question. “We need to ask Princess Celestia for help. I’ve been thinking these past hours and I can say that we have been very lucky with our adventures. We… we really aren’t suited for tasks like this” Twilight explained while musing with her hair, her eyes full of concern and fear, “I… I thought we weren’t going to make it, girls. We need to be prepared for the next one… because it’s going to be a next one for sure, and another, and another...” she said before shaking her head, “If we want to have a better to change at menaces like Starlight Glimmer we need to get trained. We can’t keep going on like this.” “I’m in! Any kind of training is right on my alley!” Rainbow said with a smirk on her face. “I’m not sure, sugarcube. My farm requires tons of work and dedication that I can’t spend on some training. I hear you Twi, but I can’t see it, sorry.” Applejack said apologetically while messing with her hat. “I’m with Applejack in this one, darling. I can’t leave my boutique to prance around some yard and run some laps. It would be terrible for both my business and my physique. Why, what about the gossip! It would be-” Rarity tried to say before Twilight slammed her hoof on the floor, shutting her up. “Today a unicorn was able to overpower me, an alicorn who wields the Element of Magic itself, girls. She wanted us to join her cult, but what if the next villain isn’t so benevolent? Maybe the next one thinks that we are… that we are not worth the effort and decides to end us right there” Twilight said with a serious look on her eyes. “I can’t believe that a pony would be such a meanie!” Pinkie cried, “There is no way!” “And what if there is a way, Pinkie? Think. All of you, think for a moment here. What if one day one of us don’t return from one of these missions? What about your families? And...” Twilight said as she cried a bit, “and what about your friends? I can’t think about anything else right now, girls. What if next time I don’t come back? What about Spike?” Her friends hurried towards the distressed princess and hugged her tightly. Soon they turned into a sobbing mass of ponies as they followed Twilight’s advice and truly thought about what would happen if one of these adventures went awry. Their families would be devastated and Equestria would be without their most stalwart defenders against evil. Maybe their families would be able to survive without them, that much was a given, but what about the possible opportunistic forces wanting to prey on Equestria? Forced labor, slavery… and more unmentionable things, all of them were thought for the six mares, and they found themselves scared witless of those thoughts. “Darling, I… I don’t think I’ve ever even entertained the though… Oh dear...” Rarity lamented as she hugged her friends tighter. “That would be so sad, and without any laughs! I don’t wanna think about it… I don’t want that to ever happen to any pony!” Pinkie cried loudly. “Don’t cry, Pinkie. I’m sure there is something we can do… Ah… That’s what you meant, isn’t it Twilight?” Fluttershy asked softly, cleaning her own tears. “We need to get stronger to beat the bad guys, isn’t it? Give them the old one-two and then bam?” Rainbow questioned as she got out of the group hug. “Not exactly, Rainbow. We have to get stronger, but I don’t want us to become like those we fight. I want to spread friendship and resolve any friendship problem we can find, but… but we can’t be defenseless in this endeavor. We must be able to confront and neutralize the most violent ones, or at least improve our chances of not being captured like today. Violence isn’t the answer, but we can’t continue to be a one-trick pony anymore. As I told you girls, I think Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can help us with this. We must be better Elements of Harmony for everyone’s sake, and for our own.” Twilight said with determination, cleaning her own eyes from any tear. “I understand, sugarcube. I don’t like one bit, but I understand. I suppose we can put those extra funds the princesses give us for them adventures we do I suppose… Big Mac could use the help that’s for sure.” Applejack said as she put down her hat, her expression thoughtful. “I guess I’ve also been feeling a bit useless with all of these things we do. Maybe… No. We really need to do better.” “Don’t worry, Applejack. We will do this together. I don’t like it either, but I can’t think of what would happen to my animals or my poor Angel if something happens to me. I can’t do that to them.” Fluttershy said as she smiled at her cowgirl friend. “It will be a big party all the time! Maybe one with more games that I’m used to, but it will be like back home at the rock farm!” Pinkie said while bouncing in place. Twilight smiled at their friends, a strange mixture of pride and determination behind her eyes. “I know this wasn’t what anypony wanted to do in the near future, but…” Twilight tried to say but shook her head before smiling a bit, “I don’t really want to sound like a broken record. We will face everything that comes to us, but this time… this time we will be prepared!”