The dusty room was dark, only lit up by a single source: a candle on the reading table. The purple paint on the wall was cracking, the books were scattered all over the floor. Another stack toppled and down it poured into the sea of books.
The door opened, the knob glowing yellow.
"Moon Dancer?" Minuette whispered.
In the candelight by the reading table, the shadowy figure sat and read, levitating the page to the next from time to time.
"Moon Dancer!" she yelled though still in a whisper. "That's unhealthy! How can you stand so much reading so late? It's so late that it's already Wednesday—didn't you know that?"
"What?" She closed the book with her magic, levitated the candle to her face—now clear, though her mane stuck out. Her eyes were half-open, reddening.
"It's almost two in the morning!" Minuette whispered, glaring. She saw the sea of books on the floor. And jumped. "You need to tidy up!"
Moon Dancer moaned and slammed her head on the desk—then, heard it crack. "Aww! My horn!"
Minuette brushed her mane with her hoof and walked over to her, stepping on the books.
"N-No!" she cried out. "What do you think you're doing! You should be more careful!"
"You have more worth than a bunch of dusty old books, Moon Dancer!" Minuette said as she grabbed hold of her friend and tried to pull her out.
Moon Dancer held on to the table.
"You've been on a Crystal Empire frenzy ever since you woke up! You've got the three of us worried sick!"
Moon Dancer moaned again as she slapped her friend's face with a book.
"Ow!" A growl. "You're not gonna do that again!"
"Make me!"
Minuette sighed. "You asked for this." She looked out the open door—the front lawn was clean and a tree was growing well with lots of leaves, with a stone fence indicating Moon Dancer's property; the road was devoid of any carriage whatsoever. A lone pony walked about the sidewalk a bit far on. "Girls?"
And Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts appeared from behind the wall.
Moon Dancer gasped. "You can't possibly be thinking of that!"
"It's for your own good!" Minuette said. "We don't wanna lose a friend like this."
A groan.
Blurry vision.
Open lights, sunlight.
Ceiling.
Clearer sight.
Focused on Mineutte sitting on a stool.
A sigh from that pony's mouth.
Moon Dancer stood up on her bed. "Where am I? What did you do? What time is it?"
Minuette drew in breath. "You're in my house, we knocked you out, and it's precisely seven fifty-eight A.M." And a grin.
Her irises shrunk. "It's morning?!"
"The sun's out," Minuette said. "It's refreshing after enough hours of sleep, right, Moon Dancer?"
"I didn't even get eight!" she complained, throwing the blanket about.
Minuette giggled, the laugh trailing off. "Well, we just didn't like seeing you hurt yourself like that. I know that we can do our part in helping Equestria fight, but do you think you can really do all of this on your own?"
Moon Dancer looked away from her.
"You let us do the reading for you today," Minuette said. "You've worn yourself out. Rest, walk around, enjoy the day."
"But, what about my—"
Minuette nodded. "Rest, Moon Dancer. I've prepared breakfast for you downstairs. Pancakes and sour cream!"
She hopped her way out of the bedroom.
Books thrown and slung about.
The three scampered around, scouring the wooden shelves engraved into the natural walls, building their own sea of books as they progressed. The windows of the tree library let in the orange sunset light, bringing a warm mood to the whole rush for information.
Mayor Mare and Rarity looked on at the mess from the side. They looked at each other, then they looked back at the mess.
"No, no, no, no!" Minuette yelled as she hurled yet another book to the floor. "How are we going to tell this to her? We've spent all day traveling throughout Equestria, and we still haven't found anything useful!"
The two hurled their respective books, too, to search for another.
Rarity walked to the three, her horn glowing as she levitated most of the books back in place. "And, what precisely do you need? I do enjoy a good read now and then."
Minuette faced her, whirling herself around, still carrying an open book with her magic. "Moon Dancer's looking for a book—any book!—about the Crystal Empire! She thinks that we can solve everything or at least some things that way! We can tell you and us and her—"
Rarity levitated yet another book away from Minuette's sight. "You're getting ahead of yourself, darling. You haven't even considered checking the books in order—whether it's by topic, by name, whatever. Have you...never thought of that this whole time?"
Minuette covered her mouth and nodded.
And Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts looked at her.
"Ah, don't worry!" Rarity said, flipping her mane. "Even the best can forget such simple advice!"
Minuette smiled and put down her book on the table. "Uh, thanks...who are you?"
"Rarity."
The floor was now clear of any books lying on it.
"That was unexpected of you!" Mayor Mare said, beaming at her as they trotted through Ponyville, the grass and the windows reflecting the orange tint of the sky. "With you leaving soon, I'm surprised that you continue to keep up that upbeat attitude of yours."
"Ah-ha-ha-ha!" Then, drooping down: "Yes, Mayor."
She placed a hoof on Rarity's head.
They stopped.
"Rarity," Mayor Mare began, "leaving the town you were born and raised in is especially hard. I don't know what it feels like to go away for a month or longer. But, remember that we'll always be here, cheering you on wherever you are. As long as we can still talk to you, even if it must be through letters, then we'll be OK knowing you're OK."
Rarity's eyes welled up; a choke. "W-Why, you're so...you're..." and wiped a tear.
The mayor nodded slowly, stepping back. "Want me to treat you to a Sugarcube Corner buffet? I'll invite as many ponies as possible!"
"That will have to be postponed for the day before," Rarity said, walking in another direction. "I have to talk with my Sweetie."
And she ran.
Whimpering.
Rarity opened the door.
The bedroom and workplace once again—the shelves of fabrics, the sewing equipment, the mirrors, the windows, the bed.
Whimpers, sobs.
Sweetie Belle's face covered in bed sheets.
"Oh, no..." Rarity muttered as she went closer to the crying filly. "What's wrong, Sweetie Belle?"
She closed the door.
"What's the matter, Sweetie?"
Sobs.
"Sweetie Belle, it's alright. I'm here. We're here. And—"
"I don't wanna go!"
Threw the sheets and a pillow.
Rarity held her sister, hugging her as she cried. "W-Who...told you we were going?"
"Apple Bloom!" she screamed. "She told me everything about what you and Applejack talked about a few days ago!" And cried.
Rarity covered her mouth at that. "N-No! W-Why did she do that?"
"To tell the truth!" Sweetie shouted. Then, staring at her—"How could you?! Why were you trying to keep it a secret? Were you going to bring all of my things inside a bag and drag me into a trip I knew nothing about?! What were you gonna tell me?! That—that we were gonna stay in Manehattan for a few days? And then you'll—what, make up an excuse? Then, the days become weeks, the weeks become months, the months become years—"
Rarity held her closer, tighter. "Sweetie Belle..."
"We're abandoning our friends!" she yelled amidst her tears. "Is there something wrong with them?! I-I don't know what to do in Manehattan! None of my friends will be there and they'll miss me and—"
"Babs Seed attends school there!" Rarity said, panicked. "She's a cousin of Apple Bloom, so you can have that and still be happy!" A desperate grin.
"I don't even know her!"
And she cried.
Rarity stayed still, holding her with a hoof.
A tear down her cheek.
"Please, Rarity! Don't draw me away from them—from Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!"
She gasped.
The two sobbed together, tears flowing.
Applejack stood before the table, a few letters on with some more papers beside.
Her bedroom was a straightforward one, and the lights were on. There was a bed and a small desk beside it, having a lamp and a portrait of the Apple family: Her, Apple Bloom, Big McIntosh, and Granny Smith, all huddled together in a group hug. Above the bed was a painting of a pony frolicking in the plains full of flowers. Farther on, two lassos and one hat hung on the wall.
A few windows gave her a nice view of the night with its starry sky and its bright moon.
Hoofsteps.
She glanced at the door, at the hallway past it.
"Apple Bloom? What are you doin' up about this late?"
Her sister walked to her. "What are you doin'?"
Applejack sighed. "I've gotta send these out early. The Apple family reunion ain't supposed to be comin' up for two more months or so, but, with what's goin' on these days, we've gotta pull it in early and celebrate on Monday."
Apple Bloom gasped.
She made a small smile. "You're going to see everypony come here again—and early, too."
"And that includes Babs Seed!"
Applejack nodded. "I was surprised myself when I saw how the two o' you bonded so quick! I'm sure that you'll have a mighty fine time when they start drivin' in."
Apple Bloom nodded, too.
A sigh. "So, did you tell Sweetie Belle what I'd told you?"
A pause. "Yes, sis'."
Applejack sighed again. "It's painful, ain't it?"
Apple Bloom nodded again.
"You've gotta admit, Rarity's good when it comes to keepin' things quiet an' silent, even when she's hidin' from her own family. But, to be honest, it isn't the right thing, especially when we're talking about somepony who's so bright-eyed her whole life." Another pause. "Bringin' it on her as a sudden story—that plan is a lot worse than tellin' it to her straight as can be."
Apple Bloom looked up. "So...what's gonna happen?" A pause, teary eyed. "We won't be the Cutie Mark Crusaders without her." Tears formed. "It'll never be the same."
Applejack took a step closer to her. "It won't. I don't even think writin' her letters is gonna be enough."
She looked at her sister. "Then, what now?"
"We wait," Applejack said, glancing at the letters before looking back at her. "We wait for them to come back from Manehattan. I don't know when they're comin' back, but if Rarity said that she's comin' back, then I'm sure of it."
"But, when?"
Applejack sighed. "I don't know, sis'. I don't know."
The two embraced.
No smiles.
As colts and fillies played again on the wide fields around the schoolhouse, chasing each other and talking to each other and laughing with each other, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo waited by the hatch door.
"I don't think anypony could replace Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo said, taking a peek at the long hallway and staircase down to the basement. "Even if we get a unicorn just like her, we know she won't be Sweetie Belle."
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. "But, what could ya' do? What could we do? It's a family decision, and I don't wanna meddle in that—but, at the same time—" sweating "—there must be some way to let her stay here."
Scootaloo grinned and jumped. "What about we let her stay with you at your place?"
Apple Bloom smiled. "I guess you're right! This might be our last shot!"
The two bumped each other's hooves.
Sweetie Belle in the distance.
Apple Bloom gasped. "She's comin'!"
And they smiled as the unicorn passed by a line of running ponies along with the swing-set and slide. Then, looking at her two friends at the hatch door: "Good morning." Despondent.
They looked at each other with fearful eyes.
The basement was crowded with students talking tenser. The conversations were quieter, with some resorting to covering one side of their face with a hoof as they relayed whispered words to another.
The presses were still going. Paper was printed into today's edition of the "Foal Free Press" on which, for now, was a picture of a smiling mare with a country hat, posing in front of a farm. The headline of "Applejack Visits Sugarcube Corner Yesterday!" told what the main story was all about.
Ponies kept on making words and sentences on the typewriters, with the occasional crumpled paper thrown into the trashcan.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered at another wooden table, sitting on the chairs.
Scootaloo smacked the table, looking at Sweetie Belle with disgust. "You stole Apple Bloom's idea?! And, you didn't tell us?!"
"Look, I asked Rarity everything I could ask!" Sweetie replied, raising her voice and about to stand up. "She said 'No!' to every single one of them, including staying at Sweet Apple Acres!"
"Was it because we were 'uncouth' or somethin'?" Apple Bloom said, having a smug yet irritated expression.
Sweetie looked confused. "No?"
Apple Bloom smacked her head on the table and groaned.
Scootaloo faced Sweetie and raised a hoof. "You think you tried everything?"
Sweetie nodded.
"Have you told her that you could stay with Cheerilee?"
She nodded again.
"What about trips back and forth every week?"
Another nod.
"Stowing away?" Apple Bloom quipped.
Yet another nod.
"Bringing us along for the ride?" Scootaloo suggested.
One more nod.
The peagsus sighed. "It's hopeless! How are we ever going to get out of this?"
"You don't," Sweetie replied, even more despondent than before—a low voice; looking away, avoiding their stares.
"No, you didn't say that!" Apple Bloom said, placing a forceful hoof on the table, giving her an angry face. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! No matter what, we'll be together!"
Sweetie saw their faces, their pleas in their eyes, their shivering mouths, their hooves reaching out to her.
She gulped.
Lyra looked out the window of the living room.
Above the houses and the roads and the bridges and the rivers and the town hall and the mountains far ahead and away, the sky turned from a sharp and striking orange into a soothing purple and blue, the sun going down and the moon going up.
The door lurched open; paper rustling.
"Lyra, you've gotta see the night news!"
She galloped past the couch and the tables and the shelves and the wall, greeting Bon Bon who was holding a newspaper and grabbing it from her hooves with her magic as it glowed orange.
On the Ponyville Express newspaper was a picture of Prince Rutherford, eyes covered, standing in front of the wooden gate into and out of Yakyakistan; it was enormous, higher than the walls that surrounded the village. He had a grumpy face on.
The headline news read as follows:
"Yakyakistan Ready!" says Prince; Calls Crystal Empire to Battle
Prince Rutherford of Yakyakistan has issued a statement to the Crystal Empire this afternoon, at about 5 P.M. Prince Rutherford, among other words, called the Crystal Empire to fight it right now.
"Yaks show enemy what yaks can!" Prince Rutherford had said. "Yaks not go down without fight. Honor and love for yaks! Visit soon and yaks win!"
Many military experts, both in and out of Equestria, have noted the bravery (or bravado) of Rutherford's recent words. Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard said, "It doesn't make any sense. He's only asking for trouble this way. Yakyakistan is ill-equipped and ill-prepared to take on the Crystal ponies." Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts told, "Despite all of the flaws, the attack on Yakyakistan could divert enough forces from our frontlines so that we can push through and cut through the Crystal ponies' defences. If we're fast enough, we could even catch up to the attacking army and tackle them before they can fully destroy Yakyakistan."
Prince Rutherford has said in a later interview that he won't be accepting any more press conferences.
"What does it mean?!" Lyra screamed.
Bon Bon sighed and pushed her friend away. "It means what it means."
Lyra grabbed her friend by the head. "Is that the go signal to pack our things and leave?!" She levitated some of the books and photos and wallets and other things lying around—even a carpet. "I have briefcases at the ready!"
Bon Bon looked out the open door, glimpsing at a few ponies walking down the street. "You're making a sight out of this, Lyra!" Then, she grabbed the knob and slammed the door shut.
Rarity sighed before she opened the door to the boutique.
Much of it was covered in pink colors: pink walls, pink floor, pink curtains, pink platforms. Accents and tones of yellows and white decorated the place as fancy shapes had been painted on, making the boutique's ground floor a lovely place for the fashionista. The stairs were over there at the end. Beside mirrors and even more curtains, there were racks of suits and dresses of different styles—elaborate, simple, colorful.
Beside those racks were many boxes and suitcases.
Rarity walked to one of those suitcases and, without touching it with a hoof, opened it.
Inside were numerous dresses packed inside along with several watches and jewelry.
Also inside was a photograph.
Rarity levitated it.
On the photograph was the whole family. Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles standing right beside their daughters Rarity and Sweetie Belle. They stood in front of a cottage. They all smiled, their hooves connected on each other's shoulders.
She looked back at the door and the window.
Rarity could see the beautiful night that was in Ponyville. Not many buildings had their lights on for tonight, but there were some lights. Several ponies lingered at the space in front of the boutique, talking and laughing at some joke or two.
She closed her eyes. Another tear flowed.