2. Enjoy It While It Lasts
Consciousness meant bright, merciless light stabbing into her eyes like a…merciless…stabby…bright thing. Twilight squeezed her eyes immediately shut again, giving voice to a soft groan.
“She’s coming around!”
Though sound warped and distorted upon reaching her ears, it wasn’t hard to pick out Spike’s anxious voice, uttering that unbearably trite line she’d read in countless adventure novels. She mused dimly that there was probably something wrong with the fact that her first thought was: Aw, Spike, you really did read some of those books I gave you…
Twilight decided to try that eye-opening thing again, this time much more slowly. The sideways angle of the view, several multicolored legs running horizontally across her field of vision and planting themselves on plush red carpet to the left, told her that she had toppled over onto her side at some point, and she slowly rolled herself upright and tucked her legs underneath her. Looking up, she was met with six worried faces, Spike’s green eyes the biggest and wettest only by a very small margin. The two guards from earlier had apparently taken up their places at either side of the throne again, though their eyes warily observed the situation.
“…are you okay, Twilight?” the little dragon fretted, clutching his tail in his little clawed hands and twisting it back and forth between them.
“My head hurts, a little,” she admitted with a tired smile, looking around at the concerned faces of her friends. “But other than that, I…I think I’m alright.” She tried to look reassuring for their sakes.
Had it all been a dream, after all? But no…even though she was exhausted, physically and mentally, she could feel the new, barely-contained power brimming inside her. Gig hadn’t been lying about that.
But…how could she tell them that? Should she tell them? Her neck craned to try and look past them, her eyes seeking out Celestia.
It wasn’t hard to spot the Princess’ horn high above them, and when she began to step forward, they all parted for her as though by instinct, until she stood directly over Twilight. Her face had an expression that her student had never seen on it before; she actually looked like she expected to be…reprimanded.
“I’m sure that you have many questions, Twilight.” Celestia’s hoof reached out, offering to help her rise. Twilight accepted, climbing to her hooves and giving herself a little shake. That turned out to be a mistake, and only left her feeling more disoriented. Closing her eyes and taking a moment to collect her thoughts as well as her equilibrium, she decided to simply dive right in, her curiosity and confusion overriding any urge she might have had to throw accusations.
“Just…what exactly was that?” she began hesitantly, as her five closest friends clustered around her once more, and Spike hoisted himself up onto her back as though afraid she’d disappear entirely if he didn’t maintain constant contact. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she was too tired to comfortably carry him at the moment.
“I…have joined your soul with Gig’s,” Celestia admitted, a note of guilt creeping into her tone, though she maintained a confident and regal posture nonetheless. “Twilight, I fully understand if you are frightened, and even if you have…choice words for me, for doing this without asking you first, but I ask you to save them until I have explained. I hope that you will understand that there was truly no other choice for us all.”
“First things first,” Applejack broke in before any of the others could speak, taking a step forward. “Can they be un-joined? This ain’t…permanent, is it?”
Twilight shot a look of silent thanks to her orange friend for asking the question she hadn’t been brave enough to.
Celestia shook her head resolutely, however. “Absolutely not. The very moment the danger has passed, rest assured that I will do anything and everything in my power to undo this. But…for now, though it pains me to do this to you, we need Gig’s power.”
“But why?” Rainbow spoke up, her brow creased in confusion. Her wings unfurled, spreading in an emotive shrug. “What could we possibly need that creepy…voice…guy…thing for, that you couldn’t do yourself? Or with Princess Luna?”
“My sister and I are not all-powerful, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia answered with a small, indulgent smile. “As recent events of only the past year have rather sorely reminded me.”
A few winces went around the circle. Discord, the Changeling Queen…she made a fair point, though none of them had wanted to admit there was anything Celestia couldn’t do. The Princess continued, her tone becoming somber again.
“To answer your question, Rainbow Dash…the World Eaters have begun to stir.”
This time, Twilight was the only one to gasp, which drew sharp looks from all around. Celestia gave her a look of sympathy and a small nod.
“Sooo…what’s a World Eater?” Pinkie finally broke the leaden silence with the obvious question.
“The World Eaters were Gig’s underlings—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say his pawns,” Celestia explained, her somber pink eyes focusing on each of her audience in turn. “They are enormous monsters of terrible power, engineered only for the purpose of destruction. I had hoped that upon Gig’s defeat in the distant past they would lie dormant for as long as he remained imprisoned, and so Luna and I left them where they lay and allowed time and nature to bury them. But now, I have begun to sense them shifting in their rest. I do not know the circumstances that have disturbed their slumber, but I have felt the stirrings in the world itself. The World Eaters are waking up.”
“Bullshit.” Everypony (and dragon) in the room jumped with a start as Gig’s voice resounded from Twilight’s general direction, though her mouth hadn’t even moved. As her mouth continued to hang open, he spoke on, the sound clearly not coming from within her throat but simply emanating somehow from the very air around her. “The World Eaters don’t even pick their noses unless I tell ‘em to.”
“Nevertheless, it is happening,” Celestia insisted. She seemed to have no interest in arguing with the disembodied voice, however, and was quick to draw the attention of all six Elements of Harmony (and all one Number One Assistant) back to her. “That is why we need the power of Gig, which I have entrusted to Twilight Sparkle.”
Another collection of concerned glances was exchanged. This time it was Rarity who took it upon herself to speak up. “And so you believe that this…Gig…shall be able to rein in his dreadful pets?”
“That is my hope,” Celestia confirmed, nodding solemnly. “Nothing that Luna or I did—or any of the other brave ones who stood against them—could do more than stun the beasts. Gig’s powers are immense, but what’s more, he had dominion over the World Eaters. I…do not wish to destroy even such frightful creatures, but if they are to be contained, Gig may be our only hope.”
“But why…why me?” Twilight finally asked, plaintively. She stepped closer to her mentor, looking up at her like a lost foal. “Princess Celestia, why does it have to be me? I’d…I’d gladly do anything for you, if you asked, but this is frightening! Terrifying! This is my soul we’re talking about!”
Realizing she may have crossed a line, Twilight lowered her head and backed up again, looking away. After a moment of silence, she glanced up at Celestia, only to see the Sun Princess averting her own gaze.
“Twilight, when I took you on as my pupil,” Celestia explained slowly, “I told you that I had never before seen magic potential as great as yours. In all my many years of life, that still holds true. While untapped, the potential power of your magic is unfathomable. I knew that if anypony could hope to contain Gig long enough to undertake this mission, it had to be you. I am sorry, truly sorry, to have to ask this of you. And even more sorry to thrust it upon you without warning. But the lives of every living creature in Equestria, and quite possibly in all the world, are at stake. I had no choice. Please, try to understand…”
Of course…we could always make her pay, y’know, Gig’s voice echoed in Twilight’s mind, sinisterly weaving between her thoughts. She could feel the sadistic grin. She’s even admitting that she forced you into this deal. Tell you what, if you fork over your body right now…I’ll even give you five whole minutes of my full power all to yourself to punish her, so long as you promise to put on a good show. Hell, if you make her beg for mercy hard enough, I might even extend the time. But I wanna see real tears!
Celestia actually seemed startled when she felt Twilight brushing up affectionately against her forelegs, the unicorn’s neck and back arched as she had the morning of Nightmare Moon’s defeat, what seemed like so long ago. After a moment of uncertain silence, she finally bowed her long, graceful neck, nuzzling her pupil softly.
“I understand, Princess,” Twilight answered at last, when she felt the returning embrace. “I won’t lie…I’m afraid. Gig is…terrifying. But I know you wouldn’t give me an assignment you didn’t think I could complete. I know you’re counting on me, and I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”
The warm, tender moment earned smiles from all six of her friends, Spike having wisely dropped off her back when he saw her moving. And then Gig seized the opportunity to shatter it like one of the castle’s stained glass windows.
“Oh my god, are you serious? I’m about to puke all over the kid’s inner child, here! If you namby pamby little ponies are done, can we get on with the whole ‘whipping my World Eaters back in line’ thing? I need to kill something now, I don’t even care if it’s just a mosquito!”
Fluttershy gasped, horrified at the very idea, covering her mouth with both front hooves as she fell back on her haunches. As Rarity attempted to console her with soft murmurs and a soothing hoof running up and down her back, Applejack stepped up.
“Now you listen here, ya old goat.” The aggressive, assertive tone of her voice was so startling it shut even Gig up. She stalked slowly, ominously toward Twilight as she continued. “We may need ya, but y’all are still here on our suff’rage, and that means yer gonna play by our rules.” She slowed down, planting one hoof loudly on the floor in another step as she announced each point.
“That means, number one: no killin’. Ah don’t care if it’s a gnat.”
Another step.
“Number two: yer gonna show a lick o’ respect to the Princess. She took y’all outta that sword, and she can put ya back. Ah don’t think ya’d like that.”
Another step, leaving her right up in Twilight’s face, their noses almost touching.
“Number three: that’s mah friend’s soul yer ponybackin’ on, so y’all had better take mighty fine care o’ her, or Ah promise ya, Ah’ll show ya just why we ‘namby pamby little ponies’ ain’t been conquered, invaded or even had a serious trade dispute in a thousand years.”
Twilight’s field of vision was filled with two large, green, angry circles.
“Y’all got that?”
Gig was silent. That seemed good enough for the farm pony, and she backed off with a big, satisfied smile. “Good. Lookin’ forward ta workin’ with ya.” She turned and trotted off to rejoin the others.
Wa…wait, what? What the hell just happened?! Gig’s voice finally resounded in Twilight’s head, so utterly baffled she had to fight very hard to suppress a titter.
I think Applejack just laid out the ground rules, she answered him mentally, hoping that would work—talking to herself all the time would likely earn her some very odd looks, even from her friends. And since this is still my body, I’m enforcing them.
Keep telling yourself that while you can, kid. At least that proved her hypothesis. As of today, this body is ‘yours’ on limited lease. Enjoy it while it lasts. Ever shaved the top off a mountain before? It’s on my top ten list of ‘Things to Do Before Your Soul Evaporates’.
Celestia was beginning to speak, so Twilight jerked her attention to the outside world, striding to stand with her friends and letting her scaly assistant clamber onto her back once more.
“Thank you, Twilight,” she said warmly, the gentle smile that was so much more familiar to them all finally gracing her face. “I have nothing but the utmost faith in you. Please remember that, no matter what.”
Her pupil nodded, pride touching her smile. The fact that she could sense Gig silently gagging was just a bonus.
“Now,” the Princess continued, her eyes taking in the whole crowd once again, “the closest World Eater’s resting place is actually on the fringe of Equestrian territory. Far to the southwest, it lies buried beneath the plains upon which the buffalo tribes now roam.”
Applejack blanched beneath her coat.
“Y-yer majesty, it ain’t…too close to Appleloosa, is it?” She gulped, dreading the answer.
Celestia smiled and shook her head, though. “There was a reason I was so particular about where I allowed your cousin to establish that settlement, despite the difficulties that arose for its orchards, and it was not because I felt like being difficult.” A bit of impish mirth crept into her smile as Applejack looked a bit sheepish. “However, it is the closest settlement to the World Eater, and so the most sensible course of action would be to take the train there. I will see to it that you are provided with a map marked with that World Eater’s location, along with the other two, before you leave.
“The first thing you should all do, however, is layover in Ponyville. Make your preparations, say your farewells and arrange what you must until your return, for this shall be a long journey.” At Rarity’s alarmed look, and Fluttershy’s fretful one, Celestia ducked her head toward the two with a reassuring smile. “For those of you who have long-term responsibilities, royal arrangements will be made. You are serving the crown, after all—it’s the least the crown can do in return.”
Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh to know that her animals would still be cared for, but Rarity nervously spoke up.
“If…it’s all the same to you, Princess, I ah…think that I shall simply close the Boutique and call it a vacation.” She smiled awkwardly, with a nervous little laugh. “I’ve not taken a sabbatical in some time, and as they say, absence does make the heart grow fonder—perhaps that shall hold true for fashions as well as it does for ponies.”
Twilight suppressed a smile. Of course Rarity wouldn’t trust her precious designs in the hooves of anypony else.
“Twilight,” Celestia’s attention turned to her, “I would like to ask you to take Spike along, this time. If he is willing to go.”
“Really?!” Spike, of course, was practically bouncing on her back, making her wince with each eager jostle. Twilight was less enthusiastic.
“But Princess, won’t this be…dangerous?” she hedged, reluctant to argue but concerned for his safety. And for his vocabulary. She would have to have a long chat with Gig about his language, soon.
“There is no denying that,” Celestia admitted, frowning very slightly with concern of her own, but she banished it quickly. “However, Spike’s ability to relay messages between you and I will be an invaluable asset. It may be some time before you are free to return, and even if Rainbow Dash were particularly interested in serving as a courier…”
The rainbow-maned pegasus made an expression of distaste that made Celestia briefly chortle.
“…Spike’s fire is still a faster means of communication. However,” Celestia’s eyes narrowed slightly, turning a maternally stern look on the infant dragon, “I expect you to stay out of trouble, young dragon. This is a dangerous journey, and we expect you to take that seriously. Don’t we, Twilight?”
Twilight had to fight very hard not to smile at the coltishly downcast look on Spike’s face as she looked over her shoulder at him. Still, he nodded and voiced compliance, and that was enough for them.
“One other thing,” Celestia continued, prompting all eyes to return to her. Golden light bloomed around her horn, and a series of melodic chimes heralded objects being lofted from behind the throne, levitated over its back and toward them. As they approached, seven pairs of eyes widened to see Celestia levitating the Elements of Harmony toward them. Five golden necklaces set with gems of varying colors, each cut to match the shape of its representative’s Cutie Mark, and one horseshoe-shaped crown with its gem perched regally at the apex of its arch. The necklaces fastened themselves one by one around Applejack’s, Rarity’s, Rainbow Dash’s, Pinkie Pie’s and Fluttershy’s necks, and the crown settled down upon Twilight’s head, a familiar weight.
“I want you to take the Elements of Harmony with you,” Celestia explained, nodding soberly. “They may not be capable of stopping the World Eaters on their own, but I’m confident they will prove invaluable. In any case, I would prefer that you be prepared. And also…”
Twilight gasped, as Celestia levitated the black sword that had been Gig’s prison from where it had dropped on the floor during her blackout, turning it so that the hilt faced her, the golden glow around it at odds with its impossibly black color. Even dormant, the red gems in its hilt seemed to glower maliciously at her.
“Twilight, you will need this,” Celestia told her softly.
“But…Princess, a sword?” Twilight protested. “I don’t…I’ve never used a sword, I know nothing of weapons!”
“In his current state, I suspect this sword will be necessary for focusing Gig’s power,” Celestia explained, still offering the hilt to her, “and I think you’ll find that Gig knows plenty of wielding a sword. I want you to be able to protect yourself even when magic is not available to you. I trust you to wield it responsibly.”
There was a weight in that last sentence that spoke of more than simply the blade itself. Twilight gulped, but she nodded, her horn glowing and a red-violet aura gradually replacing Celestia’s golden one as she accepted the weapon. For the time being, she maneuvered it carefully to levitate it by her side, out of Spike’s reach, to which he groaned in disappointment.
A pony using my sword? Gig scoffed silently. Oh, this should be rich. Just you wait, kid, I’ll have you whipped into a killing machine quicker than you can say ‘neigh’.
Did you forget already? No killing, she reminded him.
Gig sighed irritably in her mind. What, do you really think you’re just gonna talk my World Eaters down? God, I knew ponies were naïve, but I didn’t think you were all that stupid.
“This is to be a reconnaissance expedition first and foremost,” Celestia was telling them, walking with the group toward the audience chamber’s vast double doors. “I want you to first investigate the World Eater’s location and then report your findings to me before you take any action. Please, do not antagonize the creature if there is any other alternative.”
“Man, you’re such a goddamn killjoy,” Gig griped. “You’re just trying to take all the fun out of this for me, ain’t you, Celestia?”
“Wow, you’re the second-biggest loudmouth I’ve ever heard,” Rainbow Dash retorted before the Princess could, rolling her eyes. “Would you stop whining, already?”
“I ain’t whining, colordump,” he snapped back. “I’m complaining. I’m sick of wasting time, I’ve got World Eaters to beat down and a body to take over, and all this standing around talking is boring the crap out of me.”
“Colordump?!” Rainbow’s head jerked back, and then stretched aggressively forward as she stomped angrily toward Twilight. Despite knowing that ire wasn’t actually directed at her, the unicorn gulped.
“Seriously, couldn’t you even pick one or two?” Gig was clearly enjoying getting to antagonize her. “I know you’ve got a lot to compensate for with the candy-ass girly pastel blue, but lemme tell ya, no matter how many different dyes you use at once, you’re never gonna look half as badass as me. You might as well just suck it up and stick with pink or something.”
“Wh-what the hay?!” Twilight found Rainbow’s hooves on her shoulders, shaking her. “I don’t dye my mane, you jerk! This is all natural! How’d you like a hoof sandwich?!”
“Hey, now, don’t forget whose body this is, colordump.” Gig cackled gleefully as Dash gave a startled blink and then quickly released Twilight, ducking her head sheepishly. When she saw her purple friend still wobbling in place, she reached out a hoof to steady her.
“Uhh, sorry, Twilight,” she mumbled, scowling darkly at nothing.
Y’know, this might be more fun than I thought, Gig chortled.
“I-it’s okay, Rainbow,” Twilight assured her, her eyes still circling lazily for a moment. She shook herself and blinked a few times, until the audience chamber stopped spinning.
Celestia had watched the entire display with indulgent patience—and perhaps, just perhaps, a hint of mild amusement at their antics. When she was sure she had their attention again, she spoke gently.
“Very well. You all know what you must do.” She smiled encouragingly at them. “Take the train back home, get some rest and prepare, and tomorrow a special engine will be waiting to take you to Appleloosa. And most importantly, my little ponies…” She turned her head to each one of them in turn, looking them in the eye with that maternal smile as the great doors boomed open. “Take care.”
That alone was enough to raise every one of their heads just a little higher as they filed out, one by one.
******
The train ride back to Ponyville had passed in relative silence. True to Celestia’s word, the guards at the train station had provided a rather detailed map of the known world to the group upon their arrival, with three particular locations marked with bright red circles, and Twilight spent much of the ride poring over it. Despite efforts to maintain a sense of normalcy, everypony had a great deal on their mind, and seemed content to leave one another to let it all sink in. Twilight was just thankful that Gig decided to remain fairly quiet, as well. Perhaps talking took up more energy than he had to spare just yet, but she had a dread feeling that would change as time passed. It was a short trip, regardless, and it wasn’t long before the Elements of Harmony disembarked at the station, offering earnest farewells and agreeing to meet early the next morning at the train station.
Back in the Library, Twilight heaved a sigh of relief as the door closed behind her, crossing to one of the reading benches and flopping down onto it rather more haphazardly than she might have normally, rubbing a foreleg across her eyes as she magically lofted the black sword to rest on a nearby table.
“Don’t you worry one bit about packing, Twilight,” Spike assured her as he locked the door. He crossed the treehouse’s ringed wooden flooring and reached up to gently pat her hindleg where it hung lazily off the bench. “I’ll take care of it, okay?”
She wanted to refuse, to take care of it for herself, but the headache from the initial fusion simply refused to go away. Or maybe that was just a lingering reaction to Gig’s voice. Regardless, she smiled, though she didn’t uncover her eyes.
“…okay,” she relented a little too easily, she felt. “Thank you, Spike. I’ll make a checklist later of what books I want to bring. Need to make sure we’ve got plenty of reference materials. I want to know about those locations marked on the map before we get there.”
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Spike assured her, waving the idea off, knowing very well how far Twilight’s checklist-mania could go if he let it. “I can handle this! Number One Assistant, remember? You get some rest, okay? Maybe give that weirdo in there a tongue twister to keep him busy for a while.”
As if summoned by mention of him, Gig’s unwelcome voice spoke in her mind. Heh heh. Little runt’s got some serious moxy, that’s for sure. I could almost respect that, if he weren’t a little pipsqueak taking orders from a bunch of candy-colored ponies.
Spike’s a good friend, and a good assistant, she replied, refusing to rise to his dig. And speaking of which, you’d better watch your language around him. He’s too young to be hearing all that swearing.
Pfft, like I care! Gig scoffed, laughing wickedly. Runt needs a male influence. Hell, if he listens to me, he might even grow a pair and start acting like a real dragon. Y’know, snorting fire, hoarding treasure, blowing shit up!
Twilight grimaced, memory of what that would be like still fresh in mind.
I’ve got a better idea, she retorted, narrowing her eyes. Either you watch that dirty mouth of yours around Spike or I’m going to force you to watch me read the sappiest saccharine soporific salacious romance novel I can find in this library.
Kid…I have no idea what you just said.
Twilight groaned in exasperation, flopping her other hoof over her face and trying to will herself to sleep.
******
In her room on the uppermost floor of the Sugarcube Corner bakery, Pinkie Pie was making serious decisions.
Which meant, of course, that her rump and hind legs were sticking out of a huge chest set against her wall, her poofy pink tail flicking to and fro and the front half of her buried within.
“Too big.” A large canteen, big enough to fill one side of a saddlebag all on its own, flew out of the box and in a graceful arc over the head of the green baby alligator sitting on her bed, who watched its path of travel mutely as it bounced off the wall and landed on the floor nearby.
“Too small.” An eyedropper bounced off the wall this time, landing next to the canteen. “Too heavy.” A paperweight shaped like a cupcake didn’t quite reach the pile, thumping hard against the floor just behind her. “Too awesome.” A plush doll of a black unicorn with a fiery shield Cutie Mark and two-toned blue and orange mane and tail, resembling wild flames, landed on the bed next to the alligator. The reptile’s immediate action was to start chomping on the plushie, but true to his name Gummy was absolutely toothless, so the best he managed was to squish it a bit and leave it a little soggy. “Too squeaky.” A yellow bath ducky arced over Pinkie’s back and smacked against the wall with a squeak. “Not squeaky enough.” A rubber chicken bounced off the wall next to it without a squeak.
Finally, Pinkie came up for air with a gasp and an exasperated sigh, her front hooves folding on the rim of the trunk as her back feet stepped into it, looking at Gummy with an adorable pout. Gummy lifted his head to stare at her, the black plush unicorn doll still dangling from his mouth by its back leg.
“Ohh, it’s no use, Gummy,” Pinkie sighed. “I don’t know what to bring! There’s too much fun stuff!”
Gummy gnawed on the plushie a bit more.
“You’re right, Gummy.” She nodded with renewed determination. “I can’t give up! Twilight’s counting on me!”
She bounced out of the trunk, scattering a bowling trophy, six tennis balls and a slinky across the floor as she emerged. She stood up straighter, squared her jaw, and a glint of light winked dramatically off one of her blue eyes as she reared up.
“Gummy!” she pronounced, pointing a forehoof dramatically at him, “Meet me in the Pinkiecave!”
Gummy tilted his head at her, his gem-like purple eyes staring blankly.
“…well, uhhh.” She raised that same hoof to scratch her head. “…just meet me in the closet, okay?” With that, she bounced toward the open closet door.
******
Carousel Boutique was a whirlwind of activity. Its proprietress was darting this way and that across the showroom floor in a most unladylike manner, pale blue light shimmering around her horn and around the various objects that she whisked to and fro. Mannequins still displaying the dresses she’d showcased on them bumped into each other, into walls and into door frames as she struggled to find places to put them away, banners and large, decorative ribbons knotted in and around each other as she stuffed them into closets. The “Sorry, Darlings, We’re Closed~” sign hung on the door, its elegant cursive script offset somewhat by the fact that it was awkwardly crooked.
Rarity had never closed the boutique for such an extended period of time, before, not since the day she’d opened it. She was quite mortally certain that she was dying a little inside with each hasty, disorganized, unplanned and haphazard placement of her beloved designs. But there was so much to be done if she wanted to be ready in the morning, and she hadn’t even started packing.
What exactly did one pack when one went hunting for World Eaters?
“U-Umm…Rarity…?”
She screeched to a halt, but not fast enough to keep from running right into the two bundles of textile she’d been trying to store away at once, going down in a most undignified pile of silky purple curls and indigo and burgundy fabric. As mortified as she was to hear the high-pitched titter that greeted her head emerging from beneath a fold of burgundy, her outraged flush faded a bit when her little sister trotted up the pile of fabric to start trying to extricate her.
“Ah! Sweetie Belle,” Rarity greeted, still a little frazzled. “Thank you.” She didn’t have the heart to scold the large-eyed little filly for causing the accident in the first place.
“Y-you okay?” The fact that Sweetie was still trying not to laugh almost made her reconsider that, though. “I don’t think you should be trying to do all this by yourself. Can I help?”
“N-no!” When the filly flinched back a bit, Rarity realized she may have said that a little too sharply and she offered a kind smile. “No, Sweetie Belle, it’s quite alright. I’ve things quite under control, I assure you.”
“Yeah…I can tell.” Sweetie tugged at a swatch of fabric with her teeth, but let it go quickly when Rarity’s eyes bugged a little and her white coat revealed a shade of blue below it. “Sorry!”
“It…it’s quite alright, really,” Rarity gasped, still struggling against the cocoon of fabric she lay buried in. Then a hard realization struck her like a blow to the face, as it occurred to her that her boutique wasn’t the only thing she’d be leaving for a time.
Her smile warmed, as she leaned forward to gently nuzzle the suddenly perplexed filly.
“Sweetie Belle, I’ve got to go away for a little while,” she told her little sister softly. “I want you to tell Mother and Father for me, alright? I’d do so myself but there’s simply so much to do, and this is dreadfully important.”
“H-huh? But where’re you going?” Sweetie’s big, shimmering wide eyes very nearly undid her. “Can I come too? I wanna come! I promise I won’t be in the way, and…and maybe I’ll even get my—”
“Absolutely not, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity interrupted her adamantly. “This is an extremely important and extremely dangerous mission for the Princess, herself. I shall be fine,” she added quickly, seeing the worry filling the little unicorn’s big, green eyes. “I shan’t be alone, Twilight and all of our other friends will be along as well.”
“B-But…” It was clearly not enough to placate her sister. Managing to extricate her front hooves with some effort, Rarity sighed and stretched them out, wrapping them around the filly with the pink-and-lavender mane and pulling her into a rather fabric-laden embrace.
“I will be fine, Sweetie Belle,” she assured her again in a soft, gentle tone. “Just a quick jaunt off ‘round the countryside, and I shall be back before you know it. But you have to stay here, lest Mother and Father worry themselves sick about both of us. You know how they fret, so. You’ve got to stay here and help remind them that I’m a big mare who can take care of herself. Can you do that?”
Sweetie nuzzled into her sister’s mane, a little sullenly, but she relented with a sigh. “Okay,” she pouted, her little forelegs wrapping around Rarity’s neck in an answering hug. “Just promise you’ll come back safe, ‘kay? You gotta promise.”
“I promise,” Rarity assured her, smiling and kissing the top of her sister’s head. “Now, be a dear and help me out of this mess, would you? Ah…carefully.”
******
Rainbow Dash had already packed everything she needed to pack—which hadn’t been much—and made arrangements for the weathermare she felt most reliable to take charge in her absence. She always preferred to travel as light as she could get by with. Less to weigh her down meant more glorious speed. And that, she decided as she perched on the puffy white clouds at the edge of her castle-like home, meant there was only one thing left to do. She squared her shoulders, tensed her wings, steeled her jaw as her eyes narrowed in preparation, taking in the small sea of straw-thatched roofs that spread out below her home. Yes, there was but one thing remaining to prepare her for the coming journey.
Serious. Hardcore. Napping.
With a hop in place and a flap of her wings, she performed an easy one-eighty, facing toward her home again and beginning to trot toward the front door. A shrill voice calling her name from the ground far below froze her in her tracks, and her eyes rolled toward the sky with a mixture of fondness and exasperation.
Scootaloo was a great kid and all, but Rainbow really didn’t feel up for it today. She just wanted to curl up in her puffy cloud bed and dream of beating up a black sword with an incredibly irritating voice.
Still, the filly wasn’t giving up, and Dash knew she’d never hear the end of it if she didn’t go hang with her number one fan. Without turning, she backed toward the edge of the cloud and threw herself backward off the edge, eyes closed as she snapped open her wings and let the wind fill them, beginning a tight downward spiral that ended with her striking the ground like a rainbow-colored thunderbolt, posing with her wings outstretched and a smirk on her face.
The tyke was appropriately impressed, her big purple eyes wide and her jaw hanging open in an awed smile.
“Oh, wow, that was awesome!” Scootaloo bounced excitedly, and despite her reluctance, Rainbow couldn’t help breathing on a hoof and polishing it against her chest.
“Yeah, I know.” Dash grinned, reaching that same hoof down to ruffle the orange filly’s wild purple mane. Scootaloo responded by distractedly smoothing the purple mass forward again with one hoof, even though Dash hadn’t really been able to do much noticeable damage to what was already an unkempt mess. “What’s up, squirt? I was just about to catch some shut-eye.”
“W-well, I just…heard that you guys went to Canterlot Castle, today,” Scoots hedged, scuffing one of her front hooves against the grass. “Is, uh…is everything okay? It’s not…y-y’know, monsters again, is it?”
If you only knew, kid. Rainbow didn’t let her smirk drop, however, even as she watched the nervous filly try to look brave for her.
“Nah, nothin’ big like that.” She spread her wings in a shrug, and then flicked one against Scootaloo’s nose, causing the filly to wrinkle it in an attempt not to sneeze. “The Princess just wanted to…uh…give Twilight something, and we all came with ‘cuz she’s our friend. “
Rubbing her still itchy nose with a little orange forehoof, Scootaloo squinted up at her. “Wait, give her what? If the Princess was giving it to her in person…”
Aw, shoot. You’re too curious for your own good, kiddo. Come on, RD, think fast! “Uhh…a book, s’all!” Too fast, RD. She cringed inwardly at Scootaloo’s skeptical frown, but put a big, cheesy grin on her face. “Yeah, y’know how Twilight loves her books. Well, Princess Celestia found this really awesome one—well, y’know, awesome for her, it’s no Daring Do or anything—and wanted to let her have it in person!”
“Really.” It wasn’t a question, and hero worship or no, Scoots did not like the idea of her idol obviously hiding something. Finally, Rainbow Dash sighed.
“Alright, kid, no,” she admitted at last, ruffling the tyke’s mane again. “She gave us a job to take care of. We’re heading out tomorrow, and…I dunno when we’ll be back. It might be, uh…a while.”
“Oh, wow!” the filly gasped, bouncing excitedly all over again. “A royal crusade! A quest! That’s so awesome! Can I—”
“No.” Her immediate response left no room for argument.
“Aww.” Scootaloo kicked at the ground, but she didn’t want to irritate her hero by arguing, so instead she tried a different track, fluttering her wings excitedly. “W-well, um…could you…maybe…bring me back um…a souvenir?” she asked hopefully. “E-even if it’s just a rock or something!”
Rainbow smirked once again, unable to resist the tyke’s excitement. “A rock? Pfft.” She gently mimed a hoof-punch to Scootaloo’s chin. “Like I’d give something that lame to my biggest fan. I’ll bring you back something awesome, kiddo. Just you wait.”
“Really?!” If those wings had been any larger, Scootaloo would have shot straight up like a rocket. Instead, she darted forward and threw her little orange forelegs around Rainbow’s, squeezing tightly and nuzzling her knee.
Rainbow had thought she had it all under control. She really had. But when that kid, that awesome, excitable, adorable little filly who thought she was the coolest thing since breathing was invented hugged her leg…
Scootaloo looked up sharply at the sound of a sniffle, at which point Dash busied herself looking straight up, her un-hugged foreleg rubbing across her eyes and then her nose.
I hate goodbyes.
“L…look, squirt, I gotta finish packing, okay?” She swallowed the lump that was rapidly forming in her throat. “G-gonna be a long trip. Y’know?”
“O…kaaay…” Clearly a little confused, Scootaloo shrugged her tiny wings as she backed up a bit. “I’ll see you when you get back, okay, Rainbow Dash? I’ll make sure the whole fanclub roots for you!”
“…thanks, Scoots.” Rainbow still couldn’t bear to look directly at her, but she smiled a genuine, heartfelt smile. “I’ll see ya around, kiddo.”
As Scootaloo scampered over to her discarded scooter, picked it up off the ground and started buckling her helmet on, Rainbow flapped her way back up to her cloudy home. She was still smiling when she crashed face-first into one of the distressingly hard white columns of cloudstuff, sliding down to land on her rump. Wiping a foreleg across her brimming eyes cleared her blurry vision, and with another sniffle, she trotted into her front door, napping now the furthest thing from her mind.
******
Trying to explain to Granny Smith had been the hardest part. Not because the old mare was as deaf or senile as some liked to think—Applejack suspected at times that her grandmother cultivated that image purposely just to amuse herself—but because Applejack could not bear to withhold even a sliver of the truth from her. She’d always had the feeling, ever since she was a little filly, that Granny Smith could see right through any fabrication she ever attempted. It had had a lasting impression on her, and to this day, she couldn’t even try to give her grandmother any less than the whole truth.
Not that she enjoyed lying to begin with; she’d always been terrible at it. But even a partial truth was not enough for Granny Smith. And so she’d explained everything. Gig, the World Eaters, Twilight’s partial possession…all of it. Even as she’d spoken, Applejack had worried it would be too much for the old mare’s heart, but Granny had taken it all in stride and offered only a heartfelt and sincere voice of encouragement that would have surprised any who knew her. She had promised to tell Big Macintosh and Applebloom what was necessary and no more.
And so the farm pony found herself in her room, her hat hanging from a nail on the wall as she stuffed what bare essentials she felt she’d need for a long journey into her saddlebags. Rope (lots and lots of rope), her coinpurse, some packets of dried fruits for emergency consumption—with extra to spare, for she knew that certain of her friends, like Rarity who would remain nameless, would doubtless fail to pack such a simple yet vital thing—and…
“…Applejack?”
She flinched. Of course it couldn’t be that easy.
“Ain’t it past yer bedtime, sprout?” she asked, though she turned to her little sister with a smile.
Applebloom was having none of it, though. The little yellow filly trotted up to her, looking up at her with big, searching amber eyes.
“Granny says yer goin’ somewhere, but she won’t say where,” her little sister pouted. “What’s goin’ on, Applejack?”
AJ opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak a very large, very red form stepped into view behind her little sister, making the filly look even tinier than she already was. Applejack’s eyelids lowered as she looked up at her older brother. “Lemme guess. Granny told you, too.”
“Eeyup.”
She should have known better than to expect him to articulate more than that.
“Look, y’all.” Applejack sat back on her haunches, her gaze moving from one sibling to the other. “Ah can’t tell ya everythin’. It’s fer the Princess, and y’all know she wouldn’t ask us to chase no bull we can’t rustle.”
“But Applejack, we’re yer fam’ly.” Applebloom was fighting dirty, and she knew it. “Why can ya tell Granny but not us?”
AJ cringed. That was exactly why she had asked her grandmother to pass on her farewells. Granny Smith was immune to those big, sad eyes and Big Macintosh’s unwavering stare, but Applejack lacked her cast-iron nerves. She struggled, to be sure, but under the double onslaught, her resistance crumbled away.
Just like Granny knew it would before sending them up to her, she was sure.
The orange farm pony sighed, covering her face with her hoof. “Awright. Look. Twilight’s got this…somethin’ inside her now. Not in ‘er body but in ‘er soul. An’ it’s alive, and it’s meaner’n a snake. But it just might be th’ only hope Equestria has right now.” She looked slowly from one sibling to the other, giving that a good, solid moment to sink in. “But Twilight…shouldn’t be alone with it. She can’t be alone with it. Right now she needs her friends more’n ever. She needs us. So Ah’ve gotta go. That filly’s been mah best friend since she came here, and Ah ain’t gonna abandon her when she needs me. Y’all know Ah love ya more than anythin’, an’ Ah’m comin’ back ta y’all no matter what. An’ that’s th’ honest truth.”
The two of them sat digesting that, for a moment. Some ponies liked to think that just because they talked with a bit of a drawl the Apple clan were slower on the uptake, or just plain dumb. It was anything but the truth, though Applejack was the first to admit she’d done some stupid things in the past. Who hadn’t? She, at least, wasn’t the slightest bit surprised how little time it took for her siblings to process her story, and to her immense pride even Applebloom took it better than she’d expected. The little yellow filly with the big pink bow walked up to her and simply leaned against her foreleg, while her older brother closed the distance and bent his head to nuzzle her mane, gently.
“You come back in one piece, AJ, y’hear?” It was rare to hear anything more than a one-word answer from Big Macintosh, and much to her surprise, he wasn’t even done. “This here’s somethin’ only you can do, but that don’t mean we can’t help ya.” He smiled at her. “We’ll keep th’ farm runnin’ and the apples bucked, an’ make sure you have somethin’ to come back home to. An’ that’s th’ honest truth.”
“Yup!” Applebloom piped up from down by her hoof, standing up on her hind legs to prop her forehooves on her sister’s shoulder. “Why, Ah bet’cha Ah’ll have mah Cutie Mark by th’ time ya get back, so ya better make sure ya come an’ see it, y’hear?”
Despite her best intentions, Applejack found her vision blurring, a shaky smile on her lips as she sniffed. “Y’all…thank ya. Ah promise, this’ll be over ‘fore ya know it. We’ll thump them World Eaters back ta wherever they came from an’ be back in time fer supper.”
“…World Eaters?” the two voices chorused at her from above and below. She laughed softly.
“C’mon. Y’all help me pack and Ah’ll ‘splain the rest.”
******
“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness…!” Fluttershy’s nerves were wrecked. But considering that was her normal state of being, Angel was only watching her with boredom as he sat in the window sill, his beady black eyes half-lidded as she flitted this way and that around her cottage, a pencil held in her mouth and a notepad and box of tacks balanced on her front hooves.
She darted like a hummingbird from one birdhouse, squirrel nest or mouse hole to another, jotting down little notes on her animal friends’ preferences or special needs on the notepad and tacking them into place. Managing to do all that with her mouth without dropping the pencil was a fine art, one that had to be seen to be observed, but it was something Angel had seen far too many times to find entertaining.
She’d given her rabbit companion a hasty, stammering explanation once she’d gotten in the door, but had quickly set to work, prioritizing the multitude of animals under her care—including a rather long and detailed note that tacked to his bed and rolled out some distance across the floor like a royal red carpet—without stopping to think of her own personal preparations.
With a sigh, Angel shrugged and hopped off toward the timid pegasus’ room. Someone would have to pack her saddlebags for her.
She hadn’t even noticed his departure, and was hovering by the wasp nest tucked into a corner of her living room like a papier mache ornament, when the door to her cottage burst open.
“Fluttershy!”
“YEEEK!” she answered, her hooves flailing wildly. Pencil and notepad plunged to the floor, tacks scattering everywhere as she fumbled in vain to try and catch the box, succeeding only in turning it completely upside-down in midair and scattering its contents all over the living room.
Thankfully, her guest also had wings, and so this was not the disastrous impediment it might otherwise have been. Rainbow Dash flapped into the living room, surveying the damage caused with a critical eye.
“Wow, Fluttershy…redecorating in post-modern ouch?” she asked her fellow pegasus dryly, raising an eyebrow.
“O-oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy whimpered, covering her mouth with her front hooves as she cast her eyes down.
“Oh, for…calm down, Fluttershy,” her cyan friend sighed, her forehoof lightly smacking into her own face. “C’mon, let me help you get these up so we can land at some point.”
“O…okay.” The yellow pegasus nodded, tipping her head so that her long, pink mane would cover one of her large teal eyes. She fluttered down to hover near the floor, alongside her brave friend, and the two of them began carefully gathering tacks and carrying them back over to where the box had landed, somehow miraculously with its open side up.
“So…” Fluttershy began tentatively, talking effortlessly around a trio of tacks—wisely held with the points away from her, “w-what brings you here? I thought you were going to nap after you packed. N-not that I mind! I’m very glad you came to see me, but…”
“I—ow! Ph’too!” Rainbow Dash had not had the same foresight, and she spat out the tacks that had cruelly poked her tongue (thankfully not hard enough to draw blood) and shot them a dirty glare. “I…uh…j-just thought you could probably use a pep talk, s’all,” she explained, a bit too quickly. “And I couldn’t sleep. And you looked pretty spooked earlier today, at the castle. This is big stuff.”
“Oh, yes.” Carefully depositing her tacks, Fluttershy allowed herself the liberty to shudder. “It’s all so very…scary. But it’s also very important, a-and…and Twilight wouldn’t abandon any of us, if the situation were different. So…we need to stand by her.”
“Yeah…yeah.” Rainbow nodded, her voice seeming a little steadier than it had a moment ago, and she tried picking up more tacks, carefully mimicking Fluttershy this time. “ ‘Sides, we’re pegasi. We’re born warriors, s’in our blood. So we’ve gotta protect the egghead, ‘cuz you know she’s gonna get herself in trouble if we don’t.”
“Oh, goodness…” Fluttershy hedged. “I don’t think I could ever possibly fight anypony. Or…not pony, for that matter.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about.” Dash waited until they had both deposited their tacks before laying a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Look, I know you don’t like to hurt others. Heck, I don’t like to hurt others. …well, not unless they really deserve it,” she amended. “But sometimes, ya just gotta grit your teeth and sock somepony. Or whatever. Like that jerk, Gig. Where would we be if Celestia hadn’t bucked him one way back in the day?”
Fluttershy cringed, not wanting to think very hard about that.
“Listen, I’m not saying you gotta start working out and bodyslamming anypony who gives you trouble,” Rainbow elaborated, smiling encouragingly at her gentle counterpart. “Just try to remember that sometimes, there’s things important enough that you gotta do stuff you don’t wanna, or don’t think you can. I mean, heck, you outran me when you had to, I know you’re stronger than you let yourself be.”
“W-well, that was…different,” the yellow pegasus hedged, looking bashfully away. “and you had Rarity and Pinkie Pie weighing you down…”
“Pfft!” Dash scoffed, causing her friend to flinch a little. “You think I can’t carry Rarity and Pinkie and not even flinch? I carried Rarity and three Wonderbolts and it didn’t even slow me down! And that was while ascending! You may not be up with my top speed, but my point is, you came through when it counted. Just like that day with the red dragon. That’s when I learned to quit underestimating you. Look, just try to focus on the here and now, okay? If you worry about what’s gonna happen tomorrow, you’ll never be able to get anything done now.”
“Th-thank you, Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy smiled diffidently. “I’ll…try to remember that. Now come on…let’s get this mess cleaned up. Would…would you help me make my special notes for the animals? A-and then maybe pack? I’m…not sure what to bring.”
“I…think someone’s already got that taken care of. “ Rainbow pointed toward the stairway, where a pair of full saddlebags was sitting on the bottom step, a gruff-faced white rabbit standing on top of them tapping one foot impatiently.
The two of them shared a laugh, as Angel set about helping them gather up the scattered tacks. Between the two of them Fluttershy felt, for the first time all day, as if all the tension were finally beginning to drain from her. Tomorrow…tomorrow was a frightening thought.
But today…today, she could handle.