//------------------------------// // Recovery // Story: My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic! // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// “They really allow for quite a bit of customization.” Rarity scanned over the room, taking in the numerous family photos that hung over rustic wallpaper. The shelves, while largely bare save for school materials, also held a few weathered photo albums and cookbooks. Ropes and a hat hung from coat hooks. A bed stuck out from the western wall of the room, allowing the early rays of the sun to hit it through the eastern windows. The covers were hoofmade and adorned with various apple imagery. Rarity found herself sitting on the floor in a half circle with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike. Applejack had offered to rush up some chairs from the common area, but Fluttershy had pointed out that was a violation of dorm rules. “Mighty convenient.” Applejack opened the door to her miniature oven-stove combo that sat beneath the window. Drawers containing cooking utensils and spare bandanas and masks were nearby. Everyone’s mouth watered at the sight of fresh, steaming apple strudels. Applejack set them on top of the stove and sat down with the rest of the group. “Okay, those should be cool in just a couple of minutes.” “I can have mine now,” Spike chuckled. “Spike.” Twilight blushed. “Manners.” “Just glad to have a chance to cook a little, helps take away a bit of the stress,” Applejack sighed. “Quite.” Rarity took a sip of some iced tea Applejack had brewed. The flavor was a bit bolder and the sweetness slightly cloying compared to the teas Rarity normally enjoyed, but she drank it regardless— it was only proper as a guest. “I’m glad to have the day off to process things.” “Or sleep it off,” Dash grumbled. Fluttershy gave her a jab in the side with an elbow. “What? We let Pinkie keep sleeping.” “Like I said before…” Applejack shot Dash a look. “Pinkie and I have similar Talents when it comes to weaknesses. She gave it her all yesterday, so let her be.” “Okay.” Dash leaned back against the bed and cast her eyes on Twilight. They were both sharp and glistening. “So, let’s get to main event. You. Wings. What?” “It… well…” Twilight paused for a moment and considered her next words carefully. “It was like the opposite of what Tantabus did when he bound your wings.” Dash leaned closer. “What’s this about you leveling a ridge just kicking off it and then blasting the villains’ leaders to who-knows-where?” “Strength and magic augmentation,” Twilight partially lied. “My Talent lets me access spells on a much higher caliber than I normally can, but it takes a greater toll on me.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened at Twilight description. “You should be careful, Twilight.” “I try to be, but at that moment Professor Tantabus told me Princess Celestia was in grave danger. I couldn’t hold back.” “Wow, that leader really spooked you. Kinda weird to think there’s something that even scares Teach,” Dash chuckled.  “Like she could actually put a scratch on the Princess.” Fluttershy shuddered. “Th-that draconequus did though. I… I don’t even want to think what that mare could have done. You weren’t there, Dash, she… she was a thousand times worse than Professor Tantabus.” “I’m also concerned why she was so intent on harming Twilight,” Rarity added. Everyone except for Spike turned to Twilight. Spike and Twilight had discussed the matter on the way home from the infirmary, but the question had plagued Twilight throughout the night and in the morning when Applejack had come to her house and invited her over. It still bothered her now as she withered under her friends’ stares. “The best explanation I can think of is because she thinks I’m tied to Princess Celestia and the defeat of the dragon over the summer.” Another partial truth. Twilight felt her gut clenching over hiding all the details from her friends. “Why didn’t she go after Sunset too?” Dash asked. “No offense, Twilight, but I read the articles and it sure sounded like Sunset was the one going all out against that dragon over the summer. Good on you for freeing her from it, but ultimately, she had the firepower and you didn’t. At least, you didn’t use it then…” She grumbled the next part, “… or whenever I’m around.” “It’s the best I have,” Twilight sighed. “Hopefully, an investigation will help bring more facts to light.” ~~~ Neighsay’s scowl was particularly prominent today. He glared around the table. Mystic Rune, dual head of the Magical Research Administration and the Equestrian Internal Investigations Administration, glared back at him. The Captain of the Guard, Gleaming Shield, did not stare at him, but her eyes were sharp and focused. Lady Ember sat with her arms crossed over her breastplate and a snarl on her face. Spitfire, adorned in her official military uniform rather than her Wonderbolts’ costume, was sandwiched between representatives from Cloudsdale and the WTF. Seabreeze could feel Neighsay’s acrimony bearing down on him and occasionally on Ember, but he sensed the brunt of it was on Celestia. Celestia, for her part, did not show any sign of discomfort in the face of Neighsay’s blatant displeasure. She was even at ease enough to take a sip from her tea. The illusion charm hidden underneath her breastplate hid the bandages still on her back and allowed her to present her regular royal demeanor. “Unacceptable,” Neighsay spat. “Absolutely unacceptable. Students attacked. Teachers harmed. Villains gaining access to school materials. The EEA needs to consider closing the school until we can properly assess this situation.” “Such a disruption cannot be permitted,” said Seabreeze. “‘Disruption?’” Neighsay’s face gained a shade of red. “You have allowed villains to tarnish the EEA’s name, how dare yo—” “Neighsay.” A direct blast of heat struck him. Everyone felt the temperature in the room go up. Celestia had traded in her smile for a piercing gaze that made everyone save for Ember sweat— she tensed up. “Calm yourself. Taking rash action like closing the school would just sow panic in the populace and deny innocent students of their education.” “It’s unfair to lay blame solely on the school anyway,” Spitfire chimed in. She traded glances with the Cloudsdale and WTF officials at her sides. They bowed their heads. “Both Cloudsdale and the WTF will be doing individual investigations to assist in getting to the bottom of this and making sure it never happens again.” “And you are free to do what you want with those whelps.” A bit of smoke trailed through Ember’s fangs. “My father is also searching for any cohorts that might remain in our lands.” “I’m sure they are,” Neighsay muttered. Ember’s slitted pupils contracted. She began to rise out of her seat. “Want to say that again?” “Enough.” Gleaming Shield summoned up a wall of aura in front of Ember. With a snort, Ember returned to her seat. Shield turned her attention to Celestia. “I’d like to hear what we do know so far so that the Guard can be properly ready.” “Mystic,” said Celestia, “if you would.” “Of course, your highness.” Mystic lit up his horn and summoned several thick binders into the air. He spread them out so that everyone got one. “This is a work in progress, but we have a general idea of the villains’ forces. A large portion of them consisted of run-of-the-mill criminals but of note there were the Flim Flam Brothers and the Toxic Show-Stealer. There may be more, but we haven’t identified the villains that were struck by lightning. “More concerning were the dragons, changelings, and sirens. None of them are likely to interact with each other on a regular basis, so we are led to believe the villains have a strong underground network. Whatever they are after must present a threat to all of them.” “Doubt that with the whelps,” Ember muttered. “They probably just got promised some baubles and went with it. Better to lump them in with the run-of-the-mill criminals.” “I’ll consider it.” Mystic pushed up his glasses. “Finally, that leaves the leaders. While we managed to get a physical description of the one called Enigma, his apparent ability to have multiple cutie marks makes pinning him down through the Talent Registry difficult at best. Equality is an even larger mystery as we cannot determine what her Talent is, and nopony got a view of her cutie mark, just a partial facial. What is most concerning is this…” Mystic hefted half of Paradox’s cracked head onto the table. Its horn was broken off as well. Mystic took a breath. “This is the remains of a creature meant to imitate a draconequus.” Neighsay furrowed his brow. “You honestly expect us to believe such fairy tales?” “It’s not a tale.” Spitfire clenched her teeth. “That thing treated the world and me like a plaything. The way it twisted reality and my body was just like the stories of Discord.” “It will take more time to analyze.” Mystic put a hoof on Paradox’s remains. “But what I’ve been able to garner so far is that this thing, like the draconequui of legend, was a mass of various physical and magical components. It’s a chaotic hodgepodge that somehow was kept together and made into a devastating weapon.” Shield gazed at the remains and crossed her legs. “That’s concerning.” “It is.” Everyone turned their heads toward Celestia. “But from the way Equality made it sound, this was their trump card. Even then, it needed assistance in order to face off against me. It was a powerful foe, but I imagine the process of creating one is incredibly difficult and time-consuming. With their group exposed and recovering from defeat, it will be a long time, if possible at all, before we have to worry about another one of these. “There is also the matter of Equality herself.” Celestia clasped her hooves. “While this invasion showed meticulous crafting and daring, it appears whatever cunning she had vanished at the sight of Twilight Sparkle.” “A mere filly provoking all of this is ridiculous,” Neighsay harrumphed. “Perhaps if her brother were in a higher position or her family was nobility, I could understand, but they are just regular Canterlot citizens and Twilight Sparkle herself is a mere novice with a Talent that seems to do her more damage to her than is worth using.” Celestia took a breath, appearing to be contemplative, but was attempting to hide her annoyance at Neighsay blatantly insulting Twilight. “She made no attempt to hide her killing intent aside from a flimsy excuse that I was a tyrant or somesuch. Her attempts to justify her invasion and her explosive anger hint that Equality is unstable. Given her magical capabilities, it may be that she didn’t receive proper training in her Talent, leading to Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome.” “We’ve never seen a case this bad since the Talent Registry was set up,” said Mystic. “Our eyes and ears don’t reach everywhere, nor should they,” Celestia replied. “Regardless, we should consider Equality as a mare with connections and the power to get other villains behind her despite her instability. Our next move should be continuing our investigations and sharing what we find. These villains have shown their hoof, time to grab it and drag them out of the shadows.” Celestia took a breath and then stared straight at Neighsay. “Now, as for the other matter…” ~~~ “… and luckily there weren’t many changelings left after that.” Spike paused in his story to eat the last bit of his strudel. With his mouth half-full, he continued, “So, after we kicked their butts, I tried to send a letter, but it looked like it exploded back on us. Again, nice save, Rarity.” “Anything for a friend.” Rarity smiled but then brought a hoof to her mouth. “Who were you sending a letter to anyway?” Spike swallowed the strudel. “Oh, uh, well… you all can keep a secret right?” Everypony except Twilight nodded. “I can send letters to those I’m close with and as a, um, ambassador to dragons, I can send those to Princess Celestia.” Spike winced as the words left his mouth. A gaggle of gasps went through Applejack’s room. “Oh my, a direct line to Princess Celestia,” Rarity mused. “Well, I mean, everypony has seen Princess Luna in their dreams at least once, right?” said Dash. “Amazing.” Fluttershy gazed at Spike. “So, you were the reason she came. We owe you a lot, Spike.” “Uh, don’t mean to burst y’all’s bubble, but I don’t think the Princess ever got that letter,” said Applejack. “I’m sure she would have left before I got to the school in that case.” “Oh.” Spike slumped and glanced down. “Well, guess that explosion really did take out the letter.” “It must have been that masked stallion villain,” Twilight stated. “His magic was like nothing I’d ever seen before.” “And apparently he had multiple cutie marks.” Fluttershy shuddered. “How is that even possible?” “I don’t know.” Twilight tensed up and looked over her friends. She summoned her shaky grin. “What matters is we managed to beat them back.” “Hay yeah!” Dash cheered. “Look a little more confident though, Twilight.” Just as Twilight was about to respond, there was a knock at the door. Applejack got up. “I’ll get it.” In a blink, she was over at the door. She opened it to reveal Maud and Derpy on the other side. Maud appeared as stoic as ever, but Derpy lacked her usual grin. She fidgeted in place, jostling the box on her back. “Um, hi?” said Applejack. “Something I can help y’all with?” “At first, I thought it would be fine for Derpy to handle this on her own.” Maud blinked. “Then I thought it over. It’s better to nip this in the bud now, so, if you wouldn’t mind, would you please come to Pinkie’s room?” Twilight stood up. “Is something wrong?” Maud blinked again. “Pinkie is feeling upset from yesterday.” “It might be my fault,” Derpy sighed. “It was a little scary seeing her fight, but I owe her a lot.” Applejack thought back on Pinkie’s chilling demeanor but pushed it back. “We all do, she’s the reason I was able to get back to the school.” “For real? Didn’t know Pinkie had it in her.” Dash felt the rest of the room glare at her. “Not that I’m surprised or anything, we are the most awesome class after all.” “Why don’t we go to see her then?” Rarity got up. “I certainly wouldn’t mind giving my legs a little stretch and making sure Pinkie is okay.” Fluttershy hopped into the air. “I hope she is.” The group cleaned up what was left of their food and then made their way to Pinkie’s room. The dorms were a collection of three six-story buildings, one for each grade level. The first floor of each served as a general lobby and lounge with s small café open on the weekdays. Depending on the building, colts occupied the second and third or the fifth and sixth with fillies on the opposite floors. That left the fourth floor open for a gym, baths, and study areas. For the first years’ dorm, the fillies occupied the second and third floors, with Applejack on the third floor. She’d requested it so she would be closer to gym and the baths. Meanwhile, Pinkie was on the second. Her door was adorned with her name in bright pink blocks that sparkled with glitter. Streamers also lined the doorframe. Applejack, having taken the lead, and knowing Pinkie the longest, was the one to knock on the door. “Pinkie, you awake in there?” There was silence in response. Everyone strained their ears and picked up some soft snores. “Sure sounds asleep to me,” said Dash. “That’s not how Pinkie snores.” Maud walked up to the door and gave it a forceful knock. “Pinkie, your friends are here to see you. Also, it’s not good to stay cooped up like this.” It was silent again for a few more seconds before the door slowly opened. Pinkie was no longer gaunt like when she had been carried out of the WTF, but there were still bags under her bloodshot eyes. Her mane, while poofy, lacked its usual luster and did not have its full degree of fizziness. She took in all her friends standing in front of her door and zeroed in on Derpy. She inched back. “M-maybe this isn’t the best time,” she said with a frown and a bowed head. “I, um…” Derpy reached back and thrust the box at Pinkie. “I just really want to thank you for everything yesterday!” Pinkie stared at the box with widened eyes for a second, but then lowered her head again and shook it. “I can’t accept that, Derpy. How I acted yesterday was no way a class president… no way a hero should act.” “That’s not true! You let Applejack reach the school and you protected me…” Tears flecked Derpy’s eyes and she bit her lip. “… and I could barely keep from getting in your way.” “But all those ponies and changelings I hurt…” Pinkie sniffled. Twilight stepped forward. “It’s what we have to do. Hurting others for no reason is wrong but protecting ourselves and others is what heroes do. Pinkie, if it hadn’t been for you, Princess Celestia and the staff may not have been able to reach us, from what I’ve heard.” Pinkie gave a great sigh. “So, it wasn’t wrong what I did?” “No,” everyone replied. Pinkie looked over her friends and teared up. When she started to sob, Maud came over and embraced her. The others let them stay like that for a bit before Pinkie broke off the hug and moved closer to Derpy to take the box. “Thanks,” she sniffled. Derpy smiled. “Just what a hero deserves.” Pinkie teared up again and opened the box to find a muffin with a smiley face with eyes that matched Derpy’s baked into it. Sucking back her tears, Pinkie managed to hiccup, “I… I promise I’ll do my best as a hero from now on and keep our class safe as its president.” All of Pinkie’s friends went in to give her a hug, save for Dash, who just gave her a pat on the shoulder. Maud also stayed to the side to allow Pinkie’s friends to embrace her. She took in the scene and blinked. ~~~ Sunset gasped for breath. She did not have time to recover and rolled to avoid a blast of magic. It left a sizzling crater in its wake. “What’s wrong?” a trio of voices called out in unison. Sunset glared up at Twilight floating above Sunset with shadowy wings keeping her airborne. Her coat was darker, and magic blazed out around her eyes and horn as it had during the climax of the fight at the WTF. Her face kept shifting with parts of it giving way to Tantabus’s ethereal form and other parts of it getting covered up by Equality’s mask. The rest of her body morphed too, giving her the appearance of a full-grown mare. “Is that all you have?” Sunset kicked off the ground. Jets of flame blasted out of her hind legs, propelling her up to the Twilight amalgamation. She summoned as much magic as she could into her right foreleg, even while the heat and unnatural concentration of magic in her leg burnt her skin, tore her muscles apart, and cracked her bones. Pushing past the pain, she threw all her magic and weight into the attack. The Twilight amalgamation blocked it with a leg and yawned. Her leg’s fur was not even singed. Sunset tried to reel back, but aura clamped onto her limbs and neck, cutting off her air. The Twilight amalgamation flashed a predatory grin. “Weakling,” it sneered. Its horn glowed bright. Just before it could launch a spell, a misty horn burst through its chest. The horn cleaved upward, splitting the Twilight amalgamation in two. The halves dissipated into black mist that swirled toward the horn that had bisected them. The aura holding Sunset up also dissipated and she fell for a second, before a cooling misty substance caught her. It lowered her back to the ground, which was now awash in the light of the stars and a crescent moon. “My apologies,” came Luna’s voice, though only mist swirled around Sunset. “I imagine the other students are not sleeping that well either, but I am currently tending to Tantabus. It is vital that he return to instruct you. More importantly, are you okay, Sunset Shimmer?” “In a sec,” Sunset hacked. Taking a few breaths, she managed to calm her heart. Without a physical body to focus on, Sunset bowed toward where she had imagined Luna’s voice was the strongest. “Thank you, Princess.” “It seems there was more than just the villains that upset you about yesterday.” The mist concentrated across Sunset’s back in the rough shape of a wing. “If you’re healing Tantabus, he probably told you what he did.” Sunset grimaced. “He made Twilight an alicorn. I didn’t even realize such a thing was possible.” “I wouldn’t strictly call it alicornification, more like Tantabus, a creature who can take on various forms, granted Twilight Sparkle the most powerful form he could think of.” “But why her?” A stomp echoed through the dreamscape. “What is so special about Twilight?” “That is a dangerous line of thought, Sunset Shimmer,” Luna cautioned. “As for why Tantabus chose to lend his power to Twilight and not you, I believe the physical injuries you suffered are the reason. At that point in the battle, you were concussed, and your left leg was heavily injured. Tantabus lending you his power may have proved too much of a strain. Twilight, on the other hoof, had mainly magical injuries, which Tantabus could temporarily heal while fused with her. It was a calculated choice and nothing that diminishes your own worth as a fighter. In fact, your defeat of the villain Enigma ensured that Celestia could fight to her full potential. In a way, both you and Twilight Sparkle ensured victory yesterday. Take heart of that.” “I understand, Princess.” Sunset sighed. “It just feels like she’s getting all these sudden boosts, trying to catch up with me.” “All the more reason to keep up your good work.” Luna’s mist patted Sunset’s back. “Twilight Sparkle is not your enemy. I know your relationship with her has been tumultuous, but consider turning that anger and jealousy towards a positive goal if you cannot discard them. Do not let them consume you.” “I understand.” Sunset stared off at the stars. “I understand.” Luna made a sound as if she were taking a deep breath. “If you truly do, and I want you to think on this, then it may be time to instruct you in some new forms of magic.” Sunset spun her head so fast that her mane whipped around. Her eyes were wide and glistened with anticipation. “Really?” “I had wanted to keep our training more to controlling emotions for the first year, but this attack has made me reconsider.” Sunset felt the air around her grow colder. “I caution you once more though, you must learn this power for the sake of protecting ponies and becoming a hero Equestria can be proud of. It must never be used for such a petty reason as one-upping Twilight Sparkle. Can you promise me this?” Sunset gritted her teeth. “I…” ~~~ “I’m just saying it would make a really cool idea for a restaurant,” Spike said. He walked alongside Twilight on the way to school. “It would also make the restaurant incredibly dry.” Twilight tapped her chin. “Or you’d have to keep the humidity really high. Either way, not a good idea for keeping customers happy. Plus, while the summoned balls of drinks would be cool to look at, you’d have to put them down after a bit or you’d just be wasting magic.” “Darn, there goes my idea for Spike’s Magic Soda Service,” he half-sighed half-chuckled. “It was so cool when Rarity did it though.” “The Health Department would have shut it down fast anyway,” Twilight chuckled. “Unless the caster split the summoned liquid apart for each guest, you’d all essentially be sharing the same drink.” “Yeah, I…” Spike stopped in the middle of the street. His eyes grew hazy and his cheeks burned bright red. “Spike?” Twilight spun, rushed to Spike, and gave him a shake. “Spike! What’s wrong?” “Oh my, is everything alright?” Rarity emerged out of the morning traffic. At the sight of her, Spike snapped back to reality. “Y-yeah!” he yelped, still beet-red. “Everything is fine!” “Right…” Rarity took a breath. “Though I wouldn’t blame you if they weren’t. I had the most awful dream last night that those villains were attacking again.” “We’re all probably giving Princess Luna a bit of extra work,” Twilight sighed. Knowing more of Luna’s condition than most ponies would, Twilight truly hoped her nightmares and the others’ were not causing additional harm to her health. Rarity and Twilight chatted along the way to school. Spike trailed behind them and remained quiet, but his mind was alight with the thought that he and Rarity had essentially shared a drink. When they opened the door to Class 1-A, a wave of relief washed over Twilight. All her classmates were there talking amongst themselves, no doubt about the villain attack. Twilight was glad to see that the only students still showing any signs of injury were herself and Spike, with bandages on her legs and a cast around Spike’s arm. Even Sunset had her smug grin back on her face. Twilight took her seat, but as soon as she did, Pinkie spun around with a wide grin on her face. “Better get ready, Twilight, something is telling me we’re gonna have a big surprise today!” “Reckon it’s a substitute teacher,” said Applejack. As if responding to her words, a point between the desk at the front and the chalkboard darkened. The darkness coalesced into a small sphere that shimmered with tiny dots of light. Tantabus’s voice, reduced to a rasp, exuded from it. “Good morning, class. It is good to see you are all here.” “Morning, Professor!” Pinkie chirped. “Glad to see you up and moving!” “Does that count as moving?” Dash asked Fluttershy. A chill from the front of the class answered Dash. She straightened up and faced forward. Even without his eyes, she could feel Tantabus glaring at her. “I will recover in due time. What is more important though is that we prepare for our next battle.” A wave of tension crested down on the class. Fluttershy shuddered. “N-next battle?” “My arm,” Spike quibbled. “More chances to show how awesome I am,” Dash boasted. Applejack adjusted her hat. “Looks like things never slow down here.” “Bring it,” Sunset muttered. “Um, yay?” Pinkie asked. We must have gotten some intel on the villains, Twilight thought. It must be serious if they’re getting students involved. “The CSGP Sports Festival is coming up,” said Tantabus. Half the class fell out of their seats.