Equestria, Ponyville, 07-09-06 A.N.M., 12:22 P.M. (After Nightmare Moon)
“What the?! Are ya sure? Did you double-check?” Applejack exclaimed at the Guards-mare. The pegasus nodded.
“It has been confirmed; the wagon that came and picked up your sister and her filly friends was found among numerous changeling corpses, which turned out to be Metamorpha’s. There’s also reports that Braeburn was found trussed up like a turkey for a gryphon dinner at his home.”
“Ah know how ta spot changelings, and that was mah cous! There’s no way he coulda fooled me!”
“Miss Apple, changelings aren’t the only ones that can shapeshift. We’ve gotten further reports of shadowlings and darklings in the forest.” With that, the mare left.
“Consarnit, Ah told Granny that they needed to stay here!”
“And jest when do ya git off telling me anything Jacqueline Apple? Ah’m that fillies’ guardian, nawt you or ya brother.” Applejack glared at her grandmother. “Besides, she was wearing her horseshoes, and she knows more'n’ a bit of earth runic. Ah’ve been teaching her jest as much as Zecora has.”
“So that was grounds to disregard what Twilight told us?! She’s a princess?”
“It weren’t no royal command, so Ah was under no obligation to follow it.” Granny continued knitting. “Calm yerself down; she’s prolly already on her way to rescue them.”
“They wouldn’t be in danger if they had stayed here!”
Big Mac looked at his sister. “Spotted a shadowling in the south forty yesterday,” he said phlegmatically. She looked at her brother in consternation. “Been escorting Cheerilee to protect her too; changelings went after her.”
Applejack looked up as the door opened. “Rainbow Dash! Ah thought ya went to Canterlot! What’re ya doing here?!”
“My job AJ, and I’m still there too; this is one of my body doubles. Spotted some more darklings, and Quick Quills was found tied up in his basement.” Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane. “Plus, Zecora’s gone too; Fluttershy said that she took Trevor with her.”
Applejack sighed in relief. “There’s no-pony that knows those woods better.”
Rainbow shook her head. “It gets worse; they’ve crossed over into the Dark Heart, so I can’t follow. The path’s closed off. At least I know Twilight found them; She’ll lead them to safety.” She snorted in anger. “Still, none of this should have happened. We got caught flat-hooved.”
“That’s cause somepony don’t know how ta listen,” Applejack groused.
“Pointing hooves ain’t helping AJ,” Big Mac said. Applejack ignored him.
“How’s Rarity and Scoot’s folks taking tha news?” she asked instead. Rainbow’s ears flattened.
“Badly. Scoot’s dad is filing charges against the Mayor. Rarity’s about the same as you, beside herself with worry.” Rainbow Dash snorted. “At least some good has come out of this; Magnum and Pearl have been declared unfit parents, so Rarity has custody of her sister now.” Rainbow rubbed her ears.
Applejack looked at her friend. It was obvious that she hadn’t been sleeping all that well. “Rainbow, ya should try and get some rest, ya look like ya need it.” Rainbow snorted.
“You sound just like Sunset. I’m an alicorn; I don’t need sleep. I’m just stressed out with everything going to Tartarus. And the nobles aren’t helping any.”
AJ frowned. “Yer still having problems with them? Ah thought all of that was cleared up.”
Rainbow sighed in frustration. “We only got those that were stupid enough to try going the mercenary route. The smarter ones are using the media and the bureaucratic process to give us trouble.” She then smirked. “Not that that’s working; it’s illegal to take pictures anywhere near the Palace, even with a telephoto lens. Anyone found does ten years hard labor on the border.”
“Isn’t that a little harsh though?” Applejack asked. “Ah mean, they do have rights.”
Rainbow Dash glared at the earth pony. “They can still print whatever they want. Tell me something though; do you want reporters dogging your steps? Because those laws extend to us Element Bearers as well.”
Applejack blinked. “Huh, didn’t know that actually.” Her expression soured. “After that contempts with the Foal Free Press, Ah don’t really like reporters.”
Big Macintosh let out a snort and left the table. Applejack sighed.
Rainbow’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Is he mad about something?”
“Well, y'all didn’t handle that whole thing so well as Ah recall,” Granny Smith said, not looking up from her knitting. “In fact, ya done dumped a bunch of cold rainwater on that lil filly that looks up to ya.”
Rainbow snorted, this time in anger. “Well, it wasn’t right that they were printing all of that stuff about us. How would you like being called lazy?”
“If tha shoe fits; Ah’ve been called worse in mah time sugarcube. Had me a rival that called me the town cart. Take that to the bank. Applejack done found out her brother’s temper when she tried to spank Apple Bloom. And all because they were being blackmailed.”
“Twilight told me that Princess Celestia had a few choice words when she found out. Which is why the law was extended.” Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through her mane. “Not our finest moment. At least it ended well.”
“Not as far as Big Mac’s concerned it ain’t. He thinks Ah still owe Apple Bloom an apology fer the way Ah treated her. He’s right, but every time Ah try to bring it up, Apple Bloom runs off. Ah don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t wanna be reminded of what happened, or that she thinks she deserves what’s come of her actions. Ah have tried though, as much as Ah think that Ah was still right in my actions.”
Rainbow Dash snorted. “No, you overreacted as much as the rest of us did.” The cyan alicorn sighed. “Still, I think I know what’s going on; she likely doesn’t feel as though she deserves one. I get the impression that she was the voice of reason in all of that, but stuck it out because she’s loyal. Still, we need to apologize to them when Twilight brings them back.”
Applejack frowned. “RD, when ya said tha ya can’t follow cause they’ve crossed over into the Dark Heart, what do ya mean by that? Ah heard Twi say that ya are able to make copies anywhere where there’s light.” Rainbow Dash ran her hoof through her mane in frustration.
“If I could, I would. In fact, once the chance to aid Twi comes up, I’ll be going; I’m not leaving her to fight this battle on her own.” Rainbow stomped her hoof. “There’s only so much I can do without making things worse! The Heart isn’t like most other areas; it’s only been in the area it is now since just before Luna was freed.”
“Every time a pony or other creature uses magic not tied to the Realm of Shadows or the Everfree itself, the Heart simply moves! It’s always near the center of the forest, but never in the same place twice. Scrying for it just does the same thing. The only other path to it leads from the Crystal Empire, but that’s one way from the Heart itself.”
At this point, a knock came at the door. Upon opening it, Applejack found an out-of-breath Spike. “I got a scroll from Cadance! Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Twist, Featherweight, Silver Spoon, Zecora, and a large silver wolf are there now! The foals are all young adults now, but it’s still them!”
Rainbow Dash facehooved at that. “Ugh! This day gets better and better!”
Several hours earlier…
“Sweetie Belle, please wake up.” Sweetie yawned cutely, blinking up at the purple muzzle above her.
“Hi’ lo, Princess Twilight,” she said sleepily. She blinked again at a pair of high-pitched giggles. “What’s so funny girls?”
“Jest you, sleepyhead,” Apple Bloom said, her accent thicker than normal due to her laughter. Sweetie Belle scrunched her nose up in irritation; this caused Twilight and Zecora to join in. The little unicorn stuck out her tongue.
After a bit, they all settled down. Twilight looked at the overcast sky; the clouds cast shadows that were very disconcerting. She shook herself. “Well, no help for it I guess; we really need to move here soon. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover before I can get you all to safety.”
Apple Bloom looked around her at the trees. While she did recognize most of them, there were a few that were unfamiliar to her. “A crystal oak tree?” she asked, pointing at one. “Ah didn’t know such a thing grew in the Everfree.”
Twilight motioned to the others to start cleaning up the camp as she handed a bowl of trail mix to Sweetie Belle. She then sat next to the yellow filly. “They don’t Apple Bloom; those are trees from another Realm entirely. We’re well past the Heart of the Forest, and into the Trail of the Shadowlands.”
Apple Bloom nodded. “Thought as much; one of Granny’s books done mentioned something about this place. Ah should be more skeered than Ah am, but somethin’ tells me that we’re safe now. And nawt jest because yer here, Princess Twilight.” She frowned. “Ah jest wish I knew what that somethin’ was.”
Twilight giggled at Bloom’s wrinkled nose. The earth pony stuck out her tongue at that, then giggled herself. “Well, it’s all thanks to you actually. That last stomp you did woke up Earth and Sky. All shadow creatures that survived the battle have been destroyed, and that includes the three remaining Behemoths. You’re quite the little powerhouse there Bloom, and your Loyalty to your friends shows through.”
Apple Bloom tilted her head in thought as she helped Sweetie Belle roll up her sleeping bag. Frowning a little, she pulled a cord that caused the bag to shrink so that she could place it in her pouch. Finally, she looked up at the alicorn. “Ah’m Loyalty too. Huh, kinda thought Ah’d be Honesty, like mah sister.”
“You would think that, wouldn’t you,” Twilight teased, ruffling the filly’s mane. “But that’s not always the case. Your brother, for example, is a shoe-in for both Kindness and Loyalty.”
“You see girls, everypony has a little bit of every Element in them. After all, they’re all part of Friendship. However, there are a few exemplary individuals whose nature set them above the rest. These could- and many have in the past -bear one of the Seeds from the Tree. And there are even rarer ones whose inclination towards an aspect is so strong, that they’ve made more branches grow.”
Twilight’s horn began to glow as she projected an image of the Tree of Harmony on the ground in front of her. The three fillies gasped as they saw that the Tree was even more beautiful than it was originally.
The five branches had sprouted extra flowering fronds. Within these fronds, five new jewels resided, each bearing a familiar cutie mark. Three of them were the marks of the CMC; the other two were a cloud holding up a ten-ton weight, and a pair of candy canes entwined. Even more surprising, these were tied by branches next to a smaller heart knot, one in the shape of a spoon.
“Each one of you have gone out of your way to include Silver Spoon in your activities in spite of the way she and Diamond Tiara acted towards you. Because of this, the Magic of Friendship has touched her heart, as it once did mine. You didn’t have to do it; no pony would have held it against you if you hadn’t. But you were still willing.” Twilight used her hoof to dash away the happy tears as she pointed to a number of smaller gems, many of which bore the marks of other ponies. One larger one close to the spoon-shaped indentation bore Diamond Tiara’s mark.
“You wouldn’t have any reason to know, but you’ve managed to touch the heart of a selfish filly who really just wanted friends. Once everything is settled, Cherrilee will be taking custody of her niece. You’ll see a very different filly than you were used to, and all of that is thanks to the letters both Scootaloo and Twist wrote.” Twilight cancelled the image.
“Anyway, that’s a tale for another day. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover before we make it to the Path of Crystal, and I want to get there as soon as possible. Your sisters are beside themselves with worry, and your parents are fit to be tied. Let’s go; hup two, hup two.” Twilight started trotting a military trot, causing the other ponies- and wolf -to giggle and chuckle as they joined her.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Trevor all stared at the pair of shimmering pillars in awe. Twilight smiled. “Girls, this is what’s known as the Path of Crystal. It leads from the Dark Heart of the Everfree, through the Valley of Dreams, to the Southern Crystal Berry Slopes in the Crystal Empire.”
“As you can see, you four are expected,” the purple alicorn said, waving her hoof at the barrier. “The Path knows who is meant to travel it, and will only accept those that have need.”
“You won’t be joining us, Princess?” Sweetie Belle said sadly. Twilight shook her head.
“This Path isn’t for alicorns. Even if I had no other task, I would still not be able to walk here. To do so would be to invite disaster, as the enchantments laid protect the Path so long as an alicorn never walks it.” She snorted. “The only reason why we found it is because of you four; had it just been me, the Gate would have shifted the entrance to another place and time.”
“Who would design a path to do that? Star Swirl the Bearded?” Apple Bloom asked sarcastically. Twilight snickered.
“Not this time, though you’re right in that he would have done something like this. No, this is high-level alicorn magic tied to the Power of three different Realms. Notice the banner of stars around the symbols?” The three fillies nodded. “Well, that’s a universal symbol for the Stars or Magic. It’s a symbol commonly connected to The Bound Alicorn of the Stars.”
She shook out her wings and her head to clear her mind. “Anyway, that’s something for a later day. We need to get you three to a place of safety.” Twilight used her wings to push the three fillies- and one overgrown wolf pup -closer to the Gate. Zecora moved up as well.
As soon as the four crossed onto the clean stone in front of the Gate, a flash of magic heralded the raising of a starry barrier. An image of a starry alicorn appeared before them. “She’s like Trixie; always has to put on a show,” Twilight murmured softly, a smirk on her muzzle.
The image gazed down at the four before it. After a moment, the image began to speak. “I see before me the Three Ponies and Two Guardians that were fated to walk the Path of Dreams this day. State the names you were blessed with so that the Guardians within will be satisfied.”
After a few moments, Sweetie Belle stepped forward hesitatingly. “M-my name is Sweetie Tart Belle, of Ponyville. Youngest daughter of three to Magnum Opus and White Pearl Belle of Ponyville.” The others- including Twilight and Trevor -blinked at that.
“Huh; never thought Ah’d see tha day where Sweetie would say her real name. Oh, my turn, sorry there starry mare,” the last was said to the starry mare. She only smiled patiently. Apple Bloom cleared her throat and began to speak; this time in a much clearer, faintly upper-crust Manehattan accent. “My Name is Apple Bloom Apple, of Sweet Apple Acres. I am the youngest daughter of the late Lord Red Apple, and his wife, Golden Starfruit of the Orange family.”
All eyes turned to Scootaloo. With a huff, the orange pegasus filly stepped forward. “My name is Scootaloo Brightfeather, daughter of Bright Lily and Stern Glow of Ponyville, formerly of Fillydelphia.”
After she stepped back, Trevor padded forward. The wolf opened his muzzle and gave a series of half-growls and barks. What was strange was that, though they couldn’t understand the words, they somehow knew that Trevor’s wolf name was He-Of-The-Silver-Paws, son of He-Of-The-Crimson-Tail and She-Of-The-White-Pelt, Descendants of the Guardians of the Sisters.
After Trevor was done, Zecora stepped forward.
“As anypony who can plainly see,
I am Zecora of the Everfree.
Exiled by choice from my native home,
The Forest is where I’ve chosen to roam.”
After she finished speaking, the starry alicorn smiled. “Well met all. The door is opened; make haste little ones and Guardians; there are those on the Trail that wait for you.”
The four looked at Twilight as the specter faded. “Go on; this is where we have to part ways.” They all nodded sadly before turning and making their way past the Gate. Once Scootaloo’s tail-tip had passed through, she having hung back the longest, the Gate closed before fading away.
Twilight blinked the tears out of her eyes as she turned to continue on her own journey, one that she wished wasn’t one that she had to complete alone.