"Captain! We're approaching Center City. We'll be at the docks in about five minutes."
Fancypants yawned widely, stretching from his cot.
"I say, Spyglass, might a fellow get some privacy...?" he grumbled, turning out of the cot. The stallion had tossed aside his captain regalia, and generally did not walk around without some clothing on. Ponies did not need clothing, of course, but the upper classes had standards.
"Pardons, Your Grace," the pegasus mare replied with a smirk. "But we've just gotten word from the advance guards. We've a berth at Dock 1. Cargo's to be inspected upon arrival for contraband."
Fancypants snorted, turning away from the magenta-coated mare. Spyglass was a snarky one. Witty like Rarity, but unlike Rarity she tended to enjoy mockery. His horn glowed bright yellow as he opened a small closet to his right, removing a tuxedo for when he set hoof on the ground. As he raised two hooves to slip the black garment over his features, he turned back to his lookout. "Inspected for contraband, you say? Well, that's standard procedure. You'll get that anywhere." He walked to the other side of the room, noting his reflection in the mirror. "And do find me some water," he added. "Far too much hair where it shouldn't be."
Spyglass rolled her dark blue eyes, but said nothing in reply to that remark. She turned and left, straight blonde tail trailing behind her.
Fancypants frowned as the cabin door closed behind her. "I suppose I'd best wake the others," he added. He yawned again, turning back towards his cot, looking out at the open windows behind him. Sure enough, in place of ocean he could now see grassy plains far below. In the distance, he could see a thick wall of trees, marking where the plains ended and the southern swamps began. The sky remained dark, but a shade of dark blue rather than black. Dawn was not far off now...
--------
The minute hand slowly moved closer to the letters "XII". The hour hand, meanwhile, edged towards the letters "VI".
The sky gradually brightened, blackness steadily turning to bright blue. Bright blues entwined with pink and red as the sun approached the eastern horizon.
High atop the clock tower of Center City, the masked earth pony stopped glowing, having sufficiently raised the sun for morning to begin. Through the mask's two red eyes, she watched the sleepy town below.
The dawn of the First Day, it thought to itself. Only seventy-two hours to go!
--------
The northern side of Center City is largely open ground, barring groups of steel ramps and platforms. These are the airship docks, used for mooring airships and unloading cargo and passengers. Normally at this time of year, the docks would be swarming with activity. Now, however, there are few ships still remaining at port...
The Wind Cutter's engines cut out, allowing the airship to glide towards the dock. With some careful steering, the ship turned around close to the northern wall, leveled out, and settled neatly into the open space beside the first dock. Ropes flew out from the ship to nearby dockworkers, who immediately began tying the ends to the dock. Once that was done, a wide gangplank extended from the ship, allowing passengers to cross.
Fancypants, being the captain, stepped out to find a shaggy black diamond dog facing him, face hidden beneath a dark blue tri-cornered hat. In his hands were a large quill and a clipboard. No doubt our inspector, the unicorn stallion thought cheerfully. This shouldn't take long. The black-furred body looked rather familiar, but then again, diamond dogs did not have quite so many distinct features as ponies...
"Save your breath, Fancypants. Your word's no good here," the dog said gruffly.
"I... beg your pardon?" Fancypants was taken aback. "You haven't even boarded my ship!"
The dog chuckled. "An old friend doesn't need to, now, does he?" A pair of crinkling black eyes looked up at Fancypants, grinning.
"By the stars!" Fancypants laughed aloud, wrapping the dog in a one-hoofed hug. "Wesson! So glad to see you again! I should've known you'd say that!" He turned back to the ship. "Everypony, step on over! I know this one well."
Lyra Heartstrings bounded off the ship first, only too eager to get moving. Most ponies took well enough to air travel, but her stomach had never quite settled on the journey, and she largely stayed in bed. She still didn't feel terribly well, but felt greatly reassured to at least set hoof on solid ground. "H-hello," she said a bit shakily, holding out a hoof to shake. Her voice had long since returned to being soft and lyrical. Rainbow Dash followed by simply flying over the deck, giving a swift nod and salute. Twilight and Rarity came last, the latter giving the dog a stern look, but otherwise saying nothing.
"This is Inspector Wesson," Fancypants began warmly, gesturing a hoof. "Wesson, these are Lyra Heartstrings, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity. This dog's been a good friend of mine for several years now. We first met in the Dromedos when I was delivering a shipment of goods down that way. Fancy seeing you here again, all the way on the other side of the world!"
"Yes, yes. Small world, huh?" Wesson drawled. "The pay was alright, but killer heat with this coat on. Glad I could get this spot here up north... or at least, I WAS."
"Was?" Twilight asked. "Are you talking about the moon getting closer? I can see why you'd want to get out of here."
Fancypants sighed. "My dear, we've been through this. The thought of the moon actually crashing into the landscape is nonsense."
"If it's a joke, it isn't funny," Wesson said darkly. "But that's not the only thing that's bugging me. There's queer talk about the four surrounding lands. It's been getting real cold up north, the swamps have been dying out... the western ports and eastern canyons have been looking real odd lately too. Something big's going on in this country, and I don't think I want to be a part of it."
"Wait... so there's been crazy stuff happening all over?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"And all at the same time, too..." Twilight mused. What's going on here? I just wanted to find the Princesses and assist them however I can, but... all of a sudden, this problem sounds a lot bigger than I imagined.
"Yeah. I'm not sure what gods we angered," Wesson continued, "but I don't think I wanna stick around long enough to find out." He grinned, turning to Fancypants. "That's why it's lucky I found you."
"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, Wesson, but I don't intend to go back," Fancypants replied flatly.
Wesson shrugged. "I thought you might say that. You've always wanted to get the job done, and I'm fine with that. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. In private."
Rarity said nothing through the entire conversation. Part of her disliked diamond dogs on the whole, having suffered captivity at their hands some time ago. Granted, she had singlehoofedly turned the tables on the lot of them, but nevertheless, capturing a lady to make her mine jewels was not a good way to make friends. Still... this one seems honorable enough, she thought to herself. But what is his relationship to Fancypants? I know that blank look Fancypants is giving ... they both know more than they're letting on. What could it be? I wonder...
"Of course. Sorry, my dear Rarity, but could you and your friends hurry along? I'm afraid this business will take some time, and I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to business deals."
Rarity gave a forced smile. "Of course, Fancypants. Come along, everyone..."
--------
"Y'know, for a Diamond Dog, he seemed alright," Rainbow exclaimed as the four ponies touched ground. To get down, they'd needed to descend a series of zigzagging ramps.
"Y-yes, I'm... rather surprised," Rarity said, blinking her eyes. "But, I suppose I've been prejudiced. They certainly seemed to be good friends..." Yet there was something very off about that conversation, she thought to herself. I've designed enough costumes for stage plays to know when ponies ... or dogs ... are acting. So what are they playing at? She decided not to pursue her chain of thought any further. Fancypants was the one who got her where she was today, both in terms of status and current location.
"I'm just thankful to be off that boat," Lyra groaned.
Twilight Sparkle, having her first chance to talk to the musician, could not wait. "So, what were you doing aboard the Wind Cutter, anyway?"
"Twilight," said Rarity reproachfully, "the poor dear's been ill. Don't you think it's rude to ask so soon?"
Lyra rubbed a hoof through her straight, mint-green and white mane. "Ah... it's a personal reason," she said quietly. "If you don't mind, I don't want to talk about it."
"It's cool," Rainbow replied, now flapping her wings from a few feet off the ground. "You got your own things to do, and we got ours. Just, y'know, don't let the sound of your own hooves drive you crazy. That's Twilight's job," she added with a grin, draping a hoof around her friend's shoulder.
"Rainbow!" Twilight glared at the pegasus.
Lyra laughed. "Thanks," she said, a bit more warmly than before. "I'll bear that in mind. So long!" She trotted off, leaving the three of them walking towards the center of town and the massive clock tower.
When the unicorn was safely out of earshot, Rarity gave Rainbow an approving glance. "Well done, Rainbow Dash," she said. "You showed quite a bit of tactfulness there."
"Well, yeah. She sounded kinda down. What of it?"
"...You don't know who she is, do you?"
"Should I? Even if she's from Ponyville, I don't know her. I'm not Pinkie Pie."
"Fair enough, I suppose. Lyra's a resident of Ponyville, and also happens to be a musician. You may have noticed her cutie mark is that of a golden harp."
"So, she's here as entertainment?"
"I don't think so," Rarity mused. "She has a marefriend in Ponyville, by the name of Bonbon. She's a candymaker who puts together these voice-changing bonbons. It's a mystery trying to guess how she'll sound the next day... in any case, she's not here, yet Lyra is, and Lyra seems downhearted."
"You're not sayin' they're having problems, are you?" Rainbow Dash folded her hooves over each other. "'Cuz that's just stupid. Running away across a whole ocean isn't gonna solve anything."
"Don't be so sure, Rainbow. Mares and colts sometimes do crazy things when faced with love unrequited."
Twilight sighed, looking up at the clock tower. The minute hand had at last reached a large black "XII", bordered above by an arc of brilliant rubies. "Six o' clock. Come on, girls. Let's see if we can find the princesses first."
The purple unicorn had strapped a pair of saddlebags to her flanks at the onset of their journey, embroidered with the six-pointed star that represented her cutie mark. It helped signify to everypony whose bags were whose. In that sense, cutie marks worked rather like sigils. Her horn glowed a bright shade of purple, unbuckling a strap and pulling out Princess Celestia's letter. "We're in the right country now," she said, concentrating. "Now let's see if we can pin them down..."
--------
Zecora sat thinking, mouth clenched around a short wooden pipe. She breathed in, opened one side of her mouth, and puffed out a small ring of smoke.
The moon kept coming closer and closer. The princesses were cursed, trapped in petrified albeit beautifully sculpted shapes. The only silver lining was that the pony with her mask could not be far. If she could just find some way to grab it... but how? The mask's wearer, though easy enough to locate, was slippery as an eel and as fast as a pegasus. Even if the zebra managed to catch the wearer, she would not be a match for--
Zecora blinked in surprise as she heard the sound of a creaking wooden door above her.
"What would the Princesses be doing here?" asked a scratchy yet familiar voice. Zecora removed the pipe from her mouth.
"I have to agree," said a more cultured voice. "Surely they would not be hiding out of sight in this dusty old basement?"
"That's what the letter is telling us, though I'm surprised too." That voice Zecora knew well. "C'mon. Let's have a look around."
The zebra paused. I did not want others to intervene... yet I see no way to leave unseen. The mask was a zebra problem, had always been a zebra problem. Many had tried to destroy the mask, yet all had failed. In the end, it was agreed that the best method of removing it was to give it an owner ... one who must hide the mask away forever, fearing its misuse. Yet it had all been only a matter of time... whether by fate or some cruel trick of gods or goddesses unknown, the mask found one to wield its powers.
"...Zecora? What are you doing here?"
Zecora turned her head to face the purple unicorn, staring at her in surprise. She stayed silent for but a moment, gazing deeply into Twilight's purple eyes. Beyond the inquisitive look in the pony's eyes, she could see an underlying mission, a determination burning deep within. Twilight spoke often and fondly of the princesses, and it was not too difficult to guess her purpose. It was no coincidence that she came here with her two friends, now appearing behind her. The zebra made a decision, and cleared her throat.
"You seek your mentors, do you not?" She asked, sounding slightly hoarse. She pointed the end of her pipe towards the small moon and statue. "There are the princesses you have sought."
"Uhh... I see a small moon and a statue of Nightmare Moon," Rainbow Dash said, quirking an eyebrow.
"But this is where the... letter leads..." Twilight sat on her haunches and stared at the two small, lifeless objects before her. "Zecora... are they...?"
"They are not dead, merely transformed," Zecora replied gently.
"How!?" Twilight blurted loudly.
"By the wicked mask of an ancient dark lord."
"A mask of an ancient dark lord?" Twilight's voice rose. "How are we supposed to defeat that, if it turned both princesses into this state!?"
"Wait a second, darling. The sun's been rising every day, including this morning. Besides, a mask needs somepony to wear it first. ...Right?" Rarity asked uncertainly.
Zecora nodded, and sighed. "It is a secret I'd hoped to make lost, until one day someone found it... to my cost. Discord's Mask ... that is its name. The wearer brings wicked chaos, destruction, and flame. Carved millennia past by the god of chaos, it channels his essence should his powers be lost. Within the stasis of harmony, he himself cannot act... but he grants great power to the wearer, while the mask stays intact."
"So, wait a second. You're saying that that moon falling, and the princesses turned into a moon and a statue... that's all Discord's doing?" Rainbow asked. "What moron put on the mask and let him come back!?"
"And on top of that," Twilight added, regarding Zecora inquisitively, "It sounds like you had the mask in your possession the entire time. Why was it never destroyed?"
"Countless zebras tried, but to no avail. Even Baron Samedi, the Death Seraph, failed. In the end, the mask was trusted only to one whom must never reveal it, under moon or sun. Entrusted, I was, to keep it and run. I stayed hence in the Everfree, far from everyone." Zecora lowered her eyes. "But now the mask is free again. I have failed you all, to my great shame."
Twilight drew a long breath through her nostrils. She turned back to the two items before her. They're the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria, she thought, and they were left in this state. Whoever's wearing the mask is now raising the sun to avoid suspicion. Clever, but we've discovered what's going on. There is also one thing we have that the mask doesn't...
"So we just gotta get the mask back, right?" Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Ha! That'll be easy! Dumb old Discord's no match for us!"
"Against true chaos, you have a simple task," Zecora agreed. "But can your Elements defeat an inanimate mask?"
"Huh?" All three ponies cried out. They were indeed the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the most powerful magic known to ponykind. Six elements were first matched years ago to the six friends to defeat Nightmare Moon. Yet it seemed few really knew they were the actual bearers... none had seen them fight Nightmare Moon, and none had seen them fight Discord. Only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna knew their true secret, and had never mentioned anything beyond their vanquishing Discord... until now.
Zecora puffed on her pipe. "The Maskbearer must know her ancient lore. In defeating two demons, only one answer was sure. But a mask is no demon, as you can see. Nor is a mortal thief, my Elements of Harmony."
"That may be so," Rarity noted, "but we're not the Princesses. Half of us are no fighters, either. The Elements are our one and only hope."
"The magic should work, even if the thief isn't the likes of Nightmare Moon or Discord," Twilight added. "But we need to gather our friends and the Elements at once. Going by the rate of the moon's descent, along with its current position, I believe we have roughly three days, and no more. That should be enough time to summon our friends, and the Elements with them. Then, we'll confront the thief and use the Elements of Harmony to retrieve the mask. That should stop the moon from falling and restore the princesses. We'll need to send an urgent letter to Canterlot asking for the Elements, and we'll need to summon our friends. I'll write the letter and send it to the post office, wherever it is. The summoning magic's difficult over such a great distance, so I may need a few unicorns to lend a horn. Rarity and Rainbow Dash, I need both of you to find a few willing unicorns to help us. Ready, girls? Let's get to work!"
--------
Lyra sat at the bar counter, nursing a cider.
She'd spent the morning walking around the city. It wasn't quite as large as she'd thought. The city itself ran in a circuit, with a big plaza at the southern end to connect to the other areas in the west, east, and north.
The western part of town appeared to be a market district, with all manner of shops and restaurants. No doubt it was usually bustling during the daytime; however, the coming moon apparently made a number of business owners nervous. Though it was early morning, the unicorn spied several signs saying something to the effect of "closed due to running for our lives". One or two had even been boarded up, though Lyra thought that rather overdid things. I doubt running will do much good, she had thought as she trotted past. A rock that big will affect much more than just one city.
The northern part of town was, of course, the airship docks. Beyond that, it appeared to be largely open ground. A few apartments stood in the general area... dockworkers' tenements, she supposed. A number of buildings looked run-down, or sprayed with graffiti. These parts felt safe enough during the daytime, but she didn't want to be there after sundown.
The southern part of town seemed to be more public space. Most of the area was taken up by a vast, cobblestone plaza. Workers were busy raising banners and flags and stalls. It was the only part of town she'd seen that didn't look affected by current events. Several small parks dotted the area, providing playgrounds and trees for those who wanted to get away from the city streets for an afternoon.
That, of course, left the eastern quarter, which served as a residential area. Apartments both towering and tiny interspersed in rows with clusters of houses, separated by narrow streets. Never had Lyra seen so much in so compact a space. Turn down one street, and you stood in a ritzy, respectable neighborhood; turn down another, and you wanted to go back the way you came.
As things stood, the harpist suspected she was somewhere in between for the moment. The cider bar she'd walked into wasn't too clean, but she felt as though a number of patrons and the bartender, a portly griffon with a wiry gray mustache, knew each other well. It was a nice place to relax after a long walk around, if you weren't fussy. The apple cider was still sweet and delicious. The hay fries weren't bad either, though she'd like to have a bit more salt...
She'd had a few days to think. What happened back in Ponyville, between me and Bonbon... I still feel bad when I think about it, the two of us just shouting at each other. But I tried to make things work between us, right? We both did. In the end... maybe I said things I shouldn't have, but... I can't go back. WE can't go back. You can't fix what's broken... I realize that now. I think this trip's done me some good already. Just having some time to look around and think...
"A cider bar!? ...Am I in heaven?"
Lyra frowned, snapping out of her reverie. She knew that voice.
Sure enough, from the corner of her eye she saw Rainbow Dash float down to the bar, sitting four stools to her right. When the bartender walked over to her, the pegasus immediately put down some bits and opened her mouth to ask for the biggest mug of cider money could buy...
"We don't take Equestrian Bits here."
"I... what?" Rainbow Dash sounded as though Hearth's Warming Eve was cancelled.
"Sorry, girl, but these bits ain't any good here. We use rupees, not bits."
"Aw, c'mon! They're still money!"
"Look girl," the bartender said firmly, "this is Equestrian money, not Mysidian. You get this stuff exchanged at a bank first. Then you can come back."
"Grrr... fine!" Rainbow snapped angrily. She made to put the coins away and leave when Lyra cleared her throat.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash."
While Lyra had not thought to exchange her money either, in walking through the western district she'd come across several banks offering exchange functions. Realizing that bits may work differently from rupees, the unicorn had made the exchange.
"Trade ya. Just gimme a sec." Her horn glowed a bright sea green as a gilded harp popped into existence. Next, the unicorn magically plucked a series of strings in an ascending chord. A sky-blue magic circle appeared in midair before her, displaying a brown bag of assorted gems. Lyra reached into the circle and pulled the bag out. She then played the harp's strings in a rapid reverse, and the circle closed.
"Seriously? Phew!" Rainbow sighed in relief as the bartender nodded at her unicorn friend, turning to fill a large mug full of cider. "Thanks, Lyra. You're a lifesaver."
The harpist giggled, laying down a pair of blue rupees and magically taking seven of Rainbow's bits for her own. "You're quite a cider fan."
"You have no idea." Rainbow had eyes only for the large cider mug now placed before her. Placing a hoof inside the handle, she promptly raised it to her mouth and chugged. The pegasus drank a good half of the mug in a few seconds before slamming the mug back down with a loud "Aaaaaaahhhhh..." complete with a foamy mouth and eyes glazed in satisfaction.
Lyra laughed aloud. "I've never seen anypony so in love with cider!"
"Hey, I can stop anytime I want to," Rainbow said defensively. "I just don't want to. So hey, I'm surprised to see you again so soon! Did you know about this place?"
"Nah. I'd just taken my tour of the city and stopped in." Lyra climbed up to the stool next to Rainbow's. "Funny old coincidence, isn't it?"
"Coincidence? Ehh, maybe. This whole morning's been kind of a crazy series of those. Did you know that Zecora's in town, too?"
"That creepy zebra from Everfree? What's she doing here?"
"Aww, don't say that. She's not so bad, once you get to know her," Rainbow Dash replied.
"Yeah... yeah," the unicorn mused softly. A series of coincidences... me and Rainbow on the airship, then me and Rainbow here. She's pretty good at cheering me up, too.
Rainbow attacked the rest of her cider, quickly swishing down the remains. "Phew! Well, thanks for helping me out. I'm supposed to be finding a few unicorns to help Twilight with a spell, but when I saw the cider bar I had to drop in. Rarity's probably got at least four or five colts lined up by now anyway. Hey, maybe you could help? Twi's gonna be doing most of the work. She just needs a bit of mojo from a few unicorns. That's all."
Lyra gave a small smile. "Sure, why not?" Let's see where this leads...
--------
Rainbow Dash had not been far off.
Rarity loved attention, especially when it came to her looks. All she had to do was shake her long, elegant mane, flutter her eyelashes, and smile, and colts came galloping. She'd quickly found two, a strong-looking chestnut stallion and a silvery but otherwise plain colt. Rarity frowned upon seeing Lyra enter the tower basement. A pony could see the wheels turning in her mind, but the white unicorn said nothing.
"Okay, everypony," Twilight called out, "get into a circle. I'm going to be in the center. Now, I'll be the one casting the spell, but a summoning spell needs other ponies to help channel and control the magical energies necessary. Our friends knew this was a possibility at the start, so while they may be startled at first, they will not refuse. This may take several minutes to complete. Is everypony ready?" She waited a few seconds to receive nods from everypony. "Okay. Starting the spell... now!"
Twilight's horn shone a brilliant purplish hue before shooting a brilliant ray of light towards the ceiling, coalescing into a large sphere eight feet above the ground. The other four unicorns channeled their own magic, four beams of magical energy pooling into the sphere, giving it stability and power...
--------
"...And then Pound Cake just started doing loops ... ZOOM! Through the babies' airplane mobile, out the bedroom door, down the stairs, and right into the Triple Decker Tiramisu! Good thing all he got was the layer of cream on top, he can't even chew the ladyfingers yet!"
"Uh-huh." Applejack found it easier just to say that and nod whenever Pinkie was in the midst of one of her stories. They were entertaining, but Pinkie didn't really allow you to get in anything past an acknowledgement before rushing on. 'Uh-huh' did the trick.
"But o' course, I forgot tiramisu's topped with some coffee too, and these babies can go all day even without coffee! So the next thing I know, Pound Cake's getting ready to do a Sonic Babyboom! I mean, he was all, 'WOOSH!' and 'PEW', just like Dashie!"
"Uh... huh?" Applejack just noticed blue sparkles appearing around Pinkie's midsection.
"Yeah! I was really worried too!" Pinkie continued, mistaking Applejack's question for concern. "But then you know, I remembered ... Pound Cake likes to pound things with his hooves, and there was some ... hey!" Pinkie jumped, finally looking down at herself. There was now a ghostly blue rope appearing around her midsection, tugging her back towards some sort of dimensional gap.
"Pinkie!" Applejack jumped towards her friend, trying to grab a hoof, but Pinkie just smiled and bounced backward.
"Don't worry, AJ," she called out before the rope pulled her in. "It's them! I can feel it!" A second later, she was gone.
"Them?" The cowpony paused for a second before she remembered. "...Ahh, now I remember! Heh, heh... 'them'. Would've preferred a not-so-sudden notice, but ah can't say ah didn't see it comin'. None of us can say that."
She saw blue sparkles begin to appear around her midsection.
"Okay, Twilight. Ah'm ready."
--------
The sphere glowed brightly for the third time, and a still-startled Fluttershy gasped at the drop, but flapped her wings in time to recover, floating gently to the ground. The four unicorns withdrew their magical support shortly thereafter, and the portal withered and collapsed into nothingness.
Twilight opened her eyes, hardly looking as though she'd just exerted a lot of magical energy over several minutes. "Hi Pinkie Pie, AJ, Fluttershy," she said cheerfully. "I'm glad you all answered the summons!"
"-So after Pound Cake pummeled the pineapple into pulp, I-oh no problem, Twilight! I couldn't miss it!" Pinkie stopped her tale just long enough to acknowledge Twilight before turning back to Rainbow Dash to finish the tale of Pound Cake and the Pineapple Pizza.
"So now that we're all here," Applejack added, "Mind fillin' us in on what's goin' on, Twilight?"
"Have you found the ... " Fluttershy began.
"Wait a second," Twilight interrupted. Rarity was busy escorting the two stallions out the door, thanking them for the trouble. She preferred not to have anypony else know what they'd found out, and in any case now that everypony was here the real work was about to begin. Rainbow Dash vouched for Lyra, and in any case the mint-green unicorn seemed interested now in their quest. Once her fellow unicorn returned and nodded, Twilight took a deep breath. "So, it turns out that the moon coming down is the work of Discord."
"And then we added the sauce and ... whoa! Hold the phone!" Pinkie immediately dropped her riveting tale. "Are you crazy, Twi? Discord was petrified! I should know; I was there!"
"And he still is," Twilight reassured her friend. "He's instead acting through an artifact of his own making called Discord's Mask. Somepony or someone is wearing his mask. Through the mask, he's able to bring the moon crashing down. Luckily, since it's Discord, we can still use the Elements of Harmony to stop him. Once they arrive from Canterlot, we'll equip the Elements and then separate the mask from its current owner. That'll stop the moon from falling, and then our problems are officially over!"
"But where are the princesses in all this?" Fluttershy asked. "Did you find them?"
"...We did," Twilight replied. "Discord... found them first. Zecora, if you would?"
"Zecora?" The three newly arrived ponies echoed in surprise as the zebra appeared from below, carrying the small moon in one hoof and the statue in her mouth. She laid them both gently on the floor.
"They've been turned into a small moon and a statue," Twilight continued. "By the mask's powers."
"So everythin' leads back to the mask," Applejack drawled. "We take that off, we take care of everythin'."
"Exactly! And all we need to do is get the Elements. Then we're good to go!"
"Just one thing, Twilight ... how're we gonna find that there mask?"
Twilight turned her head towards Zecora and grinned.
"I've hunted the mask across the sea," Zecora spoke up, shrugging her hooves. "What is one clock tower to someone like me?"
--------
At midnight of the third and final day, fireworks exploded in the skies around Center City.
From atop the clock tower, the masked pony smiled, floating in midair. Even at this hour, they're still partying, she thought to herself. Now THIS is more like it! What does anypony gain from running and screaming? Just have fun! It won't matter where they run to anyway. Hee, hee.
She looked up, grinning through the mask at the now gigantic moon situated overhead. A pegasus could now fly upward and touch the surface. A pony could now pick out the craters that pockmarked the moon's face. There even appeared to be small openings and crevasse's in the rock. The pony knew the truth of the matter ... caverns slowly dug by Nightmare Moon, long ago. The mad queen thought she could build a fortress in there! She's so silly, building a moon base. What pony wants to go to the moon? I don't...
She frowned, hearing the sound of rapid hoofsteps below.
"Stop right there, Discord!"
That voice, the floating pony thought. I know that voice. She turned around in midair, staring down at the six mares below from behind the mask, shaped in Discord's deceptively lazy-looking visage. She greeted them with silence, waiting for them to speak. She noted that five ponies wore necklaces with emblems on the front. One, doubtless the leader, wore (in her opinion) a very tacky tiara.
How is that earth pony floating? Twilight thought at first. It must be the power of the mask, or... "Discord, we know that's you controlling the moon's fall! We know you're the one who's behind turning the princesses to stone!"
"Ha ha ha!" The masked pony laughed. "Oh, yeah! I remember that! But you're so dumb to say that, Twilight Sparkle. One of 'em is moon rock, and the other's granite. They're not stone!"
"Regardless of what you made them, the curse will soon be undone." The other five ponies stepped forward, lining up in formation.
"...You refer to the Elements of Harmony?" The mask's owner grinned. "Oh, yeah. Daddy and I knew about the Elements coming here. We know lots of things. But we didn't bother to withhold them from you. Even if you have them, you can do nothing with them."
"Oh, yeah?" Rainbow Dash snarled.
"Haha! Well, if that moon looks like something that can be stopped, then just try to stop it!"
The floating earth pony raised her hooves to the moon. Sparks flew from the mask and the pony shook as energy rapidly built, rising towards the moon...
"T-Twilight!" Fluttershy gasped. "The moon's coming a lot faster now!"
"Alright! Girls, get in formation NOW!"
The five ponies' necklaces began glowing brightly, the five floating in the air behind Twilight, each face becoming an expression of pure relaxation, resting in the Harmony around them. Twilight felt their spirits surround her now ... Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness! The power of friendship poured into her body, flowed through her veins! Yet it was not enough to hold these five virtues. A pony needed a spark ... a spark that bound all ponies together in fellowship. The spark of love...
The spark of magic!
Twilight's eyes disappeared into a brilliant holy light. She began to take the air, ready to bring once more the Elements' oath to order on the followers of chaos...
...And suddenly, all six ponies tumbled unceremoniously to the ground, the power dissipating into the night sky.
"...What's going on?" Applejack called out over the loud rumbling of the earth.
"I-I don't know!" Twilight stammered. "This can't be possible! We're all together! We're all in harmony! What are we doing wrong!?"
"Hehehehehahahahaha!" The floating earth pony's giggle came loud as thunder. "YOU are in harmony, but the land isn't! Didn't you pay any attention to your surroundings?" The pony laughed again; Twilight became uncomfortably aware how fully the moon filled the sky. "The swamp, the mountains, the ocean, the canyons ... didn't you even BOTHER to go there? As long as the four elements are under our control, you can't do ANYTHING! And now... now it's too late! HAAA HA HA HA HA HA HAAA!" The pony cackled gleefully.
"You're insane!" Rainbow roared, and shot like a rocket at the floating pony ... only to be effortlessly batted aside in midair, as though by an invisible hoof.
"Ohhh..." Twilight's hooves stamped on the ground.
"Twilight! Now what'll we do!?" Applejack yelled.
"I... I..." Twilight stared upward in horror; if the pony was right... if they couldn't execute the Elements because they'd failed to care for the lands around them...
"Somepony! ANYPONY!" Rarity screamed, sensing the end was near. "HELP US, PLEASE! WE NEED MORE TIME!"
"Keep it together!" Twilight barked, snapping out of her own fear. "We're only doomed if we don't try! Come on, girls! Once more! We've got to try! Everyone's counting on us, and if we fail--!"
"That won't do you any good," the masked pony laughed. "but go ahead! Keep trying! It'll be all the sweeter when Harmony gets crushed by a giant rock! Hey," she added mockingly, "Rock's really orderly, right? I mean, it's a rock! You think it's ironic that Harmony gets crushed by something so orderly as a rock? Or no, no wait ... it's not ironic! It's just 'rocky'!"
"YOUR JOKES STINK!" Pinkie roared, straining to drain every drop of Laughter from her body. Yet it felt... forced, strained. Laughter wasn't supposed to be forced. She could feel the flow of Harmony waning. No! C'mon, Pinkie! Think of something funny! Uh, okay, so Dashie and a giraffe walk into a bar, and the giraffe drinks all the cider, and Dashie's all, 'I could drink all the cider too if I had a long neck!' But Harmony continued to fall apart around her. Uh, not funny? Okay, let me try--
But the moment passed, and she and the other ponies fell flat on the ground again.
"I'm-I'm sorry, dears," Rarity wailed. "All I can think about now is that I don't want to die!"
"And I can't think of anything funny," Pinkie admitted.
"So... scared..." Fluttershy quivered, hiding under her long mane.
The masked pony smirked, and lifted her head back up towards the sky to await the falling moon...
When suddenly, three mint-green unicorns leapt toward her, screaming battle cries from three directions! Startled, the pony swept aside the first... but it merely dissipated into shadows. She turned, kicking a second into thin air, somersaulted just in time to do the same to the third...
And missed the fourth, the real Lyra, entirely as the unicorn smashed into her midsection horn first.
"OOF!" The masked pony staggered in mid-air. Unicorn horns typically were not sharp enough to draw blood, and Lyra's was no exception. Nonetheless, it still hurt enough to stun the floating pony, knocking her backward...
And at that moment, in a flash of bright white, unmistakable unicorn magic, a bright blue harp appeared from nothingness, falling to the ground. Twilight blinked. That magic reminds me of... but how, if she's... The unicorn shook her head, and galloped over to the fallen object. The top and bottom of the harp shone a beautiful sapphire hue, the strings a pure white.
The moment she grasped the harp, a voice called in her mind: Give the harp to one who can use it! Quick! Twilight wasn't sure what this madness was all about, but at this point she and her friends had no better ideas.
"LYRA!"
"Ugggh..." Lyra felt rather drained. The music required to generate her three shadows was second nature to her by now, but she had needed to jump quite high to reach the masked pony, and had landed heavily on her back. She recovered just in time to see Twilight rushing a blue harp over to her with magic. "What...?" She managed to ask as she grasped the harp with her own magic, a faint green aura.
Lyra, an elegant, mature voice spoke. There is not much time left. Do you seek to save Mysidia?
"Oh, good! More guests!" The masked pony spoke up, though it was impossible to keep the anger out of her voice. "Enjoy the view while you still can! You're about to learn just what true chaos really is!"
Lyra stared at the floating pony, who now seemed fully concentrated in bringing the moon down, protected by an impenetrable magical shield.
Right now, I want to save myself and my friends, she thought wildly. If that means Mysidia too, fine!
Then listen closely to the notes I will play you. Wrap them around your heart, around your desires. If you truly wish to save those you love, play this song and your wish will be granted in time.
What time!? Lyra thought wildly. Yet Lyra clung to this strange, last hope like a drowning pony to a rock. A crazy thing it was, playing those six slow notes just because a voice in her head told her to...
"What are you doing!?" Rarity shouted from behind her. "We're not going to solve anything by just playing music!"
Rainbow Dash kept trying to hammer away at the magic shield, and failing. Applejack also leapt towards the shield, no more successful than Rainbow. Twilight sat and stared. Rarity screamed. Fluttershy cowered. Pinkie panicked, running back and forth across the tower, yelling incoherently.
When you look at them, they're really not very heroic at all, Lyra realized. They need somepony.
And that somepony is...
She plucked the last note on her harp.
...Me.
The world instantly faded to black.
"What the--" Lyra began.
"Look out!" Twilight yelled. "We're gonna faaaaaaaall...!!"
Rainbow Dash found her wings would not beat. Fluttershy somehow managed to attempt opening her wings, but neither would move.
Seven ponies fell through a white void full of towering clocks, speeding inexorably towards a great white light...
--------
The minute hand reached a large black "XII", bordered above by an arc of brilliant rubies. The hour hand touched "X". Ten o' clock.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Pinkie screamed. "AAAAAAHHHHH THEMOON'SGONNAFALLANDWE'REALLGONNABESMUSHEDLIKEPANCAKESAND--"
Without even looking where to place her hoof, Rarity silenced Pinkie Pie, staring wide-eyed at the surrounding town.
"Twilight," she said softly. "Does it look to you as though...?"
Twilight looked up into the sky, and saw a much smaller moon. Bigger than normal, and heading closer, yes. But still smaller.
"Everything's..."
"Started over..." they finished in unison.
"Y-you..." Rarity turned to Lyra, shaking. "I don't know how you managed to do it, but you've just saved our lives. You have my undying gratitude, Lyra Heartstrings," she added, bowing her head.
"I still don't understand what just happened," Lyra replied, mouth open in shock. "Did... did we just travel back in time?"
"We did," Twilight confirmed. She, at least, knew something of time travel from firsthand experience. "Star Swirl the Bearded first invented the time travel spell, although... it's only supposed to be temporary. In a few minutes, we should be pulled back to..."
The other six ponies tensed up in fear.
"Ahhh... well... but-but then again," she added quickly, "The spell I used was nothing like this. It's different from Star Swirl's version, so it's got to be permanent!" I hope, she thought fretfully.
"So, what do we do now?" asked a relieved Applejack.
"Hmmm. Well, there's something funny about that harp. I recognized the magical aura behind its appearance. I think it's no coincidence that it appeared when Lyra struck Discord's thrall. Princess Celestia was trying to tell us something. Maybe now, if we go back to Zecora, we can learn more."
"Princess Celestia? That's who was talking back there?" Lyra asked.
"No doubt about it," Twilight said. She grinned, confidence returning. "And now, even though the Elements of Harmony can't work, we have something even better:
All the time in the world."