//------------------------------// // Anger // Story: Metal Gear Spark: Peace Zero // by GreenS21 //------------------------------// Twilight let out a pained groan as she woke up, feeling uncomfortable bumps beneath her adding to the kinks in her body she was already feeling. When she opened her eyes, she found that she was surrounded by darkness. An attempt to stretch out one of her hooves revealed the cause. “I must’ve fallen asleep inside the box the books came in. Must’ve felt comfortable then; why’s it so uncomfortable now?” she thought to herself. Since she was on her side, she brought her hooves forward, guessing the box was upside-down. She managed to push it over onto its side and was immediately greeted with bright sunlight. After her eyes recovered from the light, she opened them to see the morning sky above, making her realize she was outside, and a quick look around made her realize where she was. There was tree bark around her, all of it jagged and burnt. She had been sleeping on top of the remains of the Golden Oak Library. “How did I get here?” she wondered aloud to herself. The only thing she could remember about last night after eating dinner with Shining, Spike, and Cadance was going back to the library to spend a little more time in the box. She couldn’t remember leaving the castle with the box and making her way to where her old home used to be. A sharp pain shot through her side suddenly, causing her to grunt and forget her questions. She heaved herself to her hooves, grunting as she used her wings and a hoof to feel over her body. “Burnt wood is not good for sleeping on,” she muttered matter-of-factly to herself as she continued to press on the spots where she was feeling pressure. After a few moments, she lowered her hoof and folded her wings back against her sides, grabbing the box with her magic as she turned to leave. “Walk it off,” she sighed as she began making her way back to the castle. Upon returning home, she set the box down back in the library, taking a moment to pat it with a hoof softly. Her eyes then wandered and fell on the books, all of them untouched. She stared at them for a few seconds before she unclipped her iDroid, bringing it up to check the time. She put it away with a sigh a second later and said, “Guess I’d better get started.” She reached into one of her pouches and pulled out one of her aroma tubes, lighting it up and putting it in her mouth before she turned to the books, making her way over to them. For a short while, the silence in the library was only broken by Twilight using her magic to sort the various tomes and move them to and from the shelves, a method to the process slowly becoming clear. The peace was broken, however, when the doors swung open loudly and Spike stepped in, calling, “Good morning, Twilight!” When he didn’t see her, he looked around and saw her standing on her hind legs up against the book shelves to his right, her left hoof against her chest and the book she had been trying to shelve held up defensively in her magic. After allowing a few moments for her heart to stop pounding, she let out a sigh and relaxed. “Spike, was that necessary?” she asked. The baby dragon grinned nervously as he scratched the side of his head,” Eh heh, sorry, Twilight. I’m still getting used to how quiet this castle is and how sound travels through it.” He then straightened up and cheerily spoke, “Using another one of those tubes, eh? Guess it gives you something to do so you can stay focused. Anyway, it’s a bright, shiny new day, and I’m sure there’s a lot to do before we go meet up with everyone. So how can I start helping? Get you some breakfast? Something to drink? Start shelving books? Looks like you’ve already come up with something out for that that I’m sure I can figure out.” He stood, waiting patiently for an order. Twilight’s face fell as she listened to him talk. When he was finished, she lowered her front hooves and turned back to the shelves, going back to shelving as she said, “Go outside, Spike.” The baby dragon blinked, not sure he heard her correctly. “Uh, what?” he asked. Twilight kept shelving, not turning around to look at him as she said, “You said it was a beautiful day. Take advantage of it. Go play outside, go buy some comics and read them outside, go see if Rarity or the Crusaders need anything. Just… do something that’s more worth your time.” Spike couldn’t believe what Twilight was saying. She didn’t want him around? “But… I’m your number one assistant! Helping you is the first thing on my list of things to do!” he exclaimed. Twilight finally looked over at him, “Spike, we just moved into this castle. What is there to do besides organizing books? Examine every corner to make sure there’s no dust? Mop the crystal floors because no one’s been in here for a month?” She shook her head with a snort as she began moving down the shelves, “What a waste of anybody’s time, especially yours. Almost anything else would be better.” Spike spoke, “But, there must be something you need help with! Like errands! You must have things you need to pick up, right?” Twilight gave him a concerned look at that, “Is there something you need? Snacks? A new bed? A massage? I can give you money.” Spike asked, “What? No, I’m… I… I’m talking about what you need!” Twilight’s expression became a bit indifferent at that, “I’ve been eating out mainly since we got back. I can’t really think of anything I need.” She returned to her shelving. Spike still couldn’t believe what she was saying. “So… you don’t need anything at all?” he asked. Twilight was starting to get frustrated by how long this conversation was dragging on, but she did her best to keep it to herself. “Isn’t that what I said? Shouldn’t this be a good thing? Me being back after a month and saying that you don’t have to work?” Spike stammered, “Well… I guess, but… I like helping you, Twilight.” Twilight replied, “Come on, Spike. You’ve complained to me before about how much I make you do and not giving you time off.” Spike started, “Well, when you ask for a lot at once, yeah, it would get annoying…” Twilight turned away from the shelves to look at him as she spoke up, “And that’s what’s going to happen now, and I’m telling you I’ve got it. Wouldn’t you rather go play in that case? Didn’t you do that when Fluttershy was letting you stay with her?” Spike replied, “Well, sure, I did, but… I don’t want to not work again, Twilight!” When he said this, she turned away from him and planted her face on the shelf in front of her. Spike stared at her, wondering what she was doing. In her head, Twilight was cursing herself for doing this to Spike, for having a personality that would make her make him be her assistant for so long and forcing this sort of mindset on him. After a few moments, she lifted her face off the shelf and used her magic to take her tube out of her mouth, holding it up to her nose and deeply breathing in the scent of eucalyptus for several long seconds. When she felt that her mind was clear enough, she moved it away and said, as calmly as she could, “Take the day off, Spike, and go have fun. Getting to be yourself is a lot more important than being my assistant will ever be.” As she put the tube back in her mouth and returned to her shelving, she heard the sound of his small claws running out of the room. She felt tears building up in her eyes, but she ignored them. “He’ll be glad later,” she thought to herself. Spike’s legs carried him all the way to the castle entrance and out the front doors, surprising the Royal Guards standing at the sides of them. The baby dragon felt crushed and confused at Twilight’s words. Did she not want him anymore? Was she mad at him? Why was she acting the way she was when a few days ago, despite the changes she had undergone and some odd behaviors that didn’t seem to have an explanation, she seemed like she always was? These questions and more ran through his head as he ran into town. He needed to talk to somepony about this. It didn’t take him long to reach Carousel Boutique. He pushed the door open, relieved to find it wasn’t locked, and stood in the doorway as he called, “Rarity?!” The unicorn in question soon came out of the kitchen, looking refined as ever even as she muttered under her breath, “Who in Celestia’s name…” Her aggravation disappeared as soon as she saw Spike. “Oh! Spike!” she said as she trotted over to him, “Whatever is the matter?” Spike stammered, “It’s Twilight! She’s… She…” Rarity immediately became concerned at this. “What is it, Spike? Did something happen to her?! Is she in trouble?!” Spike answered, “I don’t know, but she’s acting really weird today!” Rarity’s expression became less concerned at that. “Oh. You as well, Spike?” she asked. Spike blinked at this, “What?” Rarity used her magic to shut the front door and turned to walk back into the showroom, inviting Spike to follow her as she said, “Sweetie Belle was telling me something similar last night. The dear said she and her friends spent some time with Twilight yesterday and they thought she was acting odd. She was really worried.” As they came to a stop in the middle of the showroom, Spike asked, “So why are you acting so calm about it?” Rarity turned to him and answered, “Well, unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to dwell on it since a rather large order came in while we were in Canterlot, so I’ve been spending the last few days working to fill it. Sweetie Belle came in when I was at a crucial point of finishing, you see, so I had to focus. I did manage to finish, but I was quite exhausted and it was getting late then, so getting my beauty sleep was my main focus. I had already sent Sweetie home by that point, so…” Spike spoke, “Well, it’s a new day, and you look refreshed and stunning like you always do. So, can you come see Twilight now?” Rarity mused, “Hm? Well, I suppose I could, but…” Spike asked, “But what?” Rarity said, “It’s just that after staying up late these last few days, I just feel so wonderful this morning, especially since it’s gone so well so far. I’ve also had a new fashion idea inspired by Twilight’s, er, wardrobe that I’d like to start working on. It would be a shame to let a burst of creativity go to waste.” Spike sputtered, “But… but Twilight…!” Rarity smiled, “I’m sure Twilight’s just feeling out of sorts this morning. I believe you’re good at recognizing when she gets like that, Spike. We’ll see her this afternoon and I’m sure she’ll be just fine, just like she’s been since we got her back.” She turned away and adopted a determined expression, “Now… now is the time for passion!” As Spike listened to her, his expression shifted to anger, the dragon suddenly feeling very frustrated by the way she was taking this. He spoke, “You know what, Rarity? I stand by the stunning part, but I’m going to have to retract the refreshed part because, clearly, a good night’s sleep didn’t make you all better since you’re not taking me seriously or being very generous! You’re the one who’s caught up in your own little world!” With that, he turned on his heel and walked towards the front door. “Now I know how Twilight felt,” he thought as he left the boutique, needing to find a place to cool his scales. Rarity had turned and stared at him in shock as he finished speaking, realizing her mistake. She ran to the door, calling to him, “Spike! Spike, come back!” He didn’t even glance back at her, however; she desperately wanted to run to him and hug him and apologize, but she saw his clenched claws and stiff walk and could guess how angry he was. “Too angry to listen,” she thought helplessly as she watched him stalk away. A while later, Twilight was making her way through town, feeling only marginally better after she finished shelving all the books, taking a bath, changing her bandages, and her work for the day done earlier. Now she was on her way to Sugarcube Corner to pick up the cupcake order for the get-together. She soon arrived at the bakery and looked up at it, hesitating. She steeled herself; she was going to do this. Upon stepping inside, she saw Mrs. Cake behind the front counter, currently tending to some of the baked goods in the display case. Twilight stood in the doorway, suddenly feeling indecisive again. It was quashed when the light blue earth pony looked up and spotted her. “Oh! Twilight! Come in, dearie!” she said cheerily as she stood up straight. Releasing a soft sigh through her nose, Twilight made her way over to the counter. “Hello, Mrs. Cake,” she responded simply as she approached. The older mare spoke, “I was moving around some of our pastries just now. It’s good to see you again. Pinkie was so thrilled when she got word you were back. We thought we would see you sooner…” She looked at the bandage patch on Twilight’s cheek, her expression changing to concern. “What happened to your cheek, dearie?” she asked. Twilight quickly glanced down at the patch before looking back up at the baker, quickly saying, “Nothing.” She quietly cleared her throat and asked, “Princess Cadance wanted me to pick up an order she placed yesterday?” Mrs. Cake nodded, “Ah, yes. A dozen cupcakes.” She reached over to the right, “I have it right here.” She was holding a small box in her hooves when Twilight could see them again. She placed the box on the counter and opened the top to show it to Twilight. She tilted her head down to look at the pastries. “A baker’s dozen,” she noted. Mrs. Cake nodded, “Mm-hmm. Oh, I did listen to your advice from last time and find a way to properly space them out. No touching or uneven frosting anymore!” She was cheery as she said this, expecting Twilight to either make a remark or show some embarrassment, but it faded as she realized there didn’t seem to be any reaction at all. She looked at the mare again and saw she was still staring down at the cupcakes like she hadn’t heard Mrs. Cake at all. “Twilight? Is something wrong?” she asked. Twilight looked up at that, looking at Mrs. Cake with half-lidded eyes. It was almost like Maud Pie’s usual stoic expression, except Twilight’s was more blank. It was more than a little worrying for the baker. Mr. Cake poked his head out of the kitchen, wondering why it had suddenly gone silent in the front. “Cup Cake? Everything okay? …Twilight?” he added, noticing the young princess after a moment. Her eyes moved in his direction and, after a moment, he started to understand the reason for the silence. After a few seconds, Twilight looked back at Mrs. Cake for a moment before glancing back at her saddlebags as her horn lit up. Suddenly, a moderately-sized bag full of bits was thrown onto the counter, some of the gold inside spilling out. Turning her attention back to the cupcake box, Twilight closed it and lifted it up. “Thank you,” she said as she turned to leave. Both Cakes were momentarily stunned by the bag of bits, but they recovered quickly. “Twilight? Dearie?” Mrs. Cake called. Twilight came to a stop in the middle of the floor but did not turn around. “Princess Cadance already paid for the order,” she stated. Twilight didn’t say or make any movements at first, but then she said, “That’s your compensation. For knowing and having to put up with me all this time.” The bewildered Cakes could do nothing but stare at her as she left without another word. Pinkie and Rainbow had decided that the get-together would be held at the lake. Twilight could see that Spike and all of her friends were already there as she got closer. Spike was messing around with a stick near the water while Rarity looked at him from the blanket she was lying down on atop the grass with a distraught expression, Rainbow had set up a pair of beach chairs and was kicking back on one with a Daring Do book, and Applejack and Fluttershy were watching Pinkie as she went all over. Twilight was a bit confused by Rarity’s expression and how far Spike was from her, but aside from that, it seemed like it was going to be a typical day out with friends. This included Pinkie Pie suddenly popping up in front of her and saying while hopping a bit, “Ooh! You made it, Twilight! And you brought the cupcakes too!” After recovering from the shock, Twilight shifted the box to her right hoof and held it out towards the pink pony, “I sure did. Do you want them?” Her question was answered when Pinkie swiped the box and bounced over to a picnic blanket near the water with it perfectly balanced atop her mane. Shrugging, Twilight made her way closer to the water, coming to a stop not far from it when Spike looked up and locked eyes with her. The dragon had a nervous expression on his face while Twilight had an unreadable expression on hers as they stared at each other. Their eye contact was broken when Rainbow called, “Hey, Twilight! Over here!” Twilight turned and made her way over to the speedster, who said, “I brought an extra seat. You can have it if you want.” Twilight smiled, “Thanks, Rainbow.” As she set her saddlebags down, she noticed that Applejack was looking over at her with an odd expression. Twilight held her gaze for a moment before she sat down in the chair. She winced a little, still feeling a bit of pins and needles from waking up, before she pulled Principles of Magic out of her bag and opening it to where she had stopped last. Unbeknownst to her, Applejack was still looking over at her. “She seems fine right now. Wasn’t that unusual to see her and Rainbow readin’ together at the library. Just ‘cause they ain’t done it like this don’t mean nothin’,” she thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when Pinkie bounced past her and dove into the lake, splashing her and Fluttershy with water. When she resurfaced, Pinkie looked towards Rainbow and Twilight and called, “Hey Dashie, Twilight! Wanna come in? The water’s great!” Rainbow was quick to wave her off with a “Nah, I’m good, Pinkie” before returning to her book, but Twilight wasn’t so quick to respond. When she looked up upon hearing her name, Twilight found herself staring at Pinkie, or rather the water around her, intently. The water’s surface was a bright blue, reflecting the clear skies overhead, but the brightness only went down so far before darkness started to encroach, surrounding anyone who tried to go down into the depths. And if the skies weren’t clear, then darkness was present even on the surface. Just like… Twilight managed to shake herself from her internal analysis and quickly said, “Uh, I don’t think so, Pinkie. Thanks, though.” She then quickly buried herself back in her book, hoping that her reply didn’t take as long to say as it felt like to her. In spite of this and some lingering awkwardness among them, everything seemed to be fine. After a little while, Shining and Cadance arrived at the lake, both walking over to Twilight and Rainbow as soon as they saw the former, saying hellos to the others as they made their way over. Twilight looked up at them as did Rainbow when they stopped near her chair. When Fluttershy came over and asked where the princesses were, Shining answered, “They just got here from Canterlot, Fluttershy. They’ll be arriving shortly.” Cadance looked over at Twilight and smiled, “Aunt Celestia wants to talk to you before anything else, Twilight. It’s about your role as a princess. She just wants to make sure we’re clear on everything.” Twilight gave a smile and a slightly forced “Great!” in reply. Shining looked over, his face falling slightly as he added, “She also said Discord is coming too. I’m not sure that’s really such a good idea, but…” He trailed off as he looked back towards town, Cadance, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow turning their heads to look as well. Celestia and Luna were coming up over the hill, alone. There was no sign of Discord or any Royal Guards, but Twilight felt tense at just the sight of the sisters. She had a feeling about what Celestia wanted to talk to her about. Luna made her way over by the water while Celestia unsurprisingly headed for Twilight upon seeing her, Cadance and Shining moving away to let them talk. “It’s so good to see you and your friends once again, Twilight. I’m sorry Luna and I had to return to Canterlot so suddenly,” the Sun Princess began. Twilight smiled weakly, “That’s okay, Princess. I don’t think you really needed to travel back here again so soon.” Celestia replied, “Nonsense, Twilight. You know how much I love to see you, and I want to be sure you…” She was interrupted when Discord, who was wearing a mismatched pool ring, an upside-down snorkel, and goggles, bumped into her rear as he ran towards the lake. “Coming through! Make room! Here I come!” he called before he leapt into the water, splashing droplets onto everyone on dry land. Everyone looked at the draconequus with varying emotions for a few moments before Celestia shook her head and used her magic to create an orb of light that caused everyone to dry off faster. She dispelled it after several seconds, satisfied, and turned back to Twilight, “Now, as I was saying, I want you to be sure of the part you are to play, Twilight.” Twilight rubbed the side of her head with a hoof and looked everywhere but at Celestia as she spoke, “Um… could we go over that again? I feel like I should know the answer, but it’s not coming to me.” Celestia blinked before replying, “Why, you’re a princess, Twilight. And you’ve learned much about friendship. Do you know the answer now?” Twilight said, “Oh, right. Yeah, uh… I’m not so sure that’s the case anymore. After everything I’ve seen and experienced, I just… I have to wonder…” Celestia looked surprised for a moment before she smiled in understanding, believing she knew what the problem was. “I see, and I understand. Even with everything going on in that other world, you found friendship in the unlikeliest of places and grew to cherish it, only for what you knew to suddenly be turned around on you. It’s not an easy thing to get used to, but it’s not hard to do. You still have all the friendships you know and cherish. There’s no reason to let a single betrayal be the reason that you…” She was suddenly cut off again, this time by Twilight, who had an angry expression on her face as she asked, “I’m sorry, ‘betrayal’? Is that what you think Paz did?” Celestia blinked in surprise, evidently not used to Twilight interrupting her or sounding so angry with her. “I didn’t mention Paz,” she said slowly. Twilight was quick to counter, “But you were thinking of her, weren’t you? Why would you use that word if you weren’t making that assumption? Who else would come to mind? You clearly don’t know her very well if you think she didn’t care for any of us, and you don’t know me as well as you think you used to either!” By this time, the commotion had caught everyone else’s attention, all of them looking over at the two. Celestia narrowed her eyes, “Twilight Sparkle, I do not care for your tone of voice. I am sorry if I upset you in some way, but…” Twilight interrupted, “Oh, you don’t approve? I’m sorry. You know that’s what I’m going to say, don’t you? Well, I’m not going to because I’m more than just upset! How dare you talk about Paz that way!” Celestia said, “I know what you showed us. She stole a creation that should never have been built in the first place, she threatened to launch a destructive weapon for her corrupt organization, and she crushed your wing. I think it’s safe to say she was what she was: a spy who betrayed your trust!” Twilight glared, “Really? I think she had a hard choice to make and neither choice was better than the other. But far be it for me to question your knowledge. After all, you know everything, don’t you? You probably knew me better than I knew myself!” Celestia started, “I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Twilight replied, “Well, I think that’s a lie! You knew more about the state of the Crystal Empire than you were willing to share, didn’t you? You knew what that unfinished spell was about, about the Elements… you’ve known so much that could’ve helped us, but instead you assumed that I had advanced far enough and would figure it all out! Well, I think I’ve figured this out too!” She spread her wings, “Are these really supposed to be mine, or have you been manipulating me into thinking no one deserves them more than me? Ever since that entrance exam, you’ve been pushing me, steering me, towards what? To take over for you? Well, maybe I don’t want to be a princess anymore! Maybe I never should’ve been your student!” Celestia looked down at her aghast while everyone else stared at her in shock. Well, almost everyone. Discord, unsurprisingly, had enjoyed Twilight’s tirade against Celestia and decided to let her know that. He quickly popped out of the lake to in between them, causing Celestia to step back and Twilight to scoot to the other side of her chair, and let out a laugh before saying, “Oh Twilight, I must tell you, I think I’ve finally come to a conclusion. I like this new you better than the old you!” He reached down and scooped her up in his arms, holding her against his left shoulder, and turned to walk back towards the lake. “Not to worry. I’m all for doing things that you would prefer now, because I happen to know how things and ponies change, unlike SOMEPONY.” He shot a meaningful look back at Celestia as he finished. Twilight looked back over her shoulder, her nervousness rising as she got closer to the water. “No, no, no, Discord, I am not much of a swimmer. I most definitely prefer staying on dry land,” she said quickly as she tried to scramble out of his grasp. Discord, however, had no trouble keeping her restrained as he replied, “Oh come now, Twilight. You lived on an artificial island for months. Surely you gave in and went diving off of it into the ocean. I’m sure you did that at least once.” Twilight’s eye twitched at that. “And I know how experiencing something new can give you a thirst for more of it, so don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get all the thrills you can handle and more to help you satisfy your ever-growing desire. It’ll be explosions, things to shoot at, and more galore, all courtesy of yours truly! Now doesn’t that sound fun?” Despite not talking long, Discord’s words had only served to make Twilight angrier, the young alicorn unable to calm herself as she shook slightly. “Shut up,” she growled out. “Hm? What was that, Twilight?” Discord asked, only for his goggles to suddenly get pulled away from his eyes by Twilight’s magic, causing him to stop and blink. She released her hold on them and they snapped back a moment later, causing him to cry out and lose his grip on the alicorn, who immediately jumped down and grabbed her things with her magic as she began to walk away. Celestia noticed this and moved to stand in her path, but even with her wings spread, Twilight did not stop. “Twilight Sparkle, you are not…” She was cut off when Twilight picked up the pace and furiously shoved her with her left shoulder, surprising the princess enough to cause her to stumble. She regained her footing a moment later and looked back over her shoulder, only to see Twilight disappear in a flash of magic. Almost everyone stared in shock at where Twilight had been. The only ones who weren’t staring were Fluttershy, who was worrying over Discord, and Shining Armor, who was looking down with a worried expression as he remembered the last time he’d seen his sister so angry and what could’ve happened had things not worked out because they didn’t take her worries seriously. “What just happened?” Rainbow asked after several moments. “Twilight?” Pinkie asked softly, worried about her friend. Rarity, trying to be the optimistic one and reassure everyone, suggested, “Maybe she’s worrying over nothing?” Spike walked over and said, “Yeah, I bet that’s what you thought last time too. And then she brought out Smartypants.” Rarity’s face scrunched up at his counter while he walked off to try to look for Twilight himself. Soon… Rainbow flew into the throne room and came to a stop in the middle of the room, right in front of Celestia. “Sorry, Princess. I checked every single spot in the castle. She’s not here,” the pegasus shrugged. “Are you certain, Rainbow Dash?” Celestia asked. “Positive. I checked under every single box I could find!” Rainbow answered. Shining, Cadance, and the rest of Twilight’s friends exchanged a worried look at that. “Hmm. Where could she be then?” Celestia muttered, looking down. Luna, who had an unimpressed look on her face, remarked, “Seems you found another pony who gets under your skin, sister. How ironic it’s once again someone else who was so close to you.” Celestia whirled her head around to meet her sister’s gaze, “I beg your pardon, Luna?” Unphased by her sister’s anger, Luna went on, “It seems to be a trend, does it not? You’re so good at keeping good public relations, but when it comes to those close to you, you just can’t seem to find the right balance and end up punishing them and yourself.” Celestia got closer to her before saying, “This is nothing like a thousand years ago, Luna.” Luna shot back, “You’re correct if you’re talking about how you’re reacting, sister! You would not listen to me! You let my feelings of reject and resentment continue to grow while you basked in our subjects’ glory! You only paid attention when I fell to darkness! Now? Now it seems like you’re being Twilight’s judge, jury, and executioner without giving her a chance to explain herself!” Celestia glared, “That is not the case, and there is no reason for her behavior!” Shining had to bite his tongue to keep from speaking out of line and bringing up the wedding rehearsal. Luna asked, “Are you sure? Perhaps she does have a good reason. Or maybe she simply is resentful of her destiny, a destiny that she’s not incorrect in saying you imposed on her!” The two sisters glared at each other, their stare being broken when everyone heard a rumble of thunder from outside. “What the…” Rainbow asked before she shot out of the room, making her way through the castle to the balcony. Peering out, she saw that it was indeed starting to rain. “There was no rain scheduled for today!” She leapt outside and yelled upwards, “HEY! WHOEVER BROUGHT THE RAINCLOUDS, KNOCK IT OFF! THIS ISN’T FUNNY!” Her shout did nothing to stop the rain and she flew up into the sky after a few moments to find out who was causing it. As she took off, the others came up behind her, looking out at the rain. They realized their search for Twilight would have to wait until it had passed, but as they looked at the falling drops, Celestia and Luna noticed that something seemed strange about them. Spike was walking around Ponyville looking for Twilight when the rain started, the baby dragon joining the ponies that were going about their business in finding shelter when it became clear it wasn’t a light drizzle. Spike ran towards a nearby awning, but as he did, a raindrop managed to land inside his mouth. Normally this wouldn’t have elicited much of a reaction from him, but as it spread across his tongue, he picked up on an odd taste. As soon as he was out of the rain, he began swishing what was left of the drop around. “Huh. It’s got kind of a metallic taste to it. Weird,” he noted after a few moments, some of the ponies that were under the same awning turning to look at him. In Ghastly Gorge, one of the last places anypony would think to look for her, Twilight had not sought shelter from the rain. At the moment, she barely noticed it due to her anger, which she was literally trying to beat away. She’d found a sizable pile of small rocks and was lifting them up to punch and kick at. The effects of this were starting to make themselves known; she was starting to develop scratches and cuts from her hits and misses, parts of her Sneaking Suit already stained red. It wasn’t enough to convince her to stop, though. The stinging she felt neither eased nor fueled the anger she was feeling. She continued to attack the rocks in spite of it, trying to block out the voices in her head. “Boss…” “Get those fires out! Damn it, we’ll never catch up! Argh!” “You’re LYING, Snake! SNAKE!” “The base!” “The scientist was our way in.” “Mom? Is that you, Mom? ARRRRGGGH!” “She survived?” Twilight couldn’t take it any longer and let out a loud yell as she brought her right hoof back and slammed it into the pile of rocks. She remained like that for several moments before she shot up with a painful cry, tears leaking from her eyes and mingling with the rain as she held her hoof and staggered back. She fell onto her rump near her saddlebags, still clutching her foreleg above her hoof while she gritted her teeth. Her anger was finally spent, but in its place, she could feel only hopelessness. She used her magic to bring her saddlebags over. As she pulled out her medical supplies to patch up her leg, she looked up towards the top of the gorge, in the direction of Ponyville. “There will never be peace. Not as long I’m here,” she thought morosely. “This place can no longer be my haven.”