I’ll Bring You Home
Chapter Ten; What Friends are For
“My dear student…” Celestia sighed, hanging her head. Her white coat was stained black by the sooty ground she knelt on, but she paid it little mind. She sat in the center of what was once Ponyville’s public library, now nothing but a charred husk. A painful memory. A memorial, of sorts. The notion of clearing the debris fully and rebuilding had been brought up multiple times to the mayor, but each time it was decided to leave what remained. The site had been cleared of anything salvageable, and the surrounding area had been cleaned, but within the shell of the once mighty tree the ruins remained untouched. For the most part.
Celestia gently ran her hoof across the small sprout in the center of the destruction. Rainbow Dash had been quite clear in her instructions to care for the plant, and Celestia was hardly in a place to refuse. She’d even opted to care for it herself rather than delegate it to a professional from the castle’s gardens. It only seemed fitting. It wasn’t long before she understood why Rainbow had been so adamant about it. At first she’d made the trip only to fulfill the pegasus’s request, but as the days ticked by she found herself growing fond of the time spent alone. Reflecting. In those moments spent caring for the tiny plant, it felt as though Twilight was with her once again. Maybe it was because she was in the former home of her precious student, or maybe it was because new life sprouting from the reminder of death brought with it a sense of hope. A hope that she desperately needed.
Whatever the reason, Celestia had made it a part of her daily rituals to come and check on the sapling.
“Hey! What are you- P-princess?”
Celestia forced herself not to sigh as she stood, wiping the soot from her fur with a wave of magic. She turned, smiling at the dragon who had found her. “Hello, Spike.”
Spike shuffled awkwardly, glancing around. “What are you doing here?”
“Just visiting,” Celestia said, carefully stepping over the young tree as she approached the dragon. “Nothing important, I assure you; I just… like to stop by, from time to time. Pay my respects.” She nodded at the largest wall still standing.
Nodding his head, Spike smiled sadly. “She’s not really gone,” he said. “At least, that’s what Rarity says. Nopony’s ever really gone as long as we remember them. They... live on. As a part of us.” The tremor in his voice told how little faith he had in the line.
Celestia smiled. “Rarity’s wise for her age.”
“Maybe…” Spike trailed off, shaking his head. “Doesn’t feel like it, though. Feels like a load of horse apples they feed to ponies who are grieving to make them stop.” He bent down and scooped up a pile of ash, opening his claw and letting it run between his fingers like the sands of an hourglass. “It feels more like she’s gone, and she’s never coming back.”
Celestia bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m sorry,” she apologized almost on reflex. “It must be hard on you.”
Spike wiped his claw on his leg. He snorted, a small burst of smoke wafting up from his nostrils. “It’s been hard on everypony. Me, the girls, her parents. I didn’t hear Shining say a word for weeks after.” He took a steadying breath, closing his eyes and forcing himself not to cry. “And everypony always says how hard it must be for me. How much I must be hurting. Well it’s not fair; we’re all hurting. It’s not right to focus on me and ignore everypony else’s pain. I never asked for anypony’s pity. Even the girls; Rarity thinks I don’t hear her when she wakes up crying. Whenever I try and talk to her about it, she just says she’s fine and asks how I’m doing.”
“I understand.” Celestia nodded slowly. “You may be young, but you’re not a child anymore. It seems that news hasn’t caught up to them yet.” She glanced to the sun, gauging the time. “I have a while yet before I must return to Canterlot. Would you care to join me for some tea?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Spike rubbed his shoulder. “Yeah, I guess.”
Celestia smiled and gently guided him forward with her wing down the street. “How are the girls doing?” She asked gently, eyes trailing the sky and noting the abundance of clouds. “I confess I have been meaning to come and see you all officially for a while.”
“Same old?” Spike offered uncertainty. “AJ’s pretty well thrown herself into the farm; I don’t see all that much of her except for the weekly get together Rarity forced everypony into. Pinkie’s starting to throw parties again, but she hasn’t baked anything since it happened. Something about it not ‘feeling right’ anymore. Rarity’s doing her best, but I can tell she’s struggling; her fashion lines have been coming less and less often and are getting smaller. She temporarily closed her other boutique so she could stay here, but at this rate I don’t know when she’ll open it again. Fluttershy…
“Actually, I think Fluttershy's handling it best out of all of us. She’s out at the market every other day or so, and she stops by Rarity’s shop with sandwiches and tea. I think she brings it to all our friends.” He frowned slightly at nothing in particular. “She said something about making sure she didn’t let it all go to waste. I don’t really know what she meant.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow when Spike trailed off into silence. “And Rainbow Dash?”
“Who cares?” He huffed, crossing his arms. “She’s not here. She’s never here. I don’t know where she is, and she can stay that way for all I care.”
“Spike-”
“Do you know what she said to us?” He asked sharply, glaring daggers at the clouds. “She told us all she was going to find a way to bring Twilight back. Something about a bunch of stories she’d read leading her to some magical mare that knew how to bring ponies back from the dead. That was weeks ago, and since then I haven’t seen her. Fluttershy says her house is empty again.”
Celestia sighed softly. “Everypony grieves in their own way, Spike. Rainbow Dash is a mare of action, and she’s been faced with a situation over which she has no control; have you considered how she feels?”
Spike growled. “Did she consider how we felt? No. She just up and left. You know she didn’t even show up to the funeral.” He scoffed. “I knew she was selfish, but this is a whole different level.”
Seemingly content to leave it at that, Spike allowed the conversation to peter out. For a time they walked in silence, and he seemed in no rush to change that. Glancing down at the dragon next to her, Celestia’s shoulders sagged. “Could I ask you something, Spike, and have you be totally honest with me?”
“Huh?” He looked up at her, his lingering anger dissipating and replaced by confusion. “Sure, I guess?”
“Do you… blame me? For what happened?”
Spike’s eye widened. “Of course not! You did your best to protect everypony by keeping your power out of Tirek’s grasp. If you hadn’t, Twilight might not have been able to stop him.”
Despite his assurance, Celestia frowned. “And if I may ask, who do you blame, if anyone?”
“Discord,” was his answer without a single thought. “I saw him at the funeral, and I know he didn’t shed a single tear. I don’t think he regrets what he did at all. I’m telling you, he’s going to do it again. Now that… without the Elements…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Discord’s the one responsible.”
Celestia let his answer hang in the air as they came to their destination. She opened the door to Sugarcube Corner in her magic and allowed the young drake inside ahead of her. Mrs. Cake gasped upon seeing the pair enter, rushing over and bowing lowly. “Your highness,” she greeted. “Please, forgive the state of the shop; we hadn’t known you intended on visiting today, if we could-”
Holding up a hoof, celestia effortlessly silenced the mare. “Please; this is a casual visit. If you could just provide us with some tea, I’ll only be here a short while.”
The baker was gone at her command, and Celestia somewhat awkwardly sidled into one of the booths lining the wall. Spike sat across from her, and in no time at two steaming cups were laid out before them.
“I hope I’m not keeping you from anything,” Celestia said, sipping at her tea.
Spike waved his hand dismissively. “Not like I had anything to do today…” he trailed off, gazing into his drink. “I don’t have a lot to do in general anymore… I’m still not used to having so much free time.”
“Still, I appreciate you humouring me. It’s nice to get away from the castle from time to time.” She seemed quite content to leave the conversation at that, and continued to idly drink from her cup, watching the young drake over the rim.
He sighed, and his shoulders sagged. “Is it ever going to get better?” Spike asked timidly, more to his tea than the monarch opposite him.
Celestia paused a moment, gently setting her cup down. “I… cannot say,” was the only answer she could provide. It all depends on Rainbow Dash, now…
“Thanks,” he snorted sarcastically. The thought he was just rude to Princess Celestia flickered in his mind for only a moment. “I guess all we can do is just… keep moving forward, right?”
“Is that something Rarity says, too?” Celestia asked knowingly.
Spike chuckled quietly. “Yeah, Rarity’s been saying that a lot lately. That we just have to keep going, no matter what. That it’s what she would have wanted.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if she even knew Twilight; that mare would have been catatonic for a week if she were in our position…” he trailed off sadly, fidgeting with his cup.
In the silence between conversations a plate of pastries and cakes was set between them, and a pink mare with a cotton candy mane slid into the booth next to Spike. “Heya Princess, Spikey!” Pinkie greeted with a giggle, reaching forward and snatching a danish. “You should have some; Mrs. Cake makes the best pastry dough!”
Celestia offered a thin smile. “Hello, Pinkie Pie. I trust you’re doing well?”
The exuberant mare nodded. “Uh-huh! Mr. Cake’s been teaching me a whole buncha stuff about money so I can help out around the shop more, and Spikey here has been a wonderful little assistant to, like, everypony all around town! He’s so super serious when he’s working, and he gets this grumpy look on his face when you interrupt him, it just makes me want to pinch his cheeks!” She reached forward to do exactly that, but her hooves were quickly slapped away, the dragon shooting her a glare.
“Oooh! That’s the grumpy look I was talking about! He’s all like-”
“Pinkie!” Spike’s balled fist slammed down on the table, rattling their cups.
Celestia frowned. “Spike-”
“It’s okay, Princess,” Pinkie interrupted quietly, her smile fading slightly. She hesitantly reached over and placed a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said, and her eyes were sad despite the smile on her lips. “I couldn’t make you smile this time.”
Spike winced at the words, the depressed tone behind them. “Pinkie, I-”
“I’ll do better, next time,” she said reassuringly, though which one of them she was trying to convince was’t clear. “It was good to see you, Princess. You should come by more often; Twilight was important to you too, right? We should all be together.”
“Perhaps I will…” Celestia trailed off as Pinkie Pie slid out of the booth, watching as she walked away and disappeared into the back room. She looked back to Spike. “You shouldn’t be so hard on her. She feels a lot of weight on her shoulders to make ponies happy. It’s the only thing she knows how to do right now.”
Spike shewed his lip. “I know, it’s just… I can’t deal with her, sometimes. She tries too hard.”
“And you don’t?” Celestia raised a single eyebrow. “Just how many ponies have you offered your time to as an assistant just to regain some vague sense of normalcy?”
He couldn’t meet her gaze. “It’s different. I just… help out around town, is all. I… I’m not…” Spike took a slow, shuddering breath. “I’m not anypony’s number one assistant, or anything.”
Celestia watched the dragon fight with all his might not to cry. Her heart ached for him, for all the ponies who were connected to Twilight, and not for the first time she’d considered revealing the truth behind Rainbow Dash’s words. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking down and seeing a with only the memory of tea in it. “I should be getting back to Canterlot…”
Spike took a moment to respond. “Before you go, could I… show you something?”
Glancing out the window to the sun, Celestia nodded. “I have a little more time.”
Sliding out of the booth, Spike motioned for Celestia to follow. He led them out of the shop, waving to Mrs. Cake as they left. Once more out on the early morning streets, Celestia walked a step behind the dragon, watching him curiously.
“We were going to have you come down and make it official when it was finished, but… I thought you might like to know now,” Spike explained slowly as they turned down a street on the outskirts of town. Many of the houses here were recent additions, built after Twilight’s coronation as those hoping to take advantage of Equestria’s newest Princess moved to the town.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “When what was finished?”
Instead of answering, Spike stopped in front of a rather large building still surrounded in scaffolding, though it was nearly finished. He motioned for her to follow, and produced a key that allowed them through the front door. Inside was a large, open entryway with plastic tarps and various tools betraying the active construction still ongoing. Looking around, Celestia frowned. “What is this building going to be?”
“It’s… something I think she’d have appreciated…” Spike passed through a tarp, returning with a large brass plate before the princess could follow. He turned it around and held it so she could read it.
“Twilight Sparkle Memorial Library,” Celestia read aloud, eyes widening slightly. “Spike-”
“Everypony in town pitched in for it. Most of the builders are just doing it in their spare time for free, and we’ve received large donations of books already from all over Equestria. But… well…” he sighed, and shook his head. “It’s not quite enough. Truth is, we’re almost out of funds, and I can’t ask anypony in town to give anything more. They’ve already donated so much. It’s almost finished, we just need a little more and-”
“How much?”
Spike blinked up at her. “Huh?”
“How much do you need?” Celestia asked again. She took the brass plate in her magic, running her hoof across the words. “I will personally see to it that you receive whatever you need to make this happen.”
“I… I’ll send you the builder’s estimate as soon as I can…” Spike trailed off in shock.
“She’d love it,” Celestia noted quietly, looking around the room and envisioning what it would look like fully furnished with books of all kinds. Then, she sighed. “And… if you could…” she hesitated. It was against the contract. She shouldn’t. It could very well end in yet more heartbreak, but… didn’t they deserve to know?
She wasn’t the only one hurting.
“If you could gather the rest of the Elements here for me. There’s… something I need to tell you all.”
Twilight sighed, eyes tracing the prominent scar along Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. She had noticed it before, but hadn’t had the chance to really take a proper look. It was wide, and stretched from her back all the way down to her upper chest. Without knowing why she reached out and placed a hoof on it, feeling the rough skin from where the fur hadn’t grown back - and likely never would.
“Do you know how she got it?”
Twilight jumped, looking away from the sleeping pegasus to the mare who had just entered the room. Commander Hurricane was leaning against the door frame, watching Rainbow’s sleeping form.
“No, she wouldn’t tell me. All I know is it was from the trials to get into Elysium.”
Hurricane nodded. “I didn’t think she would. Truth is, that’s how she met me; I was one of her opponents in the trials.”
Immediately Twilight stood. “Did you do this to her!?”
“Whoa, easy; I was just one opponent, and our fight was a harmless wrestling match. She had those injuries when my round with her started.” Hurricane held up a hoof, motioning for the unicorn to sit back down. “I saw what happened, though; Cronus had already summoned me when she started the trials. He knew she’d make it through.”
“Cronus?” Twilight echoed curiously. She frowned. “I remember him; he was there… when I died.”
Gale nodded. “As the guardian of Elysium he’s the one who judged you worthy of eternal paradise.”
“And he would be the one to judge her.” She looked again to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus slept in a simple if comfortable looking bed in a small stone room. From the Halls of Knowledge Gale had lead them to a small town that reminded them both of Ponyville. The only difference was the buildings were made of stone rather than wood, the style calling back to ancient pony tribes. Despite the small size of the town it was populated with several creatures, only a few of which were ponies.
Upon reaching Gale’s home, she had insisted upon allowing Rainbow to rest before discussing anything further, and despite the mare’s reluctance Rainbow had eventually been convinced to take a nap. She’d been out as soon as her head hit the pillow, to nopony’s surprise.
Twilight’s frown deepened. “What happened to her?”
“Where do you want me to start?” Gale asked with a chuckle. “Between fighting those skeleton gladiators and that golem, she managed to get pretty roughed up. Still put up one heck of a fight for me, though. Before she got to Elysium… I couldn’t tell you. Clover might, but…” she looked to another bed in the room, along the opposite wall from Rainbow’s.
“She’ll be fine,” Twilight assured gently. “The curse had infected her mind further than I thought, and the shock of that connection being severed took a lot out of her.”
Hurricane nodded. “If Rainbow Dash trusts you, I will too. It’s just… when she collapsed I… I thought I was going to lose her all over again.”
“I can’t imagine what that must be like,” Twilight said quietly, looking between the two sleeping mares. She lingered on the purple six pointed star that had been permanently affixed around Rainbow’s neck ever since they’d first met up. “My friends… they’re all hurting like Rainbow is, because of me. I knew what was going to happen to me if I did it, but… I didn’t see another way. I should have, though. Had I known the kind of pain I’d put my friends through, I never would have done it.”
“Losing somepony close to you always hurts.” Hurricane entered the room fully and pulled a chair from against the wall so she was sitting in front of Twilight. “There’s nothing anyone can do about that. What matters is how they cope. Rainbow Dash quite literally threw herself headlong into hell so she didn’t have to move on without you. Very few can claim that kind of dedication to another.”
Twilight snorted. “She wasn’t called the Element of Loyalty for nothing. I just wish she hadn’t; I can’t stand feeling like such a burden.”
Frowning, Hurricane leaned forward slightly. “Do you really wish she hadn’t come for you, or do you just wish she hadn’t gotten hurt?”
“Well of course I wish she didn’t get hurt. But…” she sighed, shaking her head. “I just… I don’t know. Isn’t it… selfish of me to be glad she’s doing this? What happened isn’t her fault, but she’s the one paying for it anyway. I can’t… I can’t possibly condone what she’s done, can I?”
“Condone it?” Hurricane echoed, shaking her head. “No. I don’t think anypony can condone or encourage what she did. But… she did it anyway, and you have to let her know how much that means to you. You must by now know she blames herself for your death, right?”
Nodding slowly, the unicorn watched the gentle rise and fall of Rainbow’s chest. “Yeah, she… mentioned something about that. Honestly, I should have known she would. It’s just who she is. But to think she’d feel guilty enough to risk everything trying to fix what she sees as her mistake.” Twilight laughed humorlessly. “Actually, that does sound exactly like her.”
Hurricane chuckled. “I’ve only known her a short while and I could tell you that much. The kid’s got a heart of gold, for better or for worse…” she trailed off, and the room was silent save for the gentle breaths of the two sleeping mares. Eventually, Gale stood. “Hey, you want a tour around town or something? It’s gonna be a while before either of these two are up.”
“Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me about the flower you mentioned. Rainbow didn’t say anything to me about it,” Twilight said as she stood up, giving a final glance at the pegasus before following Gale out of the room and into what she assumed to be a living area. Eternal paradise was shockingly similar to a regular village. Though she supposed a simple life without worries was as close to paradise as one could reasonably get.
“Ah, yes. She didn’t tell me much, just that she needed two other things to bring you back to life; a flower called the Poppy of the Soul, and a Fruit of Life. She didn’t really explain the how or the why to me, just that she needed them. While she was down in the Halls looking for you, I asked around and found the poppy. Turns out it’s a super rare flower that only grows in one place here in Elysium; the summit of Mount Othrys. Blooms once a month during the new moon.” Hurricane reclined in a chair, motioning for Twilight to take her choice of the various seats in the room. “Thing is, I can’t find anyone who’s actually been up there. The mountain’s always surrounded by a storm, and the few who’ve come close to it say it wears you out. Even though we’re just souls without physical bodies, the storm drains your energy. While you’re on the mountain it’s like you’re alive again. Gets worse the higher up you go.”
Twilight’s muzzle scrunched up. “Why am I not surprised? The more I hear about this place the less it seems like a paradise.”
Gale just shrugged. “It’s fine if you don’t go to the places you obviously aren’t supposed to go.”
“So I just have to climb a mountain with Rainbow?” Twilight asked, brushing off the remark. She smiled. “Sounds easy enough; not the first time we’ve done that.”
Raising an eyebrow, Gale looked at her from the corner of her eye. “You know she’s not gonna want you to go with her, right?”
Twilight scoffed. “She can try and stop me, if she wants, but she’s not getting rid of me.”
“Hah! I see why she likes you,” Gale laughed, smiling widely. “Well, I’m sure we’ll make it up just fine.”
“We?”
Gale shot her a look. “What, you thought I’d just abandon you two? Nah, I’m seeing this thing through to the end. It’s the least I can do, and I can guarantee Clover feels the same; like it or not we’re coming with you.”
“I couldn’t ask you to-”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Both mare’s eyes snapped to the door leading to the bedroom. Clover stood in the doorway, her face twisted into a pained grimace as she limped into the room fully. “You didn’t ask Rainbow to come save you. I didn’t ask you to rescue me. You aren’t asking us to come with you - we’re volunteering. Because that’s what friends are for, right?”
“Clover!” Gale jumped to her hooves and was at the unicorn’s side in an instant, a wing already wrapped around her barrel. “You shouldn’t be up yet. You-”
Clover laughed, shaking her head. “Gale, I have spent more than enough time away from you. You are not getting rid of me.”
Unable to stop the tears forming in the corners of her eyes, Gale just pulled the unicorn into a hug. “You stupid mare.”
“Hey now, who’s official title is ‘Clever’?” Clover asked with a laugh, though she returned the embrace. “I’m sorry, Gale,” she whispered.
Twilight watched them with an idle smile. “What are friends for…”
“What’s this about, Spike?” Applejack asked, ducking under a tarp and holding it up for three other mares to follow her. “Is something wrong with the library? I know Big Mac offered to help but he’s still busy at the farm and-”
“Hello, girls,” Celestia greated gently, sitting amongst the construction. The brass plaque was sitting next to her, freshly polished.
Rarity gasped and quickly lowered her head. “P-princess Celestia! I-”
“Please,” she stretched out a hoof and motioned for the mares to rise before they could all bow. “This is a casual visit; I’m not here as Princess of Equestria, but as a friend. A friend who also lost somepony very dear to them.”
They all looked to the plaque.
“Um, if I may, Princess, what did you want to talk to us about?” Fluttershy asked softly, chewing her lip nervously. “There isn’t another monster running loose, is there? Because I… I don’t know what we could do…”
Celestia sighed. She knew she shouldn’t, but they deserved the truth. “I… need to tell you all something. Before I do, however, I need you to promise me that what you hear today will never leave this building.”
Glancing amongst themselves, they all nodded and mimed the motions of a Pinkie Promise almost on instinct. Celestia smiled. “Very well. Spike told me what Rainbow Dash said to you all the last time she was here.”
Applejack scoffed. “Mare’s off her rocker, if you ask me…” she trailed off, and her eyes saddened. “Ah just wish she’d stick around long enough for us ta help her. But we don’t even know where she’s gone.”
“I think she needs to work through it on her own,” Fluttershy offered quietly. “She’s not used to feeling so… helpless. She was always the one to jump in and solve any problems for her friends. But… how can she fix this?” She motioned to the inscription.
Pinkie nodded. “She works almost as hard as I do to keep her friends smiling.”
Watching them with a heavy heart, Celestia knew what she had to do. “I have to be honest with you girls; what Rainbow Dash told you… is true. She found a mare by the name of Harvest who has the knowledge required to bring ponies back to life-” she held up her hoof and silenced the brewing questions. “-and she’s journeyed to the Underworld to retrieve Twilight’s soul and bring her back. If she succeeds, Twilight Sparkle will be revived.”
There was a long, pregnant silence in the wake of the revelation. All present parties too shocked to ask any of the questions swirling in their minds. Eventually, it was Spike who regained his voice first. “What!?”
“Spike-”
“Did you know the whole time?” He asked, his voice dangerously close to accusatory. “Did you know from the beginning there was a way to bring her back!?”
Celestia winced. “Spike, please understand I-”
“You did! You knew we could bring her back and you didn’t tell us! How could you-”
“Spike!” Fluttershy’s shout seemed to echo through the empty building. All eyes turned to her, and Spike withered under her glare. “Let her explain. Please; she must have had a reason.” She looked to Celestia hopefully. “Right?”
Smiling appreciatively at the yellow mare, Celestia nodded slowly. “You all must understand. While I was aware there was a way to bring Twilight back to life, the means to do so is far beyond me. Even if it were within my power, to resurrect somepony - no matter the reason - goes against every natural law of our world and does not come without consequences that far outweigh the possible benefits.”
“What… kind of consequences?” Rarity asked hesitantly.
“The kind that would make me hesitate to save a pony I considered akin to my own daughter.” The Princess’s voice was quiet, and her tone seemed to bring down the nervous energy in the room. They all looked at her, perhaps for the first time, as somepony hurting just as badly as themselves. She took a breath. “There is an ancient contract amongst the immortal beings of this world - and the next. Among other things, it states that we may not interfere in the other’s domain. According to the terms of our agreement, even just telling you this could constitute a breach of contract should they find out. For me to have tried to bring Twilight back myself, or to have told any of you of the possibility, would result in repercussions I cannot even begin to describe.
“The balance of this world relies on the realms of the living and dead remaining separate. However, the methods Rainbow has employed seem to leave no lasting negative effects, and because she found a way without the aid of myself or another immortal, her actions do not violate the treaty. Still…” Celestia trailed off hesitantly, looking at each of the shocked mares in turn. Her shoulders sagged. “I felt I needed to tell you all this because… you should be prepared for the worst.”
Applejack bit her lip. “The worst?”
“There is a… very real possibility that Rainbow Dash will not make it back.”
Spike stepped forward. “How do we get to her?”
“Spike-”
The dragon shot a glare over his shoulder before anypony could voice their concerns, and Rarity’s mouth clicked shut. Her turned back to Celestia. “Where is she, and how do we get to her? We can’t just sit here and do nothing, not if she’s in danger. Not if there really is a way to bring Twilight back. Not… not after what I said to her.”
“I understand how you feel, but I didn’t tell you this so you could help. In fact, if you were all to try and gain access to the Underworld it would almost certainly result in all of you being lost, and would guarantee Rainbow will not make it back with Twilight. I couldn’t hide the truth from you all any longer, but I also have to be honest with you; the odds of Rainbow Dash making it out alive, let alone with Twilight, are basically one in a million.”
There was a chuckle that started with Applejack. The others shot her a look, and she shrugged. “That mare’s nothin’ but one in a million chances.” She smiled, and the chuckle spread to the rest of the mares. “She’ll be just fine, even if we can’t help her.”
“Unfortunately, all we can do is wait and hope Rainbow Dash is successful. In the meantime-” Celestia lit her horn, and lifted the brass plaque off the floor. She set it down in front of them. “How much do you need?”