//------------------------------// // 10 Everything Isn't Fine! // Story: Trials of A Princess // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// The world was rocking. A gentle back-and-forth that reminded me of the rocking chair in Twilight’s living room - the one her mom kept a quilt folded over. But I wasn’t sitting, I was laying on my side. As I went to sit up, I groaned in pain. Well, at least I wasn’t dead. If dying was this painful, nopony would ever do it. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was on a boat of some sort, and land was nowhere in sight. I saw Twilight laying not too far away from me on the deck, covered in a roughspun blanket. She seemed to be sleeping. “Oh! Hey!” a voice called from behind. “You’re awake!” I turned to see a tall, lean Gryphon making his way across the deck to us. His mane of white feathers seemed to glow in the sunlight and his tail whipped back and forth as he sauntered up to us. Behind him, I could see the simple wheel of a sailing ship with a smiling Pegasus mare tending it. “I wasn't sure if you were ok or not,” he commented. “When I found you two just floating in the water, I thought something awful must’ve happened to you. Were you on a ship?” My memory was foggy, and I had trouble recalling what had happened. “I don’t think so. Where exactly are we?” The Gryphon shrugged. “Somewhere around two or three hours out of Baltimare, depending on the tide. We should be there shortly. I’m Gael, by the way.” He stuck out a talon. “Nice to meet you,” I returned, shaking the proffered appendage. “My name is Sunset, that’s my friend Twilight Sparkle. You said you found us floating?” “Yeah,” he scratched the back of his head. “Damnedest thing, too. One minute it was all clear skies, then bam, a bolt of lighting just off the bow of my ship. After I regained my senses, I saw you both floating there, half-drowned and barely breathing. Pulled you aboard and had my wife turn us around.” Twilight groaned at that moment, sitting up and letting the blanket slide off her body. “Where are we?” she asked, rubbing her head. Gobsmacked, I couldn’t respond. Her wings were gone. I frantically turned, staring at my back. Nothing. No wings, no scar, just a pristine amber coat with my cutie mark on it. “Sunset? What’s wrong? What happened to your wings?” I turned to Twilight, feeling panic welling up inside. “I don’t know.” “So, in short,” Twilight sussed out. “We somehow wound up in the middle of the Celestial Sea, without our wings, in the care of a gryphon trader and his wife, who have absolutely no idea who we are. Everything is perfectly fine! Not a problem at all.” Her eye twitch and rapid breathing didn’t go unnoticed by me or our rescuer. “Is she going to be ok?” Gael asked. “She looks like she’s about to go a little crazy.” “She gets like this sometimes,” I sighed, going over to my friend. “It’s part of her process.” I started to pat her back. “Hey, Sparky. Calm down. Didn’t Cadence teach you some breathing exercises? Deep breath in - one, two, three - and out. That’s it. No need to go Twilighting all over the place.” “I am not Twilighting!” She snorted and stomped a hoof. “Can’t believe you all made me a verb.” “Would you prefer Twily-nanas?” “No!” “Then take a moment and breathe. I’m sure we can figure this out, between the two of us.” See, that’s the upside to being a former bully. You know how to lie convincingly and people don’t catch on. Deep down, I was starting to feel my panic chew through the last of my confidence and start nibbling at my patience. While Twilight started to breathe, I cataloged all our problems. No wings, no regalia. The regalia could’ve fallen off in the lake, but the wings? No. This had to be an illusion or a transfiguration spell. When we got to Baltimare, we could head to Ponyville or Canterlot and research a counterspell. I’m sure Sunshine is worried about me and… My thought process froze and I reached inside for the single strand of thought that connected me and my wife. Nothing. No point of light, no current of emotions or thoughts. Not even a hint of its existence. Even when we were on opposite sides of the mirror, I was able to feel her, but I couldn’t find any trace whatsoever. And that was the scariest part of what I was facing right now. “Look,” Gael started. “We’ll be pulling into harbor in about a half hour and I need to help Gara with the steerage. Will the two of you be ok?” I nodded absently, a smile on my face. The problem with being an accomplished liar is not being able to lie to yourself. “I can’t thank you enough,” Twilight said to Gael on the station platform. “Paying for these tickets and loaning us a few bits was more than you had to do.” “I figure that whatever’s going on didn’t leave you with much.” He fluffed his wings. “If it bothers you, you can pay me back when you get things settled.” “We will trust me.”I nodded at Twilight. “She reminds me constantly about the five bits I borrowed from her.” “Six. It was six bits.” “See?” We laughed as we parted, and me and Twilight boarded the train. Once we felt it jerk and pull out of the station, I turned to face her. "We're in serious trouble." “You don’t have to tell me,” she said, running a hoof through her mane. “No record of me being a princess, or you! We have to figure this spell out fast, and I think there might be a book in my library in Canterlot that should cover the basics of what’s going on here.” “Sure you don't want to try your castle library first?” She shook her head. “If they haven’t heard of me, then the castle’s been hidden. I know the library in Canterlot exists and we can always ask Celestia for help.” I nodded, following her logic. It made the most sense and provided an adequate course of action. The trip was uneventful, the two of us just sitting and making small talk to try and ignore our worries. When the train pulled into Ponyville, to refill its water tanks, we stepped off to try and find our friends. But as we wandered into town, I froze in my tracks. “Is that what I think it is?” Twilight nodded, tears filling her eyes as we approached. “It’s the Golden Oaks.” The library stood tall and proud on the edge of town, branches reaching out and providing shade over a few tables clustered under it. Ponies walked into and out, books in their auras or in a pannier. I reached over and rubbed Twilight’s shoulders. “Hey, are you two new in town?” a raspy voice asked. I perked up. “Rainbow!” I turned, searching for the familiar polychromatic mane. I froze when I saw her. “Rainbow Dash?” Twilight stammered. The mare hovering in the air was similar and different at the same time. Same blue coat and rainbow mane, but that’s where the similarities ended. Instead of being short-shorn and feathered, her mane and tail were long and elegantly coiffed. She was wearing makeup and had a fashionable bag slung over her withers. “The one and only!” the Pegasus confirmed. She fluttered by us and gave a quick primp to her mane. “Since you’re new in town, shall I show you around?” I felt my mouth hanging open as my brain caught up to the strange appearance of our friend. Giving my head a shake, I forced a smile. "Yes please." I glanced towards the Golden Oak. "Maybe you could introduce us to the librarian? We were thinking of doing a bit of research before they closed." Rainbow smiled and started trotting forward. “I’d be delighted to. Moondancer really needs to get out more often, but she’s so busy training that new archivist Rose Quill that she barely gets out. Did you know that she hasn’t been on a date with her stallionfriend for nearly three weeks?” Rainbow and gossip were a bit too unusual for me to accept, but I easily kept up the flow. “And how does her coltfriend feel about that?” Rainbow waved a hoof. “Gleam doesn’t mind. He’s always tending that farm he’s so fond of. Says things are fine if Moonie wants to take things slow.” I felt the knot of worry swell a little. I only knew of one Gleam that lived near Ponyville. “I don’t know,” I said slowly. “What’s he look like? Maybe he’s has some side action going on?” “He would never!” Rainbow exclaimed. “He’s one of the most loyal stallions I’ve ever seen. Though, to be fair, if I had somepony as big and strong and handsome as him, I’d not keep myself locked up in my boutique for weeks on end. I’d at least invite him for tea. Oh! You two simply must stop by and see my stock. I’d love to work with your colorations!” At that, I saw a large stallion crest the hill opposite us and approach the library, a small package perched between his shoulders. I paled as I saw Gleam Star knock on the door, rub noses with Moondancer, and give her the package. Nothing was matching up. The Golden Oaks was supposed to be destroyed, Moondancer wasn’t dating Gleam Star, and Rainbow wasn’t a fashion designer. Twilight looked absolutely gobsmacked. “Actually,” I interrupted. “My friend and I are a little tired from our trip. Is there somewhere we can stay for the night?” “Azure runs a nice little place, but stay out of the taproom.” The Pegasus shuddered. “All sorts of ruffians and swindlers like to hang around there. You’d do well to keep your bits far away.” I felt my ears perk up. “Swindlers, you say?”