For better or for worse, no one really cared what happened to the child laborers for the railyards, in particular porters. Most were usually orphaned, so it wasn’t as if they could run to their bosses and say they were assaulted by a passenger and expect anything to come from it. As for Starlight, she managed to bring back Pinkie soon enough, who was in a much better mood. They weren’t accosted until they got on the second train and the trip proceeded.
The second day was easier than the first. There were fewer stops now, and on one of them most of the passengers and train crew dismounted as it was the last major populated city on the route. Much of the land turned into open countryside or uncultivated wilderness, and towns were few and far between. That night, it was rare to see a single light out as they rode by, which might have explained why the area was relatively safe from surges.
The next day they went ahead and stuck with their normal clothes over the disguises; both as relief from the pain of wearing them around and due to the belief they were in the clear. The only change was Applejack donned a pair of work gloves to cover up her symbol while Pinkie and Twilight opted for more “traditional” bandages. The group only saw one more town pass by that day, but it was very small and the train didn’t stop there. At long last, early in the morning, they reached Hoofheim.
It was definitely the largest town they had been to in a hundred miles but was still very small. The train platform was another shack on a wooden stand, more or less, and all of the roads were dirt save for the main one. It lacked most of the industry, boilers, and steam engines of the rest of the world too, which Applejack and Pinkie both seemed to find nice on dismounting. All in all, between the cleaner, cooler air, the vintage architecture, and the fact that most of the transportation around the place was horse and wagon, it gave the sense of stepping back in time. Not that the sensation was unwelcome considering how they all remembered how the world used to be.
Applejack took in a deep breath as they stepped off the platform onto the street. “Whoo-wee! This is more like it! Out of a smoggy town and a cramped train! Clean air and open country! Too bad the soil’s so bad out here or I’d think of movin’ the family to a nice spot like this.”
“Yay! Look at all the mountains!” Pinkie cheered as she skipped along. “They still have snow on them! This place would be perfect for making Avant Garde Ice Cream!”
Starlight looked at her oddly. “But…it’s freezing up here most of the year.”
Pinkie grinned knowingly. “That’s what makes it avant garde.”
Starlight rolled her eyes. “This place is pretty nice, though. Reminds me a lot of where I grew up…only this one’s still, you know, standing. I guess you kind of lucked out, Twilight.”
She said this innocently enough, but on looking at Twilight’s face she immediately saw it sink a little.
She swallowed. “Oh…uh, right. Uh…” She fumbled for a moment at her mistake, before gesturing behind her. “I’ll just, um, go get the tickets for our return trip. I’ll leave you three to it. I think we should be ok up here. They don’t even bother sending copies of the news this far north.”
She quickly backed up and away before turning for the booth. Applejack looked at Twilight uneasily, but she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and started walking.
“Let’s get this over with.”
The town wasn’t too terribly large, but it was spread out enough to be a walk from the station to the main thoroughfaire. Many of the people didn’t seem to have the more hollow or grim expressions that were common in so many other parts of the world. However, there was one notable difference. Most of the people stared for a moment on glimpsing Twilight. Some of them simply looked away. Others let out a sound. Still others began to whisper and murmur among each other. Twilight ignored it all; trying to intentionally not look or pay any mind as she kept walking. It didn’t seem like she was having an easy time of it.
“Hey Twilight!” Pinkie finally called. “I think everything’s better now! Everyone seems to recognize you!”
Twilight let out a short sigh. “They remember me from eight years ago…not before that.”
Applejack glanced at a few of them, who quickly turned their heads down when they thought that Twilight looked their way. “What’d ya’ do to stick in their heads so well?”
“Insisted I grew up here…” Twilight sighed. “I had nowhere else to go when it first happened, and honestly I didn’t know what to think or do. When I finally got my wits together and realized there was nothing for me in this town, I packed up and left on the first train I could get after pawning my more expensive school supplies.”
“And ya’ pawned off the key?”
“No, I…well…you’ll see soon.”
The three continued to walk past several other houses and shops, all small and locally owned, before they reached the main road at last. They walked up it for a few blocks before Twilight’s step slowed. The two did the same; seeing her growing more stiff and uncomfortable.
“You ok, Twilight?” Pinkie asked.
“There,” she said. “Right there. That’s where it happened, just across from my house.”
The two looked. The paving on the road was fairly uniform all up and down it save for one spot. There was a small space where the brickwork had been replaced with newer ones. And it stood out enough even after eight years to show it clearly wasn’t the same shade. Twilight slowed a bit more, but she managed to keep herself from stopping and eventually passed it.
It wasn’t until they turned the corner and walked another house down that she halted all together. This time, Applejack and Pinkie could hear her breathing uneasily and she took some time to compose herself. During that period, both of them looked forward, around the bend, and up the hill. A small one-and-a-half story house was there. Fairly well-maintained, with a small garden in flower boxes in the front.
Twilight paused so long they nearly asked her to continue again, but she finally broke and started forward again without a word. Applejack followed along a bit more uneasily this time, while Pinkie cheerfully kept skipping. Soon they were up the hill and in front of the door.
Once she stopped again there, Applejack looked at her. “Um, if this is really your house, and they really don’t remember ya’, what are we gonna do? Just walk right up and-”
Twilight cut her off by extending her fist and rapping on the door.
“-knock?” She stood there uncertainly afterward, not sure exactly what to say or do from there. Yet after a few moments she stood straight when she heard the locks and latch on the door turn.
It opened a crack, but no more. The three spotted an older woman’s face looking out, ready to shut the door again as it looked over the three of them. Applejack quickly removed her hat out of respect. Twilight couldn’t quite bring herself to smile. Pinkie Pie smiled and waved cheerily. The woman didn’t react to any of them save Twilight, staring at her uncertainly for a time.
Finally, she stiffened and opened it wide. She drew herself up, and smiled very slightly. “Hello…Twilight.”
“Hi mo…” She stiffened, her own weak look turning down. “Ms. Velvet.” She was quiet again for a moment. “You’re…looking well.”
The woman stared silently back a moment before she nodded. “You too. Have you been doing alright?”
“Yeah…yeah, I have. Getting by with the magic show and Spike, heh…”
“Good. Good to hear. I’m glad.” She looked out a bit more. “Are…these friends of yours?”
Twilight hesitated a moment, looking to either side of her. She seemed almost hesitant to say the next part. “Y…Yes. Yes they are. This is Applejack.”
She nodded to her with bared head. “Ma’am.”
“And this is Pinkie Pie.”
“Hi there, Twilight’s mom-who-doesn’t-remember-being-her-mom!”
Twilight instantly cringed. The woman herself looked rather uncomfortable to hear that. Quickly, the mage turned to her and shook her head. “Heh…I-I-I’m sorry… I didn’t make it clear enough to her when I told my story… I’m very, very…”
She held up her hand in a stopping gesture. “It’s…it’s quite alright. Don’t worry about it.” Another pause. “But I take it you still think the way you did that night, then?”
Twilight swallowed again. She once more went still, two contrasting emotions running through her mind. She moistened her lips. “I…I didn’t come to try and argue that… I’m not wanting…not…” She trailed, fumbling over her words. “We’ll…we’ll be out of here soon, but I need to talk to Shining Armor.”
“Oh…he’s out right now catching up with the neighborhood. He just got home yesterday. The train finally got through.”
“Oh…” Twilight echoed back. She looked uneasy for a while, glancing at the front of the house, before she finally swallowed. “We’ll just…wait at the end of-”
“No, no,” the woman quickly cut off, stepping inside. “Don’t be silly. Come in. Have a seat. Night Light’s out at the clerk’s office, though. I’m not sure how much time you have.”
Twilight took a moment before nodding. “Thank you. I think we’ll be gone before then.”
Leading the way, she stepped inside. Applejack was hesitant considering her reaction, but Pinkie readily fell in behind her, leading her to sigh and follow suit.
The inside of the house was as nice and quaint as the outside. It wasn’t terribly large. The entire first floor seemed to be mostly dominated by one general purpose room with the kitchen in a nook to one side and the sitting room taking up most of the rest. A staircase built into the wall led upstairs to where there was a second wall for rooms, but Ms. Velvet didn’t go that way. She led the group straight into the sitting area where there were a few hand-stitched cushioned chairs and a few end tables bearing small things, like a vase and a collection of books. A mantle clock ticked by slowly over the fireplace on the opposite side of the room.
“Hey, it’s all one room! Just like our house!” Pinkie cheered as she sat down in one seat. Applejack and Twilight took others, both of them looking a bit on edge.
“So…” Ms. Velvet spoke up as she kept walking, going toward the kitchen area. “Applejack and Pinkie Pie, was it? You’re both friends of Twilight?”
“Yup!” Pinkie cheered.
“Uh…er, that is…yeah,” Applejack spoke up more quietly.
“Long time friends?”
“Not…not exactly, ma’am.”
Pinkie giggled. “I only met her less than two weeks ago!”
Ms. Velvet stopped and looked back at that. Applejack winced and grimaced at the beans being spilled. Twilight herself looked a bit embarrassed. After a time, though, Ms. Velvet simply looked a bit sad and turned back.
“Oh…I’m sorry. I just hoped you would have known her a bit longer. I thought it would have been good for Twilight to…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. It might be a little while until Shining Armor gets back. I’ll make some tea.”
She headed over to a part of the house but then stopped and sighed. “Just my luck. The water is out. I’ll have to go pump some.”
Immediately Twilight rose from her seat. “I can handle it.”
She turned back to her. “Really? It’s no bother.”
“No, no, please. I’ll do it.”
Ms. Velvet looked back a moment before nodding. “Alright. Thank you.”
Twilight nodded back, then moved over to the kitchen area. There was a bucket that was apparently used for carrying water to and from the neighborhood pump, and she took it up and turned to head out. Ms. Velvet herself shook her head. “Things are so backward here in some ways. Everywhere else seems to have plumbing.”
“It’s fine. Really. I’d like to do it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll see Shining Armor out there.”
She smiled a bit wistfully and nodded back. Twilight kept walking to the back door, then opened it up and exited. As the door swung shut with a click of the latch, it echoed through the now-silent home rather loudly. The two guests were left staring at Ms. Velvet.
She looked at them a bit longer before sighing. “I’m not exactly sure what she told you, but-”
“It’s alright, ma’am,” Applejack quickly cut off. “We understand that, uh…things ain’t quite normal ‘tween the two of you.”
“She told you that I’m her mother only I don’t remember it, didn’t she?”
Applejack squirmed uncomfortably. Pinkie, on the other hand, more readily nodded, which the farmer soon caught and quickly gave her a look.
Ms. Velvet smiled wistfully as she turned back to the kitchen, moving to the cupboard. “I thought as much… I’m not sure if you believed her or not, but I want to tell you the truth right now: I’m not. This isn’t her home and she’s not from this town. At least…not so much as anyone has ever seen.”
“Pardon me but…ya’ seem to be a bit friendly with her, regardless.”
“I am. The whole family is. We met eight years ago. Right on the very night when all of this…this mess in the world started. The worst part was what happened to her had nothing to do with Nighttouched or Light Eaters. There was a motorized carriage from Canterlot that came into town, she got out, and a moment later is blew up. Based on what she told everyone, she was part of a very exclusive academy in Canterlot and that blast killed her instructor as well as all of her classmates. She said they were on a trip to visit the hometowns of every student and this was hers, but…” She sighed as she started getting out the teacups. “No one in town had ever seen her before that day.”
“Wait…” Pinkie spoke up curiously, “if Twilight’s not from this town, then why would she say she was? And why would she say you’re her mom and this is her house? Did you all forget or did she forget?” She raised an eyebrow as her voice warped into a whodunnit tone. “Oooor…are one of you lying, hmm?”
Applejack looked embarassed, but Ms. Velvet shrugged and took it in stride. “Maybe it was a mixture of survivor guilt and trauma. For all we know, her real parents died in the Lunar Fall soon afterward. To be honest? There’s been a time or two when she’s been trying to convince me that I almost wondered if she was telling the truth.” She shook her head. “But it can’t be. We don’t even have a bedroom for her in this house. Nothing that she said she ever did here left any sort of record. None of the people in town who she claimed she knew ever saw her. I’m afraid she’s just mistaken.”
Applejack looked confused. “So why let her in like that?”
Ms. Velvet hesitated right in the middle of going for the teapot and sighed. “I don’t know exactly… When she came to our door that night, having just seen that horrible accident, not having anyone else to turn to, none of us saw any harm letting her stay with us until she could sort things out. She really is a sweet girl…woman, now. Never caused any trouble for anyone other than insisting she was from here. I just wished by now she would have realized the truth.” She turned back to the others. “I’m sorry for the chilly reception, by the way. I…I wasn’t sure how much she had convinced you two of. Or if she had realized anything yet.”
“It’s…it’s just fine,” Applejack answered. “Believe me, this ain’t the weirdest thing that’s happened to us so far. Not by a longshot…”
Ms. Velvet looked surprised to hear that, but as she opened her mouth to respond the door creaked. Applejack and Pinkie Pie both looked back, expecting to see Twilight coming back in, only to find it was from the front door. Soon it swung open wide and a man stepped into the room.
Based on his age, it was highly unlikely this was Ms. Velvet’s husband. He was far younger, with a fair amount of muscle, but also a youthful, energetic, and even bright-eyed look to him. Although, based on his work clothes, he seemed like he had spent a good amount of time outside that day laboring, it only seemed to invigorate him.
“Hey mom, I just got back from general store. The eggs are…”
He trailed off when his eyes turned to Applejack and Pinkie Pie. The former looked a bit awkward, but the latter cheerfully waved. “Hi there!”
He stared for a moment at the two of them before looking up to Ms. Velvet. “I didn’t know you were having guests over. I would have come back sooner.”
Ms. Velvet looked uneasy again. “No, it’s alright. They were a bit unexpected. They came with-”
Before she could finish, the back door opened again. Twilight, struggling not to spill anything, came half-waddling in with a bucket and made her way to the basin. On her way there, though, she stopped on seeing who had joined them. He likewise looked up on seeing her.
Yet unlike his mother, he almost immediately smiled. “Twily!”
For the first time since she arrived, Twilight smiled back. “Hey, Shining Armor!”
She quickly put her bucket down and rushed up to him. The two hugged on meeting each other and held a bit before parting. Compared to the reaction of Ms. Velvet, it was far more ready and warm.
“Hey, how have you been? Where have you been? You know how hard it was to mail you after that last letter finally went through?”
Twilight blushed. “I’m sorry, but…uh…I wasn’t making a steady enough income to keep paying for the PO Box…”
He gave her a look that said “what are we going to do with you”. “Same ol’ Twilight… Spike’s got to be working overtime looking out for you on the road. Speaking of which, is he here?”
“Er…no, I left him with some…friends for this trip. I just needed to stop by for a little bit…”
“What, you’re leaving again already? You’re not going to stick around a couple days?”
“I’d like to, but,” she uneasily looked to the side, “we really need to get back. Me and my other friends.”
“Other friends? Oh!” He glanced to Applejack and Pinkie, the latter of whom happily waved again. “Oh! These are your friends! And you have another friend watching Spike too?” He grinned. “That’s great to hear.” He looked directly at Applejack and Pinkie. “She got me really worried when she headed out and wrote back saying she was going to make a living as a magic performer. The roads really aren’t safe anywhere anymore. It makes me feel so much better knowing she’s got friends to look out for her.”
“Uh, heh…ain’t nothin’,” Applejack managed.
“What are friends for?” Pinkie more cheerfully answered.
He looked back at Twilight. “You really aren’t staying in town at all? You at least have to stay for lunch. It’s been too long since you’ve been home. We need to catch up a little.”
“Oh…” Twilight hesitated, but this time it was clear from her face it wasn’t totally out of anxiety. She had brightened for a fraction of a second only to reign it in. “Oh…I…I’d really like to, but mom…I mean, your mother’s already offered us tea and we don’t want to keep you busy… I just-”
“Oh come on. Just some stew and bread. It’s not much. I’ll make it for everyone so mom won’t have to do anything.”
Again, she hesitated. “That’s…that’s really nice, but really we just stopped by for a bit… I’m sure our train will be in soon too…”
“Twilight?”
The mage looked up and over. Applejack was giving her a more sympathetic look.
“I think we’ve got a bit of time before the next train comes in.”
“Yeah, and I’m sure what we’re having is way better than what we packed!” Pinkie chimed in.
She paused a little longer, but seeing the two behind her made her smile. She looked back at the man. “Well…if it won’t be trouble or take too long…”
“Really, none at all. Now go on and sit down. I’ll handle the tea.”
In only about thirty minutes, both the tea and the simple lunch that Twilight’s “brother” had planned were made, and all three joined Ms. Velvet and him at the table. Gradually, Twilight seemed more at ease and relaxed, especially as Shining Armor kept talking to her kindly and happily. While they had all come in on edge, everyone was feeling more relaxed now. Even Ms. Velvet seemed to be a bit more at ease. In all honesty, it was the first casual meal any of them had in a while.
“You know, that was my first time in the Macintosh Hills,” Shining Armor went on with his current story. “I kind of liked it. Real out in the country. I know a lot of the other guys in the reverse officer training regimen hate being out in places like that, but seeing as it’s away from most light sources I figured most people would be happy to be there. You ever been out that far, Twily?”
“Heh, just once,” Twilight answered, seeming almost conversational. “I don’t think I’ll be doing a show out there again. It may look rural, but you wouldn’t believe how strict they are on leash laws. I thought Spike was going to chew his off right in front of me.”
“I can imagine. I don’t think you’ve ever had him on a leash. He must have been miserable.”
“You wouldn’t believe! He didn’t look that unhappy when I had to pack him in a crate to ship him across Griffonstone! And that was on an airship!”
That made him laugh for several seconds, and it took even longer to compose himself again to continue with the story. “Anyway, so I head down to the station. Since we’re not going anywhere, I figured I might as well put our tickets to good use. And sure enough, I’ve barely walked up to the platform when I see two people stranded who seemed desperate to get on the train. So I passed off the tickets and I headed back. I ended up sleeping with my rifle the next couple nights, thinking any moment now we’d get hit by a surge.” He shrugged. “Then I learn about Griffonstone and none of the higher officers know what to make of it. Since I was a foreigner they had me just hang around at the fort a few days then put me on the first trip home.”
“I’m still so glad he made it back when he did,” Ms. Velvet added in between sips of tea. “Even if he’s not on the front line I get worried sick every time anyone says anything about a surge. Then I heard about what happened in Griffonstone and it seems the world’s gone crazy a second time. What are you hearing in your part of the country, ladies? Up here in Hoofheim we’re always the last to learn about anything. All we have is rumors to go by, more or less.”
“Oh, um…” Twilight paused; her relief temporarily overshadowed by a hint of anxiety. “Nothing…nothing much. Just pretty much rumors down south too.”
“Do they know if it’s true about the big rumor? That there was some sort of weapon that got used that actually killed Light Eaters? Honestly, I don’t know if I’d really mind if it was a Trottingham weapon or not just so long as it got rid of them.”
She swallowed a little. “I’m…I’m sorry, but I can’t say.”
“I think the army thinks it wasn’t just weapons. It was some sort of people in particular using them…maybe even the people themselves,” Shining Armor threw in. “You didn’t hear this from me, but one country after another is starting to scour their cities looking for anyone who they suspect might be it. It’s only a matter of time before Hoofheim puts in its own program.”
Fortunately, Pinkie seemed oblivious to this and helped offset Twilight and Applejack’s growing unease. “I…don’t suppose they told you anything that might help identify them, did they?”
He shook his head. “Not a thing. And like heck am I going to round up anyone just on heresay. Besides, I think mom is right. If they’re killing Light Eaters, it’s probably best for everyone that they stay free so they can keep it up. The Light Eater that attacked Griffonstone was gigantic. And I mean gigantic. Bigger than some airships. If whoever stopped it hadn’t stopped it, Trottingham agent or not, the whole southern part of the country would be dead.”
Again, the three said nothing, although they did look up a bit at the tone of voice that he was using. They hadn’t heard one so upbeat and enthused about the incident yet.
After a moment he shrugged. “Of course, some of the other stories say they’re going ballistic at random and attacking people around them. I don’t know. All I know is we never met one, but Appleloosa, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and all the rest could sure use some on their side.” He glanced over to the girls, noticing their expressions. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset any of you.”
“Oh, no, no…ain’t nothin’,” Applejack quickly spoke up. “Just, uh…um…er…” After flustering a moment, she turned. “Say Twilight, ain’t ya’ s’posed to ask yer brother fer somethin’?”
“Oh…yeah, right.” Twilight took a moment to straighten herself before turning to him. “I wish I could visit a bit longer but we’re really kind of pressed for time right now. I hate to do this after not seeing each other for so long, but the truth is I need a favor…”
Fortunately, he didn’t seem put off by that at all. “Sure thing, Twily. Just name it.”
“I need your key.”
He looked a little puzzled. “Key? Oh, I’m just staying at home for a couple weeks. I don’t have-”
“No, not the house key. I mean…the special key. You know…” She looked at him a bit more seriously. “The key she gave you?”
Shining Armor’s casual look slowly faded. He stared silently at Twilight for a few seconds.
“Mom?”
Ms. Velvet looked up. He turned toward her but his eyes stayed on Twilight. “Do you mind if I talk to Twily for a few minutes alone?”
The woman hesitated, but after sitting quietly for a moment she nodded. “Alright. I wanted to run lunch to your father anyway. Walked out without it once again…”
She paused, as if waiting for a chuckle from Shining Armor, but he stayed silent and staring at Twilight. As a result, she grimaced before rising and going to gather the last bit of stew and bread to take with her.
As she went to the kitchen, Applejack nearly began to rise. “Uh, maybe I oughta go get some water fer washin’ up the dishes…”
“No,” Twilight immediately called out, also not looking away from Shining Armor. “No…have a seat. This concerns all of us after all.”
Applejack reluctantly sat back down again. Pinkie just seemed excited to be there as she rocked in her own chair. “I hope this means we get to look forward to a really great dessert! I’ve never had genuine Hoofheim pastries!”
No one said anything else as Ms. Velvet slowly gathered everything she needed. When she was done, she glanced back at Twilight and Shining Armor one more time before turning and walking out. As soon as the door swung shut behind her and latched, Shining Armor finally spoke up again. His voice was far quieter now. “Twilight, why do you and your friends need that key?”
“We need to use the Canterlot Express.”
“That train only goes into Equestria.”
She paused. “I know.”
His jaw shifted. “And knowing that, you still want it. Why?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not?”
“You’ll try to stop me if I do.”
Now he frowned. “In that case, I already know what you’re planning on doing, and so the answer is no.”
“Shining Armor…”
“Twilight,” he cut off, squaring her in his gaze. “You have to let this go. No matter what happened it’s not worth your life. You’re not going to find anything back in that country other than what everyone else has ever found going back in there trying to find someone or something they loved: death.”
“It’s not about that,” she grew more insistent. “I swear it’s not about that.”
“Then what is it about?”
“I told you I can’t tell you.”
His fists clenched. “So you want me just to sit here and basically give you a way to commit an exotic suicide? Forget it.”
She sighed. “Shining Armor…I promise that I’m not looking to get killed doing this, but we have to do this. For everyone.”
“Wait…” he looked up. “Did you say ‘we’?” He looked to the other two. “What did she say-”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Applejack quickly cut off, “but Twilight’s tellin’ the truth. We can’t tell folks why it’s gotta be us, but it is important.”
“It’s an extra-special, super-duper, top-secret mission to save Greater Everfree!” Pinkie cheered.
“What? Save Greater Everfree? What are you-”
“The important thing is we need that key. It’s the only one I know about that will run the Canterlot Express. There might be a way to actually get rid of the Lunar Fall for good. No more eternal night. No more Light Eaters. No more Nighttouched. Everything can go back to the way it was before. But to do that, you have to trust me and you have to let me have the key.”
Shining Armor, oddly enough, didn’t argue. While he still looked concerned, he neither said nor did anything. He wasn’t even frowning anymore.
At length, he finally leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
“One condition.” He pointed right at Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “They come with me to get it. Without you.”
Applejack looked taken aback. Pinkie grinned as if she had just won a prize. Twilight herself was stunned. “But…why-”
“If you want me to give you the key, that’s the condition, Twily.”
She hesitated. She glanced at them nervously. Finally, she sighed and leaned back. “Alright. If you’ll give it to us.”
He took in a deep breath, then pushed his chair away from the table. He stared at the three, looking like his resolve was wavering a little, before rising. “Let’s clear the dishes. Then they can come with me.”
Several minutes later, Twilight was left behind to finish the washing while Applejack and Pinkie found themselves paired with Shining Armor, who didn’t take them upstairs but rather led them out the back door. Soon he was leading them away from not only the house but down a dirt street away from the other homes and buildings in town all together. The sounds of the town faded as the area around them transitioned to country, save for an old farm field left to fallow ahead of them. The walk grew quiet except for the sounds of their footsteps on the road.
By the time they reached the field, Applejack was rather ill at ease, not really knowing what to expect from this as she had let Twilight handle most of it. Pinkie still seemed casual enough, smiling and skipping along, but the mood that Shining Armor was giving off was anything but happy. They were far from anyone else now and there was an air not only of privacy but of seriousness when he finally spoke quietly.
“So you three are going to go into Equestria.”
Applejack winced again. “Well…er…uh…like I said before, it’s like Twilight said and-”
He cut her off with a sigh. “Will it help you be more honest with me if I tell you that I know not only are the three of you the kind of people everyone is looking for but that I know you stopped the Light Eater attack on Griffonstone?”
Applejack froze in her spot as if she had suddenly grown tree roots. Pinkie herself stopped and went wide-eyed. “Whoa!” She leaned in next to the farmer. “He guessed it, Applejack! He’s good!”
She stammered, looking at how Pinkie had just confirmed it. “Well…no! That is, no…not quite! I…er…uh…”
Before she could babble any more, Shining Armor just let out a small laugh. He turned to her and showed the first smile he had in a while.
“Relax. Twily’s terrible at keeping secrets. The look on her face during lunch when I mentioned all that was all I needed to know. They’re already looking for people with symbols on their hands and Twily’s had hers ever since we met eight years ago. I’m guessing you two are covering up yours, aren’t you?”
That did little to assuage Applejack. If anything she was even more distraught, and her hand trembled as if deciding whether or not to go for her hammer. Pinkie was only more overjoyed. “Ooo! He’s great at guessing games, Applejack! He pretty much figured out everything we did!” Suddenly, she looked puzzled. “Wait a second… Eight years ago? You mean you don’t remember being Twilight’s brother?”
“That’s what she told you, didn’t she?” he snickered. “Nah. I met her the same day my parents did, when she was pounding on our front door thinking we were her family. I don’t blame you for believing her, though. She’s almost had me convinced more than once, believe it or not.” He turned and kept walking.
Seeing him casually going on made Applejack puzzled. “Wait…hold up. Don’t ya’ gotta…report us or somethin’?”
“Report you for what? Saving thousands of people?”
As Pinkie bounced after him, Applejack only looked more confused. She finally began to reluctantly walk after him. “You…you believe us? I mean, that is…uh… Damnit, how do I say it… You…um…”
“You believe that we’re not going to go crazy and start attacking people and that we’re not a threat and that we really can kill Light Eaters and we were only in Griffonstone to help and everyone is blowing this way, way, way out of proportion and that we really can put a stop to all of this eternal night and big bad monsters crawling out of the darkness by going into Equestria?” Pinkie asked, punctuated by a deep breath.
He chuckled again. “As crazy as it might sound, I do. Mom and dad think that Twilight’s just a confused person to this day, but I know a bit better than that. I know not every fantastic story she told me was made up or imagined. For one thing, I actually met her headmistress once.”
Pinkie let out an exaggerated gasp, but Applejack herself nearly went slack jawed. “You actually met that woman she’s always talkin’ about? What’s her name…Celestia?”
“What was she like? Was she like Twilight only with a lot more magic? And maybe taller?” Pinkie threw in.
“She was definitely…odd,” he responded after a moment of thought. “She definitely didn’t seem like anyone from Hoofheim or anywhere else I’ve ever been. I don’t know if it was just how we met, but she seemed like she didn’t even belong in our society or in our time. I don’t know how to describe it exactly. It’s like…like she was seeing a world that none of us could see. Or maybe just thought about it in a different way.”
“So why did she come to see you?” Applejack asked.
“Let’s just walk a bit further first. We still have to find the key.”
Applejack was a bit curious about this, but said nothing. She kept walking along with Pinkie.
They eventually reached and passed the old farm, but they walked on beyond that until they came to a weathered, beaten dwelling that had been torn apart by time and the elements until it was reduced to a mere shack, surrounded by overgrowth and bees buzzing around wildflowers. He walked up to it, checking the path for anything that might have been in the grass and lazing about, and led the two up to the front step. It creaked and sagged as he stepped on it, but he brought them inside.
Aside from some dirt and old grass stems in the shack along with a cobweb or two, there was nothing. Most of the floorboards in there were half-rotted and loose and they stuck to his shoe and came up a bit as he led them in.
“Two years before that night where I met Twilight, I was at home painting the front of the house. Mom was out visiting a relative in another town and dad was working late at the clerk’s office. The sun was already below the mountains and I was cleaning up for the day to finish tomorrow, when I heard something coming up the street. I looked and I saw four horses more amazing than any others I had ever seen in my life pulling this elaborate carriage behind it. It looked like something that only the crown heads would have. I don’t know what it was about that night, but everyone else was already in or off doing something else on our street. I was the only one out and it pulled right up to me. That’s when she walked out of it.”
He slowed down, beginning to pick over the boards one by one, as if looking for one in particular.
“The clothes she wore were some material that you could never get in Hoofheim, and the design that was on it was something I’ve never seen anywhere else, so it had to have been from Equestria. What really struck me, though, was her hair. I’d never seen anything like it and I still haven’t. It seemed to shimmer like a rainbow whenever any light hit it, and although there was no wind it seemed to almost be waving behind her.”
He stopped at one board and dropped to his knees.
“She asked me if I was Shining Armor. I was quiet a minute, because I had no idea how she knew who I was and if I should answer. Really, I don’t know why I said yes to this day, but…I don’t know…maybe it was because how it felt to be around her. It was wild. The whole moment was so odd. Like I was meeting, I dunno, a fairy godmother or something. I said yes, and that’s when she said her name was Princess Celestia of Canterlot.” He shrugged. “That part might have actually been the truth. There used to be this really minor city-state landlocked by Equestria. I’m sure it had some landed nobility, just…none that anyone cared about. She reached back into the carriage and gave me this.”
Here, he pulled the board up and reached underneath it. After a moment he pulled out a small, dust-covered, and yet well-made and ornate chest.
As Applejack and Pinkie stared on at it, he turned around, set it in his lap, and opened it up for both of them to look inside. Lying right in the center of it in a small indentation was a strange toothed object that looked cut from a single large gem; sparkling slightly in the dim light of the room. Definitely not like any normal key. In fact, if they hadn’t been told what it was, they likely wouldn’t have suspected it was a key in the first place.
“She put this in my hands while I was still surprised. She told me: ‘In four years, take this to Falcon’s Point in Mt. Aris. Get on the train there and use it to come to Canterlot. Once you get there, I’ll tell you your destiny.’ Then she just smiled, got back in the carriage, and left.”
He closed the lid and exhaled. “One word. That’s all I ever said to her. I shouldn’t have believed it. I should have at least told mom and dad about it. But instead I found myself taking this key and putting it out here. And in four years, I decided to see what she was talking about. At least I did until the Lunar Fall happened. Even then, for about a year, I almost considered going there. That’s when I started seeing photos of the people who managed to make it out of there, both dead and alive, and I started to hear the stories about what the Nighttouched and Light Eaters were doing. I gave up on it then, and I just kept the key right here. Right until Twilight started to talk to us about her old headmistress and I realized it was the same person. That’s when I took her out here and showed her the key.”
He looked back up to the both of them. “Until today, we were the only two people who knew about it who were still alive…at least as far as I know.”
Pinkie clapped her hands at that, taking it to mean they had “won” something. Applejack gave him a more uncertain look.
“Know somethin’? I don’t really get you. I can understand Ms. Velvet. I know I’d be kinda freaked and confused if someone kept sayin’ there were my kid and I didn’t even know them. But as fer you? Ya’ acted like Twilight really was your little sis ever since you spotted her. Not ta’ mention all this stuff she’s been tellin’ us is so crazy even now I’m having a helluva time believin’ it’s all true. If you think Twilight’s nuts or at least confused, why do ya’ trust her so much?”
Shining Armor sat quietly for a second, not answering, before he started to get up. “You’re right when you say that I don’t believe I ever met Twilight before that day eight years ago. And actually I’ve asked myself a couple times why I want to bother getting to be so friendly with a total stranger who latched onto our family at random. I know enough people around here feel that way. Well…the answer’s pretty simple.”
He shrugged.
“Why not? There’s a lot of people like Twilight in the world right now. Especially people who barely got away from the Light Eaters. They have no family, no friends, no home, no nothing. I haven’t seen the worst from the front lines, no, but I’ve heard stories about hundreds of people drinking themselves to death, starving themselves sitting around graveyards or home ruins, or taking their own lives…sometimes with guns or poison but a lot of times just letting the Nighttouched eat them alive. Like they somehow thought that’s what should have happened to begin with. A lot of these people were teachers, doctors, businessmen, or just mothers and fathers. I kept thinking if they only had one thing to still hold onto then maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad.”
He let out a weak chuckle.
“It’s kind of funny… I always used to think of what it would be like to be a ‘big brother’. I realized I had the chance when Twilight came around. And if her thinking that I’m really her big brother gives her something to hold onto, if it makes her better now than she would be, then it’s definitely not doing her any harm.”
He looked down to the chest and tightened his grip. “And as for this, I quieted down during lunch because I’m worried that Twilight’s the kind of person who would be willing to get herself killed for something she believed; not because I think the three of you are crazy for going into Equestria and that you’re the only ones who have a chance of stopping this.”
Once again, the two were amazed. “Uh…really?”
“Twilight’s shown me some of the things she can do. I once asked her if she could kill a Light Eater with her power. She never said, but she looked just the same as she did at lunch. That’s how I knew it was true. That’s why I knew she had to be behind what happened in Griffonstone. I knew it the moment I saw it in the paper. There’s no one else in the world I could think of that could really pull that off. And while I don’t know how you did it, if you three did save Grifftham City, then I know you’re the only ones I can even imagine possibly stopping the rest of this. So…”
He trailed off again. His face began to look as anxious as before. He looked again to the key and looked back up again.
“If you two say that there’s an honest chance of saving Greater Everfree and that you’re the only ones who stand a chance, I’m willing to trust her and you with this.”
Pinkie grinned. “Don’t you worry one bit! It’s not just me, Applejack, and Twilight doing it! We’ve got three other best friends helping us! Besides, I already prayed at a Gaitian shrine about it on the way here and nothing big and unexpected is trying to stop us, so we’ve got nothing to worry about!”
Applejack glanced at her a moment, but then looked back. “Well, I don’t know if it’s gonna be all that easy, but she’s right in that there’s more than just us three involved. I for one seem to be doin’ more than I thought I could all the time, and Twilight seems to think we can do it. If yer askin’ my honest opinion, then I say we can. We gotta. I got my own family to worry about along with everyone else’s, so we have to win and we will.”
Shining Armor was quiet. He looked back down to the chest, then up to them. Finally, he exhaled and held it out.
“Alright. I’ll hold you all to that, though.”
Within less than two hours, the group’s short visit was over. They were back at the train platforms, this time escorted by Shining Armor himself. Twilight seemed glad for it, and not just because he helped act as more cover from anyone suspicious now that they knew word of what happened in Grifftham City had gotten that far north. As soon as they arrived they found Starlight nearly tripping over herself as she ran out to meet them.
“Perfect timing! We either had to leave in forty minutes or we’d be stuck here for the next two days! I was about to run and try to find you in case we couldn’t make it but you’re back! Let’s get on and get you changed for the next holdover!”
She practically threw their tickets into their hands before turning and rushing aboard the already-loading engine. Luckily, Hoofheim didn’t seem to be nearly as particular about security as Manehattan had been. At least not more than a quick glance or two. The three turned back to Shining Armor. He smiled back at them a little weakly. “This visit was…what? Close to three hours this time? I think it’s a new record for us, Twily.”
She chuckled, albeit a bit nervously, before glancing away to one side. She dug her toe into the platform. “I’ll tell you what. I promise I’ll visit more and I’ll rent a new P.O. box if we come back from this.”
His eyes narrowed. “When you come back from this.”
“…Right. When we come back from this.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help? I can at least fire a rifle at a couple Nighttouched…”
She shook her head. “Where we’re going, there’s worse things than Nighttouched. Much worse. Unless you have a Promethian Sigil, they’ll be lethal in one touch.”
He frowned. “That doesn’t make me feel much safer for you. Why not at least tell the government about this? Even Trottingham might be able to do something…”
“So long as that crazy fire witch is with ‘em? Forget it,” Applejack snorted.
“Don’t worry!” Pinkie cheered. “We got three more awesome friends who’ll come with us and a train all to ourselves! What could go wrong?”
Shining Armor kept looking uneasy. “Twily…if this gets to be too much for you and your friends, you promise me this: you’ll get out of there.”
“Shining Armor, I-”
“I mean it,” he cut off. “No one knows what’s in there. If anything goes wrong, you’ll run while you can. If you don’t promise me, I can’t promise you I won’t tell anyone about the six of you.”
Twilight went wide-eyed. “What?”
“Sorry, but I’d rather know you were in a cell rather than getting ripped apart.”
Twilight stared back, but on seeing him not budging sighed. “Alright, I promise.”
He smiled again after a short while. “Alright.” He stepped forward soon after and gave Twilight a hug, and in spite of her more dim demeanor after the promise she was forced to make she returned it rather strongly. After holding for a few moments they parted, and he looked to the other two. “Everyone…be careful and good luck.”
Applejack tipped his hat to him while Pinkie excitedly waved. Soon after, he stepped back. Twilight gave him one last look before she backed up and finally turned to head for the train. The others followed and soon they were on board.
They headed to their own compartment, but on arrival Twilight looked out the window and saw Shining Armor was still waiting on the platform for them to depart. In spite of her attempts to busy herself with putting away the small chest in her hand somewhere secure and start getting changed, she couldn’t help but stare at him the whole time. Finally, however, the train gave the all-aboard signal, and a loud whistle later it pulled away.
Both Applejack and Pinkie noticed Twilight stared out the window and tried to follow the platform with her eyes until the last. Finally, she leaned back and sat in her seat, still unable to start getting dressed right away.
“I think you’re right, Twilight.”
This finally shook the mage out of it, and got her to turn and find Pinkie now sitting next to her and smiling. “What?”
“You should totally visit more after this! You look so much happier when you’re talking to Shining Armor! I really don’t think he even minds. I think he likes spending time with you even if he doesn’t remember you.”
Twilight was caught to hear that, left speechless and staring back at Pinkie, but she simply grinned and got up to resume getting dressed. The mage sat there a moment more, still staring, before she finally recovered enough to get up as well.
“I better warn you all in advance,” Starlight sighed, “Getting even this ride was no picnic. At tomorrow’s switchover, I could only get four tickets going straight back to Manehattan in a non-sleeper car.” She paused. “Actually, to be honest, Double Diamond said he found a lead to a site he wanted me to look at. We could always hang around there for a week or so instead…”
“No…no,” Twilight groaned, “we don’t want to leave everyone else in Manehattan any longer, and we don’t want to give Sunset a chance to do something else to try and get us in trouble. We’ll head back and head out as soon as we can.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “The sooner we get back to the others, the sooner we can think about how we’re going to get through the next part of all this…”
Now that the key was obtained, everyone but Pinkie seemed more on edge on the return trip. All they had to worry about now was making it back safely, but as they were intruding into more secure territory instead of less secure and had Shining Armor’s own warning to worry about, they stayed in one spot as best as possible. They were all very grateful that there was no Gaitian shrine near where their train stopped or at least not one nearby, as this allowed them to all wait rather quietly on their platform and change into the next locomotive without incident.
Starlight did use the opportunity of the first stop to quickly send off a pair of telegrams; one to her own “society” and the other to Carousel Couture to let them know they’d be back soon. After all, they had been waiting in silence for a few days now for them to return and they wanted to give them some measure of relief.
Fortunately, even on the second train, where the four nervously had to take normal seats in regular view of the train workers and even other passengers, things went smoothly. No one gave them much of a second look, and the conductor treated them and their tickets normally. They were counting the seconds the last day, but finally they pulled into the urban area of Manehattan and, soon after that, they were disembarking. They quickly got their bags, Starlight hailed the first steam taxi, and they got on board for the ride back.
“Alright, we made it,” Twilight sighed in relief as soon as they were on the road.
“Yipee!” Pinkie cheered. “Does this mean I can find another Gaitian shrine now to say thanks?”
“I’d wait ‘til we’re back at Rarity’s first,” Applejack frowned. “Can’t wait to get outta this durn getup…”
“We did get back pretty easy. Easier than I thought, at least…” Starlight thought aloud. “You don’t suppose things got better over here with the government while we were gone, do you?”
“I don’t know, but so long as they’re not bothering us, I won’t complain,” Twilight answered. “We’ve still got a lot to do, and it gets worse from here.”
The woman winced. “Are you sure I can’t do anything? Or…anyone else, for that matter? Just the six of you going in there alone? Shouldn’t you try to at least…round up more people like you?”
She shook her head. “I thought about that, but I don’t think we can afford that kind of time.” She turned to Applejack. “You said it yourself back after the boat. That somehow Sunset knows how to track us from our powers. I think the more of us get together in one place, the easier we’ll be to find…either by the authorities or by whatever she’s using to detect us. And we don’t really have time to try and find more people and judge whether or not they can help us or they’ll try and kill us at some point.”
“I at least thought you should let me do a bit more research on your powers…” Starlight grumbled. “It’d be great if we could come up with a weapon that wouldn’t need your Promethian Sigils… Maybe whatever Double Diamond dug up will have something to it. I need to go check in on them when we get back. I’d like to say don’t leave without me in case I find something else, but…”
“We’ll see if we can stay put a bit longer or if we need to leave right away,” Twilight reassured. “Rarity and the others will know more than us. And honestly, you’ve been a real help already.”
She blushed a little. “Well, heh, here’s hoping I can keep it that way.”
A quarter of an hour later, they were pulling up to the entrance to Carousel Couture. Thanks to their unfortunate choice in trains, they managed to arrive before the official start of the work day. Wasting little time, Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie dismounted with their bags. Starlight moved up to the window seat and looked out after them.
“I’ll send a wire by the end of the day if I can’t make it, alright?”
“Alright. Thanks again.”
Giving one last nod, she leaned into the steam cab, and the driver took off again.
As for the ladies, they quickly made their way to the front door as fast as they could. Twilight reached it first and gave it a rap with the special knock. The three waited for a few seconds, Applejack looking around behind them, before the latch clicked. It swung open soon after, and Twilight quickly squeezed her hoop skirt inside with the others following.
As soon as she stepped into the foyer, she noticed that it was empty—a bit to her surprise. She turned and looked back to see who had opened the door and was again surprised to see it was Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy? You’re answering the door? Where’s Ms. Pommel or Ms. Saddles?” She glanced around the empty foyer as Applejack and Pinkie pushed in behind her. “Where is everyone?”
Fluttershy didn’t say a word, but she did look far more nervous than usual. She was cringing as badly as she had in Grifftham City. She pushed the door shut again once everyone was inside, but kept pulling in on herself and looking at them fearfully.
Applejack soon picked up on it too. “What’sa matter, sugarcube? Somethin’ happen while we were gone?”
She swallowed once, before cupping her hands to her face. She seemed to nearly break into tears.
“I’m sorry, ladies. They made me…”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
Applejack, however, picked up on it far faster. “Aw hel-”
She wasn’t able to finish. At that moment, the two doors on the first floor of the foyer and the two doors at the top of the stairs flew open. The entryways, along with the one to the dining room, were suddenly filled with men and women in traveling suits bursting out into the main hall. No sooner had they emerged than they each brandished a Manehattan-made revolver, cocked them in the same movement, and aimed them right for the heads of the four women. In a rush that lasted only two seconds, they were surrounded by at least eight people with guns.
While Applejack grit her teeth angrily, no one else made a move. They couldn’t. In the time it would take to call out for their Anima Viris, they’d already be shot. For a few brief seconds, the only noise was a few whimpers from Fluttershy.
The sound of footsteps finally echoed into the foyer. Moments later, another man in a suit, this one sporting a handlebar mustache and bowler hat, stepped just behind the two at the entrance to the side hall. He looked over the four once before focusing entirely on the mage.
“Twilight Sparkle?”
She couldn’t even answer. She only swallowed nervously.
“I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll have to ask that you and your five friends come with me. The Manehattan government has a number of questions for you.”