Celestia sent us away from the destroyed ruins. In her own words, “The knowledge of a fifth alicorn is a state secret as of now, and I wish to give my eldest sister time to recover.” While Discord was… abnormally silent during our tea sessions. In the week that passed, all of the bearers became reluctant to leave their homes. Rarity kept making dresses, but nopony saw much of her.
When they did see her, they said she looked distraught. Ponies spoke of bags under her eyes, and theoretical books on magic taking up several of her shelves.
Applejack worked twice as hard, partially because of Tirek’s damage and partly to focus her mind on the problem. Applejack might not be the most adept on theoretical science and magic, but she can work her way around any problem. But, during the meetups we’ve had thanks to Pinkie, all of us know that she’s having trouble finding a solution to the issue at hoof.
Rainbow Dash is much less cocky than normal, though she’s still doing her stunts. Rainbow started tutoring Scootaloo on flight. From what I’ve heard from Dash, Scootaloo has the muscle and magic power, but she’s too focused on power. Dash has had her slow down (no matter how ironic it was) and Scootaloo has seen improvements.
Dash has also been finishing her weather sooner than normal, then sleeping the rest of the day.
Pinkie Pie was the one to break this trend, being just as cheerful as ever. But she did disappear more often, hiding in the Whitetail Woods. She had the same spring in her step as usual, but she was also… more excitable than normal.
I had been doing what I had done before, scouring the forest for animals.
Luna, with the mysterious alicorn she called ‘Terra’, moved into Twilight’s castle. I tried visiting them several times, and the castle was wide open. But the room they locked themselves into was boarded up with some sort of spell. The throne room was easily accessible, but Twilight’s throne was a sickly brown, and the rest of the elements looked dimmer somehow.
I was determined to see Terra, and ask for answers. As much as I hated the spotlight of important people, I was overwhelmed with curiosity.
Walking through the halls, the crystal seemed somewhat… darker. The light from outside was quite dim, even though it was around noon. The castle was still mostly undecorated, as Twilight hadn’t had the time or resources to get much furniture.
Walking past the throne room once more, I noted that the ceiling grew taller, somehow. There were also cyan spots that seemed to radiate cold adorning the ceiling and roof. The crystalline-tree seemed to be suffering, and it was somewhat obvious from what.
Continuing the trek, I heard a clanging coming from one of the kitchens. Should I take a detour?
I turned to the noise, taking a left, right, and a second right. There, I found Terra. She looked somewhat underfed still, and had deep bags under her eyes.
“Hi. My name is-” I started to introduce myself, but was interrupted.
“Fl-oo-tar-shee?” She asked for confirmation. She seemed to be piecing together sounds, but was not familiar to common Equish.
I nodded with a small smile. “I was wondering if you needed help with anything?” I half asked, hoping to be able to help the mare. Part of me also wanted an in, just to figure out what was going on, but that was negligible.
She started to speak, but it wasn’t in any language I had heard before. She noticed my confusion, and put a hoof to her muzzle.
“Sow-ray… St-ail adj-oo-stee-ng.” She said, breaking up the words. She took several items from the fridge, and began cooking. It seemed she was baking an apple pie, but she also had several berries and…
“Excuse me, but why are you putting Poison Joke into the pie?” I asked. After all, that plant could be… worrisome.
She looked back on it with a confused expression. “Th-ees ee-s s-ef…” She began, but gave up halfway in.
She shouted something in the language she spoke in earlier, and I felt a pop beside me. Luna and Terra began speaking to each other in Terra’s language, and Luna eventually nodded and looked back to me.
“Fluttershy, I appreciate you trying to help my sister, but she knows her way around a stove.” Her stomach grumbled slightly. “Sorry, memories of her cooking…” She said with a sheepish smile.
“Are you sure that you don’t need anything? Either of you?” I asked.
Luna turned to her sister. “Well, she could use some help learning Equish. As much as I try to help her with pronunciation and such, she’s still trying to adjust.” Terra spoke somewhat loudly to Luna at this. “Yes, sister, but we have a similar issue Celestia had with Twilight. So you going out right now would not only cause panic, but-” She was interrupted by Terra shouting again. At this point Luna seemed exasperated.
“Sister, I refuse to act as translator. As much as I love you, it’s just too taxing to relay what you’re saying! Much of it doesn’t even have a modern equivalent yet!” Luna stomped her hoof and whisper-shouted at her sister.
“P...Princess Luna?” I started.
She turned to look at me, showcasing the galaxy in her eyes. Literal galaxies. It was… wonderful. “What do you need, dear Fluttershy?”
“If I might ask, how are you teaching Terra to speak? It seems she is able to comprehend, but can’t put words together…” I trailed off.
“Ah. I’m teaching her by giving her my memories. Using the Dreamscape, she can pick up the meaning of words in no time at all. It has drawbacks, and due to them I can’t use it every night. But she has enough of a knowledge base to learn to write and listen.” Luna explained.
“Of these drawbacks, the one that you’d be most interested in is this: even though she can learn what different sounds that are put together mean, she will have no practice talking. I take it you heard her attempts?” At this I nodded. “I have been meaning to take her to Celestia for that, but I had to get her caught up on modern culture first.”
I nodded in understanding, and turned to Terra. I took a moment to really look at her.
I noticed the signs of malnutrition earlier, but failed to notice how scruffy her mane, tail, and coat were. They looked unkempt, as if she had been thrown into the wilderness and didn’t shower for an extended period of time. Her wings were ruffled, and looked as if they had started being cleaned, but whoever started hadn’t finished. Her horn was slightly curved. Not so much that it would break, but it looked like she had been casting a spell for a prolonged period of time. The only reason I knew the signs of magic exhaustion was because I spent so much time patching Twilight up after some of her worse failed experiments.
I noticed the bags under her eyes, but saw a determination in her eyes that rivaled Applejack’s when her family business was in danger. It seemed to fuel her in her absence of physical sustenance.
“If you’d like, Terra, you can come for tea on Thursdays or Fridays. I’m relatively free on those days, as most of my animals leave just before the weekends.” I offered her.
She didn’t respond, but nodded her head feverently and bowed to me in gratitude.
I blushed and turned away.
“Anyways, I have to go. Rainbow Dash usually shows me her stunts around this time.” I didn’t add how she would crash or ruin half of the stunts by accident, and I would have to patch her up afterwards. But she claimed it ‘builds character’, so I didn’t judge her. Plus, it showed her bravery. I always admired her for getting back up after she crashed.
I waved goodbye to the pair, and hiked to a hill far enough away from town that Rainbow could showcase her moves without crashing into any property. The smell of trees and various flowers filled my nose, and calmed what little nerves I had. Trotting up the hill, I found two ponies: Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash was talking to an excited Scootaloo, and when I focused on them, I noticed Applebloom and Sweetie Belle with Scootaloo. As I neared, I picked up scraps of their conversation.
“-jus plain impractical! Even if - still take way too much power to carry us like that!” I heard Applebloom arguing.
I got a bit closer, and could hear Sweetie Belle agreeing with that conclusion.
“Squirt, I love that you’re trying to run before you can walk, but remember. Baby steps. Yes, it would be awesome if you could do that, but your friends are right. You can glide perfectly, and fly for a while, but you need to work up the rhythm of carrying heavy objects if you’re going to do something like that.”
I was honestly a little surprised at Rainbow Dash’s words, as they sounded like a responsible adult.
“Flutters! Wondering when you could get here! So, ready to see that-” She trailed on a list of stunts she would perform one after another, going into great detail. I laughed a little, as she was just as irresponsible as ever. Just looking out for Scootaloo.
After Rainbow Dash had finished talking, Applebloom got my attention.
“Fluttershy, do you think you could come by? My sis has been actin... weird.” She asked of me.
“Weird how?” I asked her with an eyebrow raised. I was putting on a brave face, as I was worried about her isolating herself. Even at Pinkie’s meets, she seemed a little distant.
“She does exacly the amount of work she’s supposed to, then locks herself up somewhere. Big Mac and I are getting worried, as she’s seemed… off for a while. She normally does twice th’ work she’s supposed to, tends to the trees until sunset, and comes in looking refreshed. The last few days, she’s come home looking…” Applebloom trailed off, struggling to find words. I put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Applebloom,” I said in a steady voice, “I will check on your sister. Rainbow Dash?” I called out to my friend with an apologetic smile.
“Just go Flutters. AJ needs you more than me right now. Plus, she’s been… sulky. So go.” She said confidently.
So I set off once more, Applebloom on my back, at a brisk trot. It was around 5 when I got to Applejack’s farm, and I could see a Rainbow streak at the distance.
Glad to know she’s still going strong.
As I walked upto the farm, Big Mac, the giant red stallion that he was, moved his hat further up his head. He gave a warm smile to Applebloom and I.
“I brought Applebloom home.” He nodded, corralling his younger sister into the house. “Do you know where Applejack is?” I asked hopefully. It was getting late, and I still had to do my night shift for the animals.
He nodded, then pointed a hoof towards the barn. He gave me a look that I took as ‘please help my sister’ in Mac-speech, and trotted into the Apple house.
After a few moments to cool my nerves among… other things, I inched towards the barn. There was a dim light coming from inside, I could see it through one of the windows. The silence emanating from the barn broke the moment I opened the door.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” I thought it was directed at me for a second, but upon closer inspection of the room, it seemed Applejack was talking to herself. I looked around the barn, hoping for some clues before I made myself known.
The walls were adorned with hay, probably to block out her shouting. The windows had hay on them as well, though there were cut out holes in the shapes of the windows they covered. The area around Applejack was empty, save for the light she brought with her and a single chair. The chair was broken on one side of the backrest, cracks streaming down like miniature rivers. Applejack had tears in her eyes, and seemed to be emotionally drained. It looked like she’d been sobbing, which brought a small gasp from me. As long as I had known Applejack, she was immovable. The only time I ever saw her cry was after Discord had turned all of us on Twilight. She was dissapointed in herself for betraying her ideals, and still feeling the effects of being under his influence.
The gasp drew attention to me, as Applejack turned away and struggled to bottle up her emotions. She tried to hide them, but I could tell that she was lashing out. There were weeds growing and wilting around her.
I shivered as an icy breeze flew out from the barn. It was unnatural, but not my main concern.
“Applejack. I heard from your sister that you’ve been acting weird. I came to ask if you wanted to talk about it?” I said in a voice louder than usual and more confident than I felt. I was panicking, but kept that fear inside, as I could see uncertainty in the Apple’s eyes. Any show of fear could lead to the antithesis of what I was hoping for.
“I’m fine, Fluttershy. Jus need to recharge for a mite bit.” Applejack said hollowly.
“If this is about Twilight, there was nothing you could do. IS nothing you can do. We just have to hope the Princesses realize their mistake.” I started towards the distraught mare, but she backed up as quickly as I moved forward. “Applejack, I know you. You were the kindest, most welcoming pony when I arrived here. I had nowhere to go, and you pleaded with your family to let me move in and get work here, on account of my parents not being able to leave Cloudsdale. I know you’re determined, and it hurts to see you break like this and lie.” Applejack tried to interrupt, but before she could, I rushed over and hugged her. “I know that you’re scared, especially because you’re worried that you betrayed a part of yourself again, but lean on your friends. It seems like you shouldn’t, as you would just be putting your burden on another. But it doesn’t do that. It lets you rest from it, grow used to such a burden. Then it lets you throw it off of yourself. So, please Applejack. Let me help.” Applejack’s heart was pounding, I could feel it thumping away on my barrel. But, my efforts bore fruit as Applejack leaned into the hug, and started bawling. She wouldn’t tell me what about, even the morning after, but I did the best I could, and I was content with the results.
I awoke, hooves filled with that pins-and-needles feeling.
Then I realized I didn’t have hooves.
Or wings, or a horn. I didn’t have a body whatsoever.
I opened my ‘eyes’, which was a huge mistake. My sight was filled with a yellow-orange tinge, and it was so great that I felt it even after I shut my ‘eyes’.
I peeked my eyes open again, and the searing light was gone. In its place were hundreds of tiny particles. I reached my hoof out to one, and it was sent careening to who-knows-where. I couldn’t teleport, and could feel an anti-casting ward around me.
Okaaaaay? Well, these kinds of wards are hard to put up and harder to take down by force. But it also takes too much to put up a proper shield spell around it, as the anti magic ward would simply cancel it. So maybe if I just walk- float?- on over to the edge, I can teleport out.
This turned out to be a huge mistake, as when I moved, I went way faster than I intended. I smacked into a barrier on the outside of whatever that bright light was. It hurt like Tartarus, though it did allow me to see what my prison was, so not a total loss.
I was in the sun…
Celestia… banished me… to the sun.
I attempted to groan, but found this difficult with my lack of vocal cords. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused. I knew that pushing the field would be nigh-impossible, as it was being powered by both Celestia and the sun. But perhaps I could take the route Luna did, freeing myself by rattling the wards in just the right way.
I knew it would take a while, and hoped that time had not passed too much, but I focused on my task.
Twilight woke up. I know, because I felt a disturbance in one of my former teacher’s mind while she slept. I was thankful that Celestia was this stupid, as it meant that our return would go unimpeded.
I just hoped that Twilight didn’t figure out how to break the wards I… coerced Celestia to put up. She might think it was just a safety precaution, but I’m the reason she thought that in the first place. What’s more is that Celestia had gotten so used to being the only ruler, that she discouraged Luna or Cadance from acting against her. Honestly, the only reason I have to fear my plans failing is Discord. As gullible as he might be to former friends, something told me that his respect for his new friends trumps that for his old friends.
Bucking Tirek
Applejack and I talked about our childhood after she calmed down some. It was heartening to see how her mood changed so much by me coming here.
“And ah think the cincher fer mah family was how you talked those beavers into moving, cause that would’a been terrible for our trees to be waterlogged!”
I laughed as the memory of scolding those animals and helping them leave made me blush a little. Applejack went off on that whenever I came over for dinner.
She was looking much better than she had. There were still bags under her eyes, but she was legitimately happy. And the Applejack I knew couldn’t feign emotions like that to save herself.
We got up, a bit drunk on laughter and joy, and I helped her as she wobbled towards the door. The hay-covered windows were open, allowing us to see the sunset.
The sun finished its setting as I walked out of the Apples’ barn, Applejack in tow.
“Apps, I’ve gotta go take care of my animals. I think you know what you should do, but don’t know how to do it, right?” At this, Applejack nodded. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy from her crying, and there was a splinter or two I took out of one of her front hooves. “Apps, just… do what you do best. Be honest. It is, by far, your greatest strength. Your family’s greatest strength.” I hugged her tighter, then released and waved goodbye.
As I walked back to my home, I smiled and trotted with a spring in my step. The darkness wasn’t as scary, and the sounds in the night were very calming as I trotted down the dirt path.
That’s when I saw Pinkie Pie in a ninja suit, complete with confetti-themed weapons, ‘stealthily’ crept on by.
“Hi Pinkie!” I said. I shouldn’t have made a habit of raising my voice, but I was in a great mood.
“My Pinkie sense is telling me two things are true. The first is that one of my friends helped another friend, and had a great time!” She said this while jumping, her body making an X in the air for a while.
I giggled at her antics, not minding how brash the pony was.
Then I frowned. “What’s the second thing?”
She inched towards me and whispered “It’s a se~cre~t” into my ear. She then bounced back towards town. The last thing I remember doing that night is laying in bed with a smile on my face, both because of the time reminiscing with Apps, and partly because of Pinkie’s antics.