//------------------------------//
// Missing the Mystery 
// Story: Missing the Mystery 
// by James Pwyll 
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"Okay, you're getting closer...closer...closer...now go get it!"

Pinkie's words echoed in Twilight's ears as she continued on, totally blindfolded, with the pin in her mouth. Anticipation was gripping her now, and before long she could feel the pointy object between her teeth finally puncture the surface of the unseen board before her. Finally letting go, and after taking a moment to lick away the metallic feel off her teeth, she used her magic to take her blindfold off. Smiling, she looked on at the completely accurate aiming of the pin, which had placed that tail onto the image of the donkey perfectly. "Good to know I can get one of these party games right."

A giggle to her left caused her to turn, and she now gazed to Fluttershy, who approached her slowly. "I know the feeling. I got this game wrong a hundred times before I finally got the pin in right."

The two mares laughed together, and as they looked back to the rest of the group, most of whom were enjoying all the snacks Spike had laid out on the table for them, Twilight sighed. "It's good you were all able to come over. I don't know how many moments like this we'll be able to have once I sit on Equestria's throne."

Applejack, who had just finished downing a mug of her home-brought cider, grinned widely to her. "Aw shucks, Twi, we'll always find time fer this!"

Rarity, who herself was content to just have a small cup of tea, nodded in agreement. "Indeed. No matter how busy our lives get, spending time with one another will always be something we will strive for."

A quick chuckle from above caused them all to glance in its direction, just in time to see Rainbow descend down, before leaning casually on the Cutie Map in the middle of the chamber. "What's the old saying? Wild horses couldn't keep us away?"

Pinkie looked to her with confusion. "What's a horse?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Dunno. Heard it from some of those other versions of us when they were passing through from that yacht thing of theirs. I think it's like a pony, but bigger."

Pinkie considered that, then gave a shrug of her own. "Well, whatever it is, Rainbow's right. If there's a get-together with friends to be had, you can count on ole Pinkie Pie to be there!"

Twilight smiled warmly to each of them, then let out a contented sigh. "I appreciate that. All of you. With so many changes happening so quickly, it's nice to know there's friends in my life to keep things anchored."

Rarity giggled. "Oh, to be sure. Why, who knows how bizarre your life would be if you didn't have ordinary days with us?" She then considered her own words. "Although, things tend to get bizarre even when your with us, so..."

The group all laughed together, after which Fluttershy turned to look to Twilight. "So what was it you were doing earlier? You had quite a few papers with you when we got here."

Twilight gave a quick shrug. "Oh, just a few communiques between us and the Dragon Lands. Dragon Lord Ember has really taken to the whole 'frequent communication' thing that leaders have to do these days."

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm glad she and her dragons have been getting closer to us. I never once thought we'd see the day when we'd consider them friends."

Rarity, brushing aside some of her mane, nodded in agreement. "Quite, darling. Were you to tell me that there would one day come a time when we could walk right into their homeland and walk out completely unharmed, I'd have likely called you mad."

Applejack tipped her hat to the rest of the group. "Eyup. Things are changin' alright."

"Yeah...they are," Rainbow agreed. Though there was something in her voice that caused all of her friends to look to her. It wasn't a sound of sadness exactly, but more like a thoughtfulness. It was the same kind of tone a pony might speak in when they were rummaging around in their attic and come across some old photo of bygone times. Rainbow, after a few moments, realised that her friends were looking to her with confusion, and so turned away, getting back to some of her own cider.

Twilight, by contrast, didn't seem willing to let the matter go. "Are you okay, Rainbow?"

Looking back to her, Rainbow put on a smile that all of them could tell was forced. "Oh yeah! I'm great! The party's fun, and..." But one look at her friends' incredulous faces made it clear that she wasn't getting out of this. So, with shoulders slumping, she started to speak genuinely. "It's just...I've been thinking about all these changes. Us being friends with the dragons, the Changelings, going out into the world and doing all the things we've been doing."

Pinkie tilted her head slightly. "But...you like all that stuff, right?"

Rainbow perked up, smiling widely. "Oh yeah! It's been great! We've made some awesome friends, gone to cool new places and done some big heroic stuff! There's nothing to not like about that!"

Applejack arched an eyebrow. "Granny Smith once said somethin' ta me. Anythin' a mare says before the word 'but' is a load o' manure."

Rainbow, after taking a moment to enjoy the rather flabbergasted way Rarity looked to their farming friend after that, returned to her prior look of thoughtfulness. "But...do you guys ever feel like life is...ugh, I don't know how to say this. Like life is...less than is used to be?"

Naturally, a remark like that earned her even more confusion from her friends than before, prompting Twilight to step forward. "Rainbow, I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Frustrated, Rainbow took a moment to get her thoughts in order, which her friends were kind enough to let her do, before starting to explain herself. "Okay, imagine you're a kid, watching a magician do their tricks. You think it's the best thing ever, and you're filled with all these questions. How do they do that? What else can they do? Just how far can this go?" She grimaced. "And then you grow up, you maybe learn more about magic tricks, about how they're done, and sure, it's interesting. But at the same time you think maybe you spoiled things for yourself by finding out how they did it."

Applejack leaned in and whispered to Rarity. "Somepony's been hangin' with Trixie, ah think."

Rarity smirked to her, but then turned her gaze to Rainbow. "This is all fascinating, Rainbow, but I fail to see how this relates to what you were saying earlier."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Think back then. Back to about the time Twilight first came to Ponyville. Back then, we didn't know all the stuff we know now. We didn't know all the legends we heard as fillies were true. We didn't know who or what was out there, beyond Equestria. We didn't know about all the things the world had to offer. And now we...now we do!"

Twilight smiled. "Well that's good, isn't it? Surely it's beneficial to all to expand our knowledge and understanding of the world and all who live in it?"

Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Scientific progress, leaning more, all that good stuff. I get it, and I agree it's better to know more than less, but...don't you miss not knowing?"

Twilight hesitated. "I'm...not sure I understand."

Rainbow pointed to her. "Before you make a discovery, you feel excited and totally pumped for what you might find. You're ecstatic over the possibilities. You feel wonder, awe, all those great feelings. And when you finally get the answer to the question...does it feel as good? Does having the answer give you the same rush that you might have felt back when you were still thinking on what it might have been?"

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, only to be struck with the embarrassing realisation that she didn't actually have a good response to that. Fluttershy, seeing this, decided to speak to her childhood friend in the Princess' place. "Do you really feel that way, Rainbow?"

Rainbow gave a firm nod. "Not always, but yeah it makes me think sometimes." She turned, pointing to the nearest window. "Back in the day, we'd look to the horizon and wonder. What's out there? Who's out there? What kinds of adventures could we find there?" A look of slight sadness came to her. "Now? Now we know." She pointed again to the window. "That way leads to Yakyakistan." She turned again, pointing in another direction. "That way has Griffonstone." Another turn. "That way takes you to the Dragon Lands." She gave a shrug. "Met a dragon the other day. Did I tell you? He's one of those young ones that Ember's been encouraging to visit Equestria. His name's Bob. Says he'd like to take a job at a newspaper place one day."

Pinkie giggled. "Sounds nice! Hope he gets it!"

Rainbow gave herself a quick facepalm. "Yeah, so do I, but that's not the point! When we were young there was all this unknown stuff about the world. But now we know the unknown stuff! It's part of our lives, it's part of our world, and it's...ordinary now!" Her shoulders slumped again. "It's like...like...like..."

"Like the fantastic has become mundane."

All eyes turned to the other voice. It was Twilight, who had been silent since Rainbow's question to her earlier. And speaking of Rainbow, she slowly nodded to her friend's words. "Yeah...that's it exactly." She took a moment to rub her temples, as if this conversation had caused some mild headache in her. "Look, I don't want to sound like I'm unhappy with our lives. They're great. But it's almost like something special has gone out of it with the more and more we know about the world. Like having our questions about the world be answered has made the world less wonderful. The world's not bad, don't get me wrong. There's good stuff out there. And good people too. Ember, Thorax, the Yaks, all the places they live. That's all great, and I want them to stay part of our lives. But...ugh, I don't know! I don't know what I'm talking about now!" she declared with frustration.

Twilight took a few steps closer to her. "You know...I think I understand."

Rainbow looked to her, uncertain. "You...you do?"

Twilight gave a single nod. "I do. And you're not wrong. Mystery was something that shrouded all of Equestria back when I first moved here to Ponyville. Wherever you looked, there was something we didn't know, something we thought we'd never get to go and see, or perhaps some part of our past that we'd just always assume was a fantasy. But as we've grown, as we've gotten older, that uncertainty has cleared, and we're left with answer after answer after answer." She smiled slightly. "I like answers. I like knowing how the world works and just what's out there. I like that the blank parts of the map are filled. And chances are that'll continue for us long into the future." Her ears drooped, if only slightly. "But there's no denying that the grand sense of excitement that came from not knowing has gone as a result. And like you, I miss that." She turned to the rest of her friends, all of whom were listening eagerly. "Do I want that ignorance to come back? No. And I don't think Rainbow does either."

Rainbow shook her head. "Heck no!"

Twilight smiled to her, then continued. "But I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some small part of me that misses the days when I could look out from my window, out as far as I could see, and actually question what was out there."

Silence fell, and everypony clearly had a lot to think about. But when it all ended, Fluttershy approached, looking to Rainbow and Twilight, before settling on the former and smiling. "Things have changed...but we go through those changes together. And I think...however hard it might be to lose some wonder in the world, it's worth it if it means we have more friends in our lives."

Rainbow blinked to her, glancing quickly to Twilight, who nodded to her, before chuckling slightly. "You know what, Flutters? I definitely can't argue with that."