Chapter 20: Trust is Key
For a second, Twilight had to do a double take in her mind to make sure that she heard the minstrel correctly. Sure enough, though, she didn’t mishear him. Tariq stated that it was almost time to finally meet Sandalwood. The mysterious benefactor of the Nightwings responsible for Hedwyn finding the blackwagon and beginning this whole journey to freedom in the first places. The alicorn’s curiosity was working overtime now. She was already formulating the dozens of questions she would ask Sandalwood as soon as they find him. However, while Twilight was encompassed in her mind palace, she was snapped out of it when Tariq politely cleared his throat.
“I understand that the news of meeting with my client must be sudden for you, Madame Twilight. But if you would please check the stars so that we may plot our next course.” The Lone Minstrel then gave a polite bow.
Twilight blinked a few times before she was well aware of the minstrel’s request. She turned her gaze upward to the hundreds of twinkling stars in the night to find the one that would guide the Nightwings to the next Rite. After half a minute of searching, she found what she was looking for. A bright red star shone stronger than its neighbors and revealed itself to the alicorn. She focused more onto the red star to confirm it was the one she was searching for. Sure enough, Twilight felt the same, mysterious feeling deep inside her that confirmed that this was the right star. She then directed Tariq’s gaze to the star in question.
“Lu, the Vernal Star.” he muttered. “It shall take us to the Glade of Lu, due west of here. Just as my client indicated.”
“Sandalwood.” Both Tariq and Twilight turned around to see Hedwyn had overheard the minstrel speak of his client. “Our informant. He entrusted us with this wagon. This quest. My question is why he did so and what does he want from us?”
Tariq began to scratch his chin. “I…cannot say for certain. Although I trust him enough that he has no ill-intensions.” His gaze then turned west. “He resides somewhere in Wakingwood, the suffocating forest that takes up the western portion of the Black Basin. Our path to the next Celestial Landmark will take us through the forest; there he will await us.”
“That seems simple enough.” Twilight stated, before her inner doubt caused her to speak again. “Too simple.”
Tariq nodded at the alicorn. “Wakingwood is by no means a simple forest. It is a labyrinth of trees and vines that one could easily get lost in if caution is not adhered to.” Twilight took in the warning with compliance. The minstrel’s description reminded her of the Everfree Forest back in Equestria. So she was well aware of how dangerous a seemingly simple forest could be.
“How will we know where to find him then?” Hedwyn asked.
“Quite simple,” Tariq explained before he left for the inside of the wagon. “He will find us.”
As the minstrel left on that cryptic note, Twilight felt an even greater burning desire to satisfy her inquisitiveness. Just how many moves was this Sandalwood ahead of the game? She couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of suspicious, but that was probably just her inner doubt speaking. Hedwyn, for his part, shrugged his shoulders at the alicorn, indicating that he was in the dark as much as she was. Twilight then gave a long, and rather adorable, yawn which was probably a good signal that it was time for bed. All of that strategizing during the Rite left her mentally tired and in need of a good night sleep. A desire that was definitely shared by the rest of camp. Everyone began piling into the blackwagon to get some much-needed rest for tomorrow. All except for one, that is.
Twilight was the last to enter the wagon, but just before she headed inside, something on the roof caught her eye. It turned out to be Pamitha who, true to her word earlier, had made herself comfortable on the roof of the wagon. The alicorn then figured it would probably be polite to at least check up on the Harp. With that in mind, she then flew up to the roof, thankfully a short enough flight for her sore wings. Pamitha didn’t notice the mare’s appearance as she was busy preening some of her feathers. Twilight was about to politely speak up before the Harp turned her head an saw her.
“Reader-darling! How generous of you to check up on me.” the Harp greeted in her usual cheeky tone.
Twilight was still trying to figure out if she was being facetious or not, but she decided that the Harp meant well enough. “Pamitha, you don’t necessarily have to sleep outside if you don’t want to. I know Jodariel hasn’t…exactly warmed up to you yet. But you’re still welcome, nonetheless.”
Pamitha gave a small laugh at the alicorn’s offer. “You’re quite adorable when you’re being sincere like that. But don’t worry, it suits you!” Once she collected herself, Pamitha gave her more serious response. “I enjoy the sky, both soaring through it and gazing up to it. I’ll be fine up here. Besides, you’ve already done enough for me.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked as she slightly cocked her head.
“In those first moments when we met, that vote of confidence in me which you relayed to that nice Hedwyn boy. I’m grateful that you were willing to see past these wings.” Pamitha stated plainly. “Here you are in an unfamiliar land, an ancient enemy that your new friend no doubt warned you about just inserts yourself into your group, and you just go with it? That level of trust is quite the rarity for my kind.” The cheeky Harp couldn’t help but lightly laugh at such a notion.
Twilight did recall that taking in the Harp was a huge risk, considering the sour references that Jodariel was always so keen to spout about her kind. However, Twilight felt as though Pamitha’s addition was a correct call, for mainly two reason. The first reason was the memory of Hedwyn recounting with a Harp. The story with his winged sweetheart was proof enough that not all of her kind were war-hungry mongrels. As for the second reason, it was that sense Twilight had when she first examined Pamitha closely. The alicorn still wasn’t sure what exactly that feeling was, either just a gut feeling or something else unknown to her, but it told her that the Harp was legitimate in her goals. “Well, I for one try to make it a habit to at least give other creatures a chance. Despite your reputation, I didn’t sense any deception from you.” Twilight then explained to Pamitha.
Pamitha didn’t immediately respond to the alicorn’s vague reasoning and opted to give a soft click of her tongue. “Well, whatever be the case, you have nothing to worry. I assure you my motives here are plain. I’ve business with my blood sister Tamitha, and nothing more.”
Twilight’s ears perked up a bit at the familiar name. “Tamitha…the leader of the Essence.”
“Yes, I believe you briefly met before my introduction. Quite the catch, isn’t she?” Pamitha let out a heavy sigh. “I do apologize if she offended you or that blue friend of yours. The girl has little in a filter for her words, especially towards her enemies.”
Twilight remembered very well how hostile Tamitha was upon their initial meeting. She also remembered how ruthless she and her comrades were during the Rite. Specifically, towards her sister which had led to that one-on-one confrontation between the two of them. That combined with the words they exchanged clearly indicated that they had a rough history. A history that Twilight was unfortunately curious about. “Pamitha, what exactly happened between you and your sister before both of you sentenced to the Downside?”
As the alicorn waited for an answer, Pamitha looked straight into her eyes. Gone were the subtle signs of mischief and suaveness and in place was a serious gaze. “That…little quibble between us, well…it’s a long story. One’s that’s no one’s business but hers and mine. It’s not personal to you, Reader darling. It’s just something I have to deal with.”
Twilight ears flattened a bit out of guilt from poking a sore subject for the Harp. “I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to-“
“Calm yourself, darling.” The usual cheekiness had returned to Pamitha’s face. “We’re bound bond to run into her again at some point. Hopefully then she’ll be more cooperative. Happy to aid you in your quest home, until such time. Especially to the point where it aids me in my quest. A simple exchange.”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly define it as some exchange,” Twilight reasoned. “I’d like to think of it as something along the lines of, giving each other a helping hoof during times of crisis.”
“Hm, what ever helps you sleep at night, I suppose.” Pamitha then took notice of how the alicorn let out another long yawn. “Speaking of which, I think it’s time you get some.”
“Yeah, I think you might be right.” Twilight said wearily. “Good night, then, Pamitha.”
Just as the pony was about to hop off the roof, she heard the Harp say one last thing to her. “Sweet dreams, Reader darling. Remember to stay vigilant. After all, we Harps have a saying: ‘Liars abound.’”
Twilight wasn’t exactly sure if that ominous saying was serious or if that was just another one of Pamitha’s cheeky jokes. She supposed that it ultimately didn’t matter, as the Harp still seemed genuine in her desire to aid the Nightwings. Whether or not she was wanted to do some teasing along the way was beyond the mare’s power. Right now, she just wanted to focus on getting some well-deserved shut eye. The alicorn went inside the wagon to get some rest for the upcoming morning.
Musical Cue Continued - Shattered Lands
The wooden wheels of the blackwagon steadily crunched the black, cragged path below it as it made its way west. Among the wagon’s occupants, Twilight was sequestered in the private study Pinkie had made her during the renovations of the wagon. The alicorn was in the process of reorganizing the study for the third time when she realized how bored she was. The Book of Rites hadn’t revealed anymore pages to her, leaving the purple pony to merely reread the pages that were already available. It was then Twilight decided to leave her study and check with the rest of the Nightwings and ponies. As she stepped out into the common area, she saw that most of the group were preoccupied with various activities. Hedwyn, Jodariel and Rukey, the original trio of Nightwings, were focusing on updating a hand drawn map that made of the Downside, no doubt adding in the areas they’ve yet to explore until now. Mae, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Ti’zo were sitting together at the large table occupying themselves with a sort of arts-and-crafts project with Mae’s sticks and leaves that she had collected. Rarity was, as expected, fiddling with the Nightwings’ raiments to ensure that they were in pristine condition. Sir Gilman was nearby the fashionista, either to stay vigilant for potential danger or to offer feedback at Rarity’s request. Twilight was then able to hear both Pamitha and Rainbow Dash chatting on the roof. Though the voices were muffled, it seemed as though the two were engaged in a friendly conversation with one another.
That left all but one of the group left accounted for. Twilight eventually found the pony she was looking for after a quick scan of the room. In the corner, Starlight Glimmer was sitting alone fiddling with something or the other. She appeared to have frustrated expression on her face as her horn appeared to light up with magic for only a second. This concerned the alicorn a tad bit, thus she decided to walk over to her former student to check up on her.
“Hey, Starlight.” Twilight tried to cover her worry with a casual greeting.
Starlight snapped out of her concentration to look over to the alicorn. “Oh, um, hey Twilight! How are…things?” she awkwardly asked with a nervous smile.
This did not go unnoticed by Twilight. “Starlight, is there something wrong?”
The unicorn relented and let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, something’s definitely wrong here. Look over here.” The mare then moved aside a bit so that Twilight could see what she was fiddling with. On the floor was a lone stick that Starlight must have borrowed from Mae’s collection. Twilight was about to ask what was so interesting about the stick when she then notice Starlight’s horn lighting up with magic. The stick was then engulfed in light blue magic and began to float in the air. At first, everything seemed normal to Twilight, par for the course for course for a typical telekinesis spell. Then, the alicorn noticed the magic aura began to flicker along with Starlight’s horn. The magic eventually evaporated completely, causing the stick to clatter to the ground.
“Starlight,” Twilight said with great concern in her voice. “is there something wrong with your horn?” The alicorn reasoned that most stunts in a unicorn’s magic was often caused by an injury or dysfunction in the horn.
“It’s not that, Twilight.” Starlight said as she shook her head. “I’ve checked and double checked, but nothing seems wrong with my horn. It has to be with my magic. The moment I fell out of that weird portal, I tried to cast a teleportation spell, but it didn’t work! All I got was a killer headache. If Rainbow hadn’t been there to catch me, I just don’t know.”
“Oh, Starlight.” Twilight said with sympathy as she placed a hoof on her former student’s shoulder. If she was being honest with herself, she ha know idea what was wrong with the unicorn. Rarity had no problem using her magic after arriving at the Downside. And the only reason Twilight was limited in her magic was due to her injured state, even then she could still cast the translation spell. Therefore, the alicorn reasoned that if she couldn’t provide an answer immediately, she could at least provide some optimistic comfort. “Listen, let’s look at the positives right now. Your magic is on the fritz, but it’s still there. Meaning that there’s still the possibility that it’ll eventually recover. For now, we’ll take it one day at a time. I’m sure everything will work out.”
The talented unicorn looked to her former mentor with a small hint of doubt. She turned her gaze downward as she scratched the side of her head. Before Twilight could get too worried that her pep talk didn’t get through, Starlight looked back up with a small smile on her face. “You might be right. Let’s just give it some time and maybe my magic will get back to normal. Thanks, Twilight!”
The purple mare felt great relief in knowing that she helped her friend feel a bit better. “So, is there anything else bothering you while you have me? Any questions on what’s going on here?”
“No, the other mares pretty much filled me in on everything with the Downside and the Rites. Though I’d be lying if I said that I completely understood it already.” Starlight mused. “To be honest, I’m really more concerned with you.” The unicorn then gestured to the alicorn’s bandages. “It looks like you got really roughed up when the mirror exploded.”
The mention of the inciting incident that had landed her and her friends in the Downside sparked a reminder in Twilight’s mind. In her previous attempts to piece together what exactly happened with the mirror that would lead to such a catastrophe of events, Twilight realized that Starlight might have more insight since multiple accounts from her friends indicated that the unicorn was one of the first ones present with the alicorn.
“Speaking of the mirror,” Twilight sheepishly attempted to change the subject of the conversation. “do you mind if I ask you what exactly happened back in Equestia? I’m afraid my memory is a little…hazy with what happened.”
Starlight scratched the side of her head again. “That blast must have really done a number on you, huh?” The unicorn began her explanation when she saw the concerned look on Twilight’s face. “From what I recall, you called me into the library to help you with a little project you were working on. Apparently, you were curious about the transmogrification process that occurs between the human world and Equestria.”
Twilight nodded as that did line up with her inquisitive nature. “So, what exactly did we do with the mirror then?”
“I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.” the unicorn answered. “You ask me specifically to provide a stability spell while you casted the spell you created yourself. You showed me your notes, but…” the mare then trailed off.
“But…?” Twilight urged her to continue.
The talented unicorn tried her best to hide her growing blush. “I…couldn’t exactly follow it since your hoofwriting was a bit…messy.”
“What?!” Twilight said in shock. “I don’t have messy hoofwriting! Do I?”
Starlight finally found the courage to look at the alicorn again. “For the most part it’s fine. But whenever you get in one of your “study moods”, it’s not as neat as it usually is. So, I’m not exactly sure what the spell that you casted actually is. It could possibly be a combination of two or more or even something entirely new.”
This was quite troublesome. With the alicorn’s temporary amnesia combined with Starlight’s misunderstanding of what was really going on, Twilight was no closer to figuring out what she did to the mirror that would cause them all to be transported to the Downside. Worse part was that she was running out of leads. Twilight and Starlight were the first ones in the library messing with the mirror when Rainbow found them, followed by Applejack and Fluttershy walked in with Rarity and Pinkie entering last. That only left…
“Spike!” Twilight called out in realization. She then directed an inquiry to the unicorn. “Starlight, do you remember if Spike saw the notes I showed you?”
“Umm, I think?” Starlight answered unsurely. “But knowing him, he probably got a looksie at it. And I think you probably told him at some point too, considering that he’s your number one assistant.”
“So, if we manage to find Spike,” Twilight mused. “then we’ll finally be able to figure out what exactly happened!”
“I suppose that could work.” Starlight mused as she scratched the side of her head again. “And from what the others told me, we just have to complete this next “Rite” and Spike should appear in this world. Is that right?”
Twilight almost considered the possibility that the trend that they have been experiencing after each Rite could break, but she quickly banished that from her mind. The alicorn figured that the last thing her friend needed on her mind along with her faulty magic was even more doubt for the future. “I’m positive, Starlight. So long as we keep our course, we’ll find Spike and finally figure out what happened in Equestria. Finding the answer to that could very well help us get home.”
The mares’ conversation was then interrupted as the blackwagon came across a particularly large bump and then came to a sudden halt. At first, Twilight merely thought that the wagon hit a snag in the path and would simply move itself along once again. However, this notion was dispelled when she felt the wagon lunge forward a few times without moving from its original position. It was clear now that there was a problem with the wagon from the outside. Therefore, Jodariel ordered everyone out of the vehicle as she went out herself to inspect what was wrong. Twilight stepped outside to the volcanic atmosphere of the Black Basin. She was informed earlier that morning that they would be traveling along a path known as the Sulfur Mane to reach Waking Wood. Finally stepping outside, the alicorn could see the reason for the namesake of the path. No more than a few meters was a large stone sculpture of an equine head, complete with a single, yellow-glowing eye. From the top of the statue, plumes of yellow liquid cascaded down into what appeared to be a small river. To the left of the golden stream was the path that the wagon had been travelling on, a road that was made up of entirely black crags. It was there where the unintended stop originated from. One of the wooden wagon wheels was caught deep in one of the large cracks in the blacken ground.
Twilight and the rest of the group’s attention was caught when Jodariel let out a deep growl. “First, that blasted little bird. And now this!” the Demon grumbled as she made her way to the back of the wagon and grabbed hold. Pamitha and Rainbow Dash quickly flew off the roof so that Jodariel would not have to lift their weight combined with the wagon. With a heave and a mighty roar, Jodariel used all of her strength to slowly lift the blackwagon from the crack. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. As the horned woman had to relent and dropped the wagon. Frustrated by the failure, Jodariel took out her aggravation by rushing over and punching a nearby boulder. As her fist removed itself from the cracked stone, Jodariel lowered her head and sighed heavily. It was then Twilight saw Applejack cautiously approach the Demon.
“Hey, sugarcube,” the farmer said gently to grab the woman’s attention. “come on, let’s go try again together this time.” Jodariel said nothing to the mare and simply looked down at her until she gave the pony a curt nod in agreement. As the pair walked back to the wagon, Applejack looked to Twilight. “Hey, Twi? Mind usin’ some of yer magic to help us out a bit?”
Twilight smiled and joined the pair, more than happy to help anyway she could. When she got to the back of the wagon, the alicorn focused her levitation magic on the two back wheels. Twilight immediately understood why Jodariel was having trouble lifting the wagon on her own. The vehicle was much heavier than it looked. Jodariel grabbed the back once again while Applejack turned around and steadied her back legs to the back. At the count of three, the ponies and Demon began to lift. With the combined effort of Twilight’s magic, Applejack’s hind strength and Jodariel upper strength, the blackwagon was finally lifted from the crack and dropped back on even ground.
“Great work, y’all!” Applejack commended Jodariel and Twilight.
Jodariel huffed once again in frustration. “May this Sandalwood be worth all of this hassle.”
“Thank you, you three.” Hedwyn said to the Demon and ponies. “I’m guessing Sandalwood doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“He is quite patient, on the contrary.” Tariq informed them. “However, I would still find it prudent to keep a steady pace. From what the stars read last night; we have until tomorrow night until the next Rite will begin.”
“All the more reason to stop wasting time and get a move on.” Jodariel insisted as she began to walk back to the wagon door. However, she was stopped when a certain yellow mare blocked her path.
“Um, excuse me?” Fluttershy meekly said as she looked up to the menacing Demon. “It looks like that the drive imps got a bit…startled by all the commotion. I can calm them down again, but it might take some time.”
At first, Twilight was nervous that Jodariel would explode on the shy pegasus. However, the alicorn was relieved when the Demon huffed once again and stormed off to a nearby small boulder. Instead of punching it this time, she sat herself down on it. Fluttershy then turned around to tend to the drive imps so that the journey could continue on again. This then left the rest of the group to either wait around or perform other tasks to pass the time as the pegasus did her work. Twilight watched as Ti’zo and Rukey went to help Fluttershy, while the other opted to take the opportunity to relax and take in the environment. As the alicorn was decided what she would do with her time, a certain pair had caught her eye. Rainbow and Pamitha were chatting amongst themselves in what appeared to be a friendly repertoire. Spotting the cyan pegasus had remained Twilight that there were some things that she wanted to discuss with her.
“So yeah, she might not look like it right now, but Twi’s become quite the flyer since she got her wings. Of course, she didn’t exactly start out as a pro. She could hardly stay in the air for more than a minute!” Rainbow bragged to the Harp as she reminisced about how she taught the alicorn how to fly. “But luckily she had me to show her the ropes, Equestria’s fastest, most awesome flier!”
Pamitha warmly chuckled at the pegasus’s story. “That’s quite the tale. Would have loved to see her taking her clumsy first step in flying, all in good nature, of course.”
“Ehh, it was a little funny seeing Twilight trying to figure it out, but it honestly didn’t take too long for her to get the hang of it.”
“Hey, guys,” Twilight greeted the two. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Wha-? Oh, nothing, Twi!” Rainbow quickly responded with a faint blush of embarrassment on her face. “Just chilling with Pamitha here!”
“Indeed. She was just telling me some rather interesting stories back in your world. Care to listen as to what she’s told me?” the Harp asked the alicorn with a wink.
“No!” Rainbow quickly interrupted before the Harp could speak forward. “It’s nothing, really! Just average, every day, non-embarrassing stuff! Hehe!”
“Whatever you say, Rainbow darling.” Pamitha nonchalantly said. “I hate to cut our chat short, but I think I’ll go ahead and scout ahead for any more bumps in the roads that we could run into. I’ll leave you two to whatever you need to discuss.”
The Harp then flapped her wings to catch an oncoming breeze so that she could glide up to the upper cliffs. As the two ponies were left alone, Rainbow turned back to her friend, still with a bashful look. “So, uh, there something you wanna talk about, egghead?”
“Actually, there is.” Twilight replied, deciding to avoid further questioning about the previous conversation. “I just noticed that you seem to really be getting along now with Pamitha.”
“Oh yeah! We’re getting along great!” Rainbow replied enthusiastically. “After all that awkwardness from our first meeting, sorry about that by the way, we got to talking. Turns out she’s just as fond of flying as I am. She’s a heck of a lot better than her sister, I’ll tell ya.”
Twilight gave a small giggle. “I’m glad that you two are getting along now.” She then glanced to the side and saw Tariq, who was sitting down while resting his eyes. “Um, Rainbow? I don’t suppose that this change in attitude was thanks to Tariq while we were at the Rite, would it?”
Rainbow’s expression turned serious for moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess you could say that. We kinda had a chat and he…helped me realize a few things.”
Twilight decided to fish a little more to satisfy her curiosity. “Would you be okay with…telling me what he said exactly?”
The Wonderbolt lowered her head in thought. She then looked over to Tariq to see that he was still sleep. After she looked around one last time to make sure that no one would eavesdrop on their conversation, Rainbow sat down. “Yeah, why don’t you take a seat and I’ll tell you what happened.” The alicorn eagerly complied and sat down so that she could listen to pegasus’s story. Rainbow took a deep breath and began. “Alright. So, after you guys left, you could say that I was a little bit…peeved.
Musical Cue - Shattered Lands (White Lute)
“UGHH! Stupid winged…bird lady!”
The prismatic maned mare continued to yell as she stomped her hoof onto the wooden floor of the wagon. The seething anger that she was bottling up for the sake of her alicorn friend was now starting to surface. The gull of that first Harp to swoop in and throw such disrespect to both her and the rest of the pegasi race and treat it like nothing. After what she did for one of her sisters? Then her sister tries to act all chumy with her and her friends and just brushed off what her sister said? It just pushed Rainbow the wrong way. And it certainly didn’t help when Rarity invited that dumb Harp back in the wagon just to try out some robe. Rainbow, of course, said nothing during their brief visit, opting to merely sulk in the corner. Long after they left, Rainbow was free to release her built up rage in a loud, but non-destructive, manner. She was left completely alone with her enraged thoughts for the Harps. Well, almost alone.
“You seem troubled, Rainbow Dash.”
The Wonderbolt turned her head to see that Tariq was sitting in his usual corner strumming some sort of tune on his lute. She wasn’t exactly sure why the minstrel had decided to stay behind as well, but she was too busy stewing in her anger. Now that she thought about it, how was it that he was always able to stay so serene? The pegasus admittedly hadn’t known the Lone Minstrel for long, but she had yet to see an emotion from him that was greater than calm or collected. In her aggravated state, Rainbow began to feel a bit ticked off by that.
“And why exactly are you so calm?!” she asked accusingly.
The minstrel continued to play on his instruments. “Perhaps the better question is why you seem to be so agitated?”
“WHY?” Rainbow asked, appalled that Tariq would ask such a question. “Did you not hear what that Harp said?! She practically spat on all of pegasi culture by both suggesting that we don’t deserve to fly and by mocking what I did with my primary with that other Harp! Who the buck does she think she is?!”
Tariq nodded. “Tamitha Theyn is not known to be the most sensitive, most especially towards outsiders such as yourself.”
Rainbow raised her eyebrow in suspicion. “You actually know that jerk?”
“Not personally, no.” Tariq explained. “Her reputation is quite well known in these parts of the Downside.”
“Well, I don’t give two damns about who she is, doesn’t give her any right to insult me like that!” The pegasus gave another huff of frustration. “But you know what’s even worse?! The fact her sister decided to swoop in acting all buddy-buddy and Twilight let’s her join us on the spot! It’s just so…so…Augh!”
After the cyan mare shook her head clear and looked to Tariq again, she saw that he had stopped playing on his lute and was now looking right at her. “It would appear that the source of your frustration originates not from the Harps, but rather Madame Twilight.”
At first, Rainbow Dash thought about denying the minstrel’s claim, but the more she thought about it, she realized that he might be right. Sure, she was still quite angry at what Tamitha had said to her, but it was Twilight’s insistence of letting Pamitha join them that had really stirred up her emotions. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s right. I’m upset with Twilight.” she eventually admitted. “It’s just…I just don’t get why she just decided to take in Pamitha like that. After the way her sister insulted her and me and the rest of the pegasi, you’d think she would be a little bit suspicious of her. I mean, she has those beautiful wings, and she barely flinched at how Tamitha insulted me when I told her I gave up one of my primaries! I really don’t want to be mad at her for this, but I just…I don’t know.”
Silence filled the room after Rainbow vented the last of her frustrations. She first expected Tariq to say something either in defense of Twilight’s actions or that she was overthinking things, but he remained quiet. Was he waiting Rainbow to say something else? Continue to spout her doubts of both the Harps and Twilight’s decision of letting one join the Nightwings? Was this some kind of weird method to make her feel worse? Rainbow honestly didn’t know and was dead curious as to what was going through the Lone Minstrel’s mind now.
“If I may ask, Rainbow Dash,” Tariq finally broke the silence. “did you happen to tell Madam Twilight in detail what happened back at the Highwing Cove?”
At first, Rainbow was somewhat perplexed at such an out-of-the-blue question, but she eventually decided to answer. “I…haven’t really gotten around to telling her, no.”
“And it is true that before she achieved her alicorn station, she was originally a mere unicorn?” Tariq then followed.
“Y-Yeah, what’s your point?” Rainbow then asked back.
Tariq then temporarily closed his eyes in thought. “My point is that it would appear that Madame Twilight would not be aware of how important it was that you gave up one of your primaries. How would she then understand the sheer importance of how Tamitha insulted your gesture?”
The pegasus’s eyes widened at the realization of what the minstrel said. Immediately, she quickly tried to find some justification that would defuse the mistake that she made. “W-W-Well, that shouldn’t matter! Twilight’s a huge egghead, so she should have known about that! She should have known how much that primary meant to me! I told her that back at the Flagging Hands! She should have figured all of that out! Right?!”
The minstrel said nothing and instead gave the Wonderbolt a look. A look that conveyed that she was making large leaps in logic in an attempt to make herself feel better. That was when Rainbow realized how much she bucked up. She had a bad habit of jumping to conclusions. A habit that, while has improved over the years, was still lingering on her character. Sure, she was still made at Tamitha and still didn’t understand why Twilight recruited, but she couldn’t exactly blame the alicorn for disregarding her strong feelings. “Oh Celestia, I am such an idiot.” the pegasus muttered as she rubbed her temple in frustration, only this time it was directed to herself.
Rainbow half expected Tariq to give some condescending lecture about jumping to conclusions or some other nonsense that she heard a million times before. However, she was surprised once again when she looked over and the minstrel was still silent. “Well?” Rainbow asked sarcastically.
“Hm?” Tariq hummed as he looked up from his instrument. “Do you require something, Rainbow Dash?”
“Don’t give me that.” the cyan mare retorted. “Just get it out of your system and tell me I was in the wrong and that I should know better! Go on, I can take it.”
Again, the Lone Minstrel was silent. “Well, I suppose if I were to give you advice,” he said as he put down his lute and stood up. “I would say to try and put in more trust in both Madame Twilight and yourself.” Tariq then walked to the pegasus and knelt down on one knee to have direct eye contact with her. “One or two instances of miscommunication is nothing to be completely ashamed of. It only means that there’s room to improve with your friendship with Madame Twilight. She will no doubt accept any apology from you for your brief frustration. As for her decision, I urge you to urge to take the opportunity to trust in it. While it may be difficult to explain, I truly believe that Madame Twilight examined Pamitha’s character to the fullest.”
Rainbow Dash took in the minstrel’s words slowly. It was clear now that the minstrel had no intensions to make the pegasus feel bad for her mistake. Rather instead, he wanted her to learn from it. True, Rainbow’s frustration and offense taken from Tamitha might have clouded her judgement. But that still didn’t mean that she couldn’t make some amends with Pamitha. Even though she knew next to nothing about Harp aside from rude sister, Rainbow had to suck it up and put her trust in Twilight. A feat that, in all honesty, was far from difficult for her.
“I…Okay, maybe a was bit harsh.” Rainbow admitted to the Lone Minstrel. “When they get back, I’ll try to patch things up with Pamitha. You’re right, Twilight hasn’t steered me wrong in the long while I’ve known her. So, I’ll trust her on this too.”
Tariq smile and stood back up. “That is all I ask. Now, if you will pardon me, I think I will be stepping outside for some fresh air. It appears that you have some more thinking to do, but do not hesitate to come see me if you need to talk again.” Just as the minstrel stepped into the door frame to head out into the night air, he turned to the pegasus and said one last thing to her. “Trust is a cherished thing here in the Downside, Rainbow Dash. Believe me when I say that breaking it can lead to disastrous consequences.”
Rainbow then watched as Tariq went outside after uttering that cryptic statement. The mare was now alone in the blackwagon with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. She considered thinking about what Tariq had meant by “disastrous consequences” when it came to breaking trust, but she decided to chalk it up as another instance of his stoic eccentricism. For now, the cyan pegasus laid down and got comfortable on the floor. She closed her eyes and began to think. Think of ways to apologize to Pamitha for her behavior. Think of ways of how her and the Harp could strengthen their acquaintanceship.
And think of ways of how to apologize to Twilight.
Twilight was at a loss for words when Rainbow finished recounting what happened. A swirl of emotions fluctuated in the alicorn as the pegasus went on, ranging from confusion, pity, guilt and sadness. True, she was quite thankful that Tariq was able to offer such kind advice to the Wonderbolt, but that still didn’t excuse what she did to her friend.
“Rainbow, I’m…sorry. I didn’t realize that Tamitha pushed you that hard.” the alicorn apologized.
“It’s not your fault, Twi. I realize that now.” the pegasus quickly assured her. “Even still, I didn’t tell you how important that primary was. How else were you supposed to tell how much that offended me?”
“I know, but…maybe I should’ve been more aware of your feelings. I was admittedly kinda caught in the moment.” Twilight explained sheepishly. “When I was contemplating on letting Pamitha join, I looked at her and I…felt something. Something more intricate than just a gut feeling. It’s like I got a glimpse into her soul. That’s when I knew we could trust her, at least for the time being. Does that make any sense?”
Rainbow tilted her head in confusion. “Not…exactly, Twi.” However, the Wonderbolt’s demeanor quickly changed when Twilight began to show a dejected expression. “B-But, who care’s if it doesn’t make sense to me. We’re all in a whole different world here, so I’m pretty sure anything is possible!” The pegasus then put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I trust you, Twilight. Me and the rest of the girl know that you would never steer us wrong on purpose. You just continue being the same old egghead you usually are we’ll be back in Equestria in no time.”
Twilight felt a warm feeling deep inside her as Rainbow professed her trust in her. The alicorn was filled at great relief in knowing that her worries over the pegasus’s behavior were finally put to rest. She supposed that she had Tariq to partially thank for helping the cyan mare work out her feelings, but she was still thankful that she could finally talk with her. It was that feeling that drove Twilight to pull Rainbow into a quick hug.
“Thank you, Rainbow.” she said to her dear friend. “I promise that I won’t let any of you down. And when we get back to Equestria, I think I’ll do some deep reading into pegasi tradition.”
As the two ponies separated and smiled at each other tenderly, their attention was drawn away when they heard Applejack holler from the distance. “Come on, y’all! Fluttershy says the drive imps are all ready to go. Hop in the wagon and we can get on goin’!”
The pair then saw as the rest of the ponies and Nightwings were piling back into the blackwagon, with Pamitha settling back in on the roof. Rainbow then looked to Twilight and nodded while giving one of her trademark smirks to the alicorn. Twilight nodded back and the two mares trotted back and boarded the wagon. Once everybody was safely onboard, Applejack took to the helm and started up the vehicle. The blackwagon then continued its journey west towards Wakingwood.
Where the Nightwings would hopefully finally meet their mysterious benefactor, Sandalwood.