//------------------------------// // 579 - Nervous Anticipation // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// “Are you sure you don’t feel anything? No indigestion? No stuffiness? No tickle in the back of your throat?” Twilight’s question earned a sigh from Spike, rolling his eyes in irritation. “Ei heew hain.” Blinking at the nonsensical answer, Twilight belatedly removed the tongue depressor from her assistant’s mouth, quenching the light from her horn as she ceased examining the back of his throat. “Sorry, what was that?” “I said I feel fine,” huffed Spike, rubbing his chin gingerly. For all that he regularly munched on gemstones, five uninterrupted minutes of holding his mouth open had left his jawbone aching something awful. “Twilight, I’m telling you, there’s nothing wrong with me. If Starlight had sent a reply, I would have received it.” “Then why hasn’t she written back yet?!” Twilight’s yell was accompanied by a reflexive flap of her wings, but it was anxiety, rather than anger, that colored her features. “It’s been seventy-two hours since we sent her the instructions for the spell that’ll let her write back, and there’s been no word!” Spike grimaced as Twilight began to pace up and down the length of the train car. Fortunately it was one that they had all to themselves, Princess Celestia having reserved the entire train for their trip to the Crystal Empire. With her and Princess Luna, along with a small cadre of guards and retainers, having taken the frontmost car, there were plenty others where Twilight could fret uninterrupted. “Come on, Twilight,” Spike pleaded, hating how distraught she looked. “I know Starlight’s special talent is magic, but you said that spell wasn’t exactly an easy one. Not to mention her horn was still injured, right? So it’s probably no big deal that she’s taking a little longer than you thought to write back.” Twilight rounded on him, incredulity and panic written all over her face. “No big deal?!” she echoed. “No big deal?! Less than two days after I take on my very first student, she winds up being thrown into another dimension filled with all sorts of dangers, right alongside the dangerous maniac who attacked us in our own home, and now she’s not writing back even though we’ve sent her eleven letters in the past three days begging her to let us know how she’s doing, and you’re saying it’s NO BIG DEAL?!” Flinching, Spike managed a rictus grin. “Um…yes?” “AUGH!” Flopping down onto an empty seat, Twilight buried her face in her hooves, her nervous energy temporarily expended. “This is all my fault, Spike,” she moaned. “I never should have let Starlight chase after Silhouette like that.” “You’re being too hard on yourself,” offered Spike, a worried look on his face as he crept closer to her, not wanting to trigger another outburst. “You told Starlight not to go after him, but she took off on her own anyway.” But Twilight shook her head. “I should have done something. If I’d put up a force field or telekinetically grabbed her or even just flown a little faster, she’d still be here right now. And I never should have left that portal just sitting there like that, waiting to be activated.” Wincing at the guilt in her voice, Spike found himself wishing he had some backup, knowing that a funk this bad would be difficult for him to break Twilight out of all on his own. But there was no one else available. Although all of their friends had offered statements of support – both for what had happened to Starlight, as well as for Luna’s restoration – before the two of them had boarded the train, none of them had been able to come with them, citing personal obligations that needed to be fulfilled. That was something that neither Twilight nor Spike could begrudge them. While their friends had made it clear that they didn’t regret having dropped everything to run off to Vanhoover with them, Rarity had orders that had begun to pile up at the Carousel Boutique in her absence. Applejack couldn’t bring herself to miss another harvest at Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy had let it slip that Angel would have a temper tantrum of epic proportions if she left again anytime soon. Rainbow Dash had bemoaned the chewing out she was sure to receive from the other weather ponies for leaving them in a lurch. Pinkie Pie had said something about needing to bake three hundred cupcakes ASAP…though nopony was certain if that was because Sugarcube Corner had a backlog of baked goods that needed to be made or if she was simply feeling particularly hungry. With Soft Mane wanting to stay behind to look after her mother, and Princess Celestia putting all of her focus on Princess Luna – who was in a decidedly mixed frame of mind, being almost too nervous to be hopeful – that left nopony else to try and keep Twilight calm as she fretted over Starlight’s increasingly-worrisome lack of response. Now, with no one else to help him talk Twilight through the latest of what was becoming a series of self-inflicted guilt trips, Spike fell back on one of the more tried-but-true tactics he’d learned for managing Twilight: distract her. “So,” he began, trying to sound nonchalant, “do you think the crystal ponies will be able to remove Lex’s curse from Luna?” The look Twilight gave him in response made it clear that she knew exactly what he was doing. But she held it only for a moment before sighing. “I hope so,” she murmured, turning her eyes toward the window at where the Crystal Empire was rapidly approaching. Normally it took three days by train to get there from Ponyville, but Princess Celestia had requested that the engineer make the best time possible. Between that, and the train not making any of the stops that it normally would have on the way there, they’d managed to cut that time down considerably. “After everything that’s happened, we could all use some good news.” Spike wasn’t sure what to say to that. Fortunately, he was saved from coming up with a reply as a knock sounded from the door at the front of the car, a guard sticking his head in a moment later. “Princess Twilight? The engineer says that we’ll arrive at the Crystal Empire in thirty minutes.” Twilight managed a smile, nodding in acknowledgment. “Thank you.” She held the expression until the armored stallion had left, her worried look reasserting itself as soon as the door closed. “If this doesn’t work, Luna’s going to be crushed.” “It’ll work,” replied Spike confidently as he climbed onto the seat next to Twilight’s. “And Starlight will write back before you know it, too.” Twilight couldn’t help but raise a brow at that. “What makes you so sure?” Pointing a clawed thumb at the glittering buildings visible out the window, Spike smirked. “Because when Spike the Brave and Glorious comes to the Crystal Empire,” he answered smoothly, “the day’s as good as saved.” Twilight just stared at him for a moment, before a strangled snort escaped her lips, finally turning into a full-blown bout of giggling. “Let me guess,” she tittered, “you were saving that line to use on Soft Mane?” Blushing as she saw right through him, Spike gave an embarrassed smile. “I was really hoping to show her the statue of me while we were there.” Still chuckling, Twilight reached over and wrapped the little dragon up in a hug. “We’ll take a picture of it for her,” she promised. “One with all of us in front of it. You, me, Princess Celestia, Luna, and Starlight, together.” Glad that he’d managed to cheer her up, Spike hugged her back…and hoped that things would turn out the way he’d predicted. “Everything’s prepared,” reported Cadance, flying up to the third-story balcony that jutted out over the front of her palace, where Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Spike, and Shining Armor were gathered. “The Crystal Heart is in place, and the crystal ponies are all here.” Landing, she walked over to her husband, giving him an affectionate nuzzle before directing a warm smile at Luna. “Are you ready?” Swallowing, Luna managed a nod. “Yes, I am.” “Alright.” Parting from Shining Armor, Cadance headed back toward the edge of the balcony, spreading her wings. “I’m going to lead the crystal ponies from down there, so that I can add my love to the Crystal Heart as well.” Twilight’s eyes widened, surprised. “You can do that?” she blurted. “I thought only crystal ponies could empower the Crystal Heart.” “Normally that’s the case,” explained Shining Armor, smirking as he nodded toward the crystal heart cutie mark on his wife’s shapely flank. “But Cadance is an exception, being the Princess of Love and all.” “And being a disciple of Lashtada, the goddess of love, doesn’t hurt either,” added Cadance with a smirk of her own, before her expression turned serious as she glanced at Luna again. “I’ve been praying for our success since I got word that you were coming. I’m sure Lashtada won’t let us down.” Luna managed a smile at that, though her expression remained strained. “Thank you, Cadance.” Giving one last nod, the alicorn priestess flew back down, leaving the others to await the Crystal Heart’s activation. Knowing that it wouldn’t take very long, Celestia turned to her sister. “Luna, I know that you’re nervous about whether or not this will work. That’s why, even though I’m certain it will, I want you to know how proud I am of the courage you’re showing right now.” This time Luna’s smile was much shakier, but it was also far more genuine. “Celestia,” she began, her voice trembling as she moved to rest her head against her sister’s chest. “I’m glad you’re here with me.” “I’ll always be with you, sister,” murmured Celestia, wrapping one foreleg around Luna and pulling her into an embrace. “Always.” Off to the side, Twilight smiled at the display of sororal affection, and Spike surreptitiously wiped his eye with a claw. The only one not watching the two was Shining Armor, looking down at where the pellucid streets of the Crystal Empire were lined with ponies. “Here we go,” he murmured, watching as they all knelt, directed by the voice of his wife – unseen, since she was standing in the open plaza where the elevated palace’s first floor would have been were it a normal building, and where the Crystal Heart was displayed now – which was raised, not in command, but in a gentle request for them all to share the light and love that dwelt within them. Immediately, a gentle glow began to gather beneath the crystal ponies’ hooves. It spread out slowly along the translucent roadways, the radiance from each of the crystal supplicants mixing and merging, growing brighter and stronger until it filled every one of the pathways that connected the Crystal Empire, a visible representation of the bonds that its citizens shared. Everyone on the balcony knew from experience that in a few seconds, the Crystal Heart would absorb that power, and then radiate it outward in a field of powerful magic that would cover the entire Crystal Empire…and hopefully blow Lex Legis’ evil magic completely apart. Luna closed her eyes. Celestia held her breath. Shining Armor bit his lip. Twilight shuffled in place. Spike let out a belch. That last one was incongruous enough that everyone turned to look at the little dragon…and so everyone saw the green bout of flame that left his mouth, resolving into a folded scrap of paper that arced through the air toward Twilight a second later. “It’s here!” gasped Twilight, the tension of the moment suddenly forgotten as she grabbed the letter with her telekinesis, pulling it to her as she tore it open, her eyes devouring its contents. “It’s from Starlight! She…” Words failed her as her brain caught up to what she’d just read. Beneath them, the light filling the streets of the Crystal Empire suddenly raced inward, drawn by the pull of the Crystal Heart. But Twilight didn’t register that at all, nor did she hear the voices of the people around her asking what was wrong. Instead, she could only stare at the single line of script written on Starlight’s letter. Captured by griffons. Taken someplace called Cuachan. HELP! Then the love gathered by the Crystal Heart burst outward, washing over everyone.