ACT FIVE
Lightning tossed and turned, unable to sleep too well, but not simply for worrying about the others and tomorrow’s plan, but he was still thinking about Twilight and how she messed everything up.
Krysta sat up in her little bed on the table next to his. “You’re really mad at her, huh?”
“Sure.” grumbled Lightning. “Ah, heck, No… I’m not really angry, just worried. I can’t stop thinking about the way she acted.”
He got out of bed and walked over to the window to look outside.
The storm was still billowing hard, but at least the streets were deserted so there weren’t any crabby ponies causing scenes or breaking things, but he still felt bad for them all being locked up.
Krysta fluttered up to Lightning, and even though she, herself, was mad at Twilight for defying orders, she actually took pity on her. “She is learning, and she couldn’t help herself.”
“I understand all that,” grumbled Lightning, “But it’s still no excuse. She very nearly jeopardized us all. As captain I’m supposed to be responsible for all those assigned to me, and if they fall out of line…!”
He sighed while hanging his head low. “I get that she has her own experiences, but she has to understand that they won’t always help her. These are new times for her and everyone else.
I just hope and pray she doesn’t try something like this tomorrow either, or everything will be ruined. That means Hearths Warming will be destroyed, and our friends… who knows what will become of them, or this entire planet.”
He wasn’t trying to say he didn’t want Twilight to come on the mission. He wanted her to learn well, and he wanted her to understand what it meant to be a fighter, but this meant no room for mistakes or being undisciplined.
“…I just want to know if I can trust her.”
Krysta could only shake her head.
Meanwhile, Twilight was having the same thoughts too.
She sat up in bed staring down at her bed covers. “Sometimes I just don’t get Lightning. It’s almost like he doesn’t believe in the power of friendship.”
Spike sat up in his little basket bed. “I don’t think that’s true, Twilight. Otherwise he wouldn’t have friends, or he wouldn’t be willing to try and have fun like he did.”
Twilight didn’t feel any better, especially with the thought of the mission the next day, worrying about her friends, and the sake of Hearths Warming too.
“How did it all come to this?” she wondered. “Ever since The Great War, the power of friendship… it just feels like its fading.
Don’t get me wrong, Lightning’s a great friend, and so are the others, but… then, they just turn around and get so… serious, it’s like they immediately assume friendship is useless.”
“Well, they did come from a world of war and constant struggle to fight evil, every day of their lives.” said Spike. “I’m pretty sure they’ve had their shares of times when friendship wasn’t enough.”
Twilight especially thought of Lightning’s birth planet, Harmonious, and how such a blissful and peaceful world of love and friendship was utterly shattered.
Twilight sighed. “I guess I’m still just learning about all this new stuff and I have to admit… I will have to face times when friendship won’t really be good enough.
…But in the end I just want us all to get along, and I want things to work out for everyone.”
She got up and walked over to the window, looking out at the storm.
Then both she and Lightning seemed to start singing a soft song.
[Twilight]
It seems like times are hard,
and a lot’s on my mind
It’s seems all I’ve known
is leaving behind.
It’s Hearths Warming,
and things don’t seem bright.
I want to do something,
and I want to do it right.
[Lightning]
I come from a world that is different,
and things were not always the best
There were battles and chaos and we all did fight,
without ever so much of a rest
Now here we are with these new friends,
and I care for them with all my might
I know they mean well, but…
But how can I tell if what they do is right.
Both Lightning and Twilight looked up through the storm, actually imagining they could see through it at all the glistening stars at night, and both making the same wish.
[Both]
Oh, holy stars…
Help me do what’s right,
Show me the way to go
Hearths Warming, here my say
Guide me with all the might,
Let the way come forth to show…
…What is right.
As the song faded, and the two ponies snapped back into reality, they were both still unable to sleep.
Instead, they both marched out of their suites, and they both met up in the hallway, each with the same idea in mind.
“We need to talk.” they both agreed, and they did, right through the night.
The next morning, it still seemed rather dark because of the blizzard still billowing.
Lightning, Twilight, and the rest of the team reported to their majesties for final preparations.
Lightning and Twilight still looked grumpy with each other, especially hinting by how exhausted they looked.
“This is bad,” Starla whispered to others. “What are their majesties going to say?”
“They can’t possibly be willing to let them both go on the mission like this.” agreed Applejack.
Much to everyone else’s surprise, when their majesties came in to greet everyone, Grand Ruler’s first comment was, “Good, you’re all here and ready.”
The other friends wondered if he or Celestia noticed Lightning and Twilight still seemingly visibly cross with one another.
Lightning and Twilight looked at one another, and then snuffed and turned away.
“We have some good news.” said Celestia “It is possible for us-- that is Celesto and I-- to remove the brainwashing, and get all the affected ponies back to normal.”
“Really?” peeped Fluttershy.
“That is a good relief to hear.” agreed Rarity, but Grand Ruler shook his head, “No, not quite… it isn’t as easy as you think.
The Cursed Blizzard must be dispelled first. Until it is, the spell will have no effect. That makes it all the more reason for you all to find Frieda and put an end to her plans before things get worse.”
The team all blinked once in concern, and Rhymy asked…
“What do you mean by “Get Worse?”
Is there something to this horrible curse?”
“I think I see what it is…” said Buddy as he pointed outside, motioning that it hadn’t stopped snowing at all, and the snow was beginning to pile up deeply; so deep… that it already reached the stoops of people’s homes outside.
The magic barriers protected the homes and buildings themselves from the outside magic, and collateral damages, but not from something like this!
“Oh, all those poor ponies and their families!” cried Fluttershy.
“I’ve seen my share of blizzards, but this one sure bites the apple hard.” said Applejack.
Grand Ruler nodded in agreement. “Celestia and I must remain behind in order to get the spell ready to vanquish all this, but as I said: it will not work unless the storm is shut off from the source.”
Lightning and Twilight both looked determined to ensure that would happen, but they still didn’t even look at one another, and even if they did, they did so with the deepest of scorn.
Spike and Krysta didn’t like it one bit, having slept through the night and not hearing them have their little talk, which seemed to end in hostility.
This was further confirmed as the team marched down the hallway to the royal labs for final outfitting and preparations.
Lightning slammed his hand against the wall right before Twilight; stopping her dead where she was and look right at him.
“Let’s get one thing straight, recruit,” he said severely “If you screw up on this mission, or if you put even one toe out of line… if we’re lucky enough to come back in one piece, you’ll be spending Hearths Warming in a cell, understood?”
Twilight hesitated.
“…Understood?!”
Quivering angrily, but keeping her cool, Twilight replied. “Yes… sir…”
Then they both walked into the lab, but all the others were becoming appalled by how harshly Lightning was behaving.
“Lightning, don’t you think you’re going over the top with this?” asked Starla, but Lightning merely held up his hand, “Now don’t you start too, Lieutenant.”
Starla nearly winced in shock, and Lightning said straight to the others, “…That goes for the rest of you. Now let’s get ready.”
Even the other Space Ponies wanted to give Lightning a scolding, but that would only make them look just as bad, even declare mutiny which was a serious offense!
“I don’t get it.” whispered Buddy. “If Lightning’s so steamed and distrustful of Twilight, why is he letting her come on the mission?”
“You heard their majesties, they were clear
Their orders were she comes, not stay here.” replied Rhymey.
The Equestrians knew better than to question royal orders, but they, too, did not like where Lightning and Twilight’s attitudes were going, but there was no time to worry about that.
Once in the lab, Professor Brain and his workers had the team line up in front of a large panel as the team was sprayed with a special formula.
“What gives with this?” asked Applejack.
Rarity groaned as she held her nostrils, “It’s positively rancid.” she felt like she was about to throw up.
“It may smell putrid…” explained Brain “But this formula shall ensure you safety for your journey, for it shall keep you conscious and stable while you are frozen.
We wouldn’t watch you all catching a chill now.”
The scent of the formula was already beginning to fade away and it didn’t smell so hard and bad now.
Next, their majesties came in and repeated the heat-shielding spell which would keep everyone warmer in the ice-palace.
Once this was done, it was time for the Space Ponies to transform.
“STARFLEET MAGIC!!”
“Wow! I love watching this!” exclaimed Spike as he watched the transformations.
Once the ponies were transformed, and Twilight and her friends were outfitted with extra special parkas and snow-goggles, it was time for launch.
All the ponies were loaded into large ejection tubes. Spike rode with Twilight, and Krysta with Lightning.
“Are you all ready?” asked Celestia “We’re about to freeze you, and then you will be launched in a perfect trajectory to the ice-palace. After which, you will be on your own.”
“We’re ready.” said Lightning.
“We won’t fail you.” added Twilight.
Lightning grunted softly at Twilight’s cockiness, which earned him a roll of her eyes, much to the dismay of the others, but still their majesties acted as if nothing was wrong.
Fluttershy tried to speak up about the obvious dysfunction, when suddenly their majesties combined their powers together with the machinery in the tubes, and in a big blast, everyone was frozen in solid ice-blocks, which were enchanted to shatter in a few minutes.
“Launch, now!” ordered Grand Ruler.
The workers agreed, and in no time at all…
…One of the tower turrets swung open on a large hinge revealing a large cannon extending outward.
POW!! The cannon fried all at once, sending all their ice blocks high up into the sky.
“Good Luck, My Brave Ponies.” prayed Grand Ruler.
Celestia bowed her head, sharing in her husband’s prayer.