"Like, so we were in a real pickle." The crusaders and Dry were rivoted to Silver's story. "We wanted to get that book, but that Kara was being real mean about it." She stomped a hoof in annoyance. "But Lumie kept reminding us, in her way, that friends would bring us through. We needed friendship." She nodded in memory. "Friends to counter their gangs. Every time they almost had us, friendship came through for us. Our little lizard friend--"
"More of a reptile," argued Diamond, eyes rolling. "Hope he's doing alright."
"Me too." She let out a sigh, but went right on with the story. "To a friendly fox and local champions! We didn't do it. We did it." She threw her hooves wide. "All together, to get that book. And it wasn't in a dark place at all."
Apple Bloom leaned in. "Where was it. Ya done looked 'bout everywhere else, didn't ya?"
Diamond thumped in. "You would not believe it." A brief pause. "On the other hoof, maybe you would. You two have been there. That place is nuts... Kara's a clever mare, I'll give her that. She didn't hide it in a dusty cave. She hid it right out in the open, where nopony would ever find it!"
Silver nudged against Diamond. "But we did. Right there, in the center of everything. She had them just tuck it in the temple, the temple. Right there next to all the other holy books like it was no big deal!"
Dry's eyes widened. "Wow! How did you find it then? I never would have looked there for a long lost book."
Silver set a hoof on her chest. "Hello, Lumie! She is only the book master." She had to pause to get some applause going on. "But she didn't just grab my nose and, like, pull me where I needed. A god only helps you as much as you help yourself at best. Watch out for the ones that promise more than that, because they'll take more than that." She waved a hoof in a warning way, resuming her trek.
Diamond groaned with the memory. "Silver was sure she could look up great hiding places."
"And so I looked." She made a trotting motion, despite moving forward at a walking pace. "And looked! I kept reading and looking and... What's this?" She pantomimed holding something up. "This book doesn't belong here!"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both broke into laughter. Sweetie recovered first, "So you found the missing book while you weren't looking for it? That's amazing."
Apple Bloom shook her head. "And your first thought was 'This isn't in the right spot.'" She shook her head with a goofy smile. "Twilight sure would be proud."
Diamond nudged Silver away. "She's leaving out the part where we got the book out. That book was in Luminace's hands, her priests, and they don't like it when you want to take one of their books. Borrow it, maybe, but take? That gets them annoyed. And we couldn't borrow it. So..."
Silver sank miserably. "So we stole a book from Luminace... I think she's forgiven me. She knows I was trying to do the right thing! I say sorry all the time." She kicked a small rock. "It was the only way, they weren't listening to little foals like us. Um, but I didn't take the book with me. Besides, like, why would I? It can do a lot more good in Everglow than here."
Dry let out a sudden cheer. "You're heros! Not only do you have a god, but you're doing their work. Not many can claim that." He raised a hoof to his chin. "It must have been scary."
Apple Bloom thumped against Dry. "Most thin's are scary to you."
"Yeah..." He didn't even try to fight that. "But you did it!"
Silver puffed herself up tall. "It was quite the trip..." She suddenly went in close to Diamond, thumping her rump against her friend's. "And I made it thanks to good friends."
Diamond rolled her eyes, but didn't back away from Silver. "There's Scoot's place." She pointed at the building just coming up. "She got some Everglow excitement right here at home. Let's make sure she's alright."
"Ya said it." Apple Bloom hurried forward to the door and knocked on it excitedly. "It's us!" But no response came right away. "Oh right." She applied a hoof to her head. "She's sick." Apple Bloom casually opened the door. Not like a lot of houses were actually locked. "Scootaloo, it's us. Me an' Sweets. Dry and Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara."
"Wha?" came a weak reply.
Diamond strut through the house like she owned it. "Don't sound too happy." She flashed a bright smile on the recovering pegasus. "Wow, that really did do a number on you." She turned to Silver Spoon. "You got any Lumie magic that can help?"
"Oh, like, great idea." She mentally flipped through her prayers, considering her options. "Ah ha! Let's try this one." She advanced, hooves starting to glow softly. "If I may?"
"It isn't gonna hurt, is it?" Scootaloo was peering at Silver with suspicion.
"What? Me? Like, no, 'course not! I'm here to help." Silver Spoon flashed a bright smile, sitting next to Scoot's bed. "Now just relax." She began to speak strange praying words, setting her hoof on the prone form of the filly as she called on the warm healing magic of her god. A strange black tar seemed to rise to the surface, just to float away, carrying some of the taint free of Scootaloo.
"Woah." Scootaloo sat up, blinking. "That felt funny, but... good?" She waved a hoof, experimenting. "I have a little more feeling. Not all there, but better. Thanks!"
Silver looked over her shoulder at Dry. "You could do this too. Luminace is generous with her magic. She, like, loves the stuff, and the ponies that practice it." She resumed her prayers, bidding more of the foul ick to leave Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom clopped her hooves once. "Our adventure woulda been a lot easier if you were alon' for it."
Sweetie was peering at Diamond curiously. "You said you learned magic too, right?"
"Not that kind." Diamond waved dismissively at the healing magic being used. "I follow my cutie mark." She hiked a hoof back at it. "I'm in charge, and I show it." Oh, the smarmy look on her face. "I just... had to learn when to apply that... Speaking of that..." She worried her fore hooves together. "I never did say sorry, so... sorry."
Apple Bloom inclined her head. "Um... Sorry fer what?"
Silver booped Apple Bloom suddenly. "Fer being Diamond. Like, what else?"
Apple Bloom rubbed at her tapped nose. "Well, yeah, alright. Um, then, ah forgive ya."
"Me too!" squeaked Sweetie, bouncing in place. "We're a team now. Everglow Survivors!" She thrust out a hoof. It was but an instant before Apple Bloom and Scoots had joined, hooves meeting, all three of them looking to Diamond and Silver.
Silver burst into giggles, moving over to add her hoof to the meeting. Diamond was slower about it. "You are impossible." And yet, her hoof did come in, a five way union. "Still makes us the most impressive foals in the country by any measure."
"Yeah!" Scoots wasn't looking so sick anymore, excitedly bouncing on her bed. "There are adults that haven't seen a shred of what we've seen, and survived to tell the tale!" She pumped upwards with a hoof. "Because we're just that cool."
Apple Bloom inclined her head at Scoots. "Cooler than Rainbow Dash?"
Scoots squeaked at the idea, paling. "That's a really high bar!"
Diamond prodded at Scootaloo. "What is it with your hero worship? The way I hear it, you made it through Everglow better than Rainbow did. She lost a wing."
Silver shook her head quickly. "She got it back."
Diamond could but roll her eyes. "You can get almost anything back, she still lost it. None of us lost any body parts."
Scootaloo crossed her arms. "Hey, don't badmouth Rainbow. She was busy being awesome, and... sometimes... being awesome hurts. But she did it, and she kept on doing it. That just makes her more awesome!"
"Whatever." But Diamond was smiling in a not unkind way. "So here's a real question. If you were given a chance to go back, would you?" She looked at the crusaders daringly. "Or would you stay here where it's safe... relatively."
"Safe!" Dry had his hoof raised, that choice all too easy.
Apple Bloom giggled at him, hugging gently. "Don't be so quick! Now that would depend some. If this was, like, just a random thin', probably would skip it too. But if ah was needed fer somethin', then ah'd consider."
Sweetie bobbed her head. "And if Apple Bloom went, well, I'd be with her." They met, hoof to hoof in solidarity that was met a moment later by Scoots.
"As if you could leave me behind." Scoots slipped down from the bed, clearly feeling better. "Unless you were going to rescue me. That'd be awkward, but thanks in advance if that ever happens."
Diamond flicked her tail, eyeing the three. "You would do that for each other, wouldn't you?"
Apple Bloom nodded firmly. "Fer any of our friends. You included?"
Silver suddenly bumped into Diamond, nuzzling her forward towards Apple Bloom's extended hoof.
Diamond accepted it with a hoof of her own. "Alright, that goes both ways then. You get into trouble, we'll be there to help." She put out her other hoof towards Silver Spoon. "Only fair. Now, not to be mean, but odds are, you three will get into trouble before we do."
Scoots burst into fresh giggles. "Yeah, probably, but we'll all be awesome, together." Her eyes went to Dry. "Say, why do you look off?"
"Um." He fidgeted in place. "You're all about my age, but you've already seen so much, and done so much... I feel... small, like I messed up. Even if your stories are often very frightening, I keep thinking maybe I should be involved somehow..."
Diamond leaned in, a smirk on her face. "You did something we never did." That got him looking confused, but curious. "You're a foal not just visiting, but living on a whole other world." She did a wide circle over herself with a hoof. "You're going to be on an adventure for years, maybe forever. That counts, colt."
Silver nodded with a hoof at her chin. "She's not wrong." She just as sharply leaned forward, nose an inch from his. "So about the Lumie club! I'll show you the ropes. You'll be casting spells in no time! You don't even have to be, like, a unicorn." She danced in place excitedly. "You could do healing magic like me, or maybe you'd rather something else? Lumie teaches all kinds of magic."
Dry sank to his haunches. "Would she want a scared little colt." He pointed at himself. "I'm not very good at... that."
"But you were," countered Silver Spoon. "The moment friends needed you, you were there. That makes you the best kind of adventurer in her book, and mine." She nodded firmly, sure of her words. "In a scary world, it's good to have friends."
He wanted to argue that, really he did. But he couldn't. Friends were one of the things he wasn't scared of. A good friend did a lot to make things a little less scary... "Yeah..." He refocused on the smiling filly. "And you want to be my friend?"
"I'd like that." She fluttered her lashes. "You're interesting. Shaped kinda funny, but a good funny." She raised a hoof, casually feeling up his cheek and snout. "I like it."
He began to blush terribly. Sure, she was an alien pony, but she was a female alien pony of about his age and she seemed interested. He was just old enough to know that sort of thing. "Y-yeah." It hit him what he just agreed with. "I mean! We're all ponies, in the end."
"Yes." She released him. "And as ponies, we are stronger together."