//------------------------------// // ch30 A Big Problem // Story: The Tallmare (being reworked) // by hus //------------------------------// The mares stared around the hallway of Rarity’s house as they slowly started to recover from the brief moment of vertigo. The sun was already up in the early morning sky, and yet their minds felt like it was at night. Twilight slowly walked over to the window and stared out at the Everfree Forest with pinpricked eyes. Luna hadn’t returned and this was immediately alarming to Twilight. “She isn’t here… she isn’t-where’s Luna?!?” Twilight yelled with panic as she turned her head back to the rest of her friends.  “What you mean Twilight? Who isn’t here? Tell me Twi, who isn’t here?” the farmmare demanded as she pressed her hooves onto Twilight’s shoulders with equally intense eyes.  “Um, Applejack I believe she’s talking about, you know, Luna” Fluttershy spoke up with her usual shyness mixed with reassuring reasoning as she tried to de-escalate the situation, unfortunately, that made Applejack glare back at her slowly.  “Alright now, what the fuck you mean Luna hasn’t come back. She outta be back right now sitting on her royal flanks. You’re telling me that a literal alicorn somehow went missing by her own. If that’s the case, well shit, well I don’t know what happened with that weird from that faceless bitch. But that’s besides the point, we don’t even know if we fell asleep. Hell, you guys practically look the same as you did last night. We all gonna have to figure out what the hell to do. Now since we’re all basically left clueless” Applejack finished before bucking an expensive vase off of one of Rarity’s pedestals.  “Alright, can my guests stop destroying my belongings? First, it was Luna and the mannequin and now it’s you Applejack destroying one of my expensive vases” Rarity gawked in disapproval. Twilight backed up into the center of her friend group as they all stared at her for answers. She knew how vulnerable they must have felt now. Their place of safety now had been invaded. Twilight wasn’t exactly sure what to do nor where she would find Luna. They had fought a creature such as Discord before, they were supposed to be heroes that eliminate any sort of evil. They just felt so weak.  While Twilight continued to stare into the void, Thorax went upstairs to check on their little prisoner. Unfortunately, Iron Spade was nowhere to be seen, only a sticky note that read, “I don’t know where you guys went but I’m going now. See ya!” The changeling crumpled up the paper with his magic and threw it against the wall before walking back downstairs.  “So bad news my fellow pony friends, Iron Spade is gone. It appears that there isn’t any trace of him” Thorax said grunting as he laid his back against the sofa outside and sat next to them with tired eyes.  Twilight wasn’t exactly sure what would come next on this journey due to how much stress she was currently facing. As she slouched her head back on the sofa’s armrest, she remembered the words that the Tallmare told her about the old abandoned military Equestria hospital, it told her to meet it there. It seemed like an obvious next course of action, but she truly didn’t know why it wanted her to meet there. There was no possible way that they could have peace, this creature is known for taking little foals in the woods afterall. Twilight could feel the apathy weighing her down and her tired eyes blinked up at the ceiling as she could feel the hours of sleep that she missed kicking in.  “Wait, the Tallmare, didn’t it say there was a military hospital it wanted to see us at?” Fluttershy spoke up causing Twilight to raise her head back up in surprise at Fluttershy taking the initiative before groaning. "Well I was going to say that but I honestly think It doesn't have the best intentions for us. Its most likely a trap and nothing good will come of it." Her friends looked at her with an equal amount of hopelessness and glanced at the ground,  coming to terms with the inevitable action they really didn't want to partake in. Throax was the only one who didn't have his head down, he just stared up at the ceiling as he thought about this dire situation, he knew of its necessity and knew it had a possibility to bring spike back, well hopefully it could return him.  Thorax lifted himself off the couch and looked down at the element of magick and put a hoof and her shoulder and looked her in the eyes strinly.  “I can not let you sit on your flank and mope around all day about this. It really doesn't matter that this is a huge danger to us. Whatever it has to offer us is worth the risk, I know you feel like there's nothing The Tallmare has to offer you but this seams to be legit. I want spike back, you want spike back, AJ wants revenge, and...Uhh I guess Fluters wants it's sickness to stop infecting her animals. We all want this to end and even though we don't have moon flanks here we could still take on its brainwashed servants. Now get your ass up and let's get moving." He ended with determination in his glossy green eyes as looked back at her as he started walking off. The other mares started following him along, he had given them enough convincing to remind them that this could very well put an end to this shared horror story. As Thorax and the 3 mares started to leave, Rarity looked back at her friend who was still resting against the armrest of the couch. She quickly galloped towards her put both of her hooves against her and started shoving her to get up. "Twilight I may have been not as a generous mare as I usually am for these past couple of days, but please get up! I know you are exhausted and hopeless but PLEASE! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE OUR LEADER! OUR MORAL SUPPORT! please get up and save the day like you usually do. We need it and if spikes still out he will need you too." Rarity was being desperate about this now. She hated how she was treating her friends and wanted to make it up to them, but she just felt so stupid, so weak, so useless. Twilight looked up into Rairity's eyes, seeing her tears flow out her eyelids like a winter river. She shoved the elegant fashion designer out of the way and followed the rest of her friends out of the door. Twilight still had bags under her eyes, yet she had this look of forgiveness in her eyes, almost sympathy, "I know you haven't been as kind as I know you recently but you're still a good pony. You had done many good things with us and you're still a good pony. You still try to take care of the ones you care about and have been the most sympathetic with me even if we don't agree. So right now this is my goodbye for now, if I do return please welcome me back." Twilight turned back to her friends and trotted off to the woods. Throax quickly shifted into her disguise as they ran and chose one of his more handsome disguises. Twilight felt a mix of optimism and dread as they trotted to the Everfree. She had had no idea what fate lay for her or her friends in the woods, nor what would happen after. All she knew is that they would arrive at that building, and they may or not be harmed.