//------------------------------// // Twilight: A Town Savior // Story: Oxidized // by Online account //------------------------------// An aspect often overlooked in the mining industry is proper tool maintenance. This is true not only for the bigger pieces of machinery, such as large-scale excavators and thaumaturgical blasters, but also for a worker’s personal equipment. Continuous usage of such equipment will inevitably erode their efficiency, or, in other terms, force a team to work much harder to obtain the same payload. This is even more relevant than in other fields, since mining activities are highly straining on the tools, and their usage typically extends over a long period of time. Two factors that make equipment decay a predominant issue. Tool maintenance isn’t just a means to prevent sizable losses of productivity, but it also is the best way to avoid work-related accidents. An improper pickaxe, for instance, can yield disastrous results. A single chip in a cutter mattock can divert the angle of penetration when chopping roots, which could potentially end up injuring its user. This is why a regular whetstone sharpening session is recommended every month, not only to ensure the proper functioning of the tool, but to help the worker stay out of harm’s way (more on that in subchapter 4.3). Maintained tools also have a longer lifespan, cutting down replacement costs. A study made by renowned economist and professor Capital Bond showed that a non-negligible part of the budget from the biggest companies under the Equestrian Geological Association (henceforth referred to as the EGA) is directly allocated towards resupplying spare parts for their branches, as demonstrated by the projection of graph 3.2 below. Various financial quarterly reports even proved that an egregious sum- “I’m telling you, Sunny, I totally saw a ginormous dragon head pop out over the buildings!” It was too good to be true. The peace and quiet. Sunstone almost made the mistake of thinking it could last, but alas. He grunted in annoyance. “You’re doing it again, Shiny.” “Huh?” “You’re doing it again. I’m trying to study and you’re distracting me.” Both siblings were in the living room of their upper middle-class home. The older brother was slouched on the opulent sofa, back to the cushions and hooves holding above his head a large brown manual about tool upkeep. Shining, meanwhile, was sitting on his haunches on the carpet, lining up many little wax toys depicting pony infantries. He was putting them in various formations and debated internally which ones he thought had the best chance at pushing back against an unknown threat. Finding Sunstone out of his bedroom was not a common occurrence. But today, he had been coerced into making a rare apparition. Both of his parents were out, accompanying little Twilight Sparkle to her school for an evaluation of some kind – Sunstone didn’t really know what it entailed; he hardly paid attention. Since no adult was present in the house, 17-year-old Sunstone was tasked to keep an eye on 12-year-old Shining. That got a couple of grumbles out of the ambitious scholar, but so long as it didn’t impede on his studies, he would tolerate it. It was nearly noon and the hot early summer sun was incubating the whole dwelling in a cozy greenhouse warmth. Though they might’ve been in the same room, the two brothers didn’t exactly share the same mood. Quite the contrary, in fact. While Sunstone was detached, concentrated, and perhaps even a little bit blasé, Shining Armor, on the other hoof, was primed, restless, and ready to go kick some flanks. “Pfff! Who cares about studying rusty-old books when Canterlot might be under attack?” Shining countered. “Look, for the tenth time, I swear I’m not lying! There WAS a dragon, okay? A big, purple dragon! I saw him from the window and he... he was in the direction of Twily’s school!” “No he wasn’t, because you’re making stuff up. With that crazy imagination of yours.” Sunstone placed his book on his tummy and gave a disinterested stare at his brother. “I mean, seriously now? First, a big wave of rainbow washing over the sky, and now, la crème de la crème, a dragon who abracadabra’d out of nowhere, roaming in Canterlot? I spend five minutes on the porcelain throne and that’s the stuff you come up with? Puh-lease. I know you’re trying to bait me, Shiny. I’m not a gullible moron.” “H-hey! The rainbow, the dragon… it’s all true! You HAVE to believe me! Why would I be lying? We... we have to do something about this, okay? We need to go save the ponies out there! I mean... Twily might be in danger! How can you just sit there and think about doing nothing?” “Because even if you were telling the truth, which you are clearly not, there are already more than a few qualified ponies out there who can take care of the situation. We don’t have to get involved; we’d just interfere with their protocols. And- wait! Shhhh! Do you hear that?” Sunstone’s ears perked up, and rotated like small antenna dishes. His brother held his breath, becoming attentive as well. He rapidly turned his head in all directions, concentrating on tracking the source of what Sunstone had just heard. “N-no? I don’t hear anything?” said an alarmed Shining. Sunstone slumped back into the lounge. “Neither do I. And that, my friend, is the sound of the cavalry not being alerted. Guess there really isn’t a problem, uh?” Shining Armor untensed, a bit slighted at being mocked like this. His brother’s uncaring behavior and doubtful attitude was really starting to test the limits of his patience. He felt so restrained, so strangled. He wanted nothing more than to be taken seriously. “Ughhh!” he complained. “That’s because the royal guards are too busy doing nothing in the castle. If I was in charge, things would run much smoother!” Sunstone couldn’t help but let out a condescending chuckle at his wishful thinking. Sure Shining. Sure. Keep dreaming, young colt, he thought. “And look- we don’t need the guards! I don’t need the guards! I’m practically a soldier myself. Look, my cutie mark proves it,” he boasted, turning to his side, showing his shielded purple star to his brother. “I can take care of the big meanie on my own!” “Exemplary display of humility right there, dearest Shining,” sarcastically chortled Sunstone. “I don’t want to pop your bubble, but I think you maaaaay be a little bit of a narcissist.” “And you, a... a total bore!” retorted Shining while stomping a hoof. “Every time there’s a cool adventure waiting for us, you always stay put and twiddle your hooves!” Oh, fighting back, are we? Feisty! Sunstone lifted his head, a grin now covering his face. It’s almost as if he was waiting for Shining to poke the hornet’s nest. Getting an excuse to put oil on the fire. Enjoying a good brotherly argument, in sum. “Yes, Shiny, I stay put. As opposed to what? Running frantically in the streets of Canterlot like a headless chicken? I might not have your marefriend Cadance’s special foal-sitting talents, but I know a thing or two about staying out of trouble. And when you get in trouble, mister, who do you think gets punished? The reckless unicorn, or the responsible earth pony?” He didn’t leave Shining a gap to answer his rhetorical question. “That’s right, pal, it’s me! I get punished, Shining. Me. And tell you what, I grow bored of being ‘the bad guy.’ So please sit down, be a good pony, and kindly stay out of trouble while your big brother studies.” Shining harrumphed, not quite happy with having his dynamism caged in like this. He knew what he saw. If Twilight’s safety was ever compromised because of his brother’s infinite lethargy, well... Being mad would undercut it. These bickering sessions weren't anything new. As the years went by, the two brothers’ disagreements seemed to have multiplied tenfold. They didn’t see the world the same way, and that often resulted in them confronting one another. At least, under the scrutinizing eyes of their parents, these quarrels were done in a respectful environment. Mostly. Sunstone didn’t like Shining’s grand ideas and his rose-tinted glasses. He would take any opportunity to wane down his enthusiasm with a good dose of pessimism, which he claimed was “how the real world functioned.” That forever remained a no-sell with Shining, whose grievances with Sunstone stemmed from his aggravating mood and being constantly put down by him. He tried many times to get his unenthusiastic brother involved in activities of all sorts, to get him to poke his snout outside for a change, but Sunstone was an immovable object. A black hole sucking any good vibes Shining had the misfortune to display in his presence. All in all? Sunstone was comfortable on the beaten path, while Shining Armor wanted nothing more than to break the mold. They were just incompatible. Even though they lived under one roof, it became obvious that the list of things they had in common diminished every day. They drifted apart so much that they eventually reduced their kinship from “siblings” to “acquaintances.” And with these past few months, it was on the verge of being demoted to “strangers.” So once again, Shining had to stay away from all the action, as ordered by the oldest sibling. Well. Be that as it may, this wouldn’t do for him. He was old enough. He could take care of himself. He wasn’t a foal anymore. And to Tartarus with Sunstone clipping his proverbial wings! He was going to go out there and make that dragon rue the day it dared to show its face in Equestria’s capital! He got up on his hooves, and darted toward the entry door, not without blowing a raspberry to his brother. Sunstone flung his book on the floor. “Hey! Come back, you little rascal!” “Make me!” “Make you!? You gotta be... ugh! How many times have I told you to stop trying to be a hero? We’re not heroes and never will be, so stop pretending to be someone else already!” Shining shook his head. “Speak for yourself. I’ll show you that I have it in me!” “Oh sure you big wannabe! You and your awesome superpower of getting me scolded by mom and dad!” “Hrmmph!” Further ignoring Sunstone’s countless warnings, Shining pushed on the handle and swung the door open. At the apex of his cockiness, he turned to face the outside world, knowing with absolute certainty that he could succeed at anything if he really put his heart into it. He would’ve beelined straight for Twilight’s school, if it weren’t for the fact that she was standing right in front of him on the other side of the doorway, a hoof hanging in midair. Almost as if she was just about to turn the handle herself. She looked a bit staggered, not unlike Twilight Velvet and Night Light on either side of her. The four unicorns were face-to-face, a little confused by the sudden encounter. “O-oh, u-uh... H-hi mom! Hi dad! Hi Twily!” sheepishly said Shining, a few shades redder. Sunstone heard that. “Wow, you did it! Good job saving them all, bro. And so quickly, too!” he ridiculed him from afar. The parents questioned what Sunstone had meant by that, but the embarrassed unicorn colt quickly brushed it off. In any case, the group made their way into the foyer, preferring to discuss inside rather than catching sunburns on the porch. And boy, did they have some things to discuss. For starters, Twilight Sparkle was bouncing everywhere, practically climbing to the ceiling. She was thrilled beyond what was once thought possible. Foals were excitable little things, of course, but her? Created an entire new meaning to the definition of “happiness.” It’s as if she downed three jars of sugar in a row. In fact, she was in such high spirits that Sunstone – yes, Sunstone, of all ponies – actually got up from his seat and joined the rest of his family in the entry hall. With all of them in the house now, it’s not like he could sink more hours into his books anymore. Before sneaking into his room and becoming a shadow as per tradition, he had to admit, he was kind of curious to find out why his little sister was squeaking as though she stumbled upon the world’s biggest diamond. Investigating seemed worth his time; a rare development indeed. When he saw his parents and his sister completely over the moon, Sunstone just had to raise an eyebrow. What uh, what was going on, exactly? Why did an indoor parade suddenly invade his residence? “Shiny, Sunny, I’m glad to see you both here!” said their peppy mother. “A lot has happened and- well, Twilight, why don’t you tell them yourself?” “I GOT MY CUTIE MARK! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” she bellowed, hopping like a slinky on steroids. She joined her brothers and exposed her new cutie mark with great satisfaction. Sunstone and Shining both carefully examined it. Yup. It was real, alright. Right there on her flank. An honest-to-Faust cutie mark. You couldn’t fake stuff like this. “Oh wow!” exclaimed an impressed Shining. “Congrats, sis! I KNEW it was your turn soon enough! Welcome to the club, hahaha!” He embraced her in a tight hug, twirling around whilst compromising the structural integrity of her ribcage. He also gave her a noogie, just because he could. “S-Shiny... s-stop!” said Twilight with a grin, a bit embarrassed. Meanwhile, Sunstone awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uh... yeah. What he said. That’s uh, that’s a pretty... interesting design you’ve got there.” He looked backward to evaluate his own mark. Then back to hers. Then his again. Hers, his, hers. Huh. Well, Shining sharing part of his cutie mark wasn’t a crazy coincidence after all. Because all three of them had that purple star in common. How peculiar. What did that even mean? A novel attempt at sapping away the remnants of his uniqueness, perhaps? They clearly have shown no qualms about stealing some of his thunder, so why wouldn’t their cutie mark give him the same treatment? An unintentional (but convenient) ploy orchestrated by mischievous deities, maybe? Or perhaps it was even worse. That blasted star could very well be stamped on him to be a constant reminder that he was forever linked with Shining and Twilight. Doomed to recognize his subpar advancements every time he stared at his doppelganger in the mirror. That no matter what, these two hooligans still existed, and they still remained better than he was. What a cruel twist. Sunstone shook his head, just in time to realize that Twilight wanted to give him a hug as well. Yeah, how about no. He backed off a bit. He had been crystal clear on his “no hugging” policy throughout their shared years. Still, to not make a scene (his parents were right there), he offered a couple of gentle pats on top of her mane with a generic “there there.” It did its job at quenching her thirst for appreciation. Night Light nudged his daughter a bit. “Hehe, don’t you want to tell your brothers how you got your cutie mark, eh sport?” She nodded and nodded and then nodded some more. “Yes! I got it after I passed my test! I did a bunch of craaaaazy magic, it was insane! And I- and then... Then I got my cutie mark!” she squealed in pure jubilation. “She had a magical spur of monumental proportions in the middle of her assignment!” clarified Twilight Velvet. “We don’t know how this happened, but it was um... It was an experience,” she added, her and her husband looking nervously at each other. “I’d rather not talk about it,” dismissed Night Light, rubbing a hoof behind his head. Sunstone was a bit intrigued by the cryptic explanations. What could’ve happened in that classroom? In any case, that left him a bit dejected. Of course she would finish her school year on a high note, sure, why not. She was Twilight freaking Sparkle. She never encountered any resistance in her pedagogical journey, why start at the very end? It was in the bag for her, it has always been in the bag! And that got him to think. If she could skim through her final exam with such ease, then what about him? That one last written test for his Field Work class was still dangling by his snout. Twilight’s personal success just made him hope to pass it even more. Not only for his sake, but to show her that he too could prosper when it actually counted. Maybe then she’d see him as something more than a genetic malformation who’s struggling to be worth something. Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. These two were top of their class, and aced pretty much any challenge they encountered. That didn’t leave them much else to be envious of. And that included him, the subpar brother. They tolerated his insipid presence, sure. But he wanted a little more than that. A lot more than that. He wanted respect. He wanted to leave them awestruck. He wanted to be coveted, to be desired, to be doted over, to be the pony any brother and sister would’ve wished to have. He wanted to lift his chin all proud, and have them tell him: “Sunstone, pray tell, what’s your big secret?” He didn’t just want to exist: He wanted to thrive. To be an asset, and, above all, an important heirloom in the family. Between being a protagonist for something epic and being left in the dust by his siblings, Sunstone chose the former. That all rested on the shoulders of the upcoming test. If he could finally jump over that last hurdle, just as Twilight did, well, maybe he’d be ahead for once? To be special and unique in a positive way: Wouldn’t that be nice for a change? Climbing the ladders in a world that seemed to constantly have a dent against him, now that, that was some daydreaming he could get behind. A weird juvenile growling noise broke him out of his illusions of grandeur. “Buh? What was that?” he queried. “You heard it too, right?” Shining wondered as well. To answer their inquiries, out of complete nowhere, a small creature jumped off Twilight Velvet’s back. Taking a good look at the unexpected newcomer, they quickly found that the purple critter was none other than a baby dragon. Close to having just crawled out of his egg, if his small size was any indication. He just sat there, on the floor. He looked up at them with a big innocent grin, blinking small green eyes of silted pupils. Sunstone couldn’t help but chuckle and elbow his younger brother. “Hey. That the big menace taking over Canterlot, by any chance?” Shining looked completely lost. “I... I mean... I don’t... I don’t understand, he was...” Yup, stunned into silence. The poor colt. “Oh um. Yeah. The baby dragon,” said Night Light, not too sure himself what to make of this. “That was a reward generously donated to your sister for hatching him during her exam.” “He’s going to be living with us from there onward,” continued the mother. “We just need to find him a proper name!” Well, that was out of the left field, but so long as the little guy didn’t eat his homework, Sunstone didn’t particularly care. Anyhow, he got his answers about the Twilight case, and that was enough excitement for one day. A baby dragon was where he drew the line when it came to absurd social interactions. Something he’d sink more hours into down the line. Maybe. Probably not. He was about to turn around and finally reclaim his bedroom, his fortress of solitude, however... “That’s not the only gift princess Celestia gave to your sister,” resumed Night Light. Uh, wait a minute. Princess Celestia was part of her peanut gallery? … No, seriously, what happened in that classroom!? “Sunstone, Shining Armor,” began their mother with a serious yet positive tone, “you’ll never believe this! Starting next week, Twilight, your little sister, is going to be studying directly under princess Celestia! She decided to take her under her wing. Oh, isn’t that just wonderful~?” she sang-sung. Bam. Straight onto the table. No sugar coating it. Night Light nodded. “That’s right! Twilight impressed her so much with that incredible display of magic she performed during the exam that she decided on the spot to take her as her personal protégé!” ... ... “... E-excuse me?” “For real!? My own sister, working with the princess!? No kidding! That’s super duper mega ultra awesome! Aw, c’m’here, you!” Two brothers. Two completely different reactions. One of them ran to give yet another boisterous hug to princess Celestia’s new pupil, while the other remained stone cold frozen. It wasn’t hard to guess who was who. Twilight was on the floor, Shining embracing her as hard as he could. The small dragon even joined in the pile – because hey, why not – and they all laughed together. Twilight Velvet, meanwhile, fought really hard to hold tears of joy. She even levitated a handkerchief to her misty eyes. Her husband was rubbing a reassuring hoof on her back with a smile of pride only a father could give. But Sunstone? Sunstone was drawing a blank. A million thoughts thundered in his mind, and he had a hard time compiling any of them. Disbelief, defeat, disarray: So many emotions fighting for a spot in the hodgepodge that brewed under his skull. One thing did stick out, though. It was over. He lost. He played a good game, he gave it his best shot, but in the end, it had been so pointless. Not only were the cards stacked against him from the start, but now, Twilight skyrocketed so far ahead, so impossibly far, that trying to catch up became a fool’s errand. And this changed everything. Controlled by a brain running strictly on autopilot, Sunstone walked forward with soulless eyes. His legs were moving on their own in an unnatural and robotic way. And this time, it wasn’t in the direction of his room. Fresh air. He needed fresh air. When he brushed past Twilight on his way to the front door, he took a good gander at her. He felt so disconnected, so depersonalized. None of this felt real. His identity and self-worth had no idea how to handle this new crowning achievement in his sister's life. Yet still, with a complete lack of emotion, he drew all that he had to drone out a few comments. “Well sister, it looks like you’re well on your way to become someone very important.” He took a few more steps, but Twilight got up from the floor, now noticeably worried. She approached him with pleading eyes, desperately seeking his approval. “W-wait! Aren’t you... aren’t you proud of me, Sunny?” He looked at her with all the neutrality in the world. “Proud? Sis, I’m ecstatic. Overjoyed, even.” With this meaningless response, he kept going. When the trim of the door passed over his head, Twilight Velvet got a bit concerned by his unnatural and lackadaisical reaction. It was a bit out of the ordinary, even for her son's standards. “Sunny? Is everything okay? Where are you going?” “Work.” “Really now?” said his suspicious dad. “But you told us this morning that you had the day off today. That’s why we entrusted you with Shining’s supervision, remember?” “Well, I forgot. Guess I really do have the brain of an earth pony.” If they protested at his passive aggressiveness, Sunstone either didn’t hear it, or ignored it. He turned right and walked downhill, which wasn’t at all in the direction of Joe’s shop, until he disappeared behind a corner. Twilight Sparkle knew something was amiss and lowered her neck. Her emotional state did a complete one-eighty. Heavy. It felt heavy. Wasn’t the first time it felt heavy around a certain pony. But the circumstances of today made it that much more obvious. And that got her to think. Something that’s been boggling her mind for a while now. She just had to know for sure. “M-mom? Dad?” “Yes dear?” She felt gutted on the inside. “Does… does Sunstone hate me?” That was the last thing any parent wanted to hear. Their hearts skipped a beat, and they couldn’t help but gasp out loud at the ludicrous accusation. “Of course not! Honey, don’t you ever think such things!” Immediately replied an appalled Twilight Velvet. “Sunstone is just… he just has a difficult way of expressing his love, is all.” She nuzzled her. The rest of the family followed suit. The dragon, once again, saw what all the grownups were doing and partook in the collective hug. Twilight nervously laughed, partially reassured. S-silly her! For sure Sunstone loved her, right? How could he not? He was her brother. Brothers and sisters love each other; that’s just how it works. That's just how it works... A good distance away from the household, Sunstone kept advancing on Canterlot’s polished pavement, unsure where he was going at all. He felt like a ghost in a city full of busy ponies. An interloper without a goal. Everyone around him had a purpose, but him? A mere watcher who had been led astray throughout nearly two decades of fighting in quicksand. All he had was his insecurities; that was the only thing that kept him grounded in a reality that felt so fake, so impure. Twilight Sparkle, princess Celestia’s personal student. Now with a thousand times the prestige. As if she wasn’t enough of a prodigy already. As if he didn't feel minuscule enough already. Taunted by his own sister... How could he ever compete now? Even if he passed his test with the highest grade, that still would be meaningless compared to having an apprenticeship with the most powerful pony in existence. What’s an A+ on knowing where to dig dirt when you can just start every sentence with: “Yesterday, princess Celestia and I did this and that.” When uncles, aunts and family friends would come and visit, they’d be all over Twilight, impressed and eager to know what she and her mentor had been up to. Maybe a sympathetic relative would carry the burden of turning to him every now and then and begrudgingly ask: “Oh, and uh, what about you... Sunstone was it?” It didn’t matter. None of this mattered. Twilight pretty much cemented his descent into obscurity. Because no matter what he would try from there onward, it would always come bundled with a word. One particular, simple, yet very real word. Underwhelming. It was worse than she feared. Two of them. Two Ursa Minors! Double trouble. Twilight Sparkle has had some experience wrestling with an out-of-control Ursa in Ponyville a few years back, but to have a second one in its vicinity was seriously going to complicate things. Among other things, she wouldn’t be able to stay put and make one of them fall asleep as she had done before, lest she gets interrupted by the second giant troublemaker. The many potent spells she employed to pull that off had some serious casting lag, and she’d be vulnerable for far too long. Horseccam’s razor was a bust: The simplest solution was definitely off the board. This time, just as with her first encounter, she’d have to improvise, and quickly. Thankfully, the ringing of the bell directed her exactly where she needed to be. No time was wasted on finding where the monsters were attacking, all thanks to the valiant efforts of the sentinel who alerted the populace. She made a mental note to give them her regards after this cataclysm was over. Being a couple of meters up in the fresh air of the night, one thing she didn’t miss during her approach were the two gold spots orbiting the larger Ursa like pestering fleas. On closer inspection, she realized that these were in fact two heavily armored ponies, which she immediately identified as the royal guards she read about. Once again, books prevailed and saved her precious seconds! But, oh! They looked in trouble. This wasn’t entirely unexpected. Two Ursas was no small feat. A pegasus tried to slice the overgrown bear with her weapon, but no dice. Wouldn’t have worked anyway; Twilight knew this. These creatures had a near impenetrable hide, reducing their spears to little more than toothpicks. Regardless, the monster took offense and roared in retaliation. They stood on their hind legs and tried to viciously swat away the little buzzer, but thankfully, she saved her own skin and dodged in a swift motion. The cart-sized paw missed, but not by much. A claw was only a few centimeters off from scratching the hair out her snout. Her fearless partner saw that after the bear’s offensive comeback, they left themselves open. Feeling opportunistic, she flew directly towards what she perceived as a weak point: Their head. Unfortunately, Ursas aren’t as simpleminded as they look. From the corner of their yellow eyes, they saw the brave pony speeding toward them – and most importantly, the pointy tip of her halberd. Which is why they tried to intercept her by opening a drooling maw full of razor-sharp fangs. Twilight Sparkle saw where this was going and knew that if she didn’t intervene right there and then, a pony would meet its end. Not a moment too soon, she concentrated and allocated a good part of her energy reserves into the tip of her horn. Teeth exposed, eyes closed, brow furrowed, a bead of sweat rolling down her neck: She gave it her all. Her fur raised up, overcharged as if she was saturated with static electricity. When she judged her spell was sufficiently built-up, she released a majestic swirl of magical plasma: A funnel of magenta and indigo that would leave anypony wishing for their mommy should they be hit by it. And yet, when it struck the chin of the Ursa, it barely bruised them and only left the tiniest, mildest scratch. Fortunately, the sheer recoil of the beam still succeeded at making them fall backward, their galactic body impacting the cliff of the nearest mountain in a shower of debris. That triggered a small rocky avalanche, but nothing that would seriously threaten the principality. Since the beast became momentarily immobilized and that the other one was busy dealing with something Twilight couldn’t really make up from this far away, she called out for the two flying mares to regroup with her. If there was ever a time to come up with a plan, now was a pretty good contender. “P-princess Twilight Sparkle!?” said the first royal guard that arrived, completely bewildered by her presence. As expected, she offered a bow, and so too did her less punctual co-worker when she finally joined them. This gesture was a little awkward to execute, considering they were hovering in the air. “W-we don't have time for formalities!” halted the princess, who didn’t even like bowing rites to begin with. “Quick, what are your names?” “Private Sterling Plume,” said the soldier who couldn’t help but offer a traditional salute. “And this is Hasty Flail, a recruit in training. She ah, she doesn’t speak much- but never mind all that! Princess, what in Celestia’s beard are you doing here!?” “Important friendship business. But I'm afraid I’ll have to table that, since it appears we have more pressing issues...” Right on cue, the Ursa she valiantly knocked out was attempting to get back on all fours, albeit hazily. That didn’t go unnoticed by the two guards, who dreaded to think how their opponent would fare in the second round of the battle. “Princess, what’s going on exactly?” queried Sterling Plume. “Why are there TWO Ursas trying to reduce Outer Grove into a pile of rubble? We’ve been stationed here for four months now, and we’ve never had to deal with anything more than like, a squirrel with rabies! We’ve been tasked to protect the town, but nothing in our training prepared us for something of this magnitude!” “Y-yeah! I mean... A mama Ursa a-and her baby...?” finally spoke the quiet pegasus. “Not that I'm unhappy to see you here,” Plume kept on going, “but did you know anything about this? Were you sent to provide aid? Your timing is ah, it’s kind of tough to beat!” Twilight became somewhat defensive. “H-hey! I’m here strictly on friendship grounds, like I said! I had no idea I was going to arrive in the middle of a catastrophe like this! It’s just a crazy coincidence! A very, very crazy coincidence!” She switched her look to the timid soldier. “And sorry to correct you... private Hasty Flail, was it? But that Ursa right there is neither an adult nor a female. That’s actually a common misconception a lot of folks make. Adults of this species are called Ursa Major, and have an entirely unique morphology. Not only are they colored differently, but trust me, they are also a whole lot bigger! No, what we have right here are, in fact, what I highly suspect to be two siblings: A big brother and a little sister. You can easily tell their gender all thanks to the disposition of the stars near their tail. You see, males have a brighter-” “P-princess! Please! I don’t think we can afford a lesson in biology at a time like this!” “Oh! Um. Yes... yes, you are quite correct. S-sorry about that!” Much to their dismay, the time allocated for their “strategic” meeting ran its course. Because not too far away, with a menacing battle cry, the astral bear had fully shaken off the counterattack and was back up on his feet, ready to crack some skulls. “Gang? Hate to be that mare, but I don’t think it- he enjoyed being shoved like a ragdoll. Looks like he wants to exchange a few physical notes with us!” private Plume warned. She wasn’t incorrect in her assessment: Their nemesis was gazing straight at them with knives in his antagonistic eyes. Without wasting any time, he tried to close the distance between him and them, now completely ignoring the town as though it didn’t even exist anymore. Naturally, the three mares started flying away; being idle was an obvious death sentence. As they withdrew in an arbitrarily chosen direction – which so happened to lead them above a parcel of the boundless forest wrapped around Outer Grove – Twilight came to a sudden realization. “W-wait. This is good. This is good!” she declared with great exuberance. “How can you possibly be saying that!?” a hectic Plume demanded. “Because- look! Don’t you see? He’s aiming at us, and not at the buildings anymore. So long as he’s not dishing out his anger on the innocent citizens of Outer Grove, then I say we’re in the clear!” “You won't see me disagree, but what about our safety!? Princess, he’s right on our tails!” “Then let’s exploit his tunnel vision and use it to our advantage. I may have… an idea. Follow me you two, we have one very large Ursidae to bait out of town!” They flew a good distance away from the village in a Vic formation, with Twilight Sparkle spearheading the movement. The male Ursa Minor hadn’t given up his pursuit; if anything, he looked even more determined to teach those annoying fluttering critters a lesson. A very painful lesson. He was stampeding in the dense woodlands below, breaking trees like frail twigs as he parted a pathway through trunks and leaves. “Where are we going exactly, princess? I obviously know less about their behavior than you do, but doesn’t exactly look to me like he wants to throw the towel anytime soon,” spoke out the more experienced pegasus, forcing her voice against the dashing wind. “Just as planned! We don’t want him to give up. Not yet! Just… just trust me!” She lowered her altitude, getting closer to the floor of treetops. The two guards followed suit, knowing better than to express doubt against a pony who’s defeated one of their aggressor’s kind all on her own before. Twilight tossed a couple of magical flares up in the sky, horn powers at play, highlighting their position. She wanted to make sure they were still acting as pony-shaped bullseyes for the gargantuan bear. They could hear more wood creaking, more heavy stomping, all of this, accompanied by the branches of the pines rustling with increasing intensity. This was all the proof they needed to confirm that they were indeed sitting ducks, ready to be served as a three-course meal to one voracious predator. “P-princess?” said Hasty Flail, as unsure of herself as ever. “Lower now,” Twilight ordered. Even though she had no experience acting as a commander in a military context (that was more Shining’s cup of tea), she knew a thing or two about being the leading force behind a squadron of ponies. With her friends, the other Element bearers, she’s been at the forefront of multiple judicious operations before, which is why she didn’t have as much trouble finding her voice now as she did a couple of years back. And this is with that kind of confident tone that she convinced the two royal guards to follow through with the leap of faith, even though from their perspective, the whole ordeal smelled like a suicide mission. All three of them sunk into the deciduous verdure, now hovering only a few meters above the hazardous and humid terrain. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” said Plume. “T-t-this wasn’t p-part of the contract!” added Flail. “Any moment now...” finished Twilight. The last few trees that acted as a feeble palisade between bear and ponies didn’t hold for much longer. Just like a giant scythe, a blue claw annihilated the evergreens before anypony had the chance to yell: “Timbeeeer!” A colossal head with two enraged eyes soon replaced the deceased pines, vision locked on three measly prey that really overstayed their welcome on this plane of existence. “NOW!” barked Twilight. “Everypony, back up quickly, now!” And they did. The trio flew a few meters back, scraping through a couple of bushes ungraciously. Right until they cleared the last line of trees, only to float past a sharp ninety degrees cliffside. Which, in turn, opened up to a ravine. A rather deep ravine. Despite the darkness, they could see the reflective surface of a canal in the middle of the depression surrounded by a riverbank of boulders and gravel. Private Plume and private Flail were understandably surprised by the unexpected change of scenery. But not as much as the Ursa when both of his front legs suddenly looked for solid ground. Suffice to say, one could make the assumption that the monster was not as well-read about the geography of the surrounding areas as bookworm Twilight was. His center of mass couldn’t make up for his hundred of pounds that were tilting forward over the void, and that led to the nasty consequence of dragging the rest of his body along for the ride. It didn’t take long for the Ursa to start rolling down the rocky edge and pass right under Twilight and the guards, roaring louder than thunder. And for a fraction of a second? All three caught a glimpse of his expression. It screamed: “I’ll get you next time, you miserable little ponies!” This whole sequence wouldn't have been out of place in one of Spike's corny comic books. Big brother Ursa eventually ended his crash course, ramming the floor quite a few levels lower than Twilight’s group. Just enough time for the three of them to make sure that they were all still in one piece. “Come volunteer to Outer Grove, they said. Easy vacations for you, they said!” grumbled Sterling Plume, wiping a good layer of sweat out of her brow. “T-that was close!” Hasty Flail breathed out. “How did you-” “Know about this canyon? Simple: I read all about it in my Outer Grove Geography atlas on the train on my way here! It’s called the Burgundy Marquis Canyon by the way, named after the prince who gave his blessings to the principality 50 years ago. Oh, oh! Did you know that this gorge goes all the way down to half of a kilometer under the ground at its deepest? Isn’t that fascinating?” Twilight grinned like a foal on Heart Warming’s Day. However, both soldiers just kept batting their wings in place, their mouths completely horizontal. Twilight's little tidbits of trivia weren't resonating all too well with them. “Riiiiight. Um, not to worry though,” Twilight squinted, looking down to evaluate the damage. “Ursas are bulky and some of the toughest creatures in Equestria. He’ll be alright. Maybe have a few sore spots for the following weeks, but nothing that can’t be healed over time, h-heh! Push comes to shove, he’ll just hibernate early,” she awkwardly half-smiled. While the combat method of sending your enemy plummeting down a pit seemed a tad barbaric, Twilight took the necessary precautions to not punish an organism part of this ecosystem too harshly. That bear was acting on pure instincts alone; he could hardly be faulted for following his primal urges. It just wasn't worth making his little sister an only child, forever wondering what could’ve happened to her missing sibling... And that train of thought raised another problematic. The other Ursa! She was probably still causing trouble! They weren’t out of hot water yet. Winning half the battle wasn't cause for celebration. Until the danger was eradicated in its entirety, rejoicing was going to take the backseat. “Come on everypony,” said Twilight full of motivation, “pest control is not over yet! We have another bear to take care of!” “Right behind you, princess!” patriotically chanted Sterling Plume. “Lead the way!” added Hasty Flail. Spears raised and helmets put back on: Off they went. Returning to the flying formation they adopted earlier, this time, heading in the opposite direction. Not getting lost was child's play; all they had to do was to follow the path of destruction the Ursa left behind when he plowed through the land. Without the threat of a chase, Twilight Sparkle took her time to better analyze her surroundings. She could’ve sworn she spotted some kind of unnatural structure in her peripheral vision earlier. She rapidly chalked it off as something irrelevant, perhaps even as an adrenaline-fueled mirage. However, this time around, she could confirm that her earlier appraisal held true. It was right there, at her one o'clock, not too far from the closest mountain. She could see it, and she could see it well. “Excuse me, but why are there acres of barren land over that way?” asked the princess to her armed escort. A huge bald rectangle in the middle of one luxurious forest. An anomaly that could never have been shaped up by Mother Nature herself. No, it was pony-made for sure. Only they could chop down trees in such an orderly fashion – and so many of them, too! “Beats me,” Sterling said. “We don’t mangle with civilian affairs. Looks like some kind of clearing to me?” “Yes... a very large one, too,” she squinted. Way too large, in fact. She’ll have to take a good look at it again with the light of the day; another task to add to her hefty schedule. But Twilight already had a couple of theories cooking under her mane. In that analytical brain of hers, the puzzle pieces were slowly starting to fall into place. Because, until proven otherwise, she was of the firm belief that this wasteland was none other than the origin point that initiated this whole bear vs. ponies feud. When they finally made it back in town, the streets were deserted and completely devoid of ponies; a sharp contrast with the mayhem that greeted her upon her arrival. Twilight hoped with all of her might that it was due to the ill-fated bystanders down there having found shelter to wait this crisis out. However, not everyone was so lucky. One hapless soul was unfortunate enough to still find himself present in the middle of the cobblestoned streets. Twilight could hardly see any of their features, no thanks to the distance and time of day. From that far away, all she could see was a blotch of gray. Looked like a “he,” maybe? She was going to roll with that for now. Well, one thing was for sure: The alleged stallion was fleeing, stuck in plain sight of sister Ursa. He was galloping at the top of his lungs, his neck craned backward, gazing at one heck of a behemoth giving him chase. All on his lonesome, he was acting as an unwitting decoy for the raging beast. Problem was, she had four times his leg span and was slowly catching up. Very close to being in grabbing rage, the cunning guy sharply turned left and sank into a passageway between two tall houses. A decent tactical evasive maneuver. Twilight couldn't see if the escape route ended in a cul-de-sac or not. Sadly, the Ursa had more intel than she did. The monster peered at the gap where the pony disappeared. She howled a couple of times and rose up to her back legs, claws out, ready to pulverize anyone who found themselves trapped in that alleyway of doom. Well, not if Twilight had anything to say about it! She was done playing the observer. She dove closer to the ground and encapsulated in her telekinetic aura a wheelbarrow that had been left tilted over in the middle of the street. Keeping a sturdy grip on the heavy object wasn't an easy task, but her drive to save a life gave her all the strength she needed. Like a giant sling, she rotated the improvised weapon behind her and flung it directly toward the Ursa Minor. It struck true, crashing into her cheek in an explosion of wood chips. The diversion proved successful: The monster teetered a fair distance backward and ended up falling on her rump, seemingly confused as to what just happened. The three town saviors took that as their cue to make their approach. “Keep her distracted! I have to help that poor pony; he might be injured!” Or at the very least, very shaken. Without arguing, Sterling Plume and Hasty Flail obeyed and headed toward the downed Ursa. For the first time since she left the train, Twilight’s hooves embraced the ground. She landed gently, but not without haste either. She retracted her wings and, not used to flying for this long, recalibrated her balance. From the main road, she made a quick visual survey of the alleyway where the runner had taken refuge. Oddly, she couldn’t find anypony there. All she could see was an unhygienic mix of moldy boxes, damaged barrels, overflowing trash cans, and weeds growing through the cracks in the hardened mud. Yet, the grotty corridor didn’t lead anywhere: It ended on a tall picket fence. An obstacle that, at its height, wouldn’t have allowed any pony to climb, let alone jump over. So where did the mysterious victim go? She was quite sure that he was an earth pony, which meant he couldn’t have escaped airborne or teleported out of sight. “Hello? Anypony in there?” she cautiously asked. ... ... “Uh, yeah. Yeah. There’s me,” came a masculine reply behind a tall stack of crates. A reply that sounded unsure, a bit stressed out, but above all, obviously faked. The yet-to-be-seen stallion was forcing his vocal cords in the strangest way, almost as if he was putting on an accent on purpose. Twilight wasn’t sure why he was going through this rather peculiar pretense, especially at a time like this, but she attributed it to shock. The poor sod just narrowly escaped a meeting with the grim reaper, so who’s to judge his unusual reaction, really? It was more than possible that he was in a panicked state, and the brain, being an intricate little machine, was prone to easily go haywire after such a trauma. Whether it was garnered from books or personal experience, Twilight knew all this. It was her duty to reassure a pony in distress. She would never consider ditching him and leaving him at the gallows. Had he not suffered enough? “This is princess Twilight Sparkle speaking. And who might you be?” No answer came. “Are you okay? Can you walk up to me?” she tried to mellow him out. “We need to get you out of here, this is a dangerous place to be!” “I’m ah... I’d rather not,” he hesitantly said, still with that faked voice. “I understand that this is scary out here, mister, but I cannot stress this enough: You really can't stay here! Please, come with me, I promise I will do my best to keep you safe!” “Well, I can’t! Um. Because! Uuuuhhh… my leg’s broken? Yeah that’s right, broken! The pain is too much, ouch.” Oh no! A broken appendage on top of everything? Being chased in a brutal game of cat and mouse, and now this? This incapacitated stallion sure couldn’t catch a break. This just made Twilight’s worries increase exponentially. She felt so bad for him. No one deserved to be in that kind of situation. She needed to be there for this stranger more than ever. The obvious hitch was, if his leg was truly broken, how was she going to get him out of here? She didn't think she had enough endurance to carry a fully grown stallion to the nearest medical center. She was a princess after all, not a stretcher. Maybe she could cobble up some kind of cast on the spot to at least keep the limb from moving? Have him lean on her after? That all seemed so risky. She took a couple of steps toward his box fort. “Don't put any weight on it! I'm coming right over to hel-” “N-NO! DON’T COME HERE! STAY BACK!” Twilight stopped on a dime, intimidated by the sudden outburst. She was more confused than ever by the reluctance of this anonymous pony. What was going on, here? Did he seriously not want to be rescued? Why scoff at her altruistic assistance given his awful predicament? “Look err... I misevaluated my injury,” he continued, quieter this time. “It’s just a sprained hoof, silly me! Nothing to it, really. I don’t need help.” “W-what? But you just said-” “Please, please just go away! Leave me alone! I’m fine!” He started to lose his makeshift accent there. No matter. Twilight already made up her mind. She kept advancing toward the hidden pony, further ignoring his foolish demands of being left behind. In a second or two, she’ll be able to fully assess his physical state herself with an unbiased perspective. “I will never abandon one of my fellow ponies! I’m going to keep you safe if it's the last thing I-” “PRINCESS, WATCH OUT!” Twilight heeded private Plume's warning almost instinctively and conjured a protective sphere around her whole body by reflex. And not a moment too soon. A fraction of a second later, and she would've been bludgeoned by a giant fist full of claws. The defensive veil wasn’t without faults, however. Her translucent lavender bubble kept anything inside safe, sure, but it could still be subjected to external forces. And as it so happens, being pounded by a creature ten times her size was all that was needed to send her ball-shaped shield rolling in one sadistic game of pony-sized billiard, with the princess herself acting as the cue ball. Twilight gyrated inside, pinned on the “wall” of her spell. It was more thrilling than any carnival ride found in Equestria. And yet, despite bouncing uncontrollably in the streets of Outer Grove, despite her sudden urge to lose her lunch, despite all of that, the princess held onto her spell. The moment she’d let go, she’d turn into a tumbling mess of gore. That alone was all the motivation Twilight needed to keep her horn active. This, until she ended up striking a wall head-on, putting a stop to this whole fiasco. Once she was out of motion, her spell vanished, leaving behind one very dizzy princess. In her drunken stupor, she tried to refocus her vision, but that was easier said than done. All she could see were blurry blobs doing a poor job passing off as buildings. Not to mention, her head was seriously starting to hurt. That was a lot of spells in one night, some really powerful ones too, and the drain of her natural stockpile of magic was taking its toll on her. “Hunnhhnnngg... w-w-where am I?” she said with a wobbly voice. She didn’t expect an answer, and was proven right when no one came to give her any. The deafening silence led to one obvious conclusion: Plume and Flail were nowhere near her. They must’ve gotten separated after she got launched Faust knows where. She had absolutely no idea where she landed. It was one thing to go tourist in a town you’ve never set hooves in; it was another to ricochet mercilessly in it. Twilight was effectively lost, disoriented, and- GrrOOOAARWWRGGG! -still in danger. Didn’t take a genius to deduce that the Ursa wasn’t done with her. Apparently, hurling a wheelbarrow in somecreature's face made her top of the list. That Ursa was out for blood: Specifically, HER blood! She wouldn’t be subdued until she could floss bits out of her teeth with Twilight’s bones. Could be why the royal guards’ distraction only lasted as long as it did. Unlike the princess, they just weren’t interesting enough to be dismantled bit by bit. Or perhaps the Ursa was simply saving them for later? But for now, she was slowly approaching Twilight, savoring the moment as if the princess was nothing more than a disposable toy to chew on. Nothing like the fresh smell of an easy victory. In her weakened state, Twilight knew she had nowhere else to run. It was the end of the line. She’d have to pour all that she could into this final encounter, otherwise, her story was going to be cut short. She needed one last push to gain the upper hoof against this restless invader. Gambling with her life was scary, but there truly were no other options. It was now or never, forever. The princess harvested the remnants of her energy and funneled it all onto the tip of her horn. It radiated brightly with purple magic. A beacon of a thousand lumens in the middle of the night. She felt like passing out, like crumbling to dust. Her legs quaked and hardly supported her own weight anymore. Every single muscle burned and twitched with fatigue. Miraculously, she managed to power through the magical exhaustion that strangled her from within. SWOOSH! The Ursa, in the blink of an eye, was submerged by a force field that expanded out of Twilight. Once the brute had realized what just happened, she became as mobile as a statue, her pupils turning into pinpricks. Her irises, once yellow and hostile, were now screened with a psychedelic backdrop. Multicolor swoops and swirls dancing across her eyeballs like oil flowing in a lake. Her mouth curved downward, as a worried expression slowly replaced any evil intent she had prior to being hit by Twilight’s spell. Her ears even became flat on her head; a very rare sighting when it came to Ursa Minors. Twilight Sparkle collapsed on the floor, totally out of juice. She winced from the efforts of staying conscious. She sluggishly lifted her head with force she didn’t even have anymore. It’s as if she wore an anvil as a necklace. “Leave... l-leave this town now...” she said between heavy pants. The Ursa kept staring at her, a bit dumbfounded. Or perhaps she was frozen in terror? It was tough to say. She didn’t give many visual cues as to what was going on in that cluttered head of hers. In any case, that was all so irrelevant for Twilight. “Go. AWAY!” she suddenly bellowed, a hoof meekly pushing her off the floor. “Leave these ponies alone! Return to the woods, vile creature, and never, EVER come back here!!” The Ursa whimpered. She actually whimpered. An Ursa Minor. Whimpering. Just like a puppy about to be bathed. You had to be there to see it. Not only that, but she also retreated, tail between her legs. She ran back toward the forest, and got lost into the darkness of the Undiscovered West, until her cries were out of hearing range. The silence of the aftermath reigned supreme. No longer were buildings being ripped from their foundations. No longer were the nightmare inducing howls of two angry beasts tormenting the villagers of a defenseless town. No longer were the united screams of a horrified crowd merging into an ear-splitting tide of pure dread. All that was left was the subtle high-pitched droning noise of the wind. With a few lights shyly turning back on from homes that hadn’t lost their roof. A few doors opening, with the inhabitants slowly coming to terms with the reality of the situation, as unbelievable as it was: The danger had passed. “Princess!” “Are you alright? Nothing broken?” That was Hasty Flail and Sterling Plume landing right in front of the downed princess. They both offered her some much-needed support which she accepted without a fuss. “I’m... I’m okay. I’m okay,” she said, not too sure herself, leaning on private Plume. “What the hay happened at the end!? We arrived just in time to see the monster make herself scarce! How did you pull that off?” “O-oh! Heh. Just an illusion spell to change my shape from the Ursa’s point of view.” She let out a hollow chuckle. “Let’s just say, I have an inkling that somecreature now has a deep dragon phobia.” Plume cocked an eyebrow. “Geez, you almost make it sound easy.” Oh, but it wasn’t. In fact, Twilight had never casted an illusion as potent as this one before. They weren’t even her speciality to begin with. Crazy what the body and mind could accomplish when your life was on the chopping block. “Guys, look!” Hasty Flail pointed at a group of ponies a short distance away pouring out of the building Twilight impacted with her shield spell. Tens upon tens of ponies, exiting through the main double doors. It’s a good thing that this large establishment hadn’t suffered any significant collateral damage. It remained proudly standing, more or less intact. Even the three sturdy columns in front of it hadn’t toppled over. They kept doing their job of holding two splendid arches as if the attack had been nothing more than a trivial footnote in their life. But whoa, there sure were a lot of ponies crowding around the three of them! Some bowed, some gasped, some were outright astonished that any of this was really happening. First, two Ursa Minors, and now the princess of friendship herself? Here of all places? For like what, the first time ever? And she saved them!? Now that was a Saturday to remember! “See, what did I tell y’all, eh? I knew the princess would prevail!” a gruffy yet appreciative mustachioed stallion declared to the rest of them. “She totally did!” / “She absolutely did!” followed a duo of ponies to the left. “Oh hehehehe! Never doubted her monster fighting proficiency for a second, hehehe!” now added some kind of yellow doctor to the right. “Here’s one for the princess!” "We owe you our lives, princess!" "You're the best!" "Anyone seen my glasses?" "Let's make some noise, everypony!" "Woo!" And just like that, what started as praise quickly turned into a gang of ponies cheering so loudly that Twilight nearly developed a bad case of tinnitus. Hooves stomping in an applauding rumble, not a single mouth depicting a frown, ponies reconciling and hugging each other in relief, hats and other accessories being tossed in the air, hip hip hoorays all across town... Twilight felt so valued, it was almost dizzying. Or perhaps that was just another side effect of her drought in spare magic. When the noise dwindled down, a pony got closer to her. “Well! If they told me that my peaceful little town was going to receive the visit of two Ursa Minors AND one princess in a single day, I would’ve checked the expiration date on my medication, muhehehe- cough COUGH!” Sounded like Outer Grove’s head cheese. Looking at him, she saw yet another earth pony; nothing too out of the ordinary. The senior was pale brown and had a white diamond decorating his muzzle. Gray tail, salt and pepper sideburns. Again, nothing too shabby. But his clothes. Oh lord, his clothes. What a ridiculous attire that stallion was wearing! Clearly, his wardrobe hadn’t evolved with age. She could almost forgive the antiquated maroon doublet, but was the black cape really necessary? That particular combo in itself would make Rarity faint on sight. What really took the cake, though, was his ebony and gold platted top hat. Yes, a top hat. Made Twilight appreciate Mayor Mare’s choices that much more. At least, she stopped at the dickey. But this stallion from another epoque felt like it was necessary to tie the whole ensemble with this anachronistic tube of felt. Who knows, maybe he was going to pull a rabbit out of it? “My name is Mayor De La Tour,” he said with a respectful bow, “grandnephew of Marquis De Burgundy and elected representative of this little corner of Equestria. Princess, on behalf of every Outer Grovian, I would love to offer my most sincere thanks for your selfless role in chasing these dastardly pooches back to their den. Without your input, well... I dare not think of the grim consequences.” Twilight eventually snapped out of her, err, “appreciation” for his daffy costume and returned a bow. However, a little voice in her head told her that now was the not the time to engage in a diplomatic exchange. Something didn’t feel right still. There were a couple of loose ends in dire need of being tied. “Mr. Mayor De La Tour, it’s an honor to meet you, but... I’m afraid it’s not quite over yet!” she warned. The goofy guy tilted his head, confused. “Whatever do you mean, princess?” “W-we need to evaluate the damages! H-help anypony lost and hurt! There was a stallion! A stallion in a back alley not too far from here. H-h-he was in dire need of assistance, I must-” Not even a step in and her trembling knees buckled. She would’ve flopped onto the stony floor like a rag if it weren’t for the guards dutifully giving her the support she needed. That physical malaise didn’t go over the mayor's head. “Nonsense!” he protested. “You have done plenty to rescue our quaint little town already. For that, we are eternally in your debt. So please, I must insist, do not strain that overworked body of yours any longer than you already have. In the meantime, we will pool together our collective efforts and handle the fallout of this tragic calamity ourselves.” She had to admit, her magical migraine was drumming harder than ever behind her skull. Attack beams, flares, protective spheres, legendary illusions... Saying that she was out of steam was the euphemism of the century. Because in truth, the probabilities of her falling unconscious within the next few minutes were staggeringly high. After everything she went through, that would make for one anticlimactic ending. “Do not worry, princess. We will find that missing stallion of yours. You can count on us! But for now, you must rest.” He clapped his hooves in a commanding manner. “Miss Sweet Pint! Would you give me the satisfaction of coming forth, if you please?” Heads turned and singled out a white and pink pony of petite stature. She gulped and took a couple shy steps forward, breaking off the crowd. Just under the white freckles of her rosy cheeks, she attempted to keep a smile trained by years of customer service. “Ah, there you are, my dear. Would you be so kind as to accompany the princess to the grandest suit of your delightful inn?” Mayor De La Tour asked. “Uh... yeah. Not a problem. R-right on it, dude- I mean, uh, Mr. Mayor Sir,” she tripped onto her own words. There was no denying that she was a bit shaken not only by the recent course of events, but also by being the center of attention at the moment. And for once, against the very nature of her tough persona, she resisted all urges to mumble something sarcastic. Somehow, being unpleasant in front of a princess, one that just saved everyone’s flank – hers included – seemed a bit out of place. Instead, she silently showed her royal guest the way, moving away from the other ponies at a reduced pace. After making sure Twilight Sparkle was in a stable condition to move on her own, Plume and Flail nodded and receded into the crowd. On the porch of the bar/inn hybrid, Sweet Pint turned to look at the esteemed princess. “This is- this is the Two Arches. I work there as a barmare. I mean, I guess I’m not a barmare, but more like, the barmare, since there’s just me behind the counter, if you catch my drift. Um, welcome, I guess?” She facehoofed. “Erf, not the best sales pitch I’ve given, gonna be honest. Can’t say I was ‘xactly prepared for any of this, h-heh.” Twilight candidly smiled. She understood all too well what it was like to try and please a higher authority and making sure everything was up to code, spick-and-span, without faults, etc. She’s been there before. Many more times than she’d like to admit. When she walked past the middle column, she couldn’t help but admire the carved art that reshaped it into three ponies and a sphere. Now just where exactly did she see that design before? Somehow, it wasn’t all too unfamiliar to her. Maybe she’ll rethink the question after being properly revitalized? Intrigues aside, that was one stunning piece, really! Credit to the artist. She’d appreciate it even more if she wasn’t so close to sleepwalking. Right now? Snoozing was the order du jour. The barmare made it inside first, and she couldn’t help but cringe at the state of her workplace. “I ah, um. Sorry about the mess. We held a party here yesterday and I meant to clean before opening for the night, but y’know. Giant bears. Sort of shifted my priorities a bit. And then I had to house dozens of desperate ponies like stowaways, so that didn’t help! Look, I’m telling you, normally, I’m tidying up this place so good, it’s almost like-” By this point, Twilight could hardly pay attention to the scenery anymore. Her head was sagging low, and her eyelids only allowed a slit of vision for two bloodshot eyes. Still, looking left and right, she could sort of see what Sweet Pint was rambling on about. A bunch of empty mugs caked with froth, crisp bowls filled with crumbs, chairs toppled over, unfinished games of cards, deflated balloons, an uncountable number of dirty paper plates... ... and of course, right above her, a huge banderole that spelled: “HAPPY 5 YEARS GRAY CALX.” Which, once again, sort of rang a bell? Maybe? Could’ve sworn she heard a name similar to this one before. Eh whatever. Probably just some balderdash derived from sleep deprivation. No, really, if there was one thing to get anxious about, it was something else entirely. She had triumphed over the duo of Ursas, yes? The town had been salvaged and its citizens celebrated their well-earned victory, yes? One could almost say: “Problem solved,” correct? Then why didn’t her cutie mark acknowledge this satisfying denouement? It hadn’t given her any completion signalization. No hints at all. It didn’t pulsate, it didn’t illuminate. No celebratory chime and no glittery particle effects of any kind. Both of her stars remained completely motionless, placidly waiting on her flanks the same way they have for the past 24 hours. This could only mean one thing. The friendship problem still existed.