//------------------------------//
// Sippy Moonfire Hamburger 
// Story: Twilight's Canterlot: RotE Episode 6 
// by Dream Volt 
//------------------------------//

	It had failed miserably.  I should have known it would.  I don't know why I thought re-coloring spike to look more like Dash would help.  Pinkie was right, there was no chance of it working and it was pointless to even try.  In the end I pushed them to try anyway.  The elements had been in the book that first alerted me to their existence.  Where it all began just like he said.  AJ and Fluttershy ran after him after it failed, but I doubt they'll catch him.  Whatever stopped him from teleporting earlier clearly faded.  Pinkie was still here, but I was actually glad Fluttershy muzzled her now.

"I clearly decided on a really lousy time to visit."

I blinked.  I had started packing, but I didn't know were I could even go.  I had just been laying on the bed, but now somepony was here.  I sighed.  I guess I could go talk to them.  I don't really have any plans.

"Also, why the buck is there a baby dragon pained like one of your friends lying in a huge pile of scrolls groaning in pain."

I teleported downstairs to the back room.  Spike had said he was going to sort the books back here, I guess Celestia kept asking him for progress reports or something.  The pile was fairly huge.  I think he was muttering something, but his throat was probably too sore by now to make much noise.  If only he had been closer.  I cast two spells.  The first would temporarily shut off his use as a conduit, and the second put him to sleep.  Hopefully that's all he needs.

"Wow, you look terrible.  And grey.  I can only imagine what overly sappy sort of thing that signifies."

I turned to see an ashen grey unicorn with a vibrant red mane.  She had a pair of heavy looking saddlebags on the floor behind her.  Her mane was amazingly untamed, with no style to speak of all, but also very full.  Her cutie mark was a red symbol for PI with a single white orbit around that.  It wasn't clear if it was supposed to represent an electron's orbit or a planetary one, but either fit her well.  I smiled.

"Oh.  Hello Moonfire.  It's nice to meet you in pony finally."

"Even though it's clearly the end of the world or thereabouts."  She sighed.  "So anyway, why haven't you fixed this yet?  You and your friends are the chosen ones right?"

"I guess, but, we lost."

"So you keep fighting.  You kick and stomp until you can't kick no more."

I smiled.  "That sounds like something AJ or Dash would say.  But it doesn’t' work that way.  Physical force…"

"Well I didn't necessarily mean it like that.  Magic is good too."

"Only the elements can defeat him and…"

"Your maggufin failed, I get it.  It's simple, either get a better one, supercharge the one you have, or fix the broken one."

I blinked.  "That reminds me of something Pinkie would say."

"That does not surprise me.  Still, using story theory on real life isn't that odd when real life is odd enough.  Doesn't always work, but if it works it works, ya know."

"I suppose."

"So what went wrong, or don't you know?"

"He corrupted all of them.  AJ is a liar, Rarity a hoarder…"

She held up a hoof  "Stop right there.  I get the idea.  Fix it."

"What?"

"You're Twilight Sparkle.  Celestia's student and by all evidence the most powerful unicorn on the planet.  Also from our correspondence I know how smart you are.  So you need to stop dwelling on one loss, get off your flank, and fix it."

"It isn't that simple.  I don't know what's wrong.  I don't know…"

"Well lets see if this helps.  While talking to me for some reason some of the color came back in your tail.  In two bursts by they way."

I blinked.  Two bursts.  I was reminded of my friends.  Just in little ways, but that is the only thing I can think of that makes sense.

"I know the first step.  Come on, I have a journal upstairs."

"Are you asking me to watch you read?  Sorry but even I'm not that much of an egghead."

I laughed.  It felt good.  Memory was the key, and my friends, but the full scope of things was just beyond my reach.  Maybe Moonfire was right, and there was a solution.  Maybe things weren't over yet.