//------------------------------// // *Chapter 08: Back into the Real World // Story: Equestrian Earth the MMORPG // by Chaotic Note //------------------------------// A Chaotic Production presents... The Adventuring Arc Chapter 8 ~ edited by ultra1437 Second Arc's Theme Song: Color - Code Geass OP1 Twilight’s irises were greeted by thin streamers of light that were piercing through her window blinds. They splashed around the room, in an array of golden puddles. She winced as Spike opened them up, letting the full force of light shine in her eyes. She squinted her eyes a little, to avoid temporary blindness. There was one thing for sure that the bookworm had determined about the visors. They don’t make very good replacements for sunglasses. She set aside the visor on her nightstand, and went to the bathroom to freshen herself up. Spike, as usual, already brushed his teeth and went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Twilight ran a hot shower, after a minute, she tested the water before stepping into the marble tub, making sure it wasn’t too scalding. She then stepped into the warm rain and completed her regular cycle of lather and rinse with her shampoo and conditioner. As she washed the night sweat away, she thought about Trixie, and last night’s fight in Aeroslida. Why in Equestria didn’t Celestia tell her that Luna had a new student? Was it private information or something? Twilight would understand that, but the ponies around town already knew she was Celestia’s prized pupil. She would have assumed that with Luna gaining a new student, gossip would soon follow. Were they keeping Trixie an absolute secret? Out of sheer frustration, Twilight viciously smashed her hoof against the wall tiles. She heard a tiny crack from the stone walls. This only made her aggravation a bit worse. After a few more stressful poundings to vent her frustration, she looked at the damage she had dealt. The poor wall had a few new cracks in it. The circles of damage were connecting to each other, forming an intricate web design. Twilight sighed as the cracks started to spread on their own. She quickly fixed the growing problem, with a glow of magic. After the refreshing wash she dried herself, until her coat was all fuzzy and soft. She then made her way downstairs, towards the kitchen. A waft of fresh pancake bliss flared up her nostrils. It was a pretty heavenly smell. She sat down on the cushions she used for seats, and waited for Spike to hand out the pancakes. As Spike handed her plate to her, she saw that he was cooking them with light blueberries. The azure shade of blue reminded her of the showmare. Twilight gave out an audible sigh. “What’s wrong Twilight?” Spike asked, a very concerned look upon his face. “It’s nothing Spike,” she murmured dejectedly. “It doesn’t seem like nothing,” he grumbled. Twilight groaned out of the frustration. “It’s just that- why is Trixie even Luna’s student? It just doesn’t make any sense! I thought we were friends the last time she left Ponyville!” “I don’t know. Maybe she forgot,” Spike suggested to get her confidence up. “But that doesn’t make any sense!” Twilight levitated a fork, and prodded her stack of breakfast cakes in a depressing manner. “She seemed so angry last night.” “W-well, at least you had good intentions.” “But what’s the point of good intentions?” Twilight angrily took a bite out the delectable goodness, then pushed the plate away. “Sorry Spike. I guess I’m not hungry.” Twilight gloomily walked back up the stairs again, and plopped right on the bed. She had no idea what she should do today. Obviously, she should apologize to Trixie, maybe even talk to her for a while. Honestly, she never thought that Trixie would attack her again. Apparently, fate had other plans, and she was going to follow them. She just hoped it won’t end up going down in flames. “Spike!” Twilight called out loudly. “Take a letter to the Princess.” The little dragon came up the stairs with a quill and paper. He dipped the quill in an ink well on Twilight’s nightstand, and waited for Twilight’s words. “Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began. “I’ve been considering my previous actions from last night, as of late. The turmoil and frustration inside me won't stop flowing. I want to put a stop to that, so I’ve made my decision. I'm going to stop by Canterlot for a little visit. I want to strengthen my relationship with Trixie, and hope for that best that she’ll accept me once more. I know I already accepted her. Hope to see you soon. Your most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” “Your most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,” Spike repeated as he finished the letter. He rolled the message up into a scroll, tied it with the usual Royal ribbon, and washed it all over with his green fire. The scroll burst into sparkling ashes and floated its way through the window. Twilight started packing her saddlebags for anything she might need for the trip. Maybe she’ll stop by Sugarcube Corner for a little apology treat she could offer. That would be a nice thing to do for Trixie, right? “Twilight, are you sure it’s such a good idea to see Trixie?” Spike asked, doubt obviously edged in his voice. “Yes,” she replied to him with assurance. “If I don’t resolve that matter with Trixie, nothing good will come of it. A wise pony once said that actions speak louder than words. I’m pretty sure that both the visit and the apology combined, will form an even greater combination.” Spike was about to say something, but then he started to look a bit queasy. He burped up more green flames, with a scroll in tow. Twilight captured the scroll in mid-air with magic and unveiled the letter with ease. Dear my most faithful student, I understand that you would like to fix the bridge between you and my sister’s student, but perhaps you could wait for a day? Ms. Lulamoon has been getting a bit difficult as of late. Not even Luna could get a moment to talk with her about you. I won’t stop you from coming over, but perhaps you could maybe avoid her for a day. I would love to have tea with you sometime, while you’re here. It’s been a while since we’ve had a conversation face to face. With utmost sincerity, Princess Celestia “Trixie doesn’t want to see you?” Spike questioned her uneasily. He was reading the letter along over the mare's shoulder with her. “I don’t think so Spike,” Twilight told him. “She seemed to be just as frustrated as I, only more irritated.” Twilight swung her bags over her back, and started for the door. She felt a pull on one of them. She looked down to see Spike nervously fidgeting with his claws. “Um, can I come with you?” Spike asked quietly. “Sorry Spike, but somebody needs to watch the library while I’m gone. I get the feeling I’ll be in Canterlot for a long time.” “Okay,” Spike looked down dejectedly, as he adjusted the bags' straps. The bags felt a bit more comfortable on her now. “Just be careful, alright?” Twilight gave him a warm hug and rubbed one of her cheeks against his own. “Don’t worry, I will.” Twilight watched Spike close the door behind her as she made her way for the train station. The skies seemed to be clear as day, with the sun smacked right on its blue canvas. It seemed to her that her mentor was trying to make her day a bit brighter, but Twilight didn’t feel any chipper. She noticed a cyan blur pop out from one of the hoofful of clouds in the sky, and was making a beeline for her. Twilight slowed to a trot as Rainbow Dash glided down towards her. “Hey Twilight!” Rainbow Dash flittered in the space next to the bookworm so she would stay in mid-air. “What’s up?” Twilight considered telling her about Trixie, but held back at the last second. “Oh ummm, I’m just going for a walk!” “Really?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yes,” Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Just a regular old walk.” “Really?” she asked, this time with doubt. “That’s a lot of stuff to be carrying for a, ‘simple walk.’” Dash did hoof gestures to emphasize her increasing suspicion. “Are you going somewhere?” “Errrrr,” Twilight mangled the excuse she was going to give. She would have expected this type of questioning from Applejack, but Rainbow Dash completely threw her off. What was she supposed to say now? She couldn’t just tell the headstrong pegasus that she was going to visit Trixie. She could say she was going to Canterlot, but that would obviously lead Dash to asking another question. Just as she was considering her thoughts, Spike rushed from the treehouse with a small booklet in his hand. “Twilight! You forgot your train pass,” Spike yelled as he ran towards them. By the time he handed Twilight the pass, he collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Twilight nervously turned back towards Rainbow Dash. She was glaring at the anxious bookworm, looking quite demanding for a proper answer. “Oh,” and Spike mentioned, breathing heavily with each word. “When you... Get there... Tell Trixie... I said hi...” He then took a small nap right on the spot. “TRIXIE?!” Twilight winced as Dash yelled the name at the top of her lungs. She rubbed the side of her ears, to ease the pain they just experienced. She could feel herself feeling a little panicky. The beads of sweat were more than enough proof for her. “How could you go see Trixie!?” Rainbow Dash bellowed. “That showmare is nothing but a big show off!” “Please, Rainbow Dash. You must understand that this is a very serious matter,” Twilight explained reassuringly. “I don’t want to have any problems with Trixie, so I’m going over there to apologize an-“ “You’re gonna say sorry?!” came another exclamation from the pegasus, as she pointed a hoof at her. Twilight could feel her ears bursting a little. She rubbed her forehead from the headache she was developing before she spoke, “Yes. I’m going to say sorry to Trixie.” Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She started to say something, and then touched down on the ground with undeniable fury. She repetitively stomped on the earth to emphasize her stand on the situation. She huffed and puffed, circled around in the spot, than gave Twilight a hard and long stare. After what seemed to be hours, the athlete groaned loudly and shot up in the air. Twilight looked up to see the cyan blur slowly turning into a spectrum of colors. A low rumble could be heard in the space above her. It was like the sound of thunder in the distance. She tried to continue her walk, trying not to think of what her other friends might think of her decision. Dash would obviously tell the others. This wasn’t a small matter to them, and it wasn’t one to Twilight either. She could see the train station as she turned around the corner of a building. The train itself was slowing to a stop as it arrived. Twilight quickened her pace to a trot, because she might as well get there before any more of her friends show up with more questions. “Twilight! Wait!” Twilight looked behind her to see a gaggle of mares, including Pinkie Pie, chasing after her. She gulped and broke into an all-out gallop. “Stop runnin’ yah hear?” Applejack shouted worriedly. “We jus’ wanna talk!” “No!” she yelled back. 'Almost there!' she thought quickly. “Why not, my dear Twilight?” Rarity daintily shouted over. “There’s no need for you to act so unreasonable with us!” Twilight tried to ignore the comment, and kept on going. She attempted to teleport past a crowd of ponies to throw them off, but Rainbow Dash was flying above the open channels, guiding the group of friends through a safe course. Twilight tried teleporting again, but she was already tired from running all this way. Twilight thought to herself that she needs to get into better shape. She was almost there at the gates, when all of a sudden; Rainbow Dash tackled her into the ground. “Rainbow Dash!” Rarity yelled at her. “There was no need to pummel her like that!” “Well she wouldn’t stop!” Dash justified herself. “That is no excuse to treat a friend that way!” “But she was-“ she was cut off by Rarity, is what she was. “No! Excuse!” each word was punctuated with a stomp of a hoof. As Rarity and Rainbow Dash were arguing over each other, Twilight dusted herself off. Applejack was trying to settle the two down, but had no luck in subduing the two mares. Fluttershy tried to speak over them, but couldn’t bring herself to anything more than a tiny whimper. Pinkie Pie was yelling as well, but she was chatting about how gummy worms were a different species from earth worms. Twilight couldn’t take it anymore. “It was my choice, okay!” Twilight screamed, silencing the other five simultaneously. The sudden outburst stopped the entire dispute. Twilight could feel all of her friends’ eyes paying close attention to her. The few other ponies in the vicinity also looked over to see what all the fuss was about, but made no other movements to get closer. A vegetable stand was knocked over, and a cute and adorable voice could be heard throughout the town, along with the wail of a vegetable farmer. “Opps! My bad!” “Nooo! My cabbages!” the farmer cried dejectedly. “Twilight my dear,” Rarity began. “Is it really necessary to go to-“ “Yes!” Twilight insisted impatiently. “I’m not about to let this pass me by.” “But why to her?” Rainbow Dash questioned Twilight, disgust in her tone. “I can’t stand that show off!” “Please, Dash,” Applejack immediately replied. “You’re not making this any better.” “Oh what? You’re taking her side now?” she accused Applejack, pointing a hoof at the mare. “What ah’m sayin’ is that what Twilight is doing now doesn’t change anything,” she explained her reasoning simply. She turned her attention towards Twilight, “What ah’m curious about is this: why?” Twilight sighed and explained to the girls of what happened between her and Trixie the last time they talked. Trixie was sincerely sorry for what she had done, and they both left on good terms, but for reasons unknown to Twilight, the mare attacked her in the game last night. After placing out her reasons for visiting Canterlot, Rainbow Dash huffed and puffed. “I don’t know Twilight. Maybe she still hates us,” she grumbled childishly. “Trixie was really ashamed of her actions, Rainbow,” Twilight repeated, her tone scolding. She turned to regard the rest of the group,“I’m just not sure what happened to her. It seemed like we had such a good friendship.” “Yeah,” Applejack agreed. “But that was only for a moment. You did say she’d left Ponyville after that fancy magic show you presented to Princess Celestia and those Saddle Arabian nobles right? A lot could have happened between now and then.” “Maybe,” Twilight considered Applejack's suspicions as she pawed at the ground. “I know what you all are thinking, but I’m going to Canterlot alone.” “WHAT?!” The mares were suddenly bombarding Twilight with questions. They were mostly about why wouldn’t she bring her friends with her. There was the occasional whine from Rarity; how she wouldn’t be able to get another look at Canterlot's dress style. It kinda broke her heart to shock them with this news, but it was necessary. Chances are, Trixie will probably rather like to talk with her alone, than with her and all of her friends at once. She turned her back towards the others. “Sorry everypony,” Twilight heaved a sigh. “I’ll be back soon.” The others all gave Twilight a gloomy, pouty face. Rainbow Dash was more of a grumbling stare, but she had a shine of grief in her eyes as well. They knew they would never be able to talk her out of this mess. “Alright sugarcube,” Applejack concluded the discussion sorrowfully. “We hope you have a nice trip, but be sure to tell Trixie we all said hi. If she’s as sorry as you say she was, then ah would kindly like to share a mug of cider with her, someday.” Twilight turned back with a sincere smile, “Of course I will.” Twilight could see her friends waving goodbye, when she picked out her seat in one of the train booths. She waved back to them, and kept on waving until Ponyville disappeared from sight. She let loose a breath of relief from her lungs as all the tension passed away from her spirit. That wild confrontation was exhausting! She wouldn’t want to be in that type situation ever again! She knew that her friends would react that way, but she would have thought Rainbow Dash would be the one to try to stop her. Then again, the pegasus was always rushing to action. Twilight allowed herself a small and quiet chuckle. She was kind of happy they would be so concerned about her, but this was one path she would have to walk alone. Well, at least for the time being. She hoped her friends would slowly start accepting Trixie as well, at least Applejack seemed keen on that. As these thoughts circled around her mind a uniformed train conductor stopped by and asked for her ticket. He was an old, brown coated stallion with a grey mane and beard. She hoofed the ticket to him, and took back a hole-punched slip.“Thank you for riding F.S.T. Express today, Miss. Sparkle,” the conductor tipped his navy blue cap to her. “We’ll be arriving Canterlot shortly. Enjoy your trip.” “Thank you,” Twilight replied as she watched him go. Twilight yawned a little bit and decided to take a quick nap. She would need to conserve her energy for the royal city. She came too when the train whistle blew a high pitch sound. The train had arrived at Canterlot, a bustling city as usual. Full of highly esteemed scholars and snobby, rich nobles, just the hometown she remembered growing up in. She remembered being a little bit of both back then, before the entire ‘Nightmare Moon doomsday’ thing, and the discovery of the Elements of Harmony. Before she even met her friends. She hummed a nostalgic tune as she walked through the crowds, making her way to the castle. It was a pretty quick trip. Nopony tried to stop and talk to her as she passed them. Either they were too busy, or they didn’t recognize her. It was probably both. Even though everypony in Equestria knew about the Elements of Harmony, they didn’t exactly quite know what the true identities of their bearers were. Only the residents of Ponyville knew, because she and her friends all lived there. Either way, it was pretty convenient for Twilight. She wouldn’t have to worry about celebrity-hungry ponyrazzi or random waves of fans impeding her. After a quick trot, she made it at the gates. She showed the guards her official identification as usual, and they let her in. “Good morning Ms. Sparkle,” one of the guard mares spoke. “Celestia was expecting you.” “Thank you,” Twilight replied as she trotted through the gates. “You have a good day Ms. Sparkle,” she called after. She then resumed her usual position. Twilight nodded towards the guards’ direction, and looked back at the castle. The stone walls were shining a bright sheen of white. The golden rims and domes helped capture the glory of the sun’s bright rays as they reflected its light. A flair of purple also dotted the outlines of the windows, along with an army of banners and flags. Twilight wasted no time, as she made her way to the throne room, where Princess Celestia was most likely residing in. Her guess wasn’t wrong as she stepped into its halls. Celestia smiled and stepped down from her throne to greet her beloved pupil. They both nuzzled each other warmly, before the goddess shooed away the guards from their duties, and walked Twilight down the halls. “It’s good to see you, my student,” Celestia welcomed her student in her heavenly tone. “It’s good to see you too Princess,” Twilight replied with joy in her voice. “I suppose you’re here for Trixie, am I correct?” “Absolutely.” Twilight adopted a look of concern. “What happened to her? Why is she mad at me again?” “I’m not sure Twilight,” Celestia replied regally. “But I’m sure we left off last time as good friends!” Twilight insisted rather loudly. She couldn’t understand why Trixie would want to fight her. Celestia shrugged with her wings. “I’m sure you two still are. The reasons for Lulamoon’s behavior last night though are rather… oh how do I put this, clouded?” Twilight only looked on, hoping to gleam a spark of an answer from her adored mentor’s eyes. None appeared. “All I know is,” Celestia continued solemnly. “Is that I’ve ended up speaking to Trixie about this. She would actually very much like to talk to you.” “She does?” one of Twilight's eyebrows quirked skyward at that. Celestia nodded to her short question. Both student and teacher happened upon a set of large, midnight-blue, double doors. They were decorated with a cluster of glorious stars that seemed to twinkle brightly. A sprinkle of nebulous clouds were scattered across its canvas, along with a large, silver moon complimenting the center of the two doors. “Is this…?” Twilight asked, not sure what to say next about her revelation. “Yes, Twilight,” Celestia confirmed Twilight's half-asked question. “This is my sister’s room.” Celestia pushed the doors wide open, revealing a rather simplistic kind of room. The walls were lined with posters of various video games, including those of Trot 4 Dead 2 and Haylo 4. A majestic, starry-blue bed however made itself known in the space. The blankets and pillows on it all had a certain theme to the night sky. A large plasma television could be seen out of the corner of Twilight’s eye. Its wide screen faced towards the bed, making it very convenient for any of its viewers to lie on the cushy mattress. An open balcony could be entered from the far side of the room. A line of silky, light blue curtains covered the entryway to the spacious terrace. The center of Twilight’s focus, however, was what was in front of her. Directly in front of her, at the base of the bed, was a small coffee table. Sitting across from each other was the azure showmare, and the night princess herself. A powerful, chestnut brown stallion was sitting on the side between the two mares. They were both in the middle of a card match while the stallion was watching intensely. It was Magic: The Gathering. An awkward moment passed as they looked up from their interrupted game. The ponies stared at each other, with the centerpiece being between Trixie and Twilight. If Trixie was mad at Twilight, she didn’t show it. She had quite the poker face on her. The staring continued until Luna coughed. “Oh excuse me! Oh dear if you look at the time,” Luna started quickly as she looked down at a nonexistent watch on her hoof. She took hold of the stallion’s ear by the teeth and pulled him away, out the door. “Ow owow owow!” the stallion cried out loudly. “Please! Watch the ear, your majesty!” “Now’s not the time, Paladin!” Luna forcibly chuckled, giving him an intent stare from the corner of her eye. He gave an audible gulp. As the two passed, Twilight could see that he had three patches of black on his flank, with twin broad swords crossing each other on the blank prints. His mane was a darker brown variety. Twilight couldn’t help but notice that he looked a bit familiar. That passed when Celestia nudged her towards Trixie. Celestia leaned down to Twilight's ear and whispered, “I’ll leave you two alone.” Celestia. The princess that had taught her mostly everything magic trick she knew, the one mare that won her undying loyalty to, the fair goddess who she could always depend on, had just left her in a room. Alone with one who could possibly be a friend, or her worst enemy. She turned around and gave Trixie a nervous smile. “He-e-ey Trixie,” Twilight grinned anxiously, stumbling over her greeting somewhat. “What’s up?”