“You have to trust your own judgement, Twilight.”
As the Sun rose beyond the mountains, the Canterlot garden was witness of Twilight’s wondrous magic training. Shining Armor explained the fine details every unicorn needed to understand for making graceful use of magic. Twilight listened to every word with attention while concentrating in the spell she had been attempting repeatedly since long before dawn. She had got up early for a long day of training and training was all she would do.
Shining Armor continued, “remember magic is just a tool. The most important part of every spell is how it affects the world around you. When you can think of every aspect of each spell, you will have a much easier time casting it.”
Twilight focused on the task at hand. She felt the earth below her reclaiming the power of long gone lifeforms. She felt the absence of the Sun’s energy in the future, where her creation belonged. She felt the water spreading, reaching to the skies in a swift cry for glory. She felt the fire of life running through each grass blade. She heard the sounds of growing and the echoes of all the animals in the gardens. A white light bathed her horn and her mind and, with the clarity of the epiphany she just had, a light beam gave birth to a majestic tree full of life where only a seed stood moments ago.
“You see, Twilight? When your logical mind is on par with the abstract world of magic, the confusing details become clear and natural, because magic is part of nature too,” the white unicorn finished. “You are progressing. I’m very proud of you.”
Twilight replied smiling. “Thank you, brother. I have learned so much from you. So many things missing in the books.”
“Keep working,” he interrupted, “and you’ll get better than Celestia herself soon. I have to get our soldiers ready for tomorrow, so I have to leave now. See you at lunch.”
The purple student nodded and promptly returned to her training while Shining Armor walked back towards the castle. The pristine beauty of the gardens embraced Twilight’s gaze again just before she made the new tree burst into flames until only a bunch of cinders were left.
* * *
“What this lunch is missing is Applejack’s fine apples,” Twilight mumbled. After a whole morning of preparations the delicacies served in silver plates Canterlot staff offered felt somewhat light. Some good apples or even apple pie would satisfy her hunger much faster. She could, anyway, as a honored guest, eat as much as she wanted.
Shining Armor was there, of course. Celestia too. And a whole cohort of renowned ponies that Twilight didn’t care about. But what was really unusual was Luna’s presence. She had made an exception in her royal duties and was attending the meeting at midday.
This was unheard of, at least for Twilight. She knew of many instances in which Celestia and Luna had filled for each other during the rising or setting ceremony, but seeing both sharing a midday meal had caught her off-guard. Her curiosity was overwhelming, but it wasn’t long until they spoke about it.
Celestia called for attention. “Welcome everypony. Please, allow me to overlook the protocol for this is a very special occasion,” she said loud enough for the thirty-so ponies present to hear.
“The matter at hand is of utmost importance and should be kept secret for the safety of our kingdom.”
A muted gasp echoed at the other end of the room.
“We have received notice of an evil beyond comprehension brewing near the frontier of our land. We, however, believe this evil to be inside our realm of knowledge, but it should be noted that hearing its name will cast disbelief and doubt. Take a moment to comprehend that this threat is real, even if its name evokes only fables and kids tales. You have seen many old tales come back to life and this is no exception. The threat in question is the Järkivääristää.”
All of the guests mumbled loudly and talked to each other. Disbelief was rampant and the ones that didn’t take it for impossible were dumbstruck. Nopony made sense. Twilight didn’t know what to think. All those soldiers and scholars knew better than to upset the Princess. Everypony trusted her and she wouldn’t lie like that, but they were calling her a liar.
Celestia sighed in defeat. Luna stormed onto the table and stomped fiercely on it. “Listen, ye, royal subjects! Thou hast to abide to our command!! For this is a big, real, problem! The Järkivääristää is not a matter of laughter! Thou hast to trust us! There is no way to prove it or otherwise demonstrate its truthness, but that is how it is!”
She marked her words stepping vehemently against the marble table leaving everypony frozen on their chairs. “Thou must act in our behalf!!”
After a silence that seemed to last forever, all the ponies but the soldiers and Twilight stood up and left, chatting about Luna’s terrible manners and the unbelievable madness that had struck their royal crown.
“Yes. Of course!” she muttered, “we wouldn’t have expected anything more from such spoiled servants.”
The blue Princess stepped down the table and walked to her room barely stopping to tell her sister. “We told thou it wouldn’t work, sister. It cannot work. Thou need trust, not logic. Logic won’t work against the Järkivääristää. We’re going to sleep now. We need to be ready if the Järkivääristää attacks sooner than expected. Or should We say ‘when’ it attacks.”
Celestia sat on the floor beneath the table with a miserable expression on her face. The Royal Guard soldiers stood still while Shining Armor lectured them. Only Twilight seemed really concerned about Celestia’s feelings.
She approached Celestia and asked softly. “What is going on, Princess Celestia? I don’t understand any of this.”
“Oh, my faithful Twilight. I knew I could count on you,” answered the colorful mare, while slowly regaining her composure. “Do you know perchance what the Järkivääristää is? I wonder if you can even begin to understand its power.”
“I know it’s an old tale,” her student replied, “about a monster that lurks in the forests and deceives with its magic to win the wills of its victims, but it’s only a story and at the end it’s slain, never to come back again... right?”
Twilight started to be more concerned about her knowledge of the tale than the monster itself.
“Yes, Twilight. That is how the tale goes, but there’s much more to it than meets the eye. The Järkivääristää is a monster that can’t be described to others. You have seen many fairy-tale monsters throughout your journey. It’s not a stretch of mind to think this particular one would exist, is it?” Celestia asked in a worried and uneasy tone. Twilight felt a slight shiver.
“Well, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Jerkberryst to exist, I guess.”
“So, do you think you could fight it?”
“Of course not. It’s just a fake monster from an old story!” Twilight bursted triumphantly.
Celestia sighed again in defeat, wiping Twilight’s big grin out of her face.
“Do you see how powerful this thing is? You can’t even believe in it if you don't actually see it. I need you to trust me. I need you to have blind faith on what I am about to tell you, Twilight.”
Twilight was feeling a mix of fear and enthusiasm, for a test of faith in her Princess was something she considered the easiest task ever. “I am ready for any test, princess.”
Celestia stood up and looked sharply at her. “Twilight, my most faithful student, today’s test won’t be a matter of knowledge. I need you to take action and go beyond the Everfree forest to banish a creature out of a fairy tale.”
Twilight was confused and scared. She thought Celestia was losing her mind. Then she thought she was losing her own mind for having thought that. She barely knew what she was signing for, but that made her even more excited. Finally she gathered all her courage and said, “yes, Princess Celestia. I will do as you say.”
“Good. Thank you. And, please, try and convince those soldiers and your brother too. I don’t want you to roam the forest alone,” added the ivory mare while writing a note for Twilight and the soldiers.
Meanwhile, Twilight asked, “should I take the Elements of Harmony with me? It seems like we might need them.”
“The Elements of Harmony are to stay here at Canterlot. I’m sorry, Twilight,” she explained serious and concerned “but even on your hooves it would be too much of a risk. If they fall under control of the enemy we wouldn’t have any chance of defending against them.”
The student looked confused and worried, but Celestia reassured her “don’t worry, Twilight. You have fought and won many hard fights before. I have faith in you, even if my sister has doubts. I’m confident you will triumph once again.”
Celestia gave her the note and retired to her other duties. Twilight called Shining Armor, who was still correcting the soldiers.
“Will you help me slay this Jarkeybarista beast, brother?” she asked lightly.
“I don’t know, Twilight. This is so weird. I have never seen Celestia order something so ludicrous. The soldiers of the Royal Guard itself are on the verge of mutiny. I trust you, and Princess Celestia, of course. But this is bigger than just us. I need to keep order here while this madness lasts,” Shining told her sister, “I will, however, order my most trusted stallions to keep you guarded, since you are going beyond Everfree. I wouldn’t let my dear sister alone on this task. And believe me, I would go with you if this kingdom could afford it.”
His sister breathed deep with a mix of pride and discontent. She understood the situation quite well, but she still wanted to stay longer with him. “Thank you, brother. I will make you proud, even if this mission turns out to be as absurd as it seems.”
* * *
She had been studying for hours. She wanted to understand. She needed to understand why Princess Celestia had made her train on violent magic spells. Why she wanted her to be even better than she was just to go look for something questionable. She needed to understand why she was going to fight something that didn’t exist and, obviously, she needed to know how to defeat something that does not exist.
For a moment, she guessed she had already defeated it. Alas, it didn’t exist! Problem solved! But she would have to go look beyond the forest to check anyway, so better be ready.
That brief moment of glory was interrupted by a pink pony who entered the room with a delighted smile.
“Oh, hello, Cadance,” Twilight greeted.
“Good afternoon, dear,” she replied, “Would you mind if I intrude a little here?”
“Not at all. I’m glad you came. I was going nuts with this weird mission.”
“Is there something in particular I could help with?” Cadance asked with a hint of worrying.
“I’m not sure. I mean... I get that I have to go check for this fabled creature, just in the off-chance it does somehow exist, but all these dangerous spells... Where do they even come from? Why would anypony need them?”
Cadance changed her expression to a crooked smirk. “Well, you do remember what happened on my wedding day, don’t you? There are some unreasonable creatures we need to deal with.”
“Yeah, I know. But that’s not the point. Even though I still think we could have reasoned with the changelings, I understand some uses of magic can be violent, but this...” she paused for a moment looking at the old books she had on the desk, “this doesn’t feel as good as the magic from the Elements of Harmony.”
“What do you mean?”
“All this array of different spells... You’d think one true power would be all that’s needed for winning all the battles, but... there’s no always-winning move here. This doesn’t feel like magic. This feels like war.”
After Twilight said that, her look still fixated on the ancient writings, a looming silence engulfed the room. For a few seconds only the crackling of the fireplace could be heard. The alicorn didn’t even breath.
“I don’t think I can help you with that, dear,” she spoke slowly, almost trembling in fear. “You are much more proficient and knowledgeable about magic than me. We are even only because I am older.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” Twilight replied cheerfully, “You only need to practice something different. If all you do all day is telekinesis, that’s all you’ll get. I’m sure Shining Armor would be more than pleased to teach you.”
“Twilight!” her pink friend giggled relieved. “You shouldn’t be so meddlesome. I’m sure he has taught me many tricks that are not in the books, you know? I hope he’s not teaching you that.”
Cadance threw herself onto a couch, blushing as the mood lightened up.
Twilight twitched a little as her look went blank when she understood what Cadance was talking about. “Why would you tell me that, you little brat?” she babbled raising her voice and a pillow in her magic grasp.
The Moon rose as Cadance and Twilight played in her guest room. Many questions lay ahead, and they didn’t know when would be the next time they’d be together, so they rejoiced in their ignorance for a while, before going to bed. The night passed and they woke up together. Twilight was finally ready to say goodbye and depart for adventure.
* * *
The palace’s courtyard was filled with mares and stallions when Twilight got there. The best soldiers of the Royal Guard awaited in formation for Celestia’s speech. On the balcony above them, the Sun Princess addressed them. “Our loyal soldiers, we have an announcement to make. We have listened to the concerns of the ponies in Canterlot. After much deliberation, we have decided to call off the mission for the search of the Järkivääristää. You will stay on duty here at Canterlot as usual. Thank you for your patience and understanding. At ease!”
After this, all the soldiers seemed relieved. The faithful unicorn needed a minute for it to sink in. Soldiers roamed past her as she tried to get up to date. Eventually, she started to feel relieved too, as she wouldn’t have to cross through the spooky forest.
“Hey, Twilight,” a familiar voice called, “what are you staring at?”
The purple student shook her head and recovered her focus, “I just... I thought the mission was firm and solid. I mean... I have this written orders for the soldiers and all,” she said to Shining Armor.
“Oh, don’t worry anymore, sister. You know this Jorkhamista issue was never too sound to begin with.”
She finally got over it and a smile bloomed on her face. “You’re right! I guess the Princess has been working too hard lately, huh?” she laughed.
“I’m sure she’ll be okay, though,” replied Shining Armor with a smirk. “Do you want to eat some sweets? I’m starving with all the excitement and the work for the preparations, but now it’s over I think we can relax together for a while before you go back to Ponyville. What do you say? Apple smoothies?”
“Apple smoothies it is, B.B.B.F.F!”
They left the courtyard and the palace stood silent as if that morning nopony had been there.
* * *
The coffee shop at Canterlot’s main square was very crowded. Twilight and her brother were sitting at a cosy table outside, far from the entrance, behind some bushes. Six empty glasses crowned their table after a morning of fruity drinks.
“And then she told me about the other one! Can you believe it?” Twilight said laughing.
Shining Armor turned red for a moment. “You shouldn’t allow her to talk to you like that. It’s so uncouth!” he said faking a hurt pride.
“I didn’t let her! She kept speaking under the pillows!” she shouted.
“Then I’ll have to keep you from seeing her. Hahaha!” Shining Armor laughed loudly. “That mare is so gossipy! Haha! Did she tell you about what happened with Luna after that?”
His sister rolled her eyes, “Well, of course! I can’t believe you didn’t get in trouble.”
“Oh, but I did get in trouble, and she forbid me to enter the kitchen at night ‘For. Ever. Again.’ She was mad! Hahaha!”
The stallion cleaned a tear out of his eye. He kept laughing for a while with Twilight.
She sighed in melancholy and changed the tone. “Aaah, I wish we could stay together longer. I’ve missed you so much these years!”
Shining Armor smiled and cheered her up. “We’ll be in touch. I promise to write more often. You know I read all your letters, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s just... I’m gonna miss these moments.”
The warm sound of the distant crowd embraced them as they kept silent for a while.
“Do you want another round?” he asked.
Twilight raised her sad eyes which opened in terror. “Oh, no, no! I’m so full! I think I’ll even have to skip lunch! Haha!” she giggled.
“Ok, then. When are you leaving?”
“Oh, I guess I could wait until later. Celestia said I could use one of the pegasus chariots whenever I needed to go back to Ponyville or anywhere else,” she answered, pausing for a moment as her brother nodded. “So... do you have another tale of terror with the adventurous Princess Mi Amore?” she smirked.
* * *
Her violet mane fluttered around her lilac horn as the pegasus landed her near Ponyville. She thanked them and got a brush out of her saddlebag to fix her hair. She breathed deep and began walking towards the library.
A well known rainbow trail slammed the path before her, however, leaving there a blue pegasus smiling in awe.
“You’re back already! I saw the Canterlot chariot and went to warn the others and came back to welcome you! Woohoo!” she jumped in excitement. “Uh... How come you’re here so soon? Weren’t you on a mission?”
Twilight took a moment to recover from the fright of Dash’s sudden appearance, then answered. “Well, the mission was over sooner than expected. There’s not much more to it. It was--” she stopped when she noticed four more ponies galloping towards them.
“Weeeelcoming partyyyy!!” shouted Pinkie as she slid past Twilight, trying to brake, leaving a trail of confetti and streamers.
“We missed you so much!” said Fluttershy, the loudest her soft voice allowed.
Applejack confirmed crying, “oh, yeah,” and Rarity spoke a tender, “we have been worrying the whole week, darling. It’s so good to see you again.”
They snuggled her in a comfy group hug and she sighed feeling their caring embrace.
“It hasn’t been so long, really...” she commented.
“But it sounded like such a perilous mission... and all on your own!” Rarity yelled.
“But I didn’t tell you what the mission was about. I didn’t know it when I left, remember?” Twilight questioned raising her eyebrow.
“Oh, that’s right,” the farmer said surprised, “but we worried and missed ya anyway. We didn’t know what would happen to you.”
Twilight breathed deep again. She was very mentally tired. “It has been a weeeeird week,” she told them as she began walking again.
“Don’t worry, Twilight!” Pinkie yelled trotting around her, “I’m going to call a DJ and bake a cake and the party will be ready in half an hour!”
Twilight shivered at the idea, but she tried to be polite. “Uh, Pinkie? I think a slumber party with a quiet meeting is enough, maybe? I’m too tired for dancing, really.”
“Oh... ok. It’s gonna be fuuuun!” she hollered.
They walked together to the library while Twilight explained everything that happened that week. She talked about the sinister training in the darkest of arts. She told them about the mysterious creature that tormented the Princesses. She spoke too of the blissful times she had with her brother. Upon reaching the library she asked for some alone time while she unpacked and re-sorted her tasks, leaving the meeting for the noon.
She opened the door of the library and found Spike reading a book with his feet on the table. “Twilight!” he shouted before falling on his back from the tilted chair. “Ow! I didn’t expect you to come back so soon.”
“It’s a long story,” said the mare, “I’m sure it’s not as interesting as... Lairs and Lizards?” she wondered after picking up Spike’s book and reading the title. “Is this some kind of tabletop game? Who are you playing with?”
“Oh, that’s... well... actually... I... I just like it for the pictures,” Spike answered failing to conceal his shame.
“Whatever. We will talk about this later. Listen, Pinkie has insisted we have a meeting tonight. Would you mind spending the night with Sweetie Belle so Rarity can come here? It seems their parents are away today.” she requested, dismissing the book.
“Huh? Well, of course. I’d be pleased to take care of her. Are you ok, though?”
She looked at him trying to find what he meant. “Of course. I’m all right. I’m just very tired. This week has been exhausting.”
She stepped slowly to the bathroom. “I’m going to take a bath. You can leave for Rarity’s right now if you want. I’d rather be alone for a while anyway,” she smiled.
“Hmm... fine,” murmured the dragon, “I guess you’ll tell me tomorrow if anything’s wrong.”
He shrugged and left the tree-house to go to the Carousel. Meanwhile, the purple pony slid herself between pink soap bubbles in hot, steamy water.
* * *
Twilight felt much better after a night with her friends. She had time to explain with detail each day she had passed at Canterlot and, in turn, they told her of their daily adventures in Ponyville. Pinkie made a luscious breakfast for everyone and cheered the worried student even more.
“Thank you, Pinkie. This is the best dish I’ve eaten in a long time,” Twilight complimented the chef, “even in Canterlot, with all their fancy cooks, there’s nothing as savory as this.”
Pinkie giggled. “That’s because it’s made with looove!”
Her big grin spread to the other mares. They let the silence speak. The comfy tree-house smelt of sweets, fruit and incense. The nice and comfortable feeling that filled the room had raised from nothing, through their years together, into a blooming friendship in which they could rely forever.
Suddenly, something clicked in a multi-coloured head that made her spring her eyes open as she remembered something from the night before.
“So, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash commenced, “do you think we could try out that speed spell you were talking about? If I could fly even faster than now I would no doubt win my entry into The Wonderbolts.”
“I already told you. It’s only temporary. I cannot be there casting the spell every time you need it. Besides, it’s dangerous. I haven’t really tried it on anypony,” she explained with concern.
“Oh, right. But I would like to try it anyway. Even if just to see how fast is the fastest anything can go!”
Fluttershy asked a timid question. “Don’t you think you might get hurt? What if a bird crosses your path and you don’t have time to see it?”
“Huh!? Your paranoid brain is right! Maybe I should use a wind shield spell too...” the blue pegasus pondered.
“That’s not what I meant...” replied the yellow one.
“Like that’s going to happen,” Twilight interrupted. “I’m not going to do a spell so complex for such a foolish end, you should know be--” she was stopped by someone knocking soflty on the door.
She opened with her magic and the short silhouette of the purple dragon entered the main hall.
“Twilight, I know you wanted to be alone with the ladies, but this letter has been bugging me,” Spike explained babbling.
Twilight grabbed the parchment he offered and opened it. “A letter from Celestia? When did you receive that?”
“About... midnight... this night?” he replied.
“Celestia writing so late? That’s so unusual. You should have come here right away! We were awake late anyway.”
The tiny dragon cringed at his failure. “I’m sorry. I thought you’d be upset if I wasted your party over nothing.”
“Shut up, I’m reading,” she blurted. Then she began reading the letter aloud.
“My faithful student Twilight Sparkle,
It is not without shame that I write you these words, for they mean I have
failed on my intent of safeguarding Equestria and its inhabitants, and must
rely on you for this task.
As I told you, I need you to trust my words with blind faith. I also need you to
act with haste as soon as you receive this letter.
I had to call off the search in fear of the kingdom falling into chaos, as nopony
but you could have believed the truth, but the beast is real, Twilight, and
it is still out there, waiting for the moment our guard weakens for a fatal strike.
I know it will be hard for you to believe it, but you must go right now to the
other end of the Everfree forest and accomplish your mission.
I’m sorry about the difficult circumstances. I can’t even send you any
help. If somepony else reads this letter, the kingdom would fall in disarray.
Just remember that, even with all the training and knowledge you have
acquired until now, you won’t be able outpower this creature in a direct
confrontation. I trust you will find a way to defeat it.
I trust you completely.
Celestia.”
Her heart froze and she broke out into a cold sweat when fear flooded her mind. A silence heavy as the Sun crushed her soul each second it lasted. She let the message fall to the floor and stared voidly to the infinite abyss of her fate.
“But that means... Sugarcube, are you all right?” Applejack broke the silence, her voice filled with concern. The unicorn stood frozen in place.
Pinkie grabbed the letter from the floor and looked at it scrutinizing each word. “So... what this says is... the improbable beast is quite probable? Is that it?” she asked looking at Twilight waiting for her reaction.
“Don’t be silly, Pinkie,” Rarity intervened, “that is preposterous. There has to be a mistake, right, dear?”
“Of course... that must be it. I must be mistaken. Have I read it right?” Twilight pondered, sporting a crooked smile and a twitchy eye. “Let me read that again.”
“Hey, where’s Fluttershy?” Dash commented, missing the whole point of the issue.
The host breathed deep and recovered her temper. “Ok, no. There’s no mistake. Celestia must have gone completely nuts,” she stated confidently, “but so have I. We cannot lose any more time. We must go to the Everfree forest and slay a dream creature that possibly exists only in imagination.”
“WHAT!?” all her friends yelled in unison at the shocking news.
“Think about it,” she continued, “even if Celestia and Luna are absolutely mad, we need to do something. We have to try at least. Go to the source of the problem, find it, and destroy it. Even if that means going to the other end of the darkest forest, understanding the inconceivable or... I don’t know... going into their minds and deleting their wrong memories... whatever. But we must do something. Anything!”
Her convinced look and inside anger showed in her face, but the crippling doubts and the terrible fears were kept inside, hidden with pure determination to heal her princess’ fears.
“Everything!” shouted the blue pegasus who was pulling the scared yellow mare from a pillow fort. “Right, fillies?” she finished, surprised with the lack of enthusiasm of her friends.
Rarity stepped towards her. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I have a business to run and I can’t allow me to go run after a fictional figment of a hazy story from a kids’ book. I’m sure this can be resolved without us leaving our duties unattended,” she spoke with a haughty attitude.
“What? Are you implying your dumb clothes are more important than Celestia’s head?” Rainbow replied letting go of a pink tail that rushed under a blanket.
“How dare you, you spoiled filly!? There are some adults here that work for a living, you know? Why would our beloved leader be against hard working ponies anyway?” the clothier exclaimed angrily.
“Aye! Ah have to take care of a farm and a family! I’m sorry for her majesty, but important things must go first,” the orange pony argued timidly, not really certain of which side she was on.
“Hey! You should know better than that! I also have a job, but how could we do it knowing that our princess could be in trouble? Also, I wouldn’t want to let Twilight down...” told them the pink baker, knowing she was treading on murky territory, trying to pull them out of the business talk.
“Ok, shut up, everyone!!!” Twilight exploded, “I know this is hard for you, but... what are you doing? You are not like this. Don’t you see you haven’t been this divided since Discord attacked? Can’t you see there’s something wrong?” she tried to reconcile.
“Yeah, I can definitely see that. Something is wrong with Miss Pie leaving her shop unattended!” the farmer insisted sharply.
“No! Please! Come on, girls! We have no time for this,” the student tried to explain. “We must do this... We can’t fail the princess... We need to be... together...” she whined almost crying, her eyes about to break in tears.
“Yeah, where’s your loyalty, huh?” Dash asked, letting her pride and lack of judgement show off.
“And where’s your self-preservation sense, foal?” the white mare inquired, allowing her rage out, missing her manners.
“Fine!!!” cried the other unicorn, “if you don’t want to help me, I will do it alone!! I only asked for you to trust me, but I see that’s too much to ask from you!!” With tears flowing down her cheeks she darted away and out of the tree-house.
“Hey, Twilight! I’m coming with you!” the loyal pegasus shouted, taking off and flying after her.
“You should both be ashamed, really,” Pinkie told them, throwing her apron in disgust and cantering to the door, imitating Rarity’s smug attitude, then giggling and laughing at their confused faces as she crossed the entrance.
The two mares stood dumbstruck for a while. For some reason they felt shocked by that response.
Applejack broke the silence, “Huh... I don’t know what ya think, but maaaaaybe we have been a lil’ too hard on her for no reason?” she asked, worried she had broken her friends heart.
Rarity was staring beyond the wall in front of her. “Honestly, dear... I don’t know what to make of this,” she paused to breathe deeply, “I am as confused as you are. I think what we said makes sense, but still... we should probably be on her side anyway, you know? She’s our best friend after all.”
They began to follow the others when Rarity noticed Spike frozen in the middle of the room.
The purple dragon opened his mouth and only a simple phrase managed to get out of it. “What in the sacred name of Celestia has just happened here!?”
His twitchy expression started to fade when Rarity asked him for some help.
“Listen, Spike, darling, we need you to go to each of our homes and workplaces and make sure everything is in order and everyone is up to date, ok? Tell them we are on a secret mission for Celestia and nothing else. Will you do us that favour?” talked the fashionista in a soft, sensual voice for his infatuated reptile friend to remember.
Meanwhile, the farmer remembered a detail. “Come on, Sugarcube. You are coming with us.”
“I don’t wanna,” a sweet, soft, frightened voice replied from the depths of Cushion Fortress.
“We need you, sugarcube. Our pest control group is not complete without you,” explained Applejack while grabbing the shaky filly and pulling her to the street. “Come on. You gotta do what you gotta do!”
“Noooooo!” she screamed in panic while she was dragged to her doomed fate, “I don’t want to go to the Everfree Fooooreeeeeeeeeeeest!!”