Marks of Harmony
Part 2
Why does that one have to be so obnoxious, Aurora Streak thought angrily. She has no right; unless of course my assumptions are correct. That raises more questions about the state of this sad kingdom, but still… She gazed around at all the ponies, now becoming more and more riled as another spoke out in defense of the unpleasant one with the rainbow mane. It was in these situations that Aurora chose to ignore the babbling masses. They could make little sense even to themselves, so why should she even attempt to interpret anything from them. Instead, her searching eyes swept the crowd, attempting to catch anypony moving or speaking out of the ordinary. In a town as heavily populated as Ponyville, she had expected this to take at least a few minutes, not less than five seconds. Near the back of the gathering, a light violet unicorn with a deeper purple mane stood; staring intensely up at her. In any other situation, Aurora would have taken no mind of it. In her life, she had had more than a fair share of scowls directed her way. But not only was this pony showing her deep displeasure at Aurora’s words and arrival, she was also attempting to discern everything she could about Aurora. She has the eyes of a rather intelligent pony, Aurora pondered, not looking back directly, but allowing herself quick glances. Even if she despises me now, she may indeed be the catalyst for acceptance I need.
“All of you!” Aurora raised her voice over the clamor, something she rarely did and actually disliked doing. Most everypony quieted, a few whispers lingering. Returning to her normal tone, Aurora said, “Rumors are but tales of nonsense until they are proven true or otherwise. Since my word alone would not convince you, I offer you a compromise.” She paused, not for dramatic effect—though it would likely have that impact—but to begin charging a normal spell; difficult for her under the best of circumstances. Only when she heard the gasps of all of the ponies below did she open her eyes, assured that her horn was indeed prepared. “At noon tomorrow, a pony of my choosing will be invited aboard the House of a Thousand Fangs to receive a glimpse of what I can offer.” The citizens of Ponyville glanced warily around at one another, clearly hoping they were not chosen as representative. “I expect to see her!” Aurora boldly stated, firing her small glow spell at the violet unicorn.
The square exploded with shouts of confusion, shock, and complete outrage. It was bound to be unpleasant, and Aurora was in no mood—nor did she have the time—to witness it. A simple tap of her hoof against a hidden pedal in the floor of the litter, and the entire contraption ascended into the dark bowels of her creation. Only just before she was completely enshrouded in darkness did the ponies notice her departure. Luckily, she was sealed inside her haven before their incessantly dissident voices reached her. “Hmph, civility is alive and well,” she said to the darkness, sarcastically cheery and dropping her formal and artificial air.
“Since when has Celestia’s kingdom been full of civility,” the darkness replied. “Even the Canterlot high-society have less decency than these.”
“Too right you are,” Aurora said. “But my research almost requires that they be that way.”
“My ancestors were not like them,” the darkness spat. “They genuinely desired the change you promised.”
“I am sick of speaking to you in this blackness,” Aurora said irritably. “Have the Lighting Devices faltered again?” The darkness before her did not respond, and Aurora could feel its disapproval of her diversion. “I have explained it all to you before,” Aurora snapped sharply, “and I will not repeat myself for your own emotional benefit. If you are so insecure, you may leave and enter the town below at your leisure.” The darkness did not reply once again, but the change in the atmosphere was enough to convince her that she had won. “Now, if you don’t mind, please send my recorder to the Device Room. We have notes and repairs to make.” While Aurora struggled with a light spell, the clattering hooves of her darkness-hidden companion moved away in the opposite direction. “Oh, and Chrysalis,” she added as an afterthought, “I need my current lab sealed off with a spell of disguise.”
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It occurred to Rainbow Dash that however much she loved Ponyville and all of her friends, she absolutely despised Town meetings. To her, it was as clear as a cloudless sky that they—under no circumstances—should allow Twilight to go aboard that crazy mare’s boat. Yet here everypony was, gathered within Town Hall before the mayor, only discussing how they could help Twilight; not that they should do everything they could to keep her from being taken aboard. “Come! On!” Rainbow finally exploded with impatience as she hovered laboriously within the power of the ship. “I’m not going to let Twilight on that piece of junk! You shouldn’t either!”
“Maybe we can convince the mare to take somepony else,” Fluttershy meekly suggested, audible only because Rainbow’s shout had silenced the rest of the ponies.
“Thank you! Wait....What!?” Rainbow initially agreed, then spun around to face her friend. “We shouldn’t send anypony up there! I’ll say it again, THAT... SHIP... STEALS… YOUR.... WINGS!”
“Why don’ we ask Twilight what she thinks,” Applejack inserted. “She’s the one that’s been summoned anywho.”
“Who cares what she thinks!” Rainbow argued. “I’m not lettin’ any of my friends go on that thing!”
“I reckon Twilight c’n take care of herself,” Applejack replied. “Ya need to stop bein’ so protective Dash.”
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilght spoke up, calm and confident. Rainbow whipped her head around to look down upon Twilight. “I think you, me, and every other pony are equally scared of that mare.” Rainbow did not consent to this truth, but many of the assembled ponies did with mumbles and nodding heads. “But even if we are afraid, we must know more about her. That can only be done if someone goes on board her vessel. Trust me.”
“Don’t get me wrong Twilight,” Rainbow replied, “I trust you, it’s just... nopony seems to care that you even have to go up there in the first place.”
Before Twilight or any other pony could answer her, Spike burst into Town Hall, delightfully bellowing, “Twilight! Princess Celestia! She sent back a letter!” Everypony cheered wildly, and even Rainbow could not help air-hooving. Princess Celestia would not only know how to deal with this stuck-up allicorn, she would know who exactly she was.
“Hurry Twilight!” Pinkie bounced excitedly. “Open it and read it!” Twilight’s magic levitated the letter, broke the seal, and unrolled the crackly parchment. Rainbow could feel the tension in the air as everypony waited for Twilight to begin.
“Well whatsit say sugar cube?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah, what did Celestia say to do?” Pinkie added.
“I-I-I don-n’t know,” Twilight stumbled in pure disbelief. “The ink is all smudged out.” Rainbow and several other ponies turned significant glares to Spike.
“Hey,” he held up his hands in innocence, “I didn’t open the seal. Twilight can back me on that one.”
“Celestia has never had a sick scribe has she?” Rairty asked in concern.
“The princess has five scribes I think,” Twilight replied, now even more perplexed. “And even if they were sick, the princess could always write the letters herself.”
“Somethin’ else is goin’ on,” Rainbow said darkly. “And I can guess who...” She rocketed out of Town Hall, fast even with the detrimental effects of the ship above. The sight that greeted her was enough to halt her into hovering again. She gazed with an open mouth as four beams of ethereal pink magic surged with a faintly sinister whistling from four large, brass, hole-riddled spikes. Each spike had extended out of yet another hidden panel in the ship’s hull, pointing in each direction of the compass. But it was not the spikes that drew Rainbow’s attention. That was focused on the expanding field that—within only a few more seconds—completely encased Ponyville like a picturesque town within a snow globe.
“Rainbow?!” Rarity and Twilight shouted upon initially making their way outside, but they too were silenced at the sight before them.
“If Celestia’s letters can’t make it in...” Twilight trailed off.
“I take it back Twilight,” Rainbow said, regaining not only her senses, but her fighting spirit. “We have to solve this problem ourselves. And we can do it too.” Twilight remained quiet, but as more and more ponies began filtering out into their now pink-hued town, Rainbow made her decision. “Okay everypony!” she shouted out. Coming lower and adding in a whisper, “Help me out here Twilight.”
“With what?” Twilight hissed back.
“Um... organization, duh,” Rainbow explained. Twilight frowned in confusion, but Dash could waste no more time. “Alright! Clearly, help can’t get in, and it’s probably true that we can’t get out! Twilight’s gonna do her part by going up on that ship, but we need to support her down here. So! Pinkie and Applejack, you take some ponies and see what this bubble is made of!”
“Bubble gum!” Pinkie replied, to the general half-amusement of all present.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow switched intensely.
“yes...” she answered, looking timidly around at the other pegasi.
“You and me are gonna take all the pegasi and give hay to that ship!” Rainbow declared triumphantly. All of the other pegasi called out raucously in agreement with this plan.
“Rarity!” Rainbow turned to her lastly. “Help Twilight arrange all of the groups between those that can and can’t.”
“Oh, I can do it myself, don’t worry,” Rarity replied good-naturedly. “Just give me a moment and I’ll be right back to help. And you dear,” she said to Twilight, “you go get yourself whatever you need from the library.”
“And if there’s anythang ya need from the rest of us,” Applejack said, “jus’ holler.”
“I’ve got plenty of cupcakes if you want to take some with you,” Pinkie said, then sidling up conspiratorially to Twilight added, “maybe you can catch her off guard by giving her some.”
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Oh, if only I could Pinkie, if only I could, Twilight sighed to herself as she sidled, head hung, back to the library. She had put on a brave, energetic face for the sake of her friends, and truthfully, everypony in her town. But it was the farthest from her current state of mind she had ever been. She reflected that under normal circumstances, she would be rushing around, trying to find the all the answers she could about the mysterious mare; before venturing into what was most likely a fortress. But she had little to no energy left to even lift her head. The feeling was one of extreme fatigue, but not of the physical kind. She felt like she had spent three whole days doing nothing but practicing extremely difficult magic. She could not even open her own door she was so drained. “Man Twilight,” Spike said, not sure whether to be shocked or perplexed or both. “I’ve never seen you like this. I mean, even when you stay up late, you’re usually full of energy.”
“Tell me about it,” she replied, falling heavily onto a reading couch she had recently brought to the library for sit-in reading. “The only time I remember feeling like this was the night after I...” she trailed off. “Spike,” she said, curiosity sparking in her voice, “get me that book, um, Dangers of Magic and How to Avoid Them.”
“Why do you want that old thing?” Spike asked, though he obeyed and climbed a ladder for the taller shelves. “Only really advanced users use it as a guide. I mean, don’t get me wrong Twilight, you’re good, but not this good.”
“I know I’m not,” she said, motioning for Spike to thumb through it for her. “But what if I was? I need to know what the first symptom of overuse is.”
“Symptoms—symptoms—symptoms...” Spike mumbled, brushing within the table of contents. “Aha!” he exclaimed, pointing a single talon on an entry. “Page 145.” The books pages fluttered as Spike sped through them, finally arriving on the desired chapter. Clearing his throat, Spike began reading formally, “Magic is an incredibly useful art, and one that all unicorns and allicorns ought to devote time and energy to mastering. Such proofs of this have already been cited in previous chapters. However, as useful a tool as magic is, like any other endeavor, it comes with risks. Perhaps it contains even more risks than other forms of exertion.” Spike caught a decent breath before continuing, “When a user of magic practices for extended periods, or operates increasingly difficult feats, he or she becomes drained of strength. This is the first symptom of overuse, and should be viewed with extreme caution, as many other unpredictable consequences could follow.” Twilight kept her eyes narrowed as Spike turned significantly to her. “But you haven’t done a lot of magic lately.”
“No I haven’t Spike,” Twilight replied, “but that mare most certainly has.” She rose off the couch and strode up to her loft.
“I don’t get it,” Spike said innocently.
“Princess Celestia once told me of a very powerful branch of magic. For the life of me, I can’t remember what it was she called it, but all I remember is swearing to never look into it except with her express permission,” Twilight explained gravely as she gathered four books into her bags. “Obviously, the princess didn’t go into details, but she did mention unicorn powers.”
“Okay, now I’m even more confused,” Spike said, beginning to sound impatient. “No duh, unicorns have powers. Why would magicians need to study that?”
“Well, that’s what I thought when I was little, and since the princess never mentioned it again, I didn’t find it even worth considering. Only now, I think the princess’s explanation was purposefully vague,” Twilight said, coming back down and perusing more books. “I think the branch deals not just with unicorns, but why unicorns, allicorns, and pegasi have particular powers, and how to manipulate that directly. If I’m right, that would explain why I feel so... wait a minute.”
“Urgh! I hate it when you do that!” Spike raged at her. She paid him no mind, as her theory was already crumbling into pieces.
“Why am I the only one that feels at rock bottom?” she asked the air. “If I were right, the other unicorns, even the pegasi, would feel like me.” She screwed up her face in concentration, attempting to remember if there were any books that ever mentioned natural magic, even if only in passing. There were none. “Oh gosh,” she collapsed, her initial burst of reserve energy completely spent. “Spike,” she said wearily, “I think I’ll take Pinkie up on that cupcake offer. Even if I’m wrong, I really don’t want to feel like this tomorrow. If I’m going to tour that ship, I’ll need all the sugar I can get.”
“Sure thing Twilight,” Spike said. “Hey, ya never know, maybe Pinkie Pie’s strategy will work. Cupcakes soften anypony up.”
“Thanks Spike,” Twilight chuckled weakly.
“Before I go,” Spike asked, “do you want me to try to reach Princess Celestia again?”
“You can try,” Twilight replied, now fading rapidly. “But I doubt it’ll...” Blessed sleep took her, and she hoped she would be ready to do her duty to Ponyville when she woke.
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“Wake up Twilight!” somepony was hollering earnestly. “We need yar help!”
“Applejack!” Twilight started, sitting bolt upright, eyes wide. “Fwew,” she sighed, “how long have I been asleep Applejack?”
“I dunno,” Applejack said impatiently, “but you’d better have yar energy back. Pinkie touched it.”
“Huh, ugh, slow down,” Twilight groaned, rubbing her eyes with both hooves. “What now? And really, what time is it?”
“Just past supper time,” Spike said dryly. “I had to go over to Rarity’s to eat.”
“Oh gosh! I’m so sorry! Why didn’t somepony wake me sooner?” Twilight burst out. “Nobody should have gone without my help just because I was asleep.”
“Don’ worry sugar cube,” Applejack said kindly, but swiftly. “Rainbow and all tha other pegasi are having one hay of a time with that ship, and unt’l jus’ now, everpony else was doin’ jus’ fine.”
“Okay,” Twilight said, not sure whether to be hurt or gratified that her friends were all competent without her help. “What’s wrong now then?” she asked, pushing the thought aside as selfish.
“Pinkie Pie,” Spike shivered in fear. “She’s completely lost it.”
“Ya remembar tha’ time in Discord’s maze?” Applejack elaborated. Twilight nodded her head, though apprehensive about where the conversation was headed. “Well, I wouldn’ be lyin’ if I said she’s actin’ a li’l like that now.”
“But I thought only Discord could disrupt the Elements of Harmony?!” Twilight said in disbelief. “And we’ve already ruled him out of this! And you said it happened right after she touched the globe?”
“Ee-yup,” Applejack said. “Wildes’ thang I ever saw. She lost color, an’ everypony could tell somethin’ wann’t right.”
“Where is she now?” Twilight asked, now moving hurriedly throughout the library, looking for all the notes Princess Celestia had sent her on Discord after the ‘incident’ with him.
“In Sugar Cube Corner,” Applejack replied. “She’s scared the geewillikers out o’ tha Cakes. They’ve left.”
“Okay, then,” Twilight said determinedly, acquiring the notes and stashing them in her bags. “Spike, you’re my eyes while we walk. I need to read these notes as we go.”
“Oh joy,” Spike mumbled, motioning for Applejack to come along as he opened the door for Twilight, who was now engrossed in the first page. Even with Spike ungraciously poking her whenever a turn was necessary, Twilight was able to absorb a good amount on the villainous Discord. Much of the notes dealt with his first appearances, his initial political stands, his fights with unicorns and allicorns in power, and his eventual imprisonment. Finally, there was a brief section dealing exclusively with his magical talents. Several of these fields Twilight knew of; others, only by name; and still others she had never even read about.
A reference was made to the Elements of Harmony, which was what Twilight was after; but to her displeasure, nothing was said other than, “Discord, while vulnerable to the Elements when combined, had incredible skill in countering each on an individual basis.” No, really, Twilight thought cynically, stuffing the notes away as they neared the Cake’s house and shop.
“Um girls,” came Pinkie’s voice, shaking like she had just overcome a fever. “I’m okay. No, really, I’m okay.” Applejack and Spike had stopped short, unsure, but Twilight could see Pinkie was only shaken. She was still the same pony Twilight knew: cotton candy mane and tail, hyperactive posture, and bright eyes. Only, her eyes themselves were heavily lidded. “That was funky,” she said, shaking her head to clear it of some unknown confusion. “Who knew bubblegum could do that to a pony?!”
“Pinkie,” Twilight said sympathetically, “it’s okay. You can tell me what happened.”
“Well that’s just it Twilight,” Pinkie said, her eyes slowly opening to their normal size. “I don’t remember anything. Isn’t that hilarious?! I’ve gotten amnesia! Who would’ve thought that would ever happen!” She frowned seriously for a moment in an exaggerated attempt to locate a memory, but could not hold it and burst into rolling laughter.
“She seems okay to me,” Twilight said awkwardly to Spike and Applejack as she came off the landing. “Are you sure about what happened?”
“Twi, I ain’t one to lie. Period. But I wouldn’t ever lie about somethin’ like this,” Applejack stalwartly defended herself.
“Honest Twilight,” Spike added. “It takes a lot to freak me out.”
“Maybe it was only a temporary effect caused when she touched the field,” Twilight mused aloud. “That definitely seems to be the case. At least we can still rule out Discord as the source of a lot of this magic.”
“I’d hate to see what tha’ bubble’d do to a normal ol’ pony,” Applejack said. “Us Elements ‘re sure to be tougher ‘gainst that sort o’ thing.”
“Here’s to a hope,” Twilight said. She turned her head back in the direction of the library, intent on doing as much research on fringe magic as she could before noon tomorrow. However, she was distracted by Town Square. There was, of course, still the obtrusive ship above it; but above even it, was a massive storm cloud. “How did they manage to do that if they can’t fly over the ship?” Twilight asked, impressed.
“No idear,” Applejack said, equally proud of the pegasi. “But apparently somethin’ downright googfy’s goin’ on over thar. Them pegasi keep laughin’ themselves silly at somethin’.”
“C’mon guys!” Pinkie bounded past them. “If they’re laughing, they must be having fun!”
“I could use a laugh,” Spike said, climbing atop Twilight. Applejack trotted after Pinkie, but Twilight hesitated. “You okay Twilight?” Spike asked.
“Right now I am,” she replied. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get so close to it after what happened a few hours ago.”
“But you recovered just fine,” Spike insisted. “It can’t be all that bad then.”
“Princess Celestia always said that if you know something is not good for you, avoid it at all costs,” Twilight quoted. “I can’t avoid tomorrow, but I just don’t think it’s smart to go over there now.”
“You know Twilight,” Spike huffed, “you’re a real kill-joy sometimes.”
“No, I’m only being smart and practical,” Twilight said, turning her hooves in the direction of the library.
“Fine, you can go be a know-it-all and annoying,” Spike said, slipping off her back and walking toward Town Hall. “I’m going to enjoy myself.” Twilight cast him an irritated glare before picking up her pace, necessity driving her to more in-depth study.
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Truly, Rainbow Dash had never thought her day job as a weather pony would prove so useful and even enjoyable. With great enthusiasm, she and the other pegasi had gathered as many clouds they could find still within the dome. This was in fact a considerable amount, as the mounding storm cloud was still building. They could, of course, not fly directly over the ship to place the clouds. The pegasi magic failed, destroying their ability to fly as well as their ability to stand on clouds. But the same ingenuity that brainstormed the wackiest of tricks, also gave Rainbow the most brilliant schemes. With some not-so-gentle bucking, the pegasi could send the clouds careening through the air, eventually settling over the ship. And—by keeping a few clouds in reserve—they could all hurl cloud balls into the colossal mass to disturb it into storming. It was certainly not the prettiest thing in the Equestrian skies (obviously that was Rainbow herself), but it more than got the job done.
Squinting in concentration as she rolled a piece of cloud into a more aerodynamic shape, Rainbow picked out her next target. She had been trying several spots in the thunderhead that might cause a lightning strike, but none had worked so far. “What about that spot there?” Airheart, a petite pink pegasus with a hazel mane and tail, asked. “You see,” she pointed unhelpfully, “the spot where those three big ones meet.”
“No, Airheart,” Rainbow replied blankly. “That’s a no-go. I’m makin’ this decision with my gut. HA!” She had found the perfect place near the top of the mound. She spit in the ball for good luck, tossed it in the air for show, and finally wound back before launching it into the mass. The impact bent the unstable top of the thunderhead, but it settled back into place rather quickly without so much as an inkling of activity. Rainbow scowled heavily and crossed her forelegs. “SERIOUSLY!” she exploded when she could no longer hold in her displeasure.
“I don’t think it’s so bad Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said hushedly, making her way to her friend and Airheart. “Nopony has been able to make it do anything.”
“It was a good idea though,” Airheart chimed in, trying to help Fluttershy.
“Oh shut up,” Rainbow replied, frustrated. “It’s not a good idea unless it actually works. I mean, really, how many ‘good ideas’ has Twilight had that have blown up in her face. Literally.”
“Oh, I’m not sure Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said. “Just because her experiments are messy doesn’t mean they are bad ideas. Some of her medicines are wonderful for my animals.”
“For Pete’s sake,” Rainbow muttered. “Get a move on!” she screamed at the manufactured thunderhead, kicking a large portion of her ammo cloud into the mass. Again, it refused to do anything.
“And it’s pretty dark too...” Airheart said, absently concerned. “I thought it was full of rain.”
“It is,” Rainbow grumbled, analyzing the makeup of the cloud once again. “It’s just being stubborn.”
“May I try, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked tentatively. “You are just trying to make it rain right?”
“Yes, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, preoccupied with dissecting her extremely flank-headed thundercloud. “We aren’t making any headway regardless.”
“Okay,” Fluttershy said, tearing away a sloppy chunk of cloud. Rainbow rolled her eyes in disbelief. Fluttershy glanced nervously back and forth between her target and the cloud in her hoof, prompting Rainbow to sigh rather loudly.
“Hey, at least she’s trying,” Airheart hissed at Rainbow. “I normally wouldn’t have expected to see her up here after the cloud had been finished.”
“Point taken,” Rainbow admitted grudgingly. “Help me out here though why don’t you?” Airheart and Rainbow were still discussing what areas of the cloud seemed most volatile when a squeaking yell emanated from behind them. In a few moments, a slowly rotating, barely moving piece of chunky gray cloud passed right between their noses. Rainbow Dash was on the verge of heartfelt criticism, but Airheart cut her off with a quick jab in the ribs. In these moments, Fluttershy’s weakly thrown puff alighted gently upon the greater mound. “Fluttershy!” Rainbow turned to her angrily. “I understand that you want to help, but if you’re going to throw somethin—!” Rainbow screamed in fright as the thunderhead unleashed a cacophony of lightning bolts and gallons of rainwater. All of the other pegasus ponies came rushing over to congratulate Fluttershy, but Rainbow could only look on with injured pride. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said to herself, inaudible under the cheering of the other pegasi and the crashing of the storm cloud.
“Come on everypony!” Airheart announced triumphantly. “Now that she’s a’pouring, make the most of it.” Each pegasus nodded mischievously, grabbing themselves each a ball of cloud, and on Airheart’s signal, pelted the thunderhead with them. The resulting boom of thunder and outpouring of rain was tremendous, shaking the very bodies of the ponies all around. Rainbow, however bitter, was not about to waste this chance to show that allicorn who was boss in Ponyville; and promptly lined up four cloud balls on her own personal platform, bucking them with all her pent up anger. They smashed like exploding pies into the main cloud, eliciting four downward lightning strikes in a row. Several pegasi congratulated her, but Rainbow was certainly not finished now that she was in the groove.
“Juggling five!” Rainbow announced to the pleasure of her audience, as she threw up one ball after another—and after two rotations—smacked each in turn into the thunderhead. To her crowing satisfaction, five separate parts of the cloud poured out greater amounts of rain.
“You are doing great Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, being near the front of the gathering of pegasi.
“Thanks for getting it started for me Fluttershy,” Rainbow replied, looking over Fluttershy’s showing her up in light of her current achievements.
“But could you please stop,” Fluttershy continued as if she had never been interrupted.
“What?!” Rainbow asked passionately. “Are you crazy!? I’ve just gotten started!”
“Well, it’s just... that... um.... look,” Fluttershy stammered, finally pointing her hoof down toward the ship. Any pegasus within the vicinity of Fluttershy’s voice—which was considerably few—allowed their gaze to follow Fluttershy’s hoof down to the deck of the vessel. The heavy rain and flashing bolts of lightning made it somewhat difficult to see the specifics, but Rainbow Dash spotted her immediately. The allicorn mare was upon the deck, drenched and shivering; and her eyes closed tightly in concentration. Her horn wavered in its glow, pulsating with weak and unstable power. Rainbow had seen the same thing happen with Twilight, but only for one reason. The moment the realization came, Rainbow burst in raucous laughter. She leaned back, and every time she would look back down at the struggling mare, her giggles would resume with even greater enthusiasm. It took a few moments for the other pegasi to catch on, but once they did, the whole sky around the ship was filled with peals of ridiculing laughs.
“Oh gosh,” Rainbow breathed out, attempting to regain her composure. “She’s awful. Ha ha ha!”
“I don’t think it’s funny,” Fluttershy said sympathetically, watching as the mare’s attempt at magic failed again. This time, the failed spell attracted a mild electric discharge from the thunderhead, eliciting a light squeak from her as the bolt zapped her horn. “It must terrible to be unable to do anything.”
“Stop being so caring for once Fluttershy,” Rainbow chided her, holding in a smirk as the mare once again tried to use her spell. “She shouldn’t be prancing around like she’s Celestia if she can’t back it up. Like me.”
“But it must still be horrible...” Fluttershy did not relent. “She must feel awful when she can’t use her magic like she wants to. Ooh. Look.” Fluttershy’s bid at an exclamation, even if it failed epically, did turn enough heads to quiet the laughter. The allicorn was succeeding, her spell fired and crawling toward the cloud. It never made it. The spell fizzled out into an ethereal wisp like fog before the sun, and Rainbow had never been more amused by failure. She joined in with the gathering mirth once again, but Fluttershy’s words slowly, irritatingly, began worming their way into her brain. Flashbacks of the Young Fliers Competition splashed into her mind’s eye, silencing her with a horrible weight of guilt that ought not to have been there. But she deserves it, Rainbow struggled to reason with herself. But...I …I guess I did too... Dang it Fluttershy! Why do you have to say stuff like that!
“Everypony! Stop! Everypony listen up!” Rainbow ordered, resolved within herself to be the better pony. “Okay, so maybe it’s hilarious that she can’t do simple magic. And maybe she’s evil for tryin’ to take pegasi wings. Hay, she deserves to have that storm cloud over boat! But we can’t laugh at her, or we end up being just like her.” The other pegasi were nodding at Rainbow’s words, their own feelings of regret plastered in varying degrees on their faces. Fluttershy was smiling happily and nodding her head in reassurance. “Now, I don’t know about all of you, but I’m way cooler than she is, so I’m not gonna lower my coolness factor by laughing at her,” Rainbow said proudly. All of the other pegasi let up a cheer of agreement, and Rainbow basked in the glory of their round approval.
“So why don’t we all go home now, and wait until morning to support Twilight?” Fluttershy suggested.
“Oh no!” Rainbow said fiercely. “She’s not gettin’ off that easy. I need volunteers to stay up tonight to make sure our cloud doesn’t blow up!” She raised her own hoof instantly, but was surprised by how few other ponies were willing to join her. “Fine,” she said, mildly disappointed. “Everypony else go home. The rest of us, watch that cloud.”
“See you tomorrow morning Rainbow Dash. I have to stay at Twilight’s for now,” Fluttershy said.
“See ya...” Rainbow replied absently, for she had spotted movement on the deck. The allicorn had not moved from her place, still laboriously trying to cast some sort of spell; but up from some stairwell leading into the depths of the ship, a pegasus appeared. His coloration was impossible to tell in the fading light of the sun, even augmented by the luminescent pink sphere; but he was definitely a stallion, about Rainbow and her friends’ ages. Rainbow watched, intensely curious, as he ran up to the allicorn and appeared to speak to her earnestly. She responded, inaudibly, but obviously forceful. He shrank back, but persisted until finally her previously determined energy faltered, and she allowed him to throw a towel over her back and follow her back down into the ship’s interior. He was another mystery from a vessel that seemed full of them.