The train shook violently, and I just managed to catch the letter before it flew to the darkness outside my bunk. I had been keeping the range of my light spell quite minimal to avoid disturbing the other passengers who certainly were asleep at this hour. Yet again I started to read the letter - for the eleventh time.
--
My Faithful Student,
I’m proud to inform that you will be put on an important mission in the North.
Two weeks ago, a distress report from a mare in the expedition C3 (Crystal Mountains Three) was received by the Canterlot Radio Team. The mare mentioned that the her group had found something of great importance and that two of them had gone missing, along with requesting assistance to be sent immediately. After that, nopony answered the messages that were sent back to them.
On my order, a platoon of eight Royal Guards was sent to investigate. They returned with disturbing news: the camp had been abandoned, and no trace of the four archaeologists was found. But what was even more interesting is the artifact the expedition team had reported. Attached are several pictures of it. Even though I’m almost two millennia old, I can’t recall ever seeing anything quite like this.
Twilight, this is where you come in. Your mission is to find out just what this ‘door’ is and decipher the meaning of the mysterious runes engraved on it. I emphasize that this is specially a mission for you - consider it a test. Because of this, I strongly advise to take only one of your friends on the trip. It’s certain that being with somepony you care about will make everything go smoother, not to even mention helping with the loneliness you talked about in your last friendship report.
The location of the excavation site where the object was found is quite remote, and thus your trip there will take some time. I have already arranged seats to a train leaving tomorrow morning for the two of you. You will first travel to Hoofington, and from there you’ll take another train heading towards the Crystal Mountains. Your goal is the Station of Lily Valley, the closest town to your destination. From there you’ll have a hike of four days ahead of you, less if you are fast.
I have assigned a local ex-guard to guide you through the woods and narrow mountain paths to ensure that you safely reach the excavation site. If we all weren’t so tied up with the Gryphonian situation, I’d send several guards to accompany you, or perhaps even come myself.
However, I have complete faith in your abilities, my dear student. There’s no doubt that you along with your friend are more than able to handle this task by yourselves.
Friend and mentor,
Princess Celestia
--
Friend and mentor. Friend. It felt weird that a Goddess, an immortal alicorn was calling me her friend. I had to admit that it made sense, though: I had been the personal student and protege of Celestia for quite a long time. Sometimes I managed to catch her dazed out, eyes fixed to the horizon. It was possible that she was as lonely as I was, even though that thought seemed strange in my mind. I knew she'd always have Luna.
Yes, I had gotten wonderful friends in Ponyville, with whom I'd already shared many adventures and even saved Equestria three times. However, my relationship was not very deep with any of them. Sure, I could spend time and talk with any of them, not to forget that I even felt the need to protect their lives and help them out of danger. But somehow I'd always had the feeling of being a bit like an outsider, as the others had been friends long before I ever came to Ponyville. I wished something deep – somepony to share my thoughts, feelings and greatest dreams with. Sadly, getting a friend like that was no easy task, especially for a socially inexperienced bookworm like me.
Choosing a friend from the five I had to accompany me shouldn’t have been an easy task, and thus was doubtlessly a part of the test. However, the decision hadn’t been hard at all. Rainbow was busy with her rigorous training schedule at the Wonderbolts Academy, Applejack couldn’t miss the upcoming zapapple harvest and Fluttershy had to stay in order to tend a severely injured bear. With only Pinkie and Rarity left, the choice had been quite simple. I knew I could trust Rarity with anything and she was very excited to see the Crystal Mountains, whereas Pinkie would just have caused so much chaos that the difficulty of the mission would have multiplied.
A particularly wild shake of the train broke my pondering, almost sending the letter flying again. Towards the North we travelled. Last time I headed there, I had to save an entire empire while battling a monstrous unicorn with almost as much pure magical power than the Princesses themselves. Not particularly good memories.
I took a quick glance at my new hoofwatch: 03:01 in the morning. It was time to take a look, figuratively speaking, at my mental checklist for the day.
Get on the train with Rarity: done.
Read the letter multiple times to not miss anything: done.
Write an answer to Princess Celestia: done.
Read a book about the Crystal Mountains: done.
Get some sleep: …
I rested my head on the soft pillow. It didn’t take much time for the train to lull me into sleep, its comforting rattle relieving the stress in my mind.
--
“Twilight? You awake, darling?” a soft voice called from my side.
“Uhh… five more minutes,” I groaned. The train was now shaking very little; the rails near the large population centers by the Golden River were well-maintained. We must have gotten close to Hoofington by now.
“Oh dear. You must know it’s not good for your health to stay up all night reading some book. Our brains need rest before the big mission!” Rarity enthusiastically declared.
“Sleeping… is… overrated…” I murmured, trying to bury my head in the pillow.
“Every mare needs her sleep. Now rise and shine, Twilight, for today is a great day! In an hour or less we’ll already be at Hoofington. Oh, I can’t wait to try out the local restaurants and the Grand Theater… Hoofington is second only to Canterlot in high culture! I’ve heard that the library is also quite large,” the mare said, gently laying her hoof on my shoulder. The touch felt nice.
“The library?!” I shouted, instantly jumping out of the bunk. “I almost forgot that there even was such a place in the city!”
Rarity gave me a look of disbelief and smiled, saying nothing.
The breakfast the servitors brought to us was nothing spectacular, but still quite good compared to the usual meals on the trains. I silently thanked Celestia for getting us Business-Class tickets, and was almost certain that the white mare sitting next to me at the table did the same.
--
As we stepped out of the train, Hoofington loomed in front of us in its full glory. The old buildings made of reddish-brown brick with murals spiraling down the walls were quite a sight. Ponies dressed in Canterlot-esque suits and dresses wandered around, making the scene seem almost magical. Hoofington certainly earned its nickname, the City by the Golden River, even though the river was actually a few miles to the east, its water being used to irrigate the large fields surrounding the city.
Rarity grabbed my hoof, something I hadn’t really anticipated. Only Pinkie would normally do something like that. Not that I didn’t like it; holding hooves with a friend felt good.
“Oh, Twilight! This city looks like something out of my dreams! Where shall we go first? The theater, perhaps? I’ve heard that they run Shakesponian plays at least once a day,” the mare jubilantly spoke to me, already walking towards the buildings with a brisk step, dragging me along.
“I was really thinking more in the lines of spending the day at library,” I answered. “It’s not like I’d even stay awake while watching a play right now. Sorry, Rarity.”
“It was indeed quite unladylike of me to expect you’d do just what I wanted. But it would also be an absolute waste if you spent the entire time we have here to read some dusty old books!”
I knew Rarity was in the right, even though the call of the books was strong. After arguing for a short while, we agreed to simply go for a walk: the weather was beautiful and there was a lot to see. Many ponies recognized us, two of the famous Bearers of the Elements, but none of them were bold enough to come and talk to us. When I thought through it, I understood that the fact that we were heroes must have caused them to look at us with suspicion, not being used to our presence like the Ponyvilleans or Canterlotians. Why have they come here? Is there a monster on the loose somewhere near? they must have thought.
The beautiful buildings of Hoofington were left behind as our stroll continued. In no time we were walking on beautiful meadows, fields of wheat and rye all around us. Seas of straws gently waved around in the warm wind. There weren’t many ponies around, leaving me and Rarity enjoying the sounds of nature by ourselves. It was never this peaceful in Ponyville – it seemed like there was always some adventure or problem hiding behind the next door.
“Gorgeous,” Rarity pointed out.
“It truly is,” I replied. “When compared to the Crystal Mountains, however, this isn't much! We never really got close to them when we saved the Crystal Empire, but I have been there on a field trip with Celestia. The views are astounding.”
The white mare looked at me with a sad smile. “There’s no need to ruin to the moment by doing comparison, darling.”
“Oh! I’m sorry, Rarity. I didn’t think of that…”
“No problem. Just remember to be more considerate in the future.”
Our walk on the rolling fields continued towards the river. Lone trees dotted the landscape, stinging my heart by reminding me of my own emotions. However, I had to admit that this long walk with Rarity had relieved my anxiousness a bit. This was something I’d craved for in Ponyville – some time alone with one of my friends to really share my thoughts with. Of course, just enjoying the company without somepony jumping around or disturbing the conversation was also nice. As we talked, it turned out that Rarity somewhat shared my passion for books, though what she read was much different compared to my usual choices of literature. I shouldn’t have been so surprised to find out that she enjoyed classical literature and poems, something I’d never really gotten into.
As we climbed over a gently sloping hill, the full glory of the Golden River suddenly laid in front of our eyes. The water of the wide river had a deep purple color not much unlike that of Rarity’s mane. Large farmhouses and barns stood by the banks, creating the look of an idyllic countryside. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that this view was only an hour’s walk away from the bustling city of Hoofington. What also surprised me was the fact that nopony was around working in the fields - only a few were visible, and they were for some reason heading back towards the buildings.
When I glanced at my friend, I noticed that her head had drooped. Rarity’s usually glistening eyes stared at the ground, her mane waving wildly in a gust of wind.
“Is something wrong, Rarity?” I asked, concerned of my friend’s mood suddenly dropping like that.
“Well… let’s just say that this place reminds me of some not-so-pleasant things that have happened in my life,” she answered, turning her head away.
“Do you want to talk about it? You know I’ll listen.”
“Not really. Not right now, at least, that is,” the white mare said, turning her head back at me. There was a tear in her left eye. “Let’s turn back. I’m sure you wish to spend some time with the books, now that we’ve exhausted ourselves by walking all the way here.”
“Sure.” I took a look behind my back. The buildings of the city looked very distant. “Whoa! I didn’t realize we'd walked so far!”
Rarity’s lips curved a tiny bit upwards. “Well, look at that. I hope the trip back will be as pleasant as the one here was.”
My thoughts raced back and forth as we trod towards Hoofington. Has Rarity lived here, or does she have relatives nearby? What did the river remind her of?
“Darling, what are you thinking of?” my friend curiously asked.
“Uhh… Nothing special?” I said, raising my voice a little too much, not even daring to look her in the eyes.
“Twilight, you’re a terrible liar. If it’s about me, don’t stress about it. I might tell you some day, but don’t ruin this one by torturing your mind about such a thing. Besides, I don’t want to be constantly reminded of it. It’s very unladylike to inquire or theorize about something a mare doesn’t want to tell,” Rarity responded. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Sure, Rarity, I’ll try. But at times I just can’t help myself.”
--
The ever-darkening blue of the sky contrasted sharply with the yellows and browns of the fields around us. The clouds that had idly rolled northwards in the sky had now started to gather - only now did I realize that I hadn’t checked the weather schedule out. We were still miles away from the comfort of the buildings of the city, and there wasn’t much shelter at the meadows.
Suddenly, the darkness went away for a few seconds – the landscape bathed in the bright light of a thunderbolt.
One, two…
CRACK.
“Run!” I shouted at Rarity. "The storm's almost right over us!"
“Run?! Where?”
“There’s a tree! We can take shelter under it,” I said, pointing at a large oak just a hundred feet from us.
“But isn’t it danger-“ BOOM.
We saw the rainfall cover ground very fast. It would reach us in a matter of seconds, and we’d be completely wet the instant that happened. Without further talk, we ran towards the tree.
The sounds of the thunder pierced my ears. All I could do from under the tree was to embrace Rarity and watch the brilliant lightshow going on in the sky. Flashes of lightning danced between the clouds and the earth. The storm was magnificent and terrifying at the same time. At least I felt warm, huddling against my friend like that.
I could see Rarity’s lips move. She was clearly trying to tell me something, but the thunderstorm made hearing impossible. What’s she trying to tell me?
She warned you about something.
BOOM.
My ears rang. My eyes were blinded by light. But I still felt the cold soil under me and the warm hooves of my friend wrapped around me.
For a moment I was blind and deaf. The only sensation I felt was the tight pressure of my wet coat against Rarity’s, somepony’s mane flapping at my face. I hadn’t been this helpless since I was a small foal.
Opening my eyelids again, bright lights danced around the field of my vision. Knowing exactly why that was happening, I didn’t panic. Instead, I tried to make myself steady and calm to recover my lost senses. Once the balls of light stopped dancing around in front of me and the booms of the storm were once again audible, I noticed that we were wrapped in a purple bubble of magic – and it wasn’t mine. But... how? Is Rarity’s magic really this powerful?
The fury of the storm seemed like something out of this world. It was hard for me to believe that the thought of a lone tree in the middle of a field certainly attracting lightning hadn't even crossed my mind, not to even speak of forgetting to check what kind of weather the pegasi would expose us to. I now owed my life to Rarity.
After a while. the magical bubble gave out and we were pelted by the heavy pour of rain. I could smell faint amounts of ozone and something that burned. One glance behind me told the whole story – the oak was charred and had a large crack running vertically from its top all the way to the roots. The black line continued on the ground, suddenly stopping just inches from where Rarity and I sat.
It took me some time to realize what we were doing. Rarity was hugging me fiercely, shaking and shivering slightly. The feeling of being so close to a mare made my heart race, but I wasn’t going to complain. We kept each other warm in the cold gusts the storm threw at us. I gave my friend a small smile, what she met by closing her eyes and doing the same.
“Rarity, you... you saved my life,” I said, my voice on the verge of collapsing.
“Think nothing of it, Twi. You would have done the same,” she responded, now beaming with all her remaining strength. I could feel that she was almost falling asleep at my hooves., the strong spell having taken the better of her.
Not long after, Celestia’s sun peeked a little from behind the curtain of dark clouds. The storm had passed over almost as suddenly as it had started. If it weren’t for the now-dead tree and my soaking-wet mane, it'd have been hard to believe that it had really even happened. Even the memory of the bolt almost hitting us now felt distant, like a dream of sorts.
But as the sky was slowly filled with rainbows, we were still locked in a deep embrace. Rarity kept her eyes at the sky, still smiling and saying nothing. I felt truly happy for the first time in months.
--
After the tough day, the bed of a hotel felt like something dropped from the heavens. When Rarity and I finally got back to the city, we'd gone to the nearest place that offered a room, both of us weary and wanting to take a long rest. And what a place this was - probably the finest hotel in Northern Equestria. There was no chance we could have afforded a place like this if it wasn't for us being the many-time saviours of the nation. Being famous did have its benefits.
As Rarity emerged from the shower, I couldn’t help but chuckle. She had wrapped herself in ridiculous amounts of towels, her eyes betraying how sleepy she was.
“Looks like you really need some sleep, Rarity.”
She beamed heartily. “Oh, really? And you don’t? And why are you staring at me?”
My poker face did not falter, but there was nothing I could do to stop the warmness that built up on my cheeks. “Well, you look cute beneath all those towels. With so many, you’d hardly even need a blanket!”
We both broke out in laughter, the stress of almost getting killed due to simply forgetting checking the weather schedule all but gone from our minds. With all the white towels still around her, Rarity descended into her bed, giving out a long yawn.
“And Rarity... no words can express how grateful I am of what you did.”
“You’re welcome,” my friend said with a low tone, already half-asleep the instant she’d hit the pillow.
I stared at my friend for some time as she quickly fell asleep. I couldn't help but feel something new, something strange - my heart pounded faster than usual, and a sensation of lightness clouded my mind.
She'd saved my life.