18. Return of Harmony, part 1
He opened his eyes as events finally reached the tipping point. The moment to act was upon him, and he knew what he had to do. Carefully, he gazed across space-time to The Board.
A giant wheel, laid on its side balanced within the space between the metaphysical and the metaphorical. Upon it, the entire world of MaTerra - home world of the ponies amongst others - was laid out, showing the state of existence. Looking carefully, he saw the position of the hidden pieces, the influence of the forces at play, struggling for dominance. He smiled.
Reaching out, he let a spark fall from his claw to the board. The spark fell, and things changed. Pieces moved in response. Turning his face to the shadows beneath the wheel, where power reached out to touch the wheel, he whispered, "...Check."
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Raven stared around at those gathered in the library. There they were, all of those who had come from Jump City and found themselves in new bodies...but they were three strong. Gilda was there for this meeting, her cub in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Zecora had joined them as well. Last but not least, Trixie sat there proudly, still staring in wonder and pride at the gem that now held her cloak around her neck, and the small white T emblazoned therein. Most would think it stood for Trixie, but all those here knew better.
Raven smiled. "All right, everyone. Things are officially coming to a head. I have successfully identified the magic trace of the spells that brought us here."
"Did you, now?" Zecora asked. "Tell me, how?"
Raven glanced out the window as a familiar pink cloud passed by, disgorging its brown burden across the ground. "I matched it to another spell from the same caster," she said simply.
"He's on our side, then?" Jinx asked, curiously.
"Not necessarily," Raven replied. "I found out why I couldn't identify the spell trace of the spell that took Twilight and the others. While it's not the same magic...the spell that brought us here was designed to obliterate all identifying traces of the original spell, making it impossible to identify. Which means it's entirely possible that he's in cahoots with whoever took them."
Robin frowned. "Then we could be walking into a trap up in Canterlot?"
Cyborg frowned. "So what are we going to do?"
"That's why we're meeting here first," Raven said blandly. "If we do end up walking into a trap, we need to be prepared...and we need a backup plan in case everything goes wrong."
"When you say 'everything goes wrong'," Jinx spoke up nervously, "your meaning is..."
"There's every chance that this will end in our deaths."
"Friend Raven," Starfire spoke up, "surely you cannot be-"
"Remember how much more dangerous each of the obstacles we've faced have been, compared to what we expected?" Raven glanced around, silently reminding them of the tarrasque, the dragon, the Diamond Dogs. "Take that and apply it to what we expect of him here. Do you really think we can easily win, if he's truly our foe?"
"But," Melvin spoke up, "what about the Elements of Harmony?"
"We still need to hit him," Beast Boy replied. He and Raven had discussed this a few days ago. "We know what he's capable of as far as evasion...assuming he's limited to what we know."
Silence fell for a while. Then Jinx stepped over to the door. Opening it, she whistled, and five parasprites landed on her outstretched hoof. "Would you please fetch Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith for me?" she requested sweetly. Nodding, the sprites flew off. She shut the door behind her.
Raven stared at her. "What do you think you're doing?"
Jinx glared back. "If this could be the end, then they at least deserve to know why...and the truth of what's been happening." She blinked away tears. "I...I can't keep lying to Sweetie Belle any more at any rate, and if she's to lose her sister for good for real, she deserves the truth of it." She shook her head. "Is there anyone else who should be told?"
Starfire tilted her head in thought, then sadly shook her head. "No one for Pinkie, unfortunately. The Cakes are close family to her, but...with Cup's twins on the way, I don't dare put her under that stress. If we lose, they've lost Pinkie. If not, they get her back..." She sighed sadly. "And I wish I could believe they'd notice the difference."
Melvin shook her head. "The only ones close enough to know about for Fluttershy are her animals..." She gently stroked Angel Bunny, who hugged her other forehoof tightly. "And they already know enough. As for the rest of her family, they were never around to know that something was different...so if we die, all they'll know is Fluttershy was lost. The exact date won't matter then."
Raven sighed. "Same with Twilight, I'm afraid."
Gilda shrugged her shoulders. "So the only ones who need the full truth before the mission are the fun-sizes and the Apples, huh?" She walked over to the side. "In the meantime...someone mentioned a backup plan?"
Raven nodded. "Yes. What will need to happen if all else fails."
There was a sudden knock on the door. Cyborg opened it to see Scootaloo hovering in midair. "Hey, Scoot! Looks like your flying's getting better!"
Scootaloo stared flatly at him. "Not really," she mumbled. She gestured to the parasprite that held her off the ground by the scruff of her neck. It then carried her in, followed by one each carrying Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh.
Raven stared at the one holding up Big Macintosh. "Parasprites are a lot stronger than they look..." she mumbled in surprise.
Jinx nodded as the five ponies were set down. "Think you could give each of us some privacy?" she asked Raven. "This...shouldn't take long."
Raven nodded. As the three groups went to different rooms, Raven raised a sound suppression spell over them. She then turned back to the others, and their plans.
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Cyborg stared down at Scootaloo, unsure of how to begin. He had a lot to say, but he wasn't sure how much Scootaloo could understand and accept...and he certainly didn't want to hurt the little filly. Finally, he sighed. "Scoot...something big is about to go down."
"Yeah," Scootaloo replied. "The cotton candy clouds raining chocolate rain were a pretty good clue to that."
"Exactly," Cyborg replied. "And-"
"And if I missed that, the giant legged rabbits, oversized apples, and popping corn on the cob were a pretty good clue, as well."
"Good point, but-"
"Not to mention you all retreated to the library," Scootaloo finished. "That's always a sure sign that something heavy is about to go down."
Cyborg blinked. "You use our behavior as a disaster gauge?" he asked incredulously.
Scootaloo smirked impudently. "Works pretty well so far!"
Cyborg sighed, facehoofing. "Well, as I was saying, something major is going down, and...the result is likely to have a major effect on your life. So you need to know all the details, and-"
"This is why you've been delaying finalizing the adoption paperwork, isn't it?" Scootaloo interrupted, her face completely serious.
Cyborg's eyes widened. He hadn't thought anyone would have noticed that. "Scoot...what are you saying?"
Reaching into her saddlebag, Scootaloo handed Cyborg a small notebook. "This."
Cyborg opened it up. "Rainbow is not Rainbow?" he asked, shocked. "Harmony Replaced?" At Scootaloo's calm nod, he continued to read. At first, he was incredulous. Later, he began to chuckle. Before long, he was rolling on the floor laughing out loud. "I can't believe this! You caught every single moment! Every last bit of out of character behavior from all five of us! I'm surprised you didn't catch out-"
"Didn't know Twilight and Spike before everything changed," Scootaloo said calmly. "Didn't know what was and wasn't out of character for them." While her voice was calm, her eyes became downcast. She had hoped her theories were wrong.
Cyborg managed to get his laughter under control. "Well, I gotta say, I was not expecting that." Turning back to the first page, he smiled, seeing an easy way to explain things. "Although in point of fact, your first theory is closer to the truth. My friends and I ARE from another dimension."
Scootaloo lifted her head. "Really? What do you mean?"
Cyborg grinned. "Well, we still aren't sure of the how’s or whys, but Twilight and the others somehow got yanked from their bodies, and we got stuck in their place."
"Why you?" Scootaloo asked, confused. "Why are you inside Rainbow Dash? Are you the Rainbow of your dimension? Because I remember seeing something in one of Rainbow's comic books about dimensional alternates, and-"
Cyborg held up a hoof. "As far as we can tell, we were matched to each of the girls based on a match to the Elements of Harmony. In essence, I'm probably Rainbow because - were the Elements a part of our world - I'd likely be Bearer of Loyalty. And while I was able to pretend to be Rainbow with the help of the memories Raven - she's the one in Twilight's body - was able to scry for us, I'm actually quite a bit different."
"Really?" Scootaloo asked, surprised. "How so?"
Cyborg rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well for one...I'm a guy."
Scootaloo stared at him for a time. "...wow..." She looked away. "That makes what happened at the spa the other day even more awkward, doesn't it?"
Cyborg flushed bright red. A few days back, Cyborg had been giving Scootaloo flying lessons, and Scootaloo had strained her flight muscles rather seriously. The doctor had recommended a massage treatment, but Scootaloo had flat out refused, stating that a massage was 'far too girly' and 'Rainbow would never get a massage.' Unable to stand seeing Scootaloo in pain, Cyborg had done what he knew Rainbow would also, and went to get the same massage the doctor had prescribed for Scootaloo, so that Scootaloo would get it, too. He had then discovered that Rainbow Dash's flight muscles and wings were apparently unusually sensitive to touch. The massage had been...embarrassingly enjoyable. Aloe's assurance that such a reaction to their first wing massage was normal for a pegasus mare hadn't helped matters much. The fact that Lotus had been far too comfortable explaining it to Scootaloo - who, apparently, knew enough about certain things to ask the right questions - had just made it worse. "Let's try not to think about that," Cyborg said through his embarrassment.
Scootaloo nodded. "Right." She thought for a time. "So...I take it you ARE going to get Rainbow and the others back, right?"
Cyborg nodded. "Yep. That's the plan."
"Even if you have to kick bad guy flank to do it?"
Cyborg grinned. "Won't even phase us. Won't be our first villain fight. We were superheroes in our own world."
Scootaloo grinned excitedly. "Really? Who were you?"
Cyborg grinned. "Well, I actually had two names. Victor Stone...and Cyborg."
Scootaloo gasped. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"
Cyborg smirked, ready to strut.
Scootaloo pressed her face to the small window in the door. "You mean she's THAT Raven?"
Cyborg face faulted. "...not fair..." he mumbled quietly, letting comic tears run from his eyes.
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Robin had just finished telling the whole story to the Apples, having asked them to stay silent until he finished. He now waited to hear their reactions.
Granny Smith stared firmly at him, watching carefully. "So...yer gonna be bringing Applejack back, right?"
Robin nodded. "We're going to find out what happened to her and the others. We're going to bring them home...or die trying."
"How come you've been pretending to be her?" Big Macintosh asked.
"So that she'll have her life to come back to," Robin replied calmly.
"Then how come you're telling us now?" Applebloom asked quietly.
Robin sighed. "Because we don't know if we'll succeed on this next mission...and if we fail, no one's coming back. If that happens...you deserve to know why. Besides, Applejack will need someone to help her settle back in once everything's back to normal."
Granny Smith nodded her head. "Makes sense."
Big Macintosh looked away, not wanting to think about the fact that the ponies he'd recently been flirting with included a male and a toddler.
Applebloom smiled. "So...the advice that didn't come from Applejack really DIDN'T come from Applejack?"
Robin blinked. "Umm...right..." He didn't really want to get into that at the moment.
Granny Smith spoke up. "So let's say you succeed. Applejack and the others come home. What happens to you?"
Robin sighed. "We go back home. Go back to our lives, keeping our home safe from villains."
She nodded in response. "I see. What name do you go by there?"
"I'm called Dick Grayson."
Granny Smith thought for a time. "Nah...doesn't fit. Any others?"
"Robin."
"That's a child's name! Come now." Granny Smith stared at him. "What's your REAL name?"
He smiled. "Well...I was thinking about Nightwing..."
Granny Smith thought for a time, then nodded. "Yep, that fits. Well, whatever happens, we'll remember you, Night Seed."
Robin blinked. "I said Night-"
"I know what I said," Granny Smith interrupted. "Night Seed's a good name for an Apple family Superhero."
Robin could only smile, feeling warm inside at the unquestioning acceptance.
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Jinx sat silently, watching Sweetie Belle as she watched her. She knew this was necessary. She knew she had to tell Sweetie about the truth of these events. She knew she deserved the truth. She could only hope this would not hurt Sweetie too much.
...but then why was it so hard to speak? She had sat here with Sweetie Belle for the past ten minutes, unable to get a single word out. All she could do was look Sweetie Belle in the eyes as she watched her sister in concern.
Sweetie Belle was the one to finally break the silence. "Rarity, is something wrong?"
Jinx continued to stare. She opened and closed her mouth a bit, but that was all she could manage.
Sweetie Belle walked up to her. "It's okay, big sister. You can tell me. What's bothering you?"
Jinx continued to stare. She swallowed convulsively, struggling to find the words.
Sweetie Belle smiled. "Is this about the nightmares you don't remember having?" she asked.
Jinx remembered what Sweetie was talking about. A couple of times, when Sweetie had stayed over at the boutique, she had woken Jinx up because she had - apparently - been calling out in her sleep. Sometimes she had been calling out to Spike, or to Sweetie Belle, and on occasion she had been crying to Fluttershy. Other times, she had been just screaming in agony. On awakening, though, Jinx remembered no dreams, nightmares or otherwise. Since her own private suspicion was that the real Rarity's voice was somehow speaking at those times, she nodded.
Sweetie Belle cuddled up to Jinx. "Well, don't worry about it, Rarity. I'm sure everything will be okay. And no matter what happens," she threw her forelegs around Jinx, hugging her tight, "I love you."
Jinx felt her heart shatter. With a despairing wail, she wrapped Sweetie Belle in a tight embrace and wept, her silent, wracking sobs shaking her body as tears flowed freely.
Sweetie Belle stared up at her in confusion. "Rarity?"
Jinx finally managed to work her mouth. "I'm not Rarity, Sweetie Belle," she replied in her own voice.
Sweetie blinked a few times in confusion. "Huh?"
"My name is Jinx. Something has...happened to Rarity. I was...summoned to fill in for her." She figured that was as good an explanation as any.
"But..." Sweetie poked Rarity's flank. "This is Rarity's body...isn't it?"
"It is," Jinx replied. "It's just...she's not in it at the moment."
Sweetie Belle stared up at her. "...when?"
Jinx sighed. She knew this part would hurt. "Since shortly before the Summer Sun Celebration."
Sweetie Belle was quiet for a long time. "But...it always felt like it was Rarity...like how it was before she started her own business, when she always had time for me."
Jinx squeezed her eyes tight. "I had her memories to work from. And...I wanted to take care of you, as well..."
Sweetie Belle thought for a time. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she came to a conclusion. "You mean I have TWO big sisters?" she squeaked out.
Jinx' eyes shot open. "Excuse me?" she asked, confused.
Sweetie Belle smiled. "Well, I have Rarity, who's been my big sister my whole life...and now I have you too, Jinx, because you chose to be my big sister, right?"
Jinx stared into those innocent green eyes, seeing only pure sincerity. She closed her eyes at last, her tears now less sorrowful as she hugged Sweetie Belle tight again. "I guess so," she said at last. They held each other for a time, Jinx crying softly, letting out the pain that had slowly built up from the deception she had been forced to hold over the innocent in her arms.
After a time, Sweetie Belle spoke up again. "You're...you're going to bring Rarity back, right?"
Jinx nodded. "Yes...that's what we're going to do."
Sweetie Belle blinked. "When you do...will I ever see you again?"
Jinx closed her eyes tight. "I don't know Sweetie...I just don't know."
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Raven nodded towards Trixie, Gilda, and Zecora. "Alright, the plan is set. Trixie, with everything I've taught you, you should be able to amass a good defense against anything magical that attacks short of the immortal." As Trixie blushed, Raven continued. "Gilda, you’re a strong leader. Take charge while we're gone. Zecora, I know you've got more tricks up your metaphorical sleeves than I could imagine. Between the three of you and the books and reagents here in the library, you should be able to mount an impressive second level of defense for Ponyville, should there be no other options." Raven sighed. "It's not much of a plan, but it's the best we've got."
As the three nodded, the others reentered the room. Raven turned to them. "Everything taken care of?"
Cyborg, Jinx, and Robin all nodded, giving a quick hug to the ones they left behind, the ones they would - with luck - be returning the missing ponies to before long.
Raven nodded. "Alright, gather around." She waited until Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Jinx, and Melvin were gathered around her. "When we get there, follow my lead, okay?" They all nodded. "Alright." As she charged her teleportation spell, she tried not to think about the fact that, given what they were walking into, this might be the last time any of them would say these next two words. "Titans...go!"
And in a flash of light, they were away.