//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Time and Space in Harmony // by Inkspots //------------------------------// Time and Space in Harmony by Inkspots Chapter 6 Eventually, Twilight stopped screaming. “Why so scared, little pony?” came a voice from the tube. “I didn’t expect to find anyone down here,” Twilight managed. “I didn’t expect anyone to find me this soon,” replied the voice. “Typically it takes a few hundreds years for someone to find their way down here. Most use the door though.” “Who are you?” Twilight asked. “I am Taraxipos, Master Wizard, King of Harmonia and the Everfree Forest,” he said. His voice lovingly savored the titles, drawing the words out. “And you are?” Twilight didn’t reply. “A Master Wizard? Did you create the golems that guard the city gates?” “I did, though certainly not my most impressive work. Still, much more efficient than crystals,” Taraxipos replied. “You monster,” Twilight said. “I can’t say I’m hurt, I haven’t felt pain in many thousands of years,” Taraxipos said with a chuckle. Twilight levitated the stone table above her. “Well how impressive, casting light, picking up objects. You are an alicorn of the highest order I see,” Taraxipos said. “Shut up! I’m the ruler of Harmonia now,” Twilight yelled. “And I won’t stand to have your evil in my kingdom.” “Very well, destroy me. It should be more interesting than contemplating the walls of this room for another thousand years. You know, there are six hundred and three marble paving stones making up this floor?” Taraxipos offered. Twilight hurled the stone table against the glass tube. With a crash, the table split in half. Taraxipos’s face bobbed with laughter within the black vapor. “Let me guess, did one of my golems kill a friend or yours, maybe more than one?” “No, I destroyed it, and the pony inside...” “Oh my, did you have to make an unpleasant decision? You’re not ready to rule a kingdom. Apparently, you’re not even ready for complex spells. You must be a terrible disappointment to your mentor. I know I’m disappointed, I’m still alive,” Taraxipos said. Twilight picked up half of the broken table, she molded the marble into a lance and then changed the stone into steel. “Congratulations, you’re a blacksmith,” Taraxipos said. Twilight dug deeper, deep into her knowledge of entropic magic. She sheathed the metal lance in crackling electricity, then wrapped it in a field of gravity amplification, making it so heavy her telekinesis could barely lift it, then she sent it hurtling into the glass tube. The lance shattered, reverting to stone. The glass tube was slightly marred. “I’d ask you to just stop, but this is mildly more interesting than counting the paving slabs,” Taraxipos said. Twilight’s jaw was sore, the back of her skull prickled with pain that she knew would be a headache later. All the signs of mental magic straining her body, but she couldn’t take it anymore. In her mind she drew a circle around the base of the device, then she turned the gravity field up to eleven. The roof quickly buckled, warping and cracking the stone and metal top of the glass tube. Her vision blurred further, which she knew was the point where the tiny capillaries in her eyes were bursting. If her tongue had been between her teeth her mouth would be full of blood, but she had made that mistake long ago. The pipes and supports of the device flattened and collapsed the the floor which was cracking under the strain of the gravity. Finally with an ear splitting pop a crack ran across the face of the glass tube, and then the room was flooded with darkness. Twilight’s gravity spell faded, and she collapsed to her knees. “Well now,” Taraxipos’ voice surrounded her. “That’s was much more impressive. I was beginning to think no pony would ever manage to break through Star Swirl’s containment device.” Twilight looked around her, but she could see nothing but black vapor. “I want to thank you, little alicorn, for freeing me. In return, I will give you this offer: leave Harmonia, and I won’t bother hunting you down and killing you,” Taraxipos said. “But if you are still here when I reclaim my throne, I will rip your soul from your body and consume it. And then I’ll eat the rest of you. I have never eaten alicorn before, but I suspect it would be delicious.” The vapor began drifting away, out of the room and into the laboratory. Twilight’s heart sank as she realized she had done exactly what Taraxipos had wanted by attacking the device. In moments the vapor was gone, drifted from the room. Twilight sat down in the rubble, tired on every level. After a few moments she heard the voices of her friends, calling for her, searching for her. Seconds later they were there. “Princess, are you okay?” Dark Matter asked. “We heard a crash and yelling and explosions,” Pinkie Pie said. “I’ve made a terrible mistake,” Twilight said. “What happened, what did you find in here?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I found a monster,” Twilight said. * * * * * * Twilight tried to rub her eyes but Jade swatted at her hoof. Twilight had faced the chimera and emerged unscathed, but her time below ground had covered her in nicks, cuts, and bruises, ruptured the capillaries in her eyes, and given her a massive headache and a sore jaw. Jade was dabbing her with disinfectant and wrapping the larger cuts in bandages. Twilight sat at the base of the ruined device, next to a stack of journals she had not seen during her fury. She had opened the first one and found the same small paragraph written on the first page in several languages. To whomever may find this room and this device: Sealed within is Taraxipos the Usurper, who killed Queen Arion, the rightful ruler of Harmonia, and many others during his cruel domination of these lands. If you value your life and the lives of others, do not tamper with the device in any way, or attempt to harm him. His power is manifold, and his life extended by the souls of the fallen. It will take many thousands of years for death to find him, and until that day of final justice comes, the device binds him completely. -Star Swirl the Bearded, 8653 BME “So wait, Star Swirl was here?” Quick Fix asked. “This is one of his creations?” The unicorn eyed the containment device skeptically. “His pieces are usually... more elegant than this.” “He must have been. Which means he didn’t fade from existence when his device malfunctioned, he was just pushed back along the Praxial Bridge, back to Harmonia,” Twilight managed. “But okay, he goes to Harmonia, finds it to be an wonderful place, but doesn’t mention it’s ruled by a terrible tyrant?’ Quick Fix asks. Twilight knew, somewhere down in her brain, the answer, but thinking, answering, talking, it all hurt. Everything about her hurt and she wanted to feel none of it, but it was all her fault, so she forced herself to keep at it. “His original trip sent him back to 9000 BME, or Before Modern Equestrian, which was established two thousand years ago, roughly. So when he was sent back the second time he must have ended up closer to his original time by a few hundred years. He probably talks about it in the journals, but I can’t read anything right now.” Twilight’s vision was cloudy, and she knew it would be for a day or two. “The important question is, can you repair the device?” “No, you did a number on it,” Quick Fix said. Twilight chest tightened with anxiety. “I’d be better off building it from scratch.” “You ponies have to stop doing that to me,” Twilight said. “Lead with the good news.” “Sorry Twilight,” Quick Fix said. “I can build one of these, sure, maybe salvage a few pieces from this one, but I didn’t bring supplies to build something like this, I’m going to need some things from Canterlot.” Twilight heard the hooves of approaching ponies coming from the library. She turned, and on coat color alone identified Dark Matter and Rainbow Dash. “Princess, you should come see this,” Dark Matter said. “I won’t be seeing much of anything till tomorrow, just describe it to me,” Twilight said. “You know the fortress, on the northwestern side of town? It’s surrounded by a green barrier, like the one we had around the whole city,” Rainbow Dash explained. “It seems Taraxipos has taken up residence there,” Dark Matter said. “Which will make confronting him very difficult. Who knows what weapons are hidden in that fortress.” “We can talk about it in the morning,” Twilight said. She got up and made her way towards the Library. “Princess we might want to take action now, before he entrenches himself-” “Tomorrow, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” Twilight replied. “That’s hardly a responsible attitude to take at a time-” “Dark Matter, enough!” Twilight yelled. “I’m going to bed, set up a watch rotation, don’t include me because I can’t see. Good night.” Twilight marched off through the Library, through the kitchen she was glad she couldn’t see, and up into the camp. She zipped herself up into her tent and thought about crying, but fell asleep instead. * * * * * * The following morning Twilight apologized to Dark Matter, who ignored the apology and asked what the plan was for dealing with Taraxipos. Twilight replied that they were going to wait for Fluttershy and Applejack’s return, so that all six Elements of Harmony would be present before they tried anything. In the meantime she would look through Star Swirl’s journals, and they would keep watch on the Fortress from across the lake. The Night Guard seemed mildly placated by the idea of surveillance, and set about creating a rotating schedule of ponies to watch the fortress, and signals they would use to alert the others to danger. The rest of the ponies were sitting around, finishing their breakfasts. Twilight cast her mind about. What could they do to prepare themselves? “Pinkie Pie, can you help Dark Matter set up the observation post?” Twilight asked. “Sure can do,” Pinkie Pie replied. “Spike, I need you to send out a few letters. First, get Quick Fix to tell you everything she needs to build another containment device, then send a letter to the Arcane Emporium in Canterlot and tell them to deliver the supplies to Ponyville Hospital. Then send a letter to Ponyville Hospital, telling Applejack and Fluttershy to bring the supplies back with them, as well as food to make up for what we lost,” Twilight said. The dragon hopped up and began digging through his supplies for parchment. “Rainbow Dash, how well do you remember the Fortress?” Twilight asked. “Pretty well, but there were only a few rooms, I bet there are plenty I didn’t even see,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “That’s okay, can you draw out a map for Dark Matter? Just do as well as you can,” Twilight said. “On it,” Rainbow Dash said. “Jade, you said you had some items you wanted to test out for edibility?” Twilight asked. “Yes, I’ve got a little collection going,” she replied. “You’re on lunch cooking duty then. After lunch could you figure out where on the palace grounds the garden was?” Twilight asked. “I’d be ashamed of myself if I couldn’t,” Jade replied. “Great, once you find it, you’ve got free reign for anything you want to grow or experiments you want to run,” Twilight said. “What about me, Twilight?” Rarity asked. “You’re going to be my eyes. I have some serious reading to do,” Twilight said. After breakfast everyone wandered off to be productive. Rarity went down into the lower levels and returned with Star Swirl’s journals. The two ponies then left the tower and brought some cushions out into the palace hall. There in the shadow of the Fountain of Harmony, Rarity began reading to Twilight, who layed on her stomach with a bag of ice on her face, trying to reduce the blurriness in her eyes as quickly as possible. The first journal began with twenty pages of mathemagical formulas that Rarity tried to convey to Twilight, but between hearing them second hand and the odd notation of Old Equestrian, she could only discern than they were dealing with time magic. Twilight suspected that they were the work of Star Swirl trying to determine why he had ended up in Harmonia. Eventually, Star Swirl began writing in the journal. “Here we are, a nice block of text,” Rarity said. “‘I have arrived in Harmonia in 8664 BME, if my calculations are correct. I have given up trying to pin down which component’s failure would result in this malfunction, and begun dealing with the much more real problem of getting by in Harmonia with no money and no competent grasp of the language. To that end, I have decided to avoid the city proper. I’m travelling to a small farming community with the hopes that I can work for my food and begin learning the language.’” Rarity read. Star Swirl’s journal went on to talk about the pleasant farming community where he took up work at a vineyard, where he spent his days mashing grapes with his magic. Small entries were broken up with pages of notes as he learned the ancient language, listing phrases and vocabulary, as well as a page that was devoted entirely to curse words, which Rarity had a fun time reading. “‘My cover story, now that I know enough of the language to convey one, is that I lived in a community far to the east that was attacked by parasprites, and decided to flee to Harmonia and start over. The family recoiled at the mention of the parasprites, seemingly they had been an issue in the forest in centuries past.’ Well I can’t believe those monsters have been around for so long,” Rarity said. Then, roughly a year after he arrived in Harmonia, Star Swirl wrote that the Queen of Harmonia, a Pegasus named Arion, had died, though no one was sure why, given that she was middle-aged. “‘The word spread like fire, and very little work is being done today, instead most ponies are gathering at the village square to gossip and speculate. I have managed to gather that she had no children, but did have aunts, uncles, and nieces. Everyone is wondering which will be crowned.’” Rarity read. “Let’s see, next entry. Ah ‘I have heard today that a unicorn named Taraxipos, Arion’s court wizard, has claimed the throne. From what I have gathered, this is highly unorthodox. Again, little work was done today. Most of the ponies in the village seem very upset at the development.’ I guess that’s the first mention of Taraxipos,” Rarity said. Twilight listened as Star Swirl talked about the changes that came over the kingdom. Many members of the royal family began disappearing, soldiers started defecting, and the ranks of the military started to be filled with golems. Ponies who spoke out or caused trouble disappeared. “‘I have battled with myself daily over a single point: do I dare take action? Even if I only help ponies, save ponies, will I be affecting the future in some unknown way? In modern Equestria there is virtually no knowledge of Harmonia, seemingly, any action I take will be obscured by the sands of time. But, what if I do something that preserves this great kingdom? While that seems a most worthy course of action, what if, as a result, the Elements of Harmony are not available to Celestia and Luna when they must defeat Discord? These and many other things have plagued my mind, and I have come to only one conclusion: Time Magic, my life’s work, is not worth the risk.’ Oh, now that is a simply heartbreaking,” Rarity finished with. “I can’t imagine trying to make that choice,” Twilight said. After a few more entries, Star Swirl wrote that he was going to leave the farming village and head to the capital with the trade wagon that brought casks of wine and sold them in the city. “‘When I arrived I saw that the entire city was shrouded in a green energy barrier which blocked the way of the trade wagon. After the guards poked about the cart and demanded a free cask of wine for entry, they opened a hole in the barrier and we pulled the cart through. My friend told me that had become standard practice in the past months, any trade wagon had to bribe the guards to enter the city.’ And then there’s more symbols and equations and such,” Rarity said. “Wait, bring it over here,” Twilight said. She lifted the now melted bag of ice off of her eyes and peered at the journal Rarity floated in front of her. She had to read with the lower right corner of her vision, but quickly, she realized that the mathemagical equation was everything she could ever ask for. “Star Swirl you genius!” Twilight yelled. “What, what is it?” Rarity asked? “It’s a formula for the spell the guards used to breach the green barrier, Star Swirl must have reverse engineered it after he saw the guards use it! Do you know what this means?” Twilight asked. Rarity’s face was blank for a moment, then it dawned on her. “We can get inside the fortress!” Rarity said. “Well that is simply the best news.” Their buoyant mood was soon dampened as they read on, and heard Star Swirl’s description of Harmonia under Taraxipos’ rule. No pony lingered in the streets, fearing the patrols, which were always made up of two guards and a golem. The golems he described were pony shaped, but half again as tall and menacing with spiked armor carved into their stone bodies. The palace and fortress, which Star Swirl called the Royal Arsenal, were surrounded by guards around the clock. The ponies from the vineyard sold their casks and left the city in less than two hours. They begged Star Swirl to leave with them, but he stayed, and using the money he had earned to rent a room in an inn. That night, guards burst into his room and pulled him from bed. They demanded to know what business a foreigner had in their city. Star Swirl told them he looking to become a wine seller. After thirty minutes of rough interrogation, the guards left after warning Star Swirl not to cause any trouble, or else. “Lunch time,” came Jade’s voice from the stairs to the tower. * * * * * * Jade had turned their normally meager lunch into a bizarre feast that looked both appetizing and alien. Strange berries, odd root vegetables, and pointy leaf salads were spread out in the middle of the camp. “Okay, so here’s what we’ve got,” Jade explained. Everypony was present, and all of them were eyeing the food with a mixture of hunger and hesitation. “These salads are made with a mix of greens we brought, and also an herb I found in the forest that I’m calling Pepper Point. It’s the dark, star-like leaf. I’ve tried a few and they taste like eating a romaine leaf with pepper on it, it’s pretty nice. These berries here should be good raw, and I tested them in a solution so it’s very unlikely that they’re poisonous.” “Unlikely?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Very unlikely, but just in case, I’ve got a little potion here. If you eat something and it starts affecting you, drink this, and leave the room quickly, and the toxins will be removed,” Jade explained. “Removed how?” asked Quick Fix. “Suddenly,” Jade said. “Anyway, I haven’t tried them, so we can think up names after we eat them. Finally, these roots are boiled, chopped, and lightly seasoned, kind of like a potato. If they’re tasty, I think I can make a flour out of this one here,” she said, gesturing to a pile of bright orange squares. “Let’s eat!” Everyone hesitated, but Pinkie Pie moved in and grabbed a pile of the mysterious berries and soon, hunger overwhelmed caution and the ponies began eating. Quickly, the Pepper Point salad was agreed to be delicious, and the ponies talked about various dressings they would put on the salad if they weren’t eating in the middle of abandoned, crumbling ruins. Rarity bravely tried the first kind of berry, which was a little larger than a grape and bright blue. It turned out to be very sour, and Rarity’s face twisted into hilarious displays of discomfort which set the rest of the party laughing. “You all are terrible,” Rarity managed. “That was completely unexpected. But you know, it wasn’t all bad. I think if you made it into a jam, added some sugar, it might go well in candies.” “That’s a good idea,” Jade said. “That’s a great idea!” Pinkie Pie said. “I love sour candy.” Pinkie Pie popped one into her mouth and chewed it, her own lips curling at the edges. “Well I had to suffer it first, I think I should get to name it. How about Sour Sapphires?” Rarity suggested. They agreed on the name and moved on. The second berry, a tiny, pale yellow fruit with a small pit, turned out to be mildly sweet and tart, so they called them Sundrops. The third berry was dark purple, and thoroughly unpleasant tasting. Jade suspected they would need significant coaxing before they became palatable. There were two roots, one orange, the other white, almost identical to a potato. Twilight tried the orange one and found it to be chalky and bland, but she could see how it would work as a flour. The white root surprised everyone and turned out to taste like a fruit, which led to a round of ridiculous competition over names like Pinkie’s Deep-Nana, and Quick Fix’s Sugar Root, until Jade suggested Froot, which everyone agreed was easily the best name for a food ever. They settled down into eventually to actually eating their meals, and Rarity and Twilight told the rest of the group what they had learned from Star Swirl’s journals. “So we can get inside the Royal Arsenal? Excellent. Then we don’t have to wait for Taraxipos to make the first move,” Dark Matter said. “Still, before we do anything, we need all the information on how Star Swirl defeated him, and we need Applejack and Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “So don’t get ready to storm the gates just yet.” “Very well, Princess,” he replied. Jade and Spike started cleaning up lunch and Twilight and Rarity decided to continue reading the journals in camp. The other ponies hung around to hear the tale unfold. “Here we are,’I have quickly come into contact with various rebellious groups, some led by members of the royal family, others led by soldiers who had defected after the coup. Though it cannot be spoken of openly, it is widely known that Queen Arion was planning on naming a successor in the week leading up to her death. The official story is that she died of a sickness that developed after a visit to the forest’s border, and that in her final moments she named Taraxipos her successor. The general consensus, however, is that she was poisoned. I have decided to lend some degree of aid to these groups, mainly by using my magic to help ponies escape the city, and help bring in supplies. The markets here are barren, and more and more of the food that arrives is stolen at the gates or bought up by ‘government procurement’ merchants who hoard the food for the military and the nobles who had allied with Taraxipos.’ Now there’s a cowardly lot,” Rarity added. The journal talked about various nights Star Swirl went and opened the barrier and the aid he lent to the rebel groups. Then came an entry no pony was ready for. “A story has spread today that gives credit to the rumors I have not bothered recording here, thinking up until this point that they were too preposterous to have any basis in fact. However, it seems the rumors of Taraxipos’ unnatural appetite are true. Today in court a noblewoman who has long been known for her insipid and ceaseless talk was boring Taraxipos. After thirty minutes of her meaningless babble he gestured her to the base of his throne. When she approached, he leaned in and bit into her neck, tearing out a chunk of flesh. She died there on the floor, and the nobles fell over themselves trying to flee the throne room.’” Rarity struggled through the passage. “‘I now look with a more generous eye upon the accounts that Taraxipos has begun eating those troublesome ponies who are dragged into the lower levels of the palace and never seen again. If this is true, I suspect it is not simply the perverse action of an insane pony, but a deliberate plan to increase his power. It sickens me to contemplate it, but I suspect he is consuming the innate magical energies that reside within ponies, and using it to bolster his own.’ That is the most horrifying thing I’ve ever read.” “But wait, then the kitchen...” Pinkie said. A horrible realization dawned on the group. “I’m so glad I didn’t cook in there,” Jade said. After a few minutes of shuddering and gagging the ponies settled down and Rarity continued. “‘Most of the nobles have fled the court. It is repulsive to think that it took this long for them to defy Taraxipos. The rebel groups have been flooded with requests to escape the barrier, but the guards have increased their patrols. This cannot last much longer.’” Rarity read. It didn’t, soon Star Swirl wrote of open conflict in the streets, with soldiers fighting the rebels in skirmishes around the city. Soon Star Swirl was working with a group of five other ponies. “‘It has become clear that the Elements of Harmony are our only hope. I have collected the five ponies I have grown closest to in my time here and together we are working towards infiltrating the palace and activating the Elements. Taraxipos’ magic grows ever more powerful as he consumes more and more of his enemies. The city is a city no longer, but a war zone. The rebel groups and soldiers fight along empty streets. Shortly after the conflict broke out the magical barrier was deactivated by a rebel group from three hours. They took control of the gatehouse and during that time ponies fled the city en mas. Even as I write this, hiding on the third floor of an abandoned house, I can hear magical explosions and the crash of golems in the distance. The golems are particularly troublesome. The Royal Arsenal is active around the clock, producing new and more terrible golems. They are slowly destroying the rebel groups, who cannot stand against them in open combat. Which is why the Elements must be used. My only consolation is knowing that Taraxipos, with evil in his heart, cannot wield them.’” Rarity read. The next entry in the journal was a month later. “‘It is done. I hope with all of my heart that the actions I have taken here have been for the best, and that the future will not suffer because of it. I will transcribe this account into as many languages as my friends and I know, so that the knowledge won’t be lost. We pulled together as many rebel ponies as we could and had them launch an attack on the palace. In the confusion, we entered the main hall through teleportation. There, the Elements of Harmony waited. However, I cautioned my friends. I cast a spell and detected a myriad of deadly wards weaved into the stone of the statue. It took some time to unravel Taraxipos’ wards, and the fighting outside began to go poorly. Finally we took hold of the Elements, the power was greater than any magic I have ever controlled. A light surrounded us, and when it cleared we were adorned with pendants set with brilliant gems. Taraxipos teleported down from his chambers. He was no longer a pony, but a twisted, terrible thing. His teeth had become sharp like a wolf, and his eyes were pitch black. His coat was covered in dried blood, and he was wearing the Royal Battle Regalia. On the metal plates he had drawn runes of protection in blood. He began to weave magic about himself, and I knew his magic would be lethal. We activated the Elements and we were each sheathed in splendid magical armor. Taraxipos’ first volley of dark magic washed over us. We charged, dodging blasts of magic from his horn, and when we closed, vicious bites from his mouth. At one point he caught Aethon, the Element of Honesty, in his bite, and ripped a chunk of flesh from his side. Beyond the visible damage, the wound burned and weakened Aethon. I tried to pin Taraxipos with my gravity field, but he dispelled it, and I cast light to blind him but he shrouded his eyes in darkness and continued fighting. Eventually I turned to magic I had never cast against a living thing, fire and lightning erupted from my horn. Lampos, the Element of Laughter and a keen magician in her own right, rained shards of ice from the ceiling that Taraxipos countered by turning them back into water as they approached, then boiling the water and casting it back at us. The armor of the Elements protected us, but we were not immune. I backed out of the fight and searched within me, looking for the primal place beyond my learning and my theory where the power of the Elements waited to be tapped. I found it waiting, and when I embraced it, all became clear. I reached out, from my own mind, and slowed time around us. Taraxipos and my allies slowed until they hung motionless in the air. I released them from the effect, and there we stood, facing the still Taraxipos. I suspect that time across the world stopped, but I cannot be sure. We each reached within and felt the limitless power of the Elements, and in a blast, turned them on Taraxipos. A many colored light consumed him, strpiping his physical form, until all that hung before us was a shadow. Time resumed, and Taraxipos collapsed into a puddle of black vapor. He tried to reconstruct himself, but could only manage a limb or so at a time. I cast a barrier about him, trapping him there in the hall. Then we went outside. It was a horrible scene, most of the ponies on both sides were dead, with the last of the rebels trying to destroy the final golems. We destroyed the golems and captured the final soldiers who were left. Finally the city went quiet, and we realized that it was destroyed. Destruction was everywhere, not an area in sight had been left whole. Harmonia had fallen. We gave the captured soldiers over to the rebels and returned to the palace. We began contemplating a more permanent solution for Taraxipos. Eventually, one presented itself. We discovered in his private laboratory a device for extracting life force to power golems. We quickly modified it, and sealed him within it. I am unsure how long it will take for his unnatural life to end, but he will hopefully spend the rest of it within that glass tube.’” Rarity finished reading. The camp was silent. Twilight’s face burned with shame. So many ponies had given their lives to defeat Taraxipos, and she had given him a second chance to corrupt the world. “I’m so sorry,” Twilight said. “Why are you sorry? You never ate anypony,” Pinkie replied. Twilight couldn’t help but smile. * * * * * * Later that evening Spike belched out a letter from Fluttershy, who must have paid for the post office to send it via dragonfire. Twilight read the letter with her right eye. Dear Twilight, Applejack and I made it to Ponyville Hospital before dawn. I’m really glad you tied her down, because she wasn’t really herself and tried to jump out when we flew over Sweet Apple Acres. She’s much better now, and her fever has broken. Doctor Stable said that he could discharge Applejack in a week, but she would need to rest up for another two weeks after that. But I think based on your letter we’ll need to get back to Harmonia soon. Parts for Quick Fix’s project have already started arriving, and the Cakes were nice enough to order some new food supplies for us. I’ve been staying with Applejack at the hospital, for the company, and to keep her from leaving before she’s healed. We miss you all, and we’ll try to get back to Harmonia in six or seven days. You’re Friend, Fluttershy At the bottom of the page was another paragraph in Applejack’s handwriting. Twi, if you beat yourself up over this, then I’ll beat you up. And then you’ll have to tell people you got clocked by a broken down mare in a hospital gown. I’m going to mend up and get back out there, and together we’re going to build you a kingdom. Love ya, sugarcube. Twilight finished the letter, told everypony that Applejack was doing well and to expect her and Fluttershy in six days. Then she headed for her tent and curled up around the letter, which was still warm from the dragonfire, and that was comforting enough.