Chapter 6
“What do you mean it’s for you?” Spike asked incredulously as he stared into the ominous form that floated before them.
Twilight shook her head, clearly dazed from her sudden revelation, “I just know, Spike. Trust me.” With that said, the strange floating orb brightened, casting its intense rays over the two friends. Twilight shivered under its light as a strange notion overcame her. This orb – though so small in retrospect – held a powerful magic that Twilight couldn’t hope to fathom on her own. An ancient magic, much like the magic discussed to her briefly by Princess Luna. The magic that Twilight had used so irresponsibly to resurrect Rainbow Dash.
That was why she knew what it was.
Right there, standing before her was an uncorrupted fragment of Twilight’s failed spell. A reason for her to keep her faith. For the very presence of this unknown being went on to prove that perhaps, just perhaps her spell hadn’t been a complete and total failure after all. Maybe something had gone right; maybe that something had come to her in the form of a brilliant luminescent orb.
“Twilight, it’s moving.” Spike whispered from her side, his large eyes wide and unfocused.
Twilight nodded, she too could see the strange orb as it glided backwards, back towards the door, back towards the first light of day.
“It wants me to follow.” Twilight whispered.
“You’re not going to, are you?” Spike choked out in response.
Twilight glanced towards Spike, her eyes softening the moment she realised his alarm. “I need to.” She insisted, turning her attention back to the orb that had paused in the centre of the doorway, “It’s hard to explain… I just…”
Spike sighed in defeat, “I understand,” he said sourly, “but that doesn’t mean I’m letting you go alone.”
It was Twilight’s turn to look alarmed, “Spike…” she said as she warily eyed the dragon, “I need to do this-”
“Alone?” Spike snapped, arms folded across his chest, “Funny, because you’ve been doing a lot of that lately!”
“Spike…”
“No!” Spike snarled, lifting his arms above his head, “Going shopping for mystery items, spending every hour of the day with Zecora, disappearing in the dead of night only to turn up on the doorstep soaked and on the verge of another break down!” Spike deliberately counted the moments off on his fingers, “I don’t know what it is you’ve done, Twi, but I’ve known you my entire life…” Spike’s voice softened as his anger subsided, now he just felt hurt, wounded by the way Twilight had been snubbing him, treating him like nothing but a household pet for the better part of two days. He’d tried to do everything to fix his best friend and what was his reward? For her to turn her back on him the moment she recovered? Spike heaved out a long sigh as he turned his gaze to the ground, “I know when you’re in trouble.” He finished, rubbing his arm lamely, “Whatever you’ve done, you can tell me. I won’t hold it against you. I never do.”
Twilight stared at Spike, dumbfounded by his sudden outburst. For a moment, all she could do was stand there and look at the baby dragon she had hatched herself all those years ago. She smiled, feeling a warmth fill her chest. It was true; Spike had always been there for her. He’d spent three weeks trying to fix her. Three weeks caring for her no matter what she did. Despite herself, Twilight felt the warmth of tears as they spilled down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her hoof and took a step forward, collecting the little baby dragon in her arms.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered, nuzzling his cheek with her snout, “I’m so sorry.”
Spike wrapped his arms around his best friend’s neck and sighed, “I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have yelled.”
“I’m glad you did.” Twilight insisted as she drew away from the baby dragon, “I needed you to, really.” She let out a slight chuckle as she glanced towards the orb, still stationary in the doorway. She’d been so secretive, but Spike had always accepted every one of her choices, he’d been there for her no matter which path she chose. It had always been that way.
“I did something, Spike.” Twilight said suddenly, her voice lower and much darker than before. Spike felt his heart squeeze as he looked into the depths of her lilac orbs. He nodded, silently willing her to go on.
“I-I cast a spell last night.” Twilight said meekly, her lips trembling as she debated with herself with what to reveal, “I shouldn’t have, I know… but I was desperate and Luna…”
Spike raised a brow, but didn’t speak against his friend. He knew she needed his support and nothing more for the time being.
Twilight shook her head sadly, “It doesn’t matter, anyway. This,” she ushered to the orb in the doorway, “I think it might be the answer I’m looking for.” She heaved out a sigh as her glassy eyes caught the gaze of the ball of light once more, “I… I’m the reason it’s here and it wants me to follow it. And I will.” Twilight shook her head as a few loose tears spilled down her cheeks, “Celestia help me Spike, I think I’d follow it to the ends of Equestria if need be.”
Spike stared at his friend for a moment before letting out a long, exhausted sigh; “Well, I guess that means I will too.” He said finally, a small smile quirking his lips.
Twilight smiled back, rolling her eyes slightly as she returned her gaze to the orb. She nodded once to it, treating it as if it were just another pony. “Did you hear that?” She asked sternly, “We’ll follow you.”
The orb brightened once again, forcing the two friends to shy away as the light obstructed their vision. When they were able to look up again, the orb had continued on its journey, floating steadily away from the doorway and out into the main streets of Ponyville. Spike glanced warily out onto the street, checking one way and then the other before following Twilight out of the front door.
“What if somepony sees it?” Spike whispered as the two friends followed the orb from a safe distance away.
Twilight shrugged dismissively, “It’s too early for anypony to be out yet, I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Twilight tried to keep a positive air about her, but she knew it wouldn’t fool Spike, the dragon had simply known her for far too long. She sighed as she followed the orb, her mind a cacophony of assorted thoughts and feelings. Where was the orb taking them? Back to the grave, perhaps? In that case, Twilight knew she’d definitely have to tell Spike what she had done. That thought sent a shiver down her spine.
But, as they continued to walk, she noticed that the orb veered away from the graveyard; in fact, with a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach, Twilight realised that the fragment of her spell was leading them towards the Everfree Forest.
“Are you sure we can trust it?” Spike barely whispered. Unlike Twilight, he was unable to take the ominous orb as something of a living presence. He saw it as a threat; it was only natural for him.
Twilight shrugged again. She had faith in the orb simply because she believed she had a hoof in creating it; but explaining that to Spike would be far too long winded. She glanced to Spike from the corner of her eye and nudged him playfully with her shoulder, “If you can’t trust the orb, then trust me.” She beamed, “I know this is important, Spike. Believe me.”
Spike nodded meekly to Twilight’s hollow answer. He wrapped his arms behind his back in an almost protective gesture and moved his gaze, once more, to the ground.
The further they went, the more Twilight was convinced they would end up in Everfree. Perhaps the orb would take them to Zecora; maybe she was the answer Twilight needed. Under any other circumstance, Twilight would have been thrilled by this prospect; after all, Zecora had been her mentor and close friend for almost two years now. However, Twilight didn’t feel comfortable sharing this secret with Zecora, especially after she had been hiding it from her so bluntly for the past two days.
The moment the orb began to veer from the path that led to Everfree, the knot lifted from inside Twilight’s chest. Instead, a new one was laid in wait to form as the orb brightened, speeding up slightly as it chose its new destination; a small cottage just on the outskirts of Ponyville, out looking the ominous grounds of the Everfree Forest.
Fluttershy’s home.
“Fluttershy?” Spike asked sceptically, almost forgetting the presence of the orb in front, “Why here?”
Twilight found she couldn’t answer; her mouth was far too dry all of a sudden. Her heart was racing inside her chest. Only one question flowed through Twilight’s mind now. A question that sent a spike of both excitement and dread to her very core.
Did Fluttershy know?
All too soon, the two friends were standing at the doorstep of Fluttershy’s cottage. The orb had drifted somewhere to their side, leaving them to make the first move.
Spike scowled at the orb, “Oh so suddenly you’ve lost the ability to knock have you?” He asked indignantly, “You seemed to be doing a pretty good job earlier when you almost blinded us!”
“Spike,” Twilight warned as she glanced towards the orb. It showed no signs of a violent rebuttal and simply floated as delicately as it always had from a safe distance away. Twilight turned towards the door as Spike huffed angrily at her side. What was she supposed to do, just…?
Twilight lifted a hoof towards the door with the full intentions to knock, but instead, with a brief tap, the door fell open on its own, allowing a flood of sunlight into Fluttershy’s empty living space.
The last time Twilight had been to Fluttershy’s cottage was a few days prior to the tragedy.
The transformation of the once welcoming abode was almost frightening. Even the early rays of sunlight that had followed the friends inside could do nothing to aid the dismal atmosphere that had settled inside the cottage. No animals were present like they might have been a month ago; though Twilight did catch the glimpses of a few wary glares peering out from various habitats.
Untouched bowls of food were dotted around the living space; toys that didn’t seem to have a purpose lay in assorted areas. Twilight swallowed hard; it seemed every occupant of Fluttershy’s home had reacted in the same way as herself.
For lack of anything better to do, Twilight glanced towards Spike.
Spike, however, wasn’t looking at the empty living space or even at the gazes of the animals that had had enough courage to poke their heads out. Instead, Spike was staring towards the staircase, his head tilted to one side.
A moment later, he broke the silence, “Do you hear that?”
Twilight cocked her head, mirroring Spike’s actions in the hopes of hearing whatever he did. She frowned; “What can you hear?” She asked, keeping her voice low for the animal’s benefits.
Spike lifted his head up and blinked, “I think I hear… singing.”
And with that, the baby dragon made his way to the staircase. Twilight stayed stationary for a moment, throwing a cautious glance back to the doorway where the orb had remained. She frowned; what was it that it wanted her to do?
With a final sigh, Twilight cantered over to the staircase along with Spike. They ascended the stairs together and, after a few moments of concentration, Twilight began to hear the singing too. A soft, dulcet tone. A voice only befitting to one mare in all of Ponyville.
Fluttershy.
The top floor of the cottage was made up of a small hallway that split into two bedrooms on either side. The door to the right had been left ajar, allowing Fluttershy’s voice to float through the space in greeting. Fluttershy was humming an empty tune, but even still, it was the happiest Twilight had heard of her in over a month. With the tune as her guide, Twilight began forwards, bumping open the door as she passed through.
The bedroom was empty, the bed itself a mess of yellow floral sheets, half of the bed spread had fallen to the floor and the pillows lay in a crooked mess at the centre. Fluttershy had always kept everything so tidy back in the days when she had a purpose to do so. Twilight looked away from the bed and sighed, instead turning her gaze towards Spike who was staring straight ahead towards another door, the one to the bathroom Twilight supposed.
From within she could hear Fluttershy’s quiet hums and, if she strained herself further, she also heard the sounds of running water. Twilight frowned.
“We should probably say something,” Spike whispered, “so she knows we’re here?”
Twilight nodded and cleared her throat. She was just about to open her mouth when Spike’s voice interrupted her, “Hello? Is anypony here?”
Twilight pursed her lips before calling out also, “Fluttershy? Are you in here?”
Their calls triggered a small yelp from the bathroom. The sound of splashing continued as the bathroom door opened slightly, a single blue orb peered out through the small space in greeting, “T-Twilight?” Fluttershy asked warily, “Spike?”
Twilight nodded, raising an eyebrow slightly, “Hello.” It was all she could think to say. The last time she had been with Fluttershy, they had been at Rainbow Dash’s grave; it had been the moment when Twilight had first considered telling Fluttershy the whole truth. Now she had reason to believe Fluttershy already knew and for some reason, that didn’t bode well with the young Unicorn.
“We came to see how you were doin’.” Spike supplied brightly, “Twilight practically insisted.” He nudged his friend playfully, his eyes begging for her to play along.
Twilight stared at Spike for a moment before meeting Fluttershy’s worried gaze. She forced a nervous smile and nodded, “Of course.” She continued, “I felt bad about our lack of communication in the past month so I thought maybe we should arrange some meet-ups…”
Fluttershy, however, didn’t seem to be listening to Twilight’s blatantly false tone. Instead she was nervously glancing from the bedroom to the bathroom, her frame practically wracked with panicked shudders.
“…Is that okay?” Twilight asked after a moment’s silence.
Fluttershy jumped at being directed to, “O-Oh of course it is Twilight.” She smiled slightly, but the gesture was lost in her nervous jitters, “B-but r-right now isn’t a g-good time for me.”
Twilight cocked her head to one side, “Why not?”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened further, “O-Oh, w-well…” but she was interrupted as a splash sounded from behind her.
“Is somepony in there with you?” Spike wondered aloud.
Fluttershy shook her head, her pink locks falling over her face, “N-No, I just left the water running by mistake…”
“Fluttershy…” Twilight warned, feeling that ever-present knot tying itself back up inside her gut; “Whatever it is… whoever it is, you can tell us.”
Fluttershy swallowed convulsively, her voice reaching a higher pitch as she continued to speak, “I don’t think you’d believe me.”
Twilight felt sick as her heart rate quickened, “Trust me when I say this Fluttershy.” Twilight’s gaze hardened as she looked into her friend’s eyes, “I’ll believe anything you tell me.”
The look Twilight gave Fluttershy was penetrating, but absolutely honest in every way. There was something about it that made Fluttershy want to cower away and yet at the same time… Fluttershy let out a gasp of surprise, “T-Twilight… tell me you didn’t…”
The knot in Twilight’s stomach had tightened to a point where breathing was becoming an obstacle. Twilight could only nod as she felt the prick of tears cloud her vision. She had been right; the orb had guided her here because Fluttershy knew… because… because…
“Oh, Twilight.” Fluttershy heaved out as tears began to run down her face. The butter Pegasus opened the door fully, showing the two friends the full expanse of the bathroom.
Spike let out a gasp of surprise. Twilight could only stand there, shaking with vicious sobs.
There, in the bathtub, sat Rainbow Dash.
*
Twilight felt her legs quake hopelessly as she stared directly at the sight before her.
A disgruntled aqua pony with a dishevelled tangled rainbow coloured mane sat motionlessly in the bathtub.
The water was cloudy from where the dirt in her fur had accumulated. Her wings were stretched out at her back; one had been ruffled and covered in suds. It was obvious to Twilight that Fluttershy had been busy cleaning the shabby Pegasus before she had been interrupted.
Twilight tried to open her mouth, tried to form some kind of coherent sentence, but nothing left her lips. Instead she stood vacantly at the centre of Fluttershy’s bedroom and shuddered.
It was Spike who finally broke the silence; “Twi… that’s… I mean, Fluttershy? I-Is that Rainbow Dash?”
Fluttershy pursed her lips, her blue orbs clearly willing back an oncoming flood of tears. Instead she nodded her head softly before retreating back into the bathroom, picking up a tatty sponge on her way inside.
Spike’s jaw dropped as he watched the butter Pegasus softly brush at Rainbow’s untouched wing, gently soaking the extra appendage with a reasonable amount of soapy water. Rainbow Dash didn’t react to Fluttershy’s movements at all, instead her rose eyes stared in a glazed daze towards the far wall.
“How is this possible!” Spike cried out, lifting his arms in panic, “Is anypony going to explain to me how in all of Equestria this can…”
“I did it.” Twilight croaked. She blinked profusely to keep the tears at bay, “I… I used a resurrection spell.”
“But you told me there wasn’t one; you said you’d scoured every book, every library-”
“Yes, I did.” Twilight interrupted Spike’s incoherent babble. She looked at the baby dragon pointedly before taking in a large, long needed breath, “I met with Princess Luna in one of my dreams, she supplied me with the spell. She gave me exact instructions to bring back the Element of Loyalty, for the sake of Equestria. For the sake of Friendship.”
Fluttershy almost dropped the sponge that was clenched between her teeth as she looked towards Twilight. There was no anger behind her blue orbs; simply, relief. She nodded once before rubbing vigorously at Rainbow’s wing once more.
As Fluttershy continued to clean, Twilight began to notice more and more of Rainbow’s exterior. Her coat was rough in places where jagged, misshapen stitches took form. They ran across Rainbow’s underside all the way up to her chest, more were evident around the joints to her wings. Twilight shuddered as she watched the unmoving Pegasus.
Unmoving. That word was wrong in itself, especially to describe Rainbow Dash. The once volatile rainbow maned menace could hardly sit still when Rarity fitted her a dress, let alone bathe her. But here she was, sitting in Fluttershy’s tub, not a single emotion crossing her features. It was almost as though a part of her was missing.
“The orb.” Twilight whispered; eyes bright with understanding, “That’s why it brought us here.”
Fluttershy’s eyebrow twitched as she dropped the sponge into the dirty water. She cleared her throat, “Orb?” she asked unsurely.
Twilight nodded excitedly, “This… fragment from the spell I cast showed up at my door this morning. It wanted us to come here… to Rainbow Dash!”
“Is the orb part of her?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes flicking over Rainbow’s features in a single motion. Her shoulders heaved as the creature refused to meet her gaze; “S-She knocked on my door this morning and… she smiled at me.” Fluttershy ducked her head in shame, “She hasn’t done anything since… she just follows me around.”
Spike blinked in surprise, “Twilight… did the spell go wrong?” he turned towards her expectantly, “Is that why you…” he trailed off, glancing away unsurely. Twilight placed a reassuring hoof on his shoulder before nodding sadly in response.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been honest with you Spike,” she turned to Fluttershy, biting her lip, “and I’m especially sorry I didn’t tell you, Fluttershy. I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through in the past few-”
“-Don’t be sorry.” Fluttershy reprimanded gently, her eyes narrowed, “I-I don’t know how you did it Twilight b-but if Princess Luna asked you to I-I can only hope that it’s for the best.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me either, Twi.” Spike said, folding his arms valiantly, “I told you, I’ve always got your back, even when your decisions aren’t entirely thought-out.”
Twilight smiled desolately to them both before glancing back the way she came, “Something did go wrong with the spell, at the time I was sure I had failed entirely.” Twilight’s shoulders heaved before she continued, “There was a flash of lightning that caused me to stop before the final verse of the spell was performed.”
“Couldn’t you just say it now?” Spike supplied hopefully.
Twilight shook her head, “No, Spike, I can’t. The spell called for specific circumstances and… well… I can’t seem to remember the spell anymore.” Twilight blinked a few times, willing away her tears, “Luna supplied them to me, I can only assume they had some kind of time-limit.”
Fluttershy nodded dejectedly, her eyes darting from Twilight to Spike before finally resting on the husk of Rainbow Dash that sat in her bathtub. “B-but the orb,” Fluttershy stuttered, her eyes failing to leave Rainbow’s, “it can fix her?”
Twilight shrugged, “I-I’m not sure.” She sighed through her teeth before straightening her back staunchly; “But we can try.”