//------------------------------//
// Quest IV - Forbidden 
// Story: The Trotzamore Stratagem 
// by The Rarispy 
//------------------------------//

Rarity looked so beautiful in the spa. I wished I could watch her from the window all day… She didn’t notice me most of the time, except for one instance where she looked my way and waved to me with a delicate smile.
 
It’s Rarity’s delicateness and soft personality that make me love her so much, I think. I don’t think I could ever become involved with a pony who’s too loud and vivacious. But at the same time, Rarity is very outspoken, and sometimes she’s outspoken enough to be able to defend me, and speak for the both of us. I like that. It inspires me to be stronger, knowing that somepony is always going to stand with me no matter what.
 
I don’t even know how I lived day in and day out before we started dating. I only wish, well… wish we could go a little further with it, and fulfill another long-time dream of mine…
 
Maybe someday.
 
The maids of the village prepared an entire buffet of food for me in the cafeteria, and only because I had mentioned very meekly that I was “a little hungry”. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish it all, but I didn’t want to make them feel like their hospitality had been wasted either. So I was just sitting there trying to eat as much as I could.
 
I was enjoying the fine macaroni salad when one of the maids came in and sat by me.
 
“Hello. How are you enjoying the grub?”
 
“Grub?”
 
“The food.”
 
“Oh! It’s absolutely wonderful. That was some of the most delicious spinach soup I’ve ever had!”
 
“Great! Mind if I sit here?”
 
“Oh, um… well… I-I guess not.”
 
“Okay!”
 
She was a relatively beautiful pony, I will admit. She wore a light red gown, even though it… kind of went against her light green coat, and her brown-and-green mane.
 
“My name’s Zorophyllis,” she said.
 
“Oh! Pleased to meet you, Zorophyllis. Um, my name’s…”
 
 “Fluttershy. I know.”
 
“…Right.”
 
I thought that was a bit strange that she knew my name already. I also realized that Zalona the Zen Mistress referred to us by name earlier.
 
We haven’t introduced ourselves, have we? Huh. I must’ve forgotten.
 
I just continued to eat for a while, as Zorophyllis stayed and watched me. It began to feel a little awkward. I’m not a great conversation starter, but she wasn’t saying anything either. Twilight once told me that I am an “introvert”, or somepony who is most comfortable when alone or with somepony close, and doesn’t like to be actively social as much as other ponies. That sounds like me in a nutshell.
 
Zorophyllis finally broke the ice and asked me a question… not that that question made it any less awkward.
 
“So, boy or girl?”
 
I almost choked on my salad.
 
“I-- W-What?”
 
“Boy or girl?” she repeated more clearly.
 
“I-- I’m a girl, last time I checked,” I meekly replied.
 
“No, no, no! I mean… do you want it to be a boy, or a girl?”
 
“WHAT? H-how do you know about that!?” I was practically panicking. Have I really been THAT obvious about it?
 
“Well, long story short, we have a bit of a… a psychic sense, you could call it,” she explained. “All of us females do, supplied to us by the Orb of the Ancients. …Sorry if we never made that clear.”
 
“Um, oh.”
 
“You really like that Rarity mare, don’tcha? And I can tell what you really want… more than anything. But I can also sense that… you haven’t told her yet?”
 
I looked down at my plate, probably rubbing my shoulder again. “Not… not exactly, no.”
 
“But I can sense how much you love her, and feel that she would never betray you. So why don’t you just tell her how you feel, huh?”
 
I thought about it for a while. On the one hoof, she’s right. I do trust Rarity enough to know that she would always remain by my side, even if she didn’t agree. However… I still wouldn’t know what to do, if Rarity said no. If she decided she didn’t want to move forward that much in our relationship…
 
Why wouldn’t she? I don’t know if I want to find out the answer.
 
“I can’t. If I told her the truth… it could possibly ruin our relationship forever.”
 
“I see your dilemma,” she stated. “It is difficult to prepare for the worst. And the level of uncertainty would probably drive me insane too!”
 
Oh, right. I guess she can read my thoughts or something along those lines.
 
“Hmm…” She stood up, about ready to leave. “If you wanted, I can go visit her, and see through my senses whether she feels the same way you do.”
 
I thought about that for a couple of seconds too.
 
That would make things easier, but… not as honest and direct.
 
“…No, I wouldn’t want that,” I finally decided. “I wouldn’t be able to face Rarity with the guilt that I decided to find out her feelings through somepony else instead of being honest. No matter what… I’d still like to hear the answer from her, myself. I’m trying not to be so reliant on everypony else anymore…”
 
Zorophyllis stared off into the distance for a minute, but then she turned back to face me with a begrudging smile.
 
“Okay. I respect your decision, even though I don’t entirely understand it. Though, I wish I could… You are lucky to be able to be with the one you love, unsuppressed and unjudged.”
 
“What do you mean?” I asked. “Don’t you… have somepony you love?”
 
“…I do,” she said quietly. “But the love I have is frowned upon by all, and forbidden by our village.”
 
“Why?”
 
“Because they would not understand, and even I fail to understand… how I could ever love her.”
 
“…Oh.”
 
Suddenly, I’m experiencing déjà vu… I know those feelings all too well…
 
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
 
“Yes?” Zorophyllis called back. “Come in!”
 
Who should enter in the room but Rarity. But she wasn’t as happy as I had just seen her at the spa. Because now, she was surrounded by two stern-looking female ponies… both holding sharp hunks of wood against her.
 
“We have a bit of a problem, darling.”
 



“What are y’all talkin’ about, Rainbow? What do ya mean Caramel’s a girl!?”
 
“Look, Applejack! Is this really a good time? WE’RE ABOUT TO BE BURIED AND EATEN ALIVE, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!”
 
“Oh, no we ain’t!”
 
Looking about, Applejack tugged on the flytrap’s teeth, until she was finally able to pull one out. She closed her eyes and, with great force, stabbed the flytrap’s lower jaw. It opened its mouth to scream, allowing AJ to jump out unscathed.
 
“Whoa,” was all Rainbow could say in response.
 
“See what happens when ya start involvin’ my coltfriend? Now let’s get you out of there, Rainbow!”
 
Holding the flytrap tooth in her mouth, Applejack charged right towards the flytrap holding Rainbow Dash in its mouth, and sliced its stem clean off. The flytrap fell to the ground, as Rainbow exited its mouth with ease.
 
“All right, Applejack!”
 
“Don’t be celebratin’ just yet,” AJ cautioned. “We ain’t done yet.”
 
More flytraps emerged from the ground to face them. Applejack quickly ran over to the dead flytrap and bucked off a tooth.
 
“Rainbow, catch!”
 
Rainbow did a dive and caught the falling tooth in her hooves.
 
“Now then,” said Applejack with the tooth in her mouth. “Let’s get to it!”
 
“Right behind you, AJ!”
 
The flytraps came down, but Rainbow and Applejack dodged them effortlessly, and finished them off with their own teeth. They tried to catch the two ponies again, but the team of RD and AJ were just too fast for them.
 
“AJ, watch out!” Before she could look, Applejack’s leg got snared by the root, which tried to drag her away. Rainbow Dash threw her tooth into the root, disabling it and freeing her.
 
“Thanks, RD! …Look out behind you!” A flytrap came up above Rainbow and latched onto her head, stopping her in mid-air. Applejack ran over and slashed it off its stem.
 
“Thanks!”
 
“'Tweren't nothin’!”
 
They continued to fight through all the flytraps, hacking one after another, stabbing a snaking root and then turning around and busting a sneaking jaw.
 
Finally, after what seemed like hours of nonstop tooth defense, the plants were all dead on the ground, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both breathing heavily.
 
“Whew… now that plain wore me out,” said Applejack.
 
“Yeah… me too,” Rainbow agreed.
 
However, another rumble sounded, and before they knew it, one last giant flytrap burst from the ground and started to dive for them.
 
“Looks like there’s one left that still wants a piece of us!” Rainbow proclaimed.
 
“Charge!”
 
They both came at the flytrap with the teeth in their mouths, but then the flytrap gasped and physically backed itself away.
 
“Whoa, whoa, easy, easy!” it shouted, in a strange but familiar voice. “Alright fine, you win! Geez!”
 
The flytrap sprouted and triggered a white flash, turning back into…
 
“DISCORD!?”
 
“Sheesh! Maybe I should gone with something else if I knew you girls were going to be so needlessly violent!” he scolded, looking very cross with both of them. “I mean, really, what did my poor pets ever do to you!?”
 
“They tried to pull us underground!” Rainbow shouted back.
 
“And eat us!”
 
“…Oh, besides that!” They both just glared back at him. “You know what? I don’t even care anymore! Here!”
 
He reached into his back and pulled out the final gemstone, which he threw down in front of them.
 
“There! Happy now?” He then muttered to himself, “Those two fools had better not let me down.”
 
He poofed up a bowler hat and a briefcase and saluted them with it.
 
“Catch ya later, fillyfoolers!”
 
He disappeared in a flash of light.
 
“What was that all about?”
 
“Ah have no idea.”
 
Rainbow gazed down at the gem he had just dropped. It was round like an orb and glowed an orange-ish yellow, and had a star symbol etched in it. Rainbow almost had to cover her eyes as the star shined brightly at her.
 
“Well, then…” she stated, reaching for the orb. “Let’s pick up this bad puppy and hoof it to Trotzamore already!”
 
But before she could touch it, Applejack laid her hoof onto it.
 
“Not so fast.”
 
“Huh? Applejack, what are you…”
 
Applejack was giving her a stern glare that seemed to freeze her into place.
 
“We ain’t goin’ anywhere, until you clarify this whole business about my boyfriend being a mare.”
 
“…Oh.”
 
The two of them just stared at each other for the longest time.
 
“Can’t we… I mean… Applejack! Wouldn’t it be better to talk about this after we… do the whole… um…”
 
Her face remained stone-cold.
 
“Talk. NOW.”
 



How dare those nasty mares, the audacity to keep pushing Fluttershy and I down the street. As if we couldn’t walk to our doom ourselves, with our flanks kept to ourselves!
 
And that’s exactly what it felt like, too. We were eventually led by the wooden spear-brandishing punk chicks into some sort of outdoor sporting field. There was a decisive rectangular border on the field drawn in chalk. The hill we were on stood at the edge of the village, so close to the Pharos Mountains that a tiny bit of the snow was constantly drifting onto the field.
 
A multitude of chairs had been laid out on both sides of the stadium, enough for what must have been the entirety of the village to witness whatever was about to happen to us.
 
“What do you think they’re going to do to us?” Fluttershy asked, sounding very afraid. I consoled her with a hug.
 
“I don’t know, darling. I don’t know. Nor do I understand why.”
 
Just then, Zime pressed his hoof down, scaring the both of us to death.
 
“WHAH-HAH-HAH!”
 
“You know exactly of the treachery you were intending to wrought, Miss Rarity,” he boomed. He pulled out a wired microphone (a rather primitive-looking one, anyway) and started addressing the crowd.
 
“These two ponies were sensed and probed, and discovered to be intent on committing a great crime against our village. I was warned about their coming by a higher being, one who spoke to me in my head! He informed me that Parody and Shutterfly here came into this village wanting only one thing… the ORB OF THE ANCIENTS!”
 
To our surprise, the entire crowd gasped in horror, and started speaking incoherently, all while staring coldly at both of us.
 
“We… we were?”
 
“Unfortunately, yes,” I whispered. “That ‘orb’ of theirs is the final gemstone, remember? We were going to have to try to coax it from them, eventually.”
 
“Oh.”
 
“Their wish was to leave our village… with the Orb in their possession!” the brute continued. “Therefore, they shall be sentenced to the maximum punishment.” One of the guards handed him her wood spear. “You shall both face some extreme contact from this spear. ‘Thrashings and beatings’, as you would seem to know it. At the end of the punishing, you will both be in an impaired state, enough to require the use of our healing services and physical therapy conferences… indefinitely.”
 
The crowd roared at hearing this outlandish form of justice, whilst Fluttershy and I could do nothing else but hold each other… and shake with fear. And I… probably shed a few tears or so.
 
“AAAAAAHHHH-HUH-HUH-HUUHHHH! OHHHH, WHYYYYYYYY!”
 
“This is what happens when you disturb the serenity of our village, accursed fillyfoolers.”
 
From the blurriness of my eyes, I made out the pony I had talked to before… Zamber. She was looking at me fiercely from the sidelines. Another mare, whom I hadn’t seen before, ran up to her, holding up her salmon gown and constantly pushing her brown-and-green mane out of her eyes.
 
“Zamber, what’s going on?” she asked in a strangely panicky tone. “What’s happening here? What are you doing to them!?”
 
“They are traitors to us, Zorophyllis,” Zamber coldly replied. “They were planning to make off with the Orb. It was their whole reason for coming here, and now they must be punished for it.”
 
“But… But… No!”
 
Zamber stepped forward to address us directly… as if I would’ve listened any more intently.
 
“I should inform you that you do not both have to share this punishment.”
 
“What ever do you mean?” I asked, just as shrewdly.
 
“If you so choose, one of you can take the full punishment alone, and face double the physical inflictions to accommodate for your partner,” she informed. Her face looked almost ruthless, as if she was actually enjoying herself in giving us this choice. “Perhaps… this is what you shall choose, as a true display of how deeply your unorthodox affections for each other go. So… what will it be?”
 
The entire crowd grew silent as all eyes fell on us to make the decision. I took a large gulp.
 
I know Fluttershy won’t agree to such a horrible condition. I guess we’ll both have to take the--
 
“I’ll do it.”
 
The crowd went wild again. I heard the pony named Zorophyllis gasp loudly… and myself too, as I turned to face my sweetheart… who clearly wasn’t thinking straight.
 
“Fluttershy, are you NUTS?”
 
“No, Rarity,” she said. “If that’s what it would take for you to be freed from this, unscathed, then I’m willing to take all of it myself. Besides, I’ve dealt with bears before. I can… I can take a bit of physical confrontation…”
 
“Oh no, you can’t.”
 
I positioned myself well in front of Fluttershy… and after taking a deep breath, stood up on my legs and threw my arms wide to shield her. Didn’t even think twice about what I was doing.
 
“I offer myself in her place!” I shouted. Again, a huge uproar rose from the crowds.
 
“Rarity, what are you--”
 
“Because, Fluttershy, with all due respect and understanding… I can take it far better than you can. …Besides, you have a duty, Fluttershy. A duty to the animals back home, who need you, a duty to Ponyville and everypony there who cares about you, and…”
 
I couldn’t bear to face her obvious sorrow, but I knew I had to… so she could see my face one last time. My vision was mysteriously blurry as I looked at her…
 
“And you have a duty to our friends. After all, all I do is make silly little dresses and give petty fashion advice.”
 
“No…”
 
I knew she wouldn’t want me to do this, but I was prepared to make the sacrifice. I was ready to step forward.
 
“Bring on your worst!”
 
Zamber’s mouth was agape.
 
“You’re crazy, out of your mind!” she clamored. “Do you even realize the risk you’re taking right now!?”
 
“Of course I do,” I responded, holding my ground still. “But I made a commitment. And although I may have been awfully reserved in the way I show my love towards Fluttershy, and I admit I’m still trying to discover what being in love is all about, these past three months I have become a changed mare.”
 
I felt Fluttershy hug my shoulders as I rambled. I almost wanted to cry. Though, who am I kidding? I probably was already.
 
“Before, I still would’ve gladly defended Fluttershy, as my best friend. But now… more than ever, I stand my ground; I‘m ready to make the ultimate sacrifice today, and I won’t let you BEASTS hurt my beloved marefriend! MY FLUTTERSHY!”
 
“BUT YOU’RE MAD!” Zamber shrieked back. “Absolutely mad! The standard punishment would be enough to incapacitate and cripple you, but double damage, that… that could be potentially fatal! IT COULD KILL YOU!”
 
“THEN ‘TILL DEATH DO US PART!” I shouted.
 
“But Rarity… we’re not married.”
 
“I know, but I couldn’t resist.”
 
Zamber growled. “Do it, Zime,” she ordered. “No holding back.”
 
“No, wait!” cried Zorophyllis.
 
And so, Zime approached me, brandishing the spear as he did. But I could see it. The look of hesitation on his face. He clearly didn’t want to do this; he probably never has done the deed under this condition before.
 
It was my last shot. Now was the one time, more than ever, where I needed to really hope the faithful puppy-eyes would work…
 
“I… I… I can’t do it.”
 
And they did.
 
“ZIME!”
 
“As much as it is my duty… I cannot bring myself to harm and possibly kill a true lady. It is just not within me.”
 
The crowd all made affectionate “Awww” sounds as he dropped the spear, and bowed his head in shame. Serves him right, too.
 
“Forgive me,” I think I heard him whisper. Before I could say anything else however, Zamber charged up, knocked him out of the way, and much to my surprise, picked up the spear herself.
 
“Then let me,” she said through gritted teeth. She cast a fiercely glare at me as she begun to hold the spear above her head with one hoof. “I alone shall test the strength of your forbidden love! You think you could ever show passion for Fluttershy the way a stallion could? THEN PROVE IT TO ME RIGHT NOW!”
 
“RARITY!”
 
I had to cover my eyes as she got ready to strike me down. That’s when I knew… this was the end. I stole one last look at Fluttershy, justifiably frightened as all hell, and closed my eyes In anticipation.
 
Just when I was beginning to feel the wind of it coming down on me…
 
“STOP!”
 
Slowly, I opened my eyes. The pony Zorophyllis was holding back the spear, preventing Zamber from striking me.
 
“Zorophyllis, what in the name of Zalona are you doing?” Zamber sharply scolded. “They are bad ponies! They must be punished, and she has chosen her fate!”
 
“Don’t you see, it doesn’t have to be this way!” Zorophyllis pleaded. “Isn’t it obvious to you how strong Rarity’s love is? She’s about to let herself be KILLED in order to save her friend from a beating! You don’t even need your psychic sense to see how much that proves that they love each other, as much as a stallion and mare would!”
 
Finally, she managed to hoist the spear from Zamber, and tossed it away towards Zime, who… shrieked quite like a little girl when it fell near him.
 
“But you know but you could sense with that telepathy of yours? You were able to sense that their desire for the Orb of the Ancients wasn’t just a desire, but a need, and a dire need! They were commanded to come here by their own sovereign ruler, in a matter of unprecedented urgency! Of global scale! How could you deny that!?”
 
“But I… I…”
 
“Oh, Zamber! How can I ever make you listen to me?” She stopped, and I saw her take a deep breath, as she started to prepare herself for… something. “I can’t believe I’m seriously about to do what…?”
 
“A-about to do what? Zorophyllis, w-what are you doing? I… I can’t read your thoughts, they’re blocked out! ZOROPHYLLIS VON THIRTEENTH, WHAT ARE YOU--”
 
And then it happened.
 
She kissed Zamber.
 
Everypony gasped except me. I just stared in wonder and astonishment… Fluttershy gasped, although hers sounded more like one of… almost like she was excited, rather than shocked.
 
Zamber pulled herself away. She looked like she was the most surprised out of all of us.
 
“Wh-- I-- Why did-- Zorophyllis, I-- Huh!?”
 
“AND WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON HERE!?”
 
Everypony gasped again, and the villagers all immediately bowed. I wondered why, until I saw who was approaching. It was the Zen Mistress, Zalona. And she looked very cross. I motioned for Fluttershy to bow with everypony else.
 
“It’s been several hundred years since I last saw any action taking place at this location,” she stated, her voice full of content.
 
“Several hundred years?” Fluttershy whispered to me. I shrugged back.
 
“What. Exactly. Has been happening here?”
 
Zime was about to speak, but Zalona shushed him.
 
“NO! Let me sense for myself.”
 
Zalona must have that telepathic ability too, because instead of demanding answers, she just scanned everypony in the field. The crowd, Zamber and Zorophyllis, Zime, and then Fluttershy and I. She closed her eyes for about half a minute, perhaps to process everything, before snapping them open again.
 
“I see.”
 
She turned to Zime first.
 
“Zime, I am ashamed of you.” Zime still had his head down, now even more so. “I know you have always been a stickler for the traditional values and beliefs of the Mareianna Village, unshaken in your stubbornness. But you know full well that I officially banned this type of justice enforcement as I said, several hundred years ago, and for good reason too. It goes against everything we preach and conform to in this centerplate of tranquility!”
 
“Yes, Mistress…”
 
“I am aware that, being male, you have no telepathic sense. But you still have your common sense, and should’ve known better than to listen to a voice in your head whose identity you could not ascertain, take these actions rather than consulting me first, and having it straightly confirmed why they needed possession of the Orb.”

Zime nodded, looking quite ashamed of himself, and rightly so. But then… Zalona marched over to us. She still had a very stern look on her face…
 
“And as for you two…”
 
Now we’re really going to get it…
 
But all of a sudden, she bowed to us.
 
“I apologize on behalf of my followers’ behavior, and wish to bestow upon you: full permission to borrow the Orb of the Ancients for the good of Equestria.”
 
“What?” we both uttered.
 
“WHAT!?” said Zamber and Zime.
 
“I recognize and respect your urgent motivations for needing to take the Orb to the Fields of Trotzamore. I still remember the last time all the Gemstones were needed to unlock its power.”
 
Fluttershy and I exchanged looks at each other. The Gemstones were needed to access Trotzamore for dire reasons before? That was something Princess Celestia had neglected to tell us.
 
“Yes, there was reason to unlock the Gate, one time previously. But that is in the past. This is the present. You are free to remove the Orb of the Ancients from our shrine whenever you are ready.”
 
“Will it have any effect?” I asked.
 
“It is through the orb’s presence that we slowly developed our mental abilities in the first place,” she explained. “Once it is no longer in the village, those abilities will be suppressed until it is brought here again. A sacrifice we are willing to make for the good of all peace and love in Equestria.”
 
She kneeled down before us.
 
“The power of the orb, and what lies within Trotzamore, is in your hooves now. Go forth, be heroes. And set everything right. And one more thing?”
 
“Yes?” we both said.
 
She stood up, and a soft smile spread across her face.
 
“Please give the village’s regards to Princess Celestia of Canterlot.”
 
Suddenly, the entire crowd gasped. It certainly took both of us aback. Even Zamber and Zime now had their mouths agape. Fluttershy and I just looked on in confusion.
 
“After all, it has been just over a thousand years since I believe we were last graced with her presence.”
 
Even more surprisingly, Zime and Zamber ran up to us and started bowing repeatedly.
 
“We’re sorry, we’re sorry, we’re sorry!” said Zamber.
 
“Please forgive us, please forgive us, please forgive us!” said Zime.
 
“Um… you’re forgiven?” Fluttershy squeaked.
 
“Mmm… well then, we’d better set off now if we’re to make it there in time.”
 
“Yup!” she agreed.
 
“Have a safe journey, you two,” said Zalona, bowing to us once more. “Be sure to bring back the Orb after you’ve finished, and afterward, feel free to visit our village again any time. Farewell.”
 
“Okay, thanks!”
 
“Ta-ta!”
 
“GOODBYE, FLUTTERSHY AND RARITY!” The entire village shouted goodbye to us, and that just warmed my heart. It felt like… like we had made a huge impact on this village, though I wasn’t sure of what sort.
 
As we were leaving the arena, I realized something, and leaned in close to Fluttershy.
 
“I wish we could’ve stayed longer.”
 
“Hmm, yeah.”
 
“Now, is it just me, or, did she seriously just say that she and perhaps everypony else in that village is… AT LEAST A THOUSAND YEARS OLD?”
 
“Oh… my.”
 


 
“So y’all decided to just eavesdrop on ‘em!? Gosh darn it all Rainbow, haven’t you ever heard of privacy? I keep tellin’ ya how rude and dishonest it is to go about listenin’ in on other ponies’ conversations!”
 
“Okay, I’m sorry for eavesdropping on them! Now will you please just listen to me?” Rainbow barked back. “Besides, if I had never eavesdropped, I wouldn’t have discovered the truth behind your goody-goody two-shoes boyfriend !”
 
“Fine,” she said through her teeth. “Just don’t call him or her or whatever a ‘goody-goody two-shoes’, again.”
 
“So… anyway, I peered through the window to see what was going on, and then I finally who it was that ‘he’ was with. Get this… Cherry Jubilee!”
 
“The same Cherry Jubilee who works the cherry factory at Dodge Junction?”
 
“Yeah! And besides the whole ‘girl’ thing, I think she and Caramel might be dating behind your back!” Applejack responded with a facehoof and a groan. “What?”
 
“Rainbow Dash, Cherry Jubilee is Caramel’s COUSIN!”
 
“Wait, really?”
 
Applejack nodded.
 
“Oh. …Uh, heh-heh. Sorry. That… that part wasn’t made completely clear. Guess it makes a bit more sense now…”
 
“JUST CONTINUE WITH THE STORY!”
 
“Alright, alright!” Rainbow put a hoof to her chin as she recalled the events. “So… they started talking.”
 
“Talkin’ about what?”
 
“They were talking about… about how Caramel couldn’t keep something a secret from you forever, and… how hard it was for him to keep going with it.”
 
“…Right.”
 
“Cherry tried to convince her to just tell you the truth, but… Caramel said he was too afraid of what you’d think.”
 
“If she were to see you and I like this, it--it wouldn’t go over well at all. She’d start yammerin’ on about how it isn’t right, and how could I do this to her…”
 
“And then… and then…”
 
Rainbow put her hooves to her head as she collapsed to the ground, scarring memories returning to her mind.
 
“What?” Applejack begged. “Rainbow, what happened next?”
 
“That’s when… it happened.”
 
“Come on sugar, let’s take off that silly hat…”
 
“Cherry Jubilee started… started undressing ‘him’.” Rainbow’s eyes filled with horror as she forced herself to remember the images again. “She took off hair ties hidden in Caramel’s  mane and tail that made them look much longer when they were taken out. There was this thing inside her nose that pushed it up to make it like a stallion’s snout. And… and…”
 
“And what?”
 
During the story, Applejack’s facial expression had morphed from absolute sternness to extreme concern.
 
Rainbow turned away, and covered her face with her hoof.
 
“I… I ran away before I could see anything else. That’s all I was able to take, so that’s all I can say on the matter.”
 
Applejack didn’t say anything at first. Rainbow slowly uncovered her face and turned to look at AJ. She glanced towards the ground, a blank expression on her face. She just sat there, blinking.
 
Finally, she looked up at Rainbow, with tears welling up in her eyes.
 
“Rainbow Dash… you’re telling the truth, right? Please swear to me that you are.”
 
Rainbow nodded.
 
“Of course I am. Come on, Applejack. I’m your best friend.” She took a sniffle, trying to hide the tears streaming down her face. “I care about you. I would never, ever make up something like this. I’m being honest, okay? I’m telling the truth.”
 
“OH, RAINBOW DASH!” To Rainbow’s shock, Applejack pulled her close and cried over her shoulder. In a rare moment of empathy, Rainbow spread her arms and wings over Applejack to complete the embrace.
 
She let Applejack sit and cry for several minutes, until she finally pulled away again.
 
“Okay… ah’m fine now, ah just… ah just can’t believe it,” Applejack said, struggling to speak. “Why would she do that? Why did she lie to me like that? That ain’t the Apple family way, or the way of friends!”
 
“I wish I knew, AJ. I wish I knew.” Rainbow was shuffling the ground with her hoof. “What… what do you want to do now?”
 
Applejack took a long breath, and wiped her eyes one last time.
 
“Ah’ll deal with Caramel when we get back to Ponyville, but for now…” She smiled as best she could. “Let’s worry about saving Ponyville first.”
 



Sometime later, Rarity and Fluttershy were leaving the Mareianna Village of Tranquil Spirits, as Fluttershy placed the Orb in her saddlebag.
 
Something seemed to be troubling Rarity though, because she had her gaze to the ground and looked as if she was in deep thought.
 
“Is something wrong, Rarity?”
 
“I was just thinking…” she said quietly. “Zime said it was a voice in his head that told him we wanted to take the Orb, right?”
 
“Yeah…”
 
“So then… who was that voice?”
 
Fluttershy stopped in her tracks.
 
“You don’t think it could’ve been…”
 
“Mmmm,” was all Rarity could say in response as she continued walking. Fluttershy just stood there, thinking about it, until she heard a voice.
 
“Hey, Fluttershy! Over here!”
 
“Huh?”
 
She turned around to see a certain mare waving at her from the edge of the village, and beckoning her over.
 
“Zorophyllis! Thank goodness you’re okay!”
 
“You bet!” she replied. Zime, Zamber, and a third mare in a purple gown were standing behind her. “The Mistress pardoned me for my behavior, and more than that. She was so moved by the love you and Rarity showed that she’s considering an addendum! I might finally be able to pursue my love!”
 
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” They embraced each other in a warm hug. Even Zime couldn’t help but crack a smile.
 
“Fluttershy!” Rarity called from afar. “Are you coming?”
 
“Yes! Just one second!” She turned to Zorophyllis again. “We’d better go now. Good luck.”
 
“You too.” As Fluttershy began to walk away, a concerned frown developed on Zorophyllis’ lips. “…Hey, Fluttershy?”
 
“Yes?”
 
“One more thing.” Fluttershy came back over as she looked at her, still with a worried expression. “Fluttershy… please promise me you’ll tell her.”
 
“Oh…” Fluttershy looked down to the ground.
 
“Please. I can’t read your thoughts without the Orb, so I need your spoken word as reassurance. You’re going to tell her what it is you want, right? I’ve seen how miserable you’ve made yourself in keeping it a secret.”
 
She didn’t answer immediately. A soft breeze was all that broke the silence, until a cockatiel landed on Zorophyllis’ head and chirped at Fluttershy. She gazed at the bird, and smiled softly.
 
“Yes. I’m going to tell her.  I promise I will.”
 
“Okay. That was all I needed. Thank you. Goodbye, Fluttershy.”
 
“Bye.”
 
As soon as she left, Zorophyllis wheeled back around to Zamber.
 
“So, Zamber… do you know what I’m thinking?”
 
“Um, no.”
 
Zorophyllis then pulled Zamber closer, much to her confusion.
 
“Good.”
 
“Awww, how sweet!” said the mare next to Zime, who started scratching his head at the scene. “Something wrong, Zime?”
 
“I just realized something… am I actually the only stallion in this entire village?”
 
“Did it actually take you over a thousand years to notice?” she giggled.
 
“…Shut up, Zammi.”
 



“Hold it right there, Queen Chrysalis!”
 
“What?”
 
Chrysalis and her Changelings turned around to see none other than Twilight Sparkle standing at a ledge above them.
 
“Well, well, well, look who it is,” Chrysalis remarked with a smile. “The pony who single-handedly destroyed my life and ruined all my plans. It appears I was mistaken. Perhaps you are foolishly devoted to your friend after all. Or rather…” She flashed the gemstone at Twilight. “You came here for the treasure, right?”
 
“I’m here to ask you to surrender both,” Twilight said coldly. “What, you think I didn’t notice the anagram? The Forbidden Cliffs of LYSHACRIA? As soon as I figured it out, I knew where to find you.”
 
“Hmm, clever girl, eh? No matter. Changelings, attack!”
 
The Changelings bared their fangs as they began flying upward to meet Twilight. She jumped down from the ledge, and concentrated her magic. Just as the Changelings reached her, she managed to put up a magical bubble around her, knocking them all back.
 
“Tch! You really think that will stop me?” Chrysalis coyly scoffed. “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but my Changelings dealt with a much bigger spell than that some time before. Changelings!”
 
Instantly, the Changelings that were knocked back began charging at the dome repeatedly, until finally, despite Twilight’s resistance, it shattered into pieces.
 
Twilight was knocked to the floor when it happened.
 
“Now she’ll see.”
 
But as the Changelings dove for her again, Twilight just stood up and adopted a bizarre blank expression over her face. The Changelings still came, but they suddenly slowed to a halt when they approached her.
 
“Hey, what’s going on?”
 
“We can’t touch her!”
 
“She didn’t put up another barrier, did she?”
 
“Nope,” Twilight answered. She started walking forward, and effortlessly knocked all the Changelings away as they kept approaching her. It was like she still had a barrier around her… except that she didn’t. At least not a magical one.
 
“What is happening?” Chrysalis panicked. “What is this strange force you have!? An invisible magic barrier?”
 
“Oh, I’ve got something much, much more powerful than magic protecting me, Chrysalis,” Twilight proclaimed triumphantly. “And I’m about to beat you with it.” At this point, Twilight was standing face-to-face with the Changeling Queen. “Now, then… let my friend and the Gemstone GO, please.”
 
Chrysalis was practically shaking with absolute terror.
 
“Wh-what is this!? What is happening!? AAAHHH!” Chrysalis grabbed her own head, in what looked like some sort of searing pain. “No... NO! You-- you-- STAY AWAY FROM ME! I can't-- handle that much... NOOOOOOO!”
 
Queen Chrysalis disappeared in a poof of green smoke, leaving behind the Gemstone, and the rest of her Changelings gasped and followed suit.
 
As Twilight watched, the pod that Pinkie had been placed into slowly began to open. As Twilight rushed over to have a look, a figure stepped out of it.
 
“Oh, Pinkie,” said Twilight in relief. “You don’t know how glad I am to see… you?”
 
But the figure that stepped out of the pod… wasn’t Pinkie Pie at all. Of course, physically, it still looked exactly like Pinkie Pie, but with one major difference… her hair was now white, and drooping down completely, not unlike it did in her childhood, and that incident where Pinkie was convinced her friends had forgotten her birthday.
 
Pinkie gazed her head up and stared at Twilight deadpan.
 
“P-P-Pinkie Pie?”
 
“Twilight,” Pinkie acknowledged. “So you did decide to save me after all.”
 
“Yes, yes! Of course I--”
 
“No doubt, you made sure the Gemstone was safe first,” Pinkie interrupted.
 
“Huh? Pinkie…” Twilight looked absolutely confused at her friend’s change in personality. “I came here to rescue you. I didn’t know that Queen Chrysalis had the Gemstone. I was looking out for you. You’re my friend.”
 
“Tch!” Pinkie retorted, spitting in her face. “As if you ever really cared for me. And even if you did, one thing’s for certain. I certainly don’t care about you.” And she drove this point home by smacking Twilight in the face with her tail like a whip.
 
As Twilight contemplated this infliction, her eyes became glossy, and she looked at Pinkie as if she was staring at a stranger. A stranger that used to be her best friend.
 
“Pinkie Pie… something’s wrong with you. What happened? What have those wretched Changelings done to you?”
 
“NOTHING’S WRONG WITH ME ANYMORE!”
 
Twilight fell back at the shock of her friend’s outburst. The tears were only coming in harder now.
 
“The Pinkie Pie you knew was insecure, afraid of her own feelings. Keeping secrets from everypony, not being honest to her friends or herself.”
 
“Actually… that sounds more like me,” replied Twilight, who stood up, fighting the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “The Pinkie Pie I knew was always cheerful and happy. Every single day of her life, all she wanted to do was make ponies smile and laugh. She was… one of the nicest, sweetest, and kindest ponies that I’ve ever met in my entire life.” At this point, she was crying so hard she was forced to close her eyes. “And I’d really like her back now, please!”
 
“Oh, really?” Pinkie chuckled. “And just how in Equestria do you plan to get her back?”
 
Twilight wiped the tears away from her eyes and faced Pinkie Pie straight-on. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and leaned in close to her friend.
 
“I’ll tell you how…”
 



Ohhhh… Where am I? Oh, my head… Wh-- Why am I on the floor? Oh, what happened? It’s all such a blurry-blurry blur and... huh? Who’s that calling my name? … Wait, that voice… Is that… That’s…
 
“GAAAAAAAAASP! TWILIGHT!”
 
“Pinkie Pie!”
 
“Oh, Twily-Wily! I thought I was never going to see you again!”
 
And I’ve waited so long to hug her again, too.
 
“So did I, Pinkie. So did I…”
 
“That Meanie Queenie was wrong! You did come back for me after all! I knew it! I knew it all along! You do care for me!”
 
“You’re safe now, Pinkie.”
 
“As long as I’m with you, I am! Ohhh, you’re my bestest, bestest friend in the whole world, Twilight Sparkle!”
 
“Same goes to you, Pinkie. … You can stop hugging me now, you know.”
 
“Oh, whoops! Sorry!”
 
I didn’t mean to hug her for so long, it’s just… Oh, I haven’t been this happy since the day I saw my first rainbow!
 
“Oh! Hey, Pinkie.”
 
“Yeah?”
 
“If you don’t mind, do you think you can carry the last Gemstone in your saddlebag? I can’t fit anymore into mine!”
 
She even brought my saddlebag!
 
“Okie dokie loki!”
 
Twilight! My Twilight! I could never stop loving her, not in a million years! At this point, I don’t even care if she doesn’t love me back! As long as she’s always by my side, that’s all I really need to be happy!
 



As Pinkie went over to fetch the Gemstone in the spot Chrysalis was standing, Twilight fished into her own saddlebag and pulled out the unmarked book. As Pinkie remained distracted by the gem’s shininess, Twilight leafed through the pages of the book with an intent gaze.
 
She must never know…