//------------------------------// // Act 1 Part 2 // Story: Destined Stars Act 1 - Of Stars and Runes // by Velvet-Fresh //------------------------------// Part 2 [Guidance of Honesty and Loyalty shall open the path ] It took Twilight a few minutes to collect her senses, more or less as she started to stutter "Huh, wha-. Me? Gatherer of the what?" She asked still confused. Celestia smiled "Calm down Twilight, all will be revealed in due time. I cannot stay here for too long. You know why, I need to talk to you in private, bring a couple of your friends. The Elements of Harmony are apart of this too." She said, "I'll be waiting at the Ruins of the Old Castle in Everfree Forest." Before Twilight can reply, Celestia said "bye" and in another blinding flash of light, she was gone. Not moments later, Twilight looked at Spike "Spike.." He cut her off "I know, I know. I'll get your saddlebags." He said before he gone upstairs to retrieve them. Leaving her to think =Now who should I bring? Pinkie? nah... Rarity. No, can't stand her whining about getting 'filthy'= She quietly giggled whilist rolling her eyes =Fluttershy, no can't bring her. That leaves me..= Her train of thought was broken when Spike slammed the door and walked downstairs carrying her bags over "I stuff them with Potions and Ether for you. Never know when you'll need them." He said. "Thanks Spike" she smiled as he straps her bag on "hold down the fort for me will ya?" she said before giving him a quick peck to the forhead. Blushing in embarassment "Aww geez 'mom'." he grumble wiping at his forhead, causing her to giggle as she head outside. "Ok, first off. To Sweet Apple Acres." She said as she headed towards the direction. Half an hour on hoof, she reached her destination. An apple farm surronded by a large orchard, she trotted towards the farm spotting a red musclar stallion loading baskets filled with apples onto a cart "Hey Big Mac, is your sister around?" She asked. The stallion looked at her giving his usual reply "Eeeyup" he said pointing a hoof towards the depths of the orchard. She thanked him before heading towards the direction, minutes walking she caught sight of a certain stetson wearing orange earth pony rearing her hind legs before delivering a powerful buck into the trunk of the tree causing it to deposit it's fruits of labor into the baskets placed below. She walked up to her "Morning Applejack, you busy?" Twilight greeted. Applejack tilted her hat upward to see her unicorn friend, she smiled warmly "Shoot, ya know me Twi. Ah'm always busy in the morning. Something came up?" the farmer asked. "You can say that, if it's alright with you. Wait at the entrance of Everfree after your morning chores." she requested. "Everfree forest? Why ya wanna go there? Visiting Zecora again?" The apple farmer asked with a quirked eyebrow. "Not exactly. i'll explain later, I'm gonna get Dash to come along too." She answered her earth pony friend. "Could you wait at the entrance of the forest when you are done? I need to go find Dash." "Sure, nothing to it. Rainbow is probably napping ontop one of my trees in the Orchard ... again. Or she's in her Cloud Home. I'll be done soon, so see you there." With that the two friends waved goodbye as Twilight sets out into the Orchard again, checking the tree branches as she go. Minutes of searching the Orchards seems fruitless, she see neither mane or tail of her pegasus friend sleeping on the apple trees' branches. Heaving a sigh, the unicorn decide to head towards Rainbow Dash's cloud home floating near town. When she arrived, Twilight looked around to see if Dash is perched on any other clouds before looking up the massive greek artitectual house that Rainbow dash personally built with nothing but clouds, an occasional rainbow arcing over the floating home. She called out. "Rainbow Dash! Are you home?!", she didn't get a reply. Irrated Twilight inhaled before hollaring with the intensitiy of the Royal Canterlot's voice. "GET UP YOU LAZY PEGASUS!!!" which scared off nearby animals and birds and prompting an audible groan coming from within the cloud home. Popping her head out, yawning as her hair is in a mess. "Ok, who's the wise guy who woke me up?" she rubbed her eyes and looked down. "Oh it's just you Twilight." "Yes, it's me. Get down here, I got something important to discuss." Twilight stomped her hoof impatiently as she watch her rainbow maned friend yawned and slowly flew down unto the ground. "This is better be good, you know what time is it?" she sounded annoyed as somepony have woken her up from her beauty sleep. "Dash, it's 3 in the afternoon.. " she said with an deadpanned expression "I've come here to ask if you want to join me. Me and Applejack are going into the Everfree Forest." she explained. "Really? That does SOUNDS Important." Her sleepiness fully gone as she looked at Twilight with total enthusiasm. Twilight can only stare back until she broke the silence with a cough "Anyway, I'm wondering if you cou-" Dash cut her off "Join you? I definately will! You'll need me more than ole Applejack. No offense, but she couldn't handle those monsters in Everfree by herself." she gloated. "Monsters?! I thought they only come out at night." She said with wide open eyes. "Yeah, the big mean ones though, but during the day we will only have to worry about the small fries. Just leave em to us egghead." She smirks. "For your information Rainbow Dash, I can handle myself." She glared. "What your going to do? Throw a book at them?" she chuckle. "You can say that." She responded. "Come on, Applejack is probably waiting by the forest entrance by now." She began walking off with Dash following close by. "So, why we're going into Everfree? Seeing Zecora again?" Dash asked as they trotted. "No, I'll explain everything later. Let just say we have a long journey ahead of us." She looked onward, the forest coming to view what Twilight doesn't know how right she was, but this is just the beginning... of a very long journey. The only thing they can do now is to keep moving foward.