The journey back to Ponyville from Tribal Council was . . . quiet. No one said anything regarding what transpired there, preferring instead to keep their thoughts to themselves rather than risk upsetting someone. The group of now seven people had plenty on their minds, not the least of which being happiness for SpongeBob's departure. While everyone was glad that the little yellow sponge was returned home safely, some were doubly glad that their biggest liability was gone and the group was that much stronger as a result. Not all of everyone's thoughts were joyous, however.
Everyone, minus Twilight of course, was shocked at how the lavender unicorn voted against Yugi, her own ally, for no discernible reason. What it said about her to them, however, was mixed at best. Everyone couldn't tell if Twilight cared for either group enough to vote for or against them, or even whether or not Yugi was indeed her ally. All the conflicting theories and implications surrounding her decision was too much for everyone to handle, and by the time the group returned to Ponyville everyone had given up on trying to make sense of Twilight's vote.
Twilight herself, however, could sense the dread she'd stirred up with her surprise decision. Once they reached town square, she got up on the center fountain and spoke up.
"I suppose everyone would like some answers regarding my vote, wouldn't they?"
Everyone nodded except for the pharaoh, who did nothing but stare stoically at her in anticipation of her answer.
After a heavy sigh, Twilight resumed speaking. "Here's the truth; I was afraid. Afraid of how your opinions toward me might've changed if I chose to side with either group. I do care for all of you and want nothing more than to see all of us return home safe and sound, but by voting for or against either group I'd be giving preferential treatment to someone over another person, and I can't bring myself to do that." She looked down at the pharaoh. "Pharaoh, the only reason why I voted for you is because I couldn't vote for myself, and voting for anyone else other than SpongeBob and James would've still amounted to choosing sides."
The pharaoh nodded. "I understand, Twilight, and I don't blame you for being too confused and afraid to join either group."
"I don't blame you either," Celestia said, then turned her head to everyone else. "And I'm sure everyone else feels the same way; right?"
After a few moments of consideration, the remaining four people nodded in agreement. Seeing this made Twilight a bit happier, and she stepped down from the fountain to approach Celestia. "Thanks for understanding," she told her mentor.
"You're very welcome," the solar princess replied, then leaned forward to whisper into Twilight's ear. "You're still free to join my alliance whenever you so wish."
Twilight smiled. "Perhaps, but I still need some time to think over the whole Alicorn Amulet request thing."
Celestia nodded. "Like I said earlier, take all the time you need."
With everyone's confusion cleared up and their spirits raised a bit, most of the group proceeded toward their selected houses to retire for the night. Celestia took flight towards Canterlot Castle, having chosen to continue sleeping there for the time being. The only one who didn't move right away was the pharaoh, who kept track of which house Samus entered before he and Yugi conversed.
So, pharaoh, you mentioned something about a plan to fix things between Twilight and Celestia?
Yes, Yugi, and we'll need Samus' help for it.
Why?
Remember when we were walking to council, how Celestia only answered Samus' question and no one else's?
Yeah.
I sensed a great power at work within the Element of Honesty during that time, which leads me to believe Samus used it to make Celestia answer her question truthfully.
I guess that makes sense; Celestia did say the Elements of Harmony are the most powerful magic artifacts in Equestria. So, Honesty lets the user force others to be honest when questioned?
That appears to be the case, which means if Samus questioned Celestia about why she requested the Alicorn Amulet from Aza, she'd have no choice but to answer honestly.
But pharaoh, there's two hiccups in that plan. First of all, what if Twilight doesn't want to know Celestia's motives by 'tomorrow' and instead forgives her without asking?
That would be nice, Yugi, but it'd be good to have a failsafe should she ask and Celestia refuses to give answers by her own accord.
Fair enough. Also, what if learning Celestia's motives only worsens their relationship? What if there's a good reason why Celestia kept it hidden from Twilight?
That thought crossed my mind a plethora of times, Yugi; it truly did. However, the way things currently stand we can't afford to have animosity between our allies; it'll only serve to hinder the group whenever Aza decides to blindside us. Should the situation only get worse after learning Celestia's motives, we'll work to continue healing the rift between her and Twilight. All that matters is that things get patched between them before it becomes too great of a problem to fix.
. . . Alright, sounds good to me.
The walk back to Golden Oaks was as quiet as the trip back from council to Ponyville. Twilight and Sandy said nothing to each other the whole way there and all the while they prepared for bedtime. It wasn't until both had slipped under the covers of their respective beds that Twilight broke the silence.
"Sandy?"
The squirrel lifted up her head to stare at the egghead. "Yeah, Twilight?"
Twilight breathed deeply before replying in a sincere tone. "Do you want me to join the alliance you and Frank have?"
Sandy was puzzled. "Why d'ya ask?"
Twilight turned her head toward the window, deciding to pretend there was a beautiful, star-filled sky out to see. "I only wasted my vote tonight because I was so confused as to what consequences there'd be to choosing sides. Being from a world in which unicorn magic is mere fantasy, I can only imagine what you think of someone like me, who has magic as their special talent and even wields the Element of Magic itself." Twilight turned to face Sandy. "I imagine you must think I'm an all-powerful demi-goddess or something, am I right?"
Sandy thought for a moment before answering. "Ah don't rightly know what ta think 'bout somethin' I can't try out fer myself, but what does that have ta do with yer vote tonight?"
"Everything," Twilight replied. "Magic is a wondrous thing but there's some things it can never hope to achieve, Foresight being one of them."
Sandy blinked for a moment before realization hit and she nodded in understanding. "Ah see," she said. "Y'all couldn't see into da future and gauge what decision would be fer da best, so y'all chose neither side an' instead chose an inconsequential route."
Twilight nodded. "That in addition to what I said earlier about not giving any preferential treatment to any one group; as you can imagine, dealing with the strain of both was too much to bear."
Sandy laughed. "Ya, I reckon it'd be."
Twilight chuckled briefly before continuing. "But, if you want me to, I'll abandon that line of thinking and join you and Frank come next Tribal Council."
Sandy eased her laughter and looked to Twilight with a serious, but soft gaze. "Twi, y'all can do whateveh ya want, but da fact remains that Frank an' Ah are going at da next two councils, lest Aza throw a wrench in that course. It don't matter whether ya join r' rally against not jus' us but any group, so long as y'all care 'bout our well-bein', which Ah recall ya stated back 'n Town Square if'n Ah'm not mistaken."
Twilight smiled. "I meant what I said back there."
"Then quit yer gripin' an' cheer up already!" Sandy playfully threw a pillow at Twilight. The lavender mare caught it in her magic and levitated it back over to the squirrel.
"Alright, Sandy," she said. "I'll stop dwelling on it."
"Good." Sandy re-fluffed the pillow and rested her head on it once more. "Now let's get ta sleep."
Twilight smiled and did the same, falling sound asleep just a few minutes later.
"So, this is what ponies use instead of doorknobs."
James studied the front doorlock to his selected house with great interest. He'd been curious for a while as to how ponies could use technology and tools despite lacking hands. Granted, a different universe would probably abide by a different set of rules for reality, but James had a feeling evolution still applied here in Equestria. Whether or not it did was none of his concern, but regardless, he couldn't help but be impressed at the ingenuity of the doorlock he was currently studying.
Instead of a knob, the locking mechanism used a 'button' of sorts that one would push in instead of turn. The metallic button was about 15 centimeters across and depressed slightly, which James deduced was to keep accidental openings from happening if somepony leaned against or barricaded the door. Had the group not been forbidden from vandalizing anypony's houses, James would've loved to take the door apart and see the inner workings of the locking mechanism. As it were, though, he just shrugged and pressed his hand against the doorlock to open it.
The first thing James realized upon entering the house was how quaint everything seemed. Of course, the town didn't seem too advanced judging by its exterior, but seeing how simple everything was inside the house helped drive the point of just how rural Ponyville was. Everything seemed straight out of 19th century Britain or America, with the notable exception of a stereo system tucked away in one corner.
I wonder what kind of music they listen to? Ah, I probably wouldn't fancy it anyway.
Yawning, James made his way to the couch and plopped down onto it. Judging the thing's length, James determined he'd need to prop his feet on the armrest to be comfortable. That was fine with him; James had suffered much worse sleep arrangements throughout his life. Making himself comfortable, he set his Walther PPK onto the nearby coffee table and rested his head against the other armrest, hoping a good night's sleep awaited him.
Frank sat down in a chair within the living room of his selected house and proceeded to take his socks and shoes off; he never was comfortable sleeping with them on. He then proceeded to take off his jacket and hang it up on a nearby coatrack. He briefly wondered why the ponies of Equestria would need coats when they already had natural coats of hair to keep them warm, but decided it wasn't worth looking into. After all, odds are he wouldn't be sticking around much longer, so no need to study how pony society functions.
Setting his camera down on the room's obligatory coffee table, Frank sprawled out on the couch and began pondering all of what'd happened that day. To go from covering wars, to a zombie outbreak, to being roped into a game of multiversal proportions was nothing if not extraordinary; the fact that he'd killed a giant, fire breathing pterodactyl dragon-esque creature with a simple machete was just the cherry on top of his life's sundae. But all the same, there was something that'd bothered Frank ever since he learned the truth to the situation.
-----
"Frank, you must've been infected somehow."
-----
Frank remembered Isabella's words crystal clear, and despite having been given a drug to stop the parasite growth in his bloodstream he knew it only lasted so long. He heard what Aza said about time not flowing within it, and Frank didn't doubt the sentient universe. What concerned him, however, was what would happen should Aza decide to let time flow. Frank was sure that the only thing currently keeping the drug from wearing down was the fact that time didn't flow in Aza, thereby acting as a second barrier to the parasite's growth in his bloodstream.
But if there was one thing everyone had agreed upon in regards to Aza, it was that the sentient universe couldn't be trusted. It had already shown a willingness to put them in harm's way, not to mention the fact that it clearly got enjoyment out of toying with everyone. Aza did whatever it wanted, whenever it wanted, and with whomever it wanted. Coupled with the fact that it essentially had all of existence at its disposal made Frank and everyone else beyond unnerved and forced them to comply with Aza's demands lest they face certain doom.
If Aza wanted to, it could let time flow and put everyone at risk of being infected if I succumb to the parasite. Actually, Aza could put ALL life in danger since it has access to the entire multiverse. If I turn into one of those damned walking corpses, if it wanted to Aza could spread the parasite all throughout the multiverse. Aza could end all life if it wanted, and all because I was careless enough to let myself get infected. No, no, Aza wouldn't do that . . . would it?
Needless to say, Frank had trouble getting to sleep.
Celestia flew over the landscape between Ponyville and Canterlot with naught but sleep on her mind. The solar princess had in fact been interrupted from sleep when Aza roped her into its sadistic game to begin with; it was a wonder she'd kept herself awake and alert up until now, though that could be attributed to all the shocking revelations regarding the situation's enormity. Now that her mind had finished processing them, Celestia was all too eager to let go of her worries and return to sleep's warm, comforting embrace where sweet dreams hopefully awaited her.
Celestia flew straight to Canterlot Castle and landed on her, or rather this Equestria's counterpart of her, balcony. Stretching her wings a bit to relieve the achy muscles, Celestia stepped inside 'her' room and looked around. When she'd come by earlier to retrieve the Elements of Harmony, she hadn't bothered entering the castle through her room; the quickest way to the Chamber of Harmony was through the castle's front doors. As such, Celestia didn't take the time to see what differences existed between this room and her familiar one back home.
Looking around it now, however, Celestia could see that very little was different. The bedspread had the familiar gold silk with fluffy white trimmings as hers' did, the vanity was wooden and rotting along one side like hers' was, and Philomena's cage was also situated next to the window so as to allow the fiery bird passage outside when desired. Among other things, this room was almost perfectly identical to hers'. The one exception to this was that the doors leading to the bathroom and the outside hallway were in mirrored positions along their respective walls. This didn't bother Celestia, though, since the room felt familiar enough to grant her a peaceful night's sleep.
As Celestia prepared to climb into bed, a thought struck her. A naughty, sinister, totally irresponsible for a princess of Equestria to think of, thought. With a slight mischievous smile, Celestia walked over and opened her bedroom's door before stepping outside. Looking down the hall a ways, she spotted the familiar dark blue door to Luna's bedroom. Giggling like a school filly, Celestia pranced to the door and pushed in the doorlock. The door opened with a gentle creaking sound that indicated it needed a good oiling.
Now, what kind of secret shame/s might this Equestria's Luna have?
Upon entering her sister counterpart's room, however, Celestia glimpsed yet another major difference between this Equestria and hers'; the Elemental Bearers' identities being the first. On one side of the native moon princess' room, sitting atop the solid brass vanity across from the bed (which was still the dark blue coloration with stars sewn into the fabric that Celestia remembered) was a television set seemingly straight out of Twilight's HUMAN trilogy. Many wires and plugs ran from the box-like device and into the small space behind the vanity, where Celestia deduced the electrical outlets were; a quick peek under the vanity confirmed this.
Upon closer inspection of the fictional-turned-real device, Celestia noticed a second, much smaller device sitting next to it on the vanity. Whereas the television had a box-like design and several buttons jutting out near its base, this one had a sleeker design with rounded edges and only a couple of buttons jutting out from one side. A couple more wires were plugged into the other side, one of which connected the device to the television while the other ran behind the vanity to the electrical outlet. Celestia racked her brain trying to remember if Twilight's HUMAN trilogy mentioned anything about such devices.
Ummm . . . oh, that's right, they're called video game consoles. So, this Equestria's Luna is into gaming, apparently. And this console is called . . . PONii U. Hmmm, interesting name, though I don't get its meaning.
Celestia took one final look at the alien setup before deciding she'd seen enough to satisfy her curiosity. The presence of fictional technology in this Equestria wasn't surprising at all. After all, with infinite universes anything's possible; Aza just happened to choose a version of Equestria in which such technology existed. Still, Celestia couldn't help but wonder what other differences from her Equestria this one had, and whether she need worry about them endangering the group's safety. All this and more the solar princess pondered as she left Luna's room and returned to her counterpart's, intent on resting up in preparation for whatever challenges Aza threw at the group the following day.
The first thing Samus did upon entering her selected house was commit the interior layout, including every possible vantage point, to memory. In the absence of map stations, it was all the bounty hunter could do to keep herself aware of her surroundings. Once finished, she allowed herself a moment to rest and sat down on the living room couch, but sat back up upon realizing the weight of her armor was liable to snap the couch cushions' springs in half.
Shrugging to herself, Samus proceeded to disengage her Power Suit; once it'd fully retracted she sat back down. Looking down at the couch cushion, Samus experimentally rubbed a hand across it a few times. It had been so very long since she'd gotten a chance to rest on an actual couch rather than her ship's pilot seat, or a Galactic Federation infirmary bed, that she'd practically forgotten what one felt like. Then again, she wasn't sure whether these pony made couches were of the same material as those back home, but from what little she remembered of them compared to what she could feel through her Zero Suit right now, Samus figured they were roughly the same.
This beats my ship's seat by a longshot. Speaking of which . . .
"Aza," Samus said, knowing the sentient universe could hear her, "what did you do with my ship?"
After a brief moment of silence, Aza answered. "I can't quite remember right now, my memory seems to have slipped." The joking tone it spoke with irked Samus. "I suppose I could take a break from my victim search to look for it; feel free to insert closet rummaging sounds while seeing to your company."
Company?
A knock sounded at the front door, to which Samus turned to look curiously at it. The idea that she was being treated like this house's actual owner was only a little amusing; mostly Samus was confused to who would need to visit her now of all times. As she thought about it a bit more, however, the possibility that Aza was setting a trap for her seemed all the more likely. Deciding not to take any chances, Samus re-donned her Power Suit and aimed her Arm Cannon at the front door, ready to strike if this was indeed a trap.
Another knock sounded.
"Come in!" Samus called.
The door opened, and once she saw who it was Samus lowered her Arm Cannon. "Yugi, what're you do-, which one are you, Yugi or the Nameless Pharaoh?"
"The latter," he replied, stepping into the house, "but you may refer to me as 'Yugi' if you wish."
Samus shook her head. "I'm alright with 'pharaoh'." The both of them were silent until Samus shifted awkwardly and spoke back up. "Ummm . . . would you like a seat?"
The pharaoh nodded and took a seat at one end of the couch. Samus took a moment to once again disengage her Power Suit while the pharaoh watched the transformation with disinterest. She sat down at the opposite end of the couch and looked to him.
"So, what do you need?" she asked.
The pharaoh sighed briefly before replying. "It's what Celestia and Twilight need, and that's your help with healing the divide between them."
"Really?" She was genuinely confused. "Didn't they just do that themselves? And even if not, what help could I possibly be?"
"It may appear like they did, but the tensions boiling between them aren't surface deep." He turned to face Samus. "You remember Celestia relinquished the Alicorn Amulet at council, right?"
She nodded in reply. "They seem to have a bad history with it, don't they?"
"Indeed, and ever since Celestia requested it shortly after we first came here Twilight's been losing trust in her for not revealing the true reasons behind that decision."
"I can tell." Samus shifted on the couch slightly before continuing. "But where do I come into the picture?"
The pharaoh pointed to the Element of Honesty which still adorned her neck. "Celestia gave you that element to gain your trust, but it's also the key to revealing the truth behind her motives." He retracted his hand. "I'm very familiar with magic energies being used to affect one's mind, and I can sense such power emanating from Honesty."
Samus held a hand up to the necklace and lightly stroked it. "I can't really explain how I do it, but this necklace lets me distinguish between the truth and lies in a person's words." Samus thought about what all Celestia said when she gave her Honesty; one thing immediately stuck out to her. "Celestia said something about how Honesty and Loyalty used in tandem would create an unshakeable trust between their bearers, or something along those lines."
"I think that might be exactly what's happened," the pharaoh said as Samus stopped stroking Honesty. "I also sensed similar power emanating from Loyalty to what I've bared witness to back home, namely the power of dominance over the mind." Samus quirked a curious eyebrow while the pharaoh elaborated. "I believe bearing Loyalty allows Celestia to exert control over others' willpower to keep them from betraying her. With her bearing Loyalty and you Honesty, neither of you is capable of deceiving or betraying the other; in other words, there's nothing to hide between you two."
Samus took a minute to wrap her brain around what the pharaoh was saying before nodding slowly in comprehension. "I get what you're saying," she told him, "and I think I understand why my help is needed. You want me to prod Celestia with questions pertaining to her request of the Alicorn Amulet so she reveals the truth behind her decision."
"Exactly; will you do it?"
"Of course." Samus gave a half-hearted smile. "The last thing any of us needs is distrust between other group members. I assume you'll have Twilight present to listen to Celestia's answers?"
The pharaoh nodded. "I'll be sure to conduct damage control should Twilight take her answers the wrong way."
Samus nodded in approval. "Where should we converge for this exchange?"
"Might I suggest Sweet Apple Acres?"
Samus and the pharaoh instinctively looked up. "Where?" the pharaoh asked.
"It's an apple farm just south of Ponyville where one of Twilight's friends lives and works. I suppose she couldn't be expected to show you all every single place of significance to her during that tour she gave. Anyway, that would be the ideal place for your little meet up."
Samus frowned. "Ideal for you, I take it?"
A hearty laugh sounded. "Actually, it's the ideal place for everyone. For one, apples are often used as a symbol of truth, at least from the majority of universes I've bore witness to. Another reason is that's where your ship will be put once I get around to it. Lastly, that's also where I plan on putting my newest victim once chosen; you can consecutively bring them up to speed while exposing Celestia's little secret to her student. Is that enough incentive for you?"
Aza's tone irked Samus something fierce, but the thought of getting her ship back kept the bounty hunter from getting any more vocal regarding her displeasure. "Fine then," she said and looked to the pharaoh, "that's where we'll go."
He nodded in acceptance. The two then exchanged goodbyes and the pharaoh left Samus' selected house for his own. On the way there, his mind swam with thoughts about what Celestia's big secret could be and what Aza's latest victim would be like. These thoughts stayed with him even after arriving at his destination. Before switching control back to Yugi, he voiced his biggest concern to him.
Yugi, is what I'm doing the right thing?
What do you mean?
What I mean is, am I crossing the line by getting more people involved with Twilight and Celestia's affair?
Pharaoh, there's really no consequences to our actions here, so the line is pretty blurred to begin with. Besides, Samus didn't have to agree to help if she felt against it. If getting involved comes back to haunt anyone, it's their own fault.
Well, let's just hope this doesn't come back to haunt anyone.
Agreed . . . you know, letting you stay in control is bringing to light a whole new side of you.
Really?
Sure. After all, the Spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh everyone knows back home wouldn't go out of his way to heal a soured friendship like you're doing.
You're right, Yugi, but I'm doing it because we need unity between everyone in the group if we're to survive Aza's 'experiment'.
Even so, it's nice to see that you care.
. . . Thanks, Yugi.
You're welcome, pharaoh.
With that, the pharaoh switched control back to Yugi, who proceeded to enter the house and get ready for a good night's sleep.
Okay, who could I add to spice things up considerably? It has to be someone who'd willingly stay put in Sweet Apple Acres until they're found and get acquainted with the group come morning. I should also avoid putting in anymore humans until some get voted off, though I suppose it wouldn't matter if they were merely humanoid in appearance.
Now that I think about it, the newcomer should want to stay of their own free will straight from the start. The next few vote offs are set to be Frank and Sandy unless something I haven't predicted occurs, which I'd greatly welcome. If whomever I choose doesn't want to play this game they'll be ousted following Frank and Sandy, and while things would surely get interesting after that I refuse to submit myself to boredom until then. Maybe I should just let them vote both off at the next council . . . no, I can't show weakness to them.
Alright, who fits my requirements? . . . No. No. No-wait!
. . . Perfect.
Okay, now that that's taken care of time to find that elusive TARDIS and The Doctor. I'll catch you one day, Doctor, mark my words.
. . . *yawn* Huh, where am I? Am I back on Earth? How'd I get here this time?
. . . Wait a minute, something's off about this place. It's almost as if-*sniff*-are those apples I smell?
. . . "THEY ARE!!! And there's so many of them! If this is a dream, don't wake me up!"
*pick* *munch* *munch* *munch*
"Oh yeah, that's the stuff." *munch* *munch*