//------------------------------// // An Unexpected Visitor // Story: Lonely Mountains // by TadStone //------------------------------// An Unexpected Visitor She was too late. She had known this much. Still, the giant headstone in front of her was the most impressive monument for her failure. It was everything a dead mare could hope for: giant, marble, and her cutie mark etched in perfectly vibrant colours. A grave worthy of a dead warrior and no doubt sponsored by Celestia herself. All that splendour. It felt right to be remembered this way, and yet it wasn’t. In a slow motion, she picked up two photos out of a small magic barrier, carefully setting aside the beautiful lilies that accompanied them. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked at the happy faces immortalized on the photos. Pain. There was so much pain caused by her and affecting the wrong ponies. As if actually caressing the foal, she gently moved her hoof over the image, pressing her muzzle onto the glistening orange surface to intensify the imaginary contact. Just what had she done? With a few strong flaps of her wings, she was up in the air again, the photos still clutched in her hoof. She had to find the filly. The very filly she had caused so much pain while only ever aiming for the exact opposite. A shrill cry escaped into the air, a verbalized mixture of frustration and pain, as she pumped her wings, a colourful trail appearing in the sky behind her, strong burning muscles working against exhaustion and half-healed wounds that had plagued ever since starting her journey. She had to find her foal. And she vowed to do it fast. Furiously, she pressed forward, increasing the frequency of her wing beats whenever she felt she had the energy to do so. Not far in the past, she had doubted to ever see the green outskirts of Ponyville again, a growing density of cottages and houses merging into the landscape. Yet, now that she was finally flying over her home another time, she had no eyes for it, her mind fixated on the one place she wanted to reach: the Golden Oak Library. Scootaloo might not be there right now, but somepony else sure was. If anypony would know where the filly was, if anypony was smart enough to assess the situation fast enough to help her, it was Twilight. A few seconds later, the characteristic treehouse grew in her vision, marking a point for a fast descent. Her friend’s home was large and comfortable, sporting several balconies within the branchwood that made for an easy landing on most occasions. Today, however, was not one of them, the fear of being caught up in a magical trap motivating the use of a more or less proper entry etiquette. Craning out her wings, she slowed down, landing right before the front door in a slow aching motion, her body revolting against the forces she had put onto herself. She didn’t knock. Knocking took time. Instead she just rushed in, cracking the door open with a strong kick. The main lobby of the library was huge, at least set by Ponyville standards, giving room for the majority of the building’s books and hosting several tables where visitors could read in silence whenever the house was opened to the public. At the moment, there was only one pony visible in the giant room. There, right before her eyes, was the mare she desired, standing in a pose of determination right next to a table. A tripped chair lay to her side, an opened book rested face-down on the rough planks of the floor. “We are not open at the moment madam. If you would be so kind to please come back tomorrow between ten and seven.” Twilight’s voice was heaving with her heavy breathing. She was visibly holding back her anger and shock, although the dark room made it hard to read her full range of expressions. Rainbow took a step further inside, the evening sun at her back, casting a shadow through the entryway of the library. “Twilight, please, where is Scootaloo?” Snarling at the intruder, the unicorn advanced from her position with small deliberate steps, nervously eyeing the other pony as she spoke, “Why would you want to know—” Twilight stopped mid-sentence, only now daring a closer look at her late visitor. Ragged strains of the mare's black mane flowed over the equally coloured coat. Huge wounds covered the body, held together by metal staples and loosening bandages. A large cut had been set right under her left eye, crude magic stitching unintentionally ensuring that a large scar would show up at this very position. Other than that, there was one shocking detail about the pegasus: no cutie mark was showing on her flanks. Twilight inched closer a little, her horn creating a glowing sphere to shed light onto the dark etched shadows on the mare in front of her, finally revealing patches of cyan fur and strands of colourful hair on the places where the dye had worn off. Could it really be? “R- Rainbow?” “It's me, Twilight. Please, I want to see my daughter...” “But you are... how...?” Tears emerged in Twilight’s eyes, the unicorn trotting forward, tilting her head to various angles with every step, not really believing what her senses told her was true. “I am sorry, Twi. It was the only way. It hurt to do it, and it still does... I hope you all can forgive me...” Rainbow was stopped by a pair of mulberry hooves that tightly wrapped themselves around her neck. She could feel a few drops of liquid running down her body, but for once, it was not blood. “I’m so glad you’re back. Just never leave us again...” Animated by the strong sobs that ended Twilight’s ability to speak, Rainbow returned the hug, putting all the strength she could muster into the embrace. She was subconsciously petting the pony in her hooves. “It’s alright...” She heard herself mumble, pressing her snout against Twilight’s soft mane. After all that happened in the past weeks, to be connected to her friends again… For Rainbow, it just felt right. After all that time she had spent wishing for this to happen, yearned to reunite with her friends... She wanted this moment to continue for as long as possible, but another, stronger part of herself was pulling her away. “I’m sorry Twi, but where is Scootaloo?” She hated to do it, but Rainbow withdrew herself from the embrace, looking up to Twilight’s tear stained expression, although the unicorn was still holding onto her. “Scootaloo...” The effort visible in her features, Twilight suppressed another wave of oncoming sobs. “She is with Dr Staple at the moment. She is doing okay, Rainbow. Fly to her. I will get the others. We can talk later.” Twilight released her friend again, showing a great smile under her bloodshot eyes. “Thanks Twi. Please tell Princess Celestia it’s in the ash wood puppet, but I am not touching my grave.” Ash wood. Suddenly it all became clear in an epiphany rummaging through her brain, pulling out pieces of unconnected memories that combined together into comprehension. How could she have forgotten about the great powers of Yggdrasil, the world tree that ruled all of the globe with organized chaos and self-controlled barbarous food-chains. Only Equestria had been taken out of its rule, equally strong magic reducing its influence to nothing more but a small viscous seedling know as the Everfree Forest. Given a continuous source of power, ash wood could be formed into literally anything. Just why hadn’t she noticed this? It had felt so real. She had definitely felt the remains of Rainbow’s magic lingering on the body... Her worries must have been showing on her face as she felt a hoof on her back that hadn’t been there a few moments ago. “Don’t blame yourself, Twi. I nearly died creating it, even with twenty unicorns working on it. It had to be indistinguishable. Nopony could have seen it or even felt the orb within it.” Rainbow softly nuzzled the mare in front of her. “Thank you for everything.” Rainbow took a step back, turning on the spot to get outside, the anxiousness of her impending reunion fuelling her need to press on. “Rainbow.” A mulberry hoof stretched out to hold back the pegasus, forcing Rainbow to look back at the owner. Twilight had missed so many chances in the past already... She had vowed to herself to never again lose the mare of her life... Ignoring the lump forming in her throat, Twilight spoke up, her voice low and cracking. “Rainbow, I love you.” A smile on her lips, Rainbow craned her neck to place a peck on Twilight’s cheek, the unicorn’s legs giving out the instant the dry and lacerated lips had made contact with her fur. “I love you too, Twi.” Still grinning, Rainbow took to the skies, the red evening sun shining into her face as she sped to the filly that was her own.