//------------------------------// // Chapter Forty-six // Story: Freedom Through Harmony // by Electricut //------------------------------// Chapter Forty-six Dash’s House Rainbow Dash “I don’t have time to build the moment...” Trixie said, taking a seat but not relaxing. “So I’m going to just cut to the chase. We’re skipping town, me and Phil.” For a moment I didn’t speak, trying to process the information. She guessed what I was thinking and continued: “It’s all well and good that we’re making progress in this town, but we can’t take on the royal army with forces this small. The two of us are going to hit up other towns and spread the word, get the other pockets of resistance communicating, and just try and get this organized better.” “Why you two?” I asked finally, and with a touch of worry. “You were supposed to be the one leading the resistance here.” “That’s... why I came to tell you. See, the one thing Phil and I have in common is that we don’t really... belong anywhere specific. Since he’s rejected Eclipse, and I’ve rejected my parents, we’re both free-roaming now, perfect for drifting from town to town and stirring up an army. But... I do realize that leaves your town without a ringleader. I decided to ask you if you wanted to do it.” “I don’t know...” I answered reluctantly. “Like I said, I’m not much of a leader...” “You led the rest of the Elements pretty well, as I understand.” She offered. “I think the one thing you fancy yourself bad at is the one you should be bragging about, Dash. Besides, it’s not like we have a load of options to work with. I’d ask Twilight to do it, but we can’t do that until we’re positive she’s on our side. Rarity’s still a valid option, but I figured having someone more tested in combat would be better for morale. Aside from the one fight she told us about, I don’t think she’s seen any action, while you’ve been fighting for years. And we can’t ask Octavia or Lyra to do it, since they aren’t really representative of this town either, and might be called back to Eclipse at any time.” I found myself agreeing with her at every point she made, but I still had my doubts. “Alright, so that accounts for the people who shouldn’t do it, but I’m still not convinced I’m the best guy for the job. I can fight, yes, and I hate Celestia more than anyone, but... Believe it or not, I can come off as kind of obnoxious to people who don’t know me. I can lead small groups without a problem, and... well, it’s not that I have stage fright or anything, far from it. It’s just... I doubt I could find the right words to get people to follow me into battle. I’m not very inspirational with words, just actions.” “To be honest, that should be enough.” Trixie assured me. “Lots of leaders suck at public speaking, but they’ve been successful. If anything... I think a lot of people will be pretty sick of their leaders hiding behind words that could mean anything, like Celestia does. Prove yourself with your actions, and people’ll follow.” I took a long time before answering, but finally said simply: “I understand. I’ll do my best.” She closed her eyes for a moment and nodded, thankful. “You’ll do fine. Just try not to make too many enemies.” We both laughed, then she allowed herself to relax slightly. She gazed at nothing in particular, seeming to focus on something far away. “I wonder how Phil is doing... I wanted him to come with me so we could take off right away, but... he wanted to say goodbye to Twilight first...” _______________ Library Annex Phil “...Sorry.” Phil muttered, after explaining his and Trixie’s decision as neutrally as he could. He knew it was going to be a tearful farewell, but couldn’t leave without telling Twilight what was really happening. It would be a long time before they met again, and he wanted to make sure he was leaving without having her mad at him. Twilight stared, wide eyed, utterly speechless. Finally, with a controlled voice, she whispered: “This is really happening, isn’t it...? Celestia’s... There’s going to be war...” Phil wanted nothing more than to hug her comfortingly, but now wasn’t the time. She needed confirmation that he would find a way to make things right, and that she wasn’t alone. “Twi... I know you’ve had a lot thrown at you lately, and it seems like the world is against you. But you’re not alone, Twilight. You’re smart, and I know you’ll sort out your own feelings, and you’ll have friends there for you when you do, I promise... It seemed like the world was better under Celestia when we were with her, I know. But she’s been trying to shelter people like us so she has soldiers to fight for her. I can’t make up your mind for you, but... I know you’ll do what’s right.” Eyes downcast, Twilight fought back the tears in her eyes, and managed to speak without breaking into sobs: “I... I don’t know what’s going to happen next... I’ve got a lot of voices yelling at each other in my mind, and... I need time to sort this all out. Until then... I can’t take any sides, with or against the throne. I’m sorry... And... maybe it’s better that you’re going. I mean, I... I care about you now more than ever, but we both need to do what we think is right. And if I’m going to try and find my way, I should do it alone...” Phil nodded sadly, then lowered himself slightly to put his hand on her shoulder, where she sat across from him. “I understand. Like I said, you’re smart. You’ll sort this out. And... remember what I said about a month ago? ‘No matter what happens, no matter what you decide to do, I’ll find a way to protect you’. I promise I won’t go back on that.” Twilight smiled, a tear rolling past, and gave a tiny nod. She brought her gaze up to face her oldest friend, who wore a comforting smile behind his piercing yellow eyes. His curly orange hair fell on either side of his face, seeming alive in the dim torchlight. “Phil...” She whispered noiselessly, but the weight of the world was on that name. Without thinking, the conflicted apprentice leaned forward, and kissed the human phoenix. The two remained as they were for only a moment, but it seemed to both like a lifetime. At last they separated, averting their gazes from one another. Phil rubbed at an itch he suddenly realized he had on his shoulder, but couldn’t stop himself from smiling slightly the whole time. “Uh...” He stuttered lamely. “I... I didn’t think...” Twilight stood from the chair, hands in her pockets. “Sorry.” She said, regretting the action almost immediately afterwards. “No, don’t be sorry.” Phil responded quickly. “It’s... I, I didn’t think you... felt that way about me.” He let his words hang in the air for a solid minute, neither wanting to break the silence. Finally he made a reluctant move towards the door. “I guess I should get going. Trixie’s probably ticked that I’ve taken this long anyway.” Twilight remained silent, but moved to grab some of the supplies he had left at the threshold. “I’ll see you off at the gates at least.” She said quietly. He nodded gratefully, and the pair moved quickly through the library, then the empty streets. They stopped at the short steel gates meeting the road leading away from town, the black mage Trixie slumped over the edge, bored. Upon hearing them approach, she looked up and glared at the two. “ ‘Bout time you got here.” She said gruffly, addressing Phil. “You ready yet?” “Yeah, yeah.” Phil responded, having seemingly recovered from the awkward situation. “Let’s get moving before I change my mind.” He took the remainder of his supplies off of Twilight’s hands, hefting a rolled-up bundle of stuff over his shoulder. “Be careful out there.” Twilight told him, also stronger than she was minutes before. She gave him a slight nod and smile, and he knew that she forgave him. He returned the gesture thankfully. “Come on, you two, break it up.” Her sister complained, halfway out the gate and not looking back. “You’ll have plenty of time to yourselves after we’re done killing each other.” They shared a giggle, knowing that Trixie had been more right with her sarcastic comment than she knew, and Phil gave Twilight a wave goodbye as he strode towards the gate. She remained where she was, watching him walk fearlessly towards his destiny beside the altogether disinterested looking Trixie. The two wayfarers rounded a hill, leaving the small town out of view behind them. For a few minutes they continued like this, both silent, lost in their thoughts. However, after Phil felt they had travelled far enough, he pumped his fist excitedly, a wide grin on his face. Noticing this, Trixie shot him a questioning glance, to which he responded: “I won. All my caution was totally worth it, because now I know without a doubt that Twilight has feelings for me. Admittedly, she may only just be finding them, but the point is I brought them around before we parted ways, so odds are good that when we meet again...” Trixie stopped for a moment to whack the ecstatic boy in the back of the head. “You dork. I don’t know, nor do I care, what you’ve been doing with my sister, but please don’t make an idiot of yourself and try to plan everything in advance. You’re just going to end up with your face in the dirt, and everything messed up around you. And if we’re going to have any success, I need you to not have your head in the clouds. Afterwards, by all means, go nuts. But for now, try and stay focused.” “Right...” He said, rubbing the back of his head where she had hit him. “So, you never did tell me when we were in town, because you didn’t want to be followed: Where did you want to go?” “Heading this way, we’ll reach Firefly in about five days. I definitely want to go there, since Spike said conditions there weren’t the best. There’s also another town about midway from here to there, a bit off the direct path. Figured we’d hit them up too, get some rest while we’re at it.” “Right.” Phil agreed. “Let’s keep going for a while, then make camp somewhere. Won’t do us any good to try and travel tired, in case anyone tries to jump us.”