//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13, Clearing the Skies Part: 2 
// Story: Our Time to Fly 
// by Shokinaw 
//------------------------------//


Clearing the Skies:


Part 2


The arcane script written in chalk across the main library floor was drawn in a large, circled star, and it hummed with magic power. It was the main source of lighting in the room, as lighting an oil lamp or a candle would be a waste in the face of the glowing, pink hue that radiated from the enchanted runes. Even so, Snails was doing that very thing. He hoped it would give off a feeling of familiarity that the library was currently lacking but the warm, yellow glow from the lantern had little effect. He was disappointed but not all that surprised. 

Still soaked from his excursion into the storm, he was left with an acute case of the sniffles. In the library the miserable dampness the rain had left in his fur was currently the only telling sign there was any storm going at all on outside. His efforts to prevent the enormous branch from pounding against their hollowed out tree had proven to be both successful and completely unnecessary. 

Outside the storm raged on. Every so often  a random object would fly pass the window carried along on the strong, swirling winds. Lightning would constantly flash, but was echoed by the strange lack of thunder. Rain pelted the glass, but it was accompanied a still quiet. Even the dangerous winds had gone eerily silent. The most furious storm Ponyville had ever seen was somehow dwarfed by the tea kettle sounding off in the kitchen.

Snails really wished Miss Twilight hadn’t ordered him to forget about the tea. Tea kettles, by their very nature, liked to make their presence known with a shrill whistle. That made ignoring them difficult.  

But that was the least of things he wished of the famous Twilight Sparkle right now. If he could wish anything of her, he’d wish she was awake. That would improve this situation by leaps and bounds, and in his personal opinion, this situation was in dire need of improvement. There were so many problems right now, and he wasn’t sure what to do about any of them. Normally when caught in this much trouble he’d just run off and get help, but being unable to do that was one of the larger problems on his list.

The library was being sheltered from the storm by Miss Twilight’s magic, but the magic had also sealed the place off completely. The doors, the windows, the broken balcony, the new crack in the tree trunk, Snails had tried to escape from each in turn. The windows and doors refused to open. In fact, the windows even refused to break, resisting every heavy object he threw at them, and even his desperate attempts to kick them out. When he tried to get out through the crack in the wall it only resulted in him running into some form of barrier. Whatever Miss Twilight had done stopped anypony from getting in or out.

Ponyville was under attack. Timberwolves were chasing ponies through the streets. Neighbourhood houses were catching fire. The only reason they weren’t fully up in flames already was due the torrential rain and wind carrying away anything that wasn’t tied down. Snails was trapped at work. His predecessor, the number one apprentice, was off in the Everfree Forest with the former Captain of the Ponyville Weather Team. The weather ponies that were available were completely outmatched by the wild storm clouds. The one pony most likely to resolve all of the problems was lying unconscious on the floor. 

All because Twilight Sparkle saved him. 

At the time Snails was relieved to see her come to his rescue. He was beginning to realize how large a mistake that was. She had a plan in the works. The proof of it was right here in front of him. A mystic ritual of immense potential perfectly inscribed along the floorboards, so powerful he could feel it throbbing against his hooves whenever he walked close. Twilight Sparkle could have saved the whole town by now, he was sure of it. Instead she chose to save him.

A quick glance towards the couch where he had left her assured him that his wish hadn’t come true. Quiet and still, she lay under the blanket he’d tucked her in with. Spike was adamant about making sure she was comfortably tucked in if she fell asleep while she worked. Miss Twilight didn’t look all that comfortable to him. Her eyes were still wide open and her pupils still transformed into a glaringly bright white. 

Turns out he wasn’t even able tuck a pony in right. His ineptitude had sunk to a new low. It was not a good night to break his record lows. Snails shook his head. She chose to save him and the whole town would pay for that decision.

“Why?” he asked quietly. The question echoed into the unnervung silence left by Miss Twilight’s protective spell. It bounced off the walls and knocked over shelves throughout the dimly lit library. A peaceful quiet was his only reply. The place didn’t feel like somepony’s home anymore. Instead Snails felt like he was trespassing through an abandoned buildung; like he was in the middle of another one of Snips’ capers. 

A sudden pang of misery hit him as his best friend came to mind. Just the presence of his ever-loyal partner in their usual awkward incompetence would have solved everything for him. Well, that wasn’t true. They failed at things a lot. It just never really felt like they were failing as long as Snips was at his side. It would have been just one more hi jinx they had gotten into that they could laugh about later. 

But Snips wasn’t there. He was somewhere else. Snips wasn’t failing anymore either. Under Rarity he was doing better than ever. In actuality, the less time Snails spent with Snips, the better Snips seemed to do for himself. 

Chewing roughly on his tongue, Snails abruptly tore his mind away from that dark corner of his mind. The first time he’d thought of them he avoided Snips for a month as a test. It didn’t work out well for either of them. Snips just started to snap at ponies over anything. Even some of the customers that would come in the boutique got a piece of his temper. Rarity and Snips were at each other’s throats the whole time.

When Snails finally explained his reasoning, Snips got even angrier, but that time it was completely directed at him! Snails hadn’t considered that without him around, Snips was out his best friend.  It took a promise to never think things like that again to get back in his good graces. Times like these made that promise really hard to keep. 

“I don’t like being alone,” Snails decided.

Good thing you’re not then. ~ A tiny voice broke the quiet, and a tiny insect landed on his nose, reminding him of his more recent failure of trying to repel bugs with magic. Snails perked up at the sight of the bug all the same.

“Mr. Lama!”

I still think I prefer beetle. ~ It buzzed its wings slightly in annoyance.

“What are you still doing here?” He wasn’t going to argue. It looked more like a little, black beetle to Snails too, but the book was very specific and you couldn’t argue with books. They always read exactly the same way no matter how you tried to convince them otherwise. A book would probably be a very good partner to have on a debate team. 

 Any tree in a storm, right? And this is a pretty nice tree you got here. A bug could really stretch their legs in here. ~  The lama nestled itself into the fur on his snout, tickling him enough to cause a sneeze, and force the bug back into the air. ~ Woah there, keep the storm outside, wouldja!

“Thowwy,” Snails sniffed, and wiped his runny nose on his foreleg before trotting over to a nearby end table to get a tissue. “I god a chill whengh I wenghd oudthide eawliew.” He blew his nose with a loud honk, allowing his sinuses at least another few minutes of relief. “I’m glad you like our tree Mr. Lama. You might be stuck in here with me until my boss wakes up.”

	I’ve been trapped in worse places with worse company. ~ The little, black lama took up a new perch on the corner of the podium Twilight had placed precisely at one of the points of the star-shaped design drawn on the floor. ~ How long do you think she’ll be down?

“Dah, I don’t know. Sooner she gets up the better, though. The town’s in lots of trouble without her magic to count on.” He took a look out of the window and watched as one of the large, wooden animals gazed back at him. It paused, narrowed its eyes, and then charged straight at him. Snails winced as it slammed into the magical barrier. It looked like Rainbow Dash after one of her more spectacular training incidents involving large trees. If she could magic up this kind of wall, Miss Twilight probably could have conjured the same for the whole town! “It sure could use her help now.”

Why wait for her? Can’t you do something about it? ~ the lama asked curiously. ~ It’s all just magic right? You can do magic.

“No.” Snails shook his head as he answered. “I can't do anything close to stuff Miss Twilight does. I’d just foul it all up.

Hey! You’re our rep to ponykind! You can’t just give up. You got a responsibility do everything you can to keep our alliance. ~ It buzzed its wings, lifted off from its perch and buzzed around his head annoyingly.

“Our alliance?” Snails questioned as he tried to follow its flight pattern, spinning around in the dark, before plopping down on his rump. “What does this have to do with that?”

What does the pony nest we’re allied with being destroyed have to do with our alliance? Oh, nothing really. Just that if your nest no longer exists, neither does our alliance. ~ The lama’s words dripped with sarcasm. 

Snails didn’t like sarcasm. Language was tricky enough to deal with on its own without adding hidden meanings to words that no longer meant what they normally meant, and instead meant something new because of how they sounded. He had to mull over the true meaning of Mr. Lama’s words for awhile before he was confident enough about what the little bug was saying to respond. It was apparently very important that Ponyville not be destroyed, and it was one of Snails’ new responsibilities as an important pony to do something about it.

“But uh,” Snails began while trying to put his scrambled thoughts back together, “what if trying just makes it worse?”

What if trying makes it better? ~ The lama answered his question with one of its own.

Miss Twilight did that a lot too. Snails didn’t care any more for that kind of thing than he did for sarcasm. It normally meant he’d have to spend far more time thinking about something than if he was just told outright. What was so hard about speaking plainly? Well, plenty for him, but things normally came harder for him than they did for others. Maybe others had as hard a time speaking their minds too, and that’s why no one would speak plainly?

That was something he’d like to consider. 

But then he was also once told that he shouldn’t think less of others. Did thinking ponies might have the same trouble expressing their thoughts that he did count as thinking less of them? It might. 

He’d have to consider that first. 

Oh, Mr. Lama seemed to still be waiting for an answer. Before Snails could consider the moral implications of his wanderings thoughts, he figured he should probably consider Mr. Lama’s question. Insects were a lot more patient with him than ponies, but even they could get irritated if he took too long considering things. A pony would probably already be getting frustrated with him for taking so long.

What was the question again? What if trying made things better? Well, then things would get better wouldn’t they? That was an easy answer. But it seemed far more likely Snails would fail and make things worse. But then, wasn't Ponyville being destroyed? How much worse than that could he possibly make things? Well, somepony could end up directly hurt due to his interference. He could also mess up so bad that he made things unsalvageable for even the great Twilight Sparkle! Of course, now there was also the insect alliance. He had to do something or else they’d be angry with him. Important ponies like him had to do things in situations like these. So that was the answer. 

“Yah, I have to do something,” he slowly agreed. “But what?”

I don’t know, but if somebug doesn’t do something soon, there won’t be a pony nest left to save. ~ the lama stated flatly. ~ If you can’t do anything, you should at least find somebug who can.

“Find somebug who can.” He repeated to himself. “Do you think there’s a bug that could help?”

I doubt it. When our nests are on fire, we tend to abandon them. There’s a kind that makes its nest in freshly burned down forests, but I don’t think that’s the option you’re going for here. ~ The lama landed on top of the young unicorn’s horn and began pacing back and forth upside down along its underside. 

 Snails sighed. His little friend was right. Bugs weren’t going to be much help in this kind of situation, and he wouldn’t be able to get a hold of any while trapped in the library anyway. Was there a pony that could help? Well yeah, but she was asleep on the couch. Of course, she would be the best for the job, but Ponyville did have other heroic ponies. Even one that was specifically good at dealing with weather too! But contacting her was twice as hard as any other pony. Not only was Rainbow Dash outside of the tree he was trapped in, but Twilight said she was off in the Everfree woods. 

With Spike.

Snails turned towards the far corner of the room where carefully placed scrolls were stacked neatly in the shape of a pyramid on a shelf, somehow undisturbed by all the mayhem . There was no need to leave the library to contact Spike. You just needed to write a letter then cast the right spell. If he made a mistake with that the town wouldn’t be affected at all. The only problem was he didn’t know the spell, even though he’d seen Twilight use it again and again in her near nightly letters to Princess Celestia. 

It didn’t seem like a very large or complicated spell either. Maybe he could pull it off? If he managed, Ponyville would have three of their best fliers coming to its aid. Rainbow Dash to the rescue sounded good to him! With a renewed sense of purpose, Snails stuck out his chest. Mr. Lama was right. He had to try.

Walking over to the table he bent his head low and picked up one of the scrolls along with a quill. 

Quills. 

Snails didn’t like quills. They were runny, leaked ink blots everywhere, his lines never came out the way they were supposed to, and the feather parts always got caught in his teeth. He much preferred pencils. The metallic tin holding the eraser to the wood was actually pretty fun to chew on and left a funny tingle on his tongue. But it was library tradition to use quills when writing letters. It wouldn’t do to break tradition. Plus there were no pencils anywhere that he could see. Placing the writing tools down on the conveniently placed podium, he began to write. The letter would have to explain everything very well. It might even be the most important letter he would ever write in his life, so he’d have to be careful.

Writing was fun when he was allowed to write how he wanted. Putting your thoughts onto a piece of paper where everypony could see and read them intrigued him more than a little. The only problem was the words kept getting in the way. Completely different sounding words could mean the same thing, and often there were other words that meant many different things depending on what other words they were used with. It all made learning to write terribly confusing. Cheerilee said once, long ago, ponies only wrote with pictures and scribbles. Now those were ponies who knew how to write!

Snails liked that idea so much, in fact, that he had been trying for years to bring back that school of thought. Whenever he couldn’t think of the correct word or was confused about a word’s meaning he drew a picture instead. Usually he wasn’t allowed though. Miss Cheerilee always gave him F’s when he tried to use it in writing class, but she put up with it for his other exams. Which he mostly got F’s on as well, but for entirely different reasons than how he chose to write his answers.

He finished the letter with a flourish like he’d seen Spike do all the time, then double-checked his work. It depicted his terrifying situation very well, he decided, and it asked for help. Everything seemed to be in order. Rolling it up, Snails tied the ribbon around the scroll and sealed it in golden wax as he seen Twilight do. Afterwards the scroll was studied carefully, taking time to memorize every detail. To cast the spell he’d have to be able to picture it perfectly in his mind.

It was time to go through the steps again. Breathe deep then visualize and materialize. A long, deep breath, exhale, and then another. The deep breathing wasn’t steadying his nerves the way he hoped it would, nor the way it probably should. This whole situation had him wracked with tension. Casting new magic spells on his own with no pony there to supervise or anything? Even if this worked and the flight team came to save the day, he’d probably still be in big trouble for taking for such a big risk. But if he was going to do this, now was the time.

Closing his eyes, he took one more deep breath to try to steady himself, in and out. An imaginary version of the scroll appeared in front of him. Again he studied it to make sure the details were the same as the scroll he memorized. The room around him began to form from his memories. The piles of books and tipped over shelves were off to his right. Mr. Lama, perched on his head to overlook the magic spell. The crack in the tree, the unheard storm outside, the silence of the library, sealed off from the world. Then the podium on which the scroll sat, the creaky floorboards where the podium stood at the corner of the large pentagram, where the strange runes scribbled onto the wood glowed pink with power. 

Snails mentally painted it all a pretty, pale blue, his favourite colour. Was every unicorn’s magic their favourite colour? Maybe he was just lucky. He’d have to ask Twilight later. He should also ask just how much he should be painting blue. Casting his slow spell worked when he painted everything in blue. For now, it would be best to stick with the techniques he had some previous success with.

Heat blazed up and down the length of his horn once more, threatening to burst into a giant flame. The searing burn was so startling, so vivid that he cried out in shock. His mental image faltered.

“No! Not yet! I have to-!” Struggling to hold the image steady in his mind, Snails knew he wouldn’t last long with the scalding burn threatening to dig its way from his horn into his skull. This had to happen fast! With all his magical might, he pushed the burning heat away, opening his eyes to see the world as he wanted it to be: a burning, blue magical aura spread over everything. But something was different! Something was very wrong! The powerful circle was running wild with magic. It’s pink hue was darkening his spell, overlaying his own magic, and fusing with it! 

The pain was too much to bear, and his vision wobbled and swam. He was losing things. The shelves, the mess of books, Mr. Lama, even himself! Himself? Was he even there anymore then? Was he stripped from the mortal coil then? That’s not what should have happened.

His thoughts felt sluggish, hard to reach. The only thing that was clear was the burning sensation. But it stopped hurting. Now it was just there, and he kind of liked it. It was like stepping into a hot shower, scorching at first, but, after you got used to it, the pain changed into wave after wave of pleasant heat. But this, this strange heat worked on a much grander scale. It was massaging him, relaxing him from head to hoof. Maybe this wasn’t what was supposed to happen, but Snails sure liked it. Snails? Was that his name? Maybe, but names seemed suddenly inconsequential somehow. Wait, if this wasn’t supposed to happen, what was?

Oh yeah, the scroll. Where was that supposed to go again? A dragon? What a silly thing. Sending a dragon a scroll. Which dragon? That’s right. A purple one. Purple? No, better that he paint it blue like everything else. Oh, and a tinge of pink like that wonderful circle. Was that what was giving him this feeling? 

What a great thing this circle was. 

No, he was thinking about something else just now. It seemed important. What was it? A dragon with a scroll? Such a silly thing. But if that’s where it was supposed to go, why not send it?

There. It was gone. Without that nagging thought in his mind he could concentrate on more important things. Like this circle, and sinking further into this amazingly wonderful heat.


********************************************************************


Wind howled through the large, broken balcony window sending the long, fancy curtains streaming into her parent’s bedroom, wafting, twisting, and tangling like some ghastly poltergeist was attempting to frighten her. The air was tainted with a gagging, pungent odor, like soaking mold crossed with rotten eggs. Wickedly sharp glass shards had been thrown across the floor from where the window had shattered. Diamond Tiara observed the deep scratches and tears that now marred the well-polished hardwood. Her mother was going to have a fit when she came back to see the damage. She might just have the whole place renovated because of it. 

A sudden and violent crash slammed into one side of the manor, shaking the building by its foundation and sending a shudder through the walls like the house had been struck by an earthquake. Diamond Tiara could hear what she guessed was the sound of her mother’s favourite dishes falling and smashing downstairs. The decorative plates she had so proudly collected while travelling the world had been lining the top of the all dining room cabinets. They were probably all lying in pieces. 

Tiara wished her mother were here now instead of on business in Canterlot. Then she’d at least have somepony to huddle under the covers with. When they heard the panic in the streets her father had taken charge of the situation immediately, as he usually did when disaster struck their village. So many disasters happened in Ponyville that one was never sure what new horror had come to town. It was important to know what it was in order to decide what precautions to take. Her father told her to take cover while he went out to check with one of the panicking ponies.

It felt like forever but only ten minutes had ticked by since he left. She found herself constantly checking the grandfather clock her parents kept in the room. Miraculously it had managed to withstand whatever it was that had decided to assault their house. Tiara decided to send a letter commending the clock maker’s work to the appropriate business. If only the supports to the house would hold up as well! 

 Another crash shook the house. The walls moaned as if in agony. She squeaked at the sound and pulled the blankets over her head, peeking out only between a small gap left between the covers and the mattress. The smell became stronger than ever before, forcing tears from her eyes. She had to hold her breath or choke on the heavy scent, taking deep breaths only when her lungs burned for air. A scratching sound came from the balcony, drawing her eye to the storm outside, hoping not to see anything at all. In the dark, rainy night, a pair of looming, green-glowing eyes stared back at her. 

“Aaaagh!” The short scream came out unbidden, and her body instinctively back pedaled right off the bed and over to the far side of the room, her hooves tripping over the blankets the whole way. At the sign of movement, the creature snarled and tilted its head towards her. For a moment it studied her quietly and she froze, unable to do anything but stare. Only its massive head could be seen just over the balcony, a twisted and gnarled mockery of a some form of canine. A snout, two pointed ears and so many teeth were revealed by the small pale green fire that trailed up one side of its skull. The aberration was completely lacking fur, and long crevices ran up and down through its tough-looking skin. It took long, deep, and curious sniffs, smelling the air and no doubt catching her scent. 

The guttural, malicious sounding snorts and growls could only be identified as such because they came from the creature’s mouth. They sounded more akin to the wrenching and whines of wood twisting and distorting like old floorboards and falling trees. Nothing so natural as a snarl or growl came from this monster. Only an imitation of life existed there, a revolting mockery of a real creature. 

Tiara felt more than heard the scratching of its hind legs against her house’s walls as it tried to scramble the rest of the way up. The whimpers it made now as it strained to pull itself could almost be described as pitiable. At least they would be if they weren’t purely due to the frustration of not being able to snap its jaws around her as easily as it wished. 

It was that morbid thought that spurred Tiara to move. Slowly at first, her fear only giving her a tenuous control over her own limbs, she edged her way towards the doorway inch by inch, hoping not to attract the monster’s attention away from its continued attempts to climb up and onto the balcony. Her hind hoof pressed down on a loose piece of floor, and it complained beneath her weight. The monster stopped its struggling to stare at her. Her heart jumped into her throat. Her breath came in short gasps. A heavy silence reigned over the room, but her heart pounded in her ears. She was several feet away from where the thing had first spotted her.

All at once the mood changed. The monster growled, snarled, and shook in its unnatural way, furious at her for even thinking of escape! Embers of green sparks fell from its burning face as its struggles began anew, driven by a fresh bout of anger.

She never knew where the idea came from, or what set her hooves on that path, but Diamond Tiara scrambled forward and, in a flurry of motion, kicked the fallen, sizzling embers towards her attacker’s eyes. It cried out in agony and fell back to the ground below with a loud crash. With her newly won freedom the normally perfectly prim and proper pony bolted without care for her appearance. 

She slammed the bedroom door behind her as she ran. The heavy wood provided an escape from both sight and smell of the horrid  thing. Relief flooded her mouth and nose with such a force it left her gasping for fresh air. Another crash shook the house as the angry creature renewed its siege. The wall held, but a portion of the stairwell didn't. 

Diamond Tiara watched as the supports gave way and masterly crafted banisters and steps collapsed to the floor below. She gathered her courage for a closer look over the edge to gauge how far the fall would be to the floor. It was easily about thirty feet. She swallowed. 

This was the first time ever Diamond Tiara ever regretted living in a mansion. Its impressive size and fancy woodcraft styled into the railings were perfect for the banquets and galas that their family would hold in the ballroom below her. The gigantic, diamond chandelier that sparkled and slowly spun had left all of their guests in awe. Now it hung precariously by its chain, slanted and swinging lightly, like an anxious guillotine waiting for its latest victim. All of their expensive decorations had transformed into safety hazard after safety hazard.

Just then the door blasted open, slamming against the wall. The dark figure of a pony stood in the doorway. His tie was loose and whipping back over his shoulder in the wind, his collar torn and hanging partially open, some of the buttons lost. The usual impeccable manestyle he wore proudly was soaked and plastered to his forehead, dripping and leaving deep trails of water through his fur, framing the worried expression on his face. This image of her father bothered her on a level deeper than any monster ever could.

This wasn't the same stallion who had conquered any and all competitors on local and foreign markets that dared to get in the way of his business empire. With a shining smile and twinkle in his eye, Filthy Rich had set up an impenetrable fortress of monopolies surrounding the import and export services in Ponyville. Designing new policies and deploying managers to different cities, it was like a war general laying out battle plans for his commanding officers. Every day he fended off larger and more deeply embedded business enterprises trying to invade his domain. He was a student of economic strategy, a genius of business enterprise, and ruthlessly ran those that crossed him or his business partners into the ground. 

That was what she wanted to be a part of. His friendly demeanor was worn like an armour to disarm his foes by putting them at ease. Even in the most pressing of negotiations, she had never seen him lose his welcoming manner. The most harsh scoldings she had ever received involved little more than a disappointed frown and some action of reparation for whoever she might have offended. Filthy Rich’s smile was the most dangerous tool in his arsenal, and he never left home without it. 

The stallion in the doorway wore her father’s face, his clothes, his fur, but had very little else in common with him. His aura of confidence and collected calm was gone, replaced by a frantic look as he glanced worriedly around in the dark foyer.

“Da-daddy?” she asked of the stranger in her doorway, her words hesitant and quiet, almost unsure if she wanted to draw his attention.

“Tiara!” Rich exclaimed, his head jerking in her direction. He took a step further in and squinted, trying to pick her out from the shadows of the upper hallway. “Tiara, are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m-” her answer was cut short as wood crashed against wood once more. This time a cacophony of cracking, snapping, and creaking tore through the west wall. Pieces of support fell, scattering debris everywhere. The house shook. The large chandelier swayed back and forth. The hallway quaked beneath Diamond Tiara’s hooves. A newly created opening split its way down the wall, letting a large, green eye peer through.

“No…” Filthy Rich gasped, as the timberwolf’s gaze turned from him to his daughter. “No! Tiara, hide! Hurry!” Sucking down a long breath to steady himself, he pushed forward, kicking some of the recently created debris towards the gap in the ruined wall to draw its attention away from his daughter, unaware he was just copying her earlier idea. This time the creature swiftly dodged the incoming object, slipping away from the gap as the piece of rubble flew uselessly through. 

With another violent crash the weakened wall fell down, sending wreckage flying everywhere as the giant timberwolf smashed its way inside. The monster was looking much worse for the wear now. The fire along its face had spread along its back and front legs, leaving a charred, glowing mess in its wake. Pieces of burnt wood fell off it, and it was slow to get back to its feet. It shook off the shambles of demolished house like a dog shaking off water. The dust in the room mixed with the burning smoke, and the pungent smell of timberwolf.

Filthy Rich’s eyes were watering and there was no suppressing the coughing fit that followed the dust cloud hanging over the room. The mass of living wood towered over him, ash pouring off. The fire was already catching on the freshly lacquered dance hall, and it was quickly making its way to the many decorative tapestries and curtains. He glanced towards the hallway overlooking the ballroom. Diamond Tiara was still there, huddled next to the banister. Why? She was too smart to hang around danger like this. Was there nowhere left to go? Maybe all the bedrooms were in just as bad shape. 

Her worried gaze fell on him, then she quickly glanced upwards towards the heavy chandelier. Following her eyes, he understood the silent suggestion. His brilliant, little filly had a plan. There was no time to question it. The wounded, lumbering timberwolf looked ready to renew its attack. 

It dove for him. It was fast; too fast even for itself. Its own charred body couldn't keep up and it fell clumsily across the slippery floor. Even still, Filthy Rich only just barely managed to slip past its gruesome maw as it stumbled forward into the opposite wall. Rich quickly re-positioned himself under the swaying chandelier. It could come down on its own at any moment. His daughter stood by the last of the chain supports that once held it in place. She was straining to hold the chain steady, trying to stop it from swinging back and forth.  He hoped it would be enough. They would only have one chance at this.

The timberwolf got back to its feet, and roughly shook its head from side to side. More dust, more debris, and more ash mixed with the rancid smoke. The air was so filled with dirt Diamond Tiara could taste the crunch of it between her teeth. The pull on her forelegs from trying to hold the light fixture up was taking its toll, and the chain was beginning to slip from her grip. In spite of the weight threatening to pull her off her hooves and the painful pull of the metal rings, all of her attention was on the scene below. 

Fear forced her to watch on as the unnatural horror turned to regard her father once more. Her heart pounded against her chest so hard and fast, she almost thought it was trying to tear itself free from her. He had only just gotten out of the way last time. Trails of green flame now wound their way around where her father stood. Even if he could move in time, where was he supposed to go?  

The timberwolf lunged, faster than ever. Even if her father had a plan, the monster gave him no time to put it into action. Caught between its paws, he was struggling to keep the large branches that made up its feet between him and its teeth. “Tiara! Now!”

“What?” she gasped, “But you’re still in the way!”

“Tiara, let it go! Don’t argue! Drop it, drop it now!”  One of the timberwolf’s nips struck home, biting deep into his left hind leg. The piercing, agonized scream startled Tiara. It was just the moment gravity was waiting for. The chain slipped away from her grasp in her moment’s carelessness and the chandelier came crashing down. Her world shook as it slammed into the unsuspecting creature. Fiery bits of wood were sent sailing throughout the room. Billows of smoke flooded the mansion, and it was all she could do just to breathe. 

She felt the floor under her hooves begin to snap, and tear apart. Instinctively, she tried to move back into one of the bedrooms, but a loud crack rung out behind her giving her pause. 

Then everything fell. 

Her sudden weightlessness left her at gravity’s mercy for just a few seconds before she was left belly flopping into the pile of rubble below. Pain ran up and down her body, and she found it hard to breathe now for entirely different reasons than before. The smoke drifted upwards and out through the many smashed windows that lined the walls of their broken home. Where the mansion was fortunate enough to still have walls anyway. Diamond Tiara lay still, trying to catch some of the wind that had just been knocked out of her. Tears trailed their way down her cheeks. “Dad?” she asked room quietly, hopefully. “Dad? Are you alright?”

“Tiara…?” a raspy voice answered back, with a note of pain. “Tiara, I can’t move. The house is burning down. You have to get out of here.”

“No, Dad.” Bruised, beaten, with a ringing in her ears, Diamond Tiara undertook the difficult task of getting back on her hooves. She looked over to the shattered chandelier where her father lay hidden. “I-I can’t - I won’t leave you.”

“Tiara, y-you’re not th-th-thinking straight,” her father grunted in reply, trying in vain to keep the pain from his voice. “You have to g-go for help. They’re- they’re all gathering in the town hall.”

She shook her head. Just walking around the chandelier felt like an arduous journey, making it all the way to the town hall by herself was out of the question. What if there were more of them? While Tiara admitted to herself that her mind felt a little sluggish, she was sure her thoughts were running a straight line of logic. Why would he even think that would work? As her father came into view, she gasped out loud, and understood.

Filthy Rich’s hip was pinned by a giant support beam. His entire lower half was hidden from view by a huge mound of wood and diamond. She couldn't even tell if he was just pinned or crushed. The only sign of what was happening under the rubble was the blood pooling beneath his flank. Her father wasn't trying to hide the pain in his voice. 

He was trying to hide the despair.

“Daddy, oh no!” Her own pain forgotten, she rushed forward to hug him. His awkward cry of pain, kept her cautious about it, but she still snuggled up closer to him. “What were you thinking?”

“Tiara, go. You have to go,” he whispered into her ear. Her only response was a choking sob.


********************************************************************


Her fur was soaked to the bone. But there was no time to worry about the cold. The visibility was low. The night was dark with wild clouds from the Everfree hanging overhead, but she knew this land better than she knew anything else. The only light she had against the night was a familiar green flame eating away at the haunted woodland creatures stalking her. The rain was coming down in sheets, but her trusty Stetson hat was managing to keep the brunt of it from her eyes. A farm pony needed to be thankful for small blessings. You’d never know which sliver of silver lining could save your rear at the end of the day.

“Trespassers! Seed thieves!”

What was that? Some strange voice? No time to think. Wherever the words came from they were lost to the roar of rustling leaves in blasting wind. There were more important things on her mind. A timberwolf leapt forward, rage distorting its features. 

Applejack was ready for it. 

A quick step to the side landed the timberwolf into the tree trunk behind her with a resounding thunk. There was no time to admire her work. On a hunch she bent low and felt a swat of a claw tear through the air where her head would have been. She had to keep on the move. Instead of backing off, Applejack charged forward, knocking the next one flat on its back. 

Habit was taking over, and it was keeping her in the fight. 

She had dealt with their kind before. There weren’t many ponies that braved the Everfree Forest, but ever since the first day Twilight Sparkle had come to Ponyville Applejack found herself foraging among the forbidden trees regularly. A pegasus crashed into the woods? Call Applejack! Pet ran off into the thicket? Applejack was on her way! Lost a hot air balloon among the trees? Applejack’s there to help! And every time she went in, there was a fair chance of running into a couple of timberwolves en route.

Unfortunately all of her experience in dealing with these critters told her that the last thing you wanted to do was get yourself surrounded by a pack of them. And that’s exactly the spot she’d put herself in. Applejack was in dire straits, and she knew it better than most. To save the zap apple trees, she had jumped right into the circle of them, hoping to distract them from her farm’s best-selling crop. 

It worked.

The only problem with that plan was now she needed saving! Winona was there at her hooves, the little collie barking and growling protectively. As courageous as she was, Winona would be little help against the wooden, fiery interlopers. There was, however, another pony around she knew she could count on. 

“Bro? Ah sure could use a bit of help about now!” she shouted into the dark without taking her eyes off the timberwolf snapping at her. A swift crouch saved her neck again but it cost her the hallmark Stetson she’d worn since her youth. It left her faced with the disconcerting view of her favourite hat getting gashed and torn in the critter's teeth. She swallowed nervously. That was very close to being her head. Where was that big, red stallion already? “Uh, Big Mac? Yah are out there, right?”

The wind’s howl was the only reply. Where had he gone? Did one of these infested trees get to him already? She chanced a glance to the bush Big Macintosh and her had been using as cover. There was no sign of him. A horrifying thought crossed her mind. What if he wasn't ready for her to jump out like she had? What if she gave him away? A sudden desperation surged up inside her and fear gave way to righteous anger .

“What’ve yah  done with mah big brother, yah walking tree rot!” With a double hind leg kick, her attacker’s head went sailing into the face of another, and Applejack bolted between its legs as it fell. As she sprinted between the monsters, she glanced from left to right for some sight of red fur. Instead, there was only incoming teeth. They were a step behind, but it was getting hard to catch her breath. How long had she been fighting them? Five minutes? Ten? Most ponies would be tired out in three. Good thing she wasn't like most ponies, but now even she could feel her hooves growing heavier. Even with the second wind driven by fear for her brother, exhaustion was taking its toll. Dodging was starting to become a real problem, when suddenly there were no longer any teeth or claws to dodge.

But there was no air in her lungs either. Her breath was caught in her throat as she stood before the biggest timberwolf she had ever seen. The others steered away from the humongous beast, either out of fear and respect. It stood as tall as a house, and there was no fire marring its branches. Not even a scorch mark besmirched its bark. Applejack understood at once. This was the pack alpha. 

It regarded her with a cold rage, bending low to take in her scent in several large sniffs.

“You are not the seed thief, but I smell her on you, pony.” Much to Applejack’s surprise, the timberwolf spoke. Its voice was a strange twist of growling mixed with creaking stairway and wrenching wood. This was the voice she had heard earlier.

“S-s-seed thief?” She struggled, trying to catch her breath, half in genuine need, and half in surprise of who was at the other end of this conversation. “What in tarnation are yah on about? This is our farm!”

“Farmers,” the alpha spit the word out in disgust. “Thieves! Slavers! You steal seeds from their rightful places so you can harvest them! Murdering and maiming them for your own gains!” It’s snarls became heated with rage and it stepped forward, forcing her to back up, along with the pack who continued to give them both plenty of room. 

“I should tear you to pieces, bury your parts, and plant a seed in what’s left of your corpse so it can feed on you as your kind has on it!”  For a moment it seethed in the contempt it had for ponies, and farmers in particular, but then its tone fell back on a low burn of anger. “But beasts eat to survive, we can understand this. However, now you feed off our kind.” The alpha glanced over towards the zap apple trees. “You have stolen our seeds! For this your kind will pay! But not all of you have to. No, you smell of the one that stole our seeds. Tell us where this pony is and we will spare you.”

Applejack looked back at the trees then back at the large timberwolf and its surrounding pack. “Yah mean the zap apples? Y’all are zap apple trees?”

“We are the forever free! We are the wood that will not be tamed! We are the wild! And we have come to take back all that is ours!”

“Now wait just a darn minute. Yah mean tah tell me that y’all are upset about these here trees? They've been planted here for a good sixty years! Why are yah just gettin’ around to it now?”

“Trees grow slow. It took time for them to find their voice, and to call to their brothers for help. It took time to find you,” it snarled, bending low and shoving Applejack back with its snout.

“We didn't know they were ‘alive’ alive.” Applejack let the thought sink in. Her family might have wronged the forest more than they could have ever guessed. The zap apples were their best crop. The Apple Family had founded Ponyville on the profits they made from them. Sweet Apple Acres would be in for a rough time all over again if they gave them up. But even so, if they were alive and belonged to the Everfree, they couldn’t just keep them either. She swallowed hard as she came to a very tough decision, and said through clenched teeth, “we can work it out. We’ll tow ‘em back to the forest!”

“It is too late for that! They are here now. Their roots have grown long. These lands belong to them now, and them to us! We will take what is ours,” the alpha declared, sitting down with its head held high. “But we are not without mercy. Give us the seed thief and all others of your kind may leave our lands unharmed.”

“You want us to leave Ponyville?” Applejack shook her head, uncertain she heard it right. “Ah don’t know any thieves, and we can move the trees with a bit of effort!”

“You dare lie to me? The seed thief’s scent is sunk into your very bones! Your very blood smells of her!” The alpha bent low, its angry, glowing eye focused directly on the farm pony before it. It gnashed its teeth no more than a foot away from her, its putrid scent leaving a sour taste in Applejack’s mouth. “Give us the seed thief or we’ll rip apart every single thing that even smells of pony!” 

They could smell the seed thief from her? But the only ponies she’d been around lately were family. Family! Everything clicked. The zap apples, magicly haunted trees from the Everfree, Granny Smith’s tale of Ponyville’s founding, and the seeds her grandmother found in the woods. Granny Smith! Granny Smith was the seed thief! These horrible critters wanted to- they wanted take her Granny Smith!

Applejack’s eyes narrowed as she glared back at the creature. “Ah tried tah be civil ‘bout this,” she began quietly as she ground her teeth together. “Ah tried tah be understandin’.” Her voice grew louder, and her body quaked in a white hot fury that dwarfed any the timberwolves might have had a moment ago. “But now yah gone and done it. You can threaten mah farm! Fine. We can find other lands to till. Yah can threaten to take Ponyville! We’ll move the whole town if we wronged yah. But nobody!” she shouted in defiance, more than ready to sacrifice herself than to deal with anything more this beast had to say, “and Ah mean NOBODY threatens MAH FAMILY!”

“EEYUP!” 

The deep baritone voice of her brother concurred loudly from afar before the alpha could retort. All eyes turned to the big, red, freckled stallion who stood atop the hill, overlooking the scene below. Behind him was a large wagon, filled with logs that were meant to be chopped up for firewood at Apple Family’s convenience. One strong kick, sent the whole thing tipping it over and the logs tumbling down the steep hill towards the pack of surprised timberwolves. 

Many managed to escape to the sides bounding away throughout the orchard, but more were caught in Big Macintosh’s trap. The large logs of oak and birch smashed into any left behind, leaving only smouldering pieces of timber in their wake. 

Applejack quickly jumped for shelter behind the roots of a small apple tree, but the alpha was much too large for any such attempts to save itself. Instead it was forced to run through the only open path wide enough for it, which also happened to be the only open path wide enough for the logs to keep tumbling down.

After the avalanche of firewood finally passed her by, Applejack stuck her head up to see her brother running to her side. Winona was on his heels with her torn hat in her mouth. She quickly ran over to join them.

“Yah sure took yer time comin’ to mah rescue Big Mac,” she chided him, while looking around at the mess he caused. 

“Your rescue?” the big pony asked, tussling her hair with a large hoof. ”Figured Ah’d save them from you.”

Applejack smirked. There was a sense of relief in his tone that belied his humour. They both knew how close they’d come to tragedy. A tragedy that could still come about if they weren’t fast. Taking her hat from Winona with an encouraging pat, she bent down low to speak to the collie.

“Winona, We need tah get Granny Smith intah the stormcellar. Can yah lead her down there girl? Can yah do that for me?”

Winona barked happily, hopping up on her hind legs with a twirl. That normally meant yes, as far as Applejack had ever been able to tell.

“Then go on! Hurry, Winona! Hurry!”

With that the Apple Family dog turned and sprinted through the orchard, quickly disappearing into the night. Applejack put the partly torn Stetson back where it belonged. “We better be hurryin’ along too. It won’t take long for those critters to recover and regroup.”

“They’re gonna ruin it all, AJ, The whole farm.” her brother said as he observed the devastation he’d made of their precious orchard. All around them trees were knocked down, broken, and splintered. It’d take up a couple weeks of harvest season just to clear the logs out. His gambit was going to cost them, but the timberwolves had a lot worse than this in mind.

“Don’t you worry two bits about it. Come on, Ah got an idea!” Snatching a fiery branch to use as a torch to light their way, Applejack rushed towards the homestead, her brother not far behind.


********************************************************************


The locomotive hissed and whistled as it chugged ahead. Squeaking pistons and squealing wheels made a cacophony of noise as it rushed by. It was a rolling thunder streaking across the plains along an iron path. As wild as the storm around it might have been, the weather paled in comparison to the racket of the train as it rushed by. Inside, everything was a muffled calm to the passengers, to the point that the noise was easily tuned out. Even so, it was a bumpy ride for the unfortunate travelers. The wind couldn’t be heard very well over the sound of the train, but the effects could still be felt as the train cars swayed in its grip. 

Worry lined every voice in the cars. The regular customers lied to comfort those new to the railroad, saying things like ‘This is bad, but I’ve rode it through worse’ or ‘Don’t worry, this happens all the time’.

The truth was, in all the time Shining Time had worked as an attendant she couldn’t remember ever having been through a storm this bad. This was in spite of having a route that went by the outer edges of the Everfree regularly. Something was seriously wrong, and every pony onboard could sense it.

As an attendant it was her job to keep the passengers calm. She made constant trips back and forth through the passenger cars, passing out free refreshments and complimentary meals. The truth was Shining Time would have only made refreshment runs a couple times a trip for their whole run all the way out to Appleoosa. Instead she’d been a dozen times back and forth already, using her trolley as an excuse to check on everypony. The sight of an attendant at work as per normal had a calming effect on many. A kind word and a sweet smile went a long way to alleviate worries.

But now the train wasn’t just swaying. It was experiencing jarring bumps as well. That left a note of nervousness in her voice that she couldn’t quite hide. There was something wrong, and she had better figure out what it was. It was for that reason Shining Time was making her way outside the train cars up towards the locomotive where Sam Mule, the engineer, might be able to explain what was going on. 

Sam was a mule from Manehatten, with an accent so heavy it put her own to shame. He had become the go-to-guy if you wanted something done around the train yard. Any job other ponies might be scared to take on, that was where you’d find the ill-tempered, stubborn mule. There weren’t many engineers that dared the rails that passed by the Everfree. They said that Sam never blinked twice when he was assigned the route.

Even with the heavy rain and strong winds, the smell of coal still filled her nostrils. The coal car was the most annoying part of the trek to the locomotive, because there was no inside route. A pony had to use the platform built around it, that Shining Time always felt was a little too flimsy. She held her hoof over her nose, as had become her habit when passing this particular train car. Once she got closer to the train engine, the smokestack came into view, belching out its contents leaving a trail high above the rails, and a scent that stung her eyes.    

As she passed between the cars another crash came, shaking the whole train engine, and knocking Shining Time off her hooves. Barely managing to catch onto a safety railing in time to prevent herself from falling, she screamed as she clung on for dear life, staring at the rails beneath her streaking by. A strong hoof pulled her to the safety of the locomotive.

“The hay ya doin’ Shiny? Lookin’ to get yourself killed! They’d blame me for that, ya know.”

Shining Time didn't respond, instead holding up a hoof to stop him from talking while she caught her breath. Her poor heart was pounding a mile a minute after gravity’s attempt on her life. “What-what was that?”

“I said they’d blame me if ya got your ruttin’ flank flattened!” The angry brown mule shouted over the noise.

“No, not that, I mean, what did we hit? What caused the bump?”

“The hay if I know,” the mule responded gruffly and gestured to the front of the train. “Take a look for your darned self.”

Shining Time peered over the large train engine from a side window and gasped. Shadows slithered over the tracks like strange snakes retreating from the haunted wood not far away. The powerful locomotive tore through them without issue for the most part, but then a larger shape appeared among them. The train engine tore through it like the others, severing it in two, but this time the locomotive bumped and crashed as it did. Again the tools shook and rattled in their cage, and Shining Time nearly lost her balance.

“There are snakes on the rails!” she exclaimed in surprise. “Hundreds! No, thousands! They’re moving along the whole length of the track!”

“Snakes? No ruttin’ snake’s gonna give a train speed bumps, Shiny!” Sam corrected irritably. “They slither like ‘em, but whatever it is, ain't no darn snake.”

“What are we going to do?”

“What I’m gonna do is get us the hay outta here. That means pushing this iron horse as fast as she can go. What you’re gonna do is gather all those passengers into as few cars as you can so we can keep track of ‘em. Then yer gonna seal every darn door and window in case any of those things try to get in. We’ll bunker down in Ponyville for any needed repairs.”

“Uh, do I have to empty the private cars too?” Shining Time asked in a small voice, shying away a little.

“Hay yeah, you gotta empty the private cars too! When I say ‘all the passengers’ just what the hay do you think I mean?”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Sheesh.” With a heavy sigh she turned to leave, carefully watching her step between cars. 

“And Shiny,” Sam added, stopping her mid-step as she looked back. The brown mule’s back was to her, his head only slightly turned in her direction. “Keep safe back there, alright?”

She smiled. As crockety and mean-spirited as Sam could be, he still worried about her, and everypony else too.

“I’ll be careful,” she replied warmly. With a curt nod, he went back to work, preparing to push the train to its top speeds. It was time she started her own preparations too. Steeling herself against the fear, she moved across the small bridge between the cars, frowning down at the platform that she nearly lost her life on a minute ago. This time she was careful to grip the railing firmly and stand as close as she could to the train car.

Passing between the other cars wasn't anywhere near as dangerous. They were made so the passengers could roam freely between each, especially between them and the cafeteria car. The private cars were the first ones she came to on the way back, and the ones she dreaded delivering the news to most.

Normally she didn't have much trouble dealing with the ponies that rented private cars. They were often a bit more demanding about their quality of service, but Shining Time was well versed in etiquette, and enjoyed impressing them with her skill at her trade. Attending to a pony’s needs during the trip was her job, and she was proud to show herself perfectly capable to do so no matter what the passenger’s upbringing.

The problem was that being evacuated from the cars they had put up the extra bits for was not the quality of service they were accustomed to. As Shining Time emptied out each room, helping them with gathering their luggage as necessary, she tried to avoid their eyes. There was no reason to see the expressions when she could feel their dirty looks boring a hole into her back as she worked. She did what she could to assuage their misgivings with promises of returns and refunds, but upper class ponies weren't as concerned so much with getting money back as they were to being treated like common rabble. 

Being forced to sit side by side with common folk was going to be a fairly large insult. The railroad would probably be sending a lot of apologies due to Sam’s decision. 

At last Shining Time came to the smaller of the private cabins, where the Element Bearer of Generosity was staying. Nervously biting her lip as she stood at the honoured guest’s door, she quickly adjusted her uniform and mane, disheveled by her short tryst with the wind, rain, and exerted effort of carrying well-to-do pony luggage down several car aisles. A good impression for her was a must! 

Stories of the Element Bearers’ exploits had traveled far and wide throughout Equestria, and Shining Time wasn't too shy to admit she had become infatuated with them. They were all so amazing. With extraordinary talents and courage, they conquered all the foes thrown at Equestria. Each were heroes in their own right. 

Twilight Sparkle’s knowledge of magic and Rainbow Dash’s flight skill were legendary! They had become household names. Fluttershy’s way with animals and Pinkie Pie’s extraordinary senses and abilities were wonders of the pony world. Applejack had become the champion of the underdogs and every farm town pony across the land. 

Then there was Rarity. Pinkie Pie had strange senses, Applejack had enormous strength, Rainbow Dash had wondrous talent and courage, Fluttershy had her animals, Twilight Sparkle had immense control of magic, and Rarity had what?

Her amazing fashion sense? While certainly impressive, it wasn't exactly the heroic quality the other Elements Bearers had. In a team of super powered ponies, this fashion diva seemed out of place. She had beauty and grace to spare, but that kind of talent hardly allowed her to fit in with the rest. In spite of her shortcomings Rarity’s presence among the Elements of Harmony commanded a sense of respect, and it was only after Shining Time had actually met her did she understand why.

In her job, dealing with the elite of the elite was an everyday task. She had probably met more famous and wealthy ponies than any of Princess Celestia’s castle staff. Many were inspiring, respectable, well-mannered, and friendly. But the difference between them and Rarity had become immediately clear after only a few words of greeting. All of these things could be used to describe her, but something else as well. 

The word ‘inviting’ was the first to come to mind, followed by warm, welcoming, affectionate, and caring. The impression she was left with was that a pony could come to Rarity with any problem at all, even as a perfect stranger, and the unicorn would be happy to bend over backwards to help. Well, Shining Time could certainly use that kind of help now. 

Ponies were already very nervous with the rough spots the train would randomly go through, and the swaying of the cars in the wind without the train speeding up! For now, the lightning storm in the distance was doing a good job of keeping the passengers distracted and entertained, but that would change very quickly when they all found themselves packed together in their seats and locked into a couple train cars while they barreled down the tracks at enormous speeds. Ponies would want to know why, but what would she say? The railroad tracks were being overrun by some unnaturally shaped creatures? That wouldn't go very far in the way of calming them down. However, if one of the famous Bearers of the Elements of Harmony could tell them everything was okay, Shining Time might just be able to keep things under control.

With a renewed sense of purpose she knocked on the cabin door.

“Come ii~iiin!” A sing-song voice called out from the other side. Shining Time pushed the door open slowly, carefully looking around the room before spotting the finely attired, pristine white unicorn tying the drawers and cupboard doors closed with some ribbons that she had apparently packed.

“I’ll be with you in just a minute, Darling,” she said with some effort as she concentrated on tying the loose ends into a perfect little bow. Each drawer and cupboard in the room was tied shut in the same manner. Each bow sparkled with speckles of twinkling magic light, making the room seem majestic. So as to not make the fancy ribbons seem out of place, she had also decorated the fold-out couch with matching throw pillows, and had even gone as far as to add some adorable, tiny curtains to the equally small windows. 

There was no helping the smile on Shining Time’s face as she admired the new decor. They were only simple, little details, but they really made all the difference. Perhaps the train yard would let her add similar additions to the private cars in the future?

“There, all done,” Rarity said with a tone of approval, and giggled as if lost in recollection. “Sparkles really do go with everything, don’t they?” she murmured to herself before turning to regard Shining Time curiously. “Sorry about the wait, I do so abhor stopping partway. I heard the commotion out in the hall earlier. I take it I’ll be moved into the public cars with the others?”

The common question spurred Shining Time’s automatic response, “Yes. We’re sorry for the inconvenience, and arrangements are already being made for refunds and returns-“

“Nonsense! I’ll hear of no such thing,” Rarity quickly interrupted. “You’re merely seeing to the safety of your customers first and foremost. I wouldn't dream of paying less for doing the very thing I’d expect of you.” Her tone left no room for argument, and suddenly Shining Time felt much better about her idea to come to the unicorn for help. “Furthermore, I plan to offer a commendation to the railroad for your efforts. It must be quite the ordeal for you. And there’s only one train attendant besides! I honestly don’t know what they were thinking laying this all on a single pony.”

“Thank you kindly, Miss Rarity. We’d muchly appreciate that. It might just offset some of the flak we’ll be catching from the passengers in the neighbouring units.”

“Oh pish posh. Shining Time wasn't it?” Rarity asked smiling brightly.

“Yes, Mam, Shiny to friends.” 

“I’m Rarity to mine. No more of this ‘Miss Rarity’ or "Mam' business from you,” Rarity insisted, patting Shining Time on the back as she passed her into the hall. “And I’m certain the others are just a little upset from being thrown from their routine. A little word here and there will make everypony see reason, I’m sure. Now, I've already gathered up some bare essentials and piled them just there by the other side of the door.”

“Piled?” Shining Time peeked around the open door into the corner of the room where a mess of designer bags were piled as high as she was. “These are the bare essentials?” she asked incredulously. 

 “I know, Darling, I know. It’s almost nothing at all, and I do dread having to do without the rest, but everypony must make sacrifices when the need is dire. Comfort is a privilege after all.”

Shining Time refrained from slapping her forehead in front of her very important customer. The famous designer had packed sewing materials and throw pillows as part of her carry-on luggage. Who knew what she considered ‘necessities’? Essentials were just not a domain the rich and famous understood, no matter who they were. Still, if Shining Time was about to ask a pony for help, it seemed wrong to ask her to leave her bags behind. They would just have to find a place for them. Where? she had no idea, but finding a way to make bags fit would probably end up being the least of her problems.

“Actually,” she started, hoping she could make this sound better than it did in her head, “if you’re willing, there’s something far more important we could use your help with.” 

“Oh? It must be this carpet.” Rarity removed her hoof from the main carpet that ran the length of the aisle. She whispered conspiratorially, “I didn't want to say anything, but I mean brown and orange? I simply don’t know what they were thinking. I’m sure I can do something with it, but it would probably be better to get rid of the whole thing and go with a new design completely. I’m sure I have some material in here I could use.”

Rarity, turned to stare at a cupboard, her magic already reaching out to untie one of her ribbons to get at the contents before Shining Time stopped her, shaking her head.

“It isn't anything like that Mi-, Uh,” she cut her sentence off halfway, not quite liking the idea of being so informal with one of her heroes. “ I mean, Rarity, You see, I need to inform our passengers of the situation, and frankly I’m worried about how they’ll take it.”

“Oh dear, I take this to mean this isn't some minor mechanical trouble then?” Rarity asked cocking an eyebrow.

“No,” Shining Time shook her head, still trying to avoid using her name. “The train’s working just as it should. The problem is there’s something strange moving across the tracks.”

“Something strange?”

“We don’t know what to make of them. They slither like snakes but are tough as rocks. We’d like to slow down and take it easy over the mess, maybe even turn around if the danger gets worse. But with the way these things are going, there’s a fair chance they’ll overrun the train while we’re stopped. The engineer figures it’s best to speed up and plow right through. If we can make it to Ponyville, we can stop for repairs.”

“I-I see.” Rarity couldn't quite keep the note of worry from of her words. “Though I’m not sure what you believe I can do, Shiny. Supernatural snakes overtaking the railroad is beyond any skill of mine, I fear.”

“No, no, you misunderstand me, the train has been able to sort out the problem pretty well on its own so far, it’s the passengers I’m worried about,” she explained quickly. “This news could start a real panic, and a panic might cause as much harm to ponies trapped in a cramped train car as whatever it is that’s going on outside.”

“So, you’re asking me to help everypony to stay calm?” Rarity asked hesitantly.

“Exactly! The storm’s wild enough outside without us starting a stampede inside.”

“I’m still not sure I can help, Shiny. I don’t think I've ever done anything like that.” Rarity frowned at her. This was really outside her area of expertise. She was all about making the world beautiful, not calming a herd of frightened ponies.

“Why sure you have! They say that’s what the Element Bearers did during the whole crystal heart affair in the Crystal Kingdom! You all went around keeping everypony in good spirits while Twilight Sparkle rescued the Crystal Heart from King Sombra. Everypony knows the tale," Shining Time gushed out quickly, displaying her extensive knowledge of their exploits a bit more than she would have liked.

“And Spike,” Rarity corrected automatically, while considering the idea. It was true, she did have some amount of success on the whole with that particular ordeal. 

“Beg pardon?”

“Twilight Sparkle and Spike, her assistant,” Rarity repeated. “She wasn't alone. King Sombra managed to trap her, so she passed the Crystal Heart on to him to carry down the-” She cut herself off as Shining Time’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. The expression reminded her of the one Sweetie Belle would wear when listening to one of their heroic tales. “You’re sure you never heard any of this? Forgive me, but I had thought you were rather familiar about our little trysts with adventure.”

Shining Time shook her head quickly. “The way I always heard it, Twilight Sparkle clashed with King Sombra in a great magic duel. I've never heard of any ‘assistant’.”

“Well, I’ll have to regale you with the true events at some point, but I don’t suppose we have enough time to go over the story in proper detail if what you say about our train is true.”

“Oh uh, right.” The adorable, young mare blushed before perking her ears back up.  “So will you do it? I’m not asking you to lie to them or anything. We just need to keep them distracted from the bumpy ride, that’s all.”

“I can most certainly try, but whatever could I keep them distracted with?” 

“Why not a story about the Elements of Harmony?” It hadn't taken even a full second for Shining Time to answer. There were more to the stories than she knew? A whole other pony she never even heard of? She wanted to hear the rest, and the other passengers would be bound to be interested too! At least she hoped they were. “Even the most jaded pony would be interested in hearing it straight from the pony’s mouth that lived through it! I know I sure would.”

“Not those old things. Why I’d bore everypony to tears,” Rarity replied with a roll of her eyes. Their biggest adventures had happened years and years before, and Twilight had written every possible detail about them in her journals, which had all been published. What more could she possibly add to them?

As a fashion designer Rarity always looked towards the future. To her, last season’s designs were an eternity ago, and thoughts of them would only get in the way of new and greater ideas! She couldn't imagine anypony would want to hear about those crumby, old stories again. It might even make her seem like she was focused on past achievements, like some old mare reliving her glory days! 

Well, there were plenty of glory days ahead for this fashionista! Her Canterlot Boutique’s success was already exceeding her expectations, and it was only just starting to flourish! With Snips' help she was sure they could bring the idea of clothing to every pony in Equestria. That was her future! Not some distant adventures she had been caught in years ago. “I’m sure we've been almost completely forgotten.”

“Forgotten? Are you kidding me? Rarity,” using her name casually was suddenly much easier for Shining Time. Seeing one of her heroes regard herself as a ‘has been’ took all sense of formality away. She sat down and took Rarity’s hooves in her own. “You were among the greatest heroes of all of Equestria! Every time it seemed like our kingdom was about to fall, you six reached down and plucked us from danger! Again and again! Sombra, Discord, Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon? They all fell to you guys. You rescued Princess Luna, saved Princess Cadence’s wedding, befriended Discord, and helped establish the Crystal Kingdom! Nopony’s forgotten the things you've done. Nopony ever could, except maybe you. Please, come back with me and speak to everypony. Tell them every little thing is gonna be alright. They’ll believe if you say it. I’m sure of it.”

Rarity’s eyes were drawn to the hooves holding her own, and then to the eyes of one of their biggest fans, and her heart flooded with warmth. Each trial the train attendant had mentioned, the teamwork, the victories, and everything in between came back to her. She remembered her friends, and everything they had accomplished together. with a tiny frown she looked back up to Shining Time asked, “You’re certain this will help?”

"Yes! Yes! Yes!” Shining Time cheered, half-jumping up and down before giving Rarity an excited hug, recognizing that the answer had already been decided.

 “I suppose a lady does have to give her public what it wants,” Rarity giggled, hugging the animated earth pony lightly. “Very well. I’ll assist with your announcement however you wish.”

“Yes! I’ll go let them know right now!” With a twist and a hop Shining Time rushed out of the room.

“But Darling! Shiny Darling, you've forgotten my bags!” Rarity went to give chase but the mare was already out the door into the next car by the time she even managed to peek out past the entrance. With a heavy sigh she turned towards the large pile of luggage with a deep frown. “Oh, horsefeathers!” 



********************************************************************



A group of three sat around a campfire enthusiastically going over plans for their bright futures as an official fully-fledged flight team. Excited ideas were traded back and forth as they scarfed down any and all refreshments Aqua Shallows continued to pop in and provide. Outside their shelter, the rain and wind continued their onslaught, but the sound of a crashing waterfall drowned out the sound of the storm. In this beautifully carved-out cavern the flight party took refuge as they had for the last week. The intricate pattern of ivy, moss, and gemstones that dotted the walls, along with the stalactites that curved in perfected arches along the cave ceiling had long lost the team’s interest. Instead their minds were filled with thoughts of stunts, shows, and adventures. Their eager words warmed the cavern almost as much as the fire itself, while they bantered and shared new ideas for the upcoming Fledgling Flier Competition.

It was then that Spike’s stomach began to rumble. 

At first, it seemed like the worst case of indigestion Rainbow Dash or Scootaloo had ever witnessed. They could actually see his stomach rolling and contorting in an immense amount of awkward discomfort. He hunched his neck back against his shoulders, and everything about his expression said ‘I’m gonna hurl!’ 

Both pegasi yelped and made a quick jump for cover, worried that whatever violent reaction the dragon was going to have was about to spray hard enough to reach them wherever they hid.

Instead of looking down, though, Spike’s instincts pointed his snout directly towards the rock ceiling of the cave and all at once, he let out the loudest belch any of them had ever heard accompanied by a stream of flame striking against the ceiling, scorching and burning away at the gems, moss, and ivy that had decorated the stone.

Aqua poked his head back in past the waterfall with a look of utter disgust. “Well! Excuse you!”

Spike fell back on his rump, relief flooding his features at the release, too disoriented to even bother with an apology. Rainbow Dash fell on her back laughing. “Woah, Spike! You should have seen your face! I seriously thought you were going to blow chunks all over the place!”

The scent of the flame felt like it was singeing Scootaloo’s nose hairs, and had such an acrid bite that her hooves flew up to cover her muzzle while she tried in vain to wave it away. “Ewww! That is naaasty! What the hay was that about?” 

Spike shivered in answer and shook his head while trying to recover from the sudden and unexpected ordeal, “I've got no idea. I've never had that happen before.”

“Well that’s one dragon ability we should probably keep out of the flight show,” Scootaloo laughed, before pointing to a piece of paper that was slowly wafting down from the ceiling leaving a small smoke trail tracing behind it through the air. “Hey, what’s that?”

Spike reached up and plucked the note out of the air and pinched the corner of the paper where a light flicker of flame had taken root. He eyed the letter carefully, turned it sideways, and then the other way, and then completely upside down, obviously uncertain of what he was looking at.

“What is it? Word from town?” Rainbow Dash rolled back onto her hooves and trotted over to the dragon’s side to have a look for herself.

Spike scratched his head, obviously confused, and held it out for her to see. “I’m not entirely sure. It’s not from Twilight, or the Princess for that matter. Actually, I think it’s from-” Spike looked closer at the quill scratches of nigh indecipherable hoof writing and distorted scribbles, “Snails?” 

“Snails? Snails can send letters by dragon fire but Rarity hasn't figured it out yet?” Dash exclaimed in surprise. 

“Rarity doesn't want to figure it out,” Spike replied defensively. “She finds my reaction to it uncouth, and said she didn't want to be the source of any awkward social situations I might find myself in because of it.”

Aqua nodded his approval but all the pegasi in the cave rolled their eyes. Rainbow Dash turned her attention to the strange word craft displayed on the letter. “Can you figure out what Snails is trying to say?”

Spike shook his head. “There are scribbles that look like they could be words and scribbles that look like they could be pictures, but nothing actually legible.”

“Give me that!” Scootaloo snatched the letter away from Spike in annoyance, and scanned its content. “Really? You can’t read this? And I thought you were supposed to be a scribe.”

“That is not writing.” Spike folded his arms and pointed his snout away at the offensive scrawl.

“Big Guy’s got a point, Squirt. I can’t make out heads or tails from that.” Dash shook her head and moved to stare over Scootaloo’s shoulder, still trying to decipher the scribbles for herself.

“Well, I can. In class we all had to mark each other’s work. We got used to each other’s different writing styles.”

“That’s not a writing style either!” Spike complained, somewhat embarrassed that Scootaloo was able to read something he couldn't.

“Ahem,” Scootaloo faked a cough, and cleared her throat with a teasing glance at the dragon as she began to read. 

“To Spike-”

“No! No! That is not my name written there! I would recognize my own name!”

“Well, no. It’s not your name, but it is a picture of you. See?” Scootaloo was enjoying the growing look of frustration creeping across his face.

“What? How is that me?”

“It’s a bald head with spines coming out of the top. Do you know anypony else in town that fits that description?” Scootaloo smirked. Was it possible to enjoy this too much? 

No. No it wasn't.

“That is not my face! My spines are big and rounded! That is a smiley face with thin pointy triangles sticking out of the top!”

“I’d say consonant V’s.” Rainbow Dash corrected with an amused grin.

“Yeah, I guess” Spike turned his head sideways to try to see the picture from Dash’s angle and nodded. Then shook his head quickly and glared at his Team Captain, “You are not helping!”

“Well, neither are you! Just be quiet and let me read this, would you? Sheesh.” Scootaloo began again.

“To Spike, 

Please help. I am trapped in the library. And the library is broken. And is also on fire. Also timberwolves. Also Twilight Sparkle is dead.” 

“What?!” Both of her teammates shouted at once.

“Wait! It could just be unconscious!” Scootaloo flipped the letter around and pointed to a pony face with a manestyle vaguely similar to Twilight’s with X’s for eyes. “He’s been known to use X’s for either.”

“And you went with dead?” Spike exclaimed incredulously. 

“It is his more commonly used definition for X’s,” she defended with an apologetic look. “But there’s no puddle of blood or anything. I’m sure it’s just unconscious this time. Probably.”

Rainbow Dash ignored her comment, and quickly made for the exit through the waterfall and mentally measured the strength of the storm. “Come on you two, we gotta fly. Get as high as you can as fast as you can. The wind’s gonna be bad but you’ll be fine as long as you keep in mind everything you've learned.”

The seriousness in their Captain’s tone threw any sense of goofing around out the door. Both of the newly trained fliers stood up and instinctively stretched out their wings as they had been taught to do before strenuous acts of flight. 

“You cannot possibly be serious!” Aqua cupped his cheeks in his hands as they began to get ready for take off. “Flying through the Everfree in a storm like this would be tantamount to suicide! As your host I simply must insist that you stay! You will not do any of your friends any good by getting yourselves hurt by attempting flight in a gale.” He pressed his large body up against the entrance, blocking it completely only to suddenly find his head yanked forward by the ends of his mustache. “Ow!”

The well-meaning sea serpent was forced to stare directly into a pair of angry, red eyes as Rainbow Dash hovered at eye level with him, the ends of his precious facial hair gripped by her powerful hooves. “You listen here, and you listen good. No storm, no haunted woodland, and no good intentions of an over-sized water snake will ever be enough to stop Rainbow Dash from being there for her friends! Now get out of our way, or I’m gonna have the dragon cook every strand of hair off your head. We clear?” With that she let the ends of his mustache go, and they snapped back like rubber bands. 

The threat was probably an idle one, but Aqua got the message. Quickly moving out of the way while rubbing the sting where his facial hair had been mercilessly pulled, he instead concentrated on trying to restore his precious mustache its original shape. Dash nodded approvingly as Scootaloo cast Spike a worried glance. With a quick, silent gesture for him to follow, she took this chance while the large sea serpent was distracted and flew straight out of the curtain of water that still covered the entrance. Spike wasn't far behind. 

Rainbow Dash turned to give Aqua an apologetic look. “Sorry Aqua. I really do appreciate everything you did for us, and I’d like to come back, but a pegasus’ gotta do what a pegasus’ gotta do.”

“I suppose,” he responded despondently before turning back to her with a pleading look. “But please, please be careful! You ponies are the first friends I've had in so many years. I would hate to see harm come to any of you.”

“Hey! Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.” Dash gave him a confident grin before turning to follow her teammates only to find she was being held in place by her tail. She glared back at Aqua who had it pinched between his index finger and thumb.

“You will let me know? I’ll be a nervous wreck until I hear word.”

With a half-smirk, she slapped her tail out of his fingers and patted his snout. “Keep the cave warm, we’ll be back before you know it.” 

Aqua slid his arm across the waterfall, pulling the water back and allowing Rainbow Dash exit without getting wet. With a quick wave good-bye, she took off into the sky past her flight team who were waiting impatiently outside. They hurried to keep up with her. Aqua bit his lip in worry as he watched the three disappear into the wild storm clouds above.

“Please come back safe, my dear, little ponies.”