//------------------------------//
// A Long Night 
// Story: Direction 
// by Darth Link 22 
//------------------------------//

Rarity came home to her boutique around the time Celestia had lowered the sun. When she opened the door, she paused to scrutinize the doorframe. There would be wards, Celestia said. Could she spot them?

She looked carefully, and found that she couldn't find anything. Whoever Celestia had hired to install them had done a great job.

The sound of water splashing took her mind off of things. "Sweetie? Are you here?" She trotted up the stairs, a bit of a weary sigh escaping her lips. If she was here this late it likely meant she would be staying the night rather than heading to their parent's home, and while she loved her sister she really didn't want to put up with her antics on a night like tonight.

"I'm… in here, Rarity," Sweetie's voice called.

Rarity nearly stopped dead in her canter. Sweetie did not sound like herself. "Is everything alright?"

She opened the bathroom door to find Sweetie in the tub, bubbles forming everywhere, her mane currently white with shampoo. "I'm fine. It's just… we got worn out today."

Rarity couldn't help but smile. "As opposed to any other day you three are running around?" She moved to the tub and began rinsing her sister's mane. As she did she noticed the water, which was grimy. "My goodness, you really were filthy. What did you get up to?"

Sweetie shifted. "I don't want to talk about it."

Rarity washed the last of the shampoo off. "Did you wash your coat?"

"Yes."

"Behind your ears?"

"Yes."

With a flick of her horn, Rarity removed the bathtub stopper and let the water drain out. The tub had a layer of grime, but the cleaning ponies were coming in tomorrow anyway. As she dried her sister off, she asked, "Are you staying for dinner? I could whip up a nice…"

"I'm not hungry," Sweetie said. "I just want to go to bed."

Rarity blinked. She felt Sweetie's forehead, just below the horn. "You seem warm… but that could just be the bath you had." She levitated her sister onto her back. "Why don't we put you to bed and I'll take your temperature before you fall asleep."

Sweetie didn't argue, or even make a peep the entire trip to what was supposedly the guest bedroom, but it was Sweetie's room in practice. Rarity gently lay her sister on the bed. "Don't go to sleep yet, let me go get the thermometer and..."

A loud bang had Rarity and Sweetie jumping three feet in the air. Immediately the younger Unicorn jumped into her older sister's embrace. "Wh-what was that?"

Rarity, shaking herself, took a few deep breaths. "It might just be a raccoon knocking around the trashcans outside." She didn't believe it, but needed to calm Sweetie down. "I'll go see what it is."

After convincing Sweetie to let go of her, she trotted down the steps, wishing she had something blunt to use as a weapon. She almost wished Sweetie had inherited their father's love of sports. Carefully, she opened the door.

What she saw, four feet away from her, was a familiar gray Pegasus picking garbage off of her.

"Derpy? What happened?"

Derpy jumped and whirled around. "Uh, sorry Rarity," she said. She was breathing heavily. "I was flying and I lost control. I crashed into your garbage cans. I just don't know what went wrong…"

The Unicorn just sighed, looking at her wrecked garbage. "It's fine," she said, lighting her horn to upright the cans. It seemed most of the spill landed on Derpy, and there seemed to be little in the way of a dent. "But you gave me and Sweetie quite a scare. Well, nevermind. Would you like to come in and wash off?"

"That's alright, I was heading home anyway," she waved off. "Thanks!"

Derpy bolted away before Rarity could say anything else. The white Unicorn just sighed. That poor mare was always bumping into things, at that speed she'd probably end up crashing when she reached home.

Closing the door, she went to the downstairs bathroom to fish out her thermometer, then went back upstairs.

"It's nothing to worry about Sweetie, Derpy… just…"

Her sister was out of bed, but not because she was walking or standing. She was laying next to the wastebasket, looking green.

A lump formed in Rarity's throat. She trotted over and took a peek in.

"Ew! …Well… you got it all in the basket, at least."





"Sister, shouldn't you get to bed?"

Luna had waltzed into her sister's bedroom with Tiberius on her back, munching on a few strawberries. Celestia peeled up from the book she had been reading.

"I'm sorry, Luna. It's just… I haven't read these tales in so long. I think it was before you were banished. I suppose the nostalgia got to me."

Luna sat, placing Tiberius on the floor. "I suppose so." Luna snickered. "We always fought over who would play Megan."

"We used to dream about visiting the human world. Can you imagine? No monsters or chaos forces. Just garden-variety politicians to deal with. It would be paradise. And the things their machines could do…"

Luna giggled. "Do you truly believe they exist?"

"I think so. Maybe not in the capacity that everypony is convinced they do, but perhaps."

"And do you believe Twilight Sparkle truly fell into their world?"

"…I don't know."

"You seem awfully invested in those books for a pony who isn't sure."

"It has nothing to do with the world Twilight visited. At least, I don't believe so. But… something tells me that I need to read these. Call it a sign from the Creator."

There was silence for a moment.

"The nobles are pulling their manes out over Twilight Sparkle's disappearance," Luna said at last. "They issued a complete blackout on the media outlets on it. If the populace knew that an Element and its Bearer were missing…"

"I'm… well aware," Celestia said, rubbing her head. "Changelings, Trixie, Sunset… Equestria's problems are many." She took a deep breath. "Still no word from the patrols?"

"Not on the Changelings, I'm afraid. However, I do have some good news. The workers from Ponyville returned. The wards were installed successfully without notice. Rarity is safe, and the other homes will be installed over the next few days."

"Well, that's a relief. Once they’re done, I think I'll have them ward our old castle, under the protection of the Royal Guard, of course. Maybe it's time we refurbished it..."

"Perhaps. We'll talk in the morning. Please don't stay up too late, sister, you have duties of your own to attend to."

Celestia nodded, returning to her book. Luna looked at her a moment longer, but turned and left without another word.





Lightning Dust turned her bottle upright, downing the last few drops in quick order. Putting it aside, she signaled the barkeep. "'Nother cider."

"That's your fifteenth one. I'm sorry, lady, but I'm cuttin' you off."

"Hey, don't you tell me what… what I shouldn't be drinkin'," Lightning tried to protest, but her words came out so slurred that they only increased the stallion's resolve.

"Nothing doing. Now go home, you've had enough."

In a flash Lightning was up, her hoof hitting the bartender in the side. "Listen, you stupid gelding, you're not telling me what…"

The bouncer was on her at that, and even if he didn't, it wouldn't have mattered. Lightning had drank so much that her hitting her target had been entirely due to how unexpected it was. Before she knew it she was face first in the cobblestone streets. "And stay out."

Lightning was half-tempted to lay there and let the next carriage run her over, but she got up.

"Stupid… like that Spitfire bitch… stupid."

Why her? All her life she knew she was destined for the Wonderbolts. Then she got kicked out because of that Rainbow Dash. All because of her stupid friends. Shouldn't have even been there anyway.

Now she had nowhere to go. Her grades in school were so abysmal she was stuck pushing clouds for bits again. It was bearable when she was working towards her goal, but now.

"Stupid… I was born to fly… stupid."

"Apparently, there is hope for Equestria's military after all."

"…Huh? Who's there?" Lightning looked around in the dark.

"I mean, if the Wonderbolts actually rejected you, maybe they have some brains.”

"Alright, I'm going to grind your bones into dust, you stupid…"

Suddenly, Lightning was upside-down and pinned against a wall. It took her a few seconds to clear her mind enough to see.

"Hey… You’re that Unicorn… the one that tore up that hick town a while back."

"Yes, indeed. I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, have hit a bit of…"

Lighning threw her forelegs out and struck Trixie square in the muzzle. Not prepared for the attack, the Unicorn let go and staggered back. Lightning, quick even while drunk, tackled her against the opposing wall of the alley.

"You’re my ticket out of this mess! I turn in one of Equestria's Most Wanted, they'll have to let me…"

Lightning was in the air again, though not by her wings. She was enveloped in a blue aura, and she felt a tugging at her wings. "Trixie will rip your wings out of your sockets if you interrupt her again!"

Lightning Dust was threatened enough to keep quiet. That little threat had reminded her that as bad as her situation was, it could always be worse.

"Now then, you're pretty pathetic now, but the Great and Powerful Trixie has always been a miracle worker. You could be of some use to her."

"Uh… what do you want from me?"

"Trixie has some things planned, and those things involve Twilight Sparkle. And since they involve Twilight Sparkle, they will involve Rainbow Dash."

At the mention of that name, Lightning was filled with anger. "That… stupid… she's the reason I'm like this."

"Believe what you will," Trixie said, "it only benefits me. Trixie can handle Twilight, she has powerful enough magic to match her even in this state, but a speedy Pegasus can prove problematic. She needs somepony who can match her. And since you have a score to settle with her, that will ensure you will perform to your fullest."

"If it takes down Rainbow…" she trailed off a bit, "…Dash, then I'm in."

At that, Trixie set her gently on the ground. "Very good. Now listen. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash will give us the most trouble, but Applejack can be problematic with her strength. But the Great and Powerful Trixie has a plan…"