Test of Time: Arc 1: Awakening

by NoPonysLand

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Twilight
Friday, 21 June 1003
Accompanied by a blinding flash, Twilight appeared in Ponyville, shocking Berry Punch from her stupor on a bench in the town square.
“Nurk... Ugg...” Berry blinked blearily at Twilight. “Oh... 'S only you...”
Twilight sighed, exasperated. “Berry, you know you're not supposed to sleep on the benches. If you must drink yourself unconscious, at least do it somewhere the entire world can't see you!”
“Sorry, yer highness.” Berry slurred, getting to her hooves. Twilight went to her side, helping her up and supporting her. “I'll be outa yer mane soon as I...” She tipped downwards, then recovered. “Soon as I get meh barrings.”
“I'll help.” Twilight began leading Berry, who stumbled back and forth as the pair slowly crossed the square and began to walk towards Berry's home.
“Staahhhhap!” Berry exclaimed, and Twilight stopped, looking at her. “I don't live this way anymore.”
“You were evicted again?” Twilight asked, though to be honest she was unsurprised.
“Knew there was some reason fer the bench...”
Twilight looked at Berry for a few seconds, before sighing and shaking her head. “Okay, Berry. You can stay with me for tonight.”
Berry took an involuntary step back. “Nah, nah, I wouldn’t want ta impose on yer highness.” She looked back and forth, obviously anxious. “Yah already do so much fer meh, I couldn’t...”
“Berry, what have I told you about calling me 'your highness'?”
“Uh... That I shouldn’t?”
“Exactly. You've already failed one of my requests, and we've been talking less than a minute.”
“Sorry, yer hi-... Twilight.” A bead of sweat dripped down Berry's neck, and she began to look increasingly nervous. “I'm really in a bad way right now, I swear I'll follow yer word, I will!”
Twilight began to feel a little guilty, but she knew that this would be the fastest way. “Well, I want you to come with me to the Library.”
“Sure thing! Anything ya say!” Berry turned with Twilight, and the two slowly navigated Ponyville's streets. Eventually, they made it to the Library doors. Twilight unlocked them with her magic, letting Berry and herself inside.
“You are to lay down there,” Twilight said, pointing her hoof at a collection of pillows in the corner of the room, “And not wake up until breakfast.”
“Whatever yah say, Twilight.”
“TWILIGHT!”
There was a crash from upstairs, and then the sound of scales clinking on the wooden steps as Spike rushed down them, taking a flying leap and hug-tackling Twilight. “Are you okay? I've been looking for you all day!”
Twilight smiled, separating the dragon from her flank. “I'm fine, Spike. Something was happening to me, but I got through it. I'm fine now, at least I think so.”
“The others thought that you had just gone somewhere for a little alone time, but I knew better. Fluttershy began to get worried around noon, but as far as I know she never convinced anypony else.” Spike looked at her. “Where were you?”
“Shhhh...” Twilight put a hoof to her lips, signaling Spike to quiet down. “Berry's trying to sleep. We'll go upstairs and I'll explain.”
Spike turned, seeing their guest for the first time. “She drunk?”
“Always.” Came a gurgled reply.
“Really, she's fine.” Twilight pulled Spike, and together they went upstairs to Twilight's bedroom. Closing her door, Twilight laid down on her bed, turning towards the expectant Spike. “Okay, where to begin.” Twilight recounted most of her day, being a brief as possible whilst not avoiding details. Spike listened intently for four minutes as she spoke. When she finished, he searched her face for concern. Finding none, he finally relaxed.
“So, your all okay now?”
Twilight hesitated, then answered. “We think so, though it's not certain. This is the first time something like this has happened, so there are a few unknowns.” Seeing Spike's face take on a look of concern, Twilight smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Don't worry, we're fairly certain it's all taken care of.”
“So what happens now?”
Twilight cocked her head slightly, taking on a look of confusion. “What do you mean?”
Spike shifted back and forth slightly, not making direct eye contact. “I mean, well, your going to go full goddess sometime in the next few days, right? Are we, like, moving or something? And there's got to be other changes that will happen now. You've gotta break two meters sometime, right? That's just the outside stuff. What about other little physical things? Will you eat more? And then flight. Or, organs. Do they shift?” Spike continued to speak, but from this point his words became increasingly garbled and his sentences increasingly fragmented. Eventually, when Spike paused for breath, Twilight interjected.
“Spike, you're rambling.”
Spike, who had his mouth open at the time, left it there for about three seconds, emitting a slight high pitched whine as his words backed up in his larynx. He closed his mouth, a slight blush playing across his face. “Sorry.”
Twilight got off her bed and, to Spike's surprise, hugged the little dragon. “Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. Not permanently, anyway. As for the other things, I'm sure they'll become apparent if they happen, when they happen. I didn’t really ask.” She pushed him backwards, holding him out between her front hooves. “Though if I do suddenly start having 'organ shifts', you'll be the first to know. After the bed, of course.”
Spike nodded in agreement, then yawned. Twilight checked the clock, not surprised to find that it was nearly 23:40. “My my, it's long past your bedtime. You should really get to sleep.”
“What about you?”
Twilight looked out the window. “I don't know. I woke up less then two hours ago, and don't feel tired in the slightest. I think I'll take a walk. It is, after all, a beautiful night tonight.”
Spike yawned again. “You got that right.” He crawled into bed.
“Goodnight, Spike.”
“Hey, Twi?”
Twilight paused on her way out. “Yes?”
Spike hesitated for a few seconds, then spoke quietly. “Thanks for being okay.”
“I'll always be okay for you, Spike.”
Twilight exited the room, quietly sneaking downstairs and slipping out her front door. Stepping outside, she breathed in the warm summer air, letting a soft breeze tickle her. The light from the moon was more then enough to see by, and the town looked so beautiful cast silver by it. Stretching her wings, Twilight took off, soaring into the sky. Instantly, she was amazed by the ease at which she was flying, and the resulting speed this ease caused. Before she really understood what she was doing, Twilight found herself a kilometer above the town, looking down upon it from on high.
She paused there, maintaining her altitude with careful strokes. The town of Ponyville did not have much in the way of lighting, and what it did have was all but completely turned off by midnight. However, the moon's powerful silver glow cast more than enough light on the town, turning the yellows gold and the browns bronze. It glistened off of the river, its nearly perfect calm surface retaining enough clarity for Twilight to make out her own reflection from a kilometer away.
Twilight began to spiral over the town, observing it from many angles. Her curiosity was piqued by the speed at which her lazy strokes were taking her. It seemed that her changes might not all be over. This time, as an experiment, she flew quickly horizontally, shocked to find herself breaking the sound barrier after just three seconds of acceleration. She reacted quickly, stopping herself in about the same time. Twilight's head spun, and she felt like she had been squeezed between two large metal plates. Not surprising, given her nine gees of acceleration. Normally, she knew, six seconds of nine gees should have knocked her out cold, but it seemed some of her required secondary powers were already becoming active.
Beyond why alicorns were different, she really should have been asking how.
It suddenly struck Twilight just how little she really knew about the nature of alicorns. She knew that they didn't age, and that they were nearly impossible to kill. They could preform great feats of magic, and controlled aspects of nature. From her time with Celestia, Twilight had managed to gather a little more, like the fact that they could go for extended periods without sleep, food, water, or air, or the fact that they could metabolize meat. But something as simple as high level flight aptitude was unknown to her. What else might she be missing? She had always thought that she understood alicorns well, but having become one seemed to make such a claim much harder to substantiate.
Twilight told herself to calm down. Be reasonable. Of course you don't know everything yet; you've been an alicorn for all of... well, all of an hour, it seems. If there was something overwhelmingly important, Celestia or Luna would have told you. You'll just have to learn the small stuff on your own.
Following her own advice, Twilight relaxed, letting her queries drift off her mind. The night was beautiful, and the summer air felt glorious on her fur, making her want nothing more than to just drift here, watching the landscape flow by below her. She could worry about the future later, for now, she should fly.
Twilight did exactly that, playing around in the air above Ponyville. After frolicking for about five minutes, she landed in a cloud with a FROOM, imbedding herself nearly a meter in the soft surface. The cloud responded to her attack by beginning to rain.
Twilight had not expected this, though on reflection it was hardly illogical. She had had full pegasus powers for months now, weather control that, if fact, far exceeded the greatest of pegasi. She just did not know how it worked. Including how to get the cloud to stop raining.
Twilight tried flying into the cloud again, but that only made it rain harder. She tried closing over the hole she had made in its surface, but this had no effect on the rainfall. She got onto its side and pushed, hoping to at least move the cloud out away from Ponyville. At first, this seemed to work, but after she had managed one hundred meters, she noticed the darkening of the sky. Inadvertently, she had managed to make the cloud about eight times larger(512 times the volume!), the rain now coming down in sheets.
Frustrated, Twilight backed off, fuming. Returning to its side, she bucked the cloud in an attempt to relieve some of her stress. From her hooves sprang an incredible lightning bolt, the likes of which she had never witnessed before, and technically still hadn’t due to her near instant blindness. A quarter second later, she was deaf as well, the boom powerful enough to propel her backwards. Unsure of her position relative to the ground, Twilight flapped her wings desperately, hoping to give herself some lift before reaching the earth. Her entire body jolted as she was put through unbearable acceleration, causing her to panic and slam into reverse, crashing again four seconds later in a surface much more forgiving than the ground she had expected. She supposed it was likely the cloud. Still disorientated, she stopped moving, waiting for her sight and hearing to return.
The conditions were temporary, and within thirty seconds, Twilight began to be able to hear soft noises beyond the constant ringing. She blinked her eyes, the blurry outline of the cloudscape she had landed in slowly coming into focus. Feeling up to it, she concentrated, casting a healing spell on herself, instantly fixing her sight and hearing.
Climbing out of her indent, Twilight glanced down at the town below. Ponies were out in the streets, yelling up at the cloud and pointing at the large patch of glass that now was part of the town. Twilight saw a huge char mark down the side of one of the houses, but it seemed that the incessant rain had easily extinguished any fires, and nopony appeared injured.
From the other side of town, a rainbow streak began closing in on Twilight's position, pausing just above the site to look down upon the destruction before turning towards Twilight with a look of anger.
“What the hell were you thinking, doing something like this? Who's team are you on, 'cuz it ain’t mine, that for sure! You probably thought you were being funny, didn’t you? Well, its midnight, I'm out here to clean up your mess, and it is. Most. Certainly. Not - ” Rainbow Dash's eyes, which had so far been vaguely pointing her in the direction of the reason she was now awake instead of in her bed, finally focused enough for her to tell exactly who she was talking to. “-... funny. Hi, Twilight.”
“Hi.”
Dash looked to her, then to the cloud, then to the crowd, then back to her. “Was this you?”
Twilight needed the cloudscape below her hooves. “Kinda, yeah.”
“Uh...” Dash looked uncomfortable. “Do you, like, need this here or...?” She paused, before continuing, “because if you need it here, I'm legally obligated to do as you ask, so this can totally be a thing. If you want.”
Twilight laughed nervously. “No, this was rather unplanned. I set it off on accident, and couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. I've been trying to get rid of it, but I don't really understand how.”
Dash grinned. “Ah, a cloud like this, no problem! I'll take care of it in a jiffy.” That said, Dash quickly encased, surrounded, and dispersed the cloud, clearing the air in about fifteen seconds.
Twilight smiled her thanks. “That was impressive.”
“Nothing to it. Just practice, that's all. Happy to take care of anything for you.” Dash looked around. “Do you have anything else you need me for?”
Twilight stifled a laugh. “Rainbow Dash, asking for work when there's a bed to be had?”
Dash's face became nervous. “No, I would never think like that!”
Twilight cursed herself. She should have realized what that sounded like to Dash. Being the weather captain of Ponyville, Dash worked for the government, meaning that Twilight was, on top of being her friend, her direct boss. She had been acting paranoid about her work around Twilight for months now, seemingly constantly afraid of being fired. The fear, as it happened, was not without precedent. Twilight had more then enough evidence to justifiably lay Rainbow off just on the stories she had told her during the times they had spent together in the past. Twilight had her own guilty secret as well. When reviewing the weather team lineups, going off just the files, she had failed Dash's performance with a 7 out of 20. She had realized who it was just moments before handing in the recommendation to drop her from the teams. Even still, she had been tempted to drop her anyway. After all, she had rated the performance fairly and unbiasedly. In the end, she had let her feelings get in the way, and redacted her recommendation. She had never told Dash.
Recovering from her introspection, Twilight gave Dash the same smile that she had given Spike an hour earlier, still hoping that it was reassuring. She really should check at some point. “Of course not. The weather captain of Ponyville is always on the job.”
“You got that right!” Dash grinned, and Twilight was relieved at the quickness of her recovery. “Well, if you don't need anything else, it is kinda late.”
“Understood.” Twilight paused, and Dash turned to leave. “Dash?”
“Yeah?”
“Well...” Twilight took a deep breath, then exhaled. “No, it's nothing. Get some sleep.”
“Oh no you don't.” Dash flew right up into Twilight's face, making her take an involuntary step back. “Screw policy and obligations, when you say that you've got to know you're not just getting out of it. Now I'm asking as a friend.” Dash stared into Twilight's eyes. “What do you need.”
“Nothing!” It came out not quite as a squeak, but somewhere half way between normal voice and one. “I just wanted to ask, since you were awake, if you wouldn’t mind flying with me.” She paused, then sighed. “I have a lot on my mind right now.”
After she had said it, she realized just how true it was. She had been pushing it back due to its limited effect on her present, and in the end, it was hardly a great truth or secret, but just having this knowledge inside, with her friends unaware, was eating at her. It would inevitably change their dynamic relationships, and though she was sure that their friendships would endure, the sooner she told them, the easier it would be.
Dash looked back in the direction of her house, obvious longing in her eyes. She sighed. “Well, I guess it is Saturday now, so I can just sleep in. Okay.”
Without another word, Dash took off, beckoning Twilight to follow. Grateful for her company, Twilight took to the skies, following Dashes lead. In truth, she couldn’t have picked a better flight partner. Dash was very skilled, and more than capable of keeping up with her, even with her alicorn bonuses. The two kept a fair pace of two hundred kilometers per hour, a speed that Twilight would have considered the equivalent of sprinting just yesterday but now felt like a jog. Dash seemed content to let Twilight speak when she was ready, and the two simply enjoyed the company of the other in flight.
Five minutes and seventeen kilometers from Ponyville, Twilight began to explain her new found knowledge to Dash, who listened intently and considerately until she had finished speaking. Her reaction was not as Twilight had expected.
“And...” Dash waited expectantly, a questioning tone creeping into her voice.
“That's it.” Twilight looked to Dash, searching her expression for anything that might tell her how she felt about Twilight's new ability.
“That's what you were worried about?” Dash seemed incredulous. “Twi, I don't know for sure about the others, but I kinda expected something like this from day one. This isn't news. You're a force of nature now, but I sorta figured you were for, like, seven months. 'There are going to be changes', big whoop!” She looked Twilight directly in the eyes, intensely enough for her to feel slightly uncomfortable under her gaze. “You're still Twilight. That's all that matters. The day you let your physical traits dictate your actions is the day we no longer are friends. For you, this might be a great revelation, but for the rest of us its just you, with a new set of bells and whistles tagged on.” She grinned. “Keep acting like yourself, and nopony will care. Its just like you to get worked up over something that nopony in their right mind would bother to consider. Of all that you have said today, asking me to listen to you at all was the most informative. You're still you.”
Twilight did not know how to respond, so Dash decided for her, flying in and embracing her. For a second, they tilted, as Twilight attempted to figure out how to maintain lift, but after a second she realized that she didn’t much care, really.
“It's okay.” Dash whispered into her ear. “I've got you.” Twilight relaxed her body, letting herself go in Dash's warm embrace. “Nopony really thinks about it, do they? How hard it must be for everything that made you you to be changing before your eyes. They think of it as nothing but good, not considering how very scary it must be to change so rapidly, to become something that you aren't, not really, not yet, and seeing others react to your change. You want to say 'It's me. Just me.' but whenever you try, they simply agree with you, their averted eyes and stilted speech telling the real truth.” Dash loosened her embrace, looking Twilight in the eyes once more. “I will never think of you as anything except the awkward lavender unicorn who visited our town and decided to be my friend. If you turn brown and pink and become a ten meter tall dragon that shoots confetti when you sneeze, you will still be you. Anypony who really cares about you will know that.”
Twilight wasn’t crying, but she was pretty close. Her next words came out sticky, the sound of sobbing kept just at bay. “Thank you. I... Thank you, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight searched her mind for something else to say, something more meaningful then a thank you, and cursed the lack of adequate descriptors available in modern equine.
“Just don't tell anypony I hugged you.” Dash said, shuttering. “Ponies seem to take stuff like that way to far.”
Twilight laughed softly at that. “Don't worry, I won't.”
By silent consensus, the two arced downwards, landing next to each other and sitting silently, simply contemplating themselves, each other, and the world which they found themselves in.
Twenty minuets later, Dash had fallen asleep at Twilight's hooves, and Twilight was loath to get up, lest she wake her. Still, she felt not at all tired. In fact, she was greatly energized, alert and ready to get on with her day. She tried to curl up with Dash and sleep, but found herself unable, her mind far to active. She thought about a great many things. Her mind kept playing Dash's speech over and over,
each time accompanied with a lessening but real warmth. Her steadfast loyalty was to be expected, but her justification seemed to run deeper then a sense of duty. It gave her hope. Dash was right, after all; If she acted like herself, her friends would act like themselves. It really was that simple.
Her anxieties fading, her attention turned to other things, like what she would do in the morning once the world arose. Today was the twenty-second of June, and the summer solstice and accompanying summer sun celebration would take place on the twenty-fifth, in just three days time(1). Twilight was more looking towards tomorrow. Though she went out of her way to draw as little attention to it as possible, Celestia's birthday was the twenty-third of June. The summer sun celebration, in honor of the life giving star which orbited their planet, was supposed to be just that, a celebration of the sun. Not a celebration of Celestia. Still, in some places, like Stalliongrad, Wingtop, and Haystings, both dates were celebrated together, and in a few, like Hoofany, Celestia's birthday was the only date marked. Twilight knew that the practice was one which Celestia disapproved of(mark that Canterlot was not among the names listed), but was still followed none to less, mostly out of tradition at this point.
She digressed. As much as Twilight understood Celestia's reasons for wishing to remove herself from direct celebration, she felt that she should do something for Celestia on her birthday, even if it was no more then to drop in and say hi. She had celebrated her birthday before, as a filly once or twice, and knew that Celestia usually spent the day alone, to her own devices. It always struck her as sad. Twilight was also one of the few ponies who knew how old Celestia actually was, and this year happened to be a numerically significant one, with Celestia turning eleven hundred fifty. It would be a shame to for her to spend it alone again. Besides, at the very least she might be able to use some help being rescued from the ungodly amount of cake she always procured at these occasions.
Twilight's musings continued, content to sit and think as Rainbow Dash slept, the sky clear and beautiful.

A sudden shock forced Twilight out of her daydreaming. She reeled backwards, kicking out and striking Dash, who woke with a start. Her head swum, and then, just as suddenly, two seconds later, she recovered, her mind filled with the afterimage of... something.
“Wha-!” Dash sprang to her hooves, her eyes unfocused for a second, then centering on Twilight. “Twi! What's wrong!”
“I... I'm not sure.” Twilight concentrated, trying to capture the negative of the image in her mind to no success. It was a pressure, more than an image, a bright burst that had... metaphysically blinded her, for lack of a better description. She turned towards Dash, opening her mouth to speak, then stopping. The epicenter of the mental image had shifted its relative position in her mind, keeping its absolute position relative to the earth. “I don't know what it is... but I think I know where it is.”
“What are we waiting for!” Dash stretched her wings, a grin crossing her face. “Sounds like an adventure to me!” She took to the sky, circling around Twilight. “Lead the way!”
Twilight hesitated on the ground. “I'm not sure that's such a good plan, Dash. Anything that could create a magical signature capable of overwhelming me like this... well, I wasn't aware it was possible at all. I have magic sensitivity, but this felt... different, somehow. Like it was magic, but not normal magic. We should be careful.”
Dash rolled her eyes. “Of course its dangerous, duh, otherwise it wouldn't be much of an adventure. Look, Twilight. I'm the fastest pegasus alive, maybe ever, and you're a supper intelligent, very resourceful spell caster who has taken on gods and won when a unicorn, and is now a goddess herself. We'll be fine.”
Twilight wanted to argue, but really, Dash had a point. Besides, she was getting bored of sitting here, doing nothing. There were still about two hours until sunrise, and a little adventure could be just what she needed.
Taking off, Twilight turned in the direction her mind told her to, the pair streaking south-west at five hundred kilometers an hour. This speed dropped off considerably as Twilight and Rainbow dash became tired. Being able to break the speed of sound for ten seconds and being able to maintain near sonic speeds for five minutes were very different, and so after making it about fifty kilometers they were forced to land, requiring a break as their chests heaved. Dash recovered much faster than Twilight, unsurprisingly, as she had trained for endurance, but Twilight was back in the air after seven minuets, this time taking it at around two hundred fifty kilometers per hour. After another three minutes however, she landed again.
“Its... gone.” She panted to Dash, who landed next to her. “The... the afterimage is... gone. Its faded away.”
“Uhgg!” Dash exclaimed, her expression sour. “And we flew out seventy kilometers for it, too!” She sighed, then sat down next to Twilight. “Did you see anything we passed over that looked suspicious?”
“Not really.” Twilight paused, thoughtful. “But the image had us going in the same direction. If we just keep heading strait, perhaps we'll come across it.”
“Well, you're welcome to, but as far as I'm concerned, we've flown out far enough already.” Dash looked at her. “We started nearly twenty kilometers away from Ponyville, and though we've flown for a combined total of twenty minutes, I'm not up for another stretch at two hundred fifty, let alone five hundred. Any distance we travel we will have to fly back. That's another ninety kilometers already, and I'm getting hungry. Flying is hard work. My flight range is about three hundred kilometers, five hundred if I'm desperate. That's every twelve hours, Twilight. I've got no idea about you, and I'm not the greatest at math, but these numbers are starting to add up.”
It was true. Twilight could tell that the feeling in her body was not simply tiredness, but fatigue. It was one of the simplest mistakes to assume a pegasus could fly for a certain length of time. Work was a calculation based on mass and distance, not velocity(2). Whatever way you looked at it, their flight was burning calories like nopony's business.
“Okay. We'll fly out and up to an altitude of ten kilometers. If we can't see anything from that vantage point, we'll turn around and go home. Deal?”
“Works for me.”
Twilight and Dash ascended to the intended altitude over the course of eight minutes. Twilight could tell that Dash was having some trouble breathing, but she did not mention it. From here, the two glanced around at the earth below, the horizon having been pushed out to nearly three hundred fifty kilometers. Unfortunately, such distance meant that each meter took up far less of their view, and after three minutes they gave up, not being able to see anything.
“Hey, cheer up. If it was anything awesome, we would have been able to see it.” Dash said, though she had a distinct tone of disappointment in her voice. Twilight couldn’t blame her. They had flown eighty kilometers now, with nothing to show for it. Really, it was time to head back. No sunk cost fallacy for her.
The two headed back towards Ponyville, using the pull of gravity to speed their approach. Still, they went at a much more sedate pace, rarely exceeding one hundred kilometers per hour. By the time they reached Ponyville, the telltale signs of the sun's rise were visible over the horizon, casting a dusty orange glow on the clouds. The small hamlet would not be waking for another hour, being Saturday, though a few of the early risers were making their presence felt. As they flew over the town at about one hundred meters, Twilight spotted Big Macintosh, already out in the fields, Raincloud, out tending to a unruly cumulus, Orion, cleaning the windows of the town hall, and Dawning Bloom, tending to her flowers. Ponies who she did not immediately recognize were here and there, though for the most part the streets were empty. Choosing a landing site, Twilight bid Rainbow Dash ado and headed for her library.
She entered, her body tired but her mind as awake as ever. Remembering Berry Punch, Twilight went to her kitchen, quickly preparing some daisy sandwiches and eggs(3). Berry quickly registered the smell of the food, slowly drawing her awake.
“Whu... Whuts that smell?”
“Breakfast!” Twilight called, startling Berry fully awake with a jump.
“Nhung! Oh, uh, yeah. I came here last night, didn't I?”
Twilight laughed softly, though her heart was not really in it. “Yeah, you did.” She cared for Berry, in the same way you would care for anypony you found hurt and in need, but she really wished that she would stop drinking so much. One of these days it would get her into trouble. She couldn’t, or at least wouldn’t, take her in every night, and Berry would have to deal with that. At least, Twilight reflected, she was not a dangerous drunk.
“So, can I get some of that?”
“Of course.” Berry entered the kitchen, seating herself and eating quickly and quietly. Twilight was quite surprised at the vigor she went into the food with. She was expecting her to be at least a little hung over. That, it seemed, was not the case. Berry quickly polished off all that Twilight had prepared, gulped down a glass of water, and with thirty seconds was giving Twilight her goodbyes. Six minutes after her awakening, Twilight found herself alone in the library.
“Well...” Twilight looked around, the bookshelves not responding to her words, as expected. “I am a librarian.” Twilight walked over to the returned books, finding all of three titles. The Ponyville public library did not get too much traffic. It was only a few seconds before they had all been properly indexed. She checked around the building, to no avail. Everything was in order, and there was naught for her to do. On a Saturday, it was highly unlikely that anypony would want to check out or return a book. As far as she knew, nothing particularly important was happening today. Really, this was a good thing. She could almost certainly round up a few of her friends and do something fun today.
While she waited for a more appropriate time, 10:00 seemed good, Twilight made herself a cup of tea, and set to work finishing The Encyclopedia of Equestrian Flora and Fauna (Vol 7). The author, one Long Reach, had been an adventurer in the 60's, and had used her knowledge to make The Encyclopedia an interesting as well as informative read, interspersing it with anecdotes from her adventures. Twilight wished more non-fiction authors would wright like this. The presentation was much more engaging, even if it meant that the plants were somewhat underrepresented.
So Twilight sat, reading The Encyclopedia and drinking her tea, until she noticed her clock strike 13:00. 13:00! She had been reading for nearly seven hours. Looking at the book in her hooves, she was shocked to find that it was not volume 7, but volume 8. She never remembered getting up, but she must have switched books when she had finished. Turning her head, she noticed volume 7 laying down on her table. The tea was also still warm.
For a second, Twilight panicked, her eyes scanning the room. Had she blacked out again? Was it still happening? But no, flipping through its pages, she remembered reading through the descriptions of every entry in volume 7. She had just zoned out so completely as to not notice getting up for tea. Which did not sound normal.
“Uh, you okay, Twilight?”
Twilight spun, facing the small dragon who was caring a teapot. It began to make more sense.
“Spike, have you been refilling my teacup?”
“Every hour, on the hour.” He paused, looking at her. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, no, everything is fine. Thank you, Spike.”
“Don't mention it. You just looked so absorbed in that book, I didn't want to disturb you.”
Twilight rubbed her eyes, then smiled at him. “That was very proactive of you.” Twilight stood up and stretched, her body mostly recovered from her flight. She noted that she still felt not at all tired. She was beginning to suspect why. She was well aware that Alicorns were capable of staying up for eight, even ten days at a time without becoming tired. She had expected it at some point, but for whatever reason was not expecting it to happen so soon. She knew that there was a way to fall asleep sooner, after all, Celestia and Luna both kept daily cycles, but she was unaware exactly how. It was something she could ask when she went back to Canterlot tomorrow.
As for now, Twilight left her library, telling Spike to “Have some fun.” As soon as she exited her doors, summer assaulted her senses, temporarily overwhelming her. The sunlight was bright and clear, its relentless glow heating the world to what Twilight would not at all be surprised to find was thirty degrees. There was no wind that she could feel, though the air was not particularly humid. The scents of summer still managed to carry to her nose, the greenery, flowers, and water mixing not unpleasantly in the summer heat.
Another smell passed her way, this time caring with it a distinct sweetness which she instantly recognized as apple pie. Letting her nose direct her, Twilight's hooves ferried her towards the smell. If worse came to worse, she would end up somewhere random in town, and with all likelihood, Applejack or Pinkie Pie were responsible for the smell.
The smells became stronger as she approached, though by now her mind was in control of her body, having identified the smell's location to be Sugarcube Corner. She drew in, pausing for a second at the door, before entering. The cafe was abandoned, though the kitchens were in full use. A voice called out strong from the open door “Sorry 'bout this, but nopony's allowed in here today. Yer gonna have to come back later.”
“Does that apply to friends as well?” Twilight asked, and there was a crash as her voice was reacted to.
“Darn it girl, ya could have given me some warning.” Applejack poked her head out, her face plastered with batter and a grin. “Well, while yer here, ya might as well help us. We got ourselves eighteen hundred orders this year. The Cakes and Pinkie have been kind enough to lend us a hoof.”
“Eighteen hundred?” Twilight was shocked. “But that's two thirds of a pie per pony!”
“That was before you, girl. Apparently, near twelve thousand ponies have decided to come here for the summer sun celebration this year. Eighteen hundred is one slice per pony, and you know that the apple family is committed to at least that for all who attend. Admittedly, we never expected these numbers, but...”
Twilight sighed. It made sense, after all. She lived here, and was unlikely to be attending the celebration in any other location. Come to Ponyville, home of Princess Twilight and her five fellow elements. Tickets three bits. The town population had already increased by four hundred in the last six months, from twenty-two to twenty-six hundred all told. Apparently, the land value in Ponyville had never been higher. Such a pilgrimage, she supposed it was technically the right word, was only to be expected.
“Well, it sounds like you can use all the help you can get.”
Twilight entered the kitchen, finding Applejack and Pinkie Pie inside. Pinkie was, currently, staring directly and intently at the twenty-four pies which were baking in the six ovens. It appeared to be taking her full concentration.
“So... what do I do?” Twilight walked to a free area of counter space, staring down at a bowl in front of her.
“Well, let's see...” Applejack pondered for a second. “Well, I suppose ya should be the pony to mix the dough. Ya look up to it.” She winked. “And there ain't any rules for the mixing, so yer magic should make it much easier, and faster too.”
Twilight set to work, mixing together the ensemble of ingredients in the amounts conveniently listed on a note in front of her. Applejack's prediction was accurate, and Twilight managed to produce dough in rates previously unreachable. Applejack had no trouble keeping up, cutting, mashing, and mixing the apples with sugar, flower, butter, and cornstarch. It became very apparent to Twilight that the real bottleneck was the ovens. The pies needed to bake at 175 for forty minutes, then 200 for ten, before being removed. Though they could slot twenty-four at a time, it was far from the numbers needed.
“At this rate...” Twilight paused, making the mental calculation, “If we work constantly from now until sunrise of the twenty-fifth, no sleep, we will just barely make our eighteen hundred mark.”
“Lucky us that we don't need to make that many. Like I said, the Cakes have lent us their ovens, but we still got our own. We can slot twenty at once. If all goes well, Sleeping from twenty-two to eight, we'll be done around nineteen on the twenty-fourth, just in time for the start of the celebrations.”
“Well... That works, I suppose...” Twilight paused, thinking. “Applejack, how tight are our margins for these pies?”
Applejack gestured to the barrels of apples, sugar, and flower stacked in the cafe. “This here is enough for twelve hundred, and we're responsible for one thousand of the total.”
“Okay...” Twilight stopped mixing the dough, carefully levitating over one of the currently filled but unbaked pies. With a flash, Twilight heated the pie from the inside, steam shooting out of the steam holes. Three seconds, and she stopped. The pie was golden brown, and smelt delicious. “There.”
Applejack paused, peering over at the pie. “That's nice, sugarcube, but it ain't the apple family way.”
“If it tastes the same, does it really matter?”
“Well, as it happens, yes.” Applejack hesitated, then sighed. “But with the numbers we're dealing with, I might be convinced. IF it tastes the same.”
So saying, Applejack cut herself a slice. From her vantage point, Twilight thought the pie looked okay. Applejack took a bite.
“Well, I don't know exactly how to tell you this, Twi. Lets get one thing straight, it ain't bad. For a five second cook, it's great. But it just ain't the same. The heat dried the apples out, and the juice just kinda crusted on in places. It's chewy. Tastes great, fully cooked and all, but chewy. Not how apple pie should be.”
Twilight sighed. “Well, worth a shot.” She turned back to her dough, but realized there was no real reason. They were seventy-two ahead, enough for the next three batches, and running out of counter space.
Pinkie had not moved from her position except when they switched batches, her eyes still trained on the pies.
“Pinkie...” Twilight approached her, with no response. “What are you doing?”
Pinkie continued to stare at the pies.
“What is she doing?” Twilight asked Applejack, who only shrugged.
“It's doing it for her, and she ain't slowing me down. That's all I care.”
Twilight, of course, was not satisfied by this answer. “Pinky... you okay? Hello?”
“I'm watching them.” Pinkie spoke, her voice coming out in a conspiratory whisper.
“Watching who? For what?”
“The pies, of course.” Pinkie's voice did not raise in volume, though it did begin to take on her normal tone. “You know how they say that a watched pot never boils? Well, water boiling is just water's way of burning, except it doesn't like fire. Pies are bad when burnt, and we don't want them to burn. So, logically, if water can't boil while being watched, then pies can't burn if watched either!” She smiled. “It's the perfect solution!”
Twilight thought about commenting, then decided for a different tack. “Well, you know, Pinkie, water boils at 100, but pies bake at 175. If you keep watching them like that, they might never get hot enough at all!”
Pinkie gasped hard, springing to her hooves. “Oh my gosh! You're absolutely right! I didn’t even think about that! You're a life saver, Twilight!” She turned towards Applejack apologetically. “I'm so sorry, I didn't realize. I'll make it up to you, I swear!” So saying, she bounded out the open window, yelling “You've not seen the last of me!”.
Twilight was not sure if she should be laughing or running after Pinkie.
Applejack, seeing Twilight concern, said “Don't fret. The mare can take care of herself.”
“I suppose...” Twilight sighed. “But now I’ve chased away half of your help.”
“Well, you'll just have to stay until she returns, then.”
And so she did. The two mares waited, putting in the pies at fifty minute intervals. They talked on all subjects, reminiscing about old adventures and dreaming of new to come. Twilight told Applejack her news, and she took it about as well as Dash had, her response less heartwarming but no less heartfelt. Before she knew it, it was 16:00, then 18:30.
Around this time, Pinkie returned with Fluttershy in tow.
“Hey, Twilight, guess who wants to see you!”
“Um, hi, Twilight. I'm glad to see you've returned.”
“Uh, yeah,” Twilight hesitated, looking sheepishly at Fluttershy. “Did I, kinda, you know, run out on you?”
“Um... yeah.” Fluttershy looked down. “But I'm sure you had a very good reason. I wouldn’t hold anything like that against anypony. You're allowed to leave at any time, even if I'm in the middle of a sentence. It was nice of you just to come over. I'm sorry if I made you feel compelled to stay.”
Twilight was not surprised, unpleasantly so, at the complete sincerity with which Fluttershy had rendered her statement. “That's... profoundly sad in ways I'm not sure I can articulate.”
“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I was trying to avoid that. Really, it's fine.”
Twilight's stomach continued to drop. “Fluttershy, please stop talking.”
“Sorry.”
Twilight thought for a second. “Fluttershy, would you be happy with yourself if you walked out on somepony else?”
“Oh no, of course not! I would never do that unless something terrible was happening.”
“Okay, and then what if that pony came back to you and apologized for you walking out on them.”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. Quietly, she said “Oh.”
Twilight smiled. “You're right, I did have a very good reason, but that doesn't negate the fact that I walked out on you, it just excuses it. You certainly don't have to apologize.”
“Um, alright.” Fluttershy looked up at her. “You're not mad at me?”
Twilight paused. A thought had struck her, one that had been playing around in her head since Fluttershy had walked in. “No, of course not. Why would I be mad at you?”
“Well, you did run away from me and not return to the town for an entire day.”
“I was mentally unstable at the time.” Twilight looked at her. “Did I give you any indication that I was mad at you?”
“Well...” Fluttershy looked downwards, eyes on her hooves. Twilight felt success and failure at the same time. She was right, Fluttershy was acting unusually shy and apologetic, likely because of something she had said or done in her blank, memory uploading state.
“Before you speak, I want to explain something. When I was standing there with you, my body underwent a physical change. I was connected to my Alicorn powers for the first time, and this included my memory storage. Living forever means you need to have a backup, and when uploading my memories, my brain went into a blank state. I'm unsure what I was like, and I don't remember a thing about it. Anything I said or did to you was not me, and not done consciously. Therefor, I definitely did not mean it, what ever it was.”
“Really?” Fluttershy looked directly into Twilight's eyes, and the hope nested inside her gaze made Twilight unsure if she really wanted to know what she had said or done to her. It couldn’t have been that bad, right?
“Really and truly.”
“Well, your expression went blank, and you just started walking away. I followed you for a few meters, when you turned around suddenly and...” Fluttershy paused, looking downwards. “and said some things that don't bare repeating. Or yelled, rather.”
Twilight couldn’t help but give a relieved sigh. “Oh, good.” Seeing Fluttershy's confusion, she clarified. “I though I might have hurt you.”
“Oh no, you never struck me at all!” Fluttershy said.
Twilight paused. “Fluttershy...” She looked at the pegasus, who's facial expression made it clear that she had noticed her own slip.
“You don't remember anything, right?” Fluttershy said. Twilight nodded. “Then nothing happened. Okay?” Twilight scanned her face. Now that she was looking for it, she could see the signs of a strong strike across the face, though it did not look to have done much damage. Twilight almost cringed. How could she had done that? At least, based on Fluttershy's slip, it seemed that that was likely the extent of her damages. Her blow had hurt, but not injured.
“Okay.” If Fluttershy wanted to put it in the past, she was not about to argue. Besides, it was not as if her excuse was not solid. Complete lack of control lets you get off of most things. Still, Twilight vowed to make it up to Fluttershy at some point, but not in public.
“So...” Pinkie looked over Twilight into the kitchen. She was obviously uncomfortable with the subject matter being discussed, tilting back and forth on her hooves. “Is the baking going well?”
Twilight was caught off guard with the non sequitur, but recovered quickly. “Yes. The sixth batch since you left is nearly done now. The last one hundred twenty have come out fine.”
Fluttershy also leaned in. “How many are you making?”
“All of them, of course!” Said Pinkie, rolling her eyes. “Duh.”
“About one thousand.” Twilight clarified. “Apparently we're expecting twelve thousand visitors for the summer sun celebration this year. Applejack thinks it's my fault, and I'm pretty sure she's right.”
“Twelve thousand?!” Fluttershy seemed shocked. “How will we fit them all? The streets were already packed, and that was with two thousand residents and one thousand visitors. Fourteen, even fifteen thousand total? There won't be enough space for them all to fit.” She began to hyperventilate. “Oh dear, I'm not sure I can even imagine that many ponies in one place.”
“Hey, calm down. It's just some visitors. Nothing to get worked up over.” Applejack said, calm in her voice. “And you'd be surprised as to how many ponies can fit somewhere if they want to. This town, you could fit one hundred thousand in its streets before you spilled over. Fourteen thousand's gonna be a piece of cake.” The oven dinged, and she turned back towards it. “That is, if we can get these pies done.”
Twilight was unsure of what, exactly, to do at this point. She'd already spent some time with Dash last night, and doubted that she would want a repeat, at least so soon. The kitchen was filling up, and to be honest, she was getting a bit bored with pie making. Applejack and Pinkie would be here until twenty two, but by then they would likely be dead tired. Twilight figured that Fluttershy would want a few days before going somewhere alone with her, which only left...
“So, I guess I'll be going now.” Twilight said. Pinkie drew a sad face.
“Really, so soon?”
Twilight laughed. “Pinkie, I've been here for over five hours now. You left, remember?”
Fluttershy looked slightly relieved, though she hid it well. “Oh, well, by then.” She paused. “Maybe we could do something some other time?”
“Yeah, sounds great. By any chance, do you girls know where Rarity is?”
Fluttershy was the first to respond. “Yes, I do. She went to Hoofany, I believe, to attend the celebrations taking place there today. She invited me, but I declined. You were missing, you see, and I though you had been acting very strange.”
Applejack cut in, saying “That's what she told me, too. Though it was strange, to travel one hundred and sixty kilometers and plan to stay for three days in an unknown location on less than a day's notice.”
“I understand it fine.” Said Twilight. “Hoofany's Celestial celebration is actually quite the event, from what I've heard. It's just the kind of scene that Rarity would like to attend, too. One of the reasons its been perpetuated for so long is the number of equestrian nobility who regularly attend.”
“Ah.” Applejack nodded. “That would make some sense. Your right, saying it that way does make it seem like something she's be all over.”
Twilight turned to leave. “Well, thanks for the information. I'll see you girls at the summer sun celebrations?”
“Why wait that long?” Pinkie inquired. “We like having you around!”
“Well, I was planning on spending tomorrow in Canterlot, and from all you've said, the twenty-fourth sounds really busy. It just seemed the most reasonable expectation.” Twilight paused right in the doorway, turning back to look at her friends. “Of course I'll see you sooner if the opportunity presents itself.”
“Well, by then!”
“See ya soon!”
Twilight left Sugarcube Corner, her friends warm voices still in her ears. The sun was still in relatively high in the sky, and would not likely set for another three hours or so. It would be another nine hours after that until it rose, then another fifteen again before she might finally be able to sleep. Twenty-seven hours to kill. Reflexively, Twilight let out a heavy sigh. Sometimes, she wished something, anything, would happen to give her something to do. Of course, whenever something did happen, she invariably fought to return to this state, leading her to conclude, logically, that this was the preferred state of being. That did not make it less boring. She enjoyed talking with her friends, but really, sometimes she just wanted more from her day. And social interaction was out until she went to Canterlot; her days of being able to talk to anyone other than her friends normally were long gone.
She supposed she should just return to her library and read a book until morning. After all, it was not like anything particularly interesting was happening tonight.

22:30 found Twilight on her bed, curled up and reading Days Long Past(4). It was actually not bad, to be honest, though she was having a bit of trouble becoming immersed in the world. Still, keeping up with what was, apparently, popular fiction was useful for conversations, especially with Dash. She had lost track of some of the elements around the fifth minor love interest, but the main plot was coherent enough that she could see where some ponies might be able to find it enjoyable.
“ ...His eyes were tearing up, the dry, hot wind strong enough to push his body back. Still, he squinted into the oncoming storm, searching the smoke and mist for her form.
“Whisper! I'm coming!”
Pushing against the wind, he pressed further, the resistance building as he approached the epicenter. A shard of glass impaled his front left leg, forcing him to collapse.
“Whisper...”
From the depths of the mist, he could see her form, silhouetted by the flame which encircled her. A cold laugh emanated from the dark.
“Don't you realize, you foolish earth-pony! Whisper is gone forever. Even if you could manage to get through my winds, her body is already mine! Not will be soon, not in the final stages. She is me, and I am her. I've sealed Whisper so deep that she will never reemerge, even if I rule for a million years! Only my winds remain.”
He struggled to his hooves, collapsing before managing to stand. Slowly, he began to crawl his way across the ground towards the light.
“Yeah... that's what we thought about you, and here you are! We trapped you in a prison of thought that should have lasted a million years, yet you took just three hundred to escape. Whisper is a billion times the pony you are! You won't be able to hold her for a week!”
The voice laughed again. “Oh, how little you know.”
A sharp pain went through her head, causing her to have trouble making out the words.
Wait. No. That was in her head.
Twilight blinked tears back, reflexively pooling in response to her pain. It throbbed again. The feeling was not unlike having a length of razor wire drawn through ones scull.
“AHHRRG!”
She pounded the floor hard with her hoof, leaving a decent dent in the wooden floor and causing it to splinter around. The pain faded completely in seconds.
“Twilight! Twilight, are you okay!”
“Ungh...” Twilight's brain was still shocked, so it took her a few seconds to register Spike's voice. “Yeah, I'm okay.” She paused, noticing a clear, solid presence in her mind. “I think I have mail.”
“Mail?” Spike's head poked out around the door, a concerned and quizzical look on his face. “Don't you usually get that through me?”
“This is... different.” She pulled at the edges of the mental message, looking for the identification card. “Something I set up with the girls a few months back. They can send me a telepathic message using a spell matrix I gave them, just in case something needed immediate attention. I instructed them to use it in only the most dire of circumstances, and set it to trigger a pain response to get my immediate attention. This is the first time anyone has used it.”
So saying, Twilight penetrated the encapsulating layer, and received her message. It was from Rarity. No words, no images, just pain and terror and noise and confusion. A snapshot of what Rarity was thinking at the time of sending.
“Rarity's in trouble!” Twilight gasped, springing to her hooves. “Quickly, give me an atlas!”
Spike did as he was told, fetching Twilight an Equestrian physical map atlas off of the shelf. “What's up?” He had a look of pain on his face. “Is she okay?”
“She was when she sent me the message,” said Twilight, flipping through the atlas quickly, “but that was almost a minute ago now.” Locating Hoofany, she quickly did some mental calculations. “164 kilometers to the south-west...” She closed her eyes, imagining the vector field required for her spell. Her mind whirred, and her magic built up around her. “Okay, ready. Spike, you need to tell the others. I can't wait. I promise I'll make sure she's safe.”
There was a sudden flash, and then she was gone, leaving Spike alone in the room.
Almost instantly, Twilight appeared in a flash just outside of Hoofany, orienting herself and breaking into a sprint in what she hoped was the correct direction. Within twenty seconds, it was confirmed; she began to pass ponies fleeing from whatever event was the cause of Rarity's distress. Presently, Twilight discovered the cause. The civic center was a mess, flames licking at the edges of what appeared to be magical blast holes. The east wall on the second story was blasted out, revealing a confused, dazed, and injured pile of guards, high class party goers, and...
Rarity.
Not wasting any time, Twilight sprung from the ground, burst accelerating towards her location. She landed on the ledge within a second, and cast a spell, instantly extinguishing all flames within five meters.
She approached Rarity. She was under a table, laying face down. She stirred, though she did not look up at Twilight. From what Twilight could tell, Rarity was injured, near unconsciousness. Her mane was torn and had signs of burning, though Twilight could not see any blood on her. She murmured, a few drops of blood-flecked saliva leaking from the corner of her mouth.
“Shhhh.” Twilight stroked her head. “I'm going to get you to safety.” Glancing around for a good location, Twilight realized that, in the immediate area, this was as good as it got. Pulling Rarity out from under the table, Twilight concentrated, and cast a general healing spell on Rarity. She felt the drain instantly, but the result was more than worth it. Within seconds, Rarity was to her hooves, looking around at the carnage which surrounded her.
“What happened here?”
Twilight spoke, causing Rarity to spin towards her. “I don't know. I was rather hoping you might be able to tell me.”
Glancing around, Rarity made a decision. “Does it really matter? We have hurt ponies here.”
Twilight gave Rarity an encouraging smile. “Agreed. We'll figure out what happened after we fix it.”
Rarity, turning to drag one of the guards, asked “Are the others here?”
“No, I teleported in as soon as I received your message.” Twilight grunted, lifting a overturned table off of a few party goers. They looked scared, but seemed to calm down after a few seconds had passed, allowing them to process her.
“Come out. We've got other ponies to help.”
The ponies followed her instructions, except for one, a yellow unicorn with a near gold mane, who appeared to be unconscious. Twilight reached in, dragging her body out. After she had her clear, Twilight took a closer look, attempting to see what, exactly, was wrong with her. Under this closer examination, Twilight noticed how cold her body felt, and how limp and unresponsive it was. A cold chill passed down her spine, causing her to shudder. Not wanting to believe, Twilight put a hoof up to her mouth. No breath.
Twilight shuddered again, letting out a tiny gasp. She was familiar with the concept of death, she had even killed once or twice before. But never another pony. Never had she been physically present mere seconds after somepony's death, holding their still cooling body. She felt dizzy, her vision blurring.
Taking a deep breath, Twilight mastered herself. As tragic as it was, she was dead, and there was no fixing that. There were still other alive ponies who needed her help, and letting herself get carried away by this might lead to their permanent injury. She needed to save who she could.
Swallowing, her mouth suddenly dry, Twilight spoke. “I- I've got a dead one here.” There were a few gasps, some of the other ponies stopping to look at her. One stallion in particular, a silver-grey unicorn, dropped to his knees.
“No... Golden Leaf...”
Rarity went up to him. “Steel Sheen, right?” The stallion nodded, tears beginning to fall silently from his cheeks. “She's gone. There is nothing we can do for her. But there are other hurt ponies out there, ponies that we can still help. Grieve later. For now, we need to work.” Rarity turned towards the others. Addressing two mares, she said “Rosebud, Brilliant Glimmer, and Steel, you three begin ferrying the injured outside.” The two mares nodded, taking a guard and Steel outside. “Thunder Burst, Twilight, and I will continue here with the rescue.” The pegasus stallion, Thunder apparently, turned towards Twilight in shock as if seeing her for the first time.
“Princess...?”
“Not now.” Twilight looked at him sternly. “Work now.” Thunder obliged, ducking into the main hall and checking for ponies injured in the rush to escape.
Rarity continued. “Running Waters, you...” She glanced around, confusion crossing her face. “Running Waters?”
“Perhaps she went elsewhere?” Twilight offered, scanning the room. “What did she look like?”
“Aquamarine unicorn with a beautiful blue mane. Golden-brown eyes.”
Twilight looked again, but turned up no results. “I don't see her.”
A flash of worry crossed Rarity's face, before she replaced it with her determined expression once more, and nodded. “Okay. Twilight, if you wouldn’t mind notifying the authorities. We need a team of medical staff and some pegasi to take care of these flames.”
Twilight nodded, and jumped out of the hole, running as soon as her hooves hit the ground.

When the rescue was complete, the total casualties were forty-eight, with three fatalities, two of the guards and Golden Leaf. The fire was put out around 23:00, the entire operation warped up around 1:00. Rarity stayed on the scene the whole time, taking charge of the help which arrived at subsequent stages. Though they looked for nearly half of an hour, neither Twilight or Rarity caught sight of Running Waters. Twilight provided power for the medical staff, but with the drain of her earlier teleports and reckless spell-casting, she quickly became completely drained of magic(5). By that time, luckily, she had managed to provide enough power to treat ten of the injured ponies, including all of the critical cases. Despite an hour's investigation, no suspects were found for the cause of the disaster, though the investigation team stated that “It could not possibly have been an accident.” No statements could be gathered from the witnesses, as those awake had either fled or were confused to the point that no real information could be gathered, and those in the direct disaster zone were unconscious. Potential suspects were not detained, on account of there being over twenty-six hundred of them.

The unicorn and alicorn, weary and drained of magic and will, made their excuses and left for Rarity's hotel room at 1:18. The two walked together in silence, not looking at each other, each lost in their own thoughts. The streets were quiet, the low hum of the rescue operation fading, and the night sky was stunningly beautiful, casting a calming, peaceful tone over the town directly at odds to the events which had transpired. Rarity's mane and coat were a mess, her dress torn and ruined; Twilight's mane and coat had slowly succumbed to the grit and ash of the building.
Eventually, they found themselves at an unassuming hotel on the eastern side of town, going by the name of Hoofany inn and tavern. The doors were open, and a light was still on. Rarity entered first, followed by Twilight. Inside, they were greeted by the sight of six ponies. Four were drinking at the bar, one was the bartender, and the final pony was Fluttershy, who was currently nursing a glass of water at one of the tables. When they entered, she perked up.
“Rarity! Twilight! Oh, thank Celestia you're okay!”
Their entrance did not go unnoticed by the other patrons, or, to be more accurate, Twilight's entrance did not. The bartender, a sky blue earth-pony mare, stopped moving, her eyes going wide. Three of the patrons were far too drunk to register the comment, though one, a pale yellow pegasus stallion with a lemon-yellow mane, did drunkenly swivel in her direction. Upon seeing her, he spastically rose to his hooves, nearly collapsing, surprise on his face. The bartender, on the other hoof, bowed.
“Princess! Welcome!” She looked back and forth at the state of her customers, her face going flush. “We were not expecting you. Please forgive the state of my establishment.”
The pegasus stallion, managing to stand erect, quickly saluted. “Windbreaker at your service, your highness.”
Twilight paused for a second. “Windbreaker? I'm sure I recognize that name. Tell me, have we met before?”
“No, your highness. I was, however, assigned to your command three days ago. At the time, I was stationed in Neighshee, and I've been traveling to Ponyville since. Let me tell you, it's such an honor to be chosen to serve under you, your highness.”
“My... my command?” Twilight stuttered, confused. “I was... completely unaware.”
Windbreaker was about to speak again, but Rarity cut him off. “Twilight, Fluttershy is waiting. I can understand your interest, but would it be possible to continue this conversation later?”
“Right.” Twilight turned to leave, looking back at Windbreaker, “Sorry,” She addressed Windbreaker apologetically, “but my friends are waiting. Will you still be here tomorrow?”
The stallion bowed, showing remarkable bodily control for the number of empty mugs he had stacked on the counter. “Forgive me for keeping you, princess. I will be wherever you wish me to be.”
“Right... well, um, see you tomorrow morning then, I guess.”
The stallion nodded. “Until then.”
Figuring she had taken care of that, Twilight turned her full attention to Fluttershy, who seemed happy enough waiting. “Fluttershy. Sorry about that.”
“Oh, I don't mind.” Fluttershy stood up, beckoning the pair to follow. “Come on, they're all waiting for you.” Twilight and Rarity did as they were asked, though Twilight did stop to flash the bartender a quick smile, to show that she had not simply forgotten her.
Fluttershy led them down a hall, then up a flight of stairs. Eventually, they came to an oak door with the number 209 etched into wood. Fluttershy knocked on the door. “They're here!”
A few seconds passed, then the door swung open, Applejack poking her head out. Barely sparing Twilight and Fluttershy a glance, she looked Rarity up and down, concern melting into relief. “Well, you're alright!” She pulled Rarity in for a hug. “I was worried.”
Rarity let herself be pulled into the hug, becoming lost in the warmth of her friends embrace. Twilight took the opportunity to enter the room. Dash was on one of the three beds, laying down and looking at Rarity and Applejack with relief and a grin. Pinkie Pie was also present, looking happier at Rarity's safe return then she had about anything in days. She could only imagine how much a thing like this must mean to Rarity. It was things like this that really displayed the significance of their friendship. Beyond what they shared, what they said, and what they did, it was these acts of support, offered at cost, which showed the true endurance of what they had. There were not too many ponies who would drop everything to go one hundred sixty-some-odd kilometers at 23:00 knowing that their only service would be recovery support after the fact.
Actually, that was a really good point.
Addressing Pinkie Pie, Twilight spoke. “How did you get here so soon?”
Pinkie's smile grew, though the comment was enough to get Fluttershy to cringe slightly. “We took the train, silly. We left just before 23:00, got here just after 1. We've only been waiting ten minutes.”
“Speak for yourself!” Dash called, still smiling. “I got here half an hour after Spike told me. I've been waiting for two and a half hours!”
Twilight's brow furrowed. “Two and a half hours? You lazy Pegasus! The rescue was in full swing at that time! You could have lent me a hoof!” Twilight cast her eyes around the room. “Also, where is Spike? I would have thought he would have tagged along.”
“Well, actually, miss blamer, I did help with the rescue. Who else do you think is fast enough to drag storm clouds from a bank twenty-three kilometers away in time to stop the flames from spreading? I may not have been on scene, but I did my part!” Rainbow Dash extended her wings slowly, wincing at the pain. “Sweet Celestia, I must have flown another two hundred and fifty kilometers back and forth to that bank at least! By the time I was done, I was dead beat. I tried to offer myself for on site work, maybe questioning or running information quickly or something, but I was told that only trained professionals were to be on site, so I went back to the room and crashed.”
Twilight was stunned into silence with the rapidity of Dash's response, and her face went flush as she formulated an apology. “Oh, I'm sorry, Dash. I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
“Eh, it's okay. Mistakes happen, and we're all strung up.”
Twilight turned to Pinkie. “So, what about Spike?”
“Well, we had to leave someone behind to distract the guards!” Pinkie giggled. Twilight heard Fluttershy squeak, and saw Dash roll her eyes in her peripheral vision. “Fluttershy wanted to do it, but Spike said that he thought it was best if he did.”
“Distract... the guards.”
“Well, we needed to get here really quickly, and, well, Applejack and I can't fly, and Fluttershy can't fly for one hundred and whatever kilometers, so we took the train to get here.” Pinkie looked at her, puzzled at Twilight's shock. “That's what I said the first time!”
“We... took... the train...” Twilight said slowly. She opened her mouth to continue, but really couldn't think of much to say. Eventually she just repeated “Took the train.”
“Yep. Lucky for us one of those fancy new steam engines were their, otherwise there's almost no way we could have gotten this to work! Those things are really fast, you know. Noisy, and keeping the boiler hot enough is a pain, but they are really easy to use, if you keep an open mind. Slowing down is a problem, but I think I’ve got the hang of it now.”
Twilight's mind went blank as she attempted to reconcile Pinkie's cheery admission with what she had actually done. She was certain that Pinkie understood that stealing was wrong, and yes, these were slightly extenuating circumstances, but a train? Really?
By this time, Rarity had been released by Applejack, and entered the room, puzzled. “What's this talk about trains?”
Applejack stepped inside as well, though she had a shameful look on. “Listen, Twi, Rarity, ah know that yer against this type of thing, but their really wasn't any other way. We didn't hurt nopony neither. Just sent Spike out to distract them long enough to start the thing, then straight here. We're going ta return it.”
Rarity looked more confused. “Return what? What on Equis are you talking about? And what does it have to do with trains!”
Dash rolled her eyes again. “Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack stole a train to get here.”
Rarity let out a little gasp. “Stole... a train? What audacity!”
“Well, at the time we had very little information ta go off of. All we knew was that you were in some unknown danger of some unknown magnitude. As stopping such things seems to be our gig, well, we improvised.” Applejack said calmly, her voice soothing, slow, and discreetly logical. “Had we know the nature of the trouble, we would have taken a slower path. As it was, we thought it prudent to get here as soon as possible. We have been needed to save this country four times, two of which were saving the entire world besides. Most of our disasters are larger scale then this, and without knowing otherwise, we just assumed it was important. The train is fine, and we'll return it tomorrow.”
“Well... I suppose...” Rarity seemed flushed, although Twilight had recovered fully by now. She paused, then sighed. “I'm glad that you came here for me, let's just put it at that. We can deal with the other things tomorrow.” She yawned mightily. “I feel exhausted, and I imagine that Twilight, Dash, and at least whichever of you were shoveling coal feels the same way. Perhaps we could retire for the night?”
Twilight had to agree, it had been a long day. Her entire body felt significantly fatigued, and she found herself yawning as well. It seemed that, even now, she could exhaust herself.
“Oh, I feel fine.” Said Pinkie. “This whole thing invigorated me! You know, I had no idea that one of those trains could get up to eighty kilometers per hour! I thought to myself, self, this must be how flying feels!”
Twilight interrupted Pinkie before she could get any further. “Pinkie... those trains are not supposed to be able to go eighty kilometers per hour. They're graded for fifty.”
“Well, then they were graded wrong! I got up to nearly one hundred at one point!” She glanced down. “Though I couldn’t stay there for long. Whenever I got above sixty-fiveish, a rattling would start
and it would only be a matter of time until I got distracted and forgot to put in more fuel. I know we were in a rush, but, well, it was a really cool rattle. Never managed to track it down though.”
Twilight did not say a word. It was for the best, really, if Pinkie never knew how close she had come to killing herself and the others. Twilight was familiar with high-power boiler explosions, and the results were rarely pretty.
“Right... well, Pinkie, Rarity's right, I am exhausted, an so is Dash. We can talk more in the morning.”
“Well, it is the morning now! It's 1:30, after all!
“After the sun is risen.” Twilight corrected, yawning again. “Rarity, I'm going to assume that your room only has one bed?”
“That is the case.”
Twilight mentally counted, then continued. “That's four beds between the six of us. I'll get us two more.”
“Do you need any bits?” Rarity telekinetically opened her saddlebag. “I notice you don't have a saddlebag with you.”
Twilight extended her left wing as she exited the room. “I'm fairly certain that I won't have any trouble in that regard. There are some perks to this, you know.”
Twilight walked across the hall, down the stairs and to the reception area, where she found the bartender(who was, in all likelihood, also the innkeeper) tidying up the place. In the four minutes she had been gone for, it seemed the more unsavory customers had been excused for the night, and fresh candles had been placed at all of the tables. The bartender saw her enter, approaching her and bowing.
“Princess, what do you require?”
“Well, um,” Twilight wished she could speak more concisely, but she was still always flustered by ponies immediate reverence to her. She was getting better at it. “I need two more beds, one for myself and whichever of my friends can't claim one.”
“Of course! I'll set you up right away!” The bartender/innkeeper lead Twilight through the halls.
“Um...” Twilight looked down sheepishly. “I don't actually have any money on me right now.”
“Don't even think about it!” The bartender/innkeeper whom it was getting increasingly more rude not to know the name of seemed to be affronted that Twilight would even mention payment. “I would never think to be so rude as to ask one of our wonderful princesses for any money. It is a honor beyond mention for you to come here, what more could anypony possibly want?” Her voice was reverent and sincere, giving Twilight no inkling that such an affirmation was in any part an act. “Oh, I never imagined one of you would even give a place such as mine a second glance. I am unworthy to house goddesses. Still, I will do my best for you, princess.”
The mare and Twilight finally arrived at a door, marked 211. “Do forgive me. This inn has no luxury rooms, and I can not offer you anything better then this. You can, of course, chose any room you like, but I am afraid that they are all, more or less, the same.”
Twilight opened the door, looking inside the room. It did appear much the same as the other, albeit with one bed instead of three. “There's only one bed.”
“Yes. I was assuming that you would want to be roomed separate from your remaining friend. Please forgive me.”
Twilight winced. This was starting to go too far. “No, it's alright. I just wanted to make sure they were accommodated.” She turned. “Tell me, what room is Rarity saying in?”
“Room 103. I'll put you other friend in 109.”
A thought struck Twilight. “Wait... 103, 109, 211... those numbers are all prime.”
The mare stopped moving, her eyes widening with shock. “Yes... all of my prime number rooms are single. Nopony else has ever noticed, before you.” She bowed before Twilight again, deeper then before, a wondrous tremor in her voice. “That you would pay attention to such a thing humbles me so, princess.”
“Well...” Twilight paused, thinking. “As a start to show your thanks, you could stand up and tell me your name.”
The mare did so, though she could not appear to make full eye contact. “My name is Daydream, princess.”
“Please call me Twilight, Daydream.”
Daydream bowed again. “Whatever you wish, Twilight.”
Twilight yawned. Daydream, not getting back up from her bow, said “Forgive me for keeping you. I should have realized you were tired. I will attend to your friends.” She then got up to her hooves, and went to room 209, which was just across the hall, to do just that. Twilight made a mental note to do something for Daydream at some point, then crashed in her bed. She felt her muscles relax in waves, almost putting her to sleep immediately. She did not fight the feeling. It had been a long twenty-eight hours.

Twilight awoke the next day feeling very refreshed. The sun leaked through her window, its golden rays warming her stomach where they landed. She felt very comfortable just lying there, but she knew that the day coming up needed her attention. It was now the twenty-third, Celestia's birthday, and she had promised herself(and Luna, she supposed) that she would see the two celestial sisters more often. There was also the added factor of needing to apologize, and most likely compensate, the Sunshine transportation company for the appropriation of the train. Twilight was sure some kind of arrangement could be made. Equestria did have a royal treasury, and the country could afford to pay for its saviors well intentioned antics every once in a while.
Getting up, Twilight examined the small clock on the mantel, reading the time as 7:39. At this hour, it would be a toss up whether her friends would have awoken yet or not. She felt her stomach grumble. She was getting a strange craving, not a taste that she could place. Taking action, Twilight decided to go downstairs and see if the tavern part of the inn and tavern served anything besides drinks.
The halls were quiet, illuminated softly by the golden sunlight that leaked through the windows. The air was pleasantly warm, likely in the lower twenty’s, and not appreciably humid. All in all, the start to what was shaping up to be a beautiful summer's day. Her hoof-steps fell quietly on the floor, and the stairs were accommodating to her stealthy wishes, transferring her from the second floor to the first without a sound. A quick canter down the hall, and Twilight found herself once again in the main reception and bar area. There were currently no other patrons, though Daydream was already staffing the bar. Twilight noted that a sign on the blackboard behind her read Breakfast served 7:30 – 10:00.
“Excuse me?”
Twilight turned quickly, her eyes dropping to see a young, hot pink filly standing in the doorway, half way over the threshold to the outside world. She was looking in, though she did not enter. Twilight could have sworn that she recognized the filly from somewhere, but couldn’t place her.
“Yes, did you want something?”
The little filly coughed, twice, then looked back to Twilight. “Do you know where my brother is? I've lost him.”
The filly coughed again. Twilight felt her heart go out to her. “Okay... I'll help you find him. What does he look like?”
“He's a purple-pink earth-pony colt, turned thirteen in May.”
“Alright...” Twilight stepped out of the building, trailing the filly behind her. “Let's find him.” The two walked, Twilight glancing around for a pony of that description. Not seeing one immediately, she decided to go onto main street, the most likely point of congregation. She could tell that the filly was upset and worried. She looked, what, six? Perhaps seven? It must be very scary for her. Leaning down, she asked “What is your name?”, trying to keep her talking and her mind off of their search.
“I'm Vanilla.”
“And where are your parents, Vanilla?”
Vanilla coughed, then scrunched her nose. “They left for Manehatten on business on Wednesday. They won't be back until Tuesday.”
“Well, then, who is taking care of you?”
“Cotton Candy, of course.”
Twilight looked up and down the street, but was still unable to locate the colt. The filly coughed again. Twilight turned back to her. “Where is Cotton Candy, then? Shouldn’t you be asking them for help?”
“I told you, I've lost him! That's why we're looking.”
Twilight stopped for a second. “Wait, your brother is the one who takes care of you?”
“Yup. He's the best in the world.” The filly continued walking. Twilight looked at her more carefully now. She could see it in her gait, the subtle way she looked at everything around her. She was assessing threat, whether consciously or unconsciously, and changing her movements to match. This filly was very independent, very used to fending for herself. Twilight felt slightly cold on the inside. That parents would abandon two foals consistently enough and for long enough periods of time for this to result... it was terrible.
“Cotton! There you are!”
Twilight was shaken from her thoughts by Vanilla's voice. The little filly had run up to, and tackled, a rather handsome thirteen year old earth-pony colt. The colt, who was presumably Cotton Candy, turned quickly, a smile crossing his face.
“Vanilla! Oh, thank Twilight you're safe. I've been looking for you.”
Vanilla, taking the comment literally, turned back to Twilight. “Thank you, Twilight.” Cotton Candy, looking up at his sisters traveling companion, flushed red and bowed.
“Princess! It seems my affirmation was more accurate then I had believed. Thank you for returning my sister to me.”
Twilight was a bit flustered. It made sense, she supposed; ponies used Celestia's and Luna's names in vain all the time, why should she be any different? Still, she had never actually heard anypony say it, until now. It was rather awkward, actually.
“Um, well, you're welcome. She's a good one, take good care of her.”
“Sorry to have bothered you. I'm sure somepony like you is very busy.”
“Nah,” Said Vanilla, her eyes sparkling mischievously, “she was just standing there, staring at a blackboard.”
“Vanilla! That was rude. Princess Twilight has taken time out of her day to accommodate you, and this is how you repay her? Say you're sorry.”
The filly looked ashamed of herself. “I'm sorry.”
Twilight smiled at her. “I forgive you.” She turned to Cotton. “Really, it's no trouble. She's just a little filly, be easy on her.”
“I don't know what's gotten into her.” He said softly, not hiding his thoughts but obviously articulating more for his own benefit then hers. Twilight turned to go. “She's independent and all, but she usually isn't rude to ponies who are trying to help her. First Running Waters, then that Salespony down at the corner of main street and celestial drive, and now you.”
“Wait, hold on.” Twilight had been preparing to return to the inn, but now her attention was directed fully back to Cotton. “Did you say Running Waters?”
The stallion was taken aback by her sudden interest. “Uh, yeah. A unicorn by that name helped us rescue our cat yesterday.”
Twilight couldn’t keep all of her emotion out of her voice, her words forceful but not overwhelming. “Do you know where she might be? One of my friends is worried about her.”
“She was with Swift Tech yesterday. Said they were friends.” Vanilla pitched in. “I could take you to his house if you want.”
“Yes, that would be very helpful.” Twilight turned to follow the eager filly. “Lead the way.” If she could find Running Waters, she knew Rarity would be very happy at the news. Besides, a morning walk through Hoofany was hardly a tiresome exercise in and of itself. The town had a history longer then many of Equestria's cities, being founded nearly seven hundred years ago now, and as such the landscape was dotted with relics of centuries past. Twilight passed buildings which were five hundred or more years old, still in use to this day; cites of historic protests, ponies, and politics; beautiful architecture and monuments erected in squares. Eventually, her tour ended at a small apartment building.
“He lives on floor 3.” Vanilla stated, waiting for Twilight to make her move.
Twilight approached the door, hitting the buzzer for floor 3. She received no response. She pressed the buzzer again. Again no response. She hit it a third time. This time, a taciturn gray-blue pegasus mare stepped out of her room, looking blearily at Twilight.
“Don't cha know yer manners! If somepony don't respond, they ain't there! Ya don't go hitting the button over and over!”
“Oh, uh, sorry. I didn’t know I was bothering anypony.”
“Well, now ya do. Don't do it again.” She said sternly, blinking a few times. It was painfully obvious that she had just woken up. “What ya here for, anyway?”
“Oh, well, I was wondering where Swift Tech was.”
The mare scratched her head with a hoof. “I don't think I've seen him since last night. Him and that pretty mare he had with him.”
“Oh, alright. And have you seen that mare about?”
“Hum...” The mare was obviously concentrating, thinking hard. “Yeah, I did. Funny. She came up to his apartment without him, stayed for maybe a minute, then left. That must have been, I don't know, 23:00 ish?”
“23:00... That was just after the disaster. If she was here then, she must have made it out okay.” Twilight smiled. “Thank you, you've been a great help.” So saying, she left, leaving the confused and tired mare in the stairwell.
Twilight found Vanilla still waiting just outside. “So, did you get what you wanted?”
“Yes, yes I did. Thank you for bringing me here.”
The filly smiled. “Happy to help.” The two parted ways(Twilight was sure she could take care of herself long enough to get home), and Twilight made her way back to the inn. She paused at a bench, taking time to draft a document, then continued on her way. When she entered the inn, she found Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie already awake, and eating breakfast at a table. Pinkie furiously waved her over, and she obliged, seating herself next to her.
“You wouldn’t believe how good the food here is!” Pinkie enthused, eating a daisy-pancake wrap drenched in syrup. “Murmph yermth hargeln gart!” She paused, looked quizzically down at her self, swallowed, then continued. “It just doesn't stop coming!”
Applejack, who had taken a more realistic portion, clarified. “Daydream has insisted on providing us with whatever we want at no cost. You've really done a number on her, Twi.”
“I had to convince her it would be an affront to my personality as the element of generosity to stop her for refunding the cost of my room.” Sighed Rarity. “Normally I would enjoy the attention, but, and I don't mean her any disrespect, but, well, we are all but two of the guests staying here right now. On the weekend directly before the Summer Sun Celebration. The second most popular travel time of the year. I don't think her business is exactly thriving.”
Fluttershy walked in, accompanied by Dash. Pinkie again waved them down frantically, and the two sat on a directly adjacent table, which Dash dragged over.
“So, how's the food!” Dash asked, to Pinkie's wide grin. “Oh, excellent!” Dash tore into the food, eating everything she could get her hooves on. She ate with such fervor that even Pinkie was shocked. “What?” Dash said, over a mouthful of pancake. “I burned literally 33 MJ(6) last night. Cut me some slack!” So saying, she returned to her food.
“Right...” Rarity, trying her best not to look at Dash, turned towards Twilight. “What is you plan to take care of the 'train business'?”
“Well, it will involve an apology from the perpetrators, along with an detailed explanation of the circumstances, the return of an undamaged vehicle, and likely compensation equal to at least one day's normal train fair plus trauma equal to at least one day's normal train fair. Logically, it will be a lot more than that, but that's the absolute minimum. Luckily, I shouldn't have too much trouble coming up with the money. As for the punishment that Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack will receive, I will take responsibility for your actions based on the fact that I provided the information that incited such actions. Whatever the lawful punishment, I'm fairly certain that it will be easier on myself then on you three.” Twilight took out a sheet of paper. “I need you three to sign here.”
Applejack took the form, looking at it quizzically. “There is a legal form for transferring punishable responsibility from one pony to another? That don't sound right.” She looked at it more closely, noticing that it smudged under her hooves. “Hey, this is hoof-written!”
Twilight smiled. “There wasn’t a form, not before, oh, ten minutes ago or so. While I was out I took the liberty of writing it up. Hoof-written by princess Twilight Sparkle herself, nopony besides Celestia can overrule it. How about that for legality!” Pinkie Pie took the sheet from Applejack and signed it quickly, before passing it to Fluttershy. Applejack, however, was less than amused.
“Now, Twi, I know you want to help and all, but ya can't just go around abusing your power 'cuz you feel like it. This ain't right, and you know it. Ya should just burn the form, and, I don't know, figure something else out.”
“'Course she can. She's a princess. She rules the country, makes laws, and ponies do what she says. That's actually kind of the point.” Dash piped up, after polishing off her fifth plate. “Hey, can I get some more pancakes? I'm starved!”
From the kitchen, Daydream emerged, carrying yet more pancakes, waffles, muffins, and confections. She placed them quickly down on the table, bowing briefly to Twilight before saying “Do you find things to your satisfaction, Twilight?”
“Yeah. The food is wonderful. Thank you very much, Daydream.” With a smile, Daydream left their company. Twilight sighed. “Look, Applejack. If your uncomfortable with this, you don't have to sign it. It's really that simple. I don't plan on making this an official piece of documentation. Really, I just wanted to give us legal protection on top of circumstance. Normally, I wouldn’t have done anything, but we're not dealing with an individual or a country. We're dealing with a company, and the more legal protection you can get with companies, the better.”
Applejack sighed. “It still don't feel right to me, but I guess I can trust you not to abuse yer power. It's just, you know, new. I still think of you as that withdrawn unicorn who showed up three years back and rocked my world.”
Pinkie drew back, thoughtful for a moment. “Hey, that's a really good point! We'll have been friends for three years in just two days! You know what this calls for?”
“Pinkie, while I would normally be all for your enthusiasm, as I explained last year, and the year prior, that date is the same as the Summer Sun Celebration. We already have a party to attend.” Rarity sighed. “It is unfortunate, but that's just how it works.”
Pinkie seemed deflated, but she perked right up again. “Well, then I'll just have to throw a really big party for a really big date! Like ten years, or twenty-five! Oh, I've got to start planning now! It's quite the party which can accommodate the potential for unknown technologies! Lets see, by ten twenty-five, what cool new party stuff will they have?”
Applejack signed the document, and hoofed it back to Twilight. “I'm sure it'll be great, whatever you come up with. 'talways seems to be.”
“Oooh! On the subject of parties in the future, Twilight, when it comes time, I want a small, no fuss/no service funeral with no wake. Just get me in the ground, K?”
Twilight kind of just looked at Pinkie. The rest of the table went quiet. Pinkie looked back and forth between the others, confusion in her face. “What? It was relevant. No offense to the rest of you, but she's the only one I can be sure will still be kicking by then.”
“Pinkie, why must you talk of such morbid things! We've got, what, one hundred fifty or so years left, thanks to the elements(7)? Make funeral plans in 1103, okay?” Dash said, wiping syrup off of her muzzle. She had now finished nine plates. “Today, let's concentrate on returning that train.”
The awkward moment mostly defused, the six continued to converse, discussing daily plans and general gossip. Twilight and Applejack managed to convince Rainbow Dash that, even though they understood that she was still hungry, eating more then ten plates of pancakes was probably a bad idea. Twilight waited at the table for about half an hour, but Windbreaker never showed up. At 9:00, the six left, biding Daydream adieu.
Dash was taking her gluttony very well. Though she did occasionally make a strange face, she managed to not collapse in pain(8). “Ugh...” She shook her head. “So, where are we going to actually take the train?”
“Well, I figured we would take it to the Sunshine transportation company Canterlot headquarters. I was planing to go to Canterlot today anyway, and a company headquarters seems to be a logical place to return it to.” Twilight sighed, looking at the floor. “It's not going to be a fun conversation with the company, that's for sure.”
“I'm sure it'll all work out.” Applejack said, turning a corner and leading the party out of Hoofany. “After all, we haven't damaged the thing.”
“Why aren't we going to the Hoofany station?” Rarity asked. “I would think it would be there.”
“Well...” Applejack opened her mouth to explain, but Pinkie cut her off.
“As I said, the breaks took a little getting used to. I only overshot by, like, two kilometers or so. I think that's pretty good for the first time.”
The group, after another five minutes of walking, found themselves at the train. It was brightly colored, and had one coal cart, seven cars, and a caboose. Twilight looked at it for a few seconds, a frown crossing her face slowly.
“How are we going to drive it? It's facing the wrong direction.”
Pinkie, as if realizing this for the first time, stated “So it is! I didn’t notice that before.” She paused, thinking. “Well, the ponies who run it have to be able to do it, because the trains run both directions!”
“Um, well,” Fluttershy offered timidly, “most major stations have turnabout rails that they use. I think that the nearest one, aside from Hoofany's, would be Fillydelphia's. The Fillydelphia station is fifty-eight kilometers from here, I think.”
Twilight considered. “Fifty-eight kilometers... there and back, that will put another two hours on our already four and a half hour trip time...” She sighed. “Not worth it. Hold on, I’ll take care of this.”
Closing her eyes, Twilight concentrated her power on the train, willing herself to lift it. It was a really simple spell, just telekinetically moving an object. Most unicorns could preform basic telekinetic control before they could speak. Complicating the matter was the tethered nature of the object. Not being a true solid, she couldn't simply lift it from one point; she had to lift all ten cars independently, simultaneously. Calming herself down, she carefully lifted the train, raising it about three meters off the track.
Slowly, carefully, she spun the five hundred tonne locomotive, preforming the maneuver at just over one revolution per minute. She almost lost it, twice, the heavier front end nearly tearing off, but she managed to compensate just enough. Twenty-seven seconds later, she replaced it on the tracks, facing the opposite direction.
“Well, that was... quite something, Twilight.” Rarity seemed impressed.
“Eh.” Said Twilight, boarding the train. “I could have done that back in my unicorn days just fine. Would have cost me half my power, instead of, like, two percent, but really, not that impressive. Teleporting us and the train to Canterlot, now that would have been something.”
“Oh, could you? That would be so cool!” Pinkie began to bounce.
Twilight sighed. “Unfortunately, no. I've only recharged a third since yesterday, and even at full power, it would be a stretch for me to teleport all of us to Canterlot, let alone the train. Teleportation is very energy consuming. I don't think there's ever been a pony alive who could pull off a feat like that.”
“Awwww.” Pinkie deflated for a second, then sprang back up. “Well, that means that I get to drive the train again! Woot!” She bounded into the engine room, laughing.
“Rarity, would you mind going with her?” Twilight looked at the receding Pinkie, hoping that she was not making a great mistake. “I'd feel more comfortable if somepony more level headed could take charge if need be.”
“Sure, though I must say, I've never rode in a steam train before, and I'm not completely sure how they work.” She looked towards the engine room. “I don't know how much help I can be.”
“Well, I've always been interested in steam engines, so I'll come as well. Between the three of us, we should be able to handle anything.” Twilight said, crossing the walkway between the forward car and the coal cart. “After all, we've saved the world, what, twice? Three times if you count Fluttershy taming Discord. What can two hundred twenty kilometers of track really do?”
Not much, as it happened. With Twilight and Rarity in the engine with Pinkie, they were more than capable of keeping the train going in a strait line at a reasonable speed. For the most part, the greatest enemy the six encountered on their voyage was their boredom, which was easily dispelled with gossip, jokes, and conversation. The trip took them five hours(Canterlot may have been two hundred kilometers away, but there were two hundred fifty kilometers of track between the points.), passing through Ponyville at 12:45. Twilight was quick to note that the telegraph line which ran from Ponyville to Hoofany was broken some three kilometers out from Ponyville (“Oh, so that was what those wires were for! I had no idea, I swear!”). Aside from this, there did not appear to be any damages caused by the theft, which made Twilight feel a lot better. With some careful control manipulation, Twilight managed to park the train in Canterlot station at 14:18.
Twilight and the others disembarked from the train, quickly removing themselves from sight. They were criminals, after all. Sequestering themselves in a corner, they looked around, seeing if anypony had spotted them. The station, while not packed, was populated, and they could see ponies staring curiously at the train, which had only let off six passengers and had not accepted new borders. Though it seemed nopony had tracked their movements, it would not be very long before somepony made the connection between this occurrence and the stolen train.
“Okay, quickly, what's the exact plan?” Rainbow Dash whispered, glancing worriedly to and fro. “We do have an exact plan, not just an outline, right?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes. You, Dash, take Rarity around the city and act like nothing has happened. It's hardly suspicious for you two to be visiting a city. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, two of you should find yourselves somewhere to lie low for a few hours. At sunset, find the rest of us, we'll be just outside of the palace. Whoever the third is will come with me to the Sunshine transportation company headquarters. They'll likely need a first-hoof account, personal explanation, and apology if we're to convince them not to press charges.”
Applejack cocked her head slightly. “Twi, I understand you want to help and all, but I’m pretty sure that the ponies who did the act should represent themselves. Me, Pinkie and Fluttershy are more then capable of handling this.” Pinkie nodded, smiling, while Fluttershy seemed not have much of an opinion. “Look, you just give me that piece of paper of yours, so we can get ourselves out if everything goes south. You go and see Celestia like you wanted. We'll be fine, right girls?”
“Yep! We can handle this no problem!”
“It is our burden, Twilight. I know I'd feel better if I handled it myself.”
Twilight hesitated, then sighed. They were right, of course. Her want to represent them was out of a wish to protect her friends, not because she had any particular skill in diplomacy. If that had been her goal, she would have sent Rarity. The three of them could handle themselves. She handed the document over to Applejack. “You're right. You three should take care of this. Rarity, Dash, still meet us outside the palace at sunset. Everypony good?”
The others nodded, and broke off, each going their separate ways. Twilight watched them go for a few seconds, then turned away and ascended, flying to the palace. She tried to put her worries out of her mind, preparing herself for the hours ahead. The others would be fine, and she should concentrate on her task. Still, she supposed the difficulty she was having separating her thoughts from her friends was a good thing, yet another small but necessary signal of the strength of their friendship.
She landed at the pegasus entrance to the palace, startling the two guards from the game which they had been playing. Twilight approached the gate, which was opened for her without question. Perks, she guessed. Once inside, she quickly took two turns, and slipped into a hidden door behind a stairwell.
The secret passageways which interlaced Canterlot castle were not the most secret you might find, having been explored by one thousand years of playful foals, devious nobles, and late servants. Celestia, by a twist of fate, knew little of their paths, being too large to fit in their one and a half meter clearance ceilings. Twilight, on the other hoof, had no such problem. She had been shown many of the paths by helpful servants, as well as her fellow students, in her time here. She had also done some exploring on her own. Her greatest find had come eight years ago now, when she had found a new secret way into Celestia's bedchamber. It was hidden cleverly on both sides, blending seamlessly with the wall in Celestia's room as well as being hidden in the gloom of the corridor on the inside. The connecting path had been coated in dust, and though Twilight was not naive enough to think that she was the first pony to have found the corridor, she very might have been, and still might be, the only pony giving it use today. She was near certain Celestia did not know of it. She thought it would be a nice surprise, to pop up behind Celestia unknown. She always did enjoy a good prank.
Twilight passed a few servants on her way, carrying trays, cleaning equipment, and themselves through the hidden corridors. Nopony acknowledged her as special, not that that surprised Twilight; rule one of the corridors was that everypony was equal inside. It made the place almost like its own little world, where noble-ponies graciously gave right of way to servants, when it was due.
Twilight approached her exit corridor, waiting patently until she was alone. Rule two, knowledge is power, and sharing information of the corridors should only be done when mutually beneficial. Besides, finding these things out on your own was half the fun, anyway. When she was reasonably sure she was unwatched, Twilight opened the door, and slipped into the corridor beyond.
She sneezed, dust getting into her nose and eyes. Unsurprising, given as it had been six years since she had been here last. Slowly, she made her way through the narrow passage, casting a light spell to see by. Their were no maintained lanterns here, where only she traveled. It took her a few seconds to cross the distance to the door which would lead her into Celestia's room. She paused there, her hoof poised centimeters above the door, anxiety temporarily paralyzing her. She went cold, feeling a chill cross her form.
The moment passed. Shaking her head, she pressed her hoof against the door, slowly easing it open. She extinguished her light spell, letting the light from the room outside illuminate her movements through the slowly widening crack in the wall. The door, she knew, would be silent as long as she pushed slowly enough. Very gently, she worked the door open.
It took her eighty seconds, but she eventually managed to get the door fully open, and stepped through. Another eighty seconds were spent closing the door, leaving it flush with the wall, completely unnoticeable again. Twilight then turned to face the room. The bed room was much as she had remembered it, ornate and lush with lavish and stunning fixings. Still, it was not a gaudy as some, most of whom were far less rich. Twilight slowly padded, making sure to make as little noise as possible, and crept her way to the front of the room. She opened the door.
The sleeping area was a very small part of Celestia's royal chambers, which contained seven rooms in all. Twilight was now in the lounge/parlor area, where Celestia would entertain guests or go to read and relax. It was also where she happened to be, at present. She was facing away from Twilight, sitting in a chair by a beautiful gilded fireplace, in which a pleasant fire burned. Twilight could not tell what she was doing, though she did not seem to have yet registered her presence. Twilight slowly crept up, drawing herself closer to Celestia. Twenty seconds later, she was directly behind her, close enough to reach out and touch her. Slowly rising onto her back hooves, Twilight leaned in right next to Celestia's ear, being careful not to breath. Her mouth was less then five centimeters away from her ear, yet she was still unaware of her presence.
“Boo.”
Celestia jumped out of her seat, clearing the table in front of her and landing sprawled on the floor next to the fireplace. She quickly turned herself, horn glowing gold. Recognition flashed across her eyes, and she broke into a grin.
“Twilight.” Twilight saw her entire body relax, and her horn stopped glowing. “I was not,” She cleared her throat, “not expecting you. How did you...”
“It's a secret.” Twilight grinned, flushed with success. “Happy birthday! 1150, big year!”
“The first of many, many more we'll share.” said Celestia. “1500, now that will be a party. Though nothing, I'm sure, to compare to your 1000.”
Twilight kept smiling, though slightly more uncomfortably now. Celesta noticed.
“But that's for another day. Today, let's celebrate today.” She motioned Twilight to sit down, which she did. “Luna is out procuring us the cake. She should be back any minute.”
Presently, Luna entered. She looked at Twilight, a small smirk crossing her lips upon noticing Celestia's slightly frazzled mane. “Well, it seems things have gotten interesting since I left. Is she your champion?”
Celestia pondered for a moment, the smiled. “Yes, yes, that will do nicely.” She reached onto the table, grabbing a card. She handed it to Twilight. “These are your stats.”
Twilight looked at the card. It looked much like a playing card for a trading card game. Looking at the table, Twilight found her assumption half right. The two were engaged in a card game, though a game board with pieces was also seemingly in use.
“Alright, if you've acquired a new champion, I will be forced to change my strategy.” Luna looked at her hand, contemplating her move.
“It's basically risk, but battles are decided by a card match instead of a dice role.” explained Celestia. “This game is actually, what, sixty hours in?” Luna gave an affirmative nod. “I'm winning.”
“You are not. I control nearly twice the territory you do.”
“Not for long.” Celestia said to Twilight quietly.
“That is what you said five hours ago.” Luna placed a card on the table. “Tap seven, play fortified barricade.”
There was a knock on the door. “That will be the cake.” said Celestia, removing herself from the table and approaching the door. She opened it, allowing four servants to enter, pulling behind them a cart on which the largest cake Twilight had ever seen was placed. It was a mountain of a cake, five meters in diameter and four meters tall, clearing the doorway by only two decimeters. The ponies dragged it inside, until it was near the center of the room.
“Is their anywhere you want us to put it?” One of the servants offered, looking for an appropriate place.
“No, here is fine.” Celestia dismissed the servants, who left the three alone again in the room.
“Are you going to eat that?” Twilight asked in complete astonishment.
Celestia laughed. “Four and a half tonnes of cake, by myself? Ridiculous. No, I won't be able to finish more than, say, ten kilograms on my own. The rest will be given out to the denizens of the palace.”
Twilight was not sure what to think of ten kilograms of cake, but she supposed it was better than forty-five hundred. “Well, that makes more sense, then.”
“I don't feel particularly hungry.” said Luna. “May we at least finish this round before eating it?”
“Of course. I would not want to leave you facing your inevitable defeat for too long.” Celestia cooed, turning back to the game. Luna rolled her eyes, and Twilight had to stifle a laugh. From reading her card and a basic instruction card, she could tell that Luna was in a vastly superior position, on the game-board and in the round.
“Well, I suppose that I'll have Twilight crush your silly little barricade.” Celestia grinned. Luna looked shocked.
“How?”
“I have automatic shock six against walls that I attack.” Twilight read, eliciting a mild expletive from Luna. “Plus two for anything that just came into play. I think, with my normal attack, that's eleven damage.” Luna looked at her fortified barricade, a scowl crossing her face. She removed the card.
“I take five.” Luna looked at her score card. “I have one life left.”
Luna moved to draw a card.
Then the cake exploded.