Chapter 6 – Twilight
Sunday, 23 June 1003
Twilight was sprayed with cake, turning quickly to avoid getting as much as possible in her eyes. After a second, she turned towards the cake. Inside stood an aquamarine pony. No, wait. An aquamarine alicorn. Her blast spell had destroyed about half of the cake, obliterating most of the side facing them. Twilight's eyes flitted to Celestia and Luna; they were as shocked as herself. Twilight felt as if she should know who this pony was, but the information was not coming to her. The strange pony reached out a hoof, sampling some of the cake from the wall. “This is quite good. Thou shouldst commend thy baker.” She paused for a second, then continued. “Whilst I hast thy attention, wouldst anypony care to explain to me this 'princess' business? Ye dost rule thy nation, dost ye not? I would hast thought thee wouldst be queens.”
Celestia and Luna continued to stand there, stunned and staring at her with blank expressions. Twilight began to recall something, the voice triggering her brain and snapping her out of her shock. She noticed that the alicorn was looking at her, and Twilight became nervous, her eyes darting from place to place. Suddenly, it came to her. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth opened.
“Spring...”
Though she hid it well, Twilight could tell that Spring was impressed at the speed of her deduction. She had not seen her before, and had to piece the information together based on written descriptions and poor black and white illustrations. There was a twinkle in her eyes that Twilight recognized, a small glance that told Twilight that she had, for better or worse, proved herself capable.
Twilight's comment seemed to break Celestia and Luna out of their stupor. Hesitating, they bowed before her; Twilight followed quickly.
“Well met, Spring.” Celestia's came out half choked, though Luna managed well. Twilight followed as well, her execution flawless – though, half way through, she realized that from Spring's perspective, she was using the wrong greeting. She glanced up at Spring, to gauge her reaction, but if she cared, she did not show it. After three seconds, they rose, and Spring bowed to them.
“Well met, Celestia, Luna.” Spring said, flitting her eyes to Twilight for a second. Twilight noticed, but mastered herself, not responding. The fact that she had not addressed her was indication enough of what she thought; the fact that she had glanced her way, more so. “Though, really, must we return to the old formalities, given the circumstances? I wouldst be surprised to find you hadst used them in nine hundred years. Hast they not been replaced by a modern version?” Spring smiled, though none of the others were. “Oh, but now is not the time to talk of such things. It is thy 1150th birthday, Celestia! Thy kingdom should be in revelry! Thee hast grown so much since I saw you last.” She turned to Luna. “And thee as well.” Her tone darkened. “Thy seal hath stolen from me your childhoods.”
“How... how can you be here?” Twilight asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. As soon as she felt Spring's attention on her, she panicked inwardly. She felt the power in her gaze, in a way that would have reminded her of Nightmare Moon's if it had not been nearly twice as powerful. She was not ready for this. Celestia leaned down, whispering very quietly to Twilight.
“Act as you normally would, but slightly more provocatively. Give me an excuse to dismiss you. Gather the rest of the elements together, and bring them here in one hour.”
Twilight could not help but let a flash of surprise cross her face, but she quickly regained control, and nodded. She looked back at Spring, but did not say anything more.
“Celestia, let her speak.” Spring chided, turning to Twilight. “I do apologize about Hoofany. The guards initiated the attack, not I.” Twilight was shocked.
“How did you know I was there? We've never met before.”
“I saw thee whilst I was fleeing from the scene.” Spring said. “Thee wast in flight, heading for the building. Tell me, did thee happen upon a white unicorn with a blue mane, by the name of Rarity?”
“Yes, I did.” Twilight looked at her curiously. How could Spring possibly know Rarity?
“Is she alright? I hope she did not come to any serious harm.” Spring said. “We had an interesting night together, and I didst nay wish her any harm.”
A few things clicked. The color of her coat and eyes, and the fact that she knew Rarity seemed strangely familiar to Twilight. After a second, it came to her.
“Running Waters...” Twilight muttered under her breath.
“I see then that she must be fine, if she wast asking about me.”
Celestia looked at Spring hard. “What have you done in Hoofany? And why haven't I been informed?”
Twilight flushed. She should have realized the problem immediately. “Well, um, I think that might have been Pinkie Pie's fault.” She said. “She knocked out the telegraph lines between Ponyville and Hoofany when she stole the train. If the Fillydelphia/Hoofany line was also damaged, well, there would be no connection between Hoofany and Canterlot.”
“Pinkie Pie stole a train?” Luna said, turning her attention to Twilight for a second before remembering Spring's presence.
“Later.” said Celestia, silencing Twilight. “We have more serious business to attend to.”
“Thou dost indeed.” Spring said, settling herself in a chair. She looked around the room, though what exactly she could be looking for on the walls, Twilight could not guess. Her eyes came to rest on the table with Celestia and Luna's game. “Oh, wast thee in a council of war? I dost hope I hath not endangered thy strategy.” She paused, her eyes going out of focus for a second, before returning to normal. “No, thee said it was a game. Ignore me.” Twilight looked at her funnily. Had she... just reviewed her memory for new information? Spring sighed. “I dost nay expect thee to actually ignore me, just disregard my last comment.” She had obviously mistaken Twilight's thoughts for a look of confusion. She turned to Celestia. “Is she always this literal?”
Twilight saw her chance to begin to get confrontational.
“You were ambiguous.” She muttered, making sure Spring could hear.
“Twilight...” Luna said softly. “It would probably be a good idea if-”
“Oh, off her!” Spring said, and Twilight saw a humorous glint in her eyes. “She is capable of fending for herself, is she not?” Spring turned her attention to Twilight. “So, what art thou, exactly?” Spring peered at her curiously. “Thee art in control of power, I canst feel it, but thou share not the blood of Eris. How didst thee come upon thy wings?”
Despite herself, Twilight was impressed. She blinked, then asked, “How could you tell?”
“Thee holds thyself in a rote manor, not a natural one. Growing a horn shouldst not hast effected thy form in the way wings might.”
“Right...” Twilight loosened her mussels, making a mental note to practice later.
Spring turned her attention back to Celestia and Luna. “Art thou so desperate for companionship that thee wouldst surround thyselves in such facsimiles of immortality? Thee couldst hast left one of us unsealed, Celestia, if thee truly wanted.”
Well, that was just rude. Twilight understood where she was coming from, but still. “I am not a facsimile!” Twilight said, indignantly. She knew that she had her attention now, all she had to do was argue. “I'm an alicorn, just like you! I may be only twenty-one years old, but I-”
“Dost thee hast the blood of Eris?”
Twilight faltered. “Well, no, but-”
“Didst thee receive thy power through magical means, not by blood-right?”
Inwardly, Twilight sighed. She was not used to other ponies so easily countering her. She needed to be confrontational, but she was having difficulty getting out a single unchallengeable line. “I suppose so, but-”
“Then thou art a secondary power.”
“I am not! I connected to your stupid alicorn-”
“Twilight, that's enough.” Celestia said coolly.
Twilight nearly face-hoofed. Of course she shouldn’t tell Spring just how powerful she was. The more she was underestimated, the better.
“No, no it's not!” Twilight masked her confusion as anger, turning on Celestia. You want a reason to excuse me? How about insubordination. “Why does everypony cut me off! Am I not allowed to speak my own mind?” She waved her hoof in Spring's general direction. “She bursts in here and you do her favors. I, your personal protegee-”
“So that's what they call it now.” Spring muttered.
Twilight pressed on, not letting Spring's comment derail her. “-should at least be allowed to defend myself from accusations!”
For whatever reason, Spring seemed less than amused. It looked as if she was about to speak, but Celestia cut her off.
“Twilight, I think it would be best if you left.” Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia cut her off before she could begin. “Twilight, leave us.” She put force behind her last words, but her eyes gave clear indication of her purpose. Twilight put on a hurt face, but simply left the room, not saying a word.
As soon as she had exited, her countenance changed completely. Twilight shuddered once, then composed herself. Even as used to Celestia as she was, even charged with the power she was, Twilight was still affected by the divine power of three(or, four, she supposed) goddesses in contention. She would have to get used to it. Twilight had a suspicion that she would be in similar situations a lot in the near future.
Twilight trotted quickly through the castle, though she did not run. No need to cause a panic. She had one hour to collect her friends, a task made much easier due to the fact that they were, as of now, all in Canterlot. Plenty of time.
Ponies nodded and bowed to her as she walked through the castle, a few being bold enough to ask her if she was in better health. She was polite, but short. Although she was not cramped for time, she was far too anxious to hold any kind of conversation, and thought it best if she were to get done as quickly as possible.
She exited the castle through the front entrance, which had been somewhat repaired since her last visit. A few of the guards visibly cringed as she walked past, then looked very ashamed of themselves. She payed them no mind as she walked out into the sunny streets of Canterlot. The ponies of Canterlot continued with the bustling cheer so standard for the City of the Sun, completely unaware that the fate of the world could very well be being decided only a few hundred meters from them. Twilight's presence, as par usual, caused some level of commotion, though nopony got in her way as she purposefully scanned the streets.
She checked the market sector first, before moving onto the nearby entertainment complexes. Inwardly, she cursed herself. Though it had seemed like a good idea at the time, sticking Rainbow Dash and Rarity together meant that she had absolutely no idea where they would decide to go, or if they would even stop arguing about it long enough to go somewhere. She needed to find them, but it seemed that the only viable strategy available to her was sector by sector city-wide search.
At least with flight it would be faster. Twilight made her way to the nearest flight square(1), preparing to take off, when a thought struck her. In the corner directly opposite to herself, there was a group of pegasi, three mares and a stallion, boasting to each other of their flight prowess. More eyes in the sky would make her job easier.
Twilight walked up to the group, who were too absorbed in each other to have yet payed her any mind.
“Excuse me?” She asked, not quietly but politely. The pegasi did not respond. Twilight took another two steps forward, cleared her throat, and asked loudly but politely. “Excuse me, but I need a moment of your time.” This time, the pegasi turned to face her, shocked. They recognized her almost instantly, bowing quickly.
“Princess. What do you want us for?” One of the mares, a dark red one with a dusty pink and purple mane, addressed her.
Twilight smiled. “I heard you describing your achievements. I have a task that I need some able bodied pegasi for. When I heard of your prowess, I couldn't help but think that you four would be perfect for the job.”
The pegasi looked between themselves, obviously frightened that they may have said the wrong thing at the wrong time.
“Don't worry, It's not a dangerous job, just one that needs to be completed quickly. I'm looking for two of my friends, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. They're in Canterlot somewhere, but I don't know where. I need you four to locate them and tell them to go to the palace as soon as possible.” Twilight paused. “You do know what they look like, correct?”
“Of course. The elements of generosity and loyalty are household names. We won't have any problem locating them.” The stallion said.
“Good.” Twilight nodded. “Don't tell anypony else what you're doing, and don't follow them after you deliver the message. This is a matter of national security, and we can't have wild rumors in the streets. The conformation of your task will come with their swift arrival.”
“Yes, princess.”
She opened her wings, turning away from them. “Good luck.”
The pegasi took off. Twilight was fairly certain that they would pull the task off fine. One pony can hardly ever keep a secret, but a group of friends love inside jokes. Following their lead, Twilight took to the skies, heading directly to the Sunshine Transportation Company headquarters. She arced quickly and purposefully, landing at the entrance less than a minute later. She had no problem with admittance; the desk secretary took one look at her and simply ripped the day's schedule out of her binder. She told Twilight to wait in the lounge, promising that the CEO would be with her within five minutes. Twilight did as she was told. There was the sound of a door slamming deep in the building, and the secretary returned, motioning Twilight to follow her.
Twilight entered a large conference room. It was stark and of the modern style, with a table in the center large enough to seat eighteen. Currently, it was nearly half full. At the head sat a dapper looking business mare with two other less overtly business orientated mares flanking her. On their right sat a earth-pony conductor, on their left, a unicorn accountant, from what Twilight could tell. At the far end of the table sat Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. They seemed surprised at her arrival.
“This is princess Twilight Sparkle.” The secretary said. “She has requested to be let in on this meeting.”
The mare at the head of the table, whom Twilight assumed was the CEO, regained her composure quickly, nodding. “Of course. Please, join us.”
“Um, actually, I'm not really here about the meeting. Something's come up, and I need to collect my friends.” She smiled apologetically at the mare, and her friends. “It's really important.”
“Can it wait ten minutes?” The accountant said, with a curious mixture of disdain and reverence in his tone. “We're working on something here.”
Twilight turned to the stallion, the most obviously condescending smile she could muster at short notice gracing her lips. “Oh, do forgive me.” She was surprised at the layers of authority her tone contained. “I'm sure what you're doing is of utmost importance.”
The accountant shuddered and went pale, his pupils shrinking noticeably.
“Nonsense.” The CEO glared at the accountant. “Forgive him, he's moved up so very quickly in business that he forgets sometimes there are ponies above him. A princess does not make time for businessponys.”
“No, it's alright.” Twilight said sweetly. “I'm not offended.” The accountant nearly collapsed. “I do need my friends. We'll have to reschedule this meeting. Sorry for the inconvenience.” She turned to the others. “Let's go.”
Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie excused themselves from the table. The walked out with Twilight in silence. Once they had exited the building, Applejack turned on her.
“What the hay was that for, Twi! I thought you said you'd let us take care of ourselves! We were doin' just fine on our own.”
“We appreciate the help, but really, everything was going okay. Golden Touch is a really nice pony, and was very willing to listen to our explanation.”
“I always thought that the evil mega-corps were run by evil ponies bent on nothing but profit, but she was really fun!” Pinkie exclaimed, the deflated. “Well, kind of normal, actually. But definitely not evil.”
Twilight shook her head. “I wish I could apologize and tell you that I let my worry get the best of me, but I wasn't lying when I said something of importance has come up. I hope you girls haven't lost spirit since last night, because we might have to save the world again after all.”
The other three went silent.
“Really?” Fluttershy asked in a small voice.
“Really.” Twilight nodded solemnly.
“What's the threat this time?” Applejack said, going completely serious.
“I would rather explain it once to all of you then twice in two groups.” Twilight said. “Or, better yet, let Celestia explain. I got some random pegasi to find Dash and Rarity for me, and they should be at the palace gates any minute. It's... complicated, but nopony is in danger immediately. Or, if they are, there's very little we can do. Trust me, it'll all make sense soon.”
“We trust you.” Applejack nodded. “Let's go.”
Twilight smiled. Even give the circumstances, she could not help but feel warm inside at the level of trust her friends had in her. “Lets.” She closed her eyes, formulating rough vector calculations for a few seconds, and then, with a flash of power, she teleported herself and her friends to the palace gate.
“Oh, how good of you to drop by.” Rarity said dryly. Given that she had somehow procured a table and fold out chair during her wait, they had probably arrived a while ago. “What mess are we in this time?”
Dash was hanging out in the air above them, seeming happy at the prospect of a new adventure. “Is it something cool? Tell me it's something cool.” Dash smiled down at the others, enthusiasm poring from her tones. “We haven't done anything really cool in, like, a month.”
“I think that Celestia wants to handle the explanation.” Said Twilight. “It seemed that way to me, anyway.”
“Oh, come off it. Tell us.” Rarity said. More softly, she added, “We can handle things, Twilight. You don't have to protect us. We're going to find out anyway.”
For a second, Twilight was stunned. “No, no, it's not that...” She sighed. “Spring's broken free.”
There was a pause. The other five looked at her with blank expressions. Pinkie's eyes lit up first, about three seconds in, Fluttershy following very soon after.
“Spring. Born year two harmonic era. Sealed by Celestia, Starswirl, and Blueblood in the twenty-second year of Celestia's reign. Most powerful of the third generational Alicorns. Celestia and Luna's mother.” Pinkie said, much to the surprise of the others. “Unofficial leader of the Council of World Powers. Generally recognized as the most influential pony of her age. Had three sisters, two of which died, one of which is sealed as well. One of three hexamillennials to have ever lived(2). Ruled five kingdoms at different times, but always grew bored of rule within a decade. Was in most of the famous battles, caused a few of them herself.” Pinkie began to trail off. “Sorry, it's been years since I took ancient history.”
“I have one of her books.” Fluttershy said. “That's why the name sounded familiar. She wrote a book on herbology, oh, sixteen hundred years ago, and I got a copy from a creepy estate sale five years back.” She flushed. “I think she writes well.”
“Spring...” Dash seemed to be thinking.
“You should all remember at least a little from history.” Twilight said. Glancing at Pinkie, she quietly added “Some more than others.” She turned to the others. “And if not, you've all heard of her before, though not in a historical context.”
“Flights of Fantasy, A First Reader's Book for Young Pegasi!” Dash exclaimed suddenly.
“Spring and the Seven Sisters, The Gold Chariot, Spring and the Bronze Flower, The Mare of the Lake, The Iron Hoof(3), Spring and the Frost Giants...” Fluttershy listed. “They were in our first reader books as foals in Cloudsdale.
Twilight nodded. “I've heard a few of them, though undoubtedly different versions. Unsurprisingly, Celestia never read me any of them, so I probably have less exposure then you five in that regard. I have done more research than most, but even I don't know much. The old Alicorns were always interesting to me, but never in the way I got into other topics. I'll be the first to admit that history does not hold my attention for long.”
“Why is this a problem?” Dash said. “Spring sounds like a cool pony, from all the stories. I mean, she's always the protagonist at least. Sure, she's a bit violent at times, but things were harder back then.”
“Honestly, I don't know for sure. She's, well, intimidating, but she didn’t seem overtly dangerous. She was radiating power, but it was... weird. No doubt you remember how it felt to be in Nightmare Moon's presence. She carried with her a similar kind of energy, but less, well, malicious.”
“That's hardly reason to suspect somepony.” Applejack said.
“I agree. I mean, we know other ponies who do the same thing.” Fluttershy said. “Celestia, Luna, and you all do that.”
Twilight nodded, then paused. “Wait, what?” She looked at Fluttershy curiously. “I do that?”
Fluttershy nodded. The others did as well. “You're telling me you had no idea that you had an divine aura?” Applejack cocked her head, looking at Twilight quizzically. “I would have thought that would have been one of the things ya would have picked up on quickest.” She said.
Twilight looked down at her hooves for a second, paused, sighed, then shook her head. There would be time for this later. “We're digressing; that's not important right now.” She said. “All I know for sure is that Celestia and Luna seem very apprehensive around her. Anything that puts them on edge can't be good.”
“Fair enough.” Applejack paused. “I'm sure she'll explain things later.”
As she spoke, a shadow passed in front of the sun. The six turned up in time to see a pony flying away from the castle.
“That's her.” Said Twilight quietly. “That's Spring.”
She flew away rather quickly, the six loosing sight of her in under a minute.
“She seemed...” Rarity trailed off.
“You really can't tell much from a shadow, can you?” Said Dash.
The six friends stood their, rather at a loss as to how to proceed. A light wind tickled their manes, and, despite the warmth of the day, Twilight shivered.
The doors of the palace came open, and Celestia stepped out into the courtyard. The five dropped into a bow, while Twilight stood standing. The others rose quickly.
“Follow me.” Celestia said simply, and the group did as commanded, following Celestia through the castle. It might have been her imagination, but it seemed to Twilight almost as if the hallways were more dimly lit that usual. Ponies seemed quieter than usual as they passed. It was almost like the atmosphere of the place had changed, as if everypony could tell, even if they could not place it, that the world was changing.
After a few minutes, they entered Celestia's royal chamber. Luna was already inside. Twilight noticed that the cake had already been cleaned up. Luna seemed startled by their presence.
“Elements. I was not aware that you had been summoned.” She said. “Your assistance will be appreciated.”
“Sorry about this.” Celestia said to Luna. “I would have told you, but Spring would have undoubtedly found me needing to whisper to you somewhat suspect.”
“Whispering a harsh reprimand to a student, however, she understands perfectly.” Twilight said. “We were corresponding secretly from nearly the beginning. Thanks for the save with the alicorn field thing back there.”
“Thank me?” Celestia smiled. “You acted brilliantly. I don't think I could have done any better”
“You two...” Luna said, then paused. “I should have guessed. How much of a plan did you manage to set up between your secret signs?”
“No further then this.” Celestia said. “Twilight, I assume you've informed the others of the situation.”
“As best I could, but I know very little.” Twilight said. “So little, in fact, that I'm still in the dark on how exactly Spring is a threat. I mean, aside from the being a goddess thing.”
Celestia closed her eyes briefly, then sighed. “Spring is, without a doubt, both the most dangerous and least dangerous possible threat you have ever faced.”
“I don't mean to be rude,” said Applejack, “but what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?”
Celestia paused. “It means that, if we fail to stop her, it will be the least damaging disaster of this nature you've encountered.” She laughed darkly. “Though, given that the three examples are world-freezing night, eternal chaos, and having the entire sapient population of the world reduced to emotionless husks, that's not really saying much. She's the most dangerous because she is both the most capable and the most willing of any of the forces you've gone up against to just simply kill you and move on.”
“What's her plan?” Dash asked. “What's she trying to do?”
“She will attempt to break the seals on the others of her council. Combined, they will likely rule the world as they had done in the past.” Luna said.
“But what is she, like, doing.” Clarified Dash. “You know, the thing that makes her evil. The thing we need to stop. That thing.”
“She has promised us that she won't do anything for a short while. We will use this time to plan our strategy.” Luna answered.
“If we strike quickly, we may be able to take care of this whole situation before anypony gets hurt.” Celestia said.
“Alright.” Twilight nodded. “The sooner we get this done, the better.” She shuddered. She was more familiar with Spring's exploits then she had let on; she was well aware of what she was capable of. If that force turned on Equestria...
“Sounds good to me.” Dash grinned. “We're going to break out the Elements of Harmony again or what?”
“The only thing that confuses me,” Rarity began, “is why you two need us. She's an alicorn like yourselves, which means she fights with the same limitations and on the same level that you do. I don't see why we should get involved, if it is as dangerous as you say.”
“It is true, the two of us could likely best her.” Luna said. “But the collateral would be terrifying. We would turn mountains to dust, forests to ash, and cities to ruins. She gets away, and we have to start again. No, the less time goddesses spend fighting, the better. You six have proven yourselves to be more than capable of feats which would be difficult for even us. We are more than confident that you will be able to best her.”
“The plan is for you to knock her out.” Celestia said. “Once you do, contact us, and we'll take care of her from their.”
Applejack opened her mouth, hesitated, then spoke. “So wait. Let me get this straight.” Applejack paused. “You,” she pointed at Celestia and Luna, “want us,” she motioned with her hoof at herself and her friends, “to initiate hostilities,” she paused, “with a goddess,” she paused again, “Who is currently not hostile?” She waited about five seconds. “Am I the only pony who thinks that's a very, very bad idea?”
“She's a goddess.” Celestia said flatly. “If she stays doing nothing for five hundred years, the five hundred first will come, and the cities will burn. It doesn't matter what she's doing right now. She needs to be stopped, preferably before she can do any damage.”
“I'm with Applejack.” Fluttershy said. “We should not be the ones to initiate. That kind of preventive thinking is what leads to ponies hurting others for no reason.”
Twilight looked at Applejack and Fluttershy, confused. “If Celestia thinks we should do it, we should. She's never steered us wrong before.” It wasn’t like them to question Celestia's wisdom.
“I thank you for the vote of confidence, Twilight, but the concern is a fair one.” Celestia said. “As it happens, although she may not be actively attempting to destroy the world, she has already killed. Rarity, Twilight, you know this.”
“The Hoofany explosion was caused by her.” Twilight explained. “She killed Golden Leaf.”
“Spring was in Hoofany?” Rarity said, startled.
“She was disguised as Running Waters.” Twilight said. She saw shock cross Rarity's face. “Yeah. Sorry.”
Rarity did not say a word.
“It still don't feel right to me.” Applejack said. “You're way too keen on getting her for what she's done. Yeah, she's bad, sure, but nothing you've described seems like world ending evil to me.”
Celestia sighed. “Spring is not unambiguously evil. That's the point. She's not trying to destroy the world; she's even fighting for the greater good, in a way. It's just her methods that make her dangerous. She does not care if she needs to kill thirty to save three thousand. She just does. It's all a game of numbers for her, and it makes her deadly. Her agenda is sporadic and against what we consider to be our goal. She breaks rules, and hurts ponies for fun. Unlike the other forces we've faced in the past few years, she likes having the ability to destroy more than actual destruction, barely. Make no mistake, she is remorseless when using her power, and the only kill she knows of when dealing with her enemy’s is overkill. She rules through fear, gripping the world in an iron hoof, an iron hoof which does stop ponies from hurting themselves and others. But it's not the best way, and she won't be able to see that. She craves control and grandeur. She's self-centered, and although she's not quite narcissistic, she still has no problem dismissing others concerns as less important than her own. She's going to try to assert herself; it's her nature. And the revolution will be bloody, make no mistake.”
“If you had seen her as we have...” Luna shuddered.
Applejack seemed troubled, then sighed. “Skews your perspective mighty, don't it, to have fought evil incarnate. Yer right, of course. She needs to be stopped. Just because she's more benign then the other forces we've gone up against don't make her good, just less evil.”
“I would have been far more upset with you if you had acted when your conscience told you not to.” Celestia smiled warmly. “You're right, of course. Left to herself, she'll bring down the current world order, but that's hardly the end of the world. A little below what you six are used to dealing with, but I'm sure you can lower yourselves to the task for a little while.”
The others laughed halfheartedly, though Twilight did not join in. She felt nervous, but that was to be expected, give what they were planning to do. The others cut out quickly.
“So, how do you propose we actually go about K.O.ing a goddess?” Dash asked. “Do we have some super cool magical artifact, or, like, are you going to show us a supper secret weakness, or, or...”
Celestia laughed. “I thought we might use something you were familiar with.” Celestia withdrew the Elements of Harmony, the five magical necklaces and tiara set gleaming from the proximity to their owners. “I believe that this counts as a severe enough emergency for their use.(4)”
“How do you know this will knock her out?” Rarity asked. “I mean, I don't mean to be rude, but they don't exactly seem to have the greatest reliability in their ability. They seem to do something different to everypony they're used on.”
“They always do what you need them to, don't they?” Celestia said. “Why would this be any different?”
“Magic is fifty percent will, thirty percent intent, and twenty percent knowledge. To cast without knowledge or intent is foolish, but to cast without will is doomed to failure.(5)” Twilight quipped.
Celestia nodded. “The Elements of Harmony are the ultimate weapon for restoring harmony. They may not do exactly as expected, but they always do exactly as needed.”
She placed the Elements on the ground, and the six picked them up, placing them on their bodies.
“Now,” started Celestia, “Normally, I would cast some spell of protection on you, but in this case I don't think that would be the greatest idea. Spring would feel my magic from a kilometer off. As such, I'll be relying on you, Twilight, to provide any protection that you may need.”
“Me?” Twilight said, swallowing. “Against her?”
Celestia nodded. “Spring may be far more powerful than you, but as you know, after a point one's total power begins to matter less and less. You can output power at around the same rate she can, and though she will easily be able to outlast your reserves, I would be surprised if you couldn't hold her for ten minutes if you needed to. It's one of the few good things about battle. There's no time to prepare intensely powerful spells, so total power output is nearly equal between alicorns, despite our often wild total power differences.”
“Ten minutes...” Twilight looked down at her hooves. She wasn’t very good with combat; she knew very few combat spells. She wasn’t sure she could last through ten minutes of combat with a semi-competent unicorn battlemage, let alone a highly accomplished six-thousand year plus goddess. Even if she could output enough power to do such a thing, she hardly thought it would take Spring twenty seconds to overwhelm her – the skill gap was just too large.
“Most likely, you won't engage her at all. If everything goes perfectly, you'll hit her before she has a chance. If you do engage, you only need to hold her off for long enough to use the Elements on her.” Celestia continued. Her horn glowed, and Twilight felt a warm packet of energy deposit itself in her mind. “When she's down, use this to contact me.” She paused. “If you do engage her, and absolutely can't suppress her, do anything you can to escape before contacting me. Only if there is no other option call us in. As we've said, a battle between the three of us would end in disaster.”
The elements nodded, then stopped suddenly.
“Wait...” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yeah, hold on a second.” Applejack added, a look of confusion strong in her eyes.
It suddenly came to Twilight what they were confused on. “Wait. Celestia, you and Luna can't fight her because of the collateral damage it would cause. And then you said, just now, that I can output on the same level. So... why is collateral not a problem with me?”
Celestia blinked twice, then face-hoofed. It was not what the six had been expecting. “Of course. You'll have to forgive me for this. I'm just so used...” She paused. “I should have made the connection. I don't have the slightest idea why I didn't. You're absolutely right, of course. Twilight, do not under any circumstances engage with Spring. If she attacks you, defend, but do nothing else. Do not attempt suppression, escape as quickly as possible.” She shook her head. “Once again, I am shown that the fate of our nation could not be in better hooves. Thank you for the catch, Rainbow Dash.”
Dash simply nodded. “Don't mention it.”
The eight stood in complete silence for a few seconds. It was clear that the basic plan was in place, but there was still one thing left to address. The silence dragged on. Celestia began to regard the elements with some curiosity.
“So...” Celestia looked quizzically at Rarity. “If you don't mind my asking, where exactly are we going?” Rarity said at length.
“Unfortunately, I know no more of her current whereabouts then you do.” Celestia said.
“Can't you do scrying or some such thing?” Applejack asked.
“On a goddess?” Luna snorted. “Good luck.”
“No. We'll have to do information gathering the old fashioned way. We'll have to use our wits and eyes to find her. Magic can not help us here.”
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. A servant pony walked in, caring a letter.
“I'm very sorry to disturb you, princesses, but I’ve been told that this letter is of great importance.” She handed the letter to Twilight, bowed, then exited the room.
“Telegram for Princess Celestia, very urgent.” Twilight read. “A unidentified Alicorn has been spotted in Ponyville!” The letter continued at some length, but Twilight did not bother to read the rest of it. “She's in Ponyville right now!”
“Then go!” Luna said, nodding. Her friends looked at her, determination in their faces. Celestia concentrated, working the vectors, and with a flash the six found themselves in the Ponyville town square.
For the amount of commotion they would have expected an Alicorn to cause, the town seemed awfully quiet. Very much not normal, given the time of day. In fact, the town looked almost deserted. There were no obvious signs of damage, but something felt distinctly off. The six fanned out, looking around, though they stayed inside the square. Twilight spotted somepony, she did not know her name. She was running towards them. Twilight motioned to her friends, and they gathered around in time for the mare to enter the square.
“What's going on?” Twilight asked. “Where is she? Where is Spring?”
The mare looked at her funny. “Who? No, look, come on!” She motioned for them to follow. “There's been an explosion, I think. A building got destroyed. I was sent out to find ponies to help with cleanup.”
The six looked between one another. “I'm sorry, miss, but we're on an important mission.” Twilight explained.
“You can't spare a few minutes to help some ponies in need?” The mare looked distrustfully at them. “And you call yourselves heroes. Kids these days.”
Twilight was about to apologize again, when there was sudden shouting from behind them. They turned around to see what was the matter. Another two ponies ran into the square. Twilight thought she recognized them, but couldn’t place their names.
“Thank goodness you've arrived!” Said one of them.
“Princess, can you help her?” Another said anxiously.
“That awful alicorn was terrible to her!” The first of the mares exclaimed. “We saw her break down crying!”
“Who? What? Where!” Twilight said. “Take me to her!”
The mares seemed very happy that she was so willing to follow them. They led the elements through the town. As they drew nearer to their destination, Twilight began to notice a sharp increase in the number of ponies milling about. They didn’t look too happy, but appeared unhurt. Eventually, they found themselves at the site of a destroyed house. The mares led them to a pony, sitting at the periphery, her head in her hooves.
“We got some help.” One of the mares said kindly to her. Encouragingly, the mare responded with a slight movement of her head.
“We found a princess!” The other chirped.
Twilight leaned down. “Hello.” She said, with as much calm serenity as she could muster at the time. “I think I've seen you around before. Your name is Honeydew, right?”
“Honeysuckle.” The mare said, looking slowly up at Twilight. Contrary to what it had seemed, she was not in tears. Instead she had the kind of look you might expect a pony faced with her own death might assume. She looked at Twilight intently, absolute terror and perfect calm chasing each other around in her eyes.
“What happened, Honeysuckle?” Twilight said gently. This could be their best lead, and she knew being too direct could lose them time in the long run. “What did Spring do to you?”
“So you know already.” Honeysuckle breathed out, her body almost deflating. “Good.”
“We're going to stop her.”
Honeysuckle gave Twilight a look of such complete despair that she took a reactionary step backward. “I wish you the best of luck.” She said, her tone completely flat.
“Honeysuckle! This is so totally not like you!” Dash said. “You're, like, the first pony I'd thought would be all trying to get in on the action.”
Honeysuckle looked up at her. “I already got some.” She paused. “I almost caused the deaths of, well, everypony in the town, because of my defiance.” She paused. “Forgive me if I'm not myself right now.”
“Honeysuckle...” Twilight said. “I know you've had a bad run, but we're going to fix things, I promise. But, to do that, we need help. Can you tell us where she went?”
“Tell you?” Honeysuckle laughed dryly. “I suppose I could, but I won't. I'm not going to get you killed. If you're so intent on it, you'll find a way anyhow.” She looked directly at Twilight. “She is far more dangerous then you know, and far more petty. If you hurt her and fail, she will make sure you pay.”
“We won't fail, then.” Twilight said. She extended her wings. “I'm a princess of Equestria. I live to protect you, and ponies like yourself, from having to go through what you have. I can't solve every problem, but I'm never going to stop trying. But to do that, I need to know where Spring went. You said it yourself, if I'm determined enough, I'll find her anyway. Make this easier. Please.”
“Shut up.” Twilight turned, startled.
“Dash...?”
“I said, shut up.” Dash flew over to Honeysuckle. “Princess over their can say anything she likes, but I know you. You don't let anything get you down. She did something to you? Get over it and help us get her back. Where's that fighting spirit? Where's that wit and charm? Tell us where she is. Let us fight. You're the kind of pony who would throw rocks at gods, just to show them you're not afraid; I can't believe for a second you wouldn't try your hardest to help us.”
Twilight held her breath. Rainbow Dash very well might have just pushed her too far. If she had, then there would be no way to get the information they needed from her.
Honeysuckle laughed. “How very right you are.” She sighed. “I'm not afraid for myself. I couldn’t care less for personal danger. It's when I cause harm to others by my actions...” She paused for a second. “Heck, who am I kidding. You're Rainbow Dash. Nopony could stop you.” She turned to Twilight. “She headed out over the Everfree. I don't know were she plans on going in there, but she definitely entered the forest.” She looked at Twilight, staring deep into her eyes. “Don't get yourselves killed, okay?”
Twilight nodded. “I won't. I'll keep them safe, don't worry.”
“You, keep Dash safe?” Honeysuckle looked at her wryly, her expression beginning to return to what Twilight could only assume was normal. “I rather think it will be the other way round.”
“You got that right!” Dash grinned.
“So, the Everfree?” asked Applejack.
Twilight thought for a second. “No, I think we should wait a little while. We're going to need either surprise or stealth on our side to make this work, and either way it's best if we go by cover of night. We should head out at sunset.”
“Well, if were here, we might as well pitch in with the clean up.” Rarity said.
“Is anypony hurt?” Asked Fluttershy, looking anxiously around.
“No.” Honeysuckle said. “No, nopony got hurt.”
“That's something to be grateful for, at least.” Said Applejack. “Honeysuckle, why don't cha' go up to Sweet Apple Acres for a while. I'm sure you'll find no end of hospitality, and you look like you need somewhere to recuperate. Ain't every day you face down a goddess.”
“Alright... That sounds good.” Honeysuckle nodded slowly, got to her hooves, and left.
As soon as she passed out of sight Applejack sighed. “Poor girl. She was obviously scared silly.”
Twilight nodded. “It's not surprising. Without knowing any details, but based on what she said, she must have spent some time talking with Spring directly. It's no wonder she was shaken.”
“Is anypony going to help me with this?” Rarity said, levitating another broken plank and placing it on the pile.
“Right, sorry.” Twilight's horn glowed with a flash of power, and the entire lot glowed in her purple aura. There was a sound not unlike a great set of doors slamming shut, and the materials instantly teleported themselves to the correct locations. “There, all done.”
“...”
“What?” Twilight said, looking at the others. “What?”
“Nothing, Twilight dear.” Rarity said, smiling.
Twilight blushed. Perhaps that had been a little overtly powerful. “I'm sorry, but I really need to get to my library. Spike has no idea about what's happening, and I don't want to leave him in the dark. He must be worried by this point.”
“Of course. We all have things we can do before sunset. We have, what, one hour or so? We'll meet at the entrance to the Everfree Forest then.” Rarity said.
Twilight nodded, and was about to take leave of the others, when she felt a tremor go through her mind. She couldn’t place the feeling, exactly, but it was something like feeling large, heavy waves pass over her, as if she was submerged in a mercury wave pool. She looked towards what she felt was the epicenter.
There was a haze on the horizon, a cloud of dust slowly propagating its way skywards. She saw the edge of a shock wave dissipate into the air slowly. Give that shock waves move at the speed of sound, Twilight figured that the blast, for it had to be an explosion of some kind, was about twenty kilometers distant.
The others turned to look where she was. Fluttershy let out a gasp; Rainbow Dash whistled; Applejack seemed shocked; Rarity took a step back; Pinkie Pie looked completely unconcerned. Twilight, for her part, felt a pit forming in her stomach.
“Scratch that, girls. We're going to the Everfree right now.”
The others nodded, though they seemed to be much more subdued than before. The shock wave hit shortly after; at this distance, it was nothing more than a gust of wind, but very distinct. It carried the sound of thunder on its crest, though it was no thunder they had ever heard before.
“We need to stop her.” Applejack said flatly. “I'm imagining that inside a population center, and it ain't pretty.”
“The inside radius would stretch from Sugarcube Corner to Carousel Boutique. The shock wave, however, would be deadly for nearly half a kilometer in all directions. It would destroy about one fourth of Ponyville(6).” Twilight said.
“Wish I could have seen it up close.” Said Dash.
“You still might.” Applejack said. To this, Dash said nothing.
There really wasn’t anything else to say, after that, so they didn't. The six walked quietly and purposefully through the town. As far as they could tell, Spring had not done anything else beyond destroy the single house. The ponies around them wished them luck, if they said anything at all. Most seemed somewhat downcast and not inclined to speak. Pinkie was very agitated at the sight of so many taciturn ponies, but they kept on moving. They exited the town, passing Fluttershy's cottage on the way out. It was only two minutes from there that they found themselves at the edge of the Everfree Forest.
The six entered the forest, feeling the temperature drop as soon as they crossed the threshold. The forest was much as it always had been. Familiar sights and sounds greeted the company as they progressed along the path. Eventually, they came to the fork in the path.
“Which way would she have gone?” Fluttershy asked. “I do hope she went straight on to the castle. Zecora is resourceful, but I don't like her odds against a goddess.”
“Well, she wouldn’t have known about the side path when coming here.” Twilight said, thinking. “She could have become interested and explored.” She glanced down the path, then back up the main path. “The explosion, however, definitely came from deeper inside the forest.”
“How do we know she even took the path?” Asked Applejack. “She's a goddess. She ain't afraid of anything in this woods.”
“And get herself dirty?” Rarity said, shocked. “I dare say she cares more about her coat then the danger.”
“Not everypony's like you, Rarity.” Applejack said. “Most of us can deal with a little dirt.”
“Oh, and you would know so much about high fashion, would you?” Rarity said. “Have you ever seen Celestia or Luna anything other than immaculate?”
“If you look behind you, you'll see a perfect example of a goddess not afraid to get dirty.”
Twilight blinked, then looked down at her coat. She hadn’t really noticed before, but Applejack was right, her coat was getting quite filthy.
“Case and point.” Said Applejack.
“We have to start somewhere, and the paths are the best lead we have.” Twilight said. “From the current evidence we have, I believe that she went to the castle.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Dash said, streaking ahead of the group. “Come on!”
“Hold up!” Twilight said. “We're about five kilometers from the castle now. We should stick closely together from here on in. At the rate we're going, we'll make it to the castle just after sunset. I'm the last pony who needs to tell you that the Everfree Forest is a dangerous place at night. Even without divine intervention, we still need to be careful.”
Dash snickered. “Look who's talking! We've got divine intervention, whether we want it or not.” She cupped her hooves around her mouth. “HEY! ANYTHING WANT TO MESS WITH A GODDESS? WE GOT ONE RIGHT HERE!”
“Dash!” Twilight exclaimed, horrified.
“Be quiet!” Pinkie Pie hissed.
“Shut your mouth!” Yelled Applejack, sternly.
“Do control yourself!” Rarity cried, appalled.
Fluttershy took to the air, flew into Rainbow Dash's face, and stuck her.
“We are trying to sneak up on and surprise a goddess! Of all the stupid things you've ever done, Rainbow Dash, this may very well qualify as the stupidest. Everything within five kilometers heard you! At this point if we make it through this alive it will be by sheer luck!” Fluttershy yelled at Dash, who cowered before her. “I am not kidding, Rainbow Dash; you very well might have just killed us. We might as well abandon the mission at this point, because there is no way we can pull this off. So congratulations, Rainbow Dash. Anypony who dies from now on by Spring's hoof is on you.”
Dash was crying. Twilight could hear it, though Fluttershy's body was between her and Dash, so she couldn’t actually see it. But she could see her shake, her flight pattern breaking up. With an audible whooshing noise, she dropped to the ground.
Fluttershy looked almost dazed. “Oh, my. I didn’t mean it to come out like that...”
“Dash? Are you...” Applejack walked up to her. Pinkie joined her. Twilight wanted to, but instead she turned to face Fluttershy.
“What was that?” Twilight looked into Fluttershy's eyes. “That was not like you. At all. In any respect.”
“Well, I...” Fluttershy looked down. “I was really scared. I thought... I really thought that was it; that we were all going to be dead in a couple of seconds, and I...”
“You did nothing wrong.” Dash had gotten up, apparently, and though her words were thick with tears, they still maintained clarity. “I screwed up. I really screwed up.” She turned to Twilight. “She's right. We need to turn back. I botched it.”
“No, no she's not.” Twilight said. “This is a forest, Dash. Sound deadens quickly here. I would be very surprised if you could be heard at all from one kilometer, let alone five(7). And, even if you were, it would be nothing more than a muddled, muffled tone. You haven't challenged anypony to come and fight me. I reacted as I did because if you pulled something like that, say, when we could see the castle, it could get us killed. But you probably haven't actually done anything – this time.”
“Really?” Dash said, composing herself.
“Really. Just stay on the ground and keep your voice down from now on, okay?” Twilight said. Really, she wasn’t being as harsh on Dash as she reasonably should, but she needed her in a state ready for action, not a sobbing mess. She would talk to her about this later.
“Okay.” Dash nodded. She had regained most of her composure. If anything, Fluttershy seemed to have taken more permanent damage from the event, leaving her sadly lagging at the rear as the party once again headed out through the forest.
They did not speak to one another as they continued through the forest. The sun continued its path downwards, setting just as the six came to the gorge. Waiting for them there was a curious sight.
As they passed out of the canopy, Twilight was shocked to find a stone bridge waiting for them. It was large, almost five meters wide, and made in a simple but elegant style. It was bowed upwards slightly, with smooth, dark sidings which were about one meter tall. It seemed to merge flawlessly with the rock around it.
“Well, you don't see that every day.” Applejack commented. “Do you suppose Spring made it?”
“I don't see who else could have.” Twilight said.
“Is it safe to use?” Dash asked. “She could have put a spell on it or something.”
“I'll test it.” Twilight said, stepping onto the bridge. It was very smooth, and pleasantly cool to the touch as she walked across it. On a whim, when she was half way, Twilight pricked her hoof and anchored a lighting spell to the floor(8). It was ghostly white-purple light which burned about as bright as ten candles, and which floated about three meters above the floor. In its glow, the bridge looked more friendly. Twilight crossed over to the other side; her friends followed suit quickly.
“How long will that light last?” asked Rarity as they continued on to the castle.
“I don't know, I haven't done any calculations, but I think around thirteen days.” Twilight said. “Perhaps some traveler will find it useful.”
The castle loomed in front of the six, its ruins clearly visible in the light of the rising full moon. But tonight, as was not the case for hundreds of years, another light was illuminating it as well. They could see warm light streaming from every window and crack in the roof. Between it and the moonlight, it was cast into strange illogical shadows and, despite its warmth, Twilight was of the opinion that it would have been less creepy without the new glow.
“Spring's in there.” Twilight said.
“How do you know that for sure?” Applejack asked. “All we know for sure is that she came this way, right? I mean, who says that she needs to come here anyway?”
“I don't know about you, but if I was a goddess, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than a castle, ruined or not.” Rarity said, beginning to walk faster. She seemed excited to be here, for some reason.
“Honeysuckle was very shaken up. I don't think that she was lying to us. This is the only landmark that existed here from before she was sealed, and although I can't be sure she's here, it seemed like a logical place to start.” Twilight sighed. In all honesty, she couldn’t be sure that she was here. In fact, it wasn’t even all that likely. But it was the only place that came to mind, and she needed to lead them somewhere.
“The animals seem to be frightened of something in this area, but I can't tell what.” Fluttershy said, somewhat agitated.
“Perhaps it was the explosion we saw. That was definitely in the area, and almost certainly caused by Spring.” Twilight said.
“Yeah, that was awesome!” Rainbow Dash spun in the air, a wide grin on her face. It was good to see that she was recovered from earlier. “I mean, it was a terrible thing to do, hurting all those animals and all, but still, awesome!”
“Dash, we're supposed to be fighting her, not praising her!” Twilight said.
“Yeah, yeah, but, you know, credit where it's due and all that.” Dash said. “It was an awesome explosion. I like explosions, in case you hadn't realized. That doesn't mean that I don't understand that they're not good to make.”
“I know, I know. I'm just really strung up right now.” Twilight sighed. “We're going to fight a goddess. Not an easy task normally, when we're underestimated and desperate. This time, she's on the defense, and not likely to underestimate us. If anything, she'll overestimate our danger. We're a lot more likely to get killed here then, well, we've ever been, actually. Not as likely to lose as ever, but most likely to die.”
“Oh, I'm sure everything will go great!” Pinkie burst out, almost causing Twilight to flinch from the volume. She was standing right next to her. “I wonder what color balloons she likes, or if she even knows what a balloon is!”
“Pinkie... Although I appreciate your enthusiasm, I'm fairly certain this is not one of those times when we'll befriend the villain and have a party.” Twilight sighed again.
“You don't know that.” Pinkie said. “There's always a way to get a happy ending, for everyone. Think about Discord. Who would have thought that he would turn out alright? A lot less likely then this, that's for sure! We've done crazier things in the past. What's to stop us from succeeding this time?”
There was a brief rustling in the leaves. Twilight turned to look, but was stopped abruptly by a strange force which ripped her off her hooves and suspended her in the air, helpless. She dangled, completely unable to move. She tried to shout out, but found herself unable to speak. With all her will, she forced her head to turn, facing their assailant. Standing there, looking down at them, was...
“Greetings, my little ponies!” Spring said, grinning. “I dost trust that thee art comfortable?”
End Chapter 6