"Are you serious?"
Misty Fly gazed at Amethyst Star with dilated pupils. The world around her felt slower and slower until everything, even time itself, ceased moving. Her body also felt lighter as though she would float away like a stray balloon. She then let go of Amethyst and, with her mouth agape, she took a short, but heavy step back. Amethyst closed her eyes momentarily and smiled. When she opened them up again, her eyes glowed as brightly as before.
"I am serious," said Amethyst, her eyes pointed right at Misty's. "We need to go around town and ask everypony we can find if they know about Iron Will. If what they say is negative, I'll make a note of it and inform Bulk Biceps of how bad Iron Will really is."
"Isn't this a smear campaign?" asked Misty. The world around her regained its pace and her weight returned to her. Misty's heart beat faster and formed loud thumps that rang in her consciousness. "I don't like Iron Will as much as any other pony, but I don't think he's as cruel as you think, Amethyst."
Amethyst sighed and tapped the bar table in a melodic and catchy tune, which grew slower and heavier after some time. "I have a hunch that Iron Will is that bad. Misty, I know that you have a pure way of doing things, but this time we're going to have to get a little dirty and expose Iron Will as the fraud he is."
Misty paused for a moment and leaned against the table. Iron Will was a lot of trouble, and Misty knew that well. She closed her eyes and her mind painted the images of the recent past. There was that one time where he ordered that waiter around in Cafe Canterlot. Misty could organize the scene as though it had just happened, from the arrangement of the tables and chairs to Iron Will's tone of voice that could make a manticore wince.
Then there was his actions back at Hotel Travertine. Misty recoiled ever so slightly as her ears twitched upon recalling the buzzing of the horn. Amethyst and Bulk both had bloodshot eyes that night as well, and their irritation was a sight her own eyes couldn't forget. Lastly, there was the casino. Her ears ceased twitching as the clicking of a ball rolling around a roulette wheel encompassed her mind. Misty opened her eyes and, without warning, something inside of her mind glowed.
Amethyst was right. Iron Will never cared about trying to help her as well as help Amethyst and Bulk. They were merely pawns in a much larger game of his. Misty's heart rate picked up once more and a bright flame appeared in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and focused her attention back to Amethyst with a frown.
"You're right," said Misty.
Amethyst raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.
"Iron Will has gone too far and we need to opt out of his program." Misty let out a deep sigh and looked down for a brief moment. "I was acting so pure and optimistic to where it bit me in the back. I shouldn't have given him a second chance that easily." Misty rested her forelegs on the desk, which felt like an impossibly smooth ice cube.
"Misty Fly, there's nothing wrong with who you are. In fact, you have a quality that so many ponies wished they had." Amethyst trotted over to Misty and gently patted her on the shoulder. Misty's eyes lit up and her lips slowly curled into a smile. The table then felt warm to the touch, but it was a kind of warmness that relaxed the muscles. "I mean, look at everypony you've helped. They became your friends because you have such a welcoming personality." Amethyst gazed into Misty's eyes. "Look at me and tell me this. Tell me that everything that happened wasn't your fault."
Misty's throat tightened and her eyes shifted from left to right before focusing on Amethyst. She clenched her teeth for a split second and her spine froze. Her legs trembled ever so slightly as though they were made of jelly. The words of encouragement she relied on became a mere mirage and vanished. Was she losing hope?
That couldn't be it. Misty shut out everything in her mind except for Amethyst, whose shimmering eyes and smile touched her heart. Three more figures materialized in her mind. Bulk Biceps, Fleetfoot, and Spitfire suddenly stood next to Amethyst as though they had been there the entire time. Was she hallucinating? Or was it something else? Misty's throat loosened and without thinking, one sentence escaped her lips.
"It's not my fault," she said.
"Tell me again, only say it louder," said Amethyst.
Misty took a deep breath. "It's not my fault!" She stood up firmly and stared back into Amethyst's eyes once more. "Let's go, Amethyst! Let's teach Iron Will a lesson!" Misty then took a single step forward, but her limbs all froze at once immediately afterwards. "Um, Amethyst?"
"Yes, Misty Fly."
"Where should we start?"
Amethyst smirked and then trotted towards the door. She motioned her hoof towards Misty, the cold breeze that came from it palpable. "I know just the place. We're going to go back to the fair."
"You seem to have somepony in mind." Misty trotted back towards Amethyst. "Is that true?" Amethyst smirked and nodded rapidly. "Who is this pony?"
"The fortune teller."
"What?" Misty tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, staring blankly at Amethyst. "I thought you said to not believe the fortune teller."
Amethyst giggled and her smile widened. "I still don't believe her, but I know somepony who does."
Misty's eyes widened and brightly shimmered and her lips formed a wide smile. "I see where you're coming from."
"Great! Let's find the fortune teller."
Misty and Amethyst exited the bar as they trotted side by side. When they stepped back onto the grasslands that made up Ponyville's roads, their eyes sparkled as they gazed at the sky above. It was a mixture of orange and blue and the yellow sun glowed in the horizon. Not a single peep could be heard in the air as the leaves now slept on the ground, undisturbed by the lack of wind. Amethyst trotted ahead and Misty closely followed, feeling a warmth inside of her chest grow for every step she took. The grass also looked greener than she recalled and the dew returned, its glistening unmistakable.
The roads felt wider than before as few ponies were out and about at the time. Misty and Amethyst soon arrived at the tent where the fortune teller was. Misty stepped on the elaborately patterned silk carpet, which tickled her hoof. A yellow unicorn mare with a red and yellow mane appeared from the tent's shadows without warning, an expression of bemusement on her face. Her ears twitched as she heard the unicorn mention the words "alternate dimension" and "preposterous". Maybe seeing the fortune teller wasn't such a good idea. She then saw Amethyst star waving a hoof in front of her face and jumped up ever so slightly.
"We don't have much time," Amethyst said, planting her hoof back on the ground. "Let's talk to the fortune teller."
The world around Misty felt heavier the moment she entered the tent with Amethyst. Theater masks that weren't there the first time she visited, each with smiles or frowns carved into them, stared at her with uncanny, lifelike expressions. The fortune teller was rubbing her crystal ball with a white cloth as squeaks echoed within the tent. Each squeak was enough to make Amethyst cringe slightly.
"Excuse me," said Misty, raising her hoof towards the fortune teller, "but can you tell me why Iron Will is acting the way he is?"
The fortune teller ceased cleaning her crystal ball. Her eyes glinted at Misty and a devilish smirk, displaying a set of teeth so white one could see themselves in each tooth, appeared from within her cloak.
"Iron Will is an idiot," the fortune teller bluntly said. "His downfall will be, well, amusing to say the least. Anyway, I don't need a crystal ball to answer your question, since I already know the answer."
"What would that be?" asked Amethyst, leaning closer to the fortune teller. "It's really important."
"And why is it important?"
"Because we need to convince Bulk Biceps to quit Iron Will's program. We're not going to be pushed around by him any longer." Amethyst raised her hoof high in the air. Her eyes glowed, and her lips formed a smile.
"That's right," said Misty as she nodded. "So then, can you help us?"
The fortune teller let out a scratchy laugh that went on for what felt like an eternity. Misty tilted her head and raised an eyebrow as the laughs tickled her mind. "Silly youngsters, Bulk is going to quit any minute now."
"What?" Misty's eyes shot wide open and she stepped back as though a spider dangled in front of her face. She looked over to where Amethyst was and noticed her dropped jaw. "But Bulk is the only one of Iron Will's students that's trying to stay in the program until it ends."
The fortune teller paused for a moment, her limbs freezing in place, and let out a raspy laugh without warning. Misty flinched slightly and gazed at the fortune teller's glinting eyes. Just who was she? Whoever she was, this fortune teller had a knack for twisting the minds of her visitors.
"You think you're having a tough time, just wait until you see who Bulk Biceps is dealing with," the fortune teller said ominously. The air in the tent grew thinner and its weight became heavier. "He's going to lose all hope and give up trying to pass Iron Will's course."
Misty leaned towards the fortune teller and her pupils dilated. Her chest tightened as thoughts of what was happening to Bulk crept into her mind. "Where is he? Is he okay?"
"Calm." The fortune teller lifted her hoof towards Misty. "He's emotionally distressed, but he isn't injured or anything." The fortune teller then cleared her throat and smiled as a few extra giggles escaped her throat. "Anyway, he should be near the fountain, so try and search there."
"Thank you," said Amethyst nervously as she shifted her eyes from left to right and bit her lip. "By the way, can we bring Bulk Biceps to you? We need to show him that Iron Will actually does have nothing in his noggin, and I know he believes you." The fortune teller simply nodded. "Thanks."
"One more thing," said Misty. "Who was that yellow unicorn you spoke to and what is this alternate universe she mentioned?"
The fortune teller let out another raspy laugh that sounded akin to a griffon's talons against a chalkboard. Misty and Amethyst turned to each other and gazed into their wide open eyes. They then shrugged and turned back to the fortune teller, who straightened herself out and widened her smile.
The fortune teller took a deep breath and cleared her throat once more. "It's so ridiculous that I don't even believe it myself," she said. Believe me, when the news report comes out, everypony will think Equestria's media has lost reason. Oh, the wonders of the magical world." She rose up and tugged on the hood of her cloak. "Anyway, I wish you luck on your journey. Announce your presence when you return. I'll let you all in and I can work my magic."
"Thank you for everything," said Amethyst. She turned to Misty and nodded. "Let's go search for Bulk."
Misty's lips curled into a smile and she nodded back. "Sounds good. Should we start at the fountain and go from there?"
"Fair enough. If Bulk isn't there, we can ask some passersby if they've seen him."
"Looks like we have a plan." Misty turned to the fortune teller and waved, and she slowly lifted his hoof up and smiled. Amethyst then turned to the fortune teller and did the same as Misty and with that, the pair left the tent and stepped back outside. When their vision focused on the brighter outside world, Misty gasped and her spine froze as she noticed that a conglomeration of ponies were now trotting along the grounds of the fair.
"Here we go again," Misty muttered under her breath before chattering her teeth for a moment.
"Just follow me and we'll get to the fountain in one piece," Amethyst said, taking a slow, heavy step into the constantly mobile crowd.
Misty galloped after Amethyst and slowed down when she was right next to her. "Amethyst, wait. Where is the fountain?"
"I, um, I don't know." Amethyst grinned sheepishly and blushed. "Let's find somewhere quiet and we'll start asking anypony we can find."
Misty nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan."
Unfortunately, it became apparent that "somewhere quiet" was about as hard to find as the Fountain of Youth. Misty could hardly breathe as her shoulders rubbed or bumped off of ponies that trotted by. She knew that it wasn't on purpose, as there simply wasn't enough room to shove a large number of ponies into a medium sized road. A constant stream of chatter only made things more inconvenient for Misty, wincing at the endless cacophony that pierced her ears. Such was the state of Ponyville's town sqaure during certain hours of the fair, and when the roads opened up, Misty's chest loosened and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Amethyst trotted over to an empty bench, which appeared to be constructed out of whatever wooden planks the builders found lying around, and sat down. She spread her forelegs out, took a deep breath, and formed a wide smile. Misty followed suit and sat next to Amethyst, cringing the moment she leaned against the bench's back. It felt as though she sat on a pile of jagged rocks.
"Now we just have to catch somepony's eye and ask him if they've seen Bulk," Amethyst said as a matter of fact. "Do you see anypony that might talk to us?"
Misty looked around the somewhat vacant field, as only a few ponies trotted by at a time. Their conversations were clearly audible and understandable, and the words of business deals or shopping plans told Misty enough as to whether she should interrupt them. Her eyes then focused on a light blue stallion with a dark blue mane. His smile was wide as he waved his arms and laughed with another pony. Maybe he's the one she should ask if she gets the chance.
"I think I found somepony," Misty said, pointing to the stallion of interest. Amethyst turned to where she was pointing. "Do you see him?"
Amethyst nodded and winked at Misty. "I see him," she said.
Misty paused for a moment and stared at Amethyst. What was that wink about? Did she know who this stallion was? Misty looked at him once more and noticed that he was coming their way. The closer he got, the more her mind tickled and when his cutie mark became visible, Misty's eyes widened.
His cutie mark was a lightning bolt with a streak under it. Misty knew that lightning bolt was used in a famous logo. It was identical in shape to the winged lightning bolt that served as the symbol for the Wonderbolts. Now she knew why Amethyst winked at her. This was what felt like the millionth time to Misty where the Wonderbolts would be mentioned in some form.
Misty caught the stallion's eye and waved and grabbed his attention. His eye focused on her waving hoof and he then paused for a moment. He then turned to her and smiled. Something about his smile was welcoming, but Misty couldn't quite form the exact words as to why.
"Can I help you with anything?" the stallion inquired.
"Have you seen a pegasus with huge muscles trotting around?" Misty asked. "He has a white coat and a dumbbell for a cutie mark."
The stallion lifted his hoof to his muzzle and closed his eyes softly. "Hmm. Did he have red eyes and a really short mane?"
Misty nodded, her head bopping up and down at a rapid pace. "Yes! That's him!" Misty's lips formed a smile and her eyes shimmered. The stallion stepped back slightly and blushed. "Where is he? Is he okay?"
"Easy there." The stallion smirked and gazed into Misty's eyes. "He's by the fountain from what I remember and he is unharmed. However, he looked a little down. I wish I knew what happened so that I could help him."
Misty's eyes widened and her heart rose up into her throat. The fortune teller was spot on once again. While being two for two sounded impressive, there were more pressing matters to attend to. Misty shoved the thought aside and rubbed her head for a brief moment.
"Are you okay?" asked the stallion. He offered his hoof to Misty, who gently touched it and was pulled off of the bench. Her back cried out in joy as the aches disappeared.
"I'm okay," said Misty. She turned to Amethyst, who rose up and trotted next to her, and then brought her attention back to the stallion. "By the way, who are you?"
"I'm Soarin." He then shook Misty's hoof in an up and down motion. "It's nice to meet you."
"Well, I'm Misty Fly." Misty turned to Amethyst and pointed at her with her hoof. Amethyst smiled and waved at her and Soarin. "My friend over here is Amethyst Star."
"It's nice to meet you," said Amethyst. "I take it that you're a Wonderbolt, correct?"
"How did you know?" Soarin asked as he blushed and grinned. Misty raised an eyebrow and looked at Amethyst. How did she know? Was it that obvious?
"Your cutie mark says a lot about you. I just hypothesized was all."
Soarin chuckled and cleared his throat. "You're a smart one, Amethyst. Anyway, I have to get going. If I see either of you, I'd love to chat a little more. Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!" Misty and Amethyst shouted.
The pair waved together as Soarin trotted off into the distance. Misty stared at him intently and a warmth entered her heart. It wasn't a romantic warmth, but something about his character made her heart glow. Misty paused and, just as before, she couldn't stop thinking about being reminded of the Wonderbolts yet again. Was destiny was trying to tell her something? Would trying to become a Wonderbolt brighten her spirits more than the Royal Guard? As she looked at Soarin once more and thought of Spitfire once more, her eyes glowed and her heart warmed even more.
"Misty, are you in there?" asked Amethyst.
"Yes," Misty said. She then turned around and jumped up the moment Amethyst, standing close to her, appeared in her sights. Misty blushed and chuckled slightly. "I'm here. I just had a lot on my mind. That's all."
"Was it about the Wonderbolts?"
Misty sighed and gazed into Amethyst's eyes. "Yep."
"Just curious. Anyway, let's go find Bulk Biceps. The fountain should be straight ahead. I think I can see it if I squint slightly."
Misty looked straight ahead and sure enough, a structure with what looked like water shooting into the sky and cascading back down stood in the distance. It was a silhouette from where Misty stood, but there was little doubt that this was the fountain. "I can see it, too."
The pair trotted side by side for a couple of meters, their hooves digging into the dirt roads as they went along. The fountain grew as Misty trotted closer and closer to it. Her nostrils picked up an ocean-like scent, causing her to smile somewhat. Then the roaring of the falling water entered her ears, and the smaller details of the fountain made themselves known.
Misty and Amethyst arrived at the fountain. It stood triumphantly tall as the marble used to construct and sculpt it shone brightly under the sunlight. Various figures that ran around the perimeter of the circular fountain appeared to come to life, as shadows gave them a three dimensional quality. Misty and Amethyst both stood still with shimmering eyes and wide smiles. However, Misty's ears picked up a sound. It wasn't a sound she'd associate with fountains. She trotted around the fountain and almost immediately found Bulk sitting on the opposite side of where she was as tears ran down his face and a clipboard, split into two pieces, rested in front of him.
"Bulk Biceps, what's wrong?" asked Misty, her heart sinking into the abyss.
"I-I don't want to do this anymore," Bulk muttered. "I want to quit."