//------------------------------// // Act III - 12 - Moving Forwards // Story: Harmony's Warriors: Captain Equestria // by Avenging-Hobbits //------------------------------// Act III: “Changes” Chapter Twelve: “Moving Forwards” Apple Bloom was silent, watching the train slowly chug away, leaving a thick, billowing cloud of smoke, soot and steam in it’s wake. Her hooves, which had previously been loose, slowly tensed, and a look of determination spread across her face. She said I could get a job. I’m gonna get me a job. I can’t sign up here though… they already know me. She thought, glancing up at the clock hanging on the station wall, the gears in her head turning. Half an hour to the next train outta here. Time ta get ready. Stifling the last whispering doubt in her brain, Apple Bloom turned smartly on her heels and began marching back to her barracks. ////////////////////////////// Aleister muttered another spell under his breath, moving his hooves carefully around the large glowing diamond-shaped box that sat on his desk. Tendrils of red colored magic drifted from his fingers, deftly poking and prodding the six keyholes of the box, trying his best to unlock it and whatever secrets it might be holding within. There was a flicker of light as one of the keyholes rebuffed a tendril, sending it recoiling like a frightened snake. That was the fifth time such a thing had happened, and Aleister's patience was running low. Aleister let out a grumble, sniffing slightly to clear his nose. He'd already had at least three doses of his coca leaf dust, so he knew his mind was as expanded and alert as possible. If that was the case, however, why did the accursed box refute his every attempt? He was tempted to organize another dosage, but instead shook his head. No. This foolish relic shall not continue to thwart the attempts of one who is so obviously worthy. I shall discover your secrets, foolish crate, even if it requires shattering your casing with a hammer. He let out a huff, standing up from his chair, giving the crate one last glare as he moved to browse one of the half-dozen bookshelves that were overflowing with dozens, if not hundreds of arcane books. He moved slowly, carefully scanning the weathered spines, on the look out for one particular book that had, in the past, provided much help on his endeavors. Where is that spell book? I can't have misplaced it, so it must be here, on this shelf... he pondered, coming to a halt as he spotted the instantly recognizable six fingered hand with the number six printed on it. Aleister grinned, quickly wrapping his hooves around the book and pulling it out from the bookshelf, spinning on his heels and striding over to his desk, where he lay the book down and opened it. He glanced towards the box briefly, giving another sniff to clear his nose. He turned back to the tome, opening and beginning to leaf through its contents. "Hmm, let's see; we have some blood spells… necromancy… aether conjuring… Whateley of Dunwich… summoning The King in Yellow… AH!" His finger pinned down a complex series of symbols, signs and runes that was mixed with several normal words. He grinned so widely that one could be forgiven for assuming his face was about to pop open. Meanwhile, his eyes narrowed as he read the complex looking series of spells aloud in an incredibly theatrical manner. There was a loud crack of energy as a glowing bolt of magic shot from his fingers and impacted the casket, sending both him and the casket spiraling across the room in opposite directions. There was a deafening assortment of crashes, bangs and clangs that followed as Aleister impacted one of his many bookcases, sending several dozen large tomes crashing down on top of him. The casket meanwhile, slammed into a different bookcase, it’s vaguely crystalline structure shattered into a thousand pieces, sending random slivers of crystal and glass hurdling around the room. There was then a rather unimpressive thunk as a large object hit the ground, causing Aleister to peek out from behind the large sofa he’d dodged behind during the hail of shards. Sitting at the foot of the bookcase, atop a small pile of the casket’s remains, was a large, softly glowing crystal heart. Aleister’s eyes widened again and he bolted upright, letting out a triumphant shout. He darted over the crystal, reaching his hooves out towards the large gem, only to have it jolt him with bolt of energy. His hoof tingled with some kind of energy, but his excitement of actually seeing the relic surpassed any health worries. He spun on his heels, giggling to himself, and practically ripped the door open and darted into the hallway, running as fast as his thin and spindly legs could carry him. “Out of my way, plebeians! Move!” he barked, roughly shoving asides anyone who didn’t clear out of his way fast enough, be they griffin or pony. This rather excited behavior, coupled with his complete disregard for physical upkeep during his self-imposed exile inside his office, made him look not unlike some sort of strange mountain dweller. “Oh, Fuhrer! Fuhrer!” he called out, his feet scuffing along the polished floors as he reached the large, ornate oaken doors of the Fuhrer’s office. His fist darted out, rapping on the door several times before he took a step back, taking a moment to compose himself. No use appearing unprofessional, especially after a discovery as groundbreaking and world altering as the one he’d just made. There was an awkward moment of silence after his knock, and Aleister began to fidget. The Fuhrer was usually always punctual. He always answered the door as soon as it was knocked. It wasn’t like him to keep anyone waiting. Especially someone as important as Aleister! Aleister furrowed his eyebrows, shuffling forwards and leaning against the door, touching an ear to the oak. From inside, barely audible through the rather thick and dense wood were voices, which seemed to be discussing something. Who’s he speaking with? Aleister thought, briefly looking around as a random sound caught his ears. After a quick affirmation that it wasn’t some sort of angered eldritch abomination or angry interstellar being, Aleister knocked on the door again, this time with great earnest. There was the sound of shuffling footsteps, and the knob could be seen turning. The door swung open to reveal the eternally high strung face of the Fuhrer’s butler, a rather thin griffin with graying feathers. “Sir, I regret to inform you, but Der Fuhrer’s in a meeting right now, and he cannot be--” “Nonsense! I, Aleister Pendragon, have unlocked the secrets of the casket!” “Well--” the butler was cut off by a sharp, calculating female voice calling Aleister’s name. “What was that, Aleister?” she called out, and Aleister peeked out from behind the butler, and lowered his eyebrows reflexively. Sitting across from the Fuhrer at his desk, dressed in a rather utilitarian labcoat was a bright blue earth pony with a brown mane. Her eyebrow was cocked in a hyper critical manner, which reminded Aleister of his first ex-wife. She nudged her glasses, an incredibly bland pair of wire-frames, up her muzzle. “You heard me, Professor Brass,” Aleister hissed, winding around the butler like a snake and slithering towards an empty chair. “I have been able to unlock the hidden secrets the casket held. Unlike you, however, I was able to accomplish it with the true forces of the universe, and not your foalish calculations.” The Fuhrer arched an eyebrow. “Aleister, what are you blathering about?” “Blathering?! Did you not hear what I have just spoken?!” Aleister snapped, before realizing who had just spoken and humbly bowing and saluting in a rather haphazard manner. “Apologies, Mein Fuhrer, but I have managed to open the Casket we found in Hornstrandir.” “You have, have you?” Dr. Brass asked bluntly, obviously ready to continue before the Fuhrer held up a hoof. “Now, now, Beauty,” he began, seemingly taking no notice of how Dr. Brass’ face briefly twitched in irritation at the use of her first name. He then turned towards Aleister. “What did the Casket contain, Aleister?” “It contained exactly what I had predicted; the Crystal Heart.” The Fuhrer’s eyebrow raised slightly, and Aleister took that as a good sign. There was a long pause before the Fuhrer turned back to Dr. Brass. “Well, this is fortunate. I suppose that will save you a bit of time, Doctor.” Aleister's jaw dropped at the news and he took a step back, his hoof pointing at the mare like an angry child. “What! Why are you bringing her into my research?” cried the eccentric zebra. “This is an intricate study of an incredibly powerful arcane artifact. I don’t need her ‘science’ and shallow minded theories muddling up my work.” “I was going to tell you this later,” the Fuhrer said, folding his hooves in front of him. “But I have decided to place Dr. Brass in complete control of the study of the artifact. She will assess what its properties are and then find a way to properly apply them in our fight against Equestria.” “You... you would just give a piece of the gods’ handiwork over to a bunch of-” “I would, and I fail to see how your theories and superstitions have any application to our current situation. Even with Gustav’s successful acquisition of Stalliongrad, the forces of Equestria grow stronger by the day. They will soon amass their forces, and they will strike back against us, and, if we have not yet gained any significant weaponry advances, we will fail. Simple as that. And while I do appreciate your work, Aleister, sadly, much of it does not have much military application. Dr. Brass’, on the hand, does.” “What?! You’re just going to cast aside my work in favor of hers?!” “Of course he would,” Dr. Brass interjected. “Unlike you, I tend to actually get work done, instead of wasting thousands upon thousands of gryphmarks on those toxins and powders you inject and ingest like some sort of foolish addict.” “I AM NOT AN ADDICT!” Aleister shrieked, slamming a fist into the arm of his chair. As soon as he did so, however, he noticed the incredulous look from the Fuhrer. Aleister took a deep breath, snorting slightly and relaxing. “I apologize for my outburst, but my point still stands. I am not an addict, but rather, an acolyte. The Elder One’s--” “Aleister, I do not wish to hear your excuses. You can pray to all the gods and ‘Elder Ones’ you want, but please refrain from doing so until after we’ve destroyed Equestria. Until then, we will move the project to Dr. Brass’ division. Do you understand?” Aleister gritted his teeth together. “Yes, my Fuhrer.” ////////////////////////////// Applejack sat in a chair in the corner of the warm and homely living room at the Sparkle’s house. Across from her, sitting at the piano, was Mrs. Velvet Sparkle, her fingers dancing over the keys and filling the room with placid piano music. A few feet away, the Professor and Night Light were wrapped up in what sounded like an extraordinarily intense conversation about chemistry while Shining sat on the couch, idly playing solitaire. The whole atmosphere reminded Applejack of home. Granted, the setting and ponies couldn't be more different, but the overall feeling, the nice relaxed sensation of belonging, was the same. To distract herself, Applejack tried to occupy herself by studying a random painting on the wall, which seemed to her to be just random colored blocks arranged together. She tilted her head slightly, unsure of what to make of it, then she tried squinting her eyes. But that only blurred the colors and made it more confusing. “Do you like the painting?” came a familiar voice from behind. Applejack turned to see Twilight standing behind her with an expectant look on her face. Applejack glanced back at the painting and shrugged. “Uh, I s’pose.” Applejack looked at the picture, squinting again. “I guess it’s... a... I have no idea what it is.” “That makes two of us,” Twilight deadpanned, nodding her head. “But Dad liked it, so we got it. It’s an original, I think.” “Eh huh…” Applejack let out a sound of acknowledgement. “Interestin’.” Her eyes scanned the shelf underneath the painting in a rather detached manner. She felt awkward, standing in such an opulent place. The carpet silenced her feet’s constant shuffling, and the warmth of the fireplace was noticeable. A wild contrast to the drafty, creaky cabin she called home. “You okay, Applejack?” Twilight asked, catching Applejack’s attention. Applejack blushed slightly, rubbing the back of her neck in a somewhat nervous manner. “Uh-yeah, I s’pose I’m ‘kay.” She bit her lip and looked upwards, her eyes shifting around. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? You look a little lost,” Twilight pointed out, her expression growing sympathetic. “I mean, if something is really bothering you, you can tell me. You know, girl to girl?” Applejack glanced at Twilight, letting out a slight sigh. “I s’pose I’m just a bit out of my depth, 'cuz in Ponyville we earth ponies don’t usually have dinner with unicorns…” she hesitated, giving Twilight an apologetic smile. “No offense.” “Oh no, I understand. Prejudice is a problem down there. It’s a little more laid back here, I guess." Applejack shrugged slightly. “S’pose.” There was a rather awkward pause between the two, the piano music having shifted to another, more sprightly tune, and the two scientist’s still discussing chemistry. Twilight meanwhile, tapped her foot slightly. She wasn’t normally one to initiate a conversation, so maybe that’s why things had gone so awkwardly between her and Applejack. “Uh... so, um, Applejack... I heard that Schultz picked you for the program,” she said, putting on an upbeat smile. “That’s got to be something right? Pretty big deal?” Applejack’s expression grew a tad more introspective and uneasy. “Eeyup. Real big deal.” Twilight furrowed her brow slightly. “Then shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, a bit more happy about that? I mean, that’s got to be pretty inspiring. You’re going to be a pony that others can look up to, right?” Applejack let out a sigh. “Well...I’m just not sure if that means I’m really helpin’, ya know? I mean, what am I gonna do once I’m all juiced up? Are they gonna send me up front or somethin’?” “I... I really don’t know,” Twilight sighed. “I’m just not high ranking enough in the ESS for them to tell me anything like that. If I did know I’d tell you, but-” “S’okay, I get it.” Applejack looked to Twilight. “It’s just that sometimes I get so tired of not knowin’ anythin’. My daddy always told me to be rather straightforward when it comes ta dealin’ with ponies, but all this testin’ an’ questioning just... just doesn’t feel right.” “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I understand,” Twilight replied, giving Applejack a sympathetic look. “I mean, they grilled me pretty hard too. I really wanted to help, but I failed the physical test, so I moved to someplace where my brains would be appreciated. In that case it was the ESS. Figure if I can’t use my brawn, I can use my brains. Maybe that’s what you can do?” “Yeah...” there was a pause before Applejack shook her head. “Ah don’t really want to talk about that right now.” “Well, at least you’ll be around Shining.” Twilight countered. Applejack felt herself smile slightly, and did perk up a bit. She had to admit, Shining had grown on her. Besides the Professor, whom she always felt was closer to some sort of father figure to her, Shining was pretty much the only pony there who seemed to actively seek her company. Maybe having someone familiar around to talk to would help make this wild change in her life more bearable. She let out a chuckle. “Well, there is that. Shinin’s always been there for me…” She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling her cheeks warm up at the thought. Maybe she could finally get some proper alone time and-- “Are you romantically interested in my brother?” Twilight unexpectedly asked. Applejack' s body tightens and her eyes nearly pop out from their sudden growth as her face ignited in a flare of bright red. When her ability to talk returned, all she could do was stammer and wave a hoof in a terrible attempt to hide her embarrassment. “What? N-No, of course not! I-I mean, I... Uh...” Twilight’s face immediately exploded into a massive portrait of embarrassment. “Oh, I’m sorry about that,” she ran a hoof through her hair. “I-I-It’s just that I’ve never--I mean I’m such a fish out of water sometimes--I always blurt out whatever’s on my mind and then I realize ‘Twilight, maybe that wasn’t the best idea’, especially when ponies get mad at me which you’re probably mad at me right now and then they-” “Twi... Twi, just calm down.” Applejack placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulders, anything to get the unicorn to stop talking. “I get it, you're bad with ponies, but if you just stand there an’ babble then you’ll probably end up makin’ things a lot worse than they are.” "Right. Sorry." Twilight released a deep sigh and ran her hoof through her mane again, chuckling nervously. "Well, I guess we can move on from this awkward you-and-Shining-liking-each other-a lot thing to something more..." “Interestin’?” Twilight gave a small nod and Applejack took that as a sign that the other mare had calmed down enough. They both awkwardly turned towards another wall, this time holding several more paintings and drawings of various styles. One of which was a rather odd painting of a steam engine emerging from a fireplace as if it were a tunnel. “Is that some sorta modern art thing?” Applejack asked, glancing at Twilight inquisitively. Twilight glanced at Applejack for a moment, raising an eyebrow. Applejack pointed a finger, and Twilight followed it towards the painting. “Oh yeah, that. Yeah, I think Mom bought it at an art show last year…” There was a pause as Twilight trailed off. She pointed towards a rather nice pencil sketch of a unicorn sitting at a typewriter. “Uh, I drew that,” she said, her voice tinged with self-consciousness. “It’s my mother at work.” Applejack nodded slightly, a smile crossing her face. “That’s really nice. Apple Bloom likes ta do that too sometimes,” she replied with an aura of nostalgia. There had been many times in the past, between her younger sister’s wild crusades in seek of a cutie mark, Applejack would find Apple Bloom sitting at the dinner table, pencil and paper in hoof, page already filled to bursting with sketches of various kinds. “You’re sister likes to draw?” Twilight asked, her expression brightening. Applejack nodded. “Yup. If she isn’t--err-wasn’t lookin’ fer her cutie mark, she’d be drawin’ up a storm. Coulda sworn she’d be an artist or sumthin’,” she gave a slight shrug. “Guess fate had other ideas…” “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Twilight piped up, causing Applejack to look to her. “What do ya mean by that?” “Well...” the unicorn fidgeted a little. “I had this idea, back when I was first thinking about joining up, that maybe somepony with great artistic skills could... well, go out to enemy bases and hideout and just draw whatever it was they saw. That way we’d know what’s actually out there,” her ears drooped. “They laughed at me when I brought it up. Apparently some ponies think spending thousands of bits on some big fancy cameras that only work on nice clear days is a better option.” “I think that’s a good idea--the sketchin’ I mean,” she paused, scrunching up her face. “Or both. I mean, iffin ya had a camera, ya wouldn’t need ta worry ‘bout gettin’ too close…” “Yeah, but then you’ll run out of film, you’d have to make sure you had spare film on hoof, and then you might expose it to light, ruining your shots.” “Then that’s when you get yer sketch pad out…” “Best thing to do would be to have both on hoof. That way, it’s the best of both worlds right?” “Yeah...I suppose.” Applejack said, shifting her hooves. “Always wanted ta learn ta draw...” she added under her breath. Twilight raised an eyebrow slightly. “Really?” “Yup. Guess I just liked it. Reminds me of home, ya know?” she sighed, looking down. “Back when things were simple… now… everythin’s gettin’ complicated and crazy what with super soldiers an’ tha war… just makes me wish I could just stop tha world fer a bit, relax… draw somethin’...” Twilight nodded slightly. “Yeah...me too. I guess that’s just a part of life, right? Everything always seems so simple but then…” she paused, looking over the paintings and sketches on the wall. “It gets complicated. I guess what’s important is how we handle that right?” She turned towards Applejack. “Right? Find a reason to get up in the morning even when everything seems so confusing that you just want to stay in bed and sleep?” “Yeah. Guess so.” Applejack answered, memories of home filtering through her mind. A reason to get up in the morning. she mused, shifting slightly. Like family… ////////////////////////////// Truth to be told, although she hadn’t exactly shown it, Beauty Brass was incredibly happy that Hoity Toity had finally come to his senses in regards to that simpering, strung out wreck of a zebra, Aleister. She knew that now, with the technology and authority in her hooves, she could take this supposedly mystic object, unlock it and change the world… for the benefit of herself, of course. With each test, each experiment, she could feel Hoity’s trust growing in her. Once she played her part, and allowed his own, egocentric and megalomaniacal plans to come to fruition, she was sure to be placed in a position worthy of her skills and prowess. Of course, there’s always that first hurdle. Beauty Brass slid her goggles up her face, uncovering her eyes. Sitting before her, glowing a soft blue, was the large, heart shaped crystal. Next to her, neatly inscribed in black ink, were dozens (if not hundreds) of notes, observations and calculations regarding the nature of the crystal. It seemed that it reacted to bio-energy in a negative manner, an observation grounded in several laboratory rats that had been unlucky enough to be chosen for physical contact with the crystal. Their corpses were quickly disposed of, the damage to their bodies noted and properly catalogued. It seemed that, simply put, the inherent mana within the crystal was simply too high for an organic being to process safely. All the dead rats showed signs of mana overload, with their simultaneously bloated and shriveled forms indicating where the mana had both been drained from and where it had overflowed. Aleister would have probably gone straight to testing this on ponies, she mused, shuffling her notes around. I think I need a few more tests before we go that far… Muttering under her breath, she continued to shuffle through the notes. Where’s that sketch… sketch… sketch… mana re-direction sketch… has to be somewhere… Covering the dozens and dozens of sheets of notation papers where various devices, weapons and other forms of technology. She briefly paused upon unearthing the complex sketches for her “special project”. She’d always wanted to build such a device, if only to allow her to better interface with the computing technology that was rapidly developing, but alas, at this moment in time, it was far too complex. She let out a vaguely nostalgic sound, carefully taking the notes and placing them in a manila folder. Moving on from that, she smiled slightly at the sight of the complex blueprints for a certain device she’d spent quite awhile working on: “The Mana Containment and Redirection Device” “Here we go,” she grinned, opening the blueprints on her drawing board. Time to get to work. she thought, rolling up her sleeves, and grabbing a hammer and wrench. ////////////////////////////// “So when were these photographs taken?” Red Skull asked, glancing up at the wiry earth pony sitting across from him. The stallion let out a slight sniff and shifted in his chair. “Just yesterday, sir.” Red Skull raised an eyebrow slightly. “Really? Very efficient of you.” The stallion nodded slightly, a small, tentative smile flickered across his face. “Thank you, my Fuhrer. To be honest, none of us at intellegence expected him to be there, since his location has been rather difficult to track as of late. We had him placed in a small fort in the swamp lands, and we tracked him from there to Canterlot.” “Very good, very good. Do you have the necessary agents in place to deal with him?” The stallion ran his tongue along his lips and shifted in his chair. “Yes, yes we do, Fuhrer. Do you want us to have our man in motion or wait for a command?” Red Skull rubbed his chin. “No, I’ll leave him to his devices. What good is a spy if you have to instruct him how to do his job?” The stallion nodded before Red Skull continued. “Relay the orders, and keep me up to date on any other developments.” “Yes, my Fuhrer.” The stallion saluted and departed, leaving Red Skull with the intelligence pictures. He brushed a few away before pulling one out, studying the image of the aging griffon scientist. “So, this is where you ended up running to, old friend,” he mused. “Shame, that you were too short sighted to see my ultimate plan, and that you ended up under the ‘care’ of the Equestrians.” There was a pause before he tossed the picture aside. “No matter. Soon, your mistake shall be remedied.” ////////////////////////////// Night Light let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle as he slouched at the kitchen table. Across from him, looking equally, if not more exhausted, was Professor Schultz. Both of them still had their respective manes and crests hopelessly jostled and messed up, and in Night Light’s case, a small forest of hair was making it’s presence known along his chin. “So…” Night Light croaked, rubbing his eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time in as many minutes. “You got the message from central too?” Schultz simply nodded mutely, obviously not wishing to be a bundle of sunshine and rainbows at the moment. Night Light let out a groan, dragging himself out of his chair. Just a few minutes before, he had been asleep and warm in his bed, with his beautiful wife, whom he hadn’t seen in nearly three months. He had at least hoped that, once Miss Apple was in Canterlot, he’d get a day or two off, and just spend some time with Velvet. But alas, the heads at Central had commanded that the procedure be administered as soon as was possible, sending a particularly annoying phone call directly to Night Light’s bedroom phone to wake him and the Professor up. “I guess that means we get Miss Apple ready for the procedure?” he pawed at the coffee maker, setting it to work with a grumble and a sigh. “Guess we might need some fuel before the trip right?” “It isn’t decaf is it?” Schultz asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice. Night Light shook his head. “No. No it isn’t. It should be ready in a few minutes. In the meantime, I suppose I’ll go wake up Shining, get him ready and all.” “I suppose. I shall wake Miss Apple up,” the Professor croaked, dragging himself out of his own chair and flexing his wings. “Hopefully she won’t find my appearance nightmarish.” Night Light simply nodded dumbly, already heading towards Shining’s room as the Professor headed the other way, paws shuffling on the floor. As Night Light shuffled along the hallway, he cast an angry glance towards the clock on the wall. 4:30 in the morning? Celestia’s sake… he thought. Sure he was a scientist, and yes he was undergoing government work, but, usually, he did honestly try to get a complete’s night’s rest before heading back to the grind. Apparently nobody in Central remembered that. He reached the door to Shining’s room, grumply whacking his fist on the door sharply. He was greeted by a muffled groan, followed by sleepy blathering. Night Light let out a sigh. “Shining… I need you to get up. Come on, time to walk among the living,” he said as nicely as his tiredness allowed, opening the door and flip-flopping into the room, ducking underneath the small model airships that were hung from the ceiling on fishline. He leaned over the bed, giving Shining another prod. “Hey, come on, old sport. Up and at ‘em.” Shining simply murmured in response, waving a hoof dismissively and rolling over in bed. “No cookies for me thanks, I’m driving…” Night Light rolled his eyes at the babbling, lighting his horn up to yank the comforter off of Shining. Shining’s eyes popped open and he let out a loud groan. “What the heck, dad… it’s…” he glared at the clock on his nightstand. “4:30 in the morning! Why did you do that?” Night Light sighed. “Like I said, I need you to get up. Got a call from Central. They want to give AJ the serum today. Can’t have my son slacking off and missing important scientific progress.” As much as he wanted to believe his own words, Night Light couldn’t help but spot his own sense of dread in his tone. Shining meanwhile, rubbed his eyes vigorously, still grumbling. “But at 4:30? Who does science at 4:30?” complained Shining. “All great scientists for one.” Night Light replied sarcastically, already walking to the door. “Now come on, at least the upside is that you’ll probably spend the rest of the day off if everything goes well.” Shining muttered something in response, but Night Light was too far away to make out what he said. He made his way back to the kitchen, waiting for a moment before Schultz returned with a very sleepy (and grumpy) looking Applejack, who was dressed in a plain looking uniform. “Wouldn’t it just be easier ta do this when I’m, y’know, awake,” the mare mumbled, stifling a yawn and giving the Professor a baffled look. “In a perfect world, yes,” Professor Schultz replied, nodding slightly as he pulled a chair out for Applejack. “But, apparently, there have been a few small hiccups that have arisen, so we’ve been asked to speed up our timetables a bit.” Night Light could tell that Applejack didn’t like that answer, but she gave a simple limp nod instead of voicing whatever criticisms she might have had. It was then that she noticed Night Light, and she was quick to blush, her hooves darting up to smooth out her mane and try to make herself look somewhat presentable. “My apologies, Mr. Sparkle,” she said shyly. Night Light simply waved a hoof. “Don’t worry. I don’t like waking up this early either. Surprised you’re not a morning mare, though. What, with you living on a farm.” Applejack let out a quiet laugh. “Oh, well, normally I am, but I was up real late with Twilight. We were workin’ on my drawin’ skills and stuff. Usually I’m in bed earlier than one in tha mornin’,” she gave a shy smile, before looking down in a self aware manner. “No I completely understand. Twilight has a talent for staying up late like that. I take it you enjoyed it?” Applejack nodded. “Yeah. I did.” The next few minutes passed quietly, with Night Light serving the coffee in a trio of cups. They drank them quietly, none of them really game for speaking. Eventually, Shining joined him, pouring himself a cup and sliding into an empty chair. “Honey?” The tired group turned around, greeted by the sight of an exhausted Velvet standing in the kitchen doorway, her eyelids heavy with sleep. “I hate to be the one to cut in like this, but Central called. They expected you at least thirty minutes ago.” “Oh,” Night Light replied, letting out another yawn. “We’ve been here that long?” he dragged himself out of the chair, shaking his head to attempt to wake himself up. “Then we should be going. Come then.” He motioned to the Professor, Shining and Applejack, all of whom let out a series of grumbles and grunts, shuffling behind Night Light and towards the door. “Please be careful, darling,” Velvet called out, and Night Light blew her a kiss. “Of course, dearie. Make sure Twilight gets on her train. She’s due at her camp today, isn’t she?” Velvet sleepily glanced at the calendar on the wall. “Why, yes she is. Slipped my mind. She’ll probably be rather disappointed that you and Shining won’t be able to see her off.” Night Light shrugged. “As am I. But I suppose bigger duties call. Don’t worry though, I’ll be sure to send her a telegram when she gets to her camp.” “I suppose.” Velvet replied, before shifting her gaze to Shining. “Shiny, stop looking so glum. When you get home I’ll make you a nice brunch, okay?” “Thanks mom,” came Shining’s mumbled response as the quartet quietly left the house, the Professor offering his own quick goodbye along with Applejack. The group was greeted with the sight of a nondescript automobile parked directly in front of the house. Standing in front of it, dressed in a rather bland looking uniform, was a stout pegasus. “Professors. Miss Apple. Your car is here.” Applejack raised her eyebrows. “That was mighty fast.” “Suppose they want to get it over with too,” said Shining with a brisk shrug as he approached the open door at the bottom of the stairs. Meanwhile, Applejack stood at the top of the stairs, slowly placing her hat on her head as she nibbled her lip. Night Light turned around. “What’s wrong, Miss Apple?” he called out Applejack gave him a worrisome look. “This is really happenin’...” she replied, letting out a slight worried sound. A talon came to rest on her shoulder, and she turned to see the Professor, who, while still rather tired, was smiling warmly. “No need to worry, Frau Apple. All will be well. Now, come.” Shultz beckoned towards the car. “Let us move forward in good faith.”