In a standard-issue hotel room, there stood a normal pony-sized bed, resting beneath a sole window. A small bedside cabinet next to it was joined by a round table at the adjacent side of the room.
The bright light that appeared in the center of the room quickly grew and engulfed it in a brilliant radiant display. After a hissing sound, two ponies appeared and the magic subsided.
Bush Beat smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “Back in Equestria! Back in Ponyville!”
Brightside looked around the room and blinked his eyes. “Odd.”
Bush Beat tilted his head. “This is my hotel room. Nothing odd about it as far as I can see?”
Brightside shook his head and waved a hoof. “No, I mean, odd that I appeared here. I thought I’d appear in Fillydelphia, where I disappeared ten years ago.”
Bush Beat shrugged and smiled again. “Well, if anypony can solve that mystery, it’s you, not me. As far as I’m concerned, I’m really glad you’re here. Let me see if Inn diGo is downstairs and I’ll introduce you two.”
Bush Beat didn’t hesitate to open the door, leave the room, and trot across the hallway and then down the stairs. Brightside eventually gave in and followed him.
The ground floor of the hotel sported a large entrance hall, which on any other day would have looked inviting. Today however, the impressive view was marred by a sorry sight lying on the floor near the front entrance. It was the form of a familiar bluish-violet earth pony.
“Inn diGo!” Bush Beat exclaimed with concern in his voice while galloping towards her. “Are you okay?”
As Inn diGo turned her gaze in the direction of Bush Beat, he looked into her eyes and noticed they had turned white and milky. It also caught his attention that her flank appeared without any indication of a cutie mark, even though he was certain that last time he saw her, one had been present there. She was shaky and struggling to muster the force to hold her head up.
“We’re... under... attack...” the mare said with strain in her voice. Her head fell back onto the floor with a splat.
“Who did this to you?” Bush Beat demanded to know.
Inn diGo gasped for air, then closed her eyes and fell silent. Bush Beat turned around to look at Brightside, who returned the look with dread and disorientation. After a moment, both unicorns galloped out of the hotel front door, across the street and onto the Ponyville town square.
The scene was disconcerting. The two of them noticed several ponies in their direct vicinity. All of them were lying on the ground, either motionless or barely alert, and all with their cutie marks gone.
Brightside approached a pair of ponies beside the fountain who appeared still conscious. He addressed the aquamarine unicorn, whose cyan mane had streaks of white in it. “What happened here?”
The mare and her companion, a light green earth pony with blue and fuchsia in her mane, both gasped as they took notice of the unicorn that had approached them. The earth pony pointed at Brightside’s rear and remarked with surprise, “You still have your cutie mark?!”
The unicorn added, “Do you still have your magic as well?”
Brightside blinked briefly while slowly nodding, but then a realization dawned upon him. “You’ve... had your magic taken away?”
“Yes,” the unicorn replied, “there’s someone running around free, stealing everypony’s magic!”
“Hide and make sure he doesn’t find you!” the shivering earth pony added.
Brightside looked pensive. Then he sat on his haunches and pressed further. “Please tell me everything you know.”
“So what are you hoping to find there?” Bush Beat was walking to the left of Brightside as they entered the Everfree Forest.
“The Tree of Harmony,” Brightside answered with confidence.
Bush Beat hesitated. “Um... okay... you’re the magic expert.”
“That centaur that Lyra described,” Brightside explained, “his name is Lord Tirek. He tried to take over Equestria before, and was imprisoned in Tartarus for it back then. I remember this from our ‘Exotic Magical Creatures’ lecture course at uni. He has the power to take magic away from others around him. Outside his prison, he could pose a serious threat even to Princess Celestia.”
Bush Beat looked puzzled. “Well, I get that, but... what’s with the tree?”
Brightside inhaled to clarify further. “Well, normally Celestia would be fine with the Elements of Harmony. But according to Lyra she returned the Elements to the Tree some time ago. From what I remember of what we learned about the Tree and the Elements at uni, it seems to me that right now the Tree of Harmony is pretty much the only thing left that can save Equestria.”
“What about Twilight Sparkle?” Bush Beat objected.
Brightside snorted. “Twilight Sparkle. Don’t get me started on Twilight Sparkle. If her portrayal in the human TV show is at all accurate, she’s squandering her talent. She could be a valuable asset to science, but no, she pursues a career in politics instead.”
“Politics?” Bush Beat looked surprised. “She’s very scientific, you know... she reads a lot of books and...”
“Who do you think wrote these books?” Brightside interrupted.
After the bewildered Bush Beat didn’t respond, Brightside continued. “Actual scientists write these books. Ponies who dedicate their lives to the study of unicorn magic. Ponies who form hypotheses, do complex calculations and design and carry out experiment after experiment to falsify them, until new knowledge is distilled, which they publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals, discuss at conferences, and only after a consensus is reached within the scientific community does the knowledge go into textbooks and popular science books such as the ones ponies like Twilight Sparkle like to read.”
He took a breath and immediately continued. “Besides, what is her objective here in Ponyville, anyway? Is it scientific research? No, Celestia sent her here to ‘study the magic of friendship’. The magic of friendship! Don’t get me wrong. I mean, of course friendship is important and even magical, but it’s not a scientific area of study! If you ask me, Celestia is deceiving Twilight Sparkle into believing that this has anything to do with her talent, or maybe Celestia even believes that herself, but it doesn’t. All that Celestia encourages Twilight Sparkle to do with her talent is to read about known spells in books — or to observe other ponies perform them — and just copy them verbatim. She does not engage in research and does not make scientific discoveries. No, her function is a political one. Celestia is shaping Twilight Sparkle to become a Princess of Equestria. Not a scientist.”
Bush Beat was stunned and speechless. He had seen Twilight Sparkle as an alicorn; Brightside hadn’t but had correctly predicted this development. Brightside was showing himself as a real scientist who had done real science. Even if he’d been on an involuntary hiatus for years... which took Bush Beat straight to his next thought. “There’s that p—”
“Oh, look, there it is,” Brightside interrupted, who was now pointing a hoof at a long and steep flight of stairs that was leading from where they were at the precipice of a gorge to the bottom of it.
‘There’s that passion of yours again’ was what Bush Beat had intended to say. But it seemed the enthusiasm was only about to intensify. As the two unicorns carefully walked down the stairs, a majestic, silvery tree moved into their view, sporting circular leaves hanging from eleven branches arranged in a radial pattern. In front of the tree was a hexagonal chest with six locks, five of which already had matching keys firmly resting in them.
Brightside and Bush Beat walked up to the chest and looked at it for a moment.
Bush Beat opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped as he saw Brightside point his horn at the chest and begin to use his magic. After a moment, Bush Beat asked hesitantly, “Um... what are you doing?”
“I want to see what’s inside this thing. Wouldn’t you?” Brightside stated, his gaze unfalteringly upon the chest.
“There are only five keys. You think you can open it without the missing key?” Bush Beat inquired skeptically.
“No, not open it... just... find out what’s in it,” he declared with unbroken focus. “If there’s one type of spell I’m really good at, it’s measuring spells, remember? I’m going to try every measuring spell I know to get some idea of what’s inside.”
“Oh,” Bush Beat responded, “I-I’ll be quiet, then.”
Several minutes passed with Brightside remaining motionless, save for the glowing aura around his horn, joined by a corresponding one surrounding the mysterious receptacle. Bush Beat occasionally looked around to scan the scenery, skimming for anything moving or out of the ordinary. Yet the gorge, and what parts he could see of the Everfree Forest, were eerily quiet.
Bush Beat rushed his head back into position to face Brightside when he heard his voice go, “Hm.” The horn ceased its magic and the aura dissipated. Curiously, and perhaps a little anxiously, he asked, “What did you find out?”
“I think it’s a... building,” Brightside responded with a disillusioned undertone.
Bush Beat looked confused. “What?”
“When this box is opened, I think it will... transform itself into a large building of some sort...”
Brightside appeared no less confused than Bush Beat, which didn’t seem a good sign.
“And that’s it? That’s no help against... Tirek...” Bush Beat’s voice turned frightened. But Brightside, still staring at the chest with the five keys sticking into it, was obviously immersed in thoughtful contemplation. Bush Beat wished he could read minds right now.
“Indeed it is not,” Brightside confirmed with a serious face. “At least not... by itself.”
“What do you mean?” Bush Beat inquired.
“Well...” Brightside displayed difficulty finding the right words to express his thoughts. “It’s... it contains... a magic catalyst of sorts. It’s like...” He hawed in frustration. “Look, I won’t bore you with the technical details. Suffice it to say that I think if combined with my own magic, this could work out. It might be just strong enough to neutralize Tirek’s magic-stealing ability.”
“Let’s give it a shot then,” Bush Beat advocated. “Nothing to lose and all, right?”
“You don’t understand,” Brightside retorted, “I would have to surrender all my magic to this box.”
He glanced at the chest with a heavy, sobering look in his eyes. “I would never be able to do magic again.”
Bush Beat gasped as the severity of the proposal sank in. “You mean... forever?”
Brightside slowly nodded. “But if I don’t do this, Tirek is eventually going to find me and steal my magic... and then I’m also never going to be able to do magic again.”
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Bush Beat knew that for the sake of Equestria, it would be the right thing for Brightside to do. But he also knew he could not conceivably ask of anypony to give up the very thing that filled their life with passion. It was an unsolvable conundrum. That is, until a thought came to Bush Beat — a thought that revealed a third option.
“You can still return to the human world.”
Brightside did not twitch. It was obvious that he too had thought of this option but didn’t want to voice it out loud.
Bush Beat added, “You’ll be safe from Tirek there. I promised that I will help you return, and while I still have my magic, I’m ready to keep that promise.”
Brightside remained silent, his eyes still fixated on the box for a good while before he moved again. He turned his head, looked directly into Bush Beat’s eyes and spoke firmly.
“No.”
Bush Beat smiled.
“You were right about one thing, Bush Beat,” Brightside continued. “Equestria is my home.”
With that, he lowered his head once again to point his horn directly at the hexagonal chest. His horn started to glare more ardently than before, and soon a broad streak of shining magic shot towards the chest, carrying a flow of energy inside. Moments later, the last of his magic had left the tip of his horn and disappeared into the chest, and the radiance melted away.
After it was done, Brightside solemnly turned around to walk away from the chest.
“Um... Brightside?” Bush Beat called behind him. “What about me?”
Brightside stopped. “Why? What about you?”
“Equestria is my home, too,” Bush Beat contended.
He saw Brightside turn his head in surprise.
“I guess I don’t have much to offer,” Bush Beat professed, “but... would it help if I contributed my magic too?”
Just then, he thought to see a hint of a smile appear on his companion’s face.
Going back through the Everfree Forest, Brightside’s spirit was despondent; his head was hanging and idly observing the ground passing underneath him as he kept trotting along silently. Bush Beat, no less gloomy, looked at him in silence for quite a while until he found words to say.
“You did the right thing,” he finally got himself to say.
Brightside lifted his head briefly to look at Bush Beat, then returned it into its droop. “I know. It’s not that,” he commented.
“Oh?” Bush Beat asked, inquisitively.
Brightside sighed. “I was just thinking about Pioneer Rose. I hope Tirek hasn’t gotten to her.”
Uncertain how to respond, Bush Beat remained silent.
“All things considered,” Brightside appended, “I’m glad she was able to send you back to the human world. Without you I couldn’t have sent Parsley Sage and the others home.”
“She?” Bush Beat’s face turned puzzled. “You mean Pioneer Rose?”
“Yes,” Brightside confirmed, “she sent you after me, did she not?”
“No...” Bush Beat shook his head. “She said she couldn’t do this kind of spell.”
Brightside stopped walking and gave Bush Beat a baffled look. “Then how did you...?”
“We tricked Silver Slither,” Bush Beat replied with a hint of pride in his voice.
“Tricked?” Brightside asked, clearly interested.
Bush Beat took a deep breath. “Well. We knew that we couldn’t just ask her, because she would recognize me and realize that the spell doesn’t kill as she thought. We also couldn’t expose her and her gang, because then she’d be arrested and probably subjected to a disabling spell. But Pioneer Rose spoke highly of Silver Slither’s sense of justice, which we realized we could use to our advantage. I traveled back to Ponyville and I wrote a letter, and I still remember the words exactly:
Silver Slither,
I know about your ploy. I have seen you and your gang use magic to kill a pony.
I am willing to remain silent in this matter in return for a favor. I need you to erase a pony from the face of Equestria for me. Her name is Pioneer Rose and she lives in Fillydelphia.
If my conditions are not met within the week, I will post a full report directly to Princess Celestia.”
“So you... blackmailed Silver Slither into sending Pioneer Rose? Wait!...” Brightside gasped in alarm. “Does that mean Pioneer is in the human world now?”
“No, no!” Bush Beat motioned his hooves to calm Brightside down. “Think about it. Silver Slither thinks of herself as righteous. She wouldn’t kill somepony just because somepony is threatening her. Especially not somepony she knows. But! The blackmailer, on the other hoof, is not only threatening to expose her but is also trying to get some innocent pony assassinated. We figured that she would instead go after the blackmailer — that is, me — and that is exactly what she did.”
“But how would she have found you if that letter was anonymous?” Brightside inquired.
“Easy,” Bush Beat explained. “I sent the letter from Ponyville so that she would see the Ponyville postal stamp on the envelope. Inn diGo allowed me to use the Hay and Stay hotel’s letterhead, and I basically signed the letter with my cutie mark. I couldn’t put my name because she would recognize that; but she hadn’t seen my cutie mark, since I only got it after I came to Ponyville.”
“That... that’s really clever,” Brightside commented, visibly impressed.
“It is, isn’t it?” Bush Beat smiled. “It was all Pioneer Rose’s idea.”
“What’s that?” Bush Beat exclaimed, as he suddenly noticed something happening a good distance behind them. He lifted a hoof to point at it. “Over there! Look!”
Brightside turned around and noticed a bright sphere of magic energy ascend from the gorge they just left behind. The next thing both ponies noticed was an immensely gigantic centaur dominating the landscape by the edge of the forest, towering well above the trees and the hills that would otherwise have blocked the view from where they were standing.
Brightside gasped. “That would be Tirek,” he concluded with a mix of acrimony and dread in his voice. “Well, looks like somepony found the sixth key and opened the chest. This is the moment of truth.”
As the ball of light climbed into the air and rose above all the trees, the two ponies were paralyzed with both hope and worry as they stared and watched the scene unfold.
Suddenly, a ray shot out of the glowing ball and in Tirek’s direction. And then another, and another in quick succession. Soon there were six of them, which promptly combined into a single rainbow-colored beam of energy. To say that it gave the centaur distress would have been a massive understatement. Mere seconds later, the beast began to shrink tremendously.
Bush Beat, though still staring in disbelief, was smiling and becoming more and more jubilant as the sight of the ever-smaller Tirek disappeared behind the trees. “It worked!” he exclaimed.
Shortly after, the sky was illuminated with a wave of magic spreading out in the shape of a growing circle. As the wave passed overhead, Brightside and Bush Beat sensed an aura of healing and restoration in them. As the ponies looked at each other, they noticed both of their horns lighting up for a fair moment.
Brightside was no less enraptured by their obvious success. “It really did!” he concurred with a cheerfully beaming face. “We did it!”
Bush Beat gave Brightside a big grin. “You did it. You saved Equestria.”
Taken aback, Brightside slightly panicked. “Oooh, no, nonono. Please don’t say that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth!” Bush Beat protested, still grinning. “You deserve—” He faltered as he noticed Brightside’s facial expression turn more serious.
“Bush Beat.” Brightside exhaled. “As my friend, I would like to ask you this as a favor. Please do not go around telling everypony things like that. Things like I saved Equestria. Even if you think I deserve the attention. Please accept my humble request that I don’t want it.”
Bush Beat was confused and unsure what to make of this reaction from Brightside. This was certainly among the strangest favors he had ever been asked. But he also knew there was only one proper way to respond.
“Sure thing, my friend.”