//------------------------------//
// The Tundra Syndrome 
// Story: Diprosopus 
// by WritingSpirit 
//------------------------------//

	Artemis felt it.

The brisk winter breeze appreciatively stroking her white fur, the puffy specks of snow showering around her in celebration, the tranquil sun brightening the already gleaming smile she was wearing, all the while as she stared down the cobblestone road that cut through her hometown of Byafisogsne and into the depths of the birch forest. The path itself had been the very thought that had kept her awake the night prior, all the excitement she had gathered swelling up to her cheeks.
Turning around, she couldn't help but chuckle at the wild bunch that called themselves the caravan, surrounded by her fellow cervine citizens. All in all, she found each of them different in almost every way. The fire-tailed Phoenix Mellow was definitely the leader, seeing how he speaks on the others' behalf from time to time with Fleetywit the sprite dragon. The shady Velvet seemed to be the brains of the group, which was no surprise there. She concluded that Pinkie Pie, Ollivander and Ganger Deuce were the comedians, whereas Dapple and Brutus being more stone-cold. Of course, there was also her surrogate sister, Selena Gust; the mare that shared her problem. The mare that changed her for the better.

To be the newest, as well as the youngest addition to the already colorful and enigmatic group made her proud. It would definitely take some time to get used to all of them and learn of their stories and travels. How queer, to know that just a week ago, they were but strangers that trespassed into the icy realm, only to save her in her darkest, most terrifying moment yet. Just like that, the caravan became the family she never thought she would ever have.

Artemis felt it.

The brilliance of freedom, coursing energetically through her veins.

The freedom bestowed to her by Princess Crystallia.

"You seem very bright at the prospect of leaving, Artemis."

"A little... probably excited as well," she muttered to the princess standing beside her.
"But I'll miss this place."

"You'll miss the village that once shunned you solely based on the color of your hide?"

"I know it's strange... but it's true. I'll miss it."
Somewhere deep within her, there was that small aching feeling. It pained her, yet not in the usual way that she had believed it would feel. It was like a huge lump weighing within her chest, pushing against flesh and bone effortlessly in protest. Artemis would never forget all the moments of prolonged suffering she had trudged through, all of them coming in every form imaginable. At times, she was even amazed that she could pass the hurdle, only to have a taller, wider one waiting to sweep her off her hooves.
Now, it has all come to past. No more will her silent screams be awakened. No more will she be undermined by treachery. No more will she cower into the security of her room and isolate herself from the world. Still, leaving here meant leaving everything she ever knew behind. Her position as Oracle, the princess that guided her throughout those hurdles, even the local scenery... she will miss this place, not because of what it did to her, but because it was her home.

Forever was and forever will be.

"You know the rules, Artemis," Princess Crystallia reminded.
"The moment you step one hoof out of my borders--"

"There is no coming back, I know," Artemis replied, staring at the horizon down the path.
"If I do, the penalty shall be death."

Unfazed as she usually was, Princess Crystallia stared ahead alongside her former protege, down the path the fawn would soon take. She had seen many a deer take the very same road in their departure, never to return again. All for the better, she told herself, knowing their fates wouldn't end well should they stay any longer.
"Death..." she muttered, sighing a puffy sigh.
"The coldest albeit lightest punishment one can offer."

Being an escapee of it, Artemis could only agree.

The trotting of hooves briefly separated the band of friends on both sides as four of the priestesses hauled Brutus the minotaur, still laying unconscious in a stretcher, down the steps of the temple. Velvet stepped forward, his horn lighting up a blood red as he cautiously lifted the minotaur up and into a pool of his own magic.
"Seems stable enough," he told the rest, inspecting it carefully as he hovered the minotaur around.
"Alright, we're good to go."

"Well, I suppose it is time to say farewell now, Artemis."
The fawn just looked up at her Princess, forcing out a smile. Instinctively, she hugged the alicorn's hoof tightly, which earned her a chuckle and the gentle, motherly stroking of the fur between her ears. She knew that however dreadful and threatening Princess Crystallia would seem to be, somewhere deep beneath her cold exterior, she was benevolent and just. She was as kind as any princess would be.
"Remember..." the princess whispered with a shiver.
"The promise..."

"I won't disappoint you, My Lady Protector."

A genuine smile emerged from the alicorn's visage, her eyes shimmering slightly. It was the first in a long time, Artemis realized, that she had seen her smile like that. Not since... well, not since the first time she was told of the promise. The promise that she had to make. The promise that all Oracles had to make.
With past sins and tragedies placed behind her, from one psychopath to another, she gave one last bow. Acknowledging it with a pristine nod of her own, Princess Crystallia strode back up the stone steps, never turning back, never giving a second glance. All she did was watch. What can she do? If anything, any attempt to bring her back would incite her fury even more.

"Where's she going?"

Selena Gust had trotted to the fawn's side, eyes glued to the departing princess. The others soon joined them, their plans of a warm farewell flushed down the drain once they see her disappearing into the confines of her temple. Artemis just smiled, not at their befuddled looks, but rather at the feeling of peace, handed down to her by the mare who was once her superior.
"She's saying goodbye," she simply answered.
"As well as... wishing me luck on my mission."

"What mission, Artemis?"

"Do any of you know the duty of an Oracle?"

"Isn't the Oracle supposed to be a medium from the princess to her subjects?"

"A bridge, yes. That's half true, Mr. Mellow," Artemis replied, looking up at the caravan leader.
"Come with me. There's somewhere I would like to show you."

With the young doe leading the way, the caravan was finally on the move again, with everyone but the prone Brutus a little excited at what's to come. Slowly, they trotted down the cobblestone road that lead out of the town and into the woods, the scenery of longhouses quickly transitioning into bald pillars of birch, branches streaking across like a mesh in the sky. There were little farewells to be had down that boulevard, most of the residents not even bearing a single smile. Those that did were mainly the children, though the ragging of their parents made it quick to fade.
It had been a while since they ventured out of this village, the smell of wood and the chill of the snow underneath their hooves reviving the spirit of adventure. Not just yet, however: Artemis had one place she needed them to see. A place that she knew Princess Crystallia would not approve of, yet the calling of the Oracle advised her to show. It was, after all, within the duty of the Oracle to go against the word of law.

If it was for the sake of fixing it.

Slowly, the caravan clambered up a slope, wading across the deep ocean of snow as they neared their destination: a tall cliff, curving up like a newly watered sapling reaching up to the warm rays of the sun. At the very tip of it is a fallen tree, stretching out off the cliff to an ominous drop below, branches reaching out to the cold air. All the majesty was cut short when a loud gasp flew out of Selena's mouth, seeing Artemis leaping onto the dead tree which gave a slight groan of protest.
"Be careful, Artemis!" the pegasus cried out.
"The tree might fall over!"

"Don't worry. It's frozen into the ground," the fawn reassured, stepping closer to the edge.
"Come on! It's just right over here!"

Eagerly but still wary as ever, Selena stepped up first, hoof clutching tighter to her gryphon mate following closely behind. One by one, they all stepped on, still amazed from how a fawn half their age didn't even flinch from standing at such a great height. Even the cheerful Pinkie wasn't as enthusiastic about it when she got on, shivering heavily enough to make the tree shake a little. The last to climb up was Dapple, who bit her lip as she turned back to Brutus, whom Velvet laid down onto the snow. Perched on top of one of his horns was Fleetywit the sprite dragon, blinking curiously at the worried look the mare was giving it.
"You sure it's okay leaving him like this?" she couldn't help but ask.

"He'll be fine," Phoenix answered back.
"Fleetywit would let us know if anything comes by."

A happy chirp from the minuscule dragon alleviated her uncertainty temporarily, the mare following the rest along the frozen bark. Artemis was perched at the very end of the tree, the soft smile she was wearing echoing to them when they followed her gaze downwards. Down there, in a giant circle of space carved into the forest, was her cozy hometown of Byafisogsne. The place that they just left; the town that she was just banished from. It was like a gem of warmth, shrouded behind fence after fence of trees. It was luck in disguise, they realized, that they were caught by the deer, otherwise they would be lost in the dark catacomb of trees.
"Princess Crystallia was the one that showed me this place" Artemis suddenly spoke up.
"We talked a lot about things here. She told me many things that most of my kind would never hear, for only the Oracles were blessed to come here. To listen to her stories. To understand who we really are, what was the purpose of this town, the purpose of the Oracle..."

"What do you mean?" Phoenix asked.
"What was she doing to this town?"

"You probably wouldn't see it, but she was trying her best to help us."
All the confused looks that came after was expected. Artemis couldn't blame them, knowing the alicorn's erratic behavior.
"Long ago, before this town ever came to existence, my kind lived in the mountains near the Darkhat Valley. Our ancestors were once citizens of the Cervine Empire, our towns being trading posts in the mountains. They were happy, prospering along with the remainder of the empire, priding themselves with things that the rest of the empire didn't have. Lavender wreaths, strawberry farms, ice sculpting competitions... they were happy."

"But something happened..." Selena muttered, earning a nod from the fawn.

"We don't know what it was, even until now," the fawn admitted.
"One night, somewhere in the distance, there was this... this white bang... it covered the entire mountain, all their towns, all of the reindeer... I don't know what it did, but when our ancestors woke up, they lost everything. The towns, the farms, some even lost their families. Eventually, all the reindeer migrated to the central cities of the empire, begging to be taken in. Eventually, fights begin to break out. Some of us became more savage, more cruel, so much that after a while, the empire banned our kind from being in the country. Any reindeer spotted in the territory of the Cervine Empire will be swiftly put to death. It was either run or be killed, so most of us ran."

A mood of gloom settled in quickly, the looks of disbelief saying it all.
"That's horrible!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"I mean, they could just at least give some bits to build a town somewhere, or give a little food, or just... I don't know, help them! Why couldn't they just help them?"

"Things were different," Phoenix answered.
"Those times were plagued by wars and pestilences. No matter the species, our ancestors were all ruthless and selfish, striving to keep only themselves alive. Helping somepony else was akin to suicide back then."

Artemis nodded, trying her best to hold her smile. Despite happening perhaps thousands of years ago, it somehow felt nostalgic to her. Still, underneath all that melancholia, past the drear and pity, there was a flame of wrath, of hatred. A genetic flame, kindled by the history of bloodshed, burning bright enough to make her smile wane. Besides wrath, however, there was something else. Something she herself did not believe the first time she was notified of it.
"Our ancestors moved from country to country, seeking a place to stay, only to get turned away. They were desperate, hungry and angry at how bleak life had become. When they reached here, they became mad. After months of anxiety, all it took was one of us to snap before everything started to fall apart. One of us got murdered, fights started to break out and we were almost about to kill ourselves off. Then, Princess Crystallia showed up..."

"Really?" Phoenix piped in.
"What she did do?"

"She provided everything our kind needed. Food, water, shelter, everything. It wasn't long before she became revered as our Lady Protector, the princess who saved us in our time of need. Soon enough, our town came to be. The town that we had lived in for centuries. She trained us to be harder, to be stronger and to survive in the cold. When her temple was built, she then began to elect priestesses and soon after, she introduced us the position of Oracle."
Artemis sighed, looking down at her hometown, a sanctuary within the unforgiving tundra.
"Did she ever tell you?" she asked the caravan suddenly.
"What is the duty of the Oracle?"

All of them shook their heads, leaving her to given the answer.
"The duty of the Oracle was never about communions or messages," Artemis professed.
"It was to educate us about the outside world."

"Huh?"
Pinkie was the only one that elicited her confusion, though it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that it echoed the emotions of the rest as well. To be heralded such an important title among the ranks of the reindeer, all for the banal purpose of education? However absurd, it doesn't seem to fall in line with the princess's methods; knowing Princess Crystallia, she'd find more satisfaction in tormenting them.
"But isn't the princess all kooky and superdy-duperdy angry and all RAWRH!! like she was to us?"

The young fawn couldn't help but chuckle at that last impression.
"I guess she can be a little scary..." she muttered.
"But when you really get to know her, she's really trying her best to help us."

"So how does all this Oracle business prepare you all for the outside world?" Dapple questioned.

"Well... one way to explain this... remember when my kin brought you into town?"

"Not the most convenient welcome," Phoenix remarked, though something lit up in his head.
"However, such a method... to sacrifice an offering to the gods... for lack of a better word, it's outdated. There hasn't been a sacrifice to any of the alicorns in the past thousand years. Perhaps even two!"

"Exactly. After hearing some of the stories about the world outside, I've learned of many customs that just seemed a little bit too strange for reindeer like myself. So one day, I decided to ask the princess..."






~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~






"You do know what you're asking me, my dear Oracle?"

"Sort of," was the reluctant answer of an eight-year old albino fawn.
"I was thinking that maybe the ponies just couldn't find a bear or some other animal to sacrifice, but you did mention that there's a lot more variety of wildlife living in Equestria than here. Then I started thinking maybe they didn't have the proper tools for it, but that can't be right as well because you also said that they have much more advanced technology than us."

"Curiosity can lead fawns astray, Artemis."

"But you know the answer, right?"

The fawn was wise beyond her years, wise enough to know that there was something serious in store for her whenever the princess called her by name. Even so, she was one of the few reindeer that could step past the border of questions and getting away with it, insured only by her title as Oracle.
Princess Crystallia gave a venerable sigh. If anything, she should commend the young fawn for asking such questions, not behead her for it. There was that sneaking temptation to do so, just to see how everything would spill out from a split neck, but she was sane enough to know such an act would never benefit her. Instead, feigning ignorance, she glanced back down at the manuscript before her.

"Um... Princess?"

"Artemis, you shouldn't bother wasting your precious time on such a trivial matter."

"It isn't small, my Lady Protector," Artemis protested, standing at the tip of her small hooves on her stool.
"We're the only species that still sacrifices bears and panthers for you. We're the only species that thinks it's necessary when the rest of the world doesn't. Why are we doing this?"

"You're questioning the very roots of your culture, do you realize that?"

"But you said traditions change and change is good, right? You keep telling me about how the Oracle brings change in face of the future, so why can't I know about something that changes from time to time?"

With a huff, Princess Crystallia swept the manuscript aside with her magic, staring down at the defiant fawn looking up at her. It wasn't the first time they did this, initiating staring contests over one of many wide padauk wood stumps that are the tables of the temple's library. All those past matches were over the matters that were actually trivial, much unlike the one the fawn was trampling over at present. This one... this one potentially threatened not only her position as the princess, but also Artemis's position as Oracle.
"I can assure you, my dear Oracle," the alicorn warned.
"You're not ready for it."

"You seem sure about that, my Lady Protector."

The challenge made her smirk. Such a devious Oracle she was nurturing.
"Well, perhaps you'll know once you're ready," she pressed forward.
"In fact, all Oracles will learn of it at a suitable point of time. For you... at the moment, I bear forth no answers for you."

"But I am ready, my Lady Protector!" cried Artemis.
"I want to know!"

The scowl that smeared Princess Crystallia's face couldn't be anymore darker. Incommodious, pestiferous, vexatious... all the words were screaming in her head, but she decided to keep her cool, no pun intended, in one of the many ways that she knew how. All of peace will come in time. No skewering a young deer on icicles today, she told herself.
"Aquaros be damned for this fawn's curiosity," she cursed underneath her breath.

"Who's Aquaros?"

"None of your concern, Artemis," the alicorn rasped, before sighing in defeat.
"Fine. I'll tell you--"

"Yes!!"

"But you have to swear -- and I do mean swear -- to keep it bottled up. The last thing the kingdom needs right now is a verbal dosage of radical hysteria."

Standing up and striding towards the exit, her magic parting the decorated doors in her way, Princess Crystallia solemnly cantered down the varnished wooden aisle of the temple hallways, passing the white doors with the young Oracle scampering behind her. There were times that she had admired the woodwork of the reindeer, a recognized trademark of the species, fascinating all who witness and studied it, with the art of it passed down from generations long ago. Of course, as Artemis would soon find out, that wasn't the only thing that came with it.
"Time to see if you've been studying your history..." she said suddenly.
"Alright, Artemis. Do you remember who was the first Oracle?"

"Um... it was Vélos Brenning, wasn't it?"

"Correct. A young stag working as a herbalist before becoming the first of all reindeer to be chosen as Oracle. Do you know why he was chosen, Artemis?"

"He saw something he shouldn't have. That's how Oracles were chosen, right?"

Princess Crystallia nodded, amused; Artemis had been studying hard.
"He was fifteen when he first witnessed a friend of his feasted upon by a Vintergæk Panther," she elaborated.
"Such a scene would've driven any other reindeer insane, but still he kept his calm. That alone intrigued me, to the point where I soon took him in as one of our own and provided him with the title of the Oracle. The first in the long line. Second question: what happened to Vélos in the end of his term?"

"I don't really know..." Artemis professed after a long moment of pondering.
"Some books said he disappeared, some said he was executed... but you were there, weren't you, Princess? You knew what really happened to him, don't you?"

"Correct, though he wasn't the only one. Now, elaborate about the seventh Oracle and how she came to serve in my stead."

"Hyacinth Herjinger, a gatherer of edibles. She was eighteen when she saw her father killing someone else with a cleaver."

"Nineteenth Oracle?"

"Eranthis Kaldvind, works at the loom. Seventeen when her stagfriend forced her to watch as he tortured and killed her family."

"Well done," Princess Crystallia praised, putting a glow on the fawn's cheeks.
"Now, do you know what happened to those two?"

"I think Hyacinth went missing while fending off some invaders. As for Eranthis, they said she died in a fire that broke out in the temple, but her body was never found."

"Exactly. Do you see the pattern there?"

Artemis nodded, both with eagerness and reluctance.
"They were all young," she stated.
"They also saw bad things happening around them, which was why they became Oracle. After that, when they 'finished', they all just vanished into thin air. Is that right?"

"Correct, Artemis. Well, you certainly have not cease to amaze me."

"But it's not fair..." she whimpered.
"Lady Protector, Why do bad things happen to us? To the Oracles?"

Princess Crystallia's smile remained unchanged, though the warmth wasn't there anymore. Somehow, it looked a little more unnerving to Artemis than it was before. A chilly breeze was all it needed to snap her out of it, as the fawn realized that they were now standing outside of the temple, looking out at the village of reindeer before them.
Byafisogsne was, in the words of the Lady Protector herself, a quiet little hamlet in Death's garden. There were times where the fawn wondered if it was true, that death really was tending to them like it would to its chrysanthemums and lilies, plucking them out one by one at its whim. Many times she had seen it happen for her not to deny it, though she never knew why she couldn't.
"Bad things..." the alicorn mumbled suddenly.
"There is a saying that bad things happen to those who do bad deeds. At a time, it was relevant, perhaps, but it has since become dated. Criminals getting acquitted in court, ministers retaining their positions from bribery... bad things happen all around us, yet not only to those guilty."

"What do you mean?"

"Bad things don't always happen to those who do bad deeds," she elaborated.
"Rather, bad things always happen to the innocent. It is from these bad things that one would lose their innocence. Thus, a child grows up into an adult. A foal into a pony, a hatchling into a gryphon, a fawn into a reindeer..."

A dark chuckle emanated from the princess, even as Artemis cast her glance to the ground.
"It is especially so, in this quiet little hamlet we have here," the alicorn further explained.
"A little hamlet where once in a while, a reindeer does something they shouldn't have. A little hamlet where once in a while, another reindeer sees something that they shouldn't see. The little hamlet in death's garden, not because death was guilty. Rather, death was innocent. Death was a side-effect of the pestilence in this town, a pestilence of insanity. Now then, Artemis. I have a question I would love to ask you and your prepared soul..."

The fawn looked up at her mentor, perplexed, fearful, perhaps even a little insulted, but out of that curiosity won the ballot. A question for her and her prepared soul, a question that, as she would soon realize, changed everything she knew about her species, her town, her position of Oracle and no doubt, her future.
"Tell me, Artemis," Princess Crystallia began, the devilish smirk not leaving her face.

"Do you know what is a quarantine?"






~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~






"The Tundra Syndrome?"

"The Tundra Syndrome..." Artemis repeated those devious pair of words.
"The curse of the reindeer, an epidemic passed on by generations prior, borne of rejection, desperation and despair; trained for hate, vengeance and murder. We were being monitored by our Protector, confined and quarantined to her kingdom. Byafisogsne was an asylum built to contain us. To prevent our species from making contact with the outside world."

"But I don't understand..." Selena said, scratching her head.
"This whole time, trapped in here... didn't Princess Crystallia do anything about it?"

"She did try, but as you may understand, diplomacy wasn't her strongest suit."
The young fawn gazed upon her town once again. As it always had been, it looked so deceivingly serene from up here, yet she knew that each and every citizen, whether it be farmer or high priestess, Oracle or Princess, had their fair share of skeletons in their closets. Simply put, this town stands proudly over a mausoleum so crowded that it was pretty fortunate corpses don't need to breathe.
"She had no choice but to confine us under orders," Artemis continued.
"To wall us in and never letting us go. She was given the duty to guard us, never to rule us. All of this was to make sure that none of us escaped. Our Lady Protector hated it, being degraded down to this... that's why she found another way around it."

Perhaps the consequences that may come about made it too severe for it to be called mischief, but in the end, that was what it actually was: an act of defiance, the kind a young mare would perform to assert her status among her superiors. Certainly she must've found it thrilling, Artemis thought to herself.
"She never wanted to be a guard," she clarified in place of the princess.
"She insisted that we could change, that we still had a chance... all the things she had done for us, it was all because of the faith she placed into us reindeer. She had been protecting us for as long as our kind has lived. Can you imagine? Living with a species fueled by blood. It's sickening... but somehow, she managed it."

"Perhaps she did," Velvet scoffed, being the skeptic of the group.
"With her unorthodox methods, to say the least."

"Like I said, she means well," Artemis defended her mentor with an ounce of wit.
"You must've heard of the saying 'set a thief to catch a thief', don't you?"

"So this... mission of yours..." Selena piped in.
"What is it exactly?"

"There's actually several of them," the fawn admitted sheepishly.
"But the most important of all? To convince the Cervine Empires to revoke their order of banishment. To bring us reindeer back home, to our former towns and mountains, and bring them back to life."

"And she entrusted young reindeer like you to do it?" Phoenix questioned.

"The young mind is susceptible to change, so she said."

"That explains the consistent age group, but still," he pressed on.
"However you look at it, you're still young, Artemis. You have decades ahead of you to look forward to and yet... you're willing to give all of that up, just like that."

"What do you wish me to do? Sit idly by and watch us kill each other until we all go extinct?"
It was a hard-hitting truth that, as the princess had once mentioned, the outsiders wouldn't understand. Entrusting a young fawn to bear the tremendous responsibility of ensuring the survival of her species was perhaps something expected of Princess Crystallia, but she knew better.
"Maybe I didn't care at first..." she sighed.
"Maybe... maybe I just wanted us to kill ourselves after what they did to my parents... but when Princess Crystallia told me everything about our... conditions... and she said I could be the one to change it... I can't speak for the other Oracles, but as much as I am susceptible to change, I desire that change. I want my kin to get their homes back, no matter what."

A loud burst of laughter, one not heard in a while, came from Dapple Deuce, earning looks of surprise from everyone.
"I gotta give it to you, kid," she chuckled.
"You have a lot of spunk."

"Huh?"

"She means you have courage," Selena translated, smiling at her friend's compliment.
"That, coming from the Dapple Deuce, means a lot."

"Well, um... I guess you have a lot of... spunk too... Whitewind Bear and everything..."

All of them began laughing softly, the flustered fawn scrunching up her cheeks in embarrassment. So much for spunk, she muttered to herself, feeling her cheeks warming up a tint of red. It stayed on for a while even after they stepped down of the fallen tree, the caravan finally resuming their journey across the world.
Trudging through snow, Artemis glanced around the odd group she was stuck with, smiling to herself. Her thoughts wandered into uncertainty when she recalled her purpose. Would she accomplish her missions, she wondered. Would she succeed where others have failed? She was never sure if the other Oracles ever succeeded, but she reckoned they all didn't. Had they did, the reindeer would be back in their fabled mountain homes and not be stuck in a village of death and despair. The sinking feeling in her chest grew as one final question lit up in her head.

Would she follow in the hoofsteps of those before her?

Artemis gave it a moment of thought, then just scoffed it off.
"Of course not..." she laughed at herself, looking ahead at a bright future.
"This time, it will be different."

With the caravan by her side, she will make it so.

"Wait for me, my Lady Protector."




O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O




"Fluttershy? Hello? Equestria to Fluttershy?"

"Oh! Um... y-yes? Did I do something?"

"You kinda zoned out for a moment there," Rainbow Dash put it lightly, hoof on her friend's shoulder.
"You know, I just said there's nothing to be afraid of. That's why you have to get in there and show 'em who's boss!"

"I know, but I... um..."

"She needs time to compose herself," Twilight spoke in her stead.
"It's been a while, Rainbow. You have to understand that."

"Yeah, but I thought she might be a little more... excited, y'know?"

"Oh, I am a little bit excited," Fluttershy spoke up rather timidly, staring up at the pair of white doors before her.
"Um... just a little bit..."

"Oh yeah? And just how many percent of you is actually excited?"

A nervous shrug, the shy mare biting her lip as she whimpered softly.
"Uh... f-five percent?"

"Five percent? That's not even close to motivated, let alone excited!"

"Rainbow Dash, seriously," Twilight deadpanned, dragging her away from the shaking Fluttershy and to the side.
"Alright, do you remember why I called you out here?"

"Of course! You wanted me to give Fluttershy a motivational speech, so I'm giving her one!"

"I did not specifically say that," the unicorn sighed, hoof meeting her shaking head.
"I said that I wanted you to give her some support, both as a fellow mother and a friend."

Rainbow grumbled underneath her breath.
"It's better if she had a motivational speech instead..."

"You're kinda loud when you're talking to yourself, you know that?" Twilight chided, frowning.

"Oh, but Twilight, I wouldn't mind if--" Fluttershy tensed up as both of her friends spun their gazes to her.
"Um... wh-what I'm trying to say is t-that... well... I w-wouldn't mind if she g-gave me a m-m-motivational speech..."

"It's not about that, Fluttershy," Twilight sighed, turning back to Rainbow.
"Look, if you don't want to do it, I'll just go back in and ask Rarity instead."

"Woah there, Twi. I didn't say anything about backing out."

"Then give her some support. Proper support," she hissed.

A drawn-out sigh escaped from Rainbow Dash's mouth, one loud enough to travel along the corridors of the palace and probably through the cracks of the ornate pair of doors before them. As much as she hated to admit it, Twilight can make a lot of things seem a little boring for her taste. There were a few exceptions, notably the many adventures they've been through together and her introduction to the Daring Do series, but Rainbow knew her well enough to know she could dampen any form of excitement the same way four buckets of water could do to her mane.
"Fine..." she groaned, trotting back towards the now smiling Fluttershy.
"So, as you probably heard, egghead here wants me have some pep talk with you--"

"Well, this egghead here thinks somepony might be going back inside."

"Can you keep it down, Twi? Giving some proper support here."
Both pegasi could only giggle as Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes with a groan, her magic swinging one of the doors as she stomped in, leaving it ajar behind her. From it echoed numerous murmurs and chatters, bursting through the serene privacy and sending a manic jolt up Fluttershy's trembling wings with a squeak. Quickly, Rainbow shut the door, sighing with relief as her friend calmed down, leaving only telltale signs of her anxiety from a few visible shivers.
"It's okay, Fluttershy..." Rainbow assured her, sparing a hoof on her friend's shoulder
"Just think about it. In a moment, everything will be back the way it was."

As always, Fluttershy gave a timid nod. It took a moment for her to recompose herself and speak, though what she said almost caught Rainbow Dash off guard.
"I don't really mean to say this, but... you know you don't have to do that."

"Huh? D-Do what?"

"Chase Twilight back inside," she said, chuckling softly.
"She'd probably like to see you talking to me like this."

"I bet she would... but this mare has an image to live up to. What would Equestria think if the Rainbow Dash, the awesomest and toughest mare alive, is seen being all mushy and emotional over something like this? That'll be me done with the Wonderbolts forever, I'm telling ya!"

"So am I still the only one who knows about this?"

"You... and Soarin'," she stated, though her cheeks scrunched when she caught her friend smirking.
"What? You can't expect me to shout at Firefly and Mayfly for crying for their mom now, can you?"

"Aw, that's so sweet!"

"Yeah, I know, I know... but even so, Twilight has a point. This ain't a situation for coaching."
There were times where she questioned her decisions. Most of them involved Fluttershy and, being opposites bordering on the extreme, there was no surprise there. In the end, Fluttershy was one of her best friends, having been stuck with her since her early foalhood days, and she would do anything to make her happy. Celestia knows how much that shy mare has helped her out as well.
"Alright, Flutters," Rainbow spoke, clutching onto her friend's hooves.
"Remember, whatever happens, all of us will be on your side. Twilight, Rarity, me, all of us. So do me a favor, Fluttershy, and hold on just a little more longer, okay? Be calm, lift your head up and look forward. Just be strong for us. Be strong for them."

"Okay..."

"And just... one more thing..."

If the growing blush on Rainbow's cheeks hadn't been evident enough, Fluttershy figured it out when she found herself hauled into her friend's hooves. It took a moment for her to restrain her laughter, all in the effort of keeping her friend's image, instead letting out a soft, fulfilling giggle, followed by the shake of her head.
"Rainbow, you know I forgave you," she said tenderly.
"You don't have to apologize again."

"I know, I know..." Rainbow laughed, wiping off a few fresh tears as she broke off her hug.
"Alright... ready for this?"

"I-I hope so..."

"You have it in you, I know you do! Now, let's show those ponies what you got!"

It was the longest, most antagonizing hour of Fluttershy's entire life. The moment the doors parted and all eyes were on her, some familiar, many foreign, her hoof was already trembling like a tree trapped in a hurricane. She bit her lip so hard it was a wonder why it didn't bleed. Every bit of her composure was eroding, the weight of the world slung onto her shoulders, dragging her heart along with it. The air felt thin, her breath reduced to light pants as her eyes strained to stare ahead, her crumpling hooves stepping up onto the podium in the center of the room. The center of unwanted attention.
Her friends were somewhere in the circle of seats, yet no matter where her eyes darted in those brief chances, she could never spot them. As the judge began speaking, snakes of cold sweat slithered down her back, the voice within her screaming questions she wanted to ask. Was her vision getting a little blurrier? Was that a spider crawling on her back or just her nerves? Was the room getting a little stuffier than before? Question after unprecedented question ran through her head even as her eyes were fixated onto the judge, stating words that her anxiety silenced before she could even comprehend them. Above all of that, however, she had to be strong, her thoughts chanted in a mantra.

Be strong.

For Big Macintosh.

For her dear Amber.

"Miss Apple? Miss Fluttershy Apple?"

"Huh-- oh, um... y-yes?"

"You may step off the podium now."

"B-bu... what?" Fluttershy stammered, blinking.
"I'm sorry... could you please, well... um..."

A light wave of chuckles glided through the room, making the timid mare blush. Looking up at the judge, she saw not the serious grim frown that she had expected, but a serene smile instead. Holding his papers up again, the judge cleared his throat, his noble voice gracing her ears as he declared: "After extensive examination by psychiatrists and reading through the reports from daily supervision, it is with great faith and pleasure to announce that Miss Apple here is mentally stable and poses no harm to her family. As such, the Federal Court has decided to relinquish the parental rights of Miss Apple over her daughter, Ambrosia Apple."

At the mention of that, Fluttershy's face lit up, a large smile growing up the sides of her cheeks. All the tension and weight of the world finally melted away, leaving behind a warm afterglow that she was basked in. She glanced around at the congratulatory smiles, her cheeks brightening up even more when she spotted her friends in the crowd, happily cheering for her.

"It's over..." she muttered to herself.
"It's finally over..."

And all of the courtroom, especially a rainbow-maned pegasus, shared the same thoughts.




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Good things happen to those who wait.

Perhaps it would be so, were it not for them to be in Pendant Lakes.

Stellar Lionheart had his fair share of principles engraved onto his skull the moment his infant eyes brought forth to him the ceiling of the local hospital. The very same principles taught him where he stood, guided him where he went and showed him what he needed. In the land of Equestria, where most of the land mass had been blessed with everlasting peace, the realm of the Palgiots was always rife with a certain corruption, one both feared and embraced by its citizens. Few other towns had such unwritten commandments and he knew that from the dawn of time.
There were many that had waited. Many who prayed, who pleaded, who wished upon a shooting star. Those many now lie beneath the subterranean ground underneath his hooves, their graves collapsing six feet further from the weight of the plummeting town above. He knew some of them from back in the day, those content with patience as a friend, but even patience will wear thin and through the fading veil, the face of death arises.

Good things happen to those who wait.

Bad things to those who wait too long.

It was this particular principle that echoed in his mind while he sat at the edge of a row of towering bookshelves, revolver at the ready with wary eyes occasionally peeking out from the wooden shelves. He had been there for a while now, having sought refuge there after his and Caduceus's encounter with the deceased assassin and their fellow friend, Sidus Sirenheart. The loud screeches of the demonic hunting dogs became distant as time flew, the welcoming silence egging him to move out.
What little light he was given was enough to tell him he was in Pendant Lakes General Library, much larger than the Palgiots' own. It was, no doubt, a mess, with collapsed shelves, splintered walls, floor covered in papers and the ceiling itself completely torn apart, leaving a giant, gaping oculus that provided a view of dangling stalactites. An eye of scrutiny at the contents told him he was in the archives section, forbidden to many but the few that had close ties with the family in power. Gaining access to this haven of information was one of the many perks that came with his position of butler; such a treasury of documents and parchments had been sought after by historians and treasure hunters since the dawn of time itself.

Slowly, Stellar sneaked forward, his hoofsteps echoed only by falling droplets of water. Floorboard after shanty floorboard groaned in protest as he advanced along the shelves. He held his breath when he reached the end, turning around the corner with revolver raised, ready to face any creature that comes his way.

"Looking for something?"

A bullet whizzed above his snout, barely grazing it and making him tumble back. Shuffling onto his hooves, Stellar gritted his teeth at the sight of Sidus Sirenheart leaping down from above, a smile stitched across his face and a double barrel slung around his right shoulder. Two old friends, one alive, one dead, reunited within aisles of leather and parchment, both armed and ready to kill the other.
"To think, Sidus," Stellar rasped.
"That you would betray us. That you would go against all the oaths we promised when we were young."

"I was alive back then, Stellar. We all were," the assassin grimly replied.
"The tenets of the Crux Four doesn't matter now. I have my own orders to fulfill."

"Is it so? And which scum do you serve under this time?"

"I'd be careful with those words if I were you, my old friend," Sidus chuckled, his grin discomforting.
"You'll find it will benefit you. Secure your position, if I may add."

"And what good does my death bring?"

"The same amount of good that all the others had."

"Death never brings good," Stellar rebutted, lowering his revolver just a little.
"You assassins always believed it. That death brings benefits. Death contributes for the goodwill of a pony. You've failed to see the calamities that one death can cause because of how self-absorbed you can be."

"There's a motto in our line of work," Sidus nonchalantly spoke.
"Greed is good. Ever heard of that?"

"Personal gain. Always for personal gain."

"When you lived life scraping the bottom of the bucket, you're forced to live by a few principles," he replied.
"Think about it. How did you attain that image of Sicarius Nox being lowly hound dogs?"

"You know better than to bring that up."
Stellar Lionheart sighed, hooves relaxing as he lowered his revolver.
"I was there at your funeral, Sidus. I spared the time to see that you had a proper burial. Most of Sicarius died without a grave to ever mark their names. They passed on to be forgotten, but you... you had the privilege to be remembered in history. To be remembered as a stallion who served the city, who protected it from harm. I can affirm that and so can Caduceus."

A loud bang resounded through the corridors, the butler leaping to the side. He could feel his heart pounding against his muscles, grimacing at the smoking barrels of Sidus's weapon. With a snort, Sidus leaped off of the bookshelf, joining Stellar in the canyon of book even as the other pony raised his revolver.
"Spare your sentiments, Stellar," he warned, waving his shotgun provocatively.
"Look around you. This isn't Pendant Lakes anymore. If anything, judging from how wrecked it was, I would call this place Calormor."

Calormor. A forbidden name for a forbidden city, spoken only by a few. Those few include Stellar and Sidus as well as the rest of the Crux Four. They all knew what lied underneath Pendant Lakes where it once stood, the remnants of the original 'mannequin town', seeping through the cracks of time. It was in the mysterious town, several years ago, where they faced the Voyager Six, along with something else.
Stellar Lionheart said nothing, or rather, he feared that if he did, it would only incite the other's wrath, all because he had nothing good to say. What good is there left in these ruins? He lost the home he had lived for all his life, even if it wasn't the best one at the beginning. He lost the family he had loyally served. He even lost many friends, one of which was standing before him, ready to put a bullet into his head.

However, all of it came back.

Pendant Lakes was an unsettling ruin, the Palgiot family (at least, the ones he met so far) consists of creatures from Tartarus and right here, an old friend of his returned, living only to kill. If anything, Sidus was right: this was Calormor, a mere remnant of time back from the dead, just like the first Patriarch's mannequin town. This was the realm of the dead and Stellar doesn't belong here.
"So, Stellar Lionheart, former butler of the Palgiot family," the assassin mused, raising his shotgun with a click.
"Any last words?"

Perhaps it was fate. Perhaps it was just to mock the assassin. Perhaps he had it tucked in the corner of his head, just in case such a situation as extraordinary as this calls for it. Nevertheless, the words Stellar uttered next, as he was certain of, were anything but last.

"What would Aria say?"

Sidus said nothing, but his slight flinch carelessly gave away the answer.

"Aria Glassleaf?" Stellar continued.
"Don't you recognize that name?"

"I'd be damned to Tartarus if I don't recognize the name of my wife."

"She wouldn't want to see you do this."

"She's dead. She couldn't see it even if Celestia made her," Sidus scorned.
"Why? You think bringing my wife up would make me feel regret? Remorse? Guilt for all the trouble I've caused while she watches me from the heavens above? Is that it? You should know better than that, Stellar."

"You seem certain she's dead."

"She's dead and I'm making sure she stays that way."

"Yet here you are, hunting us down when you're supposed to lie in your grave," Stellar pointed out.
"What makes you think Aria isn't out there now, Sidus? What makes you think that your own wife isn't one of those demons that you're controlling right now?"

"Like I said, I'm making sure she stays that way."
The answer was unnerving. A little too unnerving than what Stellar had hoped. It just seemed a little too improbable that a mare like Aria Glassleaf would be resting in peace while the rest of the dead roamed around the cadaver of Pendant Lakes. He knew Sidus well enough to know he wasn't the type to lie. If so, it means he found a way about it.

To cease the prone bodies from rising.

To make sure the dead stay dead.

"Well, Stellar Lionheart..." Sidus sighed, finally raising his gun and pointing it right at his former friend.
"I'd love to talk a little longer, but time is of the essence. I have to meet another old friend, after all."

Stellar Lionheart gritted his teeth, waiting for the inevitable pull of the trigger. He held his breath, surprised to find himself still gripping tightly onto his patience. The small click of the safety lever howled into his eardrums, loud enough to make the walls and the ground beneath him shake. Even the shelves were rattling around him, with books and papers sprinkled all over the floor.
Wait a minute, he paused, looking at the toppling objects around him. Even Sidus noticed it as well, warily taking a step back as the ground rumbled beneath their hooves. Before any of them could utter a word, a large shadow engulfed the room, enveloping both him and Sidus. One blink of an eye later, he could only gape as Sidus was swiped away by a colossal and reptilian, if not familiar, paw. He beamed, his gaze drawing up, away from his cursing friend to the legendary being before him.

"You sure have a way with friends, Stellar Lionheart."

"Jovern!" he exclaimed, trotting forward with a sheepish chuckle.
"By Celestia, I've completely forgotten about you!"

"Hah! You're damn well lucky I didn't," the dragon guffawed, looking at the pony squirming in his paw.
"Then again, when you're cornered like that down there with this fellow, I'd say anything would slip past your mind."

"Sidus Sirenheart," Stellar introduced his friend, who was slowly resigning to his fate.
"An assassin from Sicarius and an old friend of mine."

"Hello there, Mr. Sirenheart. Sorry we have to meet in such unfortunate circumstances."

Stellar had to hold back his laughter: watching Sidus grumbling in his makeshift cage from that brightened pretty much his entire day, if it was still the same day he was in. Being stuck in the dark, subterranean ruins for so long, he had completely lost his sense of time. It may still be yesterday, it may already be tomorrow. Who knows? Rather, who cares?
"Well then," he declared, signaling the dragon.
"Let us be off."

"What, you're not going to finish me off, Stellar?" Sidus jeered from above.
"You really think sparing my life would change anything? Expecting a favor in return?"

"None of that sort. Just taking you along for the ride," Stellar stated simply, trudging forward into the wasteland, now with the company of a noble dragon. He couldn't help but flash a smile to Sidus, his intentions nothing short of necessary. After all, he had the leader of the wolf pack in a bind. What better way to know the workings within these ruins than a small interrogation session?
"Now, if you don't mind..." he began, smiling.

"I believe I have a few questions to ask of you."




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Nothing.

It all came back to nothing.

Twilight Sparkle had navigated the currents of an ocean, the paths of a maze, the many canyons and valleys that snaked through parchment and papyrus. She went through it all, yet no matter what trail she took, it always leads up to a dead end. Candle after candle melted down, wick after wick burned out, only for all of it to go up in smoke.
With a defeated groan, she tossed the eighth book of the night aside and buried her head into the desk. Silence blared around her, which came to her as no surprise, seeing she would be the only one who can stay sane enough to read at the library at such a late hour. Not that anypony in their right mind would do such a thing, statistically speaking.

"What am I doing here anyway?" she wondered out loud, her laments heard only by the small flame of the candle before her.
"It's not like I can find anything else anymore..."

Never truer words had been spoken, however much she didn't want to believe it. Most, if not all, of the bookshelves before her had been exhausted of its contents, depleted after several months of long and tiring reading. On any other day, it would be an achievement she would write on a plaque and hang on the wall. She found it funny, how the fate of Equestria rests in her penchant for reading. She didn't mind the reading, really. It was the looming responsibility, however, that was getting to her.
No book had ever disclosed to Twilight about their enemy, leaving only a few telltale guesses. From what she could tell, fear was always a key figure in his schemes. Also, from how the princesses talked about him, he had been their adversary for quite some time, which led her here in the first place. He had loyal followers -- the Salii priests, if she recalled correctly -- who had amassed an army of Equestria's most dangerous enemies that toppled down the nation of Camelroon. These were the same ponies that claim responsibility for the bombings of Trottingham and Canterlot, even infiltrating the royal guard for their latest attempt at killing her and her brother. What's even more frightening was the complete obliteration of Manehatten, which, to this day, no one had any idea how it was done, but she figured it probably had something to do with the White Convergence, an event that constantly popped up in the sandswept notes of Professor Page. Somehow, he had ties to most of her friends and perhaps a thousand or so more ponies, yet not a single one had the faintest idea of who they were up against.

"Why don't we ask the princesses? I'm sure they might know a thing or two."

Spike's words from his last visit rang in her head. Thinking back, they seem to be the only ones that truly had an impression of who Janus really was. A truly terrible impression, it would seem, judging from the anxiety both princesses were facing, Princess Celestia especially. She had made the plan to ask about Janus, but she had rarely seen the princess around these days, only popping up at when she's needed most. If so, right now would be a good time; she was in desperate need of answers. They all were. Until then, all she can do is read what she can.
Momentarily distracting herself from her research, Twilight looked out of her window, up into the beautiful night sky. She wondered about Janus, wondering his next move on the chessboard. She wondered about Pinkie, whether she still is alive and out there, finding a way to come back home.

She wondered about the Masque.

The masked caper would be somewhere in Canterlot, pulling off yet another of his grand heists, perhaps finding time to stop by and butter her up again. Some part of Twilight wished he would do just that, though that would be a greater distraction than what she hoped for. She needed something to get the stress bug off her mind, not completely divert her attention away.
"Alright, Twilight..." she sighed to herself, shaking her head.
"Back to work."

Drearily, her eyes scanned across the lines of words, stopping only to yawn. Rarity had once remarked on how a little cup of coffee can always save the day, or night, in this case. She had always denied that temptation, knowing how addictive it can be, but right now, the suggestion was nothing short of enticing.
What spurred her back awake was no cup of coffee. Instead, it was the sound of the library door swinging open. Twilight froze, stepping back while gripping tight onto one of the thicker books. All her worries were alleviated when Inkie Pie strode out from the darkness, her sigh amusing the other mare greatly.

"Thought I'd find you here," she chuckled, cheekily raising her hooves.
"Don't worry, Twilight. I'm not working for Janus."

"Sorry about that," Twilight replied sheepishly.
"Must be getting a little too jumpy, aren't I?"

"With good reason."

"Y-Yeah, I guess..." she mumbled, an uneasy feeling stirring in her bandaged shoulder and chest; the result of her two encounters with their enemy. Her horn wasn't so lucky either, though it had recovered enough for a simple bolt of magic, which can be quite handy the next time she gets caught in a bind.
"So... thinking about Pinkie again?"

"Yes. Blinkie as well," Inkie replied, finding herself a seat while she surveyed the pillars of books around the library.
"I see you've been reading."

"Really? What gave it away?"

Both mares laughed a little, appreciating the light of humor and companionship in this otherwise lonely night. Twilight sighed, looking up at Inkie, who had found a good read wedged within the pillar of books. Despite looking relaxed, she knew the other mare held concerns, for both of her sisters and for the state of the nation. Those private talks with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna only pressured on the latter more, which can be overbearing to a degree, she believed.
"What are you reading about?" she asked.

"This?" Inkie said, gesturing to the book in her hooves.
"Well... it's not that interesting as Equestrian history or anything."

"You're kidding me. What else could be less interesting than Equestrian history?"

Stifling a mischievous grin, Inkie handed her the book, to which Twilight eagerly accepted. Her eyes scanned through the pages, frowning a little at the words before finding the sole picture, which showed some sort of monolith. Confused, she turned to look at the cover, the face she made when she caught the words embossed onto the leather making Inkie giggle.
"You're reading 'A Case Study on Rocks'? Seriously?" she gaped, nearly dropping the book.

"Hey, I grew up on a rock farm, remember?" Inkie retorted.
"Plus, when you have a Cutie Mark like mine, you'll never know when it will come in handy."

'"Well, I can't argue with that."

"How about you, Twilight? Any luck in your side?"

"Not exactly."
Her response was the epitome of understatements, as Inkie will soon find out. Twilight was afraid of this, that one of the others would discover that all those days of research and tracing the writings of the past ultimately turned out to be a waste of precious time. Still, Inkie was one of those who had been frustrated with what some had called 'pointless idling'. In all honesty, with nothing to show progress, she found herself waning to their side as well. Perhaps she may understand her predicament, she thought to herself.
"I can't find anything about Janus at all," she let it out of the can.
"All of the books didn't even mention his name! It's like he just came out of nowhere..."

"Have you asked Princess Celestia about it? I don't know for sure, but she seems as if she knows Janus."

"You won't be the first to say that."

"So you did try asking?"

"I don't think I could do it," Twilight confessed, sighing while her hoof absentmindedly ran across the parchments before her.
"I wanted to. Really, I wanted to, but I never see her around anymore."

"Sadly, I could the same for myself," Inkie lamented her agreement.
"It's all suspicious, isn't it? I mean, if she knew about Janus, then why not tell any of us in the first place? Where could she have gone when we needed her most?"

"I'm sure she probably has some explanation for being gone."

"And if she doesn't?"

Twilight remained silent, completely uncertain herself. She imagined herself standing there, interrogating her mentor and ruler of the entire kingdom on her whereabouts and expecting a cold, long silence with a dead stare being the only response. Her blood ran cold at the thought, knowing how Princess Celestia could be when she was really serious. Still, this isn't the time to shy away.
"She'll have to find another way to explain that," she answered firmly.
"Until then, I'll just have to test my luck on these books."

"Have you checked the Equinox section?" Inkie asked.

The Equinox section. To most ponies, it would be known as the forbidden section of the library. Its shelves were filled with the darkest spells, notes on forbidden experiments, controversial documents and all sorts of dark secrets. Princess Celestia had made a law that forbade anypony, including Princess Luna, to ever, ever step a hoof into the room. Those who do so would be punished severely, though the severity of it remains in obscurity.
"I can't, Inkie. You know that," Twilight said in a low whisper.
"You know what happens if we get caught, don't you?"

"Think about it, if the story of Janus is a terrible secret the princess wanted to hide, where else would you think she would hide it?"

"That would make sense, but--"

"Twilight, I know you're afraid of what might happen if we get caught. Believe me, I am as well."
Inkie sighed, standing up as she continued:
"But don't you think we all deserve some answers? Don't you think Equestria has the right to know the very enemy they are facing? Honestly, I don't care if we get caught. If it's to help Equestria out, then I'll do it."

Twilight bit her lip, mulling over the decision before her. A decision that, if done right, may change this demented game to their favor. Choosing between her life or the fate of Equestria itself, the lives of a million others... the answer was actually really clear to her, yet she found herself reluctant to do so. Sure, there's a chance of finding out the truth, but if they got caught, it would definitely spell certain doom not only to them, but also to the rest of the world. It was a great risk, no doubt; was it one she was willing to take?

"Well, Twilight?"

No time to think. only time to act. With that in her mind, Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth, giving the most plausible answer off the top of the head:

"Let's do it."