//------------------------------// // Twilight/Rarity/Rainbow - Chapter 6 // Story: Dawn of Crystal Empire // by TopWanted //------------------------------// You’re gonna have to be a little more specific, Twi,” Applejack replied. “I have at least two cousin Apple Crisps. Then there’s uncle Apple Crisp. Great Great grandpa Crispus Apple…” Applejack continued to name family members ad nauseam until Twilight held a hoof up to stop her. “I get it,” she moaned. “It’s a common name.” Applejack gave Twilight a confused look. “So what’s with the interest?” “It’s just,” Twilight began but turned her head to the side. “Never mind, we should really start looking.” “Not with you, we’re not!” It was Applejack’s turn to hold up a hoof in her friend’s face. “Just look at yourself, sugar cube. You haven’t slept in days. And I know it’s me talking here but you could use a shower.” Twilight frowned but gave herself a sniff. She couldn’t argue. “Alright,” she replied as she left the room. “But afterwards I’m coming straight over to help.” Applejack gave Cadence a look that said “you’ll make sure she gets some rest won’t you” to which Cadence replied with a nod that said “of course.” --- After a nice long shower twilight returned to her room where two things began to tantalize her. Her bed which called to her aching hooves and tired eyes and the book which lay open on her desk, calling out to her with its siren song of history and secrets. She truly was tired but in the end it was her own nature that won out. Within minutes Twilight had begun devouring the journal page by page again. Writing notes on separate sheets of paper and gathering dictionaries and thesauri as well as historical manuscripts to help decipher the pages that she could decrypt. Soon enough she was no longer working on her desk, instead lying on the ground in a very un-princess like pose among, many strewn about pages and books scattered around her. This is the scene that Cadence walked in on. “Twilight!” Cadence exclaimed with a hint of exasperation. “You have to get some sleep! You really are going to be no help to anyone if you continue on like this.” Twilight was no longer even capable of frowning at her nagger. Instead wearily standing up and shooting her a half pained half sleep deprived glare. “I know,” she moaned. “But I’ve been over this thing with a fine tooth comb seven times now and I still can’t find anything that will help us.” She lifted the book in her magical field and began flipping through the pages. “There’s no present magic so it’s not the book that’s cursed or anything. Plus the other languages in here are so archaic that even the first edition of Hoofster’s Dictionary of Ancient Language can identify them.” Her magic seemed to sputter for a second and the book dropped to the floor falling onto the first page. “Oh, and this thing!” she pointed at the date on the page. “The only date in the entire book! But it’s so old I can’t even tell if it’s a real time or not.” Cadence frowned at the thought of humoring her sister-in-law but walked over to inspect it anyway. The date was odd, three numbers, month/day/year, but I was modified with a phrase at the end. “Year of Sun Tide.” Cadence’s eyes popped open. “Oh, I’ve seen this format before,” Cadence announced and then quickly galloped out of the room only to return a moment later carrying what looked to be a list. She showed it to Twilight. “This is a to do list posted outside the rooms every morning by the head of the castle to tell them what needs to be done that morning.” Twilight shot a skeptical, but tired, glance at her sister-in-law. “Okay, but what does that have to do with anything?” “Look at the top.” Twilight looked and her eyes opened wide. “It’s the same format but-“ “It says Year of Celestia,” Cadence eyes began to beam with curiosity and fascination. “The staff told me about this. Around a thousand years ago it was customary to start off letterhead with the date and denote it with the name of the current ruler.” “Yeah!” Twilight felt joy at decoding a new part of the journal but immediately fell back into melancholy. “But I have no idea who Sun Tide is!” Twilight motioned to the many books around her. “I mean, I’ve never heard that name in any of my books.” Cadence’s eyes suddenly darted past Twilight and lowered to give her a reaffirming grin. “Actually it is in your books.” Twilight gave the most confused and exasperated face she could as she followed Cadence to the edge of the room where Twilight’s bookshelf stood. “I’ve been through everything already, there’s no mention of Sun Tide in any of my history books.” “Oh, I wasn’t thinking history books.” Cadence pulled open a hidden drawer at the bottom of the book case. Inside were hundreds and hundreds of steamy romance novels. All lined up and alphabetized in perfect order. Twilight stifled a cough as she blushed profusely. “I borrow those from Rarity! Really!” Cadence lifted a paperback from the drawer. “Yes, but you borrowed this one from me two years ago.” Twilight cheeks grew even redder. “Don’t worry,” Cadence assured her. “I keep mine in a very similar spot.” Cadence giggle and proceeded to open up the book. “This is a story about an older virile pony that visits an island of all mares and falls in love with the beautiful princess and becomes king.” “Okay! Okay!” Twilight looked as she was ready shoot steam out her nose. “I get it, it’s raunchy, what does that have to do with anything though?” “Sun Tide is the main character,” Cadence replied smugly. Twilight lowered an eyebrow in disbelief and took the book flipping through the pages. “Also remember that half the story is told through letters between the two lovers,” Cadence continued watching over Twilight’s shoulder. “Check out the date!” Twilight couldn’t help but look. Sure enough, there it was. The name Sun Tide was everywhere and at the beginning of every page that held a letter there was a date with the appropriation “Year of Sun Tide.” Twilight had to sit down to wrap her head around it. “How could you remember all this and I couldn’t?” “You have some facts store easier in your brain than me and I have mine.” Cadence gave a bright, but slightly perverted, smile. “Alright,” Twilight shook her head to get out of her funk. “We have a similarity but how does a journal from over a thousand years ago relate to a recent hot romance novel?” Twilight turned the paperback over to read a brief description of the author, or authors in this case. “Quill and Wit are Canterlot brothers that both went into the study of history. They graduated top of their class at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and were expected to do great things. However, after an incident with the Bureau of Equestrian Study and History, both were banned from the field of academics. Quill is now one of Equestria’s most published authors and Wit aids in research for his brother’s books.” The top of the page displayed a picture of the two unicorns. Quill stood to the left just a bit taller than his younger brother. Only their heads and lapels were in the shot. Twilight thought she saw something on the shorter one’s collar. She scrunched her eyes and looked closer. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” “What! What is it!?” Cadence covered her ears as Twilight finally stopped screaming. “It’s- It’s- It’s there! It’s just there!” She pointed at the picture. Cadence slowly came up to take closer look. She caught sight of the pin below Wit’s collar that Twilight was pointing to. Displayed on the pin was a black rune: a line with six radicals on both side, topped with an oval and curve, and the bottom encapsulated by a semi formed circle. Cadence took in a rush of air and began screaming as well. --- Half way through their scream session the door flew open prompting two tiny serious screams from the startled princesses. “What is going on in here?” Shining Armor asked as he entered the room trying desperately to cover his ears. “We just-“ Cadence said. “I think-“ Twilight said over. “WE JUST GOT THE BIGGEST BREAK!” both said together. “That’s,” Shining paused as he stared around the room. “good. But Cadence, you were supposed to calm Twily down.” “I know,” Cadence replied. “But we may have just hit the mother load of resources.” “We may actually have someone who can give us information on what’s happening,” Twilight added. “That’s good but I’m afraid there’s some bad news.” Shining crossed to Cadence. “The crystal heart is changing faster than we expected. We can’t wait around for Spike to wake up anymore. I need to go to Canterlot to speak with the princesses.” “I’ll go with you,” Cadence insisted, her face now serious again. “No,” Shining placed a reaffirming hand on his wife. “The Crystal Kingdom needs you here. Especially now.” He returned to the door. “I’ll be leaving first thing in the morning. Twilight, is there anything you want me to tell Celestia?” Twilight’s face became more serious. “Make sure to stress just how urgent this is. Oh, and another thing,” Twilight lifted the paperback once grinned madly. “Find these two and bring them to me! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!” Then she fell over and passed out. Shining stared at his sleep deprived sister for a few moments and then turned the confused look to his wife. “I’ll tell you who to meet,” she said with an innocent laugh. ---------- “-so they cooked the boulder. Anyway, that’s how I saved Hearth’s Warming Eve!” Pinkie smiled broadly as she finished her story. The two mares walking slowly down a deserted hallway. “Yes, that’s…” Rarity considered her next words carefully. “Interesting? Dear.” “If you think that one’s good I got a lot more where that came from! How about the time I pushed a leprechaun into a well and got a double wish! Or maybe when I-“ “No, no, no need, Pinkie!” Rarity held a hoof to her friend’s mouth to get her to stop talking. “Maybe we should just focus on the task at hand.” “Right!” Pinkie gave a salute and shoved her hooves into her hair, shaping and forming them until they resembled a radar dish around her left ear. “Oh, blue thing! Come out to play!” They were now at a fork in the hallway. Rarity considered her options. “Maybe this would be a good time to split up. Meet back here in ten minutes?” “Okey-dokey-lokie!” Pinkie replied as she bounded off to the left shouting and messing with her radar dish hair. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her slightly manic-inducing friend bound out of sight. She turned to the right hallway and was greeted by what appeared to be a solid orange wall. “Oh my gosh,” the wall said. “Are you okay?” Rarity’s head was swirling as she lay on the floor but she noticed a hoof held out in aid. She took it and the orange wall came into focus as she righted herself. A non-crystal orange Pegasus in a royal guard’s uniform stood before her. “Ah, so sorry about that,” she apologized. “I’m never usually so clumsy.” “Think nothing of it,” the orange Pegasus waved a hoof in dismissal. “I wasn’t looking where I was going either.” Rarity crooked an eyebrow in thought. “Flash Sentry, right? We’ve met before haven’t we?” “That’s right, Miss Rarity,” Flash added a little bow at the mention of her name. “Though it was pretty brief. I don’t recall giving my name out though?” “Oh, that was Cadence. She told me you were assigned here from Canterlot?” “Yes,” Flash gave a polite smile. “I was originally a part of Shining Armor’s personal squad and a few months after reaffirming control of Crystal Empire he sent for me.” Flash turned his gaze downward sheepishly. “To be honest, it’s a little lonely being one of the only non-crystal ponies here.” “I think I can understand what you mean,” Rarity frowned slightly. “This place is absolutely beautiful and it fills me to the brim with inspiration but I’m sure it can be a bit,” she took a glance around the surrounding area, “monotonous for one who has to stay here.” “I’m not sure I actually know what it is you do, Miss Rarity?” Flash asked. “Well, I’m a fashion designer,” Rarity pronounced proudly. “In fact I’ve even done a little work in Canterlot.” “That’s amazing!” Flash replied excitedly. “So you must have made all those beautiful gowns the six of you were wearing for the gala that first year.” “Why, yes, that’s true,” Rarity felt her cheeks blush slightly at the praise. “In fact, I’ve designed every dress each of us has worn since then, even Princess Cadence’s wedding dress.” “I remember those pretty well,” Flash chuckled to himself. “But I think it was those dresses I saw during the gala a few years back that truly struck me as things of beauty. In fact, that’s the real first time I ever met any of you.” “Oh,” Rarity tried to recall her first gala night, the one that the six had quite haphazardly pre-dubbed “The Best Night Ever.” “I’m afraid I really don’t recall seeing you there, darling.” “I would think not,” Flash continued to chuckle as he smiled at Rarity. “All six of you seemed a little too preoccupied to notice the staff on hand.” Rarity recalled her night being full of disappointment in realizing her idolized Prince Blueblood was nothing more than a self-centered pansy. She gave her eyes a quick roll at the memory. “Yes, preoccupied.” “It was my first time ever meeting the Elements of Harmony, so I was surprised by how you all behaved.” Rarity blushed again out of embarrassment. “Yes, that was a very dreadful night.” “Dreadful?” Flash cocked an eyebrow. “I think it was the Best Night Ever!” Rarity stared at the Pegasus colt blankly for a second and then burst into laughter. “I’m sorry,” she cried as she held her sides. “It’s just, you sound like Twilight.” “Twilight,” Flash now turned his gaze to the ground wistfully as smile crept up his face. “I remember her dress. Blue with silvery stars that seemed to fade into the ethereal pool of a blue sky.” Flash sighed contentedly. Rarity now stopped laughing, considering the Pegasus’ reaction. A knowing grin now creeping up her own face. “You like her,” she cooed. “What,” Flash turned his attention back to Rarity and replied flustered. “I don’t- I- What would I- Um…” “It’s alright,” Rarity now began to circle Flash. “There’s nothing wrong with a little love interest. Especially when it’s between a princess and her guard.” Rarity began to fan her face with her hoof as her eyes glazed over. “A forbidden relationship that takes them from the heights of romantic bliss to the searing depths of despair as their two un-translatable lives refuse to coincide. All that’s left of what was once royal duty becomes nothing but burning passion!” Flash darted his eyes back and forth as Rarity rambled on getting juicier and juicier in her fantastic details. “Uh, Miss Rarity,” he interrupted. Rarity’s eyes shot open as she stopped her circling. “Oh, sorry. Got a little bit carried away there.” “Perfectly understandable.” “Was it really?” Rarity asked with blushed cheeks and a cocked eyebrow. Flash hesitated and drifted his eyes to the upper right corner of his vision. “No, not really.” The two ponies stared off for a moment or two then caught each others’ eyes again. Rarity stifled a grin. Then Flash chuckled. Pretty soon they were both in hysterics. When they had finally stopped laughing Rarity took a step closer to Flash. “You know I could help you a bit with that?” “With what?” Flash replied sheepishly. “Come on, don’t be coy.” Rarity waved a hoof at Flash. “Twilight might not be the easiest pony to woo, but I’m sure with your kind heart and my brilliant love smarts we can crack this egghead.” Rarity gave a quick *ahem* and clarified, “metaphorically speaking.” “Are you sure that would work?” Flash said, an unsure expression on his face. “Trust me, darling,” Rarity touched his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. “I’ll be in town for quite a while I think and when I’m through with you, you’ll be fending Twilight off with a stick.” Flash looked briefly at the hoof placed on his shoulder and then at the eyes of the mare in front of him. “Okay, let’s do it!” he replied enthusiastically. “Splendid!” Rarity returned her hoof to her side. “I’ll see you back here tonight at midnight.” “Right, midnight.” With that, Flash began to walk away the same direction Rarity and Pinkie had come from. Rarity stayed to watch him leave when suddenly her vision was full of pink. “Nothing down that way, Rarity,” Pinkie reported, her face mere inches away from Rarity’s own. “How’s it look over on your end?” “Oh, uh, my end?” Rarity took a quick glance down the hallway she was supposed to have checked. “Well there’s- um, nothing I could see?” Pinkie gave her friend a scrutinizing look but it was gone in an instant. “Okey dokey then!” she replied as she bounded off the way they had come. Rarity took another look at the hallway she was supposed to have inspected and furrowed her brow. Surely it wouldn’t matter if they skipped one small hallway. She hesitantly turned away to follow after Pinkie. As she did a small blue flame passed through the wall and watched as her and her pink friend departed. The shadowy outline of a featureless pony holding a lantern coming in and out of focus around it. ---------- Rainbow lifted the cushion on the throne and looked beneath. Nothing. Searching was so boring. Especially when you don’t find anything. Chasing was good. Rainbow wished she could be chasing whatever the blue thing was right about now. She wondered how fast it was or if it would even put up a fight. Fluttershy stood in the corner of the throne room looking under tables that shelved vases and flowers. “Hey!” Rainbow shouted from across the large spacious room. Fluttershy lifted her head and turned around. “What?” she yelled weakly as it struggled to reverberate off the walls. “I think we should have seen it by now if it was here!” Rainbow continued to shout. “What?” Fluttershy replied again. “I said,” Rainbow now strained her voice to be heard. “It’s not here! Let’s go back to the greeting hall!” She waited a moment for Fluttershy’s response. “What?” “Oh, for Celestia’s sake,” Rainbow muttered as she flapped her wings and came to screeching halt in front of Fluttershy, some wind catching her hair and fluttering it about. “I said let’s check out the greeting hall.” “Oh,” Fluttershy replied in a quiet murmur. “Okay.” The two pegasi turned to walk towards the exit. Fluttershy stopped right before it barring Rainbow from opening the door. “Uh, Fluttershy, you okay?” Rainbow asked with a concerned look on her face. “Get down!” Fluttershy proclaimed with as much conviction as she could muster, which accounted to a slightly louder murmur. She grabbed her friend from the air dove beneath a table, both scooching close in the tight quarters. “What? What is it?” Rainbow asked with an alarmed expression. “I don’t know,” Fluttershy replied. Her face seeming to be unreadable. “You don’t know?” Rainbow cocked an eye brow. “Then why did you stash us under this table?” “Um,” Fluttershy’s default expression of “slightly nervous” broke through her stalwart face. “It was just a feeling, you know?” Rainbow opened her mouth to argue but closed it instead. She couldn’t argue against acting on instincts. That would be a little hypocritical. “Well what do you suppose it is?” she asked instead. Fluttershy turned her head up to the ceiling and pointed. “That, perhaps?” Rainbow looked up as a faint blue glow began to ripple through the throne room ceiling. Then a tiny blue flame seemed to peek it’s non-head out. It almost appeared to be surveying the area. When it finally decided that it was alone it finally passed through the ceiling. It began to hover in mid-air as if deciding what to do next. This was her chance. “Hey you!” Rainbow shouted as dove from the cover of the table and pointed a hoof at the blue flame. There was a slight burst of blue which seemed to stand for recognition as the flame noticed her and it sped off. “Not today,” Rainbow said resolutely as she dashed toward the flying ember. Despite its previously shown ability to go through walls the ember simply began to fly through the throne room in a wide circle staying well away from the walls. Rainbow kept pace as the two continued their counter clockwise chase around and around and around. Rainbow started to feel herself get a little sick of this. Not just from not being able to catch up with the flying flame but also from the spinning. After their twentieth pass, Fluttershy emerged from the table and calmly walked into the two’s path. The flame was stopped dead in its tracks as it tried to dive to the left around her. Rainbow blocked it off. “Nowhere to go now, Bluey,” she sneered. The two pegasi began to close the flame in as they cornered it to the wall. Rainbow hovered above so that it wouldn’t take off from the sky and Fluttershy watched on the ground, her expression nervously apologetic to the flame in front of her. They continued to back it into wall until its flames licked the wall’s side. It let out a glass shattering scream. Both Rainbow and Flutterhsy had to cover their ears as the windows in the room shattered one by one spraying their glass outward into the courtyard. The shriek continued without stopping. “What do we do?” Rainbow yelled to Fluttershy. “What?” Fluttershy replied. Oh not this again. Fluttershy’s expression changed from pained to resolute once more as the inched closer to flame. Rainbow wanted to reach out and stop her friend but the shriek had now brought her to the ground, both her wings and her legs refusing to work. Fluttershy held a hoof out to the flame and touched it. Immediately the shrieking stopped. After a few moments, Rainbow slowly opened her eyes to look at what had become of her friend. Fluttershy stood where she had been before and giggled as the blue flame floated around her touching every part inquisitively. “Stop it,” she giggled. “That tickles.” “Uh,” Rainbow lifted her body and gave the scene in front of her a confused stare. “What’s going on here?” “Oh, he’s just curious,” Fluttershy replied. “He’s like a little doggy sniffing someone they meet for the first time. Isn’t that right?” Fluttershy rubbed a hoof below the flame in front of her like she was scratching its belly and it let out a small happy sigh. “So you can understand that thing?” Rainbow asked interested. “Well, no,” Fluttershy replied. “But there are some things that pop up when you touch it.” “What?” “Hmm,” Fluttershy pondered how to answer. “Well, when I touch him I get these flashes in my mind. Random things. Words. Pictures.” “Okay, anything helpful?” “Well, his name is Capper,” Fluttershy replied as Capper now turned his attention to Rainbow beginning to “sniff” the air around her only to let out a noise that sounded like a sneeze and fly back to Fluttershy’s side. “Swell,” Rainbow replied dryly.