//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: The Stars of Darkness // by D4ftP0ny //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash woke the next day into her very own personal living nightmare. She could feel the sun on her face long before she could force herself to open them and admit to the world that she was actually awake. She slowly opened one pink eye, and then the other, carefully scanning the room to make sure Twilight was gone, and she was; apparently the egghead was an early riser, to boot. Rainbow sighed and tried to decide whether or not she should just go back to sleep and let the horrible, disgusting world pass her by. She rolled over in her bed, her wings shifting beneath the sheets as she turned her face to the window and the town outside. The sun was just rising over the rooftops, and outside she could hear the voices of some ponies picking up after Pinkie Pie’s party last night, a party she was sad she had to miss… but it wasn’t like she could have gone, anyway. Well, I suppose I COULD have gone… But as soon as she thought it, she felt the cold, nauseating wave of fear rise in her stomach as thoughts began to ricochet through her head: What would she do when she was there? What if somepony yelled at her for the Sonic Rainboom? What if APPLEJACK was there? What would happen then? She couldn’t fly away, and AJ could catch her no problem on the ground, and THEN she would probably-, “Stop it…” Rainbow Dash muttered, pressing her hooves to her ears. -and IF she couldn’t fly away, ponies would start to talk. “What’s wrong with Rainbow?” they’d ask. “She USED to be cool, USED to be interesting…” “STOP IT,” Rainbow pleaded; she felt her throat tightening up as tears rose in her eyes. “Please… stop…” “Stop what, Rainbow?” The cyan Pegasus gasped so sharply that it felt like Pinkie Pie had inflated a balloon in her chest; with a kick of her legs she leaped out of the bed and pressed herself against the nearest bookcase, her eyes wild… but it was only Twilight, standing at the foot of her bed with a tray hovering next to her. Rainbow’s heart pounded against her chest, and it was all the Pegasus could do not to start crying; instead, she sighed harshly and fell back to all four hooves. “Geez Twilight… don’t sneak up on me like that…” The librarian arched an eyebrow in classical deadpan Twilight. “I knocked four times. Three knocks each.” “Well… knock more times next time.” Rainbow’s wings fidgeted under the unicorn’s gaze, and it only took Twilight a moment to realize Rainbow’s discomfort. Her expression softened, and she gave Dash a kind smile. “Ok… sorry.” The tray floated over and sat itself on the bed near Rainbow Dash, who eyed it curiously. There was a small selection of breakfast foods, ranging from eggs to hash browns to seedcakes to pancakes. “Wow, Twi… everything looks awesome,” Rainbow said. Twilight smiled broadly and looked incredibly pleased with herself. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash! I decided I’d make you breakfast myself, and luckily, cooking is one thing you can do literally by the book.” She giggled. “Let’s just say this turned out a lot better than when I tried to teach myself abstract sculpture from a book…” Rainbow arched an eyebrow at Twilight. Sometimes, this filly doesn’t make any sense. But she found herself smiling along with the purple unicorn; somehow, it was always impossible to be mad when Twilight Sparkle was around. She wasn’t the most fun-loving or the most exciting unicorn that Dash had ever met, but she was the most genuine, and something about her little bookish self made Rainbow smile. Her magenta eyes went back to the food, and she sighed. “But yeah, um… I guess I’m really not hungry, though…” Because eating Twilight’s food will mean she’ll be watching to see if you like it… and if you don’t like it… Twilight’s ears drooped. “R-really..? But Rainbow, you came over here around dinner last night, and you didn’t eat then.” Her ears stood back up, and her eyes narrowed. “Rainbow Dash, I have never known you to miss two meals in a row, and there is no way you can convince me that you’re not actually hungry.” “Can so!” Rainbow said, rising up on her back hooves and placing her hooves on her hips. “You just watch as I… NOT eat.” She was about to give Twilight her very best “Because I’m Rainbow Dash” smiles… when at that exact moment, her stomach decided that it wasn’t going to have ANY of her nonsense and let out the largest, most incredible growl that either pony had ever heard; it was so loud that it echoed around the bedroom and lasted a good thirty seconds. Both ponies blinked at Rainbow’s stomach for a moment before bursting out into laughter. And suddenly, Rainbow felt… better, somehow. The cold feeling receded slightly, retreating back down into the pit of her stomach and allowing her to feel the wrath of her empty stomach with full force. Twilight had fallen on the floor she was laughing so hard, and as she got back to her hooves she wiped at ear from her eyes. “Oh Rainbow… I knew you’d be hungry. Now you sit down there and eat, you understand?” Twilight gave the Pegasus a look that left no room for guff, and with a sigh Rainbow admitted defeat. “All right, all right, Twi, y’got me.” Dash settled back to all fours and hopped back up on the bed, settling herself comfortably onto the bedspread before digging in. Everything tasted incredible, and her stomach growled in appreciation as she munched. The unicorn sat at the edge of the bed, her lavender eyes full of concern, but she had the grace not to ask anything of Rainbow while she ate. After a few minutes, Rainbow Dash pushed the empty plate away and patted her full stomach. “Wow, Twi… I’ll have to stop by here more often around dinnertime.” Twilight nodded, but Rainbow could tell that she had held her peace long enough. “Rainbow, why did you lie to me?” she asked gently. Rainbow Dash looked into Twilight’s eyes and felt fear stab her in the heart. Now that Twilight knows you were lying, she won’t believe anything else you say, a voice whispered to her, the same voice that had been taunting her, prodding her and harrying her for the past two and a half days. Suddenly, all of the food she’d eaten seemed determined to find its way back out again. Now, you’re just a liar, Rainbow Dash. A liar. The Pegasus winced as if somepony had tried to hit her, and she heard Twilight gasp. “Rainbow Dash.” Twilight’s voice was serious, and it was enough to pull Rainbow’s eyes back to her; the unicorn’s face was firm but kind. “You promised me that you would talk about what was happening this morning, remember? I’m not worried about the food; I’m worried about you.” The Pegasus watched Twilight for a moment, her magenta eyes never wavering from her friend’s face… and suddenly, her whole body slumped, defeated. Slowly, she mustered her willpower, and she was amazed at exactly how much effort she had to put into saying one phrase… but it was the hardest thing she’d ever had to say. “It’s just… I… I’m afraid,” Rainbow whispered. Twilight blinked. “Rainbow… what?” “I’m afraid,” Rainbow repeated, lowering her head to the bed and closing her eyes; somehow, maybe if she closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep, Twi would leave… “Afraid of what?” Twilight asked, surprised. “Are… are you worried about something? I mean, what is specifically making you afraid?” “Specifically…?” Rainbow chuckled nervously, but she could feel the tears burning her eyes. “That’s the problem, isn’t it… specifics. I don’t know what specifically, Twilight…” A tear trickled down her cheek, and immediately Twilight was there, sitting with her body pressed up against Rainbow, worry dominating her features. “I… I don’t know WHAT I’m afraid of…” “Well…” Twilight’s voice was gentle but inquisitive. “Let’s try to reason this out, OK?” Rainbow Dash let out a strangled laugh. “Right… we’ll use reason on fear… that’ll work…” Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes, but her voice remained gentle. “Look, Dash… I was trying to be delicate about this… but it looks like the best option is to just jump right onto it.” She refocused on the Pegasus, and said, “Why haven’t I seen you fly since you got here?” Flying. The thought sent Rainbow’s mind into overload, and her body reacted accordingly. It was as if the whole world was suddenly squeezing Rainbow Dash for all it was worth; she felt her whole body tense up, from rump to nose, and it took her several moments to realize that she couldn’t breathe. Why haven’t you been flying, Rainbow Dash? After all, it’s the only thing anypony will remember you for… Panic rose in her heart and she started to shake just slightly as she gasped for air. Her mind began to race everywhere and nowhere all at once as she wheezed. And that’s the only reason, isn’t it, Rainbow Dash? You fly so ponies will love you, but they won’t love you for your flying, so why fly at all? Twilight’s eyes widened in panic of her own as she watched Rainbow’s face, knowing that something was terribly wrong and unsure if she could do anything about it. “Rainbow Dash..?” Rainbow’s eyes darted around the room, seeking an escape. She had to get away from this feeling; she’d hoped that not staying in her cloud home would get rid of it, but it followed her even here to Twilight’s. This feeling… of worthlessness, of hopelessness, of absolute abject fear… “Rainbow Dash.” Because you know exactly why you fly, now. You never flew because you “loved it”, like you always told everypony; you never flew for anything more than to get attention, a selfish, ridiculous reason… “RAINBOW ELIZABETH DASH, YOU LOOK AT ME RIGHT NOW.” Twilight’s voice rang loud throughout the room, and Rainbow felt her eyes snap back to her friend of their own accord. Twilight was staring at her, hard, the way only Twilight Sparkle could; a look she had only given Dash a few times in their time together, but one that even a panic-stricken Rainbow Dash knew better than to ignore. It took the Pegasus a few moments, but as she stared into her friend’s big lavender eyes, so confident, so full of knowledge… so in control of things... she found that she could focus, if only a little. Slowly, Dash’s chest began to loosen, and her breath came easier; she felt her panic ebb, washing out like the ocean tide as she sat with her friend, and as her brain became her own again she realized the REAL reason she had come here last night, and this was it. Nopony made Rainbow feel safer than Twilight Sparkle, and under Twilight’s care, she knew she would be in good hooves… and deep down, under the layers of panic and confusion, she was proud of her choice. Finally, after several minutes of silence, Rainbow found her voice. “Where…” she said, her voice harsh as her windpipe slowly opened back up, “…did you learn my middle name?” “I’m a librarian, I know ALL of my friend’s full names,” came Twilight’s answer. The Pegasus coughed a little, but she couldn’t help but smile at Twilight. “Y’know… that’s a little creepy, Twi… nopony but my parents knows my middle name.” Twilight suddenly shifted uncomfortably. “Well… I was doing my nightly reading and I just happened to grab and read the pony census for Ponyville, but I didn’t see your name, so I looked in the Cloudsdale census. I was curious.” “Twilight, you are literally the only mare in history that would read a census for fun.” The lavender unicorn blushed slightly. “Well, it’s not like I read it all the time, but-,” She frowned and shook her head briskly before arching an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash. “Y’know, Dash, you can change the subject faster than Pinkie Pie can change her mind.” Now it was Dash’s turn to blush. “Well…. Let’s just say that you get pretty good at steering ponies away from certain parts of your life, especially when you got kicked out of Flight School.” “But that doesn’t work on me.” Twilight took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “OK Dash… so now I know it’s something to do with… flying.” Even now, after she’d calmed down, the word flying threatened to send Rainbow into another attack… but she swallowed harshly and nodded. “Y-yeah… I…” And as if on cue, the tears welled up in her magenta eyes, and her throat began to close for an entirely different reason than before. “It’s not a fear of… heights, like Flutters… it’s… why I fly.” Twilight tilted her head slightly. “Why you fly? But Rainbow… we all know that you love flying. What other-,” “NO…! No, that’s not it,” Dash croaked. “I…” She squeezed her eyes shut. “There’s no point in flying if… I fly to… Aaah, why is it so hard to talk?!” She pounded a hoof onto the mattress in anger, her eyes burning. “It’s like… if one day you suddenly woke up and realized that… that the only reason you do magic, the only reason you started to do magic, was to get Princess Celestia’s attention.” Dash fought the sobs rising in her throat, but she knew it was a losing battle and plowed on as quickly as she could. “And then you realized… that no matter how awesome your magic was… the Princess would forget about you someday; replace you with somepony else…” Rainbow hiccupped as a sob tried to wrench its way free, but she held it in check for a moment more. “And then… you realized that… there was no point in you doing magic anymore at all… because you… didn’t have a reason anymore…” That’s right, Rainbow Dash… because you only ever flew for attention, you selfish, selfish mare. And with that as your motivator, the Wonderbolts will NEVER accept you; they only take fliers who truly feel it in their hearts. And if you never make it into the Wonderbolts… Rainbow’s whole petite frame rocked as her tears burst forth and sobs threatened to overwhelm her entirely. She cried harder than she could ever remember, losing herself in a tidal wave of sadness so profound she started to think it was fathomless. She settled her head onto her hooves and sobbed, tears pouring down her cheeks as her throat scratched itself raw for the second time in two days; but no matter how hard or long she cried, her sorrow seemed to have no end. But as she cried, she could feel something else; a warm pony pressed up against her. She managed to open her eyes for just long enough to see Twilight sitting next to her, the gentlest smile Rainbow had ever seen on her lips, a smile that said Twi would be there for her, no matter what. The fleeting thought of how similar that smile was to the one Princess Celestia gave them all danced across her mind, but it was quickly lost in the maelstrom of fear and despair. “So that’s what this is about?” Twilight’s voice was soft, but it was enough to cut through Rainbow’s tears. “You’re afraid that… we’ll forget you?” Hearing it out loud didn’t make it any easier, and it was all Dash could do not to spiral down into another panic attack. “Ye-yeah… but not j-j-just you…” Twilight nodded, her eyes serious but her smile still in place. “I think I understand, Rainbow.” Twilight moved one of her hooves over and placed it across Dash’s foreleg. “You want to be remembered. That’s what you’re saying; that the only reason you fly, that you want to do all the amazing stuff that you do, is because you want to be remembered, or to get attention… and most of all, to not be forgotten.” Her smile became even gentler, if that was possible. “Well, I can say this to you, Rainbow Dash; I can’t tell you that all of Equestria will remember your name. For pony’s sake, I can’t guarantee you that all of Ponyville will remember you fifty years, one hundred years down the road… but I can guarantee you one thing.” She flexed her leg, causing her hoof to give Dash’s leg a gentle squeeze. “Your friends know why you fly, Rainbow… and none of us will EVER forget you.” The Pegasus locked eyes with the unicorn. “A-and why do I f-fly, Twi?” she asked desperately. “Tell me why!” This fear of being forgotten was muddying up her mind… she could barely think in a straight line, and it was really starting to get her wing feathers in a twist. Twilight giggled. “Oh Rainbow… because you love it, that’s why.” She leaned forward and nudged Rainbow’s cheek with her nose. “If you could see your face when you fly, you would never have ANY doubts about why you flap those wings of yours.” Dash sobbed again. “But Twilight… you can’t be sure of that! I mean… I know how I feel… I know myself better than you do… and…” “Normally, Dash, I’d agree with you.” Twilight’s voice was firm but kind, similar to the tone of voice that Rainbow Dash had heard Fluttershy use on an unruly bear. “And if you think that’s really the case, by all means, look me in the eyes and tell me, in no uncertain terms, that you fly only to be noticed.” Rainbow Dash looked at her friend, but Twilight simply held her gaze. “If you can honestly, truthfully tell me that this is how you feel, well, then I’ll believe you,” the unicorn said. “But this… this isn’t like you, Dash. I know Rainbow Dash; Rainbow Dash is a brash, wild Pegasus who throws caution and care into the wind and dances in the sky to her heart’s delight.” Rainbow sobbed again, but Twilight continued. “Rainbow Dash is the most loyal pony I know, and that loyalty extends especially to her own heart; the Rainbow Dash that I know and love would NEVER pour her heart and soul into something like flying for any reason other than love.” Rainbow’s tears redoubled their efforts, and she found herself leaning against Twilight, her eyes aching from the sheer amount of tears that had been shed in the last few days. As much as she wanted to believe her… as much as she did believe what Twilight had said, she still couldn’t deny the creeping uncertainty in her stomach. But at the very least, Twilight’s words brought her some comfort, and after several more minutes of crying, she felt the tears ebb again, and with a bit more certainty, she sat up straight. Twilight watched her closely, but Dash gave her the best smile she could muster before leaning forward and nuzzling Twilight. “Thank you, Twilight,” she whispered. “I… don’t think anypony else could have helped me.” Twilight nuzzled her back. “Anytime, Rainbow,” she said with a smile. But her brow furrowed after a moment. “But before we get away from this subject… why did you start feeling this way? It came on so suddenly…” Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow at her friend; from the tone of her voice, Twilight already had at least one idea of what had happened, but after a moment’s hesitation, she sighed. “Four days ago, I met a Pegasus named Meteor,” she explained. “We raced, and that was when I did the Sonic Rainboom that everypony saw.” Even thinking about the dark Pegasus made her shiver. “He… told me this story about when he was in the Royal Guard… and… I dunno. It shook me up; I’ve NEVER heard a story as scary as that one… it was almost like… like I was there.” She shivered again, and the icy touch of fear caressed her mane yet again; she’d felt every moment of his terror, the heart-stopping fear that had driven him mad miles up in the sky and almost killed him. “After that… it was like I couldn’t get the fear out of me. Like… it decided to find all of my worst fears and make them real.” “Fear…” Twilight’s eyes were cool, but Rainbow could see her mind working furiously behind them. “OK,” she said after a moment, and her eyes became worried. “I was… kind of afraid you’d say that.” Rainbow arched an eyebrow at her, but before she could ask why there was a knock at the door, and Spike pushed his way in. “Twilight..?” he asked as he poked his head through the door. Rainbow saw that his scales seemed brighter than they had in the days before, and wondered if that was a sign he was getting over his dragonpox. “Twilight, there’s a letter from the Princess,” he said as he spied the two ponies on the bed. He held the letter up high, and Twilight’s magic took it from him quickly. “Thank you Spike,” she said hastily. Concern was written all over Twilight’s face, and Rainbow got a sudden horrible, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she broke the seal of the letter and read it quickly. Twilight’s face sank as her eyes scanned the page, and when she spoke, Rainbow’s fears were confirmed. “Princess Celestia says that… Dark Star’s army has begun attacking Canterlot,” she whispered, and Dash felt her face pale. “She needs us to gather up our friends, Rainbow… we need to get the Elements ready.” Rainbow nodded, her heart surging; suddenly, her fears seemed much less important. Somepony needed her help, needed their help, and she would be tarred and feathered before she would let somepony down. “Just tell me what to do, Twilight,” she said with a hint of her regular Dash roguish enthusiasm. “You lead, I’ll follow.” Twilight looked at her, and suddenly seemed much less confident that she had before; her ears drooped slightly, and her eyes dropped to the bedspread. “Me?” “Yes, you!” Dash said, standing up on the bed. “You are our leader, Twi; we all know that!” She smiled at her friend. “Just like you know me, Twi, I know you, and believe me, if any of us is the leader, you are.” She leaned down and looked straight into the unicorn’s eyes. “You believe in me, Twilight Sparkle; and I believe in you,” she whispered with a smile. Twilight met her gaze for a moment, and then her confident smile was back. “Thank you, Rainbow,” she said, rising to her own hooves. “Thank you.” She stepped forward on the squashy mattress and pony-hugged her friend before turning to the bookshelf behind her own bed; her horn lit up, and from the top shelf a box floated down towards them. It wasn’t anything special, just a regular, hinged wooden box that Dovetail could whip out in ten seconds flat if you asked her, but as Twilight sat it down on the bed, Rainbow realized what must be inside… and THAT made this the most important box in the world. The unicorn nudged the lid open with a hoof, and inside laid the Elements of Harmony; five necklaces and a large crown, each fitted with a gem that matched one of the six friends’ cutie marks. Twilight’s lavender magic surrounded one necklace in particular, one with a sparkling red gem in the shape of a lightning bolt, and lifted it out of the box; it hovered over to Rainbow and secured itself around her neck, settling comfortably against her chest. Immediately, Rainbow felt a change in herself; it was as if nothing else mattered, not her fear, not her own desires, not ANYTHING but helping her friends. She felt herself stand taller, her chest puffing out slightly as the fear that had paralyzed her for three long days slid beneath the strength of her loyalty; not gone, but tolerable for now. She turned to Twilight and smiled her roguish smile, and for the first time in three days, she actually FELT it. “Well? I guess we find the others!” Spike looked up at the two ponies from the first floor, his eyes wide. “Whoa… what did that letter say, Twilight?” Twilight closed the box and jumped off of the bed before levitating it to her back. “It said that the Princesses are fighting Dark Star right now, and that we need to be ready when they need us,” she said matter-of-factly. “Now, we need to find the others.” At that moment the door of the library opened, and there was no mistaking the voice that echoed through the tree: “Twiiiiiilight!! Don’t think I didn’t NOOOtice that you weren’t at my PAAAAARRRRRRR-TEEEEEEEEE!” “Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said with a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia; she was going to be the hard one to find!” The two ponies charged down the stairs and out into the rest of the library where not one but two of their friends were waiting. Pinkie Pie was busily bouncing around the library, her eyes never resting on anyone thing for more than a second, while Fluttershy was hovering demurely off to one side, watching Pinkie bounce. As soon as Twilight came into view, Pinkie stopped bouncing and pointed a hoof at her and Dash. “Ah-HA! I KNEW it! I knew you two were having a sleepover!” She giggled and bounced, but suddenly looked sad. “Awww… but you two still could have come to my party! It was AWESOME! Berry Punch got soooooooooo tipsy that I had to take her home on my BACK, and then! And then Fluttershy helped me start gluing her stuff to the ceiling so that when she woke up SHE would think that SHE was the one on the ceiling! But it turns out that most of her stuff was too heavy to glue to the ceiling, but we’d already put stuff there, so we just left it! And instead of gluing ALL of her stuff to the CEILING, I just glued all of her drinking glasses to the counter!!” Pinkie Pie giggled loudly before suddenly becoming doe-eyed. “Oooh, but RAINBOW… I met a Pegasus last night…” Her cheeks darkened, and it took Rainbow Dash a moment to realize… that Pinkie Pie was… blushing. “He was sooo nice… and quiet, reeeally quiet, but so handsome and…” She sighed loudly before turning inquisitive eyes on Rainbow Dash. “He was dark blue with eyes about the same color as mine, and he had a really raspy voice,” she lowered her voice, half-closed her eyes and frowned heavily, and when she spoke her voice sounded like she’d caught a horrible cold, “Like thiiiis.” Rainbow felt the fear that had submerged resurface in her stomach, in spite of the Element hanging around her neck. “You mean… Meteor?” Twilight turned to her, and Rainbow nodded meaningfully. “Nooo, that’s not his name, silly!” Pinkie giggled. “He said his name was Shooting Star!” Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but Twilight cut her off as she kicked a table so hard that one of the legs cracked. “By all that is holy and the name of Celestia!” the unicorn growled, stamping her hooves on the floor angrily. “What is wrong with you, Twilight?! Why didn’t you see this coming?!” She growled and, for the first time ever, Rainbow Dash heard Twilight swear under her breath, words that even Rainbow didn’t use. She gaped at Twilight for a long moment as the unicorn grumbled and swore before turning back to Pinkie. “Are you sure that’s the name he gave you, Pinkie?” she asked. Pinkie Pie nodded, frowning at Twilight. “Yeeeeah, I’m VERY sure. Why is Twilight so mad?” “That’s his name..?” Fluttershy asked, her voice soft. Pinkie nodded again, and the yellow Pegasus paled. “Oh Pinkie… That name… He’s-,” “He’s one of Dark Star’s generals!” Twilight finished loudly, aiming another kick at the table. “He’s one of the BAD GUYS! And I didn’t SEE IT!!!” She made a vexed sound as she brought the box containing the Elements off of her back and set them on the floor. “It all makes perfect sense, now,” she said. “The attack on Whinnyapolis was a distraction, done only to make sure that a ton of new ponies would enter Ponyville. THAT was when the three other generals snuck in!” Rainbow nodded; she guessed it made sense… and it REALLY made sense that Meteor was one of the bad guys. The way he’d talked, the way he’d made her feel with that story… that wasn’t something that a nice pony did. She was about to voice her opinion on the matter when her magenta eyes lit on Pinkie Pie… and her statement died on her tongue. She didn’t know how she expected Pinkie Pie to take the news that the Pegasus she had been crushing on was one of the enemy, but what she DIDN’T expect was for Pinkie to snort and giggle at the accusation. “What?? Shootie’s not a bad pony!” “Pinkie,” Rainbow said, her wings rustling irritably. “Princess Celestia said that was one of the general’s names. Said that name exactly. What Twilight says makes sense, OK? He IS one of the bad ponies.” “I’m not saying that it’s not the same pony,” Pinkie said, “But I’m saying that he may be one of the bad ponies, but he’s not a bad pony.” Rainbow blinked. “Isn’t that the same thing?” “Pffft, anything but the same thing!” She met Rainbow’s gaze, and Rainbow saw something different in Pinkie’s eyes; a look of confidence so strong that you couldn’t help but feel like she knew exactly what she was talking about. “You have to trust me, Dashie; Shootie’s NOT a bad pony. He might be a general for this Dark Star, but whatever else is true about him, I know that he’s not bad.” The Pegasus opened her mouth to argue; after all, what Pinkie was saying didn’t make sense! But Twilight raised a hoof. “Girls, we don’t have time to fight, OK? If he’s for some unforeseeable reason NOT a bad pony, we’ll sort it out when we get there, OK?” She looked at Pinkie, who nodded confidently. “You’ll see!” she piped merrily. “FINE, we’ll see,” Twilight said irritably. “Look, we need to get Applejack and Rarity; AJ hasn’t left Sweet Apple Acres in a few days, and considering what happened the last time she did, I can’t blame her.” She glanced at Rainbow, who nodded, feeling her throat tighten again. The look that Applejack had given her in the street that day had haunted her ever since. “And Rarity has locked herself in her Boutique with Morning Mist.” She smiled grimly. “And I’ll give you three guesses as to what HER real name is.” “Morningstar,” Fluttershy answered, her voice barely audible. Twilight nodded. “Exactly. The third, Wild Star, is undoubtedly the gray Pegasus I saw with Applejack the other day, and he’s staying at Sweet Apple Acres.” Her eyes hardened. “I’m going to Rarity’s.” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Dash, I’d like you to come with me, OK? I might need some backup if Rarity’s… not alone.” Rainbow Dash nodded, her eyes firm. “Don’t you worry, Twilight; I’ve got your back.” Her wings fluttered anxiously… but they refused to lift her into the air. With a sigh and a snort, Rainbow pushed the rising fear out of her heart and into her stomach. Now was not the time to be afraid. Rarity needed her, her friends ALL needed her, and she wasn’t about to let them down. Twilight turned her attention to Pinkie and Fluttershy. Her magic glowed, and out of the box floated their necklaces, each securing themselves in place gently before she spoke again. “I need the two of you to go to Sweet Apple Acres and get Applejack, OK? Try and get her away from Wild Star, and meet me at Rarity’s. Once we’re all together, I know we’ll be fine.” Pinkie Pie saluted. “Okie dokie lokie! It’s as good as done, Twilight!” Fluttershy shivered. “Um… I, uh… I’d rather not…” “C’mon, Fluttershy! AJ needs us!” Pinkie grabbed her by the tail and pulled her along as she darted out the door, Fluttershy squeaking in protest as she flapped her wings wildly, keeping her aloft while flying backwards. Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash, her eyes a mix of worry, determination and anxiety. “Well… I guess we go, huh?” she asked quietly. “You bet we do,” Rainbow answered, pumping a hoof in the air. “We’re gonna make these generals wish they’d never come to Ponyville!” Twilight levitated her saddlebags to her, and from the box she moved the remaining two necklaces, Rarity’s and Applejack’s, to one pouch and her own crown to the other. She glanced around the library once more, slowly, as if memorizing every last inch of it before turning her lavender eyes to Rainbow, and the Pegasus grinned; now, her eyes were full of zeal and determination. “Let’s do this,” she said. The two ponies galloped out the door and turned down the street that would take them to Rarity’s Carousel Boutique… and the beginning of the fight of their lives.