Soarin was quite surprised the next morning when he had entered the office with both of his teammates fully ready for a trip to Ponyville. With Cloudsdale just north of Canterlot, the trip was not all that distant.
In a haze, Spitfire had belted out the order to get to Ponyville, resulting in him going on the same journey he had suggested and been turned down the evening before. Mares made zero sense sometimes. He took that back—mares almost never made sense, but who was he to judge?
They had made good time in the early morning over to the residence that had been on her papers. The place was nothing short of magnificent. The structure was almost out of place in the earth pony village. It rose like a castle up out of the cloud it rested upon. Gentle rivers of rainbows wound about it, then tumbled out. On the top, a simple cloud statue of a plant rested.
Soarin froze, almost forgetting to flap as he gazed dumbly up and up and up.
“Oh, please!” Fleetfoot exclaimed, annoyed. “It’s not even half as impressive as my house in Cloudsdale! Or half the homes in Cloudsdale!”
Spitfire smirked, looking over her shades at him. “Really, Soarin? Did you not expect a rainbow pony to work rainbows into their dwelling? It really is just a normal home with a rainbow fountain.”
Spitfire has a point, Soarin mentally acknowledged, but he wasn’t about to feed the flame by telling her that. The three landed on the doorstep and knocked.
They waited, and waited. They knocked again... and again... and again.
Fleetfoot glared at the door, slamming a hoof down on the mat. “Alright, Dash! Where are you?”
“Ma-” Soarin gulped, “Maybe she can’t get to the door?”
Both mares rolled their eyes, “Oh really? Is that one of your brilliant ideas? Maybe she can’t get to the door! What pony would allow themselves to be that wimpy?” Fleetfoot teased him.
Soarin gulped, “Just a suggestion.”
Spitfire knocked again, giving firm, annoyed look that pierced through the door.
“BOO!”
All three Wonderbolts jumped back in surprise. “What in-” Spitfire yelped.
“Oh, please!” Fleet muttered.
“Discord!” Soarin smiled.
“The one and only!” Discord stepped out of the door. “Didn’t you guys listen to a word I said?” he groaned.
Fleetfoot stomped a hoof. “Um, of course not! Why would we ever listen to a mismatched, backstabbing beast like you?”
Discord raised an eyebrow, rubbing his chin. “Backstabbing? Do you really want to bring that up?”
Fleetfoot rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Discord stated.
“What are you doing here?!” Spitfire growled, getting into Discord’s face.
“Here?” Discord chuckled, “I was sent.”
Spitfire glared. “That doesn’t help,” she hissed in his face.
“OOOH!” he mocked her, “So scary.” The look of fear quickly was replaced by laughter. “Why are you all so grumpy? Aw, Soarin, you look happy to see me. Do you want to know?”
The look in the mares’ eyes pierced into Soarin like knives. The stallion gulped, trying to ignore the other two. “Where is she, and is she-”
Discord placed a comforting paw on Soarin’s shoulder. “She is not here. She’s at the castle. I thought I told you that.” He pulled out thick blue and orange bound book with the title ‘Most Daring Pony’ written on the spine. “Where was that chap- Ah let’s see.” Discord gasped as he he flipped back forth. “It seems I forgot that little detail!” He shook his head. “Unless it was in the-” The book was replaced with the scroll from the princess. “However, this letter clearly stated she was staying with Princess Twilight. For shame, Spitfire!” He glared, the scroll once more vanishing. He glanced between them. “Oh well, as long as you are here, we were-”
“Soarin!” They all looked up as Fluttershy finally made her appearance. Angel Bunny was tucked in her hair sleeping peacefully. The day prior obviously had taken its toll on the little rodent. Fluttershy landed on the cloud. “Oh, please, please don’t be angry, but I fear you’ve gotten the wrong address.”
Spitfire nodded. “As your friend was just saying,” she said, her look was of steel as she glanced back over her shoulder at the ‘innocent’ Discord.
Fluttershy, ever so oblivious, smiled. “Oh I’m glad he caught you before you flew away!” she said, “Although, your presence here could be helpful. That is, if you don’t mind? You see, I was sent after something and I was wondering-"
Discord rolled his eyes. "What my dear Fluttershy means is, for some reason, Rainbow Dash thinks spring beds feel as though she is sleeping on rocks, which isn't far from the truth, mind you. So Princess Twilight has ordered Rainbow's bed be brought from her home."
Soarin looked worried. "Is Rainbow alright?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, just a tad banged up."
"More than a tad, I'd assume," Spitfire noted, "Considering the letter and the medical notice I got."
"Yes Captain, it is a bit more than a tad." Fluttershy admitted.
"Will it affect her flying any?" Spitfire asked.
"You will have to ask Twilight," Fluttershy said, "I really don't know."
Spitfire nodded. "Alright, we'll help."
----------------------
The morning was nearly half over before Rarity, having gathered her designing supplies into her pack, made her way back to the castle. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, safely at Rarity’s parents' home, were sure to have a nice, peaceful day. Well, as nice as could be expected.
So, dressed in one of her nicer, but still casual, outfits with a matching bedazzled saddle bag brimming with ‘stuff to do,’ Rarity set off to the castle. She was more than thankful to have had a night at home to sleep. It did wonders for her overall mental health.
Today was the day Celestia’s special help was to arrive. It was somepony Dash knew and who worked in the science department of the military. Talk about a vague clue. But, that was a minor detail. Military meant money, which meant a possible future client!
She mentally whacked herself. This was about helping her friends get better, not about furthering her business. Though a possible sale, if it arose, she would not turn down.
She walked on through the streets of Ponyville, waving at her different friends and customers as they passed.
“Hiya!” Pinkie called from the paper stand as Rarity passed. Pinkie too had her saddle bags full of all kinds of out of the ordinary type of stuff—balls, streamers, and a riding crop?
“Good morning Pinkie dear, um...” She eyed the bag with a raised eyebrow.
Pinkie smiled. “It’s a grab bag!” she beamed.
Rarity bit her lip, her eyes gazing over a tad. “How do I say this tactfully? Pinkie? Why do you have that stuff in a grab bag?”
Pinkie giggled, “Because I got an itchy ear, so had to put them in.”
Rarity shook her head. “Of course, the Pinkie Sense.”
Pinkie nodded happily. “Sure is. Rarity, why do you have plastic doodads in your bag?”
Rarity shrugged. “You see darling, it is for the opportune chance I find myself stuck during the middle of one of their naps and find myself with nothing to do. Besides, I might just have had some inspiration for a new fashion line!”
Pinkie smiled knowingly. "Maybe the visitors will have an idea. Or you'll be inspired by them- oh! Oh! Or maybe-"
Rarity placed a hoof over Pinkie's mouth before she could swamp her with more nonsense scenarios. "Of course darling, that is why I brought it," she cooed, "Have you been by the castle yet this morning?"
Pinkie shook her head. "Nope, sure haven't. But that is my next stop."
Rarity smiled. "Then we will walk together.`"
With a nod and a toss of a coin to the booth's tender, Pinkie fell into step beside Rarity. "I wonder how they are doing?"
Rarity sighed, "Well I hope they are better darling. However, if Rainbow Dash went into one of those states last night after Twilight said she could handle it, then I'm not allowing Twilight to talk me, errr, all of us into that again. It simply isn't right!"
"Eh," Pinkie snorted, "nothing happened. Well, nothing bad. My Pinkie Sense didn't pick up on anything, and it's never wrong. So everypony is okie dokie lokie"
The pony who is lokie is you, Pinkie, Rarity thought, smiling happily to herself. Pinkie was nuts, but she'd not have her friend any other way.
When they arrived at the castle, it was evident Discord was in charge. Mud was being mopped onto the floors, a duster was adding dust to shelves, and a wash cloth was putting streaks onto the crystal finish of the walls.
"Oh dear!"
"Oh my!"
"It's horrible!" Rarity cried in despair.
A little Discord stood, somewhat greyed out, on a chair in the center of it all. Rarity and Pinkie both approached cautiously. "Hiya Discord!" Pinkie said.
Almost robotically, 'Discord' turned. "Discord the second. On house patrol. How can I be of assistance?" he said cryptically in a robotic sort of way.
Pinkie and Rarity exchanged looks. "Look Discord dear, I know you love your pranks, but this place needs to look better, not worse!"
"Discord the second. On house patrol. How can I be of assistance?" he repeated.
"I don't think it's Discord," Pinkie whispered loudly.
Rarity nodded, "I wouldn't normally agree, but I think you are correct Pinkie. This doesn't seem like the real Discord." Then after a second of thought she added, "However, he could just be playing a trick on us."
Pinkie shrugged. "Doesn't feel like him."
Rarity shrugged as well, sighing. "If you say so Pinkie, I will take your word for it."
Leaving the chaos to its own ends, Rarity and Pinkie headed up the steps and to the shared bedchambers.
Applejack looked up from her book as they entered. Rainbow Dash was still snoozing with Spike curled up at the foot of the bed, and Twilight was nowhere to be seen. "Mornin' gals!" Applejack whispered loudly, "How d’ya'll sleep last night?"
"Very well," Rarity whispered back, "How did you sleep darling?"
Applejack shrugged. "Sore, but ah made it through the night. Can't say so much for Rainbow, however. Twilight sent a message to Fluttershy askin' her to retrieve Dash's own bed. We're hopin' it'll help."
Pinkie bounced past Rarity and into the room, not even trying to be courteous of the sleeping duo. However, there were no 'boing' nor 'thump' noises. She was just bouncing. Rarity decided not to try to figure that one out. Pinkie would be Pinkie.
Rarity walked the rest of the way in. Finding a chair, she placed it beside Applejack's bed and sat down. "So, how are you feeling this morning, darling?"
Applejack again shrugged. "Alright, ah guess. Tad stiff, and equally sore."
Rarity smiled gently. "I can imagine, Applejack. So, what are you reading there?"
Applejack lifted the book a tad, then laid it back down again. "Ruby," she said, "It's about a gal whose pa dies and all he leaves her with is this bar... with... extras." Applejack's face turned bright red. "And she and 'er younger sis Opal take it and are turnin' it into an inn and diner. Fun story."
Rarity smiled. "Are you enjoying it?"
Applejack nodded. "More than ah was that last book."
Just then, something landed in the room next door with a mighty thump. Pinkie was instantly out of the door. Rarity and Applejack both looked at each other worriedly. Instantly, Pinkie was back in the room. "Just the bed," Pinkie said. "Going to go find Twilight!" Pinkie said, disappearing once more.
"She in 'er room!" Applejack yelled after Pinkie.
Rarity shook her head. "Not up yet?" she asked Applejack.
Applejack shook her head. "She's up, just gettin' some down time. Not that ah blame her."
"Me neither," Rarity agreed. "However, I'm surprised she's not closer to keep an eye on you two."
Applejack's brow flattened. "Rares, ah appreciate yer concern, but Dash and ah are both grown mares. And Spike is more than able ta do what we can't."
Rarity sighed, nodding. "I understand. I am-"
"I get ya Rares," Applejack cut in, "Give us some credit. And 'sides, Twilight needed 'er down time as much as the rest of ya did. She didn't get it last night, that's fer sure."
"Rainbow Dash?"
Applejack nodded. "Ah slept through most of it, but she's still very-" she groped for a word, "Unstable. She just couldn't settle between her self pity and 'er body protesting every little movement."
Pinkie then came back through the door, followed by Spitfire, and four other ponies carrying the bed: Fleetfoot, Fluttershy, Soarin, and a pegasus stallion with mismatched wings.
"My, my, my!" said the stallion, slowly transforming himself back into Discord. "That was an adventure."
With the bed now on the floor, Fluttershy collapsed. "Uh, sure!"
Angel hopped back down out of her mane and started chattering in her face.
"Just give me a moment, I'm alright," Fluttershy said.
With a stomp, Angel disappeared out of the room. "I wonder where he's going?" Discord mused.
"The kitchen. He says we need some lemonade after all that work," Fluttershy said, not moving.
Discord smiled. "Well then, Spike and I will go help." He snapped his talon and he and Spike both vanished from the room.
"Ah hope Spike doesn't spook when he wakes up to find himself alone with Discord and Angel," Applejack stated.
Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
"And what are we? Chopped liver?" Fleetfoot grumbled. "Here I just carried your bed for you, and you guys don't even stop to say thank you."
"Thank you for your help, Fleetfoot darling, and you too Captain Spitfire and Commander Soarin’," Rarity said. "What brings you guys out this way?"
"Well..." Spitfire began.
----------------------
As the first lights of dawn lit up the sky, our three travelers camped out in a cave just inside the mountain range. From their vantage point, they could see both Ponyville and Canterlot in the distance. But they were tired, and since were not expected to arrive until lunch time, they decided to take a quick refreshing break.
"Ahhh! Just like old times," Lilly said, curling up on the rock floor and tucking her nose into her wing.
Catstitch looked amused as she dismounted Steady's back. "Heh, good 'ol times' or 'bad' ol' times?"
Lilly looked up. "Both," she replied.
Steady, who had been silent for the majority of the night, found a spot and lay down as well, but not before raising an eyebrow in the twins’ direction.
"Ah be thinkin' he be likin' that lil' eyebrow," Catstitch commented.
Lilly nodded in agreement. "Aye sister bear," she said in her normal accent. "Alright Steds, out with it. You've been silent since we left Master Fantom's. Even at Short Order's you hardly said much other than 'yes' and 'no!’ Not to mention, you accidently ordered a Mocha instead of regular black coffee. Then you drank it without even noticing what it was!"
Steady switched the eyebrow he had raised.
"Come on Laddy," Catstitch encouraged, "What be on yer' mind?"
Steady sighed and shook his head. "Nothing. I'm perfectly capable of-"
"Not having it Steady," Lilly scolded, "Something happened at Fantom's, and you will tell me."
Steady sighed and gazed at Lilly's wing for several moments.
"You saw their claws, didn't you?" Lilly said, realization dawning on her.
Steady nodded. "Were you… born with claws?" he asked, clearly uncomfortable.
Lilly sighed, her ears flopping down. "No. I was born with stubs, but no claws."
"Is that how you can hold things with your wings?" Steady asked, not daring to look up.
Lilly nodded. "It's not something just anypony can do. I've seen regular pegasi/phantoms do what I can do, but they are few and far between. My grandmother on my Dad's side could, as can most of the Feather family. It's what sets my family apart as special. Our cleverness with our wings."
Steady didn't answer.
"Did Master Fantom tell ye about-" Catstitch gulped, "What make Phantoms phantoms?"
"Something about better control over cold, which would explain Lilly's unfortunate accidents in the kitchen," Steady mused.
Lilly blushed as Catstitch nodded. "Aye, she also can freeze a tree if she be not careful when helping with harvest."
Lilly shot her sister a very flustered glare. "I do not!"
"Ye nose be growin'," Cat answered.
Lilly huffed, "That's also why I don't have trouble navigating over the snow during the winter and why I also don't wear flight goggles. I don't need them as often. I've got thicker hair and bigger hooves. The larger the foundation, the less likely to sink."
"Are the Windigos and the Phantoms the same?" Steady was back to staring at the ground.
Lilly shook her head. "No. There is a bard song that says a windigo was sick, and a pegasus nursed it back to health. Then, before the windigo left, it froze the pony solid. Then, that spring when everything thawed out, the magic was retained in the pegasus' body. How true that story is, I don't know. It is too old to really find out. Then the rest of those features have been developed and bred for over the years. We didn't have libraries or books for over six hundred years. Most of what we have is hearsay, and is controlled by the Bards themselves."
"Is that why Mrs. Short Order asked for a history song?" Steady asked.
Lilly nodded. "Indeed, and why we are treated with such respect. As a community, we retained all the knowledge of this part of Equestria. In fact, when traveling alone, I can knock on any door, say I'm a bard, and I'd be treated like Celestia herself. Only an outcast, a hermit, a child, or an idiot would turn away a bard's company."
Steady nodded again, his face screwing up in deep thought. "Captain?" he asked.
"Yes?" Lilly snickered, raising both eyebrows.
"How many Phantoms are there?"
Lilly sighed, her ears flopping down. "Not as many as there once was, that's for certain. Nearly two hundred thousand were killed the day of the Loch battle. That's why Lake Pegasus is called by that name. That little cliff is the gravesite for nearly half of those ponies. Currently, I estimate our number is only around ten thousand. It's caused weather problems, for there are not enough pegasi to go around to keep the weather how it's supposed to be. We've had drought, famine, disease, out of control storms. One year it got too cold—we lost nearly half our flock that winter."
Steady gaped.
"This land is still suffering. All around us are happy, prospering ponies who don't even know we exist. They have no idea, but they aren't really ready to help us any more than we are ready to accept their help. We steal clouds that the other towns don't want." Lilly cringed. "Technically we should either ask for Cloudsdale to send us clouds or make our own full-fledged factory, but we haven't yet. It wouldn't have to be as fancy, for we do make our own snowflakes—if you can call them flakes, that is. They aren't six-sided, but two."
Steady nodded. "Master Fantom told me that," he said.
Lilly sighed, laying her head back down at her hooves. "So much, so very much I still have to do to get the Phantoms ready to be a part of regular society. Celestia and Luna both are expecting me to do it! But how do you get a bunch of bloodthirsty, battle-ready Phantoms unified in order to coexist with... the lowlanders. It's not going to be easy. Shoot! It hasn't been easy. I'm just so tired of duels. I'm tired of chopping off tips of ears. I'm tired of strutting like a fowl! I might have feathers, but I sure hate acting like a wild bird." She suddenly looked defeated. "Born of both worlds, and a member of neither. Living both places, but at home no place but the Wonderbolts."
Steady raised his eyebrow at the obvious Firefly quote. He pressed his lips together.
"Come on sis!" Cat said, lying down beside her twin. "Do ya think me job be any easier?"
"At least they don't think grubs and snails are good for stews," Lilly shot back.
"But that neigh makes it any easier. The farms be wary of all ponies. And-" Cat's own ears flopped down. "It's a lifetime o' work. But ah be confident we will see the end. We just have ta keep our eye on the goal."
Lilly nodded in agreement. "Sure do. There will be a reward if we don't give up."
Catstitch nodded in agreement. Steady watched the scene with utmost curiosity. The mountains were much different than he had previously seen over the previous winter of seeing Lilly home every week. Their world was hurting, and apparently it had fallen on these two mares to bring that world and his world together. He couldn't imagine such a job. But according to Lilly, the “war” had been over for nearly two hundred years. Could it be possible that that too was a myth? He had in fact seen more scars on Midnight's face and body that he'd ever seen on a colt of his age ever in his life. And now that Steady thought about it, he realized Lilly too was covered in some pretty ugly battle scars. He'd always seen them, and with as many accidents Lilly had had in the kitchen and with needles, Steady had simply assumed they were work related. He knew some of them in fact were. The slightly discolored hair on her left foreleg for one. That had been a burn from a hot iron when she was very young. She'd told many a student that story. But had she in fact seen battle? Her words replayed in his head. I'm just so tired of duels. I'm tired of chopping off tips of ears.
Chopping off tips of ears? What ever did that mean? "Captain?" Steady asked again.
"Yes?" Lilly sighed.
"Chopping off tips of ears?" he asked, his right eyebrow raised.
Lilly groaned, "It's tradition that if you get into a duel—one that's unspecified, but assumed to be to the death—and you are in the position to take that final blow but don't want to, you cut your mark into the ear, then cut off the tip." Lilly cringed. "It's... not pretty."
"You have done this?"
Lilly looked ashamed. "It was that or die myself."
"You made the correct choice then," Steady stated.
Captain Feathers didn't answer. Instead, she looked away, gazing out into Equestria proper to the great city built into the side of the mountain. Pretty soon, she was asleep.