//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Memories // Story: Hoennshy // by Fenix //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash awoke with a throbbing headache. She lay still for a moment in a daze as the reality of what happened now dawned on her. Feeling something heavy push her into the dirt, she squirmed her way out from underneath. One hoof after the other she got to a good point of leverage and shook the weight off, her body now free to stretch. She closed her eyes and spread her wings, taking away some of the pressure and aches her body felt from the trip. Sighing, she turned around and opened her eyes. Quickly she stepped back in confusion and noticed an unconscious pink lump where she had laid. She trotted over and poked it with her hoof. “Pinkie Pie, did you really have to follow me here?” she asked, ceasing to poke the pink pony. In a sudden panic, she took her saddlebags off and opened them for inspection. She carefully sifted through the contents, dreading if any broke from Pinkie falling on top of them or falling herself. Sighing in relief after seeing nothing was harmed, she left Pinkie alone to sleep and looked around at her new surroundings. There were a lot more trees than she had anticipated, especially after hearing how distraught Fluttershy was. Surely that would’ve been the reason, if any, she thought. Looking up she noticed how oddly positioned and disorganized the clouds were especially around a populated town. There were no pegasi in the sky taking care of or placing the cumulonimbus cloud in the distance, nor any of the cumulus or the arcus clouds. That’s weird, it’s almost as if— “Hey Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie yelled out in excitement, causing Rainbow to stagger forward in shock. Rainbow quickly turned around to see the pink pony already bouncing around as if nothing happened. “You’re finally awake! That’s good because you weren’t when I found you so I decided to continue sleeping while you had your little nap.” Rainbow Dash groaned, “Wait, you slept on top of me on purpose?” She shook her head, “Never mind that, why did you follow me in?” “So you wouldn’t be alone, silly!” she continued bouncing to Rainbow’s dismay. Sighing, Rainbow tried to find a sign or clue as to where they were. Many earth ponies were about, seeming aloof to the entire situation. For reasons Rainbow couldn’t comprehend they were all wearing clothes, something almost never seen back in Equestria except for higher class gatherings. They were mostly very dully colored, a striking contrast to both her and Pinkie’s bright color schemes. Upon closer inspection they were wearing belts with strange red and white balls on them, followed closely by other unrecognizable animals. The houses were all earthy colors with red roofs; none of them stood out at all as far as the ones normally seen in Ponyville. Two stood out to her though, two buildings with blue and red roofs respectively with a strange white symbol garnering their fronts. “Hey, Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow called out. Pinkie stopped bouncing around, now paying attention to her friend. She has to be as shaken up as I am, I mean, I can’t be the only one, Rainbow assumed, but continued on her train of thought. “I’m going to fly around and check out where we are. Could you ask around to see what town we’re in?” “Okie dokie Loki!” Pinkie confirmed, looking at Rainbow intensely with her hoof at a salute. She giggled before stopping and hopped around to start her search. Rainbow looked up at the sky, spreading her wings to start her ascent. With a bend of the knees she took off, soaring high enough to reach the start of the cloud-line. She looked at them with a puzzled look, noticing the strange properties of the puffy cumulus clouds. They were much larger than the ones in Ponyville and she could see right through them. They seemed only to be composed of a light fog at most. Curious, she turned away from the cloud and kicked back as hard as she could. Her legs went straight through, causing her to stumble back from lack of contact. She pulled them out and felt something trickle down her leg. She looked down at her legs, noticing drops of water dripping off her hide. That’s strange. That wasn’t a rain cloud... Stunned, she quickly shook off her hooves and continued her ascent. Above the cumulus clouds, the thunderhead loomed in the distance. The sun shone brightly on the pegasus’ wings as she surveyed the area. Large expanses of water surrounded what seemed to be a multitude of islands. She noticed a few mountain and volcano chains in the north with no snow on their peaks. Rainbow started panting as a large wave of humidity swept through the air from the western storm front, quickly tiring her out. Confident that she had everything she needed, she glided back down towards Pinkie who was busy talking to an older gray mare. “Pinkie!” she called out, knocking Pinkie out of her string of rapid-fire conversations. With her hooves now safely planted on one of the dirt roads, she trotted over. The older mare quickly broke off and left as Rainbow grew closer. “Did you find out anything?” “Yeah! According to this one lady we’re in... what was it...” Pinkie paused to think, “Oh, Pendalfurg Town!” Pinkie closed her eyes and smiled. Rainbow scratched her head, “Uh, are you sure Pinkie Pie? That sounds a really weird name for a town.” “Oh, I’m completely sure!” Pinkie stated confidently. Rainbow turned her head and noticed a sign near the eastern path out of town. It was just out of sight for her to read it, so she squinted her eyes and inched closer. After only a few steps it came into focus. Printed in black type was, “You are now leaving Petalburg Town. Entering Route 102 to Oldale Town.” She brought her head upright and turned to Pinkie who was still smiling her somewhat dopey smile. “Uh, Pinkie Pie? The name is the town is on that sign over there,” she said, pointing at the boldly printed sign. “That’s weird, I must’ve missed it,” Pinkie said, her smile fading to thoughtful gaze. “Did you at least find something out about Fluttershy?” Rainbow started pacing, trying to shake off the humidity. “I mean, did you at least ask—” “Not too much. Somepony told me that they saw a yellow pegasus flying in the east last night, but that could’ve been anypony!” Pinkie said, gazing east, seemingly trying to point Rainbow Dash in that direction. Rainbow followed her cue and turned her head. “Well if that’s all we’ve got so far I say we go for it. If she were here, we would’ve seen her already.” She turned to Pinkie with a confident gaze. “Alright, I’ll fly up and check it out. You search on the ground and we’ll meet in the next town over, got it?” “Got it!” Pinkie exclaimed, then promptly hopped off into the forest. Rainbow spread her wings and rocketed into the air, trying to keep the humidity out of mind. She turned with the westerly wind and began her search. Fluttershy jolted awake, panting with piercing headache. She sighed, letting the warmth of the morning sun warm her coat and calm her down. Placing her hoof on her forehead, she tried to alleviate the headache her dream must’ve caused, but something felt off to her. She took her hoof off her head and looked at it, her eyes widening at the sight. It was pink and fleshy, with five appendages jutting out from the outside. It was clothed with a green fingerless cloth with a white collar. Her breathing became heavier and heavier as she stared. She blinked, and her hoof reappeared where the hand once was. After breathing a sigh of relief, she lay back down into the grass and looked up at the forest’s canopy. The yellow light of the sun created a halo of light surrounding the trees. Fluttershy had seen this many times, but it seemed to be dancing with color that morning. A light western wind blew through her hair, letting her mind work out her already frantic morning. Beside her she heard a small rustle in the grass. She turned her head and noticed Alerce still sleeping soundly underneath her blanket. Oh, how could I have forgotten about Alerce? Fluttershy thought. She lifted her hoof and tapped lightly on the blanket, “It’s time to wake up, it’s a brand new—” She paused. T-that’s strange. She tapped the blanket once more, feeling a hard shell underneath. Confused, she grabbed the blanket with her teeth and lifted it slowly. Rays of light illuminated the creature making Fluttershy take a step back as she tore the blanket off. In Alerce’s place was a small green turtle with a yellow underbelly and a hard brown and black striped shell lying on its back. A small, two leaved sprout made its place on the top of its head. Fluttershy slowly crawled closer to investigate. “A-Alerce? Is that... you?” The turtle’s eyes slowly opened. It turned its head to Fluttershy and it smiled at her. “Twii~!” it let out, standing and getting closer to the timid pegasus. It reached her right foreleg and started rubbing its head against her hide. She looked down and smiled. “Oh yes, you must be him.” At that moment her stomach began to rumble violently, causing her to take notice. “With how hectic yesterday was I must’ve forgotten to get us food,” she said to Alerce and herself. Is changing species like that... normal? she thought to herself, but quickly passed it off as something she must’ve forgotten during the truck ride over. “Come on, let’s go get some food,” she said, scooping up Alerce and the blanket and placed them on her back. Facing away from the rising sun, she made her way through the new set of dirt roads, opting not to fly with her new, more bulky and fragile friend. The path was very similar to the two she had already been down, but she saw many more ponies walking around with their pokémon. She planned to walk through unnoticed; the last encounter she had with a pony with a pokémon wasn’t the most pleasant. A dark-blue pony was in the distance with a striped ferret, battling some wild animal. She was shocked, trying to slip by as she was distracted. Hoping that even with her less than functional camouflage she wouldn’t be seen, but she jumped back as the filly cried out, “Hey you! You with the turtwig!” Fluttershy looked away and continued walking unabated. “Hey, I’m talking to you! Let’s see what that turtwig is made of!” the filly continued to shout. Fluttershy turned to the filly, “I’m sorry, I don’t fight.” The filly stood dumbfounded. She huffed and trotted away, continuing with her hunt. Fluttershy made sure to avoid every other encounter along the way, dashing into shrubbery and flying over rock faces to stay out of view. Slowly but surely, she made her way through the forest path to a straightaway towards Petalbug Town. The sun was reaching the apex of the sky as the humidity grew denser. Fluttershy turned her head back to see how far she had gone. Oldale Town was nowhere in sight, and looking ahead, there wasn’t a single pony to be found. She breathed a sigh of relief then lied down. The lack of food made her trip arduous, making her dig through the provisions her mother had given her. A few crackers in a plastic bag were stuffed into the bottom as well as a small flask. She unscrewed the top and took a sip. After realizing it was water, she guzzled it down, only pausing to breathe and give some to Alerce. After the canteen seemed to be half empty, she set it back in her bag and closed her eyes to think. The whole world seemed to be spinning for her as the events of the past few days still hung in the forefront of her thoughts Whenever she tried to think of what happened before the ride in the truck, she couldn’t recall a single memory. It was as if her life started in that pitch black room. She buried her head into her hooves, exhausted and confused. Ever since she woke up, she felt as if there was always something amiss. Something she couldn’t put her hoof on. Alerce began to call out towards the west. Fluttershy popped her head out from her hooves and looked to the distance. She squinted, noticing something pink bouncing steadily towards her. She slowly rose up readying herself to get out of the way before she found herself being hounded for another fight. A sharp pain jolted through her knees as she stood, making it hard to get up. One hoof after the other she finally got up, but her knees shook, causing her to be planted where she stood. She started panting with worry, watching the bouncing pink object come closer. Stepping one hoof forward, she broke her stable footing, yet fell face first into the dirt from the pain. When she finally got her head off the ground, the pink pony was standing right above her, giving her a strange, yet familiar look. “Hey Fluttershy! What are you doing playing in the dirt?” the filly asked, hopping around Fluttershy. F-Flutter...shy? she thought. The name sounded oddly familiar to her, but she passed it off as nothing. “I’m sorry, you have the wrong pony,” she stated, hoping this would cause the pony to leave her alone. “Don’t be silly, of course I have the right pony!” She took in a large gasp, “Oh, I know! You’re playing a game aren’t you? I didn’t know you for being such a good game player, Fluttershy. Ooo, what are we playing? Wait don’t tell me, let me guess. Uh... ‘Ponies and Griffons’! Or—” “No, please stop. I-I’m not trying to play anything, just don’t make me fight you. Please,” Fluttershy pleaded. What’s wrong with her? Why is she so brightly colored and... naked? “Fight? I know you don’t fight; what kind of friend would I be to not know that? I’m so glad I found you so quickly! We were so worried back at Twilight’s that I had to come help find you! “I... still don’t know what you’re talking about. My name’s May, not Fluttershy,” she responded, causing the pink pony to slow down. “Excuse me, but I have to get going.” She hobbled back up to her hooves dug down enough to start moving. She slowly made her way past the pony, but she could already see her starting to follow. “Please, leave me alone,” she squeaked, moving as fast as her hooves could take her. “Fluttershy, are you alright? It’s me, Pinkie Pie!” The name hit Fluttershy like a ton of bricks, but she kept going. ‘Pinkie Pie’ seemed so familiar to her as did the name ‘Fluttershy’, but it hurt to think about it. She just kept running in the hopes of finding somewhere to sort things out in peace. A few hundred yards of chase left her even more exhausted. She turned her head to see if the pink pony had stopped her chase before feeling something slam into the back of her head. She bowled over backwards, sending Alerce flying into the tall grass. Dizzy, she tried to get back up, but her vision started to double and wobble. She tried to shake it off, but her mental and physical exhaustion was too much. “Whoops, sorry about—” was all she heard before she collapsed unconscious into the grass. Incomprehensible noises began to make their way to Fluttershy’s ears as she felt herself becoming conscious once more. Her eyes slowly opened to see a blue pegasus with rainbow-colored hair looking down at her. Fluttershy quietly grunted, exerting all her effort to get up. Oddly her knees weren’t shaking like they were before, and her hunger and thirst seemed to be less of an issue. “Fluttershy, you’re awake! Finally,” the pegasus said excitedly, but cool. “Sorry for bumping into you earlier, I must’ve been going faster than I thought and wasn’t paying attention.” The pegasus embraced Fluttershy in a tight hug before backing off once more. “You have no idea how worried about you we were.” “It’s... quite alright,” she whispered, overwhelmed by the pegasus’s presence. “If you would excuse me, I need to get to get to Petalburg Town.” The pegasus looked at her with a skewed look, “Fluttershy, are you alright? You sound kinda... off.” “Oh, she did that to me when I found her. I think she’s just playing a game or something.” Pinkie assured the pegasus. “I-I’m not playing a game!” Fluttershy tried to yell, wings opened, but shrunk back and folded them, “Just say you want to fight so you can leave me alone afterwards.” she squeaked, continuing to try shaking her followers. “My name isn’t Fluttershy. It’s May...” The pegasus groaned. “Alright fine, you aren’t Fluttershy. I’ll let you play your game,” she said, trotting closer. “My name’s Rainbow Dash, how are you?” She groaned even louder, “Man, why am I even doing this?” Fluttershy stepped back into a defensive position. Rainbow Dash. The name stuck out to her, more so than Pinkie Pie’s did. Wait, ‘Rainbow Dash’? Where have I heard that name before... — She lifted both of her hooves to her face, trying to recall the pony’s name. Oh my, how could I have forgotten her name? She started to shake, all the stress of the day’s events rushing through her. Did I really forget her name? No, it’s just the stress. What would Rainbow Dash do? — She let out a small scream. Her head felt like it split into two as visions, voices and events furiously flashed through her head. She saw a city in the clouds, clouds that could be moved by colorful pegasi. “Fluttershy? Are you okay?” She could feel herself falling from the sky into a pack of butterflies. The explosion of the Sonic Rainboom blasted her ear drums, and the joy of gaining her cutie mark filled her heart with glee. “Pinkie, help me over here. She just collapsed... and she’s not breathing!” She saw Ponyville, her cottage where the sick animals she cared for laid to rest in their beds. The day she opened up to Twilight, facing down the Manticore and the black mare named Nightmare Moon, it all filled her vision as clear as day. Tears formed in her eyes as she ducked her head into her chest. “Wake up! We didn’t come all the way here for you to quit on us!” She could feel her bunny, Angel, thumping his foot into her leg, her stare down with a giant dragon on a mountaintop, Princess Celestia’s phoenix Philomena turning to ash in her hands. Everything. Tears burned down her cheeks as she let out one final scream. Her mind finally went blank, causing her vision to fade to black. Fluttershy awoke out of breath, but her mind finally stabilized. She violently shook her head and forced her eyes open. Her breath sharply stopped as the world around her seemed brighter, sounds coming to her clearer and crisper. Slowly, her breathing stabilized as well as a smile licked across her face. She looked to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie who were looking at each other with with great relief. “Sorry for scaring you, I’ve... had a rough few days.” “A-are you alright, Fluttershy? Do you recognize me?” Rainbow Dash asked, her wings open in a defensive position. “Oh yes, both you and Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy responded as she shuffled her forehoof, yet perked her ears up. “So... why’d you go all crazy on us? Missed us too much already?” Rainbow Dash asked, lightly patting Fluttershy’s back, causing a small “Ow!” to escape the fragile pegasus’s mouth. “Come on, we’ll help you with whatever you were doing. We aren’t too far off from... Pendalfurg I think?” She caught her mistake and groaned. “Well, whatever. Tell us, what happened back there?” Fluttershy lowered her head, going over everything that happened. Two strings of memories fought for attention in her mind, but she was able to separate the two even with her fading energy. “I’ll talk about it after I get some food, I’m so hungry,” she said, looking around for where Alerce went off to. Alerce popped his head out from the tall grass and ran as fast as he could over to Fluttershy. He stopped, and looked at the two other ponies, smiling. “I guess he likes you two.” “Great, now we don’t have to introduce ourselves!” Pinkie Pie responded gleefully and started hopping down the path to Petalburg. “So... what’s with the turtle? I mean, I wouldn’t put it past you to immediately start talking to animals when you got here.” Rainbow Dash joked, glancing over at Alerce. “He’s... a turtwig, I guess,” Fluttershy explained. “At least that’s what those other ponies I passed called him. I never actually got a chance to check.” They continued on with Petalburg Town drawing ever closer. They saw red rooftops in the distance and faint silhouettes of ponies with pokémon trotting around and conversing with one another. Pinkie Pie had already arrived at the edge of town, seemingly looking around for someplace to eat some food. The rest of the trip was rather quiet, neither pony wanting to waste Fluttershy’s breath before she even got into town. Details of the town showed themselves to Fluttershy, her wobbly legs working frantically to get her in. “Over here! I found something!” Pinkie Pie shouted, hopping slowly towards a building the middle of town. After a few more yards, the trail came to a stop, merging into the dirt roads of the town. “We’re coming Pinkie Pie, just hold on!” Rainbow Dash yelled, continuing to watch over Fluttershy. “Almost there, just a little more.” Fluttershy took her first step into Petalburg relieved, “Thanks Rainbow—” She was cut off by a loud ringing coming from behind her. She jumped in shock with Alerce following suit and looked behind her, seeing nothing but her backpack. “What’s going on? Is that sound coming from my backpack?” “Well, I don’t have anything on me that would make noise, so it must be from you,” Rainbow responded, beginning to rummage through Fluttershy’s bag. She grabbed the Pokédex with her teeth and felt it vibrating. “I ‘hink ‘his ih’ id’” she said, the flat casing still in her mouth. She set it down and studied it, the small blue light on the Pokédex’s side blinking. “I think you open it like this,” Fluttershy said as she pushed the button near the top of the device, causing the front flap to flip open. It revealed a small screen and set of speakers. The beeping stopped before a strange, monotone voice began to relay from it. [[ TRAINER ( 78342 - MA...FLUTTER...HY... ), YOU HAVE A GYM FIGHT AT ( PETALBURG GYM ) SCHEDULED FOR ( 9:30 PM ) ( TONIGHT ). REMINDER: FAILURE TO SHOW UP AT YOUR SCHEDULED TIME IS GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION IN THE HOENN LEAGUE AND YOU MUST WAIT THREE DAYS TO APPEAL YOUR CASE. ]] The Pokédex beeped once more and the message stopped. Both of the pegasi looked at each other confused. “Wait, is this what that fighting thing was all about?” Rainbow asked, breaking the silence “A league...? Is it a league for fighting pokémon?” Fluttershy wondered, shuddering to think about the prospect. “That sounds... so awesome!” Rainbow yelled out, shocking Fluttershy, “A whole competitive league set up with automated messages when entering towns? I have to come watch this.” “Can we just get some food please?” Fluttershy demanded, trying to break Rainbow’s train of thought. “Oh, right,” Rainbow said. They continued on in silence to the building Pinkie was waiting by. A small twinge of pain coursed through Fluttershy’s head. She ran through the memories of the girl thoroughly, but couldn’t find an answer as to why the pain suddenly reemerged. She decided to let it go and tried not to pay any attention to anything until she had something more filling than apple slices and water. “By the way, you might want to clean up a bit first. When you were knocked out we tried carrying you back to town, but we kinda dragged you a bit.” Fluttershy ignored the comment and caught up to Pinkie Pie. They’re both naked and I’m covered in dirt... I guess. She looked down at her torso, seeing small grass stains and dirt patches covering her orange vest. Well, I won’t be out of place with them at least. The building Pinkie was waiting by was a red roofed building like all the others, but had an outside terrace with iron-lace tables and chairs with small cushions. Many a pony were dining on exotic fruits and grains, neither of them the Equestrians had ever seen. A stallion exited the building and cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the three. He looked over them with a confused sneer. He gave out a slight sigh before approaching the three. “Are you madams waiting for a table? We have no wait time this afternoon.” “Oh, great.” Fluttershy said jubilantly and trotted to the closest empty table to sit down. “How about here... if that’s fine with you girls,” she called, hoping that they wouldn’t object. Looks fine,” Rainbow commented, flying over to sit next to her friend. Pinkie Pie followed suit. “So... do you have any money in that bag you’ve got there?” Fluttershy paused for a moment, then quickly rummaged through her bag. Alerce stepped off, letting her check every nook and cranny. Before long, she stumbled upon a small bag that jangled with the sound of metal. “This must be it. I knew there would be some in here.” She took the bag and placed it on the table, untwisting the tie to get it open. Alerce climbed back on top of the bag and waited patiently for his food. “So who gave you that anyway?” Rainbow pried as the waiter brought the three menus. “A mare who is, I guess, supposed to be my mother,” Fluttershy said, scanning the menu. “I woke up in the back of a moving truck and she started talking to me as if I were her daughter.” “Ooo, they have a ‘Sitrus Berry Medley’. That sounds tasty,” Pinkie spouted, then looked up at the two pegasus. “Oh, were you talking about your trip here? Keep talking, I want to hear more!” “That does sound pretty good,” Fluttershy responded. “Anyway, she brought me into the house that the truck was parked in front of. Initially I refused, but she dragged me in. I really think that ponies believe me to be this ‘May’ girl.” She continued browsing as Rainbow and Pinkie listened attentively. “Every time I did something that my new memories were telling me I shouldn’t do I always felt a slight pain in my head. It started off small, but gradually became worse, especially when I refused to fight that colt.” Rainbow Dash interrupted, “Wait, a colt? Why would he want to fight you?” “To be honest, I’m not sure. Maybe it has something to do with the league my device talked about earlier.” Glasses of water were delivered to their table. Fluttershy stirred around the ice in the glass as she continued, “Also he didn’t want to fight me, but Alerce, whom I got from the colt’s father. He seemed ready to fight, but I just couldn’t. During the middle of that crisis was when Twilight contacted me. That’s probably why I sounded like I was in danger.” “Wait, your turtle was ready to fight? Like... without being provoked?” Rainbow asked, sipping her water. “Maybe that’s how they play; they must love roughhousing,” Pinkie added. Fluttershy looked down at Alerce, thinking back to last night, “Maybe.” She turned her attention back to Pinkie and Rainbow. “When did you two get here?” “Well, Twilight was asleep for few days before she woke up and sent us here,” Pinkie said, looking around trying to find the waiter. “Is she okay?” “Oh yeah. She was just tired, that’s all. Anyway, we arrived this morning. Dashie wasn’t up right away, so—” If they both arrived this morning, maybe... No, I don’t know anything about this world yet. It’s just a coincidence, that’s all, Fluttershy thought, trying to piece together the day’s events. She looked at them both, then glanced down at Alerce. “You know Alerce here? He was a gecko yesterday.” Rainbow Dash glanced at Fluttershy with a hint of skepticism as Pinkie set down her menu, looking at Fluttershy with a sense of wonder. “That can’t happen, you know that.” Rainbow said matter-of-factly. The waiter approached the table, interrupting the three’s talk and took their orders. The earth pony scribbled down their requests and left, leaving the three to continue. The humidity had dropped as the sun began arcing down towards the horizon. “It’s true! When I woke up this morning, Alerce had become a turtle. It was surprising to say the least.” She sipped some more of her water and continued, “Anyway, what’s happening in Ponyville? Why did you risk coming to come get me?” She couldn’t imagine why it took her so long to ask. “Originally it was just Rainbow Dash who volunteered to get sent by Twilight, saying something like, ‘I don’t want to leave my bestest friend behind!’” Pinkie opened with a mocking tone. “Hey!” Rainbow shouted, staring at Pinkie. Pinkie giggled, then continued, “Sorry, Rainbow. Anyway, Twilight said that she’s seen the book at Canterlot’s library so the rest of the girls are going to go there and find the missing spell pages.” Fluttershy covered her mouth and squeaked a little at the news. “Twilight doesn’t have the spell to bring us back? W-We’re stuck here until she finds it?” “Don’t worry,” Rainbow said, kicking her legs up onto the table. “I’m sure she’ll find it in no time. Why don’t we just relax while we’re here and just enjoy ourselves.” “Yes, but my animals...” “Yeah, it’ll be fun. Maybe we can see how that league thing goes,” Pinkie interrupted, eyeing the waiter coming with plates full of food. She sharply gasped, “The food’s here, let’s dig in!” The waiter rolled his eyes and sighed at Pinkie’s enthusiasm as he set the plates down in front of them. Fluttershy had never seen food like this before, a normal meal in Ponyville seemed plain in comparison. The salad was filled with bright yellow, red, blue and orange fruits of all different shapes. The lettuce, colored a crisp dark green, was drizzled in what appeared to be a red vinaigrette with multitude of visible herbs and spices. Fluttershy immediately started digging into it, trying to savor every bite. With her ravenous hunger depleting, she had nearly forgot about Alerce whose small meal was still on the table. “Oh, I’m sorry Alerce,” Fluttershy apologized softly, grabbing the plate and setting it on the ground near the hungry turtwig. The instant the plate touched the ground Alerce started chowing down. Fluttershy smiled and rose up to finish her meal, taking in the little amount of solace she could find before the moon rose on her inevitable fight. With a groan, Twilight blocked the light that was shining in her eyes with her hoof and sat up. She had been brought to her bed again she noticed before lifting off her bedsheets. She opened her eyes and checked the mirror. Her hair was a mess, but she expected that. Using her horn, she magically grabbed her hairbrush and started her morning routine. Her left ear perked up from murmurs coming from downstairs. With striking efficiency, she finished her routine and slowly trotted downstairs, still groggy from her sleep. She looked around the library’s main room and saw Applejack, Rarity and Spike talking amongst themselves. Owloysius, her owl, was resting on his perch near the window sleeping from a long night’s patrol of the home. Applejack looked up at Twilight and called out, “Look who’s finally awake.” “Hey girls. Hi, Spike. How long was I out? Did everything go alright?” “You were only out for the night. Oh, and it went perfectly, darling,” Rarity answered, flipping her mane. “I must say the light show was much better inside than in my boutique.” Twilight looked at the three, puzzled. “Where’s Pinkie? Is she back at Sugarcube Corner?” Rarity and Applejack looked at each other, worried. “Uh, Twi’, Pinkie was whisked off with Rainbow.” “What!?” Twilight’s eyes shrunk as shock and terror stuck her, “Oh no no no, this is bad!” She began to pace. “I don’t even know if the spell I used was the right deviation, and it I only know it to work on one pony. What if... What if sending two over screws everything up? I might’ve killed my two friends...” Twilight buried her head in her hooves, trying to go over everything in her head again. “Why did I even do this?” “Well, Rainbow’s confidence rubs off quite easily. Don’t worry about it Twi’, I’m sure with Rainbow’s stubbornness they’ll find a way to survive. Besides, we need you to be at your best when we go to find that spell,” Applejack assured her. Twilight brought her head back up, “You’re right. I need to write to Princess Celestia about getting into the royal archives.” She felt her stomach rumble as she spoke. “Ugh, I need to get some food before we plan anything.” “I’ve got you covered sugar cube,” Applejack proudly stated, trotting to a bushel full of apples near Twilight’s reading stand and tossed some over to Twilight. “Thanks, Applejack,” Twilight said, biting down on one of the large red apples. “Alright, I need to write a letter to the princess to request access to the royal library. In the mean time, I need you two I’d get at least enough supplies for a day’s trip. I’ll meet you outside near the main road out of town when I’m ready.” “You got it Twi,’” Applejack said, making her way out of the library and back to her home in Sweet Apple Acres. “I’ll be sure to pack for everything,” Rarity stated, walking out the door. “Make sure you don’t over pack!” Twilight yelled, just getting her message out before she heard the loud thud of a wooden door closing. She sighed and turned to Spike who had already taken out an empty scroll and quill to relay her message. “Good, now take a note,” Spike started writing out her message. Dear Princess Celestia, I’m writing to you to request access to the Royal Archives in Canterlot. My studies have brought me to a dead end and the edition of the book I have been using is incomplete. This study is of utmost importance and it is imperative that I finish my research on this spell as quickly as possible. My friends’ safety hinges on the information in the complete copies of Professor Arcan Grizwald’s texts, and I do not wish to endanger their livelihoods. I urgently await your answer. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. With that, Spike rolled up the scroll and blew fire on it, turning it into a purple mist that flew out through the open window. Twilight went back upstairs and grabbed pair of saddle bags with a purple six-pointed star stitched to its front and slipped it on. After getting the strap snug, she met up again with Spike who was holding another scroll. “She responded really quickly this time,” Spike said, preparing to read it. “My faithful student Twilight, of course you can use the royal library, you are my student after all. Make sure to see me once you arrive.” Spike stopped, “She doesn’t sound too worried to me.” “You know the Princess,” Twilight said with a smile as she stuffed apples, small flasks of water and some blankets into her bags. “She’s probably just confident enough in my abilities and trusts I’ll get things taken care of.” With her bags back, she turned to Spike, “Spike, could you take care of Fluttershy’s animals with Mrs. Cake and the Crusaders while we’re away?” “You know what happened last time, Twilight,” Spike returned before shrugging his shoulders. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.” “Great! Make sure to lock up when you leave,” Twilight reminded him, opening the the front door. “I shouldn’t be gone for more than two days. If anything does happen, I’ll write you a letter, alright?” “Good luck!” Spike yelled out as Twilight left the house. She heard a small hoot and an apology coming from inside. She laughed and headed towards the eastern path out of town. The sky was covered with a think overcast and a cool wind pierced Twilight’s coat. She sat and waited patiently for the other two to arrive. Taking a pink and white striped scarf out from her bag and wrapping it around her neck, she readied herself for the three’s journey to Canterlot.