//------------------------------// // 7: Arrival from Above // Story: Torn Asunder // by Quilled Hoof //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Arrival from Above A warm breeze ruffled Cadence's mane as she pored over the map of Maneoa provided to her by Coral. She must have looked at the map a thousand times, and had committed as much as she could to memory. It had been four days since she had sent her letter and she was just now starting to be able to focus for a few minutes before glancing to the sea - hoping to see the prow of a ship that would carry Twilight and the rest; she had no doubt they would answer her call. She was even able to tune out the commotion that seemed to have some of the ponies in Maneoa chattering excitedly around her. The breeze came again, and this time it carried more than just warm sea air. A faint voice came on the wind and thought it was faint, it had a very distinct note of excitement to it. “WE’RE HERE! CADENCE! HIYA!” It took Cadence a second to place the sound, though she had already recognized the voice as Pinkie’s. Her eyes had immediately gone to the waves but when they met nothing but ocean, she realized that the voice was coming from above her. As she craned her neck skyward she couldn’t help but smile; Pinkie Pie’s joyful face was sticking dangerously far out of the basket of an enormous balloon as it descended into the town square. All the other ponies in the square were waving and getting ready to receive the balloon and must have seen the balloon from some distance away. Along with the balloon she saw two pegasus ponies holding guideropes and making small adjustments to assure a safe and controlled landing. She recognized them as friends of Twilight’s from the wedding, and in a moment she called out to them: “Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you!”. She set off towards the balloon and met the basket just as it thumped on the ground. Twilight hopped lightly out of the balloon, happy to have solid ground beneath her hooves again before being tackled to the ground by a pink blur. “TWILIGHT! Thank you thank you thank you” Cadence couldn’t help herself - she had never been so happy to see her old friend. Twilight returned Cadence’s enormous hug before brushing herself off and speaking, “Cadence, we came as fast as we could. We would have been here sooner but we got blown a bit off course.” At this Rainbow Dash reddened slightly but finished securing the ropes to nearby trees before joining Twilight and Cadence. The rest of the Ponyville contingent had already exchanged greetings with Cadence. Cadence waited until Rainbow had joined them before speaking to them all, “I can’t express what it means to see you all here”. Here she brushed a tear away before going on: “I know you are all very busy ponies and from the bottom of my heart - thank you for putting your lives on hold to help Twilight and me. I don’t know how much Twilight as told you of my letter, but since then I have a bit more information that will help narrow our search for Shining Armor and Zen.” Twilight looked puzzled, “Zen? I thought Shining Armor went off alone?” A timid looking, light green pony approached the group - clearly waiting to be introduced but forgotten in Cadence’s jubilation. “Zen is my husband - and Tranquility is our daughter”. Cadence looked to the green pony and smiled sheepishly, “I’m so sorry Serenity, I completely forgot to introduce you to my friends. Serenity these are my friends from Ponyville - Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. Everypony, this is Serenity; she is the key to finding Shining armor and her husband, Zen.” Applejack tipper her hat to Serenity before speaking to Cadence, “I think you’d better start at the beginning sugarcube.” ~~~~~~~~~~ The six Ponyville ponies and Serenity sat around a large table finishing tea and biscuits as Cadence explained about Coral’s tale (with quiet additions by Serenity), Shining Armor’s note, and the little she knew about the Wall. All the Ponyvillians listened attentively, especially when it came time for Serenity to add her part to the tale She began in a timid whisper, “Several nights ago, I was awoken by a knock on the door. Zen went to see who could be calling a this hour and I laid in bed and listened. I couldn’t catch everything that was said, but I could tell it was serious - I heard the Wall mentioned several times. Much to my shame I could not stay awake for the entire conversation - I was just so tired from days of crying and searching. A while later I felt a kiss on my cheek, thinking Zen had come back to bed I sighed and rolled over on my pillow. When I woke in the morning Zen was gone, as was the pony that come had come to call. Two pairs of saddlebags were missing as well as a good amount of food from the larder. There were several books out on the table - all having to do with Maneoan history. At first I thought Zen had gone out to study the Temple ( he was somewhat of a history buff) but when he didn’t come back that night I began to get worried. I was in town the next day when I ran into Cadence, who was asking anypony she could find if they had seen Shining Armor. I thought it strange that this newcomer had lost her husband as well. When she mentioned Tranquility my throat seized up and I knew exactly where Zen was - and knew who the mysterious visitor must be. Since then Cadence and I have been trying to learn everything we can about the wall and where Zen might have led them. I have no doubt, and Cadence agrees, that if it is possible they have crossed the wall by now.” Thought the ponies had leaned in to hear the beginning of her tale, by the end there was steel in her voice and a look of fearlessness in her eyes that reminded those who knew of Fluttershy when she had confronted the dragon. Twilight was the first to speak, “Thank you for telling us this Serenity, and again, I’m so sorry for what happened to Tranquility. We will do everything we can to find out what has happened to her during our search.” She then set to talking with Cadence and Serenity about the best course through the jungle, making liberal use of a map spread out on the table before them. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had already begun making a checklist of all they would need for their journey, and Pinkie and Fluttershy were discussing the host of tropical creatures they would (and hopefully would not) meet in the jungle. Rarity was sketching a very complex looking pair of saddlebags with pouches sewn all along the sides and hidden flaps that could be unfurled in case of rain. After about an hour they split up to gather supplies and in Rarity’s case, do some quick modifications to the saddlebags the ponies had brought with them. By 3pm they stood at the center of town with saddlebags full of food, and water. Fluttershy had packed an emergency first-aid kit, as well as salves and balms for cuts, burns and stings. Rainbow Dash carried a parang on the side of her saddlebags, and around Applejack’s waist was wound a hundred feet of rope. Pinkie Pie was in charge of the cooking, and in true fashion was already hopping around, enjoying the jingle-jangle of the pots and pans strapped to her back. Having discovered that Serenity was an artist, Rarity was happily keeping Serenity’s mind off of the situation by discussing her favorite dyes and paints with the Maneoan and learning quite a bit about local dyes native only to Maneoa. Cadence stood staring into the jungle as Twilight made one last run through of her checklist: “Ok and compass - check. I think that’s it Cadence, are you ready?” Turning to face the party, she was met by smiles and looks of encouragement. She looked each pony in the eye before answering, “I’ve never felt more ready for anything.” The group set a quick pace through the town, they had several hours of hiking if they were make it to Slipstone Grotto by nightfall. None of them looked back as they entered the verdure and were plunged into the eternal twilight that pervaded beneath the canopy.