//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 - Every Pony Has Their Bad Days // Story: Fragmented Harmony // by Mares-a-Mares //------------------------------// A blue and green mechanical pencil rapped against the desk at a fast pace as its holder narrowed her tired magenta eyes at the electronic white board attached on the wall in the front of the room. ...So much kanji, and numbers, and… Sighing, the rainbow-haired Magical Girl rested her soft and squishy cheek into her right hand, propped up by the stack of books on top of the table as prismatic locks dropped over a sheet of paper with random scribbles of Equestrian language at the side about clouds and previously set formations. …She hated math. The teacher continued to ramble on in incoherent Japanese. …Scratch that, she hated math with a passion when it didn’t involve flying or cool stuff. Otherwise it could get pretty boring real fast, like - get a life, people! Math was for finding out turbulence, and velocity, and all that other good stuff! Not crummy whatever Japanese stuff! That and she was pretty sure Home Run had neglected to teach them the kanji character for ‘yen’, when they were working with finding out currency in word problems. At least, that’s what she thought they were doing. Ugh. Going back to school didn’t sit well with the pegasus. Everything from the teacher in the front of the room to the uniformity shared among the students and the desk arrangements just served as even more reminders of Flight School, before she moved to Ponyville. The bullies who constantly mocked her by calling her a filly-fooler, the ‘no flying/running in the halls’ rule… There was a reason she dropped out in the first place. The short-haired teacher turned to the front of the classroom. “Now, can anyone come up and solve this problem?” A moment of silence filled the vicinity. “Dash-san, please try this problem out.” His room carried through the room in fluent Japanese. Rainbow Dash blinked. Wait, Dash-san? Was he talking to her?! The rainbow-haired Magical Girl stood up from her seat abruptly, startling various students around her. “Eh…ah…eto…ah…Hai?” She stammered as her eyes darted back and forth in a state of confusion. Homura curled her lips into a small smile at the spectacle as cold royal blue eyes met wavering magenta orbs. He’s asking you to go to the front of the class and try to solve that problem written on the board. Can you do it? Rainbow swallowed a huge lump in her throat as she was made the center of attention once more, her body starting to walk away from her assigned desk towards the front of the room, where the board and stupid math problem was waiting. …I-I can solve a dumb math problem! No biggie! Her eyes scanned the screen for familiar sights. Before she could solve it, she had to understand what the problem was asking her to do, first…but…why did most of it have to be written in Japanese? Sweat dripping down her brow, the rainbow-haired Magical Girl continued to burn the problem into her mind, desperately searching for a solution… In the back of the room, Fluttershy gave an apologetic look towards her fillyhood-friend’s predicament. It wasn’t very nice for the teacher to put her on the spot like this…but a selfish part of her was simply glad that it wasn’t herself in that situation…whether she wanted to admit it or not… A hand rose up in the back of the class. “Yes, Kaname-san? Do you need anything?” The teacher spoke towards the back. Madoka gave a nervous smile as she stood up from her desk. “Ano…sensei…I’m not sure if you were here to know this, but Dash-san has only recently come to Japan…if you were to translate the problem for her, maybe she’d be able to understand a little more, please?” The teacher paused for a moment before nodding. “Mmm, maybe not a complete translation since she still needs to learn, but I can help define things a little more if she needs it.” Rainbow frowned, oblivious to the foreign conversation as the teacher took an electric marker to the board, scribbling characters that helped define select kanji characters as he recreated the problem in a simpler format. “Ah, arigatou…” She mumbled as she looked over the modifications to the problems. Now that she knew what it was asking for, she could at least start on the problem…but…her hand held another electric marker suspended in mid-air, a sense of uncertainty coursing through the pegasus. It had nothing to do with flying, just…equation junk…stuff they didn’t cover back in flight school. At least, not while she was there…Curse herself for being a flight-school dropout… Rainbow sighed in defeat as she stared at the problem for a moment longer until she faced the teacher, her head lowered by the weight of her embarrassment. “…Gomenasai (I’m sorry).” The teacher gave a sigh as well. “…Daijoubu desu. (It’s alright).” The rest of the class continued without interruptions after that, the rainbow-haired Magical Girl keeping her mouth shut as she attempted to bury her shameful face in the dumb school book they were currently working in. Fluttershy frowned in understanding at her poor friend’s reaction. Nopony would want to become an embarrassment…the idea sent shudders down the timid Magical Girl’s spine. As the bell rang to conclude the class, throngs of students began to rise from their seats as the gym teachers entered in the classroom, whistles around their necks. Fluttershy blinked as everyone started gathering with individual bags and starting to leave the classroom. Where was everyone going, if they usually sat around in the same homeroom? Homura faced the two of them as she reached for her own bag. Next is P.E. Make sure you bring your gym clothes from your school bags and follow me to the girl’s locker room. Try to be quick about it. Rainbow blinked out of her embarrassment. “…P.E? Sweet, this’ll be awesome!” A grin lifted her spirits as she began to quickly reach into the contents of her school bag just beside her feet. Fluttershy squeaked for a second before starting to do the same, pulling out the bag that held the uniformed P.E. clothes. “O-Oh, um…right…P.E. it is…” A deep sigh escaped the timid pegasus’ lips as she hung her head. Just as Rainbow didn’t appreciate math class, she was almost certain she would find difficulties with P.E. class, especially in a brand new body. …Although, would the fact that they already know how to fight make any difference? The timid Magical Girl wasn’t sure, but she hoped it would at least lift her fillyhood friend’s spirit…Without another word exchanged between the two, the two pegasi followed Homura out of the classroom and into the hallway, towards the rest of the class. To the pegasi’s confusion, the humans dressed in white and masculine separated from the cream-bloused feminine skirted humans as they broke into two different directions. Homura seemed to be focused on following the cream-bloused line, so maybe that’s where they needed to go to get to the girl’s locker room. …So those in the skirts were absolutely female humans, they silently decided. A pair of metal doors opened as the crowd of female students slipped through with a fit of giggles about some Japanese topic or whatever, the sudden scent of sweat and whatever frou-frou stuff assaulting the hot-tempered Magical Girl’s nose. She gagged. The sweat she could handle any day, but should she really smell strawberries and passionfruit in a metal box crowded with other students? The thought of it was frou-frou enough for any spa and Rarity combined; totally not her thing…The girl’s locker room was a nightmare of giggles and shirts being lifted as each of them chatted on about whatever they jabbered on about. Fluttershy whimpered as she held herself in, trying not to be seen as well as not wanting to see the rest of the classmates in the process of getting changed. Wasn’t there a code of privacy here? Even back at the spa or Rarity’s Boutique, there were separate changing stalls…this was out in the open and she didn’t really see anything except what looked like shower stalls on one side of the wall. Homura frowned at the two as she went through the process of getting changed. “You should get changed. You don’t want to be late.” Her cream-blouse was removed and underneath was a white-button-top, which she was in the process of fumbling with each individual button. The two Magical pegasi remained in their own space as they waited for the crowd to clear out a little more, Homura leaving the room immediately after she had her P.E uniform on. Once the annoying crowd had dispersed, Rainbow Dash released a huge sigh of relief. “Sheesh, and we gotta deal with that every day? Come on…” She groaned as she leaned against one of the lockers left unused. “This is insane! There’s nowhere to get some privacy around here!” Fluttershy frowned with a small nod as she started to tug and undo the red bow on her own uniform. “Um, if we can’t get away with separate stalls, then I’d be fine changing if it was just my fillyhood friend…unless you have a problem with it.” The prismatic pegasus sighed. “Well, it’s an improvement at least…why does every school gotta suck in some way or another? I mean, first the Math, now the locker rooms…” She quickly took off the ribbon and pulled off the straitjacket of a blouse, a sense of relief filling her as the stuffy feeling started to leave her. Fluttershy gulped as she slipped the white shirt off, her back being exposed to the hot and sweaty atmosphere of the locker room as she reached into the bag to pull out what looked like a white shirt and some other things inside. Glancing behind her to see how her fillyhood friend was doing, she couldn’t keep in a gasp as her eyes met a pair of blue cyan wings marked on Rainbow’s back. “R-Rainbow Dash, on…on your back!” “W-what? What is it?” Rainbow Dash blinked before turning her head to look behind her. “F-Fluttershy, you’ve got a pair marked on your back, too! Your wings! It’s…they’re yellow!” Fluttershy adjusted slightly and tried to twist as she struggled to see the marks for herself, mouth agape at the sight. A pair of buttermilk wings was marked across her upper back, merged with the light cream color of her skin. “Oh my…why didn’t we notice these before? They look just like our pegasus wings…is our Magical Girl form the only magic we have, or can you control the weather here?” Rainbow Dash frowned. “The moisture in the air is pretty stuffy here…but the fact that I can tell that in a beat means I can feel it…Besides that, these marks don’t let me fly, so what good are they? This is SO not awesome!” She pulled a white shirt out of her bag roughly. “…Why would our magic linger with us into here? The only magic I’ve seen so far in this place is from being Magical Girls.” The timid pegasus sighed. “…How I wish I knew, Dashie…but were these always here and we just didn’t notice, or…is…is Equestrian Magic reaching here somehow?” Something like this was a sign. Maybe there was a chance they could go home? But they wouldn’t be able to thrive without Grief Seeds…and goodness knows she wasn’t going to lure the Witches home just so she could return! …She knew Dashie felt the same about the matter. “...I’d like to think so, Flutters…but what’s the point if we do get a chance? We already anchored ourselves here, so whoop-dee-doo!” Fluttershy gave a deep sigh as she pulled the white shirt over her head, eyes growing downcast. Rainbow Dash was right. What good would it do for them? If anything, she silently wished that the others would never be able to find this place, and never have to deal with those horrible Witches…she certainly didn’t want to, if she didn’t have to… “…But if the same events happened to us, Flutters…I wouldn’t choose any other way.” Rainbow Dash was mostly dressed in the P.E. uniform and was just gathering everything back into the bag, getting ready to go. “Well, better hurry up and get dressed, Fluttershy! I’m not going ahead without you, after all!” Fluttershy gave a small grin. “…Um, okay, just…let me get changed…” She fretted as she turned away once more from her fillyhood friend, prompting the other to roll her eyes. Typical Flutters… --- POP! The timid Magical Girl squeaked as she threw her hands to cover her ears as the starting gun was fired, the students dashing down the finely paved white track line as she refrained from letting her body go completely stiff. Just…a little shaky, instead…she let out a small whimper. As she thought, while she was okay during stretches and small increments of exercises, that start gun was a little too much for her to handle. After that set of laps was done, Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly and winced as she prepared herself for the next one that was to come… POP! The sound made her jump as the yellow pegasus proceeded to press her hands harder against her head as a wave of dizziness started to emerge, letting out a small whimper as she slowly crouched down to her feet, hoping the class would be over soon…She didn’t know how much more she could take… It seemed like Rainbow was having fun though; she lifted her head to look in the direction of the main source of noise. After she had topped Homura’s records on the track, the two were now in a contest urged by the other students to see who was the best at all of the other P.E. routines, and things were a little heated up because of it. Naturally Fluttershy cheered for Rainbow Dash from behind the rest of the noisy crowd albeit being crouched down with her hands to her ears. And while she didn’t cheer very loud, she knew that Rainbow would hear her, because she always was her personal cheerleader. Even in Mitakihara versus Ponyville or Cloudsdale, this part of their precious friendship never changed. The timid Magical Girl curled her mouth into a small grin. And as usual, Rainbow was winning. “…Aww yeah! Beat that, Home Run!” Rainbow Dash cheered as she stepped off of the padded platform that rested underneath a long metal bar that was held high in the air, a sense of victory flowing through her veins as she was surrounding by the adoring crowds of students. Now this was a better atmosphere for her! “Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” A chorus of feminine and muscular voices rang through the air as the students twisted their tongues to sound foreign, the girl in the spotlight swimming in adoration as she grinned with glee. It didn’t really matter the language; Rainbow knew when the crowd was cheering her name in praise. It all matched with the voice waves of awesome. And after that corkscrew flip she did in midair, who wouldn’t? Homura held a small frown of nonchalance as she raised her right hand and whipped her hair. “…A constant competition is meaningless. You have already displayed your talent.” To say she was superior would’ve been a stab to the apathetic Magical Girl’s pride. Still, she had to commend her for her acrobatic skills. Flexibility such as that would only prove to be useful against Walpurgisnacht. …Though speaking up didn’t really mean anything if the crowd was too loud for the prismatic Magical Girl to hear her. Fluttershy tip-toed closer to the defeated Magical Girl, her pink silky hair tied back into a tame fluffy ponytail. “Um…if it makes you feel better, I actually liked your tricks as well. They were…um…smooth and pretty.” Royal blue eyes blinked as Homura faced the timid pegasus. “…Arigatou. Still, I’m surprised you can wear our P.E. uniforms without blushing.” The timid Magical Girl grew pink in the face to match her hair. As well as tying her hair back into a high-ponytail with a red bow, Fluttershy was wearing a white tee with red linings, and a pair of red bloomers that generously showed off her thighs, her smooth milky skin exposed and at the sun’s mercy if it wasn’t for the sneakers and socks she wore over her legs. “Oh, u-um…It’s…I’m…learning to bear with it…” She gave an effort to grin, but it really looked like a grimace. Homura shrugged at the comment. “It allows for easy movement,” She replied in English tongue. “And the material…isn’t heavy enough to be a bother when we work up a sweat.” Fluttershy gave a deep sigh. “…As ponies, we didn’t even concern ourselves with clothes for exercising. Well, in some ways we did…a headband and maybe some hoofwarmers…” Her voiced trailed out until it merged with the obnoxious cheers of praise. She looked up towards the loud crowd to see the bright and excited grin on her fillyhood friend’s face. “...At least this way Rainbow’s day is better. I thought she had it a little rough during Math class…” She gave a soft smile as her fingers curled together, slightly fidgety. The apathetic Magical Girl narrowed her eyes into a soft expression as she let out a small sigh. “Your gullible kindness is befitting of Madoka…always thinking of another’s happiness even if it means you end up suffering…” Her native tongue escaped her lips. Fluttershy blinked. “…Um, what…?” Something about that Madoka, she managed to catch that…but the rest was a blank to her… “…What did you say, Miss Homura?” Homura closed her eyes as she faced away from the timid Magical Girl. “…Nothing. Just…do not let that kindness cloud your judgement.” The last thing she wanted was for Fluttershy to act like her…to make the same stupid mistakes… The pegasus cocked her head to the side. “Um…h-hai…?” She didn’t understand. What was it about that gentle and helpful Miss Madoka that bothered Miss Homura and attracted QB? Something about her having a great…power? But she seemed happy the way she was, and if she had family who cared for her…why did she need to risk her life? A sudden sensation grabbing onto her shoulder caused the timid Magical Girl to squeak out of her thoughts. “…Hey, Fluttershy! Did you see how awesome that was?!” She turned around to meet the magenta eyes of her companion. “…O-Oh, Rainbow! I-it was…um…” She managed a grin. “It was awesome.” Rainbow Dash pumped a fist. “Aww, yeah! I sure showed up Home Run, didn’t I? This is totally WAY more awesome then some stupid Math class!” The crowd of students seemed to gather with the other teachers from their classes as pieces of workout equipment was being taken down for the day and put away in the storage room. “…Anyway, it looks like we’ll be heading back in soon. Best we get going, huh?” The prismatic Magical Girl smiled to her fillyhood friend. Fluttershy didn’t seem to be moving immediately. Rainbow Dash blinked. “…Hey, what’s up, Flutters? You seem sidetracked.” It wasn’t out of Fluttershy’s personality to be keeping something to herself…Something like that wasn’t cool to bottle up. “Is it about the wings?” Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, um…it’s nothing, Rainbow, just…” She fell silent once more as she felt a warm yet firm touch clasp its fingers into hers. It wasn’t right of her to be keeping things from her friend, especially if they were going to trust each other with their lives in battle… “…It’s about Miss Madoka.” She breathed out. The hot-headed Magical Girl blinked. “Huh? Why the hay are you thinking about her? I mean, she was helpful and all, but…why dwell on it?” It didn’t seem like such a big deal…but maybe it was to Fluttershy? The timid Magical Girl frowned as they started their walk back to join the group, albeit slowly to Rainbow’s dismay. “…It has to do with something QB and Miss Homura said. Miss Homura seems to hate QB…but both of them seem to take a huge interest in Miss Madoka…above Miss Sayaka.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Weird…any reason why that is? I mean, I get she’s got the potential to become one of us, but maybe QB thinks that Madoka girl’s important in some way?” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed into a thoughtful expression. “…Mmm…QB mentioned that she’d have enough power to defeat Walpurgisnacht…if she contracted with him…and Miss Homura mentioned something about her in Japanese…I couldn’t really catch what she said.” “W-Whoa, seriously…?!” Magenta eyes grew wide. “Being able to beat that Walpurgis thing is a pretty big deal, right?” Maybe it would be a good idea to have her on their side…but having more Magical Girls could threaten hers and Fluttershy’s survival if they struggled in getting enough Grief Seeds. What was she supposed to do with this information? …But then again, that morning…Home Run seemed to have an expression of pain when they first saw Madoka with Cubes… The timid Magical Girl nodded slowly. “…But even so, I don’t want her to have to contract unless she needs to. Unlike you and me…she has a home to return to, most likely. She has friends who she grew up with, in a world she grew up in…I couldn’t try to take that from her and risk her life…-” “…Both of you, we’re getting dressed to leave. This was the last class for the day.” Fluttershy looked up to meet the royal-blue eyes of Homura, who seemed to have lingered at the door. Not really wanting to meet her gaze for too long, she lowered her head as she approached the doorway with her fillyhood friend, who also decided to remain silent for the time being. Something like this needed to be discussed. Why was Miss Madoka so important to both Miss Homura and QB, if they were against each other? Why did Miss Homura hate QB so much to begin with? The pink-haired pegasus sighed softly, the grip wrapped around her fingers giving her comfort. Someday they’d find the answers…but at the moment she was happy enough that they both managed to survive their first day of school. Rainbow Dash would have to brush up on her Math, and she’d have to get better at P.E…Oh, how she hated that starting gun…but at this point she’d probably just have to make do. She wouldn’t want to impose on the gym teacher to get rid of it for her sake alone. …She wasn’t really looking forward to stepping inside the girl’s locker room again…last time it was so noisy, and she really didn’t want to invade other people’s privacy, not to mention having to undress in front of them…! What if Miss Homura managed to see their marks? What if the other girls in the locker room managed to see it? Oh…was it really a good idea to enroll her and Rainbow into school? The timid Magical Girl whimpered as they walked through the halls with Homura in tow, all of them heading for that place…with all the…noise…and the lack of privacy… …The girl’s locker room. “…Hey, you both didn’t see Kyuubey at all during lunch, did you? …Or after?” Rainbow Dash blinked at the apathetic Magical Girl’s voice as she turned to face her in the hallway while the rest of the students continued on ahead. …Come to think of it, where did Cubes go after lunchtime? The last time she saw the fluffball, he was hanging around that Madoka…but after lunch? He wasn’t even there. “…Actually, come to think of it…I didn’t see Cubes at all after lunch. Where the hay did he go?” Fluttershy lifted her head. “Oh, um…I’m sure he’s alright…he just seems to follow his own agenda, that’s all…” She frowned at the sight of their mentor clenching her fists. “Umm…is everything alright, Miss Homura?” Homura closed her eyes. “…To bring this to the surface, I sensed strange energies yesterday around sunset. It seems that Kyuubey is acting on his own, and most likely contracting other Magical Girls…but it isn’t the ones Tomoe Mami is mentoring.” Rainbow Dash gasped. “Y-You mean…there are other girls out there who have contracted? …In THIS very city?” The timid Magical Girl put a hand to her mouth. “But…who?” --- Footsteps echoed through the alleyway as a figure with a loose ponytail ran up and down the stairs at a steady pace, the occasional passerby not giving the person a second glance before they went on their way towards a more populated area, leaving the strange girl to her funny exercise. Perhaps she went to school, but was one of those delinquents who skipped from time to time…but she wasn’t even wearing a uniform… Once reaching the top of the stairs for the umpteenth time, the blonde-haired Magical Girl panted as she allowed herself to fall to her hands and knees in an effort to catch her breath, sweat pouring down her face and her well-toned arms. Beside her, a white-furred creature walked on before turning to face the tired earth-pony, her brown Stetson slipping from her hair and onto the concrete sidewalk. “Good work, Applejack. Your efforts to walk and even run have benefitted you greatly.” Kyuubey held an empty smile as he continued to observe the exhausted mare. As soon as they had both reached an understanding of what was needed in order to proceed with fighting the Witch, she had been absolutely determined to succeed in meeting her goals even when not being monitored the whole time. It seemed that despite her power of teleportation spawned by fear, Applejack was a hard-working individual, and nowhere was she clumsy. “Hah…Hah…Eyup…” Applejack rose up onto her flank, lifting her torso up. “Thanks a ton, uh…Fluff-tail. Sorry, I don’t know how to say yer name, sugarcube…but you helped me a bunch.” She let out another panting breath. “…Where the hay did ya run off to this morning, anyway?” Kyuubey closed its eyes. “You may call me what you wish. As for your question, I was overseeing my other Magical Girls and others who have potential.” Its tail swished from side to side as it opened its eyes once more. “Anyways, perhaps you have trained enough to locate the Witch? If you continue to remain stationary, many a victim will fall to it and the Witch will get stronger.” The earth-pony frowned at the thought. “Ah suppose you’re right ‘bout that…Ah better get goin’.” Lifting herself from her knees, the blonde-haired Magical Girl reached over and picked up her Stetson, placing it on top of her head once more. “But Ah never knew there were others ‘round these parts…what kind of…uh…people are they anyways?” “Magical Girls can vary in personality. It would have to depend on the type of Magical Girl if you were to seek a comrade.” The creature replied without a change in expression and a swish of the tail. Applejack sighed. “Well, Ah wasn’t looking for pardners to be exact…A-anyways; I gotta use the Soul Gem thing in order to find the Witch, right? The creature nodded. “Indeed. Once you have found a signal, look for where the Gem pulsates at a quicker pace. The aura of the Witch should seem strong to you at that moment.” Applejack nodded as she felt the creature land on top of her shoulder, small paws pressing into her green and white shirt. In a way, the creature reminded her of Opal, though she never really played with the feisty girl; she was more of a dog pony…and she had more heart to her, anyway. “Alright…let’s go get us a Witch.” Holding her orange egg-shaped Gem in front of her, the earth-pony took a large step by leaving the area where she had first appeared, her legs taking her into the greater masses of the city of Mitakihara, the soft breeze of the afternoon kissing the tips of her now weirdly round ears. “…What in tarnation…?” Applejack breathed out. Just as much as the creepy crayon Familiars confused her, the weird symbols that dominated the area only served to frustrate the farm pony. In fact, the layout of the area kinda reminded her of the city of Manehatten, but somehow…bigger and even more confusing since she couldn’t understand a lick of what the signs around her were saying. It just wasn’t right by her. Another aspect of the city that freaked her out was the large masses of people who didn’t speak her language. On the farm and in Equestria, Applejack was all about crowds and family gatherings, and all that good stuff you can just share with those you love, as well as the wonderful time a family can have working hard together. In this place, through her own eyes, there was no family connection or even any friendly connection…and she couldn’t understand what any of them were saying, so that also cut out finding things in common and making new friends…They all seemed reserved or kept in their own little groups saying something like ‘guykokujean’ while looking at her… (Gaikokujin: Foreigner). Was it weird to have a hat in this place or something? The only kind of connection she had managed to make without it exploding in her face was Fluff-tail because he spoke her language. And that was just fine, but there was that funny business with the whole lifetime servitude of fighting Witches…somehow she had to work around that in order to get back with the others…To get back to Twilight and fulfill her promise… …But how? A small orange pulsating light from the Soul Gem stopped the mare in her tracks as she gasped, the light reflecting her emerald green eyes. “…Ah think Ah found something. It looks like it’s coming somewhere down that darker area that seems kinda neglected…It almost feels like that doll Witch Ah faced before…” She pointed down towards the direction of an area of worn-down houses. Kyuubey nodded. “I sense it is the same energies that were pulsating from the Witch you escaped from. It seems like it traveled a fair distance from the alleyway. Shall we proceed?” Applejack felt a cold shudder down her spine before she nodded as her eyes narrowed. “You bet we will. Ah ain’t letting it get away this time.” Without another word, the two of them started their pursuit down the dimly-lit street, the orange light from her Soul Gem steadily growing brighter as they disappeared into the shadows of another alleyway, the farm pony’s loose ponytail bouncing from side to side in the chilly winds as they traveled farther from the security of daylight. Even if she probably never found a way to come back herself, she’d at least be sure that all the rest came back to Equestria safely. After all, she made a Pinkie Promise…and even if she already broke it…she was determined to at least see what’s left of it through. She owed that much to Twilight. And that alone was a promise. An Apple Family promise.