The two ponies were expecting the destruction to be absolute. They were expecting to walk unto a scene of terrible carnage and mayhem. Images of fire and panic, of craters and horrid pain, fluttered through their minds. Still NOTHING could have prepared them for what lay before them when they rounded the last corner.
What had once been a semi-organized construction site, was now just a clean meadow with a tiny river running through it. There were no signs of the tents, carts full of supplies, or even the workponies. A few butterflies were dancing merrily around the small flowers, and from the nearby forest the wind carried the song of birds.
The dam had been fixed. Well, to say it was ´fixed` was not really the correct word. It had been rebuilt from the ground up. The old industrial look had been replaced by a more natural stone surface. It had been built completely out of large boulders that had been cut into precise geometrical shapes that fit together perfectly. From the distance, Rarity nor Applejack could see the lines between the stones. Had they even gone for a closer look, they couldn´t have seen them, because without a microscope, none would ever see where exactly one stone ended and the next one begun.
One scientifically minded pony from Cloudsdale would come to visit at a later date. He had heard of the Ponyville Dam, and wanted to study how it had been built. With him he brought all the tools of his trade and got to work. After a full day of careful study he could only come to one conclusion: The stones had been fused together. No mortar or cement had been used in its construction. The amount of heat would have been astronomical and would be impossible to replicate with mundane means. The only way to tell that the stones had once been separated was the change in their texture and colour where one block ended and the next started. Apart from that, the dam was effectively made out of one single stone. It was as strong as bedrock, and would probably stand the test of millenia as one of the greatest shows of magical masonry in the history of Equestria. It would draw in tourists, school classes and the occasional unicorn mason to visit, just to gaze upon it. The meadow also made for a nice camping area, and it was a favorite place for families to have a nice Saturday afternoon picnic.
It gained even more popularity when a minotaur hard rock band by the name of Judas Goat wrote a song about it called "Ram It Down". One of their most legendary tourneys around Equestria ended in a major concert at the dam itself, where the lead vocalist, Turbo Lover, drove straight into the granite wall on a motorcycle, and tried to headbutt the stone wall dowm. Legend has it, that when he finally came to, he wrote the lyrics to three more bestseller songs on the spot. After that, he told the media that the dam had another thing coming, which caused one of the reporters to drop his pants off accidentally and suffer from a really nasty headache. Turbo Lover got into contact with several other bands, and together they held the first annual "Rock Hard Ride Free" -festival. It would bring in even more people to Ponyville, and with them a notable increase in tourism revenue for the town.
These facts went altogether unobserved by the two ponies standing in the meadow. They had noticed one other living being near the dam. At this distance it looked like a glowing ball of fire that was hovering a few feet above the river. It was bright enough to make their eyes hurt from looking at it directly, but underneath the blaze was the unmistakable coat of a purple pony. When they got closer, the brightness slowly dimmed into a mere luminescent glow, still clearly visible at high noon. The glow was coming from the horn of their friend and the unofficial leader of Team Elements Of Harmony, She seemed to be still concentrating on using her magic, and before their eyes, some burning letters started appearing on the nearby wall. The flames cut deep into the rocky surface, and after the fire cooled down, a new writing stood on the wall, cut inch-deep into the stone.
Underneath today´s date was a simple text.
"Constructed solely by Twilight Sparkle
Librarian of Ponyville
The most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria
Personal student of Princess Celestia"
And a bit below that was a smaller text: "Suck it, Trixie!" next to a stylized image of a unicorn blowing a raspberry.
After finishing her work, the floating unicorn turned towards the other two ponies. Her eyes were just small disks of white, glowing bright as the noon sun above them. As she opened her mouth a white glow was also visible inside her mouth and as she spoke the misty light seemed to flow out between her teeth and dissipate harmlessly into the air. Her voice had a strong echo, as if she´d repeated every word several times at the same time. Her voice, or voices, sounded a lot deeper than usual, reminding Rarity of the noises that came out of Vinyl Scratch´s studio during the early morning hours.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
Both Applejack and her marshmallow white friend were taken aback by the force behind the words. Applejack´s faithful hat was torn from her head and flung away to the grassy field behind them.
"Whoah there pardner! Ah reckon y´all just might want to calm down ah bit an maybe cut down on tha ole Royal Canterlot Voice y´hear?"
Twilight was now standing closer to them, but still quite high in the air so they had to look up to her. They could see her brow furrow and her voice take on an even deeper, darker tone.
"SO THE FIRST WORDS YOU HAVE FOR ME ARE TWO ORDERS TO MAKE YOUR LIFE MORE COMFORTABLE?"
"Twilight, no-one is ordering anyone around here! Please, we just came to talk to you! We know you´re in trouble and want to help!"
"HELP? HOW COULD A FARMER AND A DRESS-MAKER HELP ME? WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND OF MY SITUATION"
Her voice was so loud enough to hurt both of the earthbound ponies. Rarity had already slumped down on the ground, and was trying to cover her ears with her hooves. The mare next to her was still stubbornly standing with a determined expression on her face.
"Mebbe y´all are right an we don´t unnerstan wha´s goin on with ya. But won´t ya just let us try? That´s wha friends ah for!"
"FRIENDS?"
"Ain´t that wha ah´v just said? We came to see if y´all was alright an find out wha happened here. And where´d all tha workers go?"
"THEY ARE GONE."
"Whaddya mean 'gone'? Whatcha go an do Twalaight!?"
"NOT HERE ANY MORE. SCREAMING AND PANICKING LIKE LITTLE FOALS, WHEN I WAS DOING THEIR WORK FOR THEM. DISRUPTING. CRYING ALL ABOUT THEIR WORRIES AND FEARS. I MADE THEM GO AWAY. DISAPPEAR "
"Please! It hurts! Please don´t shout!"
"Twalaight! What tha hay´ve you done!"
"YOU ARE NOT WORTH MY TIME! SPEAKING TO YOU IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE TO ME!"
Twilight Sparkle once again summoned the energy she´d stored in her horn. With a brilliantly bright purple flash of magic she was gone again. Unlike her normal Sparkleport, it was not followed by a buzzing sound, but the crack of air filling a vacuum all too abruptly.
Rarity could only hear a small falsetto whine in her ears. No other sound came through. She tried to get up but found she had no balance to support her, even with four hooves. Applejack was next to her, trying to shout at her, but she couldn´t hear the words. All she saw was the panic on her palomino friend´s face. The farmpony was pointing at her ears and making hurried gestures. Rarity put a hoof to her ear and was shocked to see it covered in blood. She tried asking for help, for her friend to make everything alright. She couldn´t hear the answers, but could feel her starting to push her yellow mane under her barrel. She was hoisted up on Applejack´s back like a sack of apples. Hardly a way to treat a lady, but for once she said nothing about it. Only thing she said was a short "Thank you." She felt a hoof pat her on the shoulder comfortingly. She was safe and being taken care of. With a long sigh she drifted off into unconsciousness.
Applejack'd been running the whole way, and was really starting to feel the weight on her back. Her legs felt heavy, and the town didn't seem to be getting any closer. It was really hard to know exactly how far she'd run because of the gray dust covering everything like fog. Somepony might find it ironic, that the Element Of Honesty was very good at lying to herself. She'd never admit it to herself, but she hated being alone. Always living so close with her family and friends, she'd really started hating the moments in her life where there was no-one else near her. Even now she felt so lost and hopeless, carrying her injured friend in the grayness. The world was devoid of shadows, as the sun was only visible as a slightly brighter spot in the sky. She´d walked this road countless times, but it had never felt this unfamiliar. She had to concentrate on what was important:
Keep her friend safe.
Get her well.
Still she was losing her composure with every step. The weight of a full-grown pony on her back had felt manageable. Not any more. She had to let Rarity slide down gently to the roadside to catch a breath. The dust in the air burned in her eyes, making them water. She sat down next to her, gently petting her friends ruffled mane. Rarity was always so prissy about her mane, and now it was all clumped and tangled. She was breathing quietly, like she was asleep.
After a few minutes, Applejack tried to stand up. For some reason, she couldn't get her body to move as she willed. She´d lost all the strength in her mighty legs, and they felt like rubber. It was tiredness, the stress of the situation, the loneliness. She had to admit it to herself: She couldn't go on.
It felt ridiculous for the usual determinator to lack the energy to even walk a familiar road. She was supposed to be the one for everypony to lean on to, but who could she lean on when she needed help? There was always somepony near to snap her out of it. Dash with her taunts, urging her to surpass herself. Rarity to tell her how her simple thinking and ways was uncouth. Even when she´d tried to buck the whole apple harvest by herself two years ago, she´d had everyone there to catch her if she fell. But not this time. Twilight was gone, Rarity was down for the count, and the gray air clung to her sweaty sides like mud. It must have been the grayness that did it. The monotone gray that separated her from her friends and family. It was like a wall had been put in front of her. She felt a large lump rising up her throat, making it harder and harder for her to breathe. With an unfamiliar quiver in her voice, she first spoke, and after a few tries shouted: "HELP! Somepony! Anypony! Please!"
When the two pegasi appeared in her vision after a long while, she could only smile weakly. The two streaks of colour against the monochrome background felt like two small points of happiness and security to her. Her two closest pegasus friends had found her, and she wasn't alone with her burden any more. They soon converged around her, one hovering just above the ground pulling up her goggles, the other landing softly next to the them with a worried expression on her face.
"Uhm ... hello? Are you all ri—"
"Hey, Rarity! Aren't you afraid of getting dirty from lying in the mud?"
"RAINBOW DASH! Stop that righ' now. She's hurt real bad 'cos o Twalaight and we gotta get her to tha hospital an fast!"
The mirth on the blue mare's face was quickly replaced by worry. Before she could continue, Fluttershy had already gone to her injured friend.
"Oh my! What happened? She´s bleeding from her ears? Oh this can´t be good ..."
"Yeah that Twalaight ain't well in ta head. It´s even worse than last time an that was real bad back then."
"Are you telling me that the egghead librarian hurt Rarity? I can't believe this!"
"Ah don think it was on purpose or anythin. Ah'll tell y'all bout it when we find tha others. RD can ya fly her to a doctor?"
"Of course. But I need Flutters to help. I could of course do it all by my own but the going would be too rough. You OK on your own?"
Applejack was almost ready to say no, but seeing her friends had given her a new burst of energy. Everything was going to work out alright again, now that her friends were here.
"Wha do ah look like to ya? Ahm ah some lost schoolfilly, or a proud member of tha Apple family? Now you two jus mosey on to tha hospital and we'll meet up at tha library after. Ah'm sure that´s where we´ll be findin Twalaight."
"You got it. Cya!"
Being alone didn't feel really as bad when you knew your friends would be there for you in a pinch. But it was often hard to remember. With a determined shake, AJ started for the town at full gallop.
Twilight was going over a checklist in her cellar.
-Get cider. Check
There were several barrels of it, stamped with the Apple family seal in the corner. It was wonderful how much free stuff you could get with a basic knowledge of the lay of Sweet Apple Acres, and some well placed Sparkleports.
-Get candy and other goodies. Check
She looked approvingly at the new shelf she´d installed. It had previously been a part of the Sugarcube Corner.
-Go to Zecora´s and get the rest of the Best. Pills. EVER. Check.
The look on the zebra's face had been priceless when she appeared next to the shelf, stole the pills and disappeared, all in a matter of seconds.
-Kick Spike out. "Well he wasn´t here so I guess that's close enough ..." Check
-Throw some bits out the door with the Want-It-Need-It spell cast on them. Check
Luckily she couldn't hear the commotion down here. It was a market day after all.
-Close all doors and windows with magic. Check.
-Make sure to mark the places where the traps are in a way only you know so you don´t accidentally step into them yourself. Check.
-Set up several nasty teleportation traps inside the library. Check
She wasn't really sure what had happened there. Moving on ...
-Put up a forcefield around the library. Check.
-Move the bed to the cellar lab. Check.
-Start reading a forbidden tome of ancient knowledge. Check.
After a while she had to return to the checklist, and add one more item:
-Profit. Check.