Within and Without

by Cloudy Skies

Chapter 15

Before long, the carriages ground to a complete halt. Princess Luna appeared entirely calm and collected as she opened the door and stepped outside, leaving Twilight and Rarity to follow. The ponies in the other carriage had also disembarked, quickly joining up with the three of them.

The princess took the simplest approach to investigating, squeezing between their transports and the edge of the moon bridge. The others followed in single file, all of them coming to stand before the team harnessed to their front-most carriage.

The bridge Twilight and Luna had created disappeared seamlessly into one of the piers of a marina at the water's edge. Small leisure crafts were tied to the wooden piers, and behind the mess of walkways, masts and sails waited the city proper with its mass of tall buildings. What had been a single inseparable hazy glow from the opposite shore now revealed itself as thousands of individual lights, be they globes, window-lights or signs that gaudily advertised goods and services.

Of rather more immediate concern than the city of Clopenhagen itself was what Rarity had described as their "welcoming committee". The carriage teams had been forced to stop near the terminus of the bridge. On the broad main pier of the Clopenhagen Marina stood hundreds of ponies, all straining to see the cause of this strange phenomenon, many of them taking pictures. In front of the crowd, occupying the smaller pier where the ethereal moonlight bridge ended its journey across the waters of Lake Joy, about four dozen rather more distinct ponies waited.

White, golden-armored earth ponies prevented passage, standing in a wall two lines deep. Behind these, a full dozen of grey unicorn guards stood at the ready, flanked overhead by two groups of pegasus guardponies. When Pinkie Pie trotted up to stand at Luna's side as the last of them to come forwards, the guards were already stirring a little. The notoriously stone-faced stallions were glancing at each other, as if unsure how to deal with the situation.

"Um, what is happening?" Fluttershy asked, taking a step back.

"We are waiting to see what happens," Luna replied. "I am of course pleased to see that the Guard is diligent here in Clopenhagen, but I suspect we will not be standing here for much longer." The princess was speaking loud enough for the guardsponies to hear, and the pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns all shifted nervously. The two groups, princess and elements on the moon bridge and the guard units on the pier were no more than ten strides apart.

"Why are they stopping us?" Pinkie Pie asked, simply.

"Their duty is to protect," Luna said, smiling at the pink pony. Lowering her voice, she quietly added, "I could of course tell them to stand down, but I do not want to upstage the guard commander."

On cue, the ranks parted, admitting a single stallion to the fore. He looked like any grey unicorn guard pony except for a large plume on his helmet. The newcomer took up position at the front of the formation, eyes wide as saucers as he stared at the princess, whispering something under his breath.

"Sir?" one of the closest guards asked, nudging the plumed officer with a loud clatter of armor against armor.

The officer pony shook his head briskly, snapping out of it, whatever it was. He stamped the ground and went rigid, head held high as he raised his voice. "Hail Princess Luna! Hail the night! All bow before her majesty, the sovereign of the night!" the commander roared. The assembled guardsponies all bowed low, the pegasi dipping their heads as they hovered. Seconds later, the ranks parted and the grounded ponies stood to the side.

"Told you this would be fun," one of the ponies pulling the lead carriage muttered to another, grinning hugely as they were allowed passage.

"Thank you, commander," Luna said, nodding curtly as the procession began moving, the seven mares now walking ahead of the pack rather than getting back into their transports. The wooden wheels were loud against the boards of the pier, the carriages rattling with every step. The entire guard force remained stationary as they moved past the parting crowd and into the streets of the city proper. Cameras were flashing non-stop, and Rainbow Dash did her best to pose as they went, the effect somewhat ruined by Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down and waving at everypony.

Even during the night, the city of Clopenhagen was sleepless. Like a particularly bright and gaudy insomniac, the streets bathed in sounds and sights at the darkest hours. When they left behind the lake shore and walked the streets of the metropolis, the city-dwelling ponies were still out in force everywhere, hanging out around nightclubs and bars and refusing to let silence settle for even one second. Without the surroundings of their rather remarkable entrance, very few ponies seemed to notice their passing. Whether it was intoxication, darkness or disbelief Twilight couldn't tell, but whatever the reasons, Luna led the way and they were undisturbed.

Twilight had never before visited Clopenhagen, and it was easy to note the differences and similarities between the southwestern metropolis and Canterlot. The buildings here were often over ten stories tall, reaching for the very sky, but there was litter in the streets – something that would be unthinkable in Canterlot. As they passed by the clubs and pubs into a market district, Twilight noted how many of the stores used bright neon-colored lights to advertise their wares, too. Canterlot was almost understated in comparison, given to baroque grandeur in its extremes, where Clopenhagen flaunted itself for all its worth in every way imaginable like a filly with a new bow tie.

"The guards really like you," Pinkie chirped, hopping over a trash can on the sidewalk they followed. "It's like you have friends everywhere you go, that's really sweet!"

"It all comes with being a princess, I suppose," Rarity chuckled, but Twilight snagged at the thought, suppressing a little gasp as she realized something.

"No, you’re forgetting something. It doesn’t ‘come with being a princess’," Twilight protested, earning a few odd looks from her friends. Luna looked at her as they walked. There it was again, that pleased smile that Twilight sometimes earned from sister, the pride that she usually associated with Celestia. The smile that made her entire being soar.

Twilight forced herself to focus. "You were an unknown until recently, Luna. Princess Celestia sent out messengers telling of your return the very second you were, um," she paused, unsure of how to say it. "Returned to us? Does that work?"

Luna shrugged and nodded. "It will do, and you have the right of it."

"Guards swear the oath behind closed doors as they enter service,” Twilight said. “Longleap back at the fortress said he was sworn to both of you, and he had been in the guard for over a year!" the purple unicorn exclaimed. "They- the royal guard. They always knew? They always swore their service to you both? All these years?"

The princess nodded once more, pausing at an intersection to let an elaborate carriage pulled by a team of six pass by.

"But-what, why, how?" Twilight sputtered. "A thousand year old secret that only they knew? Nopony except Celestia and the guard?"

"As keen as your observational skills are, and as clever as you may be, Twilight, you are missing one very important point," the alicorn princess chuckled, her gaze distant. "Why would I know? This is all Celestia's doing."

"You're clearly thinkin' you know," Applejack commented. "Got a 'theory', Ah reckon."

"I think it is as simple as Celly not wanting to sit on the secret alone," Luna mused. "It sounds presumptuous, perhaps, but we share a strong bond. Resetting the calendar and wiping out any mention of my existence must have been grim work for her. She needed somepony to confide in, then, and the guard is an organization older than recorded history. In fact, they were the first to start recording events."

"Resetting-, wiping-" Twilight stammered. When she thought about it, it was almost blindingly obvious. What else could she say? Finding even the smallest hints on the topic of Luna and the Mare in the Moon before her return had taken a dedicated effort. The few volumes that discussed the night goddess in detail were books she'd never found outside the royal library, and even then, only after her return. Had Princess Celestia really done that?

"At any rate, I do not know, nor have I had the time to ask just yet, but the oaths have been unchanged for over two millennia, yes," Luna confirmed.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, and indeed, Twilight too had noticed that the princess was moving with purpose.

"Ah yes, well, before I left Canterlot I read about a hotel that was recently condemned and taken over by the local authorities after some sort of financial trouble," Luna said. "I thought we might stay there. My intent was to confirm that, then head to the Clopenhagen Opera House."

"I do believe they call their opera The Sublime," Rarity corrected the princess, raising an eyebrow. "And, do you intend for us to stay like squatters in a condemned building?"

"Not at all. The building is being refurbished, but it should be partially functional by now I think," Luna said with a grin, indicating a nearby building by pointing with her horn. Wedged between two larger buildings, a tall and narrow six-story building hid in shadow, its windows all dark. The sign above it was apparently a work in progress, for the moment simply declaring the building to be "The Grand".

"Functional nothin’. It’s closed!" Applejack said as they came to stop before the elaborate doors of the silent building.

"Well, yes, I must admit I did not plan for us to arrive in the dead of night," Luna admitted, approaching and tentatively rapping on the door with a telekinetic burst.

"Plan?" Fluttershy asked. "Um, what do you mean?"

Applejack's ears perked up at this too, as if 'plan' had become a very dirty word indeed. She was glaring at Luna, whose smile simply grew wider as a light was turned on in the ground floor of the hotel.

"Perhaps plan is not the proper word. A precaution, then," Luna amended her own words.

Before anypony else could ask further questions, they picked up the distinct sound of hoofsteps from behind the door, clearly audible even through the muted din of the city around them. The door slowly opened, and the bells affixed to a nightcap prefaced a familiar pegasus face in peering out through the gap in the door.

"Uh, hi, sorry, we're not open-" Winter Sun began, her head at the level of Luna's chest and her eyes half-closed.

"Ooo, Winter!" Pinkie cheered.

"Oh," Twilight said.

"Oh hi!" Winter Sun exclaimed, grinning hugely. The white pegasus mare nudged the double doors open and yawned. "Come in, come in. I was wondering when you'd show up. I mean, not that I'm exactly lonely, but you know, carpenters and all those ponies? Not great talkers!"

"Uh, mind filling us in?" Twilight asked as they stepped inside a small but elegant lobby with a stone-tiled floor, plush sofas and a magical chandelier in the roof which brightly illuminated the room. Winter Sun nodded as she trotted behind the reception desk of the lobby, her voice muffled as she dove under the counter.

"Didn't Princess Luna tell you? She, um, well, the letter she told me to deliver, that's kinda what happened. Turns out she asked the city council to sign this place over to me. I had to take a bit of a loan to cover for the work I'm having done, but, um," Winter's head popped back up, and she let a set of keys fall from her mouth onto the counter. The pale pegasus looked over at Luna, staring in silence for a few seconds. The princess tilted her head slightly.

"You know, I have no idea what I can do to repay you, princess. You didn't owe me anything. I still don't understand why you'd do this."

"I take it this means you did not read the letter, then," Luna said.

"It wasn't for me," Winter said, scratching her snout with a hoof. "They councilmare I talked to said it asked me to prepare for a visit soon, and I can add two and two together, but-"

"I was counting on the inquisitive nature of most ponies, which is why I did not seal it," the princess said with a chuckle. "I apologize, you have not missed much, but the long and short of it is that I do feel it is deserved, and that it is not just a charitable act. I do expect I will have the use of a suite whenever I am in Clopenhagen."

"Ah, but being Princess Luna's favored staying place, that'll be terrible for business," Winter giggled. "No, seriously. Thank you, princess."

"Think no more of it," Luna concluded. "We should go find the opera, but I am sure we will return soon enough."

"The opera's nearby, just down the road. You can leave your bags here and I'll get them up to your rooms. The keys work for the front door too," Winter said with a nod. "Not that I see why it can't wait until tomorrow, I mean, the opera is closed, doesn't open until late in the afternoon I think?"

"I am awfully tired, I must admit. If it is closed, what's the point?" Rarity asked, looking up at the princess.

"Yeah, I could do with a nap," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"You may of course stay. Most likely nothing will come of this," Luna said, nodding at the reluctant and sleepy ponies. Twilight was not so easily convinced, however.

"But you have a hunch," the unicorn stated.

"Ooh. That changes it. I'm in!" Pinkie said, rubbing her eyes and perking up.

"Hunch? Well, I am actually not quite certain whether it is an educated prophetic 'hunch' or a more mundane helplessness of the desperate kind," the princess admitted with a wan smile. "I must be losing my touch."

Twilight quickly shed her saddlebags, leaving them on the sofa. One by one, the other ponies did the same and stood ready to go, though Rainbow Dash gave the very same sofa a longing look. Rarity and Fluttershy took one of the keys each, and the group was back out on the street after saying their goodbyes to the sleepy pegasus hotel owner.

"You gave her a hotel," Rainbow Dash said the second they were out. The pegasus gaped.

"I requested that the local authorities sign it over, but I suppose I did, yes," Luna agreed, craning her neck to look down the street. "I think it is down here."

"Can you even do that? Or, wait, you can do anything, pretty much, right? Why- but you haven't!" Rainbow Dash fumbled, trying to get the words out straight. "I just, you haven't done anything like this before! Why now, and why not? Can I have a hotel too?"

Luna grinned and looked over at the colorful pegasus flying at her side. "Because, Rainbow Dash, generosity is not about giving everypony what they want. It is about giving them what they need, when they need it. I was sincere when I said it was not charity, and I am certain Clopenhagen will be a better city with Winter’s little establishment. I do not doubt you would make an interesting hotel manager, though."

Turning a corner by a closed café, the opera house that went by the name of The Sublime bared itself to them. In the middle of a large and neatly kept garden of low hedges and rose bushes stood a massive building shaped out of multiple arcs and domes. In the relative darkness, illuminated only by the nearby streetlamps, The Sublime looked positively otherworldly. Even Luna paused for a second before she picked her way through the garden. Soon, they began ascending the wide staircase that led to the multiple sets of front doors.

"Excuse me, ladies, but the opera is currently closed," came a voice from the shadows. A unicorn valet stepped forth from a small booth built into the wall at the top of the stairs. The speaker was a rather impassive grey stallion wearing a formal hat.

"We assumed as much," Luna said. "All the same, can you tell us if any of the opera house staff is currently inside?"

The valet raised an eyebrow, and Twilight had to believe he thought the princess was wearing a costume, that this was a sort of hoax. If not, he had the best poker face she had ever seen.

"I am sorry, you will find the opera house mostly empty this time of night, except for... special arrangements." The valet allowed himself a small, cold smile. "If you and your little act would like to reserve a time slot for practice-"

Twilight cut in, quickly. Luna was beginning to frown, and it looked like an incident might occur any moment. "Who would we talk to about that if there's nopony here?"

Rarity narrowed her eyes at the stallion, answering for him. "Why, of course, the opera staff would be far too busy to deal with something like this during off-hours. I am certain our friend here is happy to let us in, to have the use of the stage for a little while. If we pay him."

"Astute observation. Of course, if you don't like the idea, I feel compelled to mention you have no proof," the valet chuckled, giving the assembled mares a dismissive look. "What is this, some sort of all-mare musical?"

"Yes!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily. "Most of the time, anyway. Not so much lately," she pouted. “Though I thought my ‘Luna is boring and we ain’t got no magical rockets’ number was pretty good.”

Twilight glanced at the princess again, who was giving the valet a murderous but thankfully normal and non-magical glare. She rushed to fill the silence. "Ah, well, we don't exactly have a show, no, and we're very sorry for bothering you, so we'll just be on our way-"

"Um," Fluttershy interrupted. "Actually, perhaps you've seen a red unicorn mare?"

"After hours? She would want a crowd, surely," Rarity scoffed, but the valet lit up at their words.

"A red unicorn mare? May be that I have, may be that I haven't, but the pay here at the opera house isn't exactly enough to live the life I want, if you get my meaning," the stallion smirked.

"I don't think she ever really cared about the crowd, just about the performance and the stage," the timid pegasus muttered, peering up at the valet through her mane. "Would you please tell us if you’ve seen her?"

"Like I said, bits are a little tight these days," the stallion said, looking to the side and grinning devilishly as he held out a hoof. Fluttershy swallowed and withdrew to hide behind Pinkie Pie.

"Oh come on, you're gonna be like that?" Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to grind her nose against the valet's. "If Trixie was here, you tell Fluttershy right now!"

"Now, the problem is," the behatted gentlecolt said. "It's client-customer confidentiality at work here."

"Except your work is illegal!" Twilight groaned. "This isn't work, this is bribery!"

"I'm tempted to ask you to vacate the premises now, ladies. I'm sorry, but the opera is closed," the stallion sneered, drawing back from Rainbow Dash and taking a step towards his booth.

"Before we leave," Luna said, her voice crisp. "May I have a word?"

---

"So she paid you six hundred bits for the use of the stage, how long ago?" Luna asked the quivering stallion who led them through the quiet hallways at the back of the opera.

"Yes, your majesty," he said, gaze downcast and focused on the plush carpets they trod on. "Please understand, I see a lot of odd ponies in my line of work, I didn't realize you were-"

"Save it. I do not care for apologie. We have a task, and we are trying to see it through. After she paid you, what then?" the princess pressed. Twilight was listening intently, as did they all. The valet's voice was very thin indeed now that he realized exactly how much trouble he could be in.

"I led the poor wretch to the stage and said I'd be here to show her out in an hour. That would be around now, so she should still be here," he said. "My name is Red Carpet, your majesty. Please, I-"

Luna sighed. "I do not care. I am going to tell your superiors what we have learned, and I am going to tell them you have been helpful in assisting us in a matter of utmost importance. What they do with this is up to them. Can you not move any faster? And why the unkind description of our little unicorn mare?"

Red Carpet upped his pace a little, looking thoroughly defeated. "I'm sorry, old habits. No running in the hallways,” he muttered. “Anyway, I took her for a bum at first, frankly, but her money was good. You'll see soon, it's just through here, this is the side entrance to the main hall." he indicated a set of double doors with a nod of his head and opened them with a telekinetic nudge.

In the main hall of the opera, the rows of hundreds of seats were all empty, and the stage far down below was dark and bare. It was easy to imagine how grand this room would look when in use, plush red carpets and elaborate yet modern wooden carvings on every wall. As it was, desolate and dark, it seemed lonelier than any room had a right to be. Twilight thought she heard a noise in the distance.

"Does this place have a back entrance?" Twilight asked quickly. The noise could easily have been that of door slamming shut. The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that it was exactly what she had heard. The others perked up as well.

"I- yes, of course," Red Carpet said, looking a little confused. "I left her just here, I swear!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called. She didn't even need to explain herself. The pegasus launched herself through the air, over the seating and towards the stage. The others followed as quickly as they could, leaving the bewildered unicorn valet. Fluttershy took to wing, too, and flew with surprising speed after Rainbow Dash, a yellow and pink blur that followed the other pegasus behind the stage.

"Why is she running?" Rarity asked as they thundered down the aisle. Without a word, Luna bridged the orchestra pit with a luminescent arc, and they crossed over, heading backstage at a full gallop.

"Maybe she just loves hide and seek? Or maybe she was done anyway and thought she'd head out for a late night salad burger?" Pinkie asked, but she sounded more frightened than hopeful.

For what was thankfully the first time in her life, Twilight found herself looking for and following the emergency exit signs painted on the walls. The five ponies crowded the narrow hallways and Twilight found herself in the lead along with Luna. Soon, they came upon an open set of doors that let them out onto a street lined with brick buildings in the shadow of the opera house’s backside. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash hovered right outside the door.

"Lost her!" Rainbow Dash said. "So close."

"No," Luna said as she scanned the area. "Not this time. I am going to go to the nearest guard house and rouse the pegasi guards, get them out and looking. You look around here in case she is still nearby."

Twilight watched as the princess disappeared off into the night sky without another word, gone around the block with nary a backwards glance. She could only try to emulate her resolve, but fact was, this close to their goal, Twilight felt nervous for a million different reasons. She dreaded to think what they might find.

"Right," she finally managed, surveying the street and all the nearby intersections. "Let's split into teams. From what I can see, there are four major roads that split off from here."

"Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "Could you maybe be quiet for a moment please?"

"If we split the two of you up, Fluttershy and Rainbow, and take me and Rarity on different teams," Twilight continued, trying to think. The pegasi would be able to survey a greater area from the sky, and she was certain that Rarity knew a trick or two that could help, just like she did.

"Shh!" Fluttershy hissed, shutting the purple unicorn up. A moment later, there was a clatter from the nearest alley, just across the road. The ponies glanced at each other before they began walking in the general direction of the narrow thoroughfare wedged between tall buildings.

Fluttershy and Twilight were nearly at the entrance of the alley when a trash can fell over and a desperate, hoarse cry went out. Six ponies halted mid-step or -hover, frozen.

"Stay back! Let Trixie die alone."

Twilight's heart caught in her throat. Half hidden behind a pile of refuse and a fallen trash can, a dark red unicorn mare with a frazzled mane sat trying to hide, doing a terribly bad job of it. It was hard to think of her as Trixie; nothing fit. She was emaciated, rail-thin with her ribs clearly showing, and her breathing was labored. Predictably, but adding to the effect, she was a deep red. Her tail and mane were still white and light blue, but their hairs were frazzled and thin. Her sunken eyes regarded them suspiciously.

Last, being the chief cause of the ponies' alarm, Trixie was awkwardly holding a blade in her hooves, pointed at them. She squinted as she peered over at them, a look of horror spreading across her face. "Wait. It's you. No, not you!" Trixie stammered, shuffling a small distance away from the six friends. "Why the moon are you here?"

"She's got a knife," Fluttershy calmly commented in a low voice. The pegasus mare's eyes never once left Trixie's, and there was not a trace of fear in her. "Twilight? Can you take it from her?"

The red unicorn glanced about, suddenly wild-eyed like a cornered animal. "If Trixie sees so much as a glimmer of magic," Trixie impotently warned. Finding no solutions in the alley around her, she clumsily changed her grip on the knife, pointing it towards herself, resting the tip on her throat.

"No!" Fluttershy yelled, arresting her slow creep forwards. She held up a hoof. "We are trying to help! Why do you think you are dying? Talk to me!"

Trixie gave a hoarse laugh riddled with hacking coughs. It went on for so long that Twilight briefly considered trying to snatch the knife while she was distracted, but she didn't want to take the risk. The opportunity was gone in a second. When Trixie finished, she looked bitter and tired.

"You think to help, and you don't even know? Trixie has been dying for a long time, but she's tired of fighting it," Trixie said. "Why are you even here? It's all your fault." The last words were said without much conviction. It sounded like a worn line spoken out of habit.

"Fluttershy told you, we're here to help, you haybrain!" Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes. The pegasus had alighted next to Fluttershy and crinkled her nose. "Ew, what's that smell?"

"Dash, leave it," Fluttershy whispered.

"Trixie, please, put that knife down. We know what you did, where you went," Twilight implored. The broken unicorn was a sad sight indeed, and she could only shake her head at the sight. "We have Princess Luna with us. I'm sure she can help you. You... lost your magic, didn't you?"

"Princess Luna," Trixie said, her mouth hanging open for a few seconds before curving into a sour and unpleasant grin. "Of course she's with you. You'd never go anywhere without a princess to hold your hoof. Trixie has read all about you now, Twilight Sparkle. Spoiled brat."

"You take that back," Rainbow Dash snarled, leaning forward and narrowing her eyes at Trixie. "Twilight is twice the unicorn you will ever be."

"You've had everything served to you on a silver platter all your life. You have never had to work for anything," Trixie spat, tears forming at the corners of her eyes, barely visible in the pre-dawn. "Trixie worked her horn raw to practice magic, but just because of your birth, you're given everything for free." She wiped her eyes with a hoof, and knife clattered to the ground.

"So now you're going to cry? And it's just Trixie now, not The Great and Powerful anymore, huh? Get off your flank and do something about it, then. Stop blaming others!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She'd drawn herself up and stood in front of Twilight and Fluttershy protectively.

"Be quiet, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy hissed, fixing the pegasus with a glare. "Just leave it, please! Don’t upset her!"

"Twilight worked hard for what she's got, too," Dash huffed, ignoring Fluttershy outright.

"Enough," Trixie sobbed, waving a hoof at Rainbow Dash. "Why can't you just leave Trixie alone. Trixie is done. Trixie failed, leave-" she drew a few deep, wheezing breaths and leaned over the trash can between them. "Leave Trixie alone."

With a shuddering breath, Trixie closed her eyes and went limp. The trash can rolled out from under her, and she hit the ground with a muted thud. Fluttershy was already galloping over to her at full tilt. The yellow pegasus immediately set to turning the fallen pony over on her side. The others slowly approached, everypony quiet save for Rainbow Dash who hovered over Trixie.

"Whoa, she's not dead, is she? Oh crap. What just happened?" she asked, leaning in close to look at the perfectly still unicorn mare.

"Rainbow Dash, give me some space, please," Fluttershy said through gritted teeth as she put her ear to Trixie's mouth. "Move."

"Hey, let me help! What can I..." Dash began, landing next to Trixie and Fluttershy, but her voice trailed off as she noticed Fluttershy looking straight at her. The yellow mare's whole body was shaking, and her lips trembled in a farce of a smile.

"The one time in my life I want you gone is when you actually stay?" Fluttershy said, her voice quavering. "You're usually so good at abandoning ponies when they need you, but now you're in my way, how funny is that? Go. Away."

Twilight was not the only one staring in stunned silence. The voice and words both were worlds removed from what anypony expected of the usually demure pegasus. Rainbow Dash's wings went limp as they all watched Fluttershy carefully slip her snout under Trixie, getting the unconscious pony onto her back. Fluttershy gingerly began picking her way past the quiet, staring ponies.

"I'm heading back to the hotel," Fluttershy announced, her voice hollow and dead. Without looking back, she set off down the street as fast as she could manage. Nopony moved to follow her. It was Applejack who spoke up first. The farm pony had been entirely quiet so far.

"What's she on about?" Applejack asked, speaking slowly and articulating every word very carefully. It sounded odd with her usual drawl. "Rainbow Dash? What's up, sugarcube?"

"I thought we were okay," Dash said, swallowing audibly. Her eyes were on the rapidly shrinking form of Fluttershy disappearing in the distance. "She said we were okay!"

Rainbow Dash took off and looked like she was about to chase after Fluttershy. She barely made it off the ground before Applejack had her tail in her mouth and yanked her back down to the ground, giving the frustrated and annoyed pegasus a determined shake of her head.

"Um, Dashie, perhaps you'd better leave her alone for a little while," Pinkie suggested, walking over to nuzzle the pegasus. "You mentioned something happened at flight school?"

"I seem to recall you saying something like that earlier, Rainbow Dash. You had a spat?" Rarity asked.

Twilight, as the only one who sat on the full story, felt her heart sink a little. Should she have spoken up sooner? She had sworn to secrecy on the subject, but it wasn't the first time she'd been forced to watch friends tear each other apart over secrets like this.

"I told you," Dash said, neither retreating from Pinkie's affectionate attention nor reciprocating it. "It's no big deal. I used to feel bad about leaving her at flight school, but she's spent the entire journey so far trying to convince me to stop worrying about it." The pegasus looked around at all her friends. "The second I actually listen and believe her when she says she's okay, this happens. Scratch that, I don't even know what the hay happened!"

"Left her?" Rarity repeated, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean 'left her'? You went to flight school together, right?"

"Uh yeah. Thought she'd told you? It's not like it's a secret. Well, I guess I haven't told anypony, but, um," Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I kind of left mid-semester during the last year, yeah, and I didn't come back."

Rarity's mouth hung open in a very unladylike fashion. Her voice was a whisper, disbelieving. "She never said. Fluttershy only told me you went to flight school together, and that you helped her a lot. She admired you, looked up to you. Trusted you, and..." she trailed off, her mouth working wordlessly.

"I was just trying to help her," Dash said, spreading her wings defensively. "I don't know why she'd lie to you though. I mean, that's just silly. Like I said, it's not a secret!"

"You idiot!" Rarity shot. "She was being nice again, as always! Did she ever tell you what happened to her parents? Have you ever met them?" Dash shook her head, uncomprehending.

Twilight suddenly felt a little sick. The bookish unicorn didn't want to carry even the smallest secret any more. "Fluttershy told me about flight school, too. Right after we left," Twilight admitted. "She... said she didn't want Dash to beat herself up over it, but it's clear she's been bottling it up. What happened?"

"Her father left her! When she was a little filly, her father abandoned Fluttershy and her mother," Rarity explained, resting a hoof on her forehead. "You did the worst thing you could possibly have done! How the moon could you think you were helping?!" Rarity yelled, the anger in her voice staggering the multi-hued pegasus.

"I-" Dash began, her face a mask of absolute terror. "I didn't know! She never told me! I... how was I supposed to know? I just wanted her to stand on her own four hooves and not be so dependent on me!"

Rarity sighed and deflated a little, all her fury spent. She sat down heavily on the sidewalk, shaking her head. "I don't know. I'm sorry for yelling at you, Rainbow Dash. Of course you couldn't have known. If you did, you never would have done it."

"Never mind that! What do I do?" Dash asked, clearly on the verge of panic. She looked back and forth between all her friends present.

"Whatever we are going to do 'bout it," Applejack said, stressing the plural. "It begins with going to find Fluttershy and Trixie, and Ah'd suggest we get right on that. In case you're all forgetting, Trixie ain't exactly on top of the world, either."

Comments

[temerarii pulsat]

useless worthless stupid pathetic fluttershy

[Seraphimus]

whatever hit trixie is somehow affecting Flutter Shy. only explanation I can think of for that outburst. I mean really... if she was still that upset about what happened Even someone as kind as fluttershy wouldn't be going out of her way to make Dash feel better about it. she'd just not discuss it.

... then again I guess she Did just not discuss it, it was RD who worried and stressed about it and being Fluttershy she'd... Probably just blow it off, act like it was nothing.