Chapter 27 – A Day with Twilight Sparkle
Chapter 27 – A Day with Twilight Sparkle
Two Months Remaining…
~ Late of April (36th Week) ~
As the sun begins to a make its appearance to signify the start of a brand, new day, Rainbow Dash and her husband, Ford Mustang, are waiting at Ponyville’s train station for the first train to arrive. And comparing the two Pegasus on how they handle themselves when it comes to sunrises, Ford is as fresh as a daisy while Rainbow is barely awake in all of this.
“Thanks again for accompanying me to the train station, Mustang.” she says to him after letting a mighty yawn. “It’s a bit of a pain for me to wake this early in the morning.”
“No problem, angel.” he replies with a smile. “It’s pretty understandable considering on what you have in mind for Twilight today.”
“Sigh… yeah, this would be so much easier if I was allowed to fly instead.” she adds with a mild groan over that self-reminder.
Suddenly, they hear a sharp whistle from the far distance, and they see the expected train approaching from the horizon. With the sight of the oncoming train, Rainbow shifts into a perky smile upon its arrival. “Ah, finally! Well, I’ll be heading off to Canterlot soon.”
“Hold on a minute, Rainbow Dash.” He stops her with a soft tug of her multicolored tail. “We need to talk about something first.”
“Well, what is it?” she asks in slight annoyance.
“When are we going to visit your father?”
From that soft yet firm inquiry, Rainbow’s eyes widen upon that reminder as she begins to tense up before answering in a shaky tone, “S-soon. Very soon, I can guarantee that.”
“I would feel a whole lot better if you can decide a good time for me.” he insists with a small, gentle smile.
“And we will, maybe… tomorrow, alright?”
Knowing full well that his wife is trying to avoid this conversation, Ford drops his smile and shakes his head while sternly pressing this matter even further. “No, Rainbow. We need to decide now. I know you’re scared to tell him yourself, but we can’t delay this any further--!”
“Hey, I’m not scared about that!” she snaps in defense.
“Bull crap! You’ve been at this for a while now!” he retorts back before providing examples to his claim. “You haven’t responded to any of his letters since your first ultrasound! And every time I asked you about this, you pushed that aside by distracting yourself with other matters in mind! You’ve already shared this with your closest friends, so tell me why you are so hesitant about this?!”
Feeling back into a corner, Rainbow sharply turns her head around as if she was looking for a way to escape this inevitable conversation. Despite how empty the train station is, she has nowhere to go, and she aimlessly looks down at the ground while struggling to collect her thoughts before responding. But as she hesitates from fessing up to her own fears, her squinted eyes desperately hold back any tears that could leak out of them as she confesses out loud.
“Because I can’t stand the thought on having my dad go through with this all over again, that’s why!”
As her stallion remains startled from her emotional outburst, Rainbow pauses for a couple of seconds before continuing in a more somber tone, “My daddy has done so much for me ever since mom passed away just when I was born! How am I supposed to him that his one and only daughter is going to die in a matter of months?!” she shouts rhetorically as her overwhelming tears make their escape. And after taking a moment to clear up most of her sniveling, she then adds in a soft whimper, “I just… don’t want to hurt him.”
Ford feels terrible for causing his wife to cry so sincerely like that. So he wraps his big, blue wing around the mare and brings her in for a warm, comforting hug before apologizing to her in a gentle manner.
“I’m sorry for putting so much pressure on you like that, Rainbow. But please believe me, it will be easier for all of us if we share this with Turbo Dash as soon as possible. You understand that, right?”
And after looking into Ford’s soft, turquoise eyes, Rainbow finishes her sniffling as she softly nods to his suggestion. “Y-you’re… you’re right. I rather tell him sooner than later.”
From their conversation, the Pegasi barely notice that the train has just arrived, and the steam engine gets their attention by letting out a blaring whistle. Once she gets back on track on why she’s here in the first place, Rainbow turns back to Ford and speaks once again, “Look, I’m gonna miss the train if I don’t get to Canterlot in time. Let’s… discuss this tomorrow morning, okay?”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
With a soft sigh, Ford nods with a contented smile, “Okay then. Tomorrow it is. Well then, have fun on your trip, angel.” he bids his farewell with an affectionate kiss on the lips.
“Thanks. See you later tonight, Mustang.” she replies with a grin before entering the passenger car adjacent to her.
With all of the passengers secured, the train lets out one more whistle before making its departure. With the locomotive picking up speed, Rainbow Dash looks out of her window and waves goodbye to her husband as he does the same for her. Eventually, the passenger train is out of Ford’s sight, and he casually takes off from the platform.
But as he hovers in mid-air, he stops suddenly as he pauses on where he should head off to next. Normally, he would go home or hang out with friends, but with a new thought in mind, he takes it into great consideration before making his decision. With his mind made up, Mustang resumes his flying with a greater burst of speed as he heads in the opposite direction of his home…
…where Cloudsdale lies up ahead.
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An hour or so later, and Rainbow Dash makes it to the kingdom of Canterlot. And once she asked enough ponies on where she may find Twilight Sparkle, she makes her way to the most likely place on where to find her nerdy friend: the royal library.
After she quietly opens the massive door, Rainbow gasps briefly on how massive the exclusive library is. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of bookshelves tower at such extraordinary heights like the skyscrapers in Manehatten. The extremely spacious room is divided up into five floors, which can by ascended by the various staircases. To Rainbow, it feels more like a labyrinth rather than an ordinary library.
As she explores the ground floor, she tries to figure out on where’s the best place to find Twilight. And knowing on how diligent and absent-minded the princess can be over her studies, Rainbow seeks to try the study rooms first. And thanks to her hunch earlier, she finds a row of study rooms lined up at one end of the library.
With a peek at the only occupied room at the time, Rainbow grins with success over the location of Princess Twilight Sparkle. And as expected, the studious Alicorn is completely focused on her latest reading material as her room is cluttered with stacks of books. And to Dash’s surprise, there is a luxurious bed nearby, making the study room more like a cozy bedroom than anything else.
“There you are, Twilight!” the Pegasus greets with a broad smile, “Heh, I thought I would never find you in this maze of a library!”
Alarmed by her friend’s sudden appearance, Twilight yelps in surprise as she swiftly closes up her latest book, “Ah! Rainbow Dash!” What a nice surprise to see you here!”
“Hitting the books as usual, I see.” she grins knowingly.
“You know me.” Twilight chuckles awkwardly.
“So… whatcha reading?”
“Ooh… just some research, that’s all.”
Rainbow leans closer to examine the books herself. From their titles and illustrated covers, most of them focus on various cities in Equestria and locations outside their country.
“Seems to me that you’ve got big plans for the whole world.” she states over her quick analysis.
“Well, as a princess, it should be my duty to establish international relations with other countries as well as extend my friendship to them. So I make it my priority to learn as much about their culture as possible.”
“Hmm… makes sense, I guess.” she nods casually before informing Twilight with renewed excitement. “Anyway, did you hear the exciting news on what’s been going at Applewood lately?”
“What, another movie in production?”
“Oh, not just any movie!” Dash states with a wide, cryptic smile. “It’s actually a serial film, and it’s going to be so awesome once they hit theaters!”
“Well, what’s the film called?” Twilight asks with piqued interest on the film’s identity.
“Only the best film adaptation ever!” Rainbow answers with an uncontrollable grin.
“Is it a musical film?”
“No.”
“Hmm… a detective series?”
“No.”
“Ooo! The legendary chronicles of Star Swirl the Bearded?!” Twilight makes her final guess with a broad smile and pupil-swollen eyes that sparkle immensely.
With a light chuckle over her friend’s wild guessing, Rainbow answers with an enthusiastic grin, “No, Twilight! They’re going to put Daring Do on the big screens!”
From the mention of their favorite book series being adapted on film, the Alicorn’s pupils shrink drastically as she barely comprehends the phenomenal news. So once she regains her senses, she stumbles over her incredulity, “Daring Do is going to premiere in motion pictures?! H-how did I miss hearing about that?!”
“And you call yourself a Daring Do fan, Twilight. For shame.” Rainbow mocks lightly with an amusing smirk as she shakes her head before getting back on track on what’s in stored for today. “But yeah, get this! You and me are going to take a trip to Applewood today and get exclusive access to the upcoming film’s set! And from what I heard regarding with their props, they use authentic artifacts provided by the museums, which may have some historical value to them.” she states that with a sly smile as she knows it will greatly entice the lovable bookworm’s fascination with history.
As Dash expected, Twilight Sparkle shakes in great anticipation as she could barely contain her growing smile. But then, she stops her juddering all of a sudden as her smile is reduced into an impassive frown.
With her eyes averting away from Rainbow Dash’s, the young Alicorn Princess gently declines the Pegasus’s offer, “Oh… I-I really would love to go, really I do! But I’ve got so much work to do ahead of me.”
Unwilling to buy that excuse, Rainbow asks with a skeptical eyebrow, “And how long have you been stuck here?”
“Uhh… maybe an hour or so. I usually lose track of time sometimes.” Twilight admits sheepishly.
“Uh-huh. And why is there a bed in the middle of the library?” she deadpans even further as she points out the elephant in the room.
Once Twilight stares at the deluxe bed in her personalized study room, she replies in hesitation with an awkward smile, “For… naps in-between?”
“Okay, that’s it! You really need to get your nose out of those books and go outside some more!” Dash instructs sternly as she pushes the reluctant Twilight away from her recent studies.
“B-but what about my work?!” she stammers as she holds up one of the books with the use of her Alicorn Magic.
“That can wait!” Rainbow interjects sharply as she carelessly tosses the levitated book aside. “Besides, I don’t want us to miss our train to Applewood.”
“Oh there’s no need to catch a train, Rainbow. I could ask some of the guards to fly us over there--!” Abruptly, her mouth hangs out widely when she leaves her sentence unfinished before she breaks into a thrilling smile over a sudden idea in mind. “Ooo! Wait, I have a better idea!”
And before Rainbow gets the chance to ask on what’s got Twilight so excited, the anxious Alicorn teleports right away with her usual spell. And as the baffled Pegasus begins to wonder on where her friend has gone off to, Twilight immediately returns in a flash of light with a small chest levitated in her magical grasp.
Whilst floating in the princess’s magical, magenta aura, the chest opens up and reveals a pair of golden necklaces. Each of them has a turquoise sphere with its perpendicular lines intersecting with another like the latitudes and longitudes of a globe.
“Here put this on!” Twilight insists gleefully as she hands one of the necklaces to Rainbow Dash. “This is what I have been working on for a while!”
“Cool accessories, Twilight.” she says nonchalantly as she puts hers on. “But how will they help us get to Applewood?”
“These necklaces operate the same way as my teleportation spell.” Twilight explains as she puts her necklace on as well. “Except they are also capable for long-range. Basically, they can transport you to nearly any place in the world. Of course, I need to set the coordinates myself, but as luck would have it, I already inputted Applewood into its index as an example. Also, I made two of them so they will interlink with each other on whoever activates their necklace first.”
“And I take it they have been tested and approved by the Princess of Friendship and Checklists herself?” Rainbow grins amusingly.
“Of course! I’ve rechecked them countless times to ensure their safety!” she reassures in an edgy voice. “I made them especially so that they’re safe for pregnant mares like yourself, Rainbow Dash!” Once she mentions that, she suddenly tenses up as she is afraid that she might have slipped something out by accident.
However, her impulsive tenseness goes unnoticed by her Pegasus friend as she asks with mild surprise, “Wait really?”
After a quick moment to catch her breath, she confirms that fact in a calmer yet still jumpy tone, “Y-yes! Why wouldn’t I? I mean, I wanted to make sure these necklaces wouldn’t have any negative effects on whoever uses them, and you are no exception!”
“D’aww… thanks Twilight. That’s awfully nice of you.” Dash coos with an appreciative smile as she hugs her charitable friend.
From that tender embrace, Twilight eases up a bit as she sighs with a thankful smile from Rainbow not questioning her subtle slip-up earlier. Once they finish their hug, Twilight insists with renewed giddiness, “In any case, with you here, we can test them together and get to Applewood in no time at all!”
Liking this method of transportation way more than going on another tiresome train ride, Rainbow shares in the princess’s enthusiasm as she asks with an eager smile, “Sweet! So, how do we get them to work?”
“Here, I’ll show you.” Twilight says while she uses her magic to pull out one of the rolled-up maps before unrolling it on her desk, and she directs Rainbow Dash to lean closer to show her the illustrated map of their chosen destination. “Let’s pick out a specific location in Applewood. The more specific you are, the easier it will be for the necklaces to pinpoint the right location for us. Let’s see… ah-ha! Here!” she exclaims with joy as she taps a fore hoof on a particular spot. “The famous Neighponese Theater! This will be a perfect starting point for us!”
With their location in mind, Twilight quickly rolls the map up before turning back to her waiting friend and standing close to her while stating the next step in activating their magical jewelry. “Now I just need to hold the button on my necklace and say the location before releasing it.”
With a hoof pressed against the globe-shaped button, it lights up as she holds it place before she clears her throat and announces their destination clearly, “Ahem…! Neighponese Theater in Applewood!”
After that is said, Twilight lets go of that button and both hers and Rainbow Dash’s blink several times. A few seconds later, the blinking stops as the glowing globes remain still. And in perfect synchronization, their necklaces enwrap their passengers in individual spheres of light before they pop in a flash, with the two participants vanishing without a trace.
From Rainbow’s perspective, the bright light only lasted in a mere second, but she blinks on impulse when that happened. With her eyes closed, she definitely feels a sudden change in terrain. Right underneath her hooves, she is no longer touching the velvety carpet of the library’s study room as the ground is hard and grainy. Along with where she is standing, her ears pick up countless noises, ranging from the galloping of pony-drawn carriages to the talkative tourists passing by. This is definitely a far cry from the library’s quietness she was just used to.
Once she opens her eyes, her vision takes a moment to readjust before she scopes out their new location. As her sharp senses have already picked up, they are indeed hundreds of carriages crowding the glitzy streets and dozens of ponies swarming around her and Twilight Sparkle. Most of them are gossiping at the sudden sight of an Alicorn Princess and one of the Elements of Harmony.
Barely paying any attention to the swarming ponies around her, Dash turns around and gasps mightily at what’s looming before her: the one and only Neighponese Theater.
In-between two massive box-shaped towers with a pair of golden spires on each of them, the irreplaceable theater towers its awestricken visitors at 90 feet-tall as it’s held together by two gigantic, red columns, which supports the multilayered, extensive roof made out of bronze and iron. It’s embellished with truly authentic decorations, including two magnificent statues of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing guard on each side of the golden gates and a 30-feet tall eastern-style dragon craved in painstaking details from a massive slab of stone that hangs above the main entrance.
As Rainbow continues to gape at the Neighponese Theater’s utter magnificence, Twilight Sparkle bounces around in circles like a happy-go-lucky filly as she proudly announces her latest achievement, “Ha-ha! Success! The final test run was a complete success!”
Once Rainbow breaks out of her awe-inspiring trance from noticing Twilight’s very own happy dance, she bears a chuckling grin as she comments wittily, “Never doubted you for a second, Twi. Still, this is so awesome! We not only got here in ten seconds flat, but we also got plenty of time to kill before our movie studio tour starts!”
Abruptly, Twilight stops her bouncing as she responds in surprise, “Wow, you’re right! I should have considered on bring a guidebook with me before we teleported here.”
“Well, just use that doo-hickey to magic yourself back to your room and come back here in a no time.”
“While that sounds like a good idea, I don’t want us to overdo these special necklaces.” she points it out knowingly. “If we misuse them, they may take a long time to fully recharge themselves before reactivations. Besides, since Applewood is a well-known hot spot for tourism, we can easily find a guidebook somewhere close by.”
Without a fuss, Rainbow agrees with a nod, “Good thinking, Twilight. And while you’re at it, maybe you can find us a good place to get us something to eat. It’s hard to get up so early when you’re on an empty stomach you know.”
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After an enjoyable late breakfast from a renowned diner’s big, scrumptious donuts, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle take to the streets to spend a few hours in Applewood before heading over the studio. In the midst of their sight-seeing, they take their time to explore the Neighponese Theater some more, examine the names on Applewood’s very own Walk of Fame, and check out a few exhibits that are showcasing some of the most iconic movies and celebrities.
Hours later, they arrive right on time at the studio to begin their big movie tour. And waiting right outside for them is a beige-colored mare with her navy mane tied in a neat hair bun. In appropriate fashion to indict in her position as a film director, she is wearing dark, round glasses, a black beret, and a white collar with a red ascot tucked in-between.
“Ah! Princess Twilight Sparkle! Rainbow Dash! Welcome!” she greets with a broad smile as she shakes hooves with them. “I’m Miss Dolly, director of the Daring Do films, and I’m so honored that you two could make it here today!”
“No problem. Thanks for having us here.” Dash responds modestly.
“Yes, it is a privilege to be at your wonderful set.” Twilight adds with a light bow.
“Oh, you flatter me, princess.” Miss Dolly smiles as she returns the courtesy. “Well then, let’s not waste any more time, shall we? Please, right this way!”
As the director leads her privileged guests inside, Twilight asks in a whisper, “By the way, Rainbow Dash. How did you arrange all of this for us?”
“Well I have Princess Celestia to thank for that as well as for arranging all of this for us.”
“P-Princess Celestia did all of this?!” Twilight stammers in shock. “But how did she find out about the upcoming Daring Do films?”
“The newspaper, of course.” She answers with a casual smirk.
“…O-oh.”
From seeing her friend getting all flushed like that, Rainbow comments with a chuckle, “Geez, Twilight. For an egghead that likes to read a lot, you really need to get with the times more often.”
After frowning slightly over Dash’s sly remark, Twilight turns her attention to her surroundings as her friend does the same. All around them, there are numerous sets on display, mostly taken out of an ancient temple setting. And while there is no filmmaking at the moment, that doesn’t mean no one is standing around and doing nothing. For actors, their getting their appropriate makeup and costumes on while cameraponies set up their filming and lighting equipment for the next shot to come.
“Excuse me, Miss Dolly?” Twilight asks kindly. “Is it true that most of these props are actual artifacts?”
“That is correct, princess.” Miss Dolly nods to Twilight’s question. “With approval from the museums that donated them, we established these ancient relics as part of our sets to help give our movies more authenticity as well as draw our audience more into the adventures we’re creating here.”
Then, they stop in front of a colossal head statue of a stone-faced pony as the director points it out as an example, “This monument is one of our most prized contributions as it was loaned to us by Manehatten’s Natural History Museum.”
With eyes lighting up like a foal getting presents on Hearth’s Warming Eve, the Alicorn princess is completely mesmerized by the well-preserved statue as she approaches it gingerly before placing her hooves on the stony sculpture’s face. Gently, she rubs against the head’s gritty, carved surface as she admires the extraordinary feeling in a lovey-dovey manner.
“Yes, I see! You can definitely see and feel the corroded details on this magnificent statue that you can’t replicate on any movie props!”
As the captivated Twilight continues to caress the statue’s grainy features, Miss Dolly steps forward and informs the distracted princess in a quiet, respectful tone, “Uhh… Forgive me for being so upfront, princess, but we try our best to not touch the artifacts ourselves.”
From that startling realization, Twilight freezes in the midst of her stupor before she retracts her curious fore hooves right away and apologizes with a blushing, sheepish smile, “Oops. Sorry. I just can’t help myself when actual pieces of history are right in front of me! Sigh… I’m never going to wash these hooves again!” she whispers to herself as she gently rubs her fore hooves together to recapture that wonderful sensation she just experienced.
Please tell me she’s only kidding. Rainbow dreads slightly on that thought before dismissing that notion with a question of her own. “So anyway, do you guys film off-location as well?”
“As a matter of fact, we do.” Dolly answers with a smile. “For our first string of episodes, we’ve captured a lot of fantastic scenery from some of Equestria’s breathtaking jungles.”
“Cool! It’s like an adventure of its own!” Rainbow comments with a captivated smirk.
“That is one of the enjoyments when it comes to filmmaking. Ah! There she is!” the director declares with a wide grin as she points out a particular pony in front of them. “Princess Twilight. Rainbow Dash. I would like you to meet… Daring Do!”
Upon that announcement, the presented pony turns around and poses in a confident posture while Rainbow and Twilight gasp in amazement over the remarkable resemblance of their favorite fictional pony, especially for Dash’s case, from her light gold coat, her multi-striped, grayscale hair, her olive green, collared shirt, and her trademark pith helmet. Indeed, the one and only Daring Do is stand right before her gaping fans with a winning grin.
Soon enough, Rainbow Dash enters in full-on fangirl mode and rushes to her favorite idol with an uncontrollable smile. “Oh my gosh! It’s her! It’s really her! It is such an honor to meet you! And I am such a huge fan of your work!” she gushes nonstop as she hastily shakes hooves with the famed archaeologist.
Despite taking joy over her friend’s squealing gushiness, Twilight walks up to her and informs her with a chuckling grin, “Rainbow Dash, I hate to burst your bubble, but she is just an actor playing as Daring Do.” Of course, she couldn’t contain her inner fangirl for different reasons as she gets a better look at the Pegasus’s appearance from different angles. “Though I must say, her resemblance is truly extraordinary! The makeup artists responsible for this certainly outdid themselves!”
“Actually, I’m the one you should thank for this stunning transformation of mine.” Daring Do clarifies with a lighthearted smirk.
“Really? How does somepony like your accomplish such an amazing feat by yourself?” Twilight asks.
With a lighthearted giggle, she answers slyly, “It’s a quite simple feat actually…”
From that pause, the well-known character is suddenly consumed in a burst of green flames, which catches Twilight and Rainbow off-guard. And as the magical fire quickly disappears, a new creature takes Daring Do’s place. Judging by her insect-like features, such as her forelimbs riddled with holes, jagged wings attached to her carapace, slightly curvy horn, and black body, the actress must be a changeling. However, the are some features that are more distinguishable from the rest of her race, mainly the bright magenta coloring in her eyes, wings, tail, and webbed mane that drapes over one side of her face.
“…when that pony isn’t a pony at all.” She finishes her sentence with a bold, toothy grin.
“Oh my! You’re a changeling, aren’t you?” Twilight exclaims.
“Yes, I am. And the name is Mirage by the way.” She introduces herself respectfully whilst shaking hooves with the two ponies. “Nice to meet once again you, Princess Twilight. Rainbow Dash.”
“Oh, nice to meet you too, Mirage.” Twilight responds politely in return. “I must say, you really surprised me, but at the same time, I want to kick myself for not seeing this possibility myself.”
“Wait, have we… met before?” Dash tilts her head slightly in confusion.
“We have.” Mirage nods. “But we never spoke with one another during Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding.”
With a tap of her left fore hoof on her chin, Rainbow tries to ponder from remembering a changeling named Mirage in that fateful battle of theirs. Unfortunately, nothing comes to mind. “Nnnnno. Doesn’t ring a bell, considering that all of you look the s--!” But before she could finish saying something stupid, she immediately shuts herself up by stuffing her mouth with a fore hoof before taking a moment to apologize in a hasty, shameful manner. “Sorry! That sounded way less insensitive in my head!”
In response to Rainbow’s embarrassment, Mirage chuckles lightly before reassuring the Pegasus with a considerate grin, “It’s fine. I know that we didn’t meet on the best of circumstances, but hey, that’s all in the past. Right now, I have shining future to look forward to.”
Then Twilight Sparkle asks, “May I ask on how did you come in contact with this movie?”
“Of course. It’s thanks to Queen Chrysalis and Princess Cadance’s exchange program where my Colony gets to integrate with Equestria’s society and make good use of our talents. As a former agent of espionage, I saw great opportunity in Applewood’s film industry.”
Then Director Holly adds with a nod, “Yes, and thanks to Mirage’s masquerading abilities and acting, we were able to incorporate our very own Daring Do into our films.”
“And best of all, I get to have all of the love I can eat!” the changeling squeaks with a hungry smile.
“Without overindulging yourselves or thoroughly draining our charitable contributors, of course.” Miss Holly comments with a knowing eyebrow.
“Of course.” she agrees with a hearty chuckle.
“Wait, I heard that Ahuizotl will make an appearance in the first movie.” says Rainbow Dash before she looks around for him. “Does that mean that he will be played by another changeling too?”
“Yes, that is true.” Mirage confirms before she spots the said character nearby. “In fact, there he is right now.”
Close by, the Ahuizotl look-alike paces frantically around in place as he continues to silently mouth his dialogue from the script he is reading in his right hand. Like the portrayal of Daring Do, her chief villain looks just like his fictional counterpart, including his enormous, black-and-blue body, his monkey-like limbs, and his distinguishable third hand attached to his long, thin tail.
“Hey big guy!” Mirage shouts out to him. “How long are you keep staying in character like that? We took a break from filming a while ago!”
With a harrumph, the male doppleganger responds with his head held up high, “As long as it will take whenever they need Ahuizoti to take the stage once again and strike fear into the hearts of his enemies and spectators alike!”
“Oh give it a break, Trapjaw!” Mirage groans with a roll of her eyes. “Even you can’t keep it up for that long!”
While Rainbow Dash’s eyes widen slightly on how familiar that name sounded, the fake Ahuizotl sets aside his script on a table nearby and stomps toward his changeling comrade before retorting with a stern finger pointing at her, “Do not act so high and mighty with me, Mirage! Only the Royalty may have the authority to push me around like that! I still outrank you and demand the upmost respect I deserve!”
“Whatever you say, commander.” She shrugs with a cynical smile. "Now get out of that costume already! We have important guests to meet!”
With a soft snort, the disguised changeling complies and diminishes his get-up with his unique, fiery magic. Once the green flames died down, the changeling returns to his true form with his size cut down in half from his Ahuizotl persona as he displays his notable features: a box-faced head with a pointy chin and jaws lined up with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
“Ah, the fair maiden, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the brave and bold Rainbow Dash!” Trapjaw announces as he politely bows before them. “What an honor it is to have you both grace our presence once again!”
“Hey, I know you!” Rainbow says to him. “You were with Chrysalis at my wedding last summer!”
“You are correct, and I can see that you and Sir Mustang have been very busy since then.” he states that knowingly as he glances at her nine-month pregnant belly. “My sincerest congratulations to both of you.”
“Thanks. By the way, that’s pretty cool of you to take the form of something as big and exotic as Ahuizoti.”
“Yes, especially with how you can shape and bend those fingers of his with such dexterity!” Twilight compliments him as well.
“But of course!” Trapjaw grins with pride before demonstrating his proud abilities by only transforming his tail in Ahuizotl’s and wiggling its blue fingers at the awestruck visitors. “Second to the Royalty herself, I am truly confident in my shapeshifting abilities as a proud representative of my changeling brethren!”
“Plus, his melodramatics seem like a perfect choice for the role of Daring Do’s recurring adversary.” Mirage whispers shrewdly as he leans close to Rainbow and Twilight. “Also, it will give our Queen a much-needed break from his constant annoyance every once in a while. “
“Huh, an over-the-top character playing the role of an over-the-top villain. Hmm, seems fitting enough.” Dash nods with a sharp grin matching that with Mirage’s.
Taking the hint from the changeling and Pegasus’s shrewdness, the Trapjaw remarks with a mild pout while turning his head away from them, “Hmph, say what you will! I am only here as ordered by my beloved Queen and to do service for the Colony itself! Though I must say, the experience here is very… rewarding to say the least.” he admits softly to himself.
As the mares chuckle lightly at Trapjaw’s awkwardness, they suddenly hear a slight crash nearby. Once they examine the cause of the noise, Rainbow and Twilight stare in shock and disbelief on a familiar face right before their very eyes. Next to a volunteer pony operating a huge flatbed cart filled with puppets of skeleton warriors is a brilliant azure Unicorn mare with long, smooth, light blue hair and a star-shaped magic wand as her Cutie Mark.
“Careful with those puppets over there!” the disgruntled Unicorn scolds the one pushing the cart for her. “How can the Great and Powerful Trixie bring life to these skeletal minions if you keep horsing around like that?”
“Trixie?”
From Twilight’s quiet interjection, Trixie’s violet eyes shot up in great astonishment from that familiar voice, and once she sharply turns her head around to verify the source, she gapes in shock from the unexpected appearance of her once-bitter rivals.
“O-oh! P-P-Princess Twilight! I… had no idea that you and Rainbow Dash would be here today!” Trixie stammers nervously.
“Hey, Trixie! Long time no see!” Rainbow says with an upbeat smile. “I haven’t see you since you did that magic show at Canterlot right after our battle with Arrogon. Though from your version, I don’t seem to recall you being the one to take down the Destroyer yourself.” She adds with a knowing smirk.
From that clever reminder, Trixie explains herself with a sheepish grin, “Oh well… Trixie might have stretched it out just a little bit to give it more pizazz for a widespread audience.”
“Right… anyhow, you seem well-suited with your latest niche here.”
“Naturally. I mean, who else can ponies turn to for providing such dazzling effects if not the Great and Powerful Trixie?” she proclaims with pride as usual.
Miss Dolly confirms with a chuckling smile, “Despite her boastful nature, she certainly is the best when it comes to our pyrotechnics and puppetry.”
“By the way, Rainbow Dash… are you expectant by any chance?” Trixie asks modestly as she stares at the Pegasus’s exposed belly.
“Yep. In fact, I’m carrying two foals right now.”
“Twins, huh? Well, I can see that you will definitely have your hooves full there. Best of luck I’d say.”
“Thanks.”
“So Trixie, do you operate these all by yourself?” Twilight inquires with keen interest as she walks over to the flatbed of inanimate puppets. “It must take a lot of magic to manage even one of these puppets.”
With a proud smirk, Trixie walks over to her puppets and offers them a preview of what’s to come, “Perhaps you two would like to witness a firsthoof demonstration from the Great and Powerful Trixie herself!”
As Trixie concentrates on her horn, one of the skeleton puppets gradually comes to life as its hollow eyes light up with the same pinkish glow as the puppetmaster’s magic. In a very convincing manner, the undead puppet crawls off the cart and plops onto the floor before it wobblingly stands on all four hooves.
“Voilà!” Trixie caps it off with an accomplished smirk.
“Whoa, look at that!” Rainbow beams at the lifelike skeleton. “It’s like it’s moving all by itselves! And the way their hollow eyes are all glowy like that… so cool!”
Twilight is just as ecstatic as her winged friend as she awes at puppet’s masterful manipulation, “Amazing! And it’s even not enwrapped in any form of magic! How did you do that?”
“Now now… a true magician never reveals her secrets.” Trixie giggles with a teasing grin.
“Not even if it’s a direct order from the princess herself?” Rainbow counters with a witty smirk.
As Trixie flusters on changing her mind if she receives orders from royalty herself, Twilight lightly scolds her smirking friend, “Rainbow Dash, you know I would never impose others with sheer authority like that!” Then, she softens up as she asks Trixie in a polite, shy manner, “But umm… it will sate my curiosity if you will be so kind to share this with me.”
Trixie blushes lightly from Twilight’s courtesy and coy smile, so she clears her throat to maintain her composure and complies with the young princess’s request, “Well… since you ask, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to reveal some of my tricks with you. Here, look up and see if you notice anything different.”
Once Trixie points up with a tilt of her head, Rainbow and Twilight look up as well and see several intangible orbs of the stage magician’s magic hanging up high in mid-air. But strangely enough, there is nothing within the magical spheres.
“That’s weird.” Rainbow comments with slight confusion. “I can see your magic aura, but I don’t see what exactly they’re holding in place.”
“It must be quite baffling to figure this out yourself, isn’t it?” Trixie goads with a bragging smile. “Well then, allow The Great and Powerful Trixie to shed some light and reveal it to you--!”
“I got it!” Twilight gasps with a brilliant smile. “It’s the strings! You’re simply pulling their strings, aren’t you?”
A bit surprised and impressed by her supposed rival’s sharp observation, Trixie acknowledges it in a light grumble, “Y-yes, that’s correct.”
After hovering up to get a closer inspection at the hidden strings, Twilight then comments with further amazement, “But I’ve never seen strings as transparent as these before.”
“That’s because these threads are produced by the finest spinners in our Colony.” Trapjaw explains with a proud, toothy grin. “A single strand is invisible to the naked eye, but it’s strong enough to operate one of their joints.”
“I see!” Twilight concurs with a bright smile. “Because of their lightweight, transparency, and durability, they serve as the perfect substitute for puppet’s strings, especially when captured on film!”
“And if you think that’s impressive, you should see what happens when the Great and Powerful Trixie can operate a dozen puppets at once!” Trixie brags mildly.
In response to the magician’s swagger, Rainbow Dash goads with a smirk, “Oh yeah? Prove it.”
With a light harrumph, Trixie abides to the Pegasus’ challenge and concentrates more on the rest of the puppets while the magical glow on her horn intensifies even further. One by one, the fake skeletons come to life as they join up with their first animated associate. With all of the skeleton warriors lined up in menacing poses, Trixie lets out a soft sigh over her latest feat and wipes some of the sweat off her brow.
Then, she turns back to the now-speechless Rainbow Dash and smirks with self-satisfaction from shutting the her up. “There. Satisfied?”
Realizing that she has left her lower jaw hanging out in open, the flabbergasted Pegasus clamps her mouth shut, before brushing it off with a casual grin, “Okay, not bad, I’ll give you that. But I bet Twilight can do a much better job than you!”
But just as Trixie frowns over Dash’s goading, Twilight Sparkle steps in and lectures her friend for speaking in her place, “Rainbow Dash, you leave her be! Trixie has every right to be proud of her remarkable abilities! And to be honest, I don’t think I can manipulate something as complex as these puppets myself, especially all at once.” After that is said, Twilight faces Trixie, who remains thunderstruck by the princess’s noble interjection earlier, and expresses her gratitude with a modest smile, “Thank you very much for sharing that with us, Trixie. It was very enlightening.”
In the midst of her astonishment, a growing blush lights up her blue cheeks as she reflects over the humble praise she just received from her former rival. Keeping her cool as best as possible, Trixie keeps her head down to avert his gaze and cheeks from the smiling Alicorn and warmly accepts the gratitude in a stammering tone.
“O-oh, you’re quite welcome, Princess.”
“Twilight is just fine, please.” she insists with a nod.
A bit startled from accepting such a lack of etiquette, the blue Unicorn eventually agrees whilst nodding right back, “O-okay then, Twilight it is.”
“Where did you learn such advanced puppetry like that?” she asks with wondrous eyes.
In response, Trixie lightly rubs her chest with a fore hoof in a boastful manner as she answers with a cryptic smile to maintain her usual persona, “When you’re a traveling magician like myself, you tend to pick up tricks of the trade from here and there.”
“In that case, would you like to come by in Canterlot and share them with me?” Twilight offers with a hospitable smile. “I would very much like to give it a try myself. I’ll even provide some books for you if you ever want to try some new spells yourself.”
From receiving such a rare invitation from a princess no less, Trixie shakes over her indecisiveness, as she hesitates in an exceptionally humble manner, “Oh, well… that’s quite generous of you, Twilight. But umm… I doubt you want to waste your precious time with somepony like me.”
“Nonsense! You’re my friend, and I always make time with my friends.”
Being considered as a friend of Twilight Sparkle sounds so foreign to Trixie. And yet, the idea of such companionship becomes more and more promising as it resonates in every corner of her mind. With a mild blush consuming her face once again, she decides to take a chance on this opportunity and eventually agrees with a tiny, meek smile.
“I suppose I can work that in my agenda this week.”
“This is going to be so great!” Twilight beams with excitement as she claps her hooves in an adorable manner. “We’ll get to read books, compare notes, study new techniques, and trade spells with each other! It will be like our very own study date together!”
“D-d-d-d-date?!”
Trixie freezes in place after her impulsive shout-out as a hot, pink blush replaces all of the blue in her flabbergasted face. From that misunderstanding, vivid visions play out in her mind as she imagines on what kind of activities they will do together on their very first “date.” With every new fantasy becoming increasingly suggestive than the last, a silly smile creeps across her brightly flushed face.
Misinterpreting Trixie’s strange reaction for something else, Twilight frantically apologizes for her unintended foolhardiness, “Oh, sorry! I hope I don’t sound so imposing!”
“No no, it’s fine, Twilight!” the blushing Unicorn hastily reassures her Alicorn friend. “I would be honored to go on a date with you--! I-I-I mean… to study with you! …Yes.”
Suddenly, Mirage stands next to Trixie to take a couple of sniffs of her before a famished smile stretches across her muzzle as she shrewdly comments over a new change in the Unicorn’s character, “Mmmm… My my, Trixie. I didn’t think you would have an ounce of love in you.”
As Trixie is startled by how close Mirage is, she is cornered by another changeling from the other side as Trapjaw displays a toothy grin with a bit of drool seeping out of his numerous, sharp teeth. “Yes, perhaps you wouldn’t mind if we take just a little nibble of this rare treat ourselves.”
Entrapped by the two ravenous changelings, the Trixie quickly initiates one of her tricks by summoning up a smokescreen and making her quick getaway to her cart before piling up with the skeleton puppets she demonstrated earlier. With all of her puppets placed back on the cart and accounted for, she turns back to her visitors and excuses herself with a sheepish grin.
“I uhh… should probably get back to my priorities. These puppets aren’t going to move by themselves you know. So I’ll… see you before you leave then, Twilight?”
“Of course, we’ll be sure to catch up with you later.”
“Great! Well then… enjoy the rest of your tour. And umm… congratulations once again, Rainbow Dash.” And after her modest yet awkward goodbye, Trixie makes her hasty exit as she gets back on track with her job.
With the blushing unicorn making her departure, Rainbow Dash remarks nonchalantly over what they just witnessed, “Well, that was a nice surprise, wasn’t it? I wouldn’t expect the Great and Powerful Trixie acting so humbly in the end, let alone being all friendly with you like that.”
“Oh, I don’t mind it at all.” Twilight responds with a carefree smile as they continue their tour with the director leading the way. “I think it’s wonderful to see Trixie change for the better since our last encounter. Besides, it will be nice to be reacquainted with her and get to know her better.”
“Mm-hmm~!” Rainbow mutters with a very wide, clever grin.
From that simple response, Twilight stares at the smirking Pegasus with a very bewildered look on her face as she questions her with a raised eyebrow, “What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
Without ruining it for her, Rainbow lets out an irrepressible chuckle as she comments with increasingly shrewd smirk, “Geez, for an egghead, you sure can be clueless sometimes.”
Perplexed even further by Dash’s sudden all-knowingness, Twilight demands in a frantic tone, “Wh-what is that supposed to mean?!”
Taking great joy over the Alicorn’s typical restlessness, Rainbow lets out another chuckle and vaguely answers with a meaningful grin, “Give it time, and I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”
----------------------------------------------------------------
Towards the end of their tour, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle are given a sneak peek at a few completed short films that are packaged into one story. For somepony like Twilight, she can see several differences between the film and the book as well as a few things that were cut out or alter from its original source. But that doesn’t stop the two mares from gushing over the absolute awesomeness the adventure films are portraying in the end.
After saying their goodbyes to Miss Holly, Trixie, and the rest of the film’s crew, Rainbow and Twilight take the time to have a nice dinner in Applewood before teleporting back to Ponyville. Upon their arrival at the outskirts of Dash’s home, it’s already nighttime as the stars above shine as brightly as the moon itself. From looking up at the nightly, blue sky, Rainbow gets an idea and asks Twilight if she wants to look at the stars with her. A bit surprise by Dash’s sudden interest in stargazing, the lovable bookworm gasps with a big smile and happily agrees.
There, they lay on the soft, green grass and casually enjoy their nightly activity together. In the midst of their stargazing, Twilight points out the most well-known constellations as the Pegasus attentively listens to the best of her abilities. At the end of Twilight’s very own Astronomy 101, Rainbow recollects some of the constellations she just memorized.
“Okay, I think I got it this time!” Rainbow says as she points to the first constellation in mind. “That there is Scorpio!”
“Right!” Twilight confirms with a bright smile.
“And over there is Taurus!”
“Yes, you got it!”
“And that must be… Draco, right?”
From Dash’s reluctant guess, Twilight corrects her with a gentle smile, “Actually, that’s the Hydra.”
“What? How can you tell the difference between the two?” she pouts over her first mistake.
“They may look the same, but there are ways them apart.” she addresses as she uses her magical horn to point them out by drawing bright lines that connects the constellations’ stars. “For example, they may have a similar pattern, but the Hydra has more of a jagged line while Draco has a sharp curve around its neck. Also, the Hydra has fourteen stars for its constellation while Draco consists of only eleven stars.” she adds as she lights up the individual stars that make up the two starry arrangements.
After the Alicorn’s review, Rainbow Dash blinks speechlessly before rubbing her aching head from her brain overloading as she comments with a light grump, “I guess, but you’re just too good for this. I still say they hardly resemble them in my opinion.”
“Well, it’s nice of you to give astronomy a try yourself.” Twilight nods with an understanding smile. “In fact, I say you’ve done a lot better than the average pony.”
“Even so, I just like looking at the stars from time to time. It’s pretty relaxing to say the least.”
“Yes, it is.”
As silence fills the air whilst they continue their stargazing, Twilight can’t help but fret on what’s to come for her winged friend in the just a few short months away. While Rainbow is preoccupied from looking at the stars, the concerned princess shifts her head to face the Pegasus before she halfheartedly asks the vexing question in mind.
“Rainbow Dash?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you… going to be okay with what’s ahead?” she cringes from ask that.
From that implication, Rainbow contemplates to herself by looking back up at the nightly blue sky before she answers with a surprisingly casual grin, “I think so. At the very least, I know that my foals will be in good hooves if it comes to that.” she confirms with a soft stroke of her occupied belly.
Surprised to receive such a calm answer, Twilight concedes with a small smile, You really are as brave as they come, Rainbow Dash. I only wish that there was more I can do for you.” she dejects over her own guilt.
From noticing her friend’s wretched demeanor, Rainbow tries to cheer her up with an upbeat smirk, “Come on, Twilight. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. You and Ford did everything you can for me, and that’s more than enough for what I can ask from--!”
“But it’s not enough!” Twilight exclaims in overwhelming self-pity. “I’m supposed to a princess! I should be more prepared for something like this! And yet, I feel so helpless from not doing anything at this point! How can I bear to sit idly by when I’m going to lose one of my best friends someday?!”
As the young Alicorn carries on with her uncontainable melancholy with countless tear pouring out of her poor, dejected eyes, Rainbow Dash gently pulls Twilight in for a comforting hug before the sobbing princess tightly squeezes her consoling friend, hoping to never let go.
Once Twilight tones down her crying a bit, Rainbow speaks up in a gentle, sweet tone, “Twilight, I know it’s not going to be easy for you, but it’s thanks to you especially that I count myself lucky in all of the awesome adventures we shared together. And more importantly, I feel more closely with the rest of our friends ever since you first arrived at Ponyville.”
From that warm reminder on how their first friendship came to be, Twilight bears a gradual smile, and she takes a couple of sniffles to clear her voice before responding back to Dash’s assurance, “Thanks, but if anything else, the real credit goes to you on how we became best friends in first place.”
Astounded by Twlight’s claim, the Pegasus expresses her confusion by letting out one simple word, “Huh?”
“Don’t you remember when you shared your Cutie Mark story with us?” she explains even further with a reminiscing smile. “It was thanks to your first Sonic Rainboom that all six of us got our Cutie Marks back when we were fillies. You, me, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. If it weren’t for you, who knows where our lives may end up. Either way, it’s because of that one special connection we shared back then that made us the very ponies we are today.”
Once Twilight emphasizes her point, Rainbow gives it some more thought on how her special talent brought them all together and concurs with a chuckling smile, “Yeah, I guess it is pretty cool when you think about it.”
“Maybe that’s why I’m so worked about all of this.” Twilight admits with soft dread. “If you’re gone, then I’m afraid that I will lost that connection as well."
Seeing how her studious friend is worrying over nothing, Rainbow Dash shakes her head with a lighthearted giggle and assures with a bold smirk on her face, “Twilight, you out of all ponies should know better than that. No what happens to us, our friendship will never disappear from this world. Just as long as you don’t forget that, of course.”
Still enwrapped of the grinning Pegasus’s embrace, Twilight finally breaks into a relaxing smile and knowingly replies back, “Trust me, Rainbow Dash. That will never happen no matter what.”
And with that said, they turn their attention back to the cool, nightly sky and spent the rest of the evening admiring the shimmering stars above.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Many Hours Earlier…
It’s been awhile since Ford Mustang saw his wife off at Ponyville’s train station, and now, he is standing before the familiar house in one of Cloudsdale’s luxurious neighborhoods. The reluctant stallion has lost track of time on how long he has been standing in front of that house. But during that period, Ford takes one last moment to carefully gather his thoughts before he enters the lion’s den all on his own.
With a deep breath, he lets out a heavy sigh before he quietly apologizes to his faraway mare, “I’m sorry, angel. But I’m doing this for your own good.”
With his mind set on the important task at hoof, he slowly but slowly walks up to the front door and rings the doorbell. Eventually, the door opens up and Mustang comes face to face with the elder stallion, who still bears a strong resemblance from his daughter, mainly from his wild, rainbow-colored mane and bluish coat.
“Hey, Ford! Long time no see!” the older Pegasus greets with a welcoming grin.
“Hi, Turbo Dash.” he greets back with a soft smile. “May I come in?”
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Great chapter as always. Almost got me tearing up there towards the end lol.
I think you missed a couple of letters there.
I'm going to wait with reading these chapters where he is going on a day with everypony. Just for the feels of continuation for me.
I'm sure the chapters are great!
After playing Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning this problem seems aweful familiar.
In Amalur you are bound by fate there are even people who can predict when you have to die.
But the players character appears and has the abillity to cut the strings of fate in doing so he enables the whole world to choose their own destiny.
6119637
Hehe... I think you're right. Thanks for pointing that out for me. 
6120752 Can't wait for the next chapter,please keep it coming just a leetle beet faster please! :D
6121976 I do believe the next chapter will be updated much faster since it will be much shorter than the previous ones.
finally!!!!!!!!!!! No harm done, i've been waiting lol. this is amazing. cannot wait for the next chapter!
6122951 Top Banana! :D
6133882 ...I am so sorry to hear that.
To hear such a tragic yet touching story from your own personal experience... I thank you for sharing that with me, and I'm sorry if my story caused you to relive such grief again. I certainly hope Joule found a very good home in all of this.
This is why I haven't been happy with Twilight not in Ponyville anymore. She is relapsing.
Another Touching Chapter. Nice to see Trixie not being an ass. Well done.
Im glad you made Daring do be played by a changeling instead of it being the actual daring do like the show did.