The Twilight Dialogues, Part Six
At last, the rock gave way completely. The floor turned to pebbles and then into gravel until the earth was reduced to drifting islands of inert gray sand. The tributaries in between thickened, growing deeper and wetter. Shallow streams gave way to rippling pools of bitter cold seawater, collecting between the sporadic sand dunes of a dying continent.
It took greater and greater feats of combined effort to force the wagon past each liquid divide. Flynn explained that—for the last few miles—the Herald would have to ditch the cart completely, share the load between them, and traverse the last remaining pools of liquid by hoof. At the same time, the stallion insisted that it wouldn't be long until they stumbled upon his moored vessel. Rainbow Dash pondered over how the stallion would remember where he had left it, seeing as the monochromatic array of saturated dunes before them looked the same from every conceivable angle—but she had too much faith in the Heraldite to voice any concern out loud.
Besides, she still had a lengthy, in-depth conversation to fascilitate... not to mention an enchantment from Luna to continuously receive. As the wagon rolled for the last few lengths of relatively "dry" landscape afforded it, Rainbow Dash stared east, her eyes absorbing the gray malaise of dull sand and duller water reflecting a thunderous, starry sky.
"Oh, believe you me, there's been no end of excitement over here!" Mrs. Sparkle exclaimed. "We're constantly having our ears filled with one thing after another to be proud of!"
"You're right, honey." Mr. Sparkle's voice changed in pitch; Rainbow and her friends could almost envision the old stallion pivoting about to speak "in the direction of" Luna's enchantment. "Between you, Shining Armor's experiences along the West Edge of the world, your sister-in-law's tales of Ward, and Spike's adventures in mastering magic—it's almost like we're living four lives at once!"
"In addition to our own, of course."
"Heh... but of course. Granted... our careers in Canterlot aren't nearly as exciting in comparison... eheheh..."
"Just... hold on a second," Twilight Sparkle stammered, squinting at the glowing sky above the wagon. "I'm still reeling from what they said about Spike. Did... did he actually turn into a dog?!"
Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "Uhm... Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle? Twilight's still kinda... freaked out about the whole dog-dragon thingy." The pegasus' brow furrowed. "Care to run that by her one more time?"
"Hah!" Mr. Sparkle's voice chuckled. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true!"
"He chased that evil unicorn through the portal and became a dog in a magical land!"
"A really tiny lap dog. Almost like a poodle, if I recall."
"Hah hah! So adorable!"
A deep, draconian voice protested: "It was not a poodle!" There was a fuming sound as Spike cleared his throat. "But... erm... it wasn't exactly a labrador either. Go figure. Yet another cosmic joke of the universe."
"But... this portal you went through..." Twilight Sparkle rubbed her aching head. "...there were no ponies in there?"
"Hey Spike, how come there were no ponies beyond this portal?" Rainbow asked. "Twilight's totally jaw-dropping over here."
"Well, that's beyond me. Princess Celestia says that the portal and others like it are as old as they are mysterious. They've existed deep in the bowels of Canterlot Mountain for as long as Equestrian Civilization can recall. They were... probably used as gates to a trans-dimensional prison crafted by Starswirl the Bearded. Like... try to imagine miniature pockets of a bottle-universe, constantly shrinking and dissolving over time due to accelerated entropy. It's the perfect place to banish monsters, if you think about it."
"Uh huh..." Twilight blinked.
"Uh huh." Rainbow blinked harder.
"Yes, well," Mr. Sparkle said, "What matters is that a diabolical unicorn stole a very dangerous artifact and attempted to escape through the portal. And—lo and behold—your brave apprentice ran in there and stopped her!"
"Who, again?" Rainbow asked?
"Sunset Shimmer," Princess Celestia suddenly spoke in a sad, melancholic voice. "A former protege of mine... whose soul—sadly—has been twisted by an insatiable lust for power. She fled through one of the portal years ago, taking refuge in this sub-dimension. Then—several weeks ago—she returned through the gateway and procured the long lost Alicorn Amulet from the shadowy confines of Canterlot. With a such powerful relic, she no doubt sought to control all of the denizens of her sub-dimensional refuge. Spike gave chase, and—through much heroism and bravery—was ultimately able to defeat Sunset Shimmer and return the Alicorn Amulet to safekeeping."
Rainbow bore a crooked smile. "And he did all of this as a dog?"
"Hey! I can hear you snickering, Rainbow Dash!" the deep voice protested as Pinkie and Rarity giggled. "Believe you me—it wasn't easy! Still, it could have been worse. You should have seen the... freaky creature that Sunset turned into. Brrrrbrrrrr... nothing should ever be that hairless. Well... besides a dragon, of course..."
"But... if Spike turned into a dog..." Twilight's jaw hung agape. "...how could he have gotten the amulet back? Without the ability to utilize his green flame, he'd have no magical strengths whatsoever!"
"Hey Spike. Twilight wants to know how you saved the day with no magic."
"Not very easily. I assure you. From the very first moment I landed in that crazy world, I was struggling to even walk straight. Plus... it didn't help that a random police officer caught me and threw me into the local pound. I was stuck behind bars for hours!"
"Oh no!" Fluttershy grimaced. "A brutal animal kennel in a strange, alternate world? That sounds horrible..."
"How'd Spikey-Wikey get out?!" Rarity squeaked.
"How'd you manage, Spike?" Rainbow asked.
"Oh! Heh... this is where it gets good! I had lots of help from the other dogs in the kennel. What were their names again... Lucky? Cookie? Niblet? Anyways, it was as though they could tell I wasn't a normal dog and they helped me stage an escape! Once free, I ran across town and snuck up on this local high school where Sunset Shimmer was using the amulet to... uhm... turn into this... crazy she-demon thingy. Well, I pounced like the ferocious dog-dragon I was and wrenched the amulet from her grip! The teenager never even saw me coming!"
Rainbow squinted. "Teenager?"
"Eheh... long story. Anyways, I took control of the amulet, and for a brief moment I was this... pretty wicked sweet looking canine dragon thingy. I overpowered Sunset and dragged her back to Equestria where she awaits a trial for crimes against a magically inferior culture. Heh... pretty sweet, huh?"
"Spike employed every lesson in patience and tenacity that you taught him, Twilight," Mrs. Sparkle jubilantly said. "He acted in the name of Equestrian harmony—just like you and your good friend Rainbow Dash!"
"That's so... so amazing, Mom... Dad..." Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath. She smiled, misty-eyed. "I can't even begin to say just how proud I am of Spike right now."
"She finds that totally amazing, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle," Rainbow Dash said. "And she's super friggin' proud of Spike. Like... she's getting teary-eyed over here, the nerd."
"Pfffft!" Twilight sniffled, rubbing her rosy cheeks with a smile of protest. "I am n-not!"
"I, for one, am glad for Spike's indomitable spirit," Princess Celestia said. "What he's done is the best for the kingdom as a whole. Although I am not proud of Sunset Shimmer for her villainous actions, it is... a very good thing to have her back in Canterlot, albeit under lock and key. Now—more than ever—I believe there may be a chance to appeal to her better senses. The road to rehabilitation will be a long one, but—as her mentor—I will do my best to make sure she sees the light of harmony once again."
"I wish there was more time to talk about this, Your Majesty," Twilight said. "I wouldn't mind getting to know more about this Sunset Shimmer."
"Your Highness? Twilight Sparkle says that she wishes she could learn more about Sunset Shimmer. But... y'know... I doubt we have the time for that."
"Indeed," Mrs. Sparkle interjected. "I-I almost fear that we've spent too much time rambling about Spike, Shining, and Cadance. It's probably for the best that we save the good-byes for later, along with the rest of the families, and allow Fluttershy her time to converse."
"Huh?" Pinkie Pie blinked aside. "Fluttershy?"
"Did I hear that right, Mrs. Sparkle?" Rainbow Dash craned her neck as the wagon jostled along. "Somepony's come to speak with Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy sighed. "Of course not." She smiled delicately. "Mrs. Sparkle didn't know. It's okay. Twilight's parents can take all the time that they—"
"Well, uhm..." Spike spoke up. "As a matter of fact, we... do have somepony to speak with Fluttershy. Well... some ponies, to be exact."
Fluttershy merely blinked.
"I stumbled upon them quite incidentally the last time I passed through Cloudsdale. They heard all about Rainbow Dash and her friends and... they really, really wanted to have a chance to speak with Fluttershy."
Applejack hovered closer to Rainbow. "Well... shucks! Let's hear it! Reel 'em in, Spike!"
"But..." Fluttershy turned to look at Rarity. "...who?"
"Ahem..." Rainbow saluted the air. "What are you waiting for, Spike? The floor's open."
There was a brief lapse in dialogue. Then three masculine voices hesitantly sounded off across the silver heavens:
"Uhhhh... Rainbow?"
"Rainbow C—er... Dash? Are you really there?"
"Wow... this stone building sure is glowy..."
Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie merely flung Fluttershy a confused look upon hearing the voices.
Fluttershy's jaw had dropped. Her ears folded back.
"Hello? Is the spell working? I... I'm afraid to ask Princess Luna. She looks like she's in a deep trance, and Princess Celestia's trying to contain this dark flickering evil portal thingy..."
"Dumb-Bell?!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "Hoops? Score?!"
"Holy cow, she remembers us!"
"Whoah... heh... guess that makes things easier."
"Confusion levels..." Pinkie teetered. "...r-rising!"
"Wait a gul-durn minute..." Applejack floated up higher. "Ain't those the thick-headed varmints who used to pick on poor lil' Fluttershy when she was at flight camp?"
"Oh dearie me..." Rarity grimaced. "Is it possible to hang up a lunar spell?"
"No-no!" Fluttershy waved a hoof. "It's... it's okay! Uhm..." Gulping, she floated closer to Rainbow Dash. "Uhm... hello, old... old friends." A nervous smile. "How... uh... may I... help you?"
Rainbow exhaled, resisting the urge to frown. "Fluttershy wants to know how she can help you dudes."
"Yowsers... ain't she a ghost or something? How can she help anypo—Ooomf!"
The alpha male of the group cleared his throat, his voice rising the loudest. "Hey... uh... Fluttershy! So, like... all of Cloudsdale is abuzz with what Rainbow Dash is doing right now. Heh... it's pretty killer sweet knowing that a pegasus from our cloud is single-hoofedly saving the world... and a former classmate to boot!"
"Heheh! Yeah! Hey! Ask her how many awesome sonic rainbooms she's done beyond the borders of Equestria—"
"Shhhh! Dude! Shut up!" Another throat clearing. "We just want you to know that... like... lots of us are super proud of what you girls are doing. I can't imagine it's very easy."
"No." Rainbow muttered. "It isn't."
"And... like... erm... we j-just wanted to tell you how... how sorry we were for poking fun of you so much when we were younger."
"It was totally lame of us."
"Yeah. Real uncool."
"We thought we were big shots and the only way to stay awesome was to shove it in other ponies' faces. But it was wrong and we're sorry."
Fluttershy bore a sweet smile. "Apology accepted, boys," she said. "I know that can't be very easy to say." Her eyes darted over to meet Rainbow's.
Rainbow sighed and said, "Fluttershy accepts your apology." She gulped. "But... seriously... you came all the way just to say that?"
"Well... yes. But... there's more." Dumb-Bell's voice shuddered slightly. "Like I said—Cloudsdale is all abuzz with what two of our finest pegasi are doing to save the world. And... like... I dunno how we found out exactly. I think it was something the purple dragon said on one of his visits. But—like—we heard that none of Fluttershy's family members have shown up to wish her good luck or... or even say anything? Tch... that's total lame-sauce, dude. We figured that we'd... like... show up and bridge that gap, y'know? Like... if you're cool with it, Fluttershy, you can tell us how you're feeling... and even any messages you might wanna give to your family. I promise you, we'll spread it around so that all of Cloudsdale knows."
"Yeah! Heh... we'll even nail it to the cloudstone doorframe of the House of Flutter if we have to!"
"Cuz what you're doing is truly awesome and we think Equestria deserves to know all about it... especially before you get to the Dank Side."
"Uhm... bro? I think Princess Celestia called it the 'Dark Side.'"
"Shhhh! I'm the one talking to Fluttershy here!"
"Well, technically you're talking to Rainbow Dash through Princess Luna—"
"Shuddup! Same difference!"
Rainbow heard a squeaking sound. She turned her head from the silver-laden argument.
Fluttershy smiled tenderly. A tear or two trickled down her muzzle as she said, "Tell them... I'm game to talk about whatever." A sniffle. "And I think it's very... very sweet that they would want to do this."
Rarity and Pinkie Pie smiled.
Rainbow took a breath, then faced the illuminated sky with a smirk. "Alright, dudes. The floor's yours. What would Cloudsdale like to know first from Fluttershy?"
"Whoah, seriously?! We're not being told to scram?!"
"Woohoo! Alright!"
"Yo! Shut it! Get a paper and pencil out, idiots!"
"Ahem..." Spike's voice rose. Rainbow could hear his smirk in his breath. "I've got it covered. Fire away."
"Oh! Uh... sure thing! Thanks, Purple Dragon Dude." Dumb-Bell's voice rose again. "So... uh... what's it like being... a ghost pony?"
"Very scary," Fluttershy said. "But... all things considered..." A tender smile. "...I'm suddenly feeling less invisible than I used to be."
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You know, you can only keep this naming scheme up for another fourteen chapters without spilling into 6-word titles. 94 more if you have more relaxed views on hyphens. But let's hope they reach the edge before then!
All slowly grinding away...
So it seems that the events of EQG still transpired. Possibly sooner than before, but I'm not sure of the timeframe at this point.
I hope Sunset changes for the better if Celestia can manage to "appeal to her better senses".
I half expected Spike to get his own doggy Elements of Harmony group going after reading this.
Who knows? It might have been possible - other dimension and all that.
It's awesome that Hoops, Dumb-Bell and Score came to visit Flutters when nopony else would.
durandal.dnsalias.net/imgur/dank.jpg
Well, it's nice to know that apparently Equestria is rooting for them.
I was kind of hoping it was going to be her brother that showed up. Also, looks like imploding colon shares my views on the equestria girls universe being a pocket universe
I wasn't expecting Sunset Shimmer to come in on this but I'm glad she did. Nice to see Spike have a heroic spot in the EQG verse.
hey bby~
i'm on top of u ;)
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7404820 2.bp.blogspot.com/-5plnduB1-Lk/Vi5GgLD3NQI/AAAAAAAAGD4/cT3rmpda9WM/s1600/ship%2Bit.gif
Couldn't have said it better myself Dash.
For a second there I thought they'd be some of Shy's siblings. Like her older brothers or something.
That would have been a trip.
So, since the Element of Magic self destructed with the rest because Discord, Sunset got the Alicorn Amulet...so, what of Trixie then?
I'm kind of surprised we haven't heard anything about her.
-Companions are abound, frozen spectres hound. Utaan.
Awwww, these chapters were so... Well, both fluffy and sad. Bittersweet. It almost feels like we're getting some sort of closure, before things go to hell for real.
How is this still going
Interesting. So if Spike captured Sunset and took her back to Equestria... who is there to stop the Sirens when they make a move on the school? They'd still sense Equestrian magic due to the Alicorn Amulet's use, and start causing trouble at the school. Perhaps Sci-Twi gets invovled, as she'd also still be investigating magical energy readings due to the portal. Perhaps a combination of the events of Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games with Sci-Twi sort of filling in for Sunset Shimmer? Or maybe the human Sunset makes an appearance?
So many questions Spikes story raises.
Anywhos, while the scene with the three random bullies from season one is kind of cute, its also dissapointing that we don't get any Zephyr Breeze or any attempt by any member of Fluttershy's family to reconnect. Not like it would've been bad for her character development, or somehow cheapened the original idea of her family being distant if one or two of them tried to get back in touch with her, especially now that we have some canon personalities from the show to work with. The bullies feel kind of like a random choice, as they were always more fixated on Dash than Fluttershy anyway.
So... does Fluttershy not have a family in this series? I mean, I know they're a relatively recent addition to canon, but has it said at some point that they're dead or something? If so, it sure as heck slipped my mind.
Also, that Pound Puppies reference...
67.media.tumblr.com/529558c0b7ffaea83aafad15ea940686/tumblr_o8645pdtNw1t0xyebo1_500.gif
7405047
Fluttershy has parents. They were shown this season. I'm kinda surprised they weren't in this chapter.
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It's s long standing skirts - canon that Fluttershy is from a big military family that views her abandonment of the sky as a great insult, and her career choice as a weakness. She is estranged from them as a result.
There is not enough d'awwwww in the internet for how sweet this chapter was.
... Flutters is going to suffer horribly on the black underbelly of this world, isn't she?
7404820 Huh. Always figured you as more of a submissive. Shoulda known better.
7405188 …Honey.
7405127
I know. I just find it kind of disappointing that IC didn't think of a clever way to work in Zephyr Breeze any way. Like perhaps he got estranged from the family too due to his... er "personality quirks" and after learning his sister is kindasorta alive decided to heck with it and showed up to connect. Its not like it would be impossible to work it in, and in my view might’ve made for a better scene than the random bully colts showing up out of nowhere to apologize. Just my opinion, though. Take it with a grain (or bucket) of salt.
Woo Spike kicked butt! Also that last part was super sweet. Give Fluttershade all the love!
Shorts now has to write the Alien Equestrian Girls Quadrilogy just to make up the background for Autreoh?
Spike has kept the Amulet, using his Greed in inverse to contain it, setting up all the way to Guardians?
Wonder if he will end up with the Sirens as Harem.
7404971 Always eastwards.
'Well, that happened' is about all I can say here.
Next story name confirmed.
"Dank Side 420 with Rainbow Haze and the Herald of Kush"
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Disregard hyphens. Switch to "Twialogues".
7404795 Glad to see another Professor Layton fan. Those games were highly entertaining, with intriguing characters.
Hmm... The far-reaching effects of discord's "death" reach farther still. Glad IC is tying it all together properly.
What is this? Redemption for bullies? Goodie.
Huh, Flutters finally gets someone to talk to. That's pretty great. I'm still hoping Rainbow’s family makes a surprise appearance to talk to her. She could use that kind of love before crossing the dark side.
7405680 "Twialogues" sounds adorable!
7404971 One chapter at a time.
Spike can't tell them what he really spent most of him time doing in the human world. It was secret. But fun.
Haha! I'm back, baby! Suffice it to say, I'm excited to see where thing are heading.
7406115 I'm pretty sure the Lunar Ninth idea started at the beginning of Ynanhluutr before you were around.
By the time I had caught up The Jury had been through soo much, like the death of Simon, Lerris, the destruction of The Jury, and the reveal about the fate of the mane 5. It just seemed a little inappropriate to me to proclaim myself part of such a tight-nit group that had been through so much together when I had only been around for a few weeks. I can't remember who thought it up but somebody created the Lunar Ninth right around the time I finally caught up and I just ran with that. But meh, I'm probably just overthinking things.
tl;dr: I didn't choose the Lunar Ninth life, the Lunar Ninth life chose me.
Oh my... So many sequels and chapters... You are the greatest person that ever lived I must read your stories
7402982 I am the one who mwaps.
7403307 The Lunar Ninthers get a cabin in the woods for their summer camp adventures.
Us Jurists get a mo'fuckin' cabin on an airship.
7406511 Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system. HELP! HELP! I'm being repressed!
And then IC wrote a better EQG script in five minutes then Hasbro actually produced. Checkmate, homies! Also:
/chokes
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You know, I've never been clear on where I stand with that. I mean, I've been around since late Austraeoh, but you guys always seem to have me on the airship out of pity or obligation.
7407130 The airship is entirely opt-in. Anyone is welcome!
I mean, you can choose to stay ground-bound if you want, but…
Oh, screw that. Leonardo was right.
Hey, you guys wouldn't happen to have a spare hammock lying around, would you? My old one got stolen while I was off adventuring and trying to get back aboard.
7406511 So what makes someone a Jurist or a Ninther?
Are Jurists the readers who caught up before the choke?
7406506 I don't know if it is because I never focused on the fan elements of mlp until I was recommended the Austraeoh saga, but I am at a loss as to what "mwap" means.
7407312 There's no meaningful distinction. Anyone who's read Austraeoh can say they're a member of the Noble Jury. You're only a Lunar Ninther if you call yourself one, as there isn't really any basis for what constitutes a Lunar Ninther, but new readers have been taking it up when they feel like they "can't" become a member of the Jury.
Personally, that's the exact reason why I'm not fond of it. It's pushing us away from each other when we should be coming together. It's an unnecessary means of discriminating between our newer readers and our older ones. It implies a non-existent sense of elitism—as if the Noble Jurists are somehow "better" compared to the Lunar Ninthers just because they came first and have "been through so much"—which just isn't true at all. Everyone who's read this story has experienced the exact same moments, no matter when they actually "caught up". We all went through the same thing to get here.
Comments like 7407130 and 7406281 just illustrate the problem even more. Like, guys, we never wanted to ostracize you or anyone else from being a part of the Jury, and I'm not even sure how that happened. The Jury is all-inclusive, regardless of when you caught up. You're welcome in the Skype chat, the Austraeoh group, or anywhere else that we mingle. You're welcome to a Jury hoodie (if they're still in stock), and you can proudly call yourself a Jurist. You're not here out of pity or obligation; you're here because you're one of us. Everyone is.
We're all on this journey together.
7407502 I'm hoping "Job Squadder" catches on in addition.
In terms of scientific accuracy shouldn't they be constantly climbing uphill due to the pull toward the center of gravity of the lense shaped plane that they are on not being perpendicular to ground?
7406588 I didn't vote for him, either.
7407548 Dash addressed this, I think it was somewhere in this book. Gravity wouldn't just pull Dash and the Job Squad sideways this close to the edge; gravity should, by all rights, crush this thin plane into a glowing ball of magma. Whatever system that's in place to keep gravity in check, that's the system that Dash has to reboot. Urohringer is in danger from the very forces you're inquiring about. I just forget when it came up. Maybe chilling with Mortuana? AFC would know.
7407502 D'aaaw, Swan Song confirmed best cmc.
I've never looked at it that way before and you make a great point about all being in this together. For the record, I've never felt ostracized by anyone in this group and east horse fans as a whole have been some of the most welcoming people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.