The Worst of All Possible Worlds

by TheTimeSword

World 3: Chapter 11

“Where are they!? They should have been here by now!” Sunset paced alone in the throne room. She had decided to fill in the five bearers on the dilemma she was placed in, but she couldn’t do that if they weren’t in Canterlot. Sunset planned everything out over the true night, but if the other bearers didn’t show up soon it’d be useless to try and rope them in. Breathing heavily, she was through pacing, choosing to take a walk around the castle. Two guards rushed by as she exited the throne room. “Where are they off to?” she wondered. They were headed in the opposite direction of what sounded like loud arguing.

Focusing on the noise, Sunset pranced down halls until she found the source. The bearers indeed returned. “If I never have to see you again, it’ll be too soon,” Twilight exclaimed, thrusting the outer door open. Sunset saw Rainbow Dash take off in another direction, while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy followed Twilight with heads hung low. Rarity was nowhere to be seen.

“Girls! You’re back!” Sunset rushed to greet them, but Twilight stepped past her, ignoring the fellow unicorn. “Twilight?”

That was when Nightmare Moon appeared. The worn eyes of the alicorn sent a spike of worry down Sunset’s back, but the missing cerulean helm truly frightened her. “Things did not go smoothly, Sunset Shimmer.” The hulking alicorn looked incredibly tattered, her mane didn’t have the usual wavy movement that accompanied her wherever she went. “Let us speak,” she said, a softness in her voice. The alicorn made a nod to Pinkie and Fluttershy who went their separate ways, leaving Sunset alone with the giantess.

Sunset followed, and asked, “What in Equestria happened?”

“By the sanctity of the moon, I don’t even know if I want to talk about it,” replied the alicorn, a breathy sigh followed. “I had hoped that creating a problem within Ponyville would allow them to try and overcome it utilizing their Elements. That hope died when they started bickering on exactly how to fix the problem.”

“What was the problem?’ Sunset asked as they trotted into the throne room. “What did they do to try and fix it?”

“Well, I did the most evil thing I could imagine. I stuck a cat in a tree.”

Sunset squinted. “You… put a cat in a tree?”

“They don’t know that I did it, but I figured it’d be a good and simple problem to start with. Rainbow Dash flew up and the cat clawed at her. Fluttershy tried next, but her attempt ended in failure when Rarity began shaking the tree with her magic. Arguing happened, and I’m not quite certain how, but the tree was suddenly on fire.”

“My goodness! Is that cat okay!?”

“Oh, yes, it’s perfectly fine. Ponyville on the other hoof…”

“Oh for the love of Celestia!” Sunset threw her hooves over her mouth as soon as she spoke the name.

“Funnily enough, I caught myself saying the same thing. Ponyville will be receiving a big reimbursement after the banquet ends, that’s for certain.” The alicorn toppled over on her throne, kicking her back legs over the arm of the chair. “Worst of all, I lost my helmet. My magic can’t even find it to teleport it, meaning it’s been obliterated. How that’s even possible is beyond me! I’ll have to spend the true night making one before tomorrow comes.”

“I’m assuming nopony got their Element, did they?”

Nightmare Moon shook her helmetless head.

“I didn’t find anything out about the Tree of Harmony either, so it looks like we’re both failures.” Sunset turned to leave. “I may as well try and help work out their differences. I’ll start with Rainbow Dash, she looked the maddest.”

“You seem to be a creature of habit. Good luck, Sunset. You’ll need it.”

For some reason, Sunset believed the alicorn meant it. It’s just one problem after another. Now I’m going to have to deal with this before bringing them together against Blueblood’s plan. She exited the castle out the front and started trotting in the direction Rainbow Dash had flown. It wasn’t long before she found her, the pegasus stood solemnly in the grass out in front of the guard barracks. “Rainbow Dash?” Sunset called as she came closer, and then she heard the sounds of a struggle.

“Let go of me!” someone yelled.

“What’s going on?” Sunset asked. She glanced at the pegasus only to see a face full of hate and anger. After that, she decided to keep quiet.

The struggling continued as two armored guards pulled a griffon out of the barracks. Her claws were tied in the front, and she was being led out like a dog being put in a cage. She cawed and screeched, trying to flap her wings, but the ponies kept her down. “Gilda!?” Sunset shook her head, surprised by the treatment of the griffon. No! It can’t be. “She’s one of the scapegoats.”

“They told me to stay outside, they claim she’s poisoning ponies. We both know that isn’t true,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice chilling.

“Dash, we’ve got to find out who the other scapegoats are before Shining Armor gets them too! They can be used as evidence—”

“Forget it. I’m done here,” Rainbow Dash interrupted Sunset. “Rarity was right, I should have stayed in Cloudsdale.” Without so much as a glance to the unicorn, Dash took the air, disappearing into the darkness of the night sky.

“Rainbow Dash!” Sunset yelled as loud as she could. “Wait!” She knew the pegasus wanted to help her griffon pal, Sunset did too, but not at the cost of being thrown in jail.

She was running out of time, and out of friends. With no idea where Rarity went, the next logical guess was finding the remaining three bearers. Rushing along the outside of the castle, her first thought was Twilight’s tower home, hoping the unicorn had cooled down. She was forced to stop when she saw Pinkie Pie being escorted to the gates of the castle. “Pinkie Pie!” she yelled as she charged toward the gate just in time for them to close. She went to push them open but the two guards stopped her.

“Sunset…” The pink pony wrapped her hooves around the bars of the gate, tears pouring down her chubby cheeks. “I-I-I’ve been fired, Sunset!” she cried, her eyes bursting into waterfalls of salt.

“Fired!? Why?” Sunset placed her hooves atop the earth pony’s. “By who? Nightmare Moon wouldn’t—”

“The head of castle staff,” claimed Pinkie. “He told me… my services would no longer be needed. What am I going to do now, Sunset? I’ve been in Canterlot for so long…”

Blueblood. Sunset saw what was happening. You got the pony who knows which ingredients to poison—Pinkie, and the guard to secretly and quickly poison them—Gilda. That’s who the scapegoats are. “Don’t worry Pinkie. Head home and I’ll meet you there in a little while, okay?” The pink pony nodded, wiping away the tears with the back of her hoof.

While the pink pony marched home, Sunset continued on to Twilight’s tower. This is getting out of hoof. Twilight has to believe me, otherwise, my plan is doomed. Her legs were becoming numb from all the running. She reached the tower home, a bright glow to the giant window. She’s here. Trotting up the spiraling walkway, she could hear the unicorn pace and berate the air. Sunset didn’t bother knocking, teleporting past the locked door straight into the foyer. Cautious not to spook the fellow unicorn, she remained a whisper as she walked up the steps.

“Out of all the inconceivable notions that somepony could have, she’d have that one!? I’m not heartless, I’m not a monster. I know how ponies would act in response! They did react poorly!” The purple unicorn was stomping beneath the hourglass. Her hair was let down, her collared shirt unbuttoned, and her glasses were tossed to the floor. “And don’t even get me started on Rarity,” she shouted, talking to herself.

“Twilight?”

The purple unicorn was so flustered she fell forward onto the floor. “Sunset? What are you doing here?” she asked, rubbing her now bruising jaw.

“Listen, I know things didn’t go well with the girls but I’ve—”

“Didn’t go well? Didn’t go well!? It was a complete disaster! I thought I could keep them in check for the princess, but I vastly underestimated their desire to cause havoc!” The purple unicorn was almost foaming at the mouth, a bit of saliva rolling down her chin. Whatever had been said shook her very core. “Sunset, I tried to be reasonable, but I just don’t think these Elements are working out.”

“Forget the Elements of Harmony for now. Take a seat, I’ve got to explain something far worse to you.”

And so she did. From the poisoned food, to the evil plan, to Twilight’s own brother being a conspirator. She explained it all to the purple unicorn. At first, she hadn’t been sure how Twilight would take it, but it didn’t matter. If Blueblood wasn’t stopped, she’d have a whole other mess to clean up. “And that’s the truth of it. I know it sounds insane, I wouldn’t have thought Applejack could connive like that. Every world I visit is more different than that last, and I should have figured that it would change my friends as well.”

Twilight didn’t respond. Any complaints she voiced were shoved down into her speechless mouth. She sat on the steps, her forelegs between her back legs. Her eyes had grown soft and shallow like the darker, deeper part of the ocean. It was a long time before she closed her mouth, wetting her gums to speak. “So,” she started to say, “Miss Applejack is betraying Nightmare Moon? With my brother’s help?”

“If they get their way, Nightmare Moon won’t be in charge anymore. To turn this world back to normal, we have to use the Elements of Harmony on her. But if she’s not in charge, none of it will matter. They’ve already started laying the foundation. On the third night of the banquet, they’re going to announce Nightmare Moon as the one who has been poisoning Canterlot’s food supply. The town will be in chaos. We’ve got to stop them before then.”

“How? Do you have a plan?”

“I do, but we need the others. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. Without them, we won’t be able to prove any of this. It’ll just sound like a crazy rant to Nightmare Moon.” Sunset stared deep into the eyes of the purple unicorn. She could see the nervous twitch that reminded her of the Crystal Prep version. “Please, Twilight. Will you help me?”

“To choose between my family and my princess,” spluttered Twilight, taking a moment to levitate her glasses from the floor. “I can hardly believe Shining would do such a thing, but I don’t believe you’re a liar. I’d like to hear this plan of yours.” She rubbed the streaks off the glass, blowing breath against the rims. “Do you know where the others are?”

Sunset shifted from side to side. “Pinkie went home. She was fired, part of Blueblood’s plan. We need to bring everyone to her. As for the rest, well, I think Rainbow Dash might have flown back to Cloudsdale, but I’m not sure. Do you think you could find her while I grab Rarity and Fluttershy?”

“Rainbow Dash is so inconsiderate. Of course she’d up and leave when we need her,” Twilight snarled, the same way her teacher did. “I’ll try to find her, she might apologize to me if I do, but I won’t hold her to it.” Twilight stood up. “Once I get her, we’ll head to Pinkie’s and wait for you there. Good thing I know where she lives, I’d hate to wrangle Dash and then try and find you.”

“Thanks, Twilight.” Wrapping her hooves around the purple mare, Sunset felt relief for a split second. Maybe things will work out.

Her hope diminished once she found Rarity, who was far simpler to find than Sunset first expected. The unicorn was relaxing in the same spot she always chose, sprawled across a couch in one of the ballrooms. She told Sunset to go away, though not as politely as any other Rarity might have done, forcing Sunset to levitate the white unicorn into the air and drag her off to find Fluttershy. Even with Rarity’s help, however, it took them an hour to search the castle’s menagerie, eventually discovering the yellow pegasus cuddling and crying inside a cave of bushes with the bear known as Harry.

Sunset pleaded with the pegasus, “I need you, Fluttershy. I need all five of you. If you don’t help me, Equestria might be at stake.” She was reluctant to get close to the pegasus. Harry who was playing the role of bodyguard, guarded Fluttershy like a bouncer at a club. The big bear was a supposed gentle giant, but the claws and teeth prevented Sunset from treating the pegasus the same way she treated Rarity. “Please, Fluttershy. You’ve got to trust me.”

“If she’s going to be useless we may as well drudge on without her. I’m growing tired of standing around,” Rarity mocked, only to have a pine cone shoved in her mouth.

“I need all five of you,” claimed Sunset, her voice slowly faltering from saying the same thing over and over again. “Not four. Five. My plan will work, but only if I have all five of you. For all I know, we could be thrown in jail if we don’t stop them.”

Fluttershy crawled out, nuzzling past the gentle bear. “S-stop who?” she stuttered a sniffle. Just like Twilight, Fluttershy had dropped her pigtails, letting her hair flow down her shoulders. Out of the group, Fluttershy’s mane was truly the longest, almost hitting the floor. Twigs were caught between strands of hair.

“If you come with us to Pinkie Pie’s, I can explain everything. I promise to keep everyone settled. You just have to trust me.”

“I-I do trust you, S-Sunset. But…” The pegasus lowered her head just after glancing the white unicorn.

Rarity rolled her eyes, grunting a noise of disgust. “Fluttershy, come on. I already promised to behave so long as Sunset stopped dragging me.”

You’re not doing a very good job at that, Sunset mused, holding back a grimace. “Please, Fluttershy?”

The pegasus patted the bear, giving him a short smile. “Okay. For you, Sunset.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy.”

With the two bearers, Sunset led them off castle grounds just as the moon began to hang low in the sky. True night would soon be upon them, and the banquet would begin in the morn. They left the menagerie, trotted into the main market, passed the calming sounds of the city’s radio system, and reached the home of the fired pink pony. Sunset slammed her hoof on the door, the disgruntled white unicorn behind her and the sniffling yellow pegasus at her side. Sunset hoped that Twilight arrived before her, that Pinkie had already been filled in.

When the pink earth pony answered, she was surprised to see the trio. “What’s going on?”

“Twilight isn’t here yet?” Sunset barged past the homeowner, swiveling her head to see the surroundings of Pinkie’s home. The others followed in and Pinkie closed her door. “Shoot. I was hoping she’d have found Rainbow Dash by now.”

“You left Twilight to find Rainbow Dash? They’re the ones who started this whole thing!” Rarity exclaimed.

“No, that was you,” Fluttershy cried, tossing her bawling eyes into Pinkie’s shoulder. “You big meanie.”

“Enough!” Sunset yelled, taking a page out of Nightmare Moon’s book. “We need Twilight and Rainbow Dash!”

Pinkie’s door suddenly burst open with a blue pegasus bound in rope being tossed to the floor, a napple in her mouth. Huffing and puffing, Twilight said, “Here. We’re here.” Somewhere along the way she had lost the eye of Nightmare Moon that once sat on her lapel.

“My sisters used to play a game like this when we were younger. They’d leave me in the quarry for hours,” Pinkie said, prodding at the fuming blue pegasus who was screaming through her covered mouth. “It was really fun. They’d always be surprised whenever I came home.”

“She wouldn’t listen to reason,” Twilight started to explain. “You shouldn’t unbind her either. Not until you fill everyone in, Sunset.”

Sunset removed the napple, allowing Rainbow Dash to speak. The blue pegasus screamed and yelled for help, only stopping once Sunset threatened to stick the napple back in. “Everyone, sit down,” she commanded as she levitated Rainbow Dash to Pinkie’s couch. “I don’t know exactly what happened in Ponyville and I don’t care. We’ve got a major problem. One that requires your full attention.”

Pinkie raised her hoof. “Where’s Miss Applejack? Shouldn’t she be here?”

“She’s the problem,” answered Twilight.

“Let me explain.” Sunset recounted the tale again, giving just as many specifics as she had for Twilight. To her surprise, the bearers remained quiet for the duration, only asking a few questions here and there. The biggest shock came from Rarity who asked if letting their plan succeed was such a bad thing. “They’re doing it for themselves. They may try to butter you up and say they’re doing it for Equestria, but they’re not. Blueblood is only in it for himself. I’m not sure what Shining Armor’s motivation is for, and Applejack says she’s trying to keep them in line. It doesn’t matter. If we let them rule, they’ll just lock us in a jail cell to keep us from exposing them.”

Pinkie once again raised her hoof. “How exactly are we supposed to stop them?”

“That depends. Are all of you going to help me stop them? If you aren’t, I need to know before we start going over the plan.”

“Let me out of these restraints and I’ll help you,” Rainbow Dash said, and Sunset immediately agreed even as Twilight voiced a hesitant disapproval. The blue pegasus did not run off. Brushing a hoof across the flat top of her mohawk, she laid flat on her back, pressing her head into the cushions. “I’m in so long as Rarity keeps her mouth from flapping.”

Rarity scoffed, “My mouth doesn’t flap—it just lets out the truth.”

“You already know I’m in, Sunset,” Twilight said, choosing to ignore the white unicorn. “My teacher is in trouble. There’s no way I’d ever let anything happen to her. She’s been through too much to lose her crown now.”

“That big bad Blueblood was always the runt of the staff! Nopony ever liked him. Now I can see why! He’s a scoundrel, and I’m gonna take him down!” Pinkie slapped her hooves together. “Nopony messes with Nightmare Moon, and nopony messes with my friends on Restaurant Row!”

Fluttershy nodded her head. Her tears long since stopped, her cheeks as dry as the sand in an hourglass. “I’m in too. A lot of animals will have their homes ruined if we allow this to happen. Ponies and nature exist together. They’d be no better than when Nightmare Moon changed the world forever.”

“What about you, Rarity?” Sunset asked when the rest had pledged their support. The white unicorn was brooding, her forelegs crossed. It was clear she didn’t want to be here, but would that be reason enough to leave?

Apparently not. “Of course I’m going to help. Blueblood used to be a prince, but he’s nothing more than a foal in big-colt clothing. He mocked my drapes once, and ever since then, Nightmare Moon hounds me to change them every visit. I will destroy him! I will make sure he never sees the moon again once I’m through with him!” The fire in her eyes was the most fire Sunset had seen out of this Rarity, and she could only imagine what Rarity dreamed of.

“Good. I’m glad all five of you agreed, because it’s going to take all five of you to do what I need you to do.” Sacrifices have to be made. “Do any of you know where the speakers around Canterlot are connected to? They all play the same song.”

“It’s next to a guard tower in the north district. Why?” Rainbow Dash answered.

“Dash, you’re in charge of that then. I need you to get a connected microphone from there and have a wire run all the way to the castle. Fluttershy, you help her. We’re going to announce to Canterlot what’s going on, but we need everyone in Canterlot to be able to hear it. That means we need flyers.” Sunset turned to Rarity and Twilight. “I need you two to design a flyer that’ll get people to rush to the castle gates as soon as they see it. Once you’ve designed it, I need it spread out around town. How long do you think it’ll take you two to design one?”

“For all of Canterlot to see? If we start on it tonight, we could have a design done by morning,” Twilight surmised, and Rarity nodded her head in agreement.

“What about the banquet’s buffet? Has that already been made?” Sunset asked.

Pinkie nodded. “Tomorrow’s, yes. Not the second or third night, though.”

“Alright, then here’s what we’ll do. While Rarity and Twilight design the flyer tonight, you and I will sneak into the warehouse district to poison the upcoming ingredients for nights two and three. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash will keep watch from the outside while we work. When we’re finished, we return and get some sleep. Tomorrow, all six of us will help copy Rarity and Twilight’s design to make as many flyers as possible. Tomorrow night, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash will grab the wire and microphone, meanwhile, Twilight, Rarity, and I will spread the flyers around town. Pinkie, you’re going to be bait on the second night. I’ll explain that to you later.”

Rarity whistled, getting everyone’s attention. “This is all very nice, but what’s the end goal? Why do all this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Twilight replied for Sunset. “We’re going to expose Blueblood by announcing to all of Canterlot his plan. Poisoning the food at the banquet validates our tale to the nobles and Nightmare Moon while we get all of Canterlot in one place—the main street where all the speakers are located.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” acknowledged Sunset. “Just make sure you’re on the main street when the fun begins, Rarity. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the show just as much as the rest of us will.”

“Where will me and Rainbow Dash be at during the second night of the banquet?” Fluttershy asked.

Sunset shrugged. “Your job’s done once the microphone is in place. I’d say find a nice quiet ice cream parlor to listen. You and Rarity could go together.” The two mares looked at each other before rolling their eyes in different directions. Or maybe not. As long as they stop fighting long enough for this to work, they can beat each other senseless later. “True night is starting. Pinkie, Dash, Fluttershy. Let’s get to work.”

The trio nodded, and just before they left, Sunset glanced back at the two other unicorns. She could hear them chatting, their eyes focused on an unraveled parchment. Try to push your differences aside for tonight, she prayed.

Ponies who normally littered the streets had vanished like the sun. The dark sky held little light, even for the billions of stars shining in the distance. A few shops still kept their lights on, and night owls were coming out shrouded in cloaks and keeping their heads low. Sunset and Pinkie kept a low profile, taking their time to walk to the warehouse district. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, covered in darkness, chose to fly far above the city. When the main street grew small and twisted around a bend, their hooves began to carry them faster. Slinking from one side street to another, Sunset felt the memory an eerie coldness on the back of her neck.

Teleporting past the chain link fence, Sunset fell beneath the shadow of an overhang, Pinkie Pie at her side. She heard a bird’s call that almost sounded like it was being strangled, and she assumed it was Rainbow Dash. Guards were certainly posted around, possibly part of Blueblood’s plan to poison the ingredients that weren’t for the banquet. When one guard passed unaware, Sunset motioned for Pinkie to move into one of the warehouses. Once they were inside, she asked, “Alright, do you know what’s going to be used?”

“I’m not sure which of these storage buildings have them, but it’d be mostly white grain, carrots, and sugar recipes. Lots of pastries and what not. The easiest thing to leave out and not dry up or get slimy for hours on end,” answered the pink chef.

Sunset acted as if she was rolling up her sleeves. “Let’s get to work finding them.”

“Once we find them, how are we going to poison them?” Pinkie asked as she rounded a corner of barreled pickles.

“Are you kidding? You’ve got a powerful unicorn helping you. Turning food into rotten garbage is easy, turning it the opposite way is more difficult. I can do both.” Though it has been a while since I’ve turned someone’s lunch into mush. “You point out the stuff you find and I’ll make it taste worse than dirty gym socks baked in a dirt cupcake topped with brussel sprouts.”

“Remind me not to let you into my kitchen,” Pinkie said in a disapproving voice.

Boxes, barrels, bags, and sacks ranged in every direction of the warehouse. Sunset glanced carefully over each, not wanting to miss any of the specific ingredients. “What about napples?” she asked, coming across two crates filled with the fruit. Her eyes read the logo and the motto. “Being pony, having your health. That’s the most important thing,” she said aloud. “So that’s why she says it. It’s her company’s slogan!”

“I don’t think napples are a part of it. Miss Applejack specifically requested it be that way, which didn’t make sense at the time. Now, with everything you’ve said, I kind of get why.”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t want her special crop being tainted. Everything else is okay to poison but not that. What a selfish mare,” Sunset snarled just as she came across a bag of carrots. Whipping out a spell, she turned the carrots rotten. Though they didn’t look it, the smell they emitted was proof enough. “Ugh,” she revolted, holding her nose. “You think the cooks will notice the smell?”

“White grain, over here,” Pinkie called out.

It wasn’t long before they cleared the warehouse, rotting all the necessary ingredients. “One down,” Sunset whispered as she drew the metal door ajar. She peered with one eye out into the darkness. A lot more to go.

They toiled endlessly for hours. From room to room, to box to box, they scoured the warehouses for all the ingredients needed. Even if they all wouldn’t be used, Sunset felt it a necessary sacrifice. “Better safe than sorry,” she told Pinkie. Even as the light of the moon was starting to rise, they worked to turn the ingredients into tainted produce.

As time went on and they came close to finishing, a sudden tap tap tap echoed out. “What was that?” Pinkie asked Sunset, who also heard the sound. They swiveled their heads, searching for the tapping. “Up there!”

Following the pink hoof, Sunset lifted her eyes to the skylight. “Fluttershy?” The yellow pegasus was tapping with both hooves on the glass, her face was shadowed in darkness, it was clear something was wrong.

That’s when the main door of the warehouse threw open. It was Rainbow Dash, sweat dripping from her brow. “The workers are here loading stuff up! I can’t stall them any longer. We’ve got to go!”

“We’re not done yet! We’ve still got three other storehouses!” Pinkie argued.

“We’ll just have to hope this is enough.” With a wave of magic, Sunset teleported the trio to Fluttershy, then to just outside the chain link fence. She breathed a heavy sigh, falling to the limestone street. “I’m all drained out. So much for getting sleep tonight.”

Rainbow Dash pulled the unicorn over her shoulder. “You can rest once we get back to Pinkie’s. Come on.”

Almost being dragged by her hooves, Sunset felt a spike of pride. Everyone’s really getting into this. Maybe a real problem, not a made up one, is what they needed to bring their spirits together. Her eyes drifted back to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, the two trotting alongside each other with happy smiles. I should hold my excitement till we get back to Pinkie’s residence, Twilight and Rarity might have destroyed the place.

To her surprise and amazement, they had done no such thing. Twilight was already asleep, a few hundred flyers beneath her hooves, while Rarity remained wide awake making copies by hoof. “Oh, there you three are,” the white unicorn spoke up when she heard the door open. “What do you think of this?” She held one of the copies up to Sunset’s face.

“In celebration, Nightmare Moon has a free gift for all of Canterlot citizens—but only those who hear the secret code phrase over the loudspeakers will be able to claim it!” Sunset read aloud. “Rarity, this is genius!”

Rarity, a smug smile on her face, said, “I’m glad you like it, we’ve already started making copies.” She threw a look over her shoulder. “Twilight. Twilight! Wake up!”

The purple unicorn shook awake, her eyes sprung wide. “Yuh-am aw-ay-kuh!” she shouted, drool dripping down onto one of the flyers. “What’s going on?” she asked as she adjusted her glasses.

“You two have designed the perfect flyer. Ponies love Canterlot, and to hear of a free gift by only learning a secret code phrase, it’s practically the best enticement ever to stick around the speakers!” praised Sunset, wrapping both the unicorns in a hug. “Thank you so much for doing this.”

Rarity was a bit surprised by the embrace, but Twilight accepted it warmly. “Yes, well, I’m sure you three had your own plan go well. It took you all true night,” said the white unicorn, glancing out one of Pinkie’s windows.

“All true night!?” Twilight exclaimed, passing Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to open the front door. “Oh no! I’ve got to get back to the castle. Nightmare Moon will scold me if I’m not seen around her.”

“Good thing I was fired, I’m going to hit the hay. There’s a few spare couches if you all need them,” Pinkie yelled through a yawn as she rounded her staircase, leaving the five alone.

“Yeah, I’m going to hit the sack too.” Rainbow Dash disappeared into one of the other rooms while Rarity and Fluttershy remained in Pinkie’s living room. The yellow pegasus had already started picking up the slack for Twilight.

Once the purple unicorn tied her mane and cleaned the sleep from the edges of her eyes, she trotted to the door, quietly saying her goodbyes. “Hold on a second, Twilight,” Sunset said and they pushed out into the front yard. When the door closed, Sunset asked, “Can I get you to do me one more favor? It’s a really big one.”

“Depending on what it is,” Twilight replied, ever frugal.

“When Nightmare Moon finds out about Blueblood, Applejack, and Shining Armor, she’s going to flip her lid. She’ll get angry and her rage will lead to her doing something stupid and evil. We cannot let her use the Elements of Harmony, nor can we use the Elements on her.”

“What? Why the sudden change? You were so gung-ho about Nightmare Moon being evil yesternight.”

“I am, but I think we can go about it a different way. If we use the Elements of Harmony on her, there’s no telling what may happen to her. If she changes back into Princess Luna—good. If not, Blueblood, Applejack, and your brother will take over. If that’s even the slightest chance, we cannot use the Elements.”

Twilight leaned close. “Okay. Seems easy. What’s your favor then?”

“It’s something even crazier.”

Comments

[FriedScootaloo]

8599663

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/18087/the-best-night-ever

[Anachronon]

“It’s something even crazier.”

Using the Elements on Shining and Blueblood? I know that is very unlikely, but I can't think of much crazier things right now. ^^

[Csquared08]

Alright, this is promising. Looking forward to the finale!

[ScopeEva]

I... am really confused. Why poison more food? Just so they can unveil the perpetrators a day early? I get the weird feeling this is going to come back and bite Sunset in the rump.

Well, only one way to find out I guess.
Also, really surprised this story isn't way more popular for it's length and quality. It's good~