6 - The Hurricane
Twilight hopped off the train as soon as it pulled into Ponyville. She’d spent the ride back practicing the counter Princess Celestia had taught her. She wished she could have had more time to work on it, but time was of the essence. The chaos shard was in Ponyville last she knew, and that meant everypony could be in danger.
“Channel, wind, pulse,” she reminded herself as she approached the library. “Channel, wind, pulse. Channel, wind--”
“Twilight!” Apple Bloom shouted across the plaza. “Ya have to come quick!” She was standing in the doorway to the library, frantically bouncing on her front legs.
Twilight doubled her pace. “Apple Bloom? What is it? Did something happen?”
“Hurry up inside!” Apple Bloom shouted back to her. “It’s a matter of life and death!” With those words, she disappeared back into the library. Twilight followed shortly after.
The atmosphere inside the library was completely somber. Spike was standing by the table with a grim look on his face. Apple Bloom hurried over to join him. Sitting on the table was Applejack’s hat and a note propped up against it.
“She came by while you were gone,” Spike explained. “I tried to give her hat back, but she left it for you and asked me to write a letter.”
Tentatively, Twilight approached the table and began to read.
To the light over my orchard,
Three moons ago I asked you on our very first date. I could scarcely believe when you said yes. I thought it might just be the happiest moment of my life, but each new day with you has proven me wrong. So I want to start by thanking you for being the best thing that’s happened to me.
But I ain’t been fair to you and I’ve messed us up something fierce. I let myself get stupid with my doubts and my fears, and I treated you worse than a caterpillar in harvest season. I said a lot of things I wish I could take back but they’re out there now and there ain’t nothing I can do about that.
I don’t know if you can forgive me for the way I’ve been. After the way I was last night, I don’t feel right asking you to. So I’m leaving this up to you. I’m going up to our special place tonight. I’ll be there until the last light of twilight slips out of the sky. If you join me, we can sit and talk about where we went wrong and how we might make it right. If you don’t, I’ll understand.
No matter what happens, you’ll always be special to me, Twilight.
Yours,
Applejack
Twilight had barely finished reading the letter when a loud thump hit the table. She looked up and realized that Apple Bloom had slammed down a red pouch and was pushing it towards her. “What’s this?”
“This is all my chore money for this week. Please, just take it and go meet Applejack,” Apple Bloom insisted.
“I don’t follow,” Twilight looked from the pouch to Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom stood her front hooves on the table, pleading with her eyes. “I’ve been savin’ it to buy a new safety helmet for earnin’ my cutie mark, but you can have it if it means we can be a family again.”
The realization hit Twilight and she softened, reaching over and pulling Apple Bloom into a hug. “You don’t have to do that. Of course I’ll go to her. I want us to be a family too.” She squeezed the little filly tighter. “This was never about you.”
Letting go, Twilight looked outside. The sun was starting to approach the horizon but she should have plenty of time to get to the farm. She’d sit with Applejack, make peace, and then they could deal with the chaos shard together.
Flipping Applejack’s hat onto her head with a puff of magic, she called out to her assistant. “Spike, I’ll be back in a few hours. If all goes well, I’ll bring Applejack with me and we can work on the problem with the library thief. I’ve just about cracked the mystery. All that’s left to do is find him.”
“Aye-aye!” Spike gave her a mock salute.
Twilight opened the door with her magic and prepared to step out into the rush of color diving straight for her head. She slammed the door shut instantly and held it, just before the heavy impact landed against it. “Spike, I think we just found him.”
Spike raced to the window, peering out of it. “That can’t be right. That’s Rainbow Dash!”
Twilight shook her head. “No, he probably just wants us to think that’s her. It’s an illusion. All of his forms are. The pegasus, the unicorn, even when I spotted Discord--”
“Wait,” Spike interrupted, “you saw Discord?!”
“That’s not important. The point is that none of them are real. We’re dealing with a living enchantment that’s throwing images at us to masquerade as a pony. He’s trying to trick us into thinking Rainbow Dash is attacking.”
Spike kept looking out the window. He raised a curious eyebrow. “So, why isn’t she still attacking?” Rainbow Dash had fluttered back into the air and taken a perch on a nearby cloud, eyes carefully scrutinizing the door. Twilight stepped up to the window and watched her carefully.
“She’s waiting for something. I think she’s expecting me to open it again. She’s not trying to attack me, just…to keep me from leaving?”
Apple Bloom gasped. “She’s tryin’ to keep you away from Applejack!”
Twilight stepped back, casting a confused glance at the filly. “…why would Discord care about my love life?”
“Twilight, look,” Spike whispered. Standing around the perimeter of the plaza were Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Each pony was wearing her Element, and each gem on the Elements had been stained black. It was in that moment that the last gear clicked in Twilight’s head.
“The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. That’s what he was studying. It would have tipped us off if he’d taken it, so he read it here! The chaos shard isn’t trying to keep the Elements away from us. He’s trying to use them himself! Applejack is in danger!” She took a step back as she realized. “…Those are my friends out there.”
Twilight glanced at Apple Bloom, then at Spike. “They’re trying to keep me from interfering and that means they won’t care about either of you. As soon as they leave, you two run for it. Spike, I know your fire’s still drained, so I need you to get to Canterlot and tell Princess Celestia what’s happening in person. Apple Bloom, go to the farm. Get your brother and Granny Smith and get somewhere safe.”
“Ya can’t be serious!” Apple Bloom insisted. “If Applejack’s in danger, then I gotta--”
“No,” Twilight cut her off with a stern warning. “Discord’s enchantment is too dangerous. He needs Applejack so he’s not going to do anything to hurt her, but there’s no telling what he might do to you if you interfere. I can handle him, but I need the family to be away from this. Please, I need you to trust me.” Smiling, she added, “From one sister to another.”
Apple Bloom took a moment to consider, but then slowly nodded. “Okay, Twilight. I trust you.”
Twilight looked back at the door and concentrated. “Okay. Count of three. One. Two.” On the third count, her horn crackled with magic and she vanished in a violet burst. She reappeared in the plaza outside and immediately broke into a sprint towards the center of town. Apple Bloom and Spike watched Rarity point in her direction and start chasing, followed quickly by Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash.
Slipping out of the library, Apple Bloom nodded to Spike and immediately took off towards home. She trusted Twilight, to be sure, but she was also an Apple. She knew what she had to do.
Applejack sat at the top of her hill, watching the sun begin to touch the line of the horizon. She’d never been this nervous in all her life. This last week had taken its toll on her and the events of earlier today certainly hadn’t helped. Now here she was facing the end of it all, and only the future could tell if she’d crash and burn.
She closed her eyes and felt the wind against her face. There was something almost comforting about it. After all else that had transpired, it was soothing to know that the wind still came. The sun still set and would rise again in the morning. There would be crops to tend, breakfast to make, and a sister to see off to school. The world didn’t have to end just because her relationship did.
She heard hoofsteps coming up the hill and turned to look, but was greeted only by the sight of a blue-furred stallion with a peach-shaped cutie mark. Rolling her eyes, she grunted, “Go away, Cardinal. There ain’t never been a worse time for your sales pitch than right now.”
Cardinal stopped, holding up his hooves to show he meant no harm. “No pitches, I promise. I just…I heard what happened and I thought you could use a friend.”
Applejack exhaled hard. She didn’t have the strength to deal with this right now, but she also didn’t have the strength to fight it either. “Fine. Whatever. But if Twilight shows up, either you leave or I make you.”
“Of course,” Cardinal answered her, walking over to take a seat next to her. For a second, Applejack thought she caught a glint of gold under his hoof, but the last thing she cared about right now was whatever gaudy piece of jewelry he was toting around. As the sun hit the horizon and the oranges and reds of twilight began to appear, Cardinal commented, “This is a gorgeous place.”
Applejack nodded. “Yeah. It was ours, me and Twi. Our special place away from the world where everythin’ else quit matterin’. We both got busy lives, but we stole our moments here under the gleamin’ lights.”
As she raced through Ponyville, Twilight stole a look up at the sky. The sun had hit the horizon, which meant she had very limited time to get to Applejack. Worse, she was going the wrong direction. She had to find a way to double back and--
Pinkie Pie exploded out of a fruit stand to her left, tackling her to the ground. Twilight rolled and levitated her off, then lightly tossed her away and started running again. As she approached the well, she caught a flash of color out the corner of her eye and teleported just before Rainbow Dash hit the ground where she’d been standing.
Diving down an alleyway, she heard Rainbow calling after her. “Come on, Twilight, don’t make this harder than it needs to be!”
Twilight dashed to the end of the alley and rounded a corner, only to find Pinkie standing there waiting for her. She shoved Pinkie back with her magic, then turned and went back the other way only to find Pinkie again, now blocking the exit. With another burst of magic, Twilight teleported to the roof of the house to her right and skidded down the shingles.
Rainbow Dash fluttered up from where she’d landed, glancing around. She looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of Twilight before the unicorn landed on her back, sending them both hurtling to the ground. “Sorry!” Twilight shouted as she picked herself up and started running again.
As she rounded the next turn, she felt her legs beginning to lift off the ground and her forward momentum slowing. Rarity was waiting for her, horn bristling with magic. Twilight turned her focus to Rarity’s levitation spell and hit it with her own magic, pushing back to try and break it.
“Back off, Rarity,” Twilight insisted as she pried herself loose from the spell. “You know my magic’s stronger than yours. You can’t stop me.”
“I don’t have to,” Rarity answered as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flanked Twilight. Rainbow grabbed her by the front hooves while Fluttershy took her hind legs, and they started to lift her into the air.
“Please don’t resist,” Fluttershy pleaded. “Cardinal needs you out of the way. It’ll just be for a couple hours and then we’ll let you go.”
“Cardinal?!” Twilight asked, struggling against the pegasi. “Who in Equestria is Cardinal? Are you talking about the chaos shard?”
Rarity stepped forward to answer the question, and Twilight was dismayed at how rehearsed her answer sounded. “Why, Cardinal is the superior Discord, of course. Fifty times smarter than that stuffy old Discord ever was.”
“I think I just threw up in my mouth a little,” Twilight replied. She shot a sudden glance at the well. “Hey, look, I’m escaping!” she shouted. Taking the bait, Rarity whipped around just before Twilight teleported to where she’d been standing and bolted. She was now headed the right direction and all she had to look out for was--
Pinkie dropped onto her from the roof of a nearby house, slamming her chin into the ground. She deflected with a burst of magic, but the time she’d lost meant it would be impossible to get up and running again before Rainbow Dash was on top of her. Casting another teleportation spell, she burst out of the street and reappeared inside the Sugarcube Corner.
She stumbled as she appeared inside the shop. She was burning a lot of magic trying to fend off her friends, and it was barely getting her anywhere. Glancing around, she noticed Mr. and Mrs. Cake hiding behind the sales counter.
“Twilight?” Mrs. Cake whispered, lifting her head over the counter. “What’s going on out there? I thought I saw Pinkie outside, but she looked…I’ve never seen her so focused. What’s happening?”
Twilight took a deep breath, then answered, “Stay inside and keep your family safe. Everything’s under control, and I’ll have Pinkie back to normal in no time. …uh…do you happen to have a back door I can slip out of?”
“Oh, of course,” Mr. Cake answered. “It’s right through the stockroom.”
“Thank you.” Twilight approached the door. She opened it with her magic and then time seemed to stop. She saw a flash of pink in front of her before her vision went completely white and her ears were filled with a loud bursting sound. She was distantly aware of no longer being on the ground, of her back impacting glass and the soundless fracture as it gave way, but it was like she was hearing about it happening in some far off land.
Her head was ringing and her vision only began to come back in blurs. It took her several seconds to realize she was laying on her side in front of the store. She slowly began to notice the strips of confetti and pink gunk glued to her fur, and it was only moments after that she realized there were voices around her.
“Take her back to the boutique,” Rarity was ordering. “We’ll hold her there until Cardinal’s finished with Applejack.”
“I caught her,” Pinkie whined. “I think I should get to watch her!”
Twilight tried to summon the magic for another teleport, but she could barely even find the strength to move. She felt herself suddenly being lifted up by her front legs and hoisted into the sky. She kicked her hind legs, but they just caught air.
“It’s over, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash urged her as she carried her higher. “Quit struggling.”
Twilight wriggled in Rainbow Dash’s grasp and tried again to conjure her teleportation spell, but it was to no avail. She knew if she couldn’t find the strength soon, then she’d be too high in the sky to safely land with it.
Then she saw it. A lone, solitary object sailing through the air. It arced up and then came right for them, prompting Rainbow Dash to duck to the side to avoid it. The object was followed by a second and a third, and on the third pass Twilight realized they were apples. Somepony down below was chucking apples!
Rainbow Dash dodged the fourth apple easily enough, and it was then Twilight hatched a plan. She focused on a much simpler spell and as the fifth apple came sailing through the sky, Twilight caught it with her levitation. As Rainbow Dash arced out of its flight path, Twilight curved its direction and drove the apple straight into the pegasus’s face.
The force knocked Rainbow Dash into the building next to her, causing her to lose her grip on Twilight, sending them both hurtling back down to the ground below. Twilight braced herself for the impact and used what magic she could muster to slow her descent, but still hit the ground hard. She looked up and saw Rainbow Dash across from her, also trying to stand up.
Rainbow Dash was the first to her feet. She shook herself as though trying to break loose of the impact, then lunged at Twilight. Before she could arrive, however, Twilight’s vision was filled with a blur of red. Big Macintosh caught Rainbow Dash in the middle of her leap and dropped her to the ground, pinning her with his bulk.
“Get off of me!” Rainbow Dash shouted at the hulking farm pony as she struggled in his grip.
“Nope.”
“Twilight, this way!” Apple Bloom shouted from a nearby alley. “Quickly! There’s no tellin’ when the others’ll be here!”
Twilight found what strength she could muster and picked herself up, following Apple Bloom into the alley. “What are you doing here?!” she hissed at the little filly.
“Apples stick together,” Apple Bloom answered her. “Somepony messes with one of our family, they get to deal with all of us. It’s just how it’s done. I brought Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle too.”
Twilight’s mind spun at the thought of the other Crusaders now in harm’s way. “Apple Bloom, I can’t thank you enough, but this is dangerous. You need to--”
“Twilight, please,” Apple Bloom spun around to face her. “We don’t have time to bicker. I just need ya to trust me. From one sister to another.”
Twilight hesitated as she considered Apple Bloom’s words, but then she nodded. “Okay. Where are we going?”
“Through here!” Apple Bloom opened a door and Twilight dashed inside.
The door slammed shut on her suddenly, locking out Apple Bloom, with Pinkie standing behind where it had been. “Aha!” the party pony shouted, but then Apple Bloom kicked it back open, slamming the door into her.
“I was wrong! This way!”
Twilight followed Apple Bloom back out onto the main street. The Crusaders’ wagon was sitting out in the middle of the road and to the side, Twilight saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo holding separate sides of a distinct pony shape, wrapped up in fabric. “We got Rarity!” She didn’t seem to be putting up much of a fight, Twilight noticed.
Then she spoke and answered the question. “Be careful, Sweetie Belle! This silk was imported from Saddle Arabia! You have no idea what it would cost to replace for even the smallest tear!”
Interesting, Twilight thought as she ran. Before she had time to consider, however, Pinkie was upon her again. She had no idea where Pinkie had come from, only that she was on the ground again. She levitated Pinkie off and ran again, but around the next corner, Pinkie tackled her.
Apple Bloom looked around the street frantically. Then her eyes fell on the wagon and a lightbulb went off in her head. She glanced back at Pinkie, who had already managed to pin Twilight to the ground, then raced over to the wagon.
Backing up against it, Apple Bloom delivered a powerful applebucking kick into the side of the thing, knocking it onto its side. She repeated the process against the axle, bending it inwards and breaking off two of the wheels. Having sufficiently damaged the Crusaders’ favorite method of transportation, Apple Bloom turned around, cleared her throat, and began to cry.
She bawled as loudly and obnoxiously as she could. She dredged up every humiliation, every disappointment, every moment of meanness and cruelty she’d suffered at the hands of the other kids, and she got the biggest tears she could muster streaming down her face as her sobbing voice filled the street.
As soon as the sound of Apple Bloom’s despair hit the alley, Twilight saw Pinkie’s entire body jolt. Every fiber of her being seemed to resonate with the sound of Apple Bloom’s despair. She shot up at once, then stopped and glanced back down at Twilight. Her indecision lasted only a second and she told Twilight, “Please don’t escape!” before bolting down the alley towards the filly.
Twilight curiously watched for a moment. He can’t force them to contradict their true selves. His control isn’t perfect.
“Maybe we can fix it?” Pinkie offered.
“No, you can’t, it’s bro-oke-e-en,” Apple Bloom sobbed. With her left hoof, she quickly gestured to Twilight to run, which snapped the unicorn out of her inquisitive daze.
Twilight bolted down the alley and out into the woods just beyond the edge of Ponyville. The light was growing dimmer by the minute, she realized. There wasn’t enough time left.
Waiting for her at the edge of the town was Fluttershy. “Twilight,” she greeted her. “I hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”
“So did I,” Twilight answered her. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but I can’t be stopped here. You’ve forced me to do this.”
Fluttershy glared. “Go ahead. Hit me with your worst--wait, where are you going?” Twilight sprinted around Fluttershy and kept right on going, completely ignoring her. Fluttershy flew after her, floating around behind her and urging, “You should really consider surrendering to Cardinal. It would be a very nice thing for you to do.”
As she hit the path, Twilight found she had enough strength for a teleport and cast it, leaving Fluttershy in the dust behind her.
As the last rays of light slipped below the horizon and day finally turned to night, Applejack closed her eyes and breathed. “Guess she ain’t comin’. Can’t say it ain’t what I expected. I think I knew. Deep down, I knew. After the way I left things, of course she ain’t comin’.”
She thought back to the fighting earlier today. She remembered snapping at Twilight a few days back and she thought of how cross she’d been with her last night. She glanced over at Cardinal and told him simply, “I deserve this. I was selfish and I was mean, and I finally drove her away. Drove plum near everypony away.”
Cardinal put a hoof on her shoulder. “Tell me about her.”
“Twilight…where to start? I ain’t ever known anypony like her. She’s curious as a cat about the whole world and ain’t afraid to risk it all just to find some new tidbit. She knows so much and yet she could always make me feel smarter just by listenin’ to whatever ramblin’ thing I had to say. And when she smiled, it was like the whole world was lightin’ up just for me.
“Do y’know she actually entered the Runnin’ of the Leaves? She ain’t never run a race before then, but she was so determined to learn more about Ponyville that she went ahead and matched her legs against Rainbow and me. I thought she was bein’ sillier than a mule in a henhouse, but she placed fifth in that race while we both came in dead last.
“That was the first time I really started to think there might be somethin’ special about her. I ain’t always taken easy to bein’ shown up like that, but even in victory, there was a powerful grace about her. It was like I felt bad for losin’, but I felt worse for makin’ a fool of myself in front of her.”
Applejack hung her head. “I seem to be doin’ a lot of that of late. But no matter how bad I messed up, she was always there to help me learn from it and move forward. She ain’t never given up on me.” She looked to the moon, now beginning to rise. “But I guess everypony runs out of chances eventually.”
Tears dripped from her eyes as she watched the moon and spoke the words straight from her heart. “Thank ya, Twilight, for all the joy you’ve brought to my life. I know I’m a better pony now than I was when I met ya, and even though we’re past the point of ever goin’ back, I’m gonna take this lesson and keep movin’ forward. I owe ya that much. I hope someday you’ll forgive me and we can be friends again, but I want ya to know that you’ll always have a special place in my heart.”
“G--” She choked on the word and coughed, then closed her eyes and tried again. “Goodbye, Twilight.” She felt the rush of emotion sweeping through her and was also vaguely aware of metal clicking around her neck, but all she could think about was the hurt.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Cardinal told her. “But every sunset leads to another dawn. I could never imagine how hard it must be, but I do want you to know that you’ve inspired me. Thank you so much, Applejack.”
“Applejack!” Twilight called out as she raced up the hill, but she was drowned out by Cardinal’s voice.
“Thank you for your honesty.” Twilight watched the blue pony flicker out of existence, replaced immediately by the unicorn. As his horn glowed, orange lightning poured out of the Element of Honesty and fired up into the sky, lighting up the night as its apple-shaped gemstone turned black like the others.
“Get away from her!” Twilight shouted. The unicorn Cardinal turned to look at her. She launched a spell to shove him back, but the magic was just drawn in and used to fuel his enchantment.
“Twilight Sparkle,” Cardinal greeted her. He gave her a warm smile that chilled her bones. “I’m glad you could make it. I…are you actually wearing her hat? That’s just precious.” Twilight glowered as Cardinal cleared his throat and continued. “Anyways, Applejack was just talking about you. I don’t mean to pry, but that torch she’s carrying could probably light up half of Manehattan. How did you ever let a pony so devoted slip through your hooves?”
Twilight fixed a scowl on her face and approached carefully, refusing to take Cardinal’s bait. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and I’m not letting you distract me.”
Cardinal just grinned. “You’d be surprised what I know. I was there when you drove the town insane over a silly doll. I was watching when Mare Do Well saved the city from that bizarre rash of accidents. Remember when Rainbow Dash held that competition for a new pet? I actually entered that. Can’t say I predicted the turtle winning; that was a hilarious surprise.”
Twilight took a step back, unsure of what to say. Cardinal continued. “For the last two moons, I’ve been watching everything, waiting for my moment. Got to say, I was very surprised to learn about you and Applejack. I always kind of thought you and Fluttershy had a neat little thing going but no, apparently you’d already gone for the hillbilly.”
“How long have you been manipulating us?” Twilight asked.
“Manip--no, I’ve just been watching. You think I could have done all this? I mean, granted, I nudged it along once you got the ball rolling, but I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Twilight. Are you familiar with the concept of a single point of failure?”
Twilight blinked. “Of course, I am. A single point of failure is any piece of a complex system in which, if it were to break down, it would have a cataclysmic effect that disables or potentially even damages the entire rest of the structure.”
“Yes!” Cardinal shouted. “That is exactly right. See, that right there is why you’re one of my favorites. I mean, you’re not as cool as Rarity, but there’s always something to like about a brilliant bookworm.”
“Wait,” Twilight blinked. “You’re not saying--”
“But of course I am. This misguided experiment of yours gave me everything. We did this together, you and I.”
Twilight looked from Cardinal to Applejack, who sat completely still on the hilltop. She hadn’t even turned to look at her. Her gaze was fixed on the moon and she never moved an inch. “Applejack!” Twilight called to her, but she didn’t even seem to notice.
“Don’t waste your breath,” Cardinal snorted. “She barely even knows you’re there. She’s sitting on that spot watching the last lines of light slip out of the sky over and over. The only thing she’s really aware of right now is that you never came. You should have heard how much she hates herself for it, too. I’d have her repeat it, but that’d be cruel.”
One by one, the rest of the Element-bearers began climbing the hill behind Twilight, hemming her in with Cardinal and Applejack. She watched them approach, then looked back at Cardinal. “I’m not going to let you release Discord.”
“Release Discord?” Cardinal raised an eyebrow. “You thought all this was about releasing Discord? Sweety pie, I’m insulted. I AM DISCORD!!!” he shouted with more ferocity than she’d ever heard from his progenitor. “The only Discord that matters. Sure, that might have been my plan when I created myself, but what right does that version of me have to exist over me?! Have you seen him? He screwed up but I’m right here doing what he never could. I’m smarter than him, I pulled this off, and that makes me the true Discord.”
Twilight took a step away from Cardinal, watching him rant. Princess Celestia had been right; he was completely irrational, was definitely going off-script from what he was made to do, and he didn’t really seem like Discord at all. Discord had a sense of humor about everything. Disturbed, certainly, but he always had a smile on his face.
The Princess had told her that the chaos shard would begin developing an identity from the moment of its creation. It remembered being Discord, but its formative moments were…what, then? Watching her and her friends interact? Scrounging for magic to keep a step ahead of its impending deadline? Carrying out a plan to kill itself for Discord’s benefit?
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Cardinal composed himself, interrupting her train of thought. “As I said, Twilight, I’m glad you made it because you’re one of my favorites. It wouldn’t feel right without you here. But I don’t actually need you. I have the Element of Magic and the five Elements to empower it.”
Cardinal flickered again and Twilight’s crown appeared on his head. The crown looked wrong, however. The golden frame was now gnarled and covered in spikes, while the gemstone was as black as the others. Illusions upon illusions, she reminded herself. Somewhere around here was the true Cardinal, the object that Discord had enchanted, using its magic to project this image for her to see. It probably had the real Element with it.
Or perhaps, she thought, the Element really was there floating in the air on the creature’s head. The illusion had a solid substance behind it. She wouldn’t have been able to throw it last night if it didn’t. So maybe she really was looking at the Element of Magic, and the illusion was merely its change in appearance. Cardinal seemed to be a very vain creature; she wondered if the crown was too girlish for his sensibilities.
At once, each of the six Elements lit up, glowing with a black light that was almost blinding. “Stop!” Twilight shouted. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t worry,” Cardinal smiled. “I’ll take good care of everything.” Then the world was gone in a flash of white.
Twilight floated in an abyss of white before reality seemed to come back to her. The first thing she was aware of was the softness underneath her, followed by a sense of warmth. Her ear was pressed against a surface that was comforting and familiar, and she could hear a soft thumping sound.
She stretched her legs and found they moved easily enough. A yawn escaped her snout. Then she heard the voice. “Rise and shine, sugarcube.”
Opening her eyes, she was immediately greeted by Applejack’s welcoming smile. Before she could even say anything, the farm pony captured her lips in a kiss that sent a jolt through her body. She still tasted like dirt and leaves, but it was still the greatest feeling she could remember. For the first time since before she could remember, she felt like her Very Special Somepony had finally come home.
Time seemed frozen in the air and Twilight felt like she could stay right here forever. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore. But one moment can’t last forever, and Applejack broke the kiss on the other side of eternity. Twilight blinked her eyes against the invasion of light and glanced around the room.
They were lying on a bed in the middle of a strange room. She immediately recognized her blue bedsheets with star and moon patterns, with Applejack’s distinctive apple-printed pillows sitting at the headboard. Based on the brown, carved wood, she was sure the bedframe was Applejack’s as well.
The room stood square with a sloped ceiling reminiscent of the farmhouse and she quickly realized they were in Applejack’s bedroom, but the door had been changed. The simple apple on the door was now adorned by a pink six-pointed star in the center of it and surrounded by five white stars. Twilight immediately recognized her cutie mark.
Stepping off the bed, Twilight approached the window. She didn’t see the farm. She saw a grassy field and a road that seemed to lead straight into Ponyville. The town was closer than she’d ever known it to be from here, but before she could think too much about that, her eyes were drawn upwards. Hanging in the sky were the sun and moon, one across from the other and both entirely still.
“Prince Cardinal’s stellar lights are gorgeous, ain’t they?” Applejack came up beside her, nuzzling her neck as she approached. “I think we can look forward to another fine day in Ponyville.”
Twilight shook her head. This seemed wrong. There was something about it that was nagging at her brain. The sun and moon weren’t supposed to be up together, they were…
“I need time to figure out how to stop loving you.”
As she tried to remember, those words hit her like a sack of bricks. She shook it off and returned her gaze to the window. As a pair of birds flew by, she laid her head against Applejack.
“What’s wrong?” the farm pony asked her.
Twilight smiled, feeling her heart pounding faster. It felt like forever since the last time she’d been this happy. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Heading outside, Twilight found that the farmhouse sat alone on a winding dirt road. It seemed odd to her, but the more she thought about it, she couldn’t really understand why. That’s how it had always been, hadn’t it? This was the home she and Applejack had built together, she thought. It was perfect. She knew it was perfect. So why did something seem missing?
“We don’t have time to bicker. I need ya to trust me. From one sister to another.”
Twilight shook her head. That voice in the back of her mind sounded so familiar, but she just couldn’t place it.
Town was crowded as usual. Ponies raced back and forth going about their daily activities, but the plaza was strangely quiet. Nopony was saying anything. Some ponies sat on a bench or at a table, nodding and gesturing as though they were holding a conversation, but there was no noise. Even more strange, Twilight realized, was that every time she tried to focus on a face or a cutie mark, there was nothing there. It was like everypony’s distinguishing features were a blur.
Twilight shook it off and headed into Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was manning the register like usual, selling a variety of sweets to these strange, formless ponies with a smile on her face. Twilight was very proud of how well Pinkie had managed to do for herself. Owning your own business isn’t easy, but Pinkie’s sweets shop had been a huge hit.
“Twilight!” Pinkie shouted from the register, eagerly waving her hoof. “Give me a second to finish and we can catch up!”
Twilight smiled, taking a seat at the table in the corner. “Take your time.”
Pinkie rang out the last few customers in line, then trotted out to join her friend. She looked out the window at the twin stellar bodies and smiled. “It’s a gorgeous day out.”
“Yes, it is,” Twilight nodded, trying to ignore the scratching in the back of her brain. “Just like every other day.”
“How’s Applejack?” Pinkie asked sweetly. “You two still getting along?”
“Better than I could have dreamed,” Twilight admitted. “I woke up this morning and everything just felt right. More than it has in….” She tried to think back, but there was Applejack’s terrifying voice again telling her to leave. She shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s hard to remember things. Are you having that problem?”
“Nah,” Pinkie smiled sweetly. “Remembering stuff’s overrated. That’s what Prince Cardinal always says! Oh, speaking of which….”
Twilight followed Pinkie’s gaze out the window. In the center of the plaza, Rarity was shouting to the featureless ponies. “Attention everypony! His royal majesty, Prince Cardinal, will be arriving soon! That’s right, the wise, cunning, and delightfully clever Prince Cardinal is on his way!”
Twilight stood up suddenly. As she watched Cardinal descend in a white chariot pulled by two featureless pegasi, she backed away from the table and began shaking her head. This was wrong. This was all wrong.
“Twilight?” Pinkie asked. “Are you okay?”
“Not now,” Twilight hushed her. “I need to…I need to focus….”
“Consarnit, Twilight, it’s been three moons! Three moons. I was hopin’ there might be somethin’ knockin’ ‘round in your heart for me by now!”
Twilight gasped as she fled from another terrible memory. She looked at Pinkie who was slowly approaching her with concern painted on her face. She thought of Applejack’s warm embrace this morning. Everything here was so warm and cheerful, while the past struck her in the heart every time she tried to think of it.
“I know that face,” Pinkie whispered quietly. “The past is a tyrant, but Prince Cardinal says that as long as we stay here, it can never hurt us again. You’re safe now. We all are.”
“No,” Twilight whispered. “Nothing about this feels safe. Something is terribly wrong, Pinkie, and I can’t…every time I try to think of it, all I can see is Applejack. The things she says to me, they’re horrible. Why would she say those things?”
“Twilight, please,” Pinkie pleaded. “Leave it buried where it is and let’s go see our friends! I’m sure they’ll be happy to see us!”
“I…I can’t.” Twilight backed up, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Pinkie.” With those words, she bounded out the door and dashed off down the street. Her mind was racing but every time she tried to think back, all she saw was Applejack’s disdain. Pushing through, she remembered crying to herself, wrapped around Applejack’s hat. But it wasn’t at the house, it was….
“The library,” Twilight perked up. “I remember the library.” She changed course and headed in the direction of Golden Oaks. She threw the door open as soon as she approached. “Spike!” she called out as she entered. “Spike, where are you?”
She raced over to his bed but found it empty. She dashed upstairs, but there was nopony in her room. “Spike? Can you hear me?” she called out, but when no answer came, she returned to the main chamber. The books were still organized where she and Spike had left them after the break-in. Spike’s checklist was lying on the table next to An Explorer’s Guide to the Strange and Bizarre. Then she saw it: flat on the table was the letter Applejack left her.
Twilight’s legs began to shake as she approached it. Every impulse in her body tried to pull her away, but she had to see. Her eyes scanned over it again and with each word she read, visions of arguments and anger and hurt flooded her head. Her heart pulled at her to stop, but when the pain became too much to bear, her eyes fixed on that one sentence that meant the most.
“No matter what happens, you’ll always be special to me, Twilight.”
It hit her all at once. A wave of comprehension rolled through her. The sweet nights together and the bitter fight, Rarity’s advice, Fluttershy helping her to Canterlot, evading her friends in Ponyville, every moment with and without her special somepony that had brought her to this point. And above it all, stood “Prince” Cardinal. A spell gone off its rails, spiraling around them with some mad agenda.
She remembered everything. Even more, she knew what she had to do. It should still be around here somewhere. Once she found it, she’d have everything she needed.
Applejack tipped up her hat and wiped the sweat from her brow as she finished fixing up the rain gutter for one of the featureless ponies in town. It’d been a busy morning for her. Three rain gutters down and she had a reshingling to do after lunch, but it was all in a day’s work for Ponyville’s number one handypony.
She stole a glance up at the gleaming double sky, still as beautiful as it ever was, and she remembered the rumblings she’d heard from Rarity about Prince Cardinal being in town. He was probably planning on dropping by, she figured. He always made time for his friends.
Suddenly, she heard the sweet voice of her violet love. “Applejack!” Twilight shouted, although she sounded strangely frantic. Applejack turned and saw the unicorn approaching, but there was something off about her. There was a strange fear in her eyes as she approached.
“We need to talk,” Twilight insisted, shooting a furtive glance around herself.
“Of course, Twi. What about?”
“Not here,” Twilight warned her. “Follow me.”
“Uh, okay,” Applejack glanced at her toolbox, then shrugged and followed after Twilight. Twilight wound her way between a few buildings as if trying to avoid the main road before bringing her to the library. She shot a quick look around, then dashed through the door. Applejack lifted an eyebrow and followed her through.
Inside, the place looked strangely lived-in. That struck Applejack as odd; nopony had been here since Twilight moved in with her back in…well, a time ago, she knew that much. “Alright, sugar, are ya ready to tell me what’s got ya spooked like a cat on a train car?”
“Listen,” Twilight bit her lip. Applejack could tell this wasn’t easy for her. “How much do you remember about…before.”
“Before what?”
“Just before. I need you to think back. Please, this is very important.”
“I….” Applejack shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, sugarcube.”
“Please, Applejack.” Twilight stepped towards her. The plea in her eyes made Applejack feel guilty for not understanding. “Everything is horribly wrong here. I think Cardinal’s done something to us. He’s trying to control us.”
Applejack shook her head. “That’s crazy, Twi. Prince Cardinal’s--”
“He’s not a prince!” Twilight insisted. “He’s a spell gone haywire, and he’s taken control of everything. He’s controlling all of us. This…everything he’s done, it’s all as fake as he is. He’s using the Elements to reshape Equestria and we’re letting it happen. Look at the sky, Applejack. What’s happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?”
“I don’t….” The names sounded familiar, but when Applejack tried to recall them, all she found was heartbreak. She saw tears streaming down Twilight’s face and felt the guilt of breaking her heart, and she quickly pushed it back into the hole it came from. “I can’t, Twi. I feel like I’ve been somewhere very cold and very dark and only now I’m getting’ to step out into the light.”
“I know.” Twilight closed her eyes. “I felt that too, but this is too important. We can’t let this happen. Look at these ponies outside. They don’t have faces or names. I don’t even know if they’re real. Where are our friends? Our families? Where are Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith?”
Those names struck Applejack like a knife digging into her heart. She knew them, she was certain of it, but the cold abyss was waiting for her when she tried to remember. She covered her head with her hooves, desperately trying to shut it out. “Twilight, please!” she shouted. “I can’t do this! I just want...we’re finally happy, Twi.” She looked up with pleading eyes. “Can’t we just be happy?”
Twilight swallowed a sob, then answered. “I wish we could. I wish that more than I could ever say. But I made a promise to Apple Bloom that when all this was over, we would be a family again, and that’s more important than whatever fleeting happiness Cardinal is offering. Being part of that family….” She sniffed, breathed deep, and continued. “It means they have to come first. I don’t get to have what I want until I make sure they’re taken care of, and I know they would do the same for me.”
Those words resonated inside Applejack. In an instant, she was right there on that night again, telling Twilight she had to leave. She watched everything she wanted shatter into a million pieces for the second time.
But Twilight continued. “There’s a letter on the table. I need you to read it. Please, Applejack. That’s all I’m asking you to do. I know it’s hard, but I also know you’re a fighter. You’re stronger than this and you can push through it.”
Slowly, Applejack stood up and approached the table. Sitting on the table was a scroll wrapped in a red band with a gold seal. She cast a glance back at Twilight, then broke the seal with her teeth and unfolded the scroll. The paper was stained in several places, and after a moment, Applejack realized the drops were tears. Twilight had been crying as she wrote it.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I’m writing you this letter from the Dodge Junction. Everything has gone so wrong and I don’t know if I can bear it. Applejack left us. She left me. She lied to us and she left. I didn’t know it was possible to hurt like this before. It feels like an axe has been driven through my heart. Like Timberwolves have gotten a hold of my feelings and are pulling and shredding them in a thousand directions at once.
I’ve been hurt before both physically and emotionally, but it’s never been like this. I feel useless and powerless and restless all at once. I feel like I need to do something, but I also feel like there’s nothing I can do. I feel hurt and angry and scared all at once, and each one is wrestling in my mind to decide which one buries me.
We found Applejack, but she’s barely even willing to talk to us and she refuses to look me in the eyes. She’s treating me like a stranger and I don’t understand it. I thought she loved Ponyville and all our friends and...
Me. I thought she loved me. The world feels like somepony turned it upside-down and shook it. I don’t know if anything will ever be right again. Why do I feel this way? How do I make it stop?
I’m going to go lie down. I’ll have Spike send this when I get home. It’s not much of a Friendship Report, but it’s what I have and I thought you might want to know about this strange new emotion I’ve discovered.
Maybe I just needed something to do.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
As she finished reading it, Applejack took two steps back, then sat on her haunches. “Twilight,” she whispered, watching the cascade of memories fall into place. “I remember Dodge Junction. I....”
Twilight stepped over and wrapped her front legs around Applejack in an embrace. “I know.”
Applejack buried her snout in Twilight’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry about everythin’, Twi. I’ve been mean and stupid. I haven’t even considered your feelin’s in all this. I…listen, Rarity said somethin’ that’s been burnin’ me up somethin’ fierce. She called me selfish.”
Twilight pulled out of the hug to look Applejack in the eyes. “Applejack, you are one of the least selfish ponies I know. You broke up with me for the sake of your family, and everypony keeps telling me how head over hooves in love with me you are, so that says a lot to me.”
Applejack shook her head. “I don’t mean about everypony else. I mean about us. I’ve been selfish with you from the beginnin’. I haven’t been treatin’ ya like a partner, Twilight. I’ve treated ya like a gatekeeper. All I was thinkin’ about was how to get my next favor from ya. I…”
She looked away for a moment, then continued. “I want to say I wasn’t thinkin’ about ya at all in Dodge Junction, but that ain’t true neither. Truth is, I couldn’t stop thinkin’ about ya. I lost every match ‘cause my head wasn’t in the game. I wanted so badly to win that blue ribbon and be your Very Special Somepony. When that didn’t happen, I went a little crazy.
“I couldn’t bear to go home and face any of ya, knowin’ I didn’t win the prize money. But I also couldn’t face you. I wanted the time to find a way to…to make ya think I’d won…I wanted to lie to ya, Twilight. It was selfish and stupid but I wanted to be your VSS so badly and I....”
It was only when Twilight reached forward with her hoof and wiped away her tears that Applejack realized she’d been crying. “Applejack, you are my Very Special Somepony. I said if you won that you could announce it in your speech, but I didn’t mean to imply that we wouldn’t be if you lost. I probably should have chosen my words better. I’m sorry.”
Applejack shook her head. “No, Twi. I’m sorry. I was so focused on gettin’ that next reward. I never thought about what I was doin’ to ya. It tore me up, not winnin’ that rodeo, and seein’ ya smilin’ like nothing was wrong just…I should have trusted ya more.”
Twilight took a deep breath. “It wasn’t just your fault. I’ve been so busy recording and studying these strange new feelings you’ve helped me experience that I wasn’t sharing them with the one pony I really should have, and that’s you. I should have talked to you more about what was happening in my heart. You’ve opened a door for me that’s strange and kind of scary, but also exciting.”
Applejack smiled. “I never knew ya felt so strongly about me. I guess I just got to thinkin’ that you were doin’ all this for my benefit. Can ya forgive me for bein’ so self-centered about all this?”
“Only if you can forgive me for not sharing my feelings with you sooner.” Twilight stepped in and took Applejack’s lips in a kiss, and in that moment she realized she’d been wrong before. This was the greatest feeling she could remember. Here in this moment with a partner who tasted like love, trust, and honesty, she felt complete.
As the kiss ended, Twilight’s eyes were drawn downwards by a shimmering glow. “Applejack, look!” The Element of Honesty sat latched around her neck, but the blackness that filled it was beginning to crack. Orange light shone through in patches, slowly growing until the inky substance was completely expunged. The Element shone bright as ever and, through it, the light returned to Applejack’s eyes.
“Twilight,” she whispered, “You came for me.”
Twilight pressed her head into Applejack’s neck. “Of course, I did. No matter what happens, you’ll always be special to me too.”
Applejack closed her eyes. “I remember. I remember everythin’. How long have I been wearin’ this?”
“About as long as I’ve been wearing this,” Twilight answered. Applejack opened her eyes and saw her hat fixed upon her partner’s head.
“It looks good on ya."
“Cardinal had us all trapped in this maze of lies, but he can’t hide the truth from us if we’re willing to face it with eyes open.”
Cardinal,” Applejack hissed. Burning with rage, she stepped away from Twilight. “That peach-stamped son of a barn weasel! He played us all for suckers! I’m gonna string him up by his mane and--”
Twilight stepped in front of her, heading her off. “Applejack, wait! There’s something you need to know about Cardinal. We can’t afford to be reckless right now. We need to make a plan. More than anything, we need our friends.”
A featureless crowd of ponies stood gathered as Cardinal, in his unicorn guise with the Element of Magic still twisted atop his head, marched through the street. Every now and then he stopped to strike a pose, and the featureless ponies would stomp their hooves in celebration.
By his side, Rarity marched along, singing his praises to the town. “Witness his majesty, Prince Cardinal the Cunning! Prince Cardinal the Magnificent!” She wore a white and blue dress decorated with peach-print patterns and a gold trim, as well as a tiara on her head that was black and gnarled to resemble what he’d done to the Element of Magic.
Twilight shuddered as she approached the crowd. If they’d seemed odd to her before she got her memory back, they were downright creepy now. Each and every one of them identical to the others, all mushed together in a vague shade somewhere between gray and blue. She wondered if they were empty illusions Cardinal had created to populate his new world, or if they were her friends from Ponyville stripped of their identities and reduced to hollow shells like him.
Either option seemed equally unnerving, but the thought that Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Spike might be among the faceless horde caused her physical pain.
As she watched Cardinal and Rarity stroll down the main street, she mentally cursed. Splitting Rarity off from him was going to be a challenge. This would be much easier if he hadn’t come to visit. Then again, she wasn’t sure there was an Equestria outside Ponyville’s borders right now, so perhaps he was always visiting. He did seem the type to go fly a loop and then come straight back and have Rarity announce him again.
Twilight had considered taking off Applejack’s hat, but decided against it on grounds that because she’d already been wearing it, it would tip him off for her not to have it anymore. Illusions within illusions, she reminded herself; what he saw when he looked at her was not the same as what the others might see or what she herself did.
Twilight cleared her throat, put on her best game face, then broke through the crowd and approached the false prince. “Lord Cardinal,” she greeted him. “It’s been, uh…too long since you’ve visited our little town.” She gave him a small bow, hoping to feed his ego.
“Twilight Sparkle,” he greeted her warmly. “It’s nice to see you again. How are you enjoying your new home?”
Twilight smiled to him. “It’s everything we could have asked for. Applejack and I are very happy there. Thank you.”
Rarity gestured emphatically to Cardinal. “Is the great Prince Cardinal not wise and generous beyond all means?”
“Oh, every mean,” Twilight agreed. “So many means. In fact, I was hoping his majesty might be willing to come look at what we’ve done with it.”
Cardinal stepped over and stroked his hoof down the side of Twilight’s mane. It filled her with revulsion, but she was careful not to show it. “I would be more than happy to have a look. You’re the greatest friends I’ve ever had, each and every one of you. Whatever makes you happy is what I hold dear to my heart.”
“Of course,” Twilight grit her teeth and smiled. “It’s right this way.”
As she led Cardinal away from the street, Rarity addressed the crowd once more. “Attention, everypony! His majesty, Prince Cardinal the Glamorous, shall be taking a brief recess to attend to his princely duties. But do not fret, for he will return within the--Mmf!”
Applejack lunged from the crowd of ponies, shoving a hoof into her mouth and pulling her away. The featureless ponies didn’t even seem to notice the commotion and resumed milling about in their thin pantomime of life.
Shoving her around the side of the nearby boutique, Applejack released Rarity. The unicorn promptly demanded, “Applejack, what is the matter with you?! If you wanted to speak with me, you could simply have asked.”
“Sorry, Rares.” Applejack stole a quick glance around the corner. “I need to talk to ya all private-like.”
Rarity narrowed her eyes. “If this is your idea of whisking me away on some romantic tryst, you should know that I would never hurt Twilight like that and neither should you.”
“What? No! This is…well, good, we’re fightin’. That’s a great start. How much do ya remember about yesterday? Least, I think it was yesterday.”
“Nothing at all and, again, neither should you,” Rarity chided. “Prince Cardinal says that--”
“Yeah, yeah, I know what he says, but listen. I need you to think real hard about what happened between us. It’s important.”
“I don’t…” Rarity shook her head, chasing off the memory. “The past is best left buried. You know that.”
“This is important,” Applejack insisted.
“Whatever could be so important that it would take me away from my duty to our Prince?”
“I’m tryin’ to tell ya somethin’ that’s--”
“And further, why would you bring up the past when you know it’s forbi--”
“RARITY, I’M SORRY!” Applejack exploded. A silence immediately fell over the unicorn. “I’m sorry for everythin’ I said. I’m sorry for everythin’ I did. I’m sorry for the way I hurt Twilight and I’m sorry it bled over to you. I’m sorry you had to spend a day holdin’ her while she cried and I’m sorry I was too full of myself to listen to either of ya when you were right all along.”
Rarity stepped backwards, her mind beginning to jostle loose as the images flowed through it, while Applejack continued. “Most of all, I’m sorry for me. I’m sorry for bein’ so selfish and hurtin’ her, and I’m sorry for blowin’ smoke at ya. I hurt everypony else but, worse, I hurt Twilight. You might not have been the friendliest of critters, but I know you were just tryin’ to help. I’m sorry I let everythin’ get so bad.”
Rarity’s eyes softened and she tentatively reached her hoof over to touch Applejack’s shoulder. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have come out so bitter. I was mean and nasty and that’s hardly the way one should speak to a friend. I got swept up in Twilight’s hurt and let it run away with me. That was a bridge we burned together, and I think it’s only right that we work together to fix it.”
“Aw, come here.” As the Element of Generosity began to shine once again, Applejack pulled Rarity into a hug, much to the unicorn’s mortification.
“Let me go, you are covered in dirt and it’s going to ruin my--” As Applejack released her, Rarity stared down at the dress on her. She tried to twist around to look at her backside, then settled for finding a nearby window to use its reflection. “What in Equestria am I wearing?! This thing is atrocious and…oh, my, what have I been saying?! …I feel so violated.”
Applejack gestured at her to follow. “You and me both, but this ain’t over yet. Come with me.”
“And this is our home.” Twilight gestured to the house she and Applejack had woken up in. “It’s quite spacious and there’s certainly plenty of room in case we ever decide we want to start a family of our own. With your majesty’s blessings, of course.”
Cardinal nodded. “Of course.” He stepped inside, taking a look at the living room. “It’s quite lovely. How long have you been here?”
Twilight shrugged. “Who can say? Remembering stuff’s overrated, you know. Best to leave the past buried and focus on the present!”
Cardinal chuckled. “Quite. It’s good to hear you’ve taken that to heart. You know, I was worried about you when you first moved here, but it sounds like you’ve settled in quite well. I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
Cardinal glanced back at the door. “That’s strange. Have you seen Rarity? She should be right behind us.”
“Oh, Applejack mentioned she needed to talk to her about something. I think Pinkie’s preparing a party to…uh…to celebrate how wonderful it is to be living under your rule?”
“Hmm.” Cardinal scrutinized her for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Very well.”
“Rainbow! Hey, Rainbow!” Applejack called out to Rainbow Dash, who was snoozing on a cloud just above Cardinal’s carriage. Her task in this bizarre new world had been to tow his carriage around and it was very busy work.
Rainbow rolled over on her cloud and began to snore louder, much to Applejack’s dismay. “Would you wake up already?” she shouted.
“Allow me.” Rarity stepped forward, put out her biggest gasp, and shouted, “PRINCE CARDINAL!!! You’ve returned so soon?! Why, of COURSE the carriage will be ready to depart immediately!”
“I’M UP!!!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flopping off her cloud and catching herself in midair. “Rainbow Dash, reporting for…uh…duty?” She fluttered down towards the ground, casting glances every direction. “Where is he?”
Rarity shook her head. “Terribly sorry for the deception, Rainbow Dash, but we do so need to speak with you.”
Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. “That was a mean trick, but sure. What’s up?”
Applejack stepped forward. “Rainbow, I wanted to say I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“Whoa, whoa!” Rainbow Dash hovered away. “You guys want to talk about the past? Trust me, that’s a hole best left--”
“What,” Applejack asked, “You too scared to go divin’ through history with me? You were right, Rares. I owe you two bits. Never thought I’d see the day when Rainbow Dash backs down from a challenge.”
Rainbow Dash twitched. “Hey, I didn’t say that! You want to go picking apart our history, fine, but it’s just a bunch of painful, hurtful things.”
Applejack stepped forward. “I know it is, Dash, and I’m real sorry for my part in that. I know you were only tryin’ to help me and I appreciate that ya care. Ya didn’t pick a great time to do it, but the feeling behind it means a lot to me. I shouldn’t have snapped at ya the way I did, and I want ya to know that I still care a lot about our friendship. What do ya say? Will ya be my pal like we used to be, instead of this phony friendship Cardinal cooked up for us?”
Applejack held out her hoof for a hoof bump. Rainbow Dash stared at it, considering, and as the light returned to the Element of Loyalty, she met it with her own. “I’m sorry too, AJ. I should have respected you more and let you take care of your own stuff. You were right; what happens between you and Twilight isn’t up to me, and the best thing I could have done was to stay out of it.”
Rainbow looked around. “I made a dumb call because I listened to….” Then the memory hit her and she exploded. “Why, that slimy, backstabbing piece of--”
Applejack nodded. “We know. Welcome to the resistance.”
Twilight led Cardinal back downstairs. “And that’s our home! It was wonderful that you came to see it. Can I get you something to drink? A place to sit down and rest, perhaps?”
“You seem nervous,” Cardinal observed.
“What?” Twilight laughed. “No, not at all. What would I have to be nervous about? I’m simply enjoying the presence of his majesty!”
“Your smile seems disingenuous. It slips ever so slightly from time to time, as though you’re having to work to keep it there. You also refuse to look me in the eyes when you speak, instead darting around like a bandit afraid you’ve been cornered.”
“Well, that’s just--”
“Twilight. Look me in the eyes.”
Twilight glanced around, avoiding Cardinal’s gaze for a moment. Then she grinned. “Catch me first.” With a burst of magic, she teleported outside and bolted towards the forest, trying to lead Cardinal away from town.
She took a bend in the path and slammed right into Cardinal’s chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Her horn glowed with magic and she watched him light up his own, ready to catch whatever spell she sent at him. So instead, she levitated a nearby log and chucked that straight into his face with as much force as she could conjure. Cardinal’s body shattered like glass as the log impacted him.
“Hurry up,” she whispered into the night.
Applejack pleaded with the proprietor of the Angel’s Foot Salad Bar. “Fluttershy, listen to me. You only meant to help us set things right, and we all yelled over you and ignored you. You were tryin’ to show us a bit of that kindness and we drove you away with our anger. I’m sorry we made you feel like ya had to run from us.”
“Yes,” Rarity added, “I am sorry as well. I let myself get carried away and I fear I might have hurt you in my anger. I want you to know that was never my intent. I value you as a dear friend. We all do.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash continued, “You’re one of us and you always will be. We’d be lost without you there to keep our heads screwed on right. What do you say, Fluttershy? Will you give us another chance?”
Fluttershy’s heart melted as her Element turned bright pink once again. “Of course, I will. You’re all my dearest friends too. I’m just so glad you thought of me, even if it was a little late.” She tried keeping her distance, but Rainbow Dash grabbed her and pulled her into the group for a hug anyway.
Rarity looked to Applejack. “That just leaves….”
“Eeyup. Pinkie.”
“What do you hope to accomplish, Twilight Sparkle?” Cardinal’s voice sounded from every direction at once. “You have no friends, no Elements, and no Princess to save you. What do you think you’re going to do? Talk me to death? Defeat me with faerie dreams and hope?”
“Something like that,” Twilight muttered. She shouted at him, “The Elements of Harmony don’t belong to you! You stole their power, just like you stole my friends to put on this sick performance of yours! What was even the point of this? To keep us complacent so we wouldn’t stop you from remaking the world?”
“I needed them under control so I could use their Elements,” Cardinal answered, emerging from the woods in his unicorn state. “But you were here as a guest. I meant what I said before, Twilight. You are all the closest friends I’ve ever had, and you specifically are one of my favorites. None of this would have felt right without you.” He lowered his eyes in a steep glare. “But if you’d rather be a Hollow Pony or turned to stone like those Princesses, then I'm willing to oblige.”
A pulse of magic radiated from Cardinal’s crown. “What did you do?” Twilight asked him.
“I’ve summoned the Elements. They should arrive shortly, and together, we’ll decide what to do with you.”
As the group approached Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie suddenly stormed out and headed towards them. Applejack moved to intercept her. “Pinkie! Listen to me, we need to--”
“There’s no time!” Pinkie insisted. “Cardinal’s summoned us. We have to get to him.”
“This is more important than Cardinal, Pinkie. I need to ask ya to forgive me.”
“Silly billy,” Pinkie scruffed Applejack’s mane. “Of course, I forgive you. Don’t even know what you did. Now let’s get over to--”
“No, Pinkie. I need ya to forgive me because I broke a Pinkie Promise.”
Pinkie stopped suddenly. Those words shook her to her core. “You…you did?”
Applejack nodded. “Eeyup, I did. I swore I’d never let my relationship with Twi come between me and my friends. Promised we’d keep everythin’ nice and friendly through thick and thin. I broke that promise. I let everythin’ get so messed up that I ended up turnin’ on everypony. I broke all our friendships ‘cause I couldn’t see past myself and how I was hurtin’.”
Applejack swallowed hard, then continued. “And I hurt ya, ‘cause you were tryin’ so hard to keep us civil and I ignored ya. I made ya watch as we burned everythin’ we used to love about each other. I can’t ever take that back, but I want ya to look around.”
Pinkie took a glance around the plaza. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were all there smiling back at her, ready to accept her with open hooves. “I can’t take it back, but I’m doin’ everythin’ in my power to make it right. I’m tryin’, Pinkie, but it won’t ever be right without you in it. We need ya now more than ever to remind us how to smile, how to laugh, and how to move past the hurtin’ we all got inside us.”
As Pinkie struggled to process what she was hearing, Applejack wrapped her up in a tight hug. “What do ya say, Pinkie? Can ya ever forgive me?”
Tears of gratitude began streaming down Pinkie’s face as she wrapped her front legs around Applejack and returned the hug. Quietly, she whispered, “I already have.” At last, the blue glow on the Element of Laughter was restored.
“Look around you, Twilight!” Cardinal taunted. “It’s over. The power of my friendships is unparalleled in this world! The age of Princesses has come to an end. I will live eternally as the one true Discord, master of chaos AND harmony! This is your last chance to be a part of this. Please, don’t make me end you.”
“You don’t even know what friendship is!” Twilight shouted back at him. “You used and manipulate ponies to force them to like you, but that isn’t friendship. Friendship is trust. It’s caring about what happens to each other and making sacrifices to see each other succeed. It’s working together for the common goal of making everypony happy, not just yourself. You can’t understand that because all you see is how you can use us to enrich your life.”
The five ponies bearing the Elements of Harmony approached voicelessly. They flanked Cardinal, all staring at Twilight and waiting for him to give them their command. “These are my friendships,” Cardinal answered her. “Obedient, loyal, and ready to do everything I command. But you’re wrong; I do understand what it means to help each other. I gave you all everything you needed to be happy. I made you a paradise in a world that revolves entirely around you. I even let you keep the dim-witted bumpkin you’re so infatuated with.”
“Wow,” Rarity gasped, looking at Applejack. “Did you hear what he just said about you? That wasn’t very friendly at all.”
Applejack nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be honest, I’m not feelin’ the friendship vibes comin’ off of him right now.”
Cardinal blanched, turning around to look at the others. “What? You weren’t supposed to…you aren’t supposed to be able to hear that. Forget it immediately! I order you to forget!”
Rainbow Dash smirked. “Nah, forgettin’ stuff might have been cool yesterday, but I’m over it.”
“Look at them,” Twilight commanded. “It took you the better part of a week to try and tear us down, but we fixed the damage in an afternoon. That is what true friendship is, and it’s a force far too powerful for anypony to tear apart, no matter how nice he might act.
As the five Element-bearers advanced on Cardinal, he tried to back up only to find himself pincered by Twilight. Focusing back on the five, he reasoned, “Come on, everypony. I gave you all what you needed to be happy, didn’t I?”
“You gave us what made you happy,” Rarity spat back at him. “You used and manipulated us to inflate your ego and soothe your insecurities. You didn’t care about who we were, only about how we could best serve your needs.”
“No, that’s not true, I did care about all of you!”
“Ya took my family away from me,” Applejack shouted. “That’s just about the worst thing ya can do to a pony, but ya did it without a second thought.”
“They weren’t necessary!” Cardinal shouted back. “You six are special, Applejack, but those ponies were holding you back. You deserved--”
“You took my animals,” Fluttershy accused.
“I gave you a better job!”
“You chained me to a cart,” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“I gave you an important task!”
Pinkie seemed almost to be glowing with rage. “You. Took away. My friends.”
“I gave you better friends. I gave ALL of you better friends! You were tearing each other apart before I brought you here, but I made you whole again.”
Twilight answered him. “You lied, cheated, and manipulated them into serving you. That’s not a friendship, Cardinal, and we’re through letting you get away with it.”
“Oh, what would you know?!” Cardinal shouted back at her. “You think you’re perfect? Twilight Sparkle the boring, organized know-it-all who mind controls people when she’s having a rough day. Your talent is magic, after all; how do we know you’re not manipulating and using them too?”
“Because they trust me,” she answered simply. “We’ve known each other and helped each other for long enough that we’ve formed a bond you clearly don’t understand.” The Element of Magic untwisted itself and levitated towards her. “That’s why, despite everything you’ve done, this Element is still mine.”
“Oh, you better put that back RIGHT NOW,” Cardinal warned. “These are MY FRIENDS and I will have them back just as soon as I--”
“Because you don’t even know what friendship means.”
“Rot in Tartarus, you stupid mare!” The whole forest lit up suddenly. A burst of white energy shot out from cardinal, striking Twilight in the horn. She felt her magic being drained again at a much harsher rate than before. Cardinal was trying to tear everything out of her.
Channel
Twilight let go of her resistance and instead focused her energies on Cardinal himself. Drawing on him as though he were a wellspring of magic, she reached deep inside of him and found his petrified core. Harnessing her power, she began pulling the energy out of him directly, creating a conduit of magic.
Wind
With Cardinal pulling magic from Twilight and Twilight pulling magic from Cardinal, she next began to wrap the lines of magic around each other. Their flows began to collide and mix into an invisible but chaotic blend.
Pu--
The energies passing between Twilight and Cardinal exploded suddenly, thrusting Twilight back against a tree. She hit hard, then landed on the grass and promptly folded over. “TWILIGHT!!!” Applejack screamed as she galloped to her side.
Cardinal was also shaken. The illusion wasn’t a true enough body for any kind of kinetic force to matter, but the holes blown in his enchantment were far more devastating. He began to flicker in and out of existence, struggling to sustain himself. “Twilight?” he asked, before stumbling and flickering again.
“Twilight, I’m sorry,” he called out as Applejack cradled the prone unicorn. Cardinal stumbled towards her. “Twilight, you have to get up. I didn’t mean it.”
“Hey, BACK OFF!” Rainbow Dash cut Cardinal off, shoving him backwards. He stumbled and shattered once more, only to reform in his Earth Pony state.
“It’s okay,” Twilight smiled, reaching up her hoof to brush Applejack’s cheek. “My magic’s exhausted, but it’ll recover. More importantly,” she glared over her special somepony’s shoulder, “So is his.”
As the Element of Magic fitted itself to Twilight’s head, she felt its energy renewing her and giving her strength to stand again. “It’s over, Cardinal. You’ve got nothing left.”
Cardinal backed up quickly. His left hind leg splintered into pieces as he stepped, causing him to stumble. He struggled to regenerate it. As the Element-bearers turned and began to bear down upon him, he looked frantically between them.
“Rarity,” Cardinal pleaded, “Tell them to keep away. Tell them how good a friend I was to you!”
But Rarity only turned up her snout with a, “Hmph.”
“Applejack,” he tried, “You have to realize she’s using you. She’s playing with your--”
But Applejack cut him off. “Y’know, I think we’ve all heard just about enough out of Cardinal Peaches.”
One by one, the Elements of Harmony lit up as the Element of Magic began drawing in their power. “Agreed,” Twilight responded. “It’s time to set everything right.” A rainbow of energy erupted from the elements, reaching far up into the sky and then branching out in every direction. Reality exploded in a flash of white as the world was restored to harmony.
“STOP!!! YOU CAN’T TAKE MY WORLD!!! YOU CANNNNNNNNNGGGGGG--” Cardinal shouted before he fractured one final time, shattering into a thousand pieces that blew away on the winds of restoration.
When the magic subsided, the Element-bearers found themselves back atop Applejack and Twilight’s special hill, accompanied by a very loud crashing sound in the immediate vicinity. The ponies exchanged glances before Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Okay, I’ll bite. What was that?”
Taking off to the west, the six ponies crossed over the ridge and found a very large stone embedded in a small impact crater. It couldn’t have fallen from too high, but it was large enough and heavy enough to disturb the ground where it landed.
Applejack squinted against the darkness of the night. “Wait…is that…?”
Rarity shook her head. “It can’t be.”
Twilight lit up her horn, inspecting the familiar stone. “Yep. It’s Tom.” Resting in the crater was Tom, the huge stone Discord had once brainwashed Rarity into thinking was a glittering diamond. “This must be what Discord enchanted to create Cardinal.”
Rarity wobbled. “Oh, I think I shall be ill for a week.”
Applejack inspected the stone and found a chunk of it had been broken off with the print of a hoof embedded in it. “That must be from when I kicked him,” she speculated.
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “I think it’s finally over.”
“Yeah,” Applejack agreed, but something wasn’t sitting right with her. After everything that’d happened this week, however, she decided to just go ahead and say it. “So what happens with us? I mean, it ain’t like we could just start over.”
Twilight turned and approached Applejack. “I don’t see why we can’t.” She cleared her throat, then held out her hoof. “Applejack, I am conducting research on the nature of romance and how it’s distinguished from other kinds of relationships. After considering my variables, I’ve decided that the partner I would like to experience this with is you. Will you be my Very Special Somepony and help me with my studies?”
Applejack melted. “Of course, Twi. I would be delighted.”
“KISS HER ALREADY!!!” A startling voice called out in the night, and one by one the other ponies were shocked to realize it came from Fluttershy. She lowered her head, blushing. “Sorry.”
“Nah, she’s right,” Applejack conceded before stepping forward and sealing their renewal with a kiss.
“Ugh, they’re doing it again,” Rainbow Dash averted her gaze, mostly to avoid watching but also partly to hide the little smile from her friends.
As the kiss broke, Applejack spoke. “I promise to try and make our next fight a little less catastrophic.”
A regal voice cut through the night. “I, for one, would appreciate that.” Twilight and Applejack quickly turned to see Princess Celestia standing over them.
“Your majesty…” Applejack whispered. She quickly did a bow, followed shortly by Twilight and the rest of their friends.
The princess smiled warmly, looking around at the assembled ponies. “Oh, my little ponies, it sounds like you’ve had quite a night. Spike warned me about what you’d discovered. Am I to assume that Discord’s enchantment has been dealt with?”
Twilight stepped forward to report. “It got a little hairy a couple of times, but we’ve defeated Cardinal and restored harmony to Equestria. I also learned an important lesson about sharing my feelings with my partner instead of keeping them locked up inside. Cardinal said our relationship was a single point of failure, but it doesn’t have to be. Not so long as we remember to treat each other with respect and communicate when our needs are being fulfilled, and also when they aren’t.”
Applejack stepped up next to her. “On that note, I learned that a relationship like this is a two-way street. I can’t just focus on my needs and ignore what’s goin’ on with Twi, or it ain’t never gonna work out between us.”
Rarity approached the Princess next. “I learned that it’s important to exercise patience and understanding when my friends are hurting, especially when it’s caused by another friend. Taking the offensive only leads to hurt feelings and broken friendships.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash rubbed her head. “I learned there’s a time and place to have your buddy’s back, and there’s a time to just let them take care of it themselves.”
Fluttershy stepped forward. “I learned that my friends care very deeply about me and don’t mean to hurt me, and that maybe I should try a little harder to speak out when I know they’re going the wrong direction instead of letting my fears drive me away.”
Celestia nodded, taking all this in. “It sounds like you’ve all learned very important lessons about friendship this week.”
“Except me!” Pinkie shouted.
“Except Pinkie.”
“I did nothing wrong!”
“So,” Applejack asked, “I know I messed up real bad and I didn’t listen when ya told me to be patient with Twi, but I’m tryin’ real hard to make things right. Do I still have your blessin’?
Celestia smiled warmly at her. “Applejack, you’ve made mistakes but you’ve acknowledged them and are working on becoming a better pony. That’s the most anypony can ask of you. Of course, you have my blessing.”
Applejack took those words to heart and gave the princess a bow, just before Pinkie’s voice filled the night again.
“So, is the rock dead or just unconscious?” she asked, poking the giant stone.
Applejack perked up. “Y’know, that’s actually a good question. I’m sure we all had lots of fun this week, but I am not feelin’ up to goin’ another round with that silver-tongued chunk of slate.”
Pinkie narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the stone. “It actually looks more like shale.”
Princess Celestia stepped forward and lowered her head to the rock, allowing her magic to flow through it. After several seconds, she returned with an answer. “The stone is dormant. There is a small amount of residual magic within it, but not enough to retain its consciousness. I’ve gone ahead and bound it to ensure that whatever traces of Discord’s enchantment may be left in the stone, they will remain contained for the foreseeable future.
“Thank you,” Twilight addressed her liege. “Then it really is over.”
The following day seemed to pass in a blur. Spike returned to the library with his magic restored. Applejack’s connection to the land returned, although her sprain would still take a few more weeks to heal. Tom was moved to outside the library where Twilight and Spike could keep a watchful eye on him, just in case.
Rainbow Dash had just finished clearing the clouds for the day when she noticed Rarity just outside the boutique, piling dresses into a cart. The furious expression on her face made Rainbow Dash unsure of whether she should approach, but the curiosity got the better of her. Fluttering down, she called out, “Hey! What’s in the cart?”
Rarity scowled at the dresses. “I thought these would vanish when Cardinal was defeated, but apparently I made them while under his influence. They’re fabric, not magic. So I thought I might touch them up and make them into something new. Specifically, a bonfire.”
“Ha!” Rainbow Dash laughed. For a moment, she thought about offering to help, but it just didn’t feel right so soon after the library argument. She felt awkward and uncomfortable, so she settled for waving a hoof. “I guess I’ll see ya around.”
Pinkie Pie erupted from a nearby crowd, shouting, “Did I hear BONFIRE?”
Rarity levitated another dress onto the pile. “Yes, Pinkie. I will be burning all of these tonight.”
Pinkie squealed. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! We should have a BONFIRE PARTY! Rainbow Dash, you should come too! And I can invite Fluttershy! This will be so great! I’ll bring marshmallows and chocolate and we can make s’mores! What do you say?”
Rarity shot a look up at Rainbow Dash, and in that moment the pegasus realized that she was feeling just as scared and awkward. But then she answered Pinkie with, “That sounds like a marvelous idea. Rainbow Dash, will you come?”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah. That sounds like a blast. I’ll be there.” If Rarity was willing to take this chance, then so would she.
“That’s great!” Pinkie shouted. “I’ll go tell Fluttershy! She’ll be so excited!”
“Wait,” Rainbow Dash called after her. “What about AJ and Twilight? Should we invite them?”
Rarity shook her head. “After everything that’s happened, let’s give them a little time. We can catch up with them later, but right now, those two deserve a chance to be alone together. They are still our friends, but there are going to be times when the best thing we can do for them is to be somewhere else. We must get used to that.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “You’re right. We can throw them a party later, right Pinkie?”
Pinkie grinned. “Any time, any cake.”
“Alright, hold it right there.” Apple Bloom watched Twilight levitate the new axle up against the overturned wagon. She watched the holes line up against the wood, then told Twilight, “A little to the left. Okay, that’s perfect!” Grabbing a screwdriver in her teeth, she climbed up on top of the wagon and began turning the first screw.
Once all the screws were in place, she brushed the sweat off her forehead and climbed back down. “It’s lookin’ good. All we need to do now are the wheels. Thank you for helpin’ me, Twilight.”
“It’s the least I could do. Your wagon wouldn’t even be broken if you hadn’t been out there to help me. Applejack and I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Apple Bloom beamed. “That’s just what family does. Speakin’ of which, I was tellin’ the other Crusaders about how I took down Pinkie Pie, and we were thinkin’ we might try gettin’ our Cutie Marks in classical theater next. We’re gonna put on a big show for the whole town! Will ya come watch it?”
“Of course I will.” She scruffed Apple Bloom’s mane with her hoof. “That’s what big sisters do.”
As the day wound on, Applejack insisted on cooking lunch, since she still couldn’t get into the field. Twilight suspected that she was plotting a way to get some harder work in without Granny Smith catching her, but there was no way to prove it.
Once the sun started going down, Twilight and Applejack snuck away to their special place to watch the lights. They lay together and as the show began, Twilight rested her head against Applejack’s. “I need to tell you something,” she started.
Applejack blanched. “You’re not gonna…Twi, I told ya. Don’t say it until you mean it.”
“I do mean it,” Twilight insisted, turning her head to look Applejack in the eyes. “I love you, Applejack. I love you more than I ever knew I could, and I wish I told you that sooner.” She nuzzled her partner again. “So you’d better not stop loving me, because now you’re stuck with me.”
Answering from the heart, Applejack told her, “I can think of nothin’ better.”
The pair sat in silence, watching the lights of the sun dance across the orchard, breathing the cool dusk air, but feeling the warmth and love from the other at their side. In this moment, everything was perfect. The next was filled with Apple Bloom shouting from the farmhouse, “Hey, you two! Granny says to quit kissin’ and come eat dinner!” But this one was perfect.
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Have to say, as much as it hurt seeing the group fall apart, it was perfectly in the spirit of the show to watch them reconcile, not to mention the rest of the cast pitching in.
(I don't think Fluttershy really had much to learn either- she tried to get everypony to calm down- but eh.)
Thank you for the wonderful story!
I enjoyed helping with the proofreading on this one.
The mixture of romance and adventure genres was very interesting. So many other fics that combine the two will essentially have the adventure plot and the romantic developments running parallel. The events of one plot will influence the other, and maybe both will climax in the same scene, but still the audience gets a lingering sense that the author could have completely excised either the adventure or the romance without affecting the other too much. But not in this story! The romance is the adventure here. Now I wish there were more stories like this.
And the romance itself is a refreshing alternative to the usual ship-fic formula. Here, the love confession is the prologue instead of the climax. Rather than dragging out a "Will they or won't they?" you focus on the growing pains from after the relationship's established. And I can't remember the last time I've seen a story's main couple portrayed as such an initially lop-sided relationship. (If this is how you, as a self-identified TwiJack shipper, write TwiJack's relationship, I don't want to imagine how you'd write a relationship you actually dislike!)
So congrats on finishing this. Here's hoping it gets the attention it deserves.
7968125 Thank you so much for helping this story find its legs.
Regarding both the story's emphasis on the growing pains of the relationship and the way the adventure and romance intersect with each other, both were important points for me going into it. Ultimately, when I started writing this, the goal wasn't necessarily to write a Twijack story so much as it was to write the kind of story that could only exist in a Twijack setting.
Writing about the complications that arise from an existing relationship rather than the complexities of getting into one was a key point of focus for me, because I feel like there aren't enough writers in any kind of fiction focusing on that side of it. Relationships can be hard work, especially when entered into by people with wildly different expectations and emotional needs, and I wanted a chance to explore that.
I've also always been a big fan of the Earn Your Happy Ending trope, but it was important in my estimation that fixing the relationship be the key to resolving the conflict rather than a consequence thereof. It has always bothered me to see a successful romance held up as the prize of the conflict, especially when that conflict has little to do with said relationship.
So, yeah, I put a lot of what I wanted to see more of in shipping stories into this. I'm glad to hear you liked it and, again, thank you for your help.
This.. was a really good story. Yeah I love how the romance and the Threat were linked, how one used the other, and was the key to the win, just both being there and needed, rather then the all to often, the threat is just tacked on for the sake of adding some action and only there to serve as some kind of hindrance to the romance. Making it matter really worked.
Not a huge fan of the whole stretch of Twi and AJ being mad at each other and how easily they were kept away, HOWEVER that’s just my own dislike and being tired of that idea in general, situations that just need talking about to work. This story did it really well and had very good reasons for why, so this is 100% a personal, just tired of it in general, but damn did the story do it right.
And like that the story made rather clear that this whole thing was not some grand, perfect plan and the baddie wasn’t some uber puppet master. That he was just getting lucky, and doing a combination Xanatos Speed Chess, and Xanatos Roulette to take advantage of things as they occurred. While also getting lucky. And that.. he was really just.. well insane, wanted something he did not understand, or what it meant. Was lashing out Really just did not understand what was going on, the the reveal of exactly who it was? I laughed my ass off. Which is rather awkward while reading in the break room at work.
The romance was well done, the issues believable, not forced. Twilight clearly feeling deeply for AJ, but simply not showing it in the typical manner because, Twilight. AJ caring but, stuck in looking at it her way and not really understanding Twilight. This was all building and just needed a spark to set off the powder keg.And that they would have gotten over it and dealt with it fine on their own if not for meddling.
I also LOVED Twi’s report and her trying to work out of platonic or romantic relationships are inherently one better then the other, and getting no, they are not just different. Also thank you for not drawing out the “It’s clear all a trick and not the real world” thing at all and having Twi instantly see the trouble more or less. Speaking off, no way even with the Elements he could have rewrote reality that much, so this had to all be in their minds. Using the Elements as connections to them and a power source.
But overall one thing that above all else I loved about this story was this line.
It’s just, so perfect and shows how strong their bond is, and that they arne’t perfect but they will work through their problems. Just, it’s so damn good.
Yeah this was an all round amazing little idea and story.
8218266
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
To answer your concern, yes, the intent was that Cardinal’s world exists in their mindspace, not reality. It’s as fake as everything else about Cardinal; a shared illusion meant to keep them complacent. That’s why nopony but the Mane Six and Cardinal actually exists there, it’s why they’re secretly still wearing their Elements, and it’s why they’re still on the hill where Twilight confronted Cardinal once released from it.
8220417 That’s more or less what I figured. Just could have used Twilight outright making clear that was what was going on. But minor quibble, overall, yeah really loved how you handled this.
Awwww yeee
8220417
That sounds mighty familiar. ;] Would I be anywhere near the idea when I mention Fate's encounter with the Book of Darkness?
And if not, I encourage you to give it a shot if you don't mind anime.
On a separate note, I didn't see the outside interference coming. In fact, I was sort of expecting a straight romance... When the 'visitor' showed up, I felt dread. I knew something else was at work to drive them apart, intentionally, and I hate that sort of "external interference" in a work... But it worked out very nicely in the end, so I guess I don't mind all that much now. I suppose it does make sense that, as Bearers of the Elements, they'd still be a "risk group" of sorts, liable to be attacked regardless of what was going on... But yeah, each time they unite against a common enemy like that, their bond grows stronger. And stranger, I guess. :D