Chapter 86 – Friendship Was Magic
86
Equus
Everfree Forest
Castle of the Two Sisters
8:42 a.m.
The summer thunderstorm was strong in the outside world. Rain pelted the Everfree Forest with an unrelenting temper, the storm birthed from that of the rage of nature itself more powerful than anything mere Pegasi could concoct. As the thunder roared and the lightning struck, the creatures of the Everfree took refuge within caves, beneath shrubs, and anywhere they could find shelter. As for the inhabitants of Ponyville, that shelter came within the cold, cold walls of the Castle of the Two Sisters.
With the newly-repaired ceiling preventing torrents of rainwater from falling on the families cuddled together for warmth, it still couldn’t stop everything. Small droplets of rain fell from the ceiling, already filling up the scattered buckets placed across the Great Hall’s floor. Parents tended to their young ones, fillies and colts alike finding very little time or reason to smile and play like they used to. The warmth of the summer sun as they galloped across Ponyville’s hill was but a distant memory, the only warmth coming from that of their parents as they cradled the young ponies and tried to soothe their worries with faithless promises of a better tomorrow.
The Apple Family was currently missing one member, Granny Smith sitting in her rocking chair Rainbow Dash had managed to retrieve for her during the Wonderbolts’ many excursions to the outside world. Big Mac held Sugar Belle close, Friday walking by and offering the two some more water. They took it, Sugar Belle whispering a soft “thank you” before sipping on the glass cautiously, offering it to her coltfriend. Big Mac shook his head and let her finish the rest. They sat against the wall right next to Granny Smith, Friday flying off to tend to other ponies’ needs. The chair creaked back and forth, the near-ancient mare sound asleep as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo tried to find solace in the silence near her. The three fillies played marbles as the rest of the world lamented and cried and shivered and huddled close. All three of them watched the constant scenes of depression fill the Great Hall, finding little reason to smile themselves. Friday flew back and forth and helped ponies.
They really wished they could help, too. Not much need of the Cutie Mark Crusaders for a cutie mark-less problem.
Though the Great Hall was a perfect snapshot of the depressive state that had fallen over Equestria, the rest of the castle was already such. Hallways were practically barren, a few select rooms occupied by ponies handing out food and supplies for the long haul that Princess Celestia and Twilight expected them to remain in the ancient castle’s remains. Blankets, toiletries, canned foods, anything that was pure necessity was offered thanks to those select few hard-working ponies. Zecora led those efforts, consistently escaping the old castle to travel to Ponyville’s remains, search for supplies, and make a safe trip back to the Castle of the Two Sisters.
But other than that, the rest of the castle was practically abandoned. Save for a few rooms and the castle’s library, which was occupied by three very interesting mares. Trixie Lulamoon, Derpy Hooves, and Maud Pie were the only inhabitants in the Castle of the Two Sisters’ library. While Derpy flew around the library’s massive selection of ancient texts—more so bumping into crumbling pony statues and knocking down towers of books that Trixie had stacked—Maud took a more cautious and calm approach to how they tried to find the right book.
Derpy gathered as many texts as her hooves could carry, flying down from the highest bookshelf to where Maud was situated on a pile of pillows and blankets. As for the mellow mare, she sat curled and comfortable on the pillows she had gathered for the long, long reading session she indulged herself in. While her younger sister was off somewhere else in the castle with her friends, Maud took it upon herself to help the ponies she would have considered some of her closest friends. It wasn’t much, but reading into advanced unicorn spells while Trixie practiced such spells was the least she could do.
As for Trixie, she was practicing her magic. To the best of her ability, Trixie carefully hovered books into place to stack into massive towers. So far, she had created more than ten towers of stacked books that nearly reached the second to top shelf in the library. Unfortunately, Derpy’s consistent clumsiness knocked over a few of her stacks, the unicorn scolding the blushing Pegasus until both eventually returned to their work: Derpy gathering more books for Trixie and Maud and Trixie practicing the spells Maud read off for her.
Ever since Ponyville was burned to a crisp, there wasn’t really anything they could do other than sit and wait in the dead castle that somehow belonged to Princess Celestia a lifetime ago. How anypony could live in it was beyond Trixie. Nevertheless, rather than being bored out of her mind, Trixie took it upon herself to practice more on her magic while everypony else decided to moan and groan over something that couldn’t be controlled. At least there were a couple of ponies that shared her mindset, or just didn’t want to sit around doing nothing.
“Could you be a little more careful?” Trixie hissed at the flailing Pegasus. “You don’t have to carry so many books at once!”
“But they all look so interesting!” Derpy called from above, the stack of her books lying in her hooves so high it blocked even her eyesight. Like it hardly mattered, her flight pattern still just as abnormal and off-putting when she had nothing obstructing her sight.
Grumbling at that, Trixie tried to focus on her personal studies. The spell was laid out in front of her, multiple books opened to scattered pages that Trixie tried to read off all at once. Tried to focus on all at once. Despite that impossibility, Trixie muttered, “You can’t try and overflow a unicorn with too much information. One spell at a time… right, Maud?”
The storm battered against the roof.
“Maud?”
With her horn dying down, Trixie turned to see the Earth pony engrossed with the text lying by her forelegs, her dull gaze reading along the lines and eyelids stuck in their same, bored position. Snorting at her incessantly rude and silent behavior, Trixie took a step towards the mare to give her a piece of her mind, but was promptly stopped dead in her tracks when Derpy flew right over her head. The Pegasus settled herself by Maud’s left, dropping the fresh pile of books and blowing on them to brush away the dust. Maud didn’t react to the dust particles floating down to the pages she read, Derpy leaning over to catch what she was reading.
Just seeing the expression on Derpy’s face change from curious to anxious as the Pegasus slowly backed away only furthered Trixie’s interests. The unicorn took another step forth, halted once again by Maud’s rock-hard stare. So bland. So basic. Yet so utterly powerful that it froze Trixie on the spot.
Yet what she said froze her even further. “I know you’ve been looking ever since we got back from Ego’s planet, and Derpy and I even managed to find some books you probably never even knew existed.”
Just hearing the name of the alien world where some of Trixie’s worst—and albeit, best—memories occurred caused Lulamoon to tense up, gulping softly to herself. It had been quite some time since the three of them discussed… that topic when not engrossing others on their tales of adventure. Not trying to over-exaggerate, to trying to entertain… just trying to talk about it.
Even then, she asked, “What are you talking about?” A wall of familiar silence met her, Trixie stamping her hoof and jamming it to the book by Maud’s hooves. “Those are all spell books, right?”
“This,” Maud replied, holding out the large, dusty book and tossing it to Trixie with relative ease despite its size. Catching it with her magic, Trixie stared at the book’s cover. It was an Equestrian lineage text, dating far beyond anything Trixie had encountered herself. She opened it to the page with the corner bent at the top, the page where Trixie held her breath and opened her eyes. Really opened her eyes. She only had to read the name on the page to feel her heart race at a million miles per hour, and even then she could hardly breathe again.
Just after reading the name “Lulamoon” big and black at the top of the page.
“The Lulamoons go back for several generations, even before the rise of Nightmare Moon,” Maud explained, she and Derpy watching as Trixie flipped through the many pages consisting her family’s ancient history, connections, distant relatives, and so forth. Derpy flew back behind Trixie, trying to catch more into what she missed earlier.
As for Maud, she saw Trixie’s increased vigor in flipping the pages, in reading the lines, and only growing more and more lost. Maud sighed, willing to kill the hope in Trixie’s spirit before it happened on its own. “But nothing on your father. I don’t think there are any books here that recent.”
Trixie stared longingly, sadly at the pages about her lineage, the story of her family ending just short, possibly continued in the next volume. A volume that probably didn’t even exist despite the vast assortment of random textbooks surrounding them. She sighed, closing the book with a sad smile directed towards Maud. “Well… it was a valiant effort nonetheless. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry, Trixie,” Derpy sniffled, hovering behind the unicorn and holding out her hoof for Trixie’s shoulder.
It met nothing but air, the unicorn trotting forward and leaving Derpy in the dust. “Don’t be!” Trixie declared, offering a heavily-forced smile to both of them before making her escape to the library’s exit. “You all tried, and that’s all that matters. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I… I-I need to get some more water before we continue practicing.”
Her hoof pressed softly against the library’s door, a silent and weakened sigh leaving Trixie Lulamoon. Her muscles worked, pressed against the door, and took that next step towards uncertainty.
“Ba-aa…”
Trixie turned back to the two ponies almost instantly, head and ears high like an alert canine. “Did you say something?” she called out.
“No,” Maud replied instantly, eyes glued to the lineage texts as she slowly flipped the page. Derpy smiled Trixie’s way, shaking her head innocently, eyes staring in different directions. She flew off to gather more books for Maud, more spells for Trixie to try out, leaving said unicorn trapped in that otherworldly silence. Even the hard pitter-patter of the rain pelting the roof was numb to her hears. Somehow… the softest drops of rainwater touching the floor was all she heard. That, and her shaking breath, her shivering nerves, and her rapidly-increasing heartbeat.
All of which Trixie Lulamoon tried to ignore as she pushed herself out of the library and listened for every whisper in the long, darkened hallways.
Castle Basement
Organ to the Outside
9:03 a.m.
They took the Elements of Harmony the first moment the opportunity was given to them.
Secluded under the warmth and light of the Tree of Harmony, the six relics from a time long past hung awaiting their rightful owners. When they finally came, they took them. All six Elements were pulled forth from the Tree and were joined once more with the corresponding mare each belonged to. They formed the appropriate necklaces and tiara, the Elements of Harmony joined with the six mares.
Once again.
Twilight Sparkle stood tall and focused, her tiara shimmering in the candle light.
Applejack spread out her hooves, licking her lips as her necklace and orange gem dangled.
Fluttershy gently caressed her pink Element of Kindness, sighing softly as she readied herself.
Rarity was right with her, her spirit almost unwillingly to try again. Her Element hardly shined.
Pinkie Pie looked to be the only one other than Twilight ready to try again, confident smile ready along with her baby blue Element of Laughter.
Rainbow Dash snorted, pawing at the stone floor with her hoof. Her Element of Loyalty dangled from her neck, her eyes hot and ready for round two.
Within the bowels of the Castle of the Two Sisters, deep into the basement and inside the room that held the ancient pipe organ, the six mares stood in a perfect circle in the heart of the room. Crowded together by the edges, sitting on pillows and tending to the flames of the many candles strewn about to give the room some light, Starlight Glimmer and Spike watched the mares’ endeavors look more and more bleak. Starlight’s horn was bandaged as tight as possible, the mare unable to concoct any spell while she was still recovering. It was annoying, but she got used to life using only her mouth and hooves. It was different, but she lived. Capper leaned against the wall right next to them, paws in his pockets and uncertainty in his glowing green eyes. Uncertainty for them, his friends, and what they tried to accomplish.
Only to fail.
Sunset Shimmer proceeded forward and abandoned the other three, getting a closer look for herself to see what Twilight and the girls would do different the second time. It turned out… not much. Twilight seemed to have so much confidence in it succeeding that they repeated the same steps, each mare closing their eyes and caressing their individual Elements of Harmony. Surprisingly enough, each pony slowly began to hover off the ground, each of their Elements softly glowing with a faint, whispering cry resounding throughout the basement. Sunset’s eyes started to grow a little more hopeful, as well as Starlight, Spike, and Capper’s.
While they gained a little bit more traction that time around, it only ended in the same outcome. The Elements dimmed until no light remained from within them, each mares’ hooves touching ground rather harshly considering they hovered much higher than last time, at least three or four feet above the ground.
Though each pony expressed their combined failure in their own ways—Rainbow snarling and bucking at nothing but air, Applejack grumbling to herself and rubbing her temples with the tips of her hooves, Rarity nearly deflating and sliding down to her rump—it was Twilight who appeared the most shaken by the outcome of their efforts. The first failure was nothing, as it hadn’t been the first time the Elements acted strange around them. But the second time… when all of them were surely concentrated to achieve the same goal… only to end in the same way…
Twilight’s expression said it all. Pale and grim. Shaken and unnerved. But stubborn.
Her frown returned, the Alicorn jutting out her wings and declaring, “Again.”
“Twilight, it’s not working,” Fluttershy offered, squeaking in fear to see Twilight harshly turn her frown towards the meager Pegasus.
“Then we try again,” Twilight affirmed her statement, stamping hard on the stone floor and causing a powerful echo to cry out within the massive, towering room. “We’ll keep trying until we know for certain that the Elements of Harmony are still working.”
“Maybe we need a break,” Applejack suggested, pulling back her hat so her eyes fully met Twilight’s. “It’s been a really rough week for all of us, Twilight. Pretty sure none of us are a hundred percent at the moment.”
Twilight scoffed, surprising Applejack. Holding up her hoof, Twilight stated firmly, “Unless you all didn’t realize, but we almost got it, we just need a little more—!”
“Darling, you seem a little on edge…” Rarity murmured, holding out her hoof and willing to place it on Twilight’s shoulder for comfort. She was shocked to say the least to watch Twilight smack her hoof away, a gasp leaving the unicorn and several other of her friends. Sunset included.
“Do I?!” Twilight barked. “Because last time I checked, the Rainbow Power just failed on us when we needed it most! Don’t try and say I’m a little on edge when our very last means of saving Equestria isn’t working at the moment—!”
“Twilight!” Rainbow shouted accusingly, hovering feet above ground and flaring out her wings.
The Alicorn wheeled on her, eyes wild and feral. “What?!” she screamed. Both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy flinched back at that. Applejack rose up taller, her gaze hardening on the Alicorn. Never in her or any of their lives did they hear Twilight speak or act to her friends in such a way. There was only one other time they could recall, but even then, none of them wanted to remember. Too many painful memories. Too many friendships lost in a pointless civil war.
Seeing all of their expressions, Twilight finally collapsed. Finally broke apart and allowed that light to shine inside of the darkness that clouded her heart, mind, and soul. She slid down to rest on her rump, her wings falling by her sides, her head drooping alongside her ears. Shutting her eyes, Twilight allowed that darkness to return. To cloud her sight from them, to not see the hateful expressions they most surely wore. For her and how she had changed.
“I’m sorry…” Twilight started, praying to change that. “I’m just… I just want to know we can keep Equestria safe… I want to know that ponies can look to us to protect them, to know they’ll be safe from harm as long as we hold the Elements and their magic flows through us… and none of this so far is reassuring. The Elements aren’t working… and now…”
She gently reached up and removed her tiara, staring sadly into her magenta star embedded on the face of the crown. Seeing her own reflection. The rest of her friends fell silent after that, Rainbow falling back to the floor and crossing her forelegs, wings curling softly by her sides. She dropped her snout and frowned to the floor, just like all the others.
Leaving out the four standing in the distance.
“I don’t think it’s the Elements that’s the problem…”
Everypony, Spike, and Capper turned accordingly to Sunset. Though despite the stares she received, Sunset didn’t let it deter her from her word, from what she wanted to say. For too long she witnessed the struggle, heard of the conflict, listened to stories from Twilight and Tony Stark and the lot of them and only took on the role as the observer, the listener. She knew of their complicated relationship with the Avengers as of late, but even more so found it to be concerning now more than ever. Not just their relationship with the Avengers…
Letting her geode rest on her hoof, Sunset gazed longingly in it, already seeing all the wonderful memories she had with her friends back in the human world. Memories so fond she couldn’t help but sneak in a tiny smile. A soft sigh later, letting her eyelids shield her eyes, and Sunset began.
“I don’t know if the Elements of Harmony are anything like the seven geodes my friends and I wear back in the human world, but what I do know is that whenever we wear them, whenever we come together to face something that might as well be unwinnable… we wear these and we overcome those battles. Through the geodes… my friends and I are connected. That magic we share, the magic of friendship, saved us more times than I could count. They haven’t failed us yet…”
Sunset dropped her hoof, her red geode swaying softly against her neck before settling. She jutted that hoof outwards, pointed to every single mare, and finally let it fall on Twilight. “If the magic of friendship could work through these rocks and through my friends… then why not all of you?” Sunset asked.
The tension that had aroused was like that of a sleeping dragon, ever present but once provoked fully made itself known and visible. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity visibly shrunk at Sunset’s words, already having a sense of where she was headed. The situation, the conflict rising amongst them already mirrored past experiences on an alien world. Dreading it all the same. Applejack pursed her lips, eyes refusing to rise to meet the unicorn’s. Same with Rainbow Dash, the Pegasus puffing out her lips and keeping her forelegs crossed. Only Twilight was willing to meet Sunset’s eyes, brow continuously furrowing, continuously trying to understand.
“Are you all not connected?” Sunset asked. Her eyes fell on every mare, washing and settling on a select couple. “Is there some sort of grudge I’m not hearing about?”
Applejack obviously didn’t get the hint, clearing her throat and stating, “Well… Rainbow and I came to terms with Rarity’s mistake back in the Badlands. We forgave her after we came here to the castle, ain’t that right, Rares?”
“Correct, Applejack,” Rarity replied with a warm grin towards the farm pony.
Smiling appreciatively, Applejack turned to meet Sunset’s approval. Only there wasn’t any. Sunset’s expression was hardened to a sharp point, the daggers cutting deep and where it mattered. Shaking her head, Sunset uttered, “I’m not talking about that.”
Applejack rose a brow, even as Sunset faced away from her and turned to another. The pony in question shot open her eyes, taking a step back to properly calculate what Sunset was trying to get at. Raising her hoof, she rested it over her heart, asking with sincerity, “What, me?”
Sunset gazed into Twilight Sparkle’s offended eyes, her almost hurt expression. “Not just you…” Sunset followed up, shifting her gaze in Twilight’s opposite direction. Towards the only mare every eye in the room eventually fell upon.
To Rainbow Dash’s awaiting expression of confusion.
To see the room suddenly turn on her was nothing new, but for their current situation, what Sunset had suggested… Rainbow didn’t need to be a genius like Twilight to see where she was headed. In fact, she almost prevented it, raising her hooves in defense of herself and Twilight.
Sunset beat her to the finish. That was a first. “I wanna hear it,” Sunset firmly stated.
“What is there to hear? We made up,” Rainbow said as if it was old news. As if there was nothing to hide, that she was being as open to her friends as feasibly possible. As if it was so obvious that it didn’t need an explanation, which begged the question as to why she was even providing an answer to Sunset’s response. Crossing her forelegs, Rainbow affirmed her stance by hovering in the air, nodding firmly to Twilight.
Twilight nodded back, facing Sunset. Nothing to hide. “Rainbow and I are friends again, Sunset. It may have taken… a few weeks after we got back from Earth… to heal… but it all worked out. A hug, a promise, and that was it. Nothing to it.” Nothing to hide.
“Yeah, I mean…” Rainbow interjected, Sunset and Twilight turning to her. Holding an incredulous expression, she said, “We haven’t used the Rainbow Power since we beat Tirek. That was years ago. We’re practically pros with the Elements, though.”
Sunset definitely didn’t buy that. Frowning, raising a curious brow, she asked, “Then why haven’t they worked?”
“We’re probably just a little rusty,” Twilight answered. Sunset turned that frown, that disbelief towards the Alicorn. Twilight saw it as clear as day, reaffirming her statement by saying, “And a little… downtrodden. But nothing we haven’t bounced back from. We always have.”
Sunset sighed and shook her head, breaking away from Twilight’s eyes. Almost like a parent would to a difficult child. Walking away, Sunset paused only momentarily when she heard Twilight’s unmistakable hoofsteps following close behind her. That undeniable voice came shortly with that unforgettable hoof resting on Sunset’s shoulder. The unicorn made no movement to recognize Twilight’s presence behind her. Like something deep down was still eating her, something Sunset knew they had to realize sooner… rather than when it was too late.
Yet Twilight’s smile was still there to offer Sunset that assurance she was desperately lacking. With her hoof resting on Sunset’s shoulder, she stared into the back of the unicorn’s head, smiling all the same. “You don’t have to worry, Sunset. We forgave each other.”
That spurred something, something that caused Sunset to raise her head and perk up her ears. Letting her hoof fall, Twilight took a step back as Sunset turned to face her once again. Her and the rest of her friends. But really only Twilight and Rainbow. Her brow furrowed to them, jaw falling but not a word leaving her. Not a breath. Her lips wrinkled almost as if she wanted to say what was burning in her mind, but a part of her held back, letting loose only what mattered.
Only what they needed to hear and what she needed to know.
“You said it… but did you mean it?”
Twilight and Rainbow’s expressions… fell. Slowly, deliberately, showcasing the realization that dawned upon them and brought them out of the clouds and back to earth. As if they could see nopony else, heard nothing else but their own breaths, the two mares slowly turned to face one another. That short and very small connection was limited, but the two ponies saw clearly what was burning in each other’s eyes. They tried to, but both broke away before they could delve deeper, already believing on past affirmations, truths, and looking to that as their answer and nothing else.
Because they knew it was true.
Twilight said, “Of course.” No doubt and no worry in her voice.
Rainbow nodded to Sunset without a word. Knew that if she spoke it wouldn’t be as convincing as Twilight’s.
Sunset’s expression said it all, the doubting, the concern. But before she could delve deeper, Rainbow excused herself from the rest of the group, saying she was late for patrol with the Wonderbolts. She pulled off her Element of Harmony and handed it off to Spike for safekeeping. Quite rapidly in fact, faster than she normally acted. The young dragon stared at the Element, sighing to it. Starlight and Capper gazed down to him before meeting each other’s eyes, each feeling the same amount of doubt. After the failed practice they just witnessed, there was little to be hopeful more. More so to doubt in times such as theirs.
But not nearly as much as Sunset Shimmer had. She stood alone amongst the candlelight as everypony else proceeded to disperse along with Rainbow Dash, none of them feeling quite welcome in the cold and dark of the castle’s basement. Sunset stood alone amongst the darkness, despite hearing Pinkie call to her to come help with baking more food for the families. She didn’t even offer a response, knowing she would probably feel better helping ponies who needed it. She should probably just drop it like the others had, go back upstairs and start baking more bread, more cupcakes, and forget any of this ever happened and believe in more false hopes like Twilight.
That wasn’t who Sunset Shimmer was. She was a believer, but only where it mattered. Seeing the way Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other—despite saying all was forgiven—hardly held any weight. Though they could be telling the truth. It was hard to tell just by anypony’s word. So, she didn’t want just anypony’s word. She wanted the word.
Knowing not if she could even trust Twilight or her word, Sunset left the basement and traversed the castle to converse the subject with somepony she knew always held the answer. Somepony she knew she could trust.
Princess Celestia.
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"If friendship is supposed to be magic, then why has ours become so tragic?"
The Mane 6 have been trying to get the Elements of Harmony to work. But no matter how many times they try, they can't get a single spark out of them with the only logical explanation being that there is a splinter in their friendship that is hindering them. It could be from Rarity and her cursed knowledge of their fate her vision showed her (which she still hasn't told her friends about) and causing her panic attacks.
Though that's not the only elephant in the room. Sunset noticed this before, but it seems clear to her now that Twilight and Rainbow have not been truly honest each other over what happened on Earth during the Civil War and that split that happened between them is still there and what's driving their friendship and bonds apart. She may have not been there, but from her own experiences with her friends in the EQG world, Sunset knows that something is very wrong here and she needs to do something to fix it and give them a reason to save their world and their friendship before it's too late. And I'll be damned if doing so means it ends up costing her own life.
66.media.tumblr.com/3c7c14720a5fe663b5fe265e3b65bef7/tumblr_inline_pjzwdons4N1tc7qgw_540.gif
The wounds of past conflicts have not truly healed.... I only hope there is a way.
Twilight and Rainbow seem to have mostly repaired their damaged bond. But not entirely...
9533818
and now sunset is going to ask celestia but the question is if she can even help given how she is
I don't know why everyone says the fires of conflict bring out the best in people. When society is at the breaking point, when doomsday finally arrives, that's when all the emotional baggage comes out at just the worst possible time.
Probably why they didn't have Cap and Tony interact in Infinity War.
Might wanna rename that castle now. I'm going to hell for that joke but it was worth it.
Twilight, this may seem harsh but I think you need to face the truth. Friendship is powerful, but unless you fix yours, it won’t be powerful enough.
9534190
Like I said, dishevel the foundation, the structure collapses. That structure being Friendship. Zemo did it, and it extracted the Elements a massively heavy toll.
Celestial-Pony's at it, from her adventure with the biggest motherf**kers in the galaxy!
Like Gamora said, No more on the table, the truth and nothing but the truth. Celestia better give Sunny the answer or so help us. That was one grim throwback from Captain America: This War Of Ours.
Oh Hell I knew this was gonna comeback to bite them in the Ass one day
Shit, there’s an unreal level of tension burn in this!
Nice little scene with Trixie, Maud and Derpy at the beginning. I recognize a few elements that were mentioned in the last couple chapters of Sense of Humor's story. It'll be interesting to see where this goes.
Yeah, but did she ever explain the reason for that mistake?
I'm all for forgiving Rarity, but I don't think that they should just leave that issue unaddressed. I'm sure that when it comes to facing Typhon, she'll be all right, but what happens when she sees Thanos again? She can't keep freezing up like that, there is too much at stake.
…
Speaking of unaddressed issues...
Finally! Thank you, Sunset! Glad to see somepony bring this up, at long last.
*Screaming at my screen*
I swear, I wanna violently shake both of these mares until they come to their senses! Literally half of the universe is at risk of being wiped out, not to mention there's still Typhon to deal with, and these two don't want to admit that they still have issues from the events two years prior? What the actual Tartarus?! I can almost forgive Rainbow in this regard, her stubbornness has been shown to rival Applejack's. But Twilight?!
At this point, I almost want Sunset to just use her geode to see both of their memories and emotions. I know it would be a complete breach of trust, and an invasion of privacy, but time is literally running out, and neither Twilight nor Rainbow seem willing to bear their souls until it's too late.
I like that Sunset's not letting this go, but can Celestia really help in this regard? I know she sat both mares down for a one-on-one conversation, but it's clear that both Twilight and Rainbow were not completely upfront with her and have left out a couple specific details.
Are we ever gonna learn who Trixie's father is? It's driving me nuts!
*Sigh* I should've known that would come back to bite us in the ass. Thanks Ross.
By the way, I keep forgetting to ask, but since Mount Tartarus is gone, does that mean Tirek and Cozy Glow are both dead?
9533818 *Draws gun from beneath table*
9533852 There may be...
9533858 The wounds have healed, but it anything, the scars remained.
9534033 Castle of the One Sister... doesn't really work but dark jokes are welcome here regardless!
9534190 Perhaps she already convinced herself it was fixed.
9534398 Ba-aa...
9534426 Key details are important.
9534445 It'll only burn brighter.
9534483 That's the aftermath of tragedy. Experienced the worst of it, tried to prevent it from happening again, try to remain strong to others. But how long can she keep that up...? Guess we'll have to find out together.
9534845 Not necessarily. Mount Tartarus was just the mountain directly over Tartarus, it's destruction didn't really affect the Underworld all that much.
9534385
Friendship could barely stand up against THREE infinity Stones, and later four, so I kinda doubt it could still be enough.
9534845 Also, on Trixie's father... That's a story that might come to light in the future. Guess we'll see.
9535367
"I'm sorry, that was mean. Just wanted to see what you do. Why don't we do this the easy way where you don't use that and the... 'She-Demon' doesn't make a mess. Okay?"
Sunset:
9535367
Just to clear any confusion, are you referring to Twilight or Rarity?
Only Sunset Shimmer can see through the Mane 6's facade, it seems.
9535408 She-Demon...
9535430 Twilight.
9535597 She's the only one willing to act on it.
Well technically there was this time to.
Nice to see Sunset bring it up, but I have to ask if the elements don’t work now due to what happened in civil war then why did they work fighting the pony of shadows? I remember the Civil War fic taking place before the season 7 finale and the finale seemed to have happened the same way it did on the show.
9535891 I'm gonna explain that little issue next couple chapters, give my own interpretation for it.
She may be a bit busy now dear sunshim. Like grieving busy.
I think this might be appropriate.
9536003 Just saw this today. Loved it.
9536081
I know, right?
And there it is. The denial. The lies. The deception that latches on like a cancer, holding onto the greatest lie of all.
The lie told to one's self, that everything's fine.
Sunset is wise beyond her years.
Twi rainbow are you sure you mean it 🤨 I mean the elements aren’t working because you won’t admit that you 2 are really back to being friends
Sunset has always been great at empathy and helping talk friends through their problems (except that one time at Camp Everfree where she was a total bitch to Flash).
Saying you forgive someone is one thing but actions speak louder, and clearly the Elements show that Twilight and Rainbow still have lingering issues from Civil War. I guess that can be expected after what they went through though. Maybe it shouldn't be Rarity that takes the blame if worse comes to worse.