Following the Grand Script
It was another beautiful day in Ponyville, the only event of note being the absence of Fluttershy and Applejack, who had been sent on a Friendship Mission to Viva Las Pegasus. Several were wondering why they had been sent there, but they would have to wait, including Springer as he was now at the veterinary clinic of Doctor Fauna.
But he wasn't at the vet for a check up for himself, instead focusing on Ace and Mira. "Say ah," Fauna asked before Mira opened her mouth to let the earth pony point a light down her throat. "Good girl." she commented, "Hmmm...no, I'm not seeing anything worth worrying about. Healthy teeth and gums, a clear throat and you don't seem to have any issues with your nose." She turned off the light as Mira closed her mouth. "I can safely say you're perfectly healthy." She patted Mira on the head before turning to Ace, "Now it's your turn."
Ace huffed as she began to look inside his ears, the young jakhowl letting out a bark and growl that she didn't understand. She turned to Springer, the jakhowl sighing and rolling his eyes. "He's asking why I brought them here while ponies get a hospital all to themselves."
As he said that, a ferret Fauna was caring for suddenly ran past him with a rabbit on its tail. In response, Fauna began to giggle, "You jakhowls might be a lot smarter than your average canine, but your physiology is very similar to them. That makes me a better expert on jakhowl treatments than any doctor." She grabbed his chin and turned him to her, "Now hold still." She shone a light in his eye, making him flinch.
"I hope Heart's having more fun then me," Ace groaned.
Meanwhile...
Heart was in the training room of the castle.
Flash was helping him learn flight techniques, allowing him to fly at high speeds while not crashing into things. Currently, the knight was helping him learn the three S's of flying. They had covered the first S, steadiness, by hovering in the same place without moving for hours. The second S, slow, required him to fly through an obstacle course of posts covered in branches without hitting them. And now they were on the final S, safe.
To do that, he was flying through the same maze as yesterday...only for it to now be filled with mist.
"How is this supposed to help me in flying?" He asked before flying face first into one of the posts, "Ow!" Down on the ground, Flash and Grand flinched at the sight.
"You've gotta focus!" Flash yelled, flying up to Heart next as he easily dodged the post and branches. "The mist will react differently when it's near an obstacle. Use that to help you see what's around you. This exercise is meant to help you learn to always be on the lookout when you're flying."
Heart let out a groan while rubbing his face, "You know, I was expecting something different when you said you were teaching me advanced flying skills. I thought we'd be learn cool barrel rolls and flying upside-down."
Flash chuckled as he flew in front of him, landing on a mist-hidden branch. "You're already a fast flyer, especially if you use your fire as a booster. But unless you learn the three S's of flying, you'll never be able to use that speed to do anything helpful. Imagine if you were in a forest that was on fire and there was somepony in it. How would you be able to get to them through the smoke?"
"Uh..." Heart muttered, only to frown, "I don't know. Guess I gotta figure out how to fly through it."
"Good. Now, try again." Flash replied as he hopped into the mist, disappearing on the spot.
And as this happened, Grand watched as Flash land beside him before they listened to Heart's voice...and several banging sounds. "Hey!" Bang, "What?! Where did that come from?!" Another banging sound, "Ow! Oh, come on!" One more, "My tail!" The two chuckled until they saw a shadow in the mist, only for a bruised Heart to fall out, skidding across the ground as he looked up at them, "I did it..."
"Maybe it's best we call it a day," Grand responded, "You can pick it up again tomorrow."
"Okay..." Heart moaned as he pushed himself up, slowly walking over to the door. As he did this, Flash and Grand stayed behind to discuss something, leaving the colt to wander the hallways alone. He then turned a corner, only to come to a stop when he almost ran into something.
"WHOA!" He and another cried as they came to a halt, Heart seeing it was Starlight. "Sorry Heart. Wasn't looking where I was going."
"It's cool." Heart replied, only to raise an eyebrow, "Wait...shouldn't you be with Twilight right now?"
"She called the lesson off early," the unicorn sighed, "Said there was something important she needed to do, so I'm free for the day. Not that it matters." She shined a smug grin, "I managed to master every spell she wanted to work on with me today. You should have seen the look on her face."
"That's great," Heart responded, "So what about your friendship lessons?" This made Starlight go wide-eyed, her grin vanishing as she bit her lip while going silent. The sight made Heart tilt his head, "Starlight?"
"Um...well uh...I've just been so busy that er…" She began to twiddle her hooves, "You see, I haven't...well..."
"Starlight...you're not avoiding it again, are you?"
"I uh...yeah." Starlight sighed, "I've been avoiding the friendship lessons."
"Why?"
Starlight looked away, trying to hide the big frown on her face, "Because...what if I'm bad at them?! I'm the Princess of Friendship's student! If I screw up, that'll look bad for her..."
"But Starlight, not doing the lessons won't help you."
"I know." Starlight responded while rubbing her face, "I just...I wish there was a way to show everypony Twilight was right when she decided to pick me as he student. Like...a problem that I could solve that involves friendship."
"Like the one Fluttershy and Applejack are on right now?"
"Yeah!" Starlight replied, nodding before letting out another sigh. "That's exactly what I need...if only the map would send me on one."
"Does it even work that way?" Heart asked as they began to walk down the hallway together, soon getting close to the front door, "I thought the map only sent Flash and the rest of the elements of harmony."
"Oh...yeah, you're probably right." Starlight mumbled, hanging her head at this, "But there can't be just one friendship problem happening in Equestria. If only I could-" She didn't get to finish as a loud knocking sound filled the air, making them turn to the door. Starlight grabbed the handle with her magic, pulling the door open, "Hello?" The two then found themselves staring at a red unicorn with a green tail and mane that was styled to cover his left eye. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," the unicorn replied, "I have an appointment with Princess Twilight."
"Really? Can I ask who you are?"
The unicorn raised an eyebrow at this. "I'm Solid Script."
Starlight blinked at this, only for Heart to say, "Oh, I've heard of you. You're Lightning's friend, right?" Script nodded, "You're the pony that uses those...run thingies."
"Runes," Script corrected as he walked inside, "And yes, I am well versed in that particular type of magic, which is exactly why I'm here. The princess and I are beginning work on a new type of rune magic that'll revolutionize Equestria."
"Cool..." Heart commented as Starlight gestured to Script to follow.
"So what is this revolutionary new type of rune magic?" Starlight asked as they headed for the library. "You can't just say that and not dish on the details."
"I think it would be best to leave it until the princess and I are ready to give it a test run." Heart and Starlight frowned at this, ears slumping down as they turned a corner to the library hallway. But as they did this, Script suddenly stopped in his tracks, Heart and Starlight doing the same before seeing Flash and Grand outside of the library. The two saw Script scrunch up at the sight, then seeing Flash give Script a smirk while Grand remained stoic.
Script then trotted forward, a hard look on his face as he glared at Grand. "Hello Script," Grand replied, only for the unicorn to remain quiet as the doors to the library opened, Twilight walking out.
"Script!" He turned to her, "It's good to see you again. Come on in, I can't wait to see the results of your research." Script forced a smile onto his face as he stepped into the room, only to shoot a glare at Grand when Twilight wasn't looking. Before Grand could say anything, Script slammed the doors shut with his magic.
"Same old Script," Flash commented as Grand let out a sigh.
Heart and Starlight stared at the two before Grand walked past them, a long frown on his face. And as he left the castle, Heart added, "Well, that was awkward."
"What was that all about?" Starlight asked as she turned to Flash.
The defender let out a sigh at this, "That's just how those two are."
"What do you mean?"
"It's always been like that with them. I'm not one hundred percent sure why, but I think it had something to do with Lightning in his more...rebellious days."
Heart raised an eyebrow at this, "So...the two don't like each other?"
"I know Grand does want to patch things up with Script, but that unicorn is as stubborn as a mule and won't accept his attempts to apologize."
"Why?"
"No idea." Flash replied while shrugging, "Grand just tries to steer clear of him now, mainly cuz he doesn't want to cause a scene." The pegasi scratched the side of his head, "Sorry, I gotta go meet up with Iron. Later!"
"Later!" Heart responded, waving his hoof as Flash walked away. He then turned to Starlight, only to see a big grin on her face. "Starlight?"
"This is perfect."
"Huh?"
She glanced over to the colt, "Don't you see? This is the perfect chance for me to prove myself as the Princess of Friendship's student! All I've gotta do is get Grand and Script to make up. Easy, right?"
Heart raised an eyebrow at this, "Well...I guess." He looked back to where Flash was, only to look back at the unicorn, "Okay, I wanna help too." Starlight tilted her head at this as he continued, "I'm the apprentice of the Knight of Friendship. That means It's I've gotta help fix whatever friendship problems I find as well."
Starlight hummed at this before nodding, "Alright. Then we'll work together and get those two to make up." She held out a hoof that Heart quickly shook. "Now...how do we make them make up?"
"Hmm..." Heart rubbed his chin in though, only to ask, "Well, Flash said they don't like each other because of Lightning, right?"
"Its probably not that simple, but I doubt Grand or Script would tell us why." Starlight scratched the back of her head, "But we do need to know why this happened." A small smile appeared on her face, Heart doing the same, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Gramps and Script?!" Lightning yelped as he and Wild were helping Mac fix a broken cart wheel. "Why do ya wanna know about them?!"
"We were just curious," Heart replied, "The two of them seemed really....awkward around one another. Well, Grand looked awkward and Script was angry."
"That's an understatement," Wild chuckled as he lifted the cart up while Lightning attached the wheel. "Script's had it out for the old stallion for a long time. Never been sure why though."
"Oh, there's a lot of reasons," Lightning sighed, "But I'm not sure I should be the one to tell you." HIs horn shined as he twisted the wheel, the cart coming down next. And as Mac began to inspect the wagon, the defender turned back to the duo, only to see them staring at him with shining eyes. The sight made him sigh again, "Alright, fine. I'll tell you..."
Lightning took a deep breath, crossing his hooves as he began, "It started when Script and I first became friends. He wasn't the most popular pony in Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns, and ended up getting picked on a lot." The defender began rubbing the back of his head, "That's when I met him. I fended off some bullies that were after him on one of Canterlot's streets one day...and he followed me after that, thanking me for saving him. After that, I kinda couldn't get rid of him, and we became friends."
"And the bullies stopped." Wild added, Lightning nodding in agreement.
"Huh." Starlight responded before Mac gave them his thanks before heading off. "So...where does Grand fit in that?"
Lightning grimaced at this, "Well, he wasn't too happy with me being friends with Script, and he never told me why. He didn't seem to mind it when I first introduced him, but a few days later...he changed. Gramps said Script was nothing but trouble, and that I should stay away from him. He would even go after Script, telling him to stay away from me."
"He went that far?" Heart asked with wide eyes.
Lightning nodded again. "It was a bad time in my family. I mean, me and gramps weren't doing well at that time either."
"You mean when he picked up Flash to be his student?" Wild asked, Lightning sighing back.
"Yeah." Lightning then patted Wild's shoulder, "Thankfully, I decided to keep hanging with Script in rebellion to gramps and soon met Wild and Gorgenia. After a while, Gramps seemed to start cooling off about Script...but then something else happened."
"What?"
"My father got arrested...by gramps." Lightning replied while gritting his teeth, slightly looking away, "I...didn't take it well."
"That's putting it lightly," Wild added.
"Script stayed by my side, and with me being so mad at gramps, his own anger followed. Ever since then, even now that me and gramps have made up, Script still can't let go of that anger." He bit his lip at this, "And though gramps says he wants to get along with Script...I'm not completely sure if he wants to fix it. Both of 'em are just...stuck in the past."
Heart and Starlight glanced at each other before Heart asked, "Do you think they'll ever make up?"
Lightning shook his head, "No. I think gramps could be down for fixing it...but I don't think they can." Wild then tapped his side, giving him a gesture. "Oh yeah." Lightning looked back at the two, "Sorry, we got some errands."
"Got it. Thanks." Heart responded as the Wild and Lightning began to walk away.
And as they left the farm, Starlight and Heart stared at each others as the unicorn spoke up first, "So it was Grand who started the issue."
"But Script was the one who refuses to let bygones be bygones," Heart added, "This might be harder then we thought." He shined a small grin at Starlight, "So what's the plan?"
Starlight hummed for a moment, rubbing her chin in thought. "Hmmm...good question. We might need some help."
"What kind?"
A few minutes later, at the castle...
"Here it is," Starlight commented as she pulled a book out of a bookshelf, floating down. It was a heavy purple hardback, Heart raising an eyebrow at the sight.
"What is that?"
"Twilight wrote it as a way to help anypony whose having trouble with a friendship problem. She used it when she and Fluttershy went...somewhere for a friendship problem, and it was apparently a big success."
"Awesome," Heart opened the book, "So it's like a strategy guide?"
"Exactly," Starlight nodded before the doors of the library opened, Twilight and Script walking inside. They turned to the two, Starlight quickly hiding the book behind her back.
"What are you two doing in here?" Twilight asked with raised eyebrows.
"Just...reading," Starlight replied.
"I got a...book report," Heart made up. "Need something to do it on."
"Oookay..." Twilight slowly responded, "Well, I hope you don't mind, but Script and I need to get back to work and we don't want anypony to see what we're working on until it's done. So could you-"
"Sure, no problem." Starlight instantly said as she grabbed Heart in her magic, keeping the book out of sight as she walked around them. But as she did this, she turned to Script. "So Solid Script, how are you enjoying Ponyville so far?"
Script raised an eyebrow at this, "This isn't the first time I've been to this town. Two of my closest friends live here."
"Oh," Heart replied, "Huh. Haven't seen you before though."
"Well, I've been busy," Script responded as his horn shined, summoning some equipment. "Haven't had the chance to come lately."
"That's too bad," Starlight added, "So...you'll be here a while?"
"A few days."
"Well I hope we get the chance to really get to know you," Starlight happily replied before pulling Heart out of the room.
And as they left, Script turned to Twilight. "They seem...friendly."
"Yes." Twilight slowly hummed, "A little too friendly. And it's not like Starlight to try and open up to a new pony so quickly..." A smile then appeared on her lips, clapping her hooves, "She must be taking my friendship lessons really seriously! I'm so glad, especially since she seemed to be avoiding them recently. I'll have to ask her later!"
She then turned to Script, seeing him blankly stare at her, "Oh. Sorry for getting distracted. Let's get down to business, shall we? The world of magic isn't going to change itself."
Outside of the library...
Starlight and Heart breathed a sigh of relief, quickly running up to a spare room.
"Okay, I think we're good." Starlight replied as she pulled the book out, "We only have a few days to come up with a plan to get Grand and Script to make up." She started flicking through the book, "According to the others, Script refuses to so much as talk to Grand, so we need a way to get them together and force them to interact."
"So we need some kind of event?" Heart asked, getting a nod from Starlight as stopped on a page.
"Ah-ha!" She exclaimed, "This could work. We just need to talk to Pinkie." Heart raised an eyebrow, only for Starlight to show him the page.
The next day...
Twilight and Script had been working on their project since sun-up, it now being noon as they decided to take a break and get something to eat. "The formula's looking good," Twilight commented, "Now we just need to find a way to interconnect them so the network works the way we want it too."
"I think I might have a way of doing that. We'll need to add an additional formula into the matrix, but it shouldn't be too hard. Especially with the idea you gave me. What did you say they're called again?"
"Cellular telephones," Twilight replied, "Shortened to cellphones or mobiles."
"Right..." Script nodded. "That world sure has some amazing ideas. I wish I could go there myself...but its probably not a good idea."
"Yeah. Let's get some lunch."
"Twilight!" yelled another voice, making them turn to see Starlight, "Glad I found you before you ate."
"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow, getting a shake of the head from Starlight.
"Nope. But Pinkie's throwing a picnic party in the park, and she wanted me to come and get you both." The two raised eyebrows at this, "I just happened to be in Sugarcube Corner yesterday and mentioned you two were working on some super secret project, then mentioned you might start working yourselves into a laser focused marathon of research. So she decided to make sure you two had a break and did something fun."
Twilight let out a giggle, "We appreciate the thought, but as you can see, we're making sure to take the time to eat and bathe. I learned to not make that mistake a long time ago."
"Yes," Script added, "Though it'll only be a quick lunch break before we get back to work."
"Oh..." Starlight replied, her ears slumping down, "I see. Well, I'll tell Pinkie you couldn't make it."
"Hang on there," Twilight responded, "I didn't say we wouldn't come." She sparked her horn and in a flash of light, the three were suddenly in the park. "It'd be rude to let all of Pinkie's work go unappreciated."
"Twilight!" They turned to see Pinkie bouncing from an area with several tables, all of them having the standard party and picnic foods laid out. Wild was also there, pulling more food out of a picnic basket. "You made it. Yay!"
"You know I wouldn't miss something like this Pinkie. Thanks for going through all this trouble."
Pinkie shined a big grin at this, only to let out a 'psst' while waving her hoof. Twilight walked up and leaned up to the pony as she whispered, "ain't no problem. Everypony needs a break from working hard. Gives 'em a chance to recharge the batteries and help them work better. And it's not just you who could use a break." She gestured to another part of the park, showing the many other friends they had. The defenders, Rainbow, Rarity, Heart, Soul and Spike were amongst them along with Time Tuner, Lyra and Bon Bon, all of Heart and Soul's classmates and even Derpy. "Let's have some fun and all unwind."
"Heck yeah!" Wild cheered as he took out a record player, the music already playing.
With that, everypony began to dig in, loading their plates for lunch. At the same time, Heart moved over to Starlight. "Okay, they're around one another. But how does this help them get over their issues?"
Starlight smirked at this, "Remember when I asked you what food you've seen Grand eating?"
Heart nodded back. "Spring rolls and cucumber sandwiches. Why?"
"Well, I managed to catch Pinkie asking Wild what Script really likes to eat. When she wasn't looking, I moved the plates with those foods next to one another. If Script and Grand want to get their food, they'll have to be near one another and I'm sure they'll start talking if that happens."
They turned to the food table, seeing Script had spotted the onion and green bean wraps he liked so much. But as he went to get it, he came to a stop when Grand stepped up to grab his sandwiches. Script frowned at the knight, using his magic to lift the wraps and get them around the older pony.
"Any other bright ideas?" Heart asked Starlight, who quickly pulled out the book and started flipping through the pages.
"There's gotta be something in here. Maybe...hmm..." Her horn began to glow as she said this, Heart grimacing at the sight.
"Starlight...what are you thinking?"
"I could put them both under a spell that'll make them compelled to talk to one another."
Heart's eyes went wide, quickly tapping her side, "Starlight, I don't think that's how you solve a friendship problem."
"Why not?"
"Flash has told me all the friendship problems they go solve for the map mainly just has them...talk it out. Or fight a bunch of bandits and make the ponies more courageous. Putting ponies under a spell isn't gonna fix the problem. How do you know they just won't fall out again once the spell wears off?"
Starlight opened her mouth at this, only to sigh, "You're Flash's student alright."
"Yup." Heart chuckled, wagging his tail.
The unicorn looked back at the book, "Hmm...maybe I could use a magnetism spell that'll force them to be stuck to one another, then they'll have no choice but to talk to one another and work out their problems."
"Again, I don't think that's how this is supposed to work."
Starlight sighed again, "So easy to condemn, so hard to create. What do you suggest then?" Heart took the book and flicked through it until he came to a page that looked like it had been originally ripped out before getting taped back in.
"How about this?" he then read, "Those who have differing opinions and lack of understanding can usually find respect though joint activities and working towards a common goal." He turned to Starlight, "Isn't that how you and Twilight became friends? Taking down that evil version of Flash?"
Starlight hummed at this, "That could work, but how do we get them to work together on something if they won't even talk to one another."
As she asked this, Wild moved up to them, "Hey you two, you want in on the volleyball game? Just stick your name in here and you can be randomly assigned a team." Heart shined a grin at this, writing his name on a slip of paper while Starlight just stared at the bowl.
"No thanks, I think I'll just watch." Wild nodded and walked away, only for Starlight to grab Heart and whisper, "I got a new idea."
Fifteen minutes later...
Everypony had finished eating, the volleyball game now ready to begin. "Okay..." Pinkie took the bowl from Wild as everypony gathered around, "It's time to pick teams."
While this happened, Starlight and Heart were hiding behind some trees. They were both carrying a bowl with paper in it, each slip of paper having the same name written on them. Before Pinkie could reach in, Starlight used her magic, swapping the paper in the bowl, Pinkie not looking down as she grabbed a piece of paper and unfurled it.
"Grand Hoof!" The older pony smiled as he walked up just as Starlight quickly swapped the papers in the bowl. As soon as that was done, Pinkie reached in again, pulling out another slip of paper, "And your teammate is...Script?"
"What?!" Script yelping, turning to glare at Grand. "I didn't even enter this game. Is this some kind of joke?!"
"Well, somepony must have put your name in," Wild chimed in, patting Script's back, "Come on. Don't be a party pooper."
"I'm not being on the same team as him!" Script yelled while pointing at Grand, "Just draw somepony else to be his partner."
"That's no fun," Pinkie responded, "You two got picked to work together and that's how it'll work. I guess the universe just wants to see how well you do together."
At this moment, Starlight swapped the papers in the bowl with the originals just as Lightning walked up to Script, "Come on Script. Just give it a try."
Script and Lightning stared at one another for a moment before Script let out a sigh. "Fine..." he hissed as he glared at Grand, "Just this once." Grand gave a small smile back, Script looking away as Pinkie kept picking the teams. By the end of the selection, the teams consisted of Wild and Lightning, Flash and Springer, Twilight and Rarity, Pinkie and Rainbow, Ace and Heart, Soul and Mira and finally, Time Turner and Derpy.
"Alright!" Pinkie cheered as Starlight agreed to do the scoring. "Time to decide who's playing first. There's eight teams, so it's a three tournament. Starlight, pick the team order."
"Okay," Starlight used her magic to grab a piece of paper out of the bowl again. The first team to be picked was Heart and Ace, who would be facing Pinkie and Rainbow. Then Twilight and Rarity would be facing Flash and Springer, while Grand and Script would be facing Time Tuner and Derpy.
And as the games were about to begin, Starlight whispered to Heart, "Try and lose. If something goes wrong, we'll need to try and stop it before it causes a problem." Heart nodded back before he and Ace took the field, Pinkie and Rainbow on the other side of the net.
Heart didn't need to try in order to lose. Against Rainbow's natural athleticism and Pinkie's...Pinkie-ness, he and Ace didn't stand a chance. They lost twenty-five to fourteen. After that, Flash and Springer destroyed Twilight and Rarity, the mares not being allowed to use their magic or wings. So Flash and Springer beat them twenty-five to seven.
"Alright!" Pinkie called out, "Time for round three. Script and Grand against Derpy and Time Turner."
Script let out a long sigh, "Let's get this over with." He walked out onto the field with Grand beside him, Script taking the left.
"Alright gentlecolts," Turner said as he spun the ball on his hoof. "I hope you're ready. My geometry skills have improved a great deal since I started bowling. They should help me greatly during this game."
Grand smiled at this challenge. "Let's put that to the test, shall we?" Script rolled his eyes at this, his eyes focusing on Time Turner as he threw the ball up before hitting it with his tail. It flew over the net, about to fall toward Grand, who ran up and bashed it back over the net.
Derpy saw it coming and ran for it, only to trip over her own hooves. As she did, her wing flew out and managed to hit the ball back straight up, Turner running under it and bounced the sphere over the net.
"Script!" Grand yelled, "It's all yours!"
"I know that!" The unicorn growled as he moved under the ball and prepared to slam it with his tail. But as he hit the ball, his aim knocked the ball into the net, bouncing it back onto his side of the court.
"Score one to team Muffin Doctor," Starlight announced as she put the point onto the board.
Script stared at the ball before turning to glare at Grand. "You put me off!"
The older pony raised an eyebrow at this, "How did I put you off? I didn't say anything." He picked up the ball and served it, Turner then batting it back with Script managing to do the same and actually getting it over the net. Derpy tried to block it, but once again tripped, letting the ball hit the ground.
"Score one for team...Script and Grand. Couldn't you have thought of a better name?" Starlight put the point up as Time Turner helped Derpy up.
"I'm sorry."
"Nothing to fear, my dear. Let's just focus on the next round." Derpy nodded and was given the ball to serve, surprising everypony with how well she was able to serve. It shot over the net at blinding speed, Grand trying to jump in order to bat it back, only to miss it.
"Point to team Muffin Doctor!"
"Great..." Script moaned, rolling his eyes while Turner and Derpy high-hoofed.
"Oh boy," Heart groaned. "This is already going bad."
The rest of the game went in a very similar fashion. Derpy and Time Turner would work together while Script tried to play on his own, Grand doing his best to work in tandem with the unicorn. In the end, the score landed on twenty-five to twenty-four in team Muffin Doctor's favor.
"This is it!" Pinkie told the others. "If Derpy and Doc get this next point, they win."
"I never got that about volley ball's pointing system," Lightning spoke up, "Why do you have to win by two points? Can't it just be the first to fifteen?"
"I think it's to make sure the victory is more about skill then luck," Rarity replied as Turner prepared to serve the ball.
"We can do this Script," Grand told him, "We just need to work together."
"I've managed to get us this far without stooping that low," the unicorn hissed before the ball was served. "Just stay on your side." He ran up and used his tail to bat the ball back over, Derpy deflecting it as Grand skidded over to knock it back again.
This went on for quite a while, neither team giving an inch. Once again, Derpy and Time Tuner were working together while Script tried his best to ignore Grand. But after three minutes since the ball was served, Script spiked the ball, shooting it toward the dirt. Derpy ran for it, tripping on her own hooves at this. Script smiled at the sight, only to see the ball hit Derpy's hoof and bounce straight up, letting Turner run up to bat it over the net.
"I GOT IT!" Both Grand and Script yelled, leaping for the ball at the same time...only to collide midair. "Augh!" They cried at the blow, both flopping over as the ball bounced next to them.
Starlight inwardly sighed before she spoke up, "Point to team Muffin Doctor. The score is now twenty-six to twenty four. Team Muffin Doctor wins." Derpy and Turner cheered while hugging each other, Script yelling as he used his magic to throw Grand off of him.
"Great. Now that I'm out, can I go now?!" He turned to Twilight, "We've still got work to do."
Twilight nodded at this, "He's right." She turned to Pinkie, "This has been fun, but we're gonna need to cut out early. Tell me who wins, okay?" Pinkie nodded as Twilight teleported herself and Script back to the castle.
Starlight and Heart intended to follow, but the next game was about to start, and Starlight only now realized she had trapped herself with scoring duty. The volleyball tournament continued until it was Flash and Springer against Rainbow and Pinkie, this particular game taking almost an hour until the boys were finally declared the winner.
It was at this moment that the picnic party came to an end, everypony heading off the do the rest of the day's work while Heart and Starlight sat at a nearby bench, plopping themselves down while letting out sighs of defeat.
"Well, that was a total flop," Heart groaned. "We set out to try and fix this relationship and by the looks of things, we've only made it worse."
"No kidding," Starlight sighed. "I just don't know what went wrong. If that had been any other two ponies having a disagreement, it would have been sorted by now."
Heart frowned at this, "Hmm...do you think the problem is that there were other ponies around? I mean, they didn't talk to each other at all until the game. Script was talking to Lightning and Wild while Grand was talking to...everypony."
"True. And because of that, they didn't have a reason to talk to one another." Starlight added, only to go wide-eyed, "So...that means we need to come up with a way to get them both alone with nopony else around to bother them!"
"How do we do that?" Heart asked, "It was hard enough to get them in the same place with others. There's no way Script would have stayed at the picnic if Lightning and Wild hadn't been there." Starlight's eyes started to shine, a big grin appearing on her face.
"I think I have an idea."
Heart did a big gulp at this, a certain twist now clenching in his stomach as he whispered, "I have a bad feeling about this..."
The next day....
Heart was right to have a bad feeling, for he was now hiding inside a bush along with Starlight as the mare was looking through a pair of binoculars. "Remind me again how this is supposed to work."
Starlight sighed. "I'm only going to go over this once. I gave a note to Script saying it was from Lightning, and you did the same thing to Grand."
"Okay. With you so far..."
"Both notes say to meet at the cafe," she pointed at the building right in front of them. "It also says to order if he isn't there yet, then when the two of them do, they'll be forced to talk while they wait for Lightning to show up."
"But what if he doesn't? What if Script sees Grand and decides to leave? Or what if they both sit down and Lightning actually shows up?"
"I've taken care of that. Script will be arriving five minutes before Grand, plenty of time to get comfortable and order something. And Lightning is helping Rarity work on some new suit designs."
"Huh...sounds like you've come up with everything."
"We're about to find out," Starlight responded, "Script's coming." Heart poked out of the bush, now seeing the unicorn take a seat, looking at the menu until the waiter arrived and took his order. A few minutes later, Grand came down the road, spotting Script at the table.
He came to a stop at this, making Heart comment, "He's not gonna go for it."
"He'll go for it," Starlight instantly replied, "He's got to." They waited as Grand took out the note, glancing around as he tried to find Lightning. "Come on..."
And then, after taking a deep breath, Grand walked up to Script. "What do you want?" He asked as Grand pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Lightning asked me to come have lunch with him here. I assume you got the same invitation." Script did a slight nod, "I guess he's running late."
They could all see Script was about to get up, but then the waiter came a put down his salad. The unicorn sighed at this, his horn shining as he picked up a fork. "Fine," he hissed before starting to eat, "Just don't talk to me."
Grand sighed as he slumped down, turning to give his own order to the waiter. The two sat in silence as Script ate his food, Grand waiting for his as Heart chimed in, "It's not working."
"Give it time," she responded, "There's no way they can sit in silence the whole time."
But as the minutes scraped by, the silence stayed. And as this happened, Script got close to finishing his salad, only for Grand to speak up, "I'm starting to think Lightning ain't coming."
"Fine," Script put his fork down on his mostly cleared plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Then I don't have any other reason to be here."
This made Grand sigh again, "Is being around me really that bad?"
The question made Script freeze, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Grand, "I can't believe you'd even ask me that. Of course it is! Why would I ever want to be anywhere near you after what you did?!"
Grand just showed a small frown at this, "Script...how many times to I have to apologise for that? I was going through a...tough time back then."
"A tough time?!" Script yelped, leaning over the table, "That's just an excuse. Don't think it'll work on me, cause it won't. Do you have any idea what it was like for me back then?! A little colt getting bullied all the time, only to suddenly meet somepony who is not only nice to me, but also willing to fight back against the bullies when I couldn't. The first real friend I ever had..." He slumped back down, his breath already heaving, "But just when things were feeling great, you suddenly drop into the picture. First you tell Lightning he couldn't be friends with me, and when he refused, you threatened me to stay away."
"I didn't threaten you! I just-"
"It was a threat," Script interrupted, glaring back up, "I was just a kid, and you come along and threaten me to stay away from the only friend I had ever made, the only glimmer of light in my life. And you never even told me why."
Grand looked away at this, Script shining a small smirk as he continued, "And don't think I don't know why. I know why you don't like me...and I know that you still don't like me."
"That's not-"
"It is." Script interrupted again, "I know you still don't want me to be friends with Lightning. I bet that's why you got the princesses to banish him and make him travel the country, so I wouldn't be around him and he'd likely make new friends. I bet you love the fact he lives here now, so I can't be around him as much."
"That's not true!" Grand almost snapped, turning back to start glaring at Script, "None of it is. I don't care if you're friends or not. I just want Lightning to be happy."
"The only pony you've ever wanted to be happy is yourself." Script spat, "You know, it's no surprise your son and grandson both tried to conquer Equestria. Look who they got as a role model. I guess it's a miracle Sentry didn't make it three for three." Script let out a low chuckle, "But who knows, maybe you just pawned his training off onto somepony else and took the credit."
"Hey!" Grand growled, smacking the table, "That's going a bit too far. I know I've made some mistakes, but I've tried to make up for them as best I can. And I want to do the same for what I did to you if you'll just let me."
"Forget it. As far as I'm concerned, you don't deserve to be forgiven. You should carry the guilt of all your failures for the rest of your miserable life."
"I already do that Script. You have no idea how much I suffer."
"Oh, I know." Script replied as he leaned up to Grand's face, only to see several ponies staring at him in the corner of his eyes. Sighing at this, he started to get up. "I'm gone. I've gotta do one final check before we test the-" He stopped himself at this, only to give Grand one last glare, "If you wanna make things up to me, then stay away from me." With that, the unicorn trotted off while Grand let out a sigh, slumping over to eat his lunch before leaving as well.
As this happened, Heart and Starlight remained in the bushes with wide eyes. "Well...that was intense," Heart commented before crawling out of the bush. Starlight did the same, a defeated expression appearing on her face.
"That's it," she moved over to the now empty cafe table and sitting down and smacking her head on the wood. "I'm completely out of ideas." Heart flew over, the two ordering something. But after a few minutes, the two started brainstorming...only for nothing.
"We could teleport them someplace when they're asleep," Heart suggested as he ate his sandwich. "And the only way to escape is to work together."
"I think whatever place we come up with to trap them in they could easily overcome on their own," Starlight added while sipping her soup. "We still have the magnetism plan. That could work."
Heart gave her a frown, only for both to let out one final sigh and slam their heads down on the table. "This is hopeless," the colt groaned.
"I refuse to believe a friendship problem is this hard," Starlight moaned, "Maybe this just proves I'm not meant to be the Princess of Friendship's student."
"And I'm not meant to be the Knight of Friendship's squire," Heart lifted his head off the table as tears began to stream down his face. "This is it. We're done for."
"Maybe," Starlight lifted her head up. "But at least nopony knows what we were trying to do. They don't know how badly we failed, so maybe we can still prove we're worthy."
"How?" Heart asked, only for two puffs of ash to fly down and cloud in front of them. In a puff, they morphed into scrolls.
"Huh," Starlight commented while grabbing the scroll, "What's this?" She unravelled it and read, "Twilight wants me at the castle." She began to sweat, "She said it's urgent."
Heart opened his and found the exact same message, also sweating. "Do you think they figured out what we did?"
Starlight said nothing, instead teleporting them to the castle, "TWILIGHT!" Her voice echoed into the halls.
"We're in the library!" Twilight's voice called back, making Starlight sigh.
"Of course you are." They slowly walked up to the library, Heart wiping away his tears...only to find Soul and Mira coming down the other hall.
"Hey sis," Heart said first, "What's this all about?"
"I have no idea," Soul replied, shrugging, "Twilight just told us to come here for some reason."
"Same here," Starlight responded before opening the library doors. There they found the defenders, Rainbow, Pinkie Rarity, Wild, Spike, Ace and the CMC sitting down, all waiting for Script and Twilight to begin.
"Ah, great!" Twilight chimed in as the four walked in, "Now we can begin."
"Begin what?" Starlight asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Begin to show off the fruits of our labor," Twilight replied before gesturing to something on the floor, showing a type of sheet.
"Oh wow!" Pinkie cheered, "What an amazing creation! It must have a thousand uses! You could use it as a blanket, or to sit on it in the park so your cupcakes don't get dirty. Or as a ghost costume on Nightmare Night. Or-"
"It's what's under the sheet that we wanted to show you," Twilight interrupted before turning to Script, "Care to do the honors?"
"Sure," Script replied in a low tone, grabbing the sheet in his magic, pulling it off, "Presenting the future of Equestrian travel: The Rune Gate." Everypony looked down, seeing a quartet of large stone slabs. Drawn on those slabs were the exact same circles, all made up of lines with runes inside them.
"Wait..." Lightning commented, "Those look familiar."
"They should," Script responded, "They're based on the ones Bomber used to get into the underground mines. Along with the runes used by the Crystal Empire in order to travel between there and the Crystal Pen, these ones are much more stable and aren't just limited to travelling from one place to another."
"That's right," Twilight added, "And they'll be able to go vast distances. When completed, they'll allow us to travel from Ponyville to Canterlot and even the Crystal Empire in seconds. Now if there's ever an emergency, we can travel to the place before it's too late to do anything."
"I must say, that sounds a lot easier then taking the train," Rarity chimed in.
"I just hope it doesn't become too popular," Soul continued, making everypony turn to her, "What? I like taking the train. And this sounds like the kind of thing that would put it out of business."
Twilight giggled at this, "Don't worry Soul. For now, these gates are only going to be used in emergencies. Or to travel someplace far away, further than the train can go."
"I admit it's an interesting idea," Grand said next, "But it could also be a major risk. What if somepony uses it to travel somewhere they couldn't normally get, like into this very castle?"
Script instantly glared at him, hissing, "Do we look like idiots to you?! We've taken that into account. We'll work on better security features, but for now, the gate can only be activated using alicorn magic. That means only the princesses...and her," he pointed to Soul, the filly frowning back, "Can use them."
Grand gave him a flat stare, "Alright, I'll admit that makes sense. So, are these four the prototypes?"
"Yup!" Twilight cheered, "Each one has a seven digit code connected to them. All you have to do is type the code of one into another, and it'll create a link between the two gates. Then it'll work like any other rune teleporter and transport you to the rune."
"But how will it help send you to far off places?" Rainbow asked. "Wouldn't you have to travel there and set up a rune?"
Twilight shook her head. "Nope. If it's just one trip, we can make a temporary rune that can be teleported by pony magic. If it's something small, I can send it to the place without issue. Then we can use it to go there and come back before the magic in the rune is used up."
"Marvellous," Rarity whispered. "So are you going to test it out now?"
"That's right," Twilight nodded. "First we're going to send something simple through first, which won't be missed should something go wrong."
"Simple and not be missed," Soul giggled, "Are you sending Heart?"
"Hey!" Her brother yelled while the others laughed.
"No." Twilight picked up an apple from a nearby table. "This is it. We'll send this apple through the rune gate, and if it comes out the other side intact, we'll start testing the distance. Then it'll be onto pony trials."
"That sounds awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed, "Dibs on being the first pony to try it."
"Go ahead," Flash chuckled, "It'll be interesting to see how fast you can fly when you get turned inside out." Rainbow glared at him, only for the thought of that happening going through her head before turning to Twilight.
"That won't happen...right?"
"That's what we're about to find out," Twilight placed the apple down on one of the circles before she and Solid moved over to a safe distance. "Okay," she grabbed a clipboard, "Rune gate, maiden test. Everypony ready?" They nodded. "Then let's get this started." With that, her horn began to glow before unleashing a burst of magic that struck the magic circle the apple was on.
After a second or so, the runes began to glow a bluish white that got brighter every second. Then the light shot straight up into the ceiling, forming a pillar of light. Everypony let out sounds of amazement and wonder before looking down to see the apple was...only to see it had vanished.
Pinkie let out a loud gasp, "It's gone!"
"Phase one's done," Twilight turned to the other circle. "Now will phase two work?" She expected the circle to create the same pillar as the first one, but it remained completely unresponsive. "Oh."
"Something wrong?" Flash asked, getting a nod from Twilight.
"Yes. The apple should have appeared by now, but the other circle isn't working."
"We must have made a mistake somewhere," Script added, "Strange. I checked the formula and I didn't notice any problems. Could I have missed something?"
"That's not like you," Lightning responded, Grand, Starlight and Heart frowning with hidden gulps as they knew what that meant.
That is, till Flash raised a wing, "Hey uh...how long is the other circle supposed to stay on?" The others turned to the pillar, only to it was still going.
"That's odd," Twilight commented, "It should have vanished once the transfer was complete." She went to write that issue down, only for her quill to suddenly be pulled out of her magic and sucked toward the pillar of light. As soon as it entered the light, it vanished.
"What was that?" Springer asked, the others about to ask the same thing...only to go wide-eyed at the next sight. The pillar of light began to emit a suction that grew stronger by the second. Books, Twilight's clipboard, and other stuff in the room were quickly being pulled toward the portal, vanishing inside as the suction intensified. It soon became so strong that the group found themselves getting sucked in as well.
"Not good!" Flash yelled as he and the other winged ponies began trying to fly away, the non-flyers being forced to grab whatever was nailed down, though there weren't many things in the room. It was here that Twilight managed to teleport some ropes, throwing them to the flyers. They caught the ropes, began pulling them and yanking them to the earth ponies, unicorns, Spike and jakhowls.
"We gotta stop this!" Spike screamed.
"Twilight!" Flash yelled over the sound of the suction, "Turn it off!" Twilight nodded, her horn sparking before firing a beam of light at the circle. But before it could hit the runes, it suddenly veered off course and was sucked into the pillar.
"How is that even possible?" Soul asked as Starlight tried to do the same thing, only to get the exact same results.
"This is insane!" Lightning screamed.
"There has to be someway of stopping it!" Heart added, spiralling around to he was flying backwards and pointing at the pillar. He then fired his own blast, the fire also getting sucked into the pillar. "Oh, come on!"
"We have to do something!" Springer roared, clutching the younglings in one arm and using Steel Paw to dig into the floor.
"What if we disrupt the runes?" Grand asked, turning to Script. He turned to Grand, raising an eyebrow at Grand continued, "If we damage the runes forming the pillar..."
"Then it should disappear. But it could also-" He didn't didn't get to finish as Grand let go of the rope he was holding, sliding on his back toward the pillar. "WAIT!"
Everypony gasped as they watched him get pulled in, Grand taking his Grand Slammer off his back. He held it above his head until he got within striking distance of the pillar, then swung it down into the slab. A loud cracking sound filled the air, the slab breaking into three pieces, pulling the runes apart.
This had the desired effect, the runes no longer glowing. This was followed by the light fading, and the ponies now falling down or slamming into the walls and empty bookcases surrounding them.
"Gyah/Augh/Whoa/Dyah/Whee!" several of them cried, Pinkie saying that last one as they crashed. "Ow..." was the general word used next as they began to pick themselves up.
"That wasn't fun," Flash groaned as he rubbed his bruised nose. "Everypony okay?"
"Thanks to Grand," Springer replied as he picked himself up.
"He got lucky," Script grumbled, "If he had struck another spot, he might have made it explode instead of powering down."
"Well, thankfully it wasn't worse." Rarity commented, only for the rune gates to began to glow the same color. "Oh dear."
As the pillar began to form again, everypony got ready run while Grand prepared to smash it. But as he raised his weapon above his head, something shot out of the pillar and went splat against his face. "Augh!" He staggered back as the slime of the object dribbled down to his open mouth, allowing him to taste it, "Apple?"
The others raised an eyebrow at this, only for something else to shoot out of the pillar. A quill and clipboard.
"Oh no." Twilight gulped as she sparked her horn as over a hundred books exploded out of the pillar like a tidalwave. But before it could crush them, Twilight teleported them all outside the library...which was followed by a loud crashing sound.
"Well, at least now we know the gates were connected." Flash added.
"I suppose." Twilight sighed.
As this happened, Grand let out a low growl, "This is why I hate rune magic! Always unreliable and way too dangerous."
But as he said this, he saw the others turning to him, Flash asking, "Come again?"
Grand went wide-eyed for a second, only to look away, "Forget I said anything." He turned back to the library door, "I suspect we need to help clean that up."
But as the others just stared at him, Starlight's brain shined a certain bulb in her head. "Wait...that's it!" she gasped, making them turn to her as she pointed at Grand, "Is that why you tried to stop Lightning from being friends with Script in the beginning?! Because you hate rune magic?!"
The group all raised eyebrows at this, Grand leaning back at this. He didn't respond, Script chiming in, "Grand?"
The knight stayed silent, looking away as Lightning added, "Gramps..."
"You might as well tell them." Script chimed in, making Grand glare at him. But the sight didn't faze the unicorn, "Go on, tell them that my interest in rune magic was why you don't like me being friends with Lightning."
"Script, what are you-" Lightning tried to say, only to see his friend roll his eyes.
"Come on Lightning, surely you knew why. What other reason could he have for hating me then hating something I do." Solid responded before turning to Grand, "He hates me because of my talent in rune magic."
"Now come on Script, you know that's not true." Lightning added, "Gramps it trying to make up with you and you keep-"
"He doesn't want to make up with me." Script interrupted, glaring at Grand with narrow eyes, "Isn't that right, you-"
"Shut up! Rune magic is evil!" Grand yelled, making everypony but Script flinch, "I already lost somepony I cared about to that magic, so stop talking about it!"
The knight instantly flinched at his own words, making him backpedal. But before he could say anything, Lightning gasped as he spoke up, "Gramps...is this about what happened to grandma Live Wire?" Grand went wide-eyed at this, giving Lightning his answer. "You can't blame Script for that."
"I don't." Grand instantly replied, "And I didn't at the time. I was just...I saw what that magic did. The disasters it makes. I've seen horrors come from that magic." He looked away, "I...I couldn't let that happen to you."
"Okay, hang on here!" Flash chimed in, "What are you all talking about?!"
Lightning turned to the others, "My grandmother was killed in an explosion caused by a rune magic user." He gave Grand a slight glance, "I'm not sure on all the details, but I do know that's when gramps and my dad started to drift apart."
Grand let out a long sigh, crossing his hooves, "She died protecting a scientist who thought it was a good idea to start playing around with a type of magic he didn't know a thing about. Because of that, the runes exploded and...Live Wire tried to save the scientist, but was caught up in the explosion...which killed several ponies." He closed his eyes at this, "Even though they managed to get her to a hospital, she...she eventually succumbed to her injuries and passed away."
Everypony exchanged glances, all showing frowns as Heart spoke up, "I still don't see what this has to do with you and Script hating each other."
"I don't hate Script," the earth pony replied, his eyes glancing over to the unicorn as Script kept glaring at him, "And I didn't then either. I was just worried that..."
"The same thing would happen to Lightning that happened to your wife?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from Grand. "You thought Script was going to end up accidently killing him because he uses the same type of magic."
"Rune magic is complicated and unpredictable," Grand grumbled, "You saw what just happened. It could have sucked us up and spit us out like pretzels!"
"But...didn't what happened to Live Wire happen like...years ago?" Wild chimed in.
"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded in agreement, "Do you know of any other big disasters that happened because of rune magic?"
Grand didn't say anything. making Rarity speak up, "They're right darling. Any type of magic is dangerous if it's misused. That doesn't mean you should hate it."
"Or the ponies that use it," Script added with crossed hooves, "You know how much I care about Lightning. You really think I'd do anything that might actually hurt him or anypony else?"
Grand took a deep breath, being silent for a second as he formed a response. "I don't now...but back then, I lost two family members by the time you and Lightning became friends. I was worried I'd lose a third because of it as well." They all raised eyebrows at this statement, making the defender sigh, "After Live Wire died, my son became a completely different pony. The pony you all know, the one that created the Thunder Tomb and tried to conquer Equestria, never would have been born if it hadn't been for that lab experiment." He looked away again, "I'm also to blame for how he turned out...but it all started because of that magic. Those were the thoughts going through my head when you and Lightning first became friends. I was so happy to see Lightning have a friend until I found out what you studied. But..."
"But what?" Lightning asked.
"But I don't think that way anymore," Grand turned around again, now staring at Script. His face was calm now, a slight frown on his face as he said, "I might still hate rune magic, but I realized you weren't a pony I needed to worry about after I got to know you. I realized you were smart and careful, not the kind of pony that would take stupid risks just to see what would happen. But by the time I realised that-"
"You had already damaged our relationship well beyond repair," Script interrupted, crossing his hooves with a huff, "You let your fear get the best of you, and judged me before you even got the chance to know me. Tried to take me away from the bestest friend I ever had. Another addition to your long list of failures."
"Whoa! Script!" Lightning barked, smacking Script's shoulder, "Don't insult gramps like that! I know he's made some mistakes, but the rest of us aren't exactly walking on clean hooves."
"But he hasn't done a thing to make up for his mistakes." Script turned to his friend, "He has that stupid catchphrase about counting up sins, but has he ever done that?"
"Hey!" Grand yelled, "Every day I work to make up for my mistakes. And I've tried to make up for what I did to you, but you never let me."
"Saying sorry isn't enough!" Script spat back, "And you say you try to make up for all the bad things you do, but what have you actually done to make up for your failures. When Lightning tried to take over Equestria, you didn't do a thing. When Doom Raizer returned, every knight except you put their lives on the line to take him down. And if memory serves, didn't a town almost get burnt down because of a monster you failed to capture? And what about-"
"That's enough Script!" Lightning roared, making Script's expression freeze up for the first time. He turned to see anger now his friend's face, Lightning tapping Script's chest, "I know gramps has made mistakes, put he's done a lot good as well. And it wasn't is fault some of those things happened. I let my anger control me and used the Alicorn Amulet. Same with my father and the Omni Sphere. And the salamander...he didn't know anything about it."
"And what about me? What about what he tried to do to me?!"
Starlight chose to speak up at this, "The way I see it, that's on you. You refused to accept any apology he's tried to give."
"That's because there's no way he can apologise and make up for it. He doesn't deserve my forgiveness."
"And that makes you better?!" Heart added, "Who says you're the only one allowed to do that?! You're just being a brat and not moving on!"
Script turned to the colt with a snarl, "I won't deny that." He leaned down to the colt, "But I also have the right to say no." He then spun around, "Now if you excuse me, I have work to do. I need to figure out what mistake I made with the rune gate...and remake one thanks to a certain somepony."
With that, he opened the library doors and started wading into the sea of books. And once the doors were closed, Heart and Starlight let out a sigh. "Well that could have gone better," the colt groaned. "So much for our friendship problem."
"Excuse me?" He and Starlight went wide-eyed before turning to Twilight, "What friendship problem?"
"Heart..." the colt flinched at Flash's voice, "What did you do?"
They both sighed, knowing they had no other choice. The two soon told them everything, all about trying to solve a friendship problem, trying to prove they were worthy of being Flash and Twilight's students.
"You sent us those lunch requests?" Grand asked, the two nodding back.
Twilight let out a heaving sigh, "Starlight...you shouldn't have done that!"
"I'm sorry," Starlight replied, looking away, "It's just...I wanted to prove I was worthy of being your student. And...I've kinda been slacking with the other friendship lessons. At first, I thought if I wowed you with my magic, then you wouldn't notice I haven't been doing any. But then I realized that wouldn't last, so I thought if I could solve my own friendship problem, you would think I wouldn't need as many lessons."
Twilight shook her head at this, "Starlight...I wish you would just come to me with this problem instead of keeping it secret and trying a crazy stunt like this. You can't just bottle up everything. You just saw what that does with Script!"
"I know..." Starlight muttered out, "But it's just...asking me to bake a cake or chillax makes me start to suddenly panic. I keep thinking about what might happen if I failed. I didn't want to be a disappointment to anypony, so...
"You stuck your nose where it doesn't belong, causing this whole issue with Grand and Script." Twilight chimed in, getting a nod from her student. "Starlight...we almost got sucked into Celestia knows where because you caused Script to get distracted."
"I'm sorry." Starlight hung her head down, "Please forgive me. I know I'm a failure and-"
Twilight raised her hoof, stopping the unicorn, "Starlight...I forgive you."
"You...do?"
The princess nodded back, "Of course. We all make mistakes. But I think the bigger issue here is that you seemed to miss the point of the lessons."
"I did?"
"Yes. It didn't matter if you messed up doing whatever it was you were doing, be it baking, sewing or...chillaxing. The point was to spend time with others and get to know them better by doing something they enjoyed."
Starlight blinked at this, the info sinking in before blushing, "Really?" Everypony nodded back, "Oh. Yeah, I think I did miss the point."
Flash then focused on Heart. "And can I assume you went along with this scheme for similar reasons?"
"Um...kinda," Heart chuckled, "I mean...you are the Knight of Friendship."
"Flash's title has nothing to do with you," Grand instantly chimed in, "Just because he's the Knight of Friendship doesn't mean you have to live up to it. My title is the Great Mountain. You ever see Flash doing anything connected to that?"
"Err...no?"
"Exactly," Grand nodded. "Because our titles are who we as a knight. And when you become one, you'll have a title that represents you and only you. Not Flash or any squire you take on."
"Oh..." Heart muttered out, "I guess that makes sense."
It was here that Flash reached down and ruffled his mane, "Don't worry about it." he then leaned down, "But you and Starlight do need to apologize for the trouble you've caused."
They nodded and turned Grand. "We're really sorry, for everything."
Grand smiled and nodded back, "It's fine. This was probably for the best. Finally telling Script and Lightning the truth behind our issues feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I'm not proud about what I did, but until Script is willing to forgive me, then there's nothing I can do."
"So what do we do?" Starlight asked Twilight, "You're supposed to be the one who fixes friendships."
Twilight shook her head. "I know this sounds mean, and I would like nothing more then to help, but I can't force Script to forgive Grand. It's very likely this relationship...can't be saved." The others went wide-eyed at this, "I know what you're going to say, but I'm sure we would have either figured something out or perhaps the map would have chosen somepony to help fix it. But...based on what I just saw, I don't think its possible right now."
"You really think so?" Lightning asked, his ears drooping down, "I mean, I really don't want that."
Twilight just shrugged at this, "I'm sorry Lightning. Maybe one day Script will decide to let the possibility of forgiving Grand into his heart. And when that happens, we'll be there to help them both. But for now...all we can do is hope."
Everypony frowned at this, Pinkie pouting, "This feels like a total downer ending."
"That's life," Grand sighed, "Sometimes, not everything works out great."
"So what do we do now?" Heart asked, Twilight turning to him and Starlight.
"Now you two can start cleaning up the library," she opened the door, several books falling out into the hallway. "And after that, you can help Script and I with our rune gate research. We're close to completing it, but this time we may need a few more safety measure in place."
The two stared into the library, seeing the now sea of books they would need to clean up, along with a bunch of other stuff hidden under there. This was gonna take a while.
Two days later...
The train had just pulled up at Ponyville station, Applejack and Fluttershy walking out, the two fresh from their Las Pegasus adventure. It had been an interesting time, with Applejack needing to put aside old grudges in order to solve the problem by working with ponies she would rather stay away from. And while the outcome hadn't been exactly as the mares hoped, they did managed to fix the issue and had now returned home.
"Woo-wee!" Applejack wiped her forehead as the two walked off the platform, "Sure am glad ta be back home."
"Me too," Fluttershy added, "I hope Iron was okay looking after my animals for so long."
"Well ya'll have ta wait ta find out," Applejack told her. "We gotta report in ta Twilight and tell her about everything that happened."
Fluttershy nodded at this, only to go wide-eyed at a sight in the distance. From the middle of town, a beam of light suddenly exploded up into the sky. The beam remained for just a few seconds before dissipating, only for a burst of magic to shoot into the air and create a firework.
"What the hay was that?" Applejack asked, Fluttershy unable to respond. "Come on," she ran ahead, Fluttershy flying after her. The two quickly arrived in the middle of town, but couldn't find anything that would tell them about the pillar of light.
But then, another pillar appeared to their left, making them see a stone slab with two ponies around it. "Heart and Starlight!" Fluttershy called out.
The two turned to them and smiled, "Hey! You're back!" Heart waved as the light began to fade.
"What in the blue blazes is goin' on here?" Applejack asked before noticing an apple was now sitting on the slab. "Is that one of mah apples?"
"Yup," Starlight nodded as she picked the apple up. "And it looks like it showed up unharmed." She took a bite as her horn glowed and fired off a blast of magic that exploded into another firework. "That makes ten apples."
"Ten?" Applejack turned to see Heart was also eating an apple along with six more on the ground along with two fully eaten apples. "What is all this?"
"Twilight can explain it when she gets here," Heart replied before the pillar of light appeared. "This should be them now." He and Starlight stepped back, Applejack and Fluttershy doing the same. Then out of the light, the Princess of Friendship walked out with Script hot on her tail.
She glanced around before looking herself over, seeing she was unharmed. "It worked!" She cheered before turning to Script, "We did it!"
Script nodded back, "Indeed. Now we have to move onto the next phase, increasing the distance even more. We've done one mile. Let's up it to five and see what happens."
"Hey! What's going on?!" Applejack almost yelled, making Twilight and Script turn to her.
"Applejack?" Twilight gaped before turning to Fluttershy, "You're back! When did your train get in?"
"Just now," the pegasus replied. "We got off the train and this light appeared in the sky."
"What is this?" Applejack asked, getting a smile from Twilight. This was gonna be a long explanation.
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A nice Heart and Starlight chapter.
... A little late for that Heart, most us knew this was doomed to failure back when you took picked up the book
Sorry Grand, but those types of titles are based on what one does or a trait, example Ser Davos Seaworth is called the Onion Knight because he was knighted after snuggling onions to feed a besieged garrison, Ser Gregor Clegane is called the Mountain because of his size, while both are fictional, George RR Martin has actually done research,
And since we aren't getting any more canonical chapters, all we need references to PPOV, Where The Apple Lies, Top Bolt in the next chapter before the finale.
Honestly, there is some sort of relief that some relationships can't be fixed. And it's kind of fitting that Script is the one is clinging to the past and keeping this wound open... yeah Script is being self-destructive... I want to feel bad for him, but yeah... he's a grown ass stallion and he had may chances to try to understand why Grand didn't want a friendship between him and Lightning. But yeah it's like Script's heart is as cold and dead as the stone and parchment he carves the runes he uses in, which is fitting.
Beyond that, Love that Derpy and Time Turner, got more time and won their match.
I didn't expect another extra chapter but good one.
Very interesting that Grand and Script doesn't patch up at the end and to show that Script is still not ready to forgive Grand and not all friendship can be repair in one day but I going to be honest with you, reading this chapter made me hate Script more as he was basically a manchild who refuses to move on and always complains about everything especially have to do with Grand Hoof.
Hell! He made Cold Steel look like a saint compare to him!
I means he went from telling Grand it's not his fault about Cutie Markers to straight up acting like if Grand is a devil to him and think he's evil pony. What the fuck?!
Sorry for my rant but that stallion is a crying child who throwing tantrum a lot.
For real, I feel bad for Grand after Script's treatment toward him throughout the chapter.
Here's highlights.
Before anyone asks, use the Flintstone logic.
Yup.
Whoa!
Too soon, Rarity!
So that was the reason for it!
Heart got a great point, Script is definitely a brat.
Yeah, Heart, don't be someone else like Flash, be who you are.
Good job, Banshee.
So to where and back again just going to have one chapter?
Cold's been a saint in comparison to Script since Cold's first introduction, and Cold's also had something to back his philosophy
10636276
You got a point.
I like Cold Steel more than Script TBH with you.
10636278
Same here. Honestly he was the best part of the previous chapter.
You wrote "safe" twice .
Well, it's about time someone called Script out for his stubbornness. You know, I've heard that unforgivenness is like letting yourself bleed to death because you won't allow yourself to get fixed until the guy who shot you takes you to the hospital himself. I wonder how long Script is going to let himself bleed.
Um... wow. For the first time in a very long time, I feel like I have mixed feelings about a chapter from this series.
On one hand, it was nice to see Starlight get a little more focus again. Having her and Heart work together to solve what they feel is a "friendship problem" was very interesting. Even if their efforts were misplaced, it was a clever substitute for what Starlight did in "Every Little Thing She Does" since here her actions aren't as obviously bad from the start like they were there. Also, the project that Twilight and Script were working on seems amazing, and could potentially be useful going forward for any emergencies the group needs to deal with. Also, Script's idea of making cellphones in Equestria sounds fun too. Come to think of it, Pony Life has lots of technology in it, so maybe Script somehow succeeds in using Rune Magic to make them?
But, as for the rest of the chapter, Script is just surprisingly unlikable here. Seems like the last time he interacted with Grand they were finally starting to get along, with Script telling him not to feel bad about the Cutie Markers that he missed. But now Script has suddenly regressed without warning and has doubled down on his jerkass behavior towards Grand. It was honestly pretty shocking. Even Lightning was getting sick of it, and that's saying something.
But regardless, I am excited to see what happens next.
If Script wants to bitter and unforgiving then so be it. He's his own problem at this point, not Grand.
Dang! Clingy, aren't we? I hate to break it to you, Script, but he has a lady friend now.
Besides, Lightning needed to heal from the damage that he had caused himself and other ponies, and being around your clingy, stubborn, unforgiving self would have gotten in the way of that. 
10636409
You know if Script is actually unaware that he is actually homo for Lightning Blitz, that would make a lot of his actions in this chapter more palatable.
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I wasn't suggesting that, but I won't deny that that particular interpretation is possible.
10636409
He better not accuse Rarity of "working with Grand to end his friendship with Lightning" in a later story.
10636430
Honestly, I think that before Script can be open to forgive Grand, Script has to all but destroy his relationship with Lightning, and how else then to levee such an accusation against Rarity and Lightning over hears it.
This sure was a mixed chapter to be honest, the team-up between Starlight/Heart taking on a friendship problem was cool to see! On the other claw how Script behaved & ended his argument (for now) really made me wanna smack him upside his fat head!
Guess there are some friendships that can't be saved no matter what, hopefully they can take another crack at it when Script decides to *man up* & shares his part of the blame as Grand tried to do here.
Looking over these notes, I come across today's Highlights! :
*nervous chuckle* Ahh yeah, sure it was!
Could have been worst, at least she didn't went with a brainwash spell! (this time
)
Tell me about it, after seeing the matches in Haikyu (volleyball anime) it can get intense getting those last 2 consecutive points during a set!
Foreshadowing much???
lol still love that sibling rivalry!
They really need to learn to NEVER SAY THAT!
Out of the mouths of babes, take that one Script!
Great work as always Banshee, till the next one!
10636436
Seeing how Lightning got mad him at the end, Script is basically starting to drive his friends away with his bitterness.
Seven digit code... I smell stargate...
10636436
Also you misspelled 'level'. Just thought you should know.
10636430
10636436
10636451
Oh! If Script dare to accuse Rarity of working with Grand, I think that will be the final straw for Lightning.
Script's grudge against Grand will ultimately drove Lightning away from him.
If he doesn't mature and move on from the past, he will pay the price and I know it.
You know something? There's a difference between being not ready to forgive someone and chosing to be an antagonistic, hateful, bitter @$$hole with a victim mentality.
I understand if you're not ready forgive someone for something they did in the past yet. I understand being hesitant about wanting to make amends with them. But, you choosing to be constantly bitter and hateful towards them and putting them down at every chance, every moment, and every second you have; especially if they're remorseful for what they did. Well then you quickly begin to lose every sympathetic aspect you had and make yourself look bad.
10637206
Exactly.
10636548
I didn't misspell 'level', I used a different word, namely the word 'levee'.
10637425
Ohhh, sorry my mistake.
I know it's a bit late to joke, but I'm going to do it anyway.
Grand: *breathes*
Script: He stealing my oxygen!
Script needs to go work for Fix News cause he has such a victim complex.
Wait...
That's a...
I'll say it again.
Stargate.