Chapter 15 (part 3)
Twilight Sparkle charged up her horn with tremendous power when she found herself galloping up the stairs to the doors of the palace. She could see two guards standing by the doors, ready and waiting to open them when necessary. She didn’t need them tonight, oh no; she was going to make her own way in.
“Stand aside!” she roared as she lowered her head and prepared to fire. The guards, even though they probably didn’t understand a word she had said, took her demeanour to be hostile. Instead of staying like a loyal guardspony should, however, they dropped their spears and ran in opposite directions.
Twilight smiled as she watched them go. ‘Good,’ she thought. ‘They know at least to get out of my way when I am ticked off.’ Besides, she didn’t want other ponies’ lives on her hooves – save one. Grey Spot.
She knew that Grey Spot could not be trusted, and she was upset to find her predictions were correct. She wanted him to be a good friend that, together, might start trade with Equestria, and possibly open up a bright future with the two nations working together. What wonders the two countries could make together if they were allied? What knowledge and power they could gain if they worked together?
Now, with Grey Spot’s attempts on Fluttershy’s life, and now kidnapping her, there would be no negotiations with anypony. It was either give Fluttershy back alive, or bring the whole might of Equestria’s air force down on Esperius – she was not afraid of making that choice herself if she had to.
With that thought, she made it to the top of the stairs and charged at full gallop. Once she was in range, she lit up her horn to its full power and, with a mighty neigh escaping her lips, loosed her magic against the doors in a large beam of magenta light.
The doors did not stand a chance.
The blast ripped them from their hinges, and sent them flying through the palace and crashing against the steps leading up to the throne with a noise that sounded like a severe thunderstorm.
Though it was worse than a thunderstorm, Twilight mused; it was Twilight Sparkle in a state of rage.
She walked slowly through the smoking ruins of the once amazing doors, and stopped and stared in increasing rage at the throne where Grey Spot sat, staring in horror at the devastation before him. ‘If he has so much as harmed a hair on Fluttershy, I will do some very unpleasant things to him,’ she growled in thought as she gazed at him.
The thought sent a chill up her spine, and nearly brought her on the verge of tears. What if he had Fluttershy killed while she was busy being distracted by the Captain? What if he had other unspeakable things done to her marefriend while she had galloped to the palace?
She nimbly shook her head to clear such thoughts, and then looked up at Grey Spot again with her heart burning with rage and her head filled with worry. “I have a question, and it is a question that I want answered now!” Twilight yelled. Slowly, she advanced towards the throne, and the now shivering Grey Spot. “Where. Is. My. Marefriend?”
Grey Spot stared blankly at Twilight, as though he didn’t understand a word she had just said; in the darkened corners, soldiers gathered to take her down on Grey Spot’s command. “Don’t give me that blank look,” Twilight said sternly as she advanced further, eyeing her flanks briefly for sudden movement. “I know you know where she is, so tell me where you’ve taken her so I can go get her and then we’ll be on our way.”
Grey Spot continued to stare oddly at the unicorn, though Twilight could see the sweat of a poor liar creeping down his face. “I have no idea what you–”
“Liar!” Twilight screamed, sending a bolt of magic hurtling past the throne and into the statue behind it, destroying it and hurling polished stone across the palace hall; some ponies screamed and left the hall in rush to escape the enraged mare, while a few were knocked unconscious by the fall of rubble. “I know you have her, Grey Spot! So tell me where she is!”
Grey Spot shook his head. “How could you say I have her, Twilight?”
“Your loyal Captain told me how you ordered him to trip us up in the gardens, and how you ordered him to ambush us outside the amphitheatre and take Fluttershy away,” Twilight explained as she reached the stairs leading up to the throne, and the now shaking Grey Spot. “Now I am not going to ask you again. Where! Is! Fluttershy?”
Grey Spot stared at Twilight for a long time, before sighing and staring at the clock above the doors, which just struck quarter past one in the morning. “You’re too late. The cell she’s in should have filled up with water by now, and she should be dead.”
Twilight stared at Grey Spot for a long time, something akin to a solemn whimper leaving her mouth once the Prince’s words sunk in. ‘Fluttershy… dead?’ The terrible image of Fluttershy’s drowned corpse floating in a cell forced her onto her stomach, her eyes covered with her hooves to fight back her tears, which relentlessly streamed down her anguished face. ‘I’m so sorry, Fluttershy,’ she thought. ‘I am so sorry I failed to save you.’ She did not fail to notice Grey Spot’s soldiers closing in around her, but she didn’t care; nothing else mattered now. ‘The world will never be the same without her.’
“Um… excuse me, but would you mind if I report a leak in one of your cells?”
Twilight shot her head around in an instant and gasped in joy to see Fluttershy standing by a hallway, soaking wet and panting heavily, yet a beaming smile on her face at the sight of her marefriend.
Twilight jumped up and galloped straight over to her marefriend, gasping and crying in delight as she leapt the final gap between them and embraced Fluttershy in a tight hug. Fluttershy returned the hug just as, if not tighter, than Twilight. “Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked softly, tickling Twilight’s ear with her breath.
‘Typical Fluttershy,’ Twilight thought happily. ‘Always others before herself.’ “I’m… I’m better now, now that you’re with me again,” she replied tearfully. She clung to her harder, kissing her neck, cheeks and forehead. “I thought you were… that you were…”
“And I thought you were gone, too,” Fluttershy whispered. “As the water started to rise to the door, I feared Grey Spot might have taken you and held you someplace else.”
Twilight’s eyes and face hardened as the name of a pony she hated rang through her ears. In an instant, she spun around with a look of murderous rage at the Prince, her horn lighting up as she prepared to inflict great woe to the Prince. Grey Spot paled incredibly and cowered on his throne. “I will make you PAY for what you have done!” Twilight roared as she lowered her head, ready to fire one of the many military spells she had learnt at the School for Gifted Unicorns.
Fluttershy, however, spun around the unicorn and blocked her path and her line of sight. Twilight stared at Fluttershy in shock for a long time, before narrowing her eyes again. “Out of my way, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, gesturing with her head for Fluttershy to move herself.
“No,” Fluttershy replied with narrow eyes locking onto Twilight’s. She gently set a hoof on Twilight’s cheek and caressed it. “Sweetie, I know how you feel. If I am honest, I want to hurt Grey Spot as well for hurting you and for lying to us. Nothing would be more satisfying to me than to kick him in the face and watch teeth fly. But then I think, ‘What does that make me? Does that make me better than him, or worse?’ I think we both know the answer to that, don’t we? You are stronger than him, Twilight, and you do not need to prove that by beating him senseless; you already did that when you stormed in here to rescue me.”
Twilight stared at Fluttershy for a long time, her face revealing nothing to what she was thinking. Suddenly, her lips blossomed into a smile, the aura of magic on her horn dissipating with her rage. “I love you, Fluttershy,” she said.
As if to prove it, she leaned her head forward and pressed her lips against Fluttershy’s.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened in shock as Twilight’s lips made contact with her own. ‘Wow,’ was all she could think of. Twilight’s eyes widened as well when she realised what she had done, and pulled back as she had quickly leaned forward, blushing furiously. For some reason, Fluttershy felt disappointed. ‘I didn’t even get a chance to know what it feels like.’
“Uh… sorry about that,” Twilight said, unable to look at her marefriend out of shame. “I just got carried away, and I was so happy I coul–”
“Oh, there’s no need to be sorry for that, Twilight,” Fluttershy said assuredly, smiling bashfully while flicking her mane over half her face to hide her blush. “That was, um… nice, if not a bit brief. But, um, if you don’t mind, could we have a proper first kiss later in a more romantic setting?”
Twilight nodded, the blush on her face melting like snow. “Agreed,” she said.
“If I might interrupt this wondrous reunion,” Grey Spot said, prompting Fluttershy to turn around and face him coldly. “But I have to ask. Fluttershy, how could you have possibly escaped the water cell?”
Fluttershy smiled smugly at him. “Key,” she simply replied.
Grey Spot looked befuddled. “But how? There are only three ponies that have a key for that cell: myself, the Captain and We…” His eyes widened in horror and pain as the answer came to him.
Fluttershy felt her smug smile vanish at the pain in his eyes then, using her tail to tap Twilight’s shoulder, both ponies stepped aside to reveal Welara standing quietly behind them, his thick coat shimmering with water, and part of his wet mane covering one eye. “Hello, Grey Spot,” he said as he stepped closer.
Grey Spot took a step forward, the hurt in his eyes plain for the two Equestrians to see. “You… betrayed me,” he said softly.
Welara shook his head. “No, Grey Spot, you betrayed this city with your selfish actions. You betrayed the trust of these two amazing ponies, and worse, you betrayed my love for you,” he said angrily. “Did the love we once shared for each other mean anything to you?”
Fluttershy and Twilight spun their heads to look at Welara, and then looked back at each other. “Grey Spot and Welara are lovers?” they repeated simultaneously.
“Were lovers,” Welara explained bitterly. “Until today, that is. I stomached your betrayals so many times in the past two years, and now you have gone too far for your own desires.” He gestured a hoof at Fluttershy. “How could you possibly consider killing this kind mare so you could be with Twilight?”
Twilight stared up at Grey Spot coldly, almost hatefully. “I know now why you wanted Fluttershy dead or out of the way. It’s because you love me, isn’t it?” Grey Spot didn’t say a thing, but his look and eyes gave her an answer. “But how? How could you possibly fill the place Fluttershy has in my heart?”
Fluttershy turned to face Twilight, a blush on her face from Twilight’s words. “He wanted you to be his wife, so he had me imprisoned and tried to kill me so then he could be with you,” she explained.
“I know that bit,” Twilight said.
“But the fact is, he feared you would never get over Fluttershy’s passing, so he concocted a memory potion from a book that came from the library. This potion would over time erase any memories of Fluttershy and your old life, so you would be free to love him and marry him,” Welara finished. “That was why I was at the library earlier today; I wanted to know what he had taken this morning.” Welara turned to look at Grey Spot again. “Isn’t that right, my lord?”
Grey Spot stared at the group for a long time in eerie silence, before nodding. “Yes, it is true,” he said. “When I first laid eyes on Twilight yesterday afternoon, I was instantly smitten. I realised then I could not have you because of Fluttershy, so I tried to arrange events that would lead to Fluttershy’s death to look like somepony else was responsible, leaving me innocent of the crime. After that, I would woo Twilight with my charm and then she would be mine.”
“TWILIGHT IS NOT SOME THING TO BE OWNED, YOU CREEP!” Fluttershy roared, her eyes red with rage, forcing everypony to step back in horror and surprise. “She is a pony, and an amazing pony at that! A far better pony than you will ever be! Who do you think you are, thinking you can take ponies’ lives like you nearly took mine without a second thought? Your parents would probably be ashamed of you if they saw you now!”
Grey Spot’s eyes widened in rage at the insult. “How dare you!” he yelled, yet Fluttershy did not stand down. He turned to his guards. “This conversation is over. Guards, escort Twilight to one of the cells. For Welara and Fluttershy… kill them both.”
Fluttershy broke out of her anger the moment the guards started advancing with their spears and halberds lowered, and stepped back in fright, swallowing her fear down her throat. Twilight jumped between her friends and the guards, her horn lighting up as she prepared to fight. “I will not let you take me anywhere, Grey Spot,” she growled, “nor will I allow you to harm my friends. If you want to do that, then you will have to kill me, too.”
“But Twilight, you could have such power if you stayed with me. Such riches if you became my queen, such knowledge would be yours, if only you decide to be my wife,” Grey Spot said, smiling lovingly. He reached out a hoof. “Choose me, or death.”
“I would rather die with the mare of my dreams beside me, than live a hundred years at the side of somepony like you,” Twilight spat, staring at the Merchant Prince vehemently.
Grey Spot looked hurt as he retracted his hoof, but he nodded nonetheless. “Very well.” Then he said echoingly, “Kill them all.”
The guards advanced again, their spears and halberds lowered menacingly as they surrounded the small group. Fluttershy shook fiercely in fright as she inched herself as close as she could beside Twilight. “Feel ready to fight, Fluttershy,” Twilight whispered as she powered up her horn once more. “I need you.”
Fluttershy looked at Twilight with a paling face. “Fight?” she repeated shakily. She shook her head rapidly. “I-I’m not sure if I can do that.”
“Well I need you to fight beside me if we want to have a chance to get out of here alive,” she said sternly, her eyes glazing at the fifty or so soldiers surrounding them all. “I can’t take them all on my own.”
“You did manage to take on an army of changelings by yourself,” Fluttershy pointed out.
“That was a bit different. That was when a very magical comet was flying overhead and my magic was at its most powerful,” Twilight explained. “Unfortunately there isn’t a magical comet like that expected to come over for another hundred years, and I don’t think these guys want to wait that long to give us a fair chance.”
“There’s no need for you two to fight at all,” Welara whispered assuredly, smiling calmly. The two ponies watched him curiously as he turned his head to face the guards to their backs, and shouted, “Guards!”
On command, the thirty or so ponies behind them lunged forward. Fluttershy covered her face with her hooves in the hope it would ease the pain. She heard them charge past her, but felt nothing piercing her body. ‘I didn’t expect to die so quickly,’ she thought happily, pleased her death felt so painless. When she looked up, expecting to find herself in Paradise, she was surprised to find herself still in the palace of Esperius.
And the thirty ponies that were behind them were now in front of them, facing the opposite guards and protecting the couple.
“What is the meaning of this?” Grey Spot demanded in shock.
“You forget that I have command of about half the guard in the city,” Welara explained as he stood imposingly, which was surprisingly good, despite his size. “You have abused your powers for far too long, Grey Spot. Though you have done some good to this city, your crimes of kidnapping, attempted murder, attempted manipulation of the mind and forced marriage have forced my hoof into action. I hereby declare that you are unfit to rule Esperius, and thus request you should remove yourself from the throne and imprisoned to await a fair trial.”
“I will do no such thing!” Grey Spot hissed. He pointed at Welara with an accusing hoof. “Kill him! Kill those traitors! Kill them all!”
The group of ponies under the Prince’s command charged forward, thrusting their spears and halberds into the group protecting Twilight and Fluttershy. The group under Welara’s command charged forward at the same time, and soon the main hall of the palace became a large brawl as more soldiers loyal to both Grey Spot and Welara arrived into the palace to know what the commotion was. They soon joined into the fight, while others galloped out of the palace to let others know what was happening.
Very soon, the entire city would know of the uprising.
Welara stared grimly at the scene in front of him, then turned back to the couple behind him, who stared at the scene in horror. “Now, time to get you both out of the city,” he said, as he walked casually away down the corridor behind them. “Come along, this way.”
Fluttershy and Twilight glanced at each other, then at the raging battle before them, before galloping into the corridor, with two of Welara’s followers protecting their rear. They did not fail to hear Grey Spot’s screams of rage as they departed the main hall for the last time.
“How long have you been planning this?” Twilight asked. “Now don’t say this was all improvised on the go. Everything that just happened back there was planned to a T, and don’t you deny it.”
Welara chuckled. “Yes, well, I cannot deny that some of it was arranged ahead, like the soldiers turning up like that – I did send out messages for my troops to mobilise after I rescued Fluttershy, after all – but most of it was improvised, young Twilight,” he answered, smiling wryly. His smile faltered. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way. I really do.”
“You still love him, don’t you?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes displaying her sadness for him.
Welara looked back and nodded. “Yeah, I do love him still. He used to be a great stallion, someone you could talk to about your problems, and to keep you warm at night. Only recently, however, he began to realise just how much power he had, and he started using to get to everypony he could, and use his powers to control ponies’ lives. We started to grow apart, and the love we once had begun to shatter. Only now do I realise that any chance of us being together is gone.” He sighed sadly.
Fluttershy frowned deeply in sympathy, then walked a little bit quicker until she reached his side and nuzzled the side of his face. “I am sorry that it came to this,” she said.
Welara smiled warmly. “Don’t be sorry, my dear. Don’t be sorry at all, you two. You have no blame in what is transpiring.”
“I kinda feel as if I do, though,” Fluttershy said softly, turning her gaze away. “If we hadn’t come here, then this might not have happened.”
“Don’t think like that, you hear?” Welara said sternly, and yet soothingly at once. “This was in the making months before you two showed up. It was becoming obvious that the events this evening would take place, so do not think your arrivals changed anything; it only brought about the inevitable. And that’s something I can thank you for.”
After a few minutes or so, they turned left from the main corridor and headed past the stairway leading to the top floor of the palace. They didn’t go too far when they turned right again, to find themselves in a thinner corridor than the last, and in the company of four other ponies bearing spears that rested on their shoulders.
“Soldiers,” Welara greeted them, bobbing his head at each of the soldiers in turn, and in reply, the soldiers did the same. “What news do you all have for me?”
Twilight and Fluttershy watched in fascination as the soldiers told Welara things they couldn’t understand. When Welara’s face fell, Fluttershy crept closer to Twilight to the point her coat brushed against the unicorn’s. Twilight smiled comfortingly, and then wrapped her tail around the pegasus’s. “You know those moments where your parents tell you that everything is going to be fine, and you know that they’re lying?”
Fluttershy nodded briskly. “Oh yes. They said that before they dropped me off at Flight Camp,” she answered.
“Good. Well, everything’s going to be fine,” Twilight said, her eyes wide and trying her very best to look hopeful and assuring. Fluttershy didn’t look very convinced.
“Right,” Welara said suddenly, turning their attention away from each other. “As the new Merchant Prince of Esperius, it is by my decree that I banish you both from this city, never to return after this night.” He sheepishly rubbed his foreleg. “I’m sorry, but after this is over, many might think you two were to blame for this happening; it would be safer if you both never returned.”
“That’s perfectly fine by me,” Twilight said with an assuring smile.
“Um, me too,” Fluttershy agreed, looking at the ground. “Um, as nice as your city looks, it isn’t my cup of tea, to be honest. I really don’t want to return after all this, anyway.”
Welara smiled, his eyes giving away his surprise at how well they took it. “Good, though it would be nice to hear from you from time to time.” He looked back at the two soldiers behind them, and briefly nodded his head. The two ponies nodded in turn, and then carefully lifted a tile from the floor and set it aside.
“I do apologise for the way you both will have to leave this city,” he said as he pointed with a hoof down the hole. Twilight and Fluttershy stepped closer and saw a flight of stairs make their way down into the darkness. “These stairs lead into the sewers that run below the palace. Once you reach the bottom you will need to turn right and follow the tunnel till you reach a T-junction. Turn right, and then turn right again once you come up to that tunnel. Follow that tunnel to the very end, then turn left and then right once more. You then turn left at the next tunnel you see, and then turn right. The exit should be directly ahead of you. Once you get outside, you will find yourself outside the western entrance of the city and in the valley.”
Twilight and Fluttershy stared at one another in shock. “That seems okay,” Twilight said. She looked back at Welara. “But that’s not the way home.”
“I know, and I am sorry about that,” Welara said, his ears falling flat. “I’m afraid you can’t go home through the harbour.” Fluttershy and Twilight’s faces fell. “Word has just reached my ears that the fighting has escalated into the city, and right now soldiers loyal to Grey Spot have taken hold of the harbour,” he explained.
Twilight’s forehead creased. “That was fast,” she said.
“Yes, and that’s what worried me,” Welara said thoughtfully. “I fear he has acted quickly just to stop the pair of you from leaving the continent.”
Fluttershy felt her heart start to beat faster as panic set itself in. The world started to mute, and she could feel sweat pour down her face and neck. ‘Oh no, not now,’ she thought as she started to inhale air faster than normal.
Just as Welara stopped talking, another soldier appeared from around the corner, his face stained with sweat and blood from the cut across his forehead. He began speaking to Welara alarmingly, and with every word falling out of the stallion’s mouth, Welara’s face fell even further. “Drat,” he cursed. “Get some soldiers together, try and stop more from being released.” The soldier nodded and turned away.
As he galloped away, Welara turned to the two mares. “I’m sorry, but things have just got harder for you two,” he informed them grimly. “Grey Spot’s forces have taken hold of the dove coop, which we use to keep our carrying doves. We train them to take messages across the continent. From what I was told, letters have been hastily written and dispatched stating your immediate capture and execution should you turn up within the other territories, with a nice reward on top. From the sounds of things, four have already been dispatched and flown away. From dawn tomorrow, you two will be the most wanted ponies in Abyinisia.”
Twilight felt her chest rise and fall rapidly as the news sunk in. If doves were being sent as they spoke, stating their capture, then they could not simply get a ship from one of the other kingdoms and set sail for Equestria. With the harbour of Esperius blocked to them for the time being, and the neighbouring kingdoms waiting for them, they were in affect trapped in this now increasingly hostile place. ‘Now what do we do?’
Twilight looked over to Fluttershy to ask her opinion on the matter, but when she saw her marefriend, her eyes widened in horror. Fluttershy’s eyes were wide with terror, her breathing was rapid and quick and a hoof clutched her chest where her heart was. “Fluttershy!” Twilight instantly forgot her own panic as she spun to stand in front of the pegasus, then wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy’s waist and brought her in close. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, sweetheart, it will be okay,” she cooed hastily, running a hoof gently down her back; she could feel Fluttershy’s heartbeat banging against her own chest.
“Is she all right?” Welara asked concernedly.
“No, she’s having a panic attack,” Twilight said, glancing over her shoulder. “Just stay back and give us some air.” The unicorn turned her attention back to Fluttershy, while Welara silently ordered his guards to disappear around a corner. “Fluttershy, listen to me, you need to slow your breathing down,” she said. She lifted her marefriend’s head up, locking the pegasus’s beautiful but panicked eyes with her own. “Everything is going to be fine, sweetheart. I promised you that didn’t I? I promised I would get you back home and I will do that no matter what happens on the way.”
With one hoof she stroked Fluttershy’s cheek, and with the other she caressed the place her mate’s heart was. “Shh,” she cooed softly, smiling assuredly. “If it helps, don’t focus on anything else. Just focus on me. Keep your eyes fixed on me and ignore everything around you. Can you do that?”
By now, Fluttershy’s breathing began to ease, and the wild panic in her eyes was slowly but surely drifting away. She could see and think clearly again, and found herself staring into the eyes of the pony who’d brought her back. “I…” she said quietly, almost inaudibly. “… I think so, Twilight. I just…” She paused to take another deep breath to calm what nerves she had left. “I just need a minute.”
After a quick minute, she felt a lot calmer again. She looked up at her mate once more, and smiled lovingly. “Thank you, Twilight.” She wrapped her hooves around her. “Thank you for doing that. Nopony else has ever done that before.”
Twilight smiled, sighing quietly in relief as she patted the pegasus on the back. “What would you expect me to do? Just sit there and watch helplessly until you pass out or calm yourself down? I couldn’t do that, and I am glad you are better now.” She sighed again, this time more audibly. “I’m glad that actually worked, to be honest. I don’t know what I would have done if it didn’t.”
Fluttershy’s smile grew a bit wider. “I’m glad it worked too,” she said. She looked over Twilight’s shoulder to stare at Welara, who waited patiently for them to finish. “But, if our way home is blocked, and we can’t go into the other kingdoms, where are we supposed to go?” she asked, shaking in fright again as the gravity of their situation sunk into her mind again.
Welara’s ears fell flat as he stared sadly at the pair of them. “To the one place where nopony will dare follow you,” he said quietly, glancing between them. “To the one place where you will almost definitely have a chance. The very reason you came to this continent for.”
Twilight and Fluttershy stared at Welara for a long time in shock, before turning their heads back to face each other, silently talking with their eyes and looks. They knew the risks from talking to Grey Spot, and were once resolved to set for home and leave it all behind. But now, as if the creatures that controlled fate itself had weaved it, their path seemed to be heading straight for that once more, and they had little to no choice but to follow it.
Twilight turned back to look at Welara skeptically. “Are you sure there’s no other way?” she asked, her tone showing her fear. “Are you sure that not one of the kingdoms might just ignore the letters and let us go?”
“I’m afraid all of them care about money, and since there’s supposedly a big bounty on your heads, they will turn your heads in, no matter how much you two plead to keep them,” Welara responded sullenly. “As for the route itself, I know the risks. I looked at the map, and read the records of those who have dared to enter that valley. I know it won’t be easy for you, but…” He sighed as he looked at them, and smiled warmly. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. I’ve seen the way you talk, laugh, point fun at each other, cuddle and nuzzle. I have never seen a greater love than the one you two have for each other. When that unicorn created the Aphrodite Flower thousands of years ago he thought the flower was intended for him and his beloved. I think only now the truth has been revealed. That flower’s song is for you two to hear. In other words, you both are meant to see it.”
“But what of the dangers leading to there?” Fluttershy asked. “All those scary creatures that infest the land.”
Welara chuckled. “I don’t think you should be scared of them. I think they’ll be scared of you,” he assured them with a smile. Fluttershy and Twilight couldn’t help but smile back at his soothing words.
He pointed to the stairs with an outstretched leg, just as cries of ponies began to flood the corridor. “I think we have dawdled long enough here. Right,” he explained quickly, “the walk through the valley should take at least two days. After that, you will come across a large woodland area, and eventually an old dirt path turning right. Follow that path and it will lead you over the mountains and into the ruins of the old kingdom. You will go through the city of the earth ponies first, then the castle of the unicorns, and finally the training grounds of the pegasi.” He took a wrapped up scroll with a dark red ribbon around and gave it to Twilight, who took it with her magic and set it in her mane. “That’s the map of the old kingdoms. Follow it to the training grounds. The valley where the flower resides is on the other side, after a steep climb. You cannot miss it.”
Twilight nodded. “I think I’ve got all of that,” she said. She turned to Fluttershy. “Go down there. I’ll join you in a second.”
Fluttershy nodded, and after a quick kiss on the cheek to Twilight, hugged Welara goodbye, thanking him for saving her life, and walked briskly down the stairs. Once she was out of sight and safe, Twilight walked up to the stairs nervously. “Are you sure this is the right course of action for us, Welara?” she asked quietly. “I just don’t know if I can go through with it, knowing that around every corner could be Fluttershy’s death.”
Welara raised an eyebrow. “Do you love her, Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight stared blankly at him; shocked after hearing the dumbest question she had ever heard. “Of course I love her.”
“More than anything?”
“Yes.”
“Then show her that love and protect her from what you will face. And I am sure she will do the same for you. I’ve seen what you can do – and by the way, I have never been as scared as that moment when you brought the doors of the palace crashing down – and I know what you two are capable of; you both are Bearers of the Elements of Harmony after all. If I were any of the creatures you will undoubtedly face, I would run in the other direction if I knew your powers.” He gestured with a tilt of his head to the sewers at the bottom of the stairs. “Now go. Your marefriend is waiting for you.”
Twilight nodded, and then brought him into a gentle hug. “Thank you for saving her, Welara. I will never forget what you did,” she said gratefully. “Thank you for saving us, and I wish you luck and a quick end with this uprising.” She pulled away, took a steady breath and placed her hooves on the first step of the stairs. “I hope you make this city a better place.”
With that, and a final nod of farewell from Welara, she proceeded to walk down the stairs, and as she reached the bottom to join Fluttershy, the sewers were encased in darkness as their way back into the city was covered up.
Fluttershy took hold of her tail with both hooves, and dripped any water that refused to leave out of it like she would do with a towel. ‘One of these days is not going to end up with me getting wet,’ she groaned in annoyance. She threw her tail down and did the same process with her mane. ‘I would very much like to stay dry from now on.’
The walk through the sewers was mostly uneventful. Thanks to Twilight’s light spell, and her fantastic memory, they made it through the mucky sewers quicker than they thought they would. Along the way, they encountered rats and puddles of raw sewage. Fluttershy was able to make the rats leave them alone, and Twilight teleported them to the other side of the puddles.
When they made it to the other end, they found themselves at the end of a long tunnel that jutted out of a cliff face, and below was a large, rounded lake that bordered the cliffs. Beyond the lake, the land graded upwards until it evened out with the top of the cliff. Since Fluttershy couldn’t get the momentum and did not have the space needed to lift herself and Twilight out, and Twilight could not see too far to teleport them safely, they both had no choice but to jump in.
Now, Fluttershy grumbled irritably as she watched the last drips of water in her mane trickle out. ‘I really hope I don’t catch a cold after this,’ she thought. She got up and shook her coat as dry as she could possibly get it. When she finished, she saw to her amusement her coat was sticking up, making her look a bit like a thin-coated yellow sheep with wings. ‘I wonder if Twilight likes it,’ she giggled to herself. She looked around, and frowned when she couldn’t see Twilight anywhere.
“Twilight!” she called concernedly, her heart beating a bit quicker than it should in worry. ‘Please don’t tell me she’s been taken.’
“Up here!” Twilight called in response. Fluttershy looked up and saw through the darkness a glimpse of Twilight’s dark blue and pink and purple tail dangling off the edge.
Curious, and worried about her marefriend, Fluttershy began to slowly trek up the slop and around the hole to reach her. ‘What’s gotten into her?’ she wondered in worry. Since leaving Welara and Esperius behind, Twilight had been eerily silent, only exchanging nods, smiles, and talked when it mattered, not casually, like they used to before tonight.
It worried and hurt Fluttershy a lot to see her like that. She felt, as a friend and a marefriend, that it was her responsibility to know what was ailing her, and help her through it. ‘Twilight would do the same for me, as she has done many times before. It is time to repay the favour.’
She soon made it to her marefriend’s side, and sat down quietly next to her, her eyes never leaving Twilight’s body. “Twilight?” she whispered softly. “Are you all right?”
The unicorn didn’t answer. Her eyes were fixed in horror at what she was staring at, and her ears flicked back and forth. Fluttershy turned her head to what she was staring at, and her mouth fell open in horror.
About a hundred or two hundreds yards away, the city of Esperius burned brightly. Great grey clouds of smoke and ash rose menacingly into the sky like smoke from a volcano, blotting out the stars and the moon. She could see the amphitheatre burn, the palace beginning to throw flames and ash into the air; but worst of all were the cries and whinnies of thousands of ponies echoing from within its tall, golden walls.
“Did we just start a civil war?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yeah,” Twilight responded absently, “I think we did.”
Fluttershy brought herself to look away, shaking in fright as she felt a few hot tears crawl down her face like candle wax. “I never wanted something like this to happen,” she wept quietly.
Twilight patted her calmly on the back. “Neither did I,” she responded. She slowly drew her hoof away. “But what’s done is done, and nothing we can do is going to change it.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement, sniffing back a few tears before they could escape. “I know that, but… why did such a thing happen when we were there?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart. All I know is that this was in the making for a long time, as Welara said, anyway,” Twilight said sadly. She brought herself to turn her back to the city, and stare out at the wide valley before them. Fluttershy ceased her silent crying, and sat quietly beside Twilight to stare at the valley as well.
Flanked on both sides with mountains with pointed caps, it started to close in on itself until it became more of a gorge than a valley. The land between it was a large tundra: filled with hills, both rolling and pointy, flat, featureless plains, withered and thriving trees, and streams, lakes, swamps, all connected by fast rivers.
Twilight knew her marefriend and herself had to pass all of that, but after that, they had to go somewhere they were once set in not going. “I’m scared, Fluttershy,” Twilight said suddenly.
Fluttershy’s head shot around to stare at her in shock. “Twilight?”
Twilight turned to face her, revealing the fear in her eyes to the pegasus. “I am so scared, sweetheart,” she said again, her eyes glistening with fresh tears. “I know where we have to go, and I know we have little choice in that matter, but I don’t want us to. I want to hide out here, wait until it is over and find a way home that way, but knowing our luck, if we do that then Grey Spot will win, and then he would find us and we will be caught and executed.”
She shook her head at herself. “I want to think of something that will get us home, but I can’t think of anything. I don’t know what to do, Fluttershy. For the first time in my life, I don’t actually know what I have to do to keep you safe.” She looked at Fluttershy’s hooves, and set her own hooves on top of them. “I’m not scared for myself. I’m scared for you. I am scared that I don’t have the power or the ability to protect you from whatever we are going to face there. But most of all, I’m scared that I won’t be able to keep the promise I made to you when we left Ponyville.”
Twilight’s lips trembled as she fought back her tears. “I don’t want to do this, Fluttershy. I don’t want to lose you.”
Fluttershy flung herself into Twilight and wrapped her legs around her; Twilight buried her head in Fluttershy’s mane and cried in terror, which the pegasus could feel coming from her marefriend’s trembling body.
Fluttershy would be lying if she said seeing Twilight in this state didn’t unnerve her. Her marefriend was one of the bravest ponies she knew, so to see her feeling and looking so helpless and fragile sent a rusty spear through her heart. ‘I have to do something,’ she thought. It didn’t take her as long as she thought it would to figure out what.
“I’m scared too, Twilight,” she whispered, once the sniffles and tears from the unicorn began to subside. “I know I was once keen that I wanted to go to the valley and see the flower. However, to be doing it under these circumstances breaks my heart and fills me with dread whenever I think about it. But do you know what makes me think we can do it? That we can actually get through whatever is thrown our way and get to that valley?”
She pulled back, picked up Twilight’s forehooves and set hers against them, her kind and loving smile never faltering. “You,” she said. “You give me a strength I never knew I had in me. Your faith and love for me drives me forward to do things I would once shy away from, and that same love you have for me wants me to protect you and be by your side against anything that comes against us.”
She giggled at something. “That seems to be something else we have in common, sweetie. We barely have any faith in ourselves, yet we have faith in each other. So let’s put our faiths in one another to see this through, to show ourselves that we do have what it takes, and to show how much we really mean to one another.”
Twilight was surprised to find herself listening intently to Fluttershy’s pep talk, and even more surprised that Fluttershy was giving her one to begin with. Nevertheless, she listened, and as her marefriend continued, her words brought a trembling, joyous smile to Twilight’s face. To know her mate had such unrelenting faith in her lit a fire in her heart, and gave her a reason among the many, the strength she needed to stand between Fluttershy and the monsters and fight for her.
“You really think we can reach it?” she asked a minute after Fluttershy stopped speaking.
Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t think we can make it. I’m certain we can. And, um…” A blush stained her face as she looked at Twilight’s chest. “I don’t think I would ever do this with anypony else.” She looked up shyly. “Just you.”
That was all Twilight needed to hear. With a gentle sigh, Twilight leaned her head forward until their foreheads locked together. “You are undoubtedly the bravest mare I have ever known,” she whispered, looking deep into Fluttershy’s gorgeous eyes.
Fluttershy smiled back. “And I don’t think I’ve met anypony else as brave as you,” she replied. Her smile withered just a bit. “Are you ready to get moving?”
Twilight sighed once more, then pulled her head back and looked at the city for a while. “Yes I am,” she said. “Let’s go get that flower.” With that, she got up, gently brushed past Fluttershy and started walking downhill. Fluttershy spun around and caught up with her, then latched her tail to Twilight’s and draped a warming wing over the unicorn’s back.
They soon made it down the hill and onto an old road made of tiled concrete that clearly revealed their age through several cracks. It weaved through the tundra like a river right up to the large gap in the mountains that connected the city and neighbouring kingdoms together.
Twilight took the map out of her mane with her magic and ripped the ribbon off it, before unrolling the scroll to view. “According to this map,” she said after analysing it carefully, “it should take two days for us to go through the valley and make it to the woods. However, since we’re two Equestrian ponies whereas this map was planned out with Esperian ponies in mind, we might just make it through the valley in a day.”
“If we keep a good pace, that is,” Fluttershy pointed out, the fatigue she felt in her body plain in her voice.
Twilight thought on Fluttershy’s words for a bit, before conceding with a nod. “I suppose,” she admitted. She looked back at the map quickly again. “After that we turn right into the mountains, until we reach the first city of the earth ponies.”
Satisfied, she rolled it back up and secured it in her mane once again, then looked to Fluttershy with a loving smile. “You know, Welara said back there that he knew we were Bearers to the Elements of Harmony, but I don’t recall you or me telling him or anypony else about it. How could he have possibly known?”
Fluttershy shrugged. “Maybe it was magic,” she guessed.
Twilight hummed in response. “Maybe, but then again, would he know magic? Could he possibly learn magic? I suppose we’ll never know.” She went silent for a bit as she looked around. “And I’m still concerned about how we’re going to get home from the Valley of the Flower.”
Fluttershy gave Twilight a quick nuzzle. “We’ll think about that when we come to it, sweetie,” she said. “Let’s keep our minds focused on what’s up ahead and not what we’re going to do afterwards.”
Again, Twilight found herself very surprised by Fluttershy’s words of wisdom. “That’s some great advice right there,” she remarked highly.
Fluttershy’s cheeks burned at the praise. “I just think it’s what Daring Do would have done,” she said. “But, um, thank you for thinking so, sweetie.”
“You’re welcome, and please call me sweetie more often. You sound so cute when you say it.”
“Oh… okay. But what if you and Sweetie Belle are in the same room and I want to talk to you but Sweetie thinks it’s her I want to talk to?”
“Um, well in that case, just say my name,” Twilight replied.
Fluttershy nodded but kept her lips sealed. She rested her head against Twilight’s neck and sighed contently. “I’m glad you’re with me, Twilight,” she said softly.
Twilight looked down at her marefriend and smiled sweetly. “I’m glad you’re with me, too,” she replied, before turning her gaze forward to look at the mountains to the east of them.
The final leg of their journey was before them, and they were going to do it together.
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You know about Twilight's teleporting right?
I was overjoyed to see this chapter, and when I read it, I can say that I was honestly surprised and impressed. Thank you for another well written chapter.
3443726 Uh, yeah, what about it? If you mean they could use it to get to Equestria then they wouldn't make it; it's two weeks over the ocean. And Twilight cannot always rely on her teleportation spell to get out of sticky situations, or else there wouldn't be any tension.
3443727 Thank you very much for the kind words.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Believe in me
Who believes in you.
Wonder how AJ is taking the long absence of Fluttershy?
Damn, this story just keeps getting crazier. Curveball after curveball. Wonder what curveball will come next.
Boy. That escalated quickly. I mean that really got out of hand fast.
I swear, one more plot twist and this story will become a mobius strip.
3443411
I've played 1 and 2 so far So i need brother hood and revelations to finish off ezio's story. Two at least set up some transition for the next game so it sits better with me than the first one. The first game ends with major plot point happens we'ere not going to talk about it here have some secret messages. Thats not okay not okay at all
3444599 Here's a hint: not too well.
3444735 Nothing now, really, we're on the final stretch, so we'll be seeing how Twi and Shy are gonna cope through the valleys.
3444964 Thank you, I hope you enjoy the rest.
3445563 Thank you for getting the Doctor Who reference. And now things take a more relaxing turn as Twilight and Fluttershy have to survive all sorts of beastlys and endure several days of peril!
*everypony looks worriedly at me*
Who knows? They might encounter monkey ninjas.
3445731 Ah, well you're in for a treat with Brotherhood. That's my favourite so far.
3447119 This I have to see
(Leans closer to the screen)
3447119
Yeah but it will be a nearly a month before I can get a hold of it. Black Friday at the earliest but if Gamestop has there usual sale on used games where its buy two get one free i can probably pick up brotherhood revelations and 3 in one swoop and save 10 dollars
I pity Gray Spot. He really doesn't know anything. If he understood love at all, he'd realize why the knowledge and power he offers Twilight means nothing to her. Even in cannon, Twilight is a pony whose heart is filled with love for others, and that love, combined with her humility, makes her immune to the greedy ambition that tragically befalls so many. Gray Spot doesn't love Twilight, he desires her.
As always, such adorable interaction between Twi and Shy
Here's hoping for the best on their journey, and hopefully Welara can pull the city back from disaster
I can't help but feel bad for Welara. Everything was fine and content until Grey Spot started feeling the power. I bet they could've (and for a brief time did) have a beautiful relationship. I just hope for Welara's sake that the uprising goes well for him and that he doesn't have to kill Grey Spot. Don't get me wrong, he's kind of a jerk who deserves what's coming to him, but I think with Welara's help, he could be somewhat saved.
In any event, this was a great chapter. The start of a civil war, confronting a Merchant Prince, escaping like rouges. Quite the experience for our heroines no doubt about it. And I gotta say, I'm eager to see the old kingdoms they've gotta go through. Can't wait
3448801 Indeed, her love for Fluttershy is what drives her forward, and is sorely needed on the coming journey. The same with Fluttershy; the love she feels for Twilight is needed to get through what will be a gruelling experience. And you're right, Grey Spot desires Twilight, not love her. He loves her power more than her heart, and knows such power would be terrific for his reign.
Thank you for the kind words, and I hope you will enjoy the final act of this story
3450804 They certainly did, and it will be revealed what happens at the end of the story, along with all the other characters they have met on route. And you feel bad for Welara, then? If I'm honest, that's good cause to me it means I did my job with him.
Oh, I am looking forward to showing them to you all. Thank you so much for the kind words
3453026 Drat, I was looking forward to that part, too.
I've already referenced it when Twilight and Fluttershy are at Castamare: Twilight says she knows a song about this place (the Rains of Castamere) Fluttershy asks if it's a sad song, and Twilight replies that it's not a song to hear at a wedding. And she'll be right.
And I have been reading the entire series and currently waiting for the sixth book impatiently. Just showing my love to an amazing book series. Thank you for the kind words, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
3459656 Thank you for the kind words, and I will keep an eye out for stuff like you have pointed out in the future chapters. I will do my best
Meanwhile in Ponyville...Lunar Republic vs Solar Empire, Discord take over (for like two hours) , the girls are freaking out while preparing for their friend funerel.
The End.
Finally. Had to read the whole thing in like 3 days (could've been less... but that's too much effort).
I like it, I won't lie. But there is a little bit too much padding, back and forth between feelings and other things and so many little plotlines (heh) being added every now and then. Sure, keeps things fresh, but still. At the rate you are going... You have a looong way to go.
So keep it up.
3463261 Well the little story lines mostly finish by themselves with and all of them (I hope) will be finished by the end of the story, and this is my first story on the subject of romance so forgive me if I get a few things wrong.
I only have six chapters left to go through and complete, and then that's the story finished with. Thank you for the kind words, and I hope you enjoy the rest.
3467402 Thank you for the lovely words, and I hope you will enjoy the rest
Now that's some a class feelings right there.
As usual a great chapter now im really curious as to see what you will wright next.
3468255 Thank you so much for the kind words. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story.
I finally caught up to this story and dang is it good. You write an excellent adventure story, and the romance is the frosting of feels on top of the cake of adventure. The story is right in that sweet spot of length for me, past 200K words (which is a lot, I applaud you.) and adventure stories seem to be more satisfying when it's two protagonists with only each other to support each other. Thanks for sharing this story with us, I can't wait to see it finished!
3471211 Thank you, I do tend to write stories in the over 100k area (not sure why). And I agree, with just two protagonists lost in ther wilderness, it does make things more interesting, and it gives us all the chance to see what Fluttershy and Twilight can really do when put in a tough spot.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the story
This is an amazing story. I like how there are new plot twists at every corner. Good work, keep it up!
3489813 Thank you for the kind words, and I will do my best to make sure all you people enjoy it till the end
3496474 Ah... Oh well, for this story alone it's Twilight's old dormitory, but I will keep that in mind for later stories.
I hope you enjoy the rest
3494750 Some of the quotes are from The Hobbit, and there are a few more, but most of it is changed in a way. I hope you enjoy the rest.
3507416 Yes, someone who names the series the way it should be named!
That's probably a main peeve of mine about the Tv series; they name it by the first book and that's it. Was "A Song of Ice and Fire" too long for them?
Anyway, thank you for the kind words, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
Awesome chapter!
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The description of Fluttershy as she climbed out of the pond, with her fur all sticking up, just put this image in my head:
static4.fjcdn.com/thumbnails/comments/Well+Skrillex+In+my+opinion+is+the+same+way+as+_daaa3fabc21b89ef51d19f97ea624e55.jpg
that amuses me.
3540418 Thank you, I am glad you like the Monty Python references and I am glad you enjoyed the chapters, too. And yes, I can see why that amuses you, cause it is pretty funny. I hope you enjoy the final few chapters.
Finally all caught up.
Somehow, I'm surprised and not surprised all at the same time that Grey Spot betrayed them. I know it creates more conflict and tension, but give the poor girls a break
3544460 I dunno, probably becasue it plays on the characters' naiveity. But uhh... guess you should continue to see if you're right or not.
3544758 I'm afraid it only goes downhill for the pair of them from here. And it wouldn't be much fun otherwise.
Next chapter's a bit more relaxing, though.
3563863 Oh, I revel in their suffering
Nah, not really
3612130 Ah, yes, I can see some of the things that are mostly from England could leave questioning americans. I will take it as a compliment and will thank you kindly for it
I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
3637046 Thank you, and as for the rushness of the first one, it was probably because I can't stand beginnings. I hate writing them and I like to get on with the actual story and adventure.
I either make them too long or too short, and in this case it was the latter. But I don't know how I could lengthen that first chapter (and this one, judging by some comments mentioned) to make it better paced.
Yeah, I'm sure she could read an Elder Scroll easily, just don't keep looking at it or she'll turn blind.
Maybe they should have done that to look into the past in Princess Twilight Sparkle instead of that white potion thing. Way more epic.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the story
3721061 To answer your side note. Yes and no. I can imagine any villains in the My Little Pony G4 universe are now looking to Equestria with envious eyes, and feeling Celestia weaken (in my mind, Celestia is losing her powers and cannot last for much longer), plot to take over and bring about chaos.
And you are right, love can make people (or ponies) do stupid things; just look at what Twilight has done in trying admit her feelings to Fluttershy. Hope you enjoy the third part.
*checks upload date*
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DOOD, are you a wizard?