1 The Scholar

July 2nd, 1000 Domina Solaria
The Day after the Summer Sun Celebration

The ground floor of the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville had seen better days. Or, maybe worse days, depending on one's point of view, and there certainly is a difference in perspective going on right now. On most days few, if any, ponies frequent the repository of paper inside of wood; this might make one think the library is not serving its function. And they would probably be right. Not enough patrons to justify the salary of a full time, or even part time librarian. But yesterday, for the first time in many years, the library had seen more ponies inside at one time than cumulatively visited the rest of the year, in large part because of its new librarian.

The night before the library was the stomping grounds for nearly one hundred ponies, though thankfully not all at the same time. They had gathered together to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration being held in Ponyville that year. By all accounts the pre-party was a smashing success, the party itself was a huge hit, and the after party was put on hold on account of eternal night. But! In spite of set backs, delays, and deranged madponies threatening to ruin everypony's fun, the after party finally blasted off.

Twilight Sparkle - newest resident of Ponyville and custodian of a library which hadn't had a librarian in two years - couldn't have been less enthusiastic.

Despite her carefully worded requests, orders on the authority of the librarian of Ponyville, and desperate bargaining with a certain pink mare, nothing had abated the party still raging below.

"Grrr!" Twilight screams to herself, cramming a fluffy white pillow around her ears as the deep base of many hooves stomping around downstairs continues. She shouts to nopony in particular, the room empty but for her and her books, "When will they stop? It's been sixteen hours and forty minutes! Don't they ever sleep?" The small mountain of books, with which she has made a fortress around her, has failed in its primary duty to protect her from the sound emanating from downstairs. It has doubly failed as a means of distracting her from said noise. None of the books she has been distractedly paging through have had even a brief mention of Doug, the strange creature she had seen yesterday. Or anything else interesting enough to draw her attention. Maybe she should try newspapers or magazines, they might have something more recent. Though with all the excitement from yesterday, it would-

The door to the room bangs open, breaking Twilight out of her recollection of the previous day's events. She looks over, bewildered as Spike strolls into the room.

"Well, I think they're just happy that the town was saved and everything is back to normal," casually remarks her assistant.

Former assistant.

After his callous betrayal by ignoring her carefully enunciated request to 'Please please please go downstairs and use your dragon breath to send all the ponies invading her library to Princess Celestia!' Somewhere! Anywhere where they would be out of her mane!

He just had to point out that, at the time, Princess Celestia was in attendance at the party, and that using his dragon breath in that manner and that frequently would be really tiring, and that it would really be more of a party gimmick than an actual tool to remove the pesky partygoers.

"Hey, I brought your favorite!" says Spike, holding up a plate of daffodil sandwiches. "Did you want anything to drink? I hear they're breaking out another bottle of that Fire Sauce! This time in jam form!"

Twilight levitates the sandwiches from her newly reinstated favorite (and simultaneously least favorite, to be determined) assistant, munching on the greens with a frown. Her expression quickly turns to a smile as she finishes off the first sandwich, remarking, "Hey, these are really good!"

"Yeah! I've been trying to tell you that this whole time! The whole party is great! I'm really going to enjoy it here!" Spike nods enthusiastically, turning around and raising one clawed hand to the doorknob. He tries turning it, tugging at the door now encased in pink magic. "Hey, what gives?"

"Spike, I have a new assignment for you." Twilight smiles to herself, "I need you to get me two... no, four more of those sandwiches. There's no telling how long we'll need to sequester ourselves here, and I need to be prepared! Oh, and if you can also get me the copy of 'Predictions and Prophecies' that was left downstairs, I'll need a little light reading material."

"Twilight..." Spike groans, tugging at the doorknob in vain.

"Oh, and also my personal copy of 'Non-Magical Beasts and the Various Locations They Inhabit'. I need to do a bit of cross referencing. I think it's still packed with my things." Twilight shakes her head as she inspects the fort, "I can't believe I didn't bring it up here initially!"

Spike rolls his eyes, "Come on, Twilight. They're throwing this party for you! And the rest of the, um, what did you call yourselves?"

"Bearers of the Elements of Harmony," Twilight says, a touch of exasperation in her tone. "How many times do I need to remind you?"

"Well, you see," Spike says, rubbing the back of his head as he awkwardly glances towards the party, "last time I was down there they said something about this party being for all of the Bearers. One of them, I'm not going to say who, might have let slip that they were going to keep this party going until you came down to join them. Even if it's only the five of them."

"Oh? So it's a challenge they want, then? Well, I've stayed up for more than thirty hours straight studying for Princess Celestia's exams, and I aced every one of them." A devious look spreads across Twilight's muzzle, "And they thought they could outlast me? I'm the study master! I'm-"

Twilight turns and glares at Spike, the dragon's tugging on the door breaking her from her monologue. "Spike!"

"What? Didn't you want me to get you those books?" Spike shakes his head, "You'd think that this was some sort of punishment for you! Having to lock yourself in your room, instead of going to that sweet party downstairs."

Twilight snickers, "Oh, please, oh, please, don't throw me into the binding patch! Where I'll be surrounded by books and tomes!" Twilight melodramatically raises a hoof to her head, swooning and collapsing to the floor.

Spike sighs, taking the chance to open the door. He slaps his claws to his face as the door slams shut in front of him.

"Spike, take a note." Twilight points at various objects, still laying on the ground. "This will be the outline of the first draft of my ultimatum to those interlopers." The sound of a feather snapping breaks Twilight's concentration.

Spike gasps, "Oh, no!" He holds the two halves of an otherwise perfectly good quill, "It looks like our very last quill just broke! Whatever shall we do?" His claws pull at his mouth and eyes before he holds up one claw. "I know! I'll just go outside, and get you some more! And, while I'm gone, you can just go down to that party, since you don't have those books you want up here!"

Twilight deadpans, "You broke that quill on purpose! Spike! That was my last good quill!" She rolls to her hooves, opening the desk and searching for another, many scrolls of parchment and ink wells levitating into the air.

"Well, it's a good thing they have a shop dedicated to selling quills here." Spike vaguely points towards the main part of Ponyville.

Twilight's face lights up, "Really? How did I miss that on my initial pass of the stores here? I was afraid I would need to custom order all of my quills from Canterlot, and the shipping alone would have eaten up nearly all of my excess stipend! Hmm, maybe I could set it up as a business expense, and bill it to the library?" A nervous look comes over Twilight as she dances back and forth on her hooves, "Ooh, but then anypony might realize that I was using library quills for personal correspondence! Princess Celestia would find out! I'd lose my job, and be forced to go back to Canterlot!" Twilight gasps as Spike snaps his claws directly in front of her eyes, completely ignoring the dragon, "If they even let me come back! All of the work I've put in to becoming Princess Celestia's personal prodigy, ruined!"

"Twilight!" Spike yells, violently shaking the purple mare, "Snap out of it, okay? That's not going to happen!"

"But it could!" Twilight panics, "What if they audit the library? I've only been here for a day, I had no control over what happened before I got here!"

"TWILIGHT!" Spike shouts to no avail, a heavy sigh as the unicorn collapses, the various objects she was levitating managing to not spill ink everywhere as they drop down. He grimaces as her lack of response, saying, "Just so you know, you're making me do this!" He walks over, pulling out a blank piece of parchment. He holds it in his claws as Twilight sobs, "Last chance!"

When Twilight doesn't move Spike closes his eyes, calmly reaching two claws to the top of the page. He pulls one claw towards him, the other claw pushing away.

*Kssh!*

"Spike!" Twilight bellows, instantly jumping up, "What did you do?" Her horn flares, yanking the slightly torn piece of parchment away from Spike's claws. "This was a perfectly good piece of parchment! Why did you do it?"

"I had to do something to snap you out of your funk!" Spike protests, folding his claws in front of him.

Twilight sighs, a smile spreading over her muzzle. "You're right, Spike. I'm sorry. Now, let's go get those quills."

"Finally, something I can agree with," Spike says, opening the door. "After you!"

"Thank you!" says Twilight, leading the way downstairs, the sounds of the party still ongoing. "Where was the quill shop, anyways?"

"Oh, it's called 'Quills and Sofas'. Middle of town. I bet you just skimmed and saw 'Sofas' at the end."

"You know, you're probably right. You're such a good assistant!" Twilight hops over, pulling Spike in for a hug.

"Hey, it's what I'm here for, right?" Spike smiles, rubbing Twilight's mane. "Hey, how about this. I'll head to get you some quills, and you go join the party. Get some more of those daffodil sandwiches you like so much."

Twilight nods, "Alright, Spike, I think I can do that. Why do you think they sell sofas and quills in the same shop, anyway?"

"You got me. Maybe they sell sofas that are kind of like desks? Or, somepony needs to sell sofas, and he drew the short straw?" Spike shrugs, the two managing to avoid the other ponies as he gets to the front door. "Well, have fun! I'll be back before you know it!"

"Okay, Spike! I know it shouldn't be too bad out there, but stay safe!" Twilight smiles, turning and going to the party.

Spike waves, shutting the door behind him. He holds the two broken quill pieces together for a few seconds, smiling as it magically seals the break. "Best five bits I ever spent," he smirks to himself, "Now, where can I go for twenty minutes?" He turns, looking back at the party. "Too bad Rarity's in there. I can't believe she likes gems nearly as much as I do!" He smiles as if smitten, wandering down the road to Ponyville.

Twilight walks back into the party as five mares burst into laughter. She peeks her head around the corner, watching as Pinkie Pie pantomimes reeling something in.

"And then I said, 'Oatmeal? Are You CAH-RAZY?'" Pinkie Pie laughs again, the other four mares quickly joining in.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Fluttershy quietly says, grinning to herself. She glances over, seeing Twilight standing by the front door. Fluttershy's eyes light up, the yellow mare walking over and smiling as she says, "Twilight! It's so good of you to join us! We were just talking about you!"

"Yeah, sure," Twilight says, looking around the room. "Where are all the other ponies?"

Pinkie Pie pronks over and about, "Well, I only guaranteed this party for the first thousand minutes. And after a Pinkie Pie Party Warranty runs out? Well, my actuarial skills might not be up to snuff with, say, that one certain pony who's been doing this longer than me, but still!" Pinkie Pie holds up a giant stack of papers, easily taller than she is, a few from the top blowing off and around the room. "Not one redemption yet! Most ponies just decide to call it quits when their guarantee runs out, since they don't want to be on the hook for a fiesta fiasco."

"You guarantee all of your parties?" Twilight says, raising an eyebrow. "How does that even work?"

"Welllll, I'm so glad-"

Rainbow Dash interjects, "Ugh, Pinkie, nopony wants to hear the metrics of preventative party performance policy."

Twilight raises a hoof, her muzzle beaming a smile at both of them, "Actually, I think that sounds really interesting! I mean, there are so many variables that go into a successful party that-"

"Oh come on!" exclaims Rainbow Dash, beating her head with a hoof, "I know this party is for you, Twilight, but it's also for us!"

"Now, Rainbow Dash, if Twilight wants to hear about the intricacies of Pinkie Pie's party policy, I certainly wouldn't stop her." Rarity swishes her styled mane out of her eyes, "After all, if she wanted to talk to you about transient weather patterns, or to me about the various fashion trends, then more power to her." Rarity's eyes beam, "After all, you just got here from Canterlot, correct? Darling, you must tell me all about what the ponies there are wearing!"

Applejack pushes forward, "Hey, what if she wants to talk about apples? Ah bet she wants to know all about how harvesting apples works!" Rainbow snorts, shaking her head from side to side, Applejack meeting the pegasus with a glare and a nod.

Twilight nervous says as she backs up, "Um, don't you just kick the tree and the apples fall down?"

Applejack huffs, "Okay, there's a bit more nuance than just going up to a tree and kicking it!"

Rainbow Dash guffaws, swiping Applejack's hat off her head, "Jeez, Applejack, looks like you just lost your hat with that bet! Maybe you can win it back the next time we play poker!" Rainbow takes off, hovering above the group, spinning in place as she points a hoof at Applejack, the Stetson jauntily buoyed over her rainbow mane.

Applejack snickers, "Alright, you got me there, Dash. But you better watch it, 'cause Ah'm winning that hat back." Applejack turns back to Twilight, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Twilight backs up another step as the other five ponies advance, fearfully glancing behind her as her rump bumps into the wall. "Um... I don't know, they're so many good topics! Like, um, Fluttershy! What would you like to talk about?"

"Oh, me?" Fluttershy stammers, backing up, partially hiding behind her mane. She whispers, "I was just getting closer because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hear you. I don't really have anything I want to talk about."

"Well, you seemed pretty interested in Spike when we were walking around." Twilight breathes a sigh of relief as the other ponies stop pressing forwards. She takes a cautious step towards Fluttershy, trying to hear the nearly silent mare.

Fluttershy energetically nods, speaking normally, "Oh, yes! I do love discussing all the various creatures that live around here. And many of the exotic ones that don't! Is there one in particular you had in mind?" She beams a smile at Twilight, her head fully out from behind her mane.

"Actually, there is one," Twilight says, nervously looking around. "Um, I thought I had read something about a creature that lives here in Ponyville. But there was nearly nothing about it, just a single article that didn't even include a description." Twilight paws at the ground, "I know Princess Celestia said not to talk about what happened at the farmhouse, but I can't help but think about it."

"Oh!" Fluttershy smiles, interrupting Twilight's train of thought, "You should just talk to him! I know we left really quickly after we got there."

"Yeah, he wasn't exactly feeling that great, after what happened." Applejack nods, quickly followed by the rest of the mares. She flexes her hind legs, "My sides still hurt a little."

Twilight gasps, "Did he hurt you? He was all bloody, was that from fighting you? And those fillies! How did they get there?"

Applejack smirks, shaking her head, "No, he wasn't hurt from fighting me, or the fillies. Ah mean, he probably carried them there himself!"

"You mean he foalnapped them? He could be on the loose!" Twilight gasps, turning to the stairs, "We need to prepare in case he comes back!"

Applejack laughs, "Whoa there, partner! There ain't nothing to worry about. Ah reckon he can tell you about it, but give him a little time. He went through a lot already."

Twilight stops, breathing heavily as she glances back at Applejack, "Okay, I can do that, I suppose." Twilight looks around the library, spotting the daffodil sandwiches. She frowns as she sees Pinkie Pie packing up the party, asking, "So, now that I'm here, the party is over? Well, that doesn't make me feel very good." Twilight takes a bite of the sandwich, smiling at the taste, though the bread has gotten a little stale. It could use a little more spread, and she levitates a knife and the bottle closest to the sandwiches.

Pinkie Pie nods along, her grin becoming more solemn, "Well, I can only guarantee parties for so long, you know? Afterwards they get kinda stale. Like bread!" Twilight nods along as she unscrews the jar in her magic, smothering her sandwich in a bright red jam. Pinkie Pie cocks her head as she looks at the jar, a hoofdrawn flame on the side of the bottle. "Um, are you sure about that? I mean-"

Heedless of the warning, Twilight takes a bite of the sandwich. Her eyes grow large as her muzzle turns pink, the color quickly darkening to a deep red before her mane and tail erupt into bright orange flames! She jumps into the air, flailing around before sprinting to the punch bowl Pinkie Pie has helpfully not packed up yet. She dunks her head in, greedily drinking the cool liquid.

"You see, that right there?" Pinkie Pie deadpans, pointing at Twilight's smoldering tail, "That's kinda why I only guarantee my parties for so long. Something like that is bound to happen given enough time!"

The front door opens, Spike walking in with a few quills in his claws and a brochure for sofas. He looks at Twilight, giggling and saying, "Hey! It looks like somepony Sparkle'd the punch!"

"Pinkie!" Twilight shouts as she pulls her head out, "The same thing happened earlier! What about your Pinkie Pie Party Promise then?"

"I'm sorry, the statute of limitations for a unsatisfactory Pinkie Pie Party is one hour after you've woken up from the party, or when the party stops." Pinkie Pie pronks around Twilight, "But I can make up for any lingering dissatisfaction by promising another party!"

Twilight yells, "But, I don't want another party!"

Pinkie Pie gasps, her hooves flying to her cheeks as she takes a step back. "No... no more parties?"

"No more parties!" Twilight points a hoof at each pony in turn as the other four stand around, confused looks at each other. "This is a library! It's supposed to be clean! And quiet! Not covered in-"

Twilight turns to point a hoof at the remaining party decorations, gaping when she can't find any. She turns back, a depressed Pinkie Pie trudging out the front door, Fluttershy following after and trying to console her.

Rainbow Dash flies up to Twilight Sparkle, "Some friend you are. Maybe next time somepony does something nice for you? Think about what you're doing before you insult them."

Twilight retorts as Rainbow flies off, "Yeah? That's rich, coming from somepony who couldn't help but ruin my appearance!"

Rainbow turns, a curt wave and tilt of Applejack's hat before she leaves the library, Applejack chasing after her. The door slams shut as Twilight fumes, her eyes turning to the last pony in the room.

Rarity sighs, "I'm sorry we overstayed our welcome, Twilight. Just know they weren't trying to irritate you."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry it happened too," Twilight snarks. "Now, I need to organize this library."

Rarity slowly nods, "Yes, I can see you'll be very busy. I was going to go organize my gems at the Boutique. Good day, Twilight." Rarity walks to the front door, glancing back with a sigh as she lets herself out.

Twilight merely nods, walking off to the first of many disorganized shelves of books. Spike excitedly taps the floor, glancing between Twilight and Rarity's departing form. He says, "Hey, Twilight? I don't suppose you mind if I?"

"Oh, sure, Spike, go run along and abandon me too. Everypony else has." Twilight glares at the next shelf, all the books from the first one levitating up and stacking on the floor.

"Okay! I'll be back at some point, bye!" Spike runs to the front door, closing it behind him.

"That was SARCASM!" yells Twilight at the closed door, grumbling as she turns back to the books in front of her.

2 The Admirer

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The small purple dragon hurries through the mostly deserted streets of Ponyville. This early in the morning most ponies are just working on getting their stalls and stores ready for the inevitable day-after-the-holiday rush. A few heads occasionally turn upwards, most peering up at the moon and its eerie blank look, the mare shaped blackness replaced by pure white.

Spike spots Rarity walking along, quickly catching up to her unhurried pace. "Hey, Rarity!" Spike yells, the unicorn turning to smile at him. "So," he huffs, catching his breath as she stops, "You said you have a gem collection?"

"Well, I don't know if collection is quite the right word," Rarity says with a measured grin, "I would classify it more as a stockpile. Probably not quite to hoard status, as it has been quite a while since I've gone on a lengthy expedition. I might have a few rare gems mixed in, but since I primarily use them on the dresses that I make I have little reason to keep them. My joy lies in finding the gems and their best composition, not in hoarding them." Rarity pauses for a split second, her smile pulling tight, "Not that, of course, there is anything wrong with hoarding! I myself engage in it from time to time!"

Spike looks over, a confused look on his face, "Um, why would you be concerned about hoarding?"

Rarity stammers, "Well, um, with you being a dragon and all, I thought you might take offense if I was to imply that there was something wrong with hoarding."

"Oh!" Spike grins, tapping on claw against his head, "Well, I really don't know much about dragon culture and all. I was hatched by Twilight, you see, and I've spent my whole life around ponies. I've only seen, um, one other dragon, and that was from a distance. And Twilight has some books on dragons, but they weren't very informative. So I don't know much about them."

Rarity nods along as the two arrive at the Carousel Boutique, the side door opening in a blue aura. Rarity softly calls to the dark kitchen, "Sweetie Belle?"

"I'm in my room!" comes the high pitched call, a light tap of hooves from above. The white unicorn filly appears at the top of the steps, grinning down at the pair. Two other fillies quickly join her, Scootaloo yawning while Apple Bloom looks to the kitchen. They chorus, "Hiya, Spike!" as Sweetie Belle continues, "Did you have a good time at the party?"

"I did!" Spike replies with a smile as Rarity goes to the kitchen, getting herself a glass of water and several plates of greens for the fillies. "That was my first time having that Fire Sauce, and it was really good!"

Sweetie Belle sticks her tongue out a little, "Eww, you liked that stuff? Well, I guess I can see it, you being a dragon and all. But it's way too hot!" Scootaloo perks up at the mention of hot things, though quick whispers back and forth with Apple Bloom leaves her disappointed. The three fillies trudge down the stairs, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo scrambling into the kitchen. Sweetie Belle moves over to Spike, glancing up and down his body.

Spike shakes his head, "Nuh-uh! I haven't found anything that's too hot for me! That Fire Sauce sure hit the spot, though; do you know where it came from?"

"Um, I'm not sure. Rarity, do you know?" Sweetie Belle asks, her eyes not leaving Spike. She waits outside while her sisters start chowing down on their breakfast.

"I believe it was a present to your sire, from somepony in Canterlot." Rarity shakes her head, "I tried a little of it, the mildest mix Doug made, and it was still far too spicy."

"Oh, that's too bad. More for me, then!" Spike grins, an awkward look around at the two unicorns and their forced smiles, grimaces poorly concealed. "Sooo..."

"That's pretty cool, I guess," Sweetie Belle says. "I saw at the party that you, um, use your claws to pick things up. Aren't you afraid about breaking whatever you're trying to grab?"

"Oh, these?" Spike says, flourishing his claws. "Nah. I have really good control. I write a lot of lists and such for Twilight, and those quills are pretty delicate. So I need a light touch, you know?"

Sweetie Belle playfully shakes her head, "I don't know if I'd like those claws on me. They look pretty dangerous!"

"Don't think you can hoof it?" Spike smirks, brandishing his claws, "We'll have to see about that!"

Sweetie Belle squeals as Spike lunges at her, his claws quickly finding her sides. She giggles as his claws lightly scratch at her coat, "Hey! That's tickles!"

"Oh really?" Spike grins as he continues running his claws through her white coat. He stumbles as Sweetie Belle pulls away from him, his momentarily loss of balance exacerbated by a quick hoof to his shin. He quickly finds himself on his belly, a hoof pinning him to the floor as Sweetie Belle smirks above him.

"Time for a taste of your own medicine!" she quips, her hooves pressing into his scales. Spike groans in pleasure, Sweetie Belle quickly growing frustrated at the dragon's response, yelling, "Hey! No fair! You're not supposed to be enjoying this!"

"Hey, what can I say," Spike says, relaxing as his limbs splay out from his body, "You're pushing in all the right places!" He moans as she lets up, "Hey, what gives? Why'd you stop?"

Sweetie Belle groans, glancing back at her flank, a long sigh of disappointment. "Well, I guess I'm not getting a massaging cutie mark."

Scootaloo remarks, "Well, I'd say you're in luck, 'cause it'd probably have been a dragon massaging cutie mark." Apple Bloom snickers along, Sweetie Belle rolling her eyes as she grabs her breakfast, quickly scarfing it down much to her dam's consternation.

"Hey! I would have liked that!" Spike says as he gets up, "I'd be all, like, 'don't worry, babe, I'll treat you right!'"

Apple Bloom pokes the blushing Sweetie Belle with a hoof, "Well, it's too bad you didn't get it then, right? Better luck next time!"

The three fillies giggle as Sweetie Belle fakes a yawn, "Well, um, I'm going to try to go back to bed. Try to get a quick nap in before we have to go to school. At least Miss Cheerilee is starting late today." She smirks, "I bet she knew she would be partying a little too much at Pinkie Pie's party, right?"

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity admonishes, a light glare at her filly, "You know better than to talk about your teacher like that."

"You're right, dam," Sweetie Belle says, a soft smile mollifying Rarity's wrath. "Anyway, good morning, Spike, and, um, good night!" Sweetie Belle grins, Spike returning a wave as the filly heads into the kitchen.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both pause as they follow their sister, "Nice seeing you, Spike!"

Spike waves at the two before looking at Rarity. The two stare at each other for several seconds before Spike hesitantly asks, "So, where do you keep your gems?" A hungry look appears in his eyes, "Twilight sometimes lets me have a bit of ruby as a snack, but she could really use more variety in the gems I have, you know?"

Rarity smiles, "Mm, I do find that making one design over and over can be very tedious. I imagine the same thing must be true of what kind of gems you eat!" She leads the way to her storeroom, revealing a large number of boxes. The walls are covered in shelves; nearly every one is neatly labeled, the containers designed to slide in and out. The clear glass makes it easy to see which bins are nearly full and which could use restocking. A few are already open; Rarity's horn flares, a few of the full bins opening while the nearly empty ones shut. "Hmm," she mutters, glancing over at Spike, "I am running a little low on some of my stocks. Nevertheless, you can pick, say, three different kinds."

Spike's eyes wander over the different boxes, past a heavily tinted pair of aviators, finally picking up a sapphire and considering. He puts it back, holding a small emerald and comparing it to a garnet. He pops the garnet into his mouth, smiling at the taste, while the emerald goes back into the box. He looks around, his eyes resting on a large blue crystal hanging on the wall. He points at it, asking, "What is that one? I don't know if I've seen it before."

"Oh, that?" Rarity briefly grimaces, inspecting the spear head. "I don't know if it has an official name; we just called it crystal. It surrounds the various essence golems that are found scattered around. We found a lot of it during our trip to the Badlands, far to the south. It's very sharp, do be careful. I've never really found a use for it, on account of how difficult and dangerous it is to work with."

Spike salivates as he stares, his claws opening and closing as if he is holding it already. "Can I try a piece? It looks really good! And I'm sure I'll be fine, my scales are really tough!"

Rarity pulls out another box, levitating a small piece. "Yes, I suppose. Let me know if is too sharp, the only thing I've been able to consistently do with them is grind them into dust and use it for a nice blue accent for some of my jewel insets. But even then I have to be extremely careful, as the tiny pieces are still quite dangerous. I can barely even round the sharpened edges off!"

Spike eagerly grabs the blue fragment, a short yelp as the sharp edge nicks one of his scales. He yelps, "Ow!" dropping the crystal and sucking on the light cut. Rarity drops down, concern on her face as she levitates away the offending piece. Spike grimaces, a brief grunt as he inspects his scales. He waves Rarity off, puffing up his chest as he says, "Don't worry about me! I'm fine!" though it is far too late to have any real impact. He backpedals as Rarity continues to look at him with concern, "I mean, I didn't expect it to be that sharp!"

"Oh, darling, will you be all right?" Rarity levitates over a paper towel, lightly tapping on the scale already beginning to heal. "Do you think it is safe to eat, if it cut your scales? What about your tummy?"

Spike laughs, his faked courage easily apparent, "Oh, it's nothing! I was just surprised, that's all!" He reaches for the crystal, "I'll show it who's boss!"

"Are you sure? I don't know if your teeth will grind it up for you; it'll still have some of those sharp edges!"

Rarity's worried look spurs Spike's bravado, "Oh, please! I got this, you don't need to worry about me!" He carefully snatches the crystal, chomping down on his new meal. "Hey! It tastes like garnet! That's amazing!"

"Really?" Rarity says, pulling over a small piece of crystal and inspecting it closely. "Fascinating. What does garnet taste like?"

"Oh, I really like it. One of my favorites. It's got a bit of a kick, more than a ruby. Not as much as a fire ruby, but I've only had one of those. They're pretty rare, but I ask Twilight to get me one any time I can." At Rarity's blank look Spike chuckles, rubbing the back of his head, "I... don't suppose you know what a ruby tastes like?"

Rarity shakes her head, "I... can't say that I've ever had the pleasure of sampling that particular gem."

"Yeah, I should have figured. Twilight doesn't eat many gems, either. I'd say ruby is like a mild spice. Pepper, whereas a fire ruby is more like that Fire Sauce."

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it," Rarity says, a hint of a smile at watching the dragon deliberate on how to describe the gem's taste. A yawn escapes her mouth, a hoof quickly covering her faux pas. "I am sorry, dear, but I think I might follow Sweetie Belle's example. A brief nap before I open up shop. Was there anything else you would like?"

"Can I have another one of those crystals?" Spike says, eagerly glancing between the boxes.

"Certainly!" Rarity levitates another one down, a slightly uncoordinated walk to the door.

Spike carefully plucks the crystal fragment out of the air, popping it into his mouth. He chews a few times before gagging, his tongue sticking out of his mouth with small pieces on top. "Eww! It's tasteless, like that tofu Twilight had me try!"

Rarity raises an eyebrow, smirking as she says, "That probably means it's really good for you! I should give some to Twilight, so you can grow up big and strong!"

Spike sticks his tongue out, "Eww! No way! I'll stay a nice small dragon the rest of my long life, thank you very much!" He shakes his head, glancing back at the box of crystal shards, "But the taste! The other one was so good!"

"That is quite odd, I agree! They came from the same box and everything!" Rarity yawns again, "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't stay up so much two nights in a row. One all-nighter is quite enough for me, and naps are not a sufficient substitute for one's beauty sleep! I'm afraid it's going to do horrors to my complexion, not to mention my mane!" Rarity sighs, "I'm sorry, but we'll have to get to the bottom of this another night."

"Nuh-uh! You still look amazing!" Spike pauses briefly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, "Um, I mean..."

Rarity laughs, "Oh, darling, I'll take that as the complement it was meant to be. I must be off, though, should I have any hope of keeping up at with work later today."

Spike nods, glowering at not getting a good third taste from the storeroom. He is a little tired, too; hopefully Rarity won't mind if he catches a few z's on one of the couches in the storeroom.

3 The Scarred Meadow

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The farmhouse is silent.

Doug Apple startles awake, only the faint light of the stars piercing through the open windows. His ears perk up, trying to discern any noise besides the sporadic creaking of the old wooden farmhouse. His hands fumble at the cotton sheets scattered around him, desperately trying to find one of the mares that had helped him go to sleep yesterday; he had been like a newborn foal, unwilling to go to sleep except in the hooves of his beloved.

His breathing comes in fitful gasps as he searches through the tangle of fabric, only the cold warmth of a summer night greeting him.

Where were they? Had something happened? Nightmare Moon returned again, and stole them away?

Bare feet hit the rough wooden floorboards, quietly pattering along the hallways to Apple Bloom's room. The door squeaks as it opens, Doug's head peeking through to try to find his six year old filly. Her bed is nicely made, two fluffed pillows propped up against the headboard, but no telltale lump of filly tucked in, or hiding under the covers. He walks up anyway to double check, running a hand along the stitched lines of the soft quilt and underneath the pillows.

Gone.

Heavy footfalls now as he runs outside, sprinting the short distance to the Carrot House where the rest of the fillies sleep. The front door opens easily, the new floorboards silent but for the pounding of his feet. He stops outside the first room he comes to, raising one trembling arm to the door. Applebaum and Lemon's room. His left hand weakly grasps the doorknob, rattling it as he tries to steel himself. His arm burns, the barely healed scars along his wrist painfully complaining about the sudden motion.

A crack of moonlight enters as the door slowly opens, one blue eye peeking into the dark room. Hard breaths come in and out as he pauses, standing in the doorway; no sound comes from the room, and it is impossible to make out whether the lumps in the two beds are pillows or ponies.

Doug pushes the door the rest of the way, tiptoeing the few steps to the near bed. His mind rapidly plays through possibilities, trying to spot any irregularities: no liquid pooling underneath the base of the bed, no glints of cobalt magic illuminating the air. And no sound, no stirring, no...

Doug shakily gets to the edge of the bed, one hand tentatively moving to the lump slowly rising up and down.

Slowly rising up and down.

The breath he didn't realize he was holding rushes out as he stumbles back. He roughly catches himself as he sits down, trying to control the breaths coming in fits and spurts. He slowly calms down, closing his eyes as his hands cover his face, trying to contain and wipe away his tears while whispering a mantra of "They're okay, it's okay, they're okay." He glances up, freezing as he spots two large pools reflecting the light from the open doorway.

Lemon opens her mouth again, a slight frown and shift of her head to the side at the lack of response from her sire. She hops down, his hands automatically coming up to help guide her to his chest. The four year old filly snuggles close before breaking away, still trying to reassure the human that she is okay. Light prods from her muzzle get him to stand, though he checks on her sister Applebaum's still sleeping form before he follows her out of the room.

The small yellow filly grabs one of the games he likes with her mouth, happily bouncing up and down as she sees the smile on his face. She dumps the contents of the box out on the floor, the handmade cards and dice bouncing around. Lemon frowns as she concentrates on shuffling the cards, a quick shake of her head enough to let her sire know she can hoof it. She's a big filly, after all! Her mouth opens, ready to explain all that she did yesterday with the dams of the herd while he was asleep.

Doug smiles as he separates the pieces into their piles, the clattering of the dice rolling around eerily disconcerting against the silent cards shuffling. Lemon babbles along, her mouth opening and closing but nothing audible coming out. She occasionally pauses as if waiting for a response, the quick nod of his head enough to keep her going. The two players split up their five white dice, Lemon dealing the starting cards as the game commences.

"But then I told her that it wasn't because I didn't really want to help her bake cupcakes! Well, not yet, and Pinkie Pie got really mad at me for no reason at all! Dam can be sooo unreasonable sometimes, you know?"

Doug smiles in return, muscles he didn't know were tensed relaxing as he hears her voice. "Yeah, your dam can be quite insistent when she wants to do something. Not to the same extent as Rarity, but still." They both turn as Hedge walks to the front door. Fluttershy's filly turns, a quick wave at the two before she slips outside, getting an early start on her morning chores.

"I know!" Lemon smiles, peeking back behind her screen and rearranging her dice. "But, when she found out that I had a bunch of homework to do she got better. I mean, come ooon, Miss Cheerilee! Just because Princess Celestia came here, doesn't mean we have to write a whole two pages on what we saw! It should be a free day! You know?"

Doug suppresses his shudder, forcing out, "I bet she'll be getting a lot of weird topics!"

"I know, right?! 'How my life was nearly ruined by Nightmare Moon!' by everypony in class!" Lemon giggles, revealing her dice and tossing back a bunch of developments.

Doug trades in a few of his planets, grabbing cards from the stack before he stops. He stares at Lemon, saying, "Hey. You're talking!"

Lemon rolls her eyes, "Yeah, obviously. Normally you're telling me to be quiet! Well, maybe not you so much as Applejack. Or Rarity." Her face brightens as she exclaims, "Hey! You can hear me!"

"I can!" Doug leans over, grabbing the now squirming filly and hugging her, "I can hear you! Nightmare Moon's curse must have worn off!"

"Woohooo!" Lemon shouts, her small forelegs wrapping as far around as she an and embracing her sire, "I should start over from the beginning!"

"Heh, I'd like that," Doug jovially says, scratching her between the ears, "But first, do you know where Apple Bloom is? And Applejack, the rest of the herd?"

"Oh! I think they're still at the party! You know, at the library? Pinkie Pie was pretty miffed that it got delayed by Nightmare Moon and all. I think you went to bed before that, since you were still tired even after your nap. Normally after I take a nap I'm raring to go, you know? But, then again, you had stayed awake all night." Lemon sighs before her chipper attitude returns, "And I think Sweetie Belle is at Rarity's with Scootaloo. Probably with Apple Bloom." She pouts a little, "Can't believe we couldn't stay over there longer. Applebaum was particularly upset, since she's got her cutie mark and all, but Applejack managed to convince her to watch all of us. Well, she got me to help too." She perks right back up, "But! I think they'll be wrapping it up soon. Maybe an hour or two? Dam doesn't like her parties to go for toooo long, you know?"

Doug falls back as he listens to the filly, laying on the ground with her curly yellow mane spilling around his shoulders. He rubs her back, enjoying her soft coos as his eyes close, a soft sob escaping his lips.

Lemon peers down at her sire, a slight frown of her own as she feels the vibration in his chest. She pushes a hoof, trying to squelch the shaking. "Hey, we're better now! You can be happy!" Lemon nuzzles his neck and face, smiling as she struggles against the arm holding her. Her wet snout smears across his ears, giggles escaping both of them.

"Oh, I'm not crying because I'm sad," Doug says, his voice catching. "It's because you're all okay."

"Oooh! You know, dam told me about that. I guess I just haven't seen it very much!" Lemon giggles, "Do you think it's because she keeps everypony happy? And they don't have any reasons to be sad?"

"Well, there are plenty of reasons to be sad," Doug says, a bit of glower in his voice. Lemon's muzzle briefly curls to a frown, the barest hint of her dam's telltale mane sag before her smile returns just as quickly. Doug squeezes harder, Lemon giggling as he continues, "Like you all. I mean, I love each and every one of you, and I would hate for anything to happen to any of you."

"Oh, don't be silly!" Lemon pantomimes a huge smile, her hooves drawing her mouth larger than her muzzle, "I hope lots of stuff happens to us! Life would be soooo boooring otherwise, you know?"

"Let me rephrase," Doug says as he sits back up, Lemon scooching around to ride on his shoulders, "I don't want any bad stuff to happen to any of you."

"Ooooh." Lemon shrugs, leaping off her sire, tucking her head to her chest and somersaulting back to her game pieces. "Eh, I guess." She glances around the game board before pulling back a bunch of dice and shaking her cup. "But, aren't all the mares of the herd, like, the Elements or something? That's what Princess Celestia said, I think. Now they'll protect us from all the bad stuff! At least, all the really bad stuff. Like Nightmare Moon. And she's all better now, right?" Her cup slams down as Lemon pauses, cocking her head at Doug's blank stare. "You okay?"

Doug shakes his head from side to side, his arms again coming up to cover his nose and eyes. He sniffs as Lemon comes back up to him, one hand rubbing her head as she presses against his leg.

"You can tell me, right? When something's wrong?" Lemon briefly smiles, "And I can help make it better!"

"Heh," Doug chuckles, his mouth curling to a smile against the horrors his mind evokes, "I'd really appreciate that."

Lemon nuzzles Doug before returning to her spot, the two glancing outside at the rays of sunlight starting to paint the sky. Both smile, a palpable sense of relief at the sight of another night ending.

4 Rain Tempter

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Twilight grumbles as the latest shelf of mismanaged books levitates to the floor. Just one more wall and she will have the entirety of the library carefully arranged, stacked up on nearly every available floorboard. Actually, if she moves the bookcases to the floor, she wouldn't need to levitate everything back up.

Ugh, but then she'd need to put walkways around the shelves, and she might accidentally stomp all over the books during one of her early morning coffee hunts. She yawns; speaking of coffee, where is Spike? He's been gone with Rarity for hours now! He better not have ruined his dinner from snacking with her! Actually, it's morning. He... can you ruin your breakfast with gemstones? Hmm, she's never had enough gems lying around to test this. She might need to draw up a testing schedule, and she would need to somehow hide from Spike that he is eating more gemstones in the morning. Actually, it would need to be a double blind study, to not contaminate the results by her own biases based on whether or not she knew he was eating fewer gemstones. She would need to ask one of her friends-

Twilight huffs, a slight sigh. Former friends? She... she hadn't had a friend storm out on her before. Much less five.

Well, that's on them, for not listening to her.

Focus! Twilight reminds herself, lightly stamping a hoof on the floor. She needs to finish sorting the books. First, she needs to decide on a classification paradigm. A grin slowly spreads over her muzzle; while there are a few established systems in use, and she is very familiar with the Canterlot Archives Classification System, this would be a perfect opportunity to design her own system from the ground up!

"Spike! Take a note!"

Twilight pauses at the lack of response, a frown quickly forming. Why didn't he answer her? One more strike against him being Best Assistant!

Oh! Right. He isn't here. She grunts in exasperation, levitating the parchment and ink herself. Now, where did he put those quills he bought?

One minute of frenzied searching later and Twilight locates the quills. She glances at the brochure for sofas; well, it wouldn't hurt to be more comfortable when she starts reading and sorting through these books, right? So, all she has to do is create a matrix of the different qualities of every sofa and chair and how their different characteristics compare and contrast to each other and-

Twilight stumbles over one of her stacks of books, flopping to the floor in a cloud of dust. She groans, one hoof coming to her forehead, coughing as she pushes herself up. Maybe she should finish sorting the books first.

But under what classification system will she sort the books?

And will she be comfortable enough while she makes that determination?

Maybe she should take a break from this. She's been at work for hours now, even if she doesn't count that short nap she snuck in.

The front door opens, the purple unicorn slipping outside. She squints under the bright mid-morning sun; where to go first? Well, starting on the outskirts would probably be best. Make her way around the town. One lap should be enough to clear her head, then she can get back to work. A few nearby ponies wave, Twilight absentmindedly returning a wave of her own.

The air outside is much cleaner than the dusty air in the library, Twilight notes; maybe she should open a window or two while she sorts through all the books. You know, maybe she should have brought some parchment. And quills and ink. And definitely a book. Or two.

Twilight trots faster, quickly making it around the east side of town as she tries to distract herself with the scenery surrounding her. Her eyes focus on the Everfree Forest, not so much the stormy clouds building above, but specifically the path her five friends had taken with her. She sighs; former friends.

Well, maybe there is still hope for them. She spots a cottage nearly hidden by the surrounding foliage, but Fluttershy doesn't appear to be home. She continues along the southern end of Ponyville, crossing over the bridge to the center of town. The Carousel Boutique has a few ponies going in and out, but she doesn't want to deal with Rarity right now. Or Spike, for that matter. Twilight follows the river back to the south, wandering along the train tracks, a quick game developing as she tries to avoid stepping next to the railroad ties.

She stops as she looks over the rows and rows of apple trees. Sweet Apple Acres. The loud thud of hooves on wood repeats against the backdrop of birds chittering to each other and flitting back and forth among the branches. Most of the trees close to her have already lost their fruit, and she thinks she can spot the orange farmpony further in. And, peering through the branches, Twilight spots him.

Twilight drops down, peeking out from behind one of the trees. She stealthily walks closer to better observe the creature she has only seen once before, debating whether or not she should risk a teleport to the branches above him. Twilight creeps closer, spying through the apple trees, noting Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie's pink manes against the green grass and brown trees. He appears to just be sitting against one of the trunks; long legs relaxing along the ground in front of him, one foreleg holding some kind of book. Both mares seem to be... snuggling, if their rhythmic motions along his chest and lap mean anything, with the creature from Applejack's farmhouse. Twilight watches, the blush along her cheeks growing redder as she imagines exactly what sort of 'reassurance' Pinkie Pie is giving.

"Oh! Hello, Twilight!" calls the yellow pegasus, spotting the purple unicorn not very well camouflaged among the trees. She probably should have brought along something to better conceal herself. "Come join us!" Fluttershy smiles, her cyan eyes beaming with joy at seeing her friend again.

Twilight drops down, her head barely shaking from side to side. They didn't want her to do that, did they? She chances a glance back up, just in time to see Pinkie Pie looking over as well, a perfectly innocent look on her face.

"HI, TWILIGHT!" Pinkie Pie gleefully shouts, waving a hoof as her smile grows larger than her muzzle. "I knew you couldn't stay mad at us!" She rapidly beats the spot next to her with her other hoof; Twilight gives a shy smile, standing up and cautiously walking over. Pinkie Pie grins as the unicorn approaches while Fluttershy leans back against Doug, her pink mane partially covering his face, as Pinkie Pie drops back into his lap.

Twilight analyzes the creature casually resting against the tree. He reminds her of the felines found far in the south - past the Badlands and the Bone Dry Desert - but he lacks any of the telltale fur or claws or tail. Just a shock of auburn hair on the top of his head, the hint of red more pronounced as she gets to the sparser hair on his chest and abdomen. Actually, his whole body has hair, she notes as she gets closer, it's just much thinner and matches his tanned skin. Ears sticking out at a different angle, but similar recessed eyes near a less pronounced muzzle and more angular nose.

His small eyes regard her intelligently, focused and unwavering. Yet, she doesn't feel like he is staring; more like he is inspecting her just as closely. The corners of his mouth and eyes smirk at her, as if daring her to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. She smirks right back; two can play at that game.

Her eyes trace over his spindly legs and arms, casually splayed out on the ground or wrapping around the two ponies resting next to him. She glances down his body; maybe she had been a little quick to jump to her earlier conclusion. She still hasn't seen him standing, but a quick estimation puts him a bit taller than her brother, maybe even eye level with Princess Celestia. Thinner than even the most emaciated pony, the way his ribs are visible.

One fairly new journal, similar but less ornate than the one Princess Celestia gave to her, is resting between his legs. Pencils are in easy reach, several weather reference guides stacked next to him. Her head cocks to the side as her eyes look to the sky; it is nice and sunny now, a rainbow blur speeding along the forest border to the south, but why take the risk with those kinds of materials this close to the Everfree and its unpredictable weather? Especially with a storm scheduled for afternoon, it could easily hit early!

Twilight finally opens her mouth as she gets close, her best impersonation of Princess Celestia's pleasant, "Good morning, Doug." She smiles, practically biting her tongue to keep from asking the question both of them know she is burning to. Her mouth opens anyway, blurting out, "Why are you outside? Aren't you afraid of it raining on you and your books?"

Hmm, maybe she could have picked a better question than that to replace the one she really wanted to ask.

"Well, it's a beautiful day," Doug says with a slightly forced smile. Twilight rolls her eyes as she rests her tired legs, Pinkie Pie between her and the creature. He continues after a brief pause, "So, thanks for that and all. Besides, it's hard to mess up clear skies."

"I don't know, I would say it's pretty easy," Twilight says, a glance at the storm clouds building over the Everfree Forest, that same rainbow blur patrolling back and forth as if daring them to cross an unspecified line in the sky. She looks over at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy; both mares are regarding her with gentle smiles and poofy manes, not a hint of the sadness they were showing before at the party. She realizes why he had emphasized the word 'day', blurting out, "Oh! And, you're welcome. I guess." She laughs to herself before saying, "But the less said about that the better, right?"

Doug gives her a sad smile, withdrawing into himself as he mumbles, "Yeah, I guess." A long, shaky intake of breath follows, his eyes closing as his entire body tenses.

Fluttershy shoves her head against his chest, his left arm tightening around her neck as she rubs her silky mane up and down, the same bobbing motion from before. "There, there," she coos, smiling up on the off chance that he looks down at her, "It's okay, you don't have to worry about that any more. Just let it out, we're here for you."

Twilight watches as Doug's chest heaves up and down, practically dragging Pinkie Pie next to Fluttershy. Both mares wrap forelegs around him, cuddling and relaxing, allowing him to tug them left or right. Twilight grimaces as she sees the angry red scars on his left arm and a much fainter version on his right, noting how his right hand keeps tracing patterns in Pinkie Pie as it grips her while his left barely moves. The product of Nightmare Moon, she realizes.

"So, Twilight," Pinkie Pie says as Doug rocks her back and forth, "have you reconsidered your no party policy yet? I've got a whole bunch of super duper exciting parties planned and I want to make sure you're okay being invited!"

Twilight internally groans; of course it would come back to that so quickly. "Look! Pinkie," she grunts through clenched teeth, a bit of her bombast fading as she sees Pinkie's mane deflate slightly, "I want to keep the library, well, a library. And my home. I don't really want to have any more parties there." At seeing Pinkie Pie's downcast expression for the second time that day Twilight relents, "But, um, maybe if it's appropriate. And I'm perfectly happy going to any other party you throw."

An explosion of confetti blinds Twilight as Pinkie Pie leaps, tackling the startled unicorn. "Oh, Twilight, that makes me sooo so happy! I Pinkie Promise you won't be disappointed!" One hoof makes motions around Pinkie's chest and head as they fall down, quickly joining the other hoof in wrapping around Twilight.

"Pinkie!" Twilight forces out, struggling to breath under the pink pony's bone crushing hug. She pleads, "A little help, please?" when the mare doesn't release her vice-like grip, violet eyes begging for assistance as she furtively glances between Fluttershy and Doug.

Doug seems to have recovered from his earlier fright when Pinkie Pie burst away from him, his voice rough as he says, "Try hugging her back. Works for me." He squeezes Fluttershy to demonstrate, her eyes slightly bugging out from the pressure before she hugs him back with a smile.

Twilight groans as Pinkie Pie constricts further, weakly wrapping her forelegs around the earth pony and lightly tapping her back. Twilight gasps as she is finally allowed to breath, her muzzle full of vibrant pink mane. "Thanks," she coughs out, rubbing her chest.

"No problem," Doug says as he gives Fluttershy another quick hug. He quietly says to the pegasus, "Thanks for being here," a light kiss to the mane still in his face.

"Of course, Doug," Fluttershy says, spinning around and sharing the quick kiss, "Besides, Pinkie, some of the ponies in town have been asking to talk with me about what happened before."

Pinkie Pie nods, a goofy stare at Fluttershy, head cocking to the side slightly.

Fluttershy tries again, a small smile, "I think we need to head back to work."

"Really?" Pinkie Pie says, rotating in place, her stare turning into confusion. "I didn't thi- Oooh! You're right, Fluttershy," a gigantic, telegraphed wink at the pegasus, "We do need to go back to work!" She winks at Doug this time, somehow even more obviously, Twilight rolling her eyes a little. "Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie get up, smiling at Doug and Twilight as they walk away. The two still on the ground watch as Pinkie Pie pulls Fluttershy off to the side, two pink manes peeking from behind a nearby tree to watch them.

"Well, that just happened," Twilight says, staring at the ponies either failing horribly at concealing themselves or just plain not trying at all. "They do realize we can still see them, right?"

"Probably," Doug says, a slight grin as he shakes his head, "But with Pinkie Pie? It's the things you don't see that you have watch out for. Right now, though, those two there? I don't think we have anything to worry about. So, um, how did the party go?"

Twilight continues staring at Pinkie Pie for several seconds before neutrally saying, "I'm glad to be out of the house. Trying to clear my head."

"Yeah, I was having a hard time thinking inside, too," Doug says, grabbing the journal. "Not sure why, normally I don't have any trouble being cooped up for hours at a time."

"Hours?" Twilight smirks, one of the weather reference manuals levitating over. She idly flips through the pages, "Try days. Sometimes, Princess Celestia would have to send rescue parties to the archives. Generally just with snacks, but sometimes to make sure I wasn't lost in the pages." She glances over, a frown as she notices Doug staring at the levitating book, his hand twitching as terror starts to spread over his face. Twilight drops the book to her hooves, her magic winking out.

Doug quickly recovers as he shakes his head, his breathing heavy, trying to appear normal as he forces out, "Yeah, can't really have that happen here. One of the eight gets hungry before I do, forces me to take a break."

"Eight?" Twilight asks, looking around. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie have both disappeared, which doesn't reassure her in the slightest. "Eight what?"

"Foals. Fillies, now."

"Really." Twilight skeptically looks up and down the creature's body, a light snort escaping her nostrils. "You're telling me that a..."

"Human," Doug replies, a smirk forming on his face.

"Gesundheit." Twilight rolls her eyes, "So, what, you take care of eight fillies? Where are their dams? Why do they need you to help take care of them?"

Doug pointedly stares at Twilight for a few seconds before coughing, "You kinda met them yesterday. Actually, the day before. You went to a party with them? I'm pretty sure?"

"A party with the fillies? No, I'm pretty sure I didn't. At least, there were a couple fillies at the party two nights ago, but I barely met anypony then."

Doug shakes his head, "No, the mares." At Twilight's stare he continues, "You defeated Nightmare Moon with them? And you saw our fillies yesterday, when you came over to the farmhouse."

"Oh. Huh." Twilight cocks her head to the side, her look wavering between confusion and a slow revelation. "They are yours?" Twilight frowns at Doug's nod, "How does that even happen?"

Doug shrugs, "Magic, I guess." His mouth curls to a smirk, the edges curling as if he can't stop himself, "Unless you mean the obvious. Do you want to know about 'the obvious' with the mares of the herd?"

"What? No! No, I mean, um," Twilight gulps as she backs up a step, quickly composing herself with a hoof to the chest. She forces out, "I mean the magic part."

"Unfortunately, I can't really help you there," Doug says with a sad smile as he leans back, hands nervously flicking the journal. "I don't have any magic, and I never really understood the explanations I got. They're just words to me. You're probably interested in how the cells magically convert to something livable, if I had to guess."

"No magic?" Twilight scoffs, as if she hadn't heard anything past that. She rears back, her horn lighting, a hum of magic surrounding her head. She closes her eyes as her voice raises, "That's impossible. Let me just..."

"NO!" Doug shouts, scrambling to his feet, "Stop!"

Twilight thrusts her head forward, aiming her horn at Doug. A beam of light shoots out, impacting and spreading along the tree he was just sitting in front of. She opens her eyes, quickly frowning, a quizzical look at the tree. It lights up, along with a good portion of the surrounding air, different shades of purple and blue displaying the thaums coursing through the trunk and limbs, just like every living organism. No sign of Doug, though. Did she just?

Twilight hastily looks around, briefly despairing about what she has done when she spots the human fleeing through the trees. She glances down, a puzzled look on her face before she calls out, "Hey! Wait!" She glances around for any excuse to get him to stop, spotting the reference manuals laying on the ground, "You forgot your books!" She sighs when he doesn't slow, a downcast look at the approaching farmpony.

"What in the hay?" Applejack yells, glancing back at Doug's retreating form before rounding on Twilight. "What did you do!?"

"Nothing!" shouts Twilight, flinching at the stomp of Applejack's hoof; even the white lie is enough to trigger the earth pony's growing fury. "It was just a harmless detection spell! He took off for no reason!"

"Well, he sure ain't treating it like it was nothing!" Applejack spits out as she glares daggers at Twilight, swinging a hoof towards the farmhouse and the rainbow blur speeding down, "What made him run off then, huh?!" Applejack paws at the dirt, clenching her muzzle and forcing out, "Celestia help me, if you threatened him..."

"No! I didn't!" Twilight sinks down, her ears splaying back, cowering under the farmpony's intimidating stare. "I promise!"

Applejack holds the foreboding expression for a few seconds before she sighs, the anger leaving her face. "Ah believe you, Twilight." She slowly walks over, nuzzling the yielding unicorn. Applejack looks back towards the farmhouse, her expression now confused, "Ah ain't never seen him react like that before. Disappearing like Scootaloo before bath time."

"We were just talking," Twilight says, her voice quivering, "and then he was talking about the fillies, and how magic worked within them when they were... and then..." She vaguely motions with her hoof, "I cast a magic detection spell and he bolted off."

"Huh." Applejack stops, holding a hoof to her chin, "It ain't like he's never seen a detection spell before." She tries to puzzle it out, eventually shaking her head, "Well, Ah sure thought he was okay. Ah mean, he had some difficulty when he went to sleep yesterday. Ah hope it's just nightmares, or some such." She pauses for a few seconds before giving Twilight a hard look, "Ah might ask Rarity to come over. Maybe help see if he's afraid of magic."

"Afraid of magic?" Twilight scoffs, shaking her head. "Why under Celestia's sun would anypony be afraid of magic?"

"After what happened with Nightmare Moon? Ah'd be more afraid than a bushel of apples rolling to the press."

"But, it's...it's..." Twilight sputters for a few seconds, "It's just... Magic! It's like being afraid of trees because a timber wolf attacked you!"

"Yeah. It's just like that." Applejack puts a hoof on Twilight's withers, "Look, Ah ain't saying it's a logical, reasoned response. Alright?" She considers, "How about, Ah go get Rarity. Trio should be heading off to school 'bout now, hopefully she can take a break at the store. You just go to the farmhouse, wait for us there."

Twilight nods, saying to herself, "Okay. I can do that," as Applejack trots towards town. Twilight levitates the books, walking along the path towards the Apple farmhouse.

5 The Hermit

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Row after row of apple trees pass by almost unheeded, a warm breeze blowing through the fruit laden branches. Twilight grabs one of the ripe apples that had rolled to the ground, chewing the mouth watering deliciousness as she mulls over the events of the past few days. She briefly pauses as the farmhouse comes into view, waving at the small group of four fillies and one colt traveling along the dirt road. Doug's younger fillies, she reminds herself, but she can't recall any of the names. She smiles at the tiny saddlebags strapped to each, filled with the precious joy of knowledge.

The brown filly in lead - the only one with a cutie mark, an exploding Red Delicious apple - waves back, the rest of the herd quickly following along. Their passing seems uneventful, the excited chatter briefly disappearing, just as quickly resurfacing, as if the events of the last few days didn't even register with them. Quite the resilience they display, even as they clearly favor one of their legs. Was it like that for her? The irregular clip clop of their hooves fades, leaving Twilight alone with her musing.

So, she got to Ponyville. Met the Ponyvillians, most prominently her five new friends and fellow Elements. After Nightmare Moon attacked, the six of them traveled through the Everfree Forest. They freed Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon's transformation (or possession, or dark influence, whatever you want to call it; some ponies had called it a curse, but that's nonsense, curses aren't real) and then Princess Celestia came and forgave her sister. They all came back to town as Princess Celestia raised the sun, and then the partying started in earnest. But partway through, both Princesses and the Elements went to the Apple farmhouse. She and the rest of the Elements - as well as, apparently, the Element's foals - listened to what had happened to Princess Celestia. And to Doug and his foals. And then they all returned to the party, leaving Applejack with the human.

Twilight reaches the farmhouse, stopping just before the wooden porch. She rests her hooves, dropping the weather manuals to the side; after all that running around yesterday, and walking around now, she really should try to get into better shape. Especially because the various stores and things to do in Ponyville are more spread out than Canterlot, requiring her to walk to get to them. Or she could send Spike. Maybe he should come along with her on the walks? Twilight's eye squints; she can't let herself get distracted so easily!

Back to her recollection. Doug ended up okay; his arm is injured, sure, but it will heal over time, and he isn't crippled. His fillies are fine; apparently they had just been trapped in their room, sustaining a small cut each. Of all the creatures involved, if anypony would be suffering from the encounter, then Princess Celestia should fear magic after what had happened, right? She was just as restrained as he was! And she had to suffer her magic being drained! Unlike the human; he hadn't mentioned anything about that happening to him. Did Nightmare Moon not attempt to drain him, as though she didn't fear his power at all compared to Princess Celestia? Could he have somehow been protected against it?

Especially because she still doubts that he doesn't have any magic. Ridiculous.

A light thumping against the wood comes from inside the farmhouse, just a few hooftaps in quick succession. Twilight's ear flicks towards the noise, quickly going back to her thoughts.

And yet Princess Celestia was just as chipper as always after the fact! As if the outcome had never been in doubt! But, there were plenty of times that she and her friends could have failed! Was the Princess' reaction just a facade? Covering for the slim chance of success they actually had?

What if one of the traps along the way had gotten them? Or if Nightmare Moon's concentration hadn't been broken at precisely the perfect time? Then, would Princess Celestia have been banished to the moon? Or merely imprisoned, or forced to labor under Nightmare Moon for the sake of her little ponies?

A stifled moan from the building rouses her, the unicorn's ears again flicking towards the noise. Was somepony in trouble? She cautiously creeps up the wooden porch, trying to get to a better vantage point. The old, splintering boards squeak underneath her, the unicorn grimacing at her poorly concealed attempt at stealth.

The noises inside didn't notice, or react, merely growing slightly louder but still difficult to make out.

Twilight presses her ear against the door, her muzzle screwing up in concentration, trying to discern the rhythmic thumping against the wood from the low voices. She focuses, barely able to make out a louder pair of moans, followed by muffled voices from inside.

"...better feel...right?"

"..."

"...alright, dude..."

A harsh laugh comes from inside, then a loud slap, quickly followed by the front door bursting open. Twilight doesn't even have time to gasp as the wood swings the few inches and smacks into her muzzle, knocking her back with a sharp twinge of pain. She rubs her jaw, a strong musk hitting her nostrils as she inhales, looking up to see Rainbow Dash - still wearing Applejack's hat - hovering above her. Rainbow's playful smile twists into a mean scowl, one hoof pointing accusingly at Twilight.

"YOU!" she shouts, shaking with rage as she lands next to Twilight's prone body. "What are you doing here! Come to finish the job?"

"No!" Twilight yells as she shakes her head, her coat snagging against the wooden porch as she tries to backpedal away from the vengeful pegasus. "I didn't!"

Rainbow advances, baring her teeth as she crouches down, ready to pounce. "A likely story!"

Twilight brings her forelegs up, trying to shield her head against the anticipated assault.

"Rainbow." Doug's husky voice rings out, like he is still trying to catch his breath. Twilight peeks through her hooves; Doug is staring right at her, eyes occasionally flicking up to her horn before going back to her eyes.

Rainbow stops, turning her head and regarding the human standing in the doorway. After a few seconds she snorts, glaring at Twilight as she paces back to Doug, affectionately rubbing her head along his leg and mashing the hat against him. His hand comes down, scratching along her mane; her scowl fades, replaced by a contented smile. Rainbow turns back to Twilight, her voice oozing with restrained fury as she grunts out, "So. What do you want?"

Twilight rolls to her hooves, rubbing the ragged fur on her coat. She lowers her head as she meekly says, "I was waiting for Applejack and Rarity. To apologize for what happened before. At the party, and the orchard."

"Then why were you eavesdropping on us? Huh?" Rainbow stomps a hoof on the porch, an exasperated snort as Doug's hand pushes her head down. She twists, a short lived glare at Doug before she turns back to Twilight.

Twilight stammers, "I wasn't! I didn't mean to! I mean, I thought somepony was in trouble!" Twilight pauses, one eyebrow raising, "But, if nopony was in trouble, then what was happening in there?"

Rainbow huffs, a glance just to the side at Doug before she again glares at Twilight, "That was me reassuring my stallion. No thanks to you." Rainbow looks past Twilight, the unicorn turning to see Applejack and Rarity trotting close, Spike riding on the white unicorn's back.

Twilight sighs as the three come up to the porch, "I'm sorry, Rainbow. And Doug. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Yeah," Rainbow snarls, "you better not have."

"Alright, Rainbow, Ah think she gets the picture," Applejack says as Twilight hunkers down. "Doug, are you feeling better?"

Doug rubs Rainbow's head, the pegasus smiling as he pulls her close, "Somewhat, yes." He glances at Spike and Rarity, a short wave to the two of them.

Rarity steps forward as Applejack nods to her, the unicorn's nose briefly scrunching as she nuzzles Doug. "Somepony could use a bath, hmm?" she softly says, her horn lighting. Spike rises to the air as Doug flinches, Rarity looking up with a puzzled expression. "Darling? Are you okay?"

The front door slams shut in her face, a stunned Rarity glancing to her two herdmates.

Applejack mutters, "Did he just..."

"That was quite rude, dear," Rarity calls as a blue aura surrounds the door, the wood swinging open. Rarity turns to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the two nervously looking at the orchards and sky respectively. "If you two need to get back to work, I assure you that Doug is in capable hooves." Rarity fixes Twilight with a harsh stare, "Correct?"

Twilight nods, "I'll be good." She slowly stands, "But, before you go. I'm sorry about what happened at the party. I didn't mean to kick you all out like that."

Rainbow's muzzle slowly curls to a friendly smile, "Hey, no big!"

Relief comes over Applejack and Rainbow Dash, both exchanging a quick nuzzle with Twilight, then Rarity. Applejack straps on a cart, bringing another load of goods to Ponyville. Rainbow returns the Stetson before she takes off, flying towards the building clouds over the Everfree. A few look to have broken free, a haze over some of the southern orchards. A rainbow blur soon surrounds them, corralling and pushing the wayward rain clouds away from the farm.

Twilight gulps as she returns a sheepish grin to Rarity, the white unicorn's expression softening. Twilight meekly ventures, "So, what now?"

"I know you didn't mean to hurt Doug, or anything of that matter." Rarity shuts the door behind the three as she looks around the farmhouse. The splattering of pancakes frying from the kitchen catches her attention, the two unicorns and dragon making their way over as Rarity continues, "At least, I am assuming that is the case and I desperately hope you do not prove me wrong. But, obviously, something has happened."

"Obviously." Twilight rolls her eyes at the evident claim, nearly missing the quick glare Rarity shoots her. She forces a grin back to her muzzle, her ears flicking back.

"None of that, now," Rarity admonishes, entering the kitchen and scanning the sizzling pans. "This smells delicious, Doug. But, are you doing okay?"

"I'll be fine," Doug says in a falsetto, turning from the stove with an obviously faked smile plastered on his face. "Really." He nervously glances between Rarity and Twilight, briefly closing his eyes and turning back to the stove.

"Do I need to get Applejack?" Rarity says, standing up as tall as she can. "Or would you like to admit to us what is wrong?"

"Look," Doug says, his voice grating, dropping the spatula as his hands clench the counter. He sighs, turning and crouching down to look Rarity in the eye. One hand roughly rubs into her withers; the unicorn glances back with a slight frown before returning his gaze. "It'll be okay, all right? I just need to work through this."

"You don't want our help?" Rarity pushes forward, nuzzling her stallion, her large eyes brimming with tears. "Oh, darling. Stallions shouldn't need to be so strong." Rarity allows Doug to pull her close for a soft kiss; she gently returns it as Doug lightly tries to push her away. Rarity instead presses up against him, walking up to the counter; one hand remains in her mane as he grabs the spatula and returns to the pancakes. Rarity sighs, quickly smirking as she looks at the amount of nuts and chocolate he has added to the mix, saying, "And here I thought that you didn't partake in comfort foods."

Doug chuckles as his hand rubs deeper into Rarity's mane, the mare's eyes rolling up in pure contentment. "Yeah, you know me, I prefer comfort s-"

He cuts himself off, glancing over at Twilight and the growing blush on her cheeks, then at the young dragon staring at him. Doug awkwardly coughs, his eyes going to Rarity, "Just a, um, late breakfast with some comfort... spices."

Spike raises an eyebrow, "You realize I'm fifteen, right? I know what sex is." He points a claw at Rarity, "And, given that she's getting like Twilight does when she gets a new box of books delivered,"

Twilight gasps, "Spike!"

"I'm thinking that we ought to give them their privacy," Spike finishes.

Rarity groans as she shakes Doug's hand out of her mane, "As much as I might like that, there is something else we need to address." She puts a hoof on Doug's chest, lightly pushing him to a sitting position. "Doug. Please, relax." Doug takes a deep breath, glancing up at the pancakes cooking.

Spike smiles, "Don't worry about those! I'll take care of it." The dragon climbs up to the stove, grabbing the spatula and readying himself for when any of the pancakes need flipping. He even goes so far to pour a new batch of pancakes, tossing in the nuts and most of the chocolates while keeping a few for himself to sample.

Twilight nervously looks back and forth, one eye raising as she says, "Wait, nopony cares that I..."

Rarity softly smiles at Twilight, "Please, darling, what you do in the privacy of your... I assume bedroom, is your own business. Unless you wish for us to help." She winks at Twilight, the purple unicorn's blush deepening as Rarity turns back to Doug. "Now, to the heart of the matter. Doug, something is obviously wrong, and it would be best if you let us help you. I've noticed that you can't stop glancing at Twilight's or my horn. And from what Applejack was saying, and what I've seen, it sounds like every time we use magic you tense up, if not something more drastic."

Doug grimaces, his hands steadying himself on the counter. "It's just... I just can't help but think about Nightmare Moon." He offers a pleading look to Rarity, "Just... just don't push it, okay? It'll get better over time, I'm sure."

6 The Last One Standing, Part One

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Rarity delicately places a hoof on Doug's side as he finishes the pancakes. "Darling, would you like us to not use magic around you at all? If you think that would help, I am sure Twilight wouldn't mind either."

Doug shakes his head as Twilight nods, the human saying, "No. No, I don't want you to hinder yourselves like that. It's just..." he sighs, one hand rubbing his temples while the other returns to Rarity's mane, "Just try to keep it small, okay?" He glances at Twilight, "And nothing besides levitation. I think I can handle that."

"Okay, Doug," Rarity says, her voice softly cooing, "now, look at me please." Doug glances down as Rarity's horn lights, the knob of the burner turning off. He flinches slightly, Rarity's hoof rubbing circles on his side. "There, darling, that wasn't so bad, hmm?" Doug slowly breathes in and out, returning a small smile to Rarity.

"Would you like me to try?" tentatively asks Twilight. At Doug's hesitant nod her horn lights, a bit more of a reaction as Doug's breath catches in his throat. Twilight levitates a pencil, holding it at arms length from the human.

Doug sighs before he forces a smile, "Look, I appreciate the help, I really do. But I need to get back to work, and I'm sure the same is true of both of you." Doug grimaces as he snatches the pencil from Twilight's purple aura, a wary look at the object. He glances at Twilight as her stomach rumbles, his demeanor getting more relaxed, "If you'd like, I can whip us up some lunch before you leave. A little early for that, so maybe just a snack?"

Twilight grins, "I'd love a daffodil and daisy sandwich! Extra mayonnaise, if you please!"

Spike grins, rubbing his claws together, "Got any topaz?"

"Hmm," Doug says, glancing at Rarity. At the shake of her head, "I don't think I have any here; you'll have to bum them off of the ever regal Rarity once she gets back to the Boutique." Doug lifts her hoof as Rarity rolls her eyes, "And what can I get the lovely Madame?"

"Oh, stop it, you, you're making Spike blush," the unicorn says with a grin as Doug delicately pecks her hoof, her light red cheeks a sharp contrast to Spike's pensive look. "I'll take the same as Twilight."

"Sure thing. Spike, you know what you want instead?"

"Hay fries? Extra crispy!" Spike huffs at Doug's pause, "Oh, come on! You don't have those, either?"

"Maybe not fries, but I've got some leftover hay chips." Doug offers a conciliatory smile, "Also, I might have a little something special to add."

Spike's eyes grow wide as saucers, "Fire Sauce?" At Doug's nod Spike pumps a fist and eagerly shouts, "Woohoo!" at the promised treat. He leans over, elbowing Twilight in the foreleg, "Can you believe it? I told you this town was awesome!"

Doug laughs as he walks up to the pantry, "Don't let Rainbow hear you say that, or she'll think you're trying to steal her thunder!" He quickly returns, three plates loaded with the requested lunches. Both unicorns levitate their sandwiches, Doug barely reacting, as Spike dips one of the hay chips into the small bowl of Fire Sauce, a loud belch interrupting Twilight from her meal.

"Spike!" Twilight admonishes, a glare at the only slightly recalcitrant dragon. "Watch your manners when we're guests!"

"But, I thought that was a compliment to the chef!" Spike huffs, pouting as he eats another chip laden with dip. "Besides!" he says, bits of hay flying out of his mouth, "it's probably a dragon custom! Or it should be." Doug bows as he returns to the kitchen, returning with a plate stacked high with pancakes, carrots and greens.

"I wish I could say I find the dip as delightful as you do," smirks Rarity, "but I suppose I shall try to give my compliments to the chef for this meal!" She looks down at the crumbs of what used to be her sandwich. She gulps, what might have passed for a burp by a grasshopper escaping her dainty lips.

"You call that a compliment?" Spike grins, a huge intake of breath before his eyes bulge out. He gags, then coughs, a huge belch expelling a column of green smoke and fire into the air.

"FIRE!" shouts Doug, his plate clattering to the table as he sprints into the kitchen. Twilight casually watches the flames dissipate into nothing as they rise into the air, Rarity hurriedly backing away from the table as Spike breathes a sigh of relief. All three watch as a letter coalesces out of the smoke, dropping into Spike's waiting claws. Doug dashes back into the dining room, holding a bucket of water at the ready as he scans for any lingering remnants.

Spike clears his throat as he opens the letter; Doug raises an eyebrow, glancing at Twilight who confirms that everything is okay with a nod. Doug settles back, holding a hand to his chest as Spike clears his throat and reads:

"Hear ye, hear ye! Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of February.

Princess Celestia, in recognition of her service to the Crown, cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest. P-"

Rarity and Twilight Sparkle both gasp, shouting in unison, "THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA!!"

Rarity's horn lights, pulling the nearest chair underneath her as she nearly faints, "Oh, my heavens! You cannot be serious!"

Spike burps again, expelling another burst of green flame that coalesces into two golden pieces of paper. "Look! Two tickets!"

Twilight Sparkle practically oozes glee, "Wow, great! I've never been to the Gala! Have you, Spike?"

"No," Spike groans, rolling his eyes, "and I plan to keep it that way. I don't want any of that girly frilly frou-frou nonsense." He waves a claw dismissively, tossing the tickets onto the floor.

Twilight sighs, "Aww, come on, Spike. A dance would be nice!" She levitates the tickets over, placing them on the table next to her plate and uneaten sandwich.

"NICE!?" Rarity exclaims, bolting out of the chair. She plants a hoof on Twilight's chest, "The Grand Galloping Gala is not nice. It is not a dance. It is only THE most extravagant affair held in Equestria! And it is only held in Canterlot Castle but once every several years! Ponies dream of being invited! My most beautiful work is commissioned for the one time a pony is invited to the Gala!" She backs away, her tone losing its edge and becoming wistful, "I myself have never had the opportunity to attend, but wouldn't it just be amazing? The society, the culture, the glamour! It's where I truly belong!"

"Oh, please," Doug says, interrupting Rarity's gushing about the event as she takes a breath. "That sounds like the most pretentious group of... ponies imaginable. No offense, Twilight." Doug grabs the bucket of water, walking back to the kitchen while he shakes his head.

"None taken," the purple unicorn replies, half paying attention as she rereads the official letter.

"Oh, come now, darling," Rarity says, nuzzling Doug as he walks by, "It would be a fabulous way to network, to finally get the Carousel Boutique off the ground and into the limelight! Imagine! I would stroll through the Gala, and everypony would wonder, 'Who is that mysterious mare?' They would never guess that I was just a simple pony from little old Ponyville. Why, I would cause such a sensation that I would be invited for an audience with Princess Celestia herself!"

"Wow," Twilight says, awkwardly scratching the floor with a hoof, "you've been planning this for a while now, haven't you?"

"Sadly, I have a lot of free time at the Boutique," Rarity sighs, a forlorn look towards Canterlot Castle. "Especially when I'm designing new dresses for the nobles. But, besides, this would be the perfect way for me to introduce my designs on a more personal scale! And, when ponies saw the excellent quality of my work?" Her eyes beam, staring off into the distance.

"Well, when you put it that way," Twilight says, glancing at Spike, "How would you like to go with me?"

"Oh, darling," Rarity exclaims, the front door opening as she wraps the unicorn in a hug, "that would be absolutely wonderful! You must take me to the Grand Galloping Gala!"

"The Grand Galloping Gala?" Applejack nearly shouts as she walks into the dining room. Her eyes go wide as she spots the two tickets on the table. "Twilight? You actually have tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala?" She loudly cheers, prancing in place, "Land sakes! Ah bet that Ah could drum up a whole heap of business for Sweet Apple Acres! Ponies would come from all 'round to chow down on our tasty vittles!" Her muzzle curls into a grin, "And that sure would help with a lot of the expenses we have 'round here. Those fillies ain't cheap, ya know?" Applejack waggles her hips back and forth, "And we could catch up on a lot of those big repairs we've been putting off. Like replacing that saggy old roof! And Big Mac's saggy old plow! And Granny Smith could replace that saggy old hip!"

Applejack sighs, mirroring Rarity as she stares off into the distance, "Why, Ah'd give mah left hind leg to go to that Gala."

Doug raises an eyebrow as he walks back into the dining room, "Really?"

Twilight stammers, "Oh, well, um," as her eyes bounce back and forth between Applejack and Rarity, nervously pawing the ground.

Rarity coughs, "Well, as much as I would hate to see you crippled like that, Applejack, there's only one problem. You see, Twilight has already offered me the extra ticket! I'm dreadfully sorry, of course, but you know how much this means to me!"

"Yeah, well, it means a lot to me, too!" Applejack snarls. "You only managed to snag that ticket from Twilight here because you saw her with it first!"

"That's ridiculous!" Rarity shouts, Twilight hunkering down as Rarity and Applejack nearly butt heads. All three turn, surprised looks as the front door bursts open.

Rainbow Dash flies in to the room, a friendly, "Hey, everypony!" She glances at Twilight, her muzzle briefly curling to a scowl before she shakes her head. She smiles around the room, "Just had to keep those afternoon showers from becoming morning showers, you know?" She drops the weather manuals onto the table, grabbing the unattended sandwich and scarfing it down before she spots the plate of pancakes. She grins, flying over and nuzzling Doug.

"Yes?" The human says, a grim stare at the pegasus. Rarity returns to her contest and pushes Applejack, snarling right back.

"Thanks for making me lunch?" Rainbow says, beaming a smile up at Doug. "Bestest buddy?"

"You can have half," Doug says with a grin, wrapping some of the greens in a pancake. "Happy?" Applejack pushes Rarity back, nearly bowling over the unicorn.

"Eh. I guess that'll work. For now." Rainbow grabs one of the pancakes, cramming it into her mouth. She rapidly chews before she notices the two tickets on the table. Her mouth drips bits of pancakes as she reads the golden writing to herself, her eyes gradually getting bigger and bigger. She turns, wide eyes looking at Doug as she shouts, "The Grand Galloping Gala!"

Doug groans, "Don't tell me you want to go, too." Rarity's horn lights, Applejack's eyes going wide as Rarity pushes back, now assisted by her magic.

"Are you foaling me?" Rainbow throws her hooves into the air, "The Grand Galloping Gala is only, like, the event to go to! And you know who's going to be there?"

Doug deadpans, "The Princess? Es?" Rarity drags a chair between herself and Applejack. Both ponies put a hoof on the chair; Rarity's horn stays lit, the two then struggling to push over the other's foreleg. Twilight sits back, a confused look at the two wrestling ponies.

Rainbow rolls her eyes, "The Wonderbolts! Duh! They only perform at the Gala every year!" She grabs the tickets, reading over them again before spotting the letter. She drops the tickets back onto the table, reading through the fancy writing. She mutters to herself, "February... February... Hey, that'll give me enough time to make sure I'm in top shape!" She beams, "And I'll be able to perfect my routine!"

Doug raises an eyebrow, "So, you wouldn't go with your old routine that you used before?" Applejack and Rarity continue struggling, Rarity's horn beginning to shower sparks everywhere. Doug starts to glance towards the flicking lights before rapidly turning back, shuddering as he locks his eyes on Rainbow. Twilight returns to Doug at the table, sitting down and looking around for her sandwich.

Rainbow grunts out, "Well, you can't just reapply with the same stunts, you know? I've got to use something new! Something even more spectacular! Maybe I can use a few of my better tricks to lead up to it, things that I know I can nail perfectly. But the finale will have to be something truly awesome!"

Doug nods his head as he rolls up another pancake, "To impress the Wonderbolts? Well, if somepony can pull it off!" Rainbow raises a pancake, bumping it against Doug's. The chair groans underneath Applejack and Rarity's weight as they strain against each other, pushing even harder. Twilight picks up the empty plate, rubbing her stomach as if trying to decide whether or not she was the one to eat her sandwich.

"You know it!" Rainbow's eyes beam, glistening as she waxes on, "I can see it now! Everypony would be watching the sky, their eyes riveted on The Wonderbolts! But then, in would fly Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow makes little sputtering noises as she pantomimes flying around and spinning about. She shifts to zooming noises, her wings fluttering back and forth, "First off, I would draw their attention with my Super Speed Strut!"

Doug smiles, "Hey, I remember that one!" Applejack snarls, her gaze locked on Rarity's eyes as the unicorn bares her teeth right back.

Rainbow rapidly nods, "Yup! Then, I would mesmerize them with my Filly Flash! And for my grand finale, the Buccaneer Blaze! The ponies would go wild!" Rainbow beams, a euphoric haze in her eyes, "The Wonderbolts would insist that my signature moves be incorporated into their routine, and then welcome me as their newest member!" Rainbow happily sighs, a smile on her muzzle as she looks around the farmhouse for a few seconds, finally spotting the owner of the tickets. "Don't you see, Twilight?"

Doug raises an eyebrow, "Weren't the Wonderbolts, like, here yesterday? What happened then?" The two wrestling ponies break their match as the front door opens, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walking in. The two newcomers raise their eyebrows at the competition going on before walking over to Doug. Twilight shakes her head, a slight frown at her still grumbling stomach.

Rainbow awkwardly scratches her head, a sheepish look away from Doug, "Well, um, I may have met up with Captain Spitfire. And a few of the other Wonderbolts in attendance." She sighs, "But, well, I'm too old now to go through the expedited application. Since they wouldn't be getting as many prime years out of me." Rainbow's glower fades as she looks back up, a hopeful smile, "But... maybe, if I awe everypony there? They'll have to let me in!" She looks over at Twilight, "You gotta take me! This could be my one chance!" Her wings flap as she takes to the air, the tickets blowing in the breeze.

Both tickets land on Fluttershy's flank, the mare shrieking as she bolts into the kitchen. Rainbow Dash snickers as she grabs the last of Doug's pancakes, scarfing it down. Doug gets up, concern on his face as he goes into the kitchen to check on Fluttershy.

Pinkie Pie stares at the two tickets on the ground. A few seconds later she says, "Hey, those aren't bats!" She flips the tickets over, "Wait, these are..." Her eyes get bigger and bigger, shouting, "Tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala! It's the most amazing incredible tremendous super-fun wonderful terrifically humongous party in all of Equestria! I've always always always wanted to go!" Rainbow Dash plants a hoof on her face as Pinkie Pie launches into a song.

In the kitchen, Doug slowly strokes Fluttershy's mane, the mare cowering in the corner. "Hey, 'Shy," he quietly says, Pinkie Pie's song only somewhat muffled, "Are you okay? It was just a few pieces of paper."

"Oh," comes the timid response. Fluttershy shakes as she looks up at Doug, "It just... the rustling of the paper, and the way it landed on my flank... It reminded me of the timber wolves."

Doug slowly nods his head, rubbing his hand along her spine. "Just the light touch?" he asks, his hand creeping closer and closer to the faint scars hidden under her coat. "I never noticed it before."

"Well, I don't think you're going to attack me," Fluttershy says, glancing back at her flank. "So it doesn't trigger the same reaction. I know your touch." She snuggles up next to Doug, his hand slipping into her soft mane, "It's just... the brush of air against my flank, followed by something unexpected touching me." She shudders into his arms, slowly relaxing as his hand rubs against her back.

Twilight walks into the kitchen, scowling as Pinkie Pie pronks after her, spouting a non-stop stream of nonsense words. Twilight pauses as she spots Doug and Fluttershy sitting there, coughing and saying, "I don't suppose you can make me another sandwich? I... I'm still hungry."

Pinkie Pie continues unabated, "And sundaes and sun beams and sarsaparilla. And I'll get to play my favorite-tist of favorite fantabulous games like Pin the Tail on the Pony! Oh, thank you, Twilight! Going to the Grand Galloping Gala with you? It's the most wonderfulest gift ever!"

Doug nods at Twilight, a quick hug to Fluttershy as she drops to her hooves. Doug sifts through the fridge, gathering the ingredients, gritting his eyes against Pinkie Pie's enthusiastic torrent.

Fluttershy pauses, gaping at Twilight. Her head cranes as she peers at the dining room table, spotting the two tickets. "Um, are those what I think they are?"

Pinkie Pie nods fervently, "YES! Yes they are! I can't believe it, but Twilight is taking ME to the GRAND GALLOPING GALA in Canterlot!"

Twilight stammers, "Um," as she holds a hoof up.

Fluttershy sheepishly looks to the side, "Oh. Well, um, okay. I guess." She sighs, "It's just... it would be very nice. But that's okay."

Pinkie Pie nods once, putting a comforting hoof on Fluttershy. "I know, 'Shy. I wish we all could go with Twilight to the Grand Galloping Gala."

Fluttershy nods, "I... yes. It... it would have been perfect."

Twilight raises an eyebrow at Fluttershy, "You want to go to the Gala?"

Fluttershy eagerly nods, "Oh, yes. I mean, no. Well, actually, kind of, or, not to the. You see, it's not so much the Grand Galloping Gala as it is the wondrous private gated garden that surrounds the dance. The flowers-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Twilight says with a sigh, Fluttershy quieting down. "It's beautiful, the flora is great, the fauna is swell, I get it." She looks around the room, the other three mares staring at her from the open doorway. She smiles as Doug hands her a second sandwich, her muzzle curling up as she takes a bite. She huffs, "I don't suppose you all are here for more food, too."

Rainbow Dash raises a hoof, "I'd like some more pancakes!"

Applejack snorts,"Oh, Rainbow, Ah don't think you ever stop eating. No, Twilight, we want to know who gets the extra ticket! Ah need it for drumming up more business for Sweet Apple Acres!"

Rainbow Dash pushes Applejack to the side, "Living the dream!"

Pinkie Pie pushes past Applejack and Rainbow Dash, "Best Party Ever!"

Rarity sticks her head into the group, "Find my Prince!"

Fluttershy meekly says, "Um... See the animals?"

Twilight retreats away from the five ponies, "Stop, stop, stop! I can't think with all this noise! I'm sorry, but I can't make a decision like this just yet. I need time to think, and to finish this meal." She shoos away the five ponies with her hoof, "So, please, let me make this decision in peace."

The five mares sigh, sheepishly walking back to the front door. Applejack turns, "Well, Twilight, Ah want you make the choice you feel is right."

Twilight smiles, "Yes. Me too. Except, Rarity. Can you stay?" The five ponies turn, Rarity with a confused expression as the rest of them glare. Twilight quickly adds, "Oh, um, I'm not giving her the ticket. Not yet, at least. So you don't have to worry about that."

The ponies slowly nod, Rainbow looking up to the sky. Rainbow says, "Well, we better hurry, if we want to beat the showers." She glumly adds, "And I never got my extra pancakes."

Applejack lightly nudges the pegasus, "Ah'll bring ya round something, Rainbow, but you better go make sure the clouds are starting right. Ah'd hate for it to start early or something, while Ah'm getting back to Ponyville."

Rarity and Spike walk to the kitchen as the other four exit the house. "You wanted to ask me something, darling?"

7 The Last One Standing, Part Two

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"Well," Twilight pauses, trying to figure out how she wants to phrase her response. She finally blurts out, "You're in a herd with Doug, correct?"

"Yes. Second mare, of the five of us." Rarity peers at Twilight, then Spike. "Is something the matter?"

"Well, you said, just now, that you wanted to 'Find my Prince' at the Gala." The temperature in the room palpably increases as Twilight stares daggers at Rarity. Doug finishes his carrots, his lips pursed to a tense frown as he chews. Spike likewise raises an eyebrow, dipping the last of his haychips into the Fire Sauce. The biting edge in Twilight's voice cuts through the air, "I don't suppose you want to, I don't know, explain that to me?"

"Ah." Rarity turns to Doug, walking over and nuzzling him. "I know this will be uncomfortable, darling, but try not to let it disturb you too much, okay? Twilight is going to cast her magic detection spell on you. I promise it is harmless, and please let us know if it bothers you too much."

Twilight raises an eyebrow as Doug flinches, "I am? What does that have to do with anything?"

Rarity glances at Twilight, "I promise that my explanation will make more sense after you have seen this." She turns back to Doug, one hoof gently rubbing into his back, "Everything will be all right, dear. Trust me."

Doug slowly nods as he sits down. His body shakes as he lifts Rarity, tightly holding the unicorn is his lap. "I... I think I can do that. If I know it's coming." He squeezes his arms and legs, clenching his eyes shut, slowly releasing the tension before he says to Twilight, "O- Okay. I'm ready."

Twilight shrugs as she moves forward, a thrumming pervading the room as her horn lights. Doug's breathing gets shorter and faster, noticeably shuddering at the sounds of her hooves as the she thrusts her horn forward. The room lights up, two brilliant equine shapes and a small green blur against a dark backdrop. Surrounding them is a purple tint on nearly everything, the whole room pulsing with magic - it courses through the wooden walls and floorboards, the food, the creatures. Twilight gapes, slowly walking around the one blank spot, a black void where the human should be.

Rarity nuzzles Doug, the bright blue aura whispering to nothing, "You are doing incredibly well, darling. I'm so proud of you." She grins as his hand grips her mane, hiding her grimace a little as his fingers curl deeper; she can feel the hairs that will be out of place. But, given that she will likely need to redo it after her upcoming hurried jaunt through the rain showers, she can deal with a few strands that aren't perfectly positioned. It is the least she can do, given what they all went through.

Twilight quietly says to herself, slowly getting louder, "He has no magic. How does he have no magic? That shouldn't be possible! All life has magic! Everything has magic!"

Rarity nods, "Yes, well, the answer to that will have to come another day. Suffice it to say that Doug is not... native to Equus. We don't know how he got here, or where he came from. And since he started a new life here, with Applejack and myself and the others, he has no intention of returning home."

Twilight fixes Rarity with a hard stare, then Doug. Spike pulls out a long roll of parchment, ready to take notes. Twilight says, a touch of confusion mixed with doubt, "Okay. I... Wait. Really?" Her hooves come to her head as her elbows rest on the table, trying to massage the impossibilities away. "I'm having a hard time believing that." She sighs, "But I also didn't believe you on the magic part, either." The light around her horn fades, the room returning to its normal saturation.

"Or the foal part," Doug unhelpfully adds as he looks around, his body visibly relaxing as he cracks a smile.

Twilight groans, rolling her eyes, "Yes, or that. Fine. I'll accept this for now, but I want an explanation later. Promise me that?" At Doug's cautious nod she continues, Spike putting away the paper, "Okay. So, how does this relate to the 'Prince' part?"

"Oh dear," Rarity says, exchanging an unhappy look with Doug, though he tries to smile encouragingly back. "Well, you see how Doug does not have any magic, correct?"

Twilight coldly responds, "I'm still having a hard time believing it, but yes."

Rarity slowly nods before saying, "Well, you see, because of their mixed heritage, each of the foals has difficulty with magic. They have far fewer thaums available for everyday use compared to most other ponies. Which means that certain magical tasks, those that you or I find trivial? The fillies struggle with to the point of being insurmountable. For instance, Scootaloo can barely generate enough lift to stay aloft, but is able to rapidly push herself around on her scooter. Hedge, on the other hoof, can hover for a short duration, but quickly tires and can barely move laterally. Sweetie Belle struggles with simple levitation." Rarity glances to the floor, "And you know how important raw power is to a unicorn, especially a young filly."

Twilight thinks back to when she got her cutie mark, the first (though by no means only) time she nearly failed a test involving magic. But, to barely be able to lift a dragon egg, much less hatch it? Or the other magical effects that happened then, or that she has been able to perform since? To be denied all that?

Rarity continues, "The various earth pony fillies don't show as obviously, yet they similarly struggle with magical application, such as when they are planting and tending to crops. And there is little hope of it improving." She gives a sad smile to Twilight, then nestles her head against Doug's chest.

"Oh." Twilight solemnly walks over, slowly pressing a hoof to Rarity's withers, a soft nuzzle to her glum friend. "I... I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"It's quite all right, darling, we have all long come to terms with what it means for them." Rarity softly smiles at Doug, the human returning a forced smile in return. "We do our best to not treat the foals any differently, and none of us will stand to hear a disparaging remark against them. I don't want you to treat them differently, either. They are still ponies, and quite capable of performing any task ahead of them, though the application of their efforts may surprise you."

"Okay, I can do that," Twilight says, slowly nodding her head. "But, what does this have to do with the Gala and the 'Prince'?"

Rarity moves back, nuzzling Doug as she says, "We, that is to say Doug and I, talked about it before. Should I want to have another foal. And, after all this time, I think that I am ready." Rarity sighs, "Unfortunately, we don't exactly have a lot of options in that regard. They boil down to not have more foals, an option I am not particularly enthusiastic about. Wait and hope something new is discovered. But, after seven years?" Rarity frowns, "I don't exactly have forever to wait. As I'm sure you know."

Twilight gives her an encouraging smile, "But you still have plenty of time, right?"

Rarity nods, "Sure, another twenty years, give or take. But we will still face the same problem next year, and the year after that, until it is too late. Or we are rushed into the decision by the hard facts of biology. And it is better on the foal the earlier we make that decision." Rarity grimaces, "I suppose I could simply have a foal with Doug and hope for the best. After seven years of little progress, that option is looking more and more... acceptable. But we both wish to spare her the difficulties that Sweetie Belle faces. Now, we believe that the condition our foals suffer from will end with them; that is to say, they will not pass it along to their own offspring. Which is why we are considering that option."

"I suppose that is reassuring," Twilight says, slowly pushing a hoof against the floor. "And I guess the last option is this 'Prince'?"

Rarity glances up to Doug before she nods, "The rest of the herd knows, of course; they respect our decision, but don't want the same for their own future foals, should we choose to continue expanding our little herd."

Twilight's eye squints, "So, what, you just pick a stallion and-"

"No, dear," Rarity shakes her head. "Not just any stallion. Doug met the esteemed Prince Blueblood, oh, two? Two and a half years ago?" She glances at Doug, continuing at his nod, "Had a wonderful time working with him during their week long trip to the farming communities of Vanhoover. The Gala would be my chance to do a bit of scouting of my own, make sure that he lives up to his reputation. Not that I am worried, of course." Rarity sighs, "Unfortunately, I would not be able to marry him, so I won't ever get that royal wedding and Princess title."

"You know," Doug says with a smirk, "If I married a Princess, that would make me a Prince. And then, wouldn't all of you become Princesses?"

Rarity stares at Doug for a few seconds before her eyes spring open. "Darling! That is perfect! Oh, Twilight, I take it all back." She moves over, nuzzling the purple unicorn, "The extra ticket must go to Doug." Rarity turns, planting a hoof on Doug's chest, "And you better not mess this up for me!"

Doug rolls his eyes, "Come on, Rarity, we both know that's not what you want." He firmly grabs hold of her foreleg, lifting and pulling the unicorn to a two legged stand. She pirouettes, a cheerful smile on her muzzle at the impromptu dance. She grunts as one arm goes to her flanks, gripping tightly and lifting the unicorn to his lips. Rarity bats her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering as she coos. Doug says, "How about this. I'll think about it. But for now, we all have work to get to, right?"

Rarity sighs, "Yes, I suppose we do." Her tails swats his flank, smirking up as he sets her back on the ground. "Come, Twilight. Doug, you will be all right by yourself, correct?"

Doug nods, a relaxed smile as he waves to the two departing unicorns. They get to the door, opening it and glancing at the cloudy skies, though they thankfully haven't started raining yet. He looks up as Twilight turns around, a puzzled Rarity glancing back but continuing outside at a hurried trot.

Twilight opens her mouth before closing it, the two staring at each other for a few seconds. Spike coughs as Twilight finally says, "Doug, do you want to go to the Gala?"

Doug shrugs, "Eh. Not really. I would only know a few ponies there, especially if the rest of the herd isn't coming. I'm not that interested in the events, or the dancing." He smirks, "I don't think I'd hit on Celestia, much as Rarity might want me to. Just chat with her instead."

"Princess Celestia," Twilight corrects. "You should use her proper title. And you shouldn't be hitting on her, either!"

Doug stares at Twilight for a few seconds before saying, "Sure. You know, I'd probably just spend most of the time sitting around and enjoying the food. Maybe see if I could find Prince Blueblood and chat with him. Or Spitfire, get her to autograph something for Rainbow. Who knows, I could just wander around the grounds all night. Might do one dance, if they have something appropriate." He shrugs, "So I think I'd find something at least marginally enjoyable to do."

Twilight nods, "Well, this whole extra ticket thing is really eating at me. I don't know who to give it to!"

Doug motions to the dragon, "Just give it to Spike."

"Aww," Twilight groans, dancing on her hooves as Spike holds a claw to his mouth and gags, "But then all of them will be unhappy that they didn't get to go! Even if I gave away my ticket as well, three of my five friends would be very disappointed with me! They would think that we aren't good enough friends!"

Doug nods, "Yup. I would hate to be in that spot."

Twilight nods, a smile growing on her muzzle, "Good. Great. So, here's your ticket." She levitates one of the two tickets, "Do with it whatever you'd like, but I don't want this hanging over my head any more. I'm giving the other one to Spike, and I'd like you to keep an eye on him at the Gala."

Doug cocks his head, "Really? So, the two creatures who don't want to go to the Gala get to go? What sense does that make?"

"Easy," Twilight says with a smile. "Spike, take a note." The dragon dutifully pulls out a quill and parchment, "If I don't get to go to the Gala with all of my friends, I'm going to go with none of them. Or, not go, as the case may be."

"Oh." Doug frowns, "So, I'm not your friend."

Twilight's stunned expression is too much for Doug, the human exploding with laughter as he roars, "Kidding! Kidding."

Twilight shakes her head, restoring some feeling, "Oh my Celestia! I'm so sorry! I heavily implied that you aren't my friend!"

Doug rolls his eyes, "No, Twilight, I'm sorry. I was just foaling around. I'd be happy to consider you my friend."

Twilight pulls at her eyes, oblivious to the conversation going on around her, dropping to the floor and whimpering.

Doug sighs, glancing at Spike, "So, what do you do when she gets like this?"

"I don't know," Spike says sarcastically, "I'm apparently not her friend either." Spike pouts, glaring at Twilight. "Find a comic to read for fifteen minutes?" Spike shrugs, putting away the parchment, "Unless you need her for something. Then I tear a piece of paper. But that backfires sometimes, makes things way worse."

Doug stares at the piece of golden paper on the table. "Eh, probably not worth it." He sweeps the manic unicorn into his arms, hugging the now startled mare. "I'm sorry I said that you aren't my friend, Twilight."

"Oh." Twilight snorts as she recovers, glancing at Spike. "I should have realized that was a joke, huh?"

"Sorry it wasn't that good of one," Doug says, dropping the unicorn back down, though she still catches Spike's eye roll and nod. "Anyway, thank you for the ticket. I'm sure I'll find something to do there."

"Yes, you and Spike both." Twilight nods, glancing outside. The dark clouds loom ominously, the crack of thunder as rain begins to pour from the heavens. She sighs, a wave to Doug before she walks to the front door, debating how best to get back to Ponyville without getting soaked.

Doug grabs the weather manuals from the table before heading to his office, closing his eyes as he rests his hand on the desk, trying not to focus on the ticket now sitting next to him.

8 The Last One Standing, Part Three

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Twilight happily sighs as she stares out of the farmhouse. Water is coming down in buckets, promising to soak the poor purple unicorn to the bone. And yet, she can't seem to get herself to care. As if the weight of Equestria has been lifted off of her withers, and it doesn't matter if she gets drenched. Or, maybe it does. While she won't need to trifle herself with appearances, neither here nor at the Gala, that doesn't mean she wants to catch a cold from trotting around in the rain.

Perhaps a shield spell would work, though it might be hard to continuously channel it as she walks along. And it would leave her hooves muddy. Maybe if she made a spherical shield, and rolls around inside of it? Twilight smirks; while an entertaining suggestion, it would be even more draining on her magic. More than quadruple the output, since she'll be at least doubling the area of the simultaneous impacts.

Teleportation? Maybe if she had a clear destination in mind. She's spent the most time in the library, the town hall, and the Carousel Boutique. But any of those places might be occupied; and while the risk of a catastrophic failure is always possible, though unlikely for a unicorn with her talents, the likelihood dramatically increases if one doesn't have an unimpeded line of sight to an unoccupied (besides air, of course) destination. And if she merely skips from one visible point to the next, she'll either need to find areas completely covered or tire herself out displacing the rain. And she needs to get back to the library, the books are still everywhere. And filthy. Ugh.

She could just cut loose, scamper through the rain and the mud and the puddles like a particularly unruly filly. While Velvet isn't around to yell at her she can still hear her dam's admonishing tone in the back of her mind. Echoing around just like when dam yelled at her brother every time he tracked a bunch of mud into the house after one of his guard training sessions. And then, once she got back to the library, she'd have to clean her hooves off, and then dry off her mane and coat without it turning into another fiasco like what happened two days ago. She just knows Rarity would catch her if that happened, and drag her kicking and screaming to the Boutique. And then she'd still have to clean up the library. Which is still filthy. Ugh.

Grow an extreme excess of facial hair on Spike, using the ensuing hair monster as an umbrella? Then, just wash her hooves off with rainwater after she gets to the library? Well, levitation is far easier than a shield spell, as far as sustaining a personal version goes.

That could work.

Plan A, ready.

"Okay, Spike," Twilight says, levitating the small dragon to her back.

"Yes?" comes the, to his credit, only slightly wavering voice of her newly reinstated Best Assistant Ever.

Twilight takes an adventurous step outside, "Okay, this is going to feel a little weird." Twilight levitates Spike up, though she stops as the cadence of the rain immediately around her abruptly shifts, grinding to a halt.

Twilight glances up, a few rays of sunlight piercing through an opening in the clouds. A chromatic mane pokes out, Rainbow Dash waving to Twilight. The unicorn waves back, dropping Spike onto her back and asking in a confused voice, "What's going on? Rainbow?"

"Hi there, second best friend forever that I've ever ever had!" Rainbow shouts. She zips back and forth among the clouds above as Twilight starts walking along the road, the pegasus making sure Twilight isn't being rained on while the hole in the cloud layer doesn't get too large. She calls down, her normally raspy voice sounding as pleasant as possible, "Enjoying the sunny weather?"

"I am!" shouts Twilight, grinning back at Spike. The dragon returns a smile, glad to not be getting rained on. Twilight looks to the sky, "So, who's your first best friend forever that you've ever ever had?"

Rainbow merrily laughs, "Oh, you're a riot, Twilight Sparkle! I mean, that's just chronogo-... chronlo-... from when I met him! I met Doug first. But that doesn't mean he's a bester best friend forever than you!"

"Oh, well, thank you, Rainbow!" Twilight smirks, "I really appreciate you doing this out of the goodness of your heart! Loyalty to a friend!"

Rainbow grins as she rubs the back of her mane, continuing her quick pace, "Of course! I mean, I'd do this for anypony, you know?"

Twilight smiles, glancing ahead at the town and a few of the ponies scurrying about in the rain. "And, since you're definitely not doing this to try to get extra consideration for the ticket, I don't have anything to worry about!"

Rainbow nods, her smile getting larger and even more forced, "Yup! Exactly! Totally not doing it for that!"

"Good!" Twilight yells over the pounding of the rain around her, her coat still thankfully dry, "Because I already gave the ticket to Doug, and I'm so happy you're helping me out!"

"You WHAT?" Rainbow shouts, nearly letting Twilight get soaked by the rain as she stops clearing ahead. "BUT! But... but... the Wonderbolts! Everything I've worked towards!" She sighs as Twilight stops; the purple unicorn pokes a hoof forwards, raindrops bouncing off her foreleg, glancing up at the rainbow pegasus still hovering. Rainbow Dash, now dejected, continues clearing ahead, all of the excitement gone from her efforts.

At some point along the trip Rainbow lights up, as if she just had the most awesome idea ever. She groans as she looks down, Twilight continuing to plod along at her snail's pace. After about three forevers they finally get to the library, Twilight turning upwards and waving at Rainbow Dash. "Thanks for everything, Rainbow! You're a great friend!"

"Ofcourse noproblem you'rewelcome bye!" Rainbow shouts, a rainbow contrail as she speeds back to the farmhouse.

Twilight washes off her hooves, drying them with a quick heat spell. She needs to figure out a way to use that spell on the rest of her hair, otherwise her coat just gets all tangled and curly. She walks up to the front door of the library, pausing as she notices the door is slightly ajar. Twilight cautiously checks left and right before sticking her head through the doorway. "Hello?" she calls, Spike dropping from her back to peer inside as well.

Fluttershy greets her with a wave from deep in the library, "Oh! Hello, Twilight! Come inside! You must be soaked to the bone!" A pair of jays fly a towel over to the unicorn, chittering merrily. A pink aura snags the towel from midair, using it to clean the last of the water from her hooves as Twilight and Spike step inside.

The two look around the cluttered library, the many books still on the floor. However, a veritable army of squirrels, birds, and other assorted animals are attacking the books, bookshelves, and walls with fur, feathers, and feather dusters. A group of birds hover by two windows on opposite sides of the room, flapping their wings and creating a breeze that blows the dust out of the library. Fluttershy is hovering against one wall, scrubbing away with a sponge.

Fluttershy smiles at Twilight, fluttering over to her and cheerily saying, "I hope you don't mind, but we're all pitching in, helping with a little bit of spring cleaning."

Twilight deadpans, "It's summer." She smiles, "But, I still appreciate the help!"

Fluttershy grins, rubbing the back of her mane, "Heh! Better late than never, right? It was Angel's idea."

Angel Bunny waves while using his cottony tail to dust a few of the books on the ground. He simultaneously tosses a salad of carrots and greens, Twilight's stomach reminding her that it looks delicious and she is still a little hungry.

Twilight nods, moving forward and wrapping the pegasus in a hug, "Thank you so much for doing this, Fluttershy! It's so incredibly kind of you!"

Fluttershy hunches down a little as she returns the hug, awkwardly saying, "Oh, well, it's not that much."

Twilight nods, releasing Fluttershy as she motions around the room. "But it is! I was so worried about having to do all this dusting and cleaning myself, and here you are! And I'm so glad you aren't doing it for the ticket, either!"

Fluttershy raises an eyebrow, "I'm not?" At Angel Bunny's shake of the head Fluttershy recovers, "Oh! No, I mean, I'm doing this because I'm your very best friend!" Angel Bunny slaps a paw to his face and grimaces; he then stares at Fluttershy while nodding and smiling. Fluttershy takes a few seconds to get the hint before she mirrors the bunny and says, "Actually, wait. Yes. I am doing this just for the ticket." Angel Bunny walks over, offering Twilight the bowl of salad.

Twilight sighs, "Oh. Well, I'm sorry, but I already gave the ticket away."

Angel Bunny throws the salad into the air, spinning around and waving his tail at Twilight. He scampers off, pouting in the corner as Twilight catches the falling salad, neatly replacing all the vegetables now sorted by size and color.

Fluttershy gasps, "What? I mean. Oh." She sighs, her depressed frown enough to send most of the animals into despondent wailing, "I'm sorry, I just really, really, really, really hoped that I would be the pony to go with you to the Grand Galloping Gala."

"That's okay!" Twilight exclaims. "Nopony is going with me to the Gala!" Fluttershy gives her a puzzled look as Twilight continues, "I gave one ticket to Doug, and the other ticket to Spike! It's perfect, don't you see?"

The gears slowly turn in Fluttershy's head as she blankly nods. Her face lights up, a scheming grin spreading across her muzzle, "Yes! Yes, it is perfect. I agree. So, um, I'll just leave the animals here to help you continue cleaning up." She points a hoof at each animal in turn, managing to point at Angel Bunny three times and change the recalcitrant bunny from a mean look to a merely unhappy one and finally to a grumpy nod. The rest of the animals cheer up quickly as Fluttershy beams at Twilight, "And I'll... see you later, Twilight!" Fluttershy zips out of the library, barely disturbing the books she flies over.

"Huh," Twilight says, glancing over at Spike. The dragon shrugs, munching on one of the carrots from the salad before passing the bowl to Twilight. She happily snacks on the rest as the animals continue cleaning.

The salad finishes far quicker than she thought possible, though that might have been due to Spike's assistance. Her stomach grumbles; Twilight looks to the front door and sighs. "I wonder if I could teleport straight to Sugarcube Corner. I am still a little hungry."

As if on cue the door bursts open, an only slightly muddy Applejack standing outside. She calls, "Somepony looking for some more lunch?" and motions to the covered cart behind her. "Ah've still got a lot left! Apple pie, apple fritters, apple tarts, apple dumplings, and apple Brown Betty. Uh, the dessert, not my auntie. What do ya say there, best friend?" Applejack beams a smile at Twilight, tipping a bit of the water from her hat onto the porch outside.

"Ooh, hmm, all of those sound delicious! I'm only sad I have to pick just one of the five options!" Twilight holds a hoof to her chin, "Now, how do I choose between them?"

"Oh, shucks, that's easy!" laughs Applejack, deftly grabbing plates left and right. "Just pick one of each!"

"That's so generous of you!" says Twilight, the slight smirk growing on her muzzle quickly turn down. "Oh, wait. That would be Rarity, wouldn't it?" She sits back a little, holding a hoof to her chin as she ponders how to best complement Applejack.

"Oh, don't think nothing of it," replies Applejack, a cautious look at her muddy hooves. She waves the various desserts up and down, Twilight taking the hint and levitating each of them over to her. She solemnly holds a hoof to her chest, "Honestly, Ah'd do the same for any of my friends. And you, Twilight, are one of my best friends."

"Aww," Twilight says, moving over to nuzzle the farmpony, "That means so much to me! Especially because I already gave away the ticket, so I know that you aren't doing this to try to curry any extra favor with me!"

"You... you already gave away the ticket?" comes the stunned response. Applejack coughs, "And, um, since Ah'm sure not doing this only because Ah wanted that ticket, can Ah interest you in seconds? And, um, if'n you don't mind me asking, who was the lucky recipient?"

Twilight takes a bite of the apple fritters, a contented sigh at the taste. "I think I'll be good, thanks. And, to answer your question, Doug. Spike gets the other one."

"Doug, you say," Applejack murmurs, glancing back towards Sweet Apple Acres. She coughs, "Well, Twilight, it's been a right nice time meeting up with ya. Glad to see nopony going hungry 'round here. But Ah gotta skedaddle. See ya later!"

"Bye, Applejack!" Twilight calls, waving as the farmpony speeds off. One of the squirrels rushes over, wiping off any remnants of mud from the entrance. Twilight mutters to herself, "Three down, two to go." She peeks out the entrance to the library, saying, "I never thought that being showered with favors would be so freeing!" Twilight grins, walking back to start organizing books.

An explosion of pink confetti inches away from her face ends those plans before they can begin.

"SURPRISE!"

Pinkie Pie blows on a trumpet before pronking around, loudly singing, "Twilight is my bestest friend! Whoopie! Whoopie!"

Twilight groans, holding a hoof to her face. "Pinkie..."

Pinkie Pie continues unabated, rolling around while singing even louder, "She's the cutest, smartest, all around best pony! Pony!"

Twilight doesn't move from her spot. "Pinkie."

Pinkie Pie belts out, "I bet if I throw a super-duper fun party! Party!"

Twilight tries a little louder this time, "Pinkie!"

Pinkie Pie cannot be stopped, "She'll give her extra ticket to the Gala to meeee!"

Twilight belts out, "PIINKIIEE!"

Pinkie Pie innocently asks, "Yes, bestest friend Twilight?"

Twilight groans, "I don't have an extra ticket any more! I gave it to Doug! And at least the other ponies tried to be subtle about the ticket!" At Pinkie Pie's crestfallen face she continues almost unabated, her tone merely slightly softening, "Look. I'm sorry, Pinkie. I couldn't decide between which of my friends would get the ticket. And I didn't want even one friend to be left out of the excitement."

"Wait, Doug isn't your friend?" Pinkie Pie says, a confused look accompanying her raised eyebrow.

Twilight rolls her eyes, "Yes, Doug is my friend, too."

"Oh." Pinkie Pie squats down, sitting on her rump. "I don't get it." She immediately brightens up, "Oh wait, I get it! I'll just go to Doug, and get him to give the ticket to me! I just hope that nopony else got that idea before I did! See you later, best friend Twilight!"

Pinkie Pie disappears in a burst of balloons and streamers, Twilight coughing out a piece or two of confetti. A few birds fly over, blowing the biodegradable party materials outside.

Twilight gives an appreciative nod to the industrious animals, looking outside at the rain still coming down. She says to Spike, "Hmm; well, knowing Rarity, she has something planned for us. And, likely, she is either wandering around Ponyville looking for us, or is already on her way here. What do you say we beat her to the buck?"

Spike looks at the rain outside, "Are you sure about that? It's still raining. Do we have an umbrella?"

"Oh, I've got a better idea," Twilight says with a smirk. "Want to help me practice number twenty five?"

"Number twenty five?" Spike says, a puzzled look on his face that slowly turns to a mischievous grin. "Spiky likey number twenty fivey."

Moments later, a purple unicorn idly prances through the muddy streets of Ponyville, a giant mass of black mustaches levitating above her. She calls, "You doing okay up there, Spike?" as she walks towards the Carousel Boutique. The makeshift umbrella is doing wonders at keeping all of the rain off of her, though it doesn't quite keep out all the grumbles of the dragon when a particularly lucky raindrop pierces through his bristly barricade.

"I can't believe you can cast the spell that rapidly, Twilight," Spike replies, twirling the one mustache that all the other mustaches spring from. "If I wasn't about to eat my fill of gemstones, I'd be a little miffed at the rain! But I'm not!"

"That's great to hear, Spike!" Twilight calls back. "Wait, where are you going to get that many gems?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Spike says, holding up his ticket. "Ra-"

"Oh, there you are! Twilight, come quick, it's raining!" Rarity strides over, as quickly as a refined mare may while levitating an umbrella. Her eyes dart between the ticket and the mass of hair Twilight is holding up.

"Really?" Twilight says with a smile, "I hadn't noticed!"

"Yes, come with me before you... 're umbrella catches a cold," Rarity says, a confused look at Spike underneath an umbrella of mustaches. "Is that...?"

"Oh, you like it?" Spike says, a plucky wink at Rarity as he twirls the ticket through his claws. "It just so happens that I might have a few extra things laying around."

"Really? Oh, darling, you must tell me more!" Rarity coyly laughs as she escorts the two into the Carousel Boutique. Rarity dries off their hooves as Twilight fires a burst of magic at Spike, the mass of mustaches detaching from his upper lip. Rarity dumps the magically unstable mess of hair outside as Spike gives a forlorn sigh, waving at the departing defense. Rarity turns to the two relatively clean and dry creatures in front of her, a broad smile on her muzzle.

"Sorry about that," Twilight says, looking at Spike. "I don't know if I could have just left the one on."

Spike shakes his head, an unconcerned shrug as he smiles, "Eh, it wasn't getting me anywhere I wasn't already going." He flutters his non-existent eyelashes at Rarity while letting the ticket peek out from behind him, "Isn't that right?"

Rarity stares at him for a few seconds before deadpanning, "You think I'm going to let you eat your fill of gemstones in exchange for your ticket."

Spike shakes his head, "No!" At Rarity's continued stare he sighs, "Okay, yes. That's exactly what I thought you'd do."

"Darling, please. We are the best of friends, are we not?" Rarity beams a smile at Spike and Twilight, "I would never expect such a 'deal' from a friend, either offered or accepted. If you would like to eat your fill of gemstones? Then please, make yourself comfortable. My home is your home." Rarity graciously bows, holding a hoof towards her storeroom as Spike salivates. "Just, try to focus on the stockpiles I have the most of. And, if the taste is decent, eat any of those sickly green ones. The fear essences. And the blue crystal. I simply cannot find a use for them!"

"You got it!" Spike exclaims with glee, racing out of the room and leaving a puddle of saliva on the floor.

Rarity levitates a towel over, cleaning up the liquid before she turns to Twilight. "Now that he is out of the way, we can focus on what is truly important. After all, we are... truly the best of friends, are we not?" Twilight nods as Rarity grabs a blue and pink outfit, complete with saddle. Rarity pauses, "Now, I would like to hear you say it. I mean, if you don't feel that way, I perfectly understand and I wouldn't want to pressure you into anything."

Twilight shakes her head, "No, no, we're the best of friends. And friends do generous things for each other!" Twilight groans as Rarity slides the dress over her head. Her legs stretch in ways she didn't know they could as Rarity pulls and tugs, levitating various pieces over and around her until Twilight is fully strapped in. Twilight admires herself in the mirror Rarity wheels over, flipping a hoof through her mane. The polished necklace shines brightly, the pink accents are a good match for her aura, and the turquoise saddle complements her purple coat.

Rarity beams, "Oh, you're simply darling! Wouldn't you agree?" Twilight nods again, Rarity's grin growing larger as she seductively intones, her voice dripping with lasciviousness, "And you know what the best of friends do?"

Twilight briefly smiles, twisting and taking a second look at the saddle strapped to her back. Only two reasons to wear a saddle come to mind, and Spike getting a more comfortable ride isn't the one she is thinking of. Her smile slowly fades as she runs a hoof under her barrel, feeling the buckle holding the saddle in place. "Apparently the best of friends set each other up with their stallions, if this dress says anything."

Rarity snickers, "Is that what you think? Oh, they don't call you a savant for nothing! And, oh, my goodness, what a coincidence! I happen to have an ensemble of my own that matches yours to a T. Does that change your analysis at all?" She smirks, "We would be the belles of the ball, you and I. Everypony would be clamoring for our attention! All eyes would be on us-"

Twilight shakes her head, "Nope! Nope, nope, nope. I see what's going on!"

Rarity pauses, a slightly confused look at the purple unicorn. "You do?"

"Come on, Rarity!" Twilight motions to the saddle, the necklace, the dress, "You're trying to get me to go to the Gala with Doug!"

"What? No, that isn't at all!" Rarity shakes her mane back and forth, motioning to the second dress. Her voice draws out, as if trying to spell out her hint to a particularly dense young foal, "This is my dress. For when I go to the Gala." She points a hoof at Twilight, "And this is all about you, and how fabulous you'll look in your dress at the Grand Galloping Gala!"

"Me?" Twilight nearly shouts, motioning to the saddle, "I'll look like a whorse!"

Rarity gasps, "What? No, no, no! Darling, that isn't my intention at all! In a high society setting such as the Gala, the saddle has a completely different meaning! It shows that one is already spoken for, though the formalities of marriage have not yet been observed! Honestly, you should know this sort of thing, growing up in Canterlot! Wearing a dress like this would keep all of the stallions from hitting on you, since I can obviously see how uncomfortable that kind of attention must be for you! And, given your new status, you will be receiving all sorts of attention!"

"Wait, what?" Twilight says, a little taken aback. "Really?"

"Of course! You think..." Rarity snickers, trying to hold in her laughter and mostly failing, "You thought that you... Princess Celestia's personal prodigy, Bearer of the Element of Magic and Friendship, Liberator of Princess Luna, would go to the Grand Galloping Gala as a sky glider?" Rarity releases a very unladylike snort as she collapses to the floor, laughing her flanks off in loud guffaws. "Especially because I would be dressed the same way!"

Twilight closes her eyes, trying to restrain her building fury at the unicorn still rolling around on the sparkling clean floors. "Okay, okay. I was wrong. So, you're not looking to set me up with Doug. Or somepony at the Gala."

"And it isn't even the right kind of saddle if I was!" Rarity motions backwards with a hoof, "Look at the flare near your dock! It would be incredibly uncomfortable for a stallion to lay on you, or he'd be so high up he couldn't get it in, or he would completely destroy the dress!" Rarity shakes her head as she gets up, "Although, the way Doug is proportioned it wouldn't have impeded him very much. Though it would curtail the use of his favorite positions."

Twilight groans, "Okay, that's more than I needed to know, thank you very much." She smirks as she tries to beat Rarity at her own game, "Though I am more than a little intrigued by his... biology. You don't suppose he would be up for some... testing?" Twilight shakes her flanks a little, though the timing of her wink is a little off.

Rarity slowly recovers, smirking back at Twilight, "Well, I certainly wouldn't say no were you to ask Doug about that kind of arrangement. But, I'm certainly not looking to pressure you into something, or any seriousness, this quickly." Rarity offers Twilight a soft, conciliatory smile as she gets back up. "I thought that the two of us would go to the Gala, as I stated earlier. It would be a fabulous place for the both of us, would it not?" Her horn flares, the various buckles and straps around Twilight coming undone.

Twilight smiles briefly before her face falls, a depressed look at the floor. Rarity raises an eyebrow; Twilight responds to the unasked question, "Well, that would be a great idea, Rarity, except for two things." She steps out of the dress, Rarity levitating it to a spare ponnequinn.

"And what is that, darling?" Rarity says, inspecting the dress for any rips or tears.

"Well, for starters, Spike still has one ticket."

Rarity smirks, "Does he? I imagine the dragon that doesn't want to go to the Gala would be so happy at my unconditional offer of gems that he would gladly give his ticket to me. But, I am under no such illusion that he must. If he does not? Then I shall have to find another way to win the fair dragon's ticket."

"Point. But, sadly, the second issue still remains."

"And what is that, darling?"

Twilight sighs, "I gave the other ticket to Doug."

Rarity stares at Twilight for a few seconds before her smile doubles in size, "You did? You took my advice!" She slips next to Twilight, nuzzling her on the cheek, "I'm so happy for us! We'll look amazing! You and me, together at the Grand Galloping Gala!"

"What?" Twilight says, a dumbfounded look at Rarity. "I thought you wanted him to have the ticket?"

"Well, it is important to have some contingency plans, wouldn't you agree?" Rarity shrugs, "It would be my second choice, at the very least. But whether I go to the Gala with Doug or with you is completely incidental to how fabulous I'll look there!"

Twilight nods, a slight roll of her eyes, "Okay, so, how are we going to get the ticket from Doug?"

"Oh, please, I have that human wrapped around my horn. Observe." Rarity clears her throat as a very full, very content dragon walks out of the storeroom. She gives Spike a pleasant smile, "Are you ready to go, my precious little Spiky-Wikey?"

"What?" Spike yawns, barely holding onto his ticket. "Oh! Yeah, I guess. I could go for a nap right about now, too." He moans a little as he rubs his slightly distended stomach.

"Darling, please pardon me saying so, but you look exhausted! You can ride me, if you'd like. Just the one time, of course!" Rarity beams at Spike, then Twilight, a short wink at the latter.

"You're the best, Rarity!" Spike says, grinning as a blue aura surrounds him. He holds the ticket out as he drops onto Rarity's back, "And I'm sorry I tried to barter this ticket for the gems. You're a much better friend than that. I'd like you to have it."

"Oh, Spike, thank you very much for the offer. I just may take you up on that in the future, but for now, keep hold of it yourself." Rarity smiles as she opens the door, turning to smirk at Twilight. The three step outside, the rain having mostly cleared up. "Just in case you decide that you really would like to go to the Gala, after all."

Spike laughs, "Yeah. Like that'll happen."

"Well, off we go to get you your ticket back!" Rarity calls, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres.

9 The Last One Standing, Part Four

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"Finally," Doug says to his empty office, "some peace and quiet around here." The rain pounds against the roof, a monotonous drone that quickly drowns out any outside distractions. Doug rifles through the many folders, neatly arranged by primary city. The Manehattan folder comes first; Doug likes to finalize their area before the others. Same when he goes through the long list of requests that the Manehattanites have, as they are easily the most vocal and volatile. One might have thought that would be Canterlot, and the prissy unicorns that live there. But, instead, the weather on the top of a mountain in the middle of a giant plains, only a few nearby rivers? Very easy to handle, with little variation needed or desired since he doesn't need to account for a lot of nearby farming communities. Lots and lots of clear skies, the Princess of the Sun gazing across her kingdom. Princessdom? Whatever.

Manehattan, though? It borders the sea - strike one. Pretentious new-money socialites who can't tolerate a single thing wrong - strike two, and probably three. Lots and lots of nearby farming communities - three strikes all on its own, purely on how many requests for what they see as mild, unremarkable changes that threaten to send everything nearby out of alignment, quickly devolving into an uncontrollable tailspin, and things just cascade from there. But, that's why he gets paid a modest amount of bits, so the weather pegasi can focus on wrangling clouds instead of crafting increasingly complex and interdependent schedules.

Halfway through the weather schedule for the nearby suburbs, the city proper and outlying farms completed, a loud knock reverberates through the farmhouse. It sounds more than mildly aggravated, as if the mailmare has been sitting out in the rain for a while now and is finally getting perturbed at his lack of hearing. Or it's Derpy, and she only has one volume - whatever speed she runs into your door.

Doug walks up to the front of the house, glancing down at the gray mailmare sprawled out on the porch. She managed to only lightly dent the door this time, her eyes spinning not quite in time with each other. A small box is scattered among a dozen or so letters, each starting to get a little damp from the rain splattering down.

Derpy smiles up at him, "Package for Herd Apple!" She glances around, gathering up the letters and making sure they aren't the package she is looking for. Once she grabs the last letter she spots the box, reaching down and hoofing it up to Doug.

Doug takes it with a smile, "Thanks, Derpy. Hey, Pinkie Pie brought over the leftovers from the party they were having at Golden Oak. I think they have one muffin, smothered in Fire Sauce, if you'd like to have it!"

Derpy's eyes light up, "I would love a muffin! And it makes you burst into flames, right?"

Doug nods, "Harmless flames, yes."

Derpy smiles, "That'll be perfect for this chilly rain! Thanks, Doug! You're the best human I know!"

"Come on, Derpy, I'm the only human you know!" comes his predictable response, the best kind of thing to have around the easily confused mailmare. Doug returns with a single muffin, stained a deep red. "Make sure not to eat it until you're airborne!"

"Okay, Doug! See you later!" Derpy eyes the muffin, raising her hoof to her mouth before pausing. Wasn't there something to do? Oh yeah! "I gave you your package, right? It was supposed to be really important, and I was supposed to go here first! Even though normally I go here last, because it's the farthest place on my route."

"Yup, Derpy, I got the package. Thank you for double checking." Doug waves at the pegasus; she takes off, deciding that the object in her hoof is a muffin and greedily devouring it as the rain hits her. Her mane and tail erupt into flames, the surrounding water forming a cloud of steam as it evaporates. "Huh," Doug says to himself, "I wonder why the rain is affected but not the wood of a house. Or nearby ponies. Or the letters." He grumbles, "Stupid magic not obeying consistent rules."

Doug opens up the package, looking at the ornate calligraphy on the box inside. He reads aloud, "For Herd Apple ONLY." He sighs to himself; hopefully whoever keyed this box into the Herd's magical signature remembered to include him this time.

He pauses, steeling himself as he raises two fingers to the packaging. He pulls his hands apart, a sigh of relief as the box opens neatly in front of him. His eyes open wide as he pulls out a gilded piece of paper. He reads to himself:

"Hear ye, hear ye. Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of February.

Princess Celestia, in recognition of their service to the Crown, cordially extends an invitation to the five Mares of Herd Apple, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, in addition to their Stallion. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience. If you need lodging or have any special requirements do not hesitate to ask, and they will be provided to the best of our abilities.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia, May Her Sun Shine as Long as She Deems Necessary, and
Princess Luna, May Her Moon Guide Us In Times of Strife, and
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, May Her Heart Give Joy Generously

Doug grins as he pulls out the six tickets, rifling through them. Each has, embossed under the fanciful golden lettering, the name of which pony the ticket is specified for. Though the fine print does allow for them to be transferred to another in the event somepony is unable or unwilling to go. Or as long as both parties come to an agreeable conclusion. Doug shrugs; it looks like nopony will have to make a hard decision after all!

Doug packs the tickets, including the one Twilight gave him, back into the box, standing up to return to his office. He pauses as he spots a rainbow blur bursting through the clouds, leaving a large hole above the dirt path. At least it isn't over the crops.

Rainbow Dash crashes into the farmhouse, rolling to a stop upside down against the opposite wall. Her eyes circle around their sockets as Doug rolls his own, moving over and grunting as he picks up the pegasus. Rainbow comes to, latching onto Doug and shouting, "Doug! Bestest best friend I've ever ever had!"

"Yeeess?" Doug draws out, smirking at the pegasus trying to look cute in his arms. Okay, fine, she's adorable. "Is there something you'd like?"

Rainbow playfully giggles as Doug tickles her belly, coyly holding a hoof up to her mouth and noting how his eyes drift lower. "Mm, I think you know exactly what I want," she purrs, one hoof going up and rubbing his shoulder.

"Mm," Doug echoes, one hand rubbing into her withers while the other traces the line his eyes drew. "One condition."

Rainbow's eyes narrow as she huffs, her bubbly demeanor immediately bursting, "Ah, come on, seriously? That's it? But, we already did that!" She rolls her eyes at his grin, "Fine. I mean, it's not like I don't like it or anything. It's just not... ugh, not terribly special." Rainbow sighs, "Okay, that came out wrong. But-"

"Rainbow, I get it," Doug says, lowering her to the ground. Rainbow stands, an exasperated grunt as she flicks her tail to the side. Doug doesn't move forward, one hand instead opening the box while the other pulls her next to him. Rainbow looks up, her eyes twitching at the ticket he is holding in his hand. "And what I want from you is something only you can provide."

"Really?" Rainbow says, her awestruck eyes growing larger and larger as she finds her hooves holding the shining ticket. "Omygosh omygosh omygosh! Seriously?"

Doug nods, "Seriously. Part of the condition," he puts one finger onto Rainbow's lips, her eyes looking up with a trace of confusion, "is that you can't tell the others that I have a ticket for each of them, including one for me, until I tell them. Agreed?"

Rainbow stares at her ticket for a few seconds longer before she grins up at Doug. "So, we're pranking them."

Doug's smirk grows larger, "You might say that."

Rainbow's smirk matches Doug's, "Have I ever shown you how much I love you?" She leans back, kissing Doug and smirking as his hands start travelling down her flanks. She spins him around, Doug laying on the floor as Rainbow's hooves press into his back and shoulders.

Some time later the door to the Carrot House slides open, Fluttershy peeking her head inside. She quietly walks to Doug's office, gently pushing the door open. She smiles as she spots Doug; he is hard at work, reading through the weather reports. Rainbow is laying next to him, her eyes covertly watching the door. Fluttershy says, "Good afternoon, Doug! Still feeling well?"

Doug nods, grimacing a little as he motions towards the unopened letters in front of him. "Yeah, feeling pretty good, but just a lot of work to get through. You been busy?"

Fluttershy nods as she walks up, sniffing at Rainbow Dash. Her muzzle curls to a frown, a disappointed sigh escaping her lips. "Yes. I was helping Twilight clean the library, a... um... a bit of a surprise. In the hopes that she would give me the extra ticket." Her tear filled eyes meet Doug's, "But, I can tell Rainbow got to you first. I just..."

Doug sighs as Fluttershy sinks to the ground, whimpering as she covers her face with her mane. Rainbow looks up at Doug, her shake of the head enough to let him know to abort their plan. He gets up; this isn't how he wanted this to go at all. He sits next to her, rubbing his hand along her back. "What did you want to happen when you got here, 'Shy?"

"Oh, um..." Fluttershy trails off, sniffling as she looks over at Rainbow. "I thought that you didn't want to go to the Gala, so I would ask you for the ticket, and you would, um, give it to me?" She forces a smile at Doug, though it quickly grows natural as she continues, "There are so many cute little creatures in that beautiful garden that aren't easily found anywhere else." She beams up at him, "And I would make friends with them, and they would... um..." Fluttershy sighs, "But, it doesn't matter any more."

"Well, that sounds like a great reason," Doug says. "What if I told you that I haven't given away the ticket Twilight gave me?" Rainbow smirks at his evasion, watching Fluttershy's quick reaction.

Fluttershy jumps up, nuzzling Doug as she quietly shouts, "You haven't? Oh, um..." Fluttershy lowers her head, pausing for a few seconds before she looks up. Her luscious mane, normally just a simple wave, perfectly frames her face and draws his gaze further in. Her eyes, glistening with the barest hint of tears, are the widest that Doug has ever seen. Her lower lip quivers, her muzzle curling up in a soft smile, her eyelashes fluttering as she coos. "Doug? I-If you don't mind, I would like the ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala."

"Gah!" Rainbow shouts, pulling away from Fluttershy. She had nearly given the yellow pegasus her own ticket, just to get her to stop making that face!

Doug quietly laughs as Fluttershy smiles, pulling her into his arms and standing. He slowly walks over to his desk, withdrawing Fluttershy's ticket from the box. He holds the golden ticket up, Fluttershy's eyes growing wide as she reaches her hooves forward. Doug says, "One condition."

Fluttershy glances back up, a confused look at Doug. "Um, okay. If you want, I guess. But aren't you tired after Rainbow?"

Doug closes his eyes, controlling his breathing as he counts to three. He finally says, his voice forced, "You can't tell the others that I have a ticket for each of them." He holds up a finger, Fluttershy sinking back a little, "That isn't the condition, that's just you not ruining their surprise. What I want from you is for you to tell me all about the Gala, and how much you enjoyed it. What your favorite parts were, things you wanted to see more of, ways it could have been handled better, etcetera."

Fluttershy perks up, "Oh! I can do that!" She grabs hold of the ticket Doug offers her, staring at the golden writing. She beams up at him, "Thank you so much!"

"For what?" Doug says with a smirk, "I'm just giving you what's yours."

"Oh." Fluttershy giggles, "I guess you are!" She pauses, frowning as she says, "Does that mean I don't need to tell you about the Gala?"

Doug shakes his head, "Hmm? Oh, no, you still need to do that. You agreed in order to get the ticket!"

"But, you said the ticket was mine!" Fluttershy gasps, "You tricked me!"

Doug raises his hands, "Guilty! And what did I trick you into doing?"

Fluttershy pauses for a few seconds before she starts snickering. "Oh! I get it!"

All three turn as the door to the office slams shut. They nervously glance at each other, just for the door to burst open, showering each of them with confetti. Pinkie Pie leaps into the room, clashing a pair of cymbals together, banging on a drum, and echoing herself with a trumpet as she sings at the top of her voice, "Doug you are my bestest friend! Whoopie!" *trumpet blast* "Whoopie!" *louder trumpet blast*

"Stop." Doug says, holding up a hand. He rubs one ear as Pinkie Pie frowns, "I'm glad you wrote me a song, but I don't need to hear all six verses."

"Don't be silly!" grins Pinkie Pie, "There were seventeen more verses!"

"Yeah," Doug grunts out, "exactly my point." Doug groans as Pinkie Pie tackles him, "So, what else have you got?"

"Hmm..." Pinkie Pie hums, holding a hoof to her chin as she sits on top of Doug's chest. "Free tap dancing concerts every night?"

"Oh pony no," Doug moans as Pinkie Pie demonstrates. He tries to push the writhing mare off of him, merely spurring her on to greater and greater heights, leaving red marks all over his chest. "There's something I want from you, a condition for me giving you this ticket."

"Oooh! Like you could help me practice playing instruments! Or I could teach you!" Pinkie Pie pulls two harmonicas out of her mane, quickly blowing a quick chord on each. Simultaneously. She drops them onto the floor, pulling out a guitar, accordion, and trumpet. She begins struggling with something in her mane, two hooves digging deep as she rolls off of Doug. She grunts as she exclaims, "Stupid... pipe... organ! Ugh, it wasn't this hard to get in there!"

Doug slap Pinkie Pie on the flank, the pink mare grinning sheepishly as she stops tugging. "I was thinking of something a little more personal, actually."

Pinkie Pie glances over at Rainbow Dash, shrugging as she says, "Eh. Okay, I guess. If that's what you want. You want it now or after the Gala?"

Rainbow gives Pinkie Pie the stink-eye, muttering to herself, "Stupid physical touch. What, my massages aren't special enough?" She flicks her mane out of her face, "Or, everypony just wants to copy me." Rainbow smirks to herself, "Yeah, that's it. Definitely it."

Doug huffs as he looks at Pinkie Pie, "I guess it would be after the Gala, but what I would like is for you to find something. Anything, really, that reminds us what happened. Basically, I want a souvenir."

"A gift?" Pinkie Pie says, her muzzle beaming a smile at Doug. "Us?" Her body begins vibrating, shaking more and more violently as she continues, "You want me to give you a gift that perfectly encapsulates the super duper amazing time WE'LL have at the most wonderful fantabulous party EVER?"

Doug nods, an almost superfluous, "Yes," tacked on.

PInkie Pie comes to an abrupt halt, saying in a neutral tone, "I can do that."

"Perfect." Doug pulls out a ticket, holding it up.

Pinkie Pie stands still for a few seconds as she absorbs the moment. The wait becomes too much, her eyes widening as her pupils shrink, steam pouring out of her ears. One single strand of her mane blows back and forth.

Doug blinks, staring at the blank spot in his hand where the ticket used to be. He looks over at Pinkie Pie pronking around and grinning uproariously, the other two mares giggling at the outburst. "One other thing," Doug says, Pinkie Pie briefly pausing to regard him before she resumes pronking, "I have a ticket for Applejack and Rarity as well, so no ruining their surprise until they get their ticket."

Pinkie Pie stops cold, glancing between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The two mares glance at each other before their gaze returns to Pinkie Pie, sheepish smiles from both. Pinkie Pie says, "You mean, they had a ticket this whole time! And they didn't tell me?!"

Doug nods, "Yup! Wouldn't have wanted them to ruin the surprise, right?" He points a finger at Pinkie Pie, "And no ruining the surprise for the others!"

Pinkie Pie draws a hoof across her muzzle, mumbling something unintelligible without opening her mouth.

"Perfect!" Doug says before glancing to Rainbow and Fluttershy, "Good job not spoiling it for her."

"Of course," Fluttershy softly says, Rainbow returning a grunt and shrug. "We wouldn't want to spoil a friend's surprise, or the surprise for a friend."

10 The Last One Standing, Part Five

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The rain outside comes to a halt, just in time for the group to hear the mild cursing of a farmpony. "Of course the rain lets up as soon as I'm done trudging through." Applejack pushes open the door to the Carrot House, "It's like they're up there, watching me, just waiting for me to be 'bout to step inside." Her voice gets louder as the front door shuts, "Give me just the-"

Applejack halts as she glances into Doug's office, spotting the three mares, Rainbow in particular. The pegasus is giving her the stink-eye, forelegs crossed as she hovers in the air. Rainbow's mean expression breaks as she sees the baked goods Applejack is carrying on her back, salivating as her stomach reminds her that she could eat something else. Applejack grins at Rainbow, "Now, you wouldn't be the kind of pegasus that would follow somepony around and mess with the weather just for their sake, right?"

Rainbow nervously laughs, rubbing the back of her head, "Who, me? That'd be ridiculous!" She crosses a hoof across her chest, solemnly saying, "I would never do something like that." She pauses before adding, "Unless something big is at stake." She continues, a little quieter, "Or I think it'd be funny."

Applejack stares at Rainbow Dash for a few seconds before chuckling, "Heh, Ah sure wouldn't put it past ya. So. We all gathering here to get the ticket from Doug, huh?" She bounces the plates on her back up and down, "Ah'll throw my hat into the ring. All these here delicious desserts, just for the low, low price of one piece of golden paper!"

Doug considers, stroking his non-existent beard, humming a throaty rumble as he regards Applejack. "Is that right?"

Applejack nods, glancing to the other three mares in the room. Each returns a half-hearted smile, trying to cover up the ticket either tucked in their manes or held in their hooves. Applejack turns back to Doug, "You haven't given any of them the ticket yet, have you?"

Doug slowly shakes his head, "I have not given them the ticket that Twilight gave me, no."

Applejack taps her hoof on the floor a few times, "A bit too many qualifiers in that statement, there. What are you hiding?" Her hard gaze searches Doug's face, trying to peer past those small, twinkling eyes and cheeky grin.

"Ah, but that would be telling!" Doug says, his grin turning to a smirk. "I think the more important question is, what are you willing to give for your ticket?" His fingers rhythmically tap against each other, held just under his diabolical smile.

Applejack huffs, "Well, Ah already told Twilight that Ah'd give my left hind leg for it. And apparently that ain't good enough. Though you might take me up on that offer, after Nightmare Night last year with Rainbow." Rainbow Dash snickers at the fond memories of their themed costume. "But, how about this, partner. You tell me what you want, what'll beat the best offer for that ticket, and Ah'll do it."

"Really," Doug says, his smirk growing larger, "Well, I think a good start would be those delicious desserts you mentioned earlier. But, what I'm really after is what's underneath them."

"Under..." Applejack says, looking behind herself at the plates and dishes stacked on her flank.

The plates and dishes stacked on her flank.

Her flank.

Applejack groans, covering her eyes with a hoof. "Come on, Doug! It's like you can only think about one thing!"

Doug's hand covers his eyes as he takes a deep breath, his maniacal expression breaking. He eventually says, "As true as that might have been, say, yesterday, I had something else in mind."

"Oh?" Applejack stops, a smirk forming on her own muzzle, "Do mine ears deceive me? 'Cause, Ah could have sworn you just said you didn't want my body." Applejack sighs, a forlorn glance to her herdmates, "And here Ah thought this day would never come. Ah suppose it's been a good run, y'all." Rainbow snickers, waggling her hips back and forth. The motion does not go unnoticed by Applejack, one eyebrow raising as she sniffs, her snout scrunching up. Applejack turns to Doug, "Wait, so you'll sample what Rainbow is offering, but you don't want any of this?" Applejack spins around, her hind legs bouncing up and down, the plates jingling and jangling against each other.

Doug mutters to himself, "This is just getting worse and worse."

Rainbow Dash laughs, "Oh? You're going to have to bring better than that if you want the ticket!" She lands next to Applejack, mirroring the earth pony's motions while leering at Doug, winking and nodding her head up and down. "Aww, yeah!"

Pinkie Pie shouts, "Dance Party!" as she jumps up, sandwiching Applejack between Rainbow Dash and her own gyrating flanks. Their muzzles turn to goofy grins as their movements exaggerate, bumping and grinding against each other, "Come on, Fluttershy! Join us!"

"Oh, dear," Fluttershy says, timidly getting to her hooves. "I don't know, Pinkie Pie." She glances back at Doug, a seductive smile as her hips start drifting back and forth, "How will Doug possibly choose between us?" She saunters over to Rainbow Dash, an enticingly startled, "Ooh!" accompanied by a wink as Rainbow's tail slaps against her flank.

Applejack and Rainbow lock eyes, glaring at each other as both try to outmaneuver the other in their mad quest for the golden ticket. Applejack's tail tries to give just the barest hint of what lies underneath while Rainbow's tail thrashes back and forth, drawing another seductive squeak out of Fluttershy every time it whips her. Pinkie Pie is focusing on not letting Applejack get a moment's rest; every time the farmpony tries to back off Pinkie Pie bumps her right back in.

"Hello? Doug?" comes a call from the front door. Three of the four mares glance down their flanks to look at Rarity, Twilight and Spike standing in the doorway. Rarity's smirk gradually gets larger and larger, the unicorn having trouble keeping her mirth in check, while Twilight's gaze remains fixed on Pinkie Pie. The pink mare continues bouncing up and down, gyrating around and rubbing against Applejack; the farmpony is slowly getting more and more uncomfortable, yet she holds her position in the vain hope that Doug will pick her. Fluttershy sinks down to the floor, more than a little embarrassed at being caught in such a position, while Rainbow Dash merely mirrors Rarity's smirk but at the two newcomers.

"Well, there goes your plan," deadpans Twilight. "Maybe I should just..."

"Nonsense, darling! Observe." Rarity struts up to Doug, ignoring the other mares in the room. She plants a hoof on Doug's chest, pulling him close. Their lips meet, Rarity closing her eyes as she presses further. Her mouth opens slightly, her tongue darting out to find its partner, delighting in a daring dance for dominance.

Doug's mouth curls to a smirk regardless, his hands moving on their own as Rarity pulls away and saying, "One condition."

"Please, darling, I am not debasing myself like that." Rarity's tail flicks regardless, though her hard stare keeps Doug from squeezing her flank a second time. "Well?"

"So, you'd probably make me a suit for the Gala regardless," Doug starts, Rarity's puzzled expression only somewhat brief, "But I want something that includes a reminder of each of you."

"Hmm. Like, a pair of gloves that includes each of our cutie marks?" Rarity cocks her head to the side, her brief smile at Doug's nod. It quickly turns back to a frown, "But, why would you need some sort of suit if I am getting your ticket?"

"Hey!" shouts Applejack, taking two angry steps forward, "What'dya mean you're getting the ticket? Doug!" Applejack glances to the other three mares, "How come any'a y'all ain't more perturbed about this?"

"Weeelll," starts Pinkie Pie.

Doug waves his hand in front of his throat, silencing Pinkie Pie as he grabs the box, pulling out two tickets. He holds one in each hand, Applejack and Rarity both moving forward cautiously. The other mares smile as Rarity hesitantly says, "Is that..." as Applejack says, "Are those..."

"Yup!" Doug exclaims, each ticket finding their way to their respective owner's hoof. "All yours!"

"But what about you, Doug?" Applejack says as she glances at her name on the ticket Doug is still holding onto, her light tug not enough to pull it out of his hand. "Did you get a ticket as well?"

"I did," Doug slowly explains, "But I don't think I ever got that condition out of you."

"Aww, you didn't like my show en-"

Applejack stops talking as Doug's finger presses against her lips. She stares into his eyes as he says, "What I would like is for you to take some time out of that busy schedule of yours after the Gala. I know you're going to be swamped with offers from the ponies there, and from getting the farm up and running, and I want your undivided attention at some point during the day. Not just after the sun goes down and you're exhausted."

Applejack presses forwards, snorting as she says, "That all?" She kisses him on the forehead, "Doug, Ah'd have done that for ya regardless of whether or not Ah got a ticket from ya." She grins as he releases the ticket, moving to join the rest of the mares while Rarity stays next to Doug.

Twilight steps forward, "So, you got a ticket for each of you?"

Doug nods, "Yup! What, did you expect Princess Celestia to ship you the tickets for each of them or something?" He grins as he shrugs, "I mean, you all got them for your actions as the Elements of Harmony, stopping-"

Doug freezes, a panicked look around the room. He stretches his neck, trying to look through the doorway and into the rest of the house. His wide eyes go to Rarity, shaking her scared body as he whispers, "Rarity? Where are the foals?" He shudders, squeezing her as he continues, his voice trembling, "Are they okay?"

Rarity fervently nods, her hooves stroking Doug and trying to get him to calm down. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie slip under and around him, firm embraces as they pile up against him. Rarity softly says, "They are fine, Doug. They are at school; they'll be back very soon."

"You're sure?" Doug mumbles into Rarity's mane, slowly recovering at her nod. "Okay. Good. They're okay." The tension slowly leaves his limbs as he relaxes, his right hand slowly tracing across Rarity's coat, then finding its way to rest on Rainbow. His breath leaves his body in one long exhale, a small smile on his face as he sinks into the cuddling mares.

After a few minutes a throat clearing stirs the chromatic pile of ponies from their respite. Doug glances around the room, wiping his eyes against his arm before he realizes that Twilight and Spike are still standing around, both awkwardly looking at him. He says, a little more curtly than necessary, "You want something?"

Twilight rubs one foreleg against the other as she says, "Well, you still have the ticket I gave you. And, if you have your own ticket, then, um, I would like to get my ticket back. Please."

"Sure," Doug says, a bit of a smirk growing. "One condition."

"Oh? What condition is that?" Twilight beams at Doug before she glances at the other mares, their muzzles contorting to a mix of smirks and soft smiles. Except for Rarity's aghast look while she shakes her head. Twilight continues, more than a little confused, "Anypony care to explain?"

"Well, darling," Rarity starts off slowly.

Rainbow rolls her eyes as Rarity trails off, piping up, "He wants you to have s-"

Doug squeezes Rainbow's muzzle shut, "That is not..." Doug trails off, gritting his teeth together. He huffs at Twilight's widened eyes, "Just take it. Whatever. I don't care." Doug turns away from Twilight, burying his head into Rarity's mane as he releases Rainbow, the pegasus frowning at his reaction to her.

"Oh." Twilight sighs, "I thought that, you know, you'd have given me some silly task or future activity that I had to do in order to win my ticket back." She looks at the other mares, saying in a more chipper tone, "I still want to. So, what do you want me to do?"

Doug pulls himself away from Rarity's soft coat, inspecting Twilight for several seconds. He shrugs, "I had Rainbow promise to help with your surprises, since she already gives me all the physical attention I want. From her, at least. Fluttershy is going to tell me the parts she enjoyed, how she felt about the Gala. Pinkie Pie is getting me a gift to remember it by." Doug pauses, his hand rubbing his chin, "Well, I don't know you well enough to give you a task well suited for you. So, how about you decide?"

"Hmm," Twilight says, mirroring Doug by holding a hoof to her chin, "What I really want is to know more about this other world you supposedly came from. So, how about we set aside some time to do a comparison between them?"

Doug smiles, "That sounds good. I've read several of the books the library has, but I just don't have that much free time to do a lot of it. I suppose it'll be hard waiting until after the Gala to do that, but if that's what you want." He pulls a ticket out from the box, though Twilight doesn't take it at first.

"Wait. I'd have to wait until after the Gala?" Twilight violently shakes her head, her eyes widening with panic, "I take it back! I want something else!"

"Too late!" Doug smirks, though his expression fades at Twilight's glare. "Alright, fine, you can pick something else. Let me know when you figure out what that is. Or I can decide something for you to do, but you might not like it as much." Doug hugs each mare in turn; they withdraw afterwards, encouraging smiles all around.

Twilight pauses, "Well, I guess I wouldn't want that, but it does ruin a bit of the surprise if I'm the one deciding." Her horn lights for just a brief moment, the ticket dropping back down to the floor. "I'm sorry!" she says, smiling at Doug's lack of reaction. She moves up, grabbing the ticket with her hoof. "How about, whenever you want, I recommend some of the best books I've read about Equestrian culture, and we go through them together. Like a book club!"

Behind Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both glance at each other and gag. Rarity and Fluttershy both look intrigued, while Applejack keeps her face neutral. Doug nods, "That sounds like fun, Twilight. I would like that."

Twilight smiles as she nods, though it quickly fades. She pauses, a bit of confusion in her voice as she says, "But, Doug, you could have extracted just about anything from them. Or me. Like Applejack said, she would have given her left hind leg for one of the tickets! Why did you only get such paltry demands?"

"Well," Doug says, leaning back as Rarity snuggles into him, "First off, they would have found out what I had done almost immediately. Like, as soon as two of them talked to each other. For tickets in their name, for something that they did, that I effectively stole from them. And, while it would have been good for a chuckle, they would have made me pay back double for whatever humiliating thing I put them through. And what did I get from them instead?"

Twilight considers, "Um, a few promises for minor things, like spending time with you, that they would have done regardless?"

Doug nods, his hand raising and rocking side to side. "Sure, sort of. They would have. Probably. But you really want to know my evil master plan?"

Twilight glances back and forth before she nods her head, moving next to Doug.

Doug whispers, "Now, I force them to show me, in the language they love best, how much they appreciate going to the Gala." His head slightly turns to the side, his mouth drawing up in an evil grin as he cackles, touching the pinky of his right hand to the corner of his mouth.

Twilight stares at Doug as she backpedals, "You monster!" She winks at Doug, smiling and saying, "Well, I'm glad you are feeling better."

"Yup." Doug nods, a long breath in and out. "Yeah, me too." He glances back at his desk, then the smiling mares arranged around him. He sighs, "Well, back to the daily grind, huh? You all returning for dinner?"

Rarity shakes her head, "I'm afraid I will be busy at the boutique tonight." Rainbow and Fluttershy glance at each other, shaking their heads as well. Rarity continues, "But, please, if you are still feeling any of these effects, don't hesitate to ask for us. I hate seeing you like this, and I think I speak for all of us when I say we want you to get better as soon as possible."

Doug relaxes back, "Thanks for that, Rarity." His gaze travels over each of them, ending on Twilight. "All of you."

Applejack nods, "Of course. Well, Ah gotta go keep the next crop of apples growing. It's looking to be one of the biggest bumper crops we've ever had!"

The mares each nod, nuzzling Doug as they walk out of the Carrot House, excitedly chatting among themselves as they head back to Ponyville.

11 House of Mirrors, Part One

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"And, in conclusion, I would like to reiterate my three main points," Diamond Tiara reads from her paper. Her front hooves rest on the podium in front of her as she scans across the class, a bright smile on her muzzle. She ignores the groans of her classmates, most of whom are staring outside the windows. Her audience, never the most attentive of classmates, are far more focused on the bright sun quickly drying out the afternoon rain and promising hours of fun before they need to head back home to dinner or chores or younger siblings. Only one pony is in rapt attention: Diamond Tiara's sister Silver Spoon; even Miss Cheerilee finds her gaze occasionally drifting outside.

"As I have shown, the fiasco surrounding the Summer Sun Celebration revealed weaknesses in our command structure. Second, these flaws can be fixed by ponies with better leadership abilities, but not enough opportunities exist in Ponyville for up-and-coming young mares and fillies. Third, I believe that a classroom president, instead of a school president, would be a good start for increasing the leadership opportunities for those so inclined." Diamond Tiara briefly nods her head, "Thank you all for your time." She smiles at her completed presentation as she gathers her papers and packs up her MagiPoint presentation; it was easily longer than any of the others presented today, and the visuals really helped sell her vision.

Miss Cheerilee gazes out of the window for a few seconds more before she glances at the clock. Only eight more minutes; maybe enough time for another filly to read her paper, but then she'd have a riot on her hooves. She realizes she should be smiling, quickly clopping her hooves against the ground while the twenty students halfheartedly follow along. Miss Cheerilee walks up to the front of the class as the pink filly takes her seat. "Thank you, Diamond Tiara. Now, we still have a few minutes before class ends, so does anypony wish to discuss any of the topics we discussed today?" Several students raise their hooves, Miss Cheerilee closing her eyes and saying, perhaps shorter than she should, "Preferably, not those regarding Nightmare Moon?"

Silver Spoon is the only young mare who keeps raising her hoof in the air, a few fillies groaning at their daydreaming being delayed another several minutes. Silver Spoon smiles when Miss Cheerilee reluctantly points at her, forelegs standing up on her desk as she says, "If Diamond Tiara's proposal were to be accepted, what ages would get their own president, or would it be a range of students represented under each?"

Miss Cheerilee pauses, her gaze drifting down towards the class in the basement. For the most part, the older students - about fifteen, those eight years and older - currently engaging in self-study did not need as much instruction as the six year old fillies. Especially as the topics got more and more out of her area of expertise, even more so for the unicorn and pegasus students specializing in a topic specific to their subset. In fact, the current school president, Namby-Pamby, is downstairs and helping teach the twelve foals in the youngest class. Or at least keeping them in line before and during nap-time until she is able to head back down.

Miss Cheerilee looks up to Silver Spoon, the smile on the young silver mare becoming a little more forced at the delay. "I haven't thought on that too much, Silver Spoon. Perhaps you could talk to the other fillies, get an idea of what they would like."

Silver Spoon glances to Diamond Tiara, the pink filly covertly nodding. Silver Spoon grins back at her teacher, "I can do that, Miss Cheerilee. Can I start now?"

"Are there any other things we would like to discuss?" Miss Cheerilee asks the class, glancing around at the faces that look like she feels. She definitely should have not stayed up all night at Pinkie Pie's party. "Very well; class, you may discuss topics of your choice until the ending bell. Quietly, please." Miss Cheerilee stands at her desk, collecting the various reports and ostensibly reading through them while her gaze unfocuses.

Diamond Tiara whispers to Silver Spoon, "Hey, you go meet up with the Apple fillies. Try to see what it'll take to back you for class president."

Silver Spoon whispers back, "Me? I'm pretty sure you're the one who wants the position, not me."

Diamond Tiara nods, "True, but nopony's going to vote for a blank flank. Not yet. That's where you come in."

"You just want me as some figurehead?" Silver Spoon snaps, glaring at Diamond Tiara. "I could be a great class president! I just don't want the job." She flicks her head into the air, half-looking at her sister out of one eye.

"Which is why you're both perfect for the job, but also why you'll never get it." Diamond Tiara grins at Silver Spoon, "And trust me, when we're done with them, I'll be the best school president this school has ever seen."

"School president?" Silver Spoon asks, a touch of confusion in her voice. "But, I thought I was running for class president."

"You are," Diamond Tiara replies in a lower voice, drawing close to Silver Spoon and whispering in her ear. "That's why you're going to..."

Silver Spoon nods along as Diamond Tiara continues, the frown on her muzzle deepening before turning to a large grin. "Really?" she says a little too loudly, Diamond Tiara immediately shushing her as a few ponies glance over at the two. Silver Spoon continues quieter, "You think you can pull that off?"

"Puh-lease," Diamond Tiara smirks, "these foals will never know what hit them."

Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara split up, Diamond Tiara moving to talk to a few of the older roller-derby colts while Silver Spoon moves over to the three Apple fillies. Silver Spoon smiles at the trio, getting two blank stares and Sweetie Belle's smile in return.

Silver Spoon says, "Afternoon, girls. Did you think at all about my question?"

"You mean whether Diamond Tiara is going to be president of the six-year-old's or of the middle class?" comes Apple Bloom's sarcastic reply, rolling her eyes.

"Pff," Scootaloo laughs as Silver Spoon raises an eyebrow, "Diamond Tiara isn't running." She smirks at Silver Spoon, "Am I right, or am I right?"

Silver Spoon nods, "Yup. I was thinking about running, actually, but I'm trying to figure out whether I should focus my efforts just our year, or on the whole class." Silver Spoon smiles at the three, "What do you all think?"

Sweetie Belle says, "I think you'd be fine running for the whole class. I mean, it's twice as big, but if you were just running for one year then you couldn't really get a lot done, you know?"

"Hey, we have lots of experience getting stuff done without a whole lot." Scootaloo points a hoof at Apple Bloom, "I know one pony who thinks she should fill the spot." Scootaloo rolls her eyes. "Too bad nopony's going to vote for a BF."

"Hey, just because we've never had a school president who's a blank flank doesn't mean it isn't possible!" Sweetie Belle glances back at her own white coat, sighing at the lack of cutie mark. "It's just because it's always the older fillies who run for office. They're the ones with the most friends, have had the most time to make a name for themselves, you know?"

"Yeah. I think Bolt is going to try to upset Namby-Pamby in the coming election. Haven't had a colt as president, either." Apple Bloom glances around the room, snickering at the lack of decent options.

"Hey! Rumble could run for the younger class," Scootaloo breaks in, glaring at Apple Bloom. "Just 'cause fillies are better at running things than stallions in general doesn't mean that every colt isn't cut out for it."

"Sounds like somepony's got a bit of a crush," snickers Apple Bloom, Scootaloo glaring at her. "Too bad you can't vote for him, though if you keep cutting class you might end up together."

"Hey!" Scootaloo shouts, though she quiets down at Miss Cheerilee's glare, "Just 'cause Rainbow keeps pulling me out of class for extra practice doesn't mean I'm cutting." Scootaloo waves a hoof at Silver Spoon, "What are we learning about now? Politics?" Scootaloo blows a raspberry, "I'm never getting into that, no thanks."

Silver Spoon smiles, "Exactly!" At Scootaloo's confused expression she continues, "Which is why it's so important to elect a leader who takes your issues to heart, and strives to improve them!"

"Ah can see that," Apple Bloom says, smiling at Scootaloo, "although Ah don't know why we gotta keep studying how other cultures tried and failed to run their places."

"Well," Silver Spoon replies as Scootaloo groans, "not every country can have Princess Celestia in charge. It's a shame so many of them end up like the Griffons."

"What happened to the Griffons?" Sweetie Belle asks, pulling her textbook out of her bag. "I don't remember anything happening to them in a while." Scootaloo takes her own textbook and covers her head with it, pressing her hooves against her ears as she groans again, trying to get Sweetie Belle to get the hint.

"Oh, that? It's a bit more recent, and our books are a little out of date." Silver Spoon holds up her own textbook, grimacing at the twenty year old pages starting to fall apart. "Apparently their whole society fell apart when they opened up a trade route with Equestria ten years or so ago. Like, they only care about getting bits or gold and then trading that for things we make instead of making it themselves." Silver Spoon nervously coughs as the other two ponies look at her blankly, "I think one of the first things I would do as class president is get some better materials for the school. I heard they came out with a millennium edition of our textbook at the start of the year! We'd be learning about stuff that just happened!"

"You heard?" deadpans Apple Bloom, glancing towards Silver Spoon's embroidered bookbag, "Or you bought, and read at home?"

"It's not my fault Rich makes us keep up on current events," Silver Spoon mutters defensively. "Celestia knows nopony else around here cares about it."

"Exactly!" Sweetie Belle says with a grin, patting Silver Spoon on the back. "That's why you'd make a great class president! You care about all that stuff, which leaves the rest of us to..." she glares at Scootaloo, exaggerated snoring sounds coming from the book on her head, and then to Apple Bloom, still staring at the expensive bookbag.

Silver Spoon chuckles to herself as she rubs the back of her head, "Actually, it's Diamond Tiara who really cares about this stuff. She likes lecturing me, oftentimes about how much better things would be under her command. Or other countries under Equestrian rule. Like, she's the one who told me about the Griffon Kingdom and what went wrong with them."

"Well, why isn't she running for office, then?" Apple Bloom says with a groan, "If'n she's the one who wants it, anyway."

"Isn't it obvious?" Scootaloo moans from underneath her book, the school bell ringing and announcing the end of the class only slightly delaying her sarcastic, "Nopony would vote for a blank flank. Duh." She glances to her sisters, "We're walking the rest of the herd home, right?"

Silver Spoon's smile becomes forced as she replaces her book into her saddlebags, the three Apple fillies nodding to each other, donning their packs, and leaving the school. Silver Spoon walks over to Diamond Tiara, the two quickly becoming the only ponies not madly exciting the room. "So, I didn't really get a clear answer from them," Silver Spoon says to Diamond Tiara, "Sorry about that, DT."

"That's fine, we just wanted to plant the idea in their heads," Diamond Tiara says with a smirk. "If we can get the Apple fillies on our side, and your two sibs? That's a quarter of the school, right there. Nopony in this class cares enough to run, but we need some sort of opponent for you." She smiles to herself, "And I know just the one."

12 House of Mirrors, Part Two

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Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon watch as Scootaloo and Applebaum lead the rest of the unruly pack of Apple fillies towards Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle head towards the Carousel Boutique, the same direction the two Rich fillies will go. Diamond Tiara hums to herself as they wait for Silver Hoop and Silver Stud, Silver Spoon's younger siblings. Eventually the twins come out from the basement of the schoolhouse, yawning as they do. Looks like they hadn't been able to get a good night's rest after staying up to celebrate at the Summer Sun Celebration. Though, of course it hadn't been at such a pedestrian party as Pinkie Pie's at the library. A Rich pony had to have standards, of course.

"So, do you want to get ice cream after we drop them off?" Silver Spoon asks, motioning to Sugarcube Corner as they walk by the bakery.

'We'll be heading to the Carousel Boutique afterwards," Diamond Tiara replies, "So Bon Bon's is more on the way. Besides, I haven't tried all their flavor combinations yet."

"Sorry, but nothing beats vanilla and chocolate swirled together," Silver Spoon says. "Right, girls?"

"Vanilla is the best!" pipes up Silver Hoop, "Especially when you add in sprinkles." She nods knowingly, as only a four year old filly can, as if the matter had been settled the moment she decided.

"No, chocolate is!" responds Silver Stud with a growl. He glares at Silver Hoop, though she barely notices as she skips along.

"Vanilla!" she says nonetheless, ignoring the fuming colt behind her.

"Chocolate!"

"Come on, you two, nopony's ever winning that argument," Silver Spoon says firmly, a glare neither responds to.

"Vanilla's the best! Why order anything else?" Silver Hoop turns, pawing a silver hoof at the dirt. "No more chocolate!"

"No, chocolate is! Chocolate's what I need!" roars Silver Stud, his own brown hoof matching his sister. "No more vanilla!"

Diamond Tiara groans to Silver Spoon, "This is what happens when you let less informed ponies get involved." She steps between her two siblings, both about to charge each other. "Enough, you two. Getting rid of vanilla or chocolate won't solve either of your issues. Because what truly makes Equestria the best country isn't that we force our viewpoints onto others, but that we accept the differences between each other and how combining those flavors can make something better than the two by themselves." The two Silver fillies sigh as they drop their aggressive stance while Silver Spoon beams.

Diamond Tiara continues with a nod to Silver Spoon, "And while vanilla and chocolate swirled together might be your favorite, even that isn't enough for me. I need something more than that." Diamond Tiara salivates, but only just a little and only to get her point across, "I heard Bon Bon's has this new flavor, a twist of fizzleberry and pop. It's supposed to be like fireworks in your mouth!"

"Now I want ice cream," moans Silver Hoop, rubbing her belly as pathetically as a Rich filly can manage. "Can we stop for ice cream? Pleeease?"

"I'm sorry, but you lost the argument," Diamond Tiara says, a mock sneer to the sky. "Ice cream is for winners."

Silver Hoop huffs, "But you didn't convince me that berryfizzle twistpop is the best flavor!"

"Ah, but I don't have to, now do I?" Diamond Tiara replies. "All I have to do is prove that vanilla isn't the best flavor."

"But chocolate is the best flavor!" Silver Stud chips in, "Much better than popberry fizzletwist!"

"If you two don't stop arguing neither of you is getting any ice cream!" screams Silver Spoon; it gets them to quiet down, though it does little to quell her sibling's mutinous glares. "Besides, vanilla and chocolate together is still the best, better than some twistberry popfizzle."

The four thankfully reach the Rich mansion before a new round of arguing can break out. Randolph, the Rich butler, is patiently waiting outside for the fillies. He doesn't even bat an eye as the two younger ponies charge him, their cries simultaneously pleading with him for ice cream while arguing that vanilla is superior to chocolate and vice versa. He merely waves at the two departing fillies as he heads inside, to which Diamond Tiara responds with a curt nod.

One vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream later, the twist of fizzleberry and pop not at all living up to the hype, and Diamond Tiara walks towards the Carousel Boutique. Silver Spoon trails just behind, only slightly disappointed at not getting her favorite treat, but she had tried the remains of the new flavor and declared it 'not half-bad.' Or at least better than not getting anything.

"Diamond Tiara, are you sure about this?" whispers Silver Spoon as she tries to nonchalantly walk up to the Carousel Boutique, another worried look to her sister. "What if she says no?"

"A better question is 'What if she says 'yes', but then backs out at the last minute.'" Diamond Tiara's muzzle hardens as if carved out of stone, "Which is why it's so important that we get the right filly on board with our plan."

"Okay, so, let me get this straight." Silver Spoon stops, the bushes nearby her rustling. She glances over at them before hunching over and whispering, "Miss Cheerilee still hasn't decided whether or not there are going to be three class presidents. One for the young fillies, one for us, and one for the older fillies. And you think Apple Bloom would be the most likely candidate for the class to pick, Sweetie Belle would be the best candidate if she wins, and Scootaloo would be the most eager but worst of the lot to actually run things."

Diamond Tiara nods, "Well, of the Apple fillies in our class, that's right. Which is why the pony we're going to ask to be our opponent is-"

Silver Spoon tries to beat Diamond Tiara to her prediction, saying, "Sweetie Belle," while Diamond Tiara finishes her sentence with, "Apple Bloom."

"Scootaloo."

The two Rich fillies turn, glaring at the orange pegasus filly jumping out of the bushes. "What do you want?" Diamond Tiara huffs, an annoyed look towards the Carousel Boutique. She thought Scootaloo would have been well ahead of them by now, and the trio would have been playing inside. Though it is a nice day; maybe Rarity has Sweetie Belle helping around the store, and Scootaloo just got bored of hanging around.

"Oh, just figured you two were up to something, after Silver Spoon talked to us. And whatever it is, I want in." Scootaloo smirks; the two Rich fillies can practically hear the ca-ching going off in her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Diamond Tiara replies, her head haughtily looking up and away. She can't give away the game that easily, but if Scootaloo is willing to sell out? It might be a trick, she wouldn't put it past the pegasus or her siblings. Applejack tries to keep a close watch on them and keep them on the straight and narrow, but Rainbow Dash has a much looser definition of what constitutes bending the rules. Time to learn whether or not, once the trio is bought, if they stay that way.

Scootaloo rolls her eyes, her gaze ending up on Diamond Tiara. "Please. If I had to guess, it's something, like, you just want one of us to run against Silver Spoon. That way, whoever wins the presidency will do whatever you say. And you'll be able to use the secret tunnel from the president's office in the schoolhouse to the Carousel Boutique in order to steal the Heart Diamond. Or something."

Silver Spoon raises an eyebrow, muttering to herself, "There's a secret tunnel between the schoolhouse and the Carousel Boutique?"

Diamond Tiara snorts as she sneers, "That sounds like Rainbow Dash trying to write the plot of the next Mission: Neigh-Possible." Silver Spoon grins as Scootaloo shakes her head, "Does she read it to you for a bed-time story?"

"Puh-lease, Doug reads us our bedtime stories." Scootaloo's eyes go wide as she hastily clasps her hooves over her muzzle, quickly recovering with a cough. "Ahem. As I was saying, it sounds like you two need some patsy to lose an election. And, if the price is right, I could be that pony."

Diamond Tiara taps her hoof on the ground a few times as she considers. She glances over at the wall of the Carousel Boutique, "Well, that scooter of yours is getting a little old, isn't it? I'm sure I could procure a newer model for you."

"Custom hoofbars. Upgraded wheels. And three new helmets." Scootaloo glances back to the Boutique before moving close to Diamond Tiara, whispering, "I like purple with two white racing stripes."

Diamond Tiara rolls her eyes, "So, exactly like your current helmet then. You got it." She stares at Scootaloo for a few seconds, the pegasus returning a grin. Diamond Tiara finally says, "So, why are you doing this?"

Scootaloo raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean? You're going to win anyway, so why not make a little extra on the side? Not like anypony cares."

Diamond Tiara smirks, her muzzle curling to a grin as she cackles to herself. "Oh, they'll care all right," she mutters, her hooves slipping in and around each other.

"You okay over there?" Scootaloo asks, cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow.

"Perfectly fine!" Diamond Tiara says, straightening up. She and Silver Spoon glance up, noticing Rainbow Dash and a weird brown figure zooming around in the sky. "Anyway, we'll see you in class." Diamond Tiara waves once, followed by Silver Spoon's less curt and more enthusiastic version.

Scootaloo waves at the two departing earth ponies; she can already see herself zooming around town on her new scooter! Faster and faster she goes, the perfectly balanced wheels hugging the ground before she takes to the air, performing trick after trick as she flies from one ramp to the next!

Her mind brimming with possibilities, Scootaloo dashes over to her scooter. She quickly mounts, about to take off as Rainbow Dash and what she thinks she recognizes as a griffon land next to her. She stares, her mouth hanging open; didn't Miss Cheerilee just go over how dangerous griffons are? She knows she had heard something about griffons eating ponies. And something else after that. Is that why Rainbow Dash is keeping an eye on this purple-eyed predator?

"Hey, squirt!" Rainbow Dash calls, a cheery smile and wave at her filly. Scootaloo returns a blank stare, the instinctual part of her brain freezing up as it tries to decide whether it is safer to run away or stay locked in place and hope she isn't spotted. Rainbow Dash continues as if she didn't notice, "This is my griffon friend, Gilda!"

"Hey." Gilda raises a talon, a short wave to Scootaloo. "What's up?"

Her curiosity blindsides the two arguing parts of her brain as Scootaloo blurts out, "That's so cool!" as she hops on her scooter, riding over to inspect Gilda closer. She tugs on a tail feather, "Half-eagle, half-lion, right?"

"Hey, you're pretty quick for a little twerp. Got it in one," Gilda responds, the smirk in her eyes quickly replaced by a glare as she tries to shoo away the inquisitive filly. "And who're you supposed to be?"

"That's Scootaloo," Rainbow Dash replies, though her eyes glance up to the sky. She sighs, "Ugh. Hey, I gotta take care of a few weather jobs. Scoots here can take you to the market, maybe grab a bit of a snack before dinner." Scootaloo beams up at Rainbow Dash, excitedly looking towards the nearby marketplace.

Gilda rolls her eyes, "Yeah, sure. Whatever." She barely lifts her head as a goodbye as Rainbow takes off, the pegasus quickly disappearing from sight as she zooms towards the Everfree. Gilda turns to Scootaloo, the filly quailing under her glare. "Look, dweeb, I don't need some random filly holding my talon. Got it?"

"Um, yes, ma'am?" Scootaloo stammers, shying away from the griffon.

Gilda takes a step forwards, laughing derisively as she brandishes her talons. As Scootaloo cowers she drags a claw across the wooden board, marring the already beat up surface. "Oops." She sneers as she takes to the air, flying towards the marketplace as Scootaloo slowly gets up.

Tears form in the filly's eyes as she inspects her scooter. "Why?" she mutters to herself, tracing a hoof along the newly scarred surface. She tests her weight on the board; the mark isn't too deep, just messing up the image on top. At least she'll be getting another board soon, if she can pull off whatever it is Diamond Tiara wants her to do. She looks back towards the Carousel Boutique; they'd probably figure she stayed at the farmhouse when she doesn't show up.

Scootaloo glances over as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon slowly walk up to her. She tries to hide her tears as she crumples down, a loud snort completely giving it away. "What, you two spying on me now?" She can't even keep an angry glare going, her sniffles ruining the effect.

Silver Spoon shakes her head, trying to keep the pity out of her voice. "No. We were just, um, curious what was happening with that griffon. I guess she's a friend of your dam?" She glances towards the marketplace, a brief shudder as if even the mention of the word griffon would bring the predator swooping down on them.

"Some friend," Scootaloo mutters, kicking at the dirt, her eyes going to her scooter. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both gasp as they see the gash, exchanging worried looks before turning towards Scootaloo.

Diamond Tiara steps forward, lightly placing a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. She can just barely contain her excitement and apprehension about the griffon, trying to stay calm and comfort the pegasus instead. Besides, it's just a scooter, right? Not like the griffon took off a wing or something. "You okay?" She sighs as Scootaloo doesn't react, "Anything we can do to help?"

"No." Scootaloo pushes Diamond Tiara away, hopping on her scooter. She mutters, "See you two later." She rides off towards Sweet Apple Acres; maybe she can hide out in the orchards for a while, go exploring there or something. Anything to pass the time until dinner, then she can just go straight to bed and hope nopony asks her how her day has gone.

A confused Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara glance at each other as Scootaloo departs. "Well, I guess we got my opponent," Silver Spoon says. "Guess we head home?"

"Yeah," says Diamond Tiara, a cautious look towards the market. "I... kinda want to play inside. Maybe ask Dad if he can get that scooter ready."

13 The Polymath, Part One

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Twilight Sparkle happily sighs to herself as she walks out of the Carrot House, the cheery voices of her friends fading off into the distance. She pauses on the porch, not minding the slightly damp texture of the wood as she sits down. She smiles as she stares off into space: they are her friends. A more superstitious pony might have avoided it, but Twilight both doesn't believe in such things, and even if she did she couldn't help herself: this day is turning out just fine.

"Hey, Twi, you doing okay over there?" comes the hesitant voice of her best assistant ever, Spike. "You... waiting to go back inside and talk to Doug some more?"

"Nope!" Twilight says, perhaps a bit too much cheer in her voice. She tries to rein it back in just a little, "Nope. I wouldn't want Applejack to get mad at me again."

"Wow," Spike says, hopping up next to Twilight. "That's... awfully mature and patient of you. Are you feeling okay?"

"Of course I am!" Twilight cheerily says, managing to suppress her eye roll.

"Oh. So, you're just going to drop it, and let Doug talk to you when he's ready?" Spike raises an eye, his tone even more disbelieving.

Twilight snorts, "Of course not." She motions forward with a hoof, "I'm just going to ask them instead."

Spike looks out along the dirt road leading towards Ponyville, spotting most of the fillies of the Apple Herd walking back from school. He points a claw at each of the fillies, reminding Twilight their names; he had met each of them at the Summer Sun Celebration parties that Twilight had skipped, after all. The five mares each share a quick nuzzle with their filly, except for Rarity who after a brief glance around, looking for Sweetie Belle, nuzzles Pomarbo.

Rainbow Dash takes to the sky in a blur of color as Scootaloo turns around, dumping her bookbag on the ground and zooming back towards Ponyville on her scooter. Pinkie Pie and Rarity follow behind, though far enough so the mud kicked up doesn't get in Rarity's coat or into Pinkie Pie's mouth as she chatters, the pink pony's mouth moving almost as fast as her legs pronking up and down.

Fluttershy and her filly Hedge cut through the southern orchard, heading towards the pond and the ducks basking on the water's edge. Both seem content to listen to their surroundings, only the sound of their hoofsteps as they get away from the other ponies. They eventually get to one of their favorite picnic spots; Hedge pulls the remainder of her lunch out of her pack, some of her papers spilling out of the side. Hedge grimaces, gathering up the papers before she carefully rips the bread into smaller pieces. Fluttershy nibbles on the greens, leaving a few in case Hedge wants some for a snack before they head home.

Hedge slowly ascends, flying several feet into the air before she holds the position as long as she can, Fluttershy smiling up and softly cheering her on with a quiet 'yay'. Several seconds later Hedge throws the bread towards the pond before dropping back down, panting as she rips off another piece. She starts telling Fluttershy about her day as she rests her wings, though it isn't too long before she takes to the air again. Fluttershy watches until she notices a turtle sitting all alone near some of the reeds. It has the saddest look on its little turtle face, and Fluttershy moves over to investigate.

Applejack heads into the orchard, glancing up at the many blossoms scattered among the branches. Applebaum shucks her bookbag before following her dam, watching closely as Applejack gently places her front hooves on the trunk. The orange farmpony concentrates, the back of her mane slightly lifting up as if blown in a gentle breeze. Her hind legs set into the ground as she pushes against both the tree and the dirt.

Twilight Sparkle gasps as the blossoms open up, spreading their white and pink and red petals to the bright and sunny sky. Just as quickly the boughs shake back and forth, the same breeze that seems to lift Applejack's mane plucking the petals from their resting spots. A blizzard of blossoms surrounds the earth pony, who lifts her closed eyes and forelegs to the sun, a euphoric smile plastered on her muzzle.

Applejack turns towards Twilight as the unicorn clops her hooves on the porch, taking off her hat and bowing as a cyan face peeks out from behind the tree. Rainbow Dash gives a cheeky grin and wave at Twilight before disappearing again, her low altitude keeping her hidden by the many trees. Applejack turns to Applebaum, barely audible to Twilight, "Now, most of the time we don't go for that much spectacle. Instead, we're focusing on speeding up the process of turning flowers into fruit. Ah've heard some ponies like the apple blossoms, but since they ain't as tasty as rose petals or make as fine a wine, we generally don't bother collecting them." Applejack moves further into the orchard, stopping at the next tree as Applebaum places her brown hooves on the trunk.

Lemon, Pomarbo, and Meringue gather their sibling's bags, though only Lemon is able to shoulder the extra weight without staggering around. They slowly make their way to the Carrot House; Lemon nods at Twilight as they pass by, unable to spare a hoof to wave, as she beams, "Hi, Twilight! Spike! It's great to see you! Did you have a good day so far?" Twilight returns a smile and nod, Spike a wave; Pomarbo gives a shy smile while Meringue returns more of a blank stare and barely perceptible nod. Lemon calls, "Daddy! We're home!" as the three dump the bookbags onto the floor just inside the doorway. "We'll be outside if you need us!"

Lemon pulls Pomarbo to the side once they get inside the house, saying in a low voice, "Hey; I know Daddy is probably busy, but I want you to stay with him, okay? Like, even if it's just you sitting in the room with him, both of you doing your own thing."

"Why?" comes the timid response, Pomarbo pulling his reader out of the bag.

Lemon shrugs, "Lemon sense?" She winks at her brother, rubbing his head, "Nothing like what mom has, though. I just have this feeling he needs somepony by him, you know?"

Pomarbo nods, sharing a quick nuzzle with his sister before heading inside and quietly letting himself into Doug's office.

Twilight glances back as the door opens, half expecting to see Doug standing in the doorway, but instead it is just Lemon and Meringue who exit the house, the two year old colt staying inside. Pinkie Pie's two fillies, despite sharing a similar color palette, couldn't be presenting themselves more differently. Four year old Lemon, her pale yellow coat a sharp contrast to her poofy bright yellow mane, oozes energy as she not-quite-pronks towards them. The cream streaks in her mane draw even more attention towards her head, styled almost to point to her mouth and scream, 'Listen to me!'

Two year old Meringue, on the other hoof, is taking slow, almost calculated steps to minimize the amount of effort she needs to put into her unhurried pace. Her cream mane droops down, covering a lot of her bright yellow coat; at least from the angle from which she approaches Twilight. The yellow streaks draw one's eye to the ground, the vertical straight lines the opposite of her sister's twists and curls. Her eyes stay focused, analyzing the unicorn in front of her as her mouth remains pursed in a thin line.

Twilight smiles, opening her mouth to say hello as Lemon cuts her off.

Lemon starts talking almost as soon as she steps outside, her movements almost but not quite approaching Pinkie Pie levels of sugar fueled hyperactivity, if only because her hooves stay on the ground. "So, have you finished moving into the library yet? There were a lot of books around the boxes when we went exploring. All kinds of topics, too! Do you have a favorite kind of book? I like adventure! I almost couldn't believe it, but Meringue found quite possibly the most boring book imaginable. Read through it when we weren't playing party games. Like, the whole thing!"

"Oh?" Twilight says, somehow breaking into the conversation despite the lack of breaths Lemon is taking, almost insulted that a book in her library, neigh, that any book in existence might be accused of being boring. "Which one is that?"

Lemon rolls her eyes, her voice briefly flat and dry, "A dictionary. The non-abridged version. She even showed me where it said that." She perks up as she huffs, "I know, right? Can you believe it?"

Twilight turns to Meringue; Lemon's enthusiasm is a stark contrast to the dull stare the filly is giving her. Not an unintelligent one, but of one so disinterested in the conversation she might as well have been a rock. "Did you enjoy reading the dictionary?"

"Yes."

"Huh." Twilight glances at Spike, the dragon returning a shrug as he picks at his teeth, dislodging a bit of hay. "Well, I don't know if I have a favorite book, because I like all of them!"

"I can tell!" exclaims Lemon, "Because your new home is full of them! I don't know if I could live in a house with that many books. Although books do make good presents, and if there's one thing that puts a smile on a pony's muzzle, it's a good present!"

Twilight practically dies as she swoons, "Oh, I know! Every time Princess Celestia gives me a new book to read I just want to explode into tiny little pieces!"

Spike snarks, watching Fluttershy poke at the turtle, "Want to?"

Twilight ignores the dragon as she squees, "Books are just the best! I don't know if I could take giving them away like that, but if they were finding their way to a good home? I think I could. Oh, and I heard you all were giving book reports today in class. How did those go?" She deliberately looks at Meringue, Lemon taking the hint and glancing over as well.

"Reports uneventful."

Spike whispers to Lemon as Twilight squints one eye, "What happened to Meringue?"

Lemon whispers back, Twilight bending an ear to hear, "I think Nightmare Moon messed with her or something. Like, she used to be a lot more exu-... exurb-... um..."

"Exuberant? It means filled with a lively energy." Twilight glances at Meringue, the young filly still dispassionately observing.

"Yeah! Meringue used it yesterday. Actually, she used it to describe me." Lemon chuckles, "I don't know why, though!"

"Can't say that I see the resemblance," Spike snickers. "What about you, Meringue?"

"Conversation superfluous."

"Right." Spike glances at Twilight before turning back to Meringue, "So, um, why were you reading the dictionary?"

"Precision. Always can improve."

"Right. Yeah, I can see that." Spike leans over to Twilight and whispers, "I'm having second thoughts about this place."

"Nonsense, Spike! I admire her dedication to learning about and becoming more precise in her language." Twilight sighs, "I wish everypony put as much attention to the words they are saying as she does."

Lemon finally breaks back into the conversation, having slowly grown more and more antsy during the long pauses. "I know, right? Sometimes dam tells me that I need to spend more time thinking about what I'm saying and less time trying multiple versions out. But sometimes I just don't know how to phrase something, you know?" She brings a hoof to her chin as she stares up at the sky, "The phrasing of a sentence can be hard to parse?"

Twilight nods; she wanted to get something out of the filly about Doug, but the constant chatter is beginning to get to her. "Well, speaking of different ways to phrase something; Spike, we should probably head back to the library. I hope the animals cleaned up everything after we left." Her voice gets more and more excited, "We can spend the rest of the day deciding what organizational paradigm we're going to use for the library! I always wanted to design and implement my own classification system!"

Meringue perks up, "Design?" She pauses, a hoof slowly rubbing against her chin. "Meringue offer assistance."

Spike shakes his head, "Sorry, girl, but Twilight already has her number one assistant."

"Spike!" Twilight admonishes, the dragon rolling his eyes as he sighs, "I always appreciate the help of a friend."

"Well, I suppose. You're going to have to really work hard, though!" Spike gives a slight chuckle, "Twilight can be very demanding."

"Always can improve."

Twilight beams, patting Meringue on the head. The filly disdainfully looks at the hoof at first, but allows Twilight to stroke her head a few times. The barest hint of a smile peeks out from her neutral stare; while it doesn't completely escape, neither does it disappear after a second.

Spike smirks, "I suppose you might say, 'restoration complete'?"

"Emotional response: Appropriate."

Spike laughs, "Okay, I take it back. I like this one. Can we keep her?" The three start walking towards the Golden Oaks Library.

"Acceptable outcome."

Twilight snorts, waving to Lemon as she says, "We'll be sure to get her home in time for dinner. Have a good day, Lemon!"

Lemon beams, "You too, Twilight! Have fun sorting the library!" She turns back inside to make sure Doug and Pomarbo are doing okay. She glances into the room; Pomarbo is snuggling into Doug's lap, reading a book, as her sire keeps working, one hand occasionally coming down to rub into his mane. Satisfied, Lemon heads outside; maybe she can catch up with Applebaum, hang out with her for a little while.

Twilight, Spike and Meringue walk along the road, glad when it stops being dirt and turns to paved stone. Spike, growing a little uncomfortable at the lack of conversation, asks, "So, Meringue. What makes sorting through the library so interesting? I mean, Twilight practically has to beg to get me to help out. Sometimes."

"Spike!" Twilight admonishes, "It isn't that bad."

Spike nods along, a smile on his face, "Okay, yeah, I guess not. I am your number one assistant, after all!" He turns back to Meringue, the filly taking the time to contemplate her response. "So?"

"Intriguing concept. Perfect classification paradigm."

Spike groans, holding a claw to his head, "Great. Now there are two of them."

Twilight replies, "Oh, but I don't think my system is perfect, by no means! None of them are."

"Incorrect interpretation. Verb. Perfect."

"Oh." Twilight glances over at the filly still staring straight ahead as they walk. "Right. So, you want to help me design and work towards the best library possible?" Twilight beams at Meringue's nod, "That's so exciting! Maybe I can offer you a job at the library? If you wanted to come over after class, and help me organize and categorize the books?"

"Unable. Lacking proper credentials."

"You mean you don't have a cutie mark?" Twilight scoffs, "Please. Spike doesn't have a cutie mark and he works with me."

"I do?" Spike says, raising an eye. "Does this mean I get paid?"

"Oh, don't be silly, Spike. I pay you in gems! That, room and board in lieu of an actual paycheck, of course." Twilight grimaces a little, "Since I don't know if many ponies would look kindly on a dragon being employed instead of another pony. Especially because they didn't have a librarian before me, and now they would have two?" She motions down to Meringue, "Or three?"

"Oh." Spike nervously looks around, "You think that matters that much?"

Twilight nuzzles Spike, "It doesn't matter at all to me, Spike. I just worry how other ponies might take it." Twilight glances over at Meringue, "So, what do you think?"

"Acceptable."

"Okay!" Twilight smiles, "First, though, I need to write a few reports to Princess Celestia. Who knows, I might have material for several of them just from today!" Twilight nervously glances around, "Ooh, but she might think I'm not giving my all if I don't tell her everything that happened!"

"Don't worry, Twilight! You'll do great." Spike beams up at Twilight, "You're the best!"

"Thanks for that, Spike," Twilight replies as the two enter the library. Twilight grins; the library is clean, the books ready to be organized, and she has two amazing helpers! She glances over at Meringue, the filly already pulling a book out and glancing at the title. "Okay, first, we're going to decide what kind of desk or table we need for the library, and the placement of the various reading chairs and couches."

14 The Darkest Dream, Part One

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Doug slowly glances around the dark room. The moonlight flickers through a blue haze around the farmhouse, the curtains casting shadows that conceal the corners and walls. The heavy wooden table sits in front of him, an obsidian dagger embedded just out of reach. The blade gleams, spotless in the moonlight, though the dark pool underneath suggests the blood has had all the time it needed to slough off. Doug shudders; of all the things he could have been dreaming about, why did it have to be this?

Doug glances down, grimacing at the dark chains that bind him to his chair. The barbs press against his skin, a few painfully digging in. He tries moving first one arm, then the other, but the complete lack of give makes escape impossible this time. Same with his legs. There would be no rescue attempt this time, no chance to check on his foals, and make sure they are okay. At least the barbs aren't as painful as the real thing, though he is a little surprised that he can still feel pain. Though that had been true of the few other times he dreamed, and they were always much more vivid than any dreams prior to Equestria.

The house isn't quite silent, soft breathing coming from his side. Doug slowly turns his head, trying to take in the whole picture and not focus on the alicorn's chest slowly moving up and down. Shadowy tendrils slither along her body, snaking further and further along her barrel. Her head is nearly fully entwined, practically a gladiator's mask from her ears to her muzzle. Or an iron maiden.

A flash briefly blinds him; he tries to shield his eyes, immediately regretting the reaction as his arms burn against his restraints. His eyes slowly recover, barely able to make out the dark blue, nearly black figure standing in front of him. Her hooves, chest, and horn armor are accented in mirrored teal and amethyst, a cobalt and purple aurora of a mane waving behind her. Nightmare Moon.

Just behind the dark alicorn blink in two ethereal figures, their nearly transparent forms briefly wavering before they solidify into one white and one blue alicorn. The two glance around at their surroundings, the ghostly Princess Luna remarking, "We acknowledge it has been some time, but we still remember our duty." She glances at the two dream alicorns, their movements paused as she says, "And this dream is hardly accurate. We recall our appearance as far more intimidating."

The ghostly Princess Celestia nods. "You see this as a dream, and not a nightmare?" At Princess Luna's nod she continues, "I as well. I suppose I am just here for sentimental reasons, then. I do feel some responsibility for this; had I not gone to him for support, he would have been spared all this." Princess Celestia snorts as she motions to her own figure, "And my flanks are hardly that large!" The alicorns seem to fade into the background, watching the dream unfurl.

Nightmare Moon cackles, looking down at the white alicorn trapped in front of her. "Your plan has failed, sister! The Elements of Harmony ruined, the world now mine to control!" She roars in laughter, pointing a hoof outside towards the moon, "And now, dearest sister, you shall face exactly the same fate that I suffered! Banished, a thousand years to the sun!" She gleefully laughs, "Except, with the night lasting forever? You know what that means, yes? It means, you shall never see your precious ponies again!" Nightmare Moon snorts as she bursts into mad laughter again, strutting around the room.

Celestia slowly shakes her mask from side to side. Nightmare Moon cocks her head, staring at the white alicorn.

"Oh?" Nightmare Moon says, moving close to peer into Celestia's shuttered eyes. "Is there something you wish to say?"

If Celestia tries to open her mouth to speak, nopony can tell, but after a few seconds she barely nods her head up and down.

"Hmm," Nightmare Moon stalls, tapping a hoof against her chin, "Very well. I fear no trick from you, sister, even if your magic isn't fully drained. Though, by now, it should have been." She peers close again, "Do you care to explain that to me?"

The tendrils slide away from Celestia's muzzle, the white alicorn opening her mouth and licking her dry lips. She barely ekes out, "Foal."

"Foal? You mean him?" Nightmare Moon points a hoof at Doug; the human has turned back to face the table. He is blankly staring at the dagger, seemingly oblivious to the world, though his breathing tells her that he's paying attention.

Celestia weakly shakes her head back and forth, barely able to whimper, "Our foal."

The ghostly Princess Luna fades in just enough to command, "Explain this."

Princess Celestia fades in briefly, merely saying, "I will at the end."

Princess Luna pauses before both alicorns fade out again.

Nightmare Moon fixes Celestia with a penetrating glare, her eyes blazing teal. A rumbling starts deep in her throat, building and growing louder until finally erupting. She bellows, "It worked! You succeeded!" Nightmare Moon cackles as she teleports, reappearing scant inches away from Celestia's still blinded eyes, "AND FOR NOTHING! YOU LOSE!!"

"Please," forces out Celestia. Her head lowers to the table, past the point of comfort, the barbs beginning to pierce into her dull white coat. Pinpricks of red form, some dripping along the thorns while others seep further along her hairs.

Nightmare Moon snorts, "Please. Is that all you can offer? After what you did to me? Banishment to the sun would be a blessing compared to what you would go through if I imprisoned you here." She waves a hoof at the otherwise empty farmhouse, "And nopony will vouch for you, sacrifice themselves for your sake."

Celestia chokes back a sob, not able to look up and meet her sister's gaze, even if her eyes weren't covered.

The room is silent for several seconds before Doug coughs, "I will vouch for her."

Nightmare Moon spins, the twin daggers she is glaring at Doug made manifest behind her. "YOU? You would dedicate a lifetime of service to myself, Nightmare Moon, in order to save this wretch?" Nightmare Moon spits, pacing over and planting a hoof on Doug's chest; he shudders as he glances down at the armored leg on him. "And, should any fail me? You, or her, or your foal! Then all of you shall perish!"

Doug breathes in deep, forcing his eyes to meet the teal abyss swirling in front of him. "I so swear."

Nightmare Moon sneers, "Then you have damned yourself for nothing! For she has no one to vouch for, and none other to vouch for her!"

Celestia forces out, "I so..."

Nightmare Moon turns, glaring at the imprisoned white alicorn. "I tire of listening to your pathetic whimpers." The tendrils around Celestia's muzzle loosen, the bloodied barbs receding into themselves.

Celestia breathes a sigh of relief, a brief moment of respite before she says, "I so swear, for the unborn foal of my union with Doug Apple, of Herd Apple."

Nightmare Moon stops in place, the glare on her muzzle slowly turning to a wry smile. She turns, a glacial pace to regard the white alicorn. Her voice, the slow cadence of a funeral march, "You. Would serve me. One thousand years of service. Never. Once. Seeing your precious sun. Just for the sake of your foal?"

"I wish to be with you, sister. Even if it is not what we used to have." Celestia grimly nods before bowing her head, "And I do this for the sake of all of our little ponies."

Nightmare Moon stomps a hoof, the tendrils surrounding Doug and Celestia transforming into barbed suits of armor. Purple gauntlets and sabatons encase Doug's hands and feet, a teal cuirass and faulds for his chest, a dark black bassinet leaving his face visible. Dark barding covers Celestia; color returns to the visible sections of alabaster coat. Her mane is clipped short, no longer waving in the air but instead a chromatic rainbow threaded through the back of her dark helmet in a high ponytail.

"Kneel," Nightmare Moon commands, her deep voice echoing through the farmhouse.

Doug and Celestia both rise from their chairs, bending a knee before the dark alicorn.

"This is perfect!" Nightmare Moon laughs derisively. She hums to herself, "Now, Doug Graves. What. Should. I. Do. With. You." She smirks, "Ah, I have just the job for you. Perfectly befitting your name." She pauses, turning her head slightly to the side and regarding Doug. "And do you know what it will be?"

Doug considers a few options before tentatively saying, "A... grave digger?"

Nightmare Moon shakes her head. "Oh, no no no. Nothing so pedestrian. I think... you will be my high executioner. Filling the dug graves."

Doug lowers his head, his body shaking as he forces out, "I am at your command."

"For your first official execution. Hmm," Nightmare Moon ponders, her gaze raising to the ceiling. "Ah! I have just the one. Since I no longer have use of them, your first command is to execute your five foals."

Princess Luna fades in, "We are reconsidering our earlier statement, about this being no nightmare."

Princess Celestia appears as well, "I agree, though perhaps we may arrive at a different conclusion by the end. I defer to your expertise, of course."

Princess Luna nods, "We fear it becoming far more grim, perhaps close to what we originally intended as... her. But this..." She sighs as both alicorns fade away.

Doug stares blankly at Nightmare Moon for several seconds. His voice catches as his knees go weak, one hand going to the table as he nearly collapses.

"Oh! How forgetful of me." Nightmare Moon smirks, "you need something with which to fulfill your duty." The dagger plucks out of the table, levitating towards Doug. His body shakes as he takes the dagger, staring at the blade in his gauntleted hand. "And now, your first condemned."

Four fillies and one colt teleport in front of Doug, each chained to the floor. Nightmare Moon motions forwards with a hoof, staring at Doug. He shakily raises one hand to his head, the barbs on his gloves scratching against his scalp as he grimaces, pleading as he shakes his head from side to side.

"Need I Remind You Of The Consequences Of Failing My Command?" Nightmare Moon thunders, towering behind Doug. "Not only will your foals die anyway, but you condemn Celestia and her foal as well!"

"Please, Nightmare Moon," Doug begs, motioning with the dagger, "there must be another way. They can vouch for each other."

Nightmare Moon snorts, "Only an adult, one with a cutie mark, may sacrifice a lifetime of service to me for the sake of their kin." She smirks, "Will you make your foal choose which of her sisters will live? Or will you make the choice for her?"

Applebaum pushes against the chains binding her to the floor. She looks up at Nightmare Moon; the alicorn's horn flares and releases the chains around her. The foal's mouth opens, but no sound comes out. She stops, pawing at the wooden floor, trying and failing to scratch out a message.

"Inscribe it." the alicorn commands, her harsh tone indicating that quill and ink would not be enough.

Applebaum glances around before Doug kneels down, offering the dagger. Applebaum shudders, sliding her foreleg across the edge. She dips her hoof in the welling blood, again looking at Nightmare Moon.

The dark alicorn's horn flares, an image appearing across the filly's face. Applebaum looks at her visage in the dagger, whimpering as she traces her hoof along the lines, a rough red sigil of Nightmare Moon's cutie mark now inscribed on her forehead.

"Choose."

Applebaum shudders at Nightmare Moon's command, tentatively lifting a hoof at Lemon. The chains around the yellow filly break, disappearing into the ether. Lemon glances back and forth, tears streaming as she silently whimpers, the two running over to join Doug.

Nightmare Moon sneers, "You have now sentenced two of them to a lifetime of service to me. You think you have some plan for the rest?"

Doug quakes, his gauntleted hand running through and tugging at his hair. He stops, roughly pressing into his scalp as he squeezes. His eyes light up as a thought strikes him, "The mares." Doug raises his eyes to Nightmare Moon, "Their dams, the mares of the herd. Their lives, for the fillies."

"THEY ARE NOT YOURS TO COMMAND!!"

Nightmare Moon bellows, a sweep of her hoof enough to send Doug cowering to the floor. Nightmare Moon considers for a few seconds before sneering. Her horn flares; three fillies teleport next to their sisters while six mares appear by the white alicorn. The mares are battered and bruised, bloodied cuts and torn manes, each groaning as they slowly shift about. "But perhaps they may choose for themselves."

"What?" yells Rainbow Dash, struggling to her hooves. "What's going on? Doug!" She notices the armor surrounding him and Celestia. Rainbow Dash limps over to him, "Don't tell me..."

Doug solemnly nods, "I... I failed us all, Rainbow. I'm working for her now." He motions towards Nightmare Moon; she stands regally, an imposing figure over all. "And... and she is giving each of us the same offer. Serve her, vouch for one other and share their fate. And keep our fillies alive. Or decline, and any not vouching or vouched for will perish."

Rainbow sobs, her hoof clanging against the armor as she feebly strikes Doug, "Why, Doug? Why are you making us choose between you and Equestria? Between Celestia and a Nightmare?"

Doug motions towards the white alicorn adorned in teal and amethyst armor, "Celestia... Celestia also made the choice. There is no Equestria now that isn't under Nightmare Moon's control." His head drops down, "It was the only way to save her." He looks back up at Rainbow, "And all of you."

Rainbow stares at Doug for a few seconds before whimpering, "So... so... I can stay with you, right? I can still stay loyal to you?"

Applejack weakly raises a hoof, coughing as she calls, "Rainbow!" before slumping back to the ground.

Rainbow turns, tears welling as her eyes wander over Applejack and the rest of the herd. Her gaze drifts to Scootaloo, her filly mournfully staring up at her. Rainbow stands on shaky legs, staggering over to Nightmare Moon and kneeling down. She coughs, barely eking out, "I swear, Nightmare Moon. For Scootaloo."

Silence pervades the farmhouse as Nightmare Moon regards Rainbow Dash's kneeling figure. A smirk slowly creeps over the alicorn's muzzle, her horn flaring. Black and purple armor coalesces around Rainbow Dash, a dark blue eye in the center of the chestpiece. Nightmare Moon's cutie mark appears on the horned helmet; Rainbow grunts as her wings are likewise encased. Around Doug's upper arm a cerulean band appears, a black band wrapping around Rainbow's foreleg.

Scootaloo's bindings break, the filly charging over to her dam. Rainbow Dash kneels down, nuzzling the orange pegasus before Nightmare Moon snorts. Rainbow Dash jerks up, snapping to attention. Scootaloo mewls, cowering behind Rainbow before she quails under Nightmare Moon's stare. She marches forward two steps, next to Rainbow, and kneels as well.

Nightmare Moon grins, laughing to herself as she regards the remainder of the mares.

Applejack leads, gulping as she slowly walks forward. Rarity, then Fluttershy, then Pinkie Pie each stand with varying degrees of difficulty and trepidation.

The four mares say in unison, "We swear, for"

"Apple Bloom." "Sweetie Belle." "Hedge." "Meringue."

Nightmare Moon's horn flares bright, four more sets of armor appearing around each of them. Four bands appear around Doug's upper arm: white, yellow, orange, and pink joining to the cyan already present. Each mare gains a black band around their foreleg, the tight fit squeezing against their coat. Doug drops down, a relieved breath escaping as he catches himself on the floor.

"Sadly," Nightmare Moon intones, not a hint of grief in her voice, "You are still one short. And with none to vouch for Twilight Sparkle? For opposing me directly, she will be your first condemned. Followed by your youngest, as none are left to vouch for him."

Doug shudders, briefly glancing at Pomarbo, then at the rest of the herd. The seven foals each have a rough black collar, inscribed with the name of the pony vouching for them or, in Applebaum's case, the pony she is vouching for. The collars crackle with dark energy as the light leaves Doug's eyes. He briefly closes his eyes, quaking slightly, murmuring to himself. His eyes open, a haunted look as he grips the dagger.

The five mares look to Twilight, the unicorn shuddering. "All of you?" she stammers, hanging her head. "Abandoned by each of my friends?"

"What choice did we have?" mourns Applejack, teary eyes focusing on her colt, the only foal remaining shackled to the ground. "If you thought this monster-" Applejack shudders as Nightmare Moon strides over, an armored hoof crashing against Applejack's plated helmet! The blow drives the mare to the ground; she whimpers as she adjusts the dented helmet, slowly getting to her hooves and standing at attention.

Twilight Sparkle glances between the mares and foals, her gaze finally resting on Celestia. She defiantly shouts, "Princess Celestia! How could you abandon Equestria like this, to this fiend!"

Celestia barely flinches at her student's recrimination, holding her head high as she neutrally states, "I made this choice to save Equestria." Her stony facade breaks, regarding Twilight with tears in her eyes, "And I wish for none to perish, my faithful student. Not you, not any." She drops down slightly, barely whispering, "Please consider your choices carefully, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia stands back up, returning to attention.

Twilight Sparkle stares at Celestia for another second before hanging her head. She glances up to Nightmare Moon, "If it saves the life of my friends and their family, then I accept. I so swear." Several seconds pass, Twilight nervously looking up at the dark alicorn.

Nightmare Moon cackles, "Unfortunately, you are not kin of Pomarbo." The stunned unicorn's limbs are encased in shadowy tendrils, forcing her to kneel in front of Doug. "Your second condemned." Pomarbo's tiny body levitates next to Twilight, the colt softly whimpering, "Your first."

"No! Wait!" shouts Twilight, vainly struggling against her bonds as Doug rises, his face devoid of emotion as he raises the dagger. "Stop! I'll do it! Whatever it takes!"

Doug stops, the dead look in his eyes replaced by a flicker of hope.

"Perhaps..." Nightmare Moon drawls, her muzzle curling to a smirk. She motions to Applejack, "Make your request."

Twilight glances at Applejack, then back to Nightmare Moon. She hesitantly says, "Applejack? May I join the herd?"

Applejack continues standing at attention, ignoring the unicorn.

"Applejack," Nightmare Moon says neutrally, the barest hint of a smile at her subject's obedience, "Do you accept?"

Applejack's inflectionless voice replies, "If it pleases you, Nightmare Moon."

Twilight looks to the dark alicorn, "Unless there is anything else you require, I so swear, Nightmare Moon, to serve you. For the sake of my friends."

Nightmare Moon snorts; her horn lights, shooting a purple beam into Twilight's chest. "There is one more thing." A black band snaps around Twilight's foreleg, a purple band joining the others around Doug's arm. Nightmare Moon commands, "Consummate."

Twilight takes a step back, feeling a heat deep in her nethers. "What did you..." she trails off as she moans, finding herself resting her forelegs on the ground while her tail flicks to the side.

The figures of the dream pause as Princess Luna and Princess Celestia step forward, their forms solidifying. Princess Luna states, "This seems to be the end, yes?"

Princess Celestia nods, "Close enough, yes."

15 The Darkest Dream, Part Two

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Princess Luna slips in between the seventeen figures standing still as statues. She inspects each figure closely as she says, "So, Sister, why art thou here again?" She looks up from her task, regarding her elder sister. "We do not care for the lack of trust it implies, and we thought thou had no power to affect dreams."

"I was alerted by my student, Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic. She interacted with Doug, and detailed his reaction to any mention or use of magic, as well as mention of you or Nightmare Moon. She was worried about him, and unsure of how to best proceed." Princess Celestia motions to Doug's armored form, "I have visited his dreams before, though they were never this robust. The few times I observed they were more disjointed, as if his subconscious mind is working through different views or situations."

"And were thou able interfere with his dreams before?" Princess Luna notes the shake of Princess Celestia's head as she glances around, no longer at the figures but the surrounding scenery. "It is remarkably detailed in some sections, but other aspects are completely absent." She motions to the non-existent ceiling, instead a dark void, "For instance, he must not be used to flying creatures, even after all this time, for he does not care to look up enough to add a ceiling, either wooden or a mis-matched sky."

"I always admired your attention to detail, Sister," Princess Celestia says, a soft smile. She joins her sister in staring at the void above, struggling to contain her desire to add in stars if only to make the scene more authentic. "What other things did you notice?"

"First," Princess Luna states, pointing a hoof at Doug's paused body, "are all humans this... libidinous?" Her hoof travels from the human to the eight foals, then to Celestia, and Twilight's presenting body. "We thought most mares happy with one foal, perhaps two, and stallions content with whatever number their mares decide. Judging by the current size of Equestria, most ponies are still comfortable with merely replacing their own numbers. Yet he fantasizes about adding in two more mares to his herd, having at least two foals with them, and this is just one dream focusing on another subject entirely!"

"I have never thought to ask," smirks Princess Celestia, "though when he was offered the chance for another to join, he declined." Princess Celestia taps a hoof to her chin, "Though this was years ago. Perhaps he has changed his mind, should the offer be made again."

Princess Luna smirks at Princess Celestia, "Art thou sure this is his dream, Sister?" Princess Luna concentrates, the image rewinding to Celestia saying, 'Our foal.' She points a hoof at the white alicorn's slightly enlarged belly and flanks, "Thou art remarkably comfortable with this scene. While we acknowledge that it is, perhaps, a too frequent occurrence, not many take it to this step during their fantasies. Our subjects believe it an impossibility. So, then, if thou hath not joined his herd in his dream, explain this. Neither thou nor Nightmare seemed to think thou had."

"Truly? I thought it was obvious." Princess Celestia motions to her own figure, "We believe he desires a foal with us. He certainly does not have my reaction correct, were I actually carrying his foal. Or that of any other." A smile spreads over Princess Celestia's muzzle, "Indeed, I would find myself quite unable to stop shouting it from every rooftop, were it to be the case." Princess Celestia shrugs, "I suppose I might have, as this dream starts with my being entrapped. I certainly would have agreed to nearly anything to keep her alive."

"Knowing how much thou desired it to happen, we are surprised thou has not managed the feat, in the thousand years of our absence." Princess Luna sighs, "Then again, with the difficulties we both faced, we are not surprised no progress has been made on that front. T'would be a sight not seen before in Equestria, should it happen." Princess Luna snorts, "Though, we have not heard thou deny the physical impossibility of having a foal with him as the reason this section is inaccurate."

Princess Celestia nods, "True."

Princess Luna sighs at the lack of explanation, "Why wouldst thou not wish to join his herd, then, if thou might fulfill both desires?" Princess Luna waves her hoof, the scene shifting to a very lightly detailed wedding between Celestia and Doug.

"Simple." Princess Celestia swipes her hoof, the dream shifting to an armor clad Celestia standing behind the dark alicorn. Princess Celestia motions to Nightmare Moon, "Doug has... a certain dread for what might happen to him and his herd were his presence and background more widely known. As more than just an oddity, that is. He prefers the quiet of farm life, and adding myself to Herd Apple would utterly destroy that. Even though it may fulfill the deep desire that I have."

Princess Celestia waves a hoof at the armor, "Despite the appearances here, Doug has a general distaste for the theatrical. He dislikes bringing too much attention to himself, and prefers to stay in the background. He must have some inkling of what could happen to him and his herd, were the details of their new positions widely celebrated. And he fears it, and the premise of this dream would completely remove that."

"A fascinating interpretation." Princess Luna remarks, "And it puts the dusking of Nightmare Moon in a completely different light." Princess Luna sighs, "Though, we fear we may come to join thou in that desire, before too long. It t'was never as strong with us as it t'was for thou. Or, as we have learned, the ascended Love. How hast thou done it, conquered that innate craving?"

Princess Celestia shrugs. "Before now? Study. Devoting myself to the running of Equestria. Previous lovers, certainly, though after a certain point there was an understanding of what could not be." She shakes her head with a heavy sigh, "Nothing has filled that void." Light flares across her eyes as she smiles, "Though, with Doug's inspiration and assistance we have discovered that there may be a general solution available. I will discuss the details with you later, in a more appropriate setting."

"Truly?!" Princess Luna's eyes briefly twitch, her stunned expression quickly fading. "We look forward to this discussion."

"And I as well." Princess Celestia nuzzles her sister, the two briefly smiling into each other's eyes.

After a time Princess Celestia pulls away; she motions to the paused white alicorn, returning to explaining the dream. "Ultimately, I believe him to be working through the various ways his experience could have gone." Princess Celestia walks around Nightmare Moon, "And I think this is merely him playing through one of these scenarios. Though he is certainly playing through the worst possible scenario, perhaps, that it could have manifested."

Princess Luna nods, "Indeed. T'was my second observation; that by surrendering his will to ours, as he depicts the Nightmare, his choice would ultimately destroy him and his herd. Or turn him into such a depraved monster that he should have taken the quick death. It speaks volumes of his loyalty." Rage flashes across Princess Luna's face as the scene flickers to Nightmare Moon standing above five chained foals. Princess Luna thunders, "We would have treated our subjects far better than this!"

"I believe you," Princess Celestia replies, "which is the primary reason that I surrendered myself to you in the first place. Well, that, and to spare Equestria the destruction a prolonged battle would have wrought. He got that much right." Princess Celestia sighs, "Though I would not have enjoyed being imprisoned in the Sun or the Moon. And I also think you agree with me; that in addition to playing through a scenario, this is wish fulfillment. He is able to gain the foal that he desires with myself; perhaps only subconsciously, perhaps not. But by having my dream version keep the product of our union a secret, and then 'forced' to work under Nightmare Moon? You can be certain that his version of Nightmare Moon would not allow me to celebrate this truly momentous occasion as I would were this the case today."

Princess Luna nods, "Yes. Even... even with thou sworn subordinate, we would still fear any threat to our supremacy. He did get that right about us. Though sections are so blatantly over the top; why would we need a high executioner?" Princess Luna scans the dagger closely, a slight crackle of blue along the edge despite the rest of the dream being paused. "Of what benefit is there in the deaths of foals? Especially as depicted! It would do nothing but drive them against us!" Princess Luna glares at Nightmare Moon, stomping a hoof against the floor. She sighs, "Thou interprets this in the same light, yes? Had the Nightmare prevailed, we would have left them to their devices, beaten and subdued, with perhaps the most token of agreements to no longer oppose us. Not the formality of swearing allegiance to us individually, on pain of death of them or their loves. Thou think that it is purely to give himself a villain to save them from?" She snorts, "If one could consider this being 'saved'."

"Indeed, if unconventional." The scene shifts again; Princess Celestia points a hoof at the armor covering herself and Doug as they kneel in front of Nightmare Moon. "He is allowed to play the savior, despite the circumstances. Imagine the end result was, for all intents and purposes, intended. How does this play conclude?"

"They art together. Whole." Princess Luna motions at Nightmare Moon, "Under the command of a new leader, with the addition of new members, but... thou thinkest that is intended as well?"

"I see no reason it is not." The scene shifts again so Princess Celestia can point a hoof at Applejack, now clad in undented armor, "His lead mare commands him at home and on the farm. His second job consists almost entirely of working out solutions for problems other ponies bring to him. He is certainly comfortable being told what to do, and this is merely an extension of that."

"Thou believe we would be as fine a leader as thou art? We are honored." Princess Luna bows slightly, quickly getting back up with a smirk. "Perhaps returning to the throne will not be as arduous as we imagined."

"I should wish as much, sister; I am merely sorry other ponies did not give you the recognition you deserve." Princess Celestia turns back to the image, now showing the final image with Twilight flicking her tail to the side. She smirks, "Perhaps he panics at a prolonged and painful process of pursuing a partner and proposing."

Princess Luna snorts, "Perhaps thou spends too much time around Laughter."

Princess Celestia says neutrally, "No comment." She smiles, "Though I could see the argument for him desiring a force, such as Nightmare Moon, removing the creatures that hold sway over him; a revolution of sorts, but that doesn't fit with the rest of the scene. He is happy with the status quo. And would do whatever is in his power to maintain that. Hence his surrendering to a power he ought not to."

"Agreed; it flies against the rest of the dream. And with eternal night?" Princess Luna snorts as she looks to the blank sky, "We know our moon lacks the raw output necessary. Though life would continue, especially if it remains in the sky constantly. Competent farmers and weatherponies would be in even higher demand. Why give up such an asset?"

"Indeed."

After several seconds Princess Luna turns, "Why doth thou linger? Is there more thou wish't to discuss?"

Princess Celestia shakes her head, a heavy sigh escaping her lips, "I am disappointed that I am unable to help either my student or my subject, as this foray has given me little additional insight into how to best help him overcome his fears. He is already surrounded by those that love and care for him, and will not allow him to retreat into dark depths. It appears I must play the mysterious mentor once again, withholding my supposed insights because I wish to teach my student that she is capable of figuring out the difficult problems herself."

"Thou shouldn'test be silly, Sister." Princess Luna smirks. "Thou always lovest playing the mysterious mentor."

Princess Celestia returns a smirk no less as large, "I do, do I not?" as she fades away.

The smile slowly fades from Princess Luna's muzzle as she turns back to the final scene. She resolutely walks to the paused Nightmare Moon figure, one tear flowing down her face. Her horn flares; the blue tear pulls away from her body, doubling in size again and again as it glows with a purple magic. It shimmers as it continues to expand, an aurora of stars outlined in purple. Princess Luna's horn winks out, the rip in reality darting around on its own accord.

Princess Luna vows, "We will never forget what we could have done," as the tear pierces into her skull, disappearing without a mark. Princess Luna collapses to the ground, weeping as her own nightmare consumes her.

"Never forgive."

16 The Lion, Part One

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July 3rd, 1000 Domina Solaria

Doug groans as he wakes up, the dawn's light streaming through the window. Morning already? He slumps back, if only for a moment; Applejack has made clear she wants more of his help around the farm for the next week, on account of and in preparation for all the apples they have growing. But, what was with that dream he had last night? It was nearly as vivid as the time Celestia roped him into being arbiter. Well, maybe that wasn't entirely Celestia's fault.

He manages to chuckle to himself: which dream has a happier ending? He has no idea; both endings are quite bleak, showcasing the villains winning. Or at least succeeding at their plots. At least he didn't have to dig himself out of his own mind this time. He grunts as he rubs his head; this time could really have done with less bouncing around. His mind still feels like a rubber ball, squishing one way and then another as it tumbles around. Maybe his morning run would do him some good, help him feel better. Though it has been a while since Rainbow joined him on one.

He wipes the sleepiness out of his eyes as he sits up, though only one side of the bed feels occupied. He yawns as he glances over, expecting cyan and pink snuggled together under the thin blanket. He frowns as his hand pauses over the sheets, only the poofy pink mane visible. The strands of purple and red are missing, and judging by the lumps there is only one pony in the bed with him.

He gently tugs the sheets up, half expecting an explosion of confetti, but the only thing greeting him is a pair of cerulean eyes smiling up at him. Doug grunts out, "Morning, Pinkie," as he licks his dry lips. "Not working the morning shift today?" He peeks further under the blanket, ending the debate on whether or not Rainbow could be hiding under there anyway.

"Nope!" Pinkie Pie says, her voice subdued but enthusiasm no less present. There are fillies sleeping in the next room, after all. "I'm closing today. So I get to spend all day with Rainbow Dash! It's going to be so much fun!" Pinkie Pie jolts up, kicking off the sheets and blanket. They flip through the air, dropping down and neatly fold themselves at the foot of the bed. "Well, in between Rainbow working and practicing."

"Oh?" Doug says as he sits up, frowning as he looks around the room, not spotting the cerulean pegasus hiding anywhere. "Where did she run off to?"

"Hmm," Pinkie Pie says, a little flustered as she looks around. "I thought she'd be here, too." She pulls out a headband, complete with arrow, and then a kazoo. "I guess I'll check her cloud house. Though, why she would stay there instead of here with you?"

"I'm not sure, but she better have a good reason," Doug grunts out, checking the floor before setting his feet down. He relaxes as he exhales, stretching his arms in preparation for his morning run. He glances over to the mare rummaging under the bed next to him, "Hey, Pinkie. Thanks for staying here with me."

"Of course!" Pinkie Pie says, her grin and twinkling eyes covered up by a pair of glasses and fake mustache. "I'd never leave you! I mean, I would have said that about Rainbow Dash too, but..." Pinkie Pie shrugs, pronking to the door. "Anyway, lots more ponies to prank!"

"Before you go," Doug says, Pinkie Pie's hoof grasping the doorknob and opening the door, "Do you mean that? That you'd stay with me, even if, say..." Doug gulps, closing his eyes as he forces himself to keep talking, "Nightmare Moon took over?"

Pinkie Pie pronks over to Doug, a quick nuzzle before she envelopes him in a hug, Doug quickly wrapping his arms around her. "Of course I would, silly! I mean, assuming she's not some heinous monster who makes you cook ponies into cupcakes." Pinkie Pie snorts, "Wouldn't that just be ridiculous? I mean, if she's just a ruler like Princess Celestia, except with a night theme and spooooky armor?" Pinkie Pie giggles, making an extended 'oooo' noise while waving her hooves back and forth above her head. "I think I could live with that! But if she's making you go against who you are?" Pinkie Pie shakes her head, waving a hoof back and forth in front of her neck, "There's not much point in living without laughter!"

Doug smiles, "I guess not." His hand rubs at Pinkie Pie's ears as she gives him a quick kiss, the mare pronking out of the room and shutting the door behind her. One quick bathroom trip later and Doug drops down, a set of push ups and sit ups before going to the door. His hand fails to twist the doorknob, slipping on the greasy metal.

Doug raises his arms to the ceiling, mock shouting an exaggerated, "PIINKIEE!" as he smiles. He tries the knob again, one eye squinting as his hand slips off. Hmm. How is he going to get out of here without waking up the house or making Rarity upset by ruining one of his shirts or towels?

Some time later, Doug rounds the bend on the eastern edge of the farm. Rainbow Dash's cloud house is still visible, though no activity yet from the rainbow adorned building. And no rainbow blur streaking along the skies, though if he has to guess she is on a similar schedule as Pinkie Pie. She should be somewhere, doing her morning workout, especially if she isn't jogging along with him.

Doug spots Pinkie Pie and Meringue as he gets a little closer, the pink mare shouting up at the house while her filly stands next to her. He is still too far to make out exactly what she is saying, and continues his jog towards them. Pinkie Pie blows on a party horn, the loud blaring echoing among the apple trees. A brown form peeks out from the cloud house above, Rainbow Dash quickly poking her head out from the upper floor. Rainbow darts down, greeting Pinkie Pie with a quick nuzzle. The brown form glides down, preening a little as she watches the three ponies. A single talon goes into her mouth as she twists her head to the side and gags, though it is quickly hidden as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie turn to her.

The three talk together for a little bit before Rainbow Dash zips up to the sky, the brown bird reluctantly following behind. Rainbow dances back and forth in the air, a short series of minor tricks. Then Rainbow Dash spins like a tornado, a vortex of blue energy! Quite the sharp contrast to the brown arms waving halfheartedly around that quickly drop back down. Both land, posing with forelegs in the air, only Rainbow Dash belting out a cheer.

As Doug gets closer, he can make out the goofy grin on Rainbow, along with the black ring around her eye she was sporting yesterday. He guesses even Rarity wasn't able to take it off; that, or the pegasus didn't care enough to ask, or dreaded what Rarity would put her through for the trouble. The griffon, he can make out now, is merely standing by with a bored look on her face.

She says in a loud, raspy voice, "But Dash, you promised me we'd get a flying session in this morning." She turns, looking at Doug as he approaches and raising one set of purple eyebrow feathers. "And who are you supposed to be?" She glances around the orchard, "The farmhoof?"

Doug snorts as Rainbow Dash nervously paws at the ground. "Why? You need a good threshing?" Doug grunts out as he beats two fists against each other. Gilda cocks her head, confusion in her eyes swiftly morphing to anger. Doug gives a quick nod, "Sup, Dash, Pinkie. Who's your friend?" Pinkie Pie turns at Doug, a quick upwards flick of her head nodding back.

"Hey!" Gilda shouts, roughly pushing Rainbow Dash and knocking her to the ground. "That supposed to be some kind of joke? Or you looking for a beating?" She brandishes her golden talons, sneering as best a beak can.

Doug raises an eyebrow, though he gives the talons a wary glance, "What, do you not know much about wheat? It's a farming reference. Threshing?" He pantomimes holding one hand up while slicing with the other, then lifting his arms with two hands spread apart. Gilda merely glares at him in return, huffing as she deliberates taking this up a notch.

Rainbow Dash pushes herself back up, dashing between the two and smiling at both of them. She flies up, motioning to Gilda, "Hey, Doug! This is my griffon friend, Gilda!" She turns to Doug, an equally enthusiastic, "Gilda, this is my, um, stallion, Doug!"

"Your stallion?" Gilda exclaims, backing up a step and staring at Rainbow. Gilda snorts, looking over at Pinkie Pie and Meringue; Pinkie Pie looks a little offended while Meringue doesn't seem to care. "What in Tartarus happened to you, Rainbow?" she sneers, "I thought you were cool. You getting slow in your herd life?" Gilda takes off, blowing a raspberry at Rainbow Dash as she leaves behind a cloud of dust.

Rainbow Dash yells, "Hey! I'm-" before Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Doug break into a coughing fit as the dust rises around them. The dust slowly settles, leaving Rainbow Dash muttering, "not slowed by my herd." She awkwardly looks at Doug, rubbing the back of her head as she says, "Hey, um, sorry about that. She can be a little rough on the edges." She then turns to Pinkie Pie, "And, um, Pinkie Pie, you don't mind, right? Gilda just got here last night. We'll catch up with you later!"

Pinkie Pie sighs, "Oh. Um, well, sure. No problem." Rainbow Dash grins before she quickly nuzzles Pinkie Pie, taking off after Gilda and leaving a rainbow contrail behind. Pinkie Pie frowns as she continues, "I'll just catch up with you... later."

"Huh," Doug says as Pinkie Pie glowers, "Well, she seems nice."

"Really?!" Pinkie Pie yells, motioning to the spot Gilda had been standing. "Did we meet the same griffon?"

"Unclear."

"What?" Pinkie Pie exclaims, looking at Meringue. "There's no way you thought she was nice."

"Minimal adaptability. Unacceptable."

"Okay, that's much better." She glances at Doug's greasy hands, then to the farmhouse. "How'd you get out of the room?"

"Opened the window and climbed out." Doug runs his hand through his hair, a few pieces of confetti shaking loose and leaving his short cropped hair sticking away from his head in tiny little spikes. He says, a bit of bite in his tone, "Could have done without the booby trap, though."

"Oh, silly," Pinkie Pie says with a grin, "Who says the window is the only part of the house with a hidden party cannon or two? I mean, I didn't know if you'd be able to get that door open, or call for help, or just lick all that delicious grease right off!"

Doug stares at his still greasy hands, his mind mulling over the possibilities, since water hadn't worked at all as far as removing it. And he couldn't find any soap, as if somepony had hidden it. "Right. I guess I'll go play minesweeper when I get done. Don't suppose you want to give me any hints?"

Pinkie Pie rolls her eyes, "But that takes all the fun out of it! I mean, I know how much you like searching each and every nook and cranny for each and every little hidden secret. Even if most of them don't have anything, you're just waiting for that dopamine hit that validates you, that makes the whole thing worthwhile!" She snickers to herself, as if she realizes the unlikelihood of the scenario, "Who knows; maybe one of them will have something to help you find the other spots! I just hope you don't find that one last," Pinkie Pie nervously glances back and forth before she leans close to Doug, whispering, "because I may or may not have forgotten where all of the triggers are. Though if you find it last, that means you don't need my help!"

Pinkie Pie manages to draw even closer, practically climbing up Doug's body to talk directly into his ear, "Just know, I only forget the location when it's convenient." She pulls away, tapping a hoof against the side of her muzzle as she drops back to the ground. "And spoiling a secret is like spoiling a surprise. I mean, if I just up and told you where those secrets are and what is contained inside? That would ruin the entire point of the game!" Her voice drops an octave, adopting a redneck tone as she belches out, "So you can take your guides and your faqs (pronounced fax) and your spoilers and get out!" Pinkie Pie holds the meanest face she can manage for a few seconds as she points a hoof towards the path along the edge of the farm, the fence surrounding the Apple property remarkably well maintained.

"Actions unacceptable."

Doug opens his mouth for a few seconds, one eye squinting, before Pinkie Pie pronks up, reaching up a foreleg and shutting Doug's mouth with a hoof. Doug grins, shaking his head and waving as he continues his jog, "Have fun chasing Rainbow around!"

"Hey! How'd you know it was later already?" Pinkie Pie smiles for a second, shaking her head. Pinkie Pie starts pronking towards Ponyville, Meringue following behind at her languid pace. Pinkie Pie muses to herself, "Now, I'm going to need some way to get to Rainbow if she's up in the clouds. Probably a couple ways, just in case one doesn't work out or somehow I find that my ride has mysteriously become indisposed. Now, where am I going to get a cannon that can shoot me into the air on such short notice? If Rainbow runs away from me more than four times, I might not be able to catch her!"

17 The Polymath, Part Two

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Twilight Sparkle grimaces briefly, quickly forcing a smile as she relishes the bitter taste of the coffee in front of her. Black, just like the ink on the pages, the heady aroma by itself enough to clobber the sleepiness out of her mind like a well aimed tome. Not that she would ever throw a book at somepony (literally, that is; she throws books around figuratively like they are going out of style (not that that would ever happen, of course)) but occasionally she might leave a book precariously balanced. And then when Spike or a wayward levitated tome happens to bump into the bookshelf, the inevitable result, well, results.

She scans around the ground floor of her new home, the Golden Oaks Library. And it is finally starting to look like a library! She smiles at the newly washed floors and walls, not a hint of the dust remaining after yesterday's cleaning. Fluttershy and her flock of animals really came through, though her stock of carrots had mysteriously disappeared. Then, when she got home and was able to start going through the books? Twilight sighs happily; a day spent in the library was a day well spent.

Yesterday, the three of them had sorted through the titles of every book. Courtesy of Spike, she has a basic inventory started with the title and very brief synopsis of each book. As they went through the library Meringue helped sort each book into one of two piles: the Star Swirl the Bearded section, comprised of history, biographies, autobiographies, magic, sciences, the magical sciences, science of magic, astronomical charts, pictographs, ancient pictographs, poetry, adventures, and foal-level books for learning to read. And then there is the non-Star Swirl the Bearded section, comprised of the complete Daring Do series. Actually, maybe they belonged in the Star Swirl section, with the rest of the young mare literature.

As Twilight ponders this latest conundrum there comes a knock at the door. Spike hops away from the breakfast table and his plate of greens and a sickly green gem (where did he get that from?) and goes to the door. On the other side stands Meringue, with Pinkie Pie waving in the background. Spike waves at Pinkie Pie, who scans the sky before pronking off.

Spike opens the door further, inviting Meringue inside with his arm as he says, "Morning, Meringue! Didn't get enough time at the library yesterday, huh?" He pauses as Meringue stares at him, waiting for a response that never comes. He tries again, "So... you, uh, looking to help out again?" At the lack of immediate response Spike glances back to Twilight, the mare taking another sip of her coffee. He glumly adds, "I mean, we always appreciate any help. I guess."

"School commences: one hour. Organism: Meringue, offer assistance."

Twilight smiles, "Of course! We're always grateful for any pony willing to pitch in around here!" She takes another sip of her coffee as Meringue steps inside, happily sighing as she finishes off her morning treat. She levitates her empty mug to the sink, along with the rest of the dirty dishes, turning to the stack of books piled high in the middle of the library.

Spike sighs as he closes the door, his angry glare at the filly's backside going unnoticed by the ponies. "No, no," he mutters to himself, "She's just here to help. Only for a little. Then it'll go back to just being you and Twilight." He goes over to the sink, quickly cleaning off the dishes.

Twilight and Meringue stop, staring up at the giant pile of books. Twilight chuckles to herself, saying, "Oops! Almost forgot." Her horn lights, the twenty books of the Daring Do collection joining the rest. After all, they do deal with ancient temples and locations probably built by Star Swirl the Bearded himself. "Now, I guess we could start by sorting those books in with the rest. Although most of them start with 'D', so it should be pretty easy."

Meringue stands still, staring at the Daring Do books for several seconds before looking up at Twilight, a cross between bemusement, if a rock could smile, and a query for more instruction.

"Was I not clear enough?" Twilight says, a touch of her annoyance at the lack of compliance. "Daring Do books, over by the other D's."

Meringue stares at the stack of books towering above her for a few seconds before grabbing a dictionary and flipping through the pages.

"Ugh, fine, I'll do it myself," grunts Twilight, the several foot stack of Daring Do books levitating over to join the many others. She huffs at the filly still flipping through the pages, "I don't suppose you have a suggestion for me? Or did you just want to sit there reading?" Twilight slumps down, "I mean, I'm fine if that's what you wanted to do, I just thought you'd be helping me organize these books."

"Course of action ill advised."

"What?" Twilight says, turning and looking at Meringue. Spike hops down from the sink, drying off his claws as he walks over. "Why is that?"

"Insufficient leverage."

"Oh." Twilight grins, "You're just trying to say you can't lift all those books at once. I get it!"

Meringue stares blankly at Twilight for a few seconds before turning back to the dictionary.

"So, Twilight, you figured out how you are going to sort the books yet?" Spike holds up the long list he had made, several long scrolls of parchment spilling out from wherever he had been keeping them. He raises an eye at the lack of response, "Or are you done with that and ready to start shelving?"

Twilight sighs, "I'm still not happy with any of the systems I've been thinking through. So, my plan is to just shelve them all by title, alphabetically, and then reorganize once I'm able to figure it out." Twilight levitates over three easels, each with a different system drawn up. "There's pros and cons to each, of course, and I'm going to keep going over them. Make any changes as I need to." She glances over to Meringue, "What do you think? We went over each of them yesterday, and I only made a few iterations since then." Meringue glances up, slowly reading through the three before pointing a hoof at the furthest left.

"Elegant design. Simple, adaptable."

Twilight's face falls, "You like the Canterlot Archives Classification System the most? Aww."

Spike laughs to himself, "Hey, it's better than my plan to just shelve the books wherever I feel like at the time."

Twilight ignores Spike, pointing a hoof at easily the most intricate (convoluted) of the designs on the furthest right, a veritable swarm of lines traversing this way and that but managing to never cross. "But I really liked my own take on what I'm terming The Starkle System. Created by myself, it sorts the books based on when Star Swirl wrote about the topic, going in chronological order! After all, everypony should be familiar with that, right?"

Spike groans, his claw slapping his face, "Twilight! Nopony else is going to be able to find anything if you sort the library like that. I only know it because you can't stop talking about it! Just give it a rest! I know Star Swirl was great, and your idol and all, but he disappeared a thousand years ago! Surely somepony else did anything relevant since then!"

Twilight snorts, "Please. If they don't know it, then they should. And this could be my chance to spread awareness of Star Swirl the Bearded!"

"Stressors reveal flaws. Flaws reveal potential."

Twilight grins, "See? Meringue agrees with me! I should go with my system, and then based on what feedback I get I can change my design!" Twilight begins scribbling on the newly labeled 'Starkle Sorting System'.

"Intent static. Implementation... less so. Must improve. Must."

"Yeah, you'd be getting a lot of feedback if you chose that idea," Spike snorts, shaking his head. Maybe having Meringue around wouldn't be so bad. "I mean, you'd get about as much improvement in their knowledge as if you wore a Star Swirl the Bearded costume to Nightmare Night." Twilight perks up as Spike gags, "Anyway, I guess we better get to shelving, huh?" Spike walks over to the stack of books, debating how to best scale the pile without creating an even larger mess.

"A Star Swirl the Bearded costume? Spike, you're a genius!" Twilight glances towards the front door, her slightly panicky tone slowly growing from 'I can't find a reference for a footnote' to 'Princess Celestia's Pop Quiz Day'. "And I have less than four months to plan it out! I'll need to gather all my reference guides!" Twilight levitates various stacks of books, a growing collection surrounding her as she digs deeper and deeper into the pile.

Meringue moves over to the abandoned easel, standing up on her hind legs in order to pull the paper down. Twilight doesn't react as the easel comes crashing down, the filly taking a few of Twilight's colored pencils. She begins doodling in the margins, small symbols mirroring the insignia and diagrams found on the books swirling around Twilight.

After a few minutes Spike pokes Meringue in the side, the fillies glancing up at him. "Hey, you should probably get to school. No telling how long Twilight will be sucked on this particular project." He points a claw at Twilight, a vortex of volumes veering in their vicinity. Meringue glances up, barely repositioning herself as a book comes a tad too close for comfort.

"Must continue work. Must."

"Ugh, fine. You don't want to be late, right?" Spike glances down, noting that Meringue is only missing symbols on two of the ten broad categories. He shrugs, "Eh, I guess I better start helping Twilight shelve. Even if she's going to be absorbed in yet another distraction."

"Lack of focus inefficient. Must improve."

"Well, I don't know about that," Spike says, glancing over at Twilight. He sighs as he grabs a stack of books, walking it over to the ladder and climbing to the top. "Sometimes, she has a really hard time pulling herself away from whatever project she's working on. Like, she gets so focused on something she ignores everything else going on around her." Spikes sighs as Meringue stops drawing, her gaze set on Twilight.

"Priorities undefined. Determine goals, intent."

Spike snorts, which almost breaks Twilight out of her trance. "What do you think these are?" He points to a large stack of scrolls, neatly wound up. Meringue glances over, then up at Spike. "Those are all of her completed checklists. For the most trivial of things! She shouldn't need so many reminders."

"Perplexing. Little value. Must improve."

Spike rolls his eyes as he walks to the next stack of books, "Yeah, when you figure that out, let me know." He glances over as Meringue gets up from her papers.

"Much work complete. Must not delay."

"Hey, nice having you over here. You need any help getting to school?"

"Determining efficient route."

Spike waves as she snags her saddlebags, a slow, scrupulous stroll slightly aside avoiding the amalgam of articles accelerating around. Meringue turns, waving back to him from the doorway, Twilight still involved in her reading and oblivious to the world. He sighs, returning to the shelving, though he'll need to take those scrolls outside at some point.

Some hours later Twilight has finally finished the preliminary design for her authentic Star Swirl the Bearded costume. She smiles at the library floor; Spike has come through again, managing to shelve all of the books she wasn't using! What a fantastic assistant. She glances down at the symbols Meringue drew on her classification plan. Her annoyance is quickly replaced by a relapse of Stargasming. These symbols would be perfect on her costume! Now to figure out exactly where each will go, instead of the basic stars and moons she was originally going to use.

Twilight nervously hums to herself as she considers; it wouldn't be as authentic then. Star Swirl's cloak and hat were adorned with bells, stars, and moons only. While these stylized designs are beautiful, they wouldn't be appropriate. Right? Twilight flips open her book to check again the placement of the stars she will be replacing. She skims through the pages to check the design, and how it might compare.

Well, it isn't like she has to stick to the original. After all, if something draws more attention to a subject, then a few alterations can be okay, right? It would be like she, Twilight Sparkle, is improving on Star Swirl's work! Even if it is just with regard to his dress, unimportant as that is.

Hmm, better not let Rarity hear her say something like that.

The door slamming open startles Twilight; her annoyed look at the intruder fades as she realizes that she is in a public library, and only the top floor would really be off-limits to them. She turns, forcing a pleasant smile at the library's first patron of the day. Her smile becomes even more forced as Pinkie Pie walks in, a rare scowl on the pink pony.

Pinkie Pie launches into her tirade unbidden, recklessly pacing around the library. "Oh my Celestia! This new friend of Rainbow Dash's!" Pinkie Pie drops down, sitting human style and crossing her forelegs in front of her, "She's the worst!" One hoof comes up to rest on her chin, "Well, she's not really a new friend, more like an old friend that she hasn't seen in years." Pinkie Pie shakes her head, throwing her forelegs into the air, "Anyway, she's super mean! She's a mean meanie pants! She not only mean, she's not very nice!" Pinkie Pie nods once, as if the matter is settled now that she has decided.

"Well, Pinkie," Twilight says, idly flipping through the pages of her book, "Are you sure this friend of Rainbow Dash is really so mean?"

"Um, yeah. I mean, have you seen her?" Pinkie Pie begins pacing around, her hoof stomping to punctuate her accusations, "She keeps stealing Rainbow Dash away!" *stomp* "She pops my balloons!" *stomp* "She told me to buzz off!" *stomp* "Have you seen what she did to Scootaloo's scooter?"

"Uh uh." Twilight glances over at Spike as he walks into the room, holding a plate of vegetables, a green gem, and a blue piece of crystal. Where does he keep getting those?

"Well, it wasn't very nice at all! She even tried to hide it, cover for her dam's friend, the sneaky little sneak! But I tickled the truth out of her." Pinkie Pie snorts, "I've never met a griffon this mean!" The hoof comes back up to Pinkie's chin as she considers, "Well, actually, I've never met a griffon at all."

"Uh huh." Twilight flips through another page, her face briefly brightening as she spots a good place to incorporate a few of Meringue's designs.

"I bet if I had, she wouldn't have been as mean and grumpy as Gilda!" Pinkie Pie looks over at the designs Twilight is comparing. "Ooh, pretty! I like that one!" She taps a hoof on one of the designs, eyes growing large as her mouth ooo's.

"Me too! Meringue drew them." Twilight turns to Pinkie Pie, the pink mare alternating between glee at the drawings and grief when she looks anywhere else. "You know what I think, Pinkie?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, I think you're jealous."

"Me? Jealous?" Pinkie Pie scoffs, grumpily shaking her head.

Spike smirks, "Green with envy!" as he pops the green gem into his mouth. One contented sigh later and he glances up to his green crest, then over at Pinkie Pie, noising chewing as he says, "Well, in your case, pink with envy." He places the plate next to Twilight, savoring the crystal as he bites down.

Twilight sighs, putting her book off to the side to regard Pinkie Pie. "Yes, jealous. Look, Pinkie, just because Rainbow has another friend doesn't mean she isn't going to spend time with you. Especially if she's just visiting, and won't be here very long! I mean, I bet Doug isn't always able to do whatever you want to do together, or any of the other members of the herd. Right? And just because Dash has a new friend doesn't make Gilda a grump. No more than anypony else who has to split their time among lots of their friends, right? Perhaps it's you, Pinkie, who needs to improve her attitude."

Pinkie Pie sputters, "Me? Improve my attitude?! But! It's Gilda that... AH!" Pinkie Pie screams as she walks out of the library, leaving Twilight and Spike to stare at each other for a few seconds.

"Well, back to work," Twilight says, glancing at her notes. "What are you up to? Need another assignment?" Her gaze stays fixed on the book, her horn lighting and finding a bit of the lunch Spike brought in.

Spike shrugs, "Eh, not really anything needs to be cleaned, and until you figure out how you want your books sorted I don't have much to do. Maybe I could get you some more quills and paper, or head over to Rarity's, or I can nap upstairs."

"You don't need another nap, do you?" Twilight says, munching on the greens, still focused on her book. "I always like more quills, or whatever that last one was. Just be back in time for dinner."

"Okay!" Spike says as he walks out, salivating as he fantasizes about all the gems Rarity has but can't find a use for.

18 The Lion, Part Two

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Lemon wakes to the rooster crowing as morning breaks over the Carrot House. She yawns, hopping up in her bed as she stretches first one foreleg, then the other. She glances over to her sister Applebaum's bed, the four year old filly still sound asleep. Lemon's eye twitches; her desire to bounce over to her bed, bounce up, and keep bouncing until she wakes up is tempting, but it didn't wake her the last time. And Daddy told her not to bounce on the bed. Silly Daddy! Beds are made for bouncing!

Instead, she merely glowers at her snoozing sister while she completes her morning calisthenics, and quietly opens the door. Lemon saunters to the kitchen, muffled chatter coming from Daddy's room but the house otherwise silent. She scampers over to the pantry, pulling out wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, and a tiny pinch of salt. Daddy likes the salt in his pancakes, but most of the rest of the herd preferred to keep their wits about them. The main ingredients balanced on her back, so she grabs the chocolate chips, moving to the fridge for the eggs, and she freezes.

Something isn't right.

Her eyes trace around the room before she spots the figure who most certainly was not there when she came into the kitchen. Standing on the counter, shrouded in shadow, is Meringue. Standing still as a statue, Lemon would have sworn it is a mere trick of the light if not for her eyes tracing over one of the recipes Daddy wrote down; he didn't have the best memory for that stuff, not like dam or Applejack. How did she get there, and silently? Lemon snorts - maybe she tunneled there, and just popped out of the dried hay on the counter. Ooh, she should make some hay pancakes too, not just the wheat!

Lemon smiles, bucking her hind legs, the various ingredients neatly sailing up to land on the counter next to Meringue. "Morning, Meringue! You want to help make breakfast?"

While Meringue doesn't say anything, Lemon notes the briefest of pauses in her eyes. Looks like a yes! Wohoo! She turns as the front door opens, Hedge coming inside with a basket of eggs around her neck. Mm, fresh eggs! Maybe she'll have to try some Doug style, but even her dam's stomach had difficulty with the meal. Well, maybe not difficulty, but Pinkie doesn't care for the taste, which coming from her speaks volumes.

Speaking of volumes, she better finish gathering the toppings for everypony! Some nuts, a bit more chocolate, and some bruised apples from the not-for-sale basket each find themselves tossed to the counter, a growing pile next to Meringue.

"Commencing preparations."

Lemon glances up as Meringue steps away from the cookbook, pulling out more mixing bowls than necessary. Lemon pushes over one of the chairs so she can climb up to the counter and help. Maybe Meringue has some weird plan that requires making at least six of everything, but it seems redundant. Hedge slowly hovers up, flicking on the burners, and grabs a bit of shortening for the pans.

As if on cue, a yawning Applebaum comes out of her room. Upon seeing that breakfast is well in hoof she moves to the table, sitting down and staring at the fire as Lemon gathers plates and glasses, pouring a bit of apple juice for each of them. Some hay for snacking goes on the plates to start, followed by a couple of the better looking pieces of apples.

"Preparations complete. Commencing combinations."

Lemon stares as Meringue begins moving between the various ingredients and mixing bowls. If she wasn't watching, she would have sworn the filly had, like, six forelegs by how efficiently she is moving between them all, and yet her languid pace never moves past the glacial rate her dam would quantify as 'Fluttershy'. Hmm, maybe Rainbow Dash would call it that instead. As well?

"Poor essence. Little value."

Lemon sighs as Meringue inspects the bruised apples, though her sister never stops moving between bowl and frying pan. "Well, we can still eat them, even if they aren't as scrumptious as everything else around here, you know?" Lemon shrugs, "Unfortunately, we have to make do with what we've got." Meringue glances over at one of the worse looking apples, picking it up and scrutinizing the worm breaking the surface and slowly crawling through the core.

"Not good enough. Can improve."

Lemon brightens, "Ooh, I think we'd like that! Is that why you're making lots of different pancake batters?" Meringue continues staring at the worm writhing inside the apple; Daddy would probably call it free protein, the monster. Though it's not like she's never gotten a pony with the half a worm joke. "To improve on what is already a prize Apple recipe?" Lemon sniffs, frowning and glancing over at the pancakes on the stove, "I think you might want to check the pancakes you're cooking, though."

"Unacceptable! Unacceptable."

Lemon snorts at the burst of emotion from Meringue, the filly scowling as she flips the slightly burnt pancakes. Meringue divvies up the lightly blackened pancakes on a few plates before starting the next batch, Lemon taking the pancakes to the table. She smiles as she looks at the toppings, cutie marks drawn in nuts and chocolate.

The door to the bedroom opens, though it takes a minute or so before Pinkie Pie steps out wearing a weird hat and disguise. She pronks over to the table, scarfing down an unclaimed pancake and smiling at the taste, the next one getting drenched in syrup. Pinkie Pie glances over at Hedge, the filly nibbling on her own pancake and frowning at the burned sections; Pinkie Pie whispers, "You gonna eat that?"

"Morning! We hope you like the pancakes!" Lemon smiles up at her dam, pointing a hoof at Meringue. "Which one do you think is best? We've got a couple different mixes coming up!"

"Hmm," Pinkie Pie says, adopting the airs of a fancy Prench connoisseur, the image ruined by the arrow sticking out of her head, "A delightful blend of smoke and syrup, the slight char leaving one grateful for the smothering chocolate, though it could have used more candy. Wait, no, less candy!" She grabs a plate of plain hay, quickly devouring it as she watches the next batch like a griffon.

A relatively quiet explosion shakes the house; a loud, exasperated shout comes from outside, leaving Pinkie Pie smirking. "Well, that's my cue to exit," she says, hastily getting to her hooves. She pauses as Meringue hops down from the counter, Applebaum taking over the cooking. Pinkie Pie smiles, "You coming with me? It's a little early for school."

"Yes."

"Okie Dokie, little Mokie!" Pinkie Pie pronks out of the house, Meringue following behind.

Lemon watches the door, waiting with a smile for Daddy to come through, but he never does. She frowns; where did he go? Why didn't he say good morning before starting his morning run? Lemon grabs a towering plate of pancakes, skipping to the Apple farmhouse. She smiles at Applejack, the mare looking through the pantry for more than just hay, apples, and juice to start the day. "Morning, Applejack!"

"Morning, Lemon." Applejack eyes the plate of pancakes hungrily, "Those for me?"

"Yup! We can make more, if Granny Smith or uncle Mac wants some." Lemon bounces to the table, the plate flying off of her to neatly land on top. Her smiles briefly drops as she rubs her forelegs against each other, "Um, I wanted to talk to you about Daddy."

"Oh?" Applejack says, half a pancake sticking out of her mouth. "What's that?"

"Well, he was kind of short with us last night. Didn't want to play any games. And then I saw him running instead of eating breakfast with us." Lemon glances up, "I hope nothing's wrong with him."

"Mm," Applejack says, stuffing another pancake in her mouth. "Ah'll talk to him. Thanks for the grub."

"Okie!" Lemon says, smiling as she grabs the now empty plate.

Applejack sighs, looking out over the orchards, then the barn. They would need a lot of extra baskets and crates for all the apples growing. Maybe she can get Doug to help with making those, though she'd need to get Big Mac to make a whole heap of bands, and spend a bit of the morning collecting wood.

Later that day, Applejack looks over at Doug as she lifts another twenty metal rings out of the wagon, the foot and a half wide bands of iron to form the bottoms of their apple baskets. "You've been awful quiet, Doug," she says, dropping them down next to him, "Something on your mind?"

Doug grunts, his hammer pounding another circular base into position. He sighs as Applejack continues watching him, "Just thinking about nothing."

"Sure don't sound like nothing. Want to talk about it?" Applejack unloads a large set of short boards, the walls of their baskets made by reducing miss cuts and broken planks. She drops down next to Doug, helping slot pieces of wood around the base.

"Not really."

Doug and Applejack continue putting together baskets in silence for several minutes before Doug sighs. "It's just this dream I had." He goes silent again, only the sounds of hammering echoing around the barn. Applejack kicks one finished baskets onto another, making the fourth of eight large stacks. She loads them into the cart, preparing to leave as Doug says, "Applejack? Why did we have so many foals?"

Applejack turns, regarding Doug from the doorway to the barn. "We as in me? Three ain't that many. More'n most, sure, but Pinkie Pie's one of four off'a one mare." Applejack pauses for a few seconds before she shrugs, "If'n you're talking about the herd, eight's about normal. Shucks, Rarity's planning on having another next season, Ah'm pretty sure."

"Mm." Doug has set his hammer down into the basket he is working on, staring into the center as if it holds the answer to all of life's problems. Which, given that it isn't yet filled with apples, probably isn't true.

"Though, if'n you mean why didn't we space 'em out more?" Applejack shrugs off the cart's harness, moving over to stare into the basket with Doug. Maybe he sees something in there, besides the roughly sanded apple wood, crude cast iron bands, and fraying rope, but she sure ain't seeing it. "Ah wanted them to be close together. Playmates for each other and all that. Ah suppose Ah always thought one foal per pony was a good number. And with three mares, you, and three foals? Ah sure wanted more. Then Fluttershy joined, and she was okay waiting; and Pinkie Pie joined, and she wasn't? Well, Ah suppose Ah saw my chance for another, and if more'a them are earth ponies, it don't bother me none."

Applejack glances over; Doug is still staring into the basket, though his knuckles are white with how hard he is gripping the wood. She nuzzles him, trying to find that ticklish spot where his neck meets his shoulder, whispering, "Why? You want to practice making more?"

The chuckle she was expecting comes out as more of a choked sob. Applejack redoubles her nuzzling, nearly bowling her stallion over as her gentle teasings become forceful strokes of muzzle on ear. Her tongue flicks out, Applejack grinning as she finally gets a reaction, grunting as Doug swings an arm around to wrap around her neck. She lets herself get flipped over, keeping her forelegs loose as Doug tackles her to the floor. She can always dust her hat off, though it stays pinned against the ground by her head.

Applejack smirks as Doug spreads her legs, though it turns to a gasp as Doug's hands find her belly instead of, well, where she was expecting. She wriggles at first, her laughter escaping earlier than usual. Her playful struggles turn to a frantic writhing as he doesn't let up, his hands finding that sweet spot between roughly digging in and long, vigorous strokes along her muscled sides. Applejack whinnies as his hands go further up her barrel, but lets loose an exasperated sigh as he abruptly gives up.

His chest drops down to rest on hers, his head finding the nook under her neck. He buries his face into her mane, a single choked breath before Doug whimpers, "Applejack? If we didn't have as many foals, would Celestia still have been at the farmhouse? Would... would..."

Applejack grips her forelegs around Doug's neck, loosely pulling him up so her lips can meet his. At first she is the only one putting in any effort, Doug merely sighing as she kisses him again and again. His head drops down, Applejack now finding the side of his face and ear, though she doesn't relent in her ministrations. After too many kisses, or maybe not enough, the lug finally realizes Applejack can keep this up for as long as necessary; his hand finds the back of her mane and directs her head to his.

Applejack happily sighs as she feels the tension leave his body, one hoof leaving his neck to push past his arms, resting on his chest. She smiles as she breaks away, saying, "Doug, Ah know you. You'd'a helped Princess Celestia out no matter how many foals we had. And we'd'a kept having foals, even if helping out the Princesses weren't a consideration. It ain't your fault, or her fault, or anypony's fault, that this happened. Ah know you went through a lot, but you can't keep dredging this up and beating yourself with it."

"But..."

Applejack shifts her hind legs, flipping Doug onto his back. She adjusts her hat as she grins down at him, "Ain't no buts about it, mister, unless you're talking 'bout my flanks." She wriggles her hips back and forth, wiping a bit of the sweat and dirt off of his belly with her own. "Besides, some good old-fashioned physical activity is supposed to be good for helping get through this kind of thing. So, unless the next words coming out of your mouth are, 'Rainbow tired me out too much already', we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"There's just one problem," Doug says, his sigh only slightly tripping Applejack's deception detector.

"And just what-" Applejack says as she glances at Doug, not expecting his arms tightening their grip around her as his legs push off the ground.

"We're in the wrong position." Doug flips Applejack over, his arms pinning her forelegs to the side, his hips forcing her hind legs apart. He smirks down at her, finally free of the funk that had pervaded all his activities that day.

"Looks like somepony chose the hard way," Applejack smirks right back, her forelegs writhing around Doug's arms, trying to get purchase to wrestle the human back to her favorite position.

"Applejack? Doug?" comes the hesitant call from the doorway to the barn, followed by a series of sniffles. "Are you in there?"

19 The Lion, Part Three

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"Yes?" Applejack calls; she and Doug relax their struggles against each other, though they remain in the guard position with Doug clinched between Applejack's hind legs, her forelegs spread to the sides by his forearms and one hand around her head. "That you, Fluttershy?"

"Um, yes," comes the timid reply, Fluttershy poking her frowning head through the doorway. Her red rimmed eyes trace over Applejack and Doug's bodies, a soft sigh from the pegasus. "Oh, um, I didn't think you'd be... busy." Fluttershy closes the barn door behind her, saying, "I can wait until you're done," as she slinks to the corner. Fluttershy sinks down, her mane coming up to partially cover her face as she watches the two.

Doug snaps his fingers, Applejack flinching from the sudden noise. Fluttershy perks up, tepidly getting to her hooves as she contrasts Doug's stern face with his hand patting the spot next to him and Applejack. She dawdles briefly before limping over, still hiding behind her mane as she lays on her barrel. Doug peers down his body as Applejack lightly struggles against him, a playful squeeze of his hand against her ear briefly subduing her.

"Don't think you're getting out of this that easily," Applejack softly grunts, one foreleg kneading into Doug's chest. "'Shy can watch if she wants."

"Sure thing, love," Doug says, his hand lightly stroking down Applejack's face to play on her chin. He glances over to Fluttershy, "What happened? You doing okay?"

Fluttershy shudders, barely peeking out from her mane as she whimpers. She hunches down a little as Doug's eyes narrow; she tries again, her voice even quieter than before.

Doug closes his eyes, taking a deep breath in that he holds for several seconds, his entire body tensing, before a long, forced exhale. He pushes up, one hand roughly reaching over, dragging and rolling the surprised pegasus onto her back next to Applejack. Fluttershy, no longer able to hide, gapes as five fingers press into her belly. Applejack grins as she watches, though it fades slightly at Doug's irritated tone, "Fluttershy, I'm sorry, but I'm tired and my patience is wearing thin. Please speak up." His face almost immediately scrunches up, as if he realizes how he sounds to her.

"Okay." Fluttershy 'eeps' quietly as Doug's hand stroke her belly, tensing up, trying to quell her rising anxieties. "It was..." She sniffles, a hoof coming up to wipe at the dried tears on her face.

"Shh, 'Shy," Doug says softly, his own hand coming up to probe and untangle the matted hair. "Take your time."

While Fluttershy gathers her composure Applejack pulls Doug back to her, smirking as she whispers, "You and me got something to finish, partner." Doug grins back, his hand leaving Fluttershy's mane to return to their previous position. Applejack's hind hooves try to find purchase against Doug, merely wrapping around his hips as his arms keep her forelegs pressed to the sides, their uneven start playing to her greater strength; though, if Doug can keep her back pressed to the ground long enough, she'll let him stay in his favorite position. She wriggles back and forth until her foreleg slips out from his hold, grinning in victory as she twists her legs around and flips Doug to the side, only lightly bumping into Fluttershy as she rolls on top.

"Eep!" Fluttershy shrieks, pulling away and startling the two combatants. She blurts out, "You scared me! Just like that mean Gilda scared me!" One hoof comes up to her forehead as she dramatically recalls, "It was awful! I was escorting two hens and their ducklings through Ponyville, to try to even out how many ducklings are assigned to each pond." Her face lights up, "You don't want to overcrowd them, of course, and you want those beautiful baby ducklings to find new places to have fun and grow up."

"Who's Gilda?" Applejack leans down to whisper to Doug as Fluttershy stares into space, a goofy smile on her muzzle.

"Griffon friend of Rainbow Dash," Doug whispers back, lightly struggling against Applejack's legs. "Talked to her briefly; short fuse and extremely competitive."

"Okay, but tell me about Gilda," Applejack says with a wink, not letting herself budge an inch.

"Hey, Rainbow's gotten a lot better about that," Doug replies, reaching up and flicking Applejack's ear.

"With you, perhaps," Applejack says before she snorts and rolls her eyes. She squeezes Doug's hips with her own as she smirks down at him, her mounted position giving her all the leverage she needs to end the struggle if she wished. Not that she needs to; her stallion knows when he's beaten, and she can feel him getting ready, his hands moving to her flanks and stroking up and down.

Doug glances over as Applejack's snort breaks Fluttershy out of her reverie, the mare cowering down just a fraction. Doug sighs, one hand leaving Applejack to lightly stroke Fluttershy's side. The pegasus leans into his hand at first, quickly getting up and repositioning so her head is in easy reach, his hand finding that sweet spot between her ears. Doug smiles as Fluttershy sighs contentedly; he says, "So, that must have felt pretty awful when Gilda scared you." He grunts as Applejack pushes against him, his lead mare letting him know she is not going to be ignored. Or, at least to make sure he's splitting his attention between them instead of focusing purely on Fluttershy.

Fluttershy nods, quickly returning her head to its previous position against his hand as she says, "Oh, it was. It made me feel like I was just the worst pony ever. I didn't mean to get in her way, and my apology just wasn't good enough for her." Fluttershy sinks down a little, "I even tried backing up, and cowering, and crying; I almost tried hiding behind my mane, but she just kept yelling at me." Fluttershy sniffles, trying to clear the awful, awful memories from her mind. "And then she scattered the poor little ducklings." Fluttershy snaps up, her expressing instantly shifting from mere pity to terror, "Oh, no! I forgot all about them! All the lost little ducklings! How will they reunite with their parents? They all must be dreadfully worried!"

"I'm sure they're fine," Doug says in between grunts, Applejack beaming a reassuring smile over at Fluttershy. "The other ponies in town are sure to have helped them out."

"But, what if they didn't? Oh, dear," Fluttershy quivers, glancing to the barn door, "I should go check on them, though, just to be sure. But, what if Gilda is still there? She might yell at me again, and..." Fluttershy lets loose an agonized hum, alternating pressing her right and then left hooves into the dirt as she deliberates. Doug's hand grips her more forcefully, trying to reassure the panicking mare as all three are startled by the barn door slamming open.

Applejack pushes up, anxiously looking for something to conceal their activity as Pinkie Pie pronks into the barn. Applejack relaxes back down, returning to her rhythmic motions as she says, "Whew, Pinkie Pie, you sure frightened me there. Ah thought ya were Apple Bloom for a second." She sheepishly grins, "And Ah didn't want to have that conversation just yet."

"Ooh, me neither!" Pinkie Pie says, glancing over at Fluttershy. "Are we waiting in line? I want to wait in line! It's not going to be that long, right? Right? Get it?"

"Um, well, if you want to go next I don't mind," Fluttershy says, though when she tries to back away she finds Doug's hand clamping down on her instead. "But I suppose I don't need to move from this spot. Although..."

"What are ya doing here in the first place, Pinkie?" Applejack grunts out, a bit of exasperation at her herdmate. "Don't ya need to be working about now?"

"I do, but I was following around Rainbow Dash, and then Gilda, and then Rainbow Dash, and then Gilda, and then-"

"Pinkie!" Applejack huffs, a hoof coming up to cover her face. "Skip to the end." She glares down, her hoof grinding against the floor when it comes back down.

"And then I came in here!" Pinkie Pie responds without missing a beat. "But I can see you're almost at that part!"

"She meant skip the repetitive parts," Doug grunts out, his breath getting strained as Applejack takes her frustration out on him.

"Oooh. Hmm," Pinkie Pie says, holding a hoof to her chin. "Well, after I stopped following Rainbow Dash and Gilda I went to Twilight," Pinkie Pie waves her hooves to the side as her tone gets more and more exasperated, "and she told me that I needed an attitude adjustment, and then I went to the marketplace where I saw Gilda steal an apple and scare Granny Smith and then she scares Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie turns to Fluttershy, "Ooh, is that why you're here? That's why I'm here! Wait, that's not why I'm here." Pinkie Pie sits down, her hoof returning to her chin.

"Gilda stole an apple?" Applejack says, though she goes unacknowledged.

Doug says at almost the same time, "You saw what happened with Fluttershy?"

Pinkie Pie exclaims, "I did! She just bullied Fluttershy like a big mean bullying mean meanie! And then Fluttershy flew off, and Gilda strutted around a little bit before she flew off!"

Fluttershy looks up at Pinkie Pie, quietly asking, "Did you see what happened with the ducklings afterwards?"

Applejack asks louder, "What was this about stealing apples again?"

Pinkie Pie nods once, "Oh, don't worry, Applejack, it wasn't from your cart!"

"It ain't my cart Ah'm worried about!" Applejack groans as her body quivers, "If this here Gilda is a thief and no good varmint then Ah don't want her near any of us! Ah can't believe Rainbow Dash would be friends with somepony like that!"

Fluttershy gets up slightly, Doug's hand having moved to Applejack's flanks to keep her in place. Fluttershy whispers, slightly louder than before, "But what about the ducklings, Pinkie? Did they all make it out okay?"

"I know, Applejack!" Pinkie Pie says, her grin widening. "That's why-"

Fluttershy pounces Pinkie Pie, tackling the pink pony to the ground. Fluttershy rages, her face screwing up in anger as she shouts, "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DUCKLINGS?!"

"Oh, them?" Pinkie Pie laughs from underneath Fluttershy, either oblivious or impervious to her herdmate's infuriated glare. "They're all fine! A couple ponies helped gather them up and get them on their way."

"Okay!" Fluttershy says, her smile instantly returning as she sits back. "That makes me feel a lot better."

"Now, as I was saying," Pinkie Pie sits up, her grin becoming mischievous again, her hooves rubbing together sinisterly, "I'm going to teach this Gilda griffon a lesson, Pinkie Pie style!"

Applejack glances over as she recovers, "Bake cupcakes with her?"

Doug chips in, "Electrocution?"

Fluttershy meekly adds, "A horrible torture where everypony is watching you and waiting for your every little mistake so they can laugh at you and make you feel just awful?" Her face twists, her hooves pushing her mouth open in a horrified grimace as her eyes go wide.

Pinkie Pie looks aghast at the three of them, "What in the wide wonderful world of Equestria have you been reading?" She starts counting on a hoof before pointing to each pony in turn, "I mean, okay, there will be cupcakes, and only the mildest of electrocutions, and how did you know about my nightmares?"

"I thought I was the only one!" exclaims Fluttershy, her horrified gaze dropping, though she has difficulty deciding whether she wants to beam at Pinkie Pie for sharing a deep, dark secret or hide in terror for sharing a deep, dark secret that everypony probably already knew she had. Pinkie Pie notices, taking the opportunity to pounce Fluttershy, just like she had done to her.

Applejack and Doug smile as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy embrace, Fluttershy adopting a relieved, happy face. Applejack says, "Well, Ah'm glad to hear the duckling are all better, but why'd you come all the way out here? It couldn't have just been to find Fluttershy and tell her that."

"Oh, right!" Pinkie Pie says, "I was looking to invite you all to a party I'm having at Sugarcube Corner! It's going to be to help Gilda improve her attitude, so I need all of you to show up with your best faces and really show her how welcome she is in Ponyville, even if she can be a meany grumpy grouchy bully!"

"Well, we're pretty busy 'round here," Applejack starts, looking to the baskets they have yet to finish, though she hunches down slightly as Pinkie Pie pointedly looks from her to Doug. "Okay, okay, fine. We'll be there. When is it?"

"About an hour, after school lets out, so I can't wait around here for my turn in line." Pinkie Pie sighs, "Even though I love waiting in lines. Oh well! By the way, Doug, you have an extra bottle of Fire Sauce around somewhere, right?"

"Open ones are in the top shelf at the Carrot House, hidden inside a box that says trail mix." Doug rubs Applejack's mussed mane as she slips off of him, "The hottest mix is in the purple bottles, the mildest in the red. The packets are actual trail mix."

"Thanks, Dougie!" Pinkie Pie pronks over, nuzzling Doug before she exits the barn door. "See you all in an hour!"

"Later, Pinkie!" Applejack calls before glancing over at Doug and Fluttershy. "Well, there goes any chance Ah had of eating something at the party."

"Nah, all you have to do is not be the first pony to eat something," Doug says, his cheeky grin getting an eye roll in return. "Besides, even if it hurts for a little, you'll get used to it, and maybe someday even enjoy it."

"Ah don't think anypony's been fooled by that line," Applejack says, winking as she returns to building more baskets.

"Well, it was true for me," Fluttershy quietly says as she gets up, nuzzling Doug. "And just look at me now." Her mouth slowly travels from Doug's mouth to his chest, her wing brushing off a little of the dirt that has gathered on him. "I suppose you didn't try to fool me with that line, though."

"Exactly." Applejack smiles, her gaze occasionally drifting from her work to her stallion. He sure makes the work go by quick when he's helping, less so when he's in one of these moods, but she ain't gonna rush him.

20 The Lion, Part Four

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Most ponies like being in control.

In fact, one might say that desire to be in control is a defining characteristic of ponies, and most ponies would quantify the difference between 'most' and 'all' in the previous statement as, effectively, a rounding error.

Pinkie Pie, as most ponies can tell you, is not like most ponies.

So, when Twilight Sparkle told her that she is the one who needs to improve her attitude?

It is difficult, even for her, to give up that vengeful desire to blast Gilda with a magical friendship laser to the skull and wipe her mind to something more palatable for the rest of ponykind. In the blink of an eye she works through the ethical conundrum when one puts the question like that (answer: yes, it's okay, because if it's good enough for Princess Luna then it's good enough for anypony) she has to think through what she will say to convince the rest of her friends, the Elements of Harmony.

Applejack will likely agree with her, especially if she is able to see firsthoof the low, despicable, mean tricks Gilda used earlier.

Rarity would do it once she sees how selfish Gilda is.

Twilight Sparkle is a little less likely, given that Twilight just told Pinkie Pie that she needed to change her attitude. But she might if Pinkie Pie just happens to mention what it would be like to get more empirical data on how the Elements of Harmony affect creatures, specifically non-ponies.

Fluttershy is probably unlikely to want to do it, but she might if knew how mean and nasty Gilda is.

Rainbow Dash would defend her friend, and be unwilling to help, especially since she was there to observe Gilda's meanness.

That all changes when Pinkie Pie witnesses Gilda harass her herdmate in the market.

The actions most foul serves to double Pinkie Pie's thirst for justice! It lights a fire in her belly like the Fire Sauce lights a fire in a pony's mane! Ooh, she should get herself some Fire Sauce and drink it straight down! Though that craving could have been her hankering for some fizzy drinks. Determined to make up her mind, Pinkie Pie goes straight to the one place she can always count on, to treat that yearning for treats!

Pinkie Pie finds herself sitting at a table in Sugarcube Corner, faster than most mares can make the connection between thought and action, staring down a cake that deserves to be devoured. It probably called somepony's dam an old tart, after all. She licks her lips, opening her mouth wide as she debates the merits of savoring this or devouring it in one go.

It was no contest, really.

Pinkie Pie rubs her slightly distended tummy; the cake has to go somewhere, after all! She giggles; she looks like she did when she was carrying Lemon! Ooh, lemons! She should get some lemons!

Since scarfing that sweet slab of sugar sufficiently slaked her sense of suffering, Pinkie Pie realized something that no mare ever wants to hear, especially when it comes from their stallion.

Maybe she was just hangry.

One dejected sigh later and Pinkie Pie perks up as she realizes: maybe that means Gilda is just hangry, too! She can't get her favorite food (pony) here in Equestria, so she has to make do with her fourth favorite food (fowl, specifically chicken). Pinkie Pie starts diagramming the various scenarios and possibilities on the nearest available surface, which just by coincidence happens to be a cake. Maybe if she throws Gilda a sweet party, she'll show that showoff how sweet sugar is! And Gilda will happily have cake, and then eat the cake, and they'll all be happy!

Which leads us back to why Pinkie Pie has to give up control, not just her earlier desire for sparkly rainbow rainbows to help Gilda see the light.

She has to delegate to Rainbow Dash to get the pranks done, rather than just push the time of the party back until after dinner. Which, given that she likes to be surprised, isn't actually all that hard to convince herself to do. In fact, it is downright easy, because she'll be surprised too! She probably could have just figured that Rainbow would have pulled off the pranks on her own, but it didn't hurt to have a bit of surety that this part of the party was performed.

And there need to be pranks because she knows Gilda digs a good prank, and she can plant a prank like a Diamond Dog digs a hole. And by pranking Gilda and everypony at the party, that grumpy griffon is sure to feel included!

Her tiny icing sculptures of a griffon and pony dancing are forgotten as Pinkie Pie scarfs down her chocolate canvas. An emergency party, though? Well, a surprise party is right out, because maybe Gilda is quite flighty and she can't (shouldn't?) cause a confrontation. Or worse, scare her off, or give her the excuse that she didn't know about the party. And she would need to invite her friends to come, and they would be able to show off all the aspects of what being a friend is really about!

She gets a few cupcakes cooking before she begins traipsing through town. Why is everypony always hiding in the last place she looks for them? Pinkie Pie ponders this perplexing puzzler prior to persuading a particular pair of partners. After Lyra, Bon Bon, the flower trio, and a host of other ponies Pinkie Pie pronks to Sweet Apple Acres, meeting up with Doug and Fluttershy (good she's okay) and Applejack, snagging the purple bottle out of Doug's stash.

Pinkie Pie pronks through Ponyville, her first stop the schoolhouse. Class is just letting out for the day, so she merely announces, "Attention, Everypony! There is a 'Greetings, Gilda!' Party at Sugarcube Corner in Fifteen Minutes! Tell Your Friends!" The fillies glance excitedly at each other before dashing off, spreading the word. Pinkie Pie nabs Lemon before her filly can canter off with the rest, flipping her to her back and taking off as she says, "Lemon, gonna need you to get a few games out and watch the door. Make sure everypony knows to welcome Gilda."

"Okie!"

The two return to Sugarcube Corner, depositing Lemon by the door as Pinkie Pie goes into the kitchen, a mischievous look in her eyes. She returns with a tray of cupcakes, but everypony would be suspecting that. Pinkie Pie grins; no one would expect a carrot to light them on fire! One generous dipping later, and Pinkie Pie has her first ~~trap~~ prank set.

Her next stop is the punch bowl. Hmm; it would get too predictable if everything at the party lit them on fire. But the punch could be sour apple instead of regular apple juice in the mix! Or, since she has them on hoof, a bunch of lemons added. Meh, works as well. She waves at Rainbow Dash; the pegasus places a few presents on the table, waves back, and then flies outside and into the sky.

Wait, isn't she delegating the pranks to Rainbow Dash?

Pinkie Pie gasps as she realizes! She'll be doubling up on the pranks! Oh no! Wait. Oh yes? Before Pinkie Pie can resolve the issue of whether or not there can be too many pranks at a party (answer: no) the first group of party-goers arrive.

Pinkie Pie pronks to the front door of Sugarcube Corner, exclaiming, "Welcome! Welcome! Glad to see you!" as Lemon directs them to a few hastily set up games. She internally grimaces; maybe she should have given herself a little bit more leeway, but thanks to Rainbow Dash the whole party got set up just in the nick of time!

"Howdy, Pinkie Pie," Applejack says, glancing back towards Sweet Apple Acres. "You sure got this party set up lickety-quick."

"It's for the friend of a friend," Pinkie Pie says as nicely as she can with her teeth tightly clenched together. "So it better go well!"

"Um, okay, Pinkie Pie," Applejack says, raising an eyebrow. "Something going on Ah'm not aware of?"

Pinkie Pie growls, her frustration coming through in her voice, "You could fill a book. A lot of books. With things going on that you aren't aware of." She perks right back up, "But as long as you don't touch, eat, or say anything, you'll be just fine!"

"Right." Applejack thinks to herself for a few seconds before looking around, "Ah'll just go... stand in this here corner." She starts to walk off before turning to Pinkie Pie, "Oh, and thanks for throwing this party, Pinkie Pie. Ah'm sure it means a lot to Rainbow that you're trying to become friends with her friend."

Pinkie Pie beams, "Of course! I'm here to put a smile on everypony's muzzle!" She drops down, rubbing her hooves together, menacingly saying, "Even if they aren't a pony, I'm still gonna!"

"What was that now?" Applejack says before shaking her head. Pinkie Pie gets ready to say something as Applejack continues, "Actually, nevermind. Oh, and Pinkie Pie?"

"Yes?"

Applejack glances at the table of food, "Ah don't suppose you mind getting me a plate of snacks that won't, um, surprise me?" She chuckles to herself, "Ah've had a long day, and Ah'll probably have to work through dinner to keep up with Big Mac."

"Sure thing!" Pinkie Pie pronks away as Applejack stands in one of the corners, (hopefully) perfectly safe from all the upcoming shenanigans. The bell chimes as more ponies enter the store, the party starting to get a little more spirited. "Welcome!" Pinkie Pie says, grinning at Rarity.

"So, who is this Gilda the party is for?" Rarity says as she walks over to Applejack. She smiles at Lemon as the filly brings her a small plate of cucumber slices smothered in cheese.

"Griffon friend of Rainbow's, Ah think," Applejack replies, eyeing the cheesy treat. "Those any good?"

Rarity levitates one of the slices up, eyeing the cheese suspiciously. "Peppers in the cheese, if I had to guess." She nibbles at the topping, her eyes lightly scrunching up as her face falls. "Yup. Tolerable, I suppose." She takes another small bite, the plate levitating to Applejack.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike enter next, shortly followed by Doug and Fluttershy. Doug heads to the snack table as Twilight spots Fluttershy, moving up and asking, "So, Fluttershy, you've met Gilda, right? What's she like?"

"Oh, um," Fluttershy stammers, glancing over as Doug yelps at the drink table, the splash of liquid on the floor. "Well, I'll tell you later, Twilight." The two awkwardly stare at each other for a few seconds, Twilight clearing her throat before she grimaces at the treat Applejack and Rarity are scarfing down.

Pinkie Pie beams, quickly pronking to the entrance as Rainbow Dash and Gilda crash into the party. Rainbow Dash, her eyes rolling in her upside down position on the floor, yells, "We'll get that trick next time, Gilda! Maybe with three of you it'll work!"

"Gilda!" Pinkie Pie exclaims, offering a hoof to the downed griffon. "Welcome to one of my signature Pinkie Pie parties! I really, sincerely, truly hope you feel welcome among us pony folk!"

Gilda stares at the outstretched limb for a few seconds before grunting, reaching up and grabbing onto Pinkie Pie's hoof.

They'll probably have to leave the door open, so the smell of charred feathers can blow out.

"Oh, Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash laughs, "The old hoof-shake buzzer! You are a scream!"

"Yeah," Gilda glowers as she brushes a few burnt feathers off of her, "uh, good one, Pinkie Pie."

Rainbow Dash smiles, "Come on, G! Let me introduce you to a couple of my friends!"

"Right behind you, Dash," Gilda says, stopping to glare at Pinkie Pie, the pony smiling right back.

Rainbow Dash walks over to Applejack and Rarity, motioning at the empty space behind her as she says, "Hey guys, this is Gilda!" She turns, a bit of a frown as she sees Pinkie Pie and Gilda chatting. Her smile quickly returns, "She's my griffon friend from Junior Speedsters!"

"She's... quite the character," Applejack says, nibbling on the last of Rarity's cucumbers.

Pinkie Pie breaks away from Gilda, heading towards Rainbow and pulling out a stick complete with marshmallow. Gilda turns her head to watch as Doug pants, half a lemon drop in his hand. He shakes his head, blinking rapidly as he says, "Um, Pinkie?" He holds up a glass of punch, his thumb and forefinger awkwardly placed around the bottom. "I think your glasses are defective, they're dripping." He demonstrates, briefly removing his finger and releasing a stream of punch out of the bottom of the glass. He takes a sip, his fingers keeping the glass from dripping, his mouth puckering up. He forces out, "New flavor?" as he glances to Applejack.

"Doug!" Rainbow loudly whispers, pulling him down to her level, "Stop it! You're ruining my pranks! Go sit in the corner with Applejack!"

"Oops!" Doug whispers back, trying to contort his mouth to an apologetic look, "Sorry!" He walks over to Applejack and Rarity, letting Applejack try a sip of the punch that she immediately spits out.

"This is lemon?!" Applejack harshly whispers, stomping her hoof. "Who-"

"Yes?" Lemon replies as she skips over, beaming at Applejack. "You need anything?"

"Not you!" Applejack snorts, pointing a hoof at Doug's glass, the human continuing to drink it. "What Ah need is a glass of juice that ain't spiked!"

"Yes?" Spike says as he walks over. "You need something?"

"No!" Applejack glares, Spike shrugging and walking away. Applejack turns to Lemon and says, "Okay, maybe just a glass of water to wash that taste out of my mouth. This here mouth is reserved for apples only!" She winks up at Doug, pushing her cheek with her tongue.

Doug rolls his eyes as Lemon says, "Coming right up! You want just regular water, or some of the bubbly stuff?"

Applejack shakes her head, "Just regular water is fine for me. Ah don't need any of that sparkling nonsense."

"Yes?" Twilight Sparkle says, walking over.

"Oh, for Pete's sake." Applejack grunts, facehoofing.

Meanwhile, Gilda walks over to the table of food, eyeing each of the dishes like an eagle. The cupcakes are right out, and from overhearing Doug she knows the lemon drops are trapped, even if they look good and she likes vanilla. There has to be some way the ponies know which food is good and which is doctored. A wall-eyed pegasus grabs one of the carrots with a huge smile, so Gilda does the same, smirking as she chows down.

Pinkie Pie lifts her stick into the resulting column of belched flame, smiling at the nice char that results.

Rainbow Dash shouts, "G! The punch!" as she tries to stifle her laughter.

Gilda screams, "HOT!" as she flies to the punch bowl, ignoring the conveniently placed glasses and instead sticking her head straight in. The horribly sour punch completely fails to quench the fire in her throat; in fact, it makes the burning even worse as it spreads it around. She grabs the first glass she sees, the water from Lemon's back also failing to do anything to help, acting much like the lemon spiked punch.

"Priceless!" Rainbow Dash forces out between her laughter, grinning as Gilda tries to keep her cool.

"Yeah. Priceless," Gilda deadpans. She moves up to the table laden with presents as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo join the party. Gilda snorts as Scootaloo stops dead in her tracks, grabbing one of the gifts while pointing a talon at the frozen filly. "Oh, it's the littlest dweeb! You want a present?"

"Hey!" exclaims Rainbow Dash, but she holds back from anything else as Gilda advances on Scootaloo.

Scootaloo glances towards her sisters before looking back at Gilda, trying to appear courageous as her legs shake. She shies down, quivering as she barely is able to keep her eyes on the griffon.

"Hah!" Gilda laughs with a sneer in her eyes, holding the cylindrical present forward while drawing a talon along the side, cutting through the wrapping paper like it is nothing. "Don't worry, little dweeb, I'll-"

The present explodes with a bang, four green snakes shooting out of the can and pelting Scootaloo! The purple maned filly yelps, dropping down with her hooves covering her head and cowering, pleading, "Please don't eat me!"

Scootaloo glances up at the sound of laughter; Gilda's feathers have poofed up, giving the griffon a fluffy look, like Angel Bunny after a particularly long bath. She snorts, her fear forgotten as she joins the rest of the ponies in giggling at the sight.

"That's it, you little twerp!" Gilda shouts angrily, swiping a talon at Scootaloo, "You better shut it, right now!" She sneers as Scootaloo's laughter cuts off, reveling in the terrified expression, "Oh, you aren't so tough now, are you?"

"Hey, Gilda!" Rainbow Dash exclaims, hovering a foot in the air and pointing a hoof at the griffon. "Back off!"

Gilda snorts, "Come on, Dash, it's just a bit of fun with only the lamest filly ever at the lamest party ever! These pranks are nothing! It's time for us to bail on this lame-o scene!"

"Yeah? Well, that lamest filly happens to be my filly!" Rainbow Dash gets right in Gilda's face, her rainbow mane flipping to the side as she flies next to Scootaloo, nuzzling her filly. "So I guess that me Queen Lame-O, huh?" Scootaloo beams up at her dam, inspired by her dam.

Gilda snorts, "You? You got knocked up? You're joshing me, right, Dash? I thought you wanted to be a great flier!" She sneers, shaking her head. "Guess we all can't live the dream like we used to. And here I thought you were cool!"

"Yeah, well, I can still fly circles 'round you, G! And this isn't how I thought my old friend would treat my new friends, or my family!"

"Come on. Dash. This party? All these lame pranks? They had to be Pinkie Pie's idea! She been trying to make a fool out of me this whole time!"

"Well, yeah!" Pinkie Pie says, pronking up. "I thought by making you feel included, by treating you like everypony else, we could improve that attitude of yours!"

"Yeah!" adds Rainbow Dash, waving her hoof behind her at the congregating ponies. "And the rest of those lame pranks were my idea." At Gilda's stunned expression Rainbow continues, "So if you don't want to hang with us lame-o ponies here, well, maybe you should find some 'cool' friends someplace else."

Gilda stares blankly at Rainbow Dash before she snorts again. "Whatever. You used to be cool, Dash." She flips the eagle as she leaves the party, her midair spin blowing everypony back a few inches.

Rainbow Dash turns to the gathered ponies, "Hey, everypony. I'm sorry about Gilda. I didn't think she'd be like that."

"It's okay, Dash!" Pinkie Pie says, reaching out a hoof. Rainbow smiles as she reaches out a hoof of her own, embracing her herdmate.

It's a good thing Gilda left the door open, so the stench of burned feathers and hair could air out.

21 Earth Drinker, Part One

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July 5th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Applejack looks over her wagon full of wooden planks, courtesy of Burnt Oak, then to her herdmate. "Are ya sure about this, Rainbow? Seems like a mighty tall order. Especially with those four involved."

"Are you foaling me?" exclaims Rainbow Dash, the pegasus throwing her hooves into the air, nearly knocking off her ball cap as the whistle around her neck flies up. "Who built a ramp for Scootaloo's scooter? Me. Who is going to use this design for her awesome new trick? Me. Who-"

"Okay, okay, Ah get it." Applejack sighs, "You sure you don't want my help, or Big Mac's, or Doug's? It sounds like a pretty big job, since you're gonna be using this much wood and all."

Rainbow Dash puts a reassuring hoof on Applejack's withers, solemnly nodding her head. "We got this, Applejack. Trust me?"

"Ah trust you, Rainbow, that ain't the issue." Applejack motions over to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebaum. The four fillies are scampering around, super excited about the upcoming project. "It's them Ah'm worried about. You sure you can keep up with all four on your own?"

"Please, Applejack." Rainbow Dash blows on her whistle, two short bursts. The fillies immediately stop and line up, sitting obediently and looking to Rainbow for instruction with bright smiles on their radiant little faces. "See?"

Applejack rolls her eyes, "Yeah, they're little angels, all right." She looks over at the scaffold design. "Also seems like a lot of effort to put in to something that's just going to be used for the start of one trick."

"That's the best part!" Rainbow says, pulling out the design plans she has scribbled down. "The town hall and clock tower both need some pretty heavy duty repairs after that attack a few years back. So we can use this scaffolding afterwards to help with those repairs!"

"Sure," Applejack says, her tone saying anything but. "Well, Ah'll leave y'all to your thing. Gotta get back to getting the orchard ready. Ah'm sure to beat Big Mac this year, and maybe even go for the Equestrian record!" Applejack lets loose a contented smile as she envisions herself solo harvesting the most apples in one week, "Have fun, and stay safe!"

As soon as Applejack disappears from sight the trio rushes over to the tools. Apple Bloom grabs a hammer, Sweetie Belle a hack saw, while Scootaloo groans, "Where's the chainsaw?"

Applebaum glances at the papers, her muzzle quickly turning to a frown, then a scowl. "Was your plan to tip this tall part over and have it land on the seesaw?"

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes, motioning to what can charitably be referred to as blueprints. "Weren't you listening? I was going to build a scaffold, and this seesaw, and have Big Mac climb up the scaffold. Then, he jumps off the top, landing on this 'x'." Rainbow scribbles over the blueprints, Applebaum facehoofing, "Then, I get launched into the air, faster than I can take off on my own! Once I'm in the air, I'm going to do some amazing flips and spins! It's gonna be great!"

Applebaum points a hoof at the scaffold drawing, "How tall is this?"

Rainbow glances down, "Thirty feet or so. Why?"

"So, Big Mac is gonna jump down thirty feet, and his greater mass, let's say four times yours, is gonna launch you into the air." Applebaum raises an eyebrow, eerily similar to her dam. "That about right?"

"Yup! And I'll be able to leap off at the same time, and the boost is going to rocket me into the air!" Rainbow scribbles a couple more loops onto the paper, smiling at the resulting mess.

Applebaum squats down, swiping the blue crayon from Rainbow Dash and saying to herself, "So, if Big Mac jumps from thirty feet... let's see..."

"Pretty awesome, am I right?" Rainbow Dash says with a smile, though her interest quickly fades as Applebaum doesn't respond.

"Or," Applebaum continues as she scribbles a little more, muttering to herself, "thirty two times thirty times four times two... square root..."

Rainbow Dash drops down, cocking her head at the numbers, "What's that?" Sweetie Belle walks up behind her while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo grunt at each other, wrestling over who gets the hammer and who has to hold the nails.

Applebaum motions to the equations, "Ah asked Miss Cheerilee for a book on physics. You know Mister Rich, right? Well, we got to chatting about the company that dug out the hill for the Carrot House. He says Ah might be able to get, an, um, an inter-ship with them!"

"Internship," corrects Sweetie Belle. Rainbow Dash glances over, a deadpan stare at the know-it-all.

Applebaum smiles at the correction, "Yup! That's it. And so he introduced me to Dozer, one of the ponies that did a lot of the digging. He told me about the kinds of work they do, and what kinda schoolin' you need to be an engineer. And if Ah can pass one of their entry exams, they'll take me on and show me the ropes!"

"Aren't you a little young to start working?" says Rainbow Dash, though her gaze keeps drifting to the wood, to the drawing she made, and then to the sky, daydreaming about the awesome tricks she'll pull off.

Applebaum snorts, "Daddy's just lucky Ah haven't burned the house down yet. With this thing kickin' me in the flank every day Ah go to bed without doing something with it?" Applebaum motions to her cutie mark, the exploding apple pieces looking particularly menacing. She snorts, "Ah gotta do something with the ideas it tells me. So Ah stay up late making diagrams and drawings. Sometimes it's force diagrams, or maybe what'll happen to a building if one of the supports gets removed. Or how much weight a bridge can support before it breaks." She sighs before returning to her calculations, muttering, "And those are the tame ones."

"Well, I'm sure Doug would agree that burning the house down is not a good option," Rainbow says, not having paid attention to anything else Applebaum said.

"Yeah. Reading the books helps out a lot. Ah'd complain about it, but it's a lot of fun now that Ah'm getting into some of the more interesting parts!" Applebaum beams up at Rainbow Dash, her smile fading at Rainbow's blank look. She sighs, "So, to put it another way. Big Mac jumps off that platform, hitting the lever. And he'll be hitting the ground at thirty miles an hour." Applebaum frowns, "That'll hurt, but it's doable, Ah guess, if he lands on all four hooves."

"Yeah, he's a tough cookie, he can take it," Rainbow Dash says excitedly, stretching her legs. "What happens to me?"

"You get launched into the air at about sixty miles per hour." Applebaum frowns, tapping the crayon against the sheet.

"Wait, that's it?" Rainbow says, yanking the paper and staring at the figures, the numbers swimming together. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure," Applebaum says with a shrug. "Ah mean, it ain't exact or nothing, within ten percent or so. Is that really worth it? Ah thought you flew way faster than that."

"Oh ya, I'm way faster than a measly sixty miles per hour!" Rainbow snorts, shaking her head. "Back when I was a filly, I performed a sonic rainboom! Do you know how fast you have to go to perform one?"

"Um," Applebaum stutters.

"Seven hundred and sixty seven miles per hour!" shouts Scootaloo as she jumps up.

"How in the hay do you know that?" Apple Bloom asks, rubbing her head.

"Um, no reason," Scootaloo says, sinking back down. At Apple Bloom's continued stare she says, "I, um, got curious after one of dam's stories about performing it. And so I asked Miss Cheerilee, and she had me write a letter to a bunch of eggheads in Canterlot, and they wrote me back with the answer."

"And you memorized it? Talk about her biggest fan." Apple Bloom says with a shake of her head. "Now who's the egghead?"

"Her." Scootaloo says with finality, pointing at Applebaum. The two snicker, Applebaum turning and glaring at her older sisters.

"Quiet, girls!" Rainbow Dash commands, stomping a hoof. She turns back to Applebaum as the two quiet down, "Yeah, so, normal flying I might do only, like, one hundred miles per hour or so. Burning thaums?" She shakes her head, "Now they've got me talking like an egghead." She sighs, "Anyway, if I'm going as fast as I can? I used to do about seven hundred miles per hour, sustained for ten seconds. Seven twenty on my best days." Another sigh as Rainbow glances at Scootaloo, "Still recovering a bit from, um, before, but I can still pull off about six fifty no problem." Rainbow's face falls, scuffing at the dirt.

"That's still really fast!" Applebaum says, trying to lift Rainbow's spirits. "Ah bet this trick'll work out great!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow exclaims, smirking at the drawings. "So, how much higher would Big Mac need to be so I go even faster? Like, a hundred miles an hour?"

Applebaum stammers for a second, "Um, about a hundred feet or so. Ah think he'd have trouble surviving that."

"Wait, really? Not, like, fifty feet? You sure?" Rainbow sighs, shaking her head and answering herself, "Nah, you're probably right. I'll have to see what I can do with that, but it'll still be pretty cool."

"Can we start yet?" Scootaloo moans, having won the wrestling match for the hammer.

Rainbow stands up, motioning to the wood, "Okay, girls, let's get this flight in the sky!"

Three hours later, Rainbow Dash and Applebaum hammer the last of the wooden boards together. The tower is laying on its side, two long pillars with struts along the middle, a ladder secured to the side. The base is ready for the top to be hoisted together, a rough pulley system rigged nearby. A few ponies are standing around, watching the construction process.

Rainbow Dash wipes the sweat from her brow, "Whew! That was a lot of work!" She glances over to Applebaum, "Thanks for sticking it out with me." She offers a hoof, Applebaum tiredly huffing as she returns the bump. Rainbow glances over to Applejack and Big Mac, sheepishly smiling, "And, um, thanks for taking over on the trio for me."

Applejack nods, the two earth ponies strapped to ropes, "Heh, Ah tried to tell ya, but you didn't listen." She motions with her head to the scaffold, "You ready?"

"Let's do this!" Rainbow grins, slapping Applejack on the flank.

Applejack rolls her eyes as she and Big Mac pull, hoisting the scaffold up and into position. Rainbow Dash flies to the top, helping steady the unstable tower as Applebaum slots in a few large bolts along the bottom. The base is now holding the scaffold in place, at least temporarily, and Applejack strips out of her harness; she moves over to assist Applebaum, making sure everything is secure. Rainbow Dash and Big Mac dismantle the pulleys, removing the ropes from the structure.

Rainbow cheers as she flies up to the top, glancing down at the platform below. The large red 'x' looms tantalizingly close, a sliver of drool dripping from Rainbow's open mouth. She can see even more ponies gathering around; she waves down at Big Mac, yelling, "You ready for this?"

"Nnope!"

"Aww, come on!" Rainbow shouts, flying down and landing next to Big Mac. "Come on, big guy. Just the one time!"

"Nnope."

"Yeah," Rainbow says, her tone changing completely and becoming sad, almost apologetic. "I agree. It is too tall. Nopony could make a jump like that."

Big Mac rolls his eyes.

Rainbow Dash nods, an unhappy sigh before she says, "Actually, wait. Didn't Granny Smith do something like this?" She lifts a hoof to block out the sun, squinting as she gazes up at the scaffold. "Yeah! I know Applejack showed me a picture of it once. Little old Granny Smith, jumping into tiny buckets of water." Rainbow mournfully sighs as she shakes her head, though she can't force a tear from her eye, "Too bad you aren't as cool as Granny Smith. I guess we'll just go push this over to the clock tower, since I won't get to use it."

Rainbow Dash takes a hesitant step forward as Big Mac halts her with a hoof to her flank. "Ah know what you're doing, Rainbow."

"Great!" Rainbow says with a cheeky grin. "So, you ready to get up there and do this?"

Big Mac stares at Rainbow Dash for a second before a heavy sigh escapes his lips. "Eeyup." Big Mac walks up to the ladder, turning and looking down at Applebaum. "You sure about this?"

"It won't break apart if that's what you mean." Applebaum sighs, rubbing one hoof against another, "But, um, as far as the jumping part?" She stands on her hind legs, whispering in his ear, "Don't jump. Okay?"

Big Mac smiles down, "Don't worry, 'Baum." He grunts as he climbs the ladder, the sway back and forth getting more pronounced as he gets higher. Big Mac nervously stands on the top, staring down at the platform far underneath him. He takes a deep breath, waiting the agonizingly long seconds as he looks around, a large crowd of ponies now gathering around the scaffolding.

"Rainbow Dash, you be careful now. Got it?" Applejack says as she looks up to Rainbow, then to Big Mac. "You got this, Big Mac!" she yells, stomping her hooves, the surrounding ponies quickly joining in.

Rainbow Dash, now waiting on the other end of the seesaw with barely restrained excitement, looks up and locks eyes with Big Mac. "I'm ready!"

"Eeyup!" Big Mac yells, jumping off the wobbling scaffolding. He thinks, during the one and a half seconds he free falls, that he likes having his hooves on the ground.

Big Mac hits the slanted platform with his hind hooves first, a sickening crack as Rainbow Dash is catapulted into the air.

22 Earth Drinker, Part Two

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Big Mac's hind hoof twists underneath him as he slams down, his front hooves hitting the platform a split second later. The crowd gasps as he yowls in pain; he rolls to the side, flopping off and hitting the ground hard. He cradles his hoof as he clenches his eyes shut, grimacing as he rocks back and forth. A few pegasi take off towards the hospital though many stand rooted in place, others cautiously creeping closer.

"Big Mac!" Applejack's agonized yell resounds through the town as she dashes over to her fallen brother. "How bad is it?"

"Big Mac!" Rainbow Dash echoes from the air, a hairpin turn immediately spinning her launch around and zooming back to the ground. "You okay?"

Big Mac grunts as he stops shaking, slowing his breathing to a deep, measured pace. "Ah'll live," he forces out, gingerly rolling to his barrel as many of the spectators gather close. He winces as he pushes his forelegs up, dropping back down as he rubs the side he fell on. The pain there hurts, and he doesn't want to put any weight on his hind hoof if he can help it.

"Ya sure you don't need any help?" Applejack asks tenderly, her hoof wavering before resting on Big Mac's withers. "Do we need to get you to the hospital right away?"

"I'm sorry!" Rainbow Dash bawls, tears streaming out of her eyes as she stares at Big Mac's twisted hoof. She wraps her forelegs around Big Mac's neck, soaking his mane as she sobs, "I'm so sorry! Please, I'll do anything to make it up to you!"

Big Mac winces as Rainbow hugs him, awkwardly patting her on the back, "Ain't your fault, Rainbow, Ah just landed wrong on it. It'll be okay."

"But, Mac, what are we gonna do about the orchard? Ah'll barely be able to keep up with my half, and everypony's going to be busy on their own farms to come and help us." Applejack pitifully sighs as she finally tears her gaze away from her brother to look at the hundreds and hundreds of apple trees, all heavily laden with fruit. "Ah... Ah can't-"

"Applejack, it'll be okay," Big Mac repeats himself as he pulls her close, now sandwiched between two mares. "It ain't the first time we've had to leave a bit of fruit on the trees." He sighs as Applejack bursts into tears, a slight eye roll that his sister seems more concerned about leaving fruit to rot than his own injury. Well, he'd be a bit overwhelmed at the thought too, come to think of it, if the situation was reversed.

"I can help!" Rainbow exclaims, pushing slightly away from Big Mac, though she shies down a little at his questioning gaze. Rainbow Dash solemnly nods, her hoof crossing her chest before landing on her eye, "I will make sure all of Big Mac's harvesting gets done by the end of the week!"

"Don't ya think you're biting off a bit more than you can chew?" Applejack says, raising an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash.

"Are you saying that my mouth is making promises my legs can't keep?" Rainbow Dash grunts out through clenched teeth, pawing at the ground as she glares at Applejack. Her voice mimic's Applejack's drawl, "This is your herdmate Rainbow Dash! The loyalest of friends? And Ah can buck an apple tree as good as any earth pony, and twice as fast!"

"No," Applejack says as patiently as she can manage, stifling her comment that the only time Rainbow Dash has 'harvested' apples is either when she crashes into a tree or when she wakes up from a nap in one and gets a quick snack. "Ah'm saying there's more to bucking trees than just picking the fruit clean. They ain't gonna be rejuvenated for next harvest, and it'll be more work for me than Ah'm able to spare!" Applejack sighs to herself, her voice much quieter but still audible, "Ah was gonna go to each tree, before the harvest starts and the fruit ripens, and try to pause their growth 'till Ah'm able to get around to it, or Big Mac is better."

"Well, Sis, maybe Ah can help there," Big Mac says, trying to put a little weight on his hind leg. His stifled scream of pain doesn't go unnoticed by anypony, the two mares looking up with worry, though he continues to try to get his point across regardless.

Applejack says as she watches Big Mac struggle with the words, "Ah think we should get you to the doctor, regardless." Big Mac grunts before he nods; Applejack grabs the wagon she had used to haul the wood earlier, two of the unicorns levitating Big Mac up. Applebaum struggles to climb into the wagon, Rainbow lending a wing to lift the young mare inside.

Big Mac continues as Applejack straps herself in, Rainbow Dash riding along with him and helping stabilize his leg, "Ah won't be able to buck trees, not like this. But, Ah should be able to rejuvenate them after Rainbow is done harvesting."

"Maybe Ah can help, Rainbow!" Applebaum says, beaming up at Rainbow and Big Mac. "And Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo too!"

"Yeah, but you all have school. And, I hate to say this, probably homework. You can't devote every minute to fixing this like I can!" Rainbow Dash nods, though it turns to a gulp as she catches a glimpse of the apple orchards to the west. Maybe she would need all the help she can get.

"You have a job, too, Rainbow," Applejack calls from the front of the wagon over the sounds of the wheels.

Rainbow snorts in derision, "I can finish that in ten seconds flat! It's all waiting around for the right time, anyway. Easy peasy."

The wagon rolls up to Ponyville General, Nurse Redheart waiting for them outside. She sighs exasperatedly, "Alright, Rainbow, what happened this time?"

"To me? Nothing this time," Rainbow says with a bit of a frown, motioning towards Big Mac. "I think we're looking at some suspensory ligament damage on the right hind hoof, likely a fracture as well, but I haven't done any serious diagnosing. Some bruising on the ribs on his right side, but nothing too serious there." She glances at Big Mac, "Anything else?"

"Nnope."

"Wow, Rainbow, you get injured a lot or something?" Applejack says with a smirk, unhitching herself and helping Nurse Redheart as she wheels a stretcher over.

"Well, yes, but, it's part of the search and rescue training for weathermares. Basic first aid and diagnosing, in case we spot a pony in distress and need to help them out. Since not many ponies can lift another pony by themselves, and, um, I'm not built for that, we have to know how to figure out how much they can help without injuring themselves further." Rainbow Dash helps Big Mac shift to the stretcher, "Why?"

"Just something Ah didn't know about you, that's all," Applejack says. "Ah guess Ah'm glad it hasn't come up more often."

"Heh, me too," Rainbow Dash lightly chuckles, rubbing her mane. "So, why do you have so many apples to harvest all at once, anyway?"

"Just a bit of an earth pony tradition is all," Applejack says, pushing the stretcher for Nurse Redheart and glad for some sort of distraction from the reason they are at the hospital. "Every year we try to see who can harvest the most apples in one week. You've got eight hours each day, for seven days, to buck as many apples down as you can. And you have to bring them out of the orchard and to the barn as well, though other ponies can help with the sortin' and cratin' if that's what you're gonna do with 'em."

Rainbow says, puzzled, "Why eight hours? And is there no oversight? How can you tell if somepony got help or not?"

Applejack glares at Rainbow Dash, "Ah'm offended you would even think that! Ah mean, are you saying one of my kin would cheat on a friendly competition like this? We Apples ain't like pegasi, Rainbow Dash!"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash exclaims, pushing forward to return the glare, "Just bec-"

"No arguing in my hospital!" Nurse Redheart calmly commands, her quiet tone immediately silencing the two. She takes over from Applejack, pushing Big Mac into one of the x-ray examination rooms. Nurse Redheart whispers to Big Mac as the two take seats inside, "Now, is there anything wrong you would like to tell me that you don't want those two fine mares to know about?" She drops down, batting her eyelashes, "Or am I going to need to do a full examination?"

"N-Nnope," Big Mac stammers, shyly looking to the side.

"Cognitive function is normal," Nurse Redheart says, her professional tone immediately returning. "Does your side hurt, or your hoof? Any pain you would like us to help with?"

"Ah can manage," Big Mac says, shaking his head, though the motion causes him to wince.

Nurse Redheart smiles, "Well, let me know if that changes." She takes Big Mac's hind leg, tenderly pressing from the top and working her way down. She frowns as she gets close to his hoof, noting the swelling. "Well, I'm going to take an x-ray before I say for sure, but from the looks of this you're looking at the two, three weeks of recovery. More if there is a break and not just a fracture."

"Three weeks?" Big Mac forces out, his mind going to the orchards and all the work that needs to be done around the farm.

Nurse Redheart turns to Big Mac, "And if I didn't know exactly how well you'd take it, I'd recommend confining you to bed rest."

Big Mac violently shakes his head, ignoring the resulting pain, "Nnope."

"Hey, a week in traction can't be that bad," Rainbow Dash says from the sidelines. "It'd be like a vacation!"

"Oh, really?" Applejack snarks back. "Ah'd like to see you sit still for an hour, much less a week. They'd have to strap you down or you'd be pinging off the walls."

Nurse Redheart snorts, "Look. I know how important the next two weeks are, being an earth pony myself. So, I'll make you a deal." She moves over, looking Big Mac in the eyes, "You stay off that leg, and I won't confine you to a hospital bed. We'll put the leg in a cast, but you won't be able to put any weight on it. And you especially can't buck any trees. Not even with just one leg. The chance of you losing your balance and falling over and worsening the injury is too much. Got it?"

"Eeyup."

"Good." Nurse Redheart smiles, "That reminds me. There was a journal article about a new wheelchair design. Let's see, let's see..." She sets up the x-ray as she tries to recall the article, motioning for Applejack and Rainbow to get behind the lead screen. One black and white image posted to the wall later and Nurse Redheart leaves the room, quickly returning with the magazine in question. She displays the image, a fairly simply strap around the waist connected to a pair of wheels with two bars, one an axle and the other a bar to rest hooves on. "Here we go. I know how active you can be, so this particular design will help you get around the farm quickly while staying off those hooves of yours. We'll have to see about getting one in your size sent here, but we should have it in two or three days or so."

"And if Ah just want to walk around?" Big Mac says, peering at the picture. He could see himself in the wheelchair, moseying around the farm, but it might be difficult to imbue the trees. Especially if he has to touch the trunks; he might roll right away from it as he stands up!

Nurse Redheart shrugs as she packs away the equipment. Those Apples could be so stubborn if they wanted to! "Well, nopony's forcing you to use it." She motions to one of the nearby hospital rooms, "But I will force you into one of those beds myself if you aren't careful out there!"

"Eeyup!"

"It'll be a little while before the doctor is ready to examine the x-rays," Nurse Redheart says, "So you are free to keep Big Mac company if you'd like. Or, I can send someone to Sweet Apple Acres when we know more, if Big Mac isn't able to make the trip himself."

Rainbow Dash steps forward, resolutely saying, "I'll stay with him." She glances over to Big Mac with a smile, "I owe him that much, at least."

Applejack's worried look is replaced by relief, the internal debate between family and the necessary work solved by Rainbow's declaration. "Thank you, Rainbow," Applejack says, "Ah'll be real busy over at the farm, especially if Ah'm doing this big lug's chores, too."

Rainbow Dash's face falls at the reminder, "Thanks, Applejack. Thanks."

"Aww, don't you get your mane in a twist. Ah'll be fine." Applejack smirks as she heads to the door, "Ah reckon it'll be harder keeping up with Big Mac once he's hankering for hard work."

"Well, it still doesn't make me feel any better about this." Rainbow Dash pouts as Nurse Redheart and Applejack leave the room. Her pout quickly fades, proclaiming, "This will be the easiest Applebuck Season you've ever had!"

Big Mac deadpan stares at Rainbow Dash for several seconds. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

Rainbow Dash snorts, "Please! I got this!" before she looks out the window, trying to hide her grimace from Big Mac.

23 Earth Drinker, Part Three

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July 9th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Applejack cheerfully walks down the main path leading into Sweet Apple Acres. The farm pony is well rested, carbo-loaded from the night before, and just a light lunch she ate early in order to be ready an hour before noon. Her mane is styled (courtesy of Rarity - unicorn sure knows her way around an earth pony mane) in a tight weave down her neck, though it always takes a little getting used to not having to counter the weight of her ponytail swinging around. Her tail, even though she loves the free swaying ponytail style, is also clipped up and to the side, to keep out of the way of her hooves when she bucks. She only lets Rarity spruce her up but one week out of the year - and it's hard to tell if the dressmaker wants to see more or less of her - but it's worth it; once she gets going, not having to worry about either mane or tail getting in her way or getting as dirty is a gift from Celestia herself.

Twilight Sparkle is walking next to Applejack, her mane her normal brow-cut partially pierced by her horn. Her tail sways back and forth as she reads through the notes levitating in front of her. Spike is riding on her back, the dragon taking the opportunity to nap in the late morning sun, the quill loosely held in his claws threatening to drop down any minute now. She hums a little ditty to the cadence of their hooves, trotting in time to her friend.

"Thanks, again, Twilight, for coming and helping me," Applejack says, her eyes traveling from bough to bough, each heavy with apples of all varieties as they step off on one of the side paths. While the apples of the section of orchard she will be working had all ripened at the dawn earlier that day, Applejack wants to time the start of her straight eight hours of work such that she will end up finishing just before the sun goes down.

"I'm happy to help!" Twilight says with a grin, her gaze dropping from the notes she has on the earth pony practice to the trees surrounding them. "There's so many! Are you sure you can hoof this all on your own?"

Applejack snorts, "Well, Ah'm sure gonna try! Ah mean, Ah've got more apples ripening than Ah can get to in a day's work, so Ah'll be putting in a little overtime harvesting to make sure none go to rot. But only my best eight hour block counts for the competition. If they let you count more, you'd see way more injuries, and nopony wants that. After my shift, or before that if'n Ah want, Ah can take my time, but Ah'll still need to rest up for the next day's labor."

"And how about our non-earth pony competitor?" Twilight Sparkle smirks, glancing over at the brown pegasus barely visible, still hard at work. "How has she been holding up?"

"Honestly?" Applejack replies, her happy expression fading for the first time that day. "Ah'm really trying to not worry about it. Ah need to focus on my half of the farm. Besides, she's got Big Mac watching over her, and she's an adult. She knows how to ask for help if she needs it."

"Really?" says Twilight Sparkle, barely stifling her laughter. "Are we talking about the same pony?"

On the opposite side of the farm, Rainbow Dash is barely distinguishable from Applejack. She swapped her horseshoes to the same Apple-duty (who knew there was a level past heavy-duty) brand Applejack and the rest of the Apple family tree uses, as her Flier X-2s would have crumpled after the second buck. Dirt and dust cover the normally sleek coat, turning it a duller brown than Applejack's orange, though after a long day toiling in the fields they get mighty similar. The green, blue, and purple sections of her mane are matted against her side - the product of wayward splashes of water against her head to cool off mixing with sweat and the dust she kicks up. One of Applejack's beat up old Stetsons covers the rest of her mane, occasionally dipping down to cover her eyes after a too-vigorous swing.

What isn't covered is her spirit: Rainbow Dash has been hard at work for six hours now, and aside from having to fly up twice to take care of a few quick weather issues she has only taken one break, to grab a light meal and quell her growling stomach. She huffs as she reminds herself to keep her breathing steady as she positions herself in front of the next tree. Turn, rear up, buck!

Instead of the satisfying *thud* of hooves impacting wood followed by a myriad of lighter *thunks* of apples on baskets comes the considerably less satisfying *kshh* of a glancing blow of hoof scraping wood, quickly followed by the *whump* of an off-balance pegasus adding just a little more brown to her coat and muzzle.

"Rainbow Dash, if Ah've told you once, then Ah've told you five hundred times today. You're going too fast, and you're not planting your front hooves properly before you start rearing up." Big Mac rolls forward, lightly placing a hoof on Bloomington the Eighth, the vicious scratch in the bark slowly healing. He pulls back, "Ah know you've been at this since before dawn, and you're doing great, for a pegasus. Just another two hours and you'll have hit the eight hour mark."

Rainbow Dash barely grunts as she picks herself up, not able to waste the breath playing the apologist for her fellow pegasi - though she really, really, really wants to. One more snide comment out of that mud p-

Rainbow cuts herself off! Focus, Dash! She walks back up to the tree, forcing herself to take her time like a hoofball kicker before a game winning attempt. She hasn't missed twice in a row yet, and there's no way she's starting now! Head one foot from the tree, turn around. Plant front hooves. Rear up, and Buck!

That satisfying *thud* of hooves impacting wood resonates around the farm, the delightful *thunk thunk thunk* of apples filling the baskets surrounding her. A few miss their mark, rolling on the grass next to the tree. Rainbow Dash dutifully walks up to each, evening out the baskets that she then carries to the wagon next to her. Two more trees and the wagon will be full, another long trip to the barn that gets even longer every time she makes it. At least tomorrow she'll be starting on the far side of the orchard, and she'll be doing the difficult, longer hauling when she has the energy, the trips getting shorter and easier as the day goes on. "Eeyup," comes the reassuring call from behind her, a smile briefly cracking the dirt caked around Rainbow's muzzle.

The wheels crunch behind Big Mac as they roll on the grass, a barely palpable hum vibrating the leaves above. Another tree rejuvenated, new blossoms already sprouting and marking this tree as fully bucked. Which, if Big Mac is being honest, might also describe the mare he's been following for the last six hours. Yet, another part of him smiles; all those runs she did with Doug have really paid off. He might have expected the speedster to give out or give up five and a half hours ago, but the overeager pegasus that moved to Ponyville with her friend Fluttershy years and years ago, whose attention span could be compared to an evening sprinkling of rain, has long gone.

Another *thud* echoes among the trees, Big Mac wheeling himself forward as Rainbow Dash gathers another set of baskets.

Applejack smirks to herself; if Rainbow wasn't working the orchard on the other side of the farm, she might have asked the pegasus to fly a cloud around for her, give her some shade during the hottest parts of the day. Cut down on how many seconds she needs to spend hydrating. Maybe she should get Rainbow to order one of the junior weathermares to do that. Although, as Applejack spares a glance to Rainbow's side during one of the rare times she sees the pegasus, maybe Rainbow would want that cloud for herself.

Twilight Sparkle glances up from her notes as the two arrive at one of the wooden barns the Apple family has scattered around their land. Two wagons rest outside, filled to the brim with empty baskets - some newly crafted and some old. From inside the red painted walls comes a light scuffling, the quiet thump of apples rolling into each other, and muffled conversation. Twilight Sparkle says, "Alright, Applejack, I've got the checklists you asked me to make ready. Are you ready?"

"Eeyup!"

A quill scratches against the parchment, "Spike, are you ready?"

"Wuah?"

Twilight smirks as she readies the quill over the picture of Spike napping. "Come on, Spike, it's the middle of the day! Enough napping! Are you a baby, or are you a big colt? I mean dragon?"

"Some days I just want to be the baby dragon," Spike mutters, yawning as he sits up. "Why did you need me here again? It looks like you have the checklist taken care of just fine."

"Yes, but you taking care of that means I don't have to continuously levitate two objects, leaving me able to focus on other aspects of what happens here at the farm." Twilight motions to Applejack as Spike groans, hopping off Twilight and taking the parchment and quill, "Okay! Wagon?"

"Eeyup!"

"Spare wagon?"

"Eeyup!"

"Baskets?"

"Eeyup!"

"Spare baskets?"

"Eeyup!"

Spike's eyes close as he mechanically checks off one box after another. His claw keeps going, and going, and going, though after a little while an odd scraping sound disrupts his nap. He glances up, Twilight snickering while Applejack smiles. He looks down, several ink check marks on his leg scales. He laughs, "Oops!" as Twilight rolls her eyes.

Applejack looks up to the sun, "Just about that time, Ah reckon."

Twilight pulls out her watch, "Yup! One minute to go. You ready?"

"Eeyup!"

Applejack hunkers down, a racer readying herself at an imaginary starting line.

After what seems like far more than one minute the alarm goes off, Applejack taking off like a bolt. She straps herself into her wagon, quickly pulling it past the first set of trees. The harness falls off as she jumps up, bucking the baskets to each of the surrounding trunks. She already has to rein in her excitement, slowing slightly to the fast pace she can keep up for the full eight hours.

Twilight watches Applejack at work for a few seconds before she smiles down at Spike, "Oh, this is so exciting, isn't it? The speed, the precision, the control! Watching a master at work?"

"Yeah, sure," Spike says, another yawn as he briefly closes his eyes. One minute later and Spike looks up, waving at the brown hatted pony dragging in a wagon full of apples. He exclaims, perhaps more excitement in his voice than necessary, "Wow, Applejack! Done with your first wagon load already? That's incredible!"

"It's Rainbow Dash," the pegasus deadpans as she walks past the two to the barn. She unloads the baskets, Granny Smith and Doug waiting inside to start sorting the apples.

"Oh. Um, well, you're doing great too, Rainbow! Keep up the good work!" Spike says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. He coughs as the pegasus collapses into the dirt, her hind legs spasming. "You okay, there?"

"I'm fine!" Rainbow Dash snaps from the ground, laying on her side and trying to stretch her legs. "Just... I just need a minute."

Twilight Sparkle says, "Are you sure this isn't too much for you, Rainbow? You don't look so good."

Rainbow Dash glares at Twilight Sparkle from her back, "Rainbow Dash does not quit." She snorts as she rolls to her barrel, "If Applejack can do it? Then I can! I'm going to make it through the rest of this shift, and Doug is going to use those magic hands of his, and then we're going to get the rest of Big Mac's side of the orchard done." She pushes herself up, "Then, I'll probably need another massage, and then dinner, then I'm going to sleep." She sighs as she pulls the first of the baskets of apples from the wagon, Doug moving up to grab it off the ground, "Then it's getting up early tomorrow and doing it all over again."

Twilight Sparkle sighs as she watches the exhausted pegasus pull off the last of the baskets, taking the bottle of water Doug offers her, then a quick bite of some honeyed nuts. "Are you sure you don't want any help now?"

Rainbow Dash stomps a hoof, wincing at the painful extra motion, "No way, no how. Now, out of my way."

"Um, I'm not in your way," Twilight says, standing several feet away from where Rainbow Dash will be dragging the wagon.

Rainbow Dash snorts, passing Doug the empty bottle of water. She nuzzles into his hand for a brief second before she hitches herself back to the wagon, a curt raise of her head saying goodbye to the four.

24 Earth Drinker, Part Four

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Twilight Sparkle watches the pegasus disappear back into the west section of the orchard, the empty cart dragging behind her. She groans, stamping her hoof at the stubborn display before walking into the barn. Dozens of open crates are stacked up along the walls next to long rows of rectangular boards. Several crates have lids already secured and labeled with a thick, blocky black script - she would have expected that style of writing from a unicorn, it doesn't look like anything done with mouth - though the vast majority are waiting to be filled and marked with their contents and destination. A small table is by the entrance with a pencil and two stacks of papers.

Twilight Sparkle idly flips through the thicker stack, finding a checklist (she mentally cheers - yey!) and order forms for locations all over Equestria, though most go to Ponyville or Canterlot. Spike, meanwhile, curls up in a shady corner next to Winona and tries to go back to sleep. Twilight Sparkle turns to the couple of baskets of large red apples Doug and Granny Smith are sifting through, excitedly asking, "So, how do you sort the apples? Size? Type? Shininess?"

"Ah knew it! Ah knew you couldn't resist the apple's allure!" Applejack yells as she pulls her wagon into the barn. Doug stands, quickly counting the baskets Applejack unloads and marking onto the shorter stack of papers. Applejack does her best Twilight impersonation, "Don't you just kick the tree and the apples fall down?"

"She can't help herself!" Spike shouts from his corner, trying to plug his ears with his claws.

"He's right, I really can't," Twilight says, almost apologetically but not really. She motions to the baskets now spread out on the floor, "It's just so fascinating! There are so many tiny cogs and gears that I never knew existed! And it's so interesting how they all work together to build such a smooth running machine!"

"Eeyup!" Applejack says with a broad smile, the last of her full baskets unloaded. She loads her wagon with empty baskets, saying a bit louder, "Ah can't talk just yet, but Doug ain't gonna be busy." She winks at Doug, though he is too focused on sorting to notice. She adds, a mite louder, "Now, Doug, you be sure to treat Twilight to whatever she wants." She smiles at him when he glances up at her, quickly leaving at his short wave.

Doug stretches before he grabs yet another basket of apples. Now that Applejack has started, he and Granny Smith will be hard pressed to keep up with both farmponies. Actually, since it's Rainbow instead of Big Mac it won't be as bad at first. But the hours will be much longer, since Big Mac won't be in the barn to assist after his shift ends. And, since all the apples are still growing, they will still have about the same number of apples to go through, the volume just spread out later into the day. Maybe the fillies will get press-ganged into helping out - most of them are old enough, after all - but one of the adults will have to apologize to Miss Cheerilee for the late homework. Better make it Big Mac for that, it's his fault (sort of) it's like this in the first place.

"I'd love that!" says Twilight excitedly, levitating a quill and notepad; Doug slightly flinches, though she doesn't seem to notice. Twilight smiles as she starts jotting down notes. "What are those papers?"

"So," Doug begins, motioning to the stack of papers Twilight was rifling through, "The short stack is just keeping track of how many apples each of them have brought in. The other stack has the order forms for all the different customers and contracts we have. "

"Are they arranged in any kind of order?" Twilight asks as she levitates one of the red apples to inspect the different varieties. "They seem-"

"Oi!" Granny Smith shouts with considerably more force than necessary to be heard in the barn, "No magic on the apples, ya hear?!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Twilight says, her horn winking out and her quill and notes falling to the floor as well. She gathers them up with her hooves, eyes raising as she asks, "Why didn't you yell at me earlier?"

"Well, you were just writing before," Doug starts, contemplating how to explain the restriction, his hands shaking the apples he is holding, "With the apples, if you want the short, honest answer, it's too easy to cheat with magic."

"Cheat?" Twilight says, raising an eyebrow, affronted at the accusation. "How?"

Doug shrugs, closing his eyes, "Off the top of my head? Come to life spell on the wagon that makes it easier to drag around."

"And there'll be no more spec-u-late-in' and con-spire-in on how to!" Granny Smith commands in her high voice, none of the usual warble or trepidation the elderly mare normally has. "We gots us a job to do!"

"Yup!" Doug replies with a somewhat forced smile, returning to sorting and inspecting the apples. "Haven't put a lot of thought there." He leans towards Twilight Sparkle, whispering, "Maybe another time. Or place."

"Okay," Twilight Sparkle whispers back conspiratorially, winking at Doug. "Maybe when this is all over you can come over to my place." She ambles over to the basket Doug is rapidly picking apples from, a blur of motion as he grabs, spins, then casts the apple to one of three crates or to a growing pile she quickly comes to realize is the 'reject' pile, based on the bruising or worm holes. She reaches into the basket to grab an apple, lightly blushing when his hand slides against her hoof as Doug continues working at his rapid pace. "Oops! Sorry!"

"No problem," Doug says as he finishes the basket off, sliding another one in front of Granny Smith before getting another for himself. He motions to the crates and baskets, "So, Rainbow has been bringing in Red Delicious apples, so we've got the crates for those orders ready to be filled all lined up." He motions to the baskets Applejack brought in, "Once we get to the Golden Delicious, well, some of the orders need both varieties. Other orders call for just one kind or another."

Twilight nods, "So, you can't just fill each crate with whatever kind of apple you want to then, huh?"

Doug stops moving, apprehensively looking over at Granny Smith. Fortunately for Twilight Sparkle the only perceptible change in the elderly mare is one eye squints shut briefly, though the rest of her muscles clench and it looks like there might be a throbbing vein in her forehead getting larger. "No," Doug patiently explains as he shakes his head; she's asking out of ignorance, of course, not trying to belittle or insult them. He quickly gets back to sorting, "just like you use different apples for cooking versus eating fresh. Different apples make different tasting jams, or butters, or pies. Most every pony has a personal preference for what kind of apple they like to eat, and the same is true for shops and restaurants."

"Wow, there is so much to learn about this!" Twilight Sparkle says, replacing the apple she took earlier. "I have to admit, I don't do a lot of cooking myself. Often times I'll go to a restaurant or café, or Spike will make me something if it's more complicated than toast. I really like the daffodil sandwiches I've had!"

Doug smiles, "Well, I do a lot of the cooking around here, at least for the stuff we eat. Or it's Applejack, or Granny Smith; they do a lot of what we sell. Sometimes Apple Bloom will help out." He leans closer, saying, "But if it's Sweetie Belle, make sure she doesn't use any magic." Doug leans back and says, "Actually, Twilight, there is something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh?" Twilight says, raising an eyebrow. "About apples? Cooking?" She whispers a little quieter, "Magic?"

"Organization, actually. Meringue was telling me about you organizing the library." Doug grabs another basket as Applejack returns with a new wagon load of apples. "I was thinking about asking her to come up with a plan to better organize this venture, and maybe you could help her do that, if she has any questions."

"She's been a big help, and I'd love to!" Twilight Sparkle replies, moving over to help Applejack, immediately rebuffed by the orange farmpony. Twilight Sparkle huffs as she backs up, frowning at the refusal.

Applejack apologetically smiles, "Sorry, Twi, but Ah gotta unload all the baskets on my own. Rules are rules." She grabs another set of empty baskets, hurrying out the door with her cart.

"Seems pretty unnecessary to me," Twilight Sparkle says with a frown. "I'm just helping her unload the apples!"

Doug nods, getting up and sliding the baskets so they are out of the way. "Well, sure, but it's a slippery slope once you go down that path. Pretty soon you're dragging the wagon back and forth for her, and then you're putting the baskets under the trees, and then you're just helping buck the apples that didn't come down the first time. During other times of the year there are other competitions. For example, you might have a team of four that harvests as much as they can, but it's just eight hours of one day instead of a week long competition." Doug pauses for a second, a glance to a frowning, slightly teary eyed Granny Smith. "I wouldn't ask Applejack about why they don't do that one, though."

Twilight rolls her eyes, "Fine, fine. Why can you sort the apples, then? Isn't that helping?"

"Only kind of; Applejack could just dump all the apples into one big pile, and then sort them when her eight hours is over. Or just sell them unsorted, which is how some ponies sort their produce when they go to market. Or when they only grow one variety."

"Not around this farm they don't," adds Granny Smith, Doug returning a nod. "We make sure we sell only the finest apples here at Sweet Apple Acres!"

Doug says, "The rest make applesauce, or the family eats them. Or they feed the pigs and other animals."

"Okay, so, why eight hours? I would think you can work longer than that in one day." Twilight looks out of the barn at the rows of trees laden with apple blossoms, "I thought Applejack and Big Mac worked most of the day. Sunrise to moonrise."

Doug nods, "They do, but not all of that time is spent harvesting apples. They spend a good deal of time on other crops, whether it's getting the wheat fields planted, or clearing new ones. Or it's infrastructure, like building a new barn, or maintenance on fences. Feeding the animals. Paperwork, like keeping track of who wants to buy what, or what deliveries have been made." He shrugs, "If they were allowed to harvest as much as they could for a whole week? It'd be an arms race of who can work the most hours, instead of a marathon harvesting session. The rest of the farm would suffer, especially since they're almost all single herd farms. They'd probably kill themselves overworking."

"Doug!" Twilight exclaims, a look of horror on her face, "You shouldn't joke about that!"

Doug raises an eyebrow, "Um, it's a figure of speech, not so much a joke since it can literally happen as well. Maybe it's just a human expression. But you're right, I wouldn't want anypony to do that to themselves."

Twilight Sparkle's expression morphs from indignant anger to puzzlement, "But, why would you do that to yourself?" Twilight Sparkle shakes her head, "What could be that important?"

Doug motions outside, "Well, a contest like this can drive somepony really hard. You'll still see Applejack push herself to the brink of exhaustion, not because she has to, but because she wants to prove herself. And compare how much she can do versus the other farmers out there." Doug looks to Twilight Sparkle, "I'm sure there are aspects of your life that you find drive you to those extremes."

"Um," Twilight Sparkle says, pausing as she taps her hoof on her chin twice, looking up at the ceiling.

"Seriously?" Spike says from his corner, "You can't think of anything? Maybe if I tested you on it, you'd remember."

Twilight Sparkle rolls her eyes, "Come on, Spike, the tests for Princess Celestia are extremely important!" She turns from Spike to look at the apples, "These are just apples we are talking about! It's not like their performance will determine the course of the rest of their lives or anything!"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Spike says; Granny Smith grits her teeth, though Doug at least seems neutral. Spike motions to the brown-hatted pony pulling a cart full of apples inside, "This is obviously really important to Applejack!"

"Still Rainbow Dash over here," deadpans the pegasus, pulling basket after basket full of apples out of the wagon. Her legs at least seem to be doing better than before, her movements slow but purposeful, her eyes full of spirit. Her breathing is a little ragged, as if she pushed herself faster than she had to pulling the wagon.

Spike continues regardless, "Or she wouldn't have asked you to come help her with it. And she wouldn't be putting this much effort into-" Spike breaks off as the ground underneath them begins to shake.

Doug drops the apples he is holding, eyes flitting from one pony to another. "Is this an earthquake?"

"I don't think we had any scheduled, way too early for the lightning storm next month," Rainbow Dash says as she zips in the air outside, the others following close behind. Rainbow Dash gasps, bolting towards Ponyville and shouting at the top of her lungs, "STAMPEDE!!"

Applejack bursts out of the orchard, grabbing the rope hanging on a nearby tree in her mouth as Winona races to catch up. They both trail close behind the stampeding cattle, quickly maneuvering to intercept the cows charging directly towards Ponyville.

25 Earth Drinker, Part Five

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Applejack prances down the road leading back to Sweet Apple Acres, the warm summer sun nearly as glowing as the praise from the pegasus above her. Behind her trail the herd's fillies, a mix of excitement and trepidation after the disaster that had narrowly been averted in Ponyville. School had let out early, following the commotion in town. But everything is better now, leaving Applejack able to bask in the adoration. Though at brisk pace, as best the fillies can manage; she has to get back to work, the clock is ticking!

"That was awesome, Applejack! The way you leapt from one cow to another, and how you used your rope while you were riding them? And then you steered those steers clear of here!" Rainbow Dash pauses to take a breath before exclaiming in a high voice, "That was" - she mashes her muzzle with her forehooves - "so awesome!"

"Can ya tell us again, Applejack?" Apple Bloom excitedly asks, beaming up at her dam. "About how you lassoed the lead cow and saved everypony?"

"Alright, RD, enough of that," Applejack grins, clearly not going to stop the pegasus if she continues. "And Ah'm sorry, Apple Bloom, Ah'd like to tell y'all the story again, but we've got to get back to work!" She glances to the barn where Twilight, Doug and Granny Smith are waiting outside. "Actually, Bloom, if'n you can corral your sisters, get them to Doug. He'll have something for y'all to do." Applejack tilts her Stetson before heading into the orchards, finding her wagon and starting where she left off.

Rainbow Dash groans, her exuberant expression fading as she looks over the rows and rows of apple trees waiting to be harvested. She stretches her legs while flying, muttering, "Just one more hour. You got this!" She beats her forehooves together twice in quick succession before arcing above the barn, a short wave to Doug as she hitches herself to her empty wagon. She huffs, undoing the clasps and loading the wagon with empty baskets before setting off to her side.

Doug ushers the eight chattering fillies into the barn, only empty baskets stacked against the walls, listening to their rendition of how Applejack saved everypony, is getting a medal, and is best pony. Actually, that last part is hotly contested; Doug interrupts the quickly heating discussion by saying loudly, "Okay, team, we've got a lot of work ahead of us. Applejack will be in here shortly, with another load of apples. I think she's just about done bringing in Golden Delicious. I need somepony to see how many baskets of what varieties she will be bringing in."

Apple Bloom steps up, "Ah can do that!"

"Okay, good," Doug continues, nodding at the filly. "We'll need an estimate of how many more Red Delicious Rainbow Dash will bring in, but I think it's at least four more wagons full."

"Ah can do that too!" says Apple Bloom, moving to the barn door.

"If'n one of you young'ins feels up to sorting, we could use a keen eye in here," Granny Smith adds.

"Ah like sorting! Ah can do that!" Apple Bloom says excitedly.

"Leave something for the rest of us," Scootaloo snidely remarks, rolling her eyes. "You're starting to sound like Applejack."

Apple Bloom smiles, "Thanks!"

"It sounds like you need some help organizing," Twilight Sparkle pipes up, a bit of a twinkle in her eye. "Can I help?"

"You want to play pit boss?" Doug replies, a wary look at the purple unicorn. "It ain't like sorting library books."

"Please," Twilight says, smiling. "I got this! What could go wrong?" At Doug's long sigh and eventual nod she continues, "So, first off, what are all the jobs that need to be done, and who can do what job?"

"Let's see," Doug says, humming to himself as he glances around the barn. Twilight levitates a quill and paper, her eager expression intensifying as Applejack brings in another wagon load, this time a mix of golden and green apples. Doug starts, "In no particular order. We need ponies to help sort apples. Anypony can help there, older the better. Next, find out which apples are coming, and how many. Anypony can fill that spot, as long as they know the varieties. Figuring out which crates should be filled next, and how many apples they need, once we know what apples are coming up. Not Lemon or Scootaloo for that one."

"Hey!" says Scootaloo, a little affronted she is being excluded from a job.

"You sure you want to be the one figuring all that out?" says Lemon, a glance at the tall stack of papers.

"Oh. Um, I guess not," Scootaloo says, though her frown remains. "But I could still do it!"

Doug continues, "Once one o'clock rolls around, somepony to help Rainbow Dash by dragging one of the smaller carts to and from the orchard. Apple Bloom would be best for that, but Applebaum, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo could also help. We have a second cart if we need more help there. Helping Rainbow buck apples; probably only Apple Bloom or Applebaum, and they'll need to stay near Big Mac. Recording the apples brought in. Anypony there. I could also help buck or drag a wagon."

"That's a lot of jobs," Twilight says, her quill scratching furiously. "Anything else?"

"Need somepony to gather lunch and dinner for everypony." Doug holds his hand on his chin, a low humming coming from his chest. "I think that's about it, but we might have more things crop up." He glances to the eight young ponies, "If anypony doesn't want to help, say something now or hold your peace."

As expected, silence amid slight glances from side to side, the fillies checking their sisters and making sure everypony is going to chip in.

"Excellent!" Twilight Sparkle says with a smile as she steps up. "Okay, girls. Together we're going to get these apples good and bucked!"

Applebaum snickers, quieting as several of her sisters turn to glance at her. She coughs, clearing her throat.

Twilight Sparkle continues, "Alright, we have a little less than one hour until Rainbow is done with her side. Fifty two minutes to be exact. Until then, Apple Bloom, Applebaum, Scootaloo, and Lemon. You four will get us lunch ready. Do you need more help with that?"

"Nope!" Apple Bloom says, her sisters lining up behind and next to her.

Twilight smiles, "Excellent! Once you finish that, get your carts ready. Apple Bloom and Applebaum, you'll be bucking apples while Scootaloo and Lemon cart the apples around." She looks at the pegasus and yellow earth pony, "You two good carting apples around?"

"I mean, I've never done it before, but how hard can it be?" says Scootaloo with a shrug, Lemon nodding along.

Twilight kneels down, her face turning more neutral, "Pomarbo, do you know your apples?"

Pomarbo looks at Twilight Sparkle for one second before nodding, a soft, "Eeyup."

"Good!" Twilight smiles, "I need you to go and find out what apples Applejack, Rainbow, and your sisters will be bringing in. Okay?"

"Eeyup."

Twilight turns to Meringue, "Meringue, you'll be using the information Pomarbo gives you to get the next crates to be filled ready. Also, recording what apples Rainbow Dash or Applejack bring in during their shifts."

"Acknowledged."

"Sweetie Belle and Hedge, you two will help Doug and Granny Smith sort apples." Twilight inspects the gathered fillies, all of them excited to get started, "Any questions?"

The fillies smile before all dashing off to various parts of the farm.

Apple Bloom looks up to Twilight Sparkle, "What do we want for lunch?"

"Um," Twilight says, glancing at Doug, "Apples? And hay?"

"Keeping it simple? That's fine," Doug replies as Sweetie Belle and Hedge move to him. "Alright, girls. When we sort the apples, the first thing we look for is any discoloration or soft spots. If they have any, those apples, the ones we don't sell, go into this pile. Otherwise, we need to know which crate needs how many apples. So, Meringue, we need at least one order form that needs Granny Smith apples, and preferably one that includes Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and/or Golden Delicious."

"Determining efficient sequence."

"Ooh, that sounds like fun!" says Twilight, glancing at the papers Meringue is rifling through. "You need any help?" She frowns as Meringue continues focusing on the papers, frustration quickly building at being denied the ability to sort through the many possibilities.

"Must examine closely."

"Yeah, I guess," Twilight Sparkle says with a loud sigh, glancing around the barn, her boredom quickly replaced by a certain sense of dread. "Where did the rest of them run off to?"

"Welcome to the herd," Doug replies with a chuckle and shake of his head.

Granny Smith snickers, "Young Bright Mac was far worse than yer young'ins. He was always traipsing around places he shouldn't be!"

"Yeah, at least they keep an eye on each other." Doug pauses. "Most of the time." A short time later, he adds, "Sort of." He looks over at Twilight Sparkle, "You might have to chase them around, especially as it gets later. Make sure they don't get distracted."

Twilight Sparkle nods, glancing at Spike as lunch arrives. Maybe her assistant can help out with that, once he's done with his nap. Or given some good incentives.

Many wagon loads of apples later and Twilight Sparkle has only had to chase down the trio twice to get them to focus on helping sort apples during the seemingly endless wait. Finally, Applejack and Rainbow Dash both grab a bite to eat as Rainbow's shift ends. "So, Rainbow," Applejack asks between mouthfuls of apple, unloading baskets while she eats, "You enjoy your first day of real work?"

"Please," Rainbow Dash says with a smirk. "Today was a cinch! You haven't been too bad either; exactly what I'd expect from the number two athlete in Ponyville!" Rainbow Dash laughs at Applejack's delayed scowl. "I mean, I think you'd be a perfect candidate to help me with that new trick I'm working on!"

"Oh, Rainbow, Ah don't think you could convince anypony to help you out with that trick after what happened with Big Mac." Applejack shakes a reproving hoof at Rainbow Dash as she loads more empty baskets, "And don't you go trying! It's too dangerous, and even if it works it doesn't launch you fast enough!"

"Ah can help!" pipes up Applebaum. She shrinks down for a fraction of a second as Applejack and Rainbow Dash both spin. Applejack glares at her while a hopeful expression briefly crosses Rainbow's face, though it quickly fades. Applebaum stands up straight and adds, "Honest!" in the hope that it can mollify her dam and convince Rainbow she can help.

"Oh, no you don't," commands Applejack, stomping a hoof on the floor with a face of stone. "No way, no how."

"And, you're kinda, um..." Rainbow Dash stammers, trying to figure out the least insulting way of putting this. "Small."

Applebaum rolls her eyes, "Well, yeah. You think Ah don't know that? But Ah wouldn't be jumping." She mimes pulling a wagon, "You just lift up a big rock! Maybe even using the same pulley system we used to lift the structure up in the first place. And then just drop it when you're ready. The rock's bigger than Big Mac anyways, and it don't mind being dropped down."

"Huh," Rainbow says, taking a long look back at Ponyville. "You know, that might work! After we get finished we should totally do that!"

Rainbow takes a step towards her wagon, her leg seizing under her. She flaps her wings, quickly recovering before her muzzle can get another coat of brown, her gaze nervously shifting to the ponies around her.

Applejack's eyebrows furrow, "You okay over there, Dash?"

"I'm fine!" Rainbow says, hovering to Doug as she forces a smile to her face. "Just need to get that massage." She leans in close, "You don't mind going somewhere a little more private, right?"

Doug rolls his eyes, "Aren't you a little worn out already?"

Rainbow Dash huffs, "Never! Now, come on!" She grabs hold of Doug's arm, dragging him just outside the barn and around the side. Applejack merely sighs, pulling her wagon out for yet another harvesting run.

Doug looks around as Rainbow drops to the ground. He remarks, as his hands go to her flanks, "You know, they can probably see us right when they walk outside. And you aren't always the quietest."

Instead of a biting reply, Rainbow Dash's eyes close; the mare flops to her side, her ragged breathing coming in deep breaths far too quick too be rejuvenating. Her clenched eyes try to keep the tears from flowing, her weary body spending the last of her reserves to eke out, "Doug..."

"What is it, Rainbow?" Doug says rapidly, his hands quickly moving to cup her head as he leans down, cradling her close to him. His mouth turns to a frown when Rainbow doesn't immediately reply, "Are you okay? Should I get help?"

Rainbow Dash weakly shakes her head, stifling a sob, "Doug, I can't do it. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"It's okay, Rainbow," Doug says, gently rocking his mare, "It'll be okay. We can just tell the others-"

"No!" Rainbow Dash forces out before she collapses again, a coughing fit wracking the pegasus' dirty body. "I can't let them see me like this!"

26 Earth Drinker, Part Six

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Doug loudly sighs as he holds Rainbow's quivering form, his hands leaving her head to start tracing the lines of sore, exhausted muscles along her back. He maneuvers her limp body to a more comfortable spot, the pegasus barely putting forth the effort to help him rest her in his lap. His fingers draw weak moans from her, the normal writhing as he hits sensitive muscles completely absent. He mentally grimaces, though he tries to keep the positive outlook going as he leans in close.

"Are you just looking for me to help with your exhausted muscles?" Doug waits for the nod, smiling when it never comes. "Because this massage will help with that, certainly. But I don't think it will be enough." Doug shakes his head, "You had several days of resting - well, besides your normal flying duties - and you've burned through your reserves. It'll take days to recover enough to get that back, and until then I'm not sure what exactly to say besides make sure to get good sleep, stay hydrated, and eat up. Speaking of, have you had enough to drink today?"

Rainbow slightly shakes her head to the side.

"Well, we should definitely fix that, but maybe not just yet. I think it's a bigger issue. After all, while you need some help making sure you take care of yourself, physically, I don't think your biggest issue is going to be recovering physically. After all, you've been forcing yourself through tough routines for years. Maybe not so much on your earth pony muscles, but physically pushing your wings and agility. Right?"

Rainbow barely nods.

"You're going to have to tell them your struggles, and hopefully they will have a solution, or better tips, or something that you can do that will help you get through this. Maybe it's as simple as taking longer breaks, and not straining yourself for so long a stretch. Maybe it's not so easy." Doug runs his hand through the sweaty, if free of dirt, warm colors of Rainbow's mane after he works up her neck. "But you're going to have to tell them if you want it to get better."

Rainbow shakes her head, a feeble, "Can't."

"Rainbow," Doug quietly says as he focuses on her withers and upper legs, "you know nopony will think less of you for struggling with this, right?" He digs in a little deeper at the lack of response, eliciting a barely palpable shake of the head. "They'll even love and support you more for it. They'll see in you the same struggles that they go through. Maybe it's a relational issue they face instead of a physical obstacle, but it's a difficult struggle nonetheless. And they want to be there for you, to help you like they know you would help them."

Rainbow lays on the ground, just letting him speak at her.

Doug sighs as he says, "Or it's an emotional problem, having difficulty overcoming something that happened to them. But the important thing is that it doesn't matter the topic you are struggling with, it matters that you open up to your friends, your family, and they in turn will accept you, faults and all. Just like I know you would do for them."

"Oh, yeah?" Rainbow Dash snaps, turning her head just enough to glare at Doug with one eye. "And how do you know that?" She rears up just a little, "Nopony ever expects anything from you! You just play it safe, only doing things that you know you can do."

Rainbow sighs as her strength gives out, resting back on Doug. She continues with every bit as much force in her voice, "You never push yourself, discovering what you thought were your limits and then busting past them. Fly faster than you ever thought possible. You probably don't even know how far you can go. Do you think I performed a Sonic Rainboom by only doing what I knew was possible?"

"Rainbow," Doug trails off, his frown growing larger as his ministrations languish. He eventually stops moving entirely, merely resting his hands on her sides while his head hangs in resignation. "You're-"

"You don't even," Rainbow Dash scowls as a coughing fit interrupts her. She slowly recovers, still unable to physically push against Doug like she feels the situation calls for, to build a little space between her and the antithesis of her ideals, "You don't even try to defend yourself. You just accept it like you always do, and don't even try to fight back. You're just so resigned to it."

Rainbow Dash sniffs as her heads turns away from him, "You don't wrestle with me or Applejack once you're in a losing spot, because you 'know' what the inevitable outcome is. Well, guess what? Sometimes, that one in twenty, or one in a million chance happens, and you turn it around. But for you to just tap out because the odds are against you?" Rainbow shakes her head as she flops back down, "I think that's even more pathetic than how I am right now."

Doug sighs, his head dropping down as his hands mechanically push against Rainbow's leg. His eyes close, his breathing deepens, long breaths indicative of the thoughts he is trying to reorder and place together. Sounds come from the barn next to them, the repetitive thump of basket upon basket getting unloaded alongside the light clop of hooves against the dirt. The thunk of apples, the briefest glance of Applejack as she drags another wagon load into and then out of the barn.

"Do you know how many apples I got compared to Big Mac?" Rainbow asks softly, her anger spent. She watches Lemon approach as Applejack briskly walks away. She sighs as her head - unsupported when Doug shifts to massaging her hind leg - flops onto the dirt and lays uncomfortably bent. Doug slides her to a less strained spot as she continues, "Barely a third. It's going to take me working the rest of the day, with you and Apple Bloom and Applebaum helping just to equal what he does." Rainbow sighs, "And do you know what will happen if I don't get it done?"

"You fail," comes the soft reply, barely audible.

"I fail." Rainbow Dash nods, sniffling against the tears and snot that would scarcely turn the dirt caked on her nose to mud. "Everypony will know that I, Rainbow Dash, failed. Again. I failed to make the Wonderbolts, I failed to help Scootaloo with her flying, and now I'm failing at taking care of something I said I would do. That's me, Rainbow Dash the failure."

"I don't think you're a failure," Doug says, cupping Rainbow's mane and tilting her head to stare into her eyes. She tries to avoid his gaze at first; Doug shakes her head, smiling at her annoyed look up at him. He says, finally with a bit of spirit, "What makes a person, or pony, successful or not isn't whether or not they succeed at any one thing." He pauses for a few seconds, trying to recall the words as he says, "As a great inventor once said, when asked about his repeated attempts to find a solution, 'I have not failed. I have just found ten thousand ways that won't work.' "

Rainbow makes a slight harumph sound, "Who tries that many things?"

Doug continues, barely acknowledging the snide remark, "Because it's a matter of perspective. Because I know you aren't a quitter, Dash. I know that you can succeed at anything you put your mind to. And if you want to succeed at this - and I know you want to, and along with that you have the ability and drive to do so - then you're going to have to open up to the ponies around you. And not just open up, but listen to them and their thoughts, their ideas. At the rate you're going, not only are you not going to finish out on harvesting the orchard, you're also going to destroy your body. And all that hard work you've put into becoming such an amazing flier."

Rainbow merely grunts in reply.

"And you know what, Rainbow?" Doug's massage returns with a vengeance, the pegasus moaning in pain and pleasure as his hands force toxins from her muscles, "If that's what you want to do? I'll support you. I'll protect your precious ego, that tiny voice that doesn't want anypony to see you fail. That doesn't want to open up, to let other ponies know the vulnerable and fragile core. I'm the same way. I hate revealing myself like that, which is why you were so right earlier. I don't push myself, not to the extremes. I do what I know I can do, what is safe, because I'm so afraid of the consequences of failure."

Rainbow can only grunt as her head is driven into the ground, Doug turning her to attack both flanks with long strokes of hand on firm, pained tissue.

"Some days I wish I had your drive, Rainbow. That desire to prove myself to everypony around me, to be so afraid of failure and devastated at disappointment that it drives me to work as hard as you do. But you're right, I let myself get pushed around. I don't stand up for myself, because I'm afraid of silly things that I sometimes know aren't true, like that others won't like me if I stand up to them. Or that I will lose their respect, or friendship, or trust, because I dared to disagree with them. And I want to change that, to get past these fears and hang ups and deep seated insecurities."

Rainbow Dash pushes herself up just long enough to say, "Prove it."

Doug nods firmly, his gaze going to the sky, "Alright, Rainbow. I accept your challenge." He glances down at her disbelieving expression, her muzzle caked with dirt managing to curl to a wry smile regardless. "You let the others help you with your difficulties and frustrations trying to get this insurmountable task done. And I'll open up, and tell the others about what it felt like: the powerlessness, the grief, the anguish I felt. And they're going to pile up against us, a mound of many hues, and show us how much they love and care about us."

Rainbow snorts, "That does sound like them."

"And in the future, I won't quit. Not on you, not on a sparring match, not when there's a chance." Doug traces a single finger down Rainbow's dirt covered barrel. They both glance up at a stomping of hooves, seeing Lemon standing there beaming at them.

"That was soo cool!" Lemon exclaims, bounding over to the two. "I was worried about you two, after you disappeared and didn't come back immediately. And then we heard you two talking, and not so much massaging or, as Granny Smith said, 'canoodling'. So I came to see how you are doing!" Lemon pauses for a split second, not nearly long enough for anypony to say anything else. "So, are you 'canoodling'? And what's canoodling? I think she also said foaling around, but that doesn't make nearly as much sense, since you aren't foals and I'm pretty sure that you haven't been foals in a long time."

Lemon glances over at Doug, tapping a hoof on her chin. Doug and Rainbow exchange tired looks that, even as they get more weary as the filly continues, manage to stay upbeat, "You know, I don't know if Doug was ever a filly. That's right, right? I mean, I guess he was a colt, right?" Lemon smiles at the two, happily asking, "So, what happens now? You need my help with anything? I'd be glad to help out!"

"Your sire and I are going to wrestle," Rainbow Dash says to Lemon while still looking up at Doug. She smirks, "If he beats me, well, you might want to make yourself scarce."

"Really? Aww." Lemon says, a slight cock of the head as she moves up and inspects Rainbow's limp form. "But you did such a beautiful job talking before, I want to see how you reconcile with each other!"

"Rainbow seems to think she still has a chance," Doug says, returning Rainbow's smirk, "So when I beat her-"

"If you beat me," Rainbow winks at Doug, "Then he's going to pound my flank into the ground until you never knew there was any blue on this coat. So, if Pinkie Pie says it's okay, you can stick around for that."

"Okay, I'll go ask her!" Lemon says resolutely with a nod of her head, dashing away. She calls out, "Scootaloo, I need you to help me with your scooter!"

Rainbow glances down her dirt stained coat as the filly disappears, "I'm pretty dirty. Don't you kind of want me to wash off first?"

"I don't know Rainbow, "Doug says with a smirk, "I don't think I've ever been more attracted to you."

"You keep using that line, and one of these days it isn't going to work," Rainbow replies, her eyes twinkling.

"But not today."

"Oh, no," Rainbow says as she pushes to her hooves, ready to start wrestling. "Not today."

27 Three Faces in the Dark, Part One

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Twilight Sparkle likes to be in control.

In fact, if you were to look up the definition of ‘control’ in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Twilight Sparkle, probably acing a test and looking smug.

That’s a fun word, smug.

Actually, the word 'like' is probably not nearly as strong as it needs to be either. To convey that ultimate satisfaction that Twilight derives from having one of her plans, her carefully planned plans - with all sorts of checklists and contingencies and calculated corollaries - come together. The word would probably work better being replaced by 'needs' or 'strongly desires' or 'has to has to has to'. It's not surprising that her cutie mark is practically the most primal actualization of control that exists.

But today, this last hour, Twilight Sparkle has not been smug. Or in control. Or had a book, for that matter. She would have liked a dictionary right now, if only to beat some sense into those little balls of restless energy masquerading as fillies.

The start of their harvesting together had gone so well. With Rainbow... occupied, Twilight had gone along with the trio in order to see how well they performed in their jobs. Sweetie Belle tagged along, since enough of the others were helping sort apples and she wanted to see what the harvesting jobs were like. Not that she actually wanted to kick trees or pull wagons, Rarity help her, but to spend a little more time with her sisters before the drudgery of apple sorting kicked in.

Apple Bloom was doing great, with Big Mac still following behind and helping rejuvenate the trees, though the long hours were starting to get to him. That and the slow progress, especially with the newbies. But it was working, and the baskets were (slowly) getting loaded onto the smaller carts the fillies could drag around.

It all started when Scootaloo had the idea that they should try to fit more apples into each basket. Ignoring, of course, that apples are delicate and easily damaged (the fruit, of course; Big Mac, Applejack, hay, any of the Apples would have objected strenuously and repeatedly if you were to suggest that they are as easily bruised as their namesake).

Sweetie Belle thought this was a great idea, and wanted to help. After all, if they are limited by the number of baskets that can fit in one cart, then by getting more apples in one basket they can take more baskets per trip which means less trips which means less walking and more harvesting and more apples and-

Well, you probably get the picture.

However, much like many objects, apples object to trying to be in the same place as another apple.

Violently.

Twilight tried to stop them. She really did.

But the moment she stopped Scootaloo from using her hooves to enforce her idea of how many apples can occupy the same spot at the same time, Apple Bloom had the brilliant idea to place an empty basket on top of the full basket and just jump up and down until the apples were good and compact. Kind of like they were making juice.

And then Sweetie Belle used her magic to try to help.

Which leads us to now.

Currently, three fillies are cowering in front of Twilight, bits of goo dripping down each of them. The nearby trees are splattered with the remains of apples, both large and small. "And what did we learn from this?" Twilight says, one side of her smile twitching slightly. Only slightly, of course.

"When harvesting apples, let them fall into the basket themselves," says Apple Bloom.

"Don't try to pack too many apples into one basket?" says Scootaloo,

"Don't use magic to try to pack too many apples in one basket?" says Sweetie Belle.

Twilight Sparkle nods, "While all good lessons... actually, more like the same lesson repeated three different ways, I was thinking of a different thing we all should learn from this." Another hair of Twilight's mane spins off, twirling on its own while that facial spasm gets a little more pronounced. "I was hoping you would think of something, like, 'we should listen to Twilight Sparkle because she knows what she's doing'."

"Really?" Scootaloo says, shaking a bit of the apple sauce covering her off and saying, "That wouldn't have been my guess in a hundred-"

"Million," Apple Bloom appends.

"Years," Sweetie Belle finishes, the three beaming up at Twilight's only slightly more infuriated look.

“Scootaloo!” comes a call from the barn, the purple maned pegasus immediately dropping her contrite look to turn and figure out what is happening. Lemon yells as she gallops closer, “I need you to help me with your scooter!"

“I’m on it!” comes Scootaloo’s fast reply, a hasty glance to Twilight and almost apologetic smile. "Sorry, Twilight, but we gotta help. Catch you later!" The three fillies scamper off, leaving a gaping Twilight.

Lemon grins as the trio approaches, waving enthusiastically. "Sweet! I was hoping all three of you would come. I need your help!" She stops in one of the already harvested spots of the orchard, apple blossoms blooming around them and occasionally falling to the ground.

"Wait, do you need my scooter?" Scootaloo says with a slight frown. "I thought you needed help getting somewhere."

Lemon shakes her head, "Nah. Rainbow was just trying to get rid of me. Dam already said I could watch if Rainbow wants to show me any of her tricks." Scootaloo's muzzle curls to a scowl. "Anyway," Lemon says, glancing between her older sisters, "I need your help with Rainbow and Doug. You know they're both pushing themselves really, really hard. And in different ways. And I was listening to them, to try to help them get past the things they are struggling with and I think they are on the right track. But I’m worried that they might regress, and I think they need a bit more help, you know?”

"Okay, so, what do you need us for?" Sweetie Belle asks, her smile widening at the thought.

Lemon ponders for a second, "So, Doug needs help opening up with what he went through. And I think he just needs the chance to sit down when nothing else is going on. And maybe a little prompting. But Rainbow is the one we need to focus on first."

"What's wrong with dam?" Scootaloo says, her scowl dropping as she cocks her head to the side. "I mean, I haven't really seen her, aside from when she was bringing in baskets. And she didn't look that bad. Kind of like she does after a really hard workout."

"That's just it," Lemon says, "she's working really, really hard. But it's a type of workout she's not used to. She's using too much energy, and not giving herself enough time to recover. We need to ask Big Mac and Applejack and anypony else who might be able to offer some advice."

“Well,” Apple Bloom says, “Ah think you’re going to have to stick with her, then.”

“Help them realize what they have to do!” adds Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle pushes up, “And get them to focus on the spots that are important!”

“You’re right!” Lemon grins, though a bit of her enthusiasm fades as she says, “But sometimes, they don’t want to listen to me. They just want to keep being stubborn! And it’s frustrating, to see all that hard work disappearing like a cake that the Cakes haven’t kept clear of dam’s cake hole!” Her frustrated growl echoes among the trees as she pulls out a large piece of paper and a few crayons from seemingly nowhere.

“Okay, so let’s think through this,” Sweetie Belle says. She levitates up one of the crayons, shaking drawing a stick figure of Doug and Rainbow sitting together. “And we need some ideas of what they should do to do… what exactly?”

“Rainbow is worried that she can’t keep up with Big Mac’s workload,” Lemon says, taking a red crayon herself and drawing a pony.

“But it’s Big Mac,” Apple Bloom states, as if the reason is obvious. “She really thought she could do all he does on that farm?”

“Yeah, that’s Rainbow Dash for ya,” Scootaloo says with a sigh. “She’s gotta prove herself.”

“And she can’t keep going the way she’s going,” Lemon replies, her own sigh even louder, “and I don’t think she’ll do a great job of asking for help. Or taking the advice if she thinks that's what we're doing, you know? So, we’re going to need to figure out how to help her, but without her knowing that we’re helping her.”

"Yeah, that's Rainbow Dash for you," Apple Bloom echoes, smirking at Scootaloo.

Lemon grins, "Okay, here's what we're going to do. You three keep working, but try to get to Big Mac when Rainbow takes a wagon load back. Get some advice from him on ways she can expend less energy. I'm going to go to Applejack, do the same with her. Then, when I'm taking an empty wagon to Rainbow, we let her know what we found out without her realizing it."

"Got it!" the trio chimes together, each reaching a hoof to the center. Though they have to lower their hooves to allow Lemon to tap it as well before they each scamper off.

Meanwhile, Twilight stands there, almost disbelieving, as all three of her supposedly industrious helpers scamper off to do... whatever it is they are going to do. Should she do nothing, like she is right now? Magically levitate each of the fillies into the air so they can't escape, and not let them down until they promise to behave? Go ask for advice from somepony who knows more about how to corral those three?

Hmm, that last one sounds familiar, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. She looks around the orchard, spotting Big Mac taking a nap. Or a good cry session, but stallions don't like to be reminded that they do that from time to time. Both the red farmpony and his wheelchair are laying on the ground, at least, and he is facing away from her so she can't actually see if he is asleep or not. His barrel is moving up and down, so there is that.

Twilight Sparkle walks up to Big Mac, softly saying, "Hey, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup?" comes the equally soft reply, the stallion briefly glancing back to Twilight Sparkle before he returns to gazing at the many, many apple trees still waiting to be harvested. His mournful sigh echoes despite its quietness, the sad reminder that, while he is doing as much as he can, it might not even be enough.

"So," Twilight starts off apologetically, rubbing one hoof against another, "our three main... helpers have run off on something else. And I'm not sure how much of a help Rainbow is going to be; she was pretty exhausted before."

A regretful, "Eeyup," escapes his lips as Big Mac struggles to right his wheelchair without using one of his legs. His gaze travels from one tree to another, resting on one particular apple hanging low to the ground. In fact, he might be able to reach it if he just raised one hoof...

"So, do you think I should go after them?" Twilight says, breaking Big Mac's concentration.

He thinks for a few seconds before shaking his head, a soft, "Nnope."

"Oh." Twilight looks up at the apple tree, plucking the solitary apple Big Mac was losing a staring contest with. It levitates to her mouth, taking a bite as she chews over what to do about all the apples. "So, Granny Smith doesn't want magic to be used during the competition. But, Rainbow's side is done for the day, right? So, there shouldn't be any difficulty with using magic, right?"

Big Mac considers this for a few seconds. Which is worse: going against their traditions, that have worked this farm for generations? Or letting this crop of apples go to waste and be forced to renege on their promises and contracts? Or hire a bunch of outside help that isn't available, not this time of year. He ultimately sighs before he softly says, "Applejack ain't gonna be happy about it."

"Nonsense!" Twilight says with a smile. Her horn lights; every apple on the four nearby trees gets plucked, levitating down to rest in the nearby buckets. She grins at her control - not one apple missed! "There. And nopony needs to know how it happened!"

Big Mac slowly wheels himself to the nearest tree, trying to hide the physical manifestation of his growing captivation. "Ah think Ah'm in love," he mutters to himself.

28 Three Faces in the Dark, Part Two

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Apple Bloom and Scootaloo bound back to Big Mac and Twilight Sparkle, the happy grins on their muzzles turning apologetic as they spot Twilight's disapproving glare. "We're sorry, Twilight," they chorus, mournful eyes that quickly break the unicorn's harsh exterior. Her sigh is disappointed, sure, but there is that touch of honest realization that the fillies are trying.

Scootaloo quickly explains, "We had to go check on what's happening with Lemon."

"And she needs our help!" Apple Bloom continues, nodding along.

"I got that," Twilight says sternly, "but you two have a job to do. And I can't... we can't have you running off whenever you decide!"

"Okay, Twilight," the two fillies chorus, adorable little angels.

Twilight is buying none of it.

Apple Bloom trots up to Big Mac, her eyes growing wide as they automatically trace under his barrel. She stops, sniffing the air, then inspecting the nearby trees. She glances at Twilight, but nothing seems to be out of the ordinary for the unicorn. Besides a bit of sweat from chasing them around earlier, that is.

Big Mac turns to face Apple Bloom directly, his face impassive as he lowers his front legs nearly to the ground. "Afternoon, Apple Bloom," he finally says, the filly turning to look at him. "Are ya ready to get started?"

"Sure am!" comes the fast reply, though Apple Bloom hesitates as she approaches the tree. "Big Mac?" She asks, a touch of trepidation in her voice.

"Eeyup?"

Apple Bloom stammers for a second before asking, "Um, Ah was wondering. How has Rainbow Dash been doing?"

"She's been doing. Much as anypony can ask." Big Mac moves closer to the tree, a gentle reminder that they had a job to do.

Apple Bloom bucks the tree, just like her dam had showed her, a torrent of apples cascading around them. "And, we're trying to help her... keep doing, but better. Do you have any ideas for that?"

Big Mac ponders this for a long time as he places his hooves on the tree, though it didn't need nearly as much encouragement to continue growing as when Rainbow Dash or Doug are out here.

Scootaloo straps herself into the small cart now full of baskets, courtesy of Twilight Sparkle, though she can only drag around about eight baskets at a time. She starts hauling the wagon to the barn, stopping as she sees Rainbow Dash approaching.

The pegasus looks invigorated. Far better than when she had returned to the barn for lunch. Her coat has been washed clean of the dirt caking every available inch, her mane styled up in a simple ponytail peeking out from her dusted off Stetson. The grim determination on her muzzle somehow seems much more care-free, as if she knows the heavy load ahead of her is hard but manageable. Her wagon stocked with empty baskets rolls on the well-traveled road, a quick pace yet slower than the breakneck speed Rainbow Dash kept at before. Rainbow Dash nods her Stetson down at Scootaloo as they pass, the filly beaming back.

Scootaloo starts pulling her cart as Twilight walks alongside her, glad to see her dam alive and well. She remarks, "Do you know where I can get a hat like that? Rainbow looked so cool!" She can't help but glance back at the cyan pegasus, seeing the slight curl of her dam's muzzle as she unloads the baskets.

"I bet Applejack knows," Twilight replies, the two quickly coming to the barn. Unloading the baskets by hoof is far more difficult than using magic, yet Twilight can see the elderly Granny Smith watching her like a griffon. One of these days she'll need to introduce the Apples to the wonders of magic. Not today, though, with tensions still a little high from the many bodies in the room.

Lemon returns from wherever she had run off to, whispering with Scootaloo before both fillies take their empty carts away. This raises Twilight's suspicions, though she better make sure everything is running smoothly here. Nopony was sure how well the fillies would help Rainbow with bucking apples, so she needs to make sure every step of the operation is equally staffed. No sense in bucking so many apples that they can't sort in time, or having too many sorters!

Doug gets up, pulling one of the long slabs of wood down and placing it on top of a full crate. His left hand still isn't fully cooperating, so Sweetie Belle magically holds the nails in place as he hammers down the edges, only one falling from her grasp. Doug ruffles her curly mane as the unicorn takes the thick black marker and, in the same elegant script Rarity has her use when she fills out papers, records the contents and destination.

Pomarbo convenes with Meringue, the small yellow filly methodically sorting through the stacks and stacks of order forms. She locates three; Pomarbo brings them over to Sweetie Belle, the filly directing the sorters. Doug grunts as he lifts the heavy crate and takes it out the back. Twilight follows Doug, spotting the largest wagon the Apples own. It is loaded with nearly two dozen crates, though by the way the wheels are sinking into the ground they probably can't fully load it. Not with apples, that is.

Satisfied this situation is sailing smoothly, Taskmaster Twilight traipses towards the troublesome trio. Well, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Lemon, that is. She arrives to Rainbow Dash bucking yet another tree. It looks like the ponies have used a bit of their own direction, as Applebaum is arranging baskets while Apple Bloom and Rainbow trade off bucking trees on opposite sides of the dirt road. Scootaloo and Lemon work on getting the baskets nearly as large as they are into their carts; maybe she can attach a ramp or something so they don't have to lift and can instead push. Depending on the angle of the ramp, of course, but any sort of inclined plane would make their job far easier!

Twilight almost misses the looks traded among Lemon, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, though the three gathering and whispering afterwards made their attempts at subtlety a little wasted. Not that Rainbow noticed, as she is already moving to her next tree.

“Wow, Rainbow, you’re really bucking that tree!” Apple Bloom says with a grin. She walks up to her tree, focusing for a second before her own hooves *thud* against the tree at nearly the same time as Rainbow's. All the apples from both trees fall down in the baskets, Applebaum gathering up the stray apples while Scootaloo pulls the cart over. Big Mac wheels along, crisscrossing the road to get to each tree.

Rainbow Dash lifts the baskets into the cart as she grins, “Yup! You’d think I have some earth pony blood in me, but it’s all pegasus here!” She flares her wings, strutting up to the next tree and turning around.

“Well, Ah was thinking,” Apple Bloom says, pointedly tapping a hoof to her chin in an imitation of her sire, Rainbow Dash pausing to listen. “You’re way stronger than me, but Ah can still buck all the apples off the tree.” Behind her Lemon takes her full cart, leaving at a quick pace.

“Well, yeah,” Rainbow Dash says, another powerful double-hooved hit showering apples around her. She states, like the answer is obvious, “You’re an earth pony.”

“Well, Doug can do it too, and he ain't an earth pony.” Apple Bloom shrugs as she moves up to the next tree, “And Ah’m about as strong as he is, if Ah'm bucking, and you’re way stronger, right?"

Rainbow Dash nods, "I mean, yeah. I can kick that training bag he has set up harder than he can. Not as much power, um, 'punching', I think he called it." She moves to the next tree, taking a deep breath before yet another powerful hit rings out. She smirks to herself; five in a row! Better not get cocky, though. "I think he can drag close to as much as me, but he's got a bit more practice there. Carries more, too, though I don't know if I've ever really tested my max load."

"Yeah, Ah guess that makes sense." Apple Bloom looks down at herself, then over at Rainbow. "Ah heard he can run for a long time, too."

"Yup!" Rainbow smiles as she reminisces, though the distraction makes her whiff her next buck. She scowls as she drops her internal counter back to zero. "The Running of the Leaves is a good example. It's about, um, fifteen miles or so. Just about the max an athletic pony like myself wants to run at a good trot, before we need to take a break. He runs the race with Applejack most years." Rainbow pauses as she bucks the tree again, a solid hit this time. "Wait, why am I telling you this? You should know all this stuff already."

Apple Bloom nods, "Yeah. Ah guess Ah do know this stuff. But sometimes we just need a reminder to pace ourselves. Kind of like the Running of the Leaves!"

Rainbow Dash's eyes narrow, though she doesn't say anything as she moves to the next tree.

"Like Ah was saying earlier, um, it seems like you are using your full power on every hit." Apple Bloom pauses to glance at Rainbow Dash, continuing despite her cold stare. "And, um, maybe it would also work if you didn't hit the tree as hard?"

Rainbow Dash huffs, turning and spacing herself from the tree, landing another full powered blow.

Apple Bloom gives a shy smile, strapping herself into the wagon as Lemon returns. The two whisper to each other before Apple Bloom grunts, dragging the half full wagon to the barn.

Lemon pulls her cart next to Rainbow Dash, saying, "You sure got a lot of apples down! You know, Rainbow, you've done an admire-able job of turning what could have been a really, really bad situation into a way for all of us to work together!"

Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow, "Um, thanks? I guess?"

Lemon beams as her cart is fully loaded, "I think it's going to be great fun, working with you all week long! Though I bet I'm going to get tired of dragging these carts, much like Apple Bloom is going to get tired of bucking! So, maybe if you don’t want to tire yourself out so much, then-“

Rainbow Dash scowls, “What are you trying to say? That I can’t keep up? That I’m not going to last the rest of the week?” She grunts, Lemon sheepishly looking to the side and trying to figure out her next move. Apple Bloom returns with the wagon, Rainbow lifting the baskets around the tree, depositing it into the higher wagon. Applebaum starts pulling the empty baskets out of the wagon while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle return, panting as they pull their empty carts into position, Scootaloo relishing the time to rest her 'weary' hooves.

“This isn’t anything like riding a scooter,” Scootaloo loudly complains with a grimace, a sly glance at Apple Bloom. “It’s like I’m using way different muscles, and it’s hard figuring out the best way to pull.”

Sweetie Belle's slightly rehearsed voice rings out, "And with the sorting going so well, I thought that I would help out. With the carts. In order to give somepony else a break."

Rainbow Dash stops, glancing between Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. “You three are planning something,” she eventually says, a slight frown as she tries to figure it out. She points a hoof at Scootaloo, “Spit it out. What’s your angle?”

Scootaloo shies down, “Just trying to help is all. We thought-“

“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom whispers loudly, shaking her head.

Scootaloo glances to Lemon; seeing the earth pony's nod she continues with a huff and frown, looking down at the ground and pawing nervously, “We thought you could use some pointers on ways to improve your apple bucking. So we talked to Big Mac, and Applejack, and they gave us some things to look for.”

Rainbow Dash stops, “Wait. So.. you already talked to Big Mac?” She glances back at the red pony and his unhurried pace from one tree to another. He returns her gaze with a smile and nod, going back to his work as if nothing is wrong. Rainbow Dash continues, “And Applejack?” At Lemon’s nod Rainbow sighs, a happy smile on her muzzle, “And they don’t think less of me?” Rainbow’s smile fades as their nods grow more eager, “Doug isn’t going to let me hear the end of this.”

Lemon grins up at her, “I think you’ll be surprised at that, Rainbow.” She reaches up, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s withers.

Rainbow Dash places her own hoof on Lemon’s, “Thanks, all of you, for helping me with this. I know we can get through this together!”

"And I couldn't have done it without these three!" Lemon says, the trio taking a slight bow. "They really helped push me to do what I needed to do, even if I might have had some doubts!"

Rainbow Dash sighs, a smile breaking out and spreading across her face. "Okay, you four, you win. I'll try out some of those suggestions. What were they? Try not to hit the tree as hard, and take breaks?"

Lemon says, “Yup! And I’m going to go help Daddy get…” Lemon trails off as her body shudders, falling to her barrel. She forces out, “No! I'm not done! I’m going to help…”

Another violent wave rips through her body as she yells, “I’m going to help everypony get past the difficult times in their lives!”

A flash of light shines from Lemon’s body, everypony raising a hoof to shield their eyes.

Scootaloo is the first to recover, spotting the yellow filly laying on her side, her barrel slowly moving up and down. She scampers over as the rest of the ponies recover, blinking their eyes to clear away the pricks of light. Lemon stirs, moaning and raising a foreleg to her head. Scootaloo gasps as she yells, “Lemon! Your cutie mark!”

They all turn, even Lemon, to stare at the gray pitcher filled with bright yellow liquid on her flank.

Rainbow says with a grin and happy laugh as they all draw closer, inspecting the new addition, “Lemonade! You turn lemons into lemonade!”

"MY CUTIE MARK!" Lemon yells! “And I couldn’t have done it without you three!” Lemon exclaims, drawing her older sisters in for a hug. “Without your help and inspiration, I might not have been able to help Rainbow nearly as well!”

“You’re right!” Apple Bloom says, beaming a smile to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. “Maybe we can get our cutie marks in helping ponies!”

A dull glow surrounds the trio, unnoticed by everypony else.

“But, isn’t that Lemon’s cutie mark?” Scootaloo says, a frown on her face. “Helping other ponies with their problems?”

Sweetie Belle sighs, “Yeah. I mean, two ponies having cutie marks for the same thing?” The dull light surrounding the three fades as they all sigh. “It just wouldn’t be as special, you know?”

Apple Bloom sighs, the light fading completely, "Yeah. And Ah want my cutie mark to be special."

Rainbow Dash exclaims, "Are you foaling me? Come on, you three!" She turns to the newly minted young mare, "Lemon! We need to tell everypony!"

Rainbow Dash takes to the sky, zooming towards Ponyville, as the stallion, three fillies, and young mare scamper to the barn, their work forgotten.

29 The Darkest Dream, Part Three

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"That dinner was dee-licious!" exclaims Pinkie Pie as she pronks from the living room to the kitchen and nuzzles Meringue. The table all the fillies are eating at is piled wide with empty dishes. And, since the rest of the whole herd is sitting in the adjoining room, the floor is also strewn with plates now thoroughly cleaned of their lasagna, apples, and meringue pie.

The filly barely acknowledges the gesture, merely chewing the remainder of her greens piled high with apples of every variety.

"Acceptable. Can improve."

"Thanks, sis!" Lemon bounces up from her chair, embracing Meringue in a hug. "Best dinner ever!"

"Perfection goal that cannot be attained. Will pursue. Must."

Lemon sighs, "Look, you're really sucking the air out of my balloons." She leans in close to Meringue, glancing back to her cutie mark and bouncing her flank up and down. She smiles back at the filly, whispering, "Anything that you want to talk about?"

Meringue stares at the wall before her eyes slowly widen, her muzzle pulls back to a grimace, and her head shakes from side to side.

"Well," Lemon says, snuggling up to Meringue, "let me know when you want to talk about it." She gives a nuzzle to her before turning to Doug, "Besides, somepony else was going to give us a talk, right?"

Doug sighs, "Yup. Let's get this cleaned up first." He starts piling the plates onto each other.

Pinkie Pie heads back to the main living room and starts helping the other mares pick up their dishes, though she stops when she gets to Twilight Sparkle's mostly clean plate, only a piece of lasagna with a single bite taken out remaining. "You gonna eat that?"

"Um," Twilight replies, her face contorting to a mild disgust she is trying to suppress. She looks down at the dish, a bit of cheese oozing out, "No, you can have it."

"Okie!" Pinkie Pie pops the partial portion partly past her pearly whites, puncturing and spraying poor Twilight with parts of pasteurized product.

"Gaah!" Twilight Sparkle screams, her horn flaring and trying to strip the cheese from her mane and mostly failing. Pinkie Pie backs away from the flailing hooves, her tongue licking off the cheese that dripped on herself as she eyes Twilight hungrily.

"Darling, stop. Let me help." Rarity's command goes unheeded as Twilight tugs at her mane. "Stop. Stooop." The white unicorn gets up, her hooves trying to help Twilight Sparkle but mostly ending up getting tangled along with her. Rainbow Dash smirks, trying to contain her laughter as Twilight Sparkle and Rarity end up splayed out on the floor. Rarity finally gets Twilight to sit still long enough to remove the offending material from her mane. "There." She levitates a brush over, sitting down next to the couch and tackling the newly introduced tangles.

The fillies file into the living room, scattering around wherever there is room. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy follow as they finish clearing the dishes. Doug sits on the couch while Rainbow Dash and Applejack sit on each side, yawning as they snuggle into him. Lemon hops into his lap.

Doug traces a finger over the new cutie mark, smiling at another young mare finding her way in the world. Lemon glances up at him, smiling encouragingly as she nudges him.

"So, Lemon seems to think that some sort of intervention is necessary," Doug quips, his gaze travelling around the room at the ponies gazing back at him. He focuses on Twilight and Rarity, Twilight pouting as Rarity gives him a cheeky grin. "I still think it's a little early, but I have been having a few bad dreams regarding this whole... Nightmare Moon... thing."

Applejack and Rainbow snuggle in closer as Lemon runs a hoof down his side, whispering, "You're doing great."

"I told you the story once, so I won't go too much into detail there," Doug starts, shaking his head. "The worst part about it," Doug says to the packed Carrot House living room, the entirety of the herd cramming themselves inside, "wasn't the lack of control."

"Really?" asks Twilight, though she sinks down a little as the rest of the herd glances at her. "I'm sorry, please continue."

Doug waves his hand, dismissing her interruption, "No problem. As I was saying, it wasn't being able to do nothing. Although that part was terrible, too; it was almost like watching a movie. Something I had no control over, I just had to watch it play out, and a part of me wanted to scream and yell, but I couldn't. I knew there would be no winning a physical confrontation with her. And so I thought my only way to win, to try to come out of this alive was to convince her that, I don't know, I was not going to fight her. Or I would be a good little Baltar. Four times, she gave just the barest sense of hope, that maybe I would be able to persuade her to leave me and Celestia alone. Or at least not do whatever horrible thing she had planned."

Doug glances over to the ponies in the room; each one is paying close attention, a look of horror or disgust at what had happened. Though there is also a sense of hope, of trust, a belief that together they can get through this.

"The worst part was the maliciousness with which she did it." Doug closes his eyes, "Like every move was calculated to bring about the worst possible outcome for me. If I hadn't been chained, maybe I would have fought back, and failed, but at least I had tried."

"But ya did try," says Applejack, nuzzling up to him, "and maybe you failed all the same."

"But the important part is you didn't let that failure stop you," continues Rainbow Dash, her exhausted voice slightly slurring her words. "You kept trying. Even when you were beaten." She presses her snout into his side, her smile ruined by a wide yawn.

Doug pulls Rainbow up, sharing a quick kiss before he turns to Applejack and doing the same. Lemon nuzzles him as Doug looks across the room, everypony beaming at him. He sighs, yet smiles, "I guess you're right. So," he looks at Twilight and Rarity, "I guess I'm going to keep trying with this whole magic thing. Any ideas?"

Twilight raises a hoof, shyly smiling as she says, "Well, you can come over to the library at some point. I have lots of different spells, maybe they can show you that magic isn't all bad!"

Doug nods as he sinks into the couch, Lemon hopping off his lap. "I'd like that," he says, his voice fading.

Pinkie Pie nuzzles Lemon as she comes close, but it quickly turns to a mock scowl. "I still can't believe you went and got your cutie mark without me being there!" Pinkie Pie shakes her head, saying in a deep, growling voice, "Unacceptable!"

"Unacceptable!" mimics Meringue, sticking her tongue out at her dam, who promptly sticks her tongue right back.

"Oh, dear," says Fluttershy, nudging Lemon, "I don't suppose this is a time for your cutie mark to come into play."

"Nah," says Lemon with a grin as Meringue and Pinkie Pie charge each other. Meringue's weak, flailing slaps merely serve to tickle the pink pony as she giggles, practically taunting her filly by merely swaying back and forth. Lemon continues, "They're just having fun."

"And it doesn't mean I won't throw you a super duper amazing party to celebrate!" Pinkie Pie says, turning so Meringue's wailing hits travel down her flanks. Pinkie Pie groans, "Worst massage ever! Can improve."

"Always."

Pinkie Pie settles down, as does Meringue, both laying down as Rainbow Dash yawns. She settles against Doug, sleepily saying, "You don't mind if I go to sleep here, do you?"

Applejack chuckles, "Ah don't think anypony will begrudge you that spot, Rainbow. You sure earned it today." Applejack yawns, "Ah still can't believe you managed to get all of Big Mac's side done."

"Well, I had a lot of help," Rainbow says, her words trailing off. "But I am pretty awesome."

"Ah don't know; for Ponyville's number two athlete, Ah was expecting a little more competition," Applejack winks. Though it turns to a frown as she glances over. Her muzzle curls right back to a smile: Doug and Rainbow are both asleep, Doug with his head leaning back against the couch and Rainbow cuddling into his lap. She snuggles next to Doug, her hat tilting down to cover her eyes as she fades to sleep.

Twilight mumbles as she drifts off to sleep, her head laying on Rarity's flank, "Is this my first sleepover? I think this is my first sleepover." Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy glance at each other, debating ushering the fillies to bed. They ultimately both yawn, laying down next to the sleeping forms and drifting off to sleep themselves.

The farmhouse is silent.

Doug groans as he slowly gathers his wits, inspecting the room around him. Same dull blue haze outside the farmhouse, partially obscuring the pure white moon shining in the night sky. The room is cast in a soft blue light, shadows playing against the walls and table, though he can still make out the white alicorn sitting next to him, his eyes tracing over her. Celestia is still trapped, her head nearly completely covered, just a small slit around her nose so she can breathe. The shadowy tendrils continue along her barrel and flanks, covering her cutie mark.

The human glances down, and notices, a slight tug confirming the obvious: his arms and legs are immobilized by cobalt chains. The chains slowly come to life, slightly waving back and forth, heralding the return of...

He closes his eyes, preventing the blinding flash. The smile on his mouth belies the trouble he faces, the heavy sound of hoofsteps getting closer. Yup, there she is. Nightmare Moon.

The dark blue alicorn sneers at Celestia as she strides closer, cackling and shouting, "Your Plan Has failed, Sister!"

Her tirade is interrupted by Doug saying, "Can you hurry this up? I've got places to be."

"The only place you will find yourself is crushed underneath my hoof!" Nightmare Moon bellows, spinning to regard the human. "Silence, or I will do to your mares what I did to your foals!"

"My mares?" Doug says, a shrug of his shoulders raking his arms with the barbs of his restraints. "Huh. That would be bad." It's painful, at first, but when he stops caring the pain on his face seems to fade away to nothing. "You go do that."

The blade embedded into the table levitates up, Nightmare Moon striding up to the human. "Silence, whelp!"

Doug lifts his head, unblinking as he meets the Nightmare's eyes, calmly stating, "Under your command? Never."

Princess Luna grimly forces herself out of the human's dream before she is expelled at the dream's 'conclusion', the images flashing before her conscious mind. The strewn bodies of fifteen ponies and one human, each defiant to the end. Leaving her as Nightmare Moon to rule over a lonely wasteland. Would that be a victory? Could she use that ending for her own Nightmare that night?

The Princess of the Night shudders as she lays down; she might as well use it as a start. But why does he dream these dreams? Is he still playing through the possibilities in his mind? As Tia said, 'gaming' the scenarios in the safest place imaginable? Her eyes close, again drifting off to sleep.

She finds herself next to the farmhouse, rows upon rows of apple trees withering under the pale light of the moon. The mad cackling of Nightmare Moon echoes around her as she ascends, tears streaming from eyes, seemingly exultant in her victory. The moon gleams bright in the sky, barely illuminating the deserted towns and cities. She soars through the air, basking in the moon's rays.

Princess Luna snaps out of her supposed nightmare. This is a schoolfilly's daydream, not a nightmare! How dare she derive any pleasure from Nightmare's victory!

Well, Doug is not the only creature that can play multiple variations on the same encounter. She lays back down, recalling and rewinding Doug's dream to just before the end.

Nightmare Moon stands amid the bodies of the herd, her face enraged as the dagger flits back and forth menacingly.

Doug is laughing, smirking, practically cavorting at Nightmare Moon's impotent rage. "You've failed!" He pushes forward against his restraints as the dagger levitates against his throat. "No one. No pony. No creature, will ever bow to you! You think you deserve respect? You deserve nothing! You think you have beaten us? Well, let me let you in on a little secret."

He motions with his head, Nightmare Moon drawing in closer. He whispers, "You stole fizzy lifting drink."

Nightmare Moon's eyes narrow.

Doug bellows, "YOU LOSE! G-" as the knife slides across his throat, his limp body slumping to the floor.

Nightmare Moon glances around at the fallen bodies littering the floor. Even the promise of her Sister and unborn foal had not persuaded him. Their deaths had done nothing but harden his resolve. And if she could not persuade him or his herd then what chance did she have of gaining Equestria's trust and admiration? Or even their fear but grudging acceptance.

Nightmare Moon flies out of the farmhouse, rows upon rows of apple trees withering under the pale light of the moon. Her mad cackling echoes around her as she ascends, tears streaming from eyes.

She really did deserve exactly what she had gotten.

Nothing.

The blue and purple wick of void jitters with excitement as it spins around her, growing larger and larger with every passing moment.

She drifts off to sleep again, this time starting at the beginning of Doug's Nightmare.

30 The Dreamland, Part One

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The clip clop of hooves on the dirt path echo among the tall brown trunks. The sun shines brightly, the green leaves soaking up the warm rays and turning energy to delicious sugars. The cadence and timber of the steady march changes as the hooves crunch against the soft grass, slowing to a crawl and eventually a stop as the brown hatted figure nears the first of many, many trees. The suppressing sound of hooves no longer drowning them out means the air is filled with sounds of chirping birds, and the hum of bees, and the soft slither of the garden snakes. All had their place.

Apple Bloom smiles, tilting up her Stetson as she greets the real workers of the farm. She lightly places a hoof on one of the pock marks, the well-worn spots where her hooves have been meeting trunk for years. And will for many more. Apple Bloom closes her eyes, glancing up and basking in the rays piercing through the leaves. If only her sisters were here with her.

"Howdy, Apple Bloom!" comes the high pitched voice of Scootaloo, the lighter clop of the pegasus' hooves mixing with the rolling of wooden wheels and the scritch and scratch of empty baskets. "Ready to start work today?"

"Sure am!" Apple Bloom calls back, turning to smile at the approaching pegasus and unicorn. Scootaloo is pulling her wagon along the dirt road, a tiny pegasus foal along for the ride. Sweetie Belle levitates the baskets from the wagon to the surrounding trees, arranging them just so. Apple Bloom's question is nearly superfluous, "You ready, Sweetie Belle?"

"As long as I'm doing it with you!" Sweetie Belle returns, nuzzling Apple Bloom as she draws close. She gathers up the foal, a featureless stallion waiting at the barn for her return.

Apple Bloom smiles, glancing back at the blossoming apple flowers on her flank, and swings around to buck her first tree of the day.

"Hmm," comes the murmur in the dark cave, a single light illuminating the rock wall and casting shadows everywhere else. "Can't use too much, or the entire complex will collapse. A smaller charge would work, but it'll need to be cleared out afterwards, and then two more small charges to get the rest of the way." The gleaming new bit of the well-worn hoof-held drill taps against the wall, a throaty rumble as the pony decides what the best place would be. Two tries later and the crank is turning, pebbles and pieces of stone spiraling out of the drill. They bounce around the brown hooves, their clatter quiet against the grinding of metal on stone.

Applebaum pulls out a single stick of dynamite, carefully setting it inside the hole she has carved into the rock wall. There is space on either side for two more sticks, but it's easier on her to drill first and measure later. Not like it's that hard to make another hole, or a bigger one if her intuition is off. One hoof strikes against the sheet strapped to her inner foreleg. The shower of sparks lights the fuse, the mare casually walking just around the corner.

A loud explosion, complete with a shower of dust, blacks out the room, the small light on her helmet not enough to pierce through. She breathes through her respirator, watching the flickering shadows as the dust gradually settles around her. Another two charges and she'd make it through to whatever treasures lay beyond.

Pomarbo scampers along the dirt paths, eagerly prancing back and forth from one of the various apple trees to another. He loves the Red Delicious most, just like his dam! His hooves kick up the fallen leaves around him as he dances under the ripe fruit, a maelstrom of green flitting this way and that. The cheery chirps of birds echo nearby, their calling to each other a steady crescendo as his movements speed faster and faster.

Loud footfalls portent a rising storm, the pleasant wind howling a rowdy tune through the branches. All of a sudden the gale catches up, lifting him into the sky! The ground disappears beneath him as he soars, basking in the radiant glow, the whistling wind occasionally pausing for a breathy intake.

All of a sudden, his support drops out from underneath him, and he's falling! He giggles madly, grinning and waving his hooves as the ground rushes up to greet him! Just as suddenly the wind catches him, setting him gently back among the apple trees, leaving him to snuggle in the warm embrace.

"And, what do you think of this one?"

"Hmm, the color is nice, and I like the way it falls across my flanks."

"I'm sensing a but."

"But, I'm not going for nice. I'm going for splendid! Regal! I shall be the talk of the town! And I can't do it in nice."

"Yes, definitely, darling. How do you like this one? I have been saving it for just such an occasion!"

Sweetie Belle steps out of the breathtaking dress she had been trying on, grinning as she steps into the sparkling new dress her dam has crafted just for her!

Rarity smiles, "Oh, yes, that one is darling. You look absolutely marvelous!"

Rainbow Dash spreads her wings out, hovering briefly before she lands, knocking up a small cloud of dirt. "That was pretty awesome, wasn't it?" She preens her wings as she looks down at her filly, oozing coolness even as she straightens the single out of place feather.

"You bet it was! I can't believe I'm going to perform the same trick on my scooter!"

"You got this, Scoots! I'm so proud of you!"

Scootaloo braces herself, revving her wings. Despite their small size she kicks up a massive cloud of dust, a paltry amount compared to the sheer amounts of awesome she'll be! Her wings beat faster and faster, accelerating to her maximum speed before she settles down. "Okay, let's do this!"

She explodes from the point in space she deemed a starting line, rocketing towards the slap-dashed ramp! Her scooter rushes up to meet her as she impacts the first section, yet her legs push hard against the board underneath her. She leaps into the air just as her scooter launches off the ramp, her hooves flipping the scooter so she can hold it in one hoof! She spreads her forelegs, making a 'T' with her body, her wings taking over as she soars!

A solitary drop pierces the tranquil pond. Ripples spread outwards from the impact point. Slowly, but surely, they cover every inch of the placid pool, even as they fade.

Some rebound back as they reach the pond's edge. Others stop when they touch one of the ducks, the feathery fowl absorbing the waves like bread. Yet they remain still, serene, unruffled at the slight disturbance.

And the last of the ripples barely seem to notice the pegasus hovering just above the surface. Her hooves remain dipped into the clear water, yet nothing stirs. No waves are spread from her, the ripples that come pass right through her. Despite her wings slowly beating up and down, the water does not spread from her. She remains unflappable as she flaps, imperturbable as the water beneath her is disturbed, untroubled as her wings begin to protest.

And now, her quiet contemplation complete, a few drops spill from her hooves as she pulls away.

Her time is getting longer, Hedge notes to herself as she hovers back to the shore, the trickling drops making a whole new pattern in the water behind her.

"If one wishes to appear inscrutable, one must first scrutinize oneself. Then, and only then, will you appear enigmatic despite the overt, mysterious despite the obvious, and impenetrable despite being open. Then, and only then, will you truly be free to do anything."

Lemon asks, "But, oh wise sage, how can I do this?"

Pinkie Pie says, "Read. Sometimes plays, sometimes plays on words. Sometimes biographies, and sometimes bibliographies. Sometimes footnotes, and sometimes notes on feet. Much like a spoiler, all have their purpose."

"But where will I start?"

Pinkie Pie motions to the book sitting next to her. Then the books surrounding Lemon.

Lemon sits, pondering to herself as she reads through another book on psychology. Who knew there were so many different ways that ponies could get depressed about things? And where did these books keep coming from?

She takes another sip of the lemonade next to her. It tastes like knowledge. Sweet, sweet knowledge.

Eh, better not get too worked up on the details, she thinks, as she turns another page.

Her glass refills, as if the words dribbled off of the page and into her cup.

It's probably Twilight's fault.

Hunger.

Must. Consume. Essence.

Meringue stays low, her barrel nearly scraping across the forest floor. Her hooves silently propel her forwards as she stalks from one outcropping of foliage to another. The dense canopy makes sight nearly impossible, no matter the time of day. Or night. It is impossible to tell, and has no significance, and is thus meaningless. A distraction.

Navigating through the dark forest is much like the quest for perfection. Unattainable, for as soon as one grasps the layout of one clearing, one must journey onward to the unknown, as otherwise they may never find the way out. And yet such a path exists, and can be sought. Must be. And when one gains a brief flash of insight, much like a brief flash of light, one makes leaps and bounds that no amount of unfocused scrambling would ever provide.

Life would be so much simpler with a guiding force. One who could see the forest from above, and direct her pursuits. Until then, she feels aimless. Like she will latch on to any imperfection, and work to improve it. With no regard to a grander design. So much wasted potential. Perhaps it is a solvable problem, but it will take a stroke of genius. A leap out of what she knows is possible. And so, she does what she can, in the now, to forestall that terrible conclusion. That there is nothing to improve, and yet what remains is still imperfect.

The mud covering her yellow coat and mane helps camouflage her as she draws closer to her next prey. Despite her intricately crafted mask the quarry is spotted and goes down like every other. The creature, now black and white and red all over, never stood a chance. And so it now provides another flash.

She can intimately taste the inefficient sequences as she devours. The poor strands. The imperfect core. Just begging to be remade. She could redesign this to... work harder. Better. Make faster. Stronger.

The screaming is illogical, of course.

She would give the leg back.

Nightmare Moon cackles over Doug's immobilized form, though his defiant look gives her pause. Her sister is gone, apparently banished to the Moon already. The farmhouse is otherwise empty of details, not even the extra chairs or other rooms the dream normally entails.

Behind the cobalt alicorn spins a blue and purple void, flitting from side to side, testing the walls of the new domain. It coalesces into a sharpened point, a cobalt dagger with a purple shine. It slips through walls, reappearing next to Nightmare Moon.

The cobalt alicorn grasps the dagger in her magic; it levitates menacingly as she sneers. "And your foals? Your mares? Would you see them cast away as well?" She slinks close, whispering, "I can promise you their return, and their safety. All you need to do is swear to serve me, and all will be forgiven."

Doug slowly nods, "I would like to see them, one last time."

Fourteen ponies teleport into the room, all chained to the ground.

"There."

Twilight Sparkle rises to her hooves, straining against the chains. Nightmare Moon raises an eyebrow, about to say something until Twilight Sparkle speaks.

"You thought you could destroy the Elements of Harmony? Just like that?! Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!"

Nightmare Moon gasps, a fearful glance to the six ponies now unshackled, their chains limply falling to the side. "What?!"

Twilight Sparkle grows louder and louder, "The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!" Her voice echoes around the farmhouse, shattering the chains on the fillies as the six mares rise into the air. A tiara with a six pointed star forms above Twilight Sparkle's head. Necklaces appear around the other five, each inscribed with an image of their cutie mark.

Nightmare Moon shouts, "Nooo!"

Twilight Sparkle continues as she and the rest of the Elements of Harmony glow bright, "The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends!"

Nightmare Moon tries to flee, backing into the wall.

"It creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!"

A blindingly bright beam of light breaks from each of the six Elements, combining to form a rainbow of yellow, orange, red, blue, purple, and white. It shoots forward, disintegrating Nightmare Moon.

Out of the ashes steps Princess Luna, aghast at the paused image of the six mares.

"My dream ended... happily?"

Her face contorts to a scowl, "This cannot be!"

31 The Dreamland, Part Two

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A blue and purple void flits from nothing into one of the brown trunks. The leaves above rapidly wither, turning brown and dead. The desiccated, wrinkled apples look positively poisonous as they limply hang from the branches, now a motley collection of browns and blacks. The tree sways in a chill wind, a few of the leaves dropping and floating away, dissipating into ash.

The change above her having gone unnoticed, Apple Bloom smiles as she readies herself as she always does. She rears up and bucks the tree, as she always does. She glances to the baskets, waiting for the *thunk thunk* that never comes. Her pleasant smile fades, one ear perking up as her gaze slowly travels up the trunk.

Instead of the healthy Red Delicious she expects, she spots the blackened husks of what used to be her farm's namesake. The brown decaying remains splatter around her, many missing the baskets entirely. Apple Bloom recoils in horror, a disgusting dance to try to keep the crud away from her hooves. Finally the squelching sounds around her cease, leaving puddles of oozing apples amid dead leaves.

Apple Bloom peers into the twisted branches above her, puzzlement plain over how this could have happened to her beloved. She barely spots, disappearing behind the warped wood, a cloud of blue and purple. The harsh void flickers as it flees, and seems to fade to nothing as it runs into yet another tree.

"Hmm. That last one wasn't quite right. Maybe I should have put it higher?" Applebaum considers the tunnel now blasted in front of her, the dust settling to below her barrel and allowing her solitary light to shine through. Well, as much as the thing does any day. Probably needs a new charge, but she has a spare in her pack.

It looks safe. Which, all too frequently, means that the slightest wrong step and the whole thing comes tumbling down.

The dust continues settling as she considers her options. Her brow furrows to a frown as she spots an odd purple cloud under the dust and rubble. Did she unearth something unknown? She sits quietly, watching the faint undulations of color flickering blue and purple.

Hmm; maybe it's something magical, and her sponsor will pay dearly for it?

She takes a small pebble, tossing it towards the void. It lightly bounces off, resting amid the other rocks. No reaction.

Might as well try. She pulls away the first rock covering it, grabbing hold of the strange object, and immediately regretting her decision as the simple action brings down the rock that was resting on it.

And so on.

A glance backwards gives the immediate conclusion that the area behind her is collapsing and she needs to move right now. In a flash Applebaum dashes to the only safe spot she can detect, directly ahead and into the small, gemstone filled cavern as the rocks behind her crash down! The dust overwhelms her light, leaving her with the flickering purple void that she somehow managed to hold on to as she ran past.

She considers her surroundings, her belongings and equipment, and her needs for water. Mostly a thought exercise to keep from panicking more than anything. She is in a small room, surrounded by gemstones, with five sticks of dynamite. Each powerful enough to blast the room apart by themselves.

Hmm.

Pomarbo glances around as he shivers, the warm embrace replaced by the cool touch of stone. Nothing around him is familiar. Just the twisting, gnarled trunks of withered trees. Nopony can be seen. Just a weird blue blob.

So, he does what any good colt should do.

He sits down and cries.

When that doesn't work, he cries louder.

"Well, what do you think about this one, darling?" Rarity holds the dress up to herself, a stylish blue and purple emblem stitched onto the saddle. It shimmers as the dress levitates, first showing off one side of Rarity, then the other.

"Oh, Rarity! It's perfect! Just what I always dreamed of!" Sweetie Belle grins as she reaches for the beautiful fabrics that ripple like an aurora. Her smile fades as Rarity yanks the dress away from her.

"You dreamed of?" The high pitched laugh comes out as a screech, Sweetie Belle grimacing as she holds her hooves to her ears. "All of these dresses are for moi!"

"But..." Sweetie Belle says as she sinks to her hooves, the dress around her now mud stained tatters and ribbons. "But I thought..."

The scooter flies high and true, Scootaloo closing her eyes and beaming the widest smile she ever smiled as she soars. Eventually she nears the ground, just outside the schoolhouse. With a resolute sigh she places her blue and purple scooter back underneath herself, a perfect landing! She skids to a stop, the tails of her dress getting a little muddy.

Wait, dress?

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash hurriedly whispers from the doorway, her tone brooking no disagreement. "Hurry! You'll be late for the dance!" The door closes behind her, leaving Scootaloo alone on the steps.

Scootaloo glowers. Dance? What dance? She pouts, scuffing her hoof along the wooden steps of the schoolhouse, leaving a small divot. Wait. Why did she want to go to the dance?

Because Rumble will be there!

Why did she care about Rumble being there?

Because he's her very special somepony!

What? No way!

Scootaloo glances down, her comically oversized belly dragging on the ground underneath her, spilling out of the lily white dress she is wearing. The door reopens, Rainbow again standing there but much angrier. "Don't make me make you," she practically spits out, pointing a hoof at Scootaloo's belly, then to inside the schoolhouse. Scootaloo grimaces, glancing back to her blue and purple scooter. Wait, those aren't the right colors!

Hedge's smile fades only briefly as the clouds above block out the sun. The world around her gets darker and darker as the storm grows black, brief flashes of light from one thunderhead to another. Reverberations echo around her, the ducks taking cover in the reeds.

Hedge remains, indifferent to the rain surrounding her. She is a reed, blown by the wind, but bending. Not breaking. No-

Ow! Hedge glares up at the sky, one particularly large raindrop having smacked her right in the face. That one hurt!

She rubs the growing bump between her eyes, fortunate it hadn't hit inches to the left or right. She spots the offending material, a blue and purple lump resting nearby. Had somepony thrown it? Or did it fall from the sky of its own volition?

Her curiosity overtakes her, much like the rain coming down in sheets and buckets, and she takes a few cautious steps. Now standing directly above it, her face contorts in anger at the offending object. She picks it up, hurling it into the pond!

Well, her throwing foreleg has never been all that good. It lands on the shore a few feet from her. So she stumbles through the wet ground, the mud sucking at her hooves and nearly tripping her. She rips the void from the ground, leaving a large hole, and throws it again.

A satisfied grin this time as it lands into the water, the splash lost in the multitude of raindrops hitting the surface.

Though the water level in the pond should be going up, not down, because of the rain. Like somepony pulled the stopper out of the bathtub, and the water is now swirling around, disappearing somewhere.

"No, thanks," the closed door says, Lemon grunting at yet another rejection. She whacks the beanie on her hat with a hoof in frustration, the whirling blades wobbling as they spin. Either Pinkie Pie does way too good a job keeping everypony happy and depression-free, or these ponies are hiding something. Maybe not purely from her.

She gasps as she realizes: they could be hiding it from themselves! They are depressed, and they don't even realize it!

"What do you think, voidy?" she asks the blue and purple cloud next to her. It has grown in the few minutes it has been following her around, now slightly larger than she is. "Are they hiding something even from themselves, and they need somepony to go in after it?"

The chaotic plit plat of brown stained water leaking out of it serves as enough of a reply, Lemon nodding along.

"Yeah. I agree. I think I know what this means. It will be dangerous, there may be Leos and Capricorns, but no constellation of stars can stand in my way! It has to be done!"

The trickle of water and mud pouring out of the void turns to a flood.

"I have to go deeper!"

Lemon lays down on the ground, promptly falling asleep amid a torrent of water.

This new dream is no better, Lemon realizes, the water at her hooves slowly trickling higher. Where are the ponies to help? She seems to be in some sort of desolate wasteland. Well, not a wasteland, more like Canterlot, but the bleak buildings might as well be craters on the moon. There's nothing to do here! She supposes she could wander around. Or try again.

She spins the beanie on her hat, watching the blades twist round and round.

Meringue finishes reattaching the zebra's leg, satisfied at the results. Though this has merely created a new imbalance; perhaps the remaining three legs should be improved as well. This would have been much simpler to plan for if she had known the extent of the necessary modifications.

She laments again the lack of higher direction.

With no commands, she must continue her work. She would need more raw materials in order to do so. There is plenty of vegetation nearby, but this would require different compounds and proteins than readily available, and without a suite of equipment it would prove, if not impossible, then unwieldy and time consuming.

Until she spots a blue and purple cloud drifting from behind one of the trees. She looks back; the zebra is gone. If it ever existed in the first place. Her previous work abandoned, she turns back to stare into the abyss.

Her eyes light with the infinite possibilities of the void.

She finds herself standing a hoof length away, with no memory of moving closer. The energetic being, if it is a being and not a fragment of the dream marionetted by her subconsciousness. She peers closer, trying to understand.

The way the strands inside are concealed speaks of a higher, unfathomable being. A deity, for all intents and purposes.

If she could indoctrinate herself to it, she would. She merely has to figure out how.

"Query: Function?"

The void moves vertically away from her, then a second time. Then it descends, and moves again, back to the starting position.

"Illogical sentence structure."

The blue and purple void shakes back, and then forth, repeating the motion a second time.

"Response unintelligible."

The void makes a sound like the breathless exhale of a cave, peppered with a single staccato note.

Then it pushes the start button, and the world turns white.

Princess Luna startles awake. She has been forced from her own dream? She looks around the room in a cold sweat. She grimaces; what dream magic is this? Somepony besting her in her own realm?

No; there are no traces of outside magic. It has to be her own, a misplaced memory that triggered something. She glances around, her eyes straining to find the out of place void.

She cannot.

Her eyes narrow as they continue searching; is she so weak that her endless Nightmare, the Tantabus she created, has already escaped into the dreaming minds of others?

No. She can not accept that.

She closes her eyes, trying to relive that fateful night yet again, intent this time on locating the blue and purple void that must, that must be contained to her own dreams.

Sleep evades her for many minutes until a letter coalesces next to her.

32 The Dreamland, Part Three

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July 10th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Applejack yawns as she slowly awakens, a rare occurrence for the farmer cuddling into her warm blanket. "No, Doug," she mumbles into her comfiest of pillows, "Ah'm too tired. Go bug Rainbow." The arm wrapped around her doesn't budge; Applejack's contented breath tickling the short hairs belies her acceptance of the fact that she won't be going anywhere for awhile, no matter the chores waiting to be done and apples waiting to be felled.

Rainbow moans next to her on the couch as many of the mares strewn about the room stir, but none seem particularly insistent on getting up. Rainbow grunts out, "Ugh, fine. But you owe me, Applejack." She yawns as she rolls to her hooves, her eyes barely opening as she pushes Doug's comatose body onto his side.

Applejack loses her headrest but not her blanket as she falls with Doug; she ends up on her side facing her stallion, clutching to his chest while his arm remains around her back, keeping her tucked close to him, no chance of letting her roll away from him and off the couch, the way her blond mane is spilling off. The pink mare laying next to the couch giggles at the tickling strands, yet remains still, a yawn from her as well.

Rainbow roughly nudges Doug to his back, though it takes a few tries to move the mostly unresponsive and seemingly uncooperative human. She lays on top, her hind legs split by his hips, though she has to lightly kick Applejack away in order to slip a foreleg in between them. She lowers her legs, laying her full body across him and resting her barrel on his chest while her head finds the crook of his neck, muzzle just under his chin and facing her lead. "Your turn," she mumbles, her eyes closing. "Just don' wake me."

If Doug heard her he doesn't move, his eyes shifting back and forth under his eyelids.

Big Mac cautiously opens the door, then merely stands in his wheelchair in the doorway, taking in the scene in front of him. His green eyes narrow at Applejack's tired display; he's never known his sister to sleep in or miss an early start of work. Even when she was seven months along with Apple Bloom and the goal was to keep her from working all day, or from having to. In fact, he was half expecting her to come get him up, given how long Rainbow Dash and the rest of the herd had kept him in the orchards yesterday. Still an odd feeling, not using his hind legs to rejuvenate the trees. But it is working.

The red earth pony's eyes draw to Rainbow, the mare he was expecting to need a little help waking up. From the looks of it, still does. While she sometimes has to get up for before dawn weather duties she certainly prefers starting an hour after breakfast. But since she rearranged her weather duties for the week so that the bulk of her weather work happens in the evenings, allowing her to devote herself to the competition, she needs to get up this early.

But that still doesn't explain Applejack's odd behavior. In fact, Hedge should be awake at this time too, he could hear the chickens stirring as he walked past. But the filly is laying just next to Applejack, still fast asleep. Well, stirring a little, just like the rest of the herd. Wait, what is Twilight doing here? Nothing better have happened with her! Oh, and there's Spike.

The deep throat clearing from the entrance of the Carrot House barely gets Rainbow Dash to stir, though Applejack opens one of her baggy eyes. She has to contort her body in order to regard her brother standing in the front doorway. She groans as she glances out the window. Still night. She yawns again, pushing herself up and out of her stallion's grasp. If her foreleg wasn't trapped between Rainbow and Doug this would be going a lot smoother. She gently tucks his arm next to him, out of the way, before tugging on her other hoof, Rainbow grumbling as she pushes up. One hoof comes off the couch, her whole body toppling off as she steps onto Pinkie Pie.

"Ooh, is it my turn already?" Pinkie Pie exclaims as she pronks to her hooves. She glances around at the fillies still sprawled around her, not seeing any movement, then to Rainbow Dash laying on top of Doug. "Hmm, let's see." She leans in close, sniffing at Rainbow's flank. "Nope! Come on, slowpoke!" Her tongue laps out of her muzzle, eagerly smacking her lips.

"Go'way, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash mumbles into Doug's neck, before uttering what no stallion ever wants to hear: "I don't know if he's done yet."

"Um, I don't think he's started. Besides, Big Mac is here waiting for you." Pinkie Pie pushes Rainbow with a hoof as Applejack snores on the floor, her not-so-gentle reminder, "You don't want to get behind today, do you?"

Doug loudly groans as Rainbow Dash steps on his body as she stumbles off of him. He rubs at his eyes, bloodshot despite the rest, then lightly massages his stomach. "Come on, Rainbow." He tries to smooth down the irritated skin, just a little reddened from the heavier horseshoe, "Watch where you're dragging those."

"Not muh fault," Rainbow groggily states as she stumbles towards the kitchen. "Bad dream."

"Oh, dear, it can't have been worse than mine," Fluttershy whimpers as she finds Hedge, drawing her filly in for a reassuring hug. Even if she is the one getting all the reassurance, Hedge still fast asleep. "Mine was very scary." Hedge kicks out in her dream, but this merely prompts the pegasus to grip even tighter.

"Mine too!" comes the tired, yet slowly coming to, responses of most of the mares in the room.

"That's possibly the second worst sleep I've ever gotten," Doug says with a stifled yawn. "Who wants breakfast?" He nods to the chorus of tired 'Me's, rubbing his face against his bicep as he gathers a few larger bowls.

Rarity slowly comes to, her annoyance at falling asleep on her side dispelled by the sight of the purple unicorn happily snuggling into her belly. "Just like Sweetie Belle when she was young," Rarity softly remarks, "though I don't remember getting poked by her horn nearly as often!" She levitates a pillow, carefully lifts the snoozing unicorn, and slides out from underneath her as the pillow takes her spot.

"Five more minutes, Velvet," mumbles Twilight Sparkle, grunting as she grips her new cushion, a frown at the lumpiness. She opens one eye, limply waving a hoof at Rarity as the white unicorn makes her way to the bathroom. She weakly calls, "Noooo... come back, I want my pillow back."

Rarity merely smirks and winks at Twilight Sparkle's stretching form as she steps into the bathroom, reappearing a moment later with a brush straightening out the matted fur on one half of her coat. She gargles a bit of water before she smacks her lips a few times, remarking to Doug as she steps into the kitchen to assist, "It's been quite some time since I've fallen asleep not on my sheets. I can't say that I would recommend it. Especially with that dream ruining what little beauty sleep I was able to get!"

"You too?" Doug asks as he greases up a few of the pans, Rarity lighting the burners and levitating a plate of greens to Rainbow's hungry mouth. All of the mares are struggling to their hooves, yawning as they awaken in the barely lit room.

"It was dreadfully garish. Completely the wrong color scheme, like somepony was trying to pull off a Nightmare Moon costume using nothing but neon lights." Rarity shakes her head.

Applejack walks up to the counter, grabbing herself some loose hay, "Ah don't know nothing bout no costume, but when this big blue smoke cloud came down on the apple trees, Ah knew there'd be trouble. And boy howdy was Ah right."

"Blue smoke cloud?" utters Pinkie Pie, one eye scrunching as she tilts her head to the side. "My dream didn't have a cloud, but it was still horrible! It only had the third largest blue cotton candy cone I've ever had. But the taste was a little off, and the more I ate the worse it got! And by the time I finished it there was twice as much left over as when I started!" She shakes her head, tears streaming from her eyes, "What kind of candy is supposed to make you sick after you eat too much of it?"

Rainbow Dash rubs her temples, "Pinkie, you don't have to eat all the candy in front of you. And that doesn't sound scary at all."

"But!" Pinkie Pie says, her mouth hanging open in exasperation. Her forelegs chop down on the air to her right, "Candy! Taste good!" She repeats the motion to her left, "No taste good! No candy! It's like a mathematical proof!" Pinkie Pie begins salivating over how high she can 'proof' a sugar concoction, her grimace twisting like a candy cane to a grotesque smile.

Rainbow Dash shakes her head, trying not to concentrate on her herdmate as she scarfs down whatever gets placed in front of her. "Still doesn't sound that scary," she says between bites. "Plus, it's probably just a coincidence. You know, brought on by too much..." She trails off, glancing at Applejack and gulping, "I mean, just enough hard work. Not too much to hoof, you know."

Twilight Sparkle groans as she gets to her hooves, searching for her early morning coffee. She grunts as a glass of liquid levitates over to her, peering into the murky depths. Not black, the way she likes it, but more of a tan difficult to make out in the blue glow of Rarity's light. "I think you used too many sugars."

"That's because it's orange juice, darling, not coffee." Rarity replies apologetically.

"Oh." Twilight Sparkle takes a sip nonetheless, her frown at not having her early morning (and afternoon, and only sometimes late evening because of Princess Celestia's assignments) pick-me-up. She continues glowering as she says, "I don't know what could have given each of us a dream like that, but I do know somepony who might. Spike?"

"Zznk? What?" Spike perks up, a very brief yawn as he stretches. "You need me?" He is instantly at the ready, no trace of the struggles the rest of the ponies seem to be going through.

"Take a note," Twilight says sleepily, "this time to Princess Luna. She was said to have power over dreams. Maybe she can help."

"F W D Princess Luna. Got it!"

"Okay, let's see." Twilight Sparkle yawns, "Dear Princess Luna. Last night my friends all dreamt of a creature made of blue material." She smacks her lips a few times taking another sip of, sadly, not-coffee. "I'm sure you're very busy, but when you have the chance, please let me know if you have any idea what it could mean." She sighs into the glass of still-not-coffee, trying to shake the sleepiness out of her eyes. "Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle."

"You young'ins ready for breakfast?" Applejack calls as she looks around the still-sleeping forms of the eight fillies, a frown at none of them having gotten up during the morning commotion. Hedge is almost always up by this point, filly knows her chores need to get done, and the animals don't like waiting. And she's never known Lemon to sleep through the sounds of pancakes sizzling. Some of the others come as no surprise: Applebaum would sleep through her bed being bucked, and Scootaloo goes back to sleep just as quickly.

"Morning, sleepyheads!" Applejack tries as she pokes Apple Bloom with a hoof. Applejack tries a little louder, "Apple Bloom! Morning!" She frowns at the lack of response, glancing to the other mares in the room and getting worried looks in response. "Hey, they-"

The front door slams open, Princess Luna thundering in the Royal Canterlot Voice, "WHICH'ST OF THOU SAW'ST THON CREATURE OF BLUE SMOKE IN THEIN NIGHTMARE??"

33 The Dreamland, Part Four

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Princess Luna's booming voice rattles the windows of the house, fortunately not breaking any of the glass. The mares peel themselves off the walls - or, in Rainbow's case, the ceiling - each in a daze. Fluttershy peeks out from behind the couch as Big Mac picks himself off the floor next to the alicorn. The fillies mostly roll away from Princess Luna, bumping up against the couch or continuing to the far wall, though none stir after the concussive blast. Pinkie Pie merely stands through it, her cheeks blowing around like she is standing in a wind tunnel.

"Wow, that's one way to wake up," Twilight Sparkle shouts, rubbing her ears as her eyes roll around in their sockets. "Loud much?" her eyes focus as she gasps. "Princess Luna!" Twilight Sparkle drops to a bow, followed shortly by Big Mac.

"What?" yells Applejack, the furthest from the blast of sound. "Ah can't hear you!" Her eyes wander around the room, trying to locate the source of the blast, finally spotting Princess Luna. She digs a hoof into one ear, then the other, her eyes squinting as she tries to clear out an imagined blockage.

"We're just lucky she didn't blow everypony's eardrums," Doug mutters to himself, having dove for cover in the kitchen when the door burst open. He glares as he bellows, "YOU!!" His arm snaps forward, pointing a finger at Princess Luna, the alicorn briefly taken aback as she points a hoof at herself and mouths the word 'me'. Doug stops himself from cursing out Princess Luna, finally shouting, "NO SHOUTING IN THE HOUSE!"

Princess Luna yells, still in a loud, overemphasized voice but without the deafening Royal Canterlot, "But, We Thought That Twas Proper, To Address One's Subjects! It is tradition to use" - her booming voice returns - "THE ROYAL 'WE' AND THIS MUCH VOLUME!!"

Doug plugs his ears as Princess Luna gets louder and louder, slowly recovering as she stops talking and regards him. He shakes his head as the mares glance around in a stupor, confused and barely able to hear the conversation, aside from Princess Luna's thunderous parts. He points a finger to the furthest corner in the house, calmly stating in a loud voice, "No. And if you don't behave, you're going to sit in the corner."

Twilight Sparkle gasps, holding a hoof across her muzzle as her eyes dart between Doug and Princess Luna.

Princess Luna sneers, "We are not afraid of your threat, to make us 'sit in the corner!' T'was the least feared of Tia's punishments." She glares at Doug as the mares recover their hearing, loudly stating, "And as our subject, you do not get to order us around!"

"My house, my rules," Doug states, meeting Princess Luna's stare.

"Um, as ruler of the land..." Twilight tries to interject.

"And if that won't work..." Doug trails off, scanning around the room, his eyes finally resting on Pinkie Pie. He points at the bouncing pink mare, her smiling growing larger and hypergleeful, "Pinkie Pie will stay with you in the corner." Pinkie Pie pronks next to the alicorn, pressing the side of her face to the alicorn's withers and beaming up at her.

Princess Luna's eyes narrow, cracks showing in her adamantine expression, "You wouldn't."

Doug stares down Princess Luna as if daring her to make him make her. Rainbow drifts from the ceiling to Doug, impressed at his confident, assertive attitude and more than a little turned on; she nuzzles him, trying to diffuse some of the tension. Applejack joins the pegasus, backing up her stallion as the showdown persists. Doug finally glances down, one hand rubbing at Rainbow's mane as his harsh expression slowly softens. Princess Luna also backs off just a hair, returning to scanning the rest of the mares, especially Twilight's aghast expression at the exchange she just witnessed.

After a few seconds Doug walks back to the kitchen and the mostly unburned pancakes. "Can I get you something?" He sighs at the silent response, trying to add a little joviality to his tone, "It's more Meringue's specialty, but I can make you a cutie mark out of syrup or something. Maybe a nice, smiling, cheerful face out of some apple slices. She's way more artistic than me. Speaking of," Doug says to the mares, a worried note joining his motioning to the eight fillies still asleep on the floor, "Are they okay? Why haven't they woken up?" His eyes narrow, "They aren't hurt from your shouting, are they?"

The mares seem to break out of their daze, their attention turning to the eight fillies pushed to the furthest wall or up against the couch. Fluttershy leaves her hiding spot to find Hedge on the other side, her lips quivering as she lifts the small pegasus. Rarity levitates Sweetie Belle, placing her on the couch to better inspect the softly breathing unicorn.

"We appreciate the offer, but must decline," Princess Luna says in a normal speaking voice, looking to the floor. Her horn lights as the mares nuzzle their fillies, despondent looks traded among them. The alicorn's muzzle curls to a frown, a heavy sigh escaping her as she scans the small bodies. She loudly states, "They Art Not Physically Injured."

"That's good to hear," Applejack remarks as she gathers her three, "but Ah'm sensing something else."

Princess Luna thunders, "WE ART AFRAID... WHAT? WHY DOTH THY STRIKE THY NECK SO?"

"You're shouting again!" Doug yells, huffing as he slides another stack of pancakes to Rainbow, the mare greedily devouring them. He makes a slashing motion against his throat, "This means cut it out, or be quiet!"

Princess Luna nods, "We art sorry, for we art not familiar with the, how would thou say, idioms and gestures of the day." She pauses before muttering to herself, slightly fearfully, "Thou has an expression meaning 'be quiet' that requires slitting the throat?"

"Regardless of that; Thank You, your Highness, for getting here so quickly," Twilight says with a large grin, eagerly pushing forwards, barely any trace of her earlier exhaustion. "To answer your earlier question, we all had dreams of some variation of blue smoke." Twilight Sparkle glances back at the other mares, "And we had just noticed the fillies not waking. What's happened to them?"

"WE ART AFRAID..." Princess Luna sighs at Doug's glare and raised arm, one finger pointing at her face. She nods to Doug, "We art sorry." She turns to Twilight Sparkle, "We art afraid that the Tantabus has invaded their dreams. All of your dreams, though it lingers in theirs."

"Not my dream!" Spike pipes up.

"Ah'm sorry, the Tantabus? What's that?" Applejack pushes up from Apple Bloom's limp body, her jaw twitching as she tries to suppress her shaking limbs.

Princess Luna sighs, her shoulders slumping as she explains, "The Tantabus is a creature of our own creation, made to express our worst Nightmare. We created it to serve as a reminder of our misdeeds as Nightmare Moon, and as penance to never forget or forgive what we have done." She grits her teeth at the confession, "It must have escaped from our slumber yesterday, during one of our dreams."

"Hold up. You're saying that you did this to them?" Applejack grits her teeth, gently yet quickly dropping Apple Bloom to stand defensively in front of her three, pawing at the ground. She forces out, "You better explain yourself right quick. You hear me?" She is quickly joined by Rainbow and Rarity, both mare's eyes narrowing. Pinkie Pie cautiously backs away from Princess Luna as Fluttershy pauses in her stroking of Hedge's mane. The muscles around the pegasus' eye spasm, her breath turning to rapid snorts through clenched teeth.

Princess Luna nods, tears forming in her eyes as she confesses, "WE DO HE- We do hear thou, Honesty. We did not mean for this, for any of this, to happen. The Tantabus must have learned of you all from our dream, in which..." Princess Luna trails off, a heavy sigh at the consequences of her continuing actions. Her meek demeanor serves to quell Applejack's rising fury, though Fluttershy still looks like she can explode at the slightest provocation. "In which we attempted, as Nightmare Moon, to..."

"Wait!" calls Spike, folding his arms across his chest. "You're saying you dreamed of all of them, but not me?" He huffs, whimpering slightly at the implied insult to his significance.

"T'was a dream of Doug's that we appropriated for our own usage." Princess Luna glances at Doug as he frowns. "We have been monitoring them for some time, to try to understand him."

"Is that why my dreams these last couple of times have been so disjointed and weird? Like a movie someone keeps hitting a random chapter?" Doug groans at Princess Luna's hesitant nod, massaging his temples, "It's been pretty awful. Jumping all over the place."

"We art sorry; we were observing your dreams in an attempt to help thou overcome the difficulties thou art facing. We did not wish for any undeserved suffering." Princess Luna grimaces as she drops to her hooves, "We wish we could take all of the suffering we have caused upon ourselves, but it appears in our hasty desire to do so we have merely inflicted more." Princess Luna sobs, "The fact that we art once again responsible for harming others is more than we can bear."

Twilight Sparkle moves over to Princess Luna, nuzzling the tearful alicorn. "Princess Luna, this can't continue! What you did as Nightmare Moon was wrong, but you can't keep beating yourself up about it!"

"But Thou Does Neigh Understand!" Princess Luna exclaims loudly, one hoof slamming into the floor. She quiets down slightly, "The Tantabus grows more powerful with each moment that it resides in their dreams! If it draws enough power, it could escape to the real world! And turn all of Equestria into a living Nightmare!"

"We won't let that happen!" Rainbow Dash shouts, nodding furiously. "We'll show it who's boss!" She grins a confident smile, the other mares nodding as they back her up.

"We art thankful for your vote of confidence, Loyalty. And we will require your assistance in this matter." Princess Luna sighs, "We would vastly prefer to do this ourselves, but circumstances demand otherwise. We would do anything to end this, and we art truly grateful for thine assistance, demanded as it may be."

"Of course, your Highness," Twilight Sparkle says with a smile and nuzzle for the still slumped alicorn. "You have to stop beating yourself up about this!"

Princess Luna smiles as she recovers, "Thank you for that, Magic. Your sentiment is admirable, if misguided." Princess Luna turns to address Spike as Twilight Sparkle frowns. "As the dreams did not include thou, Spike the Dragon, in Doug's initial foray, your own dreams have been spared. Thou ought to be thankful for this, not feel slighted." Princess Luna looks to each mare in turn, "We did not intend for any of thou to be involved. We only wished to use the ending of his dream as the substance of our Nightmare, but we admit to selfishly using the rest in an attempt to further our own suffering."

As Princess Luna stops talking Rainbow Dash steps up, looking towards Scootaloo. "Okay, so, we wake them up. My dream wasn't that bad, so what's the worst that can happen?" Rainbow Dash shakes her head, her grin turning forced belying her nervousness.

"We art afraid it will not be so simple, Loyalty. We believe that the Tantabus was able to infect each of their dreams, much like it did your own." Princess Luna nods towards Lemon, "One of the dreamers, Laughter's eldest, attempted an advanced and particularly dangerous maneuver. I believe that maneuver allowed the Tantabus to deepen its hold, creating a manifestation of itself within each of your eight offspring's dreams. And it will not give up its hold so easily, instead trapping them in an eternal nightmare!"

The six mares, Spike, Doug, and Big Mac gasp.

Princess Luna continues, "It will take a dreamer of unparalleled skill and imagination to rescue Laughter's eldest from the depths of her own creation. Alas, i will not be able to perform in that role. You see, all eight of your offspring will need to be rescued simultaneously from the Nightmare the Tantabus has no doubt created for each of them. And I will need to provide each of thou with a lifeline, in order to bring thou and each offspring safely back from the dream world."

"Alright, then," Twilight says, looking over the resolute faces surrounding her. "What do we need to do?"

34 The Dreamland, Part Five

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Princess Luna looks over the six eager mares standing in front of her. Each of them had risked their lives to confront her as Nightmare Moon. And here they are, yet again, defending Equestria against her! She hangs her head in shame, "We art terribly sorry that we must ask you all, once again, to risk your lives for our sake. It should never have turned out this way."

"Yeah, no big!" exclaims Rainbow Dash, quickly growing anxious as she tries not to glance at Scootaloo. "It's not like it'll be the first time we've battled a vastly more powerful magical monster with the fate of Equestria on the line and come out on top!" She sheepishly grins at Princess Luna's downcast expression, rubbing the back of her mane, "Uh, no offense."

This does nothing to bolster Princess Luna's confidence, the alicorn merely letting the tears fall from her face as she stares at the floor.

Fluttershy steps forward, planting a hoof against the blue alicorn's barrel. She firmly states, "Look here, mister. I may be doing this for Equestria, but I'm also doing it because my filly is in there. And so, whenever you are ready, of course, we're going to go in there, and face down the horrible monsters that the Tantabus has created, and..." Fluttershy trails off, her bravado gone, releasing a quiet 'eep!' as she disappears behind her mane. One glance back to Hedge, though, and she rejoins the other mares standing ready, though her trepidation remains.

"Thou art correct, Kindness." Princess Luna stands up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "We will need everypony's assistance in rescuing not only your foals, but for saving Equestria from this abomination."

"Hey, I want to help!" Spike says as he pushes his way forwards. "Does it have to be everypony?"

Princess Luna looks between Doug, Big Mac, and Spike. "No, anycreature will be able to help. We will need the assistance of two of thou, as Harmony has already pledged their assistance."

Doug and Big Mac trade looks; Doug gives a somewhat reluctant nod while Big Mac quickly shakes his head and says, "Nnope!"

At Applejack's glare Big Mac stammers, "Ah mean, if'n you needed me Ah'd be there, but you all look like you've got this covered."

This does little to prevent Applejack from narrowing her eyes further.

Princess Luna continues, "Each of you shall pick one of the dreamers. It should be the one thou art most familiar with. Once each has chosen, gather close and prepare yourselves." Princess Luna closes her eyes, her horn lighting.

Rainbow Dash gathers Scootaloo into her forelegs. She starts choking up a little, trying to hide her tears as she whispers, "Just in case I never see you again, little buddy, I never regretted a single thing. Not one." She joins Rarity and Fluttershy in standing next to Princess Luna, each hugging their filly close.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie frown as they look at their five, then over at Doug, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike. "Ah guess Ah'll take Apple Bloom," Applejack says, a bit of a sigh as she can only pick one of hers. Pinkie Pie grabs Lemon with her teeth, tossing the comatose filly onto her back before pronking over to join Applejack next to Princess Luna.

Doug looks between Twilight Sparkle and Spike, a hum deep in his throat as he considers. "So, Spike, you want to take Pomarbo?"

"Oh, what, because I'm a little dragon I get the little colt? Puh-lease. Meringue and I are tight, I'll take her." Spike flourishes his claws, though he can't help but look at Sweetie Belle with a hint of regret and annoyance that Rarity had taken her. He frowns as he debates how to pick up the filly nearly as large as he is, smiling as Twilight Sparkle helps him out by levitating her to Princess Luna. He moves over, sitting down next to her, debating where to place a claw, as her flank is the closest, before deciding on her withers.

"Really? Alright." Doug glances to Twilight Sparkle, "You have a preference?"

"Well, I helped Applebaum out with a few of her math problems. I don't know if I've so much as talked to Pomarbo." Twilight Sparkle frowns, "I guess I'll go with the filly. And the colt with the colt, so that works out too." She levitates Applebaum, draping the filly across her back.

"Works for me," Doug says as he picks up Pomarbo, sitting cross-legged next to the other mares.

"This is so fascinating!" Twilight Sparkle remarks, her eyes glowing purple as she studies Princess Luna's horn and the spell forming around her. "The way she's manipulating the somnetic strings, opening up two quartets of portals perfectly positioned to place us within spitting distance of the ponies we're pursuing!" She frowns, "But, this procedure is inherently, like, dangerously unstable. In fact, I would say it is purposefully designed that way! As soon as you stop pouring thaums into this, the entire structure will collapse!"

"Speaking of spitting," Rainbow Dash quips, wiping a bit of Twilight's excitement off her face while rolling her eyes. "Can we get a little less egg-head, and a little more focusing on what exactly we're supposed to be doing?"

Princess Luna focuses, a ripple across her body as her muscles tense, then relax, as she prepares herself for the arduous task ahead of her. She states, her voice slightly strained, "Magic is correct. Thou wilt each have one minute to locate your charge. At the end of that minute the spell will collapse into itself, trapping the Tantabus in a limbo of its own creation." Princess Luna takes in a deep breath before saying with a heavy heart, "Alas, any pony with whom thou art not in contact with will be lost as well, doomed to forever wander in a Nightmare of our own creation."

"We can't focus on that now!" shouts Applejack, a snort and stomp of her free hoof. "You need to stop beating yourself up about this and focus on the here and now! Is there anything else we should know?"

Princess Luna thinks for a few seconds before stating, "We believe the Tantabus will learn of our plan as soon as the portals open. It is imperative that, once you locate your charge, do not let them out of your sight. Do not bring anything back with you that you or your charge did not bring into or create in the dream. Try not to get injured, though the damage will be psychological, not physical."

Rarity rolls her eyes, "Oh, is that all?"

Fluttershy quietly replies, "I don't know, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Rainbow Dash groans, "Enough chit chat! Let's do this!"

"Very well, Loyalty." Princess Luna flaps her wings, lifting herself briefly into the air to slam down, all four hooves equally spaced from each other. An octagon, the edges glowing a bright blue, the insides a dark purple, forms around Princess Luna. Each mare finds herself half in and half out of the shape, their world quickly dissolving to black.

Spike cautiously looks around himself, trying to quickly take in the forest surrounding him. It is silent but for his own breathing, no motion around him, not even the swaying of the leaves. "Hello?" he tentatively calls, grimacing to himself at giving away his position. Though that might not be his biggest issue; how is there already only fifty seconds left? How will he find Meringue in just that time? Isn't he supposed to be close to her? "Meringue?"

A brief blur from behind and to the left pulls his attention, Spike spinning around to face the new intruder. His eyes widen as a blue and purple form bursts out from behind one of the trees and charges straight for him! His tiny legs react before his mind can, instantly propelling him away from the vicious predator; how is he going to survive for forty seconds, much less find Meringue?

Spike chances a glance behind him, noting a few features on what originally appeared as a formless void. He gasps, spinning around to face the beast, the long *shiiink* of his claws as he brandishes them. The creature pauses in its pursuit, warily stalking to the side. Spike slowly turns, keeping the oddly shaped void in front of him as he yells, "What have you done with her?"

"Eradication complete."

"I don't believe you!" Spike yells, dashing forwards and swiping at the creature. It tries to dodge but too late, a few pieces of blue are sliced off, revealing a yellow form underneath. Spike growls, pulling back to evade the return attack. Only twenty seconds left!

"Poor sequences. Must improve."

"No! I won't let you!" Spike charges again, his claws raking a long line down the creature's back. It splits in twain, the bright yellow filly flopping out. Spike kicks the two halves away, sliding his claws against each other and removing the last traces of blue from his body. He grabs Meringue, closing his eyes as the world around him turns white.

Doug hears Pomarbo softly whimpering as he appears next to the colt. He takes in his surroundings as he drops down; nothing is visible more than ten feet away from him, instead an inky, oppressive darkness. His hand slips behind and into Pomarbo's mane, the other sliding underneath the colt's barrel. He lifts him up, trying to suppress the shudders of his own as Pomarbo quivers fearfully, his cries growing louder.

"Hey, big guy, it's okay," Doug says, stroking the auburn mane. His fingers twist around the green streaks in the mane. "I've got you." He holds the colt close to himself, gently rocking him back and forth as Pomarbo's eyes remain shut. One finger slips in between his neck and muzzle, the soft tickling enough to break the colt's despondent wailing. "It's okay... it'll be okay." Doug glances down, noticing the darkness slowly creeping closer from every angle.

Pomarbo stops sniffling to look up, his eyes lighting up as he recognizes his sire. His lifts his forelegs, pushing away from Doug in order to wave them in the air.

"Oh?" Doug says with a large smile on his face. "You want to play airplane? I mean, pegasus?"

Pomarbo raises his tear-stained forelegs even further as he beams.

"Weeee!" Doug yells as he lifts his colt, holding him above and in front as he quickly takes the one step that brings him to the edge of the darkness.

Two steps later and he's back in the same spot, but Pomarbo doesn't seem to know or care, merely delightedly screaming as he soars!

Then it is half a step to the edge, and half a step back. Pomarbo seems to notice, his joyous cries becoming more and more half-hearted.

Then Doug is only able to turn in place, still bouncing around as if nothing is wrong. Pomarbo looks up briefly before burying his head in Doug's chest.

Doug slips, desperately grasping for the last vestige of gray stone as the world explodes into white.

As a pegasus, Fluttershy always had a good sense of where the wind is blowing. Her sense isn't especially strong, or weak, but it exists. What makes right now so disconcerting for her is she can feel the wind clearly blowing in one direction, and yet she can observe, directly ahead of herself, the effects of the wind as if it was blowing in completely the opposite direction. It is like she has stepped into the center of a tornado or waterspout, not that Fluttershy would do that again.

"Mama!" comes the desperate cry from beneath her, Fluttershy glancing down to spot her filly crouched on the wet banks of a dry pond. The wind is all directed at the blue and purple void at the center; leaves, branches, the reeds, all are being sucked towards it.

Fluttershy quickly lands next to Hedge, trying to shield her filly from the wind. It works, at least temporarily, but the gale force around her continues to intensify. Hedge burrows into her belly, Fluttershy fearfully glancing backwards as smaller trees are uprooted, each disappearing into the void. She gasps as she spots squirrels from around Ponyville, the ducks from the pond, and the chickens from the farm all whirl around in the hurricane force winds!

She screams as she drops down, covering her eyes and trying to shield Hedge's ears from the horrendous sounds of the animals getting sucked in. "They aren't real," she rapidly recites to herself over and over, "it's just a dream."

The wind around her begins tearing at the ground, globs of mud and rocks hurtling past her. Fluttershy cowers down, trying to escape the swift missiles zooming around her. She feels her grasp on the ground slipping; she grabs onto Hedge as she loses her grip on the ground, hurtling toward the void. Her wings flare, pounding against the air as hard as she can. It isn't enough, her wings burning as she draws inches away.

Her world explodes into white.

"Lemon!" Pinkie Pie shouts as she appears next to her filly, both in a green meadow. "What have I told you about dream jumping?!"

"You were in my dream!" Lemon shouts back, "And you gave me the advice!"

Pinkie Pie scoffs, "I am not responsible for dream Pinkie Pie! You've been a very naughty filly!"

"Oh yeah?" Lemon raises a hoof, motioning towards the rapidly spinning blue and purple beanie on her head. "Once this stops spinning, I'm going to go back to my last dream. Or, I can hit it again, and we'll both go deeper. Which one will it be?"

Pinkie Pie cocks her head to the side as one eye squints, "Wait, you're threatening me? Me! Your dam!" She snarls, "I brought you-"

"Yeah, yeah," Lemon snorts her hoof pulling back to smack the beanie. "Well, I'm taking a different way out."

Pinkie Pie laughs, "Oh, that's a good one!" as the hoof hits the beanie.

They find themselves in a dark void. Lemon cackles.

"Something funny?" Pinkie Pie asks, marveling at their surroundings.

"You're stuck with me in here forever!" Lemon laughs, pieces of the yellow filly falling away to reveal a blue and purple void.

"Oh, that?" Pinkie Pie shakes her head as she snorts, "I just needed to figure out where the real Lemon is! See, when I think about something in a dream" - the scene shifts to Lemon laying on the ground in a green meadow, Pinkie Pie still talking to the void - "I go there! So, which one of you is real?"

A mountainside retreat, Lemon laying on her side on the peak as the volcano erupts around her. "Nope!"

Ponyville, Sugarcube Corner, running up the stairs from a bunch of bloodthirsty parasprites, "Nope!"

A decaying Canterlot, black chitinous ponies flying around, "Nope!"

Lemon's room, a filly slumped over the table, an empty glass by a stack of blank books. "There you are! Found you!"

Pinkie Pie grabs Lemon, the world turning white.

Applebaum startles as Twilight Sparkle appears next to her, a very filly-like shriek escaping her muzzle as her hoof is torn away from the blue void in her pack. "You scared me! Twilight? Is that you?"

"It's me!" Twilight Sparkle says, looking around their surroundings at the cramped room. "Well, I think it's me. You're Applebaum, right?"

"Um, yes, I think I am," comes the hesitant reply. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you!" replies Twilight Sparkle with a large smile. "All I have to do is find you, and then hold onto you once one minute is up! Well, one minute from when I got here. Which, because of how long we've been speaking to each other, is really more like thirty five seconds. So, without further ado!" Twilight Sparkle reaches over and grabs Applebaum's hoof. "Huh." Twilight Sparkle looks around the gem filled cave, her eyes not resting on any of the gemstones in particular. "Well, that was easy."

"Yeah, I guess it was," Applebaum says, trying to rub her head before realizing that Twilight Sparkle has it clamped down, no chance of letting her go. She uses her other hoof to rub her head, "Oops!"

"Yeah, sorry, not letting you get away that easily," Twilight says with a sly wink. She sits there for a few seconds. "This is taking longer than I thought."

"Yeah, filling three hundred and thirty three words does that."

"What?" Twilight Sparkle shakes her head. "So, um, read any good books lately?"

"Well, the latest Daring Do book gave us some ideas on what to look out for." Applebaum shrugs, "But, other than that? I spend a lot of time on duty, so I don't have much free time."

"Yeah, I guess so. I couldn't believe that Daring Do could actually survive a six hundred foot drop, though." Twilight Sparkle pauses, "Wait, do you really have a job?"

"Nah, Lemon showed me this trick with dreaming where-"

Their world (finally) explodes into blue and white.

Rainbow Dash lands outside the Ponyville Schoolhouse, looking at her own visage standing in the doorway.

"Huh," they both say.

"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo says, looking between them. "What's going on?"

"We're here to rescue you!" they both say, each getting a little angry.

Another Rainbow Dash flies in from Ponyville, her beaming expression completely counter to the way she shouts, "Hey!" along with the other two Rainbow Dashes.

"I'm getting really annoyed at this!" four Rainbow Dashes yell, another exiting the schoolhouse. Each point a hoof at Scootaloo, the extremely confused filly glancing between each of them.

"How are you going to rescue me when there are two, three, four," Scootaloo's eyes widen as an entire battalion of Rainbow Dashes blanket the sky. "Three hundred of you?"

"MAN YOU'RE A FAST COUNTER," the horde of Rainbow Dashes say - individually they are speaking normally, but the combination of the hundreds of them is deafening. "HEY!" they all shout, rubbing their ears simultaneously as they land around her.

"But which one of you is real?" exclaims Scootaloo. She immediately raises a hoof as every Rainbow Dash opens their mouth, "And you better not say that 'I am'!"

"HEY, I WASN'T GOING TO SAY THAT!" exclaims the motley collection of Rainbows, though they all cross their forelegs and blow the forelock of their mane away. "OKAY, MAYBE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING CLOSE TO THAT!!"

"Celestia's taut flanks," Scootaloo mutters as she facehooves, a loud sigh escaping. She smirks to herself, standing tall, "Okay, just answer me this. Who's Spartacus?"

The horde of Rainbows look to each other, confused, until one Rainbow Dash bursts forth from the crowd. "I'm Spartacus!" she bellows.

The horde breaks out, a cacophony of Rainbow Dashes each yelling, "No, I'm Spartacus!" as Scootaloo dashes towards the first one to speak.

"You're such a dork," Rainbow Dash mutters as she embraces her filly.

"You married it first," Scootaloo replies with a wink and nuzzle as the world around them turns white.

Rarity storms into her bedroom, glaring at the copy of herself looming over the sobbing filly wearing mud stained tatters of cloth. "You!" she exclaims, pointing a hoof at herself, "Back away from our, I mean, my filly!"

"Mama?" Sweetie Belle glances up at the new Rarity, her sobs disappearing. "What do you mean, 'our' filly?"

Rarity pulls her muzzle back to a forced smile as she replies, "Sorry, just been spending too much time around Princess Luna. She has an odd habit of speaking in the royal 'we'. Well, I suppose it isn't odd so much as old fashioned."

"Oh. Why are you here?" Sweetie Belle glances over at the old Rarity, still wearing one of the dresses she had been trying on. "Well, I mean, why are two of you here?"

"I'm here to save you!" Rarity bombastically proclaims, pointing a hoof at the impostor. "I'm afraid that Rarity is trying to destroy the world through nightmares! And she is certainly off to a good start, in that monstrosity of a dress! The cut is all wrong, and the color scheme doesn't match your mane!"

"Hey!" exclaims the dress-wearing Rarity, "This dress is supposed to be for Sweetie Belle! It isn't our fault we were forced into wearing it!"

"Oh?" Rarity says with a raised eyebrow. Her horn flares, the tatters disappearing as the dress teleports onto Sweetie Belle. "Actually, you are correct. Why, Sweetie Belle, you look absolutely darling!"

"Okay, stop that!" Sweetie Belle exclaims.

"But, whyever would you want me to?" Both Raritys say. "It does look very nice on you!"

"Because this is exactly how my dream was going before it went bad!" Sweetie Belle hugs the new Rarity, not letting go. "I want to go home! Take me away!"

Rarity looks around at her bedroom, "Well, we sort of are home. And this spell is on a time delay, so I don't know exactly when it will go off. So we just-"

Their world explodes into white.

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack yells, her eyes quickly finding her filly among the dead and dying trees. She focuses only on getting closer, not caring about the piles of mush that she is stepping in as she gallops closer. "Ah'm coming for you!"

"Applejack?" comes the hesitant reply. Apple Bloom's face quickly beams as her dam gets closer, "Ah'm so glad to see you! Ah don't know what went wrong!"

"It's okay," Applejack says as she grips her filly in a tight hug. "All Ah've got to do is hold on to you. It's just a dream, okay?"

Apple Bloom tries to push away, her efforts not enough to break Applejack's iron hold. "But the trees!" She motions up with her head, her forelegs trapped. "Something's wrong! They're all dead and dying!"

Applejack keeps her eyes closed as she rocks back and forth, "As long as Ah don't let go, little Bloom, it'll be-" Her nose sniffs, one eye opening to scan the sky. The other eye opens wide, her gaze rapidly traveling from one dead tree to another. "Bloomington the fourth! Appleton! Ironbark!"

Applejack leaps to her hooves, Apple Bloom tumbling away. The mare dashes first to one tree, then across the dirt path to another. She tentatively sets her hooves, straining against it. "No, the apple blight! We've got to stop it!"

"No, Applejack! It ain't real!" Apple Bloom chases after her dam, trying to catch up as Applejack gallops wildly. "You told me it's just a dream! That all we have to do is stay together!"

"No, Apple Bloom! If this blight comes with us, it'll infect the whole farm! We'll be devastated!" Applejack shakes her head, her crazed eyes unable to focus as they travel from one dead and dying tree to the splattered, decaying remains on the ground to the filly charging after her. She sinks down, sobbing at the overwhelming sight.

Apple Bloom lunges forward, her hooves inches away from her dam's tail.

The world explodes into white.

35 The Dreamland, Part Six

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"Applejack! Ah can't believe you nearly left me behind!" Apple Bloom kicks her dam's cowering body, more than a little irritated.

"Ah'm sorry, Toneapple! Ah didn't mean to let-" Applejack cuts herself off, looking around the house at the sixteen creatures picking themselves up around her. "Oh! You're safe, Apple Bloom! It was all a dream!"

"You're the one who told me that!" Apple Bloom kicks at her dam again before sitting down in a huff.

Twilight Sparkle yanks Applebaum close to her, "How did you do that dreaming thing?"

"Ah don't know," Applebaum hastily replies, "But-"

"EVERYPONY!!" Princess Luna bellows, her horn continuing to glow, "One of thou has brought the Tantabus along! We must send it to a dream, or we have been doomed!"

The blue void hiding under Applebaum silently squeals as it reverberates, a blue aura surrounding it. "What?" Twilight Sparkles exclaims, taking an unsteady step backwards as she stares at the blue void now flitting in Princess Luna's aura. "But you-"

Princess Luna cuts Twilight Sparkle off, "No time! We Need The Safest Dreamer Among You! Whatever Your Last Dream Was! NOW!!"

Rainbow Dash rapidly shakes her head, "Not mine." She stops, her eyes briefly flicking to the ceiling, "Wait, before or after the Tantabus infected it?"

"AFTER!"

"Yeah, still not mine," Rainbow Dash says, sheepishly dropping to her hooves. She quivers, rocking back and forth as she recalls her dream - so much singing! She would go insane if she had to go back there! Definitely not safe for anypony.

Fluttershy cowers down, "Um."

Princess Luna adds, "And you will be especially vulnerable physically, and quite impressionable mentally, to whatever influences are in the dream! Consider wisely!"

Applejack considers for a half second before she says, "Giant cloud of disease and decay attacking."

Rarity coughs, "My finest work coming to life and attacking."

Pinkie Pie exclaims, "Cakes coming to life and attacking! The pastries, not the bakers."

Twilight Sparkle says glumly, "Mine was just books coming to life and attacking."

Princess Luna grunts as she strains against the Tantabus, the void slamming itself against her restraints. "There is no time! We must pick the safest dreamer among you! Now!"

"Fluttershy!" five mares call, the pegasus trying to cower down even more.

"I don't know..." Fluttershy mumbles from behind her mane.

Rarity shakes the pegasus, "Was your dream violently dangerous or not?"

"Um, not physically," the yellow pegasus says just before the void is thrust into her, a bright light surrounding everypony.

Fluttershy's cottage sits in the background, on top of a grassy knoll, a dull sun and no clouds in the sky. The many birdhouses and burrows are still and silent, the nearby stream filled with unmoving water. The nearby trees do not sway back and forth like they normally do, the air devoid of wind. The only movement is by the dirt road, a collared yellow pegasus propping her forelegs up on the short fence that she is tied to, right by her front door. Her stallion is behind her, their lips locked, his hands tightly gripping her flanks, unrelentingly pounding away at her.

Eighteen creatures pop into existence outside of Fluttershy's cottage, quickly taking stock of their surroundings. Twilight Sparkle shrieks, hastily covering up Spike's eyes, much to the dragon's consternation. Big Mac tries to look away, having a harder time of it than he would have liked. The mares of Herd Apple merely sigh, their fillies looking on excitedly. Princess Luna hovers above, slowly descending to the ground, her horn alight as she creates a pale blue bubble around herself.

"Oh by Celestia's perfectly portioned posterior," Rainbow Dash exclaims, a hoof not quite covering her not actually closed eyes. "Come on, Fluttershy! Seriously? Why?"

"There is no time for this!" Princess Luna feebly yells, her energy sapped as she hastily constructs the dream around them. "The Tantabus is coming!" The water of the stream begins flowing, the leaves slightly swaying in the wind as she tries to shore up the weak spots by making the dream more realistic. "No! It is already here!"

"Well," Fluttershy says sheepishly as the dream Doug explodes into a blue and purple void, quickly consuming the euphoric dream Fluttershy, "I don't get tired in the dream, and it still feels really good." She points a hoof at the Tantabus, "Also, that didn't happen." The blue void grows larger, roaring and swiping at Rarity and Applejack. The two mares yelp as they dodge backwards, shooing their fillies away.

Rainbow Dash huffs, "Yeah, but it's not real! What's the point of dreaming about something when the real thing is sleeping right next to you? It's like using a cooler when you aren't in heat!" She zooms forward, bucking the Tantabus. The creature recoils before swinging a pseudopod at the cerulean pegasus, barely missing as she swoops around for another charge.

"Not the time!" Applejack bellows as she charges forward, landing a buck of her own on the swiftly enlarging creature. "Ah thought you said your dream wasn't dangerous physically!" Applejack rolls away, pulling a rope out of her Stetson. She spins the rope a few times, lassoing one of the flailing limbs and pulling it to the ground. Big Mac charges up, bucking the limb hard enough to separate it from the main body, the severed limb dissipating into nothing.

"Not all of us can fly over and get a quickie any time we want!" Fluttershy shouts back at Rainbow, escorting the fillies away from the Tantabus. She turns to Applejack, "And this didn't happen in the dream! He just got, um, more aggressive and forceful. Dominating. It feels good to be the pet sometimes!"

Rarity yells, "Then what did happen, Fluttershy? You seemed quite upset before!" Her horn shines, blasting a stretching limb that was trying to climb up Fluttershy's cottage. The Tantabus roars, more and more limbs outstretching as it continues to grow faster than they can rip it apart.

Fluttershy stammers as she moves in front of the fillies, "Well, you see, Doug was brushing my mane, he really likes doing that. And then, um, he started brushing my tail. He really likes that part, too. And then, um, he brushed my tail to the side, and-"

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash yells, dodging another swipe, "We're not asking how your normal nights go! We're asking about the dream!" Rainbow Dash flies up, knocking away one of the limbs that attached itself to the starless sky, the small rip in space remaining.

"Oh!" Fluttershy nods, "Well, you can see the collar, it looks like one of Rarity's-"

"Hey!" Rarity shouts, a blast from her horn sealing the rip in the fabric of space. "My collars are silk and inscribed with either my cutie mark or a stylized 'R'! Honestly, do you not look at your restraints?"

"Can we please focus on the giant rampaging creature in front of us?!" yells Twilight Sparkle, her horn shooting blast after blast as she runs to Princess Luna. "How can we stop this?"

Princess Luna shudders, tears streaming down her face as her exhaustion shows plainly, no longer attempting to conceal it, "I do not know! I will soon run out of power, to keep it contained in this shared dream. And then it will escape back into the real world!"

The Tantabus roars as it grows larger and more aggressive, no longer content to swipe at ponies that get close. Big Mac howls as he is launched by the Tantabus, quickly rolling to his hooves and charging back in.

Behind him Applejack shouts, "We aren't beaten yet!" Applejack grins as she twirls her rope, the loop getting longer and larger, "Remember, Big Mac! This is a dream! You can do anything!"

Big Mac's smile turns absolutely gleeful as he concentrates. He whinnies as he spins in place, his pupils reshaping to red and orange stars as his horseshoes gild with ruby and gold. His yoke shimmers, now etched with gold filigree, a crown topped with a green apple adorns his head, a pair of wings and horn sprouting from his body. He shouts, "Ee-Weeeee!" as he soars into the sky, shooting laser beams at the Tantabus.

Apple Bloom's hooves, Sweetie Belle's horn, and Scootaloo's wings each transform into larger, exaggerated versions, the fillies charging headlong into the fray. Applebaum begins pulling out lit sticks of dynamite from a pack that instantly appears by her side, chucking the explosives whenever a pod expands towards an open area. Lemon takes to the sky, despite her lack of wings or horn, merely speeding along with four hooves stretched in front and sealing the tears in the sky. Hedge stomps her hooves, a storm of water and ducks flowing from the stream and impacting the Tantabus. Pomarbo cowers in the back while Meringue pulls herself into a large cocoon; a glowing yellow shield appears around Big Mac, spines and spikes bursting forth as he flits around.

"We're slowing it down!" yells Pinkie Pie, a barrage of cupcakes cutting a few of the outstretched limbs to ribbons, "But it's not enough!"

"Well, if you're going to go big!" Spike yells, bashing his claws together. He shines brightly as he grows - twice, four times, ten times his normal height! Muscles burst on top of his already ripped chest, a lance appearing at his side. "Come, my noble steed!" He mounts Pomarbo, inspiring the young colt to charge forward despite the severe imbalance in size.

Princess Luna sinks to her hooves, though her horn remains lit. Her voice, raw with venom and self-condemnation, "It is all our fault! Yet again, we are responsible for Equestria's destruction!"

The Tantabus grows larger than Fluttershy's cottage, the ponies forced to use tandem strikes to stop the limb from grasping and tearing through the sky.

Spike shouts he pierces another blob of void with his lance, "Am I crazy, or did it just get even bigger after Luna said that?"

"Princess Luna!" Twilight Sparkle shouts to the despondent alicorn, "I think it's feeding off of your guilt!"

"Then it seems we have not learned our lesson, for we have only brought more suffering!" Princess Luna sobs, turning away from the Tantabus as it rips a void into the sky, her body jolting as if her own side is being torn.

Twilight Sparkle shouts, "But, if it feeds off of your guilt, then you are the one who can stop this!"

Rainbow Dash flies over, pointing a hoof at Doug, the human lounging on a folding chair and sipping a glass of lemonade as a double barreled machine gun spits rocket propelled pies and candy into the Tantabus. "Yeah! Look at Doug; if he can get over what happened, then you can too! You just gotta stop feeling bad for what you did!"

Princess Luna shakes her head, "But, how can we forgive ourselves? We art no better now than we were before. Look at what is happening, at what will happen when we fail!" Princess Luna slowly looks up at the ravaged sky. Four legs stretch down, a horn piercing through the skull and a pair of wings sprouting from the sides as the Tantabus becomes truly massive. A vaguely equine shape forms from the void as it tears a colossal portal through the dream wall.

Twilight Sparkle stomps a hoof, anger breaking through her normally controlled demeanor. "But look at what you are doing! Nightmare Moon would've wanted the Tantabus to turn Equestria into a nightmare! You're doing everything you can to stop it! You have changed, you aren't the same pony as before!"

The Tantabus' long, silent strides seem like they should be creating earthquakes with every hoof meeting the ground, yet the atmosphere remains as unshaken as Princess Luna stands. The monstrous alicorn shaped Tantabus partially penetrates through the portal while a tranquility radiates from Princess Luna, resolve replacing her resignation.

"We do!" she states, standing up straighter. "I DO!"

The Tantabus pulls away from the portal, a worried expression forming by three sections in the head dissipating, leaving two eye sockets and a wavy mouth. The blue and purple void shrinks to the size of Princess Luna, now a dark reflection, as it takes slow, hesitant steps.

Princess Luna stands tall, her exhaustion completely gone as she closes her eyes. While her horn stays powered, keeping the dream going, there is no sense of haste, of urgency, or struggle.

The Tantabus briefly hesitates as it closes to a foreleg's length from Princess Luna. The alicorn opens her eyes, a pleasant smile as if greeting an old friend. The Tantabus walks forwards, as if to embrace Princess Luna in a hug that never comes. The alicorn, now content, closes her eyes to receive the embrace. The Tantabus continues forward without stopping, going straight through and disappearing into the alicorn, a brief pause before the last of its tail vanishes into the cutie mark insignia on Princess Luna's peytral.

Princess Luna grins at the seventeen ponies surrounding her, each returning a grin of their own, "Th-"

The world fades to white.

Back at the Carrot House, everypony slowly staggers to their hooves, glancing around at each other. Except for Princess Luna, her mouth slowly pushing forward and back as she lays asleep on the ground.

Doug grunts out, "Luna did it!"

Applejack sighs, "Huh. So, forgiving herself for what she did as Nightmare Moon was enough to stop that? Wish she could have figured that out, Ah dunno, a week ago." She looks over to Doug, "You still have any hang-ups over what she did to you or the foals?"

"After going through that?" Doug says, shaking his head, "I sure hope not." Applejack snorts, looking outside at the dark sky, then over at Rainbow and Big Mac. The two glance at each other, groaning at having to go out and harvest despite the ordeal they just went through.

"Well, it's over now." Twilight Sparkle smiles at the snoozing alicorn, a few soft snores escaping. "Guess we'll, um, let her get some sleep."

"Huh. Wonder what she's dreaming about now?" Spike says, the group watching Princess Luna kick out one of her hind legs, a pleasant smile on her face.

Fluttershy brazenly looks up at the ceiling as she opens her mouth wide. She lifts one hoof towards one side of her face, sliding it to her muzzle while puffing up the other cheek, letting her mouth relax as she pulls the hoof away, then puffing her cheek out again.

36 The Jester, Part One

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July 17th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Twilight Sparkle gazes across her domain. Her demesne. Her dominion. All of her subjects are lined up in exactly their proper place. It had only taken most of the morning, slightly more time than she budgeted, but that was why she always included silly things like mealtimes in her schedule. She can always eat while she works!

Now, the real fun begins.

"Spike!" Twilight Sparkle calmly states, though she cannot yet bear to tear her gaze away from the shelves and shelves of books, all neatly sorted. "Take a note."

"Ready and waiting!" comes the eager reply, the soft scratch of a quill on the parchment as Spike records the time and date. What a great assistant!

"Okay! Preliminary sorting has been completed on the entire library at..." Twilight Sparkle glances outside, squinting a little as she inspects the sun, "Approximately ten thirty on the seventeenth of July."

"Twilight, I already recorded those things at the top," Spike says with a roll of his eyes, spinning the parchment around just in case Twilight Sparkle doubted him, not that she would.

Twilight Sparkle ducks down slightly, her euphoric smile turning down slightly. "Oh! Right. Sorry. Scratch that, then. Okay, approximately ten thirty."

"Twilight!" Spike says, a bit more cross, "Time and date? You act like this is the first time I've done this."

"Fine. Have it your way." Twilight Sparkle clears her throat, "Every book has been sorted by title, and we are now ready to implement the first iteration of the Starkle System!"

Spike raises an eyebrow as he finishes recording, "Now, when you say sorted by title, you mean sorted by author, and then title, right?"

Twilight Sparkle pauses for a moment before collapsing, sobbing into her hooves.

"Hey, maybe it's not that bad," Spike says, holding the quill to his chin. "You were going to reorganize all these books anyway, right? So, it's like you did half the work already! You just got them in a slightly different order than you planned!"

Neither the groan nor the accompanying cushion miss Spike.

"Bad time?" Doug asks as he walks into the library, shutting the door behind him as Spike rubs his head.

"My work is ruined! I spent all morning organizing the library to the wrong specifications! My entire schedule for today is going to be thrown completely out of order!" Twilight Sparkle's horn flares, all of the library books dumped into a large pile in the center of the room. "And after that my schedule for the week! And month! And-"

"Well, that's certainly... not good." Doug coughs into his hand as he looks around the room, "So... I know you probably have it written down somewhere, but last week you said something about helping me out with some of my fears with magic."

"I believe you also promised me to discuss how and why you have no magic. Been a while forthcoming for that, you know," Twilight says as she laments the wasted time spent sorting the books. Well, not so much wasted, as poorly utilized. "And starting a book club."

Doug scratches the back of his head as he forces a smile, "Yeah, sorry about that. After Big Mac got injured, and with all the work on the farm, and then that whole Tantabus debacle, we've been pretty busy. Finally finished with all that. Pinkie Pie is hosting something at Sugarcube corner in a little bit." He leans back, a bit of a pause as Twilight merely looks around the library, eventually continuing, "So, if you had anything in mind that you wanted to talk about, we can go with that. Or just a general discussion, that's fine too; I don't know that I've ever just talked magic theory with Rarity."

"Really?" says Twilight Sparkle, raising an eyebrow. "Then what do you talk about after the sex?"

Doug shrugs as he smiles, sitting down on the floor. "Oh, this and that, I guess. How her store went that day. What Sweetie Belle got into or up to that day. What's going on at the farm or work, but Rarity barely listens to that, really just for me if I want to vent about what kind of letters I got. I think the only real magic theory we've ever discussed was with regards to these essence gemstones."

"Yeah, those are really good!" Spike says, rubbing his stomach. "I wonder if they'll help my scales grow nice and strong?"

"We can hope," Doug says with a smile, patting the dragon on the back.

"Yup!" Twilight says in a cheery tone, nuzzling Spike. Her demeanor changes completely as she levitates over a chalkboard and six different colors of chalk, practically lighting up with glee as she enters lecture mode. Spike groans as if he has heard this particular presentation many a time in the past, though he doesn't seem too put out by having to listen to it again.

"So, imbuing objects, also known as enchanting, is generally part of the Loyalty school of magic. There are six schools in total, corresponding with with six Elements of Harmony." Each chalk color begins writing, making six underlined headers and then jotting down other examples as Twilight Sparkles goes along. "Each school, or branch, of magic also includes it antonym, or opposite. For example, the Honesty branch of magic - which includes communication spells like dragon fire or scrying spells - also includes Deceit magic, such as invisibility."

"Do I need to take notes?" Doug jokingly says, though he is eagerly paying attention.

"Only if you want to pass the test at the end!" Twilight Sparkle retorts with a smile, though it quickly returns to her stern lecture. "Seriously, though, there will be a test at the end." She moves to the pile of books, levitating two out and passing them to Doug. She smiles, "No pressure! These can be the first books for our book club!"

Doug looks at the titles, Basic Thaumatics and Intermediary Thaumatics. A peek inside the first book reveals several pictures of unicorns casting different spells and charts about what different kind of spells, their difficulties, and ways to enhance them. "Am I going to understand any of this?" he asks as he takes the pencil and parchment Spike offers him, beginning to copy down the six categories.

Twilight Sparkle nods enthusiastically, "You were able to learn about weather implementation, correct? It's the same principle, though your understanding may never pass the theoretical stage you should be fine!"

"Alright, then. Please continue." Doug smiles as he finishes writing, eagerly anticipating the next topic.

Twilight Sparkle returns to the chalkboard, motioning simultaneously to the six schools she originally wrote. "So, there are six schools of magic. Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, and Friendship. Each is sometimes known by another name, which I may use interchangeably. For instance, Laughter is also known by Optimism. Friendship is Magic. Their opposite branches are similarly named - Deceit, Greed, Betrayal, Malevolence, Despair, and Apathy - though a few of them go by a less... disparaging name. For instance, who wants to be known as a specialist in Betrayal magic? And yet the magic of changing things counter to their nature is extremely important to Disregarders."

The scratch of pencil on parchment continues as Doug asks, "Six schools, their opposites. So, what kinds of things does a Disregarder do?"

"Please hold all questions on other topics to the end, or we're going to be here forever," Twilight Sparkle says with a smile. "This is a huge subject, and I'm merely scratching the surface! Some ponies spend years to learn just a little bit about all the various subjects. Others take a specific school and delve as deeply as they can. Listing out every possibility with magic is a foal's errand, because each branch is as unique as the pony practicing it."

"Which school did you study?" Doug asks with a sly wink.

Twilight rolls her eyes at the question on a potentially gigantic topic. At least it has something to do with what she just said. "My cutie mark refers to Thaumaturgy in general. As such, I can cast nearly any spell, often just after observing it once and not in a 'teaching' variation. My studies have thus taken me into every discipline; I know hundreds of minor spells, many of which are cantrips and transpositions of each other. After all, the caster's intent is nearly as important as knowing the spell itself, and the combination of the two lend themselves to many variations and allow the crafting of new spells."

"Your intent matters?" Doug asks incredulously. "How is that supposed to work?"

"Um," Twilight Sparkle pauses for a few seconds, taken aback at the question. "Besides that it just does? Nopony knows why the rules of Thaumatics are the way they are. Let's say I want to summon a bolt of magic to 'attack' something. I might choose a spell that creates a physical or magical energy projectile. The spell then launches that projectile at the spot or target of my choosing, though 'homing' variations are extremely costly thaum-wise. Oftentimes one is better making ten versions that might hit than one version that will."

"Really?" Doug asks, his excitement plain as he rapidly adds notes to the paper quickly running out of room. And, somewhat to his embarrassment, plain to see; he shifts a leg, covering himself. "Why is that?"

"You're doing it again!" Twilight playfully levitates one of the books, lightly thunking Doug on the back of the head with it. Twilight glances down, Doug's shift not having gone unnoticed, and awkwardly clears her throat.

Doug rubs the spot as he smiles, an exaggerated sigh at not pursuing yet another tangent. "You brought it up," he weakly says in his defense.

Spike rolls his eyes as he walks to the door. "I'm going to grab a few of those items you wanted, Twilight. I should see you at Sugarcube." He exits the library, shutting the door behind him.

Twilight stares at Doug's waist for a few seconds, "Okay, so, we were talking about the sex, I mean, six branches of magic, right?"

"Right."

Spike opens the door, "Almost forgot the list! That would have been very unwise of me!" He grabs the parchment by the door, glares at Doug, then leaves again.

Doug coughs as they watch Spike exit the library a second time. He says, "So, six branches of magic. What does each do?"

"Well, many of the schools of magic have overlapping areas." Twilight turns back to the chalkboard, then shifts so her backside isn't pointed directly at Doug, then realizes her tail was covering herself before and isn't any more. She sits down, continuing, "Honesty is about finding out the true nature of things, the way things are. This includes some Judicial magic, as well as the communication and scrying I mentioned earlier."

"Wait, Judicial magic?" Doug asks, scratching his head. "You can force peo- ponies to tell the truth?"

Twilight nods from the chalkboard, "Well, it is fairly easily countered by Deceit magic, so the actual usage is extremely small."

"Countered?" Doug says, starting a new section on his paper. "Does that mean something specific?"

"Generally, yes." Twilight draws a line between each school and its opposite, "Normally, if I wanted to beat you in a contest, I would need to exceed the amount of thaums that you are spending on a spell. Say, for example, we are both using Friendship to exert a force on an object. A telekinetic tug of war. Whoever is stronger wins."

Doug nods along, "Sounds easy enough. And I bet you have thaums to spare?"

"Well, I don't want to brag, but yes. However, I also know how to exploit an opponent's vulnerabilities." Twilight Sparkle quickly draws two ponies, horns lit, pulling on a rope. She starts using white, then red, "Say my opponent is only using Friendship. Well, I can counter their efforts with about one half to one third of the thaums by using Apathy. It is very difficult to win using tactics like that, but it allows a weaker contestant to fight to a standstill if they know what kind of spells their opponent will be using." Little red 'x's cover the thicker white line.

"Couldn't your opponent do the same to you?" Doug swings his arms out, then bringing his fingers together, "A two pronged attack, one to counter their spell and the other to finish the job?"

Twilight Sparkle shakes her head, continuing her diagram, "Well, not really. Because the counter to the counter is what you were doing in the first place. And as soon as you try to split your spells between the two opposites? Well, your spells come out weaker than an opponent who is heavily invested on one side or the other. And you'll be beaten through brute force. A skilled unicorn, one practiced at quickly transitioning, might be able to, but still not able to cast opposite harmonics simultaneously."

"Fair enough. So, Deceit magic is a thing, huh?"

"Yup! Similar in practice to many mind altering spells, but those generally fall under Kindness and, depending on the spell itself, Malevolence." Twilight Sparkle writes those in yellow, moving on to the blue chalk.

"Mind-altering spells?!" Doug's mouth gapes open, "You can mind control people!?"

"Um, technically, yes?" Twilight stretches her forced smile as she cowers down just a little, the chalk dropping to the board.

"How is that possibly legal?" Doug shakes his head before looking at his hand. "Am I mind controlled right now? The aversion to magic was too much, and you decided I just needed a little 'tweaking'?"

"No! Of course not! I would never do that!" Twilight Sparkle rushes forward to reassure the panicky stallion, but stops herself as Doug flinches. "The existence of mind control magic isn't that widespread. I mean, somepony might know of it, but only an extremely low number of, um, 'gifted' ponies are actually able to actually affect any substantial changes in somepony else!"

"Substantial?" Doug asks, shaking his head. "Do I even want to know?"

"Enough to make you move a muscle you didn't intend, or think a thought that was not your own. A pony's innate Harmony will quickly purge anything that doesn't meet that threshold. Spells do exist that act on a delayed timer, but those would still rise to the level of being restricted." Twilight Sparkle sheepishly smiles, "I'm, technically, classified as a class seven threat."

"How high does that go?" Doug says through shaky lips, trying to relax his body as his mind tells himself that he needs to get away from the potentially dangerous mare next to him. Though, he reminds himself, nearly any unicorn is just as dangerous to him, if they wanted. And a lot of the pegasi, and earth ponies for that matter.

"Eight. Although that's mostly Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Plus, um, a couple of the threats that they faced." Twilight Sparkle coughs, "Though class seven is more for the type of magic I'm able to wield, not necessarily the power behind it. Self-replication magic that retains that ability. Temporal magic. Gross mind-altering magics. But those are mostly theoretical, if a pony had such an ability. Which they don't."

"Temporal magic?!" Doug snaps his head back, "You can mess with TIME!?"

"Yes?" Twilight Sparkle pauses for a brief moment, "Well, not me, particularly. And it's not like I know that there is a spell in the Star Swirl the Bearded section of the Canterlot Archives that would let a pony go back once for a brief period of time. He made hundreds of spells! Thousands! I probably only scanned the indexes of the spells he crafted!" Twilight Sparkle's eyes shift from side to side as she grins, as she is most certainly not trying to hide anything.

Doug stares at Twilight as if she just grew another head, or told him that radically powerful magic was available that warped the fabric of space and time. Well, more so than most magic.

"But you don't have to worry about that!" Twilight says, her forced smile even more fake than normal. "Knowledge of those spells isn't very wide spread. There's no need to panic!"

"Yeah," Doug drawls out, "Because the spells exist, and existed before, and there isn't really anything that I could do to stop it! So no need to worry!"

Twilight Sparkle smiles, missing the sarcasm entirely, "Exactly! Plus, it's the Elements of Harmony or the Princesses who would deal with those kind of threats."

Doug sighs, thinking back to the question Princess Celestia asked him years ago. It is their choice. And needed. But that did not make it easier to take. He glances up at the clock. Just about that time. "Well, fascinating as the extremes of magic can be, Pinkie's celebration is starting soon." Doug holds up the two books, "And I need some time to process this. Ready to head over?"

Twilight Sparkle sighs, looking over the chalkboard. So much more to cover, so little time! Well, maybe once Doug has read the books and has the basics down it'll go smoother. "Sure. I guess I can tell you about the various spells I can cast as we walk over there!"

37 The Jester, Part Two

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“And telekinesis, or levitation, is part of the Friendship branch. As well as teleportation magic, though that is quite difficult, and another section that is regulated closely. Teleportation - while extremely powerful and versatile - leaves a distinct trail, unique to that pony’s magical signature, so using it for more nefarious means is easily detected and tracked.”

“Wow,” Doug remarks as they near Sugarcube Corner, a wry smile at Twilight Sparkle walking next to him, “It’s like you’ve realized that I twist all of these spells to the ways that they can be abused, and preempt my comments. Though ‘regulated’ is still a bit of a nebulous term.”

Twilight Sparkle shrugs, “Well, a lot of these situations are covered by the classes, especially the advanced ones, at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. After all, Princess Celestia keeps a close eye on any latent magical talent, those unicorns that are gifted in the Friendship school. It’s an honor to be invited!”

“Yeah, though your brother’s Laughter sounds quite potent, too.” Doug shakes his head, “I mean, the ability to calibrate a city wide shield such that it is impermeable to specific substances? I mean, the utility of such a shield is incredible, to say nothing of the combat applications!”

“That’s another thing,” Twilight Sparkle says with a frown, turning her head slightly to glare at Doug, “You go to the deadliest applications of the spells, too. And not just the mundane ‘kill one pony by choking their carotid artery with telekinesis’ that every foal is taught to be extremely careful to avoid and is punishable by a minimum of dehorning. Are you really that worried about Nightmare Moon returning, or is there something else?”

Doug stops just outside Sugarcube corner, his hand inches away from the door. He stays there for several seconds before he shakes his head as he opens the door, “I would say that it’s more a human thing. We tend to be much more used to trying to abuse - or, to put it in a less poorly sounding way, maximize - every opportunity available to us. Very useful when your opponent is doing the same thing. I guess it’s a hard habit to break.” He sighs, “I try to limit it around here, but I guess I get excited too.”

The two enter Sugarcube corner, looking around at the mostly empty tables. The lunch rush hasn’t started yet, only Applejack and Rainbow Dash resting their heads against one of the booths in the back. A plate of delicious looking muffins, half eaten, is between the two snoozing ponies.

Pinkie Pie pronks up and down behind the counter, more than a little excited to see them, “Hiya Twilight! Oh, and Doug! How did your date go?”

Doug laughs as Twilight Sparkle shakes her head, slightly taken aback by the assertion. Doug says, “It wasn’t a date, Pinkie. Just two friends hanging out. Together. Alone.” He pauses for a second, “I’ll take a glass of pear juice and your choice of sandwich.”

“Okay!” Pinkie Pie says with a sly smile and wink, “I’ve got another batch of Applejack’s muffins coming up, if you’d like those as well!” Pinkie Pie says, whipping up a quick sandwich as she speaks. Doug nods as Pinkie Pie says, motioning to the stack of muffins on the counter, “Or you can take a free sample!”

“Daffodils for me!” Twilight adds, reaching for the bits stashed in her saddlebags. She glances over at Doug, looking up and down his body for where he keeps his bits. The coins, of course. Not spotting any she says, “Would you like me to pay for you?”

“Are you suuure it isn’t a date?” Pinkie Pie smirks as she slides over a plate of muffins, a cheese and spinach sandwich, and a daffodil sandwich.

“Only if you want to,” Doug says with a smile as he takes his two plates in one hand, Twilight Sparkle’s in the other. “I just keep a tab here instead of carrying coins everywhere, since Pinkie Pie and the Cakes are pretty close. They don’t mind, and just pull it out of her paycheck. If I do need money, for something else, I just head to Rarity or Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy is a bit out of the way, but available.”

“I don’t mind at all!” Twilight Sparkle says with a grin - at least the cheese on his sandwich is in slice form and not one of those towering catastrophes Pinkie Pie sometimes makes - and levitates over enough bits to include a small tip. Twilight Sparkle follows Doug to Applejack’s booth while Pinkie Pie returns a smile as she turns to the next customer, the store beginning to get a little crowded.

“Gummy worms?” Doug asks as he lifts one of the cupcakes to his mouth, a sniff of the delicious baked goods. “Sour gummy worms!” He takes another bite, happily chewing.

Applejack stirs looking over and chuckling. “Yeah, Ah was a little tired when Pinkie Pie was asking me about adding flour and wheat germ. Ah thought she meant sour and worms! After she asked me where the flour was, and Ah didn’t know, she was all, like, ‘best idea EVER!’ So we threw them together, and she thought it might actually turn out decent.” Her mouth involuntarily scowls, though she quickly turns it back to a smile. “Let me know what you think!”

“They’re very good,” Doug says, offering one to Twilight Sparkle, which she bites into with a bit of a grimace. “Don’t like it?”

“It’s quite sour,” Twilight Sparkle says, her mouth puckering up. She slides the rest of the muffin back, Doug finishing it off with a grin. “I’d like to keep my taste buds, thank you.”

“Good day!” greets Rarity as she walks up to the booth, a plate of muffins levitating behind her. Her mane is tucked under a large yellow hat, the same color as the pegasus next to her. Spike has managed to finagle another ride, happily sitting on the unicorn’s back and eating a strawberry ice cream cone, matching the pegasus’ mane.

“Hello!” says Fluttershy with a smile, standing next to Doug and nuzzling his side. His hand comes up to rub her mane as she takes a bite of one of the muffins. She chews, and chews, her mouth occasionally puckering before she forces it back to a neutral smile. “New recipe?” she chokes out after she swallows.

“Oh, come now, it ain’t that bad,” Applejack retorts, taking one of the muffins on the plate between her and Rainbow. She goes to scarf it down except that her hoof hesitates inches from her muzzle. She huffs, finally forcing the sour treat and chewing. “Shee?” she says, bits of muffin spilling from her mouth.

“I will hoof it to Pinkie Pie, she is quite the salespony when she has a lot of product to unload,” Rarity says, glancing at the line of ponies, many of whom leave with at least two muffins, and not just free samples.

Rainbow Dash sleepily looks over, grabbing a muffin for herself and mechanically chewing the baked tart. “Hey, wasn’t there supposed to be a party?”

“Did somepony ask for a PARTY?” Pinkie Pie asks, her head jutting up from the cushions between Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle.

“Hey!” Davenport yells, pointing a hoof at the grilled cheese sandwich Pinkie Pie had been working on, now getting burned on the stove.

“Oops!” yells Pinkie Pie, disappearing back under the cushions and serving up the now completed sandwich. “Wait, don’t forget your muffins!”

“Ah thought we did that yesterday, after Ah got that trophy for saving the town,” Applejack says, shaking her head. “And then, after Big Mac pointed out that we missed a spot-”

“I think you mean you missed an orchard,” groans Rainbow Dash, stretching across the table and grabbing Doug’s sandwich out of his hands. Doug easily reaches across the table to smack Rainbow by flicking one of her ears down, though it doesn’t stop her from taking a bite. “Mine.” She points to one of the muffins, “Nopony else likes those, eat them,” getting a glare from Applejack, though the earth pony doesn’t say anything.

Spike jumps onto the booth and takes one of the muffins, smiling at the taste. He glances over at the trash can by the entrance, nearly overflowing with gummy worm topped muffins, only half of which have a bite taken out. He hops back down, returning with several trays worth.

“Score!” Doug says excitedly as he grabs one of the muffins Spike offers, Applejack rolling her eyes.

“Spike!” Twilight Sparkle says, glaring at the dragon across from her. “You don’t know where those have been!”

“Eh,” Spike says, rubbing his tummy and smiling, “Still delicious.”

Twilight stares outside of Sugarcube Corner as she huffs, raising an eyebrow as she spots a blue unicorn mare dragging a wooden wagon to the town center. The rest of the mares soon follow Twilight’s gaze, watching as the unicorn mare undoes the straps one by one. She steps out of her harness, moving around to the side of the wagon where she enters through one of the doors.

“You know who that is?” Doug asks, the rest of the ponies shaking their heads. Even Pinkie Pie pronks over, the line for lunch mysteriously empty, rubbing a hoof on her chin. Her eyes light up at the prospect of throwing a party for the newcomer to Ponyville.

They watch her exit the wagon, dropping down a sign that reads:

The Great And Powerful

TRIXIE

Performing for Your Entertainment

At The Greatest Magic Show in Equestria!

Today Only!

“Well, I guess that answers that question,” Doug says as they read the sign. “And my next one. And, from the looks of it, Pinkie Pie’s as well.”

“Aww,” pouts Pinkie Pie, dejected at the last line. “I thought reading was supposed to be fun!”

“Reading is fun!” Twilight Sparkle automatically answers, though her eyes narrow at the top line. “I wonder what makes her the great and powerful?”

Snips and Snails stop making a beeline to Sugarcube Corner, turning and standing in awe at Trixie as she continues setting up her stage.

“Hey, shouldn’t they be in school?” Doug remarks, pointing at the colts.

“Nah, they like to come here for lunch, get some ice cream, that sort of thing,” Pinkie Pie says.

“Hey, speaking of ice cream.” Spike looks up at Pinkie Pie, rubbing his stomach.

“You’ll ruin your figure and get a tummyache.” Twilight Sparkle shakes her head.

“Aww, you never let me have any ice cream,” Spike pouts.

Twilight Sparkle points a hoof at the doorway, “You were eating ice cream when you came in here!”

Spike folds his arms in front of him, “Yeah, ‘cause I got it from Rarity!”

Twilight Sparkle glares at Rarity, the unicorn offering a sheepish smile in return. Outside Sugarcube Corner the two colts run up to Trixie, wide eyed as they look at a few of the fireworks she is setting up.

“Who are you?!” Snips exclaims, staring directly past the sign Trixie has set up.

Trixie is only momentarily taken aback, quickly spinning around and flourishing a cape she pulled out of nowhere. “Why, I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!” She motions to the sign literally standing next to her, her annoyance only slightly showing through her cheery facade. “I will be performing later today, and TODAY ONLY!”

“Wooow!” “Cool!”

“Yes!” Trixie says, a nod at the two, “It is cool! Go tell your friends!”

“Okay!” yells Snips, turning to scamper off.

“But what will we tell them?” says Snails, a dumbfounded look on his face.

Trixie stares at Snails for just a brief second, “That… the Great and Powerful Trixie will be performing later today? And she will regale everypony with stories of her feats of magic! Such as, the time she vanquished the dreaded URSA MAJOR!!”

The two colts shout, “COOL!!” as they run back towards the schoolhouse. Trixie watches them with a smile before she goes back to setting up her show.

Doug whispers to Applejack, “What’s an ursa major?”

Applejack shrugs while Rainbow Dash says, “Giant purple bear, lives in the Everfree Forest. Extremely resistant to magic and physical force, since they can phase.” She looks around as everypony stares at her, “What? They’re a huge threat! Like, C-Level! Avoid at all costs, or attempt to distract away from habitable areas as a last resort!”

“Sometimes Ah forget you have to keep an eye on those creatures approaching Ponyville,” Applejack says with a smile.

“Yeah,” Doug says, his voice slightly strained, nervously glancing towards the Everfree Forest and shuddering. “So, what’s a magic show? Since, you know, you have actual magic here. Is it like a talent show, where you show off what you can do?”

“Well, maybe we can all watch her!” Twilight Sparkle says as Trixie finishes setting up, a horde of youngsters trailed by adults following Snips and Snails.

38 The Jester, Part Three

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“Come One, Come All!” announces Trixie in a loud voice, the unicorn now adorned with a purple cape nearly fully covering her body and large hat, both patterned with white and yellow stars. She struts around Ponyville Center, drawing more and more attention to the stage she is quickly constructing. She drapes a blue curtain several feet in front of and across the wagon with a flourish, a few horns blaring as they pop out of the side.

“In just ten minutes, you will all be able to witness The Great and Powerful Trixie’s stupendous feats of magic! Her jaw dropping abilities! The proof that she is the Most Powerful unicorn in all of Equestria!”

Trixie stops briefly as she spots Doug, Spike, and five mares leaving Sugarcube Corner. She quickly regains her composure as she paces back and forth, minor fireworks going off around her as a few ornaments depicting stars and moons pop up above the curtain. Her eyes continue flicking back to him, sizing him up, straying especially long on his lower half. She smirks to herself before turning again to the crowd, a quick bow before she disappears behind the curtain.

The seven move up to the front of the stage, getting good spots, though Doug sits down so as to not tower above and block everypony’s view. He barely notices as a hooded Trixie dashes out from the back of her wagon, moves to a couple of the merchant’s stalls, chats with a few of the mares as she purchases some items, and quickly returns to the wagon. Lights flash from inside, many of the ponies chatting excitedly.

The crowd around continues to grow, Sugarcube Corner seeing a lot of business. About ten minutes later Pinkie Pie hangs up a sign with prices and a box for money, a large assortment of baked goods on display, coming to join the herd as Trixie takes to the stage. The blue unicorn basks in the adoration as the crowd cheers, all smiles and cocky glances around.

“Welcome, Welcome, Everypony! You are all here to bear witness to The Great and Powerful Trixie’s astonishing performance! The amazing magic! The spectacular feats that will astound and confound even the most brilliant among you! For none is as varied, as powerful, as talented as the pony standing in front of you today!” Trixie bows, a few fireworks going off above and behind her.

“My, my, my. What boasting!” Rarity says disdainfully, a bit of a glare at Trixie.

“There’s nothing wrong with being talented,” Twilight Sparkle says sheepishly, glancing down at the ground and scratching at the dirt with a hoof. “Is there?”

“Ah, come on,” Doug says, a smile plastered on his face, rubbing Rarity’s mane and drawing a glare from the unicorn. “It’s just an act. Go with it!” He claps his hands as Trixie continues playing to the crowd, many getting more excited while others seem a little turned off at the continued showboating.

“For before you is the one, the only pony to have ever defeated an Ursa Major!” Trixie’s horn lights, the outline of an enormous blue bear and a smaller blue pony about one fourth the length clad in a hat and cape appearing. The pony image waves a wand in its hoof, the bear exploding into blue sparks.

“Exactly.” Applejack snorts, “Nothing wrong with being talented, ‘cept when somepony goes around, showing it off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons.”

“What?” Doug says, raising an eyebrow. “You show off your rodeo skills every year. Yesterday you got a trophy for saving the town using those skills.” He pokes her in the side, “I’ve seen your wall.” Applejack huffs, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash says, a hint of a smirk breaking through her frown at the boasting, “Especially when you’ve got me around being more talented than the rest of us!” Applejack chuckles along with the rest of the herd as they turn back to Trixie. The unicorn looks around, a little miffed at the lack of positive reaction, aside from a few of the colts cheering loudly. “Besides, that image? That was an Ursa Minor. Unless she got the size difference really wrong.”

Doug ruffles Rainbow Dash’s mane, his other hand going to his mouth. An ear piercing whistle rings out, more than half the crowd turning to watch the human as he claps louder. Trixie glances around, a little shocked at the noise, but her smile instantly returns when she spots the source.

“Well, it looks like we have A Single stalwart stallion among you! At least one somepony willing to put The Great and Powerful Trixie’s magic to the test!” Trixie beckons to Doug, the human looking around as if to say, ‘me?’ Trixie nods, “Come now; you aren’t afraid, are you?”

Doug backs up slightly, though he can’t keep the grin off his face.

“Aww, are you a little shy?” Trixie says, her grin beaming reassuringly, turning to the crowd. “Let’s give him a little encouragement, shall we?”

Trixie disappears behind the curtain as the crowd stomps their hooves, Doug excitedly getting to his feet and climbing onto the stage, the wooden boards creaking underneath him. Trixie reappears with a wheeled wooden box, barely large enough to hold a medium sized pony. Three holes are cut out of the right side and two on the left. A painted line runs down the middle, where the box is made to come apart.

Trixie wheels the box around the front of the stage, splitting it in half to show a large hole, just big enough for a pony’s barrel. She sticks one hoof through on both sides, showing that the box is empty, light streaming through from the two or three open holes on the other side. The audience watches closely, their anticipation growing, as Trixie climbs all the way into one side of the box, waving at them though the hoof-holes before repeating the motion on the other side.

“Now, many of you may have seen this trick before,” she says loudly as she closes the box back up, wheeling it next to Doug. “But now, before you all, The Great and Powerful Trixie will perform this trick as never before!”

Trixie motions to Doug, “My lovely new assistant,” her hoof raising and lowering.

“Doug!” he says with a smile, reaching and grasping her hoof. She quickly pumps it up and down, returning a grin and nod.

“Doug!” Trixie announces, the ponies in the crowd cheering along, the Apple herd being exceptionally boisterous.

The back wall of the box opens up, Doug moving behind it. Trixie whispers to him as he climbs in, “There wasn’t time to get a larger box, but you should fit. Watch the back, don’t push too hard against it.”

“Got it,” Doug whispers back, climbing into the right half of the box. His head squeezes through the middle hole, facing the sky, his hands able to squeeze through the holes cut out for where a normal pony’s forelegs would be. He gives a wave to the audience, many of the young fillies waving back to him.

“Now, your hind legs,” Trixie says as she walks to the front of the stage. Her horn lights, a large guillotine shaped blade appearing above the box. She continues focusing on the blade as the toes of one foot leave the box, though he gets stuck on the heel. “Almost there,” Trixie says, the blade above nearly complete. The foot pops through, the toes facing the sky, Trixie turning her attention from the shining blade above to the leg hole. “And now the other one,” she says, the second foot coming through much quicker.

Trixie motions to Doug, the audience stomping their hooves politely. She turns back to the crowd, Rainbow Dash looking especially fearful, saying, “Now, this is a very special blade crafted by the one and only Great and Powerful Trixie! This trick has only ever done with ponies, but the concept is the same.” She motions to the center of the box, where it had split in half before, “I will use this blade to cut Doug in half!” The audience gasps, Trixie looking at Doug. “Are you ready?”

“This isn’t going to hurt, is it?” Doug asks fearfully, his eyes unable to tear away from the magical blade.

“Well, I only ever get one complaint.” Trixie pauses as Doug squirms. She adds, “Per pony,” as the blade comes down.

“What?” Doug yells as the box is bisected, Trixie dragging the two compartments away from each other. He flinches, watching the box with his feet get pulled away from him, a mournful gaze at his lost appendages.

“Hey, that time had less screaming than most!” Trixie bows as the audience stomps their hooves, quickly quieting down.

“Nooo! Doug!” Rainbow Dash despondently wails, her hooves going to her mane. Applejack can’t hold back her grin as she whacks Rainbow Dash on the head with a hoof, the pegasus returning a sly smile.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie takes it back,” Trixie exclaims, rolling her eyes as the audience laughs. She pushes the boxes around the stage, the audience stomping along with the beat of her hooves as she makes a complete circle. “This is a very special blade, you see,” she says as both boxes move around, a blurred cross-section of Doug’s abdomen visible on the inside wall of each. “For, despite being cut in twain, Doug still retains full control over his lower half!”

“What?” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, shaking her head from side to side. “That’s scientifically impossible!” Many ponies nod along, incredulous murmurs spreading among the crowd.

“Now,” Trixie says as she slows down her pace around the stage, the crowd watching intently, “I believe there are still a few neigh-sayers among you. Doug, can you please wiggle your left hoof?”

“Easily!” Doug says, his left hand waving to the crowd.

“No, no, no!” Trixie says, shaking her head and spinning around to face away from Doug. She looks back at him, winking as she points to her cutie mark, though it is covered by her cape, “Your other left hoof!" She gives a sultry shake of her flank, "The hind one!”

“Um, sure?” Doug says, trying to look past the box around him. Trixie notices, wheeling the boxes so that Doug can see his feet.

The right foot wiggles back and forth.

“I said your left hoof!” Trixie calls out, the audience laughing along. “Don’t tell me I messed up the spell!” Trixie glares up at her large magical blade as she stomps over to the box. She shrugs, “Well, at least The Great and Powerful Trixie has a solution for such a problem!” The blade levitates over, raising above the left foot.

“Wait, let me try again!” Doug yells as Trixie prepares to chop the offending foot off. He strains again, his right foot wiggling back and forth, the audience laughing.

Trixie sighs, the motion of the foot ceasing. She spins the boxes so that Doug can’t see his feet any more, “One more test, then.” Trixie levitates a feather, holding it up for all the crowd to see.

Doug shakes his head, hands and feet squirming as he tries to escape the box. “No! I’ll do anything!”

“Anything, you say?” Trixie says, a hoof going to her chin. “All you have to do, then, is tell me which hoof I’m tickling.” She raises the feather to his left foot, though doesn’t start tickling yet. A few of the foals call out “Left!”, Trixie raising a hoof to her mouth, a loud, “Shhhh.”

“What was that?” Doug yells, contorting his head to hold a hand to his ear, Snips and Snails yelling, ‘Left!’ louder. “I didn’t quite get that!”

Before the colts can yell again Trixie tickles the left foot. Doug squirms back and forth, visibly holding back his laughter until he yells, “Right! Right foot!”

“Ugh!” Trixie exclaims as the feather drops to the ground. “So, if you try to move your left hoof, you move your right hoof? And if I tickle your left hoof, you think it’s your right hoof?” Trixie lets loose a loud sigh before she shakes her head, her horn and blade winking out. “On second thought, I’m afraid I can’t do anything. This might even be too much for The Great and Powerful Trixie! You’ll have to live the rest of your life with three left hooves!”

“Nooo!” Doug wails, mimicking Rainbow Dash as he tries to get his hands to his head. The pegasus in question rolls her eyes, blowing a bit of mane out of her eyes as she crosses her forelegs in front of her.

“Don’t worry,” Trixie says, walking over to Doug’s head and stroking his short hair. “It can’t be any worse than that mare. She obviously has four left hooves, and she’s… um… alive.” Trixie points to the front of the stage, at a certain purple unicorn.

All eyes turn to Twilight Sparkle, the mare madly undulating around as she consults different pages of paper swirling around her, muttering, “It’s not possible. How is it possible? What did I miss?”

Trixie’s horn lights again, the two halves of the box rejoining. Trixie draws her horn up to the middle of the box, a light shining from within. “Our only hope is that by cancelling the spell, you shall regain your normal functionality!”

“But I could have learned!” Doug cries out, his hands feebly shaking from the holes. “It would have been so cool!”

“You may be right,” Trixie says apologetically, her horn staying lit as she levitates the feather. “But, as I have already undone the spell, we must see if it worked. Doug, can you remove your left hoof from the box?”

The crowd watches as Doug strains, his left foot squirming around until it slips back into the box.

“Success!” Trixie says with a bow, the crowd stomping along. “Now, the right one!”

Trixie turns, everypony watching as the right hoof also exits the box. Her horn winks out, dropping the feather behind the stage. She turns, walking behind the box and raising the back wall with her hooves. Trixie comes back around the right side as Doug pulls his hands, then his head out of the holes. He stretches as he stands up, walking on shaky legs next to Trixie.

“Thank you, Doug!” Trixie calls; both take a bow, the crowd stomping along the loudest they have been so far. Trixie’s horn lights, a bouquet of six roses - red, orange, yellow, white, blue, purple - appears from thin air.

Doug takes the flowers, a grateful nod to Trixie, and drops down to rejoin the mares. He gives each one the flower matching their coat, tucking it behind their ear. Rainbow Dash nuzzles Doug as he sits down, “I knew you were okay!” Doug gives Rainbow Dash a scratch behind her ears as Trixie continues with her performance.

Twilight Sparkles pulls out the pieces of paper she had been scribbling on, notes on how the trick could have worked spread out in front of her. Twilight Sparkle whispers in a rushed tone to Doug, “How did she do it? That sort of spell should be impossible! The ability to reconnect all the nerves in your upper half to your lower half, in an instant with no discernible output of magic? That’s impossible!”

Doug points to the notes, “I’ll say this much. That isn’t how it worked.” Doug taps the side of his nose with a finger, “And, a magician never reveals their secrets.”

39 The Jester, Part Four

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“Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Doug, and Spike all walk into Sugarcube Corner.”

“Ouch!”

“Pinkie Pie,” Doug groans, “That joke wasn’t funny the first time you told it either.”

“Aww, come on,” Pinkie Pie huffs, shaking her head, “You just don’t know comedy. And my jokes are way funnier than Trixie’s, anyway.”

“I don’t know,” Doug chuckles, glancing at Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn still has a mass of papers swirling around her, struggling through how Trixie’s trick worked. And getting nowhere. “I thought the four left hooves joke was pretty good.”

“Okay, I’ll grant you that,” Pinkie Pie says, grabbing the box full of bits and table empty of baked goods and dragging it inside. “But that was, like, the only original joke she told! Most of her jokes sounded rehearsed.”

“That’s because it’s a routine.” Doug grabs one of the gummy muffins, many of the baked tarts miraculously still remaining. “She probably performs a variation on that show in every town she comes to. Most likely, her shows later today are probably going to be a whole new host of jokes and acts. Maybe she’ll try out some new material on some of those shows, when she has a better grip on the audience.”

“She did stop puffing herself up as much once she saw the grumbling,” Applejack says. She sighs at the coming admission, “And, Ah’ll admit, she had some… reasonable skills with a rope. For a unicorn.” Applejack twists her tail up and around, lifting her Stetson and grabbing the rope from underneath, “Still don’t beat mah roe-de-oh skills, but she gets credit for trying.”

“And thank you for not trying to show her up,” Doug says with an eye roll, “even if I did have to hold you down.”

“She just assumed Ah had a rope on me! Ah mean, Ah did, and maybe underneath my hat ain’t the most secure of locations, but still.” Applejack pouts, rubbing her mane just underneath her Stetson, “At least buy me dinner first.”

“Please, your rope was the least of the thunder she stole.” Rainbow Dash grabs a muffin from Doug, “I mean, not many unicorns can pull off small-scale weather manipulation. But moving clouds around is a pegasus thing!” She quiets down a little bit, “The lightning bolt was a cool addition. Not that I’ve ever done that.”

Rarity looks over at Pinkie Pie, noticing the white rose around the earth pony’s ear that used to be red. She asks, “Pinkie Pie, did you take my flower?” The pink earth pony reaches up and grabs the white rose from her ear, frowning at what used to be a red that nearly matched her coat. The white rose around Rarity’s ears levitates up, the unicorn releasing an understanding, “Ahh.” She replaces her rose, “She must have used Loyalty to change the color. Very impressive, for a unicorn whose talents appear to be Generosity.” Rarity looks to the other roses, her eyes flashing white. “She didn’t change the other roses? Hmm, maybe a Friendship specialty?”

“Definitely a Friendship specialist,” Twilight Sparkle says as she drops her papers on one of the booths, her forelegs pressed into her skull as she stares. “All of the pyrotechnics were premade, and she merely pulled the trigger to set them off. She levitated the feather with ease, same with the rope. Conjuring a cloud is Friendship, but the lightning bolt is Generosity. However, by conjuring a cloud that is already primed, you can get by with modest effort. Teleportation of the flowers is Friendship, but the recolor is Loyalty. Impressive that the spell lasted for thirty minutes, if it isn’t her specialty.”

“Pretty sure she bought the other flowers colored to match our coats; I saw her run out to a couple of the vendors just before the show started.” Doug glances over at Pinkie Pie as she works the store by herself, “Maybe she didn’t realize Pinkie Pie was with us until just before the act started, resulting in the hasty recolor. Still, quite the variety of talents.”

“I thought her story of the Ursa Major was too violent,” Fluttershy says, shaking her head. “That poor bear!”

“Eh, that was a load of… made up,” Rainbow Dash says, looking at a group of foals entering the store. “I mean, one pony can distract an Ursa Minor, maybe. But to out-fight a Major? By yourself? Please. She’s missing a set of wings to do that.” Rainbow Dash flexes her own wings, strutting around like she could defeat an Ursa Major.

“Yeah, she did sound a bit orange to me,” Applejack says, the others looking at her quizzically. “Ah mean, like she knew what she was saying ain’t the whole truth, but it had one or two kernels in there.”

“Just like any good storyteller,” Doug says, rubbing into Applejack’s mane. “She embellishes some parts to make a better story.”

“But it weren’t just some parts. But, anyway, the foals were entertained, at least. So Ah guess it’s okay. Ain’t like any of them are going to use that as practical Ursa fighting techniques.” Applejack nuzzles Doug before she gets up. “Anyhow, Ah gotta get back to the farm. Rainbow, you coming with?”

Rainbow Dash snorts, “After your ‘just a couple trees’ turned out to be a quarter acre? Sorry, Miss Orange, but I've got a few of my own jobs to take care of.” Rainbow Dash stretches her wings, “And I need to get my wings back in top shape. At least Doug likes a mare with nice, toned legs.” She backs up, pushing her rump into Doug.

“Yes, Rainbow, your legs are great,” Doug says, giving each side a squeeze. He slaps her on the flank, “Now, go on, you’re making Fluttershy jealous.”

“Oh, um…” Fluttershy says, trying to hide her envious glare. “I just, um.”

Doug sighs as he grabs onto the yellow pegasus, pulling her rump next to him. “Better?”

“Much!” Fluttershy says, grinning back at Doug. She turns back to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, waving and saying, “Congratulations, you two, on making it through Applebuck Season in one piece. See you later!”

“Later, ‘Shy!” Rainbow Dash says as she flies out, Applejack tilting her Stetson and walking out of Sugarcube Corner.

Rarity tears her eyes away from Pinkie Pie’s white rose, “Hmm, maybe I should ask Trixie about her color magic. It would be very useful for finding the best color combinations, without having to craft a second version. As an Honesty specialist myself I’ve had to work hard on training my Friendship, to get my telekinesis up the point where I am now. I’ve never attempted Loyalty, except when using a few of those essence gemstones. And that barely even qualifies!”

“Maybe I can help!” Twilight Sparkle grins, shooting a beam of magic and turning Pinkie Pie’s flower pink. “See?”

“That’s very impressive, Twilight!” Rarity smiles, “We should definitely swap spells; maybe you can make use of my gem finding spell? A multi-discipline master like you should have no trouble with it!” She glances up at the sky, a slight frown, “Maybe another time, as I should be heading back to the Boutique. I'll probably have a run on purple hats and capes." She frowns, "The filly sized novelty ones. Alas, the curse of a bottom line. Have a good day!”

“Mind if I come with?” Spike says, rubbing his stomach. “See if you have any ice cream left?”

“You told me that we were out!” Rarity says, frowning as she leaves the store. “Now who’s a little orange?”

“Aww, come on!” Spike says, chasing after her. “I said you might be out!”

Fluttershy pulls her flanks away from Doug’s kneading hands, a light kiss for her stallion before she too exits the store. Doug moves over to Twilight Sparkle’s booth as Pinkie Pie heads to the kitchen to start a whole new set of pastries baking. He looks at the notes, “So, still working on that, huh?”

“Obviously,” drawls a small brown unicorn doll wearing black robes, popping out from between the cushions of the booth.

“Aah!” screams Twilight, pushing away from the doll as it shakes its black mane.

“Oh, there you are!” exclaims Pinkie Pie, appearing from the next booth over. She grabs the doll and tosses the silently screaming toy into her mane. “I wondered where I put that!” Pinkie Pie pronks back to the kitchen, a harsh interrogation taking place behind closed doors.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Doug says to the hyperventilating unicorn. “Unless…”

“Come to life spell!” Twilight Sparkle shouts, her horn flaring and a stack of blank pages teleporting in front of her. “How did I not see it? All she has to do is animate your severed limbs using a come to life spell! Possibly imbued into the magical blade that she created. Ooh, but the creation of the blade was almost pure Friendship. There wasn’t enough Loyalty present for the complex motions your feet went through!” Twilight Sparkle begins tearing at her mane again, now looking even more frazzled.

Doug says, “And it doesn’t explain how I retained tactile sense of the foot, or why the spell reversed the connection between myself and my feet.”

“Well, the second part could be a botched version of the spell. Or, it could be intentionally botched for comedic effect.” Twilight Sparkle sighs resignedly, shaking her head, “I should have known. There is only one possible solution remaining.”

“Oh?”

Twilight Sparkle nods resolutely, “Princess Celestia took the form of a traveling magician, performed this show, knowing that I would be there. She introduced this trick, knowing I would be unable to concentrate on anything else until I unraveled the mystery underneath. Having eliminated every other possibility, I am forced to confront the only one remaining.” Twilight Sparkle grits her teeth, “I shall be sure to include this in my next Friendship Report to the Princess, informing her of my perception of her deception.”

Doug clamps down on his tongue to keep from blurting out the correct answer. He finally asks, trying to keep his sarcastic bite from breaking through, “Has that ever been the right answer to a question?”

“Once. And Princess Celestia said it was to keep me on the tips of my hooves.” Twilight Sparkle glares, “I should have known! And she said she forgave me for turning her cakes to potted plants all those years ago!” Twilight Sparkle shakes her hooves at the ceiling, “I just got my cutie mark! I was turning everything into potted plants! And it was totally Shiny’s fault, anyway!”

The bell above the door jingles, Twilight Sparkle and Doug looking over to see Trixie, devoid of hat and cape, enter the building. Trixie smirks at the pile of papers still next to Twilight, the purple unicorn glancing back at them and returning a sheepish look. The blue unicorn gloats, “I see you’re still working through how The Great and Powerful Trixie managed to pull off that particular trick?”

“Give it up, Princess!” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, pointing a hoof at Trixie. “I know your secrets!”

Trixie turns to Doug with a dumbfounded look, the human covering his face with both hands. “Is she okay?”

“That depends on what your definition of ‘is’ is,” Doug says, removing his hands and smiling. “Done greeting your adoring fans?”

“Most of them,” Trixie replies, a smile and wink at Doug. Trixie turns back to Twilight Sparkle and her accusing glare. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not Princess Celestia.”

“Luna?” Twilight Sparkle guesses, snorting at the shake of the head. “Cadance?”

“Still no.” Trixie sighs, shooing off Twilight Sparkle with a hoof. “Wouldn’t you like to figure this out somewhere else?”

“No thanks, I’m good,” Twilight Sparkle says, going back to her notes. She turns back to Trixie, “You aren’t lying, are you?”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie wouldn’t say whether or not she is, as watching you squirm is more entertaining.” Trixie turns to Doug, “So, did you enjoy the performance?”

“I thought it was amazing, truly lived up to your name,” Doug says, smiling and nodding. He claps three times, “Bravo.”

Trixie smiles at Doug seductively, stepping a little closer, “The Great and Powerful Trixie made considerably more this last performance than she normally does, and wishes to repay a bit of that to such a spectacular assistant.” She winks at him, “How would you like a private magic show?”

Twilight Sparkle pipes up, “I’d like a private magic show!”

40 The Jester, Part Five

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Doug stares at Trixie from his seat at the table, his surprise fortunately covered by Twilight Sparkle’s… suggestion. Did he want this? Trixie is attractive, aside from the arrogant personality. Maybe some stallions find that confidence, that self-assuredness, enticing. But, much like the rest of the mares in the herd, Doug finds it fairly off-putting. A persona, not the real thing. Maybe he was wrong about it being just a stage personality, but she did just finish a performance.

Trixie turns to Twilight Sparkle, her eyes tracing up and down and slowly inspecting the eager unicorn. The mare has completely removed herself from her notes at the table, instead almost subserviently standing at attention. A wide, innocent smile covers her muzzle, though it is starting to fade at the delay in Trixie’s reaction. The purple rose still sits behind her ear, a jaunty reminder. Maybe she isn’t as naive as she seems, but Trixie has not met that good an actor before. And she is cute, in an innocent sort of way. Trixie can work with this.

Doug turns his body to look at Twilight Sparkle; does she have a clue as to what she is inviting herself to? Judging by her carefree smile, the complete lack of blush? Probably, scratch that, definitely not. And that makes it less exciting for him, not more; he doesn’t want to trick her into something like this. Would Twilight Sparkle have volunteered for this if she knew what she is getting into?

“This wouldn’t be the first time Trixie has… invited a herdmate along,” Trixie slowly says, glancing back at Doug. He seems to be just as in shock as her - likely she’s the shy, reserved one normally - before her gaze returns to Twilight Sparkle. “What makes you think you are worthy of The Great and Powerful Trixie’s attention?”

Doug nearly raises an eyebrow; no wonder Trixie had given him a purple rose along with the other colors. It made sense, at least, that she thought that he is involved with each of them, since they exited the store and sat together. Was a herdmate coming along for the ‘show’ really that uncommon? Maybe to make sure the stallion isn’t abused? Or because they enjoy seeing their stallion dominate another mare? Though, in this case, he can easily see Trixie as the dominatrix type. Maybe they enjoy that, too.

“Herdmate?” Twilight Sparkle says, shaking her head at the assertion, though both Trixie and Doug glance to the rose still behind her ear. “I just wanted another chance to see, um, the great Trixie in action?” Her wide smile returns, a brief glance at Trixie’s horn and gray-blue mane.

“That’s ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie!’, if you think you are ready for all of the action,” Trixie says with a sly smirk, realizing that Twilight Sparkle is both not in a steady relationship with Doug and clueless about the direction of the conversation. “But The Great and Powerful Trixie does not think you are ready for anything she will be bringing.” Trixie turns to Doug, pointedly not looking at Twilight, “And Trixie Lulamoon is ready for anything that you can bring.”

Doug’s poker face slips slightly, a bit of a smirk peeking out. After an assertion like that? Applejack wouldn’t say no; he probably wouldn’t even need to get her permission - though, he still would - to pit his earth-pony trained endurance against whoever Trixie has run into along her journeys.

Actually, when he puts it like that, he finds it quite a turn off. Far more than the combative attitude is. Just the fact that she would give away something that intimate for a brief bout of pleasure. And, given how casually she suggested it to him, something she has been doing for a while. No matter what kind of ‘tricks’ she has picked up along the way.

Which, in combination with how Twilight Sparkle is acting, is enough to tip the scales.

“Sorry, Trixie,” Doug says with a heavy sigh, his body pulling away and leaning up against the booth cushion. He tries to keep a somewhat neutral expression, “But I’m not really looking for that.”

“What?” Trixie exclaims, her eyes darting between Twilight Sparkle and Doug. She leans in close, “If she is the problem, then trust me, I can make her disappear.”

“It’s not that,” Doug responds, though he immediately purses his lips. “Well, it is a little. But, I’m not looking for a quick fling.”

“Wait, quick fling?” Twilight Sparkle pipes up, raising an eyebrow. “Are you throwing cards? Juggling pins?”

Doug continues regardless, still facing Trixie, a hint of anger starting to show on the blue unicorn’s face, “If you were looking to join the herd, that would be one thing, but I suspect that’s not something you are terribly interested in.”

Trixie sputters briefly, “You… you’re not?” Trixie follows Doug’s brief glance to Twilight Sparkle, her eyes narrowing. “Are you interested in her?” She points a hoof accusingly at Twilight Sparkle, the purple mare starting to realize what is truly being discussed with the ‘herd’ comment. The short hairs of her mane angrily stand on end at his slight, almost involuntary nod, “The Great and Powerful Trixie is ten times the unicorn she is!”

“And, if I was looking, I want a relationship that will last more than ten times as long.” Doug sighs, folding his hands in front of him, saying apologetically but firmly, “I’m sorry, Trixie. The answer is still no.”

“Suit yourself,” Trixie spits out, storming away from the booth. She turns at the door, shooting daggers at Doug - fortunately for the stallion, only with her eyes - nearly shouting, “Your loss!”

Doug’s hands go out, as if saying, ‘sorry, what do you want me to do?’ though his face belies any real regret.

Trixie slams the door behind her as she storms out of Sugarcube Corner, the bell above jingling merrily. She stomps over to her wagon and slams that door shut as well, the entire stage shaking. Pinkie Pie glances out from the kitchen, immediately going back in when she doesn’t see any customers, though she does glance at Doug and Twilight Sparkle to make sure they’re okay.

“Wait, was there not actually going to be a magic show?” Twilight Sparkle says as she sits back down at the booth, confusion plain in her voice as she stares at the wagon.

“Well, I’m sure there would have been at least one disappearing act,” Doug says cheekily.

Twilight Sparkle reaches across the table and smacks Doug on the arm. “I’m being serious! She was inviting you for sex!”

“Yes, I believe she was,” Doug says, still smirking as he rubs his arm.

“And… and I invited myself along for the sex!” Twilight blushes furiously, her head dropping down to the table. “What kind of mare am I?”

“Naive?” Doug says, pulling his arm away from the retaliatory swing. “Inexperienced? Clueless?”

“I’m not clueless about sex! I happen to have a very… pardon the phrase, intimate understanding of the mechanics behind the physiology!” Twilight Sparkle pouts, staring out the window. “Maybe I miss some of the subtle points when two ponies… start a romantic rendezvous, but I know what happens!” She points a hoof at Doug, “And I saw you and Fluttershy… going at it!”

“Sure, sure,” Doug smirks, trying to find a glass of water or something to hide his smile. A muffin suffices; he says, mouth full of gummy worm, “Any non-dream experience?”

Twilight Sparkle succeeds in smacking Doug’s arm again, “I wouldn’t tell you if I didn’t! Or did!”

Doug merely shrugs, “Suit yourself. Sounds like a ‘no’ to me.”

“Keep believing that,” Twilight Sparkle says, flicking her mane from side to side.

The two sit in silence for a minute, the only sound Doug finishing off two muffins, Twilight Sparkle stewing in her thoughts while Doug has a bemused, satisfied grin. Twilight Sparkle finally says, staring out the window at the wagon, “So, do you not find Trixie attractive?”

“She’s cute enough, physically,” Doug says, shrugging. “Why?”

“Do you find me attractive?” Twilight Sparkle says, turning to fix Doug’s eyes with a harsh glare.

Doug looks up and down Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn blushing slightly as his gaze lingers on her flanks. “Again, you’re cute enough. Mane-style could use a little sprucing up, but that’s you being you. I don’t mind the professional look. Again, why?”

“I’m trying to figure something out,” Twilight Sparkle says with a pointed look away from Doug.

“Something you want help with?” Doug asks, a slight frown at her cold shoulder. “Look, the magic trick was different. You’re not supposed to know how it works, or it ruins the mystery. Figuring it out is the entire point, otherwi-”

“I know that!” spits out Twilight Sparkle, spinning to glare at Doug. “I’m not upset at that!”

“O-okay?” Doug says, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

Twilight Sparkle grabs one of the muffins Doug has in front of him, chucking it at him. Doug doesn’t try to dodge, merely watching the muffin sail past him and smoosh up against the wall, leaving a gummy worm as it topples to the ground with a wet thunk.

Doug’s eyes stop following the muffin as it rolls across the floor, ending up at his feet. His gaze raises to the fuming mare. He meets her eyes for a few seconds before he bends down, picking up the muffin and taking a bite. “Got it,” he says, leaning back against the cushion again.

“You’re impossible,” Twilight Sparkle huffs, dropping down to rest her head in her forelegs.

Doug can’t help himself, “I thought that was the box trick.”

Twilight Sparkle raises one eye to glare at Doug as he takes another bite of the muffin. “Then why didn’t you chase after Trixie?”

“Too arrogant, for one,” Doug says, a bit of a shrug.

“Couldn’t you just hold her mouth shut while you bang her?” Twilight Sparkle offers with a smirk.

Doug nearly chokes on the muffin before he chuckles, nodding his head. “Yes; but, like I said, I’m not looking for a quick fling.” Doug finishes off the muffin, looking at the blank spot in front of him where muffins used to be. “If sex is part of the dating process, fine, but sex for the sake of physical pleasure cheapens the entire experience. If I just want to get off? Well, I’ve got five very willing mares here. Before I met them?” He waggles his hand back and forth, a bit of a sigh, “Maybe I can see the appeal, then. Physically, at least. But emotionally? What a hollow way to live, and anyone stuck in that state deserves pity or reassurance, not condemnation. Hopefully they’ll find somepony eventually.”

Twilight Sparkle stares outside, having looked away at the point when Doug held up his hand. She eventually says, a concerned look on her face, “Do you think I’ll find somepony eventually?”

“Depends how low you’re willing to settle,” Doug says, a slight grin as Twilight Sparkle’s face falls, “But I wouldn’t aim for anything less than the moon.”

“Wait, WHAT?” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, backing out of her seat.

“Oh, jeez,” Doug says, covering his mouth, “That probably means something different here, doesn’t it?” He smiles apologetically, “I should have realized, I’m sorry.”

Twilight Sparkle slowly takes her seat, “Yes. Yes it does. The only reason to aim for the moon used to be to show your loyalty to Princess Celestia, by taking aim at Nightmare Moon. Then it became so overused it became a joke. That the only reason to aim at the moon was because you were so over the top trying to prove your loyalty that you were actually a Nightmare Moon supporter.” Twilight Sparkle pauses, “Actually, with Princess Luna returned, and Nightmare Moon gone? Hmm.”

Doug smiles, “Ah. Thanks. You know, most ponies would have just kept quiet about knowing the meaning behind the phrase. Not wanting to appear a know-it-all.” Twilight Sparkle’s face falls a little more as Doug continues, “And yet you don’t. Because you aren’t like that, you merely want to spread knowledge.” Doug returns his hands to the table, playing with his fingers.

“Are you trying to butter me up?” Twilight Sparkle says, her smile returning, “Because it’s working.”

Doug chuckles, a slight wave of his hand. “Anyway, I use the phrase as an expression meaning, ‘to aim as high as possible’. And, as the saying goes, ‘even if you miss, you’ll end up among the stars.’ Maybe we can reclaim it to mean something positive.”

“Aww, that’s cute. I think Princess Luna would love that.” Twilight Sparkle beams, though it shifts to more of a smirk as she says, “Even if you could also have been referring to Trixie.”

Doug laughs, “Heh, I guess I could have been. I suppose that was the other reason, at least a little. I wouldn’t have wanted our first time to have been like that.”

“Been like what?” Twilight Sparkle says, though she is able to follow Doug’s head shake towards the wagon. “Oh. Really?” She pauses for a brief moment, “You think I would have gone along with the sex just because you and Trixie were, um, getting it on?”

“Maybe? Probably not? Then again, you might have been curious about what it’s like.” Doug shrugs as Twilight Sparkle smiles, “But, even if you didn’t, that expectation would have been formed, that that is the kind of relationship I’m looking for if anything serious started happening between us.”

“Aww,” Twilight Sparkle says, her innocent smile replaced by a sultry grin. She stands up, starting towards the door to Sugarcube Corner and coyly looking behind herself, her tail flicking to the side, “You know, I don’t think I showed you all of the things I can do. How would you like a private magic show?”

“No sex?” Doug says as he gets up.

“No promises,” Twilight Sparkle smirks, winking at Doug as her horn lights, pulling his hand back towards the library.

41 The Jester, Part Six

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The door to the wagon slams shut as Trixie huffs angrily, finally alone and able to let her cheery, unfazed facade drop. The rest of her performances that day hadn’t gone nearly as well as that first one, though still acceptably well, and it’s driving her crazy! None of the other stallions she invited to the stage had nearly the same charisma as that Doug creature, and didn’t warrant the same invitation. Just thinking about him had thrown off her timing, nearly making her drop one of the flaming pins!

Trixie rages back and forth, unable to stop, nearly leaving shoe-marks in the wooden floor from how hard her hooves are coming down. What was his problem? What did that… she shudders in anger as she recalls the name, Twilight Sparkle have that Trixie didn’t?! Or any of the mares that were with him? She had nearly no presence! Nothing like Trixie’s command and control, or her raw beauty! She couldn’t offer anything close to what Trixie could!

Trixie snorts as she recalls Doug’s offer, just like she snorted when she had stormed into her wagon earlier that day. Join his herd? Pah! It was an insult, not an actual invitation! Purely to save face, give him an out, to make him feel better about his rejection!

Well, maybe she had briefly considered it. She hadn’t felt like this before. But she would only have agreed to something like that if he is willing to follow her on her trips. Right? Since a town like Ponyville isn’t nearly large enough to employ a full-time magician. She would have to commute to Canterlot several days of the week! She’d lose her mind if she had to get other jobs, and so far this town is far too earth pony centric, even if it is populated by plenty of pegasi and unicorns.

Wait, why is she even considering this? She loves the life as a performer! And joining with him, settling down? It would ruin everything! She isn’t quite washed up enough to need to settle down. Her hoof nearly knocks over one of her boxes of fireworks as she motions - look at all the bits she made today!

Trixie sighs as she looks outside, her eyes catching the stars and moons above the wagon she has yet to take down. She did miss the stable life she had in Las Pegasus performing with her sire, Jack Pot. But there was only so much room in Grin City for stage magic featuring blue unicorns. So she had struck out, made her way as a travelling performer. And business has always gone well enough to keep herself fed, even if it didn’t do much for her hungry heart.

He isn’t the first stallion to make some sort of offer. Though the stallions she might have thought about accepting the offer from ran few and far between. Granted, she had always tried to select a stallion based on their perceived endurance and ability. Preferably not in a herd, but a few times it had turned out that he was and had to get permission. That always bothered Trixie, but often not enough to keep her from getting a little comfort on the road.

A knock breaks Trixie from her musing. She pulls on her hat and robe, a quick glance in the mirror before she opens the door. She gazes down coldly at the two unicorn colts staring up at her. A curt, “What do you want?” gets both of them to cower just a little. At least something is still going right for her.

“Here’s your smoothie you asked for!” Snails says, motioning to the brown concoction resting on Snips’ back. Only a few hours late. “With extra hay, just how you like it!”

“Mmm, hay,” moans Snips, the overweight colt drooling a little. Fortunately not on the smoothie he is moving close to his own mouth.

Trixie looks down disdainfully, her purple magic levitating the drink. That Pinkie Pie makes a mean smoothie. She slurps down several gulps, then pulls out a brush, beginning to comb out her mane before bed. She looks back down - they are still there.

“Yes?” Trixie finally says.

Snails stares at her with an empty, slack-jawed look, “Ooh, tell us another story, Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“Yeah!” Snips exclaims, far too demanding for what should be a conciliatory request. “Tell us about how you vanquished the Ursa Major!”

“Guh!” Trixie snorts, barely sparing them a glance as she finishes brushing out her mane, “Trixie is far too exhausted from performing feats of magic beyond imagination. Begone with you until morning!” She hides her scowl; they did get her a smoothie, after all. But she does not want to deal with their cringe-inducing groveling right now.

The two kowtowing colts whimper something into the dirt as they back away. They run into that dragon youngling that had been hanging around Doug as Trixie walks back into her wagon with a huff. She lays down on her bed, sipping the last of her smoothie, trying to go to sleep.

Trixie muses to herself; they are dedicated little minions. Though any fillies she has would be brought up to much higher standards. Her own sire never let her relax in her studies, always pushing her to be the Great and Powerful, not the Moderately Talented Wash Up. Wait, fillies? Is she back on this already?

The Apple octet is much better trained, from what she could tell during one of her afternoon shows. Now there is a troupe in the making! Especially that Sweetie Belle, though the filly’s magic isn’t quite up to snuff. Criminal letting that sort of talent go to waste! But did she really want to give up her career as a stage magician? She loves standing in the spotlight, hearing the adoration of the crowd, upstaging those precocious pretenders who think they are oh so great! Not compared to her, The Great and Powerful Trixie!

She restlessly tosses in bed.

Counting the stars on her hat doesn’t help. Or the number of hoofkerchiefs she has tied together, after she added four more for her performances that day.

Neither does playing through her act, rehearsing and improving on some of the jokes. Even the trite ones she is contractually obligated to say. Stupid Flim Flam brothers.

She just needs to get him out of her system. Out of her mind. And there is only one way to do that. She pulls out her record player out from under her bed, blowing the dust off of what used to be her favorite album. Okay, fine, it still is. Tenth Century by the Fallback Fillies, specifically the track It Has’ta Be You.

What an amazing band. The epitome of what every filly band - sorry, vocal harmony group - should aspire to be. And they weren’t just for little colts! How did they manage to capture and encapsulate the experience she is going through? Equestria isn’t ready for those answers.

Her inspiration and motivation ready, and she starts the record, her wagon filling with synthesized guitars and drums. Did she want to skip the first three songs? Definitely not the first, that one always made it right. Maybe just the second and third, she always tears up during those. Even if they speak to the loneliness she is feeling right now.

Halfway through the second chorus of her favorite song - having not skipped any of them - a loud pounding at her door interrupts her frenzied dancing. Trixie huffs loudly, cutting off right after ‘All the way’. She smirks to herself; she will be going all the way. Just after she deals with-

A deafening klaxon rips through the town! The blaring, warbling racket drowns out her record player, leaving her reeling. Trixie grits her teeth, briefly stunned by the unexpected blast of noise as she pushes the top half of her door open. A few pegasi are flitting about randomly, barely illuminated by the town lights against the night sky. On the ground ponies are dashing this way and that, panicking as the ground rumbles intermittently.

“WHAT?” she shouts at the two colts, both of whom are whimpering, ears splayed back, heads turned towards the clock tower the alarm is radiating from. “Trixie thought she said The Great and Powerful Trixie did not want to be disturbed!” She points a hoof at the clock tower, “Did you do that?”

Snips and Snails both nervously laugh, glancing behind themselves, their gaze going higher and higher. “Uh,” Snips says, “we have a tiny problem.”

“Actually!” Snails amends, “It’s a MAJOR problem!” He points a hoof above and behind him.

Trixie’s gaze follows his hoof, gaping as she spots the blue outline of an enraged Ursa Minor. Her record player blares out, “It’s the way you-”

Inside the Golden Oak Library, Twilight Sparkle looks up from her book on Everfree Monsters as the klaxon goes off. An infuriated roar is heard over the alarm, glancing over as Spike dashes through the door. Twilight Sparkle turns to Spike, yelling, “Is that what I think it is?”

“Majorly!” Spike shouts back, running over to Twilight Sparkle. “What do we do?”

“As long as they shut that alarm off, we’ll be fine,” Twilight Sparkle says, quickly grabbing supplies. “And don’t use any non-magical attacks. An Ursa Major is very resistant, nearly immune, to magic. But something physical - like fire - could injure and then enrage it!”

Trixie, Snips, and Snails scream as they bolt away from Trixie’s wagon! The Ursa Minor’s paw comes crashing down - right during the ‘ooh ooh’, the record snapping as the player sputters out in a shower of sparks - roaring as it smashes the wagon to splinters in a single blow! It spins to follow the two colts that awakened it from its slumber, opening its jaws for a second deafening roar.

A sizzle preludes a single sparkler lighting under the blue paw. Then all of Trixie’s fireworks go off, engulfing the Ursa Minor in a sparkling, choking, burning cloud of colored ash and smoke. Seconds later the wagon explodes, the remainder of her pyrotechnics sending chunks of wood flying in every direction!

This merely incites the Ursa Minor further, the injured roar deafening everypony nearby.

A rainbow blur zips across town directly towards the clock tower, her shouting unheard as she turns the alarm off. Rainbow Dash flies to the ponies gathering on the outskirts of the town center, vortexes of colorful smoke billowing in her wake. A few of the ponies rally around Spoiled Rich on one side of the town, Amethyst Star on the other.

“Where’s the librarian?” Mayor Mare shouts as she gallops up to Amethyst Star, both ponies scanning around and trying to keep everypony under control. The Ursa Minor rears up again, a keening call as it looks towards the Everfree Forest and cradles its injured limb. “What should we do?”

“Trixie knows!” Snails shouts, eagerly bouncing up and down despite nearly being crushed earlier. “She defeated an Ursa Major!”

Snips adds, “Yeah, vanquish it! Vanquish it so we can watch, your Greatness!”

“Are you out of your bucking minds?!” Trixie shouts back, crawling out from behind a section of flaming debris. A frying pan slams down next to her, half of a red hoofkerchief attached, the other half burned off. The Ursa Minor spins around, looking for the perpetrator of its latest injury.

“It took a lot of trouble to get that thing here!” Snips continues, Snails nodding along.

“You did this? You lost me my home!” Trixie nearly drops to her barrel, staring at the remains of her wagon, barely paying attention to the smoldering wood curling her mane as her mind lists everything she owns, and has now been destroyed. Two hundred and forty hoofkerchiefs worth of supplies and memories.

The Ursa Minor hears her shout, seemingly recognizing Trixie as the cause of the explosion. The giant bear turns to face her, massive jaws exposing jagged rows of teeth as it sneers. It stretches one leg, then the other, shaking bits and pieces of wood from its coat as it crouches down.

Snips says, “Well, if you had vanquished it before-”

Twilight Sparkle interrupts Snips as she gallops over, her eyes tracing over the blue bear, shouting, “Everypony! We have an Ursa Minor about to start a rampage! We need to calm it down!”

“HELP!” yells Trixie as she takes off towards the middle of town, the Ursa Minor in hot pursuit. It roars every time its injured leg hits the ground, yet continues on, intent on dismembering the frantic unicorn.

“Right turn!” Rainbow Dash yells, taking off after Trixie and flying close to her. “Keep it to the center of town, try to lead it back the way it came! I’ll help!” Rainbow Dash flares her wings, quickly gaining altitude as her speed drops, setting her right behind and above the Ursa Minor.

More and more ponies begin to arrive at the scene, milling around as the leaders keep as many ponies out of the fray as possible. Twilight Sparkle shouts, “We need to quiet it down or its cries will wake up its mother, and then there won’t be a Ponyville to save it from!”

“How do we do that?” Applejack yells as she, Fluttershy, and Doug arrive on the scene, the latter two hanging far back. Applejack pulls out her rope, though stops as Twilight Sparkle shakes her head.

Twilight Sparkle taps a hoof to her chin as her eyes follow the rampaging Ursa Minor, “It was already injured by a physical attack, it’ll be especially wary of anything that isn’t magic. We need a magical way to cool off that burn, and then calm it down. Think of it as, um, a cranky infant that got woken up!”

“Lemon always liked a bottle when she was cranky!” Pinkie Pie says as she puts away her party cannon, even if it is loaded for bear.

“Maybe some water for the burn?” Cloudchaser says, though no clouds can be seen as she looks up at the clear sky.

“No, physical water won’t work!” Twilight Sparkle says, following her gaze. “But magical water?” She looks over at Rarity and Amethyst Star, many of the other unicorns also shaking their heads. “Nopony can conjure a storm?”

“Trixie can!” Doug shouts, heads turning to watch the blue unicorn huddling behind one of the destroyed sections of her wagon. The Ursa Minor is roaring at Rainbow Dash as the pegasus circles around its head, always keeping out of reach but still close enough to be annoying. The Ursa Minor continues turning, still favoring one leg. “And, Twilight Sparkle, you saw her perform the spell. Can you copy it?”

“Um, I wasn’t exactly paying attention then,” Twilight Sparkle says sheepishly. She begins worriedly pacing back and forth, “Ooh, I should have been!” glancing at Trixie and then the ground. “How could I have-”

She yelps as Doug’s hand smacks her flank, glaring up at him.

“Focus!” Doug yells, pointing at the Ursa Minor. “We need a really big bottle!” Not seeing any other ponies moving to help Trixie, not wanting to risk anypony or distract Twilight Sparkle even more, Doug runs from one section of cover to another. He makes his way to Trixie while, hopefully, staying concealed from the Ursa Minor. A lullaby lilts through the town, many ponies’ heads swaying to the music, but doing little to calm the still infuriated Ursa Minor.

Twilight Sparkle looks around the town, the components of a giant baby bottle practically painting themselves in the moonlight. Her horn flares brightly, sparks flying away from her as her power climbs higher and higher. The Ursa Minor briefly looks over, the bright light hiding Doug’s advance. The giant bear takes one hesitant step towards the light, then another, ignoring the rainbow blur trying to distract it away from the concentrating unicorn.

Doug slides next to Trixie, his hand clamping over her mouth as she tries to scream. She looks over him, wide-eyed, as he says, “Trixie! We need you to conjure a rain cloud next to the Ursa’s injured leg! A RAIN cloud, not a storm cloud! Okay?”

Trixie’s terrified gaze raises to the Ursa Minor walking next to them, the briefest of nods getting Doug to remove his hand. Her horn flares, as dimly as she can make it, a small gray cloud crackling with small amounts of electricity directly in the path of its leg. The two collide, the pained look on the Ursa Minor’s face fading to relief. It raises its leg, mere steps away from the brightly glowing mare, a curious look at the shroud of white. It giggles at the brief bursts of lightning, stretching its claws.

The Ursa Minor sits back, no longer cradling its leg, though it still looks a bit cranky. Trixie’s horn lights again, a rope and the backdrop curtain from her wagon levitating over. She ties the makeshift bandage around the burn, the bear growling appreciably as Trixie soaks the curtain with one cloud after another.

Its gaze travels around the sky, finally locating a large object drifting through the air. Moonlight glints off the metal cylinder, the brown wooden cap clamping on top. The Ursa Minor frowns briefly at the incoming projectile, though when the large ‘bottle’ slows down and stops it raises its large paws, grabbing on and guzzling down the milk inside.

Twilight Sparkle’s horn flares even brighter as she levitates the Ursa Minor. Sweat streams down her face and body as the town watches the bear disappear into the Everfree Forest - hopefully never to be seen again - until she collapses to the cheers of the Ponyvillians.

42 The Jester, Part Seven

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Twilight Sparkle staggers to her hooves just before a speeding blue blur tackles her to the ground. Stars in her eyes replace the stars in the sky as her head hits the soft grass, the purple unicorn - dazed and exhausted from using so much magic - blankly looks up at the gray and blue mane in her face.

“Thank you thank you thank you,” Trixie cries, her hooves nearly strangling Twilight Sparkle. “The Thankful and Appreciative Trixie is more thankful than you can possibly imagine!”

“Trixie…” Twilight Sparkle tries to choke out, barely able to breathe. She looks around at the other ponies, most of whom are dancing and celebrating. “Help…”

Pinkie Pie whispers to Twilight Sparkle, laying on her side in exactly the same position as her, “I’d recommend hugging her back and saying ‘It’s okay’ or something like that. But I like my hugs that tight!”

Twilight Sparkle manages to reach a hoof around, tapping Trixie on the back. She grunts as she squeezes the blue unicorn, Trixie squeezing back and finally letting go. Twilight Sparkle shyly gets to her hooves, awkwardly looking at the ponies around her and hanging her head.

Rainbow Dash plows into Twilight Sparkle next, standing her up in front of the crowd. She yells, “Everypony! Twilight Sparkle!” Cheers echo around Ponyville as Rainbow Dash slips over to Trixie, yelling as her cerulean hoof raises an azure one, “And Trixie!” The crowd stomps their hooves as Snips and Snails bound up to Trixie. Trixie looks less thrilled to be there than Rainbow Dash, yet her forced smile is far and away larger than Twilight Sparkle’s.

“Heavens to Betsy,” Applejack says to Twilight Sparkle as Rainbow Dash moves away, “We knew you had ability, but not that much!”

Twilight Sparkle cowers at first, though recovers some at the cheering crowd around her. “Really? You don’t hate me for showing off, like Trixie did with some of her tricks?” Applejack shakes her head and opens her mouth to say something, both stopping and looking at Snails.

Snails shouts to Trixie, “Hey! G and P T! Why didn’t you vanquish it all by yourself?”

“Yeah!” says Snips as he nods along. “I thought you could vanquish an Ursa Major all by yourself?”

“I can’t. Nopony can,” Trixie says, glancing back to the wreckage of her wagon, Doug standing next to the smoking remains, “I… I made it up.”

“You made it up?” cries Snips and Snails, many of the other ponies echoing the sentiment.

Trixie nods apologetically, “I did. I heard about an Ursa being sighted near Hoofington, so I made up the story to make myself look better.”

“But Twilight Sparkle defeated an Ursa Major all by herself!” Snips says, pointing a hoof at the purple unicorn. “Why didn’t you?”

“Okay, first, that wasn’t an Ursa Major,” Twilight Sparkle says. “That was an Ursa Minor.”

“Yeah, an Ursa Major is purple and, like, forty feet tall!” Rainbow Dash says.

“I think you might need to calibrate your visual estimates,” Twilight Sparkle says with a smirk, “Because an Ursa Major could eat an Ursa Minor like that Minor nearly ate Trixie.” She motions to the blue unicorn slinking away to her wagon.

“Okay,” Rainbow Dash says, one hoof at her chin while the other whirls around, mimicking the cycles her brain is going through. “So, more like sixty feet?”

“Try six hundred,” Twilight Sparkle corrects, “if it was standing straight up.” She gets up, walking towards Doug. “And I didn’t do it on my own.”

“How do you even remember all that?” Rainbow Dash says, moving with Applejack and Rarity towards Trixie’s wagon.

Twilight Sparkle nods, “Oh, after Doug turned down Trixie’s offer of a private magic show-”

“Wait, what?” exclaims Applejack.

“- and then he joined me in the library for my private magic show-”

“Wait, WHAT?” exclaims Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash together.

“- I was curious as to what an Ursa Major was like, so I did some research.” Twilight Sparkle looks at the three ponies standing next to her, jaws wide open. “...What?”

“Um, darling,” Rarity says, sidling up next to Twilight Sparkle as Applejack and Rainbow Dash continue gawking, “Not to pry or anything, but, um, how did your private magic show… go?”

Twilight Sparkle beams, “Oh, Doug really enjoyed it! He was amazed at how good I was, especially since it was my first time trying out some of the tricks!”

“You… bwuh?” Rarity blurts out, one eye squinting as she tries to process this.

“Ah think what Rarity is trying to say,” Applejack says, rushed but quietly as she pulls Twilight Sparkle off to the side and away from Doug and Trixie. Two colts and one stallion walk up to Trixie and Doug, moving away after a short time. “Is that this weren’t your first time performing some of the… tricks?”

“Of course it wasn’t!” Twilight Sparkle says with a grin, “Some of them are really fun to do on your own!”

“Bwuh?” Applejack says, glancing back at Twilight Sparkle’s recently sweat-stained flanks. It quickly turns to a long leer as she tries to imagine the bookish unicorn doing, well, much of anything. Especially by herself.

“I think what Applejack and Rarity are trying to say,” Rainbow Dash says as she pushes Applejack to the side, “Is did you or did you not have sex with Doug during your private magic show; and if so, why was I not invited?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, an offended look crossing her face, “That is a personal matter between myself and Doug, and I won’t speak any more on the subject!” Twilight Sparkle turns up her nose, walking the rest of the way to Doug and Trixie.

“It ain’t a no,” Applejack remarks.

“And if Trixie invited Doug for a private magic show as well,” Rarity says, glancing between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, “we might need to have a discussion as a herd.”

The three glance at Twilight Sparkle as she reaches Doug and Trixie, then back to each other, before they dash off to find Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

Trixie walks up to Doug, joining him in staring at the smoldering remains of her wagon. The fire has been reduced to mere embers, leaving boxes of shattered glass marbles, burned and bent cooking implements, destroyed knick-knacks built up from years of travels laying about. All ruined, or maybe barely salvageable once everything cools down. He sits down as he notices her approach, brushing aside a few glowing coals and merely grimacing at the heat.

Trixie pushes her head between Doug’s arm and chest, tears bubbling despite her best efforts. His hand comes up, rubbing against one side of her cheek as she presses the other side against his firm chest. She sighs at the loss of her home, her livelihood, her belongings. All gone, in the blink of an eye, because of the reckless actions of some stupid colts who probably wouldn’t even be punished. And for what? Because she made some boastful claims that obviously weren’t true? What kind of justice is that?

She pushes harder against him, trying to bury her concerns and fears and hatred inside her. Those blasted colts! She’d like to drop them in a water tank, watch them squirm against the glass! She releases her rage against the stallion next to her, brief spurts of anger that he just absorbs. His arm doesn’t push her away, merely holding her against him even tighter, making it harder to release the emotions erupting inside her. And, yet, just pushing against him, struggling to break free and inflict some real damage, seems to be doing just the trick.

She sighs as her anger subsides; she could get used to this. That deep wellspring next to her, the calming force that merely insists that life will go on, that things can get better, that this isn’t the end. She chances a glance up as he grips her withers and neck; his eyes are still watching the fading fire of the lone piece still ablaze, reflecting the dancing flames.

Three sets of hoofsteps rouse the two, both glancing over to see Snips, Snails, and a yellow stallion she doesn’t recognize. The larger stallion clears his throat, “I’m Puppy Tails, and I’m right sorry, ma’am. These two are always getting ideas in their heads, about what can and should be done.” He sighs, “We don’t have much, but we can help a little...”

“I-, The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t need your charity,” Trixie states, looking at the three ponies. She sighs as she glances back to her wagon, “But she supposes that whatever assistance you wish to provide would be… appreciated.”

Snails and Snips both walk over, dropping off small sacks that jingle when they hit the ground. “We’re sorry, oh Great and Powerful Trixie,” they chorus before hanging their heads, trudging back to their sire. He nods, first to them and then to Trixie, the three walking away.

“Can we get ice cream?” Snips asks.

“That was your ice cream budget for the rest of the year, colt,” Tails snaps, the two colts cowering down a little, “So you’ll be making your own hay smoothies off what we can glean at the farm.”

“Aww,” the two colts chorus as they walk out of earshot.

Trixie levitates the two bags, glancing inside. Her eyes open wide at the several hundreds of bits in each. How much ice cream did those two eat? She glances from side to side, sighing as she can’t find her saddlebags to put the bits in. Or anything else of hers useable.

“Well, if you don’t mind accepting some more charity, you’re more than welcome to stay with us,” Doug says, his hand resuming its rubbing against her ears. Trixie coos appreciably as he continues, “You can either stay in one of the barns, or we can double up some of the older ones. Temporarily.”

“Hmm,” Trixie says, rubbing a hoof along her chin, “The Great and Powerful Trixie will consider your offer. Just until she is back on her hooves.”

Twilight Sparkle walks up, saying during the lull in conversation, “So, Ponyville has a fund to help after a disaster like this.” She motions to one of several damaged or destroyed houses, a few pegasi flying around and taking pictures or taking notes from sobbing ponies on the ground. “I’m sure, even though you aren’t technically a resident, that they can consider your claim.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie appreciates your concern.” Trixie sighs, her magic pulling at a few of the scraps on the ground. She glances at Twilight Sparkle, “You don’t mind helping carry this? I… The Contrite and Homeless Trixie-”

Doug swats Trixie on the side of the head, grinning at her smile in return, “Hey, you aren’t homeless just yet. Just because it’s a barn you’ll be staying in doesn’t make it not a home.”

“Trixie thinks that Doug does not understand,” a smirk growing on Trixie’s face, “because she will be staying in your room.”

Twilight Sparkle raises an eyebrow at Doug’s lack of rebuttal, merely following the two and levitating the remains of Trixie’s wagon to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Alright, MoHA,” Applejack states, having explained what happened with Twilight. She looks at the other mares of Herd Apple gathered in the back room of Sugarcube Corner. “Ah think we need to put all our cards on the table.”

“Are we talking about Trixie or Twilight Sparkle?” Fluttershy asks eagerly, “Because I can see either one of them asking to join.” She smiles around the room, her eyes unfocusing as she envisions Doug with either one of the mares. Or both!

Applejack responds, “Doug’s a big colt. He don’t need to come to us first and ask for permission. Having said that, even if he was messing around with Twilight Sparkle - which Ah don’t think he is - he’d have told us. Or at least me. And Ah don’t think any of us would object to Twilight joining, right?” Applejack looks around the room, grinning at everypony nodding. “So that’s settled.”

“I agree, our main concern is going to be Trixie,” Rainbow Dash says, an acknowledging nod to Applejack. “Like our lead said, I think Doug would have gotten permission to fool around with her. Maybe it would have been a spur of the moment thing. But, like you said. We trust him, and we trust the decisions he makes.”

Rarity continues, “If he wants to invite Trixie to join, then it would take three of us to vote him down. I’m not saying he would, but is that something that we, as a herd, want to happen? Or want to not happen?”

Applejack flicks her head back towards Sweet Apple Acres, “We had made a list before of what kind of things we were looking for in a new member. And, especially after today, we know Twilight Sparkle meets all those. So the question is, are we looking to add two new members?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Fluttershy says as Pinkie Pie nods her head. “A bigger herd is a happier herd, after all.”

“Well, up to a certain point,” Rainbow Dash says, a slight frown. “Too many and there are just too many competing interests. Hard to do something and include everypony.”

“And Trixie has some pretty competitive interests,” Pinkie Pie says, oddly subdued. “And competitive instincts, and competitive insults, and-”

“That’s true, and I don’t know how many things I would like to do with her,” Fluttershy adds, Pinkie Pie instantly quieting down. “She only fits, hmm, three of the criteria. Coat, unicorn, and she’s obviously talented.”

“She’s the same coat color as Rainbow Dash,” Applejack huffs. “Blue is blue is blue. Ain’t nothing more to it.”

“Now who cares about the color of a pony’s coat?” Rarity says dismissively.

“Okay, look, that came out wrong,” Applejack says with a roll of her eyes. “Ah’m just saying, we agreed on what kind of pony we would set Doug up with. And three out of five ain’t good enough.”

“Yes,” Fluttershy says, nodding along. “But, are you listening, Applejack? We aren’t setting Trixie up with Doug. She might come to us to ask about joining. Or Doug would ask about her. She wouldn’t need to fulfill all the requirements.”

Rarity says, “Yes, and we can argue whether cerulean and azure are the same color - And they aren’t - But the fact of the matter is she would have been far more likely to fail on the bookish aspect or the ‘shy’ aspect. The not liking to show off that power. If you don’t want Trixie to join the herd, then that would be a much better argument than some silly coat color requirement.”

“Hey!” Pinkie Pie says, crossing her forelegs, “My coat color requirement isn’t silly!”

“The point is,” Rarity continues, “that we shouldn’t be looking at those requirements at all. Is she a worthy addition to the herd or not? Based on her merits.”

Rainbow Dash says, “And what are those merits, exactly? I’m going with my gut. I don’t care for her attitude, and that’s coming from me. She’s probably great in the sack, but so what? I don’t think she’d ever let me or Rarity take center stage, much less Fluttershy. Are you really going to let every…” Rainbow Dash counts on her hooves as she looks around the room, “Fifth night you have with Doug go to waste because she won’t let you help, or do anything you want to do?”

“I liked her magic show,” Fluttershy quietly says, “and, um, maybe she could help us out with some things she learned from that. Besides, she doesn’t have to be perfect, right?”

Applejack shakes her head, “Nopony is saying she has to be perfect. But we need to see ourselves doing something with her. Otherwise what’s the point? One more mare for Doug to keep up with?”

“Okay, then,” Rainbow Dash says, “Quick show of hooves. Who wants Trixie in the herd?”

Pinkie Pie raises her hoof, Rarity tentatively raising her hoof about halfway before putting it back down. Fluttershy also wavers between raising her hoof, but keeps it down.

“Okay, and who votes no?” Rainbow Dash raises her hoof, looking around the room. When nopony else raises their hoof she nods, “Okay, and I’m willing to be persuaded. Applejack, what are you thinking?”

“Ah’m still undecided,” Applejack says, a low chuckle at Rainbow’s rotating hoof telling her to get on with it. “She ain’t no stranger to hard work, dragging that wagon around and performing. Workin’ unicorn, like Rares here.” Applejack waves a hoof at Rarity, the white unicorn beaming a smile back. “Maybe Ah’m a little worried that she’s a bit of a boast, but if’n she’s serious about joining Ah think she can tone it down a notch.”

“That’s a big ‘if’ to me, but okay,” Rainbow Dash says.

“And it sounds like it’s your main objection, too.” Applejack looks at Rainbow Dash, “Unless you’re afraid of getting upstaged by her?”

“ME?” Rainbow Dash exclaims, glaring at Applejack. “Projecting just a little?”

Applejack snorts, looking to Fluttershy. “Anything else you want to say?” Rainbow Dash folds her forelegs across her chest, huffing as she quiets down.

“Oh, um, I like her energy.” Fluttershy quiets down a little, shying into her mane, “Maybe she could help me be a little more assertive.”

“I don’t think she needs to join the herd to do that, just like she doesn’t need to join in order to help me learn color manipulation with Loyalty.” Rarity sighs, “Maybe a part of my objection, the reason I’m not fully on board with this is because I look at Sweetie Belle. And I see how she struggles with magic in general, and wonder if Trixie knows what she is getting in to. Because you know Doug will want foals with her.”

“Actually,” Pinkie Pie says, “Doug thought the best parts of her magic show were the parts that weren’t done by using unicorn magic, and instead were done with sleight of hoof. Like the box trick.” Pinkie Pie smiles, “Trixie would be happy in the herd, and that’s enough for me. And any foals she has would also be happy! She just needs to go in with the right expectations.”

“I sure hope you are correct,” Rarity says, her smile not all that confident. She looks around the room, “It sounds as if we do not have the votes to overrule Doug, should he invite her, but also not enough to make the offer on our own. Correct?”

Applejack stifles a yawn as she steps forward, glancing at the heads nodding along with her. “Agreed. Anything else?”

Rainbow Dash adds, “If she can adjust her attitude, I’m up for it. But otherwise? We might need to revisit this.” She yawns wide, stretching her hooves.

“Agreed.” Applejack looks to each mare, “Thanks for staying up late for this, y’all.” She looks back to Rainbow, “Hoofrace back?”

“You’re on, Applesnack!” Rainbow Dash yells, both mares bursting out the door. Rainbow Dash takes an early lead, but the farmpony’s endurance catches up to her as Applejack takes one length after another back. Applejack is only momentarily distracted by the pile of rubble outside of one of the close barns, barely beating Rainbow Dash to the front of the Carrot House.

“No fair!” Rainbow Dash quietly huffs, out of breath, trying to stay quiet and not wake the fillies. They both walk inside, “I thought it was to the main farmhouse.”

“Getting a little green there, Rainbow,” Applejack says with a wink. “Besides, why would we go there when-”

Applejack opens the door to Doug’s office, cutting herself off as the two spot Trixie sitting on Doug’s bed, making herself comfortable.

Trixie’s eye raises at the abrupt entry, “Yes?”

Applejack coughs, “Um. Just, uh, seeing if you are… comfortable. You’re… staying here?”

“Seeing as I have noplace else, Trixie thought the answer would be obvious.” She looks between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, “So…?”

“Doug staying back at the main farmhouse?” Applejack cautiously asks as she recovers.

“That is what he said, though the Great and Powerful Trixie hoped he would reconsider.” Trixie splays herself out on the bed, forlornly staring at the ceiling. “Maybe you can convince him?”

Rainbow Dash snorts as she turns, getting a head start back to Applejack’s room at the farmhouse. Applejack glances back before saying, “We’ll… consider that. Good night, Trixie.”

Trixie merely nods, pulling the blankets and cuddling into the firm, yet not warm enough, bed. Better than her hammock, at least.

Applejack enters her bedroom, Rainbow Dash already starting with Doug. “So, anything going on with Trixie?” she asks as she hangs up her hat on the bedpost.

“Just needed a place to stay,” Doug says as Applejack hops next to him. They share a kiss before Doug continues, “Nothing more than that.” Applejack snuggles next to him, falling asleep to the rhythmic motions.

43 Lantador's Lost Love, Part One

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July 18th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Two sharp, staccato bursts from a whistle just outside the wall awakens Trixie, but it doesn’t actually get the blue unicorn to stir. There were a lot of reasons for alarms in Las Pegasus, and very rarely did they have anything to do with her. She would have remembered setting one for herself if she actually had a reason to get up in the morning. Besides, it’s not like she has a deadline or anything, just leave Ponyville whenever it’s convenient.

In fact, she is certain she didn’t set one for this morning. Her hoof meanders around regardless, trying to find the shut-off button as the blasts continue in quick succession. Stupid thing always gets knocked to the floor. Or worse, behind something, and she’ll have to fish it out from among all the other pieces of junk that find their way behind her boxes of curios and stage implements.

One eye groggily opens, failing to parse the not-actually-yellow wood of her not-wagon in favor of the triple pair of blue eyes staring at her from just above the orange and red sheets she had kicked to the base of the bed at some point during the night.

Seven eyes stare at each other for several long seconds until six of them blink in eerie synchronization. This continues until another blast from the whistle outside reminds Trixie that she could be in mortal danger!

One scream quickly quadruples as one blue, one pink and two yellow forms explode away from the bed, three of them regrouping at the doorway and bursting into three sets of giggles. Well, two sets of giggles and one half-choked, half stuttering emulation of a laugh so far into the uncanny valley that Trixie would have sworn it is actually a puppet of Pinkie Pie’s that she took a hatchet to and performed freaky Zebrican magic to resurrect, only it didn’t quite work the first time.

“What-” Trixie yells as she finds herself halfway up the wall of the Carrot House, Doug’s office specifically, “What are you doing in here!?” She would pat herself on the back for controlling her language in front of the two fillies but, again, she’s pressing herself against both the wall and ceiling in order to keep from falling. And, between remembering that her wagon got destroyed and that she’s bunking down at the farm, doesn’t leave much room for moving limbs.

“We wanted to see if you are hungry!” that miniature hyperactive duplicate she recalls as Lemon pipes up, grinning as she pulls out a tray and assortment of plates from just outside the door. Pancakes - likely hay - along with some loose hay, slices of apples, and a glass of a cloudy beverage she would bet her last remaining sack of bits is apple juice, freshly squeezed. “We finished with breakfast, so unless you’re quick you get, um, cold oatmeal.”

Trixie watches as Pinkie Pie lifts one of her pancakes to that gluttonous maw most ponies call a mouth, her eyes widening as it disappears without a trace. Not even a lump moving down her throat! Just a pink, poofy tail oddly twitching from side to side. Only when the second of four pancakes looks to be going exactly the same way does Trixie leap into action, bravely diving into the muzzle of danger to rescue her pancake.

She manages to knock the pancake out of Pinkie Pie’s hooves, but only by landing on the plate containing the apple slices. Sixteen pieces, plus one plate and one pancake, sail into the air, four sets of eyes watching as two sets of jaws unhinge.

Trixie’s magic catches the plate, the pancake, and five of the slices. Her face scrunches down, eyes closing as she expects the split splat sploot of apples mashing themselves into the nooks of the wooden floorboards, then the angry cries blaming her for something that really ought to be Pinkie Pie’s fault. Though when the only sound that comes is the scrape of a plate sliding across the floor she chances a glance at the offending party, her eyes widening in surprise.

Pinkie Pie is balancing on one hoof, the other three limbs stretched out to hold one apple slice each, as well as one on her nose, her tongue creeping out to help balance it. Lemon spits out the three slices she caught in her mouth onto the plate that Meringue slid across the floor and caught the remaining four slices.

Trixie raises one eyebrow, “Did you plan this?” as she drops her levitating pieces onto the plate, the pancake finding its way to her own mouth.

Pinkie Pie flips the apple slice from her nose to her mouth - not chewing, just swallowing - as she shakes her head, her superfluous, “Nope!” as she drops the rest of the apple slices onto Trixie’s plate. “Just wanted to see what all the fuss was about!”

“The intrigued and amused Trixie is curious as to your reaction.” Trixie glances outside as the whistle blows three times in quick succession. Moments later the front door bursts open, a ball-capped Rainbow Dash leading a completely beat Scootaloo. The filly is panting heavily, limply holding her wings to her sides, yet still does her best to walk on shaky legs to the kitchen. She grabs one of the three glasses of apple juice sitting out on a filly height table, guzzling it down before going to the next one.

“Remember to pace yourself,” Rainbow Dash says curtly. She glances over at the blue unicorn, a terse nod. “Sup. Late night?”

Trixie shakes her head, “The relaxed and laid-back Trixie rarely needs to get up so early in the morning.”

Rainbow Dash glances outside, dawn having been less than thirty minutes ago. “Yeah, word of warning, don’t let Applejack catch you spouting anything like that or you’ll be getting up with Hedge.” Trixie raises an eyebrow as Rainbow Dash turns to her filly. Scootaloo finishes off the last glass, still looking exhausted. “Alright, Scoots, ready to go?”

“Ugh,” the orange filly moans as she gets up, trying to shake some feeling back into her hooves.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouts, though her volume is closer to a subdued whisper, “Do you want to lose recess? I can do three-a-days all week, if we have to.” She drops down, a real whisper this time, though it can be heard over the dead silence of the rest of the house, “You know what you bring to the table, right?”

Scootaloo nods.

“Say it.” Rainbow Dash commands in a harsh whisper.

“Heart,” Scootaloo says as she steels herself, gritting her teeth and walking to the door.

“That’s right,” Rainbow Dash says, her proud grin swiftly subdued back to an impassive glare. “You might not have speed, you might not have flight, but you’ll never give up. Right?”

“Right!” Scootaloo exclaims, her voice weary yet full of determination, both of them cantering outside. They meet up with Apple Bloom before their pace picks up, heading to Ponyville.

“What?” Trixie says as she stares at the two departing pegasi, slack-jawed; even her sire hadn’t pushed her that hard. Physically, at least; he could have run circles around Rainbow with his demeaning attitude, though. She supposes that Rainbow Dash is sparing Scootaloo that, and trying to build up her confidence instead. But Trixie knows how fragile that can be.

Pinkie Pie reaches a hoof over, closing Trixie’s mouth for her as she answers Trixie’s earlier question, “I know it’s day one and all, but honestly? Not terribly impressed. You’re going to have to pick up your game if you want to stick around here!” She starts listing off on her hooves, “You aren’t dressed the part-”

“All of my stuff was destroyed by the Ursa, remember?” Trixie deadpans.

“-you show up late, you look like you should have called in sick, you don’t know what you’re doing, and you’re trying to have an affair with the boss. It’s like you went five for five in the Feud!”

Trixie raises an eyebrow, starting to give Applejack a run for her bits in the snarker category, “What?” Her eyes do go back to her mane, unbrushed and a little unkempt.

“Things you shouldn’t do on the first day of the job. Look,” Pinkie Pie lays a comforting hoof around Trixie’s withers, sitting down as Pinkie’s two fillies grab their saddlebags, waving as they leave for school. Pinkie Pie waves back as she says, “I’m on your side, okay? You just have to ask yourself, are you serious about Doug or not?”

Trixie sighs as she stares at the floor, “I’m not sure, Pinkie. I haven’t quite figured that out myself.”

“I see…” Pinkie Pie says, her hoof rubbing the bottom of her chin. “Well, in that case, I’ll leave you to puzzle that out. And, just in case it happens, if you see a bunch of smoke covering the sky outside, you’ll need to pick the fillies up from school. Good luck!” She hops outside, her pronks taking her up and down along the sloped hill until one pronk removes her from sight entirely and she never reappears.

“What?” Trixie says to nopony, having said that particular word far too frequently for this time of morning. Or any time of day, really. She glances around the empty house, debating whether to head back to bed, or get more food, or get far too early a start on her day.

“Morning,” Doug says as he enters the Carrot House, the five remaining Apple fillies regrouping at the bottom of the hill before setting out, presumably to school. He closes the door behind him, gathering the empty glasses and plates everypony left strewn around the combination kitchen, dining room and living room.

“The sleepy and comatose Trixie will have to take your word for it,” Trixie says with a yawn, glancing back to the bed that still hasn’t warmed up enough to her liking. Hard to do that by yourself. “Who is Hedge and when does she get up?”

“Fluttershy’s filly. About five.”

“Trixie was not inquiring about her age.”

“She’s three.” Doug grabs a handful of carrots from the basket on the counter, gnawing on one as he heads towards his office.

“Trixie thinks Doug did not hear her,” Trixie says with a low moan. What kind of sadistic masochists are these ponies, doing that to themselves? Though, if it translates to other areas…

Doug interrupts her idle musing with a particularly loud chomp on a carrot, chewing as he watches her and following it up with something her dam would say, “So, any plans for today?”

“The destitute yet resourceful Trixie will need to find a new wagon, unless you happen to have an extra one of those laying around too.“ Trixie beams a hopeful smile at Doug, though his shrug and slight shake of the head get her to sigh. “Then Trixie supposes she will need to head into town and inquire as to the construction of a new one.” She follows Doug into her bedroom, only a slight pang of disappointment as he goes to the desk and the array of folders instead of the bed.

“Trixie was also thinking,” she says, her voice slipping to a rhythmic cadence, “as she has some mixed emotions.”

“Oh?” Doug replies, his own voice getting slightly more lyrical, “something bringing tears to your eyes?”

Trixie raises an eyebrow but continues, “Trixie has only ever known the kind of love that has left her bodied and broken.” Doug snaps his fingers, first once, then again, a steady beat as Trixie continues, “So, forgive her for her mixed emotions.”

“Sorry,” Doug says as his voice continues with the beat, “But I’m not the kind of person who can, fall in and out of love with you-”

“That’s not what love’s supposed to do,” finishes Trixie, beaming at her soulmate. “Don’t go-”

“Eh,” Doug interrupts with a shrug, his fingers abruptly stopping their beat. “I promise you this. If all that surrounds you are secrets and lies?” Trixie’s smile slightly fades, “I’ll still be strong, give you hope when all is gone.” Her smile disappears completely as his snapping returns, somehow as drab and uninspired as the words he is saying in a flat monotone, “The one you should call, standing here all along.”

“Where did you hear that,” Trixie spits out; her horn would be glowing but you don’t strike colts, even when they are wrong about everything.

“Oh, you like it?” Doug asks with a smile both too oblivious about what he is spouting and somehow hiding that smirking like he knows how much he is getting under her coat. “Sweetie Belle was singing a couple of the lines. Looked into it a little, old friend sent me some literature. Probably the best band I’ve heard here.”

“Our Harmony is not a band!” Trixie’s mane snaps against her as her head twists to the side, “At best they are a moderately well marketed mixed group designed to make money hoof over horn. The Fallback Fillies are inspired, with catchy beats and uplifting lyrics! That really speak to a young, wayward fil- I mean, pony!” Trixie waves a hoof at Doug dismissively, getting him to shut that cursed wellspring of nonsense, “Our Harmony is just a bunch of pretenders who all sound exactly the same!”

Doug shakes his head, his arms crossing in front of him as a petulant, “No, that’s how good their harmony is! They’re supposed to sound the same!” He nods his head, as only a complete moron can, “Especially that Feather Bangs. What a dream!”

Trixie sputters, flecks of saliva flying from her mouth, “They sound like the same pony dubbed their lines five times over, twice in a stallion’s voice! And every one of their songs is the same drab, tired lyrics pasted over a poorly tuned chord!”

“Just because they are all equally good and play the same five instruments at the same time does not make it poorly tuned! So what if they use a little modulation, The Fallback Fillies use it way more.” Doug turns to his desk, his smirk hidden from Trixie’s view.

“Hey, they’re trying to get away from that, and they sound much better when they do!” Trixie crosses her clenched forelegs as she hops to the bed. She has to make some space, or her hooves might fly on their own. She glares at Doug, daring him to contest the, admittedly weak, assertion. “They don’t need it, but Our Harmony certainly does.”

“Nah, they’d still sound amazing. And great. All synced up exactly the same.” His hands move to his mouth, Doug’s whole body shuddering in suppressed laughter.

Trixie throws her hooves into the air, practically blind with rage, “But you just said that Feather Bangs is the best of them! How can one of them be the best and, at the same time, all sound the same?”

Doug says, “Just like you’re both my least and most favorite unicorn in the room.” Trixie rolls her eyes, “But that’s their manager, that, um, Glim Glam’s fault. Feather Bangs could totally make it solo, the rest of the band is just holding him back and she won’t let him go.”

“But they all sound- I’m sorry, this right here?” Trixie says, stomping up to the door and pointing to Doug. He turns, just long enough to see her enraged glare, “Deal breaker.” She spins around in a huff, slamming the door behind her.

44 Lantador's Lost Love, Part Two

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Trixie stands outside the door to Doug’s office, limbs locked and fuming as she looks over the sparsely decorated room. There is no way somepony could hold such a wrongheaded position about such an important matter and still be able to speak intelligently. Or at all. The fact that he is the one fronting such an opinion just makes it worse.

Well, her mind reminds her as she waits for him to come groveling, they do sell to somepony, after all. So they have to at least be able to point at the record they want to buy, and then place the bits on the counter. Not exactly a very high bar to pass, especially since she has separated more than a few coins from that very kind of pony. Honestly, after the first four times you watch the cards get shuffled around the same way, and the same sleight of hoof bump, and you still go for the same one? You deserve to lose your thirty one bits.

The muffled laughter from behind the office door gets Trixie to turn but does little to suppress her murderous glare. Is he laughing at her? Her horn flares, the door slamming open as she stomps back in his office.

Doug is facing away from her, concentrating on the open red folder in front of him. One hand is mussing the dark auburn hair on his head, lightly grasping and ruffling as his head shakes back and forth. A deep chuckle emanates from him, messing up his sigh to a beat far too close to No Breaking My Heart than could be a coincidence.

“You!” Trixie yells, accusingly pointing a hoof as he turns. His eyes briefly widen in surprise, returning to an amused smirk as she grinds her teeth. “Trixie sees through your deception! You don’t actually like Our Harmony!”

“I mean, some of their stuff is a little catchy,” Doug says, waving Trixie inside before folding his arms across his chest. Trixie begrudgingly steps inside his office as he continues, the smirk gone from his voice, “But, yeah. I never cared for the Fallback Fillies either, but I don’t think I’m nearly as fanatical about that whole topic as you. They’re fine, but not what I’m interested in.”

Trixie grits her teeth at that remark. “Well,” Trixie says, walking over to Doug and looking at the papers spread out on his desk. The numbers and charts quickly swim together, “The artistically talented and not tone-deaf Trixie will only agree to disagree if you can name a better band.”

“Dragonfarce.”

Trixie nods along as her muzzle slowly curls to a smile. She begins rocking her head, faster and faster as she headbangs, her mane flying in every direction. Her hooves come up, strumming along before changing to air drums, then physical drums as she beats on the floor.

“Not that part,” Doug says throwing his hands in the air and managing to keep a straight face. “The purple one! Nickelbangs! Or, whatever they call him, after that yellow monstrosity covering his head.”

“His name is Fume,” Trixie says, huffing. “He got that nickname because commonly found nickel looks like that because of the sulphur content it’s found with. And now I know that you’re messing with me. He’s the height of mediocrity!”

“Okay, okay, you got me,” Doug says, shaking his head. Two fingers of one hand begin tapping a rapid beat on his desk, Trixie quickly recognizing Through the Gauntlet of Fire and Flames. He adds between stanzas of his hoof tapping game, “I really like basically everything but whenever they let him solo. His primal roars are pretty epic, though.”

“The glad and reconciliatory Trixie acknowledges Doug’s acquiesence to her superior music recognition, and will thus only speak of this matter further in loud and guttural roars.” Trixie smirks as Doug pantomimes a large, flowing bow with his hands, her own hoof brushing back her still tangly mane. She smiles happily, watching as Doug goes from smiling at her, to sitting back in his chair, to turning to his desk while still keeping part of his body angled to her.

“So, what are you working on now?” Trixie asks, looking over the papers.

“Weather scheduling. I try to keep a good month worked out in advance, but occasionally something happens, like Big Mac getting injured, and I need to put it off for a bit.” Doug slides a couple of the papers over for her to get a closer look at, Trixie mostly just staring at the mass of symbols. “Then it’s tough to make up the time, but I try to do it whenever I can.”

“Trixie assumes Doug enjoys this sort of work, but she wishes to keep her sanity.” Trixie pushes the papers back as she glances around the room, “For now.” Doug merely nods as he shuffles the papers together, his fingers continuing to tap against the desk.

“So what kind of stuff do you need to buy?” Doug says, idly twisting a pencil through his fingers.

Trixie glances down at her own hoof, wondering what other things his hands can do. Her horn lights, one of the Wonderbolt pencils from the cup filled to the brim with spares levitating over. She mimics the motions he is putting his pencil through, eventually saying, “I suppose I should sift through the remains, see if anything is salvageable. Likely, though, it’ll be just about everything.”

Trixie startles as a hand reaches around to her withers, patting her from the unexpected angle. Apparently she looked just a little too upset at the loss. He turns his head just enough to smile and nod, the hand withdrawing to return to work. Trixie sighs; she supposes she should do the same.

She returns the pencil as she opens the door, her bags of bits levitating to her back. She sorts through a few saddlebags that likely belong to the fillies, used when they have lots of things to carry around, before finding a brown set with a lightning bolt on it. Her bags of bits find their way inside, Trixie letting her horn relax as she makes her way to the wagon.

As she expected. Anything that hadn’t been mashed or broken when the Ursa Minor stomped on it was destroyed by the explosion. Her muzzle contorts to a scowl, kicking a piece of the blackened husk. What is she going to do?

The steady clop of hooves and the scrape of wheels breaks Trixie from her memory. She looks up as Applejack walks over, dragging a wagon full of empty baskets behind her. Trixie’s mind automatically compares the flatbed to her old wagon. It’s bigger, but without any easy access besides the ramp on the back. And she would need a roof, and higher walls, and better insulation than just the single layer of wood along the bottom.

“Howdy,” Applejack says, pulling up to the wreckage. “How’s the kindling?”

“It’d probably explode again,” Trixie says. “So I wouldn’t go about using it for that.”

“Ah see.” Applejack stares at the assortment of boxes, cautiously inching away from it. “Well, maybe Applebaum can help ya dispose of it safely, then. Filly’s got a knack for that kinda thing.”

“The occupied and definitely not unemployed Trixie will try to find a spot in her busy schedule to meet with her.” Trixie smirks at Applejack’s slow reaction, “But until then, I have much to look into. Good day, Applejack.” She nods dismissively, turning towards Ponyville.

“Um, good day, Trixie,” Applejack says, taking a few steps before turning back to the mare still staring at the busted wagon. She never noticed it before, but sarcasm tastes pink. The redder, the more blatant the lie. And Trixie is looking mighty pink. “If’n you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Trixie merely nods, her face impassive. Applejack eventually walks away.

Trixie sighs, finally starting towards Ponyville. She recalls seeing some wainwrights on the other side of town, probably on the outskirts. The rest of the town passes by, Trixie noting a few of the shops that she might be able to purchase some magical supplies, but aside from browsing through Barnyard Bargains there aren’t any specialty magic shops here in Ponyville.

Business opportunity? Trixie certainly can’t see herself as a mere storesmare. She attended Princess Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns! Well, maybe she left early to return to Las Pegasus, but still! The life of a small town clerk is far too pedestrian for a mare as Great as her!

Trixie rounds the last bend, spotting the wagon yard. Stacks of firewood form a rough barrier around the place, set up to funnel incomers towards the newer wagon models. The dark brown stallion running the place notices her striding towards him almost immediately, adjusting the tan hat atop his white and gray mane. Oh, great, dealing with used wagon salesmares. Well, you can’t con a conpony, and she can at least see what they have to offer.

“Well, well,” the stallion leads with, sidling up to Trixie in far too familiar a manner. “If it ain’t the travellin’ performer. Names Burnt Oak. Anythin’ I can do for ya?”

“Trixie is browsing for now,” she says with a casual smile.

“You just let me know if you want to know more,” he says, backing off just enough to be polite. She can hear his ears perk at the jingling bits in her saddlebags, and his eyes tracing to the lightning bolts stamped on the sides. Her own ears splay back just a little - it’s a good thing Ponyville is such a trusting town. In Manehatten she’d have been questioned at least twice about ‘stolen property’ and forced to give an explanation of where she got the bits. And ‘a stallion I don’t know walked up and gave them to me’ is quite possibly the worst thing you can say, no matter how true it is.

Trixie balks at the price of the first wagon she comes up to, even it isn’t quite what she is looking for. A thousand bits just for a large flatbed wagon? Even if it is one of the largest one she’s ever seen, and a sturdy frame that can likely hold three times what her old wagon could. She had always been cautious not to overload it, and couldn’t go that fast over some of the rougher terrain. Trixie always carried spare axles, wheels, and other bits and pieces in case something broke, but it really cut into how many other things she could haul along. And it was all heavy!

Trixie continues perusing the wagons on display, her frown deepening as she passes a few of the travelling wagons she would have liked, but each had something wrong with them. Too small, too large, or maybe not grand enough for her.

“Still not findin’ anythin’ to your likin’?” Burnt Oak says as he walks up to Trixie. At the shake of her head he says, “Well, I do have somethin’ in the back. Been tryin’ to sell ‘er for years now. I suppose the right buyer’s just never come along.”

Trixie, more intrigued than she would have liked, follows the stallion past a number of giant stacks of firewood. Does all this pony do is chop trees into smaller trees?

Burnt Oak sighs as he motions to an old wagon. Three wheels are missing, propped up on stacks of wood. The faded, peeling purple paint speaks to years of neglect, yet the white oak underneath is mostly unblemished and lightly marked. The gently sloping roof seems to be in good condition, but is also painted in the same purple. The front and back both have doors, not too tall that she can’t jump up without needing to use the stepladder.

Trixie walks around the wagon, the sides a bit modest but easily fixable. Two windows, two of the four shutters missing; glass is still intact, surprisingly, and on the doors as well. She glances underneath; the bottom rides lower than she would have expected for where the doors open. Extra storage? She smiles; she could see herself in here.

As Trixie steps up to open the door Burnt Oak says, “For a while I’d been tellin’ myself that it had been too long, that I should just be done with ‘er and chop her into firewood.” Trixie’s eyes widen at the threatened horrible injustice, “But I look at that oak, and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

“And, where did you acquire such a beauty?” Trixie asks as she peeks inside. Spacious enough. Her mind traces through where she could hang a hammock. Or, if she is feeling ambitious, a bed inset into one of the walls that folds down! Now that would be living in luxury!

“Travelling performer, much like yourself.” Burnt Oak nods to himself as Trixie’s eyes roll; he can probably tell even though her head is halfway inside. “Said she was just getting too old to keep doing what she was doing.” He chuckles, Trixie glancing back to see what is so funny. Burnt Oak has walked up to the wagon, tapping a hoof against the wall, “Complained that it had too many nooks and crannies. That she was always losing stuff.”

Trixie groans to herself at the obvious play. She steps inside; he probably made that story-

Trixie stops, the tap of her hooves against the floor changing timber. She taps again; a dull thud, a dull thud, and then a lighter thunk. She pushes around, quickly finding the hidden compartment. The slightly warped wood catches briefly before a little extra persuasion gets it to slide open. Trixie’s eyes widen as she pulls out a glass ball about the size of her hoof. Perfectly clear, though as she lifts it she disturbs the cloudy material within. Now holding a swirling orb of haze, she stares into it. Maybe she could see her future?

Did she want this? To keep traveling from town to town? She could see herself in this wagon. Performing shows, wowing crowds, basking in their adoration. She looks around the wagon again, trying to imagine herself with a second pony inside. It would be a tight fit, especially once she puts all the boxes of her supplies inside. But doable. But no second pony comes to mind. Maybe a foal...

She sighs; at least it isn't a decision she has to make just yet.

Trixie smirks as she sets the glass ball back where she found it. Maybe she wouldn’t find out today. And she’s missing at least one ridiculous purple turban to make the prediction. She backs out of the wagon, easily hopping down. She glances over at Burnt Oak, the stallion still rubbing his hoof along the peeling paint and futilely trying to press it back into place.

He sighs, turning to Trixie. “So, what do you think?”

“Trixie is intrigued. How much are you asking?”

“Well, she needs quite a bit of work,” Burnt Oak says, motioning to the wheels and paint. “But the wood is still strong and solid. She’ll hold up for a good number of years.” Burnt Oak motions to an approaching mare, dark brown earth pony with a cutie mark of a wagon wheel. “Maybe you’ll end up sellin’ it back to Crosscut there.” He chuckles as she nods to him, grabbing a few of the long wooden boards and taking them to a partially constructed wagon. Burnt Oak turns to Trixie, “Five hundred?”

“Hmm,” Trixie says; not a bad offer. But way more than what he would get if he just turned it to firewood. “Two hundred.”

“Three fifty,” Burnt Oak easily says, as if he didn’t care if he gave it away for free.

“Three hundred.”

“Three twenty five.” That didn’t mean he’d let her, though. He winks at Trixie as she pauses, “And no fractions.”

“Deal.” Trixie beams internally as she pulls out the bits from both sides of her saddlebags, keeping the weight even. Burnt Oak leads her to the construction area, the ten bit pieces quickly counted and set into a heavy chest next to a wide variety of carpentry tools.

Trixie looks back at the wagon. It needs a harness, and three wheels. She glances at Burnt Oak, who seems to catch her meaning immediately.

Burnt Oak says, “I can loan you some wheels, if’n you don’t want to purchase new ones.”

“I’ll need straps as well, and I’ll bring them back when I’m done.” Trixie smiles at his nod, walking over to the wagon and running a hoof along the paint, just like Burnt Oak had done. It will take some work, but that will give her time to figure out what she wants to do.

Burnt Oak, Crosscut and Trixie get the three new wheels, not quite the same size as the old wheel, on. After a test pull Trixie shakes her head, a fourth new wheel replacing the one on its last spoke. Trixie waves as she pulls the wagon away, a happy smile on her face.

Crosscut shakes her head at Burnt Oak, dragging the old wheel around a corner and dumping it on top of its three sisters. Old coot still had it.

45 Lantador's Love Lost, Part Three

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Trixie steps into the bright, sunny streets of Ponyville, walking up to her new - well, slightly preowned, but still - wagon, levitating the boxes of supplies from Barnyard Bargains inside. Their selection had been… as she suspected. A little lacking for her needs, especially in the pyrotechnics department. Filthy Rich had given her a pamphlet for Cater Construction, though they might be a little too industrial. Pinkie Pie must have a supplier, though; maybe she could catch up with the party pony, find out who her source is. Unless it’s all home grown, from a rock farm or something.

Speaking of Pinkie Pie, all this shopping has made her hungry. And, after going through all of the stores in Ponyville - at least the relevant ones, since she hasn’t opened Trixie's Tricks and Ritzy Shticks yet - it is around lunchtime. And Trixie deserves a reward for her hard work! Testing out the hammock she bought certainly doesn’t qualify.

The bell above jingles merrily as Trixie steps into the already crowded bakery. She huffs as she stands in line, which isn’t moving at all. Pinkie Pie looks to be the only pony running the store, several rows of multiple scraps of paper each that probably have pony’s orders scribbled on that she isn’t actually referencing. She just reaches for ingredients, or bounces from one spot to another, or flat out disappears into the back. Trixie sighs, grabbing a bag of pretzels from a nearby rack and resigning herself to wait in line.

The bell behind Trixie rings, a horde of fillies on their school lunch break entering. “Ugh,” exclaims a pink filly, her silver friend rolling her eyes. “I knew it. It’s so crowded, that’s why nopony ever comes here.” Trixie recalls the filly as Diamond Tiara as she continues, “Too bad they have the best food in town, or I’d totally take my business someplace else!”

“Hey, Lemon!” yells Scootaloo from the back of the pack, “Go run the register or something. I’ll save you a seat!”

“Fine,” groans the yellow filly, squeezing past the dozen or so fillies all streaming towards the one open table in the place.

Trixie raises an eyebrow; other booths have four unrelated ponies crammed in, and one table just happens to have twelve open seats?

“It’s in a state of eternal ‘dibs’,” comes a voice from beneath her. Trixie looks down at Lemon, the filly pointing a hoof at the table and then at the bag of pretzels. “At least for lunchtime. Did you want anything else, or just that?”

Trixie magically flips a bit for the bag, Lemon grinning as she catches it with her tail. Lemon goes to the next pony in line as Trixie mulls over where to sit. She frowns as she sees Sweetie Belle pulling out a sack lunch from her saddlebag with her hooves. Then she opens the bag of mixed vegetables with a hoof, and cleans her hoof off with a napkin, again holding it in her hoof.

Pinkie Pie delivers several trays of food to the table, despite the fillies never ordering anything. And there having been a line that now stretches out the door. Though none of the other ponies say anything, merely continue waiting patiently in line. Maybe Trixie will have to do something like that, order ahead. If the food is as good as that filly thinks it is.

Trixie sits down at an empty spot at the closest table, paying no attention to the stallion next to her. If she did, she’d find that he is paying as little attention to her, and it would probably have bothered her. Instead, she watches Sweetie Belle as her magic tears open her bag. Her brow furrows as she chews one of the pretzels; why is this bothering her so much? She saw the same thing after her show yesterday, when the fillies had all come up and asked for autographs. And then Sweetie Belle contorted her body in a way no unicorn should have to in order to roll the paper up and stick it in her saddlebag.

Is she doing it, not using her magic because she is sitting with… eight other earth ponies? Nine, counting Lemon? And two pegasi, neither of which have left the ground since they got here? Compared to most pegasi she’s ever dealt with, who have the same relationship with the ground that she has with her previous amours? Stay at short as possible to get the job done, and then get away as soon as she can?

The bag crunches in her magic, a scowl on Trixie’s muzzle as she realizes she finished off the bag of mini pretzels far faster than she would have liked. Maybe she’ll grab some more to eat at the Apple’s, they have plenty just laying around. But, if she enjoyed the pretzels so much that she ate them so quickly, why is there still a sour taste in her mouth? She didn’t eat another one of those muffins, did she?

The fillies, having finished their meal nearly as quickly as Trixie, get up to head back to school. Lemon tries to evade Pinkie Pie, but the pink mare gets the better of her as she tries to slip out the door. One reluctant nuzzling later and the twelve are heading back west, four in front and eight behind, a few smaller ones struggling to keep up.

Trixie quickly trots after the group, calling out, “Sweetie Belle!” before the group can get too far away. The filly turns; Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stop while their other sisters continue along their way.

“Yes?” Sweetie Belle asks.

“The intrigued and inquisitive Trixie wishes to know why you don’t use your magic more frequently.”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom trade nervous glances as Sweetie Belle merely nods her head. “Oh.” She glances back towards the pack of fillies retreating under a cloud of dust towards the schoolhouse, saying just loud enough for Trixie to hear, “I… I have to get back to school.”

“Surely you have the time to answer just one simple question,” Trixie says, drawing closer as Sweetie Belle turns to leave. She whispers, “Do the other fillies tease you about it?”

“N-not like that,” Sweetie Belle says, choking back a sob. “Just leave me alone!”

“Wait!” Trixie calls as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo hesitate, unsure of whether to intervene. “What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything!” Sweetie Belle spins around, her eyes blazing. “You just went around, performing the coolest magic show ever! And when I went home, trying to do it too? Well, guess what? I couldn’t move around even an empty roll of toilet paper, much less a fake hoof! And forget about me doing it while channeling another spell to hide it!”

Sweetie Belle chokes up as her sisters nuzzle her, barely eking out, “I didn’t even do it to try to get my cutie mark. I just wanted to be like you!” She turns, galloping away, tears streaming down her face.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo trade worried looks for a brief second before Scootaloo turns and runs after her. Apple Bloom sighs, one hoof rubbing against the other as she says, “Ah’m sorry about that, Trixie. She didn’t mean it.” She too turns, her hurried pace catching up to the white unicorn.

Trixie watches, stunned. She has had fillies and colts come up to her after shows before, and tell her how much they liked it. Maybe tell her how cool it was. Maybe even they guessed at part of a trick, but to see through her deception for the entire routine? And nopony had ever said they wanted to be like her. And, sometimes, when an act hadn’t gone well, and she needed to lay low for a few days? She didn’t know if she wanted to be like her, either.

And what did Apple Bloom mean? That Sweetie Belle didn’t want to be like her? Or that she didn’t mean to hurt Trixie’s feelings?

Trixie turns back to Sugarcube Corner, a slow pace as she ponders. If this is what having friends is like, where you care about their problems and have to work to make it better, then maybe she is better off like she was before she came to Ponyville.

Trixie walks around her parked wagon, glancing up at an oddity in the corner of her eye. A scowl spreads over Trixie’s face as she sees a mass of blue defacing her new wagon. Scribbled lines, curved and wavy all across the front, a giant bear standing above a tiny unicorn. This side of the wagon was hidden from view when she was in Sugarcube Corner, and she had seen nopony around it when she came outside. Trixie spins around, stomping towards and glaring at the various merchant stalls and ponies milling about. And they did nothing while this happened? Maybe even joined in!

Well, she’d be repainting it anyway, completely covering the gross caricature of-

She pauses as she takes in the image from further away. What first appears to be a giant Ursa Minor terrorizing the small unicorn is actually sound asleep, a bandage covering his foreclaw. Two other ponies flit in the background, one hovering above and the other behind with a much smaller glow around her horn.

Trixie stomps forward; who had the audacity to do this without her permission? Not that it isn’t good work, but Trixie demands only the highest quality! She spots a line of writing at the bottom. What first appears to be a signature instead merely says “Can Improve”. Could she?

Trixie sighs, looks down at her own hoof, thinking back to watching Doug play with the pencil. Can she get that same sort of dexterity? Oftentimes a trick using telekinesis has to be disguised or the audience knows right away where to look. Same with the tell-tale glow of teleportation - now there is a giveaway, and oftentimes kills any sort of wonder. If Sweetie Belle wants to learn magic from her - well, stage magic. But performing magic tricks with no magic?

She begins pulling the wagon home. Or, at least, to Sweet Apple Acres. Her normal routines don’t involve an extraordinary level of magic, just used in a superbly subversive way. So maybe she wouldn’t go for her usual repertoire of summoned flowers, or recoloring items to match a coat or what a pony had picked. Trixie parks next to the Carrot House, hopping inside to think. She sways back and forth in her hammock, the shuttered side facing where the sun will eventually set. But, what kind of tricks did she have that would work?

A knock comes at the door to her wagon; Trixie opens an eye to glare at the offending sound. “The Great and Powerful Trixie thought she was not to be disturbed until after school,” she grunts out, rolling over in her hammock. It is comfortable, but not as broken in as her previous one. Well, only one way to fix that.

The knocking resumes, a muffled and hesitant voice saying, “Um, Trixie, it is after school.”

Trixie groans, getting up. No partial way to open her door, and she isn’t sure if she likes that or not. Always something she can change though. She inspects the wooden door frame. Easily replaceable, though it might be a slight difficulty finding the same wood. Eh, or she can just borrow Applejack’s tools. She’ll need to build a lot of new cabinets and boxes for the larger wagon anyway.

“Um, well, if you didn’t want to talk,” the voice says, barely audible. Trixie opens the door, seeing Sweetie Belle slinking away. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both come up to console her.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo says, “I’m sure we can find some other traveling performer who can help you out. They’re probably way better than Trixie, too!”

“Yeah!” pipes up Apple Bloom, “We don’t need that lame Trixie, even if her performance was pretty cool.”

All three sigh, turning back to take another look at the wagon. They gasp as they spot Trixie standing in the doorway, quickly huddling close and whispering to each other.

Apple Bloom whispers, “Do you think she heard us?”

Scootaloo glances up, quickly darting back down. “I think so.”

“What do we do?” whispers Sweetie Belle.

All three turn to look up as Trixie walks up to them, “I can still hear you, by the way.” She stays focused on Sweetie Belle: the white filly turning her pink and purple locks to look at her. “Sweetie Belle…” she says, trying to figure out how best to say this. But she never has trouble with this! She just speaks her mind!

“Y-yes?” comes the hesitant reply.

“You aren’t using your magic.” Fine, blunt and to the point. Serious face. Trixie would have smirked if she thought it would go over well, but her keen ability to read the scowls on the other fillies keeps her from pushing too hard.

“Well, yeah,” Sweetie Belle says with a frown. “You’ve seen my sire. My magic is terrible.”

Apple Bloom stands up, her muzzle set sharply as she stares down Trixie. “You better not be making fun of her!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo exclaims, joining Apple Bloom in standing between Trixie and Sweetie Belle. “What do you know about not being able to do magic?”

Trixie sighs, glancing back to her destroyed wagon. “It may surprise you, but the Great and Powerful Trixie was not always as… refined with her magic as she is now.” She sits down, the three fillies gathering close. “She was originally supposed to go to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. But, after passing the entrance exam by the skin of her horn, Trixie… struggled.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle says, glancing towards Ponyville. “But you did a great job yesterday.”

“Yes, Trixie showcases the best of her abilities during every show to the amazement and occasional belittlement of others. But,” Trixie leans in close, as if to disclose a closely held secret, “even Trixie has limits. They might not be as powerful as, say, that Twilight Sparkle, who can levitate an Ursa Minor by herself. But Trixie knows how to best utilize her limited repertoire! And,” she continues with a smirk, “Trixie can show you how you can do the same.”

46 Lantador's Lost Love, Part Four

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“Doug?” Rarity calls as she steps into the Carrot House, only a slight quiver to her voice. The sun has nearly set, and when Sweetie Belle didn’t return to the Boutique, or leave any sort of note or message? She’d have to forgive her for being just a teensy bit worried that they were playing - perhaps just a little too close to the Everfree Forest - and then something terrible that she just won’t imagine until she has at least some confirmation that everything is horribly wrong!

Rarity’s pulse quickens at the lack of response, her heart pounding louder than her hooves against the wooden floor. She glances into a few of the foal’s rooms, seeing the younger fillies studying or reading. But none of the trio can be seen! Her horn lights, Doug’s door swinging open to reveal him hard at work, his head bobbing to the rapid beat of his foot against the floor. His fingers fly as he writes, matching long lists of names to weekly or monthly lines of work.

“Darling, why didn’t you answer me,” Rarity pouts, rubbing her muzzle against his bare shoulder. She inhales that musk about him that suggests he’s been helping Applejack out in the hot fields for several hours. Gets her going the same way. But she can’t focus on that right now!

Doug glances over, slightly confused at her arrival. “Hmm?” His hand stops tapping but only for a moment; it resumes its frenzied motion as he reaches around her neck. His fingernails scratch to some imagined beat as he says, “Sorry, must have missed you.”

“While you might imagine that you built this room to be more soundproof than the rest,” Rarity says with a wink, “that doesn’t excuse you not hearing me at the door.” Rarity presses her head against Doug, trying to prompt him to get up and follow her, but not to the bed this early in the evening. “Have you seen Sweetie Belle? She never came home after school and I’ve seen and heard nothing from her.”

“Yeah,” Doug nods, spinning around, a brief look of annoyance at Rarity interrupting his work. “She ate dinner here. Haven’t seen her otherwise, I think she’s been hanging around with Trixie.”

Rarity raises an eyebrow, “Trixie? What could they be doing?”

“Not sure. But, Trixie did find a replacement wagon, so maybe they’re hanging around there.” Doug turns back to his desk, a slightly exasperated sigh as Rarity tries to spin him back around. He motions to his work like he has a lot that needs to get done, but when isn’t that the case?

“Come on, darling, you’ve been working all day. Spend some time with me? I hate when you just stay up late working and I never get to see you.” Rarity puts on her best pouty face, her eyes glistening as her lips quiver. “And I don’t want to search around for Trixie, not when it’s going to get dark any minute now.”

Doug glances over as he sets his pencil diagonally across the sheets of paper. He seems to catch himself from uttering a long sigh, instead forcing a smile and pulling her close for a quick kiss to her forehead. His stretched out, “Fine,” afterwards is belied by his fingers digging into the base of her mane, his legs stretching as he stands. He leads the way to the front door, Rarity following at his side.

“So,” Doug continues, making a beeline towards one of the barns, “Like I said, Trixie was able to find a wagon and some supplies, but it needs a bit of work. She has a hammock set up inside at least.” Doug leans down to whisper, “And she snores.” Rarity smirks as he stands and continues, “So, I think I’ll be able to reclaim my room. Did you want to head back to the Boutique?”

“Hmm, it already is a little late. Maybe if we left as soon as we meet up with Sweetie Belle, but I think she’ll be fine bunking with Scootaloo. I’m sure Fluttershy will figure it out when she goes inside, but perhaps I should have left her a note.” Rarity grins as she spots Sweetie Belle, along with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, outside of Trixie’s wagon. The blue unicorn is instructing the trio on some sort of card trick, each filly shuffling three cards around.

“Mama!” Sweetie Belle calls as she sees the two approaching, waving her hoof around as if Rarity might have had difficulty locating her. She leaps up, bounding over to Rarity, exchanging a quick nuzzle before tugging her over to Trixie

“Good evening, Trixie.” Trixie nods back, Rarity looking down at the trio as they eagerly gather their cards, sitting in a half ring around the two. “Have you all been behaving today?”

“Trixie is a mare of many talents; they have been no trouble at all,” Trixie responds with an easy smile.

“I want to show you this! Watch!” Sweetie Belle grabs her three cards, flipping them over to show Rarity. “It’s a pretty easy game, okay? I’ve got the Princess, and two ones.” She shows the cards - indeed, an elaborate image of Princess Celestia, horn aglow as she raises the sun in the background. The one of spades and the one of diamonds - depicting a stylized sun and star respectively - are also shown, the slightly bent cards turning back face down with the Princess on Rarity’s right. “All you have to do is pick the Princess! Easy, right?”

Rarity smiles, settling down and focusing on the Princess. Sweetie Belle begins shuffling the cards around, slowly at first, each hoof picking up one card and dropping it where another card used to be. The Princess goes center, left, left, center, right, right, center. Then her hooves bump against each other, a startled, “Oops!” from the filly. Rarity knowingly smiles, having bumped her hooves together numerous times when working on something, as the filly resumes her shuffling. Left, left, center, right, right, and the cards stop moving.

“Okay!” Sweetie Belle innocently smiles up at Rarity, “Where’s the Princess?”

“Canterlot,” Rarity casually says as the sun sets, the moon rapidly rising to take its place in the night sky. Thousands of stars begin winking into existence above them, filling in the dark void with twinkling pinpricks of light. The glowing, pure white moon still provides enough light in the cloudless night.

“Dam!” Sweetie Belle groans, her hooves staying away from the cards as she pouts. “I mean the card!”

“It’s on my right,” Rarity says, motioning to the card. She barely spots the slight smirk on Trixie’s muzzle, though it immediately disappears to a neutral grin. The barest twinge from her cutie mark tells her that the card she is pointing at is a diamond, though that can’t possibly be the case.

“Are you sure?” Sweetie Belle says, a worried note in her tone. “I mean, you don’t think it’s one of these two?” She motions to the other two cards, sighing at Rarity’s nod. Her resigned, “Okay,” as her hoof flips the card over.

The one of diamonds.

Rarity gapes as Doug nods knowingly, his own lips pursed at the reveal.

Sweetie Belle prances around, “I did it! My first try!”

Scootaloo rolls her eyes, “Yeah, it only took a few dozen tries to get the switch down.”

“At least it only took a couple tries to get your ‘oops’ to not sound so obvious,” Apple Bloom says with a smile. “You’re such a natural!”

“Um, thanks?” Sweetie Belle says as she looks down at the ground, suddenly a little self-conscious. She peeks up at Rarity, offering a shy smile.

“Don’t worry, dearest,” Rarity says conspiratorially as she leans down to her filly, “There are plenty of times when I must complement a customer on her appearance because it is what she likes, instead of what I might prefer.” Her muttered comment doesn’t go unheard as she continues, “Though even if the customer thinks they are right does not make it so.”

“Okay, Daddy, let me try!” Scootaloo puts away her cards, pulling out three short yellow cups and a small orange ball. Doug sits down as Scootaloo places the three cups in front of her, showing that underneath each one is empty by placing a hoof on top and picking the cup up. She holds up the small orange ball; it barely fits as she places it in the cup on the right.

She starts shuffling the cups around, occasionally picking the empty cups off the ground entirely. Her pace isn’t very fast, and Doug is able to easily follow along which cup the ball is in. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle creep closer to watch, Trixie also moving to a better vantage point.

“Okay!” Scootaloo exclaims as she finishes, beaming up. “Which cup has the ball?”

Doug points, Scootaloo shaking her head. “Nope!” She simultaneously lifts both the cup that should have held the ball, revealing nothing, while the other cup contains the orange ball. “Want to try again?”

“Sure!” Doug says with a smile, glancing over at Trixie. “Teaching them how to be a grifter?”

“Basic hoof techniques,” Trixie says as Scootaloo stops shuffling, grabbing a bag of pretzels. Doug points at the wrong cup, Scootaloo lifting the correct one and showing a ball while the wrong cup is empty.

“I still have a hard time believing what you can grab onto with a hoof,” Doug says, shaking his head as Scootaloo resumes shuffling. Doug reaches over, grabs one of the ‘empty’ cups and pinches the sides as he lifts.

“Hey!”

Trixie nods as Doug loosens his grip, an orange ball falling out of the cup and bouncing on the ground. He catches the ball with the cup, returning both to Scootaloo. The filly crosses her forelegs, sticking her lip out as she glares at her sire.

“You’re not supposed to know how it goes!”

Doug smirks as he reaches over, ruffling Scootaloo’s unruly mane. She shakes her head, eventually evading his grasp. “You still did very well, Scootaloo. I was impressed!”

“Really?” Scootaloo exclaims, a quick glance back confirming her suspicion. Still no cutie mark. “Rainbow Dash says I have good dexterity with my hooves. I just wish I could do the same with my wings, too.” She stretches her tiny wings, a sigh at their short reach.

“You taught them all this?” Rarity asks Trixie as Apple Bloom shows off her version of the card trick to Doug. He plays along at first, guessing the obvious one, before he wisens up to the trick. Much to his dismay, it appears that Apple Bloom was counting on this, and had not actually mixed up the cards on the hoof bump.

“Most of it; they are very fast learners, even if their technique struggles at times.” Trixie moves a little closer to Rarity, as if worried, “Sweetie Belle told me about their… condition. I am sorry I doubted your instruction before.”

“I had… no idea,” Rarity says, a bit of an eyebrow raise.

She clears her throat, “And the wise and patient Trixie has been working with them diligently ever since they came to her. For none is as inspirational a teacher as Trixie, nor as motivating!” She turns to Sweetie Belle, “Speaking of motivation, it is time we try a little manipulation using our horn.” Sweetie Belle looks a little unsure at the suggestion, Trixie continuing, “After all, how motivated we are to perform something can be a large influence in how well we perform, especially magically.”

“I had always heard emotions were stronger ties to performance,” Rarity says, a quick glance to Doug. He looks interested on the unfamiliar topic, for something he would never use. Use himself, at least.

“True,” Trixie says, “but isn’t that the same thing? For we must feel strongly about anything that motivates us.” She turns to Sweetie Belle, “And, until now, have you been motivated by the idea that you should do well? You see your dam and her levitation, and you want to be like her. But have you ever asked yourself why you want to be like her?”

Sweetie Belle shakes her head, shortly followed by Apple Bloom stopping her game and listening.

“And that could be the reason why you continue struggling.” Trixie points to her wagon, her horn lighting and conjuring a purple cloth clumsily wrapped in a conical shape, “The Great and Powerful Trixie enjoys her craft.” She pops a pretzel in her mouth before she turns back to Sweetie Belle, “What do you enjoy?”

“Um. I don’t really know…” Sweetie Belle says, sighing. “I like singing, and acting, and helping ponies.” She glances down at the cards near her, a bit of a smile as she says, “I don’t know how much I like tricking ponies.”

“The understanding and adaptable Trixie… understands,” Trixie says. She glances up to the night sky, then back to the Carrot House, the fabric on her head starting to unravel.

“And I think it’s getting close to bedtime,” Doug says, rubbing each filly’s head.

“Five more minutes?” Scootaloo asks eagerly.

“Okay, we can do the tricks a couple more times,” Doug says, settling back down. The trio gathers around him, each performing their trick as he tries to keep track of each of them.

“So,” Rarity says to Trixie, moving towards the wagon. “You seem to be doing a very good job instructing those three. Celestia knows I have enough trouble getting them to sit still and pay attention.” Her gaze stays fixed on the ‘hat’, one eye squinting.

Trixie merely nods, holding her tongue.

“I was curious, if perhaps you knew what you wanted to do with your wagon?” Rarity grimaces at the peeling paint. “And your outfit.”

“Do you find something wrong with the fabulous and mystifying Trixie’s choice of wardrobe?”

“I suppose there is nothing wrong with the classics,” Rarity says, her horning lighting and pulling the fabric off Trixie. It spins in midair, inverting and alighting back on Trixie’s head, a perfect replica of her old purple hat except for the missing stars. “You know, I was hoping to get some instruction from you on your color changing spells.” She motions to the hat, “Perhaps we could experiment? I have always been partial to purple and gold myself.”

Trixie glances at Rarity’s mane, a slight frown as she considers. The hat pulls off, a brief burst of magic from Trixie’s horn. She smiles at the result, placing the newly colored hat back on her head.

“It is a… different look. Positively druidic,” Rarity says, somehow keeping herself from screaming and running in disgust from the green and brown hat. “The browns would work better as accents, but not with that color green. Actually, nothing should be that color green, not with your coat.” She glances up, “Once we can see your choices in the light we can pick something that really lets you shine.”

Trixie merely nods, her muzzle curling to a smirk.

“Alright, you three, that’s enough,” Doug says, the trio keeping their whining to a minimum. Which is to say, he has wrestled each of them into submission and is now carrying them like wriggling sacks of potatoes over his shoulder as he walks back, ignoring their pleas for ‘just one more game, for real this time.’

Trixie smiles to herself as she watches the five walk off, opening the door to her wagon and stepping inside. She certainly enjoyed herself today, especially working with the fillies. And yet, something feels like it is missing. She hops in the hammock, dumping the remaining pretzels in her mouth as she stares at the shuttered windows. Definitely something missing in this picture.

In the Carrot House, soon enough and each of the fillies is in their bed, Sweetie Belle sharing Scootaloo’s room. Rarity is laying in bed atop a drowsy Doug, enjoying the caresses of her stallion as the door opens. Rarity yawns, “Welcome, Fluttershy,” and slipping off. She curls with her barrel against Doug's side, one hoof possessively across his chest, her head nestling against his shoulder.

Rarity's ears perk at the louder clops of hooves than she expected, turning one eye to the blue unicorn entering the room. Trixie stops, the two exchanging a long glance before Rarity smiles, laying her head back down.

Trixie hops up onto the bed, settling in next to Doug, and closing her eyes. One arm comes up, searching for the wings that aren't there before settling on Trixie's wider withers. He sighs sleepily, relaxing into the bed.

Some time later Fluttershy enters the room. Her eyes widen at Trixie’s snoring form, hesitating in the doorway. Finally a smile comes to her face, quietly taking to the air and landing next to Trixie, snuggling up close.

47 House of Mirrors, Part Three

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July 25th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Diamond Tiara chews the cream cheese and honey bagel as she awaits Randolph’s return with her bookbags. Her eyes drift upwards, staring out the dining room window. Black clouds pouring in. One hoof rests on the pure white tablecloth as the other brings the bagel closer for another bite.

She frowns. She doesn’t remember any inclement weather scheduled. She is certain that the experimental lightning storm is scheduled for two weeks from now. They can’t possibly be getting the clouds in for that today, can they? Maybe they need extensive testing? It is supposed to be this big undertaking - they’ve been posting fliers for weeks. Well, Celestia knows those weather ponies can barely get anything done right. Probably just a hiccup or something. Hopefully.

Diamond Tiara’s eyes barely shift to watch as Silver Spoon practically struts into the dining room, her plate of buttered toast and glass of orange juice balanced on her flank. She rolls her eyes at the blatant display, obviously designed to get her to look at the cutie mark directly underneath. Ever since her sister got that silly silver spoon on her flank she hasn’t been able to stop reminding her that she needs to hurry up, to get her own cutie mark.

“Morning, DT,” comes the far-too-pleasant greeting, Silver Spoon shifting her plate to the table and taking a dainty bite of her toast. She dabs at her muzzle with the napkin, leaving a single dollop of butter on the left side of her mouth. Intentionally, too, judging by the way her lips try to keep from curling to a smirk.

How would that conversation go? ‘You missed a spot.’ ‘Oh?’ she would glance back at her flank. ‘No, I think you missed a spot. Two of them!’ Followed by that chittering laugh as she licks the fleck of butter clean and scarfs down the toast, leaving crumbs everywhere. Dam would be furious, but a Rich mare never lets her anger get the better of her.

Diamond Tiara instead finishes chewing her morsel, swallowing and taking a sip of her apple juice. “Good morning, Silver Spoon,” she cheerily replies, her lack of the diminutive a clear reminder of her sister’s place. She pointedly looks outside at the still growing storm. “Some weather we will be having today.”

Silver Spoon licks the butter from her lip, glancing up and outside as she takes another bite of the buttery treat. “What the hay are they doing out there?” she asks, though manages to keep the crumbs from flying from her gaping mouth. She might let a fly in, though. Not that there are any flies in the Rich mansion.

“Language, dear,” Silver Set says as she walks through the dining room and into the kitchen. Silver Spoon’s dam quickly returns, saddlebags neatly packed with designs she had been working on late into the night. Apparently a lot of the nobles want to get something unique done in time for one of the garden balls that Princess Luna will be attending, and there had been very little notice of the royal visitation. Though all those pale in comparison to the exquisite pieces they want for the Grand Galloping Gala next February. Those pieces, some already half constructed, would be the talk of the town! Well, not Ponyville. Canterlot, of course, as if it needed to be stated.

Silver Set quickly slips past the various chairs in the way, nuzzling both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Her eyes never drift upwards, instead focusing on maneuvering through the most efficient route to each of them, a brief nuzzle for the twins as they walk into the dining room, and then out the door. Silver Hoop and Silver Stud both take their places at the table, eagerly awaiting breakfast.

“Your bags,” Randolph says as he enters the room, the elderly earth pony stallion shakily placing her for-school saddlebags on the floor next to her. He gathers a few of the empty plates, a slight incline asking Diamond Tiara if she would like any more. He nods as she shakes her head, continuing around the table.

“You packed the papers like I asked?” Diamond Tiara says with barely a glance to the saddlebags, taking the second to last bite of her bagel. She would still be a little hungry, but she needs to leave now. And she can always grab something at Sugarcube Corner. If it isn’t too busy.

“As you requested,” Randolph says with a nod, moving to the kitchen. The clink of empty plates being loaded with more breakfast is soon followed by the butler returning, placing the plates in front of Hoop and Stud.

“Thank you,” Diamond Tiara says, finishing off her bagel. Always make sure the help feels appreciated. She stands up from her chair, waiting only somewhat impatiently for Randolph to place the light saddlebags onto her bag, though she straps herself in. To her side, Silver Spoon dons her own school bags, though she only has the one pair, even if they are that Prench designer brand Diamond Tiara wanted but her sister got only because she has her cutie mark.

Well, if all goes according to plan, cutie marks will be a thing of the past.

Not like that. Don’t be ridiculous.

Silver Spoon follows Diamond Tiara as they walk outside, the giant cloud of smoke already starting to cover all of Equestria! Actually, more like barely starting to impact the town. Hmm, maybe not even that far. The mountain all the smoke is coming from is pretty far away, after all. And there is a lot of sky, even with the wind blowing towards them. Hay, with how quickly it's coming it'll probably be blown past in just a matter of hours. Unless it just keeps coming, but how many dark clouds can they make at once?

Well, they’ll still have enough time to play in the park for a little bit before school starts. Ponies just starting their day pass on either side of the street, merchants hawking their goods and greeting everypony with a smile. The two fillies pass through mostly unmolested, only stopping at the Apple stand to grab a few fresh apples from a distracted and scowling Applebaum. Not at them, but at some sort of study guide, the filly briefly waving at them without looking up.

They drop the correct number of bits onto the stand regardless, Applebaum not bothering to count them as she sweeps them into a bag underneath. Silver Spoon zips up her purse, returning it to her saddlebags and remarking as if Applebaum had struck her instead of just mostly ignoring them, “What is she so fascinated by? She barely even did her job!” She takes a bite out of one of the Red Delicious, placing the other two in her bag for a snack during class.

“It looked like some sort of aptitude test,” Diamond Tiara says with a shrug. Her own two apples also disappear into her saddlebags, not quite hungry yet. “Daddy says that some of the specialty schools do that. They make you read and then take a bunch of really hard questions. And, based on how well you do, that determines what kind of school that will accept you.” She grimaces a little internally; all of the good Administration schools are geared towards unicorns, and often include examinations to further that, if she isn't being charitable, agenda.

“She looked pretty worried.” Silver Spoon glances back, a bit of a frown at seeing Applebaum still staring at the booklet. “Also, isn’t she pretty young?” She pauses, the two looking back to see a far more fervent smile on the earth pony, like she just found the section of the study guide on dealing with blowing things up.

“Nah; as long as you can get a high enough score on the test a lot of those schools, like Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, they’ll take any age. They just have to take their civics and general ed classes at the same time. And if you don’t get in you can just retake it next year if you really want to, but generally your score doesn’t change much.” Diamond Tiara shrugs, “I might go for some sort of chief operating officer job, but Daddy says that real world experience matters a lot more than some fancy diploma. Or a cutie mark, but good luck with that.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll stick to jewelry making, thanks,” Silver Spoon says, shaking her head at the thought of running a multi-city business. Way too much work. "Leave the running of things to the ponies who want all that comes with that."

The two arrive at the park, the morning sun piercing through the many green topped trees. A lot of ponies are milling about along the dirt paths or just relaxing on the grass, that green unicorn sitting on a bench all weird and upright. Diamond Tiara spots Scootaloo, the pony she was hoping to see, watching Rainbow Dash bounce a ball around. Well, not so much watching as alternating between either a wing up, a squat, or a push up every time Rainbow bounces the ball. In fact, a bunch of the mares of Herd Apple are here, Diamond Tiara raising an eye at the coincidence.

Diamond Tiara walks up to Scootaloo as Fluttershy worriedly points to the sky. Diamond Tiara clears her throat, saying as the orange pegasus looks over at her, “Morning, Scootaloo.” Diamond Tiara nudges her head a bit deeper into the park, away from the excited murmurs of the crowd as they watch Rainbow Dash continue to bounce the ball.

“Morning,” Scootaloo struggles out as she continues doing wing up, squat, push up.

Diamond Tiara huffs at the lack of compliance as Pinkie Pie pronks around Rainbow Dash. She sits down, a bored look on her face as she continues watching the ball go up, and down, and up, and down, and Rainbow getting smacked by Pinkie Pie and missing it.

"Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash exclaims as Scootaloo drops down, panting. "Now I have to start over!"

Scootaloo staggers to her hooves, deep breaths as she follows Diamond Tiara. “Sup?” Fluttershy continues going from pony to pony, none really reacting to her frenzied whispering.

Diamond Tiara pulls a few of the folded papers out of her saddlebags, the pegasus scrunching her eyes as she takes and reads through the first couple lines. "I wrote this up for you. As you probably know, the deadline to run for class president is today. And, before class, you're going to read those lines to everypony."

"There's not anything really embarrassing in here, is there?" Scootaloo says, flipping past the first few pages. A purple unicorn crosses one of the bridges, a determined look in her eyes as she points a hoof to the sky. She points to the dragon on her back, Fluttershy now cowering down.

"Wow, you're a fast reader," Diamond Tiara says, a hint of amazement in her voice. Even when she skims she doesn't go that quickly. Or maybe Scootaloo wasn't reading it through? Behind her a lot of the ponies either begin panicking or gather around Twilight Sparkle as she motions to a mountain off in the distance.

"Thanks." Scootaloo flips to the last of the pages. Not that there was a lot on each, as Diamond Tiara wanted to make it easy to read and not her normal elegant cursive. Scootaloo's eyes narrow, looking up at Diamond Tiara. She points to one section at the end, "You sure about this?"

"Please, it's not that bad. And you do want that new scooter, don't you? I haven't seen you on your other one since that Griffon chick left." Diamond Tiara smirks at Scootaloo's scowl and delayed head shake. "Well, I've got some good news and some bad news." The Apple herd breaks apart, each rushing in the direction of their home.

"Bad first," Scootaloo says, as if this isn't the first time somepony has used the phrase in front of her. Actually, knowing her sire and Rainbow Dash, it probably gets used in front of her a lot.

Diamond Tiara points a hoof at the papers, "You're going to have to memorize that. But, if you pull it off? Well, there's a new scooter waiting at school for you."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Scootaloo says, bouncing to her hooves. She can already envision herself on the new scooter, performing tricks and wowing the audience just like Trixie thought she could. She glances back towards Sweet Apple Acres, though the newly painted wagon isn't in view. "Let's go!"

48 House of Mirrors, Part Four

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Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Scootaloo arrive at the Ponyville Schoolhouse, joining a few of the other fillies playing outside. Trixie’s wagon is visible next to one of the barns on Sweet Apple Acres, now brightly painted in blues and purples with gold highlights and silver stars. The unicorn is placing a few apples into Applejack’s saddlebags, waving along with Big Mac, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom as Applejack races back towards Ponyville.

Many of the students are kicking balls, jumping rope, or kicking balls at the ponies jumping rope. Scootaloo briefly looks around for the hidden scooter before pulling out the paper Diamond Tiara gave her, her mouth moving as her eyes scan back and forth. Diamond Tiara joins in kicking the balls while Silver Spoon sits off to the side, finding a couple of the young mares in the older class to chat with.

Apple Bloom finally arrives at the schoolhouse, most of the games ending as the ponies get ready to head inside to the basement, basking in the last rays of light they will get until recess. And then lunchtime for the ponies who like to go out for lunch or to stay with their friends doing the same. Or at the end of school, if Applebaum wasn’t cajoled by her sisters to get out every once in a while.

Scootaloo steps out of the shadows, clearing her throat to address everypony. Most of them stop, glancing around to each other in puzzlement. She begins, “So, you all know, we’ll be voting for class precedent today.”

‘President,’ Diamond Tiara corrects under her breath. But, she supposes, Scootaloo isn’t wrong.

A few of the fillies whisper to each other, Diamond Tiara turning to shush them with a glare. They immediately quiet down, contrite looks on their faces.

Scootaloo continues after a bit of hesitation, “So, um, before we do the voting and what not, I thought that Silver Spoon and I would do a bit of, uh, perusing.” She stops speaking, a flick of her eyes to Diamond Tiara before her gaze settles on Silver Spoon.

‘Persuading,’ Diamond Tiara sighs to herself. This is going to be terrible.

Silver Spoon returns a blank stare at Scootaloo before jumping forward, almost as if somepony pushed her from behind. “Oh, you want me to go first,” she says, a short glare behind her at Diamond Tiara, the filly just slightly raising an eyebrow in return. Silver Spoon clears her throat as she turns to address the group of fillies looking at her expectantly.

“I didn’t prepare any sort of statement, so you’ll have to listen to me ramble.” Silver Spoon flicks her ear back, “So, you should all vote for me because I’ll be a great class president. As you can tell by my cutie mark, I’ve got experience and talent at making things look good. So, we’ll be the best looking class in school!” Silver Spoon smiles at the polite stomp of hooves.

A good number of the younger class, especially the Apple herd, is gathering to listen as Scootaloo steps up. "Look, everypony," Scootaloo says as she walks to the front of the class. "When I first put my name is to run for class precedent, I thought it would be fun. Maybe just for kicks. Maybe a way to help out the class, or maybe a way to get my cutie mark.” Scootaloo snickers a little at the last part, as if it is patently absurd.

“But, what I learned is that it takes a lot of time and dedication to lead.” Scootaloo begins pacing back and forth a little as Diamond Tiara’s eyes narrow. “I was watching Twilight Sparkle during Applebuck season back at Sweet Apple Acres. You all know her, she’s the librarian now. And, maybe you wouldn’t have guessed, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. You have to figure out all sorts of things in order to get apples from the trees to your plate.”

Scootaloo turns to look at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, then at Meringue as she glances up from her coloring book. “And that’s true about lots of things. Not just about the difficulties you might face, which can be many. But, maybe even more importantly, you also have to know the ponies that you are leading. What they like to do. What they want to do. What they are able to do.”

She turns to each pony, focusing on one characteristic after another. Maybe it’s the large overbite on a pony who has really strong teeth. Meringue’s coloring book. Apple Bloom and the apple she is munching on. "And, I'll be honest with you. While I know each of you, and we're friends, my strong suit has never been dealing with others. You need some speed?" Scootaloo smirks, buzzing her wings as she drops to a racing stance, "I'm your pony!" She gets back up, scanning over each filly in class, "But, if what you are looking for is somepony who will take every different factor into account before making a decision that's best for everypony?"

Scootaloo shakes her head as she paces back and forth, "I've watched my sire at work, when he's planning out some weather schedule, or helping Applejack or Rarity with the finances. And he tried to explain it to me, in case I happened to get my cutie mark there."

Her grin grows a little larger as she flashes her blank flank, "Spoiler alert: it didn't happen.”

She gives a carefree shrug, “And I’ll freely admit, I'm not that great at it. But, I don't have to be. Here's the thing: it doesn’t take being great at lifting things, or making art, or harvesting apples to figure out what other ponies can do. You don’t need a special cutie mark to find out what other ponies like, or what they’re good at. All it takes is talking to them, and getting to know them. And that, my friends, is the essence of Friendship.”

The stomp of hooves against the ground is loud enough for Miss Cheerilee to crack open the door and see what the fuss is all about. Diamond Tiara grins; she may have deviated a lot from what she wrote, but she got the main points. Perfect, now to-

Sweetie Belle interrupts, “That’s great and all, but that doesn’t convince me that I should vote for you as class president.”

Diamond Tiara stifles her gasp; this isn’t supposed to happen! Many of the other ponies are also nodding along, ruining the effect of the speech. How is she going to get phase two of the plan to work without them unified?

Scootaloo nods, her lips pursed. “You know, Sweetie Belle? That’s right. You’re right. I’m not the best with words. I don’t really know each of you as well as I should. I’ve had other priorities, and I’m sorry that becoming better friends with each of you wasn’t one of them.”

Silver Spoon smirks, but it quickly fades as Scootaloo walks up to her.

“The truth of the matter is,” Scootaloo says as the class glances around at each other, their gaze eventually following Scootaloo, “that there is a pony here who has done that. Who has made it her priority to know each one of you, maybe even better than you know yourselves." The orange pegasus gives a sad smile and shake of her head as she gently rests a hoof on Silver Spoon's withers, "Unfortunately, it isn't my opponent, Silver Spoon."

"Then who is?" pipes up Apple Bloom, the desperation to know plain on her face.

Scootaloo sighs, “Well, when she first came to me, I knew she was scared. She didn’t want to be rejected by each of you because she doesn’t yet know her true calling in life.” Scootaloo’s gaze lingers on Sweetie Belle, a number of other fillies also turning to look at the white unicorn. Sweetie Belle scrunches down, a shy grin at the ponies surrounding her. Scootaloo continues, “And she didn’t want to be rejected by everypony because she, like me, is missing a cutie mark.”

Diamond Tiara grits her teeth. She isn’t supposed to say all that about her!

“But me?” Scootaloo says with a smirk, “I’m tougher than that.”

“Ith okay, Thcootaloo,” Twist says with her lisp, “We’ll thtill vote for you!”

Many of the ponies stomp their hooves, Scootaloo nodding along and smiling. “Thanks Twist, that means a lot to me. And I can tell it means a lot to all of us who haven’t yet found our cutie marks. And it even means a lot to those of us who have.” Scootaloo lifts the hoof from Silver Spoon, “So, the pony that we should be voting for as class precedent - the one who helped me with that whole speech that I never would have been able to do on my own - is...”

Her hoof meanders around before finally pointing at, "Diamond Tiara."

As if on cue Diamond Tiara gets up, practically strutting to the front of the class. Many of the ponies awkwardly shy down as her gaze lingers on them; perhaps she had helped them with something in the past that they didn’t want known they needed help with. Or a secret, or ability, they thought made them stand out from the crowd. Their hooves eventually find their strength, stomping along as they murmur. Diamond Tiara beams as she hugs the pegasus, saying loudly, “Thanks, Scootaloo, for everything you’ve done.” She draws in close, whispering, “Your new scooter is under your desk.”

“You hid it there?” Scootaloo whispers back, shaking her head. “I’d have never looked there!”

Diamond Tiara smirks, “And that’s why it’s the perfect hiding spot.”

Eventually the stomping draws to a close, everypony glancing up at Miss Cheerilee as she clears her throat. “Unfortunately, the school board decided that having three class presidents is too many, and we will be sticking with just the one school president. I’m sorry if this is upsetting for anypony.”

“Awww,” comes the collective groan.

“I’ll thtill vote for you, Thcootaloo!” exclaims Twist, several ponies nodding along.

“No, Silver Spoon!”

“Diamond Tiara!”

The three candidates glance at each other, quickly huddling.

Scootaloo leads, “Well, this is bad.”

Silver Spoon shakes her head, “We’ll never win if all three of us run.”

Diamond Tiara nods, “The votes would be spread too thin. Even two is too many.”

“Not it,” says Scootaloo with a grin. The other two to stare at her. “What?”

Silver Spoon smirks at Diamond Tiara, “Guess you got opponents to beat anyway.” Diamond Tiara merely nods as they break apart.

“Everypony!” Scootaloo announces, “If you think that a blank flank should have just as much a chance as anypony else to win, vote for Diamond Tiara! I’m withdrawing my name as a can!”

“-didate,” Diamond Tiara adds with a scowl.

“And if you’re tired of the upper class always having the final say, vote for Diamond Tiara!” Silver Spoon sighs; she might have liked being president. “I too withdraw my name for school president.”

The crowd of ponies glance around at each other, unsure if they should be cheering at this or not.

“Diamond Tiara!” shouts Apple Bloom, many others quickly joining her in chanting along.

“You better listen to me when I have suggestions,” Silver Spoon whispers to Diamond Tiara, barely managing to be heard.

Diamond Tiara rolls her eyes at having to say it, “Of course! You’re my best friend!” before nuzzling Silver Spoon.

Scootaloo walks over to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, trading smiles. “You two did great!” The three each bump a hoof together before they and everypony else heads to the basement, a long day of sitting inside ahead of them.

After class that day Miss Cheerilee gathers all of the students outside of the schoolhouse. She drags a filly sized podium towards a small tent. She stands, looking over the class to the stacks of paper printed with a picture of Diamond Tiara’s head, a white lightning bolt, and a leaflet. Next to those is the ballot box, the small tent giving ponies their privacy when they voted.

Diamond Tiara walks to the front of the combined class, glad she was able to place her notes on the podium beforehoof. This way she can spend the entire walk looking as regal as possible, confident in her scanning over the forty seven ponies, including Miss Cheerilee. All are giving the candidates their rapt attention before they can cast their vote on who will be the school president for the next year.

Namby Pamby goes first, an inspirational speech from the sitting president detailing the various things that have happened under her leadership. She draws a good bit of applause, especially the older fillies, whenever she mentions some of the more successful programs. Everypony stomps at the end, a few of Namby Pamby’s friends in the Foal Free Press cheering.

Bolt goes next, a fairly rousing speech about how colts can be leaders too, just like those without their cutie marks. Unfortunately for him, few - if any - ponies are inspired by his core message. Most of the fillies, and even a number of the colts, hold their stomping until the end.

Diamond Tiara steps to the podium, nodding at her two competitors. Her high voice rings out, “Thank you, all, for your consideration. I know it may not seem like much, being the president of the school. You get a picture in the yearbook, sure. A fancy title. You get to represent the students to the school board. But the real power in the position is how it helps us prepare ourselves for the future. A future that we all want to be a part of together.”

"Perhaps I’ll be the pony for the job this year. Or maybe next, or the year after that. But I know, deep in my heart, that I am a leader. And what makes a leader? Is it the golden crown that they wear on their head? The holder of the griffon's Idol of Boreas? The wielder of a bloodstone scepter?"

Diamond Tiara shudders as she scans the crowd, feeling a queasiness deep in her core. Her eyes close as she pauses at the podium, the mildly concerned query of her teacher irrelevant to the internal shift she can only barely feel. As if she is a lump of carbon, located deep underground, further than any pony has ever traveled, and subject to eons of pressure and heat.

Diamond Tiara waves a hoof at Miss Cheerilee before she stomps the same hoof on the floor, shouting, "NO! A thousand times no! It is the willingness to stand up for your people, your kin, any of those who have put their trust and their faith in you. And that can be done regardless of whether the mark on your flank is a golden sun, a turnip, or blank.” She steps out from behind the podium, proudly posing.

The deafening volume of cheers and hooves stomping is not quite what she was expecting.

Diamond Tiara blankly looks up at the fillies surrounding her, not quite able to make out the reason for their excitement. Was her speech really that inspiring? She glances around, stupefied; something heavy is on her head, and nopony is touching her. One hoof tentatively comes up, testing what it is, pushing something hard and unyielding into her mane.

"Look, Diamond Tiara! Your cutie mark!"

Diamond Tiara glances back. She couldn't tell who made that comment initially, or which ponies are repeating it, or who is just saying it for the sake of being in on the joke. Her eyes trace along her barrel until they get to a blue prong.

Wait.

Her cutie mark?

Diamond Tiara twists, staring at the blue tiara emblazoned on her pink flank. It's there! It's really there! She squeals in delight, prancing around before she spots Silver Spoon. She madly charges through the gathered fillies, her grin spreading as she calls, "Bump! Bump! Sugarlump, rump!"

Silver Spoon matches her shake for shake, ending up with the silver spoon practically hugging the diamond tiara as long-lost friends finally reunited.

Diamond Tiara beams, "You know what this means, right? I'm a born leader! I’m meant to rule! Destined!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cheer along with everypony else, raising their glowing hooves to each other. They pause at the missing limb; they look around, their gaze finally finding Scootaloo cowering on the ground, her hooves covering her eyes. Apple Bloom huffs, “Come on, Scootaloo, your plan to help Diamond Tiara worked! And she even got her cutie mark!”

“But I don’t want a cutie mark in politicking,” Scootaloo groans, the light around them fading.

“Yeah, me neither,” adds Sweetie Belle, the light disappearing completely.

49 The Coming Storm, Part One

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“I’m sorry, Trixie,” Miss Cheerilee says, an apologetic yet resolute tone in her voice. “The rules are very clear.” The two mares stand outside of a very shady Ponyville Schoolhouse, the fillies of the Apple herd splayed around on the ground. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Pomarbo stare up at the dark sky while Lemon busily skips around. Sweetie Belle and Applebaum both read while Meringue and Hedge color. All occasionally glance up, trading worried looks, before going back to however they are passing the time.

“But,” Trixie says, glancing up at the barely visible mountain still spewing black smoke, “Pinkie Pie gave very specific instructions. She said that if the sky was covered by a bunch of smoke, that the gainfully employed and very busy Trixie needed to pick up the fillies from school.”

“Yes, but you aren’t a mare in their herd. And during an emergency like this?” Miss Cheerilee gives a sad smile, shaking her head, “If anything happens to them…”

“We can see Sweet Apple Acres from here!” Scootaloo exclaims exasperatedly, throwing her hooves up in the air. One hoof rolls her scooter back and forth, grunting at not being allowed to scoot off, or around the schoolhouse. “And look! There’s Spike, playing with Winona! They could throw a ball to me, and I could kick it back!”

“Look, nopony has to know,” Trixie says conspiratorially. She motions over to the fence line, “I can just walk them, right over there. You’ll be able to see me the whole time, right?”

Miss Cheerilee nervously stammers, her hooves alternating between stomping and pawing at the ground as she glances east towards Canterlot Mountain. “Look, it was impressed very heavily on me, that if it seemed like something, anything, out of the ordinary is going on, that I am to wait until one of the mares of Herd Apple, or Twilight Sparkle, arrives to pick them up.”

“So I can’t even get Doug to come here and help out? I guess he’s not mare enough for you?” Trixie huffs at Miss Cheerilee’s shake of the head, glaring again at the mountain no longer spewing smoke.

“Now,” Miss Cheerilee says much more quietly as she glances around, “if you are sleeping with Doug, then I think I can make an exception.”

“Sadly,” Trixie grits out through clenched teeth, “while Trixie has spent several nights in bed with him, it is not under the context she is sure you are referring.”

“And Miss Cheerilee wishes to spare them both the fervent heat should that discrepancy be discovered.” Miss Cheerilee forces a grin at Trixie’s scowl, many of the fillies groaning as they continue looking around for things other than their homework or studying to do.

Trixie gives a long and pointed look to the west, “Perhaps Trixie will return to Sweet Apple Acres and rectify that.”

Miss Cheerilee mutters to herself, “If I thought that would have worked, I would have done that myself when I was first told about this ‘assignment’ and dumped them off first chance I got.”

“What?” Trixie asks, raising an eyebrow.

Miss Cheerilee says louder, “Good luck with that. I’ll be waiting here, with them, when you get back.”

Trixie scowls at Miss Cheerilee for a few seconds before flopping to the ground. She rolls onto her back, staring up at the sky. She finally moans, “So, you and Doug too, huh?”

“Excuse me?” Miss Cheerilee asks, looking up from the papers she is grading.

“Did you and Doug ever do anything?” Trixie says without looking over, her hooves outstretched as she watches the swirling clouds in the sky. The dark shapes roil as they flow across the land, the smell of foul eggs beginning to permeate the air.

Miss Cheerilee casually says, turning back to her papers, “Just Bridge.”

“Trixie is not familiar with that position.”

“That’s because it’s a card game,” Miss Cheerilee replies, condemnation dripping from her voice.

“Oh.” Trixie is silent for a few seconds before she says, “Is it difficult?”

“Yes. One of the harder games I’ve played, similar to chess.” Miss Cheerilee glances over at the fillies, “It’s a game for four players. Applebaum and Lemon both know how to play, if you want. Sweetie Belle as well, but she doesn’t enjoy it as much.”

“Trixie has not played much of this ‘chess’, but if a four year old filly can play then Trixie should have no difficulty at all.”

“They’ve both been playing for a few years.” Miss Cheerilee packs her papers up, walking inside to grab a deck of cards.

“Is that supposed to make me think the game is going to be harder or easier?” Trixie says to nopony in particular, raising an eyebrow. Granted, her sire had started her on various magic tricks at about that age, but she is the Great and Powerful Trixie!

Miss Cheerilee returns without her papers, instead brandishing a deck of cards. She begins shuffling the cards, eventually dealing four hooves of cards. She explains the game to Trixie, along with a rough bidding system, before calling the two young mares over.

Applebaum and Lemon arrive on opposite sides of Trixie, glancing at each other and then at the blue unicorn sprawled out on the ground. The two young mares stare at each other, still as statues, until Applebaum groans. “Fine,” she says, “I’ll partner with Trixie.”

“Trixie was not aware she is such a liability,” she says as she gets up. She looks at her hoof of cards, rearranging them by suit and rank. Bidding and play commences, slowly at first as Trixie gets more comfortable with the game. Soon enough and it is her turn to deal, her shuffling of the cards far faster than the others. Applebaum and Lemon glance at each other while Miss Cheerilee watches in awe at the hoofwork, Trixie throwing in a bit of fanciness during her dealing of the cards.

Trixie wins the bidding, though not many of the other players bid, finally able to play as something other than the stallion or defender. Her play is fairly straightforward: she takes her four princesses, losing a few of the tricks she expected, and making her bid, if barely. A few glances are traded between Applebaum and Lemon, a sigh from both.

Everypony looks up as Doug and Rainbow Dash arrive from Sweet Apple Acres, the other five mares from the north. Applebaum and Miss Cheerilee hop up to their hooves, many of the fillies eagerly packing up their things and getting ready to greet their dams.

Trixie looks over as Lemon gathers up the cards, a pensive look on the yellow filly. “Something on your mind?” Trixie asks, her horn lighting to help.

Lemon sighs, “Well, it has to do with the hoof we just played. And, um, at first I didn’t want to say anything, but…”

“Trixie is a strong mare. She can take it.”

Lemon sighs, “Well, you know, when you’re playing Bridge, you can’t look at every trick individually to decide what the best play is. Sometimes you have to lose a trick you could have taken in order to win more tricks later.”

Trixie raises an eyebrow, “Trixie feels like you are trying to make an analogy about life.”

Lemon grins, “I guess, maybe I am. Daddy says some stuff like that too. The weirdest one is how, um, ‘it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.’ And he explained it, like, just like in Bridge, in life we don’t just play one trick. Or one hoof. Or even one day like this where we play a lot of hooves.”

“Is there some larger point you are making?” Trixie asks with a touch of exasperation. She raises one eyebrow glances over at Miss Cheerilee and Applebaum. “Trixie acknowledges that she is a beginner, and perhaps her plays are not yet the most elegant.”

“Oh, it’s not that so much. Although, you know, I’d love to help you learn more about the game!” Lemon beams up at Trixie, a large smile against the dark backdrop of black sky. Trixie returns a stone faced glare at the young mare. Lemon, completely unfazed, continues, “It’s more, like, when you’re dealing, don’t deal yourself all the princesses just because you want to win.”

Trixie’s jaw drops slightly, “You… noticed?”

Lemon shrugs before she nods, “I mean, you showed off the same trick on your third performance. And it’s obvious you’ve hoofed a lot of cards. Applebaum and I talked about it-” Trixie raises an eyebrow as she glares, the two having said nothing to each other, “-and once you know what to look for, you know, it isn’t that hard to spot.” Lemon sighs, “I talked with dam about it too. You know, I guess I’m just worried.”

“About what?” Trixie practically spits out, trying to keep her voice down and from the other fillies noticing.

“Well, I like you, Trixie. You’re a lot of fun to be around, and I love your confidence and enthusiasm.” Lemon sighs again, “And I know you’re still thinking about whether or not you want to stay here, or if you want to go back on the road. But, here’s the thing, how often are you leaving a town because a couple of your sleight of hooves, the ones not in your magic show, come back to bite you?”

Trixie glares, “Trixie does not like where this line of questioning is going, and wants Lemon to stop before she says something she will regret.”

Lemon glances back to her cutie mark, “Well, I kinda feel compelled to keep going, even if you don’t like what I’m saying and you leave. Or worse. Because, you know, maybe you’ll question yourself further along the line. But how many more towns is it going to take leaving before you realize that cheating in a no-stakes card game means that you’ll cheat in other, more important areas, too?”

“That’s not-” Trixie exclaims loudly before she drops down, whispering, “That’s not true! Trixie wouldn’t…” she trails off, glancing not at Ponyville but to the west, to Las Pegasus. The various towns between Ponyville and where she started out, and how many of them she had left in a bit more than a hurry.

Lemon lightly places a hoof on Trixie’s withers, softly saying, “It’s okay, Trixie. You don’t have to keep dredging up the old, bad memories. If you’re serious about staying here, and I want you to, then you’ll have a choice to make. And while I find it as funny as the next pony when you rib a pony like Twilight Sparkle over there-”

Lemon motions to the mares just getting to the schoolhouse as she pulls Trixie in close, whispering in her ear, “-and it’s hilarious, don’t stop doing that-”

Lemon releases a grinning Trixie, “-there are a couple of things that would have to change. You’d probably have to, you know, tone that attitude down. Just while you’re around the herd. And second, you’d have to be completely honest. Your magic stuff is different. And Daddy’d probably have some, um, ‘adult’ restrictions for you.”

Trixie raises an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

“You know, what kind of ‘performances’ you can give after your show is done?” Lemon glances back and forth, “Or am I not supposed to know about those either?”

“Trixie is curious how this knowledge came to you in the first place.”

Lemon glances towards Ponyville, “Oh, the bakery doors are, like, paper thin. Dam heard everything. And she tried bouncing a few ideas off me while we were bouncing a few balls while bouncing on her bouncy bed. So, I guess what I’m getting at is that we believe in you, Trixie. That you can be a better you. Do you?”

Trixie stares at Lemon for several long seconds, trying to process this. Other than her sire, had anypony ever truly expected anything from her?

“Trixie!” Applejack shouts as the six mares and Doug arrive at the schoolhouse, everypony greeting them. “What did you do to my apples?”

Trixie’s bewildered look only lasts a split second. “Apples? Those were smoke bombs.”

Applejack glares, “Ah figured that out when Ah tried bucking them! They exploded right in my face! Well, not my face so much as my hooves.” Applejack grunts before continuing, “Why’d ya do it?”

“Trixie thought you might need a quick escape method. So, um, she’s glad they worked?” Trixie offers up an only slightly apologetic smile.

Applejack’s harsh look dissipates, a stomp on the ground as she shakes her head. “Well, we never did get to try them against the dragon, but Ah guess it’s the thought that counts, huh?” Applejack smiles, “So, did ya want to hear all about it?”

50 The Coming Storm, Part Two

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“And then the dragon just… flew away?” Doug asks, staring at Fluttershy. “Really?”

“Really!” says Fluttershy, ecstatically nodding. “And after apologizing profusely, he said he would make sure to take his naps far away from where ponies live!”

“What was he doing out here in the first place?” Doug says, shaking his head. “I mean, the napping for a hundred years I can buy, being a dragon or something-”

“Actually,” Twilight Sparkle says, cutting Doug off, “Princess Celestia’s letter merely stated that Equestria would be covered in smoke for a hundred years if he continued napping there.”

Doug deadpan stares at Twilight Sparkle for a few seconds before looking up at the sky. A few dozen pegasi are congregating around, chatting amongst themselves. Rainbow Dash flies up to a few flying over, a brief conversation before Rainbow Dash drops back down.

“Yeah, with the source of the smoke gone, we should be able to clear this up in an hour, two tops.” Rainbow Dash shrugs as she glances to Twilight Sparkle, “I mean, maybe if he had kept up that snoring it would have been a problem, but I think the Princess might have been overstating the problem just a little.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, glaring at the blue pegasus hovering just above the ground, “The Princess would never do such a thing!”

“Wua?” Rainbow Dash says, motioning towards the mountain to the north, then towards Twilight Sparkle, and then towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Are we talking about the same Princess here? She’s a total prankster!”

Twilight Sparkle stomps a hoof as she whirls to face Rainbow Dash, “Name one time Princess Celestia has acted out of line or done anything unbefitting of a Princess!”

Rainbow Dash looks between Doug, and then Pinkie Pie, then to Pinkie Pie’s flank, “Well, there was this one time with some cake…”

Pinkie Pie continues, “And then the second time with the cakes - the delicious pastries of course, not the Cakes’ cakes.”

Twilight Sparkle rolls her eyes, “Princess Celestia has a well documented history with her cakes. She can get very defensive around them! Not that I personally have anything to do with that!” Twilight Sparkle’s grin is so fake that Applejack doesn’t even need to tell everypony how orange she is.

“Trixie is inclined to agree with Rainbow Dash. After all, Twilight Sparkle accused the Great and Powerful Trixie! of being Princess Celestia for purposes beyond her. Though she is flattered at the comparison.”

Twilight Sparkle huffs, “I’m Princess Celestia’s personal student! We write letters to each other at least every week! If anypony here knows the Princess, then it’s me!”

Applejack glances at Doug, “Well-” before she cuts herself off, coughing to try to hide what she had just said. When Twilight Sparkle glares at her she stammers, “Well, um, Ah mean, you do have a relationship with Princess Celestia, and it might not be the same as some of the other relationships that, um, some of us here have with her, and-”

Doug elbows Applejack in the side, whispering loudly, “Stop digging.”

Applejack shuts her mouth, pulling her hat off and fanning herself. She can’t help but say, “Whew! Getting hot out here.”

“Anyway,” Doug says, mashing Applejack’s hat onto and completely covering her mouth and face, “my original question was, ‘why is a dragon out here in the first place.’ Is that just, like, a common thing with them? Or could this have sparked some sort of, I don’t know, international incident?”

Everypony turns to look at Spike, the dragon stopping mid throw of a ball to Winona. He stares back at them, turning his claws up and saying, “Sorry, I got nothing. I’ve been raised by ponies, so I really don’t know why he’d be out here.” He turns, throwing the ball and watching the dog chase after it.

“Hey, doesn’t Dragonfarce have some big concert they are playing in Vanhoover?” Scootaloo says, now fully on her scooter and slowly pushing it along.

Everypony turns to look at Trixie. She blankly stares back at them, “What? It’s not like they’re my favorite band. Besides, those big concert venues are expensive, and Trixie does not know of any in the Vanhoover area.” An odd look comes over Trixie’s eyes as she glances up towards the smoky mountain, one hoof tapping against her chin.

Doug offers, “So, maybe they’re building something out there. Or they need to prepare a bunch of, I don’t know, food stores. Dragons probably eat different stuff than ponies, right?”

Applejack nods, “Well, we did get a big order for as many pigs as we could raise.” She hastily covers her mouth, glancing between Fluttershy and Hedge. “Ah’m sorry, Ah-”

“It’s okay, Applejack,” Fluttershy says with a smile, Hedge sighing as she stares down at the ground, a tear forming in the filly’s eye. “We, um… we know.”

“Right.” Applejack shakes a hoof, “Ah better be careful with these, pretty soon Ah’m gonna knock a tooth loose.”

Doug ruffles Applejack’s mane as he says, “I guess what I’m getting at, is, that’s expensive, right? And the dragon had a big hoard.”

“Positively monstrous,” confirms Rarity. “He had this one diamond, it was nearly as large as me! And plenty of other jewels, and chests of gold on top of his mounds of gold!”

“Right.” Doug motions towards Sweet Apple Acres, “And, granted, I was only able to watch the dragon fly off from here using that telescope Rarity got, but I didn’t see any gold or jewels on him.”

The ponies all glance at each other, turn to look at the mountain, then back to each other.

Fluttershy says, “Um, I did tell him to go pack his things. But he left in an awful hurry.” She shudders, “You don’t think he forgot his hoard, do you?”

Rarity shakes her head, “He was able to swipe the entirety of it away from me when I tried to get that diamond, I mean, for him to leave, but I don’t recall seeing any of it on him when he left.”

“His tail was a lot bigger than when he was sitting down and talking to Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash looks over at Spike, “Hey, Spike, can you store anything in your tail?”

“Pretty sure Pinkie Pie is the only creature I know of that does that,” Spike says, shaking his head. He turns to look at his purple tail, “Besides, isn’t that more of, I don’t know, an adult thing?”

“What does-” Rainbow Dash says as she turns to look at her own prismatic tail. It lifts up, then drops back down, then lifts up again. One of her eyes twitches, the mare desperately trying to hold in her laughter before she flops to the ground, giggling hysterically.

“Yeah, I don’t think any cocaine smuggling is going on,” Doug says, holding a hand to his face and covering his smile. “But, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to check on that. Just in case, and to keep any… entrepreneurial individuals from taking advance of his absence.” Doug glances over at the blue unicorn sitting next to him.

The two crudely stuffed blue pillows with a hastily scribbled face and cardboard horn stares back at him before the head falls off, rolling a few feet on the ground.

“Seriously?” Applejack shouts as all eyes turn to see Trixie running towards her wagon. The blue unicorn turns at the loud voice, a sheepish smile as she slowly walks back to the group. “What, did ya think you’d just, Ah don’t know, walk up that mountain and help yourself to whatever you could drag out?”

“No!” Trixie exclaims, nervously looking at her wagon. “Trixie was just, um, going to check when Dragonfarce would be performing. If they have some sort of schedule published that far in advance. And if we could, perhaps, contact them about any sort of reward for helping them with their lost goods.”

“We ain’t extorting them out of their money!” Applejack says, stomping a hoof on the ground.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to turn down a reward if they happened to be generous enough to thank us,” Rarity says, a far off look in her eye. “I would finally be able to get my hooves on that diamond!”

“We ain’t accepting any sort of reward for doing the right thing!” Applejack states, “And that’s final! Now, Rainbow Dash, can you fly up to the mountain and go check?”

“I mean, I can, but we’re going to have to start clearing out this smoke really soon. The sulphur is going to mess with the lightning storm we have coming up if we don’t take it out right. And we really don’t want any complications happening with that.” Rainbow Dash shrugs as Applejack grumbles. But when the earth pony looks over to Fluttershy and then towards Ponyville, Rainbow Dash quickly adds, “But, I mean, I guess I could let everypony know what to do. Since we don’t want to get anypony else involved.”

Fluttershy whispers, “Thanks.”

Rainbow Dash continues, “But, what if he did leave his stuff there? Are we just going to leave it, too? Or tell the royal guard to post some sentries or something? There were probably a million bits in there!”

“Closer to two million, but enough to make removing it difficult,” Twilight Sparkle says.

Applejack grunts, “That’s probably, um, about fifty wagon loads. And that’s starting from nice, level ground, not up at the top of a mountain.”

“Could you fly it down?” Doug asks, looking between Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle.

Rainbow Dash snorts, “You’re foaling, right? You have to be.”

Doug shakes his head, “Hear me out. So, I’ve seen two pegasi pull around a chariot with Princess Celestia on it. And she’s, what, half a ton?”

Rarity nods, “Yes, about as much as ten of those chests of gold.”

Rainbow Dash points a hoof towards the mountain, “And there are, what, a thousand chests worth of gold up there? That’s a lot of trips up and down, so unless you plan on inviting all of the pegasi in Ponyville and having a few of those chests fly away, then you’re out of luck.”

“Wait wait wait,” Applejack says, staring at Rainbow Dash. “We could have hired a pegasus team to take us up the mountain, and saved all that time it took me going around the long way with Fluttershy? And all that wear and tear on Rarity’s precious hooves?”

“Hey!” Rarity says indignantly.

Rainbow Dash shakes her head, “I doubt it. These aren’t trained royal guards we’re talking about, these are ponies only slightly less panicky than Fluttershy when you’re talking about actually going towards a nasty dragon instead of away from it. One bad snore, not to mention if you’re suddenly surrounded by smoke.”

“Well, you were pretty gung ho about flying up there,” Applejack says. “Coulda saved us a lot of trouble. And didn’t Princess Celestia herself give us the assignment?”

Rainbow Dash flexes a wing, posing with a cocky grin, “Yup, and we totally took care of it on our own! As for the flying thing? If I’m primed I can stop on a bit, though I’ll grant you that the Wonderbolt’s fog course isn’t done with sulphuric ash clouds. So you’d need to go a little slower, since you don’t have as much of a heads up.” Her confident attitude fades slightly, “But still, I’d have a hard time dragging a chariot up there with just one pony, and forget about any sort of maneuvering through smoke then.”

Doug finally breaks back in, “I was actually thinking that Twilight Sparkle would be the one flying around, levitating the bits down the mountain.” Doug shrugs, “But, I don’t know how draining that would be. Or if it would even be possible.”

Twilight Sparkle scratches her hoof against her chin, “It’s theoretically sound, but I would much prefer to be in something a little more stable, like a hot air balloon.”

“Oh, pegasi aren’t good enough for the unicorn now, huh?” Rainbow Dash exclaims, stomping a hoof. “What’s wrong, you don’t trust us? Or you just trust a small piece of cloth more?”

“No!” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, shaking her head, “It’s not that, it’s just, um, well, first, it’s pretty rare that I take a chariot anywhere.”

“You arrived in Ponyville on a chariot!”

Twilight Sparkle groans, “And it was horribly bumpy! And they kept flapping up and down!”

Rainbow Dash snarls, “Duh, it’s called flying! It kinda happens when you, I don’t know, use wings to fly!”

Doug snaps his fingers, “Rainbow Dash, that’s enough. Go do whatever coordination you need to do with the weather team, then go check the mountain.”

Rainbow Dash spins, opening her mouth to spit something out, stopping at Doug’s harsh glare. She glances at Applejack, sighing loudly as she takes to the air.

“Aww,” Twilight Sparkle says as Rainbow Dash flies away, “I didn’t mean to belittle pegasi and their flying abilities. It’s just, it’s hard to keep your concentration when you’re flying and constantly moving up and down, and you have to compensate for that! I should apologize to her, I didn’t mean to come off that harshly!”

“Once she gets back, sure. Until then, maybe we can see about getting a hot air balloon if the treasure is still up there.” Doug turns to Miss Cheerilee, “Thanks for watching the foals and all.”

“Of course, and please pass along my thanks to Rainbow Dash for all your hard work,” Miss Cheerilee says with a smile. “Have a good day, everypony!”

“Good day, Miss Cheerilee!” the fillies chorus, many waving as their teacher leaves.

Doug says as he gets up, “Twilight, Trixie, you’re both welcome to join us for dinner. I’ll make a little extra to commemorate such a momentous occasion.” Doug smirks to himself, shaking his head, “After all, how often do you get to save Equestria from such an imminent threat?”

“I’d be happy to!” says Twilight Sparkle, smiling as everypony begins walking towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Rainbow Dash returns, the round trip only taking two minutes for the pegasus eager to prove herself to Twilight. “Well, cave is empty, so I guess he either came back for it after we left or he took it in the first place.” Rainbow Dash snuggles up to Doug, “So, you gonna help me relax my sore wings? They could use some tending to after all that flying.”

“Sure,” Doug says with a wink, flexing his hands before he turns to Sweetie Belle, “So, anything interesting happen at school today? Who won the election?”

“You’re never going to believe it, but Diamond Tiara won for school pony president! And, she got her cutie mark in leadershipping!” Sweetie Belle grins before sighing, “I was kinda hoping I’d be able to vote for Scootaloo, but she dropped out.”

Apple Bloom snorts, “If only to see what it would be like living under somepony with absolutely no leadership experience or ability.”

“Hey!” exclaims Scootaloo. “I’m just glad it didn’t turn into a Apple versus Rich mud slinging fight.”

Doug shakes his head, “Now, Apple Bloom, I’m sure Scootaloo would have done a fine job. She could always ask you for advice, right?”

“Or she could ask the birds when they are all atwitter,” Fluttershy says with a sly smile. “There’s always something interesting they’re chirping about!”

Doug mutters under his breath, “Somehow I doubt that,” as they enter Sweet Apple Acres.

51 The Flora's Gift, Part One

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July 29th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“I don’t think she could have shoved it in our muzzles any harder,” Scootaloo groans, halfway to yelling at this point. “Who does she think she is? We just happened to need a lesson on cutie marks a week after she gets hers?” Scootaloo rides her scooter like it is responsible for Miss Cheerilee’s report, angrily leaning on the hoofbars, though she is still careful not to damage it. Even if it came from Diamond Tiara. And she can’t take that away!

Sweetie Belle and Twist continue walking next to her, heading towards Twist’s house. Sweetie Belle nods along, already tired of Scootaloo’s ranting. “Uh huh.”

“It’s ridiculous! And guess who was just sooo fascinated by the historical significance of cutie marks! And why certain ones tend to get repeated, or run in families, or different kinds of interpretive parades!”

“Paradigms,” Sweetie Belle automatically corrects. “Different ways of thinking about what cutie marks mean. And the Harmony associated with them.”

“Thanks,” Scootaloo nearly spits out, glaring at nothing in particular. “Next time I have a cutie mark related question, maybe I’ll come to you instead of listening to Diamond Tiara ramble on about crowns or blue and gold compasses.” She groans, parking her scooter outside the house before they go inside.

Twist shakes her head as she looks over at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, the three fillies quietly sitting around in the kitchen of Twist’s house. “Tho, um, thankth for coming over, you two. I’m not thure what to do! I juth know everypony there ith gonna have their cutie markth! And you know Diamond Taira ith gonna make fun of uth! Thith latht week hath been terrible!”

Scootaloo shrugs, her anger mostly spent, “Eh, it’s not so bad once you get used to it. You know she doesn’t care for us having a human as a sire, and that’s been true for, like, ever. But it’s not like she goes around making fun of us to our faces about it.” She huffs, “She just finds other ways to really rub it in.”

“Really?” Twist says, looking out of the window of her house towards the Rich mansion, “Thee’th alwayth looking at me funny when I talk. Like thee can’t thtand that I have a lithp.”

Scootaloo nods, “Yeah, she never picks on me for not being able to fly, or on Sweetie Belle for struggling with magic. But, any time she can get away with pointing out that we don’t have the fanciest saddlebags, or that we bring our lunches every day?” Scootaloo shakes her head, looking towards her plain cloth bags and plainer lunch. She pulls out her hay sandwich, and apples, and bottle of apple juice, just like she gets every day. At least there's always plenty of it.

“And now thee’th thaying that we might never get our cutie marks! That we’re too old! I wanna get a cutie mark!” Twist drops down, sobbing into her hooves.

Sweetie Belle rolls her eyes, “She’s, like, the same age we are.” When that tactic doesn’t work Sweetie Belle slips next to Twist, tenderly running a hoof along her back. “Hey, Twist, it’s not so bad. I’m sure there’s something that you enjoy doing!”

“Yeah!” adds Scootaloo, looking around the kitchen. “There’s gotta be at least one activity here that you can get your cutie mark in!”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo pause, expectantly waiting for something that never comes.

“Hey, where is Apple Bloom, anyway?” Sweetie Belle says, looking around. “I thought she was coming over?”

“I think Diamond Tiara’s teasing got to her,” Scootaloo says. “I heard her talking about going to Rainbow Dash, something about trying new things. Maybe she’s trying to get her cutie mark too?”

“That’d be tho thweet!” Twist says, perking up. “Maybe we’ll all thow up to Diamond Tiara’s cute-theañera with our cutie markth!”

“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” Scootaloo exclaims. “So, what do you like doing?”

“Um, I like making candieth,” Twist says, glancing around the kitchen. She points at a few of the cooling trays, many different shapes of candy cooling, “But after I tried making a whole bunth of candieth and I didn’t get my cutie mark I, thorta, um, gave up.”

“Hey, maybe you just haven’t made the right candy!” Sweetie Belle looks outside, “If we go quick we might be able to get all of the shopping done before she comes!”

Twist shakes her head, “No, I can’t. Dam told me to thtay inthide! And you thould thtay inthide too!”

“We’ll be fine,” Scootaloo nearly groans out, hurrying to the door. “I can’t believe Diamond Tiara decided to have her cute-ceañera on the same day Zecora comes to town.”

“She probably just figured she’d be inside Sugarcube Corner by that point.” Sweetie Belle bounds up next to her, both looking back at Twist. “Come on, Twist! It’ll be quick, just in and out!”

Both glance to the open spot next to them, Sweetie Belle awkwardly adding after a few seconds, “We’ll be back before you know it!”

Twist keeps shaking her head, “No, I’ll jutht, um,” she grabs the bowl of candies, munching on one of the peppermint sticks. Her fearful expression briefly breaks as she says, “Make more of theethe. They’re my favorite!”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sigh before leaving, entering the nearly deserted marketplace. A pony occasionally peers out of a doorway or window, quickly disappearing back inside. Scootaloo sighs, “You’d think we’re the only fillies around here who do anything exciting.”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle says, nervously glancing around but trying to keep her spirits up. “Like, they’re all afraid of nothing!”

Silence reigns for a few seconds as they walk.

“I like it more when Apple Bloom comes along,” Scootaloo says, her voice slightly shaking.

“Yeah, me too.” Sweetie Belle jumps as a door shuts, huffing loudly at the fright.

Scootaloo snorts, “It’s not like anything super scary is going to happen, right?”

“Yeah, right. Hey, is that her?” Sweetie Belle says, pointing at a hooded figure walking into town from the south. A brown cloak covers the rest of the body, along with earth toned saddlebags that look like they could disappear into the dirt if she merely lay down. Her dark hooves occasionally glinting gold against the dirt as she purposefully strides towards Ponyville. Sweetie Belle continues, “Nopony else is out and about.”

“Um, maybe?” Scootaloo says, flinching as many of the nearby doors and windows slamming shut. “Early Nightmare Night costume?”

“I don’t know, she looks a little bigger than Apple Bloom.” Sweetie Belle squints, “Maybe she’s wearing platform horseshoes!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle bound up towards the hooded figure, shouting, “Hiya, Apple Bloom!”

The two tone gray equine pulls her hood back, her dark muzzle grinning at the two fillies. Her white and black mane is styled in a tall mohawk, her dyed fur continuing the striped pattern in light and dark gray. She has five golden bands around her neck, a single large golden earring for each ear, and a dark muzzle containing rows of teeth!

Their voices catch in their throats, unable to scream as they cower down in the dirt, holding their hooves above their heads and trying to ward off her gaze. Sweetie Belle pleads without looking up, “Please don’t eat us!”

Scootaloo whimpers, “Or cook us into a stew!”

They both stay silent for a few seconds before glancing around.

Sweetie Belle begs, “Or cook us into a stew and then eat us!”

A lyrical, soothing voice rings out, “I assure you, young filly, that doing so would be quite silly.” The zebra bows down, her movement slow but still enough to send the two fillies cringing in fear. “I promise, you need not be afraid of me, for Zecora is my name and I am quite friendly.”

“Oh. Um, I’m Scootaloo” -Scootaloo waves a hoof somewhere to her left- “and this is Sweetie Belle” -she waves a hoof to her right- “and this is Apple Bloom.”

Zecora glances around, looking for the third filly. She smiles, “I may have heard of you three, for your sire I have met personally. He still helps from time to time, even when it leaves him coated in grime.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle says, standing up. “Grime doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Can’t be worse than tree sap,” Scootaloo agrees, getting to her hooves.

Zecora raises one eyebrow at the silence that follows.

Sweetie Belle huddles closer to Scootaloo, her voice still loud enough for Zecora to hear without difficulty, “And she says she knows Daddy, and he never said anything bad about her.”

Scootaloo nods again, “Or warned us against spending time with her.” The two fillies sigh before smiling at the zebra.

Zecora smiles back, “Perhaps you would like to help with my toils, for potions to cure wounds and boils?”

“Potion making cutie marks!” Both fillies exclaim, reaching two hooves into the air and leaving an obvious space for a third pony.

Scootaloo huffs, “Okay, this is getting annoying.” She looks around, then behind her, as if Apple Bloom is hiding somewhere.

“Yeah. Sorry, Zecora, but I don’t think Apple Bloom would let us go off and get our cutie marks without her around.” Sweetie Belle grins, offering a sheepish smile.

“It is quite alright, little one. Though it could be a lot of fun.” Zecora pulls off her saddlebags, grabbing one of the glass containers inside.

Scootaloo rolls her eyes, “Yeah, just don’t start offering us a bunch of candy to come follow you or something.”

Sweetie Belle pulls Scootaloo to the side, “Hey, speaking of candy, weren’t we supposed to get Twist some candy making stuff?”

“Oh yeah!” Scootaloo grins, “And maybe we can find Apple Bloom! She’s probably around Sweet Apple Acres, right?”

“She could be anywhere in town, actually, if she was following Rainbow Dash around.” Sweetie Belle looks up at Zecora, “Um, just out of curiosity, you aren’t actually an evil enchantress, are you?”

Zecora paws at the ground, digging around for something, “I have been called many names by this town, all of which would make one frown, but much like all plants have their use, from wolf repellant to tomato juice.”

“That isn’t a no,” Scootaloo says with a frown.

“It isn’t a yes, either,” Sweetie Belle counters.

Zecora grins as she holds her hooves up into the air, her lilting, ‘oooo’ shaking back and forth like her hooves.

Scootaloo snickers, “Heh, I like you, Zecora. You’re all right.”

Sweetie Belle smiles, “Hey, we can meet up with you once we find Apple Bloom, right?”

Zecora nods as she unearths the roots of one of the nearby flowers, placing it in the pack on her side. She wipes the dirt off of her hooves, “I suspect it will be quite easy, as my mere presence makes ponies queasy.”

“Let’s go find Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle says as she takes off, Scootaloo in close pursuit. “And some candy!”

The two scamper around town, looking for various areas that Apple Bloom could have gone as they make their way to Sugarcube Corner. As they get near they hear a loud whispering, glancing around to spot Pinkie Pie waving at them. The pink mare is crouching in the doorway, trying to make herself as small as possible while trying to get them to come inside to safety. They shrug; they are heading there anyway.

Inside Sugarcube Corner is Apple Bloom, the bored filly practically enveloped by her terrified dam. Applejack is shaking uncontrollably, occasionally trying to reassure herself by convincing Apple Bloom that her frightened movement is actually her, and no intention of letting go.

Well, at least they found the third member of their trio. “Hey, Apple Bloom!” says Sweetie Belle.

“Hi.” Apple Bloom grunts out, none too thrilled at her dam’s overprotectiveness.

“You wanna come back with us?” Scootaloo says excitedly. “We were just about to… um…” she stammers, looking up at Applejack’s glare.

“You two weren’t going to talk with that Zecora, were you?” Applejack snarls, glaring outside.

“No! Um, that wasn’t our plan in coming here,” Scootaloo says, wilting under Applejack’s glare.

Sweetie Belle nods along, “Yeah! We were coming here to get, um, candy! And sugar! We’re helping Twist out!”

“Oh, is that right?” Pinkie Pie says, pronking around. “Well, I already sang Apple Bloom my cupcake song once, but I’d be happy to sing it twice for both of you!”

“That’s okay, Pinkie. I think we’ll be making candy, not cupcakes. We just needed to get a bag or two of sugar. And maybe some spices.” Sweetie Belle smiles up at Pinkie Pie.

“Hmm,” Pinkie Pie says, looking between the two. “Okie!” She pulls out two bags of sugar, dumping each on a filly. “Have fun!”

“Sure thing, Pinks!” Scootaloo exclaims. She waves and winks at Apple Bloom, though Applejack narrows her eyes as the two walk away and head back to Twist's house.

52 The Flora's Gift, Part Two

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"Here ya go, Twist!" Sweetie Belle says as she walks into the bespectacled filly's house, heading towards the kitchen. Twist nervously cowers by the front door, the recently moved chair no longer blocking the doorway. Sweetie Belle pulls out the bag of sugar, food coloring, and various other items they have collected in order to help Twist with her confections.

"Oh, dear, I hope it wathn't too thcary out there," Twist says, awkwardly rubbing one hoof against the other. "I thought I thaw Thecora out there, and then I wath, like, I did! I did! But then thee jutht left you two alone!" She takes her glasses off to wipe the sweat off her forehead, still panting at the excitement.

"Yeah, Zecora's not that bad," Scootaloo idly says, though she still trembles a little at the mention of the name. Scootaloo drops off the sugar next to Sweetie Belle's items, turning to face Twist.

"Wow, you two mutht be really brave," Twist says, an awed smile on her face. "Nopony elth would dare to go outside today!"

As Twist says this, a blue unicorn wrapped in a purple cloak and hat walks by her house. Right next to Trixie is Doug, carrying a backpack stuffed with goods. Both are excitedly chatting about something, animatedly waving arms and horn around. Doug waves at the brown cloaked figure, Trixie pulling her own purple cloak around her head in a similar manner. Zecora waves back before slipping inside one of the nearby stores.

"You and thothe two," Twist says, pouting slightly as the two head towards the same store. Her smile returns as she turns to the kitchen, "But, we have thweeth to make!"

"Okay!" Sweetie Belle says, glancing back at her flank. "Just let me know what to do!” Her singsong voice rings out, “Maybe I'll get a sweet cutie mark, too!"

"Oh, spare me," Scootaloo groans as she helps gather a few mixing bowls and measuring cups. "What's a 'Belle' candy supposed to look like, anyway?"

Both glance to the side, Twist reluctantly saying, "A thugar bell?" She grabs a bag of sugar, tearing it open as Scootaloo groans. Twist takes the bag, lifting it up above the measuring cup before she stops.

"Something wrong?" Sweetie Belle says as she worriedly looks over. She glances between the various ingredients now spread before the earth pony, then back to Twist's frozen form. "You okay?"

"Um," Twist says, a slight shake of her head. "I don't want to uthe the meathuring cupth."

"And just guess?" Scootaloo says, raising an eyebrow. "But how will you make the recipe right?"

"I'll jutht know!" Twist says, smiling brightly. She quickly frowns as Scootaloo lifts some of the food coloring, leaping forward and stripping the vial out of her hooves. "No, we don't need that yet!"

"O-okay," Scootaloo says, backing off slightly.

"Well, then, just let us know if you need any help," Sweetie Belle adds.

"Mmhmm," Twist replies absentmindedly, bouncing from one mixing bowl to another.

After a minute of watching Twist work in silence Scootaloo remarks, "Well, I'm bored."

"Twist? You sure you don’t want any help?" Sweetie Belle hesitantly asks.

"I'm good." Twist pops another piece of peppermint into her mouth, smiling at the taste.

"Okay, then,” Scootaloo grunts, “You wanna go see when Diamond Tiara’s party is starting?”

“Sure. See you later, Twist!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo wave as they exit the house, Twist returning a brief wave before she goes back to making more peppermint twists.

“Hey, this isn’t the way to Sugarcube Corner,” Sweetie Belle says as the two head towards the store they saw Zecora enter. “Did you just lie to Twist?”

Scootaloo shakes her head, “I may have misled her about the order in which we’ll be doing that, but I didn’t lie, since we will be finding out when Diamond Tiara’s party is starting.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle says, pausing outside the door to stare hard at Scootaloo.

“Actually, I said it so she wouldn’t be trying to get us to stay again.” Scootaloo shrugs, “Not that she looked like she would try. Hey, you think she’ll get her cutie mark there?”

“I’m trying not to think about it!” Sweetie Belle grunts out, “‘Cause then we’ll be the only ponies at the party without our cutie marks! Even our younger sisters at the party will have their cutie marks!”

“Hey, wait for me!” calls Apple Bloom, trotting quickly from the center of town. “Ah wanna help!”

“Hey, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo calls.

“Hello!” Sweetie Belle says. “Oh, we should warn you, Zecora is in there.”

“Zecora?” Apple Bloom immediately loses any enthusiasm for tagging along with her sisters. “Are you sure?” At Sweetie Belle’s nod she continues in a low, fast voice, “Then what are we doing here?”

“We’re going to try to get potion making cutie marks with Zecora!” Scootaloo exclaims, motioning inside. “We think she’s buying potion making ingredients!”

“Why’s that?” asks Apple Bloom.

“Duh. Flower shop? Who knows what kind of freaky stuff you can make from flowers.”

“I like making sandwiches!” says Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo rolls her eyes, “And when we’re looking for culinary cutie marks we’ll try that. But this is going to be extreme!”

“Why’s that?” asks Apple Bloom.

“Because Doug and Trixie are in there!” Scootaloo restlessly bounces on her hooves, eagerly anticipating all the cool things they’ll be able to do with both Trixie and Zecora working together!

Sweetie Belle pushes the door open, revealing Doug, Trixie, Zecora, and a cowering Roseluck frantically looking between the front door, the back door, and the two strange creatures in the room blocking her escape routes. The three seem to be ignoring the pony’s plight, given that they are just standing around and pointing at the various items for sale. Sweetie Belle walks in, shortly followed by her sisters. Apple Bloom inspects Zecora’s brown bag, carelessly left by the front door, while Scootaloo bounds up to Zecora and Doug.

“I must admit, the concept does tantalize my wit. To combine powders for show and spectacle, not purely to escape a timber wolf’s mandibles.” Zecora turns to the three fillies, “Ah, hello again, my diminutive friends. You are Apple Bloom, I portend.”

“That’s me!” Apple Bloom says, her gaze still fixated on Zecora’s bag. “So, what’cha talking about?”

“Doug mentioned Zecora and her knack for making smoke bombs, and her talent for mixing colored powders with various effects. The intrigued and dynamic Trixie thought it would be an excellent addition to her show, should the concept be sound.”

Scootaloo exclaims, an innocent smile beaming on her face, “Ooh! Like a powder that makes everypony like your performance!”

“Entirely unnecessary for the Great and Powerful Trixie, but perhaps not a bad item to have just in case.” Trixie smirks back, “Perhaps you might find yourself dependant on it instead.”

“Pff!” Sweetie Belle exclaims in an entirely un-Raritylike manner. “She’d totally need it.”

“Would not!”

“Would too!”

“Would not!”

“Would too!”

“Girls,” Doug states in a tone that brooks no disagreement. Apple Bloom briefly looks up at her sire, a hoof retreating out of one of the easy to reach pockets of Zecora’s bag with a vial filled with blue powder. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle glare for just a moment longer before they both turn up their noses. Scootaloo goes to Zecora while Sweetie Belle turns to Trixie, both pointedly looking away from each other.

Zecora says to Trixie, “To answer your earlier query, it would be sound in theory. But, as the combinations can be quite vile, I find it easier to carry them in a separate vial.”

“I suppose you could make it like a firework, too,” Doug says. Trixie raises an eyebrow, slightly confused, while Zecora keeps her neutral stare. “You know, multiple stages? Rather than mixing everything in one big jar,” he motions to one of the glass jars Zecora has out, partially filled with flowers, “you would make it have a small boundary, like paper or easily broken glass, between the components.”

“Maybe if I’m just walking out on stage with it, but transporting that? One bad bump on the road and kablooey.” Trixie shakes her head, “Even just transporting normal fireworks and smoke bombs is risky enough. I find it easiest to fill the more volatile containers just before a show.”

Zecora nods along, “Perhaps if just a colorful effect you are looking to make, multiple vials should you take. Calibrate a careful mix, and everypony shall enjoy your tricks.” Zecora pulls out a mortar and pestle, along with a few flowers from Doug’s backpack. She grinds them to a fine powder, then glances to the yellow earth pony whimpering as she watches Zecora with wide eyes.

“Trixie is inclined to agree with Zecora, if the result is good. But she is somewhat hesitant to take such claims at face value.” Trixie glances outside, then back to the flowers and the mare who sells them. “Perhaps here is not the best spot.”

Zecora merely nods, removing a dozen bits and placing them on the counter next to Roseluck. Roseluck barely manages a nod, hunching down even lower and trying to hide behind the counter. She grabs her filled saddlebags, withdrawing two larger vials, one filled with a green powder and the other red, before donning them and walking outside.

Doug and Trixie follow behind, Doug carrying his now empty backpack. They take up positions a few yards away from Zecora, watching the zebra twist the cap off and carefully pour out just a pinch of mixture.

“What does that one do?” says Scootaloo excitedly, only partially needing to be restrained by Doug to keep from dashing over.

“Are they color coded?” Sweetie Belle asks, glancing between the green in Zecora’s hoof and the red in the vial she still has yet to open.

“The green helps one see out in the Everfree.” Zecora winks at Doug, the human smiling back. She holds her hoof out, closing her eyes; Doug blows the powder into Zecora’s face, a cloud of green smoke enveloping the zebra. She waits for a few seconds as the smoke settles around.

“Cool!” the three fillies chorus, looking around before they gasp. Zecora’s eyes have turned black as night, a void no light can escape. They turn to each other before their smiles return even larger, “COOL!!”

“What’s the red one do?” asks Scootaloo.

“The red is for minor cuts and tears, to provide comfort and care.” Zecora shakes her head as the fillies lean forward expectantly, their eyes dancing with delight.

“Does that one make the same explosion of smoke?” Trixie says, intrigued. “Trixie finds herself curious.”

“Indeed it does, a dispersing mist, to help penetrate bend and twist. To seek every nook and fold, to keep away rot and mold.” Zecora takes an even smaller pinch of red in one hoof, and about the same size of green from before.

“Oh, oh, do me!” Apple Bloom shouts, excitedly running forward. Zecora holds up a hoof, Apple Bloom skidding to a stop. Zecora flicks to the side a few times, Apple Bloom raising an eyebrow while awkwardly walking sideways a few steps. Now a few yards from everypony, Apple Bloom waits while Scootaloo huffs at not being the one chosen.

Zecora smiles and nods, “This will be odd at first, but panic not, for all you’ll see is sparkly dots.” She throws first the green powder, a small cloud forming around Apple Bloom when it impacts her, then the red. A large cloud forms, quickly surrounding and concealing the yellow filly.

“Woah!” Apple Bloom says as the smoke around her dissipates. “This is sooo weird!”

Zecora turns back to Doug, “Thank you, Doug, my dear friend, for it is much easier to be on the receiving end. Do you have time, Doug, to travel through the muck? These three wanted help, and afterwards we might…” Zecora glances to the three fillies completely distracted by and inspecting Apple Bloom’s weird eyes. “Try our luck.”

Trixie’s eyes narrow, but she holds off from saying anything. Nopony, scratch that, nozebra would be maneuvering in that easily!

“Yeah, not a problem for the help. The potions have been a great help, too. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to chase those three around.” Doug sighs, shaking his head, “Even though I can’t wait to see what exactly they come up with.”

“Now let’s see what this one does!” Apple Bloom says, holding the blue vial up in her hooves.

Zecora turns, a brief hesitation as one hoof comes up to her saddlebags, the blue vial no longer there. A split second decision later and Zecora dives out of the blast zone as she shouts, “NO! That-”

Apple Bloom throws the vial directly at her hooves.

It explodes outwards, a ten yard cloud of blue smoke instantly bursting forth and completely obscuring Doug, Trixie, and the three fillies.

53 The Flora's Gift, Part Three

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“-is not blue smoke, but a mix of Poison Joke!” comes Zecora's warning, far too late.

"This is so cool!" the three fillies chorus, wide eyed stares right at the rapidly expanding cloud of blue smoke. In the blink of an eye it completely envelops them, their world reducing to a whirling haze. They giggle, only Apple Bloom having any luck finding the others in the obscuring mist.

Their joy, however, is short lived. They cough on their second breath in, sputtering as they try to get out of the choking gas. Their eyes water as they listlessly flop around, flailing hooves clocking each other and everything around them as they desperately try to regain their bearings.

"Help!" they try to cry, but merely opening their mouth in the smoke results in a hacking, coughing fit that wracks their small bodies. Their struggles grow weak, one succumbing after another and slumping to the ground.

“And you’re sure they’re okay?”

“Yes, Applejack, they’re okay. Just recovering.”

“Doug, Ah-” Applejack’s voice cuts out before dropping down, barely audible. “Doug, Ah told you-”

Apple Bloom groans as she slowly comes to, the dull light filtering through her eyelids painfully bright. She tries closing her eyes even more tightly, then rolling off her side to burying her head in the cloth next to her. That helps, if barely. She tentatively cracks an eye, holding a hoof up against the blinding light. "Owww," she moans, her head trying to split itself open, and going back to clenching her eyes shut and rolling back onto what she comes to recognize as her sire's backpack. Not that it helps much.

Then her nostrils are assaulted by the stench of unwashed filly hide mixed with the sweet aroma of unwashed filly heinie. Accompanied by the loud squelch of very wet hoof on the floor, like somepony just stepped out of the bath. And then the awkward passing of gas.

“Daddy?” comes a soft, whimpering voice from Apple Bloom’s side, “Am I going to be okay?”

“Yes, Sweetie Belle, you’ll be okay.” Doug's voice, calm and reassuring, rings out. “Just keep drinking, okay? I know it feels weird to drink so much, but you have to.”

“Okay,” comes the resigned reply, an occasional glugging sound now accompanying the wet splooshes.

Apple Bloom feels a hand on her mane, gently rubbing up and down. Apple Bloom snuggles up against the comforting fingers while keeping her eyes firmly squashed against the backpack. His soothing voice again, “Don’t worry, Apple Bloom, you’ll be fine. How are you feeling?”

“The light hurts,” she grunts out, trying to keep the crying from her voice.

“Okay, Bloom, we’ll see if we can do something about that.” His hand tries to pull away, immediately stopped by her grasping hooves. “It’s okay, I’m still here. Hey, Trix, can you?”

“Fine,” comes Trixie’s voice, the unicorn irritated about something, but Apple Bloom isn’t opening her eyes to find out. A moment later and the lights click off, the searing headache along with it. Apple Bloom opens her eyes, able to see everything in the room in a weird gray-scale. Except for just under the door - the light streaming out from over there hurts her eyes and washes everything in a white that all blends together. With an occasional shadow that gets eaten up as quickly as it arrives. The entirety bursts into light as the door opens, a slight southern twang, “Trixie'll try t' find somethin' t' help y'all.”

“That better?” Doug asks as the door closes behind Trixie, the oddly textured darkness where his face should be looking down at her. Apple Bloom can faintly make out features, and the same is true for her sisters. Scootaloo is laying with her head on her hooves, her miserable frown turning to a scowl every time her tail flags up and another fart comes out. Sweetie Belle somehow looks even worse, her normally curly mane laying straight and flat against her head, doused in some sort of liquid. Speaking of, the floor around her is covered in a damp towel, another set nearby. What is hopefully sweat drips off of every available inch on the filly’s body as she forces down another glass of what is hopefully water.

“Yeah.” Apple Bloom says shakily as she gets up, facing away from the closed door, her body already acclimating to the twin terrible smells. “What happened?”

Doug pulls Scootaloo towards himself, rubbing the cringing filly’s mane, though his hand hesitates a little before petting Sweetie Belle’s damp curls. “So, the vial you had was an aerosol version of Poison Joke that Zecora keeps as a defensive weapon. Poison Joke being a, hmm, cursed magical plant that grows out in the Everfree Forest. The blue flowers are generally somewhat harmless, more of a ‘joke’ if anything, although Sweetie Belle could be in fairly serious trouble if we weren’t able to keep her hydrated. But, she’s keeping down the water and the headache is gone, so I think she’ll be okay.”

Sweetie Belle snuggles up against Doug’s hand when it presses against her, Doug slightly frowning before he forces a smile back to his mouth, now ignoring the disgusting squelch of sweat against his fingers.

"After the vial broke I pulled the three of you out of the smoke. Quite the effective deterrent that Zecora made, the gas was… extraordinarily unpleasant to stay in. Like tear gas, and fortunately you three recovered quickly once we got you out of there. Trixie needed some assistance, but managed to walk here on her own.”

“What happened to Zecora?” Scootaloo asks, looking around. “Is she okay?”

“Zecora was out of the blast, and she stayed just long enough to make sure we were alive before she hightailed it out of Ponyville. Supposedly she’s going to try to come up with a solution, but you three - well, four - might just need to wait for the effects to wear off in a day or so. Normally, in the case of Poison Joking, we would just dunk you in a bubble bath and it would clear right up. But, since you inhaled the gas, it won't work. I mean, we could drown you, just for a little while, but we fear that will potentially cause more problems than it will solve."

The silence is ripped by Scootaloo. "Sorry," she mutters. “If I try to hold it in too long, it’s even louder and the sounds from the party stops.” She grumbles as her head returns to her hooves, a forlorn look on her muzzle as her tail flags again.

“What about you?” Sweetie Belle asks, looking up at her sire. “Are you okay?”

“As far as I can tell? I’m not affected by it. I’m just a big ‘ole rock as far as the plant is concerned.” Doug sighs as he strokes Sweetie Belle’s soaked mane, the futility of washing out the grime since it will be replaced almost instantly by the hyper-sweating filly. “And, Trixie is very embarrassed about her reaction, so don’t ask her.”

“Okay,” the three sound off, everypony resigned to sitting in the dark room.

Trixie returns after another minute, levitating a few yards of dark fabric. Apple Bloom grunts in surprised pain as the light shines in through the briefly open doorway. But she’s slightly more used to it now, no longer blinding her but still quite painful. Trixie’s horn lights, the dark, heavy fabric twisting to a cowl around Apple Bloom’s head.

“You said something about a party?” Apple Bloom asks, her voice muffled by the fabric as she looks around at the room the five of them are in. Many boxes are lined up along the wall, holding bags of flour, pots, pans, or cupcake trays. Apple Bloom gasps as she realizes: they are in Sugarcube Corner! "There's no way we can go to Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera now!" Apple Bloom frantically looks around, unable to make out much through the thick veil. "We'd be the laughingstock of the party!"

"We already are the laughingstock of the school," Scootaloo grumbles, letting loose another fart. "Not like this'll change anything."

"I'm with Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle says, wiping her brow with her second towel, "There's no way this goes well for us."

"Alright you three, look." Doug says, a firm but loving smile leveled at the trio, "There are two ways this can go, right?"

"Oh, great," Scootaloo groans, "another scenario."

Doug’s smile grows even larger, as if he is deriving far more enjoyment from their precarious situation than he should. "I'm serious. So, if I let you three skip out on this, what's going to happen? You're going to learn that the best way to deal with conflict, or a situation you don’t like, is to avoid it. And maybe that plan works. This time. But what about next time? What about when you can't avoid the conflict, and you have no idea what to do because you've never had to deal with conflict in a reasonable, adult manner? You're going to get destroyed."

The three fillies sniffling is ruined by Scootaloo's loudest, longest fart yet. She sinks down, trying to hide her face with her hooves.

"You three are tough, right?" Doug says, rubbing Scootaloo's mane and getting her to look up at him with more than a little trepidation. “Never give up?” She beams as he continues, "So, what's the other way that it can go? What's the absolute worst that could happen to you?"

"We go to the party," Apple Bloom groans.

Sweetie Belle continues in the same tone, "And all the other ponies make fun of us."

"For the rest of our lives." Scootaloo snorts in amusement as she drops down to a racing stance, immediately ruining her moment with a wet farting sound.

"Yup," agrees Doug, now rubbing both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's manes. "You will forever be known by the affliction afflicted on you by that evil enchantress, Zecora."

"She's not an evil enchantress!" exclaims Apple Bloom. "And you said she's trying to help!"

"Yeah, it's not her fault," Scootaloo says, shaking her head though she can’t help but glance at Apple Bloom with a slight scowl. "We weren't supposed to mess with her stuff."

Sweetie Belle sighs, a wet 'schlorp' as she shifts around. "But we did anyway. And now we're paying the price."

"Just think of it this way," Doug says as he pushes the storeroom door open, Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera well underway. "You three stood up to Zecora. Who else here can say that?"

The three fillies awkwardly stumble inside the main storefront of Sugarcube Corner, filled with pink, purple and white decorations. A blue crown theme is scattered here and there, though a couple purple candy canes are visible on the other side. Many of the ponies at the party glance over to carefully regard the newcomers to the party. Even the music player stops, silence filling the room.

Until Scootaloo rips one. Loudly.

First one, then two, then all of the fillies join in laughing with Scootaloo as she grins. “Heh, you should have heard me in there.”

“We did hear you in there,” grins Lemon, “and that one was nothing!”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom perk up at the giddy laughter and slap of hoof on hoof, happily walking with Scootaloo to some of the snacks set up. Sweetie Belle leaves soggy hoofprints wherever she walks, though she is trying to keep up with a towel dragging behind her. Apple Bloom can’t really get anything underneath her veil, not that she’s really feeling that hungry, and she wants to avoid the reflection of the light regardless.

Twist walks up to the three, cutie mark of two peppermint twists in a heart shape proudly displayed on her flank. “That wath tho cool, you three. I hope I can be ath brave ath you!”

“Thanks, Twist!” Scootaloo says, raising her eyebrows as she exclaims, “Your cutie mark! You got your cutie mark!”

“That’s so sweet!” Sweetie Belle exclaims, prancing around and flinging droplets of sweat everywhere.

“And it’s in a little heart! Aww!” Apple Bloom says, having to get close to Twist in order to inspect the cutie mark.

“Yeah, it is pretty nice,” Diamond Tiara says as she and Silver Spoon walk up, forced smiles plastered on their faces. “I mean, it’s definitely better than no cutie mark at all.”

“There’s only so much potential you can have before it starts being wasted, you know?” Silver Spoon sniffs a few times, her muzzle curling to a scowl. “Speaking of being wasted, what got in to you three?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just standing up to Zecora,” Apple Bloom smirks, her cocky grin hidden behind the dark veil.

Many of the nearby ponies ‘oooh’ at the mere suggestion that the three fillies had done so.

“Hey!” exclaims Diamond Tiara, “No upstaging me at my cute-ceañera!”

Apple Bloom shrugs, more exaggerated than she has to, “Sorry, DT. Maybe you can upstage us at our cute-ceañera!”

Sweetie Belle smiles, “Yeah! In fact, you’ll probably help us get our cutie marks! Just like we helped you!”

“Good luck with that,” Scootaloo says. “I mean, what are the odds of that happening, you know?”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stare at each other for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing. “Yeah, that’ll be the day,” Diamond Tiara says between giggles.

“I mean, can you imagine?” Silver Spoon says, grinning. “I bet even Princess Celestia will be there when that happens, it’s so unlikely!”

“How about the Princess’s personal student?” Twilight Sparkle says as she walks up, Spike riding on her back. “What happened to you three?”

“Nothing much,” Scootaloo smirks, glancing between Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as she rips another one. “Just being awesome.”

Spike snorts, pointing a claw and laughing. He motions at Scootaloo, "Oh, this is too great! You've got Pootaloo! And, um, Apple Gloom! And Sweatie Belle!" he falls to the ground, rolling on the floor, laughing his tail off.

Scootaloo glares at Spike for a few seconds before a grin breaks out across her face. "Hey, those are pretty good!" She walks up to the dragon, smirking, "Want to try some more?"

"What?" Spike says as Scootaloo spins around, her tail flagging. “Noo!” he exclaims, jumping up and running away from Scootaloo.

“Oh, this is rich,” Scootaloo says as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle join her. “Hey, maybe Diamond Tiara is right, you know?”

“About what?” Apple Bloom says, rubbing the veil now awkwardly clinging to her mane.

Scootaloo exclaims, “Our cutie marks! We really need to kick it into high gear. Like, how did trying out different stuff with Rainbow Dash go? Pretty awesome, right?”

“Um, it wasn’t… bad.”

“Huh.” Scootaloo glances to Sweetie Belle, nodding resolutely. “So, we’ll just have to take it into our own hooves, then!”

Sweetie Belle nods back, “We could totally form a club together! And hang out, doing activities to try to get our cutie marks!”

“But,” Apple Bloom says, “don’t we already do that kind of thing?”

“Huh.” Scootaloo pauses, her hoof stroking her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, but it’s not the same as if we started, like, a secret society!”

“We’d need some sort of way to tell who is in!” Sweetie Belle adds, humming to herself as she looks around the party.

“You mean, like, a blank flank?” Apple Bloom deadpans.

“Apple Bloom," Scootaloo threatens, "so help me, if you don’t stop being a stick in the mud I will beat you with a muddy stick.”

“Ah’d like to see you try. You can’t hit the broad side of the barn Ah just built,” Apple Bloom retorts.

“Hey, maybe we’ll get our cutie marks in arguing!” Sweetie Belle says, smiling as she steps in between the two fuming fillies.

Apple Bloom snorts as Scootaloo says, “Wait, is that what we’re doing? I don’t want a cutie mark in arguing!”

“Okay, fine,” Apple Bloom says, “But we’ll need a really cool name for ourselves.”

“The Cutie Mark Wanderers?”

“The Cutie Marktastics?”

“How about,” Apple Bloom says, taking a deep breath, “The Cutie Mark Creative Responders Until Such A Day Everypony Really Shines?”

“What?” says Sweetie Belle.

“Are you talking lessons from Trixie in how you name things?” Scootaloo says with a smirk.

“Hey, y’all,” Trixie drawls, “T'ere ain’t no reason t' be like t'at.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit long.” Apple Bloom sighs.

“How about the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Sweetie Belle says.

“I like it!” exclaims Scootaloo.

“Where’d you get that from?” Apple Bloom asks.

No longer running for his life, or at least his nostrils, Spike patrols around the rest of the party. He spots Trixie talking with the Apple trio and walks up to the blue unicorn, noticing how she is still wearing her hat and cape despite it being inside. "So, Trixie, what happened to you? Did you get hit too?"

Trixie turns, a curt stare at Spike. "Trixie did."

Spike raises an eyebrow, not seeing anything. "And, there weren't any effects?"

Trixie turns away just a little, "Trixie ain't gonna comment."

“Okay.” Spike stares at Trixie, rubbing his chin as he tries to decipher what could have happened. "Hey, Trixie, you've gotta be burning up in that cloak!"

"Noh."

"Come on, Trixie! I gotta know!"

"Noh."

Spike sighs unhappily, folding his claws in front of him. He finally raises one, "Okay, one hint. Give me one good hint and I'll leave you along."

Trixie pauses for a few seconds, "Trixie could share a moniker with a particular griffon band."

"Griffon band?" Spike sighs as he shakes his head, "Sorry, I don't know any griffon bands."

Applejack walks up, “Hey, Ah think Ah’ve heard of a griffon band. They’re really good, too! But…”

Applejack stares at Trixie, her eyes widening.

Trixie stares back at Applejack, barely holding back a malevolent glare.

Applejack’s eyes flick to Trixie’s cape, then back to Trixie’s face.

Trixie stares back at Applejack, her malevolent glare creeping closer to the surface.

Applejack walks away, her mouth set in a neutral grimace.

54 Grave Knowledge

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August 2nd, 1000 Domina Solaria

Just outside the Ponyville Schoolhouse, before school starts, sit five ponies: Diamond Tiara, Twist, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. While the group gathering together was not exactly an uncommon sight before - they used to play soccer together, quite frequently - it has been quite some time. Diamond Tiara, cutie mark proudly displayed, is sitting on the steps while the other four gather around.

"Alright, you four," Diamond Tiara says snidely, "with us being the last of the fillies in our year to get our cutie marks..." she glances over at the trio's blank flanks, her mouth curling to a smirk, "Well, with how hard you three are trying, it's going to happen really soon, right? So, I thought we would save Miss Cheerilee the trouble of pulling us each aside individually for that really awkward adult conversation. Unless you three aren't old enough? I mean, both of your younger sisters have heard it. And with the way your sire is, I bet you all could give the talk yourselves."

"Hey!" shouts Apple Bloom, leaping to her hooves. She stomps a hoof on the ground, angrily glaring at Diamond Tiara, "Just 'cause he walks around upright doesn't mean he goes about the house, fooling around with our dams when we're there." Apple Bloom smiles confidently, though it quickly fades when she doesn't hear anypony backing her assertion. She glances to her sisters, "Right, girls?"

Sweetie Belle nervously coughs as Scootaloo whistles, staring off in the distance.

"Seriously?" Apple Bloom says, her mouth gaping open. "Seriously?"

"Well, have you seen my dam?" Scootaloo says, pawing at the floor. "When it's her night to stay with Daddy? And other times when it isn't? Most nights when she comes home she doesn't even bother looking around, she just goes straight to him, especially if it's late and she thinks I've gone to bed already. And it's not like he's going to say 'no' to her, not when she's all pent up from pushing clouds and wants to blow off some steam."

One of Apple Bloom's eyes twitch as her brain slowly processes this.

"Rarity tries, but I'm pretty quiet," Sweetie Belle adds softly, slightly trailing off. "So, sometimes when I come downstairs for a snack, they're in the kitchen..." she taps her hooves together, the sound echoing off the school door. Silence reigns for a few seconds before she awkwardly continues, "And at first, I was curious what they were up to, because they were being quiet too, and then when I realized..."

Apple Bloom's mouth grows wider as Sweetie Belle's muzzle contorts to as neutral a face as she can manage.

Diamond Tiara and Twist lean in, eyes twinkling expectantly.

Scootaloo starts, filling the silence, "The first time it happened with me,"

"First?!" Apple Bloom exclaims, now gaping at Scootaloo.

"I think they forgot I was in the room. I was just reading through my homework, 'cause Daddy told me to go to bed once I finished. And then Rainbow comes in all quick-like, and..." Scootaloo bumps her hooves together awkwardly, mimicking Sweetie Belle. She clears her throat, "Then, once they were... done... they both noticed I was there." Her face curls to a smile, proud that her parents thought she was grown up enough, and trusted her with the knowledge she is about to dispense, and yet still embarrassed at how she came to know it. "And they're both speechless. They just look at me, then at each other, then back at me. And then Daddy says, 'Well, at least it's your kid,' and dam just kinda shrugs and says, 'Well, she's going to learn about it at some point.' And then they..."

Scootaloo trails off, looking at the three expectant faces around her, and then Apple Bloom's mortified expression. Scootaloo frowns as Diamond Tiara says, "And then what?"

"We had the talk." Scootaloo states flatly, sheepishly looking down, "It was just a little more... graphic."

"Nice!" Diamond Tiara exclaims, offering a hoof that Scootaloo embarrassingly bumps after a moment's hesitation. Diamond Tiara turns to Sweetie Belle, "How about you? Did they show you too?"

Sweetie Belle shakes her head, "I don't think they've noticed me yet. But sometimes dam glances over at where I'm hiding when I make a noise, so she might know." Sweetie Belle's head drops down, quietly saying, "And she'll turn so I can't see as well. But she hasn't said anything to me. If she noticed. I think she's waiting for me to come to her."

"Ah can't believe you never told me!" Apple Bloom exclaims, glaring at Scootaloo. "Ah would've told you!"

"Really?" says Scootaloo, her voice dripping with disbelief. "I mean, it's awkward enough when dam does it, but when she convinces Fluttershy to have a go at it too, to show you how 'different pegasi like different things'?" Scootaloo sticks a hoof in front of her mouth and gags, "I mean, come on, dam! Seriously?"

"Girl, that's amazing!" Diamond Tiara says, clapping Scootaloo on the back. "Sometimes I wish my dam was like that! But no, she's all, like, 'you'll learn about this stuff when you're older' or 'it can be sexy to learn that stuff together with your stallion', or 'nostallion wants a mare who's been around the block'."

"So, um," Apple Bloom asks, slowly getting more used to the topic, "Have you ever thought about asking, um, a colt, uh, about this stuff?"

"Pff!" exclaims Diamond Tiara, immediately quieting down. "Please. I'm not some whorse, parading around to whatever colt asks. Or asking any colt about it, for that matter. I'm waiting until I'm lead mare, and you should do the same." She drops down, whispering, "Trust me, you do not want to get that kind of reputation, that you'd lift your tail for just anypony. Especially not in Ponyville, where everypony knows everypony. Maybe you could get away with it in Manehatten, but not here."

"O-of course not!" says Apple Bloom shakily, backing up slightly. "Ah'd never want ponies looking at me, thinking that!"

"Good!" Diamond Tiara says, "But, I mean, it still wouldn't hurt to know a bit about it before it happens, you know? So-"

Whatever Diamond Tiara was going to say next is interrupted by Miss Cheerilee opening the door and looking sternly at them. "Girls, unless you would like to be late, class is starting." She looks at the trio, "And don't think you can get by with 'our dams need us' any longer! Big Mac already came over and told me how long you would be out." She opens the door further, ushering the fillies in. The two young mares and three fillies enter the schoolhouse, bracing themselves for a long day of awkward glances at each other.

After school ends, Miss Cheerilee walks up to Snips and Snails, saying, "Excuse me, you two? I need you two to stay after class, in order to continue our discussion."

Snails merely says, "Okay!" in that slow drawl he has.

Snips pouts, "Aww, but I wanted to go get ice cream!"

Miss Cheerilee smiles, "You'll still be able to go get ice cream. Now, I'll be right back with some... help." She disappears out the front door, leaving the two colts with Diamond Tiara, Twist, and the trio.

Diamond Tiara walks up to Snips, "You know, I don't think Miss Cheerilee will mind at all if you go get that ice cream. I'm sure she can talk to you at another time."

Snips' drool splashes out of his mouth, Diamond Tiara taking a disgusted step back, as he says, "Mm! Come on, Snails! Let's go get us some ice cream!"

"But, Miss Cheerilee said to wait here." Snails stands his ground, shaking his head from side to side. "And we don't have any money for ice cream."

"Don't worry, Snails. As school pony president, I'll cover for you." Diamond Tiara pulls out a few bits from her saddlebags, passing them over. "I'm sure Miss Cheerilee won't mind."

It takes Snails about three seconds to consider his options before saying, "Okay!" and leaving with Snips.

Miss Cheerilee returns shortly after the two colts leave. She opens the door, briefly taken aback at seeing Diamond Tiara, Twist, and the Apple trio sitting in their desks looking at her expectantly. Her mind whirs as the door closes behind her; she clears her throat, "Um, girls? Don't you have to get home? And where are Snips and Snails?"

"Yeah," Diamond Tiara says with her ever present smirk, "after all, you three aren't old enough for this, right?"

Miss Cheerilee shakes her head, "No, it's-"

"We're mature enough!" Apple Bloom yells, her sisters joining in with vigorous nods. "We can hoof it! We're not too young!"

Miss Cheerilee glances at the door she just came through, slightly shaking her head as an internal debate rages inside her, "It's not that so much as-"

"And we already know most of it!" adds Scootaloo, standing up eagerly next to Apple Bloom.

"So this is really just a formality, you know?" says Sweetie Belle, joining her sisters.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait just a little longer?" Miss Cheerilee asks, rubbing one hoof along her foreleg. She probably wouldn't get in too much trouble, if any. "It's just that-"

"We don't want to wait!"

"We're old enough!"

"Just get on with it!"

Miss Cheerilee sighs, "Okay girls, don't say I didn't warn you." At their resolute faces Miss Cheerilee walks out the door. The fillies are barely able to hear the exchange taking place, a muffled Miss Cheerilee saying, "Look, you agreed to this."

"Nnope."

"You want me to go tell Applejack? Have her tan your hide for going back on a promise, then have you do this?"

A pause.

A resigned, "Nnope."

Miss Cheerilee walks back into the classroom, beaming as she calls, "Okay, you can come in."

The door to the schoolhouse opens, a very red faced Big Mac walking in. He glances down at the fillies, trying to not focus on Apple Bloom. The filly is instantly mortified, her jaw dropping before she hides her face in her hooves, looking like she could die of embarrassment.

"Now, Big Mac agreed to help with the next 'talk' I was giving, as a way of making up for pulling you three out of class early during Applebuck season. I thought he'd be helping with a few of the colts in your class, but apparently Diamond Tiara wants me to give the talk to you all a little early." Miss Cheerilee looks at the Apple trio, adding, "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

Sweetie Belle shakes her head while Scootaloo says, "I mean, it's not like we've never heard about it before."

Apple Bloom moans, "Come on, Scoots! This is Big Mac we're talking about!"

Scootaloo glances over at Big Mac, opening her eyes as if seeing him for the first time. "Oh my gosh, you're right! Hi, Big Mac! Have you come here to help give us" - she makes little air quotes with her hooves as her voice drops - "the talk?"

Quite possibly the quietest, "Eeyup" Big Mac has ever uttered escapes his lips.

Miss Cheerilee walks over to her desk, one of the drawers sliding open. She digs down in the back, pulling out a book hidden underneath everything else. "Now, it's one thing to look at a picture of something." At Big Mac and Apple Bloom's gasp she appends, "And that's all you're going to be doing today." She glances at Big Mac, "After all, Big Mac is giving the talk, not the demonstration. Got it?" Her stony expression barely breaks, a hint of a smile before immediately returning.

At the round of slightly embarrassed nods Miss Cheerilee ends with, "Then, I hope you all have a very productive discussion." Miss Cheerilee hides the smile that is begging to burst forth; she sure is glad to not have to give the 'talk' to those three! Even if it means having to give the talk to Snips and Snails. And it will, sadly, likely take more than one time before those two get over themselves enough to figure out what they need to know.

Big Mac's sighs as Miss Cheerilee sets the book on the desk and leaves the schoolhouse. Big Mac clears his throat, taking the book and placing it gently on the floor. He flips through the pages, settling on the center, a very detailed, blown up image of internal mare physiology now on display. He turns, looking each of the young mares and fillies in the eye, though he has to clear his throat to get Apple Bloom to look up at him.

His deep voice echoes in the room, "During this talk here, we'll be using a lot of 'adult' terms. Y'all might as well get the snickering out of the way early, especially during the stallion section." Big Mac focuses on Diamond Tiara, then each pony in turn, "There'll be no laughing at each other, or putting down for asking a 'silly' or 'obvious' question. Y'all got that?"

Four ponies nod back at him.

Apple Bloom mutters, "Ah want mah innocence back."

Big Mac clears his throat again before he starts, pointing a hoof at the picture, "Now, a mare's reproductive organs are nearly all located inside of her. We're going to go over each of them, and what their use is on most days, like going to the bathroom," some snickering, "during intercourse," lots more snickering, "during pregnancy," much less snickering, "and foaling."

Silence.

55 The Coming Storm, Part Three

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August 16th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Rainbow Dash arcs high above Sweet Apple Acres, stifling a yawn. She has been hard at work all day making sure her quadrant of Ponyville is ready for the Lightning Storm. The thick, black storm clouds above her crackle with charged electricity. And not the kind of lightning bolts the thunderheads that she normally pushes around spits out. But some super-charged version those eggheads in Canterlot cooked up that would stun, if not seriously injure, anypony caught outside of the designated safe zones.

At least, that’s what the literature they’ve been passing out for the last two months says, but Rainbow Dash knows it’s a lot closer to the dreaded k-word than most ponies are comfortable admitting.

In some places the work is still ongoing. Like directly underneath her, where she can see Big Mac and Doug setting up the last of the pylons to protect the various apple trees. None of the other fields merited such an expenditure, and hopefully they are going to be done real soon. She has to give the all-clear any minute now, or risk delaying the Storm. She can already see some of the bulges in the clouds threatening to spill out, and once that happens there’s no going back. It’s either scrap it and lose everything, and have to redo the whole test another time. And they’d still have to run a normal end-of-summer storm to clear the air, and they didn’t have the clouds for that on hoof.

Better to just get everything done right the first time, and be done with it. It is a point of pride for Rainbow Dash that Ponyville was chosen for the first ‘live’ test. She had witnessed the proof of concept two years ago, when Princess Celestia had asked about some sort of airspace-denial system, like she was afraid of a horde of griffons attacking or some nonsense. Like a bunch of flying creatures would just up and invade Equestria. Who does that?

But, back to business. Doug and Big Mac are cantering back towards the two farmhouses, and they are the last of the stragglers. She casts a nervous glance towards the north end of Ponyville; it isn’t her quadrant, but Applejack, Rarity, and Trixie are supposed to be securing the last few trees in that area before they head back home. Rainbow would be heading to her cloud house to test how it weathers the storm, something they hadn’t done enough of in their previous tests. It is now parked as low to the ground as possible just outside the Everfree Forest. She nervously rubs a hoof along the amulet that is supposed to help protect against the lightning strikes. But she had seen the results of those tests, too.

Rainbow does a quick scan of the entirety of her sector. Nopony visible. Which is worrisome, since Applejack and Trixie at the very least should be heading back home. Maybe they already made it, and she missed them?

Rainbow scoffs at the thought; there’s no way she let something like that slip under her watchful eye. She heads towards the center of town regardless, mindful of the four sets of eyes drilling into her. She glances down one last time, spotting Trixie’s blue form shooting a yellow flare into the air as she races towards Sweet Apple Acres. Thunder peals above her, sporadic rain showers starting and drowning everything in a dull haze. That’s their signal. But where are Applejack and Rarity?

Cloudchaser, Open Skies, and Clear Skies round out the four most senior of Ponyville’s weather force. They all are waiting for her above the center of town at the designated meet up spot for when their areas are clear. Fast Clip, normally one of the Wonderbolt instructors but commandeered for this training exercise, is holding a clipboard with two large red check marks corresponding to the east and south parts of Ponyville.

Cloudchaser watches Trixie’s retreating form, saying, “That’s the last signal we’re waiting for. And… that’s my quadrant clear.” She glances over to Rainbow Dash, “Another two minutes, I’d guess, and we’re all set.” She grimaces at the static clinging to every drop of rain, continued flight becoming more and more uncomfortable.

“Yup,” Rainbow Dash agrees, nervously looking to the north. “I did want to check one more thing, though.” She shivers, trying to lower herself away from the threatening skies; one bolt from those clouds could knock a pony silly, and flying this high could do some serious damage if you weren’t caught. The storm’s insidious design, though, was that a shocked pony would transfer that shock to any would-be rescuers not specifically protected. Her hoof rubs up against the amulet again, hoping she wouldn’t need to use it.

“We don’t have time for this,” Fast Clip states, huffing at the continued delays. Sheesh, he should be here during Winter Wrap Up. “Is your sector clear or not?” He holds the clipboard closer to himself, waiting on filling in that last red box, his neutral gaze suppressing his frustration at these civilians.

Rainbow Dash sighs, watching Trixie disappear into the Carrot House. “Yup. All clear.”

Fast Clip nods, “Okay, then, excellent job. Right on schedule. You each have five minutes to do any last checks, then we’re pressing the button.” The key around his neck jingles back and forth as the wind around them starts picking up, the prelude to the coming storm.

Rainbow Dash nods, a rainbow contrail behind her as she speeds first to the north part of town. Rain deluges everything, passing over park benches and trees that quickly turn to muddy pits. Nothing! She turns to the west, now passing over Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow moans in frustration as she pulls up to the Carrot House. Even if she doesn’t make it in time to return to her cloud house, she can calm her worried thoughts and make sure those two are okay.

One quick glance towards Fast Clip shows him and Whiplash both with their keys locked into some big box. Watching her as one hoof hovers over a large red button. That is blinking. Ominously.

Maybe she should get inside.

Rainbow Dash zips inside the Carrot House as the button depresses, the darkness around turning to day as the lightning strikes increase tenfold.

Trixie and Rarity both ‘ooh’ at Rarity’s latest attempt, the leaves on the tree now a brilliant gamboge. “That’s good for a single color,” Trixie says, nodding with a smile, “But most leaves have many different shades. Observe the creative and artistic Trixie in action!”

Rarity’s eyes shine white, the main side effect of a magical analysis spell, as she watches Trixie’s horn light, a neutral gaze on the white unicorn’s muzzle. A beam of magenta shoots towards the tree, the leaves now a brilliant rainbow of yellows and oranges, almost exactly like the leaves during Autumn and following the Running of the Leaves.

Trixie smirks, her smile more than a little full of herself, “The patient and understanding Trixie will gladly demonstrate again if Rarity desires.” She rips the branch down, adding it to the growing pile of slightly and majorly off color branches.

Rarity’s horn shoots a beam of light blue, the branches and leaves not only turning a range of reds and pinks but also shaping themselves to small figurines of two ponies prancing, an exact likeness of the Ponyville flag. Trixie gawks as Rarity smirks, “Might need to keep your boasting in check there, Trix.”

Both yelp as a rope lassoes the multicolored branch, ripping the dead wood from the tree and dragging it to the ground. A southern accent rings out, “And both’a y’all need to stop foaling around and help me finish this work! Ah thought’d be going faster with two unicorns helping, but it seems like Ah’m the one doing all the work!”

“Sorry, Applejack,” the two unicorns chorus, obviously not the first time they’ve had to apologize for slacking off on their assigned duties. Not every tree could afford to be protected, and to help with the potential damage the gale force winds could cause they are stripping the trees of the loose and dead branches, the kindling to be kept inside until the test is over.

Trixie whispers to Rarity, “Well, I thought your last attempt was very good. A combination of a multi-hued recolor and reshaping? It’s like you’re a natural!”

Rarity winks back at Trixie, “Why, thank you! Honest magic is my specialty after all, even if I don’t use Deceit as frequently.” She grins, “You aren’t so bad yourself. Your colors look far better than mine, much closer to the natural shade of an autumn leaf.”

“I’ve… Trixie has spent many a night practicing to make her deceptions as close to reality as possible.” Trixie sighs, a dull glance back towards her wagon, now parked directly underneath the Carrot House. At some point she would need to make a decision, she’s put it off for far too long.

“Lonely nights, I presume,” Rarity says back, sympathetically rubbing a hoof along Trixie’s withers.

“Yes, and-”

“And both a y’all better quit your talking and help! Ah know you don’t need to use your mouths to light your horns! We’re nearly out of time!” Applejack glances up at the roiling black clouds above, the occasional lightning strike illuminating the green trees just north of Ponyville. She grits her teeth before grabbing her rope again, pulling down another few branches. She glances around, inspecting the various trees and giving a satisfied huff. “That’s the last of ‘em. No thanks to you two.”

“Sorry if we were focusing on more important things,” Rarity says, slightly turning her nose up. “After all, you got the job done just in time, right?”

Applejack snorts, shaking her head as she drags the main bundle of kindling towards the nearest house. Trixie levitates the remaining smaller pieces as they fall off, putting them back on the pile. The door to the house opens, an only somewhat irate earth pony taking the branches inside.

“You did a… a great job, Applejack,” Trixie says, glancing up at the clouds threatening to spill forth any second now. “Perhaps we should head back? Trixie does not fancy getting drenched.”

“Yeah, you and Rares both,” Applejack snorts, shaking her head at the white unicorn still testing the recolor spell. “At least you can help every now and then instead of just getting in the way.”

“While Trixie would not presume to know another’s intentions, she thinks Rarity is just a little excited with her new spell, like a foal on Hearth’s Warming.” Trixie smirks as Applejack chuckles, “But we do need to head back.” The clouds above boom, rain starting to come down in buckets.

Applejack nervously glances up at the four pegasi hovering in the middle of town, hoping they haven’t started yet. They are missing Rainbow, though, and they wouldn’t be up there if it was starting. “Wow, it ain’t me being the responsible one? Color me impressed.”

“Is that a gold? Or a royal blue? I hear midnight is making a comeback,” Trixie smirks as Applejack shakes her head.

“You just head on back. Go ahead and give ‘em the signal, we’ll catch up with ya.” Applejack gallops over to where Rarity is cowering under an awning.

Trixie grimaces, not wanting to leave the two behind, but neither does she want to stay in the rain any longer than she has to. She canters down the streets of Ponyville, her horn shooting a yellow flare into the dark sky.

Applejack huffs, half ready to pull the recalcitrant unicorn by her mane all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres if she has to. The rain on her back tingles, an odd and unexpected sensation for the farmpony used to working in the rain. “Come on, Rarity,” she grunts out, leveling a stare. “It’s just water. Just think of it like you’re taking a shower.”

“But my hair!” Rarity says, motioning to her purple curls. Many strands are starting to peel off, what is normally straight hair when wet instead turning extremely frizzy, even though it is still dry. “The rain is going to ruin my hair!”

“It’ll ruin a lot more than just your hair if we stay here! It ain’t safe!” Applejack stops halfway from biting Rarity’s tail - she mostly reserves that for Rainbow’s unruly trap of a tail. “Come on!”

A rainbow blur speeds by above, barely noticeable from their hidden spot.

“But Applejack,” Rarity complains, “why didn’t we bring an umbrella?”

As if to prove why, the winds pick up to a point that would rip an umbrella from hoof, mouth or horn.

“You need to quit yer belly-achin’ and go!” Applejack’s mouth inches closer to Rarity’s tail, giving the unicorn a firm push in the flank. “Come on!”

“Fine!” Rarity says, taking two steps into the rain. She does make sure to avoid the quickly growing puddles; even if she is going to get drenched she still has standards.

“There, that ain’t so bad!” Applejack says, trotting through the muck before a gigantic thunderbolt sends both of them scurrying to the nearest source of cover.

“Applejack! Rarity!” comes a voice from one of the nearby houses. Both of them turn, trying to spot the source while lightning crashes and thunder peals around them. “Applejack! Rarity!” The two locate Twilight Sparkle, her eyes glowing white while waving to them from the cover of The Golden Oaks Library.

Applejack and Rarity gallop over, yelping as the lightning above increases ten-fold. They skid to a stop just outside, both muddy from their quick jaunt through the street. “Thank ya kindly, Twilight,” Applejack says, though she is stopped as she tries to walk inside. Curious as to what is holding her back she sees a muddy white hoof pressing against her barrel.

Rarity motions with her head to the garden hose outside, “Ah ah, Applejack, we should be polite houseguests and wash up before we enter.”

“Out in a lightning storm?” asks Twilight Sparkle incredulously, her white eyes still monitoring the storm outside. “You can use my bathroom, I don’t mind.”

“And just how are we supposed to get there without tracking mud all over?” says Applejack, glancing to her own muddy hooves.

Twilight Sparkle’s horn lights, both Applejack and Rarity lifted off the ground. “No problem!” Twilight Sparkle says as she grins, the two quickly finding themselves deposited into the bathtub, which is barely large enough for both of them to fit inside, much less maneuver around.

“Ah don’t suppose you have a way of getting us home,” Applejack snorts out as she turns the water on. She starts rinsing her muddy hooves off as she continues, “‘Cause, Ah know you don’t mind missing a night with Doug, but Ah do.”

“Relax, Applejack, he’ll be fine. I’m sure he can go one night by himself. Even if there is a small storm raging outside.” The thunder above rings out, loud despite the solid oak walls. Rarity flinches, trying to push past Applejack to wash her own hooves off, “Okay, maybe I wish he was with me.” Her ears lay flat against her head as another wave of thunder rolls off the library, the tree house swaying in the wind.

56 The Coming Storm, Part Four

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“Everypony still alive?” Doug calls as he enters the Carrot House, only half joking. The eight fillies of the herd all glance from their huddled perch, crammed at the window with the best view of Ponyville and the roiling storm above. He had seen their faces watching him as he ran back inside, many quite worried as to his safe return. At least they have taken the repeated warnings about straying outside seriously, and didn’t rush outside to greet him like they are fond of doing.

Scootaloo turns back to the window first, watching Rainbow Dash zoom to the center of Ponyville. She sighs as the pegasus disappears into the haze of the rain, turning to slink back to her room. Well, at least to the ladder that leads to her room. She stops at the bottom, a fearful look up as the sound of thunder begins in earnest.

In fact, many of the fillies, including Doug, give trepid looks back towards Ponyville. Only Lemon and Meringue - the two fillies rarely straying from their expressions of exuberant joy or base impassiveness - lack the look of awe as brief bouts of lightning burst from the sky, the peals of thunder getting closer and closer together.

Apple Bloom cautiously asks, “Um, shouldn’t Applejack and Rarity be here by now?” She hops up to the window, taking the spot Scootaloo just relinquished, her hoofs pressed against the glass as she tries to see through the light rain. “Do ya think she got lost?”

Doug peers through the window, worry starting to cross his face. His mouth pulls to a grim smile, trying to keep his voice steady as he says, “She knows the way. She likes cutting it close, making sure everything is done.” He points a finger at an approaching figure, “See, there she is now!”

Apple Bloom squints as Sweetie Belle jumps up to join her, the younger fillies groaning as their older sisters fill the window. “Are ya sure?” Apple Bloom says, tapping a hoof against the glass, “Because that looks like Trixie to me.”

“You’re right,” Doug says, his smile turning to a frown. He leaves the window, grabbing a towel and opening the door for Trixie. The blue unicorn bounds inside, grunting as she plows into the towel Doug holds out for her. She wipes off her face and horn before making her way to the bathroom, washing off her hooves while Doug asks, “Where are Applejack and Rarity? Shouldn’t they be right behind you?”

“They said they would be, and Trixie thought it best to hurry home regardless of how much faster she is than they are.” Trixie steps out of the bathroom, her mane in disarray, though her confident smirk disappears at Doug’s worried look. “They aren’t there?”

Doug shakes his head as he stares outside, now unable to make out anything through the hard rain. “I just hope they’re okay,” he says. Doug sighs as he turns, the five younger fillies starting to lag in their efforts to stay awake. “Alright, everypony, let’s get ready for bed.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turn to glare at their sire, a stony refusal. Doug shuts the front door as he nods to them; they wouldn’t be going to sleep until their dams returned. They go back to staring out the window, trying to spot anything as the lightning illuminates the falling rain. Doug walks to the kitchen; he would be joining the two in their vigil.

Scootaloo continues to sit at the base of the ladder that leads upwards to her room on the very top floor, shaking a little at the thought of spending the night alone in the most exposed room of the house. Even if she knows it is safe, that doesn’t make the thought of going up there any easier. She hesitantly puts a hoof on the first rung; what would her dam say if she saw her struggling like this?

The other five move with varying degrees of lethargy, Pomarbo naturally the slowest of the group. Lemon skips to her room while Hedge yawns, tiredly walking down the stairs with Meringue to their room.

Applebaum glances out the window, callously remarking, “Well, either she’s safe, or she isn’t. Not like we can help, and I’m not staying up late worrying about it.” She turns, taking a few steps before Apple Bloom tackles her.

“How can you say that?” Apple Bloom yells, pushing Applebaum onto the floor. “She could be hurt, or worse!”

Trixie glances over at Doug from the opposite side of the room; he seems to be in no hurry to intervene, rather allowing the two to physically work out whatever they are feeling. Fillies will be fillies, after all.

Applebaum struggles against her larger sister, retorting, “What, you going to run out there and save her?” Her greater strength lets her push to her hooves, Apple Bloom now riding on top of her, hooves wrapped around Applebaum’s neck.

“Well, you didn’t have to be so mean about it!” shouts Apple Bloom, dropping off to the side. She and Applebaum lock hooves, now trying to push each other over.

“So what about how mean I am about it? It doesn’t change the fact that she could be dead out there, and we don’t know and can’t help!” Applebaum sniffles, shoving Apple Bloom away and retreating to her room. The sound of muffled crying comes through the closed door, barely audible over the thunder above.

Apple Bloom huffs, shaking herself off before returning to the windowsill and staring outside. The rest of the fillies go to their own doors, or downstairs, each off to bed. Apple Bloom glances up as Doug moves over; she shakes her head, practically spitting out, “What?”

“I’m worried, ” Doug softly says, calmly stroking Apple Bloom’s mane, “And you can tell Applebaum is worried, too.”

“Yeah, well,” Apple Bloom huffs.

“Perhaps tackling her wasn’t the best way of letting her know that you care, too.” Doug ruffles her mane one more time before getting up.

Apple Bloom snorts.

Doug walks over to Scootaloo, sitting down next to the still immobile filly. “You doing okay, Scoots?” At the filly’s head shake he nods along knowingly, “Want me to get one of the cots?”

Scootaloo shakes her head again.

Doug sighs, “You want to sleep in my bed?”

Scootaloo turns just a little, a shy nod of her head.

Doug nods along, “Okay. Just tonight.” Scootaloo grins before trotting to the master bedroom, slipping through. Doug glances over, “Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Do you want to sleep in the cellar, or which room?”

Sweetie Belle hesitantly offers, “Applebaum’s room has the most space.”

“Not sleeping in there,” Apple Bloom grunts out. She glances to the stairs leading to the lower floor, “And Ah don’t want to sleep in the cellar.” She gazes at Doug, “Can we sleep with you, too?”

“Sure, but it might get pretty crowded when Applejack and Rarity return,” Doug replies as he gets up. He walks over to Apple Bloom, saying firmly, “But before you go to bed, you should apologize to Applebaum for tackling her.”

“Well, she should apologize for saying that mean stuff about Applejack.” Apple Bloom turns, resolutely staring out the window.

“I’m sure she feels just as bad about that as you do,” Doug says, holding a hand halfway between Apple Bloom and debating whether he can still pick her up and force her. She’s getting to the age when she’ll have to make these kind of decisions for herself, and pay the consequences one way or the other. He finally decides against it, turning at a sound at the front door.

Rainbow Dash pushes the door open, quickly glancing around the room. “Applejack here? Or Rarity?”

“No,” Doug says, now even more worried. “Haven’t they started?”

“Yeah, they have,” Rainbow Dash says, grimacing as her hoof strokes the amulet around her neck. “You sure she’s not at the main house?”

“We’ve been watching,” Apple Bloom calls from the window, “And nothing.”

“Great.” Rainbow moans, turning to go back outside. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Doug says, giving Rainbow Dash one last rub before she disappears into the dark night.

Rainbow Dash flies low, heading from one outcropping of trees to another. She can feel the tingling on her skin, the charge building up and making her hair stand on end. She scowls at her enforced slow flight; the lightning storm reacts poorly to flight magic, and by poorly she means a bolt of enhanced electricity. She glances at her amulet as she gets to Ponyville proper - already dimmed, but not out.

The structures of Ponyville offer considerably more protection, but she can still feel the charge building whenever she slinks from one alleyway to another. Soon enough, though, she is at the last house she saw Trixie at, but all the lights are off and knocking at the door yields nothing. Probably sounds too close to the thunder ringing about her. Plus, she can’t imagine that Applejack and Rarity are both off foaling around or asleep when they should be home.

One building still has lights on, so Rainbow Dash heads over to the Golden Oaks Library, though peering through the window next to the door yields nothing. She knocks on the door before trying it, finding it to be open. Well, it is normal operating hours, right? And she doesn’t see a closed sign.

“Now, who in tarnation could that be?” Rainbow hears Applejack’s voice from further inside, “Somepony returning a late book?”

“I certainly hope not,” replies Twilight Sparkle.

“It’s just me,” Rainbow Dash calls out, walking into the main library area. She snorts as she spots Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle. All three are reclining on chairs, their faces covered with green goop and cucumber slices over their eyes. They are foaling around! All three glance in the direction of her voice, Rainbow continuing, her voice shaking with repressed laughter, “You three… having a good time?”

“Of course!” Twilight Sparkle says happily, Applejack barely nodding as Rarity smiles through the goop. “We’re giving each other makeovers!”

“Right.” Rainbow Dash coughs, looking around the library and spotting one book opened on the table. “Well, Doug and the rest got pretty worried when you didn’t show up. Luckily they have me to save the day!”

“Oh, dear,” Rarity says, frowning. “It completely slipped my mind, after Twilight Sparkle invited us in just before the storm started. And I had to fix my hair, and then Applejack’s hair.”

“Hair is more important to you than your herd?” Rainbow frowns, crossing her forelegs in front of her, even though they can’t see her actions.

Rarity nods along just a little, “I’m sorry, Rainbow. But it’s not like we could just send a message to you even if we wanted to.”

Rainbow huffs, “Yeah, yeah. I get it. Still, you should have at least tried to make it home.” She inspects the book a little closer, reading to herself, ‘Slumber one oh one: All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties and Were Afraid to Ask’. She grabs the book, flipping to the first section. Makeovers. Bleh.

“Did Trixie make it home, at least?” Applejack asks, a little worried.

“She did.” Rainbow curtly replies, glancing to Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn is alternating between worried pulls on her muzzle and mouthing what she is guessing is things like, ‘it’s okay’, or ‘everypony’s fine’. “And, I should be heading back too, or they’re going to be up all night worrying.”

“Alright, Rainbow. Thanks for doing all this.” Applejack blindly reaches forward, Rainbow moving to give her hoof a quick nuzzle.

Rainbow nuzzles Rarity next, then moves to Twilight Sparkle. She grabs the amulet, saying, “Hey, Twilight, I’ve got this amulet to help against the lightning, but it could use more charge. Any chance you can do that?”

“Sure!” Twilight Sparkle says, reaching a hoof forwards. Rainbow holds out the amulet, a brief jolt of magic returning the amulet to its previous bright gleam. “Anything else?”

“No, thanks,” Rainbow Dash says, a smirk growing on her muzzle. “You colts have fun.” She flies to the front door, still holding the slumber book in her hooves. The return trip is no less harrowing, especially because she doesn’t want to get Twilight’s slumber book wet. The amulet again eats up what she recognizes as half of the charge, finally making it back to the Carrot House. Her hair is all standing on end, especially noticeable as she pushes open the front door.

“Hey,” Rainbow says to Doug, Trixie, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle. She raises an eyebrow at how close Trixie and Doug are sitting to each other, one arm wrapped around her withers and holding her tight. “Applejack and Rarity are both safe.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle let loose the breaths they are holding, wiping a hoof across their forehead. “They’re at Twilight’s, and I think they’ll be spending the night there.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Doug says, looking to the fillies. “Alright, time for bed.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rush to Rainbow Dash, yelping at the small shocks they receive from the staticky pegasus. They hug her quickly after, whispered thanks for finding out their dams are safe, before Sweetie Belle heads to the master bedroom and Apple Bloom goes to talk to Applebaum.

“So,” Doug says, looking at the book in Rainbow’s hooves, “What’cha got there?”

Rainbow Dash snorts as she hovers over, landing and shoving herself roughly against Doug’s other side. She holds the book up for Doug to take.

He does, reading the title, “Slumber one oh one.” He turns to look at Rainbow Dash, “Really?”

Rainbow Dash nods, unable to keep the smirk off her muzzle. “Yup. Twilight was using it as a reference guide! Can you believe that? Like, who doesn’t know what you’re supposed to do at a slumber party?”

“Jeez, it’s been a while since I’ve had a slumber party,” Doug says, opening up the book to the table of contents. He rolls his eyes at Rainbow’s smirk, “And the stuff we do doesn’t count.” He skims through a few, “And I don’t know that I’ve ever done half of these. Maybe most of them. Makeovers?”

“What, colts don’t give each other makeovers?” Trixie asks, pushing herself closer to Doug in order to read as well.

“No,” Doug drawls out, shaking his head. “That’s a female thing. Exclusively. Well, maybe not entirely, but still.”

“Yeah, well, Rarity might be a little coltish, but she somehow convinced Applejack to give it a shot.” Rainbow Dash looks through the next few items.

Doug says in a sing-song voice, “Sounds like somepony’s a little jealous~” He ruffles Rainbow’s mane, the hairs still standing on end, as she glares up at him. Doug looks to Trixie; even after she dried off her mane it is still quite unkempt, and could use a good brushing. “Maybe both of you.”

“Trixie would certainly not object to some sort of spa treatment.” Trixie levitates over one of the filly’s brushes, though she raises an eyebrow at Doug’s refusal to take it.

Instead, Doug runs his fingers through Rainbow’s mane, nails digging into scalp and ears. Rainbow’s exasperated expression disappears, replaced by a euphoric stupor. Trixie lets loose a small whine as Doug gets up, straddling Rainbow’s back and forcing the pegasus to lay on the ground completely. Rainbow sprawls out as Doug’s fingers trace down her mane, pressing into neck and shoulders. One hand finally gets the brush, untangling the strands into their individual colors.

“See, it’s all about getting her in the right mood,” Doug says, one hand moving to tickle under Rainbow’s jaw. She grins, her hips bucking just a little before her mouth opens, her tongue coming out to lick his finger. Doug’s hand withdraws, a light whimper from Rainbow, as he returns to splitting the rainbow mane and then braiding the cooler colors.

“Can Trixie try? She is sure to put Doug’s skills to-” Trixie stops talking as Rainbow’s eye opens, rancor aimed directly at her. She stutters briefly before saying, “Um, what Trixie… what I meant to say, is, I am sure I have a lot I can learn from Doug’s skills.” Trixie smiles at Rainbow’s continued glare, the pegasus eventually grunting and closing her eyes, relaxing.

Rainbow’s whine returns as Doug gets up, Trixie taking his place next to her and levitating the brush. The unicorn gives a small ‘eep’ as Doug straddles her, a briefly fearful look at the creature now forcing her down. Doug smiles back, his hands running through the base of her mane, though her reaction isn’t nearly as intense as Rainbow’s.

Trixie turns back to Rainbow, the pegasus again watching but with none of the animosity from before. Her brush runs along Rainbow’s coat, smoothing down the hairs that love to stick right back up. Rainbow’s eyes follow Doug’s fingers whenever they poke through the two tone blue mane, though she can’t tell if they are resentful of missing out on the action, or trying to vicariously remember when those hands were on her moments ago.

Trixie frowns; she wants Rainbow to look at her with the same longing, that desire for Trixie’s horn and hoof to be the instrument eliciting the blissful reactions. Not a source of resentment, a tramp making moves on her stallion.

Trixie groans as Doug’s fingers dig into her neck, finding a few particularly sore spots. She tries to get her mind off the pain as his fingers return, relentlessly pressing and kneading. She grunts out, “So, Rainbow, are you enjoying yourself?”

“Rather it was Doug,” Rainbow replies, a bit of a huff, but she immediately checks herself. “It’s not bad, I guess.”

“Well, maybe Tr-, maybe I can learn a few things from him,” Trixie says as seductively as she can between gasps of pain.

Doug lets up, removing his hands from Trixie’s withers. “Oh?” he asks, sliding off Trixie. He pulls her up, walking her forward until she is straddling Rainbow Dash. He takes one of Trixie’s forehooves, resting it along Rainbow’s spine, just at the base of her mane. “Now, gently rest your weight on your barrel and hind legs, and move the other forehoof there.” Rainbow twists her head to watch, grunting as Trixie’s weight pushes her flanks down.

“Now, gently push down with your forehooves. You should be able to feel her ribs further down, but what you’re really trying to find is any of those tense muscles that I found on you. Just stroke, starting from the center, slowly working your way down along those ribs.” Doug grins as Trixie complies, eliciting a light moan from Rainbow.

“Okay, my turn!” Rainbow says after a minute of Trixie fumbling around; she’s pretty dextrous with her hooves, but used to using her hooves on objects, not a living body. She pushes up, dumping a squawking Trixie off to the side, spinning and pushing Doug so he is on the one facing the floor. She turns to Trixie as the unicorn picks herself up, “So, Doug likes to teach what he enjoys. Just remember that when you’re working on, say, Fluttershy. You’ve got to be really gentle with her, you can’t dig in like you can with Doug or Applejack.”

Rainbow demonstrates as she squats down on top of Doug, sliding her hooves just under his shoulder blades. She grins as she finds a spot, pulling back just a little and letting Trixie take over. Doug’s moans of pain - but a good kind of pain - ring through the house, competing with the storm outside.

Minutes later, Trixie lets a much more relaxed Doug up, the human stretching his arms and neck. “So,” he says, looking towards the bookmarked book. “What’s next?”

57 The Coming Storm, Part Five

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“Okay, Rares, Ah think Ah’ve played along long enough.” Applejack’s tongue flicks out, tagging the bottom of the cucumber slice around her eye. She gobbles it, immediately following that up by chowing down on the other one. She eyes Twilight Sparkle’s cucumbers, “You gonna eat those?”

“Um, you can have them,” Twilight Sparkle says, holding still so Applejack can snag them off her face. She blinks a couple times as she grins, giving a little cheer. “Oh, this is so exciting! My first slumber party, off to a great start! Well, I guess if we don’t count that time where we all slept over at your house, and then Princess Luna came, and-”

“It’s okay, Twi,” Applejack states, resting a hoof on the quickly growing frantic unicorn’s withers. “We can say this is your first official sleepover. And thank ya for your kind hospitality, inviting us in.” She glances around, “By the way, where’s Spike?”

“Oh, he’s away in Canterlot for official business,” Twilight Sparkle says, bringing her hooves up to make little quotation marks. She whispers aside to Rarity, “I think the little guy was afraid of the storm.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” Rarity says, nervously looking outside as the lightning strikes a nearby pylon. “I do hope Rainbow makes it home okay.”

“She’ll be fine, ain’t her first time navigating a storm like this,” Applejack says, trying to keep the shaking out of her voice. “Anyhow, we don’t want to ruin your first sleepover with talk like that. What’s the next thing we’re doing?”

“Oh, right! The list! The book!” Twilight Sparkle, her biggest ‘I’m about to read a book’ smile plastered on her face, scampers over to where she had left the book. But the table is empty.

“Huh.” Twilight Sparkle looks around, quickly scanning the available surfaces. “I thought I put the book right here.” Her searching quickly turns frantic, eyes darting left and right and under as she tries to locate her guide to slumber parties. “I know I put it right here!”

“It’s okay, Twilight,” Rarity says calmly, trying to put a hoof on the overly excited mare busy tearing apart the library. “We don’t need the guide.”

Twilight Sparkle lunges forward, grabbing Rarity and violently shaking her, “But how will we know if we’re having fun?” Loose strands of hair jut up from Twilight’s mane, one of her eyes twitching uncontrollably.

“Easy!” Applejack says, grinning. “We just make up what we want to do!”

“But what if they aren’t official slumber party activities?” Twilight Sparkle paws at her face, a high pitched whine emanating from her throat.

“Well, which of the activities do ya remember?” Applejack says, her calming voice trying to soothe the disheveled unicorn. “Was it, like, pin the tail on the pony?”

“Those are party games, not slumber party games!” Twilight Sparkle says, though she briefly chuckles. “I guess I can see the confusion. But, no, it’s things like telling ghost stories. Or playing truth or dare!”

“Ah like the sound of truth or dare.” Applejack chuckles, “Ah bet Ah can win every time!”

“You don’t win at truth or dare,” Twilight Sparkle says exasperatedly. “You either tell the truth, or you do whatever another pony dares you to do.”

“See?” Rarity says, smiling as she wipes away the green mud mask from her face. “You don’t need that silly book.”

“Silly?” exclaims Twilight Sparkle.

Rarity backpedals a step, “Did I say silly? Silly me, I meant... “

“Sappy?” Applejack offers.

“Yes! Sappy!” Rarity says with a smile, though she immediately turns to give Applejack a confused look and shrug of the shoulders as her cheeks scrunch up.

“Right.” Twilight Sparkle shakes her head, focusing on calming herself down. She doesn’t need the book. After all, she’s read through it, so she shouldn’t need her checklists to keep her in order. Oooh, what if she’s going out of order? Did the book say anything about needing to do the activities in any sort of order? After all, it wouldn’t make sense to go to sleep as the first activity, right? And there was definitely a section on the sleep part of sleepovers.

“Sooo,” Applejack drawls out, glancing between Rarity and Twilight Sparkle as she daydreams or something. “Does anypony just go, or is there some sort of order?”

“Order!?” Twilight Sparkle spits out, spinning around to focus on Applejack. “What if we’re going in the wrong order? The whole slumber party could be ruined!” She begins searching in earnest again for the missing book, looking at least three times to the table it should have been on.

“While I’m sure there should be some method to the madness, I do believe your first slumber party will be a smashing success regardless of what order we go in.” Rarity smiles as Twilight Sparkle slowly calms down, “Now, I propose that I ask Twilight the first question, and then she may ask whomever she wishes. Acceptable?”

“Ah’m okay with that,” Applejack says, exchanging a wink with Rarity.

Twilight Sparkle stops searching, plopping down next to Rarity with a huff. “Fine.”

Rarity asks Twilight, “Okay. Truth or dare?”

“Ain’t that the game we’re playing?” interrupts Applejack.

Rarity shakes her head, “No. Well, yes. But, you see, Twilight gets to pick whether or not she does whatever we dare her to do, or tell the truth about any one question.”

“Ah.” Applejack rolls a hoof through the air, “Carry on.”

“Hmm,” Twilight Sparkle says, deliberating while holding a hoof to her chin. “Dare.”

“Let’s see. Dare. Dare. Hmm,” Rarity stares at Twilight Sparkle, debating what to do. “I dare you to eat a whole tub of ice cream.”

Twilight Sparkle smirks, “You know, if Spike were here, you’d have to dare him to not eat a whole tub of ice cream.” Her horn lights, a tub and spoon levitating from the freezer. She takes a bite, messily saying, “Okay, my turn?”

“Darling, please watch your manners,” Rarity reprimands, levitating a few paper towels over. She then nods, “Yes, you get to pick.”

“Okay.” Twilight Sparkle takes another bite before pointing the spoon at, “Applejack.”

“Heh, Ah ain’t afraid. Truth.”

“Hmm.” Twilight scarfs down another bite, glad she buys the half pint tubs for herself instead of gallow containers Spike gets. “What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned since you became an Element of Harmony?”

“Oh, jeez, that’s a toughy,” Applejack says, going deep into the tank. “Are ya talking, like, in the time that Ah’ve been the Element of Honesty, since a month and a half ago? Or related to being the Element?”

“Um, let’s go related to being an Element. Anything interesting? I haven’t really noticed anything myself, since I already was, um, pretty prodigious as far as my magical powers go. I mean, I had never tried doing anything as impressive as brute forcing an Ursa Minor around, but I don’t know that I couldn’t have done that if I wasn’t the Element of Magic. After all-”

“I think it’s Applejack’s turn to answer a question, darling,” Rarity says with a soft smile.

Twilight Sparkle shuts her mouth immediately. Then opens it to say, “Oh, right. Sorry.”

“Ain’t a problem. So, um, whew, this is a bit of a doozy of an answer, and Ah might need Rarity to help on some of the, um, technical aspects.” Applejack smiles apologetically at Rarity, though the unicorn seems perfectly happy with being roped in. “Um, so, here goes. Now, as you know, Ah’m the Element of Honesty, and Rarity is the Element of Generosity.”

“Yup!” Twilight Sparkle says.

“Well, um, most earth pony magic, as it’s commonly categorized, falls under Laughter and Generosity. Making things stronger, grow faster, or healing plants.” Applejack pauses, looking to Twilight Sparkle for confirmation.

Twilight Sparkle nods, “Of course.”

“Now, cutie marks can give somepony a special talent, and mine is helping lots of plants grow. Ah can focus it if Ah need to, but Ah’ve always been able to just walk by an orchard and watch the blossoms bloom around me. Big Mac, on the other hoof, he can make whatever he’s focusing on grow real big. But it takes him a little longer to work on lots of little things.”

“Pretty standard thaumic theory so far,” Twilight Sparkle says.

Applejack glances over to Rarity, flicking her head.

Rarity continues, “And my special talent - my ability to locate gemstones - is a branch of Honesty magic, making me an Honesty Specialist. Which commonly deals with finding hidden things, enhancing vision, or its converse, hiding things or illusions. I was easily able to pick up the Princess’s, hmm, observation spell, and Trixie’s color illusions, as both of those fall under the purview of Honesty."

Twilight Sparkle nods, “I think I know where you’re going with this, but I’m not quite sure.”

Applejack snorts, “If you can guess, Ah’ll eat my hat. And you don’t even need to use a dare to get me to do it.”

Twilight Sparkle gives Applejack a sad smile, “You think the Elements of Harmony made a mistake? That Rarity should be the Element of Honesty, and Applejack the Element of Generosity?”

“We ain’t saying nothing of the sort,” Applejack says immediately, as if this isn’t the first time the two have had this particular conversation. And glad her hat will remain undevoured. “Ah’ve certainly struggled with being honest in the past, and overcome and grown from those experiences.” Applejack looks over at Rarity, a soft smile and, if she was sitting any closer, a quick nuzzle.

Rarity gets up to correct this heinous oversight, trading a nuzzle and smile with Applejack. “And, while generosity might not come as naturally to me, it is certainly an area in which I have found myself growing, and coming to understand the true value of being generous in every circumstance.”

Applejack smirks, “Plus, Ah don’t know that you could be honest with every one of your customers when they ask you how they look.”

Rarity twists her head up and away, a quick huff before she says, “Every customer who leaves my shop looks as good as they can, or I don’t make the sale.”

“And do ya tell ‘em how their previous outfit made them look?” Applejack says, grinning.

“Of course not. I want to stay in business.” Rarity frowns, then snorts, then grins back at Applejack, a quick glance up at her hat. “Unless I think your brand of brutal honesty is called for. Some of my customers are particularly stubborn about how their current outfit looks.”

“Um,” stutters Twilight Sparkle, nervously glancing between the two as their proximity threatens to turn violent.

“And Ah find it particularly uncharitable for you to keep making the same snide remarks about my choice of daily wear!”

“Um, girls, don’t you want to tone it down just a little?” Twilight Sparkle quietly says, afraid to try to break it up.

“Tone?” Rarity spits out, a quick glare at Twilight Sparkle, “The only tone around here that needs changing is those earth tones of Applejack’s.” She turns back to her herdmate, motioning with a hoof, “You would look lovely in a nice forest green! Or maybe a lighter emerald, to match your eyes.”

“You think so?” Applejack says, the venom gone from her voice. She inspects her forehoof, twisting it one way and then another to look at it from all angles. “Never really seen myself wearing a lot of green.”

“Really?” Rarity says, taken aback. “Darling, you would be stunning in the right outfit!” Rarity gasps, spinning around and grabbing the first empty sheet of paper she can find. Which, being Twilight Sparkle’s library, means she is actually sitting on two separate ones. ‘Checklists waiting to be actualized’ Twilight would claim. “Idea~!” A pencil joins the paper, a quick outline of a pony.

“What’s that?” asks an intrigued Applejack, craning her head to look at Rarity’s rough sketch. “That supposed to be me?”

“Of course,” Rarity says, very distracted as a second, then third pencil joins the fray. One draws a half set of boots, then a hat, while the other shades in various lines on the main dress. “Oh, it will take quite some work to be finalized, but when I do it will be fabulous!”

Applejack squints at the rough drawing, “And, what exactly am I doing? Or wearing?”

“Your dress for the Grand Galloping Gala, of course!” Rarity looks over at Twilight Sparkle, done with her sketch for now, “Do you have a safe place I can put this? I don’t want to lose it like, um…”

Twilight Sparkle huffs at the reminder, pointing towards the kitchen area. Rarity offers a sheepish smile as she gets up, putting the drawing on the counter. Twilight Sparkle says, “Okay, so, I don’t think you ever answered the question. What did you find that was interesting, if it isn’t that the two of you should swap Elements?”

Applejack considers for a few seconds before she says, “Have you ever had that feeling, that everything is right in the world? That you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing?”

“Hmm,” Twilight Sparkle says, considering. “Definitely when I got my cutie mark. Again when I became the Element of Magic.” She pauses for a few seconds before saying, “I don’t think I ever felt it when I passed a test, even with a perfect grade. So twice.”

“Ah’ve had it, hmm, four times that Ah can remember before Ah became the Element of Honesty. Once when Ah got my cutie mark, and when Ah got pregnant with those three.” Applejack motions towards Sweet Apple Acres, where Apple Bloom, Applebaum, and Pomarbo are sleeping. “What Ah’m about to tell you is the closest Ah’ve ever come to duplicating that. But it’s kinda like comparing, um, a single grain of sugar to a bowl of ice cream. It’s artificial, it’s fleeting, and you don’t feel full like how you know you should.”

“This is so exciting!” Twilight Sparkle says, levitating a pad of paper and quill.

Applejack narrows her eyes as she regards the objects, “Honestly, Twi, Ah don’t mean any offense, but Ah don’t want this recorded.”

“Really?” Twilight Sparkle says, frowning at the potential loss. “Why?”

“Well,” Rarity says when Applejack just stares at Twilight Sparkle, a touch of embarrassment in her voice, “it’s a very personal matter. Between Applejack and myself, though we haven’t tried with anypony else. We noticed it very recently, and I’ve never heard of it happening before. We suspect it has to do with the Elements, but we don’t know for sure.”

“The Elements?” Twilight Sparkle says, momentarily taken aback. “Of Harmony? What would they have to do with it?” She pauses for a moment, “And what is ‘it’?”

Rarity hesitates for a moment before motioning to her flank, “When I got my cutie mark, my horn practically dragged me to a geode containing some of the most beautiful crystals I had ever seen. They were, as the name suggests, hidden inside a boulder. And, much like my fashion business brings out the best in my customers, my magic assists me in finding the gems that are hidden away, buried under layers of dirt and rock. My Honesty magic.”

Applejack nods, “And, much like most earth ponies, my magic helps plants to grow, but also to heal. And healing’s a big part of Generosity magic. At least, as it’s been explained to me, Ah was never one to really look into that kind of thing.”

“Yes, I got that from the explanation from before,” Twilight Sparkle says, a bit of exasperation in her voice.

“Well, that’s it.” Applejack nods her head resolutely, “Rarity and Ah found that by sharing our magic - her Honesty magic, and my Generosity - that we could duplicate just the tiniest iota of that feeling of completeness. That’s the interesting thing that Ah found. Actually, that we found.”

“So, how does it work?” Twilight Sparkle eagerly asks, her eyes beaming with anticipation. “What does it look like? How do you know it’s working?”

“Sorry, Twi,” Applejack says, a smug smirk on her muzzle, “But Ah think Ah already answered one question.” She leans forward as Twilight sighs disappointedly, her smile turning just the slightest bit cruel, “And now it’s my turn. Twilight, truth or dare?”

“Hmm.” Twilight rolls back on her hooves, sitting upright and glancing to her empty tub of ice cream as she considers. “Let’s go with truth.”

“Okay. What exactly happened when you invited Doug in for a private magic show?” Applejack’s smirk grows as Twilight Sparkle’s smile fades, a light whine thrumming from the unicorn’s throat.

58 The Coming Storm, Part Six

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The lightning storm crackles outside, the storm raging as many ponies throughout Ponyville nervously glance through their windows. Thinking, perhaps, that maybe they too should have taken a vacation, left the dismal task of making sure the experimental defense project functions correctly to somepony more capable. Or expendable, if the danger surrounding them is starting to get to them.

Much like many others, the Carrot House is cloaked in darkness. Only a single candle lights the main room, the flame flickering back and forth and casting everything in shadows. Two ponies sit in the dark, two blue forms in rapt attention. One sits, a cross between boredom and feigned interest, while the other has a mask of stark terror.

Doug whispers in a high-pitched, coltish voice, “I see dead ponies.”

Rainbow’s eyes widen, her body shaking as she tries to keep her composure. ‘It isn’t real,’ she whispers to herself, repeating her mantra over and over. ‘It isn’t real.’

Doug continues, this time in his normal voice, “When?”

Trixie looks around for another carrot or something to munch on.

His whisper returns, even quieter, the two ponies straining to hear him. “All the time.”

Rainbow Dash ‘eeps’ as she spins, grabbing onto Trixie and gripping the mare, her gaze going every direction as she tries to spot any of the dead ponies. Trixie grunts in surprise, trying to dislodge the mare without being too violent and, when that fails, trying to soothe her frenzied panic.

Doug mentally grimaces at Rainbow’s fearful reaction; he isn’t sure how much more of this the mare can take. He continues in a more stately, narrative voice, “It was then that the stallion started putting together the clues. The dropped ring. The quiet nights, the one sided conversations with everypony besides this one colt. So, he gets up from the table. He goes to the bathroom, to the full sized mirror. He slowly peels back his cloak, hoping against hope that nothing is there.”

Rainbow’s teeth chatter against each other, her ears splay back, her head shakes slightly from side to side. Trixie slyly shifts Rainbow’s hooves so the mare is hugging herself, huffing slightly at the display.

“But there, staring back at him in the mirror, is a small sword wound. And he realizes, as he goes to the other side, spotting the gruesome exit wound,” Doug pauses as he leans in close, staring Rainbow in her wide eyes, “That he was a ghost all along.”

“AAahh!” shouts Rainbow Dash, hunkering down as she peers into her own hooves, her own soul. “What if I’m a ghost!?”

Doug leans back, lighting another few candles, the oppressive darkness of the room pushed back just a little more, “And that’s the abbreviated version of The Sixth Sense, by M. Night Shyamalan.”

“What if we’re all ghosts?” Rainbow Dash quivers as she glances between Doug and Trixie, then to the foal’s rooms. Her hooves come to her teeth, gnawing small pieces away.

“Trixie thought it was obvious from the start,” Trixie snorts as she levitates over another plate of food. “And she thought ghost stories were supposed to be scary. Not moderately suspenseful scenarios designed to make us question ourselves.”

“But, Trixie!” Rainbow Dash gasps, dashing over and violently shaking the blue unicorn, “What if none of this is real?”

“Then Trixie will be not real and hungry. What’s next in the book?” Trixie nods at Doug as he grabs Rainbow, spinning the pegasus to wrap her in a hug. “Perhaps I should check.” Trixie levitates the book over next, frowning. “Truth or dare. Ooh, the chapter after that is s’mores. Can we skip to s’mores?” She flips through the book regardless, glancing down the instructions and ingredients, salivating as she stares at the chocolate.

Doug nods, stroking Rainbow’s mane as she slowly calms down, “Sure. We don’t have a fireplace, but we can use one of the burners on the stove. Or, what kind of magical fire can you produce?”

“Hey, I thought you didn’t know what sleepover activities are,” Rainbow says as she snuggles up next to Doug, her plan working perfectly. Of course she wasn’t actually scared! That’d just be sappy.

Doug continues scratching Rainbow’s ears, “I’ve never heard of s’mores used as a sleepover activity, but they are a common camping treat, roasting marshmallows around a fire.” Doug glances over at Trixie, waiting for her response.

“Well, there is a backyard camping section.” Trixie sighs, looking to the kitchen, “I can make fireworks, and a small flame, but they would be unsuited for doing this for a long time. Maybe enough flame to light a fire, but nowhere near the blowtorch that we would need to toast anything more than once.” She looks around the room, “How come you don’t have a fireplace?”

“Didn’t think we’d need it, and Applejack doesn’t care for keeping the house that warm. I just bundle up, same with the fillies.” Doug releases Rainbow as she searches for a suitable substitute for graham crackers, ending up with some thin wafers, small marshmallows and chocolate chunks.

Rainbow dumps the collection onto the table before she takes a small hooffull of each, cramming the lot into her mouth. “Mmm,” she purrs as she chews, going for another helping. She yelps as Trixie smacks her hoof with the book, glaring at the unicorn and exclaiming, “Hey, what gives?”

“You’re not doing it right! We’re supposed to roast and melt the marshmallows. Not just devour them like a filly with her Nightmare Night spoils!” Trixie shakes her head, snatching the s’mores away. She begins making s’more the proper way, with one quarter of a wafer, because that’s how big the marshmallow is, followed by a solitary marshmallow, and one piece of chocolate. Her horn lights, toasting the whole contraption, the chocolate and marshmallow oozing everywhere. She levitates it up, admiring her hornwork, “There. That is a proper s’more.”

“Easier just to eat them,” Rainbow remarks as she shakes her head. She makes another pile of dry ingredients, roughly stacking marshmallow on chocolate on wafer this time.

“You don’t like toasting your marshmallows?” Doug says, his fork in hand skewering a slew of marshmallows and holding it above the lit stove.

Rainbow shrugs, “Well, they’re fine and all, but I don’t like the stickiness. Too gooey.” She glances down, “Plus, I probably shouldn’t eat too much of this.”

“Aww, live a little!” Trixie says, lightly nudging Rainbow towards the s’more. “I’m sure you can find some way to work it off.” Doug comes over, the stove off and a plate of wafers oozing marshmallows and melted chocolate placed between himself and Trixie.

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes, “Fine.” She takes another bite of the treat, feigning a large smile. “Mmm. There. Can we go now? What’s the next thing?”

“Jeez, you’d think a mare of your prowess could hoof a few carbs.” Trixie flips open the book, taking a big bite of s’mores as Rainbow huffs. “Ah, speaking of a way to burn it off. Pillow fight!”

“Finally!” Rainbow Dash exclaims, leaping to her hooves. “Something I can get behind!” She darts over to the couch, looking for any of the throw pillows to use. Only finding the two she moves to the master bedroom, hovering above the three sleeping fillies to grab all the pillows off the bed.

Rainbow creeps back into the main room, softly closing the door behind her. “You realize there are three fillies in there, right?” she says to an empty room. Her eyes narrow, scanning around until her vision rests on the couch, spotting the barest hint of a unicorn tail poking out from behind. “Gotcha,” she whispers to herself, readying a pillow.

No sooner does she go to release the pillow than the soft tap tap of foot on wood from behind her gets her to turn around, just in time for a pillow to smack her right in the face. Rainbow squawks in alarm, hooves full of pillows coming up to try to block the next shot. Only for Doug to tackle her, the two crashing onto the couch and bouncing off the cushions directly onto the mare trying to maneuver out of their way.

Fortunately the pillows cushion their fall, the three sprawling out onto the floor. Doug goes on the offensive, twin terrors softly bludgeoning the two shrieking mares caught next to him. Rainbow curls into a ball, trying to evade the seeking cushion that keeps finding her flanks. Soon both pillows are focusing on her, the unicorn having escaped his clutches.

Rainbow Dash giggles as another pillow swats her in the side - she really missed this kind of fun. Far too frequently the days just devolve into routine: waking up early, training with Scootaloo before a rushed breakfast, then skipping naps to keep working on her Wonderbolts routine. And then maybe not even seeing Doug or the rest of the herd until dinner, if she didn’t have to train some of the newbies.

Rainbow grabs a wayward pillow in her teeth, whipping it around to catch Doug as he swings at her again. It catches him right in the face, momentarily stunning him and getting him to drop his pillow. Rainbow grins, grabbing two pillows in her wings as she returns the favor, tackling Doug to the floor and pelting him with both in quick succession. Rather than grab new pillows, though, she wraps her hooves around his chest, pinning him to her as the feathers of her wings find his sides.

“No fair!” grunts out Doug as he twists this way and that, trying to dislodge the tickling devil atop him. Rainbow merely cackles, employing her greater number of limbs to keep him in place as he continues to struggle against her.

Until a series of pillows smack her in the face, courtesy of the other blue mare in the room.

Rainbow glares to the side at the interruption, Trixie wagging her tongue at her from behind the couch. Another two pillows levitate up, but Rainbow doesn’t give the unicorn the chance to get her sights. She dashes over, winging one pillow directly into the smirking violet eyes. Trixie yelps, dropping the pillows as she raises her hooves, just in time for Rainbow to snag the two pillows out of the air and dispense justice on the interloper.

A few seconds of wailing from the pegasus and quieter wailing from the unicorn later, and Rainbow Dash smirks in victory! Trixie is cowering under her might, holding her hooves up in surrender! “Hah!” Rainbow Dash exclaims, raising her hooves.up. “Looks like I win!”

Trixie shakes her head, pointing up and behind her. Rainbow’s eyes grow wide as she turns. Doug is behind her, holding up all of the pillows, unceremoniously dumping them all on her head.

Rainbow squirms back and forth, trying to endure the eight or so pillows that lightly bounce off of her. Finally the torrent comes to an end, only for her to find herself lifted, quickly rolled to the side and laying next to Trixie amid a sea of pillows.

Doug, madly grinning, places one hand on each of the mare’s bellies. “So,” he says as the tips of his fingers press into the soft fur, “I believe somepony was talking about winning?”

None of them notice the door to the master bedroom cracking open, a stack of fillies staring through the slit. Three sets of eyes watch as Doug’s hands find their bellies, fingernails scraping up and down.

“Well, it looked like fun at first,” Scootaloo whispers, eyes locked on her dam.

“I-I don’t know if I want to watch this,” Sweetie Belle quietly states, though her eyes don’t move.

“Ah do,” Apple Bloom whispers back, wriggling from her spot on the bottom of the stack. “What’s gonna happen?”

“Remember a couple weeks ago?” Scootaloo motions towards Rainbow, “She’s got the face.”

“So does Trixie.” Sweetie Belle glances up at Scootaloo, then down at Apple Bloom. “I think we should give them their privacy.”

“Oh. Yeah, Ah don’t want a cutie mark in… whatever this is,” Apple Bloom agrees, backing up and shutting the door.

Trixie groans, turning her head away as Rainbow shudders next to her. She glances over at the pegasus - Rainbow’s tongue is lolling out of her mouth as she pants, Doug’s unrelenting hand pressing harder and sliding further up against her barrel, and then down even lower with every stroke. She gulps as she can feel his other hand doing the same against her own belly.

She’s certainly enjoyed the month she has spent on the Apple farm, whether it is planting, keeping an eye on the fillies, or helping them catch up on a few jobs that really just needed a unicorn’s touch. Perhaps she will start up that store she was thinking of, and continue doing shows when she is able.

The hand stroking her changes tone, no longer pressing deep but pausing, lingering as they travel lower. Trixie gasps as one hand finds itself just above her teats. She glances over; Rainbow is no longer panting, instead watching her carefully. No longer with a look of repressed disgust, or restrained fury. But an almost worried look, like she is afraid that Trixie would refuse this, or belittle her, or somehow ruin this with words. Well, there is one way to avoid that.

Trixie’s mouth pushes forward, her forelegs tugging him closer, the mare next to her breathing a sigh of relief as Trixie finally gets that private magic show. Well, mostly private.

59 The Coming Storm, Part Seven

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The Golden Oaks Library is mostly quiet, how Twilight Sparkle normally likes it. But, right now, it is certainly not quiet for the reason she wants. “Y-you want to know about how my magic show with Doug went?” Twilight Sparkle stammers, nervously glancing around the library as Applejack's and Rarity’s eyes bore into her. Her gaze finally rests on one of the books she had used for the demonstration, an introductory text to the discipline of stagecraft she had been flipping through in between tricks.

Applejack slowly nods, as though she is dealing with a particularly stubborn foal, “Yes, Twi, that is what Ah asked.” She flicks her head towards Rarity, “Ever since you told us about it there’s been a bit too much speculatin’ in the herd for my likin’.”

“Hey,” Rarity says indignantly, “it’s only been the once.” She stares back at Applejack, though she quickly quails under the earth pony’s steady gaze. “Per day.”

Applejack nods at this, before turning her penetrating gaze back to Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight Sparkle coughs, clearing her throat. She looks around, levitating a glass of water from the kitchen, and drinking it down, before finally meeting Applejack and Rarity’s gaze. “Well, the magic part was, um, pretty normal. I showed Doug the different spells that I can cast. Like levitation, and teleportation, and some minor conjuration. It started off with pretty basic Friendship magic, really.”

“Teleportation is hardly basic,” Rarity comments, shaking her head at the casual display of prowess. “It requires a high amount of focus and control. Not the sort of ability one can just pick up after a moment’s notice, or a day’s practice.”

A smile breaks out from the complement, “Well, sure. Not many unicorns can perform it, certainly. But, I thought there would be more excitement when I showed him my moves. Instead, he just, kind of, watched.” Twilight Sparkle shrugs, unsure of where to go from there.

Rarity raises an eyebrow, “So it was merely a demonstration? You didn’t go any, hmm, further?”

“For the most part.” Twilight Sparkle sighs, shaking her head a little. “Doug said that he was expecting, I don’t know, a little more mystique in my performance. Like he thought that I was just showing off for him. Not that he said so much, he said it was less like a magic show and more a magic talent act.”

“You don’t think he liked it? Or enjoyed himself?” Rarity says, puzzlement on her face. “He seemed happy afterwards.”

Twilight Sparkle lets out a frustrated grunt, “Yes! I mean, after he said that I tried a couple times to make it a little more, um, exotic” -Applejack’s and Rarity’s eyes raise as Twilight speaks faster- “but Doug didn’t respond at all how I thought a stallion would respond. Only a little dilating of the eyes, no heavy panting. I even tried turning around and presenting during the middle of a trick, if just to see what would happen, and nothing! It’s like he isn’t interested in me at all!” She sinks down, somewhere between mad at Doug for ignoring her assets and herself for not possessing more ‘desirable’ ones. Her head rests between her hooves, just staring at the floor. Which is just as flat as she is.

Applejack rests a hoof on Twilight Sparkle’s withers, a smooth, circular rubbing that slowly draws the unicorn out of her shell. “You might not have noticed, but Doug ain’t like most stallions. He don’t respond in the same ways. And, sometimes he expects us to respond in weird ways, too.” Applejack shakes her head, “Like how he rubs us. He sees our bellies as way more intimate than they have any right to be, but you let him get his hands there?” Applejack shakes her head, a breathy ‘whew!’ escaping her lips.

“So, you don’t think that it’s, like, he doesn’t like me?” Twilight Sparkle asks with a shy smile, her head slowly raising off the floor. Her gaze gets a far off look, reminiscing about the time they spent that day and then later ones, “He certainly was impressed by a lot of the things I can do. And he kept trying to take them in different ways, like when I told him about shield spells! For instance, he asks, ‘what about using a shield to lift yourself’?" Twilight huffs, "I should have told him about the times Shiny would ‘surf’ around the gardens on his shields! Now, he has some amazing control.”

Twilight Sparkle shakes her head, sighing in regret, “Instead, I explained how hard it is to control. How you have to carefully balance the force on each point, or risk spinning out of control. Literally, like a little toy helicopter, because of how the various…” -Twilight Sparkle’s cadence slows a little as she tries to put concept in simpler words- “forces… rotate the object instead of pushing it? So you want to push on the center of gravity as best you can, but with a pony and pushing on their hooves that’s kind of hard to do?” Twilight Sparkle’s brow furrows at the lack of comprehension on Applejack and Rarity’s face, forcing herself to not take it personally, that not everypony needed to have an exhaustive understanding of physical mechanics, to say nothing of the thaumic mechanics behind using a spell for a similar purpose.

“I’m glad that you two enjoyed yourselves,” Rarity says diplomatically, a small, if uncomprehending, smile. “Twilight, I do believe it is your turn again.”

“Oh. Hmm.” Twilight’s gaze falls over Applejack, taking in the earth pony’s casual smirk. She definitely wants to know more about whatever it was the two of them were doing. Maybe it’s the sugar talking, or the last conversation, but she’s feeling a lot more antsy than she normally does. Like she’s got a lot of energy she wants to burn off, and just sitting around talking won’t cut it.

Twilight Sparkle turns to Rarity, “Okay, Rarity. Truth or dare?”

Rarity pauses for a second, miming deep contemplation. “Hmm. Truth.”

“Aww,” Twilight Sparkle pouts, her hooves restlessly tapping against the floor like a wind up toy, ready to explode into motion. Her voice rings out, only slightly petunant, “But I wanted dare.”

“Oh, fine, darling, it is your sleepover after all.” Rarity rolls her eyes, knowing exactly where this is going. “Dare.”

‘Yay!” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, grinning as her gaze flashes between Applejack and Rarity. “I dare you to do, um, whatever it is between you and Applejack that you were talking about before.”

“Are you sure?” Rarity asks, a hesitant look to Applejack. The earth nods back. Rarity turns back to Twilight, taking in the mare’s eager smile, the way her body is pulsing with energy. “As long as you can contain yourself, I think we can.”

“Yay! Yay! Yay!” Twilight Sparkle prances around, excitedly hopping up and down. She spins, ending up facing the two with absolutely no regard for their personal space. “So, what happens first? And, what is it exactly?”

“Ya might need to get ahold of yourself, Twi,” Applejack says with a smirk, though she doesn’t pull back at all, remaining inches away from Twilight Sparkle. She barely shifts her gaze to Rarity, “So, how you want to do this?”

“Kneeling is fine,” Rarity says, dropping down to her barrel. She closes her eyes, the tip of her horn glowing a faint blue. “Mm,” she purrs, her eyes closing as her body noticeably relaxes. “I’m ready.”

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes glow white, though a frown quickly spreads across her face as she scans the two. “Is something supposed to be happening? I don’t see anything happening.”

“Relax, darling. It has nothing to do with how much I am putting out, but rather how.” Rarity sighs, smiling as she hears Applejack approach. The two herdmates face each other, Rarity bowing her head down subserviently, except that Applejack is approaching with just as much humility. Rarity holds perfectly still as Applejack’s tongue slides out, resting the tip right on the point of her horn. Applejack carefully guides Rarity’s horn, cautious of either scraping her teeth against the hard edge or accidentally stabbing herself, just an inch disappearing.

Twilight Sparkle watches, enraptured as the glow around Rarity’s horn increases steadily. It lights up the inside of Applejack’s mouth, shining through the thin cheeks, even spilling out of her nose. Applejack lets loose a low moan, her forelegs beginning to creep forwards towards Rarity’s open mouth.

“You’re channeling nearly pure Honesty!” Twilight exclaims, her gaze fixated on Rarity’s horn. She draws even closer, her eyes shining brighter as she examines the thaumic flow as closely as possible. “How did you even come across this in the first place?” Twilight Sparkle asks, withdrawing enough to take in the whole picture.

“We were… curious, when we became the Elements,” Applejack says as she briefly pulls away, the light fading. “Nothing more.” She returns, her tongue running along the edge as it guides the horn back into her mouth, though Twilight Sparkle raises an eyebrow as Applejack’s lips caress Rarity’s horn..

“Ah. I see.” Twilight Sparkle says, a bit of a smirk on her mouth as Rarity’s horn lights again. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the kind of pony to do this, though.”

Rarity exclaims, more than a little frustrated at the constant comments, “She is not sucking on my horn like it is some sort of phallus. Sex has nothing to do with this!”

“Ah huh. I get it.” Twilight Sparkle’s smirk doesn’t fade as she sits back, watching Rarity. “So, do you get anything out of this? Is Applejack able to channel her Generosity in the same manner?”

“Mm, I could use a little break,” Rarity says, the blue glow around her horn fading. She sighs in relief, her face showing a bit of the exhaustion she is feeling. Applejack slides her hooves forward, tilting them up slightly. Rarity’s head dips down, her own hooves holding onto Applejack and bringing them to her mouth.

Applejack’s brow furrows briefly before she relaxes. She imagines herself walking down an orchard, reveling in the green, healthy, growing trees around her. Only for a wayward pegasus to come crashing down, nearly splitting one of her precious trees in half! Applejack bounds over, running a hoof along the injured gash. Rarity moans as Applejack feels her Generosity, the healing magic channeled through her hooves. It grows more difficult, like holding her breath under the pond, slowly becoming too much for the earth pony unused to sustaining a channel for so long.

“Wow,” breathes out Twilight Sparkle, still observing the two. “This is… this is incredible.”

Applejack groans, “So help me, Twilight, if you don’t stop interrupting Ah will come over there and make you.”

“But it’s so exciting!” Twilight Sparkle huffs, but quiets down.

Applejack slowly pushes her head forward, her lips finding Rarity’s horn again. The glow returns, though not as bright as before, their breathing quickly becoming labored as they struggle to give the other everything they can.

Twilight Sparkle leans in slightly, whispering to the two, “So, have you ever had Doug with you, while... you know… while you do this?”

Rarity grunts as her body tenses, the glow fading. “Please, darling, don’t take this the wrong way,” Rarity says, pulling her lips away with such regret that Twilight Sparkle, for perhaps the first time in her life, is sorry for asking a question. “Why would we sully this with something as base as sex?” She nearly returns her mouth to Applejack’s hooves, the barest of kisses before she says, “Perhaps you should stick to observing for now, instead of trying to analyze every detail.”

Applejack returns to resting her lips against the tip of Rarity’s horn, contentment spreading over her face as a blue glow emanates from Rarity’s horn, filling her mouth. Applejack moans, the tip of her tongue flicking out and lightly running along the edge.

“Are you sure this has nothing to do with sex?” Twilight Sparkle asks, watching with far more interest than she would have ever admitted.

“Yes, darling, even I thought that time was a little much,” Rarity says with a grin. She gently pulls away from Applejack, her horn withdrawing with a regretful ‘pop’. “Perhaps we should stop while we still have our dignity intact.”

“Aww,” Twilight Sparkle says, forlornly looking at Rarity’s horn.

“What’s that?” Applejack says, raising an eyebrow. “You want to give it a try too?”

“Um, a little,” Twilight says sheepishly. “I-if that’s okay with you two.”

A sly look crosses Rarity’s face as she peers into Twilight’s eyes. “Okay,” she states, a commanding tone she rarely uses. “But you’re going to do exactly what I tell you. First, no talking, telling me how much you enjoy it.” As Twilight’s mouth opens Rarity says, “You may say if it is painful, or you wish to stop, but I do not need the constant updates on how good it feels.”

“I was going to ask if there was a safe word, but okay,” grins Twilight.

Rarity sighs, pulling away just enough that Twilight frowns. “If you see this just as some pleasurable experience? A way to ‘get your rocks off’, so to speak, then we are stopping. Right. Now."

“Okay,” Twilight says sheepishly, her smirk disappearing.

“Let’s see,” Rarity says, inspecting Applejack. The earth pony is breathing heavily but still alert, eyes tracing over Twilight as if seeing the unicorn in a new light. She is occasionally licking her lips, trying to recall the taste now absent, a slight frown as she fails to find it. “Applejack, do you know any Friendship magic?”

“But Friendship is Magic!” Twilight pipes up. Her grin fades as Rarity turns to the couch, turning to a frown as the unicorn lays down facing away from her. Her hoof motion zipping her mouth shut is lost as the unicorn doesn’t look back; Rarity instead just closes her eyes, pointedly looking away.

Twilight softly says, “I’m sorry,” but to no avail. She sighs, hanging her head, glancing to Applejack as she walks up.

“Ah thought it was funny,” Applejack quietly says, nuzzling Twilight. “Um, if you want to try with me, but Ah know it won’t do nothing for you. Us earth ponies ain’t the best at teleportatin’, unless it’s making a whole bunch ’a portatoes disappear.”

“Okay.” Twilight nods, dropping down like Rarity had. She recalls Rarity’s gem finding spell, one of the more exotic Honesty spells she knows. Her horn flares, a bright gleam in the room as she casts the spell, her eyes now glowing white. Oh, that’s where she left Spike’s emeralds! Or maybe he hid them there, the sneaky little sneak.

“You aren’t casting the spell,” Rarity says firmly, her tone perhaps a little harsher than necessary. She steps off the couch, each clop of hoof on floor forcing Twilight’s head a little lower. “You hold the spell in your mind, about to cast but waiting for the opportune moment.” She steps next to Twilight, “Then, slowly allow the channeled magic to escape, just as you replace it.”

“Huh?” Twilight says, turning to look at the white unicorn as the white fades from her eyes. “How do you let magic out and replace it at the same time?”

Rarity taps a hoof on her chin, “I suppose it isn’t so much replacing as it is continuing to fill past capacity. And what the other person is imbibing is the excess, that you can’t hold. Of course, this is all my theory, I’ve never actually studied this sort of thing.”

“Fascinating.” Twilight begins channeling again, her horn glowing, her eyes remaining unlit. She had never tried ‘overcharging’ a spell like this before, without a destination in mind. As a way to create new spells, or modifying existing spells, certainly. But watching Rarity had given her some insight, and with the explanation she is quickly able to put the pieces together. “Like this?”

Applejack moves forward, taking Twilight’s horn just as slowly as she took Rarity’s. Her eyes, though, remain focused, nothing close to the joy she felt when she was with Rarity. In fact, barely anything at all.

Twilight’s calm exterior fades slightly as she notices Applejack tensing, herself feeling none of the contentment Rarity had earlier. She continues charging, trying to fill the spell past capacity like Rarity had. But it doesn’t seem to matter how much she pours in. She can feel the spell in her mind morphing, the area of effect increasing, the duration lengthening, though with none of the control or direction she would normally use. Maybe she could control it? Perhaps even cast the spell on others? Multiple others!

She feels her body getting tired, shutting down, but it is nothing! Irrelevant! The rush of power, flowing through her, will invigorate her! How far can she push this?

60 The Coming Storm, Part Eight

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Applejack smiles to herself as she feels the barest tingle from Twilight’s horn. It isn’t quite as satisfying as when Rarity does it. If she had to speculate, not something she normally likes doing, she would say it is because Honesty magic isn’t Twilight’s speciality. Not that she has anypony else to compare the experience to. And it took her and Rarity a couple tries to really get it down to where they channel the pure essence of their cutie marks. Not just some imitation or spell, and colt howdy were their Elements hungry for that kind of thing.

Something feels slightly off, though, and not just the taste of the magic. Applejack opens one eye. Slowly at first, but that is just enough to confirm that something is dreadfully wrong with the mare in front of her. Applejack’s other eye opens, both widening as she tries to place when she had seen Twilight like this before.

Twilight’s brow is furrowed in concentration, her eyebrows practically next to each other she is focusing so intently. Her eyes are closed, Applejack unable to read anything from the normally expressive orbs. Her mouth - the tiny amount she can see past Twilight’s horn - speaks volumes: it is twisted, curling to a smirk halfway from madness to Chaos.

It hits her: when Twilight stopped the Ursa Minor, channeling more and more of her magic into boosting her telekinesis while simultaneously quickening a soothing melody, so that she could cast two spells at the same time. The unicorn’s reserves must be incredible to do that! And she seems to be surpassing that, but without any of the visual effects!

Applejack’s eyes nervously peel themselves away from the awe-inspiring and hopefully-not-about-to-make-her-wet-the-floor sight to find Rarity. The white unicorn seems more fascinated than distressed, watching the display of pure power with rapt attention. The nervous clearing of Applejack’s throat is enough to distract her, the worried glancing of Applejack’s eyes enough to confer that something is dreadfully wrong.

Rarity’s eyes narrow as her focus changes, no longer on the purple unicorn and the euphoric sense of being radiating from her. Twilight looks like she feels when performing this with Applejack, after all. Instead, Rarity concentrates on the physical mare. The way her legs - despite resting on the ground with no weight on them - are shaking uncontrollably. How her breath is ragged when she bothers to breathe. The way Twilight is smiling shows no comprehension of what is happening to her body.

“Twilight?” Rarity asks, hesitantly at first.

Twilight doesn’t respond, the manic grin merely growing larger.

“Twi-ligh?” Applejack grunts out, unsure whether it is safer to remove the horn from her mouth and just speaking around it.

Nothing.

“TWILIGHT!!” Rarity shouts, practically in the unicorn’s ear. She desperately searches the mare’s face for any change, one way or the other, that indicates what she is going through and how they can help.

Twilight mumbles, “...”

“What was that?” Rarity asks, bringing her own ear closer, snapping back as Twilight’s body convulses.

“Thank you,” comes the whispered reply as Twilight collapses, only Applejack’s mouth around her horn keeping her head from dropping down. The rest of her body limply settles against the floor while her mouth (and her bowels, though they would never tell anypony that particular tidbit) goes slack.

Applejack, no longer feeling anything coming from the mare in front of her, pulls her mouth away. Her eyes widen, the pupils shrinking to pinpricks as the two notice a faint pink glow, the same color of Twilight’s aura, seeping out of the horn. She points a hoof, “Um, that ain’t supposed to happen, is it?”

Rarity gasps, immediately shaking her head.

“Well, do something!” Applejack yells, turning to Twilight. She tries shaking the comatose mare but to no avail, like she is shaking a sack of potatoes. “Twilight!”

Rarity turns to the extensive library around her, immediately cursing Twilight’s organizational skills. Or complete lack of them. Where are the medical textbooks? Magical maladies? The magic section seems to include everything under the sun, sorted alphabetically by title? Useless! Though perhaps she can put several of the paper towels to use.

Applejack puts her ear to Twilight’s mouth, the barest whisper of breath going in and out, growing more and more labored with every stroke. The earth pony’s throat rumbles as she deliberates - what can she do? Magical something-or-other is still seeping out of Twilight’s horn, the mare fading along with it. Applejack hems, then haws, jittery hooves clattering against the floor as she watches Rarity’s fruitless search. She has to do something.

Her lips, almost on their own, go to Twilight’s horn, clasping around the smoky pink still pouring out. She can feel it in her mouth, expanding. It tantalizes her, the taste delicious, alluringly sweet. Yet the very fact that she is enjoying her Friend’s suffering sickens her, to her core. She tries pressing her tongue against the tip, the sides, even completely enveloping the horn. All do nothing. She holds back the tears - she can’t quit now!

Ah promise you’ll be safe.

Applejack grunts, her own Honesty pushing against the torrent flooding into her. She can feel the raging river slow, yet it still trickles through in spurts and bursts.

Now listen here. What Ah’m saying to you is the honest truth. Let go, and you’ll be safe.

Applejack allows herself a smile as her levee holds, silence pervading the room. She can barely make out Twilight’s steady breathing, the mare in front of her finally recovering. Or at least, not slipping further into oblivion. The spell Twilight had been channeling, that she had poured nearly all of her essence into, is still there, as if waiting for a guide to return.

Applejack grunts for Rarity, unwilling to break her connection with Twilight. Her herdmate dutifully comes, abandoning her search for a book that likely doesn’t exist yet. Rarity watches as Applejack pantomimes, placing her own hoof next to, then inside Twilight’s mouth.

Rarity grimaces briefly - Twilight’s reserves are obviously much larger than hers, hence the difficulty with ‘overflowing’ them. Would she be able to pull through, perform whatever action Applejack thinks is necessary? Her eyes shine, attempting to locate the problem, though the lack of thaumic flow through Twilight is disturbing. Instead, what she discerns as a large cache, held in a stasis of sorts. Could that be it? But, then why does Twilight not reabsorb the remnants of the spell? Could it not know where to go, as the rest of her lies completely drained?

Couldn’t she wait, hope that it could find its way back on its own?

In her moment of indecision, she can sense Twilight weakening. No. She has to.

Would she be able to help? Could her dim light guide Twilight back?

Yet, even if it would cripple or kill her, she knows she will try.

Rarity’s horn lights, prying Twilight’s loose jaw open. She bends down, lower than before, carefully maneuvering her horn into Twilight’s mouth with Applejack’s help. It slips in easily enough, much like-

Focus! She needs to channel Friendship, yes? But telekinesis, while it might qualify, doesn’t seem personal enough. She tries anyway, imaging she is lifting a needle, a bolt of fabric, every piece of fabric in her shop!

Nothing. The cache is unmoved, though she can feel the slightest twinge around her horn, like Twilight is smiling.

Rarity thinks back; what can she use? Meeting Twilight initially, helping the sea serpent Stephen Magnet? Standing with Twilight against Nightmare Moon?

No.

The second time she had connected with Princess Luna. Along with Twilight and the rest of the herd, she had saved everypony from the dreaded Tantabus. She had used her Friendship to stitch together the walls of the dream.

She channels that image, of conjuring and controlling a giant sewing needle in the sky. Long, broad strokes, stitching together an initial pathway for Twilight’s magic to flow back to her. Shoring up the ragged edges, smoothing out the road, intricate designs along the edges that will never be noticed.

Nothing. Well, a hesitant peep forwards, as if the cache is unsure whether or not the path is safe.

Rarity shines, a beacon of light, of hope, of Friendship, standing along the path and ready to guide, however needed.

The cache lurches forward, engulfing Rarity. She screams as It greedily devours, intent on replacing everything It had lost. And then some.

Rarity whimpers, abject pain wracking her core, yet allowing the despoiling of herself, gladly offering if it would allow her Friend to recover. She slumps over, or tries, her horn firmly held in place. It... it would be worth it. Right?

Twilight guzzles greedily, her mind lost in the ecstasy of evocation.

The spark, ignited inside me when I realized that you all… are my Friends!

She pauses, as if noticing for the first time what exactly she is drinking. Her…

Her friend.

HER FRIEND.

Rarity weakly smiles up as the intense pull against her spirit relents, her horn withdrawing as she finds Twilight’s eyes. Twilight’s look of terror - the wide, devastated eyes, ears splayed back, mouth pursing shut as if she would never drink again, hooves straining as they grip the floor.

“Twilight…”

“Rarity! I-”

“Shh,” Rarity says, her horn pressing against the unicorn's lips and silencing her abject apology. “You made it, Twilight. I was so worried.” She pulls away, if only for a moment, to gaze into her Friend’s eyes. To know that she is okay, and to let her know that she is okay. Rarity pushes her head against Twilight’s, a soft, serene nuzzle.

“But, I-”

“Shh, Twi,” Applejack shushes, no longer feeling the press of Twilight’s magic against her own. “It’s okay. You can rest now.” She too drops down, her nuzzle trying to convey that sense of well-being, of relief, of joy that they are all okay.

“No,” Twilight says, shaking her head. “I realized something, Applejack. And Rarity. When I was pouring myself into the spell. When I lost myself. When Rarity… helped me recover. I was so glad.” Her smile returns, her hooves cease their shaking, her ears turning upright. “I was so glad to be doing it with you!”

Twilight draws Applejack and Rarity into a hug, softly sobbing. “And I realized, that no matter what, I want to keep doing those things with you. I want to do everything with you! And with Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Because you all are my Friends, and I can’t see myself with anypony else!”

“O-of course, Twilight, we’ll always be your Friend,” Applejack says, vigorously returning the hug. Her hooves clasp around Twilight’s back, drawing her even closer.

“No, Applejack.” Twilight shakes her head, softly smiling. “I want more than just to be Friends.”

“Are ya askin’ what Ah think you’re askin’?” asks Applejack, though it isn’t an eyebrow that raises. Instead it is her smile, growing wider as Rarity joins her in grinning madly.

“I am.” Twilight pulls away, purely to better take in the view of the two mares beaming back at her. She slightly inclines her head, the barest bow she can manage, before returning her gaze to Applejack. “Applejack, I want to join the herd.”

Applejack nods, a short glance to Rarity before she can’t contain herself any more. She leaps forward, gently tackling Twilight to the floor. “Yes!” she shouts, her muzzle and hooves finding every available inch of Twilight.

“Yes!” Rarity joins a split second later, her own set of nuzzles and light kisses. She wraps both of them in a hug, her joyous smile highly contagious.

Thunder peals outside, accompanied by the steady strike of lightning against the library. The three shudder, their embrace continuing but with a slightly new purpose. Twilight forlornly looks outside, sighing to herself. “I guess I’ll have to wait until morning to make this official, though.”

Applejack chuckles, carrying the two unicorns over to the cot set up by Twilight’s bed. “Twilight, Ah feel like Ah’ve been waiting a very long time for this. Ah’m sure we can wait one more night.”

Twilight smiles as Applejack places her in her bed like a newborn foal. She yawns, sinking under the sheets, though she frowns when Applejack and Rarity go to lay down on the cot. “Oh no you don’t,” she whispers, the two mares quietly yelping as Twilight’s horn flares a brilliant raspberry red. She grunts at the exertion - she’ll definitely be sore in the morning - but she pulls both mares up and into the bed, tucking all three of them underneath the covers. “Mm,” she purrs, snuggling in between both of them. “Much better.”

“Yes, darling. This is much better,” Rarity says, though she can’t keep her gaze from traveling over the sheets. They aren’t tucked in right! Her horn lights, to pull the sheets off and redo the hasty job, but stops herself.

“Agreed.” Applejack snuggles next to Twilight, though she grimaces slightly internally. She’s going to be hot, and being under the sheets won’t work! She goes to kick the sheets off, but stops herself.

Applejack and Rarity look up at each other, then glance down at the unicorn already fast asleep. You know, maybe they can make it through the night, even if they are a little uncomfortable.

61 The One With All

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August 17th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Twilight Sparkle wakes up early in the morning without the use of coffee.

Well, that’s a first. It almost sounds like the start of a bad joke. Almost. Most mornings she is practically useless without at least two cups. Worse than useless, as she randomly stumbles around, levitating everything in sight and a couple things that aren’t, until Spike passes her a mug. Or she finds herself in a booth at Sugarcube Corner sipping something hot and steamy, with no recollection of how she got there except that Pinkie Pie is winking suggestively.

Twilight glances to her left. At some point during the night Applejack kicked off the sheet, leaving a small pile clustered on top of and next to her. No wonder she woke up feeling so hot and sweaty. The earth pony is softly snoring, breath occasionally pushing up the dusty old Stetson askew atop her head. Twilight smiles at the sight, just taking it in. Is she dreaming of anything, or is it the dreamless sleep Twilight had?

To her right lays Rarity, snuggled up next to her even closer than when Twilight takes Smarty Pants to bed with her. Probably the other reason she is sweatier than she likes. Rarity has dragged a few of the excess sheets over, swaddling herself like a newborn foal. Only the light whisper of her breath, barely disturbing the cloth. A content smile spread across her lips like the morning sun is starting to spread through the cracks of the window shutters.

Hmm, if she is going to do this more often, she should get some higher quality sheets. Does Barnyard Bargains sell those? Or is she better off going to the Sofa store? They seem a little more upscale, though likely nothing compares to the boutiques in Canterlot. Would she be better off ordering something? Well, she can ask Rarity, surely the mare knows about that kind of thing. Ooh, what kind of sheets does Rarity sleep on?

Twilight’s horn lights, a raspberry glow surrounding the sheets around her head. Strange. They didn’t mess around too much last night, did they? Twilight giggles as the events of yesterday rush back to her. You have to giggle at the ghosties, really, or she would never have forgiven herself for what she nearly did. But, no sense in dwelling on the past when there’s a bright future to look forward to!

Carefully, so not to disturb her sleeping companions, Twilight extricates herself from the bed. She pauses two steps from the stairs; oddly enough, she feels no need for her normal caffeine fix. Instead of the kitchen, her first destination is the bathroom, a quick cleansing spell removing the dirt and grime and sweat from yesterday and that night. Though, she has to admit, nothing beats the feel of a sturdy brush stroking her sides, teasing out the tangles from her coat and mane. Though Rarity and Applejack had waxed about how Doug could feel, and maybe she can attest to that a little. But, here, at this moment, she’ll stick with the brush.

She frowns again at the glow around her brush. She can’t convince herself any more that it was just a trick of the light, or her tired eyes messing with her. Her magic aura is no longer her normal soft pink. Instead, there is a bluish tinge turning the entirety a similar shade to that of her cutie mark, and the streak in her hair. Did… did Rarity do that? She was using color spells earlier with Trixie. Did she somehow change the color of her magical aura?

Twilight shakes her head. They hadn’t been experimenting like that. Intentionally or otherwise. Instead, she has a feeling of dread welling up from her core. That she knows why it happened, why her aura had changed color. Could… was it from when she literally sucked Rarity’s very essence out of her?

Her brush clatters to the floor as Twilight lets loose a single sob. How could she have done such an act? Just to save herself? Rarity was her best friend! What kind of monster could do that, and then sleep like Princess Luna afterwards?

A solitary tear, as lonely as she is, falls unbidden to the floor, impacting next to the brush, leaving a slightly discolored stain on the wood. Her gaze slowly travels from the brush to the mirror, her own disheveled mane and coat staring back at her. She spares a swift glance to the bed, though the two sleeping forms beginning to stir catches her next sob in her throat.

They had stayed.

They hadn’t condemned her, like she knew she deserved. Cast her out into the lightning storm, unprotected from the wild energy raging outside. And she would have let them, she would have deserved every strike. If only to stop her from ever hurting them again. And they should have, she was, no, is a monster, undeserving of the forgiveness and love they displayed, fit only to be cast out and rejected.

They had stayed.

Her eyes trace over Applejack’s mostly still body. Just slight hoof movements, none purposeful enough to be conscious. Although, she is occasionally nuzzling to the side, where Twilight had been sleeping, the barest hint of a frown when her muzzle fails to find anything. Then she drifts back, her frown replaced by a smile, as if she is remembering what it was like to have Twilight by her side, and knowing full well that it will be true again soon enough.

Rarity is harder to make out, the sheets occasionally shifting and allowing her to catch a glimpse of the white unicorn. She stirs much less than Applejack, though it is difficult to discern with the cover. What is going through her mind? Thoughts of last night, or is her sleep as quiet as Applejack’s? Only for Twilight’s mind to evoke the rush she had gotten from the mare. The exhilarating, madly intoxicating rush, that she would ki-

But that was the Old Twilight. No longer are her priorities just the pure acquisition of knowledge, of power, of control. New Twilight has a new perspective on life.

They had stayed.

Not just anypony would have stayed. Would have forgiven her, even before she asked. Forgiven her even before she was done ravaging them for all they were worth. Would stick with her again. And again. Best Friends Forever.

How could she not want to stay with them? To make them as happy as they make her, to stay by their side, to show them that she too can be the best she can be? And, when she isn’t, for them to help her get back up on her hooves, just as she would help them with their struggles and difficulties? What better way to be as involved as possible in their lives, and the lives those most important to them?

If the price to pay was mating with Doug to secure that, then so be it.

There are worse fates. Probably.

Giddy with excitement, Twilight levitates her brush, quickly bringing her coat to a luscious shine. Twilight prances to the closed window, throwing the shutters open and sticking her whole body through to gaze outside. The morning in Ponyville shimmers under the dawning sun, the haze from yesterday’s storm completely cleared out. Not a single cloud in the sky, many of the ponies beginning to go about their morning activities with a spring in their step. And, oddly enough, in time with each other.

No way is she letting this morning in Ponyville go to waste! Twilight races back inside, horn shining as she rips the sheets off of Rarity. The unicorn startles at first, slumping back down as Twilight dances out of the room. It is time to get up, she knows for absolute certain, and a fine day like today is no time to be sleeping in!

The front door slams open as Twilight steps outside, raising a hoof in greeting to the town, the morning sun, to everypony in sight! Because everything is certainly fine! Twilight continues down the main street, though to where exactly she doesn’t quite know. A little early for Spike to arrive on the train, and she did want to find out about those sheets.

A slightly grumpy Rarity and far too chipper Applejack join in, eyes watching the pegasi above as they swoop around, clearing the last remnants of storm from the sky. In strange synchrony. Well, it is Ponyville, after all. Applejack and Rarity trot along, hooves in step with each other and the rest of town, following Twilight as she makes her way into the heart of Ponyville.

Twilight’s gaze can’t stay in one place for more than a second, taking in all the wonderful friends and acquaintances she has made. And all the ones she hasn’t! There’s Rainbow, en route to her office! Along with Fast Clip and Whiplash, the pegasi trading notes on how things went last night and then clearing up the lightning storm early this morning, just in time for the beautiful sunrise. Rainbow notices her, a wave and smirk on her muzzle that says, ‘I have big news!’ Twilight returns an even larger wave that says, ‘So do I! And mine’s bigger!’ Though when Rainbow returns a second wave that says, ‘I seriously doubt that!’ Twilight can’t help but chuckle and continue on.

And there’s Davenport, the Sofa clerk waiting outside his shop for any early morning customers. Not exactly the most popular destination this time of day, but he waves at her nonetheless with a cheery, “Mornin’, kid!” Twilight nods back as she enters the store, quickly locating the highest quality sheets they have in stock. Davenport raises an eyebrow at the two mares following Twilight, though he doesn’t say anything as all three test the sheets on one of the comfier beds on display.

Twilight rests next to Applejack and Rarity - somehow, her Ponyville’s best gentle sheets feel even better when they are just laying still, happily relaxing next to each other. They lay blissfully, no words or remarks or looks exchanged, just a quiet contentment. Even Rarity seems to be waking up, at least enough to give a hearty smile, though she probably wants to fall back asleep on the luxurious sheets. Satisfied, Twilight quickly bounces back up, promising to pay when Davenport delivers the sheets plus her normal order of quills to the library later that day and thanking the clerk for his assistance.

How could things ever go wrong on a day like this? Twilight feels like shouting from the rooftops just how happy she is to be in Ponyville, surrounded by her friends. Even if things didn’t go the way she planned, and today she doesn’t think anything can go wrong, she would have them by her side!

She glances to her sides, her two friends keeping pace with her and all smiles. Surrounded by dozens of other ponies, prancing in time with each other as they go about their daily routine.

This morning, here in Ponyville? The landscape shimmering in the morning heat, the sun shining brightly, the absolute certainty she has that everything is certainly-

Twilight takes a deep breath, as if daring the universe to send anything it could at her.

-Fine.

Now this is a routine she could get used to!

62 The Arena Champion, Part One

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Twilight Sparkle braces herself, her legs tensing as she closes her eyes - a precaution against blinding or mind control - mentally preparing herself for the unexpected. Her ears twist one way and then another as she runs through her list of shield spells: which would be most effective against an incoming pegasus, or torrent of water, or magical bolt from some heretofore unknown enemy lurking in their midst. Is she vulnerable to a sonic attack? Could she charge a defensive teleport back to the library? Should she bring her Friends? Did she want to risk precharging, and potentially misfire if her concentration is broken?

After a moment Twilight cautiously opens one eye, then the other, looking around at the town. Still safely in the center of Ponyville, town hall just to her north and bridge across the river to the south. The Ponyvillians seem to have gone back to their daily business, no longer walking in lockstep with each other, just generally milling about the marketplace as if everything is just fine. Which it is, of course. Why wouldn’t everything be just fine?

“Y’all right there, Sugarcube?” Applejack asks as she walks up to the slightly twitchy unicorn. “Ya seemed mighty worried that something bad were ‘bout to happen.”

“Oh, nothing’s wrong,” Twilight says, her nervous chuckle so obvious that Applejack doesn’t even need to raise an eyebrow. “Just had a sense, you know.”

“Like a Pinkie Sense?” Pinkie Pie asks as she leaps out of the river, shaking herself dry, her mane instantly regaining its poofiness.

A thoroughly drenched Twilight frowns as she glares at Pinkie Pie. Well, she would be glaring if her wet mane wasn’t completely covering her eyes. She slowly lets the breath out, reminding herself that this is her Friend she is thinking about. Though how she can do half the stuff she is purported to do, and that Twilight has observed, definitely needs investigating. But not today. Today is going to be just fine, and she’d like to keep it that way.

“Darling, you really must come to expect this sort of thing,” Rarity says as she steps out from behind Twilight, completely dry. She flicks her mane back as if imagining that her mane is the one soaking wet. What a travesty! A crime against fashion!

Twilight huffs to herself; she had even been preparing to defend against some sort of torrent of water! How did she lose focus so easily? She should have been ready for this!

Rainbow Dash flies over, no longer accompanied by the two Wonderbolt instructors. “Need any help?” she asks as she inspects Twilight’s soaking form. “Just thought I’d make sure this time before hitting you up with a blow job.”

Twilight closes her eyes, if only for a brief second. It works better than her heat spells, at least. “Fine. But be quick about it.”

“Don’t know any other way!” Rainbow exclaims, her patented Rain Blow-Dry enveloping Twilight in a tornado of water-sucking power. Now dry, but with mane and coat askew, Rainbow swaps from suck to blow, a wave of heated wind aimed directly at the purple unicorn. The pony powered blow dryer calms the unruly mane and coat, smoothing and straightening the hairs.

“Wow,” Twilight says, more than a little impressed at the improvement. “You been practicing that?” She grins as Rarity pulls a brush through her mane, helping restore her prefered manestyle.

“Nah, I’m just a natural!” She pauses for a second before adding, “Well, listening to Doug theorize with Trixie helped too.” Rainbow looks around as they continue to the south end of town; she bluntly asks, “So, what’s over there? Didn’t we want to head back to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Spike should be arriving on the morning train,” Twilight explains as she waves at Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus chatting with a few birds as she walks into town. Fluttershy waves back, the birds taking off as she joins the back of the pack.

“Oh. Okay.” Rainbow, along with the rest of the herd, nuzzles Fluttershy as they arrive at the train station. Rainbow whispers to Rarity, the unicorn nodding and moving with Twilight to the raised platform. Rarity begins chatting with Twilight, perhaps a little louder than necessary, asking about what kind of heat and wind spells she could perform, and how perhaps they might be used to style their own manes.

Rainbow pulls Applejack off to the side; Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy listen closely as the two quickly divulge the events of last night. Each pony quietly gasps a few times, though everypony’s head turns at Applejack’s loud guffaw at Rainbow’s suggestion. The four quiet down at Rarity and Twilight’s stare, eyes wandering around and whistling like nothing is going on.

Soon enough the sharp whistle of the morning train pierces through the hustle and bustle of the small town. Spike steps off the train, raising one eye at the six mares there to greet him. “Let me guess,” he says, barely repressing his sarcastic tone, “something happened last night.”

“Ya could say that,” Applejack says before anypony else can speak - Twilight looks ready to explode, but is barely holding herself back - “but, so we only have to explain it all once, we should head back to the farm. How was your trip to Canterlot?” Applejack grabs Spike’s overnight bag, easily lifting it to her back as she heads towards Sweet Apple Acres.

“Right.” Spike nods in thanks before he realizes that Applejack asked him a question. “Oh, that? It was fine. Just got Princess Luna’s mailing address, as it were. And Princess Cadance, it just so happens, should we ever need to talk to her.” Spike shrugs, trying not to look at Twilight, “Not that you’ll need to send a letter to either of them, but who knows. Maybe something big is in the works. Or you just want to catch up. You never know.” He nervously coughs; fortunately Twilight isn’t paying too much attention to his facial expressions, but Pinkie Pie looks ready to stuff somewhere between three and half a dozen cupcakes down his throat if he spoils Princess Cadance’s secret. But it isn’t his fault he had trouble getting to sleep and was wandering around the balcony and spotted her and Twilight’s brother talking!

“Mmhmm,” Twilight replies, still successfully containing her excitement. Could she teleport all seven of them to Sweet Apple Acres? She can probably take four, including herself, without too much trouble. But three teleports back to back to back would be tough. Ugh, why do these blasted ponies have to build so far away from each other, and then walk everywhere?! At least Rainbow has the sense to be flying. Oh, and she almost forgot! “Spike, can you mail this to the Princess for me?” She adds with a small smile, “Celestia, that is.”

“So, where’s Doug?” Spike asks, now slightly annoyed at Twilight’s lack of attention, though he dutifully takes the dozen or so pages, lighting them with a puff of green smoke. “Why’s he waiting at the farm?”

Rainbow flies a little closer as she explains, “Oh, I think he’s practicing some magic tricks with Trixie. Working on his delivery.”

Twilight snorts, though Spike huffs at how she pays attention to Rainbow and not him. Twilight says, a touch of disbelief in her voice, “That happen at the end of their disappearing act?”

Rainbow shakes her head, “No, I think he’s splitting her in half.”

Twilight’s cheeks rise to her eyes as her face scrunches up. A bewildered look crosses her face as she searches for the answer to her own question. But, without coming up with anything, she says, “How are those any different?”

“Wow, you really are clueless about how a magic show works, aren’t you?” Rainbow chuckles as they arrive at the farm. Though if last night Trixie hadn’t run through her routines, explaining a lot of the subtler tricks to Doug and herself, she might not have known the difference either.

Doug is standing on the top porch of the Carrot House. Two crates set on wooden dollies are separated in front of him. A pair of blue hind legs jut out at odd angles from one of them, occasionally shifting around, while Trixie’s head and forelegs stick out of the other. Trixie smiles as the seven approach and sit down nearby, her attempt at waving a foreleg impeded by the slightly too small cutouts in the wooden box. Doug spins the two crates around, showing that slightly blurry cross section of mare split in two, as he wheels the two crates back together. Trixie’s hind legs withdraw into the box, her head and forelegs following shortly after before the blue unicorn pulls open the top hatch and hops out.

Twilight gapes. Doug could split Trixie in two and then put her back together? She saw the hind legs moving! The two crates were completely separated! This isn’t possible! She raises a hoof accusingly as the ponies around her politely stomp their hooves, ignoring the impossibility of everything. It-

“Extraction successful.”

Meringue hops out of the second crate. Twilight’s eye twitches in realization as she exclaims, “You had a second pony in the crate, moving the legs?!”

Doug shakes his head at Meringue’s early departure, but how was she supposed to know to stay in there until the next trick? He nods to Twilight as he rubs the filly’s head encouragingly, “Yup! Midget in a box. Or, in this case, young pony. I mean, I can’t do actual magic, so, you know, have to make do and all.”

Twilight spins to Trixie, glaring at the smug smirk on the blue unicorn’s muzzle. “Is that how you performed the feat, oh great and powerful Fakesie? I thought you were supposed to be this colossus, this great and powerful thing, and yet Doug can perform just as well as you, if not better!”

Trixie snorts, “While Doug may have needed assistance to perform his trick magicless, you will find no such filly during the Great and Powerful Trixie’s great and magical performances. I’m afraid you’ll just have to keep searching for the correct solution.”

“Aargh!” bellows Twilight, pulling at her mane while her eyes twitch. How is this trick, and this mare, so infuriating?

“So,” Doug says loudly, breaking Twilight out of her funk. He smiles knowingly, glancing to Rainbow, “I take it you have something you’d like to announce?”

“Yup!” shout both Trixie and Twilight. They exchange a slightly surprised glance as both of them announce, “I would like to join the herd!” They both gasp, turning to glare and point a hoof accusingly at the other. “You!”

Rainbow and Applejack smirk to each other, though everypony is surprised as Spike exclaims, “WHAT?”

Silence pervades the Carrot House as the ponies all glance around, none as surprised as Twilight.

“You did what now?” Spike gasps, one eye squinting so hard he can feel the blood vessels in his scalp about to pop.

“I-I’m asking to join the Apple Herd, Spike. With the rest of the Elements of Harmony.” Twilight starts to go into lecture mode, “I realized last night, when I was… with Applejack and Rarity. That they are my Friends, and that I wanted to be with them, together with them, in every way possible.” Twilight smiles at Doug, though Trixie looks a little envious as Twilight moves over and gets an ear scratch.

Spike exclaims, as if he hadn’t listened to a word Twilight said, “I leave for one Luna stricken day and you get engaged? About to be married? Do you even know how many foals he wants with you?”

“Spike!” Twilight admonishes, turning her head down just enough to peer at the small dragon over her snout. “You shouldn’t use Princess Luna’s name like that!”

“Two,” Trixie quietly answers, nopony really paying attention to her. “Though he is happy with less, or more, as we want.” She moves over to Doug as well, his free hand moving to her head and mane, curling into the gray swirls.

Spike shouts, his claws spread wide, “I’ll use whichever Princess’s name I want, however I want! Get ahold of yourself, Twilight, and think about what you’re doing!”

Twilight pulls back, doing a poor job of stifling her sniffling. “Somehow, Spike, I thought you’d be happier for me. That I had finally found a pony. No, a group of ponies, of friends, that I wanted to be with. That I know I belong with.”

“Playing the guilt card a little hard there, Twilight,” Spike grunts out, crossing his claws across his chest. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this. It just seems like you haven’t considered everything. Like, what’s this going to mean for me? I didn’t ask for a new sire in my life! How can you do this without even asking me what I wanted?” Spike huffs, “And how do you know they all even want you in the herd? Huh?”

“Oh, no, that was basically a done deal,” Pinkie Pie interjects, nodding her head furiously. “Basically since, um, she dropped out of the sky. Like, literally, Rainbow Dash saw you and was so flabbergasted that you fit all the criteria so perfectly that she crashed into you like Celestia crashes into a bakery going out of business.”

Somewhere in Canterlot, Princess Celestia raises both eyebrows in alarm as one of her early attempts at Equestria wide threat detection and monitoring goes off. She needs to check the bakery board, pronto!

“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash says exasperatedly before huddling next to the pink mare, whispering, “You aren’t supposed to tell them that!”

“Tell us what exactly?” Spike asks in that deadpan of his, wishing again he had an eyebrow to raise. Maybe a small mustache above each eye would suffice.

Pinkie Pie nods, crouching down to whisper in Spike’s ear, “Oh, just the five criteria that the sixth member of our herd would need. And six mares is the perfect number of mares, too! She needed to be a bookish unicorn who is crazy powerful but doesn’t like showing off that power. Oh, and is a different coat color than the rest of us.”

Spike gapes at Pinkie Pie for a few seconds as Rainbow slams a hoof into her forehead. “But, Trixie doesn’t meet, like, any of those requirements.”

“Her blue, azure, is not the same shade of blue, cerulean, as Rainbow Dash,” Rarity huffs, tired of having to explain the difference.

“She is a unicorn,” Fluttershy meekly corrects.

Pinkie Pie leans in close, “But what if she found a mysterious amulet that gave her the power of an alicorn? Would she still not be a unicorn then?” Pinkie Pie taps a hoof against her chin, “Or, what if she became an alicorn? Would she still qualify?”

Spike, along with the rest of the ponies, mostly ignores Pinkie Pie. “Fine, but she still fails, like, three of them.”

“I thought you were arguing against Twilight joining, not Trixie,” Rainbow Dash says, though she stumbles a little as Applejack elbows her in the side.

“Oh yeah,” Spike says, considering how else he can object to Twilight making such a drastic move.

“Stop helping him!” Applejack admonishes, Rainbow grinning sheepishly. Applejack turns to Spike, “Look, Ah know it’s a little sudden, and Ah’m sure Twilight will be able to explain, in gory detail, all that happened last night. But, right now we got two new members to induct in.”

Applejack steps away from the cluster of ponies and dragon, turning to Doug, Twilight and Trixie. They are watching her, obviously having heard everything that transpired, though Doug looks like he had to tilt an ear forwards to do so. Applejack smiles and nods, acknowledging Trixie before she turns to Twilight. “Ah’ll need ya to ask a little more formally, Twi.”

“Hey!” Trixie yells, her happy smile turning to a frowning pout. “How come Twilight is first? Trixie doesn’t want to be stuck as junior mare!”

“It’s not that bad!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, pronking up and down.

“You’re right, Trixie!” Rainbow Dash says, far too quickly for anypony’s comfort. “I just wish there was some way for us to determine who should be first.” She pauses for a brief moment before appending, “Well, sixth.”

“Yes!” Trixie exclaims, her mane bobbing up and down along with her head. “We need something to determine just who is the greatest and worthiest!”

Rainbow Dash hops up as Applejack smirks, hovering a few feet off the ground as she throws her hooves into the air. She shouts, “We need an IRON PONY competition!”

Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie nod along, quickly joined by Rarity. Spike seems to be considering something, lost in thought. Doug smirks before he nods along as well; he says, “That sounds great, but what exactly is an Iron Pony competition?”

Twilight shakes her head, interrupting Applejack’s response, “I don’t mean to ruin your fun and all, but we don’t need to go through with this. I’m fine being junior mare.”

Rainbow Dash huffs, crossing her forelegs. “Twilight, if you want to be a part of this herd, you’re going to have to embrace a little competition, okay?” She frowns at the unicorn’s unsure expression, moving in closer to say, “Do it for me, okay?”

“Okay, Rainbow, I’ll compete in this,” Twilight says, a slight eye roll accompanying her longsuffering smile.

Applejack steps forward, glad the competition is still on, “It’s a series of athletic contents to decide who is the best! Once and for all!”

Rainbow Dash nods, “And while Applejack or I might trounce either of you, it’s two unicorns competing, so it’ll be fair!”

“Hey!” Trixie exclaims with a frown, “Unicorns can do just as well as earth ponies or pegasi in these events! We can beat you!”

Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow, “Really? ‘Cause, Applejack and I are, like, the number two and number one athlete in Ponyville.”

“You sure it ain’t in all of Equestria?” Applejack says with a smirk, bumping her head against Rainbow’s.

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes, “Hey, after I call out Trixie on puffing herself up? Trying to be modest over here.”

Applejack turns to Trixie and Twilight, “We should be able to set this up lickety-split!”

“The most athletic unicorn in all of Equestria is looking forward to it!” Trixie exclaims, though she quails a little at Applejack’s admonishing glare. “The most athletic unicorn in Ponyville?” She hunkers down a little more as the glare continues, “At Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Ah’ll allow that,” Applejack says, though Rarity huffs a little. Applejack whispers to Rarity, “Well, you are looking forward to it, ain’t ya?” which draws a smile from the white unicorn.

“NO!” shouts Spike, his resolve sticking through the ponies turning to stare at him. “I mean, you think that six mares is the perfect number, right?” He needs some way to delay Twilight; what if this is a big mistake?

“Right!” yells Pinkie Pie; while the other ponies turn to briefly to regard her, there are the hints of nods in agreement. Or at least consideration.

“Well,” Spike says, his mind whirring, “What if the loser… has to leave Ponyville forever?!”

63 The Arena Champion, Part Two

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Applejack stares at Spike, her jaw hanging slightly open. Did… did he seriously suggest that? There’s no way she would force Twilight or Trixie to give up joining the herd, or leave Ponyville, or any nonsense like that! She snorts, eyes narrowing at Spike as she tries to remind herself - he’s just a colt, hasn’t thought through what he’s asking.

Trixie’s confident smirk at facing Twilight in the Iron Derby, or whatever they had called it, quickly fades as she watches anger flash across Twilight’s face. Trixie takes a cautious step back as that anger is replaced by a resolute confidence, and an apologetic glance towards her that says, ‘sorry about this, but I’m going to do what I have to do.’ Trixie turns a worried face to Applejack, her muzzle paling to the same light gray as her mane as the lead mare of the herd doesn’t immediately object.

For Twilight, her immediate reaction is one of doubt. Can she beat Trixie? Her reserves might be bigger, and her repertoire of spells larger. But Trixie is a wily trickster, able to show up more powerful opponents through clever and competent use of her own spells. And it’s an earth pony competition! Trixie certainly has her beat on several physical attributes, since she had to drag her wagon around for years. Does she even stand a chance?

Wait, what would possess Spike to propose that in the first place? Does he despise Trixie or something? Or one of the mares in the herd? Is he afraid he wouldn’t be able to date one of the fillies or something? Or, he doesn’t want Twilight to be with the rest of the mares, her fellow Elements of Harmony? Or be with Doug?

Her doubt is quickly replaced by a flash of undisguised anger. How dare Spike try to manipulate her like that! If he has a problem with her actions, he should just tell her! Not prevaricate around the issue like he is trying to hide something! She snorts, tearing her head away from Doug as she shakes her mane in a brief fit of rage.

But, when did she give him a chance to do that? She literally told him just now, with no warning or notification or anything. And, aside from a couple times Doug has been over, she never hinted that joining the Apple Herd was something she was planning on doing. He had learned just at the same time that everypony else did! Well, minus Applejack and Rarity, and it looks like they told Rainbow. And possibly Fluttershy. And Pinkie Pie looks like she already knew. But still! It had to have been obvious, right?

Well, maybe it was, and maybe not. After her failed attempt at soliciting a reaction from Doug she hadn’t really pursued that angle of their relationship, though it was still fun when he came over and talked politics or magic. Did Spike notice that, or had she kept him busy with errands and reshelving library books? Twilight sighs, pulling away from Doug to walk towards Spike, her head hanging down slightly.

Applejack glances around as the rest of the herd inch their way towards her. She says, loud enough for everypony to hear, her voice trembling only a hair, “Well, that’s an… interesting suggestion, Spike. Ah hadn’t thought of that.” She restlessly paws at the ground as Doug gives her ear a rough scratch, practically dragging her head to him.

“We aren’t seriously considering that, are we?” Doug whispers to Applejack, directly in her ear. “That’s ridiculous!”

“Of course Ah ain’t considerin’ it!” Applejack whispers back, almost insulted Doug might even sort of insinuate that she would.

“Now, wait just a second,” Rainbow Dash says, watching Twilight’s confident walk over to Spike. The group quiets down, ears perking forward to listen.

Twilight sighs as she settles down next to Spike, a soft smile at the defiant dragon. Her eyes slowly trace over him, his eyes staring back impassively. How his arms are crossed in front of him and held slightly away, as if he is readying himself to push her if needed. The barest flinch backwards as her mouth opens, like she is going to berate him for standing up for himself, for daring to do something on his own.

Like she normally does. She might have her reasons - he’s young and inexperienced, not used to the uncloistered life, surrounded by ponies that aren’t her. Not that those don’t also apply to her, but he’s a dragon in a land of ponies. If it wasn’t for her status as Princess Celestia’s personal student, how many would be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt? Is she willing to extend the same to him now?

“Spike,” Twilight says, immediately regretting the slight hint of annoyance in her tone. She tries again, softer this time, “Spike. Is that what you want?”

Spike’s arms tighten against his body, his frown and furrowed brows deepening.

“This must have come across as pretty sudden, right?” Twilight pauses again to give Spike a chance to respond, though he remains silent. “But, ever since we became the Elements of Harmony, and maybe even before that, I’ve been drawn to this group of Friends. Who have shown me, and show me, and will continue to show me what true Friendship is like. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to show you how much they mean to me.”

Spike merely grunts.

Twilight sighs, her eyes briefly closing as she prepares herself. “And, if by competing in this competition against Trixie, knowing that my relationship with those Friends is on the line? If that proves to you how important this is to me, then so be it. I accept your rule, Spike; I’m willing to risk losing my friends in order to fight for them. Because I want you to know how important you are to me, too.”

A solitary tear beads at the lower corner of Twilight’s eye, a hoof coming up to flick it away. She forces a smile to her muzzle, inwardly grimacing. She doesn’t want to risk losing her Friends - including, for the moment, Trixie. She nods resolutely to Spike, standing back up as she looks to Trixie, an apologetic yet forceful gleam in her eyes.

Spike’s eyes widen; he thought Twilight would call it off, not go through with it! His mouth opens, but he can’t force any words out. A claw comes up but his objection goes unnoticed, Twilight turned away from him. He coughs, trying to clear his throat, to let Twilight know he is sorry.

“Well, Trixie,” Twilight states, a competitor’s respectful nod to her opponent. “It’s a good thing your house is done, because you’ll need it at the end of the day.”

Trixie smirks right back, “And here the Great and Powerful Trixie was willing to loan you the use of her house, because you are the one who will be needing it.”

Trixie and Twilight puff themselves up, standing up straight and smugly regarding the other. Until Trixie sticks her tongue out, her confident expression immediately returning.

Rainbow whispers to Applejack, “See, that energy right there? That’s what I was hoping to see. Otherwise, with nothing on the line? Twilight would just forfeit, since she doesn’t care - and we don’t really care - about the herd order thing. But this?” She motions to the two unicorns, “This will be fun to watch.”

“Twilight?” Spike’s voice rings out, full of doubt and worry. The dragon is sheepishly kicking at the roof with one foot, his claws now clasped behind his back. He stares down, unable to meet Twilight’s gaze as she walks over.

Trixie takes the opportunity to dart over to Doug and Applejack, hurriedly whispering, “You aren’t seriously considering this, are you? Trixie does not wish to leave Ponyville, to leave you, like this!”

Applejack’s “Of course we ain’t,” draws a loud huff from Rainbow Dash and a quieter grunt from Pinkie Pie and Rarity.

The herd turns to the latter two, Rarity saying, “What? I want to see Twilight and Trixie at their best, too. I just wish the stakes weren’t so high.”

Fluttershy adds, “And you know they’ll feel bad if they lose, and think that they’ll have to leave, and then find out that we never intended for the loser to leave in the first place.”

Pinkie Pie says, quietly for the normally boisterous mare, “You don’t think they’ll be happy they don’t have to leave, and get to stay?”

Fluttershy shakes her head, “Oh, no. They would be furious.” She shies down a little, “At least, I would be.” The rest of the ponies nod at that, going back to listening to Twilight.

“Hey, Best Assistant Ever,” Twilight says, her own bright smile failing to draw one out of Spike. “You doing okay?” She lowers herself again, trying to get on eye level with the dragon she’s been raising since day one.

Spike sighs, finally breaking out of his scales to look up at Twilight. His voice trembles a little, “Twilight? I guess… I guess, I wanted to know. Why did you wait until I left to make a decision like this? Is it because you knew I’d try to talk you out of it? Like I’m doing right now? Because you’re worried that Doug isn’t the right stallion for you?”

“Those are all perfectly good objections, Spike,” Twilight says, her smile not fading from her muzzle, while Spike’s eye narrow slightly. “Would you like me to respond to them now?” Spike shakes his head, “Or did you want to say anything else?”

Spike looks around at the seven other creatures watching him. Who would be the new members of his family, along with a whole host of younger sisters. And it’s not like he objected to any of them, or didn’t get along with them. In fact, he’d be able to see a lot more of some of them! But, is this really the best way to do that?

“Twilight,” Spike starts slowly, “it’s been you raising me my entire life. I mean, Princess Celestia helped out some, when she could, while you were at her school. But since then? It’s been us. Just the two of us. You never needed some stallion in your life to stay at home with me, and I’ve always been there for you when you needed me. Why now?”

Spike’s rant continues, growing a little louder, “Why did you wait for me to leave to make a decision like this? Why didn’t you ask me what I wanted? How I feel about you changing everything? I mean, what if I said that I was starting a herd with Sweetie Belle?” Spike gasps slightly at the admission but continues regardless, “What would you have done? Would you have just gone along with it, or would you have tried to talk me out of it, or at least gotten me to slow down and consider all the ramifications?”

Rarity’s eyes raise; not as bad as a Diamond Dog, but a dragon? Even though she likes Spike, could that even work?

Twilight waits, making sure Spike is done. She smiles as he cautiously looks up at her, waiting to see if she is going to yell at him, or send him back to the library, or slap him with a hoof. When none of those things happen he sits back slightly, his claws relaxing and going to his sides.

Twilight quietly says, “I’m sorry, Spike. I should have thought about how this would affect you. I was thinking about myself, and what I thought would be the best course of action for me.”

Spike smiles at Twilight, puffing his chest up.

“But, I know that I am meant to be here. To be with these mares, and to do great things with them. And that isn’t going to change in a day, or a week, or in eight years. Plus,” Twilight winks at Doug, “it’ll give us that much more time to get to know each other.”

“Yeah, probably didn’t need to be reminded of that,” Spike says, rolling his eyes at Twilight’s chuckle. Twilight turns to go back to the rest of the herd, Spike clearing of his throat getting her to pause. “Twilight,” Spike says slowly, sighing as he shakes his head. “I don’t think you or Trixie should have to leave. It was a stupid rule anyway.” Twilight turns back to Spike, smiling as she nods. “But, you still better beat her. I don’t want my dam being junior mare!”

Twilight smirks, “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that, Spike. I’m going to give it my all!” She walks, along with Spike, back to the herd.

Everypony is smiling at the two, stomping their hooves on the wooden roof. Pinkie Pie cheers, blowing on a few horns while streamers and explosions of confetti rain everywhere.

“Well, now that we’ve got that settled all friendly like,” Applejack says with a smile, “Let’s go see about getting this set up lickety-split!” Applejack and Rainbow go to set up barrels for the barrel lead, Pinkie Pie and Doug preparing refreshments, Rarity and Fluttershy gathering scorecards.

64 The Arena Champion, Part Three

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“Hello, Everypony!” Spike announces to the gathering ponies. The mares of the herd have set up a number of courses on one of the open fields between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville. They have dozens of crates to serve as stadium seating of sorts, the youngest fillies sitting up front while the mares and older fillies choose to stand closer to the action. Even Big Mac and Granny Smith have braved the mild afternoon sun in order to watch.

“Welcome to the first annual Iron Pony Competition!” Spike holds up a short stick, complete with leaf, as a microphone. His claw sweeps to reveal a large banner reading the same, a scoreboard with two placards: one of a crescent moon and wand, the other a six pointed star with five other stars arranged around. Fluttershy waves back to him from a stack of numbered signs.

“Today, we have two competitors vying for the enviable position of sixth, and some might say luckiest, mare of Herd Apple!” Spike’s voice deepens as he rolls his claw towards the two unicorns like he is rolling his consonants, pulling out a long piece of paper, “In-n-n the Purple corner we have Ponyville’s very own Tw-w-wilight Sparkle, r-resident l-l-librarian of the Golden Oaks Library! Wiel-l-lder of the El-l-lement of Magic! First at Pr-r-rincess Cel-l-lestia’s School to-”

“Hurry it up already!” shouts Scootaloo, a smattering of laughter from the fillies.

“Yeah! We wanna hear about the G and P T!” snorts Apple Bloom.

“Tell us about the time Trixie defeated the Ursa Minor!” yells Sweetie Belle.

Spike rolls his eyes, dropping the paper. It unfurls as he continues, “An-n-nd in the Blue corner… Wait, I’m getting a correction here. In-n-n the Azure corner we have the newest, but by no means least, resident of Ponyville. Give it up for Tr-r-rixie L-l-lu-u-ul-l-la-a-amo-o-on! Through the clever use of her magic, she-”

“Go back to Canterlot!” shouts Apple Bloom.

“Las Pegasus!” corrects Sweetie Belle with a harsh whisper.

“Oh, right.” Apple Bloom shouts again, “Go back to Las Pegasus!”

“Your only fans are Snips and Snails!” jeers Scootaloo.

“Tell us about the time Twilight defeated the Ursa Minor!” yells Sweetie Belle.

Applejack walks up behind the three fillies, roughly knocking their heads together. “What in the hay are you three doing?” Applejack grunts out through clenched teeth, her best stare leveled at the trio. Trixie and Twilight exchange smirks, trying to keep from bursting out laughing as most of the ponies watch.

Apple Bloom cheerfully responds, “Cutie Mark Crusader Opinion Designators!”

Scootaloo continues, “We’re trying to get our cutie marks in heckling!”

“For the record, I was not on board with this plan,” Sweetie Belle says, rubbing her head.

“But it was on the list,” Scootaloo says, holding up a long sheet of paper, pointing a hoof at a picture of a filly’s head with a text bubble filled with lots of weird punctuation. “So Twilight said it was okay.”

“Let me see that!” Applejack says as she swipes the list. “Campaign profiteer? Underwater basket weaving? Communications? You call this communicating?”

“Y-yes?” Apple Bloom says, offering a large smile. “We weren’t pickin’ on nopony!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo says, nodding along. “We’re equal opportunity hecklers here!”

Sweetie Belle squats down, folding her forelegs. “For the record, still not on board.”

Applejack firmly sets her hoof on Sweetie Belle’s withers, “And yet, sometimes Ah think those two need to hear that voice of reason, repeated over and over, until they stop doing what you know you all shouldn’t be doing.” Applejack turns to the other two, pointing a hoof at each in turn, “And Ah better not hear another peep out of you two that ain’t encouraging. ‘Cause if Ah do, there will be consequences. Got it?”

Two thoroughly cowed and repentant fillies nod to Applejack. The orange mare stares at each of them for another second before huffing, walking away to join Rainbow Dash at the start of the first contest.

Spike returns to his announcing, “For the Iron Pony Competition, we have a series of twenty events that will test both mind and body. Each event is a staple in many of the rodeos popular in this and many other earth pony towns. First off, the barrel lead!”

Trixie and Twilight walk to a long path staked out in the grass. Ten colorful barrels are set up, each ten yards away from the last, offset two yards to the side with a finish line after the last barrel. Twilight stares at the barrels, then at Trixie, finally asking, “So, what do we do here?”

Applejack forces a smile to her muzzle, her eyes conveying just the slightest bit of disappointment for the unicorn in front of her. “It’s a race. You have to pass outside of each barrel, and then cross the finish line at the end.”

“Oh.” Twilight rubs a hoof to her chin, “And that’s it?”

Applejack continues, “Well, you’re not supposed to touch the barrels. There’s a five second penalty for nudging, and a ten point for knocking it over or for failing to pass outside.”

“And you want to do this as fast as possible?” Twilight asks.

Rainbow slaps a hoof to her forehead at the constant clarification, muttering to herself, “It’s going to be like this for everything, isn’t it.”

Applejack nods, “Yes. As low a time as you can. Observe.”

Applejack moves to the starting line as Spike holds up a stopwatch. He depresses one side, Applejack taking off like a bolt. She weaves back and forth through the barrels, though she barely nudges the second to last one as her hoof slightly slips. “Dagnabbit!” she exclaims as she finishes the race, shaking her head as she trots back to the two.

“Seventeen seconds!” announces Spike, holding up the stopwatch for everypony to see.

“You’re kidding!” says Applejack, though she rubs the side that nudged the barrel. “Alright, Trixie, you’re up first.”

“Very well,” Trixie says, stretching her legs before she walks up to the starting line. She bends down, about to begin as Twilight walks next to her. Trixie raises an eyebrow, but Twilight merely stops, meditating. Trixie shakes her head, readying herself.

The click of a stopwatch starting rings out, Trixie taking off. She is noticeably slower than Applejack, but takes extra care on her corners, not bumping any of the barrels.

Spike clicks the stopwatch as Trixie gallops across the finish line, announcing, “Twenty eight seconds!”

“Not bad for a first run!” Applejack says, smiling at the slightly out of breath unicorn. “Okay, Twilight, you ready?”

Twilight doesn’t respond, merely continuing her mediation, her horn dimly lit.

“Um,” Applejack says, cocking her head to the side and squinting. “You okay there, Twi?”

Twilight barely nods her head, her eyes remaining closed.

“Okay, then.” Applejack shrugs, nodding to Spike. Spike shrugs back at her, depressing the stopwatch with a metallic ‘clack’.

Twilight’s eyes spring open, pure white orbs as she calculates. Her horn flares a deep raspberry, and after one second she disappears from the starting line, reappearing on the outside of the first barrel. Half a second later she disappears again, teleporting to the outside of the second barrel. Eight more times she repeats the feat of magic, quite out of breath as she trots across the finish line.

Applejack stares, slack jawed, along with most of the other ponies present.

Twilight’s pace turns to a slower walk as she returns to the group, smiling brightly. “That was fun! So, who won?”

After a few seconds Spike announces, “Uh… eight seconds!” He glances around, settling on Rainbow and saying, “Is, um, is that a new record?”

“Pff,” Rainbow snorts, shaking her head. “For an earth pony, sure. But if you can use magic?” Rainbow snatches the stopwatch from Spike’s claws. Rainbow shouts, “Agility!” as she tosses the stopwatch ten feet into the air.

A rainbow blur originates from where Rainbow Dash was hovering, leaving a lightning bolt shaped rainbow contrail that weaves back and forth between the barrels, none of them disturbed even while the grass to either side is flattened by the wind. The blur hits the finish line, arcing over the racecourse as Rainbow lands next to Spike, catching the stopwatch out of midair. She bows as she smugly says, “They don’t call me Rainbow and Dash for nothing!” to the hoof stomps of the spectators.

“Twilight!” Applejack exclaims, stomping a hoof on the ground. “You ain’t supposed to use magic in these contests!”

“Really?” Twilight says, raising an eyebrow. “That seems like something you should have said before the race.” She glances over at Doug, their unofficial judge sitting nearby the scoreboards.

Applejack sputters, “Well, that’s ‘cause Ah didn’t think Ah needed to say it!” She turns to Doug, the human rifling through a few pages of rules.

“Well,” Doug says, grimacing a little, “The rules are pretty old. They say that ’Each competitor will compete without the use of any outside magic or other assistance.’ But, these rules are written for earth pony competitors. A lot of the contests, like the long jump, don’t make sense if you have a pegasus using their wings, or a unicorn who can levitate themselves.”

“You’re foaling me!” Applejack sputters, trotting over to Doug. He spins the papers around for her to read, a hoof tracing line by line, mouthing the words. She grunts as she flips to the next page, just descriptions of the contests. “Ah can’t believe we didn’t write that down.” She glances at Doug, “Do we make ‘em redo it?”

Doug, his smile neutral, looks up at Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus holding up a large ‘1’ placard but unsure of where to place it. Doug slowly considers; he doesn’t want them to use magic for Applejack’s sake, but quite a number of the contests would be a lot more interesting to watch if they could use magic.

“Usin’ magic’s cheatin’!” shouts Apple Bloom.

“Not using magic denies who they are!” returns Sweetie Belle.

“Rainbow Dash is the best!” adds Scootaloo.

“Alright, you three,” Applejack grunts out, corralling the trio. “That does it. You’re coming with me.”

“Oh, no!” they chorus, whimpering a little as Applejack leads them to the third and fourth contest.

Doug stands up, clearing his throat. He announces, “The rules will be amended to state that there will be no use of wings or horns during the main Iron Pony competition. However, since I personally want to see how you perform with magic in some of the other contests, the tiebreaker will be who can win the most contests with the use of their magic. However, there may be some restrictions on what spells you can use.”

“Aww, you mean I can’t just teleport to win everything?” asks Twilight with a grin.

Doug shakes his head, “Nope, sorry. Are those rules agreeable to both parties?” The two unicorns nod, Doug continuing as he writes down the rules amendment, “So, Trixie, you are able to run the barrel lead again, with magic.”

Trixie sighs, unable to think of a way to use her magic to speed herself up, much less cut her time in third. “Trixie forfeits that race.”

“Very well.” Doug tallies on one of the pieces of paper as he motions to the barrels, “Alright, Twilight, you are up one to zero in the magic rounds, but you need to run the race again. Good luck.”

Twilight mumbles to herself as she gets to the starting line, “Okay, Twilight, you can do this. You read all about running, and cornering, and pacing yourself!” She readies herself, her horn definitely not lit this time, as she calculates how fast she needs to go to beat Trixie.

Spike clicks the stopwatch, Twilight taking off with a puff of dust. Her pace is slightly faster than Trixie, and even though her cornering isn’t nearly as quick she doesn’t hit any of the barrels. Twilight gallops across the finish line as Spike announces, “Twenty seven seconds! Twilight wins the barrel lead!”

“Wohoo!” Twilight cheers as Fluttershy places the ‘1’ placard next to Twilight’s cutie mark.

“Trixie lost?” Trixie stomps a hoof in frustration, “Don’t think you can get used to that, Twilight! Trixie is sure to win the next round!”

65 The Arena Champion, Part Four

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“Twilight Sparkle has taken an early lead, but Team Azure isn’t going to go down that easily!” Spike motions to the next event, a wooden tower with incremental vertical marks. A painted target is on the front, the perfect height for a pony to rear up and buck, sending the heavy weight as high as they can.

“For the second contest, we will be testing the bucking strength of each competitor!” Spike motions to Rainbow Dash, waving next to the high striker. She rears back, hitting the center of the target with a full powered buck. The heavy weight flies up, passing all ten marks to solidly ring the bell on top! Rainbow Dash struts back to Applejack, smirking at the earth pony resting by one of the trees.

Applejack whispers to Rainbow Dash as the fillies politely clop their hooves, “Might not want to get too puffed up there. You might’a gotten a week of apple buckin’ in, but some of us have years of practice. Observe.” Applejack gets up, waiting for the two unicorns.

Twilight carefully studies the set up in front of her. She had only bucked a few of the apple trees when she was helping during Applebuck season. And currently wishing she had spent a little more time working on her legs instead of her legibility. She stops one foot away from the target, turning around, and resting her weight on her front legs.

Rear up, and buck!

Twilight turns to watch the weight rise into the air. Three and a half bars! She smiles; that’s pretty good, right?

Trixie snorts, shaking her head as she walks up to the target. Her legs, considerably more toned from years of dragging around a heavy house - not quite the same muscles, but she can’t lose this! She spins, bucking the target as hard as she can. Five bars! She wins!

Applejack smirks, stepping up to the target. Though she stops at the thrumming sound next to her; glancing over, she takes a hasty step back as she sees Twilight’s horn charging. A large wooden cross beam levitates up, aligning itself with the target. The beam rocks back and forth a few times, Twilight practicing her aim and about to use it as a battering ram. “Hey!” Applejack shouts, taking another step back, “No breaking the target!”

“Aww,” moans Twilight, pouting a little at not being able to utilize her full potential. The beam slows down, stopping about a foot away from her mark. It then lurches forward, thumping into the target and sending the weight crashing into the bell above, ringing even louder than when Rainbow Dash hit it!

Applejack grumbles at the show of strength; while she can certainly buck the target that hard, or even harder, Twilight would have absolutely demolished her if she didn’t hold back. Darn unicorns and their overpowered horns!

Trixie grimaces; she can’t lose all of the magic sides! She strains as she lifts one of the smaller fence posts, ramming it into the target. She frowns; only eight bars? She growls as she tosses the fence post down, though when Applejack glares at her she mutters to herself, “Come on, Trixie, be a good sport about this,” as she replaces the fence post.

Fluttershy flies up to the scoreboard, replacing Trixie’s zero with a one and making a second tally mark next to Twilight’s name. Spike announces to the growing crowd of ponies watching the proceedings, “Mares and Gentlecolts, we are now tied at one to one! This looks to be a fierce competition today; who will come out on top?”

Spike motions to the next event, a fenced in pen. Inside, Applejack has a grumpy Apple Bloom and resigned Sweetie Belle. “Our next contest is the Bronco Buck! The object is to get the filly on your back off as fast as you can! And they will do everything in their power to stay on!”

A bit is flipped, and Trixie levitates Apple Bloom to her back with a scowl while Twilight gets Sweetie Belle. Spike shouts, “Contestants, are you ready?”

“Yes!” shout Trixie and Twilight.

“Fillies, are you ready?”

“Yeah!” shouts Apple Bloom, forelegs digging into Trixie’s mane while her back legs wrap around her barrel and clench tightly.

“Ahh!” shouts Sweetie Belle as she slips off of Twilight’s back.

“Does that count?” asks Twilight as she returns Sweetie Belle to standing on her back.

“Go!” Spike shouts.

Trixie grimaces as she bounces her barrel this way and that to try to dislodge the filly. It feels like Apple Bloom is an extension of her own body with how tightly the filly is holding on! She starts pushing up and down with her forelegs as hard and fast as she can, then shaking left and right. She looks over to see if Twilight is faring any better, debating if rolling over onto Apple Bloom is a legal move.

Twilight, barely moving herself for fear of tossing Sweetie Belle off again, says, “Are you sure you don’t want to hop down?”

“Uh uh,” replies Sweetie Belle, hanging on to Twilight’s flank for dear life. “If I lose first, I have to keep helping.”

Twilight raises an eyebrow, “There are more events involving chasing you three around? And here I thought you had the worse end of the pony!”

“Twilight, you’re supposed to buck them off, not yuck them off!” Rainbow shouts, a number of other spectators laughing along.

Twilight grunts, finally getting around to starting to try to dislodge Sweetie Belle. Meanwhile, Trixie is shaking her mane back and forth, Apple Bloom barely hanging on to the whipping strands. Trixie prances around, faster and faster before she abruptly changes direction, tossing Apple Bloom high into the air, somehow aiming the filly directly at one of the bales of hay.

“Ahh!” come the twin screams of two fillies, Sweetie Belle unceremoniously dumped to the ground just before Apple Bloom impacts the hay, a relatively soft landing. The ponies turn to Spike and Doug, the two creatures exchanging glances.

“Twilight wins!” shouts Spike, Doug reluctantly nodding along, Fluttershy upping Twilight to a two. “For the magic part, Apple Bloom will be with Twilight, and Trixie gets Sweetie Belle!”

Trixie grumbles as she levitates Sweetie Belle to her back, clearly upset at having gotten Apple Bloom first. Apple Bloom dusts herself off, giving her hooves a quick stretch before she leaps onto Twilight. Her hooves dig in, nearly pulling the purple mane out by how hard she is holding on.

“Ready?” Spike shouts, a brief pause before he shouts, “Go!”

Trixie’s horn lights, tugging the unicorn off her back nearly instantly. Sweetie Belle yelps as she drops down, hooves flailing to try to catch herself as Trixie lets her go.

Twilight, meanwhile, merely teleports a few feet to the side. Apple Bloom quickly shrieks as she plummets down, hitting the ground a split second before Sweetie Belle.

“Oh, come on!” exclaims Trixie, huffing at another loss. She continues grumbling as Scootaloo hops into the pen, the filly limbering up with a few leg stretches.

“Twilight takes the lead two to one!” Spike announces to his branch as he motions to the scoreboard, a good number of the crowd cheering Trixie on. “Next up we have the Lasso Contest, where Twilight and Trixie will show off their roping skills!” He smiles, glad to not be the one getting tied up, “Fastest to successfully tie three of Scootaloo’s legs together wins!” Spike clicks his timer, motions to Trixie and shouts, “Go!”

Trixie grabs the rope; she is much more comfortable roping something using her horn, but she’s practiced enough with the hoof to give it a solid go. She expertly twirls the rope around, flinging it towards Scootaloo, a perfect arc above the filly.

Scootaloo shrieks, dodging and scampering off to the side.

Trixie instantly reels the rope back in, twirling it in her teeth and giving chase as Applejack and the rest of the ponies cheer. As Scootaloo makes another corner in the cramped pen Trixie looses the rope again, right into Scootaloo’s path! She yanks back on the rope, cinching around Scootaloo’s barrel and dragging the surprised filly towards her. Trixie leaps forward as Scootaloo tries to scramble to her hooves, the rope slipping around and tying the two hind legs together and snagging a struggling foreleg to complete the hogtie.

“Twelve seconds!” shouts Spike, Applejack hooting loudly while Rainbow moves over to nuzzle Scootaloo, whispered words of praise as the filly slips out of the knots. Scootaloo beams, dusting herself off as Trixie prances off to the side, watching Twilight.

Twilight grabs the lasso with her hoof, inspecting the rope. She awkwardly swings it around, Scootaloo mostly watching, until she drops the rope. “Oops!” she calls, about to light her horn before she remembers the restriction. She walks over, picking the rope up, twirling it around again. At least this time she manages to keep the loop circling in midair, but her pathetic toss lands next to Scootaloo.

The now bored filly grunts as she lays down. Applejack rubs her hoof on her face, groaning at the novice display. Spike announces, “Twelve seconds is up, Trixie is the winner!” as Fluttershy ties them up two to two.

Twilight shakes her head, “No, I’m going to get this!” as she picks up the rope for another try. This one at least lands around Scootaloo, but when Twilight pulls the rope back it merely trips the filly, her landing on her rump while the lasso shortens. Twilight puzzles over the rope for a few seconds, finally managing to make the loop larger.

“One more try,” Applejack says, mostly keeping the annoyance out of her voice. Scootaloo rolls onto her back, sticking all four legs into the air as Twilight spins the rope again. Her aim is true this time, the rope now laying across and around the prone filly. She tugs, the lasso constricting around the legs and dragging the hogtied filly towards her.

“Yey!” Twilight exclaims, clapping her hooves together, her eyes closed and smile beaming, the other ponies politely stomping along, their applause fading almost immediately.

Scootaloo gets back to her hooves, determined not to go down so quickly on the magic side. She smirks at Trixie, the unicorn’s horn lighting. Trixie waves one end of the rope back and forth, hypnotically enticing Scootaloo as the other end snakes around behind the filly. Scootaloo drops down, focusing on the front and ready to dodge as soon as Trixie makes a move on her, only to yelp as all four legs are encircled and quickly tied up.

“Five seconds!” shouts Spike, Applejack whistling appreciably. Many of the other ponies stomp their hooves, cheering on the azure unicorn. Trixie beams, taking a bow, a confident smirk on her muzzle. Twilight walks forward, though she doesn’t take the rope, leaving it coiled around on the ground. Spike cocks his head, eventually asking, “You ready?” Scootaloo crouches down, really ready to pounce away this time as Twilight nods.

“Rarity showed me this one,” Twilight explains as Spike clicks the stopwatch. Her horn flares, teleporting the coiled rope around Scootaloo’s legs and immediately tying her up, the filly flopping uselessly to her side. “But her trick had to do with putting clothes on! I just appropriated it for the use with a rope!”

“Bwa!” Rainbow Dash snorts, pointing a hoof at Applejack’s stunned face. “I think she’s even faster than you!”

“Oh, come on!” Trixie and Applejack shout simultaneously. Applejack continues, “At least Trixie tried to perform like you’re supposed to!” She waves a hoof at Scootaloo, the filly struggling to get out of the bonds, most of the crowd murmuring in agreement. “Doing it like that, it ain’t… it goes against the spirit of the competition!”

Twilight Sparkle raises an eyebrow as she walks towards Doug at the judge’s table, “Oh? I thought the point of the competition was to see who can use a rope to tie something up as fast as they can. Not to mimic the earth pony way of doing things.”

“But all the contests are from earth pony rodeos!” Applejack stomps a hoof, following Twilight over, “You might as well spit on the rest of the contests if you’re just going to cheat like that!”

“Cheat?” Twilight Sparkle snorts, a pointed look at Doug. “I haven’t heard any limitations on what kind of magic I can or can’t do. Where’s the cheating?”

Doug sits still, torn between making his lead mare - and probably most of the crowd - happy, and his desire to see no-holds-barred magic competing. Not necessarily between Trixie and Twilight, but more in general. To see what kind of solutions they can come up when everything is available instead of artificially restricted. Which is especially necessary when you encounter an opponent who isn’t playing by those same restrictions.

Applejack fumes, “It’s like teleporting to win a race! All that determines is who can teleport the furthest and the fastest!”

Twilight, doing her best to keep calm, yet her biting tone offers no conciliation, “Oh, and all running a race does is prove who can run the furthest and the fastest!”

Rainbow offers, “Technically, I won the barrel race, so are wings too powerful too?”

“Yes!” “No!”

Rainbow throws up her hooves, turning to fly to Doug while Applejack and Twilight turn on each other. Many of the crowd watches eagerly, quite a number hoping to pit earth pony versus unicorn in a cage match to the ~~dea~~ submission.

“Come on, Applejack,” Twilight says, trying to offer an olive branch. “I’m competing like you want me to, right? Not using my horn at all?”

“Oh, sure, you’ll pay lip service when you can’t use your horn,” Applejack snorts, “But as soon as you can, you just don’t care at all about our traditions!”

“Oh?” Twilight says, raising an eyebrow and her tone biting, “Is this an earth pony herd? Am I not going to be able to use magic at any point? Or, just when you decree that I can?”

Pinkie Pie adds in, appearing from nowhere in between the two arguing mares, “Technically, since - including the fillies - the majority of the ponies in the herd are earth ponies, it kind of is an earth pony herd.”

“Not helping, Pinkie,” Doug says firmly, pulling the pink mare out from between Applejack and Twilight. “Let’s stay calm, okay?”

“Yes, please stop fighting,” Fluttershy adds, flying over from the scoreboard.

“Actually, I’m interested to hear how they work this out,” Rarity says, Rainbow and Doug nodding in agreement. “Let them argue!”

“Just, please, no hurting each other,” Fluttershy implores as Applejack and Twilight look ready to do exactly that.

66 The Arena Champion, Part Five

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“Well,” Rarity says to Doug as they and the rest of the spectators watch Applejack and Twilight Sparkle square off, “When I woke up this morning, I certainly wasn’t expecting this to happen.”

“And it seemed like such a nice start, too,” Doug replies with a heavy sigh, a short wave of his hand getting Rainbow to land next to him. He tussles her mane, Rainbow taking the chance to rub up next to him. In front of them, Applejack and Twilight have begun to wildly gesticulate at the various contests, both ones they already performed in and the ones yet to come. Doug glances to Rarity, “Do you ever feel… oh, what’s the word. Constrained by Applejack?”

“She certainly doesn’t care for practical magical applications, though she does tend to limit that particular sentiment to areas she runs. Such as at the farm.” Rarity glances towards Ponyville, specifically her Boutique, “I’ve never heard her mention any such prejudices against me or other unicorns, merely distaste at our preferred methods of executing our actions.”

“So, I guess I’m failing to see the problem,” Doug says as he motions to Applejack. “Twilight is doing everything Applejack wants, and yet Applejack continues to press arbitrary restrictions on her.”

“Horn envy?” Rainbow smirks, though she huffs a little at the admission. “Aww, I kinda want it to be wing envy.” She snuggles up next to Doug, “You want a nice pair of wings?”

“I’ve got all the wings I want right here,” Doug says, his saccharine tone matching his overemphasized smile. His hand shifts to between Rainbow’s wings, starting to explore the thick muscles. He grunts as Twilight and Applejack nearly slam their heads into each other, “Okay, guess I’m stepping in.”

Doug stands, Fluttershy wiping a bit of the sweat beading on her brow, and walks up to Applejack, resting a hand on her withers. She whips her head to the side to glare at him, though her harsh demeanor fades slightly at her stallion getting involved. “Walk with me, Applejack?” Doug says, as calm and nicely as he can.

Applejack turns back to Twilight, a look that says, ‘this isn’t over,’ Twilight returning a slightly hesitant nod. Applejack turns, walking past the growing crowd of ponies to the relatively unoccupied tree line.

“They can continue without us,” Doug says as Twilight and Trixie make their way over to a few hay bales. Spike’s voice fades into the background as he sits down, and soon the clamor of the ponies fades as well. Applejack huffs as she lays next to Doug, watching the two unicorns struggle to lift, much less throw, the bales of hay larger than they are. Her frown fails to disappear as Twilight slips, the bale of hay landing on top of the unicorn, though Doug’s smile turns to a thin smirk.

“So,” Doug says as he rubs into her mane, “you doing okay?” His gaze turns down, trying to take in the unusually subdued mare. Her anger, steadily building when she was facing down Twilight, seems to be festering, waiting to burst out.

Applejack looks up at the apple trees, trying to avoid Doug’s gaze. The apples on the trees, small red orbs and blossoms and green leaves, all the stages of growing represented around them. “It ain’t fair,” she finally says, recalling how Twilight had helped harvest apples from these very trees. “It ain’t fair that us earth ponies need a separate category all to ourselves. No matter how fast Ah run, Ah’ll never be faster than Rainbow Dash using her wings. Ah’m barely better than Trixie at roping, and Ah’ve spent years honing that particular skill! Blue ribbon champion of Ponyville, for Celestia’s sake, so it ain’t like Ah don’t know what Ah’m doing!”

“I hear you there,” Doug says, shaking his head. He thinks back to all the incredible things that he’s seen the ponies do, whether it is sprouting trees before his eyes, or flying close to the speed of sound, or nearly anything to do with magic. But also their ability to love and forgive, to welcome the stranger (even if it is mostly restricted to other ponies in that regard).

“Do ya?” Applejack says swiftly, though she snorts as she looks over at his seated form. She chuckles to herself as she shakes her head, “Ah guess you do. Probably better’n most of the ponies out there.” She winks at him, “Even with those weak ears of yours.”

Doug flicks his ear, “And it doesn’t help me at all to be resentful about that sort of thing.” He flicks Applejack’s ear next, the earth pony wincing for a brief second, before he starts scratching. “I’m reminded of a few of the games that I played before I came here. And what was considered ‘fair’ or ‘allowed’ in those games.”

“Oh yeah?” Applejack says, smiling. The two watch as one of the bales of hay arcs through the air, landing close to the middle of the marked path.

“So, we had sports that simulated fighting, like when Rainbow Dash and I, or you, wrestle. And maybe one person is stronger than the other. That can make them difficult or nearly impossible to beat. Kind of like if you used your full strength when we wrestle.”

“Well, Ah hold back to make sure you don’t get hurt.” Applejack nuzzles Doug’s chest, watching as a bale of hay initially surrounded in a raspberry aura blasts off into the sky. Applejack briefly grimaces at the show of strength, Twilight a cross between smug at winning again and almost apologetic by how much she is winning by.

“Sure, I guess. But, holding back for safety reasons, or not allowing certain moves because they lead to injuries is different than what I’m getting at. Do you hold back against Rainbow?”

Applejack snorts, “Of course not. She’s stronger than me, at least with her forelegs.”

“So, imagine that you only wrestled against me. You got used to how much you could safely push. Then you start wrestling Rainbow. Would you restrict her to only wrestling at half strength? Would you only allow her to defend herself like I would, because that’s what you’ve practiced against and are used to facing?”

Applejack sighs as she shakes her head. “No. But Ah wouldn’t want to be the pony that has to be coddled, either! Ah don’t want to need a handicap in order to beat them! And Twilight just being... Twilight puts all my hard work to shame!”

“Does she?” Doug asks, motioning to the apple trees around them. “Can she grow apples like you can?” He smiles at Applejack's smile and short shake of the head, continuing, “But, even then, I don’t think you need to find an area in which you are better than somepony in order to feel good about yourself. Because there is always a better pony at something.”

“That don’t sound quite right,” Applejack says. “Surely somepony is the best.”

Doug shrugs, “Best at what? One dimension of something, sure. Somepony might have the fastest mile time. But somepony else might have a faster half mile than that pony. And you’ll quickly find that there are so many different ways to take things that nopony is the best at everything.”

“Except Princess Celestia,” Applejack says with a smirk.

“How many foals does she have?” Doug replies, his hand moving to Applejack’s belly.

The two watch in silence as Rainbow Dash demonstrates bouncing a ball, tossing it to Twilight. The unicorn bounces it off her head once, then off her horn, the odd angle sending the ball off to the side. Applejack smirks, though she knows she isn’t much better, as Trixie uses her flank to bounce the ball a few times, many of the crowded ponies cheering.

Doug’s hand moves to Applejack’s flank, giving the taut muscles an appreciative squeeze, “Well, how are we going to put that resentment to good use? If there even is one; is it worth getting hung up on something that will never be? I’m never going to lift an ursa minor. Should I beat myself up about it because Twilight can?”

Applejack smiles back at Doug, tensing her legs, “Well, when ya put it like that, Ah suppose Ah might be overfilling the barrel just a mite.”

Doug pats Applejack on the flank, “I don’t think it’s worth getting hung up on whether or not you or Twilight is better at any particular task. Or you and anypony else, for that matter. If you want to hold somepony up as an ideal, as a goal, then great. But, for the day to day striving to improve, you have to compare yourself to how you were yesterday. Stop doing the things that are holding you back.”

“What about you, Doug?” Applejack says with a sour note in her voice, turning her head so her mane covers her eyes. “What if Ah think you’re holding me back?”

Doug sighs, closing his eyes for a few seconds as he thinks. “You’re probably gonna gripe at this, but I think that honesty is the best policy.” True to his prediction, Applejack snorts, turning to face him so he can see her rolling her eyes. “Along with that, you have to decide what your priorities are. If you’re trying to become the best wrestler, or the fastest runner, or the best apple tree farmer, then maybe I’m not a good training partner. You would be crippling yourself by training against a weak opponent. And, I would hope that I could accept that, and let you do what you want to do. Even if it isn't with you.”

Applejack snuggles into Doug, already wishing that she hadn’t brought up the topic. “Ah don’t think you’re weak.”

“I know,” Doug says with a smile, reassuring her with a quick rub of her mane. “If your priority is instead something along the lines of deepening the relationship that we have, getting to know each other better, then you have to resign yourself to that trade off, that you won’t have the best opponent for everything. And that’s what life is; nothing exists in a vacuum, everything has an opportunity cost, of what else you could be doing with your time. Or money, or reputation. Or who we invite into the herd. Are you happy with Twilight joining? And Trixie?”

The two look over, Twilight and Trixie hunkering over a box and straining to push the other’s hoof over. And, judging by the bored look on Rainbow’s face, they have been struggling in the same position for some time now.

“Ah… Ah don’t know,” Applejack says, a reluctant look back to Doug. “Do... do you think she wants to live and work under me?”

“If you can accept Twilight for Twilight, then yes,” Doug says. “And Trixie for Trixie, faults and all. Idiosyncrasies and habits, good and bad.”

“You know she’s going to want to change things up on the farm,” Applejack says, slowly getting to her hooves. “And Ah like how things go on the farm. Ah’m used to it, and it works.”

“I’d say I changed up how things go on the farm,” Doug counters, getting up as well and starting to walk back to the Iron Pony competition. “And it hasn’t been all bad, now has it?” Doug smirks as Applejack closes her eyes, a reluctant nod and smile breaking out as she catches up to Doug.

Two hoofballs sail towards the two, the purple one going considerably further than the azure one. Doug sprints forwards, barely snagging the azure ball out of the air as Applejack stalls, her mane swishing out to catch the purple ball. Off in the distance, Fluttershy moves a ‘four’ next to Trixie’s name, matching the four by Twilight's, though eight hash marks are next to Twilight’s name.

Applejack whips her head around, throwing the hoofball towards Doug. He drops the azure ball to the ground, his hands coming up to catch the purple ball - only for Rarity to leap in front of him and snatch the ball out of midair with her tail! Rarity’s horn glows, the ball levitating next to her. Rarity dances back and forth as Doug moves between her and Applejack, a few fake passes before the ball launches away.

67 The Arena Champion, Part Six

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“With Twilight and Trixie tied at nine to nine, the next two events are sure to be heated,” Spike announces to practically the entirety of Ponyville. Pegasi are performing tricks in the air, hordes of ponies are crowding around, and a few cheerleaders are leading the crowd from the hooves of a few scantily clad stallions. In the middle of the commotion, atop a raised platform, Twilight and Trixie are sitting at a table. They both have confident smiles on their muzzles, practically holding their breath in anticipation of the next contest.

Applejack, sitting off to the side, gives Doug a twinkling smirk. “We should have Spike announce more of these events,” she remarks, stifling her chuckling that threatens to give away the farm. “And he just learned of the little addition we’re making, too.” Doug nods, glad Applejack is feeling better, especially because the next contest is one in which earth ponies and their iron constitution would have a clear advantage. Applejack hops up, slipping through the crowd to get four covered dishes from Granny Smith. The elderly mare slowly shuffles back to her seat next to Big Mac, eager to watch the four ponies about to devour one of Sweet Apple Acres' specialties with a little extra kick. Applejack walks up to the table, four steaming dishes carefully balanced on her back.

Rainbow Dash flies over, pulling the cover off of one steaming pie that she places in front of Twilight. The rest of the covers come off, the rainbow colored pies finding their way in front of Trixie, then Applejack, and the last one for herself. Spike announces, adopting his deep, rolling voice again, “For the penultimate event, we have everypony’s favorite, a pie eating contest! Zap Apple Pie is the pie of choice today, a definite crowd pleaser!”

The crowd stomps their hooves, excited cheers at the prospect of eating such a delicious treat. The way the reds explode in your mouth, the soothing blues, the tart greens. And, if their eyes can be believed, there is a small stand about to be completely overwhelmed where, after the event, slices of Zap Apple Pie will be available, free of charge! Lemon and Applebaum both stand vigil over the precut morsels, dubiously counting the number of ponies and glad they made such small pieces. Hopefully they won’t need to divide those even further!

“If Twilight Sparkle wins this event, she clinches the title of sixth mare of Herd Apple!” Spike waves a claw to the scoreboard; Fluttershy, certainly out of her element, is hovering as close to the scoreboard as she can without actually hiding behind it. She waves, a small smile as she hunches down, motioning to the scores still tied at nine to nine with eighteen hash marks next to Twilight’s cutie mark.

“But, Trixie still has the chance to pull out ahead! In the events leading up to this point, Trixie has defeated Twilight on most of the events involving physical strength, and the last event is sure to be one she has an advantage in! But, we aren’t at the Rope Pull just yet! Before these two get down and dirty in the mud, they’re going to get their muzzles down and dirty at the most delicious event ever!”

The crowd cheers again, pounding their hooves, eager to get to the part where they too can partake in the pie eating.

“Especially,” Spike draws the word out as he withdraws a small purple bottle, a hoofdrawn flame on the side, “because these four pies, and specially labeled pies at the stand, have a very special addition.” Spike takes the bottle, twisting it so the flame is facing the audience. “We call it, the Rain Blazer!”

Twilight’s eyes widen at the sight. These ponies are crazy! They expect her to eat a pie laced with Fire Sauce? And that’s Doug’s hottest blend!

“Contestants!” Spike yells, pulling out a cupcake completely drenched in purple sauce, “Are you ready?”

“Ready!” come three shouts, one earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn eager to get their grub on.

Twilight hesitates as she rocks her head back and forth. If she eats this pie faster than Trixie, she wins. But, she knows what will happen to her body if she eats this pie. And not just belching the flames, but the next night, too! It won’t be that bad if she gives up now, right?

“Twilight, are you ready?” Spike announces, a note of trepidation in his voice, curious as to what the delay is.

Twilight grits her teeth. Princess Celestia trained her better than this! Twilight Sparkle doesn’t give up! Twilight Sparkle does not fail! “Ready!” she shouts, or tries to, her voice coming out as more of a whimper.

“As you all know, first to clean their plate wins!” Spike eagerly devours the tantalizing treat in his claws. “Mm!” he announces, rubbing his belly, all four ponies at the table waiting with various degrees of eagerness.

“GO!” Spike shouts as he releases a great gout of flame, his normal green tinged with purple.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Trixie dive into their pies with gusto as Twilight clenches her stomach. She isn’t doing this for real, is she? Will her body forgive her? She glances to the side - Applejack and Rainbow Dash seem to be enjoying themselves as their faces turn red, their manes and tails exploding into orange flames! They raise into the air, the flames licking at the wooden table, steam pouring out of their ears.

Twilight gulps, lowering her muzzle to the pie and taking a reluctant bite. She immediately regrets the decision, her mouth flaring with flavor. The dueling delicious delights, dancing down until descending to devilish depths. Her head rears back, a torrent of fire escaping her mouth as her mane and tail erupt into flame! She gasps for air, though her grimace turns to a smile. That wasn’t nearly as bad as the first two times! She eagerly digs into the pie, relishing the robust burn - she can do this!

Trixie’s keening cry pierces through the air, the azure unicorn panting as she recovers from the infernal transformation. “What the hay was that?” she huffs as she looks around, her eyes widening. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, despite their manes and tails ablaze, are both halfway through with their pies, twisted euphoric smiles as they scarf down bite after bite. On her other side, Twilight is eating her second piece, determination plainly showing as she gulps it down. The purple unicorn ignites a second time, no signs of slowing, as Trixie turns to her own pie.

Can she do it? Trixie licks her lips; the Zap Apple is delicious, but the hidden, slow burning Fire Sauce is there, lingering and waiting for her to dig in. But, if she doesn’t, she’ll lose! And there’s no way she’s losing to Twilight!

Now nearly impossible to distinguish, both unicorns delve into their pies, tongues only stopping to release great gouts of flame into the air before quickly returning to their pies. Bite after bite disappears, the two unicorns almost evenly matched, a halo of orange and yellow surrounding them.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash simultaneously lift their hooves to the air, hollering in victory. They both gasp at the other finishing, grabbing their opponent’s pie tin and inspecting the licked clean plate. Neither had left a speck of the Rain Blazer pie remaining, and all accounts leave them dead tied. They cheer, the flames surrounding them flickering and dying as they embrace each other, then turning to watch Twilight and Trixie.

The two unicorns are on their last quarter of pie each. Twilight’s head start is quickly being eaten up by Trixie, only a few morsels now left in the azure unicorn’s tin. Trixie takes one more bite, leaving a few crumbs, raising her hooves in victory.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash quickly shout, pointing at her plate, “Finish it! All of it!”

“What?” Trixie exclaims, looking down at her plate. “Ahh!” she shouts as she dives back down, her tongue lapping up the last little bits as she watches Twilight throw her perfectly clean pie tin down in victory. “Noo!”

“I win!” Twilight grins madly, eerily similar to Princess Celestia after she finishes a bout with the latest in culinary creations. Flames spout from her mouth and mane as she clinches her spot as the winner! She raises her hooves, the crowd erupting into boisterous cheers, a number of the fillies exchanging hoof bumps. Many of them make a beeline to the pie stand, waiting for the final event to finish and the refreshments to open while Fluttershy replaces Twilight’s nine with a ten.

“Ugh!” Trixie moans, tossing her now clean pie tin to the table, the metal clattering around. “Trixie had it! She should have won!”

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Applejack says with a grin, “you did great! You won half the events!” Applejack continues with a heavy sigh, “Now, since using magic won’t really help out with eating pies, we won’t be doing that contest again. Much to all our disappointment, Ah know.”

“Whew!” exclaims Twilight, along with a burp that releases a flicker of flame and a reprise of the heated aftertaste.

“Besides,” Applejack says, bumping Trixie’s withers with her own, “you’ll still get to drag Twi through the mud at least once!”

“Aww, do we have to go through with that?” Twilight groans, looking to the mud pit, two ropes suspended across. She rubs her stomach and swallows as another burst threatens to reassert itself.

“Yes!” Trixie says vigorously, an only slightly malevolent glare in her eye. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will regain her glory by dunking Twilight Sparkle into the mud!”

Applejack leads Twilight and Trixie to the final event, the Rope Pull across a large mud pit. The two take the rope in their mouths. Twilight looks resigned to Trixie’s greater strength but not yet willing to concede just yet, while Trixie is grinning, eager to begin. Applejack and Rainbow also take ropes, smirking at each other.

Spike raises one claw, looking between the four competitors digging their hooves into the ground. “GO!”

The rope snaps up both unicorns strain against each other, pulling with all their might! Next to them Rainbow Dash gasps as Applejack methodically pulls her closer, inch by inch dragging the pegasus towards the muddy pit.

“No no no! No! Nooo!” shouts Rainbow Dash, her mane swishing to the sides as she pulls back. Applejack is clearly enjoying every second of it as she slows her pace. Rainbow teeters on the edge, her wings flaring out to her sides.

Applejack grunts through the rope, “No cheatin’ now!” as she gives another solid pull, two of Rainbow’s hooves now suspended in midair, her wings giving a solitary flap.

“Awww,” Rainbow Dash moans loudly as her wings pull back to her body. She seems to hover in midair for a brief second before slamming into the mud pit with a huge splash! She pushes herself up, huffing and crossing her forelegs, her mane and back covered in mud.

Trixie tugs on her rope again, Twilight yelping as she is pulled back into the mud pit with a sucking slurp. She bounces back up, spitting mud out of her mouth as she pouts. Fluttershy replaces Trixie’s nine with a ten as Trixie cheers, “Wohoo! The Great and Powerful Trixie prevails again! All shall-”

Twilight’s horn lights, enveloping Trixie in a raspberry aura and dragging the madly struggling unicorn into the mud. Trixie sputters as she pulls out, shaking the mud off her face. She huffs until her eyes widen, hooves coming up to cover her face as a hatless Applejack cannonballs into the mud pit, covering all three with mud again.

Applejack reaches a muddy hoof up, snagging her hat out of midair before drawing all three into a hug. The crowd around them explodes in laughs and cheers, many heading to compete in the various contests themselves, partake in some of the refreshments, or see how long they can last against the Rain Blazer pie.

The four ponies drag themselves out of the mud, Rainbow Dash and Rarity helping clean them off. They walk up to the scoreboard, now standing at ten and ten, with Twilight winning the tiebreaker. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Doug are waiting for them there, happily and expectantly looking between the two unicorns.

Doug takes a step forward, motioning to the scoreboard, “Well, as you can see, Twilight wins the Iron Pony competition! A hard fought contest, congratulations to both of you!” He claps, the other ponies quickly joining in to cheer Twilight and Trixie.

Trixie steps forward, a slight incline of her head to Twilight, “You may have beaten me this time, Twilight, but I assure you that the Great and Powerful Trixie will have her revenge!” She throws a smoke bomb at her hooves, green and red smoke exploding out! The gathered ponies sputter and cough, futilely swiping away the smoke billowing in their faces.

“Just kidding!” Trixie says jovially as the smoke slowly clears, beaming at each of them. Rainbow Dash snorts in bemusement, her and Pinkie Pie jabbing Trixie in the side with a hoof as smiles are traded all around.

“All right, y’all, time for the serious part,” Applejack says, standing in the middle next to Doug. The rest of the mares quickly follow suit: Rainbow Dash, then Pinkie Pie are on Doug's left with Rarity, then Fluttershy on Applejack's right, forming a rough semicircle facing Twilight and Trixie. “Twi, you’re first.”

Twilight Sparkle steps forward, clearing her throat. “Applejack, Doug, mares of the herd. With your permission, I would like to join Herd Apple, sire Doug.” She steps back half a pace, a measured grin on her muzzle.

Applejack quickly glances across each mare, noting the eager smiles. She turns back to Twilight, solemnly saying, “Twilight Sparkle, Doug and Ah, and the rest of the mares are glad to welcome you into Herd Apple.”

Twilight prances forward, a relieved breath out as she stands next to Fluttershy. The stomp of hooves rings out around them, competing with the exuberant cheers of the surrounding ponies.

Trixie takes a step forward, nodding to Applejack. Applejack nods back as Trixie takes a deep breath. “Applejack, Doug, mares of the herd. With your permission, Trixie would like to join Herd Apple, sire Doug.” Trixie winks at Applejack’s slight frown, taking half a step backwards.

Applejack continues despite the slightly off wording, “Trixie Lulamoon, Doug and Ah, and the rest of the mares are glad to welcome you into Herd Apple.”

Cheers ring out again as the mares break formation, rushing forwards to pony pile around Trixie, pushing Twilight into the center as well. Rainbow smirks as she pulls the two new unicorns towards her, “Trust me, you two are going to love it here.”

Twilight winks at Rainbow, “And it’s my night first for some of that loving, right?”

Rainbow nods back, returning the wink, “Yeah, Twi. It sure is.”

68 Blessing of God

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August 17th, 1000 Domina Solaria

- Early that morning, inside Canterlot Castle -

Princess Celestia tries to take another sip from her extra large Buckstar coffee, grimacing at the few drops that remain. She looks back over the mounds of paperwork that her position seems to spontaneously generate, a measured sigh at how much still remains, then up to the grand balcony and the setting moon. Even with Princess Luna returning and able to take over at least some responsibilities, Celestia still finds herself forced to pull all nighters in order to keep on top of everything going on in Equestria. But, she learned long ago how much harder it is to catch up, and how much easier it is to keep abreast of every development.

Although, that isn’t the only reason she hesitates to sleep while the Princess of the Night is actively scanning the dreams of all. But, it isn’t like she hasn’t been pulling double duty for a thousand years or anything. You’d think she’d be more used to it by now. But, unlike the exponential growth she has cultivated with her magic, there do seem to be hard limits on her concentration and endurance. A pity, but so are many of life’s little mysteries.

Raven Inkwell bangs open the door to Princess Celestia’s office, dragging in yet another stack of reports from all over Equestria. The white unicorn stifles a yawn as she flicks back her brown mane hastily done up in a bun, her hoof nearly smacking into her thick glasses. “Srry,” she slurs, taking the empty coffee cup, a steaming replacement taking its place.

Princess Celestia grins, popping the top off and greedily drinking half of the heavily caffeinated beverage. She raises an eye at Raven, her assistant standing a little closer than usual. “Long night?” she asks, her keen eye noting the creased lines, the way her mane sticks out of its bun, the tired look in the unicorn’s brown eyes that occasionally flicker green if she watches too closely.

“The Night Court was particularly dry,” Raven responds, no longer hiding her yawn. “Though Moonbutt seemed oddly distracted.” She shakes her head as Princess Celestia raises an eyebrow, the first of the new reports already levitating up to the alicorn. “Sorry, she didn’t disclose anything. You’ll have to ask her yourself.” Princess Celestia merely nods, quickly scanning through the next several pages documenting the latest guard recruits and their training status. “You need anything else?”

“Mm,” Princess Celestia says, taking another long sip from the coffee. “I do not believe so. Good morning, Raven.”

“Yeah, sure,” comes the flippant response, the unicorn shaking her head. “What makes this one so special?”

“Call it a hunch,” Princess Celestia smirks as Raven exits through the doors she came in through. The white alicorn stands, serenely making her way to the grand double doors leading to the balcony. A hoof comes up, meeting the polished metal plate engraved with a setting sun. The other door holds a setting crescent moon, but it has been centuries since she has brought herself to press a hoof against it.

Celestia strides into the crisp night air, inhaling deeply as her gaze wanders to the dark storm above Ponyville. Lightning no longer flashes from one thunderhead to another, and the clouds themselves seem to be dissipating quite rapidly. Perhaps the pegasi might finish by the time her Sister arrives, certainly by the time the Sun is to be raised.

The high vantage point allows her sight to all of western Equestria, though it is a simple trick to peer through the Canterhorn should she wish to view the eastern seaboard. The flashing lights of the trains traveling across the inky blackness, many of the inbound red-eyes close to arriving in Canterlot, or if they had departed from the capital hours ago, about to reach their destinations. To the north, the snow capped mountains reflecting the light of the moon. And to the south, the empty Badlands and the lands that lay beyond.

The faint pop of slightly displaced air breaks her from her rumination. Celestia nods in greeting without looking over, the faint clop of heavy hooves against marble slowly getting closer.

“Something on your mind?”

Celestia smiles; it could have been either of them asking that question, but this morning it seems her sister has beaten her to the buck. “The same pressures as always, I suppose. The fruits of our vigilance.” She can feel the eyebrow of her sister raise, continuing, “But I must confess; I am curious. What is on your mind?”

“Raven told you.” The statement from Luna comes out perhaps harsher than her sister meant, though given the late night she can forgive her for it. She would not have appreciated the thought of somepony unfamiliar reading her too deeply, either.

Celestia merely nods in response. She watches as the last of the clouds are cleared from Ponyville, now looking as if nothing had happened during the night.

Luna snorts, staying silent for a moment longer before she says, “Thine student, Magic, hath made a fascinating revelation.” She clears her throat, “Perhaps more than one. In regards to Friendship, and the Elements.”

“Truly?” Celestia says, though she does not doubt her sister. “Perhaps…”

Celestia’s horn briefly lights, a brown, twine bound book with a few loose pages haphazardly sticking out appearing by her side. Lowering the moon and raising the sun seems an afterthought as she traces a hoof over the stars and swirl on the cover. She thinks through the spells contained within, especially the last…

The heavy sigh next to her finally gets Celestia to regard her Sister directly, noting the shake of Luna’s head. “While Magic may have learned some of Friendship, there is still much more. She is not ready, not for that.”

“I fear you are correct,” Celestia states, her own sigh carefully sequestered away. Her own eyes close, but not because of the light from the rising sun peaking above the Canterhorn. “And I fear more my pressuring her before she is ready.” Celestia turns to Luna, the book sliding a few inches forward.

“Thou trusts us to discern whence Magic is ready?” Luna stares at the book, her cobalt aura replacing Celestia’s gold.

“And to serve as a check on my own ambition for her,” Celestia responds.

“Very well.” The book fades in a flash of cobalt magic, Luna nodding to her Sister as her horn winks out. “It is late, and we must take our leave. Good day, Tia.”

“Good night, Lune.” Celestia watches forlornly as Luna takes off from the balcony, flying to her own tower. How much she wishes she could merely relax, to reminisce with her Sister on trivial matters. Alas, the price of playing with so many pieces.

A hoof comes up, pushing against the rising sun and swinging the door to her office open. The remaining quarter cup of coffee disappears as Celestia returns to the reports, wishing Luna had gone into more detail about what sort of epiphany Twilight had. Though, knowing her student, she would be sure to provide her with a detailed report. And there must have been something important happening that kept her from delivering it last night.

“Oh!” Celestia remarks aloud to herself, shaking her head. Spike had come here last night, and left on one of the outbound red eye trains in order to arrive at Ponyville in the morning. In which case…

As if on cue, a thick stack of letters appear in front of Celestia, a green wisp of flame accompanying the gray smoke. Celestia puts aside the rest of the reports in order to give Twilight’s letter the full attention it deserves. It starts off with the intricate details of the magical experimentation she had performed with Applejack and Rarity, and how it had nearly backfired. Celestia smiles to herself, recalling how she and Luna had experimented with channeling the magic of the other’s Elements, until that fateful night...

The door to her office opens, Raven Inkwell pushing breakfast and the day’s itinerary towards her. The white unicorn, her mane drawn up in a tight, flawless bun, frowns a little at the coffee container already on Celestia’s desk, remarking, “Doubling up already?” as she drops off the proposed laws, Day Court materials, and action reports from the borders.

“A rare indulgence I fear is getting more frequent,” Celestia says, gladly taking the coffee Raven is offering. “You seem well. How are things?”

Raven smiles, “Early pick me up, a tryst in one of the supply closets.” Raven pauses, “Do you still use that word?’

Celestia sighs at the indiscretion of her guards. Perhaps she should have Captain Armor perform another ‘surprise’ inspection. Though the tedium of ‘guarding’ herself would get to her, too. “If you must. It wasn’t you, I assume.”

“Of course not. But you might not want to take your chariot anywhere for the next hour or so.” Raven smirks, looking at the desk still filled with papers. “Ooh, a letter? I thought you mostly got those at night.”

“Filled with magical theory, I assure you,” Celestia says with a smirk. She returns to reading the letter as Raven’s green aura places the plates of pancakes, fruitcake, and heavy poundcake on her desk.

“Yeah, I’ll leave that to Evening. Anything else?”

“No, th-” Celestia abruptly stops talking as she gets halfway through the letter. Married?

“Sunb- Celest?”

Celestia clears her throat, “No, thank you, I do not need anything else.”

Raven slowly nods, her body raising up to better glance at the open letter. Celestia sighs; while regarding the letters to and from Twilight as ‘personal correspondence’ allows her to skirt many of the disclosure rules with the nobles, there are those outside of Equestria who argue that any piece of information that crosses her desk is subject to their oversight, at least without a clear and present danger overriding. Even when they themselves qualify as the danger those letters might concern. And it isn’t even her potential enemies that regard these letters as such, but her purported allies!

Hence why many of her more sensitive documents never cross her desk. But her most faithful student often had difficulty grasping what qualifies as ‘sensitive’ and what, while potentially scandalous, could safely be written down. Alas, the drawback of sparing Twilight the intricacies of court politics, and all the limitations placed on her. And may she never need to learn.

Celestia’s fond smile grows as she finishes the letter, Raven peeking past her glasses to read from behind her shoulder. Well, around her shoulder. Reading through the activities in which Twilight wishes to experiment with Doug; perhaps Celestia must confess that she is looking forward to those letters when they come. She glances to Raven, noting the euphoric grin. “I never knew you to be so fascinated with blossoming love; I always took you for partaking in the mature variations.”

Raven chuckles, now more charged than when she had entered the room. “Heh, got it in one. Well, if you don’t need any more help, I’ll be on my way.”

“Good morning, Raven.” Celestia happily reads through the letter again, joyously thinking to herself. She should get Twilight something to commemorate such a momentous occasion. But what would she get her? Celestia smirks; books? She lives in a library, and already has access to every level of the Royal Archives. A modest increase in her stipend is far too impersonal, even if it would help out tremendously with the Apple’s situation. Perhaps she will anyway.

Celestia glances around her office; it is extraordinarily convenient having four personal assistants, able to help out at all hours of the day and night. And able to stand in for the others should one need to recharge, or be recalled for some reason or another. Perhaps Twilight could use something similar? Especially if her new status as a member of Herd Apple pulls her away from her studies. And, knowing Doug and the rest of the herd, it certainly will.

Hmm, a second assistant? Celestia snickers to herself; possibly a third assistant, depending on how much Meringue continues to help out around the library. Like teacher like student, she supposes. Perhaps, should Spike continue in his morning routine and Meringue after school, then somepony, or somecreature, to help in the evening and night during her late study sessions.

69 The Union

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Twilight Sparkle snuggles up next to Doug, the two reclining against one of the walls on the upstairs of the Golden Oaks Library. ‘Spooning’, Applejack called it, one of the farmpony’s favorite positions, and she is quickly coming to realize why. Her back seems perfectly proportioned to nestle against his chest, his arms wrapping around her and holding her like a tightly bound book.

Both, in fact, have a book opened in front of them, courtesy of Doug’s two hands, allowing Twilight’s horn to remain unlit. The soft light of the candles and fireflies provides all the illumination they need in the quiet night. Whenever she finishes a page on her book she nudges Doug just slightly, and he is fast catching on to how rapidly she reads through the textbook on elementary thaumatics. Every time Doug finishes a page on his book, the latest Daring Do escapade, The Curse of the Jungle Queen, he scratches Twilight’s belly with the binding, propping it up just slightly in order to turn the page more easily.

And every time Twilight giggles a little louder, her eyes darting over to read the newly exposed pages. Her momentary discomfort at the exposed position was quickly mollified by the fact that they are alone in the library - Spike sleeping over at Rarity’s - and that they would be going far further than just ogling each other. That and every time his fingers caress her she can’t help but let loose the basest of moans. A real distraction, especially when she’s reading!

But it’s keeping him interested, and he seems perfectly happy letting her dictate the pace. They seem to be at a pretty good stopping point in the book as well, Daring Do just about to escape the temple with one of the lost rings of Scorchero. And this is, to her near perfect recollection, the only time Daring Do has actually kept her wings intact the entirety of an adventure, so you know something bad is going to happen to them. Especially with a quarter of the book left, Dr. Caballeron hot on her hooves, and still no sight of the aforementioned Jungle Queen aside from a few ambiguous hints in the temple.

“Well,” Twilight says with a content smile on her face as Doug finishes the chapter, “I’d say today turned out just fine, wouldn’t you?” She wriggles her head back and forth, rubbing her horn along his shoulder and neck.

“You call this just fine?” Doug replies with a touch of incredulity, his hands nearly letting the books fall and lose their place. It feels like he slumps behind her, a heavy sigh conveying just how disappointed he is in her. Or, hopefully, just her choice of words.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight says apologetically, carefully twisting her head to stare back at Doug. “I didn’t mean to imply that this was just fine, like it isn’t anything special, because it is, I just thought that with how I started my day, which is to say by saying that I knew today was going to be just fine, that I would cap that off by concluding the day by saying the day was just fine.” Her head meekly bows down just a little.

Twilight gasps as he actually does shut both of the books, hoping that he at least remembers where they are. His hands come up to her withers, pushing on one side and pulling on the other. She reluctantly twists the rest of her body, her hind legs awkwardly splaying behind her while her forehooves rest just inside his arms against his chest.

“Twilight,” Doug says firmly, one hand coming up to stroke her chin as he stares into her eyes, “I think the first thing you’ll need to do when you’re with me is lighten up a little.” He smiles, pulling her slightly confused head towards his own, a light kiss directly on her lips that lingers for a few seconds.

It isn’t their first kiss, by any means; they had snuck in a few after the Iron Pony competition, and then quite the number before and after they ate dinner with the entire herd at the Apple farmhouse. But it is the first one longer than a quick peck to the side of the face now that they are settled in the upstairs room of the library.

Twilight reluctantly kisses back, trying to place the twinkling in his eyes. “Are you sure? Because I really didn’t mean any offense, I was just trying to make a joke, and I realize now that you didn’t really know the backstory of why it would be funny. That you weren’t-” Twilight raises her hooves to make air quotes as Doug raises a finger to her mouth but holds back on actually silencing her “-‘in on it’, as the foals say. If you know what I mean.” Twilight gulps, “But not that, you know, you know what I mean mean.”

Doug’s pleasant smile fails to fade as both hands go to the sides of Twilight’s head, rubbing back and forth and getting her to nod. “Yes, Twilight, I get what you’re saying. You don’t need to apologize, not for that.”

“Oh.” Twilight stares at Doug for a few seconds before her smile returns, “It was a joke!”

“Yes!” Doug says, grinning as he nods once. “You’ll find that happens a lot with me. Especially when it’s just you and me, or any of the mares in the herd.”

“Right. How does that work?” Twilight raises an eyebrow, “I can’t imagine Applejack likes it when you foal around like that.”

“Yeah, before it was fine, she got to know when I was joking and not, but now that she’s the Element of Honesty she just, kinda, knows. There isn’t as much of the, hmm, camaraderie, that sense of knowing the other person well enough to know what they’re thinking, what they really mean when it isn't what they say.”

“Kind of like an in-joke! Like when I say that everything is going to be just fine!” Twilight grins, planting a kiss on Doug’s chest before she spins back around, again spooning in his lap. “I know that big things are going to happen, and it might seem bleak, but everything is going to work out in the end, even if things are different! Especially if things are different!”

“Exactly!” Doug smiles as he picks the two books back up, turning to the pages they were at before. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get to the part with the waterfall.”

Twilight’s face scrunches up in confusion, “Waterfall? What waterfall? Why do you think there is a waterfall?” She grabs at the Daring Do book; did she miss something, a piece of foreshadowing? She doesn’t remember anything, but she needs to reread it, just to be sure. “You didn’t read ahead on me, did you?”

“No, I was there." Doug huffs as Twilight snorts, her disbelief plain. "Well, um, how about this,” Doug stammers, flipping to the cover. “There!” He points at the picture, a tiny depiction of a waterfall out in the middle of the background jungle. He sighs at how pathetically benign the cascading water looks, saying, “Trust me, it's a lot scarier in person.”

Twilight snorts, pointing a hoof, “Really? You expect me to believe that you’ve been there?” Her sides ache as she tries to contain her laughter, “Next you’ll tell me that you went down that waterfall with Daring Do!” Twilight rolls her eyes, “You realize these are a work of fiction, right?”

Doug merely shrugs, “Sure, sure. And when a zebra shows up as the Jungle Queen, then what?”

“Then it sounds like you read ahead, and are trying to get me with another joke. Or you looked at the cover picture, and recognized that the hooded Jungle Queen looks sort of like a zebra shrouded in shadows.” Twilight nods knowingly, “A valiant effort, certainly. But I’m not falling for it this time.”

“Suit yourself,” Doug says, perhaps a bit more bluntly than she likes. The books come back up, though there is none of the pressure squeezing her sides. Her brow furrows; did she do something wrong, calling him out on one of his jokes, and he’s disappointed that she got it right?

Twilight groans, “This is like the no magic thing, isn’t it? That I should just trust you implicitly, even when you might be joking? Even when it seems like you really are joking?”

Doug sighs, the books coming down again. “I guess I didn’t think I was joking there, or gave any indication that I was joking. So it came off as odd that you took the statement as a joke.”

“Right. I guess I haven’t picked up on all your little quirks yet.” Twilight turns around to kiss him, happy the simple action gets his arms to squeeze her sides again. She turns back around, contentedly spooning in his lap again, “We just need more practice!”

“Heh, I like that a lot more than never joking around with you.” Doug leaves the textbook on the floor as he brings Daring Do back up, but neither seem terribly interested in the pages as his hand comes to scratch her head. “What sort of questions are on your mind?”

Twilight says, “So, I’ll assume for now, no evidence to the contrary besides the inherent absurdity, that you’ve been adventuring in the Everfree Forest.” Twilight gives the slightest frown as Doug tenses underneath her; had he really been through that? Maybe her prior assumptions needed updating. “What sort of adventures are you looking to have with me?”

“Well, I could always join you the next time you go ward off a dragon.” Doug puffs his chest out, one arm miming holding a shield out in front of the two of them as the other wields Daring Do as a sword, slicing back and forth.

“Ah, the Rainbow Dash method of getting everypony burned to a crisp. Classic.” Twilight smirks at Doug’s pout, “Maybe you should leave the dragon relocating to the professionals.”

“Okay, okay,” Doug grins, “I’ll leave that to those with years of experience kowtowing to their every whim.” He bows his head slightly, his hand waving out in front of him as Twilight rolls her eyes. “I guess I’m looking for the same sort of things with you that I have with Applejack and the rest of the herd. Quiet, pleasant nights like this, just relaxing with a good book and better company.”

“Better company than Daring Do books? You set a high bar,” Twilight dips her head down, getting one of his hands to return to her mane. “And you think I qualify for this, hmm?”

“I’d say so,” Doug says, a bit of huskiness in his voice.

“Mmm,” Twilight says, pushing her head into his fingers, twisting so he’s just behind her ears, nudging into the base of her horn. She thinks back to Spike when he first learned of her plan, and how unhappy she was that Trixie could answer the question but she couldn’t. “So, how many foals do you want?”

“One more than however many we have,” comes the glib response, Twilight’s eyes scrunching at the impossibility.

“So, I know you’re joking, because you’d either never be satisfied, and you don’t strike me like that kind of pony,” Twilight smirks at Doug’s nod, continuing, “Or, you’d want to keep having foals until we can’t, which is a lot of foals. And I don’t know if I want that many foals.”

“Got it,” Doug says, rewarding his mare with a hearty ear scratch. “I’m happy with however many foals you want, whenever you would like to start, but I would aim towards two or three instead of the more common single filly.”

“Three foals?” Twilight says, shaking her head a little at the profligacy. “That’s a lot. Way more than the one point three five foals per mare that’s been the country average for a long time. Where would they all go? What would they all do?”

Doug waves his arm towards the window, the rolling hills leading to the Unicorn Range, “Well, there’s lots of undeveloped land. So, found more towns like Ponyville, maybe even ones that grow to cities like Baltimare. The sky’s the limit, and in more ways than one.” The arm returns, resting lower on Twilight’s belly than before.

Twilight smiles at the vision her mind evokes, so she spins around and pushes Doug to the floor, again snuggling into his chest. She lightly kisses him, asking, “Could you see yourself moving out there, into the unknown frontier? Starting a new life away from all those that you knew growing up?”

“Hmm,” Doug says, considering his options for a few seconds as Twilight begins lightly pressing her barrel against him, slowly and rhythmically sliding up and down. “Well, Applejack probably wouldn’t want to move. But maybe; I mean, her grandparents and great grandparents uprooted themselves to come to Ponyville, so maybe she would. I don’t know that I would want to go through that sort of upheaval again, but I probably would.” He rubs into her back, a sly wink, “Especially with you all there. Besides, I think we both have a little experience with leaving everypony we know and going somewhere new.”

Twilight smirks back, “Well, with the good friends we have by our side, I’m sure we could get through it without any trouble at all. I would even go so far to say that everything would be just fine.” She glances towards the bed, grinning a little to herself, “And, speaking of upheaval, I think the sheets could look a little more like the hills outside, don’t you think?”

70 A Dab of Ink, Part One

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August 18th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“Nnngh!” Twilight moans through clenched teeth as Doug presses her barrel into the bed, his hands digging into her back. She squirms against the legs on either side of her, trapping her and keeping her locked in place.

“You okay there?” Doug asks as he lets up, his hands lightly caressing her shoulders. He goes to back off, though the raspberry aura around his hand keeps him from pulling away.

“It’s okay, that one just really hit the spot,” Twilight says with a touch of exasperation as her horn flares, a quill shading in another section of the unicorn musculature diagram next to them. Most of the pony is already hashed, or stippled, or lightly dotted, just a few more sections around her neck remaining.

“There is a spa in town, you know,” Doug says as he moves a little further up, starting off with gentle kneading. “I’ve never gone, but Rarity and Fluttershy both swear by it, when they have the bits to spare.” Doug leans in to whisper in Twilight’s ear, “And, for Rarity, even when she doesn’t. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Gossip? Ooh, what a naughty stallion,” Twilight smirks, though she is quickly rewarded by a harsh pinch. She dots in the second to last section, that spot not nearly as pleasant as the previous.

“It’s not gossip, it’s a way for the two of you to bond, and if you just happen to pay for her, I’m sure she’ll forgive you eventually,” Doug says with a cheeky grin. “And it’s not like she has a monogrammed towel and/or robe for you at the spa already.”

Twilight raises an eyebrow, “You sure? That seems like something Rarity would do.” She crosses off the last box, leaving the recording of the outcome of her neck massaging for the next time Doug spends the night at the library.

“Eh, she probably has it at the Boutique.” Doug’s hands slip to Twilight’s flanks, now working down her legs. “So,” he says seductively, giving her a light squeeze, “was there anything else you wanted to do before breakfast?”

“Again? Rainbow was right about you.” Twilight smiles as she gets up, “Besides, I think twice was just fine, don’t you?”

Doug rolls his eyes, releasing a slight groan, “You aren’t going to start every day with that, are you? It just seems like you’re, I don’t know, tempting fate a little too much.”

“Mm, well, if tempting fate got us together, then I say we could use a little more of it.” Twilight nuzzles Doug before turning back, “Besides, I was thinking that we would head out and find Spike.”

Doug chuckles as he motions to the small pile of scrolls Twilight has next to the bed, “I’m sure Celestia is eagerly awaiting your every word. Although, did you have to go into such detail? Even I got a little prudish towards the end.”

Twilight shakes her head, “Nonsense! It’s nothing that she hasn’t seen or done herself, I’m sure, except for the parts where it involves you.” At Doug’s diverting whistle, trying to conceal the grin on his face, she rolls her eyes, “Nice try there, Casanova. Now, do you want to stop at Sugarcube for some breakfast, or head straight to the Boutique?”

“I could go for some grub,” Doug says, stretching his arms and legs before striding to the shower. Twilight joins him for a quick rinse; while she has heard it is customary to leave the stallion’s musk on a mare, to let everypony know what has occurred, the whole town was there yesterday. So they should have a pretty good idea of what the two of them were up to last night. And again this morning. She prefers smelling like lavender, though she would concede that she doesn’t mind his musk too much.

Doug grabs his light pack, Twilight her saddlebags and letter to Princess Celestia, the two setting off. Sugarcube Corner, while packed, has Lemon seat them right as they walk in and then hoof deliver a massive breakfast. Twilight receives a large purple muffin with pink sprinkles, enough hay browns to make a meal all by itself, a bowl of mixed fruit, mostly apples, and a cup of steaming coffee, black, that Twilight quickly takes a sip from. Doug has hash browns, the same bowl of mixed fruit, a weird lumpy orange and yellow concoction that Doug explains is scrambled eggs and cheese, and a glass of orange juice.

A card is included, fancy dark pink writing on light pink paper. Twilight’s raspberry aura opens it up, Sweetie Belle’s hornscript reading,

‘Twilight, I hope this breakfast helps get back some of the energy you lost yesterday at the Iron Pony competition. Congratulations on winning, and I hope you can teach me how you got so strong at magic!

Sweetie Belle’

“Aww,” Twilight says, pulling out the picture and taking another long slurp of her coffee. Doug is sitting in the middle, Twilight and Trixie laying next to him with an arm around each. The foals are arranged to the sides, sitting in front of their dams, all beaming at the camera. “This is so thoughtful! But, how did they know we would eat breakfast here?”

“They didn't!” Pinkie Pie exclaims as she refills Twilight’s coffee, appearing out of nowhere. “Each of the fillies made one, then we shuffled them around to everywhere you might eat breakfast!” Her head draws even closer to Twilight’s, “So, you like it? Do ya? Do ya?”

“Aww, you didn’t have to do that,” Twilight says with a grin, fondly tracing a hoof over the picture and envisioning a tiny Twilight laying next to her. “And I do like it! Thank you so much!”

Pinkie Pie nods furiously, “Yes we did! Otherwise you’d be going to the Carousel Boutique, and you’d know Sweetie Belle’s present would be there! This way there’s still a prize and suspense! And you get to collect them all!”

Twilight, her smile still on her face, slowly shakes her head, “Oh, Pinkie, I don’t think it’s necessary to-”

Pinkie Pie reaches a hoof forwards, grabbing Twilight by the neck, the unicorn immediately ceasing her shaking as she glances down warily. Pinkie Pie glares at Twilight as she drawls out, “Collect them…”

“Okay, Pinkie, I’ll collect them all,” Twilight says hurriedly, breathing heavily as the pink mare releases her.

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie Pie exclaims as she pronks back behind the counter, a number of the ponies waiting in line starting to get a little agitated.

Twilight quickly makes her way through her breakfast, rereading the card and smiling again at the picture. “Do you think Princess Celestia will be as happy to read my report as I am to read this?”

“I think she’ll be even prouder,” Doug says, a hand reaching across the table to rub Twilight’s ear. “Speaking of, how do you think your parents took the news?” Twilight’s smile, while normally an excellent gauge of the mare who wears her emotions on her withers, seems to freeze in place. Doug glances over, raising an eyebrow as he appends, “Will take the news?”

“I didn’t tell them!” Twilight exclaims, her hooves coming up to the sides of her head to peel her face back, stretching her skin taut. “How could I forget to tell them?”

Doug shrugs as he leans back, “I just figured you ponies were way more independent, or you were far apart, or something. Never made a big fuss when any of the other mares joined the herd, just sent a letter. Everypony’s family is either out in Las Pegasus, stuck in their ways on a rock farm, or Cloudsdale, or Cloudsdale again, or constantly traveling. Or, um,” Doug coughs awkwardly, “Not with us any more.”

Twilight scrambles around, looking for any sort of spare paper to write a letter to her parents. And Shiny! And her old foalsitter, Cadance! And a few of her favorite professors! They would all want to know about this huge development in her life, and she hasn’t told any of them! She hasn’t even thought about telling them!

Could she just duplicate her letter to Princess Celestia? Ooh, but all those details, scattered through the entire thing! Her parents probably wouldn’t mind; well, Velvet would get a kick out of it while Night Light might chastise her a little for her adventurousness. And she shared everything with Shiny. But her professors wouldn’t be as appreciative. Maybe she could put it off, write them a separate letter later?

“Hey.” comes Doug’s voice, firmly and a little exasperated, like it isn’t the first time he is saying something. “Hey.” A hand returns to her ear, fingernails scratching into her scalp and breaking her from her trance. “You doing okay?”

“O-oh, I’m doing just fine,” Twilight ekes out between gasps. “Maybe we should just head back to the library! I’m sure there’s a note waiting for us, there in the kitchen! E-heh.”

Doug slightly shakes his head, “Hey, we’ll end up there. Now, we were going to see Spike, right? I’m sure there’s a letter for us at the Boutique, too!” He gets up, leaving enough bits as Lemon comes by to bus the table.

“Aww,” Twilight says, dreading having to send a letter that isn’t perfectly tailored to the recipient, though she gets up to follow Doug out anyway. Well, maybe if she just adds a cover letter or something short to her parents, then they’ll forgive her for her delay. Or is she better just taking the delay? But a normal letter would take a day or two, and while she doesn’t like using the Princess as a courier it might save enough face to have something delivered from the Princess. And they would appreciate it being the same report she gave to Princess Celestia, right?

The two arrive at the Carousel Boutique, the store not yet open for business. The front door opens regardless, Spike waving at them. “Good morning, Twilight!” the young dragon calls, beaming. He turns to Doug, “And, um… Should I call you Doug? Or dad? Sire seems a little off, since, you know…”

Doug squats down, almost able to look Spike in the eye, reaching a hand forward to rest on Spike’s shoulder. Spike glances down at the limb before turning back to Doug. “Spike,” Doug says with a smile, “You can call me whatever you are comfortable with.”

Spike says with a few halting pauses, “Okay, um, dad,” though he smiles at the end. He perks up as he says, “Breakfast is waiting inside!”

“Thank you, Spike!” Twilight says with a smile, though it gets a little forced as she continues, “But, we already ate at Sugarcube, so…”

“Oh, you got my card then!” Sweetie Belle calls from just inside the Boutique, pushing past Spike to beam at the two. Rarity is standing behind them, her purple mane and tail still in curlers, a wide smile on the mare.

“I did! Thank you so much,” Twilight says, though her expression drops a little at Spike’s disappointed frown. “It’s okay, Spike, I’m sure I have room for all of your delicious breakfast! You know exactly what I like!”

“Heh, that I do!” Spike says with a glance towards Twilight’s saddlebags. “Speaking of which, is there anything else you’d like me to do? Oh, and I have something for you, too!”

Spike pulls out a scroll as Twilight pulls out her letter to Princess Celestia. She quickly scribbles a note on the first page, telling the Princess to please forward a copy to her parents, Shining Armor, and Cadance, figuring the Princess would know how to get their addresses. The two swap papers, a gout of green flame scattering ashes to the wind.

Twilight rips open the ornate scroll, a shorter letter than she imagined Princess Celestia sending coming out. She gasps at the elegant hoofscript, the Princess having taken the time to write it out by hoof instead of dictating it, or writing by horn?! She beams, opening to the first line:

‘My dearest, most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

It has been one of the greatest of joys in my life to watch as you’ve come such a long, long way in your studies. Since that very first day that I met you, I eagerly anticipated your every growth. Watching you, to see what you might do, how you took on every challenge you’ve been through. And every time, every way that you have made me proud of you.

As you will no doubt come to find in the coming night, you will embark on a new change in your life. You are a grown mare, a new life beginning. I look forward, with the gladdest of hearts, as you go where you will go, and see what you will see, and for you to find what you will be.

May you find every destiny you desire fulfilled,

Princess Celestia’

Twilight stares at the letter for a few seconds before she sinks to the floor, sobbing, her hooves covering her face.

Doug reaches over, one hand softly rubbing against Twilight’s withers as he picks up the letter, reading through it. “Wow,” is all he can manage.

“She’s proud of me!” Twilight forces out through her tearful smile, turning to wrap Doug in a crushing hug. Rarity, Spike, and Sweetie Belle quickly join as she continues, “Best Day Ever!”

71 A Dab of Ink, Part Two

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A minute later and Twilight Sparkle lies, enveloped in the arms of her stallion, still softly crying tears of joy from Princess Celestia's letter, now resting in Doug’s hand. Sweetie Belle and Spike, though, are starting to get a little antsy at their proximity, especially with Rarity keeping a watchful eye on the two. That, and Twilight’s constant babbling is starting to get to them.

“This is so exciting!” Twilight repeats for about the fifth time, smearing another line of liquid across Doug’s chest. “Can you believe it?”

“Yes!” Doug replies happily, though his enthusiasm is starting to wane. Rapidly. “Very exciting! Can we please move?”

“Nope!” Twilight jauntily replies for the second time, again snuggling, this time wiping a bit of the drool from her mouth off on his chest.

“Ugh,” Spike groans, extricating himself from the pony pile, holding his stomach. “I don’t-”

Spike belches, releasing a puff of green flame that quickly settles into a tightly bound scroll. The rest of the ponies watch expectantly as Twilight’s horn lights, a slight frown as she unravels the binding. “Lighter than I thought,” she remarks, tracing a hoof over the ornate seal.

Twilight holds the letter up, reading aloud with a mix of excitement and trepidation, “Dear Twilight Sparkle, thank you for your most recent letter, though perhaps a few of the topics contained within are better suited for a face to face discussion over ice cream cake. As it so happens, the other intended recipients of your letter were already at the castle for an early breakfast, so it was no trouble at all to read your letter with them! Looking forward to further entries, Princess Celestia. P. S. Twily, this is your BBBFF. What?!”

Twilight rolls the letter back up, a throaty, “Hmm,” all that escapes.

“Well, you heard the Princess,” Doug says, pushing and prodding the lost in thought unicorn on top of him, stopping short of straight up lifting her into position. He glances over at Rarity’s roll of the eye, “What? Celestia said she wanted more entries.”

“Doug, you are incorrigible,” Rarity groans, her horn lighting and light blue aura encasing Doug’s hand. She lightly pulls the weakly protesting human away to the kitchen, “Besides, Spike made something special for you, and I would hate for it to go to waste, or get cold.”

Doug sniffs at the heavy amount of air freshener and cleansing charms around the kitchen table, atop which sits two plates. One, probably for Twilight, has still steaming stir fried vegetables and flowers atop a bed of rice and a cup of black coffee. The second plate is very similar, minus the flowers and coffee, with a glass of pear juice and a small log of sinewy material. Doug picks up the stick of charred fatty sausage, salivating as he takes one savory bite.

Rarity grins that her stallion is enjoying the meal, even if she isn’t thrilled at having the lingering stench in her kitchen. Sweetie Belle seems to have the same reaction she does, not yet reentering the kitchen and instead still sitting out in the store. Rarity’s horn lights as Doug finishes off the meat and sits at the table, a quick blast of Deception to clear the air of any unpleasant remnants.

Twilight and Spike enter the kitchen, Spike smiling at Doug’s reaction. “So, what’s it like? We special ordered it from Gerald, one of the griffon chefs at Canterlot Castle!” He leans in close, whispering, “They called it pork. What’s pork?”

Doug frowns, though Applejack had already let slip that Sweet Apple Acres raises pigs for slaughter. “Pig. It’s a bit fatty for my taste, but still very good. Did you cook it yourself?”

“Yup! Roasted it up like-” Spike rears back, releasing a burst of green flame, though he quickly starts coughing. He burps up a sparkly cloud of smoke that forms into a letter.

Doug takes the letter, reading aloud, “Dear Twilight. First of all, congratulations on your marriage! I’m sure you will find just as much joy as we have in ours, and with any luck just as brilliant foals! Speaking of our marriage, the other members in your family are quite interested in meeting Doug, and so we will be taking the next train to Ponyville. See you soon! Love, Velvet.”

Twilight’s eyes widen. “The next train to Ponyville arrives in six hours! That’s not nearly enough time to prepare! Ooh, they’re going to be so disappointed in me! And that will ruin their first impression of you, and they’ll disown me, and never speak to either of us ever again!” She flops to the floor, hooves wildly gesticulating at nothing in particular.

Doug deadpans, “Sounds like an unmitigated disaster to me.” He nonchalantly starts on the rest of his breakfast, a fork spearing some of Twilight’s and guiding it towards her mouth, Doug making little airplane noises.

Twilight grunts, rolling to her hooves as Sweetie Belle and Rarity snicker. “It’s not an unmitigated disaster! Or, rather, it is totally mitigatable, we just need to get everything ready!” She reluctantly takes the bite of rice, grumbling as her horn lights and takes the fork from his hand.

“Or we need to eat our breakfast.” Doug holds up a picture, showing Twilight and Rainbow grinning in the mud pit, Applejack laughing as a terrified Trixie levitates over, about to be dunked as well. “Two of eight!” Doug raises an eyebrow at Spike’s cough, “Nine?” Spike nods, Doug resolutely saying, “Nine.” He holds out the coffee cup, Twilight’s horn snagging that as well.

“There’s no time for that! We need to-”

One pink hoof erupts out of Twilight’s coffee cup, the front of Pinkie Pie’s head quickly following and splashing coffee down the sides. She shakes a hoof at Twilight, a deep, ominous, darkly intoned, “Collect them all…” before her tongue laps out, licking up the coffee rolling down the sides and exclaiming, “Juicy!” as she sinks back down into the dark depths.

“What?” Twilight exclaims, debating dumping out the clearly full coffee cup and inspecting the insides and just rolling with it like the rest of the ponies are doing. “How can you just-” Twilight cuts herself off as Doug just sort of shrugs.

“You seem stressed,” Doug calmly states, less a question and more an order as one hand comes up to find spot forty two on her back. Twilight's composure morphs faster than Pinkie Pie disappearing into the cup, her tongue lolling out, nearly losing her grip on her coffee, the fork clattering to the ground. “How about you take Rarity to the spa, get you ready for your parents visit. I’ll come by after I get the rest of these pictures, they’ll make a nice little scrapbook.”

“Okay,” comes the heady reply, Twilight’s eyes rolling up as she pants. Doug’s hand lets up, Twilight rapidly coming to and glancing at the beaming unicorn mare next to her.

“Oh, you’ll love it at the spa! I go there every week, and I have a robe for you and everything!” Rarity grins, her horn lighting, a light blue aura flying two white robes through the air. They are nearly identical except for the dull gold trim and embroidered R on one of them, the other a plain white. “Now, I can modify the trim on yours to whatever color you would like, and potentially monogram a T, or an S, or really whatever you would like on the flank as well.”

“Um, plain white is fine for me,” Twilight says noncommittally.

Rarity’s face falls faster than Big Mac off a rickety wooden platform. “So. Another Applejack, hmm? We can’t have that, darling, now can we?” Rarity shakes her head, not waiting as she answers her own question, “Definitely not. Now, I am partial to yellows, they complement my purple mane perfectly, and would go very well with your coat or mane, though the best shade for you might be closer to an orange. But, we could go a little further out and try…”

Rarity hangs the two white robes on a chair, her horn blasting the solid white trim into a light green. She purses her lips slightly, her horn blasting again and again, the shade of the green changing almost imperceptibly every time. Her smile rebounds like Rainbow Dash off the end of a diving board, “Oh, I think that would be lovely, don’t you? It goes very well with the pink stripe in your mane!” Many strips of fabric levitate over, Rarity comparing them to the robe and selecting the lime green that best fits, “Remind me to thank Trixie, it was far easier to manifest my vision than pulling out all that fabric.”

“Well, you two have fun,” Doug says as he partially stands, his plate empty. He shares a quick nuzzle with Rarity and Twilight, then Sweetie Belle, and bumps fist to claw with Spike. “See you at the spa!”

Rarity quickly fashions Twilight an elegant robe, fussing over the purple unicorn as she finishes her second breakfast. Sweetie Belle heads off to school, walking and chatting with Spike as Rarity and Twilight head to the Ponyville Day Spa. The green roofed building, all charming curved arches and happy pink windows, sits close to the center of Ponyville, a short walk for the two.

Inside, Twilight levitates her bits to the counter of the Pony, a brief smile and nod to Aloe. The pink mare smiles back, shaking her blue mane tied back with a towel towards the chalkboard listing in swirly pink calligraphy the various massages and services offered today.

Twilight turns, a slight smirk at Rarity for beating her herdmate to paying, “So, what service are we requesting?”

Rarity hesitates, eyes glancing between Twilight and the bag of bits on the counter. She desperately wants to pay for the two, but she has to let her friends be generous too, right? “Oh, well, for one’s first session I would always recommend their full service, if only to get an idea for every treatment they have and which massages you like.” She continues as Twilight doesn’t leap at that suggestion, “Now, I myself almost always go for the steam room, a mud bath, and a horn filing, among other things, and I think that you would enjoy all of them!”

“Oh, well, maybe we can just go with your usual, then,” Twilight says as she reads through the various other things included with the full service. “I don’t know if I want another deep tissue massage, after what Doug did.”

Rarity winks at Twilight, “Mm, he tries, but what he possesses in dexterity he lacks in, how shall I say, presentation. He’s always so quick about it, eager to jump from one activity to another! This is our chance to relax!” Rarity nods to herself, her smile growing as she says chipperly to Aloe, “Two for my usual, thank you!”

Aloe nods, leading the two unicorns back to one of the further, more intimate, and completely empty steam rooms. Both lie down, resting just above the hot water, deep inhales of the fragrant aromas from the oils and lotions around them. Rarity sighs loudly above the hiss as Lotus Blossom pours some secret scented material from a bucket into the pool.

Several minutes later Twilight’s ears perk up, the muffled voices barely audible from the front auspicious only because of their familiarity. “No,” Twilight breathily huffs out, one of her eyes twitching. They can’t be here already!

The door to the steam room opens, Aloe ushering three ponies shrouded in steam inside as her heavily accented voice belts out, “No worry about sign. You all family! Now go, go!” Aloe waves at the two unicorns already inside, then motioning for Lotus to follow. Lotus pours another cup into the pool, the steam billowing up again, before the spa pony takes her leave.

“Twilight Sparkle!” they ring out as the three unicorns step forward.

The only mare is in front, her purple and white striped mane and tail done up in a towel, but her bangs are a dead ringer for Twilight Sparkle’s. Her gray coat is similarly hidden under a white bathrobe, which she immediately slips out of as she bounces down to the edge of the pool. Her horn lights, the same purple as the three stars on her flank, as she lowers herself down to the inches of scalding water that barely cover the tops of her hooves.

Just behind her is a blue coated stallion, his azure slightly darker than Trixie, with a darker blue mane combed off to the side. He keeps his robe on as he walks up to the pool, laying down next to Twilight, his yellow eyes twinkling as his mouth curls to a large smile.

Warily bringing up the rear is a large stallion, his coat just a shade darker than pure white. His mane is patterned similar to Twilight’s but in dark and light blue streaks instead of purple and pink. His teal eyes inspect every inch of the room as if expecting somecreature to be lurking in the shadows made by the billowing steam clouds. His vigilance doesn’t fade as his face turns a slight green as he gets close to the pool, as if he is still recovering from some sort of sickness.

“Hello!” bravely returns Twilight, one hoof coming up to greet her parents and brother.

72 A Dab of Ink, Part Three

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“Soo,” Twilight Sparkle draws out as she tries to stay completely relaxed. She can’t give in to that desire to panic! She needs a checklist. Where’s a checklist? Why doesn’t she have a checklist, at least of the activities they will do at the spa? “You’re here early...ier than I expected.”

The white stallion doesn’t take his eyes from the floor as he groans, “Hey there, little sis. We took a chariot, since we wouldn’t have made the train. And we made it!” He coughs, his face turning a little greener. “We made it. Apparently Princess Celestia ordered her personal chariot to take us here at full speed. Something about instilling a little more discipline in them.” He huffs, “You’d think as Captain of the Guard I instill enough discipline in them, but apparently not.”

“Right, right,” Twilight Sparkle says, barely listening as she looks over the four unicorns. And certainly not wishing she had a checklist of what to do when the parents meet the herdmates. Maybe there’s a book for this sort of situation, but she hasn’t seen one in the library before. Oh, if only she had finished her Starkle sorting system! Surely a stallion as well endowed as Star Swirl the Bearded - intellectually, of course - had this sort of thing down!

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, dear?” the gray mare’s voice melodically lilts, just a touch of exasperation as she lounges in the steaming pool, propping herself up with her forelegs to better look Twilight in the eye. At Twilight’s brief hesitation she gracefully reaches a hoof forward to Rarity, though her eyes convey an unexpected hardness. “Twilight Velvet. This is Night Light, and our elder son Shining Armor.” Velvet pauses for a brief moment, noting the comprehension and recognition at the last name on Rarity’s face. “So. You must be Rarity. Were you the one who offered to bring my Sparkle here?”

Rarity gives a stuttered laugh, a short ‘heh’, as she finds herself the focus of those glinting eyes. “I-if you mean here as in, to the Ponyville Day Spa, then, yes! Yes I was. We thought it would be a very relaxing, um, way to relax.” She reaches a hoof forwards, “Before, you see-”

Twilight Velvet grips Rarity’s hoof like a steel vice, not at all the velvet glove Rarity expected, abruptly drawing the startled unicorn in to inspect her frightened eyes from scant inches away. “Hmm,” comes a disappointed grunt, rumbling from the back of the gray mare’s throat. “Gee, I too thought that coming to Ponyville would be quite relaxing. You’ve got the Everfree Forest, and some marvelous rapids I couldn’t wait to dive off, just like the latest Daring Do! But, enough about me and what I wanted to do here!” Velvet smiles at Rarity, “You are second mare, correct?”

“Yes,” Rarity says, finding a bit of her confidence returning as Velvet does not release her hoof. She’s dealt with pushy clients before! The rumble returns, Rarity puffing herself up in indignation.

“You don’t strike me as the sort of mare who would have worked and strived for lead position. No.” Velvet shakes her head as if to confirm her statement, not making eye contact with Rarity but instead staring off, her gaze occasionally flicking towards Shining Armor. “Was this by choice, or did you fail to read the fine print? I know I’ve been guilty of that in the past. Mostly with liability waivers, you know.”

Rarity finds her already forced smile now painful to keep intact. On one side, Twilight Sparkle still seems to be indecisive as to how to deal with her dam, cringing and mewling to herself like a foal. On the other side, Sparkle’s sire is offering no assistance to her, merely watching Velvet as if he has seen this before. Sparkle’s brother still looks to be airsick from the ride here, half a good jostle from sprawling out on the floor. She opens her mouth to retort just as Velvet continues.

“But, as I always say, second mare is second to none! It’s a great spot to be in, don’tcha know. One I myself occupy, as it allows me the opportunity to engage in many other activities, or steal away whenever I wish to go on grand adventures, and not have to deal with the tedium and conflicts inherent in running a herd. You run your own business, yes?”

Rarity merely nods, trying to navigate where this conversation is heading, and mostly failing. Well, pretty much all failing. Is she supposed to stand up to Velvet? Just roll with it like Doug would? Apologize for having her own life?

Velvet smiles condescendingly, “Probably doesn’t leave much time for pursuits in the herd, hmm? I heard that your lead mare doesn’t even schedule your stallion!”

Rarity raises an eyebrow quizzically, her words spilling out, “They aren't unhappy, if that's what you are insinuating. And how do you even know what?” Velvet motions to Sparkle, Rarity’s flash of anger disappearing as she nods in understanding. “Ah. She must have written about how Fluttershy gave her the amended schedule after she joined.”

“Got it in one.” Velvet eyes Rarity with slight disdain, “Hear that, Sparkle? I know how much you like making schedules. Oh, who am I foaling, everypony knows how much you like making schedules! Maybe you could step up to the bit, take the reins on those?”

Twilight Sparkle sheepishly looks at Rarity, smiling through clenched teeth, “Um, I haven’t considered that, dam. I did just join the herd, after all.”

“Nonsense, darling!” Velvet raises a hoof, punctuating her statements with a tap against the wood, “It shows initiative! Dedication! A real interest in something you are excited by, yes?”

Twilight Sparkle stutters, “Oh, um, maybe? It does sound like fun.”

Rarity clears her throat, “Perhaps it is something we can bring up at the next weekly meeting.” She glances up at knock on the door to the steam room, quite thankful for the interruption.

Doug peeks his head in, smiling at seeing Twilight and Rarity. Doug steps inside, “Ah, glad I got the right room this time. You wouldn’t believe how awkward it is to introduce yourself to three ponies you don’t know, start talking for a bit and then find out they’re the wrong group. Though that they were mostly pegasi probably should have tipped me off.” Doug grins, but his happy expression slowly fades at the serious look on the three mares. “So, um, I’m Doug. Doug Apple.”

Twilight Velvet glances to Twilight Sparkle before shifting around to better regard Doug. Her eyes trace over his body like a mountain climber searching for every solid hoofhold and treacherous spot of loose gravel. She finally sighs, speaking up, “It seems my little filly is still too tongue tied to do the deed. Twilight Velvet, pleasure to meet’cha.”

“Likewise,” Doug replies with a smile, though he pauses slightly as he moves forward to bump her hoof. “Your voice sounds oddly familiar.”

“Don’t know who you’re talking about there,” Velvet says with a slight smirk as they bump hooves. “Never heard it meself.”

“Heh, I’ve said the same thing about my dad,” Doug says as he sits down cross-legged, turning to the blue unicorn stallion.

“And I’m where Twilight got her fascination with the night sky! Night Light, at your service.” The blue unicorn bows, Doug inclining his head in return. Night Light continues, a hint of a smile playing on his face, “Did you know that there are exactly ten thousand stars visible in the night sky? Every one with a name?” His horn lights, the lamps in the room briefly going dark. All of a sudden hundreds, then thousands of tiny pinpricks of light appear around them.

“I can believe that,” Doug says in awe, glancing up at the ceiling and the resulting mosaic. It depicts, in excruciating detail, the entirety of the night sky, thousands of tiny specks of white amid a sea of cobalt, a large crescent moon that seems to flicker between pure white and a rocky depiction of the Mare in the Moon, as if the stallion himself is having trouble deciding whether or not she belongs there.

Night Light continues, “Princess Celestia lights every one of them one by one, though she goes so quickly you might never notice. But she never lights them in the same order. In fact, of the ten thousand stars that Princess Celestia - well, now Princess Luna - light every night, she has never once had any one star follow the same star twice.”

Doug, slightly wowed, exclaims, “That’s! That’s…” He trails off, his eyes scrunching as a hand comes up to stroke his chin. “Hold on.”

Night Light barely turns his head to wink at Twilight Velvet, the mare rolling her eyes just slightly in return. Twilight Sparkle grins, having worked through the math on this particular brain teaser before.

“That doesn’t sound quite right,” Doug says hesitantly, now making little hash marks in the air with a finger. “No,” he says with finality, “That’s impossible.”

Night Light, his thin, reedy voice straining to stay straight, “Excuse me, I do believe that I’m the resident astrologer here, and in charge of coordinating the unicorns who would do the exact thing we’re talking about should Princess Celestia be incapacitated for any reason.” He lets a touch of anger slip as he says, “You don’t think that I know what I’m doing?”

“I think your math doesn’t add up,” Doug says neutrally, focusing his attention on Night Light. “Celestia’s been doing this for a thousand years. Even if there is a way to get all ten thousand numbers to line up with each other perfectly, so that there is never a repeat between any of them - and I can’t prove it, but I don’t think there is - then, at the very least, after thirty years you run out of numbers.”

“He’s got you there,” Velvet says, finally allowing a smirk to spread across her face like a crescent moon.

“Thanks, Twi,” Doug says, not noticing that it wasn’t his Twilight that spoke. “Maybe if you had a billion stars to potentially choose from,” Doug starts, though he stops as Night Light walks up and puts a hoof around his shoulder.

Night Light smiles as he pulls Doug off to the side, “Heh, you know, I think you’re the first pony without a degree in mathematics to call me out on that. Most ponies just go with the flow and nod along.” Twilight Sparkle beams at her dam, Velvet returning a grudging nod. Night Light gets a far off look in his eyes, just wandering from one star to another. “I just love putting everything in order! Finding the perfect place for every little letter and number.” He turns to Doug, “You do something similar? I heard you’re a working stallion, like me. And Shining Armor over there.”

“Yup!” Doug replies, relaxing as Night Light’s aura of stars fades, glancing over at the white unicorn still slowly recovering. “I work with our lead mare Applejack on the farm, Sweet Apple Acres. Mostly doing logistical stuff, but as a farmhand - sorry, farmhoof - too. And then I work with Cloudsdale, figuring out the weather for the various towns and cities across Equestria. Scheduling what weather they’re going to have, and some of the towns even have me play pit boss, determining which pony works which shift.”

“Really? Those feather brains finally decide to let somepony else take care of their analytics, huh?” Night Light shakes his head, “Well, good on them. Sounds like a fascinating job, lots of fun, but I’ve been told that I like doing things other ponies don’t have the mind for. But, that’s the best part about life, isn’t it? Finding some niche you like doing that others don’t, and getting paid for it.”

“Never work a day in your life,” Doug says with a grin, reaching over to bump hooves with Night Light. He glances over to Shining Armor, the large, muscled unicorn finally recovering from his airsickness. “I bet you enjoy what you do, too.”

“Not as much as it sounded like you enjoyed doing my little sister,” he says forcefully, trying to keep a steady glare in his eyes, though his bluster is crippled by the twinge of green around his cheeks.

Doug merely chuckles, a wry smile, slowly nodding his head as he barely shrugs his shoulders. He glances at Night Light, noting the similarities between the two stallion’s voices.

“Aww,” Shining Armor moans, lightly stamping a hoof on the floor, miffed at the lack of quivering fear he was going for. “I worked on that line the whole ride here! And I had a lot of time to do that! Since I, um, wasn’t trying to keep my breakfast intact the entire time.”

“Bummer.” Doug glances back to Sparkle and Velvet, the two casually listening in on them. Velvet has a knowing smile while Sparkle seems a little anxious at the turn in their conversation. “Long flight? I can’t stand the chariots either, but that’s because I know I’m seconds away from falling in a giant lawn dart.” He pauses for a second, remarking to himself, “Maybe I just need a parachute or something.”

Shining Armor snorts, “Yeah. Used to love flying around, too, always zipping around on a shield! I’d take a chariot if I had to, but much like Twily here and her teleporting, there’s something about moving around on your own power that can’t be beat. But then one day I took a tumble, and ever since then I haven’t been able to look at a chariot without feeling a little green.”

Doug can’t help but chuckle to himself, “Silver stallion shield surfing? Sounds superbly sublime.”

Shining Armor grins as he nods, “It’s hard to keep your concentration doing it, but a fun vantage point for a unicorn.” He shakes his head, “But, yeah, Captain of the Guard over here. Stationed in Canterlot, where I met…” Shining Armor trails off, looking at Twilight Sparkle, his eyes briefly flickering to a hard glare before they relax, now neutral as he continues. “Princess Celestia. She got me dueling with the Prince a few times, practicing my shields when I was an early recruit. After he left for a tour Princess Celestia started pushing me up the ranks, finding tutors for me even though I was in school, that sort of thing to help speed me along. Hard times, grueling work, but it made me the mare I am today!”

“Right on,” Doug says, offering a hoof that Shining Armor bumps. “Might have heard a couple stories about you, good to put a face to the name.”

“Oh?” Shining Armor drawls out, though his smile and eyes say he knows all about what Doug is talking about, but the confidential conversation hasn’t reached the other unicorns in the room. Except for Rarity, she has a knowing smirk about her. “Really.”

Doug doesn’t seem to catch on, though. He gets a few words in, only uttering “Yup. Cay-” before Shining Armor cuts him off.

Shining Armor’s forces a laugh out, “Cay-n’t say that I quite know what you mean, Doug.” The human gets the hint this time, shutting up. Shining Armor pointedly looks at Twilight Sparkle, “I mean, you can’t just forget to tell your family about such a big event in your life, right?” Shining Armor grins at his sister, “So, it’s not like this is going to come around and nip you in the flank, you know?”

73 A Dab of Ink, Part Four

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“I certainly hope not!” exclaims Twilight Sparkle, looking ready to burst with excitement. She rapidly motions for Doug to come over, her stallion quickly sitting between herself and Rarity, his hands automatically coming up to rub their sides. “So, my parents gave me this problem a long time ago, too.”

Doug raises an eyebrow, settling down next to her, Rarity looking quite interested as well. “Really? When?”

Sparkle considers for a second before she says, a little self consciously, “Um, I was about four or so. And, it turns out, there is a way to order all the numbers so that they never repeat after another!” She brightens up a little, her figurative teaching hat made manifest as she doodles in the steam. “And it doesn’t matter how many numbers there are, either! So you’d only need about four hundred thousand stars, instead of a billion, for Princess Celestia to have never repeated herself.”

“Yeah, even keeping track of ten thousand sounds like an astronomical problem,” Doug says, shaking his head. “How does it work?”

“Yes, it…” Twilight Sparkle pauses for a second before she snickers to herself. “So, you have your sequence of numbers, right? Like, one through ten.” As she speaks, ephemeral numbers swirl through the steam around them, “Then, all you do is swap every pair of numbers. So, then you’d have two, one, four, three, six, five, etcetera. Right?”

“Right,” Doug says, both him and Rarity nodding along, watching the numbers dance and play like Applejack’s family at a square dance.

“Then, you skip the first and last number and swap the rest of the pairs. So now you have two, four, one, six, three, and so on. And you just go back and forth from there until you have all of the sequences, a total of ‘n’ minus one.”

Doug shakes his head in amazement, “Well, there goes my respect for Celestia, for not using a more complex method of tracking all of her stars. For shame, Celestia. For shame.”

Night Light smirks at Doug’s impropriety, “The method works for an odd number of ‘n’, too, again with ‘n’ minus one possible sequences.”

"This is really fascinating stuff. Though," Doug shakes his head as he grins, a wink to Twilight, "I wonder if our foals will break that record."

“Oh, dear, now there’s three of them,” exclaims Velvet, though her pleasant smile belies her words. Even more so when Sparkle sticks her tongue out at her and Velvet returns the gesture, just half an inch peeking out of each of their mouths.

Six sets of eyes go to the door as Aloe peeks in, the pink mare’s carefully set smile motioning them out. “You wish mud mask for each, yes?” She turns, trotting away. Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Night Light, and Shining Armor each file out of the room, following the spa pony to the next activity.

Doug hesitates as Shining Armor exits the room. Twilight Velvet is struggling a little to get out of the waist deep walls of the steam pool. Her wet hooves scrape against the wood, offering little purchase to the gray unicorn uselessly scrabbling back and forth. He reaches a hand forward, gripping her foreleg and bracing himself to pull her out.

When Doug’s efforts don’t move the mare, and he instead finds himself gracelessly dragged closer, his eyes widen. Heat radiates from the steam pool, still sending up clouds of white, but it is nothing compared to the furnace blazing scant inches away from him. He limply pulls his hand, only to find himself petrified as the steel grip tightens around his wrist.

“Oh, golly, sometimes I just don’t know my own strength!” Twilight Velvet intones apologetically with a chuckle, her eyes twinkling merrily. “Just like there are so many things I don’t know about you! Like, what kind of things do you do for fun, or what makes you think that you can just go and marry my Sparkle, or will they ever find your body if you hurt her?”

“Um,” Doug says, his eyebrows raising at the last one. The mare holding onto his arm threatens to pull him into the scalding water she is casually standing in, resting all of her weight on him. Her cheery expression never fades, like she could go through with her threat and sleep easily afterwards. He finds none of the courage he had facing Shining Armor, or even Granny Smith back in the day; she seems gravely serious in a way the other two couldn’t pull off. “You’re…”

“Joking? Oh, no, I would never joke about the places I’ve gone on my adventures. I’ve stumbled across all sorts of places big enough to hold your body, don’tcha know. Out of the way, too, that nopony had stumbled across in a gross of fortnights! And I know because, well, let me tell ya, there were some relics in those tombs that sure hadn’t been! All covered in cobwebs and grime and pieces of the previous owner!”

“Well,” Doug says, trying to bring a little command to his voice as he strains against her hoof, bracing himself as she seems to get heavier and heavier, “I can’t exactly promise that I won’t ever hurt your Sparkle, but-”

Velvet merely chuckles, “Oh, spare me the load about how foalin’s alotta pain and hurt. She ain’t gonna remember half of it, and she’ll blame herself for wanting it anyway. No, I’m talking about the kind of hurt that comes from sitting alone late at night, staring out the window and wishing he was with you again. But when you only get your turn four nights a fortnight?”

The fight leaves Doug as Velvet zeroes in on his biggest fear, one he had even when it was only Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash in the herd. His heavy sigh is quickly replaced by fear as Velvet’s horn flares, a quick, “What the-” escaping his lips.

His body, gripped by a cerise aura, slides across the wooden floor. He flips over the edge, finding himself suspended a foot above the bubbling water of the pool. His skin tingles from the heat, dreading the burns should she drop him face first into the steaming depths.

“Well then, what are you gonna do about that, to keep that from happening to my Sparkle? Hmm?” Velvet dips him a little lower, his nose now inches away from the pool.

“I don’t know,” Doug says gruffly, trying to not give in to his dread as his arms splay out to the sides. “I’ve always tried to spend as much time as I can with each of them. But, there’s only one of me. And the foals, and-”

Doug’s head drops a little lower, the tip of his nose briefly dipping into the hot water. It leaves him sputtering, his head rearing back to try to escape the heat.

“Perhaps that should have been a little closer to the front of your thoughts when you pressured my Sparkle to join then, hmm?” Velvet levitates Doug back up, again suspending him a foot above the water.

“I didn’t ask her to join,” Doug nearly spits out as one hand carefully rubs the slightly pink spot on his nose. “She, Applejack and Rarity made that decision. The rest agreed. I wasn’t opposed, of course, but… I went along with it.”

Doug finds himself lowering into the pool again.

“But not unhappily!” he quickly appends, debating if struggling against the magic holding him in place would do any good, or if disrupting it would just drop him into the boiling pool regardless. “Last night was clearly evidence of that, right? I wanted it to happen. I had plenty of time to get used to the idea while she was competing!”

“Oh, she told me all about the troubles you all put her through. And those are nothing compa-”

A deep voice from above the two silences Twilight Velvet. “Agent Fortnight, I believe this is the proper procedure for interrogating hostile subjects.”

Twilight Velvet looks up, her eyes narrowing. Doug strains to turn his head, spotting Shining Armor levitating, each hoof on a pink shield, none of the airsickness from before showing. “I wondered why I didn’t hear anything after the door shut,” Velvet says, her own horn flaring brighter. “And you should have seen the way he came at me!”

Shining Armor’s neutral glare stays set as if carved in stone despite Velvet’s chuckling.

“Besides,” Velvet says as she and Doug levitate upwards, courtesy of her cerise aura, “it’s not nearly as fun just sitting around talking, don’tcha know.” She unceremoniously dumps Doug onto the damp floor. Doug tests his hands and feet, as if unsure that they would hold him. She asks, though it is hard to call her cheery voice condescending, “See? He’s fine. It’s almost like you’ve done this before.”

“Yeah, you’ve got nothing on Chr… cah-razy ponies like Pinkie Pie,” Doug says, nervously scratching his neck. “If you’re late on one of her festival feedback forms, she treats it like you broke a promise or something.”

A big bunch of bubbles begin brimming, bubbling up as Pinkie Pie bursts from the boiling bath, barking, “Forever!” before she bores back below.

“My point exactly,” Doug says flatly.

“So, how about we take this down a notch, just share the love,” Shining Armor says, wrapping a hoof around Doug and giving him a friendly squeeze. “We both know you’re going to take good care of Twily, right?”

“Right,” Doug says, cautiously nodding along, unable to budge the foreleg that keeps caressing his neck like a boa constrictor.

“Then we’ve got nothing to worry about!” Shining Armor gives Doug a large, faked grin, flexing his foreleg. “Besides, I know you can keep a secret.”

Twilight Velvet raises an eyebrow.

Shining Armor drags Doug around so both of them are facing Sweet Apple Acres, vaguely motioning with his other hoof as he continues, “Yeah. You see, Doug here has been helping Cady with that fertility problem she and Princess Celestia share. You know the one.”

Velvet nods, her composure remarkably guarded.

“And it’s no secret that Cady and I are together. Well, not together together, we haven’t made that particular leap just yet. But, with any luck, Princess Celestia will finally finish her testing. Once we’ve got her assurance that it will work, we’ll be married as soon as we can get the paperwork signed!” Little hearts spring up in Shining Armor’s eyes, replacing his pupils, as he beams. His hoof comes to his chest, pressing against his own heart, a heavy, pleased sigh escaping the stallion’s lips. “And we’ll have a great big wedding, with lots of music and dancing and dresses and cake! Oh, there's going to be so much cake!” He begins swaying back and forth, Doug along for the ride.

“Why not get married before that?” Doug asks, resigned to his position as teddy bear to be dragged around.

Shining Armor’s exuberant happiness fades as he drops back to reality, “Well, in case Princess Celestia’s spell doesn’t work. Same reason Princess Celestia never got married in her eleven hundred years ruling. We can still make a public profession of love for each other, but if our union doesn’t produce any foals?” Shining Armor’s voice fades to almost nothing, “Then she wants to keep her options open. In case, well, she needs you.”

“Oh,” is all Doug can say as the foreleg around his neck loosens, his own hand coming up to rub the sore spot. Several seconds pass, Shining Armor staring at the wall while Twilight Velvet frowns for possibly the first time since she got there. Doug quietly continues, his tone apologetic, “So, studding isn’t an option, then.”

“No.” Shining Armor shakes his head, his voice flat. “Not with me married to her, regardless of how much we love each other. No sense in bestowing the ‘Prince Consort’ title on me if I’m not the one siring more princesses. That honor would fall to you, should you desire it, regardless of whether or not she joins your herd.”

“Rarity would be happy at that,” Doug says, though perhaps a bit too chipperly as Shining Armor turns to stare at him. “I mean, I’d be sorry you weren’t able to, you know, sire foals with her.”

Shining Armor sits up resolutely, “I would gladly do whatever it takes to make her happy, even if that means stepping aside.” Shining Armor sighs, “Though that doesn’t mean it would be my first choice.”

“Enough dreary talk!” Velvet says with a grin so forced it looks natural. “Besides, we better catch up before they start looking for us, hmm?” She continues as she goes to the door, “So, what kind of fun things do you do around here? Twily said you put her through the wringer at that Iron Pony competition. Apparently some of your mares aren’t half bad athletes, either.”

“I would think they’re up for something, though they might have to take it easy on you,” Doug says with a smirk.

“You didn’t.” Velvet frankly states, her chipper attitude instantly returning. “Oh, you did! This is going to be so much fun!”

74 A Dab of Ink, Part Five

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Doug relaxes into the two lounge chairs set next to each other, the combination able to accommodate his longer length. Aloe, having already mudded up the two latecomers, stays a forelegs length away as she expertly covers his face with a green goop. Two cucumber slices cover his eyes, though the half plates reach nearly to his hairline and down to his mouth.

Their chairs are arranged in a loose circle, Rarity, then Shining Armor on his right and Twilight Sparkle on his left, with Twilight Velvet and Night Light across. Everypony else seems content to lay on their chairs, leaving Doug unable to pull Sparkle away for a quick interrogation session of his own.

None of the other in-laws of the herd had seen fit to treat him with such naked hostility. Actually, that’s not quite true; he briefly met Rarity’s parents, and heard offhand that they had sold their Ponyville house, choosing to continue their exploration of Equestria. Rarity never mentions them, and he hasn’t seen any results from trying to stay in contact with them so they can finally meet. Pinkie Pie hasn’t taken her foals to see Igneous and the others at the rock farm, and barely mentions her Pie Sister Best Friend Forever Maud. He always figured she would plan some sort of road trip to see them. Or maybe she is waiting until the foals are older, but it’s not that far of a walk.

One Twilight speaks up, “Well, this is a lot more enjoyable than I originally thought it would be! Thank you, Rarity.”

Rarity’s voice lilts softly, Doug imagining the mare waving the complement off with her hoof despite nopony able to see the gesture. “Oh, think nothing of it, darling. I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. We should certainly do this more often!”

Twilight says, “So, what’s next? Oh, I wish Spike was here to help record this!” The mare squishes around as if trying to see through her cucumbers, hooves tapping around the floor as if she is trying to find a piece of paper lying around, though the spa is unfortunately devoid, not littered with spare paper as the library is.

Rarity answers, “Horn and hoof filing. I do believe I chipped a hoof running around with Doug yesterday. Oh, Twilight, your hooves must be positively dreadful after the rigor you put them through! I can’t imagine spending the night with my hooves in that state!”

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” Twilight says immediately, though the sound of two hooves grating against each other soon rings out. “Huh. Doug, I’m sorry if I hurt you last night.”

“Eh, it was fine,” Doug says, idly fingering a few of the lighter scrapes from Twilight Sparkle’s rough hooves. He had just done more pressing and less sliding against them, or keeping her hooves against the floor. Harder to do when she wanted to cuddle, though.

“So,” Twilight says, the voice slightly off, “I hear you have eight foals, yes?”

Ah, it must be Velvet. “Yes. Three with Applejack, two with Pinkie Pie, and one with the rest.”

“Five earth pony foals? Hmm.” Doug can hear the quiet sigh, his own face frowning against the mud. “And only one unicorn?”

Doug tries to stay upbeat, “Yup. Can’t say the earth pony fillies are any easier to handle than the others. All of them love to explore around, get into everything they can.”

Velvet scoffs, “Well, that can’t be right. A unicorn foal should be at the very least an order of magnitude more difficult than an earth pony. You are training her, correct?”

“Of course we are training her,” comes Rarity’s exasperated groan, though Doug can tell she is trying to be polite about it. “There are just some… unfortunate realities that may not be overcome strictly through a harsher regimen, much as Rainbow likes to try with Scootaloo.”

“Really?” asks Sparkle, Doug having trouble picking the two apart. “Is that why she’s always taking her out in the morning, doing those exercises?”

Rarity answers, “Yes, and it’s done wonders for her confidence, but sadly little for her flight.” She sighs, her mind running over the various exercises she and Trixie have put Sweetie Belle through; there has certainly been some improvement, but the filly is sadly not up to the par of her classmates.

“A pegasus who can’t fly?” Velvet exclaims, a shudder in her voice. “It’s no wonder you only have the one filly with Rainbow, but how on Equus did’ja convince the second pegasus to join your herd?”

Silence pervades the room for a few seconds. Doug groans to himself; somehow, getting in a shouting match with Sparkle’s dam doesn’t seem like the best call. But, to a unicorn who measures status and worth by how many thaums a horn can put out, or how fast a pegasus can fly? What do you say to that?

It was the same way for Fluttershy, too. She lived alone among the animals for the longest time because she had been teased for her poor flying during her early years. Convinced herself she was a terrible flier and lacked the confidence to push against that, the whole situation becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. And one that ultimately left her reclusive, unwilling to take the chance with dating. With Hedge, she certainly has the filly practice her flying when she can, but she doesn’t have the same brutal emphasis that Rainbow Dash has with Scootaloo on how important flying is. And striving, day in and day out, on improving her skills.

Velvet huffs, “It’s no wonder they put you through those earth pony games. Probably trying to convince you that living like an earth pony ain’t so bad.”

“Hey!” nearly shouts Sparkle, the loud thump of a hoof against the floor. “These are my Friends you are talking about! And you should talk about them with respect!”

“And, don’tcha know, these are your future foals! There’s a reason you don’t see mixed herds. How are they gonna get into Princess Celestia’s School if they struggle with magic? Every pegasus wants to be a Wonderbolt, known for their, hmm, what again? How are they going to reach those goals if you hobble them from the start?”

Doug’s deep voice rings out, “There’s a lot more to life than how fast you fly or how much you can lift.”

“Please, dear, the mares are talking here,” Velvet says dismissively.

Doug grits his teeth; though he can hear light grumbles from Shining Armor, he can’t hear anything from Night Light. You’d think one of them would stand up against Velvet with him. But they probably have years of listening to this vitriol. At least the rapid intake of breath from Rarity convinces him that not every pony in the room agrees with Velvet.

Though she sounds less than convinced of the words she is saying Sparkle yells, “You shouldn’t be so dismissive of him, dam. Lots of stallions help out, all across Equestria!”

Doug can practically hear the eyes rolling behind the cucumbers, “Sure, in the bedroom. And how many stallions are out there, leaders, movers, shakers? You should know, your brother is the exception that proves the rule!”

Rarity meekly offers, as if she knows the rebuttal that is coming, “Well, I know there are a lot of designers…”

“Oh. Sure. Famous fashion ponies are stallions, what a surprise.” A long sigh escapes Velvet’s mouth.

Doug involuntarily snorts; all the stallions in the fashion field that Rarity has told him about certainly fit that bill. And while he can name a few more prominent stallions, very few of them are leaders, instead capping out in middle management positions. Or the hard workers at the bottom of the totem pole. Big Mac, for all his prowess in the fields, generally yields to Applejack and Granny Smith on the big decisions concerning the farm.

At the long pause that follows Velvet continues, “And even then Shiny is the product of a long line of unicorns. Ask yourself this. Of the mares in your herd, how many are from a mixed race couple?”

The seconds pass, Doug searching for some example to prove Velvet wrong. Even Trixie has two unicorns for parents. He eventually admits, “None of them.”

“What do you know, he can be taught.” Velvet pauses as if collecting her thoughts, “Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be allowed to date and marry whoever you want. Faust knows that love moves in mysterious ways and all that malarkey. But progress is made on the edges, don’tcha know. And having a foal, even if they’re a prince of all trades, ain’t gonna make the cut. Specialization, now there’s a reliable way of improving yourself. You don’t see Rarity trying to drink her soup with a sewing needle, even if she’s more practiced with one than any mare I know, because a needle is a specialized tool.”

“But specializing to that degree means it is even more important to have a diverse field of talents, maybe not concentrated in one pony but across lots of ponies.”

“And the best way to avoid wasting that specialization is to avoid destroying the very thing you’re trying to concentrate. An earth pony with a superb gift for magic is nothing compared to a unicorn with the same. Why do you think Twilight Sparkle is the Element of Magic instead of Applejack?”

Doug interjects, “Well, a lot of innovation happens from applying diverse techniques in a different field, in an unexpected or novel way. Like, how many unicorn miners are out there?”

“Miners?” Velvet exclaims, puzzled at the unexpected question. “Maybe a foremare or two, but that’s an earth pony field. And you’ll never see a pegasus there.”

“Well, what about using a unicorn like Rarity to find the gem deposits, or veins of precious metals?” Doug shrugs, “I’m sure a pegasus could find a way to help. Maybe purifying the air or something.”

“Sure, sure. But, you know what the problem with that is?” Velvet’s voice drops to almost a whisper, “Then, there would be nothing left for earth ponies to do. They grow crops, until a unicorn figures out a better way. There already are cider machines, and juice presses, and I’ve seen the design on a contraption to clear snow. They can haul ponies and cargo and trains around, until the unicorn designed, thaumic powered engines replace them. Then they can become masseurs, fit only for serving. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not,” Doug immediately replies. “I’m sure earth ponies could design and build and repair those machines, to say nothing of the creative pursuits should their old jobs be obsoleted. And that’s a huge reason not to become too specialized, too focused on any one field. Like Rarity; if the fashion business dies, for some reason, we can always go gem collecting in the Badlands. But we’d probably need to get her new horseshoes for that.”

Velvet’s voice sounds oddly agreeable, “And everypony needs a farrier. But you don’t want your fillies to dream about someday replacing their dam as town farrier, do you?”

“I don’t see anything wrong with that,” Doug says. “They’re in the best position to apprentice and train them, teach them from the very first moment they can hold hoof to hammer. Meringue is certainly intent on replacing me on the farm, keeping track of inventory and orders and whatnot. I should be proud that they aspire to do what I, or their other parents, do.” Doug smirks under his mud mask, alternating turning his head towards Rarity and Twilight, “And, besides, I’d say I have a pretty whorsed out toolbox of trades to choose from, wouldn’tcha know?”

There is a brief moment of silence before the clop of hooves on the floor briefly startles Doug. Velvet happily, almost apologetically says, “And I hope that any foals you and Sparkle have aspire to be just like you. A lofty goal, certainly, but if they are as obstinate and headstrong as you, then you’ll have no trouble at all.”

Doug pulls the cucumbers off his eyes, trying to decide on a glare or to meet Velvet’s smile with his own. He finally decides on a smirk, though his eyes still warily watch her.

A hoof lightly hitting his right shoulder gets Doug to turn. Shining Armor is there, smiling and holding his hoof up; Night Light is behind him, also smiling and nodding along. “Great job, dude. I knew you didn’t need us to step in!”

Doug bumps the offered hoof, though he turns to Velvet. “So that was all a test?”

“All?” Velvet shakes her head, “No, I didn’t lie about anything. Offered unpopular, maybe even divisive opinions on things, sure. But too many ponies will come at you with those lines or worse, and I can’t have somepony who isn’t able to defend my Sparkle or her foals, now can I?”

Doug turns to Twilight Sparkle. She is again beaming at him, her eyes half lidded and far more relaxed for what he thought was a harrowing situation. Apparently she really gets off on him passing a test or something.

75 The Beast

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The five unicorns and Doug walk out of the Ponyville Day Spa. Shining Armor and Night Light have a relaxed stupor about them, as Aloe and Lotus had worked some of their earth pony magic on the two with one of their massages. Neither had wanted to leave, but Twilight Velvet kept insisting that she wanted to meet up with Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

Rarity and Twilight had skipped out on the professional massage this time, as to not make Doug too jealous, and find themselves in the unenviable spot of not being terribly relaxed as Velvet continues needling Doug. At least he doesn’t seem too bothered by it, but her constant interruptions and suggestions had disrupted the massage he was giving them.

Twilight Velvet spots Bon Bon walking down the road with Lyra Heartstrings at almost exactly the same time the beige earth pony spots her. The two pause in their conversations for a split second as Bon Bon breaks away, nonchalantly walking towards Velvet. The gray unicorn does the same, walking away from the group with such suddenness that nopony thinks to follow. The two stop just as they would have passed each other, their heads turning to briefly nod.

Velvet’s smirk grows larger as she calls out, “So, get the drop on any bugs today?”

Bon Bon shakes her head, pulling out an apple core and biting into it. “Nope. Seen any mangy ants?”

“Can’t say that I have.” Velvet raises a hoof, Bon Bon reaching over and bumping it.

“So, what brings you to Ponyville? It can’t just be your daughter getting married or you would have been here a fortnight ago.” Bon Bon looks over at the unicorns and Doug that Velvet left behind. “And you already had tabs on the fam.”

“I need to get in touch with Dr. Mareau,” Velvet whispers conspiratorially, glancing back to the others.

Bon Bon flatly states, “You know she’s going to say she’s retired.”

“C’s orders,” Velvet responds just as flatly, tired of the song and dance they have to go through. “You know where she is?”

“Cottage just outside of town, by the Everfree. But you didn’t hear it from me.” Bon Bon warily glances to the south, shuddering as she shakes her head. “She’s friends with bears, Night. Pony eating bears.”

Velvet huffs, “Spare me, one of us would’ve locked it up if it did eat a pony. Not her fault you’re an arcotophobic.”

“Yeah, well, there’s a reason for that,” Bon Bon grunts out. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” She leans in close, whispering, “Well, bears just kill you.” She glances again to the south, a muttered, “Good hunting.” She briefly raises her head in goodbye as she turns, walking back to Lyra.

Twilight Velvet returns to Doug and the rest, apologetically saying, “Oh, gee, I do want to go and play with you all, but something’s come up, don’tcha know? I’ll be round just as soon as I can.” Velvet waves at the confused ponies, quickly making her way to the south as the others continue to Sweet Apple Acres.

Velvet finds herself standing on the edge of town, looking over the dark, looming depths of the Everfree Forest. A dirt path runs along the ground, crossing the stream at a small stone bridge. A plethora of small bird houses are strewn around almost randomly, peeking out from nearby trees or shrubs or the roof of the cottage. Random sets of eyes can be seen, shrouded in the shadow of their homes, following her every move.

Velvet starts along the path, noting how quiet the birds have gotten. She spots more than one creature peel away from the trees they are observing her from, a flying squirrel leaping to an upper window and darting inside the cottage. The chittering of the critters inside gets louder as Velvet walks up to the front door, instantly stopping when she raises a hoof to knock. Velvet pauses before her hoof comes down anyway, two quick raps against the wood.

At first nothing happens, Velvet keeping her chipper smile as she waits. She debates lighting her horn and peering inside the house, but the creeping shadow from underneath the door imparts that she needn't be patient much longer. The door cracks opens, Velvet offering her largest smile to the yellow mare peeking at her from behind a flowing pink mane.

“H-hello,” Fluttershy greets her quietly, slowly growing more confident at Velvet’s beaming grin. Her cyan eyes open slightly as if trying to place the mare in front of her, going up to her manecut.

“Why, hello there!” Velvet offers a cheery wave, the door creaking as it opens further. “It’s a right pleasure to meet’cha! I’m Twilight Velvet!”

“I-I’m Fluttershy,” comes in a whisper, though Fluttershy swishes her mane behind her face. She says a little louder, “You must be Twilight’s dam! Please, come in!” The door opens wider, now barely enough to admit a pony as slender as Fluttershy.

“Oh, thank you kindly,” Velvet smiles as she steps inside, her sides scraping against the wooden frame. The inside of the cottage is quite cozy, with dozens of critter habitats stacked by every one of the walls. Picture frames with various animals are sprinkled next to holes complete with beady little eyes staring at her from every direction. “This is a lovely home you have here!”

“Thank you!” Fluttershy says, perking up as she quietly shuts the door. “It’s been a lot of fun building those homes with Doug, and going out and meeting all the critters around here.” She fondly gazes at a few of the pictures, such as Harry the Bear standing outside of his house by the Everfree, or Angel Bunny on top of a bowl of lettuce and carrots and shaking his paws at the camera.

“Sounds exciting! And I do love exciting things!” Velvet continues inspecting the otherwise sparsely decorated cottage, looking for any sort of hidden passages. “Don’t you?” Her horn flares as Fluttershy looks away, though no such entrances exist, at least to her cursory inspection. She should have known they would be concealed better than that.

“Oh, um, well,” Fluttershy stammers, looking ready to disappear behind her mane again.

Velvet turns, slowly but resolutely advancing towards Fluttershy. The pegasus worriedly glances around, finding herself backed into a corner. “As it turns out, I need the services of a... certain somepony. One Dr. Mareau.”

“Um, I, um, don’t know who you’re talking about,” Fluttershy says, cowering down.

“Really?” Twilight Velvet says, raising an eyebrow. She leaves Fluttershy in the corner as she raises a hoof to one of the pictures, a chicken partially concealed in a bush. And, if one inspects closely, a blue-green scaly tail barely visible. “Then you have no idea that one of your pictures is of a cockatrice and not, as it might originally appear, a chicken.”

Fluttershy shakes her head, “N-no, I knew, she just needed help with some of her brood. And I don’t want to scare anypony who comes in here.”

“Fine, I shall cut to the chase.” Velvet huffs slightly, “As it turns out, my employer has use of your services again.”

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy sinks down, shaking her head. “I can’t… I mean, I don’t think that she can meet with you. Not after what happened the last time.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Velvet says quickly. “You had no way of knowing that operating on an alligator’s jaws could cause such extensive brain damage! You saved that poor gator’s life!”

“I know!” Fluttershy wails, tears streaming from her face. “But, now he’s condemned to a life of eating sweets! He’ll never know the delight of tearing into another creature’s flesh, the ecstasy of a death roll, and you can see it in his expressionless, joyless eyes!”

“Well, maybe this is your chance to fix that,” Velvet says, laying a comforting hoof on Fluttershy’s withers. “But I need to speak to Dr. Mareau, and perhaps we can find a way to solve both of our problems.”

“O...Okay,” Fluttershy stammers, slowly getting to her hooves. She pulls away from Velvet, avoiding a nuzzle, as she steps out of the room.

Less than a second later and a yellow pegasus walks back into the room. She is wearing a double buttoned white lab coat that covers her down to her flanks. Blue, black and red pens are in the front pocket, each with little color coded butterflies on the lids. Her pink mane is drawn up in a tight bun, almost hidden under a blue surgeon’s cap. Her tail is similarly done up, a short ponytail without her extensions, poking through the coat. Her hooves are also covered in blue booties that slip against the wooden floor. Her smile is a tight line, pursed like the line of ethics she is about to violate.

A deep and loud, yet still feminine, voice emanates from the pegasus. “You remember what a skilled vivisector can do with living things, yes?” She confidently struts forward, regarding the gray unicorn in front of her. Twilight Velvet returns a fast smile, going over in her mind of the sort of things that she needs to ask. “Then what assistance do you need of Dr. Mareau? I am a busy mare, and I cannot afford to waste a single hour, much less a day, with your idle pursuits!”

Twilight Velvet withdraws a letter from her mane, presenting it to the yellow pegasus. “C is willing to offer a temporary indulgence to attempt a single uplift.”

She snorts, “Pah! A single uplift is hardly worth my time. Now, begone, as I am a busy mare.” Her head lifts up, nose upturned at the unicorn deigning to waste her time.

“Perhaps she can be persuaded to allow you a chance with the alligator again. For him to again be more than a bump on a log, sitting around and eating sweets all day?”

The pegasus pauses, considering her options. “It would bring much joy to the pink one, yes. For him to again have a driving force in life.” She turns, regarding Velvet. “If you can promise me that, then I will attempt your uplift. What creature have you brought?”

Velvet spreads her open hooves, “I was provided with no creature. Instead, the instructions that you might have an animal on hoof. It is to be an assistant to my daughter, Twilight Sparkle, to aid her in the library during the evening and early hours of night. It will need to understand her occasionally vague instructions, to read in the low light of the stars through a window, and convey at a minimum acknowledgement back.”

A pad of paper flips open, withdrawn from one of the many pockets in the lab coat. A blue butterfly capped pen withdraws, notes taken in the most illegible of shorthoof scribbled down. “If there are no other requirements, then it shall be no issue.” The notepad flips shut with finality, a short nod to Velvet. The pegasus takes a single stride forward, staring Velvet in the eye, “Now, on to the matter of the alligator. You are confident C will allow this? She was more than disappointed in the results, though no more so than I was. Reversion is a difficult topic to predict and counter in the best of cases.”

“I am,” Velvet says confidently, a firm nod. “She has no more desire than you to see any innocent creature in such a state.”

“Very well. Please excuse me, I must inform the creature of our intention, and in disguise travel to the laboratory under the library. Barring any unforeseen complications, I shall meet you there in five hours time.” Her deep voice rumbles in her throat for a few seconds, “Have you spoken with Meringue?”

“N-no?” comes Velvet’s response, trying to hide her confusion. Why would they need Pinkie Pie’s younger filly?

A shake of the head. “No matter. She shall inform you of any delay.” She turns, walking out of the room.

A split second later and Fluttershy is back, the only hint that anything is out of the ordinary a small notepad being tucked and hidden under a wing. She offers a small smile before exiting the cottage, heading towards the Everfree Forest.

76 A Mother's Parting Gift

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Twilight Velvet quails as she skitters away from the shady cottage, the eagle eyes of the dozens of perched creatures still flapping about in her mind as they gander at her. If Princess Celestia hadn’t badgered her to fish out the crazed connoisseur of Kindness she would have skunked her responsibilities and batted away the Princess’s request for being as cuckoo as the mad master of Malevolence.

She can’t quite steer herself to duck out and grouse with the Princess’s decision to use Kindness to monkey around with an animal’s acuity, though. They shouldn’t ram it down a lesser creature’s throat, of course, to be foxed into aping ponies and serving as spies! And yet their tactical value cannot be dismissed on a lark; few beings, pony or otherwise, can rat out the conspiring critters ferreting information from their innocent brethren.

None of them have ever railed against the transformation. At least, that’s the line Fluttershy hawks. Hmm, this could bear investigating, on the mare who radiates Kindness wherever she swans around. And she can hardly bitch against Fluttershy for the incidents that have cropped up before. She was just turtling for her friends, after all. Fortunately Razer was easily cowed into not wanting to crow about his incident; it would louse up everything if the dragon parroted his exposure to the Malevolent Stare with anypony else. Their allies certainly would find a lionized account of the terrible magicks difficult to swallow.

Her half-trot, half-gallop towards Sweet Apple Acres slows as the playing field comes into view. In the center of the circular arena crouch Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Both blue vested ponies eagerly await the elderly green mare, clad in a black referee uniform, and the red ball she is about to toss into the air. On the outer ring rests an orange vested Trixie, her magenta aura surrounding an apple basket and lazily swinging it this way or that. On the opposite side of the field rest Shining Armor and Doug, both panting in their orange vests. Rarity, in a blue vest, levitates a basket in her light blue aura, ready to catch the ball should it come flying her way again, though she barely moves on her newly manicured hooves.

Facing away from her and intently focusing on the game are Twilight Sparkle and Night Light. Both have dozens of pages floating around them, held in either a pale blue or raspberry aura. Wait, raspberry? What had happened to her daughter’s aura!?

Velvet slowly calms herself; Princess Celestia had mentioned something about an incident involving Rarity, and they seem to be getting along. Nothing to worry about. She gets a little closer to the game, listening to Night Light and Twilight Sparkle argue about the statistical ramifications of a game they both had likely never heard of before today.

Night Light points his hoof at the orange team, “Of course it’s unfair! Doug has blocked forty percent of Applejack’s shots, and she’s blocked exactly one of his! And he’s intercepted just under a quarter of Dash’s passes, and while his shots then are half as good as they are compared to when Trixie passes him the ball, he still makes a lot more than Applejack’s steals.”

Twilight Sparkle shakes her head, “But Dash is starting to compensate for that a lot better than she was initially; she’s gone from nearly sixty percent of her shots being stolen to just twenty, purely because Applejack is moving around more. Doug still has her beat on stature, but her faster hoof speed and endurance is winning out.”

Twilight Velvet moves between the two, glancing at the lists that detail every pass, shot, and score. “Hey there! So, what’cha two jabbering about?”

Sparkle points a hoof at Doug. “Buckball. Whether or not Doug best qualifies for the earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn part of a team. He’s tried each of them, and definitely does best as earth pony.”

Night Light continues, “You could too easily buck the ball over him when he is the pegasus defender, and he has a hard time keeping up with the speed of a levitated basket. He did well as a unicorn; very good hoof eye coordination when he is catching. But his movement with the basket is very telegraphed and slow, which makes it quite easy for Dash to cover him. But he’s just a monster as an earth pony.”

Applejack lets loose another frustrated grunt as Doug knocks aside another pass. Rainbow Dash is quick to scoop the ball from its low bounce along the ground before Trixie can get the basket in the way. A sharp underwing flick rockets the ball straight back to Applejack. The earth pony drops down, a flailing kick before Doug can recover from his lunge. Shining Armor’s horn flares as he tries to maneuver a shield close enough but the ball is too fast, Rarity swinging her basket to snag the wayward shot.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash grin as they bump hooves, trotting back to position. Doug pants as he wipes the dust off his hands and knees, doggedly getting back to the center. Behind him Shining Armor grunts, glancing to his dam as she walks up. A short exchange between the two gets Shining Armor moving towards the other end of the field, a grateful Trixie taking a break by Twilight Sparkle.

“Ooh, this is so exciting!” Velvet exclaims as she dons the orange vest Trixie left, cinching it tight. “So, how does this work?”

Doug huffs out between deep breaths, “As the honorary pegasus of the team, you try to block the balls Applejack bucks towards the goal, then pass me the ball.”

“O-kay!” Velvet crouches down as Granny Smith chucks the ball at the ground. On the bounce up Applejack swings a hoof forwards, Doug cautiously pulling his bruised arms away to try to block the immediate shot. The ball ricochets up and away but still towards Rarity, a high arc through the air. The sounds of mass scribbling comes from Sparkle and Night Light, the two watching intently.

Rarity levitates the basket up to catch the ball, though she huffs as Velvet’s cerise aura overtakes her light blue, deflecting the ball back towards the center of the arena. She groans as she starts shuffling her hooves, “You are going to make me work for this, aren’t you.” She daintily stretches one hoof, then another, watching as Applejack and Doug vie for position.

Doug reaches up, a single fist pounding the ball off to the side. Rainbow Dash yelps as she guesses the wrong way; Shining Armor sprints forward, the basket scraping the dirt as he scoops the ball up. Rainbow huffs off to the side, forelegs crossed as she returns to her starting position.

Doug cooly regards Twilight Velvet until the mare smiles at him, offering a hoof. He smiles back, bumping with a fist. “You make a pretty good pegasus,” he remarks with a smirk, a quick glance and wink towards Rainbow Dash.

“And you make a pretty good earth pony!” Velvet exclaims, her whole body vibrating with excitement. Her gaze shifts to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, “You two ready to get whaled on again in round two?”

“Oh yeah!” Rainbow Dash shouts, her wings buzzing. “Bring it on, Velvet!”

The game rapidly gets more intense between the six as Doug and Applejack play brutally against each other, hard sprints around the arena before knees and elbows jostle for position on nearly every pass. Soon Applejack holds nothing back, her hip checks against Doug every opportunity she gets going from playful to firm to downright Applebuckin’.

By the end of an hour the diving blocks and kicks leave Applejack and Doug completely covered with dirt from head to hoof. Rainbow Dash has fared no better, making multiple full speed dives into the ground in order to save goals from Shining Armor. The occasional dash from the three unicorns has left them comparatively clean, just a layer of sweat and dust on their white or gray coats.

They lost track of the score almost immediately, neither side bothering outside of who won the last, or possibly last streak, of points. Except for Twilight and Night Light, who have adapted differing versions of the Equestrian Hoofball statistical metric system to try to determine who is the most valuable player. Which mostly means they keep arguing minutiae until they are blue and purple in the face instead of purple and blue.

Rainbow Dash tackles Doug as soon as Granny Smith whistles that the game is over. Doug groans as he fails to cushion yet another fall on his sore muscles, yet quickly finds his mouth enveloped by Dash’s. “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” she sultrily says between sloppy, mud tainted kisses. “How hard you pushed yourself! The energy! The fierceness!”

Dash glances up with a frown at the other ponies that are still around them. At least Shining Armor, Granny Smith, and Applejack are walking back towards Sparkle and Night Light, pointedly looking in any direction but theirs. Trixie out cold on the ground. Rarity and Velvet, though… She snorts, her muzzle dropping back to Doug. Her hooves run over every inch of his body, lingering on the mottled bruises just beginning to darken to the same shade as the dirt streaks. She firmly presses into them as she presses her lips against his, a light moan rumbling in the back of her throat.

“Oh, golly, would the two of you like a little privacy?” Twilight Velvet asks with that same chipper smile always plastered on her muzzle, her eyes twinkling. She ignores Rainbow’s slight turn of the head and narrowed eye, “Oh, this takes me back to the time when little Twily was conceived. Her brother had been horsing around with some of the other guards. Well, they were all newbies at the time, not even joined Celestia’s Cadets!”

A loud groan comes from Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn slowly regaining her normal color as she huffs. “Dam! They don’t want to hear that story!” At Applejack’s raised eyebrow and cough she appends, “I don’t want you to tell them that story!”

“Aww, rats!” Velvet exclaims with a smirk, her eyes tracing over Rainbow’s forward facing ears. She winks, “We’ll have to squirrel away sometime, yak about it later.”

Rainbow grins at that, though her presses into Doug’s body have gotten less grinding and more kneading. She lightly kisses him again before pulling away, a hoof helping Doug get to his feet. Her wings and coat blur around her as she shakes the dirt off, a sheepish smile at Doug as he wipes the dirt out of his eyes. Velvet drops her hastily cast shield, the dirt falling to the ground.

Rarity nuzzles Doug and Rainbow, though her eyes cross at the slight streak of brown now studded on her nose. She smiles, shaking her head as the four walk towards the remaining ponies. “Oh, this takes me back,” she says with a glance to Velvet. She explains, “When Doug and I first met I couldn’t stand the dirt on those two ruffians. My first interaction with them was telling Rainbow to wash them both off! She did, of course,” Rarity pointedly looks at Rainbow, then at her nose, then back to Rainbow, “and ever since then we have all been the best of friends.” She coughs, getting Rainbow to turn and look at her, repeating the motions.

“Oh!” Rainbow says, briefly concentrating. A small cloud condenses in front of her, just large enough to mash into Rarity’s muzzle. She rubs the cloud around before pulling it away, roughly smacking it with a hoof and disippating the brown cloud. Her tail wraps around Doug’s arm, gentle stroking up and down.

“Mm,” Velvet grins, eyes fixed on the rainbow tail, “You better treat my Twily the same way, Doug. Give me lots of grandfoals!”

“Enough!” Sparkle shouts, throwing her hooves into the air, though she isn’t facing Velvet. “Without more data, this whole discussion is meaningless! It could all be statistical noise that we’re looking at, especially with such new players!” She huffs, “I’m going back to the library to record all this.”

“Oh, dearie,” exclaims Velvet, a brief flash of nervousness breaking her smile. “Are ya sure? Maybe we can all go down, take a quick dip in the pond?”

“Aww,” says Twilight Sparkle, glancing back towards Ponyville. She groans to herself before reluctantly saying, “I mean, I guess we can.”

“Yey!” exclaims Velvet, her smile beaming as she raises her forelegs to the heavens. “This is going to be so much fun!”

Velvet somehow buffaloes the rest into staying at the pond. Doug, accompanied by Rainbow, goes back to the farmhouse to retrieve some of his work materials. After about twice as long as it should have taken they return, joining the others for the next several hours, just relaxing and sunbathing in the warm air. Over time they are joined by various fillies of the herd, Rainbow getting up to chase Scootaloo around.

It isn’t until Fluttershy, accompanied by Meringue, flies by with a wave to Velvet that the gray unicorn gets up. She walks over, sitting next to Sparkle. “Not that ya need me to tell ya, but you made a right smart choice there.” She nuzzles her filly, Sparkle beaming up at her. “You go and make me the proudest damn dam there is, ya here?”

Twilight Sparkle gasps at her dam’s choice of words, quickly recovering. “O-okay. I will.”

“Good.” Velvet briefly relaxes before she gets back up. “We better be heading back to catch the train. Now, Princess Celestia and I went halfsies on a gift for ya. You’ll find him back at the Library.” She winks at Sparkle, “And I betcha he’s a hoot!”

77 The King's Heart

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Night Light sighs as he, Shining Armor, and Twilight Velvet get up to leave. “Aww, I was hoping to take the chariot again.” He glances over to his mare, “We take the train everywhere. I thought you’d be a little more excited to be in the air again!”

“I know!” Twilight Velvet exclaims, shaking her mane while her eyes close, a wide smile on her muzzle. “The wind in your mane, the open skies around you! It just makes you feel so alive!”

Night Light continues over Shining Armor’s moan, “The trajectories, the planning! All the little checklists that we get to run through before we take off!” He rubs his blue head against Shining Armor’s white tinged with green, “They’re still parked at the library, right?”

Shining Armor nods with great reluctance, leading the way to the Golden Oaks Library, Night Light following closely.

Twilight Velvet lingers, glancing towards her filly and Doug. She casually remarks, “So, if you two just happened to go to the train station, there might be somepony there eager to meet ya. Just saying.” She winks, hurrying after Night Light and Shining Armor.

Doug’s hand rubs Twilight Sparkle’s ears, her head trying to stay in contact as he gets up. The rest of the herd quickly gets a nuzzle of their own, all smiles and little waves as the two depart. “So, your parents certainly seem nice enough. Too bad we didn’t get to do that Ogres game with Shiny, though.”

Twilight Sparkle rolls her eyes, “You stallions and your fantasy games. You realize he’s the Captain of the Guard, right? He gets to live that stuff!”

“I’m sure we all appreciate a little escapism. I bet he loves playing the mysterious rogue, slinking from one shadow to another as he tracks down a mysterious bandit.”

“Nope! He was always the paladin in, well, shining armor who rode in to save the day.” Twilight Sparkle snickers, shaking her head. “Even though we had to change the module so it was a Princess in the tower instead of a Prince!”

“And he’s finally gotten his Princess,” Doug remarks to himself as they arrive at the train station.

“What was that?” Twilight asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, just remarking how nice it must be to finally find that special somepony.” Doug sits down next to one of the benches off the main drag. He folds his legs underneath him, eyes on the horizon and the small puff of smoke steadily getting closer.

Twilight hops onto the bench, though she frowns even as his arm comes up and around her. She hops right back down, pushing herself into and laying across Doug’s lap. His hand rests on her back, idly twisting as she cuddles closer. “Mm, it is, isn’t it?”

The moment doesn’t last long before Twilight looks back towards the library; she should have brought a book or something. At least Doug is comfortable enough. She writhes back and forth, trying to find that perfect spot that keeps eluding her. Well, it’s probably because her orientation is wrong; her head should next to his, and their hips together. “So, you know who we’re waiting for?”

“Nope. But I’m sure we’ll know when we see her. Him. Them?” Doug scratches his chin, Twilight squirming against the lack of hand on her.

Both turn to look at the incoming train as a merry whistle rings through the air. Ponies and their luggage pour out of the two passenger cars. Residents of Ponyville, maybe a tourist or businessmare or two, but nopony recognizable to both Twilight and Doug.

Until a certain pink pony stretches her wings as she exits the train car, her horn dragging along a single pink suitcase emblazoned with the same blue heart on her flank.

Twilight Sparkle gasps at the same time that Princess Cadance spots her, twin trilling shrieks rending the afternoon air. The purple unicorn dashes towards the pink alicorn as the pink alicorn drops her suitcase, matching Twilight stride for stride. The two screech to a halt just as their screeching comes to a halt.

They joyously bounce back and forth on their hooves, practically muzzle to muzzle. They chant in a singsong, “Sunshine, Sunshine!” They drop down to their barrels, hooves covering their eyes. “Ladybugs Awake!” rings out as they pull their hooves away from their eyes. They reach their hooves towards each other as they sit up, smiling as they tap out a quick pattern, “Clap Your Hooves!” before they spin around, “And Do A Little Shake!”

Twilight and Cadance’s flanks shake back and forth before Twilight presses against her, their cutie marks smooshing together. Twilight drops down, rolling on her back as she giggles like a schoolfilly. Cadance glances to her flank as she drops down, smiling pleasantly at the filly she used to foalsit. One hoof rubs the spot where they touched, a long sniff of the lavender aroma.

“Oh, Twilight, it’s so good to see you!” Cadance glances down her belly at Doug, the human holding a hand against his mouth and hiding the smirk underneath.

“I can’t believe you came! I mean, I knew that you were coming, but it just kind of slipped my mind, and now you’re here!” Twilight’s grin grows slightly manic, “Did you want to do anything? Get anything? See anything?” She motions towards Ponyville, the train station now mostly empty besides them.

Cadance chuckles, “Oh, Twilight, you haven’t changed a bit. Well, except for this!” She pouts just a little as she motions towards Doug, “And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Her voice raises to a light whine, “Twilight!”, though she can’t keep the disappointed look on her face for long at all.

“I know, I’m sorry, it was all so sudden, and then I got caught up in these games that we were playing, and then it was our first night together, and-” Twilight gasps as she looks to Doug, rolling to her hooves, “Oh, I haven’t introduced you! Cadance, this is my stallion, Doug. Actually, is stallion the right word? I mean-”

“Stallion is fine,” Doug chuckles, reaching a fist to the pink alicorn getting to her hooves. “Cadance, very nice to see you again.” Twilight’s eyes raise, her mouth opening slightly.

“The pleasure is all mine,” replies Cadance, trotting forward to lightly knock Doug’s hand to the side. She embraces him in a crushing hug, Doug’s arms quickly reaching around and returning a vice-like squeeze. “You have to tell me everything.”

“Twilight didn’t do that already?” Doug smirks as they break apart, glancing at the purple unicorn.

Cadance smiles, first to Twilight and then to Doug, “She told me her side, but I want to hear it from you!”

Twilight says, quite puzzled, “Wait, you two know each other already?” She steps next to Doug, a slight frown at the revelation.

“Yup!” comes the cheery reply. “Oh, Doug, the two of you are so precious together. A beautiful bride and her handsome groom.” Cadance nuzzles Doug, "I can tell you two will have many long years of joy to share together." She nuzzles Twilight, though she frowns at the slight hesitation of the unicorn.

Twilight asks, somewhat brusquely, “When did this happen?”

Cadance glances to the deserted train station around them, then back to Doug. “Um, six years ago, or so.”

“Just about,” Doug confirms.

“And we’ve seen each other once a year or so since then. Oh, Doug, you will let me watch when your love is made manifest with her, yes?” Cadance hits Doug in the shoulder, her smile creeping larger as she winks, “Oh, who am I foaling, of course you will, you love showing off for me.”

Twilight’s eye muscles begin to tire from raising so much. Made manifest?

“But it’s been too long!” Cadance whines; she plops down next to Doug, her head resting against his shoulder as she rolls to her back and into his side. “Celestia’s sooo close, and you didn’t do anything this year! Or the year before that!”

“What are you talking about?” asks Twilight, glancing between Cadance and her stallion. Her breath quickens, her pulse beats loud in her ears, her eyes narrowing.

Cadance ignores Twilight, her horn rubbing playfully against Doug’s side as she lays her head in his lap, looking up at his face. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you don’t want the spell to succeed! So you could take me all for yourself!” Her muzzle purses, trying to hide the smirk desperately forcing its way to the surface, “What a naughty stallion, trying to coerce a poor, innocent mare into brooding for you! You should be ashamed of yourself, mister!”

Doug flatly states with a deadpan look, “Innocent?”

Twilight’s voice rises, “Okay, now I’m really confused.” Her breath comes out in a hot huff; this is her stallion that some tramp is making moves on! Wait, did she just refer to Princess Cadance as a tramp? Omygosh, Princess Cadance could join the herd! Omygoshomygoshomygosh!

“You didn’t tell her?” Doug asks, glancing to the mare who has gone quiet in his lap, her eyes focusing on Twilight. At her delayed shake of the head Doug says, “Well, I didn’t either, I thought it was a personal matter for you.”

Twilight pushes forwards, pressing Cadance further into Doug’s chest, “This is perfect! Doug, you have to consider her! Cadance is beautiful, and kind, and caring! I mean, you don’t need to me to tell you all that, but she is!”

Cadance’s soft voice says, none of the joking tension from before, “Um, Twilight, it’s-”

“Oh, it’s just my old foalsitter and my new stallion! It’s perfect! You’re perfect!” Twilight nuzzles Doug, then Cadance, “I mean, how many ponies can go around spreading love wherever they go!” She begins prancing around, shouting, “You’re marrying Cadance! You’re marrying Cadance!”

“Jeez, I didn’t realize you spotted me,” Shining Armor says as he walks up from around the single room train station. He glances at Doug, his eyes slightly narrowing at the alicorn still snuggling in Doug’s lap. His voice drops a little, “Or I missed something.”

“Sup,” Doug says, casually raising a hand in greeting. “Your family is crazy, you know that?”

“You get used to it.” Shining Armor lays down next to Cadance, his saddlebags dropping next to him. “Did you tell her or did she figure it out?”

“I’m treating it like when I got split in half,” Doug says, Shining Armor’s eyes raising to prompt Doug to continue. “Let her play it out, make whatever wrong conclusions she wants, then laugh about it later.”

Shining Armor chuckles as Twilight continues prancing around, completely unaware. “Got to let her learn her own lessons. If she doesn’t learn, then you’re right back to the beginning.” He glances to Cadance, “You convinced him yet?”

Cadance rolls her eyes, “I’m trying, but somepony is a little too oblivious at the moment.”

“Moment?” Doug snarks.

Cadance stops her eyes from rolling, just to start them rolling again. “It doesn’t have to be Twilight, of course, but any of your mares. Celestia is so close, and watching two ponies doesn’t help.”

“Watching two ponies what?” Twilight asks, her prancing temporarily complete.

“Conceive,” Cadance easily replies, Twilight’s eyes widening.

“O-oh,” Twilight says, nervously glancing to her own belly. “I… That’s a big step.”

Doug reaches a hand over, rubbing Twilight’s mane, “Whenever you’re ready, Twi. No pressure.”

“You’ll let me watch, of course, right?” Cadance says, her eyes beaming at Twilight.

“Why would you want to watch?” Twilight asks, glancing between Doug, Cadance, and Shining Armor, lingering on her brother.

“Well, it has to do with being an alicorn.” Cadance sighs, as she sinks into Doug, one hoof dropping down to his belly. “We, which is to say Celestia, Luna, and myself, have… difficulty… conceiving with another. But with Doug’s magical nature, or lack thereof, there may be hope for us. Celestia has been researching a way for Shining Armor and myself to have a foal of our own, but we need Doug here to get a move on.” Cadance lightly nudges Doug in the gut, “You need any help?”

“You and Shiny?! Cadance and my brother!” Twilight’s eyes open wide, her beaming smile growing even larger, “You’re marrying Cadance!” She pronks around, “You’re marrying Cadance!” before she turns back to shake Shining Armor, “When? Whenwhenwhen?! I can’t wait!”

“Well, Twily,” Shining Armor calmly states, “It’ll have to wait until we get the go ahead from Celestia. That she’s confident the spell will work.”

“Aww,” Twilight moans, huffing as she rests her head against Shining Armor. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

“Oh, there is one thing,” Shining Armor says, waggling his eyebrows.

Twilight rolls her eyes as she pushes her brother away, “Yeah, I got that from before. I meant with the spellwork! This is so exciting!”

“Yeah, Celestia would appreciate that, getting another set of eyes on the problem. She’s been playing this quite close to the chest, as she’s very worried about the success or failure of the spell.” Doug scratches Twilight’s head as she walks over to him, resting her head against his chest and Cadance.

“Mm,” Cadance says with a nod. She glances over to the closed ticket counter; it would be hours until the return train. “So, what can we do to pass the time?”

“Oh, I’ve got an idea,” Doug says. He lightly pushes his hands against Twilight’s flanks. The unicorn stands, an awkward glance to her brother as her tail flips aside regardless.

“Um,” Twilight says as Shining Armor grins, one hoof reaching into his saddlebags. He withdraws a small bag, a quiet clink from inside.

Cadance groans, “Oh, the things I do for you.” She shakes her head as she gets up, moving to lay on the ground next to Shining Armor, “And it isn’t even Hearts and Hooves Day!”

“And that’s why I love you,” Shining Armor says, sharing a quick kiss with Cadance before he dumps the dice out onto the ground. “Now, who wants to play some Ogres and Oubliettes?”

78 The Dragon's Heart, Part One

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Spike bandies around the spotless kitchen of the Golden Oaks Library, holding his breath as his fills both of his picnic baskets with the delicious pastries Celestia’s royal guards brought. The saccharine stench lingers in the air, and he smiles as the last bit of wavy rainbow icing disappears. He shudders to himself; these sugary concoctions always mess with his nose, way too rich for his tastes. A big bowl of strawberry ice cream, studded with gems? Now that’s more like it! Maybe Twilight has some left over?

He can’t help but glance at the four heavily muscled stallions currently sitting around the kitchen table as he makes his way to the freezer. Their eyes warily dart between him, the remains of their afternoon lunch/dinner on four crumb strewn plates, and through the open window at the trunk of one of their two chariots, wherein lies, tucked away in the corner and barely visible, a modest bag of single bits and a well-worn pack of playing cards.

Three of them have bored expressions on their faces, though every time their eyes wander to the fourth nervous wreck of a guard they can’t help but sigh, though impossible to tell whether in condemnation or commiseration. Their eyes almost immediately pull away to watch the dragon scurry around, or inspect the crumbs and debate whether it would be too soon to lick the creamy remains off.

“So!” Spike almost shouts as he grabs one of the three remaining ice cream pops, trying to contain his excitement at being around the paragons of the Equestrian Guard. His voice raises over the three sets of hooves approaching the library, “What’s it like being a guard for the Princess? You guys see a lot of action?”

The stallions each spring to attention in their seats. Or at least attempt to given that the table is in their way and they each tried to push it away from them. Four loud thunks later and they are standing, the newly dented table clattering as it falls to the side. They shout in unison, “Ma’am, No Ma’am!”, their faces locked in a neutral scowl.

Five heads turn at the bang of the front door opening. Shining Armor struts in, followed by Twilight Velvet and Night Light. The Captain of the Guard narrows his eyes, his ears flicking as he grabs the light saddlebags, lifting them onto his withers before grabbing Velvet’s and Night Light’s as well. He turns towards the two chariots parked outside, dutiful resolve plain on his face.

“Huh.” Spike scratches his side as he cocks his head to the side, now as askew as the table. “I guess it’s not a very hard job, then?”

The guards look stricken as Shining Armor stops in his hoofsteps. The captain slowly turns his head, then his body, taking one heavy step after another as he walks up to the first stallion in line. His steely gaze bores into them, focusing on each stallion in turn. His eyes pause on the third, the faintest gulp visible from the stallion.

Shining Armor stops. “If they were looking for a hard job, there are plenty of poles in the lower district. Isn’t that right, sir?”

“M-ma’am, yes ma’am!” the guard stammers, sweat beading despite the cool afternoon.

Shining Armor’s voice drops, a strained whisper, “I don’t know what prompted her Highness to crack down, but I better not hear of another incident. Got it?” Several seconds pass, silent but for the sweat dripping off the guard; nopegasus wants to patrol Canterlot’s cramped underbelly, especially in plainclothes.

“Ma’am! News to report.”

“Yes?” Shining Armor states, looking to the last stallion in line, a faint smile on his muzzle, his eyes never straying back to the relieved stallion.

“Lovebird is scheduled to be on the incoming train, arriving shortly.”

Shining Armor considers this, glancing back to the two chariots waiting outside. One hoof absentmindedly strays to his barrel, slowly rubbing circles. “What did your orders say of my return to Canterlot?”

A hint of a smile can be heard in the timber of the stallion’s voice, “Report for duty at thirty minutes before the dawn. Ma’am.”

“Excellent.” Shining Armor looks over the four pegasus as he shucks Velvet and Night Light’s packs, a dismissive nod. “See you all in Canterlot.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” comes the enthusiastic reply. The first two guards walk past the downed packs, the third guard grabbing them with a wing as the four walk out.

Shining Armor lingers for a moment as Twilight Velvet and Night Light wave goodbye, following the guards to the two chariots. A burst of motion later and the six are airborne, the captain glad to keep his hooves on the ground once again. He turns to the young dragon standing next to the locked basement door, his little sister’s long time assistant, ward, and friend.

“Spike?” Shining Armor starts, though he doesn’t wait for a reply. “Are you happy?”

Spike rubs one claw against his chin for a few seconds as his gaze drifts from the unicorn to the window. “Yeah, I guess I am.” The dragon chuckles, a short rumble, “I mean, it’s not like she’s trying to replace me, you know? She would have found somestallion or another eventually. Like you did!” Spike nervously chuckles, “Well, you know, not somestallion, but somemare, or somepony, or someone!”

“Right on, dude.” Shining Armor raises the top of his hoof to the middle of his forehead - not the side like a normal guard salute - and makes a clicking sound with his tongue as he dips his head down. “Catch ya later.”

“Not if I catch you first!” Spike retorts with a strained laugh.

Shining Armor winks at Spike as he turns one last time, a wayward glance at one of the picnic baskets. A flap opens, one of the pastries levitating to the unicorn’s smiling mouth as he takes his leave.

Spike grins to himself as he looks over the library section. Twilight put her trust in him to run things in her absence, and he came through with flying colors, if he does say so himself. “And I do say so myself!” Spike says to himself, smirking and nodding. Even if there had been a suspicious shadowy figure lurking around the door to the basement hours ago. And then Meringue came by to help organize things; that filly is such a big help. She even managed to find the old book on herding that Twilight asked him to find!

“Heh, wouldn’t have wanted those stallions to see you,” Spike says as he hoists A. Barrystar’s Guide to Herding, Volume Two - Positions and Soliciting from the table next to the cracked open basement door. He shakes his head, stifling a yawn. “Somehow, I thought the pictures would be better, though the centerfold is kinda nice. But why would Twilight need a book on the legalese of adding members to a herd, and conflict resolution?”

Spike dumps the dirty tome onto the floor by the entrance; Twilight Sparkle doesn’t like searching for her light reading. “Hah!” Spike says aloud, a claw waving away the dust as he hoists the two picnic baskets chock full of goodies. He snorts, taking a deep breath of the sugar laced air, “I’ve been around enough dusty books that I’m immune to your charms! I’m Twilight’s number wua… wua…”

Spike sniffles as his waving draws a few more wisps of sugary goodness to his nostrils.

Shutting the picnic basket merely pushes the rest of the motes closer to him.

“Aah-choo!”

A torrent of green fire spits out of Spike’s mouth, enveloping the thick book. Hundreds of illustrated pages of lubric legal material goes up in flames. The only remaining piece is the centerfold, a glossy illustration of a stallion canoodling with five different mares in five different positions on five different nights.

“But, the articles!” Spike wails, his claws scratching at the sides of his head. “Twilight said she just wanted it for the articles!” He stares at the charred remains, ideas whirring through his mind like little embers drifting through the air, just looking for a nice, dry bit of tinder.

He could blame it on Meringue! Yes, the filly is always getting into trouble, lighting things on fire! The book was just like this when he got it from her! He picks the book up, a mound of ash dumping onto the floor.

Oh, wait, it’s Applebaum who lights things on fire. Ugh, Twilight would see through that way too fast. And he should probably clean that up before she gets back, especially if he has to take dinner out to the herd.

Spike nervously looks back and forth, a high pitched whine rumbling around in the back of his throat. He finally grabs the blackened cover, picks a random spot on one of the highest shelves, and grabs the picnic baskets. He stops in his tracks as the door to the basement creaks shut.

“H-hello?” Spike nervously asks what should be an empty library, though evening shadows are beginning to play around the stacks of books. He quickly scans around. The kitchen is clear, the shelves of books still as poorly organized as Twilight can make them, that weird brown feathered statue he’s never seen before is standing still as a statue, and all the windows and doors are shut. The quiet scrabble of claws against the wooden floor is quite disturbing, though.

“I-is anypony there?” Spike checks behind, then above him, before his attention returns to the sound. No Rainbow Dash inspired pranks are immediately apparent, no Pinkie Pie lurking in the shadows and trying to get an early sniff and snatch on the pastries. “I’m a dragon!” he calls out, whirling around again as he drops the baskets. He brandishes his quill-length claws, “I’ve got claws and fire breath! So show yourself!”

“Hoo?” comes the call from right next to him as the scrabbling ceases.

Spike startles back before exclaiming, “Me! Spike!” He spins around again, but nothing! Just that weird statue looking at him with giant saucers for eyes. He cautiously creeps to the other side before he spots a green alligator lurking behind a stack of books. It takes ages, but the alligator turns one eye to regard him, the other staring off into space.

“Oh! It’s just you, Gummy.” Spike pauses as he notices an odd glint in the alligator’s eyes.

That annoying “Hoo?” again, this time from right behind him.

“Gummy!” Spike shouts, huffing at the weird echo in the library. Maybe Twilight cast some ventriloquist spell on Gummy? And he learned how to talk? Well, it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing Twilight has done today. “There something wrong with your eye?”

“Hoo!”, again from behind him.

“You! Gummy! I’m looking right at you, isn’t that enough of a clue?” Spike huffs, though he realizes that he hasn’t noticed the alligator’s throat moving. “Plus, it should be ‘whose’. Not that Twilight drilled that sort of thing into me.”

“Hoo?” At least this one sounds as confused as he is.

Spike sighs, crossing his arms. “Twilight? She runs the library? I’m sure you’ve met.” He pauses, considering for a moment. “Maybe you haven’t met? She should really come on more pony pet playdates.” He raises a wary eye as the alligator opens his jaws, revealing a wide set of gums.

“Heh!” Spike laughs, backing up as he smiles. “Yup! That’s why they call you Gummy!”

“Hoo?”

“Okay, this is just getting old!” Spike yells, spinning around to find whatever keeps making that annoying ‘who’ noise.

Just the weird feathered statue of an owl. Now with the head on the wrong way. And it’s still staring at him.

“Huh,” Spike says, raising a claw to his chin. He waves one claw at the statue, “I’m pretty sure that wasn’t like that before.”

“Hoo!” the definitely alive owl shouts, raising its wings in a quick salute.

“Ahh!” Spike says, stumbling backwards, his foot landing square in the open jaws of Gummy.

The alligator clamps down on his leg, hard. Harder than any time Twilight had squeezed him in a hug, harder than the time a full shelf of books landed on him, and definitely harder when the wooden shelf landed on his foot afterwards.

Spike screams in surprise and pain as he is wrenched off his feet, Gummy’s body thrashing into what he lucidly recalls as a death roll.

79 The Dragon's Heart, Part Two

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A free-for-all contest plays out between the rumble of hooves against the streets of Ponyville, the grumbling stomachs, and the mumbling voices as Herd Apple returns to the Golden Oaks Library. The sun has already set, ten thousand and one lights concealed from sight by a roiling darkness. The streets are well lit regardless by the light of three horns, scattering shadows on the nearby houses.

“I’m so sorry,” Twilight Sparkle apologizes profusely as her home comes into view, “I thought that Spike knew to bring the dinner out to us! And then we got so caught up in our game, that by the time the train arrived Doug and I had scarcely noticed how much time had gone by!”

“It’s alright, Sugarcube, Celestia knows Ah’ve been late with my fair share of the vittles,” Applejack says with a jockular smile, trying to keep her voice down for the two fillies riding atop her. “‘Sides, Ah need to see for myself these pastries. You said the Princess made ‘em?”

“Yes in-deed-i-ly!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, madly pronking around. Her mouth can barely contain her tongue or the slobber that showers out of her like rain from a thunderhead. “I can smell ‘em from here!” She madly sniffs, though her nose puckers up from the barely discernible metallic scent.

“Hurry!” yells Rarity, exasperation filling her voice as she nervously glances to the storm clouds brewing above and threatening to do exactly that. She bumps into Doug with her flank; even though he is carrying four sleepy fillies he isn’t the main reason for the slow pace, but if he goes faster the rest will follow. “Some of us would like to get back to our homes without getting drenched!”

“You’ve got plenty of time, Rares,” Rainbow Dash chides, though she can’t help but glare at the delay. She glances back at her sleeping filly, softly snoring as she cuddles up to her outstretched wings. That always puts the smile right back on her muzzle.

That smile disappears right as Fluttershy points a hoof at the library, now a dozen paces away. “Um, the door isn’t supposed to be open, is it?”

“No…” Twilight replies, her muzzle likewise curling to a frown. Her horn flares and her eyes glow white, a grimace quickly taking its place. She teleports just outside the library, shouting at the top of her lungs, “SPIKE!!” before she dashes inside.

Rainbow Dash swoops in after Twilight, Scootaloo instantly alert and gripping the rainbow mane. The rest of the herd surges forward, though a shout from Rarity gets them to stop.

Rarity’s horn shines brighter, illuminating a dull, reddish tint along the ground that leads from the front doorway to the north. The ground around the trail is churned by claw marks, disappearing into the White Tail Woods.

Applejack shucks her two fillies to Doug, pointing a hoof away. She firmly states, “Get them outta here, they don’t need this.” Her hard look brooks no disagreement, Doug gulping as he and Trixie corral the curious fillies away from the library. Their concern is only temporarily assuaged as he pets their manes, clearly displaying just as much inquisitiveness as to what is going on as they do.

Meringue breaks away from Doug, ignoring her sire’s quick shout as the mares carefully walk around the bloody claw prints marring the wood. A collective gasp arises as they enter the library. Meringue slips behind them, barely noticed as they take in the gruesome scene.

Dozens of white and brown feathers are strewn around, a shredded pillow stained with blood lying haphazardly off to the side. The back half of a mouse slowly leaks blood, gouges along the back legs but the middle pulverized by some sort of blunt object. A small pile of ash lays scattered as if kicked, next to a glossy centerfold punctured and trampled. Two relatively untouched saddlebags sit in the middle of the room, one of the few intact items. Bloody and ashy claw marks range all over, occasionally with a larger pool next to a clump of papers used as bandages.

Twilight practically flies down the stairs, her eyes mad with dismay. “Spike isn’t here!” she shouts, pointing a hoof at the largest blood stain. “And that is dragon blood!”

Fluttershy hovers over the scene, her hoof quivering as she points at the mouse. “That’s… those are talon marks, and those are owl feathers.” She spots Meringue as the filly slinks towards the basement door, quietly remarking to herself, “Did we…”

Pinkie Pie drops down, inspecting the claw marks. She guffaws in horror at the gross sight, her entire body raising from her massive intake of air, shouting, “Those are Gummy’s claw marks!” She disappears in an explosion of confetti that manages to not land on any of the blood stains. She reappears just as quickly in a whirlwind, “And he’s not home!”

Twilight slams a hoof down, splintering the wood and sending a shockwave of dust along the floor. “We need to do something!”

Rarity points a hoof to the north, “There’s a trail leading away from Ponyville, but it disappears into the woods.” She shudders at the sort of mad traipse they would certainly embark on, though her coat would be a small price to pay for her Spikey-Wikey.

Twilight turns, “Applejack, how’s your tracking?”

Applejack glances to the dark spots on the floor, “Winona’s got a sharper nose than me, but she ain’t here! Ah can go get her, but-”

“Do it.” Twilight’s horn lights, a bright flash as Applejack disappears. She turns, “Fluttershy. The fillies-”

“No.” Twilight blinks at the pegasus’ harsh rebuttal. “I’ll help search.” Fluttershy opens a window, darting outside to the muffled shutting of the basement door.

“O-okay.” Twilight turns to Rainbow, “If your night vision is good enough, we need somepony fast to follow that trail.”

Rainbow sinks to the ground, her flight ending for the first time that evening. “If I knew where I was going? Sure. But I can’t follow a trail I can’t see. And we can’t wait ‘till morning, even if we thought Spike was fine. That storm’ll wash away any chance we have of finding him, and it’s gonna be way too widespread to stop.” She turns to Twilight, “I can follow your horn, and get Spike back here in ten seconds flat, but I can’t lead the way.”

“Got it.” Twilight turns to Rarity and Pinkie Pie as Rainbow takes off through the open window. “Rarity, I need your help. In case we need to split up.”

Rarity grimly nods, “If by my light or my coat I can protect him, I will. You have my horn.”

“And my axe!” Pinkie Pie deeply grunts out, wielding a large forester’s ax. She grits her teeth, a rumbling, “Grrr!”

“Excellent.” Twilight’s horn flickers, the three teleporting outside the library. Twilight staggers slightly, a woozy, “Whew… won’t be doing that the whole trip.” Fluttershy and Rainbow, now Scootalooless, raise up, noses going from inches off the ground and barely following the trail to forming up behind Twilight.

Her horn lights; the light isn’t blindingly bright, but the blood shines with an iridescent glow. Twilight’s pace is agonizingly slow, especially as the spots get fainter, fewer and farther between. The claw marks along the ground soon become the only indication they are heading in the right direction.

The trees go from high branches that only interfere with Rainbow’s and Fluttershy’s flight to squatting brambles that snag and pull on each pony in turn. More than once Rarity’s horn flares to push a multitude of clawing twigs away just to miss one and suffer a slash across not only her flank but everypony near her.

The terrain begins to roll a little more, rocks and boulders beginning to crop up in their way. A pounding behind them quickly grows louder and louder, everypony trading nervous glances. A sharp bark brings a momentarily glimmer of hope as Applejack and Winona burst onto the scene. Winona takes a quick sniff, continuing along the scrabbling claws.

Several minutes later and Winona follows to the left while the claw marks turn right. Applejack whistles, Winona pulling back. “What now?” the farm pony asks, looking at the two paths they can take.

Twilight grunts, her eyes flickering to her herdmates. “I’m following Spike. Rainbow, you’re with me. And I’ll need Winona.”

Fluttershy cuts in, “I’ll be fine with just Pinkie. You four go; we’ll meet back up at the library unless we see some sort of signal.” She and Pinkie Pie take off before anypony can object, pushing through the tangled underbrush and disappearing without a trace.

Twilight grimaces; if one thing playing Ogres and Oubliettes has taught her, it’s never split the party. But, sadly, sometimes you have to. A quick “Let’s go,” and they are back to following Winona. They soon arrive just outside the mouth of a large cave, a deep bellow and sharper shriek emanating from inside. The rock walls are intermittently lit by what can only be great gouts of flame.

Pinkie Pie pulls a candle out of her mane, though the several seconds she spends digging around for a match proves fruitless. The two slowly creep along until they come to an alligator aimlessly listing about.

“Gummy!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, lunging forward to grip her pet in a crushing hug. The haunted look in Gummy’s eyes brings her up short. Tears quickly form, a bubbling that soon turns to twin waterfalls.

Gummy stands still, merely opening his mouth; a purple dragon scale gleams from his gaping maw, lodged in his gums and preventing his mouth from shutting without slicing larger chunks out of already mangled flesh.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Fluttershy coos softly, cautiously walking forward to rest a hoof on Gummy’s upraised snout. “I just wish there was more that I could do for you.”

“You helped him before!” wails Pinkie Pie, her mane laying flat against her head. “I was there! I held the little guy as you excised the tacktail from his mouth, as you stitched him back together! Whatever is wrong now, you can fix it, right?”

“Um,” stammers Fluttershy.

Meringue's high pitched voice carries against the rumble of the storms. “Say Law.”

Fluttershy shudders, “No…”

“Eat flesh. Chase.”

Fluttershy sighs heavily, resigned.

“None escape.”

“I… I guess so.” She walks over to the small yellow filly, briefly stepping behind a tree.

Pinkie Pie looks over as a yellow pegasus wearing a white double buttoned lab coat walks up to Gummy. Her mane poofs back to normal as her crying ceases, pronking over and exclaiming, “I knew it! I knew you had it in you!” She pulls out a blue butterfly capped pen, solemnly holding it out for Dr. Mareau to take.

The pegasus takes the offered pen, tucking it next to two others in her breast pocket with more than a little disdain. “As you well know, this was a dangerous procedure, though one I thought worth the risk. But if he reverted to his natural state so quickly, within hours? I fear there is little more we can do.”

“You did your best, Doctor. You did it for him, and you did it for me. And I’ll always remember that.” Pinkie Pie’s voice quivers, “I only have one question,” her hoof gently stretching to touch Gummy’s snout, the same spot as Fluttershy.

“Yes? Come now, spit it out, we have not much time!”

Pinkie Pie looks deep into the yellow pegasus’ eyes, “Did he get his death roll?”

Dr. Mareau stares back at Pinkie Pie before she slowly lets out the breath she is holding. “I fear the answer to that question, but I fear more if we never are able to find out.” She turns to Meringue, the filly holding out a few surgical implements. “Repairing the flesh should be a trivial matter, if we were at my House.” She motions to the alligator’s head, “We may be able to leave a small portion of his instincts, that desire to bite and hold, but there will be no purpose behind it other than a desire to grip to what he seeks.” Her eyes go up as the rumble of the nearby storms gets louder, “But now, we must make haste, before the rain comes.” She reaches a hoof out to Meringue, “Gauze, and a way to keep him from reacting to the pain. I don’t want to lose my hoof to this lawbreaker.”

Pinkie Pie dutifully takes the offered cloth, passing it along with tears in her eyes. Dr. Mareau’s scalpel removes the scale, and then her Stare removes any vestiges of the uplift, leaving the alligator’s eyes as dull and vapid as the nearby rocks.

80 The Dragon's Heart, Part Three

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Twilight Sparkle skids to a stop just outside of the massive cave entrance, the flickering walls plunging into darkness as the great roar of infuriated beast abates. She nervously glances to the three ponies and one dog forming up just behind her, their determined faces illuminated by her horn’s glow.

“That’s a dragon in there,” Twilight calmly states as she flips her mane towards the stony maw, steel glinting in her eyes. Her demeanor briefly breaks, “Well, two dragons.” The harsh glare returns, “And it’s a big one. Probably as large as the one we faced a month ago.” Her gaze turns to rest on Rainbow Dash, harshly narrowing as she continues, ”We don’t need any heroics. We don’t want any misunderstandings.”

Twilight turns back to the cave entrance, nodding resolutely. “If Spike is in there-” Winona barks in confirmation “-then that dragon is toying with him.”

Her confidence breaks momentarily, “I hope.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” exclaims Rainbow Dash, ignoring Twilight’s hoof coming to her lips. “Somepony needs to go in there and rescue him! I’m going in!” She takes off immediately.

“No!” Twilight shouts, her aura more than her words yanking Rainbow back to the ground barely a foot from where she took off. She rounds on the two ponies behind her, “What did I just say about heroics? That is not a plan!”

“Oooh, shiny…” mutters Rarity from the cave entrance. Her eyes reflect the glow from the dozens of small fires inside the cave, piles of pink and gray hide, bones, and curly tails all quickly charring to ash. Just beyond lay heaps and mounds of gems and jewels that far exceeds the hoard the red dragon Razer ever carried. And the size of that sapphire on the top! It is nearly as large as her! Just how colossal did-

Rarity gasps, involuntarily taking a step back as orange and yellow flame sears what must be the opposite wall, the rest still shrouded in darkness. Tens of thousands of gems mirror the light from every angle, yet even then she cannot see the ends of the caverns. Merely one pillar after another, possibly from an Ursa Major deciding to make this their terrestrial home, and merely carved a side entrance for their offspring.

Rarity’s leg bumps into Twilight as Rainbow and Applejack appear by her side, four sets of eyes fixating on the gargantuan green dragon barely visible on the other side of the gems. A small brown blur zips to and fro around the dragon’s head, bobbing and weaving claws as large as streetlights.

Rainbow Dash goes up, scanning the dark corners of the cavern as orange flames scour the ceiling. Applejack and Winona trot left, making their way around a few of the branded hides. Twilight gallops right, weaving through the spill-off of a pile of gems as a gigantic clawed foot shifts. Rarity lingers by the entrance, barely peeking around the wall. Her horn glows, a beacon ready to dart away should any wayward spurts of flame head her way.

Twilight shouts, “Spike!” as soon as the small purple dragon comes into view. She frantically waves her hoof over her head, grimacing; the green dragon, while distracted by the owl harassing its head, is directly in between the two. She could probably teleport Spike to her once he gets a little closer, but she should really save her strength for if - or when - the dragon gives chase.

The dragon hears Twilight’s shout, turning their head to regard her. Spike shouts in recognition, his short legs slowly propelling him towards Twilight. The much, much larger dragon’s vastly larger legs also take a step towards Twilight, resting on the closer of two gem piles. His nostrils snort short spurts of smoke, stifling streams of soot sinking down.

Twilight gulps, turning and ready to bolt as soon as Spike gets close enough. Her horn flares, helping propel Spike just a tad faster as she gets ahold of his fleeing form. Her eye, filled with fear, glances up. And up. And up.

The dragon towers above her, though the owl is still just annoying enough to distract him from roasting her alive. His tail twitches, trying to track the tawny terror. He roars as he swings, though the owl dodges perfectly, the spikes impacting directly into the green dragon’s head!

“Hah!” shouts Spike as Twilight levitates him to her back, gasping as he grabs hold as hard as he can. “Take that, you mealy mou-”

“No taunting the vicious pig eating dragon!” Twilight shouts, taking off as fast as her hooves can take her. She beelines towards Rarity’s now brightly shining glow, promising to join Doug on a few of his morning jogs if she makes it out of this alive. A brown streak flies just ahead of her, the mystery owl ‘hoo!’ing loudly.

The green dragon behind her quickly recovers, bellowing, “THIEF!!” A jet of flame scorches the wall just behind her as he lumbers after her, the ground quaking underneath his massive steps. His massive bulk barely squeezes through the opening, buying Twilight just enough time to get to the forest’s edge.

Twilight’s horn flares as bright as she can, but the oppressive darkness of the forest and the lack of light from above combines to make picking her way through the trees as convoluted as following Pinkie Pie’s instructions when she is blindfolded. Actually, it’s exactly like that, the way she has to take three steps forward, then two left, then one backwards so she has enough momentum to leap forwards four more, then back to the right. All at a hard gallop with the crashing of trees behind her competing with the crashing of thunder above.

“Owly!” Spike shouts as he points a claw past Twilight’s face. She spots the brown owl flying just ahead of her, his loud hoots almost drowned out by the thunderous cries. Lightning illuminates the area just long enough for her to glance back, a part of her mind noting that the dragon is looking exactly at her!

Twilight takes off at her hardest gallop yet, doing her level best to keep up with the owl guiding her through thicker and thicker parts of the forest. She drops under limbs, skids around trunks like she is racing around barrels. She’s the Iron Pony! She can do this! She puts on another burst of speed, her muzzle curling to a smirk.

All of a sudden, the smashing behind her stops. She chances a look back; she can barely see, through a break in the trees, the dragon’s head poking far above the green tops. He rages, a cloud of steam erupting around him. Twilight’s exhaustion catches up to her as she drops down, not even bothering with a shield as the rain falls around her.

Back at the cave, Rainbow Dash flies inside through the entrance the dragon departed. She shakes the water from her mane and coat before landing next to Rarity, Applejack, and Winona. The four stare at the wide path through the forest.

“So, you think they’ll be okay?” Rainbow Dash whispers in a low, fast tone, her jaw shaking.

“Ah think so,” Applejack says, her voice confident. “It’s us Ah’m worried about.” She raises a hoof towards the great green dragon staggering towards them.

Rainbow Dash grimaces, glancing at her herdmates. “In or out? I mean, I can outfly him, but I’m not leaving you two to be chased like Opal after a mouse.”

Rarity shudders at the thought of traipsing through the dark woods, in the rain, her coat already tattered enough. Applejack casts a wary look behind them, “If that dragon finds us in his cave, he ain’t gonna be happy about it. And there ain’t gonna be a sisterly bond between us like he might’a had with Spike.”

The three hunker down as flame again shoots into the dark sky. All too quickly the green dragon breaks back through the line of trees, heading directly for the cave. His muttering echoes around the walls, “The Dragon Lord will hear of this treachery! Not one timber will rest on another in this Ponyville, and even the stones will be set ablaze! This… Spike… will rue the day he stole from me!”

Rarity looks to her herdmates, courage pushing past her terror. “This could be bad. Princess Celestia already had to smooth things over with the dragons over what happened with Razer.”

“But that was his fault!” Rainbow exclaims, pointing towards the nearby mountain. “He didn’t have to nap there!”

“And Fluttershy didn’t have to Stare him away, and yet here we are,” Rarity states. “Though it would be nice to have her as a fallback plan.” She nods resolutely as the dragon nears the entrance, “Just follow my lead.”

“Ah sure hope this works,” Applejack quietly mutters.

The dragon pokes his head into the cave, the rest of his body quickly following. He immediately spots Rarity by the light of her horn. The forest green head and lime green plume swings around, snorting wisps of yellow flame that matches his eyes. A black pupil, easily large enough for her to walk through, blinks once before narrowing.

“E-excuse me, good dragon,” Rarity hesitantly offers as she takes a step backward, forcing her warmest smile to her muzzle. “M-my name is Rarity, and these are my herdmates Applejack and Rainbow Dash.” She motions her hoof backwards, her smile growing strained at the dragon’s hard stare. “I-I came to apologize for any, um, misunderstanding that occurred between you and S-Spike.”

A jet of flame spits out of the dragon’s nostrils at the mention of the name. He glances at Applejack and Rainbow Dash, both ponies trying their best not to cower under his gaze. His keen eye then turns to the gems strewn around the cavern. He grunts as he lumbers to the closest pile, the spines receding from his tail and sweeping the fallen gems. His massive claws retreat with a loud ‘schink’, now sifting through the pile.

“U-um,” Rarity stammers as she cautiously takes a step forwards, “Y-you called Spike a thief, b-but I assure you, he isn’t. He just really likes the taste of gems, and I’m sure he was overwhelmed at the sight of your magnificent horde. Why, it’s positively the largest collection of gems I’ve ever seen!”

The barest hint of a smile crosses the dragon’s scowl until he unearths a medium blue gem. He holds it up before dropping it next to him, continuing his search.

Rarity inspects the essence with a keen eye. “That’s a greed essence. Very valuable, at least among the more common varieties.”

The dragon nods, pulling out another medium blue gem, this one with a hint of purple. He sets them down, a single claw pushing the two towards Rarity.

“A-and that’s a dread essence, while less common just as valuable.” Rarity gulps as the dragon’s eyes bore into her, taking a step backwards. “Both larger, more powerful varieties. They must have been very expensive to acquire; perhaps not the pinnacle of a horde this monstrous, but surely the centerpiece of a lesser dragon’s.”

“Yes.” The dragon doesn’t need to take a step to close the gap, merely craning his neck forward. “Perhaps you wish to explain why your... Spike... saw fit to steal and devour two essences like them. Before I do the same to you.”

Rarity gulps, her mind whirring through the possibilities. “Well, um, perhaps it would help if you told us your side of the story.”

The dragon nods, “Very well.” He sits back slightly, “Let’s see, where to begin.”

Rainbow mutters under her breath, “It was a dark and stormy night…” to Applejack’s snickers.

Outside in the forest, a quiet voice from besides her startles Twilight. She hugs Spike closer, though she immediately calms as she spots the yellow pegasus. “You okay?” whispers Fluttershy, though she doesn’t seem to be talking to Twilight. Behind Fluttershy stands Pinkie Pie, her mane seemingly unaffected by the rain, and Meringue, her mane still as flat and straight as always. Gummy is walking behind them, his mouth bandaged, but remarkably mobile for the normally unresponsive alligator.

Twilight nods, “I’m okay, and it seems Spike is too.” She pulls away just slightly in order to better regard Spike, “What happened?”

“I’m better now,” says Spike, chancing a glare at Gummy. He points a claw, “I was in the library, getting dinner ready to bring to you, and then Gummy was there. I got, um, spooked, and then Gummy bites down on my leg! At first it was just painful; I mean, I’ve got tough scales and all, but his jaws are still really strong. Then he started rolling around.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie’s comforting smiles briefly grow larger, though they quickly get them back under control.

Twilight snuggles closer to Spike, though her hard eyes rest on Pinkie Pie. “I trust you’ve properly disciplined your pet? Because I never want to hear about this happening again.”

Fluttershy nods, “Yes. It’s… taken care of.”

Twilight nods exactly once before she rubs her head against her dragon. “Spike, if you don’t want to continue, you don’t have to. We’re here for you.”

Spike shakes his head as he continues, “At first I hoped it was a joke, or Gummy just being playful, but then he managed to punch through my scales. Split them in two, just like that. His mouth opened just enough, since one of my scales got lodged in his mouth. Then, he starts chasing after me, like he wasn’t satisfied with just one bite.” Spike flicks an imaginary speck of dirt off him, which is actually several drops of water, smirking as he nods to himself, “Yup; I’m too good. Can’t stop after one taste of the Spikester.” Spike motions to the owl, “Then this fellow swoops in to save the day! Well, sort of.”

“Hoo!”

“You did!” says Spike with a chuckle. “Yup, Owly here dropped off a mouse that he caught.”

“Owlowiscious,” Fluttershy corrects. When Twilight looks at her she shyly smiles, “I… we’ve met before.”

Spike rolls his eyes, “Well, Gummy goes after the mouse, gulps down half of it before I can blink. Apparently he didn’t like that as much as me, ‘cause he comes right after me. I was trying to stop the bleeding, and wondering if scales grow back.” He turns an eye to Twilight, “Do scales grow back?”

“Um, I think so, but they won’t be as strong or as large.” Twilight shrugs, “I’m not sure with dragons. There’s a lot we don’t know about you.”

Spike motions a claw back the way they came, “Hey, maybe you can go ask him. I’m sure he’s burning to tell you.” He smirks to himself, “But, anyway, Gummy comes after me again. Chases me out of the library, into the woods. Keeps coming after me, too, like a mare possessed. Owly here harasses him a little, but he’s a tough little biter.” Spike makes goo-goo eyes at Gummy, “Yes you are! Yes you are!”

Gummy blinks one eye, then the other.

“So, he chases me to the cave here. Breaks away, I think because he can hear the dragon in there or something. I didn’t care, I just wanted to get away. And I find this cave with all these gems!” Spike salivates at the thought, rubbing his belly.

“And then?” Twilight asks.

Back in the cave, the green dragon motions to the two gems, “I awoke from my… rest… to the sounds of munching and slurping. I arose to deal with the intruder to find Spike finishing first the greed essence, followed by the dread essence. He had clearly eaten more than that, as his belly was bulging from his indulgence.”

“Did he seem injured?” Rarity asks, motioning to the greed and dread essences. “These two varieties, when enchanting armor, boost toughness and armor.”

“Yes, I am familiar with them.” The green dragon huffs in irritation, “For dragons, they heal and help replace broken or damaged scales.” His eyes narrow again, another snort of flame, “Were you among those who injured him?”

Rarity immediately shakes her head, “No, I assure you, we had nothing to do with that.”

The green dragon stares at her for a few seconds before an acrid cloud of smoke escapes his mouth, leaving Rarity coughing. “I politely asked Spike what he was doing, and he evaded my questions. And my subsequent tries to continue our conversation.”

Spike continues, “And then he comes after me! Fortunately, my leg was already healing from the essences I had eaten, and the gems were doing a great job of shoring up any weaknesses. And it’s a good thing I had such a steady diet of gems with Rarity, they gave me a bunch of reserves to make it here. So I evaded his best tries to hit me with his fire breath and claws. And then you showed up!”

“Oh, Spike,” Twilight says, embracing Spike in a hug. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Owlowiscious quickly join in while Pinkie Pie’s tail snags Gummy and brings him close. Twilight continues, “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that! How are you doing so well?”

Spike shrugs as he pats the back of his head, “Well, after the second time I thought I was dead for sure - that would be running out of the library - I kinda made peace with it. Not much else to do while running blindly through the forest. Then I met the dragon, and he tried to kill me but didn’t, and then we ran away from the dragon some more and he didn’t catch us again. So I figured I’ve got some sort of superpower, or protagonist immunity, or something.” Spike flexes his arm, barely getting a bulge out of the scale. “Yup! I’m pretty awesome.”

Twilight chuckles as she pulls Spike back in for another hug, “Well, don’t go tempting fate too much, okay?”

Spike rolls his eyes, “Okay, fine,” as they get up, starting the long walk back to Ponyville.

Back in the cave, Rarity smiles up at the giant green dragon. “Well, thank you for saving his life and allowing him to live. If there is anything we can do to make up for what happened, then, please, we are at your service.” Rarity bows low, one hoof sweeping out as Applejack and Rainbow grin behind her.

The dragon remains focused on his gems. “I have little interest in the service of ponies.”

“Hey!” Rainbow exclaims, her smile gone. “Just because we’re ponies doesn’t mean we can’t help!”

“Rainbow!” Rarity shouts in a strained whisper, her best glare at the pegasus.

The dragon turns, regarding Rainbow Dash before snorting. “Perhaps you should return to the clouds, little one. There are no gems there, after all.”

“Well, perhaps I can be of assistance,” insists Rarity, her tail underlining her cutie mark. “My talent lies in locating gems such as these. If I can replace the gems that Spike took, perhaps that would appease your wrath? I… may not have any doubt or greed essences, but I assure you that I can procure enough others to be of similar value.”

“Do what you wish.” The dragon turns to sweeping the remainder of the scattered gems back into their piles. “But you make Spike weak by shielding him from the consequences of his actions.”

Rarity snorts, a grand imitation of the dragon’s great bellow, “Oh, I assure you, great dragon, that I will not spare him the consequences. For he will personally dig up each and every gem that we return to you.”

The dragon turns, one eye focusing on Rarity before his maw twists to a smile. “Then Gostir is happy to consider his debt repaid.” He pulls out a small piece of paper, a mailing address in Vanhoover written on it, a snort blowing the paper to Rarity. His gaze turns to Applejack, “And thank you for the meal earlier.”

“Um, don't mention it,” Applejack says, a nervous chuckle as she heads towards the entrance. “Ah think we should be going back right about now. Don’t want to overstay our welcome or nothing.”

Rarity offers a short wave, the dragon turning to his horde, as Rainbow and Applejack walk out into the rain. Rarity sighs, hoofing the paper to Rainbow to tuck under her wing as they head back home.

81 Humility

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At the Golden Oaks Library Doug, Trixie, six fillies and one colt watch as five mares gallop into the woods to the northwest, horns ablaze. Seconds later a small yellow filly takes off, a small saddlebag on her side. Moments later, Applejack yells to Winona as the two reappear on the scene, “Alright, girl, you got this here scent? That’s Spike’s blood! We need you to follow it!”

Winona barks once, nearly smudging her nose in the red splotched dirt before she takes off, Applejack hot on her paws.

Trixie blandly remarks, “So, do you think this is going to become a normal thing? Where those six galavant off to who knows where to do who knows what, and we get stuck here watching over the foals?”

“I’m not a foal!” shouts Scootaloo from atop Doug’s head.

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle yells from his arms, “We should be out there, helping too!”

Apple Bloom nods along as she rubs her rump, “Meringue went after them! Why can’t we?”

Doug sighs; Rainbow Dash left Scootaloo perched on his head, and with Apple Bloom on the ground that means the only thing keeping those three from charging off is him holding tight to Sweetie Belle. That and Scootaloo’s scooter is behind him but still in easy reach should she go for it.

“Sadly,” Doug flatly intones, “I fear we’ll be relegated to that role a lot.” The other three fillies in his arms are rapidly waking up; fortunately most are still trading yawns instead of conspiratorial glances.

“Great. Trixie does not appreciate her great and powerful talents being wasted on such a trivial pursuit.” Trixie, Pomarbo riding on her back and hunkering down, walks up to the library, though she stops short as she spots the prints of red. That and they could hear all the shouting that went on inside the library. Glancing around she can’t see another pony in the dark evening and for little wonder; it’s pitch black aside from her horn and the distant street light.

“Well, if that’s how you feel, it isn’t too late to back out now.” Doug marches behind Apple Bloom, walking the filly to the house. Her head keeps turning this way and that, eyes darting from patches of red to the woods beyond.

Trixie huffs, then groans, her eyes rolling as she looks to Sweet Apple Acres. “We could lock them all in a box.”

Doug rolls his eyes, “Why would you want to teach them how to break out of things? That seems like the exact opposite of the kind of trick we should teach those three. They’re hard enough to keep track of on the best of days.”

“Who said anything about teaching, or tricks?”

Doug rolls his eyes, “Right.”

“Hey!” Apple Bloom exclaims, though every time she tries to go a different direction she finds Doug’s foot in the way. “Ah thought we were gonna help!”

“We are going to help,” Doug states, grunting as he steps around the puddles and into the library. He grimaces at the wreckage scattered around. “Maybe not in the way you want to, though.”

“Aww,” moans Sweetie Belle, “Rarity makes me clean up the store all the time.”

“Yeah, well, somepony has to do it,” Doug forcefully states, moving to the relatively clean kitchen, soon joined by the rest of the fillies. “Do I need to list why we aren’t going to traipse on into the woods after them?”

“I think you’re going to anyway,” mutters Scootaloo.

“Yup!” Doug sets one filly after another onto the kitchen floor as Trixie’s hard hoofsteps clump into the kitchen. He searches through the cabinets and grabs detergent, a bucket, and cloth. “So, who wants to forestall that by volunteering?”

The fillies glance around at each other, none wanting the onerous job of removing blood from the wood.

“First off, only Scootaloo is fast enough to catch up to them. On her scooter. Through the dark forest.” Doug raises an eye, “I probably don’t need to tell you all just how bad an idea that is.”

Scootaloo keeps muttering, “Laying it on pretty thick,” as she grabs the bucket in her teeth. She fills it at the sink. Apple Bloom grabs one of the cloths, then looks at the floor. She passes the cloth to Sweetie Belle, who takes it with a huff.

“How come I have to wipe up the blood?” groans Sweetie Belle, her horn lighting to push the cloth away from her. It only moves a few inches.

“That’s because you’re all helping.” Doug motions to the library books strewn about and knocked off shelves, the pillow, and the mouse. “How about this.” He motions to Apple Bloom, “You all look pretty tired. If you don’t want to do a task, pass it on to somepony else. They can do the same, all the way down to me.”

“Okay!” exclaims Sweetie Belle, passing the cloth to Applebaum. She looks at the cloth, then at the mouse, grimaces, then passes the cloth to Lemon. Lemon takes the cloth, a heavy-hearted hint of a glance at Doug before she lays the cloth in front of Hedge. She yawns, nudging it towards Pomarbo as she curls into a ball. The earth pony colt takes the cloth with a shaky foreleg, glancing at the spots on the wood. He hesitantly passes the cloth to Doug, looking up at his sire with pleading eyes.

“Alright, then,” Doug says quietly, pulling out a dustpan. “Sweeping up the ash.”

“Nope!” Apple Bloom says with a giggle, passing the dustpan to Sweetie Belle.

“Nope!” Sweetie Belle echoes, the dustpan moving down the line of fillies just like the cloth.

Doug takes a deep breath, letting loose a long sigh, “Right.” He holds up a single feather, “Picking up loose items.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle giggle as the process repeats itself, Scootaloo holding the full bucket with a scowl.

“Making sure the food is good, and dinner is ready.”

“Picking up the books.”

“Organizing the books.”

“Putting Twilight and Spike’s room back together.”

“Throwing out the trash.”

“Dealing with the dead mouse.”

The last item gets a series of ‘ewws’ and groans in addition to the chirped ‘nopes!’, many of the fillies giggling along as yet another item is passed back to Doug.

Doug stares at the pile of chores that need to be done, an apologetic look to Trixie. “Well, that’s it. If you are all too tired, then we’ll get some cots set up for you.”

“Nope!” chirps Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle quickly following.

“That last one wasn’t a request,” Doug grunts out, a bit of harshness peeking through his mostly neutral voice. He walks up the stairs, followed by a line of grinning fillies.

“He can’t be serious,” Trixie states, looking at the pile of items representing the chores that need to be done. She grumbles, “This was supposed to be our night together! And he’s going to ruin it with chores?” Her horn flares, mixing a bit of the detergent into the water as she levitates the cloth over, attacking the first stain with a vengeance.

“He’s gotta have some plan,” Scootaloo grunts out, putting the pail of water next to the closest stain. She glares up at the train of fillies, muttering, “Whatever happened to helping your sister out?”

Upstairs, Doug takes sheet after sheet, doubling them up and folding them on the floor to make rudimentary cots. The five fillies and one colt watch. Doug grabs the pillows from the closet, the six laying down.

Apple Bloom complains as Doug turns to leave, “My pillow is too lumpy.”

Doug stops in his tracks and takes a deep breath. He goes back to the closet, takes out a different pillow, and swaps it for Apple Bloom’s. He smiles down, obviously forced but at the same time genuine. “Good night, Apple Bloom.” He goes to each filly in turn, a light tussle of their mane before he goes back downstairs.

Doug walks downstairs, noting Trixie’s scowl and Scootaloo’s resignation. “You know,” he says, trying to interject a little joviality into his tone, “Pinkie Pie finds that singing during dreary chores helps them go quicker.”

“I am not singing while I clean up Twilight Sparkle’s mess,” Trixie spits out through clenched teeth. “Or her dragon’s.”

Scootaloo giggles, “Hey, I bet I’m a pretty awesome singer! We can make up the lyrics as we go along! Like, ‘here I am, a scrubbing away! All the livelong night!’”

“Day,” corrects Trixie, still scowling at the filly’s horribly off-key singing.

“See? You’re really good at this!” grins Scootaloo. “Let’s see. The blood of an owl, it’s making my hooves all foul!” She takes a detergent soaked cloth of her own, grimacing at first as she presses into the nearest stain, suppressing her grimace. It’s better than tree sap!

“If this wasn’t from a fowl, I’d say it came from somepony’s bowel.” Trixie sighs as she shakes her head, the first spot mostly cleaned up. “Trixie thinks this job is the bowels.”

Doug moves over, trash can in hand. He grabs the dead mouse, then starts filling it with loose feathers and the ash, though he leaves the longer owl feathers that might work as quills. “This smell might be sour, and on my face put a glower, and even though it might take an hour, we’ll leave it smelling like a flower!”

A smile peeks out on Trixie’s muzzle, the saccharine attitude surprisingly infectious. It’s too bad her color changing spells aren’t permanent, but at least her levitation can pick up a lot of the gunk from the wood without getting her hooves dirty. Scootaloo, though, will definitely need a bath afterwards.

Their voices carry to the upstairs, rousing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They sigh, glancing over at the empty cot next to them. Sweetie Belle starts, “You don’t think it was wrong of us to make them do all the work, do you?”

Apple Bloom sighs, “Hey, Doug said that if we didn’t want to help out, we didn’t have to. And Ah’m tired.”

Sweetie Belle slowly nods, “Yeah, I’m tired too.” She sinks into her cot, but the sheets no longer feel as comforting as when she first lay on them. She rests there for another moment or two before commenting, “I bet Scootaloo is pretty tired.”

“Yeah, you think? Rainbow had her running laps around the pond. And then trying to fly over the pond! Ah’ve never seen her so happy to get drenched, that time she nearly made it!”

“Yeah.” Sweetie Belle’s frown deepens, “And she’s downstairs. Working.”

“Ugh,” Apple Bloom moans as she covers her face with her less lumpy but still not her normal soft pillow. “Ah’m tired.”

Her only response is the clip-clop of hooves on the stairs, the torrent of hooves following after just like the rain that begins pounding on the house.

Apple Bloom looks over, not a single cot occupied any more. Ugh, why does she let herself get talked into these things? She walks downstairs, though pauses at Scootaloo’s happy expression. Not the glare she was expecting, but relief that her sisters are with her yet again.

Doug smiles as the tired fillies of the herd gather up, each taking a cloth, or picking up a book, or finding some manner to help put the library back together. Soon the cleaning is in full swing, the fillies rhyming what they are doing with how little they want to do it and how quickly they want the task to be over. He pauses in his cleaning to pull Trixie into a quick hug before working alongside the mare. “This’ll give us plenty of time, right?”

Trixie snorts, “Doug wishes he had more time to spend with the Great and Powerful Trixie! He is lucky she deigns to spend even the one night with him, when she could be out like his other mares, gallivanting off and probably rescuing more Princesses.”

Doug smirks, “Really? You want to be out there and driving away dragons?”

Trixie shrugs, “Those six do it. How hard can it be?” She motions to the areas of wood that they still need to get to, “Trixie would rather pay some poor sap to do this.”

Doug leans over, hugging the azure mare and kissing the side of her head. “Would you like that payment now or once we get back home?”

“Trixie likes the idea of a payment plan. You know what they say about compound interest.”

82 The Valley of Steel Boxes, Part One

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August 25th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“Ugh,” Trixie moans as she takes one step after another, the wheels of one of the Apple family wagons rolling behind her. “Trixie cannot help but wonder why you needed her great and powerful abilities to drag a wagon to the middle of nowhere.” Despite her words her hooves carry her swiftly along, the dozen large crates clunking back and forth along the bumpy path.

“Easy!” says Twilight Sparkle as she walks south along the train tracks. To her left is the dark gloom of the Everfree Forest, even during the middle of the day, and the three of them are giving it as wide a berth as possible. The forest to their right isn’t all that more comforting, still a mass of shadows that play and dance in the light wind. “We needed somepony to haul around all of the gems that Spike is going to dig up.”

Spike flexes his claws, “Yup! Gonna pay Gostir back myself. Well, Twilight will help, since she knows the gem finding spell, but I’ll be the one doing the real work.” He admires his claws, holding them out for everypony to gaze at. Better than hooves at digging, certainly, but perhaps he should have brought a shovel.

Twilight stops searching the woods ahead of them to spare a glance over her shoulder at Trixie, “And, seeing as you don’t currently have a job or anything important to do, then you were the logical choice of who to bring along.” Twilight shrugs, nonchalantly saying, “Everypony else was too busy. Meringue and Owlowiscious can hold down the figurative book fort at the library.”

A quick huff of air is soon accompanied by, “Trixie has a job! And a very important one, at that. And that book fort isn’t figurative.”

“Waking up next to Doug does not qualify as a job,” Twilight says, rolling her eyes. It quickly turns to a smile, “It’s a perk!”

“Then it is the perk of a job, which by definition means that Trixie is employed.” Trixie sticks her nose up in the air, flicking her mane at the wagon behind her. “You know as well as Trixie that Trixie works at Sweet Apple Acres.”

Twilight smirks, “And you haul wagons around there, so this should be no different! It’s like you’ve been training your whole life for this task. I don’t see why you’re whining so much about this.”

“This is not whining! Trixie can show you whining, but she does not think you would care for her language around Spike.”

Twilight chuckles nervously as she glances at Spike, the dragon looking far too eager to expand his vocabulary. “Because Rarity isn’t finding gems to pay back what she ate. She uses those gems in her work. And apparently she has a big commission coming up, so she’s hard at work designing those dresses, and I was happy to come along and help Spike out. Besides, I’ve been trying to get more exercise after that romp through the woods, and what a perfect way to learn more about what the area around Ponyville is like!”

Trixie grumbles to herself for a little bit, “And Rarity came by here last week. Why couldn’t she have gotten enough gems then?”

“Because Rarity wants to keep her customer base intact, I’m sure. Sweetie Belle had to stop you from running several customers out of her store for merely inquiring when she would be returning!”

“It is not Trixie’s fault they did not recognize her great and powerful abilities as a seamstress. Besides, the subtractions to their outfits looked far better than whatever some Canterlot snob deemed ‘fashionable’ last week.”

Twilight rolls her eyes as they arrive at their destination: a wide, rock strewn clearing filled with dirt instead of grass. “Well, this looks like the spot.” Her horn flares, her muzzle turning to a frown as she doesn’t turn up anything. “At least, I think it’s the spot. Rarity’s instructions were kind of vague.” She looks around, trying to estimate how far they have gone, and if this is a clearing or more of a glade.

“Then Trixie thinks you need to spend more time traveling. We’ve walked about a mile from Ponyville, and there don’t seem to be many other large open spaces around here.” Trixie unstraps the flatbed wagon, “And I can’t believe Rarity had me bring so many crates! We only need to fill two of them for Spike. And that’s if we don’t find any of those valuable ones.” She walks up to one of the larger rocks, plopping down and basking in the sun.

“Excuse me?” Twilight says as she walks up to Trixie, her eyes narrowing. “What do you think you’re doing? What happened to your ‘we’?”

Trixie opens one eye to return Twilight’s glare, “Trixie fulfilled her role in this venture.” She grandiosely motions with a hoof, “There is your wagon. And when it is full, she will dutifully drag it back to Ponyville. Now begone! Trixie has important business to attend to.” Trixie beats her hoof against the rock before rolling over, an exaggerated yawn as she flops down.

Twilight grumbles to herself as she walks back to Spike and the tiny red cart he borrowed from the Crusaders. “Important business my flank! She could at least help move the gems we dig up from the wagon to those crates.”

Spike drags his cart halfway, looking around at the bare clearing. “So, the gems are just scattered around here or something?” He scratches at the dirt with one claw, a frown when he only uncovers rocks. Not at all the rivers of rubies, or gardens of garnets, or fields of fire emeralds he was imagining. Just dirt, and rocks, and bigger rocks.

Twilight nods, nervously glancing from side to side. “I’m pretty sure. Let me check.” Her horn lights, though she frowns at nothing appearing. “Hmm, might need to boost the spell.” Twilight begins channeling more magic into Rarity’s gem finding spell, grinning as a bit of the rush returns. “Oh! Found one!” Twilight walks several paces to the side, Spike eagerly dashing over.

Spike licks his lips at the gems buried a foot underground. Bits of dirt and rock fly to the sides as he delves down. A long, contented sigh escapes the foot deep hole as Spike admires one of the topazes, about to pop it into his mouth until he notices Twilight’s glare. “Aww,” he groans, dejectedly dropping the five gems into the cart. “But these all look delicious!”

“Yes, well, the more gems you eat, the more we’ll have to dig up. And I don’t want to be traipsing around here all day just for you to fill up your tummy.” Twilight walks around the clearing in a grid pattern, her horn continuing to shine. She scratches in the dirt, though inspects her hoof afterwards for any chips.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Spike grabs one of the gems from the cart, popping it into his mouth. “I didn’t eat that many of Gostir’s gems though. So it won’t be that long, right?”

“Well,” Twilight says, keeping her faster pace and focusing on her spell, “Some of the gems you ate were pretty valuable. So we need to find more to compensate.” She motions back to the cart, “That’s why we have the crates. Rarity said that we fill up two of those, and that will definitely be enough. And she might even be able to sort out and keep a few of the gems that you like so much!”

“Yeah, I wish.” Spike kicks at the dirt before digging up the next patch. An extra large sapphire catches his eye, quickly popping it into his mouth before Twilight can say anything. The rest go into the wagon. The two methodically make their way around the clearing, and after about ten piles and as many minutes later his cart is full.

Twilight remarks, “Wow, Rarity was not foaling around when she said this area might have already been picked clean. We’ve gotten about a fifth of the gems we need, and I don’t see any more in easy reach. I guess I can scan as we get closer to the Ghastly Gorge, but it’s pretty tiring keeping the spell going for a long duration.”

“Already?” Spike asks incredulously as he tries to lift the gem filled cart above his head and dump it into one of the crates. He gets the cart about halfway up before he stumbles, the cart swaying back and forth. One foot steps in the way of the other, sending Spike and the gems spilling to the ground in an unceremonious heap. Spike groans as he tries to push himself up, the gems offering no purchase to his scrabbling claws. He flops back down, grabbing one gem and idly sucking on it as he spreads his arms, staring at the sky.

“Come on, Spike,” Twilight says cheerily. Her horn lights, lifting the gems and dragon into the air. “This is no time to be laying around!”

“Tell that to Trixie,” Spike huffs back, crossing his arms as Twilight rights him, dropping him to the side and the gems in the crate. He blindly motions to the rock Trixie is laying at, his eyes turning to glare at the azure mare basking in the sun. “She doesn’t-”

Actually, the rock is bare. No unicorn basking in the sun, or laying around, or not doing much of anything. Nothing. The area around the rock is similarly empty, just the same dirt as everywhere else.

“Trixie?” Spike hesitantly calls, Twilight turning her worried gaze to the rock. Both of them quickly make their way over, looking for any sign of the missing mare. “Trixie!”

“Hey, look at this,” Twilight says, pointing a hoof at a recently upturned pile of dirt on the opposite side of the rock. Large enough for a pony to have fit through. “What could have done this?”

“Did something bury her?” Spike yells, frantically digging through the dirt. The loosely packed material gives way quickly, but yields nothing besides more rock and earth. Spike glares as bits of dirt begin rolling into the hole as he digs further, a loud yell as the walls of the tunnel collapse onto him.

Twilight’s horn lights, pulling Spike and a good deal of dirt from the hole. Twilight’s voice is tinged with worry, “I don’t know who or what did this, Spike.” She cowers down just a little, eyes ranging all over the clearing as the shallow tunnel collapses into itself. “I don’t know.”

Trixie grumbles as she is jostled around during her nap. She awakens to pitch black around her. Opening her eyes doesn’t help, either, and she has to double check that she did just to be sure it isn’t some dream brought on from falling asleep in the sun. Neither does waving her hoof in front of her face. A light whine escapes her throat as claws scratch into the warm earth around her. She could light her horn, but that would immediately tell whatever is lurking out there where she is. And that she is a potential threat.

The scratching echoes as it gets louder, her breath quickening. Some sort of tunnel? Trixie slowly arches her back, about to roll to her hooves, until she realizes that the warm earth she is laying on is, in fact, some sort of living, breathing creature. And it is currently breathing right into her mane!

A deep voice rumbles from underneath her. “Does pretty pony smell good? Hard to tell. Yes, very hard to tell.” Trixie gulps as two paws roughly push her forward. They grip her flanks, one claw scratching against her and sweeping her tail to the side. “Does pretty pony taste good?”

Trixie shudders as two large, muscular arms pin her down. Humid breath comes in hot spurts mere inches away from her plot. “Please,” she struggles out, her legs trapped against the ground. Fine droplets sprinkle her backside, accompanied by a loud panting.

83 The Valley of Steel Boxes, Part Two

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Trixie’s voice quivers as the creature behind her pauses inches away from her, as if waiting for her permission. “No,” she moans, her weak attempt to shake her flanks free failing utterly against the paws of iron gripping her. She pleads, "Please, just let me go."

“No?” comes a higher pitched whine, the claws around Trixie briefly digging into her. “No,” the creature states with a disappointed sigh, his grip on her flanks loosening. “But how Brutus recognize pony in dark?” He grunts, getting to his paws as Trixie stumbles forward, spinning around to face her near violator.

“What are you talking about?” Trixie’s horn flares as she grits her teeth, though she immediately gasps. Towering in front of her is a large, gruff faced Diamond Dog. His muzzle is mangled, the missing nose replaced by a mass of scar tissue, as if it had been cleaved off entirely. His smile seems awfully friendly, though, a bit of a leer in his eyes not unlike many a stallion she has performed for. His gray arms hang limply at his side, though one paw blocks the light from her horn from shining directly into his eyes.

Brutus points his raised paw at his scarred muzzle, breathing through his mouth. “It dark,” he states as if the answer is as blindingly obvious as the light from Trixie’s horn. “All pony look same.” He shrugs.

Trixie narrows her eyes, “In the dark, yes?”

Brutus shakes his head. “Yes?”

Trixie groans as she looks around her. She is in a small antechamber, two tunnels running away from her. A small box containing torches rests on the opposite wall from where she came down, though the dog makes no motion towards them. Trixie mutters to herself, “‘Don’t worry about the Diamond Dogs!’ Rarity said. ‘They’re really quite friendly!’ Well, Trixie did not think that Rarity was into this sort of thing!” She glances up at the ceiling, “And Rarity could have told Trixie what to expect!”

Brutus shakes his head, “Rarity no let Brutus taste. Brutus want taste.” Brutus pauses for a few seconds before he smiles, “Doug let.” Brutus then shakes his head, “Doug taste funny. Like mares.” Trixie raises an eyebrow, staring at Brutus. He nods once as his tongue pants out again. “He like pet you.”

“Right.” Trixie shudders as she turns back to her surroundings, her horn’s glow softening. How in the hay is she supposed to get out of here? A scratching echoes from one of the tunnels leading away, and any thought of bolting away from her captor disappears as a second Diamond Dog lopes in.

The newcomer isn’t quite as large or powerfully built as Brutus, but his brown body still has quite the imposing presence in the cramped tunnels. He takes a long sniff, his eyes furrowing as he tries to place the scent. After a few seconds he grins, his tongue lolling out as he pants, his searching gaze turning to Trixie.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you release her this instant!” Trixie bellows, backing up against the wall so both Diamond Dogs are in view. Her horn flares, her light nearly blinding.

The second Diamond Dog raises an eyebrow along with a paw to shield his eyes, “Kole take you back up. But why ask come down?” Kole sniffs again, huffing at the faint odor. He takes a step towards Trixie, holding his paws up in front of him, palms towards Trixie. "Why you here then?"

“What do you think you are doing?” Trixie demands as Kole continues blindly advancing. The other Diamond Dog seems content to watch, but the brief glance allows Kole the chance to close within an arm’s length of her. Trixie’s eyes go wide as Kole slips to one side and practically shoves his head between her legs, taking a long sniff.

“Hey!” Trixie shouts, getting both dogs to take a step back and rub their ears. Her horn flares, shoving the far too friendly dog away. “Just what do you think you are doing?”

Kole’s eyes light up in recognition, completely ignoring Trixie. “I smell scent before! Doug! You mate with Doug!”

Trixie’s eyes furrow, “Excuse me?” Her head twists to stare at Kole, leveling her best glare at the dog who really likes sticking his nose where he has no business. Is this a dog thing?

“Yes!” Kole exclaims, excitedly grinning as he waves his arms about. “You Doug mate!” He pushes his head back between Trixie’s hind legs as Trixie yelps again, another long sniff. “Last night!” He hops back up, grabbing Trixie’s foreleg and nearly dragging her down the tunnel. “That mean J’mare send you, yes? We get gems! Lots!”

“Wait!” Trixie yells. Kole skids to a stop, staring at her with a blank look. “Who are you talking about? What gems?”

“J’mare ask lots gems! Yes? We get!” Kole nods furiously, his enthusiasm quite infectious. He turns, bounding down the tunnel, barely turning his head to make sure Trixie is following.

Trixie groans as the Diamond Dog disappears from sight, her languid pace clearly not enough for the dog’s liking. She glances up as a knocking sound reverberates around the cave. Small pieces of dirt from previous tunnels shakes loose.

Brutus asks, “That J'mare?” Trixie shakes her head as the knocking continues. “You know them?” At Trixie’s nod the dog nods dumbly, “I get!”

“What?” Trixie exclaims as the Diamond Dog burrows into the wall, showering her with dirt. She sputters as her horn goes out, shaking the dirt off as a paw grabs her from behind.

“Come!” Kole shouts at her, tugging on her foreleg, Trixie rapidly losing her patience with the impertinent Diamond Dog as she hurries along. "They come after! We go!"

Further to the south, closer to the Ghastly Gorge, two smaller Diamond Dogs are inspecting a series of blue tipped metal poles in the ground. The beefier of the two, his long gray arms swaying back and forth, lumbers between the large rocks. Fido grunts as he hefts a dozen scarlet tipped metal poles, dumping them into an applewood cart next to several dozen similarly marked others. The gray jacketed Diamond Dog flexes his oversized arms as his brother Rover motions towards a solitary pole near the forest edge.

Rover flicks a bit of dust off his red jacket, glancing towards a few of the rocks. “Miss one,” Rover mutters. Fido grunts again, loping over to the scarlet pole. His wide arms yank the pole from the ground, a large red gem coming along with it. Fido grumbles, quickly digging a hole and kicking the red gem back inside. He carries the pole to the cart as a third Diamond Dog appears over the nearest ridge.

“Hey!” yells the runt of the group, his brown fur nearly matching the surrounding dirt. “Come quick!”

Rover shakes his head, “What now, Spot?” as Fido merely grunts, tossing the pole with the rest. Fido picks up the cart, pulling it to the north.

Spot excitedly shouts, “Found gem hunter! He find gems!”

“Really?” Rover asks with a roll of his eyes. “This not white pony again? You know Shav get mad if we grab her again.”

“No! Different! Small and purple!” Spot turns back to the north, “Hurry! He get away! He by north entrance!”

Rover and Fido look to each other, a wide grin spreading on their faces. They bound away, the cart abandoned in their haste.

Back in the clearing, Twilight and Spike inspect the rock that Trixie had been laying on. A large whine escapes Twilight’s throat as she pounds a hoof on the rock. It quickly turns to a loud shout, “She was right here! You don’t, just, disappear into thin air! Not without leaving a trail!”

“You teleport all the time,” Spike says, inspecting the nearby forest. “You don’t think she teleported away, do you?” He climbs up on one nearby rock, holding a claw to shade his eyes from the sun. He dashes from one outcropping to another, looking for any hoofprints, or a note, or any indication at all.

Twilight’s eyes shine white. She spins in a fast circle, head going every direction before she huffs out, “Nothing! No thaumic residue anywhere, nothing to track! It’s like she dropped off the face of the world!”

Spike chuckles nervously, “Oh, don’t be silly, Twilight. Ponies don’t just fall off like that. Right?”

Twilight shakes her head, “Of course not! There’s-”

Spike gasps as the earth underneath them rumbles, quickly jumping onto one of the rocks. Twilight glances around, bewildered, her eyes trying to find the source. Suddenly a pair of large gray paws reach through the dirt, latching onto Twilight’s hind legs. Her eyes go wide, her horn briefly flaring before she disappears into the ground.

“Twilight!” Spike shouts as he dashes over to the newly dug tunnel. He yells, “Which, what, where?” as he inspects the surrounding area. Dirt is filling the entrance, quickly blocking off the way as his claws dig into the soft earth. Spike sputters as dirt pours back into his hole, resurfacing with nothing to show for his efforts. He wails, a loud, keening cry as his claws pound the ground.

“Nooooooo!”

Spike’s claws come to his head, shaking as he stares at the ground. He lays there for several seconds before he jumps up. “Rarity!” he exclaims, spinning around, running towards the wagon. “She’s come down here before, right? She’ll know what to do!”

“Leaving so soon, little hunter?” comes a deep, growling voice from the nearby forest. Spike spins around as three brutish forms step from the trees, wide smiles on their canine snouts. A red jacketed Diamond Dog is in the lead, flanked by one short and one wide dog, all with greedy, leering smiles.

“What did you do with her?” Spike demands, his claws flexing as he snorts a bit of flame. His tail flicks back and forth, the green spikes glinting in the noon sun.

The Diamond Dogs glance at each other, sneers on their faces as they spread out. The leader growls out, “We hunt for gems, little hunter.” They advance, the short one hustling around on all fours to cut off Spike’s retreat. “But now, we hunt for you!”

The biggest dog charges Spike as the others circle around, lunging forward in a diving tackle. Spike jumps up, his tail whipping around to slap the dog in his face. He howls in pain as the pointed tip slices across his cheek, paws coming up to press against the light cut. Spike leaps off his back, roaring at the leader.

“You took Twilight!” Spike rages, his own charge at the red jacketed dog. Spike growls as his target turns tail, running a wide circle away from him. His short legs struggle to keep up, quickly giving up the chase as the other two dogs circle around.

“Who is Twilight?” the short dog rasps from behind Spike. “We look for gems! You find gems!” He sneers as Spike turns, flexing his paws.

Spike shouts as he points towards the big rock, “No, I’m looking for Twilight! She looks for gems! I just dig them up!”

The red jacketed dog stops circling. “Oh.” He growls at the short dog, “You say little purple gem hunter!”

“Little purple was digging gems!” The short one points at Spike. “Purple mare just walking around, horn lit!”

“That’s Twilight!” Spike shouts, his rage returning, if it had ever left. “Give her back!”

The red jacketed dog holds up his empty paws, “We no have purple mare. But we need her to find gems!”

“Yes, find purple mare! Get all gems!” echoes the short one.

The wide dog merely smiles, happily grunting.

All three dogs burrow into the ground, Spike dashing over to the nearest one, the leader. “Wait!”

The thin head pops back up from the tunnel, “Yes?”

“Take me with you!” Spike shouts, glaring daggers at the dog.

The dog looks down into the earth, shrugs, and grabs Spike, tunneling deep into the ground.

84 The Valley of Steel Boxes, Part Three

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Twilight, as we all well know, likes being in control.

Being dragged deep underground by an unknown assailant does not feel like being in control.

Twilight hates it.

It takes a couple seconds, but she rapidly - given the circumstances, what with the constant jostling back and forth and the cramped tunnel and the dirt shooting past her that threatens to invade her mouth should she so much as twist her head - comes to the conclusion that the meaty paws gripping her and pulling her ever onwards do not belong to a creature with her best interests in mind. And she does not like the idea of being a pretty pony plaything for some subterranean beast, or worse. She already is one of those, thank you very much. Well, whenever she lets Doug take charge.

Maybe it is how Doug twists her vast repertoire of spells, or the long delve giving her plenty of time to review her options, but by the time she finds herself spilling into a more open tunnel, Twilight’s horn is already charging a cascading chain of spells. It certainly doesn’t help when those calloused, rugged paws grip her flanks; she might have given her captor the benefit of the doubt until a deep voice rumbles, “Does pretty pony-”

She pulls the trigger, dumping her charged magic into one spell after another. Faster than she could normally cast, without the buildup. First, a set of shades for her own eyes. Followed immediately by a blast of light illuminating exactly how far forward she can go. She can feel the paws on her flanks loosening, along with a high-pitched gasp, but she is too far along in her chain to stop without debilitating herself.

She teleports forward, just a few feet to the other end of the tunnel. A wave of force emanates from her in every direction, widening the tunnel but more importantly knocking back her would-be captor like an Apple-worthy buck to his face, chest, groin, and legs simultaneously. The creature flies back, slamming into the opposite wall with a sickening crack.

Twilight’s gut rises to her mouth as her final spell completes. No time to worry. A spectral blade, similar to Trixie’s and fully capable of severing limbs but without any notion of retaining the ability to move the separated body part. She spins around, her blade illuminating the tunnel and creature in front of her.

Instead of the hulking monstrosity she imagined writhes a cowering brute with a ruined nose, clasping his large paws to his eyes. He moans piteously, pulling his small legs to his chest as he quivers. His deep voice shakes with pain, “Why? Why hurt poor Brutus?”

“Hurt you?” Twilight exclaims. “You grabbed me! And dragged me down here!” Her bravado fades slightly at the blood dripping from the Diamond Dog’s mouth, the way he rocks back and forth. “You! I…” She didn’t mean to hurt him, did she? That sick feeling in her gut returns; what kind of monster chooses violence as their first recourse? Her blade winks out, the light of her horn now softly illuminating around them.

The paws come away from his eyes, tiny pinpricks of black unable to focus on her or anything else. “But. You knock.” One paw blindly waves around, finally locating one of the walls, an imprint of a Diamond Dog in the now compact earth. “You knock on door. Brutus bring down. Brutus good at bring down.” Brutus sniffs, or tries to, as a paw comes up to shield his eyes from the light of Twilight’s horn.

Twilight spins around, only managing a couple of hoofsteps before she gets violently ill. This isn’t what she was taught! It isn’t the pony way to, as Doug put it, shoot first and ask questions later! It is a pony’s duty, if not their inherent nature, to make friends with everycreature! To spread the magic of Harmony and Friendship! Isn’t it?

What Princess Celestia told her is right, whenever she asked about Dark magics.

Princess Celestia had a haunted look in her eyes when she told Twilight of the dangers of twisting Dark magic to the Light. How - even when one’s heart and mind are pure, their intentions genuine - taking even the tiniest portion of darkness leads one down a road best left untrotted. That taking the powers best left untouched corrupts oneself irrevocably, when one allows darkness to mingle with light. The Princess even demonstrated on Twilight’s insistence. She told Twilight of a spell she is working on, one that she claimed would help her old foalsitter Cadance, though she didn’t explain how.

The spell had warped the light around Princess Celestia, pitching the entire secluded corner of the dungeons into a deep darkness despite the bright torches burning around them. Her mane and tail lost their ethereal qualities, hanging limply against the alicorn as she stumbled to the bare floor. Twilight had started to rush over but stopped at Princess Celestia’s weak whisper. “It isn’t finished.” Moments filled with dread passed before Twilight was finally able to approach and comfort the drained alicorn. Twilight had deduced the application of the spell, of course, and had no intention of letting her magic be siphoned away. Though Princess Celestia, likely intentionally, shrouded how to actually cast the spell from her.

Given what happened with Rarity, perhaps her mentor had not done a good enough job.

And here she is, doing the same thing, though this time with Doug and his ‘expertise’. For all the wonders he might have hinted at, of what his species had built, it is all tainted by their proclivity towards violence. Perhaps she should be thankful he has not tried to introduce more, and hidden the extent of his knowledge, much as she would like to understand and integrate more of it.

Twilight flinches as a warm paw lightly rests on her withers, a deep voice hesitantly asking, “Pretty pony okay?”

Twilight’s voice catches in her throat, only a single nod coming out. She turns her head, looking up at the mangled maw and thinking about what might have been, inspired by how Doug plays Ogres and Oubliettes, a twisted capture or brutal battle. Instead, it is two creatures, who never knew each other, able to put aside their differences and be friends.

Well, maybe it is her fault they got off on the wrong hoof. Paw. Whatever.

Twilight forces a smile, though it gets easier as she talks. “Yes. Pretty pony okay. She also very sorry about what happened.”

Brutus chuckles. “Is okay. Brutus tough dog! Take more than knock head.” He leans over, his tongue panting out of his smiling mouth, his lip busted and stained red. “Brutus think pretty pony smell good, but he can’t smell. Can Brutus taste pretty pony?”

Twilight laughs nervously, her eyes briefly flicking down her barrel as the walls around them rumble. “Um, okay. You can taste me.”

A wide grin spreads over Brutus. He swiftly moves forward, his large wet tongue lapping against her face. Twilight giggles at the bristly feeling, her hooves coming up to playfully push against the dog all too happy to press forward. He rolls Twilight to her back, both of them laughing.

“Twilight!” Spike yells as he bursts through a wall, leaping out of the red jacketed Diamond Dog’s paws. He leaps up into the air, his pointed tail viciously jackhammering into Brutus’ tail.

“Arruugh!” cries Brutus, snatching his injured tail away, two bounds taking him out of Spike’s reach. He softly moans, clutching his tail between his legs. “Why? Why hurt poor Brutus?”

“Don’t worry, Twilight!” Spike calls as he rushes to her side. “I’ll protect you!”

“Spike!” Twilight admonishes as she gets to her hooves, “Stop! Brutus was just being friendly with me. It’s okay!”

“But they took you away!” Spike yells, his eyes still trained on the four Diamond Dogs awkwardly looking at each other. “And they want to use you to find gems!”

“Yes!” nods the short yellow dog. “Find lots of gems!”

Twilight raises an eyebrow, glancing at Spike. “But, we came here to find lots of gems.” Her attention turns to the short one, “You know where there are a lot of gems?”

“Yes! We do! But they all hidden, buried away!” The short dog runs to one of the tunnels leading away, stopping and motioning with a paw. “We take you! Hurry!” The big dog and the red jacketed dog push past Twilight and Spike to follow the short dog. Brutus lets go of his tail with a whimper as he returns to sitting at the ready, close to the remains of the tunnel they had taken from the surface.

“Excuse me, you didn’t happen to see another pony come down here, did you?” Twilight asks, making sure the other three dogs are waiting for her. “Name of Trixie, blue, mare.”

Brutus shakes his head, “No can see blue. But Trixie did come.” He sighs dejectedly, “She no let Brutus taste.”

“Whew!” Twilight says, wiping a bit of dirt from her brow. “Where did she go?”

“Kole take her see gems.” Brutus points in the direction of the other three dogs.

“Hopefully, that’s where we’re going, too.” Twilight lets Spike ride her back as they follow the three Diamond Dogs along the twisting corridors and cramped tunnels. “My name is Twilight, and this is Spike. What are your names?”

The red jacketed dog responds, “I Rover.” He points at the short dog, then the wide one, “Spot. Fido.” They occasionally pass another Diamond Dog loping around the tunnels, a tight squeeze with lots of sniffing. Rover motions forward as they come to a large cavern. A large number of purple tipped poles stick out of the ground, clustered along a line along one wall with a few blue clubs. Multiple pillars support the ceiling, and tiny hints of gems gleam from nearly every surface.

On the opposite side of the cavern is Trixie and a dog Rover identifies as Kole. They are standing next to several mine carts filled with gems of varying shapes and colors, arguing vociferously. Kole is holding a large, rusted metal harness. He keeps lifting it, as though he expects Trixie to step underneath it. But, instead, she keeps backing up, shaking her head and pointing a hoof back at the Diamond Dog.

Twilight’s horn lights, her eyes turning white. “Wow…” she mumbles as she looks to her hooves, the earth under her practically littered with gems of all varieties. She walks towards the poles, raising an eyebrow. The frequency of red gems is increasing, but they aren’t rubies. Instead, something closer to the anger essences she has seen in Rarity’s storeroom and Spike claims is his second favorite variety, maybe even because Rarity doesn’t let him eat all that many of them.

“What are you doing here?” Twilight asks, motioning towards the gems. “You have lots of gems here. How come you need more gems?”

“Um,” Rover says, looking to Fido. “Well, we find gems in some area, others no gem. Lots of gems here!” He motions to the purple poles. “But we let gem sit, they grow mean.”

“Mean?” Twilight asks, a hoof coming up to rub her forehead. “What do you mean by that? How do gems get mean?”

“Spit fire. Like dragon! Or cut deep.” Rover shrugs. “But, J’mare like gem that burn. Or cut. She want lots! Fido have…” Rover struggles with the word for a few seconds, like it is a foreign concept, “...idea about gems. So, take gem that grow here, before get burn, and move to cut spot. J’mare very happy with those gem!”

“Fascinating!” Twilight says, happily sitting down on the dirt. “Can you tell me more?”

Spike salivates as he pries a small ruby out of the ground. He pops it in his mouth, grinning as a bit of flame bursts forth. “Spicy!” he claims, immediately searching for another. He runs towards the purple poles, eagerly digging and finding another red gem. This one disappears just as quickly. Spike takes another step forwards, but shrieks in surprise as the dirt in front of him explodes upwards.

“Live one!” Rover shouts, running to grab one of the blue clubs from the wall. Spike backs away as a small red golem unearths itself, a silent shriek as it spits a small burst of fire his way. It blasts directly into Spike, the dragon shrugging off the attack, as Rover brings the club down hard. The small golem shatters; most of the pieces sink into the dirt, turning into dust, but one dull red crystal remains.

Fido picks up the crystal, inspecting it. He nods to Rover, walking over to an empty crate and dropping it in. Spike’s “Aww,” goes ignored as he too grabs a club from the wall.

“Yes, need rotating.” Rover rolls his eyes at Twilight’s inquisitive expression, the purple mare walking right up next to him and practically begging with her eyes. “We take gems. Different spots different…” Rover struggles with the words for a few seconds.

“Ingredients? Stages? Properties?” Twilight offers.

“Magic?” Rover smiles, a shrug of his thin shoulders. “Take different magic. Get bigger. Stop after three. Can paw three. More bad paw, hurt. Too hard.”

Twilight’s horn flares, her jaw gaping open. “You are intentionally moving the gems around so they absorb the different qualities inherently available! That’s incredible!”

“Yes?” Rover briefly smiles as he, Fido, and Spot dig up the rest of the red crystals by the purple poles, only a few of them animating and attacking.

85 The Valley of Steel Boxes, Part Four

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Twilight’s horn flares, a crushing burst of magic shattering the last of the golems. She levitates up the small red crystal that remains, dropping it in the crate with the twenty of its former brethren. “This is so fascinating!” Twilight exclaims, prancing around like a little schoolfilly as she searches for paper and quill. How could she have forgotten something so important!?

Spike groans to himself as he watches Twilight’s efforts get more and more frantic. He’s seen this dance before. He reaches back, pulling both out of his tail. Ah, what a practical and convenient storage place! He should really thank those gargantuan dragons; how else would they transport so much treasure around? Their short, stubby arms? “Here you-”

Twilight pulls Spike into the air in her haste to grab the paper, the dragon landing on his rump as he lets go. Twilight spins, bounding over to Fido. She observes him pulling the poles out of the ground and passing them to Spot, who wraps each crystal to the end of the pole. Twilight eagerly records this and their previous activities, grinning as she inspects the crystals.

Kole’s voice raises, “But pony good at drag! Take cart, yes?” He lifts up the harness again, his eyes squinting at Trixie. “J’mare drag cart when need!”

“But that harness is all rusted!” Trixie complains, her high pitched voice raising as well. “Trixie highly doubts that Rarity stoops to using that old thing! Trixie has worked very hard to keep this glorious luster on her coat! She just had it brushed, and she is not going to get it scratched up by that filthy thing!”

Kole grunts in pain, his ears dropping down as he hunches over. “But, pony get gems. Take gems, yes?”

“Yes, Trixie can see the gems. She is sorry you don’t care for how she delegates the duties available to her, but she is not going to strain herself digging these gems out of here. Now, if you will be so kind as to show her the exit?”

Kole weakly motions to the gems, “But, we dig gems. Now we drag cart, and show where go?”

“Yes!” Trixie happily exclaims, nodding and patting Kole on the head. “Trixie certainly appreciates that on Rarity’s behalf. Now, if you would please show her the exit, she will gladly take all these gems off your paws.”

“Okay!” Kole grins happily, pushing the mine carts laden with gems.

“Trixie is also hungry,” Trixie complains as she walks along the mine cart. “And thirsty.”

“We have apples?” Kole offers, yapping at one of the nearby dogs. “And water?”

Trixie sighs, “That will have to do. Such meager fare for such a great and powerful mare!”

Kole nods eagerly, “Fine. Fetch, dogs!” The closest dog barks, long, four-legged strides taking him away. Trixie grins, flipping her mane over her shoulder as she walks away.

Spot jumps up as the three dogs finish packing the poles, barking, “Now we get gems! Pony find gems, yes? Find jewels?”

Twilight nods, watching Trixie and Kole leave. “Oh? Yes, I suppose we can do that. Where are we going?” She looks around her, “There are lots of gems here. Can’t we use those?”

Spot shakes his head, “No, these gems growing. Outside, find more gems! All the jewels!”

“Okay!” Twilight says eagerly, marching forward. Spike sighs, his short legs struggling to keep up as Fido lifts the crate of poles.

The seven arrive outside the Diamond Dog warren. Trixie walks off to get their wagon while Kole returns inside to bring out another cart of gems. Rover leads the rest to a field abutting the Everfree Forest, motioning to a series of blue tipped poles. Fido brings out the poles, motioning towards the rocks strewn about.

Rover speaks, “Forest make rocks mean. But strong. J’mare like strong rocks.” He motions further to the west, away from the Everfree, “Lots gems by Ghastly Gorge. We hunt gems?”

Twilight’s eyes shine as she looks to the Everfree Forest, nodding at the scene in front of her. The whole area is alive with magic, much like the Forest itself. But she feels uneasy, as if dozens if not hundreds of eyes are on her, constantly shifting even though she cannot detect any movement. “This place feels off,” she weakly offers. “Like the magic is… isn’t right.”

“Maybe same magic that make Timber Wolf. Make alive.” Rover shrugs.

Fido walks forward, driving one of the poles into the ground. Near one of the blue poles a rock shifts, a small dark rock charging him. A single heavy blow from a pole shatters it, but the rock quickly reforms as he backs away.

Twilight grins. “Can you do that again?”

Fido shrugs, walking forward and bashing the rock again.

Hours Later…

“Twilight…” Spike moans as he gathers up the pitiful remains of yet another golem. “I thought you said we were leaving after one more spawn!”

“But there’s still so much more that we can learn from this!” Twilight exclaims, motioning forwards to the many piles of rocks. Many of them, if one watches long enough, slowly shift about, as if waiting for something to come close enough. “It’s so… so… fascinating!”

“That’s what you said the last two times, too!” Spike huffs, crossing his arms across his chest. “I still don’t see the point of crushing the same crystals over and over. We’re just waiting for them to respawn and then the dogs whack them. Then we put the crystal back in the ground, and the whole thing repeats.”

“That’s not the point!” Twilight shakes her head, her eyes closing. “We’re learning more about the crystal’s behavior, gaining valuable experience. And maybe we’ll get another rare drop!”

“A rare drop.” Spike sighs, his heaviest yet. His claws go to his head, pulling on the green ridges. “Twilight, I think we’ve had enough grinding for today.”

“Aww.” Twilight looks over at Trixie. The azure unicorn is fast asleep, yet her hoof keeps pressing the same spot of dirt over and over again, muttering, “Lightning bolt. Lightning bolt.” The wagon rests behind her, full of crates of gems, the fruits of her, Spike, and Kole’s efforts when she wasn’t too busy watching the small golems get crushed over and over. “Just one more rotation?”

“No! I’m putting my tail down!” Spike grunts as he roughly pushes Twilight towards the wagon. She slides along, coughing a little as she kicks up some dirt. “It’s nearly dark, for Celestia’s sake! You have to sleep at some point, right?”

Trixie moans up as well, groggily looking to the two. “Trixie’s back is sore, and she wants a better pillow.” She smacks her lips a few times. “Are we finally ready to leave?” Trixie says as she gets to her hooves. “Trixie feels like she has been asleep for hours.”

“That’s because you have been asleep for hours,” Twilight says as she inspects their haul. Not bad for the trip, but they should have gotten more gems for this amount of time. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so intent on grinding the golems. But how could she give up the opportunity to study such an intriguing phenomenon?

And there are so many interesting mysteries and creatures around here, too! The three start walking along, their pace slowed by the gem filled wagon. Twilight whistles along to the beat of her hooves, lost in her thoughts as she thinks through all the weird and curious experiences she has already had.

The walk back is fairly uneventful until the three get close to Ponyville. Twilight’s ears perk up at a faint sound. She stops, glancing over to the right, peering as far as she can into the Everfree Forest. Trixie and Spike glance over as well, raising their eyes as to the delay. Twilight shoos them onwards, a curious, “Huh.”

“What’s that?” Spike asks cautiously.

Twilight takes a few steps towards the foreboding forest. An echo of her warbling tune rings out from deep inside. Twilight turns, offering Spike a quick smile. “Just some music. I think.” She shakes her head, chuckling to herself.

“O-okay,” Spike says, turning back to Trixie. The azure unicorn continues walking to the Carousel Boutique, looking forward to dropping off the gems. He glances back, Twilight still staring off into the Everfree. “You coming?”

Twilight turns her head and smiles, “Oh, don’t worry, Spike. I’ll catch up!” Her gaze returns to the path leading into the Everfree Forest, close to Fluttershy’s cottage. Did she hear a wayward filly in there, or is Zecora wandering around? Ooh, she should go see Zecora! Maybe she knows more about the various anomalies surrounding here! And she can get some of the tea the zebra made after the whole incident with the fillies! She remembers the path Zecora told them, it isn’t that far inside.

Rarity shrieks with delight at the sight of the gems, almost high pitched enough to make Spike think it is the Crusaders. Speaking of, the three fillies appear at the top of the stairs, watching the mares carry the crates to Rarity’s storeroom.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Gem Sorters!” they exclaim in the exact same pitch as Rarity, tumbling down the stairs. They bump into the walls, each other, and Spike as they race to get closer to the sparkly jewels, jumping up to try to peek inside.

Fluttershy walks out from the kitchen, munching on a bit of salad. She smiles at the sight, “You need any help, Rarity?”

“With these three? Gladly,” Rarity says with a smile as she drops one of the crates off. She turns back to the wagon waiting outside, the three fillies diving into the open box and tossing the gems out. As Rarity walks out of earshot she remarks, “I have a large order I need to fill, and getting them out of my mane will certainly be a large help. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Oh, no, that’s fine,” Fluttershy says as she and Rarity both heft another box each. “I don’t mind looking after them at all!”

“Good, good,” Rarity says absentmindedly, looking back to her workroom. Several seconds pass in silence until they get back to the storeroom. They drop off the crates, watching the four youngsters hard at work.

Scootaloo is on top of the crate, both hooves tossing gems to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike. More than one gem disappears into Spike’s mouth as they sort the gems into various piles. Rarity slinks away, leaving Fluttershy to watch them.

Scootaloo beams as she pulls out a large diamond, tossing it to Sweetie Belle. She eagerly glances back to her flank, sighing at the lack of cutie mark. “Aww,” she moans, hopping down. “I guess I’m not getting my cutie mark in gem sorting.”

“Me neither,” chorus the other two fillies, sighs traded around. They all line up to leave, though Spike is laying on the floor snoozing, a long thin topaz half eaten in his claws.

“Now, dears, just because you didn’t get your cutie mark doesn’t mean you can leave the job undone.” Fluttershy blocks their exit, her wings spread.

“But Fluttershy,” the three mournfully exclaim, hooves pointing towards their blank flanks, “we need to keep trying other things, or we’re never getting our cutie marks!”

Fluttershy offers a stern smile, “Now, girls, just because you didn’t get your cutie marks after five minutes doesn’t mean you won’t get your cutie mark there. Do you think Lemon got her cutie mark the first time she helped somepony out?”

The three fillies sigh, shaking their heads. “No, Fluttershy.”

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy says, her smile growing larger and softer. “Now, sometimes I find that making a song of things helps get through some of the tedious times. Any ideas?”

“You sing?” asks Scootaloo incredulously.

“Um,” Fluttershy says, instantly hiding behind her mane. “Well, um, sometimes my birds sing. And I like to sing along with them.”

“Maybe we can be Cutie Mark Crusader Rock Performers!” Scootaloo exclaims, jumping back on top of the crate. She bangs a few gems on whatever surface is closest to her as she tosses them to her sisters. She growls as she slams gem after gem into each other, scratching more than a few of the softer varieties.

“Ah thought we could be Cutie Mark Crusader Bluegrass Pickers!” Apple Bloom demonstrates by tapping the gems on the edges of the boxes. The gems jingle against each other, a cacophony of sound rivaling Scootaloo’s guttural rumbling.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Vocal Harmony!” Sweetie Belle yells, doing her best to match her voice to the Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s roars.

“My ears!” Spike yells, clasping his claws to his ears as he darts out of the storeroom, up the stairs and into Sweetie Belle’s room, slamming the door behind him.

“Huh,” Scootaloo says flatly. “Wonder what his problem was?”

86 Chaotic Disposition, Part One

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Rarity groans at the constant pounding through the walls of the Carousel Boutique. She stops her sewing machine, setting down the half-finished robe she is working on, the gold silk cloth carefully folded to the side. After this one is complete she just needs to make sure she has the materials in her closet lined up to finish the last few, but that infernal thumping is far too much a distraction! She gets up in a huff, stomping downstairs.

Rarity peeks her head into her storeroom, grimacing at the ongoing ‘performance’ by the three fillies. Scootaloo has nearly emptied the last of the crates, but that just means that she has more space to dance around as she bangs one semi-precious stone after another onto the wooden walls. Every once in a while she comes to a gem that makes a sound she likes, so she tosses it into an ever-growing pile of mismatched gems that seem to share nothing else in common.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle at least have done a halfway decent job of sorting the gems by color, but only Sweetie Belle’s side is also sorted by size. The tired look on her face and the fact that her hooves grab the gems suggests that she had been sorting by horn. She should commend her filly for the effort, but she can still use a lot of practice; she shouldn’t be getting tired that quickly, but no matter. Both fillies are darting back and forth, grabbing the wayward throws and bringing them to their piles.

Fluttershy sits by the entrance, occasionally pulling out a smaller empty box and filling it with gems of similar size, color, and clarity. Rarity smiles at that, but she will need to double check to make sure everything is sorted correctly. Doubtful, as Fluttershy has spent a considerable amount of time in her shop. Hopefully they don’t shelve everything.

Her smile fades almost as quickly as it comes as another loud wail emanates from Scootaloo. Rarity clears her throat, doing her best to suppress her glare. She thinks she succeeds until the three fillies immediately stop their cavorting to stare at her, slight whimpers from each of them.

“Now, girls, I realize that you are having a lot of… fun, sorting through the gems. But I am trying to work, and unfortunately your… exuberance is quite the distraction. I don’t suppose you can find a different activity to hold your attention?” Rarity offers a small, conciliatory smile.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo glance at each other, broad smiles quickly growing that definitely fail to quell Rarity’s fears. “Okay!” They chorus, bounding towards Rarity and Fluttershy. Apple Bloom remarks, “Ah didn’t want a cutie mark in inventorying anyway.”

“Me neither,” Sweetie Belle says as they leave the room, “We need to find something else around here where we can get our cutie mark! Like mosaic laying!”

“Yeah!” exclaims Scootaloo, her high pitched voice echoing as the three race down the hall. “Or maybe we can get our cutie marks in speed mosaic laying!”

Rarity sighs, a forlorn look to Fluttershy. “I’m afraid I’ve bitten off a bit more than I can chew with this order. Alas, the life of a mare willing to put in the time for an extra bit or two.” Rarity licks her lips, her mind drifting to her upcoming luxurious spa visit. Oh, the extra time she spends on this rush order will most certainly be worth it! “Oh, but you should see them, darling! I’m lining them in this special gold silk. It adds just the right touch!”

Fluttershy grins as well, her voice dropping, “Mm. Well, if you don’t want any distractions, I’m sure I can keep Doug busy downstairs.” She winks at Rarity, the unicorn smirking in return.

“I don’t think Doug will be the problem, darling.” Rarity sighs, her tail flicking to the side. “Well, maybe initially. It’s those three I’m worried about.”

Sweetie Belle shouts from the top of the stairs, “Ah bet Rarity’s got lots of gems in her workroom, too!” This is quickly followed by the pounding of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s hooves against the ceiling.

“Oh, dear,” Rarity says with an apologetic glance to Fluttershy. “I’m afraid there will be no rest for the weary tonight.” She dashes after the three fillies.

“That’s okay,” Fluttershy meekly smiles as she sedately follows. She pauses as the side door opens, her grin widening. Doug is here! She prances back to the kitchen to meet her stallion, eagerly licking her lips, her long pink tail swishing back and forth.

Rarity bursts into her combination workroom and bedroom, eyes tracing all around the room searching for the expected devastation. Instead, the trio is calmly sitting around one of her closets, pushing small shards of many-hued gems around. Rarity wipes a bit of the perspiration beading on her forehead. That could have been much worse!

Sweetie Belle looks over with a smile, motioning to the half-formed crest. “Do you like it, Rarity? Do you?”

Rarity takes a closer look; they have used a good number of her rubies to make a field of red, surrounded by sapphires in a very rough circle. Inside is a prancing, cape wearing pony made of topaz. At least, that’s what she hopes it is. “It looks lovely, darling.” She turns back to her sewing machine. Everything is still in place, thankfully, and she walks over to get back to work.

“Rarity?” comes her filly’s hesitant voice.

Rarity briefly closes her eyes; will she be able to concentrate with these here? “Yes, dear?” she replies, turning to smile at the three fillies now clustering around her sewing machine and looking up at her. “Can I help you?”

“Actually, we were wondering if we could help you!” Sweetie Belle exclaims, smiling broadly.

“We could get our cutie marks in clothes making!” Apple Bloom adds as she presses next to Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo pushes up between the two, “Or in designing awesome attire for performing-ces!”

Rarity shudders at the thought, “Well, at the moment I don’t really need any help. Perhaps you might be best off playing downstairs?”

The trio look downcast as they collectively sigh. “Okay,” they unhappily groan, opening the door, Scootaloo taking a step towards the stairs.

Sweetie Belle turns back, “Are you sure you don’t want any help?”

Rarity begins to shake her head, though a stifled moan from downstairs dispels any notion of sending the three downstairs just yet. She stammers briefly, looking around the room. “Actually, I suppose the three of you may stay here with me. Or, if you would prefer, quietly studying in your room.”

Scootaloo rushes back into Rarity’s workroom, hastily shutting the door behind her. “I’ll stay in here, thanks.”

“Ah think Spike locked himself in Sweetie’s room,” Apple Bloom says with a slight frown.

Rarity mutters to herself, “I cannot imagine why,” as she turns back to her sewing machine. She barely is able to sew a line before a cough from just behind her interrupts her work. She takes a deep breath, forcing a smile as she looks back at the trio.

“Um, we were wonderin’ if’n we could make a… um…” Apple Bloom hesitates, eyes screwing up as she looks at the ceiling.”

“Costume?” Scootaloo offers.

“Crest?” says Sweetie Belle.

“Some sort of…” Apple Bloom trails off again as Rarity’s thoughts drift off.

At least they aren’t as… persistent as Doug can be. Unless she tells him off, but she always feels bad afterwards; he’s just trying to show her how much he loves her, after all. And Fluttershy is taking care of that particular issue for her, and then Doug is much more willing to help out without distracting her. Too much. He might still pester her a little, but he should be able to help her finish these last few robes. If she makes that their game for the night, he’ll certainly win, but she’ll finish these designs much earlier. Certainly worth it.

“Outfit!” Apple Bloom nods as she settles on the word. “We need some sort of uniform to let everypony know that we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

Sweetie Belle gives Rarity her best pleading gaze, eyes growing tearful as she smiles at her dam. “Pleeease, Rarity? Can we make a uniform for each of us?”

Scootaloo beams up, not saying anything.

Rarity looks sternly at each of them. “As long as you keep quiet, then I suppose you may.”

The three fillies grin, spinning around and raising a hoof in celebration.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER UNIFORM MAKERS!!”

Rarity clears her throat, a neutral glare at Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle hesitates, cowering down just a little as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo trade fearful glances. “Oh, um, may we make a uniform?”

Rarity smiles, “Yes, you may.”

Their grins return, scampering off to the closet Rarity keeps her spare materials in. Her horn lights, a blue aura bringing out a few bolts of red and blue cloth. Scootaloo grabs a pair of scissors, Apple Bloom a measuring tape, and Sweetie Belle a set of her marking pencils.

“Now, would you three like a pattern to go by?” Rarity offers with a wide smile.

“I feel like you’re asking us, but there’s only one right answer,” Sweetie Belle says.

“Oh, darling,” Rarity chuckles, pulling out one of her filly-sized cloak patterns. “Of course you have a choice. Just like every customer.”

“Oh. I can do it your way, or I can be wrong.” Sweetie Belle frowns.

“Yup!” Rarity says with a cheery smile. “Now, I must get back to work, or I fear I won’t be able to finish this order by tonight!”

“Okay!” the three say, eagerly grabbing at the pattern. Sweetie Belle explains how the three of them will make their emblems on a fairly simple cloak, holding out the red cloth, then marking the various spots they will sew. They each tie the square fabric around their necks, looking back at how it spills over their flanks and gets under their hooves.

“A little long, don’cha think?” says Scootaloo, brandishing the scissors. Rarity’s ear flicks back, listening in much to her dismay.

“And it’ll drag in the mud when we’re walking around the woods!” Apple Bloom demonstrates by stomping on the fabric, it straining against her side.

“That’s okay!” Sweetie Belle exclaims, her pencils haphazardly marking up the cloth. “We’ll just cut it down to size!”

“No!” Rarity exclaims, darting back from her sewing machine. She yanks the scissors from Scootaloo’s grasp, saving the cloth from being bisected. “Here, let me show you.” She carefully folds the fabric across Scootaloo’s back, now a neat cloak. “There, much better.” A few pins levitate over, keeping the fabric from unrolling. A quick stitch later and the fillies now have a template to follow along.

“Whew!” Rarity says to herself as she grabs a few ribbons from the closet. A tiny bit of gold fabric spills out as she walks back to her sewing machine. Finally, a bit of peace and quiet for her to finish this robe!

The four continue working hard, brief glances by Rarity to check that everything is going as planned. The trio get each of the larger pieces to the correct size, hoof stitching the hem. They then each cut out from some of her scrap fabric a small yellow pony, setting it on top of a two tone blue background. Rarity smiles as she finishes the hood. Just a few more to go!

Rarity looks up as the door opens, a very chipper Fluttershy peeking in. “Everything going well?” Fluttershy asks, glancing towards the Crusaders.

“Oh, everything is just fine,” Rarity assures her herdmate. “What made you check?”

“Um, it was a little too quiet,” Fluttershy offers, her smile slightly shrinking. “We thought you might need some help.”

“Oh, these sweet little angels?” Rarity smiles as the three scamper over to Fluttershy, each wearing their cloaks.

“Fluttershy!” they each exclaim, scampering over each other in their haste to show her their new outfit. “Look at this!”

“I like it!” Fluttershy says, running her hoof along the fabric. “Yes. it’s… nice.”

“Nice?” Sweetie Belle says, a slight huff. “I wasn’t going for nice.”

“Oh, um, it’s… very nice?” Fluttershy says with a slightly cringing smile.

“But look!” Scootaloo says, motioning to the design. “It’s us! We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We have a crest and everything!”

“And look at this!” Apple Bloom says, pulling the red cloak away from her body. Inside is lined with a shiny gold fabric, cut down to fit inside without folding. “It took sooo long to make, but Ah think it adds just the right touch, don’t ya?”

Rarity turns, her eyes widening at the scraps of her very expensive, very difficult to replace gold silk strewn on the floor. “What have you done?” she bellows, charging forward to paw through the scraps. “That was the last of my gold silk! I’ll have to stay up all night to make more!” She shakes her head, mourning the loss. “Ohh, I hope I can make more.” She glances to Fluttershy, “You know Doug is going to be unhappy about working all night on this.”

“We can help!” the Crusaders chorus, Rarity looking to the ceiling in exasperation.

87 Chaotic Disposition, Part Two

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Rarity’s rage builds in her chest like storm waters against a levee, a deep, long breath in as she stares at the ceiling, readying herself to unload all the stored frustration on whatever doomed souls lay in front of her. Rarity’s gaze finally drops, falling on the three fillies beaming up at her. Their expressions slowly go from cheery to worried to terrified as Rarity fumes, the mare doing her level best to not actually unleash her fury on the trio.

Apple Bloom nods, hesitantly offering, “It can be like when uncle Big Mac got hurt, right?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo exclaims, a bit of the fear wearing off at her sister’s optimism. “We were a big help then! We can help now!”

Sweetie Belle offers a hopeful smile at Rarity’s continued glare, “I-is that a yes?”

“NO!” Rarity shouts as her anger gets the better of her, a sweeping hoof nearly knocking into Fluttershy. “It is not a yes! You three have been nothing but trouble all evening!” Rarity snorts, her eyes glaring daggers at each of the troublesome fillies in front of her. “I have half a mind to send each of you to bed this instant, and if I hear so much as a single peep out of any of you then you can kiss your Crusading days goodbye!”

The trio bursts into tears, despondently wailing at just the suggestion that they would need to give up their quest for their cutie marks. Rarity’s stern look does not abate, her eyes narrowing at the three cowering fillies. Their crying merely gets louder as Rarity clears her throat, a stomp of her hoof against the floor.

The three fillies sniffle, dropping down and whimpering up at Rarity with pleading eyes. “But, Rarity…” they chorus in a high pitched whine.

“That’s it! Bed! Now!”

Rarity jabs a hoof into the air, pointing directly at Sweetie Belle’s room.

Sweetie Belle runs a hoof along her hoof-made cloak, watery eyes staring at the floor. “I’m sorry, Mama. I just wanted you to be proud of me.” Her horn lights, undoing the knot in front of the cloak. “I thought of how beautiful the robes you were making, and I wanted something just like that. Something you’d make.” She turns the fabric inside out, the golden inner lining shining brightly. Her eyes quiver as she looks up at her dam, her hooves shaking as she offers the cloak.

Rarity’s breath catches in her throat, her eyes closing as she tries to take a deep breath. Her head slightly turns away as Fluttershy nuzzles her, the light touch of the pink mane rubbing against the unicorn’s cheek. “Oh, darling,” Rarity mumbles out, dropping down to rest her barrel on the carpeted floor. Her hooves beckon, a timid smile creeping across her muzzle.

Sweetie Belle rushes forward, tears streaming from her clenched shut eyes, the forgotten cloak dumped to the side. She reaches up, her small hooves wrapping as far as she can around her dam. Rarity returns the hug as strongly as she can, one hoof softly stroking the pink and purple curls.

Scootaloo takes two hesitant steps forward, untying her own cloak. “I-I’m sorry, Rarity.” She holds the cloak out, forcing a small smile. When Rarity doesn’t take the cloak immediately she lumps it into a rough ball, dropping it on the floor and backing up a step.

Apple Bloom whips her cloak off, roughly gripping the red cloth in her hooves while her teeth clench onto the gold silk. She pauses at Rarity’s upturned hoof, cocking her head to the side.

“Stop, dear,” Rarity says firmly. She sighs, her hoof slowly lowering. “That will merely ruin the silk. Besides, I think that the cloaks you all have made are very lovely, and I would hate for something terrible to happen to them.”

“Oh,” Apple Bloom says, the gold silk falling from her mouth and crumpling to the floor. “Does that mean we can’t wear them while we’re crusading? Because terrible stuff tends to happen to us while we’re crusading.”

Scootaloo cowers down a little bit, “So much tree sap…”

Sweetie Belle hugs tighter to Rarity, “But, what about your order?”

Rarity smiles, “While it will certainly make things a little more difficult for me, I will endure. And I would hate to deprive you of such a magnificent uniform. Besides, maybe we can fix them up a little, make them a little more durable. But that will have to wait.” Rarity shakes her head, “Oh, if only Applejack could see me now.” Her voice mimics a southern twang, “Bein’ all practical-like.”

Apple Bloom nods, “Daddy always says we should try to find the silver lining. That it won’t seem so bad, then!”

Sweetie Belle raises one eyebrow. “But, we need to find the gold lining.”

“Oh.” Apple Bloom squats down resting her head in her hooves. “Then Ah don’t know where to look.”

Rarity’s smile turns to a smirk, “It is an expression, dear. It means to find the portion of a bad situation that is good, or can be turned to a good use. Say, learning from an experience that might cause one to be covered in tree sap.”

Scootaloo tentatively asks, “Soo, does that mean that we still need to go to bed?”

Doug sticks his head through the doorway. He focuses on Rarity, his eyebrows waggling, a bit of jeering in his voice as he says, “Did somepony say bed?”

Rarity takes another deep breath as she shakes her head. “Oh, you.” She motions to the mostly finished robes, “I still have a lot of work to do here, and I will need to reshape a bit of gold to make more silk for the inner lining of this order. I still have to make a few more, and then add the finishing touches.”

Doug’s smile briefly fades as he looks to Fluttershy and the trio. “I guess I can help with that, sure.” He groans a little bit, “But it’ll be a late night. Applejack won’t be happy about that, if I’m too tired during the day.” He winks at Rarity, “I might need a little help getting to sleep.” Rarity smiles as she rolls her eyes. Spike pokes his head next to Doug’s leg, peering into the room. Doug continues, “‘Shy, you want to take the trio?” He glances down at the dragon. “Quartet?”

“Sure!” Fluttershy says with a grin, though Spike pouts a little at needing to be watched like a filly. He watches the library by himself all the time, or a bunch of the pets!

“Are you sure?” Rarity frowns just slightly. “Those three can be quite the hoofful.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve managed before with all eight of them.” Fluttershy turns to the trio. They are sitting in a quiet line in front of her, beaming smiles all around. “Besides, we’re going to have all sorts of fun, right?”

“Yup!” three voices cheer.

“See?” Fluttershy says, turning to fix Rarity with a wide smile of her own. “We’ll be just fine. No need to worry.”

“Yes, well.” Rarity sighs. “Their bedtime is soon, as you know. And I would like for there to be quiet while we are working.” She leads down the stairs, heading to her storeroom and cache of gold. “Doug, you remember how this goes, correct?”

“Yup,” he replies, following Rarity.

Fluttershy looks around Rarity’s workroom, the clutter and chaos reminding her of her own house, though with ribbons and ponnequinns instead of nests and critters. What to do to tire these four out, so they are ready for bed? They could help clean up, but Rarity really likes to do her own tidying up of her workroom. The downstairs showroom, though, she is a bit more familiar with. And if she can just get the trio sweeping, mopping, and wiping the windows down? That would be a good start, but it doesn’t really help Rarity with her current predicament. She could put her own sewing skills to use, but that wouldn’t help with the fillies and their quick backsliding when things get boring.

A knocking at the window interrupts Fluttershy’s train of thought. The pegasus smiles at the brown form outside. She opens the window, a bit of a breeze stirring some of the nearby outfits as Owlowiscious flies inside. The owl greets everypony with a low, “Hoo?” as Fluttershy shuts the window behind her.

“Hello to you, too, Owlowiscious!” Fluttershy says with a smile, the four youngsters joining in. “What brings you here? Does Twilight need help with something?”

“Hoo?”

Spike groans, “Twilight.”

“Hoo.”

“You know, the purple unicorn?” Spike groans as Fluttershy’s eyes go wide.

“Oh, no,” Fluttershy mutters.

“Hoo!”

Spike slaps his face with his claws, “She kinda lives in the library with you?”

“What do you mean?” asks Fluttershy, looking squarely at the owl.

“Hoo!” Owlowiscious swings his wings around, a bit of air blowing some of the scraps of fabric around.

“Not who, you!”

Fluttershy turns to Spike, asking, “Spike, do you know where Twilight could have gone? She didn’t return to the library, and Owlowiscious is worried.”

“She didn’t?” Spike asks, worry crossing his face. “She was right with us, too!”

“Hoo!”

“Not, ‘who’, too!” Spike grunts, “Up until we got to the outskirts of town, that is.”

“Then what happened?” Fluttershy asks, going to the southern window and looking out over the town. “Did she go to somewhere else? Sugarcube for a late drink or bite to eat?”

Spike mumbles, a bit of a half-hearted shrug. “Um, I’m not sure. She was looking out into the, um, forest, and Trixie and I just kinda went our separate ways after we got here.”

“Hoo!”

Spike rolls his eyes, “Yes, we got here too.”

“So we don’t know where Twilight is, and she might be in the Everfree Forest.” Fluttershy shudders a little bit, “Oh, dear.”

“Hey, maybe she’s just around town somewhere,” Apple Bloom offers, a shudder as she also stares out the window towards the south.

Sweetie Belle nods, “Yeah! And she forgot to check in with us or with Owlowiscious. She’s probably used to just checking in with Spike.”

“But she didn’t check in on Spike either, did she? We should go find her!” Scootaloo exclaims, raising a hoof.

The other two fillies join her, “Cutie Mark Crusader Pony Finders Go!”

A quiet sigh escapes Fluttershy as the trio run down the stairs. “Oh dear.”

“I’ll check Sweet Apple Acres!”

“Ah’ll get Sugarcube Corner!”

“I’ll try Quills and Sofas!”

The Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turn, wearied looks at Sweetie Belle.

“What? She might have run out of quills from earlier today!” Sweetie Belle nods knowingly. “She dug a bunch of gems up with Spike and Rarity.”

Scootaloo nods along, “Yeah, that does sound like her.”

Apple Bloom grins, “Meet back at Golden Oaks!”

The trio breaks apart, each racing to a different part of town. Scootaloo hops on her scooter, zooming away, her wings beating furiously.

“Wait!” Fluttershy yells after the retreating fillies as she bursts out of the side door. She sighs as they don’t turn around, or even acknowledge her. “Oh, no,” she says to Spike, the dragon looking towards the south.

“Well, we can’t go after all of them,” Spike says as they watch the fillies run off.

“And I don’t want to bother Rarity or Doug.” Fluttershy frowns, pawing at the ground. “But we should tell them anyway, that we’re going out.”

“Yeaah,” Spike drolls, “I think I’m going to head to the Everfree, see if she just stopped to look at the pretty trees. Or the stars, trying to get away from all the light around here.”

“Ooh, I know lots of quiet spots far from here that we could go stargazing!” Fluttershy grins, though it fades at Spike’s neutral stare. “But, I guess that can wait for later. After we find Twilight.” She tentatively offers, “Just don’t go exploring too far.”

Fluttershy dances back and forth on her hooves as Spike simply starts walking to the south, a short wave of his clawed hand the only acknowledgement. She doubles back to the Carousel Boutique. She finds Rarity inside the storeroom, the two hard at work creating more thread. “Um, Rarity?” The unicorn flicks her mane as she concentrates on the task at hoof. “I’m taking the fillies about town. We should be back… soon.”

Fluttershy waits for Rarity’s nod before slinking out of the Carousel Boutique, making her way to the Golden Oaks Library. She waits; patiently at first, but slowly growing more and more agitated as the fillies take their time walking through the fairly well lit streets. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle arrive first, both shaking their heads at the lack of Twilight. After another few tense minutes Scootaloo zooms over, panting as she rests on the handlebars of her scooter.

“No luck?” the purple maned filly asks, sighing at the head shakes. “So, what do we do now?’

Fluttershy quietly says, “Well, I guess we go to where we last saw her.”

“Ah don’t know,” Apple Bloom says, a hoof on her chin as she looks towards the Everfree Forest.

Fluttershy tries again, a little louder. “We can trace her steps backwards. That’s where Spike is.”

“I know!” Sweetie Belle exclaims. “We can go to where she was last seen, and then see if we can find a trail!”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Trail Finders go!” The trio races off back to the south end of town.

“Quiet you rascals!” yells a mare from a dimly lit house.

“Sorry!” Fluttershy whispers back. She hurries off after the three fillies, a worried look at the looming forest ahead of them as they leave Ponyville.

88 Chaotic Disposition, Part Three

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Fluttershy’s mane folds against her face as she stares up at the twisting trees of the Everfree Forest. The trees grow much taller and closer together here than in Ponyville, or even the wind breaks in Sweet Apple Acres. The pathway carved several years ago is already starting to get a little overgrown, something no caretaker would allow. But, with the Everfree growing… all on its own? Well, Fluttershy is more than a little concerned about setting hoof in there. Maybe even past worried to downright terrified.

Whenever Fluttershy looks out of her window towards the Everfree Forest, especially at night, there is almost always the faint shimmer of somecreature staring back at her. Sometimes a bird, sometimes Barry the Bear, but rarely - and far too frequently for her comfort - yellow with a wisp of green that slowly blinks as it realizes it is being watched, slinking away with a rustle of brown. A yellow hoof rubs against her own flank; the scars from the timber wolf never fully healed, leaving bumps and ridges of rough tissue.

But hiding the sight of the woods from her eyes merely draws Fluttershy’s attention to the horseshoe imprints in the path. And there, following close behind, the small claw marks of a certain baby dragon. Fluttershy gulps, her anxious gaze tracking each hoofprint and claw mark. She fervently hopes that the next one will belong to a long purple leg. But, instead, they merely continue further on into the forest.

“Spike…” Fluttershy softly whimpers, one hoof digging a trench into the ground from her constant pawing.

“So, do you think there are a lot of scary monsters out in the Everfree forest?” Scootaloo excitedly asks, her head craning to look as deep into the dark depths as she can.

“Ah bet there’s tons of terrifying terrors in there!” Apple Bloom in a low voice with a wide smile, far too much enthusiasm for Fluttershy’s taste.

Fluttershy quietly says, “Girls, we should-”

“We can be Cutie Mark Crusader Creature Catchers too!” Sweetie Belle exclaims.

“Girls!” Fluttershy implores.

Scootaloo darts forward into the forest, Fluttershy gasping, and returns with a few severed branches. She holds the bushy leaves above her head, casting her face into shadows, and jumps onto Apple Bloom’s back. The filly wraps her cloak across her face, madly cackling. “We are a monster from the Everfree Forest! Rwaar!”

Sweetie Belle takes a hesitant step back as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo advance on her. She rumbles deep in her throat, “Well, I am a Creature Catcher, and I will catch you! Grrr!” Sweetie Belle charges forward, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom giggling as they turn tail and run down the path.

“Girls!” Fluttershy yells, which mostly comes out as a harsh whisper. “Awww,” she moans to herself, glancing back to the Carousel Boutique. Why her? Maybe she can go back, get Doug and Rarity and everypony else to come search?

“Cutie Mark Crusader Trailblazing Trail Finders!”

A bellowing roar in response from deep in the forest shatters any thought of that. “That’s a manticore!” Fluttershy takes wing, flying as fast as the darkness of the heavy canopy allows. She groans as the trail of the three fillies intermingles with the claw and hoofprints. The light of the stars gets dimmer and dimmer, the moon fading from view completely as Fluttershy rushes headlong into the forest.

“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy mutters to herself as the wide path becomes more of a game trail. Or, from the splintered trunks and slashed foliage, an impromptu route a hungry predator took to reach their latest prey. Some of the branches seem to dip low, grasping twigs like claws trying to snag any wayward creature that strays too close.

At least the hoofprints are fresh, and Fluttershy flies low to the ground, barely able to track the fillies’ path. The roar comes again; closer this time but more panicked, if her short time with Manny taught her anything. Fluttershy grits her teeth, forcing herself onwards even as the crack of stone shattering and snapping of tree branches continues.

“Girls!” Fluttershy shouts again, every stray branch swaying in the cool night drawing her attention away from her search, as if each one could conceal a trembling filly, scared out of her wits. The roar gets louder, as if the manticore turned towards her.

Fluttershy drops low, peeking around one tree at the latest shout. She gasps as she spots a familiar outline in a small clearing along the path. That’s Twilight! The moon barely shines as it peeks out from the thick clouds above, casting the whole area in shifting shadows, especially the large one right by Twilight’s hooves. Fluttershy zips forward another tree, stepping on an odd stone as she hurriedly glances around for any sign of the fillies or any Everfree monsters, spotting nothing.

“Brawk brawk!” comes a low whisper from a cluster of bushes a few trees ahead, a brown face and purple eyes briefly appearing, a low whistle before it disappears into the foliage.

Fluttershy goes still, sinking into the ground as she stares at the bush, hoping that the darkness will let her glaringly bright pink and yellow coloring fade into her dark green and brown surroundings. A low rumble comes from the clearing and echoes among the trees, the sound of stone being broken off and then slowly crushed. Fluttershy discreetly turns her attention to the clearing, the only motion that of Twilight’s tail slowly shifting around.

“Brawk brawk!” rings from the bush again, a little more insistent this time. A mud stained hoof briefly pokes out from the shrubs, a short wave before it is tugged back down. The movement in the clearing ceases, a glint of two red eyes from the end of Twilight’s tail. Fluttershy pulls her head back, cringing at the sight. Or was it her mind playing tricks on her?

She chances a peek again, no longer seeing the red eyes. But Twilight is still standing far too still. The clearing slowly grows brighter, a few of the wandering clouds above the Everfree Forest moving and no longer concealing the moon.

Fluttershy gasps as she looks down; the stone she has been standing on? It's Spike!

And Twilight has been petrified!

She will need to find a way to get both stone statues home somehow, and quick! The Betrayal magic would fade on its own, faster if they had a specialist. But a more pressing matter is that her own hiding spot is about to be that no longer, and she needs to find some new concealment, fast!

Fluttershy regretfully leaves Spike behind, whispering, “Don’t move!” as she cautiously approaches the bush, staying as low as she can to the ground. She grimaces at the feeling of dirt pressing into her coat, ruining the shiny luster she so carefully cultivates. As she gets right next to the bush she can hear the faint whisper of a filly.

“Come quick!”

Fluttershy dives into the bushes, muddy water splashing onto her face, sputtering as she wipes the grit from her eyes.

“What was that call supposed to be?”

“It’s a chicken,” comes the low response. “Why?”

“Doesn’t sound much like a chicken to me.”

“Well, it worked. Besides, I’d like to hear your chicken call, if you think you’re so much better.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!”

Fluttershy whispers, “Girls?” as she recovers, a mud smeared yellow filly pokes her head out of the bush.

“Scootaloo! Scoot! Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom calls out loudly.

“Girls!” Fluttershy dives forward, wrapping her forelegs around Apple Bloom’s mouth and silencing her. She pulls back, disappearing into the bush and dragging the filly into the mud.

The manticore’s roar returns from just on the other side of the clearing, a bellowing blast that shakes the trees, a flurry of leaves falling. Fluttershy pokes her head out, watching in horror as the manticore breaks through the trees.

The ten foot tall orange beast shakes his red mane, baring large white fangs. He takes one look at Twilight, his bulbous red tail swishing back and forth, scorpion stinger scratching the surface of the nearby trees and effortlessly leaving large divots in the trunks. His ears perk around, trying to find the source of the loud chattering.

Fluttershy cowers back down, barely able to see out from the bush. She realizes; the loud chattering around her isn’t her own, but the three fillies next to her! Soon, the manticore will figure out what the noise is, too, and then it will come for them! She turns, her most calming, reassuring face.

“Girls? Do you want to play a game?” Fluttershy asks in a low whisper, smiling broadly as she tries to conceal the sight of the manticore from the three. The trio strain to hear her, hesitantly nodding as Fluttershy continues. “It’s called ‘Shhh’. It’s about who can be quiet the longest. And I’m world champion! I bet you can’t beat me!” The three fillies cower down, each nodding and going so far to hold their breath.

Moments pass, the crunch of twigs and leaves coming from the clearing. The low huff of the manticore pacing around. The snap of stone breaking off, then the grinding sound before a wet gulp and a harsh tap of beak on claw.

Fluttershy slowly, silently lets her breath out, a long, quiet inhale. She frowns at Apple Bloom’s cheeks puffing out, the filly grimacing. Fluttershy forces a grin, a short puff of air at the filly’s face. Apple Bloom flinches, clenching her eyes shut even tighter. Fluttershy tries again, blowing harder. Apple Bloom’s eyes snap open, glaring at Fluttershy. The pegasus merely smiles, breathing in, and then out, keeping her breath low and steady. Apple Bloom finally gives out, her gasping exhale stifled as best she can. Fluttershy grins; hopefully the manticore doesn’t notice them!

The heavy steps around the clearing don’t change, merely continuing to circle around.

Until Sweetie Belle sneezes.

“Oh, no,” Fluttershy moans, turning up to see the large orange beast looming above them, red mane practically filling her view. Her wings spread out, “Um, hello, Mister Manticore. Nice… night?”

A low rumble comes from the manticore.

“Um, yes, I do have three fillies with me.” Fluttershy glances down, the trio visible as they peek out from behind her wings. They are too terrified to even burst into tears, quivering as they clench onto Fluttershy’s legs.

The manticore grins, his long, pink tongue licking his fangs.

“Um, no. I don’t think I can do that. I like each of them. I’m sorry.” Fluttershy shakes her head resolutely. “If you can wait patiently, then I-”

The manticore sneers, lips pulling back against his teeth, a hot exhale of breath directly into Fluttershy’s face that blows her mane back.

“Brawk bawk bawkk brawk!”

“Scootaloo!” Fluttershy harshly whispers, “This is not the time for that kind of insinuation!”

“It wasn’t me!” Scootaloo hastily replies.

“Then who?” Fluttershy asks as the manticore rears up, his barbed tail swaying ominously above them.

Twilight’s tail seems to come alive, moonlight glinting off the green scales that wind and coil around. From behind the statue comes a red plume, then a feathery white head, then two green scaled bat wings around a long, slithering body. Bits of stone fall away from the cockatrice’s beak as it challenges the manticore, a low, “Babrakaw!”

Fluttershy shakes her head, an adamant, “No, you can’t have one either.”

The manticore puffs his mane larger, his eyes barely opened and focusing on a spot several feet to the side of the cockatrice. His paws unsheathe their claws, a loud *schink* that draws twinges of phantom pain from Fluttershy’s flank. He takes a few steps to one side, then the other, always staying between Fluttershy and the cockatrice.

Fluttershy continues keeping her wings outspread, a harsh whisper commanding the fillies, “Don’t look! Not at the eyes!” She follows her own advice, her gaze transfixed on Twilight’s statue and the remaining tail, now shortly cropped. Rarity will want to patch it up, but at least that style is in this season!

The manticore bellows again, though he seems less confident than before. The cockatrice notices this, advancing and slithering to the side. The manticore swiftly turns his head, blindly lashing out with a claw. The cockatrice dives down, slithering to the side.

“Ba-ba-ba-brawk!”

The manticore bellows again, swiping left, then left again. His breath huffs out as he catches nothing but air, an infuriated roar at the cockatrice’s taunting cry.

The cockatrice dodges the next blow by shifting to the side, directly into the manticore’s line of sight. Fluttershy gasps, turning to the side and a hoof coming up to shield her eyes as a second statue joins Twilight in the clearing.

Fluttershy whimpers as the sounds of slithering grow louder, the gnashing of teeth capable of crushing stone directly above her.

89 Chaotic Disposition, Part Four

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Fluttershy spreads her wings as far as she can, straining to keep any of the Crusaders from staring into the cockatrice’s beady red eyes. The scratch of talon on dirt mere feet away startles Fluttershy into opening one eye, staring through the mane at the slithering green monster. He is rearing up like a cobra, claws capable of slivering stone waving just in front of her. Fluttershy grimaces, chancing a glance behind her.

The three fillies nervously paw at the dirt, clenching their eyes shut, ready to dash away at the slightest provocation. A light whine emanates from each of them, shaking as they huddle against Fluttershy’s legs.

“Look,” Fluttershy says, straining to keep the terror from her voice. “We aren’t looking for any trouble, okay? We just want to get our friends, and go home.” At the cockatrice’s angry cluck Fluttershy continues, “Yes, that would be the pony. And, um, the dragon.” She glances back to the tree where Spike’s body still rests, leaning up against the tree and peering into the clearing.

The cockatrice scrabbles against the ground, growling menacingly.

“And, um, you really shouldn’t be petrifying ponies. In fact, that’s probably the worst thing you can do. But, I’m willing to look past this if you just restore my friend Twilight, and promise me that you will never do this again.”

An angry roar from above flattens Fluttershy’s ears against her head, pushing her mane away from her downcast eyes. She buckles back a step, twisting her head away.

The fillies scream in terror, a high pitched wail that goes on and on, bolting away from Fluttershy with eyes closed. They scurry away, blindly running into trees and shrubs as they stumble around the path.

Fluttershy grits her teeth, yelling “GIRLS!!” before she rounds on the cockatrice, fury incarnate.

“You should be ashamed of yourself!” Fluttershy’s eye’s narrow as she stares the cockatrice down. The cockatrice bawks in surprise, momentarily taken aback. “I have half a mind to find your mother and tell her about what you’ve done!” Fluttershy stamps a hoof on the ground, giving the cockatrice a moment to consider his options.

The cockatrice regains his composure, baring his beak at Fluttershy. He roars, red eyes shining brightly. Bits of pieces of stone begin coalescing at the end of Fluttershy’s tail and hind hooves, gradually making their way across her body.

The fillies stop screaming as they watch, cowering down and unable to turn their eyes away from the dueling creatures. Their eyes shimmer with tears at the thought of losing not one, but two of their aunts. How would they even explain what happened here? If they even get out of here?

Fluttershy can feel her hind legs getting numb. She courageously bellows, “Oh, is that what you have to say for yourself? I don’t think so!” Her Malevolent Stare focuses on the cockatrice, eyes wide as she bears down on top of him. “Now you go over there! And you turn my friend Spike and Twilight back to normal!”

The cockatrice cowers down slightly before he springs back up, redoubling his efforts to petrify Fluttershy, turning her into his next meal. His beady little eyes glare forwards, the stone creeping along to Fluttershy’s dock and the base of her barrel.

Fluttershy grits her teeth, amping up her own Stare just as much. “Now, listen here! You stop this right now! And don’t ever let me catch you doing something like this again!”

The stone around Fluttershy shatters, dropping to the mud in little chunks and pieces that splash tiny droplets in every direction.

The cockatrice yelps in surprise, eyes wandering madly from one chunk of stone to the yellow pegasus in front of him. His vision drifts to the fillies, tiny black eyebrows narrowing. The cockatrice darts forward, fixating each of them with his stare. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo try to break her gaze but cannot, stone fully encasing their hind legs.

Fluttershy leaps in between, her own eyes wider than the cockatrice’s entire body. “OH NO YOU DON’T!” she shouts at the top of her lungs, her Malevolence rocketing up to six.

The cockatrice lets loose a single ‘bukaw?’ as the light fades from his eyes, now a dull stare at nothing in particular, his body slumping down.

Fluttershy calmly states, “Now, I’m sorry I had to do that, but I would feel just awful if I had to tell the others that this happened. So, we’re just going to restore Twilight and Spike and the trio here back to normal, okay? Okay.” She raises a hoof, petting the cockatrice on the head.

The cockatrice limply falls over, a short ‘bakaw’ all the response they get.

Fluttershy sighs to herself, a short glance to the fillies. “Are you three all right?”

Apple Bloom nods, “Loads better!”

Sweetie Belle offers her a small smile, “Tanks to that stare of yours!”

Scootaloo shakes her head, “I’m still a little stoned over here.”

Fluttershy meekly smiles, “Oh. Right.” She grabs the cockatrice in her forelegs, dragging the unresponsive creature. She props his head up to face Scootaloo, the filly trying to shy away but still trapped in stone. Her Stare returns as she commands, “Okay, mister. Turn her back to normal!”

The cockatrice’s eyes briefly shine, the stone around Scootaloo pulsing before breaking into chunks. Scootaloo leaps away, a smile on her muzzle. “Thanks, Fluttershy! You’re like the queen of stares!”

“The Gaze Guru!”

“The Glare Governor!”

“The Looker Lord!”

“Okay, girls, I think that’s enough,” Fluttershy says with a smile as she breaks Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom free. “Besides, we still need to help our friends, right?”

“Aww,” Apple Bloom says. “But Ah thought we were on a roll.”

“You were,” Fluttershy reassure her, “But I would really like to get out of the Everfree Forest. Okay?”

“Okay,” the three fillies chorus merrily.

“Okay.” Fluttershy walks a few steps to Spike’s body, dragging the cockatrice to stare at him. Her Malevolence flares again as she commands the cockatrice, “Okay, two more to release and then I can let you sleep.”

The cockatrice garbles something unintelligible. “There, there,” Fluttershy reassures the half snake, half chicken.

Spike raises a claw to his head, woozily looking around. “What ha- Ahh!” Spike shouts at the cockatrice’s head loosely bobbing inches away from him. “It’s… it’s… Ah!”

“Oh, this little guy?” Fluttershy says, giving him a hug and a smile. “He’s nothing to worry about. Now, let’s go free Twilight, shall we?”

A guttural gurgle comes from the cockatrice.

“Oh, you don’t have much time left, do you?” Fluttershy says, a twinge of worry. “Let’s just do this right quick, okay?” She flutters her wings, quickly bringing her to Twilight’s stone form. Her Stare flares again, “Bring Her Back!”

Spiderweb cracks appear in the stone around Twilight, quickly growing more and more plentiful. Finally Twilight breaks free, her eyes shining white as shards of stone explode away from her. Everypony shields their face from the sharp projectiles, whimpers of pain as they cut into forelegs and coats.

“Kindness!” the purple unicorn bellows, charging Fluttershy. The pegasus shrieks as she drops the cockatrice, her eyes still wide with the Stare. The unicorn bowls her over, muzzle to muzzle as she traps Fluttershy on the ground.

“Mm,” the purple unicorn says greedily, her horn resting on the pegasus’ head. “Not as good, but Malevolence will work, too.”

Fluttershy gasps as she feels the power of her stare slowly fade, faint wisps of ethereal energy flowing into the purple unicorn. “Tw… Twilight?” The purple unicorn slowly stops, gradually backing off. She blinks several times, the white disappearing from her eyes.

Twilight glances down, her eyebrows narrowing quizzically. “Fluttershy? What are you doing here?” She glances around at the Crusaders and Spike, asking, “What happened?”

The four youngsters run forward, hugging Fluttershy and Twilight. They all yell, “Twilight! You’re safe!”

“Yes!” Twilight says, a sharp intake of breath as she spots the limp cockatrice. She rolls off of Fluttershy as she asks, “Is… is that?”

Fluttershy nods, a heavy sigh. “Yes. A cockatrice. It, um… it found you. And-”

“And then Fluttershy saved the day!” Scootaloo exclaims.

Sweetie Belle adds, “She used her Stare and the cockatrice was all, like, ‘oh no you don’t!’”

Apple Bloom nods, “And then Fluttershy was like, ‘oh no you don’t!’ and then the cockatrice, um…” She squats down. “What did you do?”

Fluttershy nervously paws the ground as she gets up, “Um, I might have gone a little overboard with my stare.” She drops down to the convulsing cockatrice, whispering, “Shh. It’s okay. You can go to sleep now.” The cockatrice shudders once before going still.

“Well, that just happened,” Twilight says, a bit of a glare at the fallen cockatrice.

Spike motions to Twilight, “Hey, Twilight, it looks like three of the stars on your cutie mark are glowing.”

Twilight glances back, her horn lighting up the area. “Huh.” The large six pointed pink star in the middle looks unchanged, along with the white six pointed star underneath, but three of the five small white stars are slightly brighter than before.

“That’s odd.” Twilight sighs, “I wonder what did that? I never noticed anything weird before.”

Fluttershy stares at Twilight for a few seconds before shrugging. “Me neither.”

Twilight shrugs as well, a bit of a frown as Fluttershy hefts the cockatrice onto her back. “Um, you aren’t going to keep that, are you? Isn’t it, like, really dangerous?”

“Oh, him?” Fluttershy glancing back to the cockatrice as she winds the bulk around her barrel. “Oh, no. He’s, um, he’s never waking up again. I just didn’t want his last memories to be of us yelling at him.” She starts walking back out along the path.

Twilight stares blankly at Fluttershy as the rest of the group follows the pegasus. “What?”

Fluttershy nods. “Um, I might have gone just a teensy bit overboard with my Stare on him when he attacked the fillies despite my pleading with him not to.” Fluttershy chuckles nervously, “Funny thing about chickens, they can function pretty well even when they’re missing a good chunk of their brain!” She shifts around, a hoof supporting the cockatrice as gravity tries to pull the limp coils off of her.

Twilight then motions to the stone manticore as they depart the clearing, “And what about him? Are we just going to, I don’t know, leave him here like this?”

Fluttershy glances up at the manticore, a bit of a shrug. She motions to the cockatrice on her back, “I mean, this guy’s babies need to eat too. I wouldn’t be too surprised if they are out and about here somewhere close. Or he’ll break out of the stone in a day or so, and as long as he doesn’t move around much he’ll be fine.” Fluttershy shakes her head, “I’m definitely not breaking him out now. I mean, he was dueling the cockatrice over who got to eat me and the fillies. And you, if the manticore won and you later broke free.”

Twilight gulps. “And here I thought you might be worried about some baby creatures.”

“Of course I am!” Fluttershy says, motioning to the Crusaders. “I’m very worried about their safety. And Doug’s, should he ever encounter a cockatrice.”

“We’re not foals anymore!” Scootaloo pouts.

“Yes,” Fluttershy agrees, “and big fillies should know better than to play in the Everfree Forest, or to stay there longer than they need to.” The Crusaders pout at this, but none dare to challenge her.

Twilight groans, “Aww, I never did get that tea from Zecora’s. And, why are you keeping the body?”

“To make soup!” Fluttershy says with a cheeky grin. “I’m hoping it has some special property, like preventing petrification from a cockatrice.”

Twilight grumbles, “Well, that would have been helpful for me to have, now wouldn’t it?”

“Why?” Fluttershy responds innocuously. “You’re turned to stone. How would you drink it?”

“Um. Hmm.” Twilight murmurs for a second. “Pouring it on them wouldn’t work?”

Fluttershy shakes her head, “No. It’s a potion, not a salve. I mean, normally we might be able to just wait for the petrification to wear off, as your innate magic fights against it. Assuming, of course, that you’re still in one piece.”

“What about Doug?” Twilight asks, a touch of fear in her voice. “What would happen to him?”

“That’s why I’m making him this soup!” Fluttershy says with a smile. “It will be especially good for him, since he doesn’t have innate magic that would eventually break him out. We would need to find a Loyalty specialist, probably with a cutie mark related to restoring ailments like this. I’ve also heard eating the eyes works, but that’s more of a cure if you’re half petrified. Do you think he’d prefer one way or the other? I mean, we could always try both.” She grins at the thought, “I bet it’s delicious.”

Twilight gags a little, two of the three fillies sharing her sentiment. “Yeah, um, best let him make that decision.”

90 Boundless Realms, Part One

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September 1st, 1000 Domina Solaria

Applebaum’s hooves bring herself to a stop just outside the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Her mind is elsewhere, the young mare blankly staring at the closed door. Her foreleg lifts absentmindedly, hoof quivering as she pauses.

This is it. At the encouragement of Miss Cheerilee, she had finished her EVALs - Equestrian Volition and Aptitude Leanings - two weeks ago. The test was ostensibly for young mares and stallions who might have ‘difficulty’ finding employment related to their cutie mark, but they never said that on the literature. No, the test is for ‘atypical’ cases like her. Abnormals. Deviants.

After all, buildings in Equestria are supposed to stay up, right? Nopony wants to be in a house where the walls might come crashing down at the slightest provocation. And she has a cutie mark practically purpose-made to make them come down.

Well, if she really didn’t like the results, she could take the test again in another year.

But, as Miss Cheerilee explained to her, the results of the test didn’t really change much. You either had the ‘aptitude and inclination’ to a particular field, or you didn’t. And lots of ponies changed what they liked doing before they got their cutie mark. After? Well, hopefully she and the rest of society can come to some sort of agreement.

It didn’t help that she got a nice, warm feeling every time she thought back to blowing up that model house and getting her cutie mark, and every time she went to bed that feeling faded, leaving her cold and alone and itching to try to recreate it.

She had told Daddy about those feelings. He got a far off look in his eye, and mumbled something. When she pressed further, he went off on some tangent about addiction and coolers and how giving into those feelings, that desire, might work in the short term. But then it wouldn’t be enough, and she’d start blowing up hospitals and boats and giant piles of money and she got a little confused at that point because what kind of madpony would do that sort of thing? Even if it did sound pretty awesome.

Applebaum shakes her head, clearing away the idle thoughts. But, hey, there are probably lots of jobs that work with fireworks and explosions, right? Except that none of those had the same ‘oomph’ that finding the structural weak point in a building did, and the exact amount of charge that she would need to set in order to bring the whole thing crashing down.

Her hoof, still in the air, reaches forward to push against the schoolhouse door. It opens easily, Miss Cheerilee sitting at her desk, mouth pursed as she grades papers. Her pink and purple teacher glances up, muzzle curling to a smile.

“Come in, Applebaum. Ready to get started?”

Applebaum forces a smile, walking up to the seat already positioned on the other side of Miss Cheerilee’s desk. “Yup,” she hesitantly offers, looking over the stacks of papers cluttered around the desk, a hoofkerchief, and other assorted knick-knacks. She lifts a hoof at a plain, full sized envelope sitting all alone. “Is that it?”

“Yes, it is,” Miss Cheerilee readily answers, opening the already-opened envelope and pulling a stack of at least five pages out. “Would you like to know how you did?”

Applebaum nods, though she already knows the answer. The test had been hard. It wasn’t designed to be done in the allotted time, and she hated leaving questions blank. The questions also got harder and harder as you went on, so it wasn’t worth skipping sections. She had only completely finished two of the subsections, and she knew she had messed up a lot on the others.

Miss Cheerilee smiles, “So, the test is scored on multiple dimensions. How many questions you answered, how many you got right, and how well you did compared to every other test taker, and compared to young mares your age.” Miss Cheerilee’s smile grows more encouraging, “And, it looks like you did very well compared to other young mares your age!”

“Really?” Applebaum says, perking up a little. She gets up on her hooves, barely able to peek over the desk to see her results.

“Yup! On average, you scored on the seventy fifth percentile among young mares your age. That’s very good!” Miss Cheerilee points to a number at the bottom. “You did very well on arithmetic reasoning and mathematical knowledge. Is that something that Doug has gone over with you?”

Applebaum nods, “Yup, and the study book helped too. Ah get that stuff.” She points to the next line, “What’s that?”

“Oh?” Miss Cheerilee says, a bit of a frown quickly replaced by a smile. “Well, your reading and word comprehension could use a little work. Those were your lowest two areas. But that’s something that will improve with time! You’ll learn more words, and be able to use them better!”

“But you said this is compared to other mares.” Applebaum frowns, “Then, that means that they’ll get better at words, too.”

Miss Cheerilee’s smile draws tighter, “Yes, dear, I suppose that’s true. But, the rest of your sections were much better! Well, aside from thaumics, but no earth pony really gets that, right?” Miss Cheerilee hastily moves on to the next section. “Let’s see, general science you did fairly well. And mechanical knowledge, oh my! You got a ninety nine there!”

“Ah did?” Applebaum exclaims, spinning the paper around to see for herself. “That’s so cool!”

Miss Cheerilee smiles, though it fades slightly as she pulls aside the next sheet of paper. “Which leads us to the next section.” Her eyes grow serious as she scans over the page. “Applebaum, you like playing with blocks, yes? Building things?”

“Yup!” Applebaum nods vigorously. “It’s so cool to watch them come down! Ah mean, it kinda sucks to build it all in the first place-” Miss Cheerilee’s frown briefly returns “-but the way that sometimes a block will fall over and hit another block, and then that block will knock over another one? Sometimes Ah can build this whole huge house and it all falls down when Ah pull out the right block!” Applebaum’s hooves scrape against each other as she grins maniacally; she can practically feel the warmth spreading from her mark!

“Yes…” Miss Cheerilee hesitantly says, her hoof straying over the parts in the paper that say the same thing. “Let’s step back just a moment, shall we?” Miss Cheerilee smiles down at Applebaum, a somewhat pensive look on her face.

Applebaum’s ears splay back as she takes her front hooves off Miss Cheerilee’s desk, grudgingly retreating to her seat. “Oh. Um, Applejack doesn’t like it when Ah mention that, either.” She huffs out, her face turning away from Miss Cheerilee.

Miss Cheerilee smiles pleasantly, “Oh, I don’t doubt that for a second. Applebaum, what kind of job can you see yourself doing? What do you like?”

“Um,” Applebaum says, rubbing one hoof against the other. “Ah… Ah thought Ah could be a demomare. You know, when a building is old, and needs to come down? Or, or an engineer working in a mine! They blow things up too, right?”

A moderately distressed look crosses Miss Cheerilee’s face before she forces a neutral smile back on. “Well, um, Applebaum. Oh, dear, how do I say this.” Miss Cheerilee pauses for a few seconds, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Applebaum sinks down, her muzzle resting against her hooves.

Miss Cheerilee slowly nods as she opens her eyes. “Applebaum, when I first saw your scores, I thought I had a budding little engineer on my hooves, one I would love to see sprout up and go on to design and build all sorts of wonderful houses and buildings.” She pauses as she pulls out a few of the blueprints that Applebaum had submitted along with her test, pictures of houses and bridges and a way to shore up a mineshaft. “But, do you see the flaw in these designs?”

Applebaum slowly nods, her voice quivering. “Ah tried to hide it, Ah really did.” She turns her head, a long glare at her cutie mark.

Miss Cheerilee sighs, motioning to the harsh red circles and angry remarks, some underlined three times. “Applebaum, nopony wants to live in a house that has a single point of failure. It’s why we build in so many redundancies, and higher load factors. Nopony would dare step hoof in a mine that is designed to collapse!”

A single tear rolls down Applebaum’s cheek, quickly joined by dozens more. “Ah tried, Miss Cheerilee! Ah tried to do it normal-like, and not include those. But it just… it just felt wrong, you know?”

“It’s okay, Applebaum,” Miss Cheerilee quietly says, getting up from her desk. She drops down to her hooves, eye level with the young mare. She nuzzles Applebaum, quelling the soft sobbing. “That’s why we have these discussions, right? So that we can find a place where you are working with your cutie mark. Not trying to oppose it, to do things that you don’t want to do. Right?”

Applebaum sniffles again, wiping the tears from her face, a losing battle as more keep coming.

“There, there,” Miss Cheerilee whispers, grabbing the hoofkerchief from the desk. She wipes away the tears, an encouraging smile. “Now, let’s see what kind of jobs you could get, okay?”

“Okay,” Applebaum hesitantly says, slowly pushing herself back up.

Miss Cheerilee returns to the desk, taking the last page. “Well, unfortunately, there aren’t any… demomare... positions. Available, I mean. Actually, I don’t remember seeing that profession listed at all.” Miss Cheerilee glances down at a different sheet of paper, shaking her head. “But, how does this sound? You could be a building inspector!”

“A what now?” Applebaum asks, reluctantly pushing herself up to look at the job description.

“A building inspector is a pony who goes around to different buildings and figures out what is wrong with them. How likely they are to fall down, or what it would take for something bad to happen. It’s just like what you do with your block houses!”

Applebaum’s eyes narrow, “But, Ah wouldn’t be knocking the houses down.” She sits back slightly. “Ah’d be figuring out what could go wrong, and then fixing it.”

“Exactly!” Miss Cheerilee says with a sunny grin. “Doesn’t that sound exciting?”

Applebaum’s huff goes acknowledged, “Yeah. Sounds like a real pear.” She looks over, “Was there anything else?”

“Hmm,” Miss Cheerilee replies, running a hoof over the page. “With the rest of your scores, it would have to be something more general, something anypony would be able to train to do.” She glances back at Applebaum’s cutie mark, “And, for somepony in your… situation, the earlier we find something that, how shall I say, satisfies that longing of yours, the better. Right?”

“Ah guess so,” Applebaum sighs. “Ah can always try again next year, right? Maybe Ah can do better then?”

Miss Cheerilee purses her lips, “Well, I suppose you can. Would you like a day to think about this? Maybe think up any more options?” She shakes the flimsy piece of paper, “Sometimes they don’t come up with a whole lot.”

Applebaum nods, “Ah think so.” She hops down, clearing her throat. “Thanks for taking the time to go over my options with me, Miss Cheerilee.”

“Oh, you’re more than welcome,” Miss Cheerilee says with a broad smile, getting up to open the door for Applebaum. “Have a nice day!”

“Good day!” Applebaum’s fake cheer sounds hollow even to her as she walks away from the Ponyville Schoolhouse. A heavy sigh escapes as she trudges away. A building inspector? She spots Daddy, resting against a nearby tree and reading through a book on Intermediary Thaumics. The tears threaten to come again as he looks up and spots her, a broad wave and smile.

“How was it?” Doug gently asks as she gets closer, raising an eyebrow as a white stallion walks away from the front of the schoolhouse, quickly following behind her. He is somepony Doug thinks he recognizes, but not from Ponyville.

“Horrible,” Applebaum grunts out. “They think Ah should be a building inspector.”

“Hey, that’s a perfectly fine job,” Doug says. Applebaum rolls her eyes; he always tries to put the best spin on things. “Maybe not what you were hoping for though?”

“Well,” the white stallion behind Applebaum says with a quelled smile. She turns around to look at him. He has a short black mane, parted down the middle, and a cropped tail. Black shades in white frames cover his eyes. A purple and black quarter suit covers his neck, a white tie at his collar. He continues, “There are some that say the life of a building inspector is boring. Unchallenging. The waste of a pony’s potential.” He flicks a business card through the air, Applebaum raising a hoof to catch the perfectly thrown projectile.

Applebaum raises an eyebrow at the statement, flipping the card to read it aloud. “Research, Inquest, Procurement.” She squints to read the smaller text underneath, “Need something? We find anything. For the right price.”

“Name’s Withers.” The white stallion tips his shades down, his amber eyes smirking at the two. “And maybe I can help you find something, too.”

91 Boundless Realms, Part Two

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Applebaum glances down at the business card in her hoof, then up at Withers. “Um, Ah don’t know.” She looks back to her sire; Doug is peering at the white stallion, his hand slowly stroking his chin. She turns back to Withers, “Were you eavesdropping on me in there?”

Withers casually shrugs, “I was merely waiting for a chance to get to talk to you. I know how dreadfully hard it is to go through these sorts of ordeals. I went through one. Two of my fillies had to go through one.” His gaze turns to Doug, then to where Doug is focusing. Withers sighs, looking back to his own cutie mark, a yellow and purple explosion with four asterisks flying away. “I imagine she won’t be the last one you have to go through the process either. Roberts.”

Applebaum’s eyes raise in confusion. What did Withers want to talk about? Who is Roberts? Why is Daddy going pale?

Doug clears his throat, slowly and deliberately setting his book to the side. His voice growls out of his mouth, “So that’s where I remember you from.”

The stallion merely smirks in reply. “I think it would be in both of your best interests if that never came up again, yes?” His eyes flick over to Applebaum, “I would hate for her to miss a golden opportunity like this because of a misunderstanding, yes?”

Doug’s knuckles turn white as his eyes bore into Withers. “Misunderstanding.”

Withers chuckles, though an edge remains in his voice. “A monstrous bee creature and a fugitive zebra out on the far side of the Everfree Forest? Who just happens to be in league with the esteemed Daring Do?” Withers drops his shades to stare into Doug’s eyes. “Forgive our assumption that you weren’t a resident here in Ponyville, much less Equestria.” He shakes his head back and forth, though his eyes never leave Doug. “Our entire business revolves around figuring out mysteries, and the enigmatic creature that sailed down a river, off into the sunset? Did you ever wonder why nopony ever followed up after you? You’re not exactly inconspicuous, Doug.”

“Daddy?” Applebaum quietly says, her voice quivering. “What’s he talking about?”

Doug smiles, a hand coming up to rub Applebaum’s mane. “Nothing that you need to worry about, dear.” He turns back to Withers, a steady stare. “So.”

Withers shrugs. “I’m offering your filly a choice. But before I get into all that and the entrails, let me tell you a little story about myself.” He backs up slightly, relaxing and focusing on Applebaum. “I was just a young colt when I got my cutie mark, just like you. I was playing in the schoolyard, I was, and there was this big, mean filly. Face set like a lump of stone, like her dam was foalin’ around with a chisel and couldn’t decide when to stop.”

Applebaum gulps, her mind picturing some of the older colts who tease her in that position, and sadly doing a remarkably good job.

“So she goes up to this other filly, pretty little thing I kinda liked but never had the heart to tell her. And she starts bickering with her. Started out friendly like, you know how fillies can be, but quickly turns sour, like a bunch of grapes just outta reach. ‘Fore I know it, the big one pushes the cute one right over into the mud. She starts crying, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had been creeping closer. And, soon as she did that, I popped her one.” Withers taps his jaw right at the base. “Got her good, heard the crack and everything. But she came back at me like a wounded wolverine.” Withers smiles fondly as he stares off into the distance, hoof tapping a couple other places on his head and barrel.

“Then what happened?” Applebaum asks, enraptured.

Withers smirks, “Well, we went back and forth, but I was just as scrawny then as I am now. I could hold my own, just tired out quicker, so she won that round. Ended it with a kiss, right here.” He pulls the shades away and taps just under his left eye. “But what I really got out of that fight was this.” He motions backwards towards his cutie mark. “Next time we went at it, I knew just where to strike. Why I like to say I won both fights.” He winks at Applebaum as the shades go back up, “And just like that, we were the best of friends. Second mare, as soon as we were old enough.”

“Who was your lead?” Applebaum asks, a slightly mischievous grin on her muzzle.

“Filly I was protecting, of course.” Withers looks over at Doug, then turns back to Applebaum. “My youngest with her is about her age, I’d say. Could probably even swing things so you go to classes together at the same school. Let you work during your free time, if you were interested. But, anyway, I told you that story to tell you that the teachers, they did not care for it at all. Said no reputable colt should get a cutie mark in brawling.”

“What about the Royal Guard?” Applebaum interjects, resting back on her hooves. “Ah would think they’d take a pony like, um, with your talent.”

Withers shrugs helplessly, “Only stallions that go into the guard are unicorns and pegasi, and for good reason. Plus, I don’t exactly have the ‘build’ to go in even if I wanted to.” He puffs his chest out, barely making it to even the average Ponyville stallion, much less the bulky guards like Shining Armor. “If I was a mare, sure, they’d find some stockroom in the back and make me quartermaster. But I would have just hated that.”

“That’s so sad,” Applebaum says, sinking down. “You think Ah’d make a good stockroom-mare?”

Withers snorts. “Yeah, they’ll put you in charge of their ordinance. They’ll only need to restock every other month. Nah, kid, you don’t want that.” Withers shakes his head several times. “So, I took that same test you did. They found I was good at telling how much somepony was hurt, and how to hurt them. And you know what they tried to get me to be? Trauma surgeon.” Doug’s head snaps back an inch in surprise. “Well, that or drill instructor, roughing up new recruits. Maybe I should have tried that.” Withers smiles at the thought, “But. Spent a couple of years working in Canterlot General, too, see if I could hoof it.”

Doug hums to himself for a moment before asking, “Why’d you quit that? Seems like a needed job, good prestige, I’m guessing good pay.”

Withers nods along at first, “Sure. All that. But it wasn’t fulfilling, not like I hoped. And I realized something funny.” He holds a hoof up, staring at the thick horseshoe on the end. “I figured out that, just like I could hurt someone, I could heal them. And then I started to do both.” He shakes his head, “Never could get past the idea that some of those thugs I was operating on deserved what they got. Got caught ‘reminding’ a mare to treat her stallion right, and the second time, well, there wasn’t going to be a third incident with me.”

“I’m failing to see how this relates to Applebaum,” Doug interjects.

“Cautionary tale, if nothing else.” Withers looks down at Applebaum, not condescendingly, just from standing up straight. “You don’t want to live your life working at odds with yourself. If you think that you’d just hate being a building inspector, or stockroomer, or whatever else, trust your gut. Trust your cutie mark.”

“But what if her cutie mark is telling her to do things that she shouldn’t be doing?” Doug asks, folding his arms across his chest.

“Ain’t a good answer to that, ‘cept that I haven’t heard of one of those.” A second business card appears in Withers’ hoof. He glances back at the schoolhouse. “I mean, if she wants to be a building inspector, then I can walk away from here and nothing happens. Otherwise?” His muzzle dips down, a pen appearing from inside his suit. He scribbles something on the card, the pen disappearing back again. He drops the card to the ground, walking away.

Doug stares at the card for a few seconds. He flinches back as Applebaum darts forward, grabbing the card and flipping it over. “Applebaum,” Doug says cautiously, his breath slightly catching in his throat. “Are you sure about this?”

“Ah’m plain sure Ah ain’t gonna be a building inspector.” Applebaum frowns as she reads the writing. “All it says is ‘Sugarcube’.” Her breath slowly lets out before she looks up at Doug. “What’s wrong?”

Doug lets out a long breath, his eyes traveling to the stallion still casually walking away. He gathers his things, getting up to head back to Sweet Apple Acres. “I just don’t want you getting mixed up in anything too dangerous. Besides, what would Applejack say?”

Applebaum says, full of confidence as she follows her sire, “She’d probably tell me to follow my heart.”

Minutes later, in the southern orchard.

“Absolutely not!” bellows Applejack. “You are not followin' your heart, or your cutie mark! You’re too young! Besides, you ain’t even close to done with your schoolin’!”

“But that’ll take years!” Applebaum argues back, her young voice raising. “And he said Ah’d still be taking classes. Ah’d just be working with them afterwards. Like an internship.”

“Mah answer is still no.” Applejack angrily huffs before she glares down at Applebaum, “Besides, why would you want to go to school out in Canterlot, with all those snobby rich ponies?”

“Withers didn’t seem like a snobby rich pony to me,” Applebaum retorts. “Ah mean, he was wearing a suit, but he didn’t use a lot of fancy works like them hoity-toity rich ponies do.”

Applejack grits her teeth, forcing herself to stay calm. “He had a suit? Business cards? What would else would he have needed to convince you? A giant lump of gold for a cutie mark?”

“Pretty sure that’s his boss,” Doug says as an aside, though both ponies turn to glare at him.

“Mah point exactly.” Applejack sighs as she lowers her voice, turning back to her filly. “Applebaum, dear, did Ah ever tell you about the time Ah went to Manehatten?”

Applebaum nods. “You spent some time with Aunt and Uncle Orange. And learned to be all sophistimicated.”

Applejack solemnly nods, “That’s right. Ah was trying to find my place in the world. And Ah thought that Ah might find it out in the big city, with all them fancy lights and stores and accents. But none of that clicked for me. It wasn’t until Ah came back home that Ah discovered that being back home with family on the farm - that was my calling.”

“But, Applejack,” Applebaum says, motioning to her own flank, “That was how you got your cutie mark. Mine is telling me something else. It’s telling me that Ah don’t want to build barns, or look at crummy old buildings that aren’t falling apart just yet. Ah want to make my mark on the world. But Ah’m afraid that that mark won’t be a building standing tall and proud. It’ll be a building that ain’t standing, and Ah sure don’t want that building to be one of ours.”

Applejack sighs. She turns, dropping down to look Applebaum in the eyes. A hoof comes up, gently resting on Applebaum’s withers. “Please, Applebaum. Ah know you’re technically an adult, and Ah can’t force you to stay here, no more’n Ah can tie you to a post for the rest of your life. But please, sleep on this, okay? Don’t do anything rash.”

Applebaum sighs. “Ah’ll try.”

Applejack smiles as she gets up, “Alright, then. Now, let’s get us some dinner, then. It’s been a long day.”

Dinner is a quiet affair, an uncommon occurrence with the multitude of fillies and mares. Trixie seems to be the only pony avidly interested in Applebaum’s plight. Doug merely seems resigned to whichever decision Applebaum makes, while Applejack is confident her middle filly will stay.

Applebaum lays in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Withers had been frustratingly short on specifics, on what sort of job she would be applying for, or training for, or doing. But that unknown just makes it even more tantalizing. That somewhere, out there, is a job that is perfect for her. Where she can blow up things to her heart’s content, like the final scene of Transformares III, and everypony will cheer her on instead of calling the Royal Guard, and Princess Celestia. And afterwards, worst of all, she’d have to explain things to Applejack.

With that image in mind, Applebaum gets up. She goes to the window, the wood creaking as she pushes. She looks down; the ground just a short hop away.

A faint line of light comes into the room as the door behind her opens. Applebaum drops down, trying to fake that she wasn’t just about to jump through the clearly open window. She lets out her breath as an azure unicorn walks up through the dimly lit shadows, staring at the fields of apple trees.

“So,” Trixie says after a few seconds, still staring out the window.

“You aren’t going to stop me.” Applebaum can’t decide if it is more of a statement or a question.

“Nope.” Trixie glances around the room, frowning as she continues searching. “Trixie made the same choice, too. Turned out… well, maybe there was a better one, but I didn’t see it.” She turns around to look at Applebaum, “And look where the Great and Powerful Trixie! ended up.” She shrugs. “Maybe it’ll turn out the same for you.”

“Yeah,” Applebaum says with a bit of trepidation. “Ah hope so, too.”

“I would leave a note,” Trixie says with a yawn. “It’ll make your dam feel better.” She briefly nods her head, her lips smacking together. “Stay safe.”

“Ah’ll try,” Applebaum says, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil, scribbling out a hasty message that she leaves on the kitchen table.

Sitting in Sugarcube Corner, Withers nurses his formerly hot chocolate. A slightly dour Pinkie Pie skates over to top him off. “She ain’t coming, toots. And this is your last call.”

“She’ll be here,” Withers replies coldly. He takes another sip of the now mostly warm chocolate, that amazing spot between too hot to drink quickly and too cold to want to. Moments later the bell jingles, Applebaum walking into the store. Withers finishes off his hot chocolate with one long drag, grinning as he wipes his muzzle with a napkin. He drops a couple extra bits onto the table as he gets up. “Last train is in fifteen minutes. We should hurry.”

“Yeah, sure,” Applebaum says, waving goodbye to Pinkie Pie, hopefully not for the last time. She asks as she exits Sugarcube, “So, what kind of job do you think Ah’ll get?”

“Well, I don’t know if demomare is the right word, because there’s so much more to it than that,” Withers easily replies, a twinkle shining in Applebaum’s eye as they trot along.

The next morning, Applejack wakes up, tears still wetting her eyes. She can still feel the draft from Applebaum’s room. She doesn’t want to get up and confirm it. Maybe Lemon opened the window. Or left it open, just so she’d know. Applejack gets up anyway, her eyes instantly spotting the piece of paper.

‘I have to do this. I’m sorry, dam, that I couldn’t say goodbye. I’ll be sure to write every week.

-Applebaum

Applejack’s eyes well up again as a hand comes to her ears, turning to bury her head in Doug’s chest.

92 The Wretched, Part One

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September 9th, 1000 Domina Solaria

It has been a week since Applebaum left Sweet Apple Acres for what is hopefully more golden pastures in Canterlot. Applejack never really recovered. She still does her chores, bucks apples, and plays around with the other fillies of the herd. But there is a slowness to her step, a bit more lingering to her hugs and nuzzles, a certain dread of any of the other fillies being ripped away from her without enough of a chance to say goodbye.

It is most noticeable when it is her turn to sell their delicious products in Ponyville. Applejack can’t help but remember how Applebaum was so happy when she had finally decided that her filly was old enough to take on the responsibility. The memory makes Applejack mopey for the rest of the day, even with Pinkie Pie’s attempts to lift her spirits. Apple Bloom tries, bless her heart, but the filly is either too aggressive in her attempts to make the sale or gets distracted by other goings-on in the market. Much as the filly might want to get a cutie mark in selling apples, or whatever else the filly has going on in her mind at the moment.

Applejack stares at her pancakes, the moon barely illuminating the kitchen in the pre-dawn hours. Even Doug dragging his chair next to hers, the wood loudly scraping against the floor, fails to draw a reaction out of her. She doesn’t notice him cutting up the pancakes in front of her. It isn’t until she feels a wet lump pressing against her muzzle, little rumbling airplane noises coming from her stallion, that Applejack barely breaks out of her funk. She barely opens her jaw, not caring what Doug decides to put in her mouth, but baring her teeth to let him know that she would be chewing it regardless.

The sugary sweetness of apple laced pancakes coated in syrup splashes against her tongue, but Applejack barely reacts to the saccharine scent. She mechanically chews, and swallows, her mouth remaining closed. She blankly stares at the far wall, a heavy sigh as she tries to avoid looking at the spot next to her. Not that Applebaum would ever be up this early in the morning, but it’s her spot nonetheless. And Doug didn’t put out a plate for her. Not like she had yesterday. And the day before that.

Another bump against her muzzle. Her mouth opens, another bite of pancakes maneuvering their way inside. Again she chews, then swallows, her lips now tightly pressing against each other. She growls as she sees, out of the corner of her eye, a bit of movement as Doug raises his arm again.

Next to her Doug loudly sighs, his fork clattering against his plate. “Applejack…” Doug groans out, a bit of exasperation in his voice. He leans forward, trying to worm his way into her line of sight. “It’s been a week, love. She’s not dead. She’s just-”

Applejack snorts, shaking her head and swatting Doug with her mane. “You think Ah don’t know that?” She turns away, her eyes continuing to stare into the table. “She ain’t any less gone. And Ah never said goodbye.” She sniffles, though no tears come from her eyes. “She never said goodbye, either.” She glances back at the letter, unmoved from where she had found it a week ago. “She could have, but she didn’t.”

“Well, maybe that’s because it isn’t goodbye.” Doug shrugs as he eats a bite from his own pancakes, also studded with chunks of apples. “She’ll be back. Holidays, vacation. Maybe she’ll have a mission to come here to Ponyville.” His fork shovels food into his mouth, not even waiting to finish a bite and swallow before the next forkful comes.

Applejack raises an eye to Doug, one eyebrow raising. “A mission?”

Doug nods, twirling his fork in his hand as he chews. “Sure. Whatever they call it. There’s lot of ruins scattered in the Everfree Forest, for whatever reason. And Ponyville is the closest staging area if you’re making some sort of expedition west through the Unicorn Range or Whitetail Woods.”

“Why would Applebaum be going on a mission?” Applejack grunts as she leans over, taking a bite from her own plate. “She’s a little young, ain’t she?” Her muzzle remains in a scowl, the thought of her poor filly suckered into traipsing through the Everfree Forest.

“Probably.” Doug finishes off his pancakes, standing up to cook another batch. “But you know as well as I do that she wouldn’t be content sitting around studying. She’s going to put her cutie mark into use one way or another, and ‘practicing’ didn’t cut it for long around here.” A knife comes out, chopping a few apples into chunks, though only the seeds find their way into the trash.

Applejack snorts. “No. It did not.” Fond memories come back of demolishing one of their old barns with Rainbow, Applebaum watching with a fascination far greater than any filly should have. Hopefully Canterlot is prepared for whatever mischief she decides to get into. Her gaze turns back to Doug, “But she’s still too young! Why’d she have to leave so early?”

Doug sighs to the sizzle of the pan. “It’s sad to see her go, no matter how old she is. But it’s been a week, Applejack. We should be getting a letter any day now, right?” He walks over, rubbing her mane. “Maybe it would help to write a letter back to her.”

“But we don’t have her address.” Applejack frowns, her hoof tracing lines in the wooden table, then banging down a little harder than she intended. “She could be anywhere. There’s no telling what happened to her!”

“We have the address of the company,” Doug says, motioning to the business card left on the table next to the letter. “I’m sure they can get a letter to Withers, or somepony else.”

Applejack huffs, “Mmhmm.”

Doug sets another plate of pancakes down in front of Applejack, even though she still has half of her plate remaining, before setting one at his own spot. “Sounds to me like you need something else to do with the time you used to spend with Applebaum.” Doug taps his fork against his chin a few times before he spears another bite of pancakes. “Something else to take your mind off of this.”

Applejack merely stares at Doug. “Ah ain’t forgetting about my filly, you can scrap that notion right now.”

Doug takes a deep breath; he knows that Applejack knows that isn’t what he suggested, but he says anyway, “That’s not what I meant. She’ll still have a place in your heart and all that.” Doug shrugs. “You know, Pinkie Pie loves parties.”

Applejack groans, “Doug, Ah don’t know how many times Ah need to tell you, but Pinkie Pie’s ‘Don’t Worry Applejack Everything Is Going to Work Out Just Fine Because My Tail Ain’t Twitching’ party didn’t do it, and her ‘Sorry Applejack That My ‘Don’t Worry Applejack Everything Is Going to Work Out Just Fine Because My Tail Ain’t Twitching‘ Party Didn’t Work Out But Ah’m Really Really Sure About This One’ party didn’t work either. Ah’m not sure what else there is to do!”

Doug shakes his head, “No, I’m not talking about the parties Pinkie Pie has thrown.” His voice drops to a whisper as he leans in close to Applejack, “I’m talking about you planning a party.”

“Me?” Applejack asks incredulously, her mouth full of pancake. She snorts, nearly losing the half-chewed glob. “Come on, Doug. You know Ah don’t plan parties.”

“Sure ya do,” Doug says, leaning back. He counts out on his fingers, “You’ll plan out family gatherings. Rodeos. Outings as a herd.”

“That’s different.” Applejack glowers for a moment before continuing, “Ah just don’t want to steal Pinkie Pie’s thunder. Or make her think that Ah’m trying to outdo her or something. You know she takes being the number one party pony in Ponyville very seriously. Almost as seriously as Ah take farming. You just know there’d be this huge production, complete with cakes and cake cannons and then Princess Celestia will get involved again. Hay, with Princess Luna in the mix, you can bet we could make double the number of cakes, and it still won’t be enough. You saw what happened with Lyra.”

“Hey, we all liked that party,” Doug says with a grin. “What I’m hearing is that you don’t want an hours long party the whole town ends up invited to.”

“Of course Ah don’t. Well, okay, Ah do, but not enough to go out and make one happen. Ah’ve got a busy life here, with lots of responsibilities. Ah don’t have time to drop everything and party at the drop of a hat.” Applejack flips her Stetson up with her mane, twirling it around. Both of them glance outside as the sun quickly rises. “Well, that’s my cue to get started.”

“How about this,” Doug says, a hand firmly pressing on Applejack’s withers and keeping her from rising. “You plan a nice, quiet, just-the-herd party for Pinkie Pie. Something here, on the farm. Do it, like, two weeks from now, to give everypony some time to prepare.”

“Everypony?” Applejack asks, raising an eyebrow. “Why would Ah be giving everypony time to prepare if Ah’m the one planning the party?”

“Because they’re all helping?” Doug shrugs as his hand comes away from Applejack, gathering up the dishes. “Twilight told me about her plan, asked me to pass it on, tell everypony about it. I had told her about how Pinkie Pie really likes my presents, and was surprised that none of the rest of us ever throw her a party. She was going to plan the whole thing, but I told her that maybe you should do it. That it might help with what you're going through. And, here we are.”

Applejack sighs, one hoof coming up to massage the headache she knows is coming. “Okay, but we can’t just, like, have a party with cake and presents for no reason at all.”

Doug snorts. “Have you heard her ‘reasons’ for parties before? I'm sure you can come up with something better than a random number of days to a random time in your life.”

Applejack chuckles, “Yeah, well, Ah ain’t Pinkie Pie. Ah'm gonna have at least a halfway good reason. Maybe it's close to her birthday, Ah'll need to ask her about that without tipping my hat. And Ah hate doing themed parties, unless that theme is a hoedown and you just know that Rarity will have a conniption if Ah do that.”

“Yeah, she would.” Doug shakes his head, getting up and stretching.

Applejack considers for a few seconds. “Maybe Ah’ll make it a surprise party. She loves surprises, that mare.” She glances outside, sighing. “But Ah can’t do anything just yet. She’s got her hoof on every vendor in the area. Ah’ll need to special order something.”

“Hey,” Doug says, motioning to the business card. “Maybe you could write Applebaum, get her to find a vendor in Canterlot. Or, I’m sure that company she’s working for can dig something up.”

“Yeah,” Applejack says, a smile finally forming on her muzzle. “Ah might do that.” She sits down, contemplating just what kind of decorations and party she would be throwing for Pinkie Pie. And what kind of message she can possibly fit onto one page that would do justice for how she feels about her filly leaving her. And then she’ll rip that page up, because saying all those things would just hurt both of their feelings. And then eat those pieces, because otherwise it will come out. Might as well give it a try.

Dear Applebaum,

Nope.

Dearest Applebaum,

Nah. Maybe she can crib something off that letter Twilight got from Princess Celestia.

My dearest, most precious filly,

Well, it’s a start.

93 Atziri's Arsenal, Part One

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September 18th, 1000 Domina Solaria

The sun shines brightly when it pierces through the partly cloudy layer, a warm Autumn afternoon. Many shades of Pegasi flit back and forth in the sky during the last shift of the day, mostly pushing clouds into position for the nightly light shower. A cool breeze blows through the trees, perhaps a herald of the coming winter, leaving many ponies basking in the sun whenever they can.

Fluttershy looks up from her picnic spread, smiling as she sees Applejack and Trixie approaching. She looks forward to the whole herd getting together once a week and, as Rainbow puts it, ‘chillax’. Just lay about, finally able to get away from the rigors and demands of life.

It got even better when she convinced them to bring their pets along instead of just their foals. The youngsters can tire themselves out playing with the animals, a perfect distraction for the mares to catch a few z’s. And she just loves seeing the happy looks on their faces as they tumble around the grass or race between the trees. This time the trio will be watching Lemon, Hedge, and Pomarbo and hoping for their foalsitting cutie marks, allowing the mares a bit of time alone with each other and their pets. Maybe she should try to get that to happen more often?

An idle thought flits through Fluttershy’s mind as she watches Winona traipse behind Applejack, the small dog nearly as large as Hedge. Soon her filly would be grown up, too. Would she want to stay in Ponyville, working with her dam? Or would she find a place in the world that she fit perfectly into, someplace far removed from everything she knew growing up? And how would she, Fluttershy, take that?

Her gaze strays to Applejack’s face; the earth pony has lost some of the gloomy look that has been lingering for the last two weeks, but the irritation that has replaced it might be traced to the azure mare walking next to her. They are probably arguing about something or other on the farm. Hopefully it doesn’t ruin their evening again.

Rainbow Dash flies in from above, greeting her herdmate with a quick nuzzle before yawning and stretching her legs, sore from the long day of shaping and pushing around clouds. Her eyes dart between the various covered dishes spread out on the checkered tablecloth, hooves sneaking towards the closest one; she would only take a quick peek, of course! Not try to find the bottles of cider. It would just be a happy coincidence if they are in the first one she checks. Nope, that’s a bunny. Maybe the second.

Fluttershy sighs, prying her gaze away from Rainbow’s poorly concealed search. From the other direction walks - or, in Pinkie Pie’s case, pronks - Rarity, Spike riding on her back, while Meringue rides on Twilight. All five are engaged in a heated discussion, likely on the importance of a good organizational scheme, and what qualifies as ‘good’. Hopefully that doesn’t ruin their evening. Again.

Rainbow briefly looks up from the basket she is ransacking, a bottle of cider halfway out, as Fluttershy groans to herself. When Fluttershy merely crumples down Rainbow shrugs, pulling the newly liberated bottle of cider over and laying next to her.

“Sooo,” the cerulean pegasus slowly rolls out, popping the cap off and inserting the helpfully provided straw. She takes a long, slurping draw from the bottle, nearly half of the cloudy liquid disappearing. Her pleased lip smacking is interrupted by another yawn, which concludes by Rainbow looking again at Fluttershy’s cowering form. “What’cha doing?”

Fluttershy merely points a hoof, the two arguing groups slowly getting closer.

Rainbow raises an eyebrow.

Fluttershy frowns as she sighs, shaking her head. “I’m afraid they’re going to ruin another nice afternoon together with their arguing.”

“Huh.” Rainbow taps her hoof against her muzzle a few times before she shrugs. “Yeah. Probably.” She shrugs as she glances up at the nearby trees. “Well, I’m going to go take a nap. Have fun!”

“Oh, um,” Fluttershy stammers, her frown quickly replaced by a stretched smile. “You too.”

Rainbow Dash grabs a pillow and flies up to the closest tree, fluffs it a few times, and rests it in the crook of a sturdy branch. She stretches all four limbs before she drops down and closes her eyes. Her silly grin gets wider as she hugs the pillow.

Much to Fluttershy’s consternation the arguing just gets louder as her herdmates get closer. She can barely make out snippets of conversation, focusing instead on the four pets. Winona ambling forwards right at Applejack’s flank, Gummy bouncing along on Pinkie Pie’s back, Opalescence strutting in front of Rarity, and Owlowiscious flying next to Twilight. Her muzzle relaxes, grin becoming more natural, as she watches. As Doug would say, silver linings.

Opal yowls at Rarity as the mare steps a little too close. Her small face turns up, eyes snapping closed haughtily despite Rarity’s hurried apology. The mares stop in their tracks and watch silently. Opal snatches her toy mouse from Rarity, tail swishing back and forth as she quickly strides to the picnic, huffing as she sets down next to the basket containing Angel Bunny. Winona’s excited barking as she joins is greeted by a hiss and swipe of claws, the dog agilely dodging back. Winona’s tongue eagerly lolls out regardless of the intent behind the swipe, darting forward to lick Opal on the face. Opal yowls, both claws flying in a flurry around her head. Angel Bunny pokes his head out of the basket, shrill hissing at the cat and dog. Owlowiscious adds a frustrated hoot of his own, his talons outstretched and curling as he flaps above the two.

Gummy flies through the air, a wayward pronk of Pinkie Pie catapulting the gator directly into Owlowiscious. The two tumble to the ground, bouncing off of Angel Bunny’s basket and directly into Winona and Opal. The basket tips over, dumping a growling rabbit over. Angel Bunny hops up, menacingly stretching his back legs as he turns on the lump of four writhing creatures.

“Now, girls,” Fluttershy chides, clearing her throat. All motion comes to a halt, five pairs of eyes staring at the pegasus. Fluttershy continues, “I’m sure Gummy didn’t mean to do that. So, we’re all going to sit here and have a nice picnic together, yes?” She grins, nodding her head. The five animals quickly mimic her, carefully disentangling themselves from each other. They methodically move into position at the picnic, cautious to not make any moves that might be interpreted as being threatening to each other. Fluttershy claps her hooves together, something she learned from Doug, as she beams. “Okay! Who wants some nice tea?”

“Wow,” remarks Rarity as she and the other five mares approach the picnic. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Opal back off quite like that. You certainly have a gift, darling.”

“Oh, thanks,” Fluttershy says with a shy smile. “It’s nothing, really.”

“Yeah,” Spike says, brandishing his claws and primping up a little bit. “I’m pretty good with them, too. They never complain about having to stay with me!”

A sly smirk crosses Rarity’s muzzle as she watches Spike, noting the glint from his claws. She turns to Fluttershy, “Now, you don’t threaten to Stare them, do you?”

Fluttershy’s eyes go wide as she furiously shakes her head, jumping up to her hooves. “Oh, no, I would never! I-” She stops as Rarity pats her head, slowly calming down.

Twilight’s horn flares, plates and baskets levitating to everypony. They dish food onto their plates, arguments forgotten, as Doug comes up to the picnic. He glances up to Rainbow’s sleeping form, smirking at the small shudders and twitches of the cyan pegasus. He shakes his head as he drops down, dishing himself out a generous portion of the salad and bread for himself. He glances at Fluttershy as she pushes a small, specially wrapped box in front of him.

“More?” Doug says, sniffing the pungent odor. He smiles. “You didn’t have to do this.”

Fluttershy nods, “Oh, it was no trouble at all. I just hope you enjoy it! I mixed in a few spicier, um, spices, not that I think you’ll mind!” She smiles back at him as she returns to her own food.

“Mm,” Doug says as he takes a bite, though he does move back from the group. Especially because of that not-quite glare Rarity gives him.

“Did you have to bring that here?” Rarity groans, huffing as her nose puckers up from the stench. “I thought we were supposed to relax, not constantly be on the lookout, in fear of our lives.”

“Sorry,” Doug apologizes, putting the box back down. Both he and Fluttershy frown, an uncertain shrug traded between the two. Doug reaches a hand over to scratch Rarity’s ears, though the white unicorn is having none of it.

“I’m sorry, darling, but it’s too late.” Rarity pulls her head back just slightly, her horn and Doug’s hand surrounded by a blue aura. She gently pushes him away, much to his disappointment. “How do I put this delicately? Your breath stinks like fish Opal drags into the shop and hides and I don’t find for a week. Which you then boiled and dipped in Fire Sauce.”

“Jeez,” Doug says, pulling his hand back. He cups it around his mouth and blows, sniffing the resulting air. “It’s not that bad.”

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy says reassuringly, nuzzling Doug. “I happen to like the smell of week old fish that I boiled and dipped in Fire Sauce.”

Doug smiles in return, rubbing Fluttershy affectionately. He turns to Rarity with a pout, rapidly blinking as he desperately tries to bring tears to his eyes and utterly failing. Rarity merely shakes her head before returning to her food, pointedly ignoring Doug from then on. Doug sighs as his gaze turns upwards to watch Rainbow Dash sleep. Or fidget around in her sleep.

The pegasus’ twitching has gotten stronger, nearly flopping off the branch as she kicks out again and again. Her wings poof out, knocking her off the branch completely. Her eyes instantly snap open just as she falls, though her first burst of wingpower takes her down, not up. She smashes into the ground, a cloud of dirt expanding around her to her low moan.

“You okay there?” Doug asks, though he doesn’t turn to look at her. Instead he gathers up a plate of greens for her while finishing off his own food. He finally glances over as Rainbow picks herself up, shakes the dust off and walks over to grab her plate.

“M’fine,” Rainbow replies, hunching down. She keeps glancing at the five pets arranged in a line, all of them - well, except for Gummy - staring back at her while they chew in eerie synchronization. Aside from Rarity, the other mares are all happily eating their food, though they have scooched away from Doug just a little bit. Not enough to be obvious, but noticeable if you look for it.

“So,” Rainbow continues in between massive bites, horking the food down as fast as she can. “I thought you all were arguing.”

“Aww, shucks,” Applejack says, nudging Trixie’s withers with her own. “We might’a been, but then after watching Fluttershy corral all them critters with just a clear of her throat?” She shakes her head, “Ah gotta admit, Ah sure didn’t want her looking at me like that.” The rest of the mares nod in agreement.

“Yes,” Fluttershy continues with a smile as she glances down at her empty plate. She looks back up at the animals, “And now it’s time for those pets to go play, right?” She nods several times, the animals taking the hint and bounding away from the table. “Oh, Angel Bunny! You didn’t finish your carrots!” Fluttershy grabs the lone item left on Angel Bunny’s plate, cheerfully chasing after the fleeing rabbit.

The other four mares get up; Applejack grabs a stick, Rarity the mouse, Pinkie Pie a balloon, and Twilight a toy mouse Spike made. They all chase after their own pets, engaging in a bit of play out in the nearby field. This leaves Doug to stare at Trixie as Rainbow Dash finishes her meal. Spike stretches out, basking in the sun as Meringue pulls out a textbook on anatomy.

“Soo,” Doug says, a only somewhat disappointed sigh. “I guess I can get some blue mane paint, and we can go around beating on random objects with sticks.”

“That sounds delightful, but done before,” Trixie says with a slight yawn. “Besides, I’m not feeling up for making music just yet.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow says, a frown growing as she watches the pets at play. “Besides, it’s not like I wanted to play with a pet now or anything. I have you in my life, Doug, and you’re like a big teddy bear. Yup!” She smacks her lips a few times, nodding her head mostly to reassure herself. “Definitely don’t wish that I had a pet right now.”

“What’s that?” Fluttershy says, poking her head out from the leaves of the nearby tree, a far too cheery grin plastered on her muzzle. “You wish that you had a pet right now?”

“What?” Rainbow Dash exclaims, shaking her head. “That’s ridiculous. Besides, I’m sure that if you were going to host another Pony Pet Playdate like this you wouldn’t need to feel bad about not inviting me. I’d just hang with Doug, right?” She forces a grin to her muzzle, offering a hoof to Doug that he reluctantly bumps. “Right. I’m the last pet to need a pony.” Rainbow nods resolutely.

Fluttershy blinks a few times. She otherwise doesn’t move. “Right.”

Rainbow fidgets for a few seconds. “I mean, I like to take naps, and work on my routines, and taking care of a pet is a lot of time, and I have Scootaloo taking up time. I mean, she doesn’t take up time take up time, it’s more like she needs a lot of love and attention, and I certainly give that to her, but that doesn’t leave a lot of time for a pet.” Rainbow nods resolutely. Again.

Fluttershy nods, her smile growing a little larger. “Right.”

“And, just because I don’t have a pet now doesn’t mean that I’ll never get a pet!” Rainbow points a hoof at Applejack, “Maybe I won’t go full Applecrack over there, and bang out another filly just because one of them decided to move out! I’m practically kicking Scootaloo out of the house every chance I get!”

Applejack looks over, raising an eyebrow and scowling, as Fluttershy nods again. The smile plastered on her muzzle has only gotten larger and creepier. “Right.”

Rainbow sighs, huffing. Her voice lowers, losing a bit of its edge. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea that someday I might perhaps decide on the framework to judge whether or not that a pet would be the best addition to my life.”

Fluttershy claps her hooves together, beaming with joy. “Oh, Rainbow, that’s wonderful! I have so many choices at my house! Oh, and I know that you’ll just love them! And they’ll love you! Oh, and you’ll be best friends forever and ever!”

Rainbow sighs as Fluttershy flies off. “Great.”

94 Atziri's Arsenal, Part Two

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Trixie observes with moderate disinterest as Fluttershy flies off towards her cottage, a wide grin on the yellow pegasus. Doug sits, twiddling his thumbs as he watches the herd at play with their pets. Rainbow shuffles awkwardly, glancing between the herd, the food still uneaten, and Fluttershy’s cottage. A low grumble emanates from Rainbow’s throat as she eventually shuffles over to Doug, plopping down next to him.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash exclaims as Fluttershy quickly returns, grabbing hold of Rainbow’s ear. “Watch it!”

Fluttershy ignores Rainbow’s command, tugging on the cyan ear.

“Ow! Ow. Ow. Ow.”

Rainbow’s protests continue with every beat of yellow wing as Fluttershy flies up, dragging the cyan pegasus away. Rainbow takes off, her forelegs crossed across her chest, a frowning pout on her muzzle as she limply follows Fluttershy.

Trixie turns to Doug, her eyes wandering to the tablecloth used for the picnic. “So, what do you want to do?” She flops down next to him, rolling onto her back and exposing her belly. “Trixie would not mind being your pet.”

Doug stifles a chuckle, trying to keep a serious glare on his face as he turns to Trixie. His traitorous hand goes to her belly regardless, tracing circles in the soft hair as he admonishes, “That sounds like you just want an excuse to poop around the house again.”

Trixie tries to keep the pout on her face instead of a heady grin as she writhes back and forth. “Hey, Applejack told me that’s how they fertilize the plants around here.”

Doug jabs her in the side, earning a large flinch from the unicorn. “You knew that she didn’t mean the house plants.”

“Then she should have specified.” Trixie moans as Doug presses harder, drawing an open eye from Spike. The dragon huffs as he turns to his side, one claw coming up to cover his ear. Trixie’s eyes open as Doug stops. “What? Why did you stop?”

“Curiosity,” Doug says as he points towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Fluttershy is darting here and there, gathering one after another and lining them up in disorderly rows. Rainbow Dash is hovering in midair, still crossing her forelegs across her chest. Both of them appear to be… singing. And Fluttershy keeps making wider and wider circles around, gathering bunnies and insects and other critters from all around.

“Ugh.” Trixie flops back to her side. “You’d have to be crazy to think that Trixie wants a pet.”

“Really?!” Fluttershy exclaims, appearing instantly at Trixie’s side. She rolls over, laying on her back as well and nuzzling the azure unicorn. Trixie blinks a few times, glancing over to where a turtle seems to be in a staring contest with Rainbow Dash. “Oh, that would just make me so happy! Two of my friends finding the perfect pets for them!” Fluttershy excitedly clops her hooves together, beaming up a smile as bright as the sun.

“Gah!” yells Trixie, though Doug’s hand prevents her flailing hooves from flipping herself over. She glares, first at Doug as his other hand rubs Fluttershy, then at Fluttershy. “Were you even listening to me?”

“Of course!” Fluttershy says, a crazed grin plastered on her muzzle. “You said that ‘Trixie wants a pet!’ And I have so many wonderful choices for you to decide!” She grabs onto Doug’s hand, tugging twice. Doug grunts as he stands, hauling both mares to their hooves. Well, hauling Fluttershy up while Trixie goes limp, now dead weight dragging him down. Fluttershy rewards Doug with a quick nuzzle as she flies up.

“Nooo,” Trixie playfully groans, listlessly shaking Doug’s hand back and forth. Doug sighs, dropping Trixie’s foreleg. He firmly grabs her rear leg at the hoof before he drops, rolling his shoulder into her flank, his other hand coming up to grab her right at the thigh. Trixie’s eyes go wide as Doug rolls right across her barrel, letting go of her hoof to grip her foreleg right at the barrel.

“Up and at ‘em,” Doug says as he stands up, Trixie now firmly held on his shoulders. Trixie sighs as Doug starts walking to Fluttershy’s cottage, not yet resigned to her fate.

“Doouug,” Trixie whines, lightly whacking her hooves against him.

“Yeees?” comes Doug’s drawn out reply.

“Come ooon.” Trixie thunks Doug again on the chest.

Doug waits for a few seconds before saying, “What would you like?”

Trixie asks in a cheery, high pitched voice, “Put me down?” When Trixie doesn’t get a reply she huffs, now a deeper and more commanding, “Put me down.”

“Hmm,” Doug says, stretching one of Trixie’s legs to scratch his chin. “Nope. We need to get you a pet!”

“Awww.” Trixie pouts, her legs ceasing their flailing. “Please?”

“Noo,” Fluttershy implores as she flies next to them. She hunkers down a little, “I mean, unless you really don’t want to…”

Trixie’s mouth opens until she spots Fluttershy’s pleading look, her hooves clasped in front of her body. Trixie slowly lets her breath out. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit!” Doug chimes, a bit more of a skip in his step. “So, what kind of pet do you want?”

“No idea,” Trixie says flatly, staring as the choices Rainbow has passed on arrange themselves around her. There are all kinds of animals, ranging from tiny insects and small bunnies, all the way up to a large seal.

“A seal?” Doug asks incredulously, looking around for a body of water. “Where-”

“Oh, do you like him?” Fluttershy asks, whirling around to gaze into Doug’s eyes from just a foot away. “I’ve seen this particular seal catch ten feet of air when he breaches the water!”

Doug stops in his tracks for a few seconds, keeping from running into the pegasus. “Cool,” he eventually says, shrugging Trixie up and down. Fluttershy continues grinning at him, her smile widening just a little. Doug stares at Fluttershy. Fluttershy stares back at Doug. Doug finally breaks, a note of resignation in his voice, “And?”

“Because we need to get you a pet, too!” Fluttershy motions towards the animals lining up around Rainbow.

“Oh, no,” Doug says, shaking his head and taking a step back. “Nonono. I don’t need a pet. I’ve already got too much going on.”

“Hah!” exclaims Trixie, her own smirk growing larger. She taps Doug on the head. “Too bad! Pets for Everypony!”

“Aww,” Doug says as Fluttershy pushes him towards her cottage. “Really?”

“Yup!” Fluttershy, Trixie, and even Rainbow chorus.

“Ugh. Fine.” Doug walks over to Rainbow Dash, rolling his shoulders that are just starting to get sore.

“Yey!” cheers Fluttershy in a quiet whisper. Rainbow Dash looks over, frowning, as Fluttershy spins around in a quick dance. Fluttershy zips up, a flock of many birds following her. Fluttershy looks down on the group, inspecting the animals. “Now, where did we leave off?” She pauses for a split second before exclaiming, “Oh, right!”

Fluttershy flies down to a nearby tree, singing, “I’ve got just the thing in this tree, Dash!” She lifts a brown squirrel in her hooves. “Meet your fabulous new pet, Squirrely!”

Rainbow Dash sighs, her hoof coming up to her forehead. “It’s, just a squirrel.”

Fluttershy shakes her head, “Not just any squirrel!” She throws the squirrel into the air, “A flying squirrel!” The squirrel spreads her legs, gently coasting to the ground.

“... Yeah.” Rainbow Dash sighs, “Like I was saying.” Rainbow Dash takes off into the sky, Fluttershy following just behind her, the flock of birds on her hooves.

Trixie grunts as Doug drops her back on the ground. Some of the animals around them are trying to catch her attention, playing little games with each other. Others are watching Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fly around in the air. The last, a turtle, seems to be trying to get Rainbow’s attention. Trixie’s gaze shifts from one animal to another, trying to find any standouts.

Doug watches Rainbow, the smile on his face growing as large as hers as she flits from a wasp to a bat to an eagle. He loves watching her fly, and the joy she gets from that. And a pet that could join her in that? That would be just perfect. He turns to Trixie, idly asking, “So, which pet do you think she’s going to pick?”

Trixie flatly says, “The turtle.”

Doug gapes. “What?” He shakes his head, “No. No way. A turtle? It’s going to be the falcon.”

Trixie shrugs. “Want to bet?”

“It’s not even a contest,” Doug continues. “I mean, it’s a close toss up between the falcon and the eagle. Both very strong fliers. But the falcon is faster, emblematic of everything an air force would want.”

“You’re on,” Trixie says with a smirk, raising a hoof. Doug taps it with his fist in response, the two now looking at the animals. “So, which animal are you thinking of?”

“I don’t know, I kind of want a song and dance routine to help me figure it out.” Doug scratches his chin.

Fluttershy flies down as Rainbow inspects the various flying creatures around her. “Oh? You need some help deciding?” Doug and Trixie nod. Fluttershy hums to herself, a hoof coming up to her own chin. She focuses on Trixie. “Well, let’s see.”

Fluttershy drops down to the animals, pulling out a white female bunny. “How about Miss Behare? She’s cutesy and wootsy and quick as can be!”

Trixie sighs. “Seriously? Because I’m a magician, I need a pet bunny? I use bunnies in my tricks, not as pets.”

Fluttershy shakes her head, “That doesn’t mean you can’t do both!” She frowns at Trixie’s flat stare. Fluttershy continues in a sing-song voice, “Trixie, have faith! You see, I will bet you! Somewhere in here is a pet that will get you!”

Trixie groans. “Really?”

“Really!” Fluttershy flies up, coaxing a white dove from a nearby tree. “This little birdie has your name written all over it!”

Trixie’s face falls. “Really?”

“Really!” Fluttershy nuzzles the dove. She holds her out to Trixie, beaming a hopeful smile.

“It’s another magician animal!” Trixie exclaims, stamping a hoof on the ground.

“Oh.” Fluttershy’s smile disappears briefly before she lights back up again. “How about this cute widdle puddy tat?” She holds up a dark gray cat with shining white eyes. “Chorch says he likes you!”

“A black cat? Come on.” Trixie shakes her head. “Nope. Not gonna happen.”

“Aww.” Fluttershy looks around, still holding the cat. “Hmm.”

“Eee!” Trixie yelps, spinning around, one hoof coming to her mane. “Doug!” she spits out accusingly. “That hurt!”

Doug merely furrows his eyebrows, “What? I didn’t do anything.”

Trixie groans, shaking her mane. A flash of black flicks out from her gray and light blue mane. Her eye focuses on the spot, her hoof rooting around in her mane. Her face lights up as she grabs hold, yanking the black and white striped critter out of her mane. She focuses on her white face, a mask of black fur around her eyes.

“Frixie!” Fluttershy admonishes, going to take the ferret away from Trixie. “What have I told you about playing tricks on ponies?”

“Tricks?” Trixie says, pulling the ferret away from Fluttershy. “You like playing tricks on ponies?”

The ferret’s mouth curls to a smile, exposing her long fangs as she nods.

Trixie turns to Fluttershy, letting go of the ferret. She runs along Trixie’s leg, the unicorn wincing a little at the claws lightly digging into her, ending up in her mane and poking her head out to regard Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, dear, Trixie has made her choice.”

“Oh. Um, are you sure?” Fluttershy’s frown quickly turns to a smile at Trixie’s nod. “Good! Great! Angel Bunny will sure be glad to not have to keep his carrots safe from her.”

Trixie diabolically rubs her hooves together, her eye coming up to stare at her ferret, the two sharing a wink.

Fluttershy turns to Doug. “Now, let’s see.” She looks at the cat in her hooves. “Want a cat? She’s generally pretty calm, mostly just lays around. You might even think she was dead.”

“Um,” Doug says, the cat glaring at him with a look of pure malice. “Perhaps not. And I think you should get that cat checked out.”

Fluttershy shrugs, dropping the cat from a few feet in the air. He limply rolls, landing on his side. He stays silent, not even a yowl as he lays on the ground. “Probably. Hmm, who else would be a good fit?” Fluttershy’s eyes scan over the crowd, finally lighting up. “Oh, I know! I don’t know how I missed you!” Fluttershy flies up to Harry and Barry, the two bears sitting and watching the proceedings.

Doug stares incredulously. “A bear? I thought they had a house and everything. Why would they be a pet?”

“Oh, no, not them! I just asked them to look after this puppy!” Fluttershy goes past the two bears, leading a massive St. Bernard. The dog, easily as large as the pegasus, smiles at Doug, his long legs bounding towards the human. “I think Coju likes you even more!”

“I can see that!” Doug says as he offers a hand. The dog eagerly licks him, forcing his way forwards to try to reach Doug’s face. “Hey, boy. Back. Sit.” Coju’s tongue wags out as he backs up, sitting down and staring at Doug. “Good boy.” Doug’s face grows stern as he looks at Fluttershy. “Coju?”

Fluttershy grins. “Yup!”

Doug sighs. “Yeah... Hmm.” He looks up at Fluttershy, a bit of a frown. “Any other choices?”

“Well, you’ve seen these critters,” Fluttershy says, waving a hoof over the assembled critters. She flourishes as she withdraws a black raven. “And then there’s this fellow!”

The raven stares at Doug, a beady black eye haughtily regarding him. His beak opens, though no caw comes out, and begins to preen one of his wings.

Doug sighs. “Let me guess. Rondoll Flogg?”

Fluttershy raises an eyebrow. “No. Where did that come from?”

Doug shrugs, “Theme. What is his name?”

Fluttershy nuzzles the raven. “Meh Deeve.”

“Hmm,” Doug says, his curiosity piqued. He glances between Coju and Meh Deeve. His hand comes up to pet the St. Bernard, “Well, as much as I this guy, I think I’m going to have to go with the raven.”

The St. Bernard huffs, though he looks up at the raven. A paw raises, the raven flying down to shake it. Coju walks back to Harry, disappearing behind the bears. The raven flies over to Doug, landing on his shoulder and giving a quiet caw.

Doug smiles a finger raising up to stroke the bird’s feathers. “Nice to meet you too. You don’t mind if I call you Medivh, do you?”

The raven shrugs as the five look up to see Rainbow still deep in thought over which pet to choose.

95 The Wretched, Part Two

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September 25th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“I still can’t believe she chose the flipping turtle,” Doug says as he hammers together another birdhouse. He selects another small square piece of wood for a roof; once this one is done he’ll have a nice line of houses waiting for Hedge to paint and he’ll finally be able to take a break.

“Tortoise,” Fluttershy corrects as she grabs the birdhouse Hedge just finished, flying it up to the rafters of her cottage to join several others in a more out-of-the-way location.

“Whatever,” Doug replies as he grabs a few nails.

“Believe it,” Trixie says as she lounges on a chair, grabbing a few grapes from a bowl next to her.

“Plus, I don’t think he likes flipping himself over.” Fluttershy comes back down, landing next to Doug. “He always just sat there whenever he managed to get on his shell, staring at me with those large, mournful eyes of his. I would hold out as long as I could, about half a second, until I gave in and helped him out.” Fluttershy smiles as she shakes her head just a little, “I think he would still be trying to figure out what happened.”

Doug leans back into Fluttershy, nestling against her, his work complete. He pokes Trixie with his hammer. “So, enjoying your break?”

“It is not a break, Trixie won that bet fair and square. She is basking in her glorious winnings.” Trixie levitates the bowl over to Doug, “Besides, Trixie is tired of feeding herself. Hop to it, pet!”

Doug rolls his eyes, crossing his arms in front of him and glaring at Trixie as the bowl of grapes dangles in front of him. It awkwardly presses against his head, bumping into him from first one side and then the other. He finally huffs, grabbing the bowl and pulling off a single grape, popping it into his own mouth.

“Hey! Those were meant for the Great and Powerful Trixie, not her pet!” Trixie glances over as Frixie hisses, a hoof coming up to stroke the ferret. “Trixie did not mean you, of course,” she reassures with a pleasant smile. “She would always feed-”

That smile is quickly ruined as Trixie’s nose scrunches up, a grape bouncing off of it. She crosses her eyes to stare at her nose, her muzzle quickly deepening to a scowl. She glares at Doug and Fluttershy, the pegasus whistling innocently as Doug smirks, another grape finding its way into his maddening mouth.

“Trixie does not think you know who you are messing with,” she states as she searches around for the offending grape, confusion spreading as she can’t find it. The squish of liquid to her side gets her to turn her head, Frixie cramming the grape into her mouth. Her eyes narrow, “Hey! That was-”

Another grape bounces off Trixie’s nose, getting her to scrunch up and cross her eyes.

“It. Is. On!” Trixie fumes as her horn lights, another two bowls of grapes from the kitchen levitating over. She pulls grape after grape from the bunch, flinging them at Doug and Fluttershy with casual disregard for collateral damage. Fluttershy ends up catching most of them in her mouth, the agile pegasus darting this way and that. Doug grabs a few wayward shots from midair, launching them back at her and invariably thunking her nose or, if she is watching, her own open mouth.

In the center of all of this, Hedge continues painting, not quite oblivious to what is going on, or where this is leading.

A loud knock at the door interrupts the game before Trixie needs to refresh her ammunition. They all stop; Fluttershy slowly goes to the door, asking nopony in particular, “I wonder who that could be?” She opens the door, revealing Pinkie Pie.

The pooped party pony hunches close to the ground, wobbling on her hooves, a single tear streaming from her exhausted eyes. She wears two cakes, one a hat on her head and the other the replacement for a full-body dress, completely covering her barrel. Both have candles lit with actual flames, though the authenticity of the cakes is questionable. Gummy is sitting between the two cakes on her back, staring at them blankly. She forces a smile to her muzzle as she looks up at Fluttershy, shuffling around to a silent beat.

Pinkie Pie sings in a tired voice, “It won’t be the same without you, So we hope that you say yes! So please, oh please R. S. V. P. And come, and be our guest!” Pinkie Pie weakly smiles up at Fluttershy before she glances inside the house, seeing Doug and Trixie. She tacks on, almost as an afterthought, “You’re all invited!”

Fluttershy beams at Pinkie Pie, trying to imbue the earth pony with just a little bit of her own energy. “Of course we’ll come! I just have a few questions.”

“Sure,” Pinkie Pie groans out as she slumps over, resting on the ground, her cake costume only slightly contorted. Gummy flops over, his snout resting on Pinkie’s head.

“What day is it, what time, where, should I bring anything, and is there a theme?” Fluttershy grins apologetically.

Pinkie Pie staggers to her hooves, about to reply until Trixie steps up to the doorway.

“Does Trixie warrant her own invitation?”

Pinkie Pie’s tongue lolls out of her mouth as she pants, shaking her head. “No. Everypony gets their own invitation. Let’s see.” Pinkie Pie takes a deep breath, her already muted dancing even more subdued. “It’s today in just an hour, so come down to my place. Just bring yourself, nothing else, I’d love to see your face!” Pinkie Pie grins at Trixie before her smile breaks, replaced by fast, shallow breaths.

Doug walks up to the doorway, hunching over to peek down at Pinkie Pie. “Am I included in everypony?”

Pinkie Pie slumps down, soft sobs escaping.

Doug sighs. He steps outside, softly singing, “I’d be happy to come out there, I just want to hear you sing! So let’s all go to the party and the happy times it will bring!”

Pinkie Pie jolts up as if struck by lightning, fully innervated. “Woohoo!” she cheers, shaking the alligator on her back. “Gummy is going to be sooooo happy you came!” She pronks away, leaving Fluttershy, Trixie and Doug to mill around, staring at each other.

“So,” Trixie says with a sly grin, levitating a few grapes. “Where were we?”

An hour later Fluttershy, Trixie, and Doug arrive upstairs at Sugarcube Corner, greeted by the merry blast of a trumpet. The party is in full effect, with hordes of decorations, a massive cake, and, for some reason, a bobbing for apples game. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are hard at play, both diving past the surface apples as deep as they can.

Pinkie Pie pronks over, her face lighting up as she gulps in even more air for her next performance. “Oh, I’m so happy you were all able to make it! Welcome to Gummy’s Birthday party!”

“Is it really his birthday?” Doug asks, walking over to a few of the refreshments. He grabs a glass and a scoop of the punch, a slice of cake, and a few alligator themed pastries, no sight of the alligator in question.

“Well, it’s more like the anniversary of when Fluttershy and I rescued him from a gruesome fate, so that’s pretty much a birthday.” Pinkie Pie shrugs. “Besides, I never get to throw birthday parties in the fall! It’s so much fun, and I wish I could do it more often!”

Applejack comes up with an apple in her mouth attached a spring. She grits her teeth as the spring tries to pull her back under, bracing herself against the floor. She holds firm, a slight grin starting to spread across her muzzle as she gradually pulls the apple farther and farther away. Her eyebrows scrunch as the pressure against her lips slowly lessens, eyes trying to spot what is going on under the water. They quickly go wide as she uncorks a bottle under the water, the cork flying out and pelting her with foam snakes!

Rainbow Dash comes up, Gummy solidly attached to her face. Rainbow sighs, resigned to the gums slowly clamping harder and harder. At least until Fluttershy walks over, fixing the alligator with a stare. Well, it takes a while for his eyes to focus on Fluttershy, but as soon as he does his grip lessens, Rainbow able to peel him off her face and toss him away, landing with a splash.

Rarity walks over to Doug, getting a nuzzle, as she grabs some punch of her own, though she is slightly taken aback by the stain around the punch bowl. They clink glasses against each other, both taking sips. Doug smiles at the taste as Rarity notices Gummy in the punch. Her large grin quickly turns to a grimace, eyeing the contents of her glass as she spits out the offending liquid.

“So, do you like it?” Pinkie Pie asks as she appears next to Doug and Rarity, her face covered with the remains of Rarity’s drink. Her grin spreads wide, eagerly awaiting their response.

“Very good!” Doug says with a grin. “New flavor?”

“I was about to ask the same thing,” Rarity says, with a gulp. Pinkie Pie stares at Rarity, her smile waiting for her to take another sip. Rarity quickly swaps glasses with Doug, taking another sip and swallowing. “Oh, yes, it is certainly divine!” Pinkie Pie smiles, pronking off to get the music starting.

Doug takes a sip of his newly acquired glass. He smirks as Rarity raises her eyebrows and gapes at him, draining the rest of the glass before joining the mares in their dancing. At least, what passes for dancing, his shuffling around while Pinkie Pie break dances and Rainbow performs flipping tricks in the air.

Hours later, the party wraps up, much to everypony’s disappointment. Pinkie Pie waves from the upper story of Sugarcube Corner as the remainder of the herd walks outside, shutting the window as she goes to get some shuteye of her own. What a fabulous party!

The herd waits until Pinkie Pie shuts the window before they gather up. “So,” Twilight Sparkle leads, looking at Applejack. “Everything on for tomorrow?”

“Eeyup!” Applejack says with a grin, though her voice is lowered. “It’ll be over at my place, after the work is done. Just, remember, not a word to Pinkie Pie about it. It’s got to be a surprise.”

“How is she going to be surprised that there is a party on her birthday?” Doug asks. “She throws a party for everypony on their birthday. Although that just ends up being a week of parties for new foals, too.”

“Yeah, the pitfall of having estrus spring up on ya.” Applejack shrugs, “Although, Ah’d still have that than getting pregnant any time of the year. Now that’s gotta be a nightmare.”

Doug shrugs, “Yeah, pretty much. How did Pinkie Pie get born this late, then?”

“Same way I did,” Rainbow Dash says. “Her parents are all isolated, like, on a rock farm or something. Her dam probably just has a shorter cycle that got off sync, or something. Pegasi aren’t nearly as synced up, even in Cloudsdale, but you get around an earth pony town like this and all those hormones in the air and whatever and they kinda line up.”

“Well,” Twilight Sparkle pipes up, “It’s really more likely that-”

Twilight is interrupted by a loud yawn from Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. She huffs; at least Doug looks interested. “Fine. Be that way.”

“Aww, Twilight, I’ll listen to your explanation, but it’s late.” Doug reaches down, a firm stroke to Twilight’s ears, the mare looking up at him happily. “See you all tomorrow!”

They wave as the herd splits up, Doug and Trixie following Fluttershy as everypony returns to their homes.

96 The Wretched, Part Three

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September 26th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Doug doesn’t glance up from his desk as a knock comes at the door. “Come in,” he flatly says, his pencil scratching against the many papers stacked on his desk. “Applejack need help with something?”

“No,” Pinkie Pie grunts out as she slips into Doug’s office. “She’s fine. She’s just got more apples to pick. Some days- Some days? Most days. Every day! Every day, it seems like all she does is pick apples. Even when she just picked a peck of Peck’s Pleasants!” Pinkie Pie huffs as she slams her rump onto the floor next to Doug, crossing her forelegs. Her normally unruly mane sags low, her curls almost straight.

“That sounds suspiciously like the work around here,” Doug replies neutrally. His eyes dart to the wrapped present on the desk, a quick glance to Pinkie Pie to check whether or not she has seen it yet. He seems in the clear. For now. He flips to the next page, dropping his pencil on top and sliding his chair so he is between Pinkie Pie and the present. He looks Pinkie Pie up and down, noting the glare in her eyes, the scowl on her muzzle, and the basket of invitations, still full, on her head. “So, what can I help with?”

“Well, I was just thinking about how much you said that you really enjoyed Gummy’s birthday party yesterday-” Pinkie Pie looks up at Doug, fluttering her eyelashes.

“I did,” Doug nods.

“-and so I thought that it would be so much fun to have an ‘after-birthday’ party on the day after Gummy’s birthday party! And you’re invited!”

Doug slowly nods, his fingers twiddling as he forces a smile. “So, a day after birthday party? Today, huh?” Doug realizes he is fidgeting, moving his hands to the chair and desk. Yet they keep tapping against the wood. “How about that. You mean, this aftern-”

“YES!” Pinkie Pie shouts, her eyes lighting with restrained fury. “As in, ‘this afternoon’ this afternoon! You know, I didn’t think that a party in the afternoon was such an outlandish concept, especially since we just had one yesterday!”

“I’m sensing some hostility here,” Doug says with a slight smirk.

“Duh!” Pinkie Pie vaguely shakes a hoof towards Ponyville, “Nopony else wants to come to the party! Even though everypony said they loved my parties!”

“Y-you already asked everypony else?” Doug says, his eyes tracing over the fraying strands of Pinkie Pie’s mane and the way it keeps drooping down.

“Yes.” Pinkie Pie huffs as she sinks down, covering her head with her hooves. “Buuut,” she says, drawing the word out as her mournful eyes stare up at Doug, a hopeful twinge barely eking out, “A party is still a party even if only one guest arrives. Right?”

Doug’s face falls as his breath lets out in a long sigh, glancing back to all the work he needs to get done. “Look, Pinkie, I’ll do my best, but...” He turns back, the pink mare gone from his office. Doug sighs, saying to himself, “I’ll still try to see you at a party today.”

Pinkie Pie growls to herself as she walks back to Ponyville, the spring gone from her step. “Some friends,” Pinkie Pie mutters. How could every single one of them be busy? Even Trixie! Especially Trixie! Pinkie Pie still waves to the passing ponies greeting her with cheery smiles and waves of their own, but the joy is gone from her movements. At least these other ponies don’t have the gall to pretend to be her friends. They all are her friends! They go to all of her parties, whenever she invites them! Although, it has been some time since she invited new friends over. That’s what she needs, right? Some new friends!

Several hours later, around lunchtime, Lemon and Meringue walk into Sugarcube Corner along with the rest of their friends and sisters. Mrs. Cake is working the counter, already having difficulty keeping up with the early lunch rush. It gets even worse when Twilight Sparkle walks in, whispering to Mrs. Cake. The earth pony disappears into the back kitchen for a few long seconds, returning and hoofing over a wrapped package. Twilight takes it, covertly glancing around and immediately leaving afterwards.

Instead of going to their customary table, the two fillies head upstairs, stopping just outside the door. “Do you think it’s true?” whispers Lemon, shakily raising a hoof.

“Unclear.”

“Hmm.” Lemon changes direction, her hoof set against her chin. “At breakfast, she seemed so excited. But ponies kept saying she seemed off. Like, what could they mean by that? And she wasn’t there at the counter. Why wasn’t she there?”

“Speculation superfluous.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Lemon hesitates as she lifts a hoof to the door. “Well, here goes.”

Lemon pushes the door open, the two peeking their heads inside. Pinkie Pie is sitting at a short table, a small party set up with a cake, empty plates, and balloons. Around the table sit five chairs, each empty.

Pinkie Pie appears from behind them, wrapping her forelegs around her two fillies. Lemon and Meringue glance to each other, Lemon’s happy smile a sharp contrast to the bored look on Meringue and the malevolent grin on Pinkie Pie. The mare pushes the two fillies into the room, kicking the door shut. A large wooden bar swings down, slamming into wooden holds. It would have locked them into the room, except that the door swings inwards and the holds are on the door itself.

“Just the ponies I was expecting to see,” Pinkie Pie declares, plopping them both down on the short chairs. She pulls over a plate laden with cake and sweets, setting it just out of reach.

“Yeah, we come see you, like, every day. Also, Mmm~! Those look delicious!” Lemon exclaims, her hooves resting on the table as she tries to jump up. A hoof to her chest stops her, Pinkie Pie staring down menacingly. Lemon merely attempts to push past again, her hooves flailing forwards and trying to reach the desserts.

“Oh, they are, Lemon,” Pinkie Pie softly coos, though her other hoof makes a few weird motions in the air. “And they’re all yours.”

“Oh, sweet!” Lemon says, trying to push past Pinkie Pie again, yelping a little as Gummy chomps down on her tail, pulling her backwards. “Hey, what gives?”

“All you have to do is talk.” Pinkie Pie grins, her head slowly rotating to the side and sitting there.

“Oh, really?” Lemon grins. “I love talking! Let’s see, so today we were going over the flag that ponykind decided on after unification, and then how it got changed to the current flag with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna spinning around a sun and a moon, which I thought was a little odd because Princess Luna turned into Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago, which is a really really long time, but in all that time Princess Celestia never let them change the flag on account of her sister's memory or something?” Lemon shrugs, but doesn’t continue at Pinkie Pie’s growl.

“Not you!” Pinkie Pie points a hoof at Meringue. “You. Talk about my herdmates! Your aunts!”

Meringue stares at Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie huffs. “No, that’s not what I meant! You’re not understanding me! I want you to confess!”

Meringue continues staring at Pinkie Pie while Lemon starts sweating bullets.

Pinkie Pie looms over Meringue. “Oh? Something keeping you from telling me what I want to know?”

Lemon nervously glances back and forth before breaking down. “It was me! I was the one who ate your muffins this morning! And I said it was Gummy, and then when you baked more muffins I ate those too!”

“Oh, no wonder Gummy was so hungry at lunch today!” Pinkie Pie looks over at Gummy, the alligator halfway to swallowing Lemon’s tail. “We should fix that!” She grabs a slice of cake, tempting the alligator away from Lemon by dangling it over his head. Gummy barely reacts.

Pinkie Pie tosses the cake into the air as she gets bored. Meringue grabs one of the empty plates and throws it, a perfect landing underneath the cake.

“No, no, no, no!” shouts Pinkie Pie, hopping up on the table and raging back and forth. “I want you to confess that you knew all along that my herdmates are all lying to me and avoiding me because they don’t like my parties and they don’t want to be herdmates or friends or anything anymore!”

“Illogical decision.”

“Quiet, you.” Pinkie Pie huffs. “See? Even my own fillies have turned against me! My own flesh and blood!” Pinkie Pie sniffs, wiping away the tears from her eyes as her mane deflates, hanging limply against her. “Just take the sweets and go. I want to be alone.”

Meringue hops up, grabbing a pastry from the basket. She hesitates before walking over, setting it in Pinkie’s hooves, and returns to get another pastry for herself. Lemon nuzzles her dam before lifting the basket on her back and walking away, dragging Gummy behind her. She pauses at the doorway, a long, melancholy look back at Pinkie Pie, a rare frown on her face before she shakes her tail, Gummy flopping off. The two fillies leave, closing the door behind them.

Pinkie Pie sits alone for a few minutes before she finally opens her mouth. She sighs, muttering to nopony in particular, “It’s kind of boring being alone, actually.” Her gaze wanders around the room: under the bed, up in the rafters, and at the closet. She grins as she pulls a marker out of her mane, then gathers random objects and places them around the table. She draws a happy face on a bag of flour, a frowny face on a pile of rocks, and an angry face on a lump of lint she found under the bed.

“There, much better!” Pinkie Pie looks around, a hollow smile on her face. “So, who is looking forward to the best party ever!” “I know I am!” “You’re the best, Pinkie Pie!” “Yeah, we really enjoy your parties!” “Well, that you throw!” “Not like those other ponies!” “They don’t appreciate all the hard work you do!”

Hours later, Doug walks up to Pinkie Pie’s room in Sugarcube Corner. He pauses at hearing voices from inside, shrugging and opening the door regardless. Five inanimate objects sit around a table where Pinkie Pie is busy heaping more cake onto plates already overflowing. Well, they would be inanimate if she stopped propping them up and moving them back and forth as she talks, changing her voice with each one.

“Sup,” Doug says as he walks into the room, glancing worriedly at the cake. “Having fun at your party?”

“Doug! You came!” Pinkie Pie happily exclaims, pronking up to wrap her hooves around him as her mane poofs back to normal. “Oh, but it’s not really my party. It’s for Gummy, silly!”

“Ah, so it is!” Doug looks down at the alligator, unmoving in a bowl of punch. He looks around, “So, sorry I was short on you earlier. Ended up getting through my mail pretty quickly.”

“That means you can spend even longer with me!” Pinkie Pie grins, pulling Doug towards the table. “Join us! We’re just having some cake!”

“Yes, I can see that,” Doug says, grabbing one of the slices that has fallen off a plate. He chews, a bit of a frown forming. “It’s kind of stale. Well, not bad, but still.”

“Really?” Pinkie Pie says, hopping up and down to look at the piece of cake in Doug’s hand. “That just means that we need to make some more! Onward, to the bakery!”

“I was thinking something else.” Doug motions to the west, “Want to head back with me to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Eh, not really,” Pinkie Pie says, her mane deflating again. Her inflectionless voice barely ekes out, “I’m having a wonderful time here.”

“Well, it wasn’t really a question,” Doug says as he wraps a hand around Pinkie Pie’s withers. She gasps as he lifts her up to his shoulders, a heavy grunt as she lightly struggles. “Oh, you want to play this the hard way?” Doug grins as his fingers trace up Pinkie Pie’s leg, the mare’s writhing getting more pronounced as he walks out the door.

After what seems like an eternity of tickling, giggling, and pleas to ‘please stop, I’ll do anything’, plus whatever scratching Doug was able to get in, the two arrive at Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie Pie goes limp. Doug looks up, a light prod to try to get the mare back into their game, but she just sighs in return.

“What’s up?” Doug asks as he gets to the barn door.

“Oh, just that it’s been fun, but I’ll be sad to see you go,” Pinkie Pie replies.

“What?” Doug asks dumbly as he opens the door, walking inside.

The two are greeted by blasts of noisemakers, stomping of hooves, and fourteen ponies shouting, “SURPRISE!!”

Pinkie Pie’s mane barely reacts while Doug’s hair and face are blown backwards, knocking him off his feet. Pinkie Pie lands on the ground with a heavy ‘whump’, barely moving despite Doug’s abject apology and ear scratches. One eye sits against the ground while the other blankly roams over the rest of the herd, finally giving up and closing.

Twilight Sparkle walks up, followed by the rest of the herd, confusion plain on her face. “Huh.”

Fluttershy flies over. “I really thought she’d be more excited.”

“Excited?!” Pinkie Pie shouts as she leaps up, knocking Doug away. “Why would I be excited to attend my own farewell party!”

“Woah, woah, woah, farewell party?” Rainbow Dash exclaims.

“Yes!” Pinkie Pie motions to the decorations, “You don’t like me anymore, so you decided to kick me out of the herd and throw a great, big party to celebrate!”

“Whatever gave you that idea, darling?” asks Rarity.

Pinkie Pie taps one hoof as she counts off, “Because you’ve all been lying to me and avoiding me all day! That’s why!”

“Well, it’d be a pretty crummy surprise party if we told you what we were doing,” says Trixie.

Pinkie Pie blankly looks at her.

“We’d been planning it for so long, and we had to get everything ready.” Applejack smiles at Pinkie Pie, “We still like you, Sugarcube.”

Pinkie Pie’s muzzle twitches, though her frown remains.

Twilight Sparkle motions to the cake, “And, if this is a farewell party, why does your cake say ‘Happy Birthday Pinkie Pie’?”

A smile slowly breaks out on Pinkie Pie’s muzzle, the mare sitting in shock for a few seconds.

“Because it’s my BIRTHDAY!!” Pinkie Pie shouts in joy, her mane poofing out. She dances around, exuding happiness as she laughs uproariously. Her forelegs stretch out, somehow managing to gather all fifteen others to a giant group hug. Everypony beams as Pinkie Pie giggles uncontrollably.

Twilight gasp goes unnoticed as Laughter overwhelms her, a heady torrent she can barely quaff. For long seconds she barely holds against the tide, nearly losing control. The rush gradually slows, eventually coming to a halt as Pinkie Pie gets herself back under control. Twilight is just able to glance back through the crush of ponies to her flank. Four lit stars.

“And you like me so much you decided to throw me a surprise party!” Pinkie Pie shakes back and forth, everypony grinning. “You girls are the best! How could I have ever doubted you?”

Twilight nervously chuckles as she says, “It’s okay, Pinkie. It could have happened to any of us.”

Fluttershy smiles. “Don’t worry about it.”

Applejack pushes herself out of the group hug, going to the record player. “All right, girls! Enough of this gab! Let’s party!”

97 Audacity, Part One

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September 27th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Twilight blankly stares up at the pure white moon. Thoughts and ideas continue to twinkle in and out of her mind like the stars above, and the ones that stick around tend to race about like the night shift pegasi fending off the storm brewing over the Everfree Forest. She restlessly shifts in her bed again, grumbling about sleepiness even though her mind refuses to slow down. And yet, no matter how many stars she counts or how long she closes her eyes, she can’t get that feeling out of her head.

Laughter Magic, capital L, deals primarily with physical healing and growth. As the saying often went, Laughter is the best medicine, even if Generosity and Loyalty dip their metaphorical hooves into the diverse pool. And Laughter treads into Kindness when dealing with mental issues, the two often merging or at least showing a certain synergy when used in concert. It also deals with the preemptive healing of shields and other protective magics.

And she is quite familiar with that branch, seeing as her brother Shining Armor is one of the foremost experts, at least when pure power and malleability is concerned. But none of her work with him ever triggered something like this. Nothing compared to the rush she got when Pinkie Pie unleashed her Laughter. And the faint memory still rebounds around inside her. She can almost taste it. It reminds her, if she emulates Applejack and picks the designation that just seems to fit, of pink.

But that seems to be part of her hangup. Why pink? Why not orange, the color Applejack ‘feels’ when somepony is stretching a story past truth? Why not spinward? Things should be better defined, a stricter standard than what ‘feels’ right. But having so few points of reference makes it difficult to build an overarching paradigm. And her skin tingles under her coat when she thinks about expanding that limited pool. And not in a good way.

Did she feel something like this when she absorbed a bit of Honesty from Applejack, or Generosity from Rarity? No, not that she remembers. Perhaps she was too engrossed in the moment, then. And she is deeply concerned about the consequences of repeating that particular experiment. She hasn’t tried it again with Applejack or Rarity, and neither of them had offered.

She doesn’t know if she would have declined.

Fluttershy… Fluttershy had been a moment of weakness, her Kindness - well, Malevolence, at the time - palpable even through the petrification. The Kindness she imbibed certainly helps with the anxiety and fear and trauma of being helpless. She still has the memory of her certain demise slowly creeping closer and closer. Worse, the numbed sensation of the cockatrice crunching not-stone from an angle she couldn’t see. But it doesn’t haunt her, she doesn’t have that feeling of impending doom, all thanks to the infusion of Kindness.

Twilight glances back; her tail is still cropped short, barely covering herself. Rarity had done a passable job with the mangled mess the cockatrice left. And Doug likes it, or at least he plays around with it, idly twisting his fingers through the strands and playing around like he did before. So there is that.

Her gaze briefly turns to Spike; his scales have already healed, his debt to the dragons repaid. Could she repay her friends? What penance could she provide, what arduous task could she undertake? Would they even want her to? They haven’t said or done anything, or demanded any sort of recompense.

But maybe she is worried about the future. Her tongue laps out of her mouth of its own accord as images of Rainbow Dash flicker unbidden to her mind. The pegasus just hovering in the air, constantly in flight unless she has a compelling reason - Doug or Scootaloo - to be grounded. Her showing off her tricks, or maybe just practicing and throwing a little extra showboating for any observers. Busting clouds at full speed, impervious to the normal effects of such a feat.

Loyalty magic deals with enhancing qualities innate to an object, such as speed or strength or durability. Something Rainbow Dash has internally ingrained and performed with, likely subconsciously, since fillyhood. How else can one explain the Sonic Rainboom? An almost unheard of phenomenon, no records of the impressive act being performed in at least three generations. Or her performance at the Iron Pony competition when she actually went all out, though she wasn’t too far outside the normal spectrum of a pegasi’s capabilities.

Much like Pinkie Pie’s Laughter, she can sense the Loyalty that radiates from Rainbow. It’s almost intoxicating. What she imagines getting bucked by an Appleloosan salt lick feels like.

She…

She doesn’t trust herself around the pegasus.

Was it a mistake to tell Princess Celestia, her close friend and mentor, the details of what happened between her, Applejack, and Rarity? She didn’t tell her about what happened with Fluttershy. There is no precedent for using magic in such a way as anything other than the vilest of dark magic, the kind that earns oneself a one way ticket to the depths of Tartarus and a long conversation with the original perpetrator of such atrocities.

Assuming he is still alive. It has been over a thousand years since Princess Celestia and Luna dealt with the monster.

Twilight Sparkle finds herself getting up from her bed regardless of her vain attempts to go to sleep. She looks back at Spike, happily snoring in his little bed right by hers. She tried to set him up with his own room to sleep in but the rueful look she got in response broke her heart. Instead, they reached a compromise: when Doug is over, Spike goes to Rarity’s and sleeps with Sweetie Belle.

Wait a second.

Not that she has any problem with the two of them… being together. But, is Spike mature enough for that sort of relationship? Speaking of, what is the age of majority for a dragon? For a pony, it is when they obtain their cutie mark. Sweetie Belle is, currently, sadly bereft, and thus unlikely to pursue a relationship of that nature, but she might be talked into it. A dragon, though? There is so little known about the reclusive, solitary creatures. Do they even have an age at which they are deemed ‘adult’ enough to make those kind of decisions?

Or is she reading too much into her own casual use of a word that commonly means exactly what Spike is doing right now? The dragon has slept in her own bed when he was younger, and perhaps even referred to herself as ‘sleeping with Spike’, but there had never been that connotation in mind. And the two youngsters have never hinted at their relationship being more than two close friends, or new siblings feeling each other out, especially as they spend more time together.

Twilight’s mind turns back to the quill on her desk, sitting next to an inkwell and blank pieces of parchment. She can’t keep distracting herself from the primary issue at hoof! She needs to get to the bottom of what is going on with her cutie mark, and the other Elements of Harmony.

But what would Princess Celestia say? Would she allow her the chance to explain her actions, should she know about those two recent incidents? Likely. But, what about how the… craving... will impact her future decisions? If she doesn’t trust herself around her friends for fear of a repeat incident, should Princess Celestia? What would be the safest course of action for her friends?

What would be the safest course of action for her?

Twilight gulps. She doesn’t want to leave her friends, her herdmates. Even Trixie and her nonchalant attitude towards, well, just about anything, that Twilight finds particularly infuriating. But the mare plays a mean Lunar advocate, and Twilight enjoys the verbal sparring matches that she sometimes finds herself goaded into. Mostly after the fact, but still.

And she doesn’t think her friends are in any real danger from her. Right? Rarity recovered from their ordeal, no worse for wear. Applejack showed no side effects, same with Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie was, well, Pinkie Pie. Maybe all she has to do is corner Rainbow Dash, get her to perform some trick, and it will all be over after she has a nibble?

Ugh, now there’s a can of parasprites she doesn’t want to open, having to explain all that to her occasionally, perhaps purposefully, dense herdmate. And anypony else who witnesses it, or with whom Rainbow decides to talk. Doug likes chasing ideas down rabbit holes, but perhaps just this once she’ll decline his assistance, at least until she has a better understanding of the overall situation.

Much better to figure it out on her own. Right? Then, when she tells Princess Celestia about the ailment? Altercation? Anomaly? she’ll have a concretely defined condition, a set of symptoms, and a course of action to deal with and perhaps learn from the affliction.

Assuming she is, in fact, afflicted with anything, as opposed to a natural consequence of being linked as, well, intimately as they are. Princess Celestia hinted at something in one of the few letters she received in turn, but implied in a roundabout manner that such things are not to be written about. Perhaps she’ll ask her mentor in person when she gets the chance.

But where should she proceed until then? Continuing her own research is her best option, compared to doing nothing. She already told Princess Celestia, and she isn’t banished, so it can’t be that bad, right? Everything is going to be just fine!

If only she believed that as wholeheartedly as she did a month and a half ago.

But where should she start? Applejack and Rarity? Perhaps, if they wanted to repeat their ‘experimenting’ from before. And, since Twilight has a good idea of why it didn’t work the first time, she should be in a much better position to not go completely overboard and wreck everything. But it does beg the question of, should things go correctly, what will happen. Would she be able to stop, when Rarity is Generously offering herself? Or Applejack?

Fluttershy almost seems like a non-starter. Granted, the mare shows kindness to all around her, but not the capital K that she finds herself lusting after, though the yearning had dissipated to a low grumble after the fact. Getting Fluttershy to Stare herself (Twilight) sounds all sorts of bad, and she doesn’t think the pegasus would Stare a rock or innocent critter, or even a guilty critter for that matter.

Pinkie Pie, though…

First, Pinkie Pie seems to have suffered no ill effects from Twilight absorbing the Laughter the mare so readily released. But, how did an earth pony do something so extraordinary? A unicorn would have been exhausted after such a feat, and Fluttershy seemed slightly worn out after she used the Stare.

And the mare’s Laughter is only one aspect of Pinkie Pie that Twilight Sparkle is having difficulty nailing down. Perhaps she could do a bit more inspecting on every aspect of the enigma known as Pinkie Pie.

If she can figure out the secret to Pinkie Pie’s abilities, how she can radiate Laughter? Her impeccable sense of timing? How she can appear and disappear from places she has absolutely no business being or leaving, except that they might draw a chuckle? And many others, but trying to enumerate Pinkie Pie’s powers is like trying to count how many cupcakes are in Sugarcube Corner. The number fluctuates far too rapidly, with too many hidden in some out of the way nook and cranny.

But if she can? Especially since Laughter is contagious, spreading to others with no quantifiable loss on the part of the spreader. She’ll need to observe the entity known as Pinkie Pie, scientific name Pinkius Pieicus, in her natural habitat. Should this line of research pay off, though? If she can harness the power of Laughter…

A deep rumble echoes in the back of Twilight’s throat. The laugh initially bursts forth as a small giggle, steadily growing deeper and longer with every passing second. Soon she is bellowing, crazily cackling as Laughter overtakes her.

“Come on, Twilight,” Spike yells, chucking a pillow and hitting Twilight square in the face. “Will you just go to sleep already?”

“Ugh,” Twilight groans, massaging where the pillow hit her. At least it knocked her out of her manic mirth. The pillow levitates back to Spike, tucking itself behind his head as Twilight returns to bed. “Thanks, Spike. Night.”

98 Audacity, Part Two

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Twilight awakens after far too little sleep that wasn’t nearly restful enough. She starts to get up, yet her eagerness fades as she looks outside. Still not dawn yet. Her head thumps against the pillow as she slumps back into bed. Ugh, not again! She closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath, slowly letting it whistle out through her nostrils. This isn’t working.

Twilight slowly extracts herself from her bed, careful not to disturb Spike as he lightly snores. She creeps out of her bedroom, only the dim light of her horn guiding her hooves. She grimaces as she looks around the kitchen, too on edge to need any coffee, yet her body is craving the caffeine nonetheless. And if she can’t curtail those desires for such a base substance, how will she be able to stop herself when something more tantalizing is in front of her?

The sound of claws scraping against wood gets Twilight to look over at her bedroom. Spike yawns as he rubs his eyes, walking down the stairs. “So,” he says, taking a look at Twilight just standing next to the coffee maker. “Don’t tell me you’re too tired to remember how that works.”

“No, Spike. Just worried.” Twilight turns, a forlorn sigh at denying herself her favorite morning treat. Well, second favorite, since she joined the herd.

“Worried?” Spike asks, his head barely cocking to the side as he inspects Twilight. “You don’t seem all that worried to me. What are you worried about?”

Twilight sighs, staring at the floor. “I don’t know if I can tell you, Spike.”

“Oh. Something super important? Princess stuff?” Spike frowns as Twilight shakes her head. “Something dangerous?” He smiles as Twilight barely nods. “Well, no need to fear! Your brave and glorious Spike is here!” He puffs up his chest, flexing a bicep. He mumbles to himself as he glances at a reflection of himself, “Oh, Spike, you’re so great! And powerful! And strong! Do you work out? Nah, babe, it’s all natural. Why? Want to give it a try?”

Twilight grins, a hoof coming to her muzzle and suppressing her giggles as Spike squeezes his claws together, kissing his own bicep. “That’s okay, Spike.”

Spike stops admiring himself, a slightly sheepish look that quickly turns dour. “Why’s that, Twilight? I thought we made a great team! I thought you told me everything? You can trust me to keep your secrets!” His eyes widen as a thought strikes him, “It isn’t something that’s dangerous because you know it, right? Or something you can’t say because saying it gets their attention, like the Bloody Mare?” Spike’s teeth chatter, quickly shaving his claws down as he rapidly chews them.

Twilight chuckles as she grabs breakfast from the fridge, “No, Spike, it isn’t some sort of infohazard, or commhazard. I’m really just worried about what everypony else will think about what I’ve done.”

“Oh.” Spike gets up, dragging a stool over so he can sit next to Twilight. “Then, what is it? I mean, I can’t really tell you how bad it is if I don’t know what it is, right?”

“Well…” Twilight starts, glancing around the room. At Spike’s stern gaze she continues, “You see, I’m afraid that I’ve been siphoning magic from the other Elements of Harmony.” Twilight takes a deep breath, a small smile breaking through her downcast expression. At Spike’s silence she continues, “Hey, that felt good to get off my back.”

“Yeah,” Spike says, drawing the word out. “When you say… siphoning their magic… what does that mean? It’s not, like, permanent or anything? Because I haven’t really noticed any too different about you, or about any of them.” Spike glances to Twilight’s flank, his eyes widening. “Wait, four stars are glowing? When did that happen!?”

“Yesterday.” Spike taps his foot against the chair, crossing his claws against his body as he stares at Twilight. “At the party. When Pinkie Pie realized that we were still her friends, and she didn’t need to leave everypony behind because we didn’t like her. There was an outburst of Laughter magic, and it triggered that star glowing. I don’t know why, or how, or what this all means.”

“Huh.” Spike taps a claw against his chin. “So, did anything else happen?”

Twilight sighs, the tension leaving her body as she explains. “Well, I got this… rush. Like, all that I cared about was getting more and more. Fortunately, since this is the fourth time it has happened, I had a bit more control over myself, and I was able to keep from getting overwhelmed by the sensation.”

“What happened the first time?” Spike asks as Twilight pauses. “What happens when you get… overwhelmed?”

Twilight shudders. “I…” She drops down, covering her face with her hooves. Spike reaches over to lightly lay a claw on her. “I just kept drinking her in.”

“Who is ‘her’?” Spike asks, slowly stroking.

Twilight barely ekes out, “Rarity.”

“Oh.” Spike’s motion stops for a second. “Is that why your horn glows…”

“Blue?” Twilight nods.

Spike grits his teeth. “I didn’t want to, you know, say anything, and then when you didn’t say anything about it, I didn’t know if it had to do with joining with Doug, or the herd, or something else, and-” Spike stops, awkwardly rubbing his head with a sheepish grin. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

Twilight smiles, a thin, barely pursing of her lips. “It’s okay, Spike, I don’t have a monopoly on that.” She sighs, relaxing again. “Thanks, Spike.”

“For what? Being here? Of course!” Spike grins, his chest puffing out again. “I’m not your number one assistant for nothing!”

“Hoo?” Owlowiscious hoots from across the room, the owl covering his head with a wing and trying to sleep.

“Me! Spike!” Spike groans, rolling his eyes. “Anyway. So, are you worried about it happening again that you don’t trust yourself around them at all?”

“Well, no, not exactly.” Twilight sighs. “I wanted to see if I could figure out what happens with Pinkie Pie.”

“Oh, you mean her Pinkie Sense?” Spike shudders. “Now there’s a can of worms I don’t care for opening at all.”

“Can of worms?” Twilight asks, her eyebrow raising. “Why would you want a can of worms?”

Spike shrugs. “Applejack sells em. I think for starting a garden. They're all gross and squirmy. Anyway. What are you going to do about it?”

Twilight levitates a piece over, beginning to take notes. “Well, I wanted to isolate the mare, see if I could figure out how she is able to radiate Laughter so easily. I believe her Pinkie Sense to be an extension of that, and hopefully we can solve that conundrum concurrently with calculating her conjuring quotient.

Spike looks over at the paper. “So, how are we going to do that?”

Twilight merely nods, smiling as a quill begins jotting down a plan.

- Later, outside Sugarcube Corner -

Twilight peeks out from one of the boxes near the front door of the bakery, a pair of binoculars dangling around her neck. Her colorful mane is covered in a pink and blue hat. She raises a camouflaged hoof, which in this case means painted in the most garish of pinks and yellows, to her eyes to scan the still dark town. She whispers, harsh and fast, “See anything?”

Spike pops up out of the flowerbed next to her, frowning as he grumbles. “No. Just like it’s been for thirty minutes now. You know she sleeps in when she’s at Applejack’s.” He takes a bite of a purple cupcake, his frown disappearing.

“Yes, but not this late! She should be here by now!” Twilight says, glancing down at the cupcake.

“And here I thought you memorized Doug’s schedule,” Spike retorts. “Pretty sure it’s their turn this morning, and then he goes for a run at dawn. She wouldn’t leave before then.” He grins as he takes another bite of the cupcake, the remainder quickly disappearing.

“Where did you get that?” Twilight asks suspiciously. “I didn’t think Sugarcube was open this early.”

“They aren’t,” Spike says, punctuating his statement with a shake of the head. He points to the other side of the front door.

A box rests on a short end table. Inside are five cupcakes, frosted blue, pink, orange, yellow, and white. A small sign is attached labeled ‘Free Cupcakes!’ with a smiley face face and balloons scribbled around.

“Spike!” Twilight admonishes, slamming a hoof to her foreleg before she points at the box. “That’s a trap! Obviously!”

“Wait, you didn’t put them there?” Spike asks.

“No, of course not! I would be way more original in my attempts to lure Pinkie Pie into a trap.” Twilight gasps as she turns, her binoculars raising as she scans on the other side of Sugarcube Corner. In the middle of her view sits Pinkie Pie, a joyful grin on her muzzle as she pleasantly waves at the two.

“Morning, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie shouts, despite being four body lengths away and sitting on the other side of the front door of Sugarcube Corner. “Spike ate your cupcake, but I can find you another!” She reaches back, pulling a purple cupcake out of her mouth. She inches towards the box, her hoof starting to jiggle back and forth. “Careful…” she mutters to herself, delicately dropping the cupcake inside the open spot. “Whew!” she exclaims, wiping a bit of the sweat that was beading on her brow as she returns to her original spot.

Twilight stares at the cupcake. “Yeah, no way I’m touching that.”

“Why not?” Pinkie Pie asks with a slight frown. “It’s delicious!”

Twilight rolls her eyes, “Because if I do I’ll probably fall through a trap door into your fungeon.”

Pinkie Pie snickers, “Okay, that sounds amazing, because it is, but I don’t have a fungeon. Only a party planning cave! And the entrance to that is inside, not outside! Please. I’d probably have all sorts of random ponies showing up if the entrance was outside instead of in the middle of the first floor of Sugarcube Corner.”

“Wait, you have a party planning cave?” Twilight asks.

Pinkie Pie nods furiously. “Sure! I mean, you’re the one with a fungeon. Or would you call it a laughoratory? You know, a laboratory crossed with laughter?”

“Wait, I have a laughoratory?” Twilight looks dumbfounded. “Where?”

“Back at the library, of course! What, did Fluttershy never give you the tour?”

Twilight stares at Pinkie Pie. She states in a flat voice, “No. She did not.”

“Oh, well, we have to go check it out! Come on!” Pinkie Pie pronks towards the Golden Oaks Library, Twilight slowly following behind. They quickly reach their destination, Pinkie Pie digging through her mane until she finds a key. She sticks it inside the door to the basement but doesn’t turn it, instead just opening the door.

Twilight stares down the poorly lit wooden steps that lead to a cavernous room. Roots dangle from the ceiling, shelves line the dirt walls, and various spots seem to be carved to serve as benches, tables, or work stations. She slowly makes her way down the stairs, her horn casting shadows everywhere. In the back corner sit a few sparkling clean cages fully stocked with food, water, and straw.

Twilight grimaces at a few dark spots staining the ground, hoping they aren’t blood. The rest of the room is sparsely furnished, though one of the shelves holds a wide array of surgical tools, including a few that Twilight is fairly certain don’t belong in a hospital and instead a griffon’s kitchen.

“So, you like it?” Pinkie Pie asks as she pronks directly behind Twilight, grinning uproariously. “Fluttershy and I occasionally come down here. But we try to keep it clean, in case somepony else needs to use it.” She shrugs. “We store most of our stuff over there.” Pinkie Pie points a hoof at the wall containing the surgical tools.

“But, that’s a wall.” Twilight Sparkle deadpans.

“Yes. Yes it is.” Pinkie Pie taps her hoof against the stairway, five quick knocks in a rhythmic pattern. She walks across the room, tapping twice against the wall.

The wall slides open, revealing two blinking machines, a chair with hoofstraps, and bolted rings whose only purpose could be tying down an unwilling victim.

“So,” Pinkie Pie says, motioning Twilight forward. “What did you want to know?”

99 Audacity, Part Three

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Twilight calmly walks up to the table, inspecting the polished metal. She runs a hoof along the surface. Solid construction. Bolts could probably hold an earth pony. She might be able to pry them apart, if her horn wasn’t restrained properly. The rest of the room is covered in a mishmash of metal and wood cabinets and shelves, upon which the blinking machines rest.

“Uh oh,” Pinkie Pie utters from behind Twilight.

The unicorn spins around while taking a step back, her horn lowering to face the pink mare. Pinkie Pie is violently shuddering, her tail rapidly vibrating back and forth.

“Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail!”

“E-excuse me?” Twilight says, her guard lowering as her curiosity piques. Her head cocks to the side as she stares at Pinkie Pie. “What’s ‘twitchy tail’?”

Pinkie Pie manages to hold a hoof steady to point at her tail, but this merely makes the rest of her body quake even more. “It’s when my tail’s a-twitchin’! See? Twitcha-twitcha-twitch a twitch!”

Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Yes, I can see that. But, what does it mean?”

Pinkie Pie whips out a metal pot from behind her - it could have been resting on one of the shelves, but Twilight is fairly certain those were completely bare before - and slams it down, completely covering her head like a helmet. Pinkie Pie peeks out from beneath, a hurried, “The twitchin’ means my Pinkie Sense is telling me that stuff is about to start falling!” She flicks with her hoof a few times, “You two better duck for cover.”

“For what?” Twilight asks, looking up at the ceiling. Still mostly tree roots and dirt. “A rock is going to fall on me?”

Spike darts backwards regardless of Twilight’s skepticism, his eyes staring at the ceiling and waiting for something to fall. Twilight glances over, snorting and shaking her head before she goes back to studying the ceiling. Spike, in his haste to get to cover, bumps into the shelf with the surgical tools as he dives for the nearest table. The box above rocks back and forth, teetering on the edge. Spike peeks out from underneath, his eyes widening as the box tips over, releasing an array of knives and scalpels and other vicious implements. “Aaah!” Spike yells as he pulls his head back, barely yanking his tail away as the blades bury themselves into the ground inches away from him.

“Spike! Are you okay?” Twilight shouts, rushing over to the cowering dragon. Her horn lights, pulling the tools out and replacing them in the box. She whirls around, stamping a hoof and glaring at Pinkie Pie. “He could have been seriously injured!”

“Well, yeah,” Pinkie Pie says, rapping a hoof against her helmet. The pot reverberates, messing with Pinkie Pie’s voice as she continues, “Tha-hat’s-t’s wh-hy I-I to-ol-ld hi-im ab-bou-out it!”

“That’s just a coincidence!” Twilight grits her teeth, motioning to the box. “That’s just a giant hazard waiting to happen! You should tie things around here more securely so that doesn’t happen!”

“Oooh, like this?” Pinkie Pie holds onto the operating table, though she immediately starts vibrating again, though this time in different, more specific areas. “Ear flop! Eye flutter! Knee twitch!”

“Wait, more than one?” Spike asks in a shaky voice, still hiding underneath one of the tables. “What’s that mean?”

“I call ‘em ‘combo’s.” Pinkie Pie grins as she lays down on the table, opening the clamps and slipping her hooves inside.

Spike hesitantly asks, slowly slipping out from under the table. “C-combos? W-what’s that one mean?”

“That one means watch out for opening doors!” Pinkie Pie uses her mouth to close the clamps, then motioning with her mane to one of the cabinet doors lining the wall. “On a completely unrelated note, Twilight, can you get the straps? I think they’re over there.”

“No problem,” Twilight says, rolling her eyes. “I still don’t believe all this ‘special powers’ nonsense.” She walks over to the cabinet doors, trying to decide which one Pinkie Pie meant. She tentatively reaches a hoof forwards.

“NO! Not that one!” Pinkie Pie yells, tugging against her restraints to no avail.

“Oh!” Twilight says, pulling her hoof back. “Thanks!” She opens the other door, a mess of silk and leather straps tumbling out. “Wait, nothing bad happened! That means your prediction was wrong!”

Pinkie Pie shakes her head, “No, that just means it hasn’t happened yet.” Her ear flops again, then eyes flutter, then knee twitches. “See?”

Twilight rolls her eyes, “Right.” She levitates a couple over, glancing between Pinkie Pie and the bolted rings. “Where do you want these?”

“Hind legs at the hoof, base of the tail, as far down the tail as you can manage, around the barrel, and you should probably do one around the neck for good measure.” Pinkie Pie points out each spot with her mane, ending up looking Twilight in the eye. “This your first time?”

“Yeah,” Twilight says absentmindedly, her gaze returning to the unopened cabinet doors while her horn lights, tying Pinkie Pie as requested. “What’s in the other one?”

Pinkie Pie shrugs. “Mystery. You don’t want to know.”

“That’s… quite possibly the worst thing you could have told me,” Twilight says with a huff. “It can’t be that bad.”

Pinkie Pie shrugs again. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

Twilight walks back over to the cabinet. She steels herself, her horn lighting and a raspberry shield appearing between her and the door. She reaches a hoof around the shield, tugging the door open. She gasps as she spots an oddly shaped helmet, studded with unlit lights and two wires coming off the top like antenna. Her shield drops as she reaches forward, “Well, well, well, what’s in here?”

Pinkie Pie considers for a moment. “Let’s see. Two of these are true, and one is false. It’s a helmet that tells you exactly how my Pinkie Sense works, but only if my Pinkie sense triggers while I’m wearing it. I made it by soldering random blinking lights onto an old mixing bowl. And it’s completely worthless because it will never work.” Pinkie Pie grins.

Twilight mumbles to herself, “Well, if the first one is false, then I shouldn’t bother using it. But if the second is false, then it shouldn’t work, because it’s just an old mixing bowl. And if the third is false, then I should definitely use it. Hmm.” She considers for a second before she smiles, reaching deep into the cabinet to grab the helmet.

Along with the helmet comes a giant cloud of dust, tickling Twilight's nostrils like nothing else. She sneezes, ramming her head into the metal above. A second sneeze flings her outside the cabinet, still holding onto the helmet.

"You okay?" Spike asks as Twilight picks herself up, rubbing her head.

"M'fine," Twilight mutters, glaring at the door as it swings closed.

Pinkie Pie gently struggles against her bonds, “Now, I’m pretty sure you were about to ask me some questions. But I’d like to see you make me talk!” She grins, growling softly and narrowing her eyes at Twilight. Then her ears flop, knee twitches, and eyes flutter.

“Pinkie, I’d have to torture you to get you to stop talking.” Twilight says with a shake of the head. She narrows her eyes at the ear flop. “Wait, do I need to look out for another door opening?”

“Nope! That was an ear flop, knee twitch, eye flutter. You’re thinking of an ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch!”

Twilight deadpans, “Of course I was,” as she fiddles with the helmet, eventually securing the helmet on Pinkie Pie with a chin strap.

“Ear flop, knee twitch, eye flutter means the sky is about to be graced by a beautiful rainbow! Or, at least, the air inside here.” Pinkie Pie’s eyes sparkle with delight as she looks around, entranced by the mere prospect of a beautiful rainbow.

Rainbow Dash opens the door at the top of the stairs. She takes one oblivious step downstairs before coming to a dead stop. She stares at Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Spike, the three not noticing her just yet. Her hoof reverses direction, silently backing up the stairs, softly closing the door behind her.

“Huh.” Pinkie Pie glances towards the empty stairwell. “I could have sworn that something was going to happen.”

“See? What did I say! I knew this special power stuff was a bunch of nonsense!” Twilight Sparkle taps her hoof against the helmet.

The helmet activates, brilliant light pouring from every blinking light. It paints the room a beautiful rainbow of colors, each scintillating as Twilight turns, gaping at the display.

“Eee!” Pinkie Pie happily shrieks, quivering in joy at the chromatic display. “See! I knew it!”

Twilight gasps, the barest hint of Laughter tickling the back of her throat. She slowly leans forward. It isn’t nearly as intense the first time Pinkie Pie released her burst of laughter, the effect dying nearly as quickly as it began. Nowhere near as intense, which makes it easier to resist but also less fulfilling.

“You okay, Twilight?” Spike asks, coming up behind her.

Twilight huffs. “I’m fine. This just gets more ridiculous by the minute!” She picks the helmet up, slamming it down on Pinkie Pie’s head. “There! Now, talk!”

“Okay!” Pinkie Pie looks down at her restraints. “What did you want to talk about? Cake? Baking? Random emanations of Laughter magic that barely slake your lust for power?”

“What was that last one?” says Spike.

“No!” Twilight shouts. “Make some predictions!”

“Okay!” Pinkie Pie sits there, staring at Twilight.

“I’m waiting,” Twilight says, the tapping of her hoof against the ground getting faster and faster.

“Sorry, Twilight. I don’t control it. They just come and go!” Pinkie Pie pulls her hooves out of the restraints to better shrug.

“Ugh…” Twilight moans, covering her face with a hoof. “Fine. We can table this one for now, and talk about that other one. Wait, how did you know I’ve been absorbing Laughter magic?”

“I… didn’t?” Pinkie Pie says with a small grin and shrug.

Twilight closes her eyes.

Pinkie Pie guesses, “So, you need my help to get to the bottom of this mystery, which involves all of our friends, and it potentially involves a highly dangerous branch of magic? And you’re worried about what might happen if things go wrong, or possibly right, or what will happen once you’ve gotten a taste of each of us?”

Twilight opens her mouth, then closes it. She looks at Pinkie. “Yes. Although, I didn’t feel nearly as strong a pull from you today, compared to yesterday. I’m hoping that the craving fades on magic I’ve already taken.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so earlier?” Pinkie Pie grins, slipping out of all the restraints. “Which one of our herdmates do you need first? Trixie?”

Twilight shakes her head, “No, I don’t need her. I think it's specific to the Elements of Harmony.”

“Really? Who’d you absorb Friendship from, then? Or do you think that because you’re a Friendship specialist yourself you don’t need to? Hmm.” Pinkie Pie taps her hoof against her chin.

“I may have gotten Friendship from Rarity. I’m not sure.” Twilight sighs. “I still have a little recollection of what she was doing, back when we were experimenting.” She glances back at her flank, only the four smaller white stars lightly shining, not the larger pink one.

Pinkie Pie nods along. “Well, we might as well start on something we don’t already know. Be right back!”

Twilight opens her mouth to object, but Pinkie Pie disappears in a burst of dust that leaves her coughing, the helmet clattering to the ground. Spike moves over, picking the helmet up and wiping it clean.

“Down here? But, it’s unfinished! There’s dirt everywhere, and it will ruin my mane!” Rarity appears at the top of the stairs, looking down at Twilight and Spike. Pinkie Pie is behind her, looking ready to shove her down the stairs, or at least keep her from retreating. “Oh.” She glances back to Pinkie Pie before taking a hesitant step down. “I-is there something you need?”

“Yes,” Twilight says resolutely, standing next to the metal operating table still covered with straps. “I want you to try channeling Friendship again. Or Generosity, whichever you feel is easier.”

“A-are you sure?” Rarity says worriedly, reaching the bottom of the steps. “Because, well, after the last time…”

“I’m sure.” Twilight smiles at Rarity. “Everything is going to be just fine.”

100 Audacity, Part Four

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Rarity forces a smile to her mouth. “A-are you sure, Twilight? Because, not to be a nag or anything, but I’m not so sure that this is, well, entirely safe. After last time…”

Twilight returns a reassuring smile, her hoof tapping the metal table. Dull ringing echoes around the room, setting everypony’s hair on end. She sheepishly grins as she stops tapping. “I’m sure, Rarity. Everything turned out fine the last time, right?”

“R-right.” Rarity gulps as she slowly walks forward, wary glances at the various sharp and dangerous implements around them. Her attention then turns to Pinkie Pie, who is looking at her eagerly, and Spike, who has a confused expression on his face. She comes to a stop just in front of the table, raising an eyebrow at the straps. She frowns, a bemused shake of the head. “You just wanted me to hop up there and ‘do my thing?’” She raises her hooves, making little quotes in the air.

“Yes? Is there a problem?” Twilight asks with more than a bit of exasperation at Rarity’s slow pace.

Rarity scoffs. “Well, since you asked. First, this is entirely the wrong setting for what we are about to do. I, for one, will have difficulty getting into the, hmm, proper frame of mind. And inside a cold, dark, underground laboratory is hardly conducive to my own sense of well-being.”

Twilight’s teeth grind against each other before she utters, “Would you prefer if we were upstairs?” Her horn lights, a few pillows teleporting next to her, casually tossing them down. “Or does this work?”

Rarity huffs. “Please, darling. It hardly matters where we are if you’re just going to be like this.”

“Like what?” Twilight asks, her tone biting.

Rarity motions to Twilight, her hoof making little circles in the air. “So forceful. Demanding. Like all you care about is, pardon my Prench, getting your next lick.”

“I am not salty,” Twilight bluntly states, a stomp of her hoof accompanying her statement.

“Could have fooled me,” Spike remarks off to the side. He and Pinkie Pie are digging through one of the cabinets, pulling out small shards of metal, bands of rope, and small, firm cushions, as well as some face paint.

Twilight gives Spike a short glare before she turns back to Rarity. “I’m merely tired of your constant delays! I should have been working on figuring this out a long time ago!”

Rarity turns her head upwards, closing her eyes as she pointedly looks away from Twilight.

“Fine.” Twilight huffs, a hoof massaging her forehead. “I guess that wasn’t exactly your fault. But I did feel like you were avoiding me.”

Rarity continues staring away from Twilight.

Twilight takes a deep breath, barely calming her nerves. She glances at Pinkie Pie and Spike, the two giggling as they paint each other’s faces. She turns back to Rarity. “What do you want?”

Rarity tilts her head back to regard Twilight for several long seconds. “Well, for starters, if you’re just going to use me like a common whorse, you could at least buy me some breakfast first. I prefer dinner, of course, but I suppose I shall make do with whatever you deign to provide.” Rarity hides her smirk by turning away from Twilight, her long, styled mane doing a passable Fluttershy impersonation.

“Excuse me?” shouts Twilight, raising herself up as high as she can.

Rarity rolls her eyes, then pulls her mane away from her face so that Twilight can see her roll her eyes again. “I’m just trying to inject a little brevity into this, darling.”

“Yeah!” exclaims Pinkie Pie, pronking over to Twilight. She has a large grin painted on her face in red, the rest covered in white, the area around her eyes blackened. She utters in a low, gravely voice, “Why so serious?” before breaking out in a fit of giggles.

Twilight inhales, the Laughter briefly buoying her spirit. “Okay,” she says in a normal voice, “I can try.” She forces a smile to her face, walking over to Rarity. Rarity gasps as Twilight struts up to her, firmly planting a kiss on her lips. She sputters, taking a hesitant step backwards as Twilight presses forwards, her focused eyes displaying more than just lust. They speak to a deeper desire as they slowly trace a line down Rarity’s horn, ending at her mouth.

“Excuse me!” Rarity says as she continues backpedalling around the enclosed room. “What are you doing?”

“Just trying to add a little spice.” Twilight licks her lips as Rarity trips over a metal contraption on the ground, her legs flying out from under her. Twilight walks over, ending up towering over the white unicorn. “Why? Don’t you like it?”

“I like it just fine, when it is the correct time and place. And let me assure you, a passable facsimile for a Diamond Dog den is not my ideal spot for that sort of rendezvous.” Rarity rubs her backside as she looks up at Twilight, forcing a smile to her face. “Um, don’t take this the wrong way, but does Doug give you enough attention? And, vice versa, do you give him enough?”

Twilight’s eyebrows furrow, a slight glare at Rarity. “Of course. You were there a few nights ago.”

Rarity’s eyes roll again. “I don’t mean the sex, darling. I mean, do you open up with him, and tell him about what sort of projects you are working on, what assignments the Princess has given you? Because you seem distant to me, mechanically going through the motions.”

Twilight slowly nods as she backs off slightly, allowing Rarity to get to her hooves unobstructed. “I… I haven’t. I’ve been worried about what happened with Fluttershy, and what it all means. And now that it happened again with Pinkie Pie, I feel like I was correct in my hiding it.”

Pinkie Pie pronks over, “Well, maybe that’s the problem, silly! You seemed a lot better when you opened up with Spike, and then me!” She points at the metal contraption laying on the ground. The bottom looks like a set of jaws large enough to devour a ball, or possibly a medium-sized filly. A circular spire pokes out the top, twisted bits of metal jut out at four angles, and the whole thing is laying on its side. “You see this?”

Twilight gives the device a once over. “Sure.”

Pinkie Pie nods along, “Well, I was talking with Doug about it. And Rainbow. And they’re both super duper excited about it! Do you know what it does?”

“It looks like the helicopter you built and used to chase Rainbow Dash and Gilda around. That I used a come-to-life spell on to help give you the necessary power to actually fly, even it was limited.” Twilight raises an eyebrow, “But nopony can fit inside of it. It’s too small.”

Pinkie Pie grins, “Well, that’s because it isn’t for somepony! It’s for someturtle!”

Fluttershy sticks her head in from upstairs, “Sometortoise.” She walks downstairs, followed by Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Right. But, the point is, Doug was super helpful and supportive about me making this, and I told him all about it and he really liked it, even though he, like you, thought it would never work.” Pinkie Pie looks over at Rainbow Dash, “Just finished it yesterday! You ready to give it a whirl?”

“Sure am!” Rainbow Dash says with a cocky grin, swooping down to grab the metal contraption. “So, how does it work?”

Pinkie Pie taps Rainbow on the withers, shaking her head. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

“But it’s flying! And I know all about flying!” Rainbow Dash nods resolutely, but her smile turns grim as Pinkie Pie pulls a two-inch thick textbook out of her mane.

“Oh, well, in that case!” Pinkie Pie pulls Rainbow Dash off to the side, cracking open the book and taking a deep, deep breath.

“So, what’s this Ah’m hearing about you tying up Pinkie Pie when Doug ain’t around?” Applejack says with a lascivious smile. “‘Cause, Ah know a thing or two about ropes, if’n you’re lookin’ for any pointers.”

“Applejack, stop, you’re embarrassing yourself,” Rarity says with a grin. She flicks her head towards Twilight, the unicorn listening in to Pinkie Pie, in a single breath, explain the rigors of mechanical flight to an obviously out of her element Rainbow Dash. “Twilight here wanted us to showcase our Elements again. You know what I mean.”

“Oh. Is that it?” Applejack looks Twilight over. “And you’ll be okay this time?”

Twilight says cheerfully, “Well, I’ve got you all here! How bad can it get?”

Applejack sighs, a hoof finding her eyes. “Twilight, when will you learn to stop tempting fate?”

Twilight shrugs. “Anyway. So, essentially, I found that my cutie mark was glowing, and it corresponded to having drained a little magic from each of you. I’m worried about the implications, and I wanted to do a little experimenting, to see if you are in any sort of danger from me.”

Applejack stares at Twilight for a few seconds before nodding. “Alright, Ah can see that. Best be doing it in a nice, controlled environment.” She looks over at Rarity, then back to Twilight. “Ah suppose Ah can go first.”

“Thank you, Applejack.” Twilight lowers herself to the ground as Applejack walks up. “Just like before?”

“Sorta, ‘cept you won’t be doing any of the ‘channeling’. At least not initially.” Applejack lifts her hooves up, reaching towards Twilight. Her eyes close as she concentrates, starting with the memory of saving Twilight from falling down a cliff. Or, at least, helping her fall down the cliff safely.

Twilight takes Applejack’s hooves, gently bringing them to her mouth. She can taste the Honesty Applejack is pouring out, though it isn’t quite the same as before. Nowhere near the rush, the pure passion she had before. She grunts, pulling her mouth away. “Applejack?”

“Yeah?” the earth pony responds, opening her eyes to regard Twilight. “Something wrong?”

“Can you try channeling Generosity? I think that’s what I got from you before.”

“Um. Sure.” Applejack closes her eyes again, this time thinking through how she would be walking through a field, helping the spring flower buds bloom, the saplings sprout, the apples grow nice and strong.

Twilight brings Applejack’s hooves to her mouth again, but she finds the taste disappointing. It’s still Generosity, pure and unfiltered, but it’s barely doing anything for her craving! Twilight sighs as she pushes away. “Thank you, Applejack. But, it’s still nothing like it was originally.”

“Ah don’t know if Ah should be relieved or worried at that,” Applejack says as she gets back up.

Fluttershy glances around the room as Twilight focuses on her. “Oh, me? Um, what, exactly, are we doing?”

Twilight motions next to her, the yellow pegasus laying down. “Just, try to focus on your Kindness. The way that you might help an injured critter get over their fear of whatever hurt them.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy focuses, though she flinches as Twilight takes one of her wings, bending it towards herself. She smiles as images of her animal friends flash through her mind, and all the ways that she is kind to them, and the ways that she uses her Kindness with them. Her own smile grows larger, having to force herself to remain still and calm despite the joy radiating from her.

Twilight huffs, even as she feels the Kindness radiating around her. The mood-altering magic might modify her mind minutely, but she isn’t getting anything near the euphoric ecstasy she got before! She pulls away, leaving Fluttershy to smile by herself, and focuses on Pinkie Pie.

The pink pony is just wrapping up and taking a massive breath, leaving a thoroughly confused and dazed Rainbow Dash with the metal torticopter. “Oh, me next? Pick me! Pick me!” Pinkie Pie jumps in front of Twilight, practically jamming her hooves into Twilight’s mouth. She hums, a long thrumming from the back of her throat.

Twilight reluctantly sighs as she tastes the Laughter, but it feels like a joke that’s been told too many times. A mockery, a pathetic debasement of what it used to be.

“Nothing?” Pinkie Pie asks, more than a little disappointment in her voice. She pulls out a large cookie, “Chocolate chip always helps me when I’m feeling down!”

Twilight shakes her head, glumly looking at the floor.

Pinkie Pie sighs, dropping the cookie into Spike’s awaiting mouth. “Hmm. You looking for something else?” Pinkie Pie begins pulling items from her mane, holding them up. “Candy corn? Taffy? Bon bon?” She pulls out a bowl of ice cream. “Rainbow sherbet?”

Twilight’s eyes go wide at the last one. Even the mention of the name is enough to pique her interest. She turns to the pegasus, licking her lips in anticipation. She can feel the aura around the pegasus. Yes. That will do nicely.

Rainbow Dash looks up at Twilight as she approaches. “Yeah?”

Twilight stares at the pegasus’ wings, the way she is manipulating the little rotor blades. They look especially tantalizing. “Rainbow? If you don’t mind, I’d like to try with you.”

Rainbow looks over at the other four mares. None look any worse for wear, just disappointed they weren’t able to help Twilight. She shakes her head as she turns back to Twilight. “No, thanks.” She turns back to fidgeting with the torticopter.

Twilight blinks in surprise. “What?”

“No. Thanks for asking, though.” Rainbow whacks one of the blades, watching it spin around.

101 Audacity, Part Five

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Twilight Sparkle opens her mouth as she stares at Rainbow Dash. She asks, with more bite than she initially intended, “What do you mean, exactly, by ‘no’?” She barrels ahead anyway, no apologetic smiles or conciliatory backing up a step, instead a harsh glare.

Rainbow briefly glances up at Twilight. She deliberately shakes her head, speaking slowly and emphasizing every syllable. “I mean. No. You can’t do whatever freaky magic thing you want to me. I don’t allow it.” Her body trembles as she goes back to the torticopter, casting her gaze away from Twilight. Her shaky hoof stays forced against the floor, not coming up to wipe the wetness from her eyes.

Twilight sits in silence for a few seconds, her breath catching in her throat to keep it from exploding out. “Don’t you understand what this means to me? Rainbow, I need to figure this out! It could be extremely important!”

Rainbow blithely shrugs.

Twilight quells her rage, her voice changing tack to a soft plea. “I’m afraid something is wrong with me, Rainbow Dash! And not just with me, potentially with all of us. Applejack and Rarity were working with me when it first happened, and they saved me. What if that had happened when they weren’t around? If I had gotten a taste of Honesty from somepony else, and then lost my mind? I need you to help me figure it out! Please, won’t you help?”

Rainbow Dash looks Twilight up and down. “You don’t look like you’re in that much danger of losing it.” Rainbow picks up the torticopter, positioning it between her wings. She stands up, looking to the exit. Twilight stands in her way. Rainbow sighs. “Are you sure that’s it, Twilight Sparkle? That you need my help? Because this isn’t something I want to do. Or that I’m going to do.”

“I think it is. I need your help.” Twilight backs up slightly, getting out of Rainbow’s way. “Maybe I could find another Loyalty specialist, and try with them.” She leans her head forward to focus on Rainbow’s eyes. “But I believe, deep down, that I need you, because you, just like me, are an Element of Harmony. I don’t feel that same pull, that same gravity towards anypony else that I feel with you. Well, aside from the other Elements, but I don’t feel the same thing for them that I feel for you. Not any more. Not after what happened between us.”

Rainbow blankly looks at Twilight. “Cool. I guess.”

Twilight motions to the other four members of the herd. “They were willing to help me figure out what is going on. They’re doing fine. They’re safe, in no danger.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow spits out. “They’re doing fine. Just peachy.” She turns her head, no longer able to meet Twilight’s gaze.

“Do you not trust me?” Twilight earnestly asks, pushing forward. She frowns at Rainbow’s huff and continued lack of eye contact, gritting her teeth as the pegasus barely shakes her head. “Then I don’t see the problem!”

“It’s not that,” Rainbow grunts out. “I trust you. I just… I don’t want this. I don’t want to do this. I don’t think I should need to defend my decision.”

“Would it help if I explained what I’m doing?” Twilight implores. At Rainbow’s slight shrug she continues, “Well, I’d just be drawing out a little of your excess thaumic energy. That’s the magic in each of us, and I would specifically be going for your Loyalty. Well, really, you’d be channeling your Loyalty. All you would need to do is imagine that you’re flying really fast, and about to do a hard turn. But instead of doing it, you’d just be thinking it. That would hopefully release some of your Loyalty, and I would be able to taste the excess that you’re putting out. You have lots to spare, you probably wouldn’t even miss it. Rarity didn’t, as far as we could tell.”

Rainbow Dash stares at Twilight for a few seconds before she finally says, “Are you sure, Twilight? This doesn’t sound safe.”

Twilight sneers, “What happened to your loyalty, Rainbow?”

Rainbow’s eyes narrow. She practically spits out, “Playing the guilt card a little hard there, Twilight.” She intentionally walks past Twilight, bumping into the unicorn and shoving her back. “My answer is still no.” Rainbow walks out of the room, leaving Twilight gaping and the other four mares to exchange worried looks.

Twilight’s face falls as she chases after Rainbow Dash. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. That came out wrong. I don’t… I don’t know what comes over me sometimes.”

Rainbow continues walking out of the library, her breathing getting harder and more labored.

Twilight sighs at the long pause. “I just… You don’t know what it’s like! I have this deep desire, in the bottom of my soul, something I desperately want. I feel like I’d do anything for it.” She sniffs. “I’m afraid I would do anything for it.” She stops again, waiting for a response that doesn’t come. “I’m sorry. If it means that much to you, I won’t ask you again.”

Rainbow sniffs, unable to meet Twilight’s gaze.

“I didn’t mean to press that hard.” Twilight smiles to herself, looking around the library, especially the windows and front door. “In fact, I half expected you to just fly off, avoid the situation entirely, after I chased after you.”

That brings a smile to Rainbow’s face. “Yeah, I probably would have. But I’ve hung out with Pinkie Pie too long to think that’s a possibility. Mare’s crazy.” Rainbow shakes her head. “It’s just…” Rainbow starts, trailing off. She sighs, looking down at her hooves. “I didn’t want to leave, just like that, because I need you.”

“And I need you too, Rainbow,” Twilight says, her smile growing larger. “Are you feeling up for it now?”

“What? No.” Rainbow shrugs the torticopter off her back, holding it out with her hooves while her wings beat, keeping her upright. “I need you to cast your come-to-life thing spell on this, like you did with Pinkie Pie’s helicopter cycle thingy. Pinkie Pie helped me design and build it. It’s for Tank, so he can fly around with me.”

“Oh.” Twilight glances down at the metal contraption. She looks back up at Rainbow. “I don’t suppose you would consider a trade? I can this spell for you, and refresh it whenever you need, and you’ll channel your Loyalty for me?”

Rainbow sighs, her hooves dropping down and leaving the torticopter on the ground. “Sorry.” A tear forms in her eye. “Much as I might want to fly around with Tank, it’s not worth it. Sorry.” A hoof comes up to wipe the tear away, Rainbow turning to hide her face. “I just hope he understands.”

“But, help me understand,” Twilight implores. “Why is this such an issue? It’s not like it will affect you that much!”

Rainbow Dash chuckles, her eyes staring off into the distance.

“There is something you can do to help. Wouldn’t you at least consider it?” Twilight pauses for a moment, trying to get a read on the pegasus. “I know I just said I wouldn’t ask, but this is something that only you can give, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash laughs out loud, turning to look Twilight in the eyes. “Do you know who else asked me that question, Twilight?”

Twilight shakes her head.

“Sunset Shimmer. Name ring any bells?”

Twilight’s eyes widen. “Princess Celestia’s student? But, she disappeared years ago.”

“Yeah.” A wistful look appears in Rainbow’s eyes as she stares off into the distance. “She thought that she could use some magic to help Scootaloo. She just needed me to help out. Give a little bit of myself so that Scoots would have a better life.”

“Rainbow,” Twilight begins, her voice shaking. “I-”

“And do you know what happened?” Rainbow asks, glancing over to see Twilight shaking her head, the unicorn sitting back a little. “It worked. Scootaloo got a little bit stronger. She could comfortably sleep on clouds. She could sort of kinda glide. And we’ve been working on it, and she’s improving.” Rainbow stops, blankly staring ahead. “She’s improving.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound that bad,” Twilight softly says.

Rainbow Dash gives a single, sharp laugh. “You think so?”

Twilight hesitates. “Um. Yes?”

Rainbow Dash shakes her head. “You didn’t ask what it cost.”

“Oh.” Twilight pauses for a second. “What did it cost?”

Rainbow turns to look Twilight in the eye. “It wasn’t supposed to cost much of anything. ‘Just a little magic, you have lots to spare.’ That's what she promised me. But, it didn't quite work out like that, did it?" Rainbow shakes her head. "You aren’t the only one, Twilight, who has had to look at something you wanted, desperately desired with all of your heart, and watched it slip away from your hooves. Well, Twilight, I learned my lesson. Sometimes, you just have to deal with the consequences, and not choose the easy way out.”

Twilight grits her teeth as her rage threatens to resurface. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” she manages to say without snapping.

“I lost everything, Twilight. All of my magic.” Rainbow takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “I was in a coma for three days. They had to use machines to keep me alive! When I came to, I was weaker than a foal. Sure, it came back, slowly, over the next four years. But it still ruined everything.”

Twilight’s eyes widen, trying to imagine herself without any magic and mostly failing.

“But that wasn’t it. I was supposed to be a Wonderbolt. I had Scootaloo, I was keeping up with my training, about to reapply. And bam. Gone. Talk about taking the wind out from your wings.” Rainbow shakes her head.

“That’s horrible,” Twilight says, moving next to Rainbow to nuzzle her cheek. Her horn lights, a raspberry aura surrounding the torticopter that quickly fades. “I’m sorry that happened, Rainbow. I truly am.”

Rainbow nods. “I mean, it sucked, not being able to fly. I’ve asked myself, again and again, if it was worth it. If losing that dream meant that Scootaloo got to have one of her own.” Rainbow smiles as her mind evokes images of her filly practicing. Some days, she can even imagine her actually flying. “And I would. It was worth the cost.” Her face turns hard. “And you better not call my loyalty into question again.”

Twilight repentantly nods. “I’m sorry. I was trying to provoke you, and I shouldn’t have.”

Rainbow smiles, nuzzling Twilight. “I get it. Rain out of the waterspout. But, I’m not going to risk something happening to me again. I love you, and I’m loyal to you, and I want you to get past this, or over me, or whatever you call it, but it’s going to have to be without directly absorbing it from me. Okay? I'm sure you'll be able to figure a way to get through this, those desires.”

“Okay,” Twilight says, softly nuzzling Rainbow again. She can feel the Loyalty inside the mare, tantalizingly close, but she wouldn’t. There has to be another way. “So, want to go practice one of your routines?” Twilight smirks. “Maybe I’ll be able to absorb a bit from that.”

Rainbow Dash nods. “Heh. I guess, we can hope that works. But I’m pretty tight, I don’t slop a lot of excess thaums when I’m turning or accelerating or whatever.” Her face lights up, “Hey! I could show you the routine I’m working on! The Best Young Flier competition is happening fairly soon, and maybe one of them is awesome enough for you to get better! You said something similar happened with Pinkie Pie, right?”

“Hey, that just might work!” Twilight exclaims happily. She glances back, the other four mares having exited the basement as well and beaming at them.

102 The Stormcaller, Part One

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October 3rd, 1000 Domina Solaria

“Yay!” cheers Fluttershy in a quiet voice, barely able to be heard above the scratch of pencil on paper. Her eyes remain fixed on the cerulean pegasus climbing higher and higher into the sky. She leans forward in anticipation, eagerly awaiting the next spectacular trick in Rainbow Dash’s impressive arsenal.

Scootaloo huffs, looking up from her school assignment to cast a disapproving glare at the yellow pegasus. You’d think she’d be more excited about another awesome display of Rainbow’s talents! She shakes her head before she resumes brainstorming ideas for her report on her ‘Hero: Rainbow Dash!’ assignment. Miss Cheerilee told her she could only use the word ‘awesome’ ten times in the paper, so she has to find something else to fill the void.

Doug glances up from his notes, one hand letting go of Twilight’s mane to flip to the next page of requests before returning to leisurely scratching. Twilight coos appreciably, pausing the paging through her own textbook. The three join Fluttershy as Rainbow’s climb begins to slow.

Rainbow Dash reaches the apex of her ascent, a lazy turn before she plummets to the ground. Long seconds pass as she builds up more and more speed, a rainbow contrail following her vertical path.

Doug grimaces internally, his breath caught in his throat. If her magic fails, or she misgauges the turn, or any number of a hundred different things go wrong, it’ll be splat, no more pegasus. His hands hurriedly gather up his papers, white knuckles clenching them to his chest. Twilight closes her book, checking their surroundings for any loose items.

At the very last second Rainbow Dash pulls out of her dive, a near ninety degree turn that flips her over, back skimming across the ground scant inches from the grass. She flaps her wings exactly once before pulling them tight against her barrel, spiralling through the air, her eyes staying relatively motionless and fixed on her destination.

Rainbow Dash counts off the tenths of a second as she careens directly at the four. Faster than she’s ever flown this close to the ground, hurtling along and eating up a half a hoofball field with every second. At the very last moment her wings flare out, pouring on thaums to skid to a stop bare inches from Twilight.

A tenth of a second later a great gust of wind sweeps over the group, blowing dirt and grass shavings all over them. Their hair and manes and coats billow out and away, ending up knotted and tangled. The papers remain secure in their hands, though barely, as anything loose nearby launches into the air, even threatening to lift a certain filly.

“Well?” Rainbow Dash demands as the wind barely dies down, strutting back and forth in front of Twilight. “How was that one? Pretty impressive, am I right?”

Doug claps his hands while Scootaloo stomps her hooves, drowning out Fluttershy’s quiet cheers. Scootaloo reaches a hoof to bump her dam’s, bright smiles on both of them.

Twilight blinks at the pegasus who came this close to knocking her clear across the field. She sighs as she places her book on the ground, the wind whipping at the pages. “Nope,” she says with a shake of her head. “Still nothing.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash exclaims, her confident smile falling. “Aww, I was sure that one would do it! Maybe I just need to stop closer to you?” The pegasus leans closer to Twilight, their noses touching and leaving a slightly sweaty smear. “Maybe this close?”

Twilight giggles as she lightly pushes Rainbow away from her. “No, silly.” At Rainbow’s pout she smirks, “Though maybe you can get that close tonight.” She winks at Rainbow, the pegasus pushing up against her hoof to try to get closer again.

“Why wait until tonight?” Rainbow asks sultrily, her nose again pressing against Twilight. “You know practicing always gets me raring to go.”

“Come on dam, I don’t want that kind of demonstration again,” moans Scootaloo. “And I don’t think Miss Cheerilee would appreciate me including that in my report.” Her frown turns to a hopeful smile, “So, can you get back to the flying? That trick was the coolest one yet!”

“Yes, Rainbow,” Twilight says, reluctantly pushing the pegasus away. Her tongue licks her lips as her eyes glance up towards her horn. She can feel that desire pressing against her better judgement, attempting to overwhelm her resolve to not drain the pegasus directly. Rainbow gets the message, taking a step backwards. “It might be safer if we don’t do anything that intimate when I’m trying to, well, you know. So, you got any more tricks in that bag of yours?”

“Speaking of bags of tricks,” Rainbow says as Trixie walks towards the group. “Sup.”

“Greetings,” greets Trixie, a nod to each of the mares. She plops down between Doug and Fluttershy, rubbing her head against him until he scratches her ear. “How goes the attempts?”

“Well, I’m doing awesome!” Rainbow says with a cocky grin. She motions with a hoof, “Twilight, though, just isn’t getting it.” Rainbow sighs as she backs off, thinking for a moment before shaking her head. “Ugh. But, yeah, to answer your question. I can’t think of any. You’d think after a week of my dazzling awesomeness something would have broken through. I’ve gone through all my old tricks, even making up new ones that nopony’s ever done before in the hopes that they’d work!”

“Well, there is one trick that you haven’t tried,” Fluttershy remarks.

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asks. “I’ve done my Filly Flash, my best attempt at the Buccaneer Blaze, and even the Plummeting Peregrine! Just about the only thing I haven’t done is banged Doug in free-fall.”

“That’s a thing?” Doug asks, unsure if he is more worried or excited at the prospect.

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes before she walks over and slugs Doug in the shoulder. She turns to Fluttershy as Doug winces, “What am I missing?”

“Well, the Sonic Rainboom, of course!” Fluttershy grins, though her smile fades at Rainbow’s grimace. She tentatively asks, “Oh. Um, is something wrong?”

Rainbow looks at the ground, shuffling her hooves. “Well, um, I haven’t tried getting that fast. I’ve been worried about, well, rupturing something.” Her excitement returns, slightly forced, “But that doesn’t mean I can’t do it! Rainbow Dash can do anything!”

“Yey!” Fluttershy cheers, barely audible above the rustle of the wind still whipping around them.

“Seriously?” Scootaloo complains. “You’re going to need to cheer a lot louder than that! If Rainbow is going to perform only the most awesome feat ever awesomed into awesomeness then she’s going to need an awesome cheering section as awesome as she is!”

“Right. Um. Got it.” Fluttershy sheepishly looks at the ground.

Rainbow Dash smiles at Scootaloo's praise, though her smile drops as she sees Scootaloo’s report. “Hey! What did Miss Cheerilee tell you about your wording?”

Scootaloo sheepishly looks down. “Um, that I need to work on my variety?”

“Exactly.” Rainbow Dash lays down next to Scootaloo, her hoof tapping on a few instances of the word ‘awesome’. Which, given that her hoof isn’t an exact pointer, means she doesn’t actually have to move her hoof on the page to get to four of them. “Now, somepony like Twilight might whine about how ‘radicalness’ and ‘awesomeness’ and ‘coolness’ are all the same thing.”

“Hey!” Twilight exclaims, glaring at Rainbow. “I do not whine like that! And they are the same thing!”

“And I didn’t say that you, Twilight, whined like that, I said that somepony like Twilight might whine like that.” Rainbow Dash turns back to Scootaloo, ignoring Twilight’s intensifying glare. “Now, the important part is avoiding repetition. And that’s also true when you’re designing an awesome routine like I am! One loop is awesome, the second one is cool, the third one starts to get boring. Unless you’re trying to do as many of them in a row as you can, but that’s a whole other issue.”

“Okay,” Scootaloo says, looking down at her rough draft. “So, how do I do that?”

Rainbow slowly nods, her eyes staring off as she tries to remember. “Um. Right! Repetition. So, you want to avoid that.” She reads through a few lines of the paper. “Okay, here for example. You describe me as ‘awesome’. Which is cool, because it’s totally true. But, the next time, you don’t need to use ‘awesome’ again. Miss Cheerilee, or whoever reads this, they already know I’m awesome, right? You told them before! So, either pick a different word, like ‘radical’, or drop it entirely.”

“Okay!” Scootaloo says. She grips her pencil in her teeth, reading through the report and crossing out various words, replacing them with others.

Rainbow Dash grins as she watches Scootaloo at work for a few seconds. The filly has the task well in hoof, so she gets up to nuzzle Doug. “Thanks,” she whispers in his ear.

“Thank Twilight too,” Doug whispers back, a short peck on Rainbow’s cheek as he scratches her ear.

Rainbow rolls her twinkling eyes, a broad smile on her face. She turns to her herdmate, nuzzling Twilight. “Thanks. You know I think you’re awesome, right?”

“High praise,” returns Twilight with a faint smile. A glimmer of hope shines through her slightly downcast expression, “So, you think the Sonic Rainboom will work?”

“If anypony can do it, it’s me!” proclaims Rainbow. She pauses as she sees Twilight’s worried, hungry look. “Oh, um, you mean like that.” She briefly smiles, “I guess we can hope so?” She takes a step back, looking up at the sky. “I guess I better get working on that.” She squints, peering off into the distance. “Hey!” she exclaims. “You can see Cloudsdale from the ground now!”

“Really?” Twilight says, following Rainbow’s hoof. “You can! I’ve just been watching them with my telescope, when the sky was clear enough! That means they’ll be here soon, right?”

“Yeah! And along with them, the Best Young Flier competition!” Rainbow’s face lights up, “Hey! I could perform my Sonic Rainboom there! That’d be sure to win me the gold!”

“Yey!” Fluttershy cheers, approximately twice as loud as before.

“Ugh,” Rainbow says, planting a hoof on her forehead. “Not with a cheering section like that! Come on, Scoots, show her how it’s done!”

“WOOHOOO!!” Scootaloo shouts as she leaps into the air, wings ablaze. She glances back, her eyes growing wide at the actual fire on her wings. “AAaaahh!”

“Sorry, force of habit,” Trixie says without a hint of actual apology, the light on her horn fading. She looks at Rainbow and Scootaloo, both glaring at her. “What?”

“I thought my wings were on fire!” Scootaloo spits out. Her angry glare fades as her eyes go wide. “Wait, you made it look like my wings were on fire! That’s so cool!”

“Well, illusions are just one of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s great and powerful tricks.” Trixie brushes off an imaginary speck of dust off her coat. She looks over at Twilight, the purple unicorn staring at her. “Yes?”

Twilight starts off hesitant, slowly growing bolder. “Um, Trixie, if you don’t mind. Can I try something with you?”

Trixie raises an eyebrow. “Really? She thought you’d never ask.” Her eyes turn to Scootaloo before she shrugs, rolling onto her back and spreading her legs.

Twilight facehooves, her cheeks a bright red. “I swear, I’m not as bad as Doug! That’s not what I meant!”

“Hey!” Doug exclaims.

Twilight huffs. “I wanted to try with you what I tried with the other mares. To see if I can get a taste of your Friendship magic.”

“Oh.” Trixie lays with her legs spread as she considers. After a few seconds she rolls over, turning so her horn is pointed at Twilight’s mouth. “How does this work?”

“Imagine you are casting your spell that summons a cloud. That and other creation magic are nearly pure Friendship.” Twilight leans over, her mouth inches from Trixie’s horn.

Trixie glances up at Twilight, the slight worry in her eyes slowly overcome by determination. “And I hold it, without casting?” Without waiting for confirmation Trixie’s eyes close, the azure horn glowing magenta.

“Exactly.” Everypony watches, transfixed, as Twilight’s mouth slowly closes around Trixie’s horn. She waits for several seconds, a frown slowly growing on her muzzle.

“Anything?” Trixie asks, a few beads of sweat dripping down her face as she concentrates.

“Nothing.” Twilight sighs as she pulls away. She looks back at her cutie mark. Still four white stars softly glowing. Is the large pink star any different? Not that she can tell. She glances at Rainbow Dash, immediately feeling that deep pang of hunger. She gulps as she suppresses it, driving it back down. Not today. Not when she needs to be in control.

The light fades from Trixie’s horn as she gets up. “Trixie is sorry she cannot be of more assistance.” Her hoof taps a few times against the ground as she stares at Twilight, a pensive look in her eye.

Rainbow Dash frowns, moving over to nuzzle Twilight. “We’ll keep working on it. But, I’ll need to do some speed exercises if I’m going to even attempt the Sonic Rainboom. I’ve been focusing a lot on control, with ‘Shy’s help.” Fluttershy beams at the praise, taking wing and getting ready to follow Rainbow.

"Yeah, it's too bad the rest of us won't be there," Doug says with a sigh, though he doesn't look too terribly disappointed. "We'd all be able to see you compete!"

"Actually," Twilight remarks slowly, "there might be a solution to that."

"Really?" Doug says with a bit of trepidation.

"Yeah! A spell that gives a pony wings!" She glances over at Doug, a cautious smile. "And I'm sure we can find something that works on you, too!"

"That'll be awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaims, beaming at Twilight. "Maybe the whole herd can come!" Rainbow looks around, "Anyway, I better get started. Don't disappoint me, Twilight!" She flies up, waving as she leaves, Fluttershy following close behind.

Doug adds with a glance to Trixie, “And, I guess if you’re here, that means dinner is about ready. And by that I mean, you want me to start preparing dinner.”

Trixie grins at that, nodding.

Doug grunts as he gets up, gathering his papers. “Alright, then. Come on, Scoots. Back home.” He leans down, taking the papers from his filly, “I'll get these for you.”

“Thanks!” Scootaloo says, hopping onto her scooter and racing off towards the Carrot House, Doug jogging after her.

Trixie coughs as Twilight gets up to leave, the purple unicorn turning to look at her. “Trixie may have an idea.”

“Really?” Twilight implores, jumping to her hooves. “What is it?”

Trixie glances towards Canterlot, “In Trixie’s travels, she has heard of a shop that sells magical items of a certain nature.” Her gaze turns to Twilight. “She has not gone herself, but perhaps there is something there that might help with your plight. If getting Loyalty magic is all you need.”

“Hmm.” Twilight considers this for a few long seconds. “That sounds intriguing. But I’m hoping that this Sonic Rainboom works out, and we can put this whole thing behind us.”

Trixie shrugs. “Suit yourself. Just a passing thought.” She turns towards the Carrot House, Twilight soon following after. And looking forward to tonight, with perhaps a little more trepidation than normal. She’ll keep herself under control. She has to.

103 The Explorer

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October 10th, 1000 Domina Solaria

The days pass with building anticipation as Cloudsdale gets closer and closer, much like that of an especially slow acting pepper that steadily gets hotter and hotter with every passing moment. The cloud city completes one circuit of Equestria approximately every ten years at the sedate pace, and continues steadily creeping closer and closer to Canterlot. Originally, they would have been celebrating the one thousandth anniversary of Princess Celestia raising the sun, but their pace has picked up to make it in time for the start of the first Year of the Diarchs.

For some, the arrival of the cruising city is a blessing. Applejack and Rarity are certainly enjoying the increased business from tourists flying in. Trixie has taken to the streets, entertaining and enthralling crowds of Ponyvillians and visitors alike. Twilight can’t help but throw open the doors of the library every morning, happily greeting the sightseers interested in Ponyville history, or scenic treks through the surrounding areas such as Whitetail Woods (never the Everfree), or just looking for a quiet spot to rest their wings and catch a bit of light reading from Spike’s comic book collection before they make the mile high voyage back to Cloudsdale.

For others, this is a scenario out of their nightmares. Fluttershy has practically boarded up her windows, desperately trying to avoid the gawking stares of ponies interested in catching a glimpse of the Element of Kindness. Pinkie Pie is going crazy(-ier) trying to keep track of which ponies need parties thrown for them, or who has gotten an invite and who hasn’t, and is on the verge of just throwing convention out the window and partying continuously for whomever decides to show up, consequences thrown to the proverbial (and sometimes literal) wind.

For Rainbow Dash, every day brings Cloudsdale - not only the site of the Best Young Flier competition but also her and Fluttershy’s parent’s residence - one mile closer. It’s not that she can’t fly up there and see them again, or invite them down to spend the day with her or Doug or Scootaloo. But, what would they think of her? What had she accomplished? They had always praised her ability to fly, even (or possibly especially) when she got the dreaded participation ribbon. They had always pushed her to be a Wonderbolt, even going so far as to not attend any Wonderbolt races since she came of age because ‘if she isn’t a Wonderbolt, then what’s the point?’

However, that’s a problem for another day. Hopefully. At least her parents are giving her the courtesy of staying of out of her mane until she invites them over. Some days she sees them flying around, or at least imagines she does. And maybe they watch her practice, working on getting her max speed close to what it was at her prime. But Rainbow hopes they haven’t, since she wants them to see her at her best!

While Cloudsdale might take up an inordinate amount of her thoughts during the week, today brings a different behemoth into the picture. Rainbow, Doug, and Twilight sit on the south side of Sweet Apple Acres, close to the train tracks that run next to the Everfree Forest. Next to them are dozens of crates of provisions, timber, ropes and other climbing equipment. They watch, Doug through a set of binoculars, as a zeppelin crests over the town of Ponyville, heading towards the large orange tarps they spread out on the ground.

The airship’s giant envelope, the canvas material surrounding the balloon, reflects a combination of white and blue, seemingly at random, evoking images of clouds drifting through the sky. A gold and cobalt compass rose on the nose cone and on each side of the rudder mimics the Lunar peytral. The gondola underneath is more utilitarian, built for cargo, but no less ostentatious, a sharp midnight blue with, if one counted, ten thousand pinpricks of gold. The name, displayed in a bright, almost garish golden scrawl, reads The Lunaris Priestess.

Relaxing at the helm is a white stallion, his long, amber mane spilling out behind him, blowing in the breeze. His carefree smile never fades as he slows the engines, and only when the great beast comes to a relative halt fifty feet above the ground does he leave his post, walking to the edge to peer down.

“Hello, there!” Prince Lunaris Blueblood yells as three stallions scurry around him, preparing the airship for landing. Four mooring lines drop down that Rainbow and Twilight swiftly take, tying down to nearby trees. Lunaris’ horn lights a brilliant gold as he watches the ground slowly get closer, their descent grinding to a near halt as they get within ten feet of their landing.

A green mane with two red streaks pokes up above the railing, quickly joined by two brown hooves. Applebaum peeks up, squealing, “Daddy!” as she spots Doug. He waves back, grinning, as the young mare impatiently paces back and forth, bemoaning the prolonged delay.

Doug stands, staying a healthy distance away as the gondola gently settles against the earth. He walks up to the railing, arms coming up to grab Applebaum as she leaps off the railing. “Welcome home!” he shouts as he wraps her in a firm embrace, a warm smile breaking out across his face. His hands briefly feel the small pack she has around her back, a bright red cord coming off the front.

Applebaum grins back, her forelegs doing their best to wrap as far as they can. “How’s the farm?” she asks, though her smile fades a little. “And, um, how’s dam?” She looks around, her gaze pausing on Rainbow Dash and Twilight. “Ah though she’d be here.”

“Everything's going well, same with Applejack. We didn’t actually know you were coming,” Doug says, raising a fist to bump Lunaris’ hoof as he opens the gate on the wall. The white stallion, a similar pack strapped around his barrel, steps out. “Same with you, Lunaris. Somehow by your letter I didn't think the designer of the parachute himself would be coming along. This all to test them out?”

“Well, much like our trip to Vanhoover, I saw fit to combine business with pleasure.” Lunaris tips his head towards Twilight, “Ah, and the most recent addition to your little herd. Twilight Sparkle. I shall be sure to tell your brother you are doing well. Being a married mare suits you, I dare say; I would hardly have imagined you of all ponies would be outside, even on a beautiful day like today!” Lunaris winks at Twilight, “For how often does a Prince of Equestria grace your path?”

“Well, back when I was studying with Princess Celestia, it seemed like every other day you would be in her office mewling about something or other,” Twilight remarks with a sly smirk.

Lunaris snorts, flicking his head to the side, his mane swishing against his neck. “I do not mewl. And Auntie merely needed more time to consider my proposals. I will not apologize for singlehoofedly getting Equestria’s airship program off the ground. Literally.”

“Right.” Twilight glances back at the Lunaris Priestess. “And how many pony’s tax bits went into this little venture?”

“The Priestess?” Lunaris pronounces it ‘pre-stress’ with more than a little disdain. “What Equestria provides for enterprising businesses is a decision for the Noble Council. And if she is occasionally rented to private individuals then that merely defrays the cost for when she is used for official business.”

Twilight stares at Lunaris for a few seconds. “So, the business side of this is…”

Lunaris motions first to the crates, then to the three stallions as they cinch the moorings. “Deliver for Sweet Apple Acres to Cloudsdale, then ferrying these fine individuals to a location of their choosing, and then using the extensive cargo hold to return objects of interest to Canterlot. Some of which the Princess herself has asked for, personally.”

Twilight sighs. “And the pleasure?”

Lunaris says with a straight face, “I was going to throw Doug off the side once we are off.” He glances over at Rainbow and Doug. “You two ready?”

“What.” Twilight turns to Doug as he stands. He doesn’t seem particularly worried. “Oh. Right. The parachute.” She glances to the pack on Lunaris’ back. “You have one built for him?”

Lunaris rolls his eyes. “What do you take me for, a bumbling buffoon? Of course I do.” His horn lights, a backpack with loops for leg straps levitating over. “Not very stylish, unlike my own dashing setup, but you asked for practicality.”

Doug grabs the plain canvas backpack, slipping his legs through and cinching the straps down. “And, you’re sure it works?”

“Every pegasus we’ve tested it with survived.” Lunaris manages to keep his smirk off his face for a whole two seconds.

“That’s… not very reassuring.” Doug glances at the three earth pony stallions similarly equipped, a short nod to Withers. Each returns a curt nod, nothing more, as they load the crates onto the gondola. “I guess they trust it enough.”

Lunaris nods. “Normally we have a two hour safety class, full of all sorts of useless trivia and explaining exactly how everything works, but it’s simple to use. Pull this cord if you find yourself falling. It will pop off this small parachute, which will rip out the rest in short order. If you do it too low, it doesn’t work. If you do it too high, you get to drift for a while. I’ll let you figure out which of those is preferable.”

Doug smirks. “Got it.” He glances to Rainbow, “You good, too?”

Rainbow rolls her neck around, stretching her lithe frame. “Yup! I’ll be underneath you. If it doesn’t work, just don’t panic and flail around. I really don’t want to get knocked silly by you. Just hold your arms and legs out, try to maximize your surface area, and stay still.” Rainbow smiles, “If we’re dropping from a mile up, it’ll take about twenty seconds to hit the ground. Pull the cord after about five. I’ll have plenty of time to get my legs around you if the ‘chute doesn’t work.”

“That’s all? Twenty seconds?” Doug squints up at Cloudsdale. “They’re about a mile up, right?”

“Yup. Give or take two hundred feet, depending on the winds.” Rainbow looks up and down the parachute backpack, inspecting the straps and making sure everything is secure. “You want to do more than one test? Or you trust me, and Twilight?”

Doug rubs Twilight’s head; she leans into his hand, eyes rolling up as she smiles. “I guess I have to, if I want to see you win this competition.” He shudders briefly as Twilight’s horn lights. “So, that’s the cloud walking spell?”

“Yup! I found another one that gives wings, temporarily, but given the inherent instability even when working with ponies I thought it best to try an easier one.” Twilight chuckles, “You probably don’t want all the specifics-” she cuts herself off as she grins. “Actually, you probably would be interested in them. Basically, the spell relies on a pony’s inherent magical aura, adhering and drawing from that pool. Without it, the spell would likely last until I stopped channeling. And it’s a tough spell, from the looks of it.”

“Can we get on with this?” Rainbow sharply asks, her hoof tapping against her foreleg.

“Oh! Sorry. The cloudwalking spell is much easier! Anyway, stay safe! -ish!” Twilight waves as Doug and Rainbow board the gondola, the stallions following just after with the mooring lines. Lunaris nods to Twilight as he steps onboard, everypony else ready to depart.

Doug looks out as the airship begins a gentle spiral climb, thirty minutes to get to their drop altitude. One hand idly scratches Rainbow, the other Applebaum, as he watches Ponyville get further and further away. The second time he’s been in the air, in Equestria, though the first was at night and under considerably more strained circumstances.

“So,” Doug remarks to Applebaum, “what exactly are you doing on this venture?”

“Mostly inventory.” Applebaum motions to the various crates, “Once we unload these apples and ciders and whatnot, we’ll be heading out over the Everfree. Hiring a couple pegasi from Cloudsdale to run interference on the storms out there. And then they’ll be searching through the ruins of one of the temples hidden down there, and trying to find anything of value.”

“And if they just happen to come across a wall in their way,” Doug says with a smirk.

Applebaum grins, her hooves grinding against the floor. “Then it’ll be my chance to shine.”

The rest of the climb passes uneventfully, merely small talk about how life is in Canterlot, her classes, and what it’s like being with Wither’s herd. How everypony at school treats her nice, almost deferentially, and how nopony makes fun of her accent, which had been one of her big worries. Essen Drai - she and Conta are Withers' fillies around her age, no cutie marks yet - have been a big help, showing her around the school and getting her into a couple of the clubs they are in, even if she isn’t that big a fan of hoofball.

Eventually, they come to the top of their ascent, on the same level as Cloudsdale. Doug peers over the edge, barely able to make out individual buildings. He gives Applebaum a final hug, setting her back down on the railing.

Lunaris walks up behind Doug, not quite sneering at Ponyville. “Well, I hope you had a nice trip.”

“Pleasant enough,” Doug remarks as Rainbow takes off. She quickly returns, pushing a fluffy white cloud. He shudders as he looks down, not quite able to make the step. “Well. Um. I suppose this is goodbye.”

"Come on, Doug!" Rainbow shakes the cloud back and forth. "See? Nice and solid cloud over here!"

Doug shakes as he takes a trembling step forwards, his eyes remaining fixed on the cloud. His foot pushes into the cloud, settling down like a spring with just a little bounce up and down. He stares blankly as his second foot joins the first. "Wow. It worked."

"Of course it worked," Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. "It's Twilight. Anyway, ready for the fun part?"

"No," Doug says, trying to stay as small as he can on the cloud.

Lunaris rolls his eyes, his horn lighting and giving Doug the slightest of pushes. “See you next fall!” Lunaris shouts as Doug tumbles off the edge.

“That’s terrible!” Doug yells, spinning around and spreading his arms and legs as far away from his body as he can. The wind rushes against him, buffeting him this way and that as he plummets down.

Rainbow Dash flits just underneath him, her hind legs spread as she winks at him. “Now, this is living!” she shouts, basking in the air flowing over her wings. “Why haven’t we done this before!?”

“It’s, uh,” Doug grimaces at the ground approaching faster than it has any right to.

“Oh, yeah, you should probably pull that cord now,” Rainbow casually remarks, her body drifting closer to Doug. “Just saying.”

Doug wastes no time in grabbing the bright red cord, wrenching it away from him. A small golden parachute billows out of the backpack, rapidly expanding. Doug grunts as a large cobalt parachute follows, ripping him away from Rainbow and settling into a much more leisurely descent towards Twilight.

Rainbow Dash zips back up, careful to not get entangled in the lines as she nuzzles Doug. Soon he is trying, and failing, to keep her from planting kiss after kiss on him, all the way until they crumple to the ground and the parachute hides whatever happens afterwards.

104 The Stormcaller, Part Two

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October 14th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“Okay, Rarity,” Doug implores, standing next to Cherry Berry’s hot air balloon. He adjusts the parachute backpack on top of his light jacket and pants, still having trouble with the unfamiliar fabric. Nopony else has a parachute - something about trusting Twilight and the Pegasi on watch for falling objects and ponies. The rest of the herd is standing around as well, half still waiting to board. With Rainbow Dash flying two fillies, and Fluttershy one, they are barely within the accepted margins for the balloon, and a tight fit. “Enough with the suspense! Let’s see them!”

“Oh, Doug,” Rarity coyly flutters her eyelashes, “You’re so easy to tease. You know that, right?” She shakes her flanks, her entire body covered in a specially designed smock from flank to front. “Besides, anticipation makes the final reveal all the sweeter, don’t you think?”

“No,” Doug flatly states. His eyes trace up and down the smock, trying to intuit from the folds and creases what lies underneath. “This isn’t like what happened with Trixie, is it?”

“I thought we agreed never to speak of that,” Trixie hisses in a low voice, glaring at Doug from the balloon.

“Right, right.” Doug peers at Rarity again. “So, no extra appendages or anything?”

“Weeelll,” Twilight drawls out. “Sort of?”

“Okay, Rarity,” Doug circles his hand around the air a few times. “Out with it. I gotta see.”

“Oh, fine. Ruin the surprise and everything I worked so hard for.” Rarity sniffs, her pout barely passing muster.

“You worked so hard for?” Twilight deadpans.

Rarity flicks her mane to the side, a petite ‘harumph’ escaping her lips. Her horn lights, the carefully sewn fabric ripping away to reveal pair of beautiful butterfly wings. The delicate purple is surrounded by pink, blue, and yellow accents, a dazzling effect when the sun’s rays trickle through.

“Huh.” Doug stares at Rarity for a few seconds before he turns to Twilight. “Does this mean that Rarity is a princess now?”

“No,” Twilight bluntly replies.

Doug runs his hand along Rarity’s back, careful to avoid the gossamer wings. “But she has a horn and wings.”

Twilight shakes her head. “Technically, that would make her a pegacorn. If she had pegasus magic on her own. She’d need earth pony magic as well to be an alicorn and a Princess. And you’re being deliberately obtuse.”

Doug rolls his eyes. “Fine.” He pouts, folding his arms across his chest. “I can’t believe you didn’t let me watch you cast this spell. It sounds pretty busted.”

“That’s because it is an extraordinarily complex work of magic and we were worried about you reacting poorly to it.” Twilight shrugs as she hops into the balloon. “Besides, it took a lot out of me, and that’s saying something. Not many unicorns would be able to pull off such a feat. And, they’re incredibly delicate.” Twilight turns to Rarity. “No hard maneuvers. You’ll be good for the climb, if you want to stretch your wings a little.”

“Mm, that does sound like an absolutely wonderful initial display of my beauty and poise.” Rarity gives her wings a flutter. She hoofs her smock to Doug before taking to the air, a long, upwards glance to Cloudsdale. “I do hope this spell holds up like you said it would, Twilight.”

“I’m certain it will.” Twilight nods as Spike double checks her checklist. “I cast it yesterday, and it should hold for three days.” At Doug’s cough she appends, “Yes, seventy two hours. Forty eight hours remaining.” She continues down the list, “And I cast the cloud walking spell on each of us. I thought it would be harder.” Twilight pauses for a second, a brief shudder rippling through her that gets everypony to glance at her. “Sorry. And that one should last for twenty four hours, but so many casts, even with Trixie helping, has been pretty draining on me.” Trixie nods, a small smile as she levitates Sweetie Belle into the balloon next to her. “Regardless, we’re all set for a full day of touring Cloudsdale and watching Rainbow blow the shoes off of everypony at the Best Young Flyer competition!”

Rainbow nervously grins, waving a hoof. “Oh. Yeah! It’ll be great!” She bends down, letting Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hop into her custom saddlebags. “Sure you don’t want to join us, Sweetie Belle? Plenty of room!”

“No, thanks. I’m okay.” Sweetie Belle shudders next to Trixie. “I got enough flying when I helped Scootaloo try to make it to Cloudsdale.”

“Hey, I nearly made it! Just another four thousand, five hundred and seventy three more feet and I would have!” Scootaloo huffs, poking her head above Rainbow Dash. “We just needed a bigger slingshot!”

“Or a rocket.” Doug looks at Twilight and Rainbow as they glare at him. Scootaloo, however, merely looks intrigued. Worriedly so. “What?”

“One, rockets explode,” Twilight snarks. “Two, there are much safer ways to get to Cloudsdale.” She consults her checklists, a happy smile at the long lines of checked off items, and undoes the moorings with her horn. Applejack grunts as she drops off a few of the sandbags, everypony smiling as the balloon starts rising into the air.

“Like a pegasus chariot,” Apple Bloom says with a smile and tap against Rainbow Dash as they take to the air. Fluttershy follows after her, Hedge peeking up from her own set of saddlebags.

“Or a hot air balloon,” Sweetie Belle adds, tapping the hot air balloon.

“And three, should you really be giving them ideas?” Twilight sighs, “It’s bad enough keeping a lid on just what they think up.”

Doug groans dejectedly. “Okay, girls, you heard Twilight. No riding things that belch flames and occasionally explode.”

“That actually sounds a lot like Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo interjects.

“Hmm.” Doug rubs his chin. “That propel gas away from them in order to go really fast?”

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes as Apple Bloom shakes her head. “Still Rainbow Dash.”

Doug’s eye squints as he stares off into the distance. “They make colorful patterns in the sky?”

“That’s really more like a firework thing,” Twilight remarks.

Doug shrugs, “Still a kind of rocket. Just smaller and prettier.”

Sweetie Belle snorts. “And it sounds even more like Rainbow Dash.”

Doug throws his hands up, “Okay, fine. Scootaloo, you can ride anything that resembles Rainbow Dash.”

“Sweet,” Scootaloo says with a nuzzle to her dam. “I’d much rather ride you than a rocket any day.”

“You and Doug both,” Rainbow smirks, sticking her tongue out at Applejack, the earth pony rolling her eyes. “And I’m not pretty. That sounds like frou-frou Rarity nonsense.”

“Hey!” Rarity shouts, crossing her forelegs in front of her body.

“Would you prefer ‘cute’?” Doug asks with a wink. Rainbow menacingly points a hoof at him, and then her own eye.

Rarity’s frown quickly turns to a smile, “Hey, Twilight! This is very nice, being able to cross my forelegs in front of me without having to counterbalance on my hind legs. Can you do this more often?”

“No,” Twilight grunts out, “And I’m resting.”

Several minutes pass as the ponies in the balloon, many of whom had never seen an aerial view of Ponyville except from Canterlot, ooh and aah at the sights. Rainbow flies away from the balloon, giving Scootaloo and Apple Bloom a closer tour as the winds begin picking up.

Doug quietly remarks to Fluttershy as she stays close to the balloon, “So, you think Rainbow can do it? The Sonic Rainboom?”

Fluttershy goes quiet, her wings still beating. “Well, um, she’s tried really hard. And the rest of her routine is great! I’m sure she’ll get it!”

“Let’s hope so,” Doug says, though his voice isn’t as confident. “Ugh,” he moans, rubbing his head, a bit of a shiver as he huddles against his jacket. He looks over at Twilight, trying to distract himself from the sharp burst of pain. “So, what kind of things will we be doing?”

“Touring the weather factory is on the top of my list. They’re still a month away from bringing Winter, so we probably won’t be able to see them making snowflakes. But we might!” Twilight nuzzles Spike as he pulls out yet another list. “Let’s see. Seeing Rainbow’s parents and Fluttershy’s parents, since they both live in Cloudsdale.” She glances out at Rainbow, “The Wonderbolt Academy might be close enough, but I somewhat doubt we’ll be able to make it. Oh.”

Twilight looks up at Cloudsdale, a heavy sigh as the cloud city gets closer and closer. “Each different section of Cloudsdale is on a different, well, cloud. So if we want to split up, we either need to get a ride from somepony, or take the balloon.” She looks down at Lemon and Sweetie Belle, “I’m trusting you two to keep an eye on Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, okay?” The two fillies nod. Twilight turns to Meringue and Pomarbo. “Do I need to go over our safety rules again?”

“No, Twilight,” the four chorus.

The rest of the hour long flight passes quietly. Fluttershy and Rarity trade off on resting their wings, especially as they get higher, the winds picking up and getting chillier. Most of the ponies are content to watch the ground get farther and farther away. Applejack in particular finds herself sitting in the middle and either staring at her hooves, focusing on keeping her breath nice and steady.

“So,” Doug says to Applejack as the balloon rises next to the main Cloudsdale landing zone. “Think that Big Mac or Granny Smith would have wanted to come along?”

Applejack snorts, a bit of her glower fading. “There aren’t enough apples in Equestria to get Big Mac to do something as crazy as this.” She shudders as she looks at the cloud just out of reach, a few pegasi flying around to help secure the balloon. "Apparently something's wrong with me."

"Yeah, we knew that years ago," Doug says, lightly punching her in the withers, Applejack grinning back.

“Alright, you two, out you go!” Rainbow lands on the cloud, shaking her saddlebags. Scootaloo briefly steels herself before she hops out, the cloud sinking under her hooves before springing back up.

“Come, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo shouts, eagerly watching as her sister follows. Applejack trembles, her teeth chattering against her hooves as Apple Bloom lands on the cloud. The filly bounces back up, just like Scootaloo, Applejack letting loose a huge sigh of relief.

“Well, if’n they can do it,” Applejack says reluctantly, clambering to the edge of the balloon. Her breath catches in her throat as she jumps off, a smile breaking out as she lands. “Hey, just like on the ground!”

“Told ya!” Rainbow grins as the rest of the ponies hop out of the balloon, one by one. “Nothing to it! Pretty awesome, am I right?”

“Got that right,” Doug says, reaching a hand to bump Rainbow’s hoof. He hops out of the balloon, “So-”

Doug disappears from sight, leaving a small, circular hole through the white, fluffy cloud.

“DOUG!!” Rainbow shouts at the top of her lungs, zipping around the side of the cloud rather than follow through the tight tunnel the human left. “PONY OVERBOARD!!”

Doug sighs to himself as he slips through the cloud, barely able to see in front of him. He bursts through the bottom barely a second later, wisps of white trailing behind him as he reorients himself, cold wind rushing against his face. His arms stretch out, hands cupped, debating how long to wait until he reaches for his ripcord.

He doesn't have to wait even one second before two blue forelegs wrap around his chest, hind legs hooking next to his crotch. The wind dies down as Rainbow grunts, wings straining against the heavy load. Doug glances up as Rainbow levels off, Cloudsdale a thousand feet above them. “Thanks,” he says, reaching behind him to scratch Rainbow’s side.

“Heh, no problem, big guy,” Rainbow says with a cheeky grin. “Didn’t want to have to fly you all the way back up, you know?” She nods at the other two pegasi flying next to her. “Alright, Doug, you’re pretty heavy, so just grab onto these ropes and hold on tight, okay?”

“Sure,” Doug says, looping the offered ropes around his shoulders. The three pegasi are then able to haul him back up, depositing him back into the balloon. Rainbow salutes the two pegasi; both take a long look at the dragon, human, and fourteen ponies - only four of which are pegasi - before shaking their heads and muttering something about unicorns.

Twilight stops her frantic pacing back and forth as Doug crests the cloud, only barely stopping herself from leaping off the cloud to hug him. “I’m so sorry,” she gushes out, reaching into the balloon to wrap Doug in a tight embrace, as if afraid to ever lose him again. “I’m so sorry! I don’t know what happened! The spell should have lasted twenty four hours!”

“Twilight,” Doug says, reassuringly rubbing her head.

“There’s no way it should have ended so soon! And it worked before! And earlier today when we tested against the cloud!” Twilight shudders, “You did fine then!”

“Twilight,” Doug calmly says, his ear scratching more forceful.

“The spell should have latched itself to your magic core, setting up a sympathetic resonance that feeds the spell, letting it last so long without being a drain on me!” Twilight stops as the words leave her mouth, sheepishly looking up at Doug. “Um.” She offers a small smile.

“Well, I guess we figured out the problem.” Doug glances to the fillies. “Do you think they’ll have the same problem?”

Twilight’s eyes glow white as she looks over each pony, shaking her head. “No, their spell is holding fine, normal rate of decay.” She turns back to Doug, a raspberry glow surrounding her horn as she recasts her cloudwalking spell. She stares at Doug for several long seconds, muttering as she calculates.

“So?” Doug asks, the rest of the ponies exchanging nervous looks. “If it’s not safe, I can just stay in the balloon. Hey, maybe I can even fly us from cloud to cloud when we need to move.”

“We can have that as our backup plan,” Twilight says. “So, because you don’t have a magic core, the spell burns itself out fairly quickly. I estimate it will last an hour, but I trust that about as far as I can throw it.”

Doug glances off the edge of the cloud, “Well, I bet you can throw something pretty far from up here.”

Twilight slugs Doug in the shoulder, “I’m serious. The decay is accelerating, and I can’t exactly pinpoint how long it will last. And I don’t want to be recasting this spell every ten minutes.” She looks up to Rarity, a thin smile creeping over her face. “No, I’ve got something better in mind. Rarity, can you come here?”

“Sure,” Rarity says, touching down on the cloud to walk over to the balloon. “What do you need?”

“Just get next to Doug.” Twilight’s horn glows bright as she explains, wisps of ethereal energy flowing between Doug and Rarity. “So, the reason the spell I cast on Rarity is so difficult is because it temporarily mimics a pegasus’ magic core, and all that entails. It actually should be harder for me to cast, as it isn’t my specialty and I only read it in a book, I didn't observe another pony casting, but I’m chalking it down to being the Element of Magic, and being able to quickly grasp any spell.”

Rarity rolls her eyes, “Okay, Great and Powerful Twilight.”

“I’m right here,” Trixie grunts out, glaring at Rarity.

Twilight continues regardless, “This gives her moderate control when she flies, as well as the ability to walk on clouds. However, by linking the flight spell that I cast on Rarity with the cloudwalking spell I'm casting on you, Doug, we should be able to let the cloudwalking spell draw its power from that instead of, well, nothing.”

“Why not link to one of you?” Doug asks.

Twilight shudders, “I don’t think linking a pony’s core to you is a good idea, Doug. Not after what happened with Rainbow. This way, there is only a set amount of magic that your potentially bottomless well can draw in. If that was attached to a pony?” Her voice drops to a bare whisper, “That could kill them.”

“Oh.” Doug looks to Rarity. “Never mind.”

“It’s okay!” Twilight says with a grin, shaking off the gloom. “The extra draw on Rarity’s flight spell means that it will only last another forty hours, give or take, instead of forty eight. Doug, your spell will only last eight hours, but that should be plenty long enough.” She looks around, ending on Rainbow. “Ready to test again?”

“Sure,” Doug says hesitantly. He holds onto the balloon as he tentatively steps onto the cloud, smiling at the springiness. “Whew! We ready to go?”

“Let’s do this,” Rainbow says, pointing ahead. “To the weather factory!”

105 The Stormcaller, Part Three

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“And, over there, you can see the Cloudiseum!” Rainbow motions upwards as the herd walks through Cloudsdale on their way to the lower strata of the weather factory. “It’s where the Best Young Flyer competition will take place. But, more importantly, it’s where the Wonderbolts have all their races!” Rainbow holds a hoof to her chest, pompously stating, “I practically lived there. I was in all sorts of racing programs growing up, and training all the time! Like-”

Another loud whistle breaks Rainbow’s stride, the pegasus huffing at the ponies stopping to admire Rarity’s wings. The unicorn can’t seem to get enough attention as she happily flits about, preening herself to the oohs and aahs, plus the occasional catcall.

“Come on,” Rainbow moans to herself, huffing at the continued delays. “We’re going to have to rush this tour if we don’t hurry up!”

Scootaloo, just as perturbed with the constant delays as Rainbow but with considerably less self control, leaps off of Doug’s head to fly over. “Hey, dam,” she whispers, Rainbow following her back down to the cloud. “I don’t suppose you mind if I run off to see your parents?” She holds up her notebook before replacing it in her saddlebag, “I’ve got this report to do, and I want to see everything about you here in Cloudsdale!”

Rainbow looks around at the rest of the herd, Rarity still drawing a crowd. “Yeah, I guess. Probably don’t want to overwhelm them with everypony. They'll get to see all of us at the competition! You remember the address?”

“Yup! And I’ll get a ride with them to watch you. It’ll be the best!”

“Alright, squirt,” Rainbow says with a smile, patting Scootaloo on the head. “Catch ya later.” She watches her filly scurry off with a smile and shake of her head.

Her smile immediately disappears as a trio of obnoxious laughs erupts from behind her. “Well, well, well! If it isn’t our old friend Rainbow Crash.”

Rainbow spins around, glaring at three heavyset pegasus stallions, each wearing a white uniform and hardhat and flying towards the weather factory. She grunts out, “What do you want?”

The stallion with a trio of basketballs snorts. “The same thing everypony expects from you, Crash. Nothing.” He bumps hooves with a dark brown stallion, cutie mark of a dumb-bell.

Dumb-Bell laughs, “Yeah. Why’d you even come back here? I thought Flight School had too few nap times for you."

“Or too many rules.” Hoofball blows his mane out of his eyes to stare at Rainbow Dash. “Fail any tests lately?”

“Hey!” Rainbow shouts, two violent flaps of her wings bringing her eye to eye with the stallions. “I don’t know where you heard that, but it isn’t true!”

“Whatever.” Hoofball shrugs as he turns, flying off. “Catch you later! Or, maybe not, Crash.” The other two stallions laugh along as they leave, leaving Rainbow Dash fuming.

“What a bunch of jerks,” Doug remarks as he rubs Rainbow’s head, only a tiny bit of her rage subsiding. “I wouldn’t waste any thought on them.”

“Easy for you to say,” Rainbow spits out, turning to glare at Rarity. “Hey!” she shouts, flicking her head towards the weather factory and taking off at a slow pace. “Let’s get a move on!”

“Yes, Rarity, we wouldn’t want to wear out your wings this early, now, would we?” Twilight asks as she follows Rainbow.

“Oh, please, after that climb? I hardly think they would get worn out from too much attention.” Rarity coyly winks at a few of the pegasi, a heavy, disappointed sigh at leaving her admirers.

The herd makes their way to the weather factory, a bit more haste as they try to follow Rainbow’s fast pace. The many-columned building juts out of the bottom of Cloudsdale, a horde of black clouds regularly pumped out of the cloudstacks. Pegasi flit around, corralling the condensed storm into a massive ball. A team stretches some sort of material across the back, four pegasi straining to push the immature storm towards Vanhoover. Four other pegasi fly above, below, left, and right, keeping any straggling clouds from breaking away and mashing them back into the storm when they do.

Standing at the door is a green coated pegasus stallion with a mop of pink hair. He turns as the herd approaches, his eyes lighting up as he spots Fluttershy. “You made it!” he meekly calls out with a short wave.

“Daddy!” Fluttershy quietly shouts, wrapping her sire in a hug. “I’m so happy to see you! How’s dam?”

“She’s doing very well. Still hard at work trying to keep a garden growing, but her hoof isn’t nearly as green as me!” Mr. Shy looks over at Applejack, a smile slowly growing. “I don’t suppose you’d like to check it out? Maybe give her a few pointers?”

“Oh, Ah can do a lot more’n just that!” Applejack says with a jovial smile. “Think we’ll have time after the tour?”

“It’s just a short flight away, I’m sure we’ll have time.” Mr. Shy grins as Hedge’s short legs reach up to him. “Oh, and this must be little Hedge! How are you doing?”

Hedge’s wings beat against the air, briefly taking her up to trade nuzzles before she drops back down. “I’m good! How are you, Grandpa?”

“Hard at work, as you can see,” Mr. Shy returns, motioning to the pegasi getting ready to take the next shipment of storms. “Making sure everypony stays on track. You all ready for the tour?”

“We sure are!” Rainbow exclaims, opening the door and ushering everypony inside. “You going to be leading us?”

“Sorry, kids, but I’ve got to stay here and keep an eye on those twisters.” Mr. Shy winks at Rainbow, “Just grab a white coat and hardhat. You won’t blend in at all, but it’ll help.” He waves before returning to work, checking his clipboard against the outgoing flights.

“Gee, those wings are gorgeous!” remarks one of the weather factory workers as the herd walks inside.

“Thanks!” Rainbow Dash says, preening as her wings spread wide.

The mare rolls her eyes. “No, not you. Her!” She points to Rarity, the unicorn flitting through the air, many of the other ponies in the room transfixed by her beauty. “Have you ever seen anything like them?”

“I know I sure haven’t!” says another worker. “Never in all my years!”

“Oh, thank you,” Rarity says, a hoof coming up to secure the hardhat on her, somehow managing to not ruin her manestyle. “I would say so myself, but I have you all to do that for me!”

“Hey!” one of the weather ponies remarks to Rarity, “You thought about showing those wings off in the Best Young Flyer competition? I’m sure they’d be a huge hit!”

“Really? These old things?” Rarity smirks as she swishes a hoof by her wings, coyly saying, “I don’t know.”

“I’d come see you!”

“Me, too!”

“Oh, I suppose I can be talked into it,” Rarity admits. “Perhaps I should compete!”

Rainbow sighs to herself as the furor over Rarity dies down, leading everypony to the room where they make storm clouds. She mutters, “Yeah, against me and my stupid feathered wings. We’ll never be able to pull anything off at the competition!”

Doug whispers to Fluttershy, “What’s Rainbow talking about?”

Fluttershy whispers back, “Oh, she’s just worried about not being able to perform the Sonic Rainboom.” Her voice raises a little, “She tried a hundred thousand times. But I’m sure that once she’s in front of a horde of screaming, impatient, supercritical sports fans she’ll be able to pull it off!”

Rainbow drops down, hooves trying to hide her teeth chattering.

“Speaking of sportsponies,” Doug remarks, his breath slowly forced out as he looks up at the three returning stallions. Rainbow looks up, joining Doug in glaring at them.

“Hey, ask her about the Sonic Rainboom,” Hoops jokingly says, elbowing Hoofball in the side.

“That’s just an old mare’s tale,” Hoofball replies. “Besides, you’d think somepony able to pull off something like that would have gone to do something with her life.”

Rainbow’s teeth audibly grind against each other.

Dumb-bell shrugs, “Yeah. They must’a bailed out after winning all those races for another reason.” He laughs, a short derisive burst. “Catch ya later, Crash.”

Rainbow Dash whirls on Doug as the three stallions leave the room, “I can’t believe it, Doug.”

“Yeah,” Doug replies, “the nerve of some ponies."

Rainbow huffs. “No. I can’t believe you don’t stand up for me! You just let those guys say whatever they want, and I just have to take it ‘cause they’re stallions!”

Doug blinks his eyes a few times. “What?” He looks down at Rainbow, more than a little confused. “You never needed me to defend you before.”

“Yeah, well, this is different.” Rainbow snorts. “You know what? Never mind. I thought you had my back.”

“Rainbow,” Doug groans, catching the pegasus before she can fly off. He squats down, pulling her close. “You doing okay?”

Rainbow looks at Doug, tears in her eyes. She whispers, “Doug, what if they’re right? What if I’m nopony, that I wasted my potential when I followed Fluttershy to Ponyville? What if,” she gulps as Doug narrows his eyes, “I go out there, in front of the ponies and the Wonderbolts and Princess Celestia and I fail?” She grimaces, “The Wonderbolts would never take in a loser like me.”

Doug slaps Rainbow on the flank, the mare yelping in surprise as the blow rings through the room. “That’s not true at all,” Doug admonishes, the rest of the room silent. "And I better not hear anything else like that out of you." He hugs Rainbow close, "I believe in you, Rainbow. You can do this."

Rainbow looks up, wiping the tear from her eye. “Thanks,” she whispers, a short nuzzle as Doug lets her go. She looks over to the rest of the herd, leading them to the next room. “So, clouds, huh? Really interesting stuff!”

Doug spots an odd collection of images in one of the break rooms as they walk to the next section. Curious, he peeks in, seeing a large poster board covered in pictures of ponies. Closer inspection reveals a large black silhouette of a pegasus captioned with “Cold Digger” on top. Nearly all of the pictures are pegasi from Ponyville, many of which have a thick red ‘X’ crossing them out. Rainbow Dash has two pictures, one crossed out and the other with two large ‘?’ next to it. Fluttershy, along with Princess Celestia, also have one question mark.

The rest of the tour passes fairly uneventfully. Winter production hasn’t started just yet, the great snowguns dormant, but there is talk of waterspout collecting from Ponyville when Cloudsdale passes over one of the (deliberately lifeless) lakes, Fluttershy taking a few notes to make sure that no critters are caught by surprise.

As everypony leaves the weather factory, a higher pitched but still masculine voice rings out. “Hey, I thought I recognized you! Why, if it isn’t Rainbow Crash!”

Rainbow grits her teeth; she can feel Doug tensing next to her. She turns, though her quick retort catches in her throat. The owner of the voice is a stallion, dark blue mane, white with a tinge of blue coat, and a cutie mark of a golden lightning bolt piercing through a dark cloud. She would have recognized him anywhere, even without the posters of him on her walls. Soarin!

His jovial tone continues, “What brings-”

“Hey Asshole,” Doug shouts, pointing a finger at the pegasus, “why don’t you shut your mouth before I come over there and shut it for you?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes go wide, her hooves coming to cover her mouth as a collective gasp comes from the herd. She instantly rounds on Doug, zipping over to block him from Soarin’s sight. “Doug!” Rainbow Dash fumes, her eyes locked on his, “NO! Bad Doug! Don’t you know who that is?”

“Should I care?” Doug asks forcefully, folding his arms across his chest.

“Yes! It’s Soarin!” Rainbow pauses, gritting her teeth at Doug’s lack of acknowledgement of the Wonderbolt. “You know?”

Soarin flies closer, staring at Doug. “Dude, what’s your problem? I come over to greet my old friend, and you insult me?” He turns to Rainbow before Doug can reply, “And I don’t need a drop out to fight my battles for me, either.” He gets slightly closer, “You could have been something, Rainbow Dash. But if this is the kind of choice you’ve made with your life? Maybe it’s for the best that you left.”

Soarin sarcastically salutes as he takes off, leaving Rainbow fuming in Doug’s arms.

106 The Stormcaller, Part Four

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“Doug!” Rainbow Dash nearly shouts as she flips from Doug’s arms, Soarin flying away behind her. “I can’t believe you did that!”

“What? Stood up for you?” Doug snorts. “Sorry I did exactly like you asked.”

Rainbow grits her teeth, a sharp exhale. “Seriously? That’s your defense?” Her eyes narrow as Doug’s mouth opens, “Actually, forget it. I need to focus on the race. No thanks to you, since at least one of the judges will hate me.” Rainbow flies off, in the same direction as Soarin but making no effort to catch up.

Rarity coughs, her mane a little out of place from the helmet. “Well, um, I suppose I should be off as well. I’ll need time to prepare my ensemble, as it were.” She waves as she takes flight, “I’ll see you all there!”

“Best of luck!”

Doug turns to Fluttershy, sighing loudly as a bit of his anger fades. “So, do you think I handled that right?”

Fluttershy stammers, “Well, um.” She holds her hooves about half an inch apart. “Maybe you could have been just a teensy,” her hooves now an inch apart, “eensy bit nicer.”

Trixie mimics Fluttershy, holding her hooves an inch, then two, four, eight, until her forelegs are stretched as far as she possibly can, wiggling back and forth.

“I’ll say!” Pinkie Pie shouts, finally able to bounce up and down to her heart’s content. Silly rules in the weather factory! “I didn’t even think the nickname was all that bad, either! I mean, she did crash into a bunch of stuff back when she was a filly. Actually, she crashes into a lot of stuff now, come to think of it.” Pinkie Pie looks over at Applejack. “How’re the windows on the farm?” She looks at Twilight. “And the library?”

“Easily replaced,” both mares reply in unison.

“Then why did Rainbow react so poorly?” Doug scratches his head.

“Stage fright?” supplies Sweetie Belle.

“Performance anxiety?” proposes Apple Bloom.

A silence stretches for a few seconds.

“Trixie has seen this before. She is merely worried about how she will perform in front of all of us, old bullies, her idols the Wonderbolts, a giant crowd, Princess Celestia.” Trixie shrugs. “You name it, it’s probably out there, waiting for her to mess up. If Trixie is wrong, and she is never wrong, then Rainbow is headed directly into a fiery swamp of her worst fears.”

“Well, I guess we better head there to support her,” Doug says reluctantly. He looks at the tickets Rainbow gave them earlier. “Let’s see, section five, clouds fourteen A and B.” Doug looks up at the Cloudiseum looming in front of them. “So, where are our seats?”

“There,” Twilight says, pointing almost directly up. The seats spread out as they get higher up, making them crane their necks to see all of them. “Halfway around the stadium, the highest seats.”

“Huh.” The columns that form the boundary seem mostly decorative, the seating comprised of unconnected clouds stacked on top of each other. Doug looks over at Fluttershy, “So, how do we get up there?”

“Oh, um,” Fluttershy sighs as she stares at the floor. “I guess I can go all the way up there, all by myself, and push that heavy cloud all the way down here, and then push half of you all the way back up, again, all by myself, and then push the other cloud all the way down here, and then push the other half of you all the way up there. By myself.”

Everypony stands around exchanging slightly worried glances.

Trixie breaks the silence, “Well, hop to it, then.”

Fluttershy groans, stretching her wings, soon painful to watch as she performs a solitary wing up before laying on the ground, moaning. She motions up, many other pegasi also flying around and taking their seats. “We, and by we I mostly mean somepony else, could ask for help.”

Twilight rolls her eyes, “Or, I can go get the balloon. We’ll probably need it soon anyway, to get to some of the other areas in Cloudsdale once the competition is done.” Not hearing any disagreement, she and Doug leave to get the balloon.

“Yes!” Fluttershy exclaims, hopping up. “That sounds like exactly what we should do.” She glances to the fillies, “Who wants a ride up?”

“I do! I do!” they all yell, bouncing up and down and raising their hooves in the air as Pinkie Pie pushes in front of them, holding her hooves above the rest.

Eventually the balloon arrives, ferrying the two remaining fillies and all of the mares, much to Pinkie's disappointment, to the top row of seats. Twilight does have to park the balloon on the outside wall and then teleport back up to the cloud in order to keep it out of sight, everypony settling in. Pinkie Pie pulls out a giant hand with just the index finger extended, slipping her hoof inside and excitedly waving it around.

The competition begins with Princess Celestia gliding down, flanked by two guards, waving and smiling as her rainbow mane spills behind her. Seconds later everypony watches in awe as six Wonderbolts zoom by, trailing black smoke in perfectly parallel lines that arc through the sky, heading directly towards the judge’s cloud. Three split off to seats above as the three Wonderbolt celebrity judges - Spitfire, Soarin, and Misty Fly - settle in to boisterous cheers.

An amplified announcer introduces the Princess and judges before the first competitor enters the stadium. Her graceful performance spotlights slow flight, precise control, and an intricate dance to scattered applause, the clouds doing a good job of deadening the stomp of hooves. Pinkie Pie swaps her foam hand for a second, this one with two fingers extended.

Doug trades a nervous glance with Fluttershy as one competitor after another showcases their talents, the rainbow maned pegasus in question taking a long time to appear. Pinkie Pie now has one hoof stuck in a hand with the index finger pointing up, the other hoof in a hand with four fingers extended, cheering just as loudly as when they started. Doug tentatively says, barely heard above the din of the crowd, “So, do you think we still need to worry about Rainbow being nervous?”

“No,” Fluttershy says, shaking her head after the thirteenth performance, finally spotting Rainbow. She points a hoof at the still fuming pegasus, “I think she’s too busy being angry with you.”

The cerulean pegasus stops in the entryway, hotly staring at the crowded, cheering audience. Her harsh glare slowly traces over each cloud, finally resting on the two clouds containing Herd Apple. Behind her, Rarity takes wing alongside a lilting, melodic dance, which only serves to fuel Rainbow’s rage.

Whispers ring out through the audience. “What’s going on?” “Is this a duo?” ”Two separate competitors at the same time?” “Look! A unicorn!” “Wow, those wings!”

The pegasus takes a step back, a deep gulp of breath before she takes off like a bullet. She weaves back and forth among a long line of cloud pylons on the lowest part of the Cloudiseum, the ground faintly visible far, far below. She gradually gets faster and faster until she is nothing but a rainbow blur zipping around, the fastest performance yet, and she’s still picking up speed.

Rarity takes to the sky, her hooves artfully gliding from one position to another in a complicated dance. Her wings barely seem to flutter at times, often losing ten or thirty feet at a time as she lets herself fall, often to the swoons of the audience, only to lift herself back up to the next hold with a flurry of activity.

All of a sudden Rainbow slams into one of the pylons, veering off course and directly at section five. A gasp comes from the crowd as her sprint turns into a rapid climb, her wake nearly blowing several ponies off the clouds. Doug can swear Rainbow is glaring directly at him, his hands coming to secure the fillies as a gust of wind slams into him, forcing him into the cloud.

Rarity continues her gradual climb, every second or third delicate maneuver taking her higher and higher into the sky. Her wings pause for longer and longer, her dives and resulting climbs even more spectacular as she poses for full seconds at a time, then elegant hairpin turns that leave her soaring through the air. Her butterfly wings send brilliant shards of light in every direction, a dazzling display of emerald greens, sapphire blues, and ruby reds.

Rainbow rises high above the Cloudiseum as Fluttershy remarks to Doug, “Now she’s entering phase two!” Rainbow zooms around several clouds, alternating which direction she is turning and making twisters blowing air away from the spectators. After three pairs of twisters she pauses on the far side, a deep breath into the heavy wind as she readies herself.

Rarity pauses on the apex of her highest leap yet, her eyes closed as she kicks out a leg, the music coming to a wailing crescendo that abruptly cuts off. Rarity hangs in midair, her wings spreading a final wave of scintillating color before they disappear, the unicorn neatly pirouetting as she plummets down.

“Wooow,” everypony gasps as music resumes, a fast, chaotic melody that rings through the stadium. Half of the eyes in the stadium are transfixed on the mesmerizing poise of the unicorn, the other half holding their breath and breathlessly waiting for the climax of the duo’s performance.

“That was so cool!” Fluttershy exclaims, grinning from ear to ear. “Ready for phase three?” she glances over, a small hole in the cloud. Her eyes spread wide, her pupils narrowing to pinpricks. “Doug?”

Rainbow bursts forward, accelerating as fast as she can, the Cloudiseum obscured by the rotating twisters. Her teeth slam shut, her lips whipping back and forth from the extreme speed. Her wings burn as a bubble of white forms in front of her outstretched hooves, warding away the worst of the wind, her aerodynamic dart piercing through her wall of air. The trick bumps her relative airspeed up but not enough to break the sound barrier, the strained effort starting to get to her.

It isn’t until Rarity disappears out the bottom of the Cloudiseum that anypony realizes that her panicked flailing isn’t a part of the act, her screams drowned by the swinging beat.

Rainbow’s concentration is nearly broken as she instantly takes in the scene below.

Half of the audience are eagerly cheering her on, raising their hooves into the air. The other half has hooves covering their mouths, looking down. In the center of the Cloudiseum plummets her herdmate. The pegasi supposed to be watching for overboard ponies are, to a feather, watching her dive. The judge’s seats are vacant, six blue forms leaping forward.

In the second it takes her to go from high above the stadium to level with the top of the Cloudiseum she has come to several startling realizations, though she would never recall having made them.

The audience is uniformly useless, rigid in their seats as they watch the scene unfold. Except for the clouds Herd Apple are using, one of which has a hole quickly sealing itself suit. Doug is not among the audience, instead free falling nearly a thousand feet below the Cloudiseum. His backpack looks intact, his arms and legs outstretched to slow himself as much as possible, his head twisted around and staring directly at Rarity as he guides himself towards her.

Rarity is only a few yards laterally but dozens above Doug, the distance quickly closing. Her wings are completely gone, ash in the wind that Rainbow already blazed past. The unicorn is flailing around randomly, focusing her attention upwards on her descending pursuers, her horn shining blue as she desperately grasps at anything within range.

Three of the six Wonderbolts, the fastest sprinters in Equestria, are closing with the unicorn, no smoke contrails on their rapid descent. Their muzzles are grimly set, hooves outstretched as they race to get to the unicorn before the far-too-quickly approaching ground puts an abrupt end to their fall. And the three lightweights would need everypony working simultaneously to pull Rarity out of her dive.

The other three Wonderbolts are straining as hard as they can, but not fast enough. They, along with the two responding overboard pegasi, have just about given up, though they are still pouring on speed in case the rescuers need help climbing, or if somepony is injured by the fall, or by some miracle they manage to catch up in time.

Rainbow blows through the Cloudiseum, the ponies fixated on her suddenly realizing what is going on below. Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle’s eyes glow white, watching as the Wonderbolts surround Rarity, moving into position to rescue the panicking unicorn.

All of a sudden Spitfire, the closest pegasi, is surrounded by a blue aura and wrenched towards Rarity. The startled pegasus barely has time to lift her hooves before Rarity’s flailing foreleg slams into her, knocking the goggles off the stunned mare. The other two Wonderbolts draw too close to Rarity as their eyes follow their leader, Rarity’s hind legs knocking into their jaws as she tries to get closer to her would-be rescuers.

If Rainbow was a more calculating pony, she might have looked at the situation with a different eye. With her speed and angle she can only choose one.

A single human who could save himself, his parachute possibly interfering with her dive if he deploys it at the wrong time.

A solitary unconscious pony, fiery mane streaming upwards, her idol and Wonderbolt she most looked up to, slowly drifting towards the human.

One disoriented pegasus, cobalt mane covering his face, who she desperately wants to apologize to, and couldn’t let fall to his death hating her, or even just disappointed.

Another Wonderbolt, teal and white mane bundled up, listlessly drifting away from the group, groggily looking at nothing in particular.

A flailing unicorn, her herdmate; who, by trying to save, would certainly get them both killed.

At this speed, this close to the ground, grabbing two ponies is past the limit of anypony to lift, especially somepony of her build.

But Rainbow doesn’t believe in limits.

She would never have performed a Sonic Rainboom if she did.

107 The Stormcaller, Part Five

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Even though he is looking directly at it, Doug feels more than sees the Sonic Rainboom.

Well, what he really feels is his hands grasping onto the limp mare before she slams into him, filling his vision with her vibrant yellow wings and two-tone orange mane. A split second later the shock wave hits him, blasting them away from the rainbow contrail. It takes Doug a second to recover, a second he doesn’t have, his ears ringing and eyes wavering, unable to focus on anything in particular.

Except that it’s awfully windy. And there’s this yellow mare in his arms that he sorta kinda recognizes.

It takes a second, a second second he doesn’t have, but Doug realizes he is falling. Well, tumbling through the air. Mostly sideways at first, but now that he can think about it, nearly all down.

And the mare clenching her teeth in excruciating pain is wrapping her hind legs around his chest, directly on top the rip cord he should probably be pulling.

It takes a second, a third second he doesn’t have, to roughly jerk the mare’s forelegs away from his head and shove her down. She struggles for a split second until he slips his hand between her legs, her burnt orange eyes going wide in surprise. He fumbles for a fourth second, finally finding the cord pressed against her flight suit, a sharp tug releasing the guide parachute. Doug’s arms and legs clamp down around Spitfire, a steel cage holding as tight as he can.

The main parachute deploys with a limb-wrenching tug, both of them grunting as the parachute threatens to rip them apart. Muscles twinge with pain but hold steady, finally able to relax as the parachute settles to a much more sedate descent. Far too close to the ground for comfort, past any margin of error he might have built as to when to pull the 'chute, but they made it.

The mare in his arms looks up at him, her eyes still a little wobbly as she tries to focus. Her mouth moves up and down, barely audible.

“WHAT?” asks Doug in what he thinks is a normal voice.

Spitfire winces at the shout before leaning up to yell back in a raspy voice, “Thanks, I guess. I hope you don’t expect a reward.”

“For catching you?” Doug looks up at Cloudsdale, the city barely visible around the parachute. “I was just in the right place at the right time. Apparently.”

“Huh.” Spitfire cocks her head to the side, looking Doug up and down. “Not what I was expecting.” She pauses for a moment, a smile briefly flickering on her muzzle. It fades as she asks, “Why’d you call Soarin a plothole?”

Doug shrugs. “Thought he insulted Rainbow, like a bunch of the other stallions at the weather factory.” He shrugs again.

“Crash? Pff, she’s way tougher than to let a silly name like that bother her.”

“Yeah, well.” They both look up at Rainbow’s rainbow arc, looping up and above the Cloudiseum. He looks down at the mare. “You know, you’re a lot less recognizable in your flight suit, but I’d remember that mane anywhere.” Doug looks up as two Wonderbolts zip by, one nodding to the other. The silver maned stallion takes off, returning to Cloudsdale, as the orange and white maned stallion flies closer. “Seems like a trend among the Wonderbolts.”

The stallion tosses his perfect mane back, despite the dive he just went through, grinning. “Name’s Fire Streak. You okay?”

Doug dumbly looks around at the approaching ground, then the parachute, then back at the ground. His arms ache, his ears ring, and his eyes hurt from the wind. Hopefully nothing permanent. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Okay,” the stallion says, backing up a little and turning to Spitfire. “How about you, Ma’am?”

“Still dazed. Anypony catch the name of the mule that kicked me?”

“Hey!” comes an indignant shout from high above.

Spitfire pushes away from Doug, her wings flapping unsteadily. Fire Streak flies underneath her, warily watching. “Can hardly tell which way is up.”

“Well, I think that way is down,” Doug remarks, pointing to the ground.

Spitfire rolls her eyes. “Thanks, Neighton. I couldn’t have figured that out on my own.” She huffs as her erratic flight rams her back into Doug, his arms holding her in position. “Could go for an apple about now.”

“Sweet Apple Acres isn’t that far away,” Doug says as the ground rushes upwards. He stumbles as he lands, spilling forwards, the two tumbling down as the parachute billows behind them.

“Hey! What did I tell you about not getting a reward?” Spitfire grunts out with a wink. She wobbles as she tries to stand, Doug not even making the attempt as he lays on the ground, staring up at Cloudsdale. Spitfire calls to Fire Streak, “I’m going to take a little to recover, and no way am I taking the tram up.” She glances over at Doug, smirking. “Now, where were we?”

“I think you were trying to talk me into giving you a reward.” Doug groans as Spitfire pokes him.

“Come on, up and at ‘em. I’ve taken worse tumbles before.” Spitfire rubs her ear with a hoof as she looks up. “What the hay happened, anyway?”

“Looks like the rascal did it,” Streak remarks, staring at the rainbow trail hanging in the sky, a circular ring still expanding. “Sonic Rainboom. Managed to aim herself right between Soarin and Misty, unicorn pulled herself close enough. Grabbed all three and made the turn at the last second.” He glances up at the Cloudiseum. “Shouldn’t have been possible. If I didn’t just see it with my own eyes, and feel it in my wings, I wouldn’t believe it.”

“Yeah, and being on ground zero was not fun.” Doug looks up at Fire Streak as he gets up. “Want to get some cider?”

High above them, in the Cloudiseum, Twilight Sparkle slowly recovers. Deafening cheers echo around her, and like everypony else her attention is fixed on the rainbow maned pegasus singlehoofedly carrying three ponies up the center of the stadium. Perhaps by itself not an exceptionally impressive feat, but she has no equipment, no harness, and two of them are completely out of it. And she is built for speed, not powerlifting.

No, Twilight is focusing on Rainbow for the reason that feat was possible in the first place. The Loyalty radiating from her still, empowering her to hoof each dazed flyer to two other pegasi. The origin of the Loyalty that nearly knocked her off her cloud.

Rarity remains firmly clenched around Rainbow’s hind legs, refusing any attempt to drop her down, and Twilight soon realizes why. She never cast the cloud walking spell on Rarity. Because she had wings, and it would have been an unnecessary drain. Eventually two pegasi manage to convince the unicorn that she would be safe with them, coaxing her into their waiting hooves.

A hoof on her own side startles her, looking up at a pair of apple green eyes. “You okay, there, partner?”

“Yeah. I am, now. Thanks.” Twilight smiles at Applejack. Even in the furor of falling friends, Applejack kept her wits about her, and made sure she didn’t stumble off herself. Determined not to have a repeat of what happened with Doug, Twilight teleports to the balloon, undoing the moorings with her horn. As the balloon slowly rises, she chances a glance at her flank.

Five small white stars shine, occasionally twinkling. She sighs, both in relief and regret. The effects of the Sonic Rainboom had swept over her like everypony else, and left her a shuddering wreck. She already misses the feelings that had resonated with her core. Loyalty to self. Her herd. Her idols. Her country. Well, it’s not like they are missing. Merely under the surface, as they always were, and the jolt of Loyalty a potent reminder.

Maybe they are feelings she already had. Maybe they are ones she merely picked up from Rainbow; she didn’t remember having an obsession with the Wonderbolts before, but now she can name each of them. Or was that a holdover from partially listening to Rainbow ramble during the balloon ride up, and then all throughout the weather factory?

The relief comes from no longer feeling that overwhelming draw towards her herdmate that threatened to rear its ugly head every time the two of them were alone together. And even a lot of times that they weren’t. And yet, she already misses that yearning, that deep desire, even if she knows a little piece of Rainbow is with her. Along with all her friends. Maybe forever; the other spots didn’t seem to be fading. And hopefully this one won’t, either.

Twilight looks around. Fluttershy is still cheering her flanks off, leaping up and down like a pony possessed. Pinkie Pie has her party cannon, somehow, and is jamming confetti in for another blast. Trixie looks nonplussed as always, maybe even a little envious of the attention Rainbow is getting. Across the stadium are Windy, Bow, and Scootaloo, the latter doing her best to keep the former two from rushing forwards into the award ceremony that is taking place. Apparently Rainbow and Rarity were the last competitors.

Rarity appears to be apologizing to Rainbow, clasping her hooves in front of her and pleading. Rainbow nods along, smiling, bobbing her head back and forth as if trying to get Rarity to hurry it up.

Princess Celestia regally floats down, her wings barely moving, as two fewer Wonderbolts than went down come back up. They exchange a few quick words before the alicorn clears her throat, the entire stadium going quiet.

The Royal Canterlot Voice echoes among the clouds, “By unanimous decision, this year’s Best Young Flyer is… RAINBOW DASH!!”

Cheers erupt again, the various competitors offering Rainbow congratulations, and the remaining winners receiving their various rewards. Pictures are taken, poses struck, and eventually the commotion dies down enough for Twilight to pilot the balloon, now safely carrying everypony, down to the winner’s podium.

Rainbow Dash appears to be in shock, still, just mumbling ‘omygoshomygoshomygosh’ over and over as Soarin and Misty Fly wrap her in a crushing hug. She seems to break out of it as Twilight and the rest approach, exclaiming, “Did you guys see it? I did it! I performed the Sonic Rainboom!”

“Yes!” Twilight congratulates, “That was amazing! Incredible!”

“And she saved our lives!” Soarin adds, almost as an afterthought.

“It was only the most wicked, stupefying, laughing-in-the-face-of-your-fears-just-like-I-taught-you feat I’ve ever seen!” Pinkie Pie pronks higher and higher with every bounce, using the cloud as a giant trampoline. “Can you do it again? Please? Pretty please with all of Celestia’s cakes on top?”

“Woah, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash smirks, “All of them? That’s a lot of cakes.” She stretches her wings, a satisfied smile spreading across her face as she poses for another picture. “I think I’d rather cash in my winnings, though.” She beams at the blue and yellow suited figures around her, “I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend the rest of the day with the Wonderbolts!”

Rainbow takes to the air, flanked by two stallions, the other two Wonderbolts glancing to each other before following along. Rainbow makes a beeline to her Cloudominium where she has all of her Wonderbolt memorabilia stashed away, though she might need to catch up with Spitfire before she gets her best stuff autographed.

The two pegasi drop Rarity into the balloon as the rest of the herd piles in. Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof introduce themselves, practically tossing Scootaloo into the balloon. Princess Celestia walks to the edge of the clouds, peering down. Twilight walks up to join her.

“Princess,” Twilight greets through clenched teeth, her hoof motioning towards Rarity. “I was watching. You saw things were going wrong as soon as Rarity started falling. Why didn’t you step in?”

Princess Celestia glances towards Rarity, then peers back down to the ground far below. “I have my reasons,” she calmly states, turning to look Twilight in the eye. “But now is not the time for you to hear them.”

“What?” Twilight exclaims. She angrily stomps a hoof, though the effect is deadened by the cloud. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You are distraught over nearly losing your herdmate.” Princess Celestia holds her head up, though her words reach Twilight clearly and, based on the lack of reaction, nopony else. “It is understandable. But you did not lose her. She is safe, Rainbow Dash is victorious, and good times will soon be had by all.” She glances to Twilight’s flank. “I see you are especially loyal to your herdmate, at this time.” Her head moves down, nuzzling Twilight despite the unicorn’s unhappy glare. “I hope that feeling never fades.”

“And I hope you have the same feelings for all your little ponies,” Twilight angrily states as she turns, stomping off to rejoin her herd.

Princess Celestia nods to herself, glancing to Canterlot, then Trottingham. “Me, too,” she softly says, only for her own ears.

108 The Spark and the Flame

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“No. Bucking. Way.”

Spitfire slams down her glass of cider, now empty, before glaring wingblades at Doug. She has stripped out of her flight suit, Doug from his jacket, sitting around the table they dragged to the top of the Carrot House. Fire Streak watches on, an amused look on his face, taking a drink of his apple juice every now and then as he watches Rainbow zip back and forth, daring one of the Wonderbolts to keep pace.

“I don’t believe it.”

Doug raises his hands in mock surrender, chuckling regardless of how contrite Spitfire thinks he should be. “Sorry! I mean, I can get Applejack here to-”

“No!” Spitfire grits her teeth, the tip of a feather tracing a line along one of the cracks in the weathered apple wood. “I don’t need the Element of bucking Honesty to tell me you’re making this all up.” She stares at the bottom of her glass before she slides it across the table, joining a dozen of its brethren. Or at least the bottles they came from. "Whatever." She turns to glare at Fire Streak. “Please tell me you don’t believe that the only ponies that have flown faster than this flightless human are Wonderbolts!” Her wing beckons, though she doesn’t bring herself to look at Doug.

“Not under my own power!” Doug interjects with a wave of his hand, Spitfire rolling her eyes. A loud ‘ksshh’ rings as he pops the cap on a bottle of cider, handing it to Spitfire’s waiting wing. He pulls out another, a questioning look at Streak.

“Sorry,” Streak apologizes again, shaking his head. Spitfire huffs as she bangs her glass on the table. Streak sighs, but he can already tell where this is going to end up. “At least one of us should keep our head in the air.”

“Oh, psssh, you’re going to retire soon anyway,” Spitfire slurs out. “And Doug won’t let anything happen.” She gives him a long wink, licking her lips before the glass hides her smirk. “Well, nothing we don’t want to happen.” The amber liquid hits her lips, downing a third of the glass before dropping it back to the table, the cider sloshing around. “You might as well develop a taste for hard cider now, or it’ll be a real kick when those dirtheads start blowing.”

“You know they like it when you call them that,” Streak replies, hesitating before he takes an open bottle of sweet cider. He swishes the liquid back and forth, swallowing with a dry smile. Maybe he will end up trying some of the stronger stuff.

“And they should!” Spitfire looks outside, watching Rainbow Dash and Silver Zoom line up for yet another set of wind sprints. “New students should learn to overcome any challenge. Puts feathers on your wings.” She smirks. “Especially when they eat it.” She goes silent as the two pegasi race and back and forth, over and over and over until Rainbow’s wing spasms, dirtying the rainbow mane as she crashes into the dirt.

“Hah!” Fire Streak exclaims, snatching Spitfire’s cider and taking a swig. “Score another point for the stallions!” He grins at the taste, raising the glass for another drink.

“Yeah, well,” Spitfire glowers as she grabs her glass back, swirling the liquid and watching Rainbow pick herself up from the dirt, spitting bits of brown. Misty Fly and Soarin line up between the two apple trees, readying themselves as Scootaloo drops a flag. They take off the moment it touches the ground, blazing back and forth.

“You know she’s going to want to see you out there,” Fire Streak says cautiously, finishing the last of his cider and standing up.

“It’s not her seeing me that I’m worried about,” Spitfire says with a glance at Doug, a slight grimace at the human being in on the conversation.

Fire Streak continues regardless, “And if she beats any of us, especially our fearless leader, she’s going to have recourse. You know what-”

“I know what she said!” spits out Spitfire, glaring at Fire Streak. “That’s why I’m letting our best sprinters tire her out.” She downs the rest of her cider before spinning on Doug. “And you better not breathe a word of this to her.”

Doug shrugs, folding his arms in front of him.

Spitfire cracks her neck as she backs away from the table. Her wings spread out, her forelegs low to the ground as her flanks raise. “After twenty two you’re going to hit me with a burst of turb.” Spitfire glances to Streak. “Got it?”

Streak rolls his eyes, “Whatever you say, Ma’am. Don’t blame me when she catches on.”

Spitfire snorts as the two take to the air, flying over to the starting line. Doug grabs a few ciders as Misty Fly beats Soarin, the stallion slumping down next to Rainbow.

Rainbow groans as she rests on the ground, trying to stretch her wing out. Her eyes brighten as Doug approaches, grunting as she gets to her hooves to grab one of the ciders. She eagerly pops the straw in her mouth, spinning around to ram her backside against him. “You know what to do,” she says as she waves her flank back and forth.

“Tired already?” Doug says as he pushes Rainbow down, now straddling the pegasus. She merely slurps her cider louder, her wings flipping open and waving back and forth. Doug sighs, getting a second bottle in easy reach before his hands begin working their magic. “How’d the race go?”

“There’s a reason these guys are the best,” Rainbow grunts out between slurps, a nod towards Soarin. “Oh, pony, you feel amazing.”

“Heh, I can tell!” Soarin says, a cheeky grin on his face. He glances up as Doug turns to regard him. “Oh, uh, I meant to tell you. Sorry about getting angry with you before. I guess I just wasn’t expecting something so, I don’t know, hurtful when I saw my old friend.”

“Yeah, it was a little uncalled for.” Doug leans over Rainbow, digging into the muscles right at the base of her wings. The pegasus twitches, a bit of cider dripping out of her gaping mouth. Doug reaches over, raising a fist to Soarin as Rainbow slowly recovers.

“I, uh,” Soarin says as he bumps Doug’s fist with a hoof, “don’t suppose you want to try those hands out on me? Looks like they’re working wonders over there.”

“Hey!” Rainbow objects, turning up to glare at Soarin. “He’s my personal masseur!” Rainbow wriggles underneath Doug, trying to get him to restart his massage.

“Aww,” Soarin says, giving his own tired wings a pathetic flap. “We have our own, but he’s not nearly as good. Besides, he’s not here. I’m sure you can share.”

“Only for you, Soarin,” Rainbow says with a heavy grunt. She bucks up a little bit as Spitfire takes a tumble into the ground next to them. The yellow mare looks up at the two, more than a little bit dazed, as Rainbow sighs. “Aww, you lost?”

“Happens to the best of us, kid,” Spitfire says as Rainbow takes to the air, lining up against Misty Fly. Spitfire raises an eyebrow as Doug mounts Soarin, grabbing hold of the light blue wing and starting slowly. “Hey, are you giving out massages? I call the next one!”

“I’m just getting passed around over here,” Doug says with a chuckle. “So, did you all know Rainbow growing up? I heard she was quite the speedster in her youth.”

“Little twerp didn’t know how to turn, either,” Spitfire says as she sidles up to Doug. “Her parents believed in her something fierce, though. Came to every one of our meets, loudest group of fans in the stands.” She rubs her ear subconsciously, “You probably heard them out in the stadium today, clear across and above a thousand others.”

“Those were some good times,” Soarin says between groans. “Heh, remember when she was beating you for fastest filly?”

“She was beating you, too.” Spitfire bumps her flank into Doug’s leg, the human kicking her back. “Couldn’t stand it then.” Spitfire winces as Rainbow takes another dive into the dirt, Misty Fly apologetically shrugging down at them. “Never gave up, though.” Her voice drops to a whisper as Doug hops off Soarin, her wings spreading out as he kneels down next to her. “That’s what makes this so hard.”

“Makes what so hard?” Doug says quietly, glancing at Rainbow, his hands sliding across her back and wings.

Spitfire turns, hiding her face from Doug. “Stupid cider. Made me say too much already.” She groans as his hands slip under her wings, the damp fur rubbing off on his hands. “Just, don’t say anything to her, okay?”

“Sure,” Doug says, “but I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Maybe it’s better that way.” Spitfire goes quiet as Rainbow picks herself back up, though her wings don’t look like they are in as bad shape this time. She watches as Rainbow takes to the air, grim determination to beat at least one of the Wonderbolts in the exhausting workout. Fire Streak faces off against her this time, neither giving an inch as they take off.

“Suit yourself,” Doug says, finally feeling like Spitfire is relaxing under his hands. The two sit in silence as they watch yet another faceoff Rainbow comes in a close second, Soarin nearly dropping out of the sky in front of her. Doug calls out, a bit of worry tingeing his voice, “You okay over there, Rainbow?”

“Best day ever!” Rainbow grunts out from the dirt, rooting around for another glass of cider. “I get to fly against the Wonderbolts! I don’t care if I end up in the hospital, it’ll be totally worth it.”

“Flying like you are? I’m impressed it hasn’t happened already. You’ve got guts, Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire slips out from under Doug, winking at him as her tail flips to the side. “Maybe you want to get a quick recharge before you face off against your hardest opponent yet?”

“Pssh, that’d be Fleetfoot, but she isn’t here.” Rainbow grins at Spitfire’s groan. She finishes off her cider, though she waves Doug off. “Nah, I’ll be good. Can’t rely on you too much, you know?”

“Sure,” Doug says, a short wave as Rainbow takes off.

Fire Streak lands next to him, his goggles coming off to better look Doug in the eye. “Never imagined Rainbow Dash ending up with somepony like you.”

“Oh? You wanted to snatch her up?” Doug says with a wink.

Fire Streak chuckles, “Heh. Nah, too much of a mouth for me. Back then, at least." He glances towards the Wonderbolt Academy, much further than Cloudsdale. "If she’d have me, I’d go for High Winds. That is, whenever she retires.” He motions towards Misty Fly, “She’s probably my second choice, but I don’t think it’ll happen. I mean, I doubt any of the other mares are retiring soon. Or going into teaching, like me. But, whichever one I happen to snag first, I guess.”

“Just one choice?” Doug says, his hand scratching his chin. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but somehow I imagined there’d be all sorts of, I don’t know, relationships spawned among you all.”

Fire Streak grins. “And Spitfire’s probably the worst, haven’t had a hotshot model like her as Captain in years. Doesn’t do anything to quench the rumors, either, but it ain’t like that. Officially, it doesn’t happen. Unofficially, as long as it never interferes with a show, and you’re extra cautious come March? Well, once we retire, it’s pretty common for a single pairing to herd up. Rarely more. Gotta keep new blood coming in, you know? Can't make it seem like we're only the foals of alumni, even if that happens pretty regularly.”

“Seems like a long time to wait,” Doug remarks, sipping on his own cider. “Rainbow’s been applying for, shoot, seven years now? More?”

Fire Streak nods. “Well, being a Wonderbolt, while it’s a bunch of prestige, doesn’t leave a lot of time for raising a family. All the travel, shows, practices.” He glances around the farm, then up at the balloon slowly descending. “And it seems like you, and Rainbow for that matter, put a lot of emphasis on family.” His gaze ends on Scootaloo, the filly busily keeping track of how many laps back and forth everypony has done. “I’d hate for Rainbow to lose sight of that chasing a dream in the sky.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Doug says as Rainbow takes a sixth and final dive into the dirt, her euphoric grin never fading.

109 The Ruthless Ceinture

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October 20th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“Hey, Rarity~!” Doug calls into the Carousel Boutique, his voice raising at the end with a hint of pleading. Of desire and expectation, a certain level of longing. The store is closed for the day, the lights off in the front but still on in the kitchen, awaiting his arrival. Doug sluffs off his backpack, crouching to restock the pantry as hoofsteps echo down the stairs.

“You used that voice,” Rarity says cautiously, stopping in the doorway. Her eyes trace over the light jacket and pants, the same ones he wore to Cloudsdale. “I didn’t think it was that cold already. I suppose Cloudsdale has started Winter production, and we’re acceptable casualties.” Doug nods as Rarity slips closer, running a hoof along his back. “How have they been holding up?”

“Oh?” Doug says, his hand pressing Rarity’s hoof into his side. He lifts her up as she grins, standing on hind legs while her forelegs reach up to his shoulders. His hands drop to her flanks, lifting her up and resting her on his hips. “Well enough, I suppose. Might need to break out the winter ones pretty soon, though.”

“Mm, well, if you need help coordinating, or accessorizing, I may know somepony who can help.” Rarity rests her head in the crook of Doug’s neck, a smirk breaking through despite her attempts. “She’s an ace at assisting anypony’s attire.”

“I shall have to consider her generous offer.” Doug’s hand folds one of Rarity’s ears back as he cups her head, thumb scratching the base of her horn. “Did you need any more help around here, or things mostly taken care of?”

“Mm, well, there’s one spot in particular that keeps getting dirty,” Rarity coquettishly suggests, her hooves rubbing past his shoulders.

“Again?” Doug grunts as he hoists Rarity onto the counter. “I thought I took care of that the last time I was here.”

“Well, it seems to have a habit of coming back.” Rarity pulls at Doug as he tries to back off. “And do lose the pants this time, I would hate for them to get dirty. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to get those kind of stains out.”

“I believe it. Same spot as last time?”

“Yes. Jacket too. Now, here, let me help you slip in; I know you had some difficulty last time.”

“Hey, it wasn’t that bad. I managed.”

“You complained for hours. I nearly bit myself holding my tongue.”

“No I didn’t. And you weren’t silent, you were whining about it nearly the entire time.”

“That was not whining! This is whining! ‘Why are you taking so long?’ ‘You’re making a mess of everything!’ ‘I’m sure that doesn’t belong there!’”

Sweetie Belle pauses at the top of the stairs, her hoofsteps muffled by the thick carpeting. She would be nearly silent, except for her stomach rumbling loudly. Her ears twitch back and forth, her small mouth twisting to a grimace. Another loud grunt comes from the kitchen, this time with the scrape of metal on metal. The fridge is really close to the door, and maybe she can just sneak in and out before they even realize she is there. She gets to the bottom of the stairs, spotting her quarry, her tongue practically tasting the treats inside.

“No! Don’t pull that out yet, or it’ll spill everywhere!”

“Sorry, Rarity, but I don’t see a way around that!”

Sweetie Belle skids to a stop, her hooves clopping against the wood floor. She looks into the kitchen as Rarity turns from the table, spotting her. Her dam’s heavy sigh turns to a smile as her horn lights, a cloud of blue forming in the room. Doug is halfway underneath the sink, only his lower legs sticking out as he bangs on a bit of piping. Almost immediately comes a splash of liquid, a foul stench filling the room. Rarity nearly gags as she concentrates for a moment, her blue haze bursting into hundreds of small explosions of freshness.

“Hey, I need that light,” Doug says, the drip of water replacing the sound of tools under the sink.

“Hello, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity says calmly as her horn lights again. “Did you finish all of your homework?”

“Yup,” Sweetie Belle cautiously replies, not wanting to get any closer to the sink that Rarity made her help clean up earlier that day. “Just getting a snack.”

“Of course. Don’t mind us.” Rarity turns back to peering under the sink. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“No. I told you I’d figure it out as I go along. It can’t be that hard, right?”

“Yes, but I feel like I am the one paying the price as you learn your way around.”

A long exhale comes from under the sink as Sweetie Belle walks up to the fridge, finding one of the berry yogurts and a hoofful of hay. Her horn lights, a pale green aura surrounding one of the plates and levitating it to her back. She glances back into the kitchen as she leaves, a sigh and shake of her head.

Her parents are weird.

“There,” Doug says as he tightens a fastener back on. “I think that should do it.”

“That’s what you said the last time,” Rarity says as a blue aura surrounds Doug’s feet, dragging him out. “Now, what was it that you were so happy to see me?”

“I can’t just be happy to see my darling wife?” Doug says as he brushes his hand against the large grease stain on his chest.

Rarity slowly shakes her head, her eyes drawn to the discoloration.

Doug sighs. “Fine. I wanted to know how the Nightmare Night costumes are coming along. Oh, and you had asked about what kind of fancy things I would wear.” He motions to his backpack, “I’ve got something in there, but I thought it might be easier to describe to you and have you draft something.”

“I suppose, but I’m afraid I must insist on you getting cleaned up first.” Rarity levitates the backpack, playfully darting up the stairs.

“I don’t even get a thank you?” Doug says as he reaches for his jacket, wincing as Rarity slaps him away.

“What did I just say about you being filthy?” Rarity beckons with her horn, “I do not want to have to get another stain out of those!”

“Fine,” Doug says as he heads upstairs, his greasy hand brushing against Rarity’s back before scratching her ears.

Rarity’s eyes widen, then narrow, as Doug takes off up the stairs. “Oh! You did not! You ruffian!”

Several minutes of chastising and one long shower later and Rarity and Doug are in her master bedroom, looking over four ponnequins displaying the costumes Rarity created. “Now, normally I don’t like working in dark blues and purples. Far too much negativity gets associated with their use, but I did like your idea.” Rarity pauses at the small dragon costume, the design a bit different from the others, really emphasizing the spikes and armored, barbed tail.

“Well, I don’t know that it was so much my idea, except that I dreamed it.” Doug goes up to the suit of armor designed for him. The same as his dream with Nightmare Moon, perfectly recreated by Rarity. Lavender gauntlets, interlocking steel plates for fingers. Boots, his steel toed stompers he wore to the Badlands, recolored and extended, coming up to just under his knee. A teal cuirass that leaves his shoulders bare, with faulds coming down to his lower thighs. A black sallet completes the armaments. “Is it functional?”

Rarity snorts. “Darling, I pride myself on authenticity. When you suggested that I create you something out of your Nightmare, as a way of terrorizing the town yet again in the name of supporting Princess Luna, I had to go all out. Good thing the Diamond Dogs are such wonderful smiths, and didn’t mind working on the cheap.”

“You paid them in diamonds, I guess?” Doug says with a smile, lifting the breastplate to his front. He gasps as the metal warps, forming to him. “How did you do that?”

Rarity sighs. “I didn’t. Twilight got ahold of one of the spells the Royal Guard uses. Nasty bit of Betrayal magic to make the metal twist on its own. She’ll need to reinforce it, now that it has contoured to your body, but it is far easier than getting those mutts to take your dimensions perfectly. And she should be along shortly, I believe, once she has finished whatever work she is doing at the library.”

“Well, even so, this looks amazing,” Doug says, turning around as Rarity secures the back half of the cuirass. “Did you do the same for the rest of your costumes?”

“Well, there were only so many bits in the budget for Nightmare Night costumes, I’m afraid, so I am merely making the rest from cloth, shaped to give the appearance of armor.” Rarity runs a hoof along one of the mare outfits, depressing the intimidating spikes. The rest resembles metal barding that covers from withers to flank, a sharply contrasting teal and purple. Nightmare Moon’s cutie mark is inscribed on the chest, a cloth helmet with an opening for a horn.

“Rainbow is going as a Shadowbolt. I figured that would fit the theme, even if she isn’t wearing the armor you wanted for her.” Rarity looks at her closet. “I haven’t finished that one yet, but I think it will still look the part. She has yet to bring me a Wonderbolt costume she can bear to see transformed.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” Doug says as he pulls the last of the armor on. He grimaces as he lifts seven metal bands. Orange, white, cerulean, yellow, pink, lavender, and azure. He turns to Rarity, a sharp, “I didn’t tell you about these.”

“You didn’t?” Rarity pauses, glancing between the bands in Doug’s hand and his narrowed eyes. “Are you sure? I thought they fit the costume perfectly.”

“But they represent-” Doug cuts himself off, inspecting the bands again. He pulls the azure band away. “This one is new.” He looks around, “And one is missing. Or, it should have been there, but wasn’t.” He turns to Rarity. “When did you decide to do this?”

Rarity sighs. “If you must know, Princess Luna came to me during a dream. I was having the hardest time coming up with the design for you, based on only your hazy recollection and piecemeal description. She… she showed me the dream in which they originated.” She lifts a hoof to Doug, “I’m sorry that you went through that. And continued putting yourself through worse, even after it was all done.”

Doug sighs, pulling Rarity in for a hug. “Thanks, Rarity. I really appreciate it.” He breaks away, looking at the filly costume, complete with black collar, though no name is inscribed. “I hope it lets me, and everypony, put what happened behind us.”

“Doug, I think a lot of us already have.” Rarity smiles up at Doug as the mare costume teleports onto her. She puffs her chest up, looking every bit the elite guard in Nightmare Moon’s army. Except for the styled mane coming out the back of the helmet, and her tail poking out the back and spiraling down to the floor. “Now, General, what would you require of a lowly guard like me?”

“General?” Doug says, snapping the bands just under his shoulder before he folds his arms in front of him. “Okay, that one you would have gotten from Celestia.”

“Oops,” Rarity says coyly, a wink of her eye at Doug as she stands at attention. “I suppose I deserve some sort of discipline for that slip of the tongue.”

110 The Twilight Moon, Part One

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October 30th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Twilight tugs at the black collar on her Nightmare Night costume, her hoof tracing along the purple mock armor covering her chest and withers, then the black band around her upper foreleg. Stupid fabric. While the colors match her coat fairly well, and she doesn’t mind the blues, the whole thing just screams of a dark, dominating personality screaming for attention. All it needs is a series of metal studs to complete the picture. Evil, if she sums it up in a single word.

Too bad she said aloud how much it fits Trixie, and how good she looks in hers, and now the mare won’t shut up about it. Stupid herd going along with Doug’s stupid choice. Even her traitorous assistant Spike is enthusiastically on board! He somehow persuaded Rarity to make his dragon costume even spikier, looking like a spooky sea urchin.

Her hoof stitched Star Swirl the Bearded costume feels so much better than this monstrosity! The robe, the hat, the bells, the way it drapes over her like a lumpy sack. It’s not like she spent hours making sure that every detail is completely authentic. Oh, wait, she did! You know, maybe nopony would notice if she included Star Swirl’s hat, the one Meringue helped design. Twilight flashes herself a winning smile in the mirror of her bedroom as she dons the floppy, bell adorned wizard hat. It goes perfectly with the rest of the costume, if she does say so herself!

“Twilight!” Spike yells from downstairs, exasperation filling his voice as it echoes around the library. “Stop staring at yourself in the mirror and come on! We’re going to be late for the Nightmare Night festival!”

“Coming!” Twilight replies cheerily. She might have wondered how Spike knows what she is up to, but then again she’s been going back and forth on what to wear for hours now. But, with the decision made? Nothing can get her down now that she has the hat of a master on her! She skips down the stairs, “What’s the rush?”

“Candy!” Spike implores, holding out his empty bag and shaking it up and down. “Spike want!”

Twilight merely rolls her eyes. “Of course you do.” The front door opens in her raspberry aura, revealing a small pinto colt in a red bandana, blue jacket and black eyepatch standing just outside the door and preparing to knock.

“Oh!” Pip Squeak says in surprise, his hoof staying suspended in midair. “Um.” He glances back to the three fillies standing behind him. One is wearing a lavender and white Princess costume, another a blue astronaut’s helmet, the last a red and black ladybug with antennae. Then his eyes go to his dam, wearing a pitch black beetlepony costume, a horn and wings with extremely realistic chitin.

“Nightmare Night,” his dam whispers back.

“Right-o!” Pip turns back to Twilight, a large cheeky grin. The four fillies chorus, “Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!”

“Hi, everypony!” Twilight chipperly replies, her horn lighting and eight pieces of candy levitating out. Two find their way into each outstretched bag as she continues, “Great costumes. Happy Nightmare Night, Jay!” Twilight winks at the earth pony, “I don’t suppose you want any candy, too?”

“No, full up already. You wouldn’t believe how much everypony loves this holiday.” An incredibly lifelike forked tongue lashes out of Jay Squeak’s mouth, tasting the air. “Deeelicious.”

“Of course! It’s one of Spike’s favorites, too.” Twilight motions to the dragon leering enviously at the candy in the filly’s bags. She glances down at Pip, “You look like you’re enjoying yourself, too!”

“Indeed I am, Missus Twilight! Pipsqueak the Pirate, at your service. It’s my very first Nightmare Night!”

“Oh?” Twilight says, estimating the cutie-markless colt at about Meringue’s age. “Since you moved back to Ponyville?”

“Nope!” Pipsqueak replies with a shake of his head. “My very first Nightmare Night ever! You see, we-”

“Candy inspector!” Pinkie Pie shouts, swinging a baton in her hooves. She, like Twilight, is clad in the purple and black Nightmare Moon armor, clashing horribly with the pink mane and tail haphazardly poking out. Meringue is riding on her back, clad in rough dark blue cloth with a black collar around her neck, holding a clipboard and quill. “Random candy inspection! Need to make sure everypony’s candy is up to snuff.”

“Aww, you selected us last house, too,” Pip whines, the rest of the fillies joining in.

“I select everypony everyhouse. Now, put ‘em up! Let’s see those hooves!” Pinkie Pie swings her baton back and forth, nearly clipping Jay a few times. “Did I stutter, or do you want to be sputtering out substandard candy when the time comes?”

“No, Missus Pinkie Pie!” cries the cringing colt, holding his bag up above his head as he cowers on the ground.

Pinkie Pie reaches a hoof into Pip’s bag, looking the other direction as she sifts through. “Ah, hah!” She pulls out one of the candies that Twilight just put in. “As I suspected!” She waves the ‘candy’ back and forth, “This is worse than Minuette!” Pinkie Pie motions to the blue unicorn clad in a pink dentist outfit, a blue sticker of an eye on her chest. Many of the ponies going up to her come away disappointed, holding small bottles of toothpaste.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight says flatly, “I don’t see what’s wr-”

“Books?” Pinkie Pie interrupts, towering over Twilight to glare at her from above. “You’re giving out books about the historical significance of Nightmare Night!” She flips through a couple of the pages, “And the print is really tiny!”

“I’m also giving out candy!” Twilight says, holding up the bowl. Half of the pieces are candy on the healthy end of the spectrum, the other half miniature books with an abbreviated story of Nightmare Night.

Pinkie Pie rubs a hoof along her chin as she inspects the bowl. She takes a long look at Twilight, and then the hat atop her head. “Hmmmm,” she drones out, her eyes narrowing. “Twilight, if you weren’t a member of N-MAD, I’d be hitting you up with so many violations your library would run out of paper.”

Twilight gasps as Spike exclaims, “That’s a lot of violations!”

“What’s en-mad?” Pip asks, his eyes dancing between Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Spike. “Does it have to do with that armor you’re wearing?”

“Nightmare Moon’s Army of Darkness!” Pinkie Pie taps the blue eye in the center of her armor. "Pretty cool, huh?"

“I’m a pirate!” Pip says with a nod. “Can I join your crew?”

“Sure!” Pinkie Pie whips a sticker out of her mane, planting a blue eye on the center of Pip’s jacket. “Now you too can terrorize everypony who isn’t a member of N-MAD! And speaking of terrorizing…” Pinkie Pie motions upwards.

“Ooh, this looks promising!” Rainbow Dash gleefully rubs her hooves together. The pegasus is wearing a black full bodysuit with purple accents, yellow lightning bolts on the hooves and chest, her cerulean wings sticking out. She hovers above a black stormcloud crackling with electricity. “Gotcha!” she shouts as she slams her hooves down, bolts of lightning slamming into the ground by the astronaut and ladybug.

“Aaah!” the ponies scream as two more bolts hit next to Jay and the princess, all four cowering down on the ground, their bags of candy spilling out.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight huffs, glaring at the pegasus cackling above. “That wasn’t very nice!”

“Oh, lightning up, old-timer!” Rainbow says with a grin and wink. “This is the best night of the year for pranks!” Rainbow zooms off to find more unsuspecting ponies while Twilight grits her teeth.

“Can we join en mad too?” the ladybug asks Pinkie Pie, slowly getting to her hooves. “I don’t want to be shocked again.” She looks over at Minuette, “And, I could use some more toothpaste.”

“Me too, me too!” chorus the other fillies as they surround Pinkie Pie, the mare pulling out more stickers.

“Okay!” Pinkie happy fixes each filly with a sticker, including Jay. “And, since you joined, you get a sweet signing bonus! And, one extra piece of candy from every house who is also a member of N-Mad!” She darts inside, returning with four large candy bars. “Enjoy!”

“Come on, Spike,” Twilight says with a groan, forcibly pulling the dragon away from the spilled candy. “Let’s get some candy for you.”

Spike groans initially, but quickly recovers as the fillies gather up their own candy. “Did you hear that, Twilight?” Spike says, rubbing his claws together. “We get extra candy from everypony who joins us!” He looks around, several of the houses showing little Nightmare Moon symbols. “We should convince everypony to join!”

“Here ya go,” Pinkie Pie says, shoving a roll of stickers into Spike’s claws, then a second roll into Twilight’s mane, it immediately falling out. Twilight levitates the stickers as Pinkie Pie continues, “Do you need a list of the rules and requirements?”

“A list?” Twilight says, eyes brightening as a thunderbolt echoes to the screams of ponies. “Ye-”

“No!” shouts Spike, tugging Twilight away. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out as we go along!”

“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie Pie turns back to the five newest members, giving them spools of stickers as well. “Now, go! Spread the terror of Nightmare Moon to all who will not bow to her reign!” She cackles maniacally as the fillies grab their candy and race off, eagerly searching for ponies without stickers.

Twilight and Spike make their way to the town square, filling Spike’s bag with candy and, to their surprise, passing out a few of their stickers. The festival is in full swing, with all sorts of games like bobbing for apples, a spider toss, and a pumpkin chunkin catapult. There are also booths with specialty foods, a haunted house, and signs for a wheat maze at Sweet Apple Acres. They first head to Rarity at an arts and crafts station.

“Welcome!” Rarity calls, sporting a more personalized suit of armor with silver diamonds stitched along the seams, the purple sections matching her tail. She motions to the tables filled with blue, purple, and black fabrics, her sewing machine, and jars filled with cotton balls. "Lots to do here! Come, join us!"

Several ponies are just finishing up making little Nightmare Moon dolls, one of the little fillies squeezing hers in a tight hug. “Thanks, Rarity!” she calls, letting the doll ride on her back as she runs up, a quick nuzzle to the white unicorn before she happily skips off, a sticker on both her chest and the doll’s.

“Aww,” Rarity quivers, her eyes wetting. She sniffs, careful not to smear her carefully applied black makeup. She glances over, “I’m so glad to see you’ve made it, Twilight! Loving the hat. Would you like to make anything here to go along with it, or perhaps something to make the hat go with the rest of your costume?”

“What I’d like is to have worn the whole costume, but somepony had other ideas.” Twilight glares as she looks around, trying to find the conspicuous human mysteriously absent. “I don’t get it, either. Why are we wearing the uniforms of Nightmare Moon?” Her voice drops, “And, shouldn’t more ponies be worried about this kind of thing?”

Rarity shrugs. “Doug has it in his mind that if we dress up as the things that frighten us, it will somehow inure us to their effects. And make everypony more comfortable about it because we are more comfortable with it.” She motions towards the south, “That’s why he’s with Fluttershy right now, trying to talk her into coming out for a second Nightmare Night in a row.”

“Fluttershy is scared of Nightmare Night?” Twilight rolls her eyes. “Gee, I had no idea.”

“Yes, and Doug thinks she should be able to overcome that fear. She, on the other hoof, barely even sat in the Boutique long enough to be fitted. I doubt we’ll see her, but who knows? Stranger things have happened around here.” Rarity shrugs, turning her attention to the main stage.

Mayor Mare, wearing a rainbow clown wig, walks up to a microphone, clearing her throat. The sounds of the festival die down as she announces, “Welcome, Everypony! I hope you are all having a nightmarish Nightmare Night!” The ponies cheer and stomp their hooves. “Now, all the little ponies who have been collecting candy should follow our friend Zecora to hear the legend of…” Mayor Mare’s voice quivers, “-Nightmare Moon!”

Scattered laughter comes from the crowd, none from anypony wearing a blue eye sticker.

Zecora steps up to the stage, spiders hanging from her mane and her coat shining white and deep black. “Follow, if you love mystery, to hear of Nightmare Night’s history.”

111 The Twilight Moon, Part Two

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Doug knocks on the door to Fluttershy’s cottage again, leaning his tower shield made of blue crystal against the wall. His crystal tipped javelin waves back and forth on his back as he steps back, trying to peer through the windows of the upper level. Still dark, but he swears he heard something creeping around inside. His armor clinks as he raises his hand again, but his fist settles against the door instead of pounding loudly.

“Fluttershy,” Doug calls out, pausing a moment. “It’s Doug. Can I come in?”

Several seconds pass in silence before Doug sighs, staring down at his steel-shod feet.

“Look,” he says, no longer shouting, “I know you don’t want to do this. But it means a lot to me, and to the herd. I know Rarity is especially looking forward to seeing you out there, looking amazing in that costume of hers.” He pauses again before chuckling, “She’ll probably even be jealous of how well you pull it off.”

The door creaks open ominously, nearly pitch black inside the cottage except for the thin ray of light faintly illuminating a pathway to the stairs. The windows are still boarded up from earlier, now with cobwebs cluttering each, obscuring what little light makes it in from outside. Except for the eight eyes that occasionally flicker in and out, or the glint of beady eyes from the rafters.

Doug shudders as he slips inside, carefully maneuvering the javelin. He shuts the door behind him, extinguishing the one source of light and casting the cottage into darkness. “My feet are big and heavy,” he says to nocreature in particular, “and I’ll be walking upstairs. I certainly hope that I don’t step on anything.” He pauses a few seconds. Silent, except for his own breath. Then, a rustle of feathers from the ceiling, the scrabbling of claws along the floorboards. “Well, here goes.”

Doug takes two steps forward, immediate bellowing in pain as his shin, just below the knee and just above his sabaton, collides with something large and heavy. The object falls with a loud crash as he crumples to the floor, his leg spasming; he’d be lucky if he just has a bruise. What did she do, move a table in front of the door or something?

Doug grimaces as his hand rubs at his leg. No sticky wetness, fortunately. A thunk comes from upstairs, suspiciously similar to a skull knocking into a block of wood. Doug struggles to his feet, roughly kicking the downed ponnequinn to the side. He must have clipped it just wrong. His hands search in front of him, quickly finding the stairs. He peeks into Fluttershy’s room. A mess of firefly filled lanterns light the area, his eyes drawn to the pink tail slithering on the floor. Following it leads to a yellow rump halfway under the bed, a quilt doing a poor job of concealing the rest.

“So, you got enough supplies under there?” Doug asks as he plops down on the bed, massaging a bit more of the pain out of his leg. The light of the lamp shows that he did cut himself, but not terribly badly. He’s gotten worse handling the blade on his spear, and those wounds don't like to stop bleeding. He looks up, Angel Bunny standing in the doorway with his forelegs crossed, foot thumping on the floor, an impatient stare.

A quiet ‘eep!’ comes from under the bed as Doug sits down, followed by the mare bumping her head against the underside of the bed again. She wriggles back and forth as she pushes herself from her nest of pillows, a sheepish look up at Doug. Her eyes widen as she sees the trickle of blood, her hooves coming up to her muzzle as she gasps. “Doug! Your leg!”

“Yeah,” Doug says, “I noticed it, too.” He goes to stand, immediately pushed back down by Fluttershy.

“Oh, no, don’t go anywhere. I’ll get you cleaned up, real quick!” Fluttershy zips under the bed, grabbing the first aid kit stashed underneath, and bonks her head as she pulls herself back out.

“Maybe you should get yourself a taller bed,” Doug says, peering underneath the bed barely spacious enough for two ponies and a human. Good thing they don't mind getting cozy.

“Oh, no, this one’s just fine. I use the space underneath when Nightmare Night comes around.” Fluttershy’s voice steadily gets quieter, “Or when there’s a thunderstorm. Or just a storm.” She whispers, “Or when I’m scared and alone.” She glances up at Doug, “Maybe you should stay with me. Tonight.” Her eyes quiver with tears, "Please?"

“Well, I can make sure that you’re not alone.” Doug grins as Fluttershy wraps a bandage around his leg, a pink butterfly clasping it in place. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.”

“Um, I don’t mean to disagree with you, but there are lots of things to be afraid of.” Fluttershy shudders. “Like vicious monsters, and sharp objects, and ponies staring at you, and going outside, and-”

Doug rubs his hand across Fluttershy’s head, scratching against her ears as he tugs her next to him. “But you’ve got me with you! I’ll defend you from all of that!”

“Mm, I like the sound of that,” Fluttershy smiles seductively as she pushes Doug over, standing on top of him on the bed. “You’re just going to have to spend Nightmare Night with me!”

Doug nods solemnly, “I can do that.” His arms come up, pulling Fluttershy to him and sealing his promise with a kiss.

Fluttershy pants as she sloppily returns the kiss. Her hoof starts at his neck, tapping against the cuirass, traveling down to the metal covering his thighs. She frowns as she runs out of reach, her foreleg not long enough to snake underneath without breaking away from him. And Doug isn’t letting her go. She pulls back, a little harder this time.

Only for Doug to release her, but shift his hands to her flanks and lift her to his shoulder. She ducks as he stands, now in danger of hitting her head against the ceiling. “Doug!” she calls, but he merely repositions her to a one armed carry. “What are you doing?”

“Going outside,” Doug replies, grabbing one of the lanterns and walking past Angel Bunny.

“But, you promised!”

“No, I promised not to leave you. Now, you’re not going to make a liar out of me, are you?” He looks over at her, “Pinkie Pie would be very disappointed in me if you did. And probably Applejack, too.”

Fluttershy sighs loudly, eventually shaking her head no.

“Good.” Doug scratches Fluttershy with the lantern. He grunts to the bunny attempting to block his way. “Yes?”

Angel Bunny raps his foot against the wood twice.

“Oh, dear!” Fluttershy exclaims, “I forgot all about your salad! There was this knock at the door, and I didn’t know who it was, so I ran up here!” Fluttershy glances to Angel Bunny, the corners of her lips forcing a smile. His thumping merely gets faster.

Doug rolls his eyes, “Yes, I’ll get him a salad. While you change into your costume. Deal?”

Fluttershy moans, looking at the downed ponnequinn and the armor partially fallen off. She hops from Doug’s shoulder, watching as the human and bunny leave the room.

No sooner has Doug opened the pantry than the loud clank of metal on wood echoes from just behind him. He turns, snippets of yellow pegasus underneath the black and purple armor. A short pink mane sticks out the back of her black helmet in a high ponytail, her tail similarly having lost its extensions and barely covering herself. She stands in the doorway, standing at attention. She barks out in a rough voice, "Reporting for duty!"

“At ease,” Doug says, the guard moving to parade rest, as he gathers Angel Bunny’s meal. He scarfs it down as soon as Doug places it in front of him, the human quickly exiting the kitchen. He grabs his shield as he leaves the cottage, the mare closing the door behind her.

“Hey, there’s Zecora!” Doug says with a cheerful grin, motioning to the zebra leading a large number of ponies, mostly fillies, to the giant pile of rocks near the Everfree Forest. A small, unlit campfire is next to one of the rocks, carved into an incredibly lifelike statue of Nightmare Moon in all her armored glory.

“Z-Ze…” Guard Shy clears her throat. She continues in a deeper, rough voice, “Zecora? Haven’t seen her ‘round these parts after the incident. She up to something?”

“She’s trying to make amends, I heard,” Doug replies, scanning the area. He narrows his eyes at seeing a few more of the beetlepony costumes, their teal eyes devoid of pupils. His hand, almost on its own, fingers the javelin secured to his back. Zecora turns to address the fillies around a campfire. Doug cautiously glances to Fluttershy, his attention immediately returning to the crowd, “Maybe we should check it out.”

“Roger.” The two walk closer, an acknowledging nod to Twilight, Rarity, and Spike on the other side. Doug gets a few vigilant glances from several of the ponies, a chain reaction of wary steps away from him. He sighs as he stops, barely able to hear the zebra.

Zecora strides back and forth, the spiders in her mane crawling up and down as she turns and bobs her head. She gathers a hoofful of green dust, blowing it into the fire and sending up a large cloud of bright green smoke. “The tale of Nightmare Moon is meant to scare, to teach fillies and colts to beware! As you can see, it must be so, that we hide whenever she would come and go.”

The campfire ignites, seemingly of its own accord, a second burst of smoke emanating forth. “Nightmare Moon came with many demands, to spread her curse to all the lands. Endless darkness would she see, for ponies to join in her misery!” Zecora spins around, whipping a bit of blue dust into the air, “For Nightmare Moon’s appetite was great! Many were the ponies that she ate!”

The ponies all gasp as the blue dust transforms into a ghostly caricature of Nightmare Moon, the teal and purple armor swooping down on a few of the fillies. “But, if nopony does she see, then she passes on most swiftly. But her hunger is not to be understated; greed like that, it must be sated!”

Zecora motions to the statue of Nightmare Moon, “If you wish her not to return, your bags of candy you must upturn! Fill up her belly with a sweet, and she will not see you as her next treat!”

Pipsqueak shouts, “I don’t want to be a treat!” as he rushes forwards, dumping his candy in front of the statue. Many of the mares giggle to themselves, trading knowing looks as many of the other fillies follow suit.

The merriment ceases as the night sky swiftly darkens, a large mass of roiling storm clouds rolling in from the Everfree Forest. Just underneath the shadows flies a single chariot. At the front fly two winged, armored creatures, their dark blue and purple armor a dead ringer for the raiment on several of the ponies in the crowd.

A single figure lifts herself from the chariot, only a malevolent white smirk escaping the hood that covers her face in shadow. Her back fades into the darkness, but that may just be a trick of the cloak stretching from withers to tail.

Her eyes snap open, two voids of white, as lightning crackles above. She leaps out of the chariot, gravity seemingly ignorant of the normal rate of descent. Her gaze pierces through everypony’s soul, as if staring into each of their darkest dreams.

Ponies awkwardly attempt to back up, unable to wrench themselves away from the terrible sight. It could only be one thing, if she could even be called that.

Nightmare Moon.

112 The Twilight Moon, Part Three

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The silence stretches as the chariot hovers in the dark sky. A gap in the clouds allows the pure white moon to illuminate Nightmare Moon as she lands, small puffs of dust scattering away from her blue crystal shod hooves. She stands regally, head slowly turning to regard each of the ponies in front of her.

The white eyes narrow. Half of the ponies sink to the ground, peeking through forelegs as they whimper and shake. Bags of candy lie forgotten next to the fillies, their eyes reflecting the light of her own. More than a few try to muster the courage to slink away, but cease their attempts as soon as her eyes roll over them.

The other half are standing. Not quite at attention; obviously, they have been imperfectly trained. She can see the occasional tremor, though more from the ponies wearing emblems of a blue eye, the same that adorns her charioteers. The same as Nightmare Moon. The armored ones, and the black clad fillies, lock eyes with her, puffing their chests up and standing straighter. Until she comes to the tall one, separate from the others except for a single guardsmare. He regards her coolly, his mouth curling to a scowl. She takes a deep breath, bellowing in the Royal Canterlot Voice,

“CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!!”

Gale force winds erupt around her! They blow those standing to a kneel, the ones already cowering on the ground sliding back several inches and leaving furrows in the dirt. The storm clouds above crackle with lightning, briefly illuminating the pony as she raises a blue hoof to the sky.

“WE HAVE GRACED YOUR TINY VILLAGE WITH OUR PRESENCE!! SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE TRUE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!!

A hoof slowly pulls the hood off, revealing a dark blue horn. Her eyes no longer shine as voids of white, her cobalt mane waves behind her, freed from its clothy prison. She steps out of the rest of her cloak, spreading her wings. Her mouth pleasantly smiles to the crowd, her voice dropping ten decibels but still deafening.

“We Are A Creature Of Nightmares No Longer! Instead, A Pony Who Desires Your Love And Admiration!”

Princess Luna steps forward, bowing slightly. The ponies cowering on the ground gradually get to their hooves, only to drop down in respectful bows. Princess Luna looks towards Ponyville, her eyes narrowing at the teal banners depicting Nightmare Moon’s regalia, or scowling caricatures of her head. She turns back to the crowd,

“Together, We Shall Change This Dreadful Celebration Into A Bright And Glorious Feast!”

“Aah!” screams Pinkie Pie, bolting up into the air. She hovers for a few seconds as she shouts, “Did you hear that, everypony!? Princess Luna says she’s going to turn this place into a feast! FOR HER!!” She lands, kicking up a cloud of dust as she sprints away. “RUN!!”

“Aaah!” all the sticker wearing fillies scream as they chase after Pinkie Pie. The mares chase after their fillies, only slightly less screaming for them, but mostly for the young ponies to slow down and not ruin their costumes. Then the non-sticker wearing ponies bolt away, caution thrown to the wind as they stampede away.

“No!” Princess Luna cries, stretching a hoof out as if it could catch the fleeing ponies. “Screams of happiness are what your Princess desires, not hopelessness!” Her breath leaves her body with a heavy sigh, her hoof coming down as her shoulders slump. Princess Luna looks around at the candy littering the ground, then the two ponies, dragon, and human lingering behind.

“Princess Luna? I’m sorry.” Twilight Sparkle smiles up at the alicorn, the bells on her hat jingling.

“For what, Magic?” Princess Luna sighs, glancing back at Ponyville. “The screams of terror of the fillies as they run away? They are not yours. You only sealed your union recently.” Her eyes flick to Doug, narrowing. Her voice returns at a bellow, “YOU, However, Must Bear Responsibility For Their Upbringing.” She quiets down, if only slightly as Doug grits his teeth, his eyes not leaving hers, his hand coming up to his neck. “We thought that by making use of our insignia that this situation would be prevented, not exacerbated. We do not give permission to impersonate ourselves lightly.”

“I haven’t done anything to antagonize them, your Highness,” Doug says, spitting out the last two words, “or turned them against you in any way. You did that all on your own.” He adjusts the neck of his cuirass, grunting at the clink of metal. Beside him Fluttershy quakes in her armor, inching to stand behind Doug and out of Princess Luna’s sight.

Princess Luna growls, then sighs as her face falls. “You are right, of course. It is entirely our own doing that has set these ponies against us, now and before. It seems that no matter how hard we try, we cannot escape our past.”

“Well, maybe there is,” Twilight says with a soft smile. “We should be able to show these ponies that you’ve changed, that you no longer are Nightmare Moon!” Her smile grows even larger, a hoof coming up to settle against Princess Luna. "We just need to figure out a way that you don't come off as so intimidating. Unapproachable."

Princess Luna slowly nods. “Yes. You display wisdom similar to that of the origin of your commendable costume." She turns, looking down at the armor underneath the hat. "If Star Swirl were to ever defect, that is." She sighs, turning back to look at Ponyville. "I suppose if we are able to present ourselves more appropriately, then ponies will accept us.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Twilight grins, following Princess Luna's gaze to the ponies inside Ponyville. They are gathering around Pinkie Pie, who is standing up on the stage and… shouting at them? At the very least she is riling up the crowd, whipping them into a frenzy of activity. She shakes her head, her hoof coming up to rub her horn. “Well, first we should work on your speech. I know Doug has talked to you about the Royal Canterlot Voice before, but maybe we can keep toning it down. It's... fine when addressing crowds, but could be a little quieter when you're so close. We just need to find you a tutor!” She glances up, looking for Fluttershy, only seeing Princess Luna laying down, Doug sitting next to her. Twilight walks up, only to spot Fluttershy on the other side of the alicorn.

Princess Luna’s frown and sigh is muffled by the armor clanking back and forth, the mare inside shuddering. “Please?” she booms out. “We Ask You To Teach Us To Speak In A ‘Tone Down’.”

“Try it again, but lower,” Doug grunts out, one hand rubbing his ear as the other strokes Fluttershy’s back. He whispers to the mare, “You’re doing great!”

Princess Luna grins from ear to ear, excitedly belting out, “SHALL OUR LESSONS COMMENCE?”

“Okay,” whimpers Fluttershy, unable to make eye contact with Princess Luna and focusing entirely on Doug. Her breathing soon matches his fingers as they dig in, then loosen, then dig in again. He blows her a kiss, drawing out the smallest of smiles from her. “Okay,” Fluttershy says again, slightly louder, this time able to turn and look at Princess Luna.

Twilight realizes that Doug’s hand wasn’t so much scratching as it was holding the mare in place, but now has shifted to longer strokes as she relaxes. “This is great!” she says, both mares looking over at her with slight exasperation. “Once you master how to speak in appropriate volumes, then we can move on to fitting in and having fun!”

Princess Luna stares at Twilight for a few seconds before she turns to Doug. She asks in a quiet voice, “We are unsure of the common parlance. Does using the phrase-” her hooves come up to make air quotes “-‘fitting in’ and ‘having fun’ together refer to the act of congress?”

Twilight raises an eyebrow, answering as Doug opens his mouth. “Yes? I do find our meetings to be quite fun. Sometimes you get together because you have to, but a lot of the time we’ll still do something even without a quorum! It just depends on what we’re feeling!”

Princess Luna’s mouth gapes open slightly as she stares at Twilight.

“Besides, if you want to make a decision that only involves you, then you don’t need to go through the whole process. Nopony minds, we’re pretty informal like that.” Twilight smiles and nods, silence stretching for a few seconds before she continues, "So, I'm sure Doug can help you with that. And Fluttershy; she went over a lot of the rules and such that we have. I enjoy it so much!"

“Oh.” Princess Luna looks to Doug. The human is pressing his hands against his face, covering his eyes and most of his mouth and nose. She starts off yelling, her voice slowly lowering to a normal volume, “We Look Forward To Finishing Our Lesson on speaking in appropriate volumes, then.”

“It sounds to me like you’re well on your way already!” Twilight grins, winking at Doug, though he completely misses it. “I guess I’ll leave you to your lessons.” Her smile turns to a hard set grimace, “I need to go find the ringleader of the frightened fillies.”

Twilight goes from having to strain to listen to anything but the Princess’s booming voice to straining to listen to it as she nears Ponyville. Rainbow Dash is zipping from one end of the festival to the other, still atop her dark cloud, but no longer shocking anypony. Instead, she keeps relaying instructions from Pinkie Pie. The pink pony, still clad in Nightmare Moon’s armor, is pointing every which way, coordinating dozens of ponies.

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouts as she teleports onto the stage, “What are you doing, going on about Princess Luna turning this place into a feast?”

“She is?” Pinkie Pie shakes her head. “I mean, She Is!” Pinkie Pie motions to the decorations being created, showing Nightmare Moon, manticores, and other monsters. “And we’re here to put a stop to that!”

“No!” Twilight exclaims, stomping a hoof. “You don’t understand!”

“Oh, I understand plenty!” Pinkie Pie spins to the edge of the stage, addressing everypony, “Hey! Who here wants Nightmare Night to be a feast for Princess Luna?”

Activity around the festival stops, ponies turning to watch Twilight and Pinkie Pie in silence.

“And, who here wants Nightmare Night to be a feast for Nightmare Moon?”

The crowd stomps, multiple ponies whooping and hollering.

“What?” Twilight shouts as Rainbow Dash zooms over.

“Don’t you get it?” Rainbow Dash says, her voice even raspier than normal. “Or do we need to spell it out for you?”

“I don’t understand why you refuse to accept Princess Luna! She’s reformed, she doesn’t want to gobble ponies up, or terrorize them! She wants there to be peace, and harmony, and friendship among us!” Twilight paws at her Nightmare Moon armor, grunting as she tries to strip the cloth off. “We shouldn’t be wearing this if it reminds her of that time!”

Rainbow Dash drops down, her hoof pressing against Twilight’s and stopping her from taking off the armor. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

Twilight grits her teeth as she raises her head, glaring into Rainbow’s eyes.

Pinkie Pie steps over, motioning to the festival. Ponies are putting away food, the snack stations closing. The games are swapping out for ones designed to inflict fear, more signs made for the scarier attractions. “Don’t you see, Twilight?”

Twilight shakes her head. She stops trying to remove her costume, Rainbow letting go of her hoof.

“We represent the true spirit of Nightmare Night!” Pinkie Pie motions to one of the new banners going up, a harsh depiction of Nightmare Moon cackling as lightning shoots from her horn. “And with that the founder, Nightmare Moon! Who would cast everything into darkness were she not afforded the respect and admiration she deserves!”

“What?” shouts Twilight, backing up a step.

Pinkie Pie casts her foreleg, motioning to the sticker wearing ponies, now comprising the entirety of the town. She stops at Twilight. “Each of you took an oath of loyalty to Nightmare Moon! It might not have been very long, and you might have made that choice for the wrong reasons, but you made it all the same! And now? We go! To spread terror to everypony who does not accept the true reason for Nightmare Night!”

Twilight’s mouth gapes open as lightning strikes the air around Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash nowhere near a stormcloud.

113 The Twilight Moon, Part Four

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“A-and what reason is that?” stammers Twilight as she backs up. She shrieks as she bumps into Big Mac. The red earth pony is wearing a black top hat with a purple ribbon, a black coat that drapes over his flanks with a large skull replacing his namesake apple, and a blue eye sticker on his chest. He has a large crate on his back, full of white sticks and rusty saw blades.

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie says reassuringly, stepping up to Twilight as Big Mac heads to the farm. “I just told you the reason!” She walks on two legs, one foreleg wrapping around Twilight’s neck and hugging her firmly. The other foreleg pulls a spiked baton out of her mane, casually spinning it around as she leads Twilight off the stage.

“To… spread terror?” Twilight raises an eyebrow. “That se-”

Twilight shrieks as another lightning bolt strikes just behind her. She glares up in the air, but can’t find the rainbow maned pegasus anywhere.

“Trixie!” Pinkie Pie shouts, one hoof continuing to hold Twilight close while the other points the baton at the azure unicorn, her horn alight. “We’re having a moment here!”

“Fine,” Trixie calls out with a roll of her eyes. Her horn goes dark, wandering off to find somepony else to help with the reason for the holiday.

“Now, what do you see around here?” Pinkie Pie motions with the baton at the various carnival games, like the spider toss - now with live spiders - and the apple bobbing station - now with green smoke bubbling out of the cauldron. Pipsqueak climbs a wobbly stool as he reaches the edge of the cauldron, about to try to bob for an apple.

“I see ponies having fun. Playing games. Partaking in traditional Nightmare Night foods.”

Pinkie Pie sighs before she continues, “Yes, Twilight. They are. But, they aren’t just having fun! They’re having fun in a very special way that’s unique to Nightmare Night. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Um,” Twilight says, watching Pipsqueak.

The colt reaches his head forwards, managing to snag one of the bright red apples bobbing up and down. He tugs backwards, struggling to keep his treat. His eyes go wide as a pair of long white fangs come out of the water, sunk deep into the apple. The rest of the black beetle costume erupts out of the cauldron as Pipsqueak topples backwards, landing hard on his rump. He looks up in terror as the chitinous wings buzz, lifting the pony to the air. He raises his forelegs to his face just as the pony spits the red apple down to him. Then, she flies off, a hint of a wave. Pipsqueak chuckles to himself as activity resumes at the festival. He takes a bite out of the apple, still laying on the ground.

“You see?” Pinkie Pie says. “If we turn Nightmare Night into just another feast, or party? Now, don’t get me wrong, the premiere party pony in Ponyville’s primary passion is partaking in parties for practically any purpose. But, you can’t just have the same party every time! Nightmare Night is the one chance that we have to dress up as monsters and really scare each other.”

Twilight follows Pinkie Pie to the wheat maze. Standing on a nearby hill they are able to see inside, watching as several ponies wander around. Other ponies, wearing white masks or ghost costumes or slime monsters, are waiting to ambush them. Big Mac litters an area with the white sticks, before finding a second spot to dump the saw blades, leaving a well-lit path that meanders back and forth.

“Have you realized the error of your ways? Pinkie Pie spreads her hoof, still clutching the baton, over the entirety of the farm. “Or do I need to get the Monster of Nightmares Past over here?”

“The… what?” Twilight gapes at Pinkie Pie.

“Sorry, Twi but this is really cutting into my time to spread Nightmare Night presents, you know?” Pinkie Pie sighs, “And, if I wanted to do this right, I’d need to get Zecora to make you a potion that would let you see really, really far into the past, to the first Nightmare Night. Well, not really Nightmare Night, but the incident that leads to Nightmare Night. But you aren’t ready for that, and probably won’t be for at least another four months. Give or take.”

Twilight’s gape remains fairly unchanged.

Pinkie Pie motions behind Twilight with a hoof, “So, instead, I brought Applejack!”

“Howdy.”

Twilight spins around. Applejack is standing there, still wearing the Nightmare Moon armor and whistling to herself as she watches Twilight.

“So, uh, how’d you want to do this? Ah figured Ah’d just go back to the barn where we keep all the old Nightmare Night costumes, and talk about what they meant to me.” Applejack shrugs. “Pinkie Pie didn’t exactly give me a lot of time to prepare or nothing.”

“Yeah, she-” Twilight looks around. Pinkie Pie is nowhere to be seen, an empty hillside staring back at her. “Huh.”

“You comin’?” Applejack calls as she moseys down to the nearest barn. The door slides open, boxes devouring the orange pony. “Ah think,” echoes her voice from somewhere deep inside, “Ah! Yup, here it is.” Applejack’s head sticks out of one of the boxes, now wearing a fanged bat head.

“It’s a bat,” Twilight deadpans.

“Not just any bat,” Applejack says, her voice dropping to a warbling whisper. “A vampire bat!” She motions outside to the apple trees, “The most malicious of Malus masticators! These varmints threaten our crops every year, and they leave the half-eaten fruit on the tree! Ah do everything Ah can to get rid of them! Ah-”

“-I think we were talking about Nightmare Night,” Twilight interrupts.

“Oh. Right.” Applejack pulls out the rest of the bat costume, though she doesn’t put it on. “This beauty instills in everypony else the same fear that Ah have!”

“Really,” Twilight drawls.

“Ah-huh! Ooh, or this beauty here!” Applejack pulls out a pair of straw-stuffed overalls, hat, and jacket. “This here scare-crow keeps all them birds off’a the wheat fields!” She chuckles, “If only it worked on certain pegasi.”

“Right.” Twilight inspects her hoof for any dirt or scratches. Maybe she could use another visit to the spa.

Applejack sighs at Twilight’s lack of enthusiasm. “Surely there’s some Nightmare Night costume that you used to wear.” At Twilight’s shake of the head she offers, “Maybe a minus sign? Attached to an ‘A’?”

“No!” Twilight mockingly gasps, her hooves coming up to her mouth. “Not my score in Phys Ed!”

Applejack rolls her eyes. “Now, have Ah convinced you yet that Nightmare Night isn’t some horrible holiday that makes fun of Princess Luna, and that we do it to beat our own fears of what we think is scary?"

"I don't think you did anything of the sort," replies Twilight.

Applejack continues unabated, "Ah mean, last year Doug wore a butcher’s outfit and all but ate Rainbow in front of everypony, and they loved it!”

“Wait, what?” Twilight asks, her eyes growing wide.

“Yup! Everypony had a blast with it. He had these clinking chains that sent a shiver down your spine whenever he walked around!” Applejack shudders just thinking about it. “And then the hooks on the end! Whew, it was like Ah was visiting a dragon’s kitchen or something! And then afterwards, we played a game! Twilight, Ah’m telling you, Ah never had so much fun as when my friends were being murdered around me. Ah mean, it was all in the game, nopony really got hurt.”

Twilight stares at Applejack. “I think I missed something. You’re saying you really enjoyed being scared? And you want all this to continue?”

“Eeyup.” Applejack sighs heavily as she stares at the barn floor, shaking her head. “Well, Ah suppose then the only course left is to take you to the Nightmare Nights Yet To Come.” She sheds the bat hat, walking outside the barn and grabbing a fallen apple. Her eye squints as she peers among the apple trees. She grins, pulling her hoof back and chucking the apple at a tree.

“Ow!” comes a shout from the tree, a hoof rubbing the rainbow mane that pokes out. It quickly disappears, followed by a brightly colored pegasus slinking away from the brown tree.

“Off we go! Ooooo~” Applejack’s voice warbles up and down. All of a sudden a vortex of leaves stirs up, enveloping Twilight in a maelstrom of yellows and oranges and reds!

“Applejack?” Twilight hesitantly asks as the earth pony slips away. The leaves continue to rapidly spin around her, the wind whipping dangerously close to her tail, seemingly pushing her towards Ponyville. Twilight yelps as she hustles forwards, eventually settling on a fast walk.

Fifteen minutes later and all the leaves abruptly fall to the ground. Ahead of Twilight sit Doug and Fluttershy. Princess Luna is lying on her back, all three of them looking at her curiously. Either that or behind her where Rainbow Dash is panting on the ground and groaning as she stretches her sore wings.

“Princess Luna?” Twilight calls, glancing backwards. Rainbow motions forwards with a hoof before she collapses. Twilight walks forwards, “Um, I think I’m supposed to ask you something.”

“Yes?” Princess Luna replies, though she mostly focuses on Doug. “We are working on fitting in! It is so much the fun!”

“Yes,” Doug replies coldly, “She’s found that she has a love of belly rubs. Just like the rest of you. Apparently, I’m not allowed to stop.”

“We would no longer be having the fun if you were to stop.” Princess Luna nods exactly once.

“Well,” Twilight says, laying next to Doug and rolling so her belly is up as well, “You have two hands, yes?”

A deep growl rumbles in Doug’s throat.

“YES!!” Princess exclaims in the Royal Canterlot. She immediately quails as Doug stops rubbing. “No! We are most sorry! It shall not happen again!”

“That’s the fourth time you’ve said that,” Doug says, pulling away. “It’s time I put-”

“No!” Fluttershy quietly shouts as she pushes Doug back to Princess Luna. “You must! Give her another chance!”

“Fluttershy,” Doug draws out before he takes a deep breath. Unfortunately for him, all three mares are staring at him with wide, quivering eyes that slowly well with tears. Except for Fluttershy, whose eyes have a single tear rolling down her cheek, a soft sniffle escaping her nose.

“Fine.” Doug huffs. “This is the last chance.” He stares at Princess Luna, the mare’s muzzle curling to the saddest of frowns. “No more Royal Canterlot.”

“Just a little Royal Canterlot?” pleads one of the diarchs of Equestria. “Sometimes it slips out! And we have no control of it!”

Doug grunts, his hand coming to Luna’s belly once again.

“You have two hands,” Luna purrs out, her head nodding along.

Doug sighs as a short whine escapes Twilight’s throat. His second hand comes up to Luna’s belly, mirroring the other.

“Yey! The fun has been doubled!” Luna writhes on the ground, grinning uproariously. “Are we done with the having fun? We would like to continue our lessons on fitting in next.”

“I think Twilight had a reason for coming back,” Doug says, attempting to remove a hand from Luna. A dark blue hoof immediately swipes it back, returning to his previous spot on her belly.

“I think I’m supposed to ask Princess Luna what it would be like if she got rid of Nightmare Night.” Twilight glances over at the mare hogging all the belly rubs. “Let me guess. Belly rubs all night?”

“Pretty sure that’s every day that ends in ‘y’ around here,” Doug quips.

“Yes!” Princess Luna exclaims, her body shaking back and forth. “That shall be the Royal Decree! Nightmare Night is cancelled! It shall instead be a celebration with cakes and fun games and most importantly belly rubs!”

Twilight looks down her belly-rubless belly, then at Fluttershy. The pegasus has moved to where Doug’s boot is lightly pressing on her belly, making little circles, but clearly not enjoying it as much as the alicorn. Twilight nods resolutely. “Then I know what I have to do.”

“You do?” asks Fluttershy, a worried expression coming over her face.

“Yes.” Twilight rolls over, standing on her hooves. “If that is what you wish to become of this holiday, it leaves me no choice. Princess Luna, I am hereby challenging you for the use of Nightmare Moon!”

114 The Twilight Moon, Part Five

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You… you can do that?” Princess Luna says, her mouth opening wide. She turns to Doug as he pulls away from her, Fluttershy leaping at the opportunity to bare her belly underneath him. “Can she do that?”

Before Doug can respond Twilight loudly asserts, “Yes!” At Princess Luna’s grunt she continues, “Well, I’m doing it anyway!”

Princess Luna shakes her head, “No, thou misunderstands. How wouldst thou acquire the Nightmare from me?” She looks down at her hoof, turning it first one way and then the other. “She is the incarnation of our desire for admiration and adoration, made manifest after years of spite and covetousness.” She raises her head to inspect Twilight. “We were not under the impression that thou suffered from our affliction, and t’would be hubris of the highest order to assume others suffer our own fatal flaws.”

“Oh.” Twilight shrugs. “I figured I’d just copy the costume, actually. I don’t actually want to, you know, plunge Equestria into eternal darkness or anything.” Twilight coughs as Princess Luna’s eyes narrow. “Too soon?”

Princess Luna grimly frowns at Twilight before shaking her head. “It seems ill-suited, for a holiday to commemorate any aspect of our descent into madness. Dishonoring and insulting, now that we have returned, no longer beholden to our cravings.” She motions towards Ponyville and the decorations depicting Nightmare Moon. “Surely you can have the same effect without invoking our former self?”

Doug says, “Nopony would scream at Dread Nightmare Sparkle.” He glances up from Fluttershy’s belly, the two mares staring blankly at him. “What? I’m saying, it’s the name that inspires the necessary fear.”

“That can’t be right,” Twilight says. “I’m sure I could make a great name for myself as Dread Nightmare Sparkle!”

“Sure, but it’s so much easier to co-opt an existing persona and infamy for your own use.” Doug motions to Princess Luna, “While the idea of parties and games sounds great, I think it’s a combination of the novelty of the holiday, it being the one of its kind. Sort of like you,” Doug says, winking at the alicorn.

“Despite our earlier demeanor, we are not so easily swayed by empty words,” Princess Luna coldly retorts. “And thou wouldst do well to remind yourself of that fact the next time we are looking to learn about fitting in.”

Doug briefly looks at Princess Luna before continuing, “The second reason ponies like the holiday is because Celestia, your loving and caring sister, did her level best to keep the memory of you a pleasant one. Not unrealistically sweet and saccharine, or nopony would have bought it. Instead, she commemorates both your failures and successes. And the way ponies are able to triumph over their fears and doubts, even if it wasn't true for everypony.”

Princess Luna scoffs, “Any successes we had as the Nightmare meant the loss of dozens of ponies, if not more, on both sides of the battlefield. That is hardly the cause for celebration.”

Doug nods, “True, and yet, she chooses to memorialize them all just the same. In fact, I look forward to the yearly show she puts on at the start of the year, and I’m looking forward to the spin you put on the stars.”

Princess Luna’s eyes raise to the night sky. It is still mostly covered by dark clouds, though there is no threat of rain, no oppressive and disgusting humidity that threatens to dampen both spirit and coat. There is a single break in the clouds, perfectly situated to cast the alicorn of the night in the moon’s glow. “It has been too long,” Princess Luna concedes, “since any pony looked on us with anything but terror in their eyes. Or a cold, calculating gaze that weighs the likelihood or us reverting to our earlier jealous ridden state, of yet again slipping and falling into that abyss.”

Her eyes rip away from the invigorating rays, rounding on Doug and Twilight. “And yet you believe, that by playing the part of the villain once again, that ponies will cast aside their mistrust and misgivings? Instead showering me with admiration and adoration?”

“Yes.” Twilight beams at Princess Luna. “And I know just how to do it.”

Several minutes later some of the ponies in Ponyville stop flitting from one activity to another, their ears and eyes swiveling around, as if trying to find something that they could just barely not put their hoof on. No pony can pinpoint the cause, just a lack of commotion around them that draws their attention. The silence spreads like a contagion until the entirety of Ponyville is unmoving, everypony afraid of breaking the calm.

A solitary mare serenely walks into town, her luminescent cobalt mane trailing behind her like an aurora. Her teal eyes scan everypony in turn, the Ponyvillian’s heads barely turning to keep the alicorn in sight. Minutes stretch on as she ambles forwards, until she arrives at the center stage.

“Citizens Of Ponyville,” Princess Luna booms in the Royal Canterlot, “A Decree Has Been Set! There Shall No Longer Be The Festival Known As Nightmare Night!”

The words hang in the air for several long seconds, echoing from one building to another. Nopony dares to say a word, instead exchanging fearful glances, or disappointedly scuffing at the dirt.

Until one brave pony decides to speak his mind.

“Awww,” moans Pipsqueak, his dam desperately trying to silence him. “I didn’t think that my very first Nightmare Night would also be my very last.”

Princess Luna’s muzzle curls to a scowl as conversations spring like weeds in a flowerbed. “I wanted to be a pirate next year!” “I wanted to be a zombie!” “I was going to be a timberwolf!” “That Star Swirl the Bearded costume was the best!”

Silence fills Ponyville as all eyes rise to a chariot sweeping through the skies. The two armor clad pegasi swoop down, landing just long enough for the sole rider to leap out.

Her dark horn shines a bright magenta, her fanged maw sneering a condescending smile. Two wings lay folded against her sides, her hooves shod with gleaming teal and purple horseshoes that reach nearly to her knees. The teal and purple barding covers her cutie mark, adorned with a white moon surrounded by a purple haze. She bellows, “Princess Luna! Your pathetic attempt to ruin Nightmare Night, my night, shall not succeed!”

Princess Luna theatrically gasps. “Nightmare Moon! No! You shall not claim this holiday, and use it to further your dark desires! It shall instead be a peaceful celebration, full of games and joy and love for our fellow ponies!”

“Pah!” spits out Nightmare Moon, strutting past the stage to regard the many ponies, all of whom are standing still as statues. A breeze blows through the crowd, Nightmare Moon’s dark and poofy mane billowing away from her. The breeze soon shifts in register, no longer the pleasant rush of wind but instead a discordant harmony, all minor chords and a harsh, grating melody.

Nightmare Moon calls to the crowd, “What do you all think? Should we bow to this pathetic version of Nightmare Night?” She pauses a few seconds as the music fades, raising a hoof to her ear and reveling in the silence. “That is what I thought!” she shouts as she turns, strutting back the way she came. “Or, do you think it should be a great and powerful festival devoted to me! Nightmare Moon!”

A few scattered hoofsteps ring through the town center, many ponies on the brink of cowering down, though none have bolted outright.

“I can’t hear you!” Nightmare Moon shouts.

“You heard the mare!” Pinkie Pie shouts from close to the stage, demonstrating by stomping her hooves on the ground. “You’ll have to cheer for the pony you want to win!”

Princess Luna steps forward, “And if you think that your ruler, the Princess of the Night, should grace this holiday with her blessing, the blessing of the Moon, then stomp! My little ponies, stomp for me!”

The smattering of hooves turns to a roar, half of the ponies in the crowd stomping along.

Nightmare Moon gallops, leaping to the stage and nearly bowling over Princess Luna. “And, if you think that I, the illustrious Nightmare Moon, should remain the sole steward of this holiday, stomp for me! This holiday shall be filled with frights and scares, not delights and cares!”

The first half of the crowd quiets down, only for the second half to stomp along, an equally thunderous reply.

“Well,” Princess Luna says, righting herself and facing down her slightly shorter counterpart. The music returns, this time a lilting melody every time she speaks, “we appear to be equally matched.”

“Then it is time.” The music changes again to a minor key as Nightmare Moon’s horn flares, a blade of white coalescing out of thin air. She waves it around experimentally as her violet eyes narrow. “Prepare yourself!”

The crowd gasps as Princess Luna’s horn shines, a cobalt dagger with a blade of obsidian appearing next to her. She yells, “We shall ensure that everypony has a multitude of games and fun to choose from!” The crowd stomps along as she leaps forward, striking towards Nightmare Moon.

The white blade parries the dagger as Nightmare Moon retorts, “So shall we, but the games shall be of a dreadful sort that scare and spook!” Her blade clangs against the dagger in a heated exchange. The blades lock as their hooves dig in. They grit their teeth, struggling to overpower the other, ending up snarling inches away.

“One, low, three,” whispers Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna returning the barest of nods.

The two mares shove away from each other, panting heavily. Their blades return to the ready as they slowly get up, cautiously circling and searching for any weaknesses. Nightmare Moon swipes high that Princess Luna parries, then a low sweep that she jumps over, following her sequence of attacks with a stab directly towards the Princess's chest.

“All you desire is for pranks and mean tricks against the unwary!” Princess Luna’s voice raises as she knocks the blade to the side. The stomping around the stage grows louder, it almost difficult to make out her voice.

Nightmare Moon whips her blade back around, on the defensive. “And all you desire is to make ponies one and the same! We don’t need another feast commemorating how we live in peace and harmony! Sometimes, we need a festival to each of our fears, and how we are greater than them, even when they frighten us! Is that not courage, what makes a pony a pony?”

The crowd roars, but it is not as loud as before.

Princess Luna advances, her dagger leaving cobalt lines through the air as she slashes back and forth. “The people have spoken, Nightmare Moon! Your reign of tyranny is at an end!”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes go wide as she backs up, step after step and parry after parry until she suddenly trips, a loud crash as she lands on her back. Her blade slips back to her, just in time to again lock against the cobalt dagger.

“You are beaten, Nightmare Moon!” Princess Luna thunders to the cheer of the crowd as she presses down, her horn flaring brighter. “Surrender!”

Nightmare Moon delivers her coup de grace in a whispered tone that somehow makes it to everypony’s ears, “But, listen to the crowds. They are having the time of their lives. And this would never have happened under one of your festivals.” The roar of the Ponyvillians doubles as her maniacal grin spreads, everypony now stomping to her defense.

Princess Luna’s eyes go wide as the white blade pushes past her dagger. Her hooves flail as she topples backwards, her dagger clattering to the stage as the white blade rests against her exposed throat.

“I am beaten,” she admits, a heavy sigh. “You shall have your Night.”

Nightmare Moon grins as she backs up, her horn and blade winking out. She bows to the crowd, motioning with her hoof to Princess Luna. The crowd cheers louder, whistling and stomping and a lone pair of hands clapping.

“But we are taking our armor back,” Princess Luna retorts, her horn flaring. The alicorn is now clad in her teal and purple peytral, helmet and hoofguards, long white fangs sticking from her smiling grin.

On the other side of the stage, still bowing and holding a hoof out, is Trixie. “Gotcha,” she says with a wink.

115 The Endurance

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November 2nd, 1000 Domina Solaria

“I’m not saying I don’t know why we have to do it,” Rainbow Dash grumbles as she paws against Doug’s light jacket, trying to nuzzle her way inside. “I’m saying that I don’t like that we have to do it.” She and Applejack are snuggling on the couch with Doug, waiting for the annual Running of the Leaves later that day. At the base of the couch rests Twilight, her head buried in a book about how earth ponies pull off the season change. Medivh and Winona are sitting at the window, watching the sun tick higher and higher, while Tank makes lazy circles around the ceiling.

“It’s just two extra days of work in the cold,” Applejack retorts, her own coat already starting to fluff up in response to the lowering temperatures. “Ah don’t mind working in the cold all that much. Takes a bit more out'a me, sure, but two more days growing means two more days we’re making bits instead’a losing ‘em.” She nudges Doug from her spot next to him, though with a bit more insistence that they get moving instead of staying put on the couch.

“And I don’t mind either, but I’m just saying that Cloudsdale being around throws a wrench in things.” Rainbow huffs. “And we’ve got the chief weathermares constantly flying around. I feel like I’ve always gotta be looking like I’m working, even if we’re just supposed to let the clouds rest!” Rainbow manages to unbutton Doug’s jacket, snaking her way inside and shoving her nose into his armpit.

“Rainbow!” Doug yelps, though the two mares next to him keep his shudder from moving much. “How do you possibly get your nose so cold!?”

Rainbow’s voice is muffled by the body in her way, “Working outside. Duh.” She rolls slightly to peer up at him, “You kinda have to pay a little attention to what we’re talking about.” She pushes her way back in, warming up her nose while Doug grumbles to himself, laying back down, one arm against resting against Applejack while the other flips through yet another weather report.

“Well, you’d be working out there regardless,” Applejack continues. She looks outside, Cloudsdale having passed Ponyville and continuing towards Canterlot. “It really that bad working winter weather instead’a autumn? Ah didn’t think it was.”

“Autumn’s harder, sure, but it’s not too bad. Winter’s harder to set up, takes longer, but autumn keeps you working all day at a lighter rate.” Rainbow looks up at Tank, the tortoise sleepily bumping into the wall, his little torticopter starting to slow down as well. “Twi, I think Tank needs another recharge.”

“I redid the spell this morning, at your insistence, even though it lasts for at least a week.” Twilight turns her head to regard Rainbow, “As I told you before, the problem isn’t his ride running out of juice.”

Rainbow huffs as she rolls her eyes, resting her head on Doug’s chest and staring at him from underneath his report. “What do you think, big guy? Do tortoises hibernate?”

“No idea,” Doug replies, flipping to another page.

Rainbow ponders this for a few seconds. Above her, Tank yawns, smacking his lips a few times before nodding off. “Do humans hibernate?”

“You’ve known me for seven years, Rainbow.” Doug lowers his eyes from the report to stare into hers. “What do you think?”

“Hey, just because you don’t hibernate doesn’t mean that humans don’t hibernate.” Rainbow cuddles up next to Doug. “For all I know, us mares keeping you nice and warm all winter keeps you from hibernating.” She pokes him in the belly with a cold hoof, grinning at his brief grimace.

“Humans don’t hibernate,” Doug says, his hand leaving Applejack to poke Rainbow in the belly. “And you’re the one putting on winter fluff.” Rainbow’s eyes narrow as Doug’s finger scratches her lighter belly fur. He continues in a sing-song voice, “And it makes you just the cutest!” as he nuzzles the back of her head. "Yes it does! Who's a-"

“You’re lucky it’s just the four of us,” Rainbow says with a mock glare, her cold hoof coming up to silence Doug. “I’ve got an image to maintain!” She snuggles up next to Doug, just for Applejack to push off the couch.

“Alright, you two, Ah think it’s close enough. We best be going, now.” Applejack turns from the front door, eyes tracing over Doug as he buttons up his jacket and puts on his lighter boots. She shudders briefly, forcing a smile. “Ah’m sorry, Doug. It just don’t seem right, you racing in that outfit.”

“You’d rather I just be in boots, gloves, and a hat?” Doug chipperly asks as he lightly punches Applejack in the withers. He dons the last two of those items with a shiver. Each of the ponies mimics the action as they step outside. Even if there isn’t any snow on the ground - well, any is too strong, since a certain gray pegasus likes to stomp on the big poofy white clouds that Cloudsdale ships all over Equestria in preparation for winter - the chill air still nips at any exposed flesh, a portent of the winter’s wrath.

Or, maybe it is just a fluke from Cloudsdale being in the area. Regardless, the four competitors head to a clearing by the Whitetail Woods. Several tables are set up with refreshments, others with articles of winter clothing for those who forgot to bundle up, and the registration desk. Applejack gets her ‘8’, Rainbow Dash her ‘11’, and Doug his ‘73’.

Doug raises an eyebrow when Twilight gets number ‘42’. “Any particular reason you chose that number?”

“No, not really,” Twilight replies. She glances back at her flank, the paper fusing to her coat. “Why? Does it mean something special?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Doug says as they head to the starting line, setting up near the back of the pack of ponies waiting to begin. “Just a reference. Don’t worry about it.” Twilight nods, a slightly confused look as they seem to be facing the wrong way.

Far off to the side Pinkie Pie hoofs Cherry Berry a bag of bits, then clambers into the Twinkling Balloon. She grins as Spike leaps up next to her, now an aerial view for her announcing. Her grin grows even wider as Lemon joins in next, though she has to draw the line somewhere. The balloon takes off, hovering above the competitors and participants.

Mayor Mare steps up first. “Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to this year’s annual Running of the Leaves! As you all well know, during this time we gallivant through the woods in order to bring about the end of fall! With, of course, the falling of the leaves! So, without further ado!” Mayor Mare motions upwards.

Pinkie Pie pulls out a large gong from inside the balloon, Lemon a mallet nearly as big as she is. Spike’s eyes go wide, diving for cover and covering his ears as Pinkie Pie holds the gong off the railing. Lemon nearly falls out of the balloon as she swings the mallet, a deep ringing reverberating across the clearing.

“And they’re off!” Spike shouts as the race begins, a horde of ponies stampeding down the path. A great cloud of dust rises up, blocking the sights and sounds of the Whitetail Woods to either side.

Twilight runs with Applejack, Rainbow, and Doug to the starting line, but as she enters the dust they seem to disappear. She stops, waiting for the dust to clear; did they race ahead already? Well, Dr. Eckhed’s Guide to Running recommended that she pace herself. There is no such thing as going too slow! All she-

“Ugh, they’re going the wrong way again!”

Twilight turns, her mouth opening as she turns, spotting her herdmates running the wrong direction! And at a pretty good clip, too, though they seem to be hanging back and looking at her. It isn’t until Doug waves his arm, dropping back even further, that she finally gets her legs moving to follow along.

“Doug!” Twilight calls as she gets close, the human easily matching her pace. “You’re going the wrong way!”

“No we’re not!” Doug says with a smile. “While there may have been several proposed amendments to the rules of the Running of the Leaves to designate a certain direction as the ‘correct’ one, they have all died in committee or been fillybustered.”

“It’s pronounced ‘filibuster’,” Twilight retorts, glancing back at the start line.

“Regardless,” Doug says with a smirk, picking up his pace a little, though they stand little chance of catching Applejack and Rainbow Dash, “it’s how we’ve run the race the last, oh, six years or so. Plus, gets me away from the string of competitors up ahead, letting me enjoy the sights.”

“That’s what I wanted to see, too!” Twilight exclaims with a smile. “It’s so fascinating, watching the leaves turn color and fall, even if it’s just from two ponies! And, I suppose, once we swap places with the main group we’ll be able to see fall in all its glory!”

“Yeah, just have to watch out for any stray stumps or rocks,” Doug says as he steps to the side, dodging a particularly nasty looking stump. “Though, with my boots, or your hooves, I suppose it isn’t as much of an issue.”

“Yeah,” Twilight says, inspecting her hooves before turning her sights back on the trees around them. She’s barely even feeling winded, even at their fast pace! “Hey, thanks for going running with me before. Do you run every morning?”

“Rain or snow,” Doug replies with a smile, though he cocks an eye as Rainbow is walking along the path, her head watching the trees around her. Doug calls out, “You okay?”

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine,” Rainbow replies, a slightly worried look on her face. “Hey, Doug, I’m, um, curious.”

“Curious,” Doug says flatly. He doesn’t slow down, but Rainbow easily matches his pace.

Rainbow nods. “Curious. Hyperthetically, if I wanted to, say, keep an animal. Like, a bear. You know Harry?”

Doug briefly closes his eyes. “I don’t know if bears make good pets, but go on.”

“Not as a pet!” Rainbow rolls her eyes. “I mean, if I wanted to keep a bear from hibernating, what would I do?”

“I would ask Fluttershy,” Doug says.

“I’m asking you.” Rainbow sighs. “Fluttershy will just tell me that hibernating is good for certain animals, and that they need the time to rest and recuperate and that messing with that cycle is bad for them.”

“It sounds to me like you already asked her.” Doug glances over to see Rainbow roll her eyes again. “But, from what I remember, animals hibernate to conserve energy and stay warm. They start hibernating when it gets cold, and the days get shorter.” Doug glances upwards. “So, to keep a hypothetical animal from hibernating, I would write Princess Celestia and ask her to keep the days nice and long.”

“She said no,” Rainbow Dash replies. “And then proceeded to lecture me about how the ground is like a hibernating animal, and needs the time to replenish and some other gibberish that I didn’t understand.”

“I hardly think my explanation was gibberish,” Princess Celestia says from behind the three. They each turn to look at the alicorn; her stride, while longer, falls perfectly in time with them.

“Sup,” Doug says with a short head nod. Celestia nods back. Twilight and Rainbow Dash gape at the Princess, their internal debate of whether or not to bow solved by Doug continuing to run forwards, Celestia staying with him.

“The Falling of the Leaves is one of my favorite times of year. After all, it heralds winter, and all the wonderful celebrations during that time. After all, ponies - just like the land - need a time of rest. It’s why we added Stallion’s Day to the week, after all.”

Doug nods, then turns to Rainbow. “To answer your question, though. Barring that, I would try to keep him well fed and warm. Maybe use a greenhouse.”

“Why would the color of a house matter?” Rainbow asks, flipping her mane forwards and looking at the green strands.

Doug shakes his head, “No, a greenhouse is a house made of glass. It lets light in, but doesn’t let heat out, so it stays nice and warm. That way you can grow plants and stuff year round.”

Rainbow’s eyes grow wide. “Doug, I’m begging you, don’t ever tell Applejack about that, or we’ll never get another day off!”

Doug reaches over, rubbing Rainbow on the head. “No need to worry about that. I like my time off, too.” He looks over at Princess Celestia. “So, why are you here again?”

Princess Celestia shrugs. “With Cloudsdale here, this is the only Running of the Leaves happening right now. All the others happened prior. I like the holiday, so I decided to show up. Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Nah, just curious,” Doug says, the four continuing at their fast pace.

116 Lost Worlds

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November 16th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Rainbow Dash sits at the window of the Carrot House, her forelegs crossed under her muzzle. She is still dressed in her Rarity designed winter garb, a purple hat with a little cotton ball covering her mane, red scarf around her neck, and purple booties with rainbows on the back. Her custom saddlebags, the ones she uses to fly Scootaloo around, lay crumpled by the front door, the torticopter next to them.

She sighs; a long, forlorn sigh, full of reminiscing and disappointment and regret over missed opportunities. She looks out over the southeast part of Sweet Apple Acres; past the main farmhouse, past the fallow fields of wheat, all the way to the tree by the river where she buried her friend.

Well, not buried, buried. He is only hibernating, after all. And he did half the work, covering himself back up. But that doesn’t make the loss any easier.

She flinches as a gloved hand slips under her hat and caresses her ears. She immediately pushes up against him, letting the cold fingers dig deeper into her. Doug is still wearing his light winter outfit, the ones he wears when he’s around the house or working (or playing) hard outside.

“You doing okay?”

Rainbow’s eyes flick back, noting Doug’s soft smile. She can’t manage to bring out one of her own. “Yeah, big guy. I’m doing okay.”

Several seconds pass, the fingers scratching along each color, leisurely traveling from purple to red. “I still think my plan would have worked,” Doug says with a cheeky grin.

Rainbow rolls her eyes. “Come on, Doug. We’re gullible, but we’re not that bad. I know ponies would have noticed that after Fall Wrap Up yesterday there wasn’t any snow on the ground, and the temperatures were rising. I know you said the math works out, but I’m pretty sure that we would have needed Princess Celestia on board. Just having clear skies wouldn’t have been enough.”

“Okay, okay, you’re probably right,” Doug concedes. “It still might have been too cold for him. I don’t know how warm he needs it, and you didn’t like the idea of changing the Cloudominium into a greenhouse. Still, it’s a better plan than blowing up the weather factory.”

“Hey! I wouldn’t have blown up the whole weather factory.” Rainbow chuckles to herself, a smile finally appearing. “Just the winter part of it. And even then, all I’d need to do is sabotage the water storage tanks. Without water, you can’t make clouds, and without clouds, there isn’t any snow!”

“Okay, but why go to those lengths when you can just schedule clear skies and no snow? You’re head weathermare in Ponyville, and I write the schedules. We’re back to my plan all over again. Without the destruction of property charges and, what, community service?”

“Well, there had to be some reason, or ponies would complain to me.” Rainbow pauses, then sighs in defeat. “Yeah. I guess my plan was a little shortsighted.”

“A little?”

Rainbow plows on, “Plus, they probably would have just used up the aquifer to replenish Cloudsdale’s water tanks. Or made me haul buckets.” She grins at the tree. “I’m just glad I was able to cash in some leave, spend as much time as I could with the little guy.”

“And what a good two weeks they were.” Doug shakes his head. “Never thought I’d see a tortoise get the drop on you with a snowball.” Doug digs into Rainbow a little deeper. “You going to be okay?”

“Well, I’m not going to be alone,” Rainbow replies, back to staring at the tree, this time with a smile on her face. “I’ve got you, and Scootaloo, and the rest of the herd.”

“And it’s not goo-”

“Hey!” Rainbow softly shouts, a mock glare at Doug. “What did I say about using the ‘g’ word?”

“That it’s ‘I’ll see you again, soon’.” Doug smiles as he rubs Rainbow’s mane. They sit in silence for a few minutes, just watching the trees shake in the cold wind. Doug breaks the silence with an apologetic whisper, “Well, the mail’s gonna be here soon, and…”

Rainbow grips Doug’s hand, tugging him back to her with a shake of her head. “Please don’t leave me,” she whispers back, her voice trembling.

“I’ll stay as long as you need me,” Doug whispers back, hand rubbing against the hoof gripping him. “But it’ll just be a moment, okay?”

Rainbow sinks down as she releases his hand. “Okay,” she sighs, turning to watch as Doug gets up, walking over to the couch. Her eyes brighten as he lifts, zipping over to the other side to help him drag the couch to the window. A smile breaks out on her muzzle as he lays down, happily hopping on top of him. She looks out the window, still able to see the tree. “You can read those reports from there, right?”

“Long as I’m not too distracted,” Doug replies with a wink. “But, I might get a little hot. Probably need to lose the jacket.”

“Mm,” Rainbow sultrily purrs, “Might need to lose the pants, too.”

Several minutes later a loud ‘thud’ comes from something smacking into the front door. “It’s open,” Doug calls. The door opens after a few seconds, a gray pegasus mare peeking her head in.

“Hi, Doug!” One yellow-orange eye focuses on the human laying on the couch, then the mare relaxing as she lays straddling his hips. “Hi, Rainbow!” She lifts the heavy mailbag. “I brought the mail!”

“Thanks, Derpy,” Doug says with a smile, not moving from his spot. “Just sling them over here.”

“Okay!” Derpy says, whipping the mailbag towards Doug as hard as she can. Doug raises his arms just in time, blocking the stuffed mailbag from smacking him in the face. It falls to the floor, papers spilling out. “Oops!”

“It’s fine.” Doug forces a smile and wave. “Just close the door on your way out.”

“Have a good lay, you two!” Derpy says with a smile, waving as she leaves. Several seconds later she returns, a sheepish smile as she closes the door.

“Now,” Rainbow grins as she starts sliding her body up and down, “where were we?”

“Let’s see.” Doug sifts through the scattered envelopes, stacking up the thick reports off to one side. “Hey, there’s a letter from Applebaum!” He glances over as the door opens, Applejack making her way inside.

“Just saw Derpy,” Applejack says with a hopeful smile as she shakes a bit of the snow off her blue jacket. Her eyes widen as she spots the letter. “It came?”

“Looks like it.” Doug rips open the letter as Applejack trades a nuzzle with Rainbow, then lays next to the couch. “Seems a bit bigger than her previous ones.” He pulls the letter out, reading aloud.

Dear Applejack, and the rest of the herd,

Sorry, I’ve been-

“Hey!” Applejack interrupts, nudging Doug, the hint of a tear welling in her eye that will never escape. “Read it like her!”

“Fine,” Doug says, crinkling the page as the door opens again, this time Rarity and Sweetie Belle entering. Rarity rolls her eyes, levitating a blanket to cover Rainbow, much to the pegasus’ chagrin. She removes her teal hat and purple glasses, Sweetie Belle taking off her green coat. More and more of the herd arrives as Doug begins reading.

Sorry, Ah’ve been so busy workin’ that Ah haven’t been able to send more than a short letter the last two weeks. Ah had to catch up with mah schoolin’, ‘cause even though Ah told mah teachers that Ah wouldn’t be in class the week of the trip, they still made me do the homework. But, Ah can already hear you tellin’ me that Ah need to do the work Ah should, so Ah did it without complainin’. Much.

Doug looks over, Applejack mouthing exactly that.

But, on to the trip! They had me doin’ inventory, which was fun and all, Ah guess. But then, when we got to the temple? It was huge! The two pegasi we hired to clear out the sky, Raindrops and Sunshower, they didn’t want to step hoof anywhere near it. So they just stayed outside the entire time. They were supposed to be on the lookout, too, but they never told me for what. So, at first, it was just Dr. C and Withers that went down while everypony else got the airship secured.

They came back after a couple minutes. Well, not to the airship, but to the stagin’ area we set up underneath. Ah rode down with Biff and Rogue, and since there weren’t much to do they let me come along. Well, if Ah thought the temple was big on the outside, it was even bigger on the inside! There were these giant stone doors, most of which were already open and empty. But Dr. C asked me if Ah thought we could crack the others open. The way the smooth stone was carved, normally you wouldn’t, not without breakin’ the stone into pieces. We had some dynamite, but we wanted to just open them in case the valuables inside were fragile or something.

So, we got out these metal pry pars and pitons, and sunk them into the stone. There was a little latch that you needed to lift up hidden along the side. You needed some key to unlock it, but slippin’ a pry bar in between the door and the wall and liftin’ worked just as well. Biff and Rogue are really strong, like, almost Big Mac strong, and they dragged that stone right away while Ah held the latch up!

After we opened the door, Dr. C got really jumpy, like he was afraid somepony would be attackin’ right then, or comin’ in to swipe something that was rightfully his. Well, none of this stuff was ‘rightfully’ his, but as far as lootin’ a forgotten temple goes it’s pretty much like Herd Dinner at the Apple’s, first come first served and no gripin’ about missin’ a dish you wanted. Ah asked him what he was afraid of, and this dreamy look fills his eyes for a brief moment, kind of like when Sweetie Belle talks about Spike when it’s only us fillies in the room-

Sweetie Belle gulps, nervously looking around as the entirety of the herd has crammed themselves into the room. Fortunately for her, everypony, including Rainbow Dash, seems enraptured by the story.

-and then he shakes his head and snorts. He tells me it ain’t none of my business, that we should just keep goin’ on like nothin’s wrong, but he’s gettin’ excited like Daddy does whenever Rainbow comes home early.

Eyes in the room turn towards Rainbow, the pegasus stopping her up and down motion. “What?”

“She’s not wrong, per se,” Doug says as he rubs the rainbow mane, a slight shake of his head as he continues.

Ah can’t tell you exactly what we got, but you wouldn’t believe how much stuff we were able to get out of the temple! Mister B was confident that the Priestess could take it, so we kept loadin’ her up with rock after bigger rock! Most were really shiny, and some were statues in weird geometric shapes. There were also two sets of these sun and moon figurines that Dr. C said the Princesses would be really happy to see! Ah think they were the reason we were there in the first place, because he stopped looking so frantic and everypony relaxed after we got them back to the Priestess.

There were a couple more doors, including this one secret passageway that Dr. C stumbled into. It was really scary, when he fell down, ‘cause the passageway closed up after him! Biff was all for blowin’ the ceiling to get to him, but before we tried anything rash he told us to wait fifteen minutes first, while he searched for another way out. Wouldn’t want rocks fallin’ on him, of course. Ah searched around until Ah found a thinner section of wall. We’d have to blow it up to get him out! It was hard, because the room he was trapped in wasn’t that big, and the walls pretty solid. Well, Ah didn’t blow it up so much as weaken it, so that we could make a hole big enough for him to climb out. He must have been searchin’ really hard, because he was pantin’ and sweaty when he came out. Everypony was really proud of me then!

So, we pack everything we can carry into the Priestess. There were three pegasi helping us clear out the Everfree storms on the way back. Ah don’t know where the third one came from, and she called herself Ms. Amy K. Maybe Mister B sent word to Cloudsdale, and got more help? Because the storms were really bad.

Then on the way back Ah did inventory of everything we got. One of the figurine sets was missin’. Ah told Dr. C, but he said to not to worry about it, that the Princess would be happy with the set she got. Ah was confused, because Ah thought both Princesses wanted a set, but he didn’t seem too concerned. So Ah let it drop.

The rest of the work that week was real boring, since Ah mostly practiced diggin’ and shorin’ up tunnels proper-like. Ah hate it, it don’t feel right, but if Ah can convince myself that Ah’m diggin’ to get to something to break open Ah do a lot better. School was fine. Ah miss your cookin’.

Love you all,

Applebaum

P. S. Ah got paid! Applejack, what do you do when you get all your bits from makin’ cider? And you better not say save for winter!

Applejack sniffs as she looks around at the herd, all smiling back at her. She nudges Rainbow’s head to the side, clearing the way to Doug’s mouth. He slips the paper back in the envelope, one hand leaving Rainbow’s flank to caress Applejack’s muzzle. He slowly guides her to him, exchanging a soft kiss.

“Doug,” Applejack says softly, just loud enough for the others to hear, “Ah want another.”

Doug smiles back at her, hand rubbing a bit more vigorously.

“And when you’re done with Rainbow,” Applejack whispers for his ears only, a short flick of her eyes to the pegasus still rocking up and down, “Ah want to practice.”

117 Perfection, Part One

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December 1st, 1000 Domina Solaria

Doug pulls the door open to the Carousel Boutique, the bell above chiming merrily. The dressmaker’s shop is mostly empty, the lights already dimmed against the night outside. He doesn’t recognize the pegasus mare chatting with Rarity, though the hat on her head and scarf around her neck are certainly the unicorn’s design.

Her eyes briefly flick over at the arriving human, returning to Rarity for half a second before the conversation comes to a screeching halt. Her face locks in place as she does a double take, her eyes growing wide. She steps to the side, then again, almost hiding behind the unicorn.

“What is that!?” she loudly exclaims, pointing a hoof at Doug accusingly.

Before the pegasus has a chance to continue Rarity puts a hoof on her back, the mare stopping abruptly. Rarity steps towards Doug, a warm grin on her muzzle as she brightly greets him. “Darling! Is it that time already? So good of you to come.” She turns back to the pegasus, offering a conciliatory smile, “I’m terribly sorry, dear, but Doug here does have an appointment. Let me know if you need any adjustments, or perhaps an accessory to spruce it up!”

The pegasus slowly nods, grunting out a, “Sure,” as she takes the long way around Doug. “You really should have let me know sooner.” Her eyes never leave him as she gets to the exit, scurrying outside in a burst of speed.

“So,” Doug says, a grimace replacing his pleasant smile, “finally able to slot me in?”

"Winter is my busiest time of the month. Lots of ponies needing a bit more to play in the snow, or repairing old garments. Why, it's my favorite time of year!" Rarity beams. "Though, the fashions can get a little stifling. Not enough variety, you know?" She frowns at Doug's lack of enthusiasm, walking up to nuzzle her stallion. “I am sorry about her,” Rarity says soothingly, her horn lighting and tidying up the various ribbons and decorations she was using to demonstrate accents. “She’s from Cloudsdale, and wasn’t expecting to see you, I’m sure.”

“Right.” Doug pulls off his jacket, shivering at the chill in the room and stepping towards the dressing area. “So, which measurements do you need?”

“I might as well take all of them,” Rarity says, motioning down with her head, a smile curling up. “Do you have any preference for what you wish to wear?”

Doug waves his hand in front of his chest, “I was thinking some sort of suit. Likely closer to a full body version instead of the halves or quarters I see some of the ponies around here wearing, but I trust your expertise, Madame.” He strips off his gloves as Rarity levitates over a tape measure that winds its way around his fingers and wrist. “Ah, making me another pair of gloves?” He grins. “I do like protecting my filly fondlers.”

Rarity rolls her eyes, stopping her measuring to give Doug the longest-suffering look she can.

“My mare massagers?” Doug asks, demonstrating on Rarity’s withers.

“Better, darling,” Rarity replies with a grin, pushing up against him, “and you do tend to go through them fairly quickly. Since I expect them to get a lot of use this winter, we’ll need to make sure they are well protected.” She steps back as the tape measure unravels, marking the measurements and taking a quick trace of his hand. “Of course, I did promise to you back when I got the ticket to the Gala that I would make a special pair, after all. Now, how did you want the design to go?”

“I was thinking each cutie mark on a knuckle, or possibly on the pads on the fingers.” Doug motions to the tips of each hand, rubbing them together. “Which do you think looks better?”

“Knuckle would be far more visible. And, while it might be nice to be rubbed by our cutie mark, I don’t necessarily like the implication that we are each ‘under your finger’, so to say.” Rarity pulls out one of her patterns for Doug’s gloves, her horn flaring and making a small teal diamond on one of the knuckles, then the tip.

“‘Under my thumb’ would be the correct idiom. Or wrapped around my finger.” Doug smirks, “I know you like to think I’m wrapped around your horn.”

“And am I wrong, darling?” Rarity asks, returning a smirk. At Doug’s silences her grin grows wider, returning to her work. “And I’m assuming you want them alternating right, then left, herd order?”

“Just like when we brought Twilight and Trixie in.” Doug inspects his hand, pressing first the knuckle on his index finger on the right hand, back and forth until he ends up on the pinkie on his right side.

Rarity flutters her eyelashes as she presses her head into his hand, eye widening as she stares up at him. “You know, that leaves three open spots. And, I'm just saying, there are three Princesses...”

“Come on, Rarity,” Doug replies with a bit of exasperation. “Just because you fantasize about that doesn’t mean that it’s something that is going to happen.”

“...Yet,” Rarity adds with a cheeky grin. “I know it’s different for stallions, but mares have certain needs.”

“Nah, stallions have those too.” Doug grunts as Rarity wraps a tape measure around his chest, lightly pulling him down.

"Yes, but it's not the same. And the Princesses have been waiting an awfully long time.” Rarity pecks Doug on the cheek as the front door opens, the bell chiming merrily. The two glance over before she releases him, the human standing up straight again. “Just saying.”

“Hi Rarity! Hi Doug!” Derpy calls as she stumbles into the store. “Oops!”

A loud clatter comes from the main entrance, Rarity facehoofing. She mutters, “How many times have I told her to wait in the entrance…” She forces a smile to Doug as she heads towards the gray pegasus mailmare.

Derpy is standing still, directly next to a knocked over ponnequin, whistling nonchalantly. “Great shop you got here!” She spins around, her tail knocking over a basket of ribbons. “Oops!”

“Thank you,” Rarity says, raising a hoof to ward off a bit of debris flying towards her. “Did you need something?”

“I have a letter for you!” Derpy says eagerly, spinning around to try to snatch a letter out of her mailbags. She eventually catches up, pulling the letter out with her teeth. “Here you go!”

“Shouldn’t your shift have finished hours ago?” Rarity asks as her horn lights, pulling the slightly damp letter away from Derpy and opening it up.

“...Yeah,” Derpy says, awkwardly shuffling her hooves back and forth. “But then I got lost, and…”

“It’s quite alright, dear,” Rarity says with a soft smile. She scans through the letter, her brow furrowing. “This can’t be right.”

“No, I’m sure this is the right place.” Derpy motions around her. “Carousel Boutique.” She points to the address on the letter. “Carousel Boutique. See?” She grins.

“Yes, yes,” Rarity says dismissively. She yells, “Spike!” as she turns to the stairs.

The sounds of scurrying comes from upstairs, followed by a door banging open. “Yes?” Spike calls from the top of the stairs.

“First, what have I said about leaving the door open?” Rarity asks, a hard look on her face.

Spike awkwardly kicks at the floor. “Nothing happened,” he ekes out. Sweetie Belle appears next to him, nodding along.

“Not the point. This is your second warning.” Rarity raises the letter in her blue aura. “More importantly, why do I have a letter from Hoity Toity's assistant, giving us a friendly reminder that Hoity Toity will be here tomorrow and wants to make sure everything is going to be ready for the 'big fashion show'?”

Spike’s eyes widen as Sweetie Belle takes a step away from him. “What? I talked to him when I went to Canterlot back in August, but I still remember it clearly! I’m certain that he said the twelfth of February. He even wrote it down!”

Rarity’s eyes widen, her breath coming in short spurts. “He wrote it down?” Another few quick breaths. “Not his assistant?” She grimaces as Spike nods his head. She races up the stairs and past Spike, throwing open the door to her office, the dragon following behind.

Derpy quietly states, “I’m going to go, if nopony minds.” Not hearing anything, she slinks to the front door. “Have a good lay, you two!” She leaves with a grin and wave, Doug rolling his eyes as he waves back, closing the door behind her.

“Um, yes?” Spike continues as Rarity sifts through her papers. “Why would that matter?”

“Because Hoity Toity writes how he talks!” Rarity rips out the relevant note. “See this?” She waves the paper back and forth. “What does that say?!”

The note is extraordinarily ornate for a very simple message, filled with swirls and accents, even a little drawing of a folded fan on the bottom. “The twelfth of two?” Spike stares at the note. “So what, he didn’t write out February? He’d have probably used up twice as much space.”

“No!” Rarity slams a hoof to her head. “You write letters for Twilight! How do you write the date?”

“Month, then day.” Spike pauses for a second. Rarity stares at him. Realization dawns on his face. “Oh.”

“‘Oh’ is right!” Rarity stuffs the note back into her file, then races back downstairs. “He probably wrote it down, and gave it to his assistant, and she scheduled him to come out here! That means that I have to finish all seven dresses by tomorrow morning!”

“Well, it’s better than tonight,” Spike says, though he quails as Rarity spins to glare at him. “Too soon?”

“It hardly matters if it is not soon enough, since I haven’t even started half of the dresses! This is going to be a disaster!” Rarity’s head thuds against the window, the reinforced glass holding up well. Her hooves pull at the skin under her eyes as she stares towards the train station, dreading the inevitable disaster of a show.

“Well, I only told him about the six of you, since I didn’t know Trixie would be joining the herd. Actually, what really got his interest was when I told him about Doug.” Spike glances over at Doug as the human sighs. “Sorry?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Doug says with a shake of his head. “I’ll probably get way more attention than I want at the Gala anyway, so might as well get them used to the concept now.” Doug grunts as he looks up at Cloudsdale, “I suppose they didn’t make a big fuss or anything about me being at the Best Young Flyers competition or anything.”

“No, I don’t think you were mentioned,” Rarity says offhoofedly. “Spitfire certainly didn’t say a word to the press, and other than the brief mention of a potential recruit losing a bunch of sprints I don’t think the papers said anything, either. Not enough ‘pony bites griffon’ in the story to make the headlines.”

“Yeah, well, maybe this time we’ll be able to give a little more heads up that I’m coming.” Doug shrugs, “Or, I’ll stay in the shadows the whole time. Who knows.”

“And no matter what you do, you’ll look fabulous doing it,” Rarity says with a grin. “But I still need to make five dresses and a suit!”

“You have one finished already?” Doug asks.

“Applejack, since I had her inspiration already. It’s just packed away. Upstairs, third floor. Do be a dear and pull it out for me, I’ll need to make sure that it fits.” Rarity sighs heavily, looking to Spike and Sweetie Belle. “I don’t suppose I can count on you two to round up the mares of the herd? Bring them here, though preferably not all at once. I’ll need them here to help design a unique and magnifique dress for each of them!” Rarity glances up at the clock, grimacing, “And it looks like I’ll have to work all night to do it!”

118 Perfection, Part Two

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“This looks tough,” Doug says with a frown, “but you can’t let it get you down!” His hand comes up to pet her mane, hoping her passion to inflame.

“You’re right!” Rarity exclaims with a grin, “I know just what I need to win! Without it, I can’t go wrong! What I need is-”

“A montage?” Doug interjects.

“No no no,” Rarity rejects. “A song!”

“Really?” Doug says as Rarity prances about, her horn flaring and pulling fabric out, then patterns, linings, and a ponnequin, everything she needs to begin.

“Chop chop!” Rarity yells to Sweetie Belle and Spike, “I won’t have this venture flop!” She motions with a bit of dislike, “Come now! If we want to finish, we cannot stop!”

“We’re on it!” replies Sweetie Belle.

“We won’t quit!” says Spike, as well. And so off at a run they scurry, slamming the door in a hurry.

Rarity spins, looking Doug up and down. Her muzzle curls briefly to a frown. No suit, or dress, or wedding gown would make a prince of this clown. Perhaps his winter garb she could cut down? Or spruce up, maybe with a crown? But nothing seems to be coming around, just yet another breakdown.

“Mind if I make a suggestion?” Doug says, a bit of hesitation.

“I suppose it won't hurt to mention,” Rarity replies with trepidation. What would become of his rumination? Would it lead to vexation or salvation?

Doug starts off, a little slow, “My armor, that you made for Nightmare Night. Do you think that would fit?”

Rarity smirks, horn aglow, “I doubt that it would cause a fright; no, not even a little bit. And I would not need to refit even a single outfit!” Her hooves stomp, a fast tempo, “Up to the attic, you easily fit; the armor must be sun-lit, though Luna’s influence we cannot omit, with no changes it would be quite unfit!”

Doug nods, “Right,” as he climbs up, Applejack’s dress to gather up. His own armor he cannot don, even with his impressive brawn, so he merely pushes it to the ledge, Rarity levitating it off the edge.

“Hmm.” Rarity inspects the armored garb, nearly pricking a hoof on a barb, “I fear the essence I must kill, and make this theme all for naught, to fit in our fashion show in Ponyville, to say nothing of when we go to Canterlot!”

“You had a vision when you made this!” Doug flourishes his motion to the plate. “You don’t want to ruin that making it something it’s not!”

“It would be quite remiss,” Rarity admits, her muzzle pulling straight, “to give up the plan without a thought. I suppose we can give it a shot. It’s just a first pass, is it not? To see what we have wrought!”

“That’s the spirit!” Doug exclaims, though he pales at a sudden crash. “That must be our first customer, beloved Rainbow Dash!”

“Now, wait a minute,” Rainbow Dash says, upstairs in a flash. “What’s this about? A show I’m in? I’m sure to make a splash!”

“Of course you will!” claims Rarity, a sketch she soon produces. Puffy white clouds trail the hem, rainbows criss-cross past a single red gem, a high ride she soon reduces. “A sense of awe we must instill! Now, Rainbow Dash, hold nothing back! Is it awesome, or merely great?”

“Eh,” Rainbow Dash says blankly. Motion around the room comes to a screeching halt. “It’s fine, I guess. I just want my dress to be cool.”

“Fine?” Rarity spits out sharply. She bobs up and down on her hooves, trying to get back in rhythm. “Do you not like the shape?”

Rainbow huffs a sharp breath, “The shape’s fine, just make it look cooler.”

Rarity grits her teeth. “Do you not like the color?”

“The color’s fine, just make the whole thing, you know, cooler.” Rainbow pauses, taking a deep breath. “It needs to be about… twenty percent cooler.”

Dun, Danun, Danun, Danununun

Rarity glares over at Doug, the human strumming on a few taut pieces of fabric like a guitar. “What?” he dumbly asks.

“Cut,” she starts before her face adopts a mask. “I could use some inspiration, to make my ideas a manifestation, of how ‘cool’ Rainbow wishes to be, and not some base mockery!”

“You got it!” Doug says, a hand rubbing his chin. “So, I love the rainbows, but maybe more like Rainbow’s tail?”

“That could fit.” Rarity grins as Doug gives Rainbow’s tail a spin. “Horizontal instead of vertical, along the trail? Yes! Marvelous! Soon, we shall prevail!”

“How about a helmet?” Rainbow Dash implores. “It would look sweet! A rainbow treat! For all in the realm!”

“Not to overwhelm it,” Rarity ignores, “But Doug already has you beat, a design I would hate to repeat. And I would not want to detain, that beautiful mane, by hiding it underneath a helm!”

“Pah,” Rainbow exhales, though she perks up at the revisions. “Hey! That’s pretty cool! The golden spools! That wrap around my hooves!” Her grin grows wide, flicking her mane aside, “And the wreath for my forehead!”

“I’m ever so glad that you agree!” though Rarity goes a little pale. This work requires extreme precision! Even a small, missed incision would split the dress, an entire division, should she suffer a single collision!

Can’t worry now, since more arrive, the downstairs crowded by the other five. Their clatter as they come up the stairs, the rest of the herd - except for Pinkie, just the other mares - yawning, eyes bleary and blurred.

“Now, what’s this commotion all about?” asks Applejack. She spots her dress, eyes first going to the Stetson. A new one for her, not off the rack? Red apples adorn the trim, the neckpiece, even the brown strap buckling in! And there, along the back, a sharply accented saddle with flowing green train! “Rarity!” she nearly shouts, “You’ve done it again!”

Except that her eyes can’t help but stray up, that something might be wrong with her getup. “Rarity, what if it rains?” She shakes her hooves, getting to the but, “Ah know! Galoshes!”

“Galoshes.” Rarity deadpans, facehoofing at the new kink in her plan.

Doug slaps Applejack across the flank, the earth pony glaring at the spank, “Come on Applejack, this is easy! With Pegasi, it’ll be all breezy!”

“There you go, Doug!” Rarity shouts with a smirk, “Now you’re getting it, you big lug!” She spins around, nearly berserk, “Who’s going next? Don’t give me a shrug!”

“Do me! Do me!” shouts Pinkie Pie, raising her hooves up to the sky. “I wanna give it a try! I like pinks and balloons and streamers and candy and-”

Pinkie stops as Rarity raises a hoof, the mare concentrating as she rattles off (and looking quite aloof), “I think that maroon and creams might be dandy. But, I know you like blue and pink; and while you might want everything - including, unfortunately, the kitchen sink - it might be best to leave the bling.”

“Aww, but I like bling. The way it jingles as it rings! And it just makes me want to sing!” Pinkie Pie huffs as she squats down, no longer pronking around, her mouth pulling, not quite to a frown, as her hooves rest against the ground.

“I know there is a lot to desire, but my hooves are far too close to the fire, for the situation is quite dire! If I stop I might expire!”

Rarity swoons as Sweetie Belle chips in, “We can help! I know we can!”

Fluttershy adds, her hoof on her chin, “Of course! Just show us the plan!”

Rarity shakes her head, the fabrics making a pile. “I would, but I’m afraid, that there is no grand design! I fear that too far have I strayed, that never will I shine!” Her face hangs, legs coming to a slouch, before she collapses onto her fainting couch!

“That’s not true,” Fluttershy exclaims with a hug, a reassuring smile. “We all believe, you can achieve, your talent will break through!” First her, then two, then all of them, a veritable pony pile!

“Oh, very well,” Rarity proclaims, her horn lighting again. Upon a piece of paper she lays pencil and pen, a swift design of green and breeze, for her herdmate Fluttershy to please!

“Dear, what do you think of this? Is it to your liking, or is something amiss?”

“Oh.” Fluttershy stammers, her smile losing its glamour. “It’s, um, I like it. It’s fine.”

Rarity huffs, a brief flash of disgust. “Darling, I am not going for fine. Even for a mare as demure as you are, anything less than positively sublime, is not going too far!

Fluttershy’s eyes widen; she did not mean her confidence to bust! “Oh, well, if you’re asking, there are a few changes I would make.” Wing takes pen, a couple lines to adjust.

Rarity’s eyes widen at the additions. “Fluttershy, it’s far too much! Something simple, a light touch. Just easy stitches, or somesuch, any more is just a crutch!”

Fluttershy shakes her head; was that too much of an admission? “But, Rarity, Prench haute couture, I’ve heard it’s all the rage. Surely it’s not too much to endure, to take a picture from their page?”

“I’m afraid my hoof must come down. I must do this right!” Rarity grunts, a heavy sigh. “But all these dresses, for the town? Stitches, pleating, all the sleights? I only have one night!”

“Very well,” Fluttershy hunkers down, feeling about to cry. “I just wanted to help, I know you will do swell!”

Rarity motions to the picture, not wanting to be a jerk. “Oh, Fluttershy, darling, none of that,” but she cannot help but smirk. “Surely you know a nest is not a proper hat!”

Fluttershy smiles, “Yes, I suppose,” backing away from the pile. She takes the original design, the one she at first thought was fine, though upon further reflection, perhaps it was perfection?

Rarity takes each quick sketch, adding details to make them stretch, things for everypony to fetch, until she comes to that wretch.

Twilight.

The vexing mare sits with a forced grin, as if she realizes the predicament she is in. That for her nothing comes to mind, nothing tried and tested or refined!

Twilight says to Rarity’s stare; maybe with a little care, her fears and hopes she could lay bare? “So, for my dress I had some thoughts. Fashion-wise, he wasn’t very hot, but perhaps you could include a tribute to a certain dude? Star Swirl the Bearded. For all the works that he spread!”

“I’ll take it into consideration,” Rarity says with some trepidation, “but do remember the presentation, that not everypony will recognize your idol with your same eyes!”

“Of course,” Twilight says, pulling out a star map, though Rarity thinks it is a trap, “which is why my backup plan is a constellation. Surely a mare of your station can fit that into her creation?”

Rarity’s eyes nearly bug out. From historic figure to a stellar layout? If before she had a doubt, they are all shattered by this lout! ”Perhaps, this will do. A smattering of stars all through, set on a background of blue! Whites to contrast just to you; teals and cyans! What a hue!”

Twilight taps hoof to muzzle; this is becoming quite the puzzle. She treats her herdmate to a nuzzle. “I think it will have to do!”

Rarity nods, a quick drawing. The time pressure is quickly gnawing! Her sanity she must protect, and deviations she will reject, until her masterpiece is perfect!

Her stallion is hard at work, helping each mare with frameworks, with patterns, markings, and the rest, cutting fabric for their vest. She plants a kiss, right on his chest. Perhaps there is hope for this contest!

119 Perfection, Part Three

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December 2nd, 1000 Domina Solaria

Doug holds his hand up with a light groan, trying to ward off the light of Celestia’s dawning sun. The rays stream through the open windows of Rarity’s combination workshop and bedroom in the Carousel Boutique, glittering off the five dresses that they had worked all night to complete.

Well, ‘they’ is a somewhat nebulous concept, as is ‘all night’.

Applejack had tapped out first, just before midnight. The farmpony dutifully tried to keep introducing items for eventualities that, in all honesty, weren’t very likely to occur, and her stallion’s repeated pointing out of this fact did not earn him any points. Still, she kept with it, sitting still for the alterations. Even if it took a couple tries to get right and Rarity got increasingly difficult to deal with.

Rainbow Dash followed shortly after. Rarity worked on her dress first, while making minor modifications and fittings for Applejack, if only to give the unruly pegasus something to do. While Applejack’s additions were for items with purported usefulness, Rainbow’s were all geared to making her dress ‘cooler’. Some were things that Rarity was able to incorporate, like the rainbow saddle that peeks out from under the rainbow dress and cloud train. Others were too late in the crafting process, like a Wonderbolts-esque flight suit that would have covered her front shoulders and chest. And the vast majority, like making the train into a massive sonic Rainboom bigger than the mare herself, were shot down with extreme prejudice.

The two mares are now cuddling together, a partially unrolled bolt of fabric serving as an impromptu blanket. Next to them is Twilight, mare’s muzzle buried in a book on constellations. Rarity insisted that the mare was not to be woken, on pain of being the pony (or human) to keep her from moving around the stars already stitched onto her dress.

Pinkie Pie lasted longer than anypony suspected. Perhaps it was the candy she kept scarfing down instead of attaching to the dress. Or maybe it was the way she kept chasing the balloons around the store. But she eventually plopped down, whipped a pillow out of her mane, laid down next to Applejack, and started snoring away.

Surprisingly, it was Rarity who turned in next. She had just put the finishing touches on Pinkie Pie’s dress, took one look at Fluttershy, who was busily stitching flowers onto the yellow trim on the bottom of her green dress, and said, “I’m just going to rest my eyes a moment, and I’ll be right there to help.” Three hours later, and she’s still fast asleep.

Fluttershy took another hour to finish her own dress. Her eyes were struggling to stay open, and every hoofstitch was a struggle to keep straight, especially because she was using a topstitch. But the dress is, to her and Doug’s eyes, as close to Rarity’s design as they could make it. She put the finished dress to the side, lay down next to Doug, and promptly fell asleep in his lap, leaving him quite unable to continue assisting Trixie.

Aside from constant petting, that is, the stimulation enough to keep the mare working until morning. She still sits next to Doug, blankly staring at Twilight’s dress on the ponnequin. When Doug’s hand rests on her instead of continuing his constant scratching, she glances up at him. “Trixie cannot believe we pulled it off.”

“I can,” Doug says, his sleepy smile curling to a smirk. “When friends come together? There’s nothing we can’t do!”

Trixie snorts. Fluttershy whimpers in Doug’s lap, quickly going back to resting. The azure unicorn continues, “Well, except that there is one dress we haven’t completed.”

“Just one?” Doug asks, glancing down. “Not two?”

Trixie pauses for a second, the sketchbook she was about to pull out staying mostly hidden. “Trixie did not think she was getting a dress. After all, she is not going to the Gala.” Her smirk returns, “But she would outshine everypony if she were to go.”

“Maybe you can get Spike’s ticket.” Doug glances upstairs; the two youngsters retired as soon as they could slip away. “I’m not sure if he actually wants to go or not. But, we need somepony to watch after the fillies. Maybe the trio will get their cutie marks by then?” He sighs, “But, I’m not counting on that. It’s not that I don’t trust them, it’s just…”

Trixie shakes her head, “Three overeager fillies rampaging through Canterlot? I don’t know how it could get any worse.”

“Well, I was thinking that you might watch over them. Maybe rope in Spike, if you don’t think you can hoof it.”

Trixie grits her teeth before her muzzle curls back to a smirk. She slowly gets up, nuzzling Doug, whispering, “I hate that you know me so well. I would have done it, purely to prove that I can.” Her mouth pulls a little closer, right in his ear, “But perhaps I should be grateful.”

Doug grins, turning his head to kiss Trixie on the nose. She grins back, though pulls away, a sketchbook levitating up as she rests back against his side. His hand strokes her back as she flips through, ending on a detailed sketch of a long, full body dress. “Where did you get that?” Doug asks, yawning heavily.

“Trixie got bored and rifled through the dressers. Sue me.” She flips to the next page, more intricate drawings of each section. “We’re going to make her dress for her.” She nudges the pegasus in Doug’s lap, “Though I think we will need her help with the piecing. You just gather materials, measure and cut.”

“Just like before,” Doug says, though he doesn’t get up. “What about your dress?”

Trixie glares, “The old one was lost in a fire, as you know.” Her expression softens, “But Rarity did help me with the new one, so it can be in the show. I may need to bring it in, spruce it up a little bit.” Trixie glances over at the white unicorn. “I should wait until she is awake for that part.”

“I’m sure it’ll look great, just like when you’re out there performing for all those pegasi.” Doug pauses for a second as he considers his next words. “Are you doing this just to prove that you’re as good a dressmaker than Rarity?”

Trixie scoffs. “Please. She has a dozen years of playing dressmaker, and has practically specialized purely in how to hold a needle. She really needs to get out more, broaden her repertoire.” She points a hoof at the purple unicorn, “But Trixie is a better dressmaker than Twilight. And she revels in any chance to prove she has something Twilight does not.”

“Is that why the entirety of Twilight’s stitching says, ‘Trixie was here’, repeated over and over?”

“You noticed!” Trixie exclaims with a gleeful smile. “I was going to do the same to Rarity’s.”

Doug nods, a slight roll of his eyes. “Well, we better get started, then,” shaking the yellow mare in his lap. She slowly comes awake, eyes squinting at the morning sun. She yawns, her mouth stretching so wide Doug is tempted to put his head (or at least a hand) inside. Before he can her mouth closes, smacking her lips a few times. Fluttershy glances over at Doug again, eyes widening in alarm as she takes in the design held in his hands. The three quietly get up, going to Rarity’s main store area to begin working.

Approximately two hours later, Rarity scurries back and forth across Trixie’s stage, outside in the main center of Ponyville. She mutters to herself, “Pay attention to the details!” as she hurriedly fastens one decoration after another. The gems are all evenly spaced, and her horn flares to touch up a bit of faded fabric, making the colors perfect. At least temporarily, and hopefully nopony will notice if it does fade. Everything has to be absolutely perfect for this! It could be her one shot to make it in with one of the most influential fashion ponies in Equestria!

Rarity gasps as she spots the white and gray mane bobbing through the crowd of ponies. And the way it is fashioned; it can only be him! Hoity Toity! Her gasp turns to a stifled shriek as she spins back to the decorations. Symmetry, things could be missing as long as it isn’t obvious that there shouldn’t be anything there! “Spike!” she desperately calls.

“Yes?” Spike says, stepping out from behind the curtain. “What’cha need?”

Rarity, barely keeping herself from hyperventilating, points a hoof at the decorations. “Gems! Even! Ahhh!”

Spike steps to the side as Rarity dashes past him, peering up at the gems. He says to himself, “Well, I guess I can pick one or two to taste. And to, you know, even it out. Or something.” A claw comes up to stroke his chin, trying to decide which ones look the tastiest. And then he better get the crowd riled up, they are already starting to gather outside the stage in droves!

“Huh,” says Doug as Rarity races past him. The other four mares waiting in their dresses glance over. “You okay?”

“Aahh!”

“Well,” Applejack says as she walks up from behind the stage, looking at the white unicorn in front of her who is currently curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth and gnawing at her hooves. “ Ah take it Hotty Totty is here?”

“That’s Hoity Toity! Honestly, Applejack, this is incredibly serious!” Rarity fumes, steam practically spitting out of her ears. “I will have you know that this single event could make or break my entire business!”

“Ah know that,” Applejack says with a roll of her eye. “Jus’ tryin’ to lighten the mood, is all.”

Doug glances over as Fluttershy enters the backstage in a hurry, now only missing Trixie. He whispers to her, “Is it ready?”

“Almost,” Fluttershy replies quietly. She glances to the front curtain. “How are things going out there?”

Spike gets one of the thaumic powered microphones from Vinyl Scratch, the unicorn giving it a quick charge. He steps out on the stage, munching on a gem, nearly ready to begin.

“Excuse me!” shouts Hoity Toity from the front row. “Where is my cushion?!”

“Sorry,” a brown stallion grunts out, dropping a maroon cushion directly behind the fashionista. His eyes go wide in surprise as Hoity Toity sits down directly on his nose!

“Aah!” they both yell, springing up.

“That is it!” Hoity Toity exclaims, stomping a hoof in indignation. “That is the second time! Give me the book!”

“Aww,” the stallion says, pulling out a pristine notebook. “I’m sorry.”

“Too bad. You’re fired.” Hoity Toity looks around the audience as the brown stallion slinks away, picking out a blue stallion who doesn’t seem to be doing much. He shouts at him, “You there!”

“Me?” the blue stallion says, walking up.

“Yes! You’re hired! I expect to only need to tell you something once!”

The stallion looks around, dumbfounded. “Really?”

Hoity Toity grits his teeth. “Yes. That’s the first time I’ve repeated myself, and you only get two chances.”

The stallion shrugs, moving as if to turn away.

“The pay is one thousand bits if you make it through the rest of the day.”

The stallion spins back around, a grin on his face. “Do you need the pillow fluffed, sir?”

“Yes.” Hoity Toity glances up to Spike, a heavy, long-suffering sigh. “Good help is so hard to find, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah.” Spike glances around as the lights go on, extra bright in the late morning. “Oh! That’s my cue! Gotta go!”

Backstage, Rarity is practically wearing a furrow in the floor with how she is pacing back and forth. Doug worriedly looks around as Spike begins talking up the crowd, something or other about the beginning of ponykind. He slips on the gloves Rarity made him, feeling slightly defenseless without his shield or spear. But even just the cuirass, boots, and helm is intimidating enough. At least most of them saw it a month ago. He turns to Rarity, “It’s me up first, right?”

“You and Trixie,” Rarity spits out, briefly sticking her head out the front to see if she can spot the azure unicorn. She yells in a hushed voice, “What’s taking her so long?”

“I’m here! Trixie is here!” the azure unicorn exclaims as she hustles into the staging area, dropping a cloth wrapped item just outside Rarity’s field of view. The unicorn is wearing her purple cloak adorned with blue and yellow stars. Instead of her massive hat she has a modest hairband, quickly brushing her white and blue mane to something more presentable. “Are we starting?”

“Yes!” Rarity nearly shouts, pointing to the door as Spike stops talking. “Go!”

Doug and Trixie step out, walking to the edge of the stage. Spike narrates, “Two of Rarity’s early designs, perfect for protector or practitioner alike! Both will be on display at the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot next year!” They briefly pose, swapping places and pausing again, before walking back.

“Hmm,” Hoity Toity ponders, the blue stallion next to him scribbling everything down. “Not bad. Effective, if minimalist. A bit dark for my liking, but I suppose you have to work with what you have.”

Twilight Sparkle steps out as Trixie and Doug disappear behind the curtain. “Better,” Hoity Toity says, “The design is there, but the implementation leaves a little to be desired. Something seems off, but I can’t quite put my hoof on it.” Twilight holds her smile until she gets to the curtain, a bit of a scowl appearing as Applejack steps past her.

“What is it?” Rarity shouts as she leaps forward and shakes Twilight. “How was it? What did he say?”

“He liked the design,” Twilight replies, “but he said something was off.”

“Speaking of off,” Doug says, pulling out the package Trixie brought, “we have something for you, Rarity.” Her eyes go wide as he unwraps the dress, squealing in delight!

“Hmm,” Hoity Toity says, rubbing his hoof against his chin as Applejack walks by. “Much better. Magnificent! It leaves me with a craving for apples, certainly.” He glances to the blue stallion. “You! Get me an apple!”

“Pony or fruit?” the stallion asks.

“Fruit. Though, if she is available, I wouldn’t say no.”

“Sorry, she’s taken. Crazy stallion, too, you don’t want to mess with that.” The stallion leaves with a shake of his head, pushing through the crowd to find Apple Bloom aggressively working the apple stand.

Pinkie Pie’s dress is met with equal optimism, leaving Hoity Toity about to hire a second fetchcolt when the blue stallion returns, carrying a bag bulging with apples. “Candy!” Hoity Toity commands, no further explanation. He turns back to the stage, licking his lips. “Delicious! Spectacular!”

Hoity Toity turns back as Rainbow steps forwards. His eyes narrow. He muses, “Hmm, seems like a lot of time is spent working on the back. For most ponies, you go with the opposite.” His eyes widen with recognition as Rainbow walks away, “Oh! It’s the racer, from Cloudsdale! Perhaps because all you’ll see is her back! Brilliant!” He peers a little closer, “Hmm, the craftsponyship leaves something to be desired, though. A little rushed. Perhaps that is intentional, too?”

Fluttershy bravely steps forward, wishing to herself that she had gone up with Doug instead of Trixie. She softly smiles, barely spending any time at the edge of the stage before she practically skips back, having to hold herself back from galloping.

“Good design, very applicable, seems far more appropriate than the last.” Hoity Toity’s eyes narrow as he grabs a piece of candy from the blue stallion, “Though the stitching again leaves something to be desired. Far too intricate for the remainder of the dress.”

Rarity steps up next, her dress a flowing combination of pinks and yellows, a purple trim along the back that waves back and forth, a maroon collar coming up nearly to her ears. Gems stud the sides, her chest, her earrings, even the gold crown jutting next to her horn. Two pairs of matching gold earrings also adorn the mare, a golden necklace a sharp contrast to her styled purple mane.

“Bravo!” cheers Hoity Toity, though his exuberance is tempered by his keen eye. “Again,” he mutters to himself, “the designs are intricate and beautiful, but the implementation isn’t there!”

Rarity bows before she heads back behind the curtain, practically leaping onto Doug and Trixie as they console Fluttershy. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she shouts with joy, hugging all three of them close. She looks around to the rest of the herd, ending on Trixie, “Without you all, I would never have been able to pull this off! It went marvelously!”

“Yes, it did!” Hoity Toity says, stepping into the backstage area, Rarity swooning. “Every dress was incredible, of course.” He peers closely at Twilight’s dress, a frown coming over his muzzle. He does the same to Rarity’s, the unicorn’s frown matching his.

“Is something the matter?” Rarity asks.

“Ah. I thought it looked off.” Hoity Toity’s frown disappears, replaced by a smirk, especially at Rarity’s probing gaze. “Are you aware that your stitching says, ‘Trixie was here’, repeated over and over?”

“It says what?” Rarity exclaims, her eyes turning to the cloud of dust where an azure unicorn used to sit.

120 The Eye of the Dragon, Part One

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December 12th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“Aaah,” Doug happily says as he wraps his arm around Fluttershy, settling down on the edge of the frozen pond. His hand scratches Hedge’s mane, the filly curled up next to her dam and sketching the wintry landscape around them. In the background scamper the ponies of the herd, an especially heated snowball fight going on around, inside, and outside the massive fort Applejack and Pinkie Pie are building.

“Done already?” Fluttershy says, though her eyes don’t leave Rarity as the unicorn chases Trixie through a doorway, only to be ambushed by Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. The first snowball smacks Rarity in the face, the rest stopped by a blue aura and returned to their senders. The fillies squeal as they get pelted, turning tail and slipping back inside the fort.

“Yup. Scheduling winter weather is still pretty straightforward, especially with Cloudsdale out of the mix.” Doug sighs as he relaxes against the yellow mare, adjusting his jacket. Spike sneaks around the walls, gripping two hefty snowballs in his claws as he flanks Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

“No, no, no!” shouts Twilight as she approaches the fort, several boxes trailing behind her in a raspberry aura. “You were supposed to dig a trench!” She motions up with her forelegs as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sneak next to her, though she isn’t their target. “How are we possibly going to hide in here?”

Above her, Scootaloo and Meringue push a massive block of snow off the edge of the fort wall. Twilight’s eyes go wide as the snow plummets down, a hoof trying to shield her face, the two fillies shrieking. The snow lands with a heavy ‘whump’, leaving Twilight’s purple horn sticking out above the snow. She breaks free, sputtering briefly. “Oh. I guess that’s how.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle join her, pouting heads poking out of the snow. Only for Spike to round the corner and pelt both of the fillies in the back of their manes.

“That’s for Rarity!” he calls, turning around and sprinting the other direction.

“Hey, now!” Applejack calls, a stern look at the two fillies on the top of the fort. “No more pushing snow off the top! We need that!”

“Okay,” groans Scootaloo as Meringue grunts. High above, Rainbow flies in another large, puffy white cloud, kicking it and covering the fort in another inch of snow.

“So, what’s the score?” Doug says as he gets up, gloves mashing together a lump of snow, only for a snowball to smack him in the face.

“That’s one,” Trixie calls from the top of the fort. Doug grins as he spots Pinkie Pie readying a dozen snowballs, sprinting towards the fort and better cover.

Thirty minutes later and the herd is laying around the center of the fort, exhausted and covered in snow. Fluttershy, Hedge, and Spike bring in saddlebags full of refreshments, doling them out to the grateful ponies. Rainbow can’t help but snicker at the dragon’s frilly pink apron, complete with a purple heart on the front.

“So,” Doug says to Rarity, dragging a reluctant Trixie and plopping between them. Both mares are exhausted from the exercise, bits of snow caught in their manes and outfits. “Finally finished your dresses and able to burn off a little steam?”

Rarity glares at Trixie, though Doug’s hand coming up to the back of her neck gets her to relax slightly. “Yes. A dozen of each of them, in as many days?” Rarity flicks her mane, her smile returning, “Of course I was able to pull through.” Her glower briefly appears again, “Though he threatened to cancel the order if I didn’t do the stitching the same as the original. Well, I bargained him down to six of both with that stitching, but then he also wanted two different takes on your armor - as a suit for a stallion, of course - and a more stylized version of Trixie’s outfit.”

“And Trixie was more than happy to provide her assistance.” Trixie grins as Doug’s hand rubs the back of her neck, allowing him to pull her a little closer. "Both as an assistant in the store and as a model."

“Glad to hear the two of you are getting along,” Doug says with a slightly forced smile. “There aren’t going to be any issues tonight, correct?”

“Of course not!” the two mares chorus, far too similar to a certain trio for Doug’s liking.

“Good.” Doug grunts as Fluttershy nestles herself between his legs and lays her head on his stomach, done passing out hot chocolate. “So, you ready for the big event?”

“What big event?” Fluttershy asks as Twilight pulls out a bunch of brown and green camouflage vests and hats. Her horn lights, passing them around, though Doug rolls his eyes at the amount of brightly colored pony left uncovered. She then passes around several sets of binoculars, climbing to the top of the fort to set up her own telescope, then the one from the Crusader’s clubhouse.

“Tarrapalooza!” shouts Trixie, Rarity glaring at the sudden outburst.

“What’s that?” asks Fluttershy.

“It’s a giant concert, held south of Vanhoover in the Smoky Mountains. Every dragon band is going to be there, along with a few of the more famous pony bands." Trixie beams, staring off to the west, "I heard the Fallback Fillies are going to be there! Along with Sapphire Shores, Countess Coloratura, maybe even Songbird Serenade!”

"Are the Dixie Griffs gonna be there?" Applejack asks eagerly, grinning at Trixie's reluctant nod.

Trixie looks around at the other mares, noting the lack of reaction. “Come on, I can’t be the only one here who’s gone before!”

“Well, Las Pegasus is quite a bit closer than Ponyville,” Rarity concedes. “And most of us would have been a little too young to remember it. The dragons only make the journey but once a generation, you know.”

“Wait, dragons?” Fluttershy cautiously asks.

“Yes,” Twilight explains, her favorite hat (the lecturing kind) replacing her camouflage one. Doug’s legs immediately clamp around the yellow mare as she tries to escape. “You see, Tarrapalooza-”

“-Tarrapalooza!!” Trixie shouts, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom joining in.

Twilight rolls her eyes. “Tarrapalooza-”

“-Tarrapalooza!” shouts Trixie, Doug, Rainbow, and all the fillies.

Twilight grits her teeth, “As I was saying, the event gets its name from the plant, Tarragon, also known as Artemisia Dracunculus. The herb is used in cooking, known for its fragrant aroma! They make oils, scents, even salads! I’ve heard the dragons have their own variety of it, which is said to be far spicier and heartier than the ones grown in Equestria.”

“And there are… dragons?” Fluttershy whimpers from between Doug’s legs.

“Of course! You see, the two dragons that we, um, encouraged to leave Ponyville were taking their hordes to Vanhoover, to help pay for the contractors and building and equipment and food at the week long event.”

“And these are big, scaly, fire breathing dragons?” Fluttershy asks, cowering down into Doug’s chest and covering her face with his jacket.

“I don’t think big quite covers how monstrously gigantic they are, but yes!” Twilight hops up to the wall of the snow fort, maneuvering first a pair of binoculars and then the telescope. “Good thing we got here so early! See? There they are now!”

The herd, minus Doug and Fluttershy, clamber to the walls, oohing and aahing as dozens, then nearly two hundred dragons come into view. They start as small specks on the horizon, right by the Canterhorn, slowly getting larger and larger as they fly overhead.

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Doug calmly says, his hand slowly running along Fluttershy’s back and mane. “You can do this. They aren’t that scary.” Fluttershy looks up, fear still plain on her face but giving a slow nod.

“I don’t know about that!” Spike calls down, puffing out his apron adorned chest. “Us dragons are a force to be reckoned with!”

Fluttershy ‘eeps’, diving back into Doug’s chest.

The herd gasps as a few of the dragons start performing tricks as they fly over Ponyville, though occasionally they bump into each other. The slighted dragon turns, releasing a great gout of flame towards the interloper, though they mostly laugh off the flames.

Rainbow Dash cowers down a little, barely peeking her head up above the wall. “Well, the tricks are pretty basic, but that flame makes them downright fierce!”

“I’ll say!” Rarity agrees, everypony ducking another burst of fire. “Very formidable, indeed.”

All eyes turn as a colossal golden dragon lands two hundred feet away from the snow fort. He lumbers forward, three steps taking him to the edge of the walls. He coughs self-consciously, looking around before whispering (which comes out as a moderate roar), “This Sweet Apple Acres?”

Applejack tentatively steps forward, forcing a smile to her muzzle. Her voice shakes, “Um, uh, yes! Yes, this here’s Sweet Apple Acres!” Her voice gets back a bit of her natural cadence, “Home of the best apples in Equestria! What can Ah do ya for?”

The dragon glances up, a few other dragons circling around above him. “Um,” he says, glancing between Applejack and the rest of the ponies, “a couple of us were curious if, you know, you had any, you know, specials left.” He winks with an eye large enough for Applejack to walk through and not really hurt his sight all that much.

Applejack stammers as she glances back at the farm, “Um, no, unfortunately none of our ‘specials’ left. Shipped ‘em all out last week.” Her expression brightens, “But we do have bushels of apples! They’re all dried, for the winter of course, but no less delicious!”

“Oh.” The dragon looks back up, shaking his head. He takes off, a great gust from his wings blowing the loose snow into a miniature blizzard as his spiked tail nearly destroys one of the walls as it drags along the ground. “She’s all out!” Loud grunts of disappointment come from above, the circling dragons flying on.

“Bleh!” Rainbow spits out a bit of snow, looking up at the dragons with a glare as the snow settles around her. She glances over at Doug, the question in her mouth dying at the shake of his head.

“Wooow,” Spike breathlessly moans, dropping down to his knees. His claws barely hold up his chin as he watches the dragons fly away, tears glistening in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Rainbow says, shaking the rest of the snow onto Twilight, “even I have to admit, that was pretty awesome.”

“Even if their attitude leaves a lot to be desired.” Rarity brushes the snow off her coat, then digs out the fillies. “Good thing our little Spikey-Wikey isn’t like them at all.”

“Hey!” Spike exclaims, pouting as he crosses his claws in front of him. “I could be big and fierce like that!” He starts rampaging around, kicking snow everywhere!

“Of course you can,” Twilight says, levitating a good deal of the snow and yanking out the final two fillies, leaving a single mare desperately burrowing back under the snow. “But I think you’re perfect just the way you are, your own unique style of being a dragon!”

“Yeah, sure,” Spike says, huffing a tiny plume of green smoke and scorching the snow and revealing a light green eye that immediately hides again. “I can’t believe there isn’t more known about dragons!”

Twilight nods. “Well, they are pretty reclusive, even during Tarrapalooza-”

“TARRAPALOOZA!!” bellow the fillies and mares, even getting a roar out of the dragons still in earshot.

“-so it’s not surprising that we don’t know much.”

“Yeah,” Spike says, gathering one of the saddlebags and starting to pack supplies into it. “But, who am I? What am I supposed to be?”

“That’s an excellent question, Spike.” Twilight rests next to the dragon, watching as the last vestiges of the dragons disappear behind the mountains to the west. “We looked before, and didn’t have any books on dragons. At least, ones that aren't purely conjecture or from unreliable sources. I don’t know where they got the egg I hatched you from. There’s so much we don’t know!”

“Mmhmm,” Spike says, a resolute look in his eyes. He takes a deep breath, saddlebag awkwardly strapped to his back, taking a single step to the west.

“Hey,” Trixie says with a large grin, “maybe we can go to Tarrapalooza-

“TARRAPALOOZA!!”

“-this year?” Trixie motions to Rarity, then to the farm, “I know it's last minute, but with the extra sales for Applejack and Rarity we should be able to cover it. And I was able to make a good number of bits this last month. Rarity got a pretty big windfall from Hoity Toity’s sales.”

Rarity’s face falls briefly, “But, I had plans for those bits, and-”

Rarity stops, looking around at the wide, pleading eyes around her. “Oh, fine. Yes, we can splurge on a trip. I don’t know about staying the whole week, as winter is my busiest time of year.”

A loud cheer comes from the ponies, though Twilight stops as Spike starts walking off. “Spike?”

“Yeah?” Spike replies, barely glancing back.

“Um, you can walk if you want. You might make it by the end of the festival.” Twilight hesitantly coughs. “But we were going to take the train.”

121 The Eye of the Dragon, Part Two

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December 13th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Spike stares out into the white void, his eyes unfocused and barely watching the hills go by. The repetitive clank of the red-eye train rolling along fades into the background, only really noticed when somepony talks a little louder than normal. He sighs again, a deep, forlorn sigh at the thought of what he is missing. Could be missing. He doesn’t even know all the things he is missing!

The hills beyond gradually transition to a lush evergreen forest, blanketed in snow. The morning sun hurts his eyes as it glitters off the snow, thousands upon thousands of ever shifting pinpricks. None by themselves are enough to make him wince, but when they gather together it bothers him enough to get him to turn away, if briefly. Just like every little thing that bothers him about growing up with ponies.

Spike had never questioned his place in life before. Well, maybe a little when Twilight joined the herd, but still. Even from the start, his life had been easy. Get up in the morning, cry a little, get fed from a bottle. Slip into the pack on Twilight’s back, go to school. He learned language from the ponies, even getting his name from trying to pronounce the name of Twilight’s doll. Over time, the routine changed, as he started doing more and more things for himself. He became a study partner for Twilight, even on subjects that went far above his tiny baby dragon head. She didn’t care, she loved him regardless.

But now, for all things changed, they really stayed the same. He still gets up in the morning at the crack of dawn with more than a little grumbling. He still eats breakfast, but often cooks for Twilight, and Doug or Sweetie Belle whenever they sleep over or vice versa. Twilight bounces ideas off of him, but more and more relies on Doug and his superior interest in magic, even if he doesn’t know as much as the dragon who’s picked up bits and pieces for years.

So where does that leave him?

“How’s our little Spikey-Wikey?”

Spike merely stares outside. Rain now drives against the roof of the train, a hard, freezing rain that he can almost feel penetrating his scales, chilling his inner core and eliciting a long yawn. Cold water slides against the window, distorting his sight and frosts over the glass after every breath. Out of the corner of his eye a purple mane turns, shakes a little and then fades into the background.

He should be out there, braving the rain and cold and snow. Twilight tells him that hardship - like having to clean the dishes after lunch, or dusting the books in the library, or not getting his favorite blanket because it’s in the wash - builds character. By his calculations, he’s got plenty of character!

“Hey, Spike,” Sweetie Belle quietly says as the rain clears, brushing the pink side of her soft mane against his head. He sighs as she lays next to him in that pony loaf a dragon could never - no, scratch that - would never imitate. Purple mane spills off the other side, right where he would have put his arm if he felt like holding her.

“What’cha thinking about?”

Tears threaten to come to his eyes. Dragons aren’t supposed to want to hold onto soft, cuddly things like ponies! He sniffs, doing his best to hold it in. Dragons aren’t supposed to cry! They’re tough, ferocious, fearsome monsters!

Then why does he want to hold onto this filly next to him so badly?

His claw comes up an inch, before dropping back down.

Sweetie Belle doesn’t seem to notice, merely staring outside as the mountains to the south begin rising higher and higher, tiny spots of black making their way up and down the snow covered caps.

Maybe he should have walked. He would have made it. Living like a pony, it just makes life too easy! He feels like he has no challenges, no opportunities to prove himself, because they can just wave a horn or a hoof and *poof*, whatever you need is there!

Dragons did things differently. He watches as the train slowly catches up to the flight of dragons. A brief tussle in the sky, one of the dragons fouling up the other’s flight with their wake. And the ensuing aerial showdown, the cheers of the surrounding dragons audible even over the train as it chews mile after mile. Miles that he should have been traveling.

“That does it!” Spike shouts to the window. “I know what I have to do!”

His epiphany is cut short by the shrill whistle of the train, Vanhoover’s train station coming into view as the brakes screech.

“We’re here~!” sings Rarity, practically dancing on her hooves as the doors open and finally able to leave the cramped train car. A single saddlebag rests on her back, her winter garb already in place.

“Come on, Spike!” Sweetie Belle cheerfully yells as she hops down, Doug helping her strap into one of the Apple’s sleds. Stacks of luggage sit on the sled, though each of the Crusaders gets a similar arrangement. Rainbow Dash flies off ahead to claim their campsite, as the small city is nearly overflowing with ponies, with the occasional sighting of a griffon, minotaur, or teenage dragon. Spike can’t help but gape at the colorful crowds, the loud grinding of wheel and hoof against the already packed snow, the heady aroma of the Tarragon herbs.

Spike’s mouth waters as he spots a pony vendor offering a ‘Sweet Apple Acres Special’ to a red scaled dragon with yellow underbelly and orange ridged scales along his head and back. The dragon considers for a second before pulling out a fist sized fire ruby, his large white fangs dripping with anticipation! The vendor grins, pulling out seven more of the ‘specials’. Spike gasps; that’s Garble! Lead singer and guitarist in Dragonfarce!

Spike races forwards, only for Garble to take off, tearing half the wrapper off his meal and devouring the brown stick inside. Spike sighs as the colorful wrapper flutters down, catching the paper depicting a smiling pig waving at the camera. Behind Miss Pigglyton is a bottle of cider splashing brown liquid, and a long shot of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Come on, Spike!” Sweetie Belle calls, waiting for him while the rest of the herd makes their way south. “We don’t wanna be left behind!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Spike says, slipping the paper away as he watches Garble disappear into the mountains. At least they are going the same direction. Spike grabs the couple of bags left for him to carry, trudging along with Sweetie Belle as they get to the campsite. Really, just a flat clearing with a few pre-dug holes.

“Look, Fluttershy,” Doug calls as he and Applejack unpack the larger suitcases, “you don’t have to go to Tarrapalooza-

“Tarrapalooza!”

“-if you don’t want to. There are lots of trails out here that you can wander around, see the winter critters that live in these parts.” He pulls out the first of the four tents, passing it off to Twilight and Trixie to set up.

“I know,” Fluttershy quietly says, coming out from hiding under a snow-covered blanket, “but what if I stumble across a d-d-dragon while I’m walking around?”

“Well, I’d introduce myself.” Doug looks around at the various fillies playing in the snow, Rainbow working to clear out a few clouds above to keep from snowing more on them, and Pinkie Pie as she gets some food ready, and Rarity as she supervises. “Dragons know not to eat anything that talks back. Or they should.” He pauses for a second. "Maybe running away and screaming for your life is the best bet."

Fluttershy can't help but smirk. "I am good at that. But, um, maybe later,” Fluttershy quickly says as she disappears into the first tent as soon as it gets set up.

Doug sighs, opening up the next suitcase. His eyebrows narrow as he pulls out a green dragon costume, studded with gems and big enough for three ponies to fit inside. “What is this?”

“Oh, that?” Rarity calls as she walks over. She quickly pulls up some suitcases, making a wall blocking them off from the rest of the herd. “That is my fabulous creation. Do you like it?”

Doug looks it over. It even has eye holes for the pony walking in front, and wing holes complete with zipper. “I didn’t know they had cos-playing events here.”

“Oh, darling,” Rarity says, shaking her head. She whispers into his ear, “That’s for us when we follow after Spike. You heard how much he wants to figure out what it’s like to be a dragon. And we’re afraid he’s going to hurt his cutesy wutesy head!” Rarity glances around, a worried look coming over her face. “Speaking of Spike, where is he?”

Spike hustles along one of the hard packed snow trails, following in the many hoofsteps of previous ponies. He keeps going the direction Garble was flying, though the dense trees make it difficult to make out anything besides the trail he should be following. The path takes a turn, now leading him away from his intended destination, wherever that could be. He steadfastly marches on, looking for a gap in the trees.

After several minutes he finds one, the snow down what could charitably be called a path otherwise untouched. He glances back; maybe he should have told somepony where he was going.

Nah. They probably won’t even notice that he’s missing. Serves them right, too. Besides, how is he going to find out who he is with them watching over him every second of the day?

Spike turns back to the opening, missing the glimpse of pink and purple trailing through the trees. He pushes through the lighter path, spiny branches roughly scraping against his scaly hide. Eventually he comes to a long slope upwards, mysteriously clear of trees, the snow getting sparser as his eyes trace upwards.

Then he spots them.

Dragons.

Two massive adult dragons lazily lay near the top of the ridge, asleep or watching whatever is going on inside. “Oh, jeez,” Spike mutters to himself. He can hear cheers from inside, and he hastily makes his way up the mountainside, keeping well clear of any of the adults.

Spike peeks over the ridge, spotting Garble and the rest of Dragonfarce! Next to the group of seven teenage dragons is their instruments, like they are getting ready to practice for their headline tonight, and a giant pile of gems! Now, that's more his speed, and taste, too!

“You got it?” loudly exclaims Nickelbangs, the tall purple dragon shaking his yellow hair out of his eyes just long enough to spot the brightly colored packages in Garble’s claws.

“Sure did!” Garble tosses each of the six other dragons a Sweet Apple Acres Special, keeping the last one unopened as he finishes off his own.

“You get any of the deluxes?” asks Clump, the fat brown dragon already finishing off his while the other dragons take more measured bites and looking expectantly at Garble.

“Nah, I like the pork ones better,” Garble says with a sneer, finishing off the rest of his first meal. He pulls out the second one, about to rip it open to the bedevilment of Clump as he spots the small purple dragon coming down the ridge.

“Um, excuse me?” shouts Spike as he nearly tumbles down the ridge. “Hi! My name is Spike!”

“Sorry, dude,” Whip says as he stands between Spike and the other six, the green dragon’s grossly oversized tail swinging forebodingly behind him. Spikes unsheath from it with a loud ‘schwing’ as he growls, “This area is for dragons only.”

“Aww, but you guys are my favorite!” Spike exclaims, then looks down at himself. “Hey! I am a dragon!”

“Yeah, bro, you’re cool,” Whip says. He flicks his head past Spike. “I was talking to her.”

“Um,” Sweetie Belle says, doing her best to not appear as utterly frightened as she feels, with both adult dragons turning their heads to stare at her. The rocks under her hooves make it hard to keep her balance, tumbling down and occasionally knocking into the dragon’s clawed feet. “I-I’m with Spike?”

122 The Eye of the Dragon, Part Three

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“Yeah, uh-huh,” says Garble with a shake of his head. “I’ve seen this before. Come on, Spike. That is your name, right?” A red claw pats Spike on the shoulder, though the small dragon doesn’t move.

“What?” asks Spike, trying to look past Whip to see Sweetie Belle. “Yeah. Spike!”

“That’s a pretty fearsome name you got there,” Garble says with a menacing grin. “Good solid name for a dragon, like Whip over there.” Whip snarls as his tail snaps, large green spikes retracting back in. Garble contemptuously stares at Sweetie Belle as she pokes her head around Whip. He crosses his claws across his chest, then shakes his head. “Little filly like you, probably got a cutesy wutesy name like Candy Swirl or Sugar Crush.”

Sweetie Belle hangs her head a little, “I-it’s Sweetie Belle.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Garble crudely laughs, the other dragons joining in, as his gaze rolls over Spike. “What do you think? You like scary names like Backdraft and Charcoal? Or cuddly widdle pony names like Sugar Cookie over there?”

“Um,” Spike says, shying back a little as his claw goes to the back of his head. “I, uh,”

Garble snorts so derisively that Spike stops with his mouth hanging halfway open. “Seriously?” Garble points a red, menacing claw at Sweetie Belle. “You don’t know? What kind of dragon are you?”

“Yeah!” Nickelbangs laughs, shaking his yellow hair back and forth. “Maybe you should have a name like Shrimp!”

“I don’t know,” Fizzle elbows Garble in the side, “He’s more like a Peewee to me!”

“No!” Sweetie Belle adds, trying to stay chipper. “It’s Spike! Definitely Spike!”

“Pssh,” Clump snorts out a burst of flame, Sweetie Belle shrieking a little as it gets too close to her for comfort. “Really, dude? You need some pony to tell us what your name is?”

“N-no! It’s Spike! I’m like a Spike!” Spike weakly shakes his head back and forth rapidly, the other dragons trading smirks.

Backdraft grits his teeth. “Only thing I can’t stand more than a weak dragon who sucks his claw is one who needs a pony to defend him. You need ponies to defend you, Spike?”

“N-no!” Spike says, his eyes going wide.

The large purple dragon squats down, staring at Spike’s claws. “You still suck your claw at night?”

“No!” Spike says quickly, “It’s been months since I sucked my claw!”

“Ah huh,” Backdraft says, disbelief plain in his voice. He looks down as Spike hides his claws behind his back, then up into Spike’s eyes. “Really.”

“Hey,” Garble says, the red dragon stepping up next to Spike, “don’t be too mean to him.” He nods resolutely, the rest of the dragons quieting down. “Or he might run away with his little pony friend!”

The laughs return, Spike getting red in the face as Sweetie Belle grits her teeth, eyes narrowing.

“Seems pretty lame to me,” Charcoal says, coming up behind Sweetie Belle and picking up the filly. “I mean, who likes playing with little ponies?” Sweetie Belle struggles in his arms, her horn flaring green but nothing actually happening.

“Babies, that’s who,” Garble hotly replies. “You a little baby dragon, Spike?”

“No!” Spike says, shaking his head. “I’m a big dragon! I don’t need anypony!”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes widen as she gasps, her struggles against the gray dragon’s claws ceasing. She whispers, “What?”

“Anypony,” Garble chuckles. “Yeah, I can see that.” The red dragon shakes his head, “You didn’t ask her to follow you here, did you?”

“No,” Spike replies, perhaps quicker than he would have liked.

“So you took it all upon yourself to follow our friend Spike,” Garble says, looking at Sweetie Belle but not waiting for a response. She glumly nods anyway as he continues, “Can’t really blame you for that happening. Just stick with us, kid.” Garble slugs Spike with his tail and nearly knocks the purple dragon over. “Don’t worry about her. Happens all the time. Filly gets it in her mind that she wants to hang with the fiercest foes around.” Garble admires his long red claws, Spike doing the same with his shorter purple ones. “Right?”

“Um, yeah?” Spike says, He offers Sweetie Belle a small smile, though she doesn’t smile back. Instead, she frowns, turning her head away from Spike and into Charcoal’s scales.

“That’s right! Fierce little guy like you, she’ll never be able to hang for long!”

“Hey, I hang with Spike all the time!” Sweetie Belle calls, spinning in Charcoal’s claws, but the dragon doesn’t let her go.

Garble whirls on the filly. “You think a dragon, especially one as awesome as Spike here” -he claps Spike on the back, nearly knocking the small purple dragon over- “would hang out with a pony like you?” The other dragons join in his mocking laugh, “And she doesn’t even have a cutie mark, so we know it’s not that.”

Sweetie Belle whimpers, her tail tugging between her legs. She hunkers down, shuddering as Charcoal lightly runs a claw across her flank. Tears threaten to come to her eyes, especially as the claw rests against the base of her tail. The worst part is Spike is doing nothing! She sniffs, once, hard, before burying her face in the gray scales.

Garble stops Charcoal with a quick flick of his head, a claw coming up to his chin as he considers. He turns to Spike, “But, you’re still kinda small. I mean, you look like you just hatched. Must be why I’ve never seen you around before.”

“No, I live in Ponyville, with-” Spike cuts himself off, his eyes briefly flicking to Sweetie Belle. When she doesn’t return anything, he fumes a little, grinding his claws against his palms.

“Really? That’s awesome!” Garble points to the picture of Sweet Apple Acres. “Dude, you been here? Their stuff is the best!” His claw rests on the tiny picture of Applejack on the bottle of cider, “Yeah, I’d like a taste of her. ” He licks his lips, tracing a line over her back leg, “You like ‘em tough?”

“Of course!” Spike says with a grin, “the tougher the better!”

“Heh, you’re all right, Spike,” Garble says, his eyes flicking to Sweetie Belle. His teeth curl to a malevolent smile, “Takes a real kinda dragon to talk like that about ponies.”

“Nah, I talk to ponies all the time. They’re cool with it.” Spike licks his claw before slicking his spines back. Sweetie Belle cowers down as claw returns to testing her flank. They're talking about eating her!

Garble shakes his head, his eyes going a little wide. “Dude, no way. I can’t believe you aren’t bigger! We’ll put some meat on those scales!” He pulls the remaining package out, “I bet you’re used to this stuff already, huh?”

“Um, I haven’t tried it before, actually,” Spike reluctantly concedes. “But I eat a lot of gems!”

“Yeah, gems are cool and all,” Garble says, motioning to the giant pile near them, “but meat is where it’s at! Here, try this! I can’t believe you’ve never had it!”

Spike takes a dainty bite, his eyes immediately brightening. His grin grows wide as he devours the rest, smacking his lips. “That was amazing! You got any more?”

Garble laughs, the other dragons quickly joining in. “Nah, dude. I totally get why they don’t let you anywhere near their production lines! Can’t have you eating all the product, you know?”

“Y-yeah?” Spike says, confusedly looking around. His eyes settle on Sweetie Belle, still curled in Charcoal’s claws. Spike finds himself wishing that his own claws are the ones wrapping around the poor, defenseless filly.

Garble seems to notice this. “You sure you aren’t part pony, dude? You seem pretty jealous of Charcoal there.”

“No! I’m not jealous!” Spike hurriedly exclaims. “Honest!”

“Seriously?” Garble shouts, a gout of flame torching Spike and leaving him dazed. “Jealousy and greed are huge parts about being a dragon! Watch!” Spike barely recovers as Garble tackles Charcoal, roughly wrenching the filly from his arms.

“Hey!” Charcoal yells, claws digging into the ground and leaving thick furrows as he sprints after the red dragon. Garble spins around, a roundhouse kick slamming into Charcoal’s head. The gray dragon goes down hard, sending up a cloud of dirt around his head.

“Pass the Pony!” shouts Garble, throwing the filly into the air.

“Nooo!” screams Sweetie Belle, curling into a ball and holding her head with her hooves.

Fizzle leaps up, snatching her from above Clump. “Hey!” Spike yells as he races over to the white dragon. Fizzle merely chucks Sweetie Belle above his head to Clump. “Put her down!”

“Why don’t you come over here and make me?” taunts Clump, tossing Sweetie Belle from claw to claw. As Spike gets close he grins, an underhanded throw back to Charcoal, the gray dragon already recovered.

“Seems like someone is part pony!” jeers Garble. “Is that right? She your little fillyfriend?”

“No!” shouts Spike. Sweetie Belle sniffles at the admission. “I just don’t want to see anypony get hurt!”

“Oh, really?” Garble scrambles to the pile of gems as the rest of the dragons give chase. “Better come save her, then!” One set of red claws grips the screaming filly as the other scrapes along the gems, sending dozens of colorful stones raining on the heads of the pursuing climbers. Spike rushes forwards, barely getting to the bottom of the pile as Garble reaches the top.

“KING OF THE HORDE!!” he shouts from the top, both arms raised and cheering, Sweetie Belle hanging on for dear life. “Come and get her!”

Spike grunts as he digs his claws into the gems, ignoring the delicious treats. He has to get to her! He has to save Sweetie Belle!

Off on the cliff, a green dragon, scaly sides studded with gems, lazily crests the top. The tubular dragon, about the size of three ponies, glances left, then right, then back to the left, before plopping down, tongue hanging out.

Clump crashes past Spike, the brown dragon rolling all the way to the bottom before he comes to a stop. He roars, swiftly climbing back up and passing Spike, a wayward foot nearly sending the purple dragon into the sky. More and more dragons climb to the top. Garble rages, claws and legs and tail flying this way and that until Nickelbangs rips Sweetie Belle from his claws, a swift kick punting the red dragon off the edge.

“KING OF THE H-”

Spike comes up behind Nickelbangs, tail whipping his leg and sending him sprawling off the edge. Spike cheers, raising his claws in victory! “King o-”

Nickelbangs throws his arms up, tossing Sweetie Belle into the air. She soars briefly before crashing into Spike, the purple dragon careening off the side and clumsily rolling down the pile, the two dragons scattering the others trying to climb up.

Sweetie Belle looks up from between her hooves, the sound of scrabbling claws coming to a close. She grins, shouting, “King of the Horde!” as she proudly stands.

A few seconds pass, groans coming from the base of the pile.

“Or would I be the Princess of the Horde?” Sweetie Belle muses.

“Not bad,” Garble says as he flies up to the top of the pile of gems. He peers down, watching Spike slowly get up and rub his backside. “Better luck next time, Spike! And you’re gonna need it!”

“Why? What’s next?” Sweetie Belle eagerly asks, cautiously moving to the edge. “Tail wrestling? Fire belching?”

“Please,” Garble says, grabbing Sweetie Belle and taking off. He motions to Charcoal, “Nothing so ponestrian. Up next is lava jumping!”

“L-lava jumping?” Sweetie Belle whimpers as Charcoal grabs Spike. Everydragon takes off for one of the cliffs overlooking a large pool of lava, leaving Whip behind. She whispers to Garble, the dragon whispering back. Sweetie Belle’s eyes go wide, now fighting hoof and horn to get out of the red dragon’s grasp.

Charcoal drops Spike onto the cliff’s edge, then flies off as everydragon else lands. The four dragons form a rough ring around Spike and Garble as Spike rushes forwards.

“Hey!” Spike fumes, pointing at Sweetie Belle. “Put her down!” He glances at the other four dragons milling around. "Do something!"

“This again?” Garble grins at Spike, relishing the purple dragon’s fury. “With Lava Cannonball, the goal is to make the biggest splash! And whoever does is the ultimate dragon!” He points at himself, “Think you can beat me?”

“NO!” Spike shouts. “Stop!”

“Wrong answer.” Garble winks as he dives off the cliff edge, Sweetie Belle screaming as they plummet down.

Spike rushes to the edge as the scream stops, a huge plume of lava splashing to the top of the cliff. It sizzles at his feet, acrid smell choking his nostrils. He can only stare as a red dragon surfaces in the lava pool, empty clawed.

123 The Eye of the Dragon, Part Four

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Along the ridge of the caldera sits a green dragon, tongue hanging out, lumpy scales studded with colorful gems. Uncomprehending eyes blankly roll around, watching the dragons playing on the ledge. Utterly unconcerned with what is going on in front of him, one of his eight legs awkwardly scratches his side, not able to reach far enough.

A second green dragon, scales studded with colorful gems, stumbles up the ridge, bumbling back and forth in an uncoordinated walk. Blue wings poke out the side along with, if one looks closely at the chest, a pair of magenta eyes. Three high pitched voices emanate from the beast, barely discernible over the sizzle and crack of lava cooling on the stone.

“Are you sure this is the place, Rainbow?”

“Of course I am! Hey, look! There! See?” A cerulean hoof pushes out from under the costume, pointing up at the ledge. Fizzle leaps out past Spike, hanging in the air briefly before the white dragon plummets down. He falls past a charcoal gray dragon holding a small white filly, his splash barely larger than Garble’s. Lava sloshes at his feet as he emerges strumming on a white guitar, an unrelenting pounding that reverberates against the walls of the caldera. The adult dragons turn, heads bobbing to the extremely quick beat.

“He’s okay! Hey, what’s Sweetie Belle doing there?”

The red dragon in the pool reaches down, grinning as he pulls out a red guitar etched with orange flames. His claws begin strumming, a fast melody up and down, barely fazed as lava drips from his frets.

“Whew! I’m gla- Wait, Sweetie Belle? ” An azure eye pushes one magenta eye out of the way, the back half of the green dragon going limp on the ground. “What is she doing here!?”

The two larger purple dragons drop from the ledge next, only the briefest of pauses in the music as lava covers the stage again. Nickelbangs utters a deep, guttural roar as he rises from the viscous magma, claws outstretched to the sky. One holds out a black bass guitar, the other gripping a purple guitar. His high voice rings out,

“Death is a misery, the end of all that’s meant to be,”

Charcoal leaves Sweetie Belle briefly stranded on the cliff as he swoops down, snagging the black guitar. Both dragons join in as Charcoal returns to the filly, her pink and purple curls bobbing up and down as she headbangs.

“In the past we had the chance to see, the meaning of our ways!”

Backdraft rises from the pool, his darker purple bass guitar a deep counterpart to Charcoal’s.

“If we can’t spend all eternity, dancing to some melody, then we demand some equity, the payment for our days!”

The large brown dragon leaps, leaving Spike fuming on the ledge. Sound in the caldera comes to a brief pause as Charcoal zips out of the way, hastily covering Sweetie Belle with a wing as the entirety of the lava pool rises to the heavens!

“Into the fire of forever we will carry on! We are the bringers of the dawn! Those that we loved are never really gone, forever in our hearts will they stay!”

Clump roars at his newly exposed drum set, two sticks of obsidian beating out a blazing rhythm. Fizzle steps forward, the white flames shooting from his mouth echoing his claws. They go back and forth for minutes, daring each other to faster and faster rhythms and more complicated strings until Garble breaks the dueling two.

“Searching through the memories, wishing for those victories, blinded by our revelries, the world cries out in silence lost!”

Spike cries out from above, “You Mock My Pain!” Four of the five dragons in the pool turn their heads up to watch as Spike leaps down to the slowly reforming lava pool, plummeting down.

His graceful landing consists of planting his belly on the hardening magma.

The surrounding dragons wince in pain, though their music doesn’t cease. Garble grins, “Hey, maybe you aren’t such a pony after all!”

Spike peels himself up, unfazed by the welt growing on his snout. “YOU!!” he shouts, bringing a claw up to point at Garble. He glares for a second, then snaps his claws above his head. Nickelbangs chucks his purple guitar at Spike, the small purple dragon catching it out of the air. He strums, completely out of time from the rest of the band, his high voice barely audible above the storming guitars,

“Lost in a dream, it seems; seeing the sadness grow, I know; through the fields of my despair, my love will ever flare!”

Garble grins as his claws fly over the strings. From high above, shouting in her deepest, most dragon-like, throat rending voice, is Sweetie Belle,

“Rivers of fire inside of us, will they see us victorious? The phoenix who guides us, will rise up again!”

Spike’s eyes furrow, “But she is dead now! Fading away forever; the darkness prevails now, her never to restore!”

Garble spins around, his guitar crackling with energy as he holds it behind his back,

“But in the end, what did we learn? A new light ascends! Even though the world may burn we’ll start it all again!”

“No!” shouts Spike, slamming the guitar to the ground, though it doesn’t quite break like he wanted it to. “Why? You have to know ponies can’t survive in lava!” The guitars stop playing, just Charcoal quietly strumming from high above and Clump wildly thrashing against the drums. Spike turns to glare at the brown dragon, “Hey!”

Garble shakes his head as he walks closer, “Yeah, he’s not going to stop. Maybe when he gets hungry. You want something?”

“Raaagh!” Spike yells as he charges Garble, claws madly swiping at the red dragon.

“Hey, that’s more like it!” Garble shouts as he dodges backwards. Spike presses forwards, the guitarists returning to a fast, pounding rhythm, though with nowhere near as much volume as before. “Now you’re acting like a dragon!”

The other five dragons shout, “DRAGON RAMPAGE!!” as Spike ferociously swings at Garble.

The red dragon blocks the first few attacks, stepping to the beat of the guitars echoing around him. A few light jabs of his own keep Spike from going completely on the offensive, the small dragon taking the hits but still pressing forwards. After a few more parries Garble grins, spinning to swipe at Spike’s feet with his tail, his head dropping low.

Spike leaps over the tail, legs bending low on the other side. Garble’s eyes go wide as Spike roars, a clawed fist delivering a devastating uppercut to the red dragon’s jaw!

Garble splays backwards, landing on the stone with a loud crack. Spike strides forward, shouting, “That was for Sweetie Belle!” as the guitars cease, leaving the thrashing drums.

“Heh, I knew you had it in you.” Garble rolls to his feet, snapping his jaw back into place. “Gotta admit, at first I thought you’d just let me do whatever I wanted to your fillyfriend. But after a belly flop like that, and an attempt to Dragonfarce better than me?” Garble lightly punches Spike in the shoulder, Spike blankly staring at the spot. “I hereby dub thee a junior member of the band, ‘Rookie Dragon’!”

“But-!” Spike calls as Garble raises his claw to the cliff.

“And I couldn’t have done it without our daring second newest, only female and only pony, Sweetie Belle!” Charcoal comes down, landing a bit away from the sizzling lava. Sweetie Belle awkwardly waves at Spike.

Spike’s jaw drops. “W-what!?”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle apologetically says, “Garble wanted to see how far he could push you. What kind of dragon you were.”

“And I wasn’t disappointed.” Garble pauses for a second. “Well, I was kind of disappointed at first. How you let yourself get pushed around, and you didn’t stand up for your fillyfriend.”

“Wait, my fillyfriend?” Spike says, glancing at Sweetie Belle.

“Thanks for coming to my defense, Spike,” Sweetie Belle says, a quick peck on Spike’s cheek, “even if it took you a little while to realize it.”

“Aww, how cute,” Garble says with a grin, Sweetie Belle shyly nodding. “She’s got a great voice, comes up with lyrics on the spot nearly as well as we do."

Sweetie Belle grins. "Yeah! I listen to you with Spike all the time! You're really cool!"

"We prefer hot," Garble says with a wink. "Hey, you want to come with us on stage?”

“That’d be awesome!” Spike’s mouth opens in a wide smile as his eyes beam. Onstage with Dragonfarce on the opening day of Tarrapalooza!? And Sweetie Belle is his fillyfriend? How could this day get any better?!

“Oh, not you, Spike,” Garble says with a touch of sorrow. “Just her.”

Spike falls over in a dead faint, clutching at his heart.

Garble glances at Sweetie Belle. “Too much?”

Sweetie Belle shrugs, “Eh, he’ll be fine. You were joking, right?”

“About him not coming? Yeah, fine, he can come on stage. Only you can sing, though. His voice is pretty meh. You’ll need to work with him on that a lot.”

“I can do that! Rarity is always telling me how good my voice is. Maybe he can practice with me!”

Garble grins at Sweetie Belle, “Yeah, you do that. Now, you want to sing more, or party dragon style?”

“Um, I think I like singing,” Sweetie Belle says, nudging Spike and not getting a response.

“You heard her!” Garble shouts to the other members. “Hit it!”

Three voices cheer from the second green dragon as the band begins playing again. Spike eventually gets up, grinning as he sits and watches Sweetie Belle belt out spontaneous line after line. Dragonfarce, of course, doesn’t have lyrics to their songs, merely shouting out whatever comes to mind at the time.

The first green dragon’s purple ears flick at the feminine voices. He, as it is becoming more and more obvious, utters a deep, low moan as he flutters his long eyelashes. He slowly waddles towards the oblivious second green dragon, his keening call drawing the attention of the teenage dragons.

“Crockle!?” Nickelbangs shakes his hair as the first green dragon gets close to the second. “Torch burn it! She’s your cousin!”

Garble rolls his eyes, “Yeah? How do you think they all ended up like that?”

The second green dragon turns just enough to spot Crockle as he gets almost into reach, his eight stubby legs barely propelling him forwards.

“What is- Aah!”

Eight uncoordinated pony legs send the second green dragon lurching forwards, immediately toppling over headfirst into the stone, the back buckling up and lifting into the air.

“He’s almost on us! We need to run!”

“Stop shoving, you two, or we’ll never make it!”

Crockle’s heavy body rams into the pony costume, quickly clambering on top on the squirming mess.

“We can’t stay in here! We need to-”

“No! Then they’ll know we’re ponies! You saw how much trouble Rainbow nearly got in when she tried to fly backstage!”

“Hey, they never would have caught me if-”

“It’s okay, you two, calm down. Rarity, how anatomically correct is this costume?”

“Um…”

“Seriously? Alright, then, we just- Aaah! What is that?”

“What do you think? Come on, Rarity, buck up! Your coat is already white!”

“Oh, no! You are not using me for that! You have far more practice!”

“Not with my hooves! And Twilight probably has way more experience cleaning up dragon spunk!”

“No I don’t! He never does that! At least, not when I’m around!”

“Ugh! Come on, one of you just make a shield or something! And quick!”

“Aah!”

Garble looks over at Sweetie Belle. “Is that what I think it is?”

Sweetie Belle shrugs as a third green dragon crests the hill, her feminine call drawing Crockle’s attention. The green dragon wrenches himself away, leaving the second green dragon shuddering on the ground. “Probably.” She turns back to the band, “We going to keep going or watch?”

Garble grins as he strums his guitar. “Nothing saying we can’t do both.” He chomps down on a clawful of gems, “Now this is a DRAGON PARTY!!” as he slams a foot down, another blazing melody reverberating around the caldera.

124 The Visionary, Part One

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“No, Rarity,” Doug says with a roll of his eyes, “I don’t know where you packed the super heavy duty mane shampoo, or your coat conditioner. It’s probably in your tent, one of the dozen bags you brought along for the two days we’ll be here.” He sighs as the white unicorn darts forward, diving into the furthest left of the four tents now set up in a rough semicircle. Doug looks over at Rainbow and Twilight, the three back from their expedition into the woods to find Spike. “What got under her coat?”

“Under, on top of, all over, it’s really not important.” Twilight shakes her freshly washed head, grimacing at the ground as Rainbow gags. “What is important is that we found Spike. He’s doing well. Going off with his new dragon friends, something about spotting an infestation of rhoas, whatever those are.”

“Delicious?” supplies Doug, getting furrowed eyebrows in response. He coughs. “Also dangerous. Very dangerous.”

Twilight looks over at the six fillies and one colt neatly arranged in front of her. Her gaze rests on the filly in question. “We also found Sweetie Belle.” The white filly hunkers down, her smile becoming strained. “I don’t think I should have to impress on you all how dangerous it is to wander around the wilderness by yourself. But, it seems like some of you managed to miss that particular lesson. So, we’ll be going over it, again, until it sinks in.” The fillies moan as Twilight pulls out an easel and large piece of paper, making little diagrams of fillies wandering into scary looking woods, then of big, menacing creatures from the Monstrous Manual.

Doug slinks away from the group, poking his head into the second tent and spotting a pink tail peeking out from under one of the bedrolls. “Hey, Fluttershy,” he says as he quietly walks over; his hand snakes inside the covers, drawing a startled, ‘eep!’ from the mare. “Thanks for coming along. It means a lot to me.”

“Y-you’re welcome,” Fluttershy ekes out, briefly poking her head up to smile at Doug.

“I like having you all here. It seems right, when we do these things together. Even if we split up and do our own thing.” Doug sits down next to her, pulling the lump of covers closer to himself. “Trixie and Pinkie Pie already went to the main event, ostensibly to find Sweetie Belle. Applejack said she don’t care for the crowds, but she’ll probably make it for the start of the concert. Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow said they need some time to ‘spa it up’, as it were. Then they’ll take the fillies out to some of the games.”

Fluttershy glances up as Doug stops talking. Silence lingers for a few seconds. “So, um… you want to stay here in the tent with me?” She offers a hopeful smile.

Doug smiles back, a short shake of his head. “I was thinking of wandering around the vendors. Seeing what there is to see before the opening show.” He scratches Fluttershy behind the ears. “You want to come with?”

Fluttershy grins initially, her smile slowly fading at the suggestion. “Oh, um. Not really. No. I’m sorry. I mean, if you want to, then-”

“It’s okay,” Doug says, shaking the mare’s head as he rubs her mane. “No harm in not doing what you don’t want to do. I’ll be sure to bring you back some tarragon. Any preference on flavors?”

“No; um, whatever you think is best.”

“You got it.” Doug gets up, Fluttershy burrowing back under the covers. Rainbow is standing just outside Rarity's tent, a sour look on her face as a blue aura lathers a thick soap on her coat. Doug can’t help but smirk as a few spots of fluff puff up, Rainbow looking especially cuddly. Their eyes lock, Rainbow glaring as Doug waves goodbye.

Cold wind bites at any exposed skin as Doug leaves the clearing, a long walk to the festival set up on the outskirts of Vanhoover. He pulls his jacket against his neck, though he can’t help but keep his head up, staring at the diverse mix of creatures milling among the stalls. Dragons, goats, even a solitary minotaur whose upper body rivals Bulk Biceps, can’t help but draw his attention. A pride of griffons swoop overhead, heading for the gigantic stage set up in the mountains a little farther to the south.

The smells of every flavor of food under the sun assault Doug as he gets closer. Most, if not all, of the vendors are ponies, apparently with no compunction against selling a dragon packages of equinely harvested meat products. Farthest downwind are two griffons wearing white chef hats and actively roasting somecreature, though no ponies dare tread anywhere near that stall.

Doug gives it a wide berth; while the lightly charred hunks smell delicious, he knows the mares can’t stand to do anything more than wave at him if he’s eaten too much meat, even his varieties that aren’t very pungent. It doesn’t stop his mouth from watering, though, and he soon finds his backpack a good number of bits lighter but full of pre-packaged salads of the namesake tarragon, as well as bags of seeds advertised as being perfect for planting in the more mild Equestrian soil.

“Well, well,” comes a voice Doug vaguely remembers. “If it isn’t Doug Apple! I’m so pleased to find you here!”

Doug turns. Standing in front of him is a purple unicorn, just a shade lighter than Twilight. “Hey!” he says with a smile but immediately pauses, his mouth pursed in a tight line. Her mouth opens, stopping at his raised hand. “Hold on, I got this.” She swishes her purple mane, the aquamarine highlight split by her horn. Doug taps a finger against his chin. Her cutie mark is a thick gray equals sign, but otherwise she is a dead ringer for a mare he’s seen twice before. “Starlight Glimmer?”

“Wow, you remembered!” Starlight Glimmer grins. “Most other ponies here know me by Glim Glam, my manager alias. How long has it been?”

“What, five years? Too long.” Doug pulls out one of the bags of tarragon, ripping it open and pulling out a handful. He offers, “Want some?”

“Sure, thanks.” Starlight Glimmer reaches a hoof over, plucking a few leaves out and popping them in her mouth, counting how many she eats. Doug raises an eyebrow. “Been busy with the band, running a town, you know the drill.”

“I imagine so. I sent you a letter, oh, three years ago? But I never got a response, even with the second letter I sent. Figured you finally got that ‘experiment’ of yours off the ground!” Doug’s eyes keep flicking between Starlight’s cutie mark and her horn.

“Oh, sorry about that. I really have been quite busy!” Starlight looks at the crowd of creatures around them, a bit of her smile fading. “I don’t suppose you want to get lunch again?" Her grin returns. "My treat!”

“Sure. Let me guess, someplace quiet and out of the way?” Doug smirks at Starlight’s nod. “Lead the way!”

“You don't mind walking a little?” Starlight’s smile grows larger as Doug shrugs. “Let’s go to my trailer.”

Doug and Starlight continue to the south, making their way through the rest of the festival. They pass through a checkpoint, Starlight flashing a card with her hoof, finally coming to two temporary buildings set up side by side. Both are quite drab, almost intentionally, with none of the decoration or spectacle all of the others have. Starlight glances around before she slips inside, beckoning Doug to follow.

“So,” Starlight says as Doug steps inside, closing the door behind him and locking it. She goes to one of the crates in the back, pulling out a bag. “What happened three years ago?”

“You didn’t read about it? It was published in a bunch of the papers, I think.” Doug takes a muffin from Starlight, sitting down on the floor. He takes a bite, choking down the tasteless hardtack. No worse than dry ramen, he supposes; he never liked those flavor packets, anyway.

Starlight shakes her head as she takes the bag of tarragon, making five piles, each with the same number of leaves she ate before. “Don’t get a lot of news out where we are, unfortunately. Just band information.”

Doug shudders, a heavy sigh at the recollection. “So, this creature of chaos magic attacked Ponyville, called a catapillt. We think it was left over from when Discord reigned over a thousand years ago. Why did it wait to attack then? Who knows. But Ponyville, and other places around the Everfree Forest, they’ve been under these kind of assaults for years. Fortunately haven’t had one since. I mean, timber wolves are a constant threat, and they're the same kind of magic but on a smaller scale.”

Starlight Glimmer clears her throat.

Doug slowly nods. “Anyway. So, it launched these projectiles that emanated chaotic energy as a sort of deadly radiation. They mostly landed on the south part of town, which had been evacuated. But, not every missile did. Some went farther, into the main town. Three of my fillies - Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo - were inside one of the impact sites.”

Starlight lays a comforting hoof on Doug’s knee, her mouth slightly open. She whispers, her voice trembling, “Did they…”

Doug slowly shakes his head, his hand laying on top of Starlight's hoof and squeezing. “No, they lived. The chaotic energy hurt them, from being so close to it, but they recovered. I think they ended up being the ponies who got closest to any of the missiles. No, the remarkable thing was that they kept the chaos bottled up inside of them.”

“No, that’s not right." Starlight shakes her head. "I mean, I haven’t studied chaos magic much. Well, barely anypony has, really, aside from ways to counteract the effects of exposure. But your innate thaumic field should slowly purge it from your system. Faster with the right medicine. And nopony else should be able to stand being anywhere near them while they were detoxing.”

Doug nods. “And that’s what happened with everypony else who got close, like Fluttershy, or a lot of the flyers. With me, the magic passes straight through. I’m completely unaffected.” Doug shrugs. “We tried the medicine with the fillies, but it didn’t do anything. The magic is still there; if you run a chaos detector over them, it can tell. But it doesn’t emanate from them. Like I said, they keep it bottled up, harmless. At least, that’s what we thought.”

Starlight bites her lip as she considers. “Okay, so, you wrote me a letter about this years ago. Did you do anything else with it? Ask anypony else?”

Doug shakes his head. “Not really. Princess Celestia was there, she helped defend against the catapillt. Well, she played offense, incinerated at least two and the nest making them. I don’t know if she personally inspected the fillies.”

“Okay, so just the doctors then, and maybe Princess Celestia.” Doug nods. “Why bring this up now?”

Doug sighs heavily. “I think the chaos inside of them is interfering with them getting a cutie mark. I don’t have any proof, of course, just suspicions.”

“Have they considered going without a cutie mark?” Starlight’s grin widens. “They really aren’t all they are cracked up to be!”

Doug chuckles. “You’ll have to convince them of that yourself, I’m afraid. We’ve tried to make that point, too, that getting a cutie mark, or not, doesn’t define you. But they’ve got it locked in the forefront of their minds that that is what they have to do.”

“A shame.” Starlight considers for a few long seconds. “I’ve never worked with chaos magic before. It doesn’t obey normal rules.”

Doug’s face falls. “So, you don’t think you can help them?”

“I didn’t say that,” Starlight says quickly. “Only that I can’t promise anything.” Her eyes flick back and forth, a devious grin spreading on her muzzle. She mutters to herself, “If I could get my hooves on that magic…”

“So you think you can help?” Doug eagerly asks. At Starlight’s delayed nod he slumps back, relieved. “That would be amazing. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“Well, I know a way.” Starlight glances down to Doug’s jacket and pants. “You see, I’ve- well, we’ve been having a problem of our own, that I think you can help with.”

125 The Visionary, Part Two

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Doug follows Starlight Glimmer’s gaze to his pants, and the purple hoof resting on them. His eyes return to hers, his mouth curling to a faint smile. “You know I don’t have a cutie mark, right?”

Starlight rolls her eyes, a heavy sigh as she frowns. “Gee, and here I was hoping you wanted me to inspect that for myself.”

“Did you want that to be my next suggestion?” Doug says with a smirk, though it slightly fades as Starlight gets a lascivious grin of her own. “Wait, you weren’t joking?”

“Mm, not at all. Let me just say that I’m remarkably happy that you’re open to that. Free love has always been a defining feature of Our Town.” Starlight demurely flicks her mane back as Doug goes still, his smile freezing in a tight line. “I envisioned Our Town to be a safe haven. A place where all ponies are welcome! Where they could come and live without the pressures that our cutie marks put on us every. Single. Day. A place where all would be equal. And, of course, you can’t be equal if you shackle yourself to one pony in particular! Or more than one, for a stallion.”

“And what does this have to do with me?” Doug asks, a bit of trepidation in his voice.

Starlight scowls briefly. “I’m getting there. Be quiet.” A flash of worry crosses her face as Doug flinches back. “I’m sorry, I don’t want you to shake in fear! It’s not like I’m trying to convert you or anything!" Her chipper smile returns, "I just worry that not everypony will be able to accept us for who we are.” Starlight’s hoof pets Doug’s leg a few times, slowly getting him to relax. “But, you see, everypony who has come to live in Our Town appreciates the carefree nature! Of not having to constantly worry about being judged, or criticized, or abandoned for not keeping up! A place for ponies to experience true friendship!”

“Ambitious, certainly. But if your success with Our Harmony shows anything, then it’s likely been going well.” Doug takes a bite of tarragon as a genuine smile breaks across Starlight’s face, her eyes sparkling with joy at his admiration.

“Well, I can’t take all the credit. It has been a group effort, after all.” Starlight squeezes Doug’s leg, her hoof slowly creeping up.

Doug pointedly looks down, Starlight’s movement ceasing. “So, what’s the issue you’re having?” Starlight glances at the door, double checking that it is locked. Doug asks, slightly more forcefully, “Why all the secrecy?”

Starlight sighs. “I suppose I should start at the beginning.”

Doug supplies, “God created them male and female?”

Starlight snorts. “Faust, but yes.” Doug waves his hand. “How much do you know about equine reproduction?”

“More than I ever figured I’d care to.” Doug shrugs, rocking his hand back and forth. “What aspect?”

“Thaumic development and maturation resulting from post-mark hormone changes, as well as adult regression to a prepubescent state.” Starlight studies Doug’s face; at his obvious lack of comprehension or reaction she continues, “In laypony’s terms, how a pony grows sexually after they gain a cutie mark.”

Doug’s confident smile falls. “Oh. Basically nothing. I thought you were talking about, you know, the making of more ponies.” He shifts awkwardly. “Two of my foals have gotten cutie marks, the middle two. But they are both earth ponies, so the overt application of their magic is a little more… nuanced? Hidden? We’ve noticed some changes, like they are stronger and growing faster than their older siblings. They go into heat.” He pauses for a second. “What was that second part? The regression thing? I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

Starlight pulls away from Doug, her cheery facade dropping as a certain hardness enters her voice. “What I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room. Understand?” Doug reluctantly nods. Starlight motions to her flank, the gray equal sign prominently displayed. “As you know, this wasn’t always my cutie mark.”

“Sure, you had that little swirly magic thing. What specialty?”

Starlight delays for a split second before she answers. “Laughter, secondary Kindness; technically Realism and Malevolence, since I excelled at dispelling magic and changing moods. But that’s neither here nor there, because we give up our special talents when we give up our cutie marks.”

“You… gave up your cutie mark?” Doug’s eyebrows crease, frowning as his hand strokes his chin. “How does that work?”

“You really don’t like letting me explain at my own speed, do you?” Starlight says with a smirk.

Doug shakes his head, laughing a little. “No, I do the same thing with Twilight. She ended up getting a spray bottle, like I’m a freaking cat.”

“Did it work?” Starlight grins as Doug shakes his head. “Long story short, I found a way to remove a pony’s cutie mark. Similar to what I did with the essences you had inside you, I can then store that pony’s cutie mark in a suitable vessel. Which, thanks to your friend Maud, I was able to find.” Starlight waves off Doug’s question before he can ask, “That isn’t the issue. Removing and storing the cutie marks has been working just fine. The problem has been, well, that ponies have certain desires. Needs.”

“I thought you said you were all about free love,” Doug remarks.

Starlight rolls her eyes. “Attempting has not been the issue. Conception has.” She sighs heavily. “We’ve been trying, as a community, to have foals for four years, ever since Our Town got off the ground, and not a single one. As far as we can tell everything is working. Heats are being quenched, but the eggs are not being fertilized.” Starlight’s voice catches for a brief moment. “The only fillies we have are ones that came with their dams. And nopony has reported any of the signs or feelings that come if there is a miscarriage.”

“Hmm,” Doug hums to himself.

Starlight’s hard demeanor shatters, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do, Doug! I want Our Town to be a community of friends, living like Faust intended in love and happiness and Harmony! But we can’t do that if we’re going to die out in a generation! Nopony wants to live a life with no future! There is talk about regaining their cutie marks, purely for procreation! But even the brief time they regain their talents could tear them apart! I can’t let that happen to them! The utopia I’m trying so hard to make is being shattered by this, and I don’t know how to fix it!”

Tears flow freely now, Starlight peering up at Doug. He beckons with his hands, the unicorn leaping into his arms. She sobs as Doug’s hand strokes her head, keeping her horn from impaling his neck. “So, a different situation than the Princesses have,” Doug says, stroking Starlight’s back as she buries her face in his jacket.

“Princesses?” Starlight says, shaking her head and rubbing her tears away. “I would prefer not involving them, if at all possible."

Doug shakes his head, wiping the wet spot on his jacket. “No, with the Princesses, I meant... Actually, I don’t know how much I can say.” Starlight looks up at Doug with confusion in her eyes. “I’ve been... helping the Princesses research how alicorn magic mixes with non-alicorn magic, for conception purposes. Maybe they could help you with a similar method of research?”

“It's a thought. But let’s table that for now,” Starlight says, lightly pushing away from Doug. “A last resort, if you will, since I’m not sure how… receptive they will be. Though having the consent of a Princess would certainly do a lot for spreading our message of true Harmony!”

“Sure,” Doug says after a second. “But as long as you’re all consenting adults I doubt they’ll have a problem.” Starlight shrugs, unconvinced. “I mean, you aren’t using mind control magic on them or something, right?”

“O-of course not! Besides, if I gave up my talent for magic when I gave up my cutie mark, then how would I do that?” Starlight chuckles nervously. “And even then, us unicorns try to use our magic as little as possible, to not set us apart from earth ponies and pegasi.”

“So that’s why you are using your hooves for everything? Makes sense. Can pegasi still fly without their cutie mark?” Doug rubs his chin, “I imagine they can. Since foals can.”

Starlight nods. “Maybe you should come to Our Town, to get a better feel for what life is like without a cutie mark!” Starlight grins at first, rolling her eyes as Doug mimes unzipping his pants. “Oh. Right. Well, you’re always welcome to visit! Or stay!”

“I’ll think about it,” Doug says diplomatically. “So, back to the issue. How do you know everything is working? Do you have, I don’t know, medical equipment? Honesty specialists who can observe the process?”

“Well, the mares still go into heat. The stallions still perform normally. We haven’t contracted any outside Honesty specialists to look into it.” Starlight slumps down again. “It isn’t a problem for most ponies, so specialists are rare and expensive, and bits are pretty thin as it is.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice about how that is,” Doug says with a grimace. “Hard enough to stretch things to come out here.” He glances back up at Starlight. “Have you, or anypony else, tried with somepony who has their cutie mark?”

Starlight freezes for a second. She then shakes her head. “No. To my knowledge, nopony with their cutie mark has tried with somepony from Our Town. But, again, I don't want to need outside assistance to fix this. I want to find a way so that Our Town can remain a self-sufficient utopia.”

“And you want me to be the first to try with one of you?” Doug sighs at Starlight’s nod, her smile slowly widening. “I guess. I can’t imagine anypony in the herd objecting, especially if you help out the Crusaders.”

“Oh, so you’ll help!” Starlight brightens, leaping up to nuzzle Doug, a quick kiss at the end. “You don’t know how happy that will make us!”

“Just as happy as everypony else?” Doug ventures.

Starlight rolls her eyes, slapping Doug’s back with a hoof. “Come on, you. Let’s go meet our prospective partners, hmm?”

“Sure,” Doug says, getting up. “If you’re interested, Rarity is an Honesty Specialist; she knows a lot of the spells the Princesses used. Twilight’s pretty smart about this kind of stuff, too, but I don’t know how many other ponies you want helping out with this. And then the problem becomes how do you extend this to the other ponies. Since I don’t think you want the plan to be having me stud every mare in town.”

“That’s correct,” Starlight says, unlocking the door but leaving it closed. She levitates the five piles of tarragon she laid out before. “I want everypony in Our Town, stallion and mare, to be able to fulfill their desires. And none of the spells I’ve tried have given me any insight, so I’m not sure how much help bringing in others will be.” She opens the door, walking the short distance to the other trailer.

“Spells you’ve tried?” Doug asks as Starlight throws open the door, the five members of Our Harmony glancing up from their music to stare openly at the human behind her. Each pony has a dark gray equals sign for a cutie mark and a slightly grayish tint to their coats. Each mane is done very similarly, two short tufts on each side of the forehead and braided or short cropped down the back.

“Hello, everypony!” Starlight beams as waves a hoof behind her. “Let’s all welcome our new friend, Doug!”

“Hello, Doug!” the five ponies chorus, their voices perfectly in tune with each other.

“It’s pretty swell to meet you!” a tan earth pony says as he walks forward, though his voice is a little flat. He raises a hoof as he swishes his white tipped orange mane out of his eyes, easily the longest of the group. “Name’s-”

“Feather Bangs!” Doug says, excitedly bumping a fist to his hoof.

“Scored it in one,” Feather Bangs coolly says, flicking his mane to the others. “Then you probably already know Night Glider,” midnight blue pegasus mare with a white and gray mane, “Party Favor,” light blue unicorn stallion with a dark blue, curly mane, “Sugar Belle,” pink unicorn mare with a purple mane, “and Swoon Song,” a brownish pink earth pony mare with dark brown mane. Each pony tips their head as they are called, offering a hoof.

“Nice to meet each of you,” Doug says, trading a hoof bump with each pony.

“We don’t get a lot of visitors back here,” says Night Glider, a hint of interest in her voice. “Were you looking to score with one of us?”

“Um,” Doug says, glancing to Starlight Glimmer.

“Actually, that’s exactly why Doug is here!” Starlight Glimmer smiles wide. Disturbingly wide. Like each of the ponies in the room is now doing. Her voice drops just a hair, a bit of apprehension in her voice. “But not just yet. You see, Doug isn’t exactly like us, so he might not like each of us equally in that way, like we all do. And because he might not like each of us in that way-”

“Hey,” Doug interrupts, “that, uh, that won’t be a problem.”

“Oh, that’s so wonderful to hear!” Starlight Glimmer exclaims, her smile perking right back up. “Now, I know you still live in Ponyville, which is such a long ways away from Our Town. We would hate to impose, and make you travel such a long way on our accord! So, the next time one of the mares here is in heat, then-”

“You’re here to help with that?! Ooh, pick me!” Sugar Belle rushes up, spinning around and flicking her tail to the side. Her grin fades, her tail slowly moving back to cover herself as she quietly says, “Oh. I’d have to be in heat, wouldn’t I?”

“It’s okay, Sugar Belle,” Starlight consoles, offering her a small smile. Night Glider and Swoon Song also race up, eagerly grinning at Doug. “It seems that everypony shares your enthusiasm, to help get this problem behind all of us! It’s amazing what happens when we all work together as equals!”

“It sure is!” chorus the other five ponies.

“Well, Doug, you can see how enthusiastic and willing we all are!” Starlight Glimmer grins wide, motioning to the other three mares. Who are each grinning just as wide. “Just pick one of the mares in the room!”

“Any mare?” Doug says, Starlight nodding. “And no feelings will be hurt that they weren’t the pony picked?”

“Nope!” chorus the Night Glider, Swoon Song, and Sugar Belle. “We’re all equals here!”

“That’s right!” Starlight Glimmer adds.

Doug considers for a moment, his hand stroking his chin. Each mare is beaming back at him, Night Glider has the best coat, looking luxuriously soft. Sugar Belle has the most beautiful eyes of the three, a deep magenta that reminds him of Rainbow Dash. Swoon Song has the best mane, a deep brown he can’t stop wanting to run his fingers through. How can he pick just one?

He deliberates for another few seconds. “Okay, then,” Doug says. “I pick…”

126 The Visionary, Part Three

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Doug points to Sugar Belle, arm hovering for a brief second. Not steady, but wavering. The unicorn grins, taking a step forwards. Then his finger wanders away, pointing to Night Glider. Sugar Belle frowns briefly, taking a reluctant step back as Night Glider looks around at the other ponies in the room, confused. She hesitantly flaps her wings, taking to the air, only for the finger to move on, this time to Swoon Song. She grins, quickly hopping towards Doug as his finger returns to Sugar Belle.

“You probably should make up your mind,” Starlight Glimmer states with a roll of her eyes, dropping the piles of tarragon on the table. An impromptu dance forms as Doug keeps switching which mare his finger is pointing at; they leap forwards every time the finger rests on them, slinking backwards when it moves away, grinning all the while.

Doug winks at Starlight, his smirk plain on his face, “But why choose between them when I can have both?” His ring finger curls to touch his thumb, the other three extending towards each mare.

Sugar Belle looks at Night Glider, then Swoon Song as they each leap forward, then stand still. She hesitantly offers, “Because there are three of us?”

Starlight Glimmer shakes her head, “No, he’s quoting me. From back when we first met. You know what they say about imitation, right?”

“Something about being sincere?” Doug says, scratching Starlight’s long mane and head, his other hand moving to his chin.

Starlight nods, Doug’s hand chasing her ear. “Exactly. So, did you make your choice?”

“Yup.”

Starlight looks up, her eyes crossing to try to focus on one of the fingers next to her horn. “Excuse me?”

“I made my choice.” Doug pats Starlight on the head. “Right here.”

“What? Oh, no.” Starlight shakes her head free of Doug’s hand. “Nonono. You’re supposed to pick one of the other three!”

“Really? You just said to pick one of the mares in the room.” Doug shrugs as the five ponies nod along. He cranes his head back, eyes going to Starlight’s tail. “Last I checked…”

“But this won’t work!” Starlight angrily states, her long tail swishing to better cover herself. “I have to be the one to observe! How else am I going to figure this out?”

“Why does it have to be you?” asks Sugar Belle as she steps forward. Her muzzle scrunches, eyes raising to the ceiling in recollection. “I thought we were all equal, Starlight. Nopony excels, nopony does their best, which makes us all the best and all the same! Isn’t that supposed to be our special talent?”

“Yeah!” exclaims Night Glider. “We should all be happy to be picked, equally enthusiastic! We could all help, together, to figure this out.” The other four members nod, grinning muzzles slowly turning to frowns. “No differences among us!”

“We are equal!” Starlight shouts, her eyes wildly flicking back and forth. “I… I am enthusiastic! I am happy! It just… it just came as a surprise! Yes! A pleasant surprise!” She spins to look up at Doug, her smile painfully large against his slight frown. “But we only need one of us for this test, and since Doug has made his choice, I need to go help with my half of the bargain! Yes! And you all need to keep practicing, right?”

The five members of Our Harmony slowly glance around at each before nodding. Party Favor hesitantly offers, “If you say so, Starlight. You always know what to do!”

“Thanks!” Starlight says as she and Doug leave the trailer, a turquoise aura slamming the door closed. The two walk towards the forest to the east, an uncomfortable silence lingering for several long seconds.

“So, is that look a band thing, or does everypony in Our Town look like that?” Doug eventually asks, eyes focusing on the path ahead. Starlight glares up at him. “You know; the manestyle, the cropped tails, the dull pallor of their coats?”

“Do you have a point?” spits out Starlight, stopping at the isolated treeline and spinning to face Doug.

“Just an observation.” Doug stops next to her, sighing. “Are you happy?”

“What kind of question is that?” Starlight stares daggers at Doug, wisps of red smoke escaping her horn. “You nearly cost me everything back there!”

“Everything?” Doug asks, raising an eyebrow. “And here I thought picking one member of Our Harmony would destroy said harmony.” He chuckles to himself. “Unless they are all replaceable. I suppose that could be the case, too. Just rotate out the pregnant ones as needed, since they all sound the same anyway.”

“That’s-” Starlight cuts herself off, fuming. “Are you deliberately trying to provoke me? Or just plain stupid?”

“Enlighten me, then. What’s the harm in you going through with this? I thought your sincere intention was to help all of the ponies in, well, Our Town?”

“It is! It just won’t work with me! Not in a way that will help them. That little stunt back there nearly lost those ponies their faith in me! What would happen if word got out to the other ponies? Everything would be ruined!" Starlight snorts. "And without the bits from Our Harmony, we wouldn’t be able to continue growing.” Starlight draws in the dirt, two long rectangles, dividing each into six squares. Little arrows spring leading towards and away as she explains, “We live in a barren wasteland, cut off from the rest of Equestria. The bits provide amenities for everypony that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to make for ourselves, and allow us to send ponies to find others who are upset with their lot in life, whose cutie marks don’t bring them the joy they’ve been promised all their lives.”

“Look, I agree that’s a noble goal. And I’m trying to help, Starlight, I really am. I’m trying to be a friend, even if I think you’re going down the wrong road. And, honestly, I think it’s an absolutely terrible road. But I can’t help you if you’re going to withhold information, or delude yourself about what is going on.” Doug turns, staring Starlight in the eyes. “Or are you going to lie to me about that as well?”

Starlight looks away. “I never lied to you.”

“Fine.” Doug grits his teeth. “You deliberately qualified your statements in such a way to mislead and let me draw a false conclusion.” He slaps his hand against his pants, where Starlight had put her hoof back in the trailer. “You tried to excite me, seduce me, get me more willing to accept your ‘offer’. And then when I later choose you, to have a foal with, you balk at it?”

“That’s not why. I can’t be the one you have a foal with, because it will prove nothing! It will only cause differences and hurt and pain among us. The same reason I have never tried with any of them.” Starlight swings her hoof back towards the trailer, “And I can’t tell them why, either, because it will destroy everything Our Town is built upon!”

Doug points back at the trailer. “Those ponies trust you, Starlight. They want to be your friend. Your confidants. Your lovers, even! But your own words damn you, because you don’t see them as equals. Or do you want to tell me the real reason?”

“Oh, and you’re so different? Why would you choose me, then, unless you think I’m inferior to you? That’s how this works, right? I’m the gold digger, and you’re the knight in shining armor, come to save me from my wretched ways?”

“No.” Doug sighs heavily, dropping down to sit next to Starlight. Anger fades from his voice, “I admire your drive, your intellect, your dedication to making the world a better place. But you’re going about it quite possibly the worst way imaginable! A way that stifles their ability, their value, their potential! And the worst part is, you don’t even believe your own lies! Because if you did, that” -Doug points at the equals sign on Starlight’s flank- “would be just as dull and lifeless as theirs!”

“Th… That’s not true!”

“Oh? So, how were you going to help my foals? Were you just going to walk up to them, say ‘Nope! Can’t do anything! Sorry!’ Because the deal you offered me seems just as rotten as the one you offer everypony else.”

“No! Don’t you see, I can’t cast the spell on myself! I’ve tried!” Starlight sniffs, shaking her head. “As soon as I rip my cutie mark off, I lose my talent, and the cutie mark snaps back to me! You don’t know how many times I’ve tried! With every time ending the same way!”

Doug folds his arms across his chest. “And so you have no compunction about lying to them, no sense of superiority, no lust after the power that you wield over everypony you’ve managed to subjugate? You would give it up, if you had the chance, to have your own chance at what you think will bring you true happiness?”

Starlight turns, eyes blazing. She resolutely nods. “I would.” The light in her eyes fades as she shakes her head, “But you would call those words just as empty as the rest, since I have no way to prove it.” Starlight slumps over, her head resting against Doug’s knee as Doug taps a finger against his chin. She mutters, “Maybe you should just rut all four of us. At least, then, we’ll still be able to learn something from it.”

“Starlight…” Doug says, his hand resting against the mare’s head. His fingers entwine into the purple mane, teasing out the aquamarine strand. “You know, I may know a way to help. If you’re serious about that.”

“Not a Princess?” Starlight says, looking up hopefully.

“Not a Princess,” Doug confirms with a shake of his head. “One of my mares, Twilight Sparkle, is a bit of a magical prodigy. She might be able to learn that cutie mark removal spell of yours, and cast it on you. And then help with whatever observation or research spells you want, should it work between us.”

“Really?” Starlight says, glancing towards the forest. “You think she would?”

“I do,” says Doug, Starlight grinning. “Just, answer me this, please. Why are you so dead set on this? Why do you think losing your cutie mark, and who you are, will fix whatever problems you have?”

“I…” Starlight shudders, hind legs pulling next to Doug as she tries to curl into a ball, her forelegs wrapping around his leg and squeezing tight. “I had a friend. Back when we were fillies. One day, we were playing in the library, just the two of us.” Starlight looks wistfully up at Doug, “It was always just the two of us. And the stack of books we were making started falling on me, and he saved me. It was a lot of books, and we were young,” her tone turns mocking, “and everypony was sooo happy for him when he got his cutie mark from that!” Her mocking laugh becomes cruel and angry, “So happy, that they took him away! They sent him off to Canterlot, to study at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns! And I never saw him again!”

Doug slowly nods. “That must have really hurt. To have your friend, your only friend, torn away from you like that.”

Starlight glares up at Doug, though her voice is flat and emotionless. “I don’t need your false sympathy, or your pity. Nothing you say can make it better.”

Doug nods. “That’s true. I can only offer you a shoulder to cry on. Maybe a leg in this case.”

Starlight spins away, staring at the ground, though her head doesn’t leave his leg. “You’re mocking me again.”

Doug shrugs. “If you see it that way, I’m sorry. I can only offer what I hope you see as genuine friendship. I enjoyed our letters, those detailing your struggles, and the ways you overcame them. Even if, now more so than ever, I think you are heading in the wrong direction. I’m not sorry I helped. I’m only sorry I didn’t help more.”

Starlight snorts. “I wish I could derive as much pleasure from platitudes that you do.”

“Sure.”

The two sit quietly for several minutes, Starlight’s breath slowly getting less labored.

Doug finally breaks the silence. “So, if you don’t mind me saying, I’ve always been impressed with your ideas. And a spell to rip cutie marks from a pony sounds both novel and complex. Why did you never go to Princess Celestia’s School?”

Starlight sighs, getting up. “If you must know, my parents were never as attuned to my studies as my friend Sunburst’s. So I spent a lot of time in the library, researching and practicing on my own, nopony the wiser as to how powerful my abilities were becoming.”

Doug chuckles to himself as he gets up, leading the way back to their campground. Starlight looks up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, just thinking to myself how much pain and suffering you can prevent if your system works, and it gives distraught or outcast ponies a community to join instead of embarking on whatever harebrained schemes they come up with, like you did.”

“I don’t know if that is a compliment or an insult,” Starlight flatly states.

Doug smiles, “Well, what I found funny was how much better their life would be if you, and them, were able to use your abilities to better Equestria instead of sequester yourself.”

Starlight shakes her head. “Pretty sure Seaquestria is a myth. Sorry to burst your bubble.”

“No, it’s… Nevermind.”

127 The Inoculated

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Apple Bloom groans as Twilight flips to the eighth and (hopefully) final page of her lecture on all of the dangers of the forest. And the plains. And the fire swamp. Seriously, Twilight? When would she ever come across a chimeric goat/snake/lion? And did she really need to know all the nuances between hybrid lions and tigers and bears? Even if the demonstration on the flame spurts was pretty cool.

“~Twi-i-ilight, come o-on,” calls Rarity from her tent, with a delicious roll to her voice that smells like Freedom. “The water’s getting cold! And I’m tired of heating it!”

Twilight grunts, her telescoping pointer sliding shut with a delightful ‘click’. She blows on the end, spinning it a few times before slipping it inside a monogrammed cloth holster. Her smoldering gaze, which could probably be used to heat the water in the tent, starts on Scootaloo, then shifts to Apple Bloom, then finally rests on Sweetie Belle. The filly shifts uncomfortably, trying to evade the twin laser-like beams emanating from Twilight’s eyes.

The tent’s flaps pop open, a cerulean snout followed by a rainbow main poking out. “Come on, Twilight! Rarity’s gonna make me start heating the water! Stop messing around playing Supermare and get in here!”

Twilight’s body turns to the tent while her eyes remain locked on Sweetie Belle, small wisps of smoke and the scent of charred hair blowing in the chill wind.

Rarity remarks from inside, “I can’t believe that Doug didn’t want me to pack my traveling spa kit and accessories. He called it a waste of space! Can you imagine what the rest of this trip would have been like without it? Forgetting it would have been quite possibly the. Worst. Possible. Thing!”

“Oh, and that little meet and greet with a dragon wasn’t? I think you need to get your priorities straight, Rares.”

Twilight’s front hoof barely breaks the plane of the tent, her head about to disappear behind the tent flap.

Scootaloo casually remarks, “So, which corner of the forest do we wanna explore first?”

Twilight’s hoof freezes while her eyes shift, gouging twin lines in the packed snow between Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The pegasus filly shrieks as the searing rays slide over her side, hooves kicking up a cloud of white, her wings blurring to scatter the snow as she sprints away.

Twilight’s eyes go wide, the beam cutting off as two cerulean hooves latch onto her withers. They yank her inside as Rainbow shouts, “She was joking, Twilight! Now come on!”

“I was?” Scootaloo says to nopony in particular, shaking her wings free of any snow and dirt before folding the small appendages to her sides.

Rainbow sticks her head out the tent, magenta eyes surrounded by green goop boring into her filly. “Yes. You were.” She points a hoof at the ground. “And since you’re so bored with nothing to do, give me a hundred wing ups.” Her eyes narrow, a bit of green threatening to drip off her nose. “And if I hear a peep out of you, you’ll be doing laps around the clearing until we’re done in here. Got it?”

“Yes, dam,” Scootaloo says, her clenched teeth grinding together. She stomps over to the Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. She rests a wing on Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as the other fillies disperse to the tents to find something to do until the mares are ready. Which, knowing Rarity, could be hours.

“So, what was it like being with the dragons?” asks Apple Bloom quietly, grunting against the small wing pressing against her back.

“Yeah!” says Scootaloo, excited but keeping her voice to a whisper. “Was it super scary?”

“At first it was,” Sweetie Belle admits, hooves digging into the ground to give Scootaloo a bit more support. “Then Garble, who’s the lead singer in Dragonfarce, by the way-”

“Cool!” shouts Apple Bloom, Scootaloo muted but just as enthusiastic.

“-staged this big fight for me on top of a bunch of gems, which Spike nearly won but then I knocked him off, so I won! Then Garble flew me up on this cliff over a lava pool, which was really hot and made it hard to breathe. He told me his plan, which didn’t make it any easier when he jumped off, straight for the lava! You should have seen the look on Spike’s face! But then Garble tossed me to Charcoal, and then we rocked out! It was super fun!”

“Awesome!”

Sweetie Belle grins, nearly throwing Scootaloo off as she stands and shakes her rump, “And they’re gonna have me on stage with them at the opening! Can you believe it?!”

“That sounds amazing!” Scootaloo struggles out, grunting as she continues doing her wing ups.

“Ah just wish we could come up on the stage with you,” Apple Bloom sighs.

“Hey, I’m sure Garble would let us! He even said Spike could come!” Sweetie Belle looks up as Doug and a purple unicorn walk into the clearing. “Oh, and Spike and I may or may not be dating.”

“What?” exclaim the other two fillies.

“I'll tell you later. Hi, Daddy!” Sweetie Belle exclaims, ignoring her sister’s pestering remarks. Doug waves as several of the other fillies poke their heads out from the tents. “Who’s this?”

Apple Bloom peers closely. “Is that a… equals sign for a cutie mark?”

“Weird…” mutters Scootaloo, her wing ups complete. She hops down, the three fillies walking closer.

“Hi, everypony!” The purple unicorn beams a smile at each of the fillies. “My name is Starlight Glimmer.”

“Hi, Starlight Glimmer!” the three fillies greet her with a smile.

“So,” Starlight says, stepping forward. She kneels down, looking the three fillies in the eye. “Doug tells me that you three have been having trouble getting your cutie marks.” Her eyes shine a bright white, her head slowly turning to regard each of them. Her cheerful smile slowly turns to a pursed grimace. “You weren’t foaling around. This is far worse than when I helped you out with the essences. Their thaumic signature is completely ensorcelled by the chaotic strands!” Her gaze draws slightly closer to the fillies, who glance at each other nervously.

“Excuse me?” Twilight Sparkle sticks her mud-mask covered face out of the tent, two green cucumber slices over her eyes. “I couldn’t help but overhear you talking about thaumic signatures.” She glances at Doug who, despite the cucumbers, smiles back at her. “Mind if I observe?”

Doug explains, squatting down, “This is Twilight Sparkle, Friendship specialist. She’s the one I was telling you about.”

“Yes, I can remember a conversation from two minutes ago.” Starlight Glimmer glances to Twilight, a quick, “Hello,” then back to the fillies. Her eyes focus on each filly in turn, a rumble forming in the back of her throat.

Twilight walks over to Doug, Rarity following behind as she wipes her face off with a cloth. Rainbow pops out of the tent, mane done up in a towel. “She seems… nice.” Twilight glances up at Doug, the cucumbers falling off of her eyes but caught in a blue aura. “How’d you meet her?” She turns to look at Starlight Glimmer. “And get her involved here so quickly.”

“We go back years,” Doug says as Rarity chomps down on the cucumbers, “and just ran into each other at the festival.”

“Really?” interjects Rarity. “I’ve never seen her before.” Her tail slaps Doug on his flank. “And I think you might have mentioned if you had somepony on the side.”

Doug nods, “I would have; it’s been mostly letters. Purely platonic. At least, it was before today.”

Rarity raises an eyebrow. “So, when she said she helped you before, she was the pony that pulled those essences out of you? Impressive.” She glances to Twilight. “Well, I think we can trust her. But do be careful.” Her eyes flick to Starlight, then back to Doug. “Was there anything else?”

Doug turns to Twilight. “Starlight knows a spell to remove a pony’s cutie mark, and their special talents, and replaces it with a mark of equality.” The three fillies glance up, listening intently. Twilight’s face pales a little. “They are having a problem with, well, getting pregnant while under the effects of the spell. She wants you, Twilight, to cast this spell on her. And then for me to make an attempt with her.” He holds up his hand as Twilight opens her mouth. “I know it’s crazy.”

“I was going to say it sounds entirely probable, actually,” Twilight says, speaking past Doug’s hand. “It’s a fascinating problem. And one I can entirely understand why you would undertake. I hope it works out.” She pushes past Doug’s hand to nuzzle his cheek, then turns to Starlight. “But I like to think we would have helped them even if she wasn’t helping us. Because that’s what friends do, right?” Behind Twilight, Starlight huffs to herself.

“Right.” Doug’s hand comes up, stroking Twilight’s muzzle. “But, she offered, so here we are!”

Starlight calls, “Have you ever had a full spectrum thaumic scan performed on them?”

Rarity answers, walking over, the others following, “Not since the catapillt attacked. I believe the trio had a class two, chaos focused, afterwards.”

“Did it show anything?” Starlight asks, focusing on Apple Bloom. Her horn shines turquoise, Apple Bloom gulping nervously.

“It showed a dispersed spread of chaotic magic, diffused through their bodies. Synonymous with late stage, high dosage chaos exposure. Certainly abnormal, especially given the lack of effect of them and those around them, for something that has proven fatal when it gets that far.”

“Hmm, I’m having trouble getting a sharp enough resolution.” Starlight huffs, her eyes dimming. Rainbow hovers above them, everypony getting a little closer to observe. She motions to Scootaloo. “Doug said you are an Honesty specialist, yes? Can you project one? Superimposed over each in turn.”

“A full spectrum?” Rarity stammers, glancing at Doug and Twilight. “I’ve only observed it the once, with Applebaum.” She gulps before stepping forwards. “But I shall do my best.” She nuzzles Sweetie Belle, whispering, “I hope this works.”

“Me too,” Sweetie Belle whispers back as Scootaloo steps away from her sisters.

Rarity’s horn lights, her azure eyes turning white as she concentrates on Rainbow’s filly. A light blue aura bathes the entire area as a thin screen pops up between Starlight and Scootaloo. Rarity breathes in long and deep, settling to the ground.

“Hmm.” Starlight peers closer to the image of Scootaloo, tiny pinpricks of light whirring around and around, concentrating in her wings. “Her potential is awfully low.”

“That’s a preexisting condition,” Rainbow states from her perch above.

“I see. Can you filter it out? Only show the chaotic energies?” Starlight’s mouth purses as Rarity struggles. The moving pinpricks fade, the entirety of the filly’s body pulsing a deep purple outlined in black, interspersed with dark and medium blues. “Perfect.”

“Wooow,” utters Twilight, stepping a little closer. “That’s… that’s unreal! It should be impossible!”

“It’s chaos magic. That’s practically it’s specialty,” Starlight states. “Now, to see if we can remove it…”

“Hey!” Twilight states as Starlight’s horn flares, a turquoise beam shooting through the image to hit Scootaloo in the chest. It pulses, undulating slightly back and forth. "Careful!"

Starlight mutters to herself, “Just need to get a good hold… Pony, this is slippery! Maybe if I try all at once…”

Scootaloo looks down, then back up at Starlight. “Is it suppo-”

An ear splitting scream rends the air, each of the fillies shrieking like they are being burned alive. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom instinctively backpedal away. Scootaloo merely slumps over, her howl of pain quickly fading. The light around Starlight’s horn winks out, the beam disappearing, the unicorn staring slack jawed.

Twilight finds her lungs first.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BUCKING MIND?!” shouts Twilight, raising her hoof as if to strike the unicorn, but ending up just pointing at the quivering filly. “You can’t just mess around with this without thinking! You could have killed her!”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rush forwards, embracing Scootaloo. The pegasus filly shudders, quick, heavy breaths as she moans.

“I nearly had it!” Starlight frantically says, awkwardly scrambling backwards until Rainbow Dash slams into her, knocking her onto her back. “Maybe if I just poke a little hole in her core, then-”

“NO!” Rainbow’s bared teeth are inches away from Starlight’s eyes, magenta eyes boring down. “Absolutely not.”

“Okay, okay, sheesh, it can’t be that bad,” Starlight rolls her eyes as her horn lights, a turquoise aura surrounding Rainbow and tugging the surprised pegasus away. She hops to her hooves as Rainbow spins around, ready to charge except for Doug’s hand on her back.

“Let it go, Rainbow,” Doug says, trying to force his voice to stay calm. “She’s trying to help. Maybe she’s going too fast, and she’s treating this like normal magic instead of chaos magic.”

Rainbow grits her teeth, “No. We’re done here. Come on, Scoots.”

“No.” Scootaloo shakes off her sisters, resolutely looking at Rainbow Dash. “You taught me to never give up. Well, the Cutie Mark Crusaders don’t quit. We don’t stay beaten. That’s what you wanted us to learn, right? We get back up.”

Rainbow Dash pauses, taken aback. “But, Scoots, this could be really bad. Please!”

“I know. But giving up now, living life without a cutie mark? That would be worse.” Scootaloo turns to Starlight. “That hurt like Tartarus, but I’m ready this time.”

Twilight shakes her head, stepping in between the two. “First, language, Scootaloo.” She looks at Starlight. “Second, you’ll never be able to remove the chaos like that. There’s too much, and any holes that it leaves would be irreparable. Not with what we have on hoof.”

“Oh, and how do you know that?” Starlight Glimmer exclaims, rolling her eyes.

“I…” Twilight briefly glances at Rainbow Dash before returning to Starlight. “I read a case study on a pegasus who had a similar injury. Suffice it to say, it only barely turned out okay.”

“Fine.” Starlight points a hoof at Scootaloo. “So, we have two choices, then. We leave the magic in, and she never gets a cutie mark. Or, we yank the magic out, and she may or may not die from a perforated core. Huh. Tough call.”

Silence fills the clearing for several long seconds.

“What about partitioning the magic off?” Doug asks. The various ponies look at him with varying degrees of confusion or amusement. “You know. Like, when a disease can’t be killed off by the body’s immune system, it might make a barrier, like a cyst, around it to keep it from spreading.”

“That will never work,” Starlight says. “First, magic doesn’t work that way. You can’t just partition off a pony’s core like that. Second, how would we even do that?”

“Actually,” Twilight states, “that might work. First, this is chaos magic we’re talking about. We don’t need to remove it from the core if we can push it around while it’s still inside. And, I know a spell that can mimic a magical core. Perhaps we can use that to make a temporary vessel to hold the chaos magic. And you’re a Laughter specialist, right? Maybe you can make a more permanent canister to keep the chaos separate from the rest of her core. Rarity, we’ll need to see what we’re doing, so you just keep your scan going. Let me work out a few theoreticals, and let me know when you’re rested.”

Starlight Glimmer stares at Twilight. “You know, that might just be crazy enough to work.”

128 Light and Truth

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Starlight and Twilight rest on the ground, staring at the parchment in front of them. Both tap a quill against their chin, a low hum in their throat as they ponder the problem in front of them. Then they both scratch their ear with a hoof, shaking their mane back and forth before going back to staring.

Applejack walks out from the tent where she had been observing, heading to Doug and Rarity. The human is massaging the unicorn’s withers at a delightfully languid pace, her tranquil visage barely acknowledging the earth pony’s advance. Applejack lays next to Doug, already feeling a little jealous of her herdmate, even if she knows Rares needs the relaxation more than she does.

One hand briefly scratches the blond mane, Applejack cooing in response. His eyes turn as Pinkie Pie and Trixie return to the clearing. Both are loaded with bags, yet their boisterous laughter subsides as they notice the subdued atmosphere of the camp. Perhaps Applejack’s eyes portray just a bit more anguish than she intended when his hand pulls away.

“That worried, huh?” Doug asks jovially.

“More’n Ah wanna let on,” Applejack says quietly, watching as the two studious unicorn’s ears flick simultaneously. Green eyes, filled with worry, look up at Doug. “Ah… are ya sure you trust her? Trust them? That this will work?”

“I can hope,” Doug says with a slight grimace. “I think doing nothing isn’t the right option. I wish I knew more theory to help them out. But maybe even that is all for naught, dealing with such an unknown entity.”

“Well, you know more’n me,” Applejack says with a slight shake of her head. “But that don’t mean we can’t help in our own way.” She nuzzles Rarity, drawing an appreciative murmur. The three glance up as the two unicorns toss down their quills in triumph.

“I got it!” They both look at each other. “Wait, you too?” A raspberry aura surrounds Starlight’s parchment while a turquoise aura surrounds Twilight’s. “Let me see that!” Both unicorns scan through the notes, eyebrows furrowed.

“This is crazy!” Twilight shouts. “You can’t form a lattice like this! It would be incredibly unstable!”

“But that’s what we’re dealing with! Anything more rigid will snap like a twig in a hurricane; you need to be able to bend and flow with the changes, not try to contain them! That’s even assuming that this core of yours can contain it in the first place!”

“I’m not worried about that, I’m worried about you being able to cast this ball of contradictions!”

“When it comes to magic, I don’t make mistakes. So, you worry about your side of the problem, and I’ll worry about mine.”

The two unicorns huff, going back to scanning the other’s parchment. After a few tense seconds both horns fade, the parchments falling down. They look at each other, shake their heads, and look at Scootaloo.

Doug pulls out a piece of paper, Meringue bringing him a pencil and laying down to help record as well. “So. We ready?”

Twilight gets up first. “Well, I can’t guarantee it.” She nods at Scootaloo as Rarity and Starlight Glimmer rise to their hooves. “But, I think everything will be just fine.”

Harsh stares greet her statement as Rainbow slaps a hoof to her face.

Twilight ignores them. “Rarity, you’re first. I’ll make the core. Starlight, you maneuver as much chaotic energy inside as you can. I’ll take over holding it together as you make your abomination of a lattice. Then we collect everything together until it’s secure. Questions?”

After a few seconds Trixie raises a hoof, Twilight nodding at her. “Is this likely to explode?”

Twilight shakes her head. “Maybe.”

Trixie takes a step backwards.

“Alright, everypony, let’s do this.” Twilight sticks her hoof out, Rarity meeting it. Scootaloo walks forward, raising her hoof. All three look at Starlight.

Starlight stares back.

Twilight flicks her mane to the center.

Starlight rolls her eyes, her hoof briefly touching the other three.

Three sets of eyes shine white as the mares concentrate. Rarity’s horn lights as Scootaloo lays down, a blue and purple image superimposing over the filly. Twilight grunts in exertion as her horn flares brightly, a glow emanating from Scootaloo. Everypony watches, holding their breath, as the various spots of purple coalesce into a rough ball located in the center of Scootaloo’s chest. The purple slowly gets deeper and deeper as more and more of the pinpricks slide to the center until it finally becomes a black void.

“There!” shouts Starlight, her horn flaring a last time before going dim. Twilight’s horn fades soon after, the mare slumping over and panting heavily. Rarity nuzzles her, not nearly as exhausted, as the image disappears.

“Sooo... do you feel any different?” Rainbow asks as she swoops down.

Scootaloo looks down at her hooves, then back at her flank. Still blank. She shakes her head. “Nope. Why? Was something supposed to happen?”

“Really?” The scratch of pencil on paper breaks the silence as Twilight deliberates. “No dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea? Any tingling, or burning sensations?”

“Nope. None of that. I feel, well, normal.” Scootaloo sighs as she walks over to nuzzle Rainbow Dash. “I don’t feel stronger, like after… after Rainbow helped me.” Rainbow Dash reaches forward with a wing, pulling her filly in for a tight hug.

Twilight glances over at Doug, double checking the human’s observations, then Meringue’s transcript. “Well, we are in uncharted waters here, metaphorically speaking, so we aren’t really sure what should happen. But, with repetition, we should be able to figure it out.” Doug takes his chance to run first one hand along Twilight’s side, then both, then straddle her to better dig into her back. “Ooh,” Twilight moans, her back trying to arch against his legs.

Rainbow scampers around with Scootaloo, neither noticing any sort of change in the filly’s demeanor or stance. After several minutes Twilight shakes Doug off, preparing herself for the second round.

Applejack steps forward, nuzzling Apple Bloom. “You ready?”

“Ah guess so,” Apple Bloom says. The three unicorn horns light; the process repeats itself, then again with Sweetie Belle. Each session leaves the mares a little more exhausted, yet the fillies don’t seem to suffer any ill effects.

“That went smoother than I expected,” Starlight Glimmer states. “There’s got to be some catch.”

“You’re not wrong, per se,” Doug replies, holding his chin as he inspects the trio. “But, how would we know? And could we do anything about it?”

“I have no idea.” Starlight Glimmer grimaces, her horn and eyes flaring to scan the fillies again. “You three feel any different?”

“Not really,” Scootaloo replies, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shaking their heads.

“Are you all sure?” Twilight implores, the three fillies lining up in front of her. “You don’t feel anything?”

“Well, Ah know Ah’m supposed to be feeling better about this.” Apple Bloom scuffs her hoof against the snow. “Ah’m suppose to be happy that Ah can get my cutie mark! At least, Ah hope Ah can. But, instead, Ah mostly just feel sad.” Apple Bloom walks over to Starlight Glimmer, nuzzling as high as she can reach on the unicorn’s foreleg.

Starlight Glimmer stares down at Apple Bloom, her head cocking to the side.

“Me, too,” says Scootaloo, also approaching the unicorn. “Honestly, I think about all the cool things that I want to do with my cutie mark. But then, I think about all the cool things that you’ve already done with yours!”

Starlight Glimmer’s eyebrows narrow slightly.

Sweetie Belle joins her sisters, motioning with a hoof to her sisters. “I mean, look at us now! You, and Twilight, and Rarity, you developed a never-before seen spell to help us! I’m sad, too, because I think about all the ponies who won’t be helped by you!”

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Starlight Glimmer states, starting to pull back a little. “And it won’t work.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Scootaloo says, walking behind the purple unicorn. Starlight has to keep turning to keep Scootaloo in sight, a certain spring in the filly’s step. “Maybe you’ve already figured out everything there is about your cutie mark.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Starlight admits. “I mean, I’ve always been a bit of a natural at magic, and I’ve studied a lot.”

“And you got a cutie mark that reflects that hard work and dedication. But is that all your cutie mark represents?” Apple Bloom glances back to her own bare flank. “Did you ever figure out what kind of pony you want to be? Or what kind of things you want to do with your life?”

Starlight snorts. “Oh, and you three know about that?”

Sweetie Belle shakes her head. “Not really, I guess. We’ve tried a lot of things. Hay, we even tried getting campaign manager cutie marks! But whether it was in sports, or in baking, or being a salespony, none of them ever worked.”

Starlight motions to Twilight and Rarity, “But that could have been from the chaos magic. Maybe one of those things was your special talent, and you were blocked by it.”

“That could be.” Apple Bloom nods. “But my sister got her cutie mark, and she was younger’n Ah was when the catapillt attacked. Ah think we pushed harder to get our marks after the attack. But we never let failure stop us. We kept on trying more.”

“For me, I always thought I’d get a cutie mark in speed.” Scootaloo twists her hooves, like she is grabbing onto her scooter, making little 'vrooming' noises. “But, instead, I’ve always felt my best after helping others. We all did.” Scootaloo wraps Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in a hug, “Whether it was helping Diamond Tiara win the school pony president election-”

“-or our friend Twist make candies-”

“-or our sister Lemon counsel others-”

“-we’ve always been at our best when we help others discover their true talent!”

Starlight Glimmer’s eyes trace a line along the snow. “But you three don’t know what it’s like, being abandoned by the one pony you care about! What good is discovering your-” she practically spits out the words “-true talent if it leaves you all alone?”

"Then you make new friends!" Sweetie Belle motions towards Trixie, "Just because a pony is different doesn't mean they aren't supposed to be your friend! We can learn all kinds of things from those that are different from us, and it makes our friendships stronger! And if somepony leaves you-" Sweetie Belle's eye glance to Applejack, the mare standing stoically "-then you remember the good times you had with them, and even the bad, and you work harder on the next one!"

"But how do I know it won't go the same way!?"

“Well, as dam likes to say, hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work.” Scootaloo looks at the ground, suppressing a sniff. "Maybe I don’t have talent. I’ll never be as fast as dam, or have as good endurance as Daddy. But that doesn’t mean they don’t love and accept me. That takes hard work! Just like how dam challenges me every day, and doesn’t let me slack off. Just because they love me doesn’t mean they’re happy with me not trying my hardest, or becoming the best pony I can be. They’ve shown me that I do have talent! I’m lucky to have a herd like that around me!”

“Exactly.” Starlight stomps a hoof on the ground. “You’re lucky to have that kind of support. Do you think I had that kind of support? No! My parents were never around! They never encouraged me to challenge myself, or any of that! It was all me!”

“And look at the amazing things you’ve accomplished in spite of that!” Apple Bloom points towards the concert stage set up among the mountains, “You’ve got the…” she taps her hoof against the ground as she counts to herself, “fifth most popular band in Equestria!”

Starlight stares down at Apple Bloom, her mouth almost a frown. “Thanks.”

“But, what Ah’m saying is, you did that starting with nothing! Just your wits and talents! Talents that you plan on giving up?” Apple Bloom looks to her sisters, then the mares of the herd. “Ah know you want a family. You want those around you to love and admire you! You want to be the star with all the power, too! You wouldn’t have worked your flank off otherwise! But that love is so important, you want that love so badly you’re willing to give up everything about yourself to find it. But what if you don’t have to?”

Apple Bloom places a hoof on Starlight’s withers, staying by her side. On her other side Sweetie Belle reaches up, mirroring the motion. Scootaloo looks Starlight Glimmer dead in the eyes, her hoof resting on Starlight’s chest.

“What if there’s a better way?”

A dull glow surrounds the three fillies.

129 Glimmer of Hope

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The dull glow surrounding the Cutie Mark Crusaders steadily gets brighter and brighter, lifting the three small, limp bodies into the air. Earth ponies shield their eyes with their hooves, pegasi with their wings, the human with his hand. The unicorns flare their horns, eyes shining white to attempt to observe the transformation. Except even their magical might proves insufficient, eyes and spells unable to pierce the glowing cocoon of light.

After several long seconds the three radiant forms descend to the shimmering ground, settling down without a sound. The glow slowly fades, starting on their manes, gradually restoring color as it works its way down their bodies.

Rainbow Dash, used to working with the unmitigated glare of the sun, is the first to react. She sprints forward, snagging Scootaloo, wings and forelegs embracing the slowly recovering filly. Applejack follows shortly after, hooves wrapping around Apple Bloom and gently lifting her filly to her chest. Rarity’s horn lights as she gallops forward, levitating Sweetie Belle and nuzzling her as she brings her filly close.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders slowly come to, dull eyes glancing around in a stupor. They push away their dams, desperately watching their flanks and their sisters as the glow dims to where they no longer need to squint.

Everypony’s eyes widen as the glow leaves their hind legs, then their docks, then finally their flanks. Gasps ring from the clearing as the light finally fades, revealing two thick, gray bars on each of them.

The trio’s eyes light up, manic grins from each at spotting the equals signs.

“WE EACH GOT THE SAME CUTIE MARK!!”

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo leap from their dam’s stunned embrace. They wildly dance on the hard packed snow, whipping back and forth before slamming their flanks into each other, raising their rumps into the air. Their shrill, piercing cry echoes among the trees.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FOREVER!!”

“What do you think it means?” asks Apple Bloom eagerly, a hoof coming back to trace the top gray bar.

“Maybe it’s about bringing balance to the force?” Sweetie Belle replies, a hoof tracing along the bottom gray bar. “You know, since it’s an equation and all?”

“I sure hope not,” Scootaloo says, her hoof tracing the orange in between. “That sounds really disturbing.”

Twilight Sparkle spins in place, gritting her teeth as she locates the other holder of an equals sign cutie mark. Then Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash whirl around, their gaze soon followed by everypony else. Except for Starlight - the focus of their attention - who is in a headlock, courtesy of Doug. Her horn is lit, three bands of dull turquoise light leading to three red, pink, and purple crests.

“What? Relax,” the purple unicorn shakily states, more than a hint of nervousness as she glances up at the hand gripping her horn like a vice, then at the arm coiling around her neck. “This is a joke, right?”

“Yes, you had your laugh.” Doug chuckles with all the joviality of a windigo. “I liked it. That’s why I’m just holding onto you.” He gives her a little shake back and forth.

“That’s not-” Starlight Glimmer pushes her neck against Doug’s arm as she rolls her eyes, “Hey! Lighten up; if I wanted, I could-”

“I will break it off if you do anything other than hold those marks in the air,” Doug states in a low voice so calm Starlight Glimmer can’t help but gulp against his arm, a hint of yellow staining the snow. His hand teases the base of her horn; not enough to disrupt her spell or cause any pain but certainly reminding her of his presence.

“Y-you got it,” she ekes out, eyes straying to the three decidedly discontent mares striding towards her. Positively pitiless, as it were.

“You better put that mark back where it belongs before Ah make you,” Applejack states through clenched teeth. Starlight gulps.

“You’ll have to go fast, because I’m not going to leave anything for you.” Rainbow’s cold gaze chills worse than the cool breeze blowing across the snow.

Rarity flips her mane back. “Fighting’s not really my thing, I’m more into fashion, but I’ll rip you to pieces if you harm even one hair on her cute little coat!”

Starlight Glimmer’s terrified visage fades at Rarity’s outburst, unable to keep herself from giggling into the arm tightening around her.

Twilight Sparkle steps forward before her herdmates can follow through with whatever threats they might have been planning. “I’m sure you know, but intentionally magically influencing a pony against their will or without their knowledge is a class B felony, punishable by a maximum of dehorning and banishment. Even fixing them now could leave them traumatized for life!”

“I’m sorry,” Starlight asks, pointing a hoof, “but do they look traumatized to you?”

The mares turn. Each of the Crusaders is happy skipping around, dancing as they show off their cutie marks to their younger siblings.

“Exactly.” Starlight Glimmer grins. “Don’t you think it’s just a little too convenient that three ponies get their cutie marks at exactly the same time?” The three crests jiggle back and forth. “Almost exactly the same mark?”

“It’s… certainly unprecedented,” admits Twilight Sparkle, inspecting the three marks floating in front of her. “Speaking of unprecedented, this spell is fascinating! Brilliant, in fact!” Her eyes light up, humming to herself as she studies the inner workings of the spell.

Starlight ignores the compliment. “I think you staged this.” Starlight motions to the marks still floating in front of her, unnoticed so far by the fillies. She glances at Trixie. “I had to see for myself that they were real, and not some illusion specially designed to fool me.”

“To fool you?” Applejack sputters. “Ah’m the Element of Honesty, and you thought we’d pull, uh… what exactly?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to figure it out.” Starlight’s eyes focus on the three crests. She glances back up at the three mares still fuming at her. “You three need to chillax.” At their unmoved expressions she continues, “Just think of this as a test.”

“I love tests!” exclaims Twilight Sparkle, briefly glancing up from a piece of parchment now covered in scribbles.

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes, “We know.”

“And what exactly are you trying to prove?” asks Doug, his grip on the mare loosening.

Starlight stretches her neck a little. “You’ll see.”

The five turn to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three fillies are walking up to them, eyes flicking between their own cutie marks and the nearly identical one on Starlight’s flank.

Scootaloo starts off with a heavy sigh. “You know, I had it in my mind that getting my cutie mark would be this big, life defining moment. Where I finally discovered who I really am.”

Apple Bloom continues, “And maybe it does define us, just a little bit. But now that Ah have it, Ah just feel… empty. Like all our efforts were focused on the goal, instead of how we were gettin’ there. And now that Ah’m here, it ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Sweetie Belle nods, all three’s expressions beginning to brighten. “And that’s true of life, too, isn’t it? That sometimes we need to value the road that we traveled to get somewhere, and not just the destination.”

“And while getting somewhere might be super cool, what’s more important is who you get there with.” Scootaloo nuzzles her two sisters, muzzle curling to a grin.

“Ah can’t think of two ponies Ah’d rather be stuck with, all of us having a cutie mark none of us understand, than my sisters.” Apple Bloom draws Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in for a hug, her grin matching Scootaloo’s.

“Because we’ll be able to figure it out together! There’s so much more to life than just your cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle’s grin grows, sticking a hoof into the air.

Scootaloo matches the white hoof. “Exactly! My cutie mark doesn’t tell me what to say, or who to be friends with. That’s all me, and the hard work that I put into being friends.”

“Because being a friend is hard work. It’s like a plant. Without light, and air, and water, and good soil, it’ll wither away.” Apple Bloom raises her hoof, yellow tapping white and orange.

The three hooves glow a faint white.

“Oww,” Starlight moans, a hoof rubbing her forehead. The hand tightens around her horn. She mutters, “Oh, calm down, you’d know if I was trying to escape.”

The three fillies walk past their cutie marks, giving them only a single glance. In unison, they flick their manes, glancing at Doug. His hand and arm relax, allowing Starlight to withdraw from his grasp, shuffling backwards as she rolls to her hooves.

The trio stand as tall as they can, staring Starlight in the eyes.

“You think that getting rid of your cutie mark will change who you are. And maybe that’s true.” Sweetie Belle glances back at Rarity. “Maybe Rarity wouldn’t have as good a fashion sense without her cutie mark.”

“That’s preposterous, darling,” Rarity says, eyes turning to her three diamonds.

“Is it?” Sweetie Belle’s eyes meet her dams. “You always told me your cutie mark represented seeing the best in things. Whether it was gems hidden inside a geode, or the perfect complement to a mare’s mane.” She turns back to Starlight. “But even without those special talents she’d be a loving, generous pony. To me and everypony else!"

“I think you’re proving my point,” Starlight Glimmer says. “That ponies don’t, and shouldn’t, need a special talent to have value!”

“That’s because that’s true. Everypony has worth. Everypony is worthwhile to get to know.” Apple Bloom steps up to her dam, nuzzling Applejack before returning to Starlight. “Just like every little seedling has its place on the farm. Even if Applejack didn’t have her cutie mark, she’d still take care of all of them just like she takes care of all of us.”

“But if you can’t take care of one friendship, then how can you possibly take care of dozens?” Starlight motions to the fourteen ponies and one human in front of her. “Wouldn’t they all wither away?”

“That’s a limitation to overcome, not an excuse to not try,” Scootaloo retorts. “And, trust me, I know a lot about limitations. But if there’s one thing that dam has taught me, it’s that the only thing worse than giving up is not trying in the first place. Even if she didn’t have her cutie mark, she’d still be just as amazing!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash says with a grin. “I didn’t have my cutie mark when I made a sonic rainboom!”

Scootaloo grins, “But Rainbow Dash isn’t all speed!”

“I’m not?” Rainbow looks awkwardly around.

Scootaloo shakes her head. “She’s loving, and daring, and loyal. She won’t leave a friend hanging, even if she has to work herself to the bone. And she doesn’t give up. A cutie mark is nice and all, but it doesn’t define who we are.”

“Everypony can learn those things. You don’t need to be the same to love somepony else.” Sweetie Belle smiles, drawing her sisters in for another hug. “And even if my sisters and I had different cutie marks, we’d still love each other just as much!”

“But differences just drive us apart!” Starlight grits her teeth, “I thought Sunburst and I were the same! But he was ripped away from me, all on account of his cutie mark!”

“Ah was pretty sad when my sister left,” Apple Bloom says solemnly. “She’s younger than me, and got her cutie mark almost two years ago. Then, a couple months ago, she got a job out in Canterlot. And it was because of her cutie mark, too. She got ripped away from us because she had a cutie mark that didn't quite belong.” A tear comes to her eye, Apple Bloom sniffling. “It was really sad to see her go. Ah don’t think Applejack every really recovered.”

“Nnope,” Applejack grunts out, her mane swinging back and forth as she shakes her head.

“But we didn’t lose hope. Just because she isn’t with us doesn’t mean we don’t still love her. And I’m sure this Sunburst still has a spot for you.” Apple Bloom reaches forward, resting a hoof on Starlight. “Maybe it won’t be the same as when you were fillies. But just because life changes doesn’t mean it’s bad.”

Scootaloo nods. “Not every change is an improvement. But every improvement is a change.”

Starlight rolls her eyes, “You sound like your sire.”

Scootaloo snorts. “I’ll take that as a complement.” She joins Apple Bloom. “I’m sorry that you lost your friend.”

Sweetie Belle walks forward. “But I do know that removing your cutie mark is not the way to bring him back.” She places a hoof on Starlight, beaming up at the blue eyes. “I don't know if there is a way to bring him back. But, if you are looking to make new friends, I think you have fifteen of them, right here.”

Starlight Glimmer glances around, tears welling in her eyes. “I never thought…” She gulps as the light from her horn winks out. “I never thought that I would find a place where I belonged. That I could just walk up to a pony and make a friend!”

The three cutie marks shudder as their bonds are released, slamming into the Crusaders. Each filly stumbles to the ground, laying in a daze.

Twilight nuzzles Starlight, “It’s never too late with the friends you make! That’s part of the essence of being a friend; there are no mistakes too great to forgive.”

Starlight nuzzles Twilight in return. “What, you would teach me about being a friend?” She smirks. “Who are you, the Princess of Friendship?”

Twilight smiles, shaking her head. “No, nothing like that. Just a pony, who used to value being alone, not putting any worth into knowing those around me. Now I’m traveling the same road you are, learning about friendship firsthoof. And I would be honored if you learned it along with me.”

Starlight’s hooves wrap around Twilight, drawing the purple unicorn in for a long kiss. Twilight’s eyes go wide when Starlight uses a little tongue, the two collapsing as Starlight presses forward. “Mm,” Starlight licks her lips as she briefly breaks away, “seems like I can teach you a little about friendship, too.”

“Hey!” Spike calls as a red dragon swoops down, dropping him off. Spike’s eyes flicker from the three fillies quivering on the ground to the two purple mares engaging in a heated battle for dominance, to the rest of the herd chuckling as they watch. “So, what’d I miss?”

130 The Cacophony

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“Um, hi, Spike!” Twilight looks down her barrel, past the other purple unicorn to meet Spike’s searching eyes. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

Applejack seems to have a frog stuck in her throat, and one cough isn’t enough to get rid of it.

Twilight sighs as Spike continues staring at her. “Okay, this is exactly what it looks like.”

Garble grunts at Spike, rolling his eyes. “Dude, watching two ponies make a foal is incredibly disgusting. And we’ve got a concert to get ready for. I’m taking off.” He looks over at Sweetie Belle, a heavy sigh as she lays there shuddering. "Should I just grab her, or..."

Twilight and Starlight lock eyes, then glance down their bellies. “Um,” Twilight starts off, Starlight finishing, “That’s not really how this works.”

“Oh.” Garble shrugs. “Hard to tell with ponies, you know. You’re all so bright and colorful. So...” He grimaces, sticking a finger to his mouth. “...sickeningly cute.”

“Yeah, but…” Twilight says, her tail flicking to the side, taking Starlight’s with it.

Garble continues, not really looking at them, “And dragons, we just kind of take it when we want it, so…”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash says with more than a little venom, “we got that too.”

“I was kind of under the impression that-”

“We know, darling,” Rarity says reassuringly. “It is fun to watch, though.”

Garble shakes his head, “Whoa! No! I’m not a dirty equiphile! Now, two big, tough dragons getting a clutch going? That’s more my speed! Hey, maybe you’ll see a bit of that at the concert tonight!”

Sweetie Belle gradually recovers, awakened from the loud noises; her eyes slowly tracing over her red, pink, and purple cutie mark. They swiftly get wider and wider, then flick over to her sister’s and their newly reattached cutie marks. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo mimic her, muzzles slowly curling larger and larger as a shrill cry pierces the clearing.

“WE ALL GOT THE SAME CUTIE MARKS!! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FOREVER!!”

“Wait,” Sweetie Belle says, peering closely at Apple Bloom’s flank. “Yours is different than mine.”

“You’re right. Ah’ve got an… apple?”

“And I’ve got a wing, and you’ve got a star?” Scootaloo squats down. “That just seems so…”

“Obvious?” Apple Bloom drawls.

“Yeah.” Scootaloo sighs. “I mean, it’s appropriate, I guess, but I was hoping for a little more individuality in mine.”

“Yeah, me too. At least Ah got an Apple themed cutie mark, so Ah don’t have to be worried about being thrown out of the family or nothing.” Apple Bloom turns to grin at Applejack, only to watch her dam nod in agreement.

“It’s true, we won’t throw nopony out, even good-fer-nothin’ unicorns, ‘long as they got themselves an Apple related cutie mark.” Applejack nods, looking around quizzically as the rest of the herd stares at her. “What?”

"So, we got cutie marks with shields on them." Apple Bloom grunts to herself. "So, our special talent is crusading?"

"Helping ponies with their cutie mark problems?" Scootaloo scoffs. "Does that really happen?" She turns, looking up at Starlight Glimmer. "Oh. Maybe. Sorry."

Sweetie Belle shakes her head before she looks up, her expression brightening. “Oh, hey Garble!” She glances at Rarity before asking, “Can I get a ride to the concert? You were saying something about getting ready for the show.”

“Yeah. I guess I did.” Garble looks down at the Crusaders, his tooth filled maw frowning. “But there’s no way I’m being seen as a steed for a pony. Even one as cool as you.”

“Well, um,” Sweetie Belle stammers, looking around. “Hey, Rarity? We got any sacks?”

Rarity flicks her mane. “Maybe if you ask me correctly.”

Sweetie Belle coughs once, her voice now higher pitched and pleading. “Excuse me, dam?”

“Yes, darling?”

“Do you happen to know if we have any sacks, or other such receptacles large enough to hold myself, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?”

“Hmm,” Rarity says, pondering. “I don’t believe I do. Not of a suitable material. Perhaps you should ask your sire.”

“Oh. Okay.” Sweetie Belle turns to Doug, opening her mouth slightly as she watches him stuff Scootaloo into one of his larger rucksacks, Apple Bloom already inside. “Hey-”

A hand reaches over, grabs Sweetie Belle by the scruff of her neck and roughly stuffs her inside the bulging sack. Doug lifts the squirming bag to a thoroughly amused Garble, pointing down. “That stops eventually.”

“It better,” Garble grunts out, hoisting the bag to his back. “Hey! No kicking!” He mockingly salutes a worried Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, flying off.

“Well, I think I should be off as well.” Starlight Glimmer shakes her head. “Sorry. I just know Svengallop’s gotten his hooves all over the lighting again. It’s going to be way too bright and glittery.” She sighs. “It makes Countess Coloratura shine like nothing else, though.”

Applejack chuckles, “Heh, Ah don’t know nothin’ bout no Countess, but Ah knew a ‘Coloratura’ back when Ah was a filly. Lovely singing voice.” She smirks, elbowing Starlight Glimmer in the side. “What’dya think the odds are that that Coloratura and this Coloratura are the same pony?”

Starlight Glimmer shrugs. “Dunno. Earth pony, two tone black and gray mane?”

Applejack pauses. “Y-yeah. Cutie mark of five musical notes?”

Starlight Glimmer nods. “Yup. Rainbow colored.”

Applejack blinks a few times in astonishment. “Wow,” Applejack stammers, lost in thought. She shakes her head, clearing her eyes. “Hey, Ah don’t suppose-”

“Well, I'm heading back to my trailer anyway, so I suppose we can see if she’s free.” Starlight glances towards the tent Applejack was staying in. “By the way, you should probably bring a bottle or five of cider with you. Or something similar.”

“Oh. Didn’t know she likes the stuff!” Applejack exclaims with a smile. “Ah can bring a whole lot more than five!”

Starlight shakes her head. “No, it’s for Svengallop. And he’ll try to weasel every bit off of you, so pack light.”

“Oh.” Applejack turns to the remaining herd members. “Well, Ah guess Ah’ll see all of you at the concert, then!”

“Wait, that’s it?” Twilight asks Starlight, more than a little surprised. “I thought you were, like, going to ask to join the herd or something!”

“Oh, is that a requirement to be your friend or something?” Starlight winks at Doug. “I'm only surprised your herd isn't even bigger!”

“Yeah, it's not that,” Doug replies flatly.

“It isn’t!" Twilight adds, furiously nodding up and down. "I just thought that, you know, you’d give up your fake mark and give everypony back their cutie mark and everypony would be friends just like that!”

“Wow,” Starlight says, eyebrow raising. “You really are idealistic. You know that right?” Twilight nods a little. “I mean, I say idealistic instead of naive because I’m trying to be nice.” One of Twilight’s eyes spasms, a small piece of mane splintering off. “First off, their cutie marks are locked in a big vault back in Our Town. I can’t exactly wave a magic staff and give them all back. I’d have to do it carefully, or risk breaking the matrix holding them, and it was a lot of work getting that big block of crystal there in the first place.”

“Oh,” Twilight says.

“Second, a lot of the ponies in Our Town came to me because they didn’t want their cutie mark. It’s not like I went around brainwashing everypony that stumbled into the place! No, those ponies had pretty big issues to consider removal in the first place. And giving them their cutie marks back without addressing the underlying issues, like you did with me, might not be the best idea.”

Twilight sinks a little lower.

“Hey,” pipes up Lemon, Starlight glancing down at the young yellow mare. “Maybe I can keep helping you with some of those issues? You know, if you or anypony else wanted to talk about it or anything.” She motions to her cutie mark, “Kind of my specialty! And, um, maybe the Crusaders can help the others in your town, too? At least, see if their cutie marks are in helping ponies with their cutie marks.”

“Huh.” Starlight considers for a few seconds. “I’ll have to get back to you on that. Right now, there’s a concert we’ve got to kick off, so I can’t really stand around and chat right now.” She glances to Doug, “But, we’ll still be on for March, right?”

“If you need me to,” Doug says, walking over to rustle Starlight’s mane. “Have fun at the concert!”

“I’m sure we’ll all be equally amused,” Starlight says with a wink as she leaves, Applejack walking next to her.

- Later, at the concert -

Herd Apple watches from some of the further seats along the ground, a few holding binoculars to their eyes. Pomarbo and Meringue are riding on Doug’s shoulders, Lemon on Pinkie Pie and Hedge on Trixie. Fluttershy is cowering just behind Doug, Rainbow Dash is hovering just above, hooting and cheering as the autotuned chords of Our Harmony fades out, the five equally marked ponies waving goodbye and stepping off the stage as one.

The stage goes dark, the crowd quieting down. After several long seconds of silence a single spotlight clicks on. A tall purple dragon rises from the floor, his blond hair covering his eyes. His claws begin to pluck out a medium tempo on his purple guitar; his deep voice, amplified many times over, rings out.

You can’t stay hidden for long;
As night expires, and brings about the dawn,
Life will find another way,
As we return to find more to slay!

As Nickelbangs belts out the last word two light click on. The first follows Garble as he swoops down, dumping three brightly clad young mares out of the monogrammed rucksack. The Crusaders dumbly stare at the blindingly bright lights focusing on them, mesmerized by the roaring crowd. Another light illuminates the drum set, Clump doubling up the tempo. Spike stands next to him, an obsidian stick pounding on a purple cowbell with all of his might and somehow staying in time. To his sides stand Charcoal and Backdraft on their black and purple bass guitars, growling out a deep chorus.

Allies come, and foes may go;
Nothing lasts! It’s all like snow.
Make a blast! That’s what I know,
Our exploits shall be sung through the ages!

Garble joins on his red guitar, everydragon still somewhat subdued. Sweetie Belle steps forward, grinning against the lights. Her sisters take hesitant steps, flanking her as Sweetie Belle takes a deep breath. Her high, clear voice sings out,

Friends may come, and friends may go;
Some go deep and some go low.
Each I keep! That’s what I know,
Since Friendship carries me through the ages!

Garble roars as his claws slam into the guitar, blazing up and down. Fizzle struts in from the side, mirroring Garble as they growl and roar at the Crusaders.

Scootaloo takes two confident steps forward, her shrill voice yowling out to the fast tempo,

Racing ‘round, for the best time!
Giving my all! Only one lifetime!
But after I’m wor-rn down by time...
My friendships! Carry me through the ages!

The music slows, almost reminiscent of a country melody with the twang of the guitars, except for the thrashing drums in the background. Doug shouts, “More Cowbell!”, getting Spike to wail on the metal block as hard as he can. Scootaloo bows her head as she takes a step backwards, Apple Bloom hesitantly stepping forwards to the cheer of the crowd.

Friendships, they all teach us,
Each in their own way.
They all share one thing in common;
Being different? It’s all okay!

The Crusaders step back, eyes closed as they ram their heads up and down to the beat. Garble struts forward, taking center stage, his claws flying over the strings as the beat doubles again.

Some days you wish you’d be a shooting star!
All a-blazing in the sky! Glo-o--rious! *Roar! Ro-ar!*
Burning out! Did you make it that far?
But! Friendship. Makes you! Victo-o--rious! *Roar! Ro-ar!*

Garble steps back as Fizzle steps up, dueling Clump during a two minute interlude of blazing melodies that grow more and more complicated. Garble starts a spontaneous chase of the Crusaders, merrily chasing them about the stage and trying to get them back in the rucksack. But when Garble advances on his own, the Crusaders stand up against him together, driving him off. As the trio cheers Garble gets Backdraft and Charcoal to join him, the three dragons finally able to force the Crusaders into the rucksack in a very over-the-top manner, the trio squealing with raucous laughter as the dragons pantomime smashing them inside.

Garble roars in victory over the squirming bag, hoisting it to his back. The Crusaders poke their heads out the top as the duel between Clump and Fizzle fades away. The guitarists join back in, a more subdued tone, singing the chorus together,

Trials may come, bring bliss or woe.
Yet life rolls on, fast or slow.
What matters - how will you be known?
By friendship? Or exploits through the ages?

Trials may come, bring bliss or woe.
Yet life rolls on! Fast or slow.
What matters - How will you be known?
By exploits? Or your friends through the ages?

O-o-o-oh. And it’s gone...

131 Left to Fate, Part One

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December 27th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“And, Spike, you’re sure you’re going to be okay running the library by yourself? I know Owlowiscious will be here at night, but Meringue is only going to be able to come over every so often if you’re getting overwhelmed, and-”

“Twilight!” Spike exclaims loudly, his exasperation long past showing through and practically tap dancing through his voice. “I’ll be fine!”

“I know, I know,” Twilight Sparkle admits, nervously glancing from one corner of the Golden Oaks Library to the other. Three separate checklists levitate next to her, every box checked off - twice - that detail the library, the kitchen, and the bedroom. “I’m just so worried about leaving you all alone for almost a week! I don’t know that we’ve ever been apart for so long!”

“Well, Twi, you’ll be in Canterlot visiting Princess Celestia, right?” Spike vaguely motions to the mountain in question, the capital city shining even in the dusk of evening. “So, if you’re worried about me, or if I’m worried about you, then we can just send a letter. Right?”

Twilight sighs heavily, the pieces of parchment neatly rolling up and dropping to the kitchen table. “You’re right, Spike. I don’t know why I’m being so silly about this.”

“It’s not silly,” Spike reassures, claws coming up to wind their way through Twilight’s coat, as high up as he can reach. “You’re worried about me, and I appreciate that. It’s just, I’m a big dragon! I can take care of myself, and the library! You can count on me!”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asks for the sixth time. A soft smile spreads across her muzzle as Spike folds his arms across his chest, his deadpan stare enough to answer her question. “I know! I know. But after Garble said that dragons aren’t really considered ‘mature’ until they molt and get their wings, whenever that is, and grow a little bit bigger, or in your case quite a bit bigger. But then their parents kick them out of the nest! And they have to get their own place and start a hoard of their own…”

“I get it, Twilight. You don’t want to kick me out, and I don’t really want to leave.” Spike stops running his claws through Twilight’s coat and pats her a few times. “How about this. When it becomes time for me to leave the wonderful nest you have here, we’ll do it with hugs instead of kicks.”

Twilight nods warmly. “I think I’d like that, Spike.” She gathers him up in her forelegs, a bit of a shudder in her chest that she tries to disguise as she shakes him back and forth. Spike grins as he hugs her back, a content exhale as she squeezes him.

Twilight looks over as Doug enters the library. “Hey, love!” She gently sets Spike down before hop up, snaking her way inside Doug’s jacket to nuzzling her stallion’s chest. “You all packed and ready to go?”

“Sure am.” Doug reaches down, rubbing Twilight between the ears. “Did Celestia tell you why we’re heading up to Canterlot?"

“No; and it was such short notice, too. I hope it’s nothing too important.” Twilight sighs as she hops down, hat and scarf levitating over. “And I hope Spike will be okay.”

“Hey, it’s not like you’re leaving me all alone. I can always sleep at Rarity’s if I’m feeling lonely.” Spike blushes just a tiny bit as his mind flashes back to something Garble told him backstage.

‘Hey, dude, I can see how much that Sweetie gal likes you. And, she’s pretty cool, so it’s, uh, cool and all that you seem to like her back. But, let me tell you something. Dragons are monogamous. That means we pick one mate, and we mate for life. Dragons don’t do the whole herding thing. Could you imagine trying to defend three clutches at the same time? Dude, it’d be terrible. Even taking care of one is bad enough! So, what I’m trying to say is, ask yourself this. Are you more like a dragon, or a pony? And is Sweetie going to be okay with that choice?’

Spike hastily tries to cover up by coughing, then continuing, “And Meringue will be coming over here, so I’ll at least have the simulacrum of socializing.”

Twilight smirks, cottoning on to Spike’s blush immediately. “Oh, and I suppose you feeling lonely is the only reason to go to Rarity’s, hmm?” She glances towards the front door, a hint of curiosity in her voice. “I wonder how she’s doing?”

At the Carousel Boutique, Rarity paces back and forth, over and over, gradually wearing a groove into the polished wooden floor of her showroom. A mass of green and white fabric floats in her blue aura, ostensibly trying to decide if it is a fashionable chapeau or just a bargain bin hat, but really more to give the unicorn something with which to fidget. Sweetie Belle sits on her rump in the middle of the store, her somewhat exasperated sighs becoming louder and more obnoxious as Rarity continues pacing.

Rarity finally breaks the prolonged silence, “I’m just saying that, as a mare gets older, she will find herself pressured in certain ways that a young filly might not be. And you haven’t been a young mare for very long, so I wouldn’t expect you to have an experience dealing with these sorts of pressures.”

Sweetie Belle rolls her eyes. “Dam, it’s Spike. We’ve known each other for months now! I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this!”

“I know, darling, but now that you have your cutie mark, your body is going to start going through some… changes.” Rarity finally tosses the hat into the bargain bin where it most certainly belongs, rounding on the young mare. Her eyes focus on the crest on the white flank, specifically on the purple star in the middle. “Have you, or your sisters, noticed… anything… different about yourselves?”

“Apple Bloom hasn't, but she can’t really try, since it’s winter and all. Scootaloo, um, not really. My magic feels a little stronger.” Sweetie Belle demonstrates by lifting her pink and purple curls with a green aura.

“That’s wonderful to hear, of course,” Rarity says with a forced smile, eyes turning to Sweetie Belle’s horn, “and I do hope that your magic continues improving. But, I was talking, more…”

Rarity’s eyes flick back to the red, pink, and purple cutie mark, then a bit further.

Sweetie Belle groans, her tail swishing to better cover herself. “Come on, dam, it’s not like that. Spike doesn’t…”

Sweetie Belle trails off. Does Spike see her like that? He has certainly gotten more tactile in the last two weeks, ever since she got her cutie mark. He is more eager to run his claws through her coat and mane, not that he had been reluctant before. And when they sleep together he wants to lay on her bed with his back pressing against her foreleg instead of him sleeping on the floor, or on one of the cots. She doesn’t mind, of course, and finds herself looking forward to the pleasant contact. Even if his scales are a little sharp. But it's no more than if she was sleeping next to her sisters, right?

Does she want it to be more?

Rarity seems to sense her filly’s growing trepidation, laying down next to her. A manicured hoof gently runs along her back, helping soothe away those lingering fears. “It can be hard to know what we want,” she starts, a bit of a forlorn sigh as Sweetie Belle presses up against her. “And, now that you’re a young mare, you’ll need to make these decisions yourself. More importantly, for yourself.”

“Wait,” Sweetie Belle says cautiously, pulling herself away from Rarity’s hoof to better look her dam in the eye. “You’re letting me make those decisions? Like, how, um... how far I can go with Spike?”

Rarity nods solemnly. “You’ll have lots of sources telling you things that you ‘should’ be doing. Some of them will be your body. Others might be Spike, and not just the words he says. Or it might be when you look around at school and you see some of your friends kissing their Special Someponies.” Rarity’s smile slowly fades. “I won’t be around all the time to give you advice, or to tell you what you should do. You’re going to have to make these decisions yourself.”

Sweetie Belle pushes, perhaps a little further than she originally intended, “So, you’re saying that if I wanted to sleep over at the library every night with Spike… you’d let me?”

Rarity’s head drops down. “I wouldn’t be happy with that decision if you were to make it. But since you are the pony who would live with the consequences should that be your choice, it certainly wouldn’t be right of me to stop you. If I was to ask you what your reasons are, what would you say?”

“Well, I like Spike, and I want to be close to him. I think he likes me the same way. But I’m not really sure.” Sweetie Belle nuzzles her dam, trying to get her to look back at her. “How do you know when somepony, or somedragon, is right for you?”

“Well, sometimes you just know, as if fate itself has drawn you together.” Rarity smirks, shaking her head. “For everypony not lucky enough to meet and marry the stallion of their dreams, you have to get to know them. Preferably, not too quickly and too, ahem, intimately. It is important to take your time, especially if you are unsure that somepony, or somedragon, is right for you.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Sweetie Belle presses into her dam again, purple curls rubbing into her white neck. “I can’t believe you’re being so cool about this.”

Rarity smiles. “I was a young mare, too. Not terribly long ago, I might have you believe." She pauses for a few seconds. "Though, if I’m being perfectly honest, I would prefer that any… risque business happen here, not in a secluded section of the park or in Twilight’s basement.”

“Twilight has a basement?” Sweetie Belle asks, raising an eyebrow.

Rarity coughs, “Nevermind that I said that. Just, please, try not to be too terribly obvious about what is going on.” Her tone becomes considerably more serious. “Do I need to lecture you on proper heat management, or cooler techniques? I’m sure your sisters will be glad to help out, especially since they will be going through it themselves. Or, if you think you’ll be unable to contain your urges during that time, should I get the pills?”

Sweetie Belle slowly gets paler with such a casual discussion of heats and all that entails. “Oh, um, I’m sure we’ll be able to figure it out. Thanks, though.”

“Of course, darling. Be sure to let me know if you need anything.” Rarity leans in conspiratorially, but her whisper comes out more as a warning. “Just don’t go thinking that just because Spike is a dragon and you are a pony that you’ll be ‘safe’.”

“Oh. Right.” Sweetie Belle smiles shyly. “Like with you and Daddy.”

Rarity nods, pulling away. “Correct.”

“But, dam, what if it, um, doesn’t work between me and Spike? What should I do?”

Rarity sighs, her hoof again coming up to stroke Sweetie Belle, this time on her mane. “I can’t answer that, dearest. It’s a decision you’ll have to make yourself. But what I can say is that there are other options, should that be the case.” She reaches forward, nuzzling Sweetie Belle’s horn with a soft kiss. “As Twilight Sparkle seems to be fond of saying, I’m sure everything would be just fine.”

“Okay,” Sweetie Belle says, slowly moving her head to return the nuzzle. Her smile slowly fades. “Hey, wait a second.” Sweetie Belle pulls away, a bit of a glare. “You’re being way too understanding about this. What’s the catch?” Her eyes narrow. “You’re not trying to get rid of me, are you?” She gasps, her eyes going wide. “Or, you’re trying to make me think that going and fooling around with Spike somehow makes it okay for you to fool around with that Prince?”

“W-what?” Rarity asks, taking a hasty step back. “N-no! No! That isn’t my intention at all! There are just, well, certain realities with Doug that-”

“Well, it’s not going to work!” Sweetie Belle stomps her hoof, wincing a bit at hitting the hard wood. “Talking to Starlight Glimmer taught me something! It taught me that I don’t need to be just as powerful as everypony else in order to be loved and accepted! And I feel bad for anypony who thinks that just because I can’t levitate a stick as well as somepony else means that I’m somehow less of a pony!”

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity admonishes, “You know that isn’t true! I love you and care for you with my whole heart! It doesn’t matter how much you can levitate, or how powerful your magic is!”

“Then why? Why would you go and fool around with somepony else?” Tears come to Sweetie Belle’s eyes as she storms off, turning back to Rarity at the base of the stairs. She opens her mouth to shout something, pauses, then turns away, racing up the stairs.

Rarity rushes forwards, holding her hoof out to her filly, just in time to see a green aura shut the door with a soft click. The door reopens, a white hoof reaching around to slam it shut with a loud *Bang!*

“Oh, dear,” Rarity mutters. “I wish I wasn’t so good at being convinced myself.”

132 Left to Fate, Part Two

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Twilight Sparkle shivers against her scarf, pulling herself just a little closer to the human sitting next to her. The chill winter air howls against them, the first portent of the blizzard taking place later that day. Much like the titular ghosts - a story they found Trixie had never heard of and which Doug had a weird human parallel - most everything shut down on the days past, present, and future of Hearth’s Warming. Trains, stores, even the weatherponies took a well deserved holiday from the stresses that pile up like the snow piling up around them.

Hmm; looks like the snow isn’t starting on time, and she can feel the suppressed grimace and groan of the weather scheduler next to her. Well, there’s never a guarantee, especially this close to the Everfree. The temperature sure seems to be dropping quickly as the wind picks up, the blowing snow turning blinding as it pelts her ears and eyes. It would be nice to have the other ponies milling around as a windbreak instead of just the few pieces of luggage.

“C’mon,” mutters Doug, getting Twilight to glance around. She shivers again. He can’t be that disappointed in the pegasi, right? But, back to the bitter problem of the cold. Maybe she could just heat a little bit of the ground around them? Preferably without it bursting into flames. No, probably not, and the energy wasted on that spell is energy her body won’t be using to heat itself.

“No, here.”

Twilight looks over; Doug has unzipped his heavy outer jacket, and the inner one, leaving just the thin shirt underneath, and is motioning towards his crotch area. Twilight raises an eyebrow, eyes flicking back and forth between his face and heavy pants. “U-um…”

“Jeez, the cold slow your brain already? Come here.” Doug reaches over, brushing off a bit of the snow already collecting on Twilight’s coat. He tugs her closer, spinning her around and practically dragging her into a reclined position, her back resting against his chest. Heat radiates off of him, the slivers of ice starting to melt and drip down. His jacket stretches as far as it can across her barrel, almost but not quite making a complete seal.

Twilight tries to pull her chest in, making herself as small as possible, as his knees raise up and around her. His arms take the front, helping lock in more of that precious heat. “T-thanks,” Twilight whispers, craning her head back. She’d kiss him, except he has a scarf covering most of his face, leaving little exposed to the elements.

“Eskimo kisses,” Doug softly intones, his cloth covered nose meeting her exposed one.

Twilight grins, a quick swipe side to side before she tucks her head inside the jacket as far as she can go. “How do you know so much about this kind of stuff? Based on everything about you, humans are suited for temperate climates, not this kind of freezing weather.”

“Sure, but we’re adaptable,” Doug replies, looking up to watch dozens of pegasi attempt to beat back the black clouds invading from the Everfree. Wow, looks like they called in the reserves, and it still might not be enough. “Some groups live in conditions like this nearly year round.”

“But you’d freeze to death,” Twilight responds coldly, regretting every piece of exposed fur on her. “There’s no way you can grow, gather, and eat enough in a day to make enough heat.”

“Well, meat is considerably denser, calorie wise, than greens. Easier to process. Especially fat.”

“Oh.” Twilight sinks into him a little more. “That.”

Doug nod is more subdued. “Also, we’d burn wood for heat, and bundle ourselves up like this all the time. Grow thicker beards and body hair. We make do.” He glances up as the shrill whistles pierces through the howling gale, the second train of the day heading towards Canterlot. “Finally.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” Twilight readily agrees. Her mouth purses, tucking just a little closer as she dreads the coming blast of cold. Her smile grows wide enough that she can feel him tense up around her muzzle. “Hey, maybe you can just carry me in like this? I’m sure nopony will mind.”

“As long as you get the luggage,” Doug says with a grin, gloved hand briefly rubbing her belly. Her horn flares as his arms wrap around her rump, hands clasping together. His grunt makes her a little self-conscious about her weight; she’s been running more, so it’s really muscle she’s been packing on, and not delicious purple breakfast cupcakes! Honest!

The blast of cold comes despite their best efforts, nearly enough to make Twilight drop their bags as the train slowly rolls to a stop, finally visible through the blowing snow. The doors remain closed, nopony coming out, as Doug steps towards the last car in line. The crowd of ponies mill towards the cars close to the engine, though they clearly won’t all fit in the first two.

Doug shifts Twilight, one hand pulling the door open and swiftly closing it behind them. The front half of the car is lightly occupied, everypony watching them through narrowed eyes. Doug heads all the way to the vacant back half, suitcases going up against the rear walls and serving as a soft barrier against the frigid metal.

“Is it always like that?” Twilight quietly asks as she steps out of the jacket, Doug shedding the thick outer layer. She practically pounces, wrapping herself in the still warm fabric and zipping it back up, her front hooves not quite long enough to fit without the arms scrunching up a lot.

Doug nods as Twilight settles down on one of the low benches. “Normally I take the night trains, if I have anywhere to go. But it’s like that with everypony not from Ponyville.” The doors open, letting in another blast of cold air.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight whispers, nuzzling Doug as ponies stream in through the briefly open doors. “I wish there was some way I could make it better.”

“I can think of a way,” Doug says, pulling out a pillow. He fluffs it a few times, laying down on the hard floor.

“Mmm,” Twilight growls, tugging the warm jacket against her chilly flanks. “Sorry, this isn’t coming off.”

Doug merely pats his stomach as the train lurches forward, grunting as Twilight hops off the bench. She lays her head on his stomach, comparing the thump of his heart, the rasp of air through his lungs, and occasional gurgle of his stomach to the accelerating click and clack of the train. She levitates a piece of paper and pencil, Doug apparently not a believer in the superiority of quills, tallying the harmonics. A particularly adventurous pony takes the bench next to them as the other ponies spread out, Twilight finding herself falling asleep before she gets to twenty triply synchronous beats as the train leaves the station.

Twilight’s yawn grows wider and wider as the hand against her ear pushes harder and harder. She smacks her lips a few times as she slowly comes to, the racket of hooves getting fainter and less frequent as ponies vacate the train car. She tries to snuggle closer, grunting in dismay as her comfiest of pillows shifts upright.

“Come on, Twi.” Doug lifts her head up, his scarf replacing his stomach as her pillow. “I know we have plenty of time, but I’d like to get up to the castle quickly anyway.”

“Aww,” pouts Twilight, pleading eyes glistening as they stare up at him. “Five more minutes.”

“No excuse!” Doug says, tying suitcases to another until he has one long, bulky train going. “Time to vamoose off the caboose!”

“Ugh, what’s the use,” moans Twilight, wrapping the scarf around her neck as she gets up. It proves unnecessary; despite the higher altitude, and the snow on the ground, Canterlot is much more comfortable than Ponyville in a snowstorm. Both of them watch in wonder as they look up at the main castle. Two alicorns, blue and white, stand atop the grand balcony, horns ablaze. The sun lingers in the canopy of a sky, painting beautiful hues of red that gradually fade to light blues and purples. Seconds later the moon rises above the Canterhorn, washing the clouds to a deep blue.

“Excuse me, sir, random security screening. Would you mind stepping aside for a moment?”

Doug groans as the burly armored thestral sticks a hoof out in front of him. “Come on, you always pick me.”

She peers up at him, no nonsense on her face. “Just a guardsmare doing my job, sir. Name?”

“Black Snooty,” growls out Doug.

“Name,” she practically spits out, eyes narrowing, muzzle curling to a venomous scowl.

“Doug Apple.”

“And where are you coming from?”

“Uh, Ponyville?” Doug responds with a motion of his arm towards the small town, one of the few visible this side of the mountain.

“Did you bring any fruit with you?”

Doug’s closed eyes raise to the moonlit sky. “Two dozen apples and a case of Sweet Apple Acres Reserve.”

“Okay, then. Where are you heading?”

He motions with an arm. “The castle?”

“Anything to declare?” She peers up at Doug, as if trying to gaze into his very soul.

“I hate you.”

The thestral’s mean glower fades, replaced by astonishment and a mournful quiver of her lip. “Y-you do?”

“What?!” Twilight exclaims at almost the same time.

“It’s a quote! From a movie!” Doug hastily explains, to no avail. “I didn’t mean it like that! Honest!” The thestral merely looks ready to cry, turning her head away and sniffling. Doug wraps her in a hug. “Princess Luna didn’t tell you?”

The thestral snorts, instantly recovering as she pushes Doug away. “No, she just gave me a list of questions to ask. Please. We aren’t that soft.” A wing flicks out, displaying a small piece of parchment with indigo script. “Want me to escort you to the castle?”

“Sure,” replies Doug with a smile, hoisting their bags.

“Doug!” reprimands Twilight, smacking at her stallions flank with a rolled up newspaper she pulled out of the trash. “Bad Doug! I can’t believe you would say that about anypony! Especially one just doing their job!”

“I told you,” Doug says, rolling his eyes, “it’s a quote. Sorry for offending your delicate sensibilities.”

“It’s not my sensibilities I’m worried about!” Twilight stamps a hoof as they continue upwards. “You could have really hurt somepony’s feelings!”

“Ma’am, I assure you, it takes quite a bit more than a few choice words to hurt us.” Twilight grumbles to herself as she pulls out the paper, reading as they walk along. The thestral nods to the guards at the checkpoint to the entrance to the castle, flashing a gleaming gem. “It will be a few hours before the Princess is ready to see you.” She pulls out a simplified map of the castle, hoofing it to Twilight. “Marked is the room you are staying in, plus directions to Celestia’s office. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.” She waves, turning back the way she came and flying off.

Twilight and Doug wave back before turning their attention to the map. “Hmm, not the best of the guest chambers, but Princess Celestia probably has lots of very important someponies invited already. It is very close to Hearth’s Warming, after all. And celebrating the start of the new year, the first Year of the Diarchs in a thousand years!”

“Wouldn’t it be the triarchs?” Doug asks as they walk towards their chambers. “I mean, Cadance counts, right?”

“Well, Princess Cadance hasn’t really taken on leadership responsibilities, not like Princess Luna has.” Twilight pulls out the newspaper she whacked Doug with. “And, according to the papers, Princess Luna is ready to resume her position as Diarch.”

The two pass a white unicorn pushing a cart full of stacks of papers, folders, and a large thermos of coffee. Raven Inkwell flicks her brown mane done up in a tight bun in greeting, getting an automatic nod in response.

“Hey, maybe we can kill some time talking to Princess Luna. We haven’t really seen her since Nightmare Night.” Doug points to the map. “I’m sure we can figure out where she’s staying. And it would be good to talk to her, see how she’s managing the various problems facing Equestria.” He leans down to elbow Twilight in the ribs. “Or maybe focus on the love shortage that seems to be a problem around here.”

Unnoticed by the two, Raven startles back as her eyes focus on Doug, her eyes briefly flashing green. She pulls out a black scarab, pushing her cart behind a wall and whispering closely.

“Love shortage!?” Twilight exclaims as they go around a bend in the castle. “I’m not foaling around on a crowded public train! I should show you a love shortage, thinking I’m some sort of exhibitionist.”

“Alright, Twilight, it’s okay,” Doug says, scratching the purple unicorn on the ear. “I was just joking. Maybe we can go to the library after we drop these bags off.”

Twilight’s eyes light up. “Really?!” She prances about, a new spring in her step, “I’d love to do that! I can show you the Star Swirl the Bearded section in the archives! It’ll be amazing!”

133 Left to Fate, Part Three

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“Come on, Twilight,” Doug implores, standing at the exit to the archives. “This will still be here when we’re done with the meeting.”

“But Doug,” Twilight begs, hooves clutching as many books to her chest as she can, fumbling around and trying to walk upright like Pinkie Pie, “Just a few more! It won’t take long! Please?”

“We could be here for days, Twilight, and not make it through all those books.” Doug points at the raspberry haze behind her, dozens more books floating along. “Years, in fact. Now, put those back where you found them and let’s go.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun,” Twilight abjectly grunts out as she drops down to all fours, the books levitating back to the shelves. “And even after I refilled your tank by the statue of Star Swirl the Bearded!”

“Yes, that must have been excruciatingly painful for you.” Doug rolls his eyes as he walks out, waving to the archivist. “After all, books are only so comfortable to lie on, right?”

“No; I was just worried about another pony coming the entire time. ” Twilight snorts as they travel up winding corridors, gradually making their way higher and higher. “So what if it’s winter break. It could have happened.”

“Ah, yes; Twilight Sparkle, the Personal Student of Princess Celestia Herself, May Her Sun Shine as Long as She Deems Necessary, is a foal at heart who loves building book forts. Especially out of priceless first edition manuscripts. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, I make a mean book fort!” Twilight sticks her tongue out at Doug. “Next time I make one, you aren’t invited.”

“A dagger through my heart!” Doug clutches at his chest as the two arrive at the door to Princess Celestia’s office, not terribly far from the throne room. The two guards stare impassively at them. Doug coughs, standing up and straightening out his jacket. One of the guards smirks, her hoof rapping out a quick beat. A golden aura opens the door, the guards stepping to the side.

Doug and Twilight walk inside the spacious office. Gold and white accents mingle with blue, green, and pink decorations, none of it ostentatious. On the opposite wall are two grand double doors leading to the balcony where Princess Celestia had set the sun earlier that day. In the center of the room rests a large table in the shape of a ‘C’, completely covered in stacks of paperwork.

Celestia’s voice melodically lilts from behind one of the stacks, “Good evening, Doug; it is wonderful to see you again! And Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student. I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Evening, Celestia,” Doug replies as he walks up to the desk, barely able to peer over the high stacks. Behind him Twilight drops to a bow, grimacing as Doug doesn’t join her. “Busy?”

“It never seems to end,” Celestia concedes, smiling up at Doug, her golden aura pausing the rapid swish of papers in front of her. “I do believe it is the primary reason behind the dearth of attempts to overthrow me. Well, that and a lack of unicorns willing to give up their power just to raise the sun.”

“Just?” Doug says with a smirk, reaching a fist forwards.

“Oh, none of that,” Celestia says, teleporting out of her paper cage. She wraps Doug in a hug, sneaking in a quick kiss, then bends down to nuzzle the still bowing Twilight. “I hope you don’t mind if I work while we chat.”

“Of course not, your Highness,” Twilight states as she rises.

Celestia clears her throat, “Raven Inkwell, I do believe I am done for now. Perhaps see if my sister needs any assistance at the Night Court.”

The white unicorn stands from the corner, pushing stacks of completed paperwork onto her cart and fishing an empty coffee cup from the desk. “Of course,” she says, bowing her tightly wrapped brown mane. She pushes the cart towards the door.

“Raven Inkwell?” Doug says, his mind going back. “Weren’t you an earth pony, back at Ponyville?”

“Um,” the unicorn nervously stammers, her pace increasing. “I’m sure you’re remembering wrong. Or you have me confused with another pony. Good night!” The door slams behind her.

Doug whirls to Celestia, his accusing question dying at her single, solemn nod. “S-so,” he asks, trying to cover his earlier haste, “what did you want us here for?”

Celestia’s normally pleasant voice turns hard. “Doug, do you remember Sunset Shimmer?”

“Of course,” Doug replies, his eyes narrowing and fists tightening. “Why?”

“I have a mission for you, Doug.” A hint of softness returns. “It is one that you are free to refuse, or ask for any assistance that you desire. However, you must do it alone, and I’m afraid any magical assistance will be unavailable.”

Doug considers her words for a few long seconds. Twilight glances up, brow knit in confusion. The events surrounding Sunset Shimmer’s abrupt disappearance are a complete mystery, though rumors of a dark magic experiment gone horribly wrong are the most believable.

“What would I be doing?” Doug eventually asks.

Celestia levitates a sturdy backpack, filled nearly to the brim. “In my throne room is a portal to another realm. It opens precisely every thirty moons for three days. The next opening is midnight, tonight. I wish for you to venture into this realm, locate Sunset Shimmer, and convince her to return home.”

“Pardon my bluntness, Princess, but that seems unlikely.” Doug grunts, folding his arms across his chest. “Given what she did, and how she left. Why would she?”

Celestia sighs. “Yes. I’m afraid it is a long shot. But, Equestria is her home, and she does not belong in that place.” She motions to the backpack. “If she demands an apology for the way I treated her, for not earning her complete trust, she has it. If she desires forgiveness for what she did to Rainbow, that is for you and Rainbow to provide, but I believe she would have it.” She pauses; it takes Doug a second, but he nods. “Should she wish to return as my student? Well, I have had multiple students before, and Twilight needs little more than occasional guidance from me.”

“Thank you,” Twilight Sparkle says with a reserved smile, practically leaping for joy inside.

“Should she wish to… continue her studies into beneficial uses of dark magic…” Celestia sighs. “It would have to be under strict controls. Every stage of testing approved, and not just by myself." Her eyes narrow, staring off into the heavens. "There are dangers out there, that cannot be underestimated.” Her gaze returns to Doug, looking him in the eyes. “But I would be willing to hear her out.”

“All well and good, but I’m sensing a but,” Doug replies.

Celestia sighs heavily. “I’m afraid that what she desires most, if she were to return, she cannot acquire here.”

“...And you aren’t telling me what that is, but I can assume she knows.” Doug frowns at Celestia’s nod. All three turn as a crackle resounds, sparks erupting from one corner of the room. Only Celestia’s calm demeanor keeps Doug from diving behind the desk, though he does inch his way behind the alicorn.

A pinprick of dark blue appears; it gradually expands, becoming a teal oval roughly a foot taller than a pony, midnight blue wafting off the top while bolts of teal stab through the purple haze swirling inside.

A white unicorn with a black goatee and slicked back mane steps through, his cutie mark a twisted smirk over a curled goatee, a gold amulet around his neck. His eyes flick to Doug and Twilight, then back to Princess Celestia. He clears his throat. “Excuse me, Princess. If I had known you had company, I would have dressed the part.”

“It is no problem, Chancellor Neighsay. Allow me to introduce-”

“Twilight Sparkle, your most faithful student.” Chancellor Neighsay’s eyes narrow as his gaze goes up, taking in all of Doug. “And Doug Apple. I can’t say that I’m pleased to see you.”

“O-kay?” Doug hesitantly says, slowly withdrawing the hand he was stretching forwards. His eyes flick to Celestia. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, Doug. Chancellor Neighsay was one of the ponies involved two and a half years ago. He has my complete confidence.”

Doug turns to the white unicorn. “Right. And what happened?”

Chancellor Neighsay’s back straightens. “Then, I was one of two who went through the portal. We were transformed, though we did not have the time to fully explore our new abilities. We were almost immediately accosted by those not unlike yourself. Without magic or other tools to defend ourselves, we immediately scrubbed the mission, barely able to retreat through the portal before being detained. We magically barred this side, keeping any from following, though we are unsure if any attempted.”

Doug turns to Celestia. “And you think it will be safe for me to go through?”

“I do, yes,” Celestia replies. “If your form does not change, perhaps you will be able to blend in.”

“Right.” Doug turns to look at the white unicorn. “Why were you chosen?”

Chancellor Neighsay motions to the gold amulet. “With this, I am able to open portals from one location to another. We thought that I might be able to use it to return, should our mission last longer than three days, or if we were captured. Our attempts to use the stored magic were unsuccessful. Here in Equestria, I am the head administrator of the EEA, or the Equestrian Education Administration. I’m also one of Princess Celestia’s advisors.”

“Yes,” Celestia says with a chuckle. “You might say he’s my Grand Vizier. I often use him to espouse and argue uncomfortable or unorthodox opinions, since he has no trouble at all expressing views contrary to, how shall I say, the prevailing opinions of everypony else.”

“Indeed.” Chancellor Neighsay looks Doug up and down. “The most important part of education is not memorizing facts and figures and dates. Instead, it is learning and practicing the ability to discern when an argument is properly formed and solidly grounded. Along with that, being able to defend your opinions against all comers, and in equal measure recognize weak points in other’s arguments and have the ability and inclination to attack them. It is a position I take a good deal of pleasure in, especially when whomever I am testing manages to adequately defend their views.”

“Really?” Doug asks with more than a little trepidation.

Chancellor Neighsay nods. “Even though I hate being beaten, and will try my hardest to keep that from happening.” He spins on a hoof, pacing around Doug to regard him from every angle. “For example. Doug, I believe you are unqualified to send on an expedition into unknown lands, through untested means. Even if you return, there is no guarantee that anything you learn can be applied to any ponies that follow in your… footsteps.” He says the last word with disdain, glancing down at Doug’s feet. “As well, should anything happen to you, or you not able to return, then you leave behind seven mares and eight foals, ponies who would then be in a financially precarious position,” he nods towards Princess Celestia, “were it not for their status as the Elements of Harmony.”

Doug’s eyebrows raise. “How do you know so much about me?”

Chancellor Neighsay shrugs. “I make it a point to know about all the creatures living in Equestria, and their abilities, in addition to keeping up on current events. Call it a hobby of mine.”

Doug stares at Chancellor Neighsay for a few seconds before he turns to Celestia. “It seems like now is a poor time to be having this sort of discussion. Like, this is something we should have hammered out weeks ago.”

Celestia nods. “Yes. And we did. We have played it very close to the chest, to keep any knowledge of how to access other worlds from escaping into the wrong hooves. I am sorry I did not come to you earlier, and am willing to answer any questions you have. But the other Elements cannot know about this portal. I know it pains you to keep secrets from your herd, Doug, but I’m afraid I must insist.”

Doug sighs. “Yeah, I guess I just wish I had a little more time to prepare myself. Mentally, that is, since it looks like you’ve packed just about everything I might need that fits into one backpack.”

“Yes, we thought it best you travel light. You have enough supplies in there to last three days, and a small collection of valuables to barter away should the worst happen.” Celestia lays a concerned hoof on Doug’s shoulder. “Please, do try to make it back before the portal closes.” She levitates a piece of parchment and quill to Doug. “I would hate to have to give them this letter.”

“Yeah, me too.” Doug takes the parchment, dreading putting parting words to paper. He glances back at Chancellor Neighsay, “So, to answer your earlier argument. I already know of the existence of other worlds, though maybe not the means to travel to them, so the number of ponies in the know is kept to a minimum.”

“And yet, even I know of your fantastic claim to have come from another of these worlds,” Chancellor Neighsay retorts. “You have done a poor job guarding that secret.”

“True, but I’ve done basically nothing with that since I got here, and kept discussions of it to a minimum. As to your other points, they are all valid, but perhaps learning how whatever magic the portal has interacts with me might help compare to how it interacts with ponies who go through it.” Doug shrugs. “I’m very fit, intelligent. I might not blend in, but hopefully I can retreat through the portal should that be necessary, like you did. If the worst should happen, the girls will miss me, but they can make do on their own. And it’ll only be two and a half years until I’m able to return.” Doug shrugs, trying to keep his voice jovial. “Or they’ll move on, if I’m lost.”

“And, knowing the dangers, you still wish to go?” Chancellor Neighsay raises an eyebrow at Doug’s nod. “Perhaps.” He shakes his head. “Princess, I did not come here for this. I have taken your recommendations regarding the upcoming curriculum into account. Was there more you wished to discuss?”

“I believe I have made my stance clear, Agent Fathom. Thank you for your time.”

Chancellor Neighsay raises an eyebrow. “Is that all? Perhaps a letter would have sufficed, Princess.” He follows her brief glance to Doug. “Ah. I see. Well, good evening, Princess. Twilight Sparkle.” He pauses briefly. “Doug Apple.” Doug nods in return, Chancellor Neighsay stepping through the portal. It fades away, leaving no sign of ever having been there.

“So,” Doug casually remarks, “where do I get an amulet like that?”

Celestia smirks back. “I’m afraid magical artifacts like that are few and far between.” She gets up, heading to her throne room. “You’ll have to find your own.”

Doug snaps his fingers, “I knew there was a catch.” He grabs the backpack, following Twilight and Celestia to the empty throne room, just a single golden chair in the middle of the raised dais. Doug looks over at the moon; nearly midnight. “I feel like we aren’t sending nearly enough ponies in to study this.”

“You are probably right, Doug,” Celestia concedes. “But the last thing I wish is for there to be an invasion force, on either side of the portal. Or to upset the balance of the worlds, in a way that might lead to something far worse.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Doug drops the backpack to the ground, wrapping a surprised Twilight in a tight hug. He softly whispers, “I’ll miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you,” she quickly returns, hooves squeezing hard. “And so will the rest of the herd, if you don’t come back.” Twilight pushes just far enough away to kiss him - a long, deep kiss, full of yearning and passion and regret. “You better not make me send them that letter.”

“Oh, right,” Doug says, releasing Twilight with a wave of sorrow. She lays in his lap, letting him use her as a writing desk, unwilling to read the words he spends a seeming eternity agonizing over.

Only when he is done comes a quiet cough from the alicorn, patiently waiting by a purple horseshoe studded with eleven pink diamonds. A blue-gray mirror shimmers, though without reflection.

“Is it time?” Doug asks, reluctantly standing.

“Nearly,” Celestia answers, wrapping Doug in one last hug. “Your herd won’t be the only ones who will miss you if you do not come back. Oh, and one more thing.” She pulls back, glancing down at Doug’s jacket. “We don’t know exactly what form you will take, or what time of year it is. Be ready for anything.”

Doug sighs. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He strips out of his jacket and pants, holding them in his hand. He leans down and kisses Twilight; after a moment of hesitation, he kisses Celestia. “See you in three days,” he says, walking through the shimmering surface.

134 Left to Fate, Part Four

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December 28th, 1000 Domina Solaria

“So...” Twilight Sparkle says as the clock finishes striking midnight. She watches the rippling surface of the portal to the mirror universe return to a smooth sheen, as if nothing had ever broken its silvered surface. “Why did you want me here, Princess? Surely you could have kept me in the dark about this, leaving me blissfully unaware. Now, I’m going to worry about Doug the entire time!”

Princess Celestia’s soft tone echoes around the throne room, her voice that of a patient mentor. “Ignorance of the trials our friends go through makes them no safer, and us no better suited to help them.” Princess Celestia sighs. “The bliss you seek is but an illusion, Twilight. Shattered by truth and knowledge.”

Twilight Sparkle sighs, turning away from the mirror. The piece of paper is still where Doug left it, dropped to the ground like an afterthought. Her voice is solemn, apologetic. “It appears I still have a lot to learn about Friendship.”

“We never stop learning about Friendship, Twilight.” Princess Celestia walks up behind her student, joining her in staring at the letter, writing side down. “Even I learn more about it, every day.” Princess Celestia drops to her barrel on the cold marble floor, head the same height as Twilight as she nuzzles her student’s neck. The touch is soft, conveying affection and appreciation, but little more.

“From me?” Twilight asks, a hint of hope.

“Even you.” Princess Celestia’s smile cannot contain the hot exhale of breath, then the sharp inhalation through her nostrils. Her nuzzle returns, no longer the detached concern of a mentor for her student. Instead, it is harder, deeper; the loving nuzzle of a herdmate, bonded by more than circumstance and necessity. “Especially you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Princess? Am I dreaming?” Twilight barely manages to keep herself from biting her inner cheek. “Because this feels like a dream come true. The only thing missing is Doug rutting both of us senseless, here in your throne room.”

“Mm, that would be a splendid ‘Welcome Home!’ present, now wouldn’t it?” Princess Celestia replies with a smirk, then a light nip to Twilight’s mane.

“P-princess?” Twilight fumbles out at the light twinge of pain, her head evasively dipping lower. “I…”

Princess Celestia’s eyes blacken, her pupils orange rimmed with red. Her snort, hotter this time, nearly singes Twilight’s mane, the hairs curling. Then her eyes close, a heavy, mournful sigh, a solitary tear evaporating before it can drip down. “No, you are correct, Twilight Sparkle. I am sorry.” She pulls her head away, unable to look her student in the eyes. “I allowed my own selfish desires to push you faster than you were ready.” Her voice nearly catches in her throat. “It shall not happen again.”

“I…” Twilight turns, eyes tracing over her mentor and seeing her in a new light, and not just the orange afterglow of her peytral. “I didn't mean it like that, Pr… Celestia. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“You tempt me, Twilight Sparkle, in ways you don’t fully understand.” The blackness around the edges of Princess Celestia’s eyes returns, threatening to seep in again. “I will not acquiesce to your foalish feelings of guilt, or your sophomoric belief that giving in to my desires is what is best for you, or for me, or for Equestria!”

Twilight gapes; this is perhaps the first time that Princess Celestia has openly insulted her, and not in a gentle, instructive way that leads to further understanding. She meekly offers, “Princess…” before clearing her throat, resolutely standing up and searching for her mentor’s eyes. “Then help me understand, Celestia. I want to know. I want to help.”

Celestia shakes her head, clenching her eyes shut. “I do not wish for my burdens to become your own. I would never ask that of you.”

Twilight angrily stamps a hoof on the marble floor. “What did you just tell me, Celestia? How am I supposed to help my Friend with her burden, if she will not open up to me and tell me? I’m here for you. I want to be there for you, to help shoulder your burdens, to let you know that you aren’t alone!”

Clenching her eyes no longer keeps the tears from flowing, the sizzling water splashing against the warm stone. “Twilight,” Celestia ekes out, an ebullient smirk breaking out from her desolation, “perhaps you have learned more of Friendship than I imagined.”

“Well, I did have a pretty awesome teacher,” Twilight says, nuzzling Celestia, her nose puckering at the hot wetness that remains with her even as she pulls away. “But don’t think that you can get out of telling me by distracting me with compliments.”

Celestia’s smirk dissolves into a soft smile. “You always were very perceptive, Twilight, but I assure you that was never my intention. I merely fear some of my burdens are too great for you to bear; though with time, perhaps you will be ready for them as well.”

Twilight nods patiently. When an elder wizard tells you that you aren’t ready for something, you listen. “But, Princess, if I may…” Twilight hesitantly smiles at Celestia’s nod. “It sounds to me like you are, I don’t know, grooming me to take over as, well, the ruler of Equestria.”

“Is that not a position you desire?” Celestia asks, returning to a more upright position.

Twilight’s breath quickens. “No! I can barely keep a library running smoothly, to say nothing of an entire country! I mean, I’m certainly not ready for that kind of responsibility! I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for it!”

Celestia places a comforting hoof on Twilight’s withers. “And that is why I think you will be perfect for the job. But, as you said, perhaps not just yet.”

“Okay, but, even assuming that someday we both think that I’m ready - which I’m not saying is the case, or even likely to be the case - what if something happens that I’m not ready for? What if I need help? What if the entirety of Equestria is under attack!? What if-”

Celestia’s soft nuzzle is not enough to break Twilight out of her mania. Her horn lights, a paper bag appearing next to Twilight. The unicorn madly grabs at it, thrusting it to her mouth, nearly popping the bag with her rapid inflating and deflating.

“You remember what happened in Cloudsdale? At the Best Young Flyers Competition?” Celestia chuckles to herself at Twilight’s grim nod. “Yes, I imagine you would have a difficult time forgetting it.”

“You told me we would talk about it. That, at the time, I was blinded by my emotions.” Twilight gently sets aside the bag, having served its purpose well.

“Twilight, a good ruler brings their people through times of struggle and strife. But a great ruler knows when and where they are lacking. I will be there to provide guidance, and perhaps a little extra fire power, should you ever ask. But even I will not be around forever; and it is my most fervent desire that you, and everypony around you, be able to manage things on your own.”

“Oh.” Twilight pauses for a few seconds, idly brushing her tail against the marble beginning to cool. “So the reason you didn’t save Doug, or Rarity, or the Wonderbolts, was because you wanted them to manage it on their own?” She smiles briefly at Celestia’s nod, but her frown returns just as quickly. “But, what if they failed? What if they weren’t able to do it on their own?”

“You strike at the root of the problem, Twilight, for there is no easy answer. Perhaps you can answer me this. What does it mean for a life to have meaning?”

Twilight ponders this as she traces the stars in the moonlit sky through one of the stained glass windows; some twinkling brightly, others disappearing into the warped reflections. “That the choices one makes impact the world around them. That life would be different were they not there, or replaced by somepony else.”

Celestia stares out the window, joining Twilight in her stargazing.

Twilight frowns. “I guess, you could also add in fulfilling the promise of your cutie mark, and the joy that one gets from that.”

Celestia continues staring outside, eyes flicking from one pinprick of light to another. When she runs out of stars visible from their vantage point she moves closer, gold shod hooves nearly scraping the cold marble as she drags her barrel across the floor. “And what would it mean for a life to not have meaning?”

“Well, the opposite of that. If our decisions didn’t impact the world around us. If what we did, or did not do, had no consequences.” Twilight’s buoyant smile fades. “Oh.”

“Perhaps you should explain your revelation in your own words,” Celestia lightly prods.

Twilight scoots forward to rejoin Celestia. “If you were to solve everypony’s problems, their lives would be meaningless. That you purposely allow ponies to try, and fail, and that even in failure their lives find meaning. Because it is their failures, and their successes, that make them the ponies that they are meant to be.”

“Much as I appreciate the sentiment, I am not able to solve everypony’s problems.” A wry smile crosses Celestia’s muzzle. “Hay, I can’t even solve onepony’s problems. If I had swooped down, and saved Rarity and the two Wonderbolts, what would that have taught them?”

“Well, they’d be alive, so I guess they could still learn something,” Twilight snarks.

“Yes, but what lesson would they have learned? And what of everypony else?” Celestia sits up to gaze over the Everfree Forest, answering the question on Twilight’s lips. “True. Some threats are beyond their ken. And I have made certain promises, to Equestria and beyond, that I intend to keep. I answer, when called. But I am not perfect; I cannot be everywhere at once, and save everypony from everything, up to and including themselves.”

“Nopony is asking that of you,” interjects Twilight.

“Yet.” Celestia sighs, flopping back down. “And they would, were I to let them. I’m sure you have heard the saying, give a mare an apple, and she eats for a day. Teach a mare to farm, and she eats for a lifetime. Would Spitfire, or Rainbow Dash, or Spring Step have flown as fast that day? Would they train as hard as they do, if they knew, in the back of their minds, that I would be there to step in should they fail? Or is it better to live a life knowing that the bit stops here, that you are the one ultimately responsible for the life and death of the ponies who have entrusted their lives to you?”

Twilight shudders. “I don’t know if I would want that much responsibility.”

“And yet it is no more than anypony else shoulders, the responsibility of their own actions. All we can do is instruct them as best we can, perhaps protecting them from the worst of their errors, if only to allow them the chance to learn from their mistakes. And you, Twilight Sparkle, bear a larger burden than most. Because, as one of the Elements of Harmony, the fate of Equestria may come to rest in your hooves, and those of your Friends.”

“I’m lucky to have them in my life.” Twilight chances a glance up at Celestia. “Is that why…”

"It is, among other things." Celestia solemnly nods, then clears her throat. “But, perhaps hardest of all, is to extend that protection - that love and forgiveness, and desire to learn and to grow - to those who do not wish us well. Who actively work to do us harm. Who would strike our cheek and spit in our faces purely for the sadistic pleasure of doing so.”

“But…” Twilight stammers. “But, that’s suicide! What if Equestria is taken over, and all hope is lost?”

“If you believe in the power of Friendship, then there is always hope. Not just for us, but for our enemies as well. For what is an enemy, but a Friend who hasn’t yet grasped our hoof in Friendship?” Celestia smiles as she settles down, Twilight next to her, their eyes finding the moon. The empty moon.

135 Heterochromia

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December 30th, 1000 Domina Solaria

The final scratches of a quill echo through the throne room as the penultimate petitioner bows to Princess Celestia, challenged only by the agitated clop of a hoof repeatedly striking the ground. Twilight rests her raspberry aura, doubtful that her temporary position as Day Court Stenographer would be needed for the final supplicant. And, given the brief narrowing of magenta eyes, Princess Celestia shared that particular sentiment.

“Good evening, Prince Blueblood,” Princess Celestia royally states, the barest nod of her head quite indicative of her displeasure at her nephew. The fact that Celestia managed to find other petitioners on such short notice and slot them before him is mere icing on the delectable cake she plans on devouring as soon as she escapes. “I trust you have a good reason for calling a special session of the Day Court?”

“Yes, your Highness,” Prince Blueblood brusquely replies, briefly dipping to a low bow. A golden glow surrounds his horn, the schedule of the festivities for the next day levitating towards the Princess. “I am sorry for the necessity of calling this proceeding, but after repeated attempts I was unfortunately unable to schedule a meeting at a more suitable time.”

Princess Celestia mutters, for Twilight’s ears only, “You say that like it was unintended,” drawing a quickly suppressed smirk from the unicorn.

“As you can see,” Prince Blueblood motions to the schedule, “you have the Lunaris Priestess giving a few select ambassadors and hoofpicked VIPs - ponies you chose, I might add - an aerial tour of Canterlot, as well as a unique vantage point to witness the inaugural lowering of the sun and raising of the moon, commemorating the symbolic rejoining of your Sister as co-ruler of Equestria, etcetera etcetera.”

Princess Celestia nods formally. “Yes. I do believe it was one of my requirements when I approved your program to design and manufacture airships in the first place. That it would be available during Royal functions, in whatever role deemed necessary.”

“Certainly,” Prince Blueblood concedes, a certain growl to his voice, “and I am not contesting that fact.” He motions again to the schedule. “You also have, during the ceremonies, the royalty of Equestria on stage.” At Princess Celestia’s neutral gaze he continues, “All of the royalty. Including, I might add, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“Who?” whispers Twilight.

“Cadance,” replies Celestia in a hushed tone.

“Ah.”

Prince Blueblood clears his throat. “I’m sure you can see the problem.”

“Nonsense,” Princess Celestia returns. “I’m sure Princess Cadance can set aside her feelings for one night at an official function. If just for appearances.”

Prince Blueblood slowly nods, his teeth practically clamping down on his tongue. “Yes,” he finally replies, “and my future generations will be sure to thank her for her understanding. But, surely you see the other problem?” He forces a smile to his muzzle. “The reason the Lunaris Priestess is involved at all?” He waves a hoof in circles at Princess Celestia’s continued neutral gaze. “I’m the pilot? And would be far too busy piloting the Priestess to engage with any of the nobles?”

“Oh!” Princess Celestia exclaims, as if she didn’t realize the problem the entire time. “That certainly is a conundrum.”

Everypony in the room turns as a loud thump comes from behind the throne. Twilight and Celestia’s eyes briefly lock, concern turning to elation as a backpack skids across the marble floor. Twilight scampers off like a foal about to get her Hearth’s Warming presents while Celestia turns back to Prince Blueblood.

“Please excuse the delay,” Princess Celestia calmly states, a short bow of her head to the Prince. She turns to join Twilight, though at a regal walk that itches to turn to a joyous prance.

“Of course,” Prince Blueblood replies to nopony in particular, the six guards stationed around the room trading wary looks.

Twilight leaps into the air as Doug exits the portal. His hands, which were coming down to catch him as he falls over, instead manage to keep the purple missile from smashing into his face, merely knocking him into an upright position. A golden aura helps stabilize the two, Twilight set on making her intentions known as Doug wraps her in a hug.

Doug manages to speak through the slobbery kisses, “Yes, yes, I’m glad to see you too. It’s like I was only gone three days, not two and a half years.” He finally gives in, returning a long kiss to Twilight before glancing over and spotting Celestia.

“I am pleased you made it back,” Celestia states, watching the portal, hoping for a second being to come through. “Did…?”

“I can go over everything that happened, but that’s a story for another time,” Doug says, awkwardly maneuvering Twilight to pull a crumpled up jacket and pants from the backpack. “Suffice it to say, she has not made up her mind.” When he tries to push Twilight away she grits her teeth, horn flaring and teleporting the clothes on him.

“There,” she smugly states, though she already misses the feel of her hooves on his bare skin. “Now you don’t have any reason to set me down.”

“Thanks,” Doug whispers. He looks around the throne room, spotting a confused white unicorn among half a dozen guards at the ready, spears drawn. “Sup, Lunaris!”

“...Sup,” Lunaris Blueblood neutrally replies.

“Prince Blueblood was just telling us about a problem he is having,” Princess Celestia states, her grin turning sly. “Doug, you have flown, correct?”

Doug nods, “Private pilot, not that that means much around here. I flew a hot air balloon to Cloudsdale. Why?”

“Perfect.” Princess Celestia turns to Prince Blueblood. “Nephew, I have found you a pilot. That means that you can spend the evening mingling with the other nobles!”

“...Joy,” Prince Blueblood states, his tone anything but. It takes a few seconds, but he manages to say, “Auntie. Thank you for… assisting with this issue.” He turns, a fast trot out the grand double doors.

Celestia nods to the guards as they return to their previous positions, “Thank you, all. If there is nopony else, I do believe Day Court is finished. Good night.”

The guards spin, snapping a salute as one before they file out, closing the doors behind them.

Doug yawns as Celestia turns back, unable to cover his mouth due to Twilight’s interference. “Sorry, Celestia, but that portal really took a lot out of me. I can write up a summary, and whatever I remember about the place, but I need to sleep.” He ruffles Twilight’s mane, planting another kiss at the base of her horn. “Especially,” he says, looking outside at the twilight sky, “since I’m sure you have some sort of party set up for midnight, and the new year.”

Celestia smirks mischievously. “Oh, just a little gathering of friends, I assure you. I’m sure Twilight will be able to lead you back to your room.”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to do a lot more than that.” Twilight grins as she hops down, tugging on Doug’s sleeve, leaving Celestia frowning. The alicorn shudders, a silent stamp of her hoof against the marble that leaves a small area blackened, before shaking her mane back and forth. Her outburst complete, a pleasant smile spreads across her face, ready again to lower her sun.

Doug shifts at the slight jostle, glancing back at the purple hoof poking him in the back. When no further movement comes he groans, tossing the sweaty sheets off of himself and onto the sleeping mare next to him. Twilight always likes cuddling up with the sheets, though not as much as Rarity. That unicorn always wants an extra comforter or two. No, he prefers a single sheet, if that. Even on frigid nights like this just the body heat of one or two mares proves sufficient. He stretches, feeling much better; like he got a full night’s rest instead of the four hours that passed, judging by the moon.

Twilight doesn’t stir as Doug sits up and stretches. Still several hours before whatever midnight party would start, and his mind is racing with what happened the previous three days, the subtle differences between the mirror world and this one, and ways to plan and account for what might happen should further trips be necessary. Not that he wants to go again.

His search for blank parchment and quill turns up oddly short, though he could have sworn that Twilight packed something. He glances over at the mound of covers slowly rising and falling. Better let her sleep; she had been almost sick with worry, her normal prescription of bingeing on library books failing her about halfway through the second day. At least Celestia had been accommodating, and Luna helped her sleep.

Doug slowly pushes the door open, glancing over at the clip clop of hooves as Princess Luna walks down the hallway, her ethereal mane and tail flowing despite the lack of a breeze. She glances back as the door closes behind him, a pleasant smile crossing her face. “Good’st evening, Doug. Dost thou seek to gain an early start on yon night’s festivities?”

“Evening, Princess Luna. Mostly I was going to look for some paper and a pencil.” Doug shrugs, walking next to the alicorn. “What brings you to this part of the castle?”

“Merely returning to our chambers from’st a visit to the kitchens.” Princess Luna leans in to whisper, “We may have added a surprise to our dear Sister’s cakes.”

“My lips are sealed,” Doug says with a wink.

“Though, we must confess,” Princess Luna says, hurriedly glancing inside one of the nearby rooms, finding it empty except for boxes of supplies along the walls. She slips inside, beckoning Doug to follow.

Doug closes the door behind him, a bit of worry in his voice. “Princess? Is something going on?”

“Thou could say that,” she replies, concentrating hard. A dark blue aura surrounds her horn, a faint green bubble surrounding them. “There. No one outside will hear us. I wanted to talk to you, Doug, about your… dreams.”

“My dreams?” Doug asks hesitantly. His face hardens as he strokes his chin; what had he dreamed about since Luna’s return? “Were there any in particular, or did you want to talk more about the first one? I seem to remember that one giving you trouble.”

Princess Luna stares at Doug for perhaps a second too long, an odd look crossing his face. She shakes her head, “We are referring to some of your dreams regarding, how shall I say, outside threats to Equestria.”

“Oh,” Doug says, his arms falling to his stomach. “I… those dreams haven’t been as bad. In fact, Starlight Glimmer helped out with the whole situation, so I really haven’t worried about that at all.”

“She… she did?” Princess Luna says, raising an eyebrow. “But…”

Doug nods, entirely too cheerful. “Yep! Well, I don’t know if the situation is completely solved, but well in hand. Hoof.”

“...Really. Is that what she believes?”

“Well, you can only do so much about chaos magic, so…” Doug twirls his hand, ultimately giving a shrug. His eyes carefully scan Princess Luna, then flick to the door.

“Chaos magic.” Princess Luna flatly states, following his eyes. “And were there any other… I don’t know, imminent threats facing Equestria?”

Doug stands up straight, folding his arms across his chest. “The only threat I see is standing here in front of me. Princess.”

A sneer crosses Princess Luna’s muzzle as her eyes flash green. “Oh? What gave it away?”

“Well, you started strong, but I think casting that spell took too much out of you. Copying the mane and tail and aura at the same time can’t be easy.” As Doug speaks Princess Luna’s mane and tail fall against her, no longer swaying about. “You started slipping up, losing the archaic speech patterns Luna uses, then abandoning them entirely, I think because I wasn’t saying what you expected me to say.”

After a few seconds, Princess Luna nods, muttering to herself. A flash of light later and the changeling form of Queen Chrysalis stands eye to eye. “You are being awfully cooperative, Doug. And I sense no deception in you. Merely awe, or fear, but not for yourself.” She peers closer, staring him in the eyes. “Why is that?”

“Because I know the question that is coming,” Doug readily replies, “and I want you to trust my answer. And the ones after that.”

“You expect me to believe that you have told nocreature of our agreement with Celestia?” She smirks at Doug’s nod. “And you still plan on arbitrating fairly, giving no unfair advantage to one side or the other?” Doug nods again, drawing a snort. “And why should I believe you?”

“Because I, like Celestia, want what’s best for you, Queen Chrysalis. And the rest of the changelings. We honestly do want to become friends, not enemies.” Doug continues despite Queen Chrysalis’ disbelieving ‘pah’. “I hope, through my actions, and my lack of other actions, that we can prove this to you.” He pauses for a moment before conceding, “That, and I’m worried about what you would do to my family and friends were I cheating, and you found out.”

“And our love shortage? How did you find out about that?” Queen Chrysalis rises, eyes boring into Doug.

Doug raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t? I used it as an expression with Twilight. You know, ‘filling the love tank’ as a way of maintaining one’s relationship, and love for each other?” He sighs at Queen Chrysalis’ steady stare. “I’m guessing it means something different for you.”

“...Yes.” Queen Chrysalis glances into the corner, a white alicorn materializing out of nothing.

“Are you satisfied?” Princess Celestia demands, drawing a hearty snort from Queen Chrysalis. “He has kept his side of the bargain. As have I. You have my word on this.”

Queen Chrysalis clenches her teeth, an angry glare between the two. She turns to the door, leaving without another word.

“...Joy,” Doug mutters. He glances up at Celestia. “So, how do I know it’s really you?”

“I want to have your foal,” Celestia casually replies.

After a second Doug nods. “Yeah, she probably wouldn’t have guessed that. By the way, do you have pencil and paper? I wanted to get started on that report for you.”

Celestia frowns as Doug heads to the door, materializing paper and pencil for him regardless.

136 Gemcutter's Promise

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“Come on, Rarity!” Applejack yells, her green-booted hoof banging on the ornate door of one of Canterlot Castle’s finer suites. “Ah didn’t get dressed in this fancy get-up of yours just for you to skip out on attending! They might take off without us!”

“NO!” comes the deranged call from inside, accompanied by the sounds of what might be a dresser falling over and scattering its contents to the corners of the room. “I’m not ready! More importantly, Twilight’s dress isn’t ready!”

Applejack grits her teeth as her hoof resumes its futile pounding. “You’ve been working on that dress since we got here this morning! It ain’t gonna get any better!”

“Oh, dear…” Rarity’s muttering is barely intelligible through the door. Though it probably wouldn’t make a difference if they were standing next to her. “I knew I should have been working on Twilight’s dress instead of going to that ridiculous charity auction, even if I did help sell a good number of those items for far more than they were worth… it was for charity, right? And then the party, and the other party, and the sporting events, and the...”

Applejack huffs as she glances back at Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Each is dressed in a Rarity designed winter ensemble, crafted to keep a pony warm and yet still show off as many curves as possible. On top of that they each have on a thick jacket, hat, and scarf. Just in case, of course. But, rumor has it that the Prince is a bit of a masochist, and his airship, the Lunaris Priestess - despite being quite adaptable and easily modifiable - will not be outfitted with equipment capable of warming the entire outdoor garden party, and snuggle distance around the Royal Space Heater herself will be hotly contested.

Applejack bangs on the door again, “Rarity! This is your last warning! Don’t make me drag you out of there myself!” The wood splinters under her assault, the creak and groan of the metal barely audible over the heavy reverberations. “Because Ah will!”

“Applejack,” Fluttershy whispers, “I don’t know if you should keep doing that. I think the door is open.”

“So help me,” Applejack shouts, heedless of the warning, “Ah’ll-”

The hinges give way, Applejack’s eyes going wide as the entire door collapses inwards. She half stumbles, half walks forwards, ending with her standing on top as dust settles around her. Three other ponies crowd into the room, eager to help their herdmate get a move on. Pieces of fabric are scattered every which way next to the toppled dresser, a soaking Opalescence sits shivering on the bed, and Rarity is crouching protectively in front of a ponnequinn upon which rests a very plain yellow dress with a single pink ribbon tied along the neck.

“No!” Rarity hisses, swiping a hoof at the four ponies entering the room. “Don’t come any closer!”

“Opal!” Fluttershy cries, charging forward to the bed. She scoops up the vengeful kitty, bracing herself against the chill of the cold cat as she slips her inside the jacket. She whirls, eyes narrowing as she advances on the white unicorn. “Rarity!” she admonishes, “I thought you were taking care of Opal! She’s going to catch a cold if you leave her like this!”

“Oh... I know,” Rarity admits, though she doesn’t leave her spot in front of the dress. “But I was invited to this really fancy dinner party, and-”

“Hey!” interjects Pinkie Pie, “I invited you to a really fancy dinner party! But you said you were too busy to go, because you were invited to come host a charity auction!” She squats down, pouting as she crosses her forelegs in front of her. “You can’t tell me you actually went to that dinner party as well!”

“Well, yes,” Rarity reluctantly nods, “But-”

“Hey!” Applejack interrupts, “Ah wanted to go to one of them charity auctions with you, but you turned me down! So Ah went by myself, but everypony else kept bidding up the prices to exorbitant levels! Was that you up there, making everypony so interested in every dusty little knick-knack and keepsake?”

“Well, I don’t mean to boast, but I can be quite convincing if there is the need.” Rarity wipes off a piece of imaginary dust from her coat. “Such as at the Wonderbolts Derby, where everypony thought that Rapidfire would win, but I-”

“Hey!” shouts Rainbow Dash, “I invited you to the Wonderbolts Derby!” She flaps higher, folding her forelegs across her chest and glaring down. “I couldn’t even bet on Fleetfoot to win because we left all our bits in here! ”

“You would have bet all our bits on a race?” Applejack says, turning her glare on Rainbow Dash.

“It’s not a bet if it’s for sure,” Rainbow Dash retorts. “After sprinting against each of them I knew who was the fastest! Well, I never got to race against Fleetfoot, or Rapidfire for that matter, but I know their times like the back of my hoof!”

“Excuse me,” Pinkie Pie says, pronking in between the earth pony and pegasus, “It’s Rarity we should be united against, not each other!”

“...Yeah!” Applejack shouts, glaring at Rarity again.

“Yeah!” echoes Rainbow Dash, spinning in midair. “How come you didn’t want to go to the Wonderbolts Derby with me?”

Rarity shakes her head, stammering a little, “Well, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to go with you, Rainbow Dash, because I did, it’s just that I got invited to go to the Wonderbolts Derby with a very prestigious group of ponies, and I could hardly have said no to them, now could I?”

“It’s easy!” Pinkie Pie says, pronking up and down. “All you have to do is look the pony in the eye-” she reaches over, grabbing Rarity and forcing her head next to the white unicorn’s, her eyes bugging out “-and tell them N-... Nnn…” Pinkie Pie rapidly breathes in and out, covering Rarity with condensing water vapor. “Nnnn-ot aproblem I’dlovetocometoyourparty ohIcan’tdoit!”

Pinkie Pie breaks down, sobbing as she hugs Rarity for dear life.

“There, there,” Rarity reassures the despondent mare, trying to keep her composure as the tears gush over her. “See? It can be very hard to tell somepony no.” She sighs heavily. "And I suppose I shouldn't have avoided going to each of those functions with all of you. I thought that I would be looked down upon and shunned because I'm just a common pony from Ponyville and that by distancing myself from you I might be able to keep that illusion going."

"Ah hate to break it to ya," Applejack says with a snort, jabbing Rarity in the side, "but you are a common pony from Ponyville. Sooner you learn to not let that bother you, the better."

“Th-that’s right,” Pinkie Pie says, slowly recovering. “Okay, Rarity. I totally forgive you for going to a party with a whole bunch of fancy schmancy ponies just so that you could increase your social standing with them in the kinda sorta vain but also kinda sorta ‘doing it for the business’ mindset so that you could increase your sales and popularity and have your Gala dresses and all your other dresses featured and worn by everypony not because you helped save Equestria and Princess Luna by defeating Nightmare Moon but because you’re a really good fashion designer and you deserve that kind of recognition!”

Pinkie Pie takes a huge breath in, just as large a breath out, then breaks into a beaming smile at a gaping, head-cocked-to-the-side Rarity.

“Right,” Rainbow Dash adds, vaguely motioning at Pinkie Pie. “What she said. Can we go now?” She groans as Rarity pulls out a thin yellow dress and a giant floppy hat, spending several long seconds staring at herself in the mirror and making token adjustments.

“We need to move, lickety-split!” Applejack glances over at Fluttershy and the white ball of fluff in her hooves. “You too, Fluttershy!”

“Aww,” Fluttershy coos, trying to appear far more interested in Opal than she is. “But Opal needs me to stay with her. She doesn’t want me to go up on that big scary airship, meeting all those ridiculously pompous and arrogant nobles, just paraded around like a peacock.” Her eyes light up. “Actually, do you know if there are any peacocks going?”

“Ah’m sure they’ll be more puffed up personas than you can shake a stick at.” Applejack glances back as Rarity and Fluttershy move to the door. “Sure you ain’t forgetting something, Rares?”

“Oh, this?” Rarity says with a nervous chuckle, levitating Twilight's yellow dress over. “I was just, erm, well…” She skips forward, laying the dress across her back, “Off we go!”

“Ah hope Trixie’s doing okay with the foals,” Applejack remarks, glancing towards Ponyville. “Ah can only imagine the kind of trouble they’re all getting into, with us responsible mares not there to keep a lid on things.”

In Ponyville, on top of the Carrot House, lays one mare, one dragon, four young mares, two fillies and a colt. The blankets they each have wrapped around them have morphed to a mound of sorts, the ponies underneath cuddling together in one large pile, oblivious to the world.

“Without me?” Pinkie Pie challenges, “Pssh! They’re probably all asleep.”

“Ah knew it!” exclaims Applejack, pointing an accusatory hoof at Pinkie Pie. “You’re the reason Ah can never have a nice, quiet, low key party where we can just relax!”

Pinkie Pie smiles, standing up on two legs and splaying her forelegs off to the sides, shrugging.

The five head towards the Sky Docks, located a bit of a hike away from the city center. Applejack chances a look off the edge, immediately regretting her decision as the dizzying drop down the mountainside threatens to send her teetering off the edge. At least there are guardrails that she can steady herself on. Miles of guardrails, actually, many intricately crafted to blend in to their surroundings if viewed from outside. Completely contrary to Cloudsdale, where the underlying, if unspoken, assumption is that everypony can fly and everypony that can't doesn't really belong. Similar to Cloudsdale, though, are the pegasi guards stationed to watch for any ponies that might miss their step, as well as pegasi patrolling the skies, the unicorns along the ground watching for any ponies getting their salt on a little too early.

Dozens of lights illuminate the Priestess, the grand balloon blending into the night sky. A series of extensions along the bottom have been added to support a large platform, upon which dozens of extremely well dressed ponies are already congregating. At the helm rests Prince Blueblood, eyes searching the ponies walking towards the airship. His gaze rests on each of them in turn before moving on. He occasionally responds to the blue alicorn standing next to him, though both seem content to merely observe the crowd and the occasional newcomer.

The concierge standing at the gangway offers to take their coats, everypony declining. He then offers one to Rarity; the unicorn, in her haste, seems to have forgotten to wear anything besides her floral hat and light - though heavily embroidered and fancifully patterned - dress. After a few seconds of introspection she accepts, managing to keep her tongue in check when the brown overcoat clashes with both her purple mane and yellow dress.

The herd breaks up almost as soon as they get on board, each pony gravitating towards a different section. Pinkie Pie makes a beeline towards the refreshment table, immediately striking up a conversation with one of the well dressed mares serving herself. Fluttershy goes belowdecks, finding a nice, quiet, out-of-the-way porthole where she can observe Canterlot once the airship departs. Rainbow Dash’s eyes light up as she spots Fleetfoot, two gold and one bronze ribbon decorating her flight suit. Rarity, spotting Applejack’s hesitation, pulls the orange mare to introduce to Fancy Pants and a few of the other high society ponies she recognizes from before.

137 Lingering Remnants

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Doug’s languid pace through the hallways instantly shifts when he sees the door to their guest suite slightly ajar. He breaks into a dead sprint, hand slamming against the heavy wood, ignoring the painful feedback rushing up his elbow as he rapidly scans the room. He flinches as the door crashes against the wall, spotting nothing out of the ordinary.

The mound of covers shifts, a light groan from underneath. “Five more minutes...”

Doug takes a deep breath, still standing in the doorway, trying to calm his shaking limbs and racing heart. His eyes continue searching, finally resting on an object on his pillow that most certainly was not there when he left. He cautiously strides over, repeatedly checking corners, behind and above, his vigilance revealing nothing else out of the ordinary.

He averts his eyes almost as soon as he recognizes what it is. An essence crystal, larger than most; if his memory serves, the same one that Queen Chrysalis used and stole three years ago. At least, it’s the same shape, but the colors are off. He chances another glance, confirming his suspicions. The same crystal, but it appears… empty. Completely drained of the magic that used to swirl around inside, that threatened to imbue into him like they would an unenchanted suit of armor.

But that can’t be right; he’s watched Rarity craft with essences before. After they are used the empty shell always crumbled to worthless dust. And yet this vessel remains, emptied of its magic.

Is it a portent? A threat? A display of power? Or is Queen Chrysalis merely returning something that belongs to him, decidedly not in the condition that she received it?

Is it indicative of her plans for Equestria, should she win her ‘contest’ against the ponies?

Doug reaches a shaky hand, picking up the drained crystal. It is cool to the touch, colder than the pillow next to it, almost as cold as the stone against his bare feet. He tosses it from one hand to another, wincing slightly as the sharp edges press against his skin; not deep enough to draw blood, merely scratching the outer layer.

A knock at the open door draws Doug’s attention, hand slipping the crystal into one of his pockets. The unicorn - cobalt armor of one of Princess Luna’s Night Guard - is cautiously keeping one eye on him while the other scans the room, lit like a flashlight.

She clears her throat. “Everything in order, ma’am? Err, sir?”

Doug’s eyes briefly narrow, shifting to a defensive position between himself and Twilight. Actually, he realizes, Twilight would be far better at handling any threats, but when he can’t tell her his suspicions…

“Yes, everything’s fine.” Doug rests a hand on the mound of covers. “Sorry about the noise.”

The guard merely nods. “Your presence, and that of Twilight Sparkle, is requested at the Sky Docks as soon as you are presentable.” She proceeds to give Doug directions before taking her leave, shutting the door behind her.

“Come on, Twilight,” Doug says quietly, shaking the pile. “Time to go.” He looks around the room. “It’s going to be cold outside; did you bring anything?”

“Outside?” Twilight murmurs, purple hooves struggling to push the layers of covers off of her. “But I want to stay inside. It’s nice inside.” A raspberry aura lifts the covers, revealing a mare most certainly not having difficulty waking up, her mischievous grin and sparkling eyes revealing a far baser intent. “You’re inside.”

“Yes, and I’m heading outside,” Doug replies, getting up from the bed. He grunts at the tug against his hand, Twilight’s aura threatening to pull him back to her. His body nearly locks up, his breath coming in a halting gasp.

“Twilight?” Doug ekes out, his voice a mix of fear and suppressed rage, “please don’t restrain me. Not with magic.”

Twilight’s horn winks out, her lascivious grin instantly replaced by concern. “I’m sorry,” she pleads, manually untangling herself from the sheets as he slumps down, his arms wrapping around himself and clenching. She moves forward to nuzzle him but stops as he flinches, head turning away from her.

“I… I’m sorry,” she tries again when he does nothing. She takes a hesitant step forward, slowly growing more sure as she gets close and he doesn’t shy away. Her nuzzle is met by an arm slipping around her neck, pulling her into a tight hug. The quaking sobs aren’t there, but she can feel tears staining into her coat.

After several long seconds she asks, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Doug says quietly, his voice carefully controlled. “No, you didn’t. Just… I just had a moment. A flashback. Not your fault.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight reassures, nuzzling again as her eyes find his. “Do you want to talk about it?”

A heavy sigh. “No,” Doug eventually replies. “I can’t.”

“I understand.” Twilight slips out of his grasp, lightly prodding him to stand. “From the sound of that guard, we should be heading out pretty soon.” She pulls over her saddlebags, looking inside and pulling out a scarf. “Why are we going to the Sky Docks?”

“No idea,” Doug says as he pulls on a heavier jacket, hat, gloves, and boots. “So. What kind of mischief did you get into while I was gone?”

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that," Twilight replies, her eyes gleaming.

The two eventually arrive at the Sky Docks; the lights illuminating the cobalt and gold airship slowly click off as they approach until only the gangway is lit. The white unicorn at the helm seems eager to set sail, the two earth pony stewards rushing to batten down the hatches. The concierge leads Twilight and Doug to Prince Blueblood, then leaves to assist in getting the airship ready for departure.

Doug nearly misses a step as he spots Princess Luna standing next to Prince Blueblood. The cobalt alicorn raises an eyebrow, her neutral frown slightly deepening.

“Evening, Prince and Princess,” Doug leads as he forces himself to continue walking closer.

Prince Blueblood looks up from the myriad instrument panels in front of him. His muzzle slowly curls to a smirk. “Sup.”

“GOOD EVE-” Princess Luna huffs as Doug’s arms immediately fold across his chest, his eyes narrowing. “Good Evening,” she tries again, no hint of the Royal Canterlot. “We are pleased thou was able to make it; some of us had doubts as to your… availability.”

“Nonsense!” Lunaris states, flashing Doug a cheeky grin. “I knew you couldn’t stand to miss the chance to pilot a technical marvel such as this!” He raps a hoof against the helm, smiling at the reverberation of the gold inlaid wood.

“So you’re serious about me learning to fly this hunk of junk,” Doug says, inspecting the instruments closer.

“Serious as a duel to the pain,” replies Lunaris. “Now, night flying is a bit more difficult than day, but since the only thing we’re likely to run into is an errant pegasus” -he motions towards Rainbow Dash and the two Wonderbolts she is cozying up to, all three with drinks in hoof- “it shouldn’t be too bad. After all, the Canterhorn is lit well enough, even as high as we will be going.”

“And how high is that?” Doug asks, his pilot training slowly coming back as they push away from the docks.

“Altitude is here.” Lunaris points to the relevant display. “Heading, airspeed, angle of attack and bank. Try to keep that one low, otherwise the earth ponies tend to fall off the sides.”

Doug chuckles as Lunaris demonstrates a correct turn, the ponderous airship taking its sweet time. Piloting turns out to be fairly straightforward, at least in beautiful conditions like this, and Lunaris quickly takes his leave as Princess Cadance and Princess Celestia fly on board.

“No Shining Armor?” Doug asks, one hand resting on the helm while the other waves to the collection of Princesses in front of him. Twilight Sparkle looks a little chilly while she bows, though even a freezing blizzard wouldn’t keep her from her mentor.

“He respectfully declined,” replies Celestia, her melodic voice easily reaching him despite the rushing winds. “Something about making sure that everything goes well on the ground.” She turns to Twilight. “I heard they have a few cakes in our honor below decks, waiting for midnight to serve. Seeing as the hour is approaching, I don’t suppose you would like to accompany me?”

“Certainly, Princess,” Twilight replies, gladly getting up and following the white alicorn to a more sheltered location.

Princess Cadance grins, a roguish glint in her eyes. “I’m going to go follow the Prince around. Since he has to leave whatever room I’m in, I plan to see how long it takes before he catches on. Wish me luck!”

“You’re a monster,” Doug replies, though he doesn’t stop Princess Cadance from smoothly gliding up to him and whispering in his ear.

“How many?” she asks. She rolls her eyes at his questioning gaze. “Foals. How many more attempts are you letting me observe?”

“Right now? Just Applejack. Why?”

Princess Cadance huffs. “Not yet with Twilight? Ugh, I may need to work her over a little.” She says in a louder voice, “Good seeing you again, Doug.” She politely nods, “Luna.”

“Love,” Princess Luna replies with a slightly bowed head. She steps closer to Doug as the pink alicorn leaves in search of either a white or purple unicorn. “Doug, why art thou afraid of me?”

Doug sighs, shaking his head. “It’s not you I’m afraid of.” He smirks slightly, chuckling to himself as Princess Luna slightly cocks her head. “And not Nightmare Moon, either. Something else. Can’t really talk about it.”

Princess Luna slowly nods, though her expression shows that she wants to continue that line of questioning. She glances around, her horn and the air around them briefly shimmering. “Doth thou wish to court our Sister?”

“That seems out of the blue. Mm, no offense.”

“It… offense?” Princess Luna looks down at her cobalt coat. “It is an idiom?”

“Yes. Out of nowhere. It just surprised me.” Doug sighs, his fingers drumming against the helm. “I’m not… strictly opposed to the idea.”

“We sense a ‘but’ as large as her flanks,” Princess Luna replies with a smirk.

“I don’t think anything is that large,” Doug says before taking a long, leering glance at the black and white cutie mark next to him. “Except for-”

Doug winces as Princess Luna’s tail flicks sharply against his arm, his hand letting go of the wheel in order to rub the sore spot.

“Thou art an incorrigible charlatan.” Luna manages to hold her angry look for several seconds before her smirk reasserts itself. “We can see what she likes in you.”

“Aww, getting a little jealous she called ‘dibs’ first?” Doug returns to the wheel, continuing their course on a lazy, spiraling circle, just starting to crest the tops of the Canterlot Castle.

“We are unsure as to the meaning of this ‘dibs’, but before we were banished it was not uncommon for a stallion to bed any number of sisters.” Princess Luna sighs as she gazes out over the capital city. “We suppose that tradition, like many others, has fallen into disrepute and ignominy.”

Doug shrugs as the bells of midnight resound from Canterlot. “Well, it’s not some-”

“LUNA!” Princess Celestia bellows from below decks. Princess Luna briefly freezes, eyes going wide before she crouches behind Doug and the helm. A frenzy of hoofsteps echo from below as everypony gets out of the way of the charging alicorn. Her hiding spot proves woefully inadequate as Princess Celestia spots her immediately. “Did you mess with my cakes?!”

Princess Luna glances to the hollowed out shell of a cake held in a golden aura. If it could be called that any more, as all of the ‘cake’ portion has been replaced by oozing blueberry and blackberry jam. “Umm… maybe?”

Princess Celestia snorts, clouds of vapor shooting out of her flaring nostrils. Until her traitorous fork spears off a bite of icing and fruit, artfully maneuvering between her clenched teeth and depositing it inside her mouth. She chews slowly. Mechanically. Every masticating motion punctuated by eyebrows narrowing further and further. All eyes stare, breath held, until she eventually swallows.

“Best cake ever!” Princess Celestia declares, cheers and twin party cannons blasting off the first Year of the Two Sisters.

138 The Hoarder, Part One

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January 10th, 1001 Domina Solaria, First Year of the Two Sisters

Spike whistles to himself as he walks down the stairs of the Carousel Boutique, yawning and stretching his arms. He always wakes up early to help out, just like when he is at the Golden Oaks Library. Soon enough and Spike has an assortment of haycakes sizzling on the stove.

“You know,” Spike remarks to himself, “I really like it when I have a topaz or two for breakfast. I’m sure Rarity wouldn’t mind if I got some.” He glances at the pan, then towards the storeroom where she keeps her gems. He can’t help but lick his lips at the thought of getting his claws on one, his fingers bending and grasping like they are already holding one of the precious gems.

He slips out of the kitchen without a second thought, the door to the storeroom opening just as easily. He scans left and right, then up and down, searching through the dozens of containers for the perfect breakfast meal.

And then he sees it.

Just sitting on a shelf, like a scarlet letter, except that it’s black. A rock hidden among a dozen other rocks right where you would expect to see a bunch of normal, everyday rocks.

But this is no ordinary rock.

In all his days of accompanying Twilight on geological surveys, gazing longingly through storefront windows in Canterlot, and sifting through Rarity’s stocks, he had never seen a rock quite like this.

He wants it.

Legs stretch up, claws scratching into the wood as he climbs higher and higher, finally reaching the shelf where it rests. He cautiously stretches forward, almost unable to believe it is real.

He needs it.

Tongue smacks against teeth and lips as a claw delicately rests against the empty crystal. Empty crystal. They say nature abhors a vacuum. Well, magic abhors one even more. It’s probably only a matter of time before a wayward leyline fills this crystal, ruining the unique taste of nothing.

He must consume it.

Spike gleefully raises the empty crystal to his mouth, just as an infuriated scream rends the Boutique.

“Spike!”

He uncoordinatedly spins towards the source, losing his balance and toppling off the shelf. The short fall barely even fazes the dragon, used to much longer rapid descents from ladders in the library; he races out of the storeroom, crystal clutched to his chest.

“Sweetie Belle?” bellows Rarity next, standing at the stove, the burner off. She glances over as Spike enters the kitchen, her eyes narrowing. She angrily points a hoof towards the blackened husk still sizzling in the pan. “Spike! While I appreciate you making breakfast, surely you know better to leave it unattended while it is cooking!”

“But I was hungry! And you know how important gems are for a growing dragon.” Spike motions with his arms, drawing Rarity’s eyes to the crystal in his claws.

“Yes, but that is no excuse!” Rarity’s horn flares, dumping the haycakes onto a plate. “You could have burned far worse than just your breakfast!”

“Mama?” Sweetie Belle sleepily calls from upstairs, staggering out of her room. She slowly descends down the stairs, nostrils puckering at the smell of burnt hay. "Everything okay?

“Whatever.” Spike ignores the two ponies, turning his attention to the crystal. He greedily inhales, mouth watering as the complete lack of scent clears any remnants of smoke. He runs his tongue along one of the edges, savoring the light prick of pain the sharp edge leaves.

“Spike,” Rarity admonishes, “that is no way to talk to me, or anypony else!”

Spike squats down, facing away from Rarity, sucking on the crystal.

"Spike!" Rarity yells, gritting her teeth at the recalcitrant drake.

“Spike?” Sweetie Belle cautiously asks, slowly approaching. “Did, um… did you get bigger?”

“Huh?” Spike looks down at his claws. They do seem a little longer. “Maybe?”

“It, uh… it’s a good look for you. I like it.” Sweetie Belle nuzzles Spike, laying down next to him. Her eyes focus on the crystal. “What is that?”

“It’s, uh,” Spike glances over, a faint smile trying to break free at the young mare cuddling next to him. “It’s an empty crystal. Do you like it?”

“It’s really cool. Like, there’s so much potential, that anything could happen with it. You know?” Sweetie Belle turns her head slightly, gazing into Spike’s eyes. “Kind of like you!”

“Hey, I was going to say the same thing about you!” Spike cheekily rubs a claw through Sweetie Belle’s mane, ending up pulling her into a close hug. His other claw slowly rotates the crystal, a certain dullness surrounding where light should have reflected.

“Where’d you even get this, anyway?” Sweetie Belle asks, following Spike’s glance towards Rarity.

“I fished it out of Doug’s jacket when I was cleaning it.” Rarity icily replies, shakes her head as she finishes preparing her and Sweetie Belle’s breakfast. “I don’t know where he found it, or what happened to make it like that.”

“Well, do you know what I think this is?” Spike says, pulling Sweetie Belle’s head back towards him. “It’s a shiny rock that proves I love you.” He pauses for a second. “Wait, that came out wrong.”

“It’s okay, Spike, I know what you meant. It’s very generous of you.” Sweetie Belle carefully takes the crystal from Spike’s outstretched claw. She gives him a light kiss on the cheek. “And that’s my present back to you.”

Spike raises a claw to touch the area just around the spot. “I’m never washing this spot again.”

“Mm,” Sweetie Belle says, her muzzle drawing a little closer. “I think I might have different plans.”

Spike’s eyes go wide as Sweetie Belle topples him over, desperately trying to evade the mare intent on licking every inch of his face. He can’t quite bring himself to shout at her, or push her away, his arms instead holding her inches above him. His head, though, keeps shifting back and forth, exposing more and more to her questing tongue.

“Alright, you two,” Rarity says, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice and the exasperation in. “Breakfast is getting cold, and you have school soon.”

Sweetie Belle and Spike both sigh heavily, reluctantly making their way to the table. Sweetie Belle frowns as she drags the crystal around. A few seconds of thinking later and her expression brightens. “Hey! I should have Silver Spoon make this into a pendant for me! Or a necklace!” She quickly hugs Spike, scarfing down her breakfast to her dam’s consternation. “I better go quick, before she leaves for school!”

“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity tries, though her admonishing tone is lost on her filly as she scampers through the house, grabbing her schoolbags before darting out the door. She shakes her head, a longsuffering glance at Spike. “You don’t suppose I spoil her too badly, do you?”

“Sweetie Belle? Nah.” Spike pats his belly, the burned haycakes disappearing without complaint. “Besides, she’s a good kid. Filly. Mare. Whatever.”

“Yes, I suppose so, but I do not wish to remind you that she is my filly, and you should treat her with the utmost respect at all times. Even when, or perhaps especially when, she is, how shall I say, particularly frisky.”

“O-of course! I wouldn’t dream of treating her wrong!” Spike shakes his head as he gathers up the dirty plates. Oh, and, um, thanks for letting me have that crystal, too. I think Sweetie Belle really liked it!”

“That?" Rarity' harsh demeanor evaporates, smiling at the young dragon. Oh, to be young and in love again. "Think nothing of it, darling, you are most welcome. Besides, I don’t think it much mattered what you gave her, as long as it was from the heart.”

Spike smiles, placing the dishes on the counter, a claw coming up to touch his cheek again.

Rarity’s horn lights, a few shards of fire emerald and baby blue sapphire levitating over. “Now, as you said, you are a growing dragon. So consider this a present from me.” She nuzzles Spike as he stares at the delicacies, almost hesitant to take them. “Now, my little Spikey-Wikey, I must be off.” Rarity levitates over a few heavy coats; the rest of the herd has been complaining about the frigid cold that seems to be ever present in Ponyville this winter. That and she never wants to be seen in a brown coat again. “Have a good day!”

“You too!” Spike calls before his eyes grow as wide as his smirk, quickly devouring the delectable treats. “Mm,” he cackles to himself, “Who else has a present for Spikey-Wikey?”

His eyes travel around the room, finally settling on the frying pan. He grabs it, using it as a container of sorts to pile a few forks, plates, and basically anything shiny that isn’t nailed down. Rarity’s showroom fares no better; if he was paying attention, he would notice how his limbs reach things more easily, able to pull down the curtains with ease and make a rough rucksack with which to drag his horde.

His bulk barely manages to squeeze through the doors of the looted Boutique, the bag actually getting caught. Spike roars in frustration, the fabric tearing as he yanks harder. After his second attempt fails he plants one large foot next to the door, a mighty tug ripping both the bag and a good chunk of the wall.

Spike fumes at the scattered objects. If only he had a wheelbarrow! Nevertheless, he collects all of them as only a dragon can, managing to leave one arm free with which to acquire even more loot! In fact, there’s a pony with something he wants right now!

“SPIKE WANT!!”

The colt drops his soccer ball, bolting off to the nearest piece of cover. Spike stomps over, delicately picking up the ball between two of his claws. It wouldn’t do to hurt even a single item in his horde! And there are so many treasures around him, just waiting to be collected!

It would be nice to have someplace to store his precious cargo. His grin widens; there are wheelbarrows, perfectly suited for giants and storming castles, at Sweet Apple Acres! He utters a low, keening call, letting everydragon know that he will not be denied his rightful property, and none shall stand in his way! Especially as more of that property is right in his way, a present from everypony in Ponyville to their gallant defender!

Spike bares his massive teeth as another dragon echoes his call, the deep bass rumbling off the nearby mountain. A challenger! And, from the sound of it, an elder! He must hurry, lest his position as Dragon of Ponyville be usurped! Even in his haste, though, he can’t help but snag every shiny lamppost and amazing broom he comes across, his collection growing to an impressive four of each!

Leaving giant clawprints in his wake Spike barrels down the streets of Ponyville, cautiously peeking above the roofs to spot the intruder. He growls as his foe remains concealed, though he is in no state to meet an opponent in the field of battle. Not with his horde snugly carried in one arm. No proper dragon would leave their horde undefended, liable to be picked up by anycreature!

Spike bravely slinks to Sweet Apple Acres, the orange and red farmponies standing in his way of little concern to him. He merely steps around and above them, ignoring their high pitched shouts to focus on locating the challenger. Spotting and hearing nodragon he carefully winds his way through the orchard, grinning as he finds a suitable vessel. Long purple arms lift the wagon, piling his horde inside next to the baskets of apples.

His ears perk as a loud klaxon rings from Ponyville, his eyes widening in alarm. The other dragon is attacking! Sweetie Belle could be in danger!

He bellows in anger, only for a deep challenge to echo back to him! He casually snaps the rope securing one of his legs to a nearby tree as he rushes to Ponyville, intent on rescuing his fair Sweetie Belle!

139 The Hoarder, Part Two

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“What’s the situation?” Twilight demands as she teleports next to Mayor Mare and Spoiled Rich, nearly knocking over Amethyst Star. The two earth ponies glance over from their spots under the clock tower while the unicorn brushes herself off.

“Twilight Sparkle!” Mayor Mare exclaims, some of the panic leaving her face. “Thank the heavens you are here! We have an urgent situation!”

“Yes, I got that from the blaring alarm going off!” Twilight shouts back, barely able to hear. Her horn flares, silencing the klaxon above. “I was busy reshelving the library again-"

Twilight cuts herself off, shaking her mane. "What’s going on?!”

Spoiled Rich clears her throat as Mayor Mare turns to calm down a distraught pegasus, snippets of their conversation bleeding in. “Reports are still coming in, but we have at least three separate sightings of dragons rampaging through the streets of Ponyville. One juvenile, one young adult, and one at least adult, if not an elder, based on the size.”

Mayor Mare dismisses the pegasus as Amethyst Star pulls out a sheet of parchment and a bag of green dust. “Twilight, do you want to do the honors of writing to Princess Celestia, or do you want me to?”

Cloudchaser flies over, shouting, “Another sighting, this time by Sweet Apple Acres! It’s a fourth one, definitely elder sized!”

“Are you sure?” Spoiled Rich’s face palls, as does Mayor Mare’s.

“A hundred percent! I saw the other one when he was rampaging through the streets, this one is way bigger!”

“That makes four of them…” Mayor Mare blankly states, her breath rapidly speeding up. “Ponyville can’t survive for long!” She thrusts the paper towards Twilight Sparkle. “Hurry! We can’t afford another international incident! But if we wait too long, there won’t be a Ponyville left!”

Twilight groans, unable to keep up with the ponies surrounding her, their constant demands slamming into the ironclad walls of her need for perfection.

“Another report!” shouts Rainbow Dash as she careens into the ground next to Twilight and Spoiled Rich, kicking up a large cloud of dirt. She coughs, a wing swiping it away as Cloudchaser returns to the skies. “P-D is returning to Ponyville! And he looks angry! We need to stop him, fast!”

No sooner do the words leave her mouth than Rainbow Dash is back in the air, winging towards the west part of Ponyville.

Twilight grits her teeth in frustration as ponies begin shouting back and forth. “QUIET!!” she bellows, stomping a hoof and angrily staring down the cowed ponies around her.

“We need more information!” Twilight motions to Ponyville; a few of the buildings have minor damage, mostly claw marks gouging into rooftops. “First, where are each of the dragons? We need more scouts in the air, NOW!”

A few pegasi salute, flying off into the air and making circles around Ponyville. The rest of the crowd slowly seems to calm down, their panicked screaming turning to milling about and awaiting further orders.

Twilight points a hoof at Amethyst Star. “I do not want to involve the Princess, not yet. Not until there is substantial damage, or casualties. So far, all I’ve seen is minor property damage and petty theft. No cause for national alarm.”

“But what-”

Twilight cuts Amethyst Star off, turning to address some of the bulkier earth ponies. “If these dragons do start a rampage, we’ll need everypony we can to help with evacuation and locating survivors. Set up a perimeter, orders to fall back and evacuate if the dragon attacks.”

Her eyes turn to Amethyst. “If that happens, and I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that, we’ll send that letter.” She glances down at the parchment the unicorn left in front of her. And the bag of dragonfire dust next to it. “In fact, I may want to write several letters, for differing contingencies.” She looks around the crowd, more than half the ponies galloping to their new assignments. “Has anypony seen Spike?”

Rarity races forwards, wearing a long, purple cape and dragging several heavy coats behind her. “I left Spike at the Boutique, just minutes ago! Is he alright?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight responds coldly, glancing towards the Boutique. “I hope so.”

Rarity gasps at seeing the damaged, open doors. She charges forwards, the coats dropping in her haste. She disappears inside the Boutique, barely noticing the missing articles inside as she searches every room.

Twilight’s frown sets in her face, finally a brief break in the commotion. “Do we have a list to cross reference of what dragons were authorized to traverse through or near Ponyville? Maybe if we can figure out who it is, we have a chance to figure out what they want.”

A few office assistants nervously glance to Mayor Mare before rushing inside the Town Hall.

A victorious roar booms from the west part of Ponyville. All eyes turn, watching as the gigantic purple dragon bellows again, raising his claws to the heavens. Everypony gasps as they slam down right on the Ponyville Schoolhouse, sending red timbers in every direction. He lifts the roof off the remaining two walls, heaving it onto the playground equipment. His massive sneer grows even larger as he plucks something out of the schoolhouse.

Twilight’s eyes nearly bug out as the dragon grows another two stories. “Did that just happen?” She turns to the ponies around her. “It’s the same dragon, just growing larger and larger?!”

Then the dragon’s eyes narrow, lazily swiping at a cerulean pegasus buzzing around him and weaving between his green spines; she may as well be a gnat for all she is doing. He plucks a pink earth pony off his arm, flicking the schoolteacher into the rubble of the schoolhouse. His deep voice grunts in frustration as more and more of the ponies cautiously advance on him. A bellow is insufficient to drive them away, but his massive strides serve the same purpose. Each advances him dozens of yards, heading straight towards the closest mountain. The same one that Razor settled in last year.

Most of the ponies break off to help dig through the remains of the schoolhouse, others bringing stretchers and medical supplies. Miss Cheerilee is lifted by a team of pegasi and rushed to the hospital, though all of the fillies seem to be okay. Every filly that is present, that is.

“Twilight!” Applejack races into the town square, skidding to a stop. “That horrible dragon just destroyed the Ponyville Schoolhouse!”

“I saw!” Twilight yells back, indecisively rubbing her hooves together. “Is everypony okay?”

The dragon reaches the base of the mountain, now harassed by a yellow and pink blur in addition to the cerulean.

“No!” Applejack turns to see Rarity leaving the Boutique, dreading giving the news. “He hurt Miss Cheerilee real bad! And he took Sweetie Belle!”

“He WHAT?!” bellows Rarity, her eyes blazing with wrath. She rips her coat off, the long cape fluttering as it sinks to the ground. “It. Is! ON!!”

Rarity charges towards the dragon, only stopping when a raspberry aura surrounds her.

“Wait!” calls Twilight, pointing a hoof up the mountain.

“So help me, Twilight, you better have a good reason for this!” Rarity’s eyes glance towards the unsent letter. “And how come you haven’t involved Princess Celestia? Surely this is deserving of her attention!”

Twilight merely shakes her head. “I believe that Princess Celestia wants us to be able to hoof this on our own. And I believe we still have the chance to do so.” At Rarity’s gawking stare she continues, “Based on the dragon’s current trajectory, you would never have gotten to him on hoof. Especially going up that mountain.” She points towards one of the pegasus chariots. “You’d need to fly.”

Rarity’s grin returns, dashing over to the chariot as Open Skies and Cloudy Skies hesitantly strap themselves in. One of them asks quietly, watching the dragon flail around on the side of the mountain, “You sure about this, Ma’am? If he so much as snorts at us…”

“As sure as I have ever been.” Rarity glances down, spotting a bullwhip inside the chariot. Who would possibly use a whip on a fellow pony? Even if time is of the essence?

The gigantic purple dragon reaches a cave on the side of the mountain, stuffing his accumulated horde inside. He roars, his tail swinging around, the high pitched screams of the tiny white mare inside barely audible in Ponyville.

Rarity strongly considers using the bullwhip until the chariot lurches into the sky, now weighing the possibility of tying herself down. The rapid climb nearly spills her out the back, only managing to stay inside by pressing every hoof against the walls. Wings beat again and again, straining to gain as much altitude as possible.

A sickening crack echoes from the mountain as one of the dragon’s flailing limbs strikes the cerulean pegasus. She arcs high, a line drive away from the mountain, tumbling in a perfect parabolic arc through the air.

“She’s not responding!” calls Open Skies, tracking the limp pegasus.

“Can you carry this on your own?” demands Cloudy Skies, about to unhook herself from her harness.

Open Skies glances back, his mouth pulling back to a grimace. “...I can land it,” he says, with far less confidence than Rarity would have liked.

“Do it,” Cloudy Skies commands as she releases her straps, zooming away from the chariot to intercept the speeding Rainbow.

“Celestia help her,” implores Open Skies, immediately taking the chariot into a controlled descent. He spirals back towards Ponyville and the long, flat streets, hoping he can line himself up before he runs out of altitude.

Rarity spins around in her seat, watching through teary eyes as the dragon roars in victory. The dragon goes to devour her filly, holding her up to his mouth. Rarity's horn flares, her vision zooming in as though through binoculars, if just to witness her filly’s final moments.

Then, the strangest thing happens.

His gigantic eyes, barely visible even with the magnification, draw to a small silver pendant around Sweetie Belle’s neck. They narrow, his mouth moving and asking an unheard question. She never was good at reading a dragon’s lips.

Then Sweetie Belle responds; the only word Rarity is able to make out is ‘Spike’.

And then the colossal dragon disappears in an instant, leaving Spike and Sweetie Belle briefly suspended in midair before plummeting down. A yellow blur bursts through her view, Rarity only barely able to refocus as she spots Fluttershy zipping towards the mountain, clutching Sweetie Belle and Spike to her chest.

She swivels, spotting Cloudy Skies barely staying aloft as Rainbow Dash flaps a single wing, limply holding the other at a horribly wrong angle. The chariot roughly jostles her from her observation as it slams into the ground, landing in a grassy field northwest of Ponyville.

Twilight stands in the middle of Ponyville, observing the same things. Her breath threatens to catch in her throat as she shudders; did she make the right call, attempting this on their own? Should she have been helping more, or less? Would Amethyst Star have stepped up to organize things if she had helped fight? Could she have helped fight? Also, that was Spike?

A loud, metallic cranking emanates from the ground behind her. Twilight turns as a giant circle appears directly in front of Sugarcube Corner, the street slipping into itself. The grinding intensifies as a domed object rises out of the ground, a gigantic telescoping barrel poking out of one end.

“Okay, I cleaned out all the bear, so this thing is loaded for dragon.” Pinkie Pie looks around the town from her perch on her Blowout Big Bertha^TM. “Hey, where’d he go?”

140 The Penitent, Part One

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January 11th, 1001 Domina Solaria, First Year of the Two Sisters

Doug looks up from his signed copy of Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams as Twilight Sparkle slumps into the hospital room. Next to him, Rainbow Dash’s ears flick in irritation, shifting her head just enough to see what stopped Doug from what she can safely assume is a spot-on impersonation of Dr. Caballeron. She lightly groans, shifting her bandaged wing to sit up and get a better look at her herdmate. In the adjacent bed Miss Cheerilee puts down her cup with drinking straw, half of one foreleg practically the only spot on her missing a bandage.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight Sparkle says quietly, trying to keep the distress from her voice. Red-rimmed eyes travel from their bed at Miss Cheerilee’s, her dejected nod getting a harsh stare in return, then an eventual nod. “How is everything?”

“Oh, this?” Rainbow laughs, forcing a smile to her muzzle. “Doc says that I should be out of here in another few days. But then I need to lay off the heavy flying for a few weeks.” She can’t keep the smile going any longer. “I just hope it doesn’t hurt my chances to join the Wonderbolts. They’re really strict about injuries, and making sure that you’re okay afterwards. I mean, I guess I should be thankful, because I sorta kinda get hurt a lot, but still.” She shrugs, wincing from the pain in her wing.

“It’s okay, Rainbow,” Doug says, scratching her mane. She smiles back at him, offering the bandaged wing. Doug half-smiles, half grimaces as he slips his hand around the cast, trying to get to that itch Rainbow has been complaining about since they started reading. “You’re going to do great.”

“You keep saying that,” Rainbow Dash grins, nuzzling Doug even as he can’t quite reach the spot. She looks down her belly at Twilight. “How’s Spike?” She peers behind the unicorn to the closed door. “I’m kind of surprised he didn’t come here to see me,” then glances over at Miss Cheerilee, apologetically amending, “Us.”

“It’s, um,” Twilight stammers, her head falling forward as she wipes a quickly forming tear from her eye. Something she really needs to start bringing a tissue for, she’s jabbed herself too many times today alone. “It’s…”

Twilight doesn’t hear the footsteps, and barely reacts as she finds herself lifted up, body squeezed as Doug embraces her. She sobs into his light jacket, pawing at his sides as he carries her to the hospital bed. Rainbow stretches out a comforting hoof, stroking the unicorn as she is deposited next to her.

Silence stretches for a few long moments, the only sound Twilight’s occasional sharp intake of breath.

Twilight finally manages to raise her tear-filled eyes to meet Doug. “There’s… there’s talk of taking Spike away. Of deporting him to the Dragon Lands. That he’s… that he’s a menace to society. Or some sort of dragon plot to take over Equestria. Or an Equestrian plot to take over the Dragon Lands! It’s ridiculous and stupid and contradictory and you can’t fight one without helping the other and I don’t know what to do!”

Twilight breaks down again, clenching her eyes shut as she pulls the sheets against her, a vain attempt to hide her sorrow. The hand snaking under the sheets to find her neck provides little comfort, though she grasps at it like a falling unicorn.

“Wait, I don’t get it.” Rainbow looks quizzically at Twilight. “How can Spike be part of a dragon plot? That makes less sense than any of Ahuizotl’s schemes!”

“That’s just it!” Twilight exclaims, pulling her head free of the sheets. “None of it makes sense! I’ve known Spike his entire life, he can’t just be some sort of dragon sleeper agent that somehow got activated early and went on a rampage through town! Or - if you want to believe the griffons - us ponies have developed a method to make innocuous, innocent creatures into murder machines!”

Doug snorts. At Rainbow and Twilight’s glance he motions to the two injured ponies. “Sorry, it’s just, Spike was a pretty awful murder machine if all he managed to do was hurt two ponies.”

Twilight nods. “True. And nopony is saying that their, or any of the other, accusations make a lick of sense. Like the one that we would somehow use creatures like Spike as a false-flag operation, and then blame the dragons, or whatever creature suits our fancy, to justify an invasion!” Twilight slaps a hoof against the bed. “I had to look up what a false-flag operation was! And then the last recorded instance of one being used! Of course it was the griffons, back when they raided the minotaur’s shipping lanes and tried to blame it on the goats. But the Mareva Convention specifically bans their use against signatory parties! Which, of course, Equestria and the Dragon Lands both are!”

“Huh,” Doug says, making a mental note to look up that Convention.

“But what about Spike?” Rainbow Dash implores, a worried, almost terrified look on her face. “Nothing bad’s going to happen to him… right? He shouldn’t be banished or anything!” She glances to Miss Cheerilee. "Nopony is pressing charges; Trixie is covering for Miss Cheerilee, and Applejack already pledged to rebuild the schoolhouse!"

Twilight Sparkle sighs. “It’s out of my hooves. It’s out of Celestia’s hooves, if you can believe that. The only reason he’s just under house arrest in the library is because Princess Celestia herself pleaded his case! Torch, that is Dragon Lord Torch, nearly collapsed the landing pad at the castle because he was afraid a dragon would be executed on Equestrian soil!”

“WHAT?!” Rainbow Dash and Miss Cheerilee exclaim, the latter muffled by her cast.

“There hasn’t been anything like that in…” Rainbow trails off, a hoof to her chin as she stares at the ceiling.

“A thousand years. I didn’t have to look that one up, I remembered it from my earlier reading.” Twilight gulps, shaking her head. “I mean, it was Nightmare Moon’s followers carrying out what was later termed an illegitimate order, yet it technically wasn’t. But I didn’t come here to argue case law, or the stupid rumors the griffons keep cooking up.”

Twilight glances away to stare in the corner. “Torch personally remembers it, too. If you listen to the right sources, you might believe that Torch wants to bring Spike home so that he can execute him himself. Though whether it’s because he’s a disgrace, and he wants to keep Equestria’s relationship with the dragon lands the way they are? Or maybe it’s that he thinks Spike’s got too much ambition, and doesn’t want him becoming the next Dragon Lord?” She shrugs, a wry smirk briefly on her muzzle. “Or, or, it’s to set Spike up with his youngest daughter! Who knows?” She throws her hooves up at the possibilities, nearly all of them incompatible with the others.

“It sounds to me like you need to let this all settle down,” Doug says calmly, setting down Daring Do so he can stroke Twilight as well. “Besides, I don’t think Sweetie Belle would like that last one.”

Twilight snorts. “Actually, she might be happiest with that one, given the other options.” She glances back at Doug. “Have you been able to talk to her?”

Doug shakes his head, motioning to Rainbow. “Been sequestered here myself, the adamant request of a certain somepony. Plus, it gets me away from all that speculation.” Doug sighs, thinking of how many members of the herd would benefit from him being there for them. And here he thought Spike and Sweetie Belle were doing okay, though Fluttershy had definitely appreciated his praise and thanks for saving them.

Twilight recites, “Ignorance of the trials our friends go through makes them no safer, and us no better suited to help them.”

“...I guess.” Doug strokes his chin. “But I don’t know if wild speculation counts as knowledge.”

That draws a wry smirk from Twilight. “I suppose. But, I'm not sure about Sweetie Belle. I just know that she's not allowed to see Spike, especially if she was part of the trigger for his Greed. He did hunt her down. But if this happens again, then Spike is as good as gone! Especially because this is the second time it’s happened with him!”

"What was the first?” Doug asks, berating himself even more for not being there for his filly.

“When I got my cutie mark. I blasted him with a bit of wild magic; turns out, it activated that Greed circuit in him, or something. Princess Celestia had to step in to fix it. She never told me how it happened, I think because she knew that filly me would want to experiment with it.” Twilight smirks a little. “And she wasn’t wrong.” Her face falls almost immediately. “But, while fifteen years might sound like a lot to us, it’s a drop in the pond for a dragon. He doesn’t get a third pass. Not without serious repercussions.”

Doug’s arms wrap tighter around Twilight as she wildly gesticulates, staying silent only because he has no idea what to do or say. He glances over at Rainbow, his eyes briefly narrowing. Rainbow grins, pulling her good wing back from trying to filch Daring Do from him.

Twilight’s frown returns. “I don’t know how much of that is true.” She slams a hoof on the bed again. “I don’t know if anything is true! The only thing I know for sure is that we’re one international incident away from sanctions being levied on us! Even being a minute off of sunrise and sunset could be enough! And the only reason I know that is because Celestia’s been keeping me in the loop of all this!”

“And how’s Spike taking it?” Doug asks; Twilight takes a few seconds to gather her thoughts. In the interim, Doug turns to Rainbow Dash. He picks the book up, flicking it back and forth a few times. “I’m trusting you, Rainbow. This is a valuable book.” His thumb traces across Daring Do’s signature just under the picture of the pegasus. “I don’t want you falling asleep on this one, thinking you spent all night reading and instead drooling all over it.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrow. “I already apologized for that.” She starts pulling the sheets off of her, stopping inches before revealing herself. “You gonna make me apologize again?”

Doug leans over, kissing Rainbow just where red starts in her mane. His hand leaves Daring Do in her lap before pulling the sheets aside to rub her newly exposed belly. “I’ll accept your apology as many times as you want me to.”

Rainbow grins lasciviously, her hoof meeting his hand and pressing down.

Their kiss is interrupted by Twilight’s, “Hey! You know the signature on this book is a forgery, right?”

“What are you talking about?” asks Doug, pulling himself away despite Rainbow’s betrayed glare. Though that might be directed at the unicorn behind him.

Twilight points at the bottom of the book encased in her aura. “These are written by A. K. Yearling, not Daring Do!”

Doug slowly nods. “That is a true statement.”

Twilight draws a hoof under the signature. “This is signed by Daring Do.”

“Also true.”

Twilight and Doug stare at each other for a few seconds before Doug finds himself pulled away, going back to making out with Rainbow.

“Hey!”

Doug opens one eye to glance at Twilight. “Did you have a point? She signed the books as the persona I met first.”

“Waitwaitwait,” Rainbow exclaims, half-pushing Doug away. “Daring Do is real?”

“Yes,” Doug confirms.

Twilight scoffs but says nothing.

“So, back in the Everfree two years ago, when Zecora dragged you out there, you adventured with Daring Do?”

Doug nods. “I mostly just fell off a waterfall with her, but yes.”

“Saving her life beforehoof.” Rainbow bores into Doug with her eyes, her eyes widening at his eventual nod. “And did you, you know…” She wags her eyebrows suggestively. "Get thanked by her?"

“No,” Doug says, brushing Rainbow’s mane into her eyes. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“No no no, you see? That just makes it even better!” Rainbow’s eyes gleam with excitement as she flips her mane back into place. “This way, when you bang Spitfire and Daring Do at the same time-”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Doug says, his hand clamping around Rainbow’s muzzle, ”and echo Spoiled Rich. I think they would both tell me that ‘they aren’t playthings for my vapid fantasies’ and kick me in either the teeth or the crotch. Actually, since they’d both be there, I’d probably get kicked in both spots.”

“But you saved both of their lives!” Rainbow points out as Doug releases her, ‘harrumphing’ as she folds her forelegs across her chest. “Surely that counts for something.”

“I don’t think it quite works like that,” Doug retorts. He sighs as Rainbow shifts, the sheet covering her belly again. “Anyway.” He takes the book from Twilight, returning it to Rainbow. “Twi, you want to go see how Sweetie Belle and Spike are doing? I think Rainbow needs some time to cool off.”

“I’d like that, and I think they would, too.” Twilight glances over as Rainbow searches around, finally spotting a bit of Doug’s work material. Rainbow grabs a few used envelopes, hastily scribbling on the margins and prompting Twilight to ask, “What is that?”

Rainbow looks up from where she has written The Incredible Daring Do and the Incredibly Short Search for the Incredibly Flameswallow’s Incredibly Hot Crucible. “Um, nothing!” She hastily hides the papers under the sheets. “Don’t judge me!”

Twilight rolls her eyes as Doug gets up. She pauses at the door, glaring daggers at the unrepentant pegasus. "Just don't expect me to proofread it for you!"

"Yeah, whatever," Rainbow Dash says as she pulls the papers back out. She glances over at Miss Cheerilee. "Hey, you can help, right? It's not like you have anything else to do!"

Rainbow's head drops down, intently focusing on writing as a muffled scream comes from the schoolteacher.

141 The Penitent, Part Two

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Rarity stops adjusting the dress on one of her ponnequins as her entrance bell chimes, though with the dents it suffered it has lost that merry chime she loves. She adjusts her mane as she calls, “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!”

Her smile gets a little more forced as Doug and Twilight Sparkle walk through the door. “Well,” she says, with a hint of regret that it isn’t a customer, “I don’t suppose you two are here to buy anything? I know the place is a mess, and I’ve been hard at work putting everything back together. Especially getting the apple stains out of the more expensive fabrics that need to be hoof-washed.”

Rarity’s gaze lands on Doug, a bit of a huff. “It’s too bad that Rainbow qualifies for more ‘quality time’ than I do, but I understand that she is the injured hero. No time to come and help out little old Rarity, I quite understand.”

“Rarity,” Doug starts patiently, a light note of condescension in his voice, “I’m sorry I’m not able to be in two places at once-”

“-There’s a way to fix that!” calls Pinkie Pie, sticking her head out of a bolt of fabric. She holds a hoof to her chin as she disappears back inside. "Actually, there are several wa-"

“-and I’ll be here to help just as soon as I can,” Doug finishes, only a slight glance of his eyes towards where Pinkie Pie’s head used to be any indication that he heard her.

Rarity waves circles in the air with her hoof. “Of course you will, darling. Like I said, I understand.” She haughtily turns back to her ponnequinn. “Of course, you’ll only get to me once you’ve helped Applejack raise that barn of a new schoolhouse. Or Trixie with the lesson plans. Or...”

“Rarity, I…” Doug snorts exasperatedly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “I didn’t come here to argue with you. I’m sorry I can’t put as high a priority on you as you deserve. But I’m here to see Sweetie Belle. Is she upstairs?”

“Oh, well, excuse me for thinking you cared about my predicaments.” Rarity icily turns to the stairs, shouting, “Sweetie Belle!”

“Go away!” comes the muffled response.

Rarity sniffs, wiping a dried tear from her eye. “As you can clearly hear, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. And as I can clearly see the same is true for you, I would like to kindly ask you to leave.”

Three longs strides bring Doug in striking distance of the white unicorn. Her head turns away, eyes closing and body tensing as she braces for impact.

It never comes.

Rarity peeks through one eye, hesitantly peering at Doug crouching next to her. One hand flexes open and closed, over and over, balling into a fist with the muscles on his entire arm bulging out. She gulps as she remembers that arm around Starlight Glimmer’s neck, flinching as his hand stretches forwards and caresses just under her jaw. A light tug pulls her limp body closer, Rarity inwardly cursing that instinct that makes her body just give in when something threatening is nearby.

“I’m sorry, Rarity,” Doug softly says as he pulls her into a tight hug. “I should have followed up with you more, made sure that you were okay.” He sighs, squeezing a little tighter. “I’ll work on that, and try not to get too caught up with any one of you. You’re all important to me, and I want to be there for each of you.”

Rarity snorts at the impossibility. “Doug, I want to believe that, but you weren’t there for me. I’m lucky that a few actually considerate pegasi were able to bring all the items that Spike took back, even if they just dumped them outside.”

“That sounds like it hurt,” Doug says, stroking the purple mane, glancing over as Twilight lays next to them, the purple unicorn quietly listening, the soft scratch of a quill as she takes notes. “But I think you’re a strong enough mare to push through that.” He pulls her in for another long hug. “Please, Rarity, tell me. What’s really wrong?”

Rarity’s eyes flick upstairs at the soft clop of hooves before burying themselves in Doug’s chest. “It’s Sweetie Belle. I tried making her favorite ice cream dish, the one with sprinkles in the shape of a smiling face. But she refused! She won’t talk to me, except to tell me that it isn’t my fault. My fault! I wasn’t there to save her when that vicious dragon ripped her from the schoolhouse! I wasn’t there when he climbed up a mountain and would have either violated her or ate her! And I wasn’t there when she nearly fell to her death!"

“No,” Doug agrees, “you weren’t there.”

“W-what?” Rarity says, confusion staining her voice. “How could you…”

“And you’re going to have to accept the fact that you won’t be there for her. Not every time. She’s an adult, and going to be doing things on her own.” Doug’s hands grow a little rough as he runs his fingers through Rarity’s coat, the unicorn tensing underneath him. “You would suffocate her if you tried to keep her close, killing her just as effectively as the rocks at the bottom of the mountain.”

“How?” Rarity demands, staring up at Doug. “How can you be so callous about this? So uncaring about the fate of your foals?”

Doug meets Rarity’s gaze, unflinching. “Because I believe that things will work out. That in spite of whatever obstacles we face, we will be able to overcome them. We might not succeed at everything, we might fail so spectacularly that we die. But the only other option is to live so passively, so without risk that I would barely call that living at all.”

“I don’t want her to die,” Rarity ekes out, pressing her head into Doug’s chest. “I don’t want to see her hurt, like Rainbow.”

“I don’t want that either,” Doug replies, stroking her neck. “I want her to live, too. And I want her life to have meaning. Whatever she decides she wants to do, I want her to be able to do it! Even if she ends up hurt like Rainbow! Would you take that away? Would you take away her ability to help because she might get hurt, or worse?”

“I don’t want that taken away from me.”

Doug, Rarity, and Twilight glance to the top of the stairs, Sweetie Belle slowly descending.

“I don’t want to live in fear.” Sweetie Belle reaches the bottom of the stairs, a small grin as she nestles among her dam’s inviting hooves. “But I am afraid, Daddy. What if, what if I am the reason that Spike went on that rampage?” She sniffs, hard. “Am I just supposed to never see him again?”

Silence lingers for a few long seconds before Doug says, “I don’t know.” His hand strokes Sweetie Belle’s mane, the young mare clearly disappointed in the answer. “Partly because I have no idea, but also, and more importantly, because that’s something that you’ll have to figure out. Even if there wasn’t some supernatural cause-”

“-Actually, it’s entirely natural,” Twilight interrupts. As everypony turns to look at her she pulls back slightly, offering a slightly forced smile. “I mean, we might be able to isolate and eliminate, or at least block, the thaumic loop that causes the Greed based growth to occur. But I have no idea what the long term ramifications are of messing with a creature’s innate thaumic functions, much less one as thaumically dependent as a dragon. There’s no telling what-”

Twilight cuts herself off as Doug coughs. “Sorry, I’m rambling.”

“The point is,” Doug says, turning back to Sweetie Belle, “that perhaps it is too early to make that kind of decision. Especially if you’re making it on incomplete information. I know you’re afraid of that outcome, and maybe other outcomes as well. And going around, figuring out the likelihood of a certain outcome, and working to minimize or maximize its chances of happening, that’s exactly what you should be doing. Not letting your fear of something happening paralyze you, or force your hand. Hoof. There are lots of things that make us afraid.”

Doug envelops Sweetie Belle and Rarity in the same hug, Twilight scooching over to join in. “I’m certainly afraid of losing you. All of you. But acting in spite of that fear, that’s courage.” He pokes Sweetie Belle in the chest. “And after seeing you up on that stage, singing your heart out? I know you have courage.”

Sweetie Belle giggles at the contact. “Thanks, Daddy.” She nuzzles Rarity next. “I know you’re afraid of losing me, and I don’t want to be lost, either. But I’m an adult now, and I need to make my own decisions.”

“That’s right, of course,” Rarity says, a long sigh at the admission. “But sometimes I just see you as my little filly.”

Sweetie Belle smiles forlornly. “I know. I like being your little filly sometimes.” She glances towards the kitchen. “Hey, maybe you can go make me that ice cream treat I liked so much?”

“Only if you ask correctly,” Rarity says, nuzzling her filly.

Sweetie Belle grins. Her voice has a bit of a southern twang to it. “Mama? If'n you’d be ever so kind, Ah would absolutely adore a Filly Clown Surprise. Made by you, of course.”

“Of course, dear,” Rarity replies, her eyes only twitching a little at Applejack’s corruption of what used to be her perfectly pristine filly. She returns quickly, a normal-sized version of the treat set in front of each of them.

“Mama?” Sweetie Belle tentatively asks, chewing the cherry nose.

“Yes, dear?” Rarity replies after swallowing her bite.

“Why didn’t you want to have a second one of me? You know, with Daddy?” Sweetie Belle peers into Rarity’s eyes, a hard look starting to become much more common on the young mare.

“Well, first off, there’s no guarantee that a sister of yours would be like you. I mean, you just have to look at Lemon and Meringue to know that even full-blooded sisters can be completely opposite.”

Sweetie Belle clears her throat, entirely too reminiscent of her sire.

“Well, we saw how much you struggled with magic, even at a young age.” Rarity sighs. “Especially at a young age. I know how important magic is to a young unicorn, and we saw your struggles, and we didn’t want any other fillies so…” Rarity trails off, searching for an appropriate word.

“Do you see me as crippled?” demands Sweetie Belle.

“Well, um, you see,” Rarity stammers, eyes glancing about and focusing on everything but her filly.

“No,” Doug forcefully states, his hand stabilizing the mare in his lap. “Not crippled. Just a unique set of skills, different from the average unicorn.”

“Different.” Sweetie Belle tastes the word on her lips, ultimately deeming it satisfactory. “I can live with different.”

Rarity turns to Doug, blue aura tugging him down for a kiss. "I've thought a lot about this. About us." She kisses him again. "And I know you'll have no trouble with this. You love seeing that little bulge in our tummies, and knowing it is one of yours." Her muzzle curls to a smirk, especially as she can see him struggling with suppressing his desire to call her out on 'little'.

"...I do," Doug eventually replies.

Rarity draws closer, her whisper loud enough for everypony to hear. “I think I can live with our second being a little different, too.”

Doug’s eyes brighten, nearly lifting the unicorn as he pulls her tight, continuing their long kiss. He finally breaks away, asking, “So, what are you going to tell Lunaris? And break off the date?”

“And give up a night on the town with the most eligible bachelor in Canterlot? I don’t think so.” Rarity’s smirk grows, though not quite evilly. More sinister, really. “Who knows what kind of trouble we’ll get into?”

142 The Penitent, Part Three

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Doug scratches Sweetie Belle’s curly mane as he glances over at Twilight. “You seem pensive. Bit for your thoughts?”

“Wow, that’s pretty generous,” Twilight says, dropping her quill and snuggling closer. “You must really value what I have to say.” She grins, slipping her horn inside Doug’s jacket to lightly scratch his stomach. She sighs as she lays her head on his leg, hesitantly admitting, “I had some of the same fears that Rarity did, actually. I worried about how my own foals would, well, turn out.” Her eyes flick to the sides. “What my dam would say.”

“She did strike me as awfully concerned about that, at least initially,” Doug returns, somewhat sorry that is the case. “I’m guessing she was pretty strict about your studying?”

Twilight snorts. “Pretty strict doesn’t even begin to cover it. She got me textbooks for every Foal’s Week and Hearth’s Warming. I mean, not that I don’t love books and they’re just about my favorite present ever, but it’s certainly indicative of what growing up in the Light household entailed.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle snickers, “Spike complains that you get him a book every year, too.”

“Oh,” Twilight replies, her face falling. “Um, I guess I better get him something different in February, then. Maybe comic books?”

“Way to go right up to the line and stare at it,” Doug retorts.

Twilight ignores him. “And, speaking of Spike, I think we should head to the library. Sweetie Belle, did you want to come with us?”

“You think he’s going to be okay?” Sweetie Belle cautiously asks, worriedly looking at Rarity. “I really don’t want him to have to leave…”

“I think you’ll be fine, darling,” Rarity says with a smile, nuzzling her filly. “Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?”

Rarity looks around as Doug slaps a hand to his face, followed by Twilight slapping a hoof to her face, and then Sweetie Belle burying her face in her hooves. Which probably counts.

“It’s Twilight’s fault!” Rarity exclaims as Doug rudely dumps her to the side, carrying both Twilight and Sweetie Belle to the door. “She’s rubbing off on me or something! I swear, I didn’t make those kind of foalish statements before she came around!” Rarity frowns as the door slams shut. “Well, it’s true!”

Unable to help himself as soon as they get outside Doug asks, “So, what do you think is the worst thing that can happen?” as he carries the two ponies through the snowy streets.

“Well,” Twilight says, raising a hoof to point behind them. Then, upon realizing that Doug doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head, or if he did they’d be covered by his hat, explains, “That.”

Many of the surrounding ponies - already quite intrigued by the human carrying a pony around like a sack of apples - follow Twilight’s hoof pointing to the sky. They quietly gasp, exchanging looks of horror, before bolting off to barricade themselves inside their homes.

Doug turns, spotting the fleeing ponies, but not the reason. “Great. What is it now, some Everfree monster again? Or Nightmare Moon? Or Zecora?” He sighs, turning back to keep walking towards the library, though at a little faster pace. “I meant what was the worst thing that could happen with Spike, but I guess dying to a monster attack probably counts.”

“No!” Twilight exclaims, huffing. “Didn’t you see?”

“Um, no?” Doug says turning around again. “What am I looking for?”

“Up in the sky.”

“I see blue. And white.”

“Exactly!”

Doug sighs exasperatedly. “The sky and clouds?”

“No, it’s-” Twilight sighs heavily. “The other blue and white thing approaching?”

“Celestia and Luna?” Doug glances back to Twilight before resuming his scan. “Wouldn’t they just teleport?”

“Are you being deliberately obtuse? There’s no way Luna ate that much cake!”

Sweetie Belle groans mightily. “Stop it you two! There’s a giant blue dragon flying towards Ponyville and Princess Celestia is flying next to it!”

“See, was that so hard?” Doug says, adjusting the two ponies and resuming his walk to the Golden Oak Library. He nearly misses a step as he says, “Wait, Dragon Lord Torch is coming here?”

“It appears that way,” Twilight says cautiously. “It’s a good thing the library is on the edge of town, or ponies might start to panic when another dragon appears!”

“A DRAGON IS COMING!!” “What do we do?” “This is the perfect time to panic!”

A pegasus flies to the clock tower, and seconds later the loud klaxon blares through the town. This merely sends the ponies into more of a panic, shouting and screaming as the colossal blue dragon wings overhead. Two great horns curl upwards from each side of his jaw, which is easily large enough to devour three ponies side by side and not cut them on his massive fangs.

“Ah ha!” Dragon Lord Torch exclaims from above town, letting loose a massive gout of flame. “Leave it to a pony to perform a proper greeting! I am pleased with your efforts!” Torch basks as the ponies continue running about in terror.

He seems to get bored of basking, quickly growing less amused. He bellows, “This display tires me! Cease your greeting and go about your day! The Dragon Lord Commands It!”

Princess Celestia’s horn glows and silences the alarm. Doors slam shut, windows shutter, and eyes peek out from cracks to follow the dragon’s movement.

Dragon Lord Torch drops down on the north part of Ponyville, landing next to Doug, Twilight Sparkle, and Sweetie Belle. He looks around the deserted town, eyes narrowing. “Is this normal pony behavior for the middle of the day? I commanded them to behave normally!”

“Well, normally Zecora comes at the end of the month,” Doug starts, nodding to Princess Celestia as she lands, “so it’s not unheard of.”

Torch snorts, a small burst of flame expelled from his nostrils. “And what of Spike? I demand to see that he is unharmed!”

“What?” Twilight gasps, looking to Celestia. “Why would we harm him?”

“Of course we would not harm him,” Celestia responds gently, yet forcefully, the slightest flick of her head towards the library. Twilight nods, contrite, as she teleports out of Doug’s arms. Celestia turns back to Torch, “I think you may have heard a few too many rumors, and not enough facts.”

Dragon Lord Torch’s eyes narrow as he stares down at the alicorn, “So help me, if even one scale on his body is so much as scratched, then war with the dragon lands will be the least of your worries!”

“And need I remind you that even dragons burn.” Celestia matches Torch eye for eye, staring up without a hint of remorse.

A deep rumble echoes from the dragon’s throat as the two rulers stare each other down. It slowly turns to a low chuckle as Twilight exits the library, Spike on her back. “Well,” Torch says darkly, his maw turning to a tooth filled grin, “they did have that delectable char.”

“Mm, that was a fun day, was it not?” Celestia replies, her bright demeanor returning instantly. “I miss those days, sometimes. It’s not every century you’re able to help unify a country!”

“Yes, and my century of glorious rule is nearly up. Perhaps then we might again ravage the lands of our foes.” Torch sighs. “But we are nearly out of elders who have not already held the scepter. Perhaps one of the younger crop will be able to keep that rabble unified during our absence.”

Celestia grins. “Yes, I was thinking the same thing.” She coughs, then motions a hoof towards Twilight, “As you can see, Spike is alive and unharmed, no worse for the ordeal he went through.”

Dragon Lord Torch grunts, focusing on Spike before bellowing, “You! Little One!”

“Yes, Dragon Lord Torch?” Spike says, dropping off Twilight to a bow.

Dragon Lord Torch snorts, eyes furrowing. “I did not tell you to bow! If I wanted you to bow, I would say, ‘KNEEL BEFORE ME!!’”

The gust of wind blows Spike back, sending him tumbling. He rushes back into position, dropping to a knee. “Yes, Dragon Lord Torch! I’m kneeling!”

The massive eyes shift to Twilight. “You ought to teach him proper discipline. Games of ‘Dragon Lord Commands!’ until he knows when and how to obey.”

“What now?” Spike asks as Twilight looks confused. “I’ve never heard of that.”

“You know,” Dragon Lord Torch explains, caught off guard by the admission. “I say, ‘The Dragon Lord Commands You to Stand!’ and you stand.” Spike stands up. “And then I say, ‘Sit Down!’ and-”

Dragon Lord Torch sighs as Spike sits down, covering his eyes with his massive claws, grumbling to himself.

Twilight leans over, whispering to Spike, “You weren’t supposed to follow his command because he didn’t say ‘The Dragon Lord Commands’.”

“Oh,” Spike says, yet remains seated. “But he is the Dragon Lord. So I need to obey his commands whether he says that or not.”

Dragon Lord Torch grumbles to himself a little more before rising. “Yes.” He looks around at the assembled creatures. “Well. It is good to see that he is safe. I should have known better than to trust the word of griffons.”

Celestia smiles to Twilight and Spike. “Since Spike was put under house arrest at the request of the dragon ambassador for his own protection, I do believe we can bring it to an end. Spike, you are again a free dragon, as I know of no pending charges against you.”

Spike stands only to bow his head to Princess Celestia. “Thank you.”

Princess Celestia turns to Twilight. “I do believe this has taken up enough of my time, though blame can hardly be put on your withers. Do try to keep it from happening again.”

Twilight bows, “I will, your Highness.”

Celestia’s eyes linger on Doug for a moment before she turns to Dragon Lord Torch. “If there is nothing else?”

Dragon Lord Torch takes off, hovering a few feet off the ground, his wings blowing the snow off the grass. “Invictus, I hear you have been working on a weapon to help capture those renegade dragons.”

Celestia takes off after him. “Yes, we call it a ‘Lightning Storm in a Box. We’ve managed to pack nearly an acre-foot into one pony sized canister. Unfortunately, we’re still working on the distribution problem, as it comes out in more of a ball shape at low speeds.”

“Really?” Torch ponders as he flies off. “How many pegasi, and how many canisters, would I need to cover, say, Canterhorn?”

Twilight turns to Spike, laying down next to him on the soft grass. “How are you doing, Spike?”

Spike sighs, watching the dragon fly away. “I’m sorry, Twilight.”

Twilight smirks as Sweetie Belle and Doug lay next to them. “Torch was right, we do need to work on your listening skills. I asked ‘how are you doing’; I didn’t demand an apology.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, Twi-” Spike cuts himself off, chuckling slightly. He swallows, trying again. “I’m glad that this is all behind us.” He looks over at Doug, then past him towards Sweet Apple Acres. “I’m disappointed in myself, that I allowed my greed to overtake me so easily. I’m a little sad it happened at all.”

“Well, Spike,” Twilight says, nuzzling the purple dragon, “just know that we won’t abandon you just because you messed up. We’ll work with you to try to make it better, to fix whatever problems you can’t hoof.” Her eyes draw towards the Everfree Forest, a slight smirk. “I imagine you’ll have quite a number of field trips with Rarity to help pay back Applejack and Trixie.”

A gloomy look spreads over Spike’s face as he sighs. “Yeah, kind of hard to build up a hoard when you’re so far in debt.”

“Don’t worry, Spike,” Sweetie Belle says cheerfully, if a touch subdued, “we’ll be there to help out!”

Spike nods, though he avoids eye contact with Sweetie Belle. “Thanks.”

“Now, I have to know something,” Sweetie Belle says firmly, glancing up to Twilight. “Um, can you make sure he doesn’t, like, you know? Rampage through town again?”

Twilight smiles. “I’ll try.”

“Okay.” Sweetie Belle walks over to Spike, a hoof turning his head to meet hers. She kisses him on the lips for a full second before pulling back. “There. So, do you want to go capture me and take me to a deep, dark cave?”

“Well, yeah, but that was true before you kissed me.” Spike smirks as Sweetie Belle glares at him. “Just foaling with you! I mean, not really, because I really did want to do that, but not enough to, you know, actually go out and do it.” He looks up at Twilight and Doug. “I’m just digging myself in deeper, aren’t I.”

“Yeah, save that for Rarity,” Doug says with a dearth of joviality. “Make sure to let us know if you get any of those thoughts again. And you better keep to kissing, got it?”

143 Lysah's Respite, Part One

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February 14th, 1001 Domina Solaria, The First Year of the Two Sisters

Underneath the thin layer of ice covering the stream comes the soft gurgle of running water. Most years, the stream didn’t freeze over entirely, but this winter had been particularly cold. One night it just, sort of, happened, as these things tend to do. It never really warmed up enough to melt, and the stream underneath seemed content to leave it be. And nopony has been adventurous enough to step a hoof on it, and test to see if the ice truly is thick enough for their pony games. That doesn’t stop the various critters from scampering about; they seem to know their impact on the world, but the faded claw marks suggest that nocreature has tried in at least a day.

Some ponies theorized the aberrantly cold weather was because Princess Celestia, the previous summer, had told her Sun to cool off, because otherwise the Summer Sun Celebration would have been uncomfortably hot. Or, it’s because Nightmare Moon, around the same time, decided that Equus needed another four hours of moonlight on this side, and convective forces never really caught up. Or, it could be a combination of both, and Cloudsdale and their weather gurus weren’t able to calibrate things just right.

Maybe it was because of the chill, or because Fate felt like giving them a break before it threw something particularly nasty at them, but it has been a quiet month in Ponyville since Spike went on his rampage. Applejack had raised a barn for a new schoolhouse, as promised, but with more doors and stained glass windows. They built it right on top of the old one, so they could still use the cellar. The playground equipment, though, is still in a sorry state of disrepair, and fillies would occasionally find the odd bent nail. The class was both sad and happy when Miss Cheerilee returned, but that could have been because Trixie was less concerned with things like grades and homework and sticking to the official EEA curriculum than she was about teaching the fillies tricks or regaling them with stories of her (supposed) adventures. Turns out, Rainbow wasn’t the only pony who found Daring Do a source of inspiration.

Speaking of, the enforced slow flight had done Rainbow Dash a world of good. Able to practice nothing but control, she had nearly perfected every maneuver that didn’t require speed. Since she already had the speed sections down pat, it was only a matter of waiting the painful weeks to get started. And then, after tweaking a muscle going too hard on day one, waiting another miserable couple of days before she could really go all out. She's optimistic, as always, about her chances the next week.

These thoughts and more pass through the mare as her cyan eyes flitter about, focusing on everything and nothing at the same time. They tend to linger on the open door of her cottage. Twilight Sparkle had been by earlier. She looked stressed, for some reason, and mumbling about magic kindergarten. Her mane was all askew, her eyes kept twitching, and she left with an old bird’s nest on her head. It was all very strange. But, since it didn’t have anything to do with her, she let it be. She was afraid, probably rightly so, about how these things tend to go. Still is, for that matter.

Sometimes her eyes are drawn to the footprints that lead to the snow around her. Or the traces of them. After helping set up her little snow burrow - or igloo, as Doug called it - the falling snow hid the tracks leading around and about. No wonder Twilight didn’t know where to look for her. And, if she’s being honest, maybe she likes it that way. Just being able to meld into the shadows, unnoticed, just able to observe what is going on around her.

The way the last snowfall of the year slowly dribbles down from the sky, and the symphony of the branches around her as they creak and groan, shifting under ever accumulating layers of weighty water. It is nice, sitting here under her awning of ice, bundled up against the cold, without a care in the world.

She has a couple pieces of dried fruit left, but they’ve gotten frozen even next to her. So she just lets them thaw in her mouth for a few minutes before slowly chewing, savoring every little bite. She’d probably be hungrier if she wasn’t stretching her rations so thin, and she’ll need to break out to use the little filly’s room eventually, but for now she is content.

There’s Twilight again, chasing down Rarity. Both mares look awfully distressed, but it’s hard to tell from this distance. Searching through the snow outside the Boutique. Eventually they both go inside, looking no better, and her eyes stray away.

The snow makes everything so crisp and clean, even as it chills. Fluttershy merely adjusts her scarf; she got a white one from Rarity. It used to have this beautiful diamond encrusted purple ribbon, but she took it off and put it next to Rarity’s sewing machine. It wouldn’t do to have her camouflage ruined by looking fabulous! Even if the scarf and her vibrant pink mane is hidden by the snow.

There’s Twilight Sparkle again, leaving the Boutique. She looks sad, but it’s hard to tell exactly why from this distance. She walks towards the library, or at least to the north part of town, the opposite direction from the Everfree and her cottage.

It’s too bad her vantage point doesn’t let her look out over the Everfree. There’s almost always something going on in there, often scary enough to get her to look away. But she’s getting better! It’s best when Doug is with her, cuddling after they practice making more foals. He always pushes her to confront her fears, even when - or especially when - she has absolutely no desire to do that herself. He makes her feel safe. Sometimes she wishes she was better at it. But Doug has funny little sayings, like that you should never ask for patience, because the world will give you opportunities to practice it. And it’s probably like that for her fears, too.

She wraps her forelegs around one of the mounds of snow, and squeezes. It’s already packed hard enough that she makes little more than an indent, and she doesn’t squeeze so hard that it spills out the sides. But it reminds her, if just a teeny bit, of squeezing him. She wishes he was with her. But he’s very busy, with Spring starting up tomorrow. Well, really it’s Winter Wrap Up tomorrow, and Celestia knows when Spring will actually start.

Her ears flick at the multitude of hooves coming along the hard packed path. She lays still, forelegs embedded in the snow, only her opening eyes visible as she watches five of her herdmates walk to her cottage. They’re probably making Trixie watch the foals again.

Twilight alone walks up to the open door of the cottage. She seems surprised that the door is still open, cautiously looking around. Then she peeks her head in. If she says anything it’s muffled by the snow and that she’s inside the house. She comes outside, and everypony looks worried. Not quite distraught, though. Twilight says something, and everypony else laughs, which only makes Twilight so upset that she storms away.

Are they really foals, though? Her filly turned four today. Four! And Hedge’s birthday is one of the last, being nearly a week overdue. At least her foaling had gone well, as far as she remembers. Longer than most, sure, but nothing too bad. But now, Hedge is the oldest of the herd still missing her cutie mark. Still has no idea what exactly she wants to do, but such is the way of things. No rush, none at all. Plenty of time to take it slow.

She would have liked to have her filly with her, just meditating. Watching the ponies as they go about their day. In fact, there’s Hedge now! And the Cutie Mark Crusaders are with her, too! Scootaloo in the lead, tires barely able to push through the packed snow. Hedge along for the ride, though she looks a little queasy. Apple Bloom keeping pace, while Sweetie Belle struggles to keep up. But she makes do. They all do.

Until Twilight waylays them, that is. The mare looks to be riding a Pinkie Pie level sugar high, with how she keeps jolting back and forth, the way her eyes can’t stay focused, and how she keeps shaking that little doll in her hooves. None of the fillies want the doll, either, which just makes Twilight even more frustrated.

Actually, Hedge wants the doll. She likes dolls, even if Fluttershy can only get her dolls that she makes herself. She makes dolls like she makes nests, full of whatever odds and ends are at hoof at the time. Every one of them unique, and built with love and kindness! And the Crusaders are more than willing to let Hedge have the doll. Rarity must have taught them well; how generous!

She really thought Twilight would give Hedge a book for Foal’s Week. Maybe she got a tip from Pinkie Pie, but perhaps the mare is branching out. Hedge doesn’t care what her dolls look like, or how old and beat up they are, as long as they are cared for and played with love. And that doll has clearly been loved a lot.

Twilight seems decidedly unhappy with that result, though. She tries to take the doll back, but Hedge holds on like her life depends on it. Twilight frowns, shouting something. Scootaloo grins as she takes off, Hedge barely keeping a grip as they head into Ponyville. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle follow close behind, scared but playful glances at the mare behind them.

Maybe she should confront those fears of hers, of getting involved. That’s what Doug would push her to do, right? She shakes her head; she shouldn’t do it because it’s what Doug wants, she should do it because it’s what she wants!

“Hey, Twilight!” she calls, her voice dull in her ears, but that’s mostly because of the snow around her.

Twilight looks around, surprised and agitated. “Clock is ticking, Twilight,” she mutters to herself. “No need to go around imagining things! Clock! Is! Ticking!”

Fluttershy lets go of the mound of snow to poke a yellow hoof out, waving at her Friend and herdmate. “Over here!”

Twilight scampers over, eyes gleaming with elation crossed with what is probably an unhealthy amount of madness. “Fluttershy! I found you!” Her eyes grow wide while her pupils shrink. “Do you, by any chance, have a… Friendship problem?”

“Um,” Fluttershy says, her head involuntarily shaking no, her body’s base desire to avoid danger overtaking her. “N-no…”

“Oh.” Twilight mouth pulls wider, her grin stretching past the edges of her face. Her teeth jut out at crooked angles, “Well… If I can’t find a friendship problem… then I’ll m-”

Fluttershy puts a hoof on Twilight’s withers, the unicorn cutting herself off to look down on it. Fluttershy beams a smile up at Twilight, reassuringly stroking her side. “It’s okay, Twilight. Because I have a Friend who does.”

“Oh. You do?!” A tiny portion of Twilight’s madness seems to fade from her face, a quill and paper materializing beside her. “Tellme tellme tellme!”

Fluttershy grins as she grips Twilight, pulling the surprised mare into her burrow. She offers her a piece of dried fruit, Twilight accepting with a bit of confused hesitation.

“Yes, Twilight. And I’m looking at her.” Fluttershy gulps as Twilight’s eyes narrow. She forces herself to lightly stroke her herdmate, trying to calm both of them down. “Would you like to talk about it?”

144 Lysah's Respite, Part Two

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“Oh. Um. Well! Where to begin!?” Twilight Sparkle frantically looks at the snow surrounding them. Late afternoon slowly turns to evening, the light barely diffusing through gradually becoming dimmer. “I guess it started this morning, when I was going through a few checklists with Spike. And I realized that I hadn’t completed a Friendship report to the Princess this week!”

Fluttershy slowly nods, waiting for Twilight to continue. After a few seconds of watching Twilight rock herself back and forth Fluttershy tentatively offers, “She does like hearing from you!”

Twilight grins, nodding her head. “Yes! But it’s so much more than just hearing from me! She uses these weekly reports to gauge my progress! Weekly! Not every two weeks, or every ten days! Weekly! And if I’m not progressing, do you know what that means? That means that I’m stagnant! That I’m not improving, and not learning how to be a better friend!”

“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy commiserates.

“And if that’s the case, she’s going to make me take a test, to see if I have learned everything there is to know about Friendship! And because I obviously haven’t, since not even Princess Celestia herself knows everything there is to know about Friendship, there’s no way I could pass it! And she’ll send me back to magic kindergarten!”

Fluttershy suppresses her snickering with a cough. She says, as neutrally as possible, “Yes, that does sound bad. What did you do about that?”

“Well, I first went to my Friends to see if they had any friendship problems that I could deal with.” Twilight turns a manic eye towards Fluttershy. “Still no change in that department? No friendship problems that I can help solve?” She motions to herself, “Other than, apparently, this one?” At Fluttershy’s delayed shake of the head she sighs, “I thought so.” Twilight taps her hooves together, looking away. “I thought that… I thought that if I couldn’t find a Friendship problem, that I might…” she looks sheepishly at Fluttershy, “make a Friendship problem? That I could then solve?”

“That sounds… plausible,” Fluttershy reluctantly says. “And, um, purely for future reference in case I need to, hmm, disappear, what Friendship problem did you decide… to make?”

“Well, I was going to give Smarty Pants - she’s my favorite foalhood doll, by the way; she’s got all kinds of accessories, like a little notebook and quill so you can pretend that she’s doing her homework, or a brush so that you could stroke her mane, just like I always wanted my mane to be stroked; and I would take her to bed with me, and cuddle up close to her, just like I want to cuddle up with my own foals-”

Twilight’s eyes tear up, grasping Fluttershy and crying into her coat.

“There, there,” Fluttershy reassures, stroking the magenta line of Twilight’s mane.

Twilight sobs as her hooves violently shake Fluttershy, “Princess Celestia is going to take that away from me! She’ll take me away from you all, and from Doug, and I’ll never have any f-friends again because all the f-fillies will just laugh at me because I’m such a horrible f-f-friend!”

“T-th-he-re th-er-re,” Fluttershy shakily ekes out, eventually getting Twilight to calm down. “We both know that’s not going to happen.”

Twilight nods, a bit of her mania returning as she sits up. “You’re right! I have no reason to worry, because I’m going to solve that Friendship problem! Now, where did those fillies run off to?”

“Now,” Fluttershy says, a bit of command in her voice, “before you do that, what exactly were you going to do to them?”

“Oh, just a minor Want-It-Need-It spell. Get them to fight over the doll, and realize the importance of sharing.” Twilight shrugs. “Easily dispelled. Why?”

“Oh, well, you see,” Fluttershy stammers, gawking a little at Twilight. “A Want-It-Need-It spell is pretty powerful Malevolence magic. I’m not surprised that you can cast it, it’s more…” Fluttershy ponders for a second. “The liability concerns associated with any unwilling mental influence. You’d be responsible for anything negative those four did while influenced, and maybe even afterwards. And I would be Honestly compelled to come forth.”

Twilight scoffs. “Oh, please, they’re three young mares and a filly. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Uh… you do realize which three young mares you are referring to, right?” Fluttershy nervously glances around. “I don’t think the town could withstand them escalating against each other.”

“Noo,” Twilight explains, shaking her head. “I would dispel the spell once they started fighting with each other! And then they’d make up and be friends again!”

“Really?” Fluttershy taps a hoof against her chin. “I mean, I think they’d run off before you could do that, and the whole town would fall under the compulsion. Doug would probably end up with the doll, because magic doesn’t affect him the same as it does us, so he could actually focus on evading everypony else instead of being magically compelled to play with it.” Fluttershy pauses at the odd look in Twilight’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

Twilight grins again. “Yup! Yup. Everything’s fine!”

“Okay.” Fluttershy hums to herself, watching Twilight twitch back and forth. “And, if Doug did have the doll, then everypony who saw it would be magically compelled to do anything to get the doll from him. Anything.”

“You don’t say?” Twilight head cocks to an odd angle, locking there for several long seconds.

Fluttershy slowly nods. “Did you talk to Doug at all? I know it seems like he always has something he’s working on. Maybe that would have worked as a Friendship problem?”

“Well, yes and no.” Twilight slowly becomes less agitated as she talks. “I asked him if he was busy, and he said that he was. You know, working out all the super last minute changes everypony wants to make to their weather and rainfall patterns. But that’s kind of his job, you know, not really a friendship problem that he needed help with.” Twilight sighs as she recalls, “And then later, when I was really feeling bad, the conversation went something like ‘Doug?’ ‘Yes?’ Then I saw the Crusaders, and said, ‘Never mind!’. And then I came here.” She pauses for a second. "He might have followed me."

“Well, when I’m feeling stressed about something, I often go to him, especially if it’s something my animal friends don’t have much experience with. He’s a good listener, willing to make time for us, but sometimes I do feel bad using up that time.”

“Really?” Twilight says, a hoof running through her askew mane. “Why would you feel bad about that?”

“Well...” Fluttershy pauses for a few seconds. She continues, quieter, “Sometimes I’m scared of revealing myself. That he will reject me, or my issues, or my feelings, and make me feel bad about having them. Or, maybe it’s not that he’ll reject them, but he’ll make me face them. Like the dragons.” Fluttershy turns, looking Twilight in the eye. “He made me to go Tarrapalooza because dragons scare me so much!”

“Didn’t you have a good time there?” Twilight asks, slightly confused as the light around them dims to almost nothing.

“Not the point!” Fluttershy huffs once before a smile spreads across her muzzle. “Okay, maybe that was the point. That sometimes we blow things far out of proportion, or we focus so much on the worst possible outcome that we get blinded to everything else.”

Twilight sighs, downcast, even as the snow around them brightens from the light of the stars and moon. “Like you think I’m doing with this whole ‘magic kindergarten’ thing.”

Fluttershy shakes her head. “I didn’t say that.” She continues after a second, “I might have been thinking it, but I didn’t say it.”

“Well, everypony else in the herd has no problem saying it.” Twilight demands, “Do you think it’s true?”

“Well,” Fluttershy stammers, shying back a little. “I mean, as far as worst outcomes goes, she could banish you, or dehorn you, or make you rule Equestria.”

“Banishment?!” Twilight paws at the snow, her manic look returning in full force. “I didn’t even consider banishment! But if she banished me, she’d be breaking up the Elements of Harmony! She might take away the Element of Magic from me, and give it to”-Twilight’s eyes narrow, snorting jets of steam-“Trixie.” Twilight stamps a hoof. “Well, I won’t let that happen!”

“Of course you won’t,” reassures Fluttershy. “You’ll get your lesson done in time!”

Twilight smiles at first before her eyes shrink to pinpricks. “Wait, why would she dehorn me?”

“Well, you kind of wanted to use a large-scale, indiscriminate Malevolence spell. I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t be doing that.” Fluttershy taps her hooves together a few times.

“You don’t say,” Twilight says nervously, glancing around. Her eyes widen as the roof of the snow burrow levitates up several feet, the darkness of night surrounding them. “I’m late!” she shouts, covering her head with her hooves. “I didn't get the Friendship lesson done in time! I’m… tardy!” Snow, surrounded by a muted golden aura, begins to fly around, packing itself into taller walls. “What if Princess Celestia finds out?! She’s going to send me back to magic kindergarten!” Twilight breaks into loud sobs, falling to the ground.

“Hello, my little pony,” Princess Celestia calmly says as she pushes her way into the snow burrow, now large enough for her to comfortably rest, though her tail and mane seem awfully subdued, and her horn occasionally scratches against the ceiling. “How are things?”

Fluttershy glances over at Twilight’s bowing, cowering form. “Um, don’t take this the wrong way, Princess, but please don’t banish Twilight for missing her Friendship report. She stayed to talk with me, and I’m very certain that she would have gotten one in time if I hadn’t kept her!”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Fluttershy. I’m just here to observe.” Princess Celestia smiles at Fluttershy as she pops a piece of popcorn into her mouth. “Want any?”

“Um, sure,” Fluttershy says, opening her mouth to accept the buttery treat. “Observe what?”

Princess Celestia merely winks as faint shouts can be heard coming from Ponyville.

“Twilight…” Fluttershy groans. “What did you do?”

“Um,” Twilight says, rubbing her hooves together, seemingly oblivious to Princess Celestia’s presence. “Delayed Want-It-Need-It spell that slowly increases in potency over time?” She huffs at Fluttershy’s look of horror. “What? I didn’t know how powerful the spell would need to be to get them to fight over it! And I would… be there… to…”

“Uh oh.”

Twilight nearly pokes her head outside the snow burrow only for a bare-chested Doug to bull rush past her, diving headfirst into Twilight. Fortunately, his head hits the side of hers and not the horn, leaving both of them reeling.

“Doug!” Fluttershy exclaims. “Are you-”

“No time!” Doug hurriedly whispers, groaning and rubbing his head. “Fluttershy, close your eyes!”

“Okay!” Fluttershy says eagerly, her eyes snapping shut while her mouth opens wide, a hint of a smile peeking out along the edges. Her tongue wets her lips, then lays out, waiting patiently.

“Dammit, Flutters,” Doug moans as he pulls his bundled light jacket from under his arm. His eyes slowly focus on the purple mare next to him. “Wait, Twilight is here?” He roughly shakes her, getting only a moan in return. “Twilight, wake up!”

“Wua?” Twilight replies, dazed. “What’s going on?”

“Twilight,” Doug says, confirming with a glance that Fluttershy’s eyes are still closed. He closes her mouth with one hand, getting a frown in return. “Something happened to this doll. But it’s affecting everypony who sees it, making them want it so bad they’ll fight each other for it. Do you have any magic that can prevent that?” Doug turns to Fluttershy, “Or, ‘Shy, can you?”

“Oh, well, as the caster of that spell I’m immune to the effects.” Twilight offers a meek grin as Doug’s glare turns to smolder against her. “So I can help?”

“Help.” Doug stares at Twilight as hooves thunder around them, ponies indiscriminately shouting about Fluttershy’s cottage and the Everfree Forest. He unwraps the doll. “Maybe you can start by dispelling this.”

Twilight’s horn glows briefly. The sounds of shouting around them cease, replaced by confused muttering.

“Well, that’s over with.” Doug grunts as he lets his jacket fall from his hands, rubbing his head. “You would not believe how hard it is to get that doll away from Big Mac.” He sits up just enough to glare at Twilight. “Or the chain of throwing the doll, wait for the inevitable melee to knock it loose, and repeat. Or trying to hide, knowing that they can sense it, and it’s only a matter of time before I’m found again.” He shudders. “Good thing they didn’t see the fake throw coming, there at the end.”

“Doug!” comes Applejack’s call from outside.

“Fluttershy!?” Rainbow Dash that time.

“Twilight!” Rarity, a bit more worry than the others.

“In here!” Doug shouts, turning back and instantly recoiling as he sees Princess Celestia and her freely flowing mane for the first time. “Celestia!? What are you doing here?”

“Princess Celestia’s here?” exclaims Twilight as Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike all crowd into the burrow. Twilight hangs her head in shame. “Well, if you care to visit, I’ll be in magic kindergarten, back in Canterlot.” A tear comes to her eye. “Or Tartarus.”

Rarity swoons, “Of all the worst possible things that could happen!”

Pinkie Pie pronks over, violently shaking Princess Celestia, “Please! We were doing so well, surely that counts for something! Nopony was hurt this time, it was all just like a big fun game that everypony was magically compelled into playing! All in good fun!”

“Hmm,” Princess Celestia says, considering.

“No, everypony. Princess Celestia’s right.” Twilight sighs remorsefully. “I was… tardy. I’m a bad student! I was supposed to learn about Friendship every week, and send you a letter, but I… I didn’t. I understand your decision to remove me as your student, and from any other plans you had for me, but please don’t send me away from Ponyville!”

“Wait!” shouts Rainbow Dash.

Applejack continues, “It wasn’t her fault!”

Pinkie Pie adds, “You can’t punish her!”

Princess Celestia nods slowly. “I’m listening.”

Applejack sighs. “Well, she got all worked up, about something we thought was nothing.”

“We saw she was upset,” Rarity says, “but then she ran off!”

“And none of us tried to stop her.” Rainbow sniffs as she paws at the snow. “We should have taken her feelings seriously!”

Pinkie Pie nods furiously. “Please! Pretty pretty please, don’t take Twilight away from us because we were too insensitive!”

“Well, Twilight was able to take care of things on her own…” Celestia’s eyes stray to Doug and Fluttershy, “...mostly. So, my order that she remains with her Friends, remains. And Twilight, I do not need to receive a letter from you every week detailing your findings on Friendship.” Her gaze shifts, focusing on each pony, dragon, and human in turn. “However, in order to fulfill Twilight’s punishment, I have an order for each of you.”

Everycreature readily agrees.

Princess Celestia smiles pleasantly. “I would like each of you to report your findings on the magic of Friendship to me when, and only when, you happen to discover them.”

“Except for me, right?” Spike looks around the burrow. “Since, well, I did take Twilight’s feelings seriously, and then when we couldn’t find her and the weird stuff in town started happening and I sent a letter, and…”

Spike gulps at everypony’s stares. “Okay, fine. I’ll write letters, too.” He mutters to himself as he leaves the burrow, soon followed by the rest of the herd.

“You know, Spike, if you just trusted Twilight we wouldn’t have to write these letters,” Rainbow Dash says, though she quickly turns back at the burrow where Celestia, Doug, and Fluttershy remain. She shouts while flying off, “Not that I mind writing letters! I don’t! Please don’t banish me to magic kind of garden!”

“Cn I opn my mth nw?” Fluttershy grits out through her closed mouth, eyes still shut.

“Sure,” Doug says with a grin, “but only the mouth.” He looks over at Celestia as Fluttershy’s mouth pops open. “Did you need anything?”

“A turn?” Celestia pouts a little at Doug’s pondering chin scratch.

145 Mitts, Part One

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February 15th, 1001 Domina Solaria, The First Year of the Two Sisters

Applejack grunts as she stirs in bed, the thick comforters on top not quite soaked in sweat but still making her uncomfortably hot. Well, that’s the price to pay for trying to shed her thick winter coat a little early, so it doesn’t interfere too much when she’s planting and working during spring. Her stallion is laying next to her with his back fully exposed to the winter chill. Well, it would be, except for Fluttershy cuddling close on the other side.

His warm breath tickles her just behind the ear, but that hasn’t woken her up from a deep sleep, not in years. His hand is resting on her belly, not moving at all. Still dark outside, based on the lack of sunlight streaming through the windows and hitting her still closed eyelids. Some wind occasionally tickles across her snout, though not enough to get her to scrunch up.

That woke her up this early? One of the fillies leave a window open or something? It wouldn’t be the first time; she normally likes having the house just as cold as outside, much to Doug’s dismay. But when she’s trying to stay warm like this? The fillies probably just need another reminder.

Applejack briefly cracks open one green eye, barely able to make out anything in the room except the pair of purple irises staring inches away from her.

Since they always start Winter Wrap Up late, and work late into the night - sometimes even all the way through the night and into the next day - she needs all the rest she can get! Applejack lightly snorts as she tries to get back to sleep, shifting around slightly and working on getting comfortable again. Her nose scrunches up this time as the wind blows across it again. But her coat is all itchy, and getting Doug to tire her out sounds like the best-

Wait.

Applejack’s involuntary shudder that ripples through her entire body is enough to get her stallion to stir, his hand shifting lower until it rubs up against one of her teats. She inwardly grimaces as she places a hoof against his hand; much as she wants him to get her in the mood, she needs to find out who else is in here! And hopefully without them noticing that-

“Hi.”

The low whisper is enough to get Applejack to flinch, hooves pushing her whole body backwards, pressing into Doug. Her eyes fly open, barely able to make out the purple mane and magenta highlight in the dark.

“Oh, you’re awake!” exclaims Twilight Sparkle gleefully, her hooves doing a happy yet subdued dance on the floor. “I was worried you wouldn’t be awake yet! Are you excited? I’m so excited!” She gets up, not content with beating her hooves against the floor and instead clapping them against each other.

“Consarn it, Twilight,” Applejack growls out; despite normally waking up before dawn, she finds her patience already running thin. Doug continuing to fondle her certainly doesn’t help matters either. Her eyes close again, doing her best to carefully control her breathing and keep the venom out of her voice. “What are ya doing?”

“Wellll,” Twilight drawls out, oblivious to Applejack’s tone, “I was so excited for Winter Wrap Up this year that I had to get up early! I couldn’t sleep! And then I ran through all my checklists - including the one where I wake up Spike and then he goes back to sleep - but morning still hadn’t come! So I came here!”

“Ah huh.” Applejack huffs as Doug pushes firmly into her belly, long strokes clearly signalling his intent. “And did those checklists include me going back to sleep?”

“Hmm.” The rustle of paper suggests that Twilight actually has checklists made for this eventuality. Applejack isn’t sure whether that bothers her more or less than the fact that Twilight apparently doesn’t know what’s on the checklist she made, and has to check. “Nope! It looks like there’s the part where you wake up, an optional box for special somepony time, and then you explain to me all about what happens during Winter Wrap Up! At least for your section!” The swish of papers suggests that Twilight is, in all seriousness, trying to show her what’s written on the checklists. “I wasn’t sure exactly what happens, so I made a few moderately educated guesses, and we can just fill in the blanks from there!”

“Twilight,” Applejack says as diplomatically as possible, especially because Doug took Twilight saying ‘special somepony time’ as an excuse to press further, “did it ever occur to you that we could have talked about this yesterday, or the day before, or pretty much any time except the morning of?”

“Um.” Applejack refrains from hitting herself on the head as Twilight stammers. “...Maybe we can do that next year?”

“You’ll be lucky to be around next year,” Applejack growls out in a low voice, though she finds it hard to stay mad at the mare. Stupid Doug and his tension destroying ways!

“Well, since you’re not doing any-” Twilight stops as she hears the rhythmic motion of the bed, correcting herself, “-much, do you want to start now?”

“Twilight,” Doug says between hard breaths, Applejack thankful for him jutting in, “we’ve been very patient. Please either be quiet or join in.”

“Oh,” Twilight stammers. “I’m s-”

“I’d recommend joining in,” interrupts Fluttershy, a deep inhale as she nuzzles Doug’s neck.

Some time later and Applejack sits alone at the kitchen table, idly swirling her glass of apple cider. They're out of the hard stuff, unfortunately; at least, the stuff that isn't reserved. She stares out the still-dark windows, half grumbling to herself and half going through all the topics that the plant team needs to do during Winter Wrap Up. After all, she is the plant team lead again, and as long as she can keep Caramel from losing anything too important they’ll be fine.

Well, still heavily dependent on the weather team doing their job correctly, and to a lesser extent the animal team, but when isn’t that the case? Hopefully Rainbow Dash learned a lot from running the show last year. And they reinstated her as weather team lead. Apparently that decision is still up in the air, just like it is every year. Those pegasi could be flightier than a hummingbird! But it’s not like Rainbow can control Derpy’s every movement. It’s the same way with the plant team; just about every job needs to be done well, and they need every body they can get their hooves on.

She looks up from her half-full glass of juice as Twilight limps out of the bedroom. “So,” the unicorn leads, trying to ignore her twitching leg and pulling out quill and parchment, “can I get your name and job responsibilities for Winter Wrap Up?”

Applejack raises an eyebrow. “Ah’m the plant team leader, in charge of making sure that all the members of the plant team get their jobs and get ‘em done right.” She raises an eyebrow as Twilight leaves a space blank at the start of the line.

“And your name?”

“...Apple Jewel.” Applejack watches as Twilight writes half the name, then stops.

“Come on, Applejack. Try to be serious, okay?”

“You…” Applejack sputters. “You just asked me for my name! How am Ah supposed to take that seriously?”

“I’m just trying to be thorough.” Applejack grumbles to herself as Twilight continues, “And I wanted to make sure I got everypony’s titles written correctly. That it’s just ‘Applejack’ and not ‘Plant Team Lead Applejack’ or ‘Green Leader’.”

“Tan Five, standing by!” Fluttershy announces as she walks into the kitchen, her hips swaying back and forth. “Oh! Maybe the animal team can be Gold instead?”

“Gold, Green, and Blue? Ah feel like we’re missing something.” Applejack grins as Doug comes into the kitchen and starts breakfast cooking. “Ah’m sure Rainbow would get a kick outta being called Blue Leader.”

“It’s settled, then,” Twilight says, scratching out Applejack and writing ‘Green Leader’. She taps the quill against the parchment. “So, what does Green Leader do during Winter Wrap Up?”

“Well, it ain’t just about today. Some stuff you have to get done the year before.” Applejack motions to the stairs leading to the storage rooms on the ground floor of the Carrot House. “You gotta have all the seeds and whatnot that you’ll be planting. Ah try to make sure everypony has enough seeds for what they’re planting, and that gets done in the fall. Not everypony has the space to store the seeds they’ll be planting next year. So we do a bit of that, though that’s mostly for Carrot Top.”

Twilight’s quill scratches against the parchment. “Okay. Anything else?”

“Well, the first thing we do is we gotta clear all the snow off the fields. Then-”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupts, holding up a hoof. She looks up from her notes to Applejack. “You clear all the snow off the fields?”

“No,” Applejack says patiently before taking a long quaff of her cider, finishing it off and wishing she had more. “Members of the plant team do.”

“Okay,” Twilight says, pulling out a second piece of parchment. She labels it ‘Plant Team Member Responsibilities’ and writes ‘Clear snow from fields’, annotating a small ‘first’ next to it. “Got it. Now, what do you do, as opposed to what does everypony do?”

“Huh.” Applejack pauses for a few seconds, looking between the two lists. She never really thought about that distinction. “Ah assign ponies to different areas. Ah also need to collect what areas need what work, and estimate how many pony hours it’ll take to get the job done. Sometimes that number gets provided to me.” Applejack shrugs.

Twilight carefully records each item on the Green Leader list, then adds ‘provide Green Leader with job details’ to the Member list.

Applejack gawks, remarking, “You are being really thorough about this.”

“Oh.” Twilight looks between the two lists. She sighs, her shoulders slumping.

“Ah didn’t mean it as a negative!” Applejack waves as Hedge gets up, the filly gathering a bit of chicken feed and heading outside. “Ah admire your methodicalness! You’re making sure that you don’t miss anything. Doug does the same thing, too; it’s just a little…” Applejack waves her hoof in the air.

“Laborious.” Doug ruffles Applejack’s mane as he puts a plate of just two pancakes in front of each of them. He continues at Twilight’s slightly offended look, motioning to the papers, “You can’t count on an approach like this working with somepony like Rainbow Dash. She’s going to get bored and resentful if you try to ask her all these intricate, nuanced questions, or expect detailed answers.”

“Hmm.” Twilight pulls out a third piece of paper, now adding notes about different pony’s personality types for best asking questions.

“Okay, Ah gotta draw the line somewhere.” Applejack rolls her eyes, deciding to plow through and let Twilight sort it out. “Let’s see. So, we clear the snow from the fields and roads, both outside and inside town. Weather team gets the snow on the houses. We plant the new seeds, for quick crops that don’t need a lot of tilling. You know, flowers, grass, vegetables and such. We need to tell all the plants that we stopped growing at Fall Wrap Up to start growing again. And my job in all that is to tell which ponies when to go where.”

Another round of pancakes hits the table, this time with the last of the dried fruit. Twilight absentmindedly chews as Doug merrily remarks, “Aren’t logistics fun?”

Twilight grins as she writes. “They are! You could even say that the fun has been… increased by Muler’s constant!”

Doug nods. “Naturally.”

Twilight rolls her eyes. “Your jokes are so derivative.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

146 Mitts, Part Two

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Mayor Mare drones on in the background, the would-be-bright morning sun barely piercing through the thick but empty storm clouds. Everypony mills about, most having received their assignments but still politely listening. Twilight, her star speckled saddlebags strapped to her otherwise naked side, is squatting down on the ground, holding a pencil and taking notes. Rainbow Dash, Blue Leader band proudly strapped to her foreleg, rambles on almost as obliquely.

“But Tank’s gotta be up and about by then! I mean, I know he can be a little leisurely in how quickly he wakes up, but still! It’s me he’s waking up for! And then we get the southern birds back. Oh, actually, we would have sent somepony out for the southern birds at the start of this.” Rainbow Dash stops talking, resting her chin on a hoof. She exclaims, holding that same hoof up like it’s a light bulb, “Actually, that’s the first thing that we need to do during Winter Wrap Up!” Rainbow nods resolutely before a strained smile crosses her muzzle. “And, um, on a completely unrelated note, I need to go take care of something totally different right now. See ya!”

Twilight’s pencil, the Wonderbolt tassel on the end swaying back and forth from Rainbow’s wake, scratches out yet another line on her parchment. She has to really squeeze her words almost next to each other with all these corrections! Especially writing with her hoof, she’s far more concise and precise with her horn. How Spike manages to keep an inkwell on him without getting his scales covered all the time is beyond her; at least Doug was happy to provide a pencil from his office. She really needs to indoctrinate him on the advantages of quills over pencils, though. Indoctrinate? Persuade. That sounds much better!

“Okay, so I got all of what Rainbow does as Blue Leader. Maybe. Hopefully.” Twilight tucks the latest in a long line of rolled parchment into the saddlebags at her sides. “Now I just need to get what the rest of the animal team does, and I’ll have a complete accounting for everything that Ponyville does for Winter Wrap Up! I never knew the ‘Earth Pony Way’ could be so fascinating!”

“And what better way to do that than to experience it firsthoof?” Doug, wearing a white jacket and green armband, motions to the animal team members walking away from Mayor Mare. Their tan jackets sparkle with small amounts of golden accents as they gather around Amethyst Star, the returning Gold Leader. “I’m sure they’d love to have you, maybe working with some of the animals!”

Twilight smirks. “I’m actually surprised Rainbow Dash didn’t angle to get on the Gold Team this year. Given how frequently she mentioned Tank, and wants to see him right when he wakes up.”

“Well, I guess they liked how she worked out last year, and she got buffaloed into leading again.” Doug shrugs. “At least you know she’ll be zipping down to check. Maybe that’s where you should start out?” He glances down at her. “I’m surprised they didn’t assign you a job straight out.” Doug motions to the azure unicorn next to him, “I’m helping Trixie on the plant team; she’ll be one of the few unicorns who can hoof dragging a plow through the snow.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie knows she can plow better than either of you! Both of you, put together!” Trixie smirks at Twilight before she struts off, following Applejack towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight grimaces at the thought of so much manual labor, especially without magic. “Yes, well, I told them I wasn’t sure where I wanted to work, so they let me go without one. You’ve worked in every team, right? I seem to recall that you had a tan and a blue armband back at the house.” Doug nods. “Which was your favorite?”

“I like working with all of my mares equally.” Doug winks to Twilight as she rolls her eyes. He hums to himself as he considers. “Probably ice skating on the weather team. But I was only able to do that for two years when I was covering for Pinkie Pie.” Twilight writes a note to check up on Pinkie Pie. “I don’t mind shoveling snow off the roofs, since I can leverage better than a pegasus and I’m pretty sure-footed.” He taps a gloved hand against his snow boots. “I mean, I can’t take off like a pegasus if I lose my footing, but that rarely happens.”

“Yeah,” Twilight says uncertainly, looking down at her hooves and imagining herself up on a roof. “Maybe not the best place for me.”

Doug shrugs. “You never know until you try! You might surprise yourself!” Twilight scoffs. “Animal team tends to get crowded, since most of the unicorns kind of get shoehorned into working there. Plant team is fun, if a lot of grueling work. But, it’s just Applejack working on that side, and she doesn’t need a lot of help running things. With Trixie, though? I’m looking forward to it!”

“Well, I hope it goes well for you!” Twilight waves as Doug jogs off in pursuit of Trixie, glancing to the slumbering dragon huddled inside his blue blanket. “Okay, Spike! Time to go!”

“Wua?” Spike groans as Twilight lifts him to her back, shifting around to try to keep away from the cold. “Where are we going?”

Twilight waves as they walk past Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, each wearing a golden banded tan vest. The three wave back before setting themselves to making nests. “We’re going to see Amethyst Star, and find out what kind of jobs we can get. Ooh, I hope it’s waking up the bunnies!”

Twilight quickly comes to the southern part of Ponyville near the train station where the Gold Team has set up their headquarters. Amethyst Star is in the middle and surrounded by tan vested ponies, many crates of food and building materials scattered around her. Twilight walks up, waiting as Amethyst Star directs a group of stallions to one of the snow banks.

Amethyst Star glances to Twilight, then flips through pages of locations and animals, humming to herself. “Hmm, covered, covered, reserved by Rainbow, covered…” Her eyes briefly brighten as they come up, looking Twilight from horn to tail. She asks, guarded but hopeful, “Have you met Harry?”

Twilight involuntarily shudders. “The bear?” She shakes the chills away, forcing a smile to her muzzle. “Um, yes! I see him with Fluttershy every now and then. He seems all right. Why?”

“Nothing! That’s perfect!” Amethyst Star grabs a bell from a nearby table, crossing out one of the lines on her list. “And, Doug has eaten…” her voice drops to a whisper, “...meat… in front of you?”

“Um,” Twilight says, glancing around. No other pony is anywhere near her, even if they look like they need to talk to the Gold Leader. “Yes? He’s not obvious about it, but he has.”

“Good, good,” Amethyst Star continues, scratching off another few lines. “Okay!” She glances around, every single pony failing to meet her eyes and hunching away. “Well, you might need to make multiple trips. But that’s fine! That’s fine.”

“O...kay?” Twilight looks around, noting the position of everypony else. “Is something wrong?”

“No!” Amethyst Star shakes her head vigorously. “Nothing! Nothing’s wrong!” She rips off a few pieces of paper, motioning to a set of crates that are far separated from everything else. “We’re glad to have you on the Gold Team, Twilight! So, those crates over there are yours.” She pulls out a map, labeling a few points from her master map. “They are labeled. The top two go to Harry and his mate Barry. The next two go to Maugrim, Akela, and Raksha.”

“Oh?” Twilight glances down at the map, the latter three names somewhat deep in the Whitetail Woods. “I don’t recall those three.”

Amethyst Star draws close to Twilight, whispering, “They’re… they’re tundra wolves. The Winter Guard. Carnivores.” She nods to the boxes as Twilight’s face goes ashen. “I think you know what’s in those boxes. It’s okay if you decline, Twilight. Nopony will think less of you.” Her eyes flick to the cottage. “It’s just one more thing Fluttershy has to do.”

“N-no,” Twilight says, gulping. She tries to steel herself. “I’ll do it.”

Amethyst Star nods slowly. Her voice remains low. “If you need to use magic, Twilight, don’t hesitate. You’re worth more than a few traditions.”

“Okay? I hope it doesn’t come to that.” Twilight tries to smile as she walks up to the stack of boxes, the other ponies rushing in to talk to Amethyst Star. She catches a whiff of the contents. Definitely meat. Maybe fish, maybe something else. Preserved, obviously, and packaged, but the hint of it is there. A blocky and austere G&GG stamped on the boxes. Well, here goes.

Twilight can only lift two of the boxes at a time, so she merely takes Harry’s while Spike walks alongside her. “You doing okay?” Twilight asks, not many other ponies along the path leading towards the Everfree.

“S-sure!” Spike cautiously looks around, wishing he was one of the ponies digging out a burrow. “We don’t have to go into the Everfree Forest, do we?”

Twilight checks the map. “Fortunately, no. Harry lives on the edge, though.” She looks up. The Everfree Forest looms ahead of them, twisted and leafless branches reaching towards the sky. Snow doesn’t seem to settle on the sharp spires, instead covering the ground in a thin layer occasionally broken by tracks. Decidedly non-pony tracks. She spots the wooden house that blends into the woods mostly by the snow covering the top. And the complete dearth of hoofprints anywhere around it. Well, no time like the present?

Twilight’s hooves sink into the snow, the crate on her back weighing heavily on her. She reaches a hoof, pulling out the bell and ringing it. The metallic timber echoes among the trees, and Twilight could have sworn she hears something stirring. Not from the house in front of her, unfortunately, but something deeper inside the Everfree.

The smile on her face gets a little more forced as she tries ringing the bell again, a little quieter this time. When the other ponies were waking up the bunnies, it seemed like it worked the first time! How come it isn’t working now?

Maybe bears are just heavy sleepers? Twilight warily looks around the house, trying to spot any sign of the predators that wander the Everfree Forest. Seeing and hearing nothing, Twilight takes one hesitant step towards the door.

Then another.

“I’ll just wait back here,” Spike says, backing away from the house. “In case, you know, we need help.”

Twilight glares at her assistant before she returns a smile to her muzzle. She finally reaches the door, tentatively raising a hoof and knocking.

Long seconds pass, only a low grumbling coming from inside. Twilight looks over at Spike, the dragon shrugging in return. Twilight turns back to the door, raising her hoof to knock again.

The door swings out, leaving Twilight’s hoof hovering in midair as she stares up at a towering beast. His brown fur is askew, eyes furiously furrowed, massive bulk filling the doorway. He growls, a deep rumble that leaves Twilight shaking. Twin pony-snatching paws, flesh-rending claws glinting in the scattered sunlight, reach forward.

Twilight shrieks as she drops down, forelegs trying to shield her horn as she runs through her defensive options. Shield? Teleport? Levitate the bear? But she’d need to estimate his weight just right, or risk sending him straight into the roof of his house, and-

Except that her back feels much lighter, like half of a great weight was lifted off of her. She peeks through her forelegs as Harry turns back into his house, dropping one of the crates inside next to a second slumbering brown form. He turns back to Twilight, his growl sounding more sleepy and appreciative than aggressive. Twilight’s muzzle stretches to a smile as the claws reach towards her again, forcing herself to remain calm and still.

Twilight lets loose a sigh of relief as the second crate, and only the second crate, is ripped from her back. “Remember to wake Barry!” Twilight calls as Harry disappears into his house, a grunt in response before the door slams shut.

“Well, that went well!” Twilight happily exclaims, glancing around. “Spike?” Twilight sighs, grabbing the purple tail poking out of a snowbank with her mouth and dragging him out.

“Ahh! Twilight, help!!” Spike yells, his claws covering his eyes. He grunts as Twilight dumps him onto the ground, desperately looking around as the sky brightens, clouds above disappearing. “Oh! It’s just you!” Spike looks to Harry’s house, getting back up. “So, it went well?”

Twilight rolls her eyes. “Yes. But what happened to my assistant, ready to go get help if I was in trouble?”

“You were fine,” Spike retorts. “Plus, I can barely outrun a baby alligator. How would I have gotten away from a bear?”

“I don’t know, he was distracted eating me?” Twilight huffs as they return to Ponyville, loading the next two crates. “You know, if you are so scared, maybe you should stay here instead of coming with me for this next trip.”

“Okay!” Spike exclaims, scurrying off to who-knows-where.

Twilight sighs, consulting her map. It looks like the wolves live somewhat close to the path they take during the Running of the Leaves. It’s not too far a walk, but maybe she could use a cart. One acquired cart later, and Twilight is happily trotting through town, though most of the ponies give her and her cargo a wide berth.

The path through the Whitetail Woods is just as covered in snow as everywhere else. More so, actually, because ponies haven’t trod it down to the same extent as the roads closer to town. Only the sounds of her cart cutting twin lines through the snow competes with her labored breathing. Twilight nervously looks to the tops of the trees; the branches aren’t as clustered as the Everfree, but still enough to make flying a crate through difficult. And pegasi are pretty hotly demanded elsewhere; only (well, mostly) they can work the weather side of things, and if their interest lay in other spots they generally got their wish.

Twilight glances to her cart, then to the woods, then to the somewhat clear sky above as she gets close to the meetup spot. She wouldn’t be able to drag her cart through the underbrush, not easily. She undoes the harness, carefully maneuvering the crates to her back again, her hooves sinking into the unpacked snow. She takes a few laborious steps into the woods, gritting her teeth at how much effort it takes.

Only as the snow next to her shifts, twin tan eyes blinking once.

147 Mitts, Part Three

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“Aah!” Twilight shouts, her escape attempt foiled by her hooves trying to push through the snow. Unbalanced by the crates, just the slight and unexpected resistance is enough for her to topple over, rolling onto her back.

A bit of gray appears from underneath the white, snow shaken off to reveal a gray and white wolf. His maw curls, revealing long lines of wickedly sharp teeth, a tiny wisp of water vapor escaping. He slowly advances, seeming to glide over the snow without effort or trail.

“Hello!” Twilight shakily calls as the tan eyes trace over her. Like he is trying to decide if she is included with the meals fallen into the snow behind her. Or if the ponies would notice if one of them went missing. “I-I’m here to deliver your Winter Wrap Up meals!”

A pair of unblinking eyes meet her statement, broken only by another twitch of vapor.

“Sooo… here you go!” Twilight awkwardly rolls over, trying to get out from between the wolf and his meals.

His eyes merely track her, blinking once, head turning slightly.

“Do you… need anything else?”

The wolf’s eyes slowly trace over her flanks again, then back to Twilight’s own eyes. Then they flick to the two crates.

“You want me to carry the crates?” Twilight hesitantly backs up another step.

A snort, derisive. The wolf crouches down, as if to pounce.

Twilight is ready this time, mentally preparing herself. Wolves hunt in packs, right? And if one of them is spotted, then they can serve as a distraction for the others! Who would be circling around, getting to her blind spots! She prances back a few steps, now in the somewhat more clear path. Her head whips back and forth, scrolls threatening to leap out of her saddlebags as she madly scans about!

Nothing. Just the single wolf, still crouching, with what she swears is a mocking grin.

“Right.” Twilight nods to herself as she takes a step forwards. “You’re just a nice, cuddly, friendly wolf!”

His menacing growl is enough to stop Twilight dead in her tracks.

“Or you’re a fierce, vicious predator who nopony should think of messing with!”

He sneers, almost approvingly. But when he steps forward and looks at the crates, Twilight senses hesitation. His jaws open, wide enough to grab hold of one crate but it looks at the very least uncomfortable, if not downright painful. Twilight hesitates; but, sometimes all it takes is showing a little kindness, right?

“Here!” Twilight unhooks the straps of her cart, slipping them around the curious wolf’s shoulders. She remarks, “Glad these fit you nearly as well as a pony!” as she tightens them down, then ties the loose ends around both boxes. It wouldn’t hold for long, but as long as he’s just dragging the crates through the snow it should work.

He turns, slinking off into the woods, leaving only a trail of slightly compacted snow.

“A thank you would have been nice,” Twilight grumbles to herself as she looks at the cart. Well, she’ll just have to get more straps and come back here for it. She returns to town, walking along the plowed roads. Applejack seems to be arguing with both Blue pegasi and Green earth ponies, but too far away to hear. “You know,” Twilight says to herself, “it would have been nice recording what happened.” She stops to do just that, wishing Spike had been there with her, though the bright sun feels nice during her short break.

Her latest scroll complete and tucked away, and Twilight quickly finds Amethyst Star. The Gold Leader takes one look at Twilight, a large smile breaking out. “You managed to deliver all the crates? That’s great! I’ve got a couple more places for you to go, then!”

“I don’t know, Amethyst Star,” Twilight says, somewhat reluctantly. “I kind of wanted to see what some of the other jobs were like.”

Amethyst Star tries to smile encouragingly. “You sure? You could be waking up critters like snakes! They’re very cuddly!”

Twilight manages to keep her smile intact.

“Or bats! Aren’t they the cutest?”

Twilight finds her conviction fading fast.

“Or skunks! I think you’ll find them quite friendly!”

Twilight shakes her head. “While that sounds, um, great, I think I’m going to try something else. Thanks, though!” She spots Spike as Amethyst Star sighs, several unicorns rushing over to frantically inform with the Gold Leader of some crisis or another.

The dragon comes over, “Hey, Twilight! You wouldn’t believe how easily dragon breath cuts through snow! I just have to be careful with it, but those cute little geckos loved it! Woke ‘em right up!”

“I’m glad to hear it, Spike. My trip went well, too! I certainly learned a lot.” Twilight sloshes through a bit of melted snow, having to skip from awning to awning as a few pegasi work to shovel snow off the roofs. She frowns as she spots Rainbow Dash arguing with a few tan and green jacketed ponies. “I wonder what their problem is?”

“Always seems like there’s something going wrong,” Spike says with a frown.

Rainbow Dash throws her hooves into the air. “I can’t spare anypony else! We’re too hard at work clearing out the clouds! You’re just going to have to move those seeds yourself!” She turns from the earth pony to the unicorn. “And we need somepony who can-” She cuts herself off as she spots Twilight. “Hey! Just the pony I was hoping to see!”

“Me?” Twilight says, holding a hoof to her chest. “Why me?”

“Well,” Rainbow says, looking up at the sky, “Pinkie Pie’s a little behind on cutting up the ice on all the lakes into manageable sizes. You know, pieces that’ll melt uniformly, so we don’t have big chunks of ice remaining after everything is supposed to be cleaned up?” Twilight nods. “So, if you aren’t doing anything else, think you can go help her out?”

“Um, I’ve never skated before, but I did want to go talk to Pinkie Pie.” Twilight nods to herself. “I can do that!”

Rainbow grins, pointing towards one of the ponds. “Great! I think she even has a spare set of skates for, I dunno, skate based emergencies or something. Stay safe!” She turns to Fluttershy. “What’s this you’re saying about the animals waking up too fast? How can anything be too fast? We’re running out of time as it is!”

Twilight trots to the pond, a few of the smaller lakes she passes already cut up and melting into tiny pieces. Pinkie Pie is hard at work scoring lines on the pond when she arrives, the spare set of skates laid out as if Pinkie was expecting Twilight to come. Twilight laces up the skates, a little awkward especially for her first time both with skates and with her hooves.

Pinkie Pie zooms back and forth, her skates cutting deep lines in the ice. “Hi, Twilight! Come… to help? It’ll be… great to have somepony… here with me!” She waves as Twilight unsteadily makes her way onto the frozen pond. Twilight tries to wave back, but lifting her hoof off the ice for even the brief moment sends her toppling down.

Pinkie Pie skids to a stop, sending a shower of ice arcing over Twilight’s body. She offers a hoof, “You okay?”

Twilight accepts the help, shakily getting to her hooves again. “I think so! So, you’re cutting lines into the pond?”

“Yup!” Pinkie Pie nods as she releases Twilight, beginning to skate again. “That way when the weather team comes, the ice will break up into nice chunks. Easy as pie!” She glances over as Twilight slowly starts skating along the edge of the pond. “I hope you’re a fast learner, Twi!” She zooms past the unicorn, nearly knocking her down. “Because if you want to score deep enough, you’ll need to pick up the pace!”

Twilight grimaces as she compares the light lines through the ice she made against the deep lines of Pinkie Pie. She coasts to the bank, unsure of her ability to turn. She starts again, doing her best to match the wavering line she made before. As she glides along, her smile slowly gets bigger; she’s getting the hang of this! She glances over as Rainbow Dash flies to where Tank is buried, an exasperated huff at the tortoise still not being awake, then going back to the pegasi following her.

She stops where she started, skidding to a stop at the intersection of deeply cut lines. Where to go next? She studies Pinkie Pie’s design; it is… to put it nicely, freeform. Big, looping arcs and curves with no discernable rhyme or pattern. Except that Pinkie Pie will later come through the same area and with a zigzag or curlicue divide it perfectly!

Twilight marvels at the sight; to keep the entirety of the surface in your head, and be able to quickly and flawlessly divvy up? Incredible! She starts to build a mental picture of her own, of the different methods of organizing such a task; a grid system is certainly the easiest to keep track of, and include others as they come and go. But Pinkie Pie has been doing this for years. She probably got bored of something so routine, and just does this to mix it up!

Her amazement turns to puzzlement as Pinkie Pie skates directly towards her, ruining every shape in the way.

“Twilight!”

Twilight cocks her head to the side, only for the thin and broken ice she is standing on to creak and groan under her weight. Her eyes go wide in panic, lifting one hoof only for the others to shift from the increased pressure, threatening to send her into the icy depths! And then she’d get hypothermia, if not worse, and that’s if they managed to rescue her at all! Hitting the cold water without a chance to acclimate could put a pony into shock, which meant that-

All the air escapes Twilight’s lungs as Pinkie Pie charges her, bodily knocking her onto a more solid chunk of ice. Twilight slides along her side while Pinkie Pie gets her skates under her, dragging the two to a stop.

“Nice inelastic collision, Pinkie,” Twilight says as she catches her breath, rubbing her sore side. “Thanks.”

“No problem!” Pinkie Pie says, though she loses a little of her cheer as she looks back over the pond. The deep line cutting through the center of the pond is starting to break everything up, yet a good portion remains unscored. “Oh. Maybe it is a little bit of a problem.”

“Don’t worry, Pinkie!” Twilight says optimistically. “We’ll be able to finish this off!”

“Twilight.” Pinkie Pie hedges for a few seconds, obviously conflicted about what she is about to say. Twilight seems to sense this, a bit of her cheer disappearing. “I… I’m sorry, Twilight. But I’m too worried about you sinking into the weak ice to do a good job. It’s slowing us both down, and we don’t have that much time before the ice melts, or you fall in and we have a bad day.” She pulls Twilight’s eyes directly next to her. “And I don’t have bad days.”

Twilight sighs, a bit of resignation seeping through her voice. “I know, Pinkie Pie. Thanks for giving me a chance. I’m only sorry I didn’t do better.” She strips off the skates, leaving them by the edge of the pond.

Pinkie Pie nearly frowns, but it could be a look of grim determination instead. She begins skating about, faster than before. “And now I’m even more behind… oh, if only there were more of me helping out!”

“Hey, maybe I can help there!” Twilight looks towards Sweet Apple Acres. “I can send Doug over to help with the skating!”

“Oh, that’d be great! Thanks, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie pronks along behind her, despite continuing to wear the skates. Behind her the remaining large chunks break into the perfectly sized portions. “And if there are other ponies without much to do, we can get them to help, too!”

148 Mitts, Part Four

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Twilight and Spike hear the shouts, recognizing Rainbow Dash’s characteristic rasp and Applejack’s drawl, long before they can see them. She picks up her trot, expecting a brawl from their hostile tone. The pugnacious shouts of the other ponies either egging them on or half heartedly begging for a diplomatic solution, but not in so many words, doesn’t help matters either. She skids along the snow as she turns past Rarity’s nest table, nearly throwing Spike off of her as she rears back in surprise.

The surprise being the third pony engaged in the heated argument. “Fluttershy?” Twilight mutters to herself, shaking her mane to clear her eyes, half expecting to see somepony else. What could have happened to make the normally meek pegasus so furious? She trots closer, peeking through the crowd of ponies to try to get a better view of her herdmates.

“Well, that wouldn’t be a problem if’n you cleared the whole sky instead of just bits here and there!” Applejack stamps a hoof on the ground, Apple Bloom mimicking the action right behind her.

“What do you think we’ve been doing?” Rainbow Dash shouts, throwing her hooves to the sky as she hovers. “Do you think we’ve been laying on the clouds all morning? Or can you possibly lift your eyes off your hooves for two whole seconds to see what’s going on around you?”

“Have you seen what’s going on around you, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy demands, sweeping her foreleg towards the melting snow. “Because if you did, you wouldn’t be happy about it! Not at all!”

“Excuse me!” Twilight exclaims, pushing her way past the other ponies and stepping into the makeshift arena, one hoof rocketing towards Rainbow Dash. “That is no way to talk to a Friend, much less anypony!”

“But, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash huffs as she points a hoof at each of Applejack and Fluttershy. “They keep telling me to do different things! And we don’t have the wingpower to do everything! Not all at once!”

“Oh, dear!” mourns Mayor Mare, a tan hoof coming up to her gray mane. “All this arguing! Ponyville is going to be late bringing in spring again! Just like last year, and the year before that!”

“Late?” Twilight’s grin grows maniacal. But in a good way. “Not if I can help it.” She boots Spike off in the direction of the Golden Oak Library. “Spike, get me my checklists and quills, stat!” She looks around the gathered ponies, picking out Meringue and Amethyst Star. “Anypony with an ounce of organization, I need your help!” Not seeing Doug, she turns to Mayor Mare. “I need topographical maps of Ponyville, now!” The mayor’s two assistants rush off towards the town hall.

Twilight spins her hoof towards Applejack and Fluttershy, the two curiously watching the purple unicorn practically flying into action. “I know I got here after the fact, but you’re going to need better arguments than that!” She pulls out her lists of all the actions that the ponies perform, slamming them down on the table brought out by Noteworthy. “Mind explaining to me what’s going on?”

All three of her Friends talk at once.

“I’ve got too much to do and not enough ponies to do it!” “We need the clouds cleared up to melt off all this snow!” “We need the animals woken up without their homes being flooded!”

“STOP!!” Twilight glares, though at least they all go quiet. Diamond Tiara joins Meringue and Amethyst Star at the table. Twilight points a hoof at Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, until we know what needs to be done first, I want you to stop doing everything piecemeal.” Twilight looks over her list of weather pony responsibilities. “Until I tell you otherwise, I want the lakes scored and houses cleared of snow. Leave the clouds as they are.”

“Who put you in charge?” demands Rainbow Dash, though it looks like Diamond Tiara had the same question on her lips.

Twilight meets Rainbow’s eyes. “What we need here is organization. Up until now you’ve been like three ponies pulling a cart three different ways. We need somepony with coordination! And if we want any chance of finishing on time, we need direction! And I’m just the pony for the job! I’ve got Organization, Coordination, and Direction in spades!” Her hoof spreads over the parchment like they are so many accolades. “Anypony else want the job?”

“Just tell us what to do!” shouts Diamond Tiara eagerly, all saccharine smiles and cheer. “And we’ll get it done!”

“Exactly!” Twilight Sparkle turns to Rainbow Dash. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

Rainbow Dash snaps a hoof to her mane. “No, ma’am!” She spins around, rocketing into the air. Pinkie Pie drops a whistle on the table as she pronks off towards Sugarcube Corner, dozens of pegasi soon swarming over the houses.

“Applejack!” Twilight motions to her list of earth pony objectives. “I know you want that snow melted off as soon as you get it pushed to the lakes and streams so you can clear more. I-”

“No!” shouts Fluttershy, ignoring Twilight’s raised hoof. “That’ll melt it too quick, and anycreature who made their burrow near a stream will be flooded!”

“Fluttershy,” Twilight says patiently, taking a calming breath and briefly staring at the ground before she meets her herdmate’s eyes. “I know you have your own concerns. Please trust me to get to them, and take them into account. Once I hear what Applejack has to say, I will get your side; and Amethyst Star’s, if she has anything else to add.” Twilight’s eyes flick to the purple unicorn. “Agreed?”

“Oh, um,” Fluttershy stammers. “I… I just wanted to make sure the animals were taken care of. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Twilight turns back to Applejack. “Applejack, I want a list of the highest priority objectives you have. Things that need to be done first. Along with that, the order that you want fields to be cleared.” She motions to the topographical maps Mayor Mare is bringing over. “More importantly, I want to know what areas need to be cleared of clouds first. The places that you push snow to be melted, that sort of thing. Work with Diamond Tiara on that.”

Applejack looks over at the young pink mare. Reluctantly at first, but then more confidently, she nods. Diamond Tiara gives an imperious nod back; her eyes find Apple Bloom, then flicks her head towards the papers. Applejack rolls her eyes a little, though her expression falls as she sees Big Mac walk up with a sorrowful Caramel in tow.

Twilight turns to Fluttershy. “You’ve been very patient, Fluttershy. Now, I understand that you’re concerned about the burrows flooding. What areas are those, and how much water can we safely run though each? Are there any other considerations we should take into account?”

“Oh, well, every place is different.” Fluttershy places a hoof on the furthest east stream. “Without flooding, the flow rate here can go up to about-”

“As long as Applejack understands how much snow they can dump there per hour, I don’t need to know.” Twilight smiles to herself. “Well, I want to know, I just have higher priority issues right now than trivia that I may or may not put to use later.” Twilight clears her throat. “Anyway. Work with Amethyst Star and Meringue on calculating those numbers. Let the Green team know as soon as you can. I would also like some sort of list that details the best places for the cleared snow to be taken, and pass that on to Rainbow for them to clear out the skies.”

Fluttershy snaps a salute, beaming. “You got it!”

“And this is more of a future consideration, but perhaps we can convince some of the animals to not make their winter burrows so close to waterways.” Twilight taps a hoof against her chin. “But, I can’t worry about that now.” She looks up to the sky, grimacing at the scattered clouds that don’t let any sunlight through. “That’ll make melting the snow uneven. Actually, it already has.” She scribbles on her papers, grinning as Spike returns with a quill and extra parchment.

Rainbow Dash flies up to Twilight. “Well, we’re out of shovels, and Pinkie Pie's about done distributing skates. Anywhere else you want us, or just hang tight?”

“Hmm.” Twilight considers for a few seconds, Rainbow and the dozens of pegasi behind her getting antsy. “Hang tight. I’m waiting on Applejack and Fluttershy to get back, and they’ll let you know where to start clearing. If you want to send pegasi to help with animals or plowing, that’s up to you. But resting might not be a bad idea.”

Rainbow nods. “Alright, everypony, you heard her. Take a well deserved, but I expect you to be ready to go as soon as we get the say-so! You’re off until my whistle!” She grabs the whistle from the table, two quick bursts before she flies up to a nearby cloud, pushing it down to take a quick nap in earshot.

Several minutes later and Doug and Trixie arrive, both carting plows. “So, we’re clearing Ponyville’s streets again?” He looks at the papers strewn about the table. “What’s going on here?”

“Organizing. Busy.” Twilight flicks a hoof towards the houses that are being cleared of snow first. “You know what to do.”

“...Right.” Doug shrugs at Trixie while Applejack and Fluttershy, having come to a provisional agreement of where to start. The two grin at each other, walking in step towards Twilight.

“You need something?” Beat. “Anything?” Beat. “Something, anything, everything that I can do! It’s nothing!” Twilight beams at Doug as he stands around.

Doug clears his throat. “Oh." Beat. "No." Beat. "Can’t say anything’s wrong. Just expecting a song.” Beat. “Or a montage.” He grimaces as Rarity, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle begin drumming on the nests they are busily making, tossing bits and pieces to each other that seem to magically fit into place. “Oh sweet Celestia it’s happening.”

Twilight leaps onto the table, hind legs barely missing all of her papers as she stomps to the beat of shovels against the roofs. Forelegs gesture at double time, distributing assignments first to the right, then to the left, then both hooves to the air, practically throwing lists as ponies approach. Even Pinkie Pie, pronking along with a line of skate wearing ponies bouncing behind her, gets a list.

“You know what this looks like to me?” Doug remarks, watching as all the little ponies leave to their assigned duties.

“Mm?” replies Twilight, pondering over the next set of things that need to be done, the timing required, and various contingency plans if things don’t go perfectly. Behind her ponies burst into action, in unison singing or humming along.

“This looks like a test case of running a country.” Doug motions to all the various groups going about their tasks. “How well you can best utilize your available resources, plan for eventualities, and even broker deals and smooth relationships. All the things a ruler would do.”

“Oh sweet Celestia you’re right.” Twilight grimaces, pawing through her various papers. “What if I miss something? What if I missed something already, and didn’t notice it? What if-”

“Well, I’d say you’re doing a pretty bang-up job already.” Doug pats Twilight as she looks up at him. “And by that I mean you’re doing a good job. You'll be able to handle it, or hoof it, no matter what comes up!”

Twilight grins, a bit of the mania leaving her face. “Maybe you’re right, Doug.” She looks over at the town, marveling at the sight. “And look what it’s let me do!” She grins as Applejack and Fluttershy draw near, followed by Rarity. Pinkie Pie pauses her pronking, and Rainbow Dash drops from her cloud to listen.

Twilight beams at each of them in turn. “My Generosity to help others, and my Loyalty to my fellow Ponyvillians, got me to undertake a difficult task that I otherwise would have had no inclination to do. And Kindness helped get me through it!” Twilight looks to Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, smiling wider. “In the same way, true Friends can be honest with each other. Even when, especially when the words their Friend needs to hear don’t make them happy. As long as the words are spoken from a desire to see your Friend improve! Nothing can be more optimistic and joyous!”

Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie grin, leaping forward to embrace Twilight.

“Because True Friendship comes from knowing your Friends! Understanding them; the things they enjoy, even the things they don’t. The challenges they face, and how you can help them overcome them! I'm so lucky to have each and every one of you as my Friends!”

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Trixie, and Doug eagerly join in the embrace. Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are right behind, squeezing in between to hug Twilight.

The large magenta star on Twilight Sparkle’s flank glows, matching the five white stars. Twilight grips as tightly as she can, hooves wrapping around every one of them. “And with you all by my side, I know there is nothing we can’t do!”