The sixteenth installment of What If series that involves the rewriting of episodes. Twelve episodes from across all nine seasons are included this time around, including redos and bonus chapters. (Warning!: Rewrites based on personal opinion.)
G5 may be well underway, but there's still lots of unexplored potential in G4 worth considering. It's here once again, that series which dares to ask and seeks to answer that fateful question "What if that episode had been written differently?"
Twelve episodes are on tap for this volume, celebrating this series' tenth anniversary. Among the featured episodes includes a redo of a rewrite from Season 3, the rewriting of the final untouched episode of Season 8, a two parter, and even some bonus chapters.
It undoubtly goes without saying by now, but it's worth repeating all the same: The episodes rewritten are based on my personal opinion so please respect it. Don't get offended if an episode you liked is on the list here, or an episode you didn't like isn't on this list. I'll gladly respect your opinions if you respect mine.
I obviously mean no disrespect of any sort to Hasbro, the DHX writing and editing staff, or anyone who likes the episodes that appear here. The intent of this fic, like all of its predecessors, is for entertainment purposes only and nothing more.
Given the high number of volumes in this series, linking to each one would be impossible without producing a lot of clutter. So check the prequel tab, and the also liked and the similar pages for previous volumes to see whether an episode has already been tackled.
In a small clearing not far from the Everfree Forest and Fluttershy's cottage, Rainbow Dash was having a little chat with Fluttershy. More specifically, the brash speedster was "coaching" her fellow pegasus on a matter deemed very important.
Rainbow Dash was now flying back and forth in front of Fluttershy, quizing her friend. "Okay, Fluttershy. Let's run through this one more time," She cleared her throat and asked. "Now, what have we learned?"
Fluttershy had to think for a moment to recall what she'd been told. "Um... let's see... loss of control."
Rainbow nodded. "Good. Good. Keep going."
Fluttershy did so as she added. "Screaming and hollering."
Rainbow smiled. "Yes, and most importantly of all?"
"Passion!" Fluttershy proudly proclaimed!
"Exactly!" Rainbow Dash answered as she flew in front of Fluttershy. "Glad to see you've been paying attention. So, now that you know all the elements of a good cheer, let's hear one. Go ahead, give me your best shot!"
The pegasus with a coat a buttery yellow in color inhaled briefly, before softly shouting. "Yay."
Rainbow groaned and put a hoof to her face. "Ugh! You seriously gonna cheer for me like that?! I know you can do better!" And then she demanded! "Louder."
"Yay." Fluttershy said, only slightly more audibly.
The brash speedster was not satisfied in the slightest by that response. "Louder! I can't hear you!"
"Yay." Fluttershy tried to shout to the best of her ability.
But Rainbow only insisted while yelling at the top of her lungs! "LOUDER!"
So Fluttershy took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and then shouted as best she thought she could. "Yay."
Of course, it was still far too soft as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned. In fact, it was such an embarrassing performance that it made her fall over on the ground while groaning. "Ugh..."
Fluttershy blushed. "Too loud?" She asked, apparently unaware of soft her cheers really were.
The rainbow maned pegasus just put a hoof to her face. "Oh, I give up!" She decided it was no use trying to get Fluttershy to raise her volume to anything above a whisper. So instead, Rainbow decided it best to just carry on with her rehearsal. She knew the upcoming competition she'd been practicing for was drawing near, and she would need to perform at her best if she hoped to win.
What Rainbow could not have anticipated was that the competition would take an unexpected turn, and an outcome no one could've imagined happening would happen.
Rainbow Dash was now perched high above the ground on a cloud, unfurling her wings to either side of her body.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, was still cheering to the best of her ability (which was still not very loud).
Undeterred by her friend's inability to cheer properly, the rainbow maned pegasus mare sighed and took a deep breath. She had more important things to worry about. "I can do this," She said outloud, mentally preparing herself. "No time like the present: Time to start with phase one!" Phase one consisted of her weaving back and forth along a series of trees like they were columns.
Fluttershy cheered her friend and fellow pegasus on as she watched the speedster perform the routine effortlessly. "Woohoo." She called.
Rainbow just kept on flying, stoping only for a brief second to turn around and position herself properly. "Now for phase two." Phase two involved flying around and sheering off parts of a cloud to mold it into a beautiful object.
Fluttershy briefly became dizzy watching the display, yet she quickly recovered and cheered. "Way to go, Rainbow."
The brash speedster, meanwhile, was just preparing herself for the grand finale and the part of her routine she knew would give her the most trouble. "Here we go. Phase three. The sonic rainboom. I can do this!" She said to herself. Then she began to gather speed, grunting as a cone of energy began to surround her. She pushed harder, and harder, then harder still! Her body began to scream at her to stop, the forces she was generating were too intense!
Fluttershy watched anxiously! She knew her friend had come close to pulling off this impossible move several times before, but had never once succeeded. "Come on, Rainbow!" She thought to herself!
Rainbow Dash had tears in her eyes as her mouth was forced into a most uncomfortable smile by the g-forces! She was so close, she could feel it! Alas, it was too much for her body to take. Just as the brash speedster felt certain she was going to pull it off, she found herself slowing to a sudden halt. That wasn't good! "Uh-oh!" Was all she had time to say, before the resulting forces she had accumilated snapped and flung her backwards across the sky!
Across town, at the Golden Oak Library, Twilight Sparkle was unaware of what was transpiring miles away. She was busy using her horn to put a book back atop one of the library's many shelfs. Once done, she wiped the sweat from her brows. "There we go, last one," She said with a sigh, then turned to her three non-pegasus friends who had all gathered here at her request. "Thank you so much for helping me clean up all these books, girls," She sincerely praised them. "Trust me, it was a crazy weekend of studying," She even rolled her eyes in an erratic fashion to emphasize her point. "I would've asked Spike to help, but he's away in Canterlot."
Applejack just smiled. "Our pleasure, sugarcube. What are friends for?"
Then, without warning, Rainbow Dash came quite literally crashing in through one of the library's open windows! Before anypony had a chance to react, she collided with her friends! The resulting impact kicking up dust and knocking all the books that had just been reshelfed back onto the library floor.
Luckily, no one had been hurt.
Fluttershy came flying in through the open window a minute later, apparently not noticing the mess Rainbow had generated as she was instead busy cheering to the best of her ability. "Rainbow Dash, you rock! Woohoo," But then she happened to finally lay eyes upon the mess of books on the floor as her friends were all busy picking themselves up. "Oh my!" She gasped and blushed. "Did my cheering do that? I didn't think I was that loud."
Rainbow Dash, for her part, just nervously laughed and tried her best not to look guilty. "Sorry about that, girls," She sincerely apologized. "Guess I overdid it a little," Then she turned to Fluttershy. "But that was a truly feeable performance."
Fluttershy sympatheically remarked. "Oh come now, Rainbow, it wasn't all bad. Really. You were doing so well. I particularly liked it when you made the clouds spin. I know I could never do something like that."
The brash speedster shook her head from side to side and pointed a hoof. "I'm not talking about my performance, Fluttershy, I'm talking about yours. Your cheering. It's so... so... feeble! I deserve better!"
Twilight glanced towards the two pegasi and inquired. "What are you two arguing about now? I thought you got along."
The animal loving pegasus immediately looked guilty as she apologized. "Oh, were we arguing? I'm sorry. We didn't mean to cause a fuss."
But Rainbow played it off. "There's no need to apologize, Fluttershy. I guess it's silly of me to expect you to be good on cheering, especially when I just started teaching you how to do it today," Then she let out a sigh as she turned to the four other mares in her presence. "I really wish all of you could come to Cloudsdale and see me compete in the Best Young Flyers Competition."
"What's that?" Twilight questioned.
Pinkie Pie was more than happy to explain while she zoomed about the library in a rather clumsy fashion. "It's where all the greatest pegasus flyers get together and show off their different flying styles to see who's the best. Some are fast, and some are graceful." But then she misjudged her step, lost her balance and tumbled backward into the pile of books.
"Yeah, what Pinkie said," The brash speedster confirmed with a nod. "Of course, that's only because she heard about it from me. But I've made it no secret that I've longed to be in that competition, to strut my stuff on Cloudsdale's best stage. It's been a dream of mine almost as long as my dream of joining the Wonderbolts," She dreamily sighed. "I even heard they'll be on hoof this year as celebrity judges, along with none other than Princess Celestia herself. And now, finally, my years of training are going to pay off! I'm finally ready to get out there and show them all what I can do!"
"I'd sure love to see ya strut your stuff in that there competition, Rainbow," Applejack commented afterwards. "I've seen for myself how good of an athlete you can be."
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, I really wish you could be there. Fluttershy's a great support, but her cheering isn't exactly inspirational," Then she frowned. "But you can't. Only pegasus ponies can get to Cloudsdale. Well, except for Princess Celestia, but that's because she has the wings of a pegasus. And even then, you have to be able to fly or have some other way to get up there."
Pinkie Pie excitedly chirped as her eyes filled with wonder! "Ooh! I'd love to see you pull off a sonic rainboom! It's like, the most coolest thing ever! Even though I've never actually seen it, but I mean come on! It's a sonic rainboom! How not cool could it possibly not be?! I'll bet it'll be even more spectacular than strange rainbow I saw once when I was a filly."
"Uh, what exactly's a sonic rainboom?" Twilight pondered. "I've never heard of it before."
Pinkie giggled. "Oh Twilight, you really need to get out more. You can't learn everything from books. Some things can't be explained in words. Some things you just have to experience for yourself."
And Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. "Well, if there's anypony who can explain it, it's probably me. After all, I did pull it off once, long ago," She put a hoof to her chin. "How can I explain it? It's basically like this, try to picture it in your mind if you can," She shut her eyes, recalling a vague memory from long ago. "If a pegasus like me goes fast enough, we can break the sound barrier in more ways than one. And then boom! All that energy gets released all at once: A sonic boom and a rainbow happen at the same time! You go so fast you barely even have time to think, let alone react."
Applejack chuckled as she told Twilight. "And Rainbow Dash here is the only pony who's ever pulled it off. Ask any other pegasus though, and they'll all tell ya there's no such thing. But if you ask me, I think they're just jealous. Anypony who can make the impossible possible, well now how do you expect to compete against that? You really can't."
Rainbow nodded. "My thoughts exactly," Then she massaged the back of her neck with a hoof. "But the thing is, since I only did it once when I was a filly and haven't done it since, it's kind of hard for me to pull it off again. I mean, I've been trying. But as they say: Canterlot wasn't built in a day."
"But you're gonna do it again, right?" Pinkie asked in a hopeful tone of voice. "That's your ace up your sleeve, your trump card, whatever you wanna call it! If you can pull that off, you're sure to leave everypony else in the dust!"
The brash speedster pegasus mare chuckled as she boasted. "You're darn right I will! I've been practicing, and I'm pretty sure I'm close to pulling it off again. And when I do, it'll be so easy I'll wonder why I wasn't doing it in my sleep all the time!" And then she gazed longily out of the window as she added. "Did I mention that the grand prize is an entire day with the Wonderbolts? A whole day of flying with my lifelong heroes, my idols, my inspiration. They're Cloudsdale's finest, and for a good reason," She excitedly exclaimed! "Oh, getting to hang out with them would be a dream come true!"
Fluttershy nodded. "I'm sure it will be. And with my cheering, you're guaranteed to win," Then she cheered again to the best of her ability. "Yay."
With that, Rainbow turned her back to the others as she insisted with a sassy look and a confident grin. "Well, I'm gonna go rest up, now. Don't wanna over prepare myself, y'know," Before leaving, however, she pointed a hoof to Fluttershy and told her. "You, on the other hoof, might wanna work on your cheering some more. It's not gonna cut it if I can't hear you over the roar of the crowd! My cheering should match my spectacular performance!" Then she unfolded her wings and took off, leaving through the same window she had flown through earlier.
Fluttershy watched her fellow pegasus fly away, and once certain Rainbow was out of hearing range she looked back to the others and confessed in a nervous tone of voice. "I don't know, girls. She's practiced that move a hundred times already, and she's never even come close to doing it. I don't know if I can cheer loud enough to help her. Oh, I wish I could believe she'll pull it off at the competition, but I don't know. I really don't know." Then she too departed.
Once both pegasi had left, Twilight unhappily sighed and groaned as she had to resist the urge not to curse under her breath. "Well, guess we'd better get this mess cleaned up, again." She lamented.
Rarity, however, seemed to have more imminent and important concerns on her mind. Without saying a word she swung her tail round and pushed Twilight into a pile of books, catching the studious unicorn off-guard. All Rarity had to say in reply was. "Go on. What are you waiting for?"
Twilight poked her head up from the pile of books and blinked slowly in confusion. "Waiting for what?"
Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Get to work on finding a spell that'll get us non-pegasi into Cloudsdale! I know you can find one, you can find a spell for anything. And I've never seen anypony with the raw magical power you have."
"But what do we need a cloudwalking spell for?" Twilight pondered.
The fashionista snorted. "Isn't it obvious? I didn't think I had to say it out, but apparently I do. You saw how nervous Rainbow Dash was just then."
Applejack was hardly convinced of such an argument. "Nervous? You need to get your eyes checked or somethin', Rarity? Rainbow was tootin' her own horn louder than the brass section of a marchin' band! She seemed pretty confident to me."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "Oh, Applejack, I thought you of all ponies could spot a lie as obvious as Rainbow Dash's when you see it. I guess she's just that good at fooling you," She sighed and explained. "Trust me, I know stage fright when I see it. Rainbow can put on a pretty good mask of confidence, but her tone of voice made it perfectly clear how nervous she really is. We simply must find a way to be there for her, no amount of cheering from Fluttershy will be enough to make up for our absence. We owe it to our friend to be there for her in a time of need," And then she demanded of Twilight. "So go on, Twilight. Find something we can use to get into Cloudsdale! And be quick about it!"
The book loving unicorn groaned and had to resist the urge to frown. "Well maybe I'd have an easier time looking if this place wasn't buried in books! I had everything perfectly organized, and then Rainbow Dash had to come in and mess it all up. So how about you help me put things back where they belong instead of just telling me what to do? I'll never find a cloud walking spell in this mess."
But Pinkie Pie simply replied. "Oh, a flight spell? No problem!" She zipped over to a pile at the other end of the library, stuck her head into the thick of it, and pulled out a dark blue book that she promptly pushed over to Twilight with her nose. "Page twenty-seven, you can thank me later."
Applejack and Rarity were rendered briefly speechless by the display they'd just seen. Applejack even saw fit to ask her fellow earth pony. "How'd you do that, sugarcube?"
Pinkie giggled and swished her tail in chilidsh fashion as she gave a knowing wink. "It landed on my face when Rainbow Dash knocked me into the bookcase. Twilight and Rarity talking about spells reminded me of it."
Twilight used her magic to open up the book and turn to the page Pinkie had specified. Sure enough, she saw a picture and some words that looked promising. "Aha, here we go!" She exclaimed. "A spell that allowes non-pegasi to fly for three days," But upon closer examination she frowned. "Ooh, I don't know! This looks really complicated. I'm not sure I could pull something like this off."
"You've got to try, for Rainbow's sake!" Rarity pleaded.
Twilight shook her head from side to side. "Sorry, but I'm not risking anypony's safety over a spell I just discovered. If it fails prematurely, that could cause lots of problems. Besides, it looks like it would take everything I've got just to do it once," She closed the book and tossed it aside. "I'll have to set it aside for further study. Now help me look for something that'll work for all of us."
The fashionista unicorn humphed as she just used her magic to bring the discarded book close to her. "Well, why don't I take a look at it?!" She firmly insisted. "I may not be as magically talented as you are, Twilight. But I am a unicorn."
"Be my guest, study it to your heart's content. Just please don't do anything drastic!" Twilight pleaded, before going back to searching for another spell.
The day of the competition had arrived. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were now flying into Cloudsdale, both of them fully anticipating what was to come and what it would mean.
If Rainbow was at all worried about her inability to pull off a sonic rainboom, she didn't show it outwardly as she instead looked across to Fluttershy and told her fellow pegasus. "Fluttershy, listen, you've got to learn to be assertive. And not just when you're cheering. Speak up!"
The animal loving pegasus forced back a gulp. "I'll try, Rainbow."
The rainbow maned pegasus mare breathed a small sigh of relief. "Guess that's about as good as I can ask for," Then her eyes fell upon a trio of very familiar looking pegasus stallions. "Oh great, look what the cat dragged in." She muttered and cursed under her breath.
From left to right, the three pegasi consisted of: A stallion with a light brown coat, a grayish-brown mane and tail with the mane being unstyled and the tail having straight locks, brilliant sea green eyes and a cutie mark depicting three basketballs. A stallion with a dark-grayish brown coat, dark blue eyes, a light grayish-brown mane and tail in a shaggy style and a cutie mark depicting a dumb-bell. And a stallion with a persian bluish-gray coat, a dull shaded reddish-brown mane and tail (the mane obscured his eyes), and a cutie mark depicting three hoofballs.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy knew at once who these stallions were. They'd interacted with them as children: The stallions were none other than Hoops, Dumb-Bell and Score. And just by looking at them, it was clear they were not here for pleasentries.
"Well, well, well," Dumb-Bell chuckled. "What do we have here?"
Hoops snickered as he chimed in. "It's our old pal from flight school: Rainbow Crash!"
Rainbow bristled and snorted as she tried her best not to look intimidated. "Come on, you know my name's Dash. Or did you forget the time I whooped your sorry flanks in flight school?"
Score just snorted back. "That was then and this is now."
Dumb-Bell then promptly asked. "So, what's new with you, eh Crash? Get kicked out of any flight schools lately?" And he and the other two stallions laughed and laughed.
The rainbow maned mare was quick to retort. "I didn't get kicked out. I simply decided I had better things to do with my life."
Dumb-Bell just laughed harder as he got up in Rainbow's face. "Oh please, just admit it, Crash!" The last part of the sentence was practically dripping with venom. "Flight school had too many rules, and not enough naptimes for you. No wonder you're stuck on the weather team instead of working at the factory like us."
"At least I actually have some time off. Time I've spent on far better things, like being a hero!" Rainbow boasted.
"You? A hero? As if!" Hoops coldly retorted. "You think you're special just because Princess Celestia says you defeated some old mare's tail? You're still stuck on weather duty last time I checked. Oh, and we can't forget about that sonic rainboom. Still chasing after that old mare's tail?"
Dumb-Bell narrowed his eyes as he told Rainbow. "You don't have the skills to pull off something like that! And I don't care what you say about flight school! I saw nothing, you just won because you played dirty and pushed me!"
Fluttershy had heard enough. Something inside of her snapped as she narrowed her own eyes and glared at the bullies, angrily scolding them. "Now wait just a minute, Dumb-Bell!" But then her confidence seemed to leave her as she sheepishly added. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to come off so forceful there. I'm trying to be more assertive," She tried to recover to the best of her ability as she cleared her throat. "Anyhow... Rainbow is going to do a sonic rainboom!"
Dumb-Bell only retorted. "No she's not, 'cause there's no such thing!"
The pegasus mare with a beautiful yellow coat then suggested. "Then show up at the Cloudeseum and see for yourselves!" Before she blushed and added. "...If you're free, that is."
Dumb-Bell nodded. "As a matter of fact, I'm not just free, I'm going to be competing in that Best Young Flyers Competition. I was about to tell old Crash here that, before a certain somepony interrupted me," He snorted and swished his tail. "Can't wait to see you go down in flames, Crash! You got lucky at flight school, but luck won't save you this time. At least Mommy and Daddy won't be there to see you fail!" And as he laughed in his throat, he along with Hoops and Score flew away.
Rainbow's earlier projection of confidence immediately left her once the trio of bullies had disappeared. "Just great, now I have to compete against one of them!" She gulped. "Oh, those guys are right, I'll never be able to do a sonic rainboom! And without it, there's no way I can win!"
Fluttershy, however, tried to reassure her friend. "Oh come now, Rainbow Dash. There's no need to be hard on yourself. Just because you've failed the sonic rainboom a hundred thousand times in practice doesn't mean you won't be able to do it in front of an entire stadium, full of impatient, super-critical sportsfan ponies." She didn't seem to realize how little her attempt at a "pep talk" was actually helping.
Indeed, Rainbow Dash began to hang her head as a thousand horrible scenarios began flashing through her mind, playing over and over again like a broken record. "What was I thinking?! I should've just backed out while I had the chance! Everypony's sure to see me fail now! The Wonderbolts will never want me on the team, they'll never let a loser like me join! And worst of all," She gulped and swallowed hard as she started to break out into a cold sweat. "Princess Celestia will probably banish me to the Everfree Forest because I'll be such a disgrace!" She buried her head in her hooves as she loudly wailed! "My life is ruined! RUINED!"
Fluttershy was about to say something to try to cheer her friend up, when her wandering eyes happened to spot a sight she had not been expecting to see. Her mouth hung open as the pegasus pony found herself at a loss for words.
Only once she was done feeling sorry for herself did the brash speedster think to take her head out of her hooves, and in doing so she saw the utterly shocked and speechless look frozen firmly on her friend's face. "What?" She questioned, hoping to get some kind of response.
"B-behind you..." Was all the animal loving pegasus could bring herself to say.
Slowly but surely, Rainbow did as instructed. And when she did her modest violet could hardly believe the sight she was seeing!
There were Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie all walking directly towards her. And none of them had wings or any other means of flight attached to their bodies. Heck, Pinkie Pie was bouncing from cloud to cloud without a care or concern in the world.
Rarity was the first to greet the two pegasi when the group came close. "Hello there, darlings," She cheerfully greeted with a sincere smile. "Surprised to see us?"
Rainbow found herself unable to think of what to say. "But... how... I mean... why... I mean..."
Pinkie Pie giggled and snorted. "Aw come on, Dashie. Isn't it obvious? Twilight over here made it all possible!"
Twilight nodded and happily confirmed. "I found a spell that lets non-pegasus ponies walk on clouds. Figured it would be less taxing than a spell that could give non-pegasus ponies wings."
Rarity then commented with amazement. "So this is the lovely city of Cloudsdale?" Her eyes scanned every inch of her surroundings, taking in the magnificent structures perched atop the clouds, including the abundent use of marble white pillars. "My word, it is absolutely gorgeous!"
"Well don't forget the reason why we're here," Applejack pointed out to Rarity. "We're here to cheer on Rainbow Dash together."
Rainbow Dash smiled as she confidently proclaimed. "To be honest, I was starting to get just the teeniest, tiniest bit nervous. But I feel a lot better now that you guys are here," Then she had an idea. "Hey, I've got some time before I need to get ready for the competition. And it's not everyday you get to visit Cloudsdale. Why don't I show you girls around?"
Rarity happily nodded. "That would be lovely, Rainbow Dash! Please lead the way!"
The presence of so many non-pegasus ponies in Cloudsdale attracted quite the throng as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy led their friends on a quick tour of Cloudsdale. Pegasi of all ages could be heard chattering and whispering amongst themselves. Some even started taking pictures.
"Oh, this is simply wonderful!" Rarity happily exclaimed as she basked in the crowd's adoration. "Forget Canterlot! I'm starting to think Cloudsdale is the jewel in the crown of Equestria! Oh, I should start coming up here more often! Maybe I could even open another boutique here?"
Twilight groaned and audibly whispered in a strained tone of voice. "Rarity, we're here for Rainbow Dash! This isn't the time to be showing off!"
Rarity waved a hoof and dismissed her fellow unicorn's concerns. "Oh, relax, Twilight. If it helps takes the pressure off Rainbow Dash, why shouldn't I enjoy myself? This cloud walking spell of yours is working like a charm! Now if only I had more time to work on that wing spell. I'm quite curious to see what it could do!"
Applejack rolled her eyes at the display. "I'd tell ya to get your head out of the clouds, but seein' as we're walkin' on 'em I reckon there's no point," She then commented. "Me personally, I think I prefer my hooves on solid ground."
Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, continued to happily bounce along as she commented. "Aw come on, this is so much fun! Walking on these clouds is like walking on cotton candy! It's just too bad they don't taste like cotton candy! I've always felt like I'd be right at home as a pegasus," And she added. "You don't know how lucky you and Fluttershy are, Rainbow Dash. You get to come to this city whenever you want."
Fluttershy nodded back. "It is pretty nice. But I'll always be a Ponyville pony at heart. Ponyville's nice and quiet, most of the time."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed. "Even a pony like me appreciates some peace and quiet when she's trying to get some rest," Then she got an idea. "Hey, while we're here, why don't I show you all where the weather's made?"
"What a great idea!" Twilight suggested. "I've always been curious to see what the weather factory's actually like!"
So it was that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took their friends on a tour of the weather factory, leading them through room after room as they showed off the various places responsible for things like snowflakes, rain, and even rainbows. The rainbow room stood out in particular for the fact that it had liquid puddles of rainbow all over the place.
Pinkie Pie, being a curious pony, dipped her hoof into one of the rainbow puddles and licked the concentration. Without warning, her taste buds were assaulted by a strong barrage of intense color and flavor! "Spicyyyyyy!" She whimpered.
Rainbow couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, rainbows aren't exactly known for their flavor."
Just then, who should show up but Dumb-Bell? He was now clad in a white worker's jacket and matching hard hat. "Oh, hey, look, it's Rainbow Crash and her friends!" He greeted in a mocking tone of voice. "Did you all come here to cheer her on? Well I wouldn't waste my time if I were you! You're looking at the best flyer Cloudsdale's ever produced! I'm guaranteed to win the Best Young Flyers Competition."
"So you say, but I reckon RD here could beat you any day!" Applejack declared with narrowed eyes. "You talk a big game, but you should know that it takes more than talk to win."
Dumb-Bell just humped, swishing his tail. "Whatever. If Rainbow tells you she beat me in flight school, she's lying! There's no way a drop out like her could beat a champ like me! If she were smart, which she's not, she'd quit now and save herself the embarrassment of losing in public!" Then he trotted off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get ready for the big event." And after unfolding his wings, he flew off.
Twilight was the only one to take notice of how visibly shaken Rainbow Dash appeared to be. And to the pegasus she inquired. "Rainbow Dash, are you okay? You don't look so good. Don't let what that guy said get to you, he's just trying to get under your fur."
The brash speedster could only shake her head from side to side. "No, Twilight, he's right. He actually made it out of flight school, I didn't. And if I can't pull off a sonic rainboom, there's no hope for me. Nothing I do will be a match for him. I was hoping I wouldn't have to face him. But now that I do, my chances of winning have gone right out the window! Sorry, but it looks like you and the girls came all this way for nothing."
"Rainbow." Twilight sighed, but couldn't think of anything else to say.
A short time later, everypony gathered inside of the Cloudeseum for the Best Young Flyers Competition. Many ponies had taken their seats atop clouds positioned in rows directly above each other. At the other end of the stadium was a curtain, and behind it was a place for all the contestants to stay until it was their time to perform.
All of Rainbow Dash's friends had found a suitable location, and Pinkie Pie was holding up a strange, giant foam object with the number one on it. The whole thing was colored a light yellow.
Soon, a pegasus stallion with a light purple coat and a white mane and tail in the same whispy style as the clouds rose to speak to the audience. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick, black sunglasses. And he wore a jacket in alternating stripes of black and white. Positioned in his left ear was a device that enabled him to speak and be heard over the roar of the crowd. "Fillies and gentlecolts!" He spoke in a loud, proud and booming tone of voice. "Please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved ruler: Princess Celestia!"
All eyes fell upon the mighty alicorn as she appeared on a reserved stand high up in the stadium, to either side of her were positioned two royal guards with their spears at the ready.
Then, with a whoosh and a roar, a trio of pegasi clad in navy blue suits and wearing flight goggles soared overhead. The stallion from before spoke up again. "Please welcome our celebrity judges for the Best Young Flyer Competition: the Wonderbolts!" There was a burst of thunderous applause as the elite flyers took up their seats a ways back from the center of the stadium, making it easy for them to see each performance.
It was time for the competition to begin.
Backstage, a pegasus mare with a poofy orange mane and similarly colored tail styled straight began speaking up. She had a brownish-yellow coat, green eyes, purple glasses, and she wore a light pink jacket with white trim on the collar. "Okay, contestant number one, you're up." She instructed. Each flyer taking part in the competition had been assigned a number, said number was on a strip of paper attached to their flanks.
Rainbow Dash was horrified when she saw that she had the number two on her flanks, meaning she would be next! She was in no mood to go out and compete!
The coordinator pegasus didn't care. She was just impatiently barking out. "Okay, number two, let's go. Get a move on, will ya? We ain't got all day!"
Thinking fast, Rainbow swaped her number with that of a competitor, a light brown coated pegasus stallion with a chestnut brown mane and tail. She then nudged the stallion as she told him. "Hey, she's talking to you!"
"Oh, sorry." The stallion sheepishly apologized and took to the air.
The brash speedster breathed a small sigh of relief. Yet she knew that even if she kept swapping numbers when the other contestants weren't looking, she'd eventually run out of numbers and would have to go on. And that did nothing to calm her nerves. Going out on stage was the last thing she wanted to do right now!
As the competition began winding down, Fluttershy and the non-pegasus ponies began chatting amongst themselves about who they regarded as their favorite competitor.
"I loved number seven," Twilight happily proclaimed. "Doing fifteen barrel rolls in a row can't be easy. But he made it look like he could've pulled it off in his sleep."
"Well my favorite is number ten," Fluttershy willingly confessed. "She just seemed like such a nice pony. So gentle and graceful, like me."
But Applejack couldn't help but speak up about something she'd found hard not to notice. She even put a hoof to her chin. "Hmm... Wonder how come we haven't seen Rainbow Dash show up yet. The competition's nearly over."
"I told you she was having stage fright." Rarity humphed in a matter of fact tone of voice, all the while she seemed to be concentrating on something other than the competition.
Twilight frowned when she noticed Rarity's behavior. "Rarity, I told you that spell was too dangerous! It's too much magic! The cloud walking spell works just fine!" But Rarity didn't respond with an answer.
Meanwhile, backstage Rainbow Dash was shaking and shuddering with fright She couldn't bring herself to move, even though by now there was nopony left to swap numbers with to get out of having to perform.
The pegasus mare from earlier had by now lost all patience, she was poking and proding at Rainbow with a hoof to try to get her to move. "Number fifteen, let's go! I told you, we don't have all day!"
Just then, out trotted Dumb Bell, swelling with confidence as his mane and tail seemed to glisten in the sunlight. "Ah, forget about her, she doesn't have what it takes and she knows it," He boasted. "She's just a little fish in a big pond."
Dumb Bell's comments stirred something deep inside the brash speedster, enough to make her momentarily forget about her stage fright. She stood up and locked eyes with the stallion, glaring harshly at him. "You think I'm scared?! Find out how wrong you are!"
The other pegasus mare could only sigh. "Look, I don't know what to tell you two, we've only got enough time for one more performance thanks to a certain somepony," It was clear who she refering to, but neither competitor said a word as she just explained. "So if you're both looking to compete, you'll just have to go out together!"
"Fine by me!" Dumb Bell insisted, and then turned to Rainbow Dash. "Best of luck, Crash! You're gonna need it!"
Rainbow was too intimidated by stage fright to think of a good reply. She just swallowed hard and tried not to let her nervousness show through outwardly, all the while she flew out after Dumb Bell as the two pegasi exited the curtain, much to the surpise of everyone.
"Sorry they couldn't play your rock 'n roll," Dumb Bell taunted as the music started to play, sounding strangely calm. "Still think you can take me?! If you want to just run away like a coward, now's your last chance." Then without bothering to wait for a reply, he flapped his wings and started his performance. He flew around the entire arena with ease and with grace, every move he made projected the utmost confidence in himself.
Realizing she was sure to lose if she just stood there, Rainbow did her best to concentrate and gather her thoughts. "Just gotta clear my mind and focus. I can do this!" She said, trying to sound more confident than she actually was. Then she launched into the routine she'd been practicing specifically for this competition. "Phase one." She proceeded to weave back and forth along the cloud columns set up for her. Unfortunately, she misjudged her position relative to one of the columns about midway through, bounced off of it and smacked into the side wall by the stands.
Hoops (who was sitting next to Score) looked down and laughed at the display he'd just witnessed. "Hah, nice one, Crash!" And he and Score snickered to each other.
The brash speedster recovered as best she could, deciding to move on to the next phase. "Okay, I can still recover. Time for phase two." She zoomed up and started working her magic on some clouds, sheering off the tops of them and molding them into all sorts of shapes.
"Look!" Fluttershy shouted to her friends and gestured a hoof. "Phase two is working. I think she's gonna pull this out of the bag."
Yet just seconds after Fluttershy had said that, Rainbow Dash lost control of one of the clouds she'd been working with! It zipped away from her, flew across the stands and almost impacted Princess Celestia (who just barely thought to duck out of its way).
So it was that Rainbow was left with only one possible way to salvage her performance and even have a chance of winning the competition. And this was the part she'd been dreading. "Looks like this is my last chance to turn things around. Phase three," She gulped." The sonic rainboom. Come on, wings, don't fail me now!" Then, with her wings fiercely flapping she ascended, trying to gain as much altitude as possible in preparation for what she would need to do.
Rarity had seen more than enough, and was convinced there was only one thing to do. Without saying a word, she lit up her horn. There came a bright flash! And then suddenly, ponies gasped audibly as Rarity could now be seen with a pair of beautiful baby blue butterfly wings to either side of her! And she wasn't content to just display them, she actually flapped them and took off from her seat as ponies started whispering and murmuring unto themselves.
"Rarity, get back here!" Twilight furiously demanded as she stood up! "And put those wings away!"
"How can you ask me to put away such beauty?!" Rarity retorted. "Can't you see this is the perfect distraction for Rainbow Dash?" Then she got an idea as she noticed her wings reflecting the sun's rays. Flapping her new wings furiously, she flew higher and higher until she was able to bathe the entire Cloudeseum in light reflected from her wings! "Now's your chance, Rainbow Dash!" She shouted. "Nopony's gonna notice anything you do now!"
Unfortunately, the fashionista's little "display" had an unintended side effect. The glare from the intense light took many ponies by surprise, but none more so than Dumb Bell who screamed as he shut his eyes! "Gah! I can't see!" And because of his momentary blindness, he had no way to know he was fast approaching a side of the Cloudeseum! The stallion bumped into it, and he began to fall at a frightening speed! He tried to flap his wings and stop (or at least slow) his descent, but in his panic-stricken mind he couldn't concentrate on flapping them correctly and they became as useless as wet paper. He flailed his hooves about in helplessness, desperate to grab something, anything to prevent him from impacting the ground!
The Wonderbolts immediately jumped into action! All three of the members who'd been made celebrity judges rose at once from their spot high above the action. They spoke not a word as they all flew down in formation, trying desperately to catch Dumb Bell before he could hit the ground! Unfortunately, they didn't anticipate just how frantic Dumb Bell was or how powerful his flailings hooves were! A single strike stunned all three of them and knocked them out cold, now they too were in need of rescuing!
Rainbow Dash had seen everything, and without hesitation she turned around in mid-air! "Hold on, guys!" She shouted as she dove down after them! "Help is on the way!" The brash speedster proceeded to flap her wings harder and harder, and she flew faster and faster. Her angle of descent became so intense a noticeable cone of energy started to appear around her.
"Oh, I can't look!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she watched the scene unfold! At any moment, she was expecting to hear a horrifying thud sound!
Meanwhile, Rainbow was desperately pushing her body past its limits! "Come on! Gotta beat the clock!" She thought to herself, even as her entire body was screaming at her to stop! She could feel it, she was so close! And then suddenly, a deafening roar split the air as a powerful rainbow shock wave burst outward in all directions! A trail of solid rainbow was left in the pegasus' wake as she flew so fast you could barely see her!
Everypony was shocked and surprised! Rainbow Dash had done the impossible!
Fluttershy, by chance, had opened her eyes upon hearing the roar! And what she saw was enough to make her jump up and down while shouting passionately and loudly at the top of her lungs! "A sonic rainboom! She did it! She actually did it! Woo!"
As for the pegasus pony who had performed such a move, she could hardly believe it herself! In fact, up until she had successfully snatched The Wonderbolts and Dumb Bell in mid-air, she hadn't given much thought at all. When she finally realized what she'd done, however, she could only say. "Wow, I amaze even myself." Then she flew back up, carrying all four pegasi like it was nothing. She didn't stop until the Wonderbolts and Dumb Bell were all helped to safety.
Dumb Bell was most grateful for the last minute rescue. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash." His tone of voice was sincere and full of gratitude.
"Hey, it was no big deal, really." Rainbow insisted even as her tone of voice betrayed her modest intentions.
"Well, not only did you save me, but you also won the Best Young Flyers Competition," Dumb Bell pointed out. "No way anypony can top that!"
The realization slowly sank in for Rainbow Dash. All her hard work had paid off! "Oh yeah, I guess I did that too!" She chuckled as a small golden crown was soon adorned atop her head! "Best day ever!" She proudly proclaimed, basking in the audience's thunderous applause.
A short time later, as Rainbow Dash's friends all gathered to celebrate her victory, a now wingless Rarity profuesly apologized. "I'm terribly sorry about that little... mishap back there," She remarked as she looked down at the clouds in shame. "Although, in my defense, I was merely trying to give you a much needed confidence boost. But I suppose there is such a thing as being too prideful and too vain. I let myself get wrapped up in that silly spell after I realized I could pull it off. I never stopped to consider if maybe I shouldn't use it."
"Hey, don't feel bad," Applejack pointed out. "It happens to the best of us, sugarcube. Nopony got hurt, that's the important part."
Rarity nodded quite slowly. "All the same, I think I'll leave the flying to the pegasi and the spell casting to Twilight. I've most certainly learned my lesson about tinkering with untested spells."
Just then, who should come trotting up but Dumb Bell? And much like Rarity, he seemed to be feeling rather sorry for himself if the slow way he carried himself was any indication. "Hey, Dash," He spoke up, using Rainbow's proper name for once. "I'm sorry I was so rude to you today. And I'm sorry I made you doubt yourself."
Rainbow blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? Even I didn't think I could pull off a sonic rainboom. I was convinced I was just imaging things the one time I thought I did it. I wasn't even thinking about trying to attempt it when I did do it. All I could think about was saving you. Not even a jerk like you deserved to go splat on the ground."
But Dumb Bell shook his head and explained. "You actually did pull off that sonic rainboom as a filly, and you beat the boys and I fair and square," He blushed as he sheepishly confessed. "We just didn't wanna admit we got beat by a filly. But there's no way anypony can deny it now. You truly are the best pony to come out of Cloudsdale since... well... I don't even know when," And he then added. "I hope maybe we can start over. You know, as friends."
The brash speedster was happy to agree. "Sure, I guess," Then she sighed. "I just wish I'd had the chance to meet the Wonderbolts while they were awake. But that'll never happen now," However, she'd no sooner spoken those words than suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around fast, and saw three very familiar looking ponies clad in navy blue flight suits and wearing flight goggles. She was beside herself and at a loss for words! "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! This is happening!"
The orange maned and tailed pegasus in the center spoke up in an obviously female sounding voice. "So you're the little pony who saved our lives. We really wanted to meet you, and say thanks. It's not every day we're the ones who need saving," Then she added. "You've definitely impressed us, Rainbow Dash. I can't make promises, but I think you just might have a chance at joining the team some day."
Dumb-Bell then proposed to Rainbow Dash. "Hey, you think maybe you could teach me how you did that sonic rainboom just then?"
Rainbow chuckled as two of the Wonderbolts approached her. "Sorry," She told Dumb-Bell as she then flew off with her idols. "But I've got plans." After all, this was the opportunity of a lifetime for her. Something she'd been dreaming about for a long time. No way was she going to miss it.
S2 E7: The Tortoise and the Mare (May The Best Pet Win) (What If?)
Fluttershy had been looking forward to a quiet day at home with nothing to do, besides caring for her animals of course. Things had been nice and peaceful in Ponyville and around all of Equestria as of late, and the animal loving pegasus saw no reason why that shouldn't continue.
However, much to the pegasus mare's surprise, her quiet day home hadn't even gotten started in earnest before she heard a knock at her front door. Naturally, she decided to see who it was.
When Fluttershy opened her cottage door, she was a bit surprised to see Rainbow Dash waiting for her. And even more surprising was what the brash speedster had next to her: It was a tortoise. Heck, Rainbow herself seemed to be looking at one of her wings most unusually, as if something were off about it. But what?
"Hey, Fluttershy," Rainbow greeted in a somewhat sheepish and withdrawn tone of voice. "I uh, hope this isn't a bad time for you or anything. But uh, I kind of need your help with something, like right now."
The animal loving pegasus nodded quite slowly. "It's about that... tortoise, isn't it? I've never seen you with one before, even though I know you had pictures of tortoises in your home as a filly."
A small blush formed on the brash speedster's cheeks as she got flustered ever so slightly. "Y-yeah, but that was a long time ago. And that's not important," She quickly recovered. "You... remember how I said a while back I wanted a pet?"
Fluttershy nodded, the memory fresh in her mind. "Yes, I do indeed remember. It was during the pony pet playdate in the park. You were feeling left out because you didn't have a pet of your own," Then it hit her. "Oh, you're saying you want that tortoise to be your pet?"
Rainbow Dash nodded quite slowly. "Uh, yeah, I kind of am. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. Of all the animals I thought I might have for a pet, a tortoise definitely wasn't on the list. And that's why I need your help."
"My help?" Fluttershy blinked slowly, wondering if she had misheard.
Rainbow nodded again. "Yeah. You're pretty much an expert when it comes to animals and pets. I really need your help to make sure this tortoise here," She gestured to the tortoise poking its head out from its shell. "Really is the right fit for me."
"I'll see what I can do," The animal loving pegasus promised. "Why don't you come on and answer a few questions first? Something must've happened to make you consider a tortoise for a pet." And indeed, she was right. But not for the reasons she might suspect. Heck, even she wasn't sure how she could help Rainbow Dash make sure a tortoise of all animals was a good pet for her.
Rainbow Dash followed Fluttershy as the two trotted into the interior of her cottage, the tortoise following behind to the best of its ability. After all, it wasn't exactly built for speed. That alone was enough to make Fluttershy uncertain. She would've expected for sure that among the first qualifications her friend and fellow pegasus would want, speed was something that had to be guaranteed. And tortoises were anything but fast.
Eventually, Fluttershy was able to get her fellow pegasus to sit down so that the two mares could be eye to eye with each other. It was only then that the animal loving pegasus found the courage to speak and start asking questions. "So, what exactly drew you to the uh... tortosie?" She inquired of her rainbow maned friend. "It had to be something truly special, no?"
At that the brash speedster gave off a nervous laugh. "It's kind of a long and embarrassing stoy, really," After massaging the back of her neck with a hoof and briefly looking to one of her wings, she managed to force out. "It actually began with the last Pony Pet Playdate. Seeing all our friends with pets, including Twilight, it kind of made me want to have one of my own."
Fluttershy nodded. "I remember. You seemed so torn up about it. And I was practically beside myself when you mentioned that you might want a pet." The memory was still fresh in her mind, as if it had all happened yesterday.
Granted, the entire day wasn't exactly well remembered by the pegasus mare with a lovely yellow coat, but she could well remember a conversation that struck her interests and stayed with her.
In the midst of that pony pet playdate, while everypony else was enjoying themselves with their respective companions and do whatever their pets liked to do together, Rainbow Dash had swooped down from out of the skies. Apparently, she'd been watching the entire thing from up above. And if her body language was any indication, she was not pleased to be excluded, even if there was a valid reason for it.
In no uncertain terms, Rainbow had declared aloud. "Just because I don't have a pet now doesn't mean I never want a pet! I'm responsible enough!"
Upon hearing such a statement, Fluttershy spun around as her eyes lit up and she became filled with a giddy happiness that made her excitedly exclaimer (albeit while stuttering at first)! "Ohh! Y, y, you?! Oh, really?! You really want a pet? Really, really?! 'Cause I've got so many wonderful choices at my house! My house is practically a shelter, full of animals just waiting to be adopted!" And without being asked to, she rushed over and grabbed Rainbow, dragging the pegasus away all the while flapping her wings and chattering! "Oh, and I know you'll just love them all! And I'm sure they'll love you too! Oh, and you'll be best friends forever and ever! Oh! This is perfect!"
The memory faded as Rainbow Dash explained to Fluttershy in the present. "Yeah, I remember that. But I also remember that I couldn't find an animal that really spoke to me. There were lots of potential candidates, but I couldn't decide on which one was the best of the best. Plus," She blushed a bit. "I didn't have any money on me, so I couldn't afford a pet even if I had been able to choose one."
Fluttershy giggled. "Oh come now, Rainbow Dash. Money's not a problem. I'd have been happy to let you have a pet free of charge," She paused for a moment to regain her composure. "So, how does that relate to the tortoise? I don't remember a tortoise being among the animals we considered."
"You're right, it wasn't. And that brings me to the next part of my story," Rainbow pointed out as she started thinking back. "It was just the other day, actually. I was just flying along, minding my own business. And then suddenly, whoosh!" She streteched her arms out in emphasis! "This incredible, awesome, majestic eagle came swooping out of the sky right in front of me! It was like nothing I'd ever seen before! So I decided to race it!"
"And did you win?" The animal loving pegasus inquired of her athletic friend.
Rainbow's expression and posture became somewhat sorrowful. "Not exactly. And not for the reasons you're thinking, either. That's why it's a little embarrassing to talk about. But I guess there's no harm telling you, you won't tell anypony. Right?" She briefly looked all around, as if afraid that listening devices were secretly hidden throughout the cottage.
Waving a hoof, Fluttershy replied in a confident tone of voice. "Of course not. We've been friends since we were fillies, and I've never told anypony about any of your secrets, have I? I haven't even told them about the delicate relationship you have with your parents."
"Yeah, they're the last ponies I'd want finding out about this. They'd be sure to go overboard gushing about it!" Rainbow remarked and shuddered at the thought. She recovered quickly, however, and cleared her throat. "So anyway, I was racing the eagle through Ghastly Gorge."
At that, the animal loving pegasus gasped! "Ghastly Gorge! But that place is dangerous, even for pegasi!"
The brash speedster waved a hoof in dismissal of the concern her friend had just raised. "Actually, Ghastly Gorge isn't dangerous, or scary. It's fun. Heck, I've flown through it a million times myself! I could fly through it with my eyes closed if I had to!" Then she continued explaining. "So anyway, there I was, racing through Ghastly Gorge. I had that eagle beat by a mile, when it happened!" And her mind started recalling the faithful event that had set into motion a chain of events that had brought her to this point.
Rainbow Dash was flying along, not so high above Ghastly Gorge but just high enough to avoid many of the hazards that would plague any earth ponies or unicorns that might try to navigate it. The gorge was in and of itself in a remote part of Equestria, far removed from any traces of civilization (though it was possible to take a train out to there if you really wanted to).
As she was flying along without a care in the world, Rainbow Dash was humming a tune to herself. It wasn't loud enough to drown out the far away cry of a eagle, reminding the pegasus of her opponent. The eagle was slowly but surely trying to close the distance and win the race.
Rainbow turned her head around and called out to the distance! "Come on, slowpoke! Is that the best you can do?! I ain't even broken a sweat here! Step it up, if you can!" But that's when the trouble began! Without warning, the sound of cracking and rumbling rocks began to fill the air whereas a moment before there had been only silence!
A huge torrent of rocks began tumbling down the sides of the gorge, some of them small but a lot of them surprisingly big! Rainbow Dash ducked and weaved as best she could around the sudden onslaught, all the while yelling at the top of her lungs! "AVALANCHE!"
Suddenly, a truly massive rock came rolling down from one of the sides! It slammed into Rainbow Dash before the brash speedster had a chance to react! A massive force pressed her down, sending her crashing to the floor of the gorge! She tried to move, only to find that one of her wings had been pinned underneath the solid rock! And try as she might, she couldn't free it no matter what she did! She was stuck.
The pegasus mare's moderate purple eyes then took in the sight of something she was absolutely horrified to witness! There was the eagle she'd been racing against, its umistakable brown and white coat and bright yellow beak standing out in sharp contrast to the clear blue sky overhead. It was shrieking in delight as it flew ahead, either not knowing or not caring about its opponent as it flew it out of sight.
Desperately, Rainbow cried out! "Hey! Wait! Come back! Don't leave me here! I'm the one who's supposed to win!" But it was no use, the eagle just flew on without acknowledging her desperate plea for help.
Once the eagle was out of sight, the unfortunate and terrifying reality of her situation slowly but surely sank in for the brash pegasus. Her usual bravado disappeared, replaced by a desperate panic even as she could only prance frantically in place while her wing remained trapped! "Oh no, nonono, th-this can't be happening. There... there must be some mistake! This... this has to be a bad dream! It has to be!" But she knew that wasn't true, this was all too real! Her eyes began to widen as she found herself frozen in a state of shock! She was trapped, there was no way out. And to make matters worse, there was no way for her to notify anypony about her predicament.
Hoping against hope to be overheard by anypony or anything, Rainbow shouted out at the top of her lungs! "Somepony! Anypony! Help me!" Her voice echoed across the walls of the gorge, but there was no reply of any sort.
Yet just as Rainbow Dash had hung her head in dispair and resigned herself to the hoplessness of her situation, that was when she heard it. Her ears began to pick the sound of movement, albeit very slow movement. Had somepony or something heard her desperate plea for help? Or was it something else? Something more horrifying? Some no good, nasty creature coming to prey upon the pegasus in her time of weakness, knowing she was unable to escape?
The steps slowly but surely got closer, and Rainbow managed to crank her neck around to make out the faint outline of some small figure in the distance. It didn't look like a pony, but what exactly it was she couldn't tell. And at this point she really didn't care, she was just grateful to see that there was indeed something friendly approaching her (or at least something harmless). "Yes! My prayers have been answered! Oh thank Celestia!" She exclaimed with relief! "Whoever or whatever you are, thank you SO much! Just name your price."
But when the figure finally emerged fully into the light, and Rainbow got a good look at what had come to her rescue, her hopes were immediately dashed. Now standing before her was a small and very slow moving tortoise. No wonder it had taken so long to reach her.
Hopelessness returned at once for the brash speedster. "You've gotta be kidding me!" She groaned, kicking at the ground with a hoof even though it only served to stir up dust. "A tortoise?! Really?! I'm stuck down here with no way out, trapped forever, and a tortoise is the only thing that comes to my rescue?! This can't be how it all ends for me!"
The tortoise made no acknowledgement of any sort about the pegasus' rude remarks. It instead slowly but surely walked over to the huge rock that kept Rainbow's wing pinned down. Once it reached the rock, it began to dig slowly, before opting to put its head down through the hole it had made.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash felt the pressure that had been pinning her wing down be lifted. She looked off to her right, and saw that the tortoise was using all of its strength to nudge the huge rock upward ever so slightly! It was just enough to give Rainbow the opening she needed to free her wing! She was saved! "Wow! Never thought I'd be saved by a tortoise of all things," She said to herself, before looking over to the tortoise. "I suppose I owe you one now, little guy," Then suddenly, it hit her! "I know! I'll take you to Fluttershy! I think I know now what I want most for a pet!"
"And that's how it happened," Rainbow Dash explained as she concluded her story to Fluttershy. "This tortoise here saved my life. If it hadn't shown up when it did... I don't even wanna think about what could've happened," Then she added. "As for my wing, it'll heal. Doctors' said nothing was broken, luckily."
"You really are lucky," Fluttershy nodded in approval. "And I hope you've learned something about racing in dangerous places like Ghastly Gorge." Her tone of voice sounded more like a disappointed mother scolding her child, rather than a friend expressing her concern to another friend.
The brash speedster gave a sheepish and nervous grin. "Yeah, I won't be doing that again anytime soon. Just remember, not a word to anypony," Then she cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Now, do you remember when you last brought me to your cottage? You know, back when we were trying to find a pet for me?"
The animal loving pegasus nodded once again, and giggled as she recalled the memory. "Oh yes I do. I remember we even sang a song about it." And by chance, the song was fresh in her mind.
"So, I hope it's not too late to enter this little fellow here," Rainbow gestured to the tortoise. "Into the competition. I mean yes, I know that pets need stuff like food, water and attention. And it involves doing things like taking them for walks or cleaning up after them. But I want to make sure that whatever pet I get is a pet that suits me, a pet that really gets me. I'm feeling kind of strong about the tortoise after it saved me, it kind of reminds me a lot of myself. But if I don't put this tortoise through the same tests as the other potential pets, how will I know for sure if it's truly right for me?" Then she explained. "That's why I need your help, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy was silent for a momenr ot two, deep in thought. At last, however, she made up her mind and announced. "I'll see what I can do, Rainbow Dash. I'll help you get things set up. And I'm sure Twilight won't mind keeping track of every candidate's performance, she really does love details," She was quick to add, however. "But I can't decide for you what animal would make the best pet. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself. And I can't guarantee every potential pet will live up to your high expectations."
The rainbow maned pegasus brushed off the concern. "Not to worry, Fluttershy. I'm quite certain that the best candidate will win in the end, whoever or whatever it ends up being. I like to live life to the extreme, it's only fitting that my pet should be capable of doing the same!" And thus, the contest was set to find the best animal to be Rainbow Dash's pet.
Sometime later, after Fluttershy had managed to wrangle up all the potential candidates, she brought them to a patch of land not far from the town hall. Rainbow Dash had chosen it specifically for the fact that it would be easy to spot from afar, and with the exception of her and Twilight there was currently nopony around to interrupt anything.
Rainbow had taken the liberty of donning a dark blue ballcap hat that had a white section in the middle, and a white front that extended past her mane. She also had a shiny red whistle that hung around her neck on a white string. And once all the animals were gathered (the tortoise included), she blew long and hard on the whistle, its sharp call splitting the air.
Twilight and Fluttershy watched from afar with mixes of interest and concern, but neither said a word outloud. Their rainbow maned friend was quite certain this was the only way to truly determine which animal was best suited to being her pet. Who were they to question her given the fact that both of them had pets that most ponies would find rather unusual (such as an owl more active during the day than at night, or a bunny who really didn't live up to his name of "Angel".)?
The brash speedster, for her part, simply addressed the gathered crowd of animals assembled before her. "So! You all think you've got what it takes to be my pet, do ya?" She inquired of them in her best drill sergant tone. "Well, we'll just see about that, won't we?! There's only room on Team Dash for one of you, so if you wanna have even the smallest chance of being the lucky one, you'd better give it your all! Forget about your A game, I wanna see your A+ game! If you don't think you can handle that, I suggest you bow out now and save us all the embarrassment!" Then she warned. "This competition isn't for the faint of heart. This is serious business."
Twilight finally saw fit to speak up, albeit only to Fluttershy. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Should we really be letting Rainbow Dash treat this whole thing like some kind of sports competition? Couldn't she just pick a candidate out of a hat or something?"
Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. "Rainbow Dash would never settle for something like that. She wants the best, and this is her way of making sure she finds it. The most important thing for anypony who wants a pet is to feel confident they've made the right choice."
"Still, you think she really wants something like a tortoise or a butterfly?" The unicorn inquired with concern. "For that matter, why would she want a flamingo?"
Fluttershy shrugged her hooves. "Those were the animals that caught her interest. And in the tortoise's case, she clearly feels like she owes it for saving her back in Gastly Gorge the other day," Then she motioned a hoof to silence her friend. "Now be quiet, let's just see how this plays out. If we have to, we'll step in to make sure no creature gets hurt."
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was pacing back and forth in front of all the animals, eyeing them carefully (almost to the point of glaring, you might say). "Alright," She declared at last. "Listen up, I'm gonna explain the rules. And I am not going to repeat myself, so you'd all better listen closely."
Clearing her throat, Rainbow then explained at length. "These 'games' will determine which one of you has the most important qualities I'm looking for in a pet. Whoever does the best in each of these categories will have the honor of being my pet, and they are:" She proceeded to list each quality one by one. "Speed!" She took off so fast that she left a trail of flames behind! "Agility!" She zipped around the animals, leaving streaks of rainbow colored light in her place. "Guts! Style," She briefly flew into the air and molded a cloud into roughly an outline of herself. "Coolness! Awesomeness! And radicalness!" When she delivered the last phrase, she briefly put on a pair of sunglasses and stood up, folding her front hooves over her chest.
Twilight came up a moment later, questioning what she thought was a redundant statement. "But aren't those all the same thing, more or less?"
Rainbow had to resist the urge to laugh as she took off her sunglasses, telling Twilight in no uncertain terms. "You would think that, Twilight. And that's exactly why you would never qualify to be my pet," As she spoke those words, she gave the unicorn a pat on the head, much to Twilight's annoyance. Once Twilight had left, Rainbow Dash then told the animals. "You'll be tested on each one in the order I just gave. Remember: Either bring your best, or don't waste my time!"
Speed was the first quality to be tested. The brash pegasus had managed to get a small track near a pond, and had all the animals line up on from left to right. In her hooves, she held a stopwatch. "Ready?" She asked as she clutched the stopwatch firmly. "On your marks... get set..." She promptly blew loudly on her whistle, signaling the start of the race!
All the animals took off as fast as they could, some moving faster than others. The one that ultimately pulled ahead and won the race was a dark brown feathered falcon with lighter brown feathers across its belly. Unsurprisingly, the tortoise was the last one to cross. Heck, it had barely even taken a step by the time the race was already over.
Rainbow could only shake her head at the display the tortoise had just put on. "Look, I know speed's not your thing, buddy. But come on, you gotta be faster than that! If you're gonna be my pet, you gotta be able to keep up! So please tell me that wasn't your best." The tortoise didn't give her an answer.
Agility was the next quality in the long list of qualities that would be tested. The test for agility involved navigating through a series of obstacles in both the air and on the ground, and whichever animal made it to the end first would be the winner. Surprisingly enough, a light green feathered hummingbird beat out the falcon to be the first to reach the finish line, thus winning the agility contest.
As for the tortoise, it really didn't get far at all. Once again, it seemed to have barely taken a step before it fell over on its side. A frown formed on Rainbow Dash's face when she saw the display. "If you thought that would impress me, you thought wrong. I'm starting to wonder if I was right to let you try out for this," She told it. "I get it, you're a tortoise. But even you must be able to do something." Again, however, she got no reply.
So instead, it was onto the next challenge: This one for guts. And the challenge was simple. "Which one of you thinks they have the guts to take Opal's favorite toy?" She explained as she set a dark purple colored stuffed mouse on the ground, all the while the distant sound of hissing could be heard. "Fair warning: The last time someone tried to take Opal's favorite toy, it didn't end well for them. I won't blame anyone who wants to back out of this one, sometimes it can take guts to know when to walk away." Unsurprisingly, many of the animals did in fact back down from the challenge.
However, a few of the animals (the tortoise included) decided to brave the cat's claws in order to have a chance of winning the guts challenge. And the one who managed to make off with the toy and elude Opal's claws was an orange spotted butterfly, whose majestic wings hypnotized Opal and drained away any will she had to resist. As such, she didn't even notice until too late that the tortoise was tipping her cat carrier right on top of her.
"Well, looks like we have more than a few brave souls," Rainbow commented. "You're not making my job any easier, you know."
The next few challenges flew by in the blink of an eye, until finally there was only the radicalness challenge left. After that, Rainbow Dash was expected to check with Twilight, and then make an announcement about which animal had won both the overall competition and the right to be her pet.
A small stage was set up to allow each of the animals a chance to show how "radical" they were. It was more or less a talent contest, and each animal had something they wanted to show off, hoping it would impress the picky pegasus pony pondering the possibility of picking one of them.
First up was a sea green feathered duck with dark green feathers across its face. The duck had a flat hat colored yellow with a red stripe across the middle, a cane, and red tap dance shoes. It tap danced a little jig for Rainbow Dash, who seemed mildly impressed by the display.
An eagle similar to the one Rainbow had raced against just the other day was next. Surprisingly, it proved to be rather adept at knitting a sweater that somehow displayed a crudely drawn image of its hopeful pegasus master on it.
The falcon opted for a magic trick, wearing a small top hat as it presented a card (the ace of diamonds). But it failed to match the card Rainbow Dash had picked (the five of clubs).
A wasp used a flashlight to make shadow puppets of various creatures by moving its stinger. At first, it seemed to impress Rainbow, but after a few changes she had dozed off and lost interest.
A light brown coated bat with dark brown colored wings went next. It played a little tune on a series of glasses, then it let out a shriek and the glasses shattered into tiny fragments.
"Whoa! That was definitely awesome!" Rainbow told the bat afterwards, before her happy smile faded and was replaced by a serious frown. "But this is the radicalness contest, so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to dock you a few points."
The tortoise was the last of the animals to compete on the stage. It had somehow managed to get a small obstacle course of sorts set up, including a hoop of fire! It took one step forward, and in doing so caused a spring to give way! It launced the tortoise into the air, and somehow it managed to land just right to make past every obstacle and land safely in a net that symbolized the finish line! It then slowly poked its head out from its shell, looking none the worse for wear.
"Okay, I'll give you that one. That was actually pretty impressive on your part," Rainbow Dash informed the tortoise. "Though I'm pretty sure someone," She briefly glanced over in Fluttershy and Twilight's vacinity before turning back to the tortoise. "Helped you get all that set up. Still, not bad. At least that counts for something."
And with that, the contests drew to a close. All that remained now was for the pegasus pony to proclaim a winner.
After checking in with Twilight and going over the score, Rainbow double checked everything just to make sure she wasn't missing or misinterpreting anything. "Huh, whaddya know?" She said outloud.
"Well, the facts don't lie," Twilight pointed out. "Still, are you sure this is what you want?"
Rainbow Dash firmly nodded her head. "Yes, Twilight. I can see now clear as day what my pet's going to be, and why."
Fluttershy flashed a bright smile. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, Rainbow Dash! Now you'll be able to attend our Pony Pet Playdates! We won't have to worry about you feeling left out!"
The brash speedster did her best to play it off. "Yeah, yeah. I mean, I would've gotten a pet eventually anyway, but all of you having pets definitely sped up the clock and helped me make up my mind," She coughed into a hoof to regain her composure, and took off her hat and whistle. "Now to just make it official."
So the rainbow maned pegasus flew back to the animals who were all waiting for her. She cleared her throat. "The results in, and I'm pleased to announce that the lucky animal who will be my new pet is..." She paused for a moment, either to build tension or because she was still a bit uncertain herself. But the moment passed and she declared. "The tortoise!"
A series of noises from the animals rang out upon them hearing the announcement! All of them seemed surprised!
Rainbow gestured a hoof to quiet the animals down. "I know, I know. I'm just as surprised as all of you are. But I can't deny it," She turned her gaze to the tortoise. "The way you were willing to go through this whole competition, even when you knew you didn't have a chance of winning a single contest, it really means a lot to me," She explained. "Until a while ago, I thought that the most important traits to look for in a pet were all physical competitive abilities. But now I can see how short-sighted and shallow that really was. You saving me in Gastly Gorge really opened my eyes, kind of reminded me a lot of myself."
It seemed like the tortoise was blushing given the unusual expression upon its face.
Rainbow Dash continued. "What you have is a lot like me: A certain kind of spirit, stick-to-it-ive-ness. A never give up, can-do attitude. Whatever it is, you've got it."
"Tenacity." Twilight blurted out from afar.
Rainbow called back. "Gesundheit," Then she pondered. "Now, what am I gonna call you, Mr. Tortoise?" She tapped a hoof against her chin, trying to think. "It's gotta be something that's one of a kind, just like you," Then, suddenly, it came to her in a flash! "Of course! Tank! That's your name! Tank! You're unstoppable! Nothing can truly stop you from being there for those who need you, just like me!"
Fluttershy then trotted up, expressing her concern about a fact that she had apparently just now considered. "But how is Tank supposed to keep up with you when you're up in the clouds? After all, he can't fly."
The rainbow maned pegasus nearly gasped as the realization struck her! "You're right, Fluttershy! That's gonna be a real problem!"
Fortunately, Twilight came trotting up at that very moment with a smile. "Well, I think I have an idea that could help you, Rainbow Dash," Her smile widened as she added. "I would be more than happy to set you and Tank up with a magical propeller, one that would enable Tank to hover and even fly if he wants to. Provided you come with me back to the library and tell this lesson you just learned to Spike. I think Princess Celestia will be very interested in what you've learned today."
"Oh, alright," Rainbow sighed. "I suppose I do owe you for helping me keep score, Twilight." And so it was arranged. Already, Rainbow Dash was eagerly anticipating the next Pony Pet Playdate, and a chance to show Tank off to all of her friends. Just like them, she could now say she had a truly one of a kind pet: A tortoise that could fly.
It was a dark and rainy night in Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria. The kind of night where nopony would be out and about if they could help it, they'd rather stay indoors.
That just made it all the more fitting for a mysterious figure wearing a cloak. They had specifically arranged to pick up a very special artifact from a shop that operated solely by night, hidden in one of the many back alleys of Canterlot where it was possible to avoid detection.
The cloaked figure was now waiting impatiently for the artifact to arrive. They'd already gone to great lengths to set up this night time rendezvous, and had even brought the bits necessary to "persuade" the merchant to part with the artifact. So what was taking said merchant so long to show up?
At last, just as the cloaked figure had resigned themselves to the possibility that they were being tricked, and that they were not going to get the artifact, a unicorn stallion appeared in the distance. The stallion had a pale grayish coat, amber eyes, and a dull purple mane and tail styled so that the mane had a single lock sticking out, and the tail looked like it had been cut short. His amber eyes were hidden behind a pair of round, purple colored glasses, and he wore a brown cloak, a red and yellow beany hat and a red scarf. He was the merchant the cloaked figured had arranged to meet.
The unicorn stallion slowly but surely approached the cloaked figure, pantly heavily and looking all around to make sure he hadn't been followed. It was clear just by looking into his eyes that he was greatly conflicted about what he was doing. But as they said in business: The customer is always right.
The cloaked figure spoke not a word as they eyed the unicorn merchant and stomped a hoof down.
"I'm... terribly sorry," The stallion sincerely apologized as he tried to catch his breath. "It was not easy to smuggle this artifact out on such short notice," He then cleared his throat. "I take it you have my payment ready? After all, I can't part with something like this for nothing."
The cloaked figure plopped down a huge sack of bits and motioned to their hooves, clearly expressing their interest in what the unicorn merchant had yet to reveal.
Eyeing the sack of bits carefully, the stallion slowly lifted up his robe to reveal a small glass display stand. Inside of said stand was an amulet, a most unusual one at that. It had a blood red jewel in the center of it, and a black winged and horned pony was displayed on the outside to either side. "This is what you asked for, right? The Alicorn Amulet? It's only fair to warn you, they say this artifact is too dangerous. It bestows great power upon its user, but at a terrible price."
If the cloaked figure was at all intimidated by what they'd been told, they didn't show it outwardly as they flashed a toothy smile and took possession of the amulet via their hooves. Soon, they had removed the amulet from its display case and fitted it around their neck.
As for the unicorn stallion, he simply said with a wink. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed. After all, it's not my concern what you do with that amulet. You paid for it, so it's your responsibility now. If you tell anypony about this meeting, I'll deny it."
The cloaked figure simply turned around and ran off, satisifed that the Alicorn Amulet was now theirs. "Finally!" The figure thought to itself! "Now I'll show them all! Show them all what real magic is like! Then they will see that they were wrong to doubt me!" Already, they had a destination in mind and a plan forming in their head. They didn't seem to know or care that the amulet hanging from their neck was glowing an ominous shade of red. If they did, perhaps they would've given more thought to what was about to happen.
Twilight had no way of knowing what had unfolded in Canterlot. She was too busy worrying about other things, namely her advanced magical studies with Princess Celestia. As such, she had come to the outskirts of Ponyville, not far from Fluttershy's cottage, so as to be able to practice in quiet. She had good reason to want to practice, given what the princess had informed her of just the other day.
Fluttershy and Spike were the only ones besides Twilight who were around to witness what was unfolding. They watched with quiet interest as Twilight lit up her horn, and used her magic to lift water out of a small pond nearby. Before their very eyes, they saw the unicorn turn the water into a sideways figure eight that looped around repeatedly. All the while, Twilight could be seen straining on occasion, even as her concentration did not break.
At last, however, Twilight's horn ceased to glow. The water fell back into the pond.
Fluttershy and Spike clapped and cheered, applauding the magnificent display they had seen. And Spike was soon at Twilight's side, speaking to her and positively encouraging her. "You're getting better and better all the time, Twilight. Your magic has increased tremendously since you came to Ponyville! I think you could even give Starswirl the Bearded a run for his money, if he were here now."
Twilight nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Spike," But her happy and carefree attitude faded as she took on a nervous expression and asked. "But do you think it'll be enough to impress Princess Celestia? She told me specifically she'll be bringing delegates from Saddle Arabia with her when she comes to Ponyville tonight. I know she said it was purely for diplomatic relations, but part of me wonders if it's a secret test. Or even just a progress report to make sure I'm not slacking off on my studies."
Spike was quick to shut any such suggestions down. "If it is a test, I know it's one you'll pass with flying colors, just like your last one! And I'm not just saying that as a compliment, I'm saying that as someone who's been by your side almost from day one. I'm sure you'll do just fine."
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "Spike is right, Twilight. After all, you've been practicing your magic for days. You've really come a long way since you came to Ponyville almost two years ago. And not just in magic either."
"Guess you're right," The studious unicorn slowly sighed at last. "Assuming Princess Celestia does indeed plan to see how far I've come, I should be able to impress her pretty easily," And then she added. "At least it'll be nice to see her without some big crisis going on. It always seems like something comes up everytime we do meet."
At that moment, who should come literally flying in from out of nowhere but Rainbow Dash?! She immediately tackled Twilight, knocking the unicorn to the ground as her eyes indicated she was in a state of near panic! "Twilight, come quick! We need your help! It's an emergency!" She frantically declared!
"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Twilight all but demanded of her pegasus friend.
Rainbow Dash was already standing up, ready to take off with a flap of her wings! "No time to explain! We've gotta get to town square, stat!" And then she flew away as quickly and as suddenly as she had arrived!
Twilight reluctantly followed, all the while wondering what this "emergency" that Rainbow was talking about could be.
By the time Twilight had made it to the center of town and in front of the town hall, it seemed that something or someone was already causing a panic!
Rarity seemed to be utterly horrified and terrified, even despite her typical tendency for dramatic behavior! "Stop! Leave me alone, please!" The fashionista desperately pleaded, only for her plea to be ignored as she was suddenly struck by a blood red beam of energy! There came a puff of smoke, and when it had faded the unicorn with a snow white coat found herself clad in the most ugly and unappealing dress in hideous, clashing shades of brown and green. "You monster!" She shouted, apparently focusing her attention on somone! ""This shade of brown should only be used for accents! How could you do this to me?!"
Applejack and Pinkie Pie came rushing forward at that very moment, and it was a good thing they did since Rarity fainted from apparent shock and dismay. They carried her off as Pinkie Pie instructed to Applejack! "Come on, let's her get into a nice, soothing pink. And maybe get her fainting couch as well."
Twilight pushed her way through a gathered crowd of ponies, including a completely shellshocked Mayor Mare. She could see some kind of figure, though who it was was impossible to determine given that they had a dark black cloak that obscured their entire body. "What's going on here?!" She demanded, hoping somepony would have an answer.
Indeed, somepony did. At that very moment, a familiar voice called out from behind the cloak. "Well, well, well. If isn't Twilight Sparkle, my old nemesis." The last line was delivered with an unusually strong sense of venom and malice, but there was no mistaking to whom the voice belonged. Sure enough, a light blue colored hoof pulled back the cloak, and a familiar face poked its way up from it. It was a unicorn mare with an even lighter two tone blue mane and tail. However, her eyes were red instead of dark violet like they had been last time.
More concerning and noticeable, however, was a strange red necklace the unicorn appeared to wearing around her neck. And it seemed she had ditched her periwinkle colored hat and matching cape.
Twilight immediately recognized the unicorn and gasped as she took a step back! "Trixie?! How... unexpected! But you look different, somehow. What's with that necklace, and where's your hat and cape?!"
Trixie stomped a hoof down and growled. "Trixie has undergo some changes, changes that don't concern the likes of you, Twilight Sparkle! All you need to know, is that Trixie has come back to Ponyville like she said she would. And for one reason only: To settle the score, to get revenge!"
The studious unicorn blinked. That statement took her by surprise. "'Revenge?' What do you mean by that, Trixie?! What happened last time was an honest misunderstanding, you know that!"
"Oh, that's just what you want to think," Trixie coldly hissed, a marked contrast from the behavior she had shown last time she'd been in Ponyville. "Obviously, you don't know what became of Trixie after she left! Perhaps Trixie should enlighten you!" She used her horn to conjur up a screen displayed in a blood red glow. The screen showed pictures of Trixie going from town to town, place to place. And everywhere she went, she wasn't just heckled: She was mocked, jeered and laughed at to her face. Her wagon was defiled with crude and rude grafitti, and looked like it was all but falling apart.
As the images flashed by, Trixie explained in a bitter tone of voice. "You ruined The Great and Powerful Trixie, Twilight Sparkle! RUINED! Thanks to you, Trixie became the biggest laughing stock in all of Equestria, everywhere I went it was the same. Ponies all looked down on me, treated me like common trash! All because of that Ursa Minor incident, all because you exposed Trixie as second best, or should I say second rate?!"
"Trixie, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you look bad!" Twilight protested to the best of her ability. "We're not enemies! Whatever happened to you after you left Ponyville, that doesn't give you the right to take it out on my friends or myself!"
"Shut up! Trixie doesn't care!" Trixie groaned as she put her hooves to the sides of her head, visibly straining for a moment for reasons unknown. But the moment passed and her expression only grew more hateful and resentful as the images now showed her to be working out in a field somewhere, picking away at a rock. All the while an amber coated earth pony stallion was instructing her. "I even had to take a job on a rock farm just to make a living! A rock farm! That's how low Trixie had to stoop thanks to you!"
At that, Pinkie Pie spoke up in protest! "Hey, you're lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you! You can't talk about my family that way! Nopony can!"
"I've heard enough out of you, loud mouth!" Trixie snapped, and used her magic to quite literally remove Pinkie Pie's mouth and lips. She subsequently dragged it over to a magical symbol of a trash can, and then poofed it away. That reduced Pinkie Pie to tears, but she couldn't make any sounds other than strange grunts and cries.
Seeing such a harsh reaction from Trixie caused Twilight to narrow her own eyes as she told her fellow unicorn. "Trixie, that's enough! You give Pinkie her mouth back right now! I'm warning you!"
Trixie only roared back! "If you want Trixie to stop, you'll have to defeat her first! And that won't be possible!"
"You want a magic duel?! Here?! Now?!" Twilight protested! "Trixie, do you really think this will end well for you? It won't!" And then she added. "I don't wanna fight you! I don't want any problems! Just go away, before you destroy your reputation!"
The bitter ex-magician simply replied. "Well if you don't wanna play, Twilight Sparkle, that's fine. After all, the loser of the magic duel must leave Ponyville, forever! And never come back!"
Again, Twilight pleaded. "Trixie, please! There's no reason for us to fight! Why should we have to prove anything?"
Trixie only coldly laughed. "If you can't think of a reason for us to fight, Trixie shall give you one! Trixie knows what buttons she has to press." Then she used her magic to pick up Spike and pull him towards her.
Spike squirmed as she tried in vain to fight against the pull. "H-hey, put me down!" He demanded as his eyes flashed with horror! But within seconds, he was turned into a ball and bounced around by Trixie's magic!
"Trixie, you leave Spike out of this! He's my son! He never did anything to you!" Twilight insisted! "If you harm one scale on his head, I'll never forgive you!"
"Oh, so he's your son now, is he?" Trixie asked, sounding a tiny bit surprised by what she had heard. "Well, if hurting him is the only way to get to you, then Trixie will do what she must. If you don't want to play my game, that's fine. I'll just spend my time here in Ponyville getting my revenge on everypony else. I can't wait to watch them all beg for mercy!"
The studious unicorn found herself gasping when she heard such a statement! Trixie had never shown this kind of cruetly before! What had changed?! Had the time on the road since the Ursa Minor incident really caused the magician to become so hardened and bitter?
Looking around, Twilight's eyes took in the sights of all that Trixie had already done in the short amount of time she had been in town. She showed no signs of stopping, and the cruelty she was inflicting unto others was becoming more and more noticeable by the second.
So it was that Twilight made what she thought was the only right decision to make in these circumstances. Much as she might be loathe to wage any sort of duel or contest against another, and much as she might be put off by Trixie's change of personality, she hadn't gotten to where she was by sitting on the sidelines when others were being hurt! Trixie had to be stopped one way or another, and Twilight was thoroughly convinced she was that pony! "Alright, Trixie! If you really want a magic duel so bad, you can have one!" She told the ex-magician.
"Splendid!" Trixie cackled with fiendish glee! "Prepare to do battle, and prepare to lose!"
But Twilight threw up a hoof and objected. "Not so fast, Trixie! First, you have to undo everything you've done to my friends, Spike included. And you leave them out of any further actions you take. It's me you want, not them! Don't drag my friends into this!"
The ex-magician humphed, but reluctantly obeyed. "Very well, if you insist. Just make sure none of your 'friends'," She coldly hissed. "Try to interfere in our duel. Anyone who does is gonna be sorry!" Then she lit up her horn, quickly undoing all of her previous acts of cruelty.
Pinkie Pie, for her part, was greatly relieved to have her mouth again! "Ah, much better!" She sighed in relief, before glaring at Trixie! "But you still owe me an apology for insulting my family's rock farm!"
Trixie just snapped back at Pinkie! "Zip it, loud mouth! Don't make Trixie regret her act of kindness. If you do, so help the Great and Powerful Trixie, she will sew that big mouth of yours shut!" That was enough to make the usually chatty Pinkie Pie clam up.
So it was that the stage was now set for an impromptu magic duel between two unicorns who had displayed magical power the likes of which nopony could truly match.
Twilight and Trixie stood in the center of town as ponies hastily backed up and made space, none wanting to get near the two unicorns. All the while, Twilight and Trixie glared at one another and seemed to be trying to size one another up. The tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife.
"Okay, Trixie," Twilight insisted at last. "Let's duel!" In the back of her mind she was thinking. "I don't know what's gotten into Trixie, and I don't want to hurt her. I've got to find a way to get her to see reason before Princess Celestia shows up."
Trixie, meanwhile, simply stated. "Very well, let's do this!" And she quickly explained. "You know about magic duels, Twilight Sparkle. The only rule is that anything goes! Whoever can cast a spell that the other can't best is the winner. And remember, whoever loses must leave Ponyville FOREVER!"
Twilight Sparkle nodded. "Fine with me, Trixie. Let's see what you've got!"
Trixie only laughed as she made the first move. "Very well. Just be prepared to admit to your own foolishness!" She proceeded to envelope a nearby cart in her magic, and effortlessly hurled it through the air! Desperate ponies screamed and ran, hoping to get away from the cart before it crashed to the ground! But in the panic, one pony stumbled and soon found the shadow of the cart enveloping them! Terrified, the pony let out a scream!
Acting fast, Twilight lit up her horn and caught the cart in mid air! Then she carefully set it and its contents down on the ground, watching as the frightened pony ran away. This apparent disregard for life made Twilight uncomfortable. She couldn't help but think. "This isn't like Trixie at all. She'd never intentionally endanger other ponies! Something's off about her, something's got to be influencing her somehow! But what?!"
Well, those were thoughts Twilight didn't have much time to dwell upon. Her best hope was to try to overwhelm Trixie with spells fast, and bring this magic duel to a close as quicky as possible! She shot off a powerful beam from her horn, enveloping Trixie and striking her straight in the face. The magic made Twilight's opponent grow a truly massive beard!
Ponies watching the duel laughed themselves silly at such a sight, watching as the beard began to drag Trixie down due to its immense weight. But the laughter was short lived as Trixie used her magic to conjure up scissors and even a large shaver, which went right to work on trimming away the massive beard until it was just a pile of black hairs scattered on the ground. And she responded by using her magic to conjure up some pies, hurling them at Twilight Sparkle with precision!
Thinking fast, Twilight countered by summoning a blue colored parasprite. It gobbled up the pies in the blink of an eye! Then Twilight teleported it away before it had the chance to produce a second parasprite (and thus start multiplying out of control). After that, she used her magic to pull several dark gray clouds and make them unload their contents onto Trixie. In this case, the clouds were full of snow that came down and buried the magician!
Trixie was quick to summon up an artificial sun with her magic to melt the snow, then fired off another beam from her horn. A beam that Twilight countered with her own. The two beams clashed for a moment, pushing back and forth against one another without really conceeding any ground. Eventually, the beams faded as neither unicorn could maintain the strain it was taking on their bodies.
Both Twilight and Trixie were starting to pant and sweat, showing clear signs of exhaustion. They seemed to be evenly matched, much to the surprise of everypony.
"You're a lot stronger than I expected," Twilight told Trixie after she had taken time to catch her breath. "Just how did you become so powerful, Trixie?"
"Hah, as if the Great and Powerful Trixie would ever tell the likes of you!" Trixie coldly snorted in reply. "So you've countered Trixie's every move up to this point. So what? You still haven't seen my best tricks yet! And you'd best believe Trixie has many tricks up her sleeve!" Then she turned her eyes to two very familiar unicorn colts, one a sort of cyan blue and the other a bright orange. She snapped at them and commanded. "Snips! Snails! The Great and Powerful Trixie requests your presence, now!"
Hesitant though they were to obey any command from the magician, the two colts neverthless nervously made their way forward. "W-what do you want from us, Trixie?" They asked as they gulped at the same time.
Trixie didn't answer right away, she just used her magic to pick up the two unicorn colts and surround them with several beams of blood red colored magic. "Don't worry. If you two dunderheads hold still, this won't hurt a bit." She lifted them into the air and enveloped them in a magic bubble. There was a great big flash! And then suddenly, poof! Snips and Snails were transformed! Snips had been turned into a baby foal, while Snails had become almost as old as Granny Smith: He even had a white beard and glasses.
Twilight Sparkle gasped as her eyes widened in shock! "What?! An age spell?! But... that's impossible! Only the most high level unicorns could even attempt such a thing!"
"I told you, Twilight Sparkle," Trixie hissed. "Trixie is more powerful than you might believe," And then she taunted. "What's wrong? Is a double age spell too much for you, Twilight Sparkle? Are you ready to admit defeat and accept that Trixie is better than you?"
"Give up? Never!" Twilight roared in defiance! "I... can do this!" She said even as a gulp betrayed her intentions. She swallowed hard and shut her eyes as she lifted Snips and Snails into the air, trying to undo what Trixie had done to them.
Spike could see Twilight visibly straining, sparks starting to leak out from her horn as her magic seemed to occasionally sputter. "Come on, Twilight!" He pleaded as he put his claws together. "You've got this!"
A powerful light of violet-red, similar to the skunk stripe in Twilight's mane began to appear. It looked like she was going to be successful, despite how much she seemed to be straining and struggling. But then suddenly, the light faded as the magic from Twilight's horn shut off completely. The studious unicorn felt her legs give way, and she collapsed to the ground as the audience let out a horrified gasp! "This... can't... be..." She weakly groaned as she tried to get back up, only to find that her body refused to cooperate.
Spike was horrified and rushed to Twilight's side at once! "NO!" He shouted as he tried to lift her! "Come on, Twilight! You gotta get up! You just gotta! You can't lose! Not now!"
"I... I..." Twilight tried to summon up the courage to stand, but it was no use. Physically, mentally and magically, she was spent. She fell back to the ground with a thud as a small cloud of dust was stirred up by her impact.
Trixie was all too eager to take such a display as a sign of concession on the part of her foe. "YES!" She bellowed and cackled with glee as she lifted her hooves into the air! "Trixie really is the highest level unicorn! None are greater than her! And you, Twilight Sparkle," She snarled and sneered! "You were a fool to think you could ever be a match for the Great and Powerful Trixie! Which means now it's time for you to leave Ponyville, forever!"
But Twilight's friends all stepped forward and surrounded the studious unicorn, refusing to budge. "Twilight's not goin' anywhere!" Applejack firmly insisted! "Not on our watch!"
And Rarity added. "You proved your point, Trixie. There's no need to take things any further. Even you can't just kick Twilight out because you want to!"
However, Trixie simply used her magic to pick up Twilight and hurl her towards the horizon, thus expelling her from Ponyville. "You fools, as if you had a choice in the matter! She's already gone!" She snapped. And as soon as she had flung Twilight out of town, she used her magic to conjure up a huge, magical bubble to envelope all of Ponyville. "And this is to make sure she doesn't ever try to come back!"
Twilight had little time to react as the bubble came down! She ran right up to it, hoping to get back into Ponyville before it was sealed off! Alas, she was too late.
Spike and the five mares rushed up to the edge of the bubble, looking on with shock as they saw that they were completely separated from Twilight and unable to reach her.
Spike was practically beside himsself from grief, tears started to form in his eyes! "This... this can't be happening!" He tried to protest! "Mom, please, don't leave me!"
"Spike!" Twilight firmly instructed from the other side of the bubble. "Spike, please, look at me," When the little dragon turned around she instructed. "I need you to be brave, for both of us. I'll be okay, I promise. I won't give up until I find a way to get back in."
"Princess Celestia will hear about this! I promise!" Spike vowed even as he couldn't stop himself from tearing up. "Trixie won't get away with this! She'll be sorry!"
Twilight then spoke to her other friends. "I'm counting on all of you to be there for Spike. Take good care of him while I'm gone," Then she added. "And keep an eye on Trixie. I know something's different about her. She wasn't always like this."
"We'll do our best, sugarcube," Applejack insisted. "Just promise us that when you and Trixie have your rematch, you'll kick her sorry rump so we can all put this behind us!"
"I'll do my best," The studious unicorn promised. "Somehow, someway, I'll have to get stronger. And somehow, someway, I'll find out what caused Trixie to become this way. Now all of you be brave. Our friendship will keep us together in spirit, even if we can't be there for each other in pony." And with that she turned and slowly trotted away.
It took Twilight a while to gather her emotions and process the whirlwind of events that had unfolded so suddenly. That had been part of the reason for her leaving the bubble and retreating to a place where she could be alone.
Once she'd cleared her head enough, the studious, book loving unicorn turned her attention to a flower. Recalling her inability to counter an age spell, she concentrated all her magic on the flower in the hopes that she might be able to de-age it even just a little. Alas, her efforts were in vain. No matter how hard she willed the flower, she could do nothing to it at all.
A groan escaped the young unicorn mare. So many things were nagging at her brain, refusing to leave her alone! Why did it have to be on today of all days? A day when she'd been expecting to demonstrate her magical skills to Princess Celestia? Why couldn't it have been a day when she didn't have anything important to do?
Suddenly, a silhouette cast a shadow over the sun. It took on the form of a pony with wings and a horn. The pony who had cast the shadow soon made their presence known, revealing themselves as a very familiar alicorn with a midnight blue coat, and a flowing mane and tail a beautiful shade of blue. "Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. We meet again." The alicorn spoke in a slow, somber and calming tone of voice.
Immediately, Twilight let out a gasp! "Princess Luna!" And once the shock had worn off she saw fit to question. "How did you know where to find me? I haven't even tried to get in touch with Princess Celestia yet."
"You forget, I am Spike's dragonsitter. It is my duty to assist him as needed," Princess Luna explained. "I was able to pick up on his distress from afar. And he was clearly worried about you. So I am here for you because he believes I can help you, just as you've helped me."
"But how? This isn't like the royal wedding," Twilight pointed out. "I'm not even sure what I'm up against. I just know that something has to be influencing Trixie somehow."
Princess Luna put a hoof to her chin, deep in thought. "What exactly are you referring to, Twilight Sparkle? I could not pick up on many details from Spike, you must fill me in as best you can."
The studious unicorn slowly nodded. "Right, sorry. It's kind of a long story," She took a deep breath. "Basically, Trixie, a pony I thought I knew, came back to town today. But she's changed somehow. She's not who she used to be. She's gone from high and mighty to mean and nasty. And her magic is way stronger than it was last time I saw her. Come to think of it," She paused, remembering a detail that had caught her eye. "She seemed to be wearing some kind of necklace. It was red and had what looked like alicorns on either side of it."
The night princess' eyes grew wide when she heard the description. "Can it really be?! I had heard rumors about such objects, but I never believed there exisited any that could actually corrupt somepony."
"You mean, you know what it is?!" Twilight asked in a hopeful tone of voice.
Princess Luna frowned and hung her head. "I'm afraid I do not. I only remember that I heard about it once during the time I was Nightmare Moon," She shuddered as she briefly shut her eyes. "You'll forgive me if I don't wish to dwell upon such times."
"Well, if it is dark magic I'm dealing with, then I need to get stronger!" Twilight firmly insisted! "I need to be able to find a way to counter it! It's the only way I can save my friends, I'm sure of it!"
Princess Luna unfolded her wings. "There isn't much I can really teach you about magic, Twilight. Especially not dark magic, if indeed that's what you're facing," She then added. "However, there is another. There's one who has learned about a different kind of magic."
"What do you mea-" Twilight began, only for a sudden realization to strike her and make her gasp! "Of course, Zecora! She may not know about dark magic, but she does have a magic all her own. Maybe she can teach me!"
The alicorn firmly nodded. "It's like you've read my mind, Twilight Sparkle. Now we must hurry! And let's hope Zecora is willing to take you under her wing."
Fortunately, Zecora was more than willing to accomodate both unicorn and alicorn inside her hut. And she listened quietly and sympathetically as Twilight explained everything to the best of her ability. "And that's when I knew I had to come and see you, Zecora," She finally said as she concluded her long explanation. "I know your magic involves potions and brews, not pony magic like spells or flight, but I don't know who else to turn to. Princess Luna seems to think you're the only one who can help me improve."
Zecora was silent for a moment, apparently deep in a meditative state. Then, she slowly opened her eyes, took a deep breath and said calmly. "Twilight, your tale of woe does concern me so. It's no wonder you're so sour, what you experienced was an abuse of power."
"I know that, and I know that something must be making Trixie act the way she is," Twilight went on. "But I can't get back into Ponyville. And even if I did there'd be no point, I'd just lose again. I need to find some way to get better, to be able to at least match Trixie. If not, I'll be letting all my friends down, Spike included."
"You musn't worry so much about your friends, or even Spike," Princess Luna cautioned. "Not to the point where you fail to think about yourself. What you're dealing with is a power that only my sister and I have any real knowledge about. And even then, our knowledge is limited, Twilight. You must be very careful in how you choose to approach your inevitable rematch with Trixie. If not," Her tone of voice became ominous. "It could very badly for you. Far worse than a wounded pride and a forced exile."
Zecora, meanwhile, took a sip of tea from a cup she held in one hoof. Then she set it down on the table as she told Twilight. "Princess Luna is right, you must trust your friends not to cower. Right now, there is nothing any of you can to do match Trixie's power," Then she added. "You must come and train with me, then so good shall you be. I'll gladly teach you all that I know, and then you will able to put an end to Trixie's little horror show."
The studious unicorn could hardly believe her ears, even as she knew there was no this could be anything other than real. "That's it, then? You'll teach me?" She asked the zebra, and received a confirming nod. As a result, she bowed her head before Zecora and said to her. "Then, I'll do whatever you instruct me to do, Zecora. From this moment onward, I'm your humble student."
Zecora nodded as she then spoke in a rather serious tone of voice. "When it comes to magic, it would be tragic if somepony licked me, especially Trixie." A part of her sounded almost jealous if the way she spoke was any indication.
"Then let's not waste any time!" Twilight firmly vowed! "I'm ready to start my training with you, Zecora! I have to get stronger, everyone in Ponyville is counting on me!"
Back in Ponyville, Trixie had quickly taken to asserting her will over the town. Within seconds of having bested Twilight and kicked her out of town, the ex-magician had stormed into town hall. "Sorry, Mayor, your services are no longer needed!" She told Mayor Mare, and quickly tossed the earth pony over her desk and into a cage.
"You've got some nerve treating me like this!" Mayor Mare groaned as she rattled against the cage in a helpless fashion. "Mark my words, Princess Celestia will hear about this!"
"Ha, as if!" Trixie taunted. "She won't be able to lay a hoof on Trixie! Trixie is hereby taking over Ponyville, and no one has the right to complain about it!" Soon afterward, she began to press various ponies into serving her every whim, even if they didn't want (and none did). "Hey, you two!" She barked at Mr. and Mrs. Cake as the two bakers just happened to be passing by. "Go and fetch a proper throne for your new empress!"
"What?! You?! You can't be serious!" Mrs. Cake gasped in disbelief!
Trixie glared at Mrs. Cake. "Are you talking back to your superior? Trixie wouldn't recommend it if she were you." And to emphasis her point, she shot off a blast from her horn that crackled and sizzled ominously when it impacted the ground!
"A-alright, alright!" Mr. Cake forced back a gulp. "W-we'll get you what you want, just don't hurt us. We have children for Celestia's sake!" And he and his wife took off as fast as their hooves would let them!
Pinkie Pie happened to trot upon the scene a moment later, and she was anything but pleased! "How dare you treat the Cakes like that! They're practically a second family to me! Nopony treats my family like dirt! Nopony!"
If the unicorn was at all intimidated by the glare Pinkie shot her, she didn't show it outward as she just lit up her horn. "What are you gonna do about it, hm? Don't forget who has magic and power around here," She quickly enveloped the pink party pony with her blood red magic and snapped. "Now, dance! Dance for your new ruler, and maybe I won't have to hurt you."
Reluctantly, Pinkie obeyed, even going far as to force a smile upon her face. But it was clear from the look in her blue eyes that she was anything but happy about what she was being forced to do.
The Cakes returned a short time later with a long, lavishly decorated sofa. "W-will this do?" They asked Trixie at once.
Trixie responded very slowly. "...It'll have to do, for now," Then she ordered. "Now go find that know-nothing Applejack and tell her to come here! And she should bring her friend Rarity along too! Trixie has a need for both of them."
"Don't bother, Trixie," Applejack spoke up as she trotted in with narrowed eyes and a quirked brow. "This here's gone far enough! I don't know what's gotten into ya, but I don't like it!" She pressed herself up against the magician until the two were snout to snout and she demanded. "I'm only gonna say this once: Bring back Twilight, or else I ain't doin' a thing for you!"
But Trixie only replied by picking up Applejack with her magic. "How dare you talk back to The Great and Powerful Empress Trixie like that, you stubborn fool! Perhaps I need to make an example out of you!"
Applejack's earlier bravado left her as she gulped, struggling in vain against Trixie's magical hold. "W-what are you gonna do to me?" A moment later, she saw Trixie produce a feather out of thin air. The feather was quickly moved all over Applejack, making her laugh until she had tears in her eyes and her whole body began to ache. "Okay, okay, enough already!" She protested through the tears and the laughter. "You win! Just, please, make it stop! I can't take much more of this!"
The ex-magician smiled as she lowered the farm mare to the ground. "See what happens when you cooperate?" Then she ordered. "Now, I want an applesauce facial. And remember, it better be good, or else!"
"A-alright, alright," Applejack reluctantly agreed. "And I'll pass word along to the others not to mess with ya."
"Excellent!" Trixie smiled with glee.
Unbeknowst to anypony, Fluttershy had been watching the whole thing unfold from one of the windows. She was horrified, but had seen enough to know that trying to challenge Trixie would be foolish and pointless. "Twilight, please, you have to come back!" She thought to herself. "Trixie's worse than ever! I don't know if we'll be able to survive a week under her rule."
Twilight had no way to know what was unfolding in Ponyville. She was currently deep in the Everfree Forest, standing in the middle of a pond with her eyes closed. She was levitating herself just above the pond's surface as instructed to by Zecora, all the while she was using her magic to pull bubbles of water out of the pond and circle them around her. Zecora and Princess Luna watched silently, their faces a mix of interest and concern.
Zecora was perched atop a stick, meditating again as she instructed. "Ah yes, no noise, no sound, no din, and no fuss must interfere with your focus. You must unlearn what you have already learned. For only then can your victory truly be earned."
The unicorn tried to do as she had been instructed to do. She tried to concentrate on tuning out all mental distractions, focusing solely on the here and now. But the images kept coming despite her best efforts! Images of her friends all looking on in horror as she was kicked out of Ponyville, separated from them and powerless to do anything to reassure her! And of course, there were the various statements Trixie had made about revenge. It didn't sound like mere boasting, it sounded like she'd really meant it.
As a result of all these images, Twilight lost her focus and her concentration. She opened her eyes and fell into the pond with a splash, soaking her entire body!
Princess Luna frowned and Zecora could only shake her head in disapproval.
"I... I'm sorry, really," Twilight sincerely apologized. "I just can't stop thinking about everypony, about my friends. They're all counting on me to come back and save them," Then she added. "And I can't stop thinking about Trixie. Something about her isn't right. It has to be related to that thing she had on her neck, I'm sure of it. I just wish I knew what it was. This can't just be because of that Ursa Minor incident. It can't be!"
Princess Luna let out a long sigh. "Twilight, your concerns are appreciated. But they'll do you little good if you can't learn to tune them out. They're becoming a distraction to you, preventing you from seeing what's right in front of you. You're no good to anyone if you let your fears and your concerns get the best of you."
Zecora nodded in approval as she added. "Twilight, there is much, much that I can teach, but it seems the answer you need is still out of reach. I appreciate your concerns, but for now your thinking needs to readjust. If you wish to defeat Trixie, then total concentration is a must."
The studious unicorn could only shake her head from side to side, before she clinmed out of the pond and shook herself dry. "That's one thing I can't do, Zecora. I could never be like you. I can't change who I am. I know you don't want me to completely forget about others, but I can't stop thinking about them. My training isn't just for my sake. I'm not doing this just because I want to be stronger than Trixie. This isn't some kind of competition, and I refuse to let it escalate into one. We had no reason to fight!"
Just then, in a swirl of light green and purple magic, a scroll materialized from out of thin air! Thinking fast, Princess Luna enveloped it within the soft glow of her horn and held it aloft. Then she unfurled it and scanned it thoroughly. When she did so, her eyes widened as she gasped! "It's for you, Twilight! It seems Spike has figured out what it is that's made Trixie so powerful."
"He did? I guess that shouldn't surprise me, he is my son after all," Twilight commented, before she trotted over and took hold of the scroll with her own magic. Almost immediately, three words caught her attention. "The Alicorn Amulet! That must be it! That must be what Trixie was wearing!" She then read further. "It says here that the amulet is a cursed artifact, rumored to have been created by the evil King Sombra himself to amplify his powers. Using it bestows the wearer with incredible magical power, but at the cost of the amulet corrupting its user and plaguing their mind with dark thoughts."
Princess Luna's lips quivered. "So it's dark magic after all. It's just as I feared," And she immediately looked to Twilight as she told the unicorn in no uncertain terms. "Twilight, you must forget that vow you made earlier. Trixie is far too dangerous for you to take on now! Leave this to my sister and I. We have experience in dealing with dark magic."
Twilight protested at once. "I dealt with dark magic in the Crystal Empire, Princess Luna. And I turned out just fine. I refuse to sit on the sidelines and do nothing while Ponyville is threatened!"
"But there's no way you can beat Trixie in another magic duel," Princess Luna argued back. "Please, Twilight. Think about yourself, what would you accomplish trying to take on Trixie head on again?"
The studious unicorn gulped and bit her hoof. "I... hadn't thought of that. You're right, Princess Luna. I'll need a plan. There must be a way to trick Trixie into taking off that amulet. If I can do that, I'm sure she'll go back to the way she was the last time I saw her."
Zecora then spoke up and proposed to her student. "Twilight Sparkle, I have taught you all that I know. I've seen for myself how much your power can grow. Much work have you done. You learned all of my lessons; All but one," She spoke the next words very slowly as she put a hoof to the unicorn's heart. "However, Trixie herself is what still has you in a fix. So it is time for you to nix your own magic, and trust in the magic of six."
Twilight pondered the words, realizing they were some kind of riddle intended to guide her. And unlike the riddle with Discord, this one wasn't a trick or a trap. She thought aloud as she trotted about with only the faint noise of the Everfree Forest to at all interrupt her. Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up as the answer dawned on her! "Trust the magic of six, that's it! You're a genius, Zecora! The answer was right in front of me the whole time!"
"What are you planning to do, Twilight?" Princess Luna asked. "And is there any way I can be of assistance?"
Twilight flashed a bright smile as she approached the alicorn. "I'm very glad you asked me that, Princess Luna," She began to whisper. "Now listen carefully, here's what I want you to do. And make sure to pass this information along exactly as I tell it to you," Then she asked. "And Zecora, do you have anything I could use as bait?"
Sometime later, Trixie was most surprised to be alerted to something touching the magic bubble she had encased Ponyville in. So it was that she set off for it on hoof, only to be surprised anew at what (or rather who) was waiting for her on the other side. "You!" She gasped and snarled when she saw Twilight Sparkle. "I thought I ran you out of town! You think I'm just gonna let you back in now? Fat chance!" Then she smirked. "That is, unless you're willing to accept me as your new rightful ruler."
"I didn't come to surrender to you, Trixie," Twilight confidently pointed out, then accusingly pointed a hoof. "I know the truth now. I know about that the Alicorn Amulet, and I know that you cheated during our duel. You never said anything about power amplifiers."
Trixie feigned ignorance and innocence. "Cheated? Moi? You've no proof! And even if you did, what good would it do you? Why should I care? I beat you, and that's all there is to it."
Twilight replied with a smug grin as she pulled out an amulet with what looked like a green orb in the center. "Care to put your money where your mouth is, Trixie? I figured you might like to see what a real magical amulet looks like. This one is from beyond the Everfree Forest, but Zecora was nice enough to give it to me as a present for training under her. It's much, much better than your silly Alicorn Amulet! If you knew what was good for you, you'd take it off and throw it away."
The ex-magician snorted and laughed. "Ha! As if! Nothing's more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet! And there's no way any amount of training could make you more powerful than the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
The studious unicorn mare simply shrugged her hooves and turned her back to Trixie as she taunted. "Oh well, your loss. Come on, Zecora. We've wasted enough time here. Let's just go and leave Little Miss Great and Powerful here to stroke her ego a little longer."
Just as Twilight hoped, her words touched something deep inside Trixie, namely Trixie's pride. Sure enough, Trixie lowered the bubble and trotted up to Twilight. "You really wanna lose so badly a second time? Trixie is more than happy to oblige! Double or nothing! And when I beat you this time, you'll stay away from Ponyville and give your amulet over to me!"
"Fine, but if I win you're taking off that Alicorn Amulet. No ifs, ands or buts," Twilight Sparkle firmly insisted. "Deal?"
"Deal! There's no way that'll be happening, though. You don't stand a chance!" Trixie boasted, and so a second magic duel was agreed to.
The two unicorns naturally decided to hold the second magic duel in the same place they'd held the first one. Despite the fact that the bubble didn't block out the sun's rays, the setting and the overall vibe of this duel felt intense. Even so, countless ponies gathered, many of them silently rooting for Twilight in the hopes she would prevail and end Trixie's reign of terror.
Trixie then laid down the rules for the second duel. "Trixie has already proven how powerful she is, Twilight Sparkle. There's no need to prove it a second time. You're the one who issued this challenge, you're the one who claims she has the more powerful amulet. So go ahead, show Trixie what you can do. I'll decide for myself who has the better amulet," Then she boasted. "But I'll bet you can't even pull off an age spell, let alone a double age spell."
Twilight scoffed while tapping her amulet, making sure it was secure around her neck. "We'll just see about that, Trixie, won't we?" Then she called out. "Applejack, Rarity? Could you come help me, please?"
Applejack and Rarity seemed surprised, but they reluctantly agreed and stepped forward. Twilight lit up her horn, and zapped them both, causing them both to disappear in a puff of violet red smoke. When the smoke cleared, they had been replaced by filly versions of themselves, even their cutie marks had vanished complete.
Trixie was a bit surprised, but tried not to let it show. "Oh, ho-hum. So you can do an age spell, big deal. So maybe you have been practicing. It's still not enough."
"Oh, you need more proof?" Twilight replied in a mocking tone of voice. "Let me show you what other age spells I can do! Tell me, Trixie, can your silly little Alicorn Amulet do this?" She lit up her horn again, and turned Applejack and Rarity back to normal. Then she did it again, this time turning Applejack into an old mare, before turning Applejack back to normal.
Trixie's mouth dropped wide open in shock! "That's... that's impossible! How are you doing this?!"
Rather than reply with words, Twilight just giggled and grinned. "It's not just age spells, Trixie. With this amulet, I can do tricks better than any you could ever do. Now watch this!" She then fired off a beam of her magic at Rainbow Dash.
To the surprise of everypony, a second Rainbow Dash appeared from behind the first one.
But Twilight was far from done with her demonstration. "That's just a simple duplication spell," She told Trixie, and then asked. "Check this out! You ever see one pony play ten instruments before?"
Pinkie Pie was soon struck by a blast of magic from Twilight, and in a puff of smoke she began playing ten different musical instruments that included a drum, a harmonica and even a tuba.
Trixie was absolutely speechless! "But... but..."
Then Twilight seemed to get a rather miscehvious idea as a cheeky grin spread across her face. She looked to Applejack and boasted. "Ooh, how about one more? I can even turn a mare into a stallion."
"Wait just a minute there!" Applejack tried to protest, only to be struck by Twilight's magic and transformed! When the smoke cleared, there stood a male Applejack who blushed and simply said. "Eeyup." Applejack was quite relieved to be turned back to normal a few seconds later.
The studious, book loving unicorn mare then boasted to her fellow unicorn. "How's that for proof, Trixie? Still think your amulet's better than mine?" She received an answer when she felt her amulet be yanked abruptly off her neck and pulled away from her! "Hey!" She cried, but was ignored.
Trixie held Twilight's amulet firmly in her front left hoof as she proclaimed loudly for all to hear. "If that amulet is really so powerful, than Trixie must have it for herself! And with said amulet, I shall now rule all of Equestria!" She proceeded to use her magic to yank off the Alicorn Amulet and let it fall to the ground. As she did so, it was possible to notice her magic change color from a blood red to a light pink (and her eyes stopped glowing red too). "Witness, my subjects. Gaze upon an ever greater and 'powerful-er' Trixie!"
One of the Rainbow Dash's swooped down just seconds later, snatching the Alicorn Amulet up and flying off. "Guess you won't be needing this anymore!" She called.
It took a few seconds for the ex-magician to realize what was happening and what she now had. "Forget it, I don't need the Alicorn Amulet. I have this! Prepare to face my wrath!"
Rainbow Dash was soon hit by a beam of light pink magic. But her reaction was not what anyone was expecting. She began laughing hysterically! "Stop it! That tickles!"
Trixie blinked in shock. "What?! Tickles?! That was supposed to make you writhe in agony, not tickle you!" Then she noticed something else. "Hey, what's going on? Why doesn't Trixie feel powerful anymore? This amulet was supposed to boost my power."
"Hate to break it to you, Trixie," Twilight pointed out as she came trotting up. "But that amulet's not really an amulet. It's just one of Zecora's doorknobs." And seconds after she had spoken those words, the knob slipped out of its holding place, fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had delivered the Alicorn Amulet to Zecora. And the zebra promptly locked it up tight inside of a box. When the amulet was sealed away, Rainbow firmly declared! "This amulet's getting buried deep away where no one will ever be able to find it and use it again! It's far too dangerous to be used by anypony!"
Trixie was utterly speechless. "But... I don't understand. How is this possible?" She questioned to Twilight. "How were you able to pull off all those spells just now? If it wasn't an amulet, what was it?"
"A magic far greater than any amulet, especially one you should've known better than to use," Twilight pointed out. "It was the magic of friendship, manifested through something I'm sure a magician like you recognizes: Smoke and mirrors," Then she explained. "Princess Luna was able to rely the information to everypony in town so we could get this all set up."
"But why would you do all this? Why lie to Trixie just to make her get rid of the Alicorn Amulet?" The ex-magician questioned. "Why would you turn down something so powerful?"
Twilight explained. "Because, Trixie, true power isn't about being strong. Training with Zecora helped me to learn a lot about magic. Including when not to use it. It helped me realize that I couldn't possibly hope to take on something like the Alicorn Amulet all by myself. But with the magic of friendship, with help from everypony I've befriended and the friends they've made, I was able to put on a show skilled enough to fool even you," As she spoke, several townsponies began to wash off their paint, revealing themselves as having been in on the act. "I also knew that the only pony who could get the amulet off your neck was you."
"But what about the ten instruments?" Trixie questioned in a state of confusion.
Pinkie Pie grinned. "That's not magic at all, Trixie. It's just me being me. As for how I was able to do that," She winked. "Well, maybe I would've told you if you hadn't been so mean to the Cakes earlier. But hey, that's all water under the bridge now, more or less. After all, Twilight and Princess Luna told us that the Alicorn Amulet was making you act all crazy. You even started saying you didn't trust wheels."
The ex-magician hung her head in shame. "I can't believe a great and powerful magician like Trixie was outsmarted at her own game."
Unfortunately for Trixie, there was worse to come. At that very moment, who should come trotting up on the scene but Princess Celestia herself? And judging by the expression on her face, she did not look happy at all. Her eyes were narrowed and slanted, and she was not smiling in the slightest. "What's all this I'm hearing from my sister about an Alicorn Amulet?" She questioned. "Such an artifact is forbidden to be used or even displayed. It's far too dangerous!"
Trixie gulped and swallowed hard. She knew there was no getting out of this one. She couldn't possibly hope to run away from the sun princess without looking really suspicious. "P-please, Princess Celestia," She whimpered and fell to the ground with her hooves covering her face. "T-Trixie didn't believe those stories about the Alicorn Amulet being cursed. She just thought it would boost her power, give her magic a little more flair," She adopted a rather guilty looking expression as she added. "Trixie... I... I could tell that something was off after I put it on. But I didn't care. By the time I did it was too late, it clung to me and wouldn't let go," She pointed a hoof. "If not for Twilight Sparkle here, I might not have been able to ever get it off."
Twilight was quick to point out. "Princess Celestia, you should know that nopony got seriously hurt because of Trixie. All that's she done can be undone. I'm sure she knows now not to seek out dangerous artifacts just to boost her magic. The only real way to get better at magic is to practice, and practice constantly."
Princess Celestia's expression only slightly relaxed as she eventually said. "Well, I guess maybe I can consider reducing the punishment a little, just this once," Then she told Trixie. "But you're going to have to apologize sincerely to everypony you wronged today. And you're going to need to spend some time with Zecora learning about the importance of not letting thoughts and feelings overwhelm you," She then ended ominously. "And know this: Twilight is very much like family to me. So if you ever hurt her again in any way, I won't be so forgiving."
Trixie gulped anew as the ex-magician nodded quite slowly. "Trixie will do her best to keep that in mind."
The sun princess finally relaxed her expression, and adopted a sincere smile. "Good. I hope you'll stay for Twilight's magic show tonight. I'm really looking forward to seeing just how strong she's become now that she's started her advanced studies."
"What?! Advanced studies?!" The ex-magician gasped yet again! She turned to Twilight. "No wonder Trixie couldn't best you. Just how strong do you intend to become?"
"Trixie, this isn't a competition. We're not rivals, and we don't have to be," Twilight firmly insisted. "If it makes you feel any better, I'd like very much for you to help assist me with the show tonight. Because when it comes to putting on a magic show, I know there's nopony better qualified at it than you."
Trixie saw fit to ask. "Does this mean you forgive me? Even after all I did?"
The studious unicorn nodded. "Of course, Trixie. I know the Alicorn Amulet was what drove you to think you had to get revenge on me," Then she added. "But I can't say if everypony will as forgiving as I am. In fact I think someponies," She looked to Snips and Snails. "Might not be willing to trust you again anytime soon."
S4 E1: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 1 (What If?)
On a patch of level grass within the city of Canterlot, Rainbow Dash was giving the still only recentley alicorned Twilight a lesson on how to make use of her new wings. Seeing as Rainbow was one of the most experienced pegasi when it came to flying, it only seemed natural that she be the one to coach Twilight. "Okay, Twilight. Let's try this again," She said as she cleared her throat, and then instructed. "You gotta really flap 'em hard."
So Twilight did. She began to grunt as she flapped her wings furiously, trying to get herself to lift off the ground. She was able to do so for all of a second or two, before she lost control. "Whoa!" She cried as she crashed into a tree, more specifically a bird's nest perched on a branch. The birds were already circling around her head.
"Uh, maybe not that hard," Rainbow sighed. "Come on, even Scootaloo can do better than that! And she can only hover."
Reluctantly, Twilight Sparkle freed herself and tried once again to flap her wings with enough lift to stay airborn. It didn't go very well. She fell to the ground with a crash, though fortunately she was unharmed. She just wished her friends hadn't insisted on hanging around during this lesson in order to provide her with "moral support" as they'd put it. The only way it could be worse was if her big brother were here to witness this, she was sure he'd be teasing her nonstop by this point.
Applejack helped Twilight to stand as she told the young alicorn. "Uh, lookin' good there, Princess Twilight. That wasn't half bad, really."
A blush formed on the alcorn's cheeks while she told Applejack in reply. "I appreciate the honesty, Applejack. But you know, you don't have to call me princess. I'm still Twilight."
"And why shouldn't we address you by your royal title?" Rarity inquired in a sincere tone of voice. "You've already given up wearing your crown all the time. The least you can do is embrace your new title. You're an alicorn princess now, whether you admit it or not. It's the polite thing to do to address royalty by their full title."
Twilight let out a sigh. She knew Rarity meant well. "Look, Rarity, if other ponies wanna call me Princess Twilight, that's all fine and dandy. They don't know me personally. But for you or for any of our friends to call me that, it's not the same. I'm still the same Twilight you all knew as a unicorn. That hasn't changed just because I sprouted wings. Being called a princess," She sighed before looking back to herself. "It just doesn't feel right, it all feels so sudden. And so do these new wings. At this rate, I'll never be ready to fly in time for the Summer Sun Celebration."
"Not if you keep talking like that," Rainbow pointed out. "It's only two days away, Twilight! So quit talkin' and start flappin'! Come on!" Then she insisted. "Don't hold back on us, Twilight. Get up there and show everypony the big finish you've been working on!"
So it was that, after taking another deep breath, Twilight Sparkle once again took to the skies. This time, she seemed to have better luck at getting and staying airborne. All of her friends (Spike included) seemed to be impressed.
Unfortunately, Twilight's brief moment of bliss was so interrupted as she found herself unable to maintain control of her wings. She began flying about in an erratic fashion, all the while she was screaming at the top of her lungs! It all ended when she flipped upside down, and crashed into the ground so hard that she began to make a tunnel of dirt in front of and behind her. Again, she wasn't really hurt (aside from a wounded pride).
"Wow! That was a big finish!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed! "Did you mean to do that, Twilight?"
Twilight could only groan. Another flying attempt had gone bust.
Little did the young alicorn anticipate that soon she would have far more serious things to worry about than her lack of control over her new wings.
After Rainbow Dash eventually decided to put an end to the flying lessons for the day, Twilight followed her friends back into the castle. Soon, they were all in the hallway, staring up at a newly erected stained glass window display. This one had been made to commerate Twilight's transformation and coronation, and depicted the event in beautiful detail. It was still impressive to look at it even though it had been quite a while since it had been put up.
Rarity was the first one to comment on it, taking notice of how bright and shiny the stained glass looked even from up close. "You look absolutely amazing, darling," She told Twilight in no uncertain terms. "They've really captured your regality. Not everypony gets a stained glass window display of themselves. You should feel privileged."
"Well don't forget, they made one for Shining Armor and Princess Cadence after their royal wedding," Twilight pointed out. "And one for Spike when he saved the Crystal Empire. As long as you perform a truly important and heroic act, I think the princesses are happy to thank you by putting up a stained glass window display."
Rarity lightly chuckled and waved a hoof. "Oh, don't be so modest, Twilight. You should really act more like a princess, embrace your title. It's who you are now. Besides, it's everypony's dream to someday wear a crown and have their coronation ceremony preserved in stained glass for all to see." She let out a dreamy sigh.
Rainbow Dash was quick to remark with skepticism. "I don't know if it's everypony's dream. You wouldn't catch me wearing some silly crown and sitting on a throne all day."
Pinkie Pie then giggled. "My dreams change all the time, they're never the same. Though, strangely, a lot of them seem to involve desserts for some reason." She licked her lips as she said those words, clearly already picturing the sweet treats she so often saw.
Fluttershy then spoke up. "Well, it was nice catching up with you again, Twilight. But the rest of us need to get going. We don't wanna miss our train."
Applejack firmly nodded. "Fluttershy's right. Don't know about the rest of y'all, but I've still got bushels to do to get ready for the celebration. Even if they're holdin' it in Canterlot this year, it seems Mayor Mare's intent on workin' us to the bone for our own little celebration. Guess she's just excited to know royalty's livin' in her town," Then, after noticing the sad look in Twilight's eyes, she added. "Aw, don't look like that, sugarcube. You get to be right there with the other princesses when Celestia raises the sun, just like that time you saw her do it when you were a filly. Now that is a dream come true."
"I'm honored to be by the princesses' side, really," Twilight replied even as her tone of voice betrayed the optimism she was trying to project. "But the Summer Sun Celebration is what brought us all together. Last year, we got to celebrate it together, and the year before that. It just doesn't feel right not getting to spend such a special day with my Ponyville friends. Even having Spike with me can't make up for not being there with you girls."
Rarity pointed out. "Well it doesn't feel right to us either, darling. If Mayor Mare wasn't practically begging us for help, we'd stay in Canterlot with you for the duration of the celebration. But we understand, your royal duties come first. It can't be helped. We'll still be there to welcome you back to Ponyville when it's all over. You said it yourself, you're not leaving it," And then she added. "Besides, there will always be something that keeps us connected no matter where we are. The Elements of Harmony."
Applejack frowned. "I don't see the connection. It's been ages since we've even had to use 'em."
The fashionista was all too happy to explain with a big smile on her face. "The Elements of Harmony are what cemented our friendship," She pointed to the stained glass display depicting the six mares when they had taken on (and defeated) Nightmare Moon. "No amount of royal duties is going to change that. We all still have our elements that we represent, and as long as we have those we'll always be together. Right, girls?" She turned to the four other mares beside her, all of whom nodded in approval without saying a word.
A little later, Twilight and Spike accompanied their friends down to the train station and watched as they prepared to leave for Ponyville.
Pinkie Pie was quick to make the others all "Pinkie Promise" to keep Twilight and Spike well informed of everything that was happening back in Ponyville. "Now don't you worry one little bit, Twilight. The girls and I are all gonna write to you and give you so many details, it'll be like you're in Ponyville with us! Right, girls?"
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity all nodded as they repeated the motions while saying at the same time. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Rarity then trotted over, holding some books and a few blueprints within the soft blue glow of her horn. "And after the celebration is over and you've returned to Ponyville, you and I have an appointment booked," She told the alicorn. "We need to discuss the renovations to your loft decor. The library hardly seems like a fitting place for royalty, after all."
Just then, the train's whistle sounded. And the conductor could be heard calling out. "All aboard!" That meant it was time for the five non-alicorn mares to board and head back home. They all did so, leaning out of the window of their train car to wave at Twilight and Spike until the train disappeared into the distance.
Now alone on the platform, the isolation from her Ponyville friends quickly set in. Twilight could practically feel her heart sink. The separation was already taking its tole on her. And she made sure Spike knew this. "I can't help it, Spike," She sighed and slumped downward ever so slightly. "I miss them already. It's just like when I said goodbye to my B.B.B.F.F. before leaving for Ponyville. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not."
"Cheer up, Twilight," Spike insisted as he reached out a claw to comfort her. "You heard what Pinkie Pie said. I'm sure you're not missing out on anything just yet."
Just then, a letter was hoofed to Twilight that had specifically been addressed to her. She opened it, and was startled by a shower of confetti that shot out from it! The confetti left no doubt as to who the letter sender had been.
Spike took the letter and read it aloud. It was brief and read as follows:
Dear Twilight, you aren't missing anything.
Your friend,
Pinkie Pie.
The little dragon chuckled to himself. "Why doesn't that surprise me anymore? Seems like she can do just about anything," Then he turned to the alicorn and told her. "See, Twilight? I told you you had nothing to worry about."
"If you say so, Spike," Twilight sighed. "They can cheer me up all they want, a part of me will always feel like I'm missing out just by not being there."
Deciding that the only way to distract herself from her feeling of being left out was to throw herself whole heartedly into her responsibilities, that's exactly what the young alicorn did for the rest of the day and well into the evening. And of course, Spike was there to go over her entire checklist, even double and triple checking it to make sure nothing was missing or had been forgotten.
At last, the checklist was complete as Spike checked off the last few things there were to do. "Huh, whaddaya know? We're way ahead of schedule!" He exclaimed with almost disbelief. Turning to Twilight he said to her. "I credit your extremely competent assistant and adopted son."
"So do I," Twilight giggled. "I don't know where I'd be today if I didn't have you by my side, Spike. I mean it."
Spike waved a claw and played it off. "It's what I'm here for, Twilight," Then an idea popped into his head. "Hey, you know what? Seeing as we're so far ahead of schedule, why don't we pop back to Ponyville for a quick little visit? That'll cheer you up, I'm sure."
Twilight wasn't so thrilled with the idea, and as she began to speak she became so fixated on her worries that she didn't even notice she was starting to fly up towards the ceiling. "I don't know, Spike. It's not like I can just teleport, even with my alicorn body giving my magic a boost, I can't just teleport between Ponyville and Canterlot whenever I feel like it. I don't think even Princess Celestia can do that," Then a thousand images of things that might go wrong if she made a trip back to Ponyville came into her mind. "What if we were delayed getting back? Or what if something else came up here in Canterlot while we were gone? Something we didn't expect?"
"Twilight, relax, I'm pretty sure none of that will happen." Spike tried to plead, but his plea fell on deaf ears.
Twilight was far too fixated on her worries to pay any attention to anything else. She continued to ramble on at length. "What if we lost the list on the way to or from Ponyville and then couldn't remember which things we'd done and which things we hadn't done, and then spent so much time trying to figure out what we hadn't done and what we had done, and we ruined the entire celebration by not doing the one really important thing that we were supposed to do?!" Soon after she finished speaking that, she bumped her head against the ceiling of the room she was staying in while in Canterlot. That was enough to snap her out of her bout of paranoia.
The little dragon could only sigh and shake his head as he frowned. "So, I guess that's a 'No' then?"
The young alicorn gave a confirming nod. "A trip to Ponyville would be nice, but these are the first royal duties Princess Celestia's given me since my transformation. I can't let her down. I need to stay in Canterlot until the celebration's over, even if I'd rather spend it back in Ponyville."
"Don't worry, Twilight," The familiar voice of Princess Celestia spoke up as she came trotting into the room. "I know you won't let me down. And I appreciate your concerns. But being an alicorn princess means thinking about all ponies, not just the most important."
Twilight gasped and immediately bowed to her mentor, inspiration and former teacher. And Spike followed suit.
Princess Celestia giggled as she tried to hide a smirk. "Now now, there's no need for that," She told them both and watched as Twilight and Spike slowly rose. "Don't forget, Twilight, we're equal now. I'm a princess just like you, there's no need to bow to me."
A raging blush formed on the studious alicorn's cheeks. "Sorry, old habbit." She sincerely apologized.
The sun princess smiled. "Oh, there's no need to apologize," Then she added in a more serious tone of voice. "I must admit that it is wonderful to actually be looking forward to the Summer Sun Celebration for a change."
That statement caught Twilight off guard, prompting her to ask. "What do you mean?"
Looking out a nearby window, Princess Celestia could see her sister and fellow alicorn Princess Luna slowly but surely raising the moon as day changed to night. Her voice became tinged with guilt, sorrow and most of all regret as she told Twilight and Spike. "For my subjects, the celebration's always been a way to remember my defeat of Nightmare Moon," Her lips quivered as she let out an unhappy sigh. "But for me, it was just a terrible reminder that I'd had to banish my own sister."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Twilight commented as the realization hit her. "I never knew you felt that way. It never even occurred to me, even after Nightmare Moon was defeated for good."
Princess Celestia sighed again, before her tone of voice became more cheerful and upbeat. "Well, that's why I'm excited for Luna to officially help me out with this year's celebration. She's finally regained enough of her powers to be able to assist me," Turning to Twilight and Spike she added. "And I understand that the two of you have played a big role in helping her adjust to life after all her time away. This year's celebration will serve as a reminder of the happy reunion I was able to have with Luna, all thanks to you and your friends, Twilight. I'm sorry they couldn't stay with you in Canterlot for the celebration. I know how much it means to all of you."
"It couldn't be helped," Twilight insisted. "You needed me, and I could never say no to you," Then she asked as something struck her fancy. "Did you realy mean it that time when you said I was like family to you?"
The sun princess nodded and smiled. "Indeed I do, Twilight. You're like the daughter I never had. And I'm proud of the pony you've become since you started on your journey. You may no longer be my student, Princess Twilight, but I hope you know that I will always be here if you need me. Just as I hope that you will always be there when I need you."
Twilight puffed out her chest as she vowed. "Of course, Princess Celestia. I've never let you down before, and I don't plan to start now!"
Just then, Spike hoofed Twilight another envelope. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've got another top priority message from Ponyville."
Taking the envelope into her magic, Twilight opened it and was greeted with the sound of a party blower as confetti once again magically poured out from out of nowhere.
Princess Celestia seemed to inquire in a cheerful tone of voice. "Another letter from your Ponyville friends, Twilight?"
But Twilight simply discarded the letter in a nearby wastebasket. "It's not important, just Pinkie Pie letting me know I'm not missing anything back in Ponyville. And if that's the case, she really doesn't need to write to me about it," Then she turned to Spike. "Now, where were we?"
"About to call it a night, I believe?" Spike asked in a hopeful tone of voice.
The young alicorn princess thought otherwise as she instead replied. "We should probably go over the checklist one more time, just to be safe."
The little dragon forced back a groan. "I knew you were gonna say that." And he brought the checklist close, ready to take another look at it.
Princess Celestia, satisfied that everything was as it should be, turned around and departed. Before she left the room, however, she said to Twilight and Spike. "I'll leave it to you both. Just call if you need anything."
As the sun princess went trotting along back to her royal bedchambers, she was unaware that behind her was materializing a strange black vine with thorns on it. Before she had a chance to react, the vine reached out and grabbed hold of her by one of her back legs. "Huh? Ah!" She cried, and it was all she had time to say before the vine dragged her away!
Sometime later, Twilight woke up and was immediately filled with a sense that something wasn't right. Her suspicions were confirmed when she gazed out of her window at the sky, and saw a sight she knew she wasn't supposed to see! "Spike!" She gasped and rushed over to the little bed he was sleeping in, trying to rouse him from sleep.
In his sleep, Spike kept muttering to himself. "Check-check-check-check-check-check..."
Frantically, Twilight shook the bed as she all but demanded! "Spike, please, wake up!"
With a yawn, the little dragon rose from his slumber and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "What's going on? What time is it? Did we oversleep?" He asked in a groggy tone of voice.
Twilight bit her lip as she explained. "I have no idea what time it is. Just take a look!" She gestured to the nearby window. A quick glance outside revealed that the sky was divided right down the middle, with one half being day and the other half being night. The sun and moon seemed fixed in place, moving not the slightest in any direction.
"Whoa. Now that is weird," Spike commented, before a sudden horror struck him! "Something must be wrong! Something must've happened to the princesses!"
The young alicorn nodded. "My thoughts exactly, Spike," And she lifted him onto her back. "Come on! We need to get to the bottom of this, now!"
As it just so happened, many other ponies throughout Canterlot had taken notice of the strange sky. And they were just as puzzled as Twilight and Spike had been. None knew what this meant.
Suddenly, a pony in the crowd happened to notice the closest thing to authority anypony had seen since the strange sky had been noticed. The pony shouted out! "Princess Twilight must know what's going on!"
Without warning, a mob of ponies swarmed all around the alicorn, begging and pleading for some explanation (or at least some reassurance that everything was under control)! Twilight found herself at a loss for words. What could she say? What should she say? She was just as much in the dark as everypony else.
Just then, a brown coated unicorn stallion with blue eyes and clad in the golden yellow armor of the royal guards gave a whistle. And over the roar of the crowd he called out! "Your highness, you must come with me at once. It's urgent!"
Twilight followed the guard as she was led away from the crowd and to a secluded area, the door slamming shut behind her! Once certain the newest princess was safe and secluded, the guard trotted in front of her and alongside another royal guard bowed to her. "We were sent by her majesty, Princess Cadence herself," The first guard explained. "Thank goodness we found you when we did!"
"Why?! What's going on?!" Twilight immediately inquired, even though she had a pretty bad feeling about what would compel these never before seen guards to be sent to her.
The other guard removed his helmet as he somberly stated for the record. "It's Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, they've gone missing. Nopony knows where they went or where they might be, and no sinister power has come forward to claim responsibility."
"So they just vanished into thin air?!" Twilight gasped alongside Spike! "How is that even possible?! And why come to me?! Princess Cadence is next in line, not me. She should be the one taking charge."
The first guard explained. "Princess Cadence was quite insistent on sending us to find you. She figured it would make more sense since you're already in Canterlot. As long as you're here, she won't get involved. She will remain in the Crystal Empire and protect it, as is her royal duties," Then he instructed. "So, your highness, what do you wish for us to do? We await your command."
Immediately, the young alicorn plucked up what courage she had and instructed. "Continue your search, but don't inform anypony that the princesses are missing. There's no need to start a panic. If anypony asks, just mention that the Summer Sun Celebration has been delayed, and word will be sent out when it's ready to resume. And if you find any lead at all to as Celestia or Luna's whereabouts, bring it to my attention immediately."
The guards bowed in unison and said together. "Yes, understood." And immediately, they trotted off to do as they were told.
Spike and Twilight were now alone, but not for long. Just seconds after the two other royal guards had left, another one (this looking more like the royal guards usually seen at Princess Celestia's side) came rushing in with the most frightened look imaginable on his face! He was panting and sweating furiously, clearly out of breath! "I... bring urgent news from Ponyville!" He spoke while trying to catch his breath! "The Everfree Forest appears to be... well... invading!"
Twilight Sparkle gasped anew! "What?! Again?! But that's impossible, it was supposed to have quieted down!"
But it was terribly true, the Everfree Forest was indeed invading Ponyville once again. And already, things were taking a turn for the worse in the town.
Back in Ponyville, meanwhile, Fluttershy had been the first pony to notice any sign of trouble. All of her animal friends who might normally have been out and about in the Everfree Forest had abruptly taken shelter at her cottage.
"What is it that's caused you all this much distress?" The animal loving pegasus inquired of the animals.
A bear was the only creature willing to speak up and explain. But Fluttershy initially didn't believe its claim. "Oh come now, the Everfee Forest is calm. Whatever's going on outside, I'm sure it's nothing you need to really worry about," She opened her cottage door, only to be greeted by the sight of thick, black vines with spikes all over them surrounding her cottage on all sides. And more of them seemed to be making their into Ponyville proper! The pegasus slammed the door to her cottage shut and whimpered! "Oh, you were right. You should be worried! Very, very worried!"
As the vines began to spread all across Ponyville, Applejack and her family took notice of them. And they tried to stop the vines by pulling them up by the roots. Unfortunately, they were having very little luck with it. The vines seemed to have a knack for eluding or evading all attempts to move them.
"Just what in tarnation's gotten into the Everfree Forest now?!" Applejack wondered and complained! "Princess Celestia assured us it would settle down after the last time it started invadin', and now suddenly these here vines start sproutin' up like wildfire! Heck, I don't think I've ever seen weeds like these before! Have y'all?" She asked her family, all of whom confirmed that indeed the vines were not anything they had seen before in any way.
In addition to the vines, strange black clouds also filled with thorns started appearing in the sky overhead. And Rainbow Dash took it upon herself to try to get rid of them. "You Everfree clouds need to just head on back to where you belong!" She yelled at them! "I'm in charge here, and it's my job to keep the skies clear until after the Summer Sun Celebration!" Yet the clouds refused to budge at all. And trying to move them only resulted in sharp bursts of pain for Rainbow, courtesy of the thorns!
Soon after learning about the out of control Everfree Forest that was invading Ponyville, Twilight made a decision! She immediately fled from the castle and took off through the streets of Canterlot as fast as her hooves would let her!
Spike was running as fast as he could just to keep up with the alicorn! "Twilight, wait! You can't just leave Canterlot unattended!" He protested at the top of his lungs!
"I already sent word to Cadence, she's on her way as we speak," Twilight called back. "My friends and Ponyville are in danger, they need my help! And whatever it is that's caused all of this, I'm sure we're going to need the Elements of Harmony to put a stop to it."
The little dragon panted. "Well isn't there a faster way to get there?"
Twilight shook her head from side to side. "I can't teleport between Ponyville and Canterlot on a whim, Spike. Even Princess Celestia probably couldn't do that. Now come on, or we're sure to miss the train!"
"But there's another way to get to Ponyville, a much more reliable way," Spike pointed out. "Don't tell me you've forgotten already."
"What do you mea-" Twilight began, before looking to either side of her and stopping right in her tracks. "Oh!" The realization dawned on her. "Well, okay," She agreed after a moment of hesitation. "But hold on tight, Spike. It's going to be a very bumpy ride."
The little dragon didn't answer with words. He just scrambled up onto Twilight's back, then strapped a seatbelt he'd managed to find firmly around his body so he wouldn't fall off.
"Keep your claws and legs inside the ride at all times!" The young alicorn declared as she unfolded her wings and started to flap furiously! It went about as well as you'd expect given her lack of practice (and inability to really control herself during even when she had practiced). "Here we go!" She nervously proclaimed, as her hooves slowly and clumsily lifted off the ground and she propelled herself into the air.
The flight to Ponyville was indeed very bumpy for Spike. He was quite certain that if not for the seatbelt he'd strapped to his body, he would've for sure fallen off. And the constant erratic changes in altitude was enough to turn him green about the gills. Oh, how he wished he had some kind of bag he could barf into right now.
"Just hold on, Spike!" Twilight groaned. "We're almost there!"
"I'm... starting to wish we'd taken the train instead." The little dragon weakly replied as he struggled mightly not to lose his lunch.
Then, suddenly, a familiar landmark came into view for pony and dragon, who could see it even while they were high up in the sky. The Golden Oak Library stood out in bold detail!
Upon seeing it, Twilight immediately dove straight for the tree! That was a mistake, she had no way to slow down and stop her descent!
"TWILIGHT!" Spike shouted at the top of his lungs as he held on for dear life!
The young alicorn flailed her hooves in the air in helplessness! "I... can't... stop!" She cried!
"Do something, quick!" Spike urged, and then shut his eyes as he waited for what was sure to be a painful impact against the library's exterior!
Thinking quickly, Twilight concentrated what magical power she could muster up on short notice into her horn. With a poof, she managed to teleport herself into the library's interior, albeit while she was still in mid-flight. She rolled across the floor and crashed into a pile of books, spilling some across said floor as she did so! Luckily, she was dazed but unharmed.
As for Spike, he ended up smacking into one of the library's windows. Fortunately, it didn't shatter. And he slid down the side. Once he had recovered, he came rushing in and kissed the ground as he happily exclaimed! "Oh, sweet ground! Sweet, sweet, wonderful ground!"
Twilight groaned as she poked her head up from the pile of books she'd crashed into. "Okay, I get it! I need to work on my flying! It was your idea!" She told Spike in no uncertain terms, then turned around to find that her friends were already in the library and had already been searching for information for some time.
"Oh, hello," Rarity awkwardly greeted. "Please excuse our mess. We weren't expecting you to, well, pop in unannounced."
Pinkie Pie then pointed out. "I dunno if you've noticed yet, but the Everfree Forest is just a teeny-tiny bit out of control again." Seconds after she spoke, she felt her body start to twitch. Her "Pinkie Sense" was warning her about something, and she ducked out of the way just before a large vine came crashing through, striking Rarity in the process.
Applejack somewhat sheepishly declared. "Guess you were missin' somethin' in Ponyville after all. Fyi, we did not plan this just to lure you back."
"Believe me, I know. And it's not just the Everfee Forest that's the problem," Twilight explained. "The sky is split half day and half night. There's no way you girls could've done all this."
Rarity then spoke up. "Well, at least the good news is you're here. Surely, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna informed you about what's going on, and sent you here to help us dispel whatever sinister force is responsible for this mess."
At that the young alicorn nervously chuckled and started to massage the back of her neck with a hoof. "Uh, yeah, about that. Funny story, actually. The thing is, the princesss are... I mean they're..."
But Spike couldn't stop himself from blurting out! "They're missing... and we don't know where they are... and... and... Oh, I just can not shut up today!" He hurriedly clamped his claws over his mouth to keep himself from rambling on.
"So you just left Canterlot in chaos?!" Rarity inquired with narrowed eyes! "Twilight, how could you be so irresponsible?! You're a princess now, for Celestia's sake! You can't just drop everything to come help us, even if we do need your help."
Twilight protested. "I didn't abandon Canterlot. Princess Cadence should have everything well under control there. And I've got royal guards searching for the other princesses as we speak," Then she pointed out. "That's why I knew I had to come back here. Whoever or whatever it is that's causing this, I have a feeling we'll need the Elements of Harmony to stop it!"
"Ah yeah, just like old times!" Rainbow Dash excitedly exclaimed, before the elements were taken out of their display case in the library, and each matched to the pony who represented them (Twilight wearing her modified tiara of magic that resembled the crown she'd worn for her coronation).
Pinkie Pie happily hoof bumped Twilight when the elements had all been assigned. "A-boo-yah!"
Applejack, meanwhile, simply stated in a serious tone of voice. "Well, now we just need to figure out who or what to aim these bad boys at. We'd better make it quick, while there's still a Ponyville left to save. Heck, at this rate, I reckon the Everfree Forest could take over half of Equestria."
Fluttershy then asked. "Any ideas, Twilight? Any leads at all?"
The young alicorn put a hoof to her chin as she began to ponder. "Now that I think about it, this is all starting to sound very familiar."
A gasp escaped Fluttershy's lips as she realized what Twilight was suggesting! "You don't really think he's behind all this, do you?!"
"Think about it, Fluttershy," Twilight pointed out. "This has all the hallmarks of what happened the last time he caused trouble: Half day, half night... strange weather patterns... out of control plants. Even if he's not the one responsible, I'll bet he knows something about who or what is. He's our only lead. And as it just so happens, I know of a way we can call on him."
The six mares trotted out of the Golden Oak Library and headed out to the center of town, which miraculously had thus far been spared the wrath of the strange weather and the vines with thorns. They held hooves and began to concentrate as magical energy began to be channeled through their necklaces (and Twilight's tiara).
Suddenly, a powerful rainbow colored spiral of magical energy shout out from Twilight's tiara! The spiral spun up into a mini-vortex, and from it materialized a very familiar chaotic creature with mismatched body parts. A creature otherwise known as Discord.
Discord didn't seem to be aware of what had happened to him. He was currently sitting in a bathtub, singing a tune to himself as a shower head poured water on him, and he scrubbed his body clean with a brush. "Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap-" But he stopped singing upon realizing where he was. "-Ooh! Oh my!" He hurridely wrapped a pink towel around his body. "Now, Twilight, you know Princess Celestia said that you were suppose to give me a little heads up before you summon me with that little spell she taught you," And he grumbled. "In case you haven't noticed, I was in the middle of a very invigorating shower." To emphasize that point, he wiggled the shower curtain in front of the alicorn.
"Drop the act, Discord!" Twilight furiously demanded with narrowed eyes! "You've gotten our attention! What is it you want this time?"
Discord seemed to not understand what was being asked of him. "Want? Who says I want anything? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Applejack snorted and narrowed her own eyes. "Don't you play dumb with us, Discord! You've gotta admit, this makes you look awfully suspicious!"
Rainbow Dash added. "Face it, buster! This has got your cloven hoofprints all over it!"
The spirit of chaos only replied with indifference. "I'll have you know I've only got one cloven hoof. If you're going to accuse me, at least get your facts in order before you make a fool of yourselves," Then he pulled out a camera and began taking pictures. "Don't get me wrong, girls. I absolutely love what you've done with the place. But you forget, I'm reformed now. I'm one of the good guys. I couldn't possibly be behind this."
"And you expect us to believe that?" Rarity questioned. "Give us one good reason why we shouldn't turn you back to stone this instant!"
"Ladies, ladies, I'm innocent," Discord firmly insisted in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. "Come on, would I lie to you?"
Everypony except Fluttershy answered with a yes.
The spirit groaned in annoyance. "Oh, I see how it is. What, just because the princesses disappear unexpectedly, it just has to the one creature among us who used to be bad? Like I would go to all the trouble of pretending to be reformed, just so could I stab you all in the back now? Really? It's so obvious, why would I ever do something like that? And here I thought we were friends," Turning to Twilight he questioned. "What do friends like us do at a time like this, Princess Twilight? Congrats, by the way, on the promotion. You totally deserve it." As he spoke, he curled himself around Twilight not unlike a snake.
Twilight simply shrugged off the attempt at flattery as she firmly replied. "I must admit it, it does seem odd that you haven't already confessed. I would think that if you did do it, you'd make sure we knew you'd fooled us all," She was quick to add. "Still, even if you're innocent, you must know something about all of this. We've got questions and you've got answers, so I suggest you talk if you don't want us to wring a confession out of you!"
Discord only vaguely and cryptically replied. "Well then, it seems we've reached an impasse. I'm telling the truth, but you think I'm lying. After all the hoof pointing and besmirching of my good name, I just don't know if I'm up to telling you anything. You can't pin this on me, but you accused me anyway! You girls make sorry negotiators," But then he started to take out some knitting needles and explained. "If it's answers you want, you're barking up the wrong tree. There is someone else who could give you some information. Someone who actually lives in the Everfree Forest. I'm honestly surprised you haven't thought of her yet." And as he finished speaking, a huge arrow made out of yarn pointed to the very creature he'd been talking to.
Said creature was none other than Zecora, who seemed to be out of breath from lugging a heavy cart containing various objects, including a purple colored liquid in a glass vial.
"Zecora!" The six mares (and Spike) exclaimed all at once as they rushed to her aid!
"Zecora, are you alright?" Twilight asked the zebra enchantress. "I'm so sorry we didn't think to check up on you sooner."
Zecora had to stop for a moment to catch her breath, but once she did she spoke in an urgent tone of voice. "I'm fine, but from my own home I've been forced to flee! The forest has grown too wild, even for me!"
Applejack then asked. "So, any ideas about what's causin' this? Last time this happened, Twilight unintentionally cast a doozy of a spell. But even that can't explain the clouds and the sky bein' half day and half night."
The zebra managed to explain. "I'm afraid it's a mystery to me as well. I only know that this was not the work of some improperly cast spell," Her eyes turned to the cart behind her. "There is something I had hoped would help me. A potion to improve my memory."
At that Twilight let out a gasp! "Of course! I remember now! You told me a while back you were working on a memory potion in case you ever forget something really important," Then an idea came to her. "I'll bet if I modify the potion with my magic, I'll be able to see into the past. I'll be able to figure out what caused all of this and how to stop it."
"That would be a very big risk, and I fear the results would be tragic!" Zecora gasped as her eyes started to widen. "That potion won't respond to just any type of magic."
"Maybe, but I'll bet my alicorn magic's strong enough to rewrite that potion," The young alicorn firmly insisted. "If I could complete an incomplete spell from Starswirl the Bearded, rewriting a potion shouldn't be a problem. It's a risk I think is worth taking."
"Oh, please be careful, Twilight!" Fluttershy cautioned with a whimper. "We don't want another scare like what happened when you became an alicorn."
Spike desperately added. "I hope you know what you're doing, Twilight. If anything happens to you this time..."
Twilight shook her head from side to side. "-It won't, I'm sure. I know what I'm doing this time. Besides, it'll only be my magic, not the magic of the Elements of Harmony. Unless anyone here has a better idea about where we can find the answers, Zecora's potion is the only lead we have." No one spoke up in protest, and so it was arranged.
Zecora reluctantly took the glass vial containing the memory potion (the purple colored liquid) and set it on the ground. Then she stepped back and joined Spike, Discord and the rest of Twilight's friends as they all watched the alicorn approach the vial. The vial was sealed up with a cork, and had a golden yellow tint to it.
Twilight Sparkle paused and took a deep breath, concentrating as hard as she could. Her horn began to spark, and even crackle with energy! No one dared speak a word, they were all rendered speechless by the dazzling display of power they were seeing!
At last, convinced she couldn't possibly draw in any more power if she tried to, Twilight fired off a powerful beam from the tip of her horn! The beam was directed towards the potion! There was a puff of violet-red colored smoke!
But when the smoke cleared, nothing had changed. The potion remained as it had been before.
"That should've worked," Twilight said outloud. "What am I going to do now?" Then, suddenly, it came to her. "Wait, there's a magic even stronger than alicorn magic!"
Spike was horrified! "Twilight! You're going to use dark magic?! After what happened last time?!"
The studious alicorn firmly nodded back. "I'm more experienced now, Spike. I can handle it," But she then cautioned. "Just to be safe, all of you better stand back. No telling what might happen!" Her friends all obeyed, even Discord. And then Twilight shut her eyes, visibly straining as an ominous aura consisting of a mix of dark green and purple appeared on the tip of her horn! It spread outward lightning fast and hit the potion head on!
A few seconds later, Twilight opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking to the potion, she saw that it had changed from purple to pure white. Hesitantly, she picked it up with her magic (which had its usual glow, indicating that the dark magic had not taken hold of her fully). "Well, bottom's up." She declared as she unscrewed the vial's lid and carefully pressed it up to her lips. She soon began to chug the vial's liquid contents, until satisfied that she had drank enough.
Everyone watched and waited as Twilight carefully set the vial down (they took notice that the vial was still at least half full. It seemed like she had barely drunk any of it from the looks of it). Seconds passed slowly, but nothing seemed to happen.
"I don't think it's wor-" Twilight began, only to be cut off as her eyes suddenly became flooded by a bright light of pure white!
When the light faded, Twilight took a moment to gather her bearings. Looking all around, she could not tell where she was. She seemed to be inside of some kind of building, perhaps a castle judging by the banners on the left and the right colored a bright orange and blue respectively. The interior was lit by several torches, and in the center of the room was a stained glass window display of some sort.
The alicorn looked left and right, but nothing was at all familiar to her. And it seemed she was all alone. "Where am I?" She wondered aloud, and began to call out. "Hello? Is anypony there?"
Suddenly, a very familiar voice angrily bellowed out from the distance! "Not another step, princess!" It sounded like the last line was full of hatred and resentment! And its owner soon revealed itself in the very familiar form of Princess Luna. But something seemed wrong. Her eyes were slanted, and she seemed to be casting daggers with them.
Twilight gasped and took a step back! "Princess Luna?! What's going on?! What is this place?! Why did you and Princess Celestia just vanish?!"
Princess Luna seemed to make no acknowledgement of Twilight's presence as she instead questioned with a snarl. "Did thou really expect us to sit idly by whilst they all basked in thy precious light?"
The words were slow to sink in for Twilight. "'Precious light'? What are you talking about? You're not making any sense! And why are you using your Royal Canterlot Voice?! You don't talk like that anymore, remember?"
Princess Luna didn't respond to a word Twilight said. Instead, she trotted to the center of the room and stomped a hoof down, destroying a stone pedestal as she firmly vowed! "We hast been silent for too long, but no more! There can only be one princess in Equestria, and that princess shalt be me!" Then, without warning, the stained glass display above began to crack! And as it did so, it revealed the moon moving into position to completely block out the sun!
This total eclipse had the effect of enveloping Princess Luna in some kind of sphere. The look on her face suggested this was a surprise, even unto her! Still, she made no effort to resist as she was enveloped fully within the sphere and underwent a most frightening transformation! The sphere eventually shattered completely, revealing a tall alicorn mare with a coat as black as a starless night, only a few traces of dark blue across her face, chest, wings and legs broke up the black. Her mane and tail were the same shade of dark blue and flowed just like Princess Celestia's did. Her eyes were a cold shade of moderate cyan, complimented by moderate blue violet eyebrows. Her cutie mark was a crescent moon.
Twilight gasped anew at the horror! Princess Luna had just transformed into Nightmare Moon, for reasons completely unknown!
S4 E2: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 2 (What If?)
Twilight Sparkle was still trying to figure out just what was going on, and why the events that were currently unfolding were unfolding the way they had. In particular, she was wondering where she had ended up, and why Princess Luna had inexplicably transformed into Nightmare Moon again!
It had all started within a day of Twilight saying goodbye to her Ponyville friends, as they all had to return to Ponyville ahead of the Summer Sun Celebration, even though it was taking place in Canterlot and not Ponyville. Almost as soon as her friends had disappeared over the horizon on a train, the young alicorn (who still had trouble getting used to her new wings) had told Spike in no uncertain terms. "I miss them already. Part of me will always feel like I'm missing out just by not being there."
Still, preparations for the celebration went smoothly. Twilight and Spike had bid farewell to Princess Celestia as they were taking one last look at a checklist Twilight had made. They didn't know it would be the last time they would see the sun princess, or that anything would happen to her.
It was only when Twilight and Spike woke up some time later that they noticed (and subsequently learned) that something was wrong! A royal guard had taken Twilight to a secluded area and informed her. "We were sent by her majesty, Princess Cadence herself. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, they've gone missing. Nopony knows where they went or where they might be."
And there was worse news to come. Another royal guard had reported! "The Everfree Forest appears to be... well... invading!"
It was on that note that Twilight had rushed back to Ponyville, though not without making sure Canterlot would be well cared for in her absence. "Princess Cadence should have everything well under control," She'd told her friends upon returning to Ponyville. Then she had decided. "Whoever or whatever it is that's causing this, I have a feeling we'll need the Elements of Harmony to stop it!" Soon afterward, an idea came into her mind about who might behind the strange happenings. "This has all the hallmarks of what happened the last time he caused trouble: Half day, half night... strange weather patterns... out of control plants."
Soon afterward, Twilight and her friends had summoned the very creature Twilight assumed might at least know something about what was going on: Discord. But Discord had denied any involvement in anything that was currently taking place. "I'm reformed now. I'm one of the good guys," That hadn't been enough to convince everypony (except for Fluttershy), but despite the harsh accusations he was still willing to direct them to another creature who could help them. "There is someone else who could give you some information. Someone who actually lives in the Everfree Forest."
That someone was Zecora, who had been chased out of her home by the out of control Everfree Forest. "From my own home I've been forced to flee! The forest has grown too wild, even for me!" When pressed on whether she had an answer for any of it, she had confessed. "There is something I had hoped would help me. A potion to improve my memory."
Twilight ended up using dark magic to modify said potion, turning the liquid in it from purple to white. Then she had taken a sip of it, hoping it would provide her with the answers she was seeking.
What happened next was that the young alicorn was suddenly enveloped in a brilliant flash of white light! And when it had faded, her eyes beheld a horrifying sight: Princess Luna undergoing a transformation into Nightmare Moon! "There can only be one princess in Equestria, and that princess shalt be me!" She had vowed, before the transformation was completed. And now, Nightmare Moon was standing before Twilight in all her evil glory.
It seemed that wherever the potion had taken Twilight Sparkle, it had left the young alicorn with more questions instead of answers. She had no idea what she could or should do now. But it seemed she was truly on her own.
All Twilight could do was watch in total helplessness as Nightmare Moon began laying waste to everything in sight. She couldn't believe this was happening again.
Desperately, Twilight called out to the wicked mare of darkness, hoping beyond hope to reason with her. "Luna! Why are you doing this?! Don't you remember what happened the last time you blocked out the sun?! Think of how long you were banished for that! Think of what will happen if you don't stop!"
If Nightmare Moon at all heard Twilight, she made no acknowledgement as she instead continued on her spree of destruction, firing off beam after beam from her horn.
Then, suddenly, who should come trotting up on the scene but Princess Celestia herself in all her glory? Like Luna before her, her eyes were narrowed. She seemed quite serious. But she too made no acknowledgement of Twilight's presence, despite Twilight literally standing right next to the sun princess. Instead, Celestia cried out! "Luna, I know you can hear me! I will not fight you, sister! Please, stop this madness! This has gone far enough! You must lower the moon, now! It is your royal duty!"
Nightmare Moon only coldly replied with a slow blink. "Luna? Luna isn't here anymore. She's never coming back. I am in control now. I am Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now: To destroy you!" She promptly fired off yet another beam of magic from her horn, but it was effortlessly deflected by a shield that Celestia threw up to protect herself.
Rather than reply with her own beam of magic, however, Princess Celestia instead unfolded her wings and took off as she was careful to keep Nightmare Moon in her sights.
The evil alicorn cackled with glee, proudly bearing her sharp fangs. "That's right, run away and hide like the scared little filly you are! But there's nowhere you can run to, and no place you can hide where you'll be safe from me!"
Suddenly, with another blinding flash of white light, the scene changed. Celestia had apparently chosen to stop running away. She was now pursuing Nightmare Moon through what appeared to be the Everfree Forest, their battle destroying most of the exterior (and some of the interior) of a strange looking castle that Twilight had never seen before.
"Luna, please!" Celestia pleaded again. "You must fight the darkness! Don't let it control you! This is not the way to get attention, you know that!"
Nightmare Moon suddenly and inexplicably stopped right in her tracks, hovering in mid-air as it seemed like a look of guilt was reflected in her cold, moderate cyan eyes. "Sister?" She called out in a tone of voice that sounded much more like Princess Luna than it did a wicked mare of darkness.
"Luna?" The sun princess flew close and reached out a hoof, hopeful and confident that she had gotten through.
Alas, Nightmare Moon only swatted Celestia's hoof away and bellowed at the top of her lungs! "YOU FOOL!" And before Princess Celestia had a chance to prepare herself, Nightmare Moon fired off a powerful beam of dark magic from her horn that struck the sun princess square in the chest!
Princess Celestia let out a blood curtling scream, and all her strength seemed to leave her as she plunged to the ground, falling through the castle roof with a loud crash!
Poor Twilight had seen everything, and to say she was horrified would be an understatement! "NO!" She screamed and flew down after her fallen mentor.
Nightmare Moon, for her part, again seemed to briefly become tinged with regret as she asked. "What have I done?!" But the regret faded just as quickly as it came as she declared. "There's no turning back now. We must see this through to the end! All shall bow to me, or pay the price!"
Twilight, meanwhile, had reached the place where Princess Celestia had crashed to earth. The sun princess lay on her side and wasn't moving. She didn't even seem to be breathing. The young alicorn feared the worst as tears began to form in her eyes. "Why?" She asked between sobs. "Why would Luna do this again? Why now? Why couldn't I save you, Celestia?"
Suddenly, Princess Celestia began to stir. Then she stood up. Aside from a singe mark around her neck, she showed no signs either exterior or otherwise to indicate that she had been at all harmed by the attack.
Twilight Sparkle breathed a much needed sigh of relief as she rushed towards her mentor. "Oh, you're alright! Oh, thank heavens!" Yet she was yet again not acknowledged, as if she didn't exisit at all. "Princess Celestia?" She questioned as she waved a hoof in front of her fellow alicorn.
Celestia had tears in her eyes that she was trying desperately to hold back. "Oh, dear sister. I am sorry it has come to this," She declared as she began to light up her horn. "But you have left with me no choice but to use these!"
There came a rumble, and then from the ground emerged a huge pedestal bearing six familiar looking (to Twilight at least) gemstones. A realization struck the studious, book loving alicorn at once! "Those are the Elements of Harmony, or how they looked in... the past! Yes, that must be it! This has all happened before!" Looking up to the past Princess Celestia she realized. "This was the night you banished her."
One by one, the elements were lifted off their pedestals. And they circled around Celestia in a dizzying blur. Princess Celestia then rose back into the sky, her gaze fixed directly on Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated. "Back for more, huh? I guess someponies just never learn," She rolled her eyes. "We both know you don't have what it takes to wield the elements on your own. Don't expect any mercy from me! Prepare to meet your doom!" And she then unleashed the most powerful beam of dark magic she could conjure up!
Princess Celestia effortlessly managed to match the beam with one of her own. And slowly but surely, she pushed Nightmare Moon's beam back while advancing.
Nightmare Moon began to realize what was happening, and she was horrified! "W-wait a minute!" She pleaded! "You don't really want to hurt your own sister, do you?!" Alas, her plea fell on deaf ears! Celestia's beam completely overwhelmed her, and launched her high into the sky! "Nooooooooo!" She screamed, before she disappeared.
In the blink of an eye it was all over, the face of a mare was now projected on the moon's surface. Princess Celestia slowly descended to the ground, standing in the ruins of the castle as the Elements of Harmony turned to stone one by one. Her link to them had been severed completely. "Forgive me, sister," She sobbed as the tears flowed through her freely. "It won't end like this, I promise! From the bottom of my heart, I'll find a way to save you!" And then she began to sing a rather sorrowful song, all the while gazing up at the moon.
Another flash caused the scene to change. No longer was Twilight observing a scene in a castle somewhere in the Everfree Forest (or so she assumed given what she had been able to determine). Instead, she found herself looking over a ground that had been turned into alternating white and grey checkered squares. The sky was a hue of pink, but the exact time of day or night couldn't be determined. All sorts of chaotic things were unfolding everywhere: Including chocolate milk rain and pies raining down from the skies.
Celestia and Luna appeared to be rather battered if the many black bruise marks on their bodies was any indication. But they seemed quite determined and sure of themselves as they came trotting up to a throne with a very familiar looking creature spinning around to greet them!
Twilight realized at once she must now be witnessing Celestia and Luna's triumph over Discord, when he had been turned to stone for the first time.
Discord, of course, was unaware of Twilight's presence. He instead glanced at the two royal sisters and laughed. "Well well, look who's come crawling back for more. Have you two accepted the offer of being my new playmates for all eternity? You seem to be made of stronger stuff than all my other playmates. Anyone up for a game of 'Pin the Tail on the Pony'?" And after he had spoken those words, he held up the detached tail of Princess Celestia that he'd somehow managed to snatch without her being any the wiser!
Celestia gasped as she looked to her backside and saw that her tail was missing! Fortunately, she was able to quickly snatch it back and reattach it with her magic. "Okay, Discord," She told him in a stern, almost scolding like tone of voice. "You've had your fun. And now, playtime is over! You've caused enough chaos for one lifetime."
"Indeed, fiendish brute," Luna snapped! "And your idea of 'fun' isn't really fun for anypony. Seriously, does anyone besides yourself find you at all funny?"
The spirit only laughed. "Oh trust me, I'm a riot. Why, I'll practically have you two in stitches after this," Then he began munching on what appeared to be some black colored seeds. And as he spoke, the seeds were being scattered everywhere, some of them even hitting the princesses in the face. "Hungry?" He asked as he held out a small pouch containing some of the seeds. When he recieved no reply he just shrugged his claw. "Oh well, more for me."
The two alicorns, meanwhile, just looked across to each other and nodded in unison. Then they used their magic to open up the saddlebags they had brought with them. Six gemstones began to encircle the two princesses: Three around Celestia and three around Luna. But only Twilight (who was watching the memory play out) knew what each one was at the moment.
Of course, the floating gemstones quickly caught Discord's attention as he dropped his seeds and inquired in a curious tone of voice. "Ooh! What have you got there, princesses? I don't recall seeing those the last time we met."
"Just a little something called the Elements of Harmony." Celestia pointed out.
Luna added. "And with these, we shall defeat you once and for all. Nothing will save you from humiliation." Then she and her sister put their horns together, channeling the power of the elements as the gemstones began to circle around the princesses not unlike a shield..
Discord didn't appear to be worried for even a second. In fact, he was laughing hysterically as he watched the princesses power up. "You really should see yourselves right now. The expressions on your face. So intense. So sure of yourselves," He leaned back in his chair and held out a paw as he proclaimed. "Hilarious!" And it was the last thing he said before the power of the elements turned him to stone. Just like that, Discord's reign of chaotic terror had come to an abrupt end.
The scene changed a moment later, and this time Twilight Sparkle found herself looking at a tree she knew for sure she had never seen before (or even read about). It was a pure white in color and gave off an almost blinding glow. It rested all by itself somewhere, apparently in some kind of gorge. But most noticeable of all was what was emblazoned into the trunk of the tree: A very familiar looking six pointed star! The same star that was part of Twilight's cutie mark!
But what did that mean?!
Twilight soon found out, as she watched a past version of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna approach the tree with a sense of wonder reflected in their eyes. Princess Luna even let out a gasp! "The Tree of Harmony! It's real!"
Twilight blinked. Apparently, "Tree of Harmony" was the name of this mysterious object. "Tree of Harmony? My cutie mark? What does it all mean?" She asked herself, even though she knew the past versions of the princesses couldn't answer her.
"Sister, art thou sure this is what Mother and Father were referring to?" Luna inquired as she looked across to her sister.
Celestia nodded in reply. "Indeed, Luna. This is no ordinary tree, there's something... magical about it. A kind of magic I haven't felt since Starswirl the Bearded," Then she added with something of a giggle. "And you know you don't have to speak like that anymore, Luna."
"But sister," Luna protested. "It is tradition. It is the way we have addressed our subjects for decades."
The older alicorn corrected. "Well, times are changing. We can discuss that more later, after we take care of Discord," Then she stated. "With the elements grown on this tree, we now have the means by which we can defeat Discord and free the citizens of Equestria from his chaotic reign."
Luna was still hesitant as she eyed the tree. "Are we sure these... 'elements' are for us? And what if we remove them? What will happen then? It doesn't seem like this tree could long survive in a place like the Everfree Forest without something to protect it."
Celestia simply replied. "The magic I am sensing in this tree is a magic that cannot be so easily snuffed out. Even without the elements on its branches, I'm confident this tree will still be standing for a long time to come. It posses a powerful magic of its own. As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here. It might even be possible for us to move into that castle that was intended for us before the one in Canterlot was finished." Then she and Luna used their magic to pull the various elements off the tree one by one.
Another flash brought the chain of memories to an end. Twilight came back to the present and shook her head to gather her thoughts (as well as shake off the temporary groginess that seemed to be an after effect of the potion). As she did so, she noticed that all of her friends (along with Spike and Zecora) were all giving her the most unusual looks. It seemed like they were rather worried about her for some reason.
An uncomfortable silence filled the air, before Twilight saw fit to ask. "Why are you all looking at me like that? Did something happen?"
"You tell us," Applejack replied in a concerned tone of voice. "After you drank that potion, you started mumblin' to yourself. Somethin' about how this had all happened before."
Rainbow Dash added. "Not to mention the uncontrollable sobbing. You just suddenly started crying, and you wouldn't stop even when we tried to ask you what was wrong. It was like you couldn't see or hear us at all."
Discord, meanwhile, appeared before Twilight and displayed a photo of her showing what she had looked like while she was crying. He'd also made it move, though instead of the sound of Twilight's voice it was just the sound of a baby wailing and crying. "Well I for one found it delightful. Sort of a one-pony theater piece, if you will. You should really consider taking it on the road. I think you'd make a killing on Bridleway."
Rainbow then saw fit to ask the alicorn. "So, what? Did you find out whose rump we need to kick and where we can find them?"
"Well, not exactly," The young alicorn explained to the best of her ability. "The potion worked like I hoped it would, it let me see into the past. But it took me back much further than I was expecting: I saw memories from when Princess Luna was banished, memories of her and Princess Celestia defeating Discord, and where they got the Elements of Harmony from."
Rarity pondered aloud. "And how does that help us?"
Twilight contemplated what she had seen for a moment, before declaring. "Well, even if I'm not sure what exactly happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I think I know why the Everfree Forest is acting up again. That incomplete master spell must've messed things up more than we thought. In the past, Princess Celestia mentioned that a thing called the Tree of Harmony had a magic all its own. The master spell must've triggered the reaction, and the forest's magic was thrown out of balance."
"Yeah, but you fixed it. That was how you got your wings," Pinkie Pie pointed out. "We all saw that. Why would the Evefree Forest invade Ponyville again so soon?"
Twilight replied. "Something else must've aggravated it. Whatever it is, I'll bet it's connected to the vines. And the only way I can think of that'll restore everything to how it should be is to save the Tree of Harmony."
"The tree of what now?" Rainbow inquired.
Twilight explained. "That's where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna found and obtained the Elements of Harmony. Something must've happened to it, it must be in danger somehow. We must save it!"
"Well alright then, sounds like a plan!" Applejack happily proclaimed! "Let's go save a... tree, I guess," Then she asked. "And uh, where it would be, exactly?"
The young alicorn gulped and swallowed hard as she confessed. "I can only think of one place." She gestured a hoof off into the distance, and almost immediately everyone knew to what she was referring to: The Evefree Forest itself!
As the reality of the situation slowly sank in for the ponies (as well as Spike and Zecora), Discord excitedly exclaimed as he lounged in a bright red chair and wearing paper glasses with blue and red shades. "Ooh-hoo, how exciting! I'm going to need more popcorn!" And he shook an empty bag of popcorn about to emphasize that point. "Well, don't mind me, ladies. Go do whatever it is you need to do. You surely don't need my help to save some tree."
Hesitant though the ponies (and Spike) were to enter the Everfree Forest, especially with the way things were now, they bravely made their way into the forest with the Elements of Harmony at the ready.
The trek through the forst began to bring back memories for the six memories, memories of the last time they as a group had ventured into the forest together. "Seems like only yesterday we were heading into these woods to find the Elements of Harmony. Isn't it amazing how the time just flies?" Rarity asked.
Everyone nodded (except for Spike who, of course, had not been part of that fateful journey), before Twilight pointed out. "It seems like only yesterday I was still a unicorn who was foolish enough to think I should do it all on my own. Foolish enough to think I didn't need friends, they'd just get in the way. I wouldn't be the pony I am today if I hadn't met you girls," Then she proclaimed. "I don't know what exactly we're going to face on this quest. But whatever it is, we need to face it together." And her friends all nodded in agreement.
A little while later, the ragtag group reached a thick and muddy pond that was far too deep for them to hope to wade through it.
Fortunately, Twilight spotted a solution as she noticed a bunch of inconspicuous looking stones resting on the pond's surface. She stepped onto one as the alicorn proposed to the others. "We can use these to cross. Come on." But then suddenly the stones began to move, causing Twilight to yelp!
As it turned out, the stones were actually just the scales of a large rock like crocodile! And it was clear it intended to snack on the ponies now that they had been foolish enough to disturb it.
"It's a cragadile! Run for your lives!" Rarity shrieked as the ponies (and Spike) all took off in different directions, hoping to make the beast give up.
The cragadile did not do so, however. It instead decided to set its sights on the nearest pony it deemed to be prey. In this case, Twilight Sparkle. And to make matters worse for Twilight, she found herself facing a sudden dead end! Frantically and desperately, she tried to flap her wings in order to escape, only to find that they refused to cooperate with her! Thinking fast, she charged up her horn and shot a beam at the cragadile! But the cragadile was completely unphased.
A horrified Twilight shut her eyes, waiting for the end to come! It never did. Instead, she heard the sound of grunting and snapping. She opened her eyes, and saw to her relief that her friends had quickly wired the cragadile's mouth shut with vines (which had the added effect of leaving it trapped in place, unable to move for the time being). The alicorn breathed a much needed sigh of relief at the close call. "That was close."
Applejack immediately saw fit to comment. "A little too close for comfort if you ask me," Then she asked her alicorn friend. "You sure you're okay, sugarcube? That was a very near thing just then."
Twilight protested. "I'm fine, Applejack! I obviously wasn't expecting a cragadile to show up. If my wings hadn't decided to stop working back there, I would've been fine! It's not like I've been intentionally putting myself in danger or anything. I'm not being careless."
"Aw, don't worry about it," Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of your new wings eventually. You just haven't had a chance to really break 'em in yet."
"Well 'eventually' might not be soon enough," Twilight Sparkle frowned. "At least I still have my horn though. I know that won't let me down."
Fluttershy then protested. "Is that why you had to use dark magic on Zecora's memory potion to get it to work? Is that why you rushed off to help us here in Ponyville even after you knew Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were missing, and that you didn't know where they were or what had happened to them?"
Applejack stopped in her tracks as she contemplated. "You know, Fluttershy actually makes a good point. No offense, sugarcube," She turned to Twilight. "But it seems like you've been forgettin' the fact that you're not just an alicorn now. You're an official princess. I know we said that deep down you're still the same old Twilight, but that doesn't mean you can just ignore your new responsibilities. Plus, what if somethin' happens to ya because you felt like you had to come here to help us out?"
Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes. "Applejack, come on! I don't need you protecting me, I can take care of myself!"
"Then how come you almost got eaten by that cragadile back there?" The farm mare inquired with a serious look on her face. "You don't even know if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will come back even if we do manage to save this tree. I don't think Equestria could handle losin' another princess, especially if that princess is you."
Rarity added. "And in Celestia and Luna's absence, even Princess Cadence can't be expected to manage alone. You said it yourself, she delegated to you because she knew you were already in Canterlot and thus would be better suited to taking charge, rather than forcing her to leave the Crystal Empire and put her own responsibilities on hold."
Twilight could hardly believe her ears! Her friends were starting to turn on her, all because of her alicorn status! "This is ridiculous! I'm the reason we've even gotten this far, girls! So I'm a princess now, so what?! You think I would've bothered making you girls my royal advisors if I wasn't planning to still be friends? I could've moved back to Canterlot, but I stayed in Ponyville because I thought that's where I was wanted."
"Look, we're glad you came back to help us, really," Rainbow Dash nervously answered. "But Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy all make good points."
Pinkie Pie found herself forced to chime in. "Yeah, they kind of do. It's okay to think about yourself and how important you are, Twilight. We understand that you won't always be able to come with us or do all the things we used to do. You're a princess now, that's a very big responsibility. Even bigger than me foalsitting the Cake Twins, and let me tell you that was a responsibility I almost couldn't handle."
"If we need your help, we'll certainly call," Fluttershy reluctantly and hesitantly stated. "But until then, maybe it's for the best if you go back to Ponyville. At least then we'll be able to carry on with our search without worrying that something might happen to you."
Spike even declared. "I think I have to go with the girls on this one, Twilight. You've already done a lot for them since you came back to Ponyville. Now it's time for you to trust them to carry on without you. There's no need for you to risk yourself for something that's not guaranteed."
The young alicorn sighed and frowned, sensing that she was outvoted. "I fear you're all making a terrible mistake here, girls. But it seems I can't stop you," She motioned to Spike. "Come on, Spike. We've wasted everypony's time here arguing about this. Let's go back to Ponyville and make sure things are under control." And with that, the alicorn and the baby dragon tured around and began to walk out of the Everfree Forest.
The five other mares watched their friends slowly disappear into the distance. They were certain this was the right move to make, so why it did feel so wrong to them?
Back in Ponyville, Discord was minding his own business and didn't appear to be the least bit concerned about two earth ponies that were tangled up in the thorny vines. He didn't even seem to acknowledge their pleas for help, instead using Gummy as a filer to trim his fingernails.
Twilight came upon the scene and immediately frowned. "Discord!" She scolded the spirit.
"Oh, alright," Discord reluctantly replied. And with a snap of his talons he set the two earth ponies free. He was more than a little bit frustrated to see them immediately take off afterward. "You're welcome!" He shouted, only to receive no reply. "Well, that's gratitude for you. You try to be nice, try to be a hero, and this is the thanks you get!"
Twilight only further scolded. "Maybe they'd be more appreciative if you actually helped them without somepony else needing to tell you to do so. Just a thought."
The spirit only retorted. "Oh, but what would be the fun in that?" Then he inquired. "Speaking of which, how was that little search of yours? No luck finding that tree?"
The young alicorn frowned and pouted. "My friends decided it was best if I come back here, since there wasn't a guarantee we'd find the tree or that saving it would bring back the princesses. All because some stupid cragadile tried to have me for lunch."
The witty draconequus blinked his eyes, eyeballs and everything. "And you just agreed to it? Just like that? And after all that talk about friendship and about solving it together. Never would've thought that after all of that, you'd just declare yourself better than everypony else. And you call yourself the princess of friendship. Ha, what a laugh!"
Twilight stomped a hoof down as she grit her teeth. "I don't think I'm more important than anypony else! It was my friends' idea, not mine. I simply agreed with them because they wouldn't stop talking about how I was needlessly putting myself in danger just for them."
Discord simply snapped his talons, giving Twilight a long, flowing robe made of a blue silk, a large crown, and a golden scepter that had a wooden carving of her face on the end of it. "Oh really? You let your friends decide for you just because of one incident? That never stopped you before," He shrank himself down and began whispering into Twilight's ears. "All you did was choose to keep your precious princess self out of harm's way while your friends thrust themselves right into the thick of it," Then he added. "But not to worry. I'm sure you'll all be the best of pals again when they return from their terrifying yet deeply bonding experience that they're having without you."
At that, something deep inside of the book loving princess began to stir. A realization dawned on her as she threw away the cane and threw off the robe, then took off back towards the Everfree Forest as fast as she could! "You know what, Discord, you're right! Coming back here was a mistake!"
Spike rushed after Twilight, certain that he knew what the real mistake was! "Twilight, come on! Don't listen to Discord, he's just trying to get under your fur!"
"Well it's working!" Twilight firmly declared as she continued her headlong rush. "Since this whole thing started, I've been doing what I thought I should do. But now I'm thinking about others. If something happens to my friends in that forest because I wasn't there, I'll never be able to live with myself. Besides, I didn't become the princess of friendship by staying out of things just because there was a chance I could get hurt."
As Twilight and Spike thus rushed back into the Everfree Forest, the five other mares were doing their best to carry on despite the decision they'd made. It had seemed like the right one to make at the time, but now they were starting to be filled with regret and guilt for it.
Rainbow Dash then spoke up to dispell the abrupt air of silence that had fallen over the group. "Anypony else starting to think this is a lost cause?" She wondered aloud while flapping her wings. "We've been marching for who knows how long and we haven't found anything. Maybe there is no Tree of Harmony, maybe Twilight was just seeing things when she drank that crazy potion."
"Or maybe it's right down there," Applejack suggested as she pointed a hoof to a small gorge. "Look!"
Everypony's eyes became drawn to the depths of the gorge that was just beneath the rope bridge that led to the Castle of the Two Sisters. And when they did so they saw a sight they knew they had never seen before! There stood a truly massive tree that bore Twilight's cutie mark on its trunk. But in contrast to how Twilight had described it, it didn't look beautiful at all. It was drab and covered with the thick vines.
Rainbow could hardly believe her eyes! "No way! Twilight was telling the truth after all! Can't believe we never noticed that tree before."
"To be fair, the last time we were in this part of the woods, it was dark and filled with mist," Rarity pointed out. "Pretty easy to overlook something we didn't know about," Then she asked. "The real question is, how are we supposed to get to it?"
Just then, a series of thuds and bumps reached everypony's ears as they turned to look, and saw Pinkie Pie tumbling down a huge flight of stairs. When she had reached the bottom, the pink party pony proclaimed. "Take the stairs, silly!" And the other mares followed her lead without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike were trying their best to retrace their steps in the hopes of being reunited with their friends. Unfortunately, they appeared to have found themselves in an unfamiliar part of the forest. And by now, worry was starting to fill every ounce of their being.
"I think we're lost," Twilight glumly admitted as she halted right in her tracks. "What was I thinking letting my friends talk me into going back? I never should've left them!"
"Hey, we can't give up now!" Spike firmly insisted as he reached out a claw to Twilight. "We've already come this far, we have to see it through to the end," Then he got an idea as his eyes spotted a fairly large tree nearby. "Hey, I know! I bet if I climb up this tree, I'll be able to spot 'em. Just stay there and don't wander off!" He jumped down from the alicorn's back, raced over to the tree, and slowly but surely ascended it branch by branch.
"Can you see them?!" Twilight shouted up to the little dragon.
The little dragon shouted back. "Not yet!" Then he started scanning all around, taking advantage of his heightened surroundings to survey the forest in greater detail. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted the forms of five very familiar mares down in a gorge a short ways away. "Well whaddya know, there they are!" He declared and jumped down, ready to tell Twilight the good news.
But Twilight had far more urgent matters occupying her attention at the moment. A mysterious black plant had somehow snuck up on her, and it had sprayed her with some kind of dust cloud that overwhelmed her senses. She became disoriented and coughed, unable to focus! And to make matters worse, more of the plants were starting to surround and overwhelm her!
"Twilight!" Spike screamed as he rushed to the scene of disaster!
The young alicorn simply threw up a hoof as she managed to choke out. "Run... run away... Spike! Get... get help! G-go... now!"
Hesitantly and reluctantly, Spike nevertheless obeyed!
The five other mares had no idea what was happening to Twilight right now. They were more concerned about what was happening to the Tree of Harmony.
Fluttershy let out a gasp when she observed the vines surrounding the tree, draining color from it! "I think it's dying!" She exclaimed! "We've got to do something, quick!"
"So let's stop talkin' and start savin' it already!" Applejack proclaimed as she rushed forward, trying to grab onto one of the vines and pull it away! When she tried to do so, however, more vines snuck up from behind and struck her, tossing her back!
Rainbow Dash unfolded her wings. "Nice try, AJ. Leave this to me!" She zoomed close to the tree, hoping to kick away the vines as she extended one of her legs outward. But the vines just tightened and circled around each other, resisting any attempt by the brash speedster to move them. She was flung back a moment later, hitting the ground with a thud.
Rarity then spoke up. "A valiant effort on both of your parts, but the tree remains in jeopardy."
Adjusting her stetson, the farm mare grumbled. "And I suppose you've got a better idea?" When Rarity shrugged her hooves, she declared. "That's what I thought. Don't think unicorn magic's gonna help us here."
Fluttershy then proclaimed. "I know one pony who might know what to do," Then she hung her head in shame as she whimpered. "But we sent her away."
It didn't take long for an argument to break out as Rainbow Dash accusingly pointed a hoof at Applejack and snapped! "This is all your fault! It was your idea to send Twilight back, Applejack!"
Applejack argued back! "We all agreed to it, Rainbow Dash! Now's not the time to be pointin' hooves! We were tryin' to protect her!"
Before Rainbow could reply, there came the sound of tumbling and thudding. The mares rushed over as they saw that the one who had made the noises was none other than Spike. He was bruised and battered, and his eyes were wide open! It seemed he'd been to Tartarus and back since they'd seen him last. And more concerningly, Twilight wasn't with him.
Spike frantically managed to force out. "Twilight! Trouble! Help!"
Once the mares were able to extract more details from Spike, they quickly decided to put their efforts to save the Tree of Harmony on hold! Right now, they had a friend to save! It was a good thing that they did, because by the time they made it back to Twilight's location, the black plants looked about ready to finish her off!
Thinking quickly, Applejack pulled out a rope from under her trusty stetson and used it to lasso one of the plants, pulling it to the ground! With narrowed eyes and a somber expression she proclaimed. "Listen here, you rabid rhododendrons! You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"
And soon, the five mares were able to bring down all of the plants and help Twilight to safety. The young alicorn was most grateful for the rescue as she slowly but surely managed to shake off the disorientation that had paralyzed her just seconds earlier.
When the rescue was over, the farm mare breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed. "I sure am glad we found ya when we did. And I'm glad you came lookin' for us."
Twilight replied. "Not as glad as I am that you found me. That's twice now in one day you've saved me from certain doom."
Rarity just massaged the back of her neck with a hoof as she admitted. "The truth is, Twilight, we'd simply be lost without you to guide us. You're always the one who knows what to do in these situations, we never should've doubted you."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed. "Even if Equestria needs a princess..."
Fluttershy then chimed in. "...We need our friend."
The happy reunion was short lived, however, as Twilight Sparkle soon declared. "We can save the apologies for later. Right now, we've got a tree to save! Let's hurry, before it's too late!"
Twilight followed her friends back to the gorge they'd been down in just a short time ago. Even she was surprised at just how bad a state the Tree of Harmony was in. And she soon found that the vines surrounding it resisted any and all attempts to move them: Be it through magic or other means.
The alicorn princess was stumped. How was she supposed to save a tree if the very objects draining its life energy refused to move or budge an inch?
Suddenly, Twilight began to remember what Princess Celestia had said in the flashback, back when the sun princess had first discovered the Tree of Harmony all those years ago. It was then that Twilight knew what needed to be done. Turning to her friends, she said to them all. "I know how we can save the tree. We have to give it the Elements of Harmony. We need to return them to the place they came from."
Naturally, everypony else (along with Spike) were shocked at such an idea! Rainbow Dash was the first to voice her objections to the proposal! "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Give up the elements?! Are you crazy?! How are we supposed to protect Equestria without them?!"
Twilight countered. "We didn't need them to defeat Queen Chrysalis or King Sombra. Besides, I'm sure if we really need them again, the tree won't mind if we borrw the elements for a little while."
Rarity then inquired. "But what about Discord? How are we supposed to keep him in line if we can no longer turn him to stone if he gets out of hoof again? Heck, even with the elements, he's barely helped us at all since he reformed."
"We'll just have to rely on our friendship to keep him in line," Twilight insisted. "We didn't think it'd ever be possible to reform him, but Fluttershy found a way," Then she added. "The elements might have brought us together, but they're not what's kept us together for over two years now. Our friendship is more important and much more powerful than any magic. My new role in Equestria may mean I have to take on new responsibilities, and our friendships may be tested, but it will never, ever be broken."
"I hope you're right, Twilight," Fluttershy insisted with concern. "But I think we'd better act soon. The Tree of Harmony's not gonna last much longer!"
The young alicorn nodded. "You're right! It's now or never!" To her friends she all asked! "Are you with me?!"
The five other mares all shouted in unison! "Yeah!" And then, one by one, they watched as Twilight took the gemstones out of the necklaces, as well as the tiara that ressembled her crown. The gemstones began to circle around her as she flew frantically towards the Tree of Harmony, ready to save it!
But as the alicorn princess drew near, the vines suddenly reached out and ensnared her! Twilight struggled just to move! It took every ounce of strength and magical power she had to slowly move the gemstones back onto the branches of the Tree of Harmony. Then, finally, she was able to place the gemstone for the Element of Magic back into the center of the tree. When she did so, the tree began to glow a brilliant shade of white!
The newly restored magic from the tree was enough to dispel the vines, and not just from around it either. All of the black, thorny vines were slowly but surely erased, until there was not a single one left.
And then, to the surprise of everyone, walls of vines on both sides of the tree disappeared to reveal Princess Celestia and Princess Luna: Completely unharmed.
Princess Celestia was the first to speak up as she approached Twilight. "Thank you, Twilight. It seems that once again, Equestria as well as Luna and I owe you a great debt of thanks for what you've done," She was quick to add. "Luna and I know how difficult it must have been for you to give up the elements. It took great courage to relinquish them. Truly, a hallmark of a great princess. You continue to make me proud every day, Twilight."
Twilight blushed despite her best efforts not to appear affected by what the sun princess had said. But then something caught her eye! The tree suddenly produced on a flower a glowing, crystal-like chest that had six key holes on it. She trotted over and inspected this mysterious chest. "What's inside it?" She asked the other princesses. "How am I supposed to open it?"
"That is a mystery even to us, I'm afraid," Princess Luna confessed. "Though the six locks hardly seemes like a coincidence. There must be six keys needed to unlock the chest and its contents."
Princess Celestia nodded in approval of what her sister had said, and then added. "I have no clue as to where those keys might be, but I can safely say that this mystery is one you will not be solving alone, Twilight," Then she changed the subject. "But for now, we must get out of this forest. The Everfree Forest will need time to readjust to having the Tree of Harmony's magic fully active again. And there is still a Summer Sun Celebration to be held."
Discord was waiting when Twilight and her friends exited the Everfree Forest. He'd even gone so far as to set up banners and flags celebrating ther victory, and he blew loudly on a party horn! "Bravo, ladies, bravo! Another spectacular performance!" And he saw fit to ask. "So, how did you save the day this time? Come on, don't hold back on the details! Did you blast the baddies with those magic necklaces of yours?"
Twilight took a deep breath and prepared to speak. "Well actually, Discord, we..."
The spirit didn't bother to wait for Twilight to finish her sentence, especially since he began to notice something that drew his attention. "-Hey, where are those little trinkets of yours, anyway?" He asked as he shrank himself down to microscopic size, and started inspecting the six ponies very carefully. "You know, the ones you could use to send me back to my extremely uncomfortable stone prison if I should misbehave?"
Applejack reluctantly confessed with a sigh. "That's what we were about to tell you, Discord. They're gone. We had to give 'em up."
"What?! Gone?!" Discord exclaimed as he returned to his original size. "What do you mean gone?!" Then, slowly, it dawned on him what that meant. "Gone?" A malicious smirk slowly began to spread across his face.
Fluttershy was quick to shut down whatever thoughts Discord might have about taking advantage of the situation. "They may be gone, but our friendship still remains. And if you want to stay friends with us, you'll stop thinking whatever it is you're thinking and help us clean up. Understand?"
Discord had been slowly shrinking in size as Flutterhy effortlessly put him in his place. "It's just like you, Fluttershy, to make a guy feel small," He lamented. Then, he poofed himself back to normal size and dawned a maid's outfit while grumbling. "Fine. But I don't do windows." And he began to walk away.
As Twilight watched the witty spirit stroll off towards the distance, a nagging thought began to knaw at her. "There's still one thing I don't get about all of this. Just what caused those vines to appear? No evil force was behind them, nopony cast a spell, so where did the vines come from?"
By chance, the draconequus overheard the princess' pondering and promptly proclaimed. "I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine. Those seeds I planted should have sprouted up ages ago."
Hearing the word "seeds" caused Twilight to blink and bat an eye. "What did you say?" She asked, hoping beyond hope she had misheard somehow.
Discord only replied with a laugh. "Oh, why bother to explain it when you can see for yourself?" He then produced the memory potion Twilight had modified earlier, shoved it into Twilight's mouth and watched as she drank down the last of the concotion. Just like before, her eyes began to flash with a brilliant white light, triggering another flashback.
This time, the flashback was the same one Twilight had seen before: The one where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had defeated Discord and turned him to stone. Even the words spoken by the two alicorn sisters was the same.
However, this time the flashback was accompanied by the present Discord providing his own little narration. In particular, he drew attention to the black seeds he had been munching on just prior to the fight. "Well, as you can clearly see, things obviously didn't go quite the way I'd hoped," He willingly confessed. "I didn't realize until too late that those pony princesses weren't playing around. But even then, it shouldn't have mattered. My plunderseeds should have stolen the magic from the Tree of Harmony and captured Princess Celestia and Princess Luna over a thousand years ago."
Then the memory changed, showing the seeds starting to sprout into vines. But before they could break through to the surface, a magical barrier blocked their path. Discord was explaining. "Alas, it seems the tree had enough magic to keep the seeds from growing up big and strong. Until now, that is. When you unleashed that doozy of a master spell and threw the elements all out of whack, you upset the balance and forced the Tree of Harmony to use what power it had left to restore everything to normal. After that, it was only a matter of time until my seeds turned into vines and did what they were supposed to do."
The flashback ended as Twilight narrowed her eyes at Discord, and with a harsh glare she told him in no uncertain terms. "So you were behind all this after all, just not intentionally?! You realize this is information we could have used hours ago?!"
The spirit feigned innocence. "To tell you the truth, even I forgot about them until they sprouted up. Besides, even if I had told you the truth, you and your friends would've just blasted me back to stone right then and there, and I probably would've deserved it. However, if that had happened, you'd have never learned about Celestia's past, or that valuable lesson about what it truly means to be a princess," He pulled on Twilight's cheek as he added. "What kind of a friend would I have been if I'd let all that happen?"
The young alicorn could only groan. "Don't push your luck, Discord. This better not happen again, for your sake."
Discord simply waved a paw. "You have my word. But in the meantime, don't you have a city to get back to and a Summer Sun Celebration to take part in?"
A short time later, Twilight had obtained a new crown to replace her old one that had been based on the tiara that housed the Element of Magic. Princess Cadence had happily relinquished authority back to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but decided to stay in Canterlot for the duration of the Summer Sun Celebration since she was already there.
The celebration went on as planned despite the unexpected delay that had occurred. None of the citizens of Canterlot were any the wiser as to what had happened in Ponyville.
Soon, with the blaring of trumpets, Princess Celestia stepped out onto the stage that had been erected for the celebration. She immediately gestured a hoof, calling for the silence of the crowd. And once she had obtained it she spoke at length. "Citizens of Equestria, it is no longer with a heavy heart but with great joy that I raise the summer sun today," She paused briefly to steady her emotions, watching as her sister came trotting out onto the stage to join her. Then she continued. "For this celebration now represents not the defeat of the Nightmare Moon, but the joyus return of my sister, Princess Luna."
"And now," Princess Luna declared. "It is with great pleasure we that officially welcome the newest princess of Equestria into our ranks. Princess Twilight Sparkle shall now perform her big finish."
Twilight needed no further instructions. She flapped her wings and managed to take off into the air without trouble. She even generated a shockwave that burst outward in all directions in the shape of her cutie mark, it even had the same color as the six sided star on her flanks.
Twilight's friends all proudly cheered as they witnessed the big finish go off without a hitch! Twilight had fully settled into her new role and new title, and she hadn't changed a bit from the pony they'd known from when she was still a unicorn.
Of course, there was the matter of the search for the six keys. But that could wait. For the time being, everypony was just happy things were back to normal, more or less.
For Rarity, it had been only a few short weeks since she had opened (and nearly closed) her dream boutique in Canterlot in the form of Canterlot Carousel. Just as she'd promised her business partner, Sassy Saddles, however, she was indeed coming back to the boutique from time to time as needed.
This was one such occasion. And as it turned out, Rarity had a very good reason for wanting to come to her Canterlot boutique: A brand new, one of a kind collection of dresses, with a very unique inspiration source that she was eager to show off.
The fashionista unicorn was now using her magic to move a trio of dresses from said collection out front, placing them in the boutique's display window so that potential customers passing by would notice them and (hopefully) be drawn to the boutique. And the dresses were being propped on ponyquins fixed to poles.
From left to right, the collection consisted of the following dresses: First up was a black-ish purple jacket like robe with buttons on the arm sleeves, a black tie, and a black flower like decoration on the head. The next dress was a simple yet elegant long and flowing white robe, which had gold bands on the arm sleeves and just below the neck. And finally, there was a dull scarlet colored jacket and matching robe, which had a red ribbon around the neck area. It also had a black fedora hat with a red ribbon just like the other one.
"Oh, Sassy, don't you just love my new Femme Mystique Chic line of gowns?" Rarity asked her fellow unicorn.
Sassy looked up from what she had been doing, and could hardly believe her eyes. The dresses stood out to her in bold detail! She gasped and dreamily exclaimed! "Why sequins and sashes, Rarity, they're absolutely exquisite! I've seen a lot in my time, but nothing like this! Wherever did you find the inspiration for such amazing pieces of work?"
Rarity readily admitted. "Why, from none other than the adventures of Shadow Spade: My all time favorite book series. Daring Do has nothing on it!" She briefly lifted the fedora off the outfit on the right while declaring. "Shadow Spade was my first true source of inspiration when it came to fashion. Her stories are always full of mystery and suspense and, best of all... fabulous costumes! I've read her books multiple times since I was a filly, she always believes no detail is too small or insignificant to be overlooked. And so do I."
Sassy Saddles happily clapped her hooves in approval. "Oh, they're absolutely perfect, Rarity! Just perfect! And you couldn't have picked a better place to show them off than here at Canterlot Carousel. We'll be up to our necks in orders in no time!" But then she noticed something her boss was doing that she found most odd, and so she questioned. "Uh, what are you doing?"
Rarity was currently using her magic to move the trio of dresses around, trying to find just the right place to display them so that their beauty would stand out. And as she did so she was humming to herself. "Just making a few little changes, Sassy," She promptly blew on the dresses to get rid of dust or cobwebs that might have built up. "After all, Shadow Spade always believes it comes down to details. It's only fitting that dresses based on her adventures should have just as much attention, if not more. If I'm going to market these dresses, they've got to be exact replicas of the ones Shadow Spade wears, and they need to be in the perfect spot to attract customers"
"So I see." Sassy commented, but said nothing more.
Using her magic, the fashionista unicorn moved the dresses left, then right. At last, she found just the spot she wanted to put them in. "Ah, there we go," She proudly proclaimed. Now it's perfect. Just the way it should be."
Yet just then, Rarity's work would be undone as the boutique door swung open suddenly! In strolled Rainbow Dash, completely unaware of what she'd just done inadvertently. "Hey girls," She greeted with a smile. "How's it..." But then she noticed the two unicorns buried in a pile of dresses, both of them frowning at her. "Oh." Was all the brash speedster could bring herself to say.
Little did either the speedster or the fashionista know that the dresses in that pile were going to be rather useful in the span of a day or so.
"Sorry I messed up your... er... dress thingy, girls." Rainbow profusely apologized as she helped the two unicorns to stand, and clean up the mess she'd just made.
Sassy sighed, but did her best to hide her frustrations with the pegasus as she forced something of a smile. "Oh, it's alright. Nothing we can't fix in a stitch. But might I ask what you're doing in Canterlot, let alone why you've come here? I thought Rarity said you didn't like dresses."
Rainbow Dash immediately replied. "I don't, and that's not why I'm here. I'm here to see Rarity. There's something I was hoping to ask her," Sheepishly, she added. "Guess I should've knocked first."
Rarity waved a hoof. "It's perfectly fine, Rainbow Dash," She dusted herself off. "Nothing out of place. Now, what is it you wanted to ask me?"
"Well, you know the Wonderbolts are gonna perform at the ceremony for the opening of Princess Celestia's royal garden tomorrow, right?" Rainbow began to explain.
Instead of Rarity, Sassy Saddles answered. "Oh yes, it was in all the papers!" And she happily exclaimed! "I remember Rarity mentioned a while back that you were a part of them now. Congratulations, it must be a dream come true to fly with your idols!"
But the brash speedster nervously chuckled. "Oh, I'm not flying with them. I'm just a part of the reserves. They always call up a reserve or two in case somepony gets sick, or injured, or otherwise can't perform. But I don't see that happening," Then she explained. "I was gonna ask Rarity if she wanted to come with me for tonight, and tomorrow while the Wonderbolts are flying. After all, I do still get some perks even as a reserve member: I get a suite in the castle, and I get to attend an awesome dinner to eat awesome food."
"Oh, you needn't have asked, darling," Rarity sweetly said with a smile. "I'd be more than happy to be your honored guest. I'm sure Sassy can manage the boutique just fine on her own."
"Rarity, are you sure? Remember what happened the last time I was put in charge?" Sassy gulped. "How can you be sure I won't go overboard again and cause problems for the both of us?"
The fashionista unicorn waved a hoof. "You made a mistake, Sassy. But I know you're not that same pony anymore. I chose you as my business partner for a reason, that hasn't changed just because you accidentally stepped on my hooves once or twice."
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, remarked in an unusually uncheerful tone of voice. "Thanks a lot for saying yes, Rarity. Having you by my side will give me something to keep my mind off the fact that I'll just be watching the Wonderbolts from the sidelines, again. Spitfire says I've still got at least a few more months of being a reserve before I can even think of joining the team as a permanent member."
Rarity trotted over and put a hoof around Rainbow's neck, reassuring her. "Well, everypony has to begin somewhere, don't they? Just look at how far you've come. In just a few short years you've gone from merely idolizing the Wonderbolts, to being one of their most promising reserves. Why, I daresay you might just become captain of the team yourself someday. If there's anypony who could be a worthy successor to Spitfire, I'd put my money on you."
The rainbow maned pegasus' cheeks began to flush a shade of pink. "Rarity, stop it! You're embarrassing me. I just wanted to have a friend on hoof until after the ceremonies. Once I'm back in Ponyville, it'll be much easier to keep my mind off my troubles."
The fashionista giggled as she apologized. "Forgive me, Rainbow Dash. I got carried away. But it'll be my pleasure to keep you company for as long as you need it," Then she perked up. "Plus, as a bonus, it gives me the perfect opportunity to show off the gowns from my new femme mystique couture. If I play my cards right, I'm certain my boutiques will be swimming in orders!"
"Great! See you tonight at the castle!" Rainbow exclaimed! "And bring an appetite!" Then she departed, swinging the door closed and making the dresses from the collection rattle and shake. Fortunately, this time they didn't fall down, which was a huge relief to both Rarity and Sassy.
Sassy Saddles couldn't help but comment to her boss. "You were splendid back there, laying on the charm like that! I daresay, you could sweet talk a filly out of candy if you wanted to."
Rarity shrugged off the compliment as she trotted over to a nearby curtain. "Oh, it was nothing, really. Nopony minds a compliment. Part of running a successful business means knowing how to be a good salespony," Then she instructed to her fellow unicorn. "Now come on, help me pick out an outfit from the collection. The best way to push them is to wear them! And I'll want to look my absolute best for tonight. It's not every day you get to have dinner at the castle."
Later that evening, Rarity had changed into the white gown with golden sleeves from the collection. She figured it was the most elegant of the three, and thus the perfect one to wear to the dinner (even if it wasn't necessarily a formal event).
Rainbow Dash was all too happy to see her unicorn friend! "Great, you made it! Follow me, and let's go grab some grub!" She declared, and set off for the castle's ballroom (which was serving as the venue of choice for the dinner).
As her pegasus friend was in line with a plate (and currently filling it up), Rarity caught a whiff of a rather beautiful and sweet smelling scent. She had to sniff the air in an effort to try to trace it. "Mm, is that Juniper Phoenix I smell?" She asked aloud.
Rainbow protested. "No, it's broccoli!" And she showed off a plate full of the leafy green vegetable.
But Rarity was certain her nose hadn't been mistaken. "I know I smelled Juniper Phoenix just now, I'm sure of it. Where it could be coming from?" She pondered.
"Well, Juniper Phoenix is one of my favorite stallion colognes," An aged, masculine sounding voice spoke up. "I've worn it for years. It's just the thing to make an impression."
The fashionista spun around, and her beautiful blue eyes beheld a most interesting sight. A pegasus stallion of medium build was standing before her. He seemed to be somewhat middle aged given the wrinkles under his eyes and the faded colors in his mane and tail. Said stallion had a light grayish cerulean coat that seemed a bit pale in shade, and a dark lime greenish-gray mane and tail, which had yellowish-greenish gray stripes sticking out of them. Yet both his mane and tail were in pristine condition, perfectly smooth down the sides. And his eyes were a lovely shade of amber. He wore a brown and black flight jacket with the Wonderbolts logo on it, and an ivory white scarf around his neck. Yet it was still possible to see his cutie mark: A flight hat and goggles in the same color as his flight jacket.
Rarity was impressed by this well dressed stranger. "Oh, I know. It really is all the rage with stallions, I hear," She proclaimed as she struck up a conversation. "It's so masculine, and yet also soft with the barest hint of floral notes and—"
But before the fashionista could say anything further, she was rudely interrupted by the sound of Rainbow Dash gasping (and dropping her plate, causing it to shatter on the ground)! Rainbow's eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates! "Rarity! Don't you know who that is?!" She inquired.
The fashion loving unicorn could only reply. "Not exactly, but I can tell he has good taste in fashion and colognes."
The brash speedster groaned. Why had she expected Rarity to recognize that stallion? "His name is Wind Rider, Rarity! Wind Rider! And he's a living legend! He used to be one of the greatest Wonderbolts of all time!"
"Oh, really?" Rarity asked. "I must say, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Winder Rider, sir."
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss. Rarity," Wind Rider spoke as he kissed her hoof. "That is your name, isn't it?"
The fashionista nodded. "Indeed it is. And I really admire that outfit you wear."
Wind Rinder chuckled. "This? Ah, this used to be all the rage back in my day. You definitely wouldn't catch me in those flight suits the Wonderbolts wear now. Far too flashy if you ask me," Then he boasted. "And this little number is what I wore when I set the record in the Mustang Marathon! Honestly, I'm kind of surprised no one's ever been able to break that record. Anypony who's ever come close has always come up short."
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had a starstruck look upon her face! "I can't believe you're here, Wind Rider! You're one of my all time favorite Wonderbolts! But I thought you retired years ago to spend more time with your granddaughter."
Just then, Spitfire came flying over as she declared. "Well, I figured Wind Rider would appreciate the opportunity to come out of retirement for one last show," Then she commented. "And I see you've already gotten to know him, Rainbow Dash. I was hoping you would. You're the most promising reserve we've had since Wind Rider's time. In fact, I rekcon you might just beat his record in the Mustang Marathon one of these days."
"Really now?" Wind Rider asked in a most unusual tone of voice, suddenly intrigued by the prospect.
The brash speedster tried to play it off. "Oh, I don't know if I'm that good. I mean sure, I've pulled off a sonic rainboom, but that's nothing compared to the kind of endurance you'd need to set a record in a marathon, let alone the Mustang Marathon."
Spitfire giggled and waved a hoof. "Ah, don't be so modest, Dash," She then lightly tapped a hoof against her fellow pegasus mare. "A little practice and you'll be beating records in no time, just like Wind Rider in his prime."
Wind Rider's response was to give off a most unusual laugh. For a brief second, a strange look seemed to come into his eyes, almost as if he were thinking about something. But it passed as quickly as it came, and it seemed nopony had noticed it. "Well, if you'll excuse me, ladies," He said at last. "I think I'm gonna call it an early night. Early to bed and early to rise, that's me. Trust me, when you get to be my age, you come appreciate the beauty of a good night's sleep." And he trotted away without another word.
Wind Rider had hardly been out of sight before Rainbow Dash let out a dreamy sigh. "Oh, I can't believe I got to meet Wind Rider! I thought I'd never get the chance!"
Misty Fly chuckled. "Well, you can thank Spitfire. It was her idea to get in touch with Wind Rider and ask him if he'd come out of retirement for the ceremony tomorrow. It'll be a real treat for the fans."
Rainbow could hardly believe her ears as she gasped! "No way?! For real?! He'll actually be flying with you guys again?!" When she received a confirming nod she squealed in delight, before the reality of what tomorrow would bring hit her and caused her to start to droop. "Man, tomorrow is gonna really stink. Watching Wind Rider fly with the Wonderbolts, while I'm stuck on the sidelines like always."
Fortunately for the brash speedster, it was at that very moment that Rarity made a proposal. "I don't suppose I could keep you company? Could I?"
Rainbow spun around and gave Rarity a hug while happily exclaiming! "You could! They always let friends and family come and watch practices!" But then she noticed she had unintentionally spilled some punch on Rarity's dress, staining the white gown with a purple splotch. "Oops," She nervously chuckled. "Sorry about that. Here, let me help you clean that up." She promptly spat into her hooves.
Rarity backed away slowly, slightly repulsed by the scene. "Oh, er... no, no," She frantically and nervously insisted. "It's almost impossible to get such stains out of silk. Trust me, I speak from experience," Then she lit up her horn and summoned a trunk as she declared. "Fortunately, I came prepared for just such a fashion emergency! You never know when one may strike." Quick as a flash, she swapped out the stained gown for an exact replica, put the stained gown into the trunk, closed the lid and then sent the trunk away.
The dinner concluded a while later, and Rarity accompanied Rainbow Dash through the castle. "Thanks again for inviting me, Rainbow Dash. That dinner was simply devine."
"Hey, what are friends for?" Rainbow replied.
Then the fashionista took notice of where her pegasus friend would be staying the night. "Ooh, you're going to be staying in the east tower? You're so lucky, I've heard those rooms have the best view of Canterlot!"
Spitfire chuckled as she poked her head out of the room through the opened door. "Well, I guess we're quite lucky, then," She yawned. "Don't know about you, Rainbow Dash, but I'm ready to hit the hay. Better get some shuteye before practice." And she trotted back inside.
Rainbow made her way into the room, but not before turning to Rarity and calling to her. "See you tomorrow, Rarity?"
Rarity nodded back. "See you tomorrow, Rainbow Dash. Sweet dreams!" And then she departed.
When the next day came, Rainbow Dash found it slightly odd that she didn't see Spitfire at any point despite the two sharing a sleeping quarters. But she thought little of it, assuming that the young captain had simply woken up early and gone off to the track to oversee practice.
By the time Rainbow reached the track, Rarity was already there, waiting for her. It had been set up inside the stadium the Wonderbolts usually performed in whenever they came to Canterlot. But the stands were empty. And most unusually, there seemed to be no sign of Spitfire anywhere even though the rest of the Wonderbolts (Wind Rider included) were already in suit and flying around.
"Ah, Rainbow Dash, there you are," Rarity called out as she came trotting over to her friend while levitating a bottle of sunscreen. "I'd have thought for sure you'd be here already. I expected you not to want to miss a moment of Wind Rider strutting his stuff," She dreamily sighed. "I can see why you admire him. He really does cut a dashing figure if I do say so myself. Although, I really wish he'd take off that jacket of his. It's got nothing on the Wonderbolts' modern flight suits."
The brash speedster chuckled. "It's not Wind Rider's style. And I think it's great he's still wearing that old flight jacket. He'll stand out for sure that way!" Then she held still and let Rarity work the sunscreen all over her body. "Thanks again for being here. Without you... well... I don't know what I'd do or who I'd be talking to."
Just then, however, an unfamiliar looking (to Rainbow Dash and Rarity at least) pegasus mare approached the track from the stadium stands. The mare had the same coat color, and the same mane and tail color and style as Spitfire. But she was much bulkier than Spitfire. Her eyes were the same color as Spitfire's, and her cutie mark was an orange colored rocket shooting off flames. She had a purple jacket on, and was wearing a beaded pearl necklace. And she seemed to be out of breath for some reason.
"What are you doing here?" Rarity inquired. "I thought they only left friends and family come to practice."
"I'm family! I'm Spitfire's mom, Stormy Flare," The pegasus mare explained. "Who's in charge here?"
At that very moment, Soarin came by and swooped down, landing in front of Stormy Flare. "Stormy Flare? What brings you here on such short notice? Is something wrong, ma'am?"
Stormy Flare nodded, then paused for a moment to catch her breath. "It's my daughter, she's sick. Really sick!" A chorus of gasps filled the air!
Once Soarin had regained his composure, he questioned. "How could Spitfire be sick? She was fit as a fiddle yesterday."
Stormy Flare explained to the best of her ability. "I don't know for sure what's happened. All I know is, when I came by to visit her in her room this morning, she was green as a leaf and could barely stand. I knew she was in no condition to fly, so I quickly took her home with me. She's resting now, and she should be okay. But something is wrong, I just know it!"
"What do you mean?" Soarin asked with concern. "Are you saying Spitfire's ilness was caused by something?"
The bulky pegasus mare firmly nodded. "She mentioned something about a cake. She was just fine before she ate it, but afterwards she told me started feeling kind of funny. She thought maybe a good night's sleep would make it go away, but it didn't," She shuddered and proclaimed. "I think... somepony tried to poison my daughter! They wanted her to be so sick she couldn't possibly fly!"
Rainbow Dash's mouth dropped open in shock as her eyes began to widen! "What?! That's horrible! Who would do such a thing?!"
But at that very moment, Wind Rider came flying up with the other Wonderbolts. And he immediately glared at Rainbow Dash as he commented. "Probably somepony who wanted her out of the show. Somepony who wanted to take a Wonderbolts' place for a once in a lifetime opportunity," Turning to the other Wonderbolts he then added. "And I think we all know who that might be."
Suddenly, all eyes fell on Rainbow Dash, making the brash speedster feel small. It didn't take long for the realization to hit her! "Me?!"
It wasn't long before Rainbow was led away to a private room within the stadium, a place usually reserved for special guests and special occasions. Almost immediately, she found herself being interrogated left and right by Wonderbolt after Wonderbolt. "This is ridiculous!" She firmly protested! "I'd never do anything to Spitfire, or any of the Wonderbolts for that matter!"
Blaze immediately growled. "But you and Spitfire left the dinner together last night. I saw you! And that means you're the last one who saw Spitfire before she got sick! How do we know for sure you're innocent?!"
"We were roommates in the castle, we were sharing the same sleeping quarters!" Rainbow protested! "How could I have poisoned Spitifre without her catching me in the act? I'm telling you, you've got the wrong pony!"
Misty Fly wasn't so convinced. "Oh really? I know for a fact you've said you'd do anything to get the chance to fly with us. And knowing Wind Rider was one of your all time favorites, I'd say you had a pretty good motivate for wanting to get rid of Spitfire!"
The brash speedster threw up her hooves as she insisted. "Yeah, but I obviously didn't mean I'd actually do anything. You know what I meant by that! I'd draw the line at foul play! You've gotta believe me! I didn't poison Spitfire! For all we know, the cake wasn't poisoned and it's just a coincidence Spitfire got sick."
Soarin could only shake his head. "I'd like to believe that, Rainbow Dash. But it's far too much of a coincidence that Spitfire fell ill after eating a cake, and that you're the last pony to have been with her before that. And since Spitfire's not here, the chain of command dictates that I call the shots in her absence. I can't just dismiss this case because you say you're innocent," He then instructed. "Can you give us a moment? The rest of the Wonderbolts and I need to discuss something very important."
The rainbow maned pegasus reluctantly obeyed. "O-okay, just don't keep me waiting." Silently, she thought to herself. "Please don't kick me out! Please don't kick me out!"
All the Wonderbolts, meanwhile, all huddled together in a corner of the room and started whispering to each other. It was impossible to make out what they were saying, but from the way they were whispering it was clear that whatever they were disucssing was urgent.
At last, the huddle was broken and Soarin slowly approached Rainbow Dash with a rather stern glare in his eyes. "In accordance with Wonderbolt bylaws, Rainbow Dash, we've decided to give you a fair chance."
"Meaning what?" Rainbow blinked quite slowly.
Soarin explained. "The show starts in one hour. If you can prove by then that you didn't poison Spitfire, you'll be cleared to fly with us. You'll take Spitfire's place," But then he warned in an ominous tone of voice. "However, if you can't prove your innocence, the bylaws are pretty clear. I'd have no choice but to ban you from the Wonderbolts, forever! So if I were you, I'd start getting my facts in order. You'll need some pretty solid evidence if you expect to convince all the Wonderbolts that you're not guilty."
Rainbow Dash should've been excited and relieved at the prospect that she hadn't been expelled from the Wonderbolts' ranks already. But all she could focus on was the fact that she had very little time to try to clear her name. "How am I supposed to prove my innocence in less than an hour when I didn't even know Spitfire was sick until just now?" She wondered aloud.
Fortunately, at that very moment, the door at the other end of the room swung open. In trotted Rarity, wearing one of the other gowns from her collection: This one was the scarlet red dress with the black fedora hat. "Not to worry, Rainbow Dash. I shall gladly take your case! I for one believe in your innocence, and I intend to prove it!"
"Uh, Rarity, what's with the getup?" Rainbow questioned with the most perplexed look on her face.
Rarity simply tipped her hat and suppressed a smirk. "That's 'Detective Rarity' to you, Rainbow Dash. Obviously, I am channeling Shadow Spade through this costume, the very one worn by Shadow Spade herself. And with me on your case, I guarantee we'll get to the bottom of it faster than my costume change. Don't worry, this won't cost you a thing. Your gratitude is the only payment I need."
The brash speedster just asked. "So, what now, 'Detective Rarity'?"
The fashionista turned detective just replied. "What any good detective would do in this case. The fastest way to prove your innocence is to find some evidence, and thus find out who really poisoned Spitfire with that cake," Then she threw up a hoof and dramatically declared! "First stop: The scene of the crime! Come along, we've no time to waste!"
Rarity led Rainbow Dash away from the stadium and stands, back through the city of Canterlot until they were once again inside the castle. Their destination was the room Rainbow had been sharing with Spitfire just the night prior.
All the while, Rarity was imagining the whole thing not unlike one of Shadow Spade's adventures. And so, she was dramatically narrating to herself. "We had a long road ahead of us, Rainbow Dash and I. Well, not really since we didn't have much time. But, I was up for the challenge all the same. I wasn't about to let my friend be found guilty without a darned good reason! And I knew she was innocent! The only question was: Who tried to frame her, and why?"
"Well, here we are," Rainbow said at last as she turned the knob on the door leading to the room within the castle's east wing. "This is where Spitfire and I spent the night. I'm telling you, I didn't see her at any point after we got inside last night. She went straight to bed, and so did I. And when I woke up in the morning, she was already gone. I didn't hear or see anything suspicious."
"We'll just see about that, won't we?" The unicorn detective proclaimed. "Even the best of criminals and crooks always leave something behind. Now spread out, and let's look for clues." Then she started narrating to herself again as she carried out her inspection. "So there I was, surveying the crime scene, and looking très chic while doing it," Suddenly, a scent began to tickle at her nose, causing her to stop and sniff. "Hm, how curious."
"What?" Raibow Dash asked as she spun around.
Rarity explained. "Don't you smell that, Rainbow Dash? That funny smell? It's vaguely familiar to me, but I simply can't place it."
The brash speedster shrugged her hooves. "Must be in your head or something, Rarity. I can't smell a smell. Call me when you've found some actual evidence."
The unicorn slowly nodded, then gasped when she noticed something lying on the floor! Using her magic, she picked it up and inspected it, finding that they were in fact very familiar hairs! "What do we have here?! These are hairs from a rainbow mane!" She exclaimed!
"What?! That's impossible!" Rainbow Dash gasped and gulped! "Rarity, you said you'd clear my name, not further make me look like the bad guy! Do you even know what you're doing?! I swear, even Pinkie Pie wasn't as bad a detective as you've been so far, and she was just tossing accusations left and right."
Rarity simply motioned a hoof and instructed. "Relax, Rainbow Dash. These hairs alone are not proof of anything. Although I must admit they way they were lying on the floor is most odd. They couldn't have just fallen out, I'll bet you anything that the real criminal planted them there to cover their tracks. They wanted to throw suspicion onto you and not to them," She then used her magic to place the hairs in a plastic bag for safe keeping. "Best if I hold onto them. I have a feeling they'll be important later on."
The brash speedster, however, just groaned anew. "Rarity, come on! The Wonderbolts are never gonna believe I'm innocent if you tell them you found my hairs at the crime scene! I need something that proves I didn't do it, remember?!"
The unicorn detective began narrating to herself, apparently unconcerned with her friend's constant outbursts. "Rainbow Dash was getting antsy, but I had faith that I could clear her name and find the real culprit. Already, the gears in my head were starting to turn. It was starting to come together ever so slowly, but I needed more evidence."
Taken aback by her unicorn's friend's apparent silence, the rainbow maned pegasus could only shake her head from side to side. "Rarity, what are you doing? Stop wasting time! The Wonderbolts are gonna kick me out if we don't clear my name soon!"
"Oh, forgive me, just thinking some things," Rarity insisted as she adjusted the fedora on her head. Then her eyes noticed something on a small stand near a window. "What do we have here?" She asked as she trotted over and inspected it. "It appears to be a slice of cake. A half eaten slice at that, just look at the bite marks."
"So Spitfire really is sick," Rainbow realized, and gulped. "Oh, how could I let this happen? I should've been watching! Should've been paying attention!"
Rarity waved a hoof and reassured her friend. "You couldn't have known, darling. And something tells me you've never seen a cake like this before," She eyed it more carefully. "I think I know where this cake comes from. But I'll need to make sure, so it's coming with us." Using her magic, she picked up the slice of cake and tucked it into a separate plastic bag.
"Can we go now?!" Rainbow Dash impatiently demanded! "There's gotta be something somewhere in this castle that proves I didn't poison Spitfire! And I'd like to find it before the show starts and I get kicked out."
Rarity nodded, following her rainbow maned friend as they left the room in the castle and headed out into the hallway. All the while, she continued to narrate to herself. "Rainbow Dash was right. In order to solve the mystery, we had to be focused. Driven. One hundred percent in the—" But suddenly she stopped as her wandering blue eyes noticed something, something that she was surprised nopony else had noticed! "Oh my stars!"
"What is it now?" Rainbow frowned. "It better be important."
The unicorn detective firmly nodded. "Oh it is. Just look!" She gestured a hoof to some nearby curtains. "This velvet rope-holder for those damask pattern curtains, it was untouched up until last night. Somepony moved it! Oh, what a travesty! What a crime against fashion! Who would do such a thing?!"
The brash speedster could only growl and grit her teeth. "Rarity, we're not here to solve a fashion crime! We're here to solve an actual crime! Who cares if the rope holder was moved?!"
"But don't you see," Rarity frantically insisted. "These curtains would make an excellent hiding place for anypony who wanted to avoid being seen! Whoever it is must've been in a real hurry, they didn't have time to put the rope holder back the way it was. The clues keep adding up. My hunch seems to be correct, somepony tried to frame you. Somepony who obviously wasn't expecting a fabulous detective like myself to come along and solve this case."
Rainbow put a hoof to her face as she protested. "Come on, get serious, Rarity! You really think somepony would hide behind the curtains like it was a game? I need something far more convincing than that to prove I'm not guilty! So either help me, or stop wasting my time!"
"Relax, Rainbow Dash," Rarity replied. "I'm on this case like a charm on a bracelet. First the hairs, then the cake and now the curtains. And we can't forget that smell I smelled. The more I think about them, the more certain I become of your innocence. All of these suggest that somepony was in this hallway last night besides you and Spitfire, which means somepony should've seen them. And I think you know who I'm talking about."
Rainbow's eyes lit up as she happily exclaimed with relief! "Of course, the royal guards! Why didn't I think of them before?! They'll be the perfect ponies to prove my alibi! You're a genius, Rarity!"
The two mares soon approached the royal guards who had been on duty the night before. Quickly, they decided that due to the limited amount of time they had, it would be much more efficent to interrogate the guards instead of simply asking questions. As it turned out, there were three guards who had been on duty the previous evening. Two of they had the same white coat that so many of the royal guards were known for, but one of them had a light brown coat and just so happened to be a unicorn. All three of them were stallions.
Rarity opted to lead off the interrogation, hoping that a gentle and coaxing approach would yield the information she wanted and needed. "Now gentlemen, I just have a few questions for you all, and I'm sure that once we get some things cleared up, we'll—"
But Rainbow Dash was far too impatient to wait for Rarity to finish. She immediately flew forward, slammed her hooves down on the table and pressed her snout up against one of the guards as she demanded! "Where were you on the night of last night at midnight, buster?! Tell me!"
Nervously, the guard shrank from Rainbow's gaze even as he managed to answer. "I was here with the other two, guarding the hall, just like we were instructed to do. Just like we always do."
Rainbow was anything but convinced. "A likely story. Next I suppose you'll tell me that the butler did it."
"Uh, did what? We don't even know any butlers," Another guard answered. "I'm telling you, we were there all night, and no one went in or out of that hallway while we were on duty."
The first guard then answered. "Except for you, of course."
"You trying to say that I'm the culprit?" Rainbow growled! "Because I'm not! If you guys were doing your jobs like you should've, you would know that I didn't do anything and that somepony else did!"
The unicorn guard in the middle just replied. "Look, there were only two rooms in your wing of the castle, the ones by the east tower. One for you and one for Captain Spitfire. And aside from when Spitfire passed us by this morning, telling us she wasn't feeling well, we never saw anypony but you. And you were the only pony who had access to Spitfire's room. We checked."
"And you didn't think it was at all suspicious that she just happened to get sick this morning?" Rainbow Dash frantically demanded! "She didn't mention anything about a cake, did she?! Or what about a scent?! Come on, she must've said something!" She began shaking one of the guards! "You've gotta be lying somehow! You had to have seen something suspicious!"
Rarity watched the whole scene unfold, and could easily tell her friend was losing control of the situation. As she narrated to herself, she began to get an idea of how to turn things around. "The waters were getting very choppy. Rainbow Dash's tactics were, well, horrid to say the least. I figured it was time for another approach. It was time to turn on the charm!" She then sweetly approached the guards while simultaneously using her magic to pull her pegasus friend back. Locking eyes with the guards, she said to them. "You most forgive my friend, she doesn't appreciate the job that you do."
"You really think we do a good job?" The unicorn guard asked. "We royal guards never really do anything. The princesses always solve things without our help."
"Yeah," One of the pegasus guards agreed. "And whenever some big crisis happens, the princesses always get taken out of action before we can do anything. It's not our fault, how were we supposed to deal with a creature who could turn the whole world upside down on a whim? Or an invasion we had no way of knowing about until after it was already unfolding? Or even a rampaging centaur who could steal magic without breaking a sweat? Heck, ponies get on our case just because an embarrassing photo of Princess Celestia found its way into the papers. Do you know how embarrassing that was for us?"
Rarity firmly nodded. "Oh, you mustn't let the tabloids get you down. Just standing there and keeping watch is an important job. If what you did wasn't important, would your captain have married a princess and become prince of his own empire?" Then she proposed. "Surely, at some point during the night you would've conducted a security sweep just to be sure everything was as it should be. Perhaps during that time, somepony might have slipped by unnoticed?"
"Maybe they did," The other pegasus guard confessed. "A cake was left out, and there was a note saying to deliver it to Spitfire. Two of us went to deliver it to her room, and we left the third one to keep watch at his post. We looked all around on our way to and from Spitfire's room, but we didn't notice anything or anypony suspicious."
The unicorn detective then used her magic to pull out the plastic bag containing the half eaten slice of cake. "By any chance, was the cake you delivered similar to this cake I found this morning?"
The guards all nodded as the unicorn guard confirmed. "Yup, that's the one! There's no mistaking it! You could tell by the smell what kind of cake it was: Cherry with a custard filling, and chocolate frosting. Just looking at it was enough to make your mouth water!"
Rarity pressed further. "And by any chance, was the base of the cake decorated with buttercream rosettes?"
The unicorn guard confirmed again. "Yeah! It was so tempting, I almost wanted to take a bite of it myself. But if Captain Armor found out we were snacking on cake, we'd catch an earful for sure," Then he explained. "It was funny, though. The cake had some kind of scent to it. Probably got on there by accident when whoever ordered it was arranging for us to deliver it. And I thought I smelled a similar scent by the curtains, but when I looked there was nopony there and the scent had faded."
Rainbow Dash just groaned anew! "Ugh! Who cares about stuff like that?! Does it really matter how the cake was decorated?! There's cake shops all over Canterlot, it could take ages to pin down which one it came from!"
Rather than reply to her pegasus friend's rude remarks, Rarity just narrated to herself. "Rainbow Dash was questioning my methods, and rightfully so. But not to worry, for I knew what I was doing."
"Do you really?" Rainbow questioned. "I've been hearing your narrations, Rarity. This isn't like your Shadow Spade stories, this is serious!"
"Oh, have been I saying them aloud this whole time?" The fashionista remarked with a blush. "I'm sorry."
The brash speedster just sighed and hung her head, crawling over to Rarity. "Oh, what's the use? You didn't have to give me false hope by taking up my case, Rarity! At this point, even I think I'm guilty! Maybe I did it, and I'm just trying to block it from my memory or something. Or maybe I did it while I was asleep. Do you know what I do when I'm asleep? Because I sure don't!"
The unicorn detective simply patted Rainbow on the head while reassuring her. "Have faith, Rainbow Dash. I know you're innocent, I haven't doubted that for a second since this case began. Rest assured, everything I've been doing is for a good reason," Then she declared. "I asked the guards those questions specifically because I needed to narrow down what shops that poisoned cake could've come from. And as luck would have it, there's only one bakery in all of Canterlot that makes a chocolate cherry cake with custard filling and buttercream frosting rosettes!"
Rarity soon brought Rainbow Dash to the very shop that had made the cake. Rainbow was more than a little surprised at how quickly Rarity had figured it out. But she was even more surprised by the name of the shop that the trail had led to. "'Cinnamon Chai's Tea and Cake Shop'?"
"As I figured, you don't remember it at all, do you?" Rarity inquired and received a confirming nod. "Well, that's even more proof in my book that you can't have been the culprit. And once I have a chat with the owner of this shop, I'm confident I can sort this whole mystery out," Then she exclaimed! "Oh, and what luck, there's Cinnamon Chai herself! This shan't take long!"
Cinnamon Chai was a unicorn mare of medium build with a light brown coat, a darker brown mane and tail styled into a series of lovely curls, dark purple eyes, a cutie mark depicting a cinnamon stick in a drink, and a white apron. She was currently using her magic to levitate a rag over a coffee cup in order to dry it off. When Rarity approached her, she greeted her fellow unicorn with a smile and asked in a polished Trottingham accent. "Hello, how can I help you, miss?"
Rarity cleared her throat. "I've heard you have the best chocolate cherry custard cake with buttercream frosting rosettes in town, Miss. Chai."
Cinnamon nodded and confirmed. "Ah, you travel in the right circles! We have the only chocolate cherry custard cake with buttercream frosting rosettes in town! Were you perhaps looking to buy one?"
The fashionista shook her head as she gestured a hoof to the shop's display window. "Not today. Especially since it seems somepony already went and bought it. Do you know who it was?"
Cinnamon just replied. "I'm afraid I can't say."
"Why?" Rarity questioned. "It wasn't an anonymous order, was it? Perhaps it was somepony famous, or something along those lines?"
Cinnamon shook her head from side to side. "No, I have no idea who the pony was because it was really late and very dark when they came in to order it last night," She put a hoof to her chin. "They had a light blue coat, though of what shade I couldn't tell since it was so dark. Whoever it was wore a trench coat, sunglasses, and a scarf around their head which covered most of their face. Ooh, but I do remember that when the customer spoke, he or she had a really deep, raspy voice."
"Whaddya mean by raspy?" Rainbow Dash questioned.
Cinnamon pointed a hoof. "Well, kind of like yours, actually. Maybe not exactly like that, but pretty similar."
"What?! But...how?!" The brash speedster stuttered in disbelief! "I never even knew this shop exisited until now!"
Rarity nodded as she chimed in. "My sentiments exactly, Rainbow Dash. Which means that whoever ordered that cake was trying to disguise themselves, they didn't want anypony to know who they were. And that doesn't seem like your style," Then she turned back to Cinnamon and requested. "I think I've just about pieced this together. But if there's anything else you can recall about the client, dish. Any details at all would be appreciated."
At that Cinnamon smirked and began to laugh. "Well, have I got a story for you. Whoever that mysterious customer was, they threw a big fit when they accidentally got chocolate ganache on their scarf!"
"That's horrible!" Rarity exclaimed with a gasp!" Do you know what color the scarf was, by any chance?"
Cinnamon put a hoof to her chin, clearly trying to think. "Hm... white, I believe. No, maybe more of a shade of ivory to be precise."
"Aha, that settles it!" The fashionista exclaimed! "That's the last detail I needed!" And she turned to Rainbow Dash! "I've solved this case! I think I know who did it now!"
Rainbow blinked her eyes in disbelief. "How? All you've done is put on a costume, wander around and ask questions about things like smells, curtains and scarves. None of the evidence you've found proves anything!"
"Not definitively, but enough in my book to cast doubt on any claim of your guilt," Rarity explained. "However, there's only one way I can be sure. It's a pretty big leap," And she asked her pegasus friend. "Do you trust me?"
"How should I know?!" The brash pegasus retorted! "Unless you know something I don't know, I don't see how anything you could say or do could possibly help me! Face it, Rarity! I'm guilty! I don't know how or why, but I'm guilty! The only thing left for me to do is turn myself in and face the consequences."
The fashionista just replied. "Rainbow Dash, you mustn't give up on yourself so easily. At first glance, the evidence does appear to point to you. But think about it: Aren't the rainbow hairs and the raspy voice a little too obvious? And isn't it peculiar that you don't recall the name of the shop that you alledgedly bought the cake from? It's clear to me that somepony wanted to frame you."
Rainbow Dash hesitantly asked. "And do you know who it is?"
A picture of the likely suspect began to form in the back of Rarity's mind as she replied. "I think I do. But there's nothing that definitively proves he did it."
"He?" Rainbow blinked in confusion.
Rarity simply replied by looking at a nearby clock! She gasped when she saw the time displayed on it! "My goodness! We're cutting it awfully close! We'll need to get back to the stadium if we're going to clear your name in time!" And she set off, all the while narrating to herself. "Rainbow Dash was obviously still fraught with worry, but I had all my ducks in a row. She was not going to like it, but there was only one way to find out if my suspicions were indeed correct. I was confident they were, but I couldn't be one hundred percent sure. If only I'd had more time, I wouldn't have to resort to the dramatic."
Things weren't going well for the Wonderbolts back at the track. The stress had gotten so bad that Soarin had resorted to eating a pie just to try and calm down.
Strangely enough, Wind Rider seemed rather unconcerned about all that was going on. "Seems to me like Rainbow Dash has given up on trying to prove her innocence," He remarked with a shake of his head. "Sad to see yet another promising recruit self destruct. Oh well, rules are rules."
Soarin turned to Wind Rider and protested. "Now just hold on there, Wind Rider. There's still time. Rainbow Dash and her friend could come back at any minute with proof that Rainbow is innocent. And if it's credible, Rainbow's gonna be flying with us."
Wind Rinder seemed to smirk as he replied. "I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. I've seen this before. As soon as foul play is suspected, the guilty party flees the scene rather than admit their guilt. Knowing Rainbow Dash, that's probably what she's doing right about now. But it won't save her."
However, at that moment, the door to the private room within the stadium swung open quite suddenly! With narrowed eyes, Rarity pointed a hoof and proclaimed! "I've found the culprit! Rainbow Dash is innocent! But somepony in this very room is quite guilty!"
All the Wonderbolts turned their attention to the unicorn detective. She had just accused one of their own of trying to frame Rainbow Dash. And none knew who she was going to say was responsible.
"I know what you're all thinking," The fashionista unicorn commented as she slowly began trotting about the room, her eyes locked on a particular pony. "'Who is the guilty party?' 'Who's the one who really poisoned Spitfire?' Well, I'll tell you," She cleared her throat. "It's somepony in this very room. And that somepony is:" She swung around suddenly, locking eyes with her suspect! "Wind Rider!"
A series of gasps filled the room, Rainbow Dash chiming in with a gasp of her own! "Rarity, have you lost your mind?! Wind Rider is a living legend! There's no way he could be the culprit!"
Rarity wasn't convinced for a second. "On the contrary, Rainbow Dash. All the evidence I've found and all the testimony I've heard since I started my little investigation proves that he's the true mastermind. He thought he was being clever, trying to implicate you. But he never expected a fashionable, master detective like me to expose him for the criminal he is!"
Wind Rider scoffed. "Ha, you've got no proof, lady! Your little desperation ploy won't save you or your friend! Rainbow's guilty, and that's all there is to it!"
Stormy Flare, however, objected. "Wait, let's at least hear her out. I want to know for sure who tried to poison my daughter, and why they did it."
"Thank you, Miss. Flare," Rarity nodded, and then began to explain. "I never once believed Rainbow Dash could commit so ghastly a crime, so foul a deed. She's not the type of pony who'd commit foul play, not even to have a chance to fly with her idols. So when we found the rainbow hairs in Spitfire's room, I could tell that they didn't just fall out. They were cut!" She held up the bag of rainbow hairs to emphasize her point. "Nopony loses hair in a chunk. And look at the ends. It's a straight line! They were clearly cut with shears, which means somepony planted it at the scene of the crime!"
Wind Rider just coldly replied. "You call that proof?"
"I'm not finished yet, Mr. Rider," Rarity coldly hissed. "By the time I'm done, you won't have any way to hide your guilt," Then she continued explaining. "This next clue should make you sweat, Wind Rider. While I was in Spitfire's room, I caught a whiff of a very familiar scent, and now I know what it was. Because I'm smelling that same scent right here: It's Juniper Phoenix, your cologne of choice and one of your personal favorites! Now tell me if that's just a coincidence."
Wind Rider only narrowed his eyes as he stated. "Anypony could've cut off those hairs and planted them there. And I'll have you know that Juniper Phoenix is a very popular fragrance. None of your evidence proves it was really me."
"Exactly," Rarity agreed. "But that's not the only evidence I found. In the castle hallway, I noticed some of the damask curtains fell out of their velvet rope-holder after being touched. Thus indicating that somepony had been hiding behind them! Perhaps to avoid detection by the royal guards while they were performing their security sweep? Or even, while they were delivering the poisoned cake to Spitfire?"
Again, Wind Rider retorted. "Anypony could've moved those curtains. And anypony could've arranged for the cake to be delivered. You don't know that I'm the one who poisoned it. And you call yourself a detective. Please, you're a rank amateur at best."
"That's why I questioned the royal guards," Rarity explained anew. "The very guards who were on duty last night in the east wing. They confirmed that they didn't see or hear anything suspicious during their patrols, but when they thought to check the curtains one of them noticed a scent just like the one I smelled in Spitfire's room. They also confirmed where the cake came from. It was a one of a kind cake sold only at one bakery in all of Canterlot. And the bakery owner confirmed that somepony did indeed buy that cake last night. A pony with a raspy voice and wearing a trench coat. She couldn't tell who it was, but she mentioned that they got a chocolate stain on their ivory scarf."
Wind Rider's earlier confidence seemed to leave him as he suddenly became very nervous. "You don't mean..."
The fashionista unicorn nodded. "I do. Since this morning, there was something about you that bugged me. You've been wearing your ivory scarf a bit differently: It's tied in a tight Windsor knot instead of its usual loose slipknot! And why is that?" She began to untie the knot as she pointed out. "Is it perhaps to hide the chocolate stain?!" Sure enough, when the knot was untied and the scarf unfurled for all to see, a huge chocolate frosting stain could be seen on it! Everypony (except Rarity and Wind Rider) gasped anew!
For a moment after the revelation, an uncomfortable silence fell over the room! Wind Rinder now seemed awfully suspicious, Rarity had done a good job of suggesting how he might be the one behind Spitfire's poisoning.
Of course, Wind Rider wasn't about to take the accusation lying down. He was determined to defend himself. "Come on, Wonderbolts! This is ridiculous!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs! "You don't really think I did it, do you?! This unicorn doesn't know a thing about solving crimes! She's not even an official detective! For all you know, this chocolate stain could've come from something other than a cake!"
Rarity wasn't convinced in the slightest. "Oh just admit it, Wind Rider. You're as guilty of framing Rainbow Dash as you are of runing that scarf! You can't hope to refute the charges! The evidence speaks for itself!"
"You call that evidence?!" The pegasus stallion growled! "You can't prove a thing! And you're never gonna wring a confession out of me!"
Just then, however, a raspier than usual voice cried out. "I don't need to! I know now who you really are, Wind Rider! I've heard quite enough, and Rarity's proven beyond a doubt that not only is Rainbow Dash innocent, but you're guilty." All eyes turned to see none other than Spitfire herself emerge from behind a curtain. She looked a bit uneasy, a faint tint of green could be seen around her cheeks. But it seemed she had regained her strength more or less.
"Spitfire, what are you doing here?" Stormy Flare questioned. "You're supposed to be in bed, resting."
"Sorry, Mom," Spitfire replied as she slowly came trotting forward. "But I'm not about to let a bit of food poisoning keep me down!" Then she locked eyes with Wind Rider. "I always suspected something was up with you. Every time anypony could ever come close to breaking your records, something always happened to make them drop out of the Wonderbolts. And now I know why. You've been framing them for crimes they didn't commit so you could have us kick them out! And so you thought, if you could frame Rainbow Dash for poisoning me, you could make her go away just like the others!"
"Now that I think about it," Soarin put a hoof to her chin. "Why were you the first one to suggest Rainbow Dash might be the culprit? And why were you the only one who didn't seem concerned about what happened to Spitfire? Sounds to me like you knew something the rest of us didn't."
At that, something inside of Wind Rider snapped. He threw his jacket and scarf down on the floor and roared! "Ugh, fine! You just had to start asking questions!"
"So you admit it?!" Spitfire inquired with narrowed eyes.
Wind Rider nodded as an evil smirk spread across his face. "Yes. You caught me, I did it! It's me, me I tell you!" Then he added. "And I would've gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for you meddling ponies, and that meddling detective!"
Rainbow Dash's mouth dropped wide open in shock! "But why, Wind Rider?! How could you do such a thing to me?! You were one of my biggest idols growing up! You were even my favorite Wonderbolt of all time until Spitfire and Soarin came along. I looked up to you, I respected you!" Then she questioned. "Is this seriously just because I had a chance to break your records?"
The now jacketless stallion roared! "Don't be ridiculous! This has nothing to do with my records! I could've gotten you sent away for far less than food poisoning if I'd wanted to! The real reason why I did what I was did because of you! You got into the Wonderbolts just because you're friends with royalty!" He snorted. "In my day, being a Wonderbolt was something you had to earn. It wasn't something that could be just given on a silver platter."
"For your information, Wind Rider," Rainbow snapped back. "I had to try out for the academy just like all the other recruits, and pass the same test as all other reserve members. I earned my place at the top of the reserves, that wasn't something that was hoofed to me!"
Wind Rider rolled his eyes. "Far as I'm concerned, you don't have what it takes to be a Wonderbolt!" Then to Spitfire he added. "And you, you're far too soft to be a captain! I should've come out of retirment long ago to challenge you!"
"Oh yeah?" Spitfire replied with a growl. "Well guess what, Wind Rider? I'm the captain now, not you. And far as I'm concerned, it's you who doesn't deserve to be a Wonderbolt anymore. Not after you've shown everypony your true colors," She then turned to Rainbow Dash. "Sorry you got mixed up in all of this, Rainbow Dash. I had a feeling Wind Rider might try to get to you. I was hoping he'd slip up and expose himself. But I never expected him to be that good at casting blame on another."
Rainbow Dash simply replied. "Rarity's the big hero, not me. She believed in me even when I didn't. If she hadn't been so determined to prove my innocence, none of this would be possible," And she added. "Besides, flying with you and the other Wonderbolts is something I want to earn, someday."
It was then that Spitfire declared. "Well guess what, someday's today," She gestured a hoof to Wind Rider as she offered. "How'd you like to take Wind Rider's place in the ceremony?"
Wind Rider was shocked and rendered speechless! "W-w-what? Y-You can't do this to me! I'm one of the greatest Wonderbolts there ever was!"
The young captain only snarled and narrowed her eyes. "Not anymore. You can consider yourself dishonorably dismissed," She snatched up his batch from his flight jacket. "Don't bother arguing, I'm the captain: So what I say goes!" Then she added. "Oh, and one more thing: All those records you worked so hard to protect? They're all gonna be stripped from the books. That's how it goes for any Wonderbolt who disgraces the team in such a fashion," She then clapped her hooves. "Blaze! Misty Fly! Take him away!"
Even as he was led away, however, Wind Rider groaned and grumbled. "Mark my words, you'll all pay for this! If it's the last thing I do, you'll all regret getting rid of me! Someday you'll see it my way, you do what you have to stay alive!"
Soarin then trotted forward and asked Rainbow Dash. "So, you still wanna fly with us? If so, you'd better suit up now!"
"Yes sir!" Rainbow Dash gave a salute! "I won't let you down, Wonderbolts!"
Spitfire smiled. "I know you won't, Rainbow Dash. We're already looking forward to the day when you can join our ranks for good. Just don't let it get to your head," Then she turned to Soarin. "Thanks for holding down the fort while I was gone, Soarin. Sorry I had to spring this all on you so suddenly. Still, you managed pretty well in my absence."
Soarin waved a hoof. "Hey, what are friends for?"
Rarity, meanwhile, watched her pegasus friend get fitted into an official Wonderbolts flight suit. And with a smile she began to narrate to herself. "So my friend got her moment in the sun after all. Or the center of an aerial flower, as the case may be. And as for me? Why, I got a chance to show off my Femme Mystique Chic collection for all to see!"
"That's nice, dear." Stormy Flare said with a smile.
Rarity blushed as she spun around, realizing the bulky pegasus mare had heard every word. "Oh, did I say that outloud, again?"
Stormy Flare just chuckled. "Oh, it's quite alright. My little Spitfire used to envision her grand aerial feats even when she was still in diapers," She wiped a tear from her eyes. "Oh, if only her father were here to see what's become of the little flly he once knew. He'd be so proud of her."
Even though it hadn't been that long since she'd joined the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash was still glad to be given the opportunity to get away from it all for a while. And as such, she had accepted Fluttershy's invitation to come up to Cloudsdale and visit her (that is to say Fluttershy's parents) Spring Breeze and Gentle Breeze.
The house in which the two elderly pegasi lived was a relatively modest little house of cool blue and light purple bricks. And the interior was comprised of walls in gentle, earthly shades of green, yellow and orange.
Not long after Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash arrived, they were treated to a delicious lunch prepared by Mr. and Mrs. Breeze themselves. Spring Breeze was the stallion with a greenish-copper coat and a light gray mane and tail in which the mane was styled in a way that it could be mistaken for an ice-cream sundae. He had grayish-turquoish eyes that looked gentle and peaceful, wore a blue sweater, had a light gray mustache, and a cutie mark depicting three clouds. And Gentle Breeze was the mare with a light grayish-amber coat and a moderate raspberry mane and tail styled into a set of lovely curls. She had deep red eyes hidden behind a pair of blueish-green glasses that also looked to be gentle and peaceful, a small necklace of yellow beads that hung around her neck, and a cutie mark depicting three flowers.
Gentle Breeze smiled as she set the plates on the table in the dining room. "We're so happy you could come have lunch with your father and I, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy smiled back. "Well, I'm glad you asked. It's always nice to get away and see family again."
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, added. "And it was super awesome of you to invite me too! I mean, you guys were practically a second family to me as it was, but it's still nice you invited me to be here," She then sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Things have been so busy with the Wonderbolts lately, so it's great to get a chance to just relax someplace quiet."
Spring Breeze happily nodded. "That's exactly what I plan to do now that I've retired. I was always jealous of your parents, Rainbow Dash. Their jobs made it so easy for them to save enough for retirement at a fairly early age. Me, I only just worked up enough seniority a year ago," Then he let out a content sigh. "Still, I don't plan to just sit around and do nothing. In fact, I converted the back house to showcase my cloud collection."
"I can't wait to see it, Dad," Fluttershy smiled again. "I'm sure it'll be beautiful, just like Mom's flower beds."
Spring Breeze nodded again. "Indeed it will be. I have my clouds, your mom has her flowers, you've got your animals, and your brother..." He paused, apparently trying to think of something nice to say about his son.
Gentle Breeze gently finished for her husband. "Zephyr Breeze has his... interests," She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, I'm sure he means well. Everypony has their rebellious and eccentric phase, he's just taking a little longer to grow out of his than most ponies. Come to think of it, he was kind of a late bloomer to a lot of things growing up."
Rainbow Dash giggled. "He really was the baby of the family, wasn't he? It's okay, not everypony can grow up as quickly as I did. Kind of had to with the way my parents were acting," Then she smirked as she added. "Hey, remember when Zephyr was convinced square clouds were going to be the next big thing? I kept trying to tell him he'd never make a living with 'em, but he was determined to prove me wrong. I almost feel bad for the fact that he went bust within a year."
Gentle Breeze sweetly commented. "Oh, he's matured a lot since then, really. After all, he's left the nest now. And he seems quite determined to get it right this time."
Then Spring Breeze added in a somewhat nervous tone as he joined his wife and held her hoof. "Actually, it's funny you bring Zephyr up now..."
Almost immediately, Fluttershy clued in to what her parents were implying. And when she did she could only groan and put a hoof to her head. "Oh no, not again! I thought he promised to take his education seriously this time!"
Gentle Breeze reassured her daughter. "He is, Fluttershy. He is. He just..." She paused before adding. "Is a little bit out there in his beliefs. He's always been assertive when challenged. Besides, it's only for a little while. Just until he gets back on his hooves."
A sense of dread filled Rainbow Dash as she nervously asked. "Wait, you don't mean..."
But nopony needed to have bothered asking. At that moment, the front door of the Breeze family house swung open. And a pegasus stallion of tall but lanky build strolled in, a large camp bag slung over his shoulders. He had a coat a pale sea green in color, eyes a shade of light grayish-purple, and a blonde mane and tail in which the mane was styled like a mop top while the tail hung loose. His cutie mark was an orange feather with two green flourishes on either side of it. Around his chin was a noticeable five o'clock shadow. This was the Zephyr Breeze Mr. and Mrs. Breeze had speaking of just recently.
"Guess who's home?!" Zephyr Breeze spoke in a loud and obnoxious tone of voice. And without waiting for a reply he declared to Fluttershy. "That's right, big sis, it's your one and only favorite little brother, moi."
"Oh joy." Rainbow remarked in noticeable displeasure. She and Fluttershy were most certainly not looking forward to entertaining Zephyr Breeze on short notice, especially when he had apparently just gotten into trouble once again. They were already beginning to wonder if there wasn't something they could do to help Zephyr get out of his family's house again, and this time for good.
Either not knowing or not caring how his abrupt return was being perceived by two of his guests, Zephyr Breeze immediately plopped his huge blue colored camp bag down on the table. "Hi, Flutterbutter! How's the bestest big sister ever?" He greeted and began ruffling (and subsequently playing with) her mane.
"Fine, which is more than I can say for you," Fluttershy muttered. "I can't believe you dropped out of mane styling school again!"
Zephyr Breeze immediately retorted. "I didn't drop out, the semester's not over yet. I just had some time off from classes, and I knew I had to get away. Go back to my roots as it were," He subsequently pulled out a huge book showing off pictures of various mane styles, and with a swish of his tail he retorted. "All these styles they want me to do. They're so... conformist. I've got my own style!" He proceeded to plop down the head of a ponyquin that displayed one of his "creations", a rather unappealing mane style in a tacky orange color. "Now, I know it's a work in progress. But be honest, it's not that bad, right? With the right inspiration, it could totally be just the thing to help me ace my final exam and pass the class."
Gentle Breeze blinked slowly, trying not to show how disgusted she was by the ugly mane style she was seeing. "O-Oh, that's uh... lovely, dear. I'm sure it's not your fault your grades are kind of in the toilet."
Rainbow Dash didn't bother to hide her displeasure. She turned her head and made a gag motion as she remarked. "Blugh!"
Just then, Zephyr happened to catch eye of the rainbow maned pegasus. And with a teasing smirk he greeted. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Rainbow 'The Best Flyer There Ever Was' Dash. Didn't expect to see you here."
Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh gee, this oughta be something." She groaned.
Zephyr seemed to ignore the rude remark. "Sorry, sorry," He appeared to be sincerely apologizing. "I know I shouldn't tease ya. You're not a flight school drop out anymore. I hear you made ot into the Wonderbolts as an official member. Never doubted you for a second, honest. 'Course, I'd still love and support you no matter what you ended up being, 'cause that's just who I am."
Rainbow arched an eyebrow upward. "Are you trying to flirt with me? You know you're not my type, right?"
The lanky stallion chuckled. "Well, either way, thanks for being here for my homecoming. Means a lot to me," Then he began to trot around the table while saying. "Although, shouldn't there be more of your friends here? What about your party planning friend? What's her name? Uh...Sprinkle Pie! She could've turned this into a real house party, am I right?" After that, he left the kitchen and went upstairs, but forgot to take his little "project" with him.
Fluttershy had seen more than enough, and she wasn't pleased at all. With a frown, she looked deep into her parents' eyes and not so secretly whispered to them. "Um, Mom, Dad, can I talk to you for a second? It's kind of important."
Mr. and Mrs. Breeze were not the kind of ponies who could say no to their children. So they agreed to Fluttershy's request, and adjourned from the kitchen to another part of the house so they could talk in private.
Gentle Breeze tried not to look intimidated as she asked her daughter. "What is it, honey?"
Fluttershy sighed and took a deep breath. She didn't want to sound upset with her parents, they weren't really the ones she was unhappy with. "I'm not so sure it's a good idea for Zephyr to come back home like this. He always does this: He keeps saying he's going to try, but as soon as it gets a little bit challenging he just quits and comes back home to live with you guys. I know you want to help, I know you're afraid of pushing him out before he's ready. But I think you're doing more harm than good by constantly coddling him."
"We're not coddling him," Gentle Breeze insisted while adjusting her glasses. "Zephyr's just trying to find his place in the world. You had just as much trouble finding your calling when you were his age. Remember how you wanted to be a veternarian, but you couldn't pass the exam to become one?"
The pegasus mare with gentle pink bangs only shook her head from side to side. "That's different. I actually tried! This is just like all the times you let Zephyr push you around when he was growing up, you never made him do anything if he didn't feel he was ready. And you know where that led. He realized he could get away with it, so he kept on doing it. And look where it's gotten him now! He's dependent on you two!"
Spring Breeze reassuringly replied. "Oh, don't worry yourself, Fluttershy. He turned out alright in the end, didn't he? You know how hard it is to make a living these days. He seems really passionate about mane styling, this doesn't seem like another one of his little fads. And you needn't worry about your mother and I. We may not be as bold as you are now, but we do now how to stand up for ourselves. We promise, if Zephyr does flunk out of mane styling school, he'll get no more free rides. This is the last time we're going to do this for him."
Fluttershy wasn't so convinced. "Just please promise me you won't let him walk all over you. This is reminding me an awful lot of my experience with the breezies. Sometimes, the best thing we can do for someone we love is send them away. Zephyr needs to get out into the real word, even if it means he'll get hurt."
Spring Breeze promised. "Trust me, Fluttershy, we know. If worse comes to worse, though, it may not be a bad idea for him to come to Ponyville and live with you. Ponyville seems like a far more... accepting place for a pony as out there as he is."
More or less satisfied with the conversation, Fluttershy and her parents returned to the kitchen only to find that Zephyr Breeze and Rainbow Dash had already left. They were now in the living room, Zephyr hanging over Rainbow on a green sofa chair and rambling on at length, all the while Rainbow was occupying herself with a Daring Do book.
Zephyr seemed to be in the middle of a rant if his tone of voice was any indication. "And my dormmates were all like: We love your free spirit, Zeph! And it would be wrong to cage that! Go follow your dreams! Be free, like a bird!"
Rainbow simply replied by giving the lanky stallion a shove. "Yeah yeah, tell it to somepony who cares." She replied with indifference.
"Oh, but you care, Rainbow. You couldn't stand to see anything bad happen to me," Zephyr said with a smile, before noticing Fluttershy. "Oh, hey big sis. All done having your chat with Mom and Pop? Rainbow and I were just having a little chat of her own. Weren't we, Rainbow?"
The brash speedster groaned and rolled her eyes. "Zeph was just telling me all about the ins and outs of mane therapy school. No wonder he needs to do good on that final exam. If he doesn't pass it with an above average score, he's never gonna graduate. He'll flunk right out."
Zephyr shrugged his hooves. "Hey, I can't help it. I design what I feel like designing. I go where the inspiration takes me, like any true artist," Then he let out a yawn. "Well, it was nice catchin' up with you all up. Nice to see somethings haven't changed. Now if you'll excuse me, this breeze needs his Z's." And he began to trot away towards a staircase.
Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes in surprise. "Uh, you know it's the middle of the day, right?"
The lanky pegasus stallion chuckled. "Just a little power nap, that's all. You know me. Siesta!" And after making a motion, he went upstairs, all the while leaving his bag and his mane styling project behind. He didn't bother to pick them up and take them with him.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy left for Ponyville not long afterward. The flight back home passed in silence, much to the surprise of Rainbow Dash. Looking across to Fluttershy when they drew near to Ponyville, she spoke up. "So, I know you weren't expecting to see your brother again and all, but you've been kind of quiet, even for you."
Fluttershy's eyes narrowed as she began to grit her teeth. "He always does this! I swear, he takes the title of 'Baby of the family' way too literally! It's like he never wanted to grow up at all! And Mom and Dad just let him do it!" She felt something begin to boil over inside of her as she remarked. "I'm sorry, but I am just so... so... peeved right now!" Then she gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves, realizing she had accidentally said that word within earshot of children. Doing her best to ignore the glares coming from the parents, she profusely apologized. "Oh, excuse my language!"
Just then, the two pegasi happened to fly right past both Pinkie Pie and Applejack without saying a word. Pinkie Pie, of course, wasn't about to let two of her friends pass by without at least saying hello. She waved and called to them. "Hey, Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! It's me, Pinkie Pie!" But she received no reply. It was as if the two pegasi couldn't hear her despite how loudly she was shouting.
Fortunately, Applejack knew how to get the attention of the pegasi. Putting her hooves to her lips, she gave a sharp whistle! That did the trick, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-flight and flew down to greet their friends.
Fluttershy was the first to speak up, and she apologized. "Oh, sorry about that. I just have a lot on my mind right now."
Rainbow Dash then explained. "Yeah. We just had lunch with Fluttershy's parents, and you'll never guess who showed up unannounced."
Pinkie Pie replied by pulling out a wallet lined with photos of various ponies and non-ponies. And she pointed to each of them one by one as she listed off. "Mayor Mare? Cranky Doodle Donkey? Cheese Sandwich? Ms. Harshwhinny?!"
Rainbow was quick to correct. "Zephyr Breeze."
Pinkie quickly realized her mistake. "Oh, yeah, that makes more sense," Then to Fluttershy she added. "I remember, you told us about him once. I think."
Applejack chuckled. "They can't all be like my big brother or Twilight's big brother, I suppose. I'm guessin' it's for another one of Zephyr's extended stays?"
The rainbow maned pegasus nodded and whispered. "Yup, and she's a bit peeved right now, if you'll pardon the language." She did her best to ignore the glare an earth pony mare was shooting her, apparently having overheard the foul language.
Fluttershy, however, took a deep breath and calmly stated. "Zephyr's my brother, and I love him. But he's never learned to do anything for himself. He promised me he'd take his education seriously, that he'd actually commit to it this time. But once again, he lets his ego take over and get him into trouble. One of these days, he's really going to get hurt, and he'll have no one to turn to. He's gotta learn to be able to fend for himself," Then she pondered. "If only there was some way to make him see what it's like not to have your parents to depend on for help."
The farm mare proposed. "Sounds to me like he needs a job, and maybe a change of scenery."
At that, the animal loving pegasus let out a gasp as an idea came into her mind! "Yes, of course! That's it! I'll invite him to spend his time off from school here in Ponyville, and then I'll make him get a job! With a little luck, it'll be just the thing to motivate him to finish that project of his and pass his class so he can graduate."
Sure enough, the very next day, Fluttershy flew back up to Cloudsdale and to her parents' house. She was ready and determined to confront her little brother head on and put her plan into action. One way or another, it was time for him to grow up.
Zephyr Breeze, for his part, was more than a little surprised to see his big sister again in so short a span of time. "H-hey sis," He greeted in a cheerful, unaware tone of voice. "You're just in time. I was just about to get Mom and Pop to convert that old shed back there," He gestured to a small little hut a ways away from the main house. "Into my new art studio. That way I can work on my project in peace. Of course, there'll need to be some changes. Dad's gonna have to relocate his cloud collection. But hey, they're just clouds. What's the big deal?"
Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. "The big deal is that Dad worked long and hard building up that collection, Zephyr. You know that. You can't just come back home from school, and start trampling all over Mom and Dad like this. I don't care if they've always let you do whatever you want, you're not getting away with that anymore!"
The lanky pegasus stallion just innocently replied. "So, what are you gonna do about it, huh? Where else do you expect me to find time to gather my thoughts and create my art? My bedroom ain't gonna cut it, it's too cramped and messy."
Fluttershy replied by telling her brother in no uncertain terms. "You're going to stay with me at my place, in Ponyville. I've already talked it over with Mom and Dad, and they agreed."
"Oh, a trip to Ponyville? Just for me?" Zephyr chuckled. "Oh thank you, big sis! You're the best! You didn't have to do that, you know."
The animal loving pegasus threw up a hoof. "Not so fast, there's one condition you need to know about."
Zephyr Breeze frowned. "Should've known there'd be a catch," He swished his tail. "Fine, name your price."
Fluttershy then somberly and seriously stated. "You have to get a job. Just a part-time job, mind you. But a job neverthless. After all, you're gonna have to go back to mane styling school eventually. And when you do, that little final exam project of yours better be finished! Failure is not an option!"
The lanky pegasus stallion sighed as his frowned deepened. "Oh, you're no fun, big sis. I swear, you were always so bossy even when we were just foals." He promptly ran a hoof through his sister's mane.
Fluttershy brushed off the hoof and shot her brother a glare as she scolded him! "Zephyr Breeze! I'm not kidding! Get a job, or else you can forget about staying in Ponyville with me!"
Zephyr reluctantly folded. "Ok, fine. Can't you take a joke, sis? I promise, I will get a job in Ponyville while I work on finishing up my project for class."
The pegasus mare with a coat of buttery yellow finally relaxed her posture and smiled. "Excellent. Now go pack your things and say your goodbyes to Mom and Dad." And she watched as her brother went away to do just that. It had been surprisingly easy to sway him to her argument. Why couldn't he always be this cooperative?
The rest of the day flew by in a blur as Fluttershy helped Zephyr to move into her cottage, making sure that she had a guest bedroom well furbished for him while also giving him enough space to set up a small studio to work on turning that tacky mane style into something beautiful (or at least decent, as long as it was good enough to pass).
Early the next morning, however, the two pegasi woke bright and early. Zephyr Breeze was most puzzled by this, especialy once Fluttershy instructed him to follow her into Ponyville proper to an unknown destination. "Where are we goin' so early? You have no idea how bad morning sun is for your mane," He complained as he took a moment to style his mane of blonde locks, making sure it looked presentable. "Trust me, they insist on teaching that all the time at mane therapy."
"So you have been paying attention in those classes," Fluttershy noticed. "Funny how your grades don't seem to reflect that. Is there something you're not telling me, Zephyr?" She inquired, her tone of voice making it difficult to tell whether she really wanted to know.
Zephyr's response was most unusual. His usual confidence seemed to leave him as he flinched, freezing right on the spot. "Why would I keep secrets from you, sis? Mane styling school is hard! If you attended my classes, you'd know that. They expect you to demonstrate their techniques almost as soon as you've learned them. How's anypony supposed to do a good job when they don't have time to practice?!"
Fluttershy only shook her head. "I'm sure they announce ahead of time when the tests and exams are. Maybe you just need to pay more attention, and stop looking for excuses to slack off," Then she explained. "But that's not what we're going into town for. Remember how we talked yesterday about you getting a job?"
The lanky stallion reluctantly nodded. "It's totally on my to-do list, but you can't possibly expect me to find something befitting my awesomeness overnight. I just moved in here for pony's sake!"
The animal loving pegasus chuckled as she approached a very familiar (to her at least) building styled not unlike the carousel at a carnival or fair. "Thought you might say something like that, which is why I went ahead and found a job for you. You're welcome." She then trotted up to the front door and pushed it open, hearing the familiar jingling of the overheard bell when she did so.
Out trotted a pony Zephyr had never seen before. She was a unicorn mare with a majestic, snow white coat. Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, and her curly dark blue mane and tail were absolutely gorgeous. Fittingly, her cutie mark proudly displayed three diamonds in a roughly triangular shape.
"Hello Rarity," Fluttershy greeted the unicorn by name, thus identifying her. "This is Zephyr, my little brother."
Rarity nodded and smiled. "Ah yes, Fluttershy told me about you when she signed you up for this job yesterday," She gestured a hoof. "Right this way, please," She led the pegasi up the stairs to her workshop, proudly pushing open the door with her magic. "These fabrics all need to be dyed," She explained, pointing to a series of long, blank white fabrics. "There's a color sheet and paints right over there," She gestured to a small stand nearby. "Just follow the sheet to the letter for each fabric. Simple as that."
Fluttershy then asked her brother. "Think you can handle that? Every artist should know their colors."
Zephyr swallowed a lump in his throat. "True, true... I... I think I can manage."
The animal loving pegasus mare smiled. "Excellent! You go ahead and get started, and I'll be back later." She turned to leave.
Zephyr Breeze hesitantly called out. "You're not staying?"
Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. "Rarity will make sure you do it right. I've helped you as much as I can. The rest is up to you." And off she trotted.
Now alone with Zephyr in the workshop, Rarity put on her ruby red sewing glasses and cleared her throat. "Well then, shall we get started?"
At first, everything proceeded smoothly. Zephyr soon learned what he had to do, and Rarity was most definitely generous in explaining to him how best to do it.
The first two sheets of fabric were dyed with no trouble at all for pegasus or unicorn. It was clear that the stallion was indeed an artist and knew his colors. Rarity seemed to be impressed if the big smile on her face was any indication.
Unfortunately, when it came time to dye the third fabric, that's when the trouble began.
Rarity noticed a detail that she was a little surprised to see an artist as skilled as Zephyr make. "You're going to get your colors mixed up!" She sternly told him when she noticed he was carelessly getting the paints too close to one another, running the risk of some of them mixing together unintentionally.
"Huh, am I?" The lanky stallion blinked in confusion. "I thought I was leaving enough space. After all, sometimes art gets a little messy, know what I'm saying?"
The fashionista unicorn frowned and shook her head from side to side. "And how do you expect to dye the fabrics the way the client wants them when your blues are mixing with your oranges, and your greens are mixing with your reds? Stop what you're doing right now! I'll need to get a completely new color set out. And just look, you're starting to get paint where you're not supposed to get it. I thought you knew what you were doing."
Zephyr's response took Rarity completely by surprise. She expected a retort, or a reluctant agreement from her new employee. Instead, she watched as he froze right where he was standing. His eyes seemed to shrink and retreat to the furthest corners of his face. "I... I..."
"Is something the matter?" Rarity inquired in a concerned tone of voice. "I was simply trying to stop you from making a costly mistake. I didn't mean to be so strict, sometimes I just get a little frustated. But surely, you've heard worse. Art is subjective, as they say."
Zephyr didn't reply with words. Instead, he just turned around and bolted straight for the door! Within seconds, he had fled from the boutique altogether, leaving his employer most bewildered.
Fluttershy soon found out what had happened when her brother quite literally ran into her, looking like he'd just seen a ghost! "Zephyr, what's wrong?! Why aren't you with Rarity?!" She furiously demanded of him! "I can't believe you just quit your first job in... Celestia knows how long!"
The stallion blinked slowly. "Quit? What do you mean? I didn't quit. I was fired. She was going to fire me! I could tell!"
"Fire you? For what?" Fluttershy questioned with concern. "You weren't even on the job for one day."
"Yeah, and she already expects perfection!" Zephyr Breeze insisted. "I made one little mistake, and that was it!"
The animal loving pegasus frowned and shook her head in disapproval. "Rarity would never fire somepony she just hired. I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding, Zephyr," She looked him deep in the eyes as she pleaded. "Come on, let's go back to Carousel Boutique. I'm sure Rarity will be more than happy to give you another chance."
But Zephyr protested. "No way! I'm not going back there! I don't need a job in art, that's just gonna distract me from working on my project. I need a job that's so boring and so un-related to art that I'll have plenty of time to think about it. Time I can then spend on my project. Know what I'm saying?"
The pegasus mare simply sighed. "If that's what you want, Zephyr, I think I have a job that will suit you," She grabbed her brother by the hoof. "Come on."
Fluttershy led her brother across town to the crystal castle which Twilight called home. Then she brought him to the castle's throne room, where Spike and Twilight were already waiting for them. And Spike had a bucket of water and some other cleaning tools.
What caught Zephyr's eyes, however, was the sheer scale of the throne room's windows! "Whoa! Those are tall!" He exclaimed!
Twilight Sparkle suppressed a giggle as she told the stallion. "I'm glad you noticed, because they're your new job. You're going to be cleaning them."
The pegasus stallion could hardly believe his eyes and ears. "W...wha?" He blinked slowly, before turning to Fluttershy. "I thought you were taking me to tea with the princess."
Fluttershy quickly corrected. "Well, I'm having tea with her. You, on the other hoof, are going to work. And Spike is here to show you how to do it."
Spike nodded, before telling Zephyr. "Yeah, but I'm only gonna show you once, so you'd better pay attention. I have enough windows to clean in this castle as it is."
Twilight chimed in, telling Zephyr in a sweet tone of voice. "It's nice of you to take a little off Spike's plate, given how hard he works," And she reassured him. "Now don't worry, it's really quite simple: I just need a pegasus pony like yourself to fly up, and wipe down each window from top to bottom."
Fluttershy then cautioned her little brother. "And you better not run away again, Zephyr. This job is pretty simple and straightforward, even simpler than having to dye fabrics. Plus, Twilight's promised to pay you well. If you do run away," She ominously concluded. "You'll force me to take drastic measures. One way or another, I will find you a job that you'll stick to." Then she and Twilight left the throne room together, leaving Spike and Zephyr alone with each other.
The little dragon then gestured to his bucket and cleaning supplies. "Well, shall we get started?" He asked the pegasus.
All seemed to go well for Zephyr at first. Watching Spike as he hoisted himself up via a little harness and taught the pegasus how to clean the windows was simple. And it seemed so easy.
Eventually, Spike came back down. "Okay, you get the idea. Now get to work!" And he handed over the cleaning supplies.
Zephyr Breeze took the supplies, hastily strapping a small pouch around his hindquarters so he could better hold them all. It took him a minute to get used to flying with the added weight, but once he did it was no trouble at all to fly up to where the tall windows were and start wiping them down.
Spike leaned back in his little chair and watched, all the while encouraging. "That's it, you're doing well. Keep it up."
Zephyr did so. And already, some ideas were starting to come into his mind. This window washing was just the thing to clear his head. He was certain he'd have no trouble at all finding a workable concept for his mane styling project. But would it be good enough to get him a passing grade? A lot was riding on it. What if he didn't do a good enough job? Would all his efforts up to this point be a waste? Would he be forced to take the entire class again, having to relearn everything he'd already spent so much time learning?
Spike suddenly noticed that Zephyr's mind seemed to be wandering. And soon, the body followed where the mind was going, wherever that was. "Hey, what are you doing?!" He shouted at the pegasus stallion! "You're just supposed to clean the windows!"
"Huh?" The lanky stallion blinked in surprise and spun around, apparently confused.
The little dragon put a claw to his face. "Will you pay attention?! You're wasting water and cleaning solutions cleaning things that don't need to be cleaned."
A knot formed in Zephyr's stomach as he swallowed hard. "I'm... I'm..." But he couldn't get the words out.
Spike just sighed. "It's okay, it's your first day on the job. I'm sure Twilight will understand. Just come down and take a break for a minute. Maybe clear your head."
Zephyr Breeze slowly but surely fluttered his way back down to the ground. But once he did so, he hurridely yanked off the pouch he'd strapped on earlier, and then took off again as fast as his hooves would let him!
"Hey! I said you could take a break! I didn't say you could leave!" Spike shouted, only to be ignored.
By chance, Zephyr again happened to bump into Fluttershy soon after fleeing from his job. And once again, Fluttershy was anything but amused. "Zephyr, come on! How hard can it be just to wash windows?!"
"Well apparently, what I want and what the princess wants are two entirely different things!" Zephyr insisted. "I thought I'd do her a favor and go above and beyond, and she apparently doesn't like that!"
The animal loving pegasus snarled and glared. "You didn't do it at all! You just looked for an excuse to get out of doing it! Zephyr, this is serious! You need a job! You can't keep slacking off and expect others to bail you out!" Then she paused to catch her breath and compose herself. "Well, it's a good thing I planned for this possibility," With a smirk she added. "I can guarantee there won't be any fooling around on the next job. And if you run away from this one, then you're on your own."
"And what is my 'next job'?" Zephyr nervously inquired as he wiped the sweat from his brows.
Just then, there came a whoosh. And then who should land in front of the pegasus siblings but Rainbow Dash in all her glory? "It's your lucky day, Zeph!" She proudly told him! "You're comin' with me! We've always got openings on the weather team for any able bodied pegasus."
Zephyr Breeze smirked as he teased. "Aw come on, Rainbow, you don't need to come up with an excuse just to hang out with me. Let's just go for a fly and see where the day takes us."
Rainbow was not amused in the slightest by Zephyr's attempts to flirt with her yet again. "It's taking us to Wonderbolt headquarters. There's a special weather problem, and I need some help getting it taken care of," Then she warned. "And know this: If you try to weasel your way out of this job, I'm gonna zap you with a storm cloud! Got it?"
The lanky stallion slowly nodded, forcing back a nervous gulp. "Y-yeah, I got it."
"Good, then let's not waste any time and get going!" Rainbow insisted as she unfolded her wings! "Come on! You don't wanna be late for your first day, do you?"
Zephyr reluctantly followed, waving goodbye to Fluttershy in the process.
Confident that Rainbow Dash would ensure Zephyr wouldn't try to get out of his latest job, Fluttershy returned to her cottage to do some much needed cleaning. She dusted, she swept, she picked up some discarded paper balls that had clearly belonged to her brother and put them in the trash. They were probably just doodles and sketches that he had done in what spare time he'd found yesterday.
Fluttershy sighed. She wished she didn't have to be so hard on her brother. If only he could hold down a part-time job without quitting out of the blue every time. If only he had kept his word and taken his education at mane styling school seriously from the start, rather than letting it get to the point where he had to pin his hopes on a project for a final exam.
Suddenly, a loud boom split the air! It sounded almost like the crackling of electricity! And the animal loving pegasus was certain that meant only one thing. "Oh no, please tell me he didn't do it again!" She thought to herself! "What's wrong with Zephyr?! Does he want to spend the rest of his life living in the gutter?! Does he really want to throw his life away like that?!"
Alas, the pegasus mare with lovely pink bangs had her worst fears confirmed a short time later. Strolling up to her cottage was a very battered looking Zephyr Breeze, his mane and tail standing up straight and his entire coat covered in black singe marks. "Rainbow Dash is crazy!" He complained! "I didn't think she'd actually try to fry me! I thought she was just saying that to keep me in line!"
Fluttershy groaned and narrowed her eyes. She was losing all patience she might have had. "Zephyr, I can't believe you! I have given you plenty of opportunities, plenty of part-time jobs that would pay nice while giving you time to work on your project! But all you've done since you've got here is slack off like you always do!"
"It's not like that at all!" Zephyr stomped a hoof down with tears in his eyes! "You wouldn't understand! You don't know what it's like to be mocked and teased just because a few ideas of yours don't work out! So what if I don't always follow the rules to the letter?! So what?! It's not like I'm doing anything illegal! Why do ponies have to get on my case?! Why can't they just let me live my life the way I wanna live it?!"
Fluttershy snapped. "Because the way you're living your life is unacceptable, Zephyr. You're not gonna make it in the real world if you keep acting like this. You'll end up on the streets, begging ponies for money," She then added. "We had a deal, Zephyr. I'd let you stay with me in Ponyville as long as you promised to get a job. But obviously, just like when you promised to take your education seriously, you didn't actually mean it. You were just saying it."
Zephyr Breeze wiped away the tears and did his best to brush off the soot clinging to his coat. "Oh, I see how it is!" He hurriedly went about gathering up the ponyquin displaying his mane styling project, and the bag he'd had when he came home from mane styling school the other day. "I'll go live in the woods like my forefathers before me! It's time for this breeze to fly solo, like all true artists!" Then he turned his back to his sister as he told her. "Just forget about me, big sis. And tell Mom and Dad not to worry. I won't be coming back until I've made a name for myself in mane styling! You can be sure of that!"
"Zephyr, wait!" Fluttershy frantically called as she tried to chase after her brother and prevent him from making a rash decision! Alas, her efforts were in vain as the door to her cottage slammed shut in her face. All she could do now was stare at the ground in shame. Her attempts to help her baby brother had only made a bad situation worse.
Rainbow Dash arrived at the cottage a short time later. One look at Fluttershy's face told her more than words what was going on. "So he actually decided to go through with it. He's really that desperate, huh?"
Fluttershy sorrowfully sighed. "I thought I was doing the right thing trying to help him like this. I just don't understand why he can't hold down a job, why he always tries to get out of doing anything."
Rainbow could only shrug her hooves. "I don't get it either," She then recalled. "He was doing a fine job with cloud busting, really. Then, all of a sudden, as soon as Spitfire told us to pick up the pace because we were taking so long, he just froze up. And then he decided to just quit. It was like he was a completely different pony, like all that confidence he was showing earlier meant nothing."
The animal loving pegasus' sigh deepened. "Doesn't he care at all about trying to make a decent living? Doesn't he realize that he can't be a good mane stylist if he always quits?"
Rainbow replied. "Look, Fluttershy, I know you're feeling guilty. But you did do the right thing. You gave him plenty of chances to do what he promised to do. It's not your fault he didn't want to keep that promise. You had to stand up for yourself, he needed to be told no."
"I just wish it didn't have to come to this," Fluttershy lamented. "He didn't even get started on his project like he said he was gonna do."
Just then, the brash speedster noticed something. "Hey, what's that?!" She asked and flew over to fetch that which had so caught her eye. It turned out to be a bright orange book of some kind. Opening it up, she was most surprised by its contents. "Hey, these are all different mane styles. Or at least sketches of them."
Fluttershy trotted over to her fellow pegasus. "He must've left it behind by mistake," Soon, she too was looking into the book, and was amazed at how detailed the sketches appeared to be. But more concerning was the fact that over each was written the word "FAILURE" in large letters. Suddenly, it dawned on her what those loose scraps of paper had been. "All this time, he was trying to come up with inspiration!"
Rainbow nodded and then said. "I don't see how could he just abandon them, they're not half bad, really. I mean yeah, they're not great but any one of them would be an improvement over that eyesore of a mane style he had on that little wig of his. It's like he didn't even try, he'd already given up on himself."
At that the animal loving pegasus realized. "And I call myself his big sister. I never tried to really understand what he was going through, aside from one occasion. If anypony knows what it's like to keep things to yourself for longer than you should, it's me," And she immediately decided then and there. "I have to find him! I need to get him back here, need to get him to take that first step! I just wish I knew where he was."
Just then, a bird with light red colored feathers flew onto a nearby windowsill and perched. Fluttershy trotted over to speak with it. "Oh, hello, Constance!" She greeted, and received a series of tweets in reply. "What's that? Oh?" She sighed. "Oh dear."
Rainbow Dash took one long at her fellow pegasus and immediately commented. "Let me guess..."
In the short amount of time he'd been left to himself, Zephyr Breeze had somehow managed to put together a rather hastily made campsite: His sleeping tent proped up by a single, large stick. He'd also surrounded some other sticks with small rocks to form a small fire pit. And of course, he still had his unfinished mane styling project, which he was now talking to as if it were alive.
"See, Wigford?" Zephyr spoke to the unfinished art. "The Breeze needs nopony! This whole forest is one giant, blank canvass. Free for me to do whatever I want! I'll show them, I'll show them all! They all think I'm just a failure, but together you and are I gonna prove 'em all wrong!" He gestured a hoof. "Just look around, we've got all the essentials: Food, water, shelter, you name it. Now, I just need to put the old kettle on, and the creative juices will be flowing in no time."
The lanky stallion proceeded to rub some rocks together for a bit, then threw them down at the sticks in the fire pit (above which was hanging a tea kettle). But nothing happened, the sticks did not ignite. The pegasus was most unhappy about this, frowning as he approached the pit and grabbed one of the sticks. "Come on, sticky-sticky, make with the sparks already!" He tried rubbing the stick against the others, to no avail. Frustrated, he started banging it against the tea kettle, which only served to spill its contents out! "Ugh, come on!" He complained aloud! "What's a pony got to do to find a decent stick around here?!" And in his anger, he accidentally knocked down his tent.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been watching the whole thing. The looks they shared conveyed just how worried they were that Zephyr was clearly not thinking straight. His self-imposed exile into the Everfree Forest was already adversly impacting his mental state.
"He's taking it even harder than I thought he would," Rainbow Dash whispered to Fluttershy. "As much as I think he needs to be able to fend for himself..."
Fluttershy threw a wing over her face to shield her eyes. "Oh, I can't watch! It's just too painful! I can't let him live like this."
Rainbow nervously agreed. "Yeah. At this rate, I don't think he'd survive the night. He'd freeze for sure." And that meant there was only one thing to do.
When Zephyr saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash approach him, he hastily retreated to his poorly propped up tent and tried to hide how poorly he was managing on his own. "O-oh!" He gasped and flashed a smile, trying not to look nervous. "Hey, ladies! I was uh... just, um, cozying up in my sleeping bag! Yeah, that's it! About ready to call it an early night!"
The rainbow maned pegasus mare frowned as she looked up at the sky and pointed out. "It's noon, Zephyr. You haven't even been gone for an hour."
Hastily, the lanky stallion tried to recover. "Oh, you know me. Siesta!" But his confidence left him completely when his tent collapsed on top of him. He whimpered and confessed. "I can't do this. I can't do anything. I'm a failure, just like always."
Fluttershy leaned down next to her brother, trying to reassure him. "You're not a failure, Zephyr. You're smart and talented, Rainbow and I saw those sketches you left behind. You already have plenty of inspiration. But your fears are holding you back."
Zephyr only whimpered further. "Everypony always looks down on me because everything I tried to do in my life was a failure. I thought maybe mane school would be different. Of course, that didn't turn out so well. I'm hanging by a thread. And if my project doesn't turn out good, I'm sure to fail. Then everypony will just have another reason to mock me. Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm just destined to fail no matter what I do."
Rainbow Dash shook her head from side to side. "If you keep thinking like that, then of course you're going to fail. And if you never try, you'll never succeed or do anything. You can't run away from your failures, they'll always catch up to you. Trust me, a friend of mine learned that lesson the hard way."
The lanky pegasus stallion only protested. "It's easy for you and Fluttershy to say things like that. You two are big heroes, you've saved Equestria countless time. You've never failed anypony."
"Not true, we've had our fair share of failures," Fluttershy pointed out. "I've always been afraid that I might fail, that I might not be up to the task of saving Equestria again. But the only real mistake I could make in those situations is giving up," She reassured her little brother. "Maybe you will fail even if you try your best. But if so, that doesn't have to be where it ends. You can try again. Mom and Dad will understand if you do have to take mane styling school over again. And there's still plenty of opportunities for part time jobs here in Ponyville that will help you make a decent living for yourself."
"But if you ask me, I'd say you're not likely to be a failure this time," Rainbow pointed out. "At least, not unless you give up. Then you'd be proving everypony right."
The animal loving pegasus then proposed. "Rainbow Dash and I would be more than happy to be your volunteers while you practice your mane styling and figure out a unique style that works for you. So, whaddya say, Zeph? Are you ready to come back to Ponyville with me?"
Reluctantly, Zephyr agreed. "Fine. Anything's better than staying here. This forest just isn't natural. How could anyone possibly survive out here?"
Fluttershy and Rainbow just snickered quietly to each other. They decided it wasn't necessary to tell Zephyr Breeze about the one creature they knew who called this forest home.
So it was that Zephyr Breeze returned with Fluttershy to her cottage. She soon went about modifying one of the rooms within her cottage so that it could serve as a sort of mini-saloon for her brother to practice his skills.
Rainbow Dash wasn't exactly thrilled with being a "test subject" for somepony still figuring out what they wanted to do, but nevertheless cooperated as best she could.
Slowly but surely, as he kept working on the two pegasus mares' manes, Zephyr felt his confident start to grow. Eventually, inspiration came to him! He knew what he wanted to do, and was certain it would be just the thing to help him pass his exam!
Grabbing scissors, a comb and some styling gel, Zephyr Breeze worked hard and fast to style the mane on his ponyquin head, until finally it had been molded into a unique, one of a kind style that combined curly and shaggy. The very next day, he packed up his things and set off back to mane styling school, ready to take his final exam.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were quite relieved when they heard the news from Spring and Gentle Breeze, Zephyr had passed his exam! He was officially a certified mane stylist!
"Thanks again for helping Zephyr get his confident back, Fluttershy." Gentle Breeze spoke to her daughter within a day of the announcement of Zephyr's success.
Spring Breeze nodded. "I almost don't recognize him now, it's like he's a completely different pony."
Rainbow Dash, for her part, just wiped the sweat from her brows. "I'm just glad I don't have to be a volunteer for him to keep experimenting. I'll never complain about the demanding schedule of the Wonderbolts ever again!"
Just then, the front door of the Breeze family home swung open. And in strolled Zephyr Breeze, wearing a black cape and gown. "Guess who just graduated with honors?!" He proudly proclaimed! "That's right, me! And I've got even better news! Apparently somepony," He turned to Fluttershy, looking at her. "Found a way to get word out to Sapphire Shores. And Sapphire's agreed to hire me to be her mane stylist for her upcoming tour."
"Oh, congratulations!" Fluttershy cheerfully exclaimed! "Looks like your dream is finally coming true after all, Zephyr. You're not a failure anymore."
Zephyr nodded. "All thanks to you, big sis. I couldn't have done it without you. Well, you and Rainbow of course." He flashed a wink at the rainbow maned speedster.
"Don't push it." Was all Rainbow Dash could bring herself to say in reply.
S6 E22: Serious Business (P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)) (What If?)
Rarity had anticipated an increased workload for herself upon opening a third boutique in Manehattan. Heck, the whole reason she had moved forward with such a boutique in the first place was partially because she'd wanted to tap into a market she deemed absolutely vital to her business interests. Just getting it open had taken a lot of work and a good deal of luck.
The fashionista was confident she could handle the demands that three boutiques all in operation at once would bring. But on a trip to Canterlot to check in on her dream boutique in Canterlot Carousel, she had found her business partner in Sassy Saddles completely overwhelmed. "Oh, bless my buttons! I'm ever so grateful you showed up when you did!" Sassy all but exclaimed to Rarity when the unicorn stopped by! "Just look around! Business is booming! We've got more customers and clientle than I know what to do with!"
Rarity could easily see that Sassy wasn't kidding. Not since the opening (and the almost closing) of Canterlot Carousel had there been such a crowd as the one currently assembled! Ponies were lining up in, and the line stretched out the door all the way around the corner (and seemingly toward the horizon)! Those inside the boutique were darting about with no rhyme or reason, grabbing whatever catched their eye and then either heading to the changing rooms to try it on, or to the front desk to make their purchase. The chatter amongst them was deafening, you could barely hear yourself think!
So it was that Rarity found herself trying to help a clearly desperate Sassy Saddles manage the crowds! It seemed that even without a signature dress to its name anymore, Canterlot Carousel had attracted quite a reputation. The elite of Canterlot were visiting with increased frequency, and it seems that had drawn quite the throng.
For hours on end, Rarity and Sassy rushed about the boutique until their hooves were sore and aching! Sewing machines hummed, the cash register rang up purchase after purchase, ponies came and went so often that faces began to blur. It seemed like the crowd wouldn't stop until they had taken everything in the boutique that was for sale.
At last, however, the boutique was able to close. And the two unicorns breathed heavy sighs of relief as they finally finished their work.
"Satin and sashes!" Sassy Saddles exclaimed afterward, slouching over the front desk. Her mane and tail had lost their usual, well kept style and had come undone. Hairs were sticking up, and her shirt seemed wrinkled and stained with dirt and sweat. "That was like a shift right out of Tartarus itself!"
"Has it been like this for long?" Rarity asked as she tried to adjust her frazzled mane and tail, and took off her ruby red sewing glasses to rub her eyes.
Sassy firmly nodded. "Since the opening of Rarity For You, business has been going up and up. At first it was just a few extra ponies here and there. But lately, it seems like everypony who's anypony in Canterlot is stopping by. I daresay, soon we might be having the princess themselves paying us a visit," She gulped and bit her hoof! "What are we going to do, Rarity?! We can't keep this up! I think we may have expanded too far too soon!"
"But we can't close down boutiques now, that would be a loss of momentum we coud ill afford!" Rarity protested. "I knew my workload back in Ponyville was starting to pick up, but I never knew it was getting so bad here. And if it's bad here, it's sure to be even worse in Manehattan," She sighed, hanging her head. "And there's no way the excess loads can be passed on to Carousel Boutique. I have nopony to hoof the reigns to in an emergency."
At that, Sassy questioned. "Really? You've never thought of having a business partner for the store you admittted would be 'the jewel in the crown' as it were?"
The fasionista unicorn explained. "I never had a need for one," She then looked down at the ground in shame. "Until now. Oh, what am I going to do, Sassy? At this rate, I might just have to have Carousel Boutique merge with another business and step away from the dress making for a time. I can't go on like this! The chain can't go on like this!" She proceeded to look up, and rise to her hooves. "Well, I'd better get back to Ponyville. I hadn't planned to come back to Canterlot for more than a day. I'll need to start making some adjustments."
"Perhaps some time off from the fashion business would be helpful?" Sassy Saddles proposed. "A chance to clear your head could be just what the doctor ordered."
Rarity nodded quite slowly. "I'll think about it, Sassy. Whatever I do decide to do, you and Coco will be the first ponies to know about it." Then she set off to catch the train to go back to Ponyville, so that she could start packing for a long term relocation to Canterlot (at least until things quieted back down). She had no idea that this little "detour" would lead to a most unusual idea concerning one of her friends.
Arriving back in Ponyville sometime later, Rarity was too bus thinking about the dilemma she was now facing to really care about her appearance. She only loosely tried to style it to look presentable, but her face still bore the visible and obvious signs of exhaustion.
As the unicorn was trotting back to Carousel Boutique to pack her things, she by chance happened to walk past Sugarcube Corner. Immediately, her thoughts turned to the sweet treats that were surely being made inside the bakery right now. Come to think of it, it had been a while since she'd had anything to eat. A little pick-me-up sounded rather tempeting right now.
So the young fashionista decided to postpone her trip back to her boutique, and trotted into Sugarcube Corner in an attempt to satisfy her sweet tooth. All the while, she thought to herself. "Maybe the Cakes will have some good business advice they'll be willing to share. After all, they've been running Sugarcube Corner since before I became owner of Carousel Boutique."
To Rarity's surprise, her beautiful blue eyes found that Sugarcube Corner was all but packed with ponies (and even some non-ponies)! Just about every table was occupied: With patrons either chatting amongst themselves or devouring sweets left and right. And there were those just waiting in line to make a purchase. Yet all seemed to have a smile on their face. Everything seemed to be flowing well. A part of Rarity couldn't help but feel jealous, this was just like the crowds she'd endured back in Canterlot, but they were being much better managed here.
The only thing more surprising then the content faces of the crowd, was the fact that Pinkie Pie could be seen bouncing to and from tables, and spending time behind the counter and cash register to help customers with their orders. She would happily ring up a purchase one minute, then zip away to a table at the next to deliver an order to another customer. And she seemed to have no trouble keeping track of what was what and who was who.
The fashionista was speechless! She had never seen Pinkie working so hard before, and yet the pink party pony was making the whole thing seem like a piece of cake.
Rarity was only snapped out of her contemplation by Pinkie Pie cheerfully greeting. "Hi, Rarity," Then she exclaimed upon seeing the unicorn's frazzled state! "Wowee, you look beat! Don't worry, I know just what you need!" She zoomed into the kitchen, and returned shortly with a plate of freshly baked brownies. "Here you are! Your usual," Then she threw up a hoof. "Oh, I almost forgot!" She zipped away again, and returned in the blink of an eye with a cup of coffee. "Here you go: Decafe, just like you like it."
Rarity had to blink to make sure she hadn't been seeing things. Pinkie had taken her order without missing a beat, as if the whole thing were second nature to her.
"You want a discount, right?" Pinkie proclaimed without waiting for a reply from Rarity. "Don't worry, I got you covered," She trotted over to the cash register, pressed a few keys and then declared. "That's thirty seven bits exactly. Considering you'd normally pay over a hundred bits, that's a more than fifty percent discount. Don't worry, Sugarcube Corner's swimming in profits. We're making more than enough to give out discounts to loyal customers like you." She promptly hoofed over the designated amount of bits to her fashion friend.
Rarity was rendered speechless at the display!
Pinkie Pie flashed one of her signature bright smiles. "Oh, I know that look! It's the look of another satisfied customer!" Then she cheerfully replied. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but you need to move so you don't hold up the line. Besides, I'm on the clock right now, too busy to talk. Just find a table, and I'll get to you as soon as I can."
The fashionista reluctantly obeyed as she gathered her thoughts. Seeing her party planning and throwing friend so effortlessly add up the total for an order, calculate the discount, the difference between said discount and the usual price, and deliver both the product and the payment in the blink of an eye... Well, the unicorn didn't even know what to think! Even she herself never could've been that fast, and she prided herself on being attentive to every little detail, to knowing how to stretch the bits without cutting corners. And one bite of the brownies (plus a sip of the delicious, hot coffee) confirmed that Pinkie had maintained the quality just as expected.
Then it dawned on Rarity. Of coruse Pinkie would know about business, she not only worked at a successful business but also would have to know about the supplies costs for all the parties she threw (though whether she ever got paid for them was another matter). The Cakes would've had to teach her such things when they agreed to take her on as an apprentice in exchange for her room and board.
Just then, the pretty pink party pony proudly and promptly pronked right over to the table Rarity was at. Her expression hadn't changed in the slightest. "Hey, Rarity, what's on your mind? I've never seen you so... what's that word again?" She put a hoof to her chin, trying to recall a memory. Then, almost like the bursting of a balloon, it came to her with a sudden gasp! "Frazzled, that's it! I've never seen you so frazzled before. What's got you acting like such a gloomy gus? Come on, you know you can tell me. I can't stand to see anypony wear a frown, especially not one of my friends."
The unicorn blinked slowly, finally recovering from the shock she'd been dealt earlier. "Oh, forgive me, darling. I've just been so busy running and managing my three boutiques. In fact, just recently, when I by chance payed a visit to Canterlot Carousel, I found poor Sassy Saddles completely swamped with customers. Apparently, it's been like this for quite some time."
"Well, that's a good thing, right? More customers means more money," Pinkie Pie pointed out. "And that means your boutiques can stay in business. It was your dream come true, remember?"
Rarity nodded quite slowly. "Yes, only now it's starting to feel more like a nightmare. I had no idea the workload was getting so bad. My opening of a third boutique was supposed to help lighten the burden of my other boutiques, not make it heavier," And she admitted. "It seems that between that and the problems I had getting Rarity For You opened on time, things are getting out of hoof. I can barely keep up with the demand. I was beginning to think I might have to give up on operating Carousel Boutique, and just spend all my time overseeing the chain to keep up."
Pinkie gasped as her blue eyes went wide, then firmly locked onto Rarity's own blue eyes! "Rarity, how could you even think that?! Without you, who could possibly be expected to run Carousel Boutique?!"
At that the fashionista's face slowly began to morph into a smile as an idea came to her. "Actually, why not you?"
"What?! Me?!" The pink party pony took a step back, wondering if she'd misheard somehow.
The fashionista unicorn just nodded. "Why not? I've seen for myself how fantastic your handling of business is. After all, I assume you've been managing this huge crowd by yourself, seeing as I haven't seen Mr. or Mrs. Cake anywhere."
Pinkie admitted. "Well, Mr. Cake is out buying more supplies 'cause we're running low. And Mrs. Cake decided to go with him and take the twins. She said I needed a break from always having to foalsit them," She sighed and took a deep breath. "Can you believe they're actually in potty training now? They're growing up so fast I can hardly believe it! Next thing you know, they'll be going off to kindergarten."
"Yes, it's amazing how much time seems to fly these days," Rarity agreed. "All the more reason why I could use a pony with such a keen eye for business. And after what I've seen of you in action, I'm thoroughly convinced you'd make an excellent business partner. You're just the sort of pony I could trust to take over from me in running Carousel Boutique."
The pink party pony nervously gulped. "I don't know, Rarity. I can't remember the last time I ever touched a sewing needle. Besides, running a boutique isn't exactly like running a bakery."
Rarity giggled and waved a hoof. "Oh, don't be so modest, darling. I'm sure you could do it if you set your mind to it. It would give you a stable job for whenever your apprenticeship with the Cakes inevitably comes to an end. You'll have to graduate from their tutorship sooner or later, won't you?"
"Well... yes... but..." Pinkie tried to think of a good counter-argument.
The unicorn mare simply adjusted her mane and tail before encouraging. "Just think about it for a while, darling. It is a very important decision, after all. I wouldn't want you to feel rushed into deciding before you were ready. And don't worry, it's not like I'd throw you right into the thick of it on day one. I'd be more than happy to take you under my wing and teach you everything I know about how to make it in the fashion business," Then she stood up. "You'd really save me a lot of trouble if you agreed, though," And after waving a hoof, she departed. "I think I've held you up long enough, Pinkie. Goodbye."
Pinkie Pie watched Rarity slowly disappear through the bakery's front door. All the while she slowly blinked and tried to process the proposal presented to her: Her, going from working in a bakery to running a boutique? Could she really make it work?
When Rarity returned to Canterlot the next day, she was practically bursting with contagious excitement! An excitement that struck many of the city's residences as odd. Such outward displays of joy from Rarity of all ponies was not something they were used to seeing.
Soon, the fashionista came strolling in through the front door of Canterlot Carousel. And immediately, she shouted to her fellow unicorn! "Sassy Saddles, I've just had the most brilliant idea ever! It's sure to solve our problems!"
Sassy Saddles blinked slowly. "What is it, Rarity?"
Rarity wasted no time in declaring. "I've found the perfect candidate to entrust with running Carousel Boutique. A pony whose skill and talent for business rivals even my own:" Taking a deep breath, she declared. "Pinkie Pie!"
"WHAT?!" Sassy exclaimed in sheer disbelief! "Rarity, you can't possibly be serious! Pinkie Pie?!"
The fashionista unicorn happily nodded. "Indeed, Sassy. If you had seen her in action at Sugarcube Corner the other day, you'd understand. She could perform complex calculations in her head in the blink of an eye, tend to customers like nopony's business, and all the while making sure the sweets were as delicious as could be. And you can't deny, she has a knack for knowing how to make other ponies smile. Such skills have me convinced she would take to the fashion business like a duck to water."
Sassy wasn't so sure. "But... she's never set hoof into a boutique except to try on a dress. I don't think I've ever seen her with a sewing needle or a sewing machine," She saw fit to question her boss and fellow unicorn. "Are you sure she'd be such a good fit?"
The unicorn mare with a pristine white coat nodded back with confidence. "I know it's an out there pick. But it isn't one I would make unless I was absolutely confident it was a good one."
Still, Sassy seriously objected. "I think maybe you cleared your head a little too much, Rarity. This busy season, this surge of customers we're now facing at the boutiques, it'll pass. We can handle the crush. Taking on another business partner right now doesn't sound like a very... well... sound idea."
"It can't hurt to at least try," Rarity replied and proposed. "Besides, I'm not going to just have her take over and that'll be the end of it. I'm of course going to make sure she's well trained and well suited. And I know just the way to make sure she'll fit in, that boutique managing will be right up her alley," She used her magic to float over a flyer. "Fancy Pants is giving some business seminars here in Canterlot, teaching all the ins and out of industry. Among them are classes dealing with fashion."
"And?" Sassy Saddles asked.
"And," Rarity explained. "I know for a fact that Pinkie Pie will be here in town when those seminars are taking place. She'll be in town with the Cakes as they tend to an important catering event. It just so happens that the catering is for the seminars. So she's already all but signed up for them. With a little salesponyship, I'm sure I can get her to attend the seminars. And that'll be the perfect opportunity for me to see if it'll all work out."
Sensing that her boss was quite serious about this idea, Sassy reluctantly relented. "Well, I guess it can't hurt to give her a try. Maybe you know something I don't. After all," She admitted with a hint of guilt in her voice. "I have been wrong before."
The fashionista flashed a smile so big and so bright it could've been mistaken for one of Pinkie Pie's signature smiles. Exactly! Glad you're seeing it my way, Sassy," And beaming from ear to ear, she proudly proclaimed! "Oh, I just know this is going to work! Pinkie Pie's sure to blow everypony away at those seminars with her knowledge of business!"
The day of the first seminar arrived swiftly soon after Rarity had set her plan into motion. She never gave a thought to the idea that it might not work out. Yes, there was no guarantee. But she was so confident of success that she saw no need to imagine the alternative.
Just as the fashionista had expected, Pinkie Pie initially arrived at the seminar's location: The private gardens around the courtyard of the royal castle. She was already counting off and listing dessert after dessert, while going down a list and licking her lips: "Chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, triple chocolate fudge, chocolate brownies with nuts, cream pies, blueberry pies, cherry pies, chocolate fondue, pudding, and of course the return of the prize winning Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness a.k.a The MMMM!"
"This has to be the biggest catering order we've ever had," Mrs. Cake commented. "I just hope everypony likes what we have to offer."
Pinkie waved a hoof. "Relax, Mrs. Cake. Sugarcube Corner makes the best desserts in all of Equestria! No bakery could ever compare! All of Canterlot knows it," And she smiled. "And just think, with the money we're sure to make, the twins' future will be secure forever! They'll be able to attend the best colleges in all of Equestria, and there'll still be money left over to make renovations to Sugarcube Corner if we need to."
Mr. Cake was quick to caution. "If we get paid, Pinkie. So let's make sure our culinary salesponyship is up to par. We need to be on our best beahvior," Looking to Pound and Pumpkin Cake he then cautioned. "That means you too, Pound and Pumpkin. No flying or using magic to scare customers. These Canterlot ponies can be very uptight."
The twins giggled, but seemed to understand what their father was telling them.
Just then, out of the corner of her beautiful blue eyes, Pinkie Pie saw Rarity come trotting over. "Ah, we're in luck! It looks like we have our first customer already," She clapped her hooves while trying to contain her excitement. "Come on, places everypony! I just hope I remember those lessons on how to be fancy that I practiced."
Yet Rarity didn't bother to look at any of the desserts, as tempeting as the aromas wafting from them might have been. Instead, she approached her party planning friend. "Ah, Pinkie, you're just in time."
"In time for what?" Pinkie pondered, forgetting all about her efforts to try to be fancy. "I thought the seminars didn't get a meal break for another hour? Sugarcube Corner provides the desserts."
The fashionista unicorn giggled as a cheeky grin spread across her face. "I know that. I'm not here for the desserts, I'm here for you. I would hate for the seminars to start without you. Even Fancy Pants would argue that it's not good to be 'fashionably late' for your first lesson."
Right then and there, it dawned on the pink coated earth pony what Rarity was proposing. "What? You want me to attend those... those... whatever they are? I thought you were going to tutor and mentor me personally, like you did with Coco?"
"Normally that would be the case," Rairty pointed out. "If not for the fact that you already know so much about business and what it takes to run one. These little seminars are covering all the ins and outs of the fashion world, including dos and don'ts. You simply cannot hope to miss them if you want to have any chance of making it in the fashion business," Smiling, she grabbed her friend by the hoof. "Come on! We've already wasted enough time just talking about it! Get in there and show 'em what you're made of!"
Before Pinkie could protest, Rarity led her away as the Cakes exchanged looks of confusion and concern.
Once inside the castle proper, Rarity brought Pinkie to an isolated room after rounding one of the corners in the winding corridors. The room had been converted into a make-shift classroom, complete with desks, chairs and a blackboard. Several ponies from various walks of life were already there and had already taken their designated seats. And Fancy Pants stood at the center of the room, holding a metallic pointer in the soft glow of his horn.
"Got room for one more participant?" Rarity inquired of the stallion. "Pinkie Pie here is simply bursting with the chance to show you what she's made of!"
Fancy Pants blinked, as did as all the other ponies currently in attendance at the make-shift classroom. "Miss. Rarity, with all due respect, are you sure you really want Miss. Pie of all ponies to be here?" She questioned her. "I know you've made decisions in the past that hardly seem like they should've worked, and they've turned out alright in the end. But even I must question your judgement on this one."
But Pinkie Pie managed to pluck up enough courage to trot forward and assert. "Hey, Rarity knows her stuff when it comes to business and fashion! If she thinks I deserve to be here, then I deserve to be here!" She puffed out her chest. "I owe it to her to learn as much about fashion as possible. She sees something in me, and right or wrong I think she knows how to bring that out. So I'm attending your little classes, whatever they're called, and that's that!"
Fancy Pants had to adjust his monocle after witnessing such an assertive display. "I must say Miss... er Pinkie Pie, that was... quite commendable how you held your ground just then. Confidence in onself is always important. Having a positive, can do attitude is vital to success in any industry or profession. It means you won't be deterred by failure, you will pick yourself up and try again," With something of a smile he declared. "Very well, I'll admit you into these seminars per Miss. Rarity's blessing."
"Sweet!" Pinkie cheered and bounced into the air, before something came up that sapped all her enthusiasm. "Uh... how much do I owe you for the classes?"
The stallion's smile brightened. "Nonsense, I don't charge for these seminars. They're simply my way of passing on my knowledge. I already make quite enough money as one of Equestria's premiere delegates and diplomats. Only Prince Blueblood outranks me in influence, and he's adopted royalty."
Pinkie breathed a much needed sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I didn't bring any bits with me because I wasn't expecting to have to pay for anything. Guess I need to start carrying bits with me in case of emergencies. Maybe even establish some bit stashes in case of bit emergencies." She giggled to herself at the thought of adding bit stashes to her many secret stashes needed in case of a particular emergency.
Rarity watched as her pink party pony friend was seated with the rest of Fancy Pants' "students" (for lack of a better term). In her mind she began to think. "Oh Rarity, you are brilliant!" And confident in things to work out, she decided not to stick around for the duration of the seminars. After all, Sassy probably needed help back at Canterlot Carousel.
Pinkie Pie watched Rarity depart and became a bit anxious. With Rarity gone, all eyes were now being drawn to her. She really felt like she stood out for all the wrong reasons. A nagging part of her brain started to think. "I really shouldn't be here!" But she shook her head to dispel such thinking. Rarity believed in her, so Pinkie would trust the unicorn's judgement and see where it led.
Fancy Pants, for his part, simply cleared his throat as he began his lecture. "Well then, let us begin our first lesson of the seminars. It is hoped that you will all learn valuable lessons about the ins and outs of business: Not just as it relates to fashion, but as it relates to any industry or profession. These seminars aim to give you all the keys to succeed wherever life may take you," He began to write something down on the blackboard, and asked. "Now then, what is the golden rule of business that we must all strive to remember?"
To the surprise of all, Pinkie immediately shot up a hoof. And when called upon she answered. "Um, it's 'The customer is always right', right?" She then adopted a sheepish look on her face, wondering if maybe she would've been better off staying silent.
But Fancy Pants simply replied with a few slow blinks. "That is... correct, Miss. Pie," He turned away from the blackboard, revealing that he had written down that very phrase. "It is important to remember that in any business, the customer must be treated to the best quality service we can provide. Everypony should be treated like royalty, whether they are in fact royalty or not. Quality customer service is the key to ensuring that business thrives," He then added. "I daresay, all of you might be able to learn a thing or two from Miss. Pie. Clearly, she has already committed this golden rule to memory."
The pink party pony, however, was more focused on the whispers and murmurs coming from the other ponies (all of whom were much better dressed than to her to boot). They seemed to be looking at her with suspicion, perhaps wondering if she was some sort of means of "testing" them.
"Now then," Fancy Pants spoke up, resuming his lecture to the class. "Let us explore a few examples of successful business enterprises. In particular, we will highlight the recent success of both Canterlot Carousel and Rarity For You. The rapid rise of such businesses provide lessons we can all learn from."
And so the lecture went on, and on, and on and on some more. Pinkie, for her part, tried her best to pay attention to everything that was being spoken. She wrote down whatever she thought was important (which was almost everything), and tried her best to tune out that nagging feeling in the back of her head that told her she didn't belong here. She was doing this for Rarity's sake, she had to give it an honest try.
Eventually, the moncole wearing unicorn stallion ceased in his lecturing. Then, with his magic, he levitated over a huge stack of papers. They were placed on each desk one by one with an audible thud. "I hope you've all been paying attention to what I have said," He informed the others. "Because now you will be expected to demonstrate your knowledge. These exams present you with hypothetical business scenarios that you might face. In each one, your goal is to demonstrate how you would make such a business successful. And the better you explain your reasoning, the better your score will be."
Hesitant and nervous though she was, Pinkie Pie nevertheless prepared herself to take this "exam". She could do this! She had to do this! Rarity was surely counting on her to get a good score.
Fancy Pants levitated over a finely decorated gold pocketwatch as he instructed. "You have fifteen minutes to complete the exam to the best of your ability. Points will be deducted for every question you leave unanswered. But remember, this is not a race. There are almost twice as many minutes as there are questions. You may begin: Now!" And soon, the sound of pens and pencils frantically writing on white sheets of paper could be heard filling the air.
The pink party pony perspired ever so slightly as she looked at the exam. Question after question was full of terms and phrases that were starting to blur and jumble together. She tried to focus, tried to concentrate. But it had been a while since she'd had anything to eat, so her stomach was starting to rumble a bit. Oh, why did the exam have to be now? Why couldn't it have waited until after she and the other ponies were enjoying the catering she'd helped the Cakes to provide?
It was on the subject of the Cakes that Pinkie's mind began to wander. She began thinking of Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake and the twins. She started thinking about all the fond memories she had of being part of their family, of working in their bakery from the time she was just a filly. So many memories came flooding back to her as she recalled how she'd been right in her element there. Back then, learning about business had just been a fun little extra she learned to keep customers happy. And she could learn at her own pace.
So it was that Pinkie Pie began to realize what she had to do, where she truly belonged. She set her pencil and pen down, stood up from her desk and without saying a word she zoomed out of the make-shift classroom as fast as she could!
Fancy Pants seemed to briefly frown at the display he saw from Pinkie, before ultimately shrugging his hooves. "I suppose she will be stricken from the courses, from all subsequent seminars." He said to himself in an indiffirent tone, then turned back to watching his pocketwatch. Oh well, one less "student" hardly made a difference as far as he was concerned.
The pink party pony plowed ahead as fast as her hooves would let her! She had to get back to the Cakes, she just had to! Rarity would understand.
As luck and fate would have it, Rarity was with the Cakes out in the castle courtyard. Apparently, she was in the middle of a conversation with them, having forgotten all about going back to her boutique.
When Pinkie skidded to a halt a short time later, she swallowed a lump in her throat as her eyes fell upon Rarity. She had hoped to have this conversation at a much later date. Alas, it had to happen now.
Rarity turned around, locking eyes with Pinkie Pie while bearing the most unusual expression upon her face. She didn't seem to be smiling, but at the same time it couldn't exactly be said that she was frowning. "Oh, Pinkie Pie. The Cakes and I were just talking about you, actually. They've been telling me how helpful of an apprentice you've been at Sugarcube Corner, all the while you've juggled your responsibilities as a go-to foalsitter and party planner."
Pinkie gulped, trying not to look guilty. "Rarity, I'm sorry! I just can't get into that business stuff, not even for you!"
The fashionista blinked slowly, appearing to not be surprised. "Oh, that's quite alright, Pinkie. After talking it over with the Cakes more, I've come to the conclusion that my decision to give up ownership of Carousel Boutique is very much premature. And not just because of what I've been pressuring you into either."
At that, the earth pony mare with a curly pink mane and tail pondered aloud. "Huh?"
Rarity simply explained in a sweet tone of voice. "Oh, Pinkie, I know I meant well. I truly do believe you have a talent for business, even if you yourself don't recognize it. But I see that you are perfectly happy with your life as it is. You are highly skilled and highly talented in all that you do as it is. Much as I might like to have you in the fashion industry, I see now that it's not where you belong."
Pinkie Pie breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. That's just what I was about to say, except maybe not with all those big, fancy words," She then willingly admitted. "I tried, Rarity, really. The business stuff I learn, I had to learn in order to help the Cakes. But learning all the ins and outs of business, every little thing there ever is to know about it, it's not for me."
Rarity nodded in approval. "My sentiments exactly, Pinkie Pie. I can't uproot you from what it is that you enjoy doing and are comfortable with. It means a lot to me that you'd undertake it for my sake, but I wouldn't want you to feel unhappy about something. To feel like you had no choice. Everypony should be free to decide for themselves how they want to live. As much as there's nothing wrong with trying something new, one should never feel like they're pressued into doing something just because they're good at it."
Pinkie smiled and gave Rarity a big hug. "Oh, Rarity, you truly are a one of a kind friend!" When the hug ended, however, she then wondered. "So, what are you gonna do about the big crowds at your other boutiques? Aren't you gonna get somepony to help you?"
"Why do you think I was talking to the Cakes earlier?" Rarity said with a wink. "They've agreed to pitch in a little when I need it. Plus, I can always call on Fluttershy if need be. She may not be much of a salespony, but I know for a fact she's comfortable and knows her way around a sewing needle and a sewing machine."
The pink party pony smiled and sighed with relief anew. "Oh, that's good. At least now I won't have to worry about missing out on Pound and Pumpkin Cake growing up. I definitely wanna be there for that!"
Pinkie Pie knew it had to be important if her sister Maud had asked her to meet up in front of Twilight's castle early in the morning. Maud was usually never an early riser, not like Pinkie who always wanted to cram as much fun as possible into every day.
Then again, Maud had recently completed her studies in rock science and had earned her rocktorate. She was now officially Doctor Maud Pie, the thought of such a title was enough to make Pinkie giggle.
Sure enough, the tunic wearing earth pony mare and Pie sister famous for her stotic nature was waiting for Pinkie in front of the large crystal tree that was Twilight's castle. It was something so hard to miss.
"Hiya, Maud!" Pinkie Pie cheerfully greeted as she slowly skidded to a halt before her sister. "Why'd you ask me to meet you here so early today? Something on your mind."
Maud Pie nodded quite slowly. "Yes, Pinkie. And it's something I'm hoping you can help me with. After all, I'm told you're very good at it."
The pink party pony proudly puffed out her chest. "Trust me, Maud, when it comes to friend making there's nopony better suited to the job than I!" Then she excitedly proclaimed! "Oh, this is the best news ever! I didn't think I could be any happier than when I heard you might be moving to Ponyville."
Maud was quick to correct. "Pinkie, we've been over this. I'm not definitely moving to Ponyville."
Pinkie waved a hoof in protest. "Ah-ah, I heard you, Maud. When we were talking after your graduation you said:" She proceeded to make her mane and tail look flat, change her expression to a netural look, and throw her voice to sound more like her big sister. "There's nothing left to study back on the rock farm, so I might move to Ponyville," Then, she blew into a hoof and poofed her mane and tail right back up to their usual state. "And you wanting a friend means you're committing to Ponyville. Because Ponyville is the friendship capital of Equestria."
The stotic earth pony mare just commented. "It isn't hard to meet somepony I like. I can do that anytime on my studies. It's finding somepony who gets me that's the hard part. Harder than any rock I've ever encountered." She looked down at the ground, appearing to show the faintest hint of glumness. But if so, it was very hard to tell from the way she carried herself.
Pinkie just replied with a giggle. "Oh, not to worry, Maudileena Daisy Pie, your favorite sister is on the case!" She proceeded to pull out a pencil and a clipboard, and questioned. "Now, what are you looking for in a friend? Gimme six qualities assigning each one a numerical importance rating between one and seven, seven being essential and one being 'eh.'"
But Maud only replied. "I want somepony I can talk to. Somepony who understand what I'm like and what I like to do. Not many ponies understand how... different, I am."
The pink party pony waved a hoof. "Nonsense. Ponies think I'm different, but I don't care. And look at how many friends I have. If I can do it, so can you!"
Maud smiled ever so faintly. "Of course you'd say that, Pinkie. You're my sister, you know me almost as well as I know myself," Then her smile faded. "I'm just not sure where to look to find somepony as unique as you."
Pinkie just replied. "Maud, you are the best! Have a little faith in your favorite sister," Then she gestured a hoof towards the castle doors. "Somepony could come barreling through that door at this very moment and become your best friend!"
But the doors did not swing open at all, they remained shut. And as such, Maud simply sighed and began to walk away. "Let me know when you've found someponies you think will want to be friends with me. I can't wait all day for somepony to just show up out of the blue."
Just as the stotic, tunic wearing earth pony was preparing to leave, however, the castle doors did indeed swing open ever so faintly. And who should come strolling out from them but a very familiar (to Pinkie Pie at least) unicorn mare with a grayish-purple coat?
The unicorn was too observed in the huge stack of books she was carrying to pay any attention to where she was going. And as such, she collided with Maud Pie (whom the unicorn had obviously not expected to be there), dropping her books as they all hit the ground with a thud!
Hastily, the unicorn recovered and apologized sincerely. "My fault! Totally my fault! I should've been watching where I was going," Then, suddenly, she spotted the earth pony with whom she had collided and put a hoof to her chin as she contemplated. "Hey, wait a minute! You look familiar. Have we met before? I feel like we've met before."
Maud Pie spun around, looking at the unicorn as she seemed to confirm. "I think we did. But you look different now. Have you done something with your mane?"
Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, could hardly contain her excitement! It seemed like Maud was hitting it off with another pony, that was a good sign! With a little luck, Pinkie was hoping that her sister would indeed be able to make a friend and thus committ to Ponyville.
The pink party pony didn't anticipate that her efforts to try to help Maud make a friend would only end up make things more complicated.
"Ah, so we have met before," The unicorn realized, and then coughed into a hoof. "Oh, excuse me, where are my manners? I'm Starlight Glimmer, Princess Twilight's student. Er... well I was until just recently," She was quick to change the subject. "Who are you, exactly? Wait, no, don't tell me."
There was a long silence as both Pinkie and Maud waited for Starlight to respond. But she didn't, until eventually she admitted defeat and looked to Maud. "Yeah. See, I was really hoping you'd tell me while I pretended to remember. If we did meet, I don't think I ever asked for a name. Your face is familiar, but your name escapes me."
Pinkie Pie was all but shrieking for joy as she excitedly shouted! "You mean you two have met before? How, how, how is this possible?! Tell me, I need to know!"
Maud Pie recalled. "I remember now. It was while I was traveling Equestria, working on my rocktorate. My studies took me to a village near some mountains." And the memory started to slowly come flooding back to her.
It couldn't have been more than a few years ago, Maud knew she hadn't really changed since that time. But the village near the mountains that she had come to had still been in the process of being constructed. Ponies were working on the first houses, building the frames with lumber and laying the foundations.
Maud herself was absorbed completely in her work, checking rocks and even breaking them up with a pickaxe. As a result, she didn't hear the sound of somepony approaching.
That somepony was Starlight Glimmer (though Maud of course didn't know this at the time), who had her mane and tail styled much differently from how she now wore them. Her mane and tail were perfectly stylized right down the middle, to the point where you could say they were "equal". After looking all around to make sure she wasn't being watched, she leaned down towards Maud and hurridly whispered. "Hey you. Do you know a lot about rocks?"
Without looking up, Maud answerred the unicorn in her usual flat tone. "Yes."
Starlight continued to whisper. "Good, you're the perfect pony to ask this:" She cleared her throat as her eyes continued to dart all about, looking for anypony who might overhear. "Have you ever come across some kind of super-powerful stone that can store the combined cutie mark magic of... oh... I don't know... an entire village?"
Surprisingly, Maud answered with a confirming. "Yep. In the big cave over there." And she gestured a hoof.
"Thank you, whoever you are," Starlight called as she took off in the direction of that cave. "And if anypony asks, you never saw me."
The flashback ended as the present Starlight adopted the most guilt ridden look, and Pinkie Pie nervously giggled while looking at her sister. "Oh, so that's how it happened," Then she instructed. "Hey, I have an idea, Maud. Let's not tell anypony about how you maybe, for sure, accidentally helped Starlight enslave a town!" After a moment, her eyes narrowed and she instructed. "Seriously, tell nopony."
"Why?" Maud blinked, apparently unconcerned. "I mean, it's not like she did anything evil, right? She didn't actually enslave anypony. If she was, would she be the student of a princess?"
Starlight Glimmer gave off a nervous laugh as she tried to shake off the guilty look in her eyes. "Uh, funny story, actually. Kind of a long one too, really don't feel like telling it right now!" She then hastily took off, though not before saying to Maud. "Er, well it was nice to meet you again. Now I've... uh... gotta run a few errands. Maybe I'll see you around." As she trotted away, she let out an unhappy sigh. Yet again, her troubled past had caught up with her.
Before Starlight could disappear entirely into the distance, Pinkie looked to Maud and in a strained, hushed voice insisted. "Offer to help."
Maud spun around. "What?"
"Offer to help!" Pinkie insisted and pushed her sister forward.
The stotic earth pony mare didn't have a chance to react before her sister pushed her right up towards Starlight.
Starlight, for her part, was surprised by Maud's sudden appearance. "Oh, did you wanna help?"
Maud seemed to be confused. "Do I?"
Pinkie firmly nodded. "Of course you do! Now go! Hurry!"
The tunic wearing earth pony agreed. "Okay." And she set off with Starlight to go into Ponyville proper.
Pinkie Pie happily watched the two mares trot off together. Things were going so well! "Oh yeah! Do I know my big sister or what?!" She boasted to herself! "They're totally gonna be best friends and then Maud will choose Ponyville, and we'll get to wear BSFF slippers! Oh, this is the best idea I've ever come up with!" Already, she was thinking back in her mind about how she'd learned about her sister's consideration of Ponyville as a permanent residence.
It had all started during Maud Pie's graduation ceremony to mark the official completion of her rocktorate. The whole Pie family had shown up for the event: Igneous, Cloudy, Limestone, Marble and of course Pinkie.
Maud had never looked more elegant than she did when she strolled across the stage in a grey cap and gown, and happily accepted her degree from her professor. All the while, the event was documented for history with Igneous operating an old-fashioned camera.
Afterwards, Pinkie got the chance to share a train car with Maud, and could barely contain her excitement! "Way to go, Maud! Or I guess now I should be calling you Doctor Maud Pie! You totally rock! Get it?"
Maud nodded and blinked slowly, even as her expression did not change in the slightest. "Yes, Pinkie. Your rock puns are quite solid," Then she pointed out. "Although, actually, the certificate simply refers to me as Doctor Pie. But Doctor Maud Pie has a nice ring to it."
The pink party pony giggled and grinned. "I agree, especially since you've got your rocktorate. I guess we could call you 'Rocktor Pie'," After chuckling a bit, she questioned. "So, Doctor Pie, what's next for you? Come on, you can tell me! Are you gonna move back onto the rock farm? I know everypony will be happy to have you back."
Maud shook her head. "No, Pinkie. I'm not going back to the rock farm."
Pinkie Pie could hardly believe her ears! "What?! Why not?! The rock farm is the perfect place for you, it's got tons of rocks! And you'll get to be with family every day! We can exchange rock candy necklaces again!"
Maud Pie simply corrected. "There's nothing for me to study on the rock farm. That's why I went away to pursue my rocktorate in the first place," Then she explained. "I've been offered a chance to study rock formations in Ghastly Gorge. It's only a train ride away from Ponyville."
Pinkie replied by saying. "Oh." She sounded rather unhappy with the news.
Maud then stated in a stotic tone of voice. "But I'm also thinking I might move to Ponyville. The letters you sent me make it sound like a really nice place," A smile formed on her lips as she added. "And there's the Cakes, who you've said are basically a second family to you."
The pink party pony nodded. "Yeah, that's true!" And then she let out a gasp and an excited shriek! "Oh my gosh! Maud! Are you actually gonna move to Ponyville?! Oh, having you in Ponyville would be just... just... well, I can't even begin to describe it! It would be absolutely, out of this world incredible!"
The stotic, tunic wearing earth pony was quick to caution her overly enthusiastic sister. "I haven't made up my mind yet, Pinkie. If I do decide to move to Ponyville, I need to know it's the right fit for me."
At that Pinkie's smile was replaced by a frown. "Well, that's gonna be kinda difficult, Maud. Ponyville isn't really know for its impressive rocks. We have lots of caves, and gems, but not a lot of rocks."
Maud pointed out. "I know that. My decision isn't just going to be based on rocks. After all," She pulled out a familiar looking stone from her pocket. "That's what I have Boulder for," She then told her sister. "I'm going to be in Ponyville tomorrow. And there's something I need your help with. Something very important."
"Great!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she perked right back up. "So when should I expect to see you, Maud? And what do you need my help with?"
"I'll tell you when I see you tomorrow," Maud explained. "I was thinking we'd meet up by that castle you told me about. It seems like a good landmark." And that was the last she was willing to say on the conversation for the time being, especially since the train was pulling into the station near Ponypalooza, meaning it was time for Maud Pie to depart.
While Pinkie Pie was reflecting on what had led her older sister to seek her out, Maud Pie was currently catching up with Starlight and explaining more about what had the subject of their chance encounter years before.
"It's simple," Maud explained to the unicorn. "Rocks take on different properties when interacting with magic. In fact, with the right stone, you could rule all of Equestria if you wanted to."
At that Starlight stopped right in her tracks and glared suspiciously at the earth pony. "You're messing with me, aren't you?" She questioned.
Without changing her expression or tone of voice at all, Maud ominously proposed. "Am I?"
Starlight Glimmer gazed at Maud, trying to judge her intentions by the expression on her face. But eventually, she gave up and just burst out into a laugh. Then she sighed and waved a hoof. "You're surprisingly easy to talk to, Maud. I think I like that about you," And then she asked. "But you know, is there anything you're into besides just rocks?"
Maud nodded and began to list off a few things as they came into her mind. "Minerals. Plate tectonics. Oh, and stand-up comedy, of course," Then she looked at Starlight and asked her. "What about you, Starlight? What are you into?"
Nervous about having abruptly been put on the spot, Starlight looked all around and then with a sheepish look on her face she admitted. "I like... kites." She waited to see what Maud's reaction would be.
Maud just maintained that stotic expression of hers as she simply said to Starlight. "Kites are cool, I guess."
Starlight breathed a sigh of relief, and then decided. "Hey, why don't we fly kites together, Maud? Today's good kite flying weather. No clouds, and just enough of a breeze to keep a kite in the air without it blowing away."
The stotic, tunic wearing earth pony agreed. "Sure, we can fly kites. I'm actually interested in learning, I've never flown a kite before."
The unicorn mare then excitedly exclaimed! "Well then, it's your lucky day, Maud! Come with me!" And the two mares went off together, unaware that Pinkie Pie was watching them from afar (from inside of a barrel in fact) with the most concerned look on her face.
As it turned out, Starlight was something of an expert when it came to kite making and kite flying. She even had her own custom made kite that she was more than happy to show off to Maud. It was a typical box kite consisting of three solid squares in a light blue coloring. The unicorn happily used her magic to hold the string and get the kite airborn, all the while she was explaining to Maud. "Now, the trick with an S.L.K. is not to make the spars too heavy. But if they're too light, you've got no ballast and then good luck tacking against the A.O.I.!" Realizing that her long winded and detailed explanation probably wasn't of much interest to her guest, she sheepishly added. "I really like kites."
But Maud just replied with a slow blink as she said. "They're starting to grow on me. We never got to fly kites back on my family's rock farm. We had to find other ways to entertain ourselves."
"Oh, really?" Starlight Glimmer asked with sincerity. "And here I always thought Pinkie was just pulling my leg about growing up on a rock farm. Can't imagine a pony like her growing up in a place so... dull."
Maud nodded. "It's no surprise she left after she got her cutie mark. We all agreed it was for the best. But she still wrote letters back to the family all the time," Then she added. "This actually isn't my first time being in Ponyville. But it's my first time getting to see it more in detail," With something of a smile she stated. "It's nice."
Starlight nodded back. "I know. It really grows on you. At first, I didnt think I'd ever feel at home here. But now, I can't imagine ever living anywhere else. It was the perfect place for me to make a new start. And I'll bet it could do the same for you, if you decide to stay here."
The stotic earth pony replied. "I think Ponyville's starting to grow on me too."
Just then, however, who should come trotting up on the hillside where Maud and Starlight were standing but Pinkie Pie? She was wearing a costume that resembled a slice of pizza, and had what appeared to be a pizza box in her hooves. "Oh, hey you two!" Pinkie declared in what sounded like forced surprise. "What a nice surprise running into you two here. Isn't it funny how life works sometimes?" She gave off a nervous giggle.
Maud and Starlight turned around as Maud sighed. "Pinkie, were you spying on us this whole time?"
The pink party pony promptly protested. "Oh no no no! Don't be silly, Maud! Why would I do a thing like that? Don't you know me at all?" But the way she carried herself seemed to betray her intentions, she was really bad at feigning innocence.
"Pinkie." Was all Maud could bring herself to say.
Pinkie chose to ignore Maud's noticeable hint of displeasure. "It's okay, Maud. I was just delivering a pizza to... to..." She looked around, and happened to spot a familiar wall eyed pegasus mare with a light gray coat. "Uh, her!" And she hastily tossed the pizza box in the pegasus pony's direction.
Starlight frowned upon witnessing the display. "Pinkie Pie, Maud and I are getting along just fine. You don't need to watch every single thing we do. It's annoying."
Pinkie waved a hoof. "Oh, don't be silly. I haven't been spying on everything you two have been doing. I obviously can't be everywhere at once. There are some places even I can't go," And she quickly changed the subject. "So, how's it going? You two feeling like friends yet? Because, if you aren't that's totally fine... no pressure."
The unicorn mare just cryptically replied. "We're just hanging out, Pinkie. That's all."
"Oh, okay," The pink party pony giggled. "No rush. I just was thinking, if you two are gonna be hanging out like this, maybe you could spend a little time talking about feelings! I mean, that's what friends do, right? Talk about feelings?"
Starlight shook her head from side to side. "Right now, Pinkie, I think we're both feeling that we don't wanna talk about feelings. Maud doesn't seem like much of a 'feelings' pony."
At that, Pinkie seemed to take a step back. It looked as if her mane and tail were starting to deflate a bit. But she managed to smile and shake off any signs of unhappiness. "Okay... okay.. that's fine. I'll... uh... just let you two get back to... whatever it is you're doing. Just pretend I'm not here," Then she gasped as an idea came to her! "Wait, I know! Starlight, you could totally cast a spell to make me invisible. Then it'll really be like I'm not there. You'll never even know when I'm there and when I'm not."
The unicorn mare with a slightly curly mane protested. "I don't think that's a good idea, Pinkie. I think Maud and I would feel a lot more comfortable if we didn't have to worry about you breathing down our necks, literally. So please run along. I'm sure you've got plenty of fun activities you can do with other ponies."
The pink party pony seemed to get the message as she nodded, then took off her pizza delivery costume. "Okie dokie lokie, then," As she turned to leave, however, she then declared. "Hey, Maud, I just had an idea. You should totally go explore the caves with Starlight when you get a chance. Maybe you'll even meet Rarity, she likes to go to the caves all the time for gem hunting." And then off she trotted, bouncing away with a skip in her step.
Once Pinkie was out of sight, Maud Pie turned to Starlight and sincerely apologized. "Sorry about my sister. There's no half-excited with her. And she's definitely excited at the mere prospect that I might move to Ponyville."
Starlight just waved a hoof as she set her kite down gently on the ground. "Oh, it's alright. I'm used to it by now. Knowing Pinkie, she'll calm down eventually."
Maud slowly nodded back. "Yes, eventually."
Then Starlight Glimmer proposed. "Well, I think that's enough kite flying for today. Wanna explore those caves Pinkie was talking about? Maybe you could teach me a thing or two about rocks while we're down there?"
"Sure." Maud agreed, and the two mares set off again.
A short time later, both Starlight and Maud had donned protective helmets equipped with small lights to help them see better. And together, they trotted through the gem filled caves, marveling at the beauty that surrounded them.
It was then that Starlight saw fit to ask her guest. "So, Maud, why do you find rocks so fascinating? Why'd you decide to study them?"
Maud explained. "Because each one has a different story to tell, each one is unique," She dug into the pocket of her tunic and pulled out a very familiar (to her anyway) small rock. "Like Boulder for example. He's not just some mere rock I found in a pile. No, he's special. The lines here tell me that he's actually over two thousand years old," With something of a smile, she looked at the rock and told it. "But you don't look a day over six hundred."
Starlight was amazed! "Wow! You can really tell all that just by looking at a line?"
Maud Pie nodded. "Well, I didn't get a rocktorate because I can shred on guitar like nopony else. My studies were hard, I couldn't take them for granite."
Realizing the joke, Starlight Glimmer let out a hearty chuckle. "Good one, Maud." Then she approached a sparkling diamond that perfectly displayed her reflection.
Maud went on talking. "Another reason why I like rocks," She spoke up. "They don't exclude you if you're... well..." She became rather withdrawn. "Different... from other ponies. Mom and Dad always said I was unique, even compared to Pinkie Pie."
Starlight seemed to realize what her potential friend was implying as she eyed the diamond more closely. "I think I get it, Maud: They're beautiful and strong on the outside and the inside. Yet they don't judge you or make you feel less in any way. Wow! I think I'm actually starting to like rocks too!"
Maud began to smile. "I'm glad you do. I'm glad I have somepony besides my parents and besides Pinkie who understand. You're really the only other pony I've ever felt comfortable sharing that with, Starlight. If Ponyville is full of ponies like you, I think I'll really like it."
"Well, not everypony's like me. But that's the beauty of Ponyville," The unicorn with a grayish-purple coat pointed out. "Just like rocks, everypony in Ponyville is unique. And as Pinkie Pie will tell you, there's always something new to do or see every day. Never really a dull moment in this town. But I wouldn't have it any other way."
Soon afterward, the two mares left the gem caves and approached what appeared to be a thick wall of solid rock. It seemed unlikely that it could be broken or penetrated.
Maud Pie approached the wall, inspected it carefully from top to bottom, and tapped a hoof against it. To her surprise, she was greeted with a sensation different from what she had been expecting. "Hm, it's hollow."
"Hollow?" Starlight blinked. "Looks pretty solid to me."
Maud shook her head from side to side. "Not if you look more closely," Tapping her hooves against the wall again, she then stated. "It's granite. Hollow granite is highly unusual. This wall must've formed just recently, likely as a result of something else," She proceeded to instruct to her fellow mare. "Stand back." She turned around and gave the wall of granite a swift kick with her back legs!
Much to the surprise of the unicorn, the wall crumbled with ease. One good kick was all it had taken. And when the wall was no longer there, her eyes beheld a truly dazzling and beautiful sight: Light was streaming down ever so faintly from above, reflecting off of several large crystals that hung from the ceiling and stuck up from the ground. Patches of bright green grass surrounded the entire landscape, and it was possible to see a waterfall cascading down, forming a fairly large pond.
"Wow!" Starlight exclaimed as she took in the sights and sounds! "Have you ever seen anything like this before, Maud?"
"No," Maud willingly admitted while looking around. " And that's unusual, even for me."
Just then, however, in the distance came the sound of rumbling! And it grew louder by the second! Both mares turned around, and saw that a huge pile of rocks had come crashing down a ways back, blocking the exit from the caves!
A horrified Starlight raced immediately to the rock pile! "Oh no! How did this happen?!" She frantically began trying to move the rocks with her magic! "Don't worry, Maud! If we work together I'm sure we can-"
But Maud simply looked up at the ceiling of the cave, reached into her pocket and pulled out Boulder. Taking her pet into her hoof, she whispered to him. "-Get us out of here, boy." And then she threw him as hard as she could! Boulder impacted the ceiling in a matter of seconds, and when he did so the entire ceiling collapsed, allowing natural light to flood down from above. Maud had found a way out.
Starlight was (needless to say) impressed. "Wow, Maud! I know Pinkie said you once pounded an entire boulder into gravel with just your bare hooves, but I never knew you could do that! Aren't you full of surprises? I can see now how you and Pinkie Pie are related. You do things I've never seen anypony do in my entire life, and without magic."
"That wasn't magic," Maud replied as she put Boulder back into the pocket of her tunic. "That was sandstone. It's a very light kind of rock."
"And more sand than stone, apparently," Starlight giggled, before adding in a more serious tone of voice. "We should probably not tell Pinkie about how we almost got trapped in a cave with no way out. No need to make her worry. Knowing her, she'll start putting bells on us or something."
Maud nodded. "Yes. This will just be our little secret," And she looked across to Starlight. "I've never shared a secret with anypony before, not even my own sister. I'm honored to make you the first pony I've ever done this with."
The unicorn mare flashed a sincere smile. "Hey, you're not half bad yourself, Maud. Really," But then she pondered. "But isn't there somewhere else you're also considering moving to if you haven't decided on Ponyville?"
At that, Maud seemed to become slightly unhappy. Her posture became slightly ever so slouchy. "There is Ghastly Gorge. It would be a good place to continue my studies as Doctor Pie. But I don't know if it would have ponies like you in it, Starlight."
"Sounds like you've already made up your mind." Starlight commented with concern.
"Not exactly," Maud replied. "I haven't seen what Ghastly Gorge has to offer yet. There isn't much I can study around here, so I'll need to know I'm making the best decision."
"I don't suppose I could go with you to the gorge?" Starlight Glimmer pondered.
Maud Pie shook her head from side to side. "I don't think you'd like it. It's not exactly a safe place. It's actually kind of dangerous if you don't know what you're doing," She then sighed. "I know my sister means well, but you didn't have to humor me by pretending to like everything I did just to make her happy."
"Okay, maybe that was my plan at first," The unicorn mare willingly admitted. "But I actually think I've legitimately grown to like you, Maud. You're very interesting. And I hope you'll strongly consider moving to Ponyville. You're the first friend I've ever made without any pressure from anypony else."
"I'll... think about it." Was all Maud had to say, and then she trotted off, leaving Starlight puzzled and bewildered.
Pinkie Pie suspected nothing out of the ordinary when her sister didn't come to Sugarcube Corner to spend the night. She just assumed (naturally) that Maud had found a place of her own to stay, which would mean she was making a committment to Ponyville, just as Pinkie had hoped.
But the next morning, Pinkie woke up to find (much to her surprise) a paper note. She took it into her hooves and read it over. By the time she had finished, she let out a gasp! The note read as follows:
Dear Pinkie Pie,
Sorry, had to leave for Ghastly Gorge. I won't have time to make friends.
It's better this way for everypony, including me.
Sorry it didn't work, you did your best.
Sincerely,
Maud Pie
Pinkie was on the verge of tears. "Maud..." She sniffled, visibly torn up at the prospect of her big sister not committing to Ponyville after all.
Desperate for answers, the pink party pony went to the last pony she knew Maud had been with: Starlight.
As it so happened, Starlight was sound asleep in her room in the castle, mumbling and muttering to herself in the process.
Without bothering for niceties, Pinkie Pie pounced and plopped onto Starlight's bad! Then she frantically shouted at the unicorn! "Starlight, wake up! It's urgent!"
Starlight shot up in bed with a start! "Kites!" She yelped and lost her balance, falling out of bed and tumbling to the floor! Fortunately, she was more startled than hurt, and she quickly got her bearings. Once she did so, she saw the teary look in Pinkie's eyes. "Pinkie, if this is about Maud..."
But before Starlight could finish, Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs! "Maud left for Ghastly Gorge! She didn't come to Sugarcube Corner, not even to say goodbye to me!" Then she sniffled and sobbed.
The unicorn mare was taken aback by such a comment. "Well, I guess Ghastly Gorge does have really good rocks. She'd be right at home there."
The pink party pony only whimpered. "How could she just leave like that? I did what you and her wanted, I stayed away and let you two bond on your own," Looking at Starlight she complained. "What did you do to her, Starlight? Why couldn't you two just be friends? You seemed to be getting along so well."
Starlight Glimmer slowly nodded. "Yeah, we were. And I really did like her. But..." She put a hoof to her chin as she slowly climbed back into bed. "Well... I think she might have gotten the wrong idea when you showed up yesterday."
"That was only the one time," Pinkie protested. "I even resisted the urge to track you two down and put bells on you after you left for the caves."
Starlight could only sigh. "Look, I don't know what exactly was going on inside Maud's head. But I think she thought you'd put me up to this. And," She shamefully confessed. "I kind of thought that's what you wanted me to do. Even then, though," She started to smile a little. "I felt like I was forming a real connection with her, I wasn't simply trying to fake it. And I thought Maud could sense it too. I mean, she is weird!"
"Hey!" Pinkie snapped! "You can't talk about my sister like that!"
Starlight hastily corrected. "I meant weird in a good way, like you. Maud sees the world in a totally different way, she's nothing like Sunburst or Trixie or anypony else I've ever met before," She started reflecting on her time with Maud the previous day as she recalled with fond recollection. "She taught me that a rock is never just a rock, and she could make anything funny. We never really had to say it, but we seemed to get each other, more or less. I never even had to tell her about my past, about who I used to be. And that's a first."
The pink party pony looked up as she dried her eyes. "So you really were becoming best friends?"
The unicorn mare nodded again. "Yeah, I think we were. But I think you showing up that one time, it gave Maud the wrong impression. She seemed kind of annoyed that you didn't trust her to make friends on her own."
"What?!" Pinkie exclaimed as her eyes widened in disbelief! "She reached out to me! Of course I'd trust my sister to make friends on her own! I just got a little concerned because Maud's always had trouble making friends. She could be even shyer than Marble, and Marble's a pony I've always had to do the talking for. But I wanted Maud to be able to make friends on her own. I just thought she needed a little nudge, that's all."
Starlight nervously answered. "Well, maybe you should've explained that to Maud, and perhaps changed up your approach. Setting me up to be her friend probably seemed like a good idea, but in reality it just made it seem like you were trying to do everything for Maud. You kind of... sort of..." She struggled to think of what to say. "Got in the way."
Pinkie Pie stepped back and gasped upon hearing such harsh words! Then, without bothering to wait for a reply from the unicorn, she stood up and proclaimed. "I have to go!" She departed Starlight's bedroom in a hurry, practically slamming the bedroom door shut behind her.
Weakly, Starlight Glimmer tried to proclaim. "Ta-da... Friendship lesson... learned?" Then she threw her head back upon her pillow, sighing in lament while thinking to herself. "That sounded better in my head. Twilight's always better at these sort of things."
Out in Ghastly Gorge, Maud Pie had set up a small camp deep in the valley. She had thrown herself wholeheartedly into her work, even down to wearing a protective helmet and carrying a pickaxe. There she was, alone, with only Boulder and the sounds of the gorge for company. As a result, she had a lot of time to think. Deep down, she knew she was unhappy about what she'd done. But she had made her decision, she couldn't just go back on it now.
Well, there was no time for feeling sorry for herself, because the tunic wearing earth pony suddenly spotted something out of the corner of her eyes. "Stay here," She instructed to Boulder, and after setting aside her pickaxe she went to go inspect that which had attracted her attention. Slowly but surely, she made her way through the valley of the gorge, with only the whispers of the wind and the occasional crumbling of rock to break up the silence. At last, she spotted a shiny, almost glossy moss colored green rock. "Emerald jasper? This must be my lucky day." She said to herself, as she leaned down to pick up the rock, unaware of the faint, low-pitched growling sound in the distance.
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie had just left the train that had stopped near the gorge. Making her way down into the gorge proper, she soon spotted a set of unmistakable hoofprints. "Maud tracks!" She exclaimed and followed the trail as it wound its way through Ghastly Gorge. When she saw that the prints led past a camp Maud had set up for herself and past where Boulder was, Pinkie began to grow worried. It wasn't like Maud to just leave her pet rock behind.
Then, suddenly, a low-pitched but audible growling noise reached the pink party pony's ears! Horrified and fearing the worst, she rushed towards the noise's source! Sure enough, where the tracks ended, she found a huge quarry eel in its red-scaled glory!
When the eel roared again, its mouth opened to reveal a slime covered Maud Pie, who seemed unaware of where she was. "Oh, hello Pinkie Pie," She greeted her sister in her usual flat tone. "Guess what? I found emerald jasper. This eel dropped it earlier, and now he's letting me have it." She held up the green, glowing rock, just before the quarry eel snapped its jaws shut once again!
Horrified, Pinkie Pie immediately sprang into action! She pulled out a huge pump and hastily used it to prop open the eel's mouth, then she grabbed her sister and pulled her free before the eel could snap its jaws closed once again! "Maud, are you okay?! That eel almost ate you!"
"Oh." Was all Maud could say as she shrugged off the slime, shaking herself to get it off her coat.
Pinkie then grabbed Maud by the hoof and took off, running through the length of the gorge as quarry eels emerged from hiding left and right!
Maud tried to protest. "You didn't need to come out here, Pinkie. I'm having a wonderful time on my own. I even made a new friend all by myself."
"You mean that eel?" Pinkie protested. "Maud, it was trying to have you for a snack!"
Maud Pie shook her head from side to side. "No, Pinkie, the eel's not my friend. The rock was. I was gonna name him Jasper."
Before either of the earth ponies could say anything further, another quarry eel suddenly emerged, forcing both Pie sisters to jump out of its way! Pinkie lucked out and landed on a ledge, a ledge that she saw Maud was trying to cling to with her front hooves. "Oh no! Maud!" She cried and rushed to her sister, trying desperately to pull her up and to safety!
The stotic, tunic wearing earth pony just looked her sister in the eyes as she insisted. "Just let me go, Pinkie. I don't belong in Ponyville. I'm better off on my own, like I always have been. The rocks are the only friends I need."
Pinkie protested as she held tight to her sister's hooves! "Don't say that! It's my fault, Maud! I-" She had to pause and shriek as yet another quarry eel flew by overhead. Fortunately, the moment passed and Pinkie was free to continue speaking. "-I thought I was helping you like you wanted me to when I encouraged Starlight to befriend you. But all I was really doing was making it seem like I didn't trust you, and that wasn't true at all. I tried to help you make a friend my way, but my way isn't your way!"
Maud then looked down at the ground, and with a serious look in her eyes she told her sister. "This way."
"Exactly!" Pinkie Pie agreed.
But Maud protested and said again. "No, this way." Then she revealed that she actually hadn't been that far off the ground after all, she was in no danger if she let go of her sister's hooves.
The pink party pony blushed as she only now noticed what should've been obvious. She released her hold on her sister, and then made her down the small ledge to a lower part of the gorge. She then immediately gave her sister a big hug! "Oh, Maud! I'm so sorry I caused all of this! I didn't want you to think that you could never make friends without help."
"I'm sorry I made you worry, Pinkie," Maud sincerely apologized with a smile on her face. "I really did enjoy my time in Ponyville. Starlight is the best friend I could've ever made. And I never would've met her if it wasn't for your help. I just didn't know how to tell you that I wanted to get know to her on my own, without you always looking over my shoulder."
A realization came to Pinkie as her eyes went wide! "You knew I was watching you the whole time?!"
Maud nodded and confirmed with something of a smirk. "You forgot about my 'Maud Sense', didn't you?"
Pinkie blushed anew. "Oh yeah, I totally did. Should've known I couldn't hide anything from you, Maud. You know me even better than I know myself."
Maud simply smiled again as she sweetly told her sister. "I know you did it out of love. You're my best sister friend forever. I'm more than ready to give Ponyville another chance. I even know where I might live in the town."
"Good!" Pinkie Pie happily proclaimed! "Because I know a certain somepony who'll be really glad to see you again!"
Back in Ponyville, Starlight had taken to flying her kite once again, this time all on her own. It meant she would be alone with her thoughts and feelings. Not exactly the way she liked it, but it would have to do.
Suddenly, just beneath Starlight's kite, there appeared a brown and grayish-blue kite roughly rectangular in shape. Turning around, the unicorn saw that this new kite was being flown by a very familiar looking earth pony, who was holding onto the kite's string with her hooves.
"Oh, you're back!" Starlight exclaimed in shock and surprise! "Guess you and Pinkie patched things up and came to an understanding."
Maud nodded, but only replied with. "Mm-hmm."
The unicorn mare then asked. "So, does this mean you're back in Ponyville for good? That we're friends now?"
Maud Pie nodded again in confirmation. "Yes. It doesn't mean we have to start talking about feelings though, right?"
"No way. I'm not much of a 'feelings' pony." Starlight insisted as she brushed off the subject.
Then Maud proposed. "Hey, maybe after this we could decorate my new home together. I really want you to see it."
"Sure," Starlight eagerly agreed. "Uh, where's at it, exactly?"
"Well, it's not really in Ponyville," The tunic wearing earth pony explained. "More like Ponyville-adjacent. I think you'll recognize it when you see it, though." She was already picturing in her mind where she would settle. It was in that little alcove near the gem caves that she and Starlight had found earlier, a little slice of paradise.
It was winter time in Equestria once again. In fact, it was right before the holiday of Hearth's Warming: Hearth's Warming Eve to be precise. Everywhere in Equestria was aglow in the holiday spirit, and Ponyville was no exception. The entire town was decorated for the holiday, and the local pegasi had cooperated in bringing in tons of fluffy white snow to fill up the ground.
Even the School of Friendhip that Twilight and her friends had built together was not immune from the spirit of the holiday (even if some of its students had never heard of the holiday before, let alone why it was so important). Even though it was well into the afternoon and classes were almost done for the day, the students could barely focus. The anticipation of the holiday and its corresponding break from classes was at the forefront of every creature's mind.
Sandbar, the pony student who had been the first to befriend the group of five students belonging to other species, was beaming bright and grinning from ear to ear as he helped decorate the main hallway of the school. All the while he could be heard singing loudly and proudly for all to hear. "Pony voices fill the night! Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!" He didn't seem bothered by the weird looks his friends were giving, he just encouraged. "Hey, come on, everycreature! Come sing with me! It's the best way to spread holiday cheer!"
But none of Sandbar's friends would join in. Either because they didn't care for the holiday, or because they didn't know the words to the song their pony friend was singing.
The earth pony colt giggled. "Oh come on, there's no need to be nervous. Just follow my lead," And he started singing again, albeit without saying a single lyric. "La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!"
Ocellus was the only one who managed to sing out. "Oh, uh, la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la."
Sandbar giggled. "Eh, close enough. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it eventually, Ocellus. You're so smart and everything."
"I sure hope I can memorize all the pony songs," Ocellus blushed. "It's so hard, having to learn everything about the holiday. There's so much about it I never knew."
Yona, meanwhile, protested to Sandbar. "Not everycreature celebrate same way, you know. Yona never celebrate Hearth's Warming."
Smolder chimed in. "Same here. Dragons don't do pony holidays."
But just then, Spike strolled in along with Twilight and Rainbow Dash. And having overheard what Smolder had said, he protested. "Well, this dragon does! I love Hearth's Warming Eve! It's all about friends and presents and family and... presents! Did I mention the presents?"
Twilight then took the liberty of explaining to Smolder. "It's about more than that. It's also about putting aside differences to come together, like the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns did on the first holiday long, long ago."
"Is that why you put that glowing, heart shaped hearth of flames up on top of the tree, Headmare Twilight?" Ocellus questioned, pointing a hoof to the aforementioned burning heart that rested atop a finely decorated pine tree. "To help us remember their unity?"
"That, and it looks awesome!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "I'll bet none of you have ever seen anything so fascinating before!"
Silverstream eagerly spoke up! "We never had anything like it back on Mount Aris or Seaquestria," In a somewhat more withdrawn tone she added. "We didn't have a lot of things in either place, really. It's funny what you can miss out on when you spend years living underwater. But hey, it kept us safe, so... can't complain... much."
Yona then excitedly proclaimed! "Yona like any day that is start of winter break. Yona enjoy any break from classes."
Gallus began to tease while ribbing Ocellus in the side. "I know. Two whole weeks without any classes. How will a bookworm like Ocellus survive?"
Ocellus gave off a nervous laugh. "I'll... find some way to pass the time back home," Looking to her friends she added. "And we'll all keep in touch over the break, won't we?" She felt relieved when all of her friends gave confirming nods.
Twilight simply smiled. "It warms my heart to see you've all bonded so much in so short an amount of time. I'm sure your leaders will all be very pleased to hear that when you report back to them. And I'm sure you all have your own holiday traditions to look forward to, wherever you go," Then she turned to face the crowd and declared. "Attention, students! As your headmare, I officially declare that school is out for winter break! Happy holidays, and we'll see you all after the break! You are dismissed." And she, Rainbow Dash and Spike watched as all the students left the main hallway, bound for the dormietries to gather their belongings and head home.
Five very familiar creatures remained in the hallway after all the other students had left: The students from outside of Equestria.
"Hey, you guys can go pack up too, you know," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Don't worry, we'll take you down to the train station so you don't get lost. After all, if you miss the train, it'll be a very long walk home."
"You heard them, let's go pack up!" Ocellus insisted, and she and the rest of the international students departed without further fanfare.
Now, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Spike were all alone in the main hallway with just the Hearth's Warming display for company.
A series of carefully wrapped presents lay underneath the tree. And Spike couldn't resist walking up to one of them, picking it up and giving it a little shake. "I wonder what's in here?" He asked in a playful tone of voice while looking to Twilight. "It's that new bowtie I wanted, isn't it?"
Twilight giggled. "Spike, the rules haven't changed just because you've gotten bigger," And she pointed out. "Traditions are traditions. You have to wait. We'll open up our one Hearth's Warming Eve present together later, at the castle."
The dragon with the same body size as Smolder just giggled back. "I know, I know. But while I'm waiting, I'm shaking. Whatever it is, I hope I'll like it!"
Unbeknownst to either dragon or ponies, a mysterious figure was lurking high up in the rafters. Unseen, the figure stood above the tree and the firey hearth. Then it unscrewed the lid of a jar of some kind, and poured it contents down onto the tree.
Without warning, the glowing hearth began to melt into a huge, purple colored goo! It trickled down the tree and hit the groud not unlike a tsunami! It promptly began to cover the entire hallway in goo, and Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Spike found themselves caught in the wave with no way to escape!
The figure watched, then quickly departed as mysteriously as they had arrived. Its plan was now in motion. If all went according to plan, the holidays would turn out much differently from how anycreature had expected.
"What... is this stuff?!" Spike groaned as he tried to shake off the purple colored goo, only to find that it was stuck to his scales and wouldn't come off no matter what he did. "It's all sticky!"
"Just hold still!" Twilight instructed as she hastily grabbed the dragon with her magic, pulled him close, and carefully wiped him down (Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was grateful that she had thought to fly up at the last second to avoid the worst of it).
Once the shock wore off, the trio beheld a most unfortunate sight. The entire hallway interior was covered in the purple goo. The walls and the floor were stained, and even the tree and wrapping paper of the presents was coated in it.
The young headmare frowned. "Great, everything's ruined! I'm just glad none of the students were here, or this could've ended very badly."
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, commented. "I don't think it was an accident, Twilight. I think someone or something was up there!" She pointed a hoof to the rafters, but there was nothing there.
Twilight, meanwhile, happened to notice a hastily discarded can. But she could find no hoof, claw or talon marks of any sort. No sign that any creature she knew could've used it. And her attention would soon be called to other things as Spike pointed a claw out a nearby window! "There's something out there!"
Twilight and Rainbow Dash rushed to the window, and spotted a figure sporting some sort of long cloak running away! From their distance, it was impossible to see any revealing features about who the cloak's wearer was.
"Hurry, after them!" Twilight instructed to Spike and Rainbow Dash! "Don't let them escape!" Together, they all raced outside to give chase, but the cloaked figure already had a good head start on them.
It wasn't long before the chase led to a very familiar building just across from the school itself. It was a relatively modest, medium sized building.
Spike was the first to identify the building. "That's the students' quarters!" He gasped.
"Of course!" Twilight concluded. "The culprit must be one of the students. Or trying to hide amongst them. But we won't let them get away with it! We'll find them out and punish them accordingly. Hurry, before they get away!" And she, along with Spike and Rainbow Dash, took off as fast as they could for the students' quarters. Once inside, they quickly slammed the door shut behind them.
Rainbow Dash then called out! "Whoever you are, you might as well give up! We've got you cornered!"
And Twilight pleaded. "If you give up now and turn yourself in, we might go easy on you. No one got hurt." But there was no reply, not even a whisper or a whimper.
Rainbow groaned! "Fine, have it your way! You're gonna be in so much trouble when I catch you!" And she zoomed away with a flap of her wings!
Meanwhile, six students who had yet to leave the school grounds emerged from their respective dorm rooms. And each seemed to have a look of genuine surprise upon seeing their headmare.
"What's going on? What's all the noise?" Silverstream questioned. "Is it another decorating party? I thought classes were done until after the break?"
Twilight opted not to tell the students about what was going on, just in case any of them might potentially be trying to help the culprit for the earlier mishap get out of trouble. She instead asked them. "Has anycreature come in here?"
Smolder snorted, blowing a bit of smoke from her nostrils as she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, yeah. All of us did. You know: To pack? Like you told us to?"
Spike pressed his fellow dragon. "Well after that, did you see hear or anything suspicious?"
Smolder shook her head from side to side. "Uh-uh. Why do you ask? You think I did something? Because if so, think again! I haven't done anything..." Under her breath she added. "Yet."
Gallus then poked his head out from his dorm room as he asked. "What's up, headmare? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
Yona, meanwhile, excitedly proclaimed as she exited her dorm room. "Yona all done packing! Ready to go home!"
"Uh, is something wrong?" Ocellus nervously pondered. "What are you all doing here? I thought we were supposed to pack."
Rainbow Dash came flying back at that very moment, and groaned as she tossed a long, grayish-black cloak down on the ground. "The back door's locked, and so are all the windows. I checked. This is all I could find of that no-good prankster. Whoever they are, they were in a real hurry."
"You don't think they teleported away, do you?" Spike proposed.
Twilight shook her head in disapproval. "That's not possible. If teleportation had been performed, there'd be a magical residue lingering here. And I can't detect at all. That means whoever the prankster was, they came in here to hide," Looking to the six students she then added. "And since it seems that only six of our students were in here at the time, that means only one of them could've done that deed."
Ocellus gulped. "Did what, headmare?"
The young alicorn simply replied in a somber, serious tone. "Better to show you than to explain. All of you better come with me. If any of you tries to run away, we'll take that as a confession." And she instructed the six students to follow her, Spike and Rainbow Dash back to the school.
The six students soon saw with their own eyes the huge mess that had been left by the "prank" performed on the display that had just a short time ago proudly displayed a burning hearth in the shape of a heart.
Sandbar's eyes went wide. "Whoa... That is so not cool. That's worse than the time I accidentally spilled grape juice on my family's couch. I'd never seen Mom and Dad get so upset."
Gallus, meanwhile, ribbed Sandbar in the side with a claw. "What? You've never seen goo powder before? I've seen it all the time in Griffonstone."
"Oh, so that's what it is!" Ocellus realized! "I thought this was all jelly."
Spike pointed out. "Well, whoever did this, we saw the perpetrator run into your rooms. The doors and windows were all locked, so no one could've gotten in or out besides you six."
Rainbow Dash pounded her hooves in protest. "One of you must've done it!" But then she asked in a more gentle tone of voice. "But why would any of you want to sabotage Hearth's Warming Eve? It doesn't seem like your style, not even for those of you who have done pranks in the past."
"I'm telling you, it's not me!" Smolder snorted anew! "You're growling at the wrong cave!"
And Gallus insisted. "You really think I'd do something like this? Come on, my pranks are never this obvious."
Yona stomped her hooves down, offended by the mere suggestion she might have anything to do with the prank! "Yak not do this, and Yona not see anyone who might do it! Yona innocent, and yak not know of any student who want to play prank!"
Silverstream sheepishly replied. "I never even knew goo powder exisited, or that it could make this much of a mess. The worst prank I ever did was spill some squid ink on Aunt Novo's desk, and that was an accident."
"I'm sorry," Ocellus sincerely apologized. "I should've been paying more attention. Maybe then I would've seen something," Then she added. "...But I know I didn't do this! I'm a model student!"
The young alicorn sighed in response. She had expected such a reply from these six students. "Look, we don't actually know who among you did it. Whoever it was might not have even meant to do this on purpose, this could've just been a prank that got out of hoof," And she gently and sympathetically reassured them. "Whoever it is, we're not mad. No one got hurt. Which is why we'd like to give whoever did do it an honest chance to turn yourself in," She proceeded to instruct. "All of you shut your eyes," Once the students had done so, she declared. "Now, if you did this, raise your hoof. Or claw. Or whatever you've got."
A moment of silence passed, yet no creature would confess. None shot up anything.
Twilight sighed anew. "I expected as much, unfortunately," In a more serious tone of voice she added. "I didn't want to have to do this, but it seems I have no choice. Since nocreature took responsibility for this mess, you're all gonna have to help clean it up before you can go home."
Naturally, none of the students were thrilled with the idea. They all grumbled, groaned and generally complained about it.
Twilight could only shake her head in disapproval. "I gave you all an honest chance to confess, but it seems you'd rather keep quiet. Perhaps this will teach you that being dishonest has its consequences," Then she added while floating over buckets and mops. "While you're cleaning up, you'll each be brought into my office one at a time. Since honesty is one of the Elements of Harmony, Professor Rainbow Dash and I want to give each of you a chance to confess. You'll be under no pressure, no one but us and Spike will know you confessed."
Rainbow Dash then ominously declared. "And mark my words: Once we find out who did it, just you wait! You'll be sorry! Cause' we're gonna..." But she trailed off in uncertainty and turned to Twilight. "Uh, what are we gonna do, exactly? I mean, we're gonna punish them somehow, right?"
The headmare nodded in agreement. "Yes. The guilty party won't be going home over Hearth's Warming break. She or he will stay here for some one-on-one friendship lessons. It's clear that they need it."
Then Silverstream gulped as she asked the question lingering on every student's mind. "But what if none of us confesses? What happens then?"
Twilight simply sighed and lamented. "Then I'm afraid there won't be any holidays for any creature. If none of you confesses, I'll be forced to assume you're all responsible somehow. And that means you'll all be staying over the break," In a more optimistic tone she added. "But, I really don't think it will come to that. I'm confident that whichever creature among you who did do this will confess eventually. After all, it would be wrong to make your friends take the fall for something you know they didn't do," And she proposed. "So, does anycreature want to confess now and save everyone the trouble?"
Again, none of the students were willing to come forward and say anything. They all remained silent.
"Oh well," Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "Don't say I didn't warn you," And clapping her hooves, she instructed. "Now, all of you get to work. That mess isn't gonna clean itself, you know."
The six students reluctantly did as instructed, all of them grumbling as they began trying to clean up the goo powder to the best of their abilities.
For a moment or two, Twilight watched the clean up effort as it got under way. If she was looking for any signs of anything unusual among the six students, she didn't seem to see any judging by the expression upon her face. And neither Spike or Rainbow Dash said anything.
At last, however, the headmare opted to break up the silence as she declared. "Alright, time to get to the bottom of this," Turning to the students, she asked them. "Which of you would like to be interviewed first? Any volunteers?"
Gallus immediately threw down his mop as he remarked in an indifferent tone of voice. "Eh, what the heck, I'll go. Beats mop duty any day." And he followed his headmare as she led him out of the room and down the hallway to her office, the doors to said office soon slamming shut behind them.
Smolder snarled. "That's Gallus for ya, always looking to get out of having to do anything," Then she grumbled while fiddling with her mop. "Can't believe I have to help clean this up. Whoever really did this, you better confess now! If I miss the holidays back home because of you, I'll never forgive you!"
Silverstream sweetly replied. "Hey, come on, there's no need to be mad. I'm sure this will all be sorted out. The prankster will surely confess eventually," Then she got an idea! "Ooh, I know!" She excitedly chirped! "We can make a game out of this! Whoever finishes cleaning up first wins!"
Yona was the first to voice her support of the idea! She excitedly grabbed her mop and some sponges, and began scrubbing the walls and floor furiosuly while proclaiming! "Woo-hoo! Yak win! Yak best at cleaning!"
But Smolder was still unhappy, and the orange scaled dragon immediately made that known. "This isn't time for games. I know I didn't do this. So whoever did better confess, now!" Her eyes began scanning the room, looking at all her friends. "Come on, I know it has to have been one of you," Locking eyes onto Ocellus, she said to the changeling. "I'll bet it was you, Ocellus. You'd do anything for more lessons."
The olive green coated changeling protested with a shake of her head. "It's not me, Smolder! I would never do something this horrible! I love Hearth's Warming Eve!" Then she blushed and sheepishly admitted. "Even if we only just started celebrating it back at the hive a year ago. It was Thorax's idea, something he apparently picked up from a trip to Ponyville."
"Oh, so now you celebrate Hearth's Warming too?" Sandbar asked Ocellus. "What was it like? Did you do everything the way we ponies do it?"
The young changeling admitted. "We tried. I think maybe there was a misunderstanding about the instructions, they didn't make a whole lot of sense." And she recalled several memories from that first Hearth's Warming celebration at the new changeling hive, from before she had been picked to attend the School of Friendship with Thorax's blessing.
Thorax had seen fit to distribute to his subjects a scroll that provided detailed instructions on how ponies liked to celebrate Hearth's Warming. Ocellus took the liberty of reading the scroll aloud to her family as they huddled together in one corner of the hive. "Welcome to the traditions and fun of Hearth's Warming! Here's a guide to help you enjoy this celebration of pony history and all it means," Clearing her throat, she read further. "Families start the holidays by putting the tree up!" Then she paused. "Uh, what tree? We have plenty of trees. And where do we put it up?"
None of the changelings knew the answer, not even Thorax. So they all just picked a tree at random from outside the hive, hauled it into the center of the hive, and hoisted it into the air. In the process, the tree ended up being hung upside down.
"Uh, I don't think this is right," Thorax confessed when he looked at the upside down tree. "Maybe we should just move on to the next thing on the list." And so the changelings did.
Looking over her scroll again, Ocellus read further still. "Thirsty? Dive into some holiday punch!" She blinked. "Huh, I didn't know punch was something you swim in. Ponies are weird."
Thorax then insisted. "Well, that's what the scroll says to do. So it must be right. I'll go get the punch." And he left to retrieve a huge bowl, big enough to function as a pool. And with the help of other changelings, he poured a huge batch of punch into the bowl until it was filled to the brim. Several changelings then lined up to jump in and swim around in the bubbly liquid.
After a nice swim in the punch, the next objective was confirmed aloud by Ocellus as the young changeling explained. "Just before bed, everypony exchanges gift," Then she corrected. "I guess it's everychangeling in this case." And so the gift exchanging commenced, the changelings passed hastily wrapped presents around. Several times in fact.
One of Ocellus' siblings inquired. "Uh, how long are we supposed to do this?"
Ocellus hastily looked at the scroll given to her. "...I don't know," She admitted. "There's nothing that says when it has to stop." Nevertheless, the gift exchanging ended a short time later.
The final objective proved to be troublesome for the changelings, and not in the way the other instructions had been. "It says here," Ocellus read aloud. "That to finish celebrating, we can build a fire, light it up, and sing carols."
But Pharynx stomped a hoof down. "Absolutely not! We are not building a fire in the hive! Far too dangerous!"
"But we need to have a fire," Thorax protested. "It says do it in the scroll."
"Well we're not having an actual fire," Pharynx snorted. "Find something else!"
So the changelings took to literally "building" a fire out of wood, and to "light it up" they surrounded it with lanterns. Then there was another problem. They all waited for the carols to begin, but not even Ocellus would take the lead.
A lime green coated changeling eventually asked. "Uh, what carols are we supposed to sing?"
"There's no list of carols anywhere," Ocellus realized upon inspecting the scroll. "I guess... we just have to make them up." And so the changelings did, singing whatever came to their mind.
"Hopefully, this year things will go a lot smoother," Ocellus commented as her recollections finished. "At least now I know what ponies usually do to celebrate the holiday. Hearth's Warming is such a nice holiday."
Sandbar chuckled. "If you didn't know any carols, you should've just said so earlier. I could teach you all the pony carols. I know them all by heart," When the other creatures shot him a strange look he insisted. "What? I do. They're really catchy! And there's no better way to spread holiday cheer than by singing a few. Maybe we should start singing some to help pass the time."
"Not interested." Was all Smolder could say in reply, and none of the other remaining creatures (besides Sandbar) did anything to refute her sentiment.
Just then, the doors to the main hallway swung open as Gallus came back to join his friends. His overall posture and facial expressions were indifferent, no sign that anything had happened during his trip to the headmare's office could be seen.
Twilight, meanwhile, called out. "Ocellus? It's your turn. Don't try to run or hide. Cooperate, and this will all be over soon."
Reluctantly and nervously, Ocellus obeyed. She put down her mop and bucket, and went to follow the headmare back to the headmare's office.
Immediately, everyone in the room crowded around Gallus. And Silverstream plucked up the courage to ask the question on everycreature's mind. "So, what happened? Did you talk?"
Gallus nodded while folding his claws across his chest. "Of course I talked, that's what I was there for. But I told her I didn't do it. You really think I'd confess to something I didn't do?" He grumbled. "I'm telling you, they've got nothing on us. They can't prove any of us did this! We should just get out of here while Headmare Twilight's distracted."
"No way, dude!" Sandbar immediately protested! "If we run away, Headmare Twilight will just track us down and punish us even more. Besides, we can't abandon Ocellus. She said she didn't do it, and I believe her."
"You really believe her just like that?" Smolder questioned. "You sure you're not just trying to protect her, Sandbar?"
Yona had heard more than enough! She lost all patience and stomped all four of her hooves down, causing the ground to shake a little! "Yona tired of everycreature arguing, friends not argue! Friends help friends clean up. Yona want to go home to Yakyakistan. Yaks always home for holidays! This year not be any different."
Sandbar turned to look at Yona and asked the young yak. "Oh, yaks celebrate Hearth's Warming too? Seems like everycreature celebrates it these days."
But Yona corrected with a shake of her head. "Yaks do not celebrate Hearth's Warming. Hearth's Warming silly pony holiday that yaks not know about until few years ago. Yaks have much better holiday," She proudly proclaimed. "Is called Snilldar Fest," And she explained. "Night before, yaks gather things to smash and put them in big pile. Then in morning, we smash them! In afternoon, we smash them again! And in evening—"
Gallus rolled his eyes. "So, what, it's just a holiday about smashing things? Sounds like a typical day in Yakyakistan, don't see why you need a holiday for that."
The young yak promptly protested. "What make griffon think holiday just about smashing? This holiday about so much more. Last year, for example. Most perfect Snilldar ever," And she began to recall the memory of her last Snilldar Fest before she had gone away to Ponyville, back when her hair had been longer and shaggier than it was when she'd arrived at the School of Friendship. "Whole family: Grandpa, grandma yak, Yona's brother, sister, mother, father yak, all go to woods together while singing yak song."
The song simply went as follows (it was very short):
Yak song!
Yak song!
Not very long!
Sing again!
Eventually, Yona's family reached a clearing in the woods to carry out their celebration. Yona was happily recalling the memories, telling her friends in vivid detail. "Calves in family pick out perfect smashing log. Then yaks smash it to splinters! Then yak family build perfect snow fort... and smash it too! Then we hang perfect things on perfect moss pile and—"
All of Yona's friends interrupted in unison. "-You smash it. We know."
But the young yak shook her head in disapproval, and shot her friends a confused look. "What you think yaks are? Barbarians? Moss pile is for special family rituals, not for smashing. Last year, ritual is for Yona," She fiddled with the curls in her hair that Rarity had styled at the beginning of the school year, all the while recalling. "All yak family gather around Yona and braid Yona hair for first time. But Yona like new braided look even better, so now Yona wear look Professor Rarity give yak."
Gallus narrowed his eyes as he grumpily questioned. "So let me get this straight: Your holiday is about smashing things and family."
Yona happily nodded. "Yes! Two most perfect things ever put together. Happy Snilldar Fest!" And she proceeded to smash one of the wooden buckets with the greatest of ease.
Silverstream was excited by the display! "Happy Snilldar to you too, Yona! It's so cool to learn new traditions from new friends!" She proceeded to try to smash her bucket, only to find that she lacked the strength to do so.
Smolder only rolled her eyes, not amused in the slightest by this bonding. "Yeah, that's nice and all, but don't forget that one of these 'friends' of ours has gotten us all into trouble. And they'd better confess soon, whoever it is."
Just then, Ocellus came strolling back into the room with a nervous look on her face. She cleared her throat. "Uh, Sandbar?" When the earth pony colt turned to look at her she added. "Sorry, but they said they want you to go in next. I didn't confess in case you're wondering. Like I said, I would never do something like this."
Sandbar simply put down his mop and bucket, and trotted off to go see the headmare. If he was worried, he didn't show it outwardly. Soon, however, he had departed from his friends. Now the other five students were alone, realizing that half of them had already been called in to try to confess to a possible crime. It was likely that soon the other half would be called in as well, unless Sandbar chose to confess (or rat out whoever among his friends had been the prankster).
Silverstream, hoping to break up the uncomfortable silence filling the room, looked over to Smolder and asked the dragon. "Why the rush to get home, Smolder? Like you said, dragons don't really have holidays, do they?"
Smolder shrugged her claws. "Meh, not really. We've got plenty of ways to pass the time in the dragon lands, no need to add silly holidays to the mix."
Ocellus, however, prodded Smolder. "Come on, you must do something special around this time of year. Even dragons have to have holidays, right?"
The dragon with bright orange scales reluctantly confessed. "Well, we do have the Feast of Fire. I guess that counts," And she explained what it was. "Basically, everydragon gets together and tells stories. The best one wins a pile of gemstones."
Her curiosity piqued by Smolder's statement, Yona eagerly inquired. "Ooh, what story won last year? Smolder know?"
Smolder nodded. "Yeah, it was called 'A Dream Come True'. But I don't think you'd like it as it is, we dragons don't really do 'Happily Ever After'. Our stories are all about doing what you have to do to get by, 'cause that's how life is in the dragon lands. It's push or be pushed."
Silverstream then pleaded! "Aw come on, you have to tell it to us now, Smolder! Even just a little bit!" And she shot off the best pair of pleading puppy dogs! "Please?!"
Try as she might, Smolder simply could not resist the sad long in the hippogriff's face. With a sigh and a groan, she agreed. "Fine, but only this once. So listen up," She cleared her throat and began picturing the story in her mind. "Once upon a time, there was this sad little dragon. Her name was Scales. She lived alone in the wilderness with nothing to eat."
This is how the story unfolded in Smolder's mind:
Scales was a pink scaled dragon with very light green eyes that matched her light green horns. She was smaller than most dragons, hence why she lived alone. On this particular evening, it was raining hard and so she was forced to take shelter underneath some rocks.
Suddenly, there came a great roar! Scales managed to poke her head out from the rocks, and saw a truly massive dragon waiting outside. The dragon had dark blue scales, a bluish-green underbelly that spread across her wings, light yellow and light green horns in an alternating stripe pattern and golden yellow eyes. Atop her head rested a crown made of ruby red gemstones, and in one claw she held out a scepter carved from rocks that housed a fire red ruby inside of it.
The dragon lord looked at Scales and said unto her. "Fear not. I am taking you with me to the dragon lands for a magnificent feast. No subject of mine shall be left out in the cold."
So Scales was brought to the dragon lands proper, and taken into a massive, well lit cave that was full of gemstones! She had her fill of the delicious, savory rocks as she sat among the dragon lord's family, friends and other invited guests.
Suddenly, Scales noticed another dragon, this one a male dragon with dull brown scales and charcoal black eyes make a move for the scepter the dragon lord had resting beside her. Scales immediately lunged at the intruder, and the two tussled, ultimately knocking the scepter from its resting place and drawing the attention of all the other dragons.
Scales was afraid the dragon lord wouldn't understand, but the dragon lord simply chuckled. "Such a magnificent display of power and bravery, Scales. You are more than worthy to sit beside me as second in command, you will never go hungry again."
Scales was delighted with the prospect. But she was even more enthusiastic to see that the dragon who had tried unsuccessfully to prey upon the dragon lord was banished out into the cold for all eternity.
"The end." Smolder bluntly stated as she finished up her story.
"Well... that was kind of a sweet story, until the end anyway." Ocellus commented in something of a state of shock.
The young dragon only replied. "I told you, we dragons don't do 'Happily Ever After'. This isn't like those ponytales the ponies tell where everything always works out for everycreature in the end."
Just then, Sandbar returned as Rainbow Dash entered the room and called out. "Silverstream! You're up next! Let's go!"
Silverstream's earlier excited nature seemed to vanish as she hesitantly followed her professor down to the headmare's office, the door slamming shut behind her.
Smolder immediately flew over to Sandbar, eyeing him with narrowed brows as she tried to read his face for any hint of a change in expression. "So, did you tell them you did it, Sandbar?"
Sandbar immediately protested. "No! Why would I confess to something I didn't do? Heck, why would I let any of you get blamed if I did do something bad? Don't you know me better than that? I thought we were friends."
The dragon snorted. "Yeah, but face it, you've got the perfect motive: You already live here in Ponyville, so staying over the holidays would be no big deal for you."
Even Yona found herself agreeing. "School of Friendship good place for pony to have pony holiday," But then she asked in a more concerned tone of voice. "Sandbar not want to go home to family?"
The earth pony colt with a sandy yellow coat quickly shot down the idea. "Don't be ridiculous, Yona. I love my family, even more than I love the holiday. I'd never wanna do anything to ruin it. I was looking forward to spending the holiday at home with my family, just like every year. This is usually about the time we'd get out our dolls and hang them over the fireplace," Then, suddenly, he remembered something! "Hey, that reminds me! I have a really cool story to share with you all!"
"What is it?!" The other creatures asked, all turning to look at Sandbar in the process.
Sandbar was happy to tell his friends. "It's about the time my Hearth's Warming Doll almost fell into the fire. It was just last year, in fact," And the memory was still vivid and fresh in his mind as he recalled. "Just before we went to bed, my mom, my dad, and my sister Coral all put our Hearth's Warming Dolls up on the mantel, just like we do every year."
"So what happened?" Gallus questioned.
Sandbar snickered. "I told you, it almost fell into the fire. I thought I put my doll up so that it would stay, but I guess I didn't. After Coral put her doll up, mine started to fall. It's a good thing I happened to turn around and see it, otherwise I'm sure it would've gone into the fire and gotten burnt up!"
Smolder frowned and pouted. "What's the big deal? It's just a doll."
The earth pony colt protested. "You don't understand, that doll was no ordinary doll. It was an antique doll that my grandfather made when he was my age. Then he passed it down to my dad, who passed it down to me. And if I ever have foals someday, I'll pass it down to them. It's a family tradition. That's why I couldn't let that doll get burnt to ashes!"
"Ooh! What did you do to save it, then?!" Silverstream questioned.
In a somewhat sheepish tone of voice, Sandbar recalled. "I made a desperate leap for it, and caught it just before it would've landed in the fireplace. My hooves got a bit burnt up in the process, though. It really hurt! But since I didn't have pegasus wings or a unicorn horn, I did the only thing I could think to do in that case," He breathed a sigh of relief. "It was a Hearth's Warming miracle that I saved my doll."
"That's... um... interesting, I guess." Ocellus commented as she tried to feign interest in Sandbar's story.
It was then that Silverstream returned, and with her return Rainbow Dash looked to Smolder and Yona while telling them. "We're gonna do things a little bit differently this time. Smolder, you're coming with me. And Yona, Twilight's waiting for you in her office. This way we'll save time."
Both dragon and yak reluctantly obeyed, departing with Rainbow Dash to talk to their designated professors about what they knew about the prank.
Silverstream, meanwhile, immediately told her friends. "I said I didn't do it, and I repeated it over and over again. That seemed to make Headmare Twilight agree."
Ocellus then commented in realization. "So if neither Smolder or Yona confess..." She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the obvious.
Silverstream, however, was all too happy to pick up where her changeling friend had left off! She gasped as the realization struck her! "Then we're never going home!" Then she protested. "No, no, no! I can't stay here! I have to get home! I can't miss the Three Days of Freedom Celebration!"
In a mocking and sarcastic tone of voice, Gallus inquired. "How long does that last?"
The pink coated hippogriff was more than happy to explain, all the while ignoring Gallus' sarcasm. "It used to be only one day, but now, to commemorate our escape from the Storm King, we're adding two more days of awesome!" She then produced a book with a sea green colored exterior, and a sandy yellow square on the front. A logo depicting both a hippogriff and a seapony was proudly displayed in the center. "See? It's all here in this book."
The blue feathered griffon blinked in surprise. "There's an actual book on that?"
Silverstream nodded and chirped. "Mm-hmm! My Aunt Novo had these made for the Mount Aris board of tourism to explain it all to guests!" She flipped open the book, showing off pictures that included the depiction of a large, satyr like creature, and of seaponies dwelling underwater. "We'll spend the first night in Seaquestria, thanking the ocean for protecting us from the Storm King. Trust me, he was a really bad dude. He'd have done terrible things to us if we didn't establish Seaquestria to protect us."
"So I've heard." Gallus remarked.
Silverstream, undeterred, just kept explaining while pointing to the pictures. "While we're down in Seaquestria, we'll do lots of things: Sea-dancing, whale-singing, shell-stringing, lots of things like that," Then she flipped the page, showing the seaponies turning into hippogriffs and heading up to Mount Aris. "The second day we'll be up on Mount Aris, with sky-dancing and a wind song in the Harmonizing Heights to celebrate the Storm King's defeat," Turning the page again, she showed off pictures of hippogriffs and seaponies celebrating together across the enterity of Mount Aris. "Then, the third day's when it gets really exciting. On that day, hippogriffs and seaponies alike will all celebrate together. You know, grandparents, and parents, and sisters, uncles, brothers, acquaintances, neighbors and even cousins."
"Wow! And I thought my family was big!" Ocellus exclaimed! "This is all so fascinating, Silverstream."
The young hippogriff nodded once again. "Yup. I'm really looking forward to seeing my cousin Skystar again. The two of us, we go way back!" Then she flipped to the last page, concluding! "But the best part of all is that at the end of the third night, my Aunt Novo's gonna give out presents to every hippogriff and seapony, just like a Santa Hooves, whatever that is," Then she closed the book, fondly sighing. "Oh, I wish you and the rest of our friends could all come to see it. You'd have a blast for sure!"
But Gallus just blinked as he asked. "Wait, hold on. 'Cousins'? What are those?"
Ocellus was all too happy to point out. "Like you don't know? They're the children of your aunts and uncles, basically part of your family," Then she looked at the griffon and asked him. "You do have a family, right? I mean, you had to have a mom and dad that raised you. Doesn't everycreature have to have a mom and a dad, or at least one of the two?"
Sandbar just waved a hoof and snickered. "Aw come on, Ocellus. Of course he has a family! Gallus is just messing with us like he always does."
Gallus opened his mouth as he prepared to say something, but before he could do so he heard the door to the main hallway open. Smolder and Yona came strolling back in, and the expressions upon their faces conveyed more than words that they were unhappy.
Sandbar saw fit to ask the obvious question on everyone else's minds. "So, I'm guessing neither of you confessed, right?"
"Like I've been saying, I didn't do it! And I don't know anything about who did!" Smolder bitterly complained! "This is all just a big waste of time! They can't prove anything!"
Yona grumbled and humphed. "Yona tell Headmare Twilight she not know about prank. Headmare Twilight seem to believe Yona, but then tell Yona to go back with Smolder and wait here. Headmare not tell yak anything else."
"Ooh!" Silverstream excitedly chirped as an idea came to her mind! "Then maybe that means they're changing their minds, and they're gonna send us all home."
Smolder rolled her eyes. "Not likely. Face it, we're stuck here. And all because someone among us refuses to tell the truth! Whoever it is," She growled and snorted, blowing smoke from her nostrils. "I hope you're happy with yourself!"
Silverstream then gasped! "What if it wasn't one prankster? What if was a whole gang of them, and they're all staying silent because this is a conspiracy?"
Gallus became rather uneasy and backed up slowly as he saw all his friends start to glare at each other. "Um, guys?" He tried to speak up, only to be ignored.
Smolder, meanwhile, glared around the room. "Or maybe, whoever did do this is just acting guilty now to try to throw us off. If so, they'd better confess right now!"
"Guys." Gallus called again, only to again be ignored. Thus, he took a deep breath and prepared to holler at the top of his lungs, hoping to draw attention to himself.
Before anyone could say or do anything further, however, the door to the main hallway again swung open. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Spike all came up, all with the most serious expressions on their faces.
"That's quite enough, all of you!" Twilight firmly and sternly lectured the six students. "I will not tolerate fighting in my school, even if classes are not in session! Anycreature who starts a fight will answer to me," Then she cleared her throat while looking across to Rainbow Dash. "Professor Rainbow Dash and I have heard quite enough out of you six. And we've come to a decision."
Rainbow Dash then explained. "We know who did it. But Twilight here," She gestured a wing to the alicorn. "Wants to give the guilty party one last chance to confess."
Nodding, Twilight replied. "Indeed. If you step forward now and confess, you may not even have to miss the holidays by staying over the break. However," Her tone of voice became more ominous. "If you remain silent, then there's nothing either Spike, Professor Rainbow Dash or I can do to help you. The choice is yours: Will you step forward now and save us all the trouble?" There was a long silence, and none of the students said or did anything. The alicorn sighed. "Very well, then. Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow firmly nodded. "Understood, Twilight." She swooped down and joined Twilight as she approached the six students, eyeing them one by one. Strangely enough, Gallus was the one on whom they seemed to linger for a while. And Gallus seemed to flinch ever so slightly.
But both ponies eventually walked past Gallus and made their way down to the end of the line. Then Twilight locked eyes with Ocellus and said to the changeling. "Ocellus, I'm sorry, but you'll have to come with me," To the other students, she told them. "The rest of you are free to go."
Ocellus immediately shrieked as her eyes began to widen! "What?! But... but I didn't do it! I swear! You've got the wrong creature!"
"Yeah!" Gallus shouted out in protest, drawing all the attention in the room to him. "Ocellus can't be the culprit," He swallowed hard and put his claws together as he whimpered. "I did it. I'm the Hearth's Warming Prankster."
Gallus' friends all gasped! Apparently, not one of them had come even close to suspecting he was the one involved in this prank that had gotten out of control.
Yona was the first one to ask the question, once the shock had worn off. "Why Gallus do it? Why griffon mess up decorations?!"
The young griffon reluctantly confessed. "Because... I don't wanna go back to Griffonstone for the holidays. I'd rather stay here! And I thought if I sabotaged the Hearth's Warming display and brought the professors to our dorm, they'd make us stay while we cleaned up the mess."
Twilight and Rainbow Dash simply smiled as Rainbow then told Gallus. "Well, Gallus, we kind of suspected it was you from the beginning. You were the one who seemed the most indifferent about going home. And when you mentioned goo powder even before we'd told anycreature what caused the mess, that just made you seem more suspicious. But we wanted to give you an honest chance to confess with no pressure."
"Then, why didn't you confess earlier, dude?" Sandbar questioned Gallus. "Your plan worked, didn't it?"
The griffon nodded and admitted. "A little too well, it seems. I didn't know they'd threaten to keep us all over the break, but I thought that at least meant we'd all get to be together. But after you all started fighting, and after Ocellus got into trouble, I just couldn't stay silent anymore. None of this was supposed to happen. It was all just supposed to be a harmless prank."
But Twilight then admitted to Gallus. "Actually, Gallus, the bit with Ocellus was something of a test on my part: To see if you would make one of your friends take the fall for something you did. I'm glad to see you didn't, that you've been paying attention in Applejack's honesty classes."
Silverstream then nervously inquired. "What if Gallus didn't speak up? Were you actually gonna keep us all over the break?"
Rainbow willingly answered. "Much as I would've said you needed to be punished, Twilight was just bluffing when she said that."
And Spike reassured the students. "Without any proof that any of you committed the prank, Twilight wouldn't have been able to justify keeping any of you over the break. Not even Gallus."
Twilight explained. "If you'd know that from the start, however, none of you would've felt any pressure to confess," She apologized in a sincere tone of voice. "I'm sorry I wasn't completely honest with all of you," Then she added. "Although, this all could've been avoided if Gallus had simply confessed when I gave him several opportunities to do so. And for the record, Gallus, if you really wanted to stay over the break, you just needed to ask. You didn't need to pull off a prank. You're lucky that no one got hurt this time."
Ocellus (now relieved that she wasn't going to get into trouble for something that wasn't her fault) then turned to Gallus. The question now on the minds of all his friends was the one she asked. "Why don't you wanna go back to Griffonstone for the holidays? Don't griffons have a holiday too? Didn't you say something once about a moon?"
Glumly, Gallus answered. "The Blue Moon Festival. It's a Griffonstone tradition, but it's not a very good one," He explained to the others. "Families get together to eat and then complain about the food and give each other presents they don't like and mostly just try not to yell at each other. At least, that's how Grandpa Gruff puts it. And much as I hate to admit it, he seems to be right."
Silverstream looked into Gallus' sad eyes as she hesitantly asked. "Well, at least you get to be with your family, right?"
But the griffon bitterly answered. "No, I have no family of any sort. As far back as I can remember, I've always been an orphan. I don't know who my parents were or what might have happened to them."
Sandbar asked. "Well, what about Grandpa Gruff? He must be related to you somehow, right?"
Gallus shook his head and then hung it. "No, they just call him 'Grandpa' Gruff because he's so old. And before that, they apparently called him 'Papa'. But he's just some old gezer, he's not related to any griffon at all. Far as I'm concerned, Gilda and Gabby have always been more of a family to me than he ever was," He started recalling what few memories he hadn't suppressed of Griffonstone. "If it wasn't for Gilda, I'm not sure Grandpa Gruff would've even taken me in. I'd have just been left to fend for myself. I started to feel like I never had a place in Griffonstone, that no one wanted me."
Ocellus gasped anew! "That's horrible! Even before I was adopted, Thorax was always there for me and made sure I was cared for. I can't believe anycreature could be that cruel towards another."
"That's just what Grandpa Gruff is like, unfortunately," Gallus lamented. "No one even knows for sure how old he is. But he's the only one who ever remembers what Griffonstone used to be like. So everyone more or less leans on him to keep things running. Gilda and Gabby," He recalled a few somewhat pleasant memories of the two griffons who had made him feel welcome and wanted, if only for a little while. "Bless their hearts, they're trying their best. But they can't change minds or attitudes overnight. Griffonstone's changing, but it's not changing fast enough for me. So you can bet I was glad to be chosen to go to Ponyville, even if it was just so Grandpa Gruff had an excuse to dump me onto some other creatures."
Yona then strolled up to Gallus, and without asking for permission she pulled him into a big hug. "Gallus not alone anymore! Griffon have friends! Friends always be there for griffon! Friends even invite griffon to their holidays if griffon ask."
The blue feathered griffon sniffled a bit, and wiped a tear from his left eye. "Thanks, Yona. But you don't have to feel sorry for me. I don't wanna be a burden to any of you," And he told his friends as he tried to be brave. "I'll be fine on my own, I promise. I've kept you all here long enough. You deserve to go home to your families and be happy together with them, doing what you like to do the most. I wouldn't want to intrude."
However, it was then that Twilight Sparkle declared with a sincere smile. "Actually, Gallus, I would be honored if you would join my friends as a guest of honor at the holiday table."
Silverstream immediately proclaimed as she nuzzled next to Gallus. "If he's staying, then I'm staying."
"Me too!" Ocellus insisted. "I'm not leaving him when he needs me most."
"Yona stay also!" Yona vowed. "Yona want to be there for Gallus as friend, just like Gallus always be there for yak."
Sandbar joined in. "I wanna stay too. No way am I missing a chance to spend the holiday with my friends."
And Smolder reluctantly sighed. "Oh, what the heck? I guess pony holidays can't be that bad. Count me in as well."
"Very well then," Twilight nodded her head in agreement. "You're all welcome to stay," But as the six students all cheered she threw up a hoof and insisted. "After we finish cleaning up. Don't worry, I'll make sure to inform your leaders so they don't start to panic or get upset."
Undeterred by the fact that they still had some cleaning up to do, the six students all cheered together! This was going to be the best Hearth's Warming ever!
In fact, as the students went about cleaning up the rest of the goo powder, they could all be heard singing happily together as one big chorus:
Silverstream didn't know when she had first developed this interest in the Wonderbolts. True, she'd heard Professor Rainbow Dash talk about (and practically gush about) them several times in either loyalty or gym class. It was only natural when the professor was herself a part-time member of the elite flyers, and one of their most popular additions in recent memory.
But at first, Silverstream hadn't thought much of them. They sounded good, and she assumed they were every bit as amazing as her professor said they were. But it wasn't until she actually saw the Wonderbolts in action for the first time that she truly came to admire and appreciate them. Attending one of their Ponyville shows when Rainbow Dash was flying with them, it was a sight to behold!
The stands in the stadium were packed: Rainbow Dash's fan club had shown up in full force, as had her parents (who were all too happy to cheer their "Little Dashie" on). And many of Silverstream's fellow students, including the ones with whom she was close friends, were in attendance as well. As a matter of fact, many of the teachers and staff at the School of Friendship had shown up to this show.
Then, with a loud roar and a thundering "whoosh", the Wonderbolts soared and swooped down from above! They began to perform all sorts of flips, spins, dives and other aerial tricks that dazzled and amazed! Silverstream had never seen this kind of performance flying before, she was absolutely mesmerized!
Eventually, the show ended with Rainbow Dash pulling off a move for which she had become famous: A sonic rainboom! A thundering burst of color in a shockwave pattern split the sky as Rainbow zoomed past at lightning speed! The crowds clapped, cheered and stomped their hooves (or other extremities for those that had no hooves)!
"Okay, I'll admit it, I'm impressed," Gallus said after the show was over as he and his friends were leaving the stands. "Professor Egghead... I mean Rainbow Dash wasn't kidding when she said the Wonderbolts were an awesome team!"
"I told you so!" Sandbar proudly boasted with a smug grin. "Can you believe they also perform daring rescues all over Equestria? Heck, I heard they got to compete in the Equestria Games a few years back. Oh, I wish I could've seen that!"
Smolder simply replied. "Hey, it's because of them we got a day off from school. So, I can't complain."
Silverstream, for her part, simply couldn't keep from gushing on and on about... well... everything! "That was just so... so... I don't even know how to describe it! It was just the best thing ever!" She excitedly chirped! "I wish we had something like them back on Mount Aris, we'd probably see them all the time at the 'Glad To Be a Hippogriff Festival' Dad's always hosting."
Ocellus then protested. "But they don't have anything like the Wonderbolts outside Equestria. And I don't see that changing anytime soon."
The young hippogriff frowned upon hearing the news. "Aw, that's a bummer. The Wonderbolts are so incredible! I think anywhere would be lucky to have something like them! All the cool things they do, all the amazing tricks they pull, and they even rescue ponies when they're in danger. They're heroes!"
From that time onward, Silverstream found that she simply couldn't get the Wonderbolts out of her mind no matter how hard she tried. And in her dreams, she began to dream about being asked to join them, flying alongside them in those simply stunning navy blue flight jackets they always proudly wore.
Eventually, Silverstream came to the conclusion that there was only one thing to do. The only way she was going to be able to satisfy her desire, and that was to make her dream a reality. "Somehow, someway, I'm going to become a Wonderbolt!" She vowed one night as she lay awake in bed. "I'll do whatever it takes!"
And so the young hippogriff was determined to find a way to join the Wonderbolts' ranks, even though she didn't know how exactly she would do that. One way or another, she was going to join with those elite flyers considered to be Cloudsdale's finest.
Little did the pink coated hippogriff know where her dream and desire would take her. Little did she know just how difficult it was going to be for her as the first ever non-pony to even try out for the Wonderbolts. There was a lot more to joining them than she might have realized, and the obstacles would not be easy to overcome.
Once her mind had been made up, Silverstream wasted very little time in trying to put thought to action. The very morning after deciding she would make her dream come true, she strolled right into the headmare's office. She was convinced this was a problem only the school's headmare could help solve.
Immediately, Silverstream deployed her demand on Headmare Twilight "How do I go about joining the Wonderbolts? What do I have to do, Headmare Twilight? Come on, lay it on me. Whatever I have to do, I'll do it! I can make up any school work I'll have to miss as a result. Now tell me, what's the first step?!"
Twilight blinked slowly. Even though she'd gotten used to the hippogriff/seapony's constant mile a minute questioning, pondering and overall curiosity, this demand still took her by surprise. "The Wonderbolts? Why are you asking me about them?"
"Because Professor Rainbow Dash is a teacher here, and she flies with the Wonderbolts!" The hippogriff explained! "I've seen her do it multiple times! Surely, you must know how she was able to get into their ranks."
Twilight could only shake her head. "I'm afraid I can't really explain it in detail, Silverstream. It was a process that took years and years. I'd even say that Rainbow Dash was kind of lucky for all the opportunities she got. Not many ponies would have the kind of chances she was given."
At that Silverstream stumbled back. "Are you saying my dream is impossible? That I'll never be able to become a Wonderbolt?!"
Twilight protested. "I'm not saying that at all, Silverstream. I'm really not the best pony to ask about this: I don't know all the ins and outs of being a Wonderbolt. I don't know the details of how they run their team," And she added. "Plus, I'm not going to be headmare for much longer. I won't be around here to answer your questions at school. That's why I'm working on designating a successor."
The hippogriff only shook her head from side to side. "Come on, Headmare Twilight! You've gotta know something! Anything at all would be helpful!" She flew up to the desk and put her paws on it! "Please! You don't know how much this means to me! I'm desperate! I wanna be a hero just like the Wonderbolts! Fly all day long, be admired and do really cool things just like them!"
The young alicorn sighed. "Listen, Silverstream. I admire your courage and passion. You've been one of the most promising students here at this school since it opened," She put a hoof to her chin. "If you really wanna know more about the Wonderbolts and how to join them, you should talk to Rainbow Dash. Or, failing that, ask the Wonderbolts themselves."
"And where can I find them?" Silverstream asked with a mix of curiosity and excitement.
Twilight replied. "Well, right now, The Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash are up at their private academy near Cloudsdale. It's almost the end of spring training, after all. But..."
"Great!" The hippogriff excitedly chirped and dashed away! "Thank you, Headmare Twilight!"
"Silverstream, wait!" Twilight tried to call, only to be ignored. She sighed, looking down at her desk. "Oh, I hope she doesn't cause any trouble at the academy. I really don't need Spitfire breathing down my neck, I've got enough worrying me as it is."
After a little bit of asking around town, Silverstream was able to obtain rough directions that led her straight to the Wonderbolts' Academy. She could hardly wait to meet them, they sounded so incredible from the way everypony talked about them! And once she got to know them, it was only a matter of time until she would be officially joining their ranks.
Already, Silverstream was picturing herself in that navy blue flight suit, flying alongside Rainbow Dash and the other Wonderbolts as they performed for crowds of countless size. She could also picture herself springing into action, flying to the distant corners of Equestria (and perhaps beyond) on daring rescues.
At last, the academy runway came into view. And with a flap of her wings, the hippogriff with pretty pink feathers flew down for a landing. She came to a stop right on the runway, her eyes taking in the sights as the academy itself in all its glory now stood out to her in bold detail. "Oh my gosh! This is a dream come true already!" The hippogriff gushed, putting her paws up to her face! "Oh, if only Mom, Dad and Terramar could see me now! They'd be so proud of me, I just know it!"
Just then, a pegasus mare with a brilliant gold coat and a mane and tail two shades of a firey orange came trotting out. She was wearing a dark blue jacket with the Wonderbolts' logo stitched onto the left side. It was decorated with yellow and red buttons. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses with dark purple shades and bluish-green frames. Around her neck rested a whistle, tied with a red string. Lifting up her shades, her strong orange eyes took notice of the unexpected visitor in the middle of the runway. And she immediately frowned as she hollored! "Hey you! What are you doing here?!"
Silverstream jumped and spun around, locking eyes with the pegasus pony! Then she let out an excited squeal as she gasped! "Oh my gosh! I know you! You're Captain Spitfire, right?! Professor Rainbow Dash told me about you."
"What? Crash told you about me?" Spitfire questioned as she trotted over to the hippogriff. "Explain yourself this instant, young lady! I'll have you know, trespassing on academy grounds is a serious violation. We don't allow civilians here without prior permission. So unless you wanna see a huge fine, I suggest you leave right now!"
But Silverstream protested! "But I want to be here! I wanna join your team! I wanna be a Wonderbolt, just like you! Pretty please with a cherry on top?" And she adopted the best pleading pose she could muster up.
Spitfire groaned. "Look, can we talk about this somewhere else? You need to get off the runway right now, before you cause an accident!"
The hippogriff nodded and obeyed, following Spitfire off to one side of the academy and away from the runway that ran right down the middle of the facility (which was itself on a slab of floating land). "Sorry about that, Captain Spitfire," She sincerely apologized. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
The captain simply sighed. "What do you want? Are you here for an autograph? Because I don't give out autographs while at the academy. I only do it at shows."
Silverstream just reiterated. "I want to join the team. I wanna be a Wonderbolt! How do I do it?"
"Oh, that's what this is about?" Spitfire asked, sounding sincerely surprised by the statement. "Aren't you a little young to be trying out for something like this? You're still just a kid."
Silverstream puffed out her chest as she proudly proclaimed! "I'm not 'just a kid'! I'm one of the students who saved all of Equestria. And I'm also the niece of Queen Novo, ruler of the kingdoms of Mount Aris and Seaquestria."
At that the pegasus pony's strong orange eyes went wide. "Wait, you're realted to royalty?!" Upon receiving a confirming nod, she sighed. "Well, that just makes things more difficult. I don't need the Wonderbolts getting tangled up in an international incident."
The hippogriff just replied. "Oh, don't worry. My Aunt Novo already gave me permission to be here in Equestria. I'm not doing this because of her, I'm doing this because of me. Ever since I saw you flying with Professor Rainbow Dash, you're all I can think about."
Spitfire adjusted her shades. "And you want me to give you a spot on the team?"
"Or at least let me try out for one," Silverstream pleaded. "I'll do anything. I don't mind starting out as a newbie, being on the bottom of the totem pole. I won't even make a fuss if I get mess hall or bathroom duty."
The captain only groaned anew. "Kid, listen, we don't have any openings on the team right now. And even if we did, we couldn't just give you a spot because you asked for one. We're not a volunteer organization. We're a professional, organized team. We are highy skilled and tasked with very important responsibilities. I appreciate your enthusiasm, really. But you need to leave. Maybe in a few years if you still wanna be a Wonderbolt, we can see about letting you try out for a spot in the reserves, if you can pass the test."
Just then, who should come walking (or rather flying) up on the scene but Rainbow Dash herself? She was wearing her full body flight suit, and upon seeing Silverstream chatting with Spitfire she knew something was up. She swooped down and initiated an abrupt emergency landing, then trotted over to her captain. "Hey, what's going on?"
Spitfire let out a sigh, turning to Rainbow Dash. "You recognize this kid, Dash? She says she's one of your students, and she's here to try out for a spot on the team. She's quite insistent and persistent. She just won't take no for an answer."
Silverstream excitedly chirped! "Come on, Professor Rainbow Dash! You gotta let me join! I'm one of your best students, aren't I?"
Rainbow sighed herself, putting a hoof to her forehead. "Silverstream, I don't know what's gotten into your head, but you can't be here. You shouldn't be here. You're just gonna get me into trouble. Even I can't bend the rules for you, not unless I want Spitfire to demote me and put me on permanent mess hall duty."
The hippogriff tried to protest. "But Professor-"
Rainbow Dash simply shook her head in disapproval. "-It's over, Silverstream. My decision is final. Now you need to get back to school, your education should be more important than any dream you have."
Silverstream refused to obey the command. "Come on! You don't understand! I have to do this! After all you've ever told me about the Wonderbolts, after all the performances I've seen with you as part of them, how can I just sit on the sidelines?! If I have to go through the academy, that's what I'll do! I'm not afraid of any trials or tests I have to face. It can't be any worse than anything I've already faced since I came to Equestria."
The rainbow maned pegasus groaned. Silverstream was stubborn beyond all reason, it seemed. "Give me a minute or two," She insisted to the hippogriff. "I'll see if I can't work something out with Spitfire. No promises, though. If she says no, that's the end of it."
"Okay, but don't keep me waiting," Silverstream chirped. "I'm ready to do whatever I have to do! I'll be strong, bold and brave, like a good Wonderbolt should be."
"I admire your spirit, but it takes more than spirit to be a Wonderbolt. Trust me, I speak from experience," Rainbow replied, before flying back over to Spitfire. She sincerely apologized to her superior. "I'm sorry, captain, really. I know you're not exactly good with kids."
Spitfire snorted and in an unamused tone retorted. "Don't remind me."
The brash speedster then pleaded. "But can't we work something out? I know we can't justify giving her a spot on the team, but surely there's at least a place on the reserves for her, right? You have to admit, our ranks could be expanded a little."
The young captain just replied. "Rules are rules, Rainbow Dash. You know that as well as I do. If I just granted exceptions whenever I felt like it, there would be no rules. If you ever become captain of the team someday, I'm sure you'll understand."
Rainbow insisted on pressing the issue. "Come on, just this once? Isn't there some way for us to test her while giving her a chance to see what it's really like to be a Wonderbolt? Don't we owe it to her and to all of Equestria to set a good example? We both know there's other organizations out there that would try to take advantage of her enthusiasm for us if we turn her down."
Reluctantly, Spitfire relented after some silent contemplation. "... Fine, I guess we can put her through the paces recruits go through during trials week at the academy. That should give us a good idea of whether she truly could be one of us," She was quick to warn. "But she's your responsibility, Rainbow Dash! You make sure to keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble. I don't wanna have to deal with a lot of paperwork if something happens to her here. And trust me, if she is indeed of royal blood like she claims, there will be paperwork if she gets into any kind of trouble."
Rainbow Dash was quick to agree and promise. "Don't worry, captain, I'll make sure to keep her enthusiasm in check. You won't regret this, I swear!"
"Let's hope so for both our sakes," Spitfire commented, and then gave a whistle to get Silverstream's attention. "Hey, kid, over here!"
"The name's Silverstream, ma'am!" Silverstream shot off a quick and energetic salute. "So, what have you decided? Do I get to try out?"
The pegasus pony with a brilliant gold coat nodded her head very slowly. "In a way, yes. I've been... convinced to let you go through what most recruits get if we take interest in them: Trials week here at the academy."
"Ooh! I get to be here for a whole week?!" The hippogriff excitedly exclaimed as her eyes began to widen!
Spitfire gestured a hoof. "Curb your enthusaism, kid. We're not gonna be able to do everything we usually do at trials week. For one thing, you don't have a partner, a wingpony."
"No problem!" Silverstream insisted. "I'm sure I can find somepony to fill that role."
Spitfire frowned. "You don't get to choose, wingponies are decided during trials week after everypony's been tested individually. Since you're gonna be the only one trying out, all the team exercises will not be necessary. We're just going to test you as an individual," And she explained. "And just because we're letting you try out doesn't mean we're guaranteeing you a spot. At best, we might be willing to waive the requirements for the reserves, if your family agrees. But that's about as far as we can go with you for now. You're still a minor, after all."
Silverstream just happily replied. "Oh, that's okay. As long as I get to be part of the team in any way, I'll be good," Then she asked. "Now, what do I have to do first? What's my first test? Do I need to bring a pencil and paper?"
Rainbow seemed to be holding back a smirk. "Not exactly, rookie. These will be different kinds of tests, not like the ones you're used to taking at school. Think of this as like my gym classes, but on a much more personal level."
Silverstream was soon brought before a huge contraption that resembled a giant disk tied to a long, heavy, metal board of some kind. Attached to the giant disk was some sort of small strap that could be fastened and unfastened by a single pony.
To Silverstream's surprise, a pegasus stallion with a light blue coat and a very dark blue mane and tail was standing by the huge contraption. "You sure got guts, kid," The stallion told her. "You might just be the youngest recruit we've ever had for the Wonderbolts. Most recruits are usually fresh out of high school or college before we ever get to 'em."
Rainbow Dash explained to the slightly bewildered hippogriff. "Don't look so surprised, Silverstream. This is none other than Soarin, the Wonderbolts' second-in-command."
Soarin nodded. "Usually, Spitfire would be the one to oversee every part of the trials week trials. But since this is a special occasion, she's decided to do things a little differently and let some of the other team members pitch in," He then proudly gestured a hoof to the large contraption behind him. "This here is our patented spin-out simulator known as the Dizzitron. Trust me, it more than lives up to its name."
Rainbow reassured Silverstream. "Don't worry, we've put it on its lowest setting, like we always do for first timers. Only one recruit's ever been bold enough to push beyond that from the start. But don't try to push your limits, we're keeping it on the lowest setting and that's final."
The hippogriff somewhat nervously asked. "What... do I have to do?"
Soarin smiled and spoke in a gentle tone of voice. "It's simple: Just strap in and hold on tight. We're gonna spin you around until you're nice and dizzy, then we'll release and time how long it takes you to recover from your spin-out. The faster you can land on the runway, the better your score will be," With a chuckle, he added. "I'll be impressed if you can beat my record of ten seconds. Most recruits are lucky if they can manage fifteen seconds or less on their first go."
Silverstream approached the Dizzitron and climbed into the seat on the right side of it. "Okay, I think I'm ready." She said as she took a few deep breaths.
"Wait a minute!" Soarin nearly gasped! "I almost forgot something!" And he hastily instructed. "Wait right there, I'll be right back!" And with a flap of his wings he took off.
With Soarin gone, Silverstream hurridly whispered to Rainbow Dash. "Hey, Professor."
Rainbow trotted over. "What is it?" She asked the hippogriff.
Gesturing a paw to a small knob down to the right and almost hidden from view, Silverstream pleaded with her professor. "Can you turn it up a setting? Please?"
Rainbow Dash was, understandably, hesitant to do so. "I don't think that's a very good idea, Silverstream. You might crash. And I promised Spitfire I'd look out for you, I don't need you getting hurt and getting all the Wonderbolts in trouble."
But Silverstream insisted. "You had no trouble at all with it on its lowest setting, you set an academy record. I wanna know what I'm truly capable of, and the only way to do that is to be tested like a true Wonderbolt. So just up the setting by one, it'll just be our little secret. Plus, that way I know I won't be breaking your record."
Reluctantly, Rainbow bent down and turned the knob, raising the Dizzitron's setting by one level. "Okay, but it's only this once. You're not getting anymore favors from me." She whispered, and then returned to her post just before Soarin returned, holding out a well worn, dusty old flight jacket.
Soarin tossed said flight jacket to Silverstream. "Sorry, I couldn't find any of the usual academy vests we give out during trials week. This is one of our old flight jackets from a time before Spitfire was captain. Put it on and be quick about it. You'll want to have something protecting your body against all the g-forces you'll be exposed to. Plus, the goggles might come in handy."
Silverstream grabbed the flight jacket and clumsily (and sloppily) put it on to the best of her ability. "It's so..." She paused, trying to think of a good word. "...Musty."
The pegasus stallion apologized. "Sorry, best I could do on short notice," Then after strapping the hippogriff into her seat and making sure she was secure, he went over to the lever used to operate the Dizzitron. "Ready?" He asked her.
The pink coated hippogriff nodded and swallowed hard. "Ready."
"Okay, hold on tight!" Soarin instructed, and pulled on the lever, setting the Dizzitron into motion! It began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster!
Silverstream shut her eyes as her whole world began spinning!
Rainbow Dash watched as Silverstream quickly became a pink blur around the outside of the Dizzitron, trying her best to keep track of her student's movement and position.
Eventually, Soarin pulled back on the lever, and the Dizzitron ejected its passenger into the air! Then he clicked a stop watch that began to tick, counting off the seconds as they flew by.
Surprisingly, Silverstream swooped and slowed to a stop almost instantly after she'd opened her eyes. "H-how was t-that?" She panted as she tried to shake off her disorientation.
Soarin looked down at the stop watch and eyed it carefully. "Woah! Ten seconds exactly!" He exclaimed! "Great job, kid! For a first timer, that's a pretty impressive score. Only two recruits in the entire history of the Wonderbolts have ever topped that."
The hippogriff just flashed a smile as she finally shook off her dizzy spell. "Well, that was pretty fun! Can I do it again?! Can I?! Can I?!"
"No no," Soarin chuckled again. "Once is enough, kid. No need to overdo it. But you're definitely Dash's student, only she could train another creature to be almost as good as her from the get go."
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief. So far, everything seemed to be okay.
A pegasus mare with an arctic blue coat and a white mane and tail that looked like they had been blown back by a strong wind was on hoof to oversee Silverstream's next trial. "So, you think you're pretty fast, huh kid?" She said with a smirk. "You think you're hot stuff because you could tie Soarin's record on the Dizzitron?"
Silverstream, suspecting nothing, nodded quite firmly. "Oh yes. And I did it on a higher settting than he did. So that gives me extra points, right?"
Rainbow Dash groaned and put a hoof to her forehead. She couldn't believe Silverstream had just blabbed out a secret like that.
If Fleetfoot was at all surprised by Silverstream's confession, she didn't show it outwardly as she instead grinned. "Heh, I'm not surprised. Soarin's not really known for his speed, it's a miracle he got such a good time on the Dizzitron on its lowest setting. At the higher settings, he all but wiped out. Me, on the other hoof," She proudly pointed a wing at her chest. "Speed is what I'm all about. Of course, it takes more than speed to be a Wonderbolt. Being fast isn't enough, you need to be fast in all the right places."
Silverstream shot a confused look at the mare. "What do you mean by that? Am I supposed to race you now, or something?"
"Think of it as an obstacle course of sorts," Fleetfoot explained as she then pointed a hoof upward. "We've got an entire hazardous weather course set up just for you. As a potential Wonderbolt, you need to be able to adapt to rapidly changing situations, and that includes flying through adverse weather conditions: Lightning, hail, rain, you name it."
The hippogriff gulped a bit, lightning and rain reminded her an awful lot of the Storm King. True, she had gotten over her fear of him (thanks to Gallus), but that didn't mean she wasn't still uneased by anything that could remind her of him. She did her best to swallow that gulp and not look intimidated.
But Fleetfoot seemed to sense Silverstream's anxiety as she wrapped a wing around the hippogriff. "Hey, it's okay if you're a little nervous, kid. It happens to the best of us. Just don't let it get to you. I'm not expecting you to beat me, hardly anypony's a match for me in any weather. Just do your best. I wanna see if you're as good as Spitfire and Soarin are making you out to be. Plus, this gives me a chance to try out some new moves."
"Well, don't hold back on me!" Silverstream insisted as a look of firey determination began to blaze in her eyes. "... Because, I'm not gonna hold anything back against you!"
The pegasus mare with a light arctic blue coat snickered. "You've got guts, kid. But let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is!" And she flew off to the obstacle course's starting line. "I'm ready whenever you are. May the best creature win."
Before the hippogriff could take off to meet up with Fleetfoot, Rainbow approached and pulled the pink feathered hippogriff aside. "Hey, you gonna be okay?" She inquired with concern. "I know fear when I see it, and you're definitely afraid of something."
Silverstream just shook her head from side to side. "I'm not gonna let fear control me! I'm going to be brave, just like you, Professor Rainbow Dash!"
"Even I get afraid from time to time," Rainbow confessed. "And trust me, I've learned the hard way that holding onto your fears is never good. Forcing yourself to face your fears may sound brave, but don't confuse bravery with recklessness."
Silverstream just huffed, and puffed out her chest. "I may be afraid, but the only way I'll ever know if I've got what it takes to be a Wonderbolt is if I get up there and show Miss. Fleetfoot what I've made of! I'm not gonna let anything stop me! I'm going to do this! I can't let a little storm hold me back." And with that, she flew up to meet up with Fleetfoot to begin the race.
The brash speedster watched Silverstream fly away and thought in the back of her mind. "I hope you know what you're doing, Silverstream, for both our sakes. Part of being a Wonderbolt also means not taking unnecessary risks just to prove a point."
Meanwhile, Fleetfoot looked across to her opponent and smiled. "This is gonna be fun! I haven't had a truly challenge opponent in ages," Then, locking eyes with the pathway ahead, she counted down aloud. "Three, two, one... go!" And with a fierce flapping of wings, she and Silverstream took off, rushing headlong into the storm clouds set up for them!
It was a truly hostile enivronment for flying, and every pegasus knew this. Lightning flashed, thunder clapped, rain and hail poured down, and the wind roared and howled fiercely enough to drown out all noise!
Silverstream was greatly relieved to have the goggles on her, they protected her eyes from what would've otherwise been blinding drops of rain. As it was, she could barely see where she was or where she was going with the way the wind was blowing the rain and hail. She couldn't even tell where Fleetfoot was. Right now, all that mattered to the hippogriff was pressing forward with every ounce of strength she had!
A thousand terrible images started playing in her mind as she continued flying, all conjured up by the storm and what it reminded her of. Pretty soon, even the roar of the tempest was drowned out by the sound of a malicious, sadistic laugh that echoed everywhere.
Shutting her eyes, the hippogriff grit her teeth and pressed forward even as her body was screaming at her to stop! She had to press on, she just had to! Eventually, she felt a warmth on her back, and slowly opened her eyes to see that she had pushed through the storm clouds and out into the sunlight.
Fleetfoot wasn't too far behind. Soon, she and Silverstream had touched down on a cloud almost on the other side of the academy from where they had started. She wiped the sweat from her brows. "It takes a lot to impress me, kid. So consider yourself lucky. I haven't seen that kind of determination since Rainbow Dash. You were scared, but you pressed on anyway. Showing strength in adversity is a big part of what makes a Wonderbolt a Wonderbolt."
"You really mean it?!" Silverstream excitedly asked!
Fleetfoot nodded. "I most certainly do. Looks like Dash has taught you well."
After Fleetfoot's trial, Rainbow Dash gupled a bit as she realized what the final test for Silverstream would be. So far, the young hippogriff had been doing really well for herself, almost too well you might say. She had shown that she had the speed, strength and resolve of a Wonderbolt. She was willing to push herself, and overcome her limits and fears.
But now would come a test that even the best of recruits for the Wonderbolts had struggled with over the years, and one that often made or broke their chances of joining the team: They would have to be able to come up with a unique flying routine that showed off what they could bring to the Wonderbolts, to prove that they could think outside the box.
True, Silverstream was full of energy and was always passionate about whatever she did. But because she was so easily excited, she sometimes had a hard time paying attention when it mattered most. Rainbow could recall hearing about how the hippogriff had needed to take on a class project from Fluttershy related to dangerous flaura and fauna, which had resulted in the hippogriff wandering off into the Everfree Forest while forgetting to leave a note behind. It had only been a matter of luck that nothing bad had happened to her.
What would Silverstream try to do here? Would her excitement cause her to get ahead of herself and do something dangerous?
Thunderlane was on hoof to oversee the evaluation. "Guess Spitfire decided it would be good to get a Wonderbolt who has actual experience dealing with kids," He said to himself as he approached Silverstream. "So, you're Rainbow Dash's student that everypony's been talking about. Nice to meet you."
Silverstream immediately extended a wing out to Thunderlane, and when he showed her one of his wings she happily shook it in reply. "Oh, it's nice to meet you too, Mr. Thunderlane. You and the other Wonderbolts are every bit as impressive in real life as Professor Rainbow Dash has made you out to be."
Thunderlane displayed a modest smile. "Well, I'm glad you think so highly of us. It's always nice to meet a fan, especially young fans like yourself," Then he cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm here to test you on your solo flight routine. This one's pretty easy: You don't have to worry about flying fast, or escaping a wipe out, or even deal with adverse weather. You just need to display an aerial manuever that's all you. This is to see how good you are at improvising, how well you can adapt to whatever might get thrown your way. Every good Wonderbolt must be able to think on their hooves and make split second decisions when it counts."
The pink feathered hippogriff proudly proclaimed. "Oh, that won't be a problem! I know just what I'm gonna do! It's gonna totally blow your mind!"
"And what would be that be?" Thunderlane inquired while looking down at a clipboard he held in his hooves, ready to take notes.
Without hesitation, Silverstream looked Thunderlane firmly in the eyes and declared! "I'm going to pull off a sonic rainboom, just like Professor Rainbow Dash once did!"
"WHAT?!" Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash both gasped at the same time!
Silverstream grinned and giggled as she unfolded her wings! "If she can make the impossible possible, so can I! She can do sonic rainbooms in her sleep, now. This'll be just the thing to prove I've got what it takes to be a Wonderbolt!" And before anypony could stop her, she was off, flying higher and higher into the sky!
Immediately, once the shock of the situation had worn off, Rainbow grit her teeth and jumped into action! She began flapping her wings fiercely, determined to catch up to Silverstream and stop her from making a mistake she was sure to regret.
As for Silverstream, she just kept flying, all the while the Wonderbolts' Academy grew smaller and smaller to her eyes. Soon, it was just a dot a ways down. Still, she flew higher. She would need as much height as possible if she was going to build up enough speed to pull off such a daring aerial manuever.
Poor Rainbow Dash found that it was everything she could do just to keep up with the extremely energetic hippogriff. "Silverstream, stop!" She tried to call out, hoping to be overheard! "You don't know what you're doing! You don't have to prove anything!"
But Silverstream either didn't hear Rainbow or chose not to acknowledge her. Instead, she just flew until she was convinced she could go no higher. Then, immediately, she turned around and began descending at an alarming rate! She was flying so fast that a cone of energy was starting to form around her!
Rainbow dived down after the hippogriff, trying to catch up to her!
Suddenly, a loud boom split the air above the academy! The shockwave was so powerful it made Thunderlane's mane and tail stand completely on end, and buildings all over the academy shook from the vibrations! He had to crouch to the ground just to keep from being blown away. He looked up very slowly, seeing two blurs of motion fly past him just overhead.
Rainbow Dash touched down at the end of the academy runway seconds later, holding Silverstream firmly by the hoof as the hippogriff's old Wonderbolts flight jacket was clearly torn and ripped (it had obviously not been intended to be exposed to such strong g-forces). "Now that was cutting it close." Was all she could bring herself to say.
Silverstream, for her part, whimpered and looked guilty. "I'm sorry, Professor Rainbow Dash. I thought I could pull it off. I didn't realize just how much more speed and power would have to go into it."
"Sonic rainbooms are no easy feat. Even I can't do them on a whim," Rainbow pointed out. "If I hadn't caught you when I did, you could've lost control and crashed into the ground! And at the speed you were going, you'd be lucky to still be standing afterward."
The pink feathered hippogriff then sheepishly asked. "So, does this mean I blew my only chance? Seems like I made the sort of mistake you told me that other pegasus once made: What was her name? Lightning something, I believe."
Rainbow shook her head from side to side. "Doesn't matter, her name's not important. And unlike her, I don't think you were pushing yourself so hard just because you like to live life on the edge. You truly did want to give your best. But you problem is, you don't always stop to think before you leap," She confessed while massaging the back of her neck with a hoof. "That's... kind of a problem for me as well, and something I've been trying to work on. Either way, you'll probably walk away from this with no harm. Trust me, if you'd really ruined your chances, I have a feeling Spitfire would be out here right now to talk to you."
Silverstream looked up. "Then, does this mean I passed the test? Do I get to be a Wonderbolt? Oh, if I'm dreaming please don't wake me up!"
But Rainbow Dash protested by raising up a hoof. "You're not dreaming, Silverstream. This is all been real. But I think you're forgetting something in your rush to try to join the Wonderbolts. Something very important."
"What's that?" The hippogriff questioned with curiosity in her tone of voice.
Rainbow explained to the best of her ability. "You've already done a lot of incredible, awesome things as it is. I mean heck, you and your friends have saved Equestria and restored the spirit of harmony. You're already a big deal."
"So, I'm wrong for wanting to do even more?" Silverstream questioned. "I really want to help, I really want to be like the Wonderbolts and help others. Being part of a really cool flying team is just a nice bonus."
Again, Rainbow protested and explained. "You're already a hero in my book, Silverstream. After all the things you've done, after what I've seen and what Twilight's seen, that's not just talk. And even putting that aside, you don't need to join a team of heroes to be a hero. You can be a hero everyday just by being you."
The hippogriff put a paw to her chin, trying to think about what her professor was trying to tell her. "I still don't get it. How does me being me equal being a hero?"
The rainbow maned pegasus explained further. "Simple. Just wanting to help others as it is counts a lot towards being a hero. Even the littlest acts of kindness and compassion can have a big impact, even if you may not realize it at the time. True heroes don't have to wear capes or put on costumes to feel important. True heroes come in many different shapes and sizes. Everything you do as yourself can impact the world in ways big and small alike. Do you understand that now?"
Silverstream slowly nodded. "I think I do," And she gave the pegasus a big hug. "You know, for somepony who wasn't sure teaching was her forte, you sure are good at it."
Rainbow blushed. "I guess I've had a lot of experience being a teacher, or at least just being a coach," Then she added. "And if you ever do try out for the Wonderbolts for real someday, well, I have a feeling you could go all the way. Hay, who knows, I might even be captain of the team by the time you're at the top of the reserves."
Fluttershy knew there would be problems even after she had opened Sweet Feather Sanctuary, achieving her dream of having a place for all animals big and small alike to live in peace and be cared for. Not all animals got along with each other, after all.
The animal loving pegasus was thus convinced that this latest dispuste she'd had to resolve wasn't anything to worry about. Her sanctuary was running smoothly, even considering she had to split time between it and her duties at the School of Friendship. Still, she decided it best not to make any assumptions, and so she was hosting an impromptu meeting among her sanctuary's current occupants. This included a baby elephant, and a green scaled python with lighter green spots on its body.
The python let out a long hiss and stuck out its tongue as Fluttershy looked it firmly in the eyes. "Oh, is that so?" She asked in a tone of voice that gave no indication as to whether she was scolding the python, or lending support to it. "You say it was just an accident? You were just hungry and you mistook her for food?"
The python hissed again.
Fluttershy sighed. "Funny, that's not what Muriel says," She gestured a hoof to a baby elephant that had several bite marks on its body, a particularly large one of which was currently bandaged over. "She says you clearly lunged at her and tried to wrap yourself around her. When that didn't work, you started trying to sink your fangs into her in the hopes your venom would weaken her."
The baby elephant let out a blast from its trunk, apparently in support of that statement.
The pegasus mare sighed again. "Antoine, we've been over this. Just because predator and prey live together at my sanctuary, it doesn't you get to prey on other animals when you're hungry. I provide you with all your nutritional needs, I know you can't help it: It's what you have to do to survive. But the other animals here want to live in peace just as much as you do. Isn't that right, Angel?" She turned to where she expected to see her pet bunny, only to find that he wasn't there. "Angel?"
Suddenly, there was a crash! Fluttershy spun around in time to see several chairs that had been occupied by various other animals had been tipped over. And the source of the disturbance quickly revealed itself as who should poke up from the rubble but Angel himself?
The animal loving pegasus trotted over and scooped Angel up, glaring at him. "Angel, what was that for? I'm busy at the moment! We've talked about this."
Angel just stomped his feet down and started chattering loudly in protest.
"I am listening to you," Fluttershy insisted without raising her tone of voice. "I know you think you're helping me, but if you really wanna help me you won't bother me while I'm tending to disputes with the animals in my sanctuary," She set the bunny down and instructed. "I promise, I'll feed you in a minute. But for now, I really need to get this argument between Antoine and Muriel resolved before it gets out of control."
Angel just frowned and stomped away, clearly upset but unwilling and unable to do anything about it.
"He's been so fussy lately. I wish I knew what was bothering him," Fluttershy thought to herself. "He's never been this demanding about talking to me. I tend to him every day, don't I?" But she couldn't dwell on the subject, right now she had other issues she needed to take care of. Turning back to Antoine, she told the python. "Now you apologize to Muriel for bitting her. And if you do, I promise Muriel will never try to swat you with her trunk again."
Antoine seemed to obey the instructions more or less, and Muriel let out a happy blast from her trumpet in reply.
Fluttershy clapped her hooves. "Very good! Now both of you run along. Feel free to attend our next predator/prey support group meeting. And don't forget," She cautioned them both. "I'm having some of my students come over because they wanted to volunteer. So I want you and the rest of the animals in the sanctuary to be on your best behavior. If you behave, I have some special treats that Pinkie Pie made that I'll share with you." Then she watched as the python and the baby elephant went their separate ways.
Just then, there came an audible sneeze from a nearby tree! And in a flash of magic, the tree turned into a very familiar draconequus. "Oops!" It sincerely apologized, adopting the most guilty look imaginable.
"Discord?" Fluttershy blinked in surprise. "Were you here this whole time and I never noticed?"
Discord nodded. "Yes. And if not for that unfortunately timed sneeze, you would've kept on noticing," Then he looked around the sanctuary. "Ah, so this is that 'dream come true' you were talking about. Nice place, really. Nothing could be more chaotic than having predator and prey live alongside each other."
The animal loving pegasus shook her head from side to side. "It's not like that at all, Discord. They don't interact directly. They each have their own part of the sanctuary. I really don't know how Antoine ended up in the prey section, or why he went after Muriel like that. Even if he was hungry, I would think he'd know better than to try to take on a baby elephant."
"Don't you have any way of keeping an eye on this place when you're not around?" Discord questioned. "You surely don't trust the animals to be honest with you about everything they do."
Fluttershy replied. "I try my best to keep an eye on things. And when I can't be there, I always try to have somepony watch over the place," Then she sighed. "I really should see about getting more help, though. Between the sanctuary, the school and taking care of Angel, I can barely keep up."
The chaos maker then questioned. "Speaking of Angel, how is it you know what he's trying to tell you? I know you talk to animals, I do too. But that doesn't mean I know what they're saying or what they're trying to say."
The pegasus mare confessed. "I just have that certain skill that comes from being a good listener. It's a magic that's all my own," And she then added. "It's funny you should mention Angel, though. Lately, he's become more and more fussy and demanding. Nothing I do seems to make him happy, but he won't ever tell me why."
Discord proposed. "Have you ever thought about maybe seeing things from his point of view?"
"I wish I could, but that's impossible," Fluttershy said with an unhappy sigh. "I wish we could better understand each other like we used to. Then maybe he could help me around this sanctuary and my cottage," She shook her head. "But I can't deal with that right now. I have to get the sanctuary ready for when the students come by. Plus, Dr. Fauna's bringing over an animal that she needs my help with."
Discord watched as his best friend strolled slowly away. And in the back of his mind he started wondering if there wasn't some way he could get pony and pet to truly understand each other again. Little did he suspect that that was exactly what he was going to end up doing, albeit without meaning to do so.
By the time Fluttershy got back to the front of her sanctuary, Dr. Fauna had already showed up withh a small pet carrier. Inside it rested the animal she had brought: A small red gecko with orange stripes across its back. She quickly explained what the problem was. "Zecora found this little guy and brought him to my office. But I thought he might do better at the sanctuary. He has a rather unique problem, and I was hoping you might know something I don't."
Fluttershy was about to ask, but soon got the answer she wanted when she heard the gecko burp. A puff of black smoke escaped his mouth when he did so, causing Angel (who had been nearby) to cough and sputter as his eyes watered.
"Have you ever seen anything like it?" Dr. Fauna asked in a hopeful tone of voice.
The animal loving pegasus mare shook her head and gave a firm reply. "Ooh, I certainly haven't, I'm afraid. The Everfree Forest seems to be full of creatures no one's ever heard of before, me included."
Dr. Fauna sighed as she set the carrier down and opened the hatch to let the gecko out. "I thought maybe we could take a look at his diet. And since I'm here anyway, I might as well give all the animals a check-up," When Angel gave her a look she insisted. "Not you, Angel. You had your check-up last week, remember?" She then trotted off to do just that, carrying a bag of her medical supplies in one hoof.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, watched as the red scaled gecko tried to help itself to a piece of lettuce. She quickly snatched it away and told the gecko in no uncertain terms. "If we really want to know what's going on, we need to make sure the problem isn't your food. I'll need to carefully monitor what you've been eating, so you'll just have to wait until later."
The gecko groaned, but seemed to obey as it crawled back into its carrier.
Dr. Fauna, meanwhile, had stumbled across a rather large scroll nailed to a tree in the sanctuary. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was for, especially not once she took a glance at it. "Oh, goodness, Fluttershy. Is this the list of what you do every day?" She asked the pegasus. "How do you ever find time for anything else?"
The pegasus pony proclaimed in reply. "Well, that's why I have some of my students volunteering out here today. I also put a few help wanted ads in the Equestria Society for Rare Creatures' magazine. No replies yet, but I'm hoping I'll hear back from some possible candidates soon."
"And what about that other friend of yours?" Dr. Fauna questioned. "What's his name again? Discord?"
Fluttershy could only shake her head. "He just comes and goes whenever he feels like it. He wouldn't wanna be tied down to anything. And I need help that I know I can rely on in a pinch."
Dr. Fauna simply replied. "Well, I sure hope your students know what they're getting into. You're pretty much the one who keeps this whole place running. Why, without you, this place would probably be a zoo," She chuckled a bit at her unintentional rhyme. "Oh, goodness, Zecora must be rubbing off on me."
Just then, Angel came bouncing over and immediately tugged on Fluttershy's tail, clearly trying to get her attention.
"What is it now, Angel? I'm busy!" The pegasus mare with pretty pink bangs grumbled. "I don't have time to give you treats, and your tail fluffing isn't for another hour. You know I'm busy, you know I have a lot of chores to do," She pointed to the list nailed to the tree. "So please tell me this is important!"
Angel began to chitter loudly and profusely.
Fluttershy translated. "Listen to you for once? Just what exactly is that supposed to mean?! I'm listening now, aren't I?!"
Angel just went on chittering, clearly upset about something if his body language was any indication.
"You wanna help?" Fluttershy guessed, apparently deciphering Angel's ranting statement. "Well, you can 'help' me by not pestering me when I've got other animals to tend to. I promise, once the students get here and I've showed them what to do, I'll have more time to spend doing whatever you wanna do. But until then, you'll just have to be patient. It's not my fault the sanctuary keeps me busy."
The little bunny could only roll his eyes, then he stomped his feet and scampered off again in protest.
The animal loving pegasus sighed as she fiddled with her bangs. "Oh, I need more help than I realized. I just have so much to do that only I can do."
"Would it help if I came by more often?" Dr. Fauna proposed. "I've been to this place so many times for check-ups, I think I'm starting to get the layout memorized."
Fluttershy just sighed further. "I can't ask you to take time out from your job to come help me with mine. I'll manage, somehow," Then she glanced up at the sky. "I wish I knew what was keeping those students. They should've been here by now. Just my luck they'd get lost."
Dr. Fauna simply replied. "Well, in the meantime, I suppose I should remind you of some important things concerning some of my patients here. Clementine the giraffe is still getting over her neck injury, so I'd recommend massaging it for a couple of days. And of course, Scout the flamingo needs to keep shifting his weight so he doesn't hurt his legs."
"I'll add it to the list, when I find the time," Fluttershy promised, before hearing the sound of crashing and of various animals crying out about how something had disturbed their peace and quiet. "Better go see what that's all about." She decided, and took off as fast as she could to investigate.
As it turned out, several habitats for the animals at the sanctuary had been crudely and abruptly ranscaked. And Angel was right there, stomping his feet impatiently.
"Angel! I can't believe you!" Fluttershy growled at the bunny! "You didn't have to make a mess of the sanctuary just because I'm not paying attention to you!"
But at that moment, Discord appeared in a poof of magic. And he sniffled a bit, before blowing his nose. "Oh, it wasn't Angel's fault, really. That was my fault," He then willingly admitted. "I'm not sure what it is, but lately my magic kind of seems to be on the fritz. Sometimes it works perfectly, and other times... well, you can see for yourself."
Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin. "That's weird. Your magic was working just fine leading up to the Summer Sun Celebration, and immediately after it. That's also around the time Angel started getting more fussy, as if something was bothering him. But he just won't tell me what it is."
The chaos maker pondered. "Perhaps you two need to see what it's like to be one another, maybe if you could see things the way Angel is seeing them you'd know what it is that's got him so upset."
The animal loving pegasus protested. "I can't do that, not now, not today! I've got too much to do! Angel should know that," And she lamented. "I wish he could understand just how important all the things I do around here are. He seems to think he knows, but he really doesn't. And there isn't much he could do to help me even if he did."
"I see," Discord commented while stroking his goat beard. "Well, what if I..." But then he trailed off as the whiskers on his nose began to twitch. "Hu... hu..."
"What? Is something wrong?" Fluttershy questioned the draconequus. "Oh, you're not sick, are you? Can you even get sick?"
Discord didn't answer, he just shut his eyes as the twitch on his nose grew stronger. And then, without warning, he let out a mighty "ACHOO!" The noise echoed everywhere, it was even loud enough to generate a small shockwave!
As it just so happened, the sneeze contained a bit of magic. Magic that affected Fluttershy and Angel due to them being within close range of the sudden blast. Once things had settled down, both quickly realized that something was not right! Both were looking frantically at themselves, discovering that their bodies felt "different" for lack of a better term.
"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, hang on, hold up!" Fluttershy suddenly spoke up in a rather weird, deep pitched voice. "What just happened?! Am I a pony? Why am I a pony?!"
Angel, for his part, just let out a very high pitched scream!
Fluttershy blinked her eyes and pondered, still talking in that deep voice. "Question. Did we switch bodies?" She asked while looking at Angel, who seemed to nod back at her.
Angel, for his part, just glared at Discord while pulling back his ears and chittering loudly.
"Oops! Sorry!" Discord sincerely apologized. "I did not mean for this to happen!" He quickly prepared to snap his talons. "Hold on, let me just turn you back to normal" He snapped his talons, but nothing happened. He snapped again, and still nothing happened. "Uh-oh, this might be a problem."
Fluttershy spun around and gazed up at the chaos maker. "What do you mean?! Are we stuck like this?!"
The draconequus hastily insisted. "No! A...at least... I don't think so. But," He gulped and made himself really small as he admitted. "My magic doesn't seem to doing what I want it to do to you. I can't change you back. You'll just have to... get used to being in each others bodies for a while. But it should wear off eventually," Hesitantly he added. "I hope." And then he turned himself back to his normal size.
"Fluttershy" just smirked while gazing down at "Angel". "Well, looks like the tables have turned. Now I'm the one in charge. And you, you're practically helpless. Maybe now you wish you'd have spent more time listening to me."
"Angel" just squeaked and made a series of gestures with his mouth. "Fluttershy" seemed to understand what was being said. "What's that? How are you gonna do your chores now?! Really? That's what you're worried about? You obviously have much bigger problems than that."
"Angel" only protested, glaring up at "Fluttershy". And "Fluttershy" only snapped back. "Well too bad, I don't like it either but it looks like we're stuck like this for now! And guess what? I don't have to listen to you anymore, now I can talk to anypony I want. Nopony will ever know that I'm you and you're me, know what I'm saying?"
But "Angel" just yanked hard on "Fluttershy's" tail, forcing the pegasus to look down at him.
"Fluttershy" rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Hey, I'm supposed to be the demanding one, not the other way around! I'm bigger than you, so I can do whatever I want! You can't make me do anything!"
"Angel" only replied by turning around, directing his gaze towards the Everfree Forest off in the distance.
Discord gulped. "What? You think Zecora might know how to fix this? You're not seriously thinking of going in there, are you? In your small stature," He snapped his talons, producing a perfect puppet of the white coated bunny. "Why, one wrong step and," He dropped the puppet on the ground and made it disappear. "...Well, you know about animals. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you."
And "Fluttershy" giggled at the bunny's idea. "You really don't know what it's like being a bunny. There's no way you'll make it to Zecora's. And don't forget, that's my body. If you let anything happen to it, you're gonna be in so much trouble when we switch back!"
"Angel" was not deterred in the slightest, he just maintained a serious look in his eyes.
"Fluttershy" only replied with indifference. "Well, good luck with that, buddy. Trust me, you'll need it," Then she sniffed the air. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I smell some carrots with my name on them."
But before the pegasus could go anywhere, her tail was again yanked on by "Angel" who proceeded to stomp his paws down in protest. "What? What do you want from me now?" The pegasus inquired, and soon found out from the bunny. "Oh, you want me to finish your chores? Well, what if I don't wanna?" She replied in a scoffing, indifferent tone of voice. "Why should I listen to you when you wouldn't listen to me?"
In response, "Angel" narrowed his eyes and harshly glared up at the pegasus. The pegasus pony found herself frozen in her tracks by the gaze. She knew at once what it was. "What? 'The Stare'?! You can still do that?! That is so unfair!" She then sighed and said to "Angel". "Okay, fine, I'll do your silly chores! Just make sure you bring my body back in one piece."
Satisfied with the response, the white coated bunny hopped away and set off for the entrance.
Discord gulped and swallowed hard as he turned to "Fluttershy". "Well, I'd better make sure nothing bad happens to her. You... just hold down the fort here and try not to make a mess of things. And remember, you're Fluttershy now. No one can know about this. We don't need ponies to panic!" Then he chased after "Angel" while hollering. "Hey, wait for me, Fluttershy! I mean Angel! I mean..." He groaned. "Oh, you know who I'm talking to you! Please, think about this!" And soon, he was out of sight.
The body swapped pegasus just sighed and groaned, realizing the predicament "she" was in. "I always knew that guy was trouble. But does Fluttershy ever listen to me about him: Nooooooo."
"Fluttershy" returned to the front of the sanctuary in time to be greeted by an earth pony filly wearing a headgear exactly the same as the one depicted on her flanks as a cutie mark. Accompanying her was a pink feathered bird like creature, an olive green coated bug like creature, and a yak with pink bows in its hair. "Fluttershy" looked at them with the most bewildered look, as if she didn't recognize them at all.
The headgear wearing filly was the first one of the bunch to speak up. "Hey, why are you looking at us like that, Fluttershy? You remember, it's me, Diamond Tiara," She pointed a hoof to the other creatures. "And these are some of the students from the school: Silverstream, Ocellus and Yona. Twilight sent me to get them and bring them here," She then sheepishly blushed. "We kind of got a little lost, though."
Ocellus whimpered and stepped back as she apologized. "It's not my fault. So many buildings in town look the same, it's hard to know which way you're supposed to go."
Silverstream just proclaimed. "But we're here now, and we're ready to help. You said we'd get extra credit for our kindness classes if we did. So, what do you want us to do? What can we help you with?"
Yona nodded. "Yeah! Yona want to help all creatures! Yaks best at helping creatures in need!"
"Fluttershy" blinked slowly, thinking in silence for a moment. "Oh... oh!" She exclaimed and then hastily insisted. "Er... give me a moment I... forgot you were coming over today," She apologized. "Sorry, I've just been very busy as you can see," Then the pegasus asked. "Now, where's that stupid list of chores Flutttershy... I mean I always have?"
Diamond Tiara eyed the pegasus pony with suspicion. "Are you feeling okay, Fluttershy? You're acting like you don't even know yourself. Did you hit your head or something?"
Ocellus then gasped! "Or what if you're Chrysalis trying to trick us again?! You've always been bad at acting!"
But "Fluttershy" threw up her hooves and insisted! "Oh no no no! It's me, Fluttershy, alright!" And she hastily rambled on while speaking in a rather deep tone of voice. "You know: I talk to animals, I'm best friends with Discord..."
Diamond breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, it is you. Oh thank goodness. Don't scare us like that," Then she asked. "Uh, why are you talking funny?"
"Fluttershy" coughed into a hoof. "Sorry, bit of a cold. Can't help it. Nothing for you to worry about. Now, have any of you see my list of chores? I know it's here somewhere."
Silverstream pointed a claw to a nearby tree. "Uh, I think it's over there. It looks like you've got something hanging from that tree."
"Fluttershy" fixed her gaze upon the list nailed to the tree just a short ways away. She strolled over to it, all the while appearing to groan. "Oh, yeah. There's my good old list of chores that I will absolutely not rush through," She nervously laughed. "I... I knew it was there all along. I was just... testing you guys," She went over and inspected the list. "You don't need any further instructions from me. Just go look around the sanctuary and help any critters that need to be helped. I'll check on you... if I find the time."
"O...kay then," Diamond blinked but nevertheless obeyed as she turned to the hippogriff, changeling and yak. "Best if we all split up and check different parts of the sanctuary."
Yona nodded. "Yona ready to help!" And with that, the pony and the three other creatures all went off to different parts of the sanctuary to see if there was anything they could do to help.
"Fluttershy" breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the four helpers split off. "That was too close," She wiped the sweat from her brows, then turned her attention back to the list. "Alright, let's see here:" She began reading aloud various responsibilities that needed to be done. "Check Muriel's trunk," She turned around and gazed off to her left, noticing the baby elephant with her trunk having just inhaled a set of keys on a ring. "Eh, seems fine to me. As long as we don't need those keys. If we do, I'm sure Muriel will cough 'em up," Then she read further. "Massage Clementine's neck... er save that one for later, once I get used to the wings. Get Scout to switch legs," She looked off into the distance, spoting the flamingo who was currently dozing. "Probably best not to wake him. Seems easy so far."
Just then, however, there came the sound of hissing and rattling in the distance. "Fluttershy" was certain she knew what that meant. "Antoine's at it again, huh? Well, unlike Fluttershy, I'm not gonna go easy on him. She lets him get away with far too much."
The pegasus pony soon approached the python, and bent her head down to glare at him. "Well, well, well," She smirked. "Aren't you just the little trouble maker?"
The python hissed and stuck out his tongue.
"Yeah yeah, you're hungry. You're always hungry, you know that?" "Fluttershy" scolded him. "Sorry, mister, no more free rides. You can starve for all I care. That special treat you were promised? You can forget it. Just go find something to eat that won't cause any problems for me. And remember, no eating guests!" She watched the python slink slowly away, all the while she could heard his stomach grumble. Oh well, if it would teach him to behave, she didn't care. "I don't see what's so hard about this job. Fluttershy is such a whiner." She remarked as she strolled off to go look over the list once more, just to be sure she wasn't forgetting anything.
"Angel", meanwhile, had been working his way through the Everfree Forest all alone, determined to reach Zecora's hut and enlist the zebra enchanthress' help (assuming Zecora would be able to understand the bunny, who was actually a pony trapped in the bunny's body).
Despite the fact that he had technically wandered into and out of the forest several times before, "Angel" found that this time things were not as easy. Obstacles that would've been cleared no problem for a pony were a huge hurdle to overcome for a bunny. Massive logs, fallen treen branches, giant footprints, you name it. Yeah, maybe they were only big to a bunny. But when you were a bunny yourself, that was the problem.
Still, somehow, "Angel" struggled on as best he could. He had to reach Zecora's, he just had to!
Discord wasn't too far behind, but from the heavy panting he was making it was clear that he was already feeling exhausted. "How am I supposed to keep up with you if you keep running ahead before I can catch you?" He complained. "I can't just teleport and leave you all by yourself. Do you have to do everything by yourself? Maybe if you learned to let others help you a little more often, you wouldn't find yourself in these messes?"
"Angel" turned and looked at Discord, chittering and impatiently stomping his paws.
The witty spirit sighed. Of course the bunny would be stubborn, the pony trapped inside the bunny's body wanted to return to their original pony body. "Look, can we just turn back?" He insisted as he turned into a massive sign pointing in the direction from which he'd come. "I said this would all wear off eventually. Isn't it better to just wait it out? If you're not back to normal by tomorrow, then we can see Zecora."
But "Angel" would not be persuaded to abandon his quest. The bunny just looked at Discord with pleading eyes.
The draconequus frowned. "Oh, you always have to do this. You always make me feel guilty if I don't help you out," He let out a deep, drawn out sigh. "Well, I guess this is kind of my fault. But can we at least stick together until we make it back to your sanctuary? Let me do the hard work, you just rest." And he scooped the bunny into his paws.
"Angel" tried to argue, but eventually was persuaded to let Discord carry him through the forest.
Discord's frown slowly became replaced by a smile. "Okay, that's better. It's much easier when we cooperate," Then he snapped his talons, producing a map. "Now let's see: Just how far are we from Zecora's anyway?" He turned the map in every direction, his eyes scanning it to try to make sense of it. "Oh, why does this forest have to be so thick and dense? Everything looks the same from here. How does anypony ever find their way around this place? I liked it better when you ponies stayed out of this forest completely," Then he made the map disappear. "Well, never mind. Let's just keep going forward. I'm sure we'll bump into Zecora eventually."
"Angel" reluctantly agreed.
As Discord snapped his talons and made a small pouch appear for him to place the bunny inside of for safe keeping, he began to think to himself. "I hope Angel's having better luck than Fluttershy and I are. This is not how I wanted to spend my day."
"Fluttershy" was scrolling down the list, halfheartedly reading every chore that had been written down. "Did that," She muttered as she kept scrolling, holding the list in one hoof. "I'll do that later... that's already taken care of..." One hastily added chore caught her attention. "Monitor Zecora's gecko until bedtime?" She grumbled under her breath. "Really? I have to do that? He hasn't been coughing smoke since he was dropped off here, probably just something he ate," But she still decided. "Oh, whatever, might as well get it over with," Then an idea came to her. "In fact, why don't I do bedtime now?"
The pegasus strolled over to the red scaled gecko and asked it immediately. "All right, dude. How about we do bedtime now? You good with that?"
The gecko just replied with a series of soft chirps.
"Fluttershy" nodded in agreement. "Yeah, eating always makes me tired, too. Which reminds me," She sniffed the air and licked her lips as a delicious scent reach her nostrils. "There's some carrot extract with my name on it. Fluttershy says it's for emergencies, and I'd say this is an emergency alright. I get cranky if I don't keep my bully full," She then turned back to the gecko. "Okay! Let's get you fed and off to dreamland! Now where did Fluttershy put those lettuce leafs you were munching on earlier?"
But the gecko simply eyed some stray leafs down on the ground nearby that looked tempting. So it slowly strolled over and helped itself to them, happily chomping away. When it was finished, it burped and a small puff of smoke escaped.
"Fluttershy" wasn't worried. "Just drink some water before bed, you'll be alright," And then she set the list down. "Okay, I took care of everything on the list. Now it's time to help myself to some carrot extract. I've earned it!"
Following her nose, the pegasus pony let the scent of the carrot extract guide her through the sanctuary. Eventually, it led her to a door in front of a large cave. Even with all the caves in the sanctuary, it stood out in bold detail. There was just one problem, when she tried the door knob with a hoof it wouldn't budge. It was locked.
"Oh come on!" "Fluttershy" groaned and started jiggling the knob, hoping that would solve the problem. It didn't.
Just then, who should come running up to "Fluttershy" but Diamond Tiara herself? Her eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, and it seemed like she had come running in a state of near panic! "Oh... thank... goodness..." She panted, then paused to catch her breath. "You've gotta come quickly! It's really bad!"
"What is it?" "Fluttershy" impatiently grumbled. "Can't this wait?"
Diamond shook her head from side to side. "No, it can't! It's Antoine, he bit Muriel, really badly! Muriel's spooked!"
The animal loving pegasus nearly jumped in surprise! "He did what?!"
"Your students are trying to restrain her, but we need your help right away!" Diamond pleaded! "You have snake bite antidote, right?! Right?!"
"I'm sure I do... somewhere," "Fluttershy" replied, and got an idea. "In fact, why don't you go look for it while I... er... help the students?" And she rushed away without another word!
By the time "Fluttershy" found Muriel, the baby elephant was madly thrashing about and swaying her trunk from side to side! She had left a trail of destruction and devestation in her wake, the sanctuary was a mess!
Silverstream, Ocellus and Yona were all doing their best to try to calm the rampaging baby elephant down. But it was clear from the marks across their bodies that they hadn't been having much luck.
Yona was digging into the ground with her back hooves, while her front hooves tried to grab hold of Muriel's back legs (just above which was a clearly visible gash wound indicating where Antoine had sank his fangs). "Yona say it time to stop!" She pleaded, grunting and groaning with all her might. Yet it seemed even her natural yak strength was no match for that of a panic stricken elephant.
"Hey, come on now!" Silverstream tried to call to the elephant. "Fluttershy will be here soon, she'll get you fixed up! Why don't you cool down with a nice drink of water? There's some water over there!" She gestured a paw to a nearby stream. "Come on, you must be thirsty after all this running around. And, maybe water will clear up that blockage in your trunk."
Ocellus was flying alongside Silverstream, dodging trunk swipes as best she could. "Oh, I wish I knew how to speak elephant so I could tell her to calm down." She lamented aloud.
"Yona try, Yona can speak to animals now!" Yona insisted, then took a deep breath and made the best impression of an elephant she could muster up on short notice.
Alas, it did nothing to calm Muriel down or make the baby elephant stop. It seemed like she was going to keep on going until she collapsed from exhaustion, or the venom weakened her to the point where she would have no strength left at all.
Just as "Fluttershy" arrived on the scene, who should show up but Dr. Fauna? She looked like she had been to Tartarus and back, given her frazzled mane and torn jacket. "Fluttershy, what is going on?!" She demanded of the animal loving pegasus. "Look at what's happening to your sanctuary! I thought things were under control!"
The pegasus looked around, seeing that the entire sanctuary was in a state of unrest! Animals were running loose, roaring, hissing and making a cacophony of near deafening noise! The gecko's smoke filled belches had turned into firey burps that had set various small patches of grass alight! Clementine the giraffe coughed and groaned as she couldn't move her neck an inch without experiencing pain. And Scout the flamingo was sobbing while holding one of his legs as it made a sick cracking sound.
Dr. Fauna furiously demanded! "How could you let this happen?! You did all the chores on your list!"
"Fluttershy" shrugged her hooves. "Well, yeah, technically I did. But technically it's not my list."
"What?! What are you talking about?!" Ocellus blinked as she flew over to "Fluttershy". "You've been acting strange all day! What's gotten into you?! This isn't like you at all!"
"Fluttershy" only replied. "You wouldn't understand. Trust me, you don't want to know what's really going on," And then she questioned. "Why's everycreature getting on my case all of a sudden? Do you want my help or not?"
"Just please, get Muriel to stop running wild!" Silverstream protested! "And hurry up with the antidote! I don't think Muriel can fight off the venom for much longer!"
Just then, there came a flash of light. And then, appearing before the group of frazzled, frustrated and confused creatures was none other than Discord. In a pouch on his front, he held a very worn and battered looking "Angel". "Oh, thank goodness. I don't think you could've lasted another minute in that forest," And he set "Angel" down. As he did so, his eyes beheld the state the sanctuary was in. "Wow!" He exclaimed as his eyes actually popped out of his head, and he quickly popped them back in. "Now this is chaos! And for once, I didn't have to do anything."
"Discord, what is going on?!" Dr. Fauna demanded! "Fluttershy's acting strange, and now Angel looks like he's about to collapse from exhaustion! And you're saying that none of this is your doing?"
Discord snapped his talons, revealing him standing on a wooden stand as he raised a paw and insisted. "I tell you, I'm innocent. I'm telling you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
"Angel" just let out a whimper.
Silverstream blinked in confusion. "Uh, what's he saying, Fluttershy?"
But Yona insisted. "Yona can translate, kind of. Something different about Angel," She listened as "Angel" tried to convey what had happened to him and to Fluttershy. Yona translated as best she could. "Angel say that he not Angel? That Fluttershy and he switch bodies by accident?"
Diamond (who had just emerged on the scene a short time later) rolled her eyes. "You expect us to believe that? That makes way too much sense."
Ocellus just groaned as she protested. "What does it matter? We just need to figure out how to make things right," And then she looked over to Mauriel, seeing the baby elephant's knees give way as she fell to the ground with a loud thud. "Quick!" She shouted! "Give me the antidote!"
But Diamond Tiara gulped. "I don't have it! I looked everywhere in the cottage and couldn't find it! I don't know where else it could be, I was hoping Fluttershy could tell me!"
Discord groaned, losing what patience he had. "Oh, for goodness sake! Do I have to do everything around here?!" He snapped his talons and disappeared, then he reappeared a short time later holding a large vial and a syringe. "Here, this is the antidote. Now hurry up and give it to Muriel before it's too late!"
"I got it!" Silverstream insisted as she frantically flapped her wings, snatched up the vial and then flew over to Mauriel. Looking the baby elephant all over, she tried to find a good place to make the injection. A task made hard by her trembling paws. Eventually, she gritted her teeth. "Let this work!" And she thrusted the syringe hard into one of Muriel's legs.
For a moment, there was silence. And then, slowly but surely, Muriel rose back to her legs and let out a happy cry! The injection had worked just in time!
"Okay, we've got that problem taken care of," Tiara commented as she breathed a small sigh of relief. "Now we just need to take care of everything else."
Silverstream gave a quick salute. "I'll take care of the fires!" She rushed away while clutching her Pearl of Transformation necklace tightly.
"Yona will clean up wreackage and get animals back to where they belong," Yona vowed. "Yak hope all animals listen to her and that she understand them like she understand Angel."
Dr. Fauna, meanwhile, was tending to "Angel" as she watched Yona depart. "Angel needs a jar of concentrated carrot extract! Stat!" She cried out! "Anyone know where it is?!"
Diamond gulped. "I think it's back at the storage cave."
Ocellus then gasped as a realization struck her! "And we can't open it without the keys! Where are the keys?!"
"Fluttershy" whimpered and looked guilty. "I think I know where they are." She pointed a hoof to Muriel, whose trunk had an obvious key shaped bulge to it.
"Don't look at me!" Ocellus protested as all eyes fell on her. "No way am I shrinking down and flying up that trunk! That's just gross!" She shuddered at the image of doing such a thing. "There's gotta be another way!"
"Maybe we could scare the keys out of her?" Discord proposed. "I could probably turn into Antoine and give Muriel a good squeeze."
But the headgear wearing filly got an idea. "I bet I know how we can get the keys out," Turning to Discord, she asked him. "Can you poof back to the kitchen?"
"What for?" The spirit questioned. "And I don't know if I like taking orders from you."
Tiara adopted a knowing smirk as she pointed out. "Fluttershy's right over there you know. I'm sure she would say you should listen to me. Just go to the kitchen and get some pepper."
The witty chaos maker reluctantly agreed. "Fine, just this once. But only for Fluttershy's sake. I've been doing far more helping today than I'm used to doing," He quickly disappeared with a snap of his talons, and returned shortly with a shaker full of pepper. "Here's your pepper. Hope you know what you're doing with it."
Diamond Tiara grinned. "Oh, I do," She took the shaker and gave it to Ocellus. "Just get close to Muriel, and give the shaker a good shake. The pepper should do the rest."
Ocellus obeyed, grabbing the shaker and then buzzing her wings as she flew towards the baby elephant with the keys. When she got close enough, she shook up the shaker, watching as some of its contents spilled out into the air. Most of it ended up in the trunk of Muriel. Muriel stopped in her tracks a second later, her eyes began to water as she adopted the most unusual look on her face.
Diamond screamed! "She's gonna blow! Hit the deck!" And she dropped to the ground, covering her head with her hooves!
Muriel stood up on her back legs and raised her trunk high into the air as she let out a great sneeze! The sneeze was powerful enough to eject the keys on their keyring from her trunk, sending it flying high into the air!
Ocellus quickly grabbed the keys! "Got it!" She shouted and flew back to Diamond, Dr. Fauna, Discord and "Angel".
Dr. Fauna immediately took the keys. "I'll get the carrot juice! I just hope I'm not too late." And she raced away to retrieve the jar she knew Fluttershy kept in case of emergencies.
The carrot juice extract worked just like Dr. Fauna hoped it would. "Angel" was revived and restored to full health in a heartbeat. The little bunny's eyes soon fluttered open.
"You're awake! Oh, thank goodness!" "Fluttershy" exclaimed with relief! "For a moment there, I wasn't sure you'd ever wake up again."
"Angel" replied by chattering and whimpering, visibly frightened if the look on his face was any indication.
"Fluttershy" was quick to translate. "You actually tried to go all the way to Zecora's and back all by yourself? I can't believe you survived!"
Discord remarked. "Well, it was all thanks to me. If I hadn't you wouldn't have..." But then he clamped a paw over his mouth, refusing to say more.
All eyes fell upon the draconequus as Dr. Fauna took the liberty of asking. "What, Discord? I don't buy for a second that all this weirdness isn't somehow connected to you. Fluttershy's told me you like to cause trouble."
"Why does everypony keep saying that?" Discord humphed as he spoke through his clamped mouth. "I don't intentionally cause chaos anymore. I'm a good guy now!"
Diamond eyed the chaos maker with skepticism. "You sure have a funny way of showing it."
The witty spirit simply replied. "Oh, hush. You're gonna ruin the bonding moment these two are having." He gestured over to "Angel" and "Fluttershy" as the two were continuing to talk to each other.
"Fluttershy" was now apologizing to "Angel". "I thought I was helping, but I see now that your work is far more important than I realized. The animals here are crazy! No wonder you don't have time to listen to me. You certainly need help, more help than I can give you."
"Angel" replied by making a series of gestures and then coughing.
"Fluttershy" simply retorted. "My life is hard? No, your life is hard!" And when "Angel" protested, she just protested back. "You never appreciated me? No! I never appreciated you! But I do now!"
"Angel" seemed to calm down and adopt a rather guilty look in his eyes.
"Fluttershy" just responded by picking up the bunny and cradling him in her arms. "You're sorry? I'm sorry, too! If we ever get back to normal, I promise I'll never bother you again. Now come here, you little bunny who's a pony who's a bunny!"
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash and a whir of magic! It faded a moment later, and pony and bunny seemed to be looking at themselves with the most bewildered expressions.
When Fluttershy finally spoke up again, her voice no longer had that deep tone she'd been using for quite some time. "Oh, my goodness! I'm back! I'm a pony again!"
Discord, for his part, breathed a much needed sigh of relief as he unclamped his paw from his mouth. "See? Like I said, it wore off. There was no need to be so dramatic."
"So it was you!" Ocellus realized with a gasp!
Yona blinked in surprise and confusion. "Angel was Fluttershy and Fluttershy was Angel? Yak confused."
The wacky draconequus simply confessed. "It wasn't on purpose, or anything. My magic just got a little bit... out of control, that's all. Happens to the best of us, right?"
Dr. Fauna could only blink her eyes and remark. "I thought there was something off about Fluttershy, but I couldn't put my hoof on it," Then she told him. "Please, the next time something like this happens, don't keep it a secret from us."
Discord nodded quite slowly. "Believe me, if something like this does happen again, which it won't by the way, you'll be the first to know," Then he looked to Fluttershy. "By the way, did you find out what it was that was making Angel so fussy? What it was he was trying to bring to your attention?"
Fluttershy was confused for a moment. "Huh?" Then it dawned on her. "Oh, now that you mention it, I think I did. I was so focused on trying to be a bunny and not a pony that I almost didn't notice it. But I could definitely sense there was an... imbalance of some sort. Like there was something off. I couldn't sense it as a pony though, and even as a bunny it was so faint I could barely detect it," She looked to Angel and told the bunny. "I'm sorry I didn't take the time to listen to you sooner. I definitely need to step up the process of finding volunteers for the sanctuary so that it doesn't have to come to this again."
Dr. Fauna just stood up. "Well, that's nice and everything. But what about that smoke belching gecko? I told Zecora you'd figure out what was going on with it."
"Oh, you mean this little guy here?" Silverstream asked as she presented the red scaled lizard. "I think Fluttershy mentioned them in one of her classes." And seconds after she spoke, the lizard belched out a tiny flame that thankfully didn't catch anything on fire.
The vet smiled as the realization dawned on her! "Oh, of course! Now I see! He isn't a gecko. He's a fire lizard," And she sheepishly confessed. "I forgot that before they get their flame, it's hard to tell them apart." And she gave off a nervous laugh.
"Well then, it looks like my work here is done," Discord insisted while flashing a content smile. Then he snapped his talons, making several large travel bags appear. "Now, if nocreature needs me, I think I'll just be going."
Fluttershy looked to the draconequus with concern. "Going where, Discord? Are you going on a trip?"
Discord explained. "If there really is a magical imbalance, it's probably what caused my powers to malfunction the way they did. I'm going to get to the bottom of it, although I'm sure it's nothing. At least, nothing any of you need to worry about," To Fluttershy he then added. "Don't tell Twilight about this. No need to add more to her plate ahead of her coronation. But I'll be back in time for the after party, so save me a seat." Then, after making a portal appear from out of thin air, he stepped through it and disappeared.
The animal loving pegasus watched her friend disappear, a concerned look forming on her face in the process. "Please be careful, Discord." She said softly, and ultimately to herself.
