> Adjustment
>  by Altero
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle was at her home in Ponyville. She was still learning her duties as the newest princess in Equestira, but Princess Celestial had insisted that she take a leave of absence to be with her friends. Twilight hadn't been happy about it; she wanted to learn everything there was about being a princess. Still, she hasn't complained too loudly. She would get to see her friends again, and the new magic and responsibilities she was undertaking were grinding. It would be nice to have a short break. 

"You sure about this, Dylan?" John asked. 
"Of course I'm sure. What're you talking about," Dylan replied scornfully. 
"It just seems like a bad idea to go exploring an abandoned mine. I mean, they must've shut it down for a reason."
"He's got a point there, man," quipped George. 
"You guys are a bunch of pansies. There's nothing wrong with the mine. My pa worked in it for 20 years before they tossed everyone out on their asses."
Bryce raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, they said it was a cave in. The mine wasn't safe any more, so they abandoned it."
"That's a munch of bullshit. They want you to believe it was a cave in. My pa was there that day, and he said there weren't no cave in. Just all of a sudden everyone was shouting and hollering about something on the lower levels, and the next thing he knew, they were all out in the rain."
"Sounds like a cave in to me."
"Naw, man. You can feel cave ins, and my pa said he didn't feel nothin. Plus, a bunch of Feds came in the very next day. Trench coats and everything. Feds don't come out just to close down a mine for a cave in. They're hiding something down there."
"That's crazy, man, and you know it."
Dylan scowled at John. "Whatever man. I'm sick of you pussyfooting around. Are y'all coming with me, or not?"
The entrance to the mine leered ominously at them. The darkness contrasted sharply with the bright yellow DANGER tape stretched across the cavernous entryway. 

All in all, it had been a good day. Twilight had arrived in the morning; more than enough time to check up on the library, drop off her luggage, get Spike settled in, and check up on all of her friends. Her stay in Canterlot wasn't going to be a permanent thing, so Old Oak Library remained open for her. 
Nonetheless, her friends had been excited to see her. She'd gone to AJ's first to see how the farm mare was doing, but Rainbow Dash had seen her on the way, and before she knew it, she was in the middle of Pinkie's first Alicorn Princess Welcome Home Party wearing a brand new dress Rarity had given her and partaking in the Apple family's legendary baked goods. 
Either her friends were getting better at this, or Princess Celestial had been planning to send her back home for a week or more. 
Still, Twilight didn't complain. It was good to be back. 
It was late afternoon before she finally got back home. Home - she till thought of Old Oaks as home. Twilight gave a small smile at the thought. She let that little pleasantness roll around in her head as she climbed the stairs to her room. The library smelled nice. Old books and old wood. She loved that smell. She'd tried to replicate it with magic in Canterlot, but it didn't have the same impact. It just made her miss home a little bit more. 
Twilight shook her head. It didn't matter, now. She was back,for a while at least. Spike was asleep in his basket. The last few weeks had been as hard on him as they'd been on her, so she didn't begrudge him any sleep. She walked over to her the luggage that she'd left piled on near her bed. Not a whole lot; Twilight liked to travel light. Just a few essentials. Besides, most of her stuff was still here. Nearly everything in Canterlot had been gifts from her coronation, and everything else Twilight needed the princesses had generously offered. 
Twilight rummaged through one of her bags for a moment before pulling out a checklist. Arrive? Check. Drop off Spike/luggage? Check. Check on friends? Check. Enjoy Pinkie's first ever Alicorn Princess Welcome Home party? Check. Twilight grinned to herself. Princess Celestial and her friends weren't the only ones getting better at planning things. 
It looked like she was ahead of schedule. No need to wake up Spike yet, and she didn't want to start putting away the luggage all by herself. A good portion of it was Spike's, anyway. Just enough time for a quick bit of meditation. She quickly found her meditation pillow among the luggage and plopped it onto the floor. She settled herself comfortably on the pillow. Princess Celestia preferred contorting herself in strange ways, but that only made Twilight's joints hurt. Princess Luna had told her that it wasn't really necessary, anyway. She just folded her legs neatly under herself and closed her eyes. Slowly she started the breathing exercises that Princess Luna had taught her. Breath in, hold, breath out. Breath in, hold, breath out. She felt the awareness of her body begin to dim, her mind expanding. Eventually she was able to let go of her body completely, casting her consciousness out into the world around her. 
Twilight had never felt so free as she did when she meditated. Concepts and ideas that eluded her when she was tied down in the world came easily when she was meditating. Lunar fire, but she could think.  She could understand.  Most importantly, though, she could, quite literally, let her mind wander. 
She still remembered the first time she truly meditated. Princess Luna was there, guiding her through the steps, but instead of feeling like she was falling asleep as she normally did, she felt like she was waking up. She was so enthralled by the process that it took her several minutes to notice the presence of the night princess, or how she was laughing at Twilight. 
Luna quickly apologized, of course, and promised to make it up to her, which she did in a most spectacular fashion. After a short lesson on how to move around in her new ethereal form, she spent the remainder of the night showing her the various wonders of Equestria. Luna culminated the lesson by bringing Twilight high above the sprawling nation of ponies to where the air grew thin and cold and showed her the stars. "You can go anywhere you want to, now," the night princess told her. "The cosmos is open to you, now. Remember that."
"Princess Luna, I don't know what to say! Nobody's ever given me such a wonderful gift in my life! Thank-"
Twilight realized that where the night princess was a moment ago there was nothing but air. 
"you..."
Twilight realized that, other than that she was at the edge of her world looking out into the cosmos, she had no idea where she was. More importantly, while Luna had walked her though the process of separating the body and soul, she had never explained how to reunite them. 
It took Twilight several hours to return to her body and work her soul back into its normal resting place. When she finally managed it, she stormed through the palace, mane and coat disheveled, eyes bloodshot, aching all over,  glaring at any servant or guard who dared even look at her, only to find Princess Luna having a serene conversation with her sister over a light breakfast of fruits and cream. 
The princess of the night could give Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie a lesson or two on pranking, Twilight thought to herself bitterly. 
Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, she cut off the last connections with her body, leaving only a single chord of magic that she could follow back when she wanted to return. She double checked her mental checklist of things she had to do that afternoon, triple checked her magical life line, and made extra sure that Spike was asleep. When she was absolutely sure that everything was as it should be, Twilight gathered herself and sprang into the black depths of creation, flying deeper into the cosmos than she had ever traveled before. 

John shivered. Luckily, they'd found the power switch for the mine's lights. Even more luckily, the mine was still connected to the power grid, but the incandescent lights bolted to the ceiling and walls of the mine flickered and buzzed. Every once in a while one would give a sharp crack and fall dark. Five so far, not that John was counting. With each snap, the mine seemed to grow a little darker, the shadows a little deeper. They danced at the edges of his vision like fingers reaching out for him. Every time he jerked his head to look at them, they fell still. He pulled out his flashlight as they walked deeper into the mine and started twirling it in his hands. It wasn't dark enough to justify turning the silly thing on, but the cold steel felt good on his hands. A sudden crack split the air, making John drop his flashlight, and suddenly the mine went dark. 
"Son of a bitch!" shouted Bryce. 
"Hang on, let me get my flashlight out." Said George
John padded the ground with his hands, trying to find his own flashlight as he heard the murmur of cloth from the direction of his friends. Clicking mixed with the water dripping down the walls of the mine. The clicking became more and more frantic until it was cut off by a quiet expletive. 
"Shit."
"What's wrong?" asked Dylan, voice cracking in the darkness. 
"My batteries are dead."
"I thought you checked those before we came!"
"I did! I don't know what's wrong!"
"Crap. I can't find mine," inserted Bryce. 
"I can't believe you guys."
"Look, dude, you didn't even bring a flashlight."
"That's because I thought you guys had it."
George sighed. "What about you John? I know you brought one."
"I dropped it when the lights went out."
"... Son of a bitch."
"Look, it can't have gone far. Just help me find it and we can get out of here."
There were several murmurs of reluctant agreement. One by one, quiet thuds joined him on the floor. John and his friends patted the ground, trying to feel for the wayward flashlight and filling his nostrils with dust. They worked in relative silence, but slowly John could hear someone's breathing become more labored. He could feel his own heart beating frantically in his ribcage. Sweat started to pour down his face. This was taking too long. They should have found the silly flashlight by now. 
"What was that?!" Dylan's voice was high pitched and quavering. 
"I didn't hear anything."
"It came from over there!"
John stopped moving and silence filled the gallery. His heart was beating so fast now that he could feel his chest vibrate. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from shaking. Still silence. 
Finally George spoke up. "There's nothing there, man."
"Look, I heard it. Something's there."
"There's nothing there, Dylan."
"Yes there is! I heard it!"
"There's nothing there. Now just calm down, an-"
George was cut off by a sudden wet thump that made the walls of the mine shake. Dust fell on John's head, making him flinch. 
"George?" he called. 
Silence thickened the air. 
"George?!"
John could almost feel the shadows crawling on his flesh, caressing his cheek. He frantically began to pat the ground for his flashlight. 
"GEORGE!"
"Forget it man, I'm getting the hell out of he-" Dylan's voice cut off in a scream. 
John felt his throat catch as he frantically scraped the mine floor for any sign of his flashlight. Dylan's screams grew louder and more incoherent. He could almost feel something reaching out of the dark to grab his own leg, and between Dylan's screams he could hear something. A dry, corse laugh. Whispers. Promises of pain. Dylan's cries grew more and more violent as John searched. Finally, John's palm closed around the smooth, cold steel of his precious flashlight. 
John immediately clicked it on, and just as quickly wished he hadn't. 
George slumped against the wall, blood dripping from his mouth and nose. His chest was flattened and his ribs were sticking out of his skin at odd angles. Crimson spatter coated the wall behind him, extending out from his corpse like wings of blood. 
Dylan was being held in the air above him by a writhing mass of black tentacles that extended off into the darkness. Eyes and cheshire grins appeared along the length of the squirming mass that cradled him carefully, gently almost. Dylan struggled against them, kicking and screaming as best he could. His screams only grew more urgent when he saw what was actually holding him.  A single solid white eye split the darkness behind him and another tentacle slithered out of the darkness to caress Dylan's cheek. He tried to pull back, desperately trying to avoid the inky blackness that slowly coiled around his face and neck. The tentacle grasped him just below his mouth and slowly, gently began to turn Dylan's head. 
Dylan's screams quickly turned from screams of horror to screams of pain. The muscles on Dylan's neck popped out as he tried to resist the inexorable pull of the darkness, but the creature didn't appear to notice. It slowly forced Dylan's head to turn farther and farther around. Suddenly, there was a loud pop and Dylan fell silent. The writhing mass of tentacles dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. John could see his friends eyes still blinking, still moving. He could see Dylan's mouth gulp for air. Dylan's eyes focused on John's, and John could see his friend mouth two final words. 
Help me. 
John ran. 

Terror hit Twilight Sparkle like a ton of bricks. Pure blind terror. She couldn't even think. Her senses reeled as she tried to cope with this sudden, visceral emotion. She fought it down, getting a hold of herself. 
What was wrong?! She wasn't in any immediate danger, and she hadn't forgotten anything, had she? One moment she was examining a quaint blue world orbiting a small yellow star when a wave of unbridled terror struck her. 
It took Twilight a moment to realize that the fear wasn't hers. 
Instantly she homed in on where the fear was coming from and followed it to the source. 
What she found there chilled her to the core. 
Darkness, huge and ancient, in a cave of some sort with four sparks of life, three of which were rapidly fading. The scope and power of the darkness stunned her. It was ancient, far older than she was, and malicious to the core. She could feel the waves of sick joy come off the dark presence as it devoured what was left of the fading sparks. 
There was no way she could take that thing on. Not by herself, and there was no time to get help, but she couldn't just leave the last lifespark to the darkness' mercy. Twilight thought hard and fast. What could she do?
She felt a sudden tug on the magical thread she'd left leading back to her body and an idea sprang into her mind. 
She just hoped it would work. 

John ran as fast as he could. The flashlight jumped and wavered in his hand as he ran, and he could barely see where he was going, but he didn't care. He had to run, had to get out. He gasped and wheezed, lungs burning, but the cold pit in his stomach and the sickly white eyes on the walls kept him going. 
Tears streamed down his face. Out. He had to get out. 
He could feel it right behind him. The thing that killed George and Dylan, and probably Bryce, too. He couldn't let it get him too. He had to get out. 
His pant leg snagged on something, and John went sprawling forward. It was only through the barest of luck that he managed to keep ahold of his flashlight, but he struck his head on something hard. His world spun, but he forced himself to his feet, stumbling forward. Something streamed down his forehead and into his eye, but he forced himself to start running again. He could barely keep his feet, now. His legs burned, and the ground shifted beneath his feet. More eyes appeared, and the walls began to split and crack, revealing cheshire grins filled with pointed teeth. 
John tripped again, and this time lost all sense of direction. Desperately he pushed his back against a wall, shining his lit out in front of him, trying to look everywhere at once, to ward off the thing that lurked in the darkness with his tiny little light. 
The darkness laughed at him. 
Right in front of John, the darkness opened its milky white eye. It lacked iris or pupil, and seemed to hang there, unsupported in the darkness, as large as a man's head. It looked down at him, studying him. John gave out a whimper, and a mouth, big enough to swallow a person whole, split the darkness. It was filled with crooked, broken, teeth like grindstones. The mouth curled up in a grotesque smile. A laugh fell from the darkness' cracked lips, and dozens of claws reached for John from out of the darkness. 

Twilight wrapped herself around the strange biped on the floor, grabbed the magic thread that lead back to her body, and pulled. She dumped everything she had into her magic, desperately trying to pull the creature she was trying to save back with her. The darkness as getting closer. Twilight was sure that it could sense her too, and she was equally sure that it devour her just as eagerly as it had devoured the others. She pulled and pulled with all her might, and she felt herself stretching thin. 
The claws we getting closer. 
Just a little bit longer; she almost had it. 
The dead eye was looking right at her. 
She could do this, she could save them both. 
The darkness' mouth opened, breathing out fetid, putrid air. 
"Please let it be enough," Twilight thought. 
She could feel the claws invading her being, touching her very soul with dead, rotting flesh. 
Twilight screamed and there was a flash of light. 

A thunderclap shook Old Oak Library down to the roots, shaking Spike from his nap. He snapped upright, ears ringing. The first thing he noticed was Twilight sprawled against the wall like a great big hand had picked her up and thrown her like a doll. He jumped out of his basket and was running to help her up when he noticed that on the other side of the room, directly opposite Twilight, sat a monster. 
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike was stunned. There was a monster in the bedroom he shared with Twilight. A monster. Right there. 
Spike felt his muscles seize. He couldn't catch his breath. 
Twilight moaned, pushing herself up on shaky legs. 
It was ok, right? They'd dealt with monsters before. Discord was a monster, wasn't he? And Queen Chrysalis, too, right? They'd dealt with them without any major troubles. 
Except for that one pony who still thought she was a dog. 
And the repairs to Canterlot weren't going to be done for at least another 6 months. 
And maybe...
The monster started to shake and whistle. It was curled into a ball, huddled against the wall. It was really scary looking. It had two long, gangly legs, and two skinny arms with really long, pointy claws. The only place it had any sort of fur was on the top of it's head, and what little it did have was sandy brown. It looked at Spike with beady blue eyes over the knees it held to its chest. It was fully clothed, though. Maybe it was a civilized monster. 
If it was, it would probably eat them over tea and crumpets. 
"Spike..." Twilight called weakly. 
The clothes were ripped and dirty, though. The creature was bleeding from the knees. 
An uncivilized monster, then. 
At least Spike's prize tea sets would be safe. 
Probably. 
"Spike," Twilight called again, stronger this time. 
What was Twilight thinking, summoning a monster like this?! Who knew what this thing was capable of? It could probably wield powers beyond their feeble imaginations! It would turn them into monsters too, just like it! Spike thought of Twilight with long, gangly arms and legs, icy blue eyes, and no fur except for the last thinning remnants of her mane. 
No wonder the thing wore clothes. 
"Spike!" Twilight shouted, snapping Spike out of his reverie. 
Spike rushed over to her. "Twilight! What's going on?! There's a monster in our room! A monster, Twilight! We have to write princess Celestia! Tell her that we need her! And Luna, too! And all of the guard ponies, and, and..."
Twilight grabbed Spike's head with her hooves. He would go on like this for hours if she let him. 
"Spike, I need you to go get Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy? Are you sure..."
"Spike, go get Fluttersy. I need her."
"But, but..."
"Spike. Please. Go get Fluttershy."
She was using her princess voice again. Spike hated it when she used her princess voice. He could never say no to the princess voice. 
Spike scurried out the door. Twilight sighed, painfully pushing herself to her feet. Her horn ached, her head ached, and she felt as drained as she had been after her first duel with Trixie. More drained, even. It was a wonder she could even move at all. She mentally added "Incredible magical power" to her list of alicorn advantages. 
Carefully she approached the creature she had just saved. It huddled against the wall, arms wrapped around its knees and whimpering. Probably a defense mechanism of some sort. After what it had just been through, the poor thing was likely traumatized. She reached out to the creature only to have it shy away and whimper louder. 
Twilight sighed. Fluttershy would know what to do. In the meantime....
Spike poked his head in the room. "But..."
Twilight whipped her head around and glared at him. 
"Fluttershy. Now."

Spike arrived at Fluttersy's cabin huffing and wheezing. He paused for a moment, leaning against the doorframe and trying to catch his breath. A couple of squirrels wandered by and stopped. They watched him, their heads turning this way and that, then scampered off into the house. Spike barely noticed them. Spots were still dancing in front of his eyes. He shook his head, trying to clear them, but that only made the world spin. He felt himself start to fall, but was quickly scooped up by a pair of hooves. 
"Spike! What happened?! Slimbody and Scamper told me you were here, but they didn't mention you were in such bad shape! Did Twilight send you? Is some pony hurt?"
Spike gave himself a little shake, the world finally coming back into focus. "Code...." Spike coughed. "Code... Code six. "
Fluttershy nearly dropped Spike. 
"C-c-code six? A-are you sure?"
Spike quickly nodded. He'd finally stopped wheezing. "Yeah," he said weakly. "I saw it myself."
Fluttershy quickly set him on his feet and retreated through her front door. "Well, I hope you find Rainbow Dash or Applejack quickly. They shouldn't be too far. I saw Rainbow Dash flying around here earlier today. Okthanksbye."
Spike shoved his foot in the rapidly closing door and winced as Fluttershy tried to close it. "Come on, Fluttershy! Twilight asked for you specifically!"
"Are you sure? You must have misheard. After all, Rainbow Dash and I are both pegasi. She must have meant her, and my name just slipped out," she said, gently trying to dislodge Spike's foot from the door. 
"No, she asked for you. Multiple times." Spike leaned in, heedless of Fluttershy's attempts to remove him. "She used the princess voice."
Fluttershy froze. "The princess voice?"
Spike nodded. 
"Oh my."
"Yeah, I know. Now come on!" Spike grabbed Fluttershy's foreleg, pulling her out the door. "We've got to hurry!"
"I  don't know, Spike," Fluttershy said, digging her hooves into the ground. "I don't know how much help I can be with a code six..."
"Whoa! A code six?! Are you sure, Spike?"
Spike glared at the pegasus hovering above them. "Of course I'm sure! I saw it with my own eyes! Now help me with Fluttershy! Twilight asked for her specifically."
Rainbow dash rubbed the back of her head with a foreleg. "Uhhhh.... Are you sure, Spike? She must've been talking about me. I mean, we are both pegasi, and you know how eggheads like Twilight get things like that mixed up."
"Yes, I'm sure!" Spike huffed. "Twilight used her princess voice!"
Dash blew out a low whistle. "Her princess voice, huh? Must be pretty serious."
"That's what I've been trying to tell you two!"
"Alright, alright," Dash said, landing next to Spike. "Are you sure she didn't-"
"YES!"
"Ok, ok, little guy. No need to get all huffy," said Dash, grabbing Fluttershy's other foreleg. "Come on, Fluttershy. It's the princess voice. "
"Oh, I don't know, guys," said Fluttershy, still doing her best to dig her hooves into the ground. "It's a code six. I'm sure you'll do much better with out me."
"What's this all y'all are talkin' about?" Applejack stood at the gate, a load of fresh fruits and vegetables on her back. 
"Spike says that Twilight needs Fluttershy for a code six."
"Whoa, there. A code six? Are you sure-"
"YES! Banish me to the moon for a thousand years, yes!"
Everypony stopped and gaped at Spike. Even Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stopped their tug of war to stare at the little dragon. 
"Hehe. Oops?" Spike said, drawing circles in the dirt with his foot. 
Applejack's eyes narrowed at Spike. "When we get back to the library and get this all straightened out, me and Twi're gonna have a nice little chat about what you just said."
"Oh, come on AJ! It was just a slip of the tongue! All the guys are..."
"I'm sure she'll be very interested in what you have to say for yourself," Applejack interrupted, turning to Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had resumed trying to pull her along without much success. AJ wrapped her foreleg around Fluttershy's shoulder. "Come along now, Fluttershy. Twi needs ya. She wouldn't a asked for ya if she didn't thing you could help. Ain't that right?"
"I suppose," Fluttershy muttered, looking at the ground. With a nod from AJ, Rainbow Dash let her go. 
"'Sides, Twi's got sort of a Pinkie Sense when it comes to this magic stuff, don't she? Remember back a couple a weeks when we got our cutie marks all mixed up and she fixed us right up on the first try?"
"Yes, but that was just a spell that misfired. This is a code six."
"Aw, shucks. You've got to give Twi more credit than that. She knows what she's talking about. Plus, we're your friends. We'll protect you, won't we RD?" 
"Hm? What?" Rainbow Dash looked back, startled. Applejack gave her a subtle glare and tilted her head toward Fluttershy. 
"Oh. Yeah. Of course. We'll totally protected you, Fluttershy. No doubt about it."
"I don't know girls. It sound really dangerous. We've never had a code six before."
"Come on Fluttershy. It can't be worse than Discord was, and we took care o' him just fine. Heck, you even turned him to the good side!"
"I don't know girls," Spike cut in suddenly. "This one's pretty ugly and plenty scary. He's probably really dangerous."
Fluttershy squeaked and tried to bolt, but AJ held her tight and glared at Spike. 
"The only danger y'all are gonna be in is if you don't shut that trap o' yours."
Spike's mouth snapped shut with an audible clack, and Applejack turned back to Fluttershy. 
"Come on, Fluttershy. We need you. Twilight needs you. Can you be there for us?"
"Yeah! I mean, what happens if it's like that time where you calmed down that manticore with the thorn stuck in it's paw? Or that time where you saved us all from the dragon? That was so totally cool! I thought he was so going to come out and eat all of us, and then you come out of nowhere and show him who's boss, and..."
Fluttershy mumbled something, shaking. 
"What was that, sugar cube?"
Fluttershy was trembling and her voice wavered as she spoke. "I said ok. I'll do it. I'll come. You girls need me."
"Awww, yeah! We're totally going to kick that things but back to wherever the hay it came from!" Rainbow shouted, leaping up into the air. 
Applejack gave Fluttershy a strong squeeze. "That's very big of you, Fluttershy. I knew we could count on you."
Fluttershy gave her a weak smile. "Thanks."
"I'm all for the mushy girly stuff, but it can we move it along? It is a code six after all," Spike said impatiently. 

The group arrived at the library several minutes later, Spike rubbing the back his head and grumbling under his breath. Behind him Applejack and Rainbow were arguing over the head of an increasingly distraught Fluttershy.
"You still didn't have to go and hit him, AJ."
"He was bein' rude and inconsiderate!"
"Um, girls?" Fluttershy interjected. 
"It doesn't matter. That's no way to treat somepony. You don't hit Apple Bloom, do you?"
"Of course not! How can you even suggest that?!"
"Girls."
"We'll, it's the same thing. If you wouldn't hit Apple Bloom, you shouldn't hit Spike."
"It ain't even close to the same thing, RD. Besides, Spike's a colt. He can take it."
"Girls?"
"I can't believe you'd say that, AJ!"
"It's not like I even hit him that hard."
"Um... We're here."
Both mares stopped short, surprise written on their faces. 
"Huh. Lookit that."
"This isn't over, AJ," Rainbow said as the four of them walked inside. 
"Oh, calm down RD. You're making a fuss over nothin'. Now where's Twilight, Spike?"
Spike was already halfway up the stairs. "She's up in our room. Come on, I'll show you."
AJ and Rainbow started climbing the stairs when they noticed Fluttershy standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking intently at her hooves. Applejack cocked her hard at their friend and RD rolled her eyes. They went back down and slid alongside the paralyzed mare. Fluttershy was breathing like she'd run a mile, her eyes squeezed shut. She whimpered faintly. 
"Hey there, sugar cube. We're almost there. Don't quit on us now."
"Yeah, we've got your back. When have I ever let you down?"
"Well," replied Fluttershy quietly, "there was that one time..."
"Oh, come on! That was one time and the dude was totally smoking hot! Besides, I came back for you, didn't I?"
Fluttershy laughed softly, opening her eyes. "Yes, you did." She nuzzled Rainbow. "Thanks for always being there for me."
Rainbow blushed a little. "Yeah, no problem, Fluttershy. You know I'd never leave you hanging."
AJ smiled to herself. "You ready Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy swallowed and nodded, and the three friends slowly went up the stairs to Twilight's room. 
Twilight's voice greeted them as they went over the threshold. "What took you so long?! I sent Spike to get you almost half..."
Twilight's tirade was cut short by a bright yellow blur streaking across the room to the gangly creature huddled in the corner. She wrapped it in her forelegs and coo'd quietly into it's ear. "It's ok. It's ok," she said, stroking it's head. "I've got you. You're ok. You're ok. Nopony's going to hurt you. I've got you. You're safe now. Everything's going to be fine."
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight took a deep breath. The creature, whatever it was, seemed to be calming down now that Fluttershy was here. It had it's face buried in her mane, and it's breathing was beginning to slow down. So that was one headache solved. Still, it would have been much less of a headache if Spike had brought her friend back sooner. 

Twilight turned to her assistant. "What took you so long? I sent you to get Fluttershy almost half an hour ago!"

Spike focused very intently on his feet, scratching the wood floor intently. 

"Come on, Spike! Fluttershy's house is only seven minutes away, five minutes and twenty four seconds if you're fast. That means you should have been here fourteen minutes ago, at least! Meanwhile, I'm here trying to calm that poor creature down..."

"Um, Twi? It wasn't really his fault. I saw him runnin' as fast as his little legs could carry him. Ran right by me on the road, tryin' to get to Fluttershy's house. I don't think he even noticed me, he was runnin' so fast. By the time I got there, he an' RD were tryin' to pull poor Fluttershy out the door, talkin' about a code six. Ain't that right, RD?"

Rainbow Dash had her head cocked, staring at the creature. "Sheesh, Twi, where did you find this ugly bugger?," she said, gesturing with a hoof. "And do you always do code six experiments in your room? I mean, it's cool if you do. Kinda kinky, but..."

"Stop, stop, stop. Stop. What are these "codes" you keep talking about?"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash glanced at each other over Spike's head, then looked back at Twilight. The sound of claw gouging wood filled the air. 

"You know. The codes that you had Spike explain to us? It was pretty clever, really, making a each code stand for a different disaster."

"I never came up with any sort of code system," Twilight deadpanned. 

Applejack shuffled her hooves and Rainbow ran a hoof through her hair. They glanced at one another, then down at Spike, who had managed to gouge an impressive hole in the library floor. 

Twilight closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "Just... Will somepony just tell me what a code six is?"

"Um... I'd love to, Twi, but Fluttershy's been starin' at us mighty hard for a while now. I think she wants us to move along."

Twilight looked back over her shoulder to find a pair of blue-green eyes glaring at her from over a mat of brown hair. Twilight bowed her head and forced a grin. "Right," she said, "we'll be in the other room."

Fluttershy nodded, turning her attention back to the whimpering creature in her arms, and the other four quietly stepped out of the room, making their way to the main room of the library. Twilight glared at Spike the entire way, who did his best to be fascinated with the grain of the wood under his feet. 

When the group had finally settled around the table, Twilight spoke. 

"So... Now will somepony tell me what a code six is?"

Spike seemed to shrink under the table, and a subtle scratching sound filled the room again. Rainbow propped her forelegs up and began gently tapping them together, peppering the tabletop with dust. Applejack glanced at the other two and ran a tounge over her teeth. 

"Well?"

AJ glared at her two friends and cleared her throat. "Well... You see... It's actually kinda funny when you think about it..."

"Just spit it out, AJ."

AJ winced. She took off her hat and set it on the table. "It's uh... Well... I guess there's no nice way of sayin' this..." She pursed her lips. "A code six is for when you summon an eldritch abomination from beyond time and space and we hafta banish it back to the nether worlds from whence it came before it came before it devours the moon, quenches the sun, and claims Equestira as it's own dark realm."

Applejack's shoes scraped loudly against the floor as she shifted on her feet. A small breeze blew against the tree, rustling the branches. Fluttershy's voice drifted serenely down the stairs.

"That's right. You're going to be just fine..."

Three pairs of eyes fixed themselves on Twilight. 

"WHAT."
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike hunched over, trying to make himself smaller. He scraped the claw on his big toe back and forth, drawing a long gouge in the floor.  
Twilight slowly turned toward the dragon. Her ears were pinned back and her lips pressed into a thin line. "Spike," she said quietly. 
"Yes, Twilight?"
"Care to explain yourself?"
Spike squirmed in place. Applejack was carefully looking anywhere but at her two friends, and Rainbow Dash had developed a sudden fascination in the grain on the tabletop. 
"... I love you, Twilight."
"Oh, no you don't!" Twilight slammed a hoof down on the table. "You're not getting out of this that easily, mister! You write up a disaster code that makes me look bad, pass it off as mine, then go behind my back and tell all my friends about it?! I don't think so! You are GROUNDED!"
"But Twilight!"
"No buts! No friends, no helping Rarity, no gemstones after dinner, no nothing! Now go up to your basket and think about what you've done!"
Rainbow glanced over at her friend. "Um, Twilight? Fluttershy and that thing..."
"The guest room, then! I don't care! Just go!"
Spike stormed off, tears in his eyes, and disappeared down the hall. Just as he rounded the corner Twilight called out, "And no more books by H.P. Lovecraft, either!"
SLAM. 
Twilight kneaded her forehead with a hoof. "I swear, that little dragon..." She sighed and shook her head. 
"Shucks, Twi, it's not as bad as y'all are making it out to be."
"Yeah, Twilight. You didn't have to be so hard on the little guy. I mean, it's not like ALL of the codes are about you."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yeah! I mean, there's that one about Discord turning evil again, or the one where Nightmare Moon returns."
"Really?" Twilight deadpanned. 
"Oh, yeah. There was that one about Princess Celestia turning into the Sun Tyrant, too. That one was pretty awesome. Or about somepony getting her hooves on the Alicorn Amulet, or the one..."
Twilight waved her hoof , cutting Rainbow off. "Ok, ok, I get it." Twilight sighed. "So how many of them were about me?"
Rainbow shrugged and looked over at AJ, who looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I dunno, Twi. Let me think. Something like a third of 'em? There were a couple, but it's not like it was ALL of 'em."
Twilight snorted. "A third, huh? I'm not sure if I should be flattered there are so many or disappointed there aren't more."
"Oh, come on, Twi. Don't be like that. Everypony had at least a couple, an' you bein so magical an' all just got you a few extras. Why, RD has more than half a dozen about her crashing and getting hurt or picking fights with dragons..."
"Hey!"
"I've got some about the farm gettin' flooded or Winnona runnin' off. Heck, there was even one about Fluttershy getting lost in the Everfree forest."
Twilight smirked. "The little guy certainly covered his bases, didn't he?"
"That he did. It was all so thorough that of course we thought it was yours," Applejack said. "An' it's really helpful, too. When Spike told us what was goin' on at Fluttershy's cottage, we knew exactly what we were up against."
"All except for the fact that the code had nothing to do with what was actually happening."
"That don't mean the whole idea was bad, just that he got a little excited in the heat of the moment. He put a lot of effort into makin' this system so we could communicate right quick in case of a disaster, and now you're getting all mad at him for it."
"All right, all right. I'll talk to him about it after we get this whole thing with that... Whatever it is up there gets sorted out."
"Speaking of which..." Rainbow slid closer to Twilight and nudged her with an elbow and winked. "I should have figured you were into crazy creatures like this, Twi."
Twilight shook her head. "What are you talking about?"
"No need to hide it from us, Twi. Everyone needs a little lovin' now and then, even eggheads like you."
Twilit gaped at her friend. "What?! No! Thats disgusting! How can you even...? No, just no, Rainbow!"
"It's all right," Rainbow said grinning, wrapping her foreleg around Twilight's shoulders. "We've always known you were a little strange. No shame in letting it out."
Twilit shoved the pegasus away. "Ew! Ew, ew, ew!"
Rainbow laughed, watching her friend's face turn bright red.
"Come on, Applejack! Help me out, here! You two can't seriously think that I... That I would..."
Applejack laughed halfheartedly. 
"Not you too!"
"Well, Twi, you do always have your nose in a book, and as long as you've been here I ain't never seen you ask a stallion out..."
"I've been busy!"
Rainbow chortled. "Sure you have."
Twilight glared at her friends. "I'll have you know that I saved that poor creature's life. I did NOT," she said, stomping on the ground, "summon it here to fulfill my carnal needs. Besides, I'm just as interested in stallions as you two are."
"Sure you are," giggled Rainbow.
"Rainbow..." Twilight said, her ears flat against her head and her eyes narrow.
"Ok, ok. I'll shut up. Seriously, though, how did that thing get here?"
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight let out a loud sigh and rubbed her forehead. How was she going to explain? What she did while she was meditating was kind of an alicorn thing, and she didn't think her friends would really get it.
"Well," she said, dropping her hoof to the table. "I guess the simplest way to say it is that I was upstairs practicing something Luna taught me. Its a spell that lets me see other places without actually having to go there."
"Woah! Is it like that one Mantis guy that Daring Do goes up against? The one that can read your mind and do, like, astral projections and stuff because he's psychotic?"
"It's a bit more complicated, Rainbow, but, yeah. Something like that. And I think you mean 'psychic,' not 'psychotic. Anyway, I was using this spell upstairs in my room to look at other planets, other worlds like ours, and then out of nowhere I get hit with this wave of panic. As soon as I got ahold of myself, I followed it back to it's source. When I got there I found this huge... Monstrosity. This horrible, evil creature. Worse than anything we've gone up against. Worse than Nightmare Moon, worse than Sombra..."
"Don't tell me that's the thing that Fluttershy's tryin' to calm down, Twi."
"What? No! Of course not! That creature up there is what it was trying to eat. I couldn't just let it die like that, so I did the only thing I could think of. I pulled it back here."
Applejack cocked her eyebrow at Twilight. "Y'all did what now?"
"I couldn't just leave him there! He was in danger."
Applejack shook her head and closed her eyes. "Ok, I don't pretend to understand your magical hocus pocus, but what in Celestia's name made you think it was a good idea to bring him back here?"
"Because I couldn't just live him to the mercy of that... Monstrosity." Twilight shuddered. "Do you remember King Sombra?"
"Of course I do. How could I forget?"
"Do you remember the rage? The fear? The power?" AJ nodded. "Well, the thing that was going to... Going to eat him was kind of like Sombra, but it was worse. It was older. Maybe even more powerful. It had killed three other ones like the one I saved by the time I got there. Killed them for the fun of it. Just to smell their terror. It ate their souls."
Applejack reached out and slipped a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders and pulled her close. The earthy smell that always hung around the mare filled Twilight's nostrils as she leaned against her friend. "I couldn't just leave him there. Nopony deserves that."
"It's ok, Twi. I don't know if you did the right thing, but I reckon I'd have done the same if I was in your place."
Twilight laughed. "Thanks AJ. That means a lot."
"Well, I reckon that the only thing we can do now is wait. Hopefully Fluttershy won't be too much longer. I don't like leaving her alone with that thing."
"Yeah, where is Fluttershy? Shouldn't she be done by now?"
Twilight chuckled. "I think you're asking a little  much of her, Rainbow. That poor creature must be pretty traumatized. Let me go put on some tea. Hopefully she'll be done by then."
Twilight pushed herself to her feet and slowly walked into the kitchen. Her back hurt from where she it the wall, and her horn was starting to throb from exerting herself so much. She'd have to ask Fluttershy for something before she left. 
AJ watched her go and shook her head before looking down at her hooves. Rainbow glanced over and cocked her head. "What's up, AJ? You look worried."
"I don't know, RD," she replied, looking up the stairs at Twilight's room. "I just can't shake the feeling that this new creature is bad news."
"Come on, AJ. It'll be fine. You said it yourself. Twilight's got a Pinkie Sense about these kind of things."
Applejack smirked. "I suppose you're right. Besides, it ain't like we haven't dealt with some strange stuff before, right?"
Rainbow playfully punched her friend in the shoulder. "You know it, cowgirl. There ain't nothing we can't handle. Especially when you've got someone as awesome as me on your side."
Applejack grinned and rolled her eyes. "Woah, there little missy. Your back's gonna wear out from all that patting your giving yourself."
"Whatever. You know it's true."
"Heh. I reckon I do."
A quiet creek from upstairs made both mares' heads whip around. Fluttershy was closing the door to Twilight's room. Her mane was messy, and the fur on her neck was matted and wet. Her hooves had blood on them, and her wings were ruffled. She made her way carefully down the stairs and over to the table where she let out a loud sigh.

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy sat at the table, eyes vacant and unfocused. Applejack and Rainbow Dash waited for her to say something, stealing glances at one another. They could hear Twilight shuffling around in the kitchen preparing the tea as they waited. Finally Rainbow said, "Hey, Flutters. How'd it go?"

Fluttershy gave a small 'eep' and jumped back, landing on her rump, pressing a hoof to her chest. Rainbow jumped over to help her up. 

"I'm so sorry, Flutters! I didn't mean to scare you. I use wanted to know how it went up there with that... Thingy."

"Oh, it's fine, Rainbow. To be honest, I didn't even notice you two sitting here. I'm sorry. I should have been more observant," she said as Rainbow helped her up. "I'm just so tired from dealing with John..."

"Whoa, there. The thing has a name now?"

"Oh, yes. Of course it has a name. I mean, it would be kind of strange not to have a name, wouldn't it?" Suddenly she gasped. 
"Oh, no, Rainbow! I got blood all over your beautiful coat! I'm so sorry!"

"Aw, come on Flutters. It's nothing. You know me. I've had way more blood than this on me. Some of the time it wasn't even mine," she winked.

"That doesn't make it ok. You're all messy now."

"Don't worry about it, Flutters. Besides, you look way worse than I do."

Fluttershy looked down at herself as if for the first time and gasped. "Oh, no! I just... I just got so caught up in dealing with John that I didn't even notice... And now I've tracked blood all over the library! Twilight's going to be so angry with me..."

"Hold on there, sugar cube. I'm sure that Twilight will understand. Still, you should probably go and wash up. You'll feel better once you're all clean. Twilight's still making tea, so we've still got a minute before she's done."

Fluttershy squirmed in place. "Are you sure Twilight won't mind if I use her bathroom?"

Rainbow let out a laugh. "Of course we're sure, Flutters. You worry too much. Come on, let's go get you cleaned up," Rainbow said, grabbing Fluttershy's hoof. 

"Ok," Fluttershy said meekly. "If you're sure she won't mind."

With that the two of them went off towards the bathroom. Fluttershy insisted on flying most of the way, muttering something about not wanting to get any more blood on the floor. 

Applejack chuckled quietly and shook her head. The two were as different as night and day, but they were closer than peas in a pod. Turning back to the table, she began humming a happy little tune under her breath. Music was one of the few things that made the long days at the farm to by quicker. Gradually, the tune tapered off, and Applejack found her gaze drawn to the top of the stairs and the door there. 

She pondered as the pleasant clamor of Twilight in the kitchen and the rush of water from the bathroom echoed in her ears. John. What a strange name. But a strange name for a strange creature, and there weren't many creatures stranger than whatever was lurking up in Twilight's bedroom. Where had it come from? What was it like? Fluttershy seemed to be fine with it, but then again Fluttershy kept company with bears and stared down cockatrices. Strange creatures didn't really phase Fluttershy as long as they weren't dragons, so it was little wonder that Fluttershy seemed to be getting along with this one. 
That's why Twilight had called her, after all. 

Even so, the strange new creature called John unsettled Applejack. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but something about it just made her uneasy. She shook her head and tapped a hoof on the ground. There would be plenty of time for this new creature later. For now he just looked like some sort of monkey. 

Twilight walking in with a tray levitating in front of her snapped Applejack out of her reverie. "Where'd Rainbow go?" Twilight asked when she saw Applejack sitting alone at the table. 

"She took Fluttershy to the restroom to help her get cleaned up. You don't mind, do you? Fluttershy was a little worried that you might not want her to use your restroom."

"Oh, of course not! What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't let her use my bathroom? Especially after I asked for her help." Twilight shook her head as she set the tray down on the table. Before the metal hit the wood, the plates, cups and spoons all took off as if on their own accord, each surrounded by a faint purple haze. The china and utensils danced in the air, spinning around each other before each one came to rest, arranged neatly and precisely on the table. Applejack watched in jealous fascination and gave out a low whistle. 

"Are you sure you can't teach me a thing or two, Twi?" Applejack said with a wink. 

Twilight stuck her tongue out at her friend. "You know that's not how magic works, AJ. Besides, you've got special talents because of your heritage that are just as valuable."

Applejack gave a little snort and grinned a little. "Like how I can work for three days on no sleep, and the rest of y'all get tuckered out before lunch time?"

Twilight blushed a little. It hadn't even taken her until lunchtime the last time that she'd gone over to help Applejack harvest her orchards. "Yes, like that."

"Heh. I know, Twi. I was just teasing you. Still," she said, nudging her friend, "it would be nice to be able to set the table as quick as you do."

Twilight chuckled as she scooped up the tea kettle in her hooves and began to pour the steaming tea into each cup. 

Applejack cocked an eyebrow as she watched her friend pour the tea. "So how come you always pour the tea with your hooves like an earth pony instead of with your magic? Seems like it would be a lot more convenient the other way."

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. It's just the way that Princess Celestia taught me to do it."

Applejack took her cup in her hooves and took a long, deep sniff. Perfect, as always. There were only a couple of ponies that Applejack of who could make a better cup of tea. Merriweather, the retired guard pony who'd opened up a coffee shop, and Rarity were the only ones who came to mind. 

"What's this? Princess Twilight Sparkle doesn't know something?" Applejack took a sip. She still preferred Twilight's tea to Rarity's, though. 

"Oh, hardy har har," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "No, I don't know everything. " She set the kettle down on the tray and took her own cup between her hooves. "It was something I never really payed attention to. I really enjoyed having tea with Princess Celestia, but I always had so many other questions. It never really seemed important." She closed her eyes and took along, slow sip, savoring the memories as much as the tea itself. She swallowed and let out a peculiar sigh and laughed. "To be honest, she always was a little disappointed in my tea brewing skills."
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack nearly choked on her tea. "What, now? How could the princess be disappointed in your tea? This is darned near the best tea I've ever had."

Twilight smirked. "Maybe I should say she was dissapointed with how casually I treated it. I never cared much for the ceremony, and she always said it came through in the taste."

Applejack shook her head and took another sip. "Well, I don't know what she's going on about. You brew some of the best tea in town, and that's saying something."

"You're finally done with the tea? Took you long enough, Twilight." A gust of air ruffled their manes as Rainbow flew over them. She hovered for a moment, rattling the dishes before settling into her spot. "Come on, Flutters. It's going to get cold." She reached over and grabbed several sugar cubes, dropping them into her tea. 

A muffled voice came from the bathroom and a moment later Fluttershy followed. Her hooves were damp, but the blood was gone and her mane had been hastily brushed. She made her way over to the table and sat next to Twilight. "I hope you don't mind me using your bathroom, Twilight."

"Not at all, Fluttershy. Especially not after I asked you to come help out with... That creature upstairs." 

"John. His name is John," Fluttershy murmured, raising the teacup to her lips. 

"Oh. So, how did it go? With John, I mean."

A small sigh escaped Fluttershy's lips as she set her tea down. "It was hard. I've seen this kind of thing before when an animal escapes a big predator like a manticore, but never this bad. It took me a while to get him to calm down to the point where I could take care of his injuries. He wasn't seriously injured, but he had a lot of cuts, and I think he might have a concussion. I used the first aid kit you had in your bathroom upstairs, Twilight. I'll be sure to buy you a new one. No, no. I insist. I had to use nearly all your gauze and bandages. He's sleeping now, though, which is probably for the best. I put him in your bed. I hope that's all right. There was just no place else to put him, and your bed was barely big enough as it is. I can move him if you want..."

Twilight waved her hoof. "No, that's just fine. We don't want to traumatize... Him more than we have to. I'll just sleep on the couch or something."

"Oh, thank your Twilight. That's a big relief. I'd like to come back, though, and keep an eye on him. The poor dear's been through quite a lot, and I want to keep him under observation. If that's all right with you, that is."

"Of course. Don't hesitate to tell me if you need something."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to be a burden. Besides, I have all my own supplies on hoof."

"All right," Twilight said, dissatisfied. 

"So is he going to be all right?" Rainbow asked. 

Fluttershy shook her head. "I don't know yet. He's not hurt very badly, but he has obvious mental trauma. He kept talking about what happened to him. He wasn't very coherent, but from what little I could piece together he and his friends were going to explore a mine of some sort? I think they were looking for somepony's father or something. After that, he started talking about how the dark came alive and started killing his friends, and how he ran, but he couldn't find his way out..." Fluttershy blinked and shook her head, taking another sip of tea. "I don't know how much of it's real, though. When animals, or ponies I guess, go through something trqumatic they'll forget things, or make up memories to make sense of what happened to them. Maybe one day he'll be able to come to terms with what he went through, but for now..."

Twilight looked at Rainbow and Applejack before cutting in. "Actually, Fluttershy, he's not delusional. That really happened. I saw it. That's why I brought him here. To save him."

Fluttershy glanced at her friend, disbelieving. As she studied Twilight's face, her eyes went wide, and her hooves began to shake. All at once she dropped her teacup, which shattered and spilled all over the table, and jumped to her feet. She ran to the stairs, only to have Twilight wrap a foreleg around her neck.

"Fluttershy, stop. You've done everything you can."

"But what he went through-"

"Stop. He's sleeping. You can't do anything else for him right now."

"But-"

"No buts. After what he went through, sleep is the best thing for him right now, and you need some rest too."

Fluttershy pranced from hoof to hoof, looking between the door to Twilight's room and her friend again and again. Finally she subsided and said, "I guess you're right."

Twilight smiled. "Sometimes your heart is too big for your own good, you know that?" She pulled Fluttershy into a hug. When she let go Twilight said, "Now you just give me a list of all the things you need from your house. Rainbow and AJ will go get it for you."

"Oh, no. I couldn't do that. I can get it myself, no trouble. I'll be back before you know it."

"Fluttershy," Twilight said sternly, "You are not going anywhere until you've had a few minutes rest. Besides, you have a patient upstairs who needs you. AJ and Rainbow will be more than happy to go get your things. Won't you, girls?"

Both mares quickly nodded. "Aw, yeah. We'll be there and back in like, ten seconds flat. No problem."

Fluttershy shifted her weight from hoof to hoof. "No, it'll be fine. I wouldn't want to be a burden on you girls."

Rainbow and AJ both started to protest, but Twilight put her hoof on Fluttershy's cheek and looked into her eyes. "Fluttershy, do you trust your friends?"

"We'll, yes, but..."

"Do you think they won't get everything you ask them to?"

"No..."

"Then let them show you the kindness that you show us all the time. Let them help you."

"But I can do it just fine, and I wouldn't want to be a bother..."

"Don't you worry, sugar cube. It ain't no trouble at all."

"Yeah. Like I said, we'll be back in ten seconds flat."

"That's assumin' RD can keep up, of course."

"Is that a challenge, farm girl?"

"You bet your pretty little feathers it is."

"Humph. It isn't a race if there isn't a prize of some sort."

"You got somethin' in mind?"

"Oh, yeah. The looser has to set up the winner with a hot date and pays for dinner."

AJ grinned and narrowed her eyes. "I think I got a better idea. It's gettin' pretty close to applebucking season. I don't think I'll be able to take a weekend off to show a stallion a proper good time." She glanced at Twilight. "How 'bout the looser sets Twilight up, and pays for the dinner."

"Hey, wait a second! You two leave me out of this!"

Rainbow looked over at Twilight and smirked. "You're on, farm girl." With that she spat on her forehoof and stuck it out in front of her. AJ smiled and did the same, knocking hers into Rainbow's, sealing the deal. In an instant both mares were out the door and galloping down the road. 

Twilight rushed to the door after them and shouted, "Get back here! I didn't even give you the list yet!"