Chapters Harmony Side Effects by TrollestiaSubject
Send A Heartbeat To:
Applejack was back in the old farmhouse when she saw it coming.
She saw it walking through the door, and she just knew, at that precise moment.
The furniture was old and brittle, and the sound that Applejack's body was doing while it was being crushed against it, would have been enough to alert anypony of what was going on there, if there had been anypony around to hear something.
“To be honest, I never thought it was goin’ to be like this.” She said through the beating of her life. Acknowledging that her time had come.
The old and abandoned house on Sweet Apple Acres was the only witness. It was mess, and it wasn't fast. Applejack had fought back trying to not make it easy.
But it was.
"Hey, Apple Bloom! Are you alright?" Babs yelled after her cousin as they left the rundown building.
“Yes! Yes! I just... No!” Apple Bloom said nearly hyperventilating, before coughing a couple of times, clinging to the banisters of the veranda just outside of the house, gasping for air. Babs knew she was trying to conceal her crying.
“You didn’t have to come. Somepony else could investigate this case, I could identify the body, I...-”
“I was her only family!” Apple Bloom interrupted with anger, at the verge of tears.
"Hey... You know that's not true,” Babs answered, shocked, but comprehensively.
“It’s not the same, I... You know what I meant...” Apple Bloom claimed, not being able to hold her tears anymore.
“Yes, I know, I know.” A seed cutie marked, grown up Babs said, passing a foreleg over her cousin’s neck.
“My sister fought against Nightmare Moon, from the very beginning. She told me once that she knew she was going to end like this, but she told me it was going to be on a battlefield. Why here of all places? Somepony was obviously targeting her. I have to find out!” A crying but furious Apple Bloom said.
“We have, partner. We have. This is our case.” Detective Babs Seed of the royal guard said to her cousin while hugging her tightly to alleviate her sadness, while looked at the withered and charred trees on the fields of the old Sweet Apple Acres, long abandoned, behind her.
Pinkie’s diary, Hooftober 12, 1985.
I saw a pie this afternoon, a 1/8 cut on it, the inner stuffing seemed juicy and delicious.
This city's glad to have me. I've seen its true hooves. The ponies held extended parties in secret, and the parties are full of friendship.
And when the unfriendly finally join the party, the accumulated joy of all their friendship and magic will foam up around their flanks, and all the desolated and bitter ponies will look up and shout “save us!”... And I'll look down, and whisper “neigh.”
They all had an opportunity, they could be like those nice ponies that believe in the magic of friendship. Now all Equestria is at the edge of Tartarus, and suddenly all those misleading, rude, and bitter ponies suddenly have a lot to say.
Tonight, another apple has fallen from the tree. Apple Bloom grew up to be skilled at fixing things, solving stuff. She makes a good detective, but she doesn’t understand magic as I do, nopony does, Not because she’s an earth pony, I’m one too, But she was still young way back before Discord’s death, before magic became unstable, before it was forbidden. I’m an earth pony, but I was the element of laughter, I know its secrets, the magic of it, and friendship. I can appear in places she can’t reach, and I know things about her sister that even she didn’t know.
Tonight, Apple Bloom is the last one, Big Macintosh died during Luna’s rebellion. Granny smith died saving Apple Bloom. If Applejack where here I know she would ask me to keep Apple Bloom safe, nopony else can.
It seemed to be personal, but the house in Sweet Apple Acres tells me otherwise, it was messy, but planned, methodical... boring. I just needed a quick look before knowing it was a fake, It wasn’t for hate, maybe Luna’s doing. Taking out one of Celestia’s generals and a former element of harmony doesn't sounds like a bad thing for her. But who could have done it? Derpy?! Impossible!! Especially not after Applejack took her right eye. Luna couldn’t have used magic either, not without being detected by her sister.
Celestia’s generals are always a blank, then why was she here alone? If it were some familiar grudge, then Apple Bloom would have been a much easier target, somepony that can fake a fight against Applejack doesn’t need to go after the strongest target first. What if all this is a decoy for something bigger? Maybe something related to the unbalance of magic, or maybe to the elements of harmony, and she was trying to solve it alone... or run away from it.
If that’s the case, I know the ponies who will be next.
“And then it was me all alone, right? I was flying up to mach 4, almost 5! Trying to not splatter my face all over one of those mountains, while Soarin had two changelings on each wing, we could never capture their Queen, but for Celestia that we tried” An enthusiastic Spitfire, with a shawl over her shoulders and some white streaks in her mane, was narrating to a smiling Rainbow Dash seated in front of her. The candled lit wooden room was full of pictures and posters of The Wonderbolts on the walls.
“Yeah, I remember that! I’ll never understand why you were never able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom, you’ve always been more skilled at flying than me!” Rainbow said, revolving a mug, with some dark and hot beverage between her hooves.
“Nah, we both know that's a lie, I'm not feeling like taking the dare of reaching even mach speed now, and you were always better at fighting. Too bad The Wonderbolts were dissolved as an acrobatic team. We never were too good at fighting.” The old Spitfire said, lowering the spirit of the conversation before a deep breath.
“Well, what's the fun of being captain of a team where everypony...” Rainbow Dash simply couldn't finish her line with the words “passed away.”
“Yes, I know, it’s not so fun being only you and me now.” Spitfire said lifting herself up from her seat, to walk around, looking at the pictures, “I knew something was wrong with the team the moment I noticed everypony was a bit old, or too young. Nopony admires an acrobatic team when war strikes, I guess.”
“No? I did!” Rainbow Dash replied trying to get up the mood of the conversation again.
“Oh, you were so good as captain! You could still...” Spitfire retorted in a hopeful tone of voice.
“But we know I’m a fracture in the magic!" Rainbow Dash replied, saddening herself. "It's ok actually, I don’t wanna make out a black hole instead of a Rainboom Explosion you know. So I guess... it’s ok. Wow, it’s late, I should leave now.” Rainbow Dash said after checking out an imaginary clock on her left forefoot, leaving her mug on a little table in the center of the room.
“You know that decree is lame, you could never do that! You were a better Wonderbolt than I ever was!” Spitfire said accompanying Rainbow Dash with the light of a candle to the door of a wooden made house.
“We both know that’s a lie, but thanks for the compliment. It’s not like I can’t return home flying anyways... I mean, At least the princess let me keep my wings. Well, not that they are that great... ahh, sorry.I didn’t-” Dash babbled worriedly before going out through the door.
“I know what you mean. Don’t worry!” Spitfire cut in, with a small empathetic smile on her face.
“See you another day for more chit chat, ok? And sorry.” Said Rainbow Dash, a bit troubled by her words, outside of the apartment, in a desolated row, somewhere in the old part of Canterlot.
“Sure. If that’s what you want, I don't mind it at all. It’s freezing outside, take my shawl, don’t catch a cold flying at this hour.” Spitfire said, taking out her shawl to accommodate it around Rainbow Dash’s neck, revealing a damaged left wing, with half of the bones it should have, and barely with some feathers on it.
“You take care too, Spitfire.” Were Rainbow Dash’ last words before she lowered her transparent goggles from atop her head, and more from memory than good sight, she left to fly into the dark.
Many pegasi were flying that night, but only guards as usual. Luckily they all knew her very well, so she didn’t have to identify herself to any rookie up there. For a few of those guards she had been an inspiration to enroll the royal guard, but for most of them she was only memorable by her unusual mane and because she had, for some reason, authority to bypass curfew.
The flight back to her house in Cloudsdale didn’t have any problem at all, just another boring night in the heart of the kingdom. Until she arrived at her own house, something was particular that night, a faint noise was coming from inside.
Pegasi are light, so they don't have any trouble hiding the sound of their hoofsteps, and the house was made up of clouds, so that wasn’t going to be a problem at all, but her old habits made Rainbow Dash sneak with caution anyway. Used to what she had learned during her active service being a spy for the kingdom, and hunting down changeling and other dangerous creatures. She exercised those old sneaking skills, and felt for the first occasion in a long time, those thrills of her long past adventurous days.
She had the hope that any pegasus in there could mean some trouble. Something to spice her night, her week, or what seemed to feel like her whole life, but what kind of intruder could be humming a song? She only could think of certain yellow pegasus, an old and dear friend of her, paying a visit to say hi after all these years. She was thinking of surprising of whoever her guest was going to be, but she ended up the one that was surprised.
“Hello Dashie!!” Pinkie Pie said, after falling all over Rainbow Dash, rolling through the floor of the entrance hall, totally surprising her in the first of many instances of the fancy house made out of clouds.
“PINKIE!! were you the pony making that noise?!” Dash shouted, demanding an explanation.
“It was me, I got bored waiting for you and I started to sing. I hope you don’t mind.” Pinkie cheerly said, with her nose over Dashie's.
“And what?! Now you expect me to sing with you??!” Rainbow Dash retorted, pushing Pinkie Pie down from her.
“Nah, too much magic, silly. Somepony could feel it and come to arrest us!” Pinkie said, lifting Rainbow Dash from a shoulder to take her neck along her shawl in a wrestling lock fashion, and messing her mane with a hoof for a second.
“Ah! So that’s how you’re holding yourself on the cloud, hum. The magic of singing?” Rainbow Dash reasoned. “But how did you come up here in the first place?” Confused she asked, worried of finding out a whole party crew in her own house.
“Magic, silly. The fifth wall can send you anywhere you want.” Pinkie said throwing her face with a big smile at Rainbow Dash again, before heading at the doorless kitchen room .
“Aha, sure... The fifth wall, Whatever. I’m not letting you have a party here, you know it!” Rainbow reassured her, just to be sure it was clear for her somehow even more crazed old friend, while settling her goggles on top of her head, and the shawl around her neck in a scarf way again.
“Don’t worry poopie, pushie, Dashie! In fact I’m here for a very serious matter. I want you to look at something.” Pinkie Pie said leaving aside her cheery tone, and throwing Applejack’s hat at the Kitchen’s table from where Pinkie Pie had taken a slice of a Rainbow frosted cake.
“Hey, What is this? Looks like Applejack’s hat!” Rainbow Dash said wearing the hat over her inseparable wonderbolt goggles, and somehow striking a pose to look like Applejack. “Hey! But what’s this. Pie filling, or...”
“Yeah, pony pie filling.” Pinkie said before sighing deeply and Rainbow Dash threw scared the hat back to the table.
“Then that’s...? Applejack! how...? Is she..?”
“Yes, by somepony, or something. At the old house of Sweet Apple Acres, Without a weapon, or magic.”
“Wait! No, that can’t be possible. This is Applejack we are talking about!!” A startled Rainbow Dash said without taking away her sight from the hat on the table. Meanwhile Pinkie was hiding the rest of the cake in that place where only Pinkie knows, but she takes things off.
“The scene was a mess, but it was obviously an aimed attack, you just don’t trip over a general of Celestia and trot away. One of us died tonight, and somepony knows why.” Pinkie said while walking out of the kitchen from a different room. Like checking out the house that she used to know. The living room was now some kind of museum, very similar to Spitfire's one, but almost neglected. With old posters about The Wonderbolts on the cloud walls.
Rainbow Dash’s Wonderbolt suit was in a dusting crystal case, and many photographic frames were on ledges. Rainbow Dash in her deared uniform posing along with so many ponies that even Pinkie Pie didn't recognize all of those ponies. One picture in particular between all those caught her sight, one of the old six friends when they were young.
“I remember this picture.” Pinkie said. “The first Twilight send to the princess. I still having this one too in my diary! Those were the days” Yearning, Pinkie chipped the better she could. But something on that line betrayed her throat, preventing it from sound like a totally happy comment.
“Are you sure it was Applejack? I heard she was doing something big for Celestia. Maybe it was Nightmare moon’s doing, or a fake death for political reasons.” Rainbow Dash opined trotting from the kitchen room, ignoring Pinkie’s comment, still shocked at Applejack’s death.
“Or maybe somepony's picking off former elements of harmony. In any case Apple Bloom is investigating, and if she get’s herself into anything dangerous, we must protect her. That’s the only thing Applejack would ask of us, don’t you agree?” Pinkie retorted almost in an angry way.
“Apple Bloom got involved too!? I don’t know, all this sounds like some kind of deceit. What could we do? Besides that’s Apple Bloom job now! She’s a detective!! And she could arrest us if we take this in our hooves.” Rainbow Dash said as pretext. With what Pinkie could have thought is fear, in any other pony but Rainbow Dash.
“You mean she should, but don’t worry, I’ll teach you ‘Everything.’ about how to be a fugitive! And facade or not, we should... we must do something. We were able of deal with dangerous things all the time way before the war between princesses, or the disbalance of magic. Imagine what we could do now! You could learn how to use the fifth wall and we...-” Pinkie retorted, starting to get carried away in her train of thought.
“The magic is forbidden Pinkie, and for a good reason!” Dash interrupted with certain anger in her voice.
“The magic is forbidden and for a good reason. Don’t you have anything better to say? From all ponies I was expecting you to be the one helping me. Applejack was general from the very beginning, and she made a lot of enemies during all these years... And, how is your friend, Spitfire? You keep visiting her?”
“Spitfire?! What does she...?” Startled, Rainbow dash replied.
“They both went to the Lunar Republic to overthrow Luna when the diplomatic talks failed, and what Spitfire said of her when they came back, wasn't kind at all”
“Pinkie, I don’t like what you’re implying here!” Dash retorted.
“Implying nothing, Just an observation. You talk more with her now than with any of us. I was just wondering where your loyalty went. In any case, consider yourself warned. I must leave now, I have parties to attend.” Pinkie answered, starting her way to the front door.
“Yes, you and your parties, that’s not helping to regain the balance of magic, you know?” Rainbow warned lightheartedly.
“What you’re doing here's isn’t helping either, Dashie. I better leave now.” A disappointed Pinkie Pie said before keep on her way out of the, somehow, artificial mansion.
“Do you need any help? To pass the guards or something?” Rainbow Dash said, like trying to make up for her old friend, or maybe worried of anypony seeing Pinkie going out of her house.
“Pass some guards isn’t a problem at all, I can even walk on clouds now, you see. The magic of laughter.” Pinkie clarified, turning to show a warm smile to her friend, that could have been a big cheerful expression if the matter that had send her there had been different.
“I don’t have many reasons to laugh right now...” Dash retorted.
“With the magic in this state? Even I can pull out this with what I have. Remember the pranks we got planned here long ago? Makes me happy enough.” Pinkie confessed, even when in her memories this was more a home, and less a gallery about gone ponies.
“Oh, uh. Yes! Those were good pranks, Pinkie. Good pranks, what happened with them?” Rainbow asked, finding some joy in her memories.
“You quit doing them.” Pinkie said before leaving for a window right next to the front door.
Rainbow Dash returned to find Applejack’s hat alone in the kitchen’s table. Leaving it there, she went to her gallery where she took seat in the throne of her memories, and stood there; watching at the shadows of the kitchens for a long time. At what Pinkie had left behind, next to her, and her dusting memories.
“Applejack? Dead?!!” The startled Princess Twilight exclaimed.
“Assassinated.” Corrected Pinkie.
“But how? In her old house?! Who could do something like that?!!” Twilight hefted with more doubt in her voice than grief, and without stop magically writing something on a scroll in her desk full of books, other enrolled scrolls, and used candles unlighted because the morning daylight from the big open window behind her, was good enough to light the big rock room with wooden reinforced gates at the bottom.
“Aren’t you supposed to be the smartest Alicorn alive? You tell me.” Pinkie Pie retorted as she rounded the desk to be near of her old friend.
“I never said such thing. That’s... just a rumor... Listen, maybe it was a political killing, The Lunar Republic perhaps? Maybe it was a fake death, maybe she’s not even death...” Twilight explained in a reflexive state, stopping her writing for a moment to see Pinkie directly at the eyes.
“Dashie thought the same, I don’t believe it, Apple Bloom herself identified the body, and Applejack would never encourage Apple Bloom to lie like that. About the Lunar Republic, we have the singularity, even Luna’s afraid of...-”
“You mean Nightmare Moon,” Twilight interrupted a bit upset for the first time during that talk. “Luna was always a lie, a shape that Nightmare Moon used only to beg before send away to the moon, and that the elements of harmony brought back by mistake. You don’t need to keep calling her by Luna.”
“But, I promised....” Pinkie said, with a slight tone of sadness in her voice.
“Then what?” Twilight continued, returning to her writing, like preferring that to see the slight tone of sadness on Pinkie’s face. “A simple crime?! Don’t be innocent, Pinkie, countries play games that even you don’t understand.”
“But then you do, don’t you? You always do.” Pinkie claimed, walking away from the distracted Twilight to see the landscape of the window behind her.
“That’s unfair! I never said that.” The purple alicorn calmly said with some bitterness, without stopping in her work.
“Then you seem awfully quiet. No, think again, maybe somepony is hunting down the former elements of harmony.” Pinkie suggested, returning to see the titles of the books on Twilight’s desk, all of them about alternative methods of magic.
“Hmm, interesting conclusion, But why would somepony do that? That seems to be of little relevance in the problem of magic’s balance, Doesn’t make any sense. Applejack has been... was, in service, all along since the war started. She made lots of enemies, even without take into consideration the Republic at all.” Twilight clarified, Getting up from her job for the first time, to walk along with Pinkie Pie, possibly to prevent her from take anything without permission from her desk.
“She fought for what she believed was fair, and she never ran away to be an intellectual shutted in a tower, to represent a cultural icon of something lost in Equestria,” Pinkie exclaimed.
“I... that was not my call, We have lots of things to study.” Worriedly, Twilight turned away from her old friend, to look back at the piles of books in her desk.
“Yeah? Like what? That irony about the clock marking the end of Equestria? Fifty minutes to twelve and the world is over?! Who did even think of that?!! If friendship doesn't saves the world then nothing will!” Pinkie alleged poking the books with her hoof.
“Sometimes, at the verge of destruction, ponies really think in what’s important, Pinkie. That's the reason for the clock's metaphor. Besides, you don’t have any idea of what this singularity represents,” Twilight calmly claimed.
“Yeah, well, good excuse... But you don’t either! She’s more than something to study! No matter how much you keep playing with magic... I just came here to warn you about the killer.” Pinkie answered a bit upset, walking away to the window.
“That’s by far one of my lesser worries here.” Twilight answered, disregarding Pinkie’s warning. Striving to lift magically a single book from the pile.
“I just don’t want you to end being the smartest pony falling from this tower, But I guess there are worst things to end being.” Pinkie added with a real tone of concern in her voice.
“I’m an alicorn, Pinkie, I can fly.” Twilight reassured. “Before that I could just magically float, or change my gravity pull.”
“Yeah, try to do any of those tricks without hurt yourself now, and be careful with that book, you should use your wings! Now consider yourself warned.” Pinkie said before leaving through the window, for some reason that didn’t seem to freak out Twilight.
“Sure...” She quietly said, thoughtfully, while looking at the landscape through the window after walk to it, without look for Pinkie below, from one of the most highest towers of Canterlot castle. “Have a nice day.”
Pinkie’s diary, Hooftober 13, 1985. 8:30 P.M. Fancypants Military Research Center:
The meeting with Twilight was sour. She plays out to be “too busy” to even care. She has forgotten her friends, even those whom she works with. And Rainbow Dash keeps living in the past, hearing all those old stories again and again, back from when she was a Wonderbolt, that’s not even the best part of her past. I wonder where her loyalty went, I must remember investigate further.
Why are so few of us left happy, healthy, and without personality disorders?! Fluttershy is agoraphobic, Spitfire is now a scrawny, aging nag, dying on earth. Soarin was decapitated in a flight crash back in ‘75. Thunderlane’s in an asylum up in Mane. Octavia retired in disgrace from her spy career, murdered six weeks later by a major fan of her musical talent. Braeburn was shot to the sun. Prince Blueblood went missing in ‘74. Applejack... is dead.
Only two names remaining on my list. Both share private quarters in this place, and I’m gonna pass by and say hi, the guards aren't a problem. My magic is undetectable thanks to the quantity of magic inside. I’m gonna pass and tell the indestructible mare, that somepony plans to murder her.
“Good evening, Pinkie.” A silky voice was heard as soon Pinkie opened the door, Rarity was inside glowing magic for her entire body, floating six circular rocks of considerable size in the middle of the air, inside a big humming room with some magical inscriptions in the floor. Like some puzzle design changing accord the movement of each rock within her magical glow.
“Aww, I was trying to give you a surprise!” Pinkie said, while the humming sound in the room stopped abruptly.
“Hum... W- what are you doing here, Pinkie. This...- A nervous Fluttershy muttered, flying slowly from the center of the room, holding an orchestral baton in her left forehoof.
“Hey, good evening you too, Agorashy, I bet I surprised you!” Pinkie said jumping above Fluttershy, rolling a couple of times with her in the floor. Ending on top of her.
“I- I’m not agoraphobic, Pinkie. I just... Don’t like a lot the outside. Now you should leave, aren’t you being wanted by the royal guard?” Fluttershy answered, struggling with getting Pinkie Pie out of her.
“So what?! With the quantity of magic Miss Singularity here is using, I could throw a party next door and nopony’s going to notice!”
“Y- you can’t...-” Fluttershy objected afraid.
“Hey, Pinkie! Is... is that really you?" Somepony shouted from the middle of room.
“Hey! Hi, Sweetie Belle!” Pinkie happily shouted back, waving, to a bit of scared Sweetie Belle that kept her place at the distance.
“Don’t worry, darlings.” Rarity calmly said, before easily landing the spheres, Take Pinkie out from Fluttershy window magic, and softly teleport herself next to Fluttershy. The magic surrounding her body fade away, but her body kept somehow gleaming all white, even her mane and eyes, and making almost indistinguishable her cutie mark. “Pinkie’s not here for a party. Applejack is dead, and she wants to ask our help. But she’s gonna leave disappointed ” Rarity added mostly for Sweetie Belle ears.
“What? Applejack?! Is Apple Bloom ok?!” Sweetie Belle questioned while running to her sister, being now as tall as her.
“She’ll fine, sweetie. Things like that always hurt, but she’ll be better, eventually.” Fluttershy added, hugging Sweetie belle and caressing her mane. “Twilight informed Rarity and me this morning, but we decided to not tell you, and not affect your performance in today’s tests.”
“So Twilight already warned you?” Pinkie asked.
“Not really a warning, but her teleport spell, even if messy, still much more faster than that pocket dimension you keep using.” Rarity idly said.
“It was more a funeral invitation.” Fluttershy added. “But I’m not going, It’s a... conviction I impose myself long time ago.” Fluttershy explained ashamed, with Sweetie Belle struggling between her legs to get some free space.
“You both should be careful. I already warned Dashie too, but you don’t seem awfully concerned...” Pinkie Pie said, while biting a piece of cake from Rainbow Dash’s place, pulled out from apparently nowhere, and with a big open eye to Fluttershy who was still consoling Sweetie Belle,
“Pinkie wanted us both to go with her...play to the sleuth hounds, and solve Applejack’s death.” Rarity explained to Fluttershy. “But we simply don’t have the time.." she added in a nostalgic tone.
“Why don’t you just use divination magic to find who the culprit is?” Sweetie belle inquired, from between Fluttershy’s embrace.
“I can’t simply use divination magic either.” Rarity answered to her little sister, in a bit of hurtful tone, like keeping a secret from her.
“Huh? And why not? Is something too much for Miss Singularity here?” Pinkie suspiciously asked now to Rarity.
“Pinkie, Sweetie. Rarity saw it. I mean, in the future. T- the fight betw...” Fluttershy tried to say, but was interrupted by the permanent glowing Rarity.
“Even if I want to help with that, the future is blocked." Rarity explained calmly, facing to Pinkie, while Fluttershy kept hugging Sweetie. “I see, some kind of... crashing wave, bouncing backwards for what you, perceive as time. Most likely provoked for the collision of magic that the princesses would be using one against each other if they engage in an all-out war. The resulting blastwave of magic, would produce such destructive burst, that will be resounding so deeply, even through time. That blocks even my vision of the future... I must return to my work.” Rarity added before surround her body in white magic from her horn, levitating the rocks again, and changing the patterns in the floor.
“Wait a minute! What if that’s the reason somepony wanted Applejack out of the way and we can do something to stop this war?”
“Au revoir, Pinkie.”
“Hey, I haven’t see you both in ages, what if we-” Pinkie said before disappear from the room in a teleport spell by Rarity, so perfectly well executed, that when Pinkie appear just outside of the facility, she hadn’t noticed yet that she was teleported. “all go outside and... Oh..” Mumbled Pinkie, before leaving the place disappointed.
“Aren’t you worried she could be telling somepony?” Sweetie belle Worriedly asked to her sister, inside the facility that was in fact, some kind of magical device being modified by Rarity’s singular magic.
“Don’t - Don't worry, Sweetie. the last thing Pinkie Pie tries to do is upset anypony. At least on purpose... If we can solve the problem of the magic's balance, that fight won’t endanger the world anymore.” Fluttershy answered to Sweetie, like preventing Rarity of get upset trying to explain some kind of stuff to her little sister.
“But what if Pinkie's right, and we can do something to prevent the princesses from fighting” Sweetie belle added, pushing Fluttershy away, who was more scared than her.
“If you could perceive the will of each life force, as I do now...” Rarity said looking at Sweetie Belle with what could be sadness, if any emotion were perceptible in such sea of whiteness. Sweetie Belle then returned to her place in the center of the room, to hum certain melody, fueling somehow the gigant device.
“It’s ok sweetie. We could call this a day, and...-”
“I know the melody, Fluttershy, I’ll keep on a bit more.” Sweetie Belle answered to her musical conductor; a bit of upset, a bit angered, a bit bitter, and utterly saddened. Still the job seemed like a good way to glup that sadness down. Fluttershy understood that, and flew away to Rarity's side.
“Say hi to Rainbow Dash for me.” Rarity added, taking away her somehow saddened sight, from the gigantic device still changing, at Fluttershy.
“W- what do you mean?” a nervous Fluttershy asked confused.
“You want to invite me to dinner, as you always do, but I can’t right now, I must test the new encrypts Twilight gave me, but you feel cooped up after Pinkie’s visit, and you’ll wish to go outside, but not alone... So you’ll wish to see Rainbow Dash, which is only natural, you deserve the comfort of an old friend.” Rarity said before almost put a hoof on Fluttershy’s expectant cheek, while still moving the gigantic device, sending her away in a teleport spell.
Pinkie’s diary, Hooftober 13, 1985. 11:30 P.M.
On friday night, Applejack died in Sweet Apple Acres. Somepony gave her the beating of her life, I don’t even wanna do a pun out of that. Nopony cares, no pony cares but me. Are they right, is it futile?
Soon the conflict Between Luna and Celestia will get worse, and if they fight in the actual state of magic, Equestria will burn, and millions will perish in despair, and misery. Why a death is important against so many?
Because, she was once one of my best my friends, I must not forget that. and I must not beat myself up. But there are so many deserving of friendship... And there’s so little time.
“Hu, Me and Rarity? Oh, yeah, yeah! Everything’s fine. Couldn’t be better. It’s just... I wanted a night out. I have been there for the last... eight years? Has been that long?” Fluttershy said to Rainbow Dash in the table of a crowded, fancy restaurant.
“I- Well, yeah!” Missing back the days when we were Wonderbolts?” Rainbow Dash picked curiosity made her say. The atmosphere in the restaurant was predominantly cherry, with so many conversation aside, like if they all were old friends catching up after some time.
“Oh, my, no. Nothing like that, I was there just because Spitfire wanted. Was somehow easier to say ‘no’ to you. And I feel I’m being more helpful with Rarity.” Fluttershy confessed in her classic shy attitude, while paying the bill because Rainbow Dash seemed to be having problems with that.
“Oh, sorry for that, I invited you here to make up for the cake, but I’m... kinda short on bits, you know. Weather business isn’t what it used to be.” Rainbow Dash said a bit ashamed for not being able to pay in full the bill.
“Don’t worry, the Royal Army pays nicely when you’re in a project to save all of Equestria.” Fluttershy clarified, always glad of being helpful.
“Yeah, Well then... Tell me, why you just decided to go out and catch some air? You’re a pretty good flyer when you try, Don’t miss the speed? Or the sky?!” An excited Rainbow Dash suggested.
“I don’t miss flying around to random dangers in that silly costume, Do you remember that costume? So tight, and with that yellow flash at the lower part of the design that made my body feel more exposed that when I'm not wearing anything at all.” Fluttershy commented while walking outside the restaurant, without any concern at all. along with her old friend aside. “It made me feel like if my body wasn’t protected at all. Celestia, that was so awful!” Fluttershy added in a... shy attitude.
“Celestia, yes. Awful...” Rainbow Dash commented almost for herself.
“You know. When I think back... When I did that. Why I took the Wonderbolt uniform. Those were probably the worst years of my life.” Fluttershy confessed, starting to fly away.
“Yeah, you’re probably right...” A complacent Rainbow Dash said, trying to fly alongside with her friend, without bring along her goggles to help her deteriorated eyesight.
“I mean, the war had started, and I didn’t feel like I had any option but help to any pony that asked me to, and don’t hurt anypony's feelings. Do you remember the Blossom twins? Lotus and Aloe, when they used to attend the spa?” Fluttershy asked, taking seat in a small cloud above Canterlot.
“Sure, I remember them. One of the things that you and Rarity miss the most? The spa?” Rainbow Dash questioned, trying to cheer up, her one side conversation, that night. sitting next to Fluttershy in the small cloud, a bit ashamed of being too close to her.
“It’s not that, I mean, after the war started. How Lotus used to ask everypony for her missing sister, but we decided to let her kept the hope, telling her sister was safe and sound, always in a different place.” Fluttershy, reminiscent, explained.
“And we always crossed her. Yeah, I remember, anywhere we decided to say, soon or later we had to travel that place, and she was there, looking for her sister.”
“Whatever happened to her?” Fluttershy questioned. while observing at all the lights below from Canterlot in the night.
“Uh, well. She pulled it on Pinkie, and Pinkie dropped her the trut, that her sister had been below the ruins of the spa all along. I don’t know what was with her after that.” Rainbow Dash said sounding defeated.
“Aww, Pinkie told her?! I guess, in the end... that had been the best thing to do from the beginning... I feel better for Aloe now that her sister found her. And I’ve to admit, it was a very honest move from Pinkie Pie. You know, in these days when everypony seems to keep a secret, and tell a lie.”
“Well, what do you expect? Applejack is dead.”
To Be Continued.
Author's Note
If you want to help me proofreading the next chapter. send me a P.M.
Thanks for read.
The void that cries through you
Harmony Side Effects by TrollestiaSubject
The Void That Cries Through You:
Fluttershy appears from a purple teleport spell a bit battered and dizzy, in the middle of an in use bedroom, waking Spitfire up not without scaring her.
“Oh, hey, Flutters! Are you alright?” Spitfire asked shocked, after lifting her night mask from her eyes. A bit shaken after her rude awakening, but noticing the opposing circling motion of Fluttershy’s eyes who was still seated on the floor.
Spitfire jumped out of the bed to softly shake Fluttershy from her shouldef, and help her to snap out of it. After Fluttershy regained consciousness, Spitfire helped her stand up and take a seat on the bed.
“Oh, thank you, I think. I’m fine, it's just... Twilight teleported me. I know she misses the days when she could use all the magic she wanted, so I let her teleport me instead of Rarity, but it was messier than what I had expected...” Fluttershy explained, while Spitfire was checking her pupils to make sure she was fine.
“Being near of Miss Singularity had kept you too used to magic. Teleport spells are dangerous! You know it, even if they are cast by Princess Twilight herself!” Spitfire claimed while taking a shawl from her wardrobe full of shawls. Covering her shoulders with it, and covertly, her damaged wing too, that was to a certain point repulsive, even for herself.
“I- I don’t think so, I’m fully confident of Twilight’s abilities, and I know that using her magic makes her happier, even if she doesn't admit it.” Fluttershy fessed up rubbing her head, while Spitfire opened the curtains of the room to let in the morning light.
“Well, at least I’m happy you finally came to see me. Everypony thought you were going to be shut down with Miss Singularity until you finished that very important project of yours. You... haven’t finished it yet, have you?” Spitfire asked, turning slowly to Fluttershy, with a very expectant expression on her face, but utterly ready to be disappointed.
“Oh, no. Sorry... “ Fluttershy said apologetically. “The facility is empty, I mean, except for the guards.”
“Oh, so it was today?” Spitfire said, a bit disappointed, but without blaming Fluttershy. Turning back to open the last curtain in the bedroom. “Do you have this wonderful sunny day in Ponyville?” she added.
“I’ve heard the weather business isn’t what it used to be.” Fluttershy implied, avoiding a direct answer of something that for most ponies should be easy to know. Most but her.
In fact, not far from there, where Ponyville used to be, the weather was much more cold and grim. A group of ponies had gathered in the graveyard there, most of them from the army, others who seemed more important came in black stagecoaches, like Miss Singularity, who was the last one to arrive. She trotted down from the stagecoach slowly, her intrinsic fully glowing white body contrasting perfectly between the fold of the black hooded cloack she was wearing.
The service started in the moment she crossed the gates of the cemetery, like if it wasn't waiting for anypony more important to arrive. There was already Princess Twilight Sparkle in formal black attire for the occasion. Rainbow Dash using her needed goggles for her decreased eyesight, and a simple dark scarf, contrasting with everypony fancy attire there, except for somepony else; A dark green coated mare with aquamarine mane and tail, who was the only pony around carrying a basket with flowers in her mouth, and was wearing a simple black hat with veil of the same color. Nopony could really identify her, but gave a second thought about her anyways. She was however one of the ponies who most deserved to be there that day.
Apple Bloom and Babs Seed were pulling the coffin. Dark orange wood, with Applejack’s cutie mark on the front. Meanwhile, militia ponies played a funeral song, the coffin was covered with the flag of Equestria, and the rain started when a very old grey pony, with big black round glasses, started to preach the ceremony from a book on a stand.
“May I ask you, why you didn’t want to go? Did Applejack do something to you...?” Spitfire implied, while helping the still a bit dizzy Fluttershy to take a seat in the gallery full of Wonderbolt’s memorabilia, which made also as Spitfire’s living room in her small ground apartment somewhere in the oldest part of Canterlot.
“No, of course not. Applejack is my friend... or was, long ago. To be honest I‘ve seen more to Pinkie Pie than Applejack since we started to recreate the elements of harmony. Rarity used to spend a lot of time with her, at least at the beginning of the changeling’s war. After that Rarity decided she had to hasten her job, and they, well... ” Fluttershy said, enthralled in her own memories while Spitfire put the kettle on, in the small kitchen just in front of the gallery room.
“Then you should have gone, everypony's going to wonder why you didn't want to go.” Spitfire insisted from the other room.
“Well, I- I had decided it long ago, Rarity knows it, and I had to explain it again for Twilight this morning. When the war started, I had to assist to ‘so’ many funerals, and yet I missed some others. Then I had to do some more for my animals too. So, one day, when I had to bury Angel, one of my bunny friends, I decided to not attend any other funeral again... And since Rarity knew you weren't going either, I decided to keep my promise and visit you instead.” Fluttershy chipped in, trying to leave the uncomfortable past behind.
“It’s not that much of a difference, I- I mean, I perfectly understand that... The same happened to me... To be honest with you too, I tried to not know when it was going to be." Spitfire confessed, with small grief in her voice, while setting a kit of tea in the small coffee table in the middle of her past featuring living room. “After the investigators were done with the body, and the national hero mourning days, I tried to lose track in my calendar to don't be tempted to assist myself.” Spitfire said looking to one particular photograph in her collection. “But still, she was your friend, and believe me, with the time, even those memories that seem to hurt become dearing moments.” Spitfire said, lifting a group photograph from a shelf that depicted her, Soarin', Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane in Wonderbolt’s uniforms. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy without uniform, Braeburn, and Prince Blueblood were there too along with Rarity already glowing all white, accompanied by Spike who was almost as tall as anypony in the picture.
“Ok, that’s it. Nice picture, partners!” Braeburn said after the intensity of the flash banished.
“We can move? Can I finally scratch my wing?” Soarin asked to nopony in particular, before starting to bite the tip of his wing.
“Hooo, I got spots in my eyes...” Spitfire said, rubbing her eyes. Her blue Wonderbolt goggles had been down in her neck at the moment of the picture.
“Really? Let them watch me. let's see if I’m a sight for your sore eyes!” Applejack said like letting the whole room hear her insinuation.
“Oh, A.J. Give me a break.” Spitfire retorted a bit ashamed.
“Well, I’m going to return to my private quarters now.” Prince Blueblood announced before trotting away in an elegant fashion.
“I can’t help feel but feel sad every time we took a photograph, like if it could be the last one we even take all of us together...” Thunderlane added when everyone started to dismiss.
“Well, we're in Republic's territory after all, maybe it'll be the last, don't y'all think?” Applejack cynically answered with a smile on her face, worrying even more the troubled pegasus.
“Don't worry, dummy, gloomy, thundie, we’re not at war! We’re here to strength the diplomatic relationships with the republic.” Pinkie chipped in, while encasing the photographic camera in its hardened case.
“Diplomatic relationship my apples! And Octavia is out there just collecting berries for a pie! Sure...” Applejack added sarcastically.
“Listen everypony, Octavia’ll be back in 5 minutes. Meet in the lobby for a mug of Lunar cider, and if it's not too tasty, then back directly to Cloudsdale if Miss Singularity feels like it’s the right moment to teleport us all.” Soarin' informed to everypony, after a bit of talking with Rarity and Spike.
“Wohoo, sounds like a party to me!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing away with the camera case on her head.
“Fine, you guys go ahead, I have to change.” Spitfire said returning to her room, all made of clouds in an elegant fashion as expected from a five stars hotel for diplomatic guests. There Spitfire started with her private routine to take her Wonderbolts uniform off, which involved teeth and wings alike as her hooves before sliding out.
“Hello there, sugarcube!” Applejack suddenly said, breaking Spitfire’s concentration.
“Hey?! Applejack! What are you doing here? You knew I was changing...” Spitfire pitched surprised, while picking her costume yet in the floor.
“Sure Ah did. Yah announced it loud enough! C’mon, sugarcube. Don't tell you didn't want me helping yah take off a suit like that?” Applejack asked, embracing Spitfire with her forelegs. “Watching yah doing it yourself is quite a show though. What're yah in mood now, huh? Feeling cold?" Applejack sultry said, now caressing Spitfire’s neck and going down.
“Applejack, stop!” Spitfire ordered, taking away Applejack’s hoof from hers to no avail.
“And stop means hurry up, right? Are yah worried somepony is going to find us, or just like to be quick? Yah remind me of Rainbow Dash, but she doesn't like... to lose, dontcha know what Ah mean? Yah're everything she wants to be, you know it, right? But she’s such a filly next to you. Ah bet she doesn’t play with you like this, she respects you too much,” Applejack said starting to kiss Spitfire’s neck.
“Stop it Applejack, it's not right, What's gotten into you?!” Spitfire exclaimed, pushing Applejack away.
“Come on sugarcube, If yah like it a quickie that's fine for meh. Lately Ah have been feelin' like the times gets over and Ah don't know for what. What do yah think? Yah have so many fans but they all respect yah too much to take the initiative. Aren’t yah tired of that? Don’t worry, I’m gonna give you a good ride.” Applejack said not stopping her advance.
“I said no, Applejack!” Spitfire said growing up impatient and bucking off Applejack away.
“You ain’t going to teach me how to buck, aren’t yah?” Applejack retorted being upside down in a corner at the other side of the room, but quickly standing up to embrace Spitfire again. “Hey, I can totally see when somepony’s being honest, it’s... magic, I guess. So don’t worry, sugarcube. you’re in good hooves.” Applejack said before grabbing Spitfire's hindquarters. And biting Spitfire’s tail up in some kind of retention technique, Applejack was able to sweep her forelegs out of balance, and pinning down her wings on the floor with her forehooves, Applejack started a rutting movement over Spitfire's rump.
“APPLEJACK, NO!” Spitfire yelled, strugling to get away from the lock.
“So this is how yah like it, hmm? Nopony else ha s been so daring with yah, right?” Applejack asked between her teeth, with Spitfire’s tail still in her mouth to hold the hind part of her body high to rub herself against it. “Yah can imagine Ah’m anypony yah want, Ah don’t mind.” Applejack offered, still rubbing her body on hers.
“Oh, no, Applejack, no.” Spitfire said starting to sob.
“Captain, The other are waiting below, and wher... You little vicious mule offspring.” Prince Blueblood said just after entering the barely closed door all made of soft cloud.
“Hey, wait! She wanted me to...-” Applejack managed to say before Blueblood bucked her away from Spitfire.
“You disgusting little farmer, I’m gonna beat Celestia out of you...” Blueblood said during his non stopping rush against Applejack, to what seemed to be to death.
“So this is what yah like, huh? This is what gets, you, hot...” Applejack weakly said remarking both last words for Blueblood’s surprise, when he held her in front of him.
“Get... out...” Prince Blueblood commanded, stopping his attacks, and throwing Applejack to the floor.
“I’m going out, alright. But that’s not gonna change who yah really are.” Applejack said before leaving slowly, walking battered.
“Get up, Captain. And for Celestia’s mane, brush your coat.” Was the last thing Blueblood said to Spitfire before getting out of the room himself.
“Then why'd you decide to not assist at the funeral?” Fluttershy asked to Spitfire, who was barely listening.
“Huh... ? Well, I’m pretty much like you now, I don’t wanna assist to another funeral again, plus, I don’t like to be showing my wing to everypony around, I want to be remembered flying high in the sky... Besides, everypony knows Applejack and I never got a good relationship, she always was, like... too honest, with everything, all the time, and that was more of a problem with her personality than a good feature on her. So why should I go? I don’t wanna say goodbye to her... She once said that we all were going to bury her, I guess she was right, and yet I’m glad that's not true because I'm not there, it's... complicated.” Spitfire said passing a hoof over Applejack’s image in the picture.
“I don't understand.” Fluttershy said before sipping from the cup of tea between her hooves.
“Maybe Miss Singularity understands... Oh, but don’t ask her. I mean, it’s... it’s not important.” Spitfire insisted, regretting the idea she just had gave her.
“Uh, don't worry, I understand if it’s a private matter.” Flutters replied blushing, only imaginating what she could mean if she had to ask Rarity about that.
“Ah... never mind, sorry. In any case I’m happy you came to see me here. Seriously, you were such geat counselor for all of us back then. If I hadn’t convinced you into joining The Wonderbolts, I would have suffered a mental breakdown like the ones that Princess Twilight used to have.' Spitfire added, trying to change the subject.
“Oh, She doesn’t do that anymore, since she’s working in recreate the elements of harmony, she learned how to deal with that.” Fluttershy added after sipping her tea cup, hiding her blush behind it, also trying to change the subject.
“Well, it was about time. We need to deal with things our way too, how about we forget this cheap cup of tea and go out to a good restaurant; A nice exterior table, a good pastry, and let’s enjoy the sunny day while we still can." Spitfire proposed, at what Fluttershy replied with a big smile and a squeaking sound.
“Ponies that are born from a mare hath but a short time to live, and Celestia wishes to be full of joy. Applejack cometh up, and was cut down, as a flower. She fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay, in the midst of day, we’re in night. Of whom may we seek succour but thee, o Celestia, who for our misshapes art justly displeased.” A very old grey pony was preaching in the middle of the rain during Applejack's funeral, while Twilight was listening, lost in thoughts for her old friend who had now passed away. Especially of that day when she decided to accept Celestia’s commendation to recreate the elements of harmony, leave her friends, and shut herself in that tower. For what she knew could be the rest of her own life.
“Well, Firstly, let me say I’m pleased to see so many of you here. Secondly, for those of you that only know me as the rainbow maned Wonderbolt, I’m the new captain of the Wonderbolts, My name is Rainbow Dash. Third, uh, well, I hope to do a good job as my forerunner captain, Spitfire, did with this unit.” Rainbow Dash was announcing with some displays on a tripod in a small conference room in some scruffy wooden hotel that made the meeting look a bit depressing. The group was mainly the former Elements of Harmony in the bottom of the room without stage, Nothing fancy except for the particularity that Princess Twilight herself had attended that meeting.
Fluttershy who was standing nervously using a Wonderbolt outfit, was next to Rainbow Dash as well as the fully glowing Rarity, how was seated quietly as a statue, but accompanied by Spike who was now a bit taller that anypony aside. In the other side Princess Twilight had a fancier seat but was next to two normal seats alone.
Applejack almost in full royal army’s armor, with her signature hat instead of a helmet, took a seat between the public. Second row, her hindlegs up on the first line, and was eating an apple while reading disinterestedly a newspaper in front of the purple princess. Also Pinkie Pie was between the public, but bouncing with an inexplicable anxiety, between the ponies standing at the center of the room. all of them young ponies, assisting to a recruiting meeting.
“Now, as many of you know, or maybe not,” Rainbow Dash corrected herself, after noticing how all the new assistants were probably too young to know, and the only sound in the room were Applejack’s chews. “The Wonderbolts aren’t an acrobatic team any more. It’s now a tactical unit, and earth ponies and unicorns are welcome to enroll these days. New problems emerge everyday all around our kingdom, promiscuity, drugs, campus subversion, union strikes, you name it! Celestia can’t use her magic properly to protect us anymore, so banding together, as The Wonderbolt Unit. we..-” Rainbow Dash was explaining while displaying a map of all Equestria in the tripod.
“Horseapples!” Applejack shouted from her seat in the front lines, causing certain commotion between the audience.
“E- excuse me?!” Rainbow Dash answered startled, without know how to react.
“This whole idea, this 'Wonderbolt Unit' tch. It stinks! What it is, Dash? Yah’ve should dropped all this Wonderbolts idea before it gettin’ old. Yah only wanna flight around in a flashy costume, but don’t really care, do yah? Applejack complained without drop her newspaper away.
“Th- that’s isn’t true...” Dash answered, still shocked at what she was hearing.
“Huh, listen, let’s not drop the idea out right away,” Fluttershy threw into conversation, toughening up to help her friend. “Rainbow Dash and I have made headway into the changeling problem by pooling our efforts... -” Fluttershy managed to say before being interrupted by Pinkie Pie.
“A group like this feels somehow more like a publicity exercise. it’s too big and not very effective, we just heard about a problem. Rar... Miss Singularity teleports a whole army before us there, then they for some reason always end fighting!” Pinkie emphasised, almost ignoring what the discretion is. “In the worst of cases not always against changeling. Then what? We, waving to cameras and reporters, saying we solved the whole thing! That’s completely unnecessary, I alone could just befriend all those ponies and solve alone half of the problems this unit gets involved without hurt anypony.”
“It can’t be that easy all the time, Pinkie.” Princess Twilight said. “Surely, it’s just an organizational problem? With the right pony coordinating the group, I think...-”
“Oh, and I wonder who that would be? Got any ideas Princess? I mean, you’re the smartest pony in Equestria, right?” Applejack interrupted, standing from her chair to face everypony in the front.
“It doesn't require genius to see that Equestria has problems that need tackling.” Twilight answered back, trying to keep calm and carry on. But evidently showing some signs of distress.
“Well, that's about as useful as a trap door on a canoe, and it ain’t take a buckethead to know that show offs like you ain’t enough to handle all those problems.” Applejack resorted to the always worried looking princess, whose disheveled mane, and nervous smile, that were starting to float out, always made her look more like a crazy genius than a trusted sovereign.
“I think I’m as well informed as anypony, Given correct handling, none of Equestria’s problems are insurmountable. Leaning on everypony talents, being patient and diligent, and treating each other as friends, we all can accomplish anything when we work together." Twilight retorted, remembering something that she had said during some speech.
“Frienship? You mean that magical thing! Hasn’t it being forbiden yet? Y’all lie to yourselves, you hear Queen Chrysalis is in some cave, and think ‘Howdy yee haw! Let’s gang up and bust her!’ You think that matters, you think that solves anything?”
“Well, of course it matters, if...-” Pinkie started.
“No, it doesn’t matter, Pinkie. And I’m gonna drop y’all the truth of why it doesn’t matter at all: It doesn't matter where Chrysalis decides to attack, as soon she uses magic for something bigger than digging a hole, both armies will be over her as fast as a trout swimming downstream, that if Miss Singularity here doesn't catch her first. The only reason Celestia wants her alive is for use her against her sister without political consequences for Equestria, and as soon she gets the dirty job done, Celestia is going to use Miss Singularity over there or Twilight here, to avenge her sister, save the day, and dismiss the republic for once and all. Nightmare Moon in the other hoof, is aware of this, and knowing that Chrysalis could defeat Cadance and her sister before, she’s probably going to offer her a deal to hide her instead of fight her. But that queenie isn’t so naive as y’all seem to be here to accept a deal like that. All she have to do is wait, and sooner or later Celestia and Nightmare Moon are going to fight...” Applejack said holding Spike's head, who surprised by the sudden assault, little could he do before Applejack could use him to ignite the map of Equestria in exhibition for everypony.
“My displays.” Fluttershy said, scared for first time that afternoon, for a diferent reason than how she looked in her tight Wonderbolt uniform.
“And then, Twilight here is going to be the smartest pony in the cinder.” Applejack said after letting Spike go, and head out of the room.
“Applejack...” Rainbow Dash let out with anger in that moment, but nopony could imagine the rest of the words she would say, not even Rainbow Dash herself.
“I did my honest deed of the day. Will see y’all in the honest papers.” Applejack said in a serious tone, before heading to the exit, being followed by many of the young ponies that were listening at the beginning of the conference.
“Rarity, I think I’d like to go home now, please.” Spike whispered to Rarity who stood quiet all along. Her white eyes made hard to tell if she even watched at somepony during the dramatic presentation.
“Ah, sorry it didn’t work as well as planned Rainbow Dash." Pinkie said, patting her friend in the shoulder.
“Bah, never mind, Pinkie, it's not like if we were going to save the Equestria, anyways.” Were the last words by Rainbow Dash, that Twilight Sparkle remembered before quit on The Wonderbolts Unit, to accept Celestia's commandment to create new elements of harmony, after the former ones lost their power after the destruction of Discord's statue, and the magic was taken out of balance.
“O Celestia most mighty, o graceful and most merciful ruler, deliver us not to the bitter pains of eternal death. Thou knowest ruler, the secrets of our hearts, shut not thy merciful eyes to our needs, but spare us, o princess most wise, o Celestia most merciful, thou most worthy judge eternal. Suffer us not, at our last hour for any pains of death, to fall from thee” The preacher said from under an umbrella.
The smell of wet grass and earth was in the air, melting along with the smell of roses from a green mare holding a basket full of them near. The last time Rarity has smelled something like that, she was next to Applejack, just like right now, but Applejack was still alive.
Some kind of parade had been going outside, and the roads were covered with flower’s petals from Celestia’s royal coach passing over. The rain and the mud buring them had started as soon she went away.
“Applejack, please, could you stand up? At least go upstairs and take a nap.” Rarity in her preternatural glowing white state, asked nearly to a pleading tone.
“Nah, Ah'm just too tired of being here. Teleport me back to Canterlot I said. I wanna see Apple Bloom!” Applejack answered with her face below her hat, in a tantrum attitude very irregular from her. Fully armored except for a helmet, she was laying in the wooden floor of a decaying building made for what could have been blind carpenters. Her attitude was However understandable, after the war she had been fighting for the last two years in an unnamed jungle so far from the kingdom of Equestria.
“Applejack, you’re acting foalish. That’s not proper of your rank... or you at all.” Rarity said trying to convince her in soft tones to react to the uncommon of the situation, but with an expression hard to read. Somehow not totally neutral, and yet an expression that was by then very common on her. Which rested importance to any urgent advice she were trying to give, at least from Applejack viewpoint.
“But you know ain’t changeling, don’t yah? I’m just tired of this land, these sour apples, and the meaningless songs from the fancy parades every time we accomplish anything. We’re not accomplishing anything! Queen Chrysalis could be a rock, or a river, who knows into what she can change? She could be a board in this floor, or she could be even dead already, are yah sure she’s not a board in this floor?” Applejack asked, unreasonably worried.
“I’m sure, Applejack.” Rarity assured to her friend.
“Oh, well, as long no changeling can hide from you and they keep surrendering... Are you sure they can’t hide from your... singularity?” Applejack questioned, giving up on the tantrum.
“I- I’m reasonably sure. It’s highly improbable anyway. Are you feeling better now, can you stand up?” Rarity kindly asked.
“Ah'm sure can! It’s not like if Ah want. Yah know? Ah don’t need to, we were having problems with changelings before, but now, thanks to you... You could win this little war all alone. It’s not important be'coz changelings weren’t causing any trouble in Equestria anyways, but if we’d lost this war... I dunno, I think it might have driven us a little crazier, y’know? As a country. Maybe we’re already a bit crazy, things’ve been gone pretty crazy since you... Since it all started” Applejack ranted. “Since we discovered the harmony isn't permanent.” Applejack refuted in an stubborn tone and holding her place in the floor.
“You seem so tired now... I told you so, before accepting being general, I told you that I can’t change the future.” Rarity smoothly explained without a hint of emotion in her voice. before being interrupted by Applejack’s whining..
“Well, I keep tellin’ yah don’t try hard enough! Ah joined to prevent that what happened to my family ever happens again! And yes, maybe Ah want revenge, maybe Ah should go to the republic myself bucking everypony away from my way up to Nightmare Moon herself. Who cares how many changelings we defeat or imprison in this Celestia-forgotten jungle who-pony-knows-where?”
“You’re a silly pony, Applejack. You have strange attitudes to life, and war.” Rarity said in a mostly disinterested fashion.
“Strange? Wow, that comin’ from yah, that must meant a lot. Sugarcube, listen... Once yah figure out how to be honest with yourself... everything else runs out of meaning.” Applejack said a bit angry, peeking out of his hat just a little.
“The charred eggs, the changelings with necklaces of unicorn horns, slimmed ponies turned into cocoons... They all are meaningless to you?”
“Hey... Ah never said yah shouldn't care, but you know I’ve been right all along. Look at Celestia for example: She comes here in her fancy carriage, hoping to rise the moral of the troops, but it’s to you to who the changelings surrender. You could create some wings for yourself, make your own country, and be a princess all by yourself, but you decided to help Celestia. Just as Twilight or Cadence until... We couldn't prevent what happened in Crystal Empire, and we can't say it was Nightmare Moon doing, but we can't say otherwise either. Don't tell me y'all ain’t looking for a bit of revenge from her for attacking Ponyville? y’all are. Me, for my part, Ah’m gonna leave this jungle the first chance I get.”
“You should go upstair right now.” Rarity hastily said.
“And what changes that? I’m gonna be still stuck in this jungle, with this sour apples, its weird temperature, not to mention it’s full of changelings.” Applejack retorted returning to dher happy place under her hat.
“Please, Applejack. Hurry, stand up and go upstairs.” Rarity slowly said almost pleading,
Applejack who could heard stress in the voice of her friend, took her hat away from her face, and looked at Rarity, but had problems figuring the expression in her white eyes and face, and stood quiet for what seemed to be just a second, but for sure was much longer. Then the abrupt sound of the main door being strongly opened resounded through the room.
“Miss Singularity?” A familiar male’s voice was heard asking for the white unicorn.
“Miss Singularity, and... Hey, look at what we got here, brother of mine.”
“It’s not what we expected to find, Flam.” The Flim Flam brothers announced in a melodic voice, after just entering the room
“Oh, great. Oh, Thank you Celestia, That’s just what I needed. That’s it, I’m ‘so’ done! I quit.” Applejack said after lifting her hat to look at the visitors with a wry look on her,.
“No, Applejack.” Rarity said peering at the unexpected visitors.
“Did ain’t tell yah. Just the worst is in this place!” Applejack commented to Rarity, before take her hat over her face again, and cross her forelegs above her chest, preferring to play dead, than attend to the unexpected visits, right there on the floor, at the middle of what might has be a haunted building, but was in reality the dining room of an outpost in changeling territory.
“You don’t understand, Applejack. They are changelings.” Rarity calmly said, without look away from them who were just standing passing the door.
“You said what?!” Applejack reacted, grabing her hat and standing up in a flash that could be reason of envy for Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, well, yes. Let us explain.” Flim expressed with a smile of shame on his face.
“Me and my brother here, think that all this conflict is in vain” Flam continued the phrase of his
“My brother and I, as many other changelings before have come to surrender.” Flim said keeping the rhythm, adding a slight squatting movement to his body.
“Changeling and ponies don’t have any reason to fight, we just wanna live in peace.” Flam entoned along, coordinating his movements to those of his brother.
“What’s more, my brother and I are here to pledge loyalty to Miss Singularity...” they both announced, intoning a song.
“Our Queen disappear, and we don’t have a who to serve, isn’t true brother of mine?" One of them continued.
“STOP! you don’t need a song, So, how long have you been changelings again?” Applejack questioned a bit angry and walking at the visitors.
“Well, Miss Applejack is it, right?” Flam said meditating his about his answer.
“if today is wednesday.” Flim objected.
“Like, since... 30 years now.”
“Over 30 years?” Applejack repeated astonished. while rarity was just in the background, in her usual quiet attitude.
“Blim and Blam were nothing but a couple of poor turnip harvesters, we took over those identities, and with secrets about technology that other changelings had collected, The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 was build.” Flam explained inside an evocative state, while scratching his chin. Applejack couldn’t see any trace of lie in his story.
“My brother and I shared cider with ponies everywhere, and they gave us their ‘conditional” love.” Flim said smiling slightly malevolently.
“Not a bad deal if you’re a changeling at all.” Flam retorted.
“Not at all brother. That's why we wanted your farm, to ensure enough provisions to stay in a town and extract the public’s love.” Flim confirmed with the utmost of honesty than a changeling is able.
“30 years, sweet Celestia, why nopony had noticed... ?” Applejack said, yet awestrucked.
“Well, It's not that they don’t notice sometimes.” Flam said a bit ashamed.
“They'd once in a while.” Flim added like an excuse to reduce his brother’s shame.
“But a change of the name, another style on the mane, and a different cutie mark, help any changeling on the wilderness.” Flam proudly explained to Applejack, caressing his mane that change drastically, and showing her cutie marks with plums and peaches in them.
“The wilderness? Yah mean outside this jungle, rite?” Applejack asked a bit confused, signaling the floor with her hoof.
“That’s right!” Flam happily announced.
“Nothing better for our kind, as came to home of our own.” Flim proudly said.
“But now a change of name or perhaps another style in the mane are too risky these days.” Flam repeated like it were the chorus of some song
“And we came to surrender to Miss Singularity.” Both harmonically said, now facing to Rarity who had been quiet in the bottom of the dining room.
“30 years? Are yah sure? Aren’t you counting changeling years or something?” Applejack said still amazed of the idea of changelings walking free for all over Equestria.
“There’s no such thing as changeling years, Applejack.” Rarity bluntly said, walking calmly to Applejack's side.
“Well, move along, ask somepony else where is the prisoners camp." Applejack demanded. "Ask for a cyan pegasus named Rainbow Dash. She wears a suit that looks like a shooting target, you can’t miss her. She’s after some prisoners record in which Miss Singularity is way ahead, or know what? Just go away! just keep giving for free your lousy cider. With the magic in this state a single ‘thanks’ for that should be like a feast for y’both.” Applejack said to the brothers in a tired attitude, and starting to walk for the interior of the room, like not wanting to deal with them for even a second more,
“Ah, well. The thing is that we heard that Miss Singularity found the method to magically synthesize food for changelings, and my brother and I, well...” Flim said a bit ashamed.
“We changelings believe that is some truly godly deed. We want to see that with our own eyes.” Flam said, finishing the sentence of his brother.
“Why serve a queen if we could serve a god. We could even swear loyalty to her... if she capable.” Flim added as a proposal.
“Y’all got it wrong. She's nothing like a changeling mythological being; and it was Princess Twilight and another pink mare friend of us who found out that recipe. Rar... Miss Singularity just follow up the recipe. Then yah’ll be in prison for the rest of yahr lives.” Applejack retorted looking back to them for a second, hoping to convince them to leave, and let her have some peace at least. “If you decide to stay, you’ll be feeded, monitored, studied, then feeded some more, more monitorizing, and so, and so. Probably till the end of the world that probably won't take long. Augh... Who cares? Just leave now, nopony is going to chase you. I’m the highest rank in command over here, if I say that nopony will be chasing you then nopony will be. Isn’t that right, Singularity? If I tell you to not chase after them.” Applejack said daringly to Rarity.
“You won’t tell me...-” Rarity was starting to explain when Applejack interrupted her to keep with her ‘flee now’ monologue.
“You see?, that means a 'Yes, sir!' From her. Now just leave. to whatever place in that awful jungle you call home” Applejack said seating on the floor, just too tired of the situation to even care.
“Wow, but what unexpected gesture of generosity” Flam said after look at his brother who reacted just like him.
“Generosity indeed brother of mine.” Flim answered utterly disappointed.
“But you’ll see, Miss Applejack, we could go home, but our old cave from which my brother and I are natives, is... ” Flam doubtfully said.
“Suffering of an inexplicable flood,” Flim explained.
“Which made me and my brother think, that you already visited the place.” Flim suggested, with a bit of malice in his voice.
“And since the rumors say that Miss Singularity can simply see who is a changeling, our covers like public figures that we intent to play are ruined.” Flam commented with the same mischievous tone than his brother.
"Which is very bad in the changelings codex.' Film added.
"Very bad indeed, brother." Flam highlighted.
“And so, we are here, giving up, to you, face to face.” And with that flim and Flam lost any
“Well ugly faces, Miss Singularity is too busy hearin' my rant, and bein' convinced of send me
“But we’re here already!” The one that was Flam said, after turning back to be Flim.
“And the rain is outside!” A new Flam complained.
“We wanted to see one of those ‘famous all over the land’ teleport spells from Miss Singularity.”
“The rumors says that you’re the only one who can cast them now.” Flam praisingly said to Rarity, but her expression was fixed in a serious one.
“Well, that’s not goin’ to happen guys, just go away.” Applejack insisted giving them the hoof.
“What a shameful attitude for a militia pony.” Flim, saddened, commented for his brother.
“Shameful indeed. How can an alicorn princess have such subject in her ranks?” Flam answered with the same tone at his brother.
“Well, she’s just a princess after all!” Flim answered with certain joy, trying to cheer up his brother.
“Now, now, that’s not excuse. A general this moody and lazy?” Flam asnswered still discouraged,
“Nothing like her parents I say.” Flim answered whispering back, in an ineffective way.
“Her parents should be disappointed of her, I agree.” Confirmed Flam, with what seemed to be grief in his voice.
“Hey! What’s that about my parents now?” Applejack curiously asked, getting hot blooded for such impertinence.
“Applejack... ” Rarity added with sadness, but no one was listening to her.
“Huh, your parents were such hard workers, they would be disappointed of find out about you. Right brother.” Flam asked with joy, like trying to seal a deal.
“Yah knew my parents?” Applejack asked, startled again.
“Applejack... ” Repeated Rarity in the background, like if it were some kind of prayer.
“Of course we did, don’t you remember us?” Flim added, making use of all his charm, gained by exercising his power of persuasion over those years as promoter and salespony.
“Of course you were a little filly back then, and we used other names.” Flam clarified, following a tone like if it were one of their presentations, and a new song was played again.
“and style in mane.”
“We were Slim and Slam back then, but our intentions were the same.”
“And the Speedy Cider Squeezy was a bit more than a carriage with a press.”
“Applejack, no.” Rarity said in a nostalgic tone.
“A shame they’re, not anymore.”
“I wouldn’t say that’s a shame at all.”
“Well, It’s true that they found out our real form.”
“Some ponies are good to smell a problem and your folks tried to solve it.” Grimmly sang one of the brothers, Applejack was just looking at the floor, so she didn’t even care which one of them was.
“So we put them in a barrel and sell them as a special mix of cider.”
“Your brother saw the whole thing, but at his age he didn’t even understood what he saw.”
“We decided to spare him expecting that he could take care of the farm, and return someday to take over it.”
“Both; suspicions and timming, are things that a changeling must considerate very well.”
“He was of the silent kind the last time we saw him, I wonder if we got something to do about that?”
“But now he’s also gone, and nopony has evidence to arrest us.”
“Except for his lazy little sister who wants us away!”
“But we don’t really have anywhere to leave....” both brothers sang as the last verse of a happy song. And Applejack stood contemplative for a long while, like ruminating on every word they just said.
“Applejack, I told you...-”
“Shut up, Rarity. Ah’m not, Trottin' away from this.” Applejack said with contained anger in her voice, and with her head hanging low she advanced towards the visitors. “I... I came here telling Apple Bloom I could make a difference, that what was going on here was important, but the true is I just wanted to leave and forget... Now there’s a chance for me, to not have lied to her.” Applejack said, looking with anger at the brothers.
“Well, that’s unfortunate, because that’s just what me and my brother are going to do, We will be feed, monitored, studied... “ Flam started listless.
“Then feed some more, and so, and so, till we forget about or homeland and Queen. You know the sad part of that Flam?” Film asked back.
“I don’t see any Flim, what is it?” Flam played his line with curiosity.
“Changelings live forever as long you feed them.” Flim said with a malevolent smile on his face.
“I don’t think so.” Applejack said, charging against the brothers. who immediately ran away the rain outside.
“Applejack, wait” Rarity said after appearing from a little explosion of water next to Applejack, her horn was lighted and the rain was crashing on an invisible sphere surrounding her, keeping her mane dry and brushed.
“Tell me where are they!” Applejack demanded firmly, trying to figure under the heavy rain above her hat, the brothers’ trace in the mud.
“She lost our trace” Flim said sticking his head out of a barrel.
“Thats a shame for a... Now, what rank would you be? captain perhaps perhaps?” Flam said poking his head down from above the rooftop of a near building in facilities. The outpost wasn’t unprotected at all, but the dense rain was obstructing the visibility. And, for the most part, a normal guard wasn't going to question the doings of a general, specially with Miss Singularity next to her.
When Flam saw Applejack staring back with anger, he tried to run away over the ceilings, But Applejack’s lasso tied him down before he could get far away.
Flam flew backwards from a pulling impulse in the lasso, and before hit the mud he saw while flying, the barrel where his brother was. Falling inside it, trapped one against the other inside, soon they both started to feel such space compressing even more. Applejack had started to buck the barrel to the outskirts of the outpost.
All over the place the barrel made its way, all by hits into the mud and back to the air. Thus, beaten and battered, with mud everywhere inside the barrel, and a rain that was making hard to breathe, they felt the gravitational pulling of the barrel changing from horizontal to vertical, and yet a few more angles against the side from where they had been lifted up. The sensation of balance was clear once in that position, and peeking outside, they could see the precichere moment when Applejack released her hoof, letting them fall. The feeling of weightlessness was contradictory to seeing her taking off to the sky.
Soon they felt a strong hit in the bottom of the barrel, and anything else was clear from that moment.
Applejack had let them fall from the edge of a steep cliff, and there, rolling inside a barrel, between mud, water and blunt punches. they considered themselves lucky; because the rain had caused a landslide while they were falling, avoiding direct fall., But the barrel had been damaged before even reach the cliff, and couldn't stand for long the ballad of impacts that had placed it there. Soon it shattered even before hit the bottom, a they continued to roll between changeling blood, wooden shards, and rocks.
Their bodies were battered and tired, the wood from the barrel has splintered during the fall, piercing and skewering randomly all over their bodies, their injuries stuffed with mud to the brim, and some parts of their bodies were blurring, showing their original changelings features, and yet they weren’t severely wounded considering they were changelings.
When they saw one little ray of light seeping through the cloudy sky, they couldn’t help but feel some kind of joy. The rain hadn't stop, it was only that they couldn't feel it.
Applejack however, hadn’t planned it in that way, so sliding by a muddy slope near, she reached where they had landed, still hurt and angry for what they had said.
“What did you do. You hurt my family. You filthy, stinking, worthless, lousy piece off...-”
“I- we, thought, that your brother was the strong one, but maybe we were wrong.” One of the changelings said in changeling voice, The mud all over them, and the haziness of their bodies that particular day, made hard to distinguish one bother form the other.
“Applejack, don’t do it..” Rarity said appearing after another small explosion of water, with the spheric invisible shield around her.
Applejack didn’t say anything, she just smashed their heads into the ground with her forelegs. Like little smashed pumpkins, causing a black and green mess in place each time.
“Not forget, I must not forget why I’m here after all; War, and war never changes.” A poured Applejack said to Rarity before leaving.
“Applejack... they weren’t even hiding, and you smashed them down, when they were hurt.” Rarity said confused. Her stainless white coat, and perfect mane kept in shape thanks to her force field, walking magically over the mud, while she was following Applejack.
“Yeah, yeah, that's right: Hurted changelings, smashed down. Splash, splash! And y’know what? You gave me the opportunity!“ Applejack retorted, walking next to the slope to pick her lasso and reel it from one of the bodies. “You coulda change the rope into chocolate, the barrel into clouds, or the slope into a skating rink. You coulda teleported either of us to Celestiadamn Oatstralia... but you didn’t lift a hoof! You don’t really give a damn about living beings I reckon. You never cared about Spike, even before you ditched him. Soon you won’t be interested in Fluttershy, either. You’re drifting outta touch Missie. You’re turning into a stone... I miss the days when Celestia used to help us all.” Were Applejack’s last words that Rarity heard in that jungle, where she stood behind, under a rain that she could have touched, but she didn't. While she was watching a couple of dead bodies, with the same contemplative sight in which she was now watching at Sweetie Belle who was consoling Apple Bloom at the other side of the coffin.
For as much as it hath pleased, almighty Celestia to take onto herself, the soul of our dear departed sister, let us therefore commit her body to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” the Old grey pony with a pipe as cutie mark kept saying from the book in the stand, while a shiver ran through Rainbow Dash’s spine. The rain was cold and the sudden wind gusts brought no better feelings, no new hope, just coldness and an uncertainty that she hadn't felt in a long time.
“Attention, citizens. We are trying to maintain balance. You must clear the streets! The emotional charge of a party can eruptionate dangerous magic, If you could... “ Rainbow Dash in Wonderbolts uniform, shout through a megaphone after exiting flying from the basket of a hot air balloon with details of the Royal Guard on it.
Below, a wild party crew was celebrating in the middle of a forest, playing music at full volume. Suddenly the sound of a sharp explosion attenuated the sound of the music. an unknow pony had exploded, but the party crew just got a boost of excitement once the sound of the music returned behind the sound of the explosion.
“Please, there's no need for violence.” Rainbow Dash continued shouting through the megaphone, flying over the crew “We are trying to retain order on the population until the disbalance gets solved.”
“Go back to your houses before somepony else get hurt. I got mah rubber horseshoes.” Applejack in full royal guard armor, wearing her hat above her helmet, shouted directly to the crew when the hot air balloon got close at the ponies below.
“I want my rights!” Somepony from the crew shouted to Applejack.
“You can’t tell us how to live!!” Somepony else shout next.
“We a want regular life!”
“No more repression!” Different ponies shout back, only to Applejack, and without stop partying.
“I lost my job because I’m an unicorn! ” Shouted somepony else.
“You bucking hooflickers!” Somepony called them throwing an empty mug of cider to Applejack’s head, who wasn’t hurt in anything else than her pride.
“For pete’s sake. All right. That's how yah wanna do it?” Applejack said jumping off from the basket. When she touched the ground the pegasi around started to fly away.
“There's no need for violence.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed one last time through the megaphone, more for Applejack than anypony else.
“Buck you! Buck you!” A group of ponies shouted before charge against Applejack, who could buck them away first, without any trouble at all.
“Oh, this is getting heavy.” Rainbow Dash said for herself, after seeing what Applejack was doing, before dropping away the megaphone and near Applejack.
“Aww, yeah! I love working on Equestrian soil, Dash.” Applejack confessed while bucking anypony that was charging against her. “Ain't had this much fun since Flim and Flam.”
“How long can we keep this up?” Rainbow Dash questioned, without need of fighting anypony by herself.
“Yah don’t have to worry, Dash. Mah contacts in the court told me they’re pushin' through some new decree that's being herded through. They’re gonna forbide magic. Our days as unit are numbered, until then, it's like Twilight used to say: We're the kingdom's only protection.” Applejack said a bit sour, while fighting her way through the forest to vacate the party, like if that had been the best moment to drop that new to her old buddy.
“Protection? Who are we protecting them from?” Rainbow Dash wondered utterly confused, only following Applejack who was the only being attacked.
“Haven’t yah realized, sugarcube? From themselves.” Applejack said, pointing a hoof to the crew running away from her, stumbling against each others . “Whatsamatter? don’t yah feel comfortable unless yah’re up against some schmuck with claws and big teeth, or some ancient magical fiend? Speakin’ o’ which, where in tarnation are Spike, Rarity, and the others?” Applejack asked, without lose the beat of the fighting.
“Spike is helping Twilight again, so most probably they haven’t even noticed what’s going on in the forests yet; Rarity’s handling the rave under their noses in Canterlot, I’m not sure if Fluttershy is helping her though; Pinkie’s in Manehattan, trying to hold under control a situation in the lower east side, she, uh. She works mostly on her own these days... “ Rainbow Dash explained, a bit saddened by how everypony was working by their own now.
“Pinkie’s nuts. She’s been nuts ever since she was kidnapped three years back. Her, Thunderlane, Agorashy, Princess Ah’m-too-busy-reading Sparkle, Miss I-can-see-through-the-fabric-of-space-and-time-arity... all of them, nuts! " Applejack said while she was beating all the ponies out of the forest.
“But not you?” Rainbow Dash asked reproachingly.
“No, not me, I keep the things in proportion, an’ try ta see the things as they really are... Stop dancing you son of a mule!” Applejack said running to one last party pony, who was dancing not even realizing that the party was emptying.
“No, Applejack, wait!” Was all Rainbow Dash could say, but not before Applejack could buck that last unicorn away.
“It’s weird how unicorns can’t get control of their own magic, yah an' Ah have more magic in out horseshoes than all of them now. So do as many rainbooms as you want while you still can, sugarcube. They will be forbidden once again that decree gets announced. They don’t like us, an’ they don't thrust us.”
“This whole situation... it’s horrible... What happened to us. The kingdom is disintegrating, Everyday day more ponies deflect to the republic. What happened to Equestria’s Kingdom?
“What happened to the kingdom? Yah’re looking at it, it’s all true!” Applejack said before walking into a cloud of dust that the fleeing ponies had leaved behind them. Those were the last words that Rainbow Dash could remember from Applejack before The Wonderbolts were disintegrated. The truth is that the spirit of The Wonderbolt Unit had been dissolved long ago, and she was the only pony using their uniform in all Equestria, by like three years before giving up on it.
“Who shall change our lesser body that it may be like unto her glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby she is able to subdue all thing unto herself, I heard a voice from sky, saying unto me, write. From henceforth welcome are the dead which die in clarity, even so saith the spirit, for they rest from their labors. Celestia have mercy upon us. Luna have mercy upon us, Ancestors have mercy upon us, which art not forgotten, remembered be thy name, thy kingdom come,” The old preaching ponie was reading from his brown book, with yellow pages, and a golden alicorn head on the cover.
The rain was easing, and militia ponies folded the flag over the coffin, to present it later to Apple Bloom, who was covered in rain. The coffin started to descend. Many ponies around kicked ground inside, and when the tomb was filed, Apple Bloom leaved a frame with a picture of the last family reunion that they had; From all those ponies only Apple Bloom and Babs were alive, and they were only blank flank fillies in the photograph.
“Our ruler, which art between us, hallowed be thy youth, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in clouds, give us this day our daily Equestria, and punish our traspasses, as we example those that trespass against others, leading us not into temptation, but save us from evil... I pledge.” Were the last words that the old pony read from the book before leaving as well, taking his book along. After that everypony started to leave, quickly as leaves on the cold wind, just as they had come, alone or crossing a few words with somepony else. Embracing their coats to feel less alone.
The green coated mare was gone before the end of the speech, leaving her basket of roses near the tombstone. Rarity was looking at her walking away when Apple Bloom, along with Babs Seed and Sweetie Belle, approached to her indecipherable figure. After a few words, Rarity teleported the four of them away.
Rainbow Dash also had some words with Princess Twilight before she had to leave in a prepared carriage expecting for her to accomplish with her inscrutable schedule. Giving as excuse that she was being heavily buried with pending job; she leaved Rainbow Dash alone in the end, with the grave of her friend, and the hat that Pinkie Pie had left with her, and now she was returning back.
The dark green coated mare with aquamarine mane and tail, had walked all the way back from the serviceto a humble house where she entered. After closing the door, she put magically her hat on the coatrack near the entrance, revealing herself as an unicorn of green glow. And then she went to the kitchen to put a kettle on, and opened the refrigerator from where Pinkie Pie jumped out. Giving a couple of backside rolls along her on the floor.
“Please, this must be a mistake, a mistake! You have the wrong pony!” The unknow mare shouted utterly terrorized with Pinkie above.
“Hehe. What are you talking about? You aren’t even a pony, silly!” Pinkie retorted happily, with her nose stuck on hers.
“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a housewife, just a normal housewiv...-” The unicorn managed to say, shallowing down the surprise.
“Hey, you don’t need to be hiding from me, I’m not here to hunt you down” Pinkie said, suddenly lifting the unknow mare from the floor, and hugging her.
“Oh, God, please... I spend all this years in peace. I just want to be left alone. What do you want with me?” The startled mare said, with a mixture of grief and fear in her voice.
“I saw you attending the funeral today, and you were the only pony there that I didn’t know.” Pinkie explained, like not having an ulterior reason to be there.
“The funeral? I should’ve changed... I got too used to this form... “ The green mare reproached to herself.
“I also saw the way in which Miss Singularity was looking at you. Did she know about you?” Pinkie wondered.
“I knew she wasn’t going to oppose. After all she’s the former element of generosity.” The unknown unicorn explained, a bit ashamed.
“Hey, do you even know her secret identity?”
“In the line of work I used to do, you learn to differentiate between beings that look exactly the same, also to identify them despite of their changes, as age, or a magical glow in her interior. Something like that doesn't hide anything fom me. I don’t even know how can you expect to deceive anypony, it’s not like if she’s wearing at least a mask or something.” The unknown pony explained, a bit frustrated, to Pinkie. “A greater mystery would be, as you came into my refrigerator?”
“I followed you here, my suspicions were confirmed when I saw you using magic to hang your hat, then to settle on the kettle, just a powerful magic user could still having such control in her magic. You are... Queen Chrysalis, aren’t you?” Pinkie said before Chrysalis changed to her own normal self.
“I’m... just, Crystal Alibi. I’ve been for the last six years, I just felt, I should assist. I’d been thinking about Applejack ever since she visited me, and...-
“What?! She knew where you were all along?” Pinkie said startled at the idea of how Applejack spend three years in a jungle, tracking her down, and her usual complains about how she never caught her even with Rarity’s help, always alluding to Rarity; Now the Rarity’s part made more sense, and technically she wasn’t lying to anypony, after all she never caught her.
“Yes, of course, I surrender myself to the singularity, when I saw my kingdom destroyed by war. .. The sight of chattered nests under the water still perplexes me. I freed my subjects and resigned as Queen. With the singularity helping your kind I thought that was our only chance for survival; But, then, Rarity generously offered me an option from jail, be a normal pony as long I won’t assume as Queen again. She must have foresaw that I won’t be any trouble at all. Since then I’ve been playing to be Crystal Alibi... Sometimes I even am, like this morning. I should’ve changed... With magic in this state even an harmless consumption of love is enough to keep a transformation, I meet a naive stallion, find one wasn’t difficult. I got married. I’ve been... happy, relatively, since then. I never saw the singularity again until this day, But the general used to pass by from time to time to check out my behavior, but she had always showed only to me, except that last night... “ Chrysalis explained, that last part with confusion in her voice.
“What happened that night?” Pinkie asked authentically intrigued.
“Wh- when she broke in, to see me. She was drunk, had her armor off, and was scared of something, crying... I was sleeping with my husband when she woke us. We sat in bed, scared stiff, she sounded crazy. He thought she was gonna kill us, I was more worried about giving up my identity... This was, like, a week before I heard she’d died. I guess it was her last chance to say what she wanted.
“What did she said?” Pinkie asked, following her investigation. and then Chrysalis took Applejack’s form, and with the same voice; Looking teary and drunk, just as Applejack had been that night, Crysalis re-enacted the very same scene for Pinkie pie.
“All true, S’all true, Ah mean, Ah thought Ah knew how it was, how the world was. But then Ah found out abouv what to care, this, truth... You’re part of it, Chrysie ol’ pal. Y’know that? I mean, y’know how Rarity is, and if something ever happens to Sweetie....
I’m not here for an explanation. I've done some bad things. In that jungle, you know it. But that was bucking war. This... I never done anything like this. By Celestia, here I am... spilling my guts... to somepony I always considered an enemy. But the truth is... you're the only pony that could help us now. What the buck does that say... ?
If I thought you did know... I saw your name on the list, yours and everypony else, but if I thought you were in on this... I’d kill you, you understand?
Where do you keep the good stuff, who can you stand the life without a drink once in a while?
It all stinks. I mean, this truth. I mean, I thought I was being honest, y’know?
Oh, god, I wish I could believe in ‘gods’ as changelings do. How can somepony do that? I can’t believe, I can’t... this. I done some bad things. But I never did anything like... Oh, mother, forgive me... ” the imitation of Applejack said crying profusely.
“And then she left.” Chrysalis said in her true form, pointing one for her holed hooves to a window. “I swear I don't know what in hell she was talking about. Luckily, neither my husband, but he left me the very next day. He accused me of being hiding something, and we’re getting divorced now, not that I really care, I could simply find another stallion. Our marriage was having problems because we never had a foal. of course we can’t! I could simply disappear, but... I don’t know, I’m too used to be Crystal Alibi now... I don’t know what I’m waiting for.”
“What’re these ’gods’ Applejack was talking about?” Pinkie asked, trying to connect the dots.
“They are... That’s, hard to explain. They’re common in other cultures though. Something important about them is that they can’t die.” Chrysalis tried to explain, a bit puzzled herself.
“Oh! like a princess?” Pinkie said, with her interest picked up.
“No, not like a princess, otherwise I could be one myself, and even if I like the idea... They’re something that you can’t kill, even when you give your best try. they’re something that can’t die.”
“Like... Rarity?” Pinkie said, and Chrysalis nodded positively. “Funny story. Sounds unbelievable. Probably true... “ Pinkie highlighted, rubbing her chin with a hoof.
“You can confirm with my husband, but... he’s probably not so good memorizing dialogs, or corporal expression, as I am.” Chrysalis explained with a bit of pride in her voice, or maybe the best way in which a good actress could hide her regret, Pinkie thought.
“That won’t be necessary. Besides, that could affect negatively your relation with him right now.” Pinkie said, understanding that Chrysalis was expecting to go back with her husband after all.
“I’m not... S-so what? You mean that’s it? Will you leave me alone now?” Chrysalis stuttered doubtfully.
“Alone? No sillie, queenie. Nopony should be left alone, I’ll be your friend now.” Pinkie Pie said hugging Chrysalis, who was repressing herself at first, but ended hugging her back.
“I’m sick, you know? The unbalance of magic is affecting me.” Chrysalis confessed.
“Sick? What kind of sickness?” Pinkie wondered, truly worried, looking at her sad eyes.
“Heh. Well, you know that kind of sickness that you eventually get better from? Now, that’s not the kind of sickness I got. My straction spell isn’t perfect anymore, I’m slowly starving to death, no matter what I do.” Chrysalis said as Pinkie’s eyes became tearful, and they both hugged each other again.
“Don’t worry, many years ago, Twilight and I created a recipe for a substitute food for changelings, Mis... Rarity, keeps producing it, I’m sure she’ll help us!” Pinkie said enthusiastically, but chrysalis broke away her embrace.
“No, that food... I know what it is, it was imperfect from the beginning, love can’t be replaced” Chrysalis sadly said.
“Then what... ?” Pinkie asked, trying to not feel defeated.
“Then nothing, just go.” Chrysalis said, pushing Pinkie away. “We changelings can’t produce love, that’s why we feed on it. I’m dying, and the whole experience is new for me. I had wished for somepony to stay, and mourn my death. I never really loved my husband, and I can’t be your friend.”
“But I can be yours” Pinkie said before hug her for one last time, without being rejected at all, before going inside the door of the refrigerator, for surprise of Chrysalis who hastily opened the door again looking for her, but could notice anything beside the small magical scent of a portal in it.
Pinkie’s diary, Hooftober 16th, 1985, 42nd Street:
Cupcakes draped across every billboard, every display, littering the sidewalk. I was offered artificially flavored apple pies, and artificially sweetened cupcakes... but no natural flavored muffins. Natural flavored pastries are like good hoof-made cyder... They don’t make it anymore.
Ponyville has grown since Luna’s attack, the village was practically destroyed back then, but its proximity to Canterlot let ponies believe that they are safe, it’s more like a city now. Haven’t they realized? For that very same reason was one of the very first places being attacked.
Or maybe we, the former Elements of Harmony, are the ones to blame for that..
I thought about Chrysalis’ story on my way back to the cemetery. It all could be lies, or could it all be part of a revenge scheme planned during her years as Crystal Alibi. But I don’t think so, and if it’s true, then what? Puzzling references to a list, some immortal things that changelings call gods, probably a reference to Rarity... And Sweetie. Might her sister be at risk in some way? So many questions. Never mind, I’ll get answers soon, Twilight taught me that nothing is unsolvable. Nothing is hopeless, not while there’s friendship.
I needed to do a last visit first, quietly, without fuss. I had to broke in the cemetery to pay the last respects to my friend.
Alice Jacqueline Brandine Apple. Born in 1950. During twelve years a general at the service of Celestia, her first and only military rank in the royal guard, died in 1985, Buried in the rain.
Is that what happens to us? A life of conflict with no time for friends, so that when it’s done, only our enemies leave roses.
Violent lives, ending violently, none of us has died in bed, not allowed. Something in our personalities perhaps? Some urge for obtain what we want, say what we want, and redeem our guilts while we can? Other ponies bury her heads in a swollened pie made with artificial flavors, trying to forget what they lost, but some of us can't forget. And the future is bearing down like a train wreckage.
Applejack understood. She tried to see the truth behind all things, and in the end, she could. It was thanks to magic perhaps. She tasted magic just like me before the disbalance, using the elements of harmony, as no other earth pony as done before. I don’t know the source she chose, but she could see the true face of everything, but that face decided to look back at her, and it wasn't a friendly face.
Nopony else could saw that truth, and that’s why she was so lonely, holding secrets of everypony else.
I have a secret too.
I once went to the doctor, I told him that I was depressed, I told him that life seems harsh and cruel. I told him I felt all alone in a threatening world, where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain.
The doctor told me: Treatment is simple, a mare expert in parties is in town tonight, go and see her, that should pick you up. Her name is Pinkie Pie.
I almost burst into tears, I never told that doctor I was Pinkie Pie.
True story, I'm not even playing. Roll on snare drums, curtains. Sometimes I laugh alone at that.
Since then I’ve only fighting the sadness. A greeting, a smile, a hug, they can save lives.
“Did somepony really cry for you, or was it only the rain?” Pinkie asked in front of the tomb after putting in the ground the best apple she could afford, and take Applejack’s hat, that Rainbow Dash had left behind to cover her straight mane from the Rain, and wiped her tears away.
To Be Continued.
Relieve The Pictures That Have Come To Pass
“We oughtta drop it all on the Lunar Republic, and let Celestia sort it out. ‘Course, that’s just my opinion.” A slim partying pegasus, with brown mane, and very light cream coat, said through shutting over the music to some ponies nearby. Everypony seated in a round table where a pink earth mare of straight mane using a western hat was laying her head down. She was the only pony around that didn’t seem to enjoy the party.
“For what that’s worth, y’know? Inna final analysis. Lissen, I see every celestiadamn front page inna world. F’r’intance... the more disasters happen, the more papers I sell! See, everything’s connected, a newsvendor understands that. He don’t retreat from reality. I’m a survivor, I used to live In Old Ponyville when it was destroyed. We newsvendors always cope! We’re indestructible! We thrive on disaster! We...-” The newspaper stallion stopped, when in the middle of his exciting narration, he spilled the drink of the mare next to him.
“Oh, hey, sorry.” He said, but got no response. Instead the sad pink mare lifted her head, adjusted her hat, and just trotted away saddened.
“Hey, I said I’m sorry. It’s not the end of the world!” The tall newsvendor pony with a white feather as cutie mark, said.
“Today for certain.” Is all she said, before leaving.
Harmony Side Effects by TrollestiaSubject
Relieve The Pictures That Have Come To Pass:
“Rarity, uhm... Since we got plenty of time before your interview. Do you... want to get out, maybe we could find a nice restaurant, and exterior table and...-” A kind of assertive Fluttershy, proposed from behind her mane.
“Sorry, Fluttershy. I can’t... not right now...” Rarity answered gloomily, turning her irreconocible blank expression at Fluttershy. Her white mane and eyes glowing mystically from the interior of her body. Surrounded completely in a white, almost transparent magic aura. She was like trying to solve a puzzle with panels, cubes and pipes. It involved horn speakers, TV screens, mystical runes inbued with arcane potions and encryptions of magic spell that needed to change of place, angle and colors to have any effect. The room itself became a living being, as long Rarity was there to make it move, and the right melody sound at the right places and times.
Rarity was working lifting six enormous spheric rocks, each with a símbol of the elements of harmony, mounted in some kind of archaic device at the center of the room. Surrounded by cone speakers and the shifting mechanism charged with different forms of alternative magic, everything surrounded in Rarity’s unusual magic, all constantly changing position.
“AW... ok, I understand, if you're busy...” Fluttershy replied, looking down at one of her forehooves caressing the floor near the entrance of the room, which looked more like a normal office or a classroom, with a blackboard full of unrecognizable encryptions, a desk to the brim of old but clean books, some bookshelves with no less rare tomes, and many diagrams hanged on the walls of that corner of the room.
A bit saddened, Fluttershy when out of the room, to a hallway that looked more like an industrial facility, builded in metal with pipelines running through the hallways.
'After all what Rarity's doing is very important, maybe even more important that me, No, surely more important than me.’ Fluttershy thought, trying really hard to not be disappointed, but couldn’t help to felt sadness, a little bit, maybe, deep inside; in a graveyard of deep buried sad moments with Rarity.
“Hi mommy.” A little filly said to Fluttershy, as she turned in one of the hallways. At the beginning Fluttershy didn't understand that the greeting was for her, but after see at the filly that had spoken, a deep fear gripped her insides.
Her glowing coat as white as her little mane and big eyes, were totally unnatural. They gave her a totally indecipherable expression. She was like a ghost, like something dead. That first encounter had been utterly scary for Fluttershy, who ran away in fear back to the room with Rarity.
Maybe all those years in that place were starting to have a negative effect on her, or maybe it had been an actual ghost. Whatever it had been it wasn't something alive. Fluttershy knew how to deal with living things, and that definitely hadn't been one of them.
'Maybe I'm really crazy like everypony thinks. Maybe it was part of my imagination, my hurt feelings, or my unmet expectations.' Fluttershy thought, realizing for the first time, that she had some of those.
When Fluttershy came back, she didn't say any word, she’d wanted to likely shout the name of her lover in the room, but simply couldn't.
‘She knows everything. Maybe it’s unnecessary.' Fluttershy thought, but she would have wanted to be able to shout her name anyways.
When that little filly, with all the look of pretty young Rarity, entered the room trespassing the wall like a little ghost filly. Her expression, even when inappreciable, was one of confusion, just the same like her voice.
“Mommy?” She called, again at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy who was leaning against the door to prevent her from enter, was scared to death again for this inexplicable and frightening apparition. Gasping for air as loud as she could like asking for help, jumped behind the desk in the corner.
“Rarity, wha- what's that?” Fluttershy managed to say, steeling herself to peek her head out from behind the desk, with a book over her head as shield, and pointing at the spectral apparition.
“Her? I made her out of me. I know you feel lonely, and that you have yearned for a foal for so long. But in my current state there’s nothing we can do about that, and Sweetie Belle doesn't feel comfortable playing that role anymore... So I made her to be with you, and be your little foal. She’s not very smart, I couldn’t take a lot out of me to make her, I need my concentration to finish the new elements. but you can talk with her, brush her mane, teach her things, and she will love you back. She’s a part of me after all.” Rarity answered without take her focus out of her device.
“Y- you mean, she’s... That thing, is that you?” Fluttershy managed to said, preventing a nervous breakdown.
“Is... essentially. Yes. I can’t create life out of nowhere, or animate anything with a range of equine intelligence, so...-” Rarity started.
“But that’s horrible, Rarity. I see you as my lover, not my foal! Even if I... could even accept her as a daughter. What if she misinterpret my feelings for her, and while I bath her, or brush her mane she... interprets my love, inappropriately?” Fluttershy said blushing, overcoming her fear, yet still taking cover behind the desk.
‘Well, I guess it could... I didn’t prevent that situation might happen.’ Rarity answered, with the same indifferent tone than before.
“You didn’t prevent that situation could happen? How... how is you didn’t? Do- do you mean that you... couldn’t?” Fluttershy asked stuttering.
“I- I’m sorry, I can't create life by and means, so... I thought you were going to like it.” Rarity said, focusing her attention in the complex device.
“Rarity! Stop that and look back at me for a second!” Fluttershy demanded, going out from behind her desk, and staring at Rarity in a way that had made her impossible to deny her request, if only Rarity had turned back to see at her for a second. “First you gave me a consolation prize and expect me to care of my lover as if she were my little foal. Then you try to hide something from me! Rarity, how long has been since you can’t see the future anymore?” Fluttershy questioned, with a mixture of anger and concern.
“I- I was trying not to scare you, darling. I...-” Rarity managed to say, before being interrupted.
“Stop with that machine now and look at me!” Fluttershy shouted, but all Rarity did was bring magically a TV screen at her, and turn it on.
"Twilight, I think that I finally have found out the last configuration, I'm sending it to you." Rarity called out thought the futuristic machine, totally ignoring Fluttershy. Twilight, that was backwards at the beginning of the communication, seemed to be supervising the construction of what seemed to be a similar device, but made out entirely of TV screens, and seemed really excited about the news.
"You did? Well, that's great! Are you ready to announce it on TV? I think I could arrange an interview this very same afternoon." Twilight started, before an old and big book came flying, breaking the screen and further communications.
"Listen to me, Now!" An angered Fluttershy demanded. When Rarity turned emotionless at her, everything that was in movement within her magic, stood quiet for a second.
“Since Pinkie Pie was here.” She answered, in a calmed tone of voice and with a sad expresion that got lost behind her white glowing factions. “I... Every time is harder to me to see, while my past is constant, my... future, has been having skips on time, probably due to how near we are of a fight between Celestia and Nightmare Moon. The crashing waves, that are going to be produced during their fight, are resonating diferently, as we move ‘forward,’ to that day, I can only see... fragments, between those waves. Sometimes I can see some other fragments behind the resonance, but nothing is linear anymore, and I think. that I’m even watching alternate realities. But in all of them the fight takes place.” She explained, After a moment of silence everyting held in the air with her magic started to move again, and the surface of the room started to change again. “Now I have to finish this, if you’ll excuse me.” Rarity added before facing back at the complex device that only she was able to move, while the little Rarity walked back next to her to get incorporated back within herself.
“That's horrible! Why haven't you told me before?” Fluttershy asked, shocked at the revelation.
“Because, I knew, you were going to be scared. You’re everything to me, Fluttershy. Not only here, in this facility, or the world. Not only because I’m... cursed, in this state. I really love you, and if I can’t prevent you from being scared, how can I expect to help everypony in Equestria?” Rarity said, tuning at Fluttershy for a moment. Blinking was her only noticeable expression.
“I- I don't know, Rarity. You say you love me, but it's like if you don't know me anymore. Hide that information was very egotistical from you. I can't believe you were hidding me something like that. I- I'm not that coward. I could try to help you harder." Fluttershy retorted, struggling after each word.
"To be honest, I think you and Sweetie Belle have done everything that you could. I don't know in what else you two might help, the rest is up to me now." Rarity retorted, without taking her attention out of the device.
"Well... Good luck, Rarity. I hope you can figure it out... Goodbye.” Were the last words that Fluttershy spoke, before leaving the room. Rarity didn't need to see the future to know that she wasn't going to be back.
“Miss Singularity couldn’t relate to me, not emotionally. Certainly not romantically.” A tall Spike was narrating in a newpaper office for Featherweight, the pony that had spilled the drink of the pink mare last night.
“I mean, she doesn't have to get old, right? Not even need to use an age spell, so she doesn't know how it feels, but some day it's going to happen to her. After being her assistant since... well, the singularity, until she dumped me with escuses of going into the war agains the changelings. I mean, what risk do you take being she close, am I right? At least that’s what I used to think. Now she’s in a relationship with a yeallow pegasus, and she’s a mare, if you know what I mean. The worst part is that she can’t be surprised, and she doesn’t even care to act like if she is anymore. She can know everything, but has forgoten everything about being a pony.” Spike ranted while Featherweight was checking if a recording machine on his desk was working properly.
“I see. So, Spike, how do you feel, now that you’ve learned about your condition?” Featherweight asked after checking everything was fine with his sound recording device.
“Bitter. Bitter as tartarus. I started smoking. I figure ‘why not?’ I’m a dragon! And I can be a tennager for dragon ages, but I’m pretty legal for that in pony years. It’s supoused to help with the anxiety, you know. Knowing that the only one that could miss me is Princess Sparkle. I know at least she will, at least sometimes. when she’s not reading. Something about that makes me feel bad,” he said ligtening another cigarette, “but no Miss Singularity, you see. She doesn’t care, she doesn’t have to get old! That’s it 'cough-cought' Excuse me... That’s why I’m talking to you ponies. I want Equestria to know about her, what she did, not to me, but for all of us. I kept quiet all these years, but then this last thing happened and I had to let it all out... ‘ahhuk ahek-heck’ excuse me. After all she meant to me... After all the times I told her I loved her. I was happy the first time I knew she had obtained those powers, that meant she was going to live as much as me, or Twilight. Probably more, but the chaos... The chaos has... 'cough-cough, cough-cough.' ”
“It’s okay, Spike... if you want, we can stop here.” The newspony said, turning off the recorder. While Spike was having a coughing full of black smoke. "Uh, Spike, I’d like to thank you for helping the Equestria Express so much with these investigations. I’m sure after the paper finally goes out tomorrow, you’ll feel so much better.” He added, taking the tape.
“No, I won’t." Spike said before coughing again. "Not after what she did to me. Poor Rarity, but ponies need to know that she's not pure harmony, that she can be dangerous. What she has passed through... I’m glad, that after this interview tonight, everypony’s gonna know what she did. Oh, celestia, it’s such a felief... it’s such a relief just to get out of that tower, and talk to somepony else." Spike said, just finishing his last cigarette.
Rainbow Dash had heard the doorbell ringing. With her eyesight helping goggles well placed, she found out at the delivery pegasus from the place she had ordered some cupcakes at the door. But she also could see at the distance, certain yellow thing fluttering at her place.
“Fluttershy?!” Dash said startled, taking her goggles out of her face like ashamed of Fluttershy finding out that she needed them.
"Hi." Answered Fluttershy, as a little filly that has lost her way home.
"Well, come on in! It’s good to see you! Sorry about all this mess... I uhm... spend a lot of time in home." Rainbow Dash said apological.
"Half dozen cupcakes, it will be fifty bits." The delivery pony said.
"Everything is so expensive these days." Rainbow added, leaving Fluttershy pass inside. Throwing a green paper with official recognition for the devalued quantity of bits at the delivery pony and signed somewhere in the delivery recept, not sure if it was in the right place without her Google. Later in accompanied her distinguished guest to the cleaned room of the building, the kitchen.
"I’ll make tea. It’s funny, I was hopping I’d fly into your place and thank you for the dinner the other night. I thought maybe you’d be at the funeral, but Spitfire told me you’d visited her. Do you want a cupcake with your tea?" Rainbow Dash said, trying to control her nervousness and happines, Fluttershy was the last pony she was expecting in her place.
"Oh, yes. Something sweet could be great right now." Fluttershy answered, utterly dispirited.
"So, anyway. Why are you so silent, is there something wrong?" Dash asked, starting to suspect that the reason why Fluttershy could be there wasn't going to be good.
"Oh, no. I’m fine, just fine” Fluttershy said before start weeping. “Oh Celestia, I’m so sorry...” She apologized, drying her tears.
"Hey, look. It’s okay. I mean, whatever’s bothering you, it’s not the end of the wolrd, right?" Dash said, trying to confort her friend.
"I left Rarity." Fluttershy clarified, utterly devastated.
"Oh, I see. that is, uh..." Rainbow started, trying to hide her true feelings about the matter.
"I’m sorry, I dont know why I’m dumping it on you. I just... I just don’t know anypony else! I don’t have anypony to talk but critters' graves." Fluttershy added, at the verge of crying. "Rainbow. Living with her, you don’t know what it’s like...The way she looks at things, like she can’t remember what they are, and doesn’t particularly care. .." Fluttershy explained, while at just the same time, Rarity had magically created some clothes, and was wondering why she even had to do something like that.
"The world. I mean, the actual world, for her. It's like walking in the fog." Fluttershy continued. While the kettle began to Boil. Rarity, after amusing herself at the need of creating clothes, had telephoned herself at a television studio, scaring everypony around with the unexpected, yet harmless, sprout of magic in the proximity.
"I mean, a few days ago. I flew out with you after years of not going out, right? And you know what she did? Her great, emotional reaction? Nothing! She was there, doing exactly what she was doing before leaving her. She probably still doing the same right know." Fluttershy claimed, while Rarity, under the recommendation of Princess Sparkle herself, was transmogrificating her how body to a less glowing appearance for the sake of the broadcasting resolution. They both were taking her places around a little round table for interviews, in the middle of a crowded television studio.
"She's doesn't even sleeps with me anymore. She's like a ghost. Somepony that I used to know. She's just pretending to be there, but I think I lost her a long time ago." Fluttershy concluded.
"Hey, if she's pretending, at least she cares." Was all that Rainbow Dash could say about it.
Meanwhile the news television pony was being instructed by Princess Twilight herself, not to ask about the situation on Crystal Empire or about Miss Singularity identity. Therefore the interview will be over.
"Hahhh... Rainbow. I'm sorry I've let out all of this when you were probably getting ready to spend a peaceful afternoon in you home today." Fluttershy apologized, drying up her last tears and starting to feel better just because she had talked with somepony.
"Nah... Nothing like that. I just wish you'd drop in more often. As for tonight I'm only calling on Spitfire. As long she doesn't mind some company." Dash explained, while hoofing a cup of tea and one of the new bought cupcakes at Fluttershy.
"I don't think she minds having somepony to talk." Fluttershy said, bitting her cupcake and taking a sip of tea.
Meanwhile, at the TV interview show, the questions were being thoroughly selected.
"Miss Singularity, if the Lunar Republic invades the Crystal Empire now that there's not princess there, will you be prepared to enter hostilities?" Was the bolder question that somepony in the public, consisting of press members, was able to perform, followed by a rain of clapping hooves.
"As far as I know, there is not situation in Crystal Empire requiring my attentions." Was Rarity's limited answer.
"Come on, I don't want to fill you with all the bitter details. I'm holding you from visiting Spitfire. Grab your scarf and I'll fly over there with you." Fluttershy, cheering up, said.
"Don't you wanna finish your cupcake?" Rainbow Dash answered, slightly startled at Fluttershy's proposal.
"No... I'm sorry. I never really liked artificial flavored cupcakes." Fluttershy said apologizing to Rainbow Dash. While in some other place Miss Singularity kept giving time after time the same lame answer at questions each time more bold from the ponies in the crowd, during her first ever television interview.
"Well, look, if you are sure you wouldn't rather sit and talk. Spitfire would understand if I was late." Rainbow Dash explained.
"It is ok. Right now I rather go anywhere than sit here and feel sorry for myself." Fluttershy said. While at the TV studio the harshness of the questions that the public was each time more confidently asking, had made Princess Twilight Sparkle stress beyond a breaking point, if she hadn't learned to deal with her neurotic breaks long ago.
"Are you sure you can deal with this? I mean, fly there. It's not a short fly you know." Rainbow Dash said, midair to Fluttershy. Her trademark goggles on her head, and a rainbow colored scarf around her neck to not make too obvious her head accessory. She was actually following Fluttershy since she wasn't able to notice most of the landmarks below without her goggles on. Yet Rainbow Dash was worried about Fluttershy noticing how bad her eyesight had become, and was ashamed of wearing her goggles with Fluttershy around.
"You know I just realized something. About all the time I spend in that complex, and all of Pinkie's 'Agorashy' stuff. I hadn't seen it, but I really missed to use my wings like this. It's just wonderful to feel the wind beneath your wings again. Maybe... Maybe we should take the scenic route." Fluttershy happily announced before star flying faster ahead of Rainbow Dash who trustfully following her, losing notion of the direction of her main objective.
Fluttershy was enjoying literally for the first time in ages, the basic things that any pegasus has forgotten to enjoy, like the soft caresses of the air between their feathers, or the fresh breeze of a cloud in their faces. Fluttershy had never been an altitude or speeder flyer, but right then, rediscovering all those wonderful things, she was able of forget her problems for a while.
Rainbow Dash was amusedly watching her, probably for the first time, having fun from their race between clouds. Fluttershy was twisting, twirling, and doing whirlpools around Rainbow. Hiding on the upkeep clouds at the outskirts of Canterlot for Dash to find her.
Not being able to track her down beyond a fluttering dashing yellow stripe between clouds. Rainbow Dash was tempted to wear her goggles and put and end on the competition, when suddenly a coltly voice shook her on place.
"Stop right there, criminal scum!" Shout a pegasus guard at a suspicious dark cloud.
"Hey! Hey! What's going there!" Rainbow Dash shouted back, interfering with the guard job.
"Huh? Captain! I found this infractor hiding herself...-" The young guard started in an authoritarian tone of voice.
"She's a Sargent for you to know!" Dash claimed. "You can't arrest her!" She concluded.
"I- I'm sure you have the papers that identify you. Don't you?" The insistent guard countered, this time doubting his own words.
"Argh... Fine, she's with me. Just let her be." Rainbow Dash retorted at the young pegasus. She was starting to get inpatient about his insolent behaviour. Back in the old good days nopony had dared to talk them back like that.
"I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Fluttershy apologized, for both of them.
"It's forbidden for anypony to be hiding in any clouds like that at the proximities of Canterlot. Just for letting you know." He retorted at the captain before leaving, mumbling something about useless honorary ranks that surely wasn't very kind for any of them.
"I- I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, I didn't meant to cause any trouble with... -" Fluttershy started, truly worried, while taking seat on a nearby cloud.
"No! No, Fluttershy. Don't be sorry! You were just having fun." Rainbow Dash interrupted her. Flying next to her on the cloud, but stopping too close of her, face to face, due to her bad eyesight. "There's nothing bad with it." Rainbow Dash continued, unable to think straight, just holding back the urge of kissing her.
"Oh, my. Look at the time." Fluttershy added, looking at the dusk, and started to flutter on. "I- I think I should go find an hotel. I'm a bit over excited. I mean, after all this. I usually never act like this, and that guard. Sweet Celestia..." Fluttershy claimed, slightly shaken by what happened.
"Hu... Well... I remember that one time, when you got your Wonderbolts suit. Don't you remember? That day you were just like this." Rainbow Dash remembered, with a smile on her face. Fluttershy just kept looking at the dusk. "Look, are you sure? Why not visit Spitfire and get you breath back?" Rainbow Dash proposed, leaving her games behind, and trying to be really helpful to her friend.
"No, thank you. I've had enough flying for one day. I'm going to find a hotel and think about my relationship..." Fluttershy worriedly planned. "See if I can find out a good reason to stay around. Oh, Celestia. You know? I feel so much better now that I've talked with somepony about all this. It feels so much better now it's out in the open. Thanks for being such a good listener, Rainbow Dash, but sometimes you also need some time alone to think things over." Fluttershy added, starting to fly away. "Anyway, you better take care of yourself, Rainbow Dash. It's a tough world out there."
"Yeah. Y- You too, Fluttershy! Bye." Rainbow Dash concluded sadly, waving goodbye to her friend while she was still sit on the cloud that Fluttershy had leaved.
"Yes. It's a question for Miss Singularity. I'm Featherweight, I write for the Equestria Express." said the next selected pony in the audience of the TV studio. "My question is: Do you remember Fancy Pants. Back in the early seventies, the newspapers called him 'Miss Singularity's buddy.' He died of a mysterious sickness six years ago." The newspaper pony claimed, holding a recording machine around his neck. "I believe it was quite sudden, and quite painful." He added for every pony to remember.
"I remember Fancy as a good friend. I attended his funeral." Was Miss Singularity unexpresive answer.
"Really?" Continued the press pony in the crowd. "How about Fleur Dis Lee, you encountered her in several occasions during the past fifteen years. Did you know she was recently a victim of the same sickness that ended with the life of Fancy Pants?"
"Fleur... ? No, I didn't know that, She was too one my best friend in late years." Rarity coldly announced.
"Is that true, Miss? Then why did not any of them ask for your help? Isn't a friend with unlimited magical powers of any advantage in their situation? Or you denied them any favor? We're they truly your friends?"
"I rather not... -" Rarity's voice started, drowned in the mumbling reaction of the press in the bleachers.
"How do you feel now that you know about her death? Are you going to miss her? Are you going to miss any of them?" Featherweight continued.
"I- I realize that, I'm going to have to watch the lives of many ponies passing by. As long I keep them in my heart, I don't need to miss anypony. They make no difference to me." Singularity answered, with a calm tone of voice and a serene expression.
"How about Spike Sparkle, also known as Spike The Dragon or simply Spike. Do you think it makes any difference for him?" The impertinent newspaper pony, added.
"Spike...?" Rarity wondered.
"Spike, linked romantically to you in the seventies, is currently suffering of the same strange sickness. It works pretty much like the clock that her highness here designed herself as a warning to all ponykind about the danger of magic. Doctors don't know how to treat it, but they know how much time he has all left. All of them have given him six months to live. Isn't that right Spike?" Featherweight announced, as the young dragon came in from a entrance between the crowded rows of press ponies.
"Spike?! What are you doing here?! Princess Sparkle said, from her chair in the podium.
"Rarity, I'm sorry. I didn't know I wasn't the only one. I just had to let ponykind know." Spike regretfully explained.
"Spiky? But,,, I wasn't told..." Rarity called out at him.
"You were the world to me, Rarity. You were my hole life. I stood with you even after the accident, I gave you everything!" Spike started, and sliding his claws over the scales of his other arm, a fine grey dust of solid rock came after, causing a great commotion between the ponies in the studio, and everypony watching the TV show. "Now I'm petrifing too, Rarity, how do you explain that?"
"Spike! Don't!" Princess Sparkle energetically commanded him, from her seat on the stage. Her real name was a security leak that she didn't want to make too obvious.
"it's also true that your real name is... Rachel Charity Belle, or simply Rarity? My sources indicate that you were a... tailor, back in Old Ponyville before Nightmare Moon's second attack. Is that right?" Featherweight asked, reading from a notepad on his hoof.
"That's not totally... -" Rarity started, before being interrupted again.
"Spike! How could you? Sorry guys. That's confidential information. Interview is over!" An upset Princess Sparkle announced, leaving her place in the round table before trying to cover the view from the camera to Rarity.
"I stood with you even after that... accident, that singularity. I just wanted to let everypony know what you sacrificed for all of us!" Spike shouted, before Twilight tried taking Rarity away from the podium, but an avalanche of press ponies had surrounded them, all of them fighting for getting one more of their questions answered.
"Spiky." Rarity said, trying to reach her reptilian friend, but the waves of press ponies surrounding her, aggressively asking personal questions, didn't leave her reach her old friend.
"I'm sorry, Rarity." was everything Spike said before leaving the studio.
"Also, we have reports of more than two dozens of past associated including technicians, magic experts, and guard ponies similarly affected." Featherweight, who was well prepared to fight for one more answer with his microphone secured in his neck, asked flying over the sea of voracious newshound ponies.
"Miss Rarity! I'm Silver Spoon, from The Canterlot Post. Are these allegations true? Is that really you?" A Grey earth mare called her impatiently.
"Miss! Smoothie Whispers, from The Inquirer. Tell me, did you sleep with all those affected ponies?" Some other pony asked her, most of them holding a microphone at her.
"No, please... if you let me through." Rarity asked, emotionless.
"Let her through. She's not here to answer questions on intimate moments! Please ask about the new technologies discovered during the recreation of the elements of harmony, or the kinds of alternative magic that might make the life of everypony easier!" An ignored Princess Twilight requested, while she was triying to pass through the insistent ponies ahead.
"Miss Singularity, how does it feel to know that you may have doomed hundred of ponies?" Another reporter shouted in her hear.
"Please... If everypony would just go away and leave me alone..." Rarity pleaded, but nopony again granted her wish.
"Gentlecolts, I think it's safest not to follow this line of thinking..." Twilight warned.
"Miss Rarity? How often you and those ponies... -" Somepony else questioned, before being interrupted.
"I just said." Rarity started calmly. "Leave me ALONE!" She concluded shouting up, banishing everypony in a translucent sea of magical sparks. Leaving herself standing on an empty television studio, before banishing herself in the same fashion.
The flight to Spitfire's house had been too quick, even for Rainbow Dash. She actually tried to make it last long, but all her thoughts made the long and tedious flight pass in a flash. She was feeling bad for letting Fluttershy fly away alone that afternoon. It was weird for Rainbow Dash how a feeling of emptiness could be such burden for somepony feeling alone.
Maybe she'd had to stop Fluttershy from go alone like that. If only she had told something that afternoon. If only she had confessed her feelings eight years ago, or back then when they both were Wonderbolts, or way before the disbalancing of magic. If only, yet she meet Spitfire's door and the night had fall, meeting her no more wise, and no less troubled.
"Rainbow, is that you? You're late. I thought you were in home watching TV." Spitfire said, as soon she opened the door after Rainbow Dash knocking.
"No... No, I just, took the scenic route. I just kept my television because it was a gift from Twilight, you know I don't watch it since pegasi races were canceled." Rainbow Dash recalled, while spitfire let her go in.
"Well, now you have a reason to dust off your TV. I just been watchin' Miss Singularity on it! They just smacked that poor filly." Spitfire explained, guiding to Rainbow Dash at a screen lightened room.
"Hu... Rarity? What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash wondered.
"They know who she is, and accused her of giving a lot of ponies a strange disease, including Spike!" Spitfire explained, while a repeat of the broadcast was being aired. "She looked really shaken, I'd never seen her react like that. Started shouting to be left alone. One moment the cameras were in close to her..." Spitfire kept commenting, while the moment when Miss Singularity being surrounded by ponies was airing. "... The screen went whiteish. And then we were getting pictures of a parking lot. She'd teleported everypony outta the TV building, cameras an' all!" Spitfire concluded, still startled at the scene being aired.
"But... But I was just with Fluttershy. She doesn't know..." Rainbow Dash added, highly worried.
"Well, she'll know soon enough. There's not like if there is any other station on Tv anyways. Even the Republic must have known by now. This could be the most dangerous thing we have seen in ages." Spitfire alarmed proposed.
Meanwhile, in Fancy Pants' research facilities, a guard pony was finishing the painting of a magical hazardous zone in the door of Rarity and Fluttershy's bedroom.
"May I ask what are you doing?" Rarity asked from behind, scaring the hell out of the rookie guard.
"I- I'm sorry, Miss Singularity. You just startled me. Hahaha. I, I was just painting up this whu- warning notice, as, as ordered." the shaking guard stuttered. "A- After that TV show, we thought it was best to comply with safety regulations..." He concluded.
"Safety regulations. I see." Rarity added, in a thoughtful tone. "It seems that I'm incapable of cohabiting safely, either emotionally or physically. Perhaps you'd best tell Ms. Fluttershy and your superiors that I'm leaving." Rarity announced.
"Leaving?" The guard repeated, like a parrot.
"Yes. For the ruins of Old Ponyville first, I think., and then the moon." Rarity explained, with her everlasting blank expression.
"The m...? Aawww... Hah ha ha ha! You had me goin' there! And the other guards told me you had no-" The young guard started, before Rarity teleported herself away from there. "Sense... Sargeant! I got a message for ya!" The guard shouted, running out of there.
"You seen this? She's gone! Some ponies even are saying she has a sister" Featherweight was telling to somepony dancing with him. The party that night was being held in one of those old abandoned magic shelters that had being constructed long ago but no pony had ever used but to make an ilegal party. "I mean a real pony sister, not a weirdo such like herself. Ponies seem to forget from where she got those powers from. Maybe she's sick too!" The dancing pegasus concluded.
"Hey, it's raining again! " Somepony announced, going back from the only door. "Might any pegasus at least clear the sky?" He proposed out loud.
"No chance. Everypony needs to stand on their own. It's my philosophy. In this times, you shouldn't rely on help of anypony." Commented Featherweight, being the closest pegasus around. "In the end a pony stands alone. All alone. Inna final analysis."
"Gone! What do you mean she's gone?
"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. Neither I do know what happened, and Spike'd not wanted to talk with me. Wherever you spend last night, you'd had read the newspapers, they seem to know more of this than us! Now we need to take some medical checkups." Twilight adviced, to her meek looking, yellow friend.
"Me- Medical check up? Why? What's going to happen with Sweetie Belle now, is she going to be fine?" Fluttershy was able to ask, conquering her nervousness for an invasive medical check up.
"I'm seeing so be it, don't worry and... -" Princess Sparkle started.
"E- Excuse me, that drawer... It contains.. It's private objects, could you please,... -" Fluttershy called, ashamed after finding so many royal guards inspecting her shared with bedroom.
"Fluttershy, these ponies are just checking up Miss... Rarity, hadn't left anything dangerous behind. They are professional soldiers, don't worry about your intimacy." Twilight explained, but that wasn't of any consolation.
"Dangerous?! What do you mean with dangerous? You knew Rarity! How can you even suggest something like that?" Fluttershy claimed, starting to feel infuriated.
"But you knew her better, Fluttershy, and even you weren't expecting something like this to happen. Which brings me to my next question, Did you place Rarity under any emotional stress yesterday?" Twilight bluntly asked, not feeling intimidated by her staring friend.
"What? Are... are you blaming me for something?" Fluttershy replied, worried of actually being the pony responsible of what had happened.
"I saw, through the communicator, when you threw her that book. Listen maybe you should think carefully before... -" Twilight recommended, in a pitiful tone of voice to the worried pegasus.
"No, you listen to me! Whatever my relationship with Rarity is, it should be private, and your guards have no right to be invading our privacy like that! As soon Rarity comes over, she could perfectly... -" Fluttershy retorted, in a bravery act, before being interrupted by an exhausted Princess Sparkle.
"For Celestia's mane. I have taken enough of this. Listen lady, Rarity had left Equestria! Not only the kingdom, I mean the world. If our psychologists are right, she is quite possibly never comming back! It means not only that you were dump, or that our meal ticket has flown the coop. The singularity was the strategic superiority of our kingdom, and now has apparently gone to the moon. It's not only your problem, or mine. You can even imagine in what kind of problem we all are." Twilight claimed, staring back.
Meanwhile in Cloudsdale somepony had infiltrated Rainbow Dash home. Lurking in her house. Until, tired of be waiting for her to wake up, the trespasser town a newspaper at her on bed.
"Mwhu?" Rainbow Dash mumbled, waking up at least.
"Good morning, Dashie. I brought your newspaper." Pinkie explained, while Rainbow Dash was looking for her eyesight helping goggles in her nightside table, while wondering what to say at her inconvenient friend, till she read the header of the front page.
"Applejack murdered, Rarity exiled... Two of us gone, all within a week. Who is next? Twilight? Fluttershy? Me... ? You?" Pinkie proposed, but Rainbow Dash was still wordless at the new in the paper.
"By the way, you need new pastries, last ones were pretty bad, so I trashed them." Pinkie added.
"My cupcakes?" Rainbow Dash said, as the only thing in which she could think to say.
"Poor choice, get sweeter ones, you can't go wrong with sweeter ones, especially these days. These days everypony needs sweeter things. I'll be seeing you, thanks for the cereal and milk" Pinkie said, before leaving through the closet door.
That afternoon everypony went to the illegal party held by the retractors of the singularity. So many of them were so excited about the event of Miss Singularity leaving the planet that they hadn't even waited for nightfall before the party started. For some reason knowing that the super mare wasn't doing magically whatever super powerful magic users use to do, make the party feel less dangerous, when in a matter of facts it was all the contrary. The irresponsible ponies in charge of that party weren't even aware of the risk of a party like that since most of them weren't unicorns.
"Y'know? She's gone! Many ponies have blamed me, others have thanked me. In the end I don't think I deserve any credit, I just got at the news beforehoof. If not me some other pony had do it." Featherweight commeted to his usual dancing companion, an earth mare of light brown coat and curly scarlet mane, using eyeglasses.
"Hidy-hoo, mister news pony!" The pink mare of the other day, called at him.
"Oh, it's you again." Featherweight answered, determined to not let that gloomy mare depress him. "How are you? I happened to noticed that the world didn't end yesterday." Featherweight said, mockingly.
"Are you sure?" Pinkie retorted, with a malicious smile on her face.
"Look, I said I'm sorry for spilling your drink. If you want another one try asking to some other pony, I'm not going to buy you a new one." Featherweight added, starting to feel uncomfortable by the weird mare.
"Wow, that's so bitter from you! I can't believe it!" Pinkie exclaimed back.
"What? Why? Do I know you?" Featherweight asked. Looking closer at her.
"I don't know! Do you?" Pinkie answered, looking closer that him, but Featherweight couldn't recognize her.
"What do you want with me? Were you a fan of Miss Singularity or something like that?" Featherweight wondered, with a mix of anger and confusion.
"Hah, not really" Pinkie answered boldly. "I just happen to read a lot of newspapers, you know? A friend of mine used to, and.. Well. I was just wondering. Have you tried the evening version of... Well, any newspaper?" Pinkie asked, with a more sincere smile on her face this time.
"I work for the Equestria Express, if you want an autograph bring me a morning edition, nopony cares about evening versions." Featherweight proudly said.
"Just look at it for a second." Pinkie Pie said. before throwing the newspaper at the floor, and trot away from there.
'What a crazy mare.' Featherweight was thinking when he was lifting the newspaper, but then he just stood there, looking at the newspaper on his hoof.
"Are you fine, darling?" The crimson maxed mare with eyeglasses and two candy canes shaped as a heart, asked with perfect pronunciation to Featherweight
"Oh... Celestia. Well, yes! Why? Of course I'm fine. In fact I feel great! Well, is this a party or what? You know? Next round of drinks is on me!" Featherweight announced for surprise of everypony, and crowd rushed to the bar leaving a trampled newspaper behind that had 'Lunar Republic invades Crystal Empire' in big bold letters as the header of the first page.
Indifferent to all this, Rarity had spend the last day in the moon, trying to accept that things can't change to the way they were.
After teleport herself from the research facility, Rarity had visited an old and familiar building between the ruins of Old Ponyville, the Carousel Boutique.
The ruined building facade was charred as most of the buildings in that zone of the old ghost town, and the interior was falling apart. Once inside only dust and crumblings welcomed her. The wooden floor hadn't been strong enough to stand anypony inside, but Rarity was now able to walk on thin air and make a small course to the exact object she was looking there; her copy of the first photograph, that Twilight had send in one of her letters to Princess Celestia, with all of her old best friends in it.
Rarity took magically the picture out of its frame, and calmly stood there watching it for a while. She concluded that the colors were fade, the borders were corroded, and the ponies in it look so nonchalant.
When she went out of the boutique, it was night-time already. The photograph was floating close to her. She looked at the moon for a few minutes before teleporting herself there, taking only that picture with her.
Now, damned and forgotten, the real Rarity inside Miss Singularity, tries to remember her old self, her old friends, and why everything has become so tangled.
There, on a perfect eclipse along with the sun, in endless silence, she remembers instead when the princesses, unable to get perfect control of their magic again, set both celestial bodies in a perpetual chaising motion around that planet in which Rarity don't want to live anymore. A planet not better know that as Equestria by ponykind.
Looking at the Stars, Rarity starts to wonder who is controlling all those stars, and she remembers the gods that she had heard from the changelings long ago. Wondering If they are real, or if they had been there once, but now departed. Crazied with helpless she curses the gods and weep, wondering if gods weep also. But then, what use have their tears, if their help is denied to her. Rarity's own sobbing has scared the silence, it has departed. She dries her tears, and in the retrieving silence, she understands the true breadth of being a god, the isolation.
She knows life has no worse news to offer, and she concludes that maybe gods had been in that planet before, but now they have just changed, like the ponies in the picture on her hoof.
