Friendship is Magic

Haze called a glowing orb in his hand and tossed it to the ground.  We braced ourselves, expecting some sort of area spell, but a small portal opened beneath him and he began to descend into it.

“I wasn’t serious.  You’ve just earned your fifth member and I’m certain you all are very tired from battling Nightingale and Descent.  I admire your spirit, but I will not fight you unless you’re at full strength.  Therefore, I think you’ve earned a bit of a reprieve.  Rest well, Bearers of Harmony, for when I return, I will not be so merciful.”

And, with that, he vanished.

Rarity was the first to speak. “What just happened?”

“Did we win?”  Rainbow asked.

Pinkie giggled. “I think we just got trolled.”

“It’s just as well.” I replied. “He’s right.  We’re all exhausted.”

Pinkie began to move about the clearing, checking behind trees and under rocks.

“Are you okay?”  Fluttershy asked. “What are you looking for?”

“Where did that cute boy go?”

“You mean Descent?  He left with Nightingale a while ago.  I’m sure they’re miles away from here.”  Rainbow said.

Pinkie charged at Rainbow and seized the straps of her top, shaking her vigorously. “He said he’d be back, right?”

“I don’t think he has any intention of returning to Ponyville.”

Pinkie crushed Rainbow’s face to her breast in an exaggerated fit of emotion. “Noooo!  He didn’t even leave a phone number or his Facebook!”

Rainbow let out a few muffled words of protest as she struggled to free herself.  Rarity scoffed. “I cannot believe you’ve fallen for somebody who, not only rejected you, but was party in an attempt to kill you, to kill all of us.”

“That’s why I liked him.  That’s much more fun than the ones who just say ‘yes’.”  Pinkie responded.  “I like men that present themselves as a challenge.  The thrill of the hunt!”

“Be that as it may, Pinkie,” I countered, “he and I spoke while you were unconscious.  He has absolutely no interest in you.”

“What?  You talked to him?”  Pinkie released Rainbow, who sagged to the ground gasping for air, as she shot to her feet and crossed her arms.  She gave a huff. “I never figured you for a boy-stealer, Twilight.”

I’ll admit, that accusation both confused and annoyed me. “What are you talking about?”

“I would have been more than happy to share.  You didn’t have to try and steal him.”

“Ste-Steal him?!  We just talked!  I don’t even like the guy!”

Pinkie huffed again.  “Likely story, homewrecker.”

Seizing Pinkie’s shirt, I gave her a furious shaking.  “Don’t you dare call me that!”

Rarity sighed and turned away.  “They’ll be at this for some time yet so I suppose I’ll go home.”

“Yeah.”  Rainbow agreed. “I’m outta here.  Ya comin’ Flutters?”

“Can we get something to eat on the way?  After all of that fighting, I’m famished.”

“Sure thing, but I’m not eating plants.”

“Rainbow, you know I’m a vegetarian.”

“That’s fine.  I suppose you can have a salad or something.  Hey, Rarity, isn’t your back kinda cold?”

“No.  Why do you ask?”

“Oh, er… nothing.  Just curious.”  Rainbow snickered at the thought of Rarity’s reaction upon seeing the massive hole in her dress.

x----x

On a seaside cliff, Luna stood at the mouth of a cave, staring out at the rolling waves as she brooded.

“I have failed.”  She muttered to herself.  “I was a fool to send those siblings after the Bearers.  I thought their power would be enough to stand against Celestia’s champions.  I thought wrong.  Furthermore, the one called Haze was not as he appeared.  He has deceived me for his own purposes.  I don’t know what those purposes are, but I will find out.”

Behind her, filling the cavern with an unnatural green glow, was a chrysalis.  It pulsed and shifted, sustaining the creation within as it grew.  Luna turned to the chrysalis.  “But you, Arcana, will accomplish far more than any of those imbeciles ever could.  You are my finest creation, and when you are ready, you will crush the Bearers of Harmony.”

x---x

While we had all remained vigilant, the rest of the week was devoid of any monster attacks or the return of Haze.  When Friday finally arrived, we finally had the opportunity to relax and unwind.  I had banned Spike from entering my room, lest he cause a scene, and declared it to be an official No Boys Allowed zone.

Before the party, I had picked up a book from the library.  It was a comprehensive guide to slumber parties and I found the ideas to be understandable and helpful.  I planned and prepared everything beforehand, partially out of excitement for the event.

The girls had all arrived by mid-afternoon and we had retreated to my bedroom.  The room, which I had always thought of as fairly large, suddenly seemed a great deal smaller with the addition of four others.

We got down to business almost immediately.  Rarity pulled a sketchpad and pencil from her bag and sat on my bed, working away at something.  I could only assume it was some sort of fashion design.

Fluttershy began to cuddle and play with a white rabbit plush that she had named Angel.  She seemed perfectly content to be by herself for the evening and I hoped to begin the process of pulling her out of her shell tonight.

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were fighting over an old Karaoke set that I had dragged from the closet.

All of the jewels of Harmony had been claimed by their Bearers, save one.  Honesty remained locked in its mold, giving brief occasional flashes as it connected with its Bearer.  I let out a sigh as I looked it over, promising both myself and my future friend that we would not be apart for much longer.

Everybody seemed to be getting along well.  Pinkie and Rainbow were playing together, much to the delight of myself and Fluttershy.  Since this was my first Slumber Party, I was relying heavily on my reference material for ideas.  There were some interesting games that I wanted to try, a recipe for S’mores, and some rather spooky stories.  I figured we’d leave the stories for last.

“What are you reading, Twilight?”

I turned to Fluttershy and showed her the cover of the book. “I borrowed this from the library this morning.  Even though it’s a little outdated, it’s got some pretty good ideas.  I figured we could try some.”

I started as the book was snatched out of my hands.  Rainbow tossed it up for Pinkie to bounce it off of her butt.  I watched, helpless, as it sailed out my bedroom window and into the night.

Rainbow cackled. “You don’t do Slumber Parties by the book, egghead.  They’re better if you improvise.”

“That wasn’t my book.”  I snapped. “I borrowed it from the library and it’s probably ruined now.  They’ll make me pay for it and probably take away my library card.”

Rarity let out an excited squeal. “It’s finished!”

“What’s finished?”

She rolled over and showed me what she had been working on.  There was a sketch of a woman in a rather tight outfit wearing a full-face mask, a wide-brimmed hat, and a cape billowing out behind her.

“I know our last attempts at battle costumes were somewhat lackluster, but I’m confident you’ll like this one much better.”

I rolled my eyes.  The brightly-colored garb she had insisted that we use had taken forever to don and had lost us a chance at a critical first strike.  There wasn’t any time to put on fancy clothes before combat.  She knew that.

“I’ve told you that we’ll received full battle armor when we’ve found the final Bearer.  Armor that will be applied as we transform, eliminating the need to change clothes or wear that under our street clothes.”

Rarity pouted. “But I wanted to…”

“No.” I drawled.  I would take no more argument on the subject.

She rolled onto her side and continued to stare at the sketch.  “You’re right, of course.  Still, I really like how this turned out.  Perhaps I’ll make it all the same.”

There was a knock at my door. “Hey, Twilight.  I brought those snacks you wanted.”

“Thanks.  You can bring them in.”

Spike was being more helpful than usual today.  It probably had something to do with Rarity or with several young women having a slumber party mere steps from his bedroom.  Boy’s minds were all the same.

Spike entered, balancing a tray in one hand.  Fluttershy helpfully stood to get out of his way.  “It’s nice to see you again, Spike.”

“Yeah, you too, Fluttershy.”  He mumbled as his eyes scanned the room.  Typical boy.  His noticed Rarity and froze, trembling slightly as his eyes roamed her body.  “R-Ra...ri...teee.”

His hand went slack and the tray plummeted, connecting with Rainbow’s head and making a terrible mess.  Startled, Rainbow leaped to her feet and immediately began chewing my brother out.

“Watch it, pipsqueak!  I freaking soaked!”

Spike simply glared at Rainbow, examining her from top to bottom.  “Hey, Twilight.  You lied to me.  You said that there wouldn’t be any boys here tonight.”

I winced as Rainbow popped my brother over the head. “Idiot!  Can’t you see I’m a woman?”

“A woman?  No way.  Your front is just like mine.”

“Just like yours?”  Rainbow asked, more than a little confused.

“Yeah.”  Spike began to rub his chest.  “I don’t see anything up here.”

My jaw went slack.  Spike could be a witless wonder, but this went beyond even him.  I’d have to have a talk with him if Rainbow didn’t kill him first.

x----x

He sat alone in the dark, quietly waiting for his brother’s return.  It had been some days since his brother had left on his mission and he was eager for a report.

The door to the apartment opened, revealing a massive shadow, which slipped in without a word.

“Welcome home, Edward.  I’m happy to see that you’re well.  Tell me, what have you learned?”

“My mission was a success.”  Haze rumbled. “I was able to infiltrate Luna’s inner circle.  I learned of Luna’s attempt to sway the Bearer of Loyalty, which was a failure, and that the Bearer of Kindness has awoken.”

“So, five of the Bearers of Harmony are active?”

“Correct.”

“Excellent.  Everything is going according to plan.  And what of the other mission you were given?  What news do you have?”

“Your suspicions were correct.  The young woman named Applejack is, indeed, the sixth Bearer.  For some reason, her presence seems familiar.”

He merely chuckled.

“But we may have a problem, brother.  It seems Applejack has no desire to join the other Bearers.  I’ve searched her mind and discovered some sort of trauma from her past.”

He waved away Haze’s concern. “No matter, brother.  We will leave that task for the Bearer of Magic.  I’m confident she’ll yield results in due time.  The final goal is to have all of the Bearers of Harmony active, no matter the price.”  He was silent for a moment. “One final thing, Edward.  Has Luna realized you were an imposter?”

A green aura surrounded Haze as he began to shrink.  Slowly, his mass was reduced until he was a third of his original size with pale skin and dark hair.  “No. I hid my physical appearance and spiritual essence from her.  She was ignorant of my true identity  Though, now she may have come to the conclusion that I was not who I appeared to be.

“Christopher, what is our next objective?”

“Now that these girls have begun to form their little group, I think it’s time we form one of our own.”

“Shall I handle this?”

“No, Edward.  You’ve worked very hard these past weeks.  You deserve a rest.  I will handle this.”

“So, you’ll be travelling to Ponyville then?”

Christopher lifted a glass cover and removed the treasure within.  It was a headband with a white unicorn horn.  A single heart-shaped ruby sat against the horn.  “Yes.  I have been following two women who I think may become allies of ours.  However, I’m also interested in the beautiful reincarnation of the white unicorn and I’m interested in seeing the potential of her imposing beast.”