Onwards!

“Twi? What are we doing out here?”

Twilight shrugged at Applejack's question. “You probably know as much as I do.” She yawned. Princess Celestia never sent for them this early. Hell, she rarely sent for them at all. Since Twilight's coronation, not much was happening anymore. A few political quarrels here and there. Nothing major.

Twilight's stomach growled. And that whole dying plants business. That was happening. “Did you bring any food?” she asked, pawing the ground.

“Fraid not.” Applejack looked down at the normally bustling city of Canterlot from the castle, and Twilight followed her gaze. She knew they were both thinking the same thing. These past few months haven't been good for anyone, not even here in what she considered the busiest city in the world. Even at this time of the day, there would be ponies yelling, children laughing, hoofsteps tapping against the cobblestones. Now, ponies didn't even want to come out. No point in it.

“Reckon this has to do with this whole famine business?”

Twilight sighed and pressed her hoof to her forehead. “No. I wasn't thinking that at all. “ She scanned Canterlot, her eyes darting back and forth from street to street. “Where are the others?”

“Twi, we got here an hour before we were supposed to meet. I'm sure they're fine.” Applejack glanced at the guard stationed at the castle door. “Can y'all let us in? We're mighty tired.”

The guard stared straight ahead when he responded. “Not until the scheduled meeting time.”

“Yeah, well, we're kinda Elements of Harmony,” Applejack said.

“I noticed.”

“And Twilight over here's a princess. Ain'tcha, Twilight?” Applejack asked. Twilight nodded, her eyes downcast. Why did she have to get up so early? Her student instinct was going to kill her one day, her mother always said. Applejack seemed to get the hang of getting up early. Good for her.

“I understand that, but unless everyone else has arrived, you have to wait.” The guard cracked a small smile.

“What was that?” Twilight's view snapped to him.

“What was what?” he asked.

“I saw that,” Applejack said, glaring at him. “You just smiled.”

“Oh?” The guard was visibly giggling.

“What's going o-”

His body started twisting and malforming. It extended in places and shrunk in others. His tail grew thinner, and one of his front hooves turned into a paw.

“Twi?” Applejack was backing off from the spectacle. “What's going on?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I think I know.”

After a few more seconds, the guard had morphed into a very familiar looking draconequus. “Priceless!” Discord let out a giggle.

Applejack snorted. “You.”

“Me!” Discord leaned against the castle's wall. “Come now, Applejack. There's no need for such malice. We're friends now!”

“Where are the actual guards?” Twilight asked before Applejack could retort. “You haven't... done anything to them, have you?”

“Done anything?” Discord let out a hearty laugh.“No, of course not. Celestia sent them all back home. Dreadful idea, I have to say.”

Twilight bit her lip. Sure, the Princess was nice for letting them be with their families on these dreadful days. But Celestia always had her guards with her, no matter where she was.

“This isn't right,” Twilight said. “She shouldn't have sent them home. She's not safe.”

Discord shrugged. “Why don't you tell her yourself?” He pushed open the door, and slithered in.

The two ponies followed. Like Discord said, there weren't any guards anywhere. The whole castle was silent, except for wind whistling through any open windows. There was a layer of dust over the floor. Celestia must have sent the cleaning staff home as well.

There, sitting and chatting with each other on the staircase, were the rest of the girls.

Rarity was tapping her hoof on one of the steps. “Where on earth are the others?”

“Hey, we got here an hour and a half before we supposed to. They're probably fine,” Rainbow said.

“Hey, that's what they said!” Pinkie pointed her hoof at the two ponies who had just entered.

Rainbow flew towards them with a broad smile on her face.“Hey, guys!”

“Morning, Rainbow,” Applejack extended her hoof, and Dash bumped it. “Sorry for the delay, y'all. We had a bit of a, uh, problem.” She turned to look at where Discord was, but he had already left.

“Oh, don't be. There was no rush.” Rarity looked over Applejack's shoulder at Twilight. “Twilight, dear, do you have any idea why we're here?”

Twilight shook her head. Princess Celestia hadn't had any proper conversations with her in a while now. She knew it was bratty to want to have talks with her all the time, but she couldn't help it. She lived for those moments.

“I suppose we will simply have to wait for her to call us, then.”

Pinkie groaned, and rolled over on her side. “Why won't she call us already? My flank didn't hurt this much since-”

“Not sure if y'all noticed, but we got here pretty darn early,” Applejack said. “We can't afford to be impatient. She's probably doing something all important and princess-ly.” She looked up at the staircase. “Any of y'all get greeted by anyone?”

“Nah,” Rainbow stopped flying and landed. “Where are those guards with their fancy gold armor?”

Twilight looked around. “That's what worries me. According to Discord, Princess Celestia sent them all home to be with their families.”

“Isn't that, like, a good thing?” Rainbow asked. “Celestia's an epic magical alicorn. She can take care of herself.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, when did you guys see Discord?”

“Just outside.”

“Why do you think we're late,” Applejack muttered.

“We apologize for his behavior. If it helps, he has not been the best of roommates.” Princess Luna walked down the steps, her golden boots clanking against the marble staircase. “Good morning to you all.”

Twilight smiled. “Nice to see you.” She frowned. “You're doing that third person thing again.”

“Are we- err, am I? Damn it all...” Luna shifted her weight. “I apologize. It takes time to get used to.” She walked back up, gesturing for them to follow. “Come. Princess Celestia requests your audience.”

“Finally!” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down.

“I apologize for being unclear. She requests the audience of Twilight Sparkle and Rarity. The rest must stay.”

Pinkie stopped bouncing. “Oh...”

Twilight processed the statement. Just them? Why was it just them? Wasn't it always all the girls who the Princess called upon? This was certainly irregular...

Rarity was apparently thinking the same thing. “Just us?” Rarity shuffled her hooves. “Why can't the girls come?”

“I promise Princess Celestia will explain everything,” Luna said. “Now come.”

Twilight bit her lip and looked at the four ponies who would be left behind. “Are you girls going to be all right?”

“Hell yeah! It's gonna be boring as hell, but we'll manage,” Rainbow said. “Not sure about Pinkie though...” She looked over at Pinkie, who was curled up in a tight ball, shuddering.

Rarity followed Luna up, and motioned to Twilight. “Shall we?”

Twilight nodded. “We shall.”

They followed Luna down the hallway to Celestia's throne room. It'd started raining. Lightning illuminated the hallway when it came, unsettling Twilight. She found herself wanting to make conversation.

What to talk about though? She'd never had much alone time with Rarity. Hell, she'd never had much alone time with anypony. She racked her brain, trying to think of a conversation topic.

“Weather's bad, isn't it?” Mentally, she facehoofed. Weather's bad. What a stupid way to start a conversation.

“Oh,” Rarity took a few seconds to reply. “Yes. Quite.”

A few seconds passed after the exchange. Twilight cleared her throat. Rarity coughed. They played with their manes for a bit.

“This whole famine business is bad too.”

“Yes,” Rarity said. “Yes it is.”

After a couple of minutes of agonizing silence, they arrived at the Princess' throne room. Luna walked in, the two ponies in tow. Princess Celestia sat on her throne, looking weary. Her eyes lit up when she saw them. “Good morning. I apologize for asking for you at a time like this.”

“Well to be fair,” Twilight said. “You asked for us an hour after this time.”

Celestia descended from her throne, smiling. “I knew if I asked you here at this time, you would've come even earlier. Truth is, I needed to talk with you two right now.”

Twilight smiled. “Clever.”

Rarity's eyebrow was raised. “Why us? What on earth could concern the two of us, but not the rest of the girls?” She pointed her hoof at where they came from.

Celestia drew a scroll from underneath her wing. “I received this a couple of hours ago. Make of it what you will.”

Twilight took the scroll and read aloud. “Spellbarrow. If you want this to stop, send the Elements. of Magic and Generosity.” She looked up from it. “It might not be talking about the famine."

"Oh, please," Rarity said. "What else could it be talking about?" She took the scroll and scanned it. “Hmm...” She stared at it for a few seconds. “There's something strange about this...”

Twilight and Celestia watched Rarity stare at the scroll. Her blue eyes darted from word to word. “Aha!”

Twilight looked over at it. “What is it?”

“Well, take a look.”

“I'm missing something, aren't I...”

Rarity sighed. “Look here.” She pointed at a particular part in the letter. “If you want this to stop, send the Elements. Of Magic and Generosity."

"Uh... yeah?"

"There's a period between 'Elements' and 'of''."

Twilight took the scroll. "Huh. So the original letter was 'Spellbarrow. If you want this to stop, send the Elements,' but whoever wrote this added the rest as an afterthought."

Celestia smiled. "You two make a surprisingly good team."

Rarity blushed. "Thank you." She looked at the scroll again. "Er, what exactly is 'Spellbarrow?'"

Twilight answered before Celestia could. "It's a town forty miles north from Equestria. It's sort of a hangout for people who are good with magic. I never got the chance to go, personally."

"Well, now's your chance." Celestia drew two train tickets from underneath her wing. "The train leaves in three hours. You should get there in two hours, maximum."

"Hang on, now," Rarity said. "We're going to leave right now?"

Celestia nodded. "I'm afraid so. I understand both of you have business here. Rest assured, I will personally pay for any business you may have lost."

Twilight was appalled. She would just... do that for them? "We can't possibly accept that!"

Rarity nodded. "Honestly dear, I'm the Element of Generosity. You can't make me take it, no matter how hard you try."

"I figured you would say that," Celestia smiled at the two ponies. "Consider my offer taken back."

"So what's our objective exactly?" Twilight asked. "Go to Spellbarrow, investigate, and report back to you?"

Celestia shuffled her hooves. "I honestly don't know. If you can find out the "source" of the famine, and eliminate it somehow, that would be ideal. If you can't find anything, yes, report back to me." She started walking back to her throne, stopped, then turned. "Best of luck, you two."

The duo walked back to the staircase in silence. It was a strange thought, the two of them going on some grand quest, Twilight thought. And without the rest of the girls too... How would she break this news to them...

Pinkie bounced up when she saw them come back, making Twilight feel even guiltier. "You're back!"

"You don't say," said Applejack.

"What happened?" Rainbow flew over to them.

Twilight looked at her hooves. They wouldn't like this... She looked into their expectant eyes, and just couldn't meet them. She relayed what Princess Celestia had told them.

"Oh dear," squeaked Fluttershy.

"What!" Pinkie shoved her face into Twilight's to the point where they were almost touching muzzles. "She's sending you on a super awesome mission to save Equestria and we can't go?!"

"Look, I hate it as much as you do. But the fact is, whoever wrote this letter is in control. We can't risk sending anyone else." Twilight's eyes were cast downwards. This wasn't going well at all.

Rainbow was stomping her hooves. "Oh, come on! Why the hell does this guy want just you two to go anyway?"

"We know as much as you do," Rarity said, gritting her teeth.

Applejack frowned. "Can't say we've ever done one of our adventures without the whole group going. But if that's what the letter says, then go do that."

"Thank you, Applejack." It would certainly be quite an adventure, just traveling with Rarity. Twilight was slightly apprehensive, but she managed to stifle it. They would get through this just fine. "We're not sure when we'll be back, so don't go crazy over us." She tilted her head towards Pinkie, who was hugging her hind legs and rocking back and forth.

"We're still going to go to our homes to get our things ready, so you can still walk us to the station," Rarity said. She looked towards Pinkie. "Would you like that, Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie didn't respond.

"I will take that as a yes."

***

"An adventure, huh?" Spike was rearranging the books on the shelves. "It's weird how the others can't go with you guys."

"I wish they could." Twilight packed what food and water she had left, a couple hundred bits, and miscellaneous survival gear. "It's gonna be weird with just me and Rarity."

Spike sighed. "Two whole hours with Rarity... I could just melt." He went up a rung to arrange the books on the next shelf.

Twilight was anxious. She was forgetting something, she definitely was. She double-checked, triple-checked her gear. It was all there, except for...

"Spike! Can you toss me that copy of 'Astrology and Its Relevance'?"

Spike shook his head. "You're going to be in a train with the most gorgeous pony in the Equestria, and all you can think about is reading?" He pulled out a book and inspected the cover. "Found it!" He tossed it to Twilight, and she caught it with her magic.

"Well, looks like that's everything," she said, slinging the saddlebag over her back. She looked at Spike rearranging the shelves, and felt a pang of guilt. "Are you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?"

"Totally!" He slid down the ladder to face Twilight. "I've got tons of gems." He pulled out a knapsack from a nearby shelve, and showed its contents to her. It was filled to the brim with rubies, emeralds, and other valuable gemstones.

"Where'd you get those?"

"Uh..."

"You know, it doesn't matter. You need to eat. Just... don't do that again, okay?"

Spike looked at his feet. "You got it."

She looked at him. He would be able to take care of the library, no problem. He was a capable little dragon. So why was she so nervous?

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." She started walking out of the library.

"Wait!"

She turned around.

"Good luck!"

Twilight smiled. "Same to you!"

***

The station was already bustling when the six ponies arrived. Ponies trying to get out of Ponyville, Twilight realized. Unfortunate. Twilight looked over at Pinkie, who had stopped shaking. "Are you okay now?"

"As okey-dokey-lokie as I can be!"

"What caused this change of heart, if I may ask?" asked Rarity.

"Pinkie Sense! Duh. When I hug my legs and go rock, rock, rock," -she punctuated each rock with a tilt of her head- "it means something really REALLY good's gonna happen!"

A look of realization dawned on all of them. "Oh," they said simultaneously.

Applejack looked at the wall clock. "Thirty minutes till the train arrives. What are we gonna do to pass the time?"

"Talk, I guess," said Rainbow.

The six of them chatted with each other about normal things, animals getting loose, runaway storm clouds. They laughed and talked and smiled. When the train came, Twilight didn't want to leave. But she motioned to Rarity, and they both got up to board it.

"Good luck, guys!"

"Stay safe, you hear?"

"Make sure you've got your towel!"

Rarity entered the train. Twilight looked at it for a while. She looked back at her friends, at Ponyville. Till we meet again, she thought, and boarded the train.