Crescendos and Cupcakes

Chapters

Chapter 1: Bad Memories
Chapter 2: Shield
Chapter 3: Summons
Chapter 4: Familiar Faces
Chapter 5: Welcome to Manehattan

Chapter 1: Bad Memories

(I do notown anything other than the plotline. MLP:FiM is property of Hasbro.)

Crescendos and Cupcakes

Chapter 1: Bad Memories

A deep orange sky dotted with bright magenta clouds graced the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres with a serene atmosphere. A slight breeze moved gracefully through the orchard, carrying with it the familiar scent of fresh apples and sod. Sitting quietly on a hill a few hundred yards from the Apple Family’s farmhouse, directly under one of the many majestic apple trees, was a small, light pink pony.

The wind stirred naturally through her mane, ruffling each strand of forest green and deep navy blue softly. The air tickled her bare back, making her coat stand on end. Her bright, neon green eyes were focused on the horizon, not faltering in the slightest. She did not smile, nor did she frown. The mare merely sat quietly beside the full grown sapling, experiencing all the sensations around her.

The sun slowly sank lower on the horizon, bidding farewell to the day and ushering in the quiet and peaceful night. Here she sat, on the cusp of twilight, marveling at the tranquility of the moment. She’d even go as far as to say enjoying the serenity.

“There y’are, Aurora! Ah’ve been lookin’ all over for ya!”

Annnnnnnd it’s gone…

The petite pink pony turned her head and found the source of the disturbance. Trotting up the hill was Applejack, the proprietor of Sweet Apple Acres, and the eldest daughter of the Apple family. As the farmhand walked closer, Aurora couldn’t help but notice the color of her coat almost matched the deep orange tint the sky had displayed just a moment ago.

The wind was dying down, but a rogue gust swept underneath the mare and attempted to knock the brown Stetson hat from her head. The squall rustled her blonde mane ever so slightly, to which she didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to. Her mane and tail were tied at the ends, so a little wind wouldn’t do much to upset the earthy, yet attractive look she so effortlessly carried.

“It’s gettin’ mighty late. Supper’s about ready if’n you wanted to head inside.” Applejack said, her piercing green eyes scrutinizing the pink pony. “What’re y’all up to out here all by yer lonesome?”

“I’m just enjoying the quiet.” Aurora said flatly. “Was enjoying the quiet.”

“Hehe, sorry ‘bout that.” Applejack said with an apologetic smile. She turned towards the sunset, and took the beautiful sight in for herself. “It’s beautiful, ain’t it?”

“It’s just a sunset.” Aurora said solemnly. “There’s one at the end of every single day.”

“Well shucks, Ah’m just an apple farmer. Ah’m here workin’ hard every day to keep this here farm up and runnin’. Just ‘cause Ah’m here every day don’t make any of the other days Ah’m here any less important.” Applejack said, passing on her metaphor like a true country pony.

“I suppose you’re right. We have to appreciate something as extraordinary as this, no matter how often we get to see it.” Aurora replied, a sad smile creeping onto her face.

“Ah may not be the pony movin’ the sun round like that, but Ah sure as sugar love the sunset like the mare that does.” Applejack said appreciatively, finally looking back at the pink pony. “Ah’ll leave ya alone fer a bit. We hope to see ya at dinner.”

“I’ll be in shortly.” Aurora replied softly.

“Sounds good. Ah reckon it’d be a good idea to bring yer vest in with ya.” Applejack noted as she turned and began her walk back to the farmhouse. “Ya never know what kinda critters will try to mess with it.”

“Thank you, Applejack.” Aurora looked down at the rugged piece of clothing at her hooves, her smile slowly fading away.

The thick barding of her combat vest remained largely unchanged since the day she received it. Its expertly woven fibers meshed together into an intricate pattern designed to stave off a large amount of physical and magical trauma. The threads, once a deep blue reminiscent of the stripes in her mane, were now slowly fading. Signs of wear were evident, as were numerous indications of damage to the fibers, both old and new.

The vest itself was a confusing object for Aurora to hold onto. The contradicting emotions attached to it were innumerable. It was her safety net, protecting her from harm on multiple occasions. Without it, she may not even be alive right now. On the other hoof, it was given to her as an accessory to one of the defining periods of her life. One of the worst times as well.

It had been so long since she had taken it off. There were never any true moments of peace. Always watching her back, never sure of where the next danger would come from. She traveled in it, she ate in it, and she slept in it. Hell, sometimes she even bathed in it. Removing the vest from her body was like she was removing a part of herself. Granted, it was a part of her that carried her worst fears and insecurities, but without it, she felt naked.

She stared at the memento of her recent past, and soon became indifferent to it. Aurora fished through one of its many pockets and pulled out a dirty scrap of paper. She held it in between her hooves for a moment, and contemplated opening it up to read the message written on the inside. She already knew exactly what it said. She wrote it after all. But something kept compelling her to read it over and over again, as if it wasn’t bad enough that she had written it all those years ago.

With strenuous effort, Aurora put the paper back in the pocket she had retrieved it from and looked away. The small pink pony wore a pained expression on her face, and as she clenched her eyes shut, a few tears managed to escape and fall to the ground. She stood up and wiped her eyes clean before she slung the vest over her back and walked in the direction of the farmhouse.

By the time she had made it to the porch of the building, night had managed to creep up on the orchard. The darkness slowly enveloped everything around it, leaving the farmhouse as the only oasis of light for a good mile. The sweet smell of a home cooked meal wafted from inside the house, beckoning Aurora to partake.

Pushing away the heavy feelings swirling around her head, the petite pink pony wiped her hooves and pushed open the front door of the farmhouse, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She removed her vest from her back and rested it on a small table near the front entrance. A few steps into the kitchen, and Aurora found herself being greeted by the entirety of the Ponyville division of the Apple family.

Applejack was sitting on the other side of the table with her grandma, Granny Smith to her left at the head of the table. To her right, at the opposite end of the table, was her older brother Big Macintosh. On side nearest Aurora were two seats, the one on the left being occupied by Applejack’s little sister Applebloom.

The small pink pony greeted everypony in the room and took her seat in between Applejack’s siblings. Aurora looked at the spread on the table and found yet another heavenly assortment of dishes in front of her. The past few weeks had been nothing but a day of hard work, followed by an amazing meal at dinner, with the occasional lulls in between to visit the other ponies in town.

Aurora did her best to work hard while she was on the farm so that she could repay the Apple family’s kindness. They opened their home to her during her stay in Ponyville and had gone the extra mile to make her feel at home as well, going as far as to treat her like one of the family. She still had trouble believing ponies could be so welcoming.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting.” Aurora said apologetically, looking around the table with a smile.

“Fiddlesticks, dearie. We weren’t waitin’ fer longer than a minute.” Granny Smith replied, brushing back strands of her aged white mane from her face. “Ain’t that right, kids?”

“Eeeeeyup.” Big Macintosh replied as usual, his bright red face remaining as stoic as ever.

“Ah just sat down mahself.” Applejack added.

“Are you guys kiddin’? Ah’ve been waitin’ here fer ages!” Applebloom said, shifting her gaze to the pink pony. “Rory, you best say yer sorry.”

Aurora looked over at the pale yellow filly with a look of mock frustration. Her neon green eyes were focused on Applebloom intently, closely examining the angry frown she wore. The filly didn’t budge however; Aurora could see the resolve in her bright orange eyes. The staring contest continued for a few more seconds, and then she finally made a move.

The small pink pony extended her hoof, and tussled the filly’s bright red mane, ruffling each strand of hair and displacing the large red ribbon she wore. Applebloom’s serious demeanor immediately shifted from stern to playful, and she began to struggle and laugh during her attempts to escape Aurora’s hoof.

“Stop it, Ah give up! Haha, you ain’t late, you ain’t late!”

“No, I’m not. I applaud that stare of yours though, it’s become very convincing.” Aurora said, smiling widely. She removed her hoof from the filly’s head and laughed. “You really had me going there for a second.”

“If’n y’all are done over there, we can start the meal anytime.” Applejack said with an endearing look.

“Applejack, would you like to be the one to say grace?” Granny Smith asked.

“Well, Ah don’t see why not.” Applejack closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly, the rest of the table following suit. “Mother Celestia, we thank you fer the food, please bless it ta our bodies, we ask in Luna’s name, Amen.”

A round of agreement sounded across the table as everypony opened their eyes and began filling up their plates. For a good ten minutes, the only sounds heard from anypony were the sounds of food being passed around, and gratified chewing. Finally, it was Applebloom who broke the silence.

“Hey Aurora, can Ah ask you somethin’?”

“Of course, Applebloom.”

“Why do you wear that vest all the time? Ah mean, it looks nice n’everything, but what’s it for?” The light yellow filly asked curiously.

“Now Applebloom, that there’s a personal question.” Granny Smith scolded the filly idly.

“Gee, Ah’m sorry.” Applebloom replied with remorse.

“No, it’s fine. It’s a valid question.” Aurora said, turning towards Applebloom. “Honestly, I don’t really need to wear it anymore. It’s more of a habit than anything.”

“Well then why don’tcha try to break it?” The filly pressed the question.

“Applebloom, that’s enough.” Applejack this time stepped in.

“Well, it holds a lot of memories for me, good and bad.” Aurora said, trying to find a way to explain it to the filly. “I guess you could say it’s…a part of me.”

“Ya mean like Applejack’s hat?” Applebloom asked enthusiastically.

“I suppose it is a little like that.” Applejack tipped her hat as Aurora looked over at the blonde maned earth pony.

“Ah guess Ah get how you feel.” Applebloom reached up and adjusted her ribbon familiarly.

“Ah reckon everypony’s got somethin’ they’re attached to, ain’t that right Big Mac?” Applejack said, noting the yoke still around his neck.

“Eeeeyup.”

“So does that answer your question, Applebloom?” Aurora asked, smiling at the filly.

“Yea, I guess it does.”

“While we’re asking questions, how’s everypony else doin’?” Applejack asked, taking a bite of her dinner in between sentences. “Ah ain’t had the time to go visit them in town myself.”

“Oh, well Pinkie Pie is acting suspicious, but that’s normal. She’s been busy at the bakery. The same goes for Rarity down at Carousel Boutique, with all those orders she’s been aiming to fill.” Aurora said flatly, running down the list of ponies in her head. “As for the two happy couples, they’ve been sticking together since we got here. When they aren’t together, Thundervolt and Rainbow Dash have been working the weather beat, and Twilight and Fluttershy have been doing whatever it is they actually do all day. Life as usual.”

“Ah’m glad to hear everypony’s gettin’ along well enough…and that Pinkie’s bein’ herself.” Applejack said with a small smile. “Ah really should get around tah freein’ some time up.”

“Oh, that reminds me! Applejack! You were still gonna walk me over to Sweetie Belle’s tomorrow, right?” Applebloom asked hopefully, widening her smile considerably.

“Ah, shoot! Ah knew Ah’d forgotten somethin’.” Applejack said, causing the filly’s smile to deflate. “Ah need to fertilize the western orchard tomorrow, Applebloom. Ah don’t think Ah’ll have the time to”—

“But Applejack, you promised!” Applebloom tried arguing, disappointment evident in her voice. “Ah don’t wanna walk there all by mah lonesome!”

“I can walk with you to town, Applebloom. I don’t mind.” Aurora said, turning her gaze towards Applejack. “If that’s alright with you of course.”

“Ah reckon it’s alright with me if it’s alright with her.” Applejack said with a smile.

“Oh boy, thank ya Rory!” Applebloom said, jumping up and hugging the pink pony, almost knocking her from her seat in the process.

“Yea, thank ya kindly Aurora. You sure it ain’t goin’ outta yer way?” Applejack sounded concerned.

“Not at all. It gives me an excuse to head into town for a while.” Aurora looked admiringly at the little yellow filly next to her. “Besides, it just means I get to spend more time with Applebloom.”

“Aw, shucks!” Applebloom giggled, sending a chuckle around the table.

“So then it’s settled. Tomorrow morning bright and early, we’ll head out.” Aurora smiled warmly at the filly.

For the rest of the night the Apple Family and their guest enjoyed dinner as usual, each member of the group filling their stomachs heartily and partaking in friendly conversation between one another. They even got around to arguing over who could lift more: Big Macintosh or Aurora. All in all, it was a wonderful night.

A night pleasant enough to distract Aurora from her previous thoughts, if only for a few hours.

***

“Tell me again, why am I here?”

“You’re here because life is unfair and you’re not allowed to sleep.”

“C’mon Vinyl, you can’t expect a pony to function without resting!”

“You’re right. I just like to make you miserable. How long were you asleep before I got there anyway?”

“Well let’s see… You got me at eleven, and it’s about twelve now. I went to bed at three this afternoon…carry the four”—

“Eight hours!? You’re whining about getting eight hours of sleep!?”

“Some of us like to wake up and not be among the living dead.”

“Shut up, Reggie.”

The two ponies fell silent and the still sounds of the quiet night slowly took over. Vinyl Scratch looked at the train tracks a few feet away and sighed, pushing her electric blue mane from her face. Her purple goggles began to feel constricting on her forehead, and so she removed them, taking great care to slide them over her horn and around her neck. She could feel the cool night air tickling her skin, even under her pure white coat.

The train station was unusually silent, but considering their location and the time of night, Vinyl wasn’t surprised. She’d lived in big cities all her life and rarely ventured out into more rural areas such as this. Coming all this way from Fillydelphia, the silence was especially unsettling. She turned her ruby red eyes towards her companion and studied him for a moment.

Reggie stood in front of her, oddly upright and attentive for a unicorn complaining about a ‘lack’ of sleep. His mane fell chaotically to a medium length, covering the back of his neck with jet black strands framing dark grey. His coat was a dim, yellowish khaki and his eyes a deep magenta. His cutie mark resembled a trio of question marks, which Vinyl assumed applied to his weird and rather questionable personality. Reggie looked over and noticed Vinyl observing him.

“Is there something I can assist you with, Vinyl?” The colt said derisively, his prominent voice projecting tersely off the air around him.

“Nope, I’m just trying to figure out new ways to insult you based on your appearance.” The white mare replied with equal sarcasm.

“Please, have you seen me lately? I’m gorgeous.” Reggie said with mock arrogance. “That’s more than anyone can say for you.”

“Oh really? Take a look at this ass and tell me I’m not smokin’!” Vinyl replied confidently, spinning around slowly and wiggling her flank suggestively.

Reggie obliged and took a moment to watch as Vinyl Scratch moved around. He had spent enough time with her in the past to know exactly what he was looking at already. The feature he couldn’t help but notice was indeed her flank, as it was really the only thing she was moving so ardently. Her rear end was rounded well and her legs were toned, showing off her bridged eighth note cutie mark as the focus. The khaki stallion looked up and prepared his response.

“Vinyl, your ass reminded me, I think I left some cottage cheese out at my place.” Reggie said with a devious smile. “I should go back and throw it out before”—

“You’re aware I’m not above violence, right?” Vinyl said, whipping the khaki stallion in the face with her tail.

A low rumbling became audible in the distance, causing the two unicorns to stop their argument and look down the tracks. A lone beam of light cut through the darkness as the thundering got louder and louder, adding the clicking of metal on metal to the cacophony of noise.

“Train’s here.” Vinyl observed distantly.

“Where are we going again?” Reggie asked curiously, scratching his chin idly.

“Ponyville. There’s someone in town I haven’t seen in a long time.” Vinyl said, seemingly lost in thought. “I figured you’d want to see her too.”

“Wait, you don’t mean her, do you?” Reggie asked doubtfully.

“Nope, it’s exactly who you’re thinking of.” Vinyl said with a small smile. “We’re going to see Aurora.”

Chapter 2: Shield

The new day brought with it a sharp increase in temperature as the weeks drew ever closer to the summer season. Though the sun had only risen a few hours ago, the areas in and around town were already bathed in mid-day light. Early morning in Ponyville was a very lively time of day for the rustic town; with all the shops opening for business, ponies of all shapes and sizes were roaming about, getting a prompt start on their daily tasks.

Aurora and Applebloom had started their walk from Sweet Apple Acres about a half hour prior, and had just entered the town proper. During the long walk along the outskirts of town, Applebloom had regaled Aurora with tales of how she had tried fruitlessly to receive her cutie mark.

She had tried so many times already, but hadn’t gotten any closer to getting it. Aurora almost felt bad for the filly, having been disappointed so many times, but it was all part of growing up. She looked at the filly and found enjoyment watching her boundless enthusiasm work its course, envying her free spirit in the slightest. The petite pink pony remembered those days well. Before her life in the lab, Aurora had been content. Now, it felt like she was missing something.

Moving deeper into town, more and more ponies began to cross the two pony’s paths. Some would make eye contact and smile, most would just carry on with whatever errand they happened to be running, and the occasional few would share a verbal greeting with the pair. Aurora had been in Ponyville long enough to have been introduced to a few ponies here and there, who now knew her by name.

Some of the first ponies she met during her stay were Rose and Lily Valley, who lived in close proximity to Sweet Apple Acres. They both grew flowers together, sharing a plot of land between themselves. Nice, kind ponies that you’d expect from a town such as Ponyville. Aurora also met Raindrops, a pegasus working some of the smaller jobs on the Ponyville weather team. She would sometimes stray out to the borders of town, where she’d see the pink pony and wave.

It wasn’t exactly deep social interaction, but it was something Aurora had never really partook in. She enjoyed looking at strangers and seeing something other than the worst for a change. Until recently, Thundervolt had handled the majority of the socializing for the two, thanks to his uncanny ability to fraternize like a moron. Waving at a stranger and getting a smile made Aurora feel…normal.

Aurora and Applebloom were nearing the end of their journey, when the petite pink pony spotted two young fillies crossing their paths. One was a bright pink color with a striped purple mane, wearing what looked to be a crown of some sort, and the other was wearing ornate glasses that accented her grey coat and silver mane.

Aurora put on a smile at first, thinking they were friends of Applebloom’s. Her grin quickly faded when she noticed the light yellow filly shrink into herself abruptly. This was already too familiar to the pink pony, so darting her eyes from place to place for a moment, Aurora found an escape route.

“Hey, mind if we stop for a second?” Aurora said, ushering the filly towards the open door of the nearest establishment. “I really need to get a…”

Aurora paused and looked up at the building she was about to enter. Sugarcube Corner, the esteemed bakery of Ponyville, and Pinkie Pie’s place of residence. Luckily, it was the perfect excuse. Who doesn’t like an early morning sugar rush?

“Uh, a muffin?” Applebloom finished the mare’s sentence in a confused tone.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.”

“Hey Applebloom, fancy seeing you here.” The crowned filly sneered, grinding at Aurora’s brainstem.

“Howdy there, Diamond Tiara.” Applebloom said with a defeated sigh. She nodded to the other filly with a similar expression. “Silver Spoon. How’re y’all?”

That’s amazing, even their names are pretentious and irritating…

“Oh we’re great, as usual.” Diamond Tiara said proudly.

“Well when aren’t we?” Silver Spoon added with a conceited laugh.

“True.” Diamond Tiara shifted her gaze to Applebloom. “So what’s today’s strategy? Are you trying to get your cutie mark in baking again?”

“We all know how well that went the last time.” Silver Spoon said sarcastically.

“No, Ah’m not, actually.” Applebloom said. “And Ah put out the fire, so quit holdin’ that against me!”

“Hmph, whatever. Who’s your friend? I haven’t seen her around before.” Diamond Tiara asked, looking over to Aurora.

“I’m Aurora. And we’re very busy, so if we could cut this short I’d greatly appreciate it.” Aurora replied impatiently, trying futilely to mask her disdain for the little filly addressing her.

“Really? I mean you’re already short enough as it is.” Diamond Tiara said smugly, smiling at her companion.

“Yea, are you sure you shouldn’t be in school with the blank flanks?” Silver Spoon added.

“Pretty bold of you two to be insulting someone more than twice your age.” Aurora said indifferently, setting her piercing eyes on the filly.

Silver Spoon witnessed the change in Aurora’s demeanor and started to back up uncomfortably. Diamond Tiara held her ground however, and prepared to make another poorly thought out insult. Before she had a chance to spit out her words, Applebloom stepped up to the plate.

“Who do y’all think ya are, insultin’ my friend like that!?” Applebloom stomped her hoof on the ground with surprising power, surprising the two fillies before her. “Why Ah oughta take yer parent’s jobs and discipline y’all myself!”

“Applebloom, I agree that these two aren’t exactly well-behaved, but don’t get mixed up with them like this.” Aurora said thoughtfully to the light yellow filly. The pink pony glared towards the two antagonists and mimicked Applebloom’s stomp, cracking the ground beneath her hoof. “Besides, they were just leaving.”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were both rendered speechless by the sudden shift in the air. They looked at one another and began to leave hastily, Diamond Tiara offering one last remark as they ran away with their tails in-between their legs. “We’ve got better things to do anyway. See you around, Blank Flank!”

“Sorry ‘bout that. They’re kinda the school bullies.” Applebloom said, shaking the argument off. “Thanks fer stickin’ up fer me.”

“Kid, you didn’t need me at all. You handled yourself amazingly.” Aurora said proudly, beaming at the little yellow filly.

“Ya really mean it?” Applebloom asked in surprise, a huge smile on her face.

“I do. Keep that attitude, and nopony will ever push you around.” Aurora replied. “Uh, but don’t start hitting anypony. That generally doesn’t go over well.”

“Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing, Rory! We’re close to Sweetie Belle’s now, so if’n ya ain’t got a problem with it, Ah’ll walk the rest of the way myself.” Applebloom said, turning towards her destination. “Ah’ll see ya ‘round!”

“Be safe!” Aurora yelled after the filly, who was already rounding the corner and moving out of sight.

Aurora kept watching the place she’d been previously for just a moment longer before stepping off the porch of Sugarcube Corner. She was in town now, and wasn’t really sure of what she should do first. She could visit Twilight and see how she’s doing, though the lavender unicorn was probably buried nose deep inside a book.

Or in Rainbow Dash…

“Oh…Oh, why?” Aurora asked herself as she attempted to erase that particular image.

“Psssssst.”

Aurora whipped around towards the source of the noise and found nothing. She could have sworn she heard somepony making a…

“Pssssst.”

…noise. Aurora looked around again, still finding nothing. Nopony else wandering the town seemed to be paying any attention to the small outbursts, clearly not aware that they were even happening. Aurora’s eyes widened as she realized what was happening. She lowered into a defensive stance and began shifting her eyes back and forth, scanning for the threat.

“Pinkie Pie…? Where…where are you?”

“Above you.”

Aurora looked up just in time to see the bright pink mare descending rapidly from the heavens. Pinkie Pie fell too fast for Aurora to avoid, and so she braced herself accordingly, accepting her fate. Just after preparing, Aurora felt the soft pink hooves of death wrap around her chest and arms with the crushing force of a boulder.

“H-Hello…Pinkie.” Aurora said, struggling to breathe. The bright pink mare released her death grip and bounced to her feet with a wide smile.

“Hiya, Rory! I haven’t seen you in a few days and now you’re here! You should come inside so we can catch up because it’s been so long and I wanted to talk to you about something and are you hungry?” Pinkie Pie said, ending her rant with a huge intake of air.

“I had a big breakfast today, Pinkie. What did you want to talk about?” Aurora asked curiously as she dusted herself off.

“Come on inside, I have to finish an order up but then I can tell you about the surprise!” Pinkie Pie said, ecstatically bouncing back into the bakery without waiting for an answer.

“You’ve piqued my curiosity, Pinkie. You have my attention.” Aurora said, following the bouncing pink pony into the bakery.

Aurora walked into the bakery and looked around, taking in the sweet aroma of all the confections lining the displays. Cupcakes, éclairs, rolls, and donuts were among the many sweets tempting Aurora with their bright colors and expertly decorated glazes. Aurora’s neon green eyes shifted towards Pinkie Pie as she stepped behind the counter, disappearing for a few moments.

“Hey Rory, what was that outside?” Pinkie Pie asked curiously as she fished through the cabinets out of sight.

“You mean Applebloom’s little encounter?” Aurora asked idly. “It wasn’t anything important. Applejack’s little sister just handled some bullies while I watched. It was actually quite entertaining.”

“Oh. I’m glad she isn’t taking that kind of treatment from meanies like them.” Pinkie Pie said with a smile and a tilt of her head. “That’s not kosher!”

“Applebloom’s a tenacious little filly. She knows how to pick her battles.” Aurora said appreciatively. “She reminds me of myself at that age, come to think of it.”

“Somepony’s boarding the Memory Train heading down to Nostalgia Town.” Pinkie Pie giggled, surfacing from behind the counter with a bowl and a large amount of flour. “I’m gonna get that order done as quick as a whistle. You sure you don’t want anything, Rory?”

“I’ll have anything that isn’t laced with sugar.” Aurora said, giving into the temptation of a small snack.

“How about one of my new super chocolate cosmic adventure swirl cupcakes! They’re the sweetest cupcakes ever, baked with chocolate and fudge and white chocolate and caramel and”—

“Pinkie, I don’t want to die today.” Aurora arched her eyebrow skeptically at the hyperactive pony.

“How about a banana nut muffin?”

“That’d be great, Pinkie.”

Pinkie walked into the kitchen and set down her cooking supplies. A moment later, she came out with a plate, adorned with the most gorgeous looking muffin Aurora had ever seen. The muffin beckoned to her like no other, and the petite pink pony had to force her mouth not to water. Pinkie smiled and bounced back into the kitchen to start her work, leaving Aurora alone with her thoughts.

Applebloom is a tenacious little filly… She reminds me of myself at that age…

***

Nineteen years ago, the city of Canterlot was bustling brightly with the usual ponies of class and prestige. It was still the shining capital of the Equestria, even before Luna made her return almost two decades later. Business was booming, trends were being set, and ponies were living in a time of undeniable prosperity.

Walking purposefully around the city, with her head barely reaching above the citizens knees, was a small pink filly with a forest green mane. She was a very short pony for her young age; that, coupled with the fact that she didn’t have her cutie mark, was enough to make the young Aurora a target for harassment.

The little filly wore a bull’s-eye on her back, but no matter how hard anypony tried, they were never able to hit the target. Aurora wasn’t confident. She wasn’t self-assured. She was barely motivated. One thing she definitely wasn’t however was fragile.

That isn’t to say she wasn’t picked on. There were always other fillies or colts that would throw an insult her way or even try to rough her up a little. There was just a serious lack of ponies that would ever try again. Though Aurora was quiet and reserved, she was able to handle herself. On the few occasions she’d ever stood up for herself, she had always made her stance very clear:

“Stay away from me, or you’ll come to regret it.” Aurora said flatly, ignoring the jeering look coming from the colt in front of her.

“Is that supposed to scare me or something?” He said, responding negatively to the small pink pony’s threat.

“No. It’s just a warning. I don’t want any trouble. I never do.”

“Hmph, always backing off from a fight, huh?” The colt said with irritation. “Go on, get out of here. You aren’t even worth my time.”

“Sounds good. Same time tomorrow?” Aurora asked sarcastically as she began to walk away.

“Shut up, Shorty!”

Aurora didn’t look back at the colt, simply walking away as she always did. The town never even glanced in her direction, even as she was berated by a spoiled youth. It happened almost every day however, so she was used to it. She was almost out of earshot when she heard the colt start to run his mouth again.

“And who are you supposed to be?”

Aurora turned around and saw the colt had started to harass another filly her age. Unlike the small pink filly however, this little mare didn’t seem to possess much resolve. The light gray filly looked legitimately scared as the much larger colt advanced. Her purple eyes were filled with fear, and she looked like she was about to cry.

“M-My name…my name is”—

“M-m-m-my n-n-name is.” The colt said, imitating the filly’s nervous stutter rudely. “How about you say it instead of choking on it?”

“How about you leave her alone!?” Aurora yelled forcefully as she quickly ran over to the light grey filly’s aid.

The colt turned and looked at the pink pony with contempt. “You again? Didn’t I let you off with a warning?”

“I’m not sure. I thought I heard some words in between the grunts and the drooling, but I can’t be too sure.” Aurora replied cooly, boring her gaze into the colt.

“That’s it! You’re so dead!” The colt yelled fervently.

Aurora ducked under the colt’s swinging hoof, and turned to see him stumbling over his own extremities. She was more nervous than anything, having a pony twice her size try to attack her, but she had to stay strong for the other filly, whoever she was. She couldn’t let her down.

The colt came back towards her, presumably to head-butt Aurora. Without thinking, she turned around and reared up on her front legs, compressing her body. A second later, she straightened out, bucking with her legs as hard as she could in the colt’s general direction. With a satisfying thump, she felt her hooves connect with the colt’s face, and heard him fall to the ground crying.

“Owowow! My nose!” The colt yelled, his muffled cries punctuating the rest of the city’s noise. “I think you broke my nose!”

“I thought it was bad when you grunted and drooled. Hearing you cry and complain is even more repulsive.” Aurora replied boldly, walking over to the distraught filly. “If you ever harass this poor girl again, I’ll make sure you feel that bad everywhere.”

The colt wordlessly crawled to his feet, stifling his pain in an attempt to keep some of his dignity as he retreated back to whatever hole he had crawled from that morning. Satisfied that the threat was extinguished, Aurora turned her attention to the light grey filly before her.

“He won’t be bothering you anymore. Are you alright?” Aurora asked with concern.

The filly brushed her dark grey mane from her face and looked up at the pink pony appreciatively. Her purple, tear-filled eyes lit up with gratitude, and the corners of her mouth turned upwards into a small, relieved smile.

“I’m…fine.” The filly said calmly. “I haven’t seen you around the city before. Who are you?”

Aurora stared at the filly pensively for a moment, and then revealed a wide smile of her own. She looked into the filly’s purple eyes and spoke with conviction.

“I’m Aurora, your newest friend.”

***

“Sooooooooo, how was it?” Pinkie Pie said rambunctiously, snapping Aurora out of her reminiscent stupor.

“Huh?” The pink pony looked up at the bright pink pony in confusion. “How was what?”

“Your flashback, silly!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. “By the thoughtful look on your face, I’d say it was a good one!”

“I wasn’t in a flashback. I was thinking of somepony I used to know.” Aurora said, attempting to reason with the hyperactive pony.

“Well yeah, that’s what it was to you. But if somepony were watching your thoughts, they’d see it as a flashback, an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point!” Pinkie Pie said, fixing her bright teal eyes on Aurora and spreading her already wide smile even wider.

“I’m not even going to dignify this insanity with a response, Pinkie.” Aurora said, stepping away from the current topic. “So I’m assuming you’ve finished your work?”

“Yeparooni!” Pinkie Pie said gleefully. “I’m free to tell you about the thing that I was going tell you about after I was done working!”

“And that thing is?”

“You have visitors coming into town today!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed jovially, clearly happy about the surprise.

“Me? Visitors?” Aurora asked, clearly confused.

“That’s right! They’re going to be at the train station soon, so we should go and meet them there!” The pink pony bounced away from Aurora and out the door of the bakery, not bothering to wait for her to follow.

Having been the victim of a Pinkie Pie Surprise before, Aurora knew that whatever lay before her would undoubtedly be a draining experience. The petite pink pony steeled herself, and followed the bouncy mare out the door and accompanied her to the train station.

The actual journey took about three minutes, thanks to the train stations convenient location inside of town. Pinkie Pie was standing outside, waiting patiently for Aurora to catch up. As soon as she came within ten feet of the mare, Pinkie began bouncing again in excitement.

Aurora joined her friend and stood with her for about a half-hour, listening to her go on about her day in the bakery, and stories about times she’d had with her friends. Then the stories slowly shifted from normal and charming, to abnormal and discomforting. Tales of mystery and intrigue that only Pinkie could possibly understand, leaving Aurora to nod every now and then as she tuned out the majority of her non-sequitur.

The time passed quickly however, and the two pink ponies heard the unmistakable sounds of a train pulling into town. The smoke from the engines tower billowed majestically, leaving a signature trail behind it as the train approached. The brakes of the passenger cars squealed and the locomotive came to a stop in the station. Aurora and Pinkie watched as numerous passengers exited the vehicle, all with another destination in their minds.

“This is it, this is it!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly, turning to look at Aurora. “Take a look at who’s here!”

Aurora kept her eyes on the train car, scanning for whomever it was Pinkie Pie insisted was visiting her. Aurora didn’t expect to see anypony she knew, however a certain traveler caught her eye as she stepped out of the coach.

Her stark white coat and electric blue mane struck a familiar chord in Aurora’s heart, and the trademark purple goggles resting on her forehead only confirmed her identity. Aurora couldn’t muster up any words as the mare stepped onto the platform with her khaki friend, merely letting her jaw hang slack in response to their presence. The white mare fixed her ruby red eyes on the two pink ponies and grinned madly before speaking herself.

“Surprise!”

Chapter 3: Summons

“Are you just gonna stand there all day? Come here!” Vinyl Scratch said enthusiastically.

Aurora took a moment to process the command and happily walked forward into the white mares embrace. The two ponies squeezed each other tight and enjoyed the others grip for a good while before separating. Aurora couldn’t take her eyes off of the new arrivals, still unbelieving of their presence.

“I don’t understand; what are you both doing here?” Aurora said, looking in between Vinyl and Reggie with elated confusion.

“Well, I was dragged out of my comfortable bed and forced onto a train to get here.” Reggie said, shooting a less than serious glance towards Vinyl. “But once I heard we were coming to see you, I was a little less grumpy.”

“Only until he realized that there wasn’t a meal car.” Vinyl added, sarcastically rolling her eyes.

“Yes, that was rather…disappointing.” Reggie said, stalling on his last word. Aurora smiled, knowing full well the khaki stallion was stifling more complaints for her sake.

“Anyways, a mutual hyperactive friend of ours said you were in town and had taken care of your little problem.” Vinyl nodded to Pinkie, who was still bouncing at Aurora’s side. “How could we not come and see you after hearing that?”

“I don’t know.” Aurora said hesitantly, the memories of her confrontation still fresh in her mind. “Considering how I took my leave…”

“Look, that was over a year ago. You had to leave, and that’s what you did.” Vinyl said understandingly, shifting to a more serious tone. “I just wish you could have said goodbye to everyone. Not just me…”

“I see…” Aurora said, biting her lip. “How did she take the news of my departure?”

“Yikes, uhhh…” Vinyl voiced uncomfortably. “You know that five stages of grief bologna you hear about?”

“…Yes?”

“Well, let’s just say she skipped straight to anger and stuck right there. It’s not a raging fire anymore, but…she’s still simmering…” Vinyl said with a frown.

“Is that why she didn’t come?” Aurora asked distantly.

“Nope! I only told Vinyl to come by. I figured she’d bring whoever she thought would be willing to make the trip.” Pinkie added, wearing a slightly compulsory smile.

“Before you ask, I didn’t tell her anything.” Vinyl said, satiating Aurora’s curiosity. “I didn’t want to reopen any wounds before talking to you myself.”

“That was probably for the best.” Aurora said, forcing a small smile. “I don’t even know what I’d tell her.”

“Tell what to whom?”

Everypony looked towards the main road of the town, searching for the voice that had just called out. Pinkie happily bounced towards the source, identifying none other than Rarity, who was strolling towards the group at a brisk pace. Aurora’s demeanor improved slightly as Rarity approached, lightening the mood ever so slightly.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but my curiosity rival’s that of my dearly beloved Opalescence.” Rarity said humorously. She looked over at the two new arrivals and her eyes lit up. “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure. My name is Rarity. May I ask whom I am addressing?”

“The name’s Vinyl Scratch. It’s nice to meet you Rarity.” Vinyl answered cheerfully, offering a polite introduction.

“You look very familiar, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d have sworn that name has come up in conversation before.”

“You might know me through my stage-name. I go by DJ Pon-3 when I work.” Vinyl replied.

“Oh my, you were the mare who orchestrated the music at the royal wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor weren’t you?” Rarity asked, recognition flashing across her deep blue eyes.

“Yup, that was me!” Vinyl said proudly, reaching her hoof over Pinkie Pie’s shoulders and resting it there. “This hip little party pony got me the gig.”

“I couldn’t think of anypony better suited for the job!” Pinkie Pie beamed back at the white unicorn.

“Well you did an excellent job if I don’t say so myself.” Rarity said, turning her attention towards the khaki unicorn standing in front of her. “And who might you be?”

Reggie stepped forward slowly in an attempt to look suave, and addressed the mare before him politely. “I, miss, am Reggie. I have to tell you, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“He’s a sad alcoholic and he cries at the end of ‘The Little Pony Who Could’, every single time.” Vinyl said, grinning madly at Rarity, and beaming with pride as the khaki unicorn let out a defeated sigh.

“Well, there goes that.” Reggie said, once again turning his attention to Rarity. “I was attempting to make a good impression on a beautiful young mare, but the thorn in my side hates it when other pony’s think well of me.”

“You can’t prove that.” Vinyl said mockingly. “Mainly because nobody thinks well of you in the first place.”

“I think that’s because everyone knows I associate with you of my own free will. Anyone that does that clearly has some unresolved mental issues.” Reggie said, pouring on the sarcasm.

“You two must have been raised in big cities outside this area. You’ve both dropped the ‘pony’ suffix.” Rarity observed, probing further into the pair’s origins. “I’m guessing somewhere around the eastern regions.”

“Manehattan. Both of us were born and raised there. Luckily I didn’t meet Vinyl until I had at least a few years of peace.” Reggie said with a wide smile.

“Reggie of Manehattan…” Rarity said to herself ponderingly. “I’ll be sure to remember that. How do you both know Aurora?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised to hear she didn’t tell you about her trip to Manehattan.” Vinyl said, smiling mischievously.

“That’s right, I didn’t.” Aurora said flatly. “Nopony other than those involved knows the details of that nightmare.”

“It wasn’t all bad. I’d never had so much fun before you showed up!” Reggie said appreciatively.

“Yea, those were good times…” Vinyl said supportively.

“You’re the only ponies who would think any of it was fun.” Aurora replied irritably.

“I thought it was fun too!” Pinkie said, popping up in between Reggie and Vinyl suddenly.

“Well then it’s good to know I was right. You’re all insane.” Aurora said, trying to hide the smile that had formed on her face.

“You love us.” Vinyl said with a grin.

“Don’t try to deny it.” Reggie added.

“I liked the explosion!” Pinkie shared enthusiastically.

“Which one?” Reggie arched his eyebrow curiously at the pink pony.

“The big one or the funny one?” Vinyl asked.

“I thought they were both funny.” Pinkie giggled as they all reminisced.

“Aurora, what in Equestria are they referring to?” Rarity asked, her eyes wide with shock.

“Just ignore them. They feed off of attention.” Aurora remarked sardonically.

“Attention sounds spicy.” Pinkie said thoughtfully. “I love spicy food!”

“I see your point.” Rarity said, looking at Aurora knowingly.

The group settled down a bit and made their way away from the train station, continuing to exchange words along their way. They had just about made it back to Sugarcube Corner when Vinyl Scratch changed the subject.

“So Pinkie, where are we staying?” The white mare asked curiously. “Could you point us in the direction of a motel or something?”

“I checked you guys in at the Ponyville Inn this morning.” Pinkie said. “You’re in room twelve!”

“Really? Uh, thanks Pinkie, I guess.” Vinyl was visibly deterred. “How much do we owe you?”

“Nothing you silly filly! The owner owed me for an overdue bakery order, so I just called it even!” Pinkie said, enthusiastically bobbing her head up and down.

“Must have been some cupcakes.”

“He ordered a lot…” Pinkie said questioningly, shifting her gaze into empty space. “He gets lonely at night.”

“So do you have the key, or”—

“Check your pocket, Reggie!” Pinkie replied happily.

“M-My…pocket?” Reggie asked in confusion.

Pinkie Pie leaned forward and stuck her hoof inside Reggie, digging through a mysteriously formed flap in his coat. She pulled out a set of keys branded with the number ‘twelve’ and tossed them to Vinyl, who unwillingly caught them. Reggie hurriedly brushed his hooves over the spot Pinkie had just removed the keys from and found no openings, intrusions, or remains of the mysterious pouch.

“I…I feel…unclean.” Reggie said with wide eyes, clearly disturbed at the incident.

“You can shower at the motel, Reggie.” Vinyl said with genuine concern for the violated unicorn. “Thanks Pinkie. I guess we’ll go get set up in the room now.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie! Just be sure find one of us once you’re done so we can show you around town!” Pinkie Pie said, gesturing towards Aurora and herself.

“Sounds good. See ya soon!” With that, the two unicorns made their way towards the Ponyville Inn, leaving Aurora with Pinkie and Rarity.

“I can’t believe that they’re here.” Aurora was awestruck. She turned to Pinkie with a look of concern. “I didn’t even think to ask about them. I hope you didn’t go out of your way to get them here.”

“I just sent a letter through a friend telling Vinyl you were here. She made the choice to come down, so it was no trouble!” Pinkie said with a dismissive smile. “Besides, I figured you could use a little cheering up.”

“Cheering up?” Aurora asked tersely. “I never asked for anything of the sort.”

“Friends don’t wait to be asked, Rory. They just bounce into action.” Pinkie Pie said, jumping up to emphasize her point.

“While I do agree with that Pinkie, dear, what sort of help do you believe Aurora is in need of?” Rarity interjected, not following the conversation.

“None. I’m fine, actually.” Aurora said with a hint of disdain for the bright pink pony.

“No you’re not!” Pinkie yelled, the smile she wore disappearing into an uncharacteristic frown. “You’re depressed and you haven’t been yourself. You were like this when I first saw you come into Ponyville with Fluttershy and Twilight!”

“You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about, Pinkie.” Aurora said harshly.

“See, right there! You’d never talk to me like that, Rory!” Pinkie said, sounding slightly hurt.

“Ladies, Please! Settle down and let us handle this like adults.” Rarity said stepping in between the two pink ponies. “Pinkie dear, why don’t you go back to work and calm down for a spell. I’ll speak to Aurora myself and see if I can’t assist her with her…problem.”

“…fine.” Pinkie said hesitantly, looking over to Aurora. “Just make sure you don’t let her change the subject.”

Pinkie began stepping backwards towards the front door of Sugarcube Corner, her stunningly bright teal eyes fixated on the pink pony before her. Her eyes were narrowed suspiciously, and her countenance was fixed in a ‘no nonsense’ position that looked ominous. Frankly, it made Rarity very nervous. Pinkie Pie made one final gesture with her hoof, pointing first at her own eyes, and then towards Aurora before heading inside.

The elegant white mare turned away from the disturbing, and rather threatening sight of the bright pink pony, and looked upon Aurora. The mare looked rather flustered, still wearing her anger on her brow. This was disconcerting, which was what Rarity used as a starting point.

“I must say, you’re much prettier when you aren’t scowling like that. Would a smile be out of the question?”

Aurora didn’t smile, but her features noticeably softened. She let out a deep sigh and looked at the ground for a moment before turning her gaze on the unicorn.

“Not to be rude, but what do you want from me?” Aurora asked. “I don’t have anything to say.”

“Who’s asking you say a word? Certainly not moi.” Rarity said, practically scoffing at the idea. “I just want to walk with a good friend and see how she’s been doing at another dear friend’s home. How is Sweet Apple Acres treating you?”

“They’ve been nothing but gracious and kind.” Aurora answered honestly, unwinding slightly. “I haven’t met anypony as kind as that family in quite a while. In fact, you’re all unwaveringly magnificent. It makes a pony wonder…”

“Oh? About what?” Rarity asked with surplus curiosity.

“Well… It’s just that I’ve been to many different places.” Aurora started hesitantly. “I’ve never run into a town as wholesome and innocent as this one.”

“Ponyville is very rustic. We’re rather separated from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis.” Rarity mused in agreement. “The city life doesn’t appeal to you I suppose?”

“No, not at all. Thundervolt’s always been better with dealing with other ponies. He changes his face around strangers easily. I prefer solitude. Or at the very least ponies that aren’t awful.”

“You haven’t had very good experiences with strangers, I understand.” Rarity said uncomfortably, remembering the pink pony’s situation.

“Nova was a psychopath yes, but that’s not what I’m referring to. I’m talking more about the ponies wandering the streets in broad daylight.” Aurora replied darkly. “He may have been a monster, but he was right about one thing; Ponies can be very evil creatures.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Rarity asked with confusion.

“I don’t blame you for not understanding. You haven’t seen the things we have. A lot of stuff happens behind closed doors that you wouldn’t believe.” Aurora said reflectively. “That’s why I don’t understand how he does it.”

“How who does what?” Rarity asked, losing track of Aurora’s train of thought.

“Thundervolt has been everywhere I have, lived it all right beside me. After all of the horror and the heartbreak, he still manages to see the best in everypony.” Aurora focused her sad neon green eyes on Rarity’s concerned expression. “That’s just something I can’t do as easily. There were a precious few exceptions to that rule before I met all of you.”

“And I’m guessing two of those ‘exceptions’ just got off the train from Manehattan?” Rarity asked, putting the pieces together.

“Sans one, yes.” Aurora said cryptically, turning away.

“Well then, that’s the root of your problem.” Rarity said resolutely.

“Wait, what are you”—

“It’s now abundantly clear that being the cold protector you aim to be has cost you a close personal relationship with somepony down the line, and now that you’re not in the line of fire you’re unsure of what course of action to take.” Rarity said confidently.

“But”—

“But you left them behind in a way that you regret and aren’t sure of whether or not you should try to fix your mistake, if they’ll even speak to you again.”

“Rarity, I”—

“Well judging by how well received you were in the eyes of your other friends, I’m sure that with enough persuasion he or she could be brought around.” Rarity said, finishing her discourse with an afterthought. “But that’s just me spouting nonsense. This couldn’t possibly apply to you, could it?”

Aurora just stared at the unicorn, speechless. Rarity’s account resonated closely to the pink pony, and she was now unsure of how to proceed. She decided to put on her best acting shoes and wriggle her way out of the conversation.

“Not in the slightest. That situation sounds completely ludicrous and doesn’t sound familiar at all.” Aurora said, internally proud of herself for her performance.

“My apologies. I would have sworn on my life that I was correct.” Rarity said sounding genuinely sorry. She glanced at Aurora coyly and continued. “I won’t press any further. If I may add however, you were absolutely right.”

“Right about what?”

“Thundervolt is a much better actor than you are.” Rarity said, smiling humorously to herself.

Aurora’s cheeks reddened as she realized Rarity had seen right through her ruse. The pink pony let out a defeated sigh and locked herself up, thinking of anything she could do to get out of the present situation. She mulled the notion over in her head for a moment before verbalizing.

“If you aren’t busy, you should come with me to visit Twilight. I’ve been meaning to check in with her.”

“Oh, that does sound like a lovely little detour.” Rarity said happily. “I don’t see why not. Shall we?”

“Sure.” Aurora said, happy to be doing anything else.

The two ponies turned away from Sugarcube Corner and began the trot towards the Ponyville Library. Rarity stopped pressing for the time being, satisfied that she had planted the seeds of thought in the pink pony’s head. She’d find a way to get her talk soon, but now was the time to leave it alone. Visiting Twilight would be a suitable distraction to make her forget until Rarity could reap what she had sowed.

“I do hope Twilight isn’t in the middle of something important.”

***

"I swear, if you two don't stop arguing, I'm going to have to ask you to leave!"

"But we're having an academic discussion about the merit of one of your books!"

"Discussion my flank! You're just bashing the greatest book series ever made!"

Twilight let out a deep sigh as she once again became a part of Rainbow Dash and Thundervolt's argument. The lavender unicorn had been listening to each side of the argument, not by choice, as Rainbow Dash was involuntarily loud. Bless her heart. Thundervolt was calm and collected, and continued to harass the cyan pegasus, the combination of which made the mare boil with rage.

All in all, the spectacle of their confrontation was growing stale, and Twilight just wanted some peace. Fluttershy couldn't get through to either of them, so she had long given up trying and moved to an empty corner of the library to read. She had the right idea. Spike had a similar place outside the argument; however he still hadn't given up on inserting his take.

"You guys may not be actual siblings, but you sure argue like you are." The baby dragon said.

"That's because they're both stubborn and thick-headed." Fluttershy said calmly. She looked up from her book for a moment to clarify. "Especially when it comes to each other’s opinions."

Thundervolt's white face turned red at the comment, and he rubbed the back of his deep blue mane guiltily, mixing it with his yellow streaks. His golden eyes had lit up with silent acknowledgment. Rainbow Dash merely rolled her eyes with disdain, flipping her mane from her face as she shrugged off her friends comment.

“Look, all I'm saying is that the character is pretty arrogant and full of herself." Thundervolt said.

"You're just jealous that she's infinitely cooler than you!" Rainbow Dash responded defensively. "Daring Do's adventures are legendary!"

"Legendary to the few ponies that actually read about her. I just think they could've been written better."

“Those stories are flawless! You just can't understand literature of such quality." Rainbow Dash said, turning her nose up at the white pegasus. "Isn't that right, Twilight?"

"They have an adventurous charm to them." Twilight said, dodging the question. “Does it really matter though? You can have differing opinions without making it difficult to hear myself think…”

“She’s right, Rainbow Dash. Sorry Twilight, we’ll let you get back to…what is it that you’re doing over there?” Thundervolt asked curiously.

“She’s doing the same thing she’s been doing since you guys got back.” Spike spoke up, indifference evident in his voice. “She’s been trying to figure out what that shot Aurora gave her did. In great detail.”

“Well I can’t just sit around and wait to see what happens now, can I?” Twilight said dismissively, her horn aglow as she wrote notes in a small book.

“To be honest, that’s I did.” Thundervolt spoke up. “Have you noticed any of the effects yet?”

“Other than inheriting your tingly feeling, nothing. How long did it take for them to show up in your case?” Twilight asked nervously.

“They didn’t take long if I remember correctly. You were accelerated through the process though, so it could be delayed.” Thundervolt said with concern. “If you start to see noises, that would be your cue to get home and wait to get used to the heightened perception.”

“That’s not very comforting, but alright… I guess I could put the notes down for a bit.” Twilight reluctantly lowered her quill and rested in on the table she worked at.

She turned her lavender eyes on Rainbow Dash and smiled lovingly. The cyan mare flew from across the room to her side and nuzzled her neck affectionately before returning the smile.

“That’s the spirit, Twilight! The more you think about it, the more you’ll worry. Just relax!” Rainbow Dash said calmly.

The lavender mare attempted to come down from her anxious behavior before responding. “Well if I’m supposed to keep my focus elsewhere, maybe we should all go do something.”

“If it means getting out of chores, I’m in!” Spike said enthusiastically as he descended the library’s stairs.

*Knock Knock*

Everypony turned towards the library door at the sound of oak wood being pounded upon. Twilight took the initiative and moved to greet whoever was at the door. The lavender mare opened the library up and found two ponies on her front porch.

“Rarity, Aurora! How are you two?” Twilight asked excitedly, happy to see her friends.

“We’re both doing well, Twilight. May we come in?” Rarity asked politely.

“Of course. We were just thinking of what to do, actually. You’re more than welcome to join us once we make a decision.” Twilight replied.

“Actually, I think Aurora here has something we could all do. Don’t you?” Rarity turned towards the petite pink pony.

“Oh, well I suppose. Pinkie Pie contacted some…old friends of mine. They arrived in town today, and they should be settling in as we speak.” Aurora said uncomfortably. “We could go meet them…maybe.”

“Friends?” Thundervolt asked with audible concern. “What friends are we referring to?”

“I told you. Friends.” Aurora replied flatly.

“In any case, I’m sure they’d both like to meet you all.” Rarity said, her eyes moving in between the two ponies. “Would that be to everypony’s liking?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, my dear sweet Rarity.” Spike said, leaning far forward with an enraptured smile on his face.

“Ignoring lover boy over here, that sounds like fun. I wanna know who the barrel of sunshine made nice with.” Rainbow Dash said jokingly, earning a cross look from Aurora.

“I hope th-that they’re friendly.” Fluttershy said nervously as she joined the gathering, leaving her book behind.

“Aurora, can I talk to you?” Thundervolt said sternly. “Alone?”

The pink pony nodded guiltily, and the two ponies turned to walk out of the room. Everypony else merely looked at them with concern. Thundervolt and Aurora were quickly out of sight, and out of earshot, leaving them to speak privately.

“Would you mind telling me what’s going on?” Thundervolt asked impatiently.

“You remember the white unicorn I talked about? The one you spoke to momentarily?” Aurora asked calmly.

“She’s in town? That explains why you look so tense.” Thundervolt said chidingly. “It looks like your little adventure is finally catching up to you.”

“You say that like she’s going to kill somepony.” Aurora said accusingly.

“It’s not her I’m worried about, Aurora.” Thundervolt’s gaze hardened. “Ever since Manehattan, you’ve been hard to deal with and you won’t tell me what happened. Maybe since the cast of mystery theater is gathered in town, now would be the time?”

“Everypony needs to stop asking and leave it alone.” Aurora said tersely. “Applejack and Rarity have been taking turns trying to get me to talk, then Pinkie Pie invites Vinyl here without telling me, and now you’re jumping on the bandwagon.”

“Need I remind you that I’m the founder of that bandwagon?” Thundervolt replied. “I’ve been asking you about this consistently.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s nopony’s business but my own.”

“I disagree.”

“Well that doesn’t fucking matter now does it!?” Aurora yelled, her neon green eyes boring into the white pegasus.

Thundervolt stood his ground, but a look of surprise had made its way onto his face. Aurora’s outburst had caught him totally off guard, and he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. The pink pony’s hardened stare quickly faded as she began to realize what she had just said.

“Thundervolt, I’m sorry.” Aurora said, retreating into herself slightly.

“I’m pretty sure my feelings will make a full recovery. Instead of an apology, how about you help me understand what’s going on?” Thundervolt pleaded, his golden eyes beseeching the pink pony.

Aurora looked guiltily towards Thundervolt, though it was the last thing she wanted to do. His eyes penetrated her like no pony else’s ever did. Maybe it was the fact that they’d known each other for years, or maybe it was the mutual pain they shared. Either way, the petite pink pony was trapped where she stood. She let out a deep sigh.

“You know, the funny thing about it is that it’s such a trivial issue.” Aurora said, chuckling sadly to herself. “We’ve been through some deep crap together Thundervolt, but for some reason…”

“Can you elaborate?”

“I just can’t believe after all the blood and sweat, it’s a domestic dispute that ends up bogging me down.” Aurora said, furrowing her brow in annoyance.

“You’re kidding.” Thundervolt deadpanned, causing Aurora to arch her eyebrow angrily at the pegasus. “Sorry, it’s just that I didn’t expect something like that.”

“What did you expect?” Aurora asked flatly.

“Honestly? Something a little less…emotional.” Thundervolt said contemplatively. “I guess I should have seen that coming.”

“Why would you have? We were a little busy, remember?” Aurora said, rolling her eyes at the embarrassment replaying in her mind.

“I dropped the ball on that one…”

“You dropped the ball off of a sheer cliff face after lighting it on fire.” Aurora said without emotion. “Though if you hadn’t, I’d have never sought her out again.”

“Her?” Thundervolt asked, surprised yet again. “Since when do you swing that way?”

“If you’re implying I’m swinging in any direction other than where my heart takes me, you’re sorely mistaken.” Aurora said with a slight frown on her face.

“So the hardened warrior believes that ‘Love is Love’, no matter the gender.” Thundervolt said almost proudly. “You keep on surprising me.”

“I only surprise you because you fail to realize how amazing I really am.” Aurora said rather over-confidently.

“Your coat is turning cyan.” Thundervolt replied in jest.

“There’s overconfidence, and then there’s telling the truth.” Aurora grinned as her neon green eyes shifted towards the white pegasus.

“Maybe you’re just Rainbow Dash in a convincing Aurora costume.”

“Would I really go through all that trouble?”

“Hmmm, no. You’re right.” Thundervolt said, grinning madly at the petite pink pony. “Besides, you’re too short to be accurately portrayed by anypony over the age of fourteen.”

*Smack*

“Ow!”

“What did I tell you about that?” Aurora asked calmly, blowing dust off of her recently used hoof.

“*Sigh* That every ‘short’ joke I make earns me one swift kick in the flank.” Thundervolt said, rolling his golden eyes.

“That’s damn right they do.” Aurora said energetically.

“Hey, are two done in here or what!?” Thundervolt and Aurora turned to see Rainbow Dash fly into the room abruptly. “We need you out here right now!”

“Why, what’s going on?” Aurora asked.

“The Princess just sent a letter to Twilight!” Rainbow Dash said. “We have to get everypony together right now!”

“Ok, so what do you need us for?” Thundervolt asked skeptically.

“Aurora is going to go get Pinkie Pie from Sugarcube Corner, and you’re going to get Aurora’s friends from the Ponyville Inn, Room number twelve.” Rainbow Dash said snappily.

“And what do you plan on doing?”

“I’m going to fly all the way over to Sweet Apple Acres and get Applejack here pronto! Unless either of you would like to quadruple the distance of your trips.” Rainbow Dash replied incredulously.

“No thank you.”

“I’m good.”

“That’s what I thought. I’ll see you in a flash!” Rainbow Dash took off in the direction she came from, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake.

“Looks like we’ve got work to do.” Thundervolt said idly.

“More like errands. See you back here soon.” Aurora said dismissively, making her way towards the library’s exit.

“Wait, Aurora?” Thundervolt stopped her, prompting the pink pony to turn around curiously. “You’ll think about what I said, right?”

Aurora stayed silent as she looked into Thundervolt’s golden eyes with conflicted emotions. She mulled over a few replies in her head, but ultimately swallowed her words.

“I’ll be back with Pinkie Pie momentarily.”

The pink pony walked out the door without another word, leaving Thundervolt to his task. The pegasus wore a small frown, but shook off the concern. He had his own errand to worry about at the moment, and he wasn’t going to let her off that easy. Thundervolt flapped his wings, and flew out of the library with haste towards the Ponyville Inn. He prepared himself to finally meet Aurora’s friends face to face, and took to the sky.

Chapter 4: Familiar Faces

Surrounded by four walls and alone at last, Vinyl Scratch finally had a moment to relax. She looked around her temporary abode and found it to be an interesting sight. Blue, pastel walls framed with faux white molding, accented by white curtains covering the windows gave ‘room number twelve’ a calming atmosphere. Despite the wholesome surface she viewed now however, Vinyl saw the emptiness of the room and began to feel the impersonal vibe it gave off.

Two beds a few feet from each other, a lone dresser with a lamp on top, a small bookshelf with donated literature lining its rows, a miniature refrigerator no doubt stocked with overpriced snacks and drinks, and a door leading to the bathroom. The door was locked, the light was on, and the punctuated sound of splashing set to running water filled the room with muffled sound that was almost hypnotic.

Reggie was taking a shower to remedy his less than pleasant odor that had been present since he'd gotten out of bed the previous night. Vinyl had to admit that for a pony with such a filthy sense of humor, he sure liked to keep clean. She laughed to herself when she realized that is was usually her fault he was dirty all the time. Vinyl had lost count of the number of times she'd dragged that pony into a mess that wasn't his.

Reggie would always complain and say he never asked for it, which was entirely true. Another truth was that each time she needed help, Reggie was right there when no one else was. That mantle used to be someone else's, but she's had enough to deal with lately without a trouble-making best friend causing added frustration.

It really was amazing how close those two ponies were. Vinyl had known Octavia for years, and was her best friend, despite all the problems Vinyl had caused for the mare. But that's friendship. If they don't want to kill you sometimes, it means they don't love you enough. Octavia’s relationship with Aurora though was something else entirely.

Octavia always cleaned up Vinyl's messes, because she was the responsible one. She was strong, well kept, and knew how to handle herself flawlessly. According to her, that was thanks to the little pink pony she met as a filly. Aurora was the one to clean up her messes. The two were practically co-dependent on each other as kids, but Aurora was definitely the lead in their relationship.

That's why she took it so hard when she left...

The water in the bathroom cut off suddenly, filling the room with silence. Vinyl snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to the door. It opened, and out stepped Reggie, sopping wet and sans towel. Vinyl watched the unicorn as he shook himself off, sending small beads of water flying off himself and into the light.

The mare gazed at his glistening khaki coat, noting its bright sheen along his muscles. His shoulders and back were lean but strong, and his legs were exceptionally toned for a supposed shut-in. Reggie was actually very fit despite his sedentary habits. The khaki stallion flipped his black and grey mane from his face and looked over, fixing his deep magenta eyes on the white mare.

"Try all you want, I won't burst into flames with all this water on me." Reggie said with a cheeky smile.

"Huh?" Vinyl turned red as she realized she'd been staring. She stumbled over her words as she formulated a response. "Oh, sorry. I was just..."

"Just...trying to burn a hole through me?" Reggie asked obliviously.

"I just haven't seen you that clean before." Vinyl said, finally composing herself. "You're usually fresh out of bed or covered in grease."

"Yup, that's the price I pay for my tireless work ethic. Dirty and tired all the time."

"Ha, thanks. Your ridiculous jokes always brighten up my day, Reg." Vinyl said, wearing a small smile.

"Would it be alright to ask why your day needs brightening?" Reggie asked with some concern.

"I guess."

"Why does your day need brightening, Scratchie?" Reggie asked, smiling at the nickname Vinyl hated with a passion. "Something on your mind?"

"This whole thing with Aurora and Octavia..." Vinyl paused, gathering her thoughts. “She’s been half the pony she was ever since Aurora came back into her life. She's been angry, and hurt, and I can't do a thing to help her."

“What do you mean?"

"It's just that Aurora feels too guilty for leaving to do anything, and Octavia is too mad at her to move past it. I want them to reconcile, but I'm not sure what to do." Vinyl said, her head sinking slightly.

"Well, I don't know either of them as well as you do, but it doesn't sound like this is something that can be solved so easily." Reggie said thoughtfully. "Octavia is the stubborn one, right?"

"They both are. In this case though, I'd say she holds that title." Vinyl replied flatly.

"Well if that's the case, maybe you should try getting the cooperative one to fix this. Aurora sounded pretty upset. She'd probably reconcile with Octavia herself if you push her in the right direction."

"That isn't a bad idea actually. Maybe I could get some of friends to help motivate her. I know Pinkie would wanna help." Vinyl replied.

"Couldn't hurt."

*Knock Knock*

"Weird timing. That's probably her now. She said she'd be coming by."

Unlike Vinyl who was lying lazily on the motel bed, Reggie was already standing. He took the initiative and walked over to the door to see who was there. By sheer force of habit, he took a look through the peephole and visibly recoiled with eagerness.

"There's no way!" Reggie said doubtfully. He quickly opened the door, revealing a white pegasus with a deep blue mane and golden eyes standing there attentively. "Son of a bitch, it is you!"

"Reggie!? What in the world!?" Thundervolt responded in shock.

Both ponies took a second to process the scene before reacting accordingly. The two collided in a magnificent display of brotherly love, each wrapping one hoof around the others shoulder, bumping hooves using the other. The coordinated embrace faded and Vinyl used the opening to speak up.

"Reggie, I’m going to wager that you know this colt."

"Oh I know him alright! Every time Thundervolt comes by, I wave goodbye to all my pent up boredom!" Reggie said excitedly.

“That’s because you're the only pony I know that enjoys watching ponies fight." Thundervolt said with a reminiscent smile.

"What Keyes and I do is fighting. What you do is send ponies packing."

"What can I say? I've spent the better part of a decade getting good at it." Thundervolt said dismissively. "How is Limey doing?"

"He got promoted, actually."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah, he got Pace's old title." Reggie said, a hint of melancholy on his words.

"So now he's Sargent Limey?" Thundervolt asked, diffusing the mood into the air.

"Sargent Keyes Limestone, 1st Division of the Manehattan Police Department. He's spearheading the newly formed Criminal Activity Surveillance group. They just call it CAS." Reggie said proudly.

"I guess it's been longer than I remember." Thundervolt said, now sounding sad himself.

"Well you're here now, so time to make memories!" Reggie said enthusiastically. He suddenly frowned and looked at the pegasus thoughtfully. "Actually, why are you here? I was too excited to question the improbability of this encounter."

"Reggie, he knows Aurora." Vinyl spoke up, turning her eyes towards the pegasus. "Probably way better than either of us."

"You know that bundle of happy thoughts and violence?" Reggie asked in surprise.

"Remember that friend I wanted you to help out?" Thundervolt said with a grin.

"Oh man, like she needed any help!" Reggie laughed as he made the connection.

“She’s good, not invincible." Thundervolt stated, moving his gaze towards Vinyl. "I'm here to escort you over to Twilight's. She's received word from her mentor about some important things, and I guess you’re allowed into the war room on this one.”

"Well that was nice of everyone. What conspiracy are we being dragged into this time?" Reggie asked almost seriously.

"The one that forced Aurora to leave you all behind, actually." Thundervolt said solemnly.

Vinyl and Reggie shot each other looks of concern. The white pegasus before them turned to leave, calling for the two unicorns to follow. They wordlessly exited the room and locked it before falling in behind their escort.

***

“Hey, can we come in? Whoops, already inside.” Thundervolt said as he walked into the library, the two unicorns in tow behind him.

“You two are actually really similar. I’m kinda creeped out.” Vinyl commented, looking over to Reggie.

“I get to be the handsome one!” Reggie said enthusiastically.

“That’s fine, I’m up for a game of pretend.” Thundervolt retorted with a smug grin.

“Awww.” Reggie said with mock sadness.

The three ponies walked towards the center of the library’s lobby, looking around for the group that had previously been assembled there. Nopony seemed to be around any longer; however an audible bouncing sound could be heard drawing closer. No sooner had they begun to hear it, Pinkie Pie came bounding around the corner with an excited look on her face.

She hopped over to the group of ponies and continued hopping in place once she reached them. Pinkie Pie reached her hoof out, and moved Thundervolt to the side without effort. The white pegasus wasn’t sure how to respond to the forced relocation, and so he turned to watch the pink pony work her magic.

Pinkie Pie produced a party blower from thin air, put in her mouth, and blew as loud as she could, shaking the very foundations of the building. She flung her hooves into the air, and a storm of confetti erupted onto Vinyl and Reggie. Both ponies said nothing, but wore genuine looks of appreciation. It was Vinyl that spoke up for the group.

“I’m guessing your budget was low this time around?”

“No, Silly! Twilight just said we don’t have time for a real welcoming party, so I decided to go for really loud confetti!” Pinkie said happily.

“Much appreciated. You know how much I love confetti.” Reggie said with a grin.

“So where is everypony Pinkie Pie?” Thundervolt asked, getting back on track. “Twilight said she had news.”

“Everypony’s in the main room! C’mon, let’s go!” Pinkie said, hurriedly bouncing from the room.

Thundervolt, Vinyl, and Reggie followed her and found everypony gathered around in a semi-circle, ready for what looked like an official meeting with Twilight at the reins. The lavender pony was reading what looked to be an official document very carefully, with Spike to her side like a scribe. She tore her eyes from the page as they walked in, and greeted the newcomers accordingly.

“Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle! Welcome to Ponyville, more specifically the Ponyville Library!”

“Even more specifically, our home. Good to meet you, I’m Spike by the way.” The baby dragon said, adding a small and polite bow.

“Hi, I’m Vinyl Scratch! This is Reggie.” Vinyl said, gesturing towards the khaki unicorn.

“You have a baby dragon butler!?” Reggie asked enthusiastically, staring intently at the scaled creature before him.

“I’m not her butler! I’m Twilight’s #1 Assistant!” Spike said, putting a fist to his chest proudly. “I help her maintain the library, I requisition supplies for her studies, and I correspond with Princess Celestia to deliver important messages to her!”

“No offense, but that does sound kinda like a butler.” Vinyl said offhandedly, looking at the dragon awkwardly.

“Nobody gives me any respect.” Spike grumbled as he walked away with an irritated look on his face.

“Hey, you were the DJ at my brother Shining Armor’s wedding, weren’t you?” Twilight asked, a look of recognition forming on her face.

“The very same. Your friend Rarity remembered me for that too.” Vinyl replied with a polite smile.

“Well of course. You played some of the best music I’ve heard in ages! I usually don’t like the sounds of the club, but you made it work. And for a wedding no less!” Twilight praised the unicorn, causing her to scratch her mane modestly.

“Shucks, I just do my best to fit the music to the occasion. I learned that piece of advice from a friend.”

“That sounds like something she’d try to impart.” Aurora spoke up from across the room, barely turning her gaze towards the unicorn.

“Well you know her as well as I do. She likes to make a good impression.”

“That she does, and she does it well.”

“Who are we talking about?” Thundervolt asked, arching his eyebrow at Aurora suspiciously.

“Aurora is still thinking about my sister, aren’t you Rory?” Pinkie teased, spinning her head around as she fixed her teal eyes on the petite pony.

“I never stopped.” Aurora replied flatly, halting the hyperactive pony’s jesting

“So Twilight, what’s the big news?” Thundervolt asked, changing the subject. “The Princess has to have finished her deliberation, right?”

“I’ll explain everything once everypony’s here. We’re just waiting on”—

“WHOA NELLY! LOOK OUT!”

Everypony looked up to see a tan earth pony flying in through the library’s open window, being carried by an equally fast moving cyan pegasus. The two were moving extraordinarily fast, disturbing numerous bookshelves as they passed. Rainbow Dash flew down towards the floor and deposited her cargo directly next to Rarity, leaving Applejack in her care.

The western pony’s Stetson hat had flown off in the flight and landed on the white unicorns head, frazzling her stylized purple mane. Applejack’s green eyes were spinning, and she looked as though she was going to be sick. Rarity put her hoof around her in an attempt to steady the dizzy earth pony. Her blonde mane was wrought with tangles and knots, no doubt thanks to the high speed flight it had been through.

The cyan blur touched down next to Twilight, nodding towards her in a professional fashion. Forgoing the concern for Rainbow Dash’s newest victim of severe turbulence, she addressed the crowd.

“Alright, it looks like everypony’s here. Thank you all for taking the time to gather here. I know you all probably have better things to be doing.”

“The only one of us doing anything today was Applejack.” Rainbow Dash cut in, sending an impatient look towards the jet-lagged pony. “That’s why we took so long getting here.”

“Ugh… Just ‘cause Ah got a job to do, don’t mean y’all have to act so darn pushy!” Applejack replied, albeit with a bit of queasiness still lingering on her words.

“Well wouldn’t it have made sense to tend to that side of the orchard before it got infested with fruit bats?”

“Ah don’t recall hearin’ any of that was yer business Rainbow Dash.” Applejack replied tersely. She looked over to Rarity and smiled appreciatively before removing her Stetson from her head and placing it atop her own. “An’ besides, we could’ve just…Ah don’t know, walked here on our own four hooves?”

“Flying’s faster. Enough said.” Rainbow Dash said, merely shrugging at the irritated earth pony. “Go on Twi, tell ‘em the news!”

The lavender unicorn merely rolled her eyes at the confrontation before continuing. “Anyway, I’ve received word from Princess Celestia in regards to recent events.”

“What did she say?” Aurora asked. Twilight unfurled the scroll she was levitating off to the side and began to read.

To my most faithful student, Twilight,

It is with my deepest regrets that I write you about matters so grave and displeasing. In light of recent events, it is more than apparent that the situation we find ourselves in must be put right before it can blossom into something more hurtful than helpful. It is not wise to discuss sensitive issues through mail, which is why I ask that you, the rest of the Elements, and your new associates make haste to Canterlot. Princess Luna and I would like to extend our apologies to you all, and discuss the future of a certain wing of the castle.

Sincerely, Princess Celestia

Twilight looked up once she was finished to gauge the reactions of everypony in the room. Thundervolt and Aurora looked completely stoic. They’d most likely been expecting something along the lines of a vague request. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash seemed concerned, but didn’t show any signs of panic. As for the rest of the ponies present, they seemed a bit lost.

“Does anypony have any questions?” Twilight asked, looking around the room uneasily.

“Uh yeah, what’s going on here?” Vinyl Scratch asked uncomfortably, feeling as though she was intruding.

“That problem I mentioned, Vinyl?” Aurora said, walking over towards her concerned ruby red eyes. “It was a very bad stallion working within the inner reaches of the Royal Castle in Canterlot. Thundervolt and I? We were basically kidnapped by him as kids, and we worked for him for years. Just recently, we solved the problem.”

“How’d you manage that?” Reggie asked with concern.

“We killed him.” Thundervolt interjected coldly. Silence spread throughout the room as the serious theme weighed upon those present for the discussion.

“Point being, it sounds like the Princesses are running clean-up. They’re most likely at their wits end trying to sort through all of Nova’s old work, trying to figure out what they could use and what should be burned out of shame.” Aurora said, advancing the topic.

“That makes sense, I suppose.” Twilight said, mulling it over in her head for a second. “I guess that means we should be heading out to Canterlot as soon as possible then.”

“We don’t want to keep you guys from getting this done, so if you need to go, Reggie and I will stay in town for a bit.” Vinyl said. “I’m sure whatever they want won’t take that long.”

“Well, you can say I’m being presumptuous, but I was hoping you two would join us.” Aurora said uneasily. “Something tells me we’ll need all the ponies we can get to attest to our innocence in the matter.”

“Princess Celestia didn’t say anything about accusing you two of anything in her letter; where did that come from?” Twilight sounded offended.

“She didn’t say anything about not blaming us for anything though.” Aurora replied with an edge of paranoia. “Associates…I mean, really?”

“What I think she’s trying to say is that we aren’t totally on board with the ‘trust royalty’ initiative.” Thundervolt said seriously. “We’re just not keen on what they were letting go on. I’m sure that they want to make amends for that though. Right, Aurora?”

“Right…The offer still stands. I’d hate to have you two come into town and be left without anything to do.” Aurora said, looking towards Vinyl and Reggie.

“So we just got off a day long train ride, and you’re asking us to go with you on another day-long train ride?” Reggie asked, disappointment evident in his voice.

“Basically, yes. I know it isn’t ideal, but I wouldn’t feel right leaving you two here.”

“Especially considering we all know exactly what they’d use that motel room for.” Rarity whispered quietly to Applejack, who couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

“If you insist, we’ll stay right beside you.” Vinyl said with an edge to her words. She looked directly at Rarity and narrowed her eyes. “I’d like to spend some time with all your new friends, especially the unicorn that didn’t get the memo about my famously excellent hearing.”

“Rarity, is there something you’d like to share with the class?” Rainbow Dash said with a mocking laugh.

“Oh no, nothing at all! You all must be mistaken, I, uh…help me out, Applejack.” Rarity said, turning red as she stumbled around her retort.

“Don’t you look at me like that. You made yer bed, now sleep in it!” The tan earth pony said, chuckling to herself.

“Don’t worry; I’m not one to hold a grudge.” Vinyl said to the mare, visibly calming her down. “But I do insist on repaying the favor…eventually.”

The cryptic comment sent Rarity spiraling into a world of paranoid imagination, leaving the dramatic unicorn to sit and wonder what Vinyl could mean by that. With the shenanigans concluded, it was back to business.

“So I’ll send the Princess a reply and let her know that we’re all set to arrive shortly. I’ll make our travel arrangements and let you all know when we’re heading out. Just be ready to leave soon. I don’t think we’ll be waiting long.” Twilight said, looking around the room to acknowledge everypony’s nods of acceptance.

“Could we get an estimate?” Thundervolt said, sending a suspicious glance towards Aurora. “Just want to be sure we’re ready on time.”

“Well, Train Tickets usually take some advance notice, but with the Princess’s help I’m sure we’ll be able to leave around six o’clock.” Twilight said.

“If it takes any of you more than seven hours to get ready, we’re leaving you behind.” Rainbow Dash said semi-seriously.

“That means you, Reggie.” Vinyl said, nudging him in the shoulder.

“Please, when have I ever missed an important deadline?” The khaki stallion asked, sounding rather proud of himself.

Thundervolt laughed audibly at his statement, causing Vinyl Scratch to chuckle to herself as well. Aurora smiled and nodded to Thundervolt, who nodded back. The two moved towards the library’s exit and the white pegasus turned to rest of the ponies in the room.

“Aurora and I have a quick errand to take care of, so we’ll meet you all back here at five or so.” Thundervolt said. He looked over towards Fluttershy and smiled, adding a quick wink before exiting.

“See you all soon.” Aurora said briefly as she turned to follow Thundervolt out the door. The two ponies took a few steps away from the library before continuing their own conversation. “So, are we on the same page here?”

“Pretty much. I don’t know how much I really trust the royalty either at this point.” Thundervolt said thoughtfully. “I know you said Princess Luna seemed alright, but I don’t think we should be taking any chances.”

“Agreed.” Aurora responded blankly. “So, what’s this errand you have us running?”

“We’re going to be taking mission inventory as per usual.” Thundervolt said in a cold and calculating manner very familiar to the pink pony. “We’ll be extending our olive branches with daggers in our bags, just in case.”

Aurora looked at the pegasus with a warm and almost nostalgic smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Chapter 5: Welcome to Manehattan

“Move please! Out of the way! I don’t want to step on you or your children!”

“Watch it buddy!”

“I DON’T HAVE TIME TO WATCH ANYTHING!”

The scene unfolding in the streets of Ponyville was one that seemed like nothing more than a rude outburst to most. But to Reggie, this was a moment of chaos and panic, because once again he was running late. It wasn’t his fault. Motel beds aren’t supposed to be comfortable, and yet his promoted a four hour nap with ease. 5:56 had rolled around about five minutes ago, officially putting the khaki unicorn behind schedule.

Vinyl went ahead with the others to ensure that she wouldn’t be late. She decided that now was the time to stop being his alarm clock, which meant that instead of getting out of bed in a groggy stupor, Reggie had to rush to the train station at the speed of an Equestria Games sprinter. The problem with this was that unlike such an athlete, Reggie lacked grace. It almost seemed as though he was going out of his way to run into ponies.

What he lacked in finesse however, he made up for in speed. He was closing in on the train station as he heard the telltale whistle of a departing locomotive. He bounded onto the platform, which by sheer luck was devoid of any passengers. The train had already started moving, and was rapidly pulling away. Reggie poured on the speed as he fought to make it towards one of the still open doors.

Each opening was quickly retreating from his reach however, and the effort was beginning to look hopeless. That’s when he saw Vinyl at the back of the caboose with a smug smile on her face, and her goggles over her eyes.

“What part of getting here on time didn’t you understand?” She said, not worried in the slightest.

“Tell them to stop!” Reggie yelled, quickly running out of breath.

“Too late for that. You’ve gotta jump!” Vinyl replied seriously, motioning for him to take a leap of faith.

“I’m going to regret this!”

The khaki unicorn mustered up a reserve of strength and galloped at full speed alongside the train. The platform was about to end, and the caboose was almost out of reach. With one last burst of energy, Reggie leapt diagonally off the platform and towards the back of the caboose, but his hoof missed the railing of the car and he started to fall towards the tracks.

Just as he began to brace for a painful impact, he felt his hoof catch on something. Vinyl had stuck out her hooves and grabbed him, saving him from hitting the ground hard. Reggie planted his hooves on the bottom of the railing, and pushed himself upwards as Vinyl pulled. He flew over the railing and the two ponies fell backwards into the train car, the door sliding shut behind them.

Reggie landed directly on top of Vinyl, knocking the wind from her body. Both ponies were dazed as the adrenaline from their exchange worked its way through their systems. It was about a minute before Reggie broke the silence.

“Well, I guess you saved my ass yet again.”

“It uhh, definitely looks that way…” Vinyl said with slightly labored breathing. Her cheeks were turning a slight red, and her goggles hid the stunned look she had in her eyes.

“What’s the balance on my tab?” Reggie asked with a small smile.

“Don’t worry about it. If anything, I owe you more for dragging you into another situation.” Vinyl said, slowly regaining her composure.

“I’ll take your word for it then.” Reggie said dismissively, keeping his eyes locked on Vinyl’s face. “Something the matter? You look red.”

“You’re still on top of me, Reggie.” Vinyl said flatly.

“Oh yeah.” Reggie said, sounding genuinely surprised. He pushed himself off the white unicorn and helped her to her feet, watching as she dusted herself off. “So, did I miss anything?”

“Nope.” Vinyl replied, removing her goggles to inspect them. She let them fall around her neck as she continued speaking. “The most exciting thing to happen was that death defying leap of yours.”

“It shall be written that Reggie the Great made gravity his bitch.” The khaki unicorn replied softly, with a hint of sarcasm.

“I think I may have been misquoted.” Vinyl turned away and walked towards the connector to the next train car. “We should probably go join the others. They were in the middle of persuading Aurora to tell them about her trip to Manehattan.”

“Oh, well I’m sure that’s going well.”

“They hadn’t broken out into hysterics last I checked.” Vinyl said pensively, subconsciously quickening her pace.

The two ponies walked briskly towards the passenger car the group was located in, hearing their voices become clearer as the number of walls in between them decreased. They sounded oddly loud considering the noise the train was generating, which didn’t bode well. They reached the door to their car and the two unicorns stepped inside.

The scene had clearly degraded from idle chit chat to full blown argument in the time it took Vinyl to scoop up Reggie. Aurora had her back pressed up to one of the windows, her pupils constricted and darting back and forth defensively. Thundervolt, Applejack, and Rarity were all focused intensely on her, while everypony else watched on with curiosity.

“I’ll jump out the window! You can’t make me stay!” Aurora cried frantically, pointing her hoof at the supposed aggressors.

“Either you tell us, or we go with Plan B!” Thundervolt said sternly, moving his gaze towards the lavender unicorn on his left.

“What? I just said if she didn’t want to talk that I had a lecture about Modern Archaeology that could pass the time.” Twilight said, sounding confused as to why she was being used as a threat.

“Would you really put all of us through that!? Have a heart woman!” Thundervolt said, furrowing his brow in annoyance at the small pink pony.

“Well, somepony isn’t ever going to find out what they discovered out in Saddle Arabia this year…” Twilight said, crossing her hooves with offense.

“Why must you try to make this a public affair?!” Aurora shouted. “I just want to forget it!”

“Rory, if you forget about it, then how will you remember the good times you had?” Pinkie Pie spoke up, wearing a concerned expression.

“What good times!?”

“Ouch, were we really that bad?” Vinyl said, grinning at the defensive pony.

“Don’t pull that Vinyl, you know why I don’t want to remember.” Aurora said, calming herself slightly as she noticed their arrival.

“That’s true. It’s also true that everyone here wants to help you get past what happened. You have ten different pairs of ears ready to listen and give you some actual advice.” Vinyl said, illustrating her point. “Besides, bottling up all those emotions can’t be good for you.”

“Yeah, that’s probably what’s making you so short. Suppressing your emotions has stunted your growth!” Reggie added, putting an irritated look on Aurora’s face.

“She’s right dear, and it can’t be good for your complexion either.” Rarity said, her deep blue eyes pleading for agreement.

“Ah don’t know ‘bout all that, but mah Granny Smith always says that talkin’ out yer problems is the first step towards solvin’ ‘em.” Applejack said resolutely.

“It sounds like everypony agrees, Aurora. What do you say?” Thundervolt asked, changing his tone to illustrate his support. “I’ll even tell you what I was up to the whole time. I’m sure you’re a little curious.”

Aurora looked around desperately, hesitating to respond. She looked at the floor, mulling something over in her mind. “Well, I did have some questions…”

“Then there yah go! Looks like we won’t be needin’ yah after all, Twi.” Applejack said a little too enthusiastically.

“Sure. Fine.” Twilight said with irritation.

“I told you Twilight, no respect.” Spike said understandingly, earning a small smile from the lavender unicorn.

Everypony in the train car rearranged themselves to listen to Aurora’s story. There were numerous bench seats in the car, four per row making room for two ponies each. Aurora sat down next to the window she previously attempted to leave from, and Vinyl Scratch took the seat next to her. Sitting across from them were Applejack and Rarity, the former taking the aisle seat.

On the other side of the car, Thundervolt sat in the aisle seat diagonally across from Vinyl and Aurora with Fluttershy close at his side. Across from the happy couple sat the other happy couple, Twilight next to the window and Rainbow Dash in the aisle seat. Reggie and Spike opted for some male bonding in the seat behind Twilight and Rainbow Dash, looking over the top at the entire group. Pinkie Pie couldn’t seem to sit still anyway, so she chose to float around between seats.

“Everypony comfortable? Because this is one hell of a story, and I don’t want to hear any complaints.” Aurora said a bit tersely for the situation.

“Well, I could use a pillow for my delicate flanks.” Thundervolt replied cheekily.

“I myself could go for a cool beverage if you wouldn’t mind.” Rarity said, snickering to herself.

“Yeah, whose horn do you have to suck to get an alcoholic beverage around here?” Reggie asked with an odd smile.

“Oh no, you’re staying sober. I’m not dragging your ass around again.” Vinyl said. “This moron has a high tolerance, but no self-control. You’d think he’d have learned how to manage it by this point.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have pure alcohol running through my veins, Ms. Party Hardy.” Reggie said, rolling his eyes.

“Are you all done? Seriously. Apparently now’s the time to try and piss me off, so take your shots before I start taking mine.” Aurora said angrily.

“I think we’re done, Aurora. Go on, get started.” Vinyl said.

“Hooray! Story time!” Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically, bouncing around the train car.

“Well, it all started about a year and half ago…”

***

October 2nd, Year 1000 of Celestia’s Reign

Neighagra Falls, 23.5 miles west of Manehattan

Thick spruce trees closely packed together rushed by at break neck speed. The forest floor far below looked like an incomprehensible blend of flora two stories up as Aurora bounded from branch to branch. Her movements were fluid and graceful, each limb touching down exactly where it needed to, despite the rate at which she moved.

Every so often, she’d turn her focused neon green eyes up towards the top of the canopy, scanning the sky diligently for any signs of her pursuer. She didn’t know where she was going, but she pressed on as if she was out of time. She knew she was headed east, and that she had to remain unseen. That was the main goal, and there was no way she’d let him see her. It wouldn’t be hard in the dark.

Aurora heard the telltale sound of wings slicing through the air and took immediate action. The petite pink pony rebounded off a particularly springy branch and took to the air, missing the branch she would have hit next. She let herself keep falling until she was mere feet off the ground. Her rear hooves barely touched the floor before she rolled into a ball, distributing her weight smoothly across the vegetation and popping back up at full speed.

You’re not finding me, not yet.

Aurora could hear him screaming for her. His voice carried throughout the forest, swiftly becoming muffled as the distance between them grew. That naïve pegasus wouldn’t stop trying to find her, even though it was a lost cause. She was nothing more than a ghost once she entered a natural environment. Thundervolt knew that. He’d see her again when she was ready.

The pink pony poured on the speed, dodging in between trees and continuing eastbound. Aurora kept going and going, never taking a break, never turning back. For over an hour and a half she kept that pace, her lungs burning and her muscles aching. She reached her breaking point as she crested a hill exiting the forest. Just before she thought of collapsing to the ground, her eyes darted towards a large source of light in the distance. About three miles east was what looked to be a huge city floating in a giant expanse of water.

That’s the Eastern Equestrian Sea. Which means that must be Manehattan.

Aurora looked towards the city very curiously, with a glint of hope in her eyes. Still out of breath, she inhaled deeply, filling her nose with the refreshing scent of saltwater. She hadn’t realized she had been running for so long, and was surprised that she’d ran out of land before she’d run out of breath. She gazed towards the city for a minute longer before walking slowly down the hill until she found a decent place to rest for the night.

Nestling herself underneath a small ledge jutting out above the ground, Aurora prepared to get a little bit of rest. Going into a big city was probably the worst decision to make given the circumstances, which is why it was her exact plan of action. Thundervolt would never expect it from her, and if she was careful, she wouldn’t draw attention. All she needed to do was lay low there for a while and sort things out. The petite pink pony closed her eyes and curled up, letting out a strained breath.

Tomorrow should prove interesting.

***

“I still can’t believe I couldn’t catch up to you.” Thundervolt said in a disappointed tone.

“Let it go already, would you?” Aurora replied, rolling her eyes.

“Ok, so you laid down for some beauty sleep. Then what happened?” Rarity asked curiously.

“Right, where was I…”

***

The sun was already low in the sky as Aurora made it to the city limits of Manehattan. She had slept for a long while, passing through the mid-morning sunlight and late afternoon heat without any bother. It was probably the combination of her previous exertion, and her skewed sleep schedule that had knocked her out so efficiently.

Regardless, she was in the city now, free to do whatever she wanted. The evening in a large city such as Manehattan is full of life, with something to see around every corner. It was truly a majestic sight to look at. Skyscrapers extended high into the air, overlooking a huge expanse of land and sea, with tens of thousands of ponies wandering the streets with their own agendas and a blend of sights and smells that would dizzy anypony that tried to take them all in.

In an effort to simplify the experience, Aurora decided to take a methodical approach to her first time in Manehattan. She looked around the area she had stumbled into and took note of some landmarks in case she needed to find her way back quickly. Satisfied with her ability to navigate, the petite pink pony began to walk and started working out a small list of tasks in her head.

First off, I have to find a place to stay. I can probably find a cheap motel and dip into my reserves for a night until I find something more permanent. Next step would be getting something to eat. I’d rather not starve. After that…hmmm.

Aurora hit a wall, realizing her systematic approach was overcomplicating a fairly simple endeavor. She shook her head for a moment to clear her senses, and she looked up towards the sky. The towering buildings in her immediate area shared the view with the orange glow of the evening sky, creating a sensational image to behold. Aurora was soon lost to the world, just watching the sky with appreciation.

Without warning, she was shaken from her sightseeing as somepony obliviously walked right into her. She immediately snapped back to reality and set her gaze on the perpetrator, her neon green eyes digging into their soul. Aurora expected to be met with a fearful apology, or a confrontation. The bright pink pony with the frizzy pink mane standing in front of her had other ideas.

***

“Oooh! That’s me everypony! I’m in the story now!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly, moving in between her companions with an unrivaled level of zeal.

“Pinkie, sit down. I’m trying to tell everypony how you ruined my life.” Aurora said with an authorative tone.

“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie Pie replied, finally planting her flank in the row behind Aurora and Vinyl.

***

“Hiya! I’m Pinkie Pie, what’s your name!?” The hyperactive pony said, fixing her bright teal eyes on the petite pink pony.

“Excuse me, but I have to be going.” Aurora said dismissively, not even trying to hide her irritation.

“Aww, but we just met!” Pinkie Pie said with disappointment. “I’ll bet we could have a lot of fun together!”

“I sincerely doubt it.” Aurora continued in the opposite direction of the hyperactive mare, making an attempt to get away.

“Don’t be silly! You haven’t had fun until you’ve had it with Pinkie Pie!”

“Then I suppose I’ll never be graced with that luxury.” Aurora retorted sarcastically as she quickened her pace. The bright pink pony matched her speed, much to her chagrin. “Stop following me.”

“I’m not following you; I just have to go in this direction!” Pinkie said with a wide smile.

“You were walking in the opposite direction when you hit me.” Aurora said accusingly, halting her movement and turning to face down the mare.

“I got distracted by a pretty looking cloud on my way.” Pinkie said almost guiltily.

“Well that’s just charming. If you’ll finally excuse me, I have to go get something to eat.” Aurora mentally cursed herself for elaborating.

“You need to eat!? Come with me, I know the perfect place!” The pink pony reached out her hoof with frightening speed and grabbed onto the surprised hoof of the pony with the forest mane.

Aurora protested and tried to remover herself from the pink pony’s clutches, and was shocked to find that her grip was easily overpowering her own. Whoever this pony was, she was now in control of where she was headed. Aurora was dragged along for two city blocks before the hyperactive pony turned abruptly towards a small, unassuming building in between two other storefronts.

The building had a logo that resembled a vinyl record next to a baked confection, framed by what looked like bar chords and sheet music. The title was written in electric blue and neon pink lights, flashing periodically to the beat of the music coming from within.

“Crescendos and Cupcakes?” Aurora said speculatively to herself.

“Uhuh! This is my friend’s shop! Come on in and get yourself a snack!” Pinkie Pie said, giving her a choice and subsequently throwing her inside.

The scene wasn’t at all what she had expected. The sound of the music once muffled was now pounding directly into her entire body. Deep bass and resounding thuds from nearby subwoofers resonated in the petite pink pony’s body, shaking her to her very core. The majority of the building was filled up by a dance floor, with two identical bars to either side framing the stage. There were a few unlabeled doors to the back, presumably the offices, and a fire exit. The main spectacle however, was the DJ’s stage.

Turntables, speakers, lights, and innumerable records were being manipulated by an unorthodox, albeit skillful unicorn wearing dark purple goggles. She seemed at one with not only the pulsing electronic music she composed, but also the very heartbeat of the party that seemed to be alive and well in the center of the room. The entire scene was intriguing, and yet Aurora couldn’t really figure out why.

“You can get a snack over there!” Pinkie Pie yelled over the music, shattering her concentration. Aurora looked over to where the bright pink pony was pointing and saw that one of the bars was actually selling food.

“Uh, thanks…” Aurora said, walking over to the counter. Though she didn’t really want to be there, the petite pink pony couldn’t argue with the fact that she was starving.

She sat down and ordered plate of hay fries, doing her best not to scarf them down in front of strangers. While she fought her primal urges to devour, Aurora turned her attention back towards the dance floor. The DJ was beginning to wind down her set, as some less energetic music began to take precedence over the previously upbeat tunes. The bass was still pounding in her chest, but the petite pink pony no longer noticed.

The bright pink pony was bounding all over the club, bringing smiles to everypony’s faces. She seemed to have a natural talent for butting into pony’s lives, but the majority of them didn’t seem to mind. Aurora was just glad she wasn’t currently being bothered by her.

A look of intrigue flashed across her neon green eyes as she witnessed the hyperactive pony do something she’d never have expected. Stop. The earth pony settled down at the opposite bar and ordered a bubbly drink. Looking at how innocently she behaved with everypony, it had to have been something non-alcoholic.

Mercy on the world when that pony drinks…

Aurora saw a stallion approaching the mare, and had a mind to go interrupt. She didn’t even know why. Perhaps it was her inherent friendliness that made her seem worth protecting, or maybe Aurora was just naturally overprotective. It wasn’t her problem however. She whipped her forest green mane from her eyes and turned back to her meal. The peace was short lived.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Aurora turned around as the music stopped to find the DJ galloping over towards Pinkie Pie.

It took a second to make the connection, but she wasn’t yelling at the pink pony. She was yelling at the stallion who’d been talking to her. Pinkie didn’t seem to know what was going on, but the stallion looked pretty guilty about something.

“Nothin’! Get outta my face!” The stallion responded hastily.

“How about you get out of my club!?” The DJ replied, lowering her goggles to expose her ruby red eyes at the stallion.

“Why don’t you make me!?” The stallion replied audaciously. He reached forward and pushed the white mare backwards and into a table. Aurora was out of her seat before she hit the floor.

She galloped through the now motionless crowd in the middle of the room, heading straight towards the stallion who was about to advance on Pinkie Pie. Aurora leapt upwards and hit the stallion in the side full force, smashing him into the bar. He gasped, not expecting the blow, before turning his vision towards the source.

“Ey, you’re dead! Hear me?”

“I only hear you blowing words out of your ass.” Aurora said, intentionally provoking the stallion once more.

He raised his hoof to strike, and Aurora waited for it. As his hoof shot forward, she moved to the side with ease and swung her own hoof around his. She shifted her weight, bringing the stallion closer to her. She lowered her head as his came forward and their two skulls collided. Aurora was unscathed; the stallion fell to his knees in shock.

Without waiting for him to get up, Aurora walked around to his backside and grabbed the end of his tail in her mouth. She dragged him towards the clubs exit and began to swing him around and around, gaining sizeable momentum. She released her grip on his tail at the middle of her arc and sent him flying out the door and into the street. By the time the clubs security actually showed up, the problem was solved.

“Sorry for doing your job, boys.” Aurora said as she trotted over towards the DJ, who was currently picking herself up. “Are you ok, miss?”

“Ugh, Vinyl Scratch.” The mare said as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Thanks for taking care of that. God knows my security team should have.”

The mare sent an irritated look at the two bouncers now standing by the door, causing them a bit of well-deserved embarrassment. She turned her attention towards Pinkie Pie before continuing.

“Pinkie, I didn’t know you’d be coming by today. You have to be more careful in the city, I told you that.”

“I was being careful. He seemed like a nice guy!” Pinkie said defensively, turning her gaze towards Aurora. “That looked really tiring and cool! Mostly cool though. Here, have some of my super bubbly soda!”

“Uh, thanks.” Aurora said. She was actually pretty thirsty. Not from whipping the stallion though, that was child’s play. The hay fries at the club were just very salty. “Bottoms up.”

Aurora took a large swig of the pink pony’s drink, savoring the taste as she swallowed. She looked over towards the DJ and saw a look of panic forming in her eyes as she seemed to make a realization of her own. She seemed to be yelling something, but it sounded muffled for some reason.

Why can I not hear what she’s trying to say? And why is the room spinning? Oh, now I know why the DJ was mad at that stallion…

“H-He…the drank…yes.”

With that, the petite pink pony fell to the floor, her eyes rolling back into her head and her consciousness slipping away from her.

Damn this city.