Alternate Perspective

Twilight Sparkle sat quietly in the Canterlot royal library, the room dark save for the few candles magically hovering around her, giving her the light she needed to work. Her eyes astutely scanned the book on the desk below as she went from word to word, taking in everything, until she reached the end of the last page. Closing the tome, she placed it next to the rest, having acquired a small mountain of them in her research, before standing up and walking over to the nearby window. Looking out, Twilight stared at the moon above.

The sun hadn't rose in more than a month.

Princess Celestia, her mentor and ruler, was missing.

Twilight wished she could say she knew what to expect with Nightmare Moon's return. That having predicted it meant she somehow knew what was coming and what to do. The unfortunate truth was that Twilight was just as much in the dark, both figuratively and literally, as everypony else. While the world being engulfed in perpetual night was, of course, anticipated (it was the villains' main goal, after all) she was not ready for just how Equestria would react. Nor did she think she'd actually see the mare in person.

A coat of midnight black and eyes like a cat. Mane and tail an ethereal dark blue, flowing from some imperceptible wind. She stood tall and, when she interrupted the celebration with claims of eternal night and taunting that they'd all never see their princess again, was every bit as imposing as Twilight had feared.

Nightmare Moon's effects on the world were immediately felt. The sun vanished, the princess disappeared, likely abducted or worse, and nightmares plagued everyone. Every night was a exercise in futility as ponies laid their heads down for bed, only to be woken up screaming moments after. There was, seemingly, little one could do in rebuking whatever dark magic was at play. The nightmares were ceaseless and it played havoc with every pony's nerves, from the most meager of subjects to the ruling hierarchy, which was now in disarray.

Princess Celestia was their sun, their hope. Her disappearance hit the ever-emotional ponies hard and most of them just couldn't take it. Local economies slowed to a crawl, with nopony wanting to work as they were too scared or disheartened to care. Mistrust ran high. Ponies began hoarding food and butting heads, and she'd seen more than a few fights break out over the past month.

And dropped right into the middle of it all was Twilight Sparkle, doing what she could to save her home within the confines of her expertise. Which, of course, was the procurement of knowledge. Tomes, books, scrolls; anything related to Nightmare Moon she requested access to and nothing was off the table.

If she found a slip of ancient paper that stated Nightmare Moon was deathly afraid of mangoes Twilight would make sure the royal guard knew about it.

Alas, not even such a pathetic tidbit of information like that made itself known to Twilight. Any records from Nightmare Moon's last time in Equestria looked almost intentionally vague, sending the studious unicorn all over the place in her search for something that could help.

And she was very close to her wits end.

Until just now.

"I have you. I finally have you." Twilight muttered, a wide grin forming on her muzzle, before she turned away from the moonlit window. Though she considered herself a bit more logical than other ponies, Twilight adored the princess just as much as her fellow subjects. More so, actually, given just how close the two were. Princess Celestia was like a second mother to her. As such, even she was hard pressed to not find some smug, vindictive satisfaction in the thought of taking part in Nightmare Moon's soon-to-be downfall.

Despite her attempts to remain objective.

And what was it that cause such a surge in bravado? This increase in hope? The certainty of victory?

The 'Elements Of Harmony', powerful magical artifacts used to defeat Nightmare Moon the last time around, have been found.

Well...maybe.

She was, like, 90 percent certain.

It was practically a given.

Though Twilight's excitement was palpable, and she'd love to break out into a fit of victorious squeals and hoof-stomps, she made an effort to reign in her exuberance and keep quiet. Glancing over to the corner of the room Twilight saw Jayden, sleeping rather soundly thanks to a potent anti-nightmare spell she found just a few hours ago.

The large alien biped was absolutely fascinating to interact with. It was unfortunate that her meeting him coincided with Nightmare Moon's return, as she would much rather have spent the last month picking his brain than worrying about the end of the world.

But, such was her lot.

That's not to say she wasn't able to glean anything from their time together. Far from it. Every pop culture reference she didn't get, every utterance of something going on back in his dimension was another piece of an exceptionally intriguing puzzle.

And Twilight loved her puzzles.

Speaking of puzzles, it was time to inform the higher ups that the final piece of another has likely been found.

"Spike, I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" She whispered to the drake, who was currently reading through a rather large book about dragon history. The scaly boy looked up from his comfy chair and nodded quietly, not wanting to make too much noise and risk waking the slumbering human.

Leaving the room, Twilight walked the marble and gold halls of Canterlot Castle, the ornate candles and torches pulling triple duty as they kept the constant shadows at bay. She passed a few royal guards stationed at various parts of the castle, the bags under their eyes evident that they too were suffering from Nightmare Moon's psychological attacks.

Twilight proceeded to head to the Royal Canterlot Garden. The garden was an immaculately kept and expertly designed menagerie of plants and wildlife, taken from all over the world. It was the pride of the castle (aside from the princess herself, of course) and the location for many of the more prestigious events in the city. Several pristine white stone pathways snaked around bushes and trees, all connecting in the middle of the garden at a large fountain, accessorized with benches for visitors to rest their hooves.

A tall unicorn stallion with a white coat and sandy-blonde mane, dressed in a well-pressed dark blue suit, stood by the fountain, watching with tired eyes as the water fell relaxingly from a series of elevated dishes and then into the bottom basin.

He was Prince Blueblood, Princess Celestia's nephew and, in her absence, the current regent of Equestria.

Always respectful to authority, Twilight gave a bow as she approached. "Your highness."

Blueblood jolted to his senses and turned from the fountain to see who was addressing him. "Oh, it's you." He visibly relaxed. "Come to bask in the tranquility of the garden as well, Sparkle?"

"No, your highness, not quite." She raised her head.

Blueblood turned back to the fountain, admiring its expert architecture. "Then...are you here to report something?"

"I am, your highness."

This caught Blueblood's attention. "And?"

"The Elements of Harmony. I know where they can be found."

Blueblood took a moment to let Twilight's words settle in his mind, then spoke. " The 'Elements of Harmony'? I seem to recall that we already went that route. And it turned up nothing." He replied, his tone returning to one of exhausted disinterest.

"I know..."

"Then why, pray tell, are we going through this entire rigmarole again?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I just couldn't let it go."

Blueblood sighed. "Explain, Sparkle."

"I tried to, I promise. I know you told me to drop it, to focus on other things that could help us. But every time I'd get to work on them, a tiny voice in the back of my head was calling me back to the 'Elements'. To try again, that I missed something."

"So...you deliberately disobeyed me?" Blueblood hung his head. The stallion didn't even look angry, just annoyed. "You ignored me and kept working on what we both agreed was a dead end."

"I...yes." Embarrassment and anxiety coalesced together into an emotion Twilight couldn't really pinpoint, settling somewhere in her gut. She was caught off guard by Blueblood's words, having expected praise for her revelation. Instead, she was being chided for her insubordination. Something she only realized she did in hindsight.

Blueblood gave a slow shake of his head and turned to Twilight. "Fine. What do you have for me, Miss Sparkle?"

"As I said, I think I know where the 'Elements of Harmony' are."

"You think or you know?" Before Twilight can stumble out an answer Blueblood waved a hoof. "Doesn't matter. Just continue."

"Um, right, well, when I first started searching for the 'Elements' it didn't seem like it should be that difficult. All I had to do was follow the trail. You know, match up their last documented location with the most recent publishing date. But that lead to a lot of simultaneous 'last known locations,' most of them conflicting." The unease she felt before slowly began to fade away as she entered her patented lecture mode.

"Forgeries?" Blueblood summarized for her.

Twilight nodded. "Likely common jewelry that the lower nobility at the time decided could pull more weight. Easiest way to increase a house's net worth. 'Hey, everypony! This thing I already have? Yeah, it's actually a priceless artifact!'" She gave a slight pause. "Well, that or outright data errors."

"If an 'Element of Harmony' is on the mantle of some fireplace and hasn't been authenticated, I can assure you it has been, and it wasn't." Blueblood's tone was flat.

“But then, I had an epiphany." Twilight continued. "It occurred to me that I had the right process, just in the wrong order! So, I started over, but instead of looking at the most recent documentation of the 'Elements' and working my way back through the past, I went and found the earliest mention of them and moved forward from there."

"And what did you find?"

"I can trace the 'Elements' back to a party at the capitol in the mid 200's! About 800 years ago when they were exclusively in Princess Celestia's vault! Treated with respect, always with the princess, only one set in existence. Any later mentions of the 'Elements' start to get tangled from there, so I discount those as the fakes."

"800 years ago in a place you've already checked, I see." The prince turned back to the fountain and Twilight could feel the condescension dripping from his words.

"What? No!" Twilight trotted to face Blueblood, craning her neck over the fountain's lip to be in the prince's field of view. "When I said they were in the capitol, I meant the Castle of the Two Sisters. Ruins in the Everfree Forest. Likely untouched since the exodus! I would just need some security, rations, and if I can get them, a team of archaeologists-"

"No"

"Alright. Just some guards-"

"No." He shook his head.

"Please, Blueblood? A small cadre of guards will be that missed?"

There was a long pause before Blueblood took a deep breath and responded. "...I've been able to maintain a sense of normality here in Canterlot by pulling royal guard legions from other areas of Equestria to reinforce the capitol. We've been lucky, so far. It seems, despite the moon constantly above us, and the abduction of my aunt, Nightmare Moon has made no attempt at an overthrow. Yet."

Twilight didn't know what the young regent was getting at. "No disrespect, your highness, but what does that mean?"

"It means I can't help you."

It took a brief moment for the sentence to register. "But sir, please, you have to!"

Blueblood hung his head. He looked almost...ashamed? "I'm sorry, Sparkle, but I just can't authorize it. Not on something as loose as this."

"But the royal guard would have no problem in getting them." Twilight replied, attempting to plea her case.

"It's not about ability, it's about numbers. Equestria has no army, not a real one. Our main defense is the royal guard and their numbers are not infinite. I need everyone at the ready and in position for if, or when, Nightmare Moon makes her move. Especially here in Canterlot." He gave a slight chuckle. "And you want me to send them gallivanting through the forest, to an old castle that hasn't been touched in some 800 years?"

"Your highness, please-"

"No, Twilight." Blueblood cut her off, his way of firmly signifying that the topic of discussion had reached finality.

Any hope or optimism the young unicorn had been feeling before heading out to meet Blueblood slowly evaporated. "There's no way I can convince you? No way to make this work?"

"I'm sorry, Sparkle. Truly." The prince dipped his head.

"I see." Dejected, Twilight began her slow shuffle away from the regent. "Alright...I guess I'll just get back to work. Maybe look into ways to bring the sun back."

"No, you will not."

She stopped and turned back to the prince. "Sir?"

"Make no mistake, your hard work in helping the kingdom research Nightmare Moon, and any weaknesses she might have, is appreciated. And commendable. The 'Elements of Harmony' were a fine enough subject to look into. But, when that yielded no results, I ordered you to pursue other leads. You willfully ignored that order and continued on, regardless."

Twilight's heart began to race and she could feel her chest tightening as she realized the implication.

When Twilight didn't immediately respond, Blueblood continued. "It's been a month and your time using the library has little to show for it. I'll be assigning somepony else to your position. Hopefully, they can make better use of the resources than you did. Please, take your companions and vacate the library."

"I...ok." Her eyes clamped closed to halt the tears forming and she choked back a building sob. She turned to leave, head low and hooves plodding along at a sloth-like pace. She made it a few feet before stopping. "Oh, um, here's this." She used her magic and floated over a rather lengthy piece of paper from her saddlebag. "It's an anti-nightmare spell. One that seems to work against Nightmare Moon's magic. You'll probably find it useful."

Blueblood took it with a nod. "Thank you."

With that, Twilight left the garden and returned to the castle proper. Instead of going back to the library immediately, however, she wandered, her mind replaying the conversation she had with Blueblood over and over again. Could she have said something different? Done something different? It was almost bewildering just how quickly the mood changed.

Finding the 'Elements' was supposed to be her triumph, yet she felt more defeated than ever.

By Blueblood, no less.

Her anger slowly rising, Twilight's mind focused on Blueblood. Of course the pompous brat was taking his role as nobility seriously now that it impacted her. Of course! How could it have gone any other way? Any other time he would have likely signed off on anything Twilight wanted, so long as it didn't affect his own coffers.

"Blueblood." Twilight muttered under her breath, her teeth grinding the more she dwelled on him. She didn't like him. Never did.

And she wasn't the only one.

Blueblood had a rather distasteful reputation amongst the rest of the nobility as an incredibly haughty and self-absorbed stallion, one who seemingly adored the perks of royalty with no real desire to endure the responsibilities that came with it. To him, being a prince meant enjoying the finer things in life. The best food, the best wine, and all the top-tier accommodations the castle could provide. Any actual decision making was Princess Celestia's domain, allowing him to loaf about in excess.

She recalled a time, a couple years ago, when Princess Celestia was hosting some kind of conference involving Equestria and its neighbors. It was meant to bolster the trust between various nations, as well as incentivize increased cooperation in their economies. Twilight, despite not being a dignitary or any other pony of political importance, was allowed by Celestia to be a part of the event as her guest.

It was there she met Blueblood for the first time.

And she wasn't endeared to him in the slightest.

Blueblood, when he eventually showed up, did so late and looking none too interested in the affair. He accidentally mistook the griffon diplomat as a serving girl and didn't even bother talking to the mintoaur ambassador (probably for the best, actually). His attitude throughout was obnoxious and only got worse as the night went on. The whole thing became a political debacle and it was one of the few times Twilight had seen Princess Celestia genuinely upset.

Funny how things can so easily change. Princess Celestia's disappearance and the pushing of responsibilities onto him must have sobered the lout up quite a bit.

The focus of her mental musing then switched over to the 'Elements of Harmony'. She didn't know why she was, recently, so obsessed with them. Yes, they'd be powerful weapons against Nightmare Moon, if found, but there were other things that could be useful. Something was making her fixate on them.

Maybe it was desperation. She was so sure that finding them would be Equestria's big break and that the awful state her home was in would soon be coming to a much needed close. It was almost soul-crushing to think that, without the 'Elements', she was all the way back to square one.

And that the foreboding dark of night would go on for a while longer.

After a few minutes of slowly trodding back through the castle's halls, her mind awash with disappointment, Twilight finally returned to the library. She gave a sigh and a shake of her head to clear her thoughts, before pressing against the handle and heading inside.

"So, what are you reading?"

Twilight raised her head as a voice instantly wormed its way into her ears upon entering. Ahead, she saw Jayden hanging around Spike, the titanic biped leering over the little dragon's shoulder. It would appear his nap was over and he was taking an interest in the book Spike was holding.

"Oh, it's a book on dragon history." Spike held the book up with a wide smile, happy to show it off.

The unicorn drifted over to her workstation in a mental fog. Jayden gave her a slight nod in recognition. Rather than clean, her eyes stared through the desk, ruminating on what to do.

"Cool. Looks absolutely ancient, though." The human replied to young dragon.

"It is." Spike concurred. "I think it's the oldest book on dragons in the whole library!" If the boy's tone was any indicator, he seemed quite proud of having found such an antique.

Twilight's magic weakly enveloped the closed tome cluttering her desk. It had all been so promising.

"Read anything interesting in it?" Jayden began picking up several of the books that Twilight had been using a while ago, lining them up on the desk to form neat, tidy columns for her.

Likewise picking up after herself, Twilight's gaze shifted to Spike, observing his clawed digit tapping his chin. One of his exclusively draconic mannerisms.

Spike jolted up in realization. "Oh yeah! A long, long, long time ago us dragons were almost hunted to extinction!" He exclaimed, likely with more excitement than such a morbid fact should warrant.

Twilight wished the library could be quiet for a moment.

Jayden stopped, his eyes widening slightly. "By who? Couldn't have been ponies."

"No, it wasn't them. It was a group of creatures called..." Spike stared down at the book, making sure he was reading it right, before giving a slight tilt of the head. "Slayers?"

She wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

Jayden chuckled. "Wow, how exceptionally edge-lord of them. Why'd they do it?"

The young dragon shrugged. "Dunno. The book doesn't say. They just liked doing it, apparently."

Twilight let out a lungful of exasperated air as 8 books simultaneously slid into their proper spots. The shelf-on-paper sibilance managed to mask her frustration to the other two in the room.

"Oh, so they were unrepentant assholes on top of being cringe, then? What a winning combo."

"Jayden." Twilight interrupted. "I've asked you to not curse around Spike, remember. He's still just a kid." She knew it wasn't right, but she used Jayden's social slip-up as justification to be snippy. It was supposed to help her vent, but it did little.

Jayden put up his hands. "Sorry Twilight. Though, is it really any worse than the stuff he's learning in that book? Genocide isn't the most family-friendly subject."

"Learning the nitty-gritty of history is one thing, necessary even. But you don't have to curse." She stated, looking over Jayden's neat pile of books. And now she felt guilty, remembering just how much he had helped her over the past month. Jayden had thrown himself into stopping Nightmare Moon even more than Twilight had, often working when the other two were trying to sleep. His nap from earlier was the first bit of sleep he'd gotten in a while, and it only lasted a few hours.

"Fair enough." The human paused. "And where did you head off to? You weren't here when I woke up."

Now it was Twilight's turn to pause as she was reminded of her disappointment from only a few minutes prior. "I went to tell Prince Blueblood that I think I know where the 'Elements of Harmony' are."

Jayden's eyes widened and his lips curved upward into a victorious smirk. "You do? That's great!"

"Not as great as it could be." Twilight muttered, looking away, her ears flattening against her skull and a sour expression forming on her face.

"What do you mean?" His head tilted a bit in confusion.

Twilight then set about explaining the outcome of her chat with the prince. About his reluctance to send someone to go and gather the 'Elements', repeating to him what was told to her. She also brought up the fact that they were going to have to find a new place to stay, as the library was no longer theirs to use.

"But we DO know where they are, right? Getting them could end this whole thing." Jayden said.

"Maybe. Probably." Twilight shrugged her shoulders.

"Good enough for me.” The human gave a clap. "When are we going?"

"Going?" Twilight arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. To get the 'Elements'."

Twilight gave a light, exasperated giggle and shook her head. "We're not. Look, Jayden, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but even if I'm right about where the 'Elements' are, that doesn't mean we're heading out to get them. We can't go get them ourselves."

"Why not? If Blueblood won't send somebody after them, why shouldn't it fall to us? Heck, at this point, what do we have to lose? We're already being kicked out of the library."

"It's not like they're just left lying around in the local wine cellar, Jayden. They're in the Castle Of The Two Sisters, located deep within the Everfree forest. Going there would be almost four days worth of travel if we were to do it ourselves."

"And?" He shrugged. “I'm up for it.”

"We would need help. We would need bits. We'd need food! We would need to outfit a whole group to head...there..." Twilight's speech began to slow as feint flashes of various ponies appeared in her mind. They were obscure, but familiar and Twilight knew she met them somewhere before. A cacophony of colors. An assortment of smiles.

"Well, what kind of help?" Jayden responded, not noticing Twilight's look of concentration.

"Like someone who knows the area." A flash of yellow. "Or somepony who knows how to locate gems and jewelry." A flash of white. There it was again. That feeling, like something she couldn't possibly explain pulling her towards the 'Elements of Harmony'. The more she thought about them, the more that feeling would tug, and the more it tugged the more going after them sounded like a really good idea. "Besides, the closest point of civilization we could use to get there is..." She glanced over to a nearby map, hanging on the wall. "...Ponyville."

Her eyes widened as that feeling suddenly surged stronger. It was like somepony had order her to assemble a puzzle blindfolded. She could distinctly feel the pieces clicking together, but she wasn't yet allowed to see the image they were meant to form. It urged her, implored her, to trust that everything was being put into place.

And, despite her strong rational side telling her to think it through before making any brash decisions, she did.

"We're going!" Twilight shouted, her horn activating as she magically began shoving various things into her saddlebag.

"What?"

"I said we're going. You've convinced me. Come on!" She stood by the library door, waving a hoof at them.

"Oh...alrighty then." Jayden scooped up Spike and put the youngster on his shoulder as he followed Twilight out of the library. "But what about the help? What about all the supplies you mentioned. Not that I'm backing out now, but that all seemed pretty important a minute ago."

"We can get them all in Ponyville."

"We can?"

Twilight didn't elaborate further, instead choosing to usher her two bipedal companions out of the room and get them going to the nearby train station. Faster than even she could process, the group was purchasing tickets to Ponyville and boarding their transport. Fortunately, the train car was empty, save for them, and Jayden had enough room to relax against the back wall while Twilight and Spike took the real seats.

"So, uh...what are we doing?" The human asked, his tone uncharacteristically anxious. "I get we're going into the Everfree, but what else?"

"Well, like I said, we're going to get supplies and help for the trip!"

"Yeah, but from who? And how?"

She hesitated before reaching into her bag an pulling out a list. It was the same one she and him used more than a month ago, the one that directed them to various ponies that were setting up the Summer Sun Celebration back in Ponyville. Jayden took the paper into his hand and studied it for a moment, before his gaze turned back to Twilight.

"Alright...what's this got to do with anything?" He inquired.

"They are the ones we need to speak to."

"My friends?" His eyes landed on Rarity's name. "...and one not-friend." He added. "Why them?"

"Because they each have something we need." Twilight's tone was confident and she spoke as if she saying blatantly obvious facts about life.

Jayden looked the list over in his hand, before glancing to Twilight. "They do?" He flipped the list around, as if the blank side of the page would fill in the gaps of his understanding. “Am I missing something?”

Twilight took back the list, reading through the names and explaining her reasoning. "Applejack. She runs a very successful farm. We'd most likely be able to get a large number of foodstuffs from her. They probably have it preserved in some way, too. Canning and jarring, things like that. Things that can last a few days, at least."

Jayden nodded along. "Fair assumption."

"Next up, Rainbow Dash. The weather in the Everfree is untamed, wild. It doesn't work the same way as the rest of Equestria. A pegasus can come in handy in staving off the more radical parts of the elements. Not only that, but she can act as a scout, keeping an eye on our location in the forest as well as keeping watch for the castle, when we start getting close to it."

"Again, logical." Jayden concurred.

"Fluttershy, better than anypony else, knows the area. And definitely knows animals. If we're to trek through the Everfree, a guide of some kind is a must. The last thing we need is to barge into the home of some beast while trying to navigate shadow-beset woodlands, or take a wrong turn off some cliff."

Jayden brought his fist up to his chin, thinking that last one over. "Hmm...I don't know how much time Fluttershy actually spends in the Everfree. Probably not much considering that the Everfree is a big, scary forest and Fluttershy is, um..." Jayden paused as he thought about what to say next. "What's a polite word for coward?"

"Scaredy cat?" Twilight offered.

“ Eh, still sounds kinda insulting.”

“Cautious?” she tried again.

“That's better.”

"I'm not expecting her to be a rugged adventurer with decades of experience. Just a pony with a moderate amount of knowledge on what we might come across should be enough."

“Well, I suppose that could work, then. And she IS the one to talk to regarding animals. I'm impressed, Twilight. You got this all planned out rather quickly."

"Thank you." She beamed.

“What about basic supplies? We could get food from Applejack, but that still leaves it up to us to get things like tents, sleeping bags, torches. Those kinds of things.”

“Ponyville has a market. I figured we could get them there.”

"Alright, yeah I think we can do that. And that's it, right? Nobody else?" He asked, his voice suddenly a little nervous, as if he were verbally wading into a swamp filled with crocodiles.

The purple unicorn gave him a deadpan look. "Jayden..."

"Yes, Twilight?"

"We need Rarity too."

"...no.” He stated, shaking his head then staring forward and refusing to look over at her.

"Did somebody mention Rarity?" Spike asked, looking up from his book.

"Nope." Jayden replied. "Now go back to reading."

"I know you two dislike each other." Twilight kept the conversation going. "But, she's just as important as the others on the list."

“Dislike is such a weak word. I prefer hate. Or loathe. Loathe is a good one.” Jayden huffed. "The others made sense. What could that cu-" He stopped himself when he remembered that Spike was still there. "I mean, what could she possibly be useful for?"

"Gems."

"Rarity makes dresses and clothes. She's an over-rated seamstress, not a jeweler."

"While her work is one of fashion, fabric isn't the only thing she knows. When I met her last month, I was amazed at how many rare gems she was able to use for her decorating. My initial thought was that they couldn't have been easy or cheap to get. But then she mentioned knowing a surprisingly powerful spell for locating gems." Twilight paused to collect her thoughts before proceeding. "The Elements of Harmony are, as best I could tell in our research, pieces of jewelry. And, considering their power, it is very likely that they're hidden. Maybe placed under some hidey-hole or behind a room with a secret entrance. Whatever the case, we might need that spell to find them."

"Why can't you learn the spell?"

"Because we don't have the time, Jayden. Do you really want us to waste time with me trying learn it, while the pony we know can do it is already there? You actually want all of this-" She pointed a hoof out the window, gesturing to the night sky "To keep going just because of somebody you don't like?"

"...no. I don't."

Though it wasn't her intent, Twilight's words seemed to have a stronger impact than she anticipated, as Jayden slumped back against the train's wall.

"Dang, Twilight, way to make a guy feel guilty." He chuckled.

Her eyes widened. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that!"

He waved her off. "No, no, I get it. I was being selfish. If you think we need her, we'll get her."

Now it was Twilight's turn to feel guilty. She really hadn't meant to insult him like that. She mentally chastised herself. Maybe the princess was right and she did need to learn to make friends. Her socialization skills were atrocious.

Twilight suddenly felt something touching her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Jayden, arm extended, patting her like one would with a sad child. "Relax." He said. "I was joking. Mostly." He flashed a smile. "You don't have to worry about making me feel bad. God knows I do it enough to myself."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It's fine."

With that conversation more or less ended, Twilight turned and stared out the train window, watching the scenery pass by. Spike was still engrossed in his dragon history book and Jayden began tapping his knees out of boredom, his own eyes glancing around to find something to occupy his time with. Soon, though, he reached over and began fussing with Twilight's bags.

"Need something?" Twilight asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Actually, yeah. If you don't mind?" The human responded.

Twilight gave a light shrug and maneuvered the bags so they were easier to get to. "Sure, by all means."

Eventually, Jayden pulled out a book. It was the same one she showed him the day they met, the one explaining Nightmare Moon's backstory. What could he want with that?

The human opened it up and skimmed through it, his face one of consternation.

"What are you looking for?" Twilight asked.

Jayden didn't respond right away, instead he kept reading for a few more seconds before closing the book and giving it back to her. He looked deep in thought. "Nothing, or more accurately, it's nothing important. Not right now, at least. I'll tell you later when I feel more sure." He slumped back into his spot against the wall.

What was that all about?

Twilight eyed him for a moment or two before turning. He clearly wasn't going to explain, so there was no point in pushing it. Twilight went back to daydreaming.

That was how most of the train ride went, with the next couple hour or so passing in relative silence, broken up by brief instances of small talk and discussion. Eventually, the train reached its destination, Ponyville, and the group was free to embark. As the trio stepped out onto the train station platform Jayden extended his limbs and stretched, sighing in relief as he did so. Twilight took notice.

"You alright?"

He waved away her concern. "Yeah, I'm fine." Jayden replied, rolling his shoulder. "The train was just a bit cramped. Remember, everything in this world is built for ponies, not me."

"Sorry." Twilight said, sheepishly.

"Hey, it ain't your fault. It just is what it is." He took a few steps forward then stopped, his expression souring. "Well, that doesn't look good."

"What is it?" Twilight followed his line of sight, her own eyes landing on Ponyville.

Ponyville...had clearly seen better days. The once upbeat and and bustling village was practically a ghost town now, with the streets quiet and empty. A far cry from how she saw them when she first arrived in Ponyville almost a month ago.

It would seem that Blueblood's assertion that he'd maintained normalcy in Canterlot was correct. Though Canterlot had just as dour of an atmosphere, at least ponies felt comfortable walking about and tending to their businesses.

Here?

The market was abandoned, stores closed, and everypony had their home's door locked.

She looked back to Jayden, who was currently glaring at the awful situation his village was in.

"We'll set it right." Twilight whispered to him.

"Damn right we will." He whispered back, his tone exuding an obvious twinge of anger. Jayden gave a sigh and calmed down. "Look, I'm going to go check up on Lyra and Bon Bon, make sure they're ok and tell them what's up. Want to come with?"

Twilight shook her head. “You go catch up with your friends. I think I need a quiet moment to rehearse what I'm going to say to four strangers that will get them on board risking their lives to find a set of mythological shiny rocks.”

Jayden grinned. “Good luck with that.” He glanced over to town hall. “How about we meet back up at town hall in about half an hour and get this quest of ours moving.”

Twilight nodded her head. "Understood. See you then."

The human parted from his comrades as Twilight and Spike began wandering Ponyville. As she stated, Twilight used the monotony of the slowly passing scenery and repetition of her hoof-steps to ease her into her own mind, imagining meeting up with the ponies she needed and rehearsing her speech to them.

But, as she walked, something started grabbing her attention. It was incredibly feint, at first, and all it did was make her ears swivel. A light series of sounds, just barely noticeable. Slowly, though, it grew and Twilight had to stop and focus. “Do you hear that?”

Spike looked around. "Hear what?"

Twilight's head tilted in confusion. "I...think I hear singing.”

Spike looked around at the dark, lonesome town. "Who would be singing at a time like this?"

"No idea." Twilight let her ears guide her to the source, slowly moving along through the streets of Ponyville until she was standing at the doorstep of a rather odd looking building. One gussied up to appear like a giant gingerbread house. The singing was definitely coming from inside.

Heading on in, the pair took a look around. The place was even warmer and more inviting on the inside, with what looked like family pictures hung up on the walls and the paint color, a mixture of yellows, tans and whites, just exuded positivity and comfort.

It was a kind of bakery, from what Twilight could tell, with a counter top stationed directly ahead of the front door, with a small glass section to show off the various treats the establishment could whip up.

While the selection of delectable morsels looked absolutely top notch, the real eye opener was what was going on in the rest of the building. To the right of the counter lied what used to obviously be a small dining area, for those ponies who wished to eat their snack there instead of taking them to go. However, the decor had clearly been shuffled about, turning the dining area into a makeshift stage.

Complete with an eager performer.