Between Hammer and Anvil

‘How did it come to this?’ Twilight asked herself as the shadow fell upon them, ‘where did it go wrong?’

Every step, every action, every decision they made was the clear and logical selection at the time, but if that held true, why this? Was he right? Did they oppose the inevitable? Were all their struggles and triumphs futile? Had they come this far just to fail now?

A roaring wind rose and swept across the plains far below, whistling through the amber waves of grass and breaking Twilight out of her stupor. NO!! They would not fail! They would find a way, no matter the cost! Too much had already been sacrificed! So much had been lost! This journey was not made in vain! They had set out with so much confidence! So much hope! Their pride iron clad and not even a whisper of doubt in their minds as they ventured forth to assured victory!

The darkness thickened…

But they had been naive of the scope of what they meant to accomplish, their confidence bordered on arrogance. And as the days passed they were punished for it time and time again. There was complication after complication. Their hoof was forced at every turn; they had made not simply the logical choices, but the only choices, forcefully guided down a path that led here.

Here…

Twilight opened herself to her surroundings again, trying to imprint what she saw in the deepest recesses of her mind. She would stare until she saw nothing else.

Her friends were around her. Collapsed, driven to their knees by the gravity of their failure. They were strewn upon the ground such as leaves before the terrible wind, their insignificance manifest against the great stone courtyard. Their lives were but dust on the ancient stone and the colors of their fur muted by the grey expanse.

The blood red altar before them seemed to suck away the surrounding light, the darkness adjoining it unnatural and foreboding. It was covered in the runes of a lost age, whose meaning she could not decipher but whose image inspired dread; their power evident through the height of the courtyard, suspended miles above the golden plains and untouched by the likes of her for eons. It had been here since nigh on the dawn of time.

Behind them lay an altar of white marble, cracked and crumbling, heedless of their efforts to repair it. Time had had a much more palpable effect on this altar, its once polished beauty faded, its edges worn away by the elements. All that you know will come to an end. The words echoed in her mind. Your fight is a struggle against a force of nature, it cannot be won. However valiant you may be, you will fail.

Though it was midday and they were far above the clouds, the sky was dark, the sun obscured by shadow. A weight seemed to press not only against Twilights mind, but against her physical being, her knees starting to bend under the pressure, her head bowing under the strain. The wind was cold and bit at her eyes, but that was not what was causing them to water. She was physically drained, but that was not why she felt soreness in her chest. Her breathing grew ragged. Her body lowered, and as Twilights consciousness faded, the last thing she saw was an endless darkness.

Chapter 1

Twilight awoke with a start, the late afternoon sun glaring in through her window. Her fur was drenched in sweat, and her blankets clung to her as she fought her way out of her bed. “Isn’t there just some spell I can cast to give myself energy?” She panted, having finally managed to extricate herself from her blankets, she paused, “Ugh… what’s wrong with me today? How absurd a question is that?” She chuckled to herself, amused by her momentary lapse in composure.

Her amusement was short lived, however, as a fading memory of her dreams struck. There was nothing specific, but her stomach filled with dread. Probably nothing, she thought to herself, just the result of a poor night, or days, sleep, best to not dwell on it.

She stumbled past Spike and his bed (it was a good thing she had already adjusted her schedules for her new sleep pattern otherwise she would be thrown off for the next month) and she continued on her way to the door, almost falling down the steps as she did so. If she was this tired, she could only imagine how spike would feel, which was why she was letting him get his sleep. Besides, he had no preparations to take care of, why disturb him just to leave?

So she left the library, her home away from home, the sun continuing to glare down on her; she flinched away from its rays and allowed her mind to wander. Had it really been two years she arrived here in Ponyville? The pace at which the days flew by almost scared her. Would Celestia ever end her training? Could she absorb all there was to learn about friendship? She doubted even she could take in that much so fast, it would probably be a couple more years in Ponyville at worst, forever at best.

Twilight’s eyes finally adjusted and she looked around at the town; it’s now familiar appearance subtly altered. The denizens of Ponyville had certainly become familiar with the preparations for the Summer Solstice Celebration; this being the third year in a row it was being held in Ponyville. The decorations Rarity had made were already up and groups of birds were singing softly at the end of every lane and on every street corner thanks to Fluttershy. The food from Sweet Apple Acres had been delivered to the town hall by Applejack and Big Macintosh early in the morning and was being studiously guarded from Pinkie Pie, who had undoubtedly invited half of Equestria to her pre-Solstice bash. Rainbow Dash had already cleared the skies and a few Pegasus ponies could be seen in the west, silhouetted against the setting sun, patrolling the border of the Everfree forest for any stray clouds.

Now, usually the honor of hosting the festivities would be shifted from town to town, but after the actions of Twilight and her friends Celestia had deemed it appropriate to make Ponyville the permanent location, and Luna had chosen to do the same for the Winter Solstice. Nopony was inclined to complain, they could see how joyous Celestia was after the reunion with her sister, and it would be a long time before anypony would be forgetting that. Not to mention their awe of Luna, whose very existence had become rumors by the time she returned; a new alicorn was not to be taken lightly, and with her participation in the continued celebration of Nightmare Night, everypony bore her good will, to say the least.

Twilight had arrived at her destination, the Ponyville Day Spa where she and her friends had planned on meeting to freshen up before the partying commenced. And oh did she need it! Her dark violet mane was a ruffled mess that managed to hide her horn and her normally bright purple coat was matted and sticky from dry sweat, her starburst cutie mark somewhat obscured on her right flank. There were bags under her deep purple eyes and she could barely walk straight. Rarity would throw a fit when she saw her condition.

She waded in through the door, nodding to Aloe and Lotus behind the counter as she headed for the main bath area. No need to pay as they had made reservations long before hand. “Hey Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy are already here” Aloe informed her, looking up from whatever it was she was working on and gesturing towards one of the steam rooms, “they didn’t want to start without the rest of you but mentioned something about needing to relax after bad dreams and restless sleep, it’s no wonder either, the stress of having to prepare a celebration for both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna must be excruciating.”

Twilight heard nothing after “bad dreams” as she quickened her pace towards the steam room, her hoofs clattering on the stone floor, the sense of dread she had pushed aside returning.

Why though? She remembered nothing of her dreams…

Oh this sauna is simply divine! Rarity thought as she lay back on her wooden seat, basking in the heat and letting the stress flow from her body and mind. She looked up as she heard conversation outside. Who had arrived now?

“Hey Twilight” She and Fluttershy said in unison as Twilight pulled open the door. Rarity leaned forward “How are you this fine afterno- oh Twilight!” she gasped, “Whatever happened to your mane? You must take better care of yourself; it won’t do for Celestia’s prized pupil to be seen in such a condition the day before the Solstice” Rarity hurriedly trotted over and began to circle Twilight, looking her up and down and observing every detail of her disheveled visage. How this pony managed to get her mane in such a wild state was beyond her. She couldn’t even see Twilight’s horn through the tangles!

“Sorry Rarity, I just had a bad nigh- days sleep that’s all,”

“You too?” Fluttershy chirped in, her teal eyes overflowing with sympathy “oh I’m so sorry Twilight, I hope you feel better.”

“It seems the stress of the past couple days is getting to all of us” Rarity surmised as she continued to pace around Twilight, “which is exactly why we needed this spa day, I’ve signed us all up for the royal treatment, even Applejack and Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight face hoofed, “Oh Rarity, I’m sorry; I just realized I forgot the bits I was going to bring to help cover the expenses, I can go and get them.”

Rarity shrugged it off, “Think nothing of it Twilight my dear, my styles are doing more than well enough to cover this.” In truth she had spent much of her savings on supplies for the decorations, and had yet to be reimbursed by the royal treasury, but she need not concern Twilight with such a trivial affair. “Now have a seat and let us see if we can do something about that mane of yours”

Rarity guided Twilight over to the seat next to hers, failing to hide her great worry miserably.

“Rarity, something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Twilight inquired, looking up at Rarity from her seat.

“I’m just worried about you darling, you seem fairly out of it this evening, did something happen?”

“Well, as we’ve covered, I didn’t get very much rest, and neither did the two of you according to Aloe”

“That may be, but Fluttershy and I weren’t nearly as disheveled as you when we arrived.”

“Well, um, actually Rarity…” Fluttershy interjected, drawing inward and looking down as she did so “I uh, I was here for an hour before you arrived. Angel sent me over because I was tossing and turning in my sleep.” She began whimpering, “Oh it was horrible Twilight! All I remember is darkness and whispering voices and I…” Fluttershy started crying softly, her head nearly on the ground and her eyes hidden under her flowing mane. “I just couldn’t stay asleep Rarity, I thought this would help calm my nerves.”

There was a look of both disbelief and sorrow upon Rarity’s face, “but how? I had much the same dream myself; I robbed Sweetie Bell of her beauty sleep through all my sobbing… What of you Twilight?”

Twilights delved her mind and somehow the dream she had been repressing all afternoon rushed to the forefront of her mind.

She stood in a ceaseless shadow, a pinprick of color against the vast darkness. Shapes flitted in and out of view, silhouettes amongst the dark. A whispering chant began, reverberating off invisible walls. “It begins,” the voices said, “Your time is short”. It was an endless repetition of those two phrases. Their chanting rose in pitch and speed, drowning out another new voice. Twilight struggled to discern it from the cries. “Twilight…” “Twilight” it repeated “Twilight!” she knew that voice “TWILIGHT!!”

Once again, she woke with a start, Rainbow Dash hovered over her, wings flapping slowly, Dash’s violent magenta eyes inches from her own, and Dash’s rainbow mane touching her forehead lightly, “Twilight! Are you okay! What happened?”

Twilight rolled over, then stood slowly, Rainbow Dash put her front hooves around Twilight’s midsection and helped pull her up, then landed gently next to her, “Twilight?”

She raised her head, and saw all her friends around her, Rarity and Fluttershy beside Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack just inside the doorway. All had varying degrees of worry and concern on their faces. Rainbow Dash started to say her name again, but Rarity placed a hoof over her mouth. “Give her a chance to recuperate” she whispered softly.

Twilight Sparkle looked at each one of them individually, as if seeing them for the first time. First she turned her gaze upon Pinkie Pie. A brink pink earth pony of normal stature with an unkempt dark pink mane that was very representative of her personality, everywhere; Pinkie Pie was the most excitable pony around, she always had something to say, and was well known for her parties, which she seemed to throw on the slightest whim. Her cutie mark was a triad of balloons, and very few ponies would take her serious at first glance. Despite this, or because of it, she was friends with everypony in town; many of whom would stop by Sugarcube Corner for a quick chat and a bite to eat. She was the bearer of the element of laughter, but her normally exuberant attitude was somber now, and as Twilight looked into her bright blue eyes a hint of fear shone in their depths before Pinkie banished it with a toothy grin. Twilight moved on to Applejack.

Applejack was also an earth pony, orange with a blonde mane. She almost always wore her favorite hat atop her head, its brim jutting out over her tied back hair. Applejack had a sturdy build; her legs toned and muscular from years of apple bucking. She was a hardworking pony, spending much of her time on the family farm, Sweet Apple Acres; her cutie mark of apples had appeared when she realized that that was where she truly belonged. Applejack was the bearer of the element of honesty, and Twilight could see it in her emerald eyes, she was deeply concerned and seemed almost taken aback by Twilights studious gaze. Twilight moved on to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy had a light yellow coat and flowing light pink mane. She stood in a demure posture, her pegasus wings folded at her sides. As her name suggested, Fluttershy was a rather timid pony, fearful of large crowds and being the center of attention. She was also possessed of great kindness and compassion, capable of seeing and perceiving things about others that most ponies would miss. Her cutie mark was a group of pink butterflies, delicate and beautiful. Fluttershy was the bearer of the element of kindness and she attempted to return Twilight’s stare, her eyes still filled with tears. Those tears began to flow anew and she looked away, whimpering softly. She saw something in Twilights eyes that scared her, something that shouldn’t be there. Twilight moved on to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash was not simply a pegasus pony, she was the pegasus pony. She was responsible for Ponyville’s weather and her rainbow mane and tail would flow behind her as she raced through the sky, her light blue coat almost blending in. Rainbow Dash was extremely athletic and competitive; she was not known to back away from a challenge. Brash and daring, Dash was exceedingly confident in her own skills, often coming across as arrogant and lazy, but she was always there when somepony needed her, making her the bearer of the element of loyalty. Her violent magenta eyes matched and even surpassed the intensity of Twilights as she reciprocated Twilights stare, Dash’s gaze betrayed none of the fears or concerns of the other ponies, but carried a silent threat to whatever it was she saw in Twilights eyes. Rainbow Dash crouched down, her sleek muscles tensing and her wings jutting out to her sides as if she was ready to pounce. Twilight moved on to Rarity.

Rarity was a unicorn like Twilight, with a bluish white coat and a purple mane that was always well groomed. Rarity’s passion was fashion, and she was well renowned for her dresses. Her store, Carousel Boutique, was known across Equestria. If there was one word to describe Rarity it would be elegant, she always conducted herself in a graceful manner and usually chose her words with great care. She would speak with an air of sophistication but did not think herself better than her friends. When somepony was in need she would always be there to help, and as such she was the bearer of the element of generosity. She had prepared herself for Twilights gaze, and her blue eyes shone with determination as she leaned forward and placed the tip of her horn against Twilight’s, pausing to locate it through Twilight’s tangled mane. A spark flew between their horns as Rarity’s took on a bluish glow, and Rarity cast the memory spell Twilight had used on her and her friends when Discord had corrupted them.

CRACK

Twilight picked herself up of the floor for the second time that afternoon, “I don’t know what came ov-“

The sauna door slammed open as Aloe and Lotus rushed in “What happened?! Is everypony alright?” Lotus demanded.

Rarity was the first to find her voice, “oh, uh, everything’s fine, just testing out a spell to relieve Twilights headache but I lost control.”

“A spell? But isn’t that why you’re in the sauna?”

“Well, uh, yes, but you see it didn’t be seem to be working, and it is very important Twilight have her wits about her tomorrow.”

“Okay, whatever you say, but are you sure you’re alright Twilight?”

“Fairly certain,” Twilight shuddered, “I definitely feel better than I did a few moments ago”

“If you say so” Lotus murmured as she strutted out the door. Aloe hung behind.

“We’ll finish off the preparations for you, sorry, but we’ve been busy running some numbers, far more ponies have been coming in complaining about headaches and nightmares lately, and we’re just trying to figure out why.” She shook her head, “and running numbers gives us headaches.” She backed out the door, “We’ll come back when the baths are ready, just relax and let the steam work its magic”

Aloe gently pulled the door shut. The group of friends stood silently in a circle surrounding Twilight; each one fidgeting in her own way and unable to make direct eye contact; except Rainbow Dash that is, who resumed her deep inspection of Twilight. Twilight quailed under the stern glare, and Rainbow Dash looked away sadly. “Sorry Twilight,” she mumbled “just wanted to make sure.”

Pinkie Pie could no longer contain herself “Ohmygoshtwilight! What happened?! We opened the door and you were collapsed on the floor, well not collapsed, sprawled would be a better word, your tongue was hanging out like this, and oh were we worried -we flew in the door, well actually Rainbow Dash flew in, Applejack and I couldn’t fly in that would be silly- so Rainbow Dash flew in and we ran in after her and there you were on the floor, muttering to yourself under our breath, and oh was your mane a mess, well it is a mess still, but you weren’t responding to anything and Rarity and Fluttershy were saying, so Rainbow Dash started yelling your name and then you got up and….” Pinkie Pie trailed off, the traces of her smile fading from her face.

“And you just weren’t yourself sugarcube” Applejack finished for her, “your eyes, they were cold… filled with anger”

“Malice would be a better word” Rarity interjected, stepping in between Twilight and Applejack “You didn’t seem to recognize us and were looking down on us as if we were, we were…?”

“As if we didn’t matter” Rainbow Dash finished, looking rather downtrodden.

“Yes, as if we were insignificant” Rarity resumed, “So tell us darling, what did happen?”

Twilight took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and then she began to describe her dream, giving the excruciating detail she thought was only prudent. Her friends listened intently, hanging on her every word, their eyes widening in disbelief as they leaned in ever closer. “And then I woke up with Rainbow Dash standing over me” Twilight concluded.

“But how?” Rarity managed to blurt out, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. “I had the exact same dream, well, excluding your name.”

“So far as I can remember I did too; I reckon we all had the same dream” said Applejack.

“I did!” Pinkie Pie chimed in, hopping up and down in place.

“I did too,” Fluttershy whispered, wiping the last of her tears from her face and looking up at Twilight, who in turn looked over to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes flitted from pony to pony as they crowded around her, eagerly awaiting her response, “oh all right” she finally conceded, rolling her eyes at them “I had the scary dream too.” She puffed out her chest, “but you don’t see me jumping at shadows.”

“That’s because you clearly aren’t intelligent enough to know when to be afraid.” Rarity snapped, “Courage does not exist without fear.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash turned to Rarity and started stomping towards her; her eyes narrowed, “I admitted it was scary, didn’t I?” She drew herself up and pointed an accusatory hoof at Rarity, “And at least I had the common sense to try and wake Twilight when I saw her collapse, unlike somepony who just stood there with her hoof in her mouth!” Rainbow Dash was yelling, beating her wings in her anger. “You didn’t even raise a hoof to help your friend!”

“That’s unfair and untrue!” Rarity retaliated, a spark igniting in her eyes, “I was simply overwhelmed with concern for Twilight and I didn’t know what was happening, for all I knew trying to wake her might have hurt her!” She placed her left hoof forward and looked down her nose at Rainbow Dash in disgust, “and I didn’t see you doing anything helpful when Twilight was not acting herself, as if glaring at her was going to help! I had the courtesy to do something about her behavior!”

Rainbow Dash’s face grew red with rage, she flew forward and pinned Rarity’s shoulders to the wall of the steam room with her front hooves. She started shouting straight into Rarity’s face, a wild look in her eye. “That’s only because I don’t have a stupid unicorn horn! If I did I would have helped her straight away instead of waiting until she turned to me after making Fluttershy cry!” She gestured with her right hoof to where Fluttershy stood without looking and continued yelling in a nonsensical manner. Rarity, however, did glance, and immediately her rage and anger drained away, replaced by guilt and frustration.

Fluttershy was distraught. She was backed into the corner, her flank pressed against the wall, her eyes stared ahead unseeingly, her pupils dilated to small points. Applejack and Pinkie Pie sat on either side of her, each with a leg over her back and squeezed tightly against her. Applejack was whispering gently into Fluttershy’s ear. Meanwhile Twilight was watching the exchange between Rainbow Dash and Rarity, a horrified expression on her face, her left eye twitched slightly, and then she exploded.

“ENOUGH!!!” She shouted; the bright purple glow of her horn visible through her tangled mane as she pulled Rainbow Dash away from Rarity with it. “What is wrong with everypony?! Rainbow Dash, Rarity, this isn’t like you!”

Rainbow Dash winced as if struck when she heard her name, then shook her head as her rage faded away with Twilights spell; Rarity only grew more frustrated. “I, I don’t know…” Rainbow Dash said, trotting over to Rarity. “I’m so sorry Rarity, I don’t mean any of what I said, I don’t know what came over me” She apologized.

“Apology accepted darling, I never meant to insult your intelligence.” Rarity forgave her, letting go of her frustration, “You’re one of the best and brightest pegasi I know” She faced Twilight “We’re all tired and irritable, and I do believe that Aloe will step in any minute now to inform us that the preparations for our spa day are complete, let us move past this and relax.”

“That sounds like a mighty fine idea sugarcube,” said Applejack as she stepped toward them, having finally managed to calm down Fluttershy, “We can discuss this dream business later, maybe even ask Celestia and Luna ‘bout it. I’m sure they’ll know what it means.”

“That sounds like a great idea Applejack” Twilight said, “Come on everypony lets go.”

“Wait,” Twilight paused.

“Where’s Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked, looking around.

“And when –cough- did the steam get so thick?!” Rainbow Dash spluttered.

“Surprise!” Pinkie burst out of the thick wall of steam in front of them, front hooves raised in the air and a maniacal look on her face. Rarity, Twilight and Applejack all jumped back in shock, landing in a tangled heap next to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. They all froze in their positions, Pinkie Pie still on her hind legs and the rest of them in the corner staring at her in shock.

Then Fluttershy tittered and began to laugh, a bright and clear peal that resonated with the rest of them, it washed away all the doubts and fears in their minds, and they too began to laugh. Whatever ill feeling that had plagued them was cured by their elation and they drew together –still laughing- for a group hug.

Aloe pushed open the door then trotted backwards quickly as a wave of steam rolled over her, drenching her sleek cyan mane and leaving a fine mist over her pink coat. She shook herself off then proceeded in to the room. “I’m glad to see that you’re all in a good mood now” She smiled as she went over to the fire pit now visible in the opposite corner. She picked up the bucket sitting next to it in her jaw then walked over to spigot in the wall. She set the bucket down and turned the handle on the spigot with her right hoof while looking over her shoulder at them “We finished our preparations, finally, so feel free to go into the baths”

“Well girls, shall we?” Rarity asked after disengaging herself from the hug and walking over to the door, “after you my dears” she bowed her head and motioned them through.

“hehe thanks Rarity” Rainbow chuckled as she took up the offer and strutted out the door.

The rest of her friends followed her, nodding to Rarity as they walked past, Rarity brought up the rear at a brisk pace, exiting the room as another wave a steam rolled out, Aloe having put out the fire and cooled the hot stones.