Forgotten Foe

The days had dragged on in Equestria, lethargic though they were after Discords defeat. Canterlot though it seemed just as wondrous as it always was, had fallen into a slump. It residents were distraught without a natural disaster or an evil enemy plotting to overthrow the world order. Even the economy had suffered as a result, Normally buildings and shops were in constant need of repair, but now they stood strong, well crafted, and only needed minor maintenance from time to time. The only positive part of this was that the celestial sisters had decided, in their wisdom, to postpone winter weathers until the ponies of their realm were financially ready for it.

Cloudsdale however had been appalled at their decision, as it was their workers and citizens who kept the skies clear and the winds warm. And now more than ever they had their hands full with that job, at some points the rainbow falls had nearly ceased to flow. Even Rainbow Dash had been forced to abandon her naptime in the afternoons. Fluttershy had even been roused from her earthy talents to assist with keeping the skies clear.

And with everyone in an economic upheaval, the apple family found itself besieged with the work that went into keeping their farm running, even going as far as to recruit what few ponies were left with spare time to keep the food flowing to the hungry citizens of ponyville.

Pinkie had of course eagerly agreed, stating that it was “Like a bunch of party balloons falling!” when she bucked the apples. And the approaching Zap apple season wasn’t helping Granny Smiths conditions. In the years since Discords defeat she had fallen into a more permanent state of amnesia brought on by her mild case of Alzheimer’s. Leaving the only pony she had ever been comfortable with making the jam with to try and recall the spastic sessions she had spent with her grandmother, Applebloom however missing a lot of school, felt she was up to the task.

And not least of all affected was Rarity, her expensive tastes in clothing being far outside the price range of most ponies. Her shop was uncharacteristically with the beautifully designed dresses she prided herself on her ability to make. After a week without customers she resigned herself to moving in with twilight to help her with keeping the library in check, which quickly turned into a full time job, as Twilight had been reading furiously for several days trying to find historical reasoning for the lull in activity. Much to her distress, she was finding no recoded reasoning for this.

But she was able to rest easy, as the lull had given her ample things to send to the princess in her weekly reports. One of which actually prompted a reply letter. That morning Spike had just awoken to find the letter next to him in bed, the royal seal present on it. His heart raced as he hoped Twilights current condition wouldn’t prompt a harsh response from the lateness of the delivery. He sprang up, sprinting down the stairs, easily finding her amongst the fortress of books by following the furious flipping of pages. He called out to her, slightly out of breath.

“Hey Twi,” Spike called out, raising his voice to break the concentrated glare she had pointed at the historical reference guide for Equestria; Years 1-250. “The princess sent a return letter! I’m sorry I didn’t get it to you right away, it came in when I was sleeping.” He finished in a soft voice, bracing himself for retribution, which never came, as she slid out the letter, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she unfurled the paper.

“Thanks spike, it’s good to get a break from all this study. I mean, this has to have happened before doesn’t it? But none of the-” Twilight was cut off before she could finish, her eyes scanning the page slowly, and for several minutes, Spike watched her re-read the letter in shock. His scales began to rattle nervously as he saw her mane and tail raised ever so slightly. She rushed into the maze, calling to him. “Spike, Grab my saddlebags. Pack for camping and get some gems ready, throw a few dried apples and carrots in as well as some water.” She was yelling this over the loud rustling which seemed to be moving towards the closet. Finally there was a crash and Twilight emerged from the pile of books carrying a jewel encrusted box in her teeth. “And pack five more bags for the girls. We’re going to Canterlot.”

“Wait, Canterlot? Seriously Twi, is it that bad?” Spike asked with a shaky voice.

“No Spike, it’s worse than that. Not only did she tell me to stop my research on friendship, but that was a summons for the Elements of harmony. We’re expected at the castle tomorrow, so keep packing while I round up the others.” She said, hurriedly going to the door, ignoring the new questions flying over her shoulder from spike. She opened the door to a smiling, albeit exhausted, face.

“Were going on an adventure?” Asked Pinkie, her spirits as high as ever even now that the Apple family had her working hard over at sweet apple acres. Her hooves were uncharacteristically dirty, but her smile was always something Twilight could take comfort in. She found herself coming out of her own mind to see Pinkie with her head cocked in confusion, staring at Twilight. “Hey, you okay twilight?”

Twilight shook herself awake and smiled in return, nodding. “Yea, we’ve got to gather the girls, Rarity should be-.”

“Right here darling, I overheard everything, I’ll help spike pack. You and Pinkamina go on ahead and find the others. And do try not to make more than a mess than you already have in here.” Called Rarity’s refined voice, echoing through the rumbling fortress of books. Twilight turned to Pinkie and nodded, trotting past her with the box in her teeth, headed towards the clear open sky … Or more precisely clearing sky, as there were flocks of pegasai working non-stop to keep winter from setting in. Twilight easily spotted the Rainbow trail she needed, alone in the southern cloud wall, shortly before a sonic rainboom ripped the clouds around it to shreds.

“Wow! Dash is really getting that Sonic-Rainboom down isn’t she?” Said pinkie enthusiastically, trotting alongside Twilight and watching the rainbow shockwave spreading. Twilight felt a pang of concern that Pinkie wasn’t hopping as she normally was.

“Hey Pinkie, how are things going at Sweet Apple Acres?” Twilight Asked, tact running rampant in her voice, her stride slowing slightly trying not to let Pinkie notice.

“Oh things at the farm are great! A lot going on, just most of it I don’t understand. I sometimes get in trouble because I’m still learning. But its helping them keep happy right? So why not!” Said Pinkie, her voice seeming to crack slightly. It didn’t take a detective to see she wasn’t used to the pressure that having such an active life put on someponys. Her eyes showed she clearly hadn’t been sleeping well, and the economic strain had brought her sweets intake to near zero. And to add to it, she recently was separated from the young pony and Pegasus she had been trusted to babysit on a weekly basis when the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake had been forced to move out to a cheaper place to call home. The well built building had stood vacant ever since.

Twilight was about to console her but was cut off by the sound of a pegasai landing with a winded voice.

“Hey guys! I haven’t seen you two around in forever!” Called an enthusiastic, albeit exhausted Rainbow Dash from behind them. She removed her goggles and tried to shake some of the dust off of her feathers. Pinkie trotted up to her and nuzzled her cheek, hugging her with a gleeful Smile.

Twilight smiled and looked to Dash, her tone turning serious. “Hey, I need your help. The princesses are calling on the Elements, Could you round up AJ and Fluttershy and bring them over to the Library?” Twilight asked eager to get on the road. “It sounds like we’ll be gone a while, but Spike and Rarity are packing supplies, have them set things in order.”

Dash nodded and grinned “Got it Twi, it will be nice to get away from work for a while, I’m sure they will agree too, even if I have to drag AJ here.” And with that Dash trotted forward for a start before taking off and headed towards the western sky, where it seemed the cloudiest.

“Alright … Pinkie, let’s get back and help pack, I’m sure the Princesses are eager to have us there.” Twilight turned and looked at pinkie, who fell in with her, brushing her flank to Pinkies for a moment Twi trotted off, towards home. Thinking hard on what could possibly have happened that required the Elements to be called in.