Jetpack Harmony

Princess Twilight Sparkle, sole ruler of Equestria and maintainer of the cosmic balance of her entire planet, sat hunched over an archaic tome, her head held in her hooves, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. She searched desperately through a book written in a dead language for some way, ANY WAY, to correct her mistake. She'd trapped herself and all of her friends in a device and she wouldn't rest until she'd freed them. She flipped through page after page, devouring the arcane symbols and barely legible squiggles, hunting for her friends freedom and her own redemption.

Suddenly through the monotonous tedium something caught her eye. She rubbed her tired eyes just to be sure she was reading the title correctly. "How to remove jetpacks?! Why haven't I ever seen this chapter before?!!!" She wondered to herself in a dazed shock. "Starlight! Sunset! I found it! I finally found the counter spell we've been looking for!" She shouted to her dozing friends.

Twilight stepped quickly over to rouse them from sleep, but neither would awaken upon shaking. She decided to simply let them sleep, they'd earned it, both of them. "Besides, I don't think they need to be awake for this to work. Okay let's see. . . 'The way to remove a magically adhered jetpack from a pony's back is to. . ." She gasped as the book suddenly leapt from her hooves, propelled by its own tiny jetpack. "Hey! Wait! Come back!" She cried impotently as it flew all about her like a pesky insect.

Its jets caught her at the knees and bowled her over. In the scramble to reorient herself she saw her two study companions hanging in the air, floating on gentle boosts from their thrusters. "Girls! Stop! You can't use the!. . ." She gasped when she noticed their expressions, or rather, the lack thereof. The two ponies dangling in front of her looked like her friends Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer, but they had no faces. Where their visages once looked out upon the word there was only a stygian void.

The mischievous book flew between the two limp ponies and the three began to slowly drift away from Twilight. She scrambled to her hooves and called out in a horrified whisper, "Girls! Wait!" She began to give chase, but her friends that she had let down stayed just out of hooves' reach. "Don't go!" She shouted in desperation. "We'll figure this out! Please!" She took to her wings, but the puppets that once were ponies retreated even faster. Twilight flapped her wings as hard as She could, but she simply couldn't close the gap she'd caused between her and her friends.

Suddenly she was passed by the rest of her friends, all in the same faceless stupor, all dragged along by her mistake into the darkness of the oblivion stretching out before her. "No! Girls! Please! I'll figure this out! I can fix this!" Twilight screamed as her friends' faceless heads stared back at her. Suddenly her pace slowed with a jerk. She cast her gaze about in a panic to see what was happening. Her eyes went wide when she realized her jetpack was boosting in the opposite direction. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, but she felt herself hurtled backwards with the lingering scream of, "GIIIIIIRLS!!!"

Twilight felt herself hit from the side and flailed with the force of the impact. She looked to see what hit her and was horrified to see it was Scootaloo. Her horror redoubled to see the filly's head turn all the way around on her neck, her face haggard and manic. The demon in shape of her friend smiled a snaggle toothed grin as it hissed, "More fuel!" Again Twilight felt herself hit and she saw yet another grinning Scootaloo snarling, "More fuel!" The jetpack on her back began to spin and whirl her haphazardly about the void as she was bombarded by dozens of demoniacal Scootaloo's all maliciously gloating the demand. "More fuel! More Fuel! MORE FUEL!!!"

Twilight did her best to conceal her face and body behind her legs and began to weep pathetically. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry everypony! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Be still." Came the gentle and resonant call that stopped the weeping pony's sobs in her throat. The princess pulled her hooves away from her face and was shocked to see the inky blackness was replaced by an infinite expanse of white. She cautiously peered around and saw that the attacking demons had fled. A large blue hoof pulled Twilight onto her hooves and she was shocked to see the former princess of the moon smiling down at her.

"Luna! Thank goodness!" She shouted as she wrapped her forelegs around the mare's neck. Her tears of horror and regret were replaced by tears of relief at seeing a friendly face. "What are you doing here?" Twilight asked as she began looking around the featureless expanse.

Her muzzle was gently turned by the blue hoof and a pair of pale blue eyes gazed regally but kindly down on the young princess. "Where is here?" She asked cryptically.

Twilight's eyes went wide and her face lost its relief and joy. "I'm dreaming. Oh! No!" She groaned tiredly and plopped back onto her rump. "I need to wake up! I've got to fix this! I have to figure out how to save everypony from my mistake!"

"You need to get some sleep." Luna said firmly in a maternal tone. She lay gently down and Twilight was momentarily startled to see the endless expanse become a beautiful moonlit garden. For a brief second the guilt stricken princess was distracted from her grief by the awe inspiring sight of Luna's dream garden. There was a winding stream that made a pleasant gurgle as it wound through the flowering valley. All the lunar flowers were in bloom and the valley was filled with their rich and mysterious aroma. The full moon glowed above them so brightly that Twilight knew she could read by its light if she had wanted to.

The combined influence of the pleasant scenery and the former princess command forced Twilight's hoof. She sighed as she lowered herself to the ground, but was surprised to feel a cushion under her that she hadn't seen. She looked and in front of her was a full tea set, ready to serve, that also hadn't been there a moment ago. "It's a dream my princess. It's not bound by the laws of reality. Only thought, only feeling." She said, levitating her tea cup to her lips and taking a small silent sip.

Twilight sighed hard. "Prin. . . I mean, Luna. Thank you for your concern, really, but I must keep up with my work! It's because of me that everypony is stuck this way!" She said, gesturing to the jetpack, still stuck to her back, even in the dream valley.

Luna nodded once. "Yes, yes it is, and you will never figure out the solution if you get drool all over Sternswirl's original manuscripts."

Twilight was instantly on her hooves. "I'm drooling?! Luna please! Wake me up! I can't!. . . Did you say Sternswirl?" She said, her panic dying instantly. She had to sit down just to process what she had heard. "Is that from Olde Equestrian stern for star?"

Twilight's eyebrow rose at hearing Luna's girlish giggle. "No, it is because Starswirl was the coldest, strictest, pedagogue in Equestrian history. When he heard us call him by that name one day he instantly knew we meant it as a jibe." The princess couldn't help but crack a smile at Luna's nostalgic chuckle. "So he made us write our apology in Olde Equestrian. It took forever!" The ancient alicorn couldn't help but grin at the memory. "It's so queer to see him so changed all these years later. He's so much gayer than he was in my youth."

"Luna, you remember all those lessons we had about phrasing! Those words don't mean what they did a thousand years ago!" Twilight said, unable to hold back her chuckles anymore. The princess' eyes went wide. "You're trying to distract me!" She shouted, still unable to repress her grin, through her outrage. "I can't." She cleared Her throat and fought to appear as outraged as she should be. "I can't believe you! Do you know what's happening right now?"

Twilight's horn lit and snippets of her memory began to be visible. "I drove three of my friends crazy!" The magic displayed the various states of mania on her friend's faces. "I've brought a local bakery's operations to a halt! I've kept four of my friends up all night! And worst of all, I put the ponies I love in machines that weren't fully field tested yet! I'm a princess now! I can't just let the problems I created lie! I have to work until I fix this! Now Wake! Me! Up!" She shouted, stomping a hoof.

"That's one side of your actions, maybe, but consider. . ." Luna said, rising placidly and lighting her own horn. "You've given the local garment maiden more inspiration than she has had in years." The image showed all the sketches for new jetpack related products that littered Carousel Boutique's walls. "You've given young Scootaloo the joy of unaided flight for the very first time in her young life." The magic showed Scootaloo's first flight with the jetpack. Twilight couldn't help but grow misty eyed at seeing the tears of utter joy in the filly's eyes as she lifted off of the landing deck. "I know this young Scootaloo, you will never understand just how much your invention means to her." Luna got face to face with Twilight. "And there is no need to tell you of all ponies that Pinkie Pie has always been a lunatic."

Once again Twilight couldn't hold back her giggles. "Okay, that's. . . That at least is accurate."

"See? That's better." Luna said, settling back down onto her cushion. "You're just learning one of the harder lessons of power. Learning to live with a mistake. I just thank your lucky stars that your mistake was less destructive than mine."

Twilight sighed and placed a hoof on her friend's. "Luna, that was a thousand years ago. Nightmare Moon is gone, and. . . Why are you laughing!"

Luna was indeed chuckling heartily to herself. "No dear Twilight, not that uncomfortable debacle. You saw to that! No, I was referring to the time I misplaced the moon."

Twilight spat out a mouthful of tea, despite the fact that she hadn't yet taken a sip, as that is how her subconscious mind handled the shocking statement. "Excuse you?! What? When? How?"

Luna grinned mischievously and looked away, "Well, it was mostly Tia's fault. Well the only reason it happened in the first place is because SOMEPONY just HAD TO. . ." Twilight listened in rapt attention to the former princess story and her face ran the gamut of emotions, from childish anticipation to eye rolling commiseration, to gut busting laughter, to broken hearted empathy. "So finally we figured out that it had actually been where it was supposed to be in the first place, but we didn't know what an eclipse was yet, so my meddling is advertising what threw the cosmic gyroscope off balance."

Twilight lay flopped on her side, her sides burning, laughing so hard it hurt. It took several long moments before She could get her breath back. "So you had to go to Mr Sterswirl!" She had to stop to chuckle again. "And literally say. . . To say! . . ." She couldn't continue. She slipped back onto her side and snickered. Luna smiled her gentle almost sleepy smile and stretched out in front of the uncontrollably giggling alicorn. The princess' chuckles finally died down and she lazily stretched her forelegs out to wrap around the former princess' neck.

"Thank you Luna, I really needed this." She whispered gratefully. She felt the embrace returned and the two lay there comfortably on each other's legs for a long moment. Twilight pulled her head back to look into her friend's eyes and they shone in the moonlight. Twilight's eyes were wide with gratitude and admiration, until they suddenly went wider with realization. The two of them were all alone, in a beautiful dream garden, laying in each other's legs, literal stars in their eyes. Twilight glowed red as she tried to babble out a distraction. "Well! Uh, thank you Luna! For the uhh, the uhh. . ."

Luna rolled her eyes and gave a single chuckle. "Twilight."

"But I've got a lot of work to do, so if you don't mind I'll just. . ."

"Twilight!"

"And I've got to make sure I'm not destroying Stern. . . I mean Starswirl's spell book so. . ."

"MY PRINCESS!" Luna called out in a slightly more quiet version of royal Canterlot voice. Twilight's head turned slowly on her neck like a rusty ball bearing. When the princess' violet eyes finally, reluctantly, met with the former princess' sky blue one's, the stars still shining in their infinite depths, Luna smiled mischievously. "I was the guardian of dreams for years." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully. "I've seen what you dream about." Twilight's glowing face threatened to burst into flame as Luna brought up a Facsimile of herself. The faux Luna stood regally, a whole head taller than the real one, her muscles standing out with more definition than in real life. "Honestly I'm flattered this is what you think I look like."

"Oh! Sunset! Starlight! If you can hear me please, Please, PLEASE wake me up from this nightmare!" Twilight whined miserably as she buried her burning cheeks in her hooves.

"Oh! Nay mine princess! Don't say that!" Twilight peeked out from behind her hooves and suddenly shot bolt upright. Luna had changed her appearance into an even more muscular version of herself, her mane glowing, her armor shining in the moonlight. She stepped slowly towards the hyperventilating princess who was trapped in Luna's sensual gaze. "I was just getting curious to see where this dream goes." The princess' breath came hot and heavy through her nose as Luna slowly, indomitably closed the distance between their muzzles and planted a gentle kiss on Twilight's lips.

Twilight's shock and terror slowly waned and she lost herself in Luna's embrace and the two wrapped their legs around the other. Luna broke the kiss and slowly removed her helmet, letting it thud on the ground beside them. Twilight assisted the removal of armor, having to stop and gawk at the tone musculature beneath with every piece removed. Finally the pony lay fully bare in the moonlight and the puffing princess couldn't help but stare hungrily. Luna gently rolled Twilight onto her back, but the jetpack stopped her. Before Twilight could groan at the interruption Luna casually whispered, "Here, allow me my princess."

Luna's horn lit and the straps loosened in a shimmering glow of magic. The jetpack thudded heavily on the ground and Twilight was able to lay back comfortably, the larger alicorn hovering over her. As she lay on the floor of the library Twilight's moans of, "Oh yes Luna! Oh Yes Luna! OH YES LUNA!!!" Were violently interrupted by Starlight shaking her.

"Twilight! Wake up! Please!" Starlight shouted, her cheeks red with embarrassment at what her friend was screaming.

Twilight's eyes slowly opened and she blinked groggily in confusion. "Huh? What?"

She saw a blushing Starlight Glimmer standing over her and a grinning Sunset Shimmer failing to repress her laughter behind a hoof. Starlight avoided eye contact as she muttered. "Ahem, you were having another one of your. . . Intense. . . Dreams."

The glow of Twilight's face was visible behind her hooves. Sunset Shimmer chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Oh relax Twilight. Look! You did it!" She gestured to the discarded jetpack on the floor. Twilight's face lit up with excitement, but before she could celebrate the three were startled by a deafening pop.

"Who dares to disturb the courtship of. . . Oh. Hail friends of Twilight Sparkle." Luna roared upon teleporting into the room, royal Canterlot voice on full display. Her righteous indignation died upon seeing the joyful look on the princess' face, and her two companions standing by.

Twilight lunged at Luna, wrapping her forelegs around her neck in an infinitely grateful bear hug. "Thank you Luna! You did it! But how did you know that would work?"

Luna looked down lovingly on the princess she'd been interrupted in the process of wooing. "I didn't." Twilight's face went beet red at the implication. Sunset had to slowly crumble to the floor, desperately trying to hold back the urge to howl with laughter. Starlight Glimmer became very interested in the crystal formations the made up the vaulted ceiling of the library. Twilight's blush deepened as Luna scooped her up into her hooves. "Well MY princess, shall we continue where we left off?" She cooed teasingly.

Twilight reflexatorily teleported out of the temptress' hooves, and spoke rapidly, visibly flustered. "No no! No time for that! We've got to get everypony else freed first then we'll have time for. . . that." She trailed off at the end as she became lost in Luna's come hither stare.

Sunset snickered as she scooted a still skyward staring Starlight towards the door. "We can make time."

Twilight's face drained of color and Luna took the hint. Her horn glowed and she resumed her athletic aspect from Twilight's dream. The princess whispered, more in terror than in anticipation. "Well, the jetpacks have to be removed by somepony else in a dream. And dreams are most often had." She had to gulp to continue. "In the bedroom. . ."