Collision Zone

Chapter Five: Tee Minus

Time Remaining: 15 Hours.

“Perhaps you should sleep on the matter, dear one?”

No! I am not listening to anything you have to say on this matter! Twilight dropped 'Arcane Magicks for the Aspiring Conjurer' onto a pile which she had mentally marked 'unhelpful'. Book Fort Alpha was under construction in the centre of the room, but Twilight paid it no mind.

Okay, so masking the magical signature with a conjuration effect wouldn't work either...

“You are attempting to fool a creature that has lived for millennia. We have a scant margin of success in this endeavour.”

Not listening...

“Maybe if you could keep it still for a moment it might be able to pass as simply a dyed mane?” Terminus suggested lazily. Twilight felt a soft... something playing with her unruly fringe, tugging gently at it as it wriggled.

It’s obviously magica-! I mean… I’m not listening to you.

“Oh, but you are, dear one,” the voice whispered into her ear. “I know of a way in which to fool your princess, and I will share, on one condition.”

And that would be? Twilight’s eyebrow rose sceptically, almost on instinct.

“The condition would be that you sleep for at least three hours tonight, so that you are functional for what will likely be an exhaustive magical experiment.”

But I need to research this! We only have… fourteen-and-a-half hours until I need to be in Canterlot!

“Then I suggest you sleep now, and panic later.”

Twilight grumbled at this, swiping at one eye with a hoof. Despite her protestations, she was getting tired. The strange… thing… whatever Terminus was doing with her fringe was oddly soothing.

“Besides… you wanted to know of my domain? Here is your chance.”

She leaned forward for a moment and then caught herself, before giving up and getting to her hooves. Picturing her bed in the room across the hall, she was there in an instant. Curling up under the sheets, Twilight let out a little sigh of contentment before she could help herself.

Mmmh… right, you did say you’d show me… Twilight yawned quietly.

“Go in peace, dear Twilight,” the voice whispered, still softly stroking her mane, and with that, tiredness overtook her.

~~~

Twilight Sparkle dreamed. She floated in the void, far above an unfamiliar world. The brilliant light of her master's power streamed through her, and she was content. It was a barren place, littered with craters and shallow acidic seas, yet life bloomed here. Disorganised, hardy life forms, infinitely more primitive than herself. Rejoicing in her form, she extended newly forged tendrils, marvelling in her master's handiwork. But something was wrong.

I...

She was one of many. She was one. The idea was strange. She could feel a connection to the others, see her master's light spilling out from the wellspring, but she was no longer one with Him.

I.

Rolling the concept around, she pondered. She had been separated for a purpose, after all. Created here, above this world, for a reason. Her master had need of her.

Singular. Perfect. I... am.

The cold emptiness of His absence numbed her, but she would endure the pain a thousandfold to further His machinations. The Plan was everything. Without looking back, she hurled herself into the thick clouds of the planet's atmosphere. There was much work to be done, after all.

Dark, inhospitable humidity greeted her, yet through a cluster of pale eyes she perceived the tiny protoplasmic creatures clinging to a red-brown rock face. Wind battered her transient form, as the acidic liquid crashed against the cliffs. She raised a single segmented tentacle, splitting it threefold until it resembled a nearly invisible lattice of tiny limbs, scooping up hundreds of individual organisms for analysis.

With a thought, her limbs began to directly infuse the captured life with her own essence, tearing off small pieces of her own magic to change their existence irrevocably. She felt her form shudder for a moment, her avatar wavering as the sudden magical drain caught up with her. Manifesting was uncomfortable for her, almost like being rubbed all over with sandpaper, but it was her duty to Him that these steps toward a sustained thaumosphere be completed. This world would be His, in time. She would endure.

For Him.

~~~

Time Remaining: 10 Hours

With a low groan, Twilight stretched out her tentacles, letting them wave languidly in the warm acidic breeze. The bedside cabinet toppled, sending a pot crashing to the ground, effectively startling the purple mare to her senses.

Wah! ...Hooves? But...

“Welcome back.”

She rubbed bleary eyes, her hooves feeling shaky and far too rigid compared to the segmented tentacles of her dream-self.

That was... you? Your domain?

“Indeed... don't talk to me in the sunlight today,” The voice was clipped, much more guarded than the usual soft murmurings. Twilight pulled her hoof back from the curtains as if they had burned her.

What? Why?

“No time. Any longer, and I won't be able to contain the signal.”

… You said you had a way to fool the princess. What do I need to do?

“So I did. Go eat, then head west, into the woods. Find a cave.”

Why would sunlight be an issue... never mind. It's not like I have much choice if I want to survive tonight. Silence greeted her. Her hair wavered, illusions snapping into place at her command. No fear, Twilight, everything will be just fine. She teleported directly from her bed to the bathroom, finishing up her morning ablutions efficiently, before jumping again to the kitchen.

“Morning Spike!” she called out, smiling brightly as she reappeared.

“Bwah!” Spike leapt back from the table as she abruptly appeared in the seat opposite him. She landed easily on the bench, feeling her hair spread out languidly around her. Spike gave a nervous cough, then sidled back to his meal. “Jeez, Twilight, did ya have to 'port here? Couldn't you just walk?”

“No time for that! I need food for a day trip, and you're just the dragon to fix it.”

Spike deadpanned at her, then groaned, slumping a little in his seat like a sulky colt.

“Do I have to?”

“Yup!” Twilight hopped down from the bench, poking her head into the fridge.

“Bu-but what about Pinkie! She's going to rope me helping with some kind of party, I can just feel it!”

Twilight hummed thoughtfully, removing an empty milk bottle and placing it on the counter. She eventually returned to the table with a fruit yoghurt, while Spike finished his sandwich.

“Pinkie always has a party planned, and I don't get dragged into helping all the time.”

“That'th becauth you thuck at baking, Twi',” Spike replied around a mouthful of bread and quartz.

“Don't talk with your mouth full, I can't understand a word you just said.” Twilight smirked playfully at the dragon, whose cheeks puffed out. She let out a soft sigh and began to pound the choking dragon on the back. As she helped her assistant remove the sandwich he'd managed to inhale, she contemplated the situation, staring intently at his stubby little legs.

Hmm... he'll take at least twenty minutes to walk there and back, not to mention the delay for the food... agh! There's no time!

She discarded her spoon, then gulped the yoghurt messily. Spike's eyes widened, and he edged away a little.

“Um... Twilight?”

She looked up from the empty yoghurt pot, then delicately wiped a drip of the strawberry mix from her chin with a tendril of magic.

“Never mind the trip to Pinkie's. I'll get the food, you organise the library in my absence. Oh, and can you clean up the broken pot in my room?”

Spike sighed, then got up out of his seat, “I'll get right on it.”

“Thanks Spike, you're the best!” she bounced out of her seat, grabbing her reptilian companion from behind in a quick hug.

“Really? I mean, um... I know.”

Spike turned as she hurriedly let go of him, but saw purple sparks dissipating in the air.

Twilight was gone.

~~~

Not far away, the tail of one Pinkamena Diane Pie began to twitch furiously, like it had a mind of its own. Looking around hurriedly, she set down her platter of cupcakes before addressing the whole of Sugarcube Corner.

“Hey, everyone, something's going to fall!”

The regulars, used to Pinkie's antics, moved as one to take shelter under the display tables. It was a streamlined operation, with little fuss, so when Twilight Sparkle materialised directly above a bowl of trifle the customers breathed a collective sigh of relief and shuffled back into an orderly queue.
“Ptha! Pinkie! Why'd you have to go and move the big table!” Twilight groused, spitting out a mouthful of whipped cream and scrambling out of the oversized bowl.

“Oh! Twilight! Hmm, we tried it over there, and over there, and here too! But it just wouldn't fit, so we put it right, well, here.” Pinkie said, somehow managing to look a little sheepish while bouncing on the spot.

“Urgh... figures,” Twilight gingerly attempted to wipe jelly out of her coat, but it was well and truly stuck to her.

“Hey Twi, awesome entrance!” Rainbow Dash called from the queue, before cracking up.

Yeah yeah, laugh it up Dash. I'm still faster than you.

Twilight squared her shoulders, then walked steadily forwards, ignoring Rainbow's guffaws, the stares of some of the newer customers, and the fact she felt sticky all over. She looked straight at the bouncy serving mare, attempting to project a palpable aura of seriousness onto her friend.

“Pinkie, I need your help.”

This is not a time for parties. I need help, not fun. Sun, a party invitation got me into this mess!

“I'll... lemme serve up these cupcakes, okay? Just go on into the kitchen,” Pinkie said, unfazed by the librarian's burning gaze, but seemed to understand all the same. Twilight glared pointedly at Rainbow before exploding into purple-white sparks, leaving only a dollop of cream to mark her passage, which fell to the floor with a very final 'plop'.

~~~

The ball of magically infused air sat at the tip of her horn, glowing faintly. She could feel how unstable the resonance based magic behaved, now that Terminus's control had been relinquished, and as it was she could barely work the spell. It was wasteful, difficult to work with, and required enormous concentration on her part.

But if I need to be clean, I guess it will be useful.

With a soft grunt, Twilight poured more of her reserve into it, which was sucked into the spell as quickly as she could supply the magic.

It's almost... greedy. I've never seen a spell that reacts quite like it.

The diffuse glow brightened for a moment, and her control wavered, allowing a thin jet of the chaotic magic to escape the ball. As she attempted to contain it, the rest of the spell destabilised, washing over Sugarcube Corner's expansive kitchen in a roiling purple wave, spreading out from her seat at the kitchen table. The kitchen units shuddered, as if under a strong breeze, and her pelt shed some small pellets of destabilised jelly, but other than that the spell was mercifully ineffectual. She looked away from her handiwork to see Pinkie leaning against the door frame, her brow furrowed as she peered at Twilight intently.

“Wow! That was so pretty! What was it? Ooh, do it again!” Her seriousness gave way to a massive grin.

“Phew, Pinkie, you had me worried for a minute there. I perform complicated and possibly dangerous magic, but to you it's a nice party trick,” Twilight noted, smiling fondly at Pinkie.

“Dangerous? Oh, why would you need to do dangerous magic in the kitchen? Did I miss a duel to the death with evil confetti ninjas?” Pinkie pranced around, making wild chops and punches with her hooves.

Ninjas? Where does she get this stuff?

“Um... Pinks, it was just a cleaning spell. One that didn't even work properly, I might add,” Twilight twitched as she realised how quickly Pinkie had managed to distract her, “Anyway, that's not even important! I need food for a day or so, and I need it really as soon as possible. I can pay extra, if that's what it takes.”

Pinkie shiftily glanced from side to side in an almost comically exaggerated manner, before sidling into the seat opposite, “That sounds very cloak and dagger... Oh, I always wanted to be part of a back-room deal!” She put on a deep, gravelly and obviously fake voice, “I'll give you an offer you can't refuse, Twilight Sparkle.”

It was probably the last thing Twilight had been expecting, and she let out a snort of amusement that quickly descended into a full belly laugh, while Pinkie giggled along with her. The two friends slowly wound down, falling into a companionable silence. After a moment, Pinkie nodded, shaking out her long curly mane.

“You can count on me,” She bounced off the bench, and quickly began rummaging through the cupboards. Twilight watched her bustle around the kitchen, her thoughts turning back to her extended lifespan.

I don't want to live to see a time without you, Pinkie Pie.

Twilight smiled shakily, her eyes stinging with tears, “Thanks, Pinkie.”

“Are you-”

No, I'm not all right, but you don't have to know that. A headstone wearing a small pink party hat, while Twilight looked on, unchanged...

“I'm fine, though I think I'll feel better with some chocolate,” she interrupted the pink mare, shaking the last vestiges of the mental image from her head, “Are you sure this won't cause problems with the Cakes?”

“Nopey-dopey-lopey! I got Mr Cake to cover for me. You're a friend in need, they understand that. Besides, we're heroes! Doing heroic things, like... shady deals involving baked goods!” Pinkie laughed brightly.

While Twilight fidgeted impatiently in her seat, Pinkie assembled a picnic lunch with startling efficiency, all the while managing to keep up a seemingly endless stream of chatter. At first she tried to keep up, but the more she tried to focus on her friend's topic of the second, the more she found herself drift. It was soothing, in a way, and it wasn't long before her thoughts returned to her worries. The banquet. Her new friend, for lack of a better term. Terminus's skittish behaviour followed by extended silence was troubling.

Don't talk to me in the sunlight today... sunlight... that must mean the Princess is involved, but how? Is she monitoring me? She is linked to the sun, I suppose... no, she wouldn't... but why else would Terminus... Urgh, this makes no sense!

“All done!”

She blinked as a picnic hamper hit the table with a solid thunk. It looked pristine, adorned with a purple bow. The edges of it sparkled, which Twilight was almost certain was impossible. But this was Pinkie Pie, and she'd stopped questioning Pinkie logic a long time ago. It was also deceptively heavy, she noted as she settled it on her back.

“Thanks, I don't know what I'd do without…” she trailed off as Pinkie’s worried gaze utterly disarmed her. The pink mare seemed almost uncharacteristically subdued, her ears low, and her hair slowly retracting some of its curls.

“Look, Twilight, if you need to talk about it, whatever it is… I know it’s not my job to be the serious one, but I’m here, if you need me,” Pinkie said softly.

Huh? Where did that come from? Am… am I really that transparent?

“I-I um…” At a loss, Twilight wrapped her friend in a quick hug, “Look Pinks, I-I’d like to take you up on that, but... agh! There’s no time! See you tomorrow, okay?”

Twilight split into a swarm of purple sparks, which dissipated in seconds.

~~~

Time Remaining: 9 Hours

The earthen walls of the cave were slick with moisture, vines and creepers spilling into the cave mouth as far as the sunlight would allow. Twilight peered into the gloom from the mouth of the cave, then nervously looked back at the swampland behind her. Nothing stirred, bar the bubbling mud, and she breathed a small sigh. With a thought, her horn shed a clean, lilac tinted light.

Here goes nothing...

She shifted the weight of the hamper on her back, still damp from an impromptu shower with conjured water, then slowly walked into the darkness. The floor sloped steadily down, a strange blue moss coating the floor and walls in large clumps. At one point she slipped, tumbling head over hooves into the dark, although that same moss helped to cushion her fall when she finally came to rest. Looking up from the miraculously undamaged hamper, she realised that she had finally come to an intersection. Mossy rocks formed a steep incline behind her, although if absolutely necessary a brief teleportation would take her the way back.

How deep does this place go? I must have walked for twenty minutes before I fell...

“Deep enough, dear one, but I feel this will be sufficient. Are you injured?” A whisper broke the silence.

Terminus! Oh, um... a little bruising, I think, but I should be fine. Now, why are we hiding in a cave? I assume it is the princess we're taking shelter from, since you wanted us to stay out of the sun...

“The princess? Oh yes, you are a bright one. She has been paying a modicum of attention to you since you awoke this morning, and while my method of communication is subtle, it does leave its traces.”

But if she can monitor me through the sunlight, why hasn't she caught us before?

Silken laughter caressed her ear, “Oh, I believe the process requires at least some concentration on her part. While there are Beings known to me with the capability to observe all within their portfolio, I do not believe your mentor to be quite that powerful.”

Twilight sat on the gravelly floor, then began blocking one of the intersecting tunnels with loose rocks to create a small, L-shaped room. Hopefully, whatever Terminus had in mind would not require a large amount of space.

Beings? I could practically hear the capital letter on that... She's just a mare, you know. A powerful one, but I grew up with her. She's... she wouldn't spy on me.

“Perhaps she is merely worried for you? She did send that letter at short notice, after all. Or perhaps you are merely more dear to her than you thought... after all, does it not seem strange for her to throw this party so suddenly? And send a personal invitation?”

I am her student! Of course she'd send me a personal invitation! But... the timing does seem strange, all the same.

There was a soft rattling sound from beyond her hastily constructed rock pile, and Twilight stiffened, ears pricked. She felt her hair coil against the smooth stone, reaching almost eagerly towards her barricade. On the other side, something scraped against the rocks, causing a few pebbles to fall from the top of the construction, but after a few minutes of tense stillness on her part, the rattle receded. Twilight let out a long breath, eyeing the other passageway nervously.

I didn't see any other forks on the way down, but this place is dangerous... it's a pity I couldn't bring Fluttershy along.

“Noted. I shall keep watch, dear one.”

Now, you said you had a plan?

“Yes, after a fashion. I know of a way to reinforce that illusion you wear such that it becomes almost entirely real,” Twilight shuffled her hooves at this, biting her tongue. “Other ponies could, for example, touch your mane and it would feel exactly as it should. It is a transformative magic known as an actuality.”

She quirked an eyebrow at this, then nestled down against the gravel floor of the cave.
Everything I've read on the subject suggests that should be impossible...

“As impossible as cleaning a pony without mutilating them?”

Terminus had her there, and she knew it.

Maybe I should make a career out of doing the impossible? This was met with soft laughter, and she dearly wished her companion had a physical form, just so she could give it a good solid kick on occasion.

Something tells me this is going to be much harder than you're letting on.

“Oh yes, very much so. How good are you at multitasking, dear one?” Twilight had to take a moment to think on that, before coming to a tentative conclusion.

Um... quite good? I don't know, nopony's ever tested me on it.

“Then we must hope you are better than you think. Maintaining an actuality will require constant attention, in addition to whatever else you happen to be doing.”

Twilight pictured herself talking casually to the princess over tea when her hair suddenly exploded into a creeping mass of black, accompanied by a loud buzzing noise. She shook her head rapidly.

No, that's not going to happen... ohdear ohdear... We don't have much time, so where do we start?

“First, you must weave your magic into a sheet...

~~~

Time Remaining: 7 Hours

The semi-solid hair shimmered into existence, then burst into a shower of glass-like pebbles, rattling against the nearby rocks and bouncing off Twilight as she ducked for cover.

“More focus, less magic this time...”

~~~

Time Remaining: 6 Hours

“Yes!” Twilight gave a little whoop as her hair became a familiar purple hue. She gave her fringe an experimental prod with one hoof, expecting to feel it coil around her, but it remained still.

“Very well done, dear one. You are a truly talented unicorn, to have managed so much in what little time we have.”

Thanks. Now maybe I can-

“But it seems you need to work on splitting your attention.”

Silken creepers caressed her hoof.

~~~

Time Remaining: 4 Hours

Drip. Drip.

Droplets of sweat fell from her neck, echoing in the silence.

“So, dear one, tell me how your friends bested Nightmare Moon. Spin me a tale, while maintaining your façade.”

Drip. Drip.

She held onto the sound as if her life depended on it. Her voice hoarse, she began to speak...

~~~

Time Remaining: 2 Hours

“Rise, dear one, for it is time.” A smooth whisper from behind her ear jolted her to wakefulness.

Drip. Drip.

She shook out her tail from where it had lay under her, and for once it remained still. The actuality was in place. All was well.

No, no it isn't... I have to keep this up at a banquet. With the princess. In a fancy dress. Ohdear ohdear ohdear...

Twilight took a deep gulp of air and squared her shoulders.

Come on... Nightmare Moon, manticores, hydras... fine. A dinner with Celestia? I can do this. A dinner with Celestia while I try to hide my abnormalities...

A soft rattling breath from beyond the barricade.

“Oh can it already!” She hurled a concussive bolt at the rockpile, pouring far more magic than she had intended into the spell. A great roaring light filled the cavern, crushing a manticore sized section of the rockface into gravel and collapsing the blocked tunnel entirely.

“Hah... hah... I can do this.” She grinned fiercely at the destruction she had wrought. The ceiling groaned, pebbles clattering down onto her.

“Now would be a good time to make our escape, or this study will be for nought.” Terminus muttered, a soft touch to her ear making her shiver.

R-right. Library it is, then onward to Carousel Boutique.

Drip. Drip.

~~~

“Twilight!” She was thrown to the floor as she rematerialised, a violently pink mop of hair obscuring her vision. For a moment, she just lay there, utterly confused, then struggled to push Pinkie off her.

“Sun... Pinkie, what on Equestria are you doing?” She looked up past Pinkie to see the worried faces of her friends, who seemed to be in the middle of some kind of meeting. In her living room. Applejack was standing in front of a board with a map of Froggy Bottom Bog, which had many hurried additions in pencil.

“Well, ah guess that answers that question,” Applejack snorted, “Land's sakes Twi, d'yah have any idea how worried we were?”

“Um... sorry, everyone. It was just some independent field research; I wasn't expecting everyone to jump on me over it,” Twilight rubbed her neck sheepishly.

Pinkie giggled, “Oops... wait, are you trying to say I'm fat? I mean I know I'm bigger than you, but that hardly makes me 'everyone', right Twilight? I mean, if I was everyone, then... then...” tiny fireworks seemed to go off in her eyes.

“Discord would finally find love,” Twilight deadpanned, “Did you have to draw all over my map?”

“Well, excuse us for worryin', princess. Ah hope next tahm you're not in any real danger, 'cause if that's the thanks Ah can expect...” Applejack rolled her eyes, nudging Dash, who nodded somewhat distractedly, still peering intently at Twilight's mane.

…this is bad. If Rainbow remembers that I 'dyed' my mane last night, then... oh, I am so dead. Maybe I can pass it off as a magic hair dye spell? I could actually change somepony's hair colour on demand, so... Plan A, I guess.

“Have I ever told you that you have a beautiful mind, dear one?”

Twilight felt her face grow warm. Thanks.

“I... um, I'm glad you're okay, Twilight.” came a murmur from beneath a curtain of pale pink hair.

Twilight sighed, rubbing her forehead, “Thanks Fluttershy, I... before, that came out wrong. I mean...” She stumbled over her words for a moment, before starting over, “Look, it's great you girls were putting together some kind of rescue attempt in case I'd run into another hydra or something...”

“Hmmph, well darling, I'll have you know I was just popping over to tell you about that gorgeous dress we designed, when I was press ganged into some ghastly hair brained scheme!” Rarity piped up, looking mutinous and somewhat dishevelled.

“Hey, I didn't see you complaining until we mentioned the swamp, and even then you seemed more worried about your hair getting icky!” Rainbow snarked, seemingly broken from her thoughts by the fashionista's shrill tones.

“I had faith in her to keep herself safe, thank you very much, which is more than can be said of you! Going off half-cocked at the first sign of trouble... why, one would think you're actually looking for a fight, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity turned her nose up at this, while Applejack seemed raring to join in, and Fluttershy mainly tried to avoid being noticed.

Twilight closed her eyes against the growing racket, as Applejack made her move and entered the fray.

This is but a distraction.

Drip. Drip.

She took a deep breath, but Pinkie beat her to the punch, “Hey, you know what this calls for? A 'Successful Planning Session' party! And you're all invited!”

With Twilight's help, she managed to corral the bickering trio out of the door, then gently in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. They went somewhat grudgingly, but acknowledged that maybe it had gone a bit too far. Fluttershy just seemed glad that everyone had stopped shouting.
“Phew, what a day...” Twilight slumped onto the sofa, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. Her metronome sat clearest in her mind, a shining beacon of tranquility in an ocean of chaos.

Drip. Drip.

“And we haven't even got to the main event,” Terminus murmured. “Are your reserves sufficient to maintain the actuality?”

With the ley-line tap? Easily. So long as I don't need to do any heavy-duty spellcasting tonight... I'm more worried about a lapse in concentration unravelling the effect.

Twilight worried furiously at her lower lip, her head sinking down until her horn rested against the cool fabric.

I suppose I should go rescue Rarity from whatever craziness Pinkie's cooked up this time...

~~~

Time Remaining: 1 Hour

It didn't take long. She found the fashionista meandering down a deserted side street of Ponyville, heading with vague purpose in the direction of Carousel Boutique. A bright red party hat dangled haphazardly from one ear, while party streamers clung to her tail and mane. All in all, she seemed awfully out of place for a muggy evening in a farm village.

“Rarity!” She shouted from her vantage point on the roof of Lyra's house.

Her friend stopped, blinking owlishly, before slowly turning to look around. Twilight gathered a thin field of magic around herself, before hurling herself from the roof. The impromptu levitation effect held, and she landed easily in front of Rarity, who gave her a somewhat wobbly wave.

“H-hello darling, whatever seems to be the matter?” She tilted sideways for a moment, rocking unsteadily.

Twilight sighed softly. Rarity was a complete lightweight, like her, but didn't seem to have realised that meant 'don't drink so much' quite yet. “Oh, um... I was looking for you. Who was meant to help you home?” At that, Rarity mumbled something unintelligible, although it sounded suspiciously like 'Berry Punch'. Twilight felt a strong urge to facehoof, but managed to keep her face mostly straight.

Well, if she doesn't want to talk about it, I won't pry.

“Come on, I'll take you back to the boutique,” Twilight motioned with her head, “Besides, don't you have a dress to show me?”

Rarity's face split in a grin, teasing but a little goofy, and Twilight would have snickered if not for what came out next. “It's all lacy and frilly,” the drunken unicorn giggled, her cheeks bright pink, then continued in a sing-song voice, “~Twilight likes kinky maid outfits!”

“R-Rarity!” Twilight slapped a hoof over the fashionista's mouth, blushing furiously and looking around. Luckily, the street was empty. Rarity struggled for a moment, then Twilight removed her hoof with a choked oath. “Sun, Rarity! You know how much that tickles!”

“You then you shouldn't have put your hoof there, darling,” Rarity raised one eyebrow, still grinning like a madmare.

Twilight gingerly wiped the saliva from her hoof, shivering slightly, before giving the white mare an appraising look. “Okay, I don't have much more time. We're going to the boutique, so hold onto me, it will make this easier.”

Rarity wobbled closer, gripping Twilight's tail with her mouth.

If she's not careful, she's going to-

“Wah!”

Without warning, Rarity tipped over, painfully jerking them both to the ground. Twilight found her vision filled with elegantly curled purple hair, which she dearly hoped was mane. The alternative was just too awkward to contemplate. Her tail throbbed agonisingly, and she felt the actuality slip. Coils of black hair wrapped around the pair of them as her mane ran wild. Eyes wide, breath coming out in panicked gasps, she scrambled to her hooves, forcing a thin stream of magic into her horn.

Weave the sheet, layer the spell, stabilise! Stabilise... stabilise...She wasn't sure how long she sat there, attempting to find that tranquil core, although it could not have been more than a minute or two. She was dimly aware of Rarity thrashing weakly in her tail's grip, but everything had, for a moment, become secondary to the goal.

Drip. Drip.

There it was. She felt a sense of peace take hold over her, and the magic settled like a downy cloud.

Now... to the boutique!

She gave a grunt of exertion, eyes screwed tightly shut, and both unicorns exploded into a cloud of purple sparks.

~~~

“Mmuh... Twilight? What happened?” Rarity blearily looked up at the dim ceiling of an Carousel Boutique. The gloomy figures of mannequins loomed in the background, but she was forced to close her eyes a moment later as a fiery purple light filled the room like a miniature sun.

“Where's the lamp... oh, it's got to be around here somewhere... ah ha!” Twilight's triumphant sound signalled the return of bearable light levels to the shop floor of Rarity's domain. Her horn lost its brilliant glow, the light no longer needed, as a weather-lamp in the centre of the room crackled into operation. The glass sphere filled with blue-white arcs of magic, casting a the room in a clean bluish light.

“I'm... home? Th-tha-” Rarity was interrupted by a jaw-breaking yawn which she clumsily tried to cover with a hoof, “Thanks Twilight. You're... mmmh... a great friend.”

“It's really not a problem. I really would think they'd have chosen somepony more trustworthy than Berry Punch of all ponies...”

Rarity blushed at that, looking sheepishly at the lamp, “I sort of ran off. Don't even remember why.”

Twilight smirked, “You're drunk, you-”

“-have an excuse. I know, darling,” Rarity grinned right back, and before she knew it they were both giggling softly.

“Come on, can I see my dress? Don't keep me in suspense.” She playfully poked the dressmaker in the side, eliciting a choked laugh.

“It's.. it's over there, that one,” Rarity lazily pointed with one hoof, which swayed alarmingly, encompassing roughly four mannequins. Twilight looked on, her brow furrowing.

Hmm... well, I can count off that one, since it looks tailor made for Fluttershy... that one looks far too Rainbow for me... Lace, lace... oh.

“You've outdone yourself...”

“Not my best work, but with the time we had, I... mnyah... I think it turned out rather well,” Rarity leaned back against an empty mannequin, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

It was sheer black, designed to hug her snugly, while remaining positively modest by Rarity's standards, accented with purple-tinted lace. And here I half expected her to make me some kind of frilly gothic ensemble, or something.

“It's beautiful,” Twilight ran her hooves over the fabric, marvelling at how silky it felt, “How much did it cost to make it?”

Rarity bit her lip, “sixty bits for the cloth.”

“Great, here's a hundred,” Twilight dropped a rather full looking pouch of coins onto Rarity's desk, “And no, there's nothing you can say to me that will change that, so close your mouth.”

Rarity shut her mouth with an audible click, scowling a little, but nodding in agreement.

“All right. I don't have too much time until I need to go, I'll go put this on.”

~~~

A minute or so later, she emerged from a side room, apprehension clear on her face.

Oh, it feels amazing, but what if it's not me? I'm a librarian... a scientist, not an aristocrat...

“If it is not, then it is certainly too late to worry about such things now, dear one.”

That's not helping... I mean, I see your point, but augh!

“Um, Rarity?” Twilight looked around for her friend, only to find her slumped against the mannequin, snoring softly. She gently scooped Rarity up into a telekinetic field then, on quiet hooves, deposited her in the bedroom above the shop. Gazing at the sleeping mare, Twilight momentarily saw a field of wildflowers shimmer into existence, a marble tombstone rising silently in their midst.

No.

She shook her head, willing the vision to disperse. For a moment, time seemed to stop, as she stood alone among the roses.

I refuse. That will not come to pass. Pinkie promise.

A hoof silently crossed her heart in the gloom. Looking up from Rarity’s peaceful form, her task no longer seemed quite so hopeless. Whatever happens, we’ll pull through.

Now, to make our way to Canterlot.

She smiled nervously, confidence diminishing rapidly.

Well, buck.

~~~

Black and purple lace fluttered around her in the evening breeze, from her vantage point atop Carousel Boutique.

Canterlot shone in the distance, a bright jewel of civilisation on a dark mountainside. A grim smile made its way onto her face, and she squared her shoulders.

Are you sure this is a good idea?

“Risk nothing, gain nothing. The risk is acceptable, and success shall put us ahead of schedule. Only your self-doubt can hold you back.”

R-right. Well, you’ve got me this far...

Magic coursed through her as she pictured the palace gates clearly in her mind. She had spent plenty of time at the palace, so this made an easily visualised neutral ground. Closing her eyes, she perceived the flow of magic around her. Anything that might interfere with the transit process might cause her to arrive inside an object at this distance. While the spell did include fail safes for such an event, there was a chance the dress would not survive the process.

Destination, check.
Elevation, check.

Ready or not, here I come.

With a sound like a thunderclap, she departed the rooftop.