Just Over the Horzine

Applejack galloped towards her home as a million thoughts crossed her mind. I have so much to do, so much to say, she thought to herself, and I ain’t got no time to get it done! She was so focused on getting to her destination, she could barely hear Rainbow Dash flying behind her.

“Hey, Applejack!” The blue pegasus cried, “Hold on a second!” Her request went unheard as the orange mare continued to gallop at a high speed. “C’mon, Applejack,” she said to herself, “It’s not that hard to hear me. I’m yelling pretty loud, aren’t I?” Rainbow increased her speed so she could overtake Applejack with ease. Once her friend was fully aware of Rainbow Dash’s presence, she slowed for a second, but quickly resumed galloping.

I don’t need distractions right now, Rainbow, Applejack thought, as she tried to block the pegasus out of her mind.

Rainbow felt slightly insulted at Applejack’s dismissal. She flew right next to Applejack, yelling into her ear, “Equestria to AJ! Come in AJ... That means you, Applejack!!!”

She tilted her head down and continued running, even quickening her pace in an effort to avoid any conversation.

The pegasus pony was in utter disbelief at her friend’s behavior. However, she got an idea. Rainbow yelled at Applejack, “If that’s how it’s going to be, then fine!” and took to the sky.

Shortly after Rainbow Dash left, Applejack took a look around her, noticing her friend was nowhere to be seen. She brought herself to a stop, taking a moment to catch her breath. “Ahm sorry, Rainbow,” she said to herself, “but this ain’t the best time.” She resumed trotting towards her home. It wasn’t long until she heard a faint voice on her left.

“Hey, Applejack!”

Applejack shot a glance to the left, expecting to see her friend, but nothing was there. Her immediate confusion brought her to a stop. I... I could’a sworn I hear— Suddenly, Rainbow Dash tackled her from the right, causing the two ponies to bounce and roll on the ground until they landed in a nearby pond.

Both ponies sat up, coughing and spitting out water. Applejack yelled, “Rainbow Dash! Whaddja do that for?!”

“What did I do that for? What about you?!” Rainbow accused, forelegs stretched in the air. “I’ve been trying to get your attention this whole time, yet you’ve been ignoring me. What gives, Applejack?”

The earth pony made her way back on land, shaking off the excess water in her mane and tail, and put her hat back on. “In case y’all weren’t listenin’ back there, we’re gonna be gone fer a while, and we ain’t got much time in Ponyville before headin’ out.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Rainbow Dash replied, “and I also got the part where you were so against this idea.”

Applejack sighed as she rolled her eyes, “RD, ah got some business that needs ‘tendin’ to, and you ain’t helpin’ none. Now leave me be.”

“Don’t just play this off like nothing is wrong, Applejack!” Rainbow angrily said, “What’s this all about?”

“Ah don’t see how that’s any o’ yer business.”

Rainbow let out a disgruntled groan and said, “Seriously, Applejack! Here I am, trying my best to help you, but you’re just telling me to buzz off!”

“Listen, Dash,” Applejack began, “ah know what’cher tryin’ to do, but ahll say it again. Ah ain’t got no time to talk.” Applejack started to trot off, but not before she was cut off when Rainbow Dash ran in front of her.

“Well, you gotta make time, Applejack!” Rainbow exclaimed, “You’re obviously not okay with all of this, so spill!”

Applejack took a good look at Rainbow. Neither one dropped their gaze, as if their intensities locked them in place. After a few seconds, Applejack looked to the floor and shook her head. “No,” she began, “y’all wouldn’t understand.” She walked past a frustrated Rainbow Dash and kept on her trail.

“Then help me understand, Applejack... please.”

At first, Applejack was ready to keep walking, but something about Rainbow’s question made her slowly come to a stop. Applejack had never heard the pegasus pony ask for something in this manner, making her think twice about her actions. What am I doing? Won’t be helping nopony if I’m all shelled up like this. She gazed at the sky for a bit, sighed, and looked over her shoulder. “Walk with me,” was all she said.

Rainbow caught up with Applejack, as the two of them walked along the path. She expected to immediately talk about what Applejack had on her mind, but the earth pony kept silent. As much as she wanted to spur the conversation on, the blue pegasus was afraid of completely deterring her friend from speaking her mind.

“Ya know,” Applejack eventually began, “ah don’t mean to put on the cold shoulder or nothin’. It’s just... mah family is still here on the farm, an’ they depend on me. What if they need me while ahm gone? Ah don’t think ah could take it if somethin’ bad were to happen when ah could’a been here ta prevent it.” Applejack’s head hung low once more. She slowed as her woes held a firm grip on her pace.

Rainbow extended a wing over Applejack’s back. “I know you’re a hard worker and all, AJ, but you really need to understand that the Apple family doesn’t depend solely on you to function. You’re one of many ponies who contribute towards your family business. Sure, you’ve all got your specialties, but one pony can’t run a farm. They’ll be fine, trust me.”

Applejack gave a small smile. However, her happiness was short-lived, quickly replaced by another issue. “But, there’s still Granny Smith ah gotta worry ‘bout. She’s gettin’ on up there in her years, and...”

“C’mon now, you know something like that isn’t in your control, Applejack.”

“Yeah, but ah don’t wanna regret not bein’ there f’r her.”

When another bout of silence took place, Rainbow took this as her opportunity. “You know, Applejack, you seem really concerned about what may or may not happen. If you don’t want regrets, then I say you just do what you gotta do and say what you gotta say before we leave. Then at least you can go to London, with everything off your chest. I’m pretty sure everypony else is going to do the same thing.” Much to her relief, Applejack’s smile returned once more, and she picked herself up and out of her slump.

“Alright, Rainbow. It’ll be hard... but it’s better than doin’ nothin’.” Applejack turned her head up and looked at her pegasus companion, “Ah guess ah really did need somepony to talk to.”

“Aww, it’s no prob, AJ, I’ll always be there for my friends.”

“It’s a bit funny, though,” the orange mare pointed out, “ah would’a expected this kinda pep talk from Twilight or Rarity, maybe even Fluttershy, but not you.” She gave her friend a light nudge on the shoulder, “Guess ah still got a thing ‘r two to learn about’cha.”

Rainbow chuckled lightly, “Yeah, I guess being the element of loyalty comes with it,” she said as she gave a sheepish grin. “I never thought I was any good with these psychology horseapples.” They both shared a good laugh.

The two ponies had been locked in their discussion for so long, neither one of them noticed the farm coming into view before them.

“Well,” Rainbow Dash began,” I guess I better go to my place. I’ll see ya later, Applejack... and... I hope you feel better.” She hugged her friend before flying off.

“Bye, Rainbow!” Applejack said as she waved goodbye. Feeling a new sense of determination, Applejack headed to her family’s farm, Sweet Apple Acres. It was the typical sort of farm that anypony would see in a filly’s storybook. A classical, red colored barn with vines hugging each wall, coupled with two fields of vegetables on the right. To the left of the farm, there was a chicken coop and various sheds which held many supplies needed for any odd jobs on the establishment. Beyond the farm lay acres upon acres of apple trees, showing off a luscious collection of red and green apples throughout. The Apple family had owned the spot of land for several generations now, and the orange mare was next in line to inherit the business. She learned this fact at a young age, earning her a cutie mark in the form of three red apples. Applejack trotted towards the farm, heading under an awning decorated with shrubbery and the family’s staple crop, and past a well and various bales of hay scattered about.

As she walked, she came across different members of the Apple Family. Oh, that’s right. The Apple Family Reunion is comin’ up... I hope I’ll be back for it. As she walked, she greeted the many different relatives that were busy getting themselves settled. The farm pony moved through the land until she noticed the owners of Sugarcube Corner, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. “Howdy, y’all!” she called out to the couple.

Mrs. Cake turned to see the orange mare approaching. “Oh, hello there, Applejack,” the pudgy, blue mare delightfully greeted.

Mr. Cake piped up, “I didn’t think we’d be seeing you here. Is the party going smoothly?”

“It’s goin’ better than Big Macintosh’s harvest on a good day. Nothin’ to worry ‘bout a’tall,” Applejack reassured. Suddenly, Applejack’s face snapped into confusion. “Hold on a second. Are yer youngun’s somewhere ‘round here?”

“No need to worry, Applejack. Miss Cheerilee offered to watch over the kids while we gathered our ingredients,” Mrs. Cake replied.

“Y’all aren’t still waitin’ on yer batch’a apples, are ya?”

“Oh, no no no. We already got those, Applejack,” the slender, yellow colt said as he shook his head. “Your family looked like they needed some extra help, so we decided to help them stock the inventory.”

“Well, that’s mighty kind of ya!”

All three of the ponies shared a smile, until Applejack realized what she was doing. I ain’t got no time for small talk, I need to hurry! “Ahm mighty sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Cake,” Applejack apologized, “but ah gotta skedaddle, ah’ll be sure to talk to y’all later!” I hope...

“Wait, Applejack!” Mrs. Cake objected, “Before you go, we have something we’d like you to give Pinkie Pie.” She reached into a sack on her left and pulled out a plastic bag. “Pinkie Pie mentioned she’d be needing streamers for another one of her parties, so we thought we’d go get her a bundle from the gift shop. Would it be too much trouble for you to give these to her?”

“Uh... a-alright,” Applejack stammered, her mind too preoccupied with getting to her home. “Ah’ll be sure to do that.” She grabbed the bag with her mouth, and gave the Cakes a parting nod before trotting off. She moved past the barn and made her way towards her house, taking the time to appreciate where she had been born and raised. She loved everything about it: from the yellow, tiled walls, to the rickety, wooden porch out front. She walked up the steps and towards the screen door. When she opened it, she was welcomed with the smell of fresh, home-made cooking. She always looked forward to this scent after a long day’s work. It seemed to be the perfect way to wind down. I’m gonna miss all this. As she walked into the house, she heard a rapid succession of footsteps rounding the corner.

It was Winona, Applejack’s pet dog, running to greet her master. She was a toffee-brown border collie with patches of white on her chest, tail, feet, and snout. A golden dog tag clinked as it flailed about on her red collar. The dog immediately started jumping around Applejack, excited to see the earth pony again.

“C’mon now, Winona, easy!” Applejack lovingly commanded, as she tried to fend off her dog’s affection. Once Winona had calmed down, Applejack gently petted her head.

The farm pony made her way up the stairs, Winona following close behind, as she made her way to the bedroom. Before she reached her door, she noticed the closet door to the left was open. She peered in to see her older brother, Big Macintosh, grabbing a set of bags and hoisting them onto his back. Big Macintosh - or Big Mac, as some preferred to call him - was a tall, red earth pony with a cutie mark in the shape of half a green apple. As he picked up more bags, some fell on his head, bringing a patch of dust down with it. He shook it out of of his long, orange mane.

Applejack took another step and a board creaked, perking up Big Mac’s ears. He turned around and his green eyes locked onto his sister standing in the doorway. “Well, howdy, sis. Ya work so hard in the field last week, and ya spend yer day off back here?” he scoffed with a smug grin on his face.

“Ah know, ah know, Big Macintosh. Ah just came here ta get a few things.” She left her brother to his work and entered her room. Its turquoise-colored walls matched the carpeted, green floor. Not quite spacious, but she never asked for much. She walked over to her bed, white covers sloppily thrown on, and lifted her pillow. She grabbed a faded picture of her family, something she hoped would motivate her on the perilous journey ahead of her. It was a taken in her fillyhood, when she had earned her Cutie Mark. She reminisced over that time, remembering how her brother was so scrawny back then, her grandmother had a bit more of a spring in her step, and before her sister had even been born. There were two other ponies in the background, but they had been ripped out of the picture. These ponies were her parents, whom she very rarely saw due to the work they did around Equestria. She couldn’t remember why she ripped them out of the picture. It must’ve been out of anger, when she was too young to understand how hard they worked. During all of her nostalgia, she hadn’t noticed the red colt walk into the room and peer over her shoulder.

“Goin’ somewhere, sis?”

Applejack jumped and spun around. “Big Mac, ya startled me!”

“Sorry, AJ, but really, why do ya have the picture? Ya only get that photo when yer headin’ off somewhere,” he said, quizzically staring at her.

Try as she might, she couldn’t possibly lie to her brother... but she could try to spare him of some details. “Ya see, Big Macintosh,” she began, “There’s this predicament that the princess wants us to solve, and we gotta go help some folk in a far away place.”

Big Mac looked confused. “Ya mean... like the time y’all fought that dragon?”

“Somethin’ like that, but that’s why ahm home. We’re gunna need some supplies fer the trip.”

“Want me ta help ya pack, sis?”

“Nah, it’s fine, ah can do it.” Applejack turned around and looked through cabinets and put anything she’d need in a satchel. “By the way,” she continued without turning around, “where are Granny Smith and Applebloom? Ah got some things ah need ta say to ‘em.”

Big Mac leaned against the door. “Sorry, sis, but Granny Smith is off in the Town Square running errands, and Applebloom is off with her friends.”

Applejack dropped the few objects she was holding. Those words made her heart sink. I... can’t see them before I go? Can’t tell them that I love them? Are they just gonna think I walked out on them? Applejack gritted her teeth, as her lips started to quiver. She could feel a lump in her throat and her eyes misting over, but would have none of it. “Not now, consarn it, not now!” she whispered to herself. She managed to suck up her tears and keep herself steady. She asked over her shoulder, “Then... can ya leave a message fer them?”

“... Like what?”

“Oh, well... jus’... tell ‘em that ah’ll be back soon, and not to worry ‘bout me... and that ah love ‘em,” Applejack blankly told her brother.

The red stallion’s look changed to concern, “Ya sound like we ain’t gonna see you again, AJ. How long will ya be gone?”

She could feel her grief returning again, but quickly shut it out. “Ah don’t know, Big Mac... but, a-ah jus’ don’t wanna leave without sayin’ goodbye to everypony. Heh, guess ah can’t even do that, huh?” she said with a shaky smile.

“This is soundin’ more and more like it’s not just ‘some predicament’. What sorta predicament is this?”

Acting completely unfased, Applejack coldly said, “It ain’t mah place ta say.”

Big Macintosh sighed and shook his head, “Sis, ah hate seein’ ya like this. If ya really wanna talk to the two of ‘em, then can’t ya jus’ wait here? Ahm pretty su—”

“That’s just it, Big Macintosh,” Applejack said, half-heartedly looking for valuable possessions to bring for the trip, “we ain’t got much time to git ready fer this trip. Folks are in a heap’a trouble, and ah told mah friends ah’d only go if Princess Celestia said so.”

“Ah take it she did?”

Applejack nodded her head in response. Her back was still turned, but Big Mac wouldn’t sit idly by. He walked over to his sister and rubbed her back, freezing the mare in place. “Don’t worry, AJ. Ah’ll tell ‘em ya left on official business. Ah dunno what yer gonna be doin’ out there, but... don’t take too long, ‘kay? An’ keep yerself safe, ah don’t wanna be deliverin’ empty promises.”

Applejack sat there motionless until she turned around and gave her brother a hug. “Thank you, Big Macintosh... thank you...” The two siblings sat in a silent embrace. A lone tear squeezed its way out of Applejack’s eye, and traveled down her cheek. After stealthily wiping it away, Applejack pulled away from their embrace and said “Well, ah... ah gotta keep packin’.”

“Let me help ya, sis,” Big Macintosh said with a benevolent smile.

**********

Soon, the front door opened. Applejack stepped out, satchels filled with anything and everything she could potentially need. Both she and Big Mac moved to the edge of the porch. No words were shared as Applejack stared at the daunting steps before her.

She turned to face her brother, “Thanks fer talkin’ to me, Big Macintosh. It... kinda helped.”

“It was the least I could do, sis. Ah am family, after all.” The siblings shared one last hug before Applejack proceeded down the porch stairs. Before she could reach the lowest step, she heard Winona running towards her. Big Mac closed the screen door, leaving the dog inside. Winona barked and whimpered, trying frantically to go to her master.

With a comforting smile, Applejack said, “Ahll be back soon, Winona, don’cha worry! Jus’ make sure this big lug doesn’t do anythin’ stupid while ahm gone.” Big Mac just shook his head at her light-hearted joke. She took one more look at her brother, and said, with a confident smile, “Goodbye, and thanks fer everythin’... yer really the best brother ah could’a asked for. Ah love you, Big Macintosh.”

“Ah love you too, AJ.”

With that, she stepped off of the porch and headed towards the farm’s entrance. As she walked, Winona’s pleas grew quieter and quieter until they were inaudible. Once she made her way through the farm, she saw the trail back to Fluttershy’s cottage. She started to look over her shoulder, just to take one last look at her home. However, she stopped and refocused her attention on the road ahead. No, my friends need me now, she reflected as she began to gallop with a heavy heart and a firm resolve.

**********

Shortly after Rainbow Dash had finished consoling Applejack, she flew towards her home on the outskirts of Ponyville. Being a pegasus pony, she was granted with the ability to walk on clouds. Because of this, her home resided in the sky. It was quite elegant, considering her brass nature. It was completely comprised of clouds, measured at three stories high, and pillars reminiscent of the Roman era held the establishment together. Two rainbow-colored waterfalls flowed freely to the left and right of the house, complete with a rainbow shooting out of the roof. If the excessive amount of rainbows weren’t enough of a hint as to whose house it was, the engraved replica of Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark atop the door was enough of an indication.

The pegasus pony touched down and walked along the winding, blue pathway that led into her house. She walked up a flight of stairs to her room, colored with a light shade of blue, and illuminated with sunlight coming through the windows. She flopped herself onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. “What should I even bring for this?” she said to herself.

As the pegasus laid on her left side, she noticed the many awards she previously earned for her athletic feats. Her eyes traveled along the many commendations until her eyes fixed themselves on the poster she hung on her wall. It was a picture of her idols, the Wonderbolts. She had two chances in the past to impress them, one on the day she saved three of the Wonderbolts and Rarity from certain death, and another when she had an exclusive, albeit short, chance to talk to this group of ponies at the Grand Galloping Gala. Both instances never made much progress, but being one of the fastest flyers in Equestria was sure to get her noticed... someday. Her mind started to wander. She glanced down to her cutie mark, a cloud with a lightning bolt colored red, yellow, and blue, remembering how she earned it in one of her many races as a filly. When we get back, I’m trying out for the Wonderbolts. No more waiting around.

**********

Later, she flew outside of her home, looking through her bags once more. Man, this stuff is heavy, she thought, I hope I don’t need anything else.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” cried a voice from below.

Rainbow looked to the ground for the source, only to see an orange filly with a slightly spiked, pink-purple mane and tail looking eagerly in her direction. Hmm, didn’t think I’d see her before I left. She flew downwards and gently landed. “Hey, Pipsqueak, what’s up?”

The filly before her was none other than Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash’s first, if not biggest, fan. “Oh, I was just on my way to meet up with the other crusaders. Then I saw you flying by, and I wanted to ask you something.” Her purple eyes showed a cross of anticipation and excitement.

“I’m listening.”

“Well, I was thinking about going into flight school soon, and I was wondering...”

“Yeeeessss?”

Scootaloo gently scratched the floor before answering. “Do you think that you can teach me how to fly? I thought I could get a headstart on the other ponies.” She grew more and more bashful as she asked - what she felt was - so much of her idol.

Rainbow was taken aback. “You want... me to teach you?”

Scootaloo lightly nodded her head.

Rainbow placed a hoof on her chin as she looked elsewhere, getting lost in her thoughts. I’ve never given much thought to teaching anypony flying. It could be more annoying than fun. She looked back at Scootaloo, who still looked as humble as before. Then again, taking on an apprentice has its perks. Kinda like what Spike and Twilight have got going on. Having an assistant might not be so bad. She gave a smile and said, “Alright, Pipsqueak, I’ll teach you.”

Scootaloo’s face lit up. She said, “Yes!” as she jumped for joy-

“But...”

-and, just as quickly, flopped onto the floor. Scootaloo gave the rainbow pony a confused look. “But what, Rainbow Dash?”

“It’s gonna have to wait until I get back.”

“Get back from where?”

“See these?” the blue pegasus said while motioning to the saddlebags strapped onto her waist, “I’m on a top secret mission from the princess, herself! My friends and I got a letter not too long ago saying that there’s a land in need of our help.” She began to crawl on the floor, commando style, saying, “There’ll be tons of danger and misfortune; certain death is a given, but it’s nothing ol’ Rainbow Dash can’t handle!”

The prospect of her idol dying seemed to go in one ear and out the other, as Scootaloo’s eyes shined with astonishment. She awed, “Where are you being sent?”

“It’s... a faraway place. I can’t tell you much, other than the fact that the princess is sending us to go help hu— ponies in need. It’s top secret stuff, you know, like in books. I could tell ya, but then I’d have to kill ya.” Rainbow had started to smile nervously, unsure whether or not the little filly bought her story.

Scootaloo sat and blinked a few times, processing this new information. Shortly after, a smile grew on her face. “Alright, Rainbow Dash. If it’s a mission from the princess, then they made the right choice to bring you along! No way can anything hurt the future leader of the Wonderbolts!”

Rainbow gave a faulty chuckle, “Woah, Pipsqueak. I know I won the Best Young Flyer’s Competition, but... I don’t think I’m quite set to be their leader, yet.” Her retort was met with a perplexed look from Scootaloo. Rainbow thought about her answer for a moment, and hastily replied, “Ah, who am I kidding, I probably am good enough to be their leader. I’m sure they’ll be begging for me to join them before I even try out!” Both of the ponies shared a good laugh.

“This is going to be so awesome!” Scootaloo said as she pranced around Rainbow Dash. “I can’t wait until you get back! Then we can talk all about your mission, AND you can teach me how to fly!”

“Yep, it’s a promise, Pipsqueak! With me by your side, you’ll do fine going through Flight School.”

“I just hope I can be as good as you, Rainbow Dash. I bet you were the best flyer through all of your years in school.”

Rainbow’s face showed dismay for a split second, before being covered by her brass nature. “Y-yeah! I was the top of my class and everything! Nopony did better than me... nopony...” She couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth to the filly before her, it would have to be a story she’d share another day. “Well, I should really get going. I don’t want my friends to think I’m stalling or anything.”

“I’ll wait for you, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said as she sat on her haunches, and gave a salute with a smile.

Rainbow took a good look at the young filly. I remember when I used to be like that, those were good times. “I’ll see ya later, Pipsqueak.” She felt her heart tug, ever so slightly, begging her not to leave the filly alone. However, she ignored it and flew off.

Scootaloo was left there, waving goodbye to her idol. Once Rainbow was out of sight, she pranced around in excitement. “I’m gonna tell the crusaders all about thi—”

Her idol’s words echoed through her head, It’s top secret stuff.

“That’s right, I can’t tell anypony about this! It could be bad news for her.” She walked over to a scooter leaning against a nearby tree. Once the orange filly hopped onto it, she snapped on her white striped, purple helmet, and began to quickly flap her wings, giving her scooter momentum.

Not too long after Scootaloo gained speed, she brought herself to a stop. She took another good look at her scooter, noticing how badly it needed repair. It had seen better days, as evident by the scratched up, blue board and the worn and squeaky red wheels underneath. “If I’m trying to be an amazing flyer like Rainbow Dash,” she reasoned, “then maybe I shouldn’t be rolling around on wheels.” She got off of her scooter, leaving it to fall on its side in the middle of the dirt path, removed her helmet and placed it right next to the rejected object. She turned around, ignoring them, and prepped her young wings. She found herself only able to flutter a foot off the ground. The young flyer didn’t get too far before becoming exhausted. She ran back to the scooter and hopped on. “Maybe just one more time, at least until I meet up with the other crusaders.” With that said, Scootaloo scooted towards her next destination.

**********

Pinkie Pie was inside her room at Sugarcube Corner. Various party apparel flew to and fro as she continued her search. She giggled as she placed more items into her satchel. “Oh my gosh, this is going to be so exciting!” she chirped, speaking at the speed of a freight train. “We’re gonna go to a new world, and we’re gonna make new friends, and we’re gonna... do whatever else they do in London! This reminds me of the time I first met Twilight; when I went,” she paused as she let out a huge gasp, then continued, “and I thought, ‘Really, what can top that?’ Maybe this will be that top!” As the party pony continued to gather items, she happened to notice something move. It was green and crawled about on her floor. She trotted over to the spot and picked up a baby alligator. “Hey, Gummy! How’s the bestest, cutest, funnest gator doing today?” The alligator blinked his oblong, purple eyes in response.

She giggled and said, “Oh Gummy, you are so crazy!” She smiled as she looked at her pet, but her smile slowly faded as another thought came to mind. I’m not coming back for a while... am I? She pulled Gummy in for a hug, and said, “My friends and I have to leave really soon, Gummy.” She looked at Gummy once more, displaying bittersweet eyes and a reassuring smile. “We’re going to this place called London, and these things called humans need our help over there. I don’t know how long it’ll be, but I promise that I’ll come back as fast as I can. When I come back, we’ll have a ton of fun to make up for lost time! We’ll go to carnivals, go sightseeing around Equestria, maybe... Oh! We’ll go looking for the best cupcake and cookie recipes and throw a gigantic jamboree in celebration fo—”

Her rambling was cut short when Gummy licked Pinkie Pie’s cheek. The pink mare hadn’t noticed it at first, but she was crying this entire time. She wiped her tears away and stared at her little alligator, giving him a warm, comforting smile. “Thank you, Gummy,” she softly said as she nuzzled Gummy before setting him on the floor. She looked to her left at her bookcase, seeing pictures of her many adventures around Ponyville. Memories flashed through her mind, making her chuckle a bit. We’ve had so many good times together. I suppose it was pretty silly to think they wanted to stop being friends...

She took one look back at Gummy, who was preoccupied with a toy doll that fell on the floor. She left the door slightly ajar, saying, “Goodbye... Gummy.” As she made her way down the stairs, she dug through a cabinet and found a pencil and a piece of paper. She wrote out a note explaining her sudden absence to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, leaving it neatly folded and under the bell on the counter. Without wasting another moment, she hopped out of the building, and headed back to Fluttershy’s cottage.

*********

Rarity walked towards her home, her mind abuzz with ideas. I’ll need to bring something worthwhile. What would I bring? For that matter, what would I wear? Does it get hot or cold in London? I’d never expose one of my dresses to such an environment, I doubt one could even fit in my knapsack. I’ll bring my scarf, and this time I won’t forget the tiara. Maybe a pair of sunglasses to match, nothing too bulky, though. Oh, I just hope they don’t get dirty over there. Come to think of it, what about me? This beautiful mane can only look perfect for so long. Even more than that, what about the boutique? Who can I trust to watch the store in my absence? What do I do? Rarity was so caught up in her thoughts, that she bumped right into another pony in the market.

“Oh, my sincerest apo—”

“Hi, Rarity,” the mare interrupted in a friendly tone.

Rarity looked up to see Bon Bon standing before her, an earth pony with a light-yellow coat and a cutie mark resembling three pieces of candy. Her mane and tail were poofy bunches of dull-blue hair, with a fuchsia section streaming through both areas.

“Bon Bon! I’m so terribly sorry for bumping into you,” Rarity said.

“It’s no big deal, Rarity,” the light-yellow earth pony mentioned. “What brings you to these parts? Seemed like you’d be at Pinkie Pie’s party today.”

“Oh, I was but... uh... plans came up! Yes, that’s it!”

“Huh, okay then.” There was an awkward silence cast as the conversation screeched to a halt. “Well...” Bon Bon began, “I’ll see you later.”

The earth pony began trotting off when Rarity realized the solution to her problems. “Wait, Bon Bon! Can I speak with you for a moment?”

Bon Bon turned around with a puzzled look in her turquoise colored eyes. She asked, “What do you need?”

“You remember those plans I mentioned?”

“It’d be pretty hard to miss something you mentioned a few seconds ago.”

The white unicorn let out a nervous giggle as she said, “Yes, well, it’s just come to my attention that I need to head off on a... business trip of sorts. I could be gone for a quite a while, and I need somepony to watch Carousel Boutique while I’m gone. Would you, by any chance, be willing to run the store for me?”

“Oh... uh... I don’t know, Rarity. Are you sure I’m the best pony for the job?” Bon Bon said with a sheepish grin.

Rarity nodded her head. “Considering the circumstances, I’d say so. I was literally told I’d be leaving no more than fifteen minutes ago, and I only have an hour to prepare. I don’t have many other options. Besides, you have an interest in fashion, don’t you?”

“How do you know that?” Bon Bon asked, unaware of Rarity’s perception.

“Do you remember Fluttershy’s last show as a model?”

Bon Bon nodded.

“Well, I happened to spot you in the stands right before I defended Fluttershy’s... unique display. Not only that, but I’ve seen you look into the store on occasion. It seemed as if there was a sort of longing written on your face, yet you would always stop yourself from coming in. I just put two and two together, that’s all.” Rarity just smiled at an astonished Bon Bon as she finished her observation.

“You managed to figure out all of that?”

“My dear,” the observant pony began, “a fashionista would be useless without an eye for detail.”

Bon Bon scratched the floor a little, as she considered her offer. “Well,” she modestly said, “since you’re offering, I’ll do it. I happen to have some free time, so I don’t see why not.”

Rarity’s face lit up. “Oh, thank you so much! You don’t mind walking with me to the boutique, do you?”

The modest mare shook her head.

“Wonderful! While we’re at it, we can find you something to touch up that mane of yours. It’s becoming rather droopy, if you ask me.”

Bon Bon patted her dark-blue and fuchsia hair. “I suppose I could use something new.”

As they traveled to the boutique, Rarity tried to get Bon Bon up to speed for how to run the shop. When nearly everything had been covered, they had arrived at their destination. The boutique was quite an appetite for the eyes. It resembled a sort of carnival tent, with a pink canopy shading its blue walls. Extrinsic designs were plastered throughout, giving more of a taste to the exterior. Atop this was, true to its a name, a carousel with two pony figurines placed in. Rarity and Bon Bon walked up to the purple door, as Rarity continued her lesson. “Now, what’s the slogan for Carousel Boutique?”

Bon Bon cleared her throat. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and... magnifique?”

“Yes! Perfect! I think you’re going to do just fine, Bon Bon.” Rarity opened the door and let the earth pony inside. “I must say,” she commented, “you really know more about fashion than you let on. Why would you keep such knowledge under wraps?”

Bon Bon lowered her ears and had a look of shame on her face. “You see, some of the ponies I talk to act like anypony who’s into fashion is poofy or an airhead. If I told them... they might not even talk to me anymore.” She noticed Rarity shaking her head slightly, a mix between disappointment and understanding. “I know it sounds like something a schoolfilly would say, but they’re really good friends, and I don’t want to lose them.”

Rarity turned around and looked for her saddlebag. “Ask yourself this, Bon Bon; would you prefer to be yourself and risk losing your friends, or keep lying to yourself just to hold onto these ‘so-called’ friends? If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that a friend’s opinions may matter, but following them to a ‘T’ can leave you completely worn out.” She found her bag inside of a nearby cupboard. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some things together. I won’t be lo—” The sound of a crash upstairs interrupted Rarity.

“What was that?” Bon Bon asked.

Rarity’s look shifted to an unpleasant one. “I think I know exactly what that was. Just take a look around the store, familiarize yourself with some of the products whilst I take care of this problem.” Rarity walked up the stairs as Bon Bon did as she was suggested. The walls were pink, sharing the same designs seen outside. Several mannequins were spread with dresses on them, some were made for upcoming fashion shows, and others were just made for fun. Pink curtains sectioned off other works that Rarity wouldn’t want exposed to the public just yet. Next to each curtained off area was a mirror stand and a washbasin. Looking around the store, it finally began to set in that she would be around all of these dresses and have the chance to meet so many fashionable ponies. She couldn’t help but let out a tiny squeal of glee as she began to peruse the store. Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door.

**********

Rarity reached the top floor, and noticed the door to her sewing room was slightly ajar. I have a bad feeling about this, she thought as she gingerly pushed the door open. She stood there, mouth agape, as she processed the current state of the room. Papers were spread all across the floor. Balls of yarn and spools of fabric were stretched across the room, leaving trails which criss-crossed over the floor. Even rolls of fabric had been tossed about. Her eye started to twitch as she surveyed more damaged goods from knocked over mannequins, to a damaged sewing machine.

She saw movement underneath a pile of fabric. Out popped a filly’s curly, light-purple and pink locks of hair, who began to say, “Now look at what you did, Opal! Sis is going to freak when she gets home!” This was Rarity’s younger sister, Sweetie Belle, a white unicorn. Right next to the young unicorn, a cat’s head rose from the pile of fabric. It was Opalesence: a white, chubby persian with beady, green eyes and a light-gray tail. A purple bow was placed atop the hair on her head. On her neck lay a purple collar, fashioned with crystal-clear beads and a multi-colored orb in the center, showcasing a purple flower border around it. As the pet got out of the pile of cloth, she dusted herself off and walked over to her master, purring innocently as she rubbed herself against Rarity’s foreleg. Sweetie Belle turned around and froze. The pupils in her light-green eyes shrank at the sight of a disgruntled Rarity. She meekly chuckled and said, “Hi, sis... back so soon?”

Rarity was doing all that she could to suppress her anger, choosing her words very carefully. “Sweetie Belle, what have I told you about playing in the sewing room?”

“It’s not my fault, sis!” Sweetie Belle protested. “I saw Opal running in here, and she was walking around with this ball of yarn. I tried to get it from her, but she wouldn’t stop running. Next thing I know, she makes me run into a cabinet. The cabinet knocked over something else, and then—”

“Regardless,” Rarity interrupted as she shot a quick glance at her cat, “you should know better than to run around the sewing room.” Sweetie Belle drooped her head in shame, but her sister continued, “One unwound ball of thread is much easier to clean up than all of... this,” she said as she pointed her hoof at the piles scattered around the room.

“I’m really sorry, sis, I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Sweetie Belle stared at the floor, unable to look her sister in the eye.

The elder unicorn quickly realized what she was doing. I can’t leave on a note like this. “Sweetie Belle, come here.” She ushered her sister over.

The younger unicorn slowly raised her head and asked, “Are you going to yell at me?”

“Just please,” Rarity insisted, “come here.”

Sweetie Belle sluggishly made her way over to her sister. Before she could say anything, Rarity held her in a tight embrace. “Sis, why are you—”

“It’s okay, Sweetie, just... just wait here for a bit.”

Sweetie Belle did as she was told and sat there, confused, while she returned her sister’s hug.

Rarity whispered, “I don’t have much time...” piquing Sweetie Belle’s attention.

She stepped back and looked at her sister. “You don’t have time? Time for what, sis?”

Rarity let out a sigh and uttered, “I... I have to go for a while, Sweetie. There’s some business I must attend to. These clients are far away, so... I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Why don’t you know?”

“It all depends on how long it takes to cut a deal with these clients of mine,” she said as her mind raced to create a fib. “They have a... unique taste in fashion.” Rarity opened up a curtain, allowing a ray of sunshine into the room. “If the deal is quick, I could be back in a few days. Otherwise it could be quite a while. I wish I could have told you sooner, Sweetie Belle, but there was just no time.”

“Well,” Sweetie Belle began, “maybe I could go with you! I can help yo—”

“No, absolutely not!” Rarity quickly shot out.

Her sister’s ears fell flat, and her eyes grew watery, as she weakly replied, “Okay...”

Rarity walked over and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. I just— I need to do this by myself. I can’t drag you all over the place. There would be no time for visiting, not to mention you would be bored stiff.” The true reason rang through Rarity’s head. You mean the world to me, Sweetie Belle, and I can’t even bear the thought of losing you. Please stay safe in this world.

Sweetie let out a petite, “Okay,” as she walked away from her sister, a shroud of gloom encompassing her.

Rarity felt a pang of guilt when an idea struck. “How about this, Sweetie Belle? If you stay good for me while I’m gone, I’ll teach you how to sew when I get back.”

The little unicorn’s face light up. “You mean it, Rarity?”

Rarity nodded her head, and added, “Just make sure you stay out of trouble, okay? I don’t want to come back and find out you’ve driven ponies up the wall.” Both of the ponies shared a small laugh before quieting down again. She doesn’t look too thrilled with this, but I’ll be sure to make it up to her if— when I make it back.

“Okay,” Sweetie Belle agreed, “Just come back soon, alright, sis?”

“I promise.”

The two sisters shared a hug, one Rarity dared not forget. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. “Come to think of it, Sweetie Belle, why are you here? Did our parents send you to get something?”

Sweetie Belle’s backed away to face her sister. “Actually, I came here to ask you fo—”

Her answer was interrupted by a pitter-patter of hoofsteps rapidly approaching their location. As the sound bounced around in Rarity’s head, the gears started turning. It can’t be...

The door to the sewing room burst open, as two fillies dashed through the doorway. “Hi Rarity!!! Hi Sweetie Belle!!!” they shouted in unison. Standing right next to Scootaloo was Applejack’s younger sister, Applebloom: a yellow earth pony who had a red-orange mane and golden-orange eyes. The filly spoke like her sister, and kept her mane tied up with a pink bow.

“Didja get the yarn we need, Sweetie Belle?” Applebloom asked, as she jumped up and down.

“I was just about to ask.” Sweetie Belle’s wide grin resurfaced. “Sis... ?”

Rarity gave the three fillies a nonchalant look, but soon smiled and asked, “What color do you need?”

“Red!”

“Blue!”

“Green!”

“All of those?” Rarity asked. The three fillies nodded. Rarity’s ear slightly twitched at the mis-match of colors, but she still supplied her sister with what she needed. “Now, what do you three plan on doing this time?”

Scootaloo piped up, “We’re going to set up a tent at Pinkie Pie’s party and see if anypony wants a knitted sweater!”

“But... it’s summer.”

“Exactly!” said Sweetie Belle. “If we start making ponies sweaters now, ponies will be prepared for the winter!”

“‘N maybe it’ll git us our cutie marks!”

All three fillies cried at once, “Cutie Mark Crusader Seamstresses, Yay!!!” The three fillies were a part of their own club they called “The Cutie Mark Crusaders”. After discovering there was more than one “blank flank” in their class, the three fillies struck up a conversation, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were born. Their goal: finding their cutie marks.

The deafening pitch of the three fillies put Rarity’s wits on end, but she controlled herself, gently saying, “I think that’s a wonderful idea! You’ll do great, I’m sure of it!”

“Thanks, sis!”

Bon Bon entered the room. “Sorry about that, Rarity. I thought those two were still downstairs with me, then I heard all this commotion.”

Rarity looked back at the crusaders and said, “Do you three have somepony to help you out?”

The smiles on the three fillies soon faded, and they looked at each other.

Applebloom began, “We didn’ think’a that.”

Rarity was about to lecture on how they needed a supervisor for such a task, but Bon Bon spoke up, “I can watch over them for the day.”

The Crusaders looked at Bon Bon, smiles ablaze, while Rarity’s face showed nothing but concern. “Are you sure about that? I mean, I’m sure there are others who would love to watch over these three.”

“It’s really no problem, Rarity.”

“It’ll be hard enough running the store, but watching over the crusaders as well? I’m worried you’ll be biting off more than you can chew.”

Bon Bon shook her head. “No need to worry. I watch over some of the foals and fillies whenever Cheerilee is sick, especially these three.” She looked at the crusaders, giving them a sly smile.

Rarity was surprised. “You mean, the girls have never been a problem before?”

“Well, there have been some issues in the past,” Bon Bon said as she rolled her eyes, “but I’ve gotten better at watching over them.”

Rarity turned her attention back to the crusaders, who tried looking as innocent as possible. Well, this does take care of two problems at once. “If you’re one-hundred percent okay with this, then I don’t see why not.”

The crusaders cheered and yelled, “Thanks, Bon Bon!!!” With no other obstacles about, they began to discuss how they’d go about setting up their new business.

Rarity walked over to Bon Bon and commented, “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re willing to do all of this, and on such short notice, too!”

“There’s not much else I’ve got going on,” Bon Bon clarified. “Besides, those three make babysitting a really fun task.”

Fun... that’s what she calls it... fun. Without any other worries, Rarity took a saddlebag and started to put various necessities in it. Upon completion, she took another look at Sweetie Belle. She was laughing it up with her friends as they tried to show a confused Bon Bon their first idea for a sweater design. A gentle smile curled on Rarity’s face as she quietly left the room, gently shutting the door behind her. “This is for the best,” she muttered to herself. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard the door open again. The unicorn turned around to see Sweetie Belle running down the stairs.

“Wait up, Rarity!” The filly nearly leapt into her sister, giving her a hug as she said, “I’ll miss you, sis!”

Rarity could nearly feel her eyes misting over as she uttered, “I’ll miss you too.” The two siblings sat for what felt like an eternity, not wanting to let go.

Scootaloo called from the stairs, “Sweetie Belle! Bon Bon is going to let us take her measurements, c’mon!”

“Okay! Be there in a minute!” Sweetie Belle replied. She looked at her sister, unsure of what to say.

Rarity just nudged her sister to the stairs, saying, “It’s alright, you go on ahead.”

“Goodbye, Rarity.”

“Goodbye... Sweetie Belle.”

The filly trotted up the stairs and joined the crusaders.

Rarity’s heart sunk when the door shut with a definitive thud. She headed to the front door when a glint of sunlight from a nearby table caught her eye. As she got closer to the reflection, the source came into focus. It was a card Sweetie Belle had made for her. It showed a crudely drawn rendition of the two sisters, surrounded by radiant, azure gems in the shape of a heart. The first time she saw this image, it nearly gave her a heart attack, as the gems were required in order to make a very important dress. Now it gave her a sense of comfort. She carefully folded the image and placed it into her bag. I’ll come back for you, Sweetie Belle. I promise. She gracefully walked out of the Boutique with her head held high.

**********

Twilight Sparkle trotted through town with Spike on her back. “I don’t care what Victor says, Spike,” the unicorn insisted, “I’m not going to discuss that with you until you’re older!”

“I’m going to find out eventually, Twilight,” Spike replied. “You can just get it out of the way and tell me now.”

“No, Spike! This discussion is over!”

The baby dragon slumped on her back. “Fiiine,” he said in defeat, “remind me what we’re doing again.”

Twilight looked back at her companion. “If we’re going to another world, we need to gather a lot of supplies. Books aren’t so much of an issue. I already have an idea of what to bring in that category. However, we’re going to need an ample amount of durable tools. If we’re going to be in London for a long time, we’d better be ready for it.”

“What about food and water, Twilight?”

The unicorn rolled her eyes. “Of course we’ll get those, Spike, but right now we need to focus on getting things that we won’t be eating. Besides, if London is anything like how I saw it, there will be plenty of food and water available.”

“But these are zombies, Twilight!” the dragon pleaded, “food and water are never easy to find! It happens all the time in the comics!”

“They’re not zombies, Spike,” Twilight stated matter-of-factly, “they’re specimens. Victor said as much.”

Spike sat atop Twilight’s head. “Didn’t you say that those ‘specimens’ were eating other humans?” he said, enacting air quotes.

Twilight stopped as she blinked twice with a widened expression. “Well, yes... but—”

“Then they’re zombies!”

Twilight just gave him an agitated glare. After a few seconds of saying nothing, she refocused her attention on the path ahead and let out an exasperated sigh. There’s just no convincing him, is there? Before long, the duo were back in front of the library. Twilight walked into her home, grabbing a bag from a nearby cupboard. “Okay, Spike. I’m going to arrange that list of books that I might need. In the meantime, you go get anything that’s essential for this trip.”

Spike piped up, “Anything?”

“Yep.” Just before the baby dragon went out of sight, she piped up, “But that doesn’t mean getting a bunch of toys or comics. I mean things that I really, really need!”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. Jeez, I understand that much.” He walked into the hallway leading to the basement, leaving Twilight to herself. She levitated a piece of paper to her desk, and began to write out her list of essential books. By the time she had written down three books, a spark went off behind her, startling the unicorn. She turned around and saw The Doctor. However, something was amiss; his cheery demeanour was replaced with a distant, unfamiliar void. Not only that, but his coat had splotches of ash throughout, he now wore a leather arm band, and he held what looked like a metal wand in his mouth.

What’s The Doctor doing here? Twilight thought, And HOW did he get here anyways?

He placed the metal object on the floor and sternly said, “Hello, are you Twilight Sparkle?”

Confusedly, she answered, “Yes I am, but...”

“Good,” The Doctor interrupted. “First thing’s first, Miss Sparkle. I am The Doctor, and I—”

“I already know that.”

The Doctor’s head cocked back in shock. “You know who I am? Have we met before?”

Twilight nodded her head. “We met earlier this morning.”

The colt averted his gaze from Twilight, contemplating how to proceed. “This morning?” he muttered to himself, “Hmmm, I’ll need to remember that.” He looked back at the purple unicorn, and said, “On to business. I need to borrow a few books from your library.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor,” the mare replied, “I can’t do that. I don’t have enough time.”

The Doctor assured, “It’ll be quick. I have a list of all the books I need right here.” He grasped a sheet of paper that was attached to his arm band and held it in his mouth.

Twilight shook her head. “Doctor, please don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I have the book locations listed as well. You can focus on what you’re doing, and I can get what I need.”

Twilight looked outside. A little more than a half an hour had passed, as evident by the sun’s change in position. “Fine, Doctor, but if you need any help, you’re out of luck.” Not wasting any more time, she focused on compiling her list of books.

Fifteen minutes passed while The Doctor assembled his collection and Twilight took note of her itinerary. While she focused on her list, she heard some odd, whirring noises. She looked over her shoulder to see The Doctor perusing the books, using the metallic wand to search through the shelves. He held it in his mouth as the device emitted a distinctly blue glow. The unicorn’s interest was piqued, but she quickly brought herself back to the task at hoof. It’s probably nothing.

Meanwhile, Spike made his way back up from the lower levels, dragging two bags filled with various necessities. “I got everything you need, Twili—” He stopped himself when he saw the colt in the library. “You again? What do you want?”

The Doctor appeared annoyed. He sarcastically said, “Well, aren’t you as pleasant as before.”

Before? Twilight set down her quill and trotted over to the baby dragon, stopping him before he could retort. She whispered, “Spike, I don’t know why, but he’s completely forgotten about me.”

Spike uttered, “How? He sure acted like he knew us earlier.”

“I know, but keep an eye on him, he seems different from this morning.”

Upon saying that, the two individuals heard The Doctor say, “All done.”

Twilight turned around and saw six books stacked together. Reverting to her librarian mind-set, she asked, “Did you find everything okay?”

The tan colt nodded and said, “If there’s nothing else to say here, I’m gone.” As he was about to press a button on his armband, he heard Twilight ask another question.

“Wait,” she asked, “what is that metal wand, right there?”

The Doctor raised his hoof, and opened his mouth as he was about to answer, but hesitated as he shut his mouth, taking a quick glance around the room. “Spoilers,” he said, as he pressed his armband and zapped himself and the books out of the room, leaving no trace of his existence behind.

Twilight and Spike were left dumbfounded, jaws dropped on the floor after what they just witnessed.

The purple unicorn remarked, “Doctor... who or what are you?” She walked back over to her desk, leaving Spike to collect himself, and picked up her list of books. “Enough about that colt. There’s no more time to waste, Spike. I’ll take a look at what you’ve got and see what I can afford to take. In the meantime, I need you to look for these books,” she said while giving him the list.

“You got it.” While he searched for the first book, Twilight sorted objects into a need and a don’t need pile. She had sorted through half of the objects when Spike piped up, “Twilight, we have a bit of a problem.”

“What’s wrong, Spike?” Twilight said, without taking her attention off her itinerary.

“I was looking through your list, and your first book, The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Herbs and Remedies, it’s not on the shelf.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s not somewhere else?”

The purple dragon nodded his head. “I looked on the shelves nearby, no dice.”

“It’s not?” Twilight asked with a hint of disbelief. “Darn it, I could’ve really used that one.Other than that, did you get the other books together?”

“That’s just it, Twilight. It’s not just your herbs book, all of the books on your list are missing.”

“All of them?!” she exclaimed, sharply turning around. “That’s not possible, they were all here... earlier...” Twilight started to put the pieces together. “Spike, let me see my list, please.” He handed it to Twilight. After reading what she wrote, she noticed there were six books on the list. She asked aloud, “Doctor, what are you doing?”

“What’s wrong, Twilight?”

The purple unicorn turned to her assistant. “None of the books I need are here, and The Doctor just made off with six books, my list has six books on it. I’m certain he took the books I need.”

“Huh.” Spike crossed his arms. “I knew he was weird, but this? How did he know what to get?”

That very question had been racking around Twilight’s head. This doesn’t make any sense; for those specific books to be gone, it would have to mean... no. It’s not possible, there’s just no way. Or is there? Twilight’s ignorance was short lived, as she asked, “Are there any other books missing?”

Spike shook his head. “Besides books checked out to ponies in Ponyville, those are the only ones that are gone.”

Twilight came about to her answer. “Well, the only explanation I can see here is... time travel.”

“Ah, time travel. Wait, what?”

“I don’t want to believe it, but think about it, Spike. The Doctor shows up one minute knowing who we are when we don’t know him. Then he shows up later not having a clue who I am, yet he knows you. Not to mention he happens to have a list of books and coincidentally those exact books are gone when I need them. He probably got his hooves on my list, somehow.”

Spike tried to digest this theory, as he gave Twilight a smart-alecky glance, saying, “Do you still think we should trust him?”

Twilight looked at Spike, then back to The Doctor’s previous location. “I don’t know, Spike, but I don’t think we can afford not to.”

Not wanting to waste another minute with idle chatter, Twilight quickly sorted through her belongings and placed any necessities into her bag. Various books, memorabilia, and notes went in until the bag was filled to the brim. With a small struggle, the bag was snapped shut. “Alright,” she said, “that’s the last of it. It’s time to head out.”

“I’m right behind ya, Twilight!” Spike said as he grabbed a bag of his own.

Twilight stopped in her steps, causing Spike to run into her hind legs. “Where do you think you’re going, Spike?”

With a slight sense of shock in his eyes, the baby dragon said, “I’m going with you... right?”

“No, Spike, you have to stay here.”

“What??? Here?! But why?”

“Because, Spike,” Twilight said, as she walked closer to the baby dragon, “London is a very dangerous place. There are horrors in that world that nopony should ever see. On top of all that, I can’t risk anything happening to you.”

Spike's face dropped. "But Twilight, I have to go! I-I'll make myself useful! I swear!"

Twilight sadly shook her head as she said, “I'm sorry, Spike. It's too dangerous.” I don’t even want to think of what those creatures could do to you.

“But—”

“No ‘buts’, Spike,” Twilight interrupted. “This isn’t open for discussion. You’re staying here, and that’s final!” She stamped her hoof down for emphasis.

Spike tried to stay calm as spoke, but he was quickly becoming upset. “I can't stay here, Twilight. Please take me! How am I supposed to know if something bad happens to you?”

She flinched, trying not to think about that. “We'll be okay, Spike. I promise—”

“You can't promise that,” he replied, tears gleaming in his eyes. “What if... What if I never see you again?”

Finally, it hit Twilight. This would be the last time in a long while that she’d ever see Spike. She’d be leaving near everything behind in order to help Victor and the humans. Not only that, but there was a slim chance that she might not make it out of this, leaving the baby dragon alone in the world. She could feel a lump in her throat, as she tried to answer Spike. “Oh, d-don’t worry about us, Spike. We’ll be back before you know it.” She felt as if she were about to lose her composure under the weight of her emotions.

“That’s just it, Twilight, I don’t know when you’re coming back!” Spike said with tears welling in his eyes. “What if you guys get hurt out there? What if something goes wrong? What if... if...” Spike let his tears flow, feeling too helpless to do anything else.

Twilight couldn’t take seeing her assistant in a state like this, and hugged him. There was a slight struggle on Spike’s part, but he eventually yielded to her comforting embrace. “Spike, you need to understand. This is something we have to do.”

Spike grumbled, “Anypony else could do it.”

She pulled away and shook her head, a somber expression on her face. “It has to be us, you know that.” The baby dragon looked away. Twilight could feel her chest swell at Spike’s display. Good one, Twilight... What do I do now?

“Promise me one thing,” Spike said as looked Twilight in the eye. “Promise me that you’ll keep everypony safe.”

Twilight laid a reassuring hoof on his shoulder as a weak smile attempted to resurface. “I promise, Spike. I’ll protect everypony.”

“Pinkie Pie Swear?”

Twilight blinked twice at the little dragon’s request. She found herself giggling for a moment. The Pinkie Pie Swear was an oath made by the pink pony, herself. It was a declaration of trust, and should it be broken, it was the quickest way to lose a friend forever. “Cross my heart... hope to fly... stick a cupcake in my eye,” the purple unicorn said as she mimicked the oath’s actions. She and Spike stood there, relishing in this moment. Ultimately, Twilight said, “Well... I should get going. The Elements could arrive any minute now.”

Spike felt slightly reassured, and hugged Twilight. “Come back soon, okay?”

Twilight said, “I will,” as she laid her head atop his. She gently pulled away from her assistant, and walked out the door, saying, “Goodbye.” Every step she took from the library made her legs feel like lead. She wanted to cry, but no tears would come. It wasn’t clear why, or how, but not a single tear would escape those anguish-filled eyes. One look, she thought to herself, Just one look, you owe him that much. She stopped and turned around, seeing a teary-eyed Spike looking down at her through one of the windows. She waved goodbye, despite how difficult it felt to do so. When Spike moved away from the window, Twilight knew it was time. She began the long trek back to the cottage.

**********

Victor sat back in one of the chairs in Fluttershy’s den. “Ponies control the weather, too? I’m telling you, the more I hear about this place, the more it sounds completely bonkers.”

“You can say that about Ponyville,” Fluttershy said as she placed a few objects in a bag, “but everypony I know would think it’s strange to see the weather change on its own.”

“Well then,” Victor mused, as he picked up his cup of tea, “let’s agree that both of our worlds are a tad screwed up.” Fluttershy giggled to herself as the biologist took another swig. The taste of the tea left him in mind-numbing ecstasy. He placed a teacup on the table, and let out a sigh of relief. “I have to tell you, Fluttershy,” he said, as the pegasus pony flew back and forth between rooms, “this tea is... well, it’s amazing! I can’t put it any other way!” It’s actually better than my mum’s.

“Oh, I’m glad you like it. I was given the recipe from Zecora.”

“I’m sorry, who?”

“That’s right, you don’t know her,” Fluttershy said as she floated right next to Victor. “Zecora is a zebra who li—”

“There are zebras in this world?” Victor interrupted.

“Um, yes, there are.”

“I see, hmm, not too surprising when you think about it. Anyways, I’m sorry, continue.”

“Well,” Fluttershy began, “she’s a zebra who lives out in the Everfree Forest. We used to be so scared of her, but then we got to know her, and she turned out to be very friendly. She‘s very knowledgeable in potions and brews, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that she was also good at making tea.”

“I see,” Victor reflected, as he drank more tea. There was a little squeak that both Victor and Fluttershy could hear to their right. A baby mouse was on the floor, crawling aimlessly.

“Oh no!” Fluttershy cried, “What are you doing out here? Your parents must be so worried.” She set herself onto the floor and let the tiny mouse crawl into her open hooves. Using the utmost care, she lifted the mouse over to a nearby mouse hole, where two larger mice were eagerly awaiting their baby’s arrival. She said, “Now, try not to wander off next time, alright?” as she gently placed the mouse on the floor once more.

Angel hopped on top of Victor’s head, nearly making him spill his tea. The biologist said, “Your friend here seems... nice.”

“Oh, yes, Angel likes nearly everypony he meets.”

Angel lowered his head enough to be in Victor’s line of sight. He gave the scientist a glare which said, “I’m watching you, buddy. You hurt her, and I hurt you. Don’t think I can’t make it look like an accident.”

Fluttershy smiled. “That’s his way of warming up to you.”

“Oh, I’m feeling the love, alright.” Victor watched as the bunny hopped off his head and onto the table in front of him. He placed the now empty cup down. “I still can’t believe you handle watching every single animal. I hardly imagine it being easy work.”

“It was hard at first,” Fluttershy explained, “but the animals are just such a joy to be around. It’s the perfect job for me, and I couldn’t be happier. I don’t think I’d be too good a weather pony.”

While Fluttershy was happily chatting with another animal, Victor began to think to himself. I know she’s a part of these Elements of Harmony and whatnot, but Fluttershy really concerns me. I doubt she’s the type that can handle violence very well, let alone gratuitous amounts of blood and gore. Will she really be okay? Victor instinctively went to drink some tea, then remembered the teacup’s current state. “Would it be too much trouble for another cup?” he requested.

Fluttershy quickly responded, “Not a problem at all!” and left the room, returning shortly after with a now-full glass.

Right away, there was a knock at the door. “Are they back already?”

The pegasus pony peeked through a nearby window and saw a turquoise unicorn with yellow-orange eyes standing at her door. Fluttershy gasped and said, “Oh my goodness, you have to hide, quickly!”

Victor nearly fumbled his tea cup upon Fluttershy’s demands. “What are you talking about? Who’s there?”

“I don’t know, but you need to hide; go upstairs, quick!”

Victor hastily made his way up the flight of stairs as Fluttershy went to the door. She gently opened it and quickly asked, “Hello? Who are you?”

The unicorn held an object wrapped in cloth in the air, and said, “Hi! Are you Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nodded and weakly said, “Yes, that’s... that’s me.”

The unicorn brushed some of the white highlights in her dull-green hair to the side, and said, “Well, hello there. My name’s Lyra. Twilight told me that I needed to head over here as soon as I could. Something about a bunch of animals, right?”

“Oh!” Fluttershy said in surprise. “Twilight did tell me she’d find ‘the perfect pony for the job’. Please, come in.”

Lyra remarked, “‘Perfect pony’, huh? I like that.” She walked into the house, trying not to brush anything with her tail, which shared the same color scheme as her mane. She placed her wrapped object on the table and said, “So, where are these animals?”

“Oh, the indoor animals are pretty shy around new ponies. They’ll come out on their own. For now, I’ll take you to see the outdoor ones.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Fluttershy led Lyra outside, walking past wooden chairs, tables, and beds of flowers. They came across a chicken coop, multiple hens walking to and fro, pecking at the dirt for whatever tasty seeds lay below them.

“Is this all of them?” Lyra asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, no, no, there are many more animals than this. They’re beyond these borders.”

The turquoise unicorn said, “Alright! Let’s go see the little guys!” as they both moved on. Along the way, Lyra nearly walked into a tortoise.

“Oh! Please be careful around Tank, Lyra!” Fluttershy said, as she placed the shelled animal elsewhere. “This one belongs to Rainbow Dash. She wouldn’t be too happy if something happened to him.”

“Chickens, tortoises, rabbits, there really are all kinds of animals out here, huh?”

“Oh, this is just the beginning,” Fluttershy emphasized, “There are plenty more, up ahead.”

The two ponies walked towards the forest, as Fluttershy piped up, “Um, if you don’t mind my asking, how do you know Twilight?”

“Oh, me and her?” the turquoise unicorn began. “We go waaay, way back. We were good friends, back in Canterlot. Okay, maybe not so much friends, more like acquaintences. It was rare to talk to her. She was pretty anti-social up until she moved out here.”

Fluttershy inquired, “Wait, Canterlot? What brings you out here?”

“Well, up until recently, I had a music shop set up in the Royal Plaza. Things were great, but the place tanked in light of the more ‘professional’ music shops nearby, so I happened to notice a vacant shop in Ponyville. One day after moving in, I met Pinkie Pie, who was demanding a pair of maracas. Shortly after, she introduced me to ponies all around Ponyville, reintroducing me to Twilight in the process. She’s really opened up since I last saw her, and now we’re great friends.”

“Oh, I see. We—” Fluttershy was interrupted by a loud ruckus of growls, roars, and snarls. “Oh dear! What’s going on?” The caretaker flew towards the source of the noise, with Lyra following close behind. As they got closer, they saw many animals having what looked like a heated argument.

Lyra looked at the situation before her, and said, “Okay, just wait here for a minute.” Before Fluttershy could react, The unicorn ran back towards the cottage.

**********

Victor sat in his chair, being ignored for the umpteenth time today. As he was looking out a window, the sound of a door bursting open startled him. Without much time to think, he hid himself behind the chair, as Lyra entered the room. She said, “Welp, guess I gotta show her the main reason why Twilight called me out here.”

Victor slowly peeked his eye around the corner to see Lyra unwrap a golden lyre, which looked exactly like her cutie mark. Are you telling me ponies can... you know what, nevermind. I think I’ll go mad if I ask any more questions. Lyra ran out the door as fast as she came in, slamming it shut behind her.

**********

Lyra ran towards Fluttershy’s location, lyre floating by her side. One quick serenade should do the trick. As soon as she saw Fluttershy hovering near a tree, Lyra triumphantly jumped to her side and said, “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, I’ll calm these animals down faster than you can say...” She stopped herself as she saw the scene before her. There was no more arguing, no more growling or snarling. “What... what happened?”

Fluttershy set herself on the ground and said, “Oh, you took off so fast that I didn’t have a chance to stop you. The animals sometimes get angry at each other, but it’s very easy to calm them down.”

Lyra drooped her ears at her own uselessness and said, “Really...”

Fluttershy focused her attention to Lyra’s instrument. “Um... why do you have that harp with you?”

Lyra looked at her instument and said, “Well, first, it’s not a harp, it’s a lyre. Second, I was planning on playing a song for the animals. You know, just to see if they’d calm down. It’s worked before, so I thought it might happen again.”

“Oh! Some of the animals might enjoy that kind of music. I’d love to hear you play when I get back.”

Lyra shyly chuckled, and said, “Well, I guess I can do that.”

As the two ponies made their way back to the cottage, Fluttershy instructed Lyra on the necessary procedures for taking care of the animals: feeding, grooming, healthcare, the works. When all was said and done, Fluttershy asked, “Does this all make sense to you?”

The lyre player scratched the back of her head. “Kinda. I’m sure I’ll get it down in no time. Oh, that reminds me; what do you have for medical supplies? You know, in case an animal gets sick?”

“Actually, I have a first-aid kit upstairs. I’ll go get it.” Fluttershy traveled to the top floor, where she saw Victor hold the kit in front of her. She whispered, “How did you find it?”

Victor muttered, “It was on a nearby shelf. Wasn’t too hard to get.”

“Oh, well, thank you.” Fluttershy took the kit and floated back downstairs. She sat down next to Lyra and opened the case. Much to her dismay, the contents of the case were in low supply. I don’t have time to get any more of these medicines! What should I—

“Oh, that’s no good. Want me to get some more of those?” Lyra piped up.

Fluttershy turned to the unicorn, “Oh, would you?”

“Absolutely!”

“Well, thank you very much, Lyra!”

**********

Lyra soon left, promising to be back in a relative amount of time. Victor came out of hiding once more, and left Fluttershy to pack her bags. When the pegasus pony had nearly finished, there was another knock at the door.

Victor said, “Is she back already?”

Fluttershy took another peek, this time with a more delighted face. “No need for that,” she said, as she opened the door. Rainbow Dash walked into the house, looking like she was ready to take on anything.

“Hope we’re all ready to kick some flank!” Rainbow said, as she positioned herself similar to a bull that was ready to charge.

“Actually,” Victor stated, “you’re the first one here. We’ve still got to wait for a bit.”

Rainbow Dash groaned, “Fine.” The pegasus pony sat in place as she crossed a few glances with Victor. “So,” she said, watching Fluttershy skitter back and forth through the cottage, “think I could come up with some plans for London?”

Victor shrugged, “I don’t see why not.”

“Really? ‘Cuz I’ve got this awesome idea which would need a chainsaw, a blowtorch, and—”

“I don’t think so.”

Rainbow shot a glare at the scientist, who pretended not to notice the daggers she was throwing his way. She slumped down again, fidgeting in her seat. “So boring,” she muttered as she slipped onto the floor. Eventually, there was another knock at the door; this time, Pinkie Pie had hopped into the room.

“Pinkie! Finally, somepony else to talk to.” Rainbow Dash said in relief as she picked herself off the floor. “We should make some awesome battle plans, don’t you think?”

Pinkie Pie tilted her head, and said, “For what, Dashie?”

“You know, for London.”

“Oooh! That’s right!”

As the two ponies planned and planned, Rarity walked in. She got into the conversation as she heard Rainbow Dash say, “... And when those things get close enough, the cake will explode!”

“Turning it into twenty different cakes!”

“Then those twenty cakes will explode again and turn into fire!”

“We’ll call it ‘The Chipotle Frosting Surprise’!”

“I am LOVING this plan!”

The fashionista walked up to Rainbow Dash, shaking her head as she jokingly criticized, “And how exactly do you plan on making such a treat, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow’s expression went blank; she turned to Victor, and said, “Hey, Victor, you guys have things that explode in London, right?”

Victor’s following expression was a cross of horror and pessimism. “Yes, we do have explosive materials in London; no, I don’t plan on giving you any of them.

The speedster pouted. “Oh, come on, it can’t be that complicated to use.”

“It’s nothing about how complicated they are, it’s just the fact that these materials won’t be so easy to find.” Not to mention the very idea of Pinkie Pie harboring explosives... well... it downright frightens me.

Rarity joined in the discussion, along with Victor and Fluttershy. After a few more minutes passed, Applejack walked in.

Rarity noticed the orange mare walk in and approached her. “Hello, Applejack.”

“Heya, Rarity. What in tarnation are those fillies doin’?”

“Oh, they’ve been busy making ‘battle plans’ of some sort.” Rarity turned around and looked at the group, saying, “You’d almost forget we’re heading to one of the most dangerous places anypony could imagine.”

“Yeah, true,” Applejack said as she tried to put on a happy face.

Rarity looked back at the farm pony and said, “By the way, I’m a bit surprised at how well Applebloom took the news.”

The orange mare quickly turned her head to look at Rarity, saying, “News? W-whaddya mean?”

“Oh, well, I saw her at Carousel Boutique with the Crusaders, and—”

“She was at yer Boutique?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, I presumed she was...” She stopped herself as Applejack fell into a glum mindset. “You never saw her, did you?” Applejack just shook her head. “Darling, I’m so sorry. If I had known, I would’ve told her to go to directly to the farm.”

“Y’all don’t need ta apologize, Rarity,” she assured. “It ain’t yer fault. ‘Sides, Big Macintosh said he’d tell ‘er in place a’ me.”

Rarity placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “As long as you’re sure you’re alright, Applejack.”

She nodded at the gesture and joined the others as they waited for Twilight to arrive. Seeing Pinkie Pie triggered the memory at the barn. “Hey, Pinkie Pie. Ah saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake at mah farm, and they wanted me ta give ya these here streamers.” She dug through her bag and pulled out the package. Pinkie Pie looked over the streamers, almost unsure what to think of them. “Ah dunno if you’d still need ‘em, what with us goin’ ta Lundun and all, but ah still figu—”

Pinkie Pie’s face lit up instantly, and she excitedly said, “Oh, right! These are perfect, Applejack! Thank you very much!” as she hugged the orange mare.

Applejack responded, “No problem.” She looked towards her other friends when everyone heard a cabinet door shut. They looked up and saw Pinkie Pie standing with her trademark smile, only this time, the streamers were gone.

Fluttershy asked, “Uh, Pinkie, what was that noise?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Then Applejack asked, “Where’r yer streamers?”

“I put them in my bag,” Pinkie said without a moment’s hesitation.

Rarity said, “Dear, why are you so—”

Pinkie Pie started to laugh, and said, “Oh you silly fillies, you’ve got so many questions going on, my little ol’ brain is getting kerbobbled!” She stuck out her tongue as she put both of her hooves on her head.

Victor said to Rainbow Dash, “Is she always like this?”

The pegasus pony blankly responded, “You have no idea...” After a bout of awkward silence, she said, “Whatever, it’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. Let’s get back to these plans.”

Eventually, Twilight made it to the cottage. She heard Pinkie Pie say, “So, Victor, what do you think of this plan?” as she shoved a paper in his face. Victor’s face then seemed to have a bit of an episode. First it was dread, then surprise, then astonishment, and finally, relief.

He pointed at a section of the paper and said, “You know, this is actually the most sane plan you’ve figured out.”

“Awww yeah!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, as she did a flip in the air. “Of course, it’s not as awesome as ‘The Chipotle Frosting Surprise’, but it’s almost there.”

Twilight’s lingering curiosity got the better of her, as she said, “What’s going on?”

Victor handed the paper towards her. “Your friends have been hard at work trying to make a batch of plans for this venture.”

Twilight used her magic to lift the outline in front of her. The purple unicorn’s face scrunched out an objection. “Uh, you guys do know we only need the Elements of Harmony, right?”

Rainbow Dash whispered, “Fun breaker.”

Victor stepped forward. “So, how much longer will it be until those Elements get here, anyway?”

“It shouldn’t be long now,” Twilight answered. “If anything, we just need to wait for a few more minutes when the Elements are delivered... to... oh no.”

“Oh no?” Victor asked with a cocked eyebrow, “What’s ‘oh no’?”

Twilight facehoofed. “The princess said she’d send a mailpony to deliver the Elements, but I don’t think she knows we’re at Fluttershy’s cottage, and not at the library.”

Everyone groaned. Victor slumped as he said, “So this means more waiting around?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I’ll just teleport to the library and wait for the delivery. Then I’ll come back, post haste. It shouldn’t take long.” Just as Twilight’s horn began to glow, she heard a pounding come from the door. Victor hid himself in an instant asTwilight went to open the door. Just then, a very large treasure chest was shoved in her face.

Ditzy appeared from behind the chest, raggedly saying, “Special delivery!” She placed the chest on the floor. “Oh... hi, Twilight!” the mailpony said in between ragged breaths, “This package comes... straight from Canterlot... priority rush!”

Twilight was puzzled. “How did you know we were here, Ditzy?”

Ditzy began to catch her breath as she said, “Oh... you know... when I had to deliver these... to the library... you weren’t there... but Spike told me... you were at Sugarcube Corner.” She dragged the box into the middle of the room, when Twilight picked it up.

“Here, let me get that for you.”

“Thanks, Twilight.” As the chest was placed on the floor, Ditzy limped as she set herself down and walked into the room. “Come to think of it, Spike looked a bit sad when I came to the door. What happened between you two?”

Everyponys faces flickered as this fact came to light.

“Well...” Twilight began, “we six are heading off somewhere, and Spike got upset when I told him this was for grown ponies only. You know how kids are.” she smiled as she lightly nudged the mailpony, trying to force the look on Spike’s face out of her mind. The playful gesture caused Ditzy to wince upon impact.

Pinkie Pie jumped right next to the mailpony. “Oh my gosh! Ditzy, are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine. This just happens when you deliver a heavy package to the next town over. I just gotta stretch, and I’ll be good.” Before anypony else could say a word, Ditzy crouched on her forelegs, then immediately jerked herself into the air, releasing a succession of pops coming from her back. She stood there with gritted teeth, then let out a sigh of relief as she lowered herself onto the floor. “Much better. Just give me a sec to collect myself.” In a short span of time, she flipped herself into the air and landed. “Now then,” she began, “back to business.”

“I must say,” Rarity piped up, “The mail ponies seem to be working you really hard, don’t they?”

Ditzy just shook her head. “Oh no, they don’t. I mean, it’s a lot of work, but it’s still a decent job.”

“Exactly,” Rainbow Dash said, as she flew over to Ditzy’s side. “Speaking as another work pony, you just gotta take whatever gets dished out at ya, right Derp-d-Ditzy?”

Ditzy’s smile faded and was replaced with an emotionless guise. “Yeah... it sure is...” She then inaudibly muttered, “Rainbow Crash.”

Twilight coughed, as to clear the awkward air in the room. “So, thank you very much for delivering this so quickly.”

“My pleasure, Twilight.”

As the ponies spoke with Ditzy, Fluttershy walked to Rainbow Dash. She whispered, “Rainbow, you know she hates that name.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It just... kinda slipped out.”

“Well, please try to be more considerate next time,” Fluttershy said, moving towards the mailpony.

Considering the state of her eyes, and her clumsy nature, Ditzy was a target for bullying, earning her the nickname, Derpy Hooves. Ponies rarely called her by that name nowadays, but the name’s undertone still recalled dark memories for the grey pegasus.

Fluttershy said, “Would you like to rest here? It must’ve been awfully tiring to get this chest over here.”

Ditzy looked back. “No thanks, the mail doesn’t take a break, and neither can I.”

“Are you sure, Ditzy?” Twilight insisted, “I mean, being at Sugarcube Corner this morning, then off to Fillydelphia for most of the day, and finally coming back here can’t be an easy task.”

“Honestly, I appreciate the fact that you all care about my well-being, but I—” Ditzy stopped and raised an eyebrow. “What was that about Sugarcube Corner?”

“When you were there earlier today.”

“I... was never there, Twilight. Are you sure you mean me and not somepony else?”

“Yes, I mean you. You were there with the Doctor.”

“The Doctor?” Ditzy raised a hoof to her chin. “If you’re talking about yesterday, I was picking out treats for the fillies at Sugarcube Corner with Nurse Redheart. You do know she’s not a doctor yet, right?”

“No. I mean. The Doctor.”

“Doctor who?”

“That’s just it, he’s called The Doctor.”

Ditzy felt slightly agitated. “Okay then, Twilight. If you’re so sure, what exactly happened at Sugarcube Corner, today?”

“You were talking to me about—” Twilight immediately stopped herself, as the gears in her head began to turn. Her eyes began darting back and forth, as she tried to sort through several realizations at once. Not wanting to appear crazy, she centered her gaze towards Ditzy and said,“Uh... spoilers?” A very bad smile crept onto the unicorn’s face.

This peculiar answer earned her odd looks from everypony in the room. The mailpony said, “Ooookay then, Twilight... if you say so. In that case, I just need your signature, and we’re good to go.”

Not wanting to make the situation any more awkward, Twilight did as she was asked. One quick signature later, Ditzy had rolled up the signature sheet. “I’ll just open this up for you.”

Twilight stopped the mailpony. “No need to open it, yourself. You can get back to your job, and we’ll take care of this.”

“But I—”

“Really, Ditzy, it’s okay. I’ll just open this and... and...” Twilight’s face contorted as she worked her magic on the container. Despite the purple glow surrounding it, the lid wouldn’t budge, causing the purple unicorn to grow increasingly flustered at this predicament. She felt a hoof on her shoulder, dropping the chest in the process.

Ditzy walked in front of the purple unicorn, taking a key encased in a white glow out of her hair. “The princess enchanted the case so only this key would open it. She didn’t want to risk anything bad happening. I don’t know what’s in here, but it must be serious business for her to go so far to protect these goods.” She placed the key in the keyhole and used her mouth to unlock the chest. With her job done, she headed out the door, but not before she said, “See ya later, everypony! I hope to see you all at the Summer Sun Celebration!” Everypony else bade farewell as Ditzy took to the air. As she flew along, she murmured, “Spoilers...”

**********

Twilight levitated six objects out of the chest, the Elements of Harmony. Five of them were golden necklaces, each with a different gemstone for each pony: a pink butterfly for Fluttershy, an orange apple for Applejack, a red lightning bolt for Rainbow Dash, a blue balloon for Pinkie Pie, and a purple diamond for Rarity. The last element was in the form of a golden tiara. Several blue gemstones lined the metal, along with a pink, six-pointed star on top.

Victor came out of hiding and noticed the jewelry before him. So these are your elements, eh? I’m guessing they’re more powerful than they look. Once everypony grabbed their element, Victor took another look at his companions. I’m entrusting my life, the lives of everyone in London, Europe, maybe even the world, to these ponies. I just hope this is enough. “Now then,” Victor began, “if there’s nothing left to say, then it’s high time we head out.”

Twilight faced her friends. “Well, everypony. Are we ready?” Her friends nodded.

Victor clasped his hands together. “Alright. This belt is supposed keeps track of the most recent coordinates entered as input. Fluttershy, I need you to take us to wherever you found me. The entrance will appear there, and at the same time it’ll the exit in my world.”

“Um, well...” Fluttershy meeped, “It was actually Angel who found you, I just got you inside the house and helped you rest until you were okay. He would know better than anypony where you were.”

Angel hopped forward and looked like he was saying, “Stand back, ponies. I’ve got this.”

He was hopping towards the outdoors when Twilight shouted, “Stop, Angel! Don’t go out there!”

The white bunny skidded to a stop and gave Twilight a look that said, “What do you want, book-pony?”

“We need to be sure nopony is on the road before we go out.”

“That’s right,” Victor mused. “We don’t want anyone having a heart attack out there, seeing me and all.”

“Oooh, oooh!” Pinkie Pie shouted, “I know the perfect way to sneak Victor outside!”

**********

Outside, the front door to Fluttershy’s cottage opened. Fluttershy and Angel checked the road, and there was nopony for miles. “Okay, Angel. Lead the way,” Fluttershy said to her pet. First, Angel hopped across the road, towards the forest. Fluttershy followed close behind. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were next, as they quickly zipped across the road towards the forest. Rainbow Dash got high in the sky and took another look along the road, took another look along the road, noting that it was still bare. She signaled for the other two ponies to move. Applejack followed closely behind a nervous Twilight, who was holding a bundled up ball of blankets in the air. Once everypony was in the forest, Twilight said, “Okay, Victor, we’re in.”

The scientist escaped from the pile of cloth and said, “You know, I don’t know how that worked, nor am I going to question it. Let’s just get out of here.”

Angel hopped through the forest, weaving in and out of any vegetation along the way. The group followed his trail, watching for any extra obstacles that Angel could’ve easily outmaneuvered. Eventually, the white bunny came to a stop.

As everyone gathered together, Victor took note of his surroundings. “This spot... I remember seeing this before becoming knackered. We’re definitely in the right place. Thank you, Angel.”

The white bunny seemed to give a thumbs up, and went back to Fluttershy’s cottage.

Fluttershy said, “Oh, Angel, wait!”

“It’s better this way,” Twilight said, “he should stay at your cottage.”

Fluttershy looked on, as she was slowly losing sight of her pet, and said, “Oh... okay...”

With the ponies gathered near Victor, it was time. “All I need to do is get this set up. It shouldn’t take long.” He took a moment from his tinkering to say, “In the meantime, I suggest you all cherish this moment. This could be the last peaceful time we all have for a very, very long time.”

As Victor worked the many buttons on his belt, the ponies sat silently, enjoying the bounties nature had to offer them. The wind in their manes, the grass beneath their feet, the sun beaming onto their faces, and the ambiance of many animals that chattered away.

It’s funny, Twilight thought to herself, I used to not care for trivial matters like this. She slowly opened her eyes and looked to the sky. I want to come back to this... and help all of those in London achieve this sort of peace.

“It’s ready,” Victor said, breaking the ponies out of their trance. “I don’t want this portal open for too long, so you should prepare yourselves.”

“Let’s do this,” Applejack said, “show them monsters what’s what.” She stepped next to Victor, an aura of determination surrounding her body.

“I’m with ya, AJ,” Rainbow Dash commented to the orange mare.

“Yes, let’s make this quick, shall we?” Rarity added.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy moved closer. “Let’s go!” the pink pony exclaimed, as Fluttershy gave a complacent nod.

Twilight looked at the scientist. “We’re ready, Victor.”

He returned a nod, and said, “I’m activating this on the count of three. When it opens, you need to haul ass.”

Pinkie Pie gave him and odd look and asked, “What’s ass, and why would we need to haul it?”

Victor was again dumbfounded. “Ass is... is... you know what. It’s really not important right now. I’ll explain later. Just know that you all need to get ready to run really, really fast, alright?”

Applejack got into a starting position, as Rainbow Dash hovered in the air.

“One...”

Rarity and Twilight brushed some dirt away, as they took their places.

“Two...”

Pinkie Pie nudged the yellow pegasus, and whispered, “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. It’ll be fine.”

“Three!” Victor pressed the button on his belt buckle, making an entrance appear in front of them. Rainbow Dash was the first to enter, as she gusted between her friends. Next, Applejack and Rarity ran into the portal. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle followed close behind. Lastly, Victor ran headfirst after the others. The portal stayed in place for two seconds before closing up, leaving no trace of anypony having been in the forest.