Glorious Song

Chapter Five: Game Plan

        The library seemed smaller on the outside. The illusion of size I was experiencing may be caused, in part, by the thousands of books Twilight lined the walls with. I could spend a year in here and not even make a dent in her massive collection. Some ponies never change, I suppose. While taking in my surroundings, I caught a glimpse of Twilight’s tapping hoof. Four others looked at me with furrowed brows. One pink mare with a fluffy mane imitated the way I moved my head during my oblivious survey of the house. I understood the others’ reactions.

        Twilight’s grown since we last met. We talked through letters over the years, but never met in person since we were little. She’s no longer the little bookworm we all knew and loved. Now, she’s a much bigger bookworm. A bookworm with wings. Those are gonna take some getting used to.

        “We’re starting now, everypony,” said Twilight. All of us, except a blue pegasus whose crossed legs and indifferent gaze told me she had better things to do, paid close attention to what Twilight was going to say next.

        “Firstly, I would like to ask you a question,” she began again, looking at me. “You didn’t tell Rarity about any of this, did you?”

        “She seemed to know something was amiss,” I began, “but I kept it a secret.”

        “Twi, what’s all this about?” asked an orange earth pony.

        I’ve heard all of their voices now, but three names still escape me. “Uh I don’t meant to interrupt,” I began, “but I think introductions are needed.”

        Twilight threw her head back and groaned. “How could I have forgotten? You already know Rarity and Fluttershy.”

        “Ahm Applejack,” said the orange mare.

        “I’m Pinkie Pie!” exclaimed the pink pony in a very high-pitch.

        Finally, the one who didn’t want to be here said, “And I’m Rainbow Dash, the most awesome pegasus in all of Ponyville!”

        “And I’m—” I began before Twilight interrupted me.

        “And he’s Mad Wubs, the subject matter of this little meeting, which I’d like to get started,” said Twilight. Her voice constantly shifted pitch as she frantically moved about the room.

        “Twilight dear, there’s no need to get so stressed,” said Rarity in a soothing voice.

        Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Rarity. She quickly approached the group as she shouted, “How can I not get stressed when the fate of Equestria is at stake, and I can’t do anything about it?!”

        Her hoof shot into her mouth, as mine connected with my face. Everypony else...well, their jaws just dropped. Twilight’s sudden outburst of doom and gloom shocked them to their cores. Twilight and I watched, unsure of what to say, as they all sat speechless. Finally, she looked at me with blushing cheeks, and put on the best smile she could force.

        She sighed and said to me, “I blew it, didn’t I?”

        “Just a bit. When they start speaking again, we’ll know the damage,” I replied.

        “What in Celestia’s name is going on?!” shouted Rarity with hooves on head.

        “On a scale of one to ten,” Twilight said to me. Her eyes began shifting between the mares that were still mute, looking for signs of life.

        I looked up to the ceiling as I assessed the situation. “Six outta ten.”

        Twilight put on a genuine smile. “Oh! I’ve done worse.”

        “While I’m happy you’re calming down, doing worse than accidentally spilling the news of a possible cataclysm isn’t something you should take pride in.”

        “I don’t take “pride” in it. I find relief in knowing it could’ve been worse.”

        “Is that really better?”

        “Hey! Who here is the cataclysmic veteran? This pony.”

        “That was just those four times.”

        “Four more than you.” She stuck her tongue out at me.

        “Could you two lovebirds quit fightin’ and tell us what the hay is goin’ on?” asked Applejack. She rubbed her head after coming out of shock.

        “Love-what?!” asked Twilight.

        “Come again?” I asked.

        “Ahm just kidding. So, until those three wake up, what do we do?” asked Applejack.

        “She has a point,” said Rarity, as she waved her hoof in front of Rainbow Dash. No reaction. “We can’t have such an important discussion while they’re out of it like this.”

        A menacing smile appeared on Twilight that struck my heart with fear. She only smiled like that when she was gonna get payback. I couldn’t recall anything I’d done to her that she hadn’t already gotten revenge for. Wait...oh no. The snowball war from when we were six, and she got pneumonia because I buried her in the fort. She never got me back for that!

        “Alright girls,” she began, “let me tell you about the Canterlot Crew.”

        Oh, sweet Celestia. Why that? When I moved to Manehattan, I thought the fear of embarrassing childhood stories could be put to rest. Then again, that was a time when I didn’t think I’d ever be in a room with Twilight again. She may be a kind pony most of the time, but she has an evil side too.

        Gotta act fast. “Twilight, that isn’t necessary!” I shouted, my voice cracking at the end.

        “Oh, but don’t you think they should know more about you? After all, you are the reason we’re gathered here,” Twilight said with a smile.

        “No need to bore them with that. Nope. Let’s hear about them. Yea, that’d be more interesting.”

        “I’d love to hear more about Wubsy,” said Rarity.

        “I reckon I’d like to hear more about...uh Wubsy...too,” added Applejack.

        Twilight sat down and clapped her hooves together. “It’s decided!”

        “May I leave?” I asked.

        “No. Now, I suppose we should start with when we met,” Twilight began. Rarity and Applejack listened attentively. “Back when I studied magic under Celestia, I became friends with a colt who was also a student. That colt was Mad Wubs. He was much nicer back then, but also much ruder. The Canterlot Crew was a group he made up. This group consisted of me, Wubs, two other ponies who lived in Canterlot, and Wubs’s sister.”

        “You have a sister? You never told me about her!” shouted Rarity.

        “He doesn’t like to talk about family much. Anyway, his sister, Midnight Aria, attended school with us as well. The Canterlot Crew was our little group of ponies we always played with. The five of us did everything together, until Wubs got his cutie mark during a music lesson Celestia had us participate in. After that, he stopped his studies and skipped town.”

        “I didn’t skip town. I started over. There wasn’t any other way than to go without notification,” I interjected.

        “You didn’t even tell Aria, your only family.”

        “She didn’t need to know. Neither did you. Nor Celestia.”

        “How ‘bout yer parents?” asked Applejack.

        “I don’t believe in ghosts,” I replied.

        That last comment tipped over the awkward scale. Even Twilight, who already knew my parents were dead, stopped talking. Compared to this, the childhood stories were greatly favorable. Maybe I was a little too blunt.

        “So,” I began, “how about that story you were telling, Twilight?”

        Twilight noticed the helplessness in my face and took sympathy on me. “Oh yeah! So, like I was saying, we did everything together. Played make-believe, explored the areas around Canterlot, and pretty much were inseparable. At first, I thought it was silly, and preferred reading my books.”

        “I seem to recall a certain little filly crying when she missed a Crew meeting.”

        “Th-that’s not true!” Twilight shouted. Her red cheeks shone like a warning light. “Ahem. Anyway, I warmed up to it, and joined after persuasion from our fearless leader. Wubs loved challenging the girls to a fort war, but he never won.” She snickered as she looked at me.

        “You had an extra team member!”

        “You had a pegasus! Do you still not understand the tactical advantage in that?” she rebutted. “Now, let me finish the story! After Wubs left, we slowly drifted apart. Midnight Aria finished second-in-class, behind me, and left as well. The other two in the Crew moved to Fillydelphia to pursue their own dreams. And you already know where I ended up.”

        “You couldn’t win with the air superiority of a pegasus?!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

        “Where did Midnight Aria go, Twilight?” asked Fluttershy, rejoining us as well.

        “I don’t know,” Twilight answered. “She followed in her brother’s footsteps. Discourtesy must run in the family.”

        “That was a great story, Twilight!” shouted Pinkie Pie.

        “But you didn’t hear any of it,” stated Dash.

        Pinkie giggled. “Oh, I’ve been awake the whole time!”

        “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” asked Twilight.

        “I was so busy listening, I forgot to speak!”

        Everypony rolled their eyes. With everypony back in the realm of the living, Twilight was ready to start the meeting. I took Rainbow Dash’s newfound attention as a sign that she now realized how important this was. Twilight explained the Cathedral of Chaos and the threat it poses to the others as Celestia had told me.

        “And that’s why we need to give the Elements of Harmony to Wubs,” Twilight finished.

        “What?!” Dash shouted, throwing her hooves in the air. “Why do we need to give the Elements to him? Can’t we just handle this?”

        “Celestia specifically said to leave it to Wubs and the team he chooses.”

        “Look, I know Celestia is the princess and her word is law, but I reckon we could stop this Cathedral thing. We never failed to save Equestria before.” added Applejack. “I know you and Wubs go way back, but we barely know the guy.”

        “I understand your concerns, but we can’t go against Celestia’s orders. Like you said, Applejack, she’s the princess. This is just how it is.”

        Rainbow Dash brought her hoof down to the floor. “We should vote!”

        “What part of “can’t go against” didn’t you understand?”

        “All in favor of keeping the Elements and doing this ourselves, put your hoof down!”

        Applejack fidgeted. “Ahm sorry, Twilight. I won’t entrust somethin’ as important as the Elements to somepony I don’t know.” She put her hoof down.

        “Applejack...you can’t be serious,” said Twilight. It felt as if there was a feeling of...betrayal in her voice. Twilight had always been like a sister to me. Maybe that familial feeling was reciprocated. I felt it from Cadence and Shining, but was never sure about Twilight. She threw her hoof into the air. “Well, anypony who is in favor of giving the Elements to him, raise your hoof!”

        “I, for one, believe in him. I may not know him as well as Twilight, but we’ve been friends for a while,” said Rarity. Her hoof went up.

        “I always give a pony the benefit of the doubt! First, you gotta pinkie promise that you’ll get it done! Ok?” asked Pinkie.

        “I promise that I’ll get it done,” I replied.

        “Pinkie promise.”

        “Pinkie promise.”

        “Good enough for me!” she shouted, raising her hoof.

        Rainbow Dash flew over to Fluttershy. “You're the last one. Either Twilight wins or we tie and nothing happens. Your choice.”

        Fluttershy fell to the floor in fright of Dash’s sudden approach. She covered her face with her hooves. “Um can I not vote? I don’t think I can handle the pressure.”

        “No! You have to vote!”

        “Oh. Then, I’m sorry,” she began, “but I trust Twilight’s decision.” Fluttershy raised her hoof, completing the vote, and surrendering the Elements of Harmony to me.

        “That settles it. We will do as Celestia instructed and give him the Elements of Harmony,” said Twilight. “I’m not sure why we bothered voting though. It’s not like we own the Elements.”

        “We are a democracy!” shouted Pinkie Pie.

        “Actually, we’re a monarchy,” I corrected.

        “Oh yeah. My bad!”

        “Uh no problem. So, I get the Elements now. What next, Twilight?” I asked.

        “I have no idea. I figured the plan would be left up to you,” she answered. “Was I supposed to think of a plan?”

        “No. Maybe? I don’t know! Celestia said you would know what to do once I had the Elements. Was she wrong?”

        “Well, I assume you would find five other ponies to wield the Elements.”

        “Gee thanks. I was hoping for something a little more specific. Maybe...a name or somewhere to look. You know, something useful.”

        “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you unsatisfied with my advice?”

        “We’ll just be going now,” said Rainbow Dash.

        She, along with the other four, was standing near the front door. Applejack had already opened the door halfway. She and Rarity gave Dash an angry look. I assume they were trying to sneak out of the awkward atmosphere that slowly flooded Twilight’s house since I arrived. There was no reason to stop them. They had served their purpose.

        “Wait...are you all trying to sneak out?” asked Twilight. I had hoped someone as smart as her would get the hint and let them go.

        Applejack looked to the others and said, “Um we just thought...um, Rarity?”

“Uh yes, we figured we were done here, and that you two might like some time to catch up. That’s all,” said Rarity. “Right, Applejack?”

“Yep. I reckon that’s all.”

They must have caught the unconvinced look on my face, because panic grew on theirs. I sighed and said, “Look, you don’t have to lie. You can leave.”

“Hey! You aren’t my boss!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“Oh? Would you prefer to stay?” I asked.

“Uh...no. I’ll just go now.”

They all swiftly exited the library and I was alone with Twilight. We both stared at the floor. It wasn’t the first time I was alone with a mare today, but it was definitely far more awkward. There was so much we could talk about, but neither of us knew what to say. That awkward atmosphere felt as if it was growing into an aura emanating from the both of us.

“So...Loose Cannon and Cadence said hello,” I said, looking up.

“Oh? That’s nice,” she replied, still looking down.

“What’s it like being a princess?”

She met my eyes. “It’s work. The wings are still taking some time to get used to, but flying is fun.” She paused for a moment. “I’m sorry about that story earlier. I know you don’t like talking about the old days.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve ran from my past for too long, Twilight. I want to make it part of me again. If I can’t embrace it by this journey’s end, I don’t think I ever will.”

“I see. So you’re serious about this, right? This isn’t just you at stake. It’s all of Equestria. You must be prepared.”

“I’ve never been more serious, Twilight. I can assure you that.”

She smiled and stood up. Her eyes shifted to a pile of letters on her desk. “I found these in a box under my bed before you arrived. For hours, I looked for them.” She shifted through the pile with her hooves. Her horn glowed magenta as she lifted one of the letters. “I think I have an idea of where you can start your search. Do you recall a certain musical pony you fancied?”

My cheeks turned bright red. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb. You know who I’m talking about.”

I turned around and said, “I don’t think I do.”

Her smile turned to a grimace, which I got a face full of when she teleported in front of me. “You know I’m talking about Vinyl Scratch!” she shouted.

“Yes, well, Vinyl and I haven’t spoken in a while so—”

“Don’t tell me you’re still avoiding her,” she said with a sigh.

“I’m not avoiding her,” I began, “but I’m not talking to her either.”

“It’s been five years. Five! Don’t you think it’s about time to drop that ultimatum and fix the relationship you messed up?”

“No. No I do not.”

“I do! You need ponies to help you? Why not start with Vinyl? You’ll never end up together if you just sit around doing nothing.”

“I did something and we didn’t end up together. So what do you propose?”

“There’s an idea.”

“What’s an idea?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Go talk to her. If anypony will help you, it’s her.”

Before I could continue to argue, Twilight was behind me. She put her front hooves on my back and pushed me. Despite the resistance from my legs, she managed to force me to the door. Then, she turned around, lifted her hind legs, and bucked me out of the house.

“Go get her, casanova!” she shouted to me before slamming the door on my flank.

It occurred to me that I was kicked out before receiving the Elements of Harmony. I knocked on Twilight’s door, but got no response. If I didn’t know better, I would think it was an accident that the Elements were not in my possession. Twilight must be holding onto them to force me into talking to Vinyl. Since I have no choice, I guess it’s time to put on that old Manehattan charm.