Feared Love Divided: Chapter 02/A Good Book
Twilight grabbed a book from her castle's library. "Why is this here?" she asked, and pulled it out, looking at the title on the front cover. "Treatise on Dark Magicks, by... Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed. "No, not princess?" Twilight asked, and looked inside the cover, "Student of Starswirl the Bearded?! How old is this book?" She flipped through the first few pages, "Old enough to not have a publication date. Well, obviously. Is this how she knew about his unfinished spell?!" She closed the book and moved towards a desk to sit and read it.
Before Twilight knew it she started to lose daylight and momentarily looked up from her book. Before becoming a princess she simply would have kept reading, but she was a princess now... and had to keep more reasonable hours... Badb appeared behind her and she knew it was time to head to bed.
Twilight sat at the table in the grand chambre as she drank her coffee, when Starlight Glimmer appeared bearing the book. Twilight smiled at her and she smiled back, leaving the book on the table.
Twilight read the book on her throne in her audience chambre, when Badb approached her. She placed the bookmark and handed it to Badb, as it was time to see audiences.
Twilight sat in her sky court, reading the book in front of her.
Twilight turned the book over to Starlight, as Badb was ushering her off to bed.
Starlight sat down at the table beside Twilight, as she drank her morning coffee. "Are you going to tell us what the book is about?"
"It is..." Twilight voiced, and paused as she thought it over. "It's hard to describe, as it covers so much... It focuses on the time that Celestia studied under Starswirl the Bearded, but... it... covers so much more. It covers their studies into darker magics, and Nightmare."
"What is it?!" Starlight asked.
"They... don't know..." Twilight said to her, "The book instead covers what they know it is not... It's a truly fascinating read."
"I imagine it would be..." Starlight stated.
"Oh, yes, of course." Twilight said to her, "Of course I'll let you read it... as soon as I'm finished..."
"Of course..." Starlight replied.
Twilight leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I've missed having your around."
"I've missed you too..." Starlight stated.
Twilight found Starlight in the library and gave her the book.
Starlight pored through the book, absorbing as much as she could.
Twilight heard a nock at her chambre doors, and used her telekinesis to open the doors. Starlight walked inside. "This book is so fascinating!"
"I know!" Twilight exclaimed, "It's like I have a new understanding of the cosmos!.. without understanding anything about what Nightmare is."
"I know," Starlight repeated, "but I think the book is even more useful."
"Useful?" Twilight asked.
The two stood in the Chambre of Friendship, and the map of Equestria pulled up from the floor. Starlight placed the book in the centre of the map, and areas became highlighted, or shadowed would be a better word.
"It's not Nightmare?" Twilight asked, "But what is it?"
"We should go." Starlight said with a smile.
"I haven't used this since... we lost Rainbow Dash and Rarity..." Twilight voiced. "I did not think the map could work without all of us... We do not have the whole of the fellowship..."
"We could always go ourselves." Starlight said with glee.
"We could?.." Twilight asked, "Though I doubt Tournesol would simply let me slip away..."
"I know someone who could..." Starlight voiced.
"That's not the point..." Twilight admonished, "But I suppose she could come..."
With this Starlight's face brightened even more.
Trixie opened the door and saw Starlight Glimmer. "Starlight!" she exclaimed, and then saw Twilight, "And how can the great and humble Trixie help you?" she asked her.
"How you would like to have some fun with us?" Starlight asked, and Trixie nervously looked between them.
"It's time to prove how great and humble you are." Twilight said to her. "We face a looming darkness..."
With this Trixie slowly started to close her door.
Starlight put her hoof in the door and pleaded with her, "Please?.."
"If you ask like that..." Trixie nervously stated, "the great and humble Trixie can hardly refuse... Trixie understands why Starlight wants her to come... but... why does Twilight?"
"Because you are, or were... a vagrant." Twilight said to her.
"Trixie is no longer like that..." Trixie murmured.
"You still know the road?" Twilight asked.
"Trixie does, doesn't she?" Trixie asked. "And what will Trixie have to do on this journey?"
"Be Starlight's friend." Twilight said with a smile.
"Trixie will do her best." Trixie replied. "Trixie will admit she is not very good at being a friend..."
"Shh..." Starlight said to her, and stepped forward until they were inches apart. "Trixie is a fantastic friend, at least for me."
"Starlight is also fantastic friend... for Trixie..." Trixie said, and sniffed, "Trixie is not crying. Trixie simply has to go powder her nose." she said, and disappeared into the back.
The three along with Badb stood in the map room and Starlight placed the book on the map. This time, instead of simply dark forms, the symbols of friendship also appeared. Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie appeared in one location, and looking over they could see Rainbow Dash and Rarity, along with one that looked like green fire and a scroll. "Spike?" Twilight asked. The symbols then started to move. Hers, along with Starlight's and Trixie's moved to the north... then north west. Rarity and Rainbow started to leave Spike's lair and travel to the east, beyond the Castle of the Four and beyond the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie traveling to the south west. Another appeared in the Everfree Forest, from the Castle of the Four. "Discord?" Twilight asked, used her telekinesis to poke the form, and Discord appeared above the map.
"Caught me." Discord stated.
"Is this some kind of prank?" Twilight asked.
"Hardly." Discord stated, "I genuinely want to help."
"Princess?" Starlight asked. Twilight looked at her and then followed her gaze. The green fire was moving, far to the west.
"Spike's not going to like that." Twilight voiced.
"Neither will we, princess." Tournesol stated, and she turned to look at him. Twilight sighed but nodded.
"I am curious?," Badb asked, "how come you let her go to Nifl's Gate without an escort?"
"Simple." Tournesol said with a flat voice, "One, she was headed to Spike, who can fight as well as an army of Ponies. Two, at the time the Crusaders had not yet formed, and we were only tasked with protection of Twilight's Castle. Third, the princess if more than equiped with deal with malevolent forces. The best the Crusaders can do is protect her from more mundane things."
"You have faced Dragonfire." Psyche said from behind him.
"My point remains valid, not the least of which," Tournesol stated, "is because the princess tends to rely upon diplomacy."
"You are a better diplomat than you give yourself credit for..." Psyche said to him.
"Ability is not the problem..." Tournesol voiced.
"No one's paying attention to me..." Discord whined.
"We're sorry." Twilight apologized.
"Thank you." Discord said to her, "As I was saying, I would like to help, and I think the map agrees with me."
"So it does?" Twilight asked. "What could this mean?"
"If I had to guess?," Starlight asked, "Starswirl the Bearded Final Spell linked you with all Ponies. Or to put it another way, the Princess of Friendship is friends with all Ponies."
"Decent supposition." Twilight replied. "Tournesol, collect the others."
"Your majesty." he replied, saluted, and turned to leave.
Twilight then used her telekinesis to pull over a scroll, quill, and inkwell.
"Mistress?" Ainé asked.
"Yes, Ainé?" Rarity asked.
"You are glowing, mistress." Ainé said to her.
"I do feel divine..." Rarity said with glee and flipped her hair.
"She's being literal." Solace added, and Spike belched out a scroll.
"Oh, dear, I am glowing?" Rarity asked.
"What does it say?" Ainé asked Spike.
"Dispatch from the map of friendship." Spike voiced, "Rainbow Dash and Rarity together, and one... for me..."
"Your! -" Rarity exclaimed, "First - Quest!"
"Dispatch." Solace added.
"Still, this is wonderful!" Rarity added.
Spike let out an affirmative grumble. "Solace?" he voiced.
"Thorn?" she replied.
"Fetch Rainbow, would you?"
"Of course." she said with a wide smile.
A darkened rainbow blur flew into the room and paused, revealing Rainbow Dash and Sprite.
"Spike's got all kinds of awesome!" she exclaimed, and held her hoof up for a bro hoof, which Spike quickly returned.
"You and Rarity." Spike stated, "And me by my loansome."
"Sprite's not coming with us?!" Rarity asked.
"Of course they are." Rarity affirmed.
"It's not like the map refutes it." Spike added.
"Does that mean I can go with you, Master?" Solace asked.
"Of course." Spike stated.
"No faith in the map?" Rainbow Dash asked him.
"I have the upmost faith in the map." Spike replied, "I also have faith in my Dragonfire, and of the two, my Dragonfire is the more specific."
"I do trust my wings," Rainbow Dash stated, "and Sprite more than I do a map that doesn't exactly talk to us... even if... you know... it's always been right..."
"If the map didn't want our Changelings to come with us," Rarity voiced, "it should have said something. I, for one, am taking Ainé." she said firmly but warmly.
"I would feel uncomfortable otherwise." Spike added. "I would feel more comfortable still if you took Halfire and Fawn with you."
"That we can do." Rainbow Dash spoke. "Stupid map."
"The map knows what we need to do." Rarity voiced, "But does not say anything about others accompanying us."
"Yeah, touchie." Rainbow Dash said, touching her nose.
Spike grumbled.
"Say it." Rainbow Dash said to him.
"Touché." Spike replied.
"yeah, that." Rainbow Dash said, and touched her nose.
Once again Spike grumbled.
"That's... not... what it means..." Solace stated.
"Yeah, yeah, whatver, egghead..." Rainbow Dash said dismissively, and turned to leave, but paused. She then turned back, "Did I just call a Changeling an egghead?"
"I take it as a compliment." Solace replied.
"yeah, whatever." Rainbow Dash said and turned away again, "Eggheads..."
Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy ran into the castle, breezing past the guards on their way to the map room.
"Alright, what have we got?!" Applejack asked.
"Five different places." Twilight stated.
"Five?" Applejack asked, "we not even going to partner up?"
"Spike and Discord will be on their own..." Twilight added.
"I'm sure," Fluttershy voiced, "that Spike will have Solace?.."
"Doesn't Discord have that scholar guy Pony?" Applejack asked.
"Gerandquill." Twilight stated.
"Gerandquill is fun." Pinkie Pie added.
"He is?" Applejack asked. "The only thing he does is read them books. Uh, I mean, no offence..."
There was a moment of pregnant silence.
Discord appeared in the library of the Castle of the Four, right behind Gerandquill. "Good news!" he exclaimed, and Gerandquill looked at him. "We're going on a mission of friendship!"
Gerandquill looked at him for a solid minute before saying anything, "I can't tell if you are serious or not?"