Chapter 2: Going Home
The night came and went like a wave in the ocean. I didn't have any dreams nor did Twilight. It was strange. Luna was supposed to make sure everypony had dreams and keep them in check. I was bit freaked out to be honest.
The sun shone through the blinds in the windows, hitting me right in the eyes. I quickly got up and covered them, cursing at how beautiful but painful the sun is. I looked around trying to find Twilight but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. I looked at the clock and it read 10:00 AM. It ticked in my head that she must be downstairs having breakfast with Spike and her student, Starlight Glimmer.
Starlight's been staying with us for quite a while now and it seems that she won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Her lessons with Twilight have been phenomenal the past few months, surpassing even Twilight in some areas. She hasn't had the best track record though. Starlight was a mad dictator of a small town in the middle of nowhere because she wanted everyone to be equal, no one pony more special than the other. Twilight and her friends quickly freed them and set Starlight packing. She returned for vengeance against Twilight by stopping Rainbow Dash from doing the Sonic Rainboom, bringing all of them together. That plan failed for Twilight showed her the devastation that would happen if they never met. She quickly pulled herself together and apologised to them and the towns ponies. They accepted it and here we are now.
I first went to the bathroom to freshen up. I didn't want Twilight to find another clot in my mane and get the comb. I didn't even want to think about it. I picked up the brush and started to brush my mane.
You got to be kidding me! I found another clot in my mane. This is the fifth one this week! Why on earth does this happen?!
I remembered what Pinkie Pie told me a few days ago about how to quickly deal with these clots. "Whenever I get clots in my mane, all I do is use peanut butter! My Nana Pinkie told me that the oils in peanut butter can soothe out any clumps, no matter how tough."
I just shrugged it off because it sounded weird at the time. Seriously, who in their right mind wants to put peanut butter, a food product that is supposed to be sticky, in their mane? The more and more I struggled to get the clot out, I started to actually consider that solution. With one final tug, I put the brush down in frustration and walked downstairs to the kitchen.
When I entered, my suspicions were answered. Twilight was sitting across the table from both Spike and Starlight. They all smiled at me and asked me to sit down with them for breakfast. "I'm not hungry at the moment but do you know where the peanut butter is at? I need it for a second." Starlight levitated it over to me with a simple "here you go." I thanked her and went back up to the bathroom.
I grabbed the knife that was in it and got a small bit of peanut butter. I took a deep breath and hoped the smell wouldn't linger for too long. Levitating the knife in my magic, I started to apply the sticky condiment on the spot where my clot was and started to use the knife to rub it in. I didn't even have to use the brush to break it up because the knife did it for me. The clot was broken! I had to thank Pinkie later.
I washed my mane so the peanut butter was gone and down the drain. I grabbed both the knife and peanut butter and went downstairs. Everyone was still there.
"Hey Mav." Starlight said. I turned around and faced her. "Yes?" "You think I can have the peanut butter for a second? I want to put it on my toast." She asked. I levitated the items over to her and sat down next to Twilight.
Twilight gave me a warm smile. I returned it. God, she can be cute at some times! She nuzzled me and inhaled deeply. It tickled. I let out a little giggle and she pulled back with a confused expression.
"Maverick, why does your mane smell like peanut butter?" She asked, puzzled. I looked over to Starlight and she carried on without a care in the world. "Um, I put some of it in my mane because I had a clot and I may ot may not have used the knife to help." I chuckled softly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Starlight put down the piece of toast she had in her hooves and went to the trash can, spitting the rest she had in her mouth out.
Spike burped. I groaned and faced him. "Come on Spike, it isn't that gross." My eyes widened when I saw that he hadn't gagged but had a scroll from Celestia. The seal wasn't red but yellow. That wasn't good.
Celestia has different seal colors for different purposes. Red was a normal meeting, green was international affairs, purple was military, and yellow was urgent. Yellow was barely used. Spike opened it up quickly and read it.
My dearest student,
As you can see from the seal, this is an urgent request. I can't explain everything in this one letter so I want you to get the rest of your friends and report at the castle as soon as you can. The guards are on high alert but I told them to let you through.
From, your teacher, Princess Celestia
I looked towards Twilight and she had that face that I always feared of seeing again. It's the same face that she used when she realised Tirek had returned. She quickly got her saddle bags and ran out the door.
"Twilight!" I grabbed Spike in my magic and ran after her. She was already at Rarity's boutique and had gotten her to join with her. I've never seen her run this fast since Tirek was attacking Manehatten! I put Spike on my back and continued to run faster, slowly catching up with her.
Thwack!
A door suddenly opened in front of me, knocking me out immediately. The darkness was all around me. Nothing felt safe. I looked around in all directions to find anything. Nothing.
"Maverick," a voice called out to me from the darkness. That voice. It sounds... familiar. Then it clicked. Luna. "Listen to me. Tia and I had visions last night. They were not good. My sister will explain everything once you arrive but I just wanted to forewarn you of the adventure you're going to experience. See you when you arrive." She vanished.
I woke up abruptly on some comfy seat cushions and looked out a window. We must be in a tunnel because I see nothing when I looked out it. I heard gasping from behind me. It was the rest of the six. How do I know? They do this almost everyday. It's annoying as hell.
I turned around and saw all of them looking at me. "What? Is there something on my face?" I asked. Twilight squealed and hugged me tightly. And I mean tight! "Jeez Twilight, I was just knocked out!" I gasped out, hardly breathing. She loosened it a little bit and I took in a deep breath. "I know, but if you were hit hard enough, you could've been in a concussion or even a coma! I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I'm sorry." Tears were flowing from her eyes as she spoke.
I didn't expect this to have such a impact on her. Wether it was her being scared of losing me again or the entire thing about the attack the other day was beyond me, but her crying made me want to as well. I pulled her in and gave her a comforting hug. "Shh," I said, leaning into her ear, "I'm fine and that's all that matters." Her sobbing slowed and she pulled her head away with a smile. She mouthed, "Thank you," and gave me a peck on the lips, enlisting a giggle from me.
I looked around and saw the rest talking to each other. Pinkie talked to Rainbow and Rarity talked to A.J and Fluttershy. I couldn't understand what they were talking about but by the confusion, it seemed it was about the meeting Celestia called us to.
"You know Dashie," I overheard Pinkie say, "if those things that we saw yesterday weren't from Equestria, maybe they're aliens!" Dash just scoffed and looked outside. "Pinkie, there are no such thing's as aliens. You need to stop reading conspiracy theories about that stuff before you believe everything. They're probably just hybrids between a hydra and pony that went crazy." Pinkie snorted at Rainbow's reply, that smile never leaving her face. She pulled a book out of one of her bags and turned to a picture of a hydra. The picture was taken by Pinkie a long time by the date two years before my arrive. June 19, 20XX. It showed the large, four headed creature chasing them away from the Everfree Forest. The hydra was clearly the size of the redwood like trees.
"Dashie, if it was hydra mix then it must've been a large mare. I don't even think hydras and ponies can breed anyway." I looked over and saw Fluttershy's ears pointed straight up.
I did the same and heard a faint humming sound. It is the same one from the attack on Canterlot and apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed it this time.
"Fluttershy, you hear that too?" I asked, making sure the rest could hear. She nodded. "Yes, I've been hearing it for about two minutes now and, until you said something, I thought I was hearing things."
The train came to a screeching halt. Rarity, Applejack, and I were launched over to the other side of the coach with a loud bang. I got up slowly. Smoke filled the coach, making it harder to breathe and see. I casted a teleportation spell and got out of the train before I suffocated.
When I left the teleport, I looked around at the surrounding area. Apparently, the entire front of the train was gone. I looked up and saw pegasi quickly closing in on the crashed locomotive. The closer they got, the more I realized that they were the best acrobatic and rescue team in Equestria. The Wonderbolts. I threw out a flare spell and they flew in my direction. Spitfire, the leader of the Wonderbolts, landed right in front of me as the others went to find any survivors in the wreck.
"Are you okay sir? Can you tell me what happened here?" She questioned me in a calming tone. I was having a coughing fit, unable to speak. She grabbed a bottle of water she had in one of her bags and handed it to me. I grabbed it and drank it greedily. I took a deep breath and started to tell her what happened.
"Me, my wife, and our friends were on our way to see Princess Celestia for an urgent meeting she requested a few minutes ago. When we got out of the tunnel, the train just stopped and my friends Applejack and Rarity were launched across the coach. I couldn't see anything when I got up for smoke filled the room before I got to look around and see if everypony was alright." She joted everything down on a notepad and then asked me what the what the meeting was about. I looked behind her to see the rest of the four she had pulling out two ponies per minute. Pretty fast compared to first responders on Earth. "She didn't say what it was for but we got on this train from Ponyville to reach Canterlot."
She put that last bit of evidence down on the pad and went back to the rest of the Wonderbolts. The minutes passed, they didn't find anyone who I recognized from the wreckage and they waited for investigators to arrive on scene. When the investigators arrived, they were also accompanied by the royal chariot with Celestia in the back. Not only I, but also the Wonderbolts were surprised to see Celestia arrive at a crime scene.
The chariot stopped in front of the train and Celestia got out with guards on all sides protecting her. She walked up to us and the Wonderbolts bowed. Celestia dismissed them.
"Celestia, I-I don't know what happened! We were just riding the train one minute and then it was on fire the next! The couldn't find Twilight and the others! I didn't exp-" She stopped me, putting a hoof to my mouth. Her expression wasn't of anger or sadness, but grief. N-No! T-They can't be dead! They just can't! Tears stared to swell up in my eyes and sobs escaped my mouth. I had to look away.
"Maverick," She whispered, "I know you're scared about Twilight and the others but I can assure you that they are not dead." I looked at her, sobbing slightly. "R-Really?" I sobbed. She put on her best comforting smile and nodded. I hugged her. She hugged me back. "Maverick, I need you to do something for me that will be completely classified for any other pony to listen too."
"O-Of course Princess! What is it that you will have me do?" I asked her. She told me that I had to go back to Earth and gather allies in help if we were uncover who or what is under the attacks on Equestria. I agreed and gave her a salute, telling her that I wouldn't let her down. "Glad to hear! Now I understand that it will take some time before you find help for our cause but I believe that it shouldn't be too hard for you." She giggled, adding magic to her horn and allowing a blue warp gate open in the middle of the grassy field. I looked one last time before going into the gate to my home.
Time for me go home and find help. Twilight, I will find you and our friends too.
