How could a word such as war last on the face of spring, a reality of parks and fields full of fillies idling in the warmth by every passing day, each one of them an accomplishment, an enjoyment equal to growing leaves. As market came, stalls and carts open attracted attention and all would travel through shops to meet before, a second time, war was announced to them. She heard, like everypony else, the mayor's discourse, the discussions that followed on this endless rumour. Her basket still in the mouth napkin over her purchases she turned around to gain the library, entered the room where Spike pointed the stairs to her. Twilight was in her room, behind her ajar door she was still rereading the Princess's answer to her report. "Fluttershy!" In surprise, as the shy pegasus came to tell her about the word of the street. War, yet all they could say was that it would turn out alright, and not after two minutes both were talking about the weather, genuinely. They felt so ridiculous to have even cared about that news that when she left Fluttershy didn't notice she forgot her basket.
Clouds were packed over the town, on to the edge of the Everfree Forest. Their shadows by the evening were thin on the ground, their touch fresh the moment they covered bridges or public places, tables of a restaurant before their puffy form was moved further on the night. At the cottage curled in her bed the mare was pressing the blanket in her hooves, and morning come she wouldn't get up. On the open window's edge a few birds had gathered, nearer to the bed a few of her pets as the others were spread on the stair steps. She was awake, making apologizes for not taking care of them but she didn't feel well. Rolling again even deeper in the blanket she admitted, how every of her friend was troubled, and she couldn't do anything to help. Angel, having heard enough, had jumped on her and kept jumping to dislodge the whining pony, yet she could only shy in a voice so weak that it made her bunny stop.
So he leaped away from the bed, ran to the stair then came back with a mirror, placed it at a precise angle so that it would reflect what was by the window. "Is there something wrong with my mane?" She gasped, trying to see herself in the glass before she noticed in the reflection the empty sky. Not a cloud to be seen, behind the birds it was so clean that she had to make sure she was seeing right, tended her neck then followed the mirror as it drew back, leg by leg, until she had fully got up. It was a relief and pets straggled, making her realize it was only a mirror so she turned to the actual outside. Her smooth mane contrasted, soft pink to the half dark of morning, a colour of wonder in her eyes. She gasped again, it was so empty, she had to say it out loud. Her wings had opened a bit, quickly closed when Angel leaping on the window's edge tapped her cheek then showed her she had to move. She nodded, shining again, she kept talking about what she had to do as he pushed her to the stairs, then to the door and looked her amble by the soil path, her eyes searching for any figure in the sky.
By the time she reached the bridges of Ponyville daylight would not have yet grown, a few windows open were the only sign of ponies awake. She crossed the main place once to a street where she thought to have heard somepony, disappointed, she crossed the main place twice and found a filly and a colt to ask if they saw Rainbow Dash. "Mh mh!" And they pointed to her the City Hall, so she returned to the main place for a third time and looked around. Her short tempered friend was there, blue on the blue sky, circling on the tiles of the main building.
"Rainbow..." Fluttershy yelled, without getting any attention. "Rainbow Dash." It was in vain, yet suddenly the mare noticed her and jolted.
"Oh! It's you Fluttershy!" She took a quick glance around.
"Are you okay?" Then: "Shouldn't there be rain today? Should I help?"
It was a yes, or a no, or she didn't know what to answer. Dash had resumed circling on the roof, turning to her only for emphasis, an exclamation after every of her thoughts. Forget rain! There was a war and all she could do was watch it unfold passively. She couldn't take it, she would not let it happen. Her timid friend tried to comfort her, that it would be okay. "No it won't!" A sudden burst making her circle faster, so stressed that she found herself on the very tip of the city hall. What there was, Rarity feared for her dresses, Pinkie Pie had to cancel a party and now Big Mac had to leave, there were a million things that weren't "okay".
Fluttershy couldn't answer, troubled, she decided to join her. She left the ground flapping a bit in a few hesitating hops, landed on the edge of the roof. It was steep, touching the tiles she slipped, lost balance but Dash was there to catch her.
"Also..." she said while assuring her steps on the roof "Twilight won't come out anymore."
"That pony!" And immediately she returned to her nervous trotting. There weren't more than three passer-by on the place, the town so calm was more and more colourful on the rising sun. From their higher position they had an excellent view on Twilight's library, the window closed at its balcony. The brave pegasus halted, looking in that direction as a shadow passed on her face. She pawed the tiles nervously, like a little foal foiled by events.
"The way she acts! She doesn't care about all this one bit!"
"Actually… I, um, I think she feels guilty..."
It took Dash a couple seconds to react, baffled, so obvious through the thrill in her wild rainbow mane how: "But that's nonsense!" Were expressing her eyes, and her tail, and every fibber of her body. The balcony with morning come had lost its bright candle light, yet it was still possible to distinguish under the obscurity of branches the exhausted flame tremble. She lost herself again looking at it and Fluttershy, joining her on that tiny spot of the roof, watched with her, but all she saw was thatch and leaves.
"You know what?" The young pegasus felt so happy to hear her friend confident again. "Nothing is set yet! We're going to wake up Twilight!"
Her wings already deployed, one blow and the mare was away, almost at the library; then she flew back and maintained herself in the air before her friend. "I said we." Fluttershy was a bit intimidated by the height, on the edge of the roof she closed her eyes and managed to take off. Their slower pace let their shadows long on the pavement, side by side up to the large tree with its remnants of the night. Dash had dashed up while her shy friend had descended to the entrance, separated they both searched each other by all the branches until their path met at the balcony's height. Behind the glass on a night table was the tiny candle giving all of the room's light. Nopony in bed but they noticed movement further in the room, where the first rays of light would project and warm the air.
Muzzle on the window Rainbow Dash was gazing at the lavender pony holding a brush by magic, a glow at the handle and she was humming a tone while smoothing her short mane, at the end by the crest in long hanging movements like a massage. Twilight had already done the same with her tail, neatly brushed and radiant at the rising sun. A hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder Rainbow was begging for an explanation, when their common friend let a chuckle battle her dark mane. Part of her face was visible, eyelashes properly done and makeup on her lids, shining. Around her were bottles of different kinds, of cold colours. There were no book in the room, not even a sheet of paper, only the clean floor before clean walls free from any grain of dust. She kept singing even as the shy pony opened the window, letting her friend fall forwards behind the bed.
"T… Twilight?" The mare made a few steps inside, still hesitant.
Her voice made Twilight gasp, up so quick she hustled the bottles around her. In the room was the scent of perfumes stagnant, so strong that they had to breathe loudly before fresh air from the open window would weaken it.
Their friend was nervous: "Fluttershy! What brings you here? In my room…"
"Why you!" The furious voice shouted from behind the bed. Dash got back on her legs: "This is no time to play the little princess!"
"You too Rainbow Dash? What's going on? What are you doing in the middle of… oh. It's morning."
"Wait!" And with a prosecuting hoof: "You haven't slept!" She didn't either.
It felt like a quarrel, with the fierce pegasus irritated even as their friend would get more and more on the defensive. Between the two was the timid mare unsure of what she could do. She had noticed Spike's basket was empty, so that was her first genuine question. He had left to avoid the strong scent, she recollected, or there was something about Rarity's dresses. Dash interrupted, quick to charge she jumped in front of the purple unicorn: there was a war, "what are you going to do about that?" In a sudden, bitter tone Twilight answered she would just stay here and wait, her question enough to exasperate the sky blue pegasus.
Of course she did care. It was her fault to begin with, muzzle down she could only admit it. Princess Celestia had tried to comfort her, still she felt she had failed her. "But it's not all…" Fluttershy reacted, walking to her. She insisted, why she wouldn't go out and meet her friends. To that question she simply sighed, eyes closed, no answer but her sad expression as she returned to her brush and ribbons.
"Now listen Twilight!" Dash was all spirited. "You're not the only one feeling guilty here!"
"You? Why would you-"
"I never said that!" A sudden burst. "I'm telling you to let it go and help me get things right! And I won't take no for an answer!"
With that speech she had impressed her pegasus friend who had stepped aside. The quiet mare decided, however, to add that she too felt bad for what was happening. Her friends were unhappy, and she actually forced herself to go on, even as all she wanted was to hide. It was up to them, so she smiled to Twilight, and couldn't help but add a compliment for her brushed mane.
A quick gust blew the candle flame, ending the last trace of the night. Beams of light had filled the room, clear, joyful. She looked at both of her friends, then at the window, before she shook her head. "No." As much as she wanted, she felt she couldn't. That let Rainbow Dash without any resource but to long all feelings inside her silent. "Okay", she said, if both of them were not enough she would convince all of the others to come and reason with her. She pushed Fluttershy to the window, pressed to go now yet with a last glance at Twilight, she promised she would be back soon, they would all be. The mare followed them to the balcony, repeating how she was sorry when she noticed the fresh air and empty sky. "Shouldn't there be rain?" Both pegasi were already flying away.
As they were going over Ponyville, houses opening and a few inhabitants in the streets looked at their passage, Dash was looping to stay with her friend. The Carousel was suddenly far lost at the edge of the town with its flag dominating the pink colours, asleep, yet with its floor of glass it looked like a lighthouse for the town. Their destination an eternity away defied the mare's pride, making her push and pull the yellow pegasus with her to hurry. Then both noticed the banderols attached from roof to roof across the pavement, spangles on the thatch stocked in baskets and pink tapes unrolled everywhere. It was going on further, along the roads up to the festive pony with her large wagon full of decorations. They quickly landed behind and gained on her.
"Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash shouted as they were side by side. Said mare tried to answer but a paper streamer on her lips whistled instead. Her fluffy mane couldn't hide the sweat, yet she would ginger up pulling her heavy load as if it was nothing. It wasn't strength but pure will and the yellow mare in admiration, even when she asked what was happening, couldn't help but want to be supportive. Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. To her the answer was obvious: "I'm preparing a party!"
"That's ridiculous! Didn't you have to cancel one just yesterday?"
"Exactly!" Because exactly. "I was there saying to Gummy how all the ponies I had invited couldn't come, and I had invited all of Ponyville! So I decided to do the most logical thing: bring the party to all of Ponyville!"
The blue pony in a blue mood: "Pinkie… I don't even know where to begin."
She could begin by placing sugar flowers at the border of the pavement answered the pink pony just as she had hopped in her wagon to extirpate her goods. Just following her was hard, constantly on the move she was deploying her large banderols then immediately switch to lay down letters in front of ponies's doors. Behind her followed Dash trying to talk her out of this, that there were far more important things to do, her curiosity poked by those letters but she snapped out of it, turned and told Fluttershy to stop placing those flowers. She said sorry, still, she placed the last one before coming back.
"Fluttershy do something! I can't even get Pinkie to hear me!"
So the timid mare went on: "I don't want to interrupt… but… uhm… maybe it's not a good idea."
"Not a good idea?" Pinkie asked while hanging upside-down on a pole. "How couldn't it be a good idea?"
"Well… I think… just… I think ponies want to be left alone right now… because of all those who left…"
Many ponies had departed to war, so she insisted, she touched Pinkie's foreleg and her pleading eyes told the mare: "That's silly!" Pinkie rejoiced, and kept taking ornaments out of the wagon. The street they were in was now fully set, a very festive atmosphere lacking only music and ponies. Fluttershy tried to intervene but: "Here! It's for you!" And she had a pink letter in her mouth, with her name written on it, closed by a cute heart. With that done Pinkie Pie pulled the wagon again in direction of the next houses. A voice mounted behind them, one of the resident ponies seemingly angry coming at them. Seeing that, Rainbow Dash decided to let their friend handle it and to go see Rarity. The shy protest she got wasn't enough to stop her, soon they were in the air watching the mare behind them go meet the angry pony. She would be fine, promised Dash, and they had to concentrate.
Passed the bridges grass greeted them pearling of dew under the sunny morning, pastels of tents fragrant around the Carousel boutique. This part of the town was still asleep, a silence birds would break with their singing when the pegasi approached. A knock at the door provoked no answer, the blue mare impatient knocked again then looked by the round windows, an inside as quiet as empty. She proposed to get in, immediately rejected by her friend, a brief discussion before the tapping of hooves would make them turn to the door. The filly opened, Sweetie Belle still yawning, her cushion held between her teeth. The young pony, coat as white as snow, explained in her little voice that she was alone. Her sister had decided to sleep all night in the panic room behind their home.
That was kind of a surprise so she accepted to lead them there, leaving her cushion behind she ambled before them around the building, to a cork of metal emerging from the ground. Spike was there rolled in a black cover, on his eyelids a deep dream. They rushed to him, waking him up, both asked a flow of questions until the dragon calmed them down. He scratched his scales, stretched then greeted Sweetie Belle before the filly left.
"Rarity asked me to help her with her dresses, that's all."
Or a little less than all, as they pressed him he confessed he just wanted to get away from Twilight's newfound passion for fashion. It was Rarity who gave her the bottles of perfume so he decided to go there to complain. At that point he found easier to just let them see by themselves so they watched him open the mass of metal then leap inside. All followed right into it quickly hitting the basement where they fell on each other, the two mares discovered a low room full of dresses, robes and attires displayed on their models tightly. They heard a whimpering, the air too dry for her skin, Spike had already begun to fan the precious unicorn. She saw her visitors, got up from the sofa and on a thick carpet, asked for a mirror, her mane still as lofty despite her rough night.
Fluttershy was first to join the unicorn, a bit scared by this burrow where glowing powder was the only light. "How can you sleep here?" She couldn't, Rarity stated, yet she couldn't sleep knowing her finest pieces were there, so she sacrificed her well-being to make sure nothing would damage them. The baby dragon behind her, offering a glass of grape juice, simply looked at the pegasi, not a word needed to say what he thought of it. They let her begin her toilet, her horn glowing with multiple skewers, tweezers and combs flying around her.
"Well, I had to do something, with that war and all! I couldn't just wait and risk the integrity of the most important, most precious treasures of all of Ponyville!"
A frown from Rainbow Dash: "And that would be… your dresses?"
"You agree don't you? When I heard wars were messy, I couldn't hold the thought of my creations being damaged, or worse!" She gasped. "Burnt into ashes!"
Following those words she almost felt unconscious, so moved that it moved shy Fluttershy into inquiring if those dresses would really be safe, and they began discussing it just as the fierce pegasus would smack her cheek.
"Enough!" She let go. "Rarity! You must follow us so that we convince Twilight to help end this war!"
"Uh?" Spike halted with the mirror in balance in his paws. "The princess is already on this. What do you expect Twi' to do? Replace Celestia?"
"Just! Just somepony listen to me!"
But Rarity wouldn't. She had just begun taking care of her face, let alone her coat. The white pure unicorn rejected any of Rainbow's objections as foals' play; even under the glowing powder she was a rare pearl, she would not depart and let the Carousel in danger. It wasn't about dresses anymore, yet fierce, Dash couldn't care less. They didn't notice Fluttershy returning to the sunlight where the cork of metal was open, to read Pinkie's letter. She expressed surprise, then sadness, then a frail smile wouldn't leave her until the very last word where she felt the entire day had illuminated, because it had, the sun still low strengthening its rays on her. A last note asked her if her pets would help with spangles, a detail even stronger than any other word she had read.
She turned to the two friends arguing, to the two of them she asserted they had to leave. Her behaviour was enough to convince both of them to stop and Rainbow Dash, disappointed, came back to her asking what was going on this time. The letter was still outside of the pink envelope, very few words written on a lone sheet of light paper. "Wait" the dragon told them, and looking at the pony busy with her makeup he added he would meet them back at Twilight's library, in the meantime he would try to convince Rarity to come.
Once outside both ponies didn't know if they had to close the entrance, as they hesitated the blue pegasus asked again what the rush was. It was wrong, the other said, to try and force people to make things they don't want to do. She blushed, because her explanation was really weak, yet it was her very thought. "But that is not what Pinkie Pie is trying to do." She had to go back and help her, because she said while hiding a bit in her long smooth mane, it was the best way to help everypony she knew. "You're giving up?" Her friend concluded, shocked, and the shy mare would try to defend but stopped short. She was sorry.
A moment still Dash would gaze as her friend flew away, then she grumbled determined something like fine, the farm stood out on top of its hill buildings of wood red on the blaze of light. From the pit came the distressed voice of the unicorn pale for her dresses, a sigh before the sky blue mare departed. She took her flight up far in the empty sky, speed fast to let the Carousel way behind, not a look backwards. Was it the sun, a rumour from Ponyville revealed how the town now would really awaken, a couple pegasi leaping over it for sole activity she could notice. At the high altitude she broke her ascent to plunge straight into Sweet Apple Acres, she would see the roofs growing and discern the sheaves of hay, barriers and animals, near the barn a hat then a pony then the mane and tail like straw darkened by the pegasus's shadow.
"Applejack!" She burst close to her, wind harsh. "Listen! There is a war and you must help me stop it!"
"Okay."
"What? Finally!" And a bit tired: "I thought I would never get to hear this!"
The earth pony put down her bags of seeds, a bending to let them side from the back so she had to kneel a bit, then she fixed her hat that the gusts had displaced. Her smile was mild, tainted by her strong determination. "I'm all ears, what ya need me to do?" Both would be near to compete as the more confident, grins unleashed the more it went, until Dash cut to say they were to see Twilight. So, no plan. The sight Applejack gave to her friend was sharp, she turned, lifted her bags and went on to the fields, quickly followed.
It almost turned to dispute as they travelled on the soil, body tense for the mare who stopped to stretch her hind legs and tap the ground. There were all of the cultures to take care of, including the renewed orchards, one mare for the whole work and that there would be no rain today, hissed the pony, didn't help one bit. Hard enough so she didn't need a rash pegasus and her foalish ideas. Their tone had strengthened, leaving the seeds a second time she snapped and answered Dash's accusations: of course she cared! "Then tell it to Twilight!" Her coolness on the loose as she answered.
"I would leave Twi' out of this…" And the mare, her straw mane upset, kept ambling.
"Are you kidding? She needs to help-"
"Listen!" Her amble faster. "That mare's kinda' unpopular right now! Lots of ponies not too happy 'bout her causing a war and all!"
The flying mare would dash around in agitation: "But it's not her fault! It's not!"
"Well maybe, 'tis not important! The feeling is there, with relations sent to fight!" She puffed, took a sadder tone. "I ain't saying it's fair, but she sure could use to stay put and stay home."
The very next instant Rainbow Dash was in front of her, her four legs braced on the ground. Whatever feeling she had had been blown by calm, a grave expression. She wouldn't let her friend make one more step.
"Move aside, Rainbow!"
"And let you turn your back to me, Twilight, your friends and all of Ponyville? Make me."
Both had let words behind, a stand still as they faced their tension corralling them deepened every of their traits, Applejack let her foreleg knock the ground a couple times but stopped short of a step. A current of air was moving her mane on the forefront, her coat like grain, she closed to Dash's sight their eyes thin piercing at each other. Shadows had darkened their faces, just as they would breathe louder another shadow passed, leaving them with curiosity. The stubborn mare was first to look up in the sky, "would you look at that!" Over them a few pegasi were scrambling with new clouds, flying in a hurry to assemble them over the town while more would take off to join them.
The two friends were now side by side watching the flocks of puffy white clouds get gathered. Only the brave pegasus didn't smile but scratched the soil weary of her situation. She decided to repeat, for Applejack to come, convince their unicorn friend and all of the others, and then, she stumbled on her thoughts, then they would just try, at least try. To that Applejack wouldn't answer immediately, after a pause she nodded with her most sincere expression: "You win. I'll give it a try." She then observed Dash loop of joy before her, quietly, seeing that it would last she let go a sigh of relief and went on with preparations. Moments later all would be set, the mare came back to her ecstatic friend followed by her little sister Applebloom. The filly, her ribbon tied in haste, despite being worried only showed support. She greeted Dash then promised to take care of everything while they would be away.
Even after they had crossed the gate in direction of Ponyville both trotting on the path the fierce pegasi could hardly hold on the ground, she would gloat how great things would turn out while her friend simply went with her mild smile, just answering a word of two. Between them was the memory of when Applejack had remade the ribbon's tie for her talking sister, tightening it with her teeth as they spoke. The filly had followed to the gate, then returned to the farm. Until the slope would hide the fence, she had resisted the urge to look back, a quick glance over her shoulder that made her confident.
The first houses of the town, a bit alone, looked quiet in contrast with the pink decorations floating everywhere else. As they passed a few animal bounced in front of them, one bunny stopping under Dahs's hooves, a chewed sugar flower in its hands. Further ahead ponies were out, not much, enough however to put the last touch to their streets. They were absorbed by the task, hardly noticing the two mares as they crossed their work quite surprised. It felt forced at times, a stallion slow to throw his tapes or a filly a bit lost while carrying balloons. Nonetheless, it was festive, chasing spangle from their coats they would look everywhere, then felt their legs lighter.
Twilight's library was the only place left untouched, the tree still old at a distance of all those playful colours. The purple unicorn was there, outside in front of her door and still unsure, she was looking all the more natural. With her were all the others, Pinkie Pie rushing from them to every passing pony to help the preparations was making jumps so high they were stunning. As they approached, her reserves gone the shy pegasus came to them so relieved to see both of them.
"I told you we would all be back!" Rainbow Dash said defiantly, to Fluttershy then to her friend, her friends. "What about that!"
"I'm still not going" replied Rarity with a push on her precious mane. "As much as I would love to, I'm bound to my dresses! Oh, and Pinkie Pie must stay too."
It left the pegasus speechless, so Applejack followed in a smirk:
"It's the best deal ya'll get! Right, Twilight?"
All the ponies more or less gathered around her, with the fluffy mane bouncing around them, to hear her answer. The unicorn did blush and it could be felt, as she balanced, the spark in her eyes. She nodded in a scene of celebrations, and when she could get a moment Twilight added, they would just go to princess Celestia and ask if they could help. "And insist!" Dash then added. But even as she agreed her blushing friend would avoid Applejack eyes. They could depart on the spot, all four and Spike, the baby dragon not too unhappy that they finally acknowledged his presence.
That's when Rarity interrupted: "I'm not sure how to phrase that, but... Twilight, would you be so kind as to leave Spike with us?"
Quickly all agreed that what Spike understood, his face melted by passion, was not what the pure unicorn meant. She wanted for her friends to stay in contact, and so they needed Spike to share letters. Given poking the dragon couldn't get any reaction out of him, they concluded he would agree so the mare accepted.
During this exchange Pinkie had returned to organizing the party, her jumps in and out of the groups so Fluttershy remembered, the shy mare gave two letters to each of the last arrived friends. There was no need to open them yet, because all it said was already said somehow, still they had their envelope on them. That's when Rainbow Dash would notice, the purple unicorn too had opened hers and a wonder let her idle as the others made last preparations for the trip, so she quickly snapped out of it. The day was there finally plain and bright, and war was no more a fatality.