CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Twilight was still a little angry at Grojband for sneaking out with three of the camp's foals and almost getting eaten by wolves, but it was hard to stay mad at the four ponies, especially since they might be going home in about twenty-four hours. It was lucky, too, that they hadn't been injured that badly. Twilight had practically put her hoof on Kin's foreleg and it had stopped bleeding.
Of course, the zebras had rushed everypony off to their own clinic anyway, but Twilight had helped as much as she was allowed, and so had Fluttershy. Grojband was good as new and on their way to the feast proposed by the shaman in their honor. "As reckless as they would be, they saved our children from our enemy," Zahan had proclaimed. "So on this night, before they leave, let us honor Grojband with a Warriors' Feast!"
It made Twilight want to roll her eyes and smile.
It also made her feel bad that she couldn't be there. Since the practice ceremony was that evening too, Zamale was overseeing the preparations for the feast, and Zahan, Zecora, and Zuri were back in the hut, placing the finishing touches on whatever they still needed to get done.
Zecora!
Twilight had been so happy to see her again after her purification was complete. "It is just a precaution, but it cannot be missed. I must not bring evil into our midst," the zebra mare had explained.
"Then why didn't we get purified?" Twilight had asked.
Zecora smiled. "You ponies are not Umawe. You were not born here, so there's no way to stray."
Anyway, it had seemed that Zecora was okay with whatever had happened, and she had begun to help her father and niece as if she had never left the camp. Twilight was happy for her, and even thought that she might stay. But she was going to miss her all the same.
The unicorn stepped into Zamale's hut to grab a quill, a scroll, and some ink. She wanted to take some notes on the specifics of the zebras' mirror world spell, if they would let her. Not that I would use it, specifically, she thought, but it's always nice to add a new spell to my library.
Zahan had originally planned to hold the practice ceremony in his hut, but now that the Warrior's Feast was being held for Grojband, it was being moved to a larger building toward the edges of the camp. Twilight had offered to help carry equipment, but it was a lot of work, even with her magic. She set down a tall candle stand and let out a tired breath. "Wow! It's surprising how heavy gold is," she remarked, studying the finish on the candelabra.
"Gold is the lifeblood of my clan. We work it like Earth ponies work the land," Zecora said, placing a bowl filled with herbs on the floor. "True, it is heavy, but precious as well. We shape it with hooves, no magic or spell."
"And how long does that usually take?" Twilight asked.
Zecora smiled. "It depends what you are trying to make."
Zuri ducked through the cotton door-flap and passed Zecora some more sweet-smelling herbs. "Iba says you must speak to him right away."
"Thank you, little Zuri. I will be there in a hurry." Zecora arranged the bundles, then turned to Twilight. "My little pony, get some rest, or tonight you will not be at your best."
Zecora left, and Zuri followed close behind her, leaving Twilight alone to finish with the candles. She took a deep breath and powered up her magic, ready to move the stand again, but something stopped her
Or more correctly, hit her on the head.
Twilight stepped back, releasing her hold on the candelabra, and stared at the tiny scroll that had materialized in front of her. "Spike," she whispered, excitement pulsing through her. Unable to contain herself, the violet mare pounced on the scroll, carefully reading every word of Spike's scrawly writing.
Twilight I don't have much time so youve got to believe me Ive been captured and Trixie made me send you that letter also the one to Princess Celestia was actually her. Shes like crazy powerful or something and wants to take over Equestria. I hope you're okay but if you come home youll be in trouble, the princess actually found that machine in Fluttershys yard and
Gotta go here come Snips and Snails.
Spike
It was awfully smudged, and bit singed around the edges, but seemed very straightforward. There was only one part of it that actually surprised Twilight, and that part was Trixie.
They'd basically decided that Spike had been dragonnapped when they couldn't find him back in Ponyville. And Spike's previous letter had acknowledged the Princess's location of Grojband's destroyed machine. But Trixie was new, not to mention the fact that she had "crazy powerful" magic and was planning to take over Equestria! If only Spike were here, Twilight thought. I could use his help right now.
The threat of Trixie had changed everything. Spike, and all of Equestria, were in danger, and Twilight wasn't about to let that slide by. I know what to do, she thought. But I don't think anypony else will like it.
"Leave them HERE?" Rarity's voice cracked the tiniest bit as she lad a hoof over her heart. "Twilight! How could you propose such a thing? Grojband needs our help to get home!"
"That's the point," Twilight said. "They don't. The zebras are all they need, as long as their mirror world spell works. That's why we'll leave tonight, after the feast and the practice ceremony are over."
"Ah gotta say, it's a pretty solid plan. The only hard part will be keepin' low profiles once we get back across the border," Applejack pointed out, tying her mane and tail off with her usual red bands.
"I like it too," Rainbow Dash said from her overhead cloud perch. "We won't have to worry about Grojband being evil aliens anymore."
"You mean you won't have to worry about them being evil aliens," Rarity scoffed. "I don't think anypony else thought of that when they appeared in Fluttershy's backyard."
Fluttershy coughed. "Either way, I'll feel bad about leaving them here. They still know so little about ponies and, well, they'll be uncomfortable without any friends here."
"They'll have Zamale and Zuri. And they'll be home tomorrow night, providing that the mirror world spell works," Twilight said, packing the books she'd brought into her saddlebags. She was a little apprehensive about leaving Grojband behind too, but she felt that as long as they were in good hooves, they'd be fine until they could get back to their world.
"And THEN, we can save Spike and get rid of Trixie and Equestria will be okay again!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
"And I can take whatever punishment the Princess needs me to take for helping Grojband," Twilight said.
"I wonder why the consequence for harboring otherworlders is so bad, anyway," said Rainbow Dash, punching through her cloud and drifting down next to Fluttershy. "Think she had to deal with something really bad once?"
"I don't know," Twilight admitted. "But I was thinking about that myself."
"So when're you thinkin' of leavin', Twi?" Applejack asked. "Ah want to be ready."
"Late tonight, while Grojband and the zebras are busy at the feast," the unicorn mare said. She drew with a hoof in the dirt as she explained her plan. "Once the practice ceremony is over, I'll come and find you, Applejack, and we'll all regroup by Zamale's hut. From there, we'll run a ways from the camp –" she drew a line "– and I'll teleport us as close as I can to Las Pegasus."
"Why couldn't you have teleported us on the way here?" Rarity asked. "My hooves were killing me after that run."
"Because there were eleven of us, plus Zecora's cart," Twilight replied, distracted. "I wouldn't have been able to move at all after that. Anyway, we'll sneak back into Equestria and get some rest, after which I'll teleport us back to Ponyville. Once we're there, we'll figure out what to do next."
"Sounds good," Rainbow Dash said, stretching a wing. "I'm gonna go pack."
"Me too," said Applejack.
"Me three!" said Pinkie, bouncing into Zamale's hut after them.
"I don't know, Twilight," Fluttershy murmured, twiddling her hooves. "It just feels wrong to leave them here alone."
Twilight sighed. "I know," she said. "But I think Equestria needs us right now. The Elements of Harmony aren't there to protect it, and they should be."
There was a long pause. Rarity and Fluttershy shared a look. "…Okay," the yellow Pegasus finally said. "As long as Grojband will be all right."
Rarity primped at her mane with a hooficured foreleg. "I suppose we've grown a bit attached to them."
Some of us more than others, Twilight thought as she looked at the white unicorn. "I'll write the band a note before we leave, explaining that – well – that something came up," she said, pulling one of her ink bottles back out of the saddlebag. "I'm sure they'll understand."
"Yes, well," Rarity said, standing and heading toward the hut as well. "I certainly hope so."
"This one is humming, Iba," Zuri whispered, her eyes closed. The hut was dark, and Twilight wasn't sure exactly what they were talking about, but it all felt very mystical and magical and she didn't doubt that something extraordinary was going to happen.
"When you touch it, Zuri, tell me, what do you see?" asked Zahan. His eyes were closed as well.
Zecora had explained a little bit to Twilight how zebras were closely connected with nature and could, at certain times, what she had referred to as the "skin of the world." I suppose they can see the skins of other worlds, too, Twilight thought, like seeing a star from far away. It's distant, but it's still there.
"I don't know," the zebra filly said. "They stand on two legs, and have a very small muzzle, and fur only on top of their heads. And they are wearing clothes."
Twilight remembered that Corey had mentioned wearing clothes all the time, probably while they were on the train.
"Look deeper into the world, and you will see its secrets unfurled. Is there an imprint on this land that could possibly have been made by Grojband?" Zecora asked.
"Yes," Zuri breathed.
"We will not force the connection all the way, for that would threaten the humming away." Zahan opened his eyes and nodded at Zecora. "Like a one-way mirror, only we will see what the secrets that hide in this world may be."
Twilight watched in awe as Zecora set a few leaves into a smoking bowl. The tiny hut was full of sweet smells and candlewax, making the ceremony seem even more powerful than it already was. Then, without warning, Zuri began to sing.
The words were Umawe, so Twilight couldn't understand them, but the tune was hauntingly beautiful. After a few seconds, she could also hear the undertone of another song entirely, one that seemed to emanate from a space right in the center of the room. A black circle began to expand from nothing, rippling like water before gaining color and showing a picture of the world beyond. Whoever opened the other portal must have not known how to do it right, Twilight thought. It was only black, and much smaller than this.
In the circle, four creatures, probably humans, stood on a small stage and played different types of instruments. Twilight recognized a keyboard, a guitar, and drumset in the humans' oddly-shaped appendages, which looked more like Spike's claws than a pony's hooves. They were very good, and soon Twilight was listening to their song more than Zuri's.
"Keep going, guys!" one of them called. It sounded like a mare, but Twilight couldn't be sure. "Back to the chorus!"
"We're gonna beat Grojband for sure!" another called out, this one possibly a colt. Twilight's face broke out in a smile. These creatures didn't sound very nice, but at least this was definitely Grojband's home world, and now she could be sure that they'd get back safely.
After another minute, the other band's song ended, and their image slowly began to fade. Zuri stopped singing too, and within seconds, the portal had simply winked out of sight, as if it had never existed. Song must be how they keep it open, Twilight thought.
"Twilight Sparkle, are you satisfied? In this ceremony we take pride. You have seen what few zebras can claim to have seen," Zahan said softly. "Grojband's return will be quite clean."
"I believe you!" Twilight said, getting to her hooves. "Thank you so much for doing this for them. They – we – really appreciate it."
"We must clean up and prepare for when, tomorrow, we must do this again," Zecora said, scooping another bundle of herbs into a bowl.
Twilight pretended to stifle a yawn. "Actually, I got up kind of early to help Corey and Laney with their magic," she said, "and I carried a lot of these candlesticks earlier. I'm pretty tired. Would you mind if I hit the hay a little bit early?"
"Not at all, Twilight. You have helped us enough tonight." Smiling, Zecora handed the unicorn her saddlebag. "I am sorry you missed the feast to celebrate Grojband's defeat of the beasts."
"That's quite all right," Twilight said gratefully. "I'm just glad I got to see you do this." And sorry I won't see the band again. Perfect timing to have second thoughts. Sliding the bags onto her back, Twilight gave the zebra a hug. "Thank you all, again."
Then, to prevent an awkwardly early goodbye, at least in the zebras' eyes, she ducked under the doorway and galloped off toward the edge of the bonfire clearing.
Trixie scribbled with a quill on a thick piece of parchment headed List of Enemies to Annihilate When I Rule Equestria. Trina and Mina had gone into Ponyville to collect information, and though it was basically just to keep them occupied so they wouldn't screw up Trixie's plans, it might also prove useful if anypony knew anything about Twilight Sparkle's abrupt departure. Trixie wanted to be ready when the violet mare returned to Equestria.
Of course she knew all about the excuse for a letter Spike had written. If she hadn't wanted him to alert his mistress to the threat, she wouldn't have made it so easy for him to get his claws on some parchment and ink. Oh, no.
Trixie wanted Twilight Sparkle back in Equestria. And she had plans for what happened when she returned.
"Trixie!" Trina's voice sounded from nearby. "We're back!"
The blue mare set down her quill. She'd finally started to get used to controlling her newfound power. "Excellent. And what have you learned?"
"Some little kids – I mean, fillies – told me that Twilight Sparkle and some other ponies disappeared the same day as a zebra named Zecora. Looks like they might have headed toward zebra territory," Trina said, tossing her mane. Behind her, Mina nodded her head like a bobblehead doll.
"And you? What did you find out?" Trixie asked, pointing a hoof imperiously at Mina.
Mina blushed horribly. "Um, well, um.." she squeaked. She seemed very uncomfortable with what she had to say. "Someone else told me that…four new ponies in town went with them.
Trixie nodded. "And?"
Mina gulped, looking obviously anywhere but at Trina. "They were calling themselves Grojband."
Hello, readers! We got you another chapter on time! *yay*
If you like our stories, and you haven't already, please go and check out Twi's poll on our profile!
We've only had one voter so far, so we want more opinions on what a good story would be.
We'll try our best to get a chapter up next week.
See you then!