“You’re welcome.” Fluttershy smiled at her, “Now, hold still. Applejack, can I have a hoof please?”
“Uhh…” Applejack glanced at Twilight and Dash, both of whom nodded, though one did not look too happy while the other looked unsure. Then she cantered forward, moving to Fluttershy’s side. “What’dya need?”
“Just a little strength.” Fluttershy replied directing Applejack to the right places to hold the joint. The orange earth pony followed her lead, full aware that Fluttershy had nursed birds that had dislocated their wings before and sure this would not be much different. “Now, ready?” She asked the injured pegasus, who looked worried.
“Ready for wha…ahh!” Nightnigale cried out in pain as the surprisingly strong but timid pony, with Applejack’s assistance reset the dislocated limb and leaned against Applejack for a few moments to prevent her legs buckling as the earth pony let go. “Hay and horsefeathers!” Nighingale gasped as she pulled herself together.
“Sorry.” Fluttershy actually looked embarrassed as she checked the appendage was back in place properly and that it could extend correctly again, “But I don’t have anything to dull the pain with me. My medicines are back at my cottage.”
“Th...That’s fine.” Nightingale shook her head as she let Fluttershy check her wing and noting that while it hurt, it was nowhere near as bad as the pain she had been in while the joint had been out of place. “Thank you for what you’ve done. I owe you one.”
With that she took off, leaving the party from Ponyville behind. Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh as she watched Nightingale lift off and vanish out of sight above the trees they had just come through. Then she turned to the Alicorn their friend had become, expecting to have to talk her down still. That turned out to be unnecessary. The mare before her seemed confused but much calmer than the pegasus would have expected of her.
The pale yellow filly considered the Princess before her carefully. She did not look exactly the same as their friend. Her coat was a couple of shades darker for a start and the wings were a new addition, though Fluttershy could not help but internally wince when she saw them, for as little as she like flying she could not help but remember the horror stories of pegasi who had gone crazy because they had been grounded by such injuries. It was the eyes more than anything that indicated to Fluttershy that this Twilight and the ‘normal’ one were not the same. She had to pay close attention to her animals if she wanted to work out what was wrong with them, since none of them could talk and the eyes were normally the best way to read an animal’s true mood.
The normal Twilight’s eyes were wide and bright with curiousity and, most importantly, purple. While the Alicorn’s were narrowed with suspicion and if she was reading them right, a little fear, though what such a powerful pony was frightened of was beyond Fluttershy and red, very red, like the rubies that Rarity had dug up the other day for one of her fabulous jewellery pieces.
She did not get a chance to ask though as the puzzle flashed and suddenly it was Twilight Sparkle she was looking at, though she seemed confused for a few moments, as if trying to regain her bearings. Then the unicorn spotted Dash was on her feet and a huge smile crossed her features and relief shone through.
“You’re okay?” Twilight asked as she cantered over to Rainbow’s side and looked her over, as if needing to check she was okay for herself. The pale blue, rather soggy pegasus let out a slightly shaky laugh and nodded.
“Yeah, takes more than a little water to keep me down.” She looked a little less confident then she sounded, but it was enough for Twilight for now. “At least we know you can transform without passing out.”
The unicorn tried not to frown at that. She had guessed that she had changed form somehow again, but once again she could not remember it. She did not say anything though, the others had enough in their minds without worrying about her. It was quite plausible that the stress of the transformation was why her mind blocked out what happened while she was an Alicorn, but she needed to find a way around it. That was something she did not have time to work on now, though, not while they were in the middle of Nightmare Moon’s ‘game.’
“You sure you’re alright to carry on?” Twilight pressed, concerned for the pegasus only to get a scornful look in return.
“I’d better be, there’s no going back, remember?” Rainbow reminded her, “We’re trapped until we win. Besides, I think I saw a path that will take us straight to the castle while I was outstripping those pegasi.”
That caused a cheer amongst Rainbow’s friends. They were all getting tired, having stayed up all night and been busy preparing the previous day and there was not one amongst them that did not hope to get this finished soon and get back to civilisation and their nice warm beds soon.
“Lead the way, Rainbow.” Twilight told her, causing the pale blue pegasus to salute her with a cheeky grin before she lifted off, clearly favouring one side as she went. Applejack and Twilight shared a worried glance as Rainbow started gliding in the direction that they needed to go but neither said a word in order to prevent the others becoming concerned. Instead they followed Rainbow as she flew overhead.
The path the filly took sent them up a narrow cliff path and more than once they had to watch their footing as the edge crumbled away to reveal a rather nasty drop. Not for the first time did Twilight envy the pegusi their wings as Fluttershy took to the skies the first time she nearly slipped and stayed there and Rainbow Dash stayed above and kept guiding them forward.
She was not the only one who wished she had wings, Applejack admitted about halfway up the cliff face, looking a bit nervous as she peered over the edge into the mist below that was a strange mix of the black and purple of the Shadows and the white of pure, natural fog. “Not that I mind heights.” The orange earth pony explained as they climbed, even Pinkie being careful as they went, “But I prefer ma feet on the ground, or at leas’ on somethin’ solid, yer know?”
Twilight did know and she nodded her agreement as Rarity piped up, “This isn’t my idea of fun either, darling.” She added, nerves clear in her tone, “Why build a castle out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“It’s been ‘bout a thousan’ years since it were used, right, Twilight?” Applejack asked, startling Twilight who had not thought the others had been paying that much attention to what she had been saying on their way through the first part of the forest. She nodded and the earth filly turned back to the white unicorn, “So its probably overgrown by now. Bet it were something special when the Princesses were ‘ere.”
“Wouldn’t envy the gardeners though.” Twilight muttered. She did not realise that she had been speaking out loud until she heard Fluttershy giggle and Rarity snigger in a rather unladylike fashion. She blushed, embarrassed, but none of the others seemed to mind. Instead it lifted the mood a little as they traversed the dangerous terrain.
About halfway up the path, Rarity thought to ask a question that no one else had dared, “Twilight, dear?” She asked, her tone hesitant, “Are you really an Alicorn or a unicorn?”
“Unicorn.” Twilight told her firmly, certain of that fact. She had been a unicorn her entire life and she had never heard of any pony doing what she could do and change themselves into an Alicorn and back again. There had not been anything in her books that had suggested that it was even possible to do the change once, yet alone twice. “I was born a unicorn but I think...” She bit her lip, trying to work out how to explain her theory to the others without sounding quite mad.
“Is it your pendant?” Pinkie asked without preramble. The pink earth pony was as blunt as ever and Twilight welcomed it as it meant someone elsehad brought up the theory that it was something to do with the ancient artefact she was wearing. “Cause it flashes every time you change or get really mad or upset.”
“I think so.” Twilight nodded, “I only finished it last night, so I don’t know everything it does, but it’s quite possible. Especially when you consider the legends around it.”
“Legends?” Fluttershy asked nervously, having been keeping close enough to hear every word.
That led Twilight into explaining all the stories that dam-sire had told her, though she tried to stick to the better ones. She was really getting into one of them when Rainbow yelled down, “Watch out!” and they heard the cry of a huge bird.
The group on the cliff did not get a chance to react before the source of the call was on them, raking the path with its humongous great talons. They were lucky in one respect. The huge blue feathered creature was too big to grab any of them properly, but they were still swept in different directions as they were knocked about.
Twilight let out a startled and horrified cry as her back legs left the relatively solid floor behind and she slid down the cliff face a few feet, leaving her on her own on the ledge below her friends and unable to see them for the thick fog.
“Dun worry Twi,” Applejack called down to her, “We’re comin’ to get ya.”
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