The morning came quickly, morning light casting itself over the house that the six resided in. As if a bundle of heavy weights had been stuck on them all night, Sour, Sweet and Acidic were unmoving when Duskfall and Soundwave went downstairs to wake the other four up. Cluttered, who shuffled a bit, ended up being lifted over the three sleeping bodies by Duskfall, as he used his magic to quickly save Cluttered from slamming into Acidic. After being placed down on Duskfall and Soundwave’s side of the room, the three trotted quietly to the kitchen. “They’re out like lights… Must not have gotten a good nights rest in ages” Soundwave commented to himself as he heard the black kettle they had bubbling in the background. Duskfall grabbed three cups from the cupboard next to their oven, and Soundwave sat down next to Cluttered; yawning to himself.
“Could you do us up some cereal Dusky?” Soundwave yawned to himself again as he looked at Duskfall. Without looking at him, he used his magic to grab a bowl and then to open the fridge to begin assembling a bowl of cereal as Soundwave asked for. His mind, however, was elsewhere. He was exhaustingly worried about the possible outcomes of the day ahead of them. He knew that he’d have Soundwave, his brother Dawnrise, and the other three but he couldn’t find a good ending for the meeting that had to happen. In his deep thought, he ended up accidentally spilling hot water all over the counter-top he was preparing the morning hot drinks on. He opted for black coffee himself, but for as long as he had known Soundwave, he knew that Soundwave preferred tea in the mornings. Soundwave got up and trotted over to Duskfall as he grabbed a nearby tea towel to clean up the water; which was now dripping off of the counter and onto the floor. “Are you sure you’re ready… For this?” Soundwave asked Duskfall, concern in his voice. “I’m… I’m ready. As I said yesterday, it has to happen” Duskfall replied, still not looking at Soundwave.
Using his magic, Duskfall moved the cups of now hot drinks to the table Cluttered was sat at, serving Cluttered some coffee. Although he made sure Cluttered had a normal coffee. The amount of coffee Duskfall had in his coffee being something he had adjusted himself to for nearly five years. Adding nine spoonful’s of coffee with one white sugar cube dropped in to dissolve once the hot water was added to the coffee powder sitting at the bottom of the cup. Duskfall and Soundwave sat at the table, Soundwave grabbing his bowl of cereal after he put the milk away and the box away that Duskfall had offhandedly grabbed before spilling the hot water. Cluttered looked at Duskfall, then at Soundwave as Soundwave tilted his head in an effort to hint at Cluttered striking up a conversation. Cluttered then spoke, with some excitement to his tone.
“Look on the bright side! You’re leaving this city for a little bit and I’d look forward to looking at the art exhibit there specifically if I was going!” he said, hoping to put a smile on Duskfall’s face. Unfortunately, the smile didn’t come. Although Duskfall seemed to know what Soundwave had just tried getting Cluttered to do. He responded as he sighed, saying “I appreciate trying to lighten the mood, but I don’t think that can happen until the day is over with. Regardless of the outcome” as he began drinking his coffee to wake up. Soundwave and Cluttered looked at eachother as Cluttered, now feeling like he failed to help, simply responded with “I’ll wake the others up then” before trotting off. He didn’t even touch his coffee as he, disheartened, trotted to the front room. Soundwave meanwhile, sat with Duskfall at the table; simply drinking his tea whilst trying and failing to strike up conversation.
When Cluttered made it into the front room, he took a long moment to himself. It was often that he found himself unable to help those around him. He didn’t even feel like the shelter he offered to the three he was about to wake up was good. There was mess around his house as far as the eye could see after all. For what it was worth, he did appreciate that Acidic had helped him clean it a little bit; though he knew that his emotions and mental state would lead to him forgetting to maintain or improve the state of his home. It was as if his mind blocked all energy and effort when it came to necessary actions. He didn’t fully understand it himself, but he didn’t want to think about it for longer than that moment. Slowly, he totted over to the three sleeping forms on the floor and shook them all awake. Several groans and yawns were heard as Sour, Sweet and Acidic woke up. It took them several minutes, with Sweet trying to go back to sleep, but after making sure he stayed awake they got up.
“What time is it…” Acidic yawned out as he stood up and used his wings to rub his eyes, wiping the sleep from them. “I’ll check, hold on” Cluttered responded as he took about half a minute to check around for any clocks, before spotting one he had previously failed to spot before and rushed back in as he spoke again. “Seven Forty-Five? I think. Never understood clocks. The long hand was pointing straight right and the small hand was on the seven at least” he then said with some confusion to his voice. “What’re we even doing again…?” Sour then asked. Sweet then jumped in, answering and restraining his tongue as he answered. “What do you- I mean- We’re going to Gulfmane stu- Oh that’s- Well what I mean to say is, what I said before” he responded. Tripping over his words a fair bit in trying to course correct his sentence. Sour and Acidic looked at eachother, Sour facehoofing as he responded back to Sweet, with his own opinion. “At least you’re trying, I guess”.
It took the four of them a short while to get into the kitchen, with Cluttered having to herd Sweet into the room. Sweet, who wanted to stay in the front room to supposedly sit down on the sofa, was very displeased with the fact all six of them were cramming into the smaller of the two rooms. Once they were all there, Soundwave spoke. “So, as you all know, we’re headed for Gulfmane today. The quickest way is by train, so we’re going to the train station. If you three head off for the station, we’ll meet you there once we’ve checked in with Duskfall’s brother Dawnrise” Soundwave explained. Cluttered looked at the three, who were standing up. Only one of them was listening, and that one was Acidic as the other two seemed to be helping themselves to the kettle. Sour was in the middle of fetching themselves cups as Soundwave then asked the pair a very obvious question after he looked at them as well; seeing if they were actually listening.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Sour and Sweet paused for a moment in what they were doing. “Surely we’re allowed to wake ourselves up? It’s no Owlnyte Coffee but it’ll do!” Sour then asked back in response. Soundwave looked at Duskfall for a moment, before Duskfall nodded in seeming approval. Soundwave looked back at the pair before responding back with “Just don’t break anything” before he got up. “I’m going to get mine and Duskfall’s things together in our saddlebags, Dusky do you want to-“ but before he could ask his question, Duskfall quickly got up. Without wording it, Soundwave could understand that Duskfall indeed wanted to. As they headed up the stairs, Cluttered trotted to the front door. “Not even a goodbye then?” Soundwave asked as he noticed. Duskfall turned around too, but quickly just proceeded up the stairs. Cluttered took a second before responding, responding with “Sorry, but I only have until Eight to get to Highbuck street. Good luck though Duskfall. I hope everything goes well! And you three!” he then shouted into the kitchen; the three in the kitchen turning their attention to him. “Good luck with whatever you need to do! Make sure to stay safe!” Cluttered then finished as he opened the front door and left, shutting it behind him. “We should’ve asked if he could’ve shown those three the way to the train station…” Soundwave simply sighed as he trotted up the stairs.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the trio looked at eachother. “Are we even sure we’re doing the correct thing…?” Sour asked the other two as he looked worried. “You read that prophecy and tell me it doesn’t relate to us and those Springs” Sweet then responded. “It’s not like we have anything better to do either. It'll be nice to see more of this land” Acidic then added on with excitement filling his sentence. Sour then turned to Sweet, his eyes showing seriousness. “I don’t want you to leave us behind because we’re not Alicorns or Unicorns. If we’re in danger, you help. Got it?” he then asked Sweet, his expression unchanging as Sweet looked at him. It took a moment, but Sweet nodded in hesitant understanding as the two then looked to see that Acidic had disappeared. “Acidic?” Sour asked himself as he looked around. About a moment later, Acidic came into the kitchen, looking immensely worried. “We forgot the book!” he said, worry flooding his voice.
“I can’t believe you forgot to take it with you!” Sour then said, turning his attention to Sweet. Sweet however, didn’t look nearly as worried as the other two. “Will you two relax? I left it on the shelf next to that plant in the corner of that room. Nothing was on it” Sweet then responded as he rolled his eyes. Acidic then flew off, coming back a moment later with the book. “Should we keep it… Here?” he then asked the other two as he sat down. “No, we can keep it in the saddlebags they’re packing. Acidic, pass it to them will you?” Sour then asked. Acidic looked at the other two for a second before nodding and began flying upstairs. When he got up the stairs and outside of Duskfall and Soundwave’s bedroom, he heard some whispers. As he drew closer to the closed door, he leaned against it and heard Soundwave and Duskfall talking.
“Surely it could wait though?” Soundwave asked Duskfall.
“We can’t. I already made my mind up, stop trying to change it!” Duskfall then responded.
“I’m just worried! Even with me and your brother, your parents could still get vicious! You remember all those letters they sent when they found out you moved here!” Soundwave then protested back.
Before the brewing argument between the two could properly begin, Acidic knocked on the door. Silence came from the room for a brief moment, before the door slowly opened. When the door opened, he could see Soundwave with the expression of frustration, with Duskfall also having this expression. “Yeah?” Soundwave then asked. His voice seeming more agitated and cutting compared to his usual, calmer voice. Acidic stood still for a second before remembering what he came up for. “I was just wondering if we could store this book in the saddlebags” he then responded. Before he could react however, the book was roughly ripped from his hooves by Duskfall’s magic. Duskfall, clearly exuding anger, stuffed the book inside without much care. Soundwave looked at Acidic before simply trotting down the stairs; starting to look upset.
Acidic spoke up after an awkward moment had passed, saying “We should both head downstairs… Come on!” before trotting downstairs himself. Duskfall took one more moment to himself, before stared out of the window. His mind creating angry, intrusive thoughts as he tried to ground himself in reality. By the time he got himself together, he noticed that the sun had moved a little bit. He shook his head as he got up, trotting outside of the room with his saddlebags and closing the door behind him; traveling down the stairs himself.
When he got downstairs, the other four were in the kitchen, Acidic and Soundwave sitting whilst the other two stood. They all looked up and at Duskfall as he spoke. “Let’s all set off then… The next train is relatively soon. If we want to get to Gulfmane and back before tomorrow, we’ll have to set off now” he said, looking at Soundwave. Soundwave looked back, with silent frustration still in his eyes. He simply got up as he trotted to the front door. The other three looked at eachother, before Duskfall spoke again. “That means you three, too” he said as the other three almost simultaneously jumped up from interruption. Getting up, Acidic followed Duskfall, followed shortly by Sour and Sweet who all ended up following Soundwave out of the house. Once the last of the five got outside, Soundwave shut the door before he turned to the three. “We’re heading to Dawnrise… Get yourselves to the train station” he said as the three looked at eachother.
“And how exactly are we supposed to get to the train station” Sweet asked, with arrogance in his voice. Soundwave took one look at him before getting close. He stared Sweet down, before Duskfall interrupted the tense moment. “Just get Acidic to use his wings. That’s what happened when you got in the city. Just do the same now. Can’t miss train tracks after all” he then responded to Sweet as he managed to get Soundwave to back off. Before the three could protest, the pair trotted off down the street; leaving the three to look at eachother. “I mean, they could’ve been nicer” Sour said to himself before Acidic then spoke. “They’re clearly tense about something. I heard something about Duskfall’s parents, letters and being viscous when I went to ask them about holding the book” Acidic said, with some curiosity in his voice. They all trotted down the street a little bit, before Acidic took the time to fly upward. When he was in the sky, he looked around. He didn’t realize how far out from the main city they actually were. But that’s when he saw it. Train tracks going through the city and leading out to the South and next to a forest not too far from them. He touched down, pointing in the direction of where he also saw the station and shouted, “That way!” before darting south at an immense speed; the other two following behind as they galloped behind.
Whilst the trio was headed toward the station, Soundwave and Duskfall silently trotted together. Side by side, but not acknowledging eachother. The tension and frustration the two had not dispersing. It took them about twenty minutes before either spoke; Duskfall breaking the ice like a hammer breaking a window. “You didn’t have to bring up the letters” he said, a cold distance in his voice. Soundwave stopped at once. In his mind, all he’d tried to do was make sure his partner was absolutely sure about what he was about to do. Yet, when he showed Duskfall the assurance he thought he needed, Duskfall was frustrated with him. It just didn’t make sense in his head. “Oh, so when I see my husband in an emotionally distressing state I’m supposed to just sit there and pray you’re ok!?” he then shouted out as his frustration was finally coming out. Duskfall, looking at Soundwave this time, saw for the first time in the day his partners feelings. He stared at him, locking eyes with him as he responded. “Soundwave… I appreciate you being here I really do, I just… When I make a decision, I don’t need to be prodded about it constantly. One time would’ve done!” he shouted back in his own frustration.
Soundwave looked at Duskfall, his mind instantly going into a red filled anger as he protested back, his voice getting louder. “I wasn’t prodding you about it constantly! I’m sorry about the letters, but given their track record it worries me!” Soundwave shouted back with anger now in his voice. This made Duskfall turn away for a moment. His eyes forming tears for a brief moment before he took a stuttered breath and just responded quietly. Responding with “Let’s just go” before he started trotting off. When he turned back a moment later however, he noticed that Soundwave was unmoving. His stance being firm as he just stared. “Come on, we have to-“ but before Duskfall could continue, Soundwave interrupted. “You go to him yourself. I’m heading to the station” he responded; anger in his voice. With a turn, he flew off. Out of sight and for now, out of reach.
Duskfall looked as if he were about to burst into a bundle of tears. He took a few moments to himself to just sit down on a nearby bench as he cried. His saddlebags slumping off of his back. Tears rolling down and his sadness reaching a peak. He was terrified of what this meant for the rest of the day as his mind just kept racing to repeat every negative thing that had happened within the last hour. Over and over, seemingly never-ending. His heart beating at, what seemed like, over ten-thousand times per minute. He had to stop himself, but no matter what he tried, he just couldn’t. It all felt like a whirling storm in his head. Thankfully for him however, somepony had galloped right up to him. When he turned to the figure that was standing next to him, he found it was the one he was looking for.
Dawnrise.
It was like looking into his own reflection for anypony else. The stallion looking almost identical to him in terms of coat colour. Their manes held similar hues of purple, however Dawnrise had a more pinkish hue to his mane and tail compared to his brother. His mane and tail being slightly tidier than Duskfall’s. With blue eyes just like his as well, the only distinguishing feature that truly separated the pair was the absence of a horn and the addition of wings to Dawnrise. “Now what’s my little brother doing here crying? I thought you and the husband were going to come find me? Or did Cluttered lie to me?” Dawnrise asked, sitting down next to Duskfall. The thoughts inside of Duskfall’s head subsided for the time being as he responded with a relieved voice. “You couldn’t have come at a better time if you tried” he said, hugging his brother and just taking a moment to relax.
Dawnrise was slightly stunned. He’d not seen his brother so emotional since he moved from Gulfmane to Buckgrove. Of course, unknown to him, he did show emotion the day prior when the figure from the mist entered the library. However, again, Dawnrise held no knowledge of that. For him, this was rare. “So, why did you want to see me?” Dawnrise asked after he allowed his brother to calm himself. Duskfall, finally composing himself, responded with a question. “First, did you mention Cluttered?”. “Well, yeah. Cluttered and I bumped into eachother whilst he was making his way to his shop. He told me you were looking for me, so I was heading to my house. Which is when I found you” Dawnrise responded with confusion still in his voice. He then continued, asking the same question he asked prior. “So tell me then, why did you need to see me?” to which Duskfall answered.
“I’m ready to tell mum and dad about us”
Dawnrise immediately flew upwards slightly in shock. His brother telling their parents? But they both knew that they’d reject it outright. What was the point? Dawnrise sat himself down and immediately asked Duskfall the obvious thing on his mind. “And why would you want to do that?” he asked, with genuine curiosity in his voice. Duskfall sighed as he spent some time explaining the events that lead up to the point they were at currently. Dawnrise listening intently. To him, it seemed pointless, but he wasn’t about to say that to Duskfall after what he heard after an hour of listening to him. At the end, after being somewhat overwhelmed, Dawnrise finally spoke. “So, I guess me and you are heading to Gulfmane then” he said, deciding in his mind to conceal his own opinions about the matter. It clearly meant a lot to Duskfall to tell their parents, and after he heard about the argument he had with Soundwave, he knew that any further objection to his brother’s want would’ve made things worse.
“Well, come on then! Let’s get going Dusk” Dawnrise then said, getting up as he pulled Duskfall with him. Duskfall put a smile on his face for the first time that day as he used his magic to put the saddlebags back on his back. Within seconds, they both raced off down the streets. He was so lucky to have Dawnrise in his life. Just as he was to have Soundwave in his life; deciding to spend their journey to the train station thinking of how he’d go about talking the morning over with him.
About an hour earlier…
The trio bolted from street to street. Corner to corner. Acidic almost being blindingly fast as he seemed intent on the course he was going at. “Will you slow down!?” Sour shouted out at Acidic, finding it exhausting to keep up with him. Sweet, who had fallen over a few times, started using his own magic to just levitate himself off of the street to catch up to Acidic; leaving Sour behind at certain points and forcing the pair to wait for him. By the time they had reached their destination, they had managed to find themselves in a little bit of a line. The line wasn’t long, but was enough to give the three of them time to breath after their unintentional marathon that they had just galloped. Sour, who suffered the most from the galloping, spoke up. “You think you could go the tiniest bit slower next time?” he asked, through desperate gasps for air. “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure we were here before the middle of the day. From what we gathered this morning, it’s going to take quite a bit of time to reach Gulfmane. Even on train” Acidic responded.
After a few moments of gathering themselves and catching their breath, they joined the line. The line had grown a little bit by the time they had joined; with the ponies around them looking at them as they looked like they didn’t belong in the line. One by one, the line decreased in positions, until finally it was their turn. On the other side of the glass they were looking at, a pony with a badge sat. She had a brown mane and looked to be an Earthpony. Her coat being green and her eyes almost being Hazel. “How many of you? And where are you headed?” the pony then asked. Sour ended up being the one to respond. “Three- No, Six of us. We’re headed to Gulfmane, Ma’am” he said, as the pony behind the glass jotted something down. After a moment, she responded with something the three of them weren’t prepared for.
“That’s gonna be Thirty Ceyans”
“Ceyans?” Sour asked himself as he flashed back briefly to the word; which was used by Cluttered two days prior. “Do you have any idea as to how much that cost me?! That costed me Two-Hundred Ceyans!” rang through his head as he remembered the shrieking Cluttered made when the Easel that Sweet had plopped down carelessly. The flashback was then interrupted, with the pony on the opposite side of the glass asking “Hello? Sir, I need the Thirty Ceyans! Are you listening?”. Quickly, Sour looked at her, then at the other two. “I have no idea what a Ceyan is!” before turning to the pony behind the glass. Not wanting to further embarrass himself, he responded. “Sorry, there’s been a mistake and a change of plans. Apologies” before he pulled Acidic and Sweet to the side. “What’s a Ceyan?!” Sour asked in a frantic panic. “It’s obviously their currency. Not as good as Stralia if you ask me” Sweet responded; his usual obnoxiousness accidentally slipping through. “I guess all we can do now is… Wait” Acidic then added as the three stood around, waiting for Duskfall, Soundwave and this Dawnrise pony they had heard about.
However, Dawnrise nor Duskfall appeared at first. Instead, the thunderous landing of Soundwave was heard as the three saw him alone. He looked incredibly angry, and something had clearly happened between Duskfall and him. Together, the three trotted over to him, being cautious as Acidic asked a question. “You look upset, did something happen?”. “DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?! OF COURSE SOMETHING HAPPENED!” Soundwave bellowed. The three others jumped, and several passing ponies also jumped and sped their trotting up quickly in reaction. Soundwave, seeming to have realized his own anger having burst out from his mind, composed himself. “Sorry, I’m really not in the best of moods” he then replied. The three looked at eachother as Sour then responded. “Do you want to sit down and talk about it?” he asked Soundwave. “That’s probably a good idea” Soundwave simply responded. He then began trotting to a crossing in the road, using his wing to point to a nearby café. “Come on, I’ll explain everything over there” as he crossed the road. The trio following him soon afterwards.
Once they crossed the road, Soundwave found a table of four and sat down, the three following as they all sat down. “So tell us” Sweet said. “What happened?” he then added on. Soundwave looked at the three, with some concern in his eyes. Was it right to tell these three about Duskfall and his problem? He saw no reason as to why he shouldn’t; after all the three of them were open with him and the other two the day before. With a heavy, lagged sigh, Soundwave started with one simple sentence.
“It’s about his parents”
The rest of the hour was spent running them through everything that morning that Soundwave thought none of them had witnessed or seen. About how Duskfall’s parents sent nasty letters to him when he moved to Buckgrove. About the fact his parents knew nothing of his marriage with Soundwave. All the way to the argument that he had ended by flying away not too long ago. “I know it’s his choice, but I’m just… So scared. Not for me, but for him” Soundwave then said at the end of his long and exhausting recap. The trio looked stunned. Acidic being the first one to break the silence between the four of them. “So that’s what the letters were about…” he said out loud. This confused Soundwave. He quickly pieced what might have happened together though, as he asked “Were we that loud?” before sitting and waiting for an answer.
To tell the truth, you might have been” Acidic began. “But it’s my fault on that part. I did lean in, instead of just knocking immediately so I could listen in a little bit” Acidic then finished. Soundwave looked at Acidic, clearly a little embarrassed at unintentionally being so loud when he didn’t mean to be so loud. “Hey, don’t worry about being too loud! You two are married after all. You’re bound to come across some heated arguments! The problem now is apologizing to Duskfall” Sour then added in. Soundwave looked as though he had just been talked to in a language that he didn’t know, as he responded. “But we’ve never had an argument, in all our years together. Just little non-serious debates about eachother. In a playful way, of course” Soundwave replied. The trio looked at eachother in equal confusion as Sweet then asked “So, you’ve never had a real fight or argument?” before Soundwave responded. “Well, no, we haven’t”.
“Well, that’s an abnormality. It’s weird; but it’s not wrong! Infact I’d say well done!” Acidic then tried adding in. “Well done?” Soundwave then asked. “Well yeah! Think about it. Your relationship has been so stable up until now. Since you two are facing your problems you’re actually testing your relationship By the sounds of it, you two have made it through that! So don’t worry! Just apologize and see what happens from there!” Sour then added in. Soundwave looked at Sour, then Acidic and then Sweet. His mind being eased by their talk. “You three are really good at giving advice, you know that?” he then asked the three.
“We are?” they all asked in unison.
“Well, yeah, you all are. You’re also good at calming someone down. Not something I see very often” Soundwave then replied. There was an air of genuine sincerity to his appreciation that stunned the three of them. They had actually helped somepony. Truly helped somepony. It was strange, but not unwelcome. Infact it was very much welcome as Soundwave then added something onto what he said. “You also have a great gift for timing I’ll say that much. There they are!” Soundwave said, flying out of his seat and straight to the train station where Duskfall and Dawnrise awaited. The other three rushing over as they were all finally at the train station. “Dusky!” Soundwave said, going in for a hug. Unfortunately, the hug was rejected. “Me and you need to talk once we’re on the train” Duskfall responded, pushing Soundwave away. Not too far, but enough to send the message. Soundwave looked at the trio, and then back to Duskfall as he nodded slowly. “Looks like you took my advice then” Duskfall then commented as he looked at Acidic. “Yep! So, you’re Dawnrise then?” he then asked Dawnrise. “That’s right! Duskfall told me about the three of you. Acidic, Sour and Sweet… Right?” he asked. The three nodded as Duskfall, without speaking, went to wait in line. Whilst he was in the line, the other five stood to the side.
“Dawnrise, I-“ Soundwave began. Before he could continue however, Dawnrise raised his hoof a little. “It’s alright, we’re both scared. Let’s just make sure we’re there for him when it happens…” Dawnrise responded. Soundwave nodded slightly as he just looked away. About a few moments of standing and waiting later, Duskfall came back; holding six tickets in his magical grip. “Come on! Train leaves in just a moment!” before Duskfall half-galloped to the platform, followed closely by Dawnrise, then a bit further behind followed Sour and Soundwave, followed finally by Acidic and then Sweet. They all wasted no time as they boarded the train; it being a deep red. The door they all entered through being elegant and almost royal in its appearance. As Sweet closed the door, he heard the conductor that they had somehow missed shout out “GULFMANE BRANCH TRAIN DEPARTING IN JUST A MOMENT!” before the six trotted up the narrow hallway. They passed several inconspicuous passengers and train cars before finally reaching the last car on the train. There was a much freer looking room infront of them, which lead to an outside; presumably the rear balcony. The six sat down in the seats next to them, three of them on either side of train car; just as the train seemed to start moving. Just like that, they found themselves out of the city within the first five or so minutes as they all took the time to relax a little bit.
About two hours passed as the trio caught Dawnrise up on everything that had happened during the days before. About the coronation attack. About Manestralia and about the alicorns that had attacked them. Arcane and Dallasite. Dawnrise seemed to be listening very closely, as he kept questioning them on things he found slightly odd. This prompted the three to explain in further detail, which seemed to satiate Dawnrise. Meanwhile, Soundwave and Duskfall sat in silence. Occasionally, their eyes met, but as they did they darted away even faster. The three had just finished up on the gigantic catchup that they did for Dawnrise, when Duskfall finally spoke to Soundwave. “Let’s go to the balcony. It’s time we had that talk” before he got up. Soundwave, who nodded, told the other four “We’ll be back soon” before they both headed out to the balcony and shut the door behind them; Duskfall leaving the saddlebags with the others. “Do you think they’ll make up?” Sweet asked curiously. “Of course they will!” Acidic responded quickly. Dawnrise then chuckled as Sour asked him “What’s so funny?” before Dawnrise simply said “Oh, nothing”.
Outside, Duskfall and Soundwave faced eachother. Soundwave broke the staring as he looked out to the tracks that were constantly shrinking infront of them. “So, about this morning…” Soundwave began. He didn’t know how to word what he was going to say. So, he went with what the trio had suggested for him to do. “I’m… I’m sorry… I’m just… Worried for you” he said to Duskfall. Duskfall stood there for a moment, thinking; before he came out with a response. “Look, I know you’re worried. I know that Dawnrise is too. But when I tell you that I’m sure for the third time over, I expect my husband to know that I’m sure of my decision” he responded, trying to make his words sound as gentle, but as stern, as he possibly could. Soundwave looked down as he nodded. “Right, as long as you understand that it was because I was worried. The last thing I’d want to come off as, is to come off as untrusting. After all, I do trust you. I just don’t want you to get hurt…” Soundwave then responded. Tears were forming in his eyes as he flashed back to the letters Duskfall received. One of which stood out as the one that made Duskfall break down. Where Soundwave saw his partner in heartbreak at the words that were said. The letter, when he read it back then, read:
You horrible, spiteful child! You run off to the same city your brother ran off to. After everything we did for you, you take yourself to that city! Knowing you won’t get far! Don’t come back to us when you end up crumbling! You deserve it! Wasting your time in such a place! You ought to be ashamed of yourself! You can’t even go five seconds without crying like a filly when we tell you to grow up! (WHICH YOU SHOULD DO!)
We should’ve dropped you off at the orphanage! You’re a good for nothing waste of space! Don’t be surprised when you end up six feet under alone with nopony by your side! Don’t expect us to take you in again! Rely on that brother of yours, he clearly means more to you than the YEARS WORTH OF CARE, FOOD AND SHELTER WE GAVE YOU!
Soundwave went in for a hug, this time, it was embraced. The two stayed on the balcony, unmoving. They understood eachother. Whilst Soundwave didn’t want Duskfall to be hurt, he knew that this was something he had to do. “Promise me, when we get there, that if it gets too much for you…” Soundwave began, slightly stuttering from his tears. “I know. Trust me, I don’t plan to stay there long anyway…” Duskfall responded, the two just watching the view behind them as they whisked past rivers and hills as far as the eye could see. After about five minutes from the inside, Dawnrise opened the balcony door. He asked, “You two alright?”. But before he even got an answer, he could see that the argument had been resolved. As he went to close the door to go back inside, Soundwave looked at him; with a smile. “We’ll be fine now” he said, as he turned back to spend the remainder of the trip alone with Duskfall. It’s what he wanted to do anyway.
inside, the trio looked at Dawnrise as he simply nodded as Acidic asked “Are they alright?” and he sat down. “It’s going to be a tense encounter, but we’ll all be there for him” Dawnrise then took a long, relieved sigh. However, that prompted something he didn’t expect from Sweet. Surprisingly, in a rather kind tone to his usual obnoxious and arrogant tone, he said “Listen, we’re here for you too Dawnrise. It’s not just him who has to see their parents today” as the other two looked at eachother; which genuine shock at what he had said. It was safe to say that neither of them was expecting that response from Sweet. “I appreciate that. But I already burned that bridge a long time ago” Dawnrise simply responded. “How?” Sour then asked.
“I think that’s a story for ano- What was that?!”
The train shook as the four inside felt the train hit something. Or rather, something hit it. The two outside came inside a few moments later as Duskfall spoke to the trio directly. “You said there was a blue Alicorn and a purple Alicorn right? I think I just-“ but before he could finish, the train violently shook as the carriage they were in fell off the tracks. Duskfall, instinctually, used his magic to keep all six of them in a protective bubble of sorts as they felt the car flipping over from the friction of the train car meeting the ground at an off angle. They felt the lack of ground and then, so suddenly, crashed back down into the ground. The six of them crashing into the floor with several aching limbs by the end of the commotion. When the momentum stopped, the protection spell was lifted, with all six of them getting up and exiting through the now upside-down balcony. However, Duskfall was last, due to the fact that he took the time to put the saddlebags that he had back on. He had found them open and sitting in the center of the car; but thankfully nothing spilled out. When they all got outside, they noticed that the distance they had traveled from the tracks was staggering. The car having derailed and flung several tens of meters from the tracks. But what scared the trio specifically, was the existence of large iced grass patches. Clearly from some missed shots from who they instantly knew to be Arcane. “So they finally found out that we’re alive still, then” Sour said grimly to himself. The three of them looking incredibly scared at what they all knew had happened.
Arcane had derailed their car ,specifically.
“He couldn’t have known…” Sweet said to himself. However, that’s when Duskfall interjected. “What if someone else knew, and through him… He found out? There’s no reason as to why either of them wouldn’t have access to some kind of observation spell” he thought up as he said it out loud. Soundwave, meanwhile, flew up to look in the direction they were headed before they had derailed; seeing the train far off and nearing Gulfmane; whilst also seeing what appeared to be a gorge system. With it meeting the seas far off. However, when he tried to search the nearby area for the two Alicorns, he saw nothing. He landed as he shared the news. “So, the good news is that Gulfmane looks to be about half an hour away. Let’s go there an-“ but before he could finish, a large batch of icicles slammed into the ground behind the six of them. The icicles clearly making an arrow shape in the ground, pointing to the nearby jutted hills that clearly being the gorge. “So he wants you to go to the gorge…” Soundwave said out loud to himself. “Should we humor him and go?” Dawnrise asked the other five. “I don’t think we necessarily have a choice” Duskfall responded as they all went to head in the direction of the jutting hills. However, as they did, a wall of purple fire burst forth. Duskfall, Dawnrise and Soundwave were knocked back as the other trio looked behind at them in shock.
“He wants us… Alone…” Acidic said to Sour and Sweet as a morbid reality hit them. They flashed back to the day of the coronation; the feeling of fear striking them as they stood. Widened eyes from the realization. “You’re insane! We’re going with you three! Dusky, do you think you could tear into this firewall?!” he then asked Duskfall. “I’m afraid… I’m afraid not. My magic isn’t that powerful…” Duskfall simply responded however, looking down slightly. “Alright then, I think that this is where we part for now” Dawnrise then said; looking at the three. “We’ll head for Gulfmane. Surely there we can reconvene. Surely… Surely if they wanted to kill you they’d… They’d have done it by now” Soundwave then said. Although it was clear the other three were worried about Sour, Sweet and Acidic. Taking a deep breath, Sour started trotting onward. “Come on you two” before the other two followed. Acidic stopped a little way in however, as he turned around. “I hope you’re right Soundwave. I hope you’re right about what both of us are thinking…” he said as the two groups parted. Duskfall, Dawnrise and Soundwave trotting in the direction of Gulfmane. Whilst Sour, Sweet and Acidic made their way to the Gorge where they presumed the Spring of Body resided; their minds being filled with concern and uncertainty.
About ten minutes passed as the trio headed for the gorge trotted in silence. Anxiety equally affecting them as they came to the jutting hills’ edges. When they looked behind them to the derailed train car they had left from, they saw that the wall of purple fire had disappeared. This, in turn, made Sour speak. “Maybe we can run! You know, head for Gulfmane!” he said to the other two, hope in his eyes from the possibility. That hope was quickly shot down however, when he heard Acidic respond. “Are you crazy?! Arcane and Dallasite are probably still watching us! If we turn back now, then they’ll summon that wall of flames again!” he protested; sounding incredibly annoyed at what seemed to be an innocent suggestion. “Alright, alright! Take it easy!” Sour began. “Let’s just… Go ahead then” he then added as the three turned around and took a few more steps forward.
When they looked down, they saw that a river was running through the area. Several bridges had been made on a path not too far down from them as the winds seemed particularly strong within the gorge itself. Several layers of grey squished together like a cake from the erosion the river must’ve caused in times long gone. “Acidic, you carry me. Sweet, use your magic to-“ Sour began. But before he did, he found himself already being lifted by Acidic, who’d already processed what Sour had said and was going to finish with. Sweet must’ve done the same, as he landed right next to them. “Next time we see a gap, let’s just assume that Acidic needs to carry you, and I’ll use my magic on myself unless otherwise specified or stated. Alright?” Sweet then asked as he looked at Acidic; the pair chuckling slightly. “Since when did you get so light-hearted?” Sour then asked, turning his attention to Sweet. “Well, after our talk yesterday, I figured I could be bit nicer. Even if it’s just toward the pair of you” Sweet the responded. For the first time, Sour looked happy with Sweet. Which made Sweet, in turn, feel good when Sour simply said “Glad you’re understanding”.
Acidic, who’d been partially ignoring the pair whilst they got to talking, flew off a little distance whilst he surveyed the gorge. He followed the bridges, each as decrepit as the next, until he finally saw it. The door of Body as seen in the book they had read; being carved partially within the stone of the gorge. The good news is that it wasn’t far from them at all! Acidic rushed back, his face showing the excitement from his discovery. “You guys! I found the Door of Body! It’s not too far from us! Let’s hurry!” he shouted from the skies as the other two looked at eachother. They half-wondered if it was all too good to be true, whilst half-wondering if they’d be able to make it across the bridges. When they got to the first bridge, only a few planks had fallen out of the bridge. Meaning the other two simply jumped. However, when Acidic went to try and stylishly fly under the bridge, the winds almost knocked him into the rivers below. The other two watched for a moment as Acidic swirled around from the force of the wind, before Sweet finally decided to use his magic to rescue Acidic. It took a moment before Acidic managed to recover his breath from the incident, and when he did, he looked at Sweet and said “Thanks. I owe you one” before the three headed for the next bridge.
It took a few moments, but as they headed to the second bridge, they noticed they could take a path into the forest. The old and fragile sign that they read said “RIGHT FOR SAFETY, LEFT FOR SHORTENING THE JOURNEY”. “Right, well I guess we take the right path then. The left path doesn’t look…” but before Acidic could finish his thoughts, he looked to the left path. He noticed it looked very worn down and then got an idea. “Actually. On second thought. How about I fly through the left path and carry you both?” he asked the other two. Sour looked fine with this, but Sweet protested. “Surely I can use my magic? And why are we risking this anyway?” he asked, his mind wanting to choose the right path. “I just figured that, if we want to stop the other three from worrying so much, that we should shorten the journey… Like the sign says” Acidic responded. Sweet looked unsure, but after a moment, said “Alright, fine” before Acidic got to work. He lifted Sour over first; their combined weight managing to keep them from blowing away. Then, once Sour was lifted over and on the other side, Acidic had an idea. He’d surely be blown away on his own. So, what if he took the other path anyway? It couldn’t hurt after all. So, he did just that as Sweet waited. It took a few minutes longer than the left path, but Acidic appreciated the time he got to just relax whilst flying. He couldn’t help but feel, however, as though he was being watched. He looked around at several points, but couldn’t see anypony anywhere in the trees. He did however, feel his wings tiring out slightly by the time he got to Sweet at the beginning of the path diversion he’d lifted Sour across. “What took you so long?!” Sweet asked, looking incredibly concerned.
Acidic, who took a deep breath, simply responded with “Sorry, deep in thought and the scenery was nice” before going to lift Sweet over. However, as he was crossing, his exhaustion was beginning to take a toll on him. He struggled to carry Sweet over the left path and quite a few times nearly fell from his wings struggling to flap. They ached. A lot, and he nearly failed when he almost fainted mid-flight. Luckily, Sweet was able to use his magic to save the pair of them as they landed on the other side. “What happened!?” Sweet asked Acidic, with fright in his voice from the near failure. “S-sorry… Guess that right path… Took me out of it…” Acidic then responded. He looked increasingly worn out. Sweet and Sour looked at eachother, their minds thinking in unison as both tried to get Acidic on their backs. Acidic, who jumped from the sudden actions, looked confused. “Guys I’m… I’ll be fine. The Spring of Body is over those two bridges” he said, pointing at the bridge infront of them, as well as the bridge on the other path that he knew lead to the Spring of Body. He took the next bridge by hoof. The other two followed, and found that this was the only bridge with all of its planks. So, the three of them were able to cross this bridge fairly easily. It was a welcome and much needed break from what had happened over the past hour or so of their journey. Which was fitting; given the last bridge and its condition.
When they trotted their way to the last bridge, they all took a few moments to relax. It was there. Right in front of them! They’d just about made it to the Door of Body! Acidic, excitedly, started galloping across the bridge. He took care to jump over the missing planks. The other two then followed as they reached the halfway point. Which is when they saw somepony at the end. They all halted, reminded of the bridge incident a few days prior in the mountains. Sour turned around, and to his horror, Dallasite and Arcane had appeared on the side they were crossing from. So, naturally, the three of them asked the obvious question.
“Who is THAT?”
The figure on the side of the Spring looked at them. They took a close look at him as he spoke; his voice instantly cluing them in on who he was. “I see that the child of the Springs has arrived at the Spring of Body” he said, his face grinning. They all took a look at him, finally able to get enough time to look at him. He had an extremely pale and greyed out blue to his coat colour. His mane having a deep purple, duller purple and a grey streaking through. The three of them noticed wings and finally, a horn. Although this horn was disturbingly different. Whilst he wore a ring over his horn, him also wearing leg cuffs and a purple fur cape, one of his eyes was missing. The normal eye was grey, but the one that was missing seemed to be replaced with a purple smoke coming from the place the eye should’ve been. It was also disturbing to see that the place where his eye should’ve been, had cracks that spread around his face. The cracks going so far as to spread up his horn. Only stopping when they reached the near peak. The three looked at eachother; equally as disturbed as the next. That is, until the figure spoke.
“Forgive me, but I don’t think we’ve been introduced. Although I doubt this will benefit you, you may proceed to call me Harmonous. As you’ve probably gathered, I sent Arcane and Dallasite after you” he said, looking at the three with a calculating stare. They looked at eachother, then looking at Arcane and Dallasite. In Arcane’s case, the resemblance was staggering. Although, for Dallasite, it was less so. Acidic then turned to Harmonous to ask a question he had on his mind. “Why send them? Why not do it yourself?” he asked, seeming curious, yet on his guard. Harmonous looked at him, with silence for a moment, before responding. “Well young Bounded, myself and… The ruler of Manestralia… We have a history that I don’t think needs to be explained at this time… I’m sure you already know why the coronation was attacked though. It’s a shame he took you…” Harmonous then responded, seeming saddened for a moment, before looking at the three again. “If you truly intend on reaching this Door, then you’ll be setting your path in stone” he then said, looking past the three and this time at Arcane and Dallasite. Before the three could even think about what was happening, Dallasite spoke.
“Incendious Inflaratium”
His horn briefly glowed as the three on the bridge were then surrounded by two walls of purple flames; barring an escape of any kind. Acidic tried flying, but Sweet grabbed him, shouting “Are you braindead!? The winds will knock you off!” before Acidic furled up his wings, a slight anger coming from him as he tutted. “Well, the choice is yours Bounded. You can head through the flames behind you, and head to Gulfmane. Forever stuck as the three you are now. Or, on the contrary, you could take up the task of piecing yourself back together. Spring by Spring” Harmonous then said, gazing at the three and waiting. The three on the bridge looked at eachother, before they looked back at Harmonous, Acidic being the one to speak up. Instead of giving an answer, he asked another question. “Surely there’s another way to get our Alicorn body back?” he asked, looking at Harmonous as the other two looked at Arcane and Dallasite. Harmonous subtly smiled as he responded. “Unfortunately for you, and fortunately for me, there’s no other way. I assume you didn’t read the prophecy in the book I gave you” he said, looking specifically at Sweet. Sweet turned to look at Harmonous, some shock hitting him as he had forgotten about the prophecy in his own mind. Acidic however, responded to Harmonous with the answer Harmonous seemed to be looking for.
“Fine, we’ll do it your way”
Instantly, the wall of purple flames completely parted as the three on the bridge looked at eachother. Acidic trotted ahead, followed by the other two. Once they reached the other side of the bridge, they heard a snap behind them. When they turned around, Arcane and Dallasite stood. The three jumped back as they assumed the two were going to attempt to attack them, but Harmonous quickly spoke. “Do not fear them. They’re simply observing” he said to the three as they looked at eachother. They looked dumbfounded as Sweet quickly asked “But they attacked us! What’s to say you three won’t gang up on us and kill us now!?” to which Harmonous then asked another question. “If I wanted you dead, why didn’t I get Arcane and Dallasite to do it the instant you all got out of the train car?”.
The three looked at eachother, the realization hitting each of them at the same time. “So, you…” Sour then began. Before he could finish what he was saying however, Harmonous spoke. “Come, it is time for you to enter the Spring of Body” before he trotted forward. With a harsh push from Arcane, the three quickly trotted over to the Door of Body. They looked at it, up and down, and saw that it had a horseshoe symbol on it. Before they could react to anything else however, Harmonous stepped aside. With the light of his horn, he spoke.
“Faeris Oltun Bodallitio Unlon”
The three witnessed the door, that had previously been sealed, open. Slowly, they got a glimpse of what was on the other side. A passage that lead into the rock behind the door waited. “Proceed inside. We’re not done yet” Harmonous then said; making the three jump into the air a little bit as they forgot he was still there. Acidic was the first to enter. Followed closely by Sour and Sweet; and then Harmonous, Arcane and Dallasite. He noticed that, on his way through and down the stairs that he traversed down, that the passage seemed frozen in time. It looked brand new. The rock they traveled on being unaffected by the various elements that were on the outside. However, the quality soon degraded as they came to a cliffside of sorts. The three looked around, noticing smaller waterfalls coming from above them. Infront of them, they noticed a statue, with three platforms sticking out of the water that was coming from the waterfalls.
Past that was the great seas, confirming that they had travelled a significant distance below compared to where they entered. The statue, on closer glance, looked to be of a stallion with some odd looking wings. It almost reminded the three of the fairy wings they had seen on the front of the book they always liked to read back in Manestralia. “This place was built by a now extinct race of beings called Fae. Its original purpose was to provide a place of meditation for those seeking to enhance their powers and to look within themselves. The spells you have witnessed myself, Arcane and Dallasite use have been the spells they left behind. A final tribute to their history and one last attempt in preserving their legacy” Harmonous then said, entering the Spring with both Dallasite and Arcane following them in. Harmonous glanced at the spring, although seemed to not be looking directly at the statue that was infront of the sea; seeming almost… Distant. That however, was when he spoke again. “All three of you need to step on those platforms. Pegasus, step on the one infront of the two behind” he instructed.
The three did as they were told. Sour and Sweet hopping on the platforms behind the one Acidic then got onto. With a powerful gust of wind, Harmonous flew into the shallow waters infront of the three. He didn’t seem phased by the waters as he looked down at Acidic. With a breath, he spoke again. “Recite the following. Reparum Dias Bodallitio”. Acidic, looking at the other two and then back at Harmonous, did as he was told. His eyes closing as he uttered the words.
“Reparum Dias Bodallitio”
A bright light came from behind Harmonous. The statue was reacting. Harmonous flew back to Arcane and Dallasite as he stood, watching what was about to happen. The statues wings flapped as it rose, lifting it upwards. The stone from the water that it had stood on followed as a little stone door then descended; showing a necklace laying within. “Take it” Harmonous said, as the three seemed stunned by what had just happened. Acidic, who flew forwards, picked the necklace up. He noticed there was a gem on the necklace. One of pure orange, which also seemed alluring. “That is the Beryl of Body. The symbol of you. The symbol that you represent. The Body, that was lost” Harmonous then said to Acidic. Acidic looked at him as he seemed slightly lost in thought. “Acidic?” Sour asked as he looked at him. “I’m… Fine” Acidic responded as he flew over the water. When he had looked into the gemstone, he saw flashes of something. Almost like a memory. He didn’t think it was his own memory, but he couldn’t just ignore it. He, in his mind, decided to tell the other two about it after they got some alone time. He felt the necklace being lifted over his head as Harmonous used his magic to put it on his neck. It was strange. He felt like… Like he had felt this before. It was just so strange to him. One specific thing he saw in the flashes happened to be a blue mare of sorts. But, he couldn't dwell on it now, as he had more immediate things to attend to.
“Now then, I assume you three wish to meet with your… Friends… So I’ll do that for you” Harmonous then said. His tone shifted to one of disgust when he said the word friends, as he then used his magic a second time. This time uttering another spell.
“Tepalethium Gulfimanos”
Just like that, before the three of them knew what had happened, they had left the Spring of Body. The light of the spell engulfing them as they all looked around after the light faded. They were in Gulfmane. Specifically, the train station where Duskfall, Soundwave and Dawnrise awaited. They instantly galloped over to them as they were hugged by Duskfall specifically. “Oh thank Ceyonait you’re alright! You have no idea how worried we all were! We told the station about the derailing! They’re going to rescue the train car and then they’ll get the train up and running tomorrow” he said as he started almost squeezing the life out of Sour. “What’s that?” Dawnrise then asked, pointing with his wing at Acidic’s necklace. “Oh this? This was what was at the Spring of Body. We’ll talk about it later… Now isn’t the time” Acidic responded as they all embraced eachother; glad one another was safe. Happy that the ordeal was over. Which was funny, given the fact that a much more grounded issue awaited.