"Trixie?" Ditzy entered the Boutique's foyer and moved to the moping showmare's side. "You okay?"

The unicorn sighed. "Okay? I haven't been 'okay' since I tried to single-hoofedly take down a rogue constellation." She smiled reluctantly. "But I admit, I am doing better."

"Feeling up to saving the world?"

Trixie laughed at the absurdity. "I don't know if I'm up to saving myself." She looked at the pegasus with a strange blend of wonder, confusion and loathing. "Why are you even bothering with me? I must seem like another has-been blowhard to you."

"Anything but." Ditzy nudged the other mare's temple. "We've been in each other's heads. You can't just dismiss that kind of connection. Besides—" She realized where her thoughts were leading her and stopped voicing them.

The abrupt halt didn't escape the performer's notice. "Besides?"

The blonde impressively avoided eye contact. "Nothing. Slip of the tongue."

Nopony got a magic-oriented cutie mark without a degree of curiosity that at least bordered on the unhealthy. "Oh, come on. It's hardly fair if I'm the only one airing out her dirty laundry."

Ditzy absently scratched at the floorboards. "Well, it's just that you kind of remind me of Dinky's father."

"Oh?"

Grey-haired cheeks waxed rosy. "Not like that! I mean, you're a lovely mare, but I—"

Trixie shook with barely restrained laughter. "Nopony's calling you a filly fooler, Ditzy. What was he like?"

The blush faded as the pegasus turned wistful. "Proud. Driven. Stubborn as any two mules you'd care to name."

The unicorn adopted a similarly distant look. "Purple unicorn? Question-mark-in-a-postmark cutie mark?"

"H-how did you?"

"As you said, we've been in each other's heads. He featured rather prominently in those few bits that weren't about liars and cheats."

A chill played down Ditzy's spine. "So you saw—?"

A nod. "I'm sorry. It sounds terribly inadequate, but I am."

"I've... come to terms with it. It was a long time ago."

Countless hours spent before mirrors helped the showpony identify the signs of restrained grief. "But you still miss him." This got a sniffling nod in response. "Would you like a hug?" Another nod.

Thus, when Luna entered the shop, she saw her two lieutenants in a tearful embrace. "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything."

The ponies flew apart. "Y-your Highness!" Trixie half-shrieked. "How long have You been there?"

"I just came in." As the co-commiserators gave sighs of relief, the princess's gaze turned to the dorrway that led into the kitchen. "How about you, Dinky?"

As the mares tensed anew, the filly, subdued, moved into view. "I was there the whole time. Sorry, Mommy. Sorry, Miss Trixie."

The other unicorn coughed in a belated attempt to affect nonchalance. "No harm done. Right, Ditzy?"

The mailmare nodded her agreement. "You didn't do anything wrong, Muffin."

"Well," Luna said stridently, "if we're all clear of guilt and awkwardness, there's another elemental to stop."

"Where?" cried Trixie.

The night princess began to answer, then stumbled upon an unpleasant obstacle. "I don't know. Pinkie Pie detected it... somehow, and she never gave the specifics."

"I think I've found it." Ditzy's eyes were faintly aglow with blue light.

"And how do you know?" asked the alicorn, silently wondering at the peculiarly perspicacious powers of Ponyvillians.

"I made probes to find each of the elementals shortly after you brought us here. In fact..." A moment's thought, and one of the blue-and-gold spheres drifted into view. Its summoner turned to it and had a wry grin. "There you are. Where were you during that whole hostage situation?"

The magical orb refocused on her. It bobbed up and down, as if to ask, "And what could I have done?"

"Point," Ditzy conceded. "In any case, I checked with the others, and one has found something suspicious. Pinkie's creature is near it, so that supports the theory."

Princess and student looked at one another, then at the pegasus. As one, they repeated, "'Pinkie's creature'?"

"Yeah. Apparently she's also a spellcaster." The planeswalker wing-shrugged.

Luna disbelievingly shook her head. "At this rate, my sister's academy is going to be accused of unfair discrimination. Still, that is neither here nor there. We must make haste. Ditzy Doo, lead the way."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Go without me," said Trixie.

The mailmare was incredulous. "What? Why?"

"It's simple," reasoned the performer. "The two of you can fly, and if you and this Pinkie pony can't prevail against this thing, then I don't see how I can help. If you go by air, you'll get there much faster than if you had to compensate for me."

"But what will you do?" Luna inquired.

"I'll keep an eye on Twilight Sparkle." Trixie raised a hoof to hold off any interrupting objections. "This isn't about rivalry. Celestia Herself said that Magic would form the most dangerous elemental. If we have somepony keeping watch on it, we won't be taken by surprise when it finally shows itself."

The princess of night considered this for a moment. "Can you keep us abreast of any developments?"

The blue unicorn nodded. "Speedy Service's Instantaneous Notification."

"Very well, then." Her mentor's expression softened a bit. "Good luck."

Trixie gave the biggest, most sincere smile Ditzy had ever seen on her. "Thank you, Princess." She galloped off.

Luna turned her gaze to the pegasus. "Shall we?"

The grey mare nodded. "Right." She turned to Dinky. "Please, Muffin. Stay here. Stay safe." With that, she took flight.

The princess prepared to follow suit when she felt a tug at her rump. Turning, she saw that her tail was caught in somepony. "Yes, Dinky?"

The filly released the starstuff and gave the moon deity a deadly serious look. "I need to come with you."

Luna struggled to hold back a smile. She didn't want to patronize the girl, but she was simply too precious! Adoration safely dammed behind royal dignity, she asked, "And why is that?"

"Because if I don't, you'll have to invoke the heat death of the universe twice in one day."

The alicorn was no longer worried about betraying affection towards the young unicorn. Naked astonishment, on the other hoof, was on full display. She knelt. "Climb on. Quickly, before your mother notices. And tell nopony how you convinced me."

Once he'd come to terms with his student's equine nature (and was assured that she bore him none of her patron's ill will,) Jace Beleren proved to be an excellent teacher, primarily because direct mind-to-mind interaction removes most of the profession's hurdles. He had the added benefits of a reclusive reputation and an extremely competent assistant, allowing him to spend a few weeks away from leadership of the Infinite Consortium with none the wiser.

The curriculum for that period was a crash course in most of blue magic: illusion, divination, air and water manipulation, and of course, psychomancy. At the mind mage's insistence, he would only introduce these disciplines. "If you can take the basic principles and create something new," he explained at the beginning of the tutelage, "then you're exponentially more capable and versatile than someone who just blindly imitates others."

Of course, it wasn't all smooth soaring. Telekinesis was by far the hardest technique for Ditzy to master, frustrating her until Jace had offered to examine the problem firsthand. "What do you mean?" asked the pegasus.

"You've had no trouble getting other, more complicated spells to work for you," the human noted. "I suspect that the issue here is a mental block."

The adolescent pony considered this. "Well, I guess it's okay, but be careful. I don't want Tezzeret to storm in on my account."

The mind mage grinned, still relieved that the Esperite's grudge remained his alone. "Trust me, neither do I."

The mental scan showed that she had subconsciously filed telekinesis as "unicorn magic," and therefore as something she couldn't do. Jace had actually laughed after explaining this.

"What!?" Ditzy demanded, cheeks flushed.

The human collected himself. "Sorry, it's just sort of adorably naive." Seeing that this didn't improve the pony's mood, he continued. "Ditzy, I've worked with a fairly considerable number of planeswalkers at this point, and I've found exactly one thing they all have in common. Do you know what that is?"

She shrugged, eyes on the floor. "How should I know? I'm too adorably naive."

Jace sighed and rubbed his temples. "Please, Ditzy. This is important."

"So tell me."

"A planeswalker has unparalleled magical capability. Any spell you can find, you can learn. Any creature you encounter, you can summon. Any device you come across, you can recreate. The only things stopping you are figuring out how and getting the mana needed once you do."

"Oh." The pony came out of her snit once she understood. "So being a pegasus doesn't matter."

He nodded. "Exactly. You think every human can use magic?"

"Wha..." The mare's eyes were wide with shock. "You mean they can't?"

Her teacher shook his head and smiled. "Adorably naive."

"It. Is. Complete!" Rarity emerged triumphant, her latest masterpiece in tow.

"What is?"

The ivory unicorn had had her eyes closed as she'd exulted in her accomplishment. Now she opened them to discover a curious dragon. She felt the smoldering beginnings of a blush. "Ah, I, uh, didn't realize I had an audience." A realization interrupted Rarity's embarrassment. "Spike, I must apologize for my deplorable behavior earlier. I wasn't in my right mind."

He gave a dismissive wave. "It's fine Rarity. I don't mind."

"You don't mind that you were magically bound, gagged, and stuffed in a closet?"

"Heck, no!" Spike licked his chops. "That binding spell was like a big glowing rope of saltwater taffy!"

"Really? You don't say?" The designer shook herself. "I'm sorry, darling, but this isn't the time to discuss your newfound taste for magic." She hefted her work. "I need to take this to Ditzy Doo. Apparently, the fate of Equestria depends on it."

Her admirer's eyes widened. "Wow, I can see why! Just look at it."

The necklace itself was finely wrought gold, a series of interconnected segments that were rather too long to be a proper chain. Dangling from this loop was a setting that, between material and form, seemed devoted to inspiring puns about "gold leaf." And in that setting was a clear, scintillating jewel the shape of a teardrop and the size of Spike's thumb.

Rarity hummed contentedly. "Fabulous, isn't it? You can imagine my surprise when I realized that the jewel was noticeably growing, but I was able to— Oh, I'm getting sidetracked again!" She looked up and down the hallway. "Where is Ditzy?"

The dragon shrugged. "I haven't seen anypony else here."

"Oh dear. I suppose I'll have to go hunt her down, as it were."

Spike grinned eagerly. "I'll do it!"

The fashionista gave a melancholy smile. "Spike, you're a sweetheart, really." The smile became rather forced. "...but you're also drooling."

"Huh?" He wiped at his chin, then fixed the most serious look he could muster on his beloved. "Milady, I promise you that I will ensure that this treasure reaches its destination whole and uneaten." The hatchling puffed out his chest. "I swear upon my honor as a courier of Canterlot!"

Adorably charming as this display was, Rarity still had her doubts. She hesitated for a moment as she composed a compromise. "How about this? We go together. I would assume that you don't know where she went, correct?"

"Yes. Uh, no. That is, yes, you're correct, and no, I don't."

"Well, neither do I. Let's go find her together, shall we?"

"Iff heffeh!" Spike realized then that his face was locked in a massive grin. As such, he nodded instead.

"Wonderful. I'll just get my saddlebags." As the unicorn went to do just that, a question came to her. "Spike?"

"Ehf?"

"How exactly did you get out of that closet?"

Well, there went the grin. "Well... I've got good news and bad news."

Dread began to settle around Rarity like an unwelcome stole. "What's the good news?"

The young dragon puffed up with pride. "I haven't lost any of my accuracy or finesse with my firebreathing."

The designer felt her features slide into a very familiar expression. It was one she thought of as "Sweetie Belle, what did you do?" "And the bad news?"

Spike deflated at this question. "Oh. That. You're gonna need a new door for that closet."

The two ponies' attempts to gather their wits after the morbid sight of an impaled equinoid were interrupted by an aguished, increasingly high-pitched scream. Pinkie pounced on Angel and began shaking him by his vine-covered little shoulders. "What did you do? What did you do!?"

The rabbit, agitated in every sense of the word, gave her the flat silent look that even ponies understood to mean "Bitch, please."

"Don't you take that kind of tone with me, Mister! I dema—"

"Pinkie." Fluttershy spoke no more loudly than usual, but the name cut through its owner's rant like Damustang steel through very angry butter. All eyes turned to the pegasus. She didn't even flinch. "Enough."

The party pony hesitated, but along with the strength, breath, and wings of a dragon, she'd also adopted its temperament. "'Enough?' 'Enough!?' When my Pinkie Sense came out of dormancy to tell me one of my summons was being attacked with holy magic, I'd assumed it was the kindness elemental, with you caught in the crossfire! Instead, she got taken out by a bunny! I was out of my mind with worry over nothing! So I will tell ou when I—"

"Enough." The pink-maned mare reinforced this reiteration with a Stare that could scratch diamond, or at the very least make it apologize for being so expensive.

The enchanted earth pony met the gaze head on – and immediately regretted it. Her knees buckled. Her rage imploded. Her mind could not focus on anything beyond her own guilt and failure as a pony. She didn't even notice when her draconic enhancement abruptly vanished in a cloud of rust-colored smoke.

A sensation interrupted the guilt trip. With a start, Pinkie realized that Fluttershy was hugging her. Sniffling, the party pony returned the embrace as her expression returned to a smile. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy."

"It's okay."

"I was just so worried, and you were never in any danger, and all that emotion had to go somewhere, and Screwball was my friend, and—"

"Everything's going to be fine, Pinkie. Although we are going to have to talk about summoning abominations."

"Only if Twilight has to listen to it too." The two shared a laugh at this.

As the friends stood, the poofy-maned mare turned to Screwball's slayer. "Angel, you're still a lousy, rotten, no-good team killer."

The lagomath shrugged. He honestly didn't give a hump about the pink maniac's opinion of him. (And when a rabbit doesn't...)

Applejack cut through the warm fuzzies. "Girls, this is sweet an' all, but ain't ya forgettin' somethin'?"

Pinkie gasped in realization. "We still have to destroy the kindness elemental!"

Fluttershy gave her own more horrified gasp. "D-destroy? Why would anypony need to do something so terrible?"

"'Cause it ain't o' this world, 'Shy," explained Applejack, "an' th' longer it stays, th' more harm it does." She gave the pegasus a wry nudge. "Ah figgered this'd be right up yer alley, what with all that talk 'bout 'bominations."

"But... I'd never... It-it must..." One look in their eyes, and the gentle mare wilted against her friends' resolve. She trusted Applejack on most matters, and trying to change her mind was nearly impossible in any case. "All right. I can't stop you."

The orange mare spared a sympathetic look. "Ah'm sorry, Fluttershy. Ah know it sounds cruel, but sometimes there ain't nothin' y' kin do but put 'em outta their misery."

Upon seeing her friend's nod, Applejack joined Pinkie, who'd been scrutinizing the giant glowworm. The farmhoof sighed. "Ah shoulda known 'Shy'd get upset soon as Ah saw she was here. Any way we kin do this quick an' clean?"

"Hmm..." The party pony tapped her chin. "Hard to say. Most of what I've got on hoof won't even scratch it."

"Well what will?"

Pinkie grimaced. "It'll take a while, and it won't be pretty. By the time we'd be done, Flutters'd be scarred for life and the universe might have fallen apart in the meantime."

By this point, horror finished penetrating the pegasus's disbelief. "You... you're both talking about Eric?"

The earth ponies glanced at each other. "Toldja it weren't weird t' name 'em."

The balloon-flanked mare shrugged and turned back to her gentle friend. "Fluttershy—"

"How could you even think about such a thing? He wouldn't even think about doing harm!"

"He doesn't have to. Simply existing is enough."

All three turned. All three spoke. "Ditzy?"

"How's Dinky?" added Pinkie.

"I'm fine!"

This prompted another synchronized head turn. The reactions, however, deviated from one another. Applejack was relieved. Pinkie Pie was excited. Ditzy was less than pleased. Fluttershy's brain had stopped. "P-p-p-p-p..."

The freckled mare shook her head. "'Ere we go again. C'mon, Fluttershy, git it outta yer system."

As Ditzy dragged her daughter by the tail for a stern maternal lecture, the pink-maned pony prostrated herself before Dinky's ride.

Luna smiled at her subjects' antics, though she became rather uncertain once she noticed the shaking. "Fluttershy, please, you may rise."

She did, though she kept her head down. On the edge of hearing, there was something that might be interpreted as "Thank you, Your Highness."

Pinkie nudged the shrinking posey. "C'mon, Flutters! Luna doesn't want you to be afraid of her, she wants you to be her friend!"

The princess nodded emphatically. "I've had more than my fill of fear. Please, Fluttershy. You helped save me from an eternity of solitude and insanity. Will you accept my thanks? My friendship?"

The butter-coated pegasus was silent, but her mind raced. Her gaze darted about desperately, finally settling on the first thing that gave her a degree of confidence: Angel Bunny. With a good-natured leporine sigh, he lighted on the alicorn's back and nodded encouragingly. This settled the matter for her. "O... okay." Fluttershy hesitantly looked into Luna's eyes, hesitantly smiled, and offered her hoof for a friendly shake. Hesitantly.

Then there came a tremendous flash from behind the pegasus, prompting a piercing "Eep!" and a standing takeoff. The other three looked up. Luna gave a weary smile. "I'll get her. Maybe it will help her see past the tiara."

"An' yer the only one who kin fly," observed Applejack.

Pinkie shook her head. "There's Ditzy."

"Yes, there is," noted the pegasus in question, walking up from behind the earth ponies. She looked up as well. "In any case, somepony really needs to find Fluttershy."

Luna spread her wings. "I believe the proper modern expression is 'I called dibs.'" With that, she took flight.

Pinkie turned to her fellow planeswalker. "So, what was that big flash?"

Dinky hopped after her mother, cheerfully singing the answer. "I beat the monster! I beat the monster!"

"WHAT!?" Both earth ponies looked from mother to daughter.

Ditzy grinned and ruffled her foal's mane. "It's true, she did." She ruffled rather more aggressively and spoke through clenched teeth. "Of course, she completely disobeyed her mother in doing so!"

"Sorry sorry sorry!" cried the young unicorn, on the edge of laughter, tears, or possibly both.

"How'd you do it?" the party pony asked eagerly.

Dinky, still flush with triumph even after the chastising noogie, stood proudly as she proclaimed the secret to her conquest: "I asked."

Applejack quirked an eyebrow. "Beg pardon?"

"She did." Ditzy looked skyward and frowned. "I'd like to only have to tell this the one time, but Fluttershy is apparently proving elusive."

Pinkie squirmed like she was performing the Dance of the Overfull Bladder. "Oh, tell me, tell me! I hate suspense!"

The grey pegasus gave her a flat look. "This from the pony who refuses to elaborate on falling through a time rift as a foal."

"Okay, fine, I'm a hypocrite. Now tell meeee!"

Ditzy smiled in spite of herself. "Well, since you asked so nicely."

Ditzy might have been angry with her daughter, but that didn't mean she wanted to embarrass her in front of royalty. As such, she dragged Dinky away from the others before lambasting her. "What do you think you're doing here, young mare?"

"But Mommy, I—"

"Don't you 'but Mommy' me, Dinkabeth Sharuum Doo. I have told you twice now to stay safe and not try to stop these things yourself, and what do I find you doing?"

The foal kept her gaze to the ground and muttered, "Going after the monsters myself."

Mother embraced daughter. "I just got you back, you naughty little muffin. Don't make me worry about losing you again."

Dinky returned the hug. "You never lost me, Mommy. I knew what I was doing the whole time."

The pegasus stiffened. "What." She released her child and looked at her as though she'd sprouted arms. "Dinky, please do your poor old mother a favor and explain."

"When the monster tried to get me, it messed up. I could think out, but nopony else could think in. They didn't even notice when I was thinking with their brains. With what I knew and so many smarts to work with, I was able to figure out the best way to save everypony!" The young unicorn grinned. "I told you everything would be fine."

Ditzy took this in with an unreadable expression, a roil of conflicting emotions leaving her face neutral territory. Finally, the stalemate broke with a chuckle. "I guess you did. Still, mommies can't help but worry. She gave her head a shake. "In any case, you still haven't told me why you followed me specifically after I told you not to."

"Because I know how to beat this one, too!"

The mailpony raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How?"

Dinky shook her head. "Nuh-uh. You'll think it's silly and you won't let me."

Ditzy sighed. She almost immediately spotted the giant glowworm and pointed at it. "Well, it seems harmless enough. Why don't we go over and you can demonstrate."

"Really?"

The bubble-flanked mare nodded. "Really. But the second I think you're in danger, I'm pulling you out of there and I'm not stopping until we're at Aunt Carrot's. Deal?"

"Deal."

Once they covered the short distance to the elemental, both just took in its sheer immensity for a moment. Granted, the impact of its enormity was somewhat lessened by its dopey grin. Once the moment of awe had passed, Ditzy motioned towards the larval lummox with a flourish. "Whenever you're ready."

Dinky gulped, then moved a bit closer. "Um, Mister Monster?"

The behemoth focused on her and gave a polite smile the width of a market stall.

"W-well, I was just wondering, if it's okay with you, could you please go away so the world doesn't break 'cause of how you're not supposed to be here? Pretty please with muffins on top?"

The kindness elemental's thought processes were simplistic, bordering on infantile. However, one salient point in the request did not escape its notice:

She said "please."

After a coo of assent, the immense inchworm screwed its eyes shut and puffed out its cheeks in concentration. Its ambient glow doubled and redoubled, intensifying until the ponies had to avert their eyes. Just as Ditzy was about to grab her daughter and head for the hills, it vanished in the dazzling but harmless spectacle that sent Fluttershy racing for the stratosphere.

The earth ponies digested this revelation for a short while. Finally, Applejack disbelievingly drawled, "That's all y' had t' do? Jest ask it polite-like?"

Dinky nodded enthusiastically. "It was even nicer than the one at Miss Rarity's house!"

The farmhoof gave a chuckle. "Well, Ah guess if it'd work on Fluttershy, it'd work on 'er Element." She looked up. "Speakin' of, where has that pony gotten off to?"

As if on cue, Luna descended with Fluttershy in her forehooves. Unexpectedly for the hypothetical choreographer, they were not the only ones making a landing.

"Dashie!" Pinkie Pie wasted no time greeting the tomcolt. "Wow, I haven't seen you all day! Of course, it is still morning, but you usually sleep through most of the morning, so getting to see you this early is even better than just getting to see you! And boy, you would not believe the day I've been having. I mean, for one, you'll never guess what woke me up this morning. Go on, guess!" The poofy-maned mare bounced on her hooves for a moment before she realized that her friend hadn't even expressed unwillingness to play. She leaned closer. "Hay, are you okay?"

"No, Pinkie, I am not okay." Dash certainly didn't look okay. She was soaked with sweat and swaying on the verge of collapse. Her wings were still spread, and she winced as she folded them. "This thing has been chasing me since before sunrise. I. Am. Freaking. Exhausted. Right now, I don't want to do anything but lie down and sleep for a week." With that, she slumped to the ground, apparently intent on just that.

"What're y' runnin' from?" asked Applejack.

There was a distant thunderclap, quite out of place on such a clear day. Rainbow Dash raised a hoof to the heavens and simply said, "That."

The thunder lessened, but maintained a continuous rumble. A young voice could be discerned against it though its words could not.

Fluttershy looked to the sky anxiously. "W-what is... 'that'?"

The voice became clearer. It was shouting a most peculiar battle cry.

"That," uttered Dash, "is my fanclub."

The battle cry was as follows: "Daaaash! We're! Going! To love you!"

"Brace yourselves," sighed the worn out pegasus. "Scootaloo is coming."

Call from Arms 4W
Sorcery
Call from Arms cost 3 less to cast if it targets a white creature.
Exile target creature.
Peace works best on the already gentle.