The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Celestia paced from one side of Sugarcube Corner to the other, as she had done for many minutes. Each iteration she stole a glance out of the window; each time she continued on impatiently, hoping that next time she could catch a glimpse of a pink mane on the horizon.

“You are certain this information is accurate?” Celestia finally stopped, staring at Applejack. Celestia’s gaze was uneasy, and her hooves found it difficult to remain stationary.

Applejack's head bobbed up and down. She had her hat pulled low to shield her eyes from the setting sun that streamed through the building's windows. “Hoof on heart, princess. If Pinkie says it's so, there ain't an apple's chance in cider season it ain't so.”

A faint tapping sound came from the corner where Rarity sat as her two knitting needles struck each other again. She looked up, splitting her attention for a moment. “As much as I often find Pinkie Pie an enigma, in this case I have to agree. When it comes to impossible predictions, she is rarely wrong. When it comes to fashion, however-” Rarity lifted up the several foot long scarf she had spent the past several hours knitting- “It is I who is unerring.”

Rarity lifted the scarf over to Celestia's neck and quickly pulled it tight. “There, now you look… Well, like a princess, if I do say so myself.”

Celestia laughed softly, and smiled for the first time since Pinkie Pie had told her the news. “Thank you, Rarity. I assure you I shall cherish it. For now I would rather get moving, however.”

Applejack walked over to the window and stared out across the cloudless sky. “Now, I ain't saying I'm happy waiting to go save our friends, though I'll probably have to buck Rainbow's head against a wall for bein' so stupid, but where's the rush? Ya'll're antsier than Applebloom on report day.” Applejack turned around. “Uh, your highness,” she added.

Rarity pulled a ball of thread—dark blue, this time, as opposed to the glittering yellow she had used previously—and began to wind it around her needles. “Why, the sooner we rescue Twilight and Dash the sooner we can put this awful ordeal behind us, right princess?”

Celestia nodded. “If I interpreted Pinkie Pie's, ah, vision correctly-”

Applejack interrupted. “It's more of a sense, really. She don't see nothing, just has some idea of what's gonna happen.”

“Right. If I interpreted Pinkie Pie's sense correctly, as well as what news the Corral was able to ascertain before I left, then our missing ponies may have accidentally found themselves in an alternate Equestria. It is of the utmost importance we help them get home as soon as we can.” Celestia turned to face the door again. “Which is why I cannot face this wait with my usual nature. Time is very much against us.”

Applejack frowned. “Beg pardon, princess, but why's that put us on the clock?”

Rarity squeaked. “Oh, I know this one! Months ago, when Rainbow Dash was practising or napping or whatever it is Rainbow Dash does when nopony is watching her, I brought Twilight a few samples of that season's ear warmers. The nights were getting chilly, you see, and her enjoyment of nighttime reading was devastating to her coat's health, so I simply had to-”

“Rarity! Get on with it,” Applejack snapped.

Rarity emitted an indignant grunt. “Very well, some ponies have no appreciation for a good story. As I was saying, I visited Twilight, and she was doing what Twilight always does when she’s researching a new topic and telling everypony within earshot everything about it. That week was ah, interdimensional worlds, or something quite similar.” Rarity paused for a few moments to tackle a particularly complex piece of patterning on the second scarf.

“Apparently travel between worlds is impossible because of how quickly the walls between our worlds can repair themselves. Twilight found that quite fascinating. I was less enthused, but I have to say that that mare certainly can wear an ear-cozy.” Rarity's gaze strayed to the top of Celestia's head.

Celestia quickly shook it from side to side. “My extremities are quite warm enough, I assure you. However, your description of the situation is quite accurate according to current magical knowledge. How Twilight broke through we do not know, and likely will not find out unless we can bring her back. The damage to our world may already be too far repaired for them to travel back, so every second counts.”

Applejack walked back over to the window. “So what you're saying is, if we don't get 'em back soon, we ain't getting them back?”

Celestia shook her head. “What I'm saying is that it may already be too late.”

Applejack gulped, and joined Celestia staring out the window. “Hurry home, Pinkie,” she whispered.

Pinkie Pie ran across an open field, leaping over rocks and fences and ducking under tree branches. Her eyes were locked on a cloud only a few feet from drifting into the Everfree Forest. “Come on, Fluttershy, just a few more!”

Fluttershy flew a few meters behind her, struggling to keep up. Every time she passed another small puff of cloudmass, she picked it up and dragged it back to the growing lump behind them. “Pinkie-” She panted- “I can't-” Her wings shivered mid-flap- “Can't keep up.”

Pinkie span round and continued running backwards. “C'mon, Fluttershy! You can do it! Everypony is waiting for us, we can't give up now!”

Fluttershy's wings gave one last beat, and then she fell to the ground. Pinkie Pie darted beneath her and softened the fall, but both still ended up sprawled over the floor.

Fluttershy sniffed. “I'm sorry, I'm not used to so much flying. Oh, if only Rainbow Dash were here.”

Pinkie Pie nudged Fluttershy with her nose, rolling the pegasus mare over. She stood towering over her, and lowered her nose until it brushed against Fluttershy's. “She'll be here soon, I promise. We just have to get this stuff for Princess Celestia, and then we can go save them, okay?”

Pinkie's eyes wavered at Fluttershy's silence. “Please, Fluttershy. I can't do it myself. They're all counting on us—on you.”

Fluttershy shivered and looked away to the side. “I'm sorry, it hurts. I- I haven't been flying so much lately, I'm a bit out of shape.”

Pinkie Pie frowned. She stood up and took a few steps to the side. “Look over there! There's just one more cloud, I know you can do it!”

Fluttershy rolled over and sat up. “I don't know… Rainbow Dash always used to make me fly with her in some of her practise flights. I always thought she was being silly, but she um, she stopped after she became a Wonderbolt.” Fluttershy stretched out a wing and winced. “I didn't realise how much she helped.”

Pinkie Pie slowly nodded, then walked over to sit beside Fluttershy. “I know she didn't tell anypony, because she's Dash, but… When Mr. and Mrs. Cake first gave me the shop, I wasn't sure what to do. I was having my own personal panic party, except instead of balloons I had scary thoughts!” Pinkie turned her head and looked over at Fluttershy. “And then I thought, 'Hey, what would Rainbow Dash do?' and I realised what I needed to do. Not what Dash would do, because she'd probably do something silly like sleep or eat all the sprinkles so fast they’d cake around her mouth, but what Dash would want me to do. That's what kept me going.”

Fluttershy gulped. “Why are you telling me this, Pinkie?”

“Because, um… I really care about you, we all do, and we all believe in you. I think you're stronger than you think, and I think that maybe if you knew Dash was relying on you then maybe it might give you the strength to go on. I knew Dash would want cupcakes, so I made sure the shop was okay and I baked cupcakes.”

“Okay. For Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy nodded and spread her wings, leaping into the air and pulling ahead to grab the last clump of cloud from the sky. She clung to it, breathing heavily for a few moments, and then began to drag it back.

“Yeah! Hooray!” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down beneath her. “I knew you could do it! Now we've just gotta get all this cloud back into town!”

Fluttershy almost fainted.

Applejack stood in the open doorway, scanning out across the sky with darting eyes. “Where in tarnation are those two? How long can it take them to gather up a few measly clouds?”

Rarity looked over her sewing needle. “I'm sure Fluttershy is trying her best, Applejack.”

“I'm right sure she is, I just miss Dash being here is all. She'd have these clouds rounded up before you could core an apple.”

Rarity got up and began to walk out to stand by Applejack's side. “Yes, but if Rainbow Dash were here, she wouldn't have to.”

Applejack snorted. “Ain't the point. I don't see why we need these pesky clouds anyway, can't you just carry us, princess?”

Celestia looked over, mid-yawn, and shook her head. “Nightfall approaches and I have yet to recover from these past weeks. I cannot extend my wakefulness much longer without the sun above my head. Nor, it seems, can Canterlot hear my calls and send an airship.”

Rarity looked over at the princess. The silence lingered in the air for a few moments before she finally spoke, quietly at first. “Are you still struggling with your magic?” Rarity closed her eyes and experimentally pulsed her horn, vibrating a small doughnut on the other side of the shop floor. “Mine seems quite back to normal, whatever Twilight did must have helped at least.”

Celestia shook her head. “Yes, yes, it is returning to normal. It is only the more advanced magics, like teleportation and apparently long range voicecasting that still elude me. I assume they will return in time, but for now we will need to create a vessel by ourselves.”

Applejack looked over to the horizon, where a large clump of clouds was slowly starting to near them. “So you're gonna shape those clouds into something flightworthy, huh?”

Celestia laughed. The edges of her mouth curled in amusement as she smiled for the first time since she’d arrived at the shop. Far from comforting, the sight sent a chill down Applejack’s neck. “Oh no, dear Applejack, we haven't the time for that.”

Star Spokes stared off into the distance. He stood at one side of the Chariot's deck. By his side was a makeshift writing desk, constructed from a few unused boxes and a large sheet of wood taken from the broken hull of the ship. Occasionally, he would look down at it and scribble some scant few words, or a small collection of numbers, onto the parchment resting upon it.

Princess Luna stood some few meters behind him, staring into the void. Though she didn't write anything down, she did occasionally close her eyes and reach out into it with her magic. Every time she quickly retreated, however.

The captain, Air Haddock, hung at the side of the ship in a leather harness, hammering a sheet of waterproof cloth into the side of the ship to protect against rain or accidental exposure to floating clouds.

Other than that, the scene was one of silence. The sea so far beneath them was static, with only the smallest waves rolling through. The sky was unmoving, the few clouds that existed seemed pinned to the sky. The sun was painted on the horizon, casting deep shadows from the ship's every component and near blinding anybody who looked upon it.

The captain, having affixed the protective sheet to his satisfaction, began to pull himself back up onto deck. When he reached halfway, a dark blue hoof extended to pull him up the remaining distance. Princess Luna stood before him, with what seemed like bags below her eyes, and a distinct lack of twinkle in her mane. “I hate to make clear the obvious, but I don't believe we have moved an inch.”

“No?” The captain grabbed the rope holding the now-empty harness between two hooves and began to reel it back in. “Ain't got any landmarks out here to check, but we ain't moving fast.”

“We have one landmark.” Luna motioned behind herself, to the empty spot of sky Air couldn't see. “And unless it moves with us, we do not move.”

The captain opened his mouth and ran his tongue around inside it, dampening his dry lips. “Ain't any wind, and every enchantment on the ship is shot. Didn't want to worry you unnecessarily, ma'am, but seeing as you've figured it anyhow, there's no sense keeping it.” He pointed up at the balloon that towered over their heads, and in theory kept them afloat. “We're gonna have to cut that thing loose soon.”

“That will leave us stranded. The flight back to mainland Equestria would be taxing even for I, and that is not considering a unicorn passenger. Certainly the ship herself would be lost.” Luna shifted uneasily on her splint for a few moments in silence. “Truth be told, we do not feel strong enough to return. Perhaps with the moon behind our back, but even then I hold my doubts.”

Air Haddock slowly nodded. “Gee, princess. I had no idea my ship required the balloon to fly.” He rolled his eyes and turned to point at one of the great connecting ropes that held the wooden ship and the once-magical cloth balloon together. “But yeah, you're right. We cut those and this ship ain't got a feather's chance in a furnace of flying again. 'Course, we don't cut 'em and in an hour or two it'll come crashing down on us, and will probably drag the ship clean off this handy cloud I steered us into.”

Luna snorted, then looked across at the five other ropes. They were each thick, easily two hooves wide at every angle and made of the strongest non-magical materials Manehatten's elite could produce. There was little hope of them breaking alone, though one in particular looked much weaker. The scorch marks on one side indicated it had been struck by lightning, likely during the storm in Ponyville.

“Then we should remove the balloon at once.”

Rainbow Dash began to wake from her slumber. Over the course of what felt like minutes, her mind stopped dreaming and began to process reality again. On the whole, she considered this a bad move. Reality and fantasy were kept separated by several important things. Reality didn't have Pinkie Pie baking cookies in an oven embedded in one of those trees. Fantasy had her sleeping in a bed fit for royalty, not a hard dirt ground covered in twigs and leaves. Worse, the chill air of the real world began to curl around her, prompting shivers and chattering teeth.

Reality did have one thing going for it, though. The slumbering unicorn pressed into her chest and held tightly between both sets of legs worked wonders for washing away her irritation at being woken up. The mare's horn grazed against her chin every few moments as she took another breath, still deep in sleep and hopefully dreaming of happier things. Her wings twitched in time with her breath. In many ways, it reminded Dash of watching any young pegasus dream—it always took a while for the dreams of flight to become a reality.

Dash looked around, trying to find whatever alerted her. The scene looked exactly as it had before they'd tried to get some rest: a soft breeze rustled the leaves on the trees; the stars twinkled, though their light was diminished behind the purple sheen of a magical barrier; the sphere surrounding what used to be Princess Luna glittered as the moonlight moved over it.

Her eyes skimmed the forest. It seemed easier to see than it had, though thanks to Dash's pegasus anatomy, night vision had never been a great problem. Even so, the shadows seemed to give up their secrets a little too easily.

Dash looked down and tapped her nose against Twilight's skull. “Hey, egghead,” she whispered. “Hey.”

After a few seconds, she convinced herself Twilight was as heavy a sleeper as she'd always been, and slowly uncurled her wings from around the snoring pony. She slipped out, inch by inch, and lowered Twilight's head onto the tiny piece of cloud Dash had managed to pull from a particularly passionate breath Twilight had taken. Rainbow Dash was willing to go to many lengths to have a comfortable sleep. Even if she couldn’t fly, Twilight had enough pegasus in her to sleep on a cloud. Another thing Dash would have to get her used to when they got home.

With Twilight safely sleeping, Dash leapt into the air and took to the skies—or what small section of the skies she could reach inside the tiny bubble of safety. As much as the enclosure felt like a cage to her, she couldn't think of a better cagemate.

She stopped a few dozen feet above the trees and looked around, unable to shake that feeling she'd been woken for a reason. The forest seemed as silent as ever, and their princess-in-a-bottle was stuck fast. She caught a glimpse of the moon reflected against her cage—a real cage—and turned around.

“Oh, yeah, that'd wake me up.” Dash flipped upsidown and pointed herself at Twilight, then took off without a second thought. She landed with a hoof on each side of the mare, and after a few seconds of fighting with her instinct to never interrupt a good nap, began jostling Twilight awake.

“Ugh… Dash?” Twilight looked up and raised her hooves to rub the sleep from her eyes. “Again, already? I thought the idea was to get some rest.”

“No! Moon, princess! Coming!” Dash frantically gestured at the sky.

“What? Luna is right there, Dash. Are you alright? Oh, I wish I could check you for concussion, but I don't trust myself-”

Dash silenced her with a quick hoof against her lips. “No, not 'moon princess'! 'Moon' and 'Princess', different words!”

Twilight pushed Dash's hoof apart and yawned. “Look, it's late—I think—and I'm tired. I don't think I've properly slept for… I don't know. Please, Dash, can you just explain this like I'm Pinkie Pie?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “The moon is getting bigger, and Nightmare Moon is grinning.” Dash pointed up at the sky. “C'mon, go see.”

Twilight frowned. “Are you sure?” She stretched her forelegs out and tried to grab hold of Dash's shoulders. “You're going to have to carry me, I'm afraid. I somewhat overexerted myself yesterday with all that excitement.”

Dash nodded and flipped over in mid air, allowing Twilight to grab around her neck. A few moments later she was off, fighting back chokes while Twilight's inertia caught up with hers.

“Oh my.” Twilight stared out across the sky, and didn't take long to spot the difference. Wheras just a few hours previously, the moon had been approximately moon-like in both size and shape, it now filled most of the sky. “That's problematic.”

“Yeah, you think?” Dash fidgeted, trying to coerce Twilight into taking a more comfortable seat. “How long do you think we have?”

“Uh, how long were we asleep?” Twilight frowned.

“Celestia, I dunno, Twi. In case you hadn't noticed, moondials don't really work when the moon is flying towards us.”

Twilight winced. “Okay, okay. Stupid question. Uh, I'd estimate anywhere between several hours and two days before it actually hits, but we don't need to worry about that.”

“Uh huh, and why not?” Dash steadied herself in the air and crossed her forelegs.

“The extra power Luna can draw from the moon will let her escape long before that. I ah… don't think she'll be happy to see us.” Twilight craned her neck to look around at the princess. Already the telltale signs of a weakening spell were playing across her prison's surface.

“Right, so we gotta accelerate our plans a little, huh?” Dash licked her lips. “We do have plans, right?”

Twilight shook her head. “We had plans, but my plan was to wait here for a few weeks until I'd gathered enough magic to break back through. Even with our friends helping on the other side, we're going to need a lot of power..”

Dash nodded. “Any way I can help?”

Twilight shook her head. “I'm going to need your sonic rainboom to pull us through, but unless you know of some way to generate enough magical energy to raise the sun two hundred and-” Twilight did some quick mental arithmetic- “seventeen times, I'm afraid not.”

Dash snorted. “Sure, can do. Can you absorb lightning for that?”

Twilight's left eyebrow twitched. “Well, in theory, but I've never tested it. It would require an incredibly powerful storm to achieve, though, where are you going to find one?”

Dash threw her head back and laughed. “Find one? Twi, I'm the best damn weatherpony Cloudsdale has ever seen. You need a storm? One storm coming right up.”

Twilight coughed. “The amount of energy we're going to need could rip the sky in two, Dash.”

Dash closed her eyes and thought about it for a few moments, before finally coming to a conclusion. She nodded. “Uh-huh. Not a problem.” She paused, frowned, and raised a hoof to her chin. “It's been uh… A long time since I paid attention in class. Actually, I never paid attention, but a few things still managed to get stuck in my head. This storm's gonna be big, I'm probably gonna need your help on this one.”

Twilight nodded. “I can do ground support while I set up the lightning collection points. We’re going to have to be fast, though, if Nightmare Moon is already starting to escape.”

“Forget about that.” Dash shook her head and spread her wings. “See, I'm gonna need you in the air.”

“Princess, I ain't-” Applejack raised her hoof to grab Celestia's attention, but was silenced by a sharp glance. The sun-princess was appropriately silhouetted by the setting sun, making even the quick look towards her painful for the earth pony's eyes.

“Applejack, as much as I would love to debate the pros and cons, I'm afraid we do not have time.” Celestia bit her lower lip and concentrated, raising Rarity up to stand on the small mass of cloud. She was carefully placed between Applejack and Pinkie Pie, pressing between them tight enough to make her uncomfortable.

“Princess, surely we can thin this cloud out a little? I can barely fit on alone, never mind my suitcase!” Rarity struggled for a few moments to free a forehoof, and then casually brushed the side of her mane. “And where are we going to sleep?”

Celestia laughed. “I do enjoy your humour, Rarity. No, the cloud cannot thin any further without losing stability.”

Rarity opened her mouth to complain, but was silenced by a quick jab from Applejack's nose. “Now princess, I understand we're all pressed for time, but this just don't seem safe. Can't we take five more minutes to grab a few of them whisps-” Applejack pointed up high into the atmosphere, where a few stray trails of cloud floated by- “and make some rails, or something?”

Celestia glanced behind herself at the sun. The horizon sliced the perfect circle through its middle, and the sun itself cast a deep orange glow across everything Celestia could see. Her eyelids slid closed, and her head shook. “No.” She trailed off for a few moments, leaving the group in silence. She turned back and looked towards them again. “No, the sun will soon set. If we are to have any hope of reaching my sister in time, we must set off as soon as Fluttershy returns.”

“Fine. Why can't Luna come pick us up anyway? Didn't she leave to go get on that fancy ship of yours yesterday?” Applejack stumbled a step to the side and almost fell from the small cloud as Rarity wriggled to try and find a comfortable spot. She shot the unicorn an accusing look, and received a mouthed “Sorry” in response.

“Applejack!” Pinkie bounced around and laid over Rarity's back, ending up nose-to-nose with Applejack. Rarity squeaked as her legs buckled and they both fell to the surface of the cloud. “Princess Luna is already there, remember? Twilight and Rainbow Dash need us, too!”

“Pinkie-” Rarity gasped- “You're crushing-”

“Now hey there, Pinkie, I didn't say no different!” Applejack towered over her, her face betraying a slight frown. “I just don't quite understand why we gotta go there so soon on this thing, when every other time the princess has needed us anywhere fast, we've had carriages or airships or even awful unicorn telepo-whatnow.” She shrugged. “Something don't seem right, is all.”

Celestia looked over to the side, where Fluttershy was making her way back from her cottage, agonisingly slowly. “Yes, Applejack, you are correct. Many things are not currently right. When this is over I assure you I will fly you in the utmost comfort, but for now I am weak, cannot contact Canterlot, and will soon lose much of my remaining power. The sun is about to set.”

Fluttershy chose that moment to hop onto the cloud, taking her place where Pinkie had stood shortly earlier. “Hello everyone. I've told all the animals that I'm not sure how long I'm going to be away, so um, Angel is going to look after them for a while. Oh, I do hope he'll be okay.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “That bunny? That fella's stubborn as me, a bunch of rowdy animals ain't gonna be a problem.”

Rarity's one free foreleg flailed about. “Pinkie-” She jabbed at Pinkie Pie's chin with the tip of her horn to punctuate every word- “You. Are. Crushing. Me!”

Pinkie blinked, twice, and then looked down between her legs. “Oh gosh, so I am!” She bounced upwards and landed with two hooves on Rarity's back, and two on Fluttershy's. “I totally forgot you were there!”

Rarity's eyes narrowed. Before the situation could escalate further, Applejack butted in. “Hang on just one apple-pickin' minute, princess. If ya'll're about to lose your magic princess stuff, then how are we gonna fly through the night?”

Celestia smacked her lips together for a few moments while she put together an answer. “Well, Applejack. We're going to set off very very fast. Please, my little ponies, hold on tight.”

With that, Celestia placed her forehooves on the side of the cloud, lit her horn, and held herself in the air. She began to adjust her wings to the precise direction required, and held very still. Several moments passed in tense silence.

“Uh, princess?” Applejack tilted her head.

“I'm sure my student has told you that light from the sun takes almost seven minutes to reach Equestria, correct?” Celestia remained very still while talking, not even moving her head.

Applejack nodded.

“I summoned a solar flare six minutes and fifty seconds ago. Give or take a few seconds. You should hold on.”

At that moment, the sun exploded. The light was so potent that Celestia's outstretched wings could find purchase in it, and it drove them forward at speeds even Rainbow Dash would take as a challenge. The four gathered ponies hung on very tight as the sudden jerk stole their breath away.

“Princess, look!” The Chariot's captain pointed out across to the horizon from his position at the top of one of the ship's support ropes, attempting to untie another part of the flight balloon. He needn't have, given what he was pointing at.

Luna held up her good leg to shield her eyes from the intense light of a precision-aimed solar flare. A moment later it was over, and she finished her work, slicing through another rope with a single magical blow. “My sister shall be here soon.”

Star Spokes span around and galloped over to Luna's side. “Princess, was that-”

Luna nodded. “Indeed, it appears my sister is having no more luck contacting Canterlot than I have. She is resourceful as ever, however, and I'm sure the entire kingdom knows where we are now. Indeed, where she will no doubt be within several hours.”

Star Spokes whistled through his teeth. “I was unaware she could do that. Very impressive.”

Luna shook her head and smiled. “I'm sure you have spent many hours pouring over her aura, as is expected of any of the Corral. Like all since the group was devised, however, I'm sure you underestimate her.”

“Yes. Some see her as a goddess, others a deity. I thought myself enlightened, thinking her merely a mare of great power and skill, but this?” Star Spokes shook his head. “A goddess is she.”

Luna chucked, pulsing her horn to sever another of the ropes tying the thick balloon to the ship's hull. “Not at all. We are both fallible, if unnaturally potent. Rainbow Dash could arrive faster than her, and Twilight Sparkle could cast a stronger spell. She lacks the sheer force of will to control a dragon, and-” Luna looked around, as if she feared they would be overheard- “though this is a royal secret, and sharing it is punishable by banishment—the royal gardens are not tended by her, for her hoof brings only suffering to plants.”

“But-”

“Yes, 'but'. But she is fallible only in theory, as I myself discovered some thousand years ago.” Luna paused, shifting on her hooves. “It is rare that she makes an action without understanding the consequences, and it is rarer still that she does not pay attention to everything happening. She is not omniscient, she merely has a very good impression of it.”

“You sound almost in awe, princess.” Star Spokes looked away from the sun, staring across the sea. It was starting to grow very dark, and the far side of the ocean was nothing but inky black.

“It is difficult not to be, some days.” The sun flared brighter still. “I think she does it to irritate me.”

“No, no, like this-” Rainbow Dash spread her left wing straight, with the very tip tilted upwards. Twilight Sparkle attempted to do the same, unfurling her wing and jabbing the tip into Rainbow Dash's eye. “Ow! Ow, no, not like that at all!”

Twilight winced. “Sorry!” She frowned at the feathers on her wing and gave another attempt at flapping it. Nothing happened. “This isn't working, Dash, I have no idea how to use this thing.”

Rainbow Dash covered one eye with a hoof and hobbled closer to Twilight, then jabbed her nose under the base of the wing and pushed it up into the right position. “Hold still a moment, Twi.” She grabbed a point midway along the wing, between two major flight feathers, and moved it into position.

She continued along, each time making smaller adjustments, until she reached the end. With one last bite, she took the very tip between her teeth and bent it upwards. “There, perfect!” she mumbled, and then released. “Done!”

Twilight's lips quivered. Her ears twitched, and a second later she began to laugh. Hearty giggles filled the air as Dash joined her a few seconds later, moving her hoof from eye to forehead. Twilight eventually stopped. “I'm sorry, that really tickled. This is ridiculous, Dash, I can't fly.”

Dash stopped laughing. “Yeah, you can. Okay, sure, you won't be as good as me, but if you're even a tenth there, you'll be great.” She shook her head and walked over to Twilight's other side to nudge her other wing into position.

Twilight shook her head. “I'm not getting this at all, Dash. I can't control these yet. I'm honestly surprised I have any control over them at all; my body shouldn't know how to move them.”

Dash snorted. “Yeah, but you're you. Just because something's impossible doesn't mean you won't do it.” Dash roughly shoved her muzzle under Twilight's other wing and began to smooth it out.

“I-” Twilight gulped, trying to ignore the way Dash's tongue tickled her feathers. “I think you're overestimating me. I can only do magic because I understand it, I don't understand my wings at all-”

“My wings.” Dash interrupted. “They're my wings. Remember? C'mon, Twi, you've fixed those things up more times than I can count. If you didn't understand them I wouldn't be here.”

Twilight's horn flashed as a bolt of recognition flowed through her body. “You're right! Oh, Dash, you make me feel stupid sometimes.”

“I uh-” Dash stopped, shook her head, and then nodded. “Yeah, I'm pretty awesome.”

Twilight closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Unlike normal, her horn remained dim. Rainbow Dash finished up aligning Twilight's rightmost wing, and moved closer to the tip to give it the slight upwards angle that would let her catch the air. Before her mouth clamped over it, however, the very end of Twilight's wing twitched. Dash pulled back and watched as Twilight strained and panted, and the end of her wing began to wobble.

Finally, it moved into position. Twilight grinned, then collapsed forward onto the floor. “Got it.” She panted. “Got it.”

Dash leapt into the air and flicked her wings, sending her on a short loop-the-loop. “Awesome! Now we've just gotta get you flapping.”

Twilight's head shot up. “Wait, there's more?” She tried to roll over, but her outstretched wings got in the way. “Can we take a break? Just for a little bit? You know, it's been ages since I did that thing with my tongue…” Twilight turned to stare at Dash, and made her best attempt at a seductive face; Dash was not impressed.

“Twi, how long until Nightmare Moon escapes?” Dash pointed over to the trapped princess, who's cage was glittering with unseen sources of unnatural light.

Twilight sighed. “Only a few hours.”

“So?” Dash put on her best impression of Cheerilee's teaching voice, and placed her forehooves against her hips.

Twilight sighed. “So no breaks. What next?”

Rainbow Dash spread her left wing straight.

Beads of sweat rolled down Twilight Sparkle's face. She frowned in concentration and tried to keep her breathing steady, just like Dash had told her. She kept her wings stretched out by her side and felt the air rush over them, filling her mind with a thousand different signals she couldn't understand. “D- Dash, this is incredible!” Twilight tilted to the left, and a moment later changed direction.

Dash chuckled and clung on to her tighter, flapping hard to keep both of them in the air and listening to the way Twilight's body moved, trying to respond to her desires as quickly as she could. “Yeah, see?” she yelled over the air rushing over their ears. “I told you it was good!”

Twilight craned her neck upwards and to the side, rubbing one ear against Dash's neck. “Thank you, Dash.” She closed her eyes and pointed ahead, trying to understand the sensations running through her mind. After a few laps of the magical shield, she made a decision. “Dash, let go. I want to try it myself now.”

Dash coughed. “I uh, I don't think that's a good idea.”

Twilight groaned. “Come on, Dash, you can't give me this and then not let me try. I can do it, I think. I'm so close, I can feel it.” Twilight fidgeted in Dash's grip.

“Fine, okay. Gimme a sec to fly over somewhere soft.” Dash banked in a moment, almost knocking Twilight dizzy. After a few seconds of flight they were above a clearing, and Dash squeezed Twilight tight. “You ready?”

Twilight nodded and felt Dash's hooves release her. She spread her wings, gave them a testing flap, and slammed into the ground. “O- ow…”

She heard Dash's hooves slam into the soft ground beside her as the flightster landed. “There's more to flight than just feeling it in your wings, Twi, you've gotta feel it in your heart too.”

Twilight's ears collapsed, and her shoulders sagged. She resigned herself to her dirt mound and tried to hide beneath the grass. “Ugh, I'll never get this. Even you don't believe I can anymo-”

Twilight's world flipped upside down as Dash's hooves spun her around and pinned her to the ground. Dash's nose arrived against hers an instant later. “Don't say that.” Dash's voice wavered. “Don't ever say that. It's not true, and it'll never be true, okay?”

Twilight's lips parted, but she couldn't think of any words. She nodded.

“Good. Of course I believe in you, you stupid mare. No wonder I make you feel dumb sometimes if you're getting ideas like that into your head.” Dash frowned, shook her head, and then released Twilight's limbs. She fell on top of her and pushed her forelegs around Twilight's back for a hug. “Stupid mare. Of course I believe in you.”

“I'm sorry,” Twilight whispered. “I didn't mean it. It's just frustrating. You make it look so easy, and I can't even get started. I thought I was making progress, but I still can't do anything.”

Dash laughed, once. “Of course you can't, Twi. I make it look easy because I'm me, but you aren't me. You're you, and you've gotta do things your way. Back in flight school we had all these classes on flight dynamics and stuff, you'd have loved them. I slept through them, if I bothered getting out of bed. First exam came around and I aced it, then had to ace it a few more times until they believed I wasn't cheating.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dash, you're amazing, I know. And I'm not, I'm just- Ow!”

Dash removed her nose from Twilight's neck. “You are amazing. You think somebody like me would marry a lame-o? Nuh-uh. You're just a different kind of amazing. The kind of amazing that spends twelve hours in bed and still wakes up tired because you were reading for half of it. The kind of amazing who can do anything if she understands it.”

Twilight screwed up her eyes and groaned. “But I don't understand it! I don't understand it at all!”

Dash nodded. “Yeah, so that's why I'm gonna be your flight dynamics teacher today. I told you, I aced every test they could throw at me. You've gotta be able to feel flight in your heart, and for most ponies they've either got it or they don't.” Dash extracted her limbs and pushed herself up, staring Twilight in the eyes. Her mane fell down between them, curtaining off the rest of the world. “I think your heart is an unfinished book, and I've got a quill.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Your hoofwriting is terrible, Dash, but thank you. Really.”

Dash slumped back down. “Twi, I spent like, ten whole seconds on that metaphor. It was meant to be romantic and stuff. I know where you keep the romance section back home, I know you li- Oh, damnit. I keep forgetting not to mention the library.”

Twilight raised her own forehooves and hugged Dash for a moment, then pushed her back up into position above her. “It was just a tree, Dash.”

Dash shook her head. “It was our home.”

Twilight giggled. “No, Dash. You're home.”

Dash grinned. “See, I said you were a sucker for the romance stuff.” Moments later she found herself the wrong way up, with Twilight's muzzle sticking into her ear. “But we have work to do. C'mon, we have a two year course to cover in the next hour, you'd better take notes. And Sparkle?”

Twilight tilted her head questioningly.

“You can call me Mrs. Rainbow.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and flared her horn; a display board and some chalk appeared behind Dash's back. “Sorry I couldn't bring an apple, miss, I had a little trouble getting to class today.”

Dash began with an introductory course in aerodynamics, from drag theory to magical inertia. From there, she moved between topics as best she could, touching on everything from airsmithing to zero-point turns. Over the next several hours, Dash tried to impart as many dull and boring hard facts as she could, and watched Twilight write notes with glee.

Eventually, finally, Dash gestured to a conjured display board, on which she'd drawn a few crude stick figures and some arrows to denote their movements. “Very good, Sparkle. And the total velocity would be?”

Twilight thought for a moment, scratching her chin with a wing. “One point eight meters a second?”

Dash nodded. “Resulting in a total necessary lift on each flap of?”

Twilight had the answer pre-prepared, and immediately responded, not in words but by leaping into the air and performing the manoeuvre. She flew in a wide circle, almost losing balance several times and never once exceeding the minimum speed required to stay in the air.

Dash smiled and nodded again. “Sloppy, I think you forgot to carry a one somewhere in there, but very good. Class dismissed.” The board vanished behind her, as did the desk Twilight had been sitting at. Dash immediately leapt into the air and tackled Twilight out of it, rolling in motion to cradle the mare in her arms as they struck the ground. “Awesome! I knew you'd get it!”

Twilight nodded. “I'll need a few days to properly highlight and collate my notes before I'm ready for field trials, but I think I have a sound grasp of flight theory now. It would have been much easier if instead of It's something you feel in your heart you'd said Flight is a by-product of subconscious aural shifts catching on the latent magic in the air!”

Dash blinked. “Yeah see I don't even know what that means. I'll keep my heart explanation, I think, you can have the boring science-y one.” She grinned, rubbing Twilight's cheek with a hoof. “You learn fast, Twi, I think we can pull this off now.” She looked up and caught a glimpse of the moon, so large in the sky it eclipsed all else. “Jeez, it's gonna have to be soon, Twi. That moon is getting scary close, and I don't scare easy.”

Twilight shook her head. “I told you, Dash, we don't have to worry about the moon.”

Dash's head shot up and her eyes darted around the sky. “Uh yeah, speaking of that, where's Nightmare Moon?”

Twilight's mouth opened to say something, but before she could utter a single syllable, Rainbow Dash saw something which made her blood freeze in her veins. Nightmare Moon was not only free, but floating barely fifty meters away and staring straight at them with an angry glint in her eye.

“You fools!” She laughed maniacally into the air. “So absorbed in your little games you failed to notice my escape. And now it is you who is trapped in my claws, you strange ponies from a fictional land. Your imprisonment will last forever!”

Dash lowered her head and spoke in hushed tones. “Can you uh, do that thing again?” She stole glances at Nightmare Moon as she spoke, not listening to the tyrant's continued speech.

Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, Dash. I'm tired, and the proximity of the moon is both strengthening her and weakening me.”

“Right. Up to me, then.” Dash looked back up at the moon princess and narrowed her eyes.

“Dash! No, she's far too powerful! With the moon this close, she could kill either of us in a single blow!” Twilight gripped on to Dash tighter, trying to hold her in place.

“Whatever. She's gotta hit me for that.” Dash yanked herself out of Twilight's grip and hovered a few feet above her. “You run, okay? As soon as I start, you run and you don't look back. You're gonna need to get started on that storm by yourself. Remember the three Cs of cloudsmithing?”

Twilight nodded, and with a dry mouth recited “Create, Collapse, and Coalesce.” She shook her head and tried to grab Dash in a magic field, but Dash met her grip with a twist and slipped between her tendrils. “Dash, I can't let you do this. I'm not going home without you, not ever.”

“Twilight, I-”

“No, shut up, Dash. I don't care, the two weeks I spent without you were the worst of my life. It's not like going back to before you, because you've changed me in so many ways. I could write a book on love now—well, I actually am—and chapter one is that I can never lose you. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't there.” Twilight choked back a sob so she could continue speaking without allowing Dash to interrupt. “You've entwined yourself with every part of my life now, and I can't imagine doing any of it without you. If you want to sacrifice yourself to save me, then I can't let you. We'll go out together, or not at all. I promised never to leave you, and I won't.”

Dash licked her lips and nodded. “You done? You're damn right you're not going home without me. You run as fast as you can and start that storm, I'll catch up in a few minutes, and then we'll blast out of this sun-forsaken place so fast our feathers catch fire, deal?”

Twilight caught her sob with a laugh, and nodded. “Deal. Stay safe, Dash.”

Dash shrugged. “'Course, why in Equestria would I go getting myself killed when I have you waiting for me? Think, Sparkle.” She turned to stare at Nightmare Moon, who had at some point stopped monologuing and settled for staring at the pair until they were done.

“Your love!” Luna clutched at her heart. “It melts this old and bitter heart! Go free, ponies, and live the rest of your lives in peace.”

Dash frowned. “Really?”

Luna laughed. “No.” She took aim and unleashed a bolt of lightning at Dash's chest. Dash dodged it and darted towards her, sparing one last glance behind herself to ensure Twilight had begun to run. She had, and Dash looked back up, twirling in the air to avoid another bolt of lightning.

Magical walls began to close around her as she triggered the traps Luna had set around them. She ducked between converging planes of energy, jumped between expanding bubbles of frozen time, and flew straight through areas of space so dense that light itself bent around it. Her body seemed to throb with adrenaline, and she knew she was in the zone. Twilight would have said her aura was aligned with the resonant frequency of the world, but Twilight Sparkle still didn't understand flight at its best.

Dash was within a meter of Luna now. An alicorn at the height of her power could rip the world in two, and yet Rainbow Dash could see her attacks coming before they happened. She spun around vortexes so tight they left a trail of broken reality in their wake. She received an unwanted haircut from a beam of pure wrath that glowed like a moonlight spear, a blow which left a scar on the forest floor a hundred feet deep. She had to close her eyes after the full power of the tides began to act even on the moisture coating her eyeballs, but that was okay. Vision was too slow anyway; she reacted based on the slightest changes in the air or simply on gut instinct.

Dash dodged, ducked, dived, and twisted to avoid every attack that could be thrown at her, each time getting a little closer to Luna. Any attack that forced her to fall back was met with a dart forward the instant after as she tried to get close enough to fight.

After what seemed like an eternity, but to an outside observer measured under five minutes, Dash landed on Luna's back. The wind around them whipped past as huge changes in temperature forced the air itself to rearrange. The ground beneath them burned and twisted. Dash used her fraction of an instant of peace on a quick prayer for Twilight's safety, and then brought her hoof down on the closest thing to a god the world had.

Luna flinched, giving Rainbow Dash a precious few more moments. Her hoof screamed through the air, passing through Nightmare Moon's mane and ignoring the burning sensation. She struck the one part of her body which wasn't protected by inch-thick armour—the long, black horn on the Nightmare's head.

Luna screamed into the endless night. “My- My horn! You shall pay for this with your life, foul creature!” She span around in the air, catching Dash with a wing and flinging her to the side, out of control. She pointed her horn at the pegasus's chest and cast her killing blow.

Nothing happened. “I- What is this?”

Dash regained control immediately and gave a mock salute. “You learn a lot about unicorns from living with one. For example, hit a unicorn's horn while they're casting a spell and it'll stop the spell. Hit it in the right place just as they're casting it, though, and they won't be able to use magic for minutes.” Dash chuckled to herself. “Twi wasn't happy with me when I found that out. Totally didn't mean to hit her, by the way, it was an accident.”

Nightmare Moon screamed. “If I cannot strike you down with lightning, then I shall impale you all the same!” She charged, bursting forward with sudden speed and lowering her head, aiming to skewer Dash through the stomach.

Rainbow Dash slid to one side, letting Nightmare Moon's horn graze her side. She grabbed hold of it and pulled, unbalancing the alicorn and sending her tumbling. “You don't get it, do you? I’m Rainbow Dash! I am the fastest thing in the skies, no matter who's skies they are! And you're just another pony who made the worst mistake anypony can make.”

Nightmare Moon almost managed to regain control before striking the ground. Instead, she smashed into it backwards, and was left dazed and staring up at Dash high above. “W- what is that?”

“You threatened my wife. Nopony gets away with that. Ever.” Dash brushed an imaginary piece of dust from her shoulder and took a long look at her hoof. “But today's your lucky day. I gotta admit, I kinda like the Luna we have back home, so I don't wanna have to remember beating you up everytime I look at her. I'm gonna let you just lie there, and I'm going to go find Twilight and get the hay out of this place.”

Dash turned to leave, but then suddenly turned, darted over to Luna, and stared her straight in the eyes. “But if I ever see you again, I won't go easy on you. Heck, if you even think about harming a hair on Twilight's coat, you're over. Get it?” Dash jabbed her hoof into Luna's chest. Even through the armour, she noticeably recoiled.

“Yeah, I thought so.” Dash turned and flew, looking around for the telltale signs of a monster storm.

Fluttershy clung to the cloud with all her might. The five ponies soared across the sky so quickly that taking breath was a challenge. Nobody spoke, for words were simply stolen away by the wind before they could be heard.

Celestia gripped onto the edge of the cloud with her wings spread, trying to stay awake and ride the wind. The moon towered above them, continuing along its agonisingly slow path across the sky. The ground beneath them had long since given way to ocean, and the only cloud in the sky was just popping up over the horizon, with a strange wooden structure held aloft on its top.

Celestia tilted her wings, aiming to catch the air instead of gliding through it. She held on tight and began to slow the cloud. As they approached the Chariot, their travels became slow enough they could once more talk.

“Everypony, I may have made a slight miscalculation when we set off. I'm afraid we will be passing several feet above the surface of the airship, and we will have to jump at the correct time.” Celestia tried to slow the cloud further, but the structure was so fragile that pulling any harder would break it.

Fluttershy squeaked. “Um, when is that, exactly?”

“Ah, now.” Celestia yanked back on the cloud and watched it disintegrate, sending the four ponies atop it tumbling to the surface of the ship. Celestia glided after them and set foot aboard the wooden planks.

The captain immediately ran over. “Princess! Luna warned us you were coming. How was your-”

Celestia took one step forward and then collapsed forward, falling into slumber before she even hit the deck.

“-trip. Oh dear.”

Rarity screamed. “My mane! My tail! My everything! You-” She pointed at the captain. “Where is your nearest mirror?”

Air Haddock took a step backwards at the force of the question. “'fraid not, ma'am. We had a mite troublesome journey, and mirrors are mighty breakable under that sort of pressure. For the record, you look just fine.”

Rarity blushed. “Ah- Well, I would still prefer a properly styled mane.”

“I assure you, ma'am, as soon as I am able I shall have you in the finest airdock Equestria has to offer.”

Rarity nodded. “Well yes, nothing less would suit for a lady, such as myself.”

Air Haddock nodded. “Undoubtably. Now, are your companions alright?”

Rarity turned around, and extended a hoof to help Fluttershy up. Applejack was already struggling to stand, and Pinkie Pie had somehow managed to land bouncing.

Fluttershy rubbed one of her legs. “Oh, thank you, Rarity. Gosh, that fall was awful, are you alright? Your mane looks- oh my.”

Rarity frowned. “Well, some ponies think it looks fine. I shall have to call it a new fashion, perhaps it will take hold.”

“Oh, um, okay.” Fluttershy looked around, before spotting Celestia. “My! Is the princess alright?”

Luna walked out of the cabin. Her broken leg was healing fast, and already she walked more comfortably, though still with the splint. “She will be fine. Even she has her limits.”

Applejack frowned. “Now here, I thought we were in a rush? There ain't time for sleep, our friends are in danger! They need us! Somebody wake 'er up!”

Luna shook her head. “Calm yourself, farmer. Celestia has, as always, put the pieces in play. We have not been idle these past hours. Indeed, Star Spokes believes his notes here can shine new light on many aspects of magical theory, and perhaps provide a stepping stone between our current understanding, and Twilight Sparkle's notebook.”

Applejack snorted and walked up to Luna, staring up at her with a growl. “Twilight Sparkle can tell us about Twilight Sparkle's notebook when we get her back. Now are we gonna do this, or not?”

Luna shook her head. “No, not yet. As I say, we have been monitoring the magical anomaly that you, no doubt, do not see behind us. It remains inactive, nopony is attempting to travel through it. When Twilight Sparkle attempts, we will have enough warning to wake my sister and aid her.”

Applejack shook her head. “Well, yer wrong about one thing, princess.”

Luna smiled. “And what might that be?”

“I can see that huge… magic-looking… thing just fine!” Applejack pointed over to the hole between dimensions. It looked black—though at night, so did everything else—and occasionally shone with an otherworldly light. It was remarkably unremarkable for a tear in reality.

Rarity piped up. “Yes, as can I.”

Fluttershy squeaked. “Um, I wasn't going to mention anything, but I see it too.”

Pinkie leapt out of a nearby barrel. “Me four!”

Luna took a step back. “Incredible. Could it be that-”

Star Spokes looked up from his notebook. “Yes, of course. That's the final piece of the puzzle! Why, I could kiss you girls-”

Rarity giggled. “Darling, buy me dinner, first.”

Star Spokes blushed slightly, but continued anyway. “Yes, quite. Anyway, that explains it. Everything we know about dimensional theory says this hole shouldn't be here. The walls should close up almost straight away—the world heals quickly—and yet it is shrinking very slowly. Why, we have almost an hour before it's gone entirely.”

Applejack jumped into the air. “An hour?! Why the hay're we standing around talking if we only got an hour?”

Star Spokes ignored her. “It's the elements of harmony keeping it open. You girls all have a strong connection to each other, and apparently one strong enough to hold universes together. For a little while, at least. Were you able to bring the elemental jewellery?”

Rarity shook her head. “I'm afraid we didn't have time. Why we keep them in Canterlot I'm not entirely sure, they're never around when we need them.”

Luna shook her head. “They don't matter. They are magically inert chunks of metal and gemstone unless touching their bearer.”

Rarity frowned. “Are we going to need them?”

Pinkie Pie leapt out of another barrel and span around in the air, then landed on the deck. “Nuh-uh, Rarity! The elements are inside all of us!”

Luna nodded. “Close. The elements are you. Their power is always yours to wield in times of great need, and I suppose this is their greatest need of all.”

Behind her, the gateway to the void became far less unremarkable. It began to throb with increasing speed, and beams of light flew from it at every angle. Luna turned around, looked, and then nodded. “Wake Celestia. It's time.”

Twilight screamed through the air in a far different fashion to how Rainbow Dash usually travelled. Her throat felt hoarse, each yell making it a little drier. Despite the constant yelps of fear and terror, however, Twilight's storm was starting to take shape. She created the clouds from nothing but the moisture of the air, collapsed them to create denser storm clouds, and coalesced the whole mass into one great clump of dark, angry material. Though flight took most of her concentration, wisps of magic flew through the air to bring the clouds in line.

The rains had begun almost immediately, and the lightning bolts followed soon after. Twilight couldn't split her concentration between increasing the storm and collecting the lightning, so that energy went to waste. She silently pleaded for Dash to return soon, not even entertaining the possibility of her not.

Twilight had, true to her word, ran, and not looked back. No matter how terrifying the noises from behind became, she continued, taking to the air after a few steps and flying as fast as her unskilled wings could take her.

A bolt of lightning burst out of a cloud towards the ground, only barely missing Twilight's wing. She gulped and tried to leave the more dangerous areas. Unfortunately, every area was dangerous.

“Hey!” Dash's voice called out across the sky. Twilight turned to look, her face breaking out into a smile as Dash zoomed through the rain. Bolts of lightning tried to stop her, but she dodged so quickly Twilight's eyes could hardly follow.

Dash struck Twilight in mid air and held her tight. “Okay, Nightmare Moon won't be a problem for a few minutes at least. How're we doing?” The rain was heavy enough that both of their manes were sodden, and even fifty feet up the roar of raindrops hitting the ground was loud enough they had to yell to be heard.

“I- I think okay? I'm losing control of the storm, it's changing… by itself.” Twilight looked around. Her eyes darted around in fear. “Almost like it's trying to help.”

Dash grinned. “See, even the world wants to help.”

Luna's voice boomed out across the storm. “Or perhaps I simply want you gone.”

Dash released Twilight from her embrace and pulled herself into a combat pose, minimising visible surface area and keeping herself aerodynamically unstable enough to flick away in an instant. “I told you I wouldn't go easy this time.”

Luna shook her head. “I am not here to fight. I do not know what you are or who you are, but you have told me what you want. If you require a storm to leave my world, then I shall provide you with the largest storm in my world's history. Begone, and never return.” She spat. Dash watched the glob of saliva fall for a few moments.

The three hung in the air for several moments until Dash finally nodded. “Okay. Give us a storm. If you try anything-”

“Yes, I know. I know you most likely know that were I to attack, I would aim for the one who cannot evade. The one who is apparently your wife. I also know that were I to succeed, I would not survive. I would like nothing more than to strike her down where she so inexpertly hovers, simply to see the expression on your broken face.” Luna bared her teeth and snarled. “However, I wish to see my kingdom prosper more. You are both perfectly safe by this token. Just… leave me alone.”

Dash snarled and looked back towards Twilight. “Okay, looks like we have some help. You take this half of the sky, and I’ll take that half, okay?”

Twilight Sparkle nodded and looked around herself, then pulled away and slowly flew up to the cloud layer to begin enchanting the clouds into even greater ferocity. Dash zipped away across the sky to start pulling stormclouds together in new locations. After a few minutes of work, the skies were in turmoil and the winds were almost strong enough to knock Twilight Sparkle from the air. Lightning hammered the ground, striking so often that once-fields now looked closer to a dragon’s home.

A flash shone throughout the sky. A bolt of lightning seemed to bend in the air, seeking Dash out. A moment before it struck, Dash felt the raw heat on her back and darted away. The bolt followed, but she stretched out a wing and snapped it from the air. Energy flowing freely through her body, she turned and shot it back towards Nightmare Moon, blowing a hole through her billowing mane. A sharp glance with narrow eyes said more than words ever could, and the alicorn seemed to shrink backwards.

Dash flew back towards Twilight, her course taking her so close to Luna that the princess was almost knocked from the sky, and held on tight. She grinned. “You ready to get out of here? What's the next step?”

Twilight closed her eyes and shone her horn, turning in the air until she found what she was looking for. “We entered over there, above Canterlot. We're going to need to achieve a sonic rainboom perfectly within the tear, and we're going to have to do it while strengthening our bond.”

“Huh?” Dash tilted her head.

“The only thing keeping that tear open is the bond we share with our friends. If we're going to push it open and fly through, we're going to have to get in there and use those bonds. The good news is that as soon as we're inside, our friends will be able to see us.”

“Then they can pull us through, right?” Dash darted forward and pulled Twilight a few inches closer to her, just in time for a bolt of lightning to strike where Twilight had been.

“Thanks.” Twilight shook her head. “They'll be able to see us, that's all. We're going to have to do something that strengthens our bonds just from them seeing it.”

“Okay, any ideas?”

Twilight carefully turned herself around in the air and flew right at Dash's side.

“Hey, careful, you're in my airspace-” Dash tried to pull back, but Twilight grabbed hold of her and held her in place. She slipped closer, until one of Dash's wings was across her back, and one of her wings was across Dash's.

“I was thinking we could sonic rainboom like this.” Twilight leant against Dash and tried to synchronise her flaps so they could stay in the air. Their flight was shaky and uncertain, but they didn't drop.

“Are you serious, Twi? You learned how to fly like, fifteen minutes ago, and now you want to do a sonic rainboom?” Dash wanted to pull back to see Twilight's face more clearly, but was forced to keep her head so close their cheeks kept brushing together.

“I- yeah. With you at my side, I feel like I can do anything, and if I understand my flight theory right that means there's a good chance this will work. It's all in the heart, right?”

Dash spluttered. “I- Well- Yeah, but-”

“Then let's do it. You told me I could do anything, but I only realised why I disagreed when I was scared you wouldn't make it back. I can't do everything, but when you're watching me I feel like I can. That's the only me you ever see. When you're around, I'm at my best, so… no wonder you think I can do it. When you're around, I can. So come on, let's do it.”

Dash hung her head and sighed. “You're serious, aren't you?”

Twilight grinned and nodded. “Yeah. You know, I've spent our entire marriage not really understanding why you put up with me, but I think I get it now.”

“It's because I love you, you dork.” Dash rolled her eyes.

“And I love you. So come on, let's fly.” Twilight took off as fast as she could, flying towards Canterlot airspace. Dash reacted almost before Twilight had even begun, keeping perfect time and driving them forward ever faster. Twilight leaned in harder and rested her head against Dash's neck as their speeds grew closer and closer to the threshold they needed to break.

The tear loomed closer every instant, but the pair didn't slow down. Bolts of lightning coursed out of the clouds around them, only to be redirected in mid air to strike the glowing cone of energy forming around Twilight and Dash's forehooves. They simultaneously gritted their teeth and powered on, striking the tear at the very moment of breaking the sound barrier.

The concentric ring of the sonic rainboom was caught within it, and the swirling power before them pierced it. The tear began to open up.

Dash grunted. “Twilight, air's getting pretty thin in here. Wings can't keep grip for much longer.”

Twilight nodded. “I know. Hold your breath, Dash, it won't be much longer.”

Dash shook her head. “Breathing doesn't matter, without any air we're not gonna be able to maintain this speed. We'll fall back!”

Twilight struggled and brought a forehoof across Dash's back, hugging her close. “Flight's all in the heart, Dash. I don't need air, because you're the wind beneath my wings.”