The last breath of peace

“Guys how long has Twilight been ‘researching’” Dash asked her friends who were lounging around Twilight’s house waiting for the purple unicorn to emerge from her room.

“Now that you mention it Sugarcube she’s been in there for twelve hours straight.” AJ replied.

“I’ll go and see what she’s found.” Spike said as he headed up the stairs to Twilight’s room, he knocked lightly on the door but received no answer. “Twilight can I come in?” he called raising his voice.

“Yeah, um, sure, I’m busy but sure.” Twilight called back distractedly. Spike opened the door and slowly walked into the room, he found Twilight sitting on her bed with Pinkie’s book held in front of face with magic, she looked like she’d been crying but all the tears were now dry.

“Twilight are you ok, you look like you’ve been crying?” Spike asked her.

“What? Oh right sorry I was just reading something sad, I shouldn’t have dived into the other Equestria universes like I did.” She replied a little mournfully.

“What are you talking about Twilight?”

“I just finished reading the story of Fallout Equestria, it’s sad that’s all.” Twilight told him as he looked at her in confusion.

“I still have no idea what you’re talking about Twilight, but didn’t you say that you were doing research?” Twilight nodded.

“I finished a while ago, I’ve been skimming through this book ever since, the thing is enormous!” Spike sighed, typical Twilight.

“Twilight do you even know what time it is?” he asked her incredulously.

“I assume it’s almost time for dinner.” Twilight replied causing Spike to facepalm.

“Twilight…” he said slowly “…diner was eight hours ago!” Twilight blushed; she had no idea that she’d spent that long looking through the book.

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry Spike, this thing just sucks you in and keeps you there…” Twilight’s train of thought was cut off suddenly by her stomach’s loud roar. “I guess I’m hungry.” Twilight said embarrassedly looking down at her stomach.

“Come on I’ll get you a daisy sandwich.” Spike told her as he headed down the stairs.

“What happened to Shepard and his group?” Twilight asked Spike as she surveyed the main room and saw only her friends.

“He decided to go back to that house that Pinkie built them; he mentioned something about needing a little R and R.” Spike replied.

“How was your research Twilight?” Dash asked Twilight as entered the main room from where she was sitting on the couch with Fluttershy peacefully sleeping next to her.

“It went great Dash, I found a lot of what we’re looking for, and I now have the most incredible book I’ve ever had!” Twilight told Dash in excitement as she thought about the book.

“Maybe you should let me read it Twi, it sounds interesting.” Dash replied as she slowly got up from the couch, being careful not to Disturb Fluttershy who let out a cute little snore causing Dash to look at her lovingly. “When this is over we need to make Celestia revoke Fluttershy’s Paladinship, the only time that she’s really Fluttershy is when she’s asleep, or in bed.” Dash said with a tiny note of regret in her voice as she thought about how Fluttershy was acting.

“I’m sure that it can be arranged Dash, Celestia only did it because she knew that we’d need her like this.” Twilight told her friend.

“Which is what worries me Twilight; I haven’t mentioned this to anypony but Fluttershy, but I keep having conversations in my head with a mare that died thousands of years ago and claims to be my great, great, great…” Twilight cut her off with a hoof and motioned her to skip all of the greats “anyways she says she was a Paladin but I don’t know whether or not to believe her, what if I’m going crazy? What if Celestia needs us to go insane to beat whoever is after Shepard? What if it’s permanent and we die terribly in a large ball of fire and brimstone!” at this point Dash was shuddering in uncharacteristic fright. Twilight wrapped her in a hug and held her until the trembling stopped.

“Dash I’m sure that Celestia doesn’t want us insane, if she did we already would be, and what’s the name of this mare that claims to be your grandmother?” Twilight asked Dash

“Shika” Dash told her drawing a shocked expression from Twilight

“Shika was a member of one of the greatest Paladins outside of the first generation Dash, you should be honored to be related to her.” Inside Dash’s head Shika chuckled, before the conversation could get any farther AJ and Spike returned from the kitchen with a platter of daisy sandwiches and apple tarts.

“Here ya go Twilight eat up.” AJ told Twilight as she set the platters down on a small table. Twilight quickly grabbed a hooffull and popped a tart into her mouth letting out a small sigh of happiness as the apple filled her mouth.

“So where’s Rarity?” Twilight asked after she had finished her first tart.

“She went back home to spend some quality time with ‘Tom’ she said that he’d been feeling neglected.” Dash told her a ghost of a smile tracing her lips.

“We couldn’t have that now could we, Tom is a very important member of our friend group.” Twilight replied.

“Yeah I just wish he wasn’t so cold to Rarity, he’s a silent as a boulder sometimes.” Dash said, her smile growing larger.

“I think that yall should stop picking on her, the girl’s messed up enough without yall two mockin her.” AJ told them.

“We aren’t mocking her AJ, we’re just idly commenting on her love affair with a giant rock, it’s not like we’re judging her.” Dash said shrugging.

“I can tell when you’re lying Dash.” AJ told her friend.

“Girls enough, look it’s late I should probably get some sleep, you can either stay here or go home, either way I need sleep.” Twilight told her friends before their argument could get any more heated.

“I got to go and say hi to ma family so I might as well sleep there, see you in the morning everypony.” AJ said before she walked out the door and into the night.

“I’ll just sleep next to Fluttershy.” Dash told Twilight as she snuggled herself up to the sleeping yellow pegasus who quickly rolled over onto her. Twilight and Spike quietly made their way upstairs and turned out the lights.

AN
Sorry for the absolute shortness of this chapter, but I reached just over a hundred pages in word so I’m working on a little celebratory piece to mark the occasion which should be up later today, it’s going to be non canon btw

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