They rose three hours after the dawn, and Twilight wasted no time in joining Spike in the kitchen. The others gathered in the front room; Rarity had suggested they all help out with breakfast, but changed her mind when Applejack pointed out the hushed, obviously private conversation within. So they remained in the library’s circular chamber, talking sparsely and preparing their minds for the task that lay ahead. Of them all, only Applejack had experience with reconstruction, but she had never rebuilt something from a bare foundation.

Breakfast was soon ready, and they ate in relative quietude; Spike was still wary of them, and they spoke little for his sake. Rarity left early, partially to escape Spike’s defeated gaze, and partially to feed Opalescence. Once everything was cleaned up, they followed Pinkie to Sugarcube Corner to collect the Cakes, who she had persuaded to help with the reconstruction the night before. After a little small talk, they left again, following Applejack, who, inspired by Pinkie’s idea, decided to try roping Big Macintosh into the situation.

The town gave way quickly to the emptier farmland, where the sun slanted down through a cloudless sky, and the grass was warm and green. Walking through the peaceful, pastoral stretch of land, they could almost forget their situation, and in the renewed sunshine, it didn’t seem that bad, even when they remembered it. Ponyville was already repaired, and ponies were rebuilding. Houses, lives, relationships—only a few days after the disaster. Twilight felt good, walking toward the apple grove’s outer edge; she, too, had been a part of the reparative process.

“So do you two know anythin’ ‘bout construction?” Applejack asked, looking at the Cakes politely.

“Well, I can’t say that I do,” Mr. Cake said, “at least, not enough to rebuild an entire house.”

“Neither do I. The most construction either of us have done is the repairs on Sugarcube Corner, and that was difficult enough. We’re only earth ponies, though,” Mrs. Cake said.

“I hope those pegasi have some unicorn friends,” Mr. Cake said. “Otherwise, this is going to take a very long time.”

“And I suspect it’ll be very taxing on you and Rarity, Twilight.”

“They said they had somepony who has experience with this. I just hope that’s true,” Twilight said. “I didn’t get to read about it at all last night; I was just too tired.”

The conversation stopped while the grass lapsed into the beginnings of the apple orchard.

“Ooh, I’ve never seen this side of the orchard before,” Mrs. Cake said, admiration in her voice.

“There ain’t actually much to see,” Applejack said. “It’s all apples from here ‘til the barn.”

“My, but there are so many. Why, it must be easy to get lost in here.”

“Not at all, ma’am, least not fer me. Apple Bloom still gets lost every now an’ again.”

“Oh, Apple Bloom. I had just about forgot about her. How is she?” Mr. Cake asked.

“She’s fine,” Applejack said proudly. “Better now, now that everythin’s settled down an’ back to normal, but she’s still a little wary. ‘Specially with the barn the way it is.”

“What happened to the barn?”

“It kinda got destroyed,” Applejack said casually.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry,” Mrs. Cake said.

“Actually, Ah shouldn’t say that. It’s not entirely destroyed; just half of it.”

“Half of it?” Mr. Cake repeated.

“Well, near as Ah can tell, it was right on a spot where the ground split, but instead of hangin’ off the edge, it just came apart like two halves of the same apple.”

“How does that work?”

“Yeah, Applejack, how does that work?” Rainbow asked. “Barns aren’t supposed to be that easy to cut in half.”

“Ah assume it has somethin’ to do with the foundation,” Applejack said.

“It may have been weak in the middle,” Twilight said.

“That’s as likely an explanation as any.”

“Is your granny okay?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“She’s fine. Everyone was able to get out quickly enough, thank Celestia.”

“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for them.”

“And for it to happen in the dead of night, too,” Mr. Cake added.

“Apple Bloom said she an’ her friends were out in the orchard when it happened, not in their beds like they shoulda been. Who woulda guessed it was fer the best? When everythin’ happened, Apple Bloom took charge of the situation an’ helped ‘em find shelter, an’ calm down. That’s what she told me.”

“That sounds like her,” Rarity said.

They were nearing the other side of the orchard, where the trees were thinning into the wide-open space just before the barn. “I don’t intend to sound heartless, but why are we going to help out somepony we hardly know, when Applejack here needs help just as badly?” Mr. Cake asked.

“My situation’s a bit different,” Applejack said. “When the barn got split, one half of it went fallin’ down into the crevasse. It’ll take more’n just magic to repair that.”

“Oh my goodness. It fell?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Looks like it. We can’t find any pieces.”

“Oh, that is a bit different. Well, when you get the supplies, just let us know, and we’ll be happy to help out, Applejack.”

“Thank you kindly, ma’am, but Ah won’t be here when that time comes. As soon as we’re done with the house, or the funeral—whichever comes last—we’re leavin’. Ah won’t have nothin’ to do with the barn’s repair after that.”

“You’re leaving for Canterlot, right?” Mr. Cake asked.

“That’s right.”

“How are you going to get there? Surely the ground isn’t repaired all the way yet, between cities.”

“Probably not,” Twilight said. “That’s why we have our airship. Celestia’s airship, actually.”

“Oh, you have an airship?” Mrs. Cake queried.

“Yeah; you didn’t see it?” Rainbow asked.

“No, I guess not.”

A deep, masculine voice spoke Applejack’s name from afar; it was quiet, but it carried perfectly through the fresh, sunny morning air. Applejack broke formation and ran toward the deep red stallion standing outside the barn, hugging him tightly; he returned it gently.

They watched at a distance as she exchanged words with him, her worried expression melting in a great, relieved exhale at something he said. Applejack asked him something, and he nodded, eliciting a surprised smile from her. When they turned back toward the barn, Rarity and Rainbow joined her, leaving the others to watch outside.

With the majority of the wreckage clear, the barn seemed cleft perfectly, as if struck with a giant spade, one side repaired and one side simply absent. Twilight could see the individual floors stacked on top of each other like cards, each of them partially barred with ramshackle constructions of plywood. Granny Smith and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had created a small living alcove in the exposed kitchen, with long, wooden struts slanting from the ground to the fringed wall. A small outhouse had been erected at the edge of the clearing.

Twilight could not hear their conversation, but it was clear to her when Applejack mentioned their job; the three fillies began to whine and plead and crowd around her, all looking up at her with sad eyes.

It was to Twilight’s partial, but not entirely unexpected, surprise that Big Mac, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow emerged from the barn with the three extra volunteers. “Cutie Mark Crusader Construction Workers!” they were cheering.

“I see we have three extra helpers,” Fluttershy said, smiling at the Crusaders.

“We’re gonna build a house!” Scootaloo cried, flapping her tiny wings eagerly.

“Did you take care of everything you had to, Applejack?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Applejack said, walking toward the town center.

“Where are we going?” Scootaloo asked, running alongside Rainbow’s shadow as she flew lazily along.

“Spa, kiddo,” she said dismissively.

“Why are we going there?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Applejack said we were goin’ to Doctor Whooves’ house to work,” Apple Bloom put in.

“We need to go to the spa and collect a few more ponies,” Twilight said.

“Oh! Oh! Rarity talks about them sometimes!” Sweetie Belle said. “She said they’re the sweetest, nicest, friendliest ponies in Equestria, except for you guys. I’ve always wanted to meet them!”

“Come on, Crusaders! Let’s go to the spa!” Scootaloo cried. They all took off ahead, and Rainbow kept pace with them; Twilight heard Scootaloo shout “Cutie Mark Crusader Spa-Going Ponies!” in the distance.

“They’re certainly eager to help out,” Rarity said.

“I just hope they don’t get in the way too much,” Twilight said, hating the impersonality in her words.

“Ah’m not too worried,” Applejack said. “ As long as somepony keeps an eye on ‘em. Big Mac?”

“Eeyup,” he said, nodding once.

“He’ll make sure nothin’ happens.”

“Yes, while the rest of us get to work. Oh, I hope I don’t have to do anything that will spoil my coiffure,” Rarity said.

“You shouldn’t have to worry too much, bein’ a unicorn an’ all.”

“Applejack, you said you worked on the barn some. What all goes into it?” Twilight asked.

“Well, like Ah said, it ain’t gonna be much like this, but if you must know, Big Mac an’ Ah put up a wall in the kitchen yesterday. You just have to frame the wall, put in some supportin’ lumber, put the joists in, take the lumber out, an’ there ya go. Least, that’s how we did it.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Pinkie said.

“It’s more complicated than it sounds,” Applejack said.

“Come on, slowpokes! The day won’t last forever!” Rainbow called from the edge of the orchard, and they trotted to catch up with her and the fillies. There was a small strip of grassy land between them and the encircling river, and a bridge that would take them directly into the town square. They crossed into the square quickly, the three Crusaders talking among each other and Rainbow flying around, keeping a loose orbit around the group.

They passed the town hall and swung around to the lifeless spa, its door hanging open like a tired mouth. They walked in uncertainly and looked around; the front room was empty of both the receptionist and the magazines that were usually on the table or in the racks on the wall.

“Is anypony home?” Rarity called.

“We will be just there!” a friendly voice called from somewhere at the bottom of the stairs.

“Ooh, I’m finally gonna get to meet them!” Sweetie Belle said, hopping up and down.

“I don’t see what’s so great about it. I mean, who wants to work at a spa all day?” Scootaloo said.

“Hush now, Scootaloo; they can hear you,” Rarity said.

“All the way down there? No way.”

“Nuh-uh! Rarity says they have the best ears in Equestria,” Sweetie Belle countered.

“Ah have pretty good hearin’,” Apple Bloom said.

“Hey, maybe that’s your special talent! Maybe you’ll have a, um, being able to hear things cutie mark!” Scootaloo said.

“That doesn’t sound like a very great cutie mark, to be honest.”

“Are you all ready?” Aloe asked, stepping into the waiting room. “Oh, hello young ones.”

“Hi Miss Lotus!” Sweetie Belle said, approaching the pink pony eagerly.

She laughed good-naturedly. “I am not Lotus; that is my sister.”

“Oh, sorry. Hi Miss Aloe!”

Aloe smiled at the filly, and Applejack cleared her throat. “You both ready to go?”

“Yes, we are both ready,” Lotus said as she entered.

“Then let’s get a move on.”

“Yes,” Aloe said, leading them out into the town center. “I confess, we were expecting you earlier in the morning.”

“Oh, sorry. We slept a little late,” Twilight said as they walked out.

“Oh, no, it is no problem,” Lotus said. “It gave us time to finish packing.”

“Packin’? Where are you goin?” Apple Bloom asked.

“When we are done with this project, we are leaving Ponyville,” Aloe said.

“Leavin’? But why?”

“There is nothing for us here anymore,” Lotus said. “So we are going home.”

“But I thought Ponyville was your home,” Sweetie Belle said. Aloe shook her head, but said no more.

“How is the good doctor?” Lotus asked after a time.

“Who?” Twilight asked.

“Doctor Whooves.”

“Oh, him. I don’t actually know. The pegasi told us he was living with them for now, but I don’t know anything else. You two know him; how would he take something like this?”

“He would survive,” Aloe said, “but losing a house is a difficult thing.”

“I hope he’s okay,” Fluttershy said.

“He’ll be fine!” Pinkie said. “I mean, not now, ‘cause his house is gone, but after we’re done with it it’ll be better than ever, and he’ll be so happy! We’ll have to have a ‘welcome to your new house’ party!”

“You plan to be here that long?” Lotus asked.

“Of course they do!” Sweetie Belle said.

“Aaaaactually,” Twilight said, “probably not. We’re going to leave as soon as our business with Bonbon is done. Right, Pinkie?”

“Oh, yeah, sure, Twilight!”

“That was the plan,” Rarity said.

“What business do you have with her?” Aloe asked.

Twilight leaned in a bit closer, and Aloe cocked an attentive ear. “We have to attend a funeral, for Lyra.”

“Oh, goodness,” Aloe said quietly, looking at Lotus, who signaled that she had heard it too.

“What? What is it?” Scootaloo pressed.

“Nothin’ fer you to worry yer little head ‘bout,” Applejack said.

“I am not little.”

“Do you know when it will be?” Lotus asked.

“Soon, hopefully,” Rainbow said.

“We don’t know yet, no,” Twilight said.

They walked between a row of houses and passed a small avenue of market stalls. Twilight looked at the ponies they passed, and had to smile. While the town reposed in ruin, houses destroyed and collapsing, life went on; before her eyes, adjunct to the scenes of destruction elsewhere, ponies talked, laughed, bought and sold wares. And now, not a week after the fatal spell, houses were being rebuilt. The town was healing.

She looked at the hills in the distance, the northern section of town: houses constructed into the grassy meadows and mounds, pastoral and peaceful. A windmill tilted crazily near the border, its blades skewed like rinds of a smashed fruit, casting a splattered shadow on the hill beside it, while little houses peppered the rolling, green area. It was like a completely different neighborhood, separate from the flat, dust-and-flowers area that comprised the main portion of Ponyville; only a small, empty gully separated them. She was gratified that Pinkie’s restoration spell had reached so far.

In the back of the group, the Cakes were speaking with Aloe and Lotus about their role in the funeral; they were catering the reception afterwards. Everyone else was clustered quietly together, with Big Macintosh leading the way, drawing eyes and the occasional hungry smile while the Crusaders rushed ahead to explore the newly-recovered town.

As peaceful as it all was, Twilight could not help but notice something slightly off about things. At first, she couldn’t put a name to it, but as she walked and the town thinned out into hillsides and fields, she realized what it was: quiet. The ponies, while apparently happy, had taken on an uncharacteristic air of watchful calm, something an outsider could mistake for civility. They talked, laughed, played, and socialized as normal, but their eyes were sharper, their voices more guarded, their demeanors slower to express feeling. They looked like they were waiting for something else to happen; there were fewer true smiles in the crowds.

“Hey, is that the house, you think?” Applejack pointed at a pile of debris in the distance, at the end of Windmill Road—so named for its terminating point at the windmill’s entrance—where two pegasi and a trio of earth ponies were milling around. The pegasi were the same ones who had stopped Twilight the day before, but she recognized the earth ponies: Nurse Redheart, Berry Punch, and Doctor Whooves.

“That is his house,” Lotus said, nodding.

“Come on, Crusaders!” Apple Bloom yelled, galloping to the destruction site. The others reached it more slowly.

While his companions talked, Doctor Whooves stood a bit away, watching silently as Twilight and her friends approached. She had only interacted with him once or twice, and knew little about him, though had heard that he possessed a sort of charm that belied his appearance, which was unremarkable in all aspects—a light brown coat, short mane, and a generic hourglass cutie mark that appeared on several others. His voice was low and mild, his eyes thoughtful and careful, and his demeanor suggestive of a kind of quiet desperation that made his entire bearing seem weak. Utterly forgettable.

“Doctor,” Aloe and Lotus said together, approaching and hugging him. “We were simply mortified to hear what has happened. How are you doing?”

He shrugged as his lips twitched in an unseen smile. “I’ve seen better days. But what are you doing here?”

“We are here to help fix up your home,” Aloe said, nuzzling him.

“It was Twilight and her friends that told us about it,” Lotus said.

The doctor looked at the rest of the group and smiled wider. “Ah, you’re Twilight, yes?” He shook her hoof politely, then the others’. “Doctor Whooves—Doc, if you’re of a shortening mind.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Doctor,” Fluttershy said.

“And the Cakes, of course,” he said, nodding at the bakers, who nodded back. “Big Macintosh too? Wow, you did round up a good crew.”

“So what’s going on? I don’t see anything being done,” Twilight said.

“Yes, well, we’re kind of at an impasse for now.”

“We’re stuck waiting for somepony who actually knows enough to lead us,” Nurse Redheart said. “Unless that would be any of you.”

“No, sorry, Nurse,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, sure.”

“He said he would be here by noon,” Berry Punch said.

“Yeah, and we all know how reliable he is.”

“Who are you talking about?” Rainbow asked.

“Berry said one of her friends is an actual architect pony, who can help us out with this house project; we’re waiting on him,” Doctor Whooves said.

“Who’s that?” Applejack asked.

“The name’s Icy Drop; do you know him?”

They all shook their heads, except Aloe and Lotus.

“Eh, he lives on the east side. Tends to keep to himself.”

“He is not the most friendly one, at least not to us,” Lotus said.

“Hey, Twilight! Oh, good, I was hoping you’d come.” The turquoise pegasus flew over to them eagerly, her pink counterpart just behind. “Great group; is this all of you?”

“Sure is,” Applejack said.

“Great, great. We’re still waiting for some of ours to show up.”

“That’s fine, um…” Twilight said.

“Hm?”

“Did I ever get your names?”

“Oh!” The pink pegasus laughed. “No, I guess you didn’t. How rude of me! I am Heart Throb,” she said, shaking hooves.

“I’m Medley,” said the other.

“Hey, didn’t you live in Cloudsdale for a while?” Rainbow asked Heart Throb.

“Yeah, I moved to Ponyville about five months ago. I’m surprised you remember me.”

“You just looked familiar, is all.”

“So, what’s the setup here?” Rarity asked. “I know we’re waiting for this Icy Drop fellow, and some others, but surely you must have an idea of what’s going to happen.”

“We do. First, we’re going to clear the area of all the rubble; we’re going to need more unicorns for that, though,” Medley said.

“Then we’re going to redo the foundation, and fix up the pipes as best we can,” Heart Throb said. “That’s going to be mostly my job. I used to do maintenance on the rainbow reservoirs in Cloudsdale.”

“That must have been fascinating,” Twilight said, resisting the urge to ask her for more details.

“I guess you could call it that,” she said dryly. “From there, I have no idea.”

“How many more are we expecting?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Six more, I think,” Medley said. “Three more unicorns, Icy, of course, and two more pegasi.”

“Then the party really begins,” Whooves said.

They got acquainted with each other, and Twilight looked at the site, trying to get an idea of the task they were facing. The others had all arrived by twelve-thirty: Cloud Kicker, a blonde-maned pegasus that Twilight had seen a few times helping clear the skies; Colgate, the blue-coated unicorn that Twilight had seen working at the hospital but never spoken to before; Sea Swirl, whom Twilight recognized only vaguely; a gray-coated, cool blue-maned earth pony she assumed to be Icy Drop; Lemon Hearts, a vibrant, yellow-coated unicorn pony she remembered seeing a few times in the park; and, to her surprise, the semi-familiar gray-coated, blond-maned pegasus, Derpy Hooves. They met and mingled, but only talked for five minutes before Icy climbed onto a small pile of drywall and addressed them loudly.

“All right, all right everypony, let’s quiet down for a moment.” His low, measured voice carried well, and was heavy with authority and confidence. He stood a head shorter than Twilight, but his entire body was thick and powerful-looking, his steely eyes and firm jaw producing a hard visage that was difficult to look away from. As Twilight ran her eyes over his body, she felt vaguely attracted.

“I’m Icy Drop, for those that don’t know me. I’m a certified architect and construction manager, with five years of experience here and in Manehattan. Therefore, don’t go running around thinking I don’t know what I’m doing, or that I’m out of my element.” He looked out at them, eyes crinkled in accusation. “There’s a reason you asked me to oversee this little project. Where’s Doctor Whooves?”

Whooves stepped forward, and Icy nodded curtly to him.

“Good to meet you. Now, we’ve only got half the day, so we can’t waste any time. We want to at least get some walls up before night falls.” He turned to survey the ruins, then the crowd; his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly when they settled on the Crusaders.

For a while, he was silent, and everyone watched him respectfully. “Right, we need to clear the ground first. Unicorns, come to me; the others back up. They’re going to need a lot of room.”

Twilight, Rarity, Colgate, Sea Swirl, and Lemon Hearts formed a line before Icy Drop while the rest of the crowd fell a distance away from the not-yet-started project. He spoke slowly and clearly, and they listened attentively as he described how to keep the pieces level, how to hold them without stressing them, and the like. Twilight had never thought that so much went into moving pieces of rubble, but when he was finished five minutes later, she was nodding slowly and with mild interest while the others’ eyes had glazed over. Icy ended in separating Rarity from the group, putting her near the deposition site to sort the wall pieces from the others. When everything was set, he walked briskly away, moving around the construction site and muttering to himself.

“Friendly fellow, eh?” Sea Swirl said when he was out of earshot.

“He’s just doing his job,” Colgate said. “That’s respectable enough.” Her voice was even, and tinged with a reedy accent that made Twilight glance at her curiously.

“I guess.” Sea Swirl moved straight for the pile and picked up a few pieces with her magic; it looked fairly weak.

They cycled through, Twilight bringing up the rear and grabbing the biggest pile of rubble with a tiny, smug smile, which she wiped off when she went into view of the others. “I could move this whole thing right now if I wanted to. Though I’d be useless the rest of the day.”

They worked slowly at first, but soon settled into a rhythm, and before the hour had passed, they had moved all the loose debris away. Lemon Hearts called Icy over, and he inspected the exposed foundation, frowning severely at the large crack that went catty-corner on its gray face.

“We need to get a good look at the pipes below this. Do any of you have the ability to let us see through this foundation before we have to tear it up?” Icy asked.

“I might be able to,” Rarity said, raising her hoof and waving it from her position by the new pile of debris.

“Give it a try, then.”

She climbed onto the foundation and lowered her horn to it, almost scraping the rough concrete. Her eyes were closed in concentration, and her horn glowed; nothing happened at first, but her focus didn’t buckle, and her face didn’t flinch. The glow grew in intensity, turning into a throbbing cone of light that distorted the air around it like a fireball. Twilight had only seen her casting magic with such intensity once before, during the battle in Canterlot: an event that was fast fading from the poignancy of recent memory to the dulcet inarticulacy of distance.

The entire crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle, and several of them gasped, amazed, as the foundation slowly turned transparent, clarity rippling outward from the heavy center until the entire slab was clear as misted glass.

“Excellent! Hold it there, Rarity,” Icy said as he stepped onto the foundation and examined the pipes below. Heart Throb joined him, leaning down to press her face against the concrete, her eyes darting about.

At Icy’s word, Rarity stopped the spell with a tired groan, and he climbed off the cracked foundation. “We got off lucky.” He clapped his hooves together, and Heart Throb hovered for a moment before landing again.

“The pipes look okay, at least the ones I could see,” she said. “Of course, there’s the issue of running water, but that’s a task for later.”

“Exactly!” Icy barked, making her jump. “Now! The foundation. As you can see, we have a massive crack running from corner to corner. I need a unicorn who can pull the dust and debris out of it. Oh, and thank you, Rarity; you can get off that now.”

Rarity slowly left her spot and joined her friends.

“I have it in me,” Colgate said, climbing up onto the foundation.

“Then get to it,” Icy said dismissively, looking at the crack again and running a hoof along it. He moved behind the foundation and grabbed a bucket and a large stirring stick.

“Who is that pony? Does she think she’s better than you, Twilight? You can do that job no problem,” Rainbow whispered.

“Relax, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

“Her name is Minuette, but we all call her Colgate. That’s her surname,” Berry Punch said. “And I’d lower that voice of yours, Rainbow. It carries more than you think.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever.”

“‘Whatever’ yourself.” Berry looked back at Colgate with a little smile of what Twilight thought was admiration. “She’s the only orthopedic surgeon in Ponyville.”

“Her mane kinda looks like toothpaste,” Rainbow said.

“How would you know what that looks like?” Berry quipped, and Rainbow blushed angrily.

“So that’s where she works,” Rarity said. “I’ve seen her around, but not a lot. She’s really talented, from what I’ve heard.”

“I brush my teeth every day,” Rainbow said quietly, and they all ignored her.

“I didn’t know we had an orthopedic department here,” Twilight said.

“What’s orthopedics?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s the medicine of bones and muscles, though that’s oversimplifying it.”

“We didn’t have a department for it ‘til Colgate showed up, actually,” Berry said. “But she showed some talent with it, so the hospital threw her a bone. Uh, pun kind of intended.”

“Yeah, but it took her half a year to get a place there,” Doctor Whooves said, entering the conversation. “Bureaucracy’s just a lovely thing, isn’t it?”

“Why’s her cutie mark an hourglass, though? Shouldn’t it be a bone or something?” Rainbow asked.

“Cutie marks are tricky things, especially when one’s talent lies in science or innovation, like hers. For instance, you’ll never see a cutie mark of something that hasn’t been invented yet, and you rarely see a cutie mark concerning a super-specific talent, again, like hers.”

“But an hourglass? Why not a cross or something, like Nurse Redheart’s?”

“Who’s to say? I’m an expert on neither magical theory nor genetics, and both of those are what determines a cutie mark.”

“Maybe it’s to symbolize how she can turn back the clock on bone injuries!” Pinkie suggested.

“Seems a little roundabout to me,” Rarity said.

“Well, it is what it is. Oh, Icy’s talking again,” Whooves said.

“That was fast,” Twilight said.

They quieted and looked over at him; Colgate was sitting against the foundation, dull-eyed and panting. “—just fine then. Right. Does anyone know a spell to accelerate chemical reactions?”

Twilight tentatively raised her hoof. “Maybe. What kind of reaction?”

“Come up here.”

She went onto the foundation with him, and he showed her the bucket that he had set up; it was full of a dark gray mush, which he told her was a concrete sealant. His instructions were, again, simple: he would apply the sealant, and she would accelerate its expansion. She immediately set to work, and before long, she was working automatically, tuning out his constant flow of repetitive instructions. Let it seep in, expand slowly, wait a minute, reapply—over and over he guided her, until she was paying him no attention at all.

When she was done, it was three o’ clock, and Icy directed Twilight back to her group to rest while he marshaled Lemon Hearts over to the pile of wall shards, where he set her to work putting them back together, sometimes with plaster and sometimes by her magic alone.

The crowd, meanwhile, simply talked among itself.

Derpy, who was the only one not bothered by the Crusaders’ antics around the construction site, was indulging their inquisitive natures near the wreckage of what had been Doctor Whooves’ porch.

“Why are your eyes all funny?” Sweetie Belle asked. She had seen Derpy several times before, but never had the chance to talk to her. “Huh? Why?”

Derpy’s smile dimmed a little. “I was just born like this, I guess.”

“Don’t you live in Cloudsdale?” Scootaloo asked. “Can you tell me about it?”

“Well, I did for a little while. What do you want to know?”

“Oh! Oh! Is it cold up there? ‘Cause I never see pegasus-es-es wearing sweaters,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Oh, it’s cold there all right,” Derpy said, cheering up. “But we pegasus-es-es are born with thicker coats, so we don’t freeze. Here, feel.” She stuck out a light gray wing, and they all rubbed it experimentally.

“Wow, that’s amazin’!” Apple Bloom exclaimed; she had never felt anything so soft and downy in her life.

Derpy beamed at this, but said nothing.

“But then don’t you get hot other places?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Oh no,” Derpy said, shaking her head. “We’re very well insulated.”

“Is Derpy your real name?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Nope. My real name is Ditzy Doo, but everypony calls me Derpy for my eyes.”

“Why would they do that?” Scootaloo asked.

“I don’t know,” she said with a tiny, innocent shrug.

“How did you get yer cutie mark?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Oh, well, um,” Derpy shifted her weight awkwardly, and they noticed her reluctance. She appeared to struggle to find an explanation, and at last said, “I don’t really remember.” Before they could press her for more information, she took off, flapping over to Doctor Whooves.

“What’s her problem? We weren’t being nosy, were we?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Psh, no,” Scootaloo said.

“She probably has to help out the others,” Apple Bloom said.

“And what do you plan to do when you get there?” Whooves asked, his voice low. He, Aloe, and Lotus stood together and away from the main group, speaking quietly.

“Whatever must be done,” Aloe said with a shrug.

“We have not spoken with anyone there,” Lotus said, “but whatever waits for us will surely require our expertise.”

He nodded, understanding her meaning. “Derpy approaches,” he said; he had heard her wings flutter behind them, as well as the discomfort in her voice before that. Aloe and Lotus nodded, and Lotus smiled slyly at him. He looked back with a blush.

Derpy landed next to them a moment later, smiling a little smile that fooled none of them. “Hey guys.”

They inclined their heads politely. Whooves was disappointed that his privacy with the twins was ruined, but didn’t let it show, even as Colgate wandered over from her spot away from everyone else.

He turned away before she got close, and she stopped behind him. “What’s happening over here?” He closed his eyes for a second and fixed the smile back on his face.

“Nothing much,” Aloe said.

“Just talking about a few days ago,” Lotus finished, and the doctor nodded.

“Ugh, that debacle,” Colgate sighed.

“Where were you when it happened?” Derpy asked her.

“Where else? Sleeping, of course.” She shook her head. “What a night. I’m considering writing about it before everypony forgets too much.”

“I didn’t know you wrote,” Lotus said.

“I don’t talk about it much. Read some of my material, and you’ll see why.”

“What do you write?” Aloe asked.

“Amateurish poetry, inspired by things I see at the hospital.”

“That sounds pretty interesting,” Whooves said, smiling at her.

She looked back at him blankly, and said, after a minute, “It’s really not very good.”

He looked away and coughed awkwardly, and no one spoke for a moment. Derpy cleared her throat. “Uh, yeah, that night, though. I was sleeping like a rock.”

“Were you on the ground, Derpy?” Whooves asked, looking back at her intently.

“Cloudhome, I think.”

“That must have been interesting from your angle,” Colgate said.

“Um,” Derpy awkwardly kicked the dirt. “I, um, slept through most of it, if you must know.” They all laughed, except Colgate, who only smirked falsely.

“Oh, Celestia,” Aloe said, wiping away a tear. “Sorry, Ditzy; it is pretty funny, though.”

Whooves smiled and kept his comments to himself; of all the ponies to possibly sleep through such a thing, it would be Derpy.

“Well, I was certainly up for it,” Colgate said. “Instant I heard the rumbling, I was up; at first I thought ‘a thunderstorm? At this time of night?’ But thunderstorms don’t sound like that. As it got louder, I stepped outside, and saw I was not alone. You should have seen the streets, you all, they were lined with ponies, inquisitive or afraid all of them.”

“I remember,” Whooves said. “I was there too.”

“Yeah, it was nuts. Then when the rumbling turned into ripping, I thought that it was the end. The big goodbye. One of the splits went right down the middle of my street. I watched the ground open up and separate, and that’s about when I lost it. Probably when everyone lost it,” she said with a little smile.

Aloe and Lotus were nodding along; they had not lost it at any point in the night, but felt no need to tell Colgate that.

“And the rest is history; the town panicked, and if you weren’t there for that, well, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I’m glad I missed it; sounds scary,” Derpy said.

“Ditzy, what did you think when you woke up the next day?” Aloe asked.

“It didn’t bother me that much, to be honest.”

“I suppose, being a pegasus, it wouldn’t,” Colgate said.

“What about the sudden reversal?” Whooves asked them.

“I still don’t know what to think of it,” Colgate said, and Derpy shrugged.

“Glad to see we’re all concerned citizens.”

Colgate smirked again, and Derpy blushed. Aloe and Lotus smiled merrily.

Heart Throb, Medley, and Cloud Kicker—the three pegasi—were speaking with Big Macintosh and the rest of Twilight’s group. Rarity stood near the back, sneaking looks at Big Mac whenever she thought she wouldn’t be caught. The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran around nearby.

“Judgin’ by the way Icy’s runnin’ this thing, Ah don’t see why us earth ponies are even needed here,” Applejack said.

“Well, I can’t say I blame you,” Medley said. “He’ll probably have you putting in joists or support lumber, or something. Maybe moving heavy objects or something.”

“And what about the pegasi?” Rainbow asked.

“Roof work,” Heart Throb said.

“That sounds awful, though.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Cloud Kicker said. “We can make a game out of it. A little competition, or a race, even.”

“Yeah, Icy’ll totally be cool with that,” Heart Throb said.

“He will be if he doesn’t catch us.”

“Are you kiddin’? Look at the way he’s hoverin’ over Lemon out there; there’s no way he won’t be watchin’ y’all,” Applejack said.

Big Macintosh nodded sagely.

“Oh, what am I going to do?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, I don’t know anything about repairing roofs.”

“He’ll give us instructions,” Medley said.

“Yeah, and he won’t stop,” Twilight said dully.

“I’m just glad I didn’t have to go underground,” Heart Throb said.

“Oh yeah, you were the one to fix the pipes.”

“That was my job in Cloudsdale, and I suppose that’s my job now. Or it would be.”

“Do you have any idea when they’re going to start working on the water system?” Rarity asked.

“Last I heard, work is going to start in about a month.”

“A month? Why so late?” Rainbow asked.

“The mayor says it’s because we still have the river right outside town. Our water doesn't run, but we still have it.” Heart Throb looked around. “She’s focusing on more important things, she said.”

“Like what?” Twilight asked, surprised.

“House reconstruction, helping injured ponies, things like that. I really don’t know, though. I’m just on the pipe repair crew.”

“That sounds rough,” Applejack said.

“Come next month, I’ll be literally underneath the river, doing… something.”

Fluttershy squeaked, and Applejack nodded appreciatively. “That’s gotta be hard work,” she said.

“Oh, it is,” Heart Throb said. “But you all will be gone by then, I imagine.”

“If we can help it,” Rarity said.

“Are you going with them, Big Mac?” Medley asked.

He shook his head. “Ah gotta tend to the farm.”

She smiled. “Glad to hear it.”

Mr. and Mrs. Cake were chatting with Sea Swirl and Nurse Redheart, two valuable customers. Usually, they only saw the nurse in the context of purchasing pastries, and were taken aback at her easygoing manner and carefree chemistry with Sea Swirl.

“And then I said ‘yeah, too bad it’s all mine’!” Redheart said, and the quartet erupted into peals of laughter, Sea Swirl actually kneeling to keep her balance.

“Oh, Redheart, that one never gets old,” Sea Swirl said, stifling another chuckle.

“My uncle taught it to me.” She wiped her eyes. “So tell me, Cakes, what exactly drew you to this project? Sorry if I offend, but you don’t seem to be the types to do this kind of work.”

“Oh, well, we won’t deny that we don’t look much like construction ponies,” Mr. Cake said. “It was actually Pinkie’s idea—so many things are nowadays, it seems.”

“She said that those two pegasi, Medley and Heart Throb, approached them in the town square and told them the whole story. They were going to go it alone, but they wanted some help, so here we are,” Mrs. Cake said.

“Yeah, that’s Pinkie for you,” Sea Swirl said, frowning a little.

“What’s wrong, dearie?”

“Nothing, just my stupid eyes.” Sea Swirl shook her head a little and did two long, comical blinks before squinting at something in the distance.

“I don’t understand,” Mr. Cake said.

“You never knew?” Redheart asked, and then, at Sea Swirl, “you never told them?”

“Well, it’s not like it’s important. To them, anyway. Besides, maybe it’s private.”

Redheart laughed at this, and Sea Swirl chuckled too.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not a huge thing, but my eyes are kind of, to put it delicately, screwed up. Not, like, blindness or anything; I can see fine in that department. It’s just that my sense of depth perception and dimension isn’t as good as others’.”

“You never seem to have any problems,” Mr. Cake said.

“That’s ‘cause I’m gooooooood,” Sea Swirl said with a smile. “I’ve had a lifetime of practice coping, so it’s not much more than an inconvenience.” She gave Redheart a simpering smile, and she only looked back sternly. Sea Swirl sighed and rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, however, I have more, um, serious issues. Instances of blindness, really no more than a quarter of a second, where everything just goes black. I call them ‘glitches,’ ‘cause it’s like my vision just, well, glitching out. Happens maybe once a month.”

The Cakes looked at each other, uncomfortable.

“Have you ever looked for a cure?” Mrs. Cake asked carefully.

“We’ve discussed it,” Nurse Redheart said. “It’s not a serious problem. Minor corrective surgery would solve the problem, but…” She shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

“Like I said,” Sea Swirl said, nodding at Redheart. “Besides, I kind of like it. It gives me more texture.” She swayed back and forth at the word, shuffling her back hooves a little and grinning.

“That’s it, Swirly, dance! Dance it all away!” Redheart said, imitating Sea Swirl’s little shuffle, which was turning into a jig. Mr. Cake politely laughed, not certain whether he was supposed to take any of it seriously; his confusion was enough to send the two ponies into a fresh assault of laughter, each one feeding the other until they were both on the ground, rolling and slapping at the air.

“Let’s go see how the others are doing,” Mrs. Cake said, and they walked away from the pair.

When Lemon Hearts was done, everypony assembled around the foundation, while Sea Swirl and Colgate helped Twilight move the walls into position. Her magic was weakening, and she appreciated the assistance.

Icy spoke from the collapsed porch, watching their progress with a self-assured grin. “Now, the house is made of three main sections. Section one is the biggest, the only one with a second floor, and the primary living area; that’s the section we’re doing today. We’ll start with the floors and walls, and go from there. Twilight, bring me the floor.”

She did, and he directed her in laying it down on the foundation, correcting the few errors she made with near-impatience. Once the floor was down, Sea Swirl brought a pile of large, ugly metal bolts and dropped them at his hooves, and he began indicating where he wanted them.

Twilight walked back to the crowd while Sea Swirl took her place, clamping down the bolts wherever Icy pointed. The affair took twenty minutes, and when Icy addressed them again, the floor was on, as sturdy as it was before.

“Now for the walls. Somepony bring me that one, the curved one, and somepony else gather some beams. Nice, sturdy beams, so we can keep this wall up before putting it in proper.”

Lemon Hearts was the first to grab a corner of wall in her magic and start dragging it over, and soon, everyone was moving and helping. Unicorns moved walls, earth ponies carried large wooden beams, pegasi hammered them in place. Before two hours had passed, the walls had been replaced, and a bare skeleton of a house was standing; the sun was going down.

“All right, everypony, break time,” Icy said crisply. “Go, get some food, rest up, but be back here in an hour. I’d like to get the second floor done if I can.”

There were mutters of approval and fatigue as the crowd dispersed, everypony to their respective groups. “It’s almost six o’ clock!” Rainbow complained. “Now we’re taking our break? Let’s just go home, Twilight.”

“We said we’d help, Rainbow. We have to see this through,” she said wearily.

“But it’s stupid.”

“It’s hard work, darling,” Rarity said, wiping her forehead with a hoof.

“Not for you. You just had to sort pieces.”

Rarity scoffed. “I helped Lemon Hearts drag half the back wall over to that foundation, Rainbow Dash. All you did was hammer at beams all day.”

“Girls, girls,” Twilight said. “Let’s just go get some food.”

“That sounds perfect, dear,” Rarity said, her frustration with Rainbow lost from her voice. “Where shall we go?”

“Why not the café?” Pinkie said.

“Is it even open?” Twilight asked. She didn’t know which one Pinkie meant, but was too tired to care.

“I think so.”

“You comin’ with us, Big Mac?” Applejack asked.

“Nope. Ah’m gonna take these three back to the farm,” Big Macintosh said, indicating the three fillies that ran around behind him.

“What? Big Mac, come on!” Apple Bloom complained.

He shook his head steadfastly, and she huffed. “Yer not meant to be here anyway.”

“But we’ve been really helpful! Haven’t we, Applejack?” Scootaloo asked.

“Eh, kind of,” she said hesitantly.

“We moved rubble!” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yeah, and we didn’t get our cutie marks for that either,” Scootaloo complained.

“Come on, girls,” Big Macintosh said again, as he began plodding in the direction of the farm.

“Ugh! See you later, sis,” Apple Bloom said dourly.

When they were out of range, Applejack spoke up. “Ah wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not back here later. Icy probably told Big Mac to get rid of ‘em.”

“Do you think he would do something like that?” Rarity asked.

“He seems the type. But it will be easier with those three not around, meddlin’.”

They began walking southward, following Pinkie at a trot. It was somewhere between six and seven o’ clock, and the town was slowing down; the vendors Twilight had seen earlier were waiting or packing up, and the crowds of ponies had diminished into a few stragglers, talking with friends or walking down the streets alone. The air was warm and still in the setting sun, and they were all covered in dust and sweat; Twilight knew they should go to the river first, but they only had an hour, and they hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

They approached a small, green-painted building with a large, three-leaf clover on its swinging sign: the Clover Café. A two-story box of wide windows and flowerbeds, it was shaped more like a large house than a restaurant; but, more than that, it was almost entirely unharmed. A small scab of plywood covered the upper corner, where some plaster had flaked off, but the café looked nearly identical to how Twilight knew it. Unassuming and smart, a solid center in a ring of grass and dirt road.

The tables outside were all empty, lonely discs under polka dot and floral umbrellas, and the windows were almost all blank of customers. The sound of a single conversation wafted out from a partially-open window, and Twilight couldn’t recognize the voice. In the warm dusk, everything felt empty and sullen.

They went inside, and the hostess glanced at them, counting them quickly. She led them out to the main room and pushed a pair of tables together to form a place for them all, just before a window overlooking the bare dining area outside. She returned with their menus, and left them.

Twilight already knew what she was having, and watched in contemplation as the others perused their menus. In a short time, the waiter appeared and took their drink orders.

They were quiet for a minute, and Twilight observed Fluttershy looking attentively out the window. “What’s out there, Fluttershy?”

“Nothing.”

The speed and decisiveness of her response unsettled Twilight, and she looked out the window too. She was right; there were no ponies.

“It’s evening. Everyone’s going home. Like we should be,” Rarity said.

“There’s Colgate,” Twilight said, following the blue unicorn with her eyes. She trotted quickly down the road, not looking around. “Where’s she off to in such a hurry?”

Pinkie shuffled uncomfortably in her seat, and the waiter returned with their drinks.

“So what do you think of that Icy Drop fellow?” Rarity asked. “I personally think he’s a brute.”

“He’s so rude,” Fluttershy said.

“I don’t like him either,” Rainbow said.

“He’s a grouchy McGrouchy pants!” Pinkie said. Her voice seemed extra shrill in the empty restaurant.

“I don’t think he’s that bad,” Twilight said. “He’s just doing his job, after all. Nopony’s paying him to do this.”

“They might be,” Applejack said.

Twilight put a hoof to her chin in though. “Well, I guess. I doubt it, though. This feels more like a volunteer effort.”

“He’s still unpleasant,” Rarity said.

“At least he’s the only one,” Pinkie said.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Applejack said. “The other ponies are really nice; Ah saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake talkin’ to Sea Swirl an’ Nurse Redheart earlier. They were gettin’ along great, looked to me.”

“That Sea Swirl is a character,” Pinkie said. “She comes in every Thursday for a batch of cupcakes, and she always has the funniest jokes! I don’t think she gets enough sleep sometimes, though, ‘cause she sometimes sways on her hooves and has to squint to see things right.”

“Hm. She didn’t strike me as the staying-up-late type,” Rainbow said.

“It takes all types!” Pinkie said.

“You know, it’s really too bad you have to keep your magic a secret, Pinkie,” Rarity said, picking at her silverware. “You could have the entire house rebuilt in a matter of minutes, I’m sure.”

Pinkie smiled and giggled nervously. “Yeah, I guess I could, huh?”

“Yeah. Too bad,” Twilight said.

Before they could continue, the waiter brought their food, and they wasted no time in digging in.

Dinner passed, and they soon found themselves outside the construction site again, significantly less eager to continue than in the morning.

Icy stood before the walls on a raised platform that, it appeared, he had dragged over himself. “Everypony back? Everypony here? Good, good. Oh, I see those fillies are gone. Even better.” He looked at the crowd and counted heads quickly. “Right, let’s get going. I need a pair of unicorns and all the pegasi, right here.”

Twilight and Colgate stepped forward, and while Twilight smiled at her, Colgate didn’t even look. “Unicorns, your job is to feed the floor, then the walls, to the pegasi, who will be arranging them on the second floor. Easy enough for you. Pegasi, however, your job will not be so simple.” He instructed them on the specifics: how to securely attach the floor to the tops of the walls, how to brace the walls they would be given, and so forth.

“If he just had one of them hold you up there, you could probably have this done in a few minutes,” Colgate said quietly.

Twilight blushed. “Thanks. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, though.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. It’s not the most efficient thing, is all I’m saying.”

“I guess not. But who are we to correct him?”

“Fair enough. So, are you the one who undid this whole, er, apocalypse thing?”

Twilight’s blush intensified as she nodded.

“I figured it was you when I saw you. Element of Magic.” She stuck out a hoof. “Colgate, by the way. I know we’ve heard our names by now, but we haven’t been properly introduced.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said. “Pleased to meet you, Colgate.”

They shook, and Colgate gave a cordial nod. Her eyes didn’t meet Twilight’s, and as Twilight looked into her face, the corner of her mouth twitched rapidly, the skin pulling upward in a fast, frantic snarl. Colgate turned away.

“Are you all right?”

“All good,” Colgate said, and they looked up at Icy, who had, when they weren’t looking, gotten onto the second floor.

“Okay, we’re ready for you now. Send up that floor,” he said.

“I’ve got this,” Colgate said, levitating the giant square of wood up for the pegasi to grab. Twilight was impressed at her magical strength, but didn’t say so. “Oh, that reminds me, thanks a lot for coming by to help out.”

“Oh, it’s no problem.”

“We’re really going to appreciate it later on, too, once we’re ready to start putting the rooms themselves back together. That’s what Icy told me.”

“Uh, about that,” Twilight said reluctantly.

“Hm?”

“We’re probably not going to be here that long.”

“Why’s that?”

“We need to travel,” Twilight said simply.

“Travel? Why?”

“Um, well…”

“Is it a secret?”

“Kind of.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to go upsetting that. Fine, fine, have your secrets.” Her voice sounded joking, but her expression was lifeless. Twilight couldn’t tell whether she was trying to be playful. “When are you leaving?”

“Soon, hopefully. The day after the funeral.”

“Funeral? Aw, whose?”

“Lyra’s.”

“Oh dear... poor Bonbon, and Lyra’s parents too. Do they know?”

“I have no idea.”

“I guess it was dumb of me to ask. Is it an open funeral? I wouldn’t mind paying my respects.”

“You weren’t invited?”

“Nope.”

“Oh.” Twilight looked at her again, uncomfortable. “I’m sure you can come.”

“Good.”

“Uh, I don’t know when it is yet, though.”

“Okay.”

Twilight looked at her profile. While her voice was pleasant and friendly enough, her face was entirely blank, her eyes dull, her mouth a slackened line that showed no emotion whatsoever. “Um, so how do you know Doctor Whooves?” She wanted to get Colgate talking a little more.

“We dated for a few months, back in the old days. Well, a year ago.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. You ended the… relationship on good terms then?”

“Good enough, at least on his side.”

“Just his side?”

“I don’t want to talk about it with you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad.” She looked in Twilight’s eyes as she said it, and her voice was firmer.

Twilight looked away, up at the pegasi, placing bolts, hammering at boards, and all under Icy’s stern commands. “What is with this pony?”

“Hey,” Colgate said, placing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder gently. “I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable.”

“What? No, I’m not uncomfortable.”

“You’re acting like you don’t want to be here.”

Twilight looked at her uncertainly. “We just don’t know each other yet. I’m not uncomfortable; just trying to be friendly with you.”

Colgate nodded and gave Twilight a forced smile.

“Girls, let’s get a piece of wall up here! That big one, with the slight curve in it,” Icy called from the bare second floor.

Twilight levitated the curved slab of wall up to the pegasi, and looked back at Colgate, who was watching the clouds. The construction passed thus, with Twilight and Colgate feeding the walls up to the pegasi, who first received them with eagerness and good humor, but slowly began accepting them with tired acquiescence.

The sun set, and Twilight quickly lost things to talk about with Colgate, who responded seriously and shortly to every conversational attempt. Twilight wasn’t sure how she felt about her. She was perfectly, genuinely nice, but she rarely met Twilight’s eyes, and every emotion that she conveyed seemed falsely enhanced.

As the last rays of sunlight faded and ponies began lighting torches, the space between them grew still stranger; Colgate would stare into space for minutes on end, her face occasionally twitching as though in suppression of unseen urges. Twilight was too tired to ask what was wrong, and instead watched, perplexed.

Only once did something happen to cut the ennui, about halfway through the second floor. Twilight and Colgate were staring at the outer walls—Twilight counting the pores in the wood, Colgate’s mind a thousand miles away—when there was a flutter of wings, followed by a terrible, dusty crack, followed by an alarmed cry, followed then by the project’s sickening, collapsing sway, lurid and feverish in the unsteady torchlight.

“Colgate!” Twilight called, drawing the blue unicorn back to attention; both their horns ignited, bathing the house in a haze of blue and purple. It stopped its movement, but Twilight couldn’t get it to right itself; Colgate’s magic was getting in her way.

“Get out there and push it back to where it was!” Icy shouted, and the pegasi flew out and around, positioning themselves by the tilting edge. They pushed, and Twilight and Colgate let their magic give a little; the building shifted, and as it did, pegasi darted between walls and beams, readjusting things as they went. The process was achingly slow, and Twilight was beginning to sweat from the exertion; she could see Colgate doing the same, but, despite her panting and dripping, there was a hard determination in her face that belied her earlier passivity. The house slowly tilted back into position.

“Let it go,” Icy said from above. They did, and the house stood strong. After the excitement had died down and Icy had reprimanded Derpy for her accident, they resumed their work; the pile of unused wall was nearly depleted.

When everything was set, Icy spoke from within the enclosed second floor. “All right, the sun is gone, and we’re all tired. Let’s call it a night and come back here tomorrow, say, noon. Any objections?”

“Noon? That’s way too early! We’re exhausted,” came Rainbow’s unmistakable bluster.

“No offense, ma’am, but this house isn’t going to get rebuilt any time soon if we’re allowing ourselves to sleep in that late. Anypony with a reasonable objection?”

There were none, and the pegasi left the floor, Heart Throb and Medley helping Icy down.

Twilight said goodbye to Colgate, who nodded back at her, and reconvened with her friends; after saying goodbye to the others, they set off toward the library. Aloe and Lotus stayed behind, as well as the Cakes.

“Where the hay does he get off saying sleeping in isn’t a reasonable excuse?” Rainbow said angrily, once they were far enough away from the site. “It’s common knowledge that tired ponies don’t work as well as rested ones! I guess he doesn’t know that, though!”

“Calm down, Rainbow,” Applejack said, tired herself.

“Hey, hey, I’m calm. I’m just a little ticked off is all.”

“I for one am surprised at how shamelessly he disregarded all the help offered by the earth ponies in the group,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, it’s like he didn’t even notice us!” Pinkie said.

“Maybe we shouldn’t show up tomorrow,” Applejack said.

“Oh, I’m sure he’d complain about that too,” Rainbow said. “There’s just no pleasing him.”

“And he didn’t even thank us for working so hard today,” Rarity said.

“But he didn’t seem that unhappy with the work we were doing,” Fluttershy said quietly, looking down.

“Except for when Derpy almost ruined the whole thing. Nice save, by the way, Twilight,” Rainbow said.

“Yeah, what happened there?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, Derpy was trying to put a support beam in place, but she slipped and the whole thing fell, and that was enough.” Rainbow laughed mirthlessly. “Did you hear Icy letting her have it?”

“Oh yeah, I did,” Twilight said, remembering his resonant voice belting out through the imperfect walls. She could only imagine how the poor gray pegasus felt.

“She deserved it.”

“Rainbow, how could you say that?” Rarity asked. “She made a mistake, sure, but I think Icy was completely too hard on her.”

“Yeah, he was way too mean,” Pinkie said. “I mean, ‘stupid pegasus,’ ‘useless add-on’? Really? She was just trying to help.”

“She flew away in tears,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight remembered seeing it, and hearing Icy’s harsh “good riddance” as she did so. She imagined Derpy had heard that too.

Before long, they were entering the library, where Spike was shelving a book.

“There you are. Work late?” Spike asked.

“You could say that,” Twilight said, flopping onto the carpet before the fireplace. “We got a good portion of the walls up today, and I get the feeling tomorrow we’ll have the entire outside of the house finished.”

“Already? Wow.”

“Unicorn magic is nothing to scoff at, dear,” Rarity said, and Spike’s face fell.

“Right. Well, um, I saved some dinner for you. It’s in the kitchen. Oh, and Bonbon came by earlier.”

“Oh, was it about the funeral?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, that.” He looked at them all for a moment. “You didn’t tell me Lyra was dead.”

They all froze for a moment. “Uh… I’m sorry, Spike,” Twilight said. “I must have forgotten.”

“You were busy. Do I at least get to go with you?”

“I… really don’t know yet.” She looked at him and offered a weak smile. “I don’t know if you should.”

“Hm.” He turned back to the books. “Well, Bonbon doesn’t know about the actual service yet, but the visitation is tomorrow, from one to three, in the hospital’s funeral wing.”

“Okay. Thank you, Spike.”

“Yeah.” He turned to the stairs. “I think I’m gonna go to bed now; I’m beat.”

“Good night, Spike,” Twilight said, and he headed upstairs without looking back.

They ate in the kitchen, speaking sparsely; now that they were sitting somewhere comfortable, the fatigue from the work had a chance to catch up with them. After dinner, they went into the front room and settled down.

“I think Fluttershy and I should get the beds tonight,” Rainbow said, before anyone could ask.

“Go for it,” Twilight said, lying back down on the carpet.

“Oh, are you sure, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m sure, Fluttershy. Good night.”

“Night, Twilight,” Rainbow said, heading upstairs, Fluttershy shadowing her.

Rarity was once again on the couch, and Applejack and Pinkie were sprawled across the floor like throw rugs. The three were talking, but Twilight paid them no attention; her thoughts were stewing with Colgate.

She wasn’t sure why, but the blue unicorn stuck out in her mind. She seemed normal—a little boring, even—but Twilight felt drawn. Most ponies she met were happy to meet someone new and make friends, or at least try, but Colgate did not. “That’s what it is,” she thought dimly, sleep beginning to overtake her. “She doesn't act like she wants to be friends; that’s why I’m so interested. You always want something more if it’s withheld.”

Before she could explore her thoughts anymore, she had fallen asleep to a night of restless dreams that she would not remember in the morning.