“The city,” Rarity thought ruefully. “My parents warned me about this. It changes ponies, they said. Now look at us. Rainbow Dash, behaving like the most horrible brute. Twilight, buying drugs. And me, losing my temper. Oh, that poor waiter. Poor us. And in front of our new friend, too. What must she think of us?”

“Yo! Rarity? You awake?” Rainbow snapped.

Rarity looked at her coldly. “What is it, Rainbow Dash?”

“I said we’re stopping for Pinkie to get her fireworks.”

“Oh, forgive me. I must not have been paying attention.”

“I’ll say.”

Rarity glared at her and exhaled slowly, and Rainbow turned away to go into the colorful shop. “Now, now, Rarity. Deep breaths.”

They waited around the store entrance for ten minutes, and Pinkie emerged from deeper within with a bulging bag around her neck. “Let’s goooooooo!”

Octavia was propped up in her bed, back to a pillow, eyes straight ahead, staring at the wall. It was eight o’ clock, and she could hear the others approaching from down the hall. Pinkie sounded excited, and she took a deep breath to prepare herself. She recognized the tone of voice; her sister had something planned.

Six sets of hooves stopped outside her door, and she waited. She could almost feel Pinkie’s energy on the other side.

“Surprise!” An explosion of confetti burst from the door, flung open violently, and Pinkie jumped forward, wearing a party hat and carrying a noisemaker in her mouth. She blew it in Octavia’s face, then began singing. “Get well, get well soon, we want you to get well! Get well, get well soon, we want you to get well!”

“Pinkie!” she barked. She had expected something as soon as she had heard her, but the ferocity of the entrance was enough to startle a more hostile response out of her than she had intended.

“All right, that’s enough singing,” Rainbow said, putting a hoof in Pinkie’s mouth. “You scared her half to death.”

Pinkie only smiled daftly. “I didn’t have enough time to make a cake or find decorations or invite other ponies since we were walking all day long so instead I got you these!” She bent awkwardly and dropped a bag at the bedside, then reached inside and grabbed a mouthful of colorful fireworks. “I fot oo would ungoy vem!”

Octavia took a moment to take in the scene. Behind the small sack of fireworks, laid before her like an offering, Pinkie stood with an eager grin plastered to her face; and behind her, the others stood with uncertain, but genuine smiles. “I appreciate the sentiment, but what am I supposed to do with these?”

“Set ‘em off, of course! Like this!” Pinkie produced a match and lit a fuse.

“Not in here!” Twilight cried, snuffing it. She shot Pinkie a dirty look. “We can do it outside, later.”

“Thank you, Pinkie.” Octavia thought for a moment, selecting her words carefully. “Your attempt to cheer me up was not wasted.”

“Yippee!” Pinkie bounced over and hugged her, and she bore it patiently.

“Ah guess that’s ‘bout the best we could expect from you, eh?” Applejack said.

“Yes.”

They shuffled uncomfortably at the door, then came the rest of the way in. Twilight released their bags and piled them into a corner.

“So, how ya feeling?” Pinkie asked.

“I am fine, thank you.”

“Yer not hurtin’ at all?” Applejack sounded skeptical, and Octavia looked at her passively.

“Not much.”

“But you are hurting a little bit,” Rainbow pressed, eying her.

“Yes.”

Rarity sighed loudly. “Octavia.”

“Okay,” Octavia said quickly. “Say no more.” She averted her eyes for a moment, then bit her lip and looked at them. “What I did, I did out of petty arrogance. Nothing more. I wanted to prove that I did not need you to help me, but all I did was undo what little friendship there was between us. I feel like an idiot, and I am sorry.”

They looked at her, some stunned, some smiling. “Do you really mean that?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. Sitting here, alone and in pain, all day long has shown me my error. In my selfishness, I have caused only suffering.” She finally looked away, hating herself, and hating the twinge of hurt pride that came with the knowledge of her next words. “I ask only that you can forgive me.”

“Of course!” Pinkie cried.

“That’s all I wanted,” Twilight said, going over to her. She looked about to hug her, but, at Octavia’s hard glare, shook her hoof instead. “All is forgiven.”

“Good. Thank you. And… if it is not too forward, I would like to ask something more.” Octavia looked down, blushing. She felt stupid and vulnerable, and a flash of petulant anger pulsed through her mind. “Could you please heal me? Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Oh, Octavia. I’d love to.”

“Um, maybe not now, though,” Twilight said. She looked at the door. “We should wait until later. So a doctor doesn’t walk in on us.”

Octavia nodded. “Fine.”

There was a moment of silence, and no one met eyes. For them, it was the first show of genuine emotion from her; and for her, it was a symbol of yet another lapse in good judgment. They were happy, but she could not dispel the shame coloring her cheeks.

Applejack cleared her throat. “So, uh, what’s new ‘round here?”

“Nothing whatsoever. I spent all day sitting in this bed, staring at that section of the wall.” Octavia pointed to a blank spot directly in front of her. “Doctors and nurses visited me, and said that I was well on my way to recovery. Oh, and one brought a newspaper. Other than that, I have done nothing.”

“That sounds horrible,” Rarity said.

Octavia didn’t respond, and after a few moments, Pinkie spoke up. “We made a new friend today!”

“Oh?”

“We met in the tower—Rose Tower, I mean,” Twilight said.

“Ah, that is where you went. How was it?”

“Awesome!” Rainbow said, over the top of Rarity’s “dreadful.” She sighed. “Ugh, Rarity tried to make us go out for a fancy dinner.”

“You keep sayin’ that, RD, but it was you that picked the restaurant,” Applejack said.

“Eh, details.”

“Rainbow tried to start a food fight in the middle of dinner,” Twilight said, giggling. “It was actually kind of funny.”

“More like mortifying,” Rarity said.

“Lacey started it,” Rainbow said.

“Who?” Octavia asked.

“Our new buddy, Lacey Kisses,” Applejack said. “Heck of a name.”

“Kissy Kisses! Kissy Kisses!” Pinkie cried, then laughed. “I love her name! And she was super-duper nice! Maybe a little sycophantic, but still nice!”

“She sounds like a stripper, or a prostitute,” Octavia said.

“Actually, she said she was an actress,” Rarity said.

“Oh, was that when you were shopping together?” Rainbow asked.

Rarity looked at her coldly. “Yes, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Are you still mad about dinner?”

“You didn’t even try to apologize.”

“For being myself? Nuts to that.”

“For embarrassing me!” Rarity snapped suddenly.

Rainbow leaned back in offended shock. “Hey, I’m not gonna cover up the real me just ‘cause everyone else wants to be fancy. With Rainbow Dash, you get what you pay for.”

“You don’t even care that you ruined my fancy dinner!” Rarity cried. Her eyes were glistening, and she turned away quickly and went to the door. “I’m going for a walk before I say something I’ll regret.” She slammed the door on her way out.

“Good going, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

“Hey, she’s just being oversensitive. You know how she is,” Rainbow said.

“So yer not gonna ‘pologize?” Applejack asked.

“Like I said, for being myself?”

“Whatever. Ah’m not gettin’ involved.”

“She’ll get over herself,” Rainbow said, sitting down. “Besides, we should be concerned about Octavia right now, not ourselves.”

“I assure you, there is nothing here worth your concern,” Octavia said, uncomfortable to be back in the conversation.

“That brute. That pig-headed, ill-mannered brute,” Rarity hissed under her breath. She traversed the hospital halls angrily, throwing a glare at anyone who passed. “I mean, the gall,” she mumbled to herself. “She is either completely ignorant, or just plain inconsiderate. Ugh, I don’t know which is worse.”

She stepped through two swinging doors, out of the bright hallway and into the food court. Only a few ponies were out, most of them silent and miserable, shambling around or sitting in quiet pairs, waiting. She looked around, her sudden entrance drawing a few subdued glances; she was too angry to care. A brilliant white stallion sat in the back, his ice-blue eyes watching emptily from under a sharply tapered horn. He smiled at her, and she forced a smile back.

He looked away, and she turned and left, pushing the doors open as quietly as she could. “Idiotic pegasus,” she thought bitterly. “Impertinent, stupid, brutish… nag.” Immediately, she felt bad. “And some friend you are, Rarity, thinking such things about her. Seething in your self-righteous anger instead of trying to help her understand her error.”

She went into the nearest stairwell and slowly climbed the bare, stone steps, stopping on the mezzanine. She rested her head against the cool of the wall and counted to ten, listening to the sound of the hospital settling down for the night: hooves above her, the squeak of wheels in the distance, light voices. “Three, four, five…”

A doctor came in to check on Octavia, and as soon as she was gone, Fluttershy climbed up to the bed and healed her leg. It was a simple, painless, unspectacular affair, taking only a few minutes of her concentration. No blood, no raw flesh, no one’s face screwed up in mighty concentration or blistering pain—just two serious, quiet mares, and a cast between.

When Fluttershy was done, Octavia stood, paced, and supported herself on her hind legs. She didn’t smile, but said she felt no pain. Rarity returned soon after, exchanged no words with Rainbow, and took a seat.

They talked very lightly, and before long, there were more yawns than words. Twilight unrolled a few sleeping bags, and soon, everyone was asleep, except for Octavia, who lay motionless in her bed, and Twilight, who tossed and turned in her bag just below.

Octavia looked carefully down at her. “Are you not tired?” she asked quietly.

Twilight sighed. “I am, but I can’t get comfortable. Why? Do you want to talk?” she sounded hopeful.

“Yes, but it can wait.”

“No, go ahead.” She paused. “We don’t get to talk much.”

“I have been doing a lot of thinking. A while ago, your friends told me that all ponies can use magical powers. Not just unicorns.”

“That’s right.”

“I have given the idea consideration, and have decided that I would like you to help me unlock my power. If you are able.”

Twilight was a minute in answering, and Octavia thought she had fallen asleep. “I should be able to,” she said slowly. “With some research. Did any of them tell you what it’s like?”

“They did not.”

“You might want to know that first.”

“Was the experience unpleasant?”

“It’s different for everypony. Rainbow had it really bad, I remember.”

“Bad in what way?”

“Really painful.”

Octavia sat back in her bed. “Pain is of little concern for me.”

Twilight paused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that physical pain does not bother me as it does for many others. I can concede a certain amount of arrogance in that regard.”

“Oh. Um… I don’t really know what to say.”

“It was a simple comment; it does not need a response.” She paused; she didn’t want to change topics too abruptly. “Is there a way for you to know how the spell will go for me, before I undergo it?”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight said apologetically.

“I understand.” She thought for a moment. “Is it possible to reverse it?”

“Again, not so far as I know.”

Octavia nodded to herself. “I see. I will need to think about this a little more.”

It was one in the morning, and Octavia heard a shuffling at the side of the bed. She kept her eyes closed and her breathing slow and even, mimicking sleep. The shuffling stopped, and there were hoofsteps in her direction, followed by a pressure on the bed. Someone was leaning over to look at her.

“Octavia? You awake?” Pinkie.

She didn’t move.

“I know you’re awake. I saw your jaw clench when I said your name.”

Octavia snapped her eyes open and fixed Pinkie with a cold stare. “What do you want? Why are you awake at this hour?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

“Bad dreams,” she said, a little sadly.

“Again?”

“What do you mean, again?”

“You are not the only pony to experience nightmares lately,” Octavia said. “I have heard the others speak of having them as well.”

“That’s pretty weird.”

“Yes. It is. Why are you speaking with me?”

Pinkie recoiled a little. “I just want to talk. How are you feeling?”

“I am completely fine.”

“That’s good,” Pinkie said slowly; it was clear to Octavia that she was unsure how to address what she wanted to say.

“What do you need to tell me?”

Pinkie thought for a moment, her ears flat against her head. When she spoke, her voice was soft and serious. “I just wanted to tell you that what’s going on right now, with you not communicating with us, or letting us help you, is a really, really bad idea. You may think you’re staying out of our way and not being a problem, but when you don’t tell us about the important stuff—stuff like your leg—that’s not good.”

“I have already made my apology.”

“Did you mean it?”

“Yes.” Octavia did not hide the offense in her voice.

Pinkie hesitated. “Why don’t you like to talk to us? Are you scared? Are you shy, like Fluttershy?”

“I am not shy. I simply do not give others my trust as easily as you seem to think that I should.”

“Communicating with us isn’t the same as giving us your trust, sis.” Pinkie perked up. “But it is the first step!”

Octavia was silent.

She sobered again. “Are you hiding something?”

“Everypony is hiding something,” Octavia said simply. She looked over at the others, to be sure they were still asleep.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Is yours really that big, though? So big that you can’t talk to your friends?”

“Some would say so.”

“Is it about home?”

Octavia sighed.

“It is, isn’t it?”

“Partially,” she said at last. It was difficult to push the word past her lips.

“What’s the other part?”

“I will not say. It is not your concern, though, I assure you.”

“That’s not true!” She leaned in. “I’m your sister and your friend, and I love you. If you’re unhappy, then so am I.”

“I am not unhappy. I am simply… it is difficult to say precisely what it is.”

Pinkie frowned, scrutinizing her. “Why do you have to be so hidden, sis?”

“Hidden from what?”

“From me.” She backed away. “It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

Octavia nodded, her face still perfectly straight.

“Well, okay then,” Pinkie said. “Think about what I said, though. No matter how cold and scared a pony is, they always want to make friends. Try not to let this chance slip by.”

Octavia nodded again, looking away when Pinkie tried to meet her eyes.

“Nighty-night, Octavia. And try to get some sleep, okay?” Pinkie came up quickly to hug her, then returned to her sleeping bag on the floor.

When Octavia heard her sister snoring, she settled back into her bed. She didn’t sleep.

They left the hospital early the next morning, before any doctors could come in and see Octavia’s impossible progress. The morning was dreary and gray, and a fine drizzle fell on the Manehattanites crowding the sidewalk, all with colorful umbrellas.

“So, where are we going?” Rainbow asked, looking down the street inquisitively.

“The mayor’s office,” Octavia said. She and Rainbow hailed a pair of taxis, and they were soon on their way.

Twilight sat to the side, leaning and looking out the window, and occasionally looking over at Octavia. She thought of her comment the night before; it puzzled her in a way she wasn’t accustomed to.

They wove through the city’s long, straight streets, across more makeshift bridges, and through a large, grassy park, mostly empty. Before long, Twilight could see a large, domed building rolling up from the horizon, its metal crown dull and dark in the gloomy weather.

“We are in Manehattan proper now,” Octavia said, noticing Twilight’s inquisitive expression.

They stopped outside a massive, wet, rectangular lawn, green and glistening in the rain, just before the dignified capital building; the other half of their party came up just behind. They crossed the soggy lawn together, hooves squelching and Rainbow’s wings beating tiny sprays of water onto their backs as she flew beside them.

When they reached the wide, concrete courtyard at the building’s front, they walked along a row of windows into a dull corridor, lined with portraits of well-dressed, dour ponies—former politicians, Octavia said. When the corridor ended, they passed a vestibule of ponies at desks, then a blank, concrete face, in the concave middle of which sat a door, its glass spotted with rain. They shook off as much water as they could on the threshold.

They entered into a vast, tall room, its shining stone floor open and its walls filled with doors to different parts of the capital building. A large, circular desk sat in the middle of the room, varnished and clear, like a centerpiece. Inside it, tall and austere, a minotaur was vested in a gray dress, her horns decorated with small spangles. She regarded them with a courteous smile, and they all faltered, except Octavia, who strode confidently to the desk.

While she made their appointment, they stood back. “Ah didn’t know they had other species livin’ here,” Applejack whispered.

“This is the city, I suppose,” Rarity said.

“I’ve never seen a female minotaur,” Twilight said.

Octavia turned around to them. “Four o’ clock, tomorrow.”

“Can it be any earlier?” Rarity asked.

“No.”

“Go for it, then,” Twilight said.

“Hey, do ya s’pose they got a, a… blast, what d’ya call it? A directory?” Applejack asked.

“For what?”

“Fer findin’ other ponies.”

“A white pages, darling?” Rarity suggested.

“That’s it!” She walked to the desk, imitating Octavia’s calm demeanor under the minotaur’s passive gaze, and asked for one.

She took it back to them, and Octavia helped her turn through it; they were searching for her aunt and uncle, the Oranges. They found their address on the southeast side of town, not far from Rose Tower. Twilight wrote it down, and they went back into the rain.

When they got another pair of taxis, they were soaked and freezing, and Rainbow and Pinkie huddled together opposite Twilight and Octavia. The driver lowered a large pair of headphones only long enough to hear their destination, and took off with a noisy tail of flying water. The rain drummed on the roof, and Twilight sat back, looking intermittently out the windows and at Octavia. “So, have you thought any more about your magic?”

Octavia thought for a moment. “I have, but I have not yet made my decision. I know that the spell is life-changing, and I am not certain whether I want to experience a change that drastic.”

“Well, take your time. There’s no rush.”

“I am curious about something, though.” She looked at the driver, to make sure they were still unheard, then at Rainbow and Pinkie. “You all claim to have magic, and yet I very seldom see you using it. Except Fluttershy.”

“Well, to be honest, my magic isn’t that impressive, or useful,” Rainbow said. “I can levitate stuff for about a minute, but that’s about it. Anything I can do, Rarity and Twilight can do better.”

“The same goes for Applejack,” Twilight said.

Pinkie watched from the opposite corner, but didn’t speak, and Rainbow nudged her. “What about you, Pinks?”

“Yeah, you have the most of all of us,” Twilight said.

Pinkie took some time before answering, then smiled and shrugged. “I don’t like it.”

“Why not?” Rainbow asked.

She giggled. “Because it’s silly!”

“Uh… you wanna be more specific?”

“Sorry, Dashie! It’s just weird, you know? Kinda hard to explain.” She leaned over and looked out the back of the taxi, and said no more.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” She stretched and looked out the window. “How much longer?”

It took them half an hour to reach the address Applejack had found, a tall, square building sandwiched between identical apartments. A rough, black metal fire escape crawled up its warm, brick face, dulled in the rain, and windows decorated the front in a grid pattern, resting above sills populated with dripping flowers. A bare, unwelcoming yellow alcove was bored into the building’s bottom, from which they could access either side of the complex.

When they got out of the cab, the drizzle had turned into a full rainstorm, just a little short of a downpour. The rain had turned the building’s brownish red bricks a rough, wooden color, the central alcove a dim yellow mouth between two bleary windows, through which they could see quiet front rooms. They got out and paid, then hastily made their way into the hall. It was open on both ends, and though it shielded them from the rain, the wind carried a gentle spray in after them, fanning out in the mouths. It smelled of wet dust.

While they shivered in the exposed, concrete tunnel, Octavia operated the call button for Applejack, who asked—after much apologizing for the abruptness of the request—to see the Oranges. They waited for a minute, then were rewarded with the metallic swink of the door unlocking.

“I thought you said they lived in the fancy part of town,” Rarity said, hurrying inside.

“This was the fancy part of town when Ah was here last,” Applejack said.

“Well, it sure isn’t fancy now. I mean, apartments? Seriously?” Rainbow said.

“There are fancy apartments,” Octavia said. “Especially in big cities, where the city planners need to save space. That does not mean that they do not live in luxury.”

“Ah s’pose we’ll see just how fancy they are in a minute or two,” Applejack said, looking at the door numbers casually as she walked to the elevator. “We need to go up a floor.”

They took an elevator up and walked quietly down the corridor, walled in soft yellow and carpeted in thin, green shag. Only three lights were lit in the entire hallway, and the windows at both ends were uncovered, bathing the area in a dim, stormy light that reminded them more of a prison than an apartment.

“It’s the room with the picture of oranges on it. Number twenty-six, Ah think,” Applejack said.

The rooms they passed each had their own insignia on the front, and a small, silver number just above the door-frame; they passed cherries, an hourglass, a musical note, a pair of shoes, and finally the oranges. The door showed signs of wear, bearing scuff marks on its front and a dirty knob; someone had scrawled a ragged 1 in front of the room number in a lame attempt to confuse passers-by.

“Fancy, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Ah’m startin’ to think not,” Applejack said quietly. “It was when Ah was younger.” She knocked politely, and the door swung open. A pair of pale orange ponies stood within, postures and faces fixed in a calm dignity that broke when they saw Applejack.

“Applejack,” Mr. Orange said, pulling his niece into a hug. “It’s so good to see you again. What in the world brings you to Manehattan?”

“We’re really sorry to barge in on ya like this, but it’s kind of important.”

“Please, come in,” Mrs. Orange said, stepping back to admit them.

“I suspect it’s more than a trip for pleasure, if you brought all your friends along,” Mr. Orange said. He eyed Octavia. “And someone else. I’m sorry, you are…”

“Octavia Melody, sir,” she said, inclining her head. “I am their guide.”

“A guide?” Mrs. Orange echoed. “But shouldn’t you be performing?”

Octavia merely shook her head, and Mrs. Orange frowned in puzzlement.

“Come into the dining room,” Mr. Orange said, leading them through the apartment to a pristine dinner table, surrounded by shining counter-tops and lit by soft light through the rain-streaked window. Applejack sat at the table’s head, and the others stood around, Octavia leaning against her cello case.

Applejack took a moment to survey her audience. “This’ll take a while.” She started talking.

While Applejack spoke, Twilight looked around the apartment. The dining room was a large, pristine tile box, with vases of flowers near the windows and on the table, set for two. An immaculate window stood, guarded with sheer, white curtains, in the room’s back, and the rain drummed on it peacefully. A formal, minimally-colored painting hung over Applejack’s head: a small ship, its prow a swooping swish of tapering line-work. Elegant.

Twilight looked at her friends, each one looking around the room with the same disinterested expression as she. No one met her eyes, and she studied their faces. Rarity: pensive. Rainbow: bored. Fluttershy: comfortable. Octavia: exhausted. And Pinkie, whose expression bothered her most of all: anxious. She thought back to the hushed conversation in the taxi, and Pinkie’s nonchalant dismissal of their concerns.

“But she’s Pinkie,” Twilight thought. “She’s just being her usual self. Things like this don’t faze her.” A tiny voice spoke up in her head. “She seems pretty fazed right now.”

Half an hour later, Applejack finished her story.

“Well, that’s quite a... an adventure,” Mr. Orange said.

“And you say you’re already cast your healing spell on Ponyville and Canterlot?” Mrs. Orange asked, to which Applejack nodded.

“Well, I’m certainly glad you’ve come to Manehattan so early.”

“It looks like the ponies here are getting by okay with things the way they are,” Twilight said.

“Oh, they are. But it can’t ever really be the same,” Mrs. Orange said. “The lights, for instance.”

“Yeah, how are y’all dealin’ with that?” Applejack asked.

“And the water?” Twilight added.

Mr. Orange sighed. “We keep our windows open all day long, unless it’s raining. The apartment had a backup generator, but it’s only enough to light a couple hundred bulbs in the entire complex.”

“We’ve gone through more candles in these last few weeks than we have in our entire lives,” Mrs. Orange said.

“Yes, indeed. And the water… the situation is actually quite grim.” Mr. Orange adjusted in his seat. “I’m sure you saw Starlight Lake on your way over.”

“It’s almost empty,” Twilight said.

“The city is trying to circulate it as much as possible,” Mrs. Orange said. “That’s why there’s so much rain.”

“But it’s simply not enough,” Mr. Orange said. “We can’t purify it as quickly as we use it.”

“So what are you gonna do?” Rainbow asked.

“Princess Celestia’s working on that cloud convoy,” Twilight said. “The last I heard, she has the first distribution plant almost ready. It’s between Canterlot and Hoofington.”

“A lot of good that does us,” Mr. Orange said.

“Yyyyyyeah, I’m… I don’t really know what to say. I’m sorry.”

They looked at her, and she looked away. “So, what exactly do you need us for?” Mrs. Orange asked. Her voice was light, but Twilight could hear the intelligence behind it. She already knew.

Pinkie didn’t hesitate. “We need a place to stay!”

There was a palpable silence, and everyone looked at Pinkie. Rarity scoffed. “Tact, darling.” She looked at the Oranges. “I’m afraid she’s correct, though. We were hoping you could offer us a place to stay, for just a few days. Until we figure out how to approach our spells here.”

“Do you think there’s enough space?” Mr. Orange asked, looking at his wife.

“We are comfortable sleeping on the floor,” Octavia said.

“We have a spare room, but there’s only one bed,” Mrs. Orange said. She thought for a moment. “If you can make the space work, it’s all yours. But…”

“We’ll only stay a few days,” Twilight said. “We just need to figure things out. It’s a… very difficult problem.”

“Of course. Take as much time as you need. Dear, would you?”

“Yes, of course,” Mr. Orange said, standing. “Let me show you the room.”

They passed through the rest of the apartment, as fabulous and uncluttered as the dining room, to enter a guest room near the back. It was vast, dominated by a great, orange-blanketed bed on a large, circular rug, a dusty set of drawers on one side. There was another large window pressed into the wall, from which they could see the fractured Manehattan skyline, obscured and overshadowed by fat, dense clouds.

“It’s a little small for seven ponies, but if you can manage, it’s yours,” Mr. Orange said. “And if you need anything, we’ll be out here. My wife will be preparing lunch soon.”

“We can’t thank you enough,” Twilight said earnestly, and Mr. Orange waved her off.

“Friends of my niece are friends of ours.”

He left, and Twilight summoned their bags, dumping them on the floor and pushing them into the corner. Octavia leaned her cello against the pile; she had been carrying it since the hospital, and Twilight thought she could see the suggestions of relief on her stony face.

“I think he was right. This is going to be much too cramped,” Rarity said with dismay.

“You see any better options?” Applejack asked sourly, and Rarity blushed. “Right. Ah reckon the bed can take two of us, three if we’re not worried ‘bout personal space. The others can take the floor, Ah guess.”

“I call the bed!” Rainbow said, jumping into it with a grunt. “Ah, yes! This is the life!”

“Yeah, yeah, Rainbow. Yer sharin’ that with me.” Applejack climbed in alongside her, and she moved aside deferentially. “Right. Anyone else want in?”

“Oh! Me! Me! I love slumber parties!” Pinkie said, jumping in between them.

“Um, I think Octavia should have the bed,” Fluttershy said uncomfortably. “Since she’s recovering and all.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Fluttershy, but I am perfectly fine. The floor is good enough for me,” Octavia said.

“It’s not like she sleeps anyway,” Rainbow said, earning a dirty look from Rarity.

“Again, tact,” Rarity said. “Is it so hard?”

Octavia walked to the window and looked out. “Rainbow has a point,” she mumbled into the glass.

“See, she’s fine! No need to kick me out,” Rainbow said, snuggling under the sheets.

“Get up, ya lazy lump. It’s not even sundown yet,” Applejack said, prodding Rainbow.

“Yeah yeah. So what now?” She slid out of the bed with ruffled feathers.

“We find somethin’ to do before lunch. Ah don’t know ‘bout y’all, but Ah’m gonna go visit my family.” She trotted out of the bedroom.

“I have some reading I need to do,” Twilight said, fishing a large volume out of one of her bags and climbing onto the bed. “I hope nopony minds if I settle down here.”

“I think I’ll go help Mrs. Orange with the housework,” Rarity said, leaving; Fluttershy, after a moment of indecision, followed her.

The remaining four looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, before Rainbow and Pinkie left with a dismissive “see ya.”

Octavia remained where she stood, looking out the window. When she turned around, she looked uncomfortable.

“Something the matter, Octavia?” Twilight asked conversationally. She wanted to get some reading done, but the opportunity to speak to the mysterious mare was too much for her to resist.

She looked at Twilight evenly. “No. I am just thinking. I am trying to come up with a solution to the problem of Rose Tower.”

“Looks like you’re the only one.” She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but saying it forced her to realize it: no one else had even tried to help her so far.

“I think that our only choice is to find a way to hold it manually. I know that it will be difficult, but the other option—to use magic—seems out of the question. And I see no other way.”

Twilight looked down at her book, open to a random page. “She’s right. But…” She tried to envision the logistics of holding the tower, but could not. “I really can’t imagine how to do that.”

“Neither can I. I am trying to think of any ponies I know, who can help us.”

Twilight nodded and turned a page in her book. She read for a moment, and looked back at Octavia. “I appreciate you trying to help.”

“I would be selfish not to.”

“Well, thanks.” She looked over at their bags, then Octavia, and thought of her acquisition from the previous day. It had been a constant, itching pearl in the back of her mind, drawing her thoughts to its intended recipient—now sitting, alone, not ten feet away. “The salespony said it’ll open someone up.” She looked at Octavia, who noticed her staring, and raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Is something wrong?” she asked mildly.

Twilight looked away quickly. “I should do it now. I can learn so much about her. And if I offer to smoke some with her, she’ll probably agree. At least to be polite.” “Octavia, do you ever, uh…” “But what if someone walks in on us? What if she refuses?” She looked back down at the book. “What if it’s more than just her being private?” She sighed. “Never mind.”

Octavia nodded and went back to the window, and Twilight turned a page, blushing in shame.

Rarity and Fluttershy found Mrs. Orange reluctant to accept their offers for help at first, but she soon warmed up to them and put them to work cleaning the living room, while she prepared lunch. Mr. Orange was in the next room, a large office, doing some sort of paperwork, leaving Rarity and Fluttershy to the relative quiet of their duties.

Fluttershy was finishing dusting the bookshelves when Rarity called for her attention. She turned around to see the white unicorn holding a newspaper in her telekinetic grasp. “What is it, Rarity?”

“Listen to this,” Rarity said. “It’s the top story. ‘Mysterious Prowler Terrorizing Manehattan Residents’.”

Fluttershy gasped. “Mysterious prowler? Is it… the train pony?”

Rarity cleared her throat and read. “In a string of recent sightings, the strange pony, dubbed ‘Spring-hoof Jack’ by local police, struck once again in the Unity Plaza, police say.” She looked over the paper. “I don’t know where that is. In his third appearance in three days, he appeared suddenly in the plaza, jumping and grabbing at ponies. No one was seriously harmed. Ooh, a quote.” She paused. “A witness to the attack, who wished not to be named, said, ‘he just bounded over the wall like a crazy pony, jumping and gibbering. His eyes were bright red, like fire.’ That’s what Rainbow Dash said he looked like.”

“Is there a, um, better description of him?” Fluttershy asked.

“Let me look.” Rarity flipped through the paper for a moment. “Here we are. At the bottom of the article, it says what he looks like. Around five feet tall, very thin, pale fur, light brown mane of long, coarse hair. His eyes alternate between blue and bright red, and—why, I can’t believe it—he’s been seen breathing blue fire. So Rainbow was right.”

“What about the jumping?”

“Yes, higher up, it said something about that. Ah, here we go. ‘He escaped by jumping over a nine-foot wall and then onto a roof, police said’.” She put the paper down on a chair. “Spring-hoof Jack.”

“Discord’s… pony,” Fluttershy said unhappily. “Did they mention him in the story?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“But we know he’s the one who brought him here.”

“We suspect it, yes,” Rarity said.

They looked at each other unhappily, both thinking about the story, about Discord. Housework didn’t sound very relaxing anymore.

After lunch, the seven retired to the guest room. Rainbow had grabbed a deck of playing cards and brought it in with her, and they sat in a rough circle playing Hearts; spirits were high, voices were raised in merriment, and even Octavia was heard to laugh a couple times during the proceedings.

“So tomorrow, we’re seein’ the mayor. Right?” Applejack said, examining her cards.

“That’s right.” Twilight laid down her card—the four of clubs—and thought for a moment. “Should we call ahead first?”

“It might be a good idea,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight grinned. “This’ll be the first time in a long time that I use a phone.”

“Really?” Octavia asked, laying down the king of spades.

“Not many of us have phones in Ponyville.”

“The town is so itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny that we don’t even need ‘em!” Pinkie said, throwing her card into the pile.

Applejack took them. “Ah know the mayor has one, of course, an’ Ah think Rarity has one, but Ah can’t think of anyone else.”

“The spa,” Twilight said.

“Oh, right. Why do they need a phone, anyway? It’s not like they take a lot of out-of-town clients.”

“I have no idea,” Rarity said. “But I’ve seen them use it a few times. It’s usually Lotus who does the talking.”

“You should call tomorrow,” Octavia said. “Phones are very common in the rest of the country. It would be good for you to get some practice using them.” She set down the nine of diamonds, and Pinkie covered it with the queen of spades. “Damn.”

They played cards until nightfall, alternating between Hearts, Bullshit, and a few rounds of poker, played with chips that Applejack was able to borrow from the Oranges. After a short walk about the apartment and a smaller dinner from Mrs. Orange, everyone was settling in for bed.

Twilight and Octavia found their own spots on the floor, not nearly as cramped as the hospital room, while Pinkie and Applejack climbed into the bed with Rainbow. Soon, they were all asleep; only once did Octavia awake, in the very early morning, to the sound of muffled sobbing on the other side of the bed. She couldn’t identify the pony by the voice, and she didn’t get up to look.

The next morning, after they had roused themselves, eaten, and cleaned up for the day, they found themselves standing around the Oranges’ phone, trading uncertain looks at the foreign device. Even Rarity, who had owned a phone back home, looked uncomfortable.

“So, who shall it be?” Octavia asked.

“Let me have a crack at it,” Rainbow said, stepping forward. “I never back down from a challenge.”

“Do you have any idea what to do?”

“Let me try to figure it out,” she said, picking up the receiver and staring blankly at the rotary device. “Um, gimme a sec.” She leaned in close to the rotary pad. “Um, hello? Yeah, can I talk to the mayor? It’s important.”

Nothing happened, and Rarity giggled.

“Hey! At least I’m trying,” Rainbow said defensively.

“Oh, no, don’t mind me, darling. It’s just that that was a perfectly silly thing you did just there,” Rarity said. Her eyes glinted with satisfaction.

“Whatever. So, what, do I talk into this thing then?” Rainbow asked, indicating the receiver.

“Yes, that is part of it,” Octavia said.

“You have to dial the number first, dear,” Rarity said with a self-satisfied smile on her face.

“Dial… right. I know how to do that. Um, his number is… what is it?”

Twilight pulled out a business card they had received the day before and recited the number, which Rainbow repeated into the receiver.

Rarity laughed again, and Rainbow shot her an acidic look.

“Do you see the black circle, with the numbers in it? Rotate that so that it lands on each number, and then speak into the receiver,” Octavia said patiently.

Rainbow did as she was bidden while Twilight repeated the number again, and was rewarded with a ring. “Oh, oh, I got it! I got it!” She paused. “What do I do?”

“Tell them we want to confirm an appointment with the mayor today,” Octavia prompted.

“Make sure you tell them who we are,” Twilight said.

There was a muffled voice on the other end, and Rainbow stared at it blankly. “I… I… hello? Um,” she stuttered and said nothing.

Octavia sighed. “Give me that.” She took the phone from her. “Hello? My apologies; I do not believe that this line is connected quite properly. I am calling to confirm an appointment with the mayor. We are the ponies who visited you yesterday, on a mission from Princess Celestia.” She waited. “Yes, that is correct. We are the spell-casters.” Pause. “Excellent. Thank you very much.” She hung up and looked at Rainbow.

“Was that really as difficult as you made it?” Rarity asked.

“I guess I kinda froze up,” Rainbow said, face turning red.

“Don’t worry, Dashie, we all get a little scared sometimes!” Pinkie said.

“I wasn’t scared. I just didn’t know what to do.”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity said, giving her a smile.

“Our appointment is at four o’ clock, sharp,” Octavia said.

Twilight looked at the clock in the kitchen; they had five hours. “Well, until our appointment, we should stay busy.”

“We need to think about how to keep Rose Tower steady for our spell.”

“Ugh, that,” Rarity said. “You’re right, of course. But… ugh.”

“Twilight and I discussed it yesterday. We believe that our only option is to find a way to hold it manually, with cables or ropes.”

“Uh… but that’s impossible,” Rainbow said.

“The task itself is impossible,” Applejack said, walking to the kitchen and passing Mrs. Orange, walking out.

“You don’t know anyone who can help us, Octavia?” Fluttershy asked.

“I do not,” Octavia said, shaking her head.

“Help with what?” Mrs. Orange asked.

“We need a way to hold Rose Tower for our spell,” Twilight said. “We need a lot of cables, or wires, or something. To stabilize it.”

Mrs. Orange thought for a moment. “You can buy cables here, if you have enough money. The biggest wire and cable company in Equestria has its headquarters on the other side of town. Tethers, Incorporated.”

“I did not know that they were based in Manehattan,” Octavia said.

“Oh, yes.”

“That must cost a fortune,” Rarity said.

“I’m sure it would.”

“And we would not know how to use them ourselves,” Octavia said.

“Maybe if we got someone from the company to help us,” Twilight said.

“A CEO or something,” Rainbow said.

Mrs. Orange pursed her lips. “I don’t know if he’s a CEO, but there’s a high-level employee on the floor below ours. He might be able to help.”

“Seriously?” Rarity said.

“We’ve had him over for dinner a few times,” Mr. Orange said from the other room. “Nice pony. A little shy.”

“Strawberry, I think his name is,” Mrs. Orange said.

“‘Strawberry’? Not something more relevant?” Rainbow asked.

“Like Ropey McGee!” Pinkie added.

“Ponies’ names do not have to match their talent,” Octavia said. She looked back at Mrs. Orange. “What more can you tell us about him?”

“Not a lot. Like my husband said, he’s quite shy.”

“But he’s got a good position in this Tethers business,” Rainbow said.

“He’s an executive of some kind, yes.”

“It’s worth a try,” Twilight said. “Which room is he in?”

“Oh, I don’t know, not off the top of my head. It’s the one with the money cutie mark, though. The floor just below.”

“Well, what’re we waiting for? Let’s go check ‘em out,” Rainbow said, heading for the door.

“Thank you for the suggestion,” Rarity said, and Mrs. Orange nodded with a smile.

They went downstairs in the small elevator and traipsed up and down the lower corridor, finding the door with the money cutie mark at the hall’s end. Like the Oranges’, it was scuffed, with chipping paint in a few places. Twilight knocked and faced the door with her best friendly expression, not certain what to expect.

They waited a minute, and the door opened slowly, catching on a chain by the top corner. A narrowed, green eye looked out at them, and a wary voice spoke. “What do you want?”

“Um, hi. I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends. Are you Strawberry?”

The door snapped shut.

Pinkie scoffed dramatically. “Well that was rude!”

Twilight knocked again. “Excuse me! We just want to talk to you!”

“Why are you here?” the voice asked through the door.

“We need your help,” Rarity said. “We are Princess Celestia’s spell-casters, and we need assistance stabilizing Rose Tower. We can’t cast our spell otherwise.”

“I can’t help you.”

“You’re the pony at Tethers Incorporated, though. Right?” Twilight asked.

There was a long silence. “Who wants to know?”

“The Elements of Harmony,” Rainbow said. “What the heck is wrong with you?”

“What do you need me for?”

“Cables,” Twilight said patiently. “And a lot of them. To hold the tower in place while we cast our spell.”

The door cracked open again, and the eye studied them, lingering on each one of them individually. “I do recognize you all.” The eye settled on Octavia. “Octavia Melody. Why are you with the Elements of Harmony?”

“I am their guide,” Octavia said.

“Interesting. You say you need cables. A lot of cables.”

“Yes. Can you help us?” Twilight asked.

The eye looked inside the room, and they could briefly see a dark, undecorated interior. “No. I’m indisposed.”

“What? How?” Rainbow asked, moving up to look through the crack.

The door inched shut again. “Leave me be.”

“Are you okay in there?” Fluttershy asked. “Do you need help?”

“We’ll do anything we can,” Twilight said, putting on a smile.

The door clicked shut again, and they let out a collective sigh. “Aunt Orange wasn’t kiddin’,” Applejack said. “Even Fluttershy ain’t this bad.”

Fluttershy cringed and blushed, and Rarity rubbed her back.

The door opened again, and something heavy hit the floor on the other side. “I can help you, but you have to help me first.”

“Oh, here we go,” Rainbow said quietly.

A hefty sack of bits appeared in the crack. “I need you to deliver this for me.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Applejack said, backing up. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m very serious.”

“Why can you not deliver it yourself?” Octavia asked.

The eye shifted. “I can’t be seen. Not where you need to go.”

“Oh, and you think we can?” Rainbow said.

“In this situation, it won’t matter if someone identifies you. They know you’re not me. That’s enough.”

“What is it for?” Rarity asked.

“Rarity! Yer not considerin’ this, are ya?” Applejack asked.

“We need his help. I think we should,” Twilight said.

“How do we even know this is the guy?” Rainbow asked. “He could be anyone.”

“The Oranges said it’s him,” Rarity said. “What is this money for?”

The eye fixed itself on her. “I can’t go into specifics. I got into a little trouble, and I need this money to pay someone off. Six hundred bits.”

“No deal,” Rainbow said. “We’re not into illegal stuff.”

“You won’t be in any danger,” he insisted. “The pony knows I’m delivering the money through an intermediary, and there won’t be anything after this. It’s a simple, single-step transaction.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Just take the money where I say and pass it off. You can walk away after that, and I’ll help you.”

“We don’t want to commit yer crimes for you,” Applejack said.

The eye closed for a moment, and he sighed. “I hate to do this. I don’t want us to be on bad terms with one another.” His voice turned firmer. “But you’re forcing my hoof here. You need me more than I need you. I can have this delivered by someone else—albeit at greater personal risk—but it looks like you don’t have anyone else who can help you with your tower.”

“I told you,” Rarity whispered to Rainbow, who rolled her eyes.

“Let’s not make this uglier than it already is. It’s a very simple, very safe job. You can travel in a group, if you’re worried about being attacked. Not that anyone would have the audacity to try to harm you. Element bearers.”

“Ah don’t wanna get involved in somethin’ illegal, even if it is safe,” Applejack said. “It’s a slippery slope.”

Pinkie giggled, and they looked at her.

“What’s your alternative?” he asked.

“I’m sorry?” Rainbow asked, indignant.

“What’s your alternative,” he repeated, enunciating sharply. “How do you cast your spell without my assistance?”

No one responded, and Twilight cleared her throat. “Is there, perhaps, another way we can help?”

“This is the easiest task I can give you.”

“Twilight, we should walk outta here,” Applejack said. “This can’t end well.”

“We can’t walk away from the best chance at completing our spell, Applejack,” Rarity said.

“She’s right.” Twilight took a moment to clear her mind. “We’ll do it.”

The eye closed. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. There’s a bar on sixtieth and fifth. ‘The Shot Apple,’ it’s called. Go there and wait for a pony to approach you about the money; he should know my name.”

“What’s he look like?” Rainbow asked. There was resignation in her voice.

“I’ve never seen him. Just be sure he knows my name.”

“And when do we need to be there?” Rarity asked.

“If you leave now, I can call ahead and tell him to be ready. It’s not far.”

“And you’ll help us with Rose Tower after this. Right?” Rainbow asked.

“Of course. You have my word.”

“We’ve got the word of a criminal. Great,” Applejack said.

“How can you help us?” Octavia asked. She approached the door to look into the eye. “How do we know that it is worth it to do this for you?”

“Are you kidding? I don’t even know you ponies, or your mission. You’re the ones who keep saying you need me.”

“You have access to heavy duty cables, though,” Twilight said.

“…That’s right.”

“And you can use them,” Octavia pressed.

“Yes.”

“Let’s just do this,” Rarity said. “It’s just a small chore, really. A bit… uncomfortable, but small.”

He slid the bag of bits out into the hall. “You have my thanks.” He made to close the door.

“How do you know we won’t steal this money?” Rainbow asked.

“Because that’s not in your nature. And I’ll know if the money doesn’t reach the pony it’s supposed to.” He regarded her sternly, his eye hard. “The Shot Apple, sixtieth and fifth. Make sure he knows my name. Strawberry.”

Twilight grabbed the bag of bits, and the door closed with a sharp snap. She floated it out in front of her as they walked down the hall, and, reaching the door, stowed it away in her pocket dimension.

“Ah don’t like this,” Applejack said. “Ah really, really don’t like this.”

“We can get into some really serious trouble,” Fluttershy said quietly.

“You heard him, though. What choice do we have?” Twilight asked. “But you’re right. I don’t like it any more than you do.”

“We’ll have to be careful,” Rarity said.

“You ever been to the bar he was talkin’ about, Octavia?” Rainbow asked.

“I do not frequent bars, in any city,” Octavia said.

“Yeah, figures.”

They walked out to the curb and hailed a pair of taxis. The rainstorm from the day before had mostly vanished, leaving only a few shards of dark cloud to mark the sky. Puddles stood in the gutters and a chilly wind blew, and they grouped closer together inside the cabs.

“Who could he need to pay off? That’s what I wanna know,” Rainbow said.

“I think that it would be better if we did not find out,” Octavia said.

“Octavia’s right,” Twilight said. “Let’s just get in, give this money to whoever wants it, and get out.” She looked out the window. “And if they ask us to do anything else, we say no. We’re not about to get involved in something we shouldn’t.”