Rainbow Dash cradled her cards between her hooves, still awkwardly; the others had gotten used to it, but she was not so dextrous. She was on the bed, next to Pinkie, who peeked over her own cards with an exaggerated smirk, and across from Rarity, who kept her eyes resolutely down, and Octavia, who held her cards in a gray haze of magic.

“Eight of hearts!” Pinkie shrieked, throwing her card down. They played their trick, and Octavia took it with a quiet smile.

Octavia put down a club, and Rainbow looked at her own cards. She didn’t feel well, and the black and red swam in her eyes like smoke. She squinted, but they clarified only a little.

“Come on, Dashie!” Pinkie crowed. “You can do it!”

She shook her head. Sweat was running down her face, and her mouth was dry. She blinked and opened her eyes as wide as she could, her mouth stretching in a comical oval as she tried to suck air into her suddenly tight body.

She bent her hoof, to take a card in the crook of her pastern, but it slipped away as she grasped it. She gasped and sniffled, her nose, like her brow, running.

“I gotta… uh, oh.” She shuffled off the bed and went to the door, where she leaned to watch them. “Go without me.” She panted and tried to relax her breathing, as she would when she flew too hard, but the room was hot, and her fur was moist with perspiration.

“One of hearts!” Pinkie bellowed, slamming down a card.

“Two of ones,” Rarity whispered.

“Ten of E,” Octavia said, taking the cards and incorporating them into her deck.

“Seven of Dashie!” Pinkie screamed, and Rainbow wavered.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a pristine, white pony sat in Pinkie’s place. He smiled wide and calm, and his impossible, blue eyes seemed to freeze the air around his face; the room contracted into him, his perfect coat, his coal-and-snow mane, his needle horn. He turned to show Rainbow his cutie mark: a cloudy, black circle, like a hole drilled into his side.

“Thunder of drown.”

The room exploded, and Rainbow jerked awake with a cry. Rain lashed the walls and window, and as she looked around, lightning flashed again.

“It is only the weather,” Octavia said from the corner. She sat against the wall beside her cello, untouched, and in the lightning, her eyes looked blue as well.

When everyone got up, many hours later, and went into the flat for breakfast, Lacey was gone, in her stead a note—“gone to the studio. not sure when I’ll be back.” In the corner, a little doodle of a filming camera.

“Cute,” Octavia said drily.

They produced a small breakfast of mixed, dried fruits and vegetables, and were out the door by eight, heading for Glass Ribbon. It was time to pick up their airship. The storm from before had passed to the other side of the city, and they could see the slanting, gray curtain like a shroud in front of Rose Tower. The streets were wet still, and ponies walked with folded umbrellas or droplet-kissed raincoats. On a newsstand, headlines proclaimed an end to the brief, but intense, period of fear from Spring-hoof Jack, over a picture of an empty street. The site of his unexplained death, the captions said.

They spent only twenty minutes at the top of Glass Ribbon, signing papers, and then had to take the long ride down to the bottom again, where they decided to walk to the airship lot, only a couple blocks away.

“I think we should spend a little time today shopping for furnishings,” Rarity said. “You said that our airship would only have a shower, sink and toilet, right?”

“That’s right,” Twilight said. “What were you thinking of buying?”

“Well, two beds, for starters. Maybe a clock and some curtains. I won’t know for certain, really, until I see it.”

“An’ this is all on Celestia’s dime, Ah take it?” Applejack said.

“Well, I mean, um… I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

“Just askin’.”

“Oh, and food. We should stock up on that too.”

“We’ll need a stove or an oven, then,” Twilight said. “Or both.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Applejack said.

They arrived at a large, raised square of cement, like an island in the city, and ascended the wet stairs cut into its side. The lot was flat and wide, a grid of shining white on placid gray, watched by the airships’ sleeping forms. Colorful balloons and elaborate figureheads surrounded them, their vessels quiet and dignified in warm, wood paneling.

Their own model sat near the back, stretching menacingly over half the lot’s width. Unlike its smoother neighbors, their ship was a dark, harsh seashell of heavy wood, slitted along the sides and crenelated at the edges of the deck. From all around, rising from black eyelets like a sinister manifestation, rope webbed a storm-cloud balloon. They slowly walked around it; at the back, seven gaping, metal mouths waited like demonic eyes, their middles crossed with the broad blades of inert propellers. Just beyond, they could see the motionless gnash of gears and pistons. A tall, black fishtail sat at the very end—the rudder, its crescent pushed back by the floor to gently rest in a notch in the poop deck.

The drawbridge was already down, and they tentatively boarded the intimidating ship. The dark deck bowed down slightly under a heavy-looking torch, and the ropes climbed up all around them like bars in a prison. A flowering wheel stood at the front atop a row of switches, numbered one to seven, for each turbine. From its position, they could see the entire airship lot beyond the point of a thick, ridged bowsprit. On the sides, perched like predatory birds, sat the turrets; two mounted, black coils of metal, hooked with handles and looped with echinate bands of bullets, skirting their bases like thorns.

“I am not sure how I feel about these,” Octavia said, running a hoof along a turret’s handle experimentally.

“Considering what happened to the last ship, I think they’re a good idea,” Twilight said. “Unfortunately.”

“How fast is this thing supposed to go?” Rainbow asked, looking up into the balloon.

“Forty-five miles an hour. But we really should keep it around thirty or thirty-five.”

“Seven turbines, and we can only go thirty miles an hour?”

“This ship is made for endurance, not speed,” Octavia said.

“Psh.”

At the back, a large hatch opened to a narrow set of stairs, leading into a dark hallway, which branched off into four rooms. At the front, opposite each other, two empty bedrooms, and at the back, a small bathroom and a large, empty storage area; of these, only the bathroom was furnished.

“First thing Ah do when we get in the air is take a nice, long, hot shower,” Applejack said, gazing longingly at the frosted glass door to the tiny enclosure.

“Does it even have water right now?” Rarity asked.

“There’s a pump on the outside somewhere,” Twilight said. “We have to get our own water. I guess we’ll siphon it from a river or something.”

“Are there any rivers nearby, Octavia?” Fluttershy asked.

“There is one that flows a few miles west of the city. Used to flow, rather,” Octavia said.

They went back onto the deck.

“Let’s take this up to the tower, so we can buy our furnishings,” Applejack said, going up to the wheel. “Just gimme a second to get used to these controls.”

“There’s only one wheel, AJ,” Rainbow said.

“Ah know that, but Ah need to get used to how it feels in my hooves. You ain’t never steered a ship anyway, Rainbow.”

“How hard can it be?”

“Ah’d prefer we find out somewhere where we won’t crash into nothin’.”

“Pinkie, are you going to manage the torch?” Twilight asked.

“Yup! I’m a torch pony!” Pinkie cried, bouncing circles around the torch.

Applejack ran the wheel under her hooves, turning it and feeling its weight. She smiled and closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the wood all around her. On their first ship, she had always had the front-most view of the world; standing behind the wheel, everything was open to her. Looking out over the lot, memories and sensations rushed back. She turned the wheel a final time, appreciating the heaviness in the handles, the solid circularity of the mechanism. “Right, Ah think Ah’m ready. Fire her up, Pinkie.”

Pinkie pressed a button on the torch, and a long tail of bright blue and yellow flame hissed up into the dark balloon. It was already partially inflated, and it wasn’t long before they were drifting off the lot. Applejack turned the wheel experimentally, and the ship responded, moving slowly away from the tops of balloons and other airships, floating a heavy C in the air before she had swung it out and back over the lot’s back edge.

Everyone crowded the gunwales. They had seen the Manehattan skyline from the tops of each tower, but to do so from an airship was new. The apartments and businesses fanned out in a grid all around them, with Rose Tower and Glass Ribbon standing in aloof dignity at each corner, lights ribbing their surfaces like dribbling gobbets of flame under the gray clouds.

Applejack slowly turned them around to face Glass Ribbon. “Octavia, do ya know where the airship parkin’ is fer this tower?”

“It is near the top, but I do not know which side.”

Applejack nodded and turned the two outer switches, activating the side turbines. The ship hummed comfortably, and from the vibrating engine casings, they could see thin hairs of black smoke.

“Well, at least it’s quiet,” Rarity said.

“That it is,” Applejack said, guiding them upwards.

Behind, at the wooden rail, Twilight watched and said nothing; she was caught staring at a tiny trail of soot floating out of the turbine. Black grains superimposed on a cool, gray sky. Black stars.

Rarity walked behind her, and rested at her side. Neither spoke, and Rarity stared too. Rarity had changed. Twilight could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. She hadn’t put any makeup on that morning, and her mane was not the near-perfect arc that it usually was. “Not the real Rarity. Smoke.”

She closed her eyes, and there was only the grinding, chuffing sound of the blades spinning in their sockets. It sounded like running hooves. Her running hooves. Her heart quickened. “Oh, Celestia, not here, not now.”

She opens her eyes, praying for clarity, but sees only the snake of smoke. She tries to breathe more slowly, but is distracted. Her muscles: tight under her skin, ready to react; her eyes: locked down like prisoners; her tongue: a wet, dead thing in her mouth; her teeth: nipping together and then apart. Dry lips.

And then adrenaline is jumping through her head. Smoke rising in the sky, a dark sky, a dark night, and wind shredding her mane. Determination and fear crack her face, and noise howls all around, and her eyes roll over, uncomprehending. Magic and sparks fly, and broken pieces of marble railing flash like her own gnashing teeth, and she feels cold, cold, tight, and also very warm; repeat, repeat, oh Celestia, what have I done? Smoke rising in the sky.

There is a hoof on her shoulder, and she jumps. Magic blows straight out of her horn like a siren. She feels ashamed and stupid.

“Whoa! Calm down, Twilight, it’s just me,” Rainbow says, backing away a little.

Twilight takes a deep breath, steadying herself, and looks around. Everyone is staring at her. “Um, sorry. I, uh, think I left something down below.” She runs down the hatch in the back of the deck.

She could hear them asking about what had just happened above, and it was not long before Rainbow came down to her.

“Twilight, what was that?”

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash. I think I just had another flashback.” She felt the ship change orientation and, shortly after, come to rest.

“We’re here, Twi. You okay in there?” Applejack called.

Rainbow turned from the door to look down the hall. “She’s fine.” She glanced in again. “Um, why don’t you go on without us? We’ll catch up.”

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” Pinkie asked, appearing in the threshold suddenly. “At first you were just staring like I sometimes do when I start thinking about something really hard, and then you started breathing really hard like I sometimes do when I run a whole lot or lift something heavy, like a sack of flour, or sing too much without taking a breath or talk too much without taking a breath, like just now!” She made one huge gasp and laughed. “But then you got all upset and sad-looking, and Dashie tried to talk to you, and you almost blasted her! Are you mad at her?”

“I’m fine, Pinkie,” Twilight said shortly. She looked up at Octavia’s voice, too quiet to understand.

“Twi, Octavia’s comin’ down. We’re gonna be inside the tower, hear?” Applejack said.

“I’m sure we won’t be long if you want to wait here,” Fluttershy said.

Octavia strode casually into the room, pushing Pinkie aside without looking at her.

“Twilight, are you sure you’ll be okay with us gone?” Rainbow asked.

“I’ll be fine, Rainbow. I’m already feeling better,” Twilight said.

“All right.” Rainbow looked at her reluctantly before going back up the stairs, with Pinkie just behind.

When they were alone, Octavia looked at Twilight, who looked back a little defensively.

“I do not know very much about psychology by any means,” Octavia said, “but I recognize a panic attack when I see one. What happened?”

“What do you know about this?”

“Much.”

When it was clear she wasn’t going to elaborate, Twilight spoke. “It was the smoke from the turbines. It reminded me of… something.”

“What is that?”

“There was a night,” Twilight said. “We… that is, my friends and I… had to go to Canterlot. It was urgent.”

“You speak of the night when Discord attacked.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me about it. All you care to remember.”

“I…” She stared past Octavia, who waited patiently. “We were coming down.” Her voice was a monotone. “And they were chasing us. When we landed, they were right behind us. We had to do something, so I…” Her breathing was becoming labored again.

“Twilight? Breathe, Twilight. Relax, and breathe. You are not there anymore; you are here, inside this ship. All is well.”

Twilight slowed and tried to speak again, but faltered. On the second try, she succeeded. “I used my magic, and so did Rarity. We…” Her lips trembled, and Octavia could see tears forming under her eyes. “They were so fast, it was all so fast, we didn’t even know what we were doing. We just… their faces, when we… oh, Celestia, and Applejack, and Fluttershy too! Before we even entered the battle, Octavia! Can you believe that?” Her voice cracked, and she had to sit, head hanging, eyes fixed on the floor.

“You do not have to say what happened if you do not want to,” Octavia said.

“We just… we just… I mean, they were so fast, we didn’t even have a chance.”

“I am sure,” Octavia said, trying to sound soothing; it came out just as neutral as everything else. “What is important, Twilight, is that the event of which you speak has passed. It will not happen again, and there is nothing you can do about it.”

“But we… I don’t even know what to do,” Twilight said.

“What makes you afraid?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said quietly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then another. When she was done, she felt better. Lucid. “And that’s what worries me most of all. I have these panic attacks, and I think about them later, and I don’t even know what about them is so frightening. I… Octavia, could I be losing my mind?”

Octavia was long in answering. “I think that it is unlikely. You are experiencing something difficult, but it is not consuming you.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I cannot. All I can say is that, just as I can recognize a panic attack, I can recognize a pony being consumed by something.” Her lips twitched. “You are not one of them.”

“Yet.”

“Do you expect to worsen?”

“I don’t even know anymore.”

“I have heard that if you expect something of yourself, you will make it come to pass. It has something with the subconscious, but I do not pretend to understand.”

“So what do I do?”

“Has speaking to me about this helped at all?”

“A little, yeah.”

“If that is the case, then I suggest you look to your friends. Especially Rarity.”

“Rarity?”

“She has told me of a similar problem.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I will not betray her confidence.”

“So she’s talked to you too.”

“Yes.”

Twilight frowned. “Everypony’s talking to you, it seems, but not each other.”

“I am still a novel addition to your group. It is natural that everyone should take some sort of interest in me.”

“I guess.”

They waited for some time before Octavia spoke again. “I do not wish to impose upon you, but perhaps you would consider taking your own advice, and seeking a professional.”

“There’s no time,” Twilight said. “Besides, I’m… well, there’s just no time.”

“I understand.”

The ship creaked, and Twilight looked around self-consciously. She felt judged under Octavia’s neutral eyes. “Why did you approach me about this? You said you were private.”

“I am. But…”

“Is it because we talked yesterday?”

Octavia thought. “No. No, it is not. I would do this for anyone in your situation.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She paused for a second, then continued, haltingly. “Hard pasts, or… difficult memories draw me.”

The rest of the crew arrived half an hour later, a unicorn stranger with them to carry the heavier objects: two beds, sheets, a set of dishes and silverware, pots and pans, and a small grill; while a clock and various hygiene affectations floated around Rarity’s head like apparitions. With some effort, they corralled the beds into their rooms and set up a small kitchenette area near the back of the deck, complete with an open satchel of fresh vegetables and a small, free-standing spice rack.

When everything was arranged to their liking, they headed back to Lacey’s flat, a much shorter trip. When they entered, Lacey had returned, and was setting up lunch for herself; instead of eating with her, they took some food and went into the bedroom, at Twilight’s suggestion.

After they had settled, Twilight began speaking. “I suppose you’re all wondering what happened earlier today.”

There was a chorus of affirmations, Pinkie’s enthusiastic and cheerful.

“It’s… a little hard to talk about. But we’re all friends, and you have the right to know. I… here goes. I think I might be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.”

They all looked at her uncertainly, except Rainbow, who had heard it before. “What’s that?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s when a pony feels stressed out about something bad that happened to them,” Twilight said. “For me, it’s… it’s when we were in Canterlot.”

“That night when we…” Applejack started, and Twilight nodded.

“That was a hard night for us all,” Pinkie said, sobering a little.

“Oh, Twilight, what can we do?” Fluttershy asked.

“For now, nothing. I just wanted to tell you all what was going on. I think just talking about it will eventually help me overcome it.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to find a professional?” Rainbow asked.

“I think I’ll be okay for now. I just need to get over it on my own. Talking will help. I know that.” She looked significantly at Rarity, who looked away quickly.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we all have a little of that post-dramatic stress disorder,” Pinkie said. “We were all in it.”

Everyone stopped, and they looked at one another. Eyes connected and tore away from faces, lips parted to speak, but no one had anything to say. Gradually, all eyes turned inwards, and Rarity had backed up into the wall, blushing angrily.

“You all right, Rare?” Applejack asked.

“Fine,” she said. She stood. She made a move toward the door. She sat down meekly. “I’m fine.”

“You haven’t been acting yourself lately,” Pinkie said.

“I… haven’t been acting myself lately.”

“What’s wrong, Rarity? Is it Twilight’s thing?” Rainbow asked.

Rarity leaned against the wall, averting her eyes.

“Not even one Element found,” Pinkie said delicately, and everyone stared at her. She giggled. “Sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

“I think it’s on all our minds,” Fluttershy said. “I know it’s on mine. I… didn’t want to say anything, because I don’t want to freak myself out. But I dream about it.”

“Me too,” Twilight said.

Rarity nodded.

Applejack only watched, considering. “Ah… think… what we oughta do is just hole up in here fer a couple hours, an’ let everythin’ out.”

“Everything?” Rarity asked.

“All of it. We gotta move on, girls. Pinkie’s right; we gotta keep our mission in mind fer this. This ain’t the way to start.”

No one spoke at first, and then Fluttershy cleared her throat. “I remember their eyes.”

While Lacey remained behind, they took the new airship to Rose Tower. It was eight o’ clock, and the sky was a deep, vast gray. Gentle rain fizzled on the balloon as they cruised.

They had gone directly from their room to the ship, not stopping to say anything to Lacey. The idea of speaking with another, even briefly, felt wrong after such a lengthy and tiring session of talking. Fluttershy had cried, Rainbow had let her defenses fall, and even Pinkie sobered enough to express herself freely, for a time. Their fight with Discord over the wilderness stuck with her; his extrusion out of her body, and the unnoticed invasion that it implied, bothered her more deeply than she liked to admit.

Through it all, Rarity had remained largely silent.

As they approached Rose Tower, a group of bulky shadows manifested, clustered around its base like giant monsters. Unextended cranes. There were five, resting together, and they stopped by one.

Strawberry stood on a crane’s giant tire, directing the ponies with the cables, when they landed. He flew down to greet them. “Excellent timing. As you can see, everything is ready to be set up.” He smiled confidently as he gestured to the crane. “You like it? This is a Tethers Incorporated reinforced, heavy-lift crane, also known as seven hundred thousand bits.”

“It certainly is… big,” Twilight said.

“That’s one way of putting it, yes. So this is how this operation is going to work. You all get in there and find your spot. I’ll start extending these cranes and attaching the cables—sixteen to a crane, and I’m doing it one at a time, so as not to get these things tangled up. I estimate that the process will take at least an hour and a half with the pegasi that I have with me.”

“We can help,” Rainbow said.

“Thank you, but I would prefer you stay with your group. When you get to your places, don’t do anything until you receive my signal, clear?”

“What’s the signal?” Twilight asked.

“If you mark your location with a flare or something, one of my pegasi will come by and say so. Once you’ve gotten the signal, wait a minute or two for my team to get out of the air, then do your thing.”

“Oh, are you absolutely sure that the tower will hold?” Fluttershy asked.

“I didn’t get to be where I am now by doing shoddy work,” he said. “It will hold. Mind, it’ll sway a little. That’s natural.”

“And what if it… oh, what if something goes wrong?”

“If something goes wrong, and the tower goes down… well, you probably won’t be around to worry about the aftermath.”

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy moved behind Rainbow.

“Come on, girls,” Twilight said. “Let’s get going. Oh, Strawberry, I need to talk to you after this.”

“Of course.” He turned to the pony in the crane. “Let’s go! Crane one, take it to sixty-six feet and hold it.” He flew up and began acting as a guide for the crane to follow, its neck slowly telescoping out.

“This is it,” Twilight said giddily, and they entered.

Notices adorned the dark walls. By order of the mayor, Rose Tower had been mostly emptied; all that remained was a skeleton crew of ponies to operate the trains inside and keep vital areas operational. Most lights were off, and all the stores and attractions were closed. Passing through the empty tower, their hoofsteps were ghosts in the vaulted rooms, their rattling train a fantasy among the dark scaffolds between floors.

When they reached the Prancing Prince Music Hall, the venues outside had gone dead, the stale smell of old food in the air. Without the noise and heat of hundreds of ponies, the massive corridor felt too large and too open, a strip of reflective tile that didn’t belong in the abandoned monolith. Small floor lights illuminated the way under Blueblood’s leering face, their pale blue color giving him an evil pallor. They didn’t meet his eyes as they entered the massive auditorium.

As it was when they found it the first time, there were no ponies in the seats, and they descended to the pit absolutely alone. The walk was long and easy, down soft, carpet stairs along brass rails. There was no light inside, only the wan starlight from the window, catching the shining banisters like sparks and the empty seats like black kernels, or rows and rows of rotting teeth.

They climbed onto the dark stage and went to the wide window, through which they could see the oblong shape of restored Manehattan, cornered on two sides by divided neighborhoods surrounding their towers. In the light-stippled distance, Glass Ribbon was a pale band in the sky, a trim antithesis to their black, powerful tower.

Twilight and Fluttershy pressed their faces to the window and looked down. The first crane was in place, and the second was just starting to extend. “It’s going to be a while still,” Twilight said.

The others were behind, sitting and lying on the stage, talking quietly among themselves. After their time in the room, conversation sounded forced and meaningless. For Twilight, just staying where she was did.

It had been a good idea, to remain inside and let their feelings out. But in practice, at least for her, the activity quickly twisted into a competition. Who could win the most sympathy? Fluttershy had started early, recounting her memories of the Canterlot balcony, but her tears soon gave way to Pinkie’s own gibbering sorrow over Discord’s momentary control of her body.

When Twilight herself finally broke down, she had done so more because she knew she ought, and not from any genuine misery. Seeing her friends so distressed was more comforting than their words; it showed her she wasn’t alone. But to say so would hurt them.

With her back to the window and her friends before her, she felt alone. She knew she shouldn’t.

“Twilight, are you all right?” Fluttershy asked, coming closer.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You know you can tell us anything, right? Um, I mean, I don’t want to pressure you, but, um, if something’s bothering you…”

“I’m just nervous about the spell,” she lied. “There’s a lot relying on us right now.”

“Oh, I understand.”

When the final crane was almost ready, Twilight stepped to the window and cast a simple flare spell, exerting herself a little more than usual to cast it through the glass. A ball of light bloomed and hung out in front of them like a star. “What must the ponies in the city be thinking right now?”

Twilight looked out again, taking in the scope of the city. “This really is a beautiful place,” she said to herself.

“It is,” Octavia said from behind.

Twilight looked at her; her face was calm and thoughtful, as always, but there was tenderness in her eyes that Twilight had not seen before. “I have spent little time outside of this tower, but I can see why one would appreciate it. It is less similar to Canterlot than I was expecting.”

“Yeah.” She looked away for a moment, but Octavia didn’t move, or make an effort to speak. “What’s Hoofington like, Octavia?”

“Hoofington? It is certainly smaller than this. Smaller than Canterlot, even. It is a town for wealthy ponies, but it is close-knit. Neighbors know each other there, and are often friends, much like you said is the case in your Ponyville.”

“I thought you said you weren’t wealthy.”

“I am not.”

Twilight eyed her.

Octavia sat down and, looking at the stage, activated her magic. In the darkness, it was difficult to see it at first. She produced a pair of small spirals in the air, and spoke as they moved together. “When I purchased my house there, years ago, I was wealthy. I had been for a period of months, and I was confident that my position was permanent. I was shown to be wrong only a couple weeks after the purchase was finalized.” The spirals swirled upwards, melded together, and then faded, easy as smoke. “It was… among the worst mistakes I have made in my life.”

“So why not sell it again?”

“It is complicated.”

“How?”

“I do not wish to say.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Octavia lapsed into silence, and a pegasus flew up to the window to look in on them. Twilight went to her, and received an enthusiastic nod and smile.

She drew Pinkie over and extinguished her flare. “All right, everypony. Places.”

They all backed off the stage, and Twilight summoned her brush and inkwell. After a minute of waiting for Strawberry’s team to disperse, she began the sigil, still clear in her mind.

Lacey stood in the middle of the street between apartments, deep into the complex. From her position, she could see Rose Tower shooting up between buildings like a candle. She had a vague idea of what the Elements of Harmony were up to, and when she heard they were heading to the tower, knew she had to see. So far, she had only felt the results of their spellcasting, never gotten to see it in action.

She watched as thin, black toothpick silhouettes extended up around the tower. Cranes. It meant nothing to her, and she sat down on the damp concrete. Slowly, thin hairs appeared to connect the tower to its cranes, until it was completely surrounded. She was reminded of a tree in winter.

She tensed with the caress of a breeze along her short fur. Not knowing how long the process took, she could only wait in excruciating excitement, each moment being, surely, the one when things started to happen.

When they did happen, they were so distant that she didn’t fully react until they were already long underway. She was expecting to jump back, to hold on to something, to flap her ears down. Instead, what she heard was faraway, rolling thunder. In the darkness, and the dying storm, she only knew it was the spell when she saw Rose Tower begin to sway. The hairs held it aloft, but the tower still moved dangerously, its thorn crown tracing a narrow parenthesis over the gray ceiling of clouds. Mild tremors tickled her hooves as pieces of land rejoined one another, but the apartment block was largely unaffected.

More ponies were slowly coming out to watch, and she ignored them. The spell that had been cast on her part of town felt much more severe, and while she was thankful for the reprieve, she was disappointed too. She had expected something spectacular.

When Rose Tower swayed its last, they all lined up at the window to look down. Manehattan was spread out like a dark plane of sharply angled earth, and they could see the familiar jitter and shake of massed, confused ponies. Most importantly, though, it was complete. The streets and lots around the tower were back to normal, the buildings once again beside and across from one another. The only area left to be restored was the scattered neighborhood around Glass Ribbon, across the city; buildings and empty spaces tossed about in the air like dice. Next to the full metropolis, it looked more like an artist’s interpretation.

The ride back to the ground floor was slow and anxious, and when they stepped out into the drizzling darkness, Strawberry was hovering high above, commanding the crane operators while swarms of pegasi worked above. When he spotted them, he swooped down with a smile.

“Is everything okay?” Twilight asked.

“Everything is perfect,” he said. “Everything happened exactly as I wanted it.” He looked around. “Which is good. If you didn’t have my help, this tower would’ve come down, hard. Probably right on the city, too.”

“Thank you, Strawberry. We truly appreciate the help you’ve given us.”

“You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Welcome to Manehattan.”

“What about Glass Ribbon?” Rainbow asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t see how I can possibly help you with that. The next year is going to be dedicated to making this money back. Doing it again? Not gonna happen. Sorry.”

“But how are we gonna hold it in place?” Pinkie asked.

“I have no idea.” He held a hoof to his chin. “The only possible way I could do this for you is if you find a way to reimburse me. But that’s between three and four million bits. I know you don’t have that much.”

“Would we have to give you all of it? Wouldn’t one or two million be good enough?” Twilight asked.

“Like we can get two million bits any easier than three of four,” Rainbow said.

“Lacey helped us with the ship. Maybe she can help with this,” Applejack said.

“Hang on,” Strawberry said sharply. “Say that name again.”

“Lacey,” Twilight said. “Lacey Kisses is her full name.”

Strawberry stared at them, eyes a mixture of confusion, intrigue, and anger. “Are you… how do you know her?”

“We live with her,” Rainbow said.

Pinkie jumped in place. “Oh! Oh! We ran into each other in this tower, actually, and really hit it off! Best friends forever! She said we could come down and live with her if we were ever in a tight spot! Which we did after helping you with your whole arsonist pony thing!”

“Okay, okay. Keep it down.” He looked around warily. “Why don’t you come back to my place for a little while? I think I might be able to help you after all.”

It was two hours before the cables were down and the cranes were heading back to wherever Strawberry got them, and in the interim, they had a late dinner at a small sub shop just under the shadow of Rose Tower. Ponies were still shaken, but everything was calming down. For them, the excitement did not abate. With one more spell, they would be free to leave town and continue their quest. It had been so long since they left, it felt strange to think in terms of the larger mission. Find the Elements, stop Discord. Money, resources, and shady CEOs were only part of the background.

It was twelve-thirty when they arrived at Strawberry’s apartment. When they knocked, his paranoid eye regarded them first, then, reluctantly, allowed them in. A single light was on by a sheaf of papers, busy with numbers and names.

“I have it,” he said.

“Have what?” Fluttershy asked.

“I have your solution. I can secure Glass Ribbon as well, if you give me something in return.”

“Wait, slow down,” Applejack said. “What’s this got to do with Lacey?”

“Ah, yes, I’m getting ahead of myself. Sorry. I’m very excited.” He let out an exhilarated sigh. “Right. Lacey. She… I had hoped not to involve you in this. But here we go. Do you remember that former business partner of mine?”

“The one who set the arson-pony on you?” Pinkie asked.

“For the love of Celestia, keep your voice down,” he said, and sighed. “Yes, that one. That’s Lacey.”

He waited for them to respond, but the only pony who spoke was Octavia. “Interesting.”

“I’ve known her for a long time; she and I are rivals, so to speak. ‘Enemies’ is more accurate, but it doesn’t have the same connotation.”

“She’s just an actress. How can she be your enemy?” Twilight asked.

“It’s her fault.” He sat down and thought. “Many years ago, as I said, we were business partners. Not friends, or anything, just partners. Middle management. Production and distribution of goods, coordination of business ventures, stuff like that. We got involved in some… backroom dealings, let’s say.” He smiled coyly. “I suspect that comes as no surprise, coming from me. But she squeezed me out. Tricked me, lied to me, cheated me out of pretty much everything I stood to gain. Upstart nag.”

“Again, actress,” Applejack said. “If she took all yer money, or whatever, how come she’s a measly actress now, instead of some big-shot CEO like you?”

“Did you get your revenge?” Rainbow asked.

“I was too busy getting back on my own hooves,” Strawberry said. “Why she chose her current career path is a mystery to me. You do know what she is, right?”

“Ac-tress,” Applejack said slowly. “How many times Ah gotta say it?”

“It’s pornography, girls. She’s a porn actress.”

Rarity shuffled uncomfortably, but the others only looked at him curiously.

“Oh,” Pinkie finally said.

“Don’t worry about that for now. It’s not important,” Strawberry said. “What is important is that you have access to her. Which means I have access to her.”

“No, you do not,” Octavia said.

“Huh?”

“You are just as much of a liar and manipulator as you say she is. For all we know, she is an innocent pony.”

Strawberry frowned. “A rigid morality like that won’t get you very far in the city, you know.”

“It suits me fine.”

They stared at each other. “Fine,” he said at last. “I shouldn’t expect you to trust me. But… you still need me.”

“Aw, crap,” Rainbow said. “You’re gonna make us do something to get you to help us again, aren’t you?”

“It’s quite simple.”

“You said that last time,” Applejack said.

“That was Flash’s doing, not mine.”

“Can we just cut to the chase and help him?” Rarity asked with a sigh. “We need him, and we know it.”

“Rarity, think about this,” Rainbow said.

“Dash, without his help, we’re not casting that spell. It’s that simple. Quit with the morality stuff and let’s just do what he wants.”

“Let’s at least hear what he has to say first,” Twilight said. “Strawberry? What do you need?”

“Just a little information. Lacey herself has no power, outside her ability to manipulate and contrive. Which is significant. However, if I can get a few things on her boss, we’re in business.”

“What would you do with the information?” Rainbow asked.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Rarity is right, but I would like to know what your plans are before I agree to anything,” Octavia said. “Tell us.”

Strawberry licked his lips and looked at the door. He lowered his voice. “Just some basic identity theft. If I can impersonate the boss, I can embezzle all the company’s money.”

“That’s really risky,” Twilight said. “If you and Lacey are enemies, like you say, then it won’t be hard for her to figure out it was you who orchestrated this.”

“You didn’t let me finish. Once I have the money, I put it in a secure place that she can’t reach—not without a lot of information on me, anyway. I know what I’m doing.”

“If you say so.”

“Let’s just do what he wants and get on with our lives,” Rarity said. “It’s not like we have a choice.”

“Ah still don’t like it,” Applejack said.

“Think of it this way,” Strawberry said. “You helped me deal with Flash, and that was much more dangerous than this.”

“That is no reason to continue doing things like this,” Octavia said. “But Rarity is correct. This is our only option, aside from leaving Manehattan unfinished.”

Applejack shook her head. “Ah… recognize that we don’t have any other choice here. But Ah wanna be on record sayin’ that Ah hate, hate, hate what we’re doin’, an’ Ah think it’s gonna cause more harm than good.”

“Uh, what she said,” Rainbow said.

“What kind of information do you need?” Rarity asked tiredly.

“I need a copy of her boss’ ID card, as well as his bank information. Account number, PIN, and where he keeps the company’s money,” Strawberry said.

“How are we supposed to get that?” Rainbow asked.

“Just go to the studio and find the manager. Get him distracted and take pictures of the papers.”

“Pictures?” Twilight repeated.

“If you take the real articles, someone will know you’ve been there.”

“Ah.” She thought for a moment. “How are we supposed to get into the studio without arousing suspicion?”

“How should I know? You’re friends with that… well, I don’t like her. Just make sure you don’t mention anything to Lacey, okay? I can’t help you if you blow your own cover.” He looked at them all, then at the door. “And now I think it’s time for you to leave. I have some arrangements to make… ponies to call.”

“What, just like that?” Rainbow objected.

“You seem surprised.”

They left, grumbling, and returned to the ship. When they were aloft, Manehattan had quieted down, and the city was mostly still as they floated back. Rarity leaned on the rail and looked down, and she didn’t notice Applejack next to her until she spoke up.

“What’s goin’ on, Rarity?” Applejack asked. “Y’ain’t yerself today.”

“I’m just tired.”

“Nuh-uh. Ah know tired, an’ you ain’t it. You’ve got somethin’ heavy on yer mind.” She lowered her voice. “Is it what we talked ‘bout earlier?”

Rarity had hardly spoken at Lacey’s. While everyone else revealed their fears, their private sufferings, she had remained quiet. “In a way.”

“What’s wrong, darlin’?”

Rarity turned her body away from Applejack. She could still feel him inside. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

They got back to Lacey’s flat and went inside with the spare key—she had shown Octavia a few days ago, knowing her proclivity for nighttime walks. When they got into their room, Rarity went to the door and stood with her head outside for an entire minute. She turned back in, closing it softly. Her eyes commanded them to sit down quietly.

“Lacey brought me down to the studio yesterday,” she said simply.

“Why?” Pinkie asked. Everyone looked at her.

Rarity stared past. “Why indeed,” she whispered. In the soft bedroom light, she looked years older.

“Oh, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, approaching her. “Oh, goodness, but you didn’t do anything, right? I mean, I know you would never actually do anything like… that.”

Rarity only sighed.

“Geez, Rare,” Rainbow said softly.

Rarity slowly tilted her head down to avoid their eyes.

“Why’d you do it?” Applejack asked at length.

“It was to help pay for the airship.”

“That’s the favor you did? But I thought you just made her a dress,” Twilight said.

“Or gave her a fashion tip, or something,” Pinkie added. “I mean, you’re the fashion pony, not the sex-on-camera pony.”

“Pinkie!” Applejack hissed.

“She tricked me,” Rarity said. “I didn’t want to do it, but she got in my head.”

“How?” Twilight asked.

Rarity sighed slowly. “I’m not that strong, Twilight.”

“No, I know—I mean, I don’t know, not like I expect you to be weak or anything, uh… that’s not what I meant, I mean. Uh…”

“She reminded me how desperate our financial situation is, and told me she’d help with the ship if I did a video. Simple as that.”

“But that’s not simple at all!” Pinkie cried. “That’s downright—”

“Simple as that,” Rarity growled. Hastily composing herself, she went on, voice strained. “I got fooled, and that’s all there is to it. It’s not my fault.”

They all looked at her for a moment, before Applejack spoke, her voice quiet and intense. “That hussy. Strawberry was right ‘bout her, to a T. Why, Ah oughta buck her straight in the head!”

“Remember what Strawberry told us,” Octavia said.

“Ah don’t care anymore. No one tricks our Rarity into doin’ somethin’ like that.”

“You are being a fool.”

“She’s right, Applejack. We’ll get her back later, but for now, we need to keep this a secret,” Twilight said.

Applejack accepted Fluttershy’s wing around her back, and she calmed down. “Ah don’t know if Ah can spend any more time with her without jumpin’ up an’ poppin’ her.”

“You will have to,” Octavia said.

“But that video isn’t going anywhere, right?” Fluttershy asked.

Rarity sighed. “I’m sure it’s going somewhere.” She didn’t elaborate, and they looked back and forth to each other.

“Well… I guess we can try to destroy it or something when we go down there,” Rainbow said.

“Don’t bother. It’s too late.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked.

“It’s too late!” She looked down, ashamed. “I’m sorry. I’m… sorry.”