Spike had enough time for a leisurely stroll back to the library after a surprisingly difficult session with Zecora. In the past, each day in the meadow was a day of sitting and listening, learning about history, the Datura tenets, the importance of observation and secrecy, and other things. However, that morning, she had no blackboard. Instead, they stretched. From his feet to his neck, he ached, almost satisfyingly. She had taken him through a lengthy routine of slow, deliberate motions meant to loosen his muscles and help his flexibility, herself faltering briefly, and only a couple times, to compensate for his draconic physiology. He didn’t say anything to her, for fear of coming across as condescending, but he was impressed at her knowledge of his body. She must have done a lot of research, he told himself.

He entered the library and made a straight line for the basement, his mind clouded and only very slightly ashamed. He had a dinner date with Flitter in twenty minutes, but he knew he could accomplish his task quickly, if he set his mind to it.

Spike arrived at the candlelit table five minutes late, and Flitter was already there, looking through the menu. She greeted him with a hug, and he sat down across from her, relieved that his tardiness hadn’t bothered her. They ordered, and he fiddled with his silverware while she watched.

“Something wrong, Spike?” she asked. “You’re quiet.”

“I’m worried about tomorrow.”

“Hm.” She paused for a moment and looked around carefully.

“What?”

“In case he’s here. I’m not supposed to know, remember?”

“Oh, right.” He scanned the room half-heartedly, knowing she had already determined it safe. “If I could just know what I’m gonna have to do, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Well, it can’t be that horrible,” Flitter said. “He knows you’ve only been in it for…”

“Less than a month,” Spike said. “Wow, it really has been less than a month. That’s crazy.”

“And he’s aware of what Zecora’s teaching you, presumably. It won’t be anything you can’t handle.”

“I hope I don’t have to fight something.”

“You won’t.”

“I hope it’s not another trick.”

“Oh, I doubt that.” She thought for a second. “Eh, never mind.”

He snorted humorlessly. “Thanks.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I know. I guess I know.”

She leaned a little to stretch a hoof to his claw, and he looked into her face. The candlelight wiggling in her clear, sincere eyes was enough to thaw his worry.

He breathed out slowly. “How’s the spa?”

“Good.” She retracted her hoof to give room for their plates, floated over by unicorn waitress. She gave Spike a knowing smirk as she deposited his.

“How’s Cloudchaser doing? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“She’s a lot better,” Flitter said. “Still a little pissed at Zecora for pushing us into that pond, but she’s back to her usual self.”

“That’s good. I was a little worried.”

“Oh, she bounces back easy enough. Cloud’s my rock.” They shared a laugh.

“Have you heard anything about Cloudsdale recently?”

“Well, they managed to get their snow production back under control. They had to set up a bunch of sigils inside the snow coil to siphon the excess snow out, before they shut down Discord’s overproducing ones. I think I read that they finally got the area back to normal a couple days ago. A bunch of ponies lost their jobs.”

“Because Discord snuck in and vandalized it?”

“They take security seriously there. It really threw a wrench in the cloud convoy, too.”

“That thing’s still going on?”

“It’s going to go on for a while, Spike. It has to span the entire country.”

“Geez. Well, how close is it to complete?”

“Not. They’re finishing the station over Hoofington in the next couple days, or so I heard. That is, of course, if the facility passes its final authorization. You know, safety, efficiency, worker accommodation. That kind of stuff.”

“And this is interesting to you?”

She giggled. “It should be interesting to you, too. You’re a part of this country.”

“I guess. It’s hard to worry about it when Ponyville is doing so good, though.”

“That’s just proximity to Cloudsdale. The other cities are having some problems.” She paused while the waitress refilled her glass. “Some ponies are speculating that the weather is being unbound in places.”

“Unbound? You mean, like, pegasi are losing control of it?”

“Exactly. Storms have randomly appeared a couple times now. Officially, the princesses say it’s because of Discord’s direct involvement, but not everyone’s so sure. I’ve got a science article at home in Industrial Economics that I really want to read. The abstract sounded pretty interesting, that maybe the weather binding is coming uncoupled because of our distance from the Gaia. The citations were pretty spare, but the core idea might be solid.”

Spike nodded, his eyes empty and his face slack.

“Sorry, Spike. Sometimes I ramble.”

“No, I’m fine. I just don’t follow this stuff as easily as you do.”

“I shouldn’t monopolize the conversation, though. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “If it interests you, I don’t want to make you feel weird about talking about it.”

She looked down at her plate and picked at some food, and they resumed eating without speaking. She blushed slightly, though it was hardly visible in the restaurant’s dim interior.

Spike spent the following day distracted and absentminded. Zecora didn’t ask him what was bothering him, not that he expected her to. When he was finished, despite his fatigue, he took the long way around town, stopping outside the hospital and debating whether to go in. He didn’t, and went back to the library, where he ate dinner alone.

At one in the morning, he stood outside Noteworthy’s house, shuffling his feet nervously with one claw at the door. His first mission.

He knocked thrice, as the letter had specified, and the door opened quickly. He entered, his eyes immediately on the harried, blue stallion. Noteworthy hadn’t changed much. His fur was a little longer, and his eyes had lost some of their luster, but he showed no discomfort as he led Spike to the kitchen, where a single overhead light illumed a round table. On it sat a single, thin vial of turquoise potion.

“Berry and Derpy talked to me earlier today,” he said.

“Did you threaten to beat them up too?” Spike asked, staying by the kitchen entryway.

“Quite the contrary. They helped me to a conclusion that I had suspected for a while now, but could not confirm.”

“Right.”

“When was the last time you spoke with Colgate?” His voice was light, almost casual.

“It’s been a while. You seemed pretty firm about me avoiding her.”

“Good. Yes, it’s best for this mission that you have as little prior conversation with her as possible.”

“Prior?”

“For the next several days, you will need to be in her company.”

He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Still outwardly defiant, his mistrust was softened at the prospect of time with Colgate. “…Interesting. Why now, and not before?”

“She’s a dangerous mare, Spike. Your mission is to declaw her.”

“Oh, please. Why are you even trying?” He rolled his eyes dramatically, so Noteworthy could see his derision. “How can she be dangerous? She’s the most even-tempered pony in town, and your victim. I shouldn’t have even come here.”

“You swore loyalty to the Datura, Spike.”

Spike turned partially away, his fists clenched by his sides. “Yeah.”

“I am the Ponyville Datura leader.”

Spike glared at him from across the kitchen. “Fine. What do you want?”

“This potion is… well, not standard, exactly, but common in the Datura recruitment process. As you have found, our line of work can be unavoidably traumatic at times, and there’s only so much lying a pony can do to persuade someone of intelligence to join.”

“Someone of intelligence, huh?”

“Colgate is one such pony. She’s too smart and too firm in her personal philosophy to let us subsume her naturally. This potion is a neat little way to get around that.”

“What are you saying?”

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but if she drinks this, she will join us. It subtly affects a pony’s thoughts and opinions, until all the negatives about what the Datura represents fade away, or turn to positives.”

“A brainwashing potion.”

“Basically.”

Spike snorted. “You seriously expect me to brainwash my friend into joining your stupid Datura?”

“Yes, I do, and I’m not the only one. My superiors expect it as well.”

“Well, tell ‘em to do it themselves.”

“I would have done it myself already, but I can’t go within twenty feet of her.”

“Then have Zecora do it or something. I’m not gonna.”

“She is outside this team, and has bigger things to worry about than recruiting your suspicious friend.”

“Tough.”

“Spike, just listen. I know you hate me, and I know you don’t trust me. You have good reason for both.”

“Keep talking. It might get you somewhere.”

“The reason I—we—want Colgate on this team is because the time will come that just the three of us will not be enough to hold this town. You don’t know this, of course, but outside Ponyville, there is unrest. I’m not talking far outside, either. Thirty or forty miles away, there are dangerous things being found. The Daturas in those areas are handling it admirably, but Discord’s handiwork is pervasive. It’s moving inward.”

“And you expect one pony to be enough?”

“Colgate will be a marvelous start. She has experience, and for this team, that is gold.”

“You’re still asking me to use our friendship against her.”

“For the good of the city, and probably for her too.” He crouched down to look at the potion, his eye large in its glass. “It does not force agreement, exactly. By the time she’s a part of us, she’ll want it. She’ll wonder why she ever believed differently. The decision will be hers; all this is for is setting her down that path.”

Spike held a finger to his chin as he looked at Noteworthy, and his potion, dispassionately. “So it’s not actually brainwashing. It’s just to help her change her mind.”

“Exactly. Completely harmless.”

“Why her? Why not Allie?”

“Allie comes later. Based on what I’ve seen and heard, Colgate needs to escape her present situation rather more direly than our lanky friend.”

“You don’t say.”

“Not in the same way you think. She’s one conversation away from losing a lot of hard work and thought, I think.” He smiled disarmingly. “Again, this is based on my unconfirmed suspicion.”

“Which is?”

“Not for you to know. I don’t want to color your opinions on her, or me, any more than they will be by what I’m about to tell you.”

“Fine. So spit it out. What more do I need to know before I give her this?”

Noteworthy nodded as he slid the potion over to Spike, who took it. The liquid was translucent, and as he moved the bottle, the blue fluid slowly turned the color of glass. It fit well in his claw.

“Is it more about Colgate?”

“The way you will want to administer that is by mixing it into her water. She keeps a bottle with her at all times, at work.”

“Okay.”

“Have you seen her taking pills at all?”

Spike thought, taken aback at the question. “Not that I remember. Why?” He hesitated. “Is she okay?”

“Yes and no.” He stood and paced before his cupboards. “Colgate… is a very special pony. She takes three pills every day, without fail. One when she wakes up, one at noon, and one before bed.”

“Is she sick?”

“In the head, yes.”

Spike stood apart from the wall, suddenly alert. The words rang in his ears jarringly. “What do you mean?”

“She needs medication to even her out. To keep her that mild-mannered, inoffensive mare everyone in Ponyville knows her as.”

He frowned at the easy way Noteworthy stated it. “She’s crazy?”

“Mentally ill, Spike. She doesn’t connect to ponies like everyone else does, and that causes—caused, rather—lots of problems in the past.”

“How long has she been like this?”

“They put her on antipsychotics as soon as she was of legal age. That was her freshman year of college. To the Datura’s knowledge, she hasn’t gone off them for a single day since.”

“So this is serious.”

“If you are in her office around noon, you can put this potion—all of it—in her water, with assurance that she will drink it before its effects dissipate. A sip is enough. As long as she gets some in her body, the rest will activate when it’s introduced later.” He grinned. “It truly is a work of genius, this potion.”

“I think you’re insane.”

“I didn’t invent it. Now, Spike.” He paused to connect with Spike’s eyes. “The reasons I told you about Colgate’s condition are twofold. First, so you will know when to administer the potion, and second, so you understand why I tell you that she is a dangerous pony. On medication, I doubt she’d harm you. Then again, I doubted a situation like this could arise as well.”

“You mean with you thinking you need to keep her in line.”

“You know what? Sure. Frankly, Spike, I don’t care if you never trust me again. I just want your loyalty.”

“And why, exactly, should I be loyal to you?”

“You think I’m beating on Colgate. Why would I continue to do so if she was in my team?”

“To discipline her.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“Again, why should I trust that?”

Noteworthy sighed and dug a glass out of a cupboard. “I’m not going to have you address me like this. I can understand your emotions, but you are a Datura, and you are held to a certain, very high, standard. You have your potion, and you have your orders. Administer it tomorrow, and be by her side while she makes the transition. She’ll need a friend who understands. Zecora knows to not expect you in the field for this time.”

“I’ve got the next couple days off?”

“Spike, get out of my house. If you have any questions, find Zecora.”

“Fine.” He held up his hands as he left. “My pleasure.”

“Oh, and a word of warning, in case you have the sense to take it. Do not tell Colgate that you know of her disorder. I tried to use it against her, and look what happened to me.”

Spike left the house without a response, and walked directly to the treehouse, where he flopped into bed with the potion still in his claws.

He rose in the morning with a huge smile, though it quickly fell back when he remembered what he was going to do that day. He found the little vial in the sheets and studied the liquid in a sunbeam. “So, this is going to make her want to join us,” he said, rolling it around a little. As before, it turned transparent with the motion.

He set it on the breakfast table while he ate, reminding himself a few times that he had no training that day, and was in no rush. The sun caught it like a small jewel, and as he ate, relishing the leisure with which he could do so, he found himself entranced. The innocent-looking bauble glinted at him, and though he mistrusted Noteworthy, he felt no ill will. He was, after all, a part of the Datura, he thought, and orders were orders. Sleep had cleansed him of his anger.

He kept the small vial palmed as he strolled through Ponyville, heading for the hospital with lightness in his steps. “Spike the dragon, Datura, coming through.” He smiled wide and nodded to a passer-by, who smiled back. “These ponies don’t know a thing. They think their lives are so easy. If only they knew.” He restrained a sardonic chuckle. “Imagine what Rarity would say if she saw me now. ‘Oh, Spike, I can’t believe how brave you are, how selfless you’ve become!’ Yeah.” Her voice sounded in his head, slightly muted from time. “‘Such a brave, manly dragon you are.’ ‘Yeah, Rarity, well, I always knew I had a higher calling.’ ‘You must have seen so much.’ ‘Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I have been around some. Have you heard of a little thing called Cloak Pond?’” He chuckled to himself. “Yeah, that’s right.” He edged past a pony to avoid stepping off the road. “Don’t mind me, citizen. Just a part of the thin line that keeps you all safe and sound.”

He wandered into the hospital’s bright lobby, nodding a greeting to Nurse Redheart as he passed her in the hall, and went immediately to Colgate’s area. As he passed the surgery room, he saw her inside, working on someone’s pelvis. Not wanting to be seen, he sped past to her office, which she had left open.

He had never had the opportunity to look around without her there. There wasn’t much to see. Organized stacks of papers lined the desk on one side, with her bottle of water on the other side, alone. She had no decorations, and a small compartment by the wall to store her lunch, sitting under a curtain of her credentials. He took a moment to study them.

Turning back to the water bottle, he uncapped his potion, but hesitated. He didn’t know how long she would be in surgery, and didn’t want to taint her water too early. “Where the heck is her medical assistant?” he mumbled, looking around. He closed his vial and stepped back into the corridor.

With nothing to do, he returned to the surgery room to observe her at work. As he watched her moving the delicate instruments with calm precision, even with her bloodstained scrubs, he thought more on what Noteworthy had told him. Mentally ill. He could almost see it. Her behavior had been strange in a subtle way, not enough for him to seriously question. Her reticence; her constant, mild demeanor. Things that had only ever attracted him for their curiosity.

“Noteworthy could be lying about it, Spike. Trying to drive the wedge between us even deeper. They could be vitamins for all I know.”

She glanced up from her work and met his eyes. She looked back down with no sign of recognition.

“What did he even mean, she doesn’t connect to ponies like everyone else? She has friends. I’m one of them.” He grinned. “And we’ll be even closer when she joins.”

As she continued, his thoughts cleared of his assignment, and he watched her without a care. He couldn’t hear her, but every time her facemask wiggled, the nurse responded immediately. The authority fascinated him. At first, the nurse held all of her implements while Colgate worked with just one at a time, but as the surgery progressed, more and more tools wound up never leaving the tiny cloud around Colgate’s head, and the nurse was often watching more than helping.

When Colgate finished, she stepped around the table into his view for the first time, and he let out a small yelp of surprise. Her back leg was splinted, and she limped with every step. He squeezed the vial in his fist and stared, before realizing what he held, and where it needed to go. He turned away from the window to walk quickly to her office. Looking back at the door fearfully, he uncapped the potion again and poured it in her water bottle, then threw the empty vial in her wastebasket, shifting a couple papers around to cover it. It was a full minute before she entered.

She regarded him with a look of mild offense. “Why are you in my office?”

“Uh… I wanted to greet you.” He walked falteringly to her for a hug, looking to prove his point. She accepted it passively, and he didn’t keep his arms around her for long.

“Well, greetings.” She sat down. “Sorry. I’m very distracted.”

“I can see why.”

“It’s not my intention to make you feel unwelcome, Spike, though I do find your presence rather odd. Shouldn’t you be with Zecora?”

“Oh, her. Well, uh…” He watched her levitate her lunch compartment open and float out a small pill bottle. “I’m not feeling all that great. She gave me time off.”

“You’re feeling bad enough to be excused from training, but you still came here? Spike, I’m touched.” He watched her intently as she took her pill. In half a second, he felt a twinge of guilt stir in his chest.

“What were you doing in there?”

“Pelvic arthroplasty.” She nodded at his confused expression. “Fixing someone’s hip joint. Left side.”

“Oh. That sounds… neat.”

“You don’t have to feign interest for me.” She smiled. “How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Oh, okay. Can’t complain.”

“I hear you and Flitter are going out.”

He blushed. He wasn’t sure why, but something in her voice put him on the spot.

“Congratulations. She seems like a really nice pony.”

“Oh, she is.” He looked away, embarrassed. What else could he say?

Colgate sighed, and the door closed in a mist of her magic. “I’m sure you want to know the latest on my situation. Is that why you’re so quiet?”

“Well… yeah.”

She frowned, shuffling the charts with her magic. “I think Noteworthy’s trying to manipulate my friends. Berry and Derpy talked to me this morning. They’re not happy.”

“What’s wrong?”

“They think I’m being dishonest.”

“What? Seriously?”

“Don’t worry about me. I have it under control. Watch out for yourself, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to get you to do something to me soon. If he hasn’t brought it up already.” She eyed him closely, and, suddenly, he thought he understood what Noteworthy had meant. In her unyielding, unfeeling gaze, he felt dried up and doubtful. Not a friend, but a factor. She didn’t let up, and, after several seconds, he felt his resolve buckling under her steady gaze. Her eyes didn’t even move. She had him pinned, and, in her expressionless face, he could tell she was thinking intently. She kept her eyes on him until he could feel the first suggestion of sweat on his head, and then she looked back at her charts.

“Uh, I haven’t seen him in a long time. He’s pretty much let Zecora take over for him.”

“Waiting for everything to blow over, I suppose.”

“Huh?”

She turned around quickly. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.” She stood up and ushered him out the door, following and closing it. “Sorry, Spike, but I can’t stay and chat any longer. I’m supposed to fill in for Dr. Honeycombs later today, and he has this really spazzy intern. I’m gonna have a headache before I go home, I just know it.”

“You don’t like interacting with that pony?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“She’s too high-energy, and she’s too eager to please.” She hmphed. “I wonder if I can get her to see his patients for me.”

“What’s wrong with seeing patients?”

“I don’t like it.” She suddenly leaned over and scooped him up in a one-hoof hug. “Gotta go. See you later, Spike.”

“See you later, Colgate.” “Not too much later, though.” He exited the hospital and stood just outside, searching for something to do.

“So all the waiting we did, for stupid Reverend Green’s stupid ingredient for our stupid potion so we can exorcise this stupid demon was for nothing?” Rainbow complained.

“It ain’t hopeless yet,” Applejack said with a sigh. “It only feels that way.”

Twilight faced the deck of disgruntled ponies, minus Octavia, herself just as disappointed with Reverend Green’s news from that morning, but unable to express herself like they could. He had come early to tell her that the shipment from Manehattan, carrying their essence of scarlet pimpernel, had gone missing. Discord’s flying ship was suspected, but his source had no further information.

“Can we order another batch?” Fluttershy asked.

“And wait another four or five days? I say we ditch her,” Rainbow said.

“I hate to say it, but there’s a point where we have to consider our obligation to Equestria,” Rarity said. “I would say that this is it.”

“I hate that choice,” Twilight said. “I think we should try to find another way.”

“Such as?” Applejack asked.

“I…”

“In case you’ve forgotten, dear, while we buck apples and fraternize with these kind ponies, Discord is amassing another bunch of soldiers in that dreadful castle of his,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, uh, are we supposed to go back to Canterlot and help out, by the way?” Rainbow asked.

“We should stay away,” Fluttershy said. “We won’t find any Elements on the battlefield.”

“We might!” Pinkie chirped.

“I’d really rather we don’t get involved,” Twilight said.

“Besides, both us and the princesses are targets,” Fluttershy continued. “We wouldn’t want to consolidate those.”

“Ah’m convinced,” Applejack said. She looked around. “Hey, where’s Octavia? She should be tellin’ us how we don’t got no excuse to stay here any longer.”

“She’s with Braeburn!” Pinkie said.

“Ah shoulda guessed.”

Octavia and Braeburn were stargazing. They had spent the afternoon together, him showing her how to harvest apples and she telling him about the places she had visited. It had been peaceful and tiring, and as she lay in the grass, watching the sky come to life, her mind was quiet. Her eyes, heavy and gritty from lack of sleep, didn’t bother her, even as a dry breeze swept across them from the desert outside.

“An absolutely beautiful way to end the day,” Braeburn sighed. He looked over at her, and she slowly angled her head to do the same. “Somethin’ the matter?”

“I enjoy the quiet.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He repositioned himself and scooted a little away from her, and she closed her eyes. For several minutes, neither spoke, but Braeburn couldn’t stay still. “Ah got a question for ya. Maybe yer worldliness can help me out.”

Her eyes didn’t open. “What would you like to know?”

“Let’s say a pony’s in a position of power. She’s comfortable with responsibility, but only on a small scale—only a couple ponies ever relied on her. But then, suddenly, her decisions could affect an entire town.” He paused and looked at her.

“I am listening.”

“Do ya think she should accept that responsibility, even if she might not be cut out fer it, or should she just do what she knows she can?”

“I do not know. Can you give me more specific information?”

Braeburn chuckled, and she glanced at him. He shook his head at her. “Yer a hoot, Octavia.”

“What?”

“All right, this is what’s happenin’.” He sat up and faced her. “Ah’m one of the main apple ponies here. Me an’ a couple others, our decisions affect commerce between Appleloosa an’ Snowdrift. Ah know, if Ah try fer it, Ah can become the top pony. Ah’ve got a bunch of ideas floatin’ ‘round in my head, but Ah don’t know if Ah wanna go fer it. Ah don’t know much ‘bout economics, ‘sides what ya learn workin’ on a farm all yer life. Ah never went to school fer it, or anythin’.”

“I think that you should do it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You seem level-headed, and you say you have ideas. Why withhold them?”

“Ah don’t wanna mess everythin’ up, though.”

“You will still have your other apple ponies around to help you.”

He licked his lips and smiled slowly. “Ah hadn’t thought of that.”

“Do it. Become the best you possibly can.”

He lay back and looked into the sky. “It ain’t that easy.”

“I am not saying it will be easy. It will be worth it, though.”

“Hmmm. Just a couple more train lines between here an’ Snowdrift will make trade super easy, an’ make us their best fruit supplier.”

“Do it, Braeburn.”

“Ah might have to spend more time in Snowdrift.”

“I am sure you can find a sweater before then.”

He was silent for a mere moment, and then burst out laughing, raucous and wheezing. His hooves pounded the ground as he rolled, and Octavia smiled a little to herself. When he slowed down, he rolled over, a hoof connecting with hers. She drew away, and he rolled back to his spot, clearing his throat quietly. “Uh, sorry.”

“Friends, Braeburn. Only friends.”

“Ah know.”

She turned away from him to look at the thick line of apple trees that ran parallel to his house. She had walked among them for hours earlier in the afternoon, and had watched the sun set from underneath their branches. Their aspect still felt unfamiliar to her. She studied their watchful silhouettes and stopped to squint at a shape, partially hidden behind one of the trees. It didn’t move, but she could tell it was a pony—a large pony. Very little went through her head as she stood up to get a better look at it.

It stayed where it was, even as she approached, focusing her thoughts and preparing for a spell. As she neared, the pony stepped away from its tree. It was Big Mac. He nodded cordially, but she kept her distance.

“Is that Big Mac? Mac, what are you doin’ out here?” Braeburn called.

Big Mac rolled his eyes and looked away, his face cut in a moderate grimace. Octavia opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but he turned and ambled away. He disappeared into the thick of the trees, and she considered pursuing him, but did not. Braeburn trotted up beside her.

“That was very odd,” Octavia said.

“He’s been actin’ funny lately. Ah dunno. Listless, Ah guess.”

“I remember Reverend Green asking about him.”

“Yeah, Ah remember you sayin’ that. Ah hate to say it, but he might’ve been onto somethin’.” He squinted at a space between the trees. “He ain’t right.”

“What do you think is wrong?”

“Can’t say. AJ might be able to put a hoof on it better’n me.”

Octavia nodded thoughtfully. “I hope that whatever is ailing him improves. I do not think I should stay, though.”

He protested briefly, but walked her back to the ship, and gave her a goodbye hug, at the same time extorting a promise for her to say goodbye before leaving—soon, she had told him.

Everyone else was already asleep, and she skulked to her room, curling up at the foot of Fluttershy’s bed.

Twilight was the first to wake up the following morning, and while everyone else had breakfast on the deck, she stayed in bed, reading. Her dreams had been filled with the tiny flowers, and ways to grow them—for they would not be found naturally in Appleloosa. Sandy soil, open light, fabricated drippers over rows of shallow plant pots, hidden somewhere in a repurposed bedroom, its usual occupants forced to sleep on the deck for entire, wasted weeks. Her head was neither clear nor rested, even in the instant after waking. Calculations of time and ways to potentially circumvent them filled her thoughts, quickly and uselessly.

She read for an unbroken hour before Pinkie burst into the room to check on her, eating a slice of cake. “Hey Twilight! Find any of those flowers yet?”

“No, Pinkie. We’re not going to find any in Appleloosa, and I can’t think of how else we’re going to get them, aside from growing them ourselves. Which… is not easy.”

Pinkie sat down and cocked her head. “Do tell!”

“Well, to start, it needs to grow in sand.”

“Sand? You can’t grow something in sand!”

“The soil needs to be sandy,” Twilight said irritably. “That way, the roots… Pinkie, what is that?”

“Cake, Twilight! Have you been cooped up here so long that you forgot what cake is?”

Twilight looked at the dessert her friend held. The frosting sagged slightly, and a silver bead sat innocently on the plate next to it. Above it, hanging awkwardly on a curl of frosting, perched a small, red flower. “Pinkie, don’t take another bite.” Twilight got up and looked at the slice she held. Suddenly, every thought she had dissolved, and she could only stare, mouth open. “These garnishes…” The cake had been stippled with tiny red flowers, but Twilight had never looked at them closely. “Pinkie! It’s this cake! This cake is the answer!”

“The answer? What’s the question?”

“Don’t eat any more, Pinkie.”

“Huh?”

She grabbed Pinkie’s face between her hooves excitedly, shaking her lightly. “The flowers on this cake. These are scarlet pimpernels. Oh, I could just kiss that baker!” She grabbed the cake out of Pinkie’s hooves and rushed it to her book. “Yes, there’s no mistaking it. These are the flowers we need.” She floated the plate to an end table. “Thank Celestia.” She slumped back and sighed, releasing all the worry she had pent up since the day before.

“So…”

Twilight waved her off, and Pinkie skipped back upstairs. She reclined in bed and closed her eyes, savoring the weightless relief. Questions and worries slipped away one by one, until she fell asleep again, thinking one short, blissful thought: “I’ve got it.”

When Applejack woke Twilight half an hour later, she skipped breakfast and got right to work extracting the scarlet pimpernels’ essence. Very few, she found, were needed to get the right concentration, for which Pinkie was grateful, eating more of the cake while she watched Twilight work.

Rainbow, meanwhile, had taken off to find Reverend Green and tell him the news.

She climbed to a height of a hundred feet over Appleloosa before scoring a lofty circle over the toy buildings. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sun baked her back as she flapped through the dry air, only half-searching for her target. She knew she had time, and hadn’t had an opportunity to properly stretch her wings in a while. She slowly spiraled down onto the desert, noting the thin, shattered thread of train tracks in the distance, uncertain in the haze of heat waves.

She landed on the saloon roof and took a moment to preen her wings. A second pegasus landed next to her, and she gave her a nod and a smile. The pegasus didn’t respond.

“Hey, have you seen Reverend Green today?”

“Went south,” the pegasus said, jutting her chin outwards.

“South?”

She looked at Rainbow, bemused. “South of town? Out. Thatta way.” She pointed at the train tracks Rainbow had looked at. “He’ll be back. He never disappears for long.”

“Thanks.” Not sparing the stranger a look, Rainbow hopped off the roof and tilted herself away, flying back up and away from the town. She cleared the final building in a matter of minutes, and before she could wonder whether she had been lied to, she spotted the telling spot of green in the distance.

It wasn’t difficult to catch up to him, and she landed next to him, at an edge. He didn’t acknowledge her as he stared into the perfect, blue horizon.

“So, what are you doing?” she asked.

“Reflecting. I like to leave town to do so, to avoid prying eyes.”

“Oh.” She wanted him to respond, to stop looking at the distance, but he didn’t. “Uh, sorry.”

“Be at peace, sister.”

She frowned, but sat down, her back to the gap. They were close enough to Appleloosa still for her to make out individual ponies, but it was a few seconds before she recognized the large, red pony approaching.

She got up and half-trotted, half-glided to meet Big Mac, plodding resolutely through the dust outside town. “What the heck are you doing here?”

“Ah thought you could use some help.”

She studied him. “I’ve been hearing about you acting funny ever since we got here. What’s going on?”

He rolled his eyes and took a step closer, stopping at her side and looking down at her expectantly.

“Right, ‘cause you’re so shy. Uh… just try not to get in the way, I guess.” She turned back to Reverend Green. “Weird,” she mumbled.

“Is that Big Macintosh I hear?” Reverend Green asked.

“Yeah, he came out to say hi, I guess.”

He nodded and broke his eye contact with the south. “What is this concerning?”

“Potion’s ready,” Big Mac said.

They both looked at him, and he smiled nervously.

“Praise Luna.” He glanced at Big Mac. “Meet me at your ship.” In a dim flash of blue light, he was gone, his departure followed by another flash near the town’s border.

“He teleports fast,” Big Mac said.

“Talkative today, huh?”

“A little.” They walked together, she slowing down for him. “Ah’ve been thinkin’ heavily.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Ah been here fer a while now. Came down fer Jonagold’s funeral, an’ never really felt the urge to head back. Ah dunno why. Maybe Ah thought Appleloosa could use me more’n Ponyville.”

She nodded. Her expression betrayed none of her shock at his speech.

“Ah ain’t no fool. Ah know there’s a lot of wrong in the world that ponies ain’t seein’ on the first look. Not much Ah can do ‘bout that, least not on my own.”

“Are you gonna ask to join us?” she asked. Her eyes were straight ahead, but in the sides of her view, she saw him recoil a little.

“Ah dunno why it occurred to me. Since Ah’ve been here, it’s been in the back of my head. Can’t get rid of it, it seems. Ah wanna help out, an’ the best way to do that, seems to me, is to join y’all. So, yeah. That’s what Ah’m askin’.”

They passed the first building and crossed the first road, and, suddenly, the sound of town life again surrounded them. She paused for a moment to get her bearings, then turned to face him. She looked around quickly. “I ain’t no fool either, Big Mac, and I’m not gonna waste your time. Ponies have been asking about you. Actually, that reverend, mostly. Octavia was a little bit this morning. I was gonna shrug it off, but, just now, you said more to me than I’ve ever heard you say to anyone, ever. What gives?”

“If ya want me to quiet up, Ah’d be happy to.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

He rolled his eyes and backed away, but then turned and trotted in the direction of the ship. She followed him there, where Reverend Green was already speaking with the others. He shook Twilight’s hoof before making to depart. He stopped, seeing Big Mac. With a wary look behind, he teleported away.

“Skittish today, ain’t he?” Applejack said.

“It’s Big Mac,” Rainbow said. “Here, why don’t you tell the girls what you told me? I gotta get back to flying.” Before Big Mac could respond, she was off the ground, shooting into the sky. Her eyes picked out a flash of light on the other side of town, where Reverend Green trotted between a pair of houses.

By dinner, Twilight had finished the potion, and Big Mac had not left the deck. He told them his intention to join, and was accepted with little hassle. Applejack had taken him aside to warn him of the reality of the situation for which he was volunteering, but he only shook his massive head and uttered his characteristic “nope” when asked whether he would back out. Pinkie remained quiet.

While Big Mac went through town to say goodbye to his friends, the other seven met Reverend Green outside Miss Ringlet’s house, where her parents waited on the porch. Their part in the exorcism would be minor, he told them. With their potion, he needed only their magic and muscle, should Miss Ringlet prove more ferocious than he expected.

The ten of them entered the dark house and went up to Miss Ringlet’s room. Her parents went in ahead of the others, and for several minutes, they crowded the narrow corridor while three muffled voices hummed from within. When the door creaked open to admit them, Reverend Green entered first.

Before his tail had even disappeared through the entryway, a harsh scream erupted from within. The wooden walls bounced it around them, and their ears flapped down as Reverend Green’s stern voice joined the enraged chorus. Rainbow led the charge into the dark room, where Miss Ringlet lay prone on the bed. Her head snapped to face them as they filled the space by her bed, and Reverend Green brandished his talisman.

She yelled and thrashed in the tangled sheets, and as he came nearer, she struggled until she fell off the bed, jostling the end table. Twilight moved aside as he staunchly moved past her, uncapping her potion as he did so.

“Last chance, demon. Get out of her!”

Miss Ringlet shook her body, knocking the table over and slamming her head into the wall with a hard crack. He pressed the amulet to her body, but, instead of recoiling, she lunged forward with a shriek, wrapping her forelegs around his wiry neck.

He backed away to topple over the bed, and with a scrape of her back legs on the floorboards, she managed to get atop him, pressing his foreleg back unnaturally. The amulet wavered before pressing into her forehead, and she screamed somehow louder, forcing her disheveled head into his own, teeth bared, spittle shining at the corners of her mouth.

Rarity moved forward with a tremble in her step. “Reverend?”

“In Luna’s name, I command thee—” He panted, and, wrenching his foreleg back underneath Miss Ringlet, tensed his muscles. “Leave us at once!” The bed creaked dangerously as she tumbled off him, hooves over her head in a powerful, dangerous arc. Before she could right herself, he was up again, his potion floating by his face, twinned by the amulet. “Out, demon!” He dove onto her, one hoof to her face, the other to her flailing foreleg, and jammed the small potion into her mouth.

She sputtered and tried to spit it in his face, but his magic was faster, creating a pair of wedges over her muzzle, forcing it closed. She struggled and kicked, still moaning and trying to scream, and he shifted away slightly as her back leg worked frantically to kick him in the groin. Twilight stared at the head of her group, awed.

After a painful minute of Miss Ringlet’s resistance, her movements came to a brief halt, and she coughed, allowing a tiny halo of spit through her lips. He released her, and she fell to the floor, her head hitting it with a thud. Her chest heaved and her back legs still moved weakly, but her eyes were unfocused. He brought the amulet closer, and her eyes shot to it, though she did not recoil.

“Is it over?” Pinkie asked quietly.

Reverend Green shook his head, his eyes not faltering from Miss Ringlet. She was still another moment, but then stirred, her head jerking, her golden mane swishing across the floor. He backed away, just enough for her to sit up, where she moved into a crouch.

“Cursed priest,” she whispered harshly. Her dry voice quivered as she lowered her head to the floor. She coughed and tried to spit.

“Leave her now, demon. Return to whence you came.”

She shook her head and rested it on the floor. What came next made them all jump back. With her mouth wide, the room was filled with a splitting wail, not angry, but pained. She rolled over, eyes closed, and screamed between jagged breaths. For a moment, she lay still on her back, but then she began to writhe, her neck tight and her mouth distorted with pain.

Fluttershy inched forward, but Reverend Green held up a hoof to stop her. Miss Ringlet quieted, her screaming dimmed down to pathetic whimpering. From the door, four eyes watched the scene.

“Be still,” he mumbled, retracting the amulet and placing a hoof on her head. She sighed at his touch, arching her back and releasing another volley of sniffles. Her eyes shimmered in the mild candlelight before closing.

“What’s happening?” Twilight asked.

Reverend Green didn’t answer, but produced his amulet and lowered it to her body. Hesitating only a moment, he rested it gently on her chest, and she didn’t stir. He sighed. “She is at peace.”

“It’s done?” Fluttershy said.

“The demon has been squeezed out of her body. Praise Luna.” The door opened, and two more ponies entered. Reverend Green didn’t immediately turn to them. He looked down at Miss Ringlet’s sleeping form, her dark fur sinister in the dark room, and raised his amulet over her body. He mumbled as he traced a small circuit over her, too quiet to discern, and when he was done, put a hoof to her forehead. “May Luna protect you.” He closed his eyes and replaced the amulet yet again, then looked at her parents. “Do not disturb her. She has gone through a great ordeal. I will return tomorrow to help you explain. For now, do what you can to see to her comfort. And pray.” His voice took on a strong tone. “I have blessed her, but she must be dissuaded from further senseless excursions into the wastelands outside town. I have no doubt that more demons than this one haunt the empty spaces of Equestria.”

“Of course, Reverend,” the mother said, bowing her head.

“I must speak with these others. Until tomorrow, go in peace. Try to get some sleep.”

“I don’t see how we can,” the father said.

“Do it for her sake. She will need you for her recovery.” The parents bowed, and he escorted the others out into the cool night. They had been too transfixed in Miss Ringlet’s room to notice the heat of so many bodies in a tight space, and the fresh, Appleloosa desert air was a momentary surprise.

“So she’s okay now?” Applejack asked.

“The demon is gone, but Miss Ringlet will take many months to fully recover. I fear the toll it may have taken on her mind.” He looked up at the stars. “That is not your concern, I know. Your potion was successful, and the exorcism is complete. I can request nothing more of you.”

“We’re just happy to be able to help,” Rarity said.

“Your road is dangerous, my sisters,” he said, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “I have seen the parts of the world that you, too, must someday see.”

“You speak of Snowdrift,” Octavia said.

“Not every horror you encounter is inequine.” He raised a hoof and made a crescent motion over their heads. “Go in peace, and remember your friendship. Through the grace of Princess Luna, and your harmony, Discord may not have his way with you.”

“Where will you go?” Pinkie asked.

“I will stay here for now. When my services are no longer required, I will travel to Manehattan.”

“On your own?”

“Yes. I prefer it that way.” He gave each of them a nod before backing away and walking into a deep shadow of the Ringlets’ large tree. They waited several minutes before departing, long enough to see a small flash of light in the far, deserted distance. Reverend Green was going back to the wasteland.

Octavia split from the group to say goodbye to Braeburn, and when she returned, Applejack spared no time in preparing for takeoff. Big Mac sat by the torch, watching pensively, and Twilight read a letter she had received on the walk back. When they were aloft, she went to the front of the ship, and everyone looked up at her obediently.

“The only city in the northern half of Equestria that is yet to be addressed is Hoofington,” she said.

“So that’s where we’re goin’,” Applejack said, turning the wheel hard to the side.

“Hold on. Er, yes, turn us that way, but let’s not get our hearts set on Hoofington just yet.” She brandished her letter. “This is from Trixie.”

Rainbow blew a raspberry.

“She told me to tell you hi again, by the way, Dash.”

“Screw you, Trixie,” Rainbow mumbled.

“She’s going to be in Manehattan in the next couple days, where she’s going to try to set up her show. The one she promised I would be in.”

“Twilight, Ah don’t like where Ah think yer headed with this,” Applejack said.

“I’m just saying, it’s not out of our way at all. We should consider stopping for a couple days and helping her.”

“I don’t wanna stop for her,” Rainbow said.

“I’m with Rainbow,” Rarity said. “I don’t think I need to explain why.”

“We really, really shouldn’t be delaying things any further,” Fluttershy said.

“If this Trixie needs our help, Ah say we help her,” Big Mac said.

“Twilight, my brother don’t get a vote. He doesn’t understand the scale of this thing yet,” Applejack said.

“I think we should do it,” Octavia said. The deck went quiet as everyone looked at her.

“You can’t be serious,” Rainbow said. “You want us to waste our time in that messed up city?”

“Hoofington will be fine if we are a couple days late.” She thought for a second. “Besides, Princess Celestia said she had ponies searching for our Elements, did she not?”

“That’s no excuse to fritter away our time like this,” Rarity said.

“I think it’s a great excuse!” Pinkie cried.

“Twi, Ah don’t think Pinkie should get a vote either,” Applejack said.

“Shut up, AJ,” Rainbow said.

“Rainbow, we’re on the same side. Besides, you should be champin’ at the bit to see Trixie again, what with her havin’ a crush on you and all.”

“She does not! C’mon, Applejack, it’s not funny.”

“That’s right!” Pinkie yelped. “It’s hysterical! You two are gonna be the most adorable couple that ever existed! You’re both blue, you both like to talk about yourselves, you—”

“I don’t want to go to Manehattan!” Rarity said again. “Let’s just coast past it and let Trixie figure out her own solution. She didn’t have to run her mouth off and involve us, you know.”

“Rarity, please,” Octavia said.

“Why do you want to go?” Twilight asked.

“Trixie is a very good friend.”

“Hmmm.” Applejack rubbed her jaw thoughtfully. “This ain’t like you.” She looked over at Big Mac. “An’ you ain’t like you either, big bro. Ah ain’t suspicious, exactly, but Ah want it on record that there’s somethin’ weird goin’ on here with our little dynamic.”

“Manehattan is fun!” Pinkie said.

“Marvelous contribution,” Rarity said. “Twilight, please, can we not?”

“You do not have to see either of those two ponies from last time,” Octavia said.

“It’s not that. Just setting hoof there makes me feel…” She shuddered and looked at Big Mac. “Never mind how it makes me feel.”

“Please, try to see it from our perspective.”

“I can’t, Octavia. You have to realize that.”

Octavia took a deep breath and looked to the side, over the desert. “All of us have problems, and they have not gotten in the way in the past. Why should they now?”

“Wait, what about Twilight’s post-traumatic thingy?” Pinkie asked.

“Pinkie, can you not?” Twilight snapped.

“It has not affected the mission as a whole. We have not avoided a town because of it,” Octavia said.

“Maybe returning would be good for you,” Rainbow said. “You know, facing your fears.”

“I’m not afraid,” Rarity said.

“Psh, yeah right.”

“Darling, why don’t you stop worrying about me, and start worrying about your relationship with Trixie?”

“Fine! Screw you, Rarity! I’m just trying to help.” She trotted to the back and flung open the hatch. “Go ahead and take us to Manehattan, AJ. Everyone else wants it, and I guess I want it to, so I can go and… fucking… make out with Trixie, or whatever it is you keep saying!”

The hatch slammed, and no one spoke.

“So… we doin’ Manehattan or Hoofington?” Applejack asked.

“Take us to Manehattan,” Octavia said.