“I’ve missed you… I’ve missed laughing like this… I’ve missed us." Rainbow Dash, who had been laughing up to this point, heaved a sigh, then leaned over and gave Twilight Sparkle a sopping wet hug, latching onto Twilight’s neck and squeezing as tight as she could.

Twilight returned the hug, wrapping her wings around Rainbow Dash, and her eyes closed. As wet as she was, it was impossible to see the fresh tears now slipping from the corners of her eyes. “I missed my best friend, I don’t know what came over me.”

“Stuff just happens,” Rainbow replied as her barrel began hitching.

Sideralis, who had been laughing up to this point, stopped laughing. He stood, a tall, silent sentinel, dripping water onto the floor of the apartment he shared with the others. He looked at the two mares embracing, and felt a strange warm fuzzy feeling. He didn’t understand how relationships worked, or how things happened, but something about the water balloon fight had brought the two mares back together as friends. The vast, impossible to cross gulf between them had vanished.

“You did a good thing, Sid.”

Looking down, Sideralis saw Fluttershy looking up at him, and then her head turned to look at her friends. He didn’t understand how he was responsible for this. He turned and looked at both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. Both were crying and he could hear soft spoken words being exchanged. He watched as Fluttershy went over and was pulled in by the pair.

“What’d I do?” Sideralis asked as Stout approached.

“Laughter, Sid… laughter is a powerful magic all of its own. You make ponies laugh,” Stout replied as she watched the three mares squeezing each other. “One of the Virtues of Equestrian society. Laughter, generousity, kindness, honesty, loyalty, and magic. Fluttershy is the Element of Kindness, Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty, and Twilight is the Element of Magic. Three out of six ain’t bad.”

“I don’t get it.” Sideralis shook his head and looked at Stout, studying her face, hoping for some sort of understanding.

“When the Elements of Harmony took on a problem, when they took on a challenge, they were unstoppable together.” Stout shook her head and let out a sigh. “There was nothing they couldn’t do. There was no force of evil that they could not stop. There were no forces of indifference, hatred, or injustice that they couldn’t fight. They made all of Equestria, and by extension, all of the world, a better place.”

Lowering his voice, Sideralis said, “But then, the plague happened.”

“Yep.” Stout’s eyes narrowed and her ears pitched forwards. “The plague happened and destroyed a great and powerful friendship. What many felt was our best weapon for fighting Queen Mariposa was gone. Rainbow Dash was as good as lost. Rarity died. Pinkie Pie and Applejack are probably dead, if they aren’t in a changeling pod. The circle was broken. The magic died. While Twilight Sparkle’s magic is incredible, she has to be the single greatest force of magic in the world right now, I’ve heard her say with my own ears that her power has diminished a great deal since losing her friends.”

Sideralis felt a sinking feeling and then his spirit buoyed as he thought of something hopeful. “But… she has Rainbow back and they’re friends again… and she has Fluttershy. That has to give us an edge, right?”

Stout shrugged, her wings clanking against her sides. “I dunno. Maybe. I don’t know how these things work.”

Mustang, having emerged from the bathroom, looked into the living room at the three mares in a cuddle puddle, and then looked at Stout and Sideralis. She crossed the room and came over to her sister’s side, her mane still damp.

“We’ll be leaving tomorrow.” Mustang bumped up against Stout and gave her fellow C/Equine a grin. “Are you excited?”

“I don’t know,” Stout replied, being honest. “I suppose I am, but I’m nervous. Sid keeps having these weird dreams.”

Looking up at Sideralis, Mustang studied the large, powerful cyber alicorn. He looked thoughtful, there was the hint of a smile upon his face, and he was still quite wet, having done nothing to dry himself off.

“The alicorn and the tree… we’re supposed to go to them, but I don’t know where they are, but she wants us to come right away. It’s important.” Sideralis’ ears splayed out sideways and he looked down at both Mustang and Stout.

“You need to talk to Twilight about this,” Mustang said.

“What do I say? I don’t even know where to go… just keep being told, follow the stars. I don’t even understand what that means. It’s all very confusing.” Sideralis shook his head, causing his ears to flop around. “What stars? Why must strange magical forces be so cryptic? What’s wrong with being direct when you want something?”

“Well, whatever this dream alicorn and this tree are, they can wait.” Stout turned around and looked at the table, which still needed to be set. They’d need an extra plate put out because there was a guest and Stout was filled with silent relief that Twilight and Rainbow were back together as friends.

“I’m not sure that it should wait… it might be something important,” Mustang said as she moved to help her sister set the table, the stars upon her backside flashing for a moment as she moved.

The city sprawled out below them, glittering, looking as though it was some great treasure studded with jewels. Sideralis, Stout, and Mustang stood waiting on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city, enjoying the chilly wind and the spectacular view, waiting for friends to arrive.

Airships flew overhead, new constructions from the shipyards, living ships like The Ouroboros and the Phoenix Rising. They were small now, but growing daily, gaining strength from the love in the city below. One day, they would become fierce dreadnaughts, powerful weapons to be used against Queen Mariposa.

A large figure appeared upon the horizon, something almost not visible in the faint light provided by the city below, some monstrous looming shape that approached the building. The illusion of something powerful and dangerous was spoiled almost right away by the sounds of giggling borne upon the wind.

Spike the dragon, who had grown larger during the many months of Sideralis’ recovery, landed upon the building, his claws scraping and sending out showers of sparks. Sweetie Belle lept from his neck and landed with catlike grace upon the platform. Sweetie Belle smelled of wine and fine perfume—for a moment, when the silvery moonlight hit her, she looked every bit as glamorous as her sister, Rarity. The tipsy unicorn could not stop giggling, and began a dangerous dance near the edge of the platform, knowing full well that Spike would never let her fall.

The large, gentle dragon was the only creature larger than Sideralis, but not by much. Both were bulky, solid, and powerful looking, by all appearances, an equal match, a fearsome pair of bulky, burly protectors to protect all those smaller then they were—and everything was smaller than they were.

The wind gusted, causing manes and tails to whip around. Mustang and Stout began laughing as Sweetie Belle tap danced out a pleasing, clickity rhythm, her hooves clattering upon the steel platform with precision, grace, and speed.

Scootaloo arrived next, appearing in a bright orange blur. She landed, folded in her wings, and then strutted her stuff, looking very pleased with herself. She wasn’t like the other C/Equines present. She was slender, thin looking, light, airy, and she had no illusion covering her wings and giving them the appearance of feathers, much preferring the black, skeletal looking shiny metal of the changeling biosteel.

“Where’s Mjölna and Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked as she had a look around. “Usually, I’m the one that’s late—”

“Because getting you to stop flying is a chore,” Sweetie Belle said in a somewhat slurred voice.

“I can’t help it… flying is a dream for me… a dream come true.” Scootaloo extended her wings and began to examine them. “They’re so beautiful… I love them so much… I can fly.” As Scootaloo spoke, Sweetie Belle approached the stand near her friend.

Hearing wings, every pony and dragon present all turned their heads to look. In the distance, Mjölna and Apple Bloom could be seen, hauling a large crate between them, held aloft in a shared telekinesis field.

“We’re all here,” Spike said as he stretched his back and his tail. He began to drum his claws on the steel platform and watched as Mjölna and Apple Bloom came in for a landing.

The crate was put down on the steel platform with a heavy thunk of metal on metal, then Apple Bloom landed, followed by Mjölna. Both of them were smiling, and Apple Bloom in particular looked eager.

“Are we ready to get this party started?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Apple Bloom and I have spent a lot of time in the explosives lab… I would expect quite a show,” Mjölna replied as she folded her wings against her sides. The powerful, bulky, heavy set C/Equine banged the crate with her hoof and it fell open, revealing many boxes on the inside.

“Oh, more wine,” Sweetie Belle said as her horn ignited and she began pulling smaller crates out of the larger. “Spike, darling, more wine!” Sweetie Belle let out a drunken titter.

Apple Bloom and Mjölna began pulling out boxes and crates from the large cargo crate and setting them in a neat, well ordered pile. Sideralis, curious, peered at everything, wondering what was about to happen, while also wondering what Mjölna and Apple Bloom had been doing in the explosives lab.

With a grunt, Mjölna began setting up a large tube, something about four feet in length and maybe a quarter of a foot around. It had two legs and leaned over at an angle. She opened a crate that was filled with smooth, round, shiny balls and glanced over at Apple Bloom, who was also setting up tubes similar to the first one that Mjölna had unfolded and set out.

“These are some pretty big boomers,” Spike said as he lifted up one of the balls and held it in his claws. The dragon examined the orb, his eyes narrowed and glittering. “I wonder if they taste good?”

“Spike, don’t you dare!” Apple Bloom shouted as she slammed the lid shut on the box Spike was peering into. “The last time you ate one of Mjölna’s boomers, it gave you ballistic grade flatulence and you wrecked Twilight’s apartment.”

“Eh, it got fixed,” Spike said with a dismissive wave of his claws, thankful that nopony had mentioned Twilight’s fate when she had been caught in one of the blasts. It was a good thing that alicorns were durable, sturdy creatures by nature.

“Mjölna and I had to fix it. We had to fix what you wrecked.” Apple Bloom gave Sweetie Belle a pleading look. “Make your dragon behave and tell him to not eat the boomers!”

“Spike, don’t eat the boomers… or you’ll be sleeping in the bed alone! I’m not in the mood to get blown up when I’m likely to have a hangover.”

The big dragon slumped over, looking crushed and disappointed. He stared down at Sweetie Belle, who stood giggling with her friends, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. He then eyed the boomer held in his claws and with a sigh, he passed it over to Mjölna, who snatched it away.

“Cheer up, Spike. There’s bound to be delicious snacks in that crate,” Mustang said to the now despondent dragon. “Hopefully something that won’t cause you to blow Sweetie Belle to Tartarus.”

Scootaloo leaned up against Sweetie Belle and began tittering at Mustang’s words. The three Cutie Mark Crusaders all shared a laugh together as Sweetie Belle’s face flushed pink.

“What’s it like being in a bed with a dragon?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Imagine laying near a furnace all night long…” Sweetie Belle replied, “you don’t need blankets no matter how cold it gets.” The unicorn mare beamed with a radiant smile. “You just have to make sure that the furnace never hiccups or sneezes.”

“Sideralis has a pony warming mode,” Stout said as she joined the conversation. “Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash discovered it by accident. I suppose it was put there for emergencies.”

“It was,” Mjölna replied as she assembled another mortar tube. “I helped to design it. Sideralis was the only one of us big enough to hold a few extra toys. Sideralis’ heating mode is triggered by holding a shivering pony up against him.”

“Say, that’s pretty useful.” Scootaloo looked up at Sideralis, grinned, and then added, “I’m just happy I got my wings. I don’t need toys.”

A row of mortar tubes now stood, all of them aimed off in the direction of the ocean. Mjölna gave each and every one of them one last check, looking them over with a wary, watchful eye.

As Mjölna checked the mortars, Stout began pulling out food and drink from the crate. Not only was there wine, but also root beer. Ice cream was packed into a nitrogen cooled cooler. A selection of treats and snacks awaited.

“I think we’re ready for the test fire… who wants to do the honours?” Mjölna asked.

The gathered ponies and dragon all looked at one another, exchanging glances, pointing at one another, each of them trying to determine who would send off the first shot of the evening.

“Mustang, you should,” Apple Bloom said.

“Why me?” Mustang asked.

“Because,” Apple Bloom replied, “this was your idea… all of this was your idea. You said a little get together would be good for us as friends. You’ve been a lot less of a bitch lately and—”

“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle poked her lifelong friend in the side.

“Just being honest.” Apple Bloom glanced at Sweetie Belle and then back at Mustang. “As I was saying, you’ve changed. You’re coming right along and I’m proud to have you as my friend, even if you are still bitchy sometimes—”

“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle said again. “And don’t you dare say you’re just being honest!” Sweetie Belle pressed her hoof over Apple Bloom’s mouth before anything else could be said.

“Sweetie, it’s okay… she’s right. I’m still learning.” Mustang lifted her head high, took a deep breath, and lifted up the boomer offered to her by Mjölna. “Here’s to friendship.” She hefted the round orb, holding it in her magic and smiled.

Before Mustang could drop the orb into a mortar tube, Mjölna gave her a reminder. “Please remember proper safety procedures before launching several pounds of explosives into the night sky.”

Nodding, Mustang made ready, turned to face her friends, grinned, and then said, “Fire in the hole!” as she dropped the orb into the waiting mortar tube.

There was a loud —POOMF!— and a shrill sound as the orb went streaking off towards the ocean. A few seconds later, there was a deafening explosion that made everything shake and rattle.

The sky lit up and the explosion took shape; Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark lit up the night sky, growing, expanding, a near accurate representation of the real thing, right down to the colour and the little stars that surrounded it. It was massive in size, filling up the night sky with sound and colour. For a moment, the night was as bright as day.

Mjölna’s knowledge of explosives was unmatched, and Apple Bloom made for a fine apprentice. The companions stood on the rooftop platform, watching as Twilight’s cutie mark faded from the night sky, the sparks raining down and burning out.

“Tomorrow, we leave and we head towards what is probably trouble,” Mjölna said in a subdued voice. “I’d venture a guess that we’re heading towards a fight. I think we’ll be fine just so long as we all stick together. All of you need to listen to me and do as I say. I will do my best to lead you. I hope I won’t let you down.”

“Here’s to hoping that everything works out okay.” Sweetie Belle lifted up a bottle of wine in her telekinesis. She turned to look at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, her best friends. “I can’t be with you, but I’ll be there in spirit. Show the world that the Crusaders don’t take no shit from nothing.” Sweetie Belle hiccupped, swayed a bit, and then began to giggle.

“Here’s to friendship,” Mustang said as she lifted up a bottle of root beer for Sideralis.

“To friendship,” Sideralis replied as he took the offered bottle of root beer into a telekinetic field generated from his extended hoof. The bottle trembled a bit, but he held it.

“To high explosives!” Apple Bloom lifted up another orb and grinned. “Fire in the hole!”

This time, the explosion was three bright red apples in a group. Apple Bloom sat down as she watched and her face became a mish mash of happiness, fierce rage, sorrow, and pride. She lifted her front leg and pointed at the image as it lingered in the sky.

“I made that.” Apple Bloom’s voice was thick with emotion. “That one is for you, Applejack. I made one for Big Mac, too… and Granny Smith. Mjölna and I made a whole bunch of memorial shells.”

“A reminder of why we fight.” Mjölna extended her wing in a salute as the three red apples in the sky began to dissipate. “A reminder of what was taken from us.”

“Do you have Rarity’s?” Sweetie Belle asked in a pensive whisper.

“It’s around here somewhere,” Apple Bloom replied to her friend. “Lemme look for it and I’ll let you launch it.”

“Thank you,” Sweetie Belle gasped, her voice almost sounding strangled. “Someday, I’m gonna go home and Spike and I are going to build a nice house were Carousel Botique used to be. It was… it was…” —Sweetie Belle’s barrel began hitching—“it was on fire when we left…” Sweetie Belle fell silent and closed her eyes.

Before she could begin crying, Spike swept her up and crushed her to his chest, wrapping his arms tight around her.

“I took this body,” Mjölna began, “to defend my best friend and my most trusted companion, Twilight Sparkle. I took this body so I would never stop fighting. So I would never be worn down. I will not stop, ever, until I am home again. I don’t care if it is a year from now or a hundred years from now. I will go home and I will retake what is mine.”

Mustang moved beside Mjölna and then stood still. “Trust never rusts. Even if Twilight doesn’t live long enough to see this through, we’ll finish this job.”

“Damn right.” Mjölna extended her hoof towards Mustang and grinned when Mustang bumped it with her own. “So long as there is breath in my body, so long as my servos keep functioning, so long as I have power, I will be loyal to Twilight Sparkle’s vision… I will never falter, I will not fail, and I will get us home even if she can’t. I hope it doesn’t come to that though.”

Mustang nodded. “Here’s to hoping…”

Author's Notes:

Thus ends this act.

When next we meet, we'll be in the air.