The princesses of the sun and moon walked along either side of Ponyville’s population as they made their way through Whitetail Woods, just along the border it shared with the Everfree. While they appeared to be alert and focused on their surroundings, that wasn’t entirely the case. Both had a perimeter detection spell set to 50 meters out, so they would know of any threats before something bad could happen to their subjects.

Unheard by the ones under their watch, Celestia and Luna shared an important conversation via telepathy.

“Luna, how can it be that I wasn’t made aware of Yang’s presence in Ponyville for almost a month?” Celestia asked her sister.

“Perhaps Twilight did not feel inclined to share Yang’s presence?” Luna suggested. “She is her own mare and princess, and we all have our own agendas, as I’m sure you’re aware. Perhaps she was too caught up in her work to inform you?”

“Then what about the article last week about the diamond dog attack? All six of them were captured and somehow escaped. Looking at what Yang did to Tirek, and considering what I heard between Twilight and Rarity, I think some information was suppressed somewhere.”

“Really? Where do you think it was suppressed?”

“Either far down the line at the local level or high up with just my paper, and considering the rumors I’ve heard during court, I suspect the latter. Theoretically speaking, Luna, how could this happen?”

“A quick enchantment to change selected bits of text right before you read the paper.” Luna showed no outward signs of it, but Celestia caught the mental flinch. “And why would you want to know this?”

“You know I follow your prophecies closely, Luna. They are very accurate. I had scheduled extra training for the guards so Yang could train with them.”

“Which is why I kept her hidden from you. Yes, she was the one who saved the Bearers from the diamond dogs. What nopony reported was the three days of depression that followed for her.”

“From what?”

“The fight with the diamond dogs. Her dreams were in such a state that even I couldn’t enter them. I found out what happened from Rarity’s dreams and talking with her. Turns out that that was the first time she ever fought in her life.”

“Seriously?”

“I’ll let you in her dreams at some point. Once she’s ready for you.”

I sneezed for some reason. Maybe a bit of dust got in my nose. Certainly got some stuff out of there at least, so that’s good.

The recoil from the sneeze was enough to knock me off balance again. I stopped counting the number of times I’ve stumbled from something silly like a bit of exposed tree root or my own feet after the second time. I think it was after the second time anyways. I dunno. How do I numbers?

At least Twilight was there to catch me with her magic again. The only things that really kept me going was the momentum of walking and Twilight’s magic. If I stopped or fell down, I might just fall asleep on the spot. I did not want to fall asleep while I was this dirty, but it could happen.

After some time, we arrived at the spa. I stumbled inside and was greeted by the spa ponies, who I thought were walking with us. “Twilight, how did they beat us here?”

“I teleported them, remember?” Twilight said. “You must be really tired to have already forgotten that.”

“Oh.” I would have felt stupid, but I was too tired for that. “So, what now?”

“Just take your clothes off and they can start their work. I’ll have your clothes cleaned so that you have something to wear later.”

“Okay.” I meandered over to the mare’s room and went inside, locking the door behind me. After that, I started removing everything. First the Ember Celica, then all the other clothes. Once they were all off and in a pile, Ember Celica on top, I left the room.

I found Twilight looking away from me, but the spa ponies weren’t. What’s up with that? “My stuff’s here, Twilight” I said as I set the stuff on the floor. I turned to the spa ponies. “Which way?”

“This way” the blue one said. I followed her. “We will give you a full cleaning, and we promise to be gentle in your more sensitive areas.”

“Okay.” In the back corner of my mind, I felt that I shouldn’t be naked like this around others, or at all, but that corner, along with everything else in my mind, was falling apart. I also barely registered the bit about my more sensitive areas, but it was forgotten about pretty quickly.

I was lead to a large jacuzzi-like tub with six waterfalls going into it. At their cue, I got in. As soon as I got in, I could feel the grime coming straight off of me from the force of some warm jets in the tub. I sat down on the bench in it and closed my eyes so the spa ponies could do their work.

I think I fell asleep in under five seconds. That’s got to be a record of some kind.

Twilight walked out of the spa, Yang’s clothes and the Ember Celica in a box in her magic. It all needed to be cleaned, and if there was one mare who knew how to do that better than anyone, it was Rarity.

“Putting the magicproof items on things that can be moved by magic. Why didn’t I think of that?” Twilight thought to herself. “It’s just like using a cart to move things that are too heavy for a pony to carry on their back. Simple, but effective.”

Twilight’s thoughts were drawn back to the fight between Yang and Tirek, and how Yang seemed more determined and driven to fight him, like she had something to fight for.

She arrived at Carousel Boutique with her thoughts on the bands that Yang had put in the Ember Celica, how different each one was, and what else could work with that model. Once she was out of her thoughts, she knocked on the door.

“I’m coming!” Sweetie Belle called out. A moment later, she opened the door, slightly damp. “Hello Twilight. Are Rarity and Yang alright?”

“Rarity’s with Celestia and Luna and Yang’s asleep at the spa” Twilight said. “When did you get here?”

“A few hours after everypony got captured. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo pushed me into a bush when the bubbles came, and I made my way back here to tell Yang.”

“Really? Oh, do you have a quill, ink, and parchment I could use for a moment?”

“There should be some in Rarity’s inspiration room.”

“Thanks.” Twilight went into her friend’s house and to the unoccupied inspiration room, quickly finding the quill, ink, and parchment. She wrote it out as she vocalized it. “Dear Rarity; Since I’ve only read about washing clothes and not actually done it myself, I’m going to trust you to clean Yang’s clothes. I did cast a sterilization spell on them, so they’re already a bit cleaner than before, and you won’t have to worry about any diseases Tirek might have been carrying.

“The same can’t be said of the Ember Celica though, since those are unaffected by magic. I believe Yang should be the one to clean them since she has the necessary dexterity to clean the finer parts of them, and can actually hold them.” Twilight paused in her letter for a moment, thinking, then resuming. “Once we know Yang’s alright, I’ll buy us all some milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner, even if Pinkie insists otherwise.

“Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.”

Satisfied with her letter, Twilight took it and the box in her magic and left the inspiration room. Just as she was about to set the box and letter down, Rarity walked in, Yang’s desired fountain in her magic. “Sweetie Belle! I’m so happy you’re alright.” Rarity set the fountain down, ran over to her sister and the two hugged each other. “Oh, hello Twilight. Is that a box for me?”

“And a freshly written letter.” Twilight let Rarity take the box and letter in her magic. Before opening the box, Rarity read the letter.

“Really, Twilight?”

“What?”

“Just milkshakes?”

Twilight gave an exaggerated sigh. “And anything else you want.”

“That’s better. Now then, if you’ll excuse me, I apparently have some very filthy clothes to clean. Oh, Twilight, I just thought of something.” Rarity set the box down and went towards the stairs.

“What is it? Can I help in any way?”

Rarity didn’t answer for a few moments. Once she was done upstairs, she came down with another box in her magic. “Please take this to the spa. It’s Yang’s robe, and it’s the only clean clothes she has right now. How is she anyways?”

Twilight accepted the box. “She fell asleep the moment she was sitting down in the waterfall tub. Considering her state after the fight, I’m not surprised. I am surprised she managed to stay awake for the whole walk there. She was stumbling over nearly everything in her way, including her own feet and even nothing.”

Rarity gave a dainty giggle. “I’m sorry Twilight. I know I shouldn’t laugh, but I can’t help it.”

“It’s alright.” Twilight turned to leave, but then an idea struck her. “Oh, Rarity. I’ll talk with the spa sisters to see if they’d be willing to let Yang stay the night at the spa. If this robe is her sleepwear, and I think it is-”

“You think right, darling” Rarity interjected.

“-then she might not want to go out with it on. Sunset has told me how there are humans that do that, but they’re often lazy or something, like they don’t have as high of a dress standard as they should, but still pass. Yang doesn’t seem like that kind of person, so I can bring over some clothes for her later.”

“I can bring them there” Sweetie Belle offered. “As soon as there’s some dry clothes, I can take them to the spa.”

“Thanks, Sweetie” Rarity said.

“Or Sweetie could do it” Twilight added. “I’ll send you a telepathy message once I know if the spa sisters will house Yang tonight. Bye, Rarity.”

“Goodbye, Twilight.”

Twilight left the boutique, Yang’s boxed sleepwear in her magic and heading over to the spa. She didn’t dare look in the box to look at Yang’s sleepwear, despite her curiosity. It was not something a friend would do, and it was not something anyone should do while walking.

When she got back to the spa, Twilight found the spa sisters starting to wash the sleeping Yang’s hair under one of the waterfalls. They were very careful to keep her from accidentally drowning. “Hello, ladies” Twilight greeted. “Yang’s already looking much better.”

“Much of the filth came off from the water itself” Aloe said. “We have yet to actually wash her body.”

“Her hair caught a lot of debris as well” Lotus said. “We just finished getting it all out a minute ago.” She pointed to a bowl full of small things pulled from Yang’s hair, including leaves, twigs, and a few small chunks of Tirek. “I suspect we’ll get a lot more finer things out with the wash.”

“Wow” Twilight said. “Oh, I have a question for you two.”

“Go ahead.”

“Assuming Yang doesn’t wake up during her treatments, would you two be willing to house her for the night? You can add anything you need to to the cost of her trip.”

Aloe and Lotus quietly talked to each other while getting Yang’s hair cleaned. Once they were done discussing, Aloe spoke. “If you’d help us as we need it with her, we’ll house her for tonight, and we’ll even give her a meal before she goes back to Rarity’s.”

It didn’t take long for Twilight to give an answer. “Gladly. Oh, I brought Yang’s sleepwear, so if she’s still asleep once we’re done, she’ll at least have something. Where should I put it?”

“Behind the front counter. Be sure to put her name on it.”

“Alright.” Twilight brought the box to the counter, wrote Yang’s name on it, and set it in the appropriate place. Returning to the one who saved Ponyville, Twilight sat down, ready to help.

I slowly opened my eyes. I found myself on my side in an unfamiliar bed, but it was soft, warm, and I was tired. The world could wait for me, as far as I was concerned. Right now, I didn’t care that I was stuck in a world of technicolor ponies, magic, and no internet. The bed was calling for me, and the offer was very tempting. Buy 3 hours of sleep and the 4th is free.

Sounds like a car tire sales pitch. Huh.

“Hello, Yang” Luna said from behind me. I would have turned to look, but I couldn’t find the energy or willpower to do so.

“Hey, Luna” I said. “Need a nap? I’m sure there’s room on the bed for you.”

I felt the bed shift a bit as Luna climbed on. “Why do you take all the blankets, Yang?”

“I said there was room on the bed. I never said there were enough blankets. Besides, they’re warm and snug.” Oddly damp inside too, but it was still nice and warm, so I was okay with that. My hair felt wet too.

A moment later, Luna was in front of me, having extended the bed outward a bit and stepping over me. Rude, but I didn’t care. “I will get straight to my purpose for being here. On behalf of Celestia, myself, and all of Ponyville, thank you for saving us from Tirek.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Are you bothered by the fact you had to fight him?”

A bit of discomfort came to me. “A bit, but I’m honestly glad I did. Everyone got saved, the bad guy was defeated, and so life can go on.”

“Not Tirek. He died shortly after you released all the magic he had. Seems he had grown too large to live without the magic he’d absorbed.”

“So, did I. . . kill him?” I shuddered at the idea. Fighting was one thing, but killing was another.

“That isn’t a simple question, Yang.”

“It should be. Yes or no?”

“You did disable him and release all the magic he’d accrued, but the forces of biology and physics took him from there.”

“So I did kill him.” Despite the warmth I was encased in, I suddenly felt cold.

Luna was quiet for a bit. “I suppose so, but consider this: You were not the one who started it. You defended everypony.” Her horn lit up with a silvery glow and a little scene started playing in front of me. “Look at it this way: if someone with ill intent broke out of prison and into Carousel Boutique, would you hesitate to use force to get them out?”

“Probably not, but I wouldn’t kill them.”

“Tirek broke out of Tartarus and started stealing ponies’ livelihoods, their magic. You saw what happens when all magic is lost when Tirek’s horns broke. Our subjects would have suffered a slower, much more painful death. Twilight, Celestia, and I would eventually get ours back since alicorns naturally regenerate magic, but it would take a long time.”

“And I kept that from happening?” I felt a bit of optimism.

“Indeed. Just consider young Sweetie Belle. When she came to you, what was she like?”

“Grayed out, tired, and weak.”

“And now?”

“Bright and energetic. I think. I know I would be.” I was sensing a pattern about as subtle as my landing here in Equestria.

“All thanks to you.”

I sighed and thought things over. I suppose fighting wasn’t a bad thing, especially if lives were on the line. And I didn’t have to resort to fighting immediately. I could save it for a last resort, and even then, I could fight without any shells loaded. Those would be the final last resort.

My mind at ease, I asked something else. “So, is Celestia the white alicorn with the sun cutie mark?”

“Yes. She’s my big sister and moves the sun every day.”

“She moves the sun? I find that hard to believe.”

“I won’t try to convince you of that fact. Would you like to meet her?” Luna sounded a bit optimistic with her question.

“Later.” I yawned. It was a powerful yawn. “Luna, why am I so tired in this dream?”

“Because your body is beyond the point of exhaustion. To help prevent this in the future, I suggest getting out and exercising regularly. Laying around and reading may be good for the mind, but it doesn’t help the body very much.”

“But exercising just to exercise isn’t fun.”

“Then figure out a way to make it fun, or perhaps set some goals. You know, Applejack still hasn’t figured out what to do with all the leftover construction supplies she has from the barn you helped build. She’s been trying to dream up something new, but hasn’t had much luck.”

Very subtle there, Luna. “I’ll see about that once I’m back to normal. For now, I’m just going to close my eyes.”

Luna’s horn lit up and she left the dream. I curled up in the dream bed and slept.

Sleeping in a dream is strange.

Author's Notes:

And thus ends the Tirek arc. Slicey lifey stuff will be back soon.