A few days later, the group traveled to the coast, to the lively port-town of Baltimore. As Twila stepped off the train and onto the station, she offered a smile to the others as she inhaled the salty sea air and raised her arms around her, gesturing to the area around them.

“Gorgeous. It’s a shame we all can’t spend some time together here,” Twila said, putting a hand to her brow to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun and catching sight of seagulls flying lazily towards the town’s docks in the distant lowlands below the hill they stood on, shops and stalls lining the downward slope down the entire street. People came and went into the buildings and the low rumble of conversation echoed throughout town. From their vantage point on the hill they could see, splitting off the main road, a residential district to their left, and a park to their right.

Celestia approached the newly crowned all-folk, her smile growing with every step deeper into the oceanside city.

“Twila,” she addressed, “Does the town hold up to your memories?”

“I think a lot has changed, like with any big city,” she answered, looking at various new shops and buildings that had been erected. “But, as with the best places, it’s still got it’s old charm to it. But maybe that’s just me being nostalgic.”

“It might inspire you to alter your Dreamscape a bit,” Celestia offered. “Though it’s lovely as it is. I should visit it again some time.”

Dreamscapes. A world within the minds of soul-folk and all-folk that could be visited with a simple amount of concentration, each one built and modified by the owner’s will. It was lucid dreaming taken to the next level; it allowed Twila to practice devastating magic with no fear of destroying the area around her and, when she entered the study she had created, she had access to thousands of tomes of spells, all sorted by name and effect, all accessible within a moment’s meditation. It was her place. Well, usually. There were ways for guests to arrive if the owner allowed them entry. Celestia was on the very short list of people that could do just that.

“My door’s always open,” Twila quipped at the woman. “Well, the metaphorical one anyway.”

“Always good to hear. Perhaps I’ll take you up on that offer at some point.”

“Though… seeing you in person is nice too.”

She held her hand out to Celestia, after a moment, the Daywalker took it, but her focus turned first to Spike, then to Jack and Rarity.

“Until everything is resolved, we should keep this low-key,” Celestia remarked, still not meeting Twila’s eyes.

“I understand. We don’t want to appear vulnerable to potential enemies.”

Celestia smiled, squeezing the woman’s hand. “I knew you would need no explanation.”

They stopped as a horse-drawn carriage cut across the road, with several others following it. The decorations at the side and lavish coloration told Celestia it was the mayor of the town and, if they had any time, Celestia would have liked to visit with her. Sadly, time was a resource they lacked at the moment, so, as the group continued downward, the Daywalker looked towards Twila, who promptly began to speak again.

“It’s fine,” Twila answered with a shrug. “It would be a distraction, when there’s so much more I need to focus on right now, and some worries I have in my thoughts.”

Celestia made a guess. “If it’s about Spike, we’ll keep him as safe as we can.”

“How can I be sure of that if I’m not there?” Twila asked, almost a demand.

“I’m there,” she replied instantly as they came to the docks proper. As she expected, a selection of Cabello’s finest warriors stood at the large open gates of the port-town, verifying a long line of passengers waiting to get into the city. On seeing the ruler of the lands, they offered a quick salute, which Celestia promptly returned as they passed by.
“I’ll die before a strand of hair is touched on his head,” Celestia added, her humorous smile gone for the moment as she said the words.

Twila held Celestia’s hand a bit tighter. “That’s not really a good compromise either…”

“It’s the best I can offer.” She looked over at the other girls and Spike. “They’re my responsibility.”

“Maybe you can save his skin. That I’m worried about, although with you it’ll be less likely that…” She swallowed grimly. “But what about his mind? It’ll be the first time he’ll be away from me for any extended amount of time. And on a whole other continent at that!”

Celestia put her free hand to her hip. “There was someone about ten years ago that was in a similar situation to your own.” She waited for a moment then, with a small smile, continued, “Do you not remember when you went to London with your family?”

“Yes, I recall it fondly,” Twila said, lightening up just a little. But then a confused frown appeared. “Spike was with me at the time.”

“But I wasn’t.” Celestia’s smile widened. “Do you understand?”

“Not really,” Twila deconfirmed. “I had my family around me at the time and we were on vacation. Not some sort of monster hunt.”

“I was still a bundle of nerves. I had hundreds of scenarios play through my head of your ship sinking, of pirates, of a sort of attack on England. And you know what happened? You made it back home to me.”

“Hopefully the tea I gave to you calmed your nerves a bit,” Twila said, no longer looking so stern.

“Seeing you and your family safe and sound calmed my nerves far more.”

“Oh, I know it did. I just hoped you liked the gift I sent you,” she replied.

The all-folk nodded. “I liked it very well. Honey tea was always a favorite of mine.”

“Good. I don’t expect you to bring me back anything except him home safely. Please,” she stressed.

Celestia reached towards the girl, cupping Twila’s chin. “Without a scratch,” she promised.

“Thank you,” Twila said sincerely, giving Celestia a smile and then turning away. Going over to Spike, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah. I think,” he answered. “I’m a little nervous, but…” He gave a scratch to his cheek. “I’m in good hands. It’ll be like a vacation for me and Pinkie at least.”

“A vacation?” Twila’s brow furrowed, as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not sure that’s the best mindset to be having when you go into this. This is serious, Spike.”

“If I think about how serious it is, I get nervous. I think Diane’s got the right idea. Just kind of bounce and sing your way through all of it.”

“Diane’s always been… different,” Twila said, after a calculated pause.

“You’re one to talk on different,” Spike countered. “Or does everyone become an all-folk overnight?”

Twila let out a deep sigh, rubbing her forehead with her index and middle finger; a tried and tested motion for the girl. “I didn’t exactly want to become an all-folk. But that’s not what I really meant, anyway. Pinkie’s on a different level from all of us.”

“Well, it’s a level I can appreciate.” He grinned. “I know it helps me from getting down, at least.”

“Just…” Twila pulled the boy into an embrace. “Be careful. Please,” she pleaded.

He instantly returned the hug, clenching her tightly against him. “Yeah. That’s my line. Don’t get hurt while I’m gone, ok?”

“How am I going to get hurt?” Twila asked, chuckling to herself. “Get a nasty paper cut on my thumb whilst looking through royal documents?”

“Well… you’re close to a lot of people, Twila. Someone targeting you instead of Celestia or Luna?” He gave a quick wave of his hands. “B-but maybe it’ll be nothing. I just know someone has to worry about you.”

“Everyone who’s staying here can do that. You need to focus on being careful, okay? And I want to say…” She stopped, kneeling down so she was face level with Spike. “I’m proud of you, Spike. You’ve grown up so much lately, turning into such a smart, kind young man. Diane’s lucky to have you.”

Spike’s smile widened. He shook his head, looking away from her. “You know how to make a guy tear up, don’t you?” Finally meeting her again, he added, “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“I know.”

“Sooner we set out, sooner we get back, y’all,” Jack said.

“She’s right,” Rarity agreed. “Delaying it will only delay our return.”

Rarity first offered her hand, then decided instead to embrace the woman.

“Do try and be careful, dear. I can only imagine what could happen to you.”

Twila let out a small laugh, accepting the hug. “Don’t worry, Rarity. It’s not like I’ll be doing anything exciting.”

Jack stepped forward next, giving a light slap to Twila’s shoulder.

“That don’t mean we ain’t gonna worry. Jus’ how we are.”

“You big softie,” Twila said, moving to give the giant woman a hug.

Rarity and Jack broke away from her and began towards the ship without another word, prompting a look between Spike and Pinkie.

“Man, they’re so business I’m surprised they don’t have a pocketful of cards,” Pinkie said.

“But Rarity does,” Spike countered, scratching at his chin. “We had to ship a stack of fifty cards just two weeks ago.”

Pinkie reached for Twila, giving her one last hug, then skipped up the plank leading to the ship’s side.

Spike did the same, then chased after Pinkie, leaving Celestia and her student standing together.

“There is going to be a world leader meeting in two weeks. I suppose I’ll see you then,” Celestia said. Twila blinked.

“Uh, you will?” she asked. The Daywalker paused.

“Oh, that’s right. I suppose you’ve never seen them, seeing as how I tended to assign you tasks during the events. Well, a courier will be sending you a message with the exact time, but you’ll know for certain when we’re ready for you, trust me.”

“I do.”

Celestia laughed, patting Twila’s hand. “Get some rest where you can. I don’t want you overexerting yourself.”

“Of course.” She warmly smiled. “See you soon.”

“I’ll be back before you miss me.”

Jack leaned against the bulwark of the ship, watching as the last traces of the continent were swallowed up by the red, sparkling tide of the evening sunset.

“Surely you’ve heard the expression, ‘red at night, sailor’s delight?’” Rarity asked, approaching and joining her partner as Jack took in the view.

“An’ I see why. It’s pretty,” Jack said.

Rarity closed her eyes, sniffing the air in appreciation. Jack felt the ship rock a bit stronger under her feet and briefly felt her legs tremble under her, but stood tall again in moments.

“Wasn’t expectin’ anythin’ like this a few days back.”

“It came as quite the surprise,” the tailor agreed. Leaning against the bulwark as well, she sighed. “I’m already dreading the catch-up I’ll have to do for my clients.”

“At least there’s Pommel ta give a hand.”

“Mmm. In theory. But she’s still learning. Any sort of advance designs I’d wish to handle personally.” She crossed her arms. “Did you have any reservations?”

“Headin’ away from the farm fer this? Always do. But if ya got a job, ya work it.”

Rarity shook her head. “No. I already knew of your feelings on that, Jack. Rather, I mean what we’re doing for Celestia.”

At that Jack raised a brow. Another wave rocked the boat and she stumbled a bit, still unadjusted to the motion. “What ya mean by that?”

“What else? The grail. Do you think this is the right thing to do?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s Celestia. Somethin’ like that fer her? Makes sense in my book, sug.”

Rarity gave an unsure look towards Jack. “What makes her deserve something like that?”

The earth-folk paused, her mouth open and her head tilted.

“Humor me,” Rarity encouraged with a gesture of her hand.

With a world-weary roll of her eyes, Jack obliged. “She’s the leader of Cabello,” the farmer flatly said.

Rarity shook her head. “You of all people would not simply be satisfied with a title, no matter how grand. Humor me.”

“Alright, alright.” Jack narrowed her brow in concentration. “She’s an all-folk, so she knows her stuff, would know how ta use somethin’ like the grail ta help people.”

“Or effectively hinder them,” Rarity countered.

“What are ya gettin’ at?” Jack suspiciously asked.

“That she’s human, Jack.” Rarity shook her head. “And humans make mistakes, do we not? Does the thought of giving something so potent, so powerful, to a person not frighten you?”

“Not if it’s her, sug. When has she ever let anyone down?”

“She hasn’t. Yet.” Rarity crossed her arms. “And perhaps she never will. But she, as you said, is an all-folk. She’ll have quite a few years to do just that.”

Rubbing her face, Jack sighed again. “What, then? Should I not have helped?”

Rarity half-smiled. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “It’s far from an easy decision.”

“If there’s one woman in the world I’d want usin’ it, it’d be her. Besides,” Jack continued, “Figured you of all people would be thrilled ‘bout this.”

“How so?”

“She goes through with this, gets the grail? Ya know how easy she could stop monster attacks? How quick bandits would stop messin’ with folk under her care?” She moved close to the tailor, putting a hand at Rarity’s neck. “How I wouldn’t need ta be away anymore? Yer smart. Smarter than me. Ya gotta know this.”

“There might be a cost to that, Jack,” Rarity replied, neither embracing nor pushing Jack away.

“‘Might,’” Jack repeated.

“Do you wish to gamble our child’s future on a maybe?” she questioned, crossing her arms.

“Come on, now. That ain’t fair,” Jack disagreed, no heat behind her tone. “If we didn’t take chances on maybe, well, life wouldn’t be near as good as it is now.”

Rarity sighed, leaning into the farmer. “I know, darling. And that’s why I’m so divided regarding the whole thing. I understand the positives, but if the worst happens, then who could stop her? Certainly not you or I. Perhaps not even Twila or Luna.”

“We’re jus’ gonna have ta trust her. Trust that she knows better than us. It’s all we can do.”

“And that’s what frightens me about it.” Staring at the ocean, Rarity frowned. “It was easier when we were dealing simply with Dmitri, was it not? Someone we could simply hate.”

“It was easier when we didn’t have ta fight anythin’ at all. Celestia’s not the bad guy here, Rare. Ya know that.”

“I do,” Rarity agreed. “But if she does gain that power...”

“Then that means she’ll be able to protect the country from anythin’ that gets thrown its way.”

Rarity stared out into the ocean. “I do not think we need something like that, Jack. I wish you’d understand that...” She looked down at her hands on the railing of the ship, seeming to want to add more.

“Talk, sug.”

“That people, magic or no, we can do extraordinary things. You yourself proved that. I firmly believe that faith moves mountains, darling, but, well, I don’t see God coming down to help us shovel the things we could do on our own.”

Jack exhaled. “I don’t get ya sometimes, Rare. While back ya didn’t want me anywhere near this kinda thing. Now yer jus’ bout encouraging it.”

“Because we’re strong. Together. I don’t want you to be alone during this.”

Jack looked at her. Though she had always respected Rarity, it was things like this that made her respect her even more. She let a small, grateful smile cross her lips and she pulled in Rarity close.

“Yer the most stubborn thing I’ve ever met.”

Looking towards the water, a small quirk of a smile came to Rarity. “Well, if you’re surrounded by mules, eventually you pick up a trait or two from them.”

The swaying of the boat, while an unfamiliar sensation, felt strangely cozy to Pinkie. She lay there in bed, awake even if her eyes were closed. Her arm hung lazily off the side, moving with the boat’s gentle motions. If she didn’t have anything to do today, she could’ve stayed in there forever. But people were wanting to see her, no doubt.

Plus her stomach was grumbling way too loudly.

Forcing herself up with a grunt, she sat at the end of her bed, rubbing her eyes. Flicking all that nasty sleep out of her eyes, she stood up and did the morning ritual of a yawn stretch. Shaking her arms loosely afterward, she stepped over to her wardrobe.

Opening it up, she tossed some clothes out and stripped herself of her sleeping ones. Spike wasn’t present in the room so she took her time with it. She slipped on her underwear just fine, yet when it came to her shorts…

“Huh?” She tugged up at them, the fabric stretching around her waist, barely being able to get around it. “Uh oh.”

She left them be, the buttons undone so she didn’t feel so constricted. She put on a plain white shirt, which was to be accompanied by pink suspenders. The article of clothing, however, started to stretch as Pinkie attempted to pull it down over her belly.

“No!” she panicked, tugging at the shirt. It didn’t budge further. “No no no!” She poked at her stomach, her belly button fully visible.

Clenching her fists, she zoomed over to the mirror and checked herself in the full. Waist fully exposed, her clothes at their limit, she could only come to one conclusion:

“I’m getting tubby!” she wailed, falling onto her bare knees.

A knock came at her door. “You ok in there?” Spike asked. “Breakfast should be served soon.”

“I don’t want it!” Pinkie cried out.

“You always want it! What’s wrong?”

There was a silence . Before Spike could move or repeat the question, there came three words.

“I’m getting fat!” Pinkie shouted

“Why do you say that?” he asked, stepping into the room. Pinkie pulled her shirt down lower, trying to cover her gut.

“Just look!” she exclaimed, pulling down yet again on the shirt in a desperate attempt to cover more of her body. “They don’t fit! My gut as run amuck!”

There came the faintest quirk of a smile at Spike’s lips before he let it die.

“Maybe you should take a look at your shirt tags?” Spike offered, doing his best to look innocent.

“How is that gonna help?!” she snapped, flailing her arms in the air.

“Trust me,” he encouraged, leaning back a bit from her hands.

“Fine…” Pinkie grumbled, putting an end to her flailing about and adjusting her shirt so she could see the tag. Upon reading it, she narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute… this is two sizes too small…”

“Gotcha,” Spike said, grinning widely. “Way you were acting, I thought you were Rarity for a second.”

Pinkie’s head snapped instantly towards Spike, a vicious glare coming his way. “Spike. What did you do?”

“Swapped some of your clothes with a smaller size when we packed—Don’t worry, got your actual sizes back in my cabin. Though about doing the underwear too, but figured I’d play nice.”

Pinkie continued to leer at him, silent. Spike finally gave a nervous chuckle.

“What? I thought it was a good one.”

Without warning, she suddenly leaped towards Spike, tackling him down to the ground in a hug, giggling and ruffling his hair vigorously. “It sure was a good one! A doozie, in fact!”

“See? I got a few cards up my sleeve. This little challenge’ll be a cinch!”

“Just you wait, mister. You’ll get yours just yet,” Pinkie warned, standing up. Grunting and shuffling uncomfortably, she looked down at Spike was a pained expression. “Can I have my normal clothes back now? I’m starting to chafe real bad.”

“Sure. I’ll get them.” He stared at her, coyly grinning. “First I think you should take those off, though.”

“Has this been your plan from the start?” Pinkie asked, although she took off her shirt and threw it at Spike’s head regardless.

Pulling the clothes off, he offered an even wider grin in response. “Maybe.”

“Well, I think your next plan should be getting me some breakfast. I think I’ve earned it after that scare you put me through,” she lamented, putting on her best pout.

“Alright, alright,” he conceded, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. “Guess you earned a little treat from me.”
He turned, and, once the door shut behind him, Pinkie gave an easy shrug to herself.

“Like candy from a baby,” Pinkie said, grinning.

Spike quickly made his way across the ship, traveling by the railings until he got near the stern. Entering a door, he came to a well to do mess hall and, after moving past a few sailors, he went down a small set of stairs and into a kitchen.

“Let’s see... “ Spike said to himself, looking at the refrigerator. “Ham. Pancakes. A glass of milk. That sounds about right.”

A set of footsteps came from behind him as he finished frying up the ham and flipping the last pancake onto a plate.

“Early to rise?” said an amused voice. “I thought without Twila to keep your schedule, you would have had more rest.”

Spike smiled at the playful tone and turned, looking up at Celestia as he finished putting a small drizzle of chocolate sauce onto the pile of pancakes. “Normally I’d get up at the crack of noon.” Shrugging, he offered a small glance to her eyes. “Just thinking, I guess.”

“I suspected as much,” Celestia said, giving a tug to the golden cuffs of her white robe. “This can’t be an easy experience for you.”

“I’m not scared,” he blurted out. “I just couldn’t sleep last night. So... that’s why I’m up.”

The all-folk raised an eyebrow. “It is always better to face your issues head on, than to try and bury them away within you.”

“... Maybe it’s a little weird,” Spike admitted with a sigh. “I mean, I’ve stayed away from Twila longer than this—she did have that week in the girl scouts—but… every hour puts a lot more ocean between us.”

Celestia nodded. “The pain of separation is never an easy one, I know that much. But what if I told you to perhaps view this as an opportunity for the both of you?”

“I’d say I don’t know how it is. But you’ve been around a lot long longer than Twila or me.”

“Indeed. And in my view, I see this as a chance for the two of you to grow into your own.” A hint of a grin appeared on her lips as she said, “You’ve always wanted to grow up, haven’t you?”

“Grow up or... “ He thought for a moment. “Keep up, at least. I don’t ever want to be worthless, I guess.”

“You shouldn’t judge your worth on the expectations of others, Spike,” Celestia gently reminded.

“Still feels nice being useful. Isn’t that part of the reason we’re all traveling? So you can help the country more?” He rubbed an earlobe. “And Twila too now, I guess.”

“Mmm,” she agreed, solemn.

“It’d help out a lot. The Grail.” Spike smiled. “So it’s a good call, us all heading across the sea.”

“As I said, it’s an opportunity. For all of us.” Celestia grabbed a white mug, then went over to the coffee machine and made herself a quick brew. A sense of welcome relief became apparent as she took in a whiff of the smell.

“Still a javahead I see,” Spike remarked. “Ought to be careful. It can stunt your growth,” he lectured.

“For the average person, perhaps,” Celestia replied, hiding a smirk behind her mug as she took a sip. “Are the others awake?”

“Pinkie is,” he said, giving a small lift to his plate. “I’m doing a bit of maid service for—butler,” he flatly corrected. “Butler work for her.”

“Butler? I see.” Celestia barely managed to suppress a grin. “Well, I won’t be one to stop you from enjoying each other’s company. Cherish it whenever you can.”

“It’s hard not to enjoy it. She knows how to make everything a bit of a party.” He grinned. “It’s risky to open my sock drawers even. Scared confetti will pop out.”

“I admit, she is one force of nature I will never try to understand or control. But she means well and the world would be a much darker place without her,” she replied, holding her mug with both hands.

Spike nodded in agreement. “I agree. Girls like her are what the world needs more of. More of her smile, her voice, I wouldn’t mind more of her brea—” He caught himself, remembering who he was talking to. “I wouldn’t mind more of everything she had,” Spike finished instead.

“Well I won’t keep you,” Celestia said. She looked over at Spike, grinning devilishly. “I only ask you try to keep the noise down.”

Heat flooded his face; he nodded and sharply turned, heading out and back to Diane’s quarters.

Celestia watched him go with a smile, grateful that Diane was serving as his mentor in his current walk of life. She had a way about her that was both childish and, at the same time, mature. They had the makings of a good pair, as long as things continued as they were. In fact, in some ways, they complemented one-another almost as much as Jack and Rarity.

Thinking of the two reminded her of her upcoming duties for the world’s meeting and she polished off her coffee and headed back to her quarters. It would do no good to anyone if Jack and Rarity were the only ones prepared for the coming days.

Jack let out a stifled grunt, gagging. She clutched the rim of the toilet bowl with trembling hands, sweat pouring down her face. Spitting into the water, she took a breath to steady herself.

“Are you alright now?” Rarity asked from behind the woman.

“Give me another sec. I think.” She shook her head.

“If you’re through vomiting, I’d prefer to let go of your hair and get away from it.” Grimacing, she looked away from the bowl.

“I dunno what happened. Was feelin’ jus’ fine before we left shore.” She spat again, feeling miserable all the way into her bones.

“Do you get seasick?”

“I dunno. I never been on the ocean bef—” Jack stopped midway through the sentence, leaning farther into the rim of the toilet and letting out wet gag.

“Don’t you dare get it on my feet!” Rarity squealed in alarm.