May 4th, 1001 Domina Solaria

“Ah can’t believe it,” Applejack drawls, alternating between staring at the flashing red apples on her flank and the identical set rotating with a star-topped rod over the western edge of Equestria. A sharp, disgruntled gust fails to blow her disheveled mane out of her face. “The map’s callin’ me again?”

“We haven’t exactly established a pattern,” Twilight Sparkle comments. She glances at Meringue for confirmation, getting a curt nod as the yellow filly flips through her calendar and the copious notes she has taken, scanning for any sort of insight that might lead to discovering the map’s purpose and intentions. Meringue tries, bless her heart, but she struggles to replace Spike and his years of experience absorbing information, and how he could always arrange things just the way she likes it. She gets better every day, though, giving Twilight a strong sense of hope for the future.

“A month ago,” Twilight recalls, “to the day, we were all called to the southern border when the Storm King’s forces traveled here. That led to the other nations reaffirming their trust in Princess Celestia, as well as potentially accepting Harmony into their lives. Four days later, Princess Luna and Princess Cadance’s marks appeared above Seaquestria. Since then, Mount Aeris was reestablished not as a Hippogriff city, but as a joint enterprise between Seapony and Hippogriff. On the twentieth you, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie helped restore the Kirin’s voices, their trust in each other, and their relationship with Equestria.”

Their fellow Elements of Harmony nod in agreement, each sitting in their marked seat around the Cutie Map in the castle buried underneath the School of Friendship. That doesn’t stop the confused and covert glances at the seventh member of the herd.

“Yes, yes.” Trixie’s cutie mark pulses brightly, a sharp contrast to the heavy yawn she gives the map. A hoof brushes her mussed mane closer to her normal curl - Doug rarely spares her mane like he does Rarity’s - before flicking dismissively. “The Honored and Ecstatic Trixie eagerly awaits her assignment. But she wants to know where, exactly, the map is trying to send her.” She yawns again before smacking her lips a few times. “Please tell me it is somewhere with no strange and exotic creatures trying to suck us dry.”

“The Arimaspi weren’t that bad,” Fluttershy defends, giving Trixie’s unkempt appearance a disapproving frown.

Trixie sighs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Somewhere peaceful and quiet?”

“Pretty sure Las Pegasus is the exact opposite of peaceful and quiet,” Pinkie Pie says, looking disappointed that she isn’t going as she watches a miniature roller coaster flit around and inside a fancy building. “It’s like a perpetual party that never sleeps!”

“An’ maybe if somepony spent less time catchin’ fireworks and more time catchin’ winks?” Applejack pokes the azure unicorn’s glowing flank. “Then maybe that somepony would be ready when she gets called.”

“The Gainfully Employed and Perpetually Overworked Trixie leads a busy life,” Trixie asserts, shaking her head from side to side. She seems to be waking up as she argues. “After all, Ponyville’s nightlife isn’t going to start itself. And it’s not like you can see the fireworks during the day. When else am I supposed to test my designs?” She blinks a few times as realizes, then takes a hesitant step away from the map. “Wait, did you say Las Pegasus?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack says, though she has a hard time seeing the cloud city from across the room. “That’s where you’re from, right?”

“Y-yes.” Trixie gulps. “And the map wants me to go there? To do… what, exactly?”

“We’re not sure exactly,” Twilight says, studying her notes. “Previously, it has been to divert events that might have been catastrophic, or led to an entire culture embracing Harmony.”

“Oh.” Trixie hesitantly sticks her head up, craning her neck to get a better view of the marks swirling around the city. She glances at Applejack, doing her best to divert attention from herself. “You don’t seem put out by this. Wouldn’t you rather be, I don’t know, harvesting apples or something?”

Applejack snorts, but it’s good natured. “Eeyup. But Big Mac was gonna take Granny Smith an’ the rest of the Golden Horseshoe Gals up there this weekend anyway. He won’t mind me takin’ over chaperonin’ ‘em, ‘specially after all the stories ‘bout the kinda trouble they get into. That’ll give us plenty of time, an’ a couple extra eyes’n ears, to figure out what’s goin’ on an’ where we’re needed.”

Trixie lets out a sigh of relief. “So, it wouldn’t be about somepony, say, reestablishing a connection with her estranged sire?”

“Err,” Twilight shrugs, her muzzle pursed. “I mean, it could be. But, would Harmony really send somepony on a mission that’s so… mundane?” She waves her hoof at the map. “I mean, it’s not like you’re the only pony who…”

Twilight trails off as a trio of teal diamonds pops up above Canterlot. A six-pointed magenta star joins it shortly after.

Twilight shudders as a euphoric wave crashes over her. If Doug was in the room she would be pouncing on him, much like Applejack and Trixie have already done. She has half a mind to teleport to the human right now, but he’d probably appreciate them letting him rest. She squelches the feelings, instead concentrating (if with difficulty) on the map. Rarity seems completely out of it, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, but at least she hasn’t raced up the stairs.

“Why would my mark appear?” Twilight frowns to herself. “I write to my parents all the time, almost as often as I write to Princess Celestia.”

“Can we trade?” Trixie’s horn lights, attempting to wrest the star from above the lonely mountain but to no avail. “You can wander around Las Pegasus with Applejack; it’ll be loads of fun!”

Twilight gives an apologetic smile. “I… don’t think it works like that.”

Trixie sighs before reasserting her smile and turning to Rainbow Dash. “How about you?” Her smile widens. “You could ride the Wild Blue Yonder!”

“The what now?” Rainbow Dash asks, mildly intrigued.

“It’s only the fastest, most thrilling ride of all time,” Trixie explains in a hurried tizzy, pulling on every ounce of showmare inside her. “Just like being a Wonderbolt! You ride in a cloud-rocket car, with daring dips and terrifying turns before coming to a screeching halt. But you only have a limited time! It’s closing for good, something about being too extreme for normal ponies.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widen in wonder. “That does sound pretty awesome,” she says, but there’s a hint of apology. She points at the other end of Equestria, her hoof shaking. “Unfortunately, I think I’m going to be a little busy.”

Trixie follows Rainbow Dash’s pointing hoof to Cloudsdale, where a tri-colored lightning bolt swirls with a trio of pink butterflies. “Seriously?!”

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy’s tail lashes against the chair, her self-control obviously tested. “It’s been years since I’ve seen my parents. And Zephyr, aside from the Crystal Empire.”

“This has to be a coincidence,” Twilight asserts, frowning at Pinkie Pie intently stares at a stony rock farm far to the west of Ponyville. To Twilight’s dismay and Pinkie Pie’s chagrin, a trio of blue and pink balloons pop into existence high above.

The pink mare’s jaw drops, her eyes screwing up into her skull. “Y-you don’t mind,” she struggles to get out, “i-if I take Doug with me?”

“Aww,” chorus the rest of the mares.

“But I’ll be all alone,” Pinkie Pie argues. “Plus, he hasn’t met my parents yet! We’ll be able to do all sorts of traditional Pie activities together! Maybe that’s why the map is sending us!”

Twilight’s frown deepens. “Why would we need the map and Harmony’s help to solve issues - if there even are issues - that could be fixed with a long letter? We shouldn’t need a map to tell us to stay close to our parents.”

“Well,” Applejack firmly states, “Ah know that question ain’t gonna be answered by sittin’ ‘round here.” She fixes Trixie with a pointed stare. “We better skedaddle if’n we wanna make it in time. Ya ready?”

Trixie sighs. “Fine,” she pouts, trudging up the stairs. “But who’s going to cover my classes?”

“I’ll talk to Chrysalis and Spoiled Rich,” Twilight says, hoping the changeling won’t mind an extra-large class. The contingency plan she submitted to the Equestrian Education Association didn’t count on Trixie also being called away, and she’ll need to revise it.

“Now,” Applejack explains to Trixie as they leave the castle and walk outside the school. Many of the students give the two confused looks, wondering why their teacher is heading to Sweet Apple Acres instead of the other way. “There’s a couple things Ah better explain, an’ Ah want to be sure you’re listenin’.”

“Eeyup,” Trixie drawls, copying Applejack’s languid accent.

Applejack’s eyes narrow. “These grannies ain’t as young as they used ta be, an’ it’s easy for them to over-do it. An’ Ah don’t know ‘bout you, but we ain’t gonna find any Friendship problems in an emergency room. Got it?”

“What if,” Trixie speculates, staring up at the sky, “a series of elaborate and ever-escalating lies leads us to an emergency room, where we have to either face the consequences of telling the truth or watch a loved one’s limbs be surgically pruned?”

Applejack clears her throat with a long, low growl. “Got it?”

Trixie sighs, sounding defeated. “Eeyup.”

“Good.” Applejack straightens back up. “As long as we make sure they get their naps, eat only soft foods, are careful when dancing, an’ don’t get too excited, we’ll be fine. Oh, and don’t let them out of your sight - ever.”

“Getting a nap sounds good,” Trixie concurs with a heavy yawn.

Applejack rolls her eyes. “Long as you’re ready to board when everypony else is?”

Trixie closes her eyes as the two travel down the road to the Apple farmhouse, relying on the sound of Applejack’s hooves to lead her in the right direction.

Applejack saves her breath, glad the unicorn is at least ostensibly listening to her. She spots Big Mac before the building, busy chasing one of Goldie Delicious’ many cats. She hopes the grandmares at least have their luggage packed, but judging how the elderly ponies languidly traipse around, complaining about aching joints and lack of flank cream and lapse into reminiscing about times that may or may not have actually passed?

It might take a while.

Next Chapter: Ch. 156 - Mutated Growth, Part Two Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 24 Minutes