Applejack blinked, and a small smile spread on her face. "Gildedale, eh? Gosh, that brings back memories..."
"I'll say!" Rarity exclaimed. "I wonder how they've fared over there since we passed through, Applejack?"
Nyx blinked. "Wait, you two have been to Gildedale?"
Twilight smiled. "They sure did. It was part of a journey they and Rainbow Dash undertook to save my life."
"What?!" Nyx exclaimed, drawing startled looks from some nearby ponies. "Save your - what are you talking about?!"
Rarity coughed, and began to explain. "You see, Nyx, on Plowpony's Day several years ago, Twilight decided she wanted to try and teach me teleportation. Now, I told her that it wasn't necessary, that I had no desire to be a great mage, unlike her or..." she grimaced "...Trixie. After my first attempt ended in spectacular failure, I swore it off. Twilight, though, just would not listen to me. She ran back to the library to get... what was it, Twilight?"
"Magical lubricant," Twilight replied. "It's meant to be used as an aid for unicorns who are having trouble learning how to teleport. I opened it up to check if it was still good, and didn't close it all the way. I tried teleporting with it back to the field."
Nyx winced. She'd used the stuff once or twice after being stripped of her power as Nightmare Moon, and Twilight had explained how dangerous it could be if used improperly. "Let me guess... boom?"
Twilight nodded, and Rarity picked up the tale. "The explosion could be felt and seen all the way out at the field. Being the good friends we are, all of us dashed to the library. We found Twilight and Spike, and they were mostly unharmed."
"Uh, 'mostly'? That doesn't sound promising," Nyx said.
"It isn't," Twilight said with a wince at the memory. "Turns out trying to teleport with a partially-opened tube of lubricant is a really bad idea. Not only did I cause an explosion - something I hadn't done since my early days as Princess Celestia's apprentice - but it gave me a case of Horn Rot."
Nyx winced. "Ouch. And considering how powerful in magic you are..."
"Yeah. Zecora told me I had, at most, two-and-a-half weeks before the Horn Rot would run its course. The normal cure takes three weeks to brew." Twilight sighed. "I thought I was a goner, until Zecora mentioned the Beneviolet, a flower that could reverse the effects. The problem was that the Beneviolet exists only in the Archback Mountains, far past the borders of Equestria. Past Gildedale, too."
Rarity picked up the thread again. "I was feeling guilty about Twilight hurting herself trying to help me, so I offered to go along with Applejack and Rainbow Dash to find the Beneviolet. We ended up journeying through Gildedale and the Shimmerwood on our way to the Archbacks."
Applejack cut in. "Durin' our stay in Gildedale, we met some of the local ponies, includin' their prince, Ashtail. We managed ta solve a problem they'd been havin' fer a long while, now. See, there are these creatures in Gildedale called komagas, which stampede across the plains fer a month at one point in the year. Thing is, the ponies there didn't know what a stampede was."
Nyx grinned. "But with you there..."
Applejack returned the grin. "Yep, we managed ta turn away a big herd of 'em before it could hit the capital, Thatchhome. Earned us quite a bit o' respect from their king, Hammer Hoof. He said the three of us would always be welcome in Gildedale." Her eyes grew wistful. "Sometimes, ah think about goin' ta visit, see how things are doin'..."
"Visiting your coltfriend?" Rainbow Dash snickered from above, startling the group.
"RAINBOW DASH!" bellowed Applejack, incensed. "What in tarnation d'ya think yer doin', startlin' us like that?!" She glared up at the cackling pegasus. "An' he AIN'T mah coltfriend!"
Rainbow landed, still snickering. "I heard you all talking about Gildedale, and I thought I'd chip in my two cents." She leaned up to whisper in Nyx's ear. "AJ was rather fond of Ashtail, from what I saw."
Applejack was preventing from lunging at the pegasus by a combined aura of blue and purple magic. "Applejack, Rainbow's just trying to rile you up," Twilight said. "Don't rise to her bait."
Nyx chuckled. "Well, I'll be sure to pass Ashtail your regards, if you want, Applejack," she said. The farmpony blushed, but nodded.
*****
The next day, the Crusaders left town, each heading their seperate ways. Nyx flew toward the Drackenridge Mountains, the natural border between Equestria and Gildedale. She carried with her a care package from Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Each of them had contributed something different. From Applejack, there was a bushel of apples, and a letter to Ashtail. From Rainbow Dash, a vial of liquid rainbow from her cloud-home's fountain. And from Rarity, a mane-care kit addressed to 'Shield Maiden and her grey filly', a designation that puzzled Nyx. Still, she flew strong, hoping to reach Gildedale before the day was out.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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