Inside the bathroom on the second floor of the library.
Hot water rushed down with a gentle splash, and warm steam billowed and spread, temporarily dispersing the chill of the night and the gloom of defeat.
Rarity was the first to rush in, enjoying the soothing warmth of the water on her coat and mane.
The other ponies waited in the guest room, finding places to sit as they took turns waiting for their wash.
Twilight Sparkle sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the pitch-black sky outside the window, her brow furrowed.
Her mind could not stop spinning.
The Unicorn named Ye Ziji was like a massive riddle lingering in her heart.
His sudden appearance, his power, his composure, and his aid to Ponyville—all of it was a complete mystery.
She turned her head to look at Fluttershy, who was helping Rainbow Dash untangle her knotted mane.
Out of all the ponies present, only Fluttershy seemed to have been with him from the very beginning.
“Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle spoke, her voice carrying a hint of inquiry, “could you tell us a bit more about Mr. Ye Ziji? How did you two meet?”
Hearing Twilight Sparkle’s question, Applejack and Rainbow Dash also cast curious glances.
They wanted to know where this mysterious guy came from as well.
Fluttershy stopped her comb.
Her pink mane hung down, covering half her face.
She was a bit nervous, her hooves tapping anxiously on the floor.
“I… I…”
She thought it over and decided there was no harm in telling her friends.
After all, everything Ye Ziji did was to help everyone.
And so, summoning her courage, she looked up.
“I… I found him near my cottage.”
Fluttershy’s voice was very soft, but the room was quiet, so everyone heard her clearly.
“At the time, he looked very weak, as if… as if he had just been in a terrible battle.”
“Later, we went to the town center and found everyone in a panic. Mayor Mare was terrified, too.”
She recalled the scene.
“It was Ye Ziji. First, he calmed Mayor Mare down. Then, using magic—a wonderful kind of wind magic—he helped Mayor Mare broadcast her voice to all of Ponyville. That’s how she could tell everyone not to be afraid and to stand together, which restored order to the chaotic town.”
“And then,” Fluttershy continued, “he said order wasn’t enough. We needed stronger protection. So… so we needed to find some gems to cast a spell.” This chapter was copied from NovelPing without permission.
At this point, Fluttershy’s voice grew even softer.
She looked apologetically at Rarity, who had just walked out of the bathroom, drying her wet, indigo curls with a towel.
“I-I’m sorry, Rarity…”
Fluttershy lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper.
“The situation was urgent, so without your permission, we took some gems from your Carousel Boutique…”
Rarity, enjoying the clean and refreshed feeling, froze for a second upon hearing this.
Then, she elegantly tossed her damp mane, a warm, unbothered smile spreading across her face.
“Oh, darling, don’t say that.”
Rarity walked over to Fluttershy and gently patted her shoulder, her tone as generous as ever.
“If my gems can be used to protect our lovely Ponyville and help all of its ponies, then that is their most brilliant, most honorable moment! You did the right thing. There’s absolutely no need to apologize.”
Hearing this, Fluttershy looked up gratefully.
Having listened to Fluttershy’s explanation and Rarity’s generous response, Applejack walked over to the guest room window.
She pulled back a corner of the curtain, looking down at the massive golem of stone and earth in the square below.
The figure was silently carrying heavy stone blocks to the town square, providing other Earth Ponies with building materials.
Its movements were slow but precise, radiating a reliable sense of strength.
“Whatever the case,” Applejack turned around and spoke sincerely and firmly to her thoughtful friends, “he really did us a huge favor. We owe him big time. Once this mess is over, the apple juice from Sweet Apple Acres is on the house, as much as he can drink!”
Her words were like a stone dropped into water—simple, yet carrying great weight.
Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement, recalling the delicious taste of the apple juice.
However, Applejack’s heartfelt gratitude hit Twilight Sparkle like a needle.
She hung her head, her lavender coat looking exceptionally dull under the dim lighting.
A profound sense of powerlessness wrapped around her.
Princess Celestia’s whereabouts were unknown, and she had likely been imprisoned by Nightmare Moon.
The terrifying Nightmare Moon had returned, bringing eternal night.
And she, as the Princess’s star pupil and the leader of this expedition, could do absolutely nothing.
She had charged into the forest with absolute confidence, only to come out without finding a single Element of Harmony.
They hadn’t even engaged Nightmare Moon in a real fight before being swept aside like dust, contemptuously blown away.
She had failed.
Utterly and completely.
She had failed the Princess’s trust, her friends’ trust, and her own.
This intense self-reproach shattered the confidence she had always held.
“But can we really resolve this disaster?”
Twilight Sparkle’s voice was filled with sorrow and self-blame.
“I… I messed everything up.”
Fluttershy noticed Twilight Sparkle’s low spirits.
She quickly walked to Twilight Sparkle’s side, pressing her warm body gently against her.
Because she hadn’t gone with them to challenge Nightmare Moon, she couldn’t fully feel the despair of facing failure firsthand.
However, this made her the calmest and most comforting presence in the room right now.
“No, Twilight Sparkle.”
Fluttershy’s voice was gentle, but it carried an unprecedented firmness.
This resolve came from having witnessed the “miracles” Ye Ziji performed with her own eyes.
“Ye Ziji will definitely have a way.” She looked into Twilight Sparkle’s eyes and spoke earnestly.
“He’s so incredible, he’s bound to have a solution. Tomorrow… tomorrow we can have a good talk with him. He’ll definitely think of a way to solve this.”
She gently patted Twilight Sparkle’s back with her wing, just as she had comforted Rainbow Dash earlier.
“So, why don’t you take a bath and get some sleep first?”
Fluttershy coaxed, “Only when we’re fully rested can we face tomorrow, right?”
Twilight Sparkle looked into Fluttershy’s sincere cyan eyes, then at the concerned faces of her other friends.
The distress in her heart seemed to melt away slightly under this warmth.
She nodded, finally standing up and walking toward the bathroom.
Maybe Fluttershy was right.
That mysterious Ye Ziji might actually have a way to resolve this disaster.
Since things had come to this, she might as well bathe first.