Fading Twilight

by Lynked

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Sad, Main 6, Nightmare Moon, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure
Length: 10443

Twilight and her friends face very serious trouble.

Twilight returns from a month long trip from Canterlot, and everypony knows something is up. But now that the two strongest ponies of the main six - and indeed, all of Ponyville are incapacitated by a horrible accident, its up to the rest to figure out what's going on. But they soon see that the situation is much more serious than anticipated. Can they get to the bottom of it without the two strongest ponies, especially with everypony on their tail?

Published 2012-02-24 01:14:03 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-26 22:04:58 UTC

Scolding Sun

"Spike?" Applejack knocked on the door again, "Open up." She was getting anxious. Nopony had seen Twilight for days; She and Rainbow dash, who stood next to her with the same worried expression, were both beginning to fear for their friend. Sure, she wasn't too...social, but that bookworm made it her duty to see her friends at least once every few days. But it was a week and a half, and neither Twilight nor Spike had been seen.

"Just open the door," Rainbow Dash bluntly suggested. Applejack gave her a serious glare.

"Now hang on there, if we don't get an answer, then we'll go in. But don't ya go bargin in there all rude like," she scolded in her thick country accent.

Rainbow dash huffed, pressing closer to the door. "But it's a library, that means its public. We can go in if we want."

Applejack put out a foreleg to stop her. "Rainbow, no," she put her hoof down. "Give'r a few minutes, she'll come around." The cyan pony looked away, flustered, but sat down with a purposefully audible thud. Applejack just shook her head, and turned back to the door. "Twi?" she called out.

"What if something serious happened to her?" Rainbow protested Applejack.

She did not want to think about it, but the longer they stood outside the door, the worse her worries grew. "She's alright, Rainbow. Twi's strong, she can handle herself," Applejack said, more to sooth her own fear than anything.

"Well what about Spike?" Rainbow picked up. "What if something happened to him?"

"I dunno Rainbow. But it's unlike Twilight to keep anypony this long," Applejack responded, uneasiness creeping into her voice.

Rainbow stood back up. "Then let's get in there!" she insisted, stronger this time. She puffed out her chest, and quickly walked up to the door. Applejack did not try to stop her this time, but instead just bit her lip and nodded. "Twilight," Rainbow said, turning from her friend to the door, "We're coming in!" With that warning, she grabbed the handle to the library, and gave it a sharp tug. It didn't budge. "It. Won't. Open," Rainbow said with strain as she vigorously yanked at the door.

"Move RD," Applejack ordered. Rainbow moved to the side, and she looked at the door. With a deep breath in, and a deeper one out, she said to the doorway: "Twilight, we're commin in one way or another." With her own warning out, she backed up, and got in a stance.

Rainbow intervened. "Whoa, hang on. Weren't you just saying not to go bursting in there?" she asked, backing away.

"Oh y'all hush," Applejack huffed, darting her eyes. She stomped her back hoof twice, making small plumes of dust as she prepared.

"Maybe she just doesn't want to be disturbed," Rainbow suggested, hoping to stop Applejack from bursting the hinges on the door. She was certainly strong enough to, and Rainbow knew it. And while she was normally the one to do something like this...it just didn't seem right, now. Something about the whole situation was making her uneasy.

"Quit bein so unlike yourself," Applejack said. "Now here I go!" She pushed her head forwards, and bolted at the door with full speed. Rainbow watched her fly to the library, and slam into the door harshly. Bewildered, she watched as, when Applejack crashed into the wooden door, a bright violet light erupted, and her friend shot through the air.

With wide eyes, Rainbow sprang into action. She flared her wings ferociously, and darted into the air after her friend. The wind gliding past her, she shouted, "I'm comin AJ!" She picked up her speed, getting to sonic rainboom speeds to catch her screaming friend. They were almost in the uppermost clouds when Rainbow finally got to her. She latched onto Applejack, who had fainted by now, and purposely failed the oncoming rainboom. She knew Applejack was going too fast for her to stop the ascent on her own, so she needed a bit of help. The barrier she had almost broken froze, and after an awkward moment, shot the two ponies back to Equestria.

Rainbow had lost control of her wings, and they began free falling. "I got ya," she promise, although she was panicking at an extreme level. Over her shoulder, and past her ruffled wings, she saw the ground fast approaching. This was going to hurt. A lot.

She closed her eyes, and gripped the fainted Applejack harder, hoping for the best. She could feel them gaining extreme speeds now as they neared the end of their flight. A burning sensation ripped up her back as she continued to speed up, and soon her mane felt like it was on fire. She knew the feeling.

Rarity and Fluttershy were leaving the spa with huge grins on their faces. "Oh Rarity, that was so relaxing," Fluttershy sighed, content.

"Oh wasn't it? What a marvelous way to spend the day," she smiled in bliss. The two good friends walked happily down the road, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. "I simply can not wait for our next trip here. It is just so..." she stopped and put her hoof under her chin, thinking of the right word. "Refreshing!" She exclaimed with a smile. She trotted back up to Fluttershy, and the two began their normal pace again.

Suddenly, a huge cracking sound reverberated just above them. They had heard this sound before. Rarity caught on first, and with wide eyes, watched a huge rainbow shockwave roll over Ponyville, cropping the top of the tallest houses. Both Rarity and Fluttershy, terrified, darted for cover as some roofing debris was flung their way. They ducked behind a food stall, and squealed as some shingles tore through the stall roof and barely missed their tails.

They stood, and watched in horror as the rainboom ripped through the rest of Ponyville, shredding the tops of many houses and businesses. Ponies were running around frantically, confused and chaotic. "Oh my," Fluttershy panted as she shook. She had was still in obvious shock. Rarity turned back to her, and gripped her tight.

"Are you okay Fluttershy dear?" Rarity asked, still panicked herself.

Fluttershy, breathing heavily, panted, "W-What happened?!"

Rarity's eyes flared. There was only one pony who was one: this careless, and two: that could pull off a rainboom. "Fluttershy, sweetie, we need to find Rainbow Dash."

Pinkie was almost at the scene. She hopped about, her eyes wide in awe. "That was all KABOOM and then the houses were all CRACK and FALL!" she hopped about, telling the frantic ponies as they whooshed past her. She was taking her time, despite the panic in the streets. She didn't honestly understand what it was all about, anyways; that was cool! She couldn't wait to see if Twilight had seen it! Besides, she hadn't seen Twilight in a while now; it would be awesome to catch up!

Grinning to herself, she bounced down the chaos-filled street, towards Twilight's library, which was just around the corner. She sprang over a bit of roofing and shingles, and turned. She stopped, and fell to her plot, her mouth hanging open. With eyes wider than the moon, she looked at the crater in front of the library that was emitting a rainbow-colored steam. It looked like a liquid cupcake. Just the thought of it sent her to her hooves, bouncing down the street again. A massive crowd of ponies were forming around the crater, but with ease, Pinkie pushed through them to the hot hole in the ground.

But her face was of horror in only a moment. "Rainbow Dash, Applejack!" she exclaimed when she saw her two close friends cringing at the bottom of the crater. She immediately hopped down the rainbow splattered walls, to the two unconscious ponies. "Hold still, I'll help!" the surprised pink pony said to the two limp figures. She looked down with a much different look than her previous joyous one. Applejack was clutched in Rainbow's arms, and both of them were steaming with the rainbow diluted steam, like the crater. Carefully, she nudged Rainbow, whom of course did not return the gesture. Pinkie had gone from happy to deathly scared in moments.

"Oh my! Whatever is this?!" Pinkie heard from over her shoulder. She knew who it was, but she did not turn to them. Her mane fell flat, deflated like a dead balloon, and she slouched over. "Pinkie, what happened?" the same voice cried out.

Soon at her shoulder, Rarity put her hoof. On the other, Fluttershy rested. "Oh my goodness..." Fluttershy squeaked in terror. "Applejack...Rainbow Dash..." she chocked, her eyes full with tears.

Rarity, shaking, leaned in to the two mares, and pressed her ear to each of their chests, waiting, hoping. She stayed there for at least a minute, but, in the new silence that surrounded the crater, she whimpered and pulled away.

"I...I don't know what to say..." she whispered weakly to her friends. "I...I thought I heard something...but I don't know..."

The trio sat in silence, none of them knowing just what to make of this situation. Even the crowding ponies, who were initially burning with rage, just stared with blank looks. This was a shock to even the hardest of ponies.

"Do...Do you think they're..." Fluttershy gulped, trying to restrain her tears.

"I most certainly hope not..." Rarity muttered, looking away from everypony.

Pinkie leaned in. "They...They better not be," the normally cheery pony whimpered.

Another awful silence fell upon everypony. A rainbow - normally a happy, cheerful thing to see - quite possibly killed two ponies... Everypony looked around for some condoling looks as the trio of ponies in the crater mourned, but none got it.

A voice suddenly broke the crowd. "Alright! Move!" a voice shouted. Over her shoulder, Rarity saw it was the doctor who had helped Rainbow when she had a similar incident. He was accompanied by Nurse Redheart, and a few other medical assistance that were unfamiliar. The group quickly jumped into the crater, and demanded an explanation. The doctor, after barking to his crew to get the ponies to the hospital, turned to the three ponies. "Did you see what happened?" he said shakily.

The three of them just shook their heads. "Doctor?" a scared Rarity asked, "Is...I mean, do you think they'll be fine?"

The doctor gave her a sharp look, but softened when he saw the look of dismay that they each had. He sighed. "It's too early to tell. We just got here," He told them. "Come to the hospital when you can, in a day or two. I'll tell you what happened then. But now, I really need to get going." He nodded to them, and trotted off as fast as he could, chasing after his frantic medical team.

The three of them looked at each other as the crowd dispersed. "What...What happened?" Pinkie muttered.

"I don't know dear," Rarity told both of them. She seemed to have the clearest head right now. "We'll find out in a few days."

"But..." Fluttershy whispered, "What if they are actually-"

"Fluttershy, those two are the most athletic, hard headed ponies I've ever seen. They'll be fine," she reassured. Yet in the back of her mind... No, she shook the thought out. She had a great day, and a little flicker of happiness burned in her heart. Maybe she could get it back in Pinkie; then, they would all be smiling. "C'mon girls," she said, "We should go to my boutique. You can all stay with me tonight, if you wish." Her eyes were beaming hope that they would. She was ready for any comfort she could get.

"Wait," Fluttershy protested. "What about... I mean, where is Twilight?" Rarity's ears, as well as Pinkies, perked up, and the three of them looked up at the library, which stood silent and undamaged by the catastrophe that had occurred before it. Of course, as stated that was not the most awry thing about this. Twilight had not come out, despite the large destruction that had just occured.

"I'm not sure," Rarity squinted, turning from the library. "We should get her out here. I have no idea how that anti social pony could ignore this, but how unladylike to leave this untouched in such a manor!" Anger was beginning to flare in her tone. Keeping her prose, she furiously climbed out of the crater, and got up to Twilight's door. When she had her breath back, she yelled into the door, "Twilight, I have no clue what you are doing in there, but be civil and get out here! You're friends are hurt!"

She got nothing. "Twilight!" she steamed. She began furiously knocking on the door, harder and harder each time. Each hit echoed through the door, and it soon began glowing dimly. She hit it harder this time, and it glowed a deep, vibrant purple. She instantly pulled back a hoof, but it was too late. The door blasted her with a pulse of magic, and sent her limply into the crater.

"Rarity!" Fluttershy cried, rushing to her. She was in full tears now.

"I'm quite alright dear, though I hurt a bit..." she said, trying to stand. Pinkie too was tearing up again as she extended a hoof to Rarity, who gladly accepted it. "Thank you," she coughed to Pinkie as she stabled out.

"What happened?" Pinkie quietly asked.

Rarity rubbed her aching head. "I...I'm not sure. I slammed down on the door, and it shot me back," she explained. Fluttershy and Pinkie passed a glance, then looked back at Rarity. "Girls, can we please be going? My head..." She stumbled left, then right, only staying up because her two friends - the only two available now - supported her on both sides.

"Can we still stay at you're place?" Fluttershy quietly questioned, her tears retracting. Rarity gave a small, genuine smile, despite the stabbing pains in her head.

"Of course dear. I'd love it if you would stay. Will you stay, Pinkie?" she asked, looking down at her flat friend. Her vision was a bit blurred, but she could see a small smile. "Then it's settled. We'll - gah, my head is killing me. Please, let's be off." Fluttershy nodded, and Pinkie sighed.

At the Boutique, Rarity watched the sun set. She, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were all solemnly enjoying a delicious meal that Fluttershy had been so kind to make. Pinkie's mane had puffed back to its original frothy texture, but her mood was still anything but light. Fluttershy, the chef of the wonderful egg dinner they were all so quietly eating, seemed to be sectioned off from her and Pinkie. She had hardly said a word since they had arrived. In fact, just about the only thing she had done was cook their dinner and sit.

Rarity, as she stared at the sunset, knew that on the inside she was faring no better. The events today had torn her to shreds. And, the fact that Twilight was nowhere made matters worse. When she had gotten home, she cried, partly from fear that two of her greatest friends were gone, and partly from stress and anxiety over Twilight's seclusion.

"What," Rarity asked, turning from her kitchen window, "Do you both make of this? I just can't find the sense in it at all. I mean..." She looked to see if she had the other's attention. Both of them were staring at her intently. "Why did Rainbow Dash do a sonic rainboom this close to the ground, and why did she launch herself down. On top of that, why in all of Equestria was she holding Applejack? And where was Twilight? And what was with her dreary door?" Rarity gave them quizzical looks.

"I dunno," Pinkie said. "I haven't seen Twilight all week." Her usual tone was beginning to resurface, but Rarity could tell that it would take a while for it to really come back. "And all I know about the rainboom was that it was Rainbow Dash. I was at Sugarcube Corner when it happened. Then...I got to the hole..." Pinkie looked away, her progress towards happiness stunted.

"I see. What about you, Fluttershy? What do you think?" Rarity turned her attention, actually enjoying the words being exchanged. They were the first that were said in a few hours.

But, Fluttershy obviously did not feel much like talking. "I..." she squeezed out.

Rarity picked up on her troubles. "It's perfectly alright if you don't want to talk dear," she comforted her sensitive friend. Fluttershy blushed, and looked away, almost in shame.

"I still don't understand though," Pinkie sighed. "Twilight loves us. Why would she lock herself away? What if...What if she just wasn't home?" Pinkie was apparently trying to give herself a bit of closure.

Unfortunately for her, Rarity did not provide such. "No, darling, she's home. I clearly recall her sending me a letter saying such," she explained. Things tend to stick in one's mind when their mane is crisped by sudden green flames.

"Do...Do you still have it?" Fluttershy said, almost whispering.

"I do as a matter of fact," she replied. Standing, the weary unicorn walked over to her fridge, and levitated a small scroll from it. The magnet hanging the scroll fell to the ground, but she was not bothered by it for now. She returned to her seat at the kitchen table, and fell to her chair almost by accident. But, when she managed to sit back up, she set the scroll down and took another bite of the perfectly poached egg.

After she swallowed, she levitated the note again, and unraveled it for the second time. "Alright girls, it's short, but not sweet," she said. Gulping to get the taste of her egg bite from her mouth, she began reading.

My dear friend Rarity,
I regret that I cannot join you for tea this afternoon. I appreciate your kind offer, but my trip to Canterlot has exhausted me, and I am afraid that I do not have the energy for the get together. Perhaps a later time. However, Spike and I must return to the library for now.

I look forward to the next opportunity to meet.

Sincerely, Twilight.

Rarity looked up when she finished. The two ponies across the table had rather different looks.

"That was pretty...formal, even for Twilight," Pinkie observed. Rarity nodded in agreement.

"The strangest thing is, at least, I find it to be, is that I asked Twilight in person at the train station. I don't understand why a note was necessary," Rarity commented with a confused face. She had turned from the table, and was staring down at the floor.

"Wait...You saw Twilight?" Fluttershy quietly peeped.

Rarity looked up, then at her. "Yes, I did. I was there to greet her at the station, as I just said. Why?"

"D-Did you notice anything weird with her?" Fluttershy shyly asked.

Rarity pondered the question. "Why, now that I think about it, yes, I did. She seemed tired. But she didn't seem sleepy, just...tired. She looked a bit ill as well," Rarity remembered. She leaned in and took another bite from her dinner.

"So maybe she's just sick," Pinkie reasoned.

Rarity thought about it, then looked at Fluttershy, a question in her eyes. "Y-Yes?" the mare squeaked.

"You tend to sick creatures dear, so perhaps you have a clue? Do you think that Twilight is sick?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy blushed and looked away to think. "I-I don't know."

"Well she certainly seemed ill. However, she was not coughing or sneezing, so I still am not sure," Rarity sighed. She shook her head, and turned to the floor once more.

"Besides," Pinkie said, logic taking her for a rare moment," That wouldn't explain what was wrong with her door."

Rarity closed her eyes to think. "This is true," she said, resigning herself to the fact that she simply had no more to say.

After ending on that odd note, the three mares stayed silent, none of them even simply taking bites from their food. The room, like their food, soon grew cold. Rarity turned back out the window to watch the last of the sun disappear from the horizon, and give way to the starry night. One star, then another, and soon clusters of them appeared high in the sky as the twilight hour ended. The moon began to crest the horizon, and fatigue was beginning to take its toll.

After more than an hour of silence and still, Rarity turned back to the two ponies, who were also watching the night rise. "Girls, it's getting late. What say we get some sleep?" she tiredly suggested. "We can get to the hospital in the morning, and see if Rainbow and Applejack are alright. But for now...let's...let's just get some sleep."

The two ponies nodded to her. "I'm afraid I don't have a spare bedroom available," Rarity said, a vivid image of her fabric room flashing through her mind. "But, if no one else minds, my bed should easily suit three," she said, standing to take care of the dishes. The other ponies blushed, but it looked like they were alright with it. At least, Rarity took their silence that way.

She levitated the plates to the trash, and one by one cleared them off, scraping their contents down into the can. She then dropped them into the sink, and took the silverware and glasses from the table and did the same. She would wash them in the morning; for now, she just wanted rest. And by the looks of the other two worn down ponies, they had the same thing in mind. They waited patiently at the entrance of her kitchen for her to finish, and when she did, she walked to them and addressed them. "Follow me, my house is a mess. I had quite the order going."

And a mess it was. In the dark, as they made their way to her room, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and even Rarity were kicking balls of fabric, and tripping on various tools, stencils, and rulers that were strewn across the place. But they made it to her room soon enough, and followed to her bed, tired, worried.

Rarity shut the door behind Fluttershy, and let her two friends take their place on the bed. She slowly trotted to them, and with effort, climbed on the bed herself. The adjustments were very awkward, and there was much kicking and squirming between the three of them. But when they did eventually settle in with each other, things weren't so bad. And it was apparent that the level of comfort had risen incredulously. With her magic, Rarity pulled the blankets and sheets over the three ponies, and enshrouded them in warmth.

But none of them slept well that night, despite the increased comfort, and the blankets warmth. Rarity was the only one to get more than three hours, but it was more because of her head than anything else. Pinkie and Fluttershy, however, stayed awake, holding each other for any comfort they could.

At the hospital, Rarity and the other two stood at the reception desk, impatiently waiting for the receptionist pony to reappear from behind the door. Pinkie was tapping her hoof impatiently, signs of intense worry looming over her. Fluttershy was sitting, too worried to stand; she had actually almost fainted when she came in. Rarity, the only one to get enough sleep, kept watching the door, waiting, hoping yet again.

The receptionist today had a volunteer badge, which worried her greatly. She wondered if they needed a volunteer because most of the medical staff was fighting to save her friends. The normally well composed pony was breaking into a cold, nervous sweat.

The door to the main hospital swung open, and the blue volunteer pony came out, an apologetic look on her face. As she approached, the three hopeful ponies sprung up and raced to her. But, she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she told them, "But you cannot see your friends." The three ponies' hoping expressions gave way to ones of frustration and disappointment. "But," the receptionist said with a half-faked smile," I have some news that might cheer you up a bit."

Pinkie acted fast. She charged the pony, gripping her shoulders, demanding that she tell her. The blue pony was shaken, and could not talk. "Pinkie," Rarity scolded, anxious to hear what the pony had to say. "Stop that this instant."

Pinkie looked back and blushed. She dropped from the receptionist. "I'm sorry," Rarity apologized for Pinkie, "Please, continue."

"Well," she said, disgruntled, "You're friend Applejack is alright, and you should be able to see her tomorrow. But, um..." She looked away.

"Yes?" Rarity inquired.

The blue pony gave her another, more sincere apologetic look. "The doctors say that your friend Rainbow Dash is on the edge. They don't know if she's going to make it." The three of them gasped in horror, but she did not end there. "And, um, they said that even if she did, by some streak of luck, survive, she won't-" She stopped, and took in a deep breath. "She won't ever fly again. Her wing's are completely shattered." The ponies said nothing, but just looked at each other in disarray. "I'm sorry," the receptionist said, afraid she had told them something they should have not heard.

"No no, it's fine..." Rarity's voice trailed off. Rainbow Dash was a pain at times, and had blown plenty of holes in her Boutique, but she still cared deeply for that reckless pony... That was it, she had made up her mind. Twilight was going to explain this. "Girls," she said in a newfound assertive tone, "Let's go, and keep up." She turned to the door, and trotted to it with purpose in her stride.

"Um, Rarity? Where are we going?" Fluttershy asked as she slowly followed.

"We are going to get Twilight out of her hole," she said with force.

Pinkie followed the rear. "Are you sure we should try again?"

Rarity nodded, of ignorance more than anything. "Positive. We must figure out what is going on! I refuse to sit idly by while Twilight secludes herself, and two of our friends are hospitalized, one of which might not make it to tomorrow!" She was breathing heavily and angrily now, losing her ladylike prose for a moment. But, like a true lady, she refused to let such barbaric emotions get the best of her. "I apologize. Still, we ought to be going. Please, just let's go." She sighed, and left the hospital. Behind her, she could hear them following.

The three of them stopped at Sugarcube Corner, at Pinkie's whim. It was close to the library; close enough that it was but a minutes trip away. But though Pinkie denied it, both Fluttershy and Rarity seemed to agree that she just wanted to buy some time. Not that they blamed her, of course; Rarity admitted to herself that she wasn't ready to fully confront Twilight either. It had not even been a full day after her friend's lives were jeopardized, and with one still hanging in the balance, it was needless to say that they were all a bit moody.

So perhaps it was a good thing that the three of them stopped in Sugarcube Corner; a sugary treat always lightened up the mood. Pinkie had sat them down at a table near the front counter, and gone back to retrieve a cupcake for each of them. After just looking at the three little ponies, the Cakes hadn't said anything to stop them. They all looked sick to the core, and tired as well as flatly grim.

Pinkie returned with a silver tray that glistened in the intruding sunlight of the morning. It was only ten o'clock, much too early for Rarity to have one of these sweet treats normally, but today was an odd exception. Now, as Pinkie put the tray down on the table and took her seat, Rarity gladly took the sugar-on-sugar pastry with a polite 'Thank You'. Unbelievably eager for herself, she took large bites from the cupcake, and let her inner lady drop for a little while. Icing got on her nose, and she was making crumbs, but she didn't care; she was stressed.

Across from her, she found that her friends were no different. Pinkie, as usual, was devouring the cupcake with vigor; that was actually a welcome sign to her. It meant Pinkie was feeling better. But Fluttershy, who tended to have the same grace as Rarity, was actually devouring the treat just as Rarity. She giggled to herself - a pleasant break from the recent eighteen hours of grimness - and continued to munch.

An hour rolled on, and the three were beginning to converse again. "Do you guys think that Rainbow's gonna make it?" Pinkie asked.

Rarity had a grim smile. "We can only hope. But...We won't know for a while I suppose. And she won't be able to fly..." Rarity looked down at the tray, where the majority of the crumbs fell.

Fluttershy chimed in her silent thoughts. "Oh, that poor pony...Flying is what made her life worth living."

"Fluttershy has a sad point, you know. Even if Dash does make it, who's to say she'll want to keep going with no wings? Wasn't her life goal to join the Wonderbolts?" Rarity sadly sighed.

"I...I don't know what to do about her," Pinkie said. "I really care for her...but life is only fun if you can smile." She smiled sadly to nopony in particular.

"I think," Rarity said, "That she'll go on. She's strong..."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well what about AJ?" Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy looked at her. "Well...at least she's alright. That's a good sign," she said, half full of hope, half empty.

Rarity sighed. "Well, in either case, we ought to get going. Twilight will have the answers we-" She was cut off by the sound of marching outside.

The three ponies all looked at each other, then to the windows. Simultaneously, they stood, and galloped to the large, clear windows. It was hard to see, thanks to the sun, but they found a spectacle like no other. A small battalion of Canterlot guards marched in a block down the street. Ponies were gathering again to watch this new event, one of the many happening more frequently.

Fluttershy and Pinkie continued looking, but Rarity felt a gash of pain rip through her mind. "Agh!" she screamed as she fell on her side, holding her head. She cringed from the mental pain.

"Rarity!" Fluttershy exclaimed, grabbing Pinkie's attention as well. They both got down to Rarity, and began nudging her, trying to get her back to her hooves. It wasn't a chore; the pain was gone as fast as it had come. She got back to her hooves in no time, feeling normal again.

"Ack, thank you girls," she said as she looked back out the window to see the guard lines breaking around the corner. The corner that led to... the library. She snapped out of her daze, to her friends who were bombarding her with 'are you okay?' "Girls, those guards are going to the library," Rarity said, worried more now than ever before. She was beginning to realize the magnitude of the situation.

Both Fluttershy and Pinkie looked out at the battalion, which was now gone behind the corner. A new battalion - this one of bewildered ponies - followed. They looked back to Rarity, and nodded seriously.

Outside, the sun greeted them with a warmth that felt...wrong. They looked around, and galloped to the corner. But a huge, overbearing shadow crossed over them. It startled them for a moment, and when they looked up, they saw Luna, clad as Nightmare Moon, flying over head, rounding the corner as the guards did. If it wasn't serious enough, royalty just got involved.

That was it for the three ponies. They galloped at full speed to the corner, and rounded it just as Pinkie had done the previous day, and found a different, equally shocking sight in front of the crater and the library. Past the crowds of ponies that were being pushed back by very serious guards, the three of them could see the battalion surrounding the library.

Luna, atop a still shattered roof, yelled out to them, "Do not touch the door!"

Rarity's eyes grew to saucers as worry struck her. "Let's go," she heard Pinkie take the lead. The pink pony charged ahead, and Rarity and Fluttershy followed.

In the crowd, they were separated, but Rarity still pushed in as far as she could, before a guard impeded her progress. She smiled wearily at him, and backed up as she knew he wanted her to.

Her attention was soon stolen by Princess Luna again. "Lock down the streets! No one gets anywhere near that library!"

She turned back to the guard, who's look had gotten even more serious. He stepped forward with a grunt, and that section of the crowd moved back in the chaotic harmony.

When the guards stopped pushing her back, Rarity had to struggle to get a clear look. She could see the guards scrambling behind the one in front of her, frantically obeying orders from several different commanders, all of whom were bickering amongst themselves.

She looked back up at Luna. Surely the princess would be able to explain this all. But she needed to get her attention, no matter how reluctant she was. "Luna! Princess Luna, please!" she cried to the princess. It was apparent that she could not hear her.

So, she decided to try a different approach. "Quick, ladylike thinking, Rarity," she muttered to herself. Her eyes paced, but her mind had made its decision already. She bent down, and let her magic surge through her body, and manifest into her horn. It glowed bright, and soon, was shooting sparks. It wore her out though, and soon she had to quit and face a rather unpleased guard.

But she had successfully gotten the Princess's attention. Luna was looking directly at her, squinting, seeming to think for a second. Then, to Rarity's surprise, Princess Luna's eyes shot open, glaring an angry look. "Right there!" she shouted, and pointed to Rarity. "That's one of them! Arrest her!"

Ripple

Rarity's eyes flared through the crowd as she backed away as fast as she could. But then she heard something, something that actually made things worse, despite being a relief. It was Pinkie! "No! Lemme go, you big meanies!" her friend cried out. Rarity turned to the scene, and watched helplessly as Pinkie was dragged to the fore of the crowd by two bulky guards. They tossed her in front of Luna, who was hovering to the ground.

The black mare landed, and closely inspected Pinkie, who was cowering close to the ground. Rarity didn't want to watch, but her eyes were glued, horror for her friend encompassing her. "Yes," Nightmare Moon hissed, her words stinging Rarity's core, "You are one of them. Tell me little pink one, where are the rest?" She lowered her head down to Pinkie.

"I-I don't understand," she whimpered, her hair deflating again.

Rarity watched her friend being harassed by the princess. "Where are you other little friends?!" The Princess stammered.

"I...I," she said, terrified. Rarity bit her lip, very uncomfortable letting this happened.

From behind her, she felt a hoof on her, and she jumped. "Oh my, I'm sorry Rarity," Fluttershy blushed.

She sighed in relief. "Ah, Fluttershy, I'm so glad to see you're alright," Rarity said sincerely.

"Rarity what's happening?" Fluttershy squeaked.

She opened her lips to suggest something, but was cut off by Luna demanding answers. "I don't know," she finally told her scared friend. "But I think we need to go, sweetie." The rocking motion she swayed showed how her nerves were breaking.

Fluttershy, nervous as well, looked back at Pinkie. "We can't just leave her..." she bit her lip.

"I don't want to either, but I really must implore you to just come along," Rarity pleaded as she broke into a scared sweat.

"But-"

Rarity harshly cut her off. "Fluttershy, we are leaving," she commanded. Fluttershy just squeaked and backed down. She took the lead, and Fluttershy, despite her fears for Pinkie, followed. They pushed their way through an unrelenting crowd of ever gathering ponies, bashing and apologizing over and over again.

"That was absolutely dreadful," Rarity remarked when she was finally spat from the crowd.

Fluttershy was flung out behind her onto her face. Rarity helped her up the best she could, and quickly she galloped off. "Come, quickly dear!" she said harshly behind her shoulder to the struggling Fluttershy. She could see a small cut on the yellow pony's face, but surely that wouldn't slow her. Rarity turned back to the street ahead, and quickly receded into Sugarcube Corner. She burst quickly through the doors, tripping and crashing into a row of tables.

Fluttershy swooped in behind her, and landed next to the wreck. "Oh my gosh!" she quietly exclaimed. She bent down and nuzzled Rarity, who gladly took the guesture.

"That hurt," she coughed. But, a lady does not lay down when she can not! She stood to her hooves, stumbling for a second, no more. Fluttershy helped her still, and she leaned on her friend for comfort more than anything. She was honestly terrified at the recent happenings, and now that Pinkie was arrested, the comfort of a good friend was a merciful blessing from Celestia herself.

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy gave her friend a serious look. Rarity returned a small, grim smile.

"Of course," She said in a rough voice. She nudged Fluttershy under her chin. "Thank you though."

"Oh, um, it's no problem," Fluttershy blushed, fear still on her face. Rarity looked away. "What do we do now?"

"I'm not sure," Rarity admitted. "But we surely can't do a thing until those guards leave, or we can get out of here without being seen."

Fluttershy winced. "What's happening? I'm...scared." She was whispering now.

Her bashful pony friend snuggled up to Rarity. "Let's just think for a second," She said, returning the much needed embrace. "But not here. Where are the cakes?" She asked nopony.

"We're right here dear," Mrs. Cake came out of the kitchen.

Rarity sighed in brief relief. "Ah Mrs. Cake, I know it would be such an imposition to ask, but would you mind if Fluttershy and I rested upstairs for a while?"

Mrs. Cake gave them a strange look. "Well of course you can, sweetie," she said. But she continued, to Rarity's annoyed uncomforted. "Um, If ya don't mind me askin, where's Pinkie? Wasn't she with ya?" The look on her face showed that she was growing nervous.

"Oh, she, uh, had to go do something with, um, somepony," Rarity gracefully lied. She put on a big smile, and awkwardly glanced around the room.

Fluttershy got next to her. "Rarity-" she was cut off when Rarity gave her a slight kick in the plot. Her face burned crimson, though she hushed and looked away.

Mrs. Cake pulled her bottom lip down in an odd facial expression. "Yes, thank you for the rooms, we really ought to get up there."

"Of course," the baker nodded. "It was just...well, I don't know what to make of the guards. And then you crashed in here I see... I'm nervous about that candybrain."

"I'm sure she's in... good hooves..." Rarity chocked.

Mrs. Cake sighed, and let her shoulders slump. "Well, if you think so..."

Rarity kicked Fluttershy again. The frustrated pegasus blushed and looked up. "Um, yep. She's good."

With a smile, Rarity wrapped a foreleg over her friends shoulder, and gave her a tug. "We really need to rest for a bit, sorry," she said.

"Oh, it's okay," Mrs. Cakes said. She seemed to know something was wrong. Rarity, to avoid any more awkward moments, smiled a huge, nervous smile, and darted up the stairs, Fluttershy forcefully following her. She kept up - probably because Rarity was using her magic to tug on her ear - and they both curved into Pinkie's room, the door slamming itself behind them.

More harshly than she had wanted to, Rarity slung Fluttershy onto Pinkie's bed. She tripped over herself, and the pegasus slammed into the wall. "Ow..." she muttered.

"I'm terribly sorry dear!" Rarity exclaimed, "I just...I'm so stressed!"

"It's..." she coughed. "Alright."

Rarity sighed, and sat on Pinkies bed, next to her fumbling friend. "It's just...Well actually, that's it. It's just us now."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, pushing herself to her hooves.

Rarity sighed. "That's obvious, dear. Rainbow and Applejack are in the hospital... Poor Pinkie was just arrested by Luna, and Twilight is being hunted by the law." Rarity's eyes shot open wide. "Fluttershy, do you think Applejack is being hunted as well? What if they get to her in the hospital?"

Fluttershy shuddered. "I-I don't know. But we can't do anything about them, c-can we?" she asked.

Rarity looked at her friend, a very serious look to reflect her tone. "I think that if we can move her, we should. Applejack, I mean," she gulped.

"What? Where?" Fluttershy demanded.

Rarity thought for a moment, her chin resting on her hoof. "We could bring her to... eck, Zecora's place," she said, gagging at the thought.

"That's pretty far away," Fluttershy commented.

Rarity shook her head. "Then... I don't know! But I do know that if we leave her there, she'll be found."

"Well, Rarity," Fluttershy said quietly, "How do we know that they're looking for her too?"

"Darling, didn't you hear Luna? She yelled 'one of them'," Rarity imitated the intimidating princess. "I have no doubt in my mind that she wants us all. This is undoubtedly Twilights fault. If that hermit pony would come out already!"

"Rarity, please," Fluttershy cooed, trying to calm her increasingly angry friend down.

Luckily, the coddling worked. Rarity took in a deep breath, and sank down. "You understand?" she sighed. Fluttershy nodded. "Good. We need to get going as soon as we can. Oh, but not now... the guards are looking for us, surely. Mmmm, but we can't wait for too long, or we might not get a chance..." She began shaking.

"Rarity, the guards just got here. Maybe they don't know," Fluttershy suggested in a sweet voice.

The element of generosity bit her lip. "But...even despite her situation, Pinkie is quite the blabbermouth..."

Fluttershy looked down; this was, unfortunately, true. "Then...We really do have to move Applejack." She got a nod from Rarity. "But when, and to where?" she asked, back to square one.

Rarity thought for a moment. "Aha!" she said, her face lightening form a moment. "We could, we should take her to your cottage!"

"M-My cottage?" Fluttershy repeated. "But Rarity, won't they be looking for me there?"

Rarity was smiling now. "Of course they will! But, when they leave, we can sneak in, and hide in your attic! It's not perfect, but I know how clean you keep your place, so it ought to be fine!" Rarity exclaimed, proud of her reasoning. "And it's next to the forest, so we can run if we absolutely have to."

"I don't think-"

"Fluttershy dear, we haven't much time, and I don't feel like getting arrested," She said flatly.

Fluttershy seemed to be finding any reason to protest. "But what about Rainbow Dash?" she asked. "We can't just leave her there. And my cottage is too far away."

"Listen dear, Rainbow will have to stay in the hospital. But, we can probably get Applejack out, and that'll have to do," she bitterly explained. There was a nervous air about her, and it was only growing.

"But-"

"We're leaving in an hour, and that's final!" she stunted Fluttershy. The pegasus blushed and looked away, scolded. "I'm sorry dear, but we both know that Applejack is in danger. You'd go to the Everfree forest to save one of your animal friends, but won't go to the hospital to save your close, pony friend?"

"I-I never said that," she said in her timid defense.

"I know darling, I'm just running on my last nerve. I don't mean to be so...brutish," she sighed.

Fluttershy mimicked her sigh. "It's okay. When are we leaving again?" she asked.

"In about an hour. We'll need to think up a plan. How are we getting her out?" she asked, progress stunted.

"W-Well Twilight taught you the teleporting spell, right?" Fluttershy asked.

Rarity nodded. "Yes, but I don't know if it'll work on three ponies. It hardly works for me," she explained.

"I can carry Applejack down, if there's a window, that is," the pegasus said shyly.

Rarity's face lit up. "That's a great idea!"

"Oh, really?" Fluttershy asked, delighted that Rarity thought as such.

"Of course! It's perfect. Well, almost, but it'll have to do," she said. Fluttershy just smiled and nodded, letting silence befall the room. Now that the plan was laid out, they had nothing to do but wait.

They could talk, but Rarity found that she just wasn't in the mood. From the looks of the blank Fluttershy, neither was she. So the unicorn sighed, and reclined on Pinkie's soft bed, wondering what fate she had left her friend to. She was ashamed of herself; how uncouth to let her friend be dragged away in such a barbaric manner. What was Luna doing, anyways? And what sort of trouble had Twilight gotten herself into now?

Fluttershy fell back beside her with a small thud. Rarity hardly paid any mind as she stared up at Pinkie's clock. The odd picture of the pink pony pointing the time sent a strange chill up her spine. But, then again, Pinkie tended to have that affect. Even still, she could see that thirty minutes was a minute amount of time, passing in what felt like seconds.

It helped, of course, that Rarity's thoughts were abuzz. She couldn't help but wonder if it had been right to leave Pinkie in the hopes of solving this. Perhaps she should've stayed. At least then Pinkie wouldn't be alone in whatever dungeon she was taken to. The troubled unicorn sighed, feeling almost like a monster. This was going to turn out to be a real test for her, she could tell.

"Fluttershy, dear," she said nervously. "Do you think we should have helped Pinkie?"

Fluttershy looked over to her. "I-I don't know what we should've done. Everything happened so fast."

"Yes, it did." She paused to let out a deep breath. "But I can't help but wonder if we did the right thing. I mean, when I think about it, we just traded one friend for another. Pinkie for Applejack." It was strange, now that she thought about it. At least Pinkie combed her mane every once and a while. She managed a small chuckle.

Fluttershy laid back again. "I...I don't want to think about it."

"Me either, dear," she agreed. "But, I have a new question for you. Why was Princess Luna there? And why was she Nightmare Moon? I'm simply saying that because it's midday. It makes no sense."

"Oh, you're right," Fluttershy insisted. "Strange. None of this makes any sense."

"Indeed. I cannot possibly see how any of this is related," she huffed.

Fluttershy just sighed in silent resolve, and the two ponies ended their conversation there. But, alas, the tension did not.
***

"I need to see her," Rarity insisted to the volunteer whom she had met earlier today.

"I'm sorry," the blue pony said, "But you can't, and that's that."

Rarity looked offended by the snarky attitude. "Don't you talk to me like that! I am a lady, and will be treated as such."

The volunteer shot an annoyed stare. "Well look lady, I don't care. You aren't getting in till tomorrow, and that's that."

"Um, Rarity," Fluttershy said quietly from behind.

She shooed her friend. "Not now dear. You," she said, turning back to the receptionist, "don't understand how important this is."

"Rarity, this is-"

"Fluttershy, please," she hushed her. "Now let us in.

"Rarity look!" the pegasus finally grabbed her attention with the harsh tone and a kick in the side.

Coughing, Rarity turned around, enraged. "Fluttershy, I am trying to- oh my," she silenced herself when she noticed the two guards that were approaching the door.

Quickly, she turned back to the receptionist, who was obviously still annoyed. Rarity didn't want to do this...but she didn't really have a choice. "I'll give you one-hundred bits from my good name to let us in." She cringed at losing her well earned money. Element of Generosity, yes, but she was still a savvy business pony, and had to make a living.

The look of the receptionist quickly changed, however. "Hmmm," she said, glinting a smile that Rarity had seen on many customers face's before.

She slumped and sighed. "Fine, one-hundred fifty, just please hurry," she said, hopping from one leg to another in nervousness. The receptionist still had that look in her eyes, though. "Ugh, fine, two-hundred, just please!" she pushed.

"Alright. I'll let you in," she smiled, pleased. She got from behind her desk, and led the two sweating ponies to the entrance of the main hospital. "Just be respectful of silence. A lot of ponies are trying to rest," she warned. "You're friend is in room four-G."

She stood by as they trotted past. "Oh," Rarity said, turning back around. She was about to make an important move that she could feel in the pit of her coin purse. "And eighty more bits to keep the guards busy."

The smile on the receptionist grew, and she eagerly nodded her head. With a very sincere, if not annoyed thank you, Rarity turned to face Fluttershy.

"That was a lot of money," the pegasus said.

"I know dear, but it's for the best of things," Rarity explained as she galloped past, her beautifully styled mane flowing free behind her.

Looking back, she saw that Fluttershy was using her wings to keep up. She turned up a flight of stairs, whirling past a few doctors. She could hear her follower apologizing, but she simply had no time for it. Left, up more stairs she galloped paste nurses and doctors alike, all of which harshly telling her to quit running.

Rarity, thanks to her ignorance of the doctors warnings, was on floor four in no time. She burst through a pair of metal swinging doors, and hooked left down a white, utilitarian hall. It was a bright, awful color, but Rarity pushed fashion to the back of her mind, and ran on.

"Four C, four D, four E, F, G! Aha!" she excalimed. At Applejack's door, she stopped and panted. Her mane was only messed up a bit, but she was sweating profoundly. She hadn't stopped for a breather though; she was simply waiting for Fluttershy, and the mob of angry doctors that were probably following her.

Around the same corner, the pegasus came out, and sprinted the last stretch. "Come on darling, we don't have a moment to spare!" she told her friend, who was panting.

"I... I'm coming," she huffed for air.

Hoof after hoof, the sweating pegasus neared Rarity. But she did not have the luxury of a break, as Rarity had, for right when she was at the door, the fashion pony threw it open with magic. Bucking was too... uncivil.

"Applejack, we're here to get you- ah! Ewww..." she sneered at the sight. Applejack was laying on a hospital bed, sleeping soundly, but her body had seen better days. All four of her legs were bandaged and casted, and her stomach held a very deep red bandage. Her mane was rainbow now, but her tail was gone completely, a small stitch mark on her plot. But the part that made Rarity heave was the obvious lack of bladder control the pony had.

"Ahem," she said, trying to regain her poise as best she could. "Applejack, er, sweetie, wake up."

Slowly, the pony came to. "Wha... what're..." her early morning ramblings were that of anypony who had just woken up. Quickly, she grew aware. "Oh, Rarity, Fluttershy..." she smiled, red as the apples she farmed. "I, uh, the mess..." she looked away, blushing deep and hard.

"Oh, no, it's okay Applejack," Fluttershy blushed harder, looking up from the display. Applejack's eyes were normal, thankfully, so that was where she and Rarity both were focusing their attention.

"She's right," Rarity assured the still cherry Applejack. "Besides, we have more to worry about than something small like this."

"Y'all look worn out," the country pony observed. "What's th' matter?"

"There are guards coming for you," Fluttershy said quietly.

Rarity batted her eye. "Fluttershy, we we're going to be more subtle about this, remember? We talked about it on the way here," she sighed. Fluttershy blushed timidly, but seemed to hold her ground. "But, yes, Fluttershy is right. We need to get you out of here."

Applejack looked around the ordinary hospital room, then back at her friends. "I ain't goin nowhere. I can't! Look at me, gals. I ain't magical," she said. "Now whatever them guards want, I'm sure it ain't too bad. Princess Celestia likes us."

"That's just it," Rarity barked, her rather regal tone fading. "These are Luna's guards. And there's something wrong with Twilight. Look, we can explain later, but right now, we just need to go." She got next to Applejack, between her and the window.

"I told ya, I ain't-"

"Well it's not like you're in any position to oppose. In simpler words, you thick skulled brute, deal with it." She turned to Fluttershy, and before there was any room for protest at all, said," Take her out the window please. I'll meet you two outside."

Fluttershy nodded, giving Rarity the okay to charge her horn. As she flashed out in a bright, brilliant light blue light, focusing deeply on her destination. Through a small, tunnel like channel of magic, she was thrust out onto the ground below.

She was spat out, and tumbled on the ground feebly. Dirt got onto her sweat soaked mane, annoying her to great lengths as she picked herself back up. There was nothing worse than that awful teleportation spell. Well...except for being hunted by royal guards who are trying to break into the public library. Maybe.

On her hooves, she looked up at the fourth story window, seeing that it had already been propped open. Rarity hoped Fluttershy could pull this off; she never was a strong flyer. A pang of unease rang up her spine as the wings of the yellow pegasus flapped out of the window. "Careful," she called up to them.

She wasn't sure if Fluttershy had heard as the pegasus slipped out from the window, and hovered in the air with Applejack. They were descending rather quickly - something Rarity had been afraid of - but were hopefully going at a slow enough pace to stop on time. As the two fell, she could hear Fluttershy muttering apologies and regrets. She sighed with a blunt look. There wasn't time for this!

Soon enough, they were on the ground. Fluttershy laid Applejack on the grass that had tripped Rarity, being especially careful not to jostle her. "Glad to see this went smoothly," she told them, half sincere, half sarcastic. "Now let's get moving-"

"Oh no Rarity, we can't move too fast. Applejack will-"

Fluttershy was cut off this time. "I want an explanation before I go anywhere, and if y'all start havin a hissy fit, things aren't gonna be pretty," the incapacitated pony arrogantly said. Well, it was arrogant to Rarity.

"Oh you just hush, you're going where we take you, when we take you there," she snapped. She was in no mood to put up with false threats. Still, Fluttershy was right.

"What do you suggest we do?" she asked the pegasus.

"Ah suggest y'all take me back," Applejack but in.

Rarity was through with her mouth. "Applejack, honey, I've used my magic to bind fabric together, and I won't hesitated to do it to your lips if you don't quit." The disgruntled pony snorted, but stayed silent. "Now," she addressed Fluttershy. "Your cottage is on the other side of town. We have to move her as fast as we can, so, since you've dealt with this before, what do you think we should do?"

"I, um oh dear," she blushed. "I've never handled a pony before. I usually work with small creatures."

"Then it's agreed," Rarity filled her mouth, "We'll just drag her."

"Hey!" Applejack protested loudly.

Rarity shot her an untamed look. "I'm in no mood," she snapped.

"We could get a wagon," Fluttershy suggested, hoping to break the tension.

Rarity nodded. "But from where? And besides, how would we get through the town?" she asked.

Fluttershy thought for a second. "We can go around. My cottage is on the outside of Ponyville, so we can get there with no problem," she smiled, proud.

"Brilliant," Rarity agreed. "But that still leaves the problem of a wagon."

"We could just carry her," Fluttershy said, shrugging.

Applejack chimed in frantically. "Hey gals, where's my tail?"

Rarity sighed. "Alright, fine, just...let's go. Load her up," she snorted, feeling like a mule.

It had taken hours - literally - to drag Applejack to Fluttershy's cottage, and another hour or so to shove her up to the attic. The outside of Ponyville was rather easy to get through; there was practically nopony around to question why they had a weak, tailless mare on their backs as they walked. They got strange glances from the rare pegasus, and Rarity blushed hard more than once, but now they were here, the load off their backs.

In Flutterhshy's attic, Rarity stared down, just as Applejack and Fluttershy, at the salad before them. It was fresh, and artisan made; yes, this timid pegasus was quite the cook. And, unlike the previous night, Rarity and Fluttershy were devouring it, leaving little left to stare at.

Applejack was taking her time, however, constantly looking out the attic window as the sun lowered between the mountains. "Ah just don't understand what was so important," she sighed, leaning to take another bite from her salad. She was resting on an old cot, the salad next to her, directly under the window.

"What is there not to understand?" Rarity asked, calming down now that there was food in her. She was sitting in an old chair of Fluttershy's, while Fluttershy herself took a pile of laid out blankets. "We told you everything."

"Yeah, but y'all didn't explain it. All I know is that there are guards comin after us, and that Luna is huntin Twi. Why?" the resting pony asked.

"Eww..." Rarity remarked. "I... think I'm done with my salad." She pushed the bowl back away from her.

"Why?" Fluttershy worriedly asked. "Was there something wrong with... oh my..."

"Wha's wrong?" Applejack asked, confusion on her face as the two ponies looked at her with the same, uncomfortable expression. They weren't looking in her eyes though. "Oh...Oh my goodness, Ah'm so sorry, I-I can't control it..."

"No, no, it's...alright," Fluttershy gave an uncomfortable smile. "I have a towel around here somewhere... ah, here." She pulled out a dusty looking towel, and shook it down to kick off any spiders or dusts.

She brought it over to Applejack and said," Rarity, could you, um, please come lift up Applejack."

Rarity shuddered and gagged, but came to Applejack nonetheless. Slipping her hooves under her lower back, she gently lifted her friend while managing to hold her salad down. Fluttershy slipped the towel under her carefully, and Rarity lowered her back down. Even in the light of the setting sun, Applejack's deep blush was visible. "Ah'm so sorry girls. I really didn't mean to," she said quietly.

"It's... quite alright, dear," Rarity said, inspecting her hooves. They seemed clean...

"So, uh," Applejack shifted the scene, "W-What about Twi? What's up with her?"

Fluttershy smiled weakly and went with the change. "We don't know. We went to see her today, and that's when Princess Luna showed up with the guards, and arrested Pinkie-"

"Whoa nelly, she arrested Pinkie?" She was taken aback. "I see why y'all came for me."

"Yes, and there were guards coming in for you and Rainbow Dash when we were at the hospital," Fluttershy added. Applejack turned and pondered this. "Rarity paid a total of two-hundred and eighty bits to get to you."

"Wow," Applejack said, rather shocked. "Rarity... I, uh, thank y'all very much. You're very kind."

"It was, ugh, no problem," she murmured as she continued to inspect her hooves. Applejack blushed again, and the trio sat in silence for a little while.

Soon, the sun was fading over the horizon. "So, erm," Applejack mustered up her voice, "I know things are gettin bad, but do y'all know just how bad they are?"

Both Rarity and Fluttershy opened their mouths to speak, but a flash of light from Fluttershy's attic window stole their voices. Each one of them, even Rarity, who was still looking over her hooves, stopped what they were doing to see what could possibly be happening now.

Outside the window was their answer.

"Oh sweet Celestia, what is this?" Rarity took in the sight.

Out the window, in the dead center of Ponyville, a huge, bright purple light shot up in a terribly awe-striking beam, the tip of it looking like the shattered crystals Rarity sometimes worked with. It slowly crept to the sky, inching closer and closer to the clouds. The three of them just stared speechless.

As the tip hit the cloud covers, it stopped, and began glowing a huge, glossy violet that grew intense within seconds. "You wanted to know just how bad things were?" Rarity asked the pony behind her as the light swelled. "This bad."

The light exploded, expelling all sunlight and darkness, clearing the skies of both clouds and color. A purple shockwave thundered through the area, whipping the trees and startling the animals, big and small. All color evaporated from the sky, fading to the violet that went out with the shock, and the air held that of the feeling of a very familiar time of day.

Twilight.